The country singer we’re supposed to like

It kind of annoys me that a certain country singer is being forced down our throats. It reminds me a lot of this take on Olivia Rodrigo. But in Olivia’s case, at least she had a hit song first. This country singer is being presented as if she’s popular but the problem is, she doesn’t have any popular songs! Last time I checked her highest charting song was somewhere in the 40s. But yet we’re constantly seeing her perform on, and even host, TV shows and specials. So who is trying to convince us that she’s popular, and why?

I suspect the answer to that question almost always comes back to “the industry” and “the money.” Someone in an executive position needs this woman to catch on so money can be made. If you’re into country music, have you come up with an idea about who I’m describing? I’ll give you a few seconds to make your guess…

It’s Mickey Guyton.

She’s been around for a few years and I’m not discounting her talent. In fact, she’s probably a great person and a great singer. It’s not Mickey that annoys me, it’s how she’s being forced into our lives whether we want her or not. From where I’m at, it appears as if fans aren’t asking for her, yet at every turn there she is.

I don’t want to believe, but I suspect, she’s being put on a country music pedestal because she’s black. The first black woman in country music to do this or that. The industry trying to make itself relevant and cover it’s own a$$. And using dollar signs to skirt around that curse word is so fitting, isn’t it? Her race as a selling point reminds me of President Biden committing to appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court. Pandering at it’s finest.

I have no doubt Mickey is talented. She’s certainly attractive. But why not let fans decide who the fans like? We aren’t even being asked to like her, we’re being told that we like her. I can’t think of anything in the music industry that ticks me off more than that.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Eagle sightings and a territory battle

There’s a dead tree close by that bald eagles have been perching on the past couple of days. Well, maybe it’s one bald eagle (not multiple eagles) but today there was another eagle that showed up and this clearly gets the attention of the bald eagle. Take a look at the video below and let me know if you think the big, darker eagle is a golden eagle or a juvenile bald eagle. I’m going with a juvenile because of it was brown and white and has a big beak. I wish it was a golden eagle, though! It might have been bigger than the bald eagle in the tree, too. It would also make sense that the full-grown bald eagle in the tree was letting the other know who the boss is.

I also got some photos while I was wandering around, so those are below. I LOVE seeing eagles in the wild. I also love feeding the seagulls, which my parents joined in on! I saw an osprey, too, along with lots of herons, egrets, seagulls, and pelicans. Plus, I’ve never seen white pelicans in this area (Panacea, FL), so that was pretty neat.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

This Red Cross Christmas Commercial is Flaming Hot

Talk about a unique take on holiday commercials! This new ad from the American Red Cross starts by giving you all the warm, fuzzy feelings as a young girl hopes for snow over the holidays. She gets her wish, walking out into a real-life snow globe (kind of like this Amazon Christmas commercial) but soon finds out not everything is as merry as it seems.

This is one of the most memorable, effective, and scary Christmas commercials I’ve ever seen. It plays on all of our fears (or is it just me!?) of accidentally burning something down. Visually, everything changes as the daughter realizes the snowflake in her hand is not a snowflake at all. At the same time, the cheery music (which, according to this site, is a song called “I Will” composed by Ari Hest and Sloan Anderson) slowly blends into a sinister, dark sound as we see the neighbor’s house in flames. Consequently, Ari Hest is the artist behind the music in a fantastic Publix commercial from a few holidays back. It’s a must-listen, check it out here.

The Location. The location of this ad is Arizona. The license plate on the car is from Arizona and you can see the dry, desert landscape when the mom and daughter are outside.

What are your thoughts of the commercial? Chime in below and be safe this holiday season!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Nature Photos from the Coast – Holiday 2022

I spent time on the coast of north Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday and there were some foggy days! It was kinda crazy that the fog lasted all day, not burning off as the sun rose. This little beach an hour south of Tallahassee is a slice of Heaven (which makes sense because it’s across the road from a forest park area called Tate’s Hell!). Here are a few photos of the wildlife and such, all from the last few days. There was also a random coffee mug on the beach so I took advantage of that prop. Hope you like!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Coke Christmas Commercial – Goodwill, Ghosts, and Gatherings

Coca-Cola has created a nostalgic niche in the United States. Just the other day I was in a thrift store that even had an entire shelf dedicated to Coke, and only Coke. When’s the last time you saw that for Pepsi, right? So then is it any surprise that Coke has a warm, family-oriented commercial this season? Check it out below then scroll down for more info!

The Past. Coke had a theatrical ad a couple of years ago that I loved. It was during the height of the pandemic so we saw a lone man braving his way around the world to deliver a letter to Santa. I wrote up a little blog about the ad here.

Ready, Set, Ghost. Speaking of “the past,” this 2022 ad from Coke doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not that I don’t like it. Certainly family is important to me, it’s the entire reason I moved from Tennessee to Florida about a year ago. But the commercial doesn’t show much warmth between the guy cooking and the older woman, who evidently wrote the recipe. Her “interaction” with him is more stern than it is loving. I use the word interaction loosely because, as we see at the end of the ad, the woman is dead. Her spirit lives on through the things, and people, she left behind. That’s a nice sentiment. I wish the ad captured the sweetness of their relationship instead of presenting her as a hard-nosed and strict mother.

Do you like Coke’s contribution to the Christmas commercials this year? Comment below and thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness