Meet the eclectic contenders of The Glee Project

L-R: Damian, Bryce, Samuel, Alex, Emily, Lindsay, Hannah, Cameron, McKynleigh, Ellis, Matheus & Marissa

This is a great way to keep Gleeks everywhere updated during the hiatus of Glee. The new reality competition called The Glee Project somehow makes the audience feel like they’re part of the process of selecting a new character for the series. Whether or not it will be a major role, this is a big deal since Ryan Murphy will decide the winner alongside the mentors namely: Robert Ulrich (Glee casting director), Zach Woodlee (Glee choreographer) and Nikki Anders (Glee vocalist/songwriter).

The first episode has just premiered and the theme was Individuality with Darren Criss as the guest mentor. The group performed Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours in the challenge and Matheus made a great impression. He actually looks like a real-life gleek if you know what I mean. I love the Firework music video they did too; every single one of them has something different to offer. But the ones that stood out for me are Hannah (the full-figured redhead), Cameron (the ‘musician’), Ellis (the adorable hippie girl), Samuel (the rocker) and Damian (the Irish cutie). In the end, Bryce failed to shine and was eliminated. I’m ecstatic about episode 2 since the theme will be Theatricality and of course there will be a Gaga number and Idina Menzel will be guest mentor. I have a new TV addiction yey!

Rants of a singing competition enthusiast

You know damn well I’m talking about American Idol, hehe. The finale performance is due tomorrow night and once again I’m gobsmacked from the last elimination. Worse than season 8 (season 9 was meh), my faves didn’t even make it to the finale. Yes I was betting on a Haley – James showdown, actually there could’ve been a Casey somewhere in there too. Casey has musicality and he plays different instruments but I think his main asset is personality.

For those saying James is an Adam 2.0, yes to some extent I agree and to be honest Adam was more versatile in his performances. But from this season’s contestants, James got the attitude and is far surer of himself as an artist than anyone. As for the screaming, I have accepted that its part of the whole rock persona (ehem Steven). And I’m not one to use the sympathy card but I have to say you gotta admire him more in spite of his tourette’s and asperger’s – a form of autism.

With Haley, I like her cause she has that unique and raspy voice that if ever will be exciting to hear in the sea of boring recording artists these days. I’m not saying she’s the best of the season but in the Top 3, she is. And yes I hated her early on cause she seemed fake and her song choices were blah but she is the most improved and each week she bloomed on stage. Her voice got the ‘umph’ and in case you haven’t noticed she’s got some feistiness in there too especially when the judges gang up on her. I’m sorry but I do think they don’t give her enough love and seems harsher on her. When did they ever put Lauren and Scotty in the hot seat? Ya I thought so.

My problem with our 2 youngest finalists ever (16 & 17) is that they’re good performers but not great. If you’re an avid Idol fan you’d agree with this: I didn’t have a ‘wow’ moment with Lauren throughout the season: no jaw drops, no giddy feeling, no standing o (even though I’m just in my room watching). It’s always safe with her, just enough to gather in those votes. Having said that I did like her from the very beginning, cue in the likeability factor but gosh again this is a singing competition.

Scotty, scotty, what can I say? Hmm… I definitely think he’ll win I’m 99% sure of that. He’s charming and different but as weeks passed it gotten dull which will pretty much sum up the upcoming performance night. There’s not much you can expect from him but I guess millions of teenage girls will disagree with me, if you know what I mean.

I’m sure these two must be the sweetest kids ever but I don’t think they have ‘it’. I don’t think I’ll buy their records. Then again, winning this whole thing doesn’t necessarily make you a successful artist. So yeah, weird enough it doesn’t matter in the end. More than anything, Idol has become a mere popularity contest. However if we stick to the show’s premise, they’re looking for the best and they, for me, are not the best.

So Why Watch The Voice?

The new and improved (?) American Idol is halfway through the competition this year and its doing great, Simon Cowell is busy bringing X-Factor to the US (Antonio “L.A.” Reid already signed up to be one of the judges) and now another singing competition? So why watch ‘The Voice’, huh? Upon hearing the mechanics of the show maybe, just maybe, you’ll think twice.

The new NBC show hired 4 judges to coach the hopefuls: Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton and will be hosted by Carson Daly. This is an interesting batch of people I have to admit (not only because of Xtina). These mentors will judge the contestants based only on their voice, literally, since their backs will be turned on the contestants therefore giving them a more “objective” approach in determining who gets in. “It’s not about breaking these people down but more about building them up”, Christina said in an interview. In order to get the contestant on his/her team, they will have to hit the “red button” first. After that the judges will mentor these contestants in their performances which will then be judged by America.

Sounds like a good idea, right? Still, I don’t know if the show will keep me glued to my screen. I might check out it’s premiere to see how it plays out. But until then, I can’t decide. How ’bout you? What do you think?

The Christina Meltdown: Is there really or we just want her to?

Getting arrested for public intoxication definitely is not normal for the pop star but at least she wasn’t the one driving the vehicle, her boyfriend Matthew Rutler is. People are talking about how he’s a bad influence, others about how she shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place. But the mugshot’s already leaked and even Pink had a field day with it. So what is happening to the dirrty diva?

They say it started with the divorce that turned into partying and drinking. A rumor even came out about her crashing and passing out on Jeremy Renner’s bed. A lot has been said about her gaining weight as well. And then there were the flubs: the National Anthem lyrics on the Super Bowl and the slip on the Grammy’s causing her to fall. Maybe there is something wrong with her but is it really the signs of a downward spiral we often see starlets head to? Does she need a rehab stint? For me, if that will help her why not? I mean she may not be in Lindsay status yet but will the people around her wait for that to happen? I hope not. I think she just needs to take a break and be with her family, especially her son Max.

It’s our turn to judge American Idol

So what do you think of the new (well except Randy) panel of judges? The Top 13? Or just the show in general? Me, I thought it was surprisingly good compared to last season, whatever that was. I do miss Simon and his comments but at least the producers were thinking because they didn’t try and get another “Simon”. At first I wasn’t sure about Steven nor Jennifer but the two actually work and you can sense their sincerity. I wish they replaced Randy too but three’s a good number. Can I just add: why is Adam Lambert in the opening credits? When did he win? ;-P I mean, he was my bet and it wouldn’t be a big deal if they included other successful contestants from past seasons but he’s the only non-winner featured, plus they never did that before. If I was Kris Allen I would throw a fit.

Let’s go to the contestants. From the Top 24 only 13 emerged victorious, 3 of which was chosen through a wildcard round. This is only the 2nd time AI had 13 finalists, the first time was when Anoop was given a spot which I didn’t get. Only Naima deserved the 2nd chance. If I had a say I wanted Kendra to go forward too, Stefano and Ashton were blah. From the Top 10 America voted, James blew me away. I’m not a rock fan but if he can deliver that first performance all throughout the competition, he can win this. But then there’s Jacob and Jacob can sing, man! Amazing! Scotty is oh so country but you’ll love him with that deep voice and twang. Personality wise, Casey stands out and I’m curious on what he can offer. For the girls, I love 15 & 16 yo Thia and Lauren A. I can’t believe all that talent come from such a young age. Pia’s “Stand by me” was such a knock-out moment for her and I think Latina Karen will bring flavor in the competition. To round up the Top 13, you have Haley and Paul. This is going to be an interesting year. I guess I’ll be staying tune all season, hopefully they won’t pull another “Adam” on me.