The Next "Bud Light" Boycott: This NFL Team or Skittles (or Both)? Could Viral Country Song "Rich Men North of Richmond" an "Industry Plant," Next Game of Thrones...This?! (The Five for 08/18/23)

Plus, Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" follow up, Streaming TV beats live, and another artist of note from Appalachia.

Hey, welcome to The Five.

It’s Friday, so let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.

[one]

That viral country song has the corporate press Big Mad.

From Rolling Stone:

The real head-turner though is an apparent allusion to Jeffrey Epstein’s Caribbean island, where the billionaire and convicted sex offender allegedly introduced underage girls to powerful associates: “I wish politicians would look out for miners/And not just minors on an island somewhere.”

In his straight-to-camera introduction video, Anthony, who according to a post on YouTube cites Hank Williams Jr., no stranger to political songs, as his biggest influence, says he sits “pretty dead center down the aisle on politics and always have,” and that “it seems like both sides serve the same master — and that master is not someone of any good to the people of this country.”

He also talks about “human trafficking,” which he admits is alluded to in the lyrics “Rich Men North of Richmond.” “One of the worst things a human being can do is take advantage of a child,” he says in the video. “I think I drew the line on being quiet when I started to see that becoming normalized. And I’ll leave that at that.”

Uhh…Jeffrey Epstein’s Island is confirmed fact, and a Crown Prince of England lost his official titles after settling out of court with a woman who said he raped her as a teen, a situation that was set up by Epstein. And no matter how smug the corporate media magazine is about it, human trafficking is up 84%, according to the U.S. Justice Dept.

Elsewhere, a Reddit thread went viral claiming Oliver is an “industry plant.”

Now that I’m back in the day-to-day of the industry managing rapper Mesus, I can assure you…this is absurd. Oliver Anthony went viral from a small YouTube channel that features local Appalachian music, which averages roughly 20,000 views per live-song video. “Rich Men North of Richmond” is sitting at 18 million. There’s no faking that.

Anthony is making at least $90,000 PER WEEK from the hit single, the singer-songwriter allegedly went to work on Monday, giving a proper two week’s notice at his job, he’s also turned down $8 million record deals so far, claiming he started writing songs to combat addiction and depression, not to “have 6 tour busses and 15 tractor trailers and a jet to play stadium shows.”

Elsewhere, Christianity Today (a former client of mine—I say “former” because I do not work with organizations that treat sexual harassment so casually) declared the song to be very “not Christian” or something…despite the fact that Oliver Anthony opened his live show this weekend reading Psalm 37 aloud.

Which reveals the real reason for the virality of “Rich Men North of Richmond.” On one side of the coin, it resonates as a true blue collar anthem.

And on the other? Influencers and publications NEED to be offended if they’re going to harvest clicks from the song that everyone is talking about.

[two]

Can’t say I saw this coming.

A group of Native Americans from several tribes are trying to force the Washingon NFL team to revert back to the name “Redskins,” claiming changing to the “Commanders” is an erasure of history.

From a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter):

“At this moment in history, we are formally requesting that the team revitalize its relationship with the American Indian community by (i) changing the name back to ‘The Redskins’ which recognizes America’s original inhabitants and (ii) using the team’s historic name and legacy to encourage Americans to learn about, not cancel, the history of America’s tribes and our role in the founding of this Great Nation,” the letter stated.

“Should we need to encourage a national boycott similar to what happened with Anheuser Busch (Bud Light) which is now down $27 billion (note, not one brick thrown, not one highway blocked, not one bridge burned) — WE WILL DO JUST THAT.”

At first, I wondered if this was a troll account, but the NAGA (Native American Guardians Association) appears to be legit, with the bulk of the leadership coming from the Navajo nation.

The petition is well on it’s way to 150,000 signatures.

Apparently “Bud Light” isn’t a beer anymore, but a tactic to utilize against companies when consumers don’t like something…like the new Skittles bag.

Elsewhere, Skittles caused some ire by creating a new bag with “Black Trans Lives Matter” on a skateboarding ramp. Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University (a black liberal, for the record), describes Wokeness as “a new religion,” so perhaps it’s best to view the packaging as similar to the candy company putting “Jesus the only way heaven” or “there is only one God and Muhammad is his final and greatest messenger” on a bag.

Personally, I find it much more offensive that Skittles parent company Mars Brands is importing chocolate harvested with child labor in Africa (coverage from Tuesday’s issue of The Five).

Either way, you can’t make people buy anything…or watch the NFL. Or attend a game.

The public will have it’s vote, daily, with dollars spent.

[three]

If you loved the 2009 football/family film The Blindside, uhhh, I have bad news.

From Indiewire:

Oher, who began living with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy while in high school in Tennessee, claims the Tuohy family never legally adopted him and instead had him enter a conservatorship less than three months after he turned 18 in 2004. The deal gives the Tuohys legal authority over his business deals, including using his name and likeness.

“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing states, per ESPN. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”

Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw portray the Tuohys in the Oscar-winning film. Quinton Aaron plays Oher in the movie, which won Bullock an Academy Award.

The real-life Tuohys allegedly constructed the movie deal to pay them and their two birth children substantial royalties as the film earned more than $300 million at the box office. The four Tuohy family members each made $225,000 plus 2.5 percent of “defined net proceeds” from the film; Oher received no profit from the feature. Oher is seeking his “fair share of profits” in addition to “unspecified compensatory and punitive damages,” according to the filing in probate court.

To be fair here…the timing is quite odd.

The flip side comes from People Magazine, where a source tells a far different tale:

“When Michael Lewis, a friend of Sean’s since childhood, was approached about turning his book on Mr. Oher and the Tuohys into a movie about their family, his agents negotiated a deal where they received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits. They insisted that any money received be divided equally. And they have made good on that pledge,” said Singer in a statement shared with PEOPLE. 

Singer's statement continued: “The evidence – documented in profit participation checks and studio accounting statements – is clear: over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from The Blind Side.”

At a Wednesday news conference in Memphis, ESPN reports two lawyers for the Tuohy family said that, overall, each member of the family and Oher made about $100,000 from the movie.

"Imagine a pie, divided by five," Steve Farese said, according to the outlet. "We estimate each person received $100,000."

The public seems to have quickly run to one side or the other of this story…but I’m not sure the facts can be quickly boiled down here. I won’t even begin to speculate as to what went on behind closed doors in regards to the profits of this blockbuster film, that will be for the lawyers to sort out. But for all the good The Blindside did, it would have been better for the film never to have been made than to tear a family apart.

One of the oddest elements of the story is an outcry for Sandra Bullock to return the Oscar she won as the film’s lead…which Michael Oher publicly refuted as ridiculous, and an absurd attack when the actress is mourning the death of her longtime boyfriend to ALS, at only 57 years old.

[four]

We all knew this was coming, but it’s here now. Live TV just dipped below half of all viewing.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Broadcast and cable networks made up less than half of all TV use in July — the first time linear TV viewing has fallen below 50 percent in Nielsen’s two-plus years of tracking viewing time by platform.

While overall TV use in July edged up from the previous month, the growth came in streaming — which hit an all-time high of 38.7 percent of all TV usage — and the “other use” category, which includes video games played on a TV screen and physical media playback, among other things. That made up 11.6 percent of usage.

Streaming was up from 37.7 percent of TV viewing in June, marking its third consecutive month of an increased share of viewers’ time. July was also the third straight month that streaming’s share of TV use hit a high.

[five]

As always, let’s head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup.

• Ugh. I don’t want to be excited, but The Winter King does look solid.
  
  New streamer MGM+ (seriously, ANOTHER ONE?) hopes you’ll jump in at $5.99/month to try to recapture that Game of Thrones feeling…this time with the legend of King Arthur.
  
  The early reviews are…good, but convincing the public to sign up for yet another entertainment auto-debit may prove daunting.
  
  Episode one drops August 20th and season one concludes in October, so if you’d rather watch the whole thing for less than a fast food meal, just wait until Halloween and binge it, then cancel.

• Ooooo boy, I’m having a hard time with this one.
  
  Maestro tells the true tale of composer Leonard Bernstein (who wrote West Side Story and directed the NYC Philharmonic Orhestra) and his eccentric wife. Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby, Drive) shares the lead with Bradley Cooper, who also directs for the first time since the mega hit A Star is Born, for which he picked up several awards nods.
  
  The film spans 30 years, and looks visually stunning, capturing different eras of America in both black & white and color. And the prosthetics to age up both actors are simply incredible.
  
  But this seems to be a movie for people…not currently parenting kids under 5. I’m typically so exhausted by the time we get the young ones in bed, I’m unable to power through the kind of slog fest this is bound to be. Maestro was obviously made for awards season, and flicks like this…just don’t move anywhere very fast.
  
  Which means this is a movie for people who…have more ability to stay awake at night than me.
  
  NEW MUSIC

  Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
  
  This probably won’t hit with you if you’re not of the Christian faith…but I don’t listen to a ton of worship music…Mountain People Worship has stayed in rotation for me all summer. A group of musicians who moved to West Virginia to serve a population most have forgotten about….these songs just feel real and raw.
  
  Until the next one,
  
  -sth