Their debut album… Post-Idol.

How does Allison Iraheta’s debut album stack up against Kris Allen & Adam Lambert?

I have listened to all 3 albums (Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment, Kris Allen – s/t, Allison Iraheta – Just Like You). Coming from an unbiased perspective, allison’s debut album is vastly superior. Vocally and lyrically, each track was designed to establish her as a woman with a voice. Lambert’s album is too much performance, not enough substance. Allen lacks the personality or emotion to write a believable song. 

Release: November 17, 2009

Kris Allen finished in first place on the most recent season of “American Idol“, but did he really win?  To many, much of whatever credibility the Idol franchise still had, flew out the window when Kris Allen was voted the winner of the 8th season of American Idol. How he conquered any of the top five contestants, let alone eventual runner-up Adam Lambert, shall continue to astound. We’re (allegedly) talking nearly 100 million votes here folks! Surely good looks and a little charm can only get one so far in the music industry! So here we are six months after his victory and Allen has now delivered his self-titled debut to the masses. Anyone who saw just one of the 24 year old’s Idol performances already knows what this LP sounds like. It is that predictable, that safe and that average. It’s like vanilla ice-cream with very little topping. Not necessarily bad, but oh so boring.

Admirably, Allen has at least co-writing credits on nine of the thirteen tracks included here.  The majority of the album’s simple first half continues along in a nice enough fashion, with Allen’s inoffensively smooth vocals holding interest, if not exactly having listeners reaching for the repeat button. Unfortunately, as the album progresses, each piece gradually becomes slower and blander, until almost every song becomes instantly forgettable due to a lack of significant variation.

So by logical deduction, we can only come to one conclusion; It is all Kanye West’s fault. If Taylor Swift’s “best friend” had not recorded ‘Heartless’ in the first place, Allen could not have reworked it and would never have won American Idol. And if that were the case, I would seriously doubt that he would have even had the opportunity to release an album.

My Rating:  2/5

 

Released:  November 23, 2009

Most of you know who he is (yeah, the male version of Lady GaGa); it’s just a matter of whether or not you dismiss his debut album just by the cover. While it might be one of the worst covers of the year (and quite possibly ever), it is in fact catchy, infectious and boring at the same time. Musical talent aside it’s no phenomenon but it is one of the better American Idol records to date. Filled with many guest writers and stars alike, For Your Entertainment is nothing more than a catchy glam pop record that you will probably listen to a few times and leave it on the stack of mediocre records of 2009.

I thought he could come out with a ROCK record but he decided to go with the techno/electronic and all those mix of genres he came out with, I am not a fan of that! But, that is exactly what American Idol is about. They don’t select a winner to go ahead and make the music that they truly want to, it’s all about the money, album sales and the AI tour they do every year. While Lambert didn’t win the 8th season of the show, he stole the show with his glam inspired makeup, homosexual orientation and wild, high pitched singing. He did something that basically no other contestant has ever done: he pushed the limits and stuck out. You knew that you weren’t going to be getting much when you initially heard about this album anyways, so try not to be too crushed. Let’s just bow our heads and thank the good lord above that there was no Lady GaGa duet.

My Rating: 3/5

 

Released:  December 1, 2009

The boys got most of the attention on “American Idol” last season, but fourth-place finisher Allison Iraheta has the last laugh with the most consistent debut album thus far. Instead of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, the 17-year-old Los Angeleno and her phalanx of producers stick to what suits her raw and rocking pipes. The result is a fresh and sassy debut mixing catchy girl-power pop with rock flourishes, perfect for Top 40 radio.

Iraheta’s strength is her ability to plant her feet and belt out a tune, so it’s no surprise that most of the songs here are tailored to her big voice. Even the mid-tempo selections allow her flex her pipes. She comes across like a junior Pink or Kelly Clarkson on many of the tunes. Iraheta has found her sweet spot: powerhouse pop/rock melodies that allow her go from a whisper to a scream as warranted. For someone so young, she already has a knack for finding the right phrasing and emotional level for each song.

Her album is BY FAR the most superior, verging on being the BEST DEBUT IDOL ALBUM EVER! But unlike already hyped former idols, her success will come SLOWLY and SURELY . Her raw emotion, flawless vocals and unique own signature makes this one a pleasant piece of art. Girl. Can. Sang!

My Rating: 3,5/5

 

-eR_eL-

 

 

Fear not the weapon but the hand that wields it

I just watched this AWESOME movie, NINJA ASSASSIN with my best friend today in XXI Plaza Indonesia. I always love Ninja since I was a little boy. And I always love blood. So this movie really really meet my expectation! I’m so satisfied! Who knew that the most insanely violent, ridiculously brutal and psychotically gory film of the year would be Ninja Assassin. Wicked weapons, killer moves and bloody battles at its all-time Best. You want action? You got it. You want blood and gore? You got it. You wanna awe in silence? You got it.

Though Ninja Assassin is no work of storytelling perfection, it delivers what it promises: lots of fights and lots of violence. Limbs are lobbed off, stomachs are split open and heads are busted as the movie slashes its way from one fight scene to the next, delivering scenes of wicked weapons and bloody carnage that make even Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre look like a tame PG film. The fight choreography is well executed with a good mix of slow motion and frantic close-ups. Special effects and CGI are used to effectively give the movie a very comic book-like feel. Thankfully some erratic camera work (especially during the scene where Raizo is being chased through a busy street) does not feel distracting but enhances the frantic and lightning fast pace of the fights. Blood flows like rivers as Raizo proceeds to disembowel enemies; definitely not for the squeamish.

Synopsis: Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.

Release Date: 25 November 2009 (USA)
Director: James McTeigue
Genre: Action
IMDb Rating: 7,4/10 (1,080 votes)

 

All in all, don’t let that rancid “New Moon” hype keep you from buying a ticket to 99 minutes of pure ninja fun. And for all the squeamish, please don’t forget your barf bags as well. This ain’t no kiddie ride.

 

*Forget Naruto and all those brightly dressed, magic power spewing ninjas of recent anime. Ninja Assassin is the butt-kicking, face slashing answer to all that.

-eR_eL-

Sometimes love is hiding between the seconds of your life.

You find the most beautiful films when you least expect it. Have you seen “CASHBACK“? I LIKE this movie and I’ve watched it twice! Very original and fresh! Amazing camera work, wonderful acting, surreal characters in a very interesting story. It is cool – without being pretentious. It is beautiful and sexy – without being cheesy.

The name of this romantic comedy is little misleading, but it really doesn’t matter: although it’s a limited film, it reached a surprising level of popularity and people actually give very positive feedback about this movie. The idea of Cashback is fairly interesting: a guy suffering from insomnia can stop the time and he uses this ability to create a virtual naked girl during his boring night shift in the supermarket.

Plot: When art student Ben Willis is dumped by his girlfriend Suzy, he develops insomnia. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own “art” in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour-shift. Ben’s art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it – especially Sharon, the quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben’s insomnia.

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
IMDb Rating: 7,5.10  ( 18,579 votes)

This film is filled to the rim with the most beautiful stills, completed with several speeds of motion and feels right. Right in an artistically way. It is like watching a painting being painted,, like watching a poem being written, like listening to a song being composed. And at the end it all adds up and the completed picture is seen in all its beauty. All in all a really nicely designed film that belongs in the small theaters and in the art-houses.

 

“You just have to see that love is wrapped in beauty and hidden away in between the seconds of your life. If you don’t stop for a minute, you might miss it”

-eR_eL-

Conversation

In a second, I found this longing.

A good conversation, who can move and the sensory response is not only on the surface. I’ll know if it was in a conversation that I think is ‘good’ it. My brain will throb, remember, digesting, and then start writing something here. Often the pieces of conversation ‘good’ is still going until I remembered a long time.

Regardless of how much time I spend on Twitter, the efforts of trying to build a conversation, I do not take seriously all that. Just small talk among strangers who, if in the real world will be in bank queues, bus stops, or just a virtual form of, “Excuse me, now what time is it?”

I do not believe there is a good conversation that can occur in the 140 character limit.

If you want something more meaningful, do not look for it in the 140 character limit. Maybe you could find it, but do not expect to chances.

 

*Ms. Fiya, thanks for a nice, deep and precious conversation yesterday. We really are in the same frequency

-eR_eL-

Jennifer’s Body

Everybody loves Megan Fox right? If I did not have such big expectations, I would have may liked Jennifer’s Body more. But, whatever the way it is, I found it to be mediocre but worthy of a slight recommendation because I cannot deny that, in spite of its fails, it did not bore me. Jennifer’s Body appears to be a dark comedy. There are humorous parts that are related to some sort for sexual innuendo or blatant sexual act (such as the charming description of Jennifer, played by Megan fox, who had to sit on a bag of frozen vegetables after losing her ‘backdoor virginity.’). But there are good suspenseful horror moments I must admit.

Plot:
Nerdy, reserved bookworm Needy and arrogant, conceited cheerleader Jennifer are best friends, though they share little in common. They share even less in common when Jennifer mysteriously gains an appetite for human blood after a disastrous fire at a local bar. As Needy’s male classmates are steadily killed off in gruesome attacks, the young girl must uncover the truth behind her friend’s transformation and find a way to stop the bloodthirsty rampage before it reaches her own boyfriend Chip.

Genre: Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller
IMDb rating: 5.5/10 (8,985 votes)
Directed by: Karyn Kusama
Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody

Download Links:
here or here

 

#She’s evil… and not just high school evil.

-eR_eL-

Bare-Naked Survivor (Again)

Hey guys… wanna laugh?
‘Cause I’ve got a new movie for you… Hope you like it!

Guys from DOMiNO released a dvdrip of STV comedy Bare-Naked Survivor Again. This is a parody of popular TV show Survivor… without clothes. You can’t really expect anything wise from this movie, it’s classical clone of American Pie full of teenage humor, ideal for watching with couple of (male) friends. Stars porn star Aria Giovanni, Alexus Winston, Aimee Sweet, and Juliet Cariaga. Quality is good on 1 CD with mp3 audio and full screen resolution.

Synopsis: Sun, suds, a magical island, Bigfoot, Elvis and beautiful women perfect! In this hilarious parody the hot, sexy action continues in funny form as three former Playboy Playmates and three former Penthouse Pets romp in the sun and surf! (oh, and they do competitions and stuff too). Everyone will enjoy this parody of Survivor with inside jokes for fans of the show plus plenty of hilarious teenage humor for everyone else.

IMDb Rating: N/A
Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Oscar Cork
Starring: Aria Giovanni, Alexus Winston, Aimee Sweet, Juliet Cariaga, Julie K. Smith
Language: English
First Cinematic Release: N/A
Runtime: 1h 40mins

Download links:
part1, part2, part3, part4

 

#This is spicy! There are lots of porn stars. Just google the name of the cast if you dont know them

-eR_eL-

Taylor Swift beat MJ! You go girl!!

Taylor Swift won five awards from six nominations at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre on Sunday, November 22. Swift, 19, won for best female Pop/Rock Favorite Female Artist, Country Favorite Female Artist, Country Favorite Album, Adult Contemporary – Favorite Artist and Artiste of the Year.

She thanked her fans from across the pond in London over a satellite hookup. She is performing at Wembley Arena, in the city on Monday, November 23. “I will never be able to say how much I love you,” Swift told her fans.

Here is the complete list of winners:

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Michael Jackson – winner
T.I.

Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift – winner

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas – winner
Kings of Leon
Nickelback

Favorite Album
Lady Gaga / Fame
Michael Jackson / Number Ones – winner
Taylor Swift / Fearless

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban – winner

Favorite Female Artist
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift – winner
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts – winner
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Favorite Album
Rascal Flatts/ Unstoppable
Taylor Swift / Fearless – winner
Zac Brown Band / Foundation

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Jay-Z – winner
T. I.

Favorite Album
Eminem / Relapse
Jay-Z / Blueprint 3 – winner
T.I. / Paper Trail

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jamie Foxx
Michael Jackson – winner
Maxwell

Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce – winner
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas – winner
Day26
Mary Mary

SOUNDTRACKS

Favorite Album
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Hannah Montana 3
Twilight Soundtrack – winner

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Green Day – winner
Kings of Leon
Shinedown

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Daughtry
Jason Mraz
Taylor Swift – winner

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Aventura – winner
Luis Fonsi
Wisin Y Yandel

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist
Jeremy Camp
Brandon Heath
Mary Mary – winner

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Alternative – KINGS OF LEON
Country – TAYLOR SWIFT – winner
Pop/Rock – LADY GAGA
Rap/Hip-Hop – EMINEM
Soul/R&B – MICHAEL JACKSON

 

 * Taylor Swift is way MUCH better than MJ and she’s deserved that award. I’m so happy she wins ‘Artist of the Year! I think MJ (a dead guy) didn’t deserved an award since he hasn’t had an album since 2001. WTH did he do this year but die?

 
-eR_eL-

The Game Comes Full Circle

Mornin’ mate… How’s your weekend? Hope you have a blast weekend…
Btw, you know how much I LOVE blood right?:D So, today I want to post a new movie that I’ve been waiting since last month, SAW VI. I am a SAW fan since the first installment. It’s pretty amazing how a small film with essentially a two-man cast set predominantly in a stank toilet, could eventually spawn a franchise lasting 6 movies long now, and a contemporary cult anti-hero with Jigsaw and Tobin Bell the actor joining the hall of horror infamy. And what more too with the villain quite clearly not doing any killing himself, but does so indirectly through some mad scientist manner in creating ingenious contraptions that get audiences lapping up for more.

I loved SAW I, and I liked  SAW II, and III. However, SAW IV and V really disappointed me. Then SAW VI is a huge improvement over IV and V. One of the primary issues that many fans had with the previous two Saw films was that they delivered more questions than answers, to the point where – perhaps – there was too much build-up. Thankfully, however, the payoff is in this movie. I took a nice surprise with Saw VI, and I think it is the second best movie from this franchise (the first position still belongs to the brilliant first part).

Plot: Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood.

Genre: Horror | Thriller
IMDB rating: 6.5/10   (6,222 votes)
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Starring: Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell

#As a fan of Saw, I began to question the filmmakers when they continued after Saw III. Saw IV and Saw V were boring, poorly contrived and not well put together. However, Saw VI proves to be as likable as the original trilogy.

My Rating: 3,5/5

 

*After 6 films I kind of wonder where they can take the franchise from here. With VII and VIII confirmed, you have to wonder if these movies are ever going to match up to the original?

-eR_eL-

I thought vampires were meant to be interesting?!

*my review may contain some spoilers*

I don’t know if I’m lucky or not, but I’ve got the ticket to watch The Twilight Saga: New Moon yesterday. Special screening in Studio XXI EX (throughout this movie I felt like I was at a strip club. Every time Edward or Jakob appeared on screen all of the girls would scream! WtF?!).

Well, I am going to review this film while keeping in mind who it was intended for: Teenage Girls.

I didn’t like the first one and I HATE this one too. I will preface this review by saying that I have not read any of the twilight books, but I did watch the first movie before going to see this film, and I am looking at the series purely from a cinematic stand-point. With a new director on our hands, Chris Weitz, I actually had hopes for New Moon. Unfortunately, we got trash. Not only vampires are a joke to this story, but these movies are a joke and an embarrassment to cinema. I’m trying to not be cruel, because I honestly feel so sorry for this cast, since they don’t have much material to work with. For God’s sake they have lines like “Your breathing is my gift“, “You don’t belong in my world“, and “I couldn’t live in a world without you existing“. How could you work with soap opera lines like that? This film is so awful its unbelievable, I mean I thought the first one was awful, but this one takes it to another whole new level of awful. There was a moment where I was just gonna leave the cinema because it was so awful.

That being said, I thought this movie was a massive failure. The entire movie was very slow, long, and awkward. As I was watching it, it really felt like I was just watching a very long book unfold on screen, rather than a movie that is BASED on a book. To die-hard fans of the book, this could be considered a good thing, because all the fans really wanted to see was a movie that depicted all of the events of the book and followed it closely. By what I heard from book fans it seemed to have succeeded in that regard, but that is not at all to the film’s credit. The film just moved from one scene to the next as if it was counting off a large check-list of scenes that the fans wanted to see, most of which just consisted of very uncomfortable and boring one-on-one dialogues. The film had very little momentum, and was tedious to watch. This was mostly due to the structure and pacing of the film but also due to the characters.

All in all, I did enjoy a few scenes in this movie, but as a whole it was slow, incoherent, poorly acted, and a bit uncomfortable. If you’re a die-hard fan of the book, there’s a chance you’ll love it but if you’re looking for a truly cinematic experience, this isn’t it.

To sum this review up, this movie was made for the fans, which MOSTLY consists of 13-18 year old girls and desperate housewives. I’m not looking to insult anyone here, but after reading the books and seeing these two movies, I feel like my IQ sunk a few points.

Plot: Bella Swan is still very much in love with vampire, Edward Cullen. The rest of the vampire coven who call themselves the Cullens, especially Alice, decide to throw Bella a private party for her eighteenth birthday. Things go wrong when Bella slices her finger and thirst overcomes the vampires. As a result of the danger Bella was put through, the Cullen family decide to leave Forks, Washington. At first Bella exempts herself from all social activities, until she realizes she can coexist with childhood friend, Jacob Black. As usual for Bella, things aren’t what they seem. Something is happening to Jacob that he can’t explain to Bella, and their friendship starts to deteriorate. But when someone from Bella’s past comes back to haunt her, everything will change again. 

Genre: Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

IMDb rating: 4.4/10
Directed by: Chris Weitz
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson

My Rating: 2/5

 

# Ever since True Blood glamoured me, Twilight seems even more sexless and toothless. I prefer my undead with a little life in them.

*Also, this is not a vampire movie. Vampires burst into flames and die slowly and painfully in sunlight, not glitter like fairies. I don’t really know what those posing, pouting, entirely unintimidating things were, but they sure as hell weren’t vampires.

-eR_eL-

Gran Torino

This movie is released in January 9, 2009. But I just saw it yesterday. So fuckin’ late huh?

As Clint Eastwood reaches the end of his life, he presents us with yet another performance which is nothing short of legendary. Wishing to preserve the element of surprise, I will not reveal anything by trying to analyse this great work of art. I saw the film and it was unbelievable. Clint Eastwood will have you laughing so hard you almost pee yourself while at the same time breaking your heart and making you want to cry.

Plot: Clint Eastwood stars as a Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski who sets out to reform his neighbor a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.

“Walt Kowalski” (Eastwood), a racist Korean War veteran, becomes increasingly unhappy at the influx of Hmong people to his neighborhood. After he catches Tao (Vang), a teenage Hmong neighbor, attempting to steal his 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, the boy is forced by his tradition-oriented family to work for Kowalski in penance. Estranged from his children and grandchildren, and having just lost his wife, Kowalski gradually becomes friendly with Tao and his family, learning about Hmong culture. He attempts to protect Tao and his sister Sue (Her) from the gang.

Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10   (96,489 votes)
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Brian Howe, Bee Vang

 

#I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ll forever cherish this film. He really outdid himself this time! I’ve never dreamed I’d lay eyes on such a heart-wrenching film.

-eR_eL-