American Idol Top 8 – Why isn’t anybody talking about this??

Well, that’s a fine how de’ ya’ do! Megan Danielle was cuter than a speckled pup under a cabbage leaf AND had us almost cryin’ crocodile tears when she gave her best American Idol performance of the season. She did Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

I keep saying that Megan’s voice has something like the quality of a 65-year-old who’s been smoking for 70 years. Kind of like Phoebe singing with a cold on Friends. There’s just a quality that can’t really be duplicated. Then she picks a song with so much power and meaning behind it? We’ll all be dipped and rolled in cracker crumbs before we hear anyone outdo that little number! Unless Megan does what my sister suggested… sing “How Great Thou Art.” If she does that, just call me a sheep and herd me to the pen, I’ll be done voting for anyone else. You just know that performance would have us all grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater.

BUT I HAVE A SERIOUS QUESTION…

Why haven’t the judges mentioned that Haven Madison is so much like Taylor Swift? Not just in physical appearance even though she’s as cute as a spotted horse in a daisy pasture, but her style, talents, and delivery are so much like early Taylor Swift. I just can’t wrap my head around the music industry having two Taylors… but that might just be a ‘me’ problem.

With all the other mentions of artists in regards to their representation with the Idol contestants (lots of Chris Stapleton comparisons), still we only hear crickets when it comes to Haven and Taylor. There was a moment that made me chuckle in one of the episodes, and the perfect opportunity for Luke, Katy, or Lionel to say SOMEthing when Haven performed an original song called “Fifteen.” I thought to myself, “Did I just hear that right?” Why did I ask myself that except that there’s another song with that title by none other than Taylor Swift! How peculiar.

With that said, Haven is the total package even if her voice isn’t as strong as Megan or Zachariah or Iam (side note: neither is Taylor’s so who cares, right?). And it’s worth saying that she appears to be a great songwriter and no other contestant this season even comes close to her wardrobe choices. She simply blows everyone away with her style.

Other favorites in this poorly written recap of last night’s episode (I swear this is a recap!), Wé Ani, Colin, and of course, Iam. Wé Ani’s voice sounds years more mature than the others. While contestant like Tyson, for instance, sing about love but I just don’t believe it because he’s so young, Wé Ani’s voice tells a story that I can believe. Colin is the black horse of this season. He might very well trot up (like a horse does?) and win this thing. Iam, what else can be said that the judges and America haven’t already said? His voice is just amazing.

Do you have favorites this season? Did you cry during part of Megan’s performance, or the whole dang thing?

-Out of the Wilderness

Publix Mother’s Day Commercial – Red Velvet Muffin Recipe Found!

I’m going to start this post off with a serious question. Has there ever been a Publix commercial that failed to tug at your heart strings? Like, it totally misses the mark and makes you think, “Well, that was a huge fail!” If so, let me know in the comments below. I can think of only one (check it here) that doesn’t quite give me all the feels. Well, Publix is somewhere behind the curtain pulling our heart strings yet again with their latest Mother’s Day commercial. Take a look then scroll down for the delicious recipe of this red velvet dessert treat… and for those of you interested in the talented actors/actresses, click here for their names.

The Recipe. The husband isn’t making brownies but he is sure heck gonna get a lot of brownie points for making this meal (with the help of his mom-in-law) for his wife. The wife eventually reveals that the little red cupcakes he makes are her mom’s recipe but spoiler alert, the recipe is on Publix’s website for anyone to find!! Kudos to Grandma, though, for tricking her daughter all these years! Still, though, the sentiment is as sweet as the semisweet chocolate morsels in those red velvet muffins. OK they’re muffins and I called them cupcakes, but with 1.5 cups of sugar, hot dern, I bet they’ll taste like cupcakes. Here is the Publix recipe I found online. Make them for your mama (or wife), won’t ya? You might even score some brownie points along the way, and if you’re a husband out there, you can always use a few saved up brownie points, right? I wouldn’t know, I’m single.

What do you think of the commercial? Does it make it into your top commercials of all time (here’s my list)?

See you tomorrow…

-Out of the Wilderness

Coco Chanel Commercial – The Actress and the Music

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!

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol – No Rules, Just Right

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!

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol Top 10 – Nobody Is Safe

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. 

1. Tonight’s episode will be great (with or without a surprise appearance from the fly)

2. Pizza (obviously)

-Out of the Wilderness