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!