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
Welcome to the second edition of “Ten hot takes of the week.” If you missed the first set of hot takes, check them out here. Moving on to this week, which includes an election on Tuesday, some of the hot takes below are political. If you have a few to add, share them in the comments. Enjoy!
Tom Brady is not the GOAT.
Alabama Crimson Tide football has peaked.
Donald Trump will not be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.
Church songs are mostly written for women.
If there was a “White History Month,” people would riot.
The father should be included on the decision about the fetus.
Corvettes are only cool to men over the age of 60.
Oprah Winfrey is irrelevant.
Stranger Things will turn out like Lost. Cool show, but way more questions than answers.
During one of last week’s football games the commentator was telling the story of one of the players who had a hardship. After explaining the story he said something along the lines of, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” except he said… “prayers and wishes.” I get it that people are tired of hearing “thoughts and prayers” because it’s a phrase that’s way overused in society today, especially when people need prayers and thoughts, but also “money and work and help and encouragement.” So the announcer guy might have just been trying a new phrase that wouldn’t be dismissed by those hearing it. My immediate thought, though, was that he’s equating a prayer with a wish.
That ticks me right off! Not because someone else thinks of prayers as wishes, but because I wonder how many of my prayers, if you were to read them off a piece of paper, would look a lot like a Christmas wishlist.
God, forgive me for coming to you with a list of “wants.” Help me to remember you’re constantly involved in my life and YOUR wish is that I live as a new creation. When I pray, help me to listen as much as I talk. Remind me of your love, faithfulness, and protection as I acknowledge my lowly status, my ineptitude, and my need for forgiveness and fortress. You are not the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Who you are is one that answers prayers from believing hearts, even if it’s not what I’d wish for.
I’m just a human. Why is it that these Christmas commercials almost make me shed a tear every time I see them! Usually it’s Publix with the tearjerkers but Etsy has a new commercial that will warm your heart. They call it a “holiday commercial” but we all know it’s Christmas. Take a look…
The song in the ad is “Baby Where You Are” by Ted Lucas, which just the title alone reminds me of Christmas songs like, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” and Jon McLaughlin’s “Hallelujah This Christmas.”
Even though it’s barely November, I guess it’s time we all admit the Christmas season is upon us and I’m not upset about it. I love Christmas, and Christmas music! In fact, if you’re looking for the perfect gift for a new loved one in your life, check out my two children’s books, “Big and Small, God Made Them All,” and “The Brave Bamboo.” If you decide to get one, I hope it’s a big hit!
This might be the best commercial I’ve ever seen. At the very least, it’s the weirdest ad I’ve seen in a very long time. Prepare yourself to be kind of frightened and kind of amazed! You might also be tempted to get jiggle with it…
By the end, I thought I was watching a trailer for a new Jordan Peele movie. But the jiggly commercial was put together by Orchard Creative and Chief Creative Officer David Kolbusz. The beat that will be playing in clubs everywhere (because how would it NOT be?) can be listened to in its entirety below and, as one fan put it, I like the part where it goes “wiggle jiggle.” 😉
When it comes to holiday ads, Publix has the best ones 99% of the time. Especially after their thanksgiving commercial “I Remember This” and their Valentine’s Day ad featured in my Top 4 TV commercials of all time. But hello, Ocean Spray has entered the chat! While it’s not emotional like the Publix ads, this ad will 100% be topping holiday commercial lists for a long, long time.
If you’re so inclined, you can even duet the song on TikTok. Just click here and open up the song in the app. Here are a couple of fun examples from TikTok.
You might have seen this virtual reality company’s commercial during the World Series recently. It’s Win Reality promoting their realistic baseball simulation. Check it out…
Maybe the product is good. Certainly the idea is a good one. Instead of going out to a batting cage, this product makes it possible to get “practice” from the comfort of your own home. But that’s the problem, too. Does anyone see the example of a kid in a living room and NOT immediately think of how it ends? Shattered TVs, walls, furniture, lamps, vases, planters, picture frames, and ceiling lights. I mean, look at all the potential breakage in the image below…
It reminds me of the Wii controller. Something so lightweight still causes damage. Can you image a full-size baseball bat? No mother in their right mind is going to buy, much less, allow this toy in a living room. A dad *might*… if he’s comfortable sleeping on the couch in that living room.
On the company’s YouTube page, there’s a much better video/commercial showing off the VR game system.
Good product idea, dumb commercial choice for a World Series ad placement. What they don’t mention in the ad is that you need Meta Quest (the VR headset) to use this product. Meta Quest is going to set you back around $400. As far as this baseball/softball product, based on the number of YouTube views across all their videos, it’s not quite catching on. Early adopters might help but unless there’s a wave of new users (who also own a Meta Quest VR headset), this simulator game might already be losing in its first at bat.
I like the idea of real-world practice with Win Reality, simply because of its convenience. I just wish they’d picked a different ad, one without a kid swinging a heavy bat in a nice living room full of so many breakable things.
Out of the Wilderness 