The New Amazon Futbol Commercial – The Music, the Women, and More!

From hair dye to mouth guards, Amazon has just about anything any athlete could ever want, an advantage pointed out in their latest commercial featuring women’s soccer. Take a look then scroll down for more info…

The Music. Set against the imagery of tough, modern women is an mid-20th century song called “A Sweet Old-Fashioned Girl” by Teresa Brewer from 1956. Here’s the full track…

The Grit. The commercial shows women playing soccer (or futból) with tenacity. I’ve always appreciated women who are rough on the pitch, from my days playing adult league soccer to watching my teenage nieces’ high school soccer matches. Who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned donnybrook, ya know?

The commercial also presents clashing ideas of womanhood. And no, I don’t mean the cliché-ridden stereotype perpetuated by Dylan Mulvaney. It’s the idea of a modest (biological) woman from the 1950s vs. the self-sufficient (biological) woman of 2024. The whole “anything you can do, I can do better” movement we’ve seen in the last couple of decades, and I think Amazon did a great job with the yin and yang of what it means to be a woman (as if I know anything about that) in the 21st century.

I believe men and women are different and there’s not really any good reason why both can’t be celebrated. Men are good at some things and women are good at some things. There are areas of life and culture where women excel and other areas where men excel and I think that’s OK. Women are awesome (I can say that because I know a woman) and two things can be true at once… because it’s possible for a woman to have old-fashioned values and still be an ally for women out there fighting for equality globally. I didn’t mean for this to turn into a monologue, or woman-ologue, but here we are! If you have thoughts about the commercial, share below!

Women of the world, you rock~~~

-Out of the Wilderness

Tim McGraw “One Bad Habit” Is One Bad Music Video

He’s a living musical legend and quite an actor, too. Tim McGraw will always be synonymous with iconic country music and even to this very day, decades after his career started, he’s releasing new music. That’s quite an incredible accomplishment only achieved by few. Unfortunately, though, his latest single is as boring as watching a sloth do a marathon. Brace yourself and check out the video, then scroll down for more…

The Song. The word toxic comes to mind as I review the lyrics of the song. He’s bad. She’s addicted. Not really the recipe for a healthy relationship, right? The whole premise of the poorly-executed song is perfectly dissected in a post on Kyle’s Korner blog, I literally couldn’t have said it better so I’ll move right along to the video.

The Video. The video features Tim McGraw and guitarist Adam Shoenfeld in a backstage hallway complete with a few equipment cases, a mic, and a mic stand. I’ll take “Phoning It In” for $500, Alex. I’ve always thought a music video should only exist if it makes the song better. In this case, it definitely does not. I will never understand the point of spending thousands and thousands of dollars for a video people will forget, or even worse, dislike.

Maybe it would’ve been best for the McGraw team to leave this song alone so fans can interpret it in their own way, recalling images of their own love story. But now the track is linked with a video that is very, and I mean very, boring. Decades from now this will be one we can’t remember hearing or watching. So to end this on a positive note, here’s a better nod to Tim and Faith’s relationship… “I Need You.”

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol Episode 4 Recap – Do You Know Your Enemy?

Let’s just go ahead and say the obvious: Alyssa Raghu should NOT have auditioned the way she did. I know the temptation must’ve been strong but it’s as simple as saying, “No thanks, this is my friend’s moment.” I can’t see how Alyssa and Julia’s friendship stays in tact and as one person on YouTube restated… with friends like this, who needs enemies?

When You’re Here, You’re Family. The Olive Garden slogan apparently doesn’t apply even though the judges say time and time again that Idol is a family. What Alyssa did to Julia is worse than anything my wrestler brother did to me in high school. And yes, the cross-face cradle still keeps me up at night. The Raghu sauce is bitter and now that she’s on her first second third attempt on American Idol, combined with the dirty treatment of Julia, Alyssa’s future is as good as doomed.

The Good. Episode 4 had some bright spots, though. I’m thinking of the auditions from Quintavious Johnson, Dave Fio, and Reagan Mills. If I had to pick a favorite from this episode it would be Quintavious for his take on “Alabaster Box.” Another highlight was Katy Perry’s moo. Heaven’s to Betsy, I was NOT expecting that! Very impressive.

Adam’s Apple. Another peculiar contestant is Amari. I couldn’t find the adam’s apple but something about this contestant had me suspicious. Three things confirmed that Amari is a trans woman…

1. Her (his) voice.

2. Katy Perry fawning over her (him).

3. Amari eventually said she (he) is trans.

Well, guess who’s getting a ticket to Hollywood now? What’s it called when you’re afraid of being labeled transphobic? That’s what most people in the media suffer from, not transphobia but transphobiaphobia. The judges on American Idol are really no different. There might be backlash if someone in a fringe group of people don’t get everything they want exactly how they want it… so unfortunately for Amari, sexual preferences got in the way of showcasing a good voice.

The unwritten rule is that if you’re trans, gay, or have a tragic backstory, you’re assured a spot in Hollywood. Another case from this episode: Michael from England. He has a good voice and seems to be a good entertainer, but he didn’t even need to sing. After hearing the story of his dad’s early death and how Michael has so many feelings about that relationship, just send him to Hollywood already, right?

Sus. One suspicious audition was Athena Jett and her younger sister, who was there with her for support. The quiet, shy, polite sibling stood by while Athena performed “Somebody New” by Sophia James. Judges were sort of indifferent about it until younger sister boldly interrupted the them WHILE THEY WERE SPEAKING to lobby for her sister. I call BS. Feels like a set up. It’s one thing for an outgoing adult to disrupt a conversation between A-List entertainers but for (who seems to be an) introverted child to do this, I smell a ratings stunt. On top of that, Athena’s next performance, as requested by her sister-with-newfound-courage, was “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Maybe producers thought this would be a home run because most viewers would remember it fondly from the movie. The only problem? Athena sounded worse in this song than her first. Orchestrated stunt to draw out empathy (and ratings?) or a genuine moment… we might not ever know.

Overall, it was a good episode in spite of some tactics that may or may not have been planned ahead of time. Still, there haven’t been auditions nearing the talent in the first episode or two and yes I’m referring to the original song by Jennifer Jeffries, who might be my pick to win it all.

-Out of the Wilderness

Conall Gorman “Backseat” Original Lyrics on American Idol

One contestant who might shine if he makes it through Hollywood is Conall Gorman. He looks like a young Elvis and has a recognizable singing voice. His audition featured an original song called “Backseat.” Here’s the edited clip then scroll down for the lyrics…

“Backseat” by Conall Gorman

Wedding day, Chevrolet cans
Dragging down the street.
She fakes the smile walking down the aisle
She could barely breathe.
Seven months two more to come
Another mouth to feed.
Nineteen, knocked up, it’s just a bad dream
Oh…

Take me back to nineteen,
Wish this was a bad dream.
Take me back to nineteen,
In your backseat, in your backseat.

-Out of the Wilderness

Danny Gokey “Peace” Music Video – The Locations, the Ice Cream, and More

American Idol season 22 is in full swing and has a quiver full of great singers already, like my early favorite Jennifer Jeffries. When she makes it to the voting rounds and ultimately finds her way into the top 5, she’ll be another great performer in a long line of Idol alumni that did really well on the show. Segue alert… Danny Gokey. He finished 3rd on season 8 behind Kris Allen (winner) and Adam Lambert (2nd place). Top level talent right there! The cream always rises to the top, doesn’t it? Speaking of cream, and no I’m not referring to the Prince song, it’s ice cream sharing the limelight in Danny Gokey’s new video called, “Peace.” Take a look then scroll down for more…

What’s the Flavor? Danny performs in front of Lolly’s Creamery in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I read some of the shops history and it warms my heart almost enough to melt an ice cream cone when talented people take a chance and have success. That’s the story of this place so if you’re in the VA area, swing by for a scoop!

Dog’s Day. My sole encounter with Danny Gokey was when my dog got snippy with his dog. More about that here. Nice to see he’s still a “dog guy” with the inclusion of pups in the video. And Danny, if you’re reading this, I’m STILL sorry about the dog park skurfuffle!

Colors of the Wind. Danny shoots a few clips in front of The Pink Dinghy, also part of the ViBE district in Virginia Beach. Looks like a really cozy place to get seafood, drinks, and hang with old friends and new… which is just what the folks credited with starting the diner would want.

St. Andrews State Park pier
fishing through fog

The Music. I’m not typically a fan of radio-friendly Christian music, it’s all just a little mellow and cheesy for me. I care a lot about lyrics, melody, and the ViBE (how about that slick call back to Lolly and The Pink Dinghy 😎) –the vibe of this song is so great. Plus, I sort of forgot how good of a singer Danny is. He’s got soul. And the lyrics offer, not a way to have peace, but THE way to have peace. I totally agree even if some days I don’t feel very peace-y. That’s not Jesus’ fault. Along with peace there’s also grace, forgiveness, love, joy, happiness, among other things. But aside from spiritual stuff, this is a pleasant song to listen to because of Danny’s voice. The video was fun to watch, too. I appreciated the man on the street style of shooting, the blocky editing (for lack of a better phrase), and the scenery. I had no idea Virginia Beach was so beachy. I might need to plan a trip up there to add to my camping stories!

What did you think of the video? Let me know a few things you liked or things you’d do differently with the filming and/or editing. I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite beach photos from My Online Gallery.

-Out of the Wilderness