Macbook Transformer Video

This is a fun video, in french, of an Apple macbook changing into a robot.

American Idol 2009 - Final Thoughts

I've been a little bit busy these last few weeks and I haven't posted on American Idol thoughts. Well, today is the day for the final thoughts of the year.

Let's talk about TOP 3 week. I did miss Alison's voice this week, but the guys were good. Gokey started off the night with "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby. I thought he acquitted himself nicely and I enjoyed the night. I don't see him singing a song like that on his album though. Kris Allen was next with "Apologize". I thought he did great with that one. I felt like he was unfairly criticized for singing the song as the song and not trying to re-arrange it. I thought he did great. This guy was growing on me I thought. Adam Lambert was next with U2's "One". He did good. I didn't love it, but it was fine. Danny next did "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Probably one of his best of the season. Brilliant. Finals here we come I thought. Kris did a stripped down version of "Heartless". He blew me away. I didn't think he had a chance of making the finals and the judges basically say the same thing. Brilliant and powerful performance. Adam finished up the night with "Cryin'" by Aerosmith. I thought he did a great job and I'm assuming it's Danny and Adam in the finals. I was very surprised that Kris made it, but I was really happy for the guy. He seemed to get better and better and I think I'll really enjoy listening to his record when it comes out.

Finale. A battle between Glambert and Allen. What surprised me the most with the finale was that the contestants couldn't sing what they wanted. Very strange to me. They did such a great job all season that I thought they deserved to pick their own songs all the way. Whatever though. Every year they seem to do something different format wise for the finale and this year I just didn't care for the approach. Adam did a big theater performance of "Mad World" which was really good. He seemed to love it. Kris followed it up with "Ain't No Sunshine" which I thought was again fantastic. Maybe even better than the first time he did it. I downloaded the iTunes version and that recording is even better than both performances. Next up was Lambert with "A Change is Gonna Come" which even though he didn't pick it, I thought he was really great on that one. Allen was next with "What's Going On". I thought it was really nice stripped down piece. Judges tore him apart for being too small and too intimate. This is who the guy is. Dumb comments. Anyway, on to the final performances where each guy needs to perform the same song written for the finale. I thought it was a stupid decision. I didn't think the song suited either performer. The finale Idol songs are always schmaltzy and this one was one of the worst. I didn't like either performance. To be fair, I've listened to them back and downloaded the iTunes recordings of each performer. They're not that bad, but I think both singers will have better tracks on their albums when they come out.

Finale and Results. Floored that Kris won. Really was. So happy for the guy. He needed the win more than Adam. Adam is being groomed as a superstar, so not winning isn't gonna hurt him at all. The performances were really fun. I loved the guys singing with Queen. I really loved Adam with KISS. Who knew I'd like that. Even though I said all season that I hated Adam, he's not that bad. Overall, the show was good. They focused on performances and let lots of people shine. Not sure how some people get more exposure than others. I mean Anoop gets to sing a few lines and Michael Sarver and Megan get a duet? I was happy to see Alison shine with Cyndi Lauper. Really good performance. David Cook's heartfelt performance of "Permanent" was amazing. All in all, a good year for Idol.

To close out my Idol thoughts on the season, I thought it was a year filled with lots of good performances and some people that didn't live up to expectations. It will be interesting to see how this group does after the idol bubble ends. Alison, Adam and Kris all have record deals already and will be bringing out albums in the fall. We'll see what happens.

no clue movie review: The Hangover

I loved this movie. Freaking hilarious. I found the plot to be completely out there, but I didn't care. I laughed out loud in the theater for the entire movie and I haven't done that in ages. Rude, crude, unbelievable, raunchy, and most of all funny. The cast is great. Bradley Cooper needs to do more movies. I remember him from Alias, but he was fantastic in this flick. I really hope that this opens up more opportunities for this guy because he is a great likable actor. Ed Helms brilliant. Zach Galifianakis was too much. The rest of the cast is top notch. Todd Philips is the man for delivering this funny funny flick. This film doesn't scream technical achievement, but it looked good. This movie is not for the whole family, it's a hard R and only good for the adults.

If you want to laugh, watch this movie.

American Idol - Top 4 ROCK WEEK

May 5th, 2009 - Top 4 ROCK WEEK

My initial reaction is that this was an excellent show. Freaking great. All the performances were fantastic. I loved it. I know that someone has to go tomorrow, but I'm glad to have watched and heard such great performances.

Adam - Crazy ass Adam. He pulled out an amazing performance tonight.
Alison - I loved it. I thought it was one of her best.
Kris - I really liked his. I guess if someone has to go, it could be him. But I really liked his "Come Together".
Danny - I enjoyed this immensely. I know I should say "i wasn't into it", but I liked it.

Duets: I really liked the idea and the performances. I didn't like that it was part of a performance night, since this was definitely something that should have been better suited for elimination night. I mean you can't vote for a duet? Strange. But the performances were great. Adam and Alison should release some music together because they kicked ass. Kris and Danny should consider it too since they sounded great together.

A very talented group. I loved all the performances. I guess Kris will probably go, but who knows. It will be interesting and I hear that Daughtry is performing a new song tomorrow night. Looking forward to that.

Buffalo Niagara Film Festival

Buffalo Niagara Film Festival opened today at the historic Rivera Theater in North Tonawanda, NY. My hometown. I love this theater. It's gorgeous. And Louis Gossett Jr. was there. Would've been neat to see, but I'm glad to see that they are taking advantage of using that theater. Good luck everyone!

Read the article from the Tonawanda News.

Watch Dollhouse Week #4 & #5

DAY 4: A Spy In The House Of Love
This was originally episode 9.

It starts out with Eliza Dushku in a dominatrix outfit. Excellent. This episode is a non-linear story which jumps around a bit. Here goes. Spy discovered inside the dollhouse when Topher finds a chip. Questions a bunch of folks. Dominic enlists the help of an imprinted special agent Sierra. She goes on a Sydney Bristow "Alias" like mission where she grabs government documents to help pinpoint the spy. Meanwhile, Echo tells Topher to let her help. Interesting... Ballard finds out that Millie is a sleeper doll and gets another message from inside the dollhouse. This fast paced episode doesn't let up there. We found out that Victor's repeated lonely hearts mission involves him having an affair with DeWitt. DeWitt is imprinting a doll for her own use? Again, interesting. Echo finds out that Dominic is the spy. AWESOME! DeWitt orders him to be sent to the attic. Basically a memory wipe and being put in a box. Might as well have killed him. But before that, he tries to kill Echo, AGAIN! Boyd becomes the new head of security. Fast paced, multi-layered, lots of secrets revealed. Excellent stand out episode.


DAY 5: Haunted
This was originally episode 10.

This episode is a bit different than the others. This involves Echo getting imprinted with the memories of a dead woman to help her solve her murder. It mostly involves guest stars and not cast members. We found out that this woman is a friend of DeWitt's. We also see that Topher is allowed by DeWitt to imprint a doll for a "diagnostic" session. It really is Topher's birthday and he's imprinting Sierra to be his buddy & companion. I liked this episode even though at times it was playing out like a murder mystery or playing Clue. Either way, it's a good episode that shows a few more layers. I do miss the main storyline and cast though in this one since we see them so little. I guess this universe is growing on me. I'm allowing for the stories to go off on tangents and I'm starting to engage in the characters, even though a good deal of them are changing a bit every week. I like that this show is constantly putting its characters into moral grey zones. Looking forward to seeing what Mr. Whedon and company have in store for us next time.

Next up is tonight's all new episode #11 "Briar Rose" and then next week is the season finale. This is the end of Watch Dollhouse Week.
REMEMBER
You can always watch episodes online on Hulu, plus you can get them on FOX ON DEMAND. Both Hulu and Fox on Demand are FREE. Plus, you can buy from Amazon or iTunes.

In the next 2 episodes I'm looking forward to finding out more about Alpha - the doll that went crazy that we keep hearing about. I think he may be behind all the leaks, but I'm really curious to see what's going on.