[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
After an actually pretty decent Lennon/McCartney episode last night (including both a bagpipe and a Diggeridoo), it's time for the results. Who is in the bottom? Who is going home? I figure the Bottom 3 is Andrew, Aaron, and Tim... with MAYBE Katie instead of Tim? And I think Tim might be going home (or Aaron?). I really have no idea. Let's just hope this results show isn't nearly as annoying as last week's.
8:01: "This... is American Idol!"
8:02: Uh oh... there are apparently shocking results tonight. This worries me.
8:04: The Top 9 are now performing a group song for Lennon/McCartney.
8:06: I just totally realized that Crystal, Katie, and Siobhan are the only females left. I guess it didn't click with me before. Despite that fact, I still think a girl (Crystal) will win. But Lee's starting to give her a run for her money. Not quite to her level yet, but if he keeps it up... he still has quite a few more weeks left to keep improving.
8:11: Of course we aren't getting to the results yet. It's time for the Ford music video. Does anyone actually care about these? Really?
8:13: Time for the results! Siobhan is up first. I... think?... she'll be safe. I really have no idea tonight with this promise of shocking results. And...
8:14: She has to stand in the center of the stage and wait. Crystal stands up.
8:15: She has to join Siobhan. Katie stands up. OK... Ryan's doing his thing where he makes groups and then has the last person choose where they think they should be. I always hate this little trick from Ryan. I think it's cruel to the contestants. Anyway, she joins the other girls in the center of the stage. The three girls standing alone.
8:16: Crystal is safe. Damn right. And so are the other two girls. So all the girls are safe this week. Alrighty then.
8:21: We're back. Oh, Adam Lambert will be the mentor next week. Katie's pretty excited. And Siobhan should be freakin' epic next week. Anywho, Jason Darulo is singing both "Whatcha Say" and "In My Head." Say what you want about modern hip hop, but I actually like Jason Darulo (despite him saying his own name in every song he sings). His songs are catchy and fun. He's obviously not lip syncing here, but it's not all that bad. Certainly not as bad as Usher and... well... everyone last week. And...
8:24: WTF? They just did some black-and-white choppy video thingy. That was strange. Anyway... his dancing is pretty good, and it isn't interrupting his singing ability all that much.
8:30: And... OK, we're STILL not getting back to the results. Instead, we're given another singer. This time, a previous Idol runner-up, David Archuletta. He's performing the song he did during this theme week when he was on, "Imagine." And he's still closing his eyes as he sings.
8:35: Alright, back to the results (finally). Lee stands up. He's moved to the far side of the stage to wait.
8:36: Big Mike stands up. He moves to the close side of the stage near Ryan.
8:37: Casey stands up. He joins Lee on the far side of the stage.
8:38: Aaron stands up. As we talk to the judges, I want to go out and say that Ryan is gonna make Tim choose which group to go to. Anyway...
8:39: He stands next to Big Mike. I'm thinking Mike's group is gonna be the bottom. Tim stands up. He joins Lee and Casey. There goes that theory. Andrew stands up. And...
8:40: Surprise surprise, Mike and Aaron. I guess Ryan isn't doing the "choose your group" thing tonight. If he says Lee, Casey, and Tim are in the Bottom 3...
8:41: OK, so Big Mike, Aaron, and Andrew are in the bottom. What exactly is shocking about this (maybe besides Big Mike... who wasn't even all that good last night?).
8:42: And Aaron is safe for another week, leaving the Bottom 2 as Big Mike and Andrew.
8:47: Of course, before we can get to the final results, we have to hear another singer. Rhianna. And she's totally lip syncing. I actually don't think she was moving her mouth at one point while the audio was going. You know, I've never understood this. Since when are rappers, hip hoppers, R&B singers, and country singers rock stars? They always sing about how they're rock stars or doing rock'n'roll... um, no. Rhianna, Lil Wayne, and half of any recent country stars... you are not rock stars. Lol, Rhianna has now given up with the mic. She threw it down, grabbed a guitar (which she's probably not even playing), lip synced a couple words (that she doesn't even have a MIC to sing aloud), and then proceeded to ignore the rest of the lyrics.
8:55: It's down to the results. It's down to Big Mike and Andrew. I'd say Andrew based on the past, but if the "shocking" comes in here, I'd say Big Mike. And the one going home is... Big Mike?? Holy crap. I didn't actually expect that. I wonder if the judges will use their save tonight.
8:56: He's singing for his life... and of course he's doing Maxwell. I figure the judges are gonna save him. So will they do it?
8:59: Yes. Yes they will. Big Mike's staying around another week. But this means that TWO people will be going home next week. Well... I'll see y'all next week.
4.06.2010
Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #7: The Top 9 (Lennon/McCartney).
[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
It's Idol night! And I'm kinda worried. Last year there was a ton of great talent, and almost all of them did pretty bad during Lennon/McCartney week. This year, there are about 4-5 good singers... and it's Lennon/McCartney week. Here's to hoping it's not as bad as I expect it to be. Let's get it started.
7:00: Ryan is showing us stuff from the control room to introduce the judges and stuff. It's the Top 9 of Season 9 (Does this mean something's going to explode?).
7:04: Cool. Paul McCartney sent a video of support.
7:09: Aaron's up first... oh joy. Ha... their video this week has the other contestants talking about each other. Apparently Aaron is Yoda. Um... no. (Though it was kinda hot seeing Siobhan doing a Yoda voice). He's singing "The Long and Winding Road."
7:11: He's already having some pitch problems. A lot of pitch problems. Ugh. This is pretty bad. Though I bet Randy will say something like "You know I love you, dawg. Right? You know I have mad love for you." Oh my God, drop that last note. That was horrendous.
7:13: Randy didn't say it, but oh well. He likes his voice, but didn't like this. Ellen thought it was a "long and winding song." Kara didn't like it, and she thinks he's doing the same kinda performance every week (will she say the same of Big Mike?). Simon rolls his eyes at Aaron's cheesy answer of him choosing this song because this journey has been a "long and winding road." Tee hee. Simon thinks he needs to be more young and relevant.
7:21: Katie's up. And apparently she's the happy, playful little sister. And she's gonna be singing "Let It Be." Um... hope she can do it.
7:23: Good vocals. I think she's doing well with it.
7:26: Randy thinks it's her best performance ever. I can agree with that. Ellen thought it was a perfect example of changing it up enough to fit her and the song. Though she thinks she won't be in the Bottom 3 again this week... but I still think she'll be there (not because this was bad... it wasn't... but just because everybody else it more popular). Kara is along the same lines. Simon really thought she did it right, mostly because she was listening to him as it sounded more "country" like he's been wanting her to do, rather than the pop/R&B that everybody else has wanted... and I can actually kinda agree with Simon there. I was thinking "Simon should be happy with this sound" as she was singing it.
7:34: We're back and with Andrew. Let's hope last week wasn't a one-hit wonder kinda deal. Everybody thinks Andrew is goofy and fun to hang out with and has the most personality of every contestant (he needs to bring that out on stage). He's singing "Can't Buy Me Love."
7:35: Eh... not as good as last week. It's kinda cheesy. It feels like he's trying to add a bit of soul to it, but to me it doesn't work in places. And it makes the song feel disjointed where he doesn't do it. And the vocals aren't super up to par. They aren't terrible, but... they aren't great.
7:37: Randy thought it was a solid performance, but corny. Ellen: "First of all, you can buy love." She loved it. Kara wanted to love it, but didn't think it was anything special. Simon thought it was corny, old-fashioned, and irrelevant and that the band overpowered Andrew.
7:44: Now we're up with Big Mike. They talk about his size. Casey says he snores really loud. He's a teddy bear. Ohhh... he's gonna do Elenor Rigby.
7:46: At least he's doing something different than a love ballad but... I'm not loving it so far. His vocals just sound awfully nasally at times. I like the arrangement, though. It had its moments, but overall... it was just OK.
7:48: Randy didn't think all of it worked, but the parts of it worked were great. Ellen thought it was incredible. Kara thought it was "fire" and his vocals were "amazing." I must have missed something. Simon didn't love it as much as the other three. He thought it sounded like it's from a musical, and he's not a big fan of musicals. He thinks it made him go slightly backwards. And now the judges are being confusing.
7:57: And now we're up with Crystal! Heck yeah! I need someone to blow me away tonight, and she's just the person to do it (that had the potential to sound quite dirty). All the contestants love Crystal and everyone calls her Mama Sox (as in Bowersox, her last name). She's singing "Come Together." I think this should be good.
8:00: Loving it already. Very soul-tastic. And she hit another high note... those are always so unexpectedly awesome. Great stuff, as per usual.
8:02: Randy can't talk due to all the applause. He thought it was another very solid performance. Ellen only worries about coming up with another way to tell her how great she is. Kara says it's one of her favorites that she's done. Simon says that's a song he can hear on the current radio. He thought it was terrific.
8:11: Ode to Joy... we're up with Tim. The contestants love how he's always smiling... which coincidentally is what annoys the judges the most (especially Simon). He's singing "All My Lovin'."
8:12: This actually isn't all that bad. Vocals are good... didn't change up the arrangement really at all. The tempo really fits Tim. All in all, a pretty decent performance.
8:15: Randy: "You're in your own category." Lol. He thinks it's a much better performance than he's done in the last few weeks. A good "Tim" performance. Ellen thought it was it was a perfect song choice and his second best performance, which I'll agree with. Kara commends him for taking what they continually dish out to him. Simon actually, based on the entire night (not just a "Tim" scale), did really well.
8:23: Casey's up! The other contestants make fun of him for calling him a soap opera star and they make up silly names for him. Then they talk about his boisterous laugh. Then they talk about his wonderful hair. So now he's singing... "Jealous Guy." Don't think I've heard this one before.
8:25: Great vocals and arrangement so far. And Casey's always fantastic on the guitar. I actually think this is something I could hear on the radio, so it's a check in the "contemporary" department. I'd have to say this is up there with one of my favorite Casey vocals. Really showcased his voice this week. He's shown us in the past he can perform, but this really showed off his voice.
8:27: Randy was really impressed. Ellen thought it was his best performance. Kara liked the vulnerability and depth he showed tonight. Simon thought it was the best performance of the night so far. He says the difference between him and people like Crystal is that Crystal is consistently great from week to week, while Casey just gets better and better every week. I can see that. Crystal is at the point she can't really grow too much more, while Casey is just skyrocketing as the weeks go on.
8:35: Siobhan! Hell yeah! Please redeem yourself, Siobhan. The other contestants think she's amazing...ly weird. Then they talk about her crazy notes she can hit. Oh, she's singing "Across the Universe." Maybe this will be like Adam Lambert's "Mad World"... subtle.
8:37: She's even sitting on a chair like Adam did. Great vocal so far. I'll take this moment to say I love her whole look this week... the hair and dress is so... Siobhan. Is it kinda weird that this is kinda reminding me of Audrey in the Little Shop of Horrors musical? Anywho, great stuff. Good comeback, kid.
8:39: Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but loved the tender side of it. Ellen loved it. Kara thought it was vocally good, but a bit restrained and "polite." What the hell do they want from her? They tell her to cool it on the screaming... she does... and now they're confused because she's not screaming? Simon thought it was much better than last week, and they focus on a guy who's been screaming all night from the audience. That's a first. And he came up on stage to say hi and hug Siobhan. His name's Earl. Huh. Anyway...
8:49: Wrapping things up with Lee! Come on Lee, stay awesome like last week. The other contestants thinks his their resident worry-wort, always thinking he's going home. And there's apparently a bit of a bro-mance between Lee and Andrew... and there's a "Danny Gokey" joke. Epic. Sweet! I was SO freakin' hoping he'd sing this song. Lee is singing "Hey Jude." Freakin' awesome.
8:50: Doing great so far. Looks like he's having fun with it. The vocals are great. Haha... he has a guy in a kilt coming down the stairs playing the bagpipe. No doubt Simon will comment on that. He's really getting into the song. That was awesome. I'm sorry, Siobhan, but Lee just took your previous spot on my favorites list.
8:53: Randy loved the bagpipe player, as well as Lee. Ellen loved it. Kara notices that Lee feels more comfortable and loved the performance. Simon is all giggles about the bagpipe player, but isn't sure he would have done it. But I think he liked the overall performance.
8:56: The Recap. Aaron... didn't care for it. Katie's was actually really good. Andrew... no so much (too cheesy). I loved Big Mike's arrangement, but didn't really care for the overall performance. Loved Crystal. Tim... actually good and enjoyable. I loved Casey... finally showing his range. I'm so surprised the judges didn't like Siobhan more than they did (or compare it to Adam's "Mad World" from last year). Lee was epic. No more needs to be said.
Final Thoughts: I think Aaron, Andrew, and Tim will end up in the bottom with Tim potentially going home? Who the heck knows, really?
It's Idol night! And I'm kinda worried. Last year there was a ton of great talent, and almost all of them did pretty bad during Lennon/McCartney week. This year, there are about 4-5 good singers... and it's Lennon/McCartney week. Here's to hoping it's not as bad as I expect it to be. Let's get it started.
7:00: Ryan is showing us stuff from the control room to introduce the judges and stuff. It's the Top 9 of Season 9 (Does this mean something's going to explode?).
7:04: Cool. Paul McCartney sent a video of support.
7:09: Aaron's up first... oh joy. Ha... their video this week has the other contestants talking about each other. Apparently Aaron is Yoda. Um... no. (Though it was kinda hot seeing Siobhan doing a Yoda voice). He's singing "The Long and Winding Road."
7:11: He's already having some pitch problems. A lot of pitch problems. Ugh. This is pretty bad. Though I bet Randy will say something like "You know I love you, dawg. Right? You know I have mad love for you." Oh my God, drop that last note. That was horrendous.
7:13: Randy didn't say it, but oh well. He likes his voice, but didn't like this. Ellen thought it was a "long and winding song." Kara didn't like it, and she thinks he's doing the same kinda performance every week (will she say the same of Big Mike?). Simon rolls his eyes at Aaron's cheesy answer of him choosing this song because this journey has been a "long and winding road." Tee hee. Simon thinks he needs to be more young and relevant.
7:21: Katie's up. And apparently she's the happy, playful little sister. And she's gonna be singing "Let It Be." Um... hope she can do it.
7:23: Good vocals. I think she's doing well with it.
7:26: Randy thinks it's her best performance ever. I can agree with that. Ellen thought it was a perfect example of changing it up enough to fit her and the song. Though she thinks she won't be in the Bottom 3 again this week... but I still think she'll be there (not because this was bad... it wasn't... but just because everybody else it more popular). Kara is along the same lines. Simon really thought she did it right, mostly because she was listening to him as it sounded more "country" like he's been wanting her to do, rather than the pop/R&B that everybody else has wanted... and I can actually kinda agree with Simon there. I was thinking "Simon should be happy with this sound" as she was singing it.
7:34: We're back and with Andrew. Let's hope last week wasn't a one-hit wonder kinda deal. Everybody thinks Andrew is goofy and fun to hang out with and has the most personality of every contestant (he needs to bring that out on stage). He's singing "Can't Buy Me Love."
7:35: Eh... not as good as last week. It's kinda cheesy. It feels like he's trying to add a bit of soul to it, but to me it doesn't work in places. And it makes the song feel disjointed where he doesn't do it. And the vocals aren't super up to par. They aren't terrible, but... they aren't great.
7:37: Randy thought it was a solid performance, but corny. Ellen: "First of all, you can buy love." She loved it. Kara wanted to love it, but didn't think it was anything special. Simon thought it was corny, old-fashioned, and irrelevant and that the band overpowered Andrew.
7:44: Now we're up with Big Mike. They talk about his size. Casey says he snores really loud. He's a teddy bear. Ohhh... he's gonna do Elenor Rigby.
7:46: At least he's doing something different than a love ballad but... I'm not loving it so far. His vocals just sound awfully nasally at times. I like the arrangement, though. It had its moments, but overall... it was just OK.
7:48: Randy didn't think all of it worked, but the parts of it worked were great. Ellen thought it was incredible. Kara thought it was "fire" and his vocals were "amazing." I must have missed something. Simon didn't love it as much as the other three. He thought it sounded like it's from a musical, and he's not a big fan of musicals. He thinks it made him go slightly backwards. And now the judges are being confusing.
7:57: And now we're up with Crystal! Heck yeah! I need someone to blow me away tonight, and she's just the person to do it (that had the potential to sound quite dirty). All the contestants love Crystal and everyone calls her Mama Sox (as in Bowersox, her last name). She's singing "Come Together." I think this should be good.
8:00: Loving it already. Very soul-tastic. And she hit another high note... those are always so unexpectedly awesome. Great stuff, as per usual.
8:02: Randy can't talk due to all the applause. He thought it was another very solid performance. Ellen only worries about coming up with another way to tell her how great she is. Kara says it's one of her favorites that she's done. Simon says that's a song he can hear on the current radio. He thought it was terrific.
8:11: Ode to Joy... we're up with Tim. The contestants love how he's always smiling... which coincidentally is what annoys the judges the most (especially Simon). He's singing "All My Lovin'."
8:12: This actually isn't all that bad. Vocals are good... didn't change up the arrangement really at all. The tempo really fits Tim. All in all, a pretty decent performance.
8:15: Randy: "You're in your own category." Lol. He thinks it's a much better performance than he's done in the last few weeks. A good "Tim" performance. Ellen thought it was it was a perfect song choice and his second best performance, which I'll agree with. Kara commends him for taking what they continually dish out to him. Simon actually, based on the entire night (not just a "Tim" scale), did really well.
8:23: Casey's up! The other contestants make fun of him for calling him a soap opera star and they make up silly names for him. Then they talk about his boisterous laugh. Then they talk about his wonderful hair. So now he's singing... "Jealous Guy." Don't think I've heard this one before.
8:25: Great vocals and arrangement so far. And Casey's always fantastic on the guitar. I actually think this is something I could hear on the radio, so it's a check in the "contemporary" department. I'd have to say this is up there with one of my favorite Casey vocals. Really showcased his voice this week. He's shown us in the past he can perform, but this really showed off his voice.
8:27: Randy was really impressed. Ellen thought it was his best performance. Kara liked the vulnerability and depth he showed tonight. Simon thought it was the best performance of the night so far. He says the difference between him and people like Crystal is that Crystal is consistently great from week to week, while Casey just gets better and better every week. I can see that. Crystal is at the point she can't really grow too much more, while Casey is just skyrocketing as the weeks go on.
8:35: Siobhan! Hell yeah! Please redeem yourself, Siobhan. The other contestants think she's amazing...ly weird. Then they talk about her crazy notes she can hit. Oh, she's singing "Across the Universe." Maybe this will be like Adam Lambert's "Mad World"... subtle.
8:37: She's even sitting on a chair like Adam did. Great vocal so far. I'll take this moment to say I love her whole look this week... the hair and dress is so... Siobhan. Is it kinda weird that this is kinda reminding me of Audrey in the Little Shop of Horrors musical? Anywho, great stuff. Good comeback, kid.
8:39: Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but loved the tender side of it. Ellen loved it. Kara thought it was vocally good, but a bit restrained and "polite." What the hell do they want from her? They tell her to cool it on the screaming... she does... and now they're confused because she's not screaming? Simon thought it was much better than last week, and they focus on a guy who's been screaming all night from the audience. That's a first. And he came up on stage to say hi and hug Siobhan. His name's Earl. Huh. Anyway...
8:49: Wrapping things up with Lee! Come on Lee, stay awesome like last week. The other contestants thinks his their resident worry-wort, always thinking he's going home. And there's apparently a bit of a bro-mance between Lee and Andrew... and there's a "Danny Gokey" joke. Epic. Sweet! I was SO freakin' hoping he'd sing this song. Lee is singing "Hey Jude." Freakin' awesome.
8:50: Doing great so far. Looks like he's having fun with it. The vocals are great. Haha... he has a guy in a kilt coming down the stairs playing the bagpipe. No doubt Simon will comment on that. He's really getting into the song. That was awesome. I'm sorry, Siobhan, but Lee just took your previous spot on my favorites list.
8:53: Randy loved the bagpipe player, as well as Lee. Ellen loved it. Kara notices that Lee feels more comfortable and loved the performance. Simon is all giggles about the bagpipe player, but isn't sure he would have done it. But I think he liked the overall performance.
8:56: The Recap. Aaron... didn't care for it. Katie's was actually really good. Andrew... no so much (too cheesy). I loved Big Mike's arrangement, but didn't really care for the overall performance. Loved Crystal. Tim... actually good and enjoyable. I loved Casey... finally showing his range. I'm so surprised the judges didn't like Siobhan more than they did (or compare it to Adam's "Mad World" from last year). Lee was epic. No more needs to be said.
Final Thoughts: I think Aaron, Andrew, and Tim will end up in the bottom with Tim potentially going home? Who the heck knows, really?
4.04.2010
Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #4 - The One Where Travis Does Christopher Walken.
I'd tell you what this episode is about, but I really don't remember much past the ending. I think we covered the topic of Found Footage films, as well as the usual Reality Round-Up... but really, this episode is truly about Travis' impression of Christopher Walken. I'll just leave it at that.
We start things off with about 4 minutes of plugs. I plug Rachel's Reel Reviews for reaching its 3rd year anniversary, while Travis plus his own blog's Christopher Walken Appreciation Month, as well as the Simon and Jo Film Show podcast (which had, in turn, previously plugged us. It's like "Adaptation." up in here).
Then for the next 27 minutes, we cover our thoughts on Found Footage films, including such titles as Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, REC, and more! And then we're all shown up yet again by Rachel, who isn't even here this time, by her summing up (in the D-Bag) the entire last half hour of the podcast in about 1 paragraph.
We take a little extra time in Reality Round-Up this week to expand on a few thoughts, but it only stands at a total of 19 minutes. We discuss Rob vs. Russell in Survivor, as well as the comeback kid that is Colby. Then we switch to American Idol (where there's also a bit of comeback kid in Andrew).
In this week's "Recommend A..." (3 minutes), Travis recommends a nerd-band called ALL CAPS, while I discuss the YouTube sensation, ImprovEverywhere (*I know I said ImprovAnywhere in the podcast... my bad).
And finally we wrap things up with the Monologues of the Week. Travis shows us his amazing (?) Christopher Walken impression for his reading of "The Watch" scene in Pulp Fiction, while I just cry because I can't legitimately follow that up, but at least it allows me to attempt "The Apology" scene from The Blair Witch Project. And that's it for this week!
Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!
We start things off with about 4 minutes of plugs. I plug Rachel's Reel Reviews for reaching its 3rd year anniversary, while Travis plus his own blog's Christopher Walken Appreciation Month, as well as the Simon and Jo Film Show podcast (which had, in turn, previously plugged us. It's like "Adaptation." up in here).
Then for the next 27 minutes, we cover our thoughts on Found Footage films, including such titles as Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, REC, and more! And then we're all shown up yet again by Rachel, who isn't even here this time, by her summing up (in the D-Bag) the entire last half hour of the podcast in about 1 paragraph.
We take a little extra time in Reality Round-Up this week to expand on a few thoughts, but it only stands at a total of 19 minutes. We discuss Rob vs. Russell in Survivor, as well as the comeback kid that is Colby. Then we switch to American Idol (where there's also a bit of comeback kid in Andrew).
In this week's "Recommend A..." (3 minutes), Travis recommends a nerd-band called ALL CAPS, while I discuss the YouTube sensation, ImprovEverywhere (*I know I said ImprovAnywhere in the podcast... my bad).
And finally we wrap things up with the Monologues of the Week. Travis shows us his amazing (?) Christopher Walken impression for his reading of "The Watch" scene in Pulp Fiction, while I just cry because I can't legitimately follow that up, but at least it allows me to attempt "The Apology" scene from The Blair Witch Project. And that's it for this week!
Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!
4.03.2010
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.
I went in with pretty high expectations for this movie. I thought it looked pretty good from the trailers, and then it started getting really good reviews (one of the lowest being from Travis of The Movie Encyclopedia, who thought it had some tone issues, but was still a pretty good movie). Needless to say, this could have easily been a huge disappointment for me. Luckily, it wasn't.How To Train Your Dragon takes us back to the good ol' days when Vikings with Scottish accents ruled the seas and partook in a never-ending battle against dragons. OK, so we aren't going for realism, but we knew that going in. I mean, seriously... that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Vikings with Scottish accents? Pfft... they were totally Norwegian/German. But I digress. We focus on the scrawny-but-smart Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) who one day dreams of becoming a dragon-slayer like his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), and getting a girlfriend, particularly from Astrid (America Ferrera). But he's stuck in the smithy with Gobber (Craig Ferguson), while the likes of Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnut (T.J. Miller), and Ruffnut (Kristin Wiig) are out training to fight the monsterous beasts. But when Hiccup wounds a dangerous Night Fury dragon (and nobody believes him), he goes out to find it, only to begin him on a journey that gains him a reptilian friend, raises his understanding of the opposition, and increases his popularity back home.
The movie takes on some interesting themes such as being an outcast, building relationships between peers and family, learning teamwork, and even a bit of living with disabilities. And the movie works with these themes well, allowing anyone of any age to connect with the film and its characters.
And the characters are great, even down to the secondary folks. First the voice acting. I actually wasn't annoyed at Jonah Hill, as he wasn't playing his usual schtick, and I didn't even realize until about halfway through that McLovin was the voice of one of the characters (though I did recognize the voice... it just took me a while to place it). Gerard Butler did amazingly well, too, with me forgetting it was even him until near the end of the movie (and I swear I saw the animated guy talk from the corner of his mouth). And Craig Ferguson was just funny. But I think the most surprising character for me was Astrid. Not because of America Ferrera, who I didn't realize was her voice at all until the credits, but because of the character herself. She wasn't your damsel in distress, nor was she the total strong-girl stereotype with no soft spot. She had a fair balance of both. For most of the movie she's the tough girl, angry with Hiccup for taking the spotlight. But then her emotions start to sway at the right times, though she doesn't completely turn tail to her old ways immediately, either. It made her a more realistic tough-girl character, which was nice.
Then there are Hiccup and Toothless (the main dragon). Jay Baruchel brings a deadpan humor to the character that really was funny, but he also made him endearing and likable. You wanted him to succeed. And when he's hurting (emotionally), you are, too. Toothless was another surprise, much like Astrid. I suppose what I was expecting, at least from the trailers, was your cutesy animal character that seems dangerous at first, but then really shows his lovable side and that's about all he has to it. This isn't so. No, Toothless has the cute side, but it's always right underneath the dangerous side. So you know that at any minute, he can either share his food or bite your head off, depending on how he feels. In other words, they kept his animalistic nature and didn't dumb him down for the kiddos.
The humor and the action varied depending on the scene. Sometimes the humor was a deadpan comment, sometimes it was aimed at the kids, sometimes it was aimed for somebody a little older. But I think there was a good enough mix of all types to where it seemed balanced (as even the jokes for the kids weren't really silly or stupid. I never once rolled my eyes or felt left out due to a bad joke). The action was similar--it depended on the mood of the scene. There were the lighthearted training scenes where it was more slapstick. But then there were the dangerous, life-threatening battles that had you on the edge of your seat. And, amazingly, there was more than one of the latter. Usually you just get the 'dark' climax battle at the end of the movie, but there are quite a few dark battle scenes strewn in throughout the film, helping to keep the film balanced.
And then there are the visuals. There really are times when the animation is jaw-dropping, which is mostly surprising due to the basic animation of the Vikings or the dragons themselves. Most of the stunning scenes come either during flight scenes or scenes that deal with large amounts of fire. I'd equate the difference as almost like playing a video game and having the difference between gameplay graphics and cutscene graphics. And the 3D version just escalates it all, really pulling you into the world--particularly the flight scenes, which are just stunning. There was actually one moment where Toothless and Hiccup are diving down toward the water, and I actually felt like I was going down on a roller coaster or something. Insanity.
Overall, this turned out to be a wonderful film. I really couldn't find much at all wrong with it, and I really don't want to. Even the music is fun, taking a bit of a Scottish sound. So I'll leave it at that. I strongly recommend this movie, and I really recommend it in 3D to get the full atmosphere of it. Excellent movie.
Royale With Cheese
(P.S. I actually believe this is the first movie of the year I have given this rating.)
4.02.2010
CLASH OF THE TITANS.
I haven't seen the original since I was in high school, but I remember its cheesiness (and the mechanical owl). But I was still incredibly excited for this remake. I love Greek mythology, and this movie looked totally epic. It tells the story of demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) who, after his family is destroyed by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), is taken to the blasphemous town of Argus, where they hate on the gods and want to overturn their rule. Well, Zeus (Liam Neeson) doesn't like that, so he's easily talked into a little plan by his brother, Hades. In 10 days time, Hades will summon the Titan-killing beast, the Kraken, and destroy Argus and every person inside unless they decide to sacrifice the beautiful Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos). But Perseus, being a demigod, is foretold to have the power to defeat the Kraken, despite him only wanting to destroy Hades in vengeance. So Perseus must go on a journey, along with a band of other soldiers, as well as the immortal and all-knowing Io (Gemma Arterton), to discover how to defeat the Kraken and then return before it's too late.The movie starts off kinda shaky. Up until Perseus gets to Argus, and even arguably up until they leave on their journey, the movie suffers from plot-point jumping. For what feels at least 15 minutes (or more) of the movie, it's simply going from one brief scene to the next, setting up plot points necessary for the film or characters. It just feels a bit jumpy and disjointed at that point. However, once he gets to Argus, the film slows down a bit, and then once he begins his journey, it really finds its stride.
The best thing about the movie, of course, are the visuals. The visuals are frakkin' fantastic. Some of the best I've ever seen in a movie not titled Avatar. It isn't all CGI, either. There is actually a fair balance of CGI and animatronics in the film... and even some old-school guys-in-costumes (really reminded me of Guillermo del Toro at times). But what is CGI is seamless. From the giant scorpions to the Pegasus to the Kraken itself, everything looks stunning. The only CGI shortcoming, I think, is Medusa, who reminded me of a better-done version of the Scorpion King from The Mummy Returns. But regardless of it being better done, it still looked fake, especially in comparison to the other effects in the film.
As it is a remake, I'm sure people are wondering how it compares to the original. Well, like I said before, I don't remember a whole bunch from the original, but I do remember snippets. There is a funny homage to the original with the metallic owl that was a good laugh. The original didn't have Hades as the bad guy, I don't believe, and I think Perseus fell in love with Andromeda in the original (which isn't the case here). Instead, Io replaces Athena as Perseus' helper, and you can say there is a bit of a connection there. Also (doing a bit of research here on the original), the Calibos character is a bit different, if that matters to you.
The only real major issue I had, besides the choppy beginning, is the fact that I really didn't know or care for any of the secondary characters. Besides Perseus, Andromeda, Io, Zeus, and Hades... I couldn't even tell you their names. I mean, you like them because of their personalities (the funny one, the stoic one, the newbie), but that's about as far as it goes. There are even a pair of characters that seem incredibly promising, but the film basically dismisses them as plot contrivances.
Otherwise, the film was a ton of fun. The action was awesome, but what else would you expect from Louis Leterrier, the man who brought us Unleashed? So to wrap this up, go for the action, the visuals (including creatures and cinematography), and the Greek myth fun. There's even a fair bit of humor in it, too. The film isn't perfect, but it's still a load of fun.
A Keanu 'Whoa'
(P.S. Maybe I'm just getting too nit-picky, but the supposedly gods-hating general dude telling Perseus to accept help from the gods and pray to them for help... it seemed a bit out of character. But then again, maybe he didn't care if Perseus did it, since Perseus was there to help them survive. I'll go with that.)
4.01.2010
Podcast: The LAMBcast #17 - Foreign Films.
Though I'm pretty much on the LAMBcast weekly (the podcast of the LAMB), I don't pimp it here as much as I should. However, I think that if you're to listen to any LAMBcast, it should be this one. It was frakkin' epic.
We discuss out favorite foreign (language) films, and on hand were a gang of fools, from Dylan Fields to Mike Mendez to Jason Soto to This Guy and myself. We laughed, we cried, we broadened our horizons. That's followed up by a couple games of Last LAMB Standing and some Trailer Talk, in which we discussed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the epic Weird Al biopic.
Warning: This episode contains more adult language than usual, so be sure not to listen around the lil ones.
If you're interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster - we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums.
As usual, the music, as provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website, is the bomb. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service.
You can find us on iTunes; just go to the Podcasts section and search for "LAMBcast." And hey - while you're on iTunes, why don't you go ahead and either rate the LAMBcast or write a review of it. Better yet, do both! It'll help us get noticed by the overlords at Apple and earn worldwide fame...or something like that.
We discuss out favorite foreign (language) films, and on hand were a gang of fools, from Dylan Fields to Mike Mendez to Jason Soto to This Guy and myself. We laughed, we cried, we broadened our horizons. That's followed up by a couple games of Last LAMB Standing and some Trailer Talk, in which we discussed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the epic Weird Al biopic.
Warning: This episode contains more adult language than usual, so be sure not to listen around the lil ones.
If you're interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster - we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums.
As usual, the music, as provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website, is the bomb. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service.
You can find us on iTunes; just go to the Podcasts section and search for "LAMBcast." And hey - while you're on iTunes, why don't you go ahead and either rate the LAMBcast or write a review of it. Better yet, do both! It'll help us get noticed by the overlords at Apple and earn worldwide fame...or something like that.
3.31.2010
Idol Chatter #6.2: Top Top 10 (Results Show).
Wednesday, as we know, is Results Night! I'm figuring a Bottom 3 of Tim, Didi, and Katie with Didi going home. So let's see what happens. Tonight Usher should be performing. Speaking of Usher, was it just me, or did he come off as kind of a douche last night (at least in the mentor videos)? Anywho...
8:00: Amazing. Not only has it seemed that Idol has given up trying to be overly dramatic with their Wednesday recaps, but they're also totally selling out. Why? Because they just merged the Dramatic Recap with the Clash of the Titans trailer in an incredibly shameless plug. So the recap was both way too over-dramatic (using drama that wasn't even theirs) while also giving a bit of product placement. Nice. Moving on.
8:03: Oh joy. Ruben, the season 2 winner, is back to sing a song. Oh wait, that's right. Nobody cares. Ruben was one of those handful of Idol winners that didn't go anywhere upon winning. And it's kind of a foreshadowing (or warning?) for Big Mike should he win. Not because they're both big, black men... but because they both have exactly the same tone of voice, both go for the slower and more boring songs, and both go for R&B stylings. So yeah, Mike, you're pretty much just another Ruben. You have a good voice and you're likable, but you probably won't sell. Really, I'm just making crap up waiting for Ruben to stop singing. But he's still going. Seriously, it's been like... 4 minutes. Finally. He's done. I'm gonna stop typing now.
8:07: Ruben's a vegan? Uh huh. And, of course, Ryan brings up Big Mike to compare the two. How... expected. Giggity.
8:12: And now for the Ford Music Video of the week--Kung Fu Fighting. Really, the only ones who look cool in this video are Siobhan, Crystal, and Casey (and maybe Big Mike). The others just seem way out of place.
8:14: Aww... nobody laughed at Crystal's "easier to carry around" joke.
8:15: Ha... I love Andrew's mom. And... lucky bastages. They got to go to a pre-screening of Clash of the Titans in 3D. And on to the results...
8:16: Lee's up first, so he's totally safe. And is he safe?
8:18: Yup. Casey's up next. I think he's totally safe, too.
8:19: Yup. Aaron's up next... I think this can go either way, but I think his fan base is too big. Then again, his votes and Tim's votes are probably split amongst themselves. There's only so many tween votes out there, and they can only go to one.
8:20: Um... I think Kara just made a joke Ryan made just about 2 minutes before.
8:21: Aaron's safe. Siobhan and Katie stand up together. If one of them is in the bottom... based on singing last night, it'd be Siobhan. But based on awesomeness in general, Katie should be in the bottom. So the one in the bottom is...
8:22: Katie. Guessed it. Siobhan is crying (quite cutely, might I add). And Simon is frustrated that Katie isn't going country... despite having to go along with themes that aren't country (like R&B).
8:28: Uh oh... next week they're doing Lenin/McCartney. That didn't go so hot last year. And... ugh... Justin Beiber. I swear, he looks like he's 8 and he sings about true love. Anywho... Usher is singing now. I wasn't aware this song was Usher. I've heard it on the radio a few times... it's kinda annoying, but at the same time hypnotizing. Like a Lady GaGa song. Or Kesha. Except Usher's been around for years. And what the hell is with the voice modification trend? It's really annoying. I think the Black Eyed Peas are really the only ones who can get away with it, but even then, it can be iffy. But it just makes you sound like you can't sing worth a crap. And I know Usher can sing... but this is making his voice just sound... eh. I also have to say it's kinda annoying that Usher is going out of his way to be politically correct by saying "Oh my goSH" (literally emphasis on the SH) so to not say "God" on live television. Whatever.
8:37: Back to the results. Didi's up... she's gotta be in the bottom. I mean, I figure she's the one going home, after all.
8:38: Yup, Didi's in the bottom.
8:39: Rube... er... Big Mike's up now. Wow, you know... I think this is the first time Ellen has spoken tonight. Anywho... Mike'll be safe.
8:40: And after a brief fake-out, Mike's safe. And then he literally picks up Ryan over his head... excellent. Crystal stands up.
8:41: And sits back down. She's safe. (Then she threatens to pick him up, too... lol). Tim and Andrew stand up together. Any other week, I'd say it could go either way. But I think it's definitely Tim this week.
8:42: I think Kara just called Tim 'slow' (mentally). What's wrong with Tim smiling? Seriously? Let it go. I think it's a decent trait. Anywho... Andrew is safe. Tim's in the bottom. And he'll probably go right back to the safety zone right now.
8:43: The safe one for now is... Katie. Huh. So it's between Tim and Didi. You know, this could be close. I seriously doubt it'll be Tim, but his reign can't last forever, right?... right?
8:48: Yet another performance. And it's by... who? Diddy Dirty Mommy? I really have no idea what Ryan just said (in regards to his name). You know, I just realized, I don't believe Ryan has once mentioned "Idol Gives Back" tonight. I think it's a record. Anywho... turns out it's just P-Diddy AKA Sean Combs AKA Puff Daddy AKA... whatever... with yet another new name--Diddy-Dirty Money. He changes his name more often than Jon and Kate have kids. Pretty soon he'll just pull a Prince and give us a symbol. And now he just gave every epileptic watching a major seizure with that insane strobe flashing. Alright now. Song's over. Let's just get on with the show already.
8:57: Back with the results. And the one in danger of going home tonight is... Didi. Just like I figured. This was a pretty straight forward results show, then. No surprises whatsoever. She's gonna sing for her life, but I doubt the judges are gonna save her. As her goodbye song, she's going for Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac. I do have to say, I like that they give them the chance to sing anything they've sung before and they don't have to sing the song America hated. It just makes more sense to me. But... this is still not worthy of saving her, to put it nicely. And... that was a really scary note. It sounded like a deaf person calling for help (I wonder how many people I've offended this live blog so far).
9:00: Do not save her... do not save her. Thank God. The crowd started chanting, and Simon looked befuddled, like he was considering it. But then he came out and said no (despite it being, as he says, a million times better than last night).
9:02: And now that we're a couple minutes overtime, we get to see the Goodbye video. Idol is really notorious for running over in time... and without the need to actually do so. They pad the shows with pointless crap just to fill up a time slot, and then they run over. So... just stop padding the show. Get to the point. Anywho, that's it for this week. See y'all next week for Lenin/McCarthy! Hopefully Siobhan saves herself (and Lee continues to get even more awesome).
8:00: Amazing. Not only has it seemed that Idol has given up trying to be overly dramatic with their Wednesday recaps, but they're also totally selling out. Why? Because they just merged the Dramatic Recap with the Clash of the Titans trailer in an incredibly shameless plug. So the recap was both way too over-dramatic (using drama that wasn't even theirs) while also giving a bit of product placement. Nice. Moving on.
8:03: Oh joy. Ruben, the season 2 winner, is back to sing a song. Oh wait, that's right. Nobody cares. Ruben was one of those handful of Idol winners that didn't go anywhere upon winning. And it's kind of a foreshadowing (or warning?) for Big Mike should he win. Not because they're both big, black men... but because they both have exactly the same tone of voice, both go for the slower and more boring songs, and both go for R&B stylings. So yeah, Mike, you're pretty much just another Ruben. You have a good voice and you're likable, but you probably won't sell. Really, I'm just making crap up waiting for Ruben to stop singing. But he's still going. Seriously, it's been like... 4 minutes. Finally. He's done. I'm gonna stop typing now.
8:07: Ruben's a vegan? Uh huh. And, of course, Ryan brings up Big Mike to compare the two. How... expected. Giggity.
8:12: And now for the Ford Music Video of the week--Kung Fu Fighting. Really, the only ones who look cool in this video are Siobhan, Crystal, and Casey (and maybe Big Mike). The others just seem way out of place.
8:14: Aww... nobody laughed at Crystal's "easier to carry around" joke.
8:15: Ha... I love Andrew's mom. And... lucky bastages. They got to go to a pre-screening of Clash of the Titans in 3D. And on to the results...
8:16: Lee's up first, so he's totally safe. And is he safe?
8:18: Yup. Casey's up next. I think he's totally safe, too.
8:19: Yup. Aaron's up next... I think this can go either way, but I think his fan base is too big. Then again, his votes and Tim's votes are probably split amongst themselves. There's only so many tween votes out there, and they can only go to one.
8:20: Um... I think Kara just made a joke Ryan made just about 2 minutes before.
8:21: Aaron's safe. Siobhan and Katie stand up together. If one of them is in the bottom... based on singing last night, it'd be Siobhan. But based on awesomeness in general, Katie should be in the bottom. So the one in the bottom is...
8:22: Katie. Guessed it. Siobhan is crying (quite cutely, might I add). And Simon is frustrated that Katie isn't going country... despite having to go along with themes that aren't country (like R&B).
8:28: Uh oh... next week they're doing Lenin/McCartney. That didn't go so hot last year. And... ugh... Justin Beiber. I swear, he looks like he's 8 and he sings about true love. Anywho... Usher is singing now. I wasn't aware this song was Usher. I've heard it on the radio a few times... it's kinda annoying, but at the same time hypnotizing. Like a Lady GaGa song. Or Kesha. Except Usher's been around for years. And what the hell is with the voice modification trend? It's really annoying. I think the Black Eyed Peas are really the only ones who can get away with it, but even then, it can be iffy. But it just makes you sound like you can't sing worth a crap. And I know Usher can sing... but this is making his voice just sound... eh. I also have to say it's kinda annoying that Usher is going out of his way to be politically correct by saying "Oh my goSH" (literally emphasis on the SH) so to not say "God" on live television. Whatever.
8:37: Back to the results. Didi's up... she's gotta be in the bottom. I mean, I figure she's the one going home, after all.
8:38: Yup, Didi's in the bottom.
8:39: Rube... er... Big Mike's up now. Wow, you know... I think this is the first time Ellen has spoken tonight. Anywho... Mike'll be safe.
8:40: And after a brief fake-out, Mike's safe. And then he literally picks up Ryan over his head... excellent. Crystal stands up.
8:41: And sits back down. She's safe. (Then she threatens to pick him up, too... lol). Tim and Andrew stand up together. Any other week, I'd say it could go either way. But I think it's definitely Tim this week.
8:42: I think Kara just called Tim 'slow' (mentally). What's wrong with Tim smiling? Seriously? Let it go. I think it's a decent trait. Anywho... Andrew is safe. Tim's in the bottom. And he'll probably go right back to the safety zone right now.
8:43: The safe one for now is... Katie. Huh. So it's between Tim and Didi. You know, this could be close. I seriously doubt it'll be Tim, but his reign can't last forever, right?... right?
8:48: Yet another performance. And it's by... who? Diddy Dirty Mommy? I really have no idea what Ryan just said (in regards to his name). You know, I just realized, I don't believe Ryan has once mentioned "Idol Gives Back" tonight. I think it's a record. Anywho... turns out it's just P-Diddy AKA Sean Combs AKA Puff Daddy AKA... whatever... with yet another new name--Diddy-Dirty Money. He changes his name more often than Jon and Kate have kids. Pretty soon he'll just pull a Prince and give us a symbol. And now he just gave every epileptic watching a major seizure with that insane strobe flashing. Alright now. Song's over. Let's just get on with the show already.
8:57: Back with the results. And the one in danger of going home tonight is... Didi. Just like I figured. This was a pretty straight forward results show, then. No surprises whatsoever. She's gonna sing for her life, but I doubt the judges are gonna save her. As her goodbye song, she's going for Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac. I do have to say, I like that they give them the chance to sing anything they've sung before and they don't have to sing the song America hated. It just makes more sense to me. But... this is still not worthy of saving her, to put it nicely. And... that was a really scary note. It sounded like a deaf person calling for help (I wonder how many people I've offended this live blog so far).
9:00: Do not save her... do not save her. Thank God. The crowd started chanting, and Simon looked befuddled, like he was considering it. But then he came out and said no (despite it being, as he says, a million times better than last night).
9:02: And now that we're a couple minutes overtime, we get to see the Goodbye video. Idol is really notorious for running over in time... and without the need to actually do so. They pad the shows with pointless crap just to fill up a time slot, and then they run over. So... just stop padding the show. Get to the point. Anywho, that's it for this week. See y'all next week for Lenin/McCarthy! Hopefully Siobhan saves herself (and Lee continues to get even more awesome).
3.30.2010
Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #6: The Top 10 (R&B).
[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]
It's Tuesday, which means Idol night! And that means it's the night where I ask the following question: How will Crystal and Siobhan blow us away this week? Especially Crystal, who promised us last week something special for this week. And, of course, Siobhan is just hot and awesome. Tonight is R&B night, which should be good, especially for Big Mike. Maybe not so much for Tim, Aaron, and Didi. But we'll see.
7:00: Uh... Simon just kissed Ellen. That was weird. But uh... "This... is American Idol!"
7:04: Usher is the mentor tonight. Should be interesting. But I just wanna know who is up first.
7:07: Yeah, yeah, stop pimping Usher's new album. Let's get to the show already.
7:08: Whoo! Siobhan is up first! She's singing "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan.
7:09: I'm liking her hair much better this week than last. The song is kinda slow... oh no... no, Siobhan! You just gave a bad note. Don't do this to me... no, another bad note. Ick. Stop it! OK, that note made up for it a little bit, but... Siobhan, this isn't good for you. This is probably your worst performance. Yeah... didn't really like that. Quite pitchy. You make me sad, Siobhan. So sad.
7:11: Randy thought it was all over the place and a bit pitchy, but thought she was courageous for taking on the song. Ellen didn't think it was her best performance. Kara thought the screaming parts were good, but the lower register wasn't good, but every performer is entitled to an 'Off' night. Simon thought it sounded like she was singing while running a marathon and by far her weakest performance. He says he's also getting bored with the screaming at the end. I have to say though... I kinda agree with the judges. It just wasn't good for her this week. But I totally love her outfit and overall looks this week.
7:20: Aww... they show backstage as Siobhan goes back to cry. Poor Siobhan. But now we're back with Casey! And he's singing "Hold On I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave. I like this song, and I think it so suits Casey. This should be great (and it's never been performed on Idol).
7:22: Doing good so far. I like that he's forgoing the guitar during the chorus to showcase more his singing. I'm really digging this. Good stuff. Loved it.
7:24: Apparently the crowd loved it, too. Randy loved it. Ellen says he's consistent, but thought it was slightly generic, despite his great vocals. Kara thinks he has more range than he's showing. Simon, on the other hand, thought it was his strongest performance he's had, and he's really (really really) impressed with him this week.
7:33: Sorry, Mike, but I'm getting kinda tired of all the slow love songs. Get out of this comfort zone and do something entertaining and fun for once. He's singing "Ready for Love" by India Arie.
7:34: Sitting with an acoustic guitar. Vocals are really good. But it's just kinda... boring. Wow, that's really sad. Part of the lyrics said "If you ask me tomorrow" and my immediate thought was "you shall find me a grave man." That's a clue you've been spending too much time with Romeo and Juliet. Blah. Anyway... great vocals and guitar playing... just kinda boring and I wish he'd do something faster and fun again.
7:36: Randy thinks he's in the zone, but it wasn't all that exciting. Though he says it's good to pull it back a bit (for 3 weeks, though?). Ellen loved it. Kara thought he did incredible with it. Simon says this is the first time he can take him seriously as an artist and despite the song being a bit gloomy, he proved himself tonight. I suppose I can see their love. It was well done... I'd just like him to do something bigger.
7:43: I'm kinda liking these behind-the-scenes moments. Keeps them real with us. But now we're back with Didi. She's singing "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by (I'm assuming) Jimmy Ruffin (as they never say which version).
7:46: Vocals are OK. But she's no R&B artist... this isn't her bag. She and Lily Scott had a similar vocal style, and I think Lily could have pulled this off better (she was a much better singer, and I'm still surprised Didi stayed on longer). Didi gave a pretty good note... then it just kinda slipped downhill pretty fast. Overall... meh.
7:47: Randy didn't think it was great. Ellen didn't get it; thought it was too dramatic. Kara wants singer/songwriter... but you don't have too much singer/songwriter with R&B (that I'm aware of). Simon thought it was too old-fashioned and didn't like it. I'm kinda with the judges here.
7:50: Ryan keeps pushing why Didi sang that song and what made it emotional. Didi refuses to say. The judges tell him to stop. He does, but ends up saying "she auditioned for a special person. We'll leave it at that." We all know her backstory, Ryan. Her friend died. It's hard for her. Leave it alone. She doesn't wanna pimp her backstory like Mike or Andrew.
7:55: Yay! Tim! Doing R&B! Wait... no. Just... no. What's he doing? "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker. And Usher wants Tim to pretend he's in love with him. Strange. Let's see how he does.
7:58: Vocals are actually pretty good. The song is kinda cheesy, but he's singing it well. And I hate that. Because that means that, besides her screaming parts, Siobhan is getting out-sung by Tim this week. And Tim wasn't even INTERESTING. Le sob. (OK, maybe that was a bit harsh and/or too far).
8:00: Randy thought he sang in tune, so that's good. But that it at times felt too pedestrian and 'singer/songwriter'... so... what's that say about Didi? Ellen plays a drinking game for those who take a shot with every 'adorable' she says. "Good for you for taking that on, but... oh, boy, why?" Kara--to keep it short--didn't like it. Simon: "It doesn't make any difference whatsoever what we say... you're gonna smile. The audience is gonna vote for you. You're gonna be here next week. So good for you." Oh, so (unfortunately) true.
8:08: Ryan and Randy are being goofs... and Andrew is now up. He's singing "Forever" by Chris Brown. But turning it acoustic. I wonder if he'll actually be good... oh, who am I kidding? I doubt it. Unless Usher's advice can flip everything around.
8:10: What... wait, what? This is... this is good. This is actually good. Andrew... Andrew, you're doing something good? And Siobhan didn't? Something is wrong with this picture. I'm... I'm actually liking this quite a bit.
8:12: Randy: "Andrew is back!" Randy digs the outfit, too, but... I dunno. Ellen loved it. Kara: "That is one giant leap in the right direction." Simon thought it was miles better than he's been doing, but he needs to show more personality. But you know what, now? "Straight Up" is out, and "Forever" is gonna be the new song they keep comparing him to. Poor Andrew.
8:20: We're back and Katie is singing... Aretha Franklin? Oh no, this is gonna be a train wreck. Imagine that... somebody singing "Chain of Fools" on American Idol. This is one of the most over-sung songs on this show. And I really don't think Katie has the voice for this song (not to mention it goes against the whole 'stay current' thing the judges tell her to).
8:22: Not doing too bad. But with such an overdone song, she's really not doing anything special with it. A couple pitch problems here and there, usually in her lower register, but not terrible. Just nothing overly special about it.
8:24: Randy thought it was one of the best vocals of the night, despite it starting a bit rough and a couple disconnections here and there. Ellen thought the vocals were great, but thought it should have been more current. Kara thinks this is one of her best, but says she has to go back to making it young and current. Simon thought it was 'pretty good', though robotic and cold. And he massively disagrees with Kara's advice that she's been giving Katie over the last couple weeks (which is Katie should be R&B/Pop). Overall, certainly good vocally... but the performance wasn't special.
8:33: Lee is up! I hope he pulls something similar to Casey and does super well tonight. I so hope he has his first big 'moment' tonight. So what are you singing? "Treat Her Like A Lady" by Cornelius Brothers. Come on, Lee! Believe in yourself! You can do it!
8:35: Yeah! Come on, Lee. You're getting there. Heck yeah! Keep it up, bro! And I think Lee just had his very first moment.
8:37: Randy: "Unbelievable." Ellen: "Now the night's started." Kara: "It was amazing." Simon: "I want you to go home, watch this back, and understand that this might be the night your life changed forever." Nice. Totally the best of the night thus far.
8:43: Yay! Crystal's up! Let's see what her big plans are that she mentioned last week. If anyone can outshine Lee, it'll be Crystal. So we'll see. She's doing "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
8:45: She's playing piano! That's a change. I just love her voice. She's doing fantastically. Wow... she hit a higher note. Not used to that. That was fantastic.
8:47: Randy loved it. Ellen: "You're never not good." She thought it was wonderful. Kara: "I'm so glad you took that risk." Simon thought it was sensational, but thought she could have dropped the background vocalists and a couple other things. He also says to be sure not to change anything about herself for the show and to stay true to herself. All around great stuff.
8:54: We're back with Aaron. He's singing "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. This is a great song... so I really hope he can pull it off.
8:55: Ugh... rocky start. Not liking it so far. Yeah... he's so not pulling this song off. It's, well, it's not good. Even after Usher's specific training on the "I know, I know" part, I didn't believe it.
8:58: Randy thought it started off rough, but it was overall just alright. Ellen liked it. Kara liked it, but wasn't in love with it. Simon says that if Lee was the main course, this was like a cupcake. But there's no chance he'll be leaving the competition. I do think he'll be sticking around, but I think they're gonna watch it back and not like it as much as they did live.
8:59: Recap. Siobhan made me really sad tonight. Casey was excellent. Big Mike is starting to bore me. Didi was just not good. Tim was corny and kinda bland... on pitch... but way too bland. Andrew was one of the best tonight (surprising, I know). Katie had good vocals, but could have done better (which is what I feel I keep saying every week). Lee was the best this week. Crystal comes in second tonight, though barely. Aaron was 'blah'.
Final Thoughts: I'd say my Top were Lee, Crystal, and Andrew... then up next is Casey. I think the Bottom 3 are gonna be Didi, Katie, and Tim, with Didi going home. We'll see tomorrow!
It's Tuesday, which means Idol night! And that means it's the night where I ask the following question: How will Crystal and Siobhan blow us away this week? Especially Crystal, who promised us last week something special for this week. And, of course, Siobhan is just hot and awesome. Tonight is R&B night, which should be good, especially for Big Mike. Maybe not so much for Tim, Aaron, and Didi. But we'll see.
7:00: Uh... Simon just kissed Ellen. That was weird. But uh... "This... is American Idol!"
7:04: Usher is the mentor tonight. Should be interesting. But I just wanna know who is up first.
7:07: Yeah, yeah, stop pimping Usher's new album. Let's get to the show already.
7:08: Whoo! Siobhan is up first! She's singing "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan.
7:09: I'm liking her hair much better this week than last. The song is kinda slow... oh no... no, Siobhan! You just gave a bad note. Don't do this to me... no, another bad note. Ick. Stop it! OK, that note made up for it a little bit, but... Siobhan, this isn't good for you. This is probably your worst performance. Yeah... didn't really like that. Quite pitchy. You make me sad, Siobhan. So sad.
7:11: Randy thought it was all over the place and a bit pitchy, but thought she was courageous for taking on the song. Ellen didn't think it was her best performance. Kara thought the screaming parts were good, but the lower register wasn't good, but every performer is entitled to an 'Off' night. Simon thought it sounded like she was singing while running a marathon and by far her weakest performance. He says he's also getting bored with the screaming at the end. I have to say though... I kinda agree with the judges. It just wasn't good for her this week. But I totally love her outfit and overall looks this week.
7:20: Aww... they show backstage as Siobhan goes back to cry. Poor Siobhan. But now we're back with Casey! And he's singing "Hold On I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave. I like this song, and I think it so suits Casey. This should be great (and it's never been performed on Idol).
7:22: Doing good so far. I like that he's forgoing the guitar during the chorus to showcase more his singing. I'm really digging this. Good stuff. Loved it.
7:24: Apparently the crowd loved it, too. Randy loved it. Ellen says he's consistent, but thought it was slightly generic, despite his great vocals. Kara thinks he has more range than he's showing. Simon, on the other hand, thought it was his strongest performance he's had, and he's really (really really) impressed with him this week.
7:33: Sorry, Mike, but I'm getting kinda tired of all the slow love songs. Get out of this comfort zone and do something entertaining and fun for once. He's singing "Ready for Love" by India Arie.
7:34: Sitting with an acoustic guitar. Vocals are really good. But it's just kinda... boring. Wow, that's really sad. Part of the lyrics said "If you ask me tomorrow" and my immediate thought was "you shall find me a grave man." That's a clue you've been spending too much time with Romeo and Juliet. Blah. Anyway... great vocals and guitar playing... just kinda boring and I wish he'd do something faster and fun again.
7:36: Randy thinks he's in the zone, but it wasn't all that exciting. Though he says it's good to pull it back a bit (for 3 weeks, though?). Ellen loved it. Kara thought he did incredible with it. Simon says this is the first time he can take him seriously as an artist and despite the song being a bit gloomy, he proved himself tonight. I suppose I can see their love. It was well done... I'd just like him to do something bigger.
7:43: I'm kinda liking these behind-the-scenes moments. Keeps them real with us. But now we're back with Didi. She's singing "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by (I'm assuming) Jimmy Ruffin (as they never say which version).
7:46: Vocals are OK. But she's no R&B artist... this isn't her bag. She and Lily Scott had a similar vocal style, and I think Lily could have pulled this off better (she was a much better singer, and I'm still surprised Didi stayed on longer). Didi gave a pretty good note... then it just kinda slipped downhill pretty fast. Overall... meh.
7:47: Randy didn't think it was great. Ellen didn't get it; thought it was too dramatic. Kara wants singer/songwriter... but you don't have too much singer/songwriter with R&B (that I'm aware of). Simon thought it was too old-fashioned and didn't like it. I'm kinda with the judges here.
7:50: Ryan keeps pushing why Didi sang that song and what made it emotional. Didi refuses to say. The judges tell him to stop. He does, but ends up saying "she auditioned for a special person. We'll leave it at that." We all know her backstory, Ryan. Her friend died. It's hard for her. Leave it alone. She doesn't wanna pimp her backstory like Mike or Andrew.
7:55: Yay! Tim! Doing R&B! Wait... no. Just... no. What's he doing? "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker. And Usher wants Tim to pretend he's in love with him. Strange. Let's see how he does.
7:58: Vocals are actually pretty good. The song is kinda cheesy, but he's singing it well. And I hate that. Because that means that, besides her screaming parts, Siobhan is getting out-sung by Tim this week. And Tim wasn't even INTERESTING. Le sob. (OK, maybe that was a bit harsh and/or too far).
8:00: Randy thought he sang in tune, so that's good. But that it at times felt too pedestrian and 'singer/songwriter'... so... what's that say about Didi? Ellen plays a drinking game for those who take a shot with every 'adorable' she says. "Good for you for taking that on, but... oh, boy, why?" Kara--to keep it short--didn't like it. Simon: "It doesn't make any difference whatsoever what we say... you're gonna smile. The audience is gonna vote for you. You're gonna be here next week. So good for you." Oh, so (unfortunately) true.
8:08: Ryan and Randy are being goofs... and Andrew is now up. He's singing "Forever" by Chris Brown. But turning it acoustic. I wonder if he'll actually be good... oh, who am I kidding? I doubt it. Unless Usher's advice can flip everything around.
8:10: What... wait, what? This is... this is good. This is actually good. Andrew... Andrew, you're doing something good? And Siobhan didn't? Something is wrong with this picture. I'm... I'm actually liking this quite a bit.
8:12: Randy: "Andrew is back!" Randy digs the outfit, too, but... I dunno. Ellen loved it. Kara: "That is one giant leap in the right direction." Simon thought it was miles better than he's been doing, but he needs to show more personality. But you know what, now? "Straight Up" is out, and "Forever" is gonna be the new song they keep comparing him to. Poor Andrew.
8:20: We're back and Katie is singing... Aretha Franklin? Oh no, this is gonna be a train wreck. Imagine that... somebody singing "Chain of Fools" on American Idol. This is one of the most over-sung songs on this show. And I really don't think Katie has the voice for this song (not to mention it goes against the whole 'stay current' thing the judges tell her to).
8:22: Not doing too bad. But with such an overdone song, she's really not doing anything special with it. A couple pitch problems here and there, usually in her lower register, but not terrible. Just nothing overly special about it.
8:24: Randy thought it was one of the best vocals of the night, despite it starting a bit rough and a couple disconnections here and there. Ellen thought the vocals were great, but thought it should have been more current. Kara thinks this is one of her best, but says she has to go back to making it young and current. Simon thought it was 'pretty good', though robotic and cold. And he massively disagrees with Kara's advice that she's been giving Katie over the last couple weeks (which is Katie should be R&B/Pop). Overall, certainly good vocally... but the performance wasn't special.
8:33: Lee is up! I hope he pulls something similar to Casey and does super well tonight. I so hope he has his first big 'moment' tonight. So what are you singing? "Treat Her Like A Lady" by Cornelius Brothers. Come on, Lee! Believe in yourself! You can do it!
8:35: Yeah! Come on, Lee. You're getting there. Heck yeah! Keep it up, bro! And I think Lee just had his very first moment.
8:37: Randy: "Unbelievable." Ellen: "Now the night's started." Kara: "It was amazing." Simon: "I want you to go home, watch this back, and understand that this might be the night your life changed forever." Nice. Totally the best of the night thus far.
8:43: Yay! Crystal's up! Let's see what her big plans are that she mentioned last week. If anyone can outshine Lee, it'll be Crystal. So we'll see. She's doing "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
8:45: She's playing piano! That's a change. I just love her voice. She's doing fantastically. Wow... she hit a higher note. Not used to that. That was fantastic.
8:47: Randy loved it. Ellen: "You're never not good." She thought it was wonderful. Kara: "I'm so glad you took that risk." Simon thought it was sensational, but thought she could have dropped the background vocalists and a couple other things. He also says to be sure not to change anything about herself for the show and to stay true to herself. All around great stuff.
8:54: We're back with Aaron. He's singing "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. This is a great song... so I really hope he can pull it off.
8:55: Ugh... rocky start. Not liking it so far. Yeah... he's so not pulling this song off. It's, well, it's not good. Even after Usher's specific training on the "I know, I know" part, I didn't believe it.
8:58: Randy thought it started off rough, but it was overall just alright. Ellen liked it. Kara liked it, but wasn't in love with it. Simon says that if Lee was the main course, this was like a cupcake. But there's no chance he'll be leaving the competition. I do think he'll be sticking around, but I think they're gonna watch it back and not like it as much as they did live.
8:59: Recap. Siobhan made me really sad tonight. Casey was excellent. Big Mike is starting to bore me. Didi was just not good. Tim was corny and kinda bland... on pitch... but way too bland. Andrew was one of the best tonight (surprising, I know). Katie had good vocals, but could have done better (which is what I feel I keep saying every week). Lee was the best this week. Crystal comes in second tonight, though barely. Aaron was 'blah'.
Final Thoughts: I'd say my Top were Lee, Crystal, and Andrew... then up next is Casey. I think the Bottom 3 are gonna be Didi, Katie, and Tim, with Didi going home. We'll see tomorrow!
3.28.2010
Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #3 - The One With A Guest Host (Rachel).
For this episode, our shortest yet (they just keep getting shorter and shorter!), we're joined by our very first guest host, Rachel from Rachel's Reel Reviews. After plugging her blog and a monthly event that correlates with the main topic, we get into said topic--a discussion on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax.
Main Topic: MST3K and RiffTrax (33 Minutes)
The topic spans from why it's well liked, how it did so well, favorite episodes, and even a bit of Mike vs. Joel. And then, after a brief D-Bag segment, we move on to the next segment.
Reality Round-Up (15 minutes)
Rachel takes a break as Travis and I begin the reality show discussions. The Survivor talk is brief, as we're both mostly in agreement that Russell is king. And then our Idol talk has turned spit-fire, going from one contestant to the next, giving our thoughts, and wrapping it up with the Power Rankings.
Recommend A... (6 minutes)
Rachel recommends a web comic created by a friend, Bluff in the Pines.
I recommend the rising internet sensation "A Very Potter Musical," the Harry Potter musical. More information can be found at their website: Team Star Kid.
And Travis recommends the new wannabe-superhero film Defendor starring Woody Harrelson.
Monologue of the Week (9 minutes)
We wrap things up with the monologues of the week. And yes, we do force Rachel to do one. I kick things off with a speech from the love-it-or-hate-it Sci-Fi film The Faculty. Travis then moves into more... verbose territory with Pulp Fiction. And then Rachel shows up the both of us with an internal monologue from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
For the music this week, I went back (due to popular demand) to the theme used in the first episode. So thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. Enjoy!
3.27.2010
R2D2... The One With Video Game Videos.
OK, so it's been quite a strange video game-related weekend. Most of the videos I've seen over the weekend have been video game related, for one reason or another, and most of them old-school video games (Mario and Pokemon being at the forefront). So I wanted to share some of these videos. Let's start with the very first one I watched over the weekend.
For those of you who have never heard of Smosh... how dare you. They're two friends from California who became an internet sensation a few years back (mostly getting their gain to fame from, ironically, a lip syncing video to Pokemon). But that's not the video I'm showing. I've been a fan of Smosh for years, and while the quality of their humor varies from video to video, their newest one tickled the geek in me. It's called "If Video Games Were Real."
The next video on the list is an oldie but a goodie. I used to quote this video all the time (which shows what kind of life I ever had) and had forgotten about it until today. It is essentially just two gangsta guys watching Pokemon. So here it is, "Two Guys Watch Pokemon." (Warning: Language).
To continue with the Pokemon trend here, this is a video I randomly stumbled upon today. It's a group of guys who made a pretty awesome song (and music video) in the style of gangsta rap about Pokemon. It's incredibly clever and full of really witty puns. And there are so many Pokemon references that anybody who played the original games will be dying laughing. If I had to equate this to anything lately, I'd say it's a nerdy version of something The Lonely Island would do. Here you are, "Pokemon Gangsta Rap."
Now jumping from Pokemon to Mario, here is something leaving comedy and going into just the plain amazing. A friend showed me this video. It's essentially an 11-minute Rube Goldberg machine using a Super Mario World mod that plays about 33 different songs using background music and sound effects from the game.
Now, going back to the funny, I wanna wrap this up with 4 videos that are absolutely, literally ROFL-inducing videos. Apparently there is a computer mod for the original Mario Bros. game that totally screws up the levels to where there's no floor and everything just doesn't make sense. Well, this guy spends about 20 minutes trying to go through it (only ever making it to level 1-2), and his voice-over is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. What makes it funnier is the fact that he sounds almost like a middle eastern guy trying to do a Christopher Walken impression the entire time. And if you'd like to see somebody actually beat this mod (and in short time), you can just search YouTube. But it's not even remotely as entertaining as this. So here you are, "Mario - The Hardest Level." (Warning: Incredibly strong language throughout).
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
For those of you who have never heard of Smosh... how dare you. They're two friends from California who became an internet sensation a few years back (mostly getting their gain to fame from, ironically, a lip syncing video to Pokemon). But that's not the video I'm showing. I've been a fan of Smosh for years, and while the quality of their humor varies from video to video, their newest one tickled the geek in me. It's called "If Video Games Were Real."
The next video on the list is an oldie but a goodie. I used to quote this video all the time (which shows what kind of life I ever had) and had forgotten about it until today. It is essentially just two gangsta guys watching Pokemon. So here it is, "Two Guys Watch Pokemon." (Warning: Language).
To continue with the Pokemon trend here, this is a video I randomly stumbled upon today. It's a group of guys who made a pretty awesome song (and music video) in the style of gangsta rap about Pokemon. It's incredibly clever and full of really witty puns. And there are so many Pokemon references that anybody who played the original games will be dying laughing. If I had to equate this to anything lately, I'd say it's a nerdy version of something The Lonely Island would do. Here you are, "Pokemon Gangsta Rap."
Now jumping from Pokemon to Mario, here is something leaving comedy and going into just the plain amazing. A friend showed me this video. It's essentially an 11-minute Rube Goldberg machine using a Super Mario World mod that plays about 33 different songs using background music and sound effects from the game.
Now, going back to the funny, I wanna wrap this up with 4 videos that are absolutely, literally ROFL-inducing videos. Apparently there is a computer mod for the original Mario Bros. game that totally screws up the levels to where there's no floor and everything just doesn't make sense. Well, this guy spends about 20 minutes trying to go through it (only ever making it to level 1-2), and his voice-over is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. What makes it funnier is the fact that he sounds almost like a middle eastern guy trying to do a Christopher Walken impression the entire time. And if you'd like to see somebody actually beat this mod (and in short time), you can just search YouTube. But it's not even remotely as entertaining as this. So here you are, "Mario - The Hardest Level." (Warning: Incredibly strong language throughout).
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
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