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After a few years of the onslaught of forensic drama on TV from CSI, spin-offs, and copy cats, its refreshing to find a new kind of series on the small screen. Fox released the pilot episode of Glee in May 2009 to whet viewers’ appetite and started the full season in September 2009. Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series set within the fictional William McKinley High School that focused on the school’s choir group or glee club. More than the storyline that revolved around the lives of the students, it’s the music featured on each episode that sets the series apart.

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Since I am turning 40 this year, I’m trying desperately not to lose touch with what my teenage kids are enjoying. Aside from joining them in watching movies they like, I also listen every now and then to music they have on their iPods. Though some of them are difficult for me to relate to (like rap music), I do enjoy some of their hip hop and dance tunes. This weekend, they eagerly showed me a YouTube video of the latest teen singing sensation that has been capturing the ears and hearts of the younger generation. It was a video of Justin Bieber, a 15-year old musician who seems to sing with the soul of a veteran R&B singer.

My kids have let me listen to the music of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, and Taylor Swift. But Justin Bieber seemed to have caught my attention more than the rest because of his age. He still hasn’t made the Billboard Top 10, but I am pretty sure he will get there in time. His first single, One Time, debuted at number 95 in the Billboard Charts. However, most of his fans have already heard his songs from the YouTube videos.
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As a kid, it is certain that most of us dreamed of going down the rabbit hole one way or another. In March 2010, no less than the creative genius in Tim Burton will accompany us down Wonderland as he presents a different twist to Lewis Caroll’s beloved tale. As Disney launched the official trailer of the movie along with promotional snapshots, the audience now await the upcoming movie with bated breath as they take a peek at the astounding world that Tim Burton has once again created.

And if Tim Burton is creating another film, our next question is, “What role is Johnny Depp playing?” Or maybe the better question is, “How will Johnny Depp portray the role of the Madhatter?”  From Edward Scissorhands to Jack Sparrow and onto Willy Wonka, we watched Depp portray the characters with such ingenuity that we can’t wait to see how crazy the Madhatter is going to be.  Based on this wonderful picture, what do you think?

Joining Depp in the film are Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen (watch your necks) and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.  Meanwhile, the role of Alice will be portrayed by newbie Mia Wasikowska.  The movie will be released by Disney in 3D.  While we impatiently wait for this new Burton masterpiece, here’s a sneak peek to whet your appetite.

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest movie project has fans and kids squirming in their seats with anticipation. The highly-acclaimed director is currently busy filming The Last Airbender, a live-action adaptation of the first season animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The project is intended as a movie trilogy that will feature the 3 seasons of the series.
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One of my favorite novels of all time is Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife. It is a fantasy love story unlike any other. My infatuation with the story was not misplaced with so many more readers falling in love with it. As Hollywood now starts to have difficulty looking for original and unique screenplays, Niffeneger’s story was soon bought for adaptation into the big screen.  Since it was bought by Brad Pitt and wife at that time, Jennifer Aniston, prior to their marital problems and Angelina Jolie, it took a couple of more years before the project started moving forward.  Now, it is scheduled for release on August 14, 2009 starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana as the tragic lovers.
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Is it true this time? As of the moment, it appears that the rumors are true. According to reports, paramedics were called to the pop star’s home at 12:26pm, June 25, and found Michael Jackson without respiration. After administering CPR, he was immediately brought to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

He arrived in deep coma at the hospital and at 2:26 pm, he was pronounced dead by physicians. Apparently, the King of Pop suffered cardiac arrest. At the time of his death, he had been staying in Los Angeles for the past 2 months practicing for a series of concerts in London scheduled to start on 13 July 2009 until March 2010. The series of concerts were expected to earn Jackson enough money to get him out of debt.

Despite the controversies surrounding the life of the revered pop star, including a child molestation case, Michael Jackson remains one of the most popular pop icons in the past decades. Fans have started flocking to his home to condole with the family.

Rumors have been circulating the past few months that Megan Fox, the hot chick in Transformers, was a man.  As I pondered the possibility, it was almost impossible to grasp considering her figure.  Wow, if a man can have curves like that, maybe I should get a gender reassignment surgery too.

It all started during her interview in February at the Golden Globes where she claimed to feel so insecure — she said she looked like Alan Alda and that she was a man.  She did mention she wanted to have Salma Hayek’s boobs.  The internet went nuts in  a few hours as many misconstrued her joke.   Soon, Weekly World News had given her a whole new childhood, claiming that she was previously named Mitchell Reed and that his parents had finally given up making him a man and finally  endowed him with a gender reassignment surgery as a birthday gift.  Lol, the internet is so full of crock it’s almost impossible to tell which doesn’t stink.

Anyway, Megan Fox seemed to be unaware that public comments like those are hardly funny in Hollywood.  You can’t make a gender joke anymore without being suspected of hiding the truth behind the pun.  However, in her interview with GQ last October 2008, she did mention that she felt more masculine in terms of her interests and hobbies.  She said that there was an upside to dating a woman like her who was almost a man — she likes the same things, except she has a vagina.  She probably picked up the same concept for the Golden Globes interview. Voila!  The internet world found something to use to get people on their site.  Then again, it’s still publicity for the upcoming sequel of Transformers.

The latest though, is that she confirmed being bisexual during an interview on 14 May 2009. She believes that humans were inherently made to have the ability to become attracted to both sexes. This she learned when she fell in love with a female stripper when she was 18. I got that from Wikipedia — let’s see what the rumor mongers make of it.

Courtesy of www.rollingstone.com

Now that I have gotten over Adam Lambert’s loss in American Idol, I will finally let go of my frustration with this post on his revelations in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. From the cover spread alone, I guess we all know that he finally answered the question many had since the start of the competition. Is Adam Lambert a Friend of Dorothy?
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Tonight, one of the most popular seasons of American Idol will show the final performances of Adam Lambert and Kris Allen as they vie for the title. Though a lot more hype has been linked to Adam, Kris undoubtedly has the chance to take the crown because of his appeal and conservative nature. Nevertheless, authentic music experts and enthusiasts agree that Adam is the more talented singer because of his singing versatility. Throw in his eccentricity and you’ve got yourself a star in the makings of Queen, Prince, and Madonna. They say the true makings of a singing legend is that he/she should be able to stand out among the mediocre performers in the industry who come and go.

Even if Adam fails to get majority of the audience votes tonight, he has already made his mark and will continue to make more. I believe the very reason Season 8 has become a milestone for American Idol is because of Adam Lambert. Everyone wants to see that unusual artist who can amaze and shock you with his singing and his personal life. Like any singing legend, you either love him or hate him, nothing in between. And it is this very reason that everybody watches and listens to him — he is unforgettable. Enough Adam pimping. Let’s move on to the performances.

Adam sings first with the personal choice category. I’m uncertain if they were required to sing a song they have already sung, but both chose something we’ve already heard (a bit of a disappointment). Adam sings Mad World and renders it just as haunting as he did before, if not better. The judges find no fault and praise him. Simon did criticize his trench coat. Kris chose his best song (in my opinion), Ain’t No Sunshine, and gets the thumbs up from judges, including Simon. Simon says Kris wins this round.

The next round is Simon Fuller’s choice for each contender. Adam sings A Change is Coming (Patti LaBelle) and performs it beautifully as expected. The judges loved it. Kris performs What’s Goin’ On (Marvin Gaye) for this round. It was not a bad performance but Randy and Simon agreed that it was too laid back for a finale performance. Simon declares Adam the winner for this round, though not miles apart from Kris.

In the final round, both contenders sing No Boundaries which was co-written by Kara Dio Guardi. It was not a really great song, even Simon makes fun of the lyrics after Adam’s performance. However, Adam does a decent rendition, though not perfect. On the other hand, Kris seemed way out of his league with the song, especially with the high notes. Adam gets good critiques from the judges. As for Kris, the judges seemed to be appeasing him for his performance at the same time giving him a polite farewell. While we are on this really bad song, may I extend my commendations to Adam for being so polite and tactful when he was asked by reporters about this hideous song during the post-performance press conference.

Despite the judges opinions, we all know the audience choose the winner based on their personal bias. Considering Kris’ appeal to teens and women, he cannot be discounted yet. American Idol is known for its surprises. I guess it’s pretty obvious I’m rooting for Lambert. It’s surprising though that I don’t like rock and Kris’ style is more my preference. But even if some of Adam’s songs aren’t pleasing to my ears, the way he draws me to watch and listen to him is extraordinary. I am not a rock fan, I am an Adam Lambert fan.

Tomorrow, we will find out how America voted. By the way, there was news that Rod Stewart will be performing tomorrow. I wonder if he will do a duet with any of the contenders. While we wait anxiously for the final show, here are the videos from the finale performances tonight.

It’s final. The final competition in American Idol Season 8 will be between Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Apparently, Kris’ rendition of Heartless last night gave him the spot. Meanwhile, Danny’s lifeless performances the past weeks finally took its toll. Sympathy votes weren’t enough it seems. Yeah, we’re sorry for Danny’s loss. But this is a singing competition — and Kris has been outperforming him for so long already. Nevertheless, Danny’s vocal prowess cannot be denied, no matter how limited. It was a surprise though, considering it was only Danny who never made the bottom 3.

So, is Adam a shoe in now? We’ll have to see next week. There were 88 million votes for the final competition and it was reported that only 1 million votes separate the top 2 contenders. This begs the question — who will Danny’s fans vote for? I think if Adam doesn’t sing a slow one next week, he will be in big trouble. He will have to showcase his versatility for people to forget his questionable sexual preference. I honestly don’t care about his sexual orientation and I am absolutely certain he deserves the win. But we can’t forget that there are still millions of people out there who think differently. Many will still go for the gorgeous newly-wed who sings like Jason Mraz with those sexy eyes. Kris is gorgeous, but Adam is 100 times more talented. Go Adam!

Adam Lambert performs brilliantly during the top 3 competition in American Idol Season 8. He leaves Danny Gokey and Kris Allen lagging behind.

Adam sings “One” by U2 which was Simon Cowell’s choice for him. According to Simon, he asked permission from Bono to allow Adam to perform the song tonight. Bono replied that it would be their pleasure to have Adam sing the song.

I have updated the post with performances of Adam and Kris. Let’s skip Danny’s.

The remaining 4 contenders of American Idol Season 8 battled it out singing rock and roll. Slash mentored the contenders and, as expected, was impressed with Adam Lambert’s vocals. I also expected it to be difficult for Kris Allen and Danny Gokey as he genre was definitely out of their league. I was right.

Adam started off with an amazing performance of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Like I mentioned before, I don’t listen to hard rock songs. But I have to admit it was flawless and he sounded (and moved) like a seasoned rock star. The audience was on its feet after the song and he got rave reviews with Simon finishing off saying none of the other singers can top the performance.

This week, they also had the top 4 sing duets with Adam and Allison pairing off against the Kris and Danny tandem. What did you think? Of course, Adam and Allison trampled the other pair!

Needless to say, Kris did a mediocre solo of he Beatle’s “Come Together” which received bad reviews. However, what was unforgettable was Danny’s excruciating number. I can still remember how I cringed while listening to him struggle with the high notes of Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” OMG, that was a bad choice for him. What was he thinking?!

Anyway, here are my fave performances — Adam’s solo and his duet with Allison. Great job guys!

This season’s American Idol just went weird tonight. Ryan Seacrest first placed Matt Giraud and Kris Allen on one side and Danny Gokey with Allison Iraheta on another. Then he asked Adam Lambert where he felt he belonged based on last night’s performance. Adam chose to be with Danny and Allison, but he made the wrong choice. Apparently, he belonged to Kris and Matt’s side which is the bottom 3. What?!!

Kris and Adam at the bottom 3 was way off. Of the 5 remaining contenders, it was Allison and Matt who were frequently at the bottom. Now, for the first time, Kris and Adam are down there. Simon did say Danny is a strong contender because of the sympathy factor. It would be a big disappointment if he wins over Adam who is the most original and consistent of all contenders — that is an objective opinion considering I really don’t enjoy rock music. Danny, on the other hand, remained stagnant all throughout. I have heard nothing amazing from him for weeks. As a matter of fact, I don’t even remember the songs that he sang. The most memorable for me were Adam’s Tracks of My Tears and Mad World. Kris was unforgettable in Ain’t No Sunshine.

Anyway, next week, it’s going to be rock and roll. If Simon is right, it could be Allison who will be packing next. But Kris will have to raise his performance a notch higher, else, the red-head teen can bump him off in this genre.

It’s the Rat Pack tonight for the Top 5 in American Idol 2009.  Their guest mentor for this round is Jamie Foxx.  Since there was a lot more time to kill now, they show a video of the contenders getting a surprise from Jamie.

The competition starts with Kris Allen singing “The Way You Look Tonight.”  It was an outstanding performance.  Danny Gokey really has to keep up now.  Allison follows with “Someone to Watch Over Me.”  It was another great performance.  But I hope the audience gives her a chance seeing how she keeps getting on the bottom 3 despite good performances.

Matt Giraud is next with “My Funny Valentine.” It was pitchy and I bet this is as far as he goes. Then again, there have been surprises in American Idol in the past years. Danny Gokey sings “Come Rain, Come Shine.” He doesn’t make any big changes to the song, but he definitely showed off his vocal prowess here. And finally, we have Adam Lambert singing “Feeling Good.” He did tell Foxx he was going to rock this one. It another unique performance from Adam and he remains consistent in showing the audience the type of performer he is. Though I am not much of a rock fan, I say he is up there among the best veteran rockers of the century. There is no doubt Lambert will make the finals.

Simon had a separate interview prior to the performances tonight where he predicts the showdown to be between Lambert and Gokey. Yet, he said Kris Allen made a big jump and could be the third. Here is my favorite performance tonight from Kris. I think I will add Adam Lambert’s great performance for his fans out there.

Simon Cowell expressed embarrassment over his initial reaction to Susan Boyle during her audition in Britain’’s Got Talent.  He wasn’t expecting someone who looked like her to be able to sing the way she did.  However, he warned that she still had work to do before winning, despite her increasing popularity.  With all the stories about the hair, the eyebrows, and her unmarried life, it may stray the 47-year old from winning the competition.

Boyle has 4 weeks to prepare for the biggest night of her life.  Cowell suggests that Boyle prepare for the semi-finals and focus on her song and come back stronger singing as the person she is, not the person people want her to be.