DAM NATION is back on a new web address!

DAM Nation is back! Check out the new and improved DAM NATION site with new content and broader scope! 

http://www.dam-nation.com

DAM NATION IS UNDER MUCH-NEEDED OVERHAUL

This blog is currently undergoing an overhaul and will soon be going live with a new look. Watch out for it!

Movie Review: La La Land

Vibrant. Joyful. Spellbinding. Not going to lie, the premise of La La Land was relatively familiar and decidedly generic, but the film masterfully made it into something else entirely thanks to the stunning performances of both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling - both portrayed their role with such aplomb. On a technical standpoint, the film was on point. The music was beautiful and well-placed, the editing was good, the direction was impeccable, and the cinematography was just breathtaking. Oh, and that ending tugged right at the heart. La La Land was a brilliantly conceived cinematic experience that's charming, hopeful, and heartbreaking all at once. Whatever yoi do, find this movie. See it! 9.5

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: Stats and Numbers

Brian Justin Crum's Creep may have topped this year's ORSS, but how did the voting went for the rest of the shortlisted performances of 2016?

Due to the demand of some of the jury and readers who, for the first time, got a view of the roster this year, DAM NATION will reveal the ranking of the rest of the performances as well as some interesting stats.

Without further ado..

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #1 Creep - Brian Justin Crum / America's Got Talent

1. CREEP
Brian Justin Crum
America's Got Talent

With the numbers going quite unpredictable this year due to strength of this year's talent pool - just look at the average standard deviation of 16.48 versus last year's 13.27 - it was astoundingly hard to predict who will top the list for 2016.

Cyrus Villanueva's Jealous obliterated everyone last year after topping eleven (11) jury lists. This year, Brian Justin Crum's Creep from America's Got Talent topped a good five (5) jury votes to reign supreme in this year's Olympics of Reality Singing Shows.

The guy brought the house down with a pitch perfect, multilayered vocal performance - impeccable softer notes on the verses, soaring chorus, seamless transitions, dazzling bridge - that never slowed down, all while emanating a sense of vulnerability and rawness in his delivery. It was one of the more powerful vocal performances of the year and this year's Best Reality Singing Show performance.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #2 When We Were Young - Fernando Daniel / The Voice Portugal

2. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
Fernando Daniel
The Voice Portugal

Billy Gilman's version of When We Were Young had an aura of perfection and technical brilliance about it, but some of the jury felt that the performance lacked some great deal of raw emotion. Fernando Daniel, on the other hand, showcased vocal accuracy and versatility, not to mention the way he authentically conveyed whatever emotion the song required. And yes, that was enough to lure the jury and put him almost at the top of this year's list.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #3 Diamonds - La'Porsha Renae / American Idol

3. DIAMONDS
La'Porsha Renae
American Idol

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: La'Porsha owned this performance! The arrangement was genius, the way her vocals navigated those intricate runs were pretty outstanding, and it was impressive for her to transform a song with limited melody to a total vocal masterclass. You know what's more impressive? Diamonds ranking third on this year's list with not a single jury voting her at the top of their list. Take it in whatever angle you want, but that's some pretty stunning feat.