DAM NATION Year-End List: 25 Songs of 2016

In 2016, we just worked and worked and worked, and even when we're home, we still worked. But since we're a motherf*ckin' Starboy, we went for some cheap thrills, rode someone's rover, met a dangerous woman who's walking from side to side, and we get in formation. In the end, all we needed was that one dance. Yup, that's probably the best way to sum up another spectacular year for mainstream pop music, so let's have the songs do it for us instead.

Just like every year, these are my picks for the 25 Songs of 2015: endless songs about love (as usual), a tribute for a departed friend, and even ditties with a lot of questions. These are the songs that I've shared on this blog at some point over the past 12 months.

Of course, this is admittedly a subjective list based on my personal judgments and preferences, but this list should also be a great conversation starter and feel free to agree or disagree. Either way there is a lot of great mainstream music - again, take note, MAINSTREAM MUSIC - to be found here.

DAM NATION: December 2016 Playlist

Here's the final playlist for 2016! another list 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.

Enjoy! 

01 I Don't Wanna Live Forever ZAYN & Taylor Swift

02 Back To Me Marian Hill (ft. Lauren Jauregui)

03 How Far I'll Go Alessia Cara

04 Water Under The Bridge Adele

05 Dirty Laundry Carrie Underwood

06 Lot To Learn Luke Christopher

07 Versace On The Floor Bruno Mars

08 Fake Love Drake

09 Touch Little Mix

10 Trust Nobody Cashmere Cat (ft. Selena Gomez)

11 City of Stars Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone

12 Road Less Traveled Lauren Alaina

13 Shed A Light Cheat Codes (ft. Schulz & Guetta)

14 I Feel It Coming The Weeknd (ft. Daft Punk)

15 Just Hold On Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson

DAM NATION

Password: The last movie review DAM NATION posted for 2016?

X Factor UK 13: Finale

Finally! This horrendous season will end this weekend and I'm ecstatic. I mean, this season started really strong and entered the live show with probably the worst possible combination of finalists out of talents to pick from. Also, the judges have been awful. Nicole Scherzinger, in particular, was an attention hogger the entire season - and her duet with Matt Terry tonight was annoying. Ugh.

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Top 8

It's the infamous BLOODBATH! I don't like this round as it feel a little brutal for everyone involved, but whatever floats their boat I guess. Now, the performances were ranging from terrible to very good and that's good enough for me. I wonder though if one of the frontrunners will fall short of the finale opening up a spot for a dark horse. We'll see.

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 4

Honey G finally left the competition and yet, I was still underwhelmed. I guess, it's now the utter lack of talent this season. Don't get me wrong, the remaining singers all gave, at the very least, one remarkable performance during their X Factor run, but it was still lackluster. I don't know.

Good thing? Last week is this season's finale week! Yay!

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Top 10

In a matter of two (2) weeks, The Voice will crown either Wé McDonald or Billy Gilman as the new champ - should we consider Sundance? - but before that inevitable event, let us savor this week's performance as America trim down the lot from 10 to 8. Not going to lie, this was actually a pretty strong night - minus a complete trainwreck c/o Courtney Harrell. Ha.

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 5

Was the ratings so bad this year that the judges decided to keep Honey G last week? I figured that as soon as she hit the Bottom 2, it was just the right decision to cut her off the competition, but NO. I don't know anymore. This season has been a total disaster that I am now genuinely rooting for Honey G to win just to give Simon Cowell a good amount of headache.

On with the show!

DAM NATION: November 2016 Playlist

Here's another list 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.

Enjoy!

01 Hurt Anymore Samantha Jade & Cyrus

02 Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing Tori Kelly

03 Better Man Little Big Town

04 All We Know The Chainsmoker (ft. Phoebe Ryan)

05 So Good Louisa Johnson

06 A-YO Lady GaGa

07 Love On The Weekend John Mayer

08 Rockabye Clean Bandit (ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie)

09 Mercy Shawn Mendes

10 Ain't My Fault Zara Larsson

11 Make Me (Cry) Noah Cyrus (ft. Labrinth)

12 Slumber Party Britney Spears (ft. Tinashe)

13 Perfect Strangers Jonas Blue (ft. JP Cooper)

14 Safe Inside James Arthur

15 It's Gotta Be You Isaiah

DAM NATION

Password: When you click the banner of the 2016 Olympics of Reality Singing Shows, what song is in the sample scorecard?

The Voice 11: Top 11

Sigh. I don't know what to say anymore other than I'm getting bored with this season. Yes, there are a couple of good vocalists, but like I've said before there's too much of the same thing in this edition that I'm almost exhausted. Where Michael Sanchez when you need one?

Oh, and at this point, I think the win is between Billy, Sundance and Wé.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: Finale

.. and just like that, we're done with the X Factor Australia forever.

Not going to lie, the results have been quite devasting since the live shows started - given how insanely STRONG the talent was this season - but this episode showed me that they weren't so bad after all. I mean, I could use a little diversity with say Beatz or Ivy Dara (yes, I'm still not done with that!) but this is A LOT better than what X Factor UK has to offer. 

I hope X Factor Australia will come back next year because they have discovered a lot of fantastic artists throughout the years: Samantha Jade, Dami Im, Bella Ferraro, Taylor Henderson, Dean Ray, Reigan Derry, Cyrus Villanueva and Isaiah Firebrace. 

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 6

This week was a little better than the last couple of weeks. Why? Because the people I expected to do good actually delivered and the rest were okay. Yes, we are at that point already where I don't really care for the rest and just wait for things to end. Haha. Not to take anything from the REAL vocalists though because I thought I just witnessed one of the best vocal performances of the season tonight.

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Top 12

We are finally here! Unlike previous seasons where I only stop writing about the Battle Rounds and proceed with the Knockouts, I totally ditched them altogether and started with the live shows. Why? Because as much as I tried - there's a Knockout Part 1 post - I couldn't help but be bored with all of it. Sure, there were a couple of great performances, but they weren't enough to push me and write. And don't get me started with the mess that was this year's Live Playoffs.

Season 11 started with a lot of great talent and, of course, two impressive new coaches, and somehow, the show managed to screw it up and we ended with a Top 12 that had no diversity whatsoever. There's just too much of the same thing: country singers, divas, mumblers, and Christian Cuevas. I don't know. I'm still holding my breath for the next coming weeks, but I'm also managing my expectations.

What's working well with the show? Miley Cyrus. She's been a breathe of fresh air on the show. In a see of overdone songs from I Don't Want To Miss A Thing to The Scientist to The Show Must Go On, she somehow managed to find songs from Leonard Cohen (not Hallelujah), The Rolling Stones (not (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction or Paint It, Black), and Father John Misty (who?). Good job, Miley!

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: Top 5

Let me react first from last week's elimination: What the actual f#&$! Really? Chynna went home and Vlado wasn't even in the Bottom 3? After the hot mess that was Thriller? I'm calling it. Vlado will be the last winner of X Factor Australia. I mean, if he survived Thriller, there's nothing that will ever eliminate him. 

This week, the remaining five (5) contestants tackled a killer track and a curveball songs - something they are and they are not comfortable performing, which was the case, but I digress. That said, there were a couple of compelling performances and some mediocre ones. 

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 7

Atrocious. I'm not sure if I'm just not in the mood or the show really sucked hard tonight, but the performances were just beyond awful. Even the eventual winner, Matt Terry, was a ball of bland. I don't even know if I have enough enthusiasm to continue with this show. Why? Honey G! Haha.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: Top 7

This week, it's Australia's song choice and it was probably the most stressful thing for these finalists to prepare two performances, but eventually just perform one. The performances ranged from godawful to impressive and I'm not complaining. I'm just annoyed that this season is going way too fast that I'm not able to appreciate all of them that well. I mean, in a couple of weeks, the last winner will be crowned and that's it.

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 8

Tonight was strange. I don't know what it was, but the whole episode felt like I was watching a reprise from almost all of them. The performances was desperately predictable that I wanted to stop watching and just move on. There was too much of the same thing going on and at this point, the mentors aren't doing anything to lift this season to absolute garbage.

Oh yes, I still can't get over the fact that Gifty was sent home before Honey G and Ryan Lawrie. Such a disaster.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: Top 8

Last week was pretty tough watching four (4) people leaving the competition - especially with Adam's team being a strong group. This week, the competition continues with Makeover Week and we're now down to eight (8) people.

To be honest, the performances were okay in general. There were a couple of standouts, but for the most part, they were just decent. They need to step it up in the next couple of weeks because things will be brutal.

Oh, and the new host, Jason Dundas, was incredibly annoying and I was glad Iggy called him out on that rivalry thing he's trying to stir up. Good on you, Ms. Azalea.

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 9

There was A LOT of things to be afraid of in this episode - Honey G is one - but to be honest, I thought we just saw two of the best performances of the season. Not kidding. Something about the horrors of Fright Night made them better than usual. Of course, there's still Honey G, but I honestly don't care at this point.

On with the show!

Movie Review: Doctor Strange

If Marvel has any weakness, it is that they have no freaking clue how to make a bad film - the Man of Steel kind of terrible. I mean, with Doctor Strange, they amazingly extended the streak of successes that stretched all the way back to the original Iron Man. Quite frankly, I was expecting some heavy handed combination of outlandish special effects masking a superficial and convoluted story with two-dimensional characters, but instead, I was treated to an actual well-acted, well-crafted story with actual character development within the framework of a compelling plot. The casting was excellent. All of the actors fit into their roles in ways that transcend the normal Marvel movie. Benedict Cumberbatch, in particular, brought smugness, sincerity, and charisma to the role that I don't think many actor could have pulled off. I thought the action sequences were fine and the visual imagery and effects employed were outstanding. Doctor Strange was, to me, an appealing Marvel movie. It had enough moments of pizzazz to intermittently soar, and while not perfect, this was an excellent introduction to the character. 9

The Voice 11: The Knockouts Part 1

I'm back! The Battle Round is finally done - as you should know by now, I don't review them for the most part - and The Knockout Round is here. To be honest, I'm still not particularly fond of this stage of the competition as I feel like some of the pairings are a little unfair since they usually throw in favorites with some cannon fodders, but I digress.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: Top 12

Can I just say one thing? X Factor Australia 8 > X Factor UK 13.

Not going to lie, there were still a couple of mediocre performances tonight, but for a first live show, there were no complete trainwrecks and some outstanding performances. Something I was unable to find on the other show across the globe.

Two things that I didn't like though was Mel B's choices for her category - maybe the other one was due to the fact that Mel B mentored her when she was part of The Voice Kids in 2014? - and the format of losing one person from each category. After watching the show, Adam can't lose any of his acts because they all delivered some pretty stellar performances. It makes me sad.

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 10

.. and they're back to being mediocre to awful. Yes, there were a couple of good performances, but even some of the reliable singers sounded weird tonight. I don't know what to think anymore. Imagine if we got Sam Atkinson, Janet Grogan, Caitlyn Vanbeck and Christian Burrows, this season would've been a lot interesting than this. But I digress.

Oh, and it's Diva Week and somehow I question some of the song choices. What's the point of having a theme if some of them will not even follow it. Ugh.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: 3-Chair Challenge #TeamGuy #Overs

No matter how brutal and godawful this Chair Challenge is across all franchise of X Factor, one can't deny the sheer brilliance of it for good TV. I cringed. I laughed. I cheered. Name it.

This was the last category for the 3-Chair Challenge and I have some pretty strong opinion about Guy's decisions and eventual results. I'm hoping Mel B will correct everything and possibly have the strongest category this season.

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: 3-Chair Challenge #TeamIggy #Groups

Look, Iggy's set of performers to pick from wasn't as good as #TeamAdam, but I can't deny the fact that she has some killer groups in her category. She has two outstanding girl group, and a couple of great duos.

Oh, and can I say how much I'm enjoying Iggy as a judge? She's straight to the point, she can be funny, and she's sometimes brutal. Love her!

On with the show!

X Factor Australia 8: 3-Chair Challenge #TeamAdam #Unders

Ok. X Factor Australia Season 8 has been incredibly stellar - from the judges to the talent - that I decided to write about it as early as now. You see, I usually wait until the first live shows before I post something about it, but I just can't contain myself.

This season has been outstanding so far. I thought Adam Lambert and Iggy Azalea were fantastic additions to the show, the twist of an underdog judge with Mel B was BRILLIANT, and of course, the talent pool this season has been off the roof - case in point, Adam's Under 22s. I mean, just listen to each one of them and it's almost impossible to just pick three (3) out of these great singers.

On with the show!

DAM NATION: October 2016 Playlist

Timelines are improving! Hah. Here's another list 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.
Enjoy!

01 This Town Niall Horan

02 Blended Family Alicia Keys (ft. A$AP Rocky)

03 All Time Low Jon Bellion

04 Million Reasons Lady GaGa

05 Where My Love Goes Lawson

06 Cool Girl Tove Lo

07 Love On The Brain Rihanna

08 Don't Wanna Know Maroon 5 (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

09 Do You Mind DJ Khaled (ft. Minaj and Brown)

10 Shout Out To My Ex Little Mix

11 Love Me Now John Legend

12 Body Moves DNCE

13 Still Falling For You Ellie Goulding

14 Bad Things Machine Gun Kelly (ft. Camila Cabello)

15 24K Magic Bruno Mars

DAM NATION

Password: Who ranked first in X Factor UK 13: Top 11? 

X Factor UK 13: Top 11

Whew! No, I still think this season's a disaster, but I'm not going to lie and say that they didn't improve from last week because most of them did. I thought the performances, in general, were a lot better than last week and I felt like everyone already settled and nerves were almost gone.

The song choices were baffling though as most of them aren't Motown, but whatever. Oh, and Four of Diamonds replaced Brooks Way!

On with the show!

X Factor UK 13: Top 12

Yikes. What a disaster!

I don't know. This season showed SO MUCH promise with fantastic contestants from Caitlyn Vanbeck, Samantha Antkinson, Christian Burrows, Matt Terry, Olivia Garcia, Janet Grogan, James Wilson, and we end up with this group? This has become a complete circus.

Ok. I'm not saying there's no talent left. I'm still keeping an open mind about things, but I'm not holding my breath for outstanding performances in the likes of Louisa Johnson, Leona Lewis, or James Arthur. This will be a loooong season. I can sense it. Haha.

Oh, and Brooks Way were axed from the show hours before the live shows! Wow.

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Blind Auditions Part 5

So, this was the last Blind Audition episode this season and, boy, was it fast. Did I enjoy this panel so bad that I didn't realize that we're now headed to the dreaded Battle Rounds - a phase I don't blog. Haha.

Tonight, no one really stood out. There were a couple of good ones, but nothing spectacular compared to prior episodes. We shall see.

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Blind Auditions Part 4

What is happening? We're four episodes in and there's still no clear favorite from the producers that's been hyped to high heavens. Don't get me wrong. I've seen a good amount of people worthy of winning the season, but it's just odd that we don't have the Sawyer Fredericks, Jordan Smith, Alisan Porter of the season yet. Could this be the season where we actually get excited on who will win and not just a march to the Finale by the "Chosen One"?

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Blind Auditions Part 3

We only had a short episode on The Voice today due to the presidential debate - Clinton VS the reality star - but that's not to say there were no good singers in tonight's episode. In fact, I'll probably watch out for two new people from now on. Oh, and yes, I'm still loving Miley.

On with the show!

DAM NATION: September 2016 Playlist

Yay! Not as late as before. Heh. Here's another list 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.

Enjoy!

01 Perfect Illusion Lady Gaga

02 Say You Won't Let Go James Arthur

03 Unsteady X Ambassador

04 Don't Be A Fool Shawn Mendes

05 My Way Calvin Harris

06 My Favorite Part Mac Miller (ft. Ariana Grande)

07 #WhereIsTheLove The Black Eyed Peas (ft. The World)

08 That's My Girl Fifth Harmony

09 Starboy The Weeknd (ft. Daft Punk)

10 Too Good Drake (ft. Rihanna)

11 Mad Love. JoJo

12 Scars To Your Beautiful Alessia Cara

13 Hold Up Beyoncé

14 This Girl Kungs VS Cookin' On 3 Burners

15 The Greatest Sia (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

DAM NATION

Password: DAM NATION is looking for a panel for what yearly event? Another hint, ORSS.

The Voice 11: Blind Auditions Part 2

So. Much. Better.

Last night was a good episode, but somehow, the show seemed to pack the really talented ones tonight with some pretty spectacular voices. Oh, and I'm still loving both Miley and Alicia. They balances out Adam and Blake really well. I particularly like Miley's humor and Alicia's profound thoughts.

Not going to lie, I'm getting excited for this season!

On with the show!

The Voice 11: Blind Auditions Part 1

.. and then we're back! Haha.

The Voice US is now on their 11th season. Yikes. Good thing, the show decided to mix it up this season and add to the party two strong women who could seriously take down Adam and Blake, and you know what, I'm loving it.

Miley Cyrus, for one, wasn't a wrecking ball as I initially expected. She was thoughtful with good and concise words to say to the hopefuls. She's also pretty hilarious. Alicia Keys, on the other hand, was like Pharrell Williams who had deep words to say and more of the emotions and whatnot. I'm all for that. Hopefully, these duo will not disappoint once the live shows starts.

On with the show!

WANTED: Reality Singing Show Panel 2016

It is that time of the year again!

After the successful expansion of Olympics of Reality Singing Shows (ORSS) last year with the panel growing to 30 from across the globe - Indonesia, Brazil, Scotland, Vietnam, Portugal, among others - DAM NATION wish to up the ante further as we are giving more slots to more people and also expanding further the reality singing shows from four (4) of the biggest franchises in the world - IDOL, THE VOICE, X FACTOR, and GOT TALENT. (Hence, the new logo)

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

• As soon as The X Factor UK or The X Factor Australia  wraps up (which ever ended last) - this marks the end of the Reality Singing Shows season - I will be sending a link to the jury/panel member where they can download and watch the final list of performances eligible for ranking. Yes, the shortlist will be decided by a small team of DAM NATION.

• There will also be a file provided where they can rank the performances with 1 being the best.

• This file should then be sent to damthenation@gmail.com for tallying as soon as done.

• The results will be posted right before the year ends and the final tally will be disclosed - just like this nifty looking scorecards.

• That's it!

Interested Reality Singing Show Junkies? Email us at damthenation@gmail.com or DM at the official DAM NATION facebook page or tweet us at @damthenation.

Let's make this interactive!

Movie Review: Train To Busan

Who knew? I seriously came into the cinema not knowing what to expect, but Train To Busan delivered on all fronts. In many ways, this film shared in common the pandemic tales of I Am Legend, Contagion, or even World War Z, but somehow, this came off more as a thriller than an actual horror. I found it refreshing that the film didn't rely heavily on gross out murders and graphic blood spattered effects, but still maintaining a terrific balance of suspense, terror, and drama. The screenplay moved on fast without losing the tension, the direction and narrative worked seamlessly together, the main characters had a vast amount of charisma, and visually, the film was superb - the cinematography, editing, and graphics were quite stellar. Train To Busan wasn't, by any means, perfect, but it was none the less a thrilling must see for any zombie and Korean story fan. It's zombie with a heart. Heh. 9

Movie Review: The Shallows

I don't usually take shark movies seriously, but The Shallows was just wickedly good. The tight narrative was simple, but managed to give the film some sense of urgency creating a consistent pacing and the the tension building progressively was incredibly impressive. I also thought the decision to have a bit of a background about the lead character was good as it held my interest and allowed me to connect with her. That, of course, worked mostly with Blake Lively's superb performance. She had a considerable charm and surprisingly convincing acting chops to carry the entire film by herself. I thought she gave the performance of her life after she single handedly demonstrated her great acting range as she took me through a wide variety of emotions from calm, to desperate, to terrified. The Shallows wasn't a game changer by any means, but it did exactly what it needed to do, and that's a shark movie I never knew that I needed. 8.5

DAM NATION: August 2016 Playlist

Better late than never, right? Haha. Here it is! Another list 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.

Enjoy!

01 Closer The Chainsmoker (ft. Halsey)

02 Kids OneRepublic

03 Girls Talk Boys 5 Seconds of Summer

04 Activated Cher Lloyd

05 Starving Hailee Steinfield (ft. Grey & Zedd)

06 Body Say Demi Lovato

07 Side to Side Ariana Grande (ft. Nicki Minaj)

08 In The Name of Love Martin Garrix (ft. Bebe Rexha)

09 Back On The Wall Greyson Chance

10 Words Birdy

11 Molly Lil Dicky (ft. Brendon Urie)

12 Church Bells Carrie Underwood

13 Gold Kiiara

14 Never Be Like You Flume (ft. Kai)

15 Let Me Love You DJ Snake (ft. Justin Bieber)

DAM NATION

Password: The last movie review before this post?

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

Given how fantastic the trailer was, I felt like it was impossible not to feel some hype for Suicide Squad. No, the film arguably fell a little short of what it could've been, but it wasn't as bad as some critics made it out to be. Sure, the plot needed to be a lot tighter, the pacing was annoyingly problematic - the flashy montages and exposition at the beginning went on way too long that and as soon as something happened, the film just decided to skip ahead and left the others as one dimensional characters - and Cara Delevingne as the villain was hysterically awful, but that's not to say that there was no redeeming qualities to the film. Margot Robbie, for one, was every bit as good as I hoped for. I thought that visually, the film looked good and the special effects were on par with other films under this genre. The action sequences were also pretty strong if a bit repetitive and while the soundtrack felt a little forced in parts, it still came off fresher than usual. Suicide Squad wasn't as bad as Fantastic Four, and it was still pretty entertaining, but it somehow felt like an OK movie. They really need Wonder Woman to be something special to pull this universe out of this state of just being "Ok". 7

DAM NATION: July 2016 Playlist

I'm still here! Haha. Again, apologies if the playlists are taking a while the past few months, but here it is! Another list 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.

Enjoy!

01 Rise Katy Perry

02 Dancing On My Own Calum Scott

03 Sledgehammer Rihanna

04 Give It Up Nathan Sykes (ft. G-Eazy)

05 Talk Me Down Troye Sivan

06 Ride twenty one pilots

07 H.O.L.Y Florida Georgia Line

08 Make Me.. Britney Spears (ft. G-Eazy)

09 Faded Alan Walker

10 Love Make The World Go Round Jennifer Lopez

11 Up & Up Coldplay

12 Famous Kanye West (ft. Rihanna)

13 M.I.L.F $ Fergie

14 Lush Life Zara Larsson (ft. Tinie Tempah)

15 Cold Water Major Lazer (ft. Justin Bieber & MØ)

DAM NATION

Password: Who won The Voice Australia Season 5?

Movie Review: Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond was ambitious and thematically convoluted than it's predecessor, but it was still a great action romp that has plenty of thrills and spills. The acting was great all around, the direction and cinematography were brilliant, the screenplay was great, and the characters were incredibly well written and developed. The visuals were, of course, quite impeccable, the shots were immaculately composed, and the scoring was genius. Star Trek Beyond didn't go to new territories as much as the first two films, but I cheered at the spectacle of the action scenes, laughed at the jokes, and was just thoroughly entertained. The first rebooted Star Trek film was tough one to beat, but this almost came close. 8.5

Movie Review: Ghostbusters

I went in skeptical, and came out pleasantly thrilled. Nothing will ever replace the original for me, but I wouldn't let that stop myself from enjoying the reboot of Ghostbusters for what it was, and yes, it was insanely entertaining. The ladies were great - Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones were particularly sensational - the chemistry between actresses worked wonderfully, and the humor though almost slapstick at times was stupidly funny. The visual effects were great and just cartoonish enough to walk the line between fun and convincing, and some of the action sequences were riveting. That smoke scene at the end were, arguably, one of the most delightfully well-time sequences I've seen this year. This version of Ghostbusters was thematically and tonally different from the original, but it made for a fresh take on the series. No, it wasn't perfect as I felt the writing could've been a lot more tighter, but just the sheer joy I had watching it made up for it. 8.5

The Voice Australia 5: Finale

It's the Finale Week and while things didn't go exactly how I predicted - the winner, to me, was a pleasant surprise - the whole show was surprisingly good. I love the musical guests, the duets were great, and while the original songs were a bit underwhelming, it was the least of my concerns.

On with the show!

The Voice Australia 5: Top 6

Not going to lie, the Top 6 was incredibly strong this week, but I'm not really sure that they ended up with a solid Top 4. I know. I know. The people who got cut had a rough week and their performances weren't really that good, but based on their body of work, they should've been part of the Finale. At this point, I'm rooting for two (2) people, but something tells me that I, again, wouldn't agree with Australia's decision come next week. 

On with the show!

Movie Review: Independence Day: Resurgence

Absolute nonsense. I knew that Independence Day: Resurgence wouldn't be anything revolutionary, but I wasn't expecting it to be this lame. Seriously. The writing was lazy and not well thought out, the characters were way too bland that I had no reason to care about any of them, the ending felt like an afterthought, and the visual effects, though epic in scale, came off surprisingly average. The biggest problem it had though was the hackneyed story. Don't get me wrong. I'm personally not entirely big on the story line when it comes to major blockbusters that put emphasis on visuals - as long as it accomplished what it sets out to be - but I genuinely felt like I was cheated when I left the cinema. Haha. Just look at it this way, Will Smith avoided this sequel and, I guess, you should too. 3

The Voice Australia 5: Top 8

Surprise! Surprise! Ok, not really. I actually got most of the eliminations right save for Mikaela Dean of Team Jessie J who I thought killed Finally last week. That one was a total shock to me. But other than that, though I loved Kim Sheehy and Victoria Wiggins, it was a bit predictable.

This week, the performances were good with a couple of meltdowns and train wrecks and a former frontrunner taking the lead with a fantastic number. I wonder if the Maddens getting a time off broke the "momentum" of one of their artists. Things are going to be interesting.

On with the show!

DAM NATION: June 2016 Playlist

Apologies if the playlists are taking a while the past few months, but here it is! Another list 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.

Enjoy!

01 Tears Clean Bandit (ft. Louisa Johnson)

02 Treat You Better Shawn Mendes

03 There's A Girl Trent Harmon

04 Sit Still, Look Pretty Daya

05 Toothbrush DNCE

06 Bacon Nick Jonas (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

07 Sorry Beyoncé

08 i hate u, i love u gnash (ft. olivia o brien)

09 Into You Ariana Grande

10 The Fighter Keith Urban (ft. Carrie Underwood)

11 Misery Gwen Stefani

12 Company Justin Bieber

13 Kill Em With Kindness Selena Gomez

14 All In My Head (Flex) Fifth Harmony (ft. Fetty Wap)

15 LIKE I WOULD ZAYN

DAM NATION

Password: On The Voice AU 5: Top 12 post, who ranked first in Team Jessie?

The Voice Australia 5: Top 12

Not going to lie, The Voice Australia has been pretty impressive this season and I'm thoroughly entertained. No, the remaining finalists weren't perfect, but they had enough charisma to carry an entire episode - that and of course, the fantastic coaches. Also, I'm enjoying the fact that there are no clear standouts and they are clearly battling out every episode. This is going to be exciting!

Movie Review: Finding Dory

I have a lot of love for Pixar and the joy their films bring with their brilliant and ground breaking original stories, but sequels (or prequels) save for Toy Story were mostly underwhelming at best and with the studio recently mining old successful franchises for new ideas, a sequel for my absolute favorite Finding Nemo had me worried. No, Finding Dory didn't reach the same emotional heights as some of the best Pixar films and the story was relatively generic, but I still found it to be extremely entertaining, full of great visuals as it exploded with color and variety and beautiful animation. The chemistry between the characters were palpable, the voice acting were top class, and the humor was spot on. While this was not revolutionary nor Pixar's best, Finding Dory was still quite solid. It's a sequel geared towards the whole family that was sort of light on heart, but engaging enough and a lot better than most cynically churned out sequels. 8

The Voice Australia 5: Top 16

Just like last year, DAM NATION has decided to cover the live shows of The Voice Australia and boy was it all worth it. Sure, there were still a couple of fodders thrown into this group - and I'm pretty sure that with this format, someone will survive longer than some of the more talented ones - but the talent this year is impressive and the production of the performances were outstanding. Heck, even better than The Voice US.

I've been following (silently) the rest of the season and I'm actually enjoying Ronan's chemistry with the rest of the coaches. I didn't enjoy him as much when he was coaching The X Factor Australia, but he seemed rejuvenated with this group. Good for you, Ronan!

On with the show!