Major Cuts Coming on American Idol

Besides contestants who sent themselves home before we even got a chance to vote them out (I’m looking at you Kaya Stewart, who totally left Fire hanging, and the mysterious 26th contestant who left, making room for Paige Anne), last week was our first chance to vote for the 26 singers on American Idol. There were some great performances and some I’ve already forgotten. But the AI machine is going full-speed ahead because tonight six singers are going home. If you think that’s brutal, tomorrow night eight more will pack up and head out.

That’s right. After the double episode round airing tonight and tomorrow, there will only be 12 contestants, less than half of the amount still in the competition at the time of this posting! It’s going so fast and my weightiest thought about the show is, when are they going live? In the heyday of Idol, once they reached rounds with America voting, the episodes were live. Now it’s all pre-recorded (probably to save money since the ratings aren’t what they used to be). I guess it could be structured like The Bachelor franchise where every episode is taped and edited and everyone has to remain hush-hush till the season ends and the winner is revealed. Both Idol and Bachelor are on ABC so that formula wouldn’t surprise me. They’ve already taken a page out of the dating show by increasing from 24 to 26 contestants. I think the Bachelor is up to 82 women hoping to find love each season so is that what’ll happen on Idol, too? I don’t doubt it because who cares about made-up rules, anyway? Still, though, there’s something about watching the performers sing live that adds an element of excitement, plus they get a chance to really feel the nerves of singing in front of millions vs. hundreds.

Hot…?
With that said, among the 20 who are still “in it to win it” (miss you Randy Jackson!) are my three favorites: Zachariah Smith, Iam Tongi, and Megan Danielle. Last week (see recap here) each of them showed off their incredible talents although I’m a little worried about Megan’s stage presence. I’m not worried about Iam at all. His momentum seems to be building rapidly, some people predicting he’ll be become the next American Idol.

…or Not?
A few that I think will get sent home sooner rather than later are: Pjae, Olivia Soli, and Dawson Wayne. Great singers but I don’t see the draw. Pjae had a really great first audition but since then hasn’t had any shining moments. Olivia, a lot of praise for her from judges and some online reviews but I’m not connected to her as an artist and she’s a little boring on stage. Dawson Wayne, I had to look him up to remember who he is. Interesting fellow but possibly a bit too mellow to make a mark long term.

Are there any black horses in the competition this year? Let me know your predictions in the comments. Or if you just want to be blast me for making bad judgements on the singers who I think will, or should, go home. 🙂

-Out of the Wilderness

Groundfloor – An alternative to real estate

I have little to no interest in becoming a realtor because I don’t think of myself as a people person. Definitely not a salesman.

Not to mention it’s hard work. I saw all the work and effort put in by my realtor friend when we sold my house. By the way, you can’t go wrong with Jonathan Mills in middle Tennessee.

“He’s the Gandalf of real estate.”

Totally not his slogan but it should be. So real estate is not something I’m into but last year I found this site called Groundfloor and after reading up on it and finding out what it’s all about, I decided to put a little cash in to see what happens.

If I had to pick three words to describe my experience so far, I’d go with: STEADY because the return on investment has been positive and comes in pretty steadily depending on the properties I choose. EASYGOING. I don’t get dozens of emails from Groundfloor upselling me on other services. I feel like I can go at my own pace, research where and how I want to without Groundfloor bombarding me with messages. DETAILED. When you check the site you’ll see they list properties available to invest in. For each property they list a lot of info about it from the loan being repaid (by the seller of the property) to the home itself. The amount of detail is abundant so it’s easy to find out more about each property if I feel the need. I’ll also say this: It’s kind of fun to find properties all over the country, even in cities I’ve lived in before.

If you’re interested at all, comment below and I’ll share more of my experience. If you want to dabble a little bit, you can also use my link to get $50 free once you invest $100 or more. It’s a deal worth looking into, I’m glad I did. Plus, we don’t have to go to open houses or talk to people. Perfect for us introverts. 😉

See you tomorrow…

-Out of the Wilderness

“The Estate” and “We Have a Ghost” – One to Watch and One to Skip

It’s time for a movie review post and today’s contestants are The Estate (33% Rotten Tomatoes) and We Have a Ghost (64% Rotten Tomatoes). I watched both in the last couple of days. One was surprisingly good and the other was surprisingly bad. Can you guess which one I liked a lot more than the other?

We Have a Ghost was very good. Light on the curse words, likable characters, entertaining, and a few surprises in the storyline I couldn’t have predicted. Of course, it’s a plot that I wouldn’t have guessed easily anyway but the direction of the story was really good. My favorite movies include a little bit of a few emotions so this one could’ve used a little more laughter, I guess. But that’s just me grasping for any kind of critique. Family friendly, yes. Cast was great, too. Watch it and let me know what you think!

The Estate was one I was excited to watch. The idea of family members comically bickering to get into their dying relative’s will was a pretty good setup for lots of laughs… or so I thought. Unfortunately, the laughs were few and far between (although the attempts were clearly there). Most of the movie was overshadowed by unnecessary cursing and even a few words that might make you wince, like I did. Think: vulgar and crude. The movie has a good cast so I was disappointed that it didn’t live up to my expectations. A few predictable parts but on the bright side, a few unpredictable parts, too. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this movie especially if coarse language is a no-go for you. The audience score at Rotten Tomatoes gets this one right.

That’s all I’ve got today for movie reviews! Have you seen either of these movies? What was your opinion of them? I post every day at 1pm central, and every once in a while I’ll throw in an additional post if I’m feeling lucky. That’s the case today and I appreciate you checking this one out…

-Out of the Wilderness

Post Malone “Chemical” music video – Is anyone still watching?

When I first heard a Post Malone song, I loved it. It was one of his first songs. “Sunflower,” maybe? The YouTube video of that song has over 2 billion views since posting in 2018. Crazy. Obviously, he became very popular and I don’t think he will be fading out anytime soon. Here’s his latest music video for a song called “Chemical,” then scroll down for more thoughts…

Is anyone still watching and listening to Post Malone? Well, the new video has almost a million views per day and he’s got 25 million YouTube subscribers so… yes, yes he is still very popular and relevant! Going back a few years, I liked him more after he appeared on the NBC Elvis tribute. The man is just fun, musically diverse, and stands out with his tattoos and seemingly bright and happy attitude. As far as I can tell, he’s not trying to be anything, he just is who he is and that’s endearing and likable.

And now for the bad news… Please don’t hate me, Post Malone and Post Malone fans! Every time I hear a song I think to myself, “That sounds like every other Post Malone song.” I’m sure it’s me, so go ahead and let me have it… fire away with your insults and bashing, but I guess I just lost the flavor some time ago. I love his energy and persona but it’s his music that I don’t much care for anymore. With that said, I can watch him or listen to his covers all day long. I hope he never covers this Brad Paisley song, but here’s Post Malone with a fun cover of Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her.”

Am I missing something? Either way, I appreciate his talent and all that. Chime in below with your thoughts!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Nashville Manifesto and “The Tennessee Three”

Nothing made me more proud than seeing how the Nashville police officers handled the chaotic scene during last month’s sad circumstances off of Hillsboro Pike. Of course, the whole story is sickening, sad, and we all wish it never happened. But why did it happen? What was going through the mind of the killer? Well, I, for one, don’t care.

Some people are calling for the public release of everything the killer left behind (manifesto, journals, etc). If it were up to me, I’d burn everything without every laying my eyes on a single word. A hateful act was carried out by a person in need of lots of help. What else do we need to know?

In a private message to a friend on Instagram, Hale (the shooter) wrote: “One day this will make more sense. I’ve left more than enough evidence behind.”

Sorry, no ma’am. Wherever you are, I’d love for you to know everything you wanted us to read was burned along with your memory. In fact, it really ticks me off that she thought anyone would care about what she had to say. Instead of writing it all out for us to read later, she could’ve, ya know, TOLD SOMEONE IN REAL LIFE! Save a life or a dozen, including your own.

Seven people passed away in Nashville because of this person. Why should we give any more attention to her? Burn the manifesto, the journals, papers, writings. Trash it all. Shred it. Put it in a barn with Alex Murdaugh. Send it on a road trip with Brian Laundrie. Cover it with chicken broth and set it on the shore of a Florida Lake. Whatever you want, but we don’t need to read it. She doesn’t deserve that from us.

As much as the teachers, school, and police offers filled me with pride for a city I lived in for so long, I feel equal amounts of embarrassment about “The Tennessee Three.” This term has been given to three politicians using very immature tactics, and breaking rules along the way, to hijack the Nashville story. Honestly, they seem to care more about having attention on themselves than mourning with and supporting the hurting families of those that passed away. I’ve never believed more than I do today that to be a politician, you have to have a certain level of narcissism. Probably the same as being an actor, actually. I understand that we have to be our own biggest fans and all, but the more I hear and read about the three attention-seekers in Tennessee, the more annoyed I get.

Recently, it was announced that the three disgruntled politicians have been invited to the White House. At least they’re getting a little bit of punishment, right? Of course, they won’t see it that way. To them, it’ll be such a confirmation to delight in their newfound fame and to shake hands with other narcissistic politicians. Some are asking why the families of the victims haven’t been invited to the White House yet. To that I’d say, haven’t they suffered enough already?

See you tomorrow.

-Out of the Wilderness