American Idol 13: Top 12 Results Show

Emily Piriz. That's right. We've lost another female today with another all-women Bottom 3 this week. And whether or not that was by coincidence or demographics, the result of having girls booted week on week is a bit disheartening. That's not to say, Emily's boot was shocking. In fact, I actually predicted her exit tonight. Emily suffered from one of the worst weaknesses an Idol finalist can have. She was forgettable. The voice was there and she wasn't vocally the worst last night, but she couldn’t leave a lasting impression on the voters and her mediocre performance got lost in the mix. I'm not sure if Jennifer Lopez should take this as a complement no?

Results after the jump!

American Idol 13: Top 12

It's Top 12 Week and we saw a lot of different things happen in the competition throughout this episode. There were a few who rose to the occasion - or maybe not -, a few who dropped the ball, and then several others who were praised when they simply did not deserve it. But, most importantly, the judges being so hard on these kids. Then again, constructive criticism will always be beneficial to them no?

Oh, and can I just say, despite the lackluster performances of everyone, I'm loving the fact that the song choices are new to American Idol. It didn't all work out well, but I do appreciate that the show expanded the song list this year.

On to the rankings!

The Voice 6: Blind Auditions Part 4

As underwhelming as yesterday's episode, this one was actually pretty good. A couple of them were strong vocalists with powerful pipes and two guys who were fantastic as well. Of course, the coaches were still entertaining, but it was nice to see a good balance of that and compelling hopefuls.

On with the show!

The Voice 6: Blind Auditions Part 3

Was it so wrong that I enjoyed this episode mostly because of the coaches' banters and not so much the contestants? Look, some singers were good, but collectively, the hopefuls were a bit lackluster. Again, the coaches overshadowed everything else as they completely stole the episode with their outstanding chemistry. So yes, it's a double edge sword no?

On with the show!

Movie Review: Non-Stop

Non-Stop was a straight up action thriller film. No more. No less. This one even had that typical action film set-up complete with a plot that was slightly preposterous, but what worked for the film was the fact that it still managed to build some great action sequences despite the straightforward plot - something that's not exactly a bad thing. I thought the action scenes were brilliantly crafted and flawlessly executed without going overboard and some of the fight choreography were actually pretty good. Liam Neeson was, yet again, terrific but this time as an air marshal. There's an urgency to his performance that never lets up. Taken as a whole, Non-Stop wasn't perfect - the villain had no character whatsoever - but it's the best I could have hoped for. It was solid and punchy at every second. 7

Movie Review: Saving Mr. Banks

Mary Poppins is a timeless classic whose charm and wonder has endured for generations, and somehow Saving Mr. Banks captured that to great effect, but in a different way. This was actually more than what I expected. It's rich and nicely crafted and it offered a well edited, weaving of past and present that seamlessly enhanced the movie. It somehow skillfully meshes a few stories together on the same theme, although I found some of the flashbacks slightly bloated and went on for too long. Oh, and Emma Thompson was wonderful on this film. She brought a lot of energy to a character that's strange and emotionally damaged. It was oddly fascinating to watch. Saving Mr. Banks wasn't perfect, but it's so intensely likable that it's hard to imagine someone not smiling at any point in the film. 8

Movie Review: Her

In an age where most films are adaptations or sequels, it's so refreshing to see a film that's quite original. Sure, the underlying story itself wasn't all that rare, but the way it was depicted was absolute perfection that I left my heart overwhelmed with emotion. Everything here works wonderfully well. It was perfectly shot and edited, masterful direction, excellent background score, and well written characters. The acting was also pretty stellar. Joaquin Phoenix, in particular, was alone most of the time, but managed to deliver a fragile and delicate character with an extremely natural charisma. He carried most of the film with ease. I admit, the ending may leave a bad aftertaste and the film dragged in parts, but I digress. Her wasn't exactly an easy story to convey with all the complexity, but they somehow did. I solidly bought into the premise, and stayed with it all the way. 8.5