Song of the Day: Hail to the Chief, performed by The Eric Rogers and Chorale Orchestra


Happy Presidents Day!

The melody of Hail to the Chief is based on a Scottish song about a boat captain.  The Americanized version debuted in 1815 and has since been used to announce the arrival of the President.

Jimmy Carter didn’t like the song and ordered that it not be played during his presidency.  I guess that’s why he was a one-termer.

Hail to the chiefWe have chosen for the nationHail to the chiefWe salute him one and allHail to the chiefAs we pledge cooperationIn proud fulfillmentOf a great noble callYours is the aimTo make this grand country granderThis you will doThat’s our strong firm beliefHail to the oneWe selected as commanderHail to the presidentHail to the chiefHail to the chiefWe have chosen for the nationHail to the chiefWe salute him one and allHail to the chiefAs we pledge cooperationIn proud fulfillmentOf a great noble call
Songwriters: James Sanderson / Douglas R. Stevens

So, I Watched Sidelined: The QB and Me (2024, Dir. by Justin Wu)


Drayton Lahey (Noah Beck) is a high school quarterback who is being pressured by his father (James Van Der Beek) to accept a football scholarship to “Waco.”  (I guess that’s supposed to be Baylor.)  Drayton has the talent to turn pro and he’ll be a starter if he goes to Waco, despite being only a freshman.  (Maybe it isn’t Baylor.  Baylor football coaches aren’t that dumb.)  But Drayton likes a cheerleader named Dallas Bryan (Sienna Agudong), who is the sister of his coach (Drew Ray Tanner) and who wants to go to California after she graduates so that she can pursue her dream of being a professional dancer.

It’s a slickly-made high school football movie and, even worse, it’s a Wattpad movie so there’s no surprises to be found here.  I was able to predict every line of dialogue before the characters said it.  The plot was old-fashioned but the actors said stuff like, “I’m tired of your main character energy,” just to make sure that we all knew the movie was made in 2024.  I was a cheerleader in high school but no one on our football team was offered a scholarship anywhere.  I could still relate to some parts of the movie, though.  It was always awkward after the games when the parents would yell at the players because they dropped a pass or threw an interception.  Even our bad players were put under a lot of pressure and, as cheerleaders, a big part of our job was to make everyone felt like a winner even when they were losing.  We were good at our job but, by the end of the year, we still had a losing season and no scholarships.

Sienna Agudong was believable in the lead role but I had a hard time buying TikTok star Noah Beck as a quarterback with the talent to be a freshman starter or to even go pro.  The big “star” in this movie was James Van Der Beek, playing the type of humorless father figure that he used to rebel against in his teen idol days.  If you can remember Dawson standing in that rowboat, this movie will make you feel old.

Music Video of the Day: Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter, feat. Dolly Parton (2025, Dir. by Sabrina Carpenter and Sean Price Williams)


Everyone has their own way of celebrating Valentine’s Day.

When I first learned that Sabrina Carpenter was the new big thing in music, my first reaction was, “You mean the friend from Girl Meets World?”  I was skeptical but she’s won me over.  Sabrina really can sing!  She proves it in this video, holding her own with none other than Dolly Parton as they bury Sabrina’s ex.

I like the look of this video.  Everything looks better in black-and-white.  Some of the images remind me of the photography of Diane Arbus and the way she captured the unique identity of America.

Enjoy!

Song of the Day: The Main Theme From The Natural by Randy Newman


Just like yesterday’s song of the day, this is a piece of music that will be familiar to anyone who has ever been to a baseball game.

Randy Newman composed this for the 1984 classic baseball movie, The Natural.  I defy anyone to listen to this without immediately remembering the greatest home run that they’ve ever seen.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Celebrating The Silhouette


4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

As a photographer, I love a good silhouette shot.  Here are some of my favorites.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Fantasia (1940, Dir. by Samuel Armstrong)

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004, Dir. by Quentin Tarnatino)

True Grit (2010, Dir. by Joel and Ethan Coen)

Lone Survivor (2013, Dir. by Peter Berg)

The Most Inspiring Home Run You’ll See Today


Yesterday, the college baseball season started.

Cade Belyeu, a sophomore outfield for Auburn University, lost his mom on Friday morning but, when he called to tell his coach the news, he said that he still wanted to play in that night’s game against Holy Cross.  His mom, before she passed, said that she wanted him to play in the game.

On his third trip to the plate, this happened…

The homerun was the first of both the game and the season.  As Belyeu rounded the bases, he pointed to where the ball had gone out of the stadium.  The crowd, most of whom knew Belyeu’s story, erupted in cheers.  After the game (which Auburn won 4-1), the fan who caught the ball returned it to the team and it was given to Belyeu.

Moment like this are why I love baseball.