 |
| He's baaaaaaccckkk!!! Kyrie Irving is set to shoot the lights out | Credit: Bleacher Report |
NCAA March Madness has been awesome that I have to mention it thrice. OK, I am exaggerating (since there is a relative dearth of talent this year). Nevertheless, I am psyched for US College Basketball because of brackets, brackets, and brackets. Even if I have a very low chance of defeating President Obama’s college bracket. For an extremely busy guy leading a country in times of crisis, he has a remarkable skill in following sports.
It is quite ironic that I am getting entertained in a week where NBA takes a back seat. I have not even followed NBA for quite a long time now. I did not even notice that my fantasy keeper league’s trade deadline has ended.
American Idol
 |
| Credit: American Idol |
I was not able to watch the Top 12 Performance and Elimination Nights when these were televised in Star World but I got a chance to do a quick check on the results (and throw a few votes to Thia and Pia). All I can say is: 2 for 2, baby! I got to correctly predict the elimination order since the Finals began. Furthermore, my predictions for Week 3 and Week 4 (Haley and Naima respectively) were at the Bottom Three this week. The weird thing is, I have not even watched their Finals performances when I predicted their exits. If the trend goes on, I may be 4 out of 4 in two weeks’ time. Does this mean that I have clairvoyance? Nope, it just shows that the voting demographics have not changed even if Simon and Kara are not anymore manipulating the audience. Do not get me wrong though, I actually liked Karen Rodriguez a bit but my predictions were never based on what I wanted to happen – it’s always about who I think would be eliminated.
Either way, I did not care that much to see Karen go. Idol’s demographics tend to favor males but I have to admit that they are relatively stronger this year. The competition is quite tight this year that it makes predicting in the later rounds very difficult. For instance, Pia Toscano has moved to strong frontrunner status in a matter of two weeks after her surprise performance in the Top 24. With the current pace, she may end up as the loser in the finale (just like Crystal Bowersox last year). Lauren Alaina has lost some steam and might get eliminated earlier than expected. James Durbin appears to be a legit dark horse that I may have underestimated when I picked him to be eliminated during the Top 5 Week. Scotty McCreery still remains my pick to win because 1) he is not a clear frontrunner – frontrunners rarely win, you know. 2) He is consistently awesome week in and week out. 3) He will outlast Lauren Alaina in getting the ginormous midwestern country song lover votes. Having said these, I still stick with my initial predictions. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After all, this does not involve any money anyway.
Either way, I did not care that much to see Karen go. Idol’s demographics tend to favor males but I have to admit that they are relatively stronger this year. The competition is quite tight this year that it makes predicting in the later rounds very difficult. For instance, Pia Toscano has moved to strong frontrunner status in a matter of two weeks after her surprise performance in the Top 24. With the current pace, she may end up as the loser in the finale (just like Crystal Bowersox last year). Lauren Alaina has lost some steam and might get eliminated earlier than expected. James Durbin appears to be a legit dark horse that I may have underestimated when I picked him to be eliminated during the Top 5 Week. Scotty McCreery still remains my pick to win because 1) he is not a clear frontrunner – frontrunners rarely win, you know. 2) He is consistently awesome week in and week out. 3) He will outlast Lauren Alaina in getting the ginormous midwestern country song lover votes. Having said these, I still stick with my initial predictions. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After all, this does not involve any money anyway.
 |
| If my prediction comes true, prepare to say bye to Haley next week | Credit: American Idol |
Some quick thoughts about the contestants:
• I usually get annoyed by Stefano Langone’s phrasing but I have to admit that he was very good in his recent performance. Suddenly, it seems that Paul McDonald or Jacob Lusk might be the first males to go.
• Casey Abrams was my favorite until this week. I am a Nirvana fan and I have to say that I did not like his rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” J-Lo hit the spot when she mentioned that Kurt Cobain does not fully scream in the song and that’s what makes it special.
• I initially found James Durbin as douche but after learning that he had Asperger’s, I understand him better now. He is starting to be one of my favorites (probably after Pia and Casey).
• Pia was consistent as usual but her glory notes are starting to be tiring. Siobhan was bashed for that last year even if she sang two songs that did not feature her “scream” in the semi-finals. But still, this does not stop me from voting for Hot Chick Robotic Pia Toscano.
• Speaking of tiring, I am very tired – make that annoyed – of Jacob Lusk’s singing style. He was off key for the past two weeks because of his indulgent singing. I missed that adjective since Simon is not anymore judging. What annoys me more is the fact that the judges’ save has Jacob Lusk’s name written all over it. It will also kill my prediction order. I hate the Judges’ Save. It does not help that Jacob is a closet gay.
Oops! Sorry to the homosexual community! Anyway, even if I get annoyed by Jacob’s style, I do not dislike any of the singers this year. Having no Simon Cowell in the panel does help.
Parenthood
• I usually get annoyed by Stefano Langone’s phrasing but I have to admit that he was very good in his recent performance. Suddenly, it seems that Paul McDonald or Jacob Lusk might be the first males to go.
• Casey Abrams was my favorite until this week. I am a Nirvana fan and I have to say that I did not like his rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” J-Lo hit the spot when she mentioned that Kurt Cobain does not fully scream in the song and that’s what makes it special.
• I initially found James Durbin as douche but after learning that he had Asperger’s, I understand him better now. He is starting to be one of my favorites (probably after Pia and Casey).
• Pia was consistent as usual but her glory notes are starting to be tiring. Siobhan was bashed for that last year even if she sang two songs that did not feature her “scream” in the semi-finals. But still, this does not stop me from voting for Hot Chick Robotic Pia Toscano.
• Speaking of tiring, I am very tired – make that annoyed – of Jacob Lusk’s singing style. He was off key for the past two weeks because of his indulgent singing. I missed that adjective since Simon is not anymore judging. What annoys me more is the fact that the judges’ save has Jacob Lusk’s name written all over it. It will also kill my prediction order. I hate the Judges’ Save. It does not help that Jacob is a closet gay.
Oops! Sorry to the homosexual community! Anyway, even if I get annoyed by Jacob’s style, I do not dislike any of the singers this year. Having no Simon Cowell in the panel does help.
Parenthood
 |
| I couldn't resist the urge to shout "Steve Nash!!!" whenever I watch Crosby | Credit: Parenthood |
When I was making the TV Series bracket two weeks ago, I got curious about “Parenthood.” It was one of the constantly reviewed TV shows by Alan Sepinwall so I somehow had an idea that it was a good show. I also got to see a part of it once in cable TV and I noticed that it was created by Friday Night Lights’ Jason Katims.
The day after I published the TV Series bracket blog, I downloaded the first episodes of this family-oriented show. I was in need of a good show then because the TV series hiatus and the weekend was approaching. I was asking around for good shows or movies but there was really nothing new. A feel-good flick was what I needed. I did not want to cheat and go for chick flicks. I wanted the “Shawshank Redemption” type of feel-good films. There was none.
Until, “Parenthood” happened.
“Parenthood” is about a story about the Braverman family in North California. Zeek Braverman is the patriarch/grandfather and he has four grown-up sons and daughters. Sarah Braverman left her life in Fresno to live with her father as she strives to provide a better life for her children. Adam is the eldest of the Braverman siblings and he is a well-to-do father of Haddie and Max. Crosby Braverman is the only sibling who has not married yet. He is also afraid of having a kid. However, he finds out that he actually had a son from a fling with a dancer five years ago. Lastly, Julia Braverman-Graham is the weathier, more secured, yet younger sister. She is the breadwinner of her family as her husband lost his job due to recession.
The unique thing about them is that they bond with each other often. They ask each other’s opinions on both important and trivial life decisions. When one of their kids has a baseball game, they attend the game no matter how insignificant it is. Their ties are just too strong that watching them bond with each other serves as an inspiration to me. Even if I am quite close to my relatives like they do. In a way, watching the Bravermans bond with each other is the fantasy that the show brings. I am usually critical when drama series become realistic but I give “Parenthood” this huge pass solely because the family bonding is what I wanted from the show.
On second thoughts, the show is actually realistic to me because I was raised in a family compound with my relatives. In a world where media focuses more on erratic relationships, “Parenthood” is the breath of fresh air that reminds us that a good part of the population is composed of perfect families.
The day after I published the TV Series bracket blog, I downloaded the first episodes of this family-oriented show. I was in need of a good show then because the TV series hiatus and the weekend was approaching. I was asking around for good shows or movies but there was really nothing new. A feel-good flick was what I needed. I did not want to cheat and go for chick flicks. I wanted the “Shawshank Redemption” type of feel-good films. There was none.
Until, “Parenthood” happened.
“Parenthood” is about a story about the Braverman family in North California. Zeek Braverman is the patriarch/grandfather and he has four grown-up sons and daughters. Sarah Braverman left her life in Fresno to live with her father as she strives to provide a better life for her children. Adam is the eldest of the Braverman siblings and he is a well-to-do father of Haddie and Max. Crosby Braverman is the only sibling who has not married yet. He is also afraid of having a kid. However, he finds out that he actually had a son from a fling with a dancer five years ago. Lastly, Julia Braverman-Graham is the weathier, more secured, yet younger sister. She is the breadwinner of her family as her husband lost his job due to recession.
The unique thing about them is that they bond with each other often. They ask each other’s opinions on both important and trivial life decisions. When one of their kids has a baseball game, they attend the game no matter how insignificant it is. Their ties are just too strong that watching them bond with each other serves as an inspiration to me. Even if I am quite close to my relatives like they do. In a way, watching the Bravermans bond with each other is the fantasy that the show brings. I am usually critical when drama series become realistic but I give “Parenthood” this huge pass solely because the family bonding is what I wanted from the show.
On second thoughts, the show is actually realistic to me because I was raised in a family compound with my relatives. In a world where media focuses more on erratic relationships, “Parenthood” is the breath of fresh air that reminds us that a good part of the population is composed of perfect families.
 |
| "Steve Nash" and Jabbar | Credit: Parenthood |
What I liked most about “Parenthood” is that the show does not go overboard by using cliché drama themes of infidelity or highly unstable husband-wife relationships. There is a bit of that but that storyline was resolved in a not-so-flashy style so it was fine for me. When it comes to drama, I prefer stories that feature drama scenes that do not involve overblown situations. Sure, there are arguments but these are handled easily in a perfect family way of understanding and compromise (like what the Taylors in “Friday Night Lights” do). Of course, the ensemble has top-notch acting as well. Simply put, if you are looking for a sensationalized drama series, “Parenthood” is not the best show for you. But if you prefer a TV series that showcases compelling characters that develop through subtle moments, “Parenthood” is the shiznit.
Speaking of characters, I can relate to each Braverman sibling. Adam is pretty much the ideal father/husband that I want to be. He is a caring, family-first father. There is no sign of possible infidelity in him (anyway, his wife has Monica Potter’s looks hahaha). He is always there to help his siblings. Adam is the guy who always wants to fix things. He is like Jack of “Lost” in Season 1. I can relate to Sarah Braverman’s creativity and taste in arts and literature. Crosby has the most feel-good tearjerker story of them all (although almost all of them have storylines that tug your heartstrings). In some ways, I actually want to have a son after watching how Crosby takes care of Jabbar. If ever I have a son in the future, I can’t hardly wait to catch a baseball with him. Lastly, I see myself in Julia in the sense that she is competitive and her strive for excellence. (Pretty much why I somehow understood Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy” even if her character irked me a lot of times at the start of the series.)
Rating: 9.5/10
Glee
Warning: Spoiler Alert
Speaking of characters, I can relate to each Braverman sibling. Adam is pretty much the ideal father/husband that I want to be. He is a caring, family-first father. There is no sign of possible infidelity in him (anyway, his wife has Monica Potter’s looks hahaha). He is always there to help his siblings. Adam is the guy who always wants to fix things. He is like Jack of “Lost” in Season 1. I can relate to Sarah Braverman’s creativity and taste in arts and literature. Crosby has the most feel-good tearjerker story of them all (although almost all of them have storylines that tug your heartstrings). In some ways, I actually want to have a son after watching how Crosby takes care of Jabbar. If ever I have a son in the future, I can’t hardly wait to catch a baseball with him. Lastly, I see myself in Julia in the sense that she is competitive and her strive for excellence. (Pretty much why I somehow understood Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy” even if her character irked me a lot of times at the start of the series.)
Rating: 9.5/10
Glee
Warning: Spoiler Alert
 |
| "Loser Like Me" pretty much sums up the "Glee" experience | Credit: Glee |
“Glee” is like an acquaintance you get fond of early on only to find that he/she has major flaws that irk you. You get to see “Glee” regularly but your friendship with it is unstable. After some months (or even a year), “Glee” does not change but you get to understand it for what it is. It did have some glimmer of brilliance when you were first being acquainted to it but after co-existing with its bad habits in the past year, you start to accept it for its shortcomings. In short, you have lowered your expectations. From time to time, you get to enjoy its company.
That’s what “Glee” is for me. Its first season started with a bang but its storytelling went south way too fast. It has weak and inconsistent character development and the acting (especially from Schuester) irks me to a point. There was even a time that I found myself rooting for Sue Sylvester because Schue was a douchebag (well, Sue is also a D-bag but that’s her main role anyway). I get allergic any time they concentrate on gay storylines (as a result, I almost gave up watching the show at the second half of Season 1). But as time goes by, I continued watching the show and I have learned to accept the fact that it will never be the best TV series ever. It does not even have a shot. But for entertainment purposes, I am fine with it. They fumble some songs but if they pull off a good one, it is really awesome. Yes, I downloaded some of the “Glee” mp3’s.
Because ezTV crashed last week, I got to watch two “Glee” episodes this week and I have to say that I was pleased as a follower of the show. One of my pet peeves in the show is that they do not concentrate on the preparations for the competitions. They just rush it on the competition episode. However, “Glee” will always be like that so noticing it the third time around does not annoy me that much anymore. The musical TV show pulled it off in this week’s regionals. Of course, we all know that they will advance (simply because this is not yet the season finale) but the way they executed the Regionals episode was good enough.
Putting crappy original songs at the start made a great psychological effect by the time New Directions performed their Regional Songs. I was ready to throw “is this written by Kara DioGuardi?” jokes before watching their performance but by the time they ended, I was completely satisfied that my forty minutes were not wasted. One great thing “Glee” delivers during competitions is the fact that the end result clearly shows which team/s deserved it. There was no way in hell New Directions was winning over Vocal Adrenaline’s take of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The Warblers and the New Directions’ performances in Sectionals were a toss-up so the tie was needed. This time around, the original song singers were clearly better than the Warblers.
On an entirely unrelated note (just like what we often see in “Glee”… OK, this is the last backhanded compliment portion of this write-up), here is my list of great “Glee” songs this year so that I will not post it by the time I write my May Sweeps blog entry:
Favorite Song of Season 2: “Forget You.” Gwyneth Palthrow was a breath of fresh air in this song and her aura was infecting
Other Great Songs in Season 2 (not in any particular order):
“Landslide” “Billionaire” “Losing My Religion” “One of Us” “Lucky” “Teenage Dream” “Just the Way You Are” “Hey, Soul Sister” “Firework” “Misery” “Blackbird” “Get It Right”
I think I missed some but these were the notable ones. I liked this season’s soundtrack as compared to the second half of last year. One thing I notice about “Glee” is that, it does really well for pop and R&B songs. When it goes a bit extreme on rock and rap, I sometimes end up cringing (especially if I did like the song before).
NCAA March Madness
That’s what “Glee” is for me. Its first season started with a bang but its storytelling went south way too fast. It has weak and inconsistent character development and the acting (especially from Schuester) irks me to a point. There was even a time that I found myself rooting for Sue Sylvester because Schue was a douchebag (well, Sue is also a D-bag but that’s her main role anyway). I get allergic any time they concentrate on gay storylines (as a result, I almost gave up watching the show at the second half of Season 1). But as time goes by, I continued watching the show and I have learned to accept the fact that it will never be the best TV series ever. It does not even have a shot. But for entertainment purposes, I am fine with it. They fumble some songs but if they pull off a good one, it is really awesome. Yes, I downloaded some of the “Glee” mp3’s.
Because ezTV crashed last week, I got to watch two “Glee” episodes this week and I have to say that I was pleased as a follower of the show. One of my pet peeves in the show is that they do not concentrate on the preparations for the competitions. They just rush it on the competition episode. However, “Glee” will always be like that so noticing it the third time around does not annoy me that much anymore. The musical TV show pulled it off in this week’s regionals. Of course, we all know that they will advance (simply because this is not yet the season finale) but the way they executed the Regionals episode was good enough.
Putting crappy original songs at the start made a great psychological effect by the time New Directions performed their Regional Songs. I was ready to throw “is this written by Kara DioGuardi?” jokes before watching their performance but by the time they ended, I was completely satisfied that my forty minutes were not wasted. One great thing “Glee” delivers during competitions is the fact that the end result clearly shows which team/s deserved it. There was no way in hell New Directions was winning over Vocal Adrenaline’s take of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The Warblers and the New Directions’ performances in Sectionals were a toss-up so the tie was needed. This time around, the original song singers were clearly better than the Warblers.
On an entirely unrelated note (just like what we often see in “Glee”… OK, this is the last backhanded compliment portion of this write-up), here is my list of great “Glee” songs this year so that I will not post it by the time I write my May Sweeps blog entry:
Favorite Song of Season 2: “Forget You.” Gwyneth Palthrow was a breath of fresh air in this song and her aura was infecting
Other Great Songs in Season 2 (not in any particular order):
“Landslide” “Billionaire” “Losing My Religion” “One of Us” “Lucky” “Teenage Dream” “Just the Way You Are” “Hey, Soul Sister” “Firework” “Misery” “Blackbird” “Get It Right”
I think I missed some but these were the notable ones. I liked this season’s soundtrack as compared to the second half of last year. One thing I notice about “Glee” is that, it does really well for pop and R&B songs. When it goes a bit extreme on rock and rap, I sometimes end up cringing (especially if I did like the song before).
NCAA March Madness
 |
| "White men can't jump" my ass | Credit: Yahoo! |
When I started to conceptualize this write-up, I was psyched about my March Madness bracket. As of this time, my bracket is a total mess. I made too many upset picks and I had one double-digit seed advancing to the Elite Eight. What wrecked it further is the Pittsburgh-Butler game. For the second straight year, the Butler Bulldogs have successfully destroyed ¼ of my bracket easily. All of my picks in the Southeast have been eliminated. I guess I should not have trusted kenpom.com too much. I did have a comparatively higher Round 1 this year as compared to last year but that is only by two games. By now, my highest possible Round 2 score is the Round 2 score that I got last year (200 points). This is because I predicted too much upsets for my liking. I had a part where two upset teams have to duel one another (Utah State and Belmont… as a result, they both got eliminated early on)
 |
| Pittsburgh's dumbass foul | Credit: NCAA |
I tweeted last Friday on how I was on a roll. I got 8 out of 12 predictions right then. Ever since that, my bracket has plummeted. Tough luck. My bracket is so bad right now that the worst NCAA bracket (Simmons’ bracket) is even better than my bracket. Because of this, I came into some realizations.
• Do not pick too many upsets. Having too many upsets in your bracket equates to a probable lesser chance of getting it right in the later rounds. Duh! This was my mindset last year and I was successful at it.
• Do not underestimate a team that is led by the best collegiate player (Jimmer Fredette) even if it lost a player. The dumbass move that I made was to let another team advance further than BYU because of a star player (Kemba Walker) who is not as good as Jimmer.
• Do not pick two double-digit seeds to advance to Round 3 where they would duel one another.
• Do not pick a double-digit seed to advance to the Elite Eight.
• Always go with your gut.
• March Madness is supposed to be fun. I should not be overanalyzing it like I am doing now.
No comments:
Post a Comment