The Voice 4: Top 8 Results Show

I'd actually like to take a moment for a quick rant.

Yes, it finally happened! HOLLY CRAP! We went from witnessing one frontrunner being eliminated to another. Favorite contestants were ejected and forgotten left and right like minor characters from Lost. I firmly believe that this is not a typical season for The Voice, and that's because the talent is so intense, but with four country singers left in the competition, I was thinking that the country vote would be diluted.

You see, when there are so many contestants of a similar genre and style there will be casualties and will be run over by the vote-splitting express train. But somehow, that didn't happen here and we're officially in uncharted waters.

Admittedly, I don't mind some of the country singers - in fact, Danielle Bradbery is pretty unstoppable based on her iTunes sales - but a possible ALL COUNTRY FINALE is a bit too much. I'm not particularly a fan of Judith Hill, but she's definitely A LOT more interesting than two of Blake's singers. I don't know, but this results were upsetting.

The Voice 4 ratings is already at a SERIES low this week, and with the lack of diversity - they should just call this The Country Voice instead - expect a free fall much like what happened to American Idol this season also due to the same problem.

Again, HOLLY CRAP! I'm already bored for next week's Top 6 show just thinking about it. HAHA.

RESULTS after the jump!

The Voice 4: Top 8

This episode was terrible for me!! How am I supposed to make fun of one of the most impressive group of finalists I’ve ever seen on The Voice? Haha. Honestly, after watching this episode I just stared at my screen and asked myself, "What got into these contestants?" Sure, I came up with a ranking, but even the act at the bottom of my list turned in a better than average performance.

Also, The Voice props department went BIG tonight. The production value seemed to be at an all time high and it's now becoming strange that this show is called The Voice that's supposed to give emphasis around great vocals, but I don't see how it's any different now from American Idol and The X Factor at this point with these big staged performances. But I digress.

On with the rankings!

Movie Review: Fast & Furious 6

Like fine wine, The Fast and the Furious franchise just gets better and better and in this new installment, my theory reigns true. Just when I thought an eventual installment after the awesome Fast Five might be an overkill, Fast & Furious 6 managed to exceed all my expectations, which is rare in the realm of tiring sequels and lazy remakes, as the spectacle here was even bigger, more absurd, and more awesome than ever. It delivered sequences with precise camera movement, scintillating visuals, stunning cinematography, competent acting performances, mesmerizing chemistry, effective humor and a final action sequence that was already worth the price of admission. While Fast Five took the film beyond the fast cars and beautiful ladies, Fast & Furious 6 turned the franchise to a legitimate action adventure saga. With enough ability to suspend disbelief for preposterous stunts, people should find themselves thrilled with this film. Oh, and all I can say about that closing scene during the credits, IT'S ABOUT TIME!! 9

DAM NATION: May 2013 Playlist

Apologies for the late post of the playlist - it was American Idol's last week so there. Here's another set of 15 songs that I (personally) fancy, that are already doing good on it's own and maybe some new singles from different artists that will probably - or maybe not - be hits in the next coming weeks in whatever format.

So, yeah! Enjoy!

1. #Beautiful Mariah Carey (ft. Miguel)
2. Get Lucky Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams)
3. Fall Down Will.I.Am (ft. Miley Cyrus)
4. Live It Up Jennifer Lopez (ft. Pitbull)
5. Crazy Kids Ke$ha (ft. Will.I.Am)
6. Straight Up Candice Glover
7. Chloe Emblem3
8. Laying Me Low David Cook
9. Little Talks Of Monsters & Men
10. Clown Emeli Sande
11. Highway Don't Care Tim McGraw (ft. T. Swift & K. Urban)
12. The Other Side Jason Derulo
13. Silver Lining Lee DeWyze
14. Clarity Zedd (ft. Foxes)
15. Blurred Lines Robin Thicke (ft. T.I. & Pharrell)

DAM NATION

Password: The song I ranked 7th in Idol's Wrap-Up of 25 Best Performances.

(Case Sensitivee)

American Idol 12 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

To the obligatory count: 6 months. 37 episodes. 149 live performances. 8 trainwreck duets. 12 elimination rounds. 1 Lazaro Arbos. Haha. That's right, another season in the history books and like old tradition I compiled a list of the most memorable live performances up to the Finale.

American Idol was plagued this year by charisma-free male contestants and powerful female vocalists, which arguably made the whole journey and experience a little perplexing. I guess, the rules of 3 still applies on this show no?

That's not to say, the show completely flopped because with a strong set of female contestants, they were able to come up with stellar performances throughout the whole season. Yes, there were a couple of guys who sneaked into the list, but this list, for the first time, seemed like an all-ladies season.

Anyway, just like many other lists or countdowns, this one is extremely biased. It's based on personal preferences. There will probably be some performances that are nowhere to be found on your list that may be as high as 10 or something on here - actually I guarantee it. But please respond maturely, flames don't make me particularly happy.

SEASON 7 Best Performances (to be transferred)
SEASON 8 Best Performances (to be transferred)
SEASON 9 Best Performances 
SEASON 10 Best Performances
SEASON 11 Best Performances

Now, we pay tribute to the LIVE performances that made this season worth watching - and reviewing!:

Honorable Mentions!

Burnell Taylor

This Time

Week: Top 40

Theme: Open

Candice Glover

Ordinary People

Week: Top 20

Theme: Open

Crying

Kree Harrison

Week: Top 10

Theme: Music of American Idols

I Will

Janelle Arthur

Week: Top 9

Theme: The Beatles

What About Love

Amber Holcomb

Week: Top 7

Theme: Rock - No Ballads

Bust Your Windows

Breanna Steer

Week: Top 40

Theme: Open

Here are the TOP 25 Best Live Performances of Season 12:

The Voice 4: Top 10 Results Show

The seemingly unending male domination on these reality singing shows is officially over! We've seen it on American Idol and now with this show's Top 8 stacked with 7 talented ladies. It's also interesting to note that half of them are COUNTRY singers. They should just name the show Country Voice instead no? Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with the genre, but this season is fast losing the diversity that was once very refreshing.

Oh, and both Shakira and Usher are left with just one finalist each. Wow. But, enough of that..

RESULTS after the jump!

The Voice 4: Top 10

This was, yet again, another strong week for The Voice. Some perceived frontrunners faltered, which somehow gave way for a couple of dark horses to shine this week. At this rate, it's almost impossible to predict with such a strong group of finalists. There were no legit duds this season and things will get more predictable as we whittle down the batch into a small group.

On with the rankings!

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

The Good Great Gatsby was a technical spectacle - practically to a fault. Everything looked and sounded amazing from the fantastic cinematography to the flashy visual style to the refreshing modern infusion of jazz and hip hop, but the frenetic film editing and camera work and the dizzying almost chaotic technique of direction eventually got tiring to a point where I had a serious headache. The story also felt like a mere afterthought as if they knew they had a great material and decided to focus on the lavish production and visual effects. I found the whole idea interesting and the way Baz Luhrmann attacked it was quite intriguing, but with everything running in full throttle, I somehow wanted the story to be right there with it. Good thing, the casting was fantastic and everyone delivered superb performances especially Leonardo DiCaprio and Joel Edgerton. The Great Gatsby was something to marvel at visually and sadly, nothing else. 7

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

The Star Trek reboot in 2009 managed to breathe new life into the franchise and while I did have my reservations about this installment, Star Trek Into Darkness is possibly one of the most satisfying sequels I've seen in a while. It actually turned out way better than I thought. Sure, the story felt like more of the same from its predecessor and parts of it were slightly predictable and safe, but it was still relentlessly exciting filled with fantastic special effects, top notch cinematography, lavish production design and superbly choreographed action set pieces. The occasional bits of humor was still there and the great chemistry between Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto was still very much palpable. Simply put, Star Trek Into Darkness was an exhilarating fast paced action extravaganza and a one fine piece of entertainment. 9

American Idol 12: All Cried Out - Kree Harrison

Here is Kree Harrison's supposed "winning" single had she won American Idol, All Cried Out.

Not going to lie, I actually prefer All Cried Out over Candice's I Am Beautiful. To me, this is a perfect representation of Kree as an artist and the music she wants to make. Sure, it's a weepy ballad and some people may see this as a total snoozer, but her interpretation was flawless, her vocals were achingly gorgeous and it has a good structure and a hook that you can remember despite being slightly generic. This seriously made me see how successful she can be as a country singer. Enjoy!

American Idol 12: You Set Me Free - Angie Miller

Unprecedented! Yes, this season's third place finisher and apparently, TPTB's chosen one ALSO released her debut single, You Set Me Free. That's right! The song that made her THE frontrunner after performing this original song in front of the judges during Hollywood week.

While I'm not exactly a big fan of Angie Miller - there's something about her voice and her inflections that just doesn't work for me - I can't deny the fact that You Set Me Free is actually a great track. It has that soaring quality and it's a well-written song. Not sure if I'm liking the production on this as I was hoping it's more stripped down just like how she performed it on American Idol - this felt like she was trying to compete with all the instrumentation - but I'm actually surprised with the dynamics she incorporated on this particular arrangement. Enjoy!

American Idol 12: Finale!

It’s over. American Idol Season 12 has come to a conclusion with, what I consider, one of it's most entertaining Finale nights ever. Oh, and make no mistake about this; Candice Glover has triumphed over incredible odds to become the first female winner of American Idol since Jordin Sparks.

She had momentum building each and every week since she burst into the frontrunners circle this season after she was unjustly cut last year and since then she has yet to look back. Candice Glover has a voice that is incredibly powerful, versatile, and has been increasingly clever and inspiring. I think the right choice was made. If Jordin Sparks, who won the lackluster Season 6, has had some success and has found a bit of a niche with the Pop/R&B route, I don't think Candice will have any trouble creating her own.

Yes, it's the end of an era on American Idol and I can't wait for what's in store for next season!

Now, as for some observations and comments on the Finale show after the jump!

American Idol 12: Final Thoughts and Prediction

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I seriously don't care who wins American Idol. I would be perfectly happy with seeing any of them taking the title tomorrow. They both have their fair share of strengths and weaknesses, but also possess the ability to be actual stars after the show.

I really went back and forth with this one. I mean, Candice Glover is a freak of nature. She just had one off week throughout the entire season - and it was perceived "off" just because she set the bar SO high for herself - and had showstoppers left and right in different genres. She had a STRONG last performance in the Finale that the casual voters would eat up, and I felt like she earned the American Idol just from the sheer consistency of her outstanding performances all season long.

HOWEVER, Kree Harrison seems more like the type American Idol viewers would go for. She checks the demographic box of American Idol and the country vote is a proven factor. Plus, a lot of prophecies, theories and trends as stupid, silly and shallow they may be that have stood for a long time and most of them point in her favor. The prophecy of KRISTY LEE COOK who auditioned in PHILADELPHIA is a fine example. Haha. Kree is like a conjunction of Kristy Lee. It's silly, but it's pretty much accurate - so far! The other naming quirk has also been 100% accurate to this season.

Conventional wisdom says, Kree Harrison will win just based on the demographics and whatnot, but based on overall body of work and tonight's performance, Candice Glover should win. In any case, I love them both and I think we have a great winner in our hands, but I'll go out on a limb and refer to my ranking prior to the Top 10 performance, and say that Kree Harrison is this year's American Idol. But again, I wouldn't be mad if Candice pull this off because she deserves it as well.

Oh, and one final thought. I know that I've been such an arse to Randy Jackson since I started blogging American Idol - and no, I won't take them back - but I seriously am feeling a bit sad to hear his last critique as an American Idol judge. He's the last remaining judge from the original panel and it's kind of surreal not to see him - despite his "non-senseness" - next season. That is all.

American Idol 11: Final Thoughts and Prediction
American Idol 10: Final Thoughts and Prediction
American Idol 9: Final Thoughts and Prediction

American Idol 12: Top 2 Studio Versions

I guess, it's our lucky year! Haha. For the first time, American Idol released the studio versions of all Finale performances - sans the coronation singles and Candice Glover's I (Who Have Nothing), which she released during the Top 10 night. This is actually a pleasant surprise.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: All three new recordings sounded fantastic. I think Kree Harrison's recording of Angel was understated, but sublime and Up To The Mountain soared excellently. Candice Glover's Chasing Pavements was also pretty good. Very nice.

American Idol 12: Top 2

It’s the American Idol Season 12 Finale! Doesn’t it always feel like the season just flies by? Especially this season when we only had 10 finalists compete and the week’s started to melt away.

Now, we had a finale and we had some amazing moments. Don’t look at those moments through an infantile viewfinder that gives no credit to the contestants and derives nothing but negative outlooks on the future. After all, it’s F@&#%*! REALITY TELEVISION and they let Carly Rae Jepsen perform! Umm, yeah, I felt like I lost brain cells just listening to that song. Haha.

Without further nonsense, I'll get to the rankings...

The Voice 4: Top 12 Results Show

Tonight, they eliminated 2 more contestants whittling them down to the Final 10. The results were a little predictable, but it's interesting that they are the one being coached by the new mentors. Hmm. Very interesting.

RESULTS after the jump!

The Voice 4: Top 12

And yet another strong week for The Voice that even the underdogs - the people I ranked low in my "prediction" list yesterday - performed better than expected. Who knew? This is really turning out to be the best season of The Voice from a good set of finalists to the seemingly charismatic judges.

Without further ado, let's get on with the rankings with the write up to follow!

American Idol 12: Top 2 Head-to-Head Match Up!

Just like the past two seasons, here's a quick rundown of how the competition went from Las Vegas round to last week's Top 3 performance night. Yes, I've taken the trouble of going back through all my reviews this season and snagging the grades I gave both Candice and Kree on each of their performances.

Below, a head-to-head comparison, just to see which finalist ''won'' the overall season in my book, and to refresh your own memories so you can do your own seasonal audit.

Season 11: Head-to-Head Match Up! (Phillip Phillips vs Jessica Sanchez)
Season 10: Head-to-Head Match Up! (Scotty McCreery vs Lauren Alaina)

Head-to-Head Match Up after the jump!

The Voice 4: Ranking The Top 12

Just like last season with The Voice - and also with American Idol and The X Factor - I'm ranking the Top 12 finalist based on their performances from the blind auditions down to the live playoffs last week. This will EASILY change as the season progresses - there could be some surprises throughout the season - but this is how I see it so far.

So, who will be the successor of the highly visible Cassadee Pope to Jermaine Paul to Javier Colon. Umm, they're the show's winners just so you know. Haha.

On to the rankings!

American Idol: Best 'IDOL' Top 2!

A few weeks ago, I posted a poll about the BEST and WORST Top 5. This week, the season's Final 2 has been announced so it's time to look back and decide which season has the best Final 2. This should be fun. Enjoy!

[Season 1]

Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini

 

[Season 2]

Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard

 

[Season 3]

Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo

 

[Season 4]

Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood

 

[Season 5]

Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks

 

[Season 6]

Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis

 

[Season 7]

David Archuleta and David Cook

 

[Season 8]

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen

 

[Season 9]

Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox

 

[Season 10]

Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery

 

[Season 11]

Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez

 

[Season 12]

Kree Harrison and Candice Glover

VOTE!!

American Idol: Who's Your Favorite 3rd Placer?

I can't imagine how hard it is to get the boot a week before the Finale, but no matter how tight the competition was for each season, someone had to take the fall. So yes, another American Idol finalist went home just before the Finale week, so it's time we look back at contestants past who were eliminated in the same week. So, who's your favorite 'Idol' Third Placer?

[Who's Your Favorite Idol 4th Placer?]
[Who's Your Favorite Idol 5th Placer?]

Nikki McKibbin

[Season 1]

BEST PERFORMANCE: I'm The Only One

 Kimberley Locke

[Season 2]

BEST PERFORMANCE: New York State of Mind

 Jasmine Trias

[Season 3]

BEST PERFORMANCE: Inseparable

Vonzell Solomon

[Season 4]

BEST PERFORMANCE: I Have Nothing

Elliott Yamin

[Season 5]

BEST PERFORMANCE: A Song For You

Melinda Doolittle

[Season 6]

BEST PERFORMANCE: My Funny Valentine

Syesha Mercado

[Season 7]

BEST PERFORMANCE: One Rock 'N Roll Too Many

Danny Gokey

[Season 8]

BEST PERFORMANCE: P.Y.T

Casey James

[Season 9]

BEST PERFORMANCE: Jealous Guy

Haley Reinhart

[Season 10]

BEST PERFORMANCE: House Of The Rising Sun

Joshua Ledet

[Season 11]

BEST PERFORMANCE: When A Man Loves A Woman

Angie Miller

[Season 12]

BEST PERFORMANCE: Who You Are

VOTE!!