"Idol" chatter
With the exception of maybe three or four singers, I thought everyone sucked last week on AI. I wish they had Motown week instead of just Diana Ross songs so they had a bigger selection to choose from. I think I only knew about four of the songs that were sung. I didn't think Blake's version of You Keeep Me Hanging On was THAT bad; at least it was much better than Chris Sligh's awful rendition of Endless Love. Dude totally butchered that song!
I am SOOO excited for the coming weeks. Now I don't know how accurate this is, but someone over at TWoP found out what themes they'll be doing for the Top 9, 8, and 7:
Top 9: Confirmed mentor is Tony Bennett (per his website), so it's probably standards/big band/jazz week.
Top 8: Latin week with mentor Jennifer Lopez
Top 7: Country night with mentor Martina McBride (again confirmed on her website).
OMFG, J-Lo is going to be on AI? Hahaha! This is going to be so awesome...awesomely bad! Do you think the contestants will sing a meledy of her songs on elimination night? Haha, I hope they include Jenny From the Block!
And yay, country night is always one of my favorites and I love Martina McBride!
I was looking at some old AI videos from YouTube and Trenyce, Voldemort, and Kimberly Camerawhore could have taught this year's batch a thing or two. Now THAT is how you do motown!
Compare season 1's group sing of Joy to the World to season's 6's version. I like the former a lot better! Of course, to be fair, they had only their top seven while there were 20 freaking people in the other one...that's way too many damn people! But seeing that reminds me how much I wished AJ had made it. I loved AJ! He was so endearing when he sang the lyrics along to Alone when Gina sang it. Ha!
And speaking of group sings...season 2 was by far the best. My favorite (not only from this season, but all seasons combinbed) group sing is the top seven singing For the Longest Time. (Haha, Ruben is such a pimp with TWO girls!) Here we have S2 singing What the World Needs Now is Love. It fills me with butterflies and lollipops! And I love this especially cheesy group sing of All Night Long. I alway loved it when they went out in the audience...it always made me laugh that Ruben never seemed to never go out there. And WTF are Clay and Carmen (Clarmen!) doing there at the end! It seriously looks like there about to makeout! Hilarious! And I am totally bummed that I can't find the two group sings they did on Movie Night. They sang along to Foot Loose and I've Had the Time of My Life and the former is AWESOME because they're all (except Ruben!) in the audience and Camerawhore is dancing with JD Adams and in the latter they're all "paired up" (except Ruben, poor guy) and singing to each other. So awesomely cheesy. Someday I'm going to list my top ten favorite AI performances...or maybe top 20!
I also decided to check out the latest batch from Oz Idol (they just had their 4th season) and I must say I really like that Bobby Flynn guy. He's got a very unique-sounding voice and I really like it. I wouldn't even know which artist to compare him to. I read on Wikipedia that he sang Superfreak on Disco night and I can't find it on YouTube! Aurgh! I wanna see that so bad! That is just too fucking awesome!
Now if I were a 13 year old Australian girl, I would have totally voted for Dean Geyer. Hell, I'd still vote for him as a 26 year old American if I could. I love this guy! Please tell me he's not some massive tool. Look! He plays the guitar (sorry, I couldn't find one with just the performance), and he does backflips!. (You have to wait to the end, but he does some kind of cartwheel off the stage one minute in). He totally pwns Diana DeGarmo at this song, LOL. (Oh, God, I think that was during Gloria Estefan week...worst song week EVER!)
Also, the finale of Aussie Idol was totally awesome and so overdone that I just love it. Singing Coldplay outside the Opera House? Fireworks over the Harbour? Damn, I don't think I even saw that many fireworks when I was at Disney World! It actually gave me chills when I watched it. Why can't WE have fireworks? :::whines::: The second girl reminds me of Vanessa Carlton - they both have that nasally sounding voice. Who is the girl in the white pantsuit who comes in at two minutes? She totally looks like Jennifer Coolidge and I'm guessing she looks a lot older than she really is... I like Jessica's dress (the girl at the end), but are those hot pink leggins? Um, no!
I heart YouTube.
Time for some (very quick!) movie reviews:
Awakenings (1990), directed by Penny Marshall
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (lost to Dances With Wolves
Best Actor - Robert DeNiro (lost to Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Dances with Wolves)
This movie is based on a true story that took place in 1969. Robin Williams plays a doctor who has to take care of a ward full of comatose patients. They have all been like that for decades and nothing has changed for them. When he learns of a possible cure he gets permission to try it on one of the patients played by Robert DeNiro. He "awakes" and is able to function as it's as though there was nothing ever wrong with him. The other patients are also given the medication and they also "awake" as well. While not the greatest movie in the world, it's still worth seeing.
The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (won)
Best Director - William Friedkin (won)
Best Actor - Gene Hackman (won)
Best Supporting Actor - Roy Scheider (lost to Ben Johnson for The Last Picture Show)
Best Editing (won)
Best Adapted Screenplay (won)
Best Cinematography (lost to Fiddler on the Roof)
Best Sound (lost to Fiddler on the Roof)
I really wanted to like this movie because it won the Best Pictuer Oscar for 1971 and it has Gene Hackman in it and I love Gene Hackman (if I could build my own Hollywood family, he would play my grandfather), but I just couldn't get into it. Except for one car chase scene, I found the movie to be pretty slow and maybe it was just too out-dated for me. It's about two New York cops who learn that a shipment of heroin is coming in from France and they try to stop it. Sounds exciting, but I couldn't get into it.
My Left Foot (1989), directed by Jim Sheridan
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (lost to Driving Miss Daisy)
Best Director - Jim Sheridan (lost to Oliver Stone for Born on the Fourth of July)
Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (won)
Best Supporting Actress - Brenda Fricker (won)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Driving Miss Daisy)
This is based on the true story of Christy Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy in the 1930s. Except for his left foot, his entire body is paralyzed. As a young boy, everyone except for his mother, thinks he is retarded and calls him names like "dunce" and it's pretty horrible because he was actually really smart, he just couldn't talk. However, once people can see that he can spell and solve math problems (by writing on the floor with a piece of chalk between his toes), they realize he's not at all stupid after all. He paints, types, and writes with his left foot, which becomes second nature to him as he grows older. While watching the movie, I thought the woman who played his physical therapist as a teenager looked really familiar. I found out that she played Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter movies. Obviously, she's younger (and nicer!) in this movie. There were a couple scenes that I missed because the damn DVD kept skipping. Aurgh!
The Grifters (1990), directed by Stephen Frears
Oscar nominations:
Best Director - Stephen Frears (lost to Kevin Costner for Dances With Wolves)
Best Actress - Anjelica Huston (lost to Kathy Bates for Misery)
Best Supporting Actress - Annette Bening (lost to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Dances With Wolves)
Hmm, can't say I really liked this movie. Maybe I'm not into dark comedies. It's about a con artist played by John Cusack and his relationship with his mother, played by Anjelica Huston, and his girlfriend, played by Annette Bening. Both of them are con artists as well and don't like each other. Just a big pile of "meh" to me.
Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick
Oscar nominations:
Best Supporting Actor - Denzel Washington (won)
Best Editing (lost to Born on the Fourth of July)
Best Cinematography (won)
Best Sound (won)
Best Art Direction (lost to Batman)
This film takes place during the Civil War and stars Matthew Broderick (who will always be Ferris Bueller to me, so it was kind of distracting!) as Robert Gould Shaw. He's in charge of creating an all-black regiment (including Denzel Washington, Morgran Freeman, and Andre Braugher). Most of them are illiterate former slaves. He trains them for the many battles they will fight against the Confederates. It's easy to see why Denzel Washington won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, especially during one emotional scene that he conveys so well in his face without speaking.
I am SOOO excited for the coming weeks. Now I don't know how accurate this is, but someone over at TWoP found out what themes they'll be doing for the Top 9, 8, and 7:
Top 9: Confirmed mentor is Tony Bennett (per his website), so it's probably standards/big band/jazz week.
Top 8: Latin week with mentor Jennifer Lopez
Top 7: Country night with mentor Martina McBride (again confirmed on her website).
OMFG, J-Lo is going to be on AI? Hahaha! This is going to be so awesome...awesomely bad! Do you think the contestants will sing a meledy of her songs on elimination night? Haha, I hope they include Jenny From the Block!
And yay, country night is always one of my favorites and I love Martina McBride!
I was looking at some old AI videos from YouTube and Trenyce, Voldemort, and Kimberly Camerawhore could have taught this year's batch a thing or two. Now THAT is how you do motown!
Compare season 1's group sing of Joy to the World to season's 6's version. I like the former a lot better! Of course, to be fair, they had only their top seven while there were 20 freaking people in the other one...that's way too many damn people! But seeing that reminds me how much I wished AJ had made it. I loved AJ! He was so endearing when he sang the lyrics along to Alone when Gina sang it. Ha!
And speaking of group sings...season 2 was by far the best. My favorite (not only from this season, but all seasons combinbed) group sing is the top seven singing For the Longest Time. (Haha, Ruben is such a pimp with TWO girls!) Here we have S2 singing What the World Needs Now is Love. It fills me with butterflies and lollipops! And I love this especially cheesy group sing of All Night Long. I alway loved it when they went out in the audience...it always made me laugh that Ruben never seemed to never go out there. And WTF are Clay and Carmen (Clarmen!) doing there at the end! It seriously looks like there about to makeout! Hilarious! And I am totally bummed that I can't find the two group sings they did on Movie Night. They sang along to Foot Loose and I've Had the Time of My Life and the former is AWESOME because they're all (except Ruben!) in the audience and Camerawhore is dancing with JD Adams and in the latter they're all "paired up" (except Ruben, poor guy) and singing to each other. So awesomely cheesy. Someday I'm going to list my top ten favorite AI performances...or maybe top 20!
I also decided to check out the latest batch from Oz Idol (they just had their 4th season) and I must say I really like that Bobby Flynn guy. He's got a very unique-sounding voice and I really like it. I wouldn't even know which artist to compare him to. I read on Wikipedia that he sang Superfreak on Disco night and I can't find it on YouTube! Aurgh! I wanna see that so bad! That is just too fucking awesome!
Now if I were a 13 year old Australian girl, I would have totally voted for Dean Geyer. Hell, I'd still vote for him as a 26 year old American if I could. I love this guy! Please tell me he's not some massive tool. Look! He plays the guitar (sorry, I couldn't find one with just the performance), and he does backflips!. (You have to wait to the end, but he does some kind of cartwheel off the stage one minute in). He totally pwns Diana DeGarmo at this song, LOL. (Oh, God, I think that was during Gloria Estefan week...worst song week EVER!)
Also, the finale of Aussie Idol was totally awesome and so overdone that I just love it. Singing Coldplay outside the Opera House? Fireworks over the Harbour? Damn, I don't think I even saw that many fireworks when I was at Disney World! It actually gave me chills when I watched it. Why can't WE have fireworks? :::whines::: The second girl reminds me of Vanessa Carlton - they both have that nasally sounding voice. Who is the girl in the white pantsuit who comes in at two minutes? She totally looks like Jennifer Coolidge and I'm guessing she looks a lot older than she really is... I like Jessica's dress (the girl at the end), but are those hot pink leggins? Um, no!
I heart YouTube.
Time for some (very quick!) movie reviews:
Awakenings (1990), directed by Penny Marshall
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (lost to Dances With Wolves
Best Actor - Robert DeNiro (lost to Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Dances with Wolves)
This movie is based on a true story that took place in 1969. Robin Williams plays a doctor who has to take care of a ward full of comatose patients. They have all been like that for decades and nothing has changed for them. When he learns of a possible cure he gets permission to try it on one of the patients played by Robert DeNiro. He "awakes" and is able to function as it's as though there was nothing ever wrong with him. The other patients are also given the medication and they also "awake" as well. While not the greatest movie in the world, it's still worth seeing.
The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (won)
Best Director - William Friedkin (won)
Best Actor - Gene Hackman (won)
Best Supporting Actor - Roy Scheider (lost to Ben Johnson for The Last Picture Show)
Best Editing (won)
Best Adapted Screenplay (won)
Best Cinematography (lost to Fiddler on the Roof)
Best Sound (lost to Fiddler on the Roof)
I really wanted to like this movie because it won the Best Pictuer Oscar for 1971 and it has Gene Hackman in it and I love Gene Hackman (if I could build my own Hollywood family, he would play my grandfather), but I just couldn't get into it. Except for one car chase scene, I found the movie to be pretty slow and maybe it was just too out-dated for me. It's about two New York cops who learn that a shipment of heroin is coming in from France and they try to stop it. Sounds exciting, but I couldn't get into it.
My Left Foot (1989), directed by Jim Sheridan
Oscar nominations:
Best Picture (lost to Driving Miss Daisy)
Best Director - Jim Sheridan (lost to Oliver Stone for Born on the Fourth of July)
Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (won)
Best Supporting Actress - Brenda Fricker (won)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Driving Miss Daisy)
This is based on the true story of Christy Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy in the 1930s. Except for his left foot, his entire body is paralyzed. As a young boy, everyone except for his mother, thinks he is retarded and calls him names like "dunce" and it's pretty horrible because he was actually really smart, he just couldn't talk. However, once people can see that he can spell and solve math problems (by writing on the floor with a piece of chalk between his toes), they realize he's not at all stupid after all. He paints, types, and writes with his left foot, which becomes second nature to him as he grows older. While watching the movie, I thought the woman who played his physical therapist as a teenager looked really familiar. I found out that she played Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter movies. Obviously, she's younger (and nicer!) in this movie. There were a couple scenes that I missed because the damn DVD kept skipping. Aurgh!
The Grifters (1990), directed by Stephen Frears
Oscar nominations:
Best Director - Stephen Frears (lost to Kevin Costner for Dances With Wolves)
Best Actress - Anjelica Huston (lost to Kathy Bates for Misery)
Best Supporting Actress - Annette Bening (lost to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost)
Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to Dances With Wolves)
Hmm, can't say I really liked this movie. Maybe I'm not into dark comedies. It's about a con artist played by John Cusack and his relationship with his mother, played by Anjelica Huston, and his girlfriend, played by Annette Bening. Both of them are con artists as well and don't like each other. Just a big pile of "meh" to me.
Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick
Oscar nominations:
Best Supporting Actor - Denzel Washington (won)
Best Editing (lost to Born on the Fourth of July)
Best Cinematography (won)
Best Sound (won)
Best Art Direction (lost to Batman)
This film takes place during the Civil War and stars Matthew Broderick (who will always be Ferris Bueller to me, so it was kind of distracting!) as Robert Gould Shaw. He's in charge of creating an all-black regiment (including Denzel Washington, Morgran Freeman, and Andre Braugher). Most of them are illiterate former slaves. He trains them for the many battles they will fight against the Confederates. It's easy to see why Denzel Washington won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, especially during one emotional scene that he conveys so well in his face without speaking.