Go See “The Sapphires” Now!

We’re almost at the summer movie season and 2013 hasn’t yielded many great films until now with The Sapphires. This Australian dramedy follows a group of young Aboriginal sisters and their cousin who form a singing group in 1968 and try to achieve fame in a racially divided country (much like the U.S. at the time). Unfortunately, their best hope for success is a chance to entertain American troops in Vietnam spearheaded by their lush of a manager Dave Lovelace played by Bridesmaids‘ Chris O’Dowd. While it may sound like an Australian/Aboriginal take on Dreamgirls, the film is so much more. Along with great performances of wonderful soul tunes of the era, the girls face sexism, prejudice and the true threat of life or death in a polarizing war. The Sapphires treads the line between the comedy and the horrors of war beautifully under the magical direction of Wayne Blair. And the performances from the lead actors are uniformly fantastic with Deborah Mailman making the strongest impression as the oldest sister and O’Dowd in his finest, most human performance to date. It’s no wonder this film swept the Australian Oscars and was a sensation at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. I truly can’t recommend the film any more. I fully expect it to be a big player at next year’s Golden Globes as well. Go see it now. You will laugh, cry and have a fantastic time with The Sapphires. Grade: A

The Sapphires trailer:

“Smash” Can’t Let Go of Jennifer Hudson

The second season of Smash has been firing on all cylinders with great new characters and story lines. I’m really loving it and I wish the ratings were higher. However, I will enjoy it as long as it’s on the air and one of the biggest reasons is the fantastic guest arc by Oscar/Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson. Playing a Broadway star looking to grow as an artist and leave her mother’s (the great original Dreamgirls star Sheryl Lee Ralph) controlling shadow, Hudson is wonderful. She’s sweet and sincere with a nice undercurrent of frustration and fear. Her pipes are in glorious Dreamgirls form and last night’s episode featured her character Veronica Moore doing a “one night only” show. I’ve got the amazing final number for you below, “Can’t Let Go”, which I immediately bought at iTunes when the show ended last night. After watching a number like this, I don’t know how Smash can let go of Hudson. Her guest stint is set to end soon, but hey, maybe she’ll grab an Emmy nomination for the role. Better yet, she could win and be 3/4 of the way to an EGOT! … We will see. In the meantime, enjoy Hudson’s thrilling performance of “Can’t Let Go” below and watch the fantastic and underrated Smash Tuesday nights on NBC. Oh and PS~ Emmy winner Sean Hayes joins the show next week~ even more of a reason to watch Smash!

Smash~ Veronica Moore (Jennifer Hudson) “Can’t Let Go”

Check out the Amazing Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Mis Medley from the Oscars Again

My favorite moment of Sunday’s Oscar telecast was the musical medley of the fantastic and Oscar-winning musical films Chicago, Dreamgirls and Les Miserables. Oscar winner Catharine Zeta-Jones did a nice job opening the segment with “All that Jazz” but it really kicked into gear with an astounding performance by Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson singing her iconic Dreamgirls song “And I Am Telling You I am Not Going”. It was a brilliant moment that netted her a much deserved standing ovation. Following J Hud, was the wonderful ensemble of Les Miserables featuring newly minted Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crow, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveitt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter with a medley of “Suddenly/I Dreamed a Dream/One Day More” that also yielded a standing O. I have to say that Barks and Tveitt stole that number which is not too surprising considering they’re the seasoned stage performers of the group. All in all, I absolutely loved the whole musical shebang and I’m thrilled that these amazing movies and performers were singled out again. It’s an incredible moment and I have it for you again below. Enjoy!

Chicago/Dreamgirls/Les Miserables Oscar Medley

American Idol Quick Wrap 5-9-11~ Jessica Throws Down the Gauntlet!

The voice of this season’s American Idol will not be denied, and tonight that voice declared “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going”. It was a fitting sentiment for Jessica Sanchez who was shockingly almost eliminated a few weeks ago as she utterly destroyed the competition on tonight’s show with that iconic Dreamgirls number and a wonderful Etta James cover. I was thrilled that she threw down the gauntlet and proclaimed her rightful place at the top of this race with those numbers. It’s even more incredible considering Joshua Ledet gave arguably his best performance to date as well…. So, what does it all mean for tomorrow’s elimination? Well, you can probably guess who’s safe… But for more clarification, let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions from tonight’s Idol where they tackled “Songs they wish they had written” and “Songs by Californian artists.” (Yes, I thought those were pretty odd themes too in case you’re wondering.)

American Idol Performance Rankings 5-9-11

~the great
1. Jessica “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going”: singing the ultimate diva anthem, Jessica literally blew the roof off the joint. She made wonderful versions of this song previously sung on the show by the likes of Tamyra Gray and Lakisha Jones seem pedestrian in comparison and I’d say she made both Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson proud. This vocal was simply brilliant. Everything about this performance was perfection. Simply astounding. And she finally got her much deserved standing ovation from the judges. I believe it was her first since her brilliant “I Will Always Love You” rendition months ago!
2. Joshua- “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”: holy crap was that one fantastic performance?!! It was easily Joshua’s best, most nuanced, emotional and vibrant performance. He really interpreted the song perfectly and his vocals were naturally amazing resulting in yet another standing “O”. And this standing ovation I totally approve of for once!
3. Jessica- “Steal Away”: singing Etta James classic blues number “Steal Away”, Jessica showed a sexy and powerful side that easily was the best of the “California” numbers. She was mature beyond her years in this number, and it still felt so natural for her. Fantastic!
~ the good
4. Phillip- “Volcano”: I was truly surprised at how much I liked this one. Our heart-throb really gave a layered and moving performance of this great song by Damian Rice. The background singer helped a bit too, but it was still one of his best numbers of the season…. And I say all that despite him still sounding very much like Dave Matthews on it.
5. Hollie- “Faithfully”: our cutie patootie really sang this Journey power ballad beautifully, especially the second half. While I wish she had picked something younger and fresher (perhaps No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” or “Hella Good”) for her “Cali” song, I still really liked this. And she looked so pretty doing it! (love the wind fans!)
~ the ok
6. Joshua- “You Raise Me Up”: singing Josh Groban’s iconic uplifting ballad, Joshua was predictably good. However, it was all so predictable. And I felt his gospel’d up arrangement stripped the song of some of its simple true emotion. It was a nice vocal, but the whole thing felt a bit forced.
7. Hollie- “I Can’t Make You Love Me”: Hollie sang this beautiful song very well. Unfortunately, she paled in comparison to the heart-breaking original by Bonnie Raitt, not to mention the amazingly haunting versions by George Michael, Adele and original recipe Idol Kelly Clarkson. It was lovely, but rather forgettable in the end.
8. Phillip- “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”: Phillip did a fine job on this Credence Clearwater Revival hit and he clearly seemed to be enjoying himself throughout. I liked that it didn’t evolve into a Dave Matthews song, but overall, it was rather unremarkable. Thus, it ends up at the bottom of the list.

Duets & Group Performances:
1. Joshua/Phillip- “This Love”: this version of Maroon 5′s # 1 hit really got moving as it went along and by the end it was pretty darn entertaining. I think this one was a million times better than their duet from last week too.
2. Hollie/Jessica- “Eternal Flame”: I liked this one a LOT more than the judges. It was quite pretty, thank you very much. And how can you not love this # 1 smash from 1989 by the Bangles?
3. Hollie/Jessica/Joshua/Phililp- “Waiting for a Girl/Boy Like You”: um, that was plain weird. Sorry

Predicitons~
Bottom 2: Hollie and Phillip (yes, I think he may finally land here!!!)
Buh Bye: Hollie

Well, it looks like Hollie’s long and rather roller coaster run on Idol may finally come to an end tomorrow night. This dark horse has survived long after many thought she would fall and I have to give her big props for that… Now, if she can make it one more week and knock off Phillip, I would be over the moon! …. We will see. Now, let me see what you thought of tonight’s show. Sound off below.

The Only Good Thing about “The X Factor”

I quit watching The X Factor a few months back for so many reasons. It’s the most over-produced manipulated, over-hyped, irritating reality competition I’d ever seen. Most of the talent was not very good. The judges were annoying and ridiculous (don’t get me started on Nicole Scherzinger who I used to like before the show). The host, Steve Jones, was hot but a robot and out of his element. The dancers, the lights, the assurance that they were all superstars before any of them had done a darn thing made me wanna puke. It was just a mess…. At least in the end, it ended with one positive note~ the right person took home the title. As my roommate and a few friends alerted me, “Unlike American Idol at least the right person won X Factor“. Well, I can’t argue with that because Melanie Amaro, the first winner of this hot mess, was by far the only reason to watch that dreadful show. The girl can sang. So, to honor her, not the show, take a listen to her performing Beyonce‘s “Listen” (originally from the musical Dreamgirls). I’m actually curious to see what she can do outside of the show because with that voice, the sky is the limit. And thank goodness, she won’t have to deal with the rest of that X Factor crap shenanigans. Congrats Melanie~ I think you can rise above.

Melanie Amaro “Listen”

Glee “Asian F” Highlights

Well, the title of this week’s Glee may have been “Asian F”, but I gave last night’s episode a big “A” grade. It was by far the best of the season and incorporated everything we love about the show from the first season. Plus, the spotlight shined on two of our fave glee clubbers who don’t get much attention, Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.). The former went all diva in her Jennifer Hudson audition song (I shared that with you the other day) and her Dreamgirls and Fame numbers while the latter had his first great singing solo on “Cool” (which unfortunately I cant find any video of yet). We also had some beautifully played moments with Mike (hello Shum has become quite the actor) and his parents. Great stuff. And of course, it culminated in a gorgeous version of Coldplay’s “Fix You” by Mr. Shu (Matthew Morrison) and the kids. Check out the song highlights below.

Rachel (Lea Michelle) & Mercedes “Out Here on my Own” (from Fame)

Glee Club “It’s All Over” (from Dreamgirls)

Brittany (Heather Morris) w/Santana (Naya Rivera)- “Run the World (Girls)” (originally done by Beyonce, and hello, this version actually made me like the song!)

Mr. Shu & the Glee club “Fix You”

Jennifer Hudson will make you Dance!

She’s got an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy and now she wants to rule the dance floor… Jennifer Hudson may be best known for her big booming voice and her award-winning role in Dreamgirls, but she’s also carved out a niche as a dance diva. She’s had several dance club smashes with the remixes of her hits “Where You At?”, “If this Isn’t Love”, “Spotlight” and “And I am Telling You”, and now she’s got two more ready to hit the floor. She’s already climbing the charts with the remix of “No One Gonna Love You”, the second single off her sophomore album, I Remember Me, but she also has a brand new track with the current king of the dance floor, David Guetta. The song off of his sophomore album, Nothing but the Beat, due Aug 29th is entitled “Night of Your Life” and it’s smokin! Watch for it to annihilate the dance floors any day now. Check out the new single from these powerhouses below and for more on Jennifer who also stars in the biopic Winnie hitting theatres at year’s end, head to her website here.

David Guetta & Jennifer Hudson “Night of Your Life”

And here’s here current dance floor smash “No One Gonna Love You” (the Jason Nevins mix)

Jennifer Hudson duets with her biggest fan!

Yesterday on the Ellen show, Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson surprised one of her biggest fans by showing up to duet with 12 year old wunderkind singer Savannah Robinson on the classic “And I Am Telling You” from the musical Dreamgirls. (And you’ll remember that big number was the moment that sealed Jen Hud’s Oscar win for the film version of Dreamgirls as well). Anywho, check out Savannah’s incredible pipes and then watch the fireworks as Hudson joins her to sing the song.

Savannah Robinson & Jennifer Hudson “And I Am Telling You”

Charice vs. Beyonce

Last night on the season premiere of Glee, Charice belted out the gorgeous Oscar nominated song “Listen” from the musical Dreamgirls. It was a glorious performance and made me want to compare it to the original sung by Beyonce. I think Beyonce’s has more nuance and a stronger emotional connection, but Charice sure can wail and how about those arm movements. I kind of want a mixture of the two. Anywho, I wanted to see which one you all like better. Take a listen (pun intended) to both Beyonce and Charice and sound off on who you like better.

Charice “Listen” from Glee

Beyonce “Listen” from Dreamgirls

New Music from Idol’s Carly Smithson and We are the Fallen

Carly Smithson was shockingly and undeservedly shown the door on season 7 of American Idol way too early in 6th place while sorely less talented singers Brooke White, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado all made the top 5. Each of them has had careers post Idol with Mercado starring in the touring production of Dreamgirls (in the Deena role that Beyonce performed in the film) and White and Castro both releasing albums. Unfortunately, neither of their records made much of a dent on the charts. So, it’s somewhat, ironic that Smithson is doing much better than her peers with her band We Are the Fallen which features Ben Moody and other former members of Evanescence. Following a top 30 rock hit “Bury Me Alive”, the band is readying their second single the title track from their debut album Tear the World Down which hit Billboard’s top 30 as well. The edgy rock single should satisfy their hardcore fans but is unlikely to bring them new ones or tap into the fan base Smithson built on Idol. If they wanted more of that mass appeal, they should’ve selected the gorgeous ballad “Sleep Well My Angel” or the midtempo anthem “I Will Stay”. We’ll see if they are chosen as subsequent singles in time, but any new music from the supremely talented vocalist Smithson makes me happy. Her voice is like a latter-day Ann Wilson’s from Heart~ soaring, powerful, intense and full of emotion. Check out We Are the Fallen on tour this summer and fall. For their dates and more on the band, click here. And see which song you prefer from Carly and the boys below.

We Are the Fallen “Tear the World Down”

We Are the Fallen “I Will Stay”

We Are the Fallen “Sleep Well My Angel”