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
I’m not one to give reviews of fragrances because I guess my interests are in other areas (like writing, for instance!) so this post is definitely not a critique of the Coco Mademoiselle scent. It’s not even really a critique of the commercial but when it came on during an American Idol episode (of which I was being critical, see: Top 10 Nobody is Safe), I stopped what I was doing to watch and listen. Check it out then scroll down for more info…
The Music. Besides me, there was something else interesting introduced to the world, this song was released in 1978 by Amanda Lear. It’s called “Follow Me.”
The Actress. You might recognize the star of this commercial from movies or TV. She was in Hocus Pocus 2 as a good witch and starred in the reboot of “Gossip Girl.” Her name is Whitney Peak. Be sure to follow her on Instagram here, where she said of the ad and becoming the face of Coco Chanel…
I kept thinking I dreamt this up. Grinning from ear to ear. So proud to be the new coco. Never in my life would I have ever thought this would be my reality.
Whitney Peak (via Instagram)
Sounds like she’s very happy with her success! She also got a shoutout from another blossoming star in Hollywood, Sabrina Carpenter, who simply wrote on Whitney’s IG post:
WHITNEYYYYPEAAAAAAK
Sometimes all you need to do is use all caps and that’s enough to express your excitement. If this ad excites you, whether it’s the music, the talent, or something else, let me know in all caps below!
You thought that was the slogan for Outback Steakhouse, didn’t you? Not so fast, bubba! It’s been appropriated by American Idol who seems to be going the route of an old show called Lost. Remember that show? I’ll give you a little time to try to figure out the connection… it’s crazy!
This is a great season of American Idol. The level of talent is very high and let’s just be real, I’ve picked the best as my top three… Zachariah Smith, Iam Tongi, and Megan Danielle.
OK, I’ll be real again… all I really did was pick the singers I like the most and it’s a total coincidence that my taste in music is matching up with America’s votes. But hey, I’ll take it! The truth is that the other seven singers in the top 10 are great, too. I mean, have you heard Wé Ani or Colin Stough recently? Warren Peay is killing it, too. Haven might be the total package.
OK, now for the connection to Lost. I loved Lost until the last season or two when it appeared as though the producers/writers were just making it up as they went. Each episode led to more questions than they ever answered. It was maddening! American Idol hasn’t been that annoying yet but what’s with the voting changes every week? It seems like each episode has new rules for voting and that’s outrageous. For instance, voting last night was only open DURING the show. For the past however many episodes, voting wasn’t even allowed till the episode ended. It’s a pretty big deal to make that change without explaining it VERY well, which they didn’t do. Not to mention, what happens to people who watch the show from their DVR? No votes coming from those fans. This isn’t the first time the show bent rules or just threw the rules out all together. Remember when they were supposed to have 24 contestants but instead went with 26? Producers are doing nothing to make it easier for fans to follow along and vote correctly. It’s the kind of thing that could make someone stop watching altogether.
OK, stepping off my little pedestal now! The performances last night were pretty incredible. Let’s be real again… If you can name someone who has a chance to beat Iam, share in the comments below. It comes down to a few things with the lovable Hawaiian. Like Luke said after Iam performed, it’s impossible to not love him. It’s his voice. His story. His humility. Like I said in this post, listening to him sing makes us think it’s all gonna be OK.
Speaking of humility, the two singers who were eliminated didn’t surprise anyone. In fact, the top 10 last week (not including the two judges saves Lucy Love and Nutsa) are the same top 10 this week. In other words, Lucy Love and Nutsa couldn’t rely on the judges this time and they were sent home for good. My guess is that Lucy’s attitude cost her a spot in the top 10 and Nutsa, it’s hard to guess. Maybe that she’s not American and it kinda feels weird to vote for someone to be the American Idol that’s not American? But she certainly had all the stage presence and a voice that made many jealous. At the end of the day, America has spoken and the judges probably should’ve saved Paige Ann and Nailya back when they could’ve. Big mistake by Lionel, Katie, and Luke but that’s ancient history now because tonight we’ll watch the ten perform again for another elimination… I think? It’s kinda hard to predict when we’re supposed to vote, could be during the show, or after, or maybe we already missed the window? Who knows!
Nobody is safe… unless, let’s just be honest here, your name is Iam Tongi. He’s got a lot of momentum after picking great songs each week and singing them with a voice any of us could only dream of having. It’s the type of voice that, when you hear it, you think everything’s going to be OK. That’s so rare.
Iam is safe but you wanna know what ISN’T safe? That pizza in my freezer. I’ve been waiting since last weekend to chow down while I watch American Idol tonight. Iam… safe. Pizza… notsomuch.
On tonight’s episode two singers will have to pack their bags and go back to the life they had before they auditioned. Yep, the contestants are reduced from 12 to 10. I’ll make a guess based on previous notes that the two going home are (and not just because they were almost eliminated last week) Lucy Love and Nutsa. Like the pizza, they’ll be gone. I know you’re wondering… it’s a meatless meat lovers from Trader Joe’s. I know, right?
Speaking of my favorite things (pizza, remember?), my top 3 contestants on Idol are Zachariah Smith, Megan Danielle, and Iam Tongi. In my recaps which you can read here, I’ve mentioned them somewhat often. I love them because of their voices, their joyful spirit, and they’re just so likable. But it must be reiterated, their voices… oh my goodness. They sound so different from one other but each incredible in their own way. Another singer to watch out for is Colin Stough. In the world of pizza, he would be that one vegan option at the pizza shop that you didn’t know had a vegan option. Then it turns out to be amazing. Last week Luke Bryan became Jumping Luke Bryan when he jumped on stage after Colin’s great performance. Colin really could be peaking at the right time.
I have high hopes about a couple of things tonight.
I don’t know why but I feel a little embarrassed that I haven’t read a Nicholas Sparks book in the past. He’s got enough for me to choose from, that’s for sure. Twenty-three New York Times best sellers and eleven books turned into movies. And you’d think I would’ve read The Notebook because it’s historically been one of my top three favorite movies. What can I say, I’m a sucker for drama, romance, action, and humor. The Notebook has it all.
Dreamland is the most recent book by Nicholas Sparks. Also, I should say that I haven’t finished it yet. I’m about halfway through. I won’t give any spoilers but I like that part of the book is going to include Nashville (I think?), a city I called home for 16 years. The early chapters take place in St. Petersburg, Florida, a city serving as the location of a few years of my childhood. I like that connection also.
Like I said, I’m about halfway through and I’m enjoying the story. A bit predictable, I mean, why stray from a tried and true formula, right? But I’m definitely interested enough and the weather these days is dreary enough (or sunny enough to sit outside) and I’m in enough of a reading mood to keep going.
Have you read it yet? Without totally ruining it for me or anyone else reading this post, did you like the way the book ended? I’ll post updates as I near the end, surely there’ll be some sort of twist and I guess it’s proper to say… I won’t have seen it coming.
Santa Monica, CA – Rock alternative band Green Day has another Grammy Award to brag about. Their decades-old song “She” recently declared it now identifies as “I Will Always Love You,” a track more commonly associated with Whitney Houston. The song has been called “She” since the early 1990s but as societal norms have changed in the past few years, Green Day admits being embarrassed about their close-minded song title. “The 90s were pretty wild,” says Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong. “But now ‘She’ can be whoever or whatever ‘She’ wants to be. As a band, we’re a lot more aware of pronouns and swapping out a pronoun for a couple other pronouns seemed like a no-brainer.”
This is not Green Day’s first Grammy Award, although awarding it retroactively technically does make it one of their first Grammys. It’s also a giant step forward for any artist who’s been snubbed by the Grammys but wants to be a Grammy winner (See: Katy Perry) (See: Snoop Dogg) (See: Queen).
Social activists and melophiles are calling BS on this new development. They are blasting Green Day for appropriating the work of a black woman, stating, in part, “Isn’t that just like the white man to take someone else’s hard work and call it their own?” Green Day learned of the fan fallout and now rumors have been confirmed that Billie Joe and the band dropped the name ‘Green Day,’ much like country music trio Lady Antebellum did in 2020. Completely overshadowing a Black artist who already went by the name Lady A, they took her stage name, in the name of racial progress.
Inspired by their heroism, Green Day will henceforth be known as Black Pumas, singers of Grammy Award winning song “I Will Always Love You.”
Out of the Wilderness 