Kohl’s hopscotch ad: the actors, music, and location!

Kohl’s really nailed it with their holiday ad from Christmas 2020, and now they’re back with an adorable new commercial that might just make you grin from ear to ear. Check it out…

This commercial was shot in Burbank, CA, more specifically at the address: 721 North Orchard Drive. The market value of the home is around $1 million. This link should take you to Google street view so you can pan around to see the rest of the neighborhood.

The grumpy delivery guy is perfectly portrayed by actor Michael King. His sly smile at the end is the perfect way to wrap up the commercial! His reel can be seen here.

The young actress who gives so much personality to the ad is Liliana Bonilla. She is perfect for this ad, showing such joy and spreading that to the neighbors (and the grouchy delivery guy 🙂 ) who pass by.

The song playing as the soundtrack to this ad is “Sunny Side of the Street” by Jon Batiste. The full version is below.

Check out Michael King on Instagram (@MikeKingJr).

Liliana Bonilla is also on Instagram (@LilyFashion0202).

More of Jon Batiste’s music can be found on his YouTube channel here.

Also check out more behind the scenes and background info of popular ads on my TV Commercials page here.

Did you like the ad? Comment below and thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Listening to all of band’s music

While I was walking my dogs recently I had my phone in my pocket, listening to music on Spotify. When I walk my dogs, I can’t really fiddle with my phone so I pretty much have to “set it and forget it.” This brings about a critical decision that needs to be made: What do I listen to? What music can I listen to and not care to switch it to anything else?

This leads to the logical next question… which band can you play and just… let play? For me, there are a handful, which I will list for you now:

The Head and the Heart
Needtobreathe
DCTalk
Prince
Beach Boys

Those are a few I could think of right off the bat. I can play the music from any of these bands/singers and be 93% content (we all know there are some songs you just can’t listen to all the way through…. soooo…. that’s 7%). Lately, I’ve been letting Spotify play me the entire catalog of The Head and the Heart while we’re on one of our mile-long walks. Song after song, I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, I love this one, too!” I think, of all the music I’ve heard at least as an adult, this band has lyrics that are the closest to how I’ve felt about life and relationships. I really love their music.

How about you? Is there a band or artist you can listen to and not need to skip past any tracks? Let me know in the comments. I’ll leave you with a favorite track from The Head and the Heart.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

The cancellation of Dr. Seuss

The funniest thing happened the other day with one of my posts. In January I wrote a satirical blog called “Joe Biden Replaces White House Physician with Dr. Seuss” (which is super funny and you should read it 🙂 ). This post had some traction with readers but then just a few days ago the number of viewers spiked. I’ve learned that when something like this happens, I need to check the news.

The first time I had a post spike in the number of views was something I had written about the band Boney M. Here’s the post. Years later this post started getting a lot of views, which was odd because it was so old. Come to find out, a member of the band passed away so folks were Googling him, and I guess my blog post is what came up.

This has happened a few times, even recently with a post about the TV show “Saved by the Bell.” I wrote about a weird connection the show has with “Beverly Hills 90210” and months later, THAT post spiked. The uptick in viewers is because one of the cast members, Dustin Diamond, passed away, so people were searching for all things Screech, I guess.

Now this Dr. Seuss post spiked and it didn’t take long to figure out why. The whimsical writer was in the news for a handful of books he wrote decades ago, last century in fact, books that had popped up as being insensitive by 2021 standards. Did I have any idea when I wrote my satire that Dr. Seuss would be politically relevant only a few months later? Nope. I wish I had foreseen that coming though, then I would’ve scoured the city for copies of the books that are now officially out of print.

Side note that is sort of related: I went to a few thrift stores to see if there were any of the “controversial” books and so far I’ve come up empty-handed. It would be nice to get a copy of one of these books… not for posterity but to sell it on eBay. They’re going for hundreds of dollars! Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to be able to thank Dr. Seuss for helping me pay my mortgage this month?

It would, it would be gank and hank and nankily great, to have the cash to pay the bank, pay the bank so the bank does not have to rankily wait.

-Out of the Wilderness

There are more than 2 genders

In college, taking a public speaking class was required and believe you me, I dreaded it. I haven’t really ever felt comfortable with the attention that goes along with speaking in public to a large crowd or any crowd.

This class was not one I enjoyed especially towards the end of the semester. Our last speech was to be written in favor of something most people would disagree with. This was around 2001 and I’m sure I could’ve picked the topic, “There are more than two genders.” The thought never crossed my mind because in 2001, it was a non-issue. Among my friends and the few adults I knew at the time, I can’t remember one conversation about the possibility there is more than male and female. If I gave this speech, it would have DEFINITELY been me defending an unpopular opinion.

My, my, how quickly things have changed. In that same class in 2021, I am venturing to say that if a student were to pick an unpopular opinion in order to defend it in a speech, it would be the exact opposite of the speech two decades earlier…

“There are only two genders.” This title alone would spark much debate and would have support of less than half the class, I have no doubt.

What has changed since 2001? Are we so enlightened in 2021 that the archaic belief of a two-gender existence is simply shrugged off as lunacy? It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the way this particular subject has spiraled into all sorts of controversy. I may be in the minority, at least according to the loudest social justice warriors out there, but I still believe there are only two genders… male and female. We were designed to be together in order to preserve the species. Having more than two just seems excessive and if there’s anything we know about animals in the wild, they aren’t excessive. Overall, it’s about survival and that’s pretty much it.

Of course, we aren’t just animals in the wild, but I use that characterization loosely to ask this: why are we, as humans, acting any differently than any other creature in the made world? Is it for attention? Are we full of ourselves, just a little bit? Are there actually more than two genders, a discovery we didn’t find until after 2001?

Chime in with your thoughts below, and thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Nissan Kicks TV Ad – music, murals, and more!

Nissan began making the Kicks back in 2018, replacing the Juke. Right off the bat I loved the way this SUV looked on the outside. Something about it is fun, sporty, and stylishly original. Take a look at a new ad from Nissan showing off the “Limitless Possibilities” of the 2021 Kicks.

The music… featured is the song “Fabulous” by a band called C.U.T. but good luck finding out anything about the band. Searching “Fabulous cut” will only draw up websites about hairstyles. The good news? You can find them on Spotify here (Spotify will open when you click).

Check out the full track below.

Location, location, location. In part of the ad, you can see the store signs for Social Study and Shorthand. These businesses are located in Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA. Address for Shorthand is 5030 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042. Social Study is 5028 York Blvd.

Next location is Spring Tower Lofts, located in Los Angeles as well. Address is 637 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014.

Also notice the mural on the wall, to the right of Spring Tower Lofts. Here is a list of various LA murals, including the one above.

The dog is a standard poodle. Large, aren’t they?

Watching the ad over and over, and paying attention to every frame, gave me a new appreciation for the details. It reminds me a lot of JAIN music videos. Watch it again and notice how the buildings move, the ground moves, color changes, the sunlight shifts in the very first scene. Really cool, and great attention to detail in the editing. Here is an example of the same attention paid in a JAIN music video.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness