Weekly Recap for 3/20-3/26: The Podcast Edition!

weekly recap 3/20-3/26 by Ashitaka's Angels

In order to change things up a little, Lea and I did the weekly recap together in this super deluxe podcast, in which we cover the series finale of Big Love and the latest episodes of Chuck, Good Wife, Modern Family, American Idol, Community, The Office, and 30 Rock.
Beware, as there is much ranting and run-on sentences. There are also some surprise shoutouts. We hope you enjoy it!

American Idol Season 10 Top 11: Motown Week = Awesomesauce

Don't look so scared, Scotty

Casey - "Heard it Through the Grapevine"
Casey's problem has always been that he growls/screams half his songs without actually singing (and never getting called out for it :/). I HATED his Nirvana performance last week. HATED. Ahem.
LOL I have no idea if that was good or not. Or if I liked it. Casey puts so much of himself into his performances you can't help but like him! He's so charismatic. Yet it was still really growly. A LOT more control in it this week compared to last week, so I'm glad. But I really want him to just sit down and sing one week. No vocal acrobatics.

Thia - "Heatwave"
OMG a fast song! A FAST SONG! Don't mess this up Thia. And she's actually smiling and showing personality. She looks way more comfortable up there, except the part where she looked to the backup singers like she forgot the words, lulz. i think this was my favorite performance of hers, buuuuut it was still a little karaoke. Who is she?! Who is she as an artist? I honestly have no idea and have absolutely no clue what kind of CD she'd make.

Jacob - "You're All I Need to Get By"
If Jacob just stood up there and danced he would be my favorite contestant. Some of the  contestants problems is that they don't really feel the song. Jacob's problem is that he feels it too much lol. Onto the performance, he's showing so much restraint and this is really great so far. I can finally appreciate how awesome his voice really is. And the faces he's pulling are amazing. AHHHHH THIS WAS THE BEST JACOB PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPETITION OMG. I LOVE HIM AGAIN. JACOOOOOB.

Lauren - "You Keep Me Hanging On"
Wow. Her voice is SO. GOOD. I kind of wish I didn't have to look at her/hear her speak because otherwise she might be one of my favorites. This is one of her best performances I think and I like how she frequently does more uptempo songs.

Stefano - "Hello"
Hey, Haven't you heard? Stefano is the new frontrunner apparently. His voice kind of sounds nasally on this song. He seems to be emotionally connecting to the song though. It was alright. Not terrible, but not groundbreaking. Kind of sleepy if i'm being honest. lol and the judges were all saying he wasn't connecting. idk, i just can't bring myself to liking him.

Haley - "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"
Haley has one of the most interesting voices left. I kind of hated her at first because I felt like she took Kendra's spot, but I've been warming up to her more and more as her unique tone has been shown off. I don't expect her long for this world, unfortunately.  Holy moley, is she all over the place lol. That was certainly interesting, but I couldn't even pay attention to her voice that much. She was just jumping all over the place and was walking down the stairs like a drunk stripper. Aaaaaand I'm the only one who didn't like that apparently. I want to like her soooo badly, but her performances just don't match her amazing voice, for me for you.

Scotty - "For Once in My Life"
SCOTTAAAAAY! Being forced to not do country, this is what i've been waiting for! THIS IS HIS TRUE TEST! This sounds exactly like all of his other performances lol. And tbh, I cannot stop laughing his voice sounds so weird on this song. His high notes are a lot better than i thought they would be. I thought it was a solid Scotty performance. But I think it maybe was a little too slow? Still, I like Scotty.

Pia - "All In Love is Fair"
Please don't bore me Pia, your voice is so good. I want to like you so badly. omg another ballad, stopp ittttt. She starts and I fall asleep. Yeah yeah, her singing is effortless and amazing, but omg she is so boring. I wouldn't be unhappy if she won. She would deserve it, but I can't imagine ever buying her CD. I like that the judges are calling her out on the constant ballads though. She better go uptempo next week.

Paul - "Tracks of My Tears"
Paul was my early favorite and while I still like him, I've been pretty disappointed in him the last 2 weeks. I still love his voice, but it just hasn't worked on the songs he's been singing. And the drunken stumbling didn't really help. So the fact that he's using a guitar again this week makes me happy because I really think he needs to do things more in his style. He made it really folksy and different and he's rocking it out. I think I liked it. I was the first drastic rearrangement of the season and I think he succeeded with it.

Naima - "Dancing in the Street"
Things are never boring with Naima at least. She's gonna dance again this performance. I like it when she does that. I like that she's different and contemporary with her style. Her voice sounds sooo much better this week than the last few. Waaaah her dancing breakdown was so fun! Drummers popped up and she just went crazy. SHE'S SO MUCH FUN I LIKE HER. Great performance.

James - "Livin for the City"
James has really surprised me. I've liked his performances waaaaay more than I ever thought I would. I'm still not a huge fan of his voice, but he's using it really really well right now. Great great song choice for him.  Ahhh he has so much control over his voice, he's doing really well. I really did like it a lot. I'm not sure if it was my favorite of his performances, but he is turning into one of the most consistent performers this season......I never thought I'd say that.

OMG THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD WEEK FOR IDOL! Perhaps the best overall week this entire season.  I have no idea who is going to go home or will be in the bottom. I still don't feel ~attached to any one contestant this season the way I did the past two, but I'm really impressed with all of them.

Best of the night: Jacob
Worst: Stefano
Bottom Three: Haley, Thia, Stefano
Going home: Haley

Uptown Downstairs Abbey Parts 1 & 2: You Read It Right!

 Yes, the second season is currently filming in the UK (huzzah!). However, as is custom with some BBC shows, it still might take eons for it to get here (boo). In the meantime, here's a little something for those in need of a Downton Abbey fix (courtesy of the BBC's Comic Relief Night 2011):






Some Highlights:
-The Narrator? Hogwart's greatest headmaster, of course!
-Yes, that is Kim Cattrall from SATC. Really.
-Daisy as a teddy bear in a maid's outfit
-'Dame Maggie Smith's' myraid grimacing expressions
-Staircase continuity seems hard on the knees
-Thomas: "Why are you so mean? I love it, but why?"
-O'Brien's hair "knitting" itself
-and many, many others.

American Idol Season 10 Top 13

YOUR TOP 13: James Durbin, Naima Adedapo, Jacob Lusk, Thia Megia, Karen Rodriguez, Stefano Langone, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Pia Toscano, Ashthon Jones, Paul McDonald.

As far as America's vote of a Top 10, completely predictable (and deserving) on the guys side, not so predictable on the girls. Pia, Thia, and Lauren A. all got through deservedly, but Haley and Karen should not have made it through based on their performances Wednesday.

The wildcard round actually turned out to be pretty suspenseful and made for some good TV. 3 guys (Jovany Barreto, Robbie Rosen, and Stefano Langone) and 3 girls (Naima Adedapo, Ashthon Turner, and Kendra Chantelle) sang for their lives with the judges (apparently) deciding then and there who would make the top 13. I was a little upset I couldn't have heard my beautiful curly-haired flower, Brett Lowenstern, sing one more time, but alas he was cut. Along with early favorite Tim Halperin.

Ultimately though, Stefano probably did have the best wildcard performance of the guys. However, I've always had a soft spot for Robbie and just really enjoy his voice, so I was sad that Stefano got through over Robbie. Stefano probably fits that more "traditional R&B" voice slot in the Top 13 though (and is he the new heartthrob, mayhaps?)

In my opinion however, this performance right here:



was the best wildcard performance of the night. Her high notes were insane and there's something about her tone and her control that I really really like. I can't begrudge Ashthon and Naima getting through over her however, because their wildcard performances were also very good. I'm more upset that Kendra didn't just get through over people like Karen and Haley. I think ultimately though, Ashthon was put through because she fits the "sassy diva" role. Naima got through because she's "quirky", and the judges probably thought Kendra didn't have as much personality and they already had a blonde in the Top 13.  Still, I'll never forget you Kendra!

So now it's the finals. I'm not too excited about anybody, but I do recognize that there's a lot of really great talent on this season. Around this time last year, there was a lot of badness going through to the Top 12, but I can honestly say every single person who made it is talented. A lot of them might not be to my preference which is making me less enthused, however, I think this season could give us some interesting performances.

My prediction right now to win the whole thing though: Scotty McCreery

BABYLOCKTHEMDOORS

American Idol: Top 12 Girls; 12 Girls Sing One Really Long Song

Not really. But it seemed like it, didn't it?

Ohhh, American Idol…..You're making me harken for the halcyon days of Season 9!! Where are the Crystals, the Didis?  I may just start pre-emptively clinging to America's Version of X-Factor if this keeps up. This shouldn't be happening. 

At its best, American Idol can be a platform for singers with something unique to offer, whether it be in terms of voice, performing style, or personality (hopefully, all three). At its worst, Idol is glorified karaoke that celebrates sameness as well as formulaic pop. Tonight, many of the top 12 girls exhibited more of what’s wrong with the show than what could be right.  A lot of their performances followed the same, predictable arc: summoning their diva voices, sassing it up for the judges, and hitting the glory note at the end. The end result was a show that left me feeling kind of ‘meh’. The judges were also disappointing, with the exception of Randy, who, seemingly out of nowhere, emerged as the voice of reason MULTIPLE TIMES. Not once did he utter a single “for me, for you dawg”! He did use word ‘pitchy,’ but I actually agreed with him when he used it!!! Did somebody take out his gratuitous soundbite chip (or at least turn the dial down from ‘gratuitious’ to ‘necessary’)? ‘Cuz I’m liking it. JLo and Steven frequently rewarded contestants who seemed to be the most generic/cheesy (I’m looking at you, Karen Rodriguez!). However, Randy’s actually been the judge whose comments frequently echoed mine last night.

Having Said That,

Let's Start with the Good One(s):

Thia Meghia: "Out Here On My Own"

I willingly rewatched this girl's performance this morning. I actually wanted to hear her sing again. The others I'll watch mainly for the purposes of recapping, but some of them will be a slog to get through. She made a lot of smart choices last night. Singing a kind of obscure song, starting off a capella, having the lights dimmed with the single spotlight on her, standing in one place and just SINGING really set her apart from the other girls. Also, she CAN sing, which also helps. I'm guessing out of all of them, she didn't get the memo that you're SUPPOSED to be all sassy and strut around the stage, and go out of tune. C'mon, Thia! Get with the program! You're supposed to be like everyone else, remember?! Anyways, I really dig her pure tone and voice control. And, I could see where Randy was coming from when he said her tone reminded him of Michael Jackson. I haven't seen her other performances, but she's kind of the lone frontrunner for me as far as the girls go. 

Lauren Turner: "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James

For some reason, this girl's voice reminds me of Christina Aguilera,'s only she doesn't do a thousand vocal runs in one song. This is a very good thing. If there's one thing the show didn't need last night it was another girl doing vocal runs. I liked her song choice as well as the tone of her voice, which is strong with a bit of soul. She seems to be a bit of a dark horse, since she was kind of in the middle of the show (a.k.a. not in the pimp spot for all to marvel over), but I like that. If she navigates the stage with a bit more confidence next time, and keeps it up with the soulful vocals, she could be a serious contender.

Who I Kind of  Liked:

Pia Toscano: "I'll Stand By You"

If we're going on singing ability alone...Wait. If we're going on the ability to hit the most glorious of glory notes alone, she would win the competition. Her voice at the end was impressive. There's no doubt that she can sing well, and I get why she was in the pimp spot. However, I'm hoping she doesn't keep choosing these typical, karaoke songs that are the breeding ground of glory notes and 'showy' singing. 

Meh:

Naima Adedapo: "Summertime"

I like that her name is fun. Her singing style is kind of jazzy, which I also like. She's also interesting to watch, mainly for her wardrobe choices (Yellow Dress is Yellow!). However, her arrangement of the song was a little cheesy. As Randy put it, she sounded a little "lounge acty." If Simon was still there, he'd probably say she reminded him of a cruise ship singer circa 1976. 

Kendra Chantelle: "Impossible" by Christina Aguilera

While she has great control of her voice, and a nice R&B tone, I couldn't remember what she sang until I rewatched her performance today. She doesn't seem to have as much of a 'story' as the other girls, which could be bad news. She sings better than some of them, but if she makes it to next week, smart song choice in addition to vocal ability will be necessary to make her more memorable. 

Ashthon Jones: "Love Over Me" by Monica

It's not Ash-TON, people, it's Ash-THON. I don't know why that fascinates me so much. 

Anyways, I could basically write the same thing for her as I did for Kendra. Moreover, her song choice came off as a bit limiting vocally. Monica could pull it off, but Ashthon ain't there yet. Although she sang it competently, I'm not sure it was enough to motivate America to pick up the phone for her over the other girls. Her schmoozing with the judges also made me squirm a little bit. 

Lauren Alaina: "Turn On the Radio" by Reba McIntyre

She, like Kendra, has good control of her voice. And it's interesting she went the country route with a Reba song. Uh...that's all I can say. While I'm impressed with her vocal ability, I just don't like her as much as the judges do. 

Did Not Like:

Julie Zorrilla: "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

Okay, ladies, here's rule #1: Never try to out-Kelly-Clarkson Kelly Clarkson. In fact, it's best to stay away from any hit songs by previous Idols (that goes for you, too, Naima!). That was her first mistake. Second, the arrangement had no arc, making her vocal seem a bit repetitive. It wouldn't have been as repetitive sounding if she had enough vocal oomph to cut through the background music...like Kelly Clarkson. Heck, Kelly Clarkson should've just sang it. Can Idol just pay Kelly Clarkson to stand in the wings, ready to bust it out whenever anybody has the brazenness to sing one of her songs? 

Haley Reinhart: "Fallin' by Alicia Keys

This song gets soooo overdone on this show. Also, some of her mannerisms/faces onstage struck me as kind of cheesy. Speaking of...

Karen Rodriguez: "Hero" by Mariah Carey

CHEEEESSEFEST. The audiences and the judges loved her, but she was more karaoke than anyone last night. The song (overused), the getup (aging), the glory note (predictable), the switching to Spanish (pandering) all seemed a bit too much for me to take. But she's giving the audience what it wants, meaning she's probably going to stick around. Darn.

How many more people are there?

Oh, right.

Rachel Zevita: "Criminal" by Fiona Apple

When I recognized the song, I got my hopes up. But by the end of the song, my hopes were dashed. The arrangement took out the original's punchiness. It all seemed a bit rushed. Also, her vocals were not that great. She gets a point for wearing a cape, though. 

Tatynisa Wilson: "Only Girl" by Rihanna

Maybe it was because of nerves, but girlfriend was OUT of tune. Also, the song itself didn't seem very...singable. Seeing as it's tailor-made for dance clubs, I don't think it was a wise song choice on her part. This girl was setting herself up for a fall because sometimes, even Rihanna doesn't sound good singing that song, and she IS Rihanna. I think it's highly unlikely she'll make it to next week, but if she does, she should focus on singing more than impersonating another pop-star. 

p.s. THIS is partially why I'm wistful for the days of Season 9 in terms of the girls. I mean, just listen to them.

And THIS is the reason why I'm leaning towards liking American X Factor. It's because the British X Factor managed to find someone like her (I'd recommend just skipping to 0:50):

Rambling over. 

What did you think?

(Cont.) 83rd Academy Awards: The Live Blog Edition!

If the Ashitaka's Angels were ever to write a letter to the Oscars, I imagine it would go something like this: 

"Dear Oscars, 

You looked beautiful on Sunday night. The venue, as always, was classy and lustrous. However, the ceremony as a whole was just all right. And here's why:

Whoever writes the best caption for this gets a prize because I CAN'T EVEN. Ready? Go!!!

When Kirk Douglas, who is 6 years shy from claiming his centenarian card, is the most entertaining part of the night (and more awake than one of the co-hosts *cough* Franco!*cough*), it's not the best of signs. We love you, Oscars, for the big stars, the human moments, and, most importantly, for the WTF(!) moments. And while there were some, we definitely could have used more. That and less awkward banter. 

Sincerely, 

The Ashitka's Angels"

After which, our letter would be promptly thrown away by an Oscar producer's assistant, who unfortunately had enough curiosity to read it. 

Anyways, once again, we liveblogged film's biggest night, and discovered many things in the process.

In no particular order, here's what the Oscars revealed to us: 

1) Say What You Will, but The Oscars Create Great Montages

Highlights:
-Alec Baldwin trying Capri Sun's newest flavor: AMBIEN
-TRON REFERENCE (We love those here.)
-Anne Hathaway's Double Eye-Patch
-James Franco as a Bear
-Anne's Dance of the Brown Duck & James Franco Hopping Alongside in a Leotard

2) Whoever Styled Anne Hathaway on the Red Carpet and Backstage Needs to Get a Raise. Pronto.

Lea: we should count how many times Anne Hathaway changes her dress throughout the night

Z: oh, good idea!

And, oh, count them we did. We actually counted 9, but apparently, Anne Hathaway had 8 costume changes the entire night. Onstage, the changes were effortless, but backstage, my guess is that Anne Hathaway was constantly being followed by a dense fog of hairspray, semi-bedlam, and hair/wardrobe people. 

3) The Boston Accent Conspiracy

Melissa Leo: Oscar Winner for Best Supporting Actress, Ashitaka's Angels Award Winner for  Best (and only) Profane Moment

Going into the Oscars, Melissa Leo (from The Fighter), was the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress, perhaps for myriad reasons. We, of course, had our own theories. When she won, we knew our theory had been confirmed:

Lea: I think you automatically win if you do a Boston accent

Z: aw, she's so stunned

Lea: OMG F-BOMB

Z: lol it's on the oscar checklist. 

Another event that supported our theory:

Lea: I was wondering why Jeremy Renner was nominated [for Best Supporting Actor in "The Town"], and then I remembered............BOSTON ACCENT

Of course, it was Christian Bale who ended up winning Best Supporting Actor for "The Fighter," which was just fine by us because...he's Christian Bale. 

Jesus Bale.

Lea: MY BEAUTIFUL BALE

WHAT DON'T YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?!

Z: how many times do you think he'll swear in his speech?

Lea: he's holding back, darnit!

HIS BEARD IS GINGERY

It should be mentioned that in the movie, he played a former boxer with what??? That's right--a BOSTON ACCENT. 

4) We Will Never Escape TRON

I still want a light cycle.

Not only did Anne and James make a TRON reference in the 'True Grit' section of montage, but Kevin Flynn himself was at the ceremony in the flesh, of course. And, of course, we squeed. 

TRON also popped up in a surprising manner later on in the show. Now, if you've seen TRON: Legacy in theaters, you'll probably understand the reaction below. 

(as the nominees for Best Sound Editing are being listed):

Z: y'know which movie should not win for sound mixing?

TRON

TOO MUCH BASS

Lea: TRON

(as we find out TRON: LEGACY  is a nominee)

Z: lol it's nominated!!!

Lea: OMG THOUGH TRON OMG OMG OMG TRROOOONNNN

5) Though We Have a Bit of an Aversion to Randy Newman, We Have an Even Greater Aversion to Gwyneth Paltrow:

Winning his 500th Oscar for Best Original Song, "We Belong Together."

Lea: GTFO Randy Newman
Z: he's been nominated 1000 times for 5 songs
Lea: and he ALWAYS wins

On which awards show has she NOT sung? Oh, that's right. None of them.

Z: did you know that gwyneth paltrow is performing tonight?

Lea: SHE'S FOLLOWING ME

Z: gwyneth paltrow??

Lea: YES

SHE'S EVERYWHERE

Z: it's because she wants to sing for you 
Lea: GO AWAY

Z: LOL you're not alone in that sentiment

6) The Oscars Desperately Wants to be Young and Hip

Yes, it could be said that having Anne Hathaway and James Franco as co-hosts were a prime example of the Oscars' attempt of appealing to a younger audience. But the show went a step further. In a blatant and hilarious attempt to go viral, The Oscars gave us this auto-tuned gem:

Z:WHAT....THIS IS ONE THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF THE ENTIRE SHOW

Lea: WAT WAT WAT WAT WAT WAT

Z: this is UH MA ZING

Lea: CAN'T. BREATHE.

DOESN'T HE OWN A SHIRT

Z: NO WORDS

Lea: I just want to watch the Ron/Hermione thing again lol

7) Jake Gyllenhaal's Hotness Makes Certain Bloggers Come to Blows (Almost)

Jake, WE CAN'T QUIT YOU! Yes, the Brokeback Mountain reference is dated, but, hey, it still applies! Amirite?

Lea: GTFO Amy Adams

Jake, you can stay

Z: lol I HEART YOU GYLLENHAAL. I don't know how to spell your name, but i love you, jake!

Lea: GET THE FUCK OFF MY MAN

Z:i'll fight you, i swear. I ain't afraid. 

Also, I am a ninja. And a robot. A ninbot.

Lea: PUNCHES

Lea: I WILL KILL YOU W/ MY MIND, BTW

Z: who are you...SYLAR???? I

'll shuriken you in the eye

Lea: I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY AWESOME SINGING SKILLS. I WILL SING YOU TO DEATH.

8) Our Abiding Love for Colin Firth Continues

King Firth: Best Actor at the Oscars; Also, the Most Swoon Worthy

His performance in "The King's Speech" really made the movie, so it was no surprise that he won.  And his acceptance speech was perhaps the best of the night.

Lea: :''''''''''''''')

SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW

HE IS SO CLASSY AND PERFECT

MR. DARCY!

Z: regal in every way

Lea: he's like 30 years older than me, yet i have the biggest crush on him

Z: completely understandable

9) The Academy Ultimately Tends to Lean Toward Movies that have the HIB Factor:

Best Picture Winner; Pantheon of British Talent

...meaning movies that are historical, inspirational, and...well, contain British people. In our minds, this put it over its closest competition for Best Picture, which we (and many others) believed was "The Social Network."

Lea: It's a more "classic" film in a lot of ways

Z: true. it's uplifting, based on a true story, british, pre WWII

Lea: exactly. a really really great film though, don't get me wrong

Lea: i guess for me, TSN was so different and surprising. And i really came out of the movie ~feeling something, you know? It stuck with me

Z: right! jesse eisenberg's an anti-hero with a small moment of redemption

Lea: right? and who is the bad guy in the movie, really? is anybody?

Z: it's a classic story about how wealth changes relationships

me: right. it's ambiguous

Lea: and it's done in such an engaging way

Z: maybe the academy didn't like that aspect of it

Lea: who thought a movie about facebook would be so compelling, really

All in all, it was a night with some bright and inspiring moments, but not too many surprises. It was still a good year for film, though, and hopefully, next year will find us still swooning after a great leading man and good montages, but writing a different pretend letter to the Academy. See you in 2012, Oscars!

[image credits: mtv.com, oscar.go.com, smh.com.au]

[video credits: youtube.com]

83rd Annual Oscars

In my honest humble opinion the best part of the Oscar's was the Zach and Mandy duet (mostly the Zach part ;) I love that man.

But there were some really great movies this year and it just reminded me how swamped I am with school and how much I've been missing out on. So I've officially made a list of movies to see based on the nominations:

127 Hours

Black Swan

Fighter

The King's Speech (0verall winner of the night, not much surprise there)

The Social Network (I was wafting before but now it's a definite)

*And if I can remember the name of some of those shorts, you can be assured they'll be viewed by moi