The Voice 10: 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.

As for the performances, I thought it was mostly good given how deep the talent pool is this season. I'm surprisingly very excited for the Live Show. I kid you not.

On with the show!

Movie Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Where to even begin? Quite frankly, I didn't expect much from the film given how it was universally panned by critics, but Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn't entirely awful. Far from it, actually. The visual effects, as expected, were absolutely impressive, the action sequences weren't too heavy-handed and mind-numbing enough to put Michael Bay to shame like Man of Steel, and that final act was riveting. The performances were also uniformly good. Henry Cavill was still pretty charismatic and while I had reservations with Ben Affleck as the new Batman, I thought he pulled it off quite nicely. It was Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman though that had me squealing like a fangirl. Haha. All that being said, the film certainly had its fair share of problems. The plot, for one, was too cluttered that it felt like it didn't know if it wanted to be a political action thriller or a Justice League setup. The pacing was terrible - the first half was hard to pass by and it grew tiring long before the climax kicked in because it was just too much of everything - the editing felt choppy, and Lex Luthor was perplexing to say the least. Clearly, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was heavily flawed, lacking laser sharp focus and was too ambitious to a fault, but still a solid piece of entertainment. 7

Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 3

Not going to lie, I expected Kung Fu Panda 3 to be a half-witted sequel playing on the same jokes over and over again - how many of this can you make given the premise? - but I was extremely surprised at how well this film turned out. Yes, the story was nothing new and basically a derivative of some of the film we've seen before, but I don't think it mattered. The animation was very vibrant and energetic, the comedy was bigger and broader than before, and the voice performances were spot on. Simply put, Kung Fu Panda 3 was a great sequel. Nothing was lost in terms of appeal, luster and charm, and while it was  clearly in the same vein as the original and a plot line that was all too familiar, this animated film built on it as any good follow-up should do and altered just enough to make it feel fresh. 8

American Idol 15: Top 4

We have our Top 4!

This is why I love American Idol. I was almost resigned to the idea that La'Porsha Renae will win the title with absolutely no competition. I genuinely thought she had this in the bag, but after tonight, I'm not so sure. Trent Harmon is coming in strong - like a storm hitting another storm - and I'm not mad. The fact that I'm now entertaining the fact that the remaining guys could take this thing is testament to them trying to steal away with the title. Yes, even with MacKenzie Bourg and Dalton Rapattoni. Heck, I'm even scared that La'Porsha might end up in 4th place the same way Chris Daughtry, LaToya London, and Tamyra Gray ended their journey on the show. 

This is what a race looks like people, and thank you to Steven Van Zandt and the dementedly delightful Sia for pushing these kids to their full potential. 

On with the show!

DAM NATION: March 2016 Playlist

Again, I apologize for the late post of the playlist, but here you go! I made sure that the playlist this month is as good as last month. So there's that. Here's a 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!

1 Work From Home Fifth Harmony (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

2 Something New Zendaya (ft. Chris Brown)

3 Stone Cold Demi Lovato

4 Team Iggy Azalea

5 I Took A Pill In Ibiza Mike Posner

6 Something In The Way You Move Ellie Goulding

7 New Romantics Taylor Swift

8 Get You Home Nick Fradiani

9 7 Years Lukas Graham

10 Welcome To The Show Adam Lambert (ft. Laleh)

11 iT's YoU ZAYN

12 Never Forget You Zara Larsson (ft. MNEK)

13 NO Meghan Trainor

14 Piece By Piece (Idol Version) Kelly Clarkson

15 Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande

DAM NATION

Password: DAM NATION's movie grade for Always Be My Maybe

American Idol 15: Top 5

This was an odd show. The first part seemed like an appetizer before the main course.. and that main course was glorious! Not sure if it was the fact that the remaining five (5) didn't need to worry since someone got eliminated in the middle of the show or that they were just really fighting to be the next and final American Idol. I'm not complaining though as it made for some fantastic performances.

Also, can we talk about how emotional that last part of the show was? Other than their video packages showcasing their "life struggles", the performances were also pretty intense. No, the episode has some mediocre performances, but the rest made me feel sad that the show is ending.

I don't know. It was just too raw and real - and some of it was because Jennifer Lopez had me bawling with her "I'm going to miss American Idol" speech. Look, I may not agree with most of her comments and sometimes I feel like she's more of a cheerleader than a judge, but I really felt like she made some genuine connection with the show and I love her for that. Thank you, JLo.

On with the show!

American Idol 15: Top 6

I. AM. SCARED. Somehow, I can't get into the competition this season especially with how fast everything's happening. Seriously. In less than a month, we're crowning the final American Idol and this beloved - or maybe not? - show is done and yes, I still can't wrap my head around that idea. We're down to six and I can't seem to put my finger as to who will win the season. It's exciting, but stressful, nonetheless.

Enough of that though. This week, the theme was "Most Overdone". Haha. No kidding. Everyone tackled songs that were covered over and over again in the last fourteen (14) seasons for their solos. Just for fun reference - before I go on with my usual rating - let me enumerate the most covered songs on American Idol History! Are you ready?

• I Don't Want To Miss A Thing and I Have Nothing both covered 9 times
• When A Man Loves A Woman covered 8 times
• Against All Odds, Come Together, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, I'll Be, Piece of My Heart, and Superstition were all covered 7 times

Interesting that three (3) songs were actually covered this week alone and another one was picked as Trent's song last week. Just fantastic! Haha. Do you want me to post a "Who sang it better?" blog soon?

On with the show!