Idol 2013: It Begins!

Idol has finally begun! Well, for me anyway. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, this is where I'm beginning Idol. I could continue to write an intro, but it'd really end up being exactly what I wrote before. So, let's get to it:

Ladies Night in Vegas: The Top 10

Zoanette Johnson  "What's Love Got to Do With It?" by Tina Turner
It's fitting that the Vegas set Idol is working with tonight reminds me of The Voice... because this performance reminded me of The Voice. You know: loud, messy, pointless.... Eek.

Breanna Steer "Flaws and All" by Beyonce
I don't know what that was. I'm going to call that a terrible song choice, because I have no idea what Breanna is capable of going by this performance.

Aubrey Cleland "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Nerves? Too big a song for her voice? Hard to tell. The verses were fine, but her voice didn't soar like it should have in the chorus. Best of the three so far, but not spectacular.

Janelle Arthur "If I Can Dream" by Elvis
Randy calls for her to do something more throwback and classic-country... agreed completely. He meant it as a compliment, but I don't. The song is so simple, and Janelle tried to do too much to make it too modern, which didn't work for me. Definitely the best so far, but again, that's not saying a whole heck of a lot.

Tenna Torres "Lost" by Faith Hill
I think a more fitting title for this performance might be "lost lyrics"... It seems to me that Teena cared more about how her voice wrapped itself around the song than the diction. And that wrapping (which is how I can best describe it) was kind of sloppy. Interesting.

Angie Miller "Never Gone" by Colton Dixon
Now this is what I'm talking about. Give me an artist sanging what they believe in at the piano (yes, sanging), and I'm happy. While her tone did some weird things (perhaps it was the song, which I don't know), that performance was fantastic. Call me a sucker, but I loved that.

Amber Holcomb "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston
Whitney is such a boring, predictable choice. Always with the Whitney! But in any case, Amber sounded pretty good, overall, if a tad inconsistent. At times she sounded like she was trying to emulate Whitney (you will fail), at times she sounded a bit amateurish. But at times, it clicked in a big way. Next time... move away from Whitney.

Kree Harrison "Stronger" by Faith Hill
There it is. Not a perfect vocal by any means, but definitely the best vocal of the night so far. And I love the natural-feeling confidence Kree exudes... I can't even explain it. Loved me some Angie, but Kress is my favorite so far.

Adriana Latonio "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child
Rough. It seems like the whole performance was built around the big moments of the song, and it was really shaky otherwise. And even the big parts didn't work.

Candice Glover "Ordinary People" by John Legend
Not my style of music, but Candice nailed this performance. Absolutely nailed it in every way possible. Sorry Kree, Candice wins tonight.

Wrap Up

Some contestants absolutely nailed it tonight: big ups to Candice, Kree and Angie. But a big 'ole eek to Zoanette, Adriana and Breanna. We shall see how things work out, but there's a pretty clear separation, at least at the top end.

Before I reveal how I'll be voting, I need to touch on two new things to Idol 2013: the new judges and the app.

The Judges. As I wrote before, I really dislike Nicki Minaj. But you know what? I'm eating crow tonight. While I still don't like her whole schtick or whatever you want to call it, I absolutely loved her as a judge tonight. I found myself agreeing with her almost every single time, and I loved how she got her opinions across: shockingly succinct and often hilarious. I also enjoyed Keith Urban, but it did seem like he was coming across as the dreaded "nice judge". I would comment on Mariah... but she was on the other side of Randy, who gets fast forwarded through. Sorry Mariah.

The App. This thing is a beauty. When Seacrest first started chatting it up, I was reminded of the pretty crappy X Factor app, but the Idol one is lightyears better. Why? BECAUSE IT WORKS. Even though I was watching the show on DVR, the live-sync feature works beautifully, giving me all sorts of info on the contestants and the songs they were singing (which is good, because I didn't know a number of them tonight). The app also allows very simple voting, something I'll be taking part in this year (fun fact: I've only voted for Idol once, the season 9 final. Kris Allen all night long, baby.). Also, because of the way you allot votes, that is how I'll be "scoring" each night on Idol. So without further adieu...

Timm's Votes

Janelle - 3
Angie - 14
Kree - 16
Candice - 17

Candice won the night, but I can already tell Kree and Angie will likely emerge as my favorites. I also threw a few votes Janelle's way, because I appreciate a good country singer. Obviously, I would move those three on, with the fifth advancing female being Amber. And really, it's not even that close for me. Naturally, I'll be horribly, horribly wrong. But whatever.

As The 'JUSTICE LEAGUE' Movie Rumor Mill Turns...

Darkseid villian! Man of Steel cameos. Armie Hammer as Batman! No, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Batman! Just kidding, no Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Ryan Reynolds back as Green Lantern? No, scratch all that, let's focus on just Batman. Actually... how about Bale/Cavill?

C'mon already. This, amongst many other reasons, is why a Justice League movie is doomed from the get-go.

The Christian Bale rumor is the latest in a long line of speculation, just hitting the mainstream today. The key word here is a simple one: why? Why would Christian Bale return to the role? He's played the role three times to a huge success, culminating in a very satisfying, fitting end. The man is showered with acclaim whenever he's in a new film... he certainly doesn't need the cape and cowl. And from a story standpoint, didn't we leave him in a really good place? Never mind the fact that Bale's Batman isn't exactly the 'call up the aliens and other super powered guys for help' type. It's cheap, it's lazy, and it's a way too many steps towards tarnishing the legacy of a damn good trilogy of films.

However.

A comment on the firstshowing.net article about the new Bale rumors got me to thinking. The comment:

Bale would make sense if at the same time as justice League nolan or his brother made dark knight returns for late 2014 where robin does take on the mantle but gets killed so bruce comes back to avenge him and thus leads into justice League and would definitely be a reason for bruce to name his future sidekick Robin in honor of his fallen replacement!

This... this certainly could work. If there is a good story as to why Bale's Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham, then perhaps it could be massaged into something that works. How about this: The Dark Knight Rises suggests that Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake would take over the Batman mantle - perhaps something happens to prevent that from happening (as the commenter says, he is killed). Darkseid comes in, all but destroys Gotham, Bruce Wayne returns. Realizing that he is not the hero the city needs, he tracks down the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Flash and forms the Justice League, acting as the equivalent of The Avengers' Nick Fury. From there, you could introduce a character like a Dick Greyson to become Batman.

Alternatively, just drop Christian Bale all together. Drop this Robin/John Blake as Batman creation from The Dark Knight Rises. Have Man of Steel launch a new Justice League universe (or have it continue the universe began in Green Lantern). Ignore the whole Dark Knight trilogy. Cast someone new as Bruce Wayne. Cast someone new as Green Lantern if you want to ignore that film too. Make it work.

Unfortunately, judging by how long it's taking this Justice League movie to get off the ground or really gain any sort of traction... that won't happen. And when it will, it will probably be more Green Lantern then Batman Begins, in that it'll be a mess. Which is really too bad.

#OW12: The Grand Finale

It's Oscar Sunday! Which means, ready or not, my #OW12 series is officially complete.... and I'm ready. I know, I know, I didn't watch Amour, but that's alright. If it shocks the world and wins one of the big awards, I'll go back and watch it, but I highly doubt that will happen. So, without further adieu, here are the official timmmc.com Oscar Watch 2012 picks.

Best Director

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

This is an award that SHOULD be going to Ben Affleck for Argo. But that's neither here nor there (yet... do read on). This is an award that I would rather see go to David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) or Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild). But since Affleck isn't nominated (!), Spielberg will probably take home his third Oscar in the category. I don't mean to take away from Spielberg by naming three other directors that I'd rather take the honor, as his work on Lincoln was exemplary, but that's how I feel. Ang Lee winning for Life of Pi wouldn't surprise me too much, either, as that film certainly was something to see.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

This category is so much of a landslide that I actually had to look up who else was nominated as a refresher to write this (for reference: Field, Adams, Hunt, Weaver). I would be absolutely floored if Hathaway doesn't take the award home. IF there is an upset, I'll go on a limb and say it'd be Amy Adams (The Master). Or Sally Field (Lincoln). Actually, Field would probably be more likely, but Adams would be the better choice.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

De Niro is, literally, my third different pick for this award.... and I haven't filled out my pool picks for the Oscar party I'm attending tonight. At first I figured Tommy Lee Jones was going to ride the Lincoln wave, but the Lincoln wave has seemed to subside. Then I thought Django Unchained's Christoph Waltz would take it, as he was the only one to really show me something new in the category, but then my attention was brought to De Niro. All of the nominees in this category are former winners, but De Niro hasn't won since 1981. So, I'm making that my tie breaker. When I fill out my pool later, Philip Seymour Hoffman from The Master may well be my pick. I'm so indecisive with this category! And to round it out, the last time Alan Arkin received an Oscar nomination, people questioned how that happened... and he won. People are questioning how he got one this year, too...

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

I wish I could write Hugh Jackman here... but his at times shaky vocals in Les Misérables quite likely will be his undoing. DDL, however, was spot on 100% of the time in Lincoln, so I'd really be quite surprised to see anyone else winning this one. 

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

This is a category where I had to make a very tough call. Lawrence was spectacular, Jessica Chastain was spectacular in Zero Dark Thirty, Quvenzhane Wallis was spectacular in Beasts of the Southern Wild, and I hear Emmanuelle Riva and Naomi Watts were spectacular in Amour and The Impossible, respectively. Lawrence, however, is the "it" actress at the moment, lining up big gig after big gig, and starring in two huge franchises on top of them. I assume that means she is as well loved around Hollywood as I love her. So, she's my pick.

Best Picture

Argo

I really, really loved Argo. I would indeed say that it was my favorite of all the films nominated this season, by a healthy margin, actually. But, I would say this award is due to the Academy's politics almost as much as it is about how fantastic the film really is. I'm not going to speculate as to why Ben Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director, because obviously, I have no idea. Snubs are often largely treated with a "we're sorry for you", but then a shrug... but it hasn't seemed like that has happened with Affleck's snub. In fact, it really seems to me that Hollywood has rallied around Affleck and the film, as evidenced by the film winning every single major Best Picture award so far (or, the equivalent of it), and Affleck all the Best Director awards. In any other year, I would actually pick Zero Dark Thirty for top honors due to it's timeliness as much as it's content, but this is Argo's year.

Final timmmc.com Oscar Watch 2012 Rankings

With all my reviews so far, I've added a star system. These were done arbitrarily and not really relative to anything. Here's that ranking:

5 stars:  Argo

4.5 stars:  Zero Dark Thirty, Looper

4 stars:  Beasts of the Southern Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, Moonrise Kingdom, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Misérables, Skyfall, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

3.5 stars:  Django Unchained, Lincoln, The Life of Pi

2.5 stars:  The Master

Obviously, not really relative to each other. I'm not going to rank ALL the movies I watched for this year's project, but I did rank the Best Picture nominees (save for Amour), so I'll share that:

1. Argo
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. Les Misérables
5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
6. Django Unchained
7. Lincoln
8. The Life of Pi

And with that, #OW12 is officially completed. As I've written before... I absolutely love it. I already look forward to #OW13!

American Idol Season 12

So, if you're a regular reader of the site (I'm huge in the UK, you know), you'll notice that I haven't blogged a word about the new season of American Idol. And there's a good reason for that: I haven't watched a single minute.

Why? Well, I really dislike Nicki Minaj. I don't get her in the slightest. I have no interest in watching her on my television screen. But, I love American Idol... what a dilemma!

So for this season, I've opted to completely skip the non-live portions of the show. I decided that I really don't have to watch the finely edited shows where it's all Nicki, fake feuds and pimping of early producer favorites. Sure, all three obnoxious Idol sideshows are all present when the show goes live, but at least it's in a show filled with music ("filled" used lightly, of course).

Now don't get me wrong: I fully acknowledge that she could be a decent judge on Idol. That may be, and I fully allow for that... but I have no interest in it anyway. At least with the live shows, I've trained myself to almost completely ignore the judges.

Apparently, this week and next week, Idol is in Vegas with the top 40 contestants... so I'll probably start watching this week. Perhaps I'll put up a blog at some point about it. Assuming I don't give up on the Nicki Show after that, expect regular recaps to start up once voting starts (which, I read, is March 5).

#OW12: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin

Directed by Benh Zeitlin

Starring Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry

Released June 27, 2012

Watched February 7, 2013

timmmc.com score: 4/5 stars
Contenders: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Wallis)

Beasts of the Southern Wild… what a curious movie! Was unsure for at least 95%, but completely enchanted by the end. #timmmcreviews
— Timm McIntosh (@timmmc) February 8, 2013

What a curious, curious film.

The film runs a crisp 93 minutes long. The opening of the film, in which young Hushpuppy (played by the truly spectacular Quvenzhané Wallis) introduces her world of "The Bathtub" (it's not what it sounds) is absolutely spellbinding in every way. I'd say that runs around 5 minutes. As the film went on, however, I found my mind wandering, checking the clock, wondering what the point was of the film, why such random things were happening on the screen. Then came the last 5 minutes of the film. Without spoiling anything, I found myself in tears, absolutely captivated by the way everything came together and formed something so wonderful. Now, I sit here in awe of how indifferent I was to the film as I watched, but how much I really enjoyed it looking back.

Curious indeed!

I don't think I can say enough about Quvenzhané Wallis's performance. And to look at her Wikipedia page and to learn that this was her first acting gig, and she's only 9 years old (6 when the film was made)? Unreal. I know who my sentimental favorite is on Oscar Sunday!