DAM NATION: Septemer 2011 Playlist

It's that time of the month again! Here's another set of 15 songs for the month of September. The songs are pretty diverse, but compiling them wasn't easy. I had to research the new single from different artists that will probably - or maybe not - be hits in the next coming weeks in whatever format. Of course, I also added a couple of songs that are already doing good on it's own.

Anyway, just like any other compilations or album that I've posted in this site, the download links will be available for more or less 24 hours ONLY. Oh, and little disclaimer: the format is a little uneven here - some are in .m4a and the others are in .mp3. There! Enjoy!

 1. Fly Nicki Minaj (ft. Rihanna)

2. Wish You Were Here Avril Lavigne

3. You and I Lady Gaga

4. Mr. Know It All Kelly Clarkson

5. Fade Into Me David Cook

6. Jet Lag Simple Plan (ft. Natasha Bedingfield)

7. Papi Jennifer Lopez

8. Let's Don't Call It A Night Casey James

9. Set Fire To The Rain Adele

10. It Girl Jason Derulo

11. The Trouble With Girls Scotty McCreery

12. Night Of Your Life David Guetta (ft. Jennifer Hudson)

13. Disaster JoJo

14. Love On Top Beyonce

15. I Won't Let You Go James Morrison

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IDOL Tournament: Round 4 - Jennifer Hudson VS Kelly Clarkson

Two of the most successful American Idol alums are head-to-head today. It's Oscar Winner Jennifer Hudson versus Grammy Winner Kelly Clarkson. This is going to be interesting, don't you think?

Poll is open for 48 hours only. If anyone's interested in the matchups DAM NATION planned for the coming weeks, click here to check out the entire 64-player bracket (then click again for a zoomed in view).

Jennifer Hudson

Spotlight

The song that peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving her first Top 30 hit to date on the chart. The song also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending two consecutive weeks. It also garnered two nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 2008, the track was the biggest selling non-top ten single of the year. 

Kelly Clarkson

Because Of You

It's tough to pick a song for Kelly Clarkson because she had so many hits, though I settled with this one. The song that was tagged by Billboard in 2009 as the 7th most successful pop song of the decade and the biggest single from an American Idol alum, with sales of 7 million singles worldwide. This also made ​​her the only contestant in the history of the show to have a fourth single from the same album in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. As of this date, this is her most successful single outside the United States.

VOTE!

*source Wikipedia

IDOL Tournament: Round 4 - Jordin Sparks VS Elliott Yamin

I never thought a Jordin Sparks - Elliott Yamin would be possible, but here it is! I can say that both are great singers and can really sell a song with their emotional connection to it. Let's see who will move on to Round 5.

Poll is open for 48 hours only. If anyone's interested in the matchups DAM NATION planned for the coming weeks, click here to check out the entire 64-player bracket (then click again for a zoomed in view).

Jordin Sparks

No Air

This is the best selling single from an American Idol contestant having sold a total of 4 million copies and making her the first American Idol contestant to reach the three million mark. The song reached a peak of #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 at the Year-End charts. It also topped the singles charts of Australia and New Zealand and reached the Top 5 in countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. The song also earned her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Elliott Yamin

Wait For You

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #67, but when he performed it on American Idol, it went on to become a hit single on multiple charts in the United States. It rose to #14 in iTunes and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his first Top 20 hit on the chart. It also became a Top 5 hit on the Pop 100, Pop 100 Airplay, and on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. The song was the 6th most played song of 2007 on Top 40 radio and it was certified Platinum in digital sales on October 16, 2008. As of April 30, 2010, the song has sold 1.1 million copies. 

VOTE!

*source Wikipedia

Movie Review: Contagion

I admit, Contagion was predictable and terribly cliched, but there's something about the film that was gripping. And while I expected the movie to be filled with suspense with my heart jumping ever so often, the stark and somber struggles of each character was a pleasant surprise.

The story could've been a little tighter as it was constantly changing from one storyline to the other, but I found most of it fascinating and possibly the most realistic as far as the genre was concerned. The intertwining stories based on an epidemic was a brave and interesting concept and the film pulled no punches on giving off the message it was trying to - it wasn't overly successful most of the time though. Ha!

I was also quite impressed with how much character development there was in this movie. I didn't get emotionally involved with anyone of them, but I felt their struggles as characters.

Thanks to the impressive cast ensemble! I mean, with a plethora of Oscar winning and nominated actors in one film, how could it possibly go wrong no? Sure, the actors had varying importance in this film, but everyone did relatively well with the materials they were given. Matt Damon and Jude Law, however, stood out the most in this film. 

Oh, and the movie had that kind of slick look in its production values - some scenes were unexpectedly gritty, which, to me, was a nice touch.

All that being said, Contagion wasn't a perfect film - what is? - as I found the pacing to be a bit inconsistent and the editing was a bit choppy in parts. The jargon and technical terminologies being thrown around a lot also felt a little taxing. There was nothing incredibly exciting with the film and it just didn't have enough conflicts. Somehow, I didn't feel like the movie actually peaked.

Considering that Steven Soderbergh was involved in this film along with an impressive cast and interesting premise, I had high expectations. Well, as it turned out, Contagion was solid, but quite forgettable. I felt like it could have gone somewhere, but didn't.

RATING: 7/10

IDOL Tournament: Round 4 - Katharine McPhee VS Adam Lambert

Can I say the battle of the runners-up? It's Katharine McPhee going up against Adam Lambert. This will be interesting.

Poll is open for 48 hours only. If anyone's interested in the matchups DAM NATION planned for the coming weeks, click here to check out the entire 64-player bracket (then click again for a zoomed in view).

Katharine McPhee

Over It

This was arguably her most successful song to date. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #48 on the chart for the week ending February 17, 2007 and peaked at #29. The song also peaked at #21 on Pop Radio. To date, the song has sold over 645,000 downloads and was certified Gold in 2008. I wonder what Smash will do to her career once it starts airing.

Adam Lambert

Whataya Want From Me

A track that was originally recorded and co-written by Pink for the album Funhouse but did not make the final cut. This song gave Adam his first ever Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. As of August 2011, the song has sold an estimated 1.8 million copies within the US and garnered 2x Platinum in Canada and Gold in Denmark.

VOTE!

*source Wikipedia

IDOL Tournament: Round 4 - Haley Reinhart VS Fantasia Barrino

Today, we have an odd match-up. Haley Reinhart versus Fantasia Barrino. I wonder how this showdown will pan out. I mean, both are incredible singers with a great amount of soul. We shall see.

Poll is open for 48 hours only. If anyone's interested in the matchups DAM NATION planned for the coming weeks, click here to check out the entire 64-player bracket (then click again for a zoomed in view).

Haley Reinhart

Moanin'

So for Haley Reinhart - and Casey Abrams who'll appear in the next coming weeks - I've decided to put up their goosebump-inducing cover of Moanin'. They don't have anything released yet post-American Idol, but this is just to remind everyone that they are also capable of doing incredible music. I mean, I haven't heard this song prior to the performance, but they sold this to me. Very jazzy and yet modern. 

Fantasia Barrino

When I See U

Her song that garnered two Grammy Award nominations, one for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the other for Best R&B Song. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and spent a year on the chart, one of only fourteen songs in history to achieve that feat. It was ranked #8 on the chart's decade-end chart.

VOTE!

*source Wikipedia

Idol News: James Durbin Signs With Wind Up Records

Wow. So, this makes James Durbin the fifth Idol of Season 10 to get signed by a major record label alongside Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano and Haley Reinhart. Is this a first?

According to a press release posted on Durbin's official website:

Wind-up Records is pleased to announce that it has signed season 10 American Idol fan-favorite and resident-rocker, James Durbin to a recording contract. Durbin will continue to be managed by 19 Entertainment’s President, Iain Pirie, GM Josh Klemme (formerly manager of Buckcherry and one of the managers of Steven Tyler) and Red Light Management’s Mark DiDia. 

The press release also mentioned that Howard Benson will produce his debut album. Benson helm albums of Daughtry, P.O.D, My Chemical Romance and 3 Doors Down. Not too shabby. Oh, and James Durbin's record will debut on November of this year.

Congrats James!