The Voice Australia 4: Blind Auditions (2)

After an underwheling first night, I think I demand for better talents. C’mon Australia, where are the likes of Sabrina Batshon, C Major, Anja Nissen, Robbie Balmer, Kat Jade that stood out last season.

Anyway, I kinda like this dynamic that the new set of coaches are bringing. No bored-look-Will.I.Am. Haha.

Here is how the second night went.

Cath Adams
Work It Out
Team JESSIE

– This girl just showed personality on stage and she worked the audience like she’s been doing this since her birth. Her vocals were decent but I like her bombast qualities. 6.5

Ollie Kirk
Thinking Out Loud
Team JESSIE

– It was a decent rendition. Ollie studied the song quite well so it shows how comfortable he is with the material. A little whiny quality when he reached the high parts of the song but the overall was quite impressive. 7

Aviida
One & Only
Team DELTA

– While I think Paula sounded better than Clay, it is undeniable that they had some solid harmonies going on. A couple of off pitch notes but most of the time, they sounded really good. 7

Scott Newnham
Red
Team RICKY

– It’s silly sometimes to see a muscled-bad boy looking guy take on a cheesy track. And Scott is one of them. He is indeed a goodlooking guy with some bad boy vibe but when he started singing, you just forget about it. Sure, the pitch wasn’t perfect but Scott’s lovely tone and the ability to connect with the song and audience was quite something to notice for. 6.5

Lyndall Wennekes
Beautiful Disaster
Team DELTA

– Lyndall has a lovely voice. But when she overdone her vocal choices and most of them were sharp, she lost me. So I hope Delta would teach her to learn more of her strengths and don’t just do vocal acrobats for fancy. 6

Amber Nichols
Strong
Team MADDENS

– Lucky brothers scored a big one. True, her performance wasn’t perfect but Amber has some nice vocal choices that sounded pretty. The quality in her vocals sounded pretty. A couple of odd and off pitch notes but the entire performance was quite compelling. She just needs to watch on her nerves. 7

Movie Review: Just The Way You Are (’15 Theodore Boborol)

It’s a cliche romantic film. From the sequencing to the narrative, everything is really predictable. Nothing we haven’t seen before. Nothing that makes the film stand out. Nothing fresh. Nothing new. Boy meets girl, they don’t like each other at first. They get to know a little bit. Find commin denominator. Sob stories (not really!). Find comfort with each other. Fall in love. A little petty conflict. But you know how its ends. I mean, we could actually summarize the film in 140 characters including the “hahaha”‘s and emojis. Look, the film doesn’t entirely suck. Like what I said, it is what was expected. The good thing and probably the stand out of the film is Liza Soberano. She has some acting chops going on there. A little inconsistent but girl can act. Nonetheless, the film never really takes off and it never really put us in a believable state that the two leads have strong chemistry like what was being sold to the public eye. Given that they looked good together. I feel like they are not translating well in the big screen as “partners”. 4.5

Cover: Clark Beckham – Earned It

Here’s a cover of The Weeknd’s “Earned It” by American Idol Season 14 runner-up, Clark Beckham. He performed the same song during semi-finals week of Idol. It was a lovely performance and this is better than that. I must say, I think the competition and pressure of the show got the best of him during his run on idol that’s why his performances went downhill towards the end. But this is extremely wonderful. No pressure, no stress, no overthinking, just Clark singing! Great Job.

Check out the cover below:

The Voice Australia 4: Blind Auditions (1)

The Voice Australia is back for its season 4. It’s a bit late than the usual but I am not complaining. I hope the format changes this season but I doubt about that. Also, season 4 welcomes us with the return of coach, Delta Goodrem. Ricky Martin is also back for his second season while Jessie J is the newest addition to the coaching panel. Lastly, we have dynamic duo Madden brothers sitting for the 4th coaching panel.

Now the blind auditions starts tonight and here is how the night went.

Paris Cassar
Out Here On My Own
Team JESSIE

– Clearly, the girl’s nerves got the best of her. She was off pitch from the beginning ’til the end. I find it quite difficult to actually see if she was able to hit the right notes. But this wasn’t entirely bad, but it was not even close to good. Too young and amateurish, I guess. 4

Nicolas Duquemin
XO
Team DELTA

– Surprise, surprise! But just like Paris, I feel like Nicolas’ age got the best of him but on the other hand, he hits better notes than Paris. Altho for most parts, he was singing flat. Nonetheless, the woman-like (hello Adam Levine) quality in his tone is a bit surprising knowing that he is a guy. But I feel his tone chooses soem type of songs and it is not as versatile as I will hope for. 5

Chris Hoskin
Fall At Your Feet
Team JESSIE

– There’s a silky quality in his tone that I like. It’s like butter that he carefully caresses you with every single word he says. I do though find his intonation a little muddled in parts but I know Jessie could work on that. Nonetheless, this is kinda lovely. 7

Rik-E-Ragga
Get Up, Stand Up
Team DELTA

– Usually this kind of artist’s ticket to getting noticed is that we rarely see reggae artists in this kind of reality singing competition. And that’s a major props for Rik as he already carved a “unique” quality in him that makes him stand out. But this is also risky since expectations would be high as he is the lone one who is doing such. Nonetheless, this set off a good vibe, I can’t speak much about the pitch since reggae runs around usually on groove and lyrics. But I am not as sold as let’s say Menlik and Anita from The Voice US 7 or Kokoi Baldo of The Voice Philippines 2. 5

Gail Page
Natural Woman
Team RICKY

– Eh. Too outdated and old-fashioned. 6

New Track: Julie Anne San Jose – Tidal Wave

The video is officially here! Julie Anne San Jose dropped the music video of her newest single, “Tidal Wave”, today. This is the first single for her first ever EP Album that is due some time this year. Produced by critically acclaimed producer, Omen, the Asia’s Pop Princess released a more bubllegum pop track that is a perfect summer song choice. The hook-laiden track showed a variety of dynamics from Julie Anne but still maintaining that pop-feel good quality of the song. No bells, no whistles, just a pleasant pop track.

Check out the video from her OFFICIAL VEVO ACCOUNT.

EMMYS 2015: Outstanding Drama Series (Dream Nominees)

The nominations have been made and on July 16, 2015, the nominees will be announced. It has been an annual event in American television where the best of the best of primetime television were recognized by the Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences.

Of course, the possible nominees were rallied by shows that were part & showed in an eligible year from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015.

As a fun little thing on my blog, I would rack up some of my dream nominees on different major categories from Drama and Comedy. I must say, I had the greatest opportunity to catch a lot of series of both comedy and drama. So yeah.

Not in particular order, here are my dream 5 nominees for OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

1. Bates Motel (A&E)
– For one, Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore will sold the entire run of the series with so much thrill and craziness. Aside from their amazing acting chops, Bates Motel made me want to look forward to what will happen next and be excited of the scenarios that will mold the story telling of the series.

2. How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)
– With a cast as compelling as the this, you would think that they will overshadow the story line. But no. How to get away with murder managed to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, guessing and the thrilling process of figuring out what just had happened. This is a series that is not just about getting away with murder or Annaliese epic law teachings or the sex scenes or the brokenness of Annaliese, it was a variety of emotions and I love it.

3. Hannibal (NBC)
– It was weird at some point but a good kind of weird. I love this series and it is a crime that the Academy has been ignoring it for a nomination or even for the trophy. The sequences were nice. The writing was superb. The acting was top notch. This series is best discussed and appreciated if you will be able to watch it rather than just talk about it. Because the little details of its visuals added texture to an already solid product.

4. The Flash (CW)
– This modern storytelling of a comic favorite is probably one of the best works of CW network. It was fresh but still manage to keep faithful to what it was adapted to. Grant Gustin shines easily and he was the perfect lead and even the villains were so compelling sometimes you root for them not to get kicked out of the show. It was in totality, a series that worked so well from the narrative to its actors and to its exciting episodes.

5. The Affair (Showtime)
– It was crafted pretty well. The narrative was compelling. The script was well written. The leads – Ruth Wilson & Dominic West – delivered a fanttsic performance and they were so good. It was a series that was both smart and affectionate. Go check it out!

Cover: Chris Jamison – Photograph

The Voice Season 7 2nd Runner-Up and my personal favorite during his season has another awesome cover. This time, it is a piano driven cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph”. It’s my favorite song from Sheeran’s x album, and Chris gave delivered a beautiful performance. This is lovely!

Check out the cover below:

Movie Review: Ted 2 (’15 Seth MacFarlane)

Ted 2 came off as obnoxious and the narrative was lame. It was such a let down from its predecessor. I don’t know if I expected too much from the film, or it was just underwhelming from the get go. Here’s the thing, the comedy is quite polarizing. It is either you like it or you don’t. I did think that the first one was hilariously but then the second installment was a dud. The film didn’t entirely fail but it did miss a lot in terms of its writing, story telling and even the depth of it wasn’t entirely something that works. Sorry. 5

EMMYS 2015: Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Dream Nominees)

The nominations have been made and on July 16, 2015, the nominees will be announced. It has been an annual event in American television where the best of the best of primetime television were recognized by the Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences.

Of course, the possible nominees were rallied by shows that were part & showed in an eligible year from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015.

As a fun little thing on my blog, I would rack up some of my dream nominees on different major categories from Drama and Comedy. I must say, I had the greatest opportunity to catch a lot of series of both comedy and drama. So yeah.

Not in particular order, here are my dream 5 nominees for LEAD ACTRESS in a DRAMA SERIES

1. Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
– To portray not just 1, not just 2, not just 3, but literally multiple characters in a series is a challenge itself. But the biggest thing about Tatiana’s performance is that she was able to distinguish each and every character from one another and boy she delivered. You just have to feel something in every character whether you root for that character or be mad at her or be happy. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions and experience but I don’t mind especially if Tatiana is delivering each and every episode. It’s such a shame that in the past, the Academy has been shutting her down for a much deserve nomination or even a win. Hope it changes this year.

2. Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder
– Broken, messed up, super flawed. That is Annaliese on the show but the wag Viola facades the character with so much confidence and power makes you think this girl is dominant and strong. But if you actually watch the whole series (in particular, when she was removing the make up and wig, or her confrontation-talk with her mother), Annaliese is a broken woman. She is human after-all. She has so much emotional baggage on her that the only way to stop the bleeding is to be upfront strong, and Viola Davis managed to show that perfectly.

3. Taylor Schilling, Orange Is The New Black
– Since OITNB was relegated for Drama instead of Comedy this year, Taylor Schilling will surely be in the running for the many viable actress to take a slot on the nominees. But here’s what I like about Taylor, whether it is comedy or drama, I am so excited about her. When she’s on the frame, you just can’t help but be astonished by her. She was nuanced backed up with a layered performance that was both compelling and stunning.

4. Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
– Did you watch that episode where she was possessed? That was golden. But prior to that, Eva Green has been delivering a stellar performance on the series that it is so hard to not recognized how she managed to keep us excited (maybe more thrilled?) and mesmerized (or blown away?) on her portrayal as Vanessa Ives – whether it was the Victorean alter-ego or it was her self. So much goodness!

5. Taraji P. Henson, Empire
– To see a girl who punches someone, have sex with boys, go on a cat fight-hair pulling-wrestling match with a girl, Cookie is the epitome of firework on the series. And Taraji was just there. You can’t really discount how she kept the character exciting, bombast, colorful but still exudes emotions, vulnerability and personality. Cookie from the breakout series, Empire, provided an exciting and thrilling character that made the viewers be more excited of what she would do next. She is a walking-talking timebomb that everybody will always want to explode and Taraji P. Henson was able to explore and portray that character spot on.

Cover: Leighton Meester – Lovefool

Gossip Girl favorite and fashion icon, Blair Waldorf dropped by The A.V Club recently and did a fantastic cover of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool”. Seriously, this is really good! Blair, as fans of the show know her more, has carved herself in a different niche three years after the series’ finale. She’s been doing music and theatre lately but of course I would love to see her again in movies or series, so CW or any network, cast her please?! I mean, Blake Lively hs been doing movies aside from her fashion stuff, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szhor and Chace Crawford were doing freshmen series separately. So yeah, I miss miss bad-good girl Blair Waldorf in my television screen.

Anyway, check out her lovely cover below: