Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
You think I’m going to say there are those who watch “Love is Blind” and those who don’t, don’t you? Well, you’re SO wrong!! That isn’t the best way to categorize humans on earth. Although, this idea I’m about to tell you popped into my head during an episode of that show (which makes me part of the group that watches “Love is Blind” *ahem* season 4 is available on Netflix now). One of the lovebirds who went to jump in a resort pool leaped from the side and as she floated through the air, she reached to her face and squeezed her nose.
There are two types of people in the world. Those who jump into water holding their nose… and those who don’t. There is no in between. You either do it, or you don’t. I’m a non-nose-holder and I don’t exactly understand what the nose-holders think pinching their nose does that just holding their breath won’t do, but I have nothing against them… the nerds! 👃👌
I’m sure I could write quite a bit about the recent school shooter in Nashville. But I’m not going to write anything except this… Mourn with the family and friends of those affected. Cherish the heroes who kept the tragedy from being worse. Thank God for the Nashville Police Department. Without hesitation, officers went in when most of the rest of us would be looking for a way out.
The image below was painted and mounted on the brick siding of a 2nd Avenue building (Hard Rock Cafe, I believe) for just a temporary amount of time back in 2021. It was to honor the police department in their hasty work on Christmas morning, 2020, when a bomb went off further down 2nd Avenue. Now, 3 years later, the country is reminded again that life is precious, of course, and also that the Nashville Police Department is made up of all kinds of heroes.
A contestant named Cam Amen auditioned on a recent episode of American Idol and picked a song that might be the best song ever written. It’s “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Here’s the version from Cam…
A great song, right? In fact, and not to take away from Cam’s talent which appears to be very high, I think the song is touching, emotional, incredible… almost no matter who sings it. That’s how good of a song it is, just in its original, lyrical form from Leonard Cohen. Should Cam go through to Hollywood? Absolutely. However, a few other contestants they sent through (*ahem* one with a famous dad who played guitar for her during the audition) weren’t as deserving. I’m sure there are other factors in the judges decision about who gets the golden ticket (*ahem* that girl with a famous dad who played guitar for her during the audition), like for instance that Lionel Richie wants to maintain an acquaintance-type friendship with the famous dad who played guitar for his daughter during her audition and to NOT send her to Hollywood would’ve been super awkward for the daughter who’s famous dad played guitar for her during the audition. The dad is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame so OF COURSE his daughter has to make it through to Hollywood. Meanwhile, the judges who unanimously gave her a “yes” are thinking they can quietly send her home during the group stages while maintaining a working friendship with her famous dad who played guitar for her during the audition. Here’s Lionel’s reaction during her performance with a look that says it all.
That look when you don’t like something but can’t say it out loud.
ANNNNYWHOOOOO….
“Nice” judges aside and not to mention I miss Simon Cowell, who would’ve sent her home without a golden ticket in spite of her Hall of Fame father, I’ll just leave you with the one “Hallelujah” performance that I can still remember where I was when I heard it the first time… (and also a list of my favorite “Hallelujah” performances here)
Take 5 minutes and listen to Jeff Buckley singing this great song…
Katy Perry recently called out a gay, black guy last week. She and the guy had a disagreement and the guy casually said, “Katy, chill out…” which didn’t go over well with Katy. Almost under her breath she mocked his sexuality, race, and gender in one short but sarcastic sentence, “Gay, black male tells woman to ‘chill out.'” Mainstream media was quick to take the story because in today’s society, nothing is worse than belittling someone’s gender, race, or sexual preference. It was trending on Twitter and headlining the nightly news for a few days after the incident. Katy was compelled to issue an apology where she admitted it was wrong and that she’ll be doing some soul-searching in the coming days, as well as meeting with different groups (gay and black people) to find out more about her divisive comment.
How should this make us feel about Katy Perry? Her comment was completely out of left field in the context of the situation so her quick descent to a person’s authentic identity caught everyone off guard. As tense as things are in society (according to the news, at least), comments like hers do nothing to soothe fragile relationships that are already on edge.
Also, Katy’s comment wasn’t about a gay, black man. Dun dun dunnnn! Plot twist. Her comment was to Luke Bryan on American Idol. After he told her to “chill out,” she said, “Straight, white male tells woman to ‘chill out.'”
Now how should we feel?
Her comment blew over like an afternoon breeze, not catching the attention of anyone anywhere, much less a local news channel or a national broadcast. So then, why is it OK for her to use that kind of language but only if it’s towards straight, white men? If she actually had said “gay” or “black” or any other race/gender/sexual preference it would’ve been all over the news. She definitely would’ve had to apologize for the sake of her career and to salvage any ratings American Idol is clinging to. More truth, though, they would’ve just edited her comment out of the show completely so it never would’ve aired. Instead, not only did they keep her “straight, white male” comment in the show, they edited it in a way to draw attention to it, almost as a crescendo of the episode. Take a look…
This lazy comment comes on the heels of Katy drawing attention to herself a few episodes earlier. In that one, she began freaking out when a school shooting victim/survivor auditioned for Idol. I wrote about that awkward scene in this post: Katy Perry and Her Trail of Tears. In a nutshell, the school shooting victim told his story and somehow he went from receiving sympathy to consoling Katy Perry. Weird, huh?
Katy’s comment to Luke was a perfect example of someone who has no ammunition (for lack of a better word) to fight back so they resort to sexual preference, race, or gender. In other words, because Luke is a heterosexual and white, his opinion is inferior. Does that sound unifying?
Katy, only when liberal stars such as yourself stop using race or sexual preference as a way to stay relevant will tensions in our culture begin to “chill out.”
Before we get into this, it’s important to establish that taking an RV out for camping is a great idea whether you’re in Canada or anywhere else! In fact, I have an entire page dedicated to my camping trips in the United States. But I’m sensing that you need a little more motivation so take a look at this cinematic commercial then scroll down for more info about the ad!
The Music. This peaceful, somewhat psychedelic song is “Stay Alive” by José González. It was included on the soundtrack for the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s fitting that the song, the movie, and this commercial are tied together with a theme of getting outside to adventure and/or enjoy nature. Here’s the song…
The Actor. Playing the part of city man turned wild guy is actor Troy Greenwood. You can probably guess filming this long commercial was a grueling task for an actor asked to run through the wilderness, swim in frigid waters, and everything else he did but he did it well! The creators of the ad praised Troy’s work and also spoke about the locations of the shoot. You can find that info here. You can also find more about Troy’s many talents on his website or his Facebook page.
Photos. I hope that, by now, you’re fully convinced to go RVing! Maybe you don’t have to completely ditch your normal life like the guy in the commercial, but how about for a weekend? Getting into the wilderness is one of my favorite things to do even if it’s just a Saturday afternoon hike. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from camping around the U.S. You can find the full collection of my photos here. See you tomorrow!
Out of the Wilderness 