Friday, January 30, 2009

American Idol - New York/San Juan Auditions

I'm glad the Hollywood episodes start next week, I hope some of the people we haven't seen yet are actually good!

Simon's Quotes:
-"So do we" (In response to girl singing, "I Surrender")
-"I can swim but I'm not going to win 10 Olympic gold medals"
-"What relevance is you standing there with a lion on your hand to a singing contest?"

Contestants that Made it Through:
-Jorge: his Spanish singing was better than his English singing...he prob won't make it past Hollywood
-Melinda: wow her teeth were white! She had a pretty good voice but she's weird so I don't think she'll make it too far
-Jackie: I didn't like her but I guess the judges did
-Norman: REALLY???REALLY?? I guess they do tend to let one of these through every season
-Ashley: just alright to me
-Kenny: cute and a nice voice
-Kendall: marketable and okay voice
-Monique: I'm surprised she made it through....she barely did
-Patricia: I didn't think she was that good and I just don't really like for people to try to do Whitney

Tamara's Train of Thought:
- Why couldn't I tell the difference between the video pan of NY and the one of Puerto Rico?
-Who the F*** is comparing these people to stars? When people say, "I've been compared to Mariah Carey...etc." it usually ends badly
-That was really nice of Simon to help that girl get her job back, a good thing because she will never make it singing
-hmmmm @ this pink and black outfit...you've been in 700 contests??? You actually won one?
-I wonder how many people that didn't get past the judges on here went on to make it big? I'm guessing none.
-Why is this girl talking about dancing naked? And I need her to stop shaking it like that. LOL @ Simon's eyes when she walked in the door.
-This is a singing contest....stop dancing so dang much, it isn't helping and we can still hear that you can't sing
-This isn't a comedy show.....we don't want to hear your jokes or see your gimmicks
-Guypod?? GTFOH
-Simon really doesn't like all this bull$hit that comes out and I agree with him
-LOL that guy got Simon, *oh snap*
-HAHAHA @ that guy's face when he was singing really hard
-awww the little brother was sooo cute
-ohhh shoot....this crazy girl from Philly is back...i see she's trying to be less crazy this year...too bad she still can't sing

American Idol - Salt Lake City Auditions

This was the best audition episode thus far......

Simon's Quotes:
"Yeah, hopefully soon" (In response to someone singing, "I'll fly away")
"You have A SOUL, you just don't have SOUL"


Contestants That Made It Through:
-David Osmond: He had a pretty good voice, a touching back story, a notable name and a cute face so he might make it far
-Frankie Jordan: cute/marketable...Amy Winehouse type sound, hope she does well in Hollywood but I wonder how she will sound singing something else
-Megan: ohhhhh goosebumps, not soo much American Idol style but I LOVED HER
-Austin: only 17 and singing like an old man, pop it up a little bit and he could do okay
-Taylor: attractive although looked a lot older than 16, beautiful voice...I could see her in the top 12
-Rose: I thought she sounded great, the judges were more impressed with HER and not her vocals


Tamara's Train of Thought:
-why do they travel around to different cities when usually the people that make it through aren't even from that city.
-awww at the Osmond guy's dad
-oh hellz naw @ that "goth" girl and LMAO @ Simon's facial expression when he saw her
-ewwwwwwww @ the crazy looking guy licking out his tongue
-lucky rabbit (big ass friend dressed in a bunny suit) WTF!! GTFOH
-not a fan of sleeve tatoos, especially on women
-they always say "he/she is different" like that is a good thing but then when it comes down to the competition "different" never wins
-ohhh my @ the guy doing the hymn with the "soul vibe"
-I think it is amusing but just wrong how they show these people crying and talking about how great they are even though they just got cut
-how are people supposed to know what a good song choice is?
-I don't condone not wearing shoes unless you are in the HOUSE or at the pool

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

American Idol - Jacksonville, FL Auditions

I still don't understand why they are showing these mediocre people that they are letting through and not showing the good ones (at least I hope that the people we aren't seeing are better than the ones we ARE seeing) How much longer till the Hollywood episodes??


Simon's Quotes:
"It's like Inspector Gadget or something" "Good that's the direction I want you to take, right then right" "I've never heard that song like that, it actually got progressively worse""You're just going to have to get a job like everyone else and start a band in your free time"


Contestants That Made it Through (That WE saw):
-Joshua - Nice voice but he needs to calm it down
-Sharon (Dog Girl) - how did she make it through? I guess bringing a dog does work......
-Julissa - I say hell no! WTF is going on????
-Jasmine - cute but waaaay too much makeup for a 16 year old, nice voice but not spectacular
-Anne Marie - very nice voice, apparently she needs a makeover *best of those they showed*
-T.K. - I'll support since he's from NC but honestly don't see him making it to the top 12

Tamara's Train of Thought:
-LMAO @ this fake ass Justin Guarini! His sound effects were killing me.
-Why did this chick bring her dog? Simon was wrong for lifting up the dogs ears.
-I STILL don't like the new judge.
-I KNOW this ninja didn't kiss that dog in the mouth!
-It will never cease to amaze me that these people that can't sing HONESTLY think they can sing!
-That girls mom was DEAD WRONG to let her play herself like that...DEAD WRONG. Those cuffs..smh.
-AMERICAN IDOL. That laugh is terrible. Paula puh-leeeze.
-It's called shucking and jiving. Grown ass man crying?? He should have been crying because he sounded so bad.
-You didn't make it, cussing out the camera isn't going to help.
-Mariah SCARY perhaps....even her friend couldn't keep a straight face.
-What's with these non-singing nerds auditioning? This isn't a Star Trek convention. Are they trying to be the next William Hung?
-Okay, NC.
-Crying because you can't play your guitar? GTFOH - MAN UP....you better get a day job

Friday, January 23, 2009

Music Review: Lisa "Lefteye" Lopez - Eye Legacy (Album)




Tamara's Take: No Airplay!
The music industry should just let the dead rest in peace. I really wanted to be able to say something positive about this album because I was a huge TLC fan. To be honest Left Eye was my least favorite member of the group and I didn't even realize that she had released a solo album prior to this one until I looked this current album up on Amazon. That being said, I tried to have an open mind while listening to the album but my overall opinion is still a negative one.
The album takes you back to the 90's when Da Brat and Queen Pen were popular. As much as I love to reminice, I did not enjoy this trip down memory lane.
Lyrics - As a whole, sub par. I'm confused as to why there really aren't that many skilled female lyricists. There are some excellent female poets but so few rappers. There are no "stand out" lines, nothing that particularly moved me.
Production - There are some songs that had catchy beats but nothing mind blowing. And it was very apparent that they just pulled the previously recorded lyrics and tried to fit them over some new beats. Which of course we all know that's what they did but they didn't have to make it so obvious.
I was going to go through and name the songs you should put on repeat, just let play, or skip but for this album that is kind of difficult. Honestly, I would skip the entire thing! There is too much good music out there to bother with listening to less than mediocre music.
Recommended(not highly) Tracks - "Block Part" and "Let's Just Do It"

Thursday, January 22, 2009

American Idol - Louisville Auditions

Simon Quotes:
"The good news is that you are going to college"
"To put it into horse racing terms, it's like 22 horses and a donkey, you just don't stand a chance"
"What is the right competition? Wheel of Fortune?"

Contestants:
Joanna: was signed to A&E records previously, cute/very marketable, nice voice.
Brent: perhaps better suited for Nashville Star
Matt: Justin Timberlake lite
Alexis: commercial face but voice didn't match to me, it just seemed kind of odd
Random people they let through that we didn't get to see: hopefully better than the ones they did show a lot of

Thoughts:
-People need to stop trying to sing Mariah Carey, there is only ONE Mariah Carey and it isn't YOU.
-They need to start doing psychological testing on these people before letting them come on the show.
-If you need a gimmick then you probably can't sing.
-What was up with his teeth? I don't believe it is possible to teach yourself how to sing, you have to be born with some level of skill.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

American Idol - San Francisco Auditions

First of all....tonight's show was very mediocre and I wasn't really impressed at all.

Top 5 of the Night:
(it was hard to even have a top 5)

Tatiayna - this girl is loony and clearly just wanted to be seen, too bad she came off as completely ridiculous. And that laugh....terrible. I can't understand at ALL why they let her crazy ass through, there is no way in hell she's making it to the top 12

John - could sing but looked dirty

Allison - I liked that raspy thing she did with her voice, they should have given her more time

Adam - had done Broadway and it shows, he has a good voice but needs to tone it down a bit

Kai - momma's boy. very nice voice but somewhat old fashion sounding, it could have been the song though. He will need to fix him image...perhaps shave that beard and do something with that hair.

Simon's Quote of the Night: "I think you have a very good voice but you have the personality of a ship singer" (kinda weak, for some reason Simon was being somewhat nice tonight)

Tamara's Train of Thought:
- Who gets married in the line for American Idol Auditions?

-How do these people that are just weird and bad get through to the actual audition?

-WTF was up with that ugly ass coat? The carpet matches the drapes, ewwwwww.

-At least two people that we SAW were not good and should not have gotten tickets to Hollywood.

-Have these people never recorded themselves and then listened to it? I did and that's another reason why I know I don't need to sing in public.

-Nope, still don't like the new judge.

-That girl was messing up ALL the words she was trying to pronounce, sad.

-In most cases, if someone comes with their own original song it is a bad idea and that person isn't going to make it through.

-They showed too many bad people this episode.



What did you think about the show?

Monday, January 19, 2009

Movie Review - Revolutionary Road

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Michael Shannon



Synopsis: A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950's struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.



Grade: A



Review: This movie was GREAT!! When I saw the previews I thought it looked interesting but I couldn't really tell what it was about. What the movie ended up being about is life, love and the pursuit of dreams. The acting was excellent and you could truly feel the emotion in their words. The words and interactions touched on things that everyone should be able to relate to. It really makes you think about your life and what you're doing with it.

Leo and Kate are both wonderful actors and this movie was no exception. Their emotion was so real and raw that it made me really connect with them. Micheal Shannon was also wonderful. His role was a small but extremely significant one. He played the "crazy" son of their neighbor, although I don't think he was actually crazy. He just said the things that others were afraid to say.

The tag line of the movie is "How do you break free without breaking apart?" and that one line fully captures the idea of the movie. How DO you break free without breaking apart? How do you live the life you want and desire while also making sure that you meet all of your responsibilities? What is more important, being emotionally satisfied or doing the things that "need" to be done? The movie doesn't give you the answers but it makes you asks all of these questions.

To me a good movie is one that makes you feel and makes you think and this one definitely does both. I wish I could put into words how wonderful this movie was but I can't so you should just go see it!

Movie Review - Gran Torino

Starring: Clint Eastwood and a bunch of other people I had never seen before.

Synopsis: Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a Korean War vet living in a Detroit neighborhood that has seen an increase in the amount of Asian people living there. Walt bonds with his next door neighbor as he protects him from a local Asian gang.

Grade: C

Review: This movie was just OK. The acting was somewhat sub par and I am usually a Clint Eastwood fan. He may just be getting a little too old. The movie was not supposed to be funny but I found myself laughing often (not really in a good way). Walt is extremely racist and makes some sort of offensive comment every 5 minutes. I understand that this is who his character is supposed to be but it got a little ridiculous at one point. Not to mention, if some old man was walking around calling me and my family swamp rats he would have at least gotten cursed out, if not slapped.

The acting of the other characters was low quality and I did not connect with them. The parts that were supposed to be moving weren't because I did not find the acting believable. They were unable to evoke any emotion from me. I also didn't particularly like the ending of the movie and whenever I don't like the ending it just pretty much ruins it for me. Oh and Clint Eastwood growled through the entire movie which was kind of annoying.

The only reason I didn't give the movie a lower grade is because it IS Clint Eastwood and he IS a great actor. I just think the movie would have been better if the other actors in the movie had been better.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Winter/ Spring 2009 TV Shows

I LOVE TV.....probably a bit too much. I considered (briefly) giving up TV but right now I don't see that as a possibility. I thought I'd share my top 5 favorite returning shows and top 5 new shows for the winter/spring 2009 TV season.

Top 5 Anticipated New Shows
1. Dollhouse: A drama/mystery type show about a top-secret organization that rents out humans whose minds have been wiped clean and then imprinted with new information that will help them meet their clients desires. Produced by the same person that did Buffy which I loved so I'll definitely give this show a try.

2. Castle: A crime drama about a mystery writer whose writing is being mimicked by a real killer. He must work with the NYPD to solve the crimes. Hmm...this seems similar to some other shows that are on TV right now so it will depend on the cast to keep this show alive.

3. Harper's Island: 13-episode mystery event, a group of friends and family are on an isolated island to celebrate a wedding and wind up being murdered one by one. Everyone's a suspect. I love a new idea and this is something new. I look forward to seeing how this pans out.

OK, I thought there were 5 new shows that I was looking forward to but apparently there are only 3.

Top 5 Returning Shows
1. LOST!!!! Can you say, the best show on TV in a long time. If you don't know about this show then you must not watch TV at all. This isn't a show you can just pick up in the middle so if you haven't seen it, go get the dvds of the past seasons and start watching today.

2. Nip/Tuck: Follows the lives and career of two plastic surgeons. This show is crazy and each season it just gets crazier. I always think, "how can they top last season?" and so far they have continued to do so. We'll see if that holds true for this new season.

3. Medium: A woman who can communicate with the dead helps the DA solve crimes. I love this show, I'm all about the supernatural and this show has it all. I especially enjoy how they focus on the main character's home life.

4. American Idol: No explanation necessary.

5. The Closer: Follows a priority homicide department in LA that is led by a spunky southern woman. The main character pretty much MAKES this show. She's a wonderful actress and adds an element to the show that makes it stand out from all of the other "cop" shows.

What shows are you looking forward to in 2009?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Idol Episode 2

Recap from tonight's episode

Best Simon Quote of the Night: "It sounded like a cat jumping off the Empire State building and the sound that it would make as it hit the floor"

Top 5 contestants of the Night:
Casey - cute, liked the tang in her voice and she is VERY marketable looking
Jessica - surprised me with her voice (in a good way), but she will need a makeover if she's going to make it in the competition
Jamar - had a John Legend vibe, he just needs to tone it down a little bit....and I'm not sure if his look is going to help or hurt him
Danny - soulful white boy, that whole thing may have been "done before" but he killed it!
Lil - the only contestant of the night to give me goosebumps...she should make it to the top 12

My thoughts for the Night:
I understand that it must hurt to have your dreams crushed but if people had realistic expectations then things like this would be less likely to happen. This goes back to your friends and family being honest with you. My parents let me know from a young age that I couldn't sing and I appreciate that they saved me from future embarrassment because if I had to go solely based on MY judgement, I might have ended up being on one of the loser clips.

I think that I can pretty much determine if someone is going to be able to sing or not based on what they look like/how they frame the clip.

Your thoughts?

American Idol Season 8 Premiere

Last night was the premiere of the 8th season of American Idol. Who would have thought that this show would last this long? Not me, that's for sure! I love American Idol...it was a brilliant idea that has more than paid off. Even though not all winners have truly become "American Idols" the show just cannot lose when it comes to ratings. I figured I would share my opinions of the show as it progresses. Seeing as I'm writing this 1st American Idol post the day after I can't remember everything that happened last night so I'll just focus on the main things that I do remember.

The new judge: Kara or whatever her name is....my 1st impression is not a positive one. I thought she came off as stuck-up and although she has obviously had a successful career, NO ONE KNOWS YOU! She needs to calm down and let Simon handle the mean, stuck-up role.

Bad singers: As usual there were plenty of these shown but not AS many as in previous seasons. The judges also didn't seem to be as mean as they have been to some contestants in the past. I guess that whole suicide on Paula's lawn debacle may have caused them to change some things up. The thing that always gets me is the family members. You are DEAD WRONG if you let your family or friend go on national TV and straight play themselves. I'm not talking about these people that are super horrible and are just there to get attention. I'm talking about the people that just aren't GOOD but they really and truly believe they can sing. If you are my friend/family member and you think you can sing but I know you can't I'm going to go ahead and let you know that before you embarrass yourself.

Good singers: There were several people that I really enjoyed and hope to see them in Hollywood. There wasn't anyone that really stood out so I don't know if any of the top 12 were shown in this episode.

That's all for the review of this episode. I'll try to make the next one informative since I'll write the blog as I'm watching. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the episode in the comments section!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Introduction

I love trying new things. New products, new music, new movies, new everything! I decided that starting a blog to review all of the new things I try would be fun. I will be providing my opinion on a variety of things. I will also be accepting reviews from anyone that wants to contribute to the blog. You can send your reviews to tegreviewsgalore@gmail.com

I look forward to sharing lots of reviews with you! Feel free to agree or disagree with my reviews in the comment section.