The Eminem “Houdini” Video – Who’s Sherri Papini, Steve Miller Band, and More!

Just in case anybody forgot that Eminem is the best rapper of our generation, their generation, her generation, his generation, future generations, past generations, all generations, he’s just released a music video for a new song called “Houdini” and the video is as fun as you’d want from a song named after a famous illusionist. But there’s more to the story. Check out the video then scroll down for more info!

Credits. The entertaining video was directed by Rich Lee who’s done a music video or commercial that you’ve seen before. It’s a matter of probability and yes, you’ve seen his work whether you know it or not. The Director of Photography was Chris Probst. Producers are Justin Diener, Kathy Angstadt, and Lisa Arianna. The Production Company is Synapse and AI was done by Metaphysic.

I noticed another credit on the Shady Records Instagram post about the new single. There’s a shout out to the Steve Miller Band and now that I’ve done research, I realize how far ahead everyone else already is! But I’m caught up, y’all. The chorus of “Houdini” samples SMB’s “Abracadabra”…. take a listen to the 1982 track below.

Who is Sherri Papini? Eminem references a kidnapping as he drops the name Sherri Papini. It was in 2016 when Sherri allegedly went missing by way of kidnapping but years later she admitted the whole thing was a hoax. Jail time and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, Sherri is pretty much just the butt of jokes now, and I guess she gets a line in an Eminem song, too.

There’s Eminem, then there are all the other rappers. With a new album due out this summer and fresh off a wedding celebration where his daughter wed her fiancé, Eminem is looking to have a great year and that’s not a hoax.

-Out of the Wilderness

The New Publix Experience Commercial – The Actress, the Music, and More!

I’m under the impression that Publix can’t make a bad commercial and I have new evidence. In a new ad called “Enjoy the Publix Experience,” Publix takes us through all the seasons from blooming flowers to the snowflake freezer aisle. We’re along for the ride as a shopper finds everything she needs………. but who is this shopper, anyway? The answer is below but first take a look at the minute-long ad featuring a song from nearly 30 years ago…

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The Actress. It looks like she’s moving in 3/4 speed as she takes in the wonders of all Publix has to offer. You might recognize the actress from HBO’s “Euphoria.” Here’s Aja Bair’s bio from IMDb:

Guest starting as Jade in Episode 7 and 8 of Season 2. Her television appearances include hit shows like Kenan, Key & Peele and Cougar Town. Aja made her feature debut in the box office hit Bad Teacher with Cameron Diaz. She recently appeared in For When You Get Lost which premiered at the Austin Film Festival winning the audience award.

In an Instagram post about the Publix shoot, Aja said “Spent a week in Florida riding around on a grocery cart in a Publix in the middle of the night and I highly recommend it 💯These were some fun night shoots and they made me look so cool 🛒”… and here’s a clip of her on the show “Kenan.”

The Music. The soundtrack of this Publix commercial is a song from 1997. It’s The Verve with “Bittersweet Symphony.” Here’s the full song which has over a billion views on YouTube 😮…

The song is based on a sample of a Rolling Stones song called “The Last Time,” the orchestral version at least. It’s easy to hear the similarities…

Publix ads always work, don’t they? I can think of only a few I would’ve done differently but they still take the #1 spot for consistently having the best commercials on TV. What are your thoughts on this one and which pub sub are you getting for dinner tonight?

Publix Fill Your Cup Commercial – It’s A Vibe

Publix Pulls Heart Strings in New Christmas Ad

Publix Thanksgiving with Original Song “I Remember This”

Publix Thanksgiving Commercial – Dad’s a Loser and Mom’s Depressed

-Out of the Wilderness

Death by Quicksand?

I can’t even remember how many shows and movies depicted quicksand as a real threat in our lives and as a kid I was very afraid I’d accidentally step in it. I’m sure it was on an episode of MacGyver or something, or maybe even one of those serious episodes from Full House or Punky Brewster. Speaking of Punky, I also had an irrational fear I’d get locked in a refrigerator………………….. because I’m sure that happens all the time.

It turns out quicksand is not much of a killer at all. I couldn’t even find concrete statistics on how many people die of it in a given year, and some websites said it was ‘none’. I’m sure getting stuck in a refrigerator is an uncommon way to die, too. I think a person is more likely to get struck by lightning while an alligator is biting their leg on a Tuesday.

In fact, how many of you out there have even seen quicksand? I’ve been around sand all my life and I’ve never, ever come across any that swallow people up. I think we were misled by Hollywood all along. I guess that brings up another fair question: What is Hollywood portraying in 2024 that will look extremely foolish in a few decades? Aliens, vampires, global warming?

I guess anything is fair game when you’re trying to scare kids.

-Out of the Wilderness

The iPhone Find Your Friends Commercial – The Music and More!

Apple has a mini movie centered around their “Precision Finding” feature which enables two iPhone 15 users to find each other within a distance of a few feet. Pretty accurate if the commercial is being truthful. Take a look at the Star Wars themed ad then scroll down for more info…

The Music. If you want to see all your friends at once, like the main character in this ad looking for his buds, perhaps the perfect soundtrack for you is “All My Friends” by Channel Tres.

The Location. The ad was filmed in the Los Angeles area, as confirmed by the stop in North Hollywood’s Jolly Donuts located at 12835 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605.

Do you like the ad? Leave a comment below…

-Out of the Wilderness

Open Water Swim – Gulf of Mexico

I’m really enjoying the improvement I’m experiencing with swimming whether it’s in a pool, lake, or the ocean. The only downside so far, well there might be two… but the first is that my right shoulder hurts a little. I think it’s just inflammation so I’m monitoring that. The other downside is that I’m not fast. But those downsides don’t outweigh the confidence I’m gaining since my first very embarrassing swim a little over a year ago in a sprint triathlon. One of my nieces recorded an open water swim this weekend so this is the first time I’ve seen myself swimming up close. Triathlons and the training that goes along with them has been such a bright spot for me the last year and a half!

My next sprint triathlon is just about 3 weeks away so I’ll keep writing posts as the day approaches.

-Out of the Wilderness