Amazon Robinhood Commercial – The Voiceover, Villains, and Women in Tights?

HelloOoOoOo and thanks for stopping by my blog today. As it’s written in the title, Amazon has a new commercial today with their own twist on the tale of Robinhood. It’s another addition to a slew of ads featuring well-known stories like Medusa, Red Riding Hood, and Romeo and Juliet. Take look then scroll down for more info!

Robin of Locksley. Due to a number of reasons (mostly because it’s a FACT!!!), Kevin Costner’s was the best Robinhood movie and while I’m on this soap box, Bryan Adams “Everything I Do” is the BEST love song in any movie ever! Oh gosh, sorry I got so heated there. I just remember as a middle schooler watching the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and loving every second of it… from Morgan Freeman’s character, Maid Marian’s gentle breath in Robin’s ear as he completely misses the target with his arrow, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, the blind guy and the horse, Sean Connery, and even the scary witch. It’s just great.

The Voiceover. OK, back to the Amazon commercial. In every recent Amazon ad I’ve written about, I’ve tried to find out who’s doing the voiceover. The woman with the British accent is so memorable, but hard to find, let me tell ya! My searches all came up empty but I have good news… I found her. I put up a separate post with more info about the actress/comedian. Find out who it is here.

Girl Power and the Male Villains. Viewers have picked up on the trend in Amazon commercials where “women rule, and men drool.” After all, they DID turn Robinhood into woman. Not exactly subtle. On top of that, they portrayed the only men in the ad as villains, or idiots (see the guy getting pulled through the mud behind the buggy). Men don’t typically wear tights (unless you’re the star of Robinhood: Men in Tights), so perhaps Amazon is just tailoring the story to customers who can relate to tights getting snagged on things… women… and NFL football players?

Final Thoughts. Surely, opinions about this ad will be split among those who love it and those who think Amazon has taken the modern “feminist” movement way too far. One thing is for sure, though. Robinhood: Prince of Thieves cannot be topped. Remember when Maid Marian yells out Robinhood’s name? Just another of the iconic moments in this movie.

Chime in below with your thoughts on the Amazon ad, and thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

A year ago today

It’s hard for me to believe I moved out of Nashville over a year ago. The weirdest thing is that I have dreams about the house I lived in there. In the dreams, I’m in the house for an overnight stay but the new homeowners show up and I feel weird that I’m in their house. I try to rush out but never make it before they discover I’m there. Weird, huh?

I seem to have a few recurring themes in my dreams. Lately, it’s the house dreams. But many years ago it was Hawaii. I was there for vacation (in the dream), but there was anxiety because I always had to leave soon without feeling like I did the things I wanted to do. I haven’t had one of those dreams in a long time, though. Then there are the Taylor Swift dreams.

In those, we are always hanging out as friends just doing nothing in particular. I can vividly remember thinking in the dream that I can’t believe I’m hanging out with Taylor as a friend. A year ago today I wrote about my professional history with Taylor Swift. I’m sure the dreams come from her heavy involvement with country music in the beginning of her career. So today, I’ll wish her a happy birthday again!

She’s certainly made a name for herself and she’s been enjoying the rewards of her hard work over the past decades. I hope her success continues and I have about this much *makes a tiny space between fingers* doubt that she’ll become irrelevant any time soon.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Who’s the real Queen of Christmas?

The title “Queen of Christmas” has surfaced this holiday season in reference to Mariah Carey. Maybe I’m just old but every time I hear the phrase, my candy-cane striped knickers get in a bunch. I can’t get on board with Mariah wearing this crown! I know she’s a diva, she sings like few can… but in regards to Christmas music, she has one original hit song. Just one. Obviously, it’s a HUGE hit song. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has gone #1 in more countries than I can count and it’s a modern song that instantly became a holiday classic. There’s no denying that.

But what about female singers who have holiday hits, or even more impressive, multiple successful Christmas songs? I’m thinking of Kelly Clarkson “Underneath the Tree” (#1 in multiple countries) and “Wrapped in Red,” Leona Lewis “One More Sleep” 2x platinum, The Waitresses “Christmas Wrapping”(cert gold in UK). Certainly they should at least be in the discussion for being Christmas royalty, right?

But then there’s Darlene Love. If I had to pick a “Queen of Christmas” (and it had to be a singer), I’d 100% go with Darlene Love. Problem is… no one asked me! Darlene’s original song “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” (cert platinum) is instantly recognizable and has been covered many, many times by iconic singers and not-so-iconic singers. Yes, I’m talking about all you karaoke people out there! Plus, Darlene has another song released decades after that one, called “All Alone on Christmas” and it’s played each season, too. In fact, listen to the lyrics and you might find some clever Christmas references, too. She sings about “All I Want For Christmas is You” and ties in a flashback to “Baby, Please Come Home.” Perhaps a nod to Whitney Houston with the lyric, “Where do lonely hearts go?” Great song!

What are your thoughts about Mariah Carey being crowned “Queen of Christmas”? Chime in below, and thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Beautiful Horses in Photos

Horses are definitely in my top 3 favorite animals (besides dogs, the other 2 are dolphins and eagles). There’s something special about them, which is probably why you’ll find therapists recommending time with a horse as a way to cope with, or rehabilitate from, mental setbacks. I know they’ve been part of the healing process for military vets dealing with PTSD, which is amazing, as well. Such large creatures but often times they’re so gentle. Whenever I have an opportunity to take photos of them, I do it! So below are a handful of favorite horse photos from my travels camping around the south and midwest. Hope you enjoy the photos!

near a country road, Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
northern Texas
northern Texas
northern Texas
a horse in Georgia
Georgia
Georgia
Georgia
Tallahassee, Florida

Each of these, and lots more wildlife photos are available for download or printing on my SmugMug page. I’d be flattered for you to take a look, just click here. Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

One More Sleep, Pups

A song I enjoy listening to during the Christmas holiday is “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis. Since we’re in December I thought I’d share a few pics of my dogs resting, sleeping, or waiting. Waiting, as you can see this first picture.

This pup is Asia and she is very snuggly but also very interested in squirrels and such. In this picture she’s half resting, half waiting for any movement around the nearby trees.

The next picture is Asia and Piper on the same dog bed. There’s a perfectly good bed not being used. What gives, ladies?? I guess they must like body heat on chilly days or something.

Piper, the princess herself, will not have problems finding the softest place for a nap. In this case, or should I say in this suitcase, she crumpled up my clothes to make a nice little, cozy bed for herself.

I’ve shared about my dogs in the past and we’ve had quite the adventurous life in the last few years. But, as you can see in the pics, we like to sleep, too.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness