American Idol 13: Salt Lake City Auditions

Everytime I feel myself drifting away from this show every start of the season, they pull me right back in for whatever reason. And yes, American Idol Season 13 managed to do that to me, yet again. I don't know about you, but there's really a new vibe drifting through each episode that feels like the program is fresher than it’s been in the last few seasons. The editing could be it, but I'm counting out the fact that the new panel is pretty fantastic.

I must say though, I was a bit confused with some of their decisions tonight as they gave out golden tickets to people who were mediocre at best, but failed to acknowledge the outstanding vocal talent of Jessica Bassett, who arguably outsang half of the featured singers on this episode. But I digress, as usual.

Let's get on with the auditions, shall we?

Movie Review: Bride For Rent

The bare bones of the film were fairly familiar, but Bride For Rent was a surprisingly delightful film that worked every step of the way. From slapstick one liners to some really terrific physical comedy, the cast was incredibly well put together. Kim Chiu, in particular, was fantastic! She was funny, endearing, and knocked out some decent acting. Xian Lim didn't fare as well, but there's a certain charm to him that was undeniable and his gradual change was quite believable. The script was bright and breezy with some hysterical moments, it had decent motivations for the characters, and sufficient sentiment without being too schmaltzy. Bride For Rent was hardly a masterpiece and it's not going to blow your mind, but it did what it sets out to accomplish. 7

Movie Review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Look, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit was a decent effort, but this was possibly one of the most dead even mediocre films I've seen in a long time. It was clear that the film followed a predictable formula, which was a terrible decision as this came out as a bland version of James Bond or any Bourne film. I didn't find myself caring for the story or even for the characters, the plot also fell flat and annoyingly underdeveloped, and I seriously didn't sense any real danger throughout the film. The action sequence weren't even all that. The only thing that worked here was Chris Pine's solid performance. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit had a couple of good moments here and there and the film was perfectly serviceable, but it was entirely generic and forgettable. Pedestrian at best. 5

American Idol 13: Atlanta Auditions

I was still able to catch the show later today, and I certainly had a few thoughts about the golden ticket winners. I’m becoming very impressed with the crop of talent so far, and while we have certainly seen a huge percentage of people bringing their acoustic guitars, I’m chocking that up to the fact that American Idol has now allowed people to bring them during the auditions. But why would some of them bring one and not use it at all?

Nonetheless, I feel good about the season. The judges are really settling into a nice, comfortable groove and we’ve seen plenty of featured talent and I’m sure we will discover more in the weeks to come. So, on a whole, I think the Idol producers managed to put together a pretty well done cattle call audition round. Thanks, guys!

On with the show!

American Idol 13: Detroit Auditions

Welcome back to the second week of American Idol. Our next stop is Detroit where we get to see more talented people and I'm actually shocked. You see, the last two episodes have been pretty spectacular so I figured that there has to be a bad episode somewhere, but I was so relieved to have enjoyed even more the Detroit auditions.

I actually saw a couple of people I think could make it far and one who might do some serious damage in the competition. Indeed, this episode was one of the strongest audition cities yet as Michigan provided some impressive talent. As for the judges, they were still pretty fantastic! I would usually groan at this stage as I find it mostly uneventful, but audition phase this year has been amazing.

On thing though, Marialle Sellers got some serious pimpage from American Idol. She opened the season and now she closed the Detroit episode. Not sure why as I find her good but not great. I've seen better in the last three episodes. But I digress.

Here we go!

American Idol 13: Austin and San Francisco Auditions

It's the Austin/San Francisco Auditions. Once again, we witnessed a couple of rather strong singers and I have to give the producers a big thumbs up for finally editing together quick speedy audition episodes that focused primarily on the good singers and not the freak show train wrecks we had all become so accustomed with. Sure, it might hurt them a bit in the ratings, but big deal, grow up America.

Oh, and Harry Connick Jr. is absolutely fantastic as a judge. I know. I know. The audition phase is heavily edited - see, Ellen DeGeneres and Steven Tyler - but he's been very good at giving useful critiques to these hopefuls. I didn't agree with him most of the time, but at least, he has a clear point of view.

Let’s see how the contestants did in Austin and San Francisco!

Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

Sure, I groaned a bit at the film's lengthy run time, but The Wolf of Wall Street was just wickedly entertaining. The film simply didn't hold back on the extravagance that surrounded its main character from the gratuitous sex to drugs, and alcohol, and yet maintained a storytelling that was decently paced. The editing could've been a bit sharper, but I digress. The direction by Martin Scorsese was masterful, the cinematography was great, and the screenplay was actually quite brilliant. The casting was also pretty fantastic, but it was Leonardo Di Caprio's effortlessly stellar performance that brought the film into a whole another level. The Wolf of Wall Street was both outrageous and clever, but if you're one of those people who are easily offended by raunchy contents and vulgar language, this is not for you. I guess, your like or dislike for this film may very well depend on how well you respond to that fact. 8.5