Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
1.1.2025
Editor – Mykal - Content – Technical
Research & Editor – Mike - Content
Psycho Studios is an independent Film/TV production company. A multimedia platform with a podcast as well as this newsletter. Feel free to reach out to Psycho Studios through their website/email.
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Forward
Mike and Mykal are a father & son duo that started a production company about two years ago. They are working on the next phase of their production company and look forward to being involved in feature film making. They rolled out a podcast and newsletter to give their audience a means to hear where they are headed and what they are experiencing. The newsletter (The Sprinkler) is fun, informative and value add! They remind their audience that they leave politics at the door. They want their energy to be positive and wellness based. Share gratitude and be cool to one another!
We hope you will join us monthly as we explore different ways to enrich our lives and have some fun exploring the human race.
We bring old school and contemporary ideas to the table.
Mykal & I operate with the credo; be cool to one another. We want to connect with people, and be present while we enjoy this journey. We have embarked on something that is moving in a direction that affords us to display our creativity and love for film & music in our Psycho Studio’s Podcast on YouTube – now with video!
Come with us as we explore ways to live in the moment and appreciate all we have, rather than what we have not.
Welcome psychos one and all!
The Sprinkler
This is an abbreviated version of our regular Sprinkler given the holidays. Enjoy the 2025 electronic and printable calendar along with a couple of excellent Spotify playlists!
Film – Music - Wellness – Commentary – Some Sports and Random Headlines
Let’s start with a film quote we love:
Why do we fall? So, we can pick ourselves back up.”
Christopher Nolan
Film
We watched so many movies in 2024 it would be a challenge to lay them all out. We will do a 2024 film recap in February’s Sprinkler.
Let’s end 2024 and start the New Year with the last film Mykal and I watched in 2024. We saw 2024’s Nosferatu on December 31st at 10p. This was an IMAX showing and we rang in the New Year with Robert Eggers, Willem Dafoe and a cast o plenty. The film is one of the best movies we saw in 2024! The acting, the story, the dialogue along with beautiful cinematography make this a wonderful way for movie buffs to ring in the New Year!
Psycho Studio’s rating – on a scale of 1-Psycho (10):
Mykal – 9.5
Mike – 9
This movie is for anyone who loves film. Coming in at 132 minutes and Rated R this movie simply rocks! I’m not a fan of period pieces and anything that tackles the years pre-1950 is not my cup o tea. This film is an anomaly and I give it high marks in every aspect one can think of for a modern movie.
Special shout out to Willem Dafoe one of our favorite actors along with Bill Skarsgard as Nosferatu! See our article on Dafoe as he is our Interesting Individual of the Month!
For horror fans this is a must see!
And in TV
Severance is coming. Apple TV’s Severance is returning in January of 2024 some three years after the first season. This unusual TV show headed by an amazing cast including Adam Scott is a must watch for anyone that enjoys smart, well-acted and thought-provoking shows! A side note is how interesting it is to see Adam Scott knock his dramatic role out of the park. My recollection of Scott is the brother in Step Brothers and to see his progression to a serious actor is quite amazing!
Music
We listened to so much amazing music in 2024! Mykal and I are crazy music buffs and fans and logged over 40,000 minutes each of listening in the year that was!
Mykal posed an interesting question to me at year’s end when he asked where would we be without music or movies?
I can’t imagine my world or my son’s world without music and film. They add color, content and meaning to a world that is filled with turmoil and uncertainty. The creativity and art that music and films add to each day are uplifting and bring continuity to our lives.
Music and movies are what afford us to forge ahead on our quest to be professional film writers and makers!
Please enjoy these unique playlists!
Check out these playlists on Spotify:
The first one is Holiday rock, be ready for next year!
The second playlist is nothing but classic Frank Sinatra, good anytime of the year!
Enjoy!
Wellness
In lieu of our normal wellness tips and tricks we are going to share some things about the New Year and how it became to be such a popular holiday.
We wish all our psychos a safe, happy, prosperous and gratitude filled
Regardless, please take care of yourselves and show kindness in your day to day.
Be cool to one another.
New Year festival, any of the social, cultural, and religious observances worldwide that celebrate the beginning of the new year. Such festivals are among the oldest and the most universally observed.
Year festival dates from about 2000 bce in Mesopotamia, where in Babylonia the new year (Akitu) began with the new moon after the vernal equinox and in Assyria with the new moon nearest the autumn equinox (mid-September). For the Egyptians and Phoenicians, the year began with the autumn equinox (September 21), for ancient Persians it began on the vernal equinox (March 21), and for the early Greeks it began with the winter solstice (December 21). On the Roman republican calendar the year began on March 1, but after 153 bce the official date was January 1, which was continued in the Julian calendar of 46 bce.
In early medieval times most of Christian Europe regarded March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year, although New Year’s Day was observed on December 25 in Anglo-Saxon England. William the Conqueror decreed that the year begin on January 1, but England later joined the rest of Christendom and adopted March 25. The Gregorian calendar, adopted in 1582 by the Roman Catholic Church, restored January 1 as New Year’s Day, and most European countries gradually followed suit: Scotland, in 1660; Germany and Denmark, about 1700; England, in 1752; and Russia, in 1918.
Those religions and cultures using a lunar calendar have continued to observe the beginning of the year on days other than January 1. In the Jewish religious calendar, for example, the year begins on Rosh Hashana, the first day of the month of Tishri, which falls between September 6 and October 5. The Muslim calendar normally has 354 days in each year, with the new year beginning with the month of Muharram. Nowruz, an ancient Zoroastrian festival, is celebrated as a cultural new year in Iran and other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia with Persian influences. The Chinese New Year is celebrated officially for a month beginning in late January or early February. Other Asian cultures celebrate the day at various times of the year. In southern India the people of Kerala celebrate the new year as Vishu and the people in neighboring Tamil Nadu as Puthandu on April 14. Tibetans observe the day as Losar in February; and in Thailand the holiday, called Songkran, is celebrated in mid-April. In Japan the new year holiday Shōgatsu is a three-day celebration from January 1 to 3.
Many of the customs of New Year festivals note the passing of time with both regret and anticipation. The baby as a symbol of the new year dates to the ancient Greeks, with an old man representing the year that has passed. The Romans derived the name for the month of January from their god Janus, who had two faces, one looking backward and the other forward. The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and to adopt better ones also dates to ancient times. Some believe the Babylonians began the custom more than 4,000 years ago. These early resolutions were likely made in an attempt to curry favor with the gods. In the West, particularly in English-speaking countries, the nostalgic Scottish ballad “Auld Lang Syne,” revised by the poet Robert Burns, is often sung on New Year’s Eve.
Symbolic foods are often part of the festivities. Many Europeans, for example, eat cabbage or other greens to ensure prosperity in the coming year, while people in the American South favor black-eyed peas for good luck. For Ugadi in southern India, a special culinary preparation called ugadi pachadi combines multiple flavors and whether a person eating it tastes more sweet or bitter flavor is considered indicative of their year to come. Throughout Asia special foods such as dumplings, noodles, and rice cakes are eaten, and elaborate dishes feature ingredients whose names or appearance symbolize long life, happiness, wealth, and good fortune. Because of the belief that what a person does on the first day of the year foretells what that person will do for the remainder of the year, gatherings of friends and relatives have long been significant. The first guest to cross the threshold, or “first foot,” is significant and may bring good luck if the person is of the right physical type, which varies with location. First foot traditions are observed, for example, in Scotland, Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.
Public gatherings, as in Times Square in New York City or in Trafalgar Square in London, draw large crowds, and the countdown to the dropping of an electronic ball in Times Square to signify the exact moment at which the new year begins is televised worldwide. The first Rose Bowl Game was played in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 1902, and college gridiron football games have come to dominate American television on New Year’s Day. The Tournament of Roses parade, featuring floats constructed of live flowers, and the Mummers’ Parade in Philadelphia are popular New Year’s Day events.
Many people mark the new year with religious observances, as, for example, on Rosh Hashana. Buddhist monks are presented with gifts on the day, and Hindus make oblations to the gods. In Japan visits are sometimes made to Shintō shrines of tutelary deities or to Buddhist temples. Chinese make offerings to gods of the hearth and wealth and to ancestors.
The New Year is a great time to reset, cleanse and set a course for a great next twelve months! Be kind to yourself, stay focused on your goals and fuck New Year’s resolutions!
Thanks to Britannica for their insight and research assistance with this article.
Wait, a rerun in a newsletter? We are reposting all the amazing gratitude shares from so many great folks from last month. Gratitude should be year-round and a great way to kick off the New Year! From last month: several people we know shared what they are grateful for as we wrap up the holidays and move into the New Year.
Mykal kicks us off –
The Gift of Life
I’m deeply grateful for this life I’ve been given, for the chance to exist and experience all that the universe has to offer. Even in moments when I take it for granted or feel weighed down by self-doubt, I’m in awe of the fact that everything aligned perfectly to bring me here. The randomness of it all, yet the beauty in it, leaves me thankful every day.
The Power of Music
Music has been a constant in my life—a guiding light through the darkest nights and a celebration in my brightest days. It connects us, heals us, and speaks what words sometimes cannot. I’ve leaned on it in tough times and danced to it in joyous ones. Sharing music with others is like sharing pieces of the soul, and for that, I’m endlessly thankful.
Friends and Family, Chosen and Given
My gratitude for the people in my life—both family by blood and family by choice—knows no bounds. They’ve been there for the ups, the downs, and even the messy moments where words hurt but love still shines through. They’ve taught me that true family isn’t defined by genetics but by the bonds we nurture and the unconditional support we share.
Health and Vitality
Every breath I take reminds me of how precious health truly is. Life can change in an instant, and I’m thankful for the simple yet profound gift of being alive and well. It’s easy to overlook until it’s threatened, but today, I’m deeply grateful for the strength and vitality that allow me to live fully.
And my gratitude – I love the sentiments that Mykal shared!
I am grateful for life; every breath and every experience are precious to me!
I am grateful for music and film. The two elements are powerful to me and have been uplifting and soul searching throughout my life. Music moves my soul in happy and sad times, and film expands my imagination and creativity.
I’m grateful for all the people that have moved in and out of my life. Lessons learned. Hearts broken. Hearts healed. The beauty of meeting new people and sharing life experiences.
I’m beyond grateful for my son. Being a father has been the most unique and rewarding experience of my life. My son is a unique and creatively beautiful human!
I’m grateful to be healthy, and that my friends and family are healthy too! We can never take life, health and beauty for granted!
More gratitude shared:
Allison – Family. Good health. Wine.
Mike B – My son. Friends & Family. Good health. An amazing journey.
Dawn - Happy. Healthy. Fit. For having a job coach and resources to help my son as I cannot do it alone. Family and friends that standby my side in difficult times.
Michael W – Family and our health.
Christina – Family’s good health. For finishing foot zoning school and all the wonderful clients, I have.
Stephanie H – That I still have my parents with me this year. For my health. Grateful for all my family and friends that support me day to day.
Gigi – Deeply thankful for unlimited grace and mercy
Bryan – Having a healthy and happy family. Also grateful for having the ability and means to do the activities that make me happy.
Stephanie W – Most grateful for God’s unmerited and unending grace.
Rob – Friends. Family. Freedom and good health. Hopeful for a more peaceful world in the upcoming year!
Judah – Grateful for healthy and happy family. Thanks for my jobs with Phoenix and the Navy. Thankful for my health!
Mike M – Grateful for my family, health and a roof over my head.
Josh – Thankful for family and friends and the glorious weather in Phoenix we are currently having!
Shannon – Thankful for having a beautiful home and loving husband and family to spend time with this holiday.
Rebecca – Grateful for all the people in my life. For those that have come and gone. Those who have taught me hard lessons and those who have been great persons when I needed it most. I am grateful for my family. The relationships outside of my family are the ones that remind me the world is a beautiful please full of amazing people!
Stacey – Grateful that my health hasn’t become worse. Grateful for my loving and supportive family and friends.
Loriann – Grateful for her family and health.
Tish – Grateful for having an amazing family and friends who truly love me. I am especially grateful for my relationship with God. If it wasn’t for HIM, I don’t know where I would be. HE is truly amazing!
Chris S – He is grateful for cats and clean underwear.
Commentary
I will keep this short and sweet!
The New Year can seem daunting as many of us set resolutions and unrealistic goals with the turn of the calendar.
We should focus on our focus. Yes, I just said that. We should all have yearly goals and work to achieve those said goals through hard work, smart planning and sticktoittiveness!
Getting lost in resolutions and succumbing to so-called Quitter’s Day is not worth it.
Stay positive. Maintain a to-do list. Write out your goals. Manifest what you want. Let’s be grateful for what we have and press to live in the moment. Let those in your life know how you feel about them, reach out to those that may need a hand or simply a friend to talk to.
Cheers to everyone on a really good coming year, and be cool to one another!
Some Sports
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are sitting at 11-6 after losing to those fucking Chicago Bears! I did not nail the early season prediction, although I wish that Mykal’s prediction would have come true! The Packers closed the season by beating the teams they should have and losing to the best teams in the NFC. Losses to the Lions, Vikings and Eagles sealed their fate as the seventh seed with a trip to Philadelphia to face the formidable Eagles in the opening Wild Card round. Love has been fully healthy for the last 6-8 weeks of the regular season and has been uneven to say the least. Jaire Alexander, the overpaid and often hurt super star cornerback has missed half the regular season and is going under the knife for his knee injury and has ended any hope of him helping in the playoffs. Head coach Matt LaFleur has been uneven himself in both play calling and allowing his emotions to cloud his game day choices. It’s hard to believe a 11-6 record puts the Packers in third place in the NFC as the Lions and Vikings have been killing it. Fuck both of those teams! Christian Watson is injured again and out for the season!
I’m saving my predictions for the playoffs as I don’t want to jinx the Green and Gold!
Cheers to a great NFL regular season, those 18 weeks go by way too fast!
We are sticking with our way to early predictions from the beginning of the season.
Previously: Our not too early prediction for the Green Bay Packer’s 2024 season;
Me – 12-5. Mykal – 13-4 Packers finish 11-6 after choking to the Bears in Green Bay!
Cheers to a continued great NFL season and into the playoffs! Carry the G!
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks started slow and shitty but advanced into the NBA in season Cup and won the whole thing in Las Vegas in the middle of December! The Bucks finished the first week of the New Year by losing four of five games, barely above 500 at 17-16! They are positioned in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and appear to be fading fast. The Bucks appeared to be hitting their stride and playing well together but that seems to be derailed. They had a few bumps in the road to end the year with Giannis and Lillard both missing games due to non-Covid related illnesses and some nagging injuries. Head Coach Doc Rivers seemed to be finding his groove, but that may have been smoke and mirrors. Doc continues to integrate the younger players on the roster into real game time minutes. The NBA regular season is a long and winding road coming in at 82 games. With the Bucks at 17-16 they aren’t even through half of the season! Middleton’s return to the fold had been an amazing boost to the starting lineup and gives the Bucks a star studded three headed monster of Giannis, Lillard and Middleton. No too early predictions at this time given the fluid nature of the Bucks roster and coaching along with a very poor start to the first 30 plus games.
Fear the Deer! Maybe?
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers start their Spring Training games on February 22, 2025. This will be at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
The Brewers begin their 2025 regular season home opener on March 31st at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
More baseball when we are closer to Spring Training!
Random Headlines & Stuff
Let’s get to some weird and interesting stuff!
- A Virginia man died after a bear in a tree shot by one of his hunting buddies fell on him. You cannot make this shit up! Bear with me as we move to the next headline!
- In this might seem gross to some (Including this guy!) but some people out there make so-called home-made chicken fingers by using Swanson’s canned chicken. The mixture is comprised of said canned chicken along with egg and shredded cheese. An air fryer is the suggested cooking method. Please be mindful of chicken beaks!
- To coincide with our Frank Sinatra musical playlist, let’s visit Frank’s favorite Las Vegas steakhouse. Frank loved steak pizzaiola which was a New York Strip covered in tomato sauce. The steakhouse? The Golden Steer, which is still in operation today! Frank had interesting taste in women as well as steaks!
- Believe it or not this is the only washing machine cycle you should ever use – Express or fast wash! This is the one I have used for years, and many so-called experts agree! This will save wear and tear on your clothing as well as your wash machine! Experts also recommend setting the machine to cold or tap water setting and to use the minimum recommended detergent amount and fuck those wash machine pods! I know, you have all those fancy settings, fuck those!
- A Pennsylvania couple who divorced nearly 50 years ago is planning to remarry. Fay Gable and Robert Wenrich first met because he was her older brothers’ best friend, and she says he told them that he was going to marry her someday. As Vince Vaughn’s character in Old School stated – Don’t do it!
- In sweet tooth news, A British chef’s appeal for thieves to return 2,500 pies that were in a stolen van has ended in disappointment. The pie bandits returned the pies but they were spoiled and damaged! A pie to die for?
- And in alien news, The FBI is investigating reports about several mysterious nighttime drone flights that have recently occurred across central New Jersey and has asked the public for help. Clearly this is a squadron of drones led by ET! ET please phone the FBI!
- And in truly stupid news, a Detroit man was told he can keep the library book he had overdue for 50 years! These stories are always so stupid to me, but clearly this tardy bookworm was seeking attention for his stupidity and lack of understanding how a library works! Dewey Decimal says return your books in a timely manner!
Interesting individual of the month [IIM]
This month’s interesting individual is Willem Dafoe!
Willem was born in Appleton Wisconsin. His father was a surgeon and his mother was a nurse. His five sisters raised him based on his parents always working. He studied drama at the University of Milwaukee. Willem was in a few films in which his roles were limited and or edited out. His first real meaty role was that of Rick Masters in William Friedkin’s, To Live in Die in LA in 1985. Roger Ebert noted his strong performance when reviewing the film. Movies like Platoon and The Last Temptation of Christ showed Willem’s acting chops as the 1980s closed.
Willem acting steadily as the years rolled on and he stood out in every role he played, big and small alike. His smaller role in American Psycho showed his subtle style as he played off of Bale’s Patrick Bateman. Ironically, he played a fictionalized version of Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire. Critics continued to recognize his strong performances regardless of his screen time. In 2002 he played Norman Osborn in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, which included Dafoe playing the Green Goblin. Willem continued to act non-stop and his roles varied from small to large roles. The films he acted in were a potpourri of genres and styles. Willem starred in Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse with Robert Pattison. This was a pure acting drama which basically has two characters playing off one another. His charismatic presence played big in his most recent roles as the 2020s unfolded. Willem finished 2024 by starring in another Eggers film, Nosferatu! After nearly 150 films and living in New York for 40 years, Dafoe lives with his Italian wife in the Rome countryside on an alpaca farm.
He has been nominated for several academy awards and received his star on the Walk of Fame in 2024. He is currently married and has one son from a previous relationship. Willem is one of the great actors our generation, with equal parts of humble and intelligence. Mykal and I have always loved Willem’s acting. His screen attraction along with his down to earth demeanor and amazingly diverse characters make him a true movie star!
Mykal and I want to wish everyone an amazing and safe New Year! Enjoy time with family and friends and appreciate what we have as opposed to what we have not.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
Albert Einstein
Closing
Thank you for taking the time to read Chapter Seventeen of Psycho Studios; The Sprinkler. We always look forward to sharing our thoughts, ideas and more!
Be safe and stay psycho!
We would love to hear from our audience. Comments, feedback & suggestions are welcome!
Email us at - psychostudios66@gmail.com
Reach us at our website - psycho-studio.com.
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The Sprinkler is dropped on the first of each month. Podcasts are dropped as content is available, at least twice per month.
Mike & Mykal
Psycho Studios ~ 1.1.2025