American Idol Names a Winner and Drops the Ball During the Finale!

And the winner of American Idol is… Lights dim. Arena goes quiet. The entire season’s been building to this moment. By now you know the person taking the title of American Idol is Jamal Roberts. He arrived on the scene without a ton of fanfare but as the weeks went by, he became a gem. His final full performance was a repeat of a song called “Heal.”

John Foster was gracious in his 2nd place finish and had time to prepare a reaction since he peaked and saw the name written on the “winner” card. I don’t blame him, though. Host Ryan Seacrest should’ve shielded that info for a few seconds longer but in the end it doesn’t really matter that John knew before the rest of us.

Does it even matter that my favorite singer didn’t win?? Slater was and is a great singer, Thunderstorm, too. In fact, the top 10 was so strong. Top 15, top 24… not so much! But I enjoyed this season of Idol: Tracking the episodes, transcribing original songs lyrics. Good times. Eventually I’ll get over the part where they didn’t let Sophie Powers move on to the Hollywood rounds. 😵‍💫

The only negative thing I’ll say about this episode, and it was a great lineup of guest singers, is Jamal’s song after he was announced winner. The season crescendos as the winner is named and the song they had him sing was a sappy break up song? Such a missed opportunity to have Jamal sing “Shout,” one of his best performances from earlier in the season! Aren’t we supposed to be in a celebratory mood?

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-Out of the Wilderness

The craziest, coolest sports court floor I’ve ever seen

I happened to catch a news segment about the most innovative thing I’ve seen in sports since quarterbacks started wearing wristbands with plays on them. It’s a new floor that could change sports forever. Take a look at the news piece, then scroll down for more…

This floor totally would have helped me get more playing time when I rode the bench in JV basketball! Instead, coach put me in the game when the score was so lopsided even Steph Curry couldn’t have tied it up. But I digress. I was glued to the TV watching Chris Thornton explain the court and its tethering to the iPad. He didn’t say if Android users can participate, but just calm down all you anti-Apple people!

All kidding aside, I think it will have a huge impact on basketball practice/training in teams’ private facilities but the integration of the court in public settings might be more difficult, especially in arenas that share space with hockey teams. Plus, isn’t there always “that fan” who throws stuff on the court? If the glass court gets shattered or cracked, does the game end right then and there? But for practices, what an amazing tool to be able to draw on the court. It opens up an entire new world for the players, and back to the fans… it has the potential to enhance game day experiences with animations on the court and even changing court colors often. It can also be used for volleyball, tennis, and more, and I love the idea of not having all those boundary lines overlapping each other. We’ve all been there, right? When you’re playing a sport and its boundary lines are one color but there are lines in blue, red, yellow, green, and it takes 21 minutes to figure out if your sweet volleyball shot was in or out.

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-Out of the Wilderness

What song is in the new Target summer commercial? Answers here!

Target’s running a new commercial prepping us for all the summer fun we’ll be having beachside, poolside, or curbside. And yes, shopping in Target is fun for some people. Just ask any woman you know! Here’s the ad, then scroll down for the name of the song and more…

[if you’re looking for the Circle week ad in October 2025, click here]

The Song. The song backing this ad is called “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan. It was released in 1966 and ranked pretty high on charts all over the world, even reaching #1 in the U.S. Here’s the full song…

A song resurrected from the past that pairs really well with the visuals in the commercial. Have a great summer and be safe! If you enjoyed today’s post, consider a one-time $1 donation to help me continue posting daily. Then go out and enjoy the sunshine…

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-Out of the Wilderness

Five-Photo Friday #4 – Black and White

Hi there! Lots to be thankful for this week so I hope you’ve made a few good memories with family or friends. Comment below with something you’ve appreciated about this week and now let’s get on with Five-Photo Friday. Today I thought I’d dip into my black & white gallery, selecting a few favorites for you to check out. For the photographers out there, do you take photos with the idea of turning them into black & white images or do you prefer full color? The photos below were captured in color but when I opened them up to edit, I could picture them in black & white so here they are… let me know what you think…

Lighthouse. It’s not ever easy to pick a favorite but also, this one is probably my favorite, at least for the mood I’m in today. The image is kind of chaotic (and yes, the original image has been edited) except for the beacon that is the lighthouse, exactly what they’re intended for– keeping ships from running into land. This is the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse just south of Daytona Beach, Florida.

Circular. I love pictures from a low perspective and this one fits the bill perfectly. I found this little shell while I was camping at Blue Springs State Park in Florida and with a little bit of outside help (me propping it upright for the pic), the shell has a great contrast with the bright background. The color version is pretty neat too, but I do prefer the B&W on this one.

A Man’s Man. I had parked my camper for the night and walked down a nearby road lined with homes on one side and fields on the other. This gentleman was taking his tractor to one of those fields and, very not introverted of me, I asked him if I could get a few pictures of him on his tractor. There’s something humble and cool about a person working the land, ya know? He obliged and this was one of the pics. If anyone at Kubota is seeing this, message me and maybe we can get it framed for your main factory office? 😋

Squirrel! One of my newer edits is this squirrel spotted on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Some might call it an albino squirrel but a more accurate way to describe it is… a white squirrel. Not quite as exotic as albino, sure, but still somewhat rare to see these when most squirrels are gray or brown or black (I think the north has black squirrels?). This is a condition called leucism… a reduction of pigment. If you see one of these white squirrels, check the eyes. Normal colored eyes is most likely leucism, but if everything is pink, it’s an albino squirrel.

Inter(twined) State. This is one of the most interconnected interstate overlaps in Nashville, Tennessee. You’re looking at Interstate 440, Interstate 65, Franklin Road, and various splits of those roads. Chaos is what it is but hats off to the engineers who put all of this together to help traffic flow smoothly.

Check back every Friday for a new gallery of favorites or to make it easy, subscribe below for email notifications. If you enjoyed today’s post, consider a small donation to help me continue posting daily. See you tomorrow!

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-Out of the Wilderness

Sports Betting Blunder – One Month Later

The frustration is still fresh. Not that I placed a bet on anything specific and lost, but the realization that I’m just as susceptible as anyone else to make pretty big life mistakes. It’s been exactly one month since I had a terrible, no good, very bad day and if you want to catch yourself up, read a recap here.

And it wasn’t just one decision. It was a series of poor choices and I guess you could ask any gambler (addict, etc) and they’d say the same thing. I remember laying in bed that night thinking, “How did I get here?” But when I check my bank statement, I’m like, “Oh yeah, that’s how.” Withdrawal. Withdrawal. Withdrawal. No deposits. 👀

Wouldn’t it be nice if every bad experience was just contained to the day it happened? No spill over. No consequences. I could’ve woken up the next day as if it never happened. In fact, I remember really hoping it was all just a bad dream. But now 30 some odd days have passed and I’m still feeling the real ramifications. One revelation, and in a weird way I’m grateful for this, is that a weakness was exposed. I don’t have a gambling addiction, it’s not that kind of thing. But the idea that I could fall so hard wasn’t something I believed could happen. And then it did. What was the root cause? What was I trying to satisfy by participating in those bets that day? How can I keep from making the same mistake again?

Winter is when nature resets. Grass dies. Flowers die. Animals hibernate. But then in the spring there’s new life. Colors burst out. Pollen too, but I’m trying to get to something positive here! That nasty day I had a month ago was a winter for me. But there have been moments of new life. Spring. Rethinking how I relate to my bank account, what I’m doing to strengthen relationships with people, where I can be more ambitious and proactive. I think that I was pretty much just floating along before that day and now I have a better sense of purpose and grit. That’s a good thing, right? Plus, seeing that I can be blindsided by my own weakness has given me the opportunity to search out something stronger, in my case I’ve sort of started a new mantra: I’m only betting (not monetarily because I suck at that!) on God. I mean, if I were to think I could fix this on my own, look how badly I screwed it up to begin with on my own…

I’m making a list of what’s going on as a direct result of that day and the list is growing almost daily. Very interesting. I’m not saying I’m totally over the hurt and everything. Like I said at the beginning, it all still feels pretty fresh.

But I believe God is going to work it into something good. Maybe even multiple somethings. I’m actually looking forward to experiencing the redemption in whatever forms it comes. And on a totally unrelated note, if you enjoyed today’s post consider making a $1 donation to Out of the Wilderness to help me continue posting daily and also subscribe by adding your email below.

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-Out of the Wilderness