Funday Friday: #48 -- Hugh Maskman and Jim Wolvarrey - Actors Portray Other's Film Character

Twitter has always been a fun place for friends to hang and goof off.

So this is exactly what happened when actors Hugh Jackman and Jim Carrey took to the social media site for silly impersonations of their most famous fictional characters, Stanley Ipkiss aka The Mask and Wolverine.

Jackman started the hilarity with this tweet lip-synching to the Mask's famous line "It's Smokin'!"

@JimCarrey - mate trying my best to do justice! Pretty clear I should stay in my own lane. pic.twitter.com/LJA03cu0Su

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) August 18, 2015

with Carrey chiming in later in the day with this pic of him in messy hair and some utensils (including a corkscrew) mimicking the Wolv.

Nice move @RealHughJackman Now watch me make a meal out of your biggest role. ;^> pic.twitter.com/GUfHB2RR4L

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) August 20, 2015

Both were hilariously fun to see, but if the best of them is to be chosen, it has to be Carrey's genius ribbbing of Wolverine.

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: Mewnipendence Day / The Banagic Incident

Hello there, fellow Stargazers!

Time for another review!
And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the time of year to celebrate the foundings of Mewni, so Star decides to celebrate it with her friends by reenacting a major battle. You can tell how short and questionable it will be when I discuss it in 11A--”Mewnipendence Day”.
And if that wasn’t enough for Star to combat the ides of disaster and boredom, 11B--”The Banagic Incident” has her trying to fend it off by searching for a new device that’ll cure the boredom...by making Banana Pudding. I’ll be honest in saying this before you reach it: I got pissed with this one...and a little confused.
Oh, well. Let’s get this over with.

Let’s begin this review with…

The episode begins at the Diaz Family Home, where Star has converged Marco and their friends/acquaintances--Alfonzo, Ferguson, Miss Skulltroll--I mean Skullnick, Janna, StarFan13, the nerd student first shown in “Monster Arm” (his name’s Ed, by the way), the guy from the Awesome Opossums Cheerleading Squad and Marc’s Dojo Sensei--in the living room for a meeting. She has invited them for a celebration of the day her home dimension Mewni was founded by reenacting the battle of its founding. But nobody knows what all this means. So Star grabs a pull-out book briefing the founding of Mewni. When all is said and done everyone begins preparations for the battle reenactment.
--That book Star has looks like something made by Golden Books. If I can picture it, it would’ve came with a CD that would’ve had narration and the sound of a harp playing signaling a page turn. That would’ve be boss. Ahh, nostalgia.

Marco points out the floating eye, which Star reveals is the All-Seeing Eye, in which the Royal Family sees all that the villains are doing. But that’s not happening--It’s the VILLAINS watching.
Ludo and Toffee (Hey, it’s Toffee! Toffee’s back! Hi, Toffee!!) are taking a look at the preparations with a decoy of the All-Seeing Eye, and are planning their upcoming attack. Buff Frog tries to convince him to keep him as the lookout, but is shot down, because of the Eye’s flexibility.

--Buff Frog and Toffee’s reactions to Ludo pointing out that the Eye has a channel showing Star’s bathroom were hilarious.
--“Sometimes, your biggest threat is right under your nose.” -Toffee
“My nose is in my beak.” -Ludo
I don’t know why, but that line is very funny to me.

Later in the day, everyone is in costume and are ready for the reenactment.
Meanwhile, Buff Frog tells Ludo’s other Minions about Toffee and his new fangled flying machine, but is interrupted by the lanky lizard in Louis Vuitton, asking any of them to sneak into the Mewnipendance battle with a device to capture the wand and easily transfer it to to Ludo.
BF stands up to the challenge, and Toffee begrudgingly obliges.
--What the hell happened to his finger?

The battle has begun!! The Evil Repulsive Monsters vs. The Brave Powerful Soldiers of Mewni!!
During the fight, Ferguson gets scared and camos into a tree--During which, at that exact time, Buff Frog appears and begins his chase to reach Star’s Wand. He gets close to the Wand, but the device isn’t responsive, causing him to stall and try to grab it himself. But that doesn’t work either, when Star notices him and a soldier’s horse knocks him off her perch and onto the ground. Star freaks out (thinking that’s actually Ferguson) and rushes to not-Ferguson’s aid. Fergy reveals himself from behind a tree, and Star realizes that’s Buff Frog. BF runs off, and Star is close to blasting him, but relents.
When Marco calls off the reenactment--everyone goes inside, ready for the feast--Star looks straight into where BF ran off.
--If you notice Star’s reactions to the battle, that means she’s very worried of the well-being of everyone involved (especially the monsters). From reading the book, she realizes something about the first Mewnans that That’s sweet and humbling.

Back at Ludo’s castle, Buff Frog tries to explain himself about his failure to capture the wand (along with trying to reveal it was Toffee’s bidding), but Ludo wouldn’t have any--showing his mistake over and over, and chewing him out. He then makes the conscious decision (made by Toffee) to kick him off his team of minions and out of his castle. BF begs to be taken back in, but is shunned away. Toffee commends Ludo on his decision,. but the latter is saddened by it.

Back at the DFH, everyone is enjoying the end-of-the-celebration corn feast. Star is asked by Marco if the book is accurate, but she pushes him off to eat her corn. She then sees Buff Frog on the tree branch moping from his new firing. She gives him a plate of corn. He smiles.

During the climax, where Buff Frog is given the Wand task, I thought and knew that Toffee had something to do about this. He sabotaged the machine to embarrass Buff Frog and get him banished from Ludo’s Army and out of his hair. Toffee really didn’t like BF’s demand to stand up to him and kick him out, so he made the plan to kick him out. That’s devious. That’s cunning.
Toffee has continued to make his mark as the member of Ludo’s army. While I’m not supposed to like his actions, I can’t stop loving them. He’s so perfectly slimy and sly, that it’s hard to not hate him. I can’t find a reason to. In fact, I’m beginning to like Toffee more than Ludo.

As for the battle itself...Meh. It was short and wasn’t as great as I actually expected it to be. But what Star did to stop it so early was really sweet. She cares about her friends so much that she’d stop a celebration of her home dimension to spare their lives. That’s just lovely.
And another thing I just noticed as the real reason she stopped the battle, therefore also humbling, is that when Star was asked by Marco if the battle was unfair. When she read the story of Mewni’s independence, it was shown that the founders and the people succeeding them weren’t nice people and were very harsh in the war against the monsters. In fact the monsters (which, yes, weren’t good creatures either) were terrorized by the people before they even got a chance to attack. That explains why Star didn’t attack Buff Frog, and her even giving him a plate of corn at the end. That was also sweet and humbling.

As a whole, this was a really solid halfer. I actually enjoyed the villains side-plot more that the heroes side more. I laughed more from Ludo’s dialogue, the Minions lines, and even Toffee’s little aside crack to Buff Frog: “...you fat bag of garbage”.
And speaking of crack…

I did not need to see that. But I admit, it was funny the second time around. Anyway...

Let’s see what the next episode will do. It’s…

In it, "Star sees a commercial for a "magical" Earth product and sets off on her own to buy it, but the mission goes south when her lack of earth knowledge gets her into serious trouble."

In her Expansion Pack Bedroom, Star is in a bathtub (please don’t ask me why) reading magazines and trying not to be bored. She fails and is close to conceding, but tries not to. (Maybe she can build a rollercoaster.) She then finds an ad in one of them for the “Banagic Wand”. She then sets off on a quest to find one... But first she doesn’t know where to find one, and sees the “As Featured on TV” logo, but doesn’t understand that, and runs to Marco for help. Marc is brushing up on his karate skills, and is about to break a board. But Star suddenly appears. She asks him to help her in finding the Banagic Wand, but Marco has to practice for an assignment--”channeling your emotions”. Star doesn’t listen and instead drags him to the TV to find out where the Banagic is sold--the Better Store. She drags Marc (more like throws Marc) to his bike
--This scene frustrated me. Like, more than I could admit. I could barely get more from this than Star being bored. And I actually didn’t find much funny either. I know Star still can’t grasp much of Earth culture, and I feel sad to say this, but it feels annoying at this point. Her voice doesn’t help, either.
--Also, if you notice, Marco was barefoot when practicing karate and watching TV with Star, but is then suddenly wearing his sneakers when Star kicks him out the house (literally) and then back to barefoot when reaching the Dojo Karate Studio. It may be because Star made them magically, but she didn’t. Yeah, a goof.

(You know what? I can’d do more story anymore. You know why? Because this episode was frustrating as hell to me. So I’m just going to go on a rage-filled review on this halfer.)

Again, I know Star isn’t doing well grasping Earth culture, but this is ridiculous.
She has been on Earth, and specifically Echo Creek, for as long as 11 episodes can entail. She should know how to find a way to any place there, let alone the Better Store, by now without getting herself into a mess like this. Her actions make her look less than...sigh. And I laughed less than I would expect myself to. Plus the product itself barely makes sense; how can it work? You just jam a banana in, squeeze it, and suddenly it turns into pudding. Where does the peel go? How do you clean it? I’m getting ahead of myself.
Another thing: she had no regard for whatever Marco was doing, and forced him to help her out. I know this happens a lot, but here, it just comes off as a little more than rude.
And when she was at Davy Jones’ Fish Locker, she didn’t realize that she was in a themed restaurant. The pirates didn’t even do anything to her. What she did was rude and uncalled for. That made their chasing her (or at least being angry at her) justified. Even Brittney Wong’s appearance was frustrating to watch. Sure, she’s a jerk, but this was just sad.

And then there’s this...Marco saying he underestimated Star. My God, that was uncomfortable.
The vibe was just dead on arrival and withered away as it continued. I never felt this bad feeling from anything in animation before from what I can remember (even from Family Guy and South Park), but this was...wow.
And her reaction to Marco saying he underestimated her was...weird.
I mean what he said understandably caught her off guard, but can you blame him? And another thing: was she hurt by it? If so, I can understand that. It’s as if someone was saying they couldn’t believe you doing something like this at that time. That hurts. But that came at a weirder time. This was one of the more stranger moments of this series so far, and no magic came from it. I’m wondering what will happen next, should this continue. Will Star actually get angry with Marco over his line? Probably. Will it get painful and awkward? You bet.

On the other hand, despite the crap, Marco’s subplot was really entertaining. I loved seeing him finally channel his emotions and chasing Jeremy for being an annoying pest (which was refreshing and cathartic), and stepping on the Coals successfully (even if that hurts like hell).
-Also, the little subversion on the “Someone Save My Baby” thing, as the little bugger was in a bjorn his mom was carrying.

Star’s journey to the Better Store was pretty entertaining in doses. And it was good to see that, (again) despite the crap, she did get to the Better Store by herself, and that was pretty good. Granted, I was still pissed the first time, but it was still pretty good. Ugh...

Remember my rant at the end of my review of “Monster Arm”? Yeah, uhh...
I’m sorry. Forget everything I said about that. Everything I said about Marco under the Arm were wrong and me over reacting. I was wrong for all of that and I apologize. This here is the pits.
This episode felt like straight-up filler to me. Almost nothing made me enjoy this at all. And I felt ashamed in watching.
But, not everything was real bad. In the middle of it, Marco had a sub-plot that I liked, where he wants to channel his emotions at his karate studio.

No I’m not gonna stop watching this show, but I don’t think I can watch this one again for a long while.
This was frustrating and confusing.

This episode was solid. But to be honest, it wasn’t great. I enjoyed the little things about it, but they didn’t add up to an episode that I don’t think I would remember. I do remember Toffee, and he has really become a memorable character. I’m very curious to see where this development with Buff Frog being kicked off Ludo’s team will lead to, because it’s obviously a part of Toffee’s scheme to get closer to Ludo. Oh and that itself...when that comes, I’ll be giddy and gleeful.
The ending to this episode was also a highlight, showing Star to be on a nicer path with Buff Frog aka the plate of corn. And I don’t think I’ll watch “Banagic Incident” for a while. The fact that the title has “Incident” in the title was really understandable to me.

Well, Stargazers, we have just two episodes left in Season 1. (sigh)
And boy, this is going to be a great end, no doubt. For now, next week’s Episode 12 will have a lot to look forward to. “Interdimensional Field Trip” and “Marco Grows A Beard” should be self-explanatory, but here goes. 12A features Star leading her class on a trip to a museum in another dimension, but knowing this show, things will get weird and wild fast. And 12B has Marco growing facial hair...thanks not to puberty, but by a spell made by Star. You can tell things will get weird and wild fast here too. I’m gonna get that exciting feeling while also feigning a heartbreaking feeling. Huh.

Well, until then, I want to thank the SVTFOE Wikia for everything as usual. Even though there wasn’t much to work with this time. (Seriously, that was hard.) And of course to you all for joining me. I want to apologize for this review being late; I was reaching an impasse in relation to this blog, and I needed to rethink things. Don’t worry, nothing’s too serious.

Well, see ya next week, everyone.
I’m Andrew, saying “Reach for the Star, and Keep looking up!...at your TV screen.”

Op-Ed Uses Cecil the Lion's Death to Spew Hypocritical Vegetarian Bullshit

You know the story of the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the Lion earlier this month (although I caught wind of it a few days ago?) Good, because this story has nothing to do with it. Partially.
When I did some research on Google for stories to read over, I came across this opinion piece on MarketWatch.com, in which the writer somehow made more than the points in his thoughts on the news story. And some of them are less than favorable. In fact, these are a bit hypocritical. And I was so pissed and annoyed by this, that I had to write my own rebuttals to some of these excerpts:

"Sure. I happen to agree with all of the above. But I just wanted to add one little thing.
Spare me. Please. Spare me the overweening, gigantic, appalling, ridiculous, farcical and sanctimonious hypocrisy. Killing animals for no good reason is an outrage? Really?
How’s that steak? Had any good lobster this summer? What about some finger-lickin’-good chicken or some baby back ribs? Have you ever seen the inside of a slaughterhouse?
Meanwhile, a video showing chickens being tortured at a U.S. chicken-processing plant was uploaded several weeks ago. Only a fraction as many have bothered to watch it. But, hey, that’s different, right?"

Yes, there is. There is no hypocrisy between them, despite what the op-ed implies. As sad as it was that the farm animals killed were later turned up in someone's lunch, Cecil's hunt, poaching and death was not on legal grounds. The deaths of those animals were. And another thing, people were outraged at the deplorable treatments and deaths of these animals, just like they were with Cecil's. There were just as much disgust and terror people found at that issue as it was with the death.
What the hell does the deaths of the animals we eat (and have to eat to survive!) have to do with everything this shithead did? Not a damn thing. Those farm animals did not suffer the exact same way Cecil forcibly suffered. He did not get put in a cage and eat feed until his death. He was lured by his assailants, shot with a bow and arrow, and then hunted for nearly two fucking days until the hunters shot him to death and decapitated! Big difference! Cows, pigs, chickens, and other creatures we have to eat do not have many threats in their lives, but lions do. Most people don't eat lions, but some have killed lions (along with other animals in the wild) to stroke their creepy-ass egos.
And spare you from our hypocrisy? We can do that...when you spare us from yours.
-

"I like Jimmy Kimmel, but advertisers on his network (DIS, +0.16%) include pretty much every national chain restaurant and food company."

Hey, I like Jimmy Kimmel, too! At least, we finally have something to agree with!
Anyway, apparently, you haven't realized that "national chain restaurant and food company" are things we need to help us survive. Emphasis on food.
Also, I found Disney's stock number being thrown in next to Kimmel to be hilarious. I know this is a finance website, but this article said otherwise, with the ticker being a goofy add-on.
-

"I come to this neither with clean hands nor any claim to perfection. Until last year I ate meat. For some time I had become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of living creatures being killed so I could eat them. Then I paid a visit to a farm and found myself petting a disabled newborn lamb. (I’m sorry if this sounds utterly ridiculous. It is utterly ridiculous. But that’s how it happened.) Afterward I asked myself: How in hell could I ever eat lamb chops again?
Like many “vegetarians,” I still make occasional exceptions for fish, although less and less often. I question how self-aware a fish really is. But feel free to yell at me if you wish."

You're a vegetarian. Good for you; that's fine. You don't have to eat meat in your life, and that's cool--no one's gonna force you back or be shocked. Congrats on the little epiphany you had from petting an imperfect lamb. But you don't have to look down on people who do. They eat meat because they like it and enjoy it, just like you (began to) eat vegetables because you not only like it, but live by it (albeit since last year). We shouldn't throw sad, vulgar words at each other because of this opposition. I have no hate, ill-will or disgust toward veg-heads (I love eating vegetables myself), so why are you taking the time to call us out for enjoying meat in general in an opinion piece having nothing to do with Cecil's death, and everything to do with this stupid click-bait on a finance website, of all things?
Could you give us a reason as to why lamb, pigs, chickens, and the other animals live on Earth, other than to be killed and later served on our plates? (Cows don't count because they also give us milk.)
-

"It’s easy to claim the case of Cecil the lion is “totally different” from the case of all the millions of defenseless animals we kill every year for food. (The phrases “totally different” and “completely different” —as in “Oh, but that’s totally different” — always crop up when hypocrites are trying to defend themselves against the charge of hypocrisy.)"

Of course it was easy to claim that! He was on endangered land that was illegal to hunt and kill on! Saying it was totally different is obviously an understatement. And as for "the millions of defenseless animals we kill every year for food"? I don't have to say this again.
And another thing: you should realize that these animals have another thing to worry about--getting killed by other animals. Yes, that's really fucking terrible, but that's their circle of life called the food chain. The weakest animals will be devoured by bigger animals, and this also keeps them alive as well.
That has happened for hundreds of thousands of years.
-

"Yes, lions are at risk of extinction, while cows, pigs and sheep aren’t. But the death of a single lion is hardly material in this regard. There are more than 20,000 species worldwide at risk of extinction, and where is the outrage about them?"

You're right, one lion's death shouldn't be held in this caliber of awareness, but it did because of how senseless, vile and mindbogglingly horrifying the whole thing was. And another thing, there has been outrage in those species as well. Have you read the social media posts and online articles by PETA and other animal rights firms? Have you watched Nature? If not, go to PETA's Twitter page, and try going further and further down through the page until you've reached the end. They have done this since the month and year the Twitter account was created, and have been doing this by mouth and protest since 1980. And I won't deny that other animals have been killed to be eaten. In fact, I agree with you on that; that is some creepy disgusting shit.
-

"My favorite objection in this instance is that Cecil was a really popular, well-known lion on his game preserve in Zimbabwe. Palmer actually apologized for killing an animal that was a “known, local favorite.”
Um, what? Would it be OK if he was unpopular, or unknown? Do all the cows and lambs being sent to the slaughterhouse deserve their fate?"

--Uhh...YOU TELL ME "WHAT IF HE WAS UNPOPULAR"!! If Cecil was unpopular, Palmer still would've gotten as much hatred, just like he was popular. Palmer took a photo with the dead animal, and that would've gotten as much attention as the horrible Planned Parenthood story, if not for a few days. Granted, this would've gotten less play on social media taking away that factor; but it's still social media, anything is possible.
And speaking of the Planned Parenthood story, why are you comparing aborted fetuses to a lion that didn't deserve to perish? I really don't want to say much

"If all this leads to some good, so much the better. But if it is just a short-lived and pointless festival of sanctimony, we might as well just skip it."
I do agree with this here, in that this story absolutely will boil over in a few weeks, or possibly, maybe even a few days. As sad as I am for the lion's death, I wouldn't be surprised to see myself move on to something else or even get annoyed by more of this story.

"If Palmer is smart, he’ll stay in hiding and say absolutely nothing for the next month or two. Nothing he says or does will help him until this blows over. I hope he never hunts another animal again. But, then, I hope everyone else will stop pointlessly killing animals, as well. Fat chance, alas."

Oh he's very smart to hide, because you can imagine what he'll be getting if he does show his ass soon after. I also hope he'll never hunt animals again. But try telling (or making) us to stop eating what we love to eat--you'll be lucky to get some of us to say "No".

Oh and by the way; were you aware of the plants that lived before people turned them into your favorite salad? I'm sure you would have, but hey, that's different; they don't have four legs, eyes, a mouth and a reason for living a long life so that's fine, right? Right?

Anyway this post is embarrassingly hypocritical and terribly written from my perspective. There was so much from this that made me roll my eyes, and shake my head. This guy believes that being a vegetarian is what will save the world and animals from some type of hell they are enduring, we are evil people for eating meat, that Cecil the Lion is not even worthy to reach the heights of more important matters of news, and that Jimmy Kimmel crying won't get us to contribute to wildlife conservation, among other things.

But this is just a way for him to write his own feelings about his life of being a vegetarian, which, mind you, began last year. This is just some bullshit to live by, and from reading the comments below the piece, a lot of people were also not impressed and rightly called him out for it. They make sense and are smartly written, and also speak the same metaphorical tongue as I do. And I really enjoyed that.
On the other hand, there is one person taking his side (aka kissing his ass), but his defense just as nonsensical as (if not worse than) the guy's views. There are few more, but he is so prominent on the section, that you can tell who he is by the third or fourth comment. Try to avoid him.

I do agree with a few small points, which actually do make sense, and give some interesting questions that could be answered only explicitly long and brutally honest.

So yeah...I clearly hate this article. But you might have an opinion on that. If you want to take a look, here's the link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/spare-me-the-hypocrisy-on-cecil-the-lion-2015-07-29
But please don't go after him. I don't condone brutally blasting the guy (or anyone else) personally, because that is worse than any foolish negative opinion anyone would post on the Internet, and that is just damn cruel. You can leave a comment about the opinion piece, but not on himself.

"Enjoy your hamburger." Oh yeah? Well, you enjoy your Garden salad and occasional salmon.

PENIS

Toony Tuesday 2015: We Bare Bears

Hi everyone.
I'm Andrew with more Toony Tuesday.
This time it's on Cartoon Network's latest original series, We Bare Bears.

Created by Daniel Chong, this animated series is based on his webcomic "The Three Bare Bears", and is about three bear brothers who try to adapt to the human society in the San Francisco Bay Area, and learn a lot about themselves and their lives along their adventures.

At face value, this series has a vibe reminiscent of Regular Show, because of the animation. It's really good, but also really simple. It's vibe is also similar to Clarence as well, because of it's light, calm humor and dialogue. Both really gives this a real nice charm.
And the three main characters add on to this; they aren’t unlikable or difficult to swallow. In fact, they’re really cool, upbeat and fun. And they enjoy each other’s company. That’s great enough for a show for me.

The title sequence and theme song has to be some of the best of either in television animation of this decade so far.

While the former shows what is the entire series on a pedestal, it does it so well, and captures what we know about it so far without stretching in too much.
It’s the Bare Bears Bear-Stacked trekking across San Francisco and doing what they’re planning on doing. Recurring characters like Nom-Nom the koala and Chloe Park also appear briefly, along with parts mimicking scenes from some early episodes, like Grizzly throwing a basketball to a hoop (and missing, as shown in the first episode “Our Stuff”). It’s a perfect encapsulation of what the series is in 20 seconds, and that’s awesome.
And the theme song is just as awesome. From the first time I’ve heard it, I couldn’t stop thinking of it and smiling from it. It’s sweet, bouncy and bubbly, not to mention catchy as heck, from start to end. And what also makes it great is that it’s sung by British R&B music star Estelle. Known best for either her breakthrough song “American Boy” or her role as Garnet on Steven Universe, Either way, her being the voice of the theme song makes it fantastic.

Now to the Bare Bears themselves. The characters are likable, cool, and have their own personalities that break them apart from each other.
Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear are three furry anthropomorphic quadruped brothers who live in a nice cozy cave near the San Francisco Bay. They go and do whatever they fancy for the day, and whatever happens, happens. All of them have a different personality that sticks them apart from each other, yet they are very close. (Although I wonder if they are brothers or just friends going by as brothers, because they’re clearly of different species. More on that later)
-Grizzly is loud, excited, and has many interests that involve himself, like getting famous on the internet or winning a burrito-eating contest. In the end when those come back to bite him, he realizes his faults and his bros come through and forgive him.
-Panda is introverted, shy, rational and emotional. He also has an attachment to his cell phone and longs for contact with the rest of the social world (I can relate to that; come on, who can’t?).
-and Ice Bear is calm and extremely prepared for whatever. He can do martial arts, can cook, has a fondness for his axe and spending time in the refrigerator. But he is an expert on a lot of things.
Also, Ice Bear in another way is very memorable. From his first line (“Ice Bear has ninja stars.”) to his actions (playing basketball like he’s Steph Curry) to his voice and mannerisms, Ice Bear has become the breakout character of the series, and has had many fans since its debut (like me).
There is so much to love about these guys:
--They’re so close, it’s creepy-they always stick together in whatever situation and rarely leave the others behind. There are times when this happens, but they are few and far in-between
(the only times this happens so far is in “Viral Video” where Grizzly ditches Panda and Ice for a limo ride with internet sensation Nom-Nom, and in “Panda’s Date” where Panda is jealous of his brothers’ new friendship with his crush Lucy, a woman he met at a farmer’s market while suffering an allergic reaction [long story]).
--They don’t fight-never have I yet seen them in a skirmish for anything. And it’s refreshing to see that. I’d be hurt on the inside if they actually got into a fight sometime down the road, because they’re too cool and sweet to each other to get into scraps like that. Although I will say that if that may happen...Ice Bear will win, no doubt.
--They’re so friendly-these guys are so sweet, that it’s kinda sickening.
--The voice actors for them are just perfect in their roles.
bring layers upon layers of personality and chemistry to their characters and also make this series amazing. Just watch this, and you’ll enjoy the voice acting as much as the Bare Bears themselves.

--The Bear Stack--the Bear Stack is a way the brothers go about. But it’s not just their usual mode of transportation, which is stacking themselves on one another in certain sequence and walk to whatever destination they're going to in San Francisco, it’s also how they show how close they are as a family. Aww. It's both funny and endearing, with a splash of charming as well. In fact, it's one of my favorites things about the series in general.

There are other characters of this series I also like.
There’s Nom-Nom, a koala/internet sensation who turns out to be more than what he lets on when he meets Grizzly; he’s quite a self-centered arrogant jerk (especially for the second he appears in the title sequence). But he voice is quite nice to hear--the fact that he’s voiced by Patton Oswalt is a huge plus.
And then there’s Chloe Park. As I mentioned earlier, she’s a young girl who’s already in college, and is of high intelligence. Despite her actions in the beginning of her first episode, the aptly-title “Chloe”, she is a very adorable, precocious, and humble young girl. There’s no way you can’t like her; from her personality, to her character, to her voice (by Charlyne Yi, best known as the voice of Ruby on Steven Universe) she's way cute. And from the moment I first watched her,I enjoyed her presence and I really wished she would appear more, and from the likeness she’s gotten so far (and the fact that she also appears in the title sequence), it seems everyone else does too, with the implement that she might appear in future episodes. I won’t blame them.
Another character I like is Lucy, a lady the brothers meet when Panda suffers an allergic reaction to nuts after eating a cookie filled with them in “Panda’s Date”, saving him by giving him a shot of epinephrine and become the girl of his dreams. She’s lovely, kind, and is definitely one to be around. She’s also voiced by Ellie Kemper (you know? Erin from The Office and Kimmy Schmidt?). Yeah, this character is just as perfect.
All of these characters I mentioned, along with a some one-shot or recurring characters in some episodes that I didn’t mention, are very likable and appealing to everyone. They bring oodles and oodles of personality and enjoyment to a series that already had personality and enjoyment already in the first place.

In conclusion: There is so much to love about this series--the light, bubbly nature; the likable characters; the snappy wit and sharp writing; the easy-yet-near-complex plots; the fantastically expandable range in music (whether incidental, background or sung), simple-yet-great animation and that it’s not edgy or overly-emotional like many other shows (not that there’s anything wrong with them, either). This series has it all, and that is why it rocks.
(...although there is one moment so far that can make you tear up immediately. That is in "Burrito", where it is revealed after Grizzly gets a large life-size burrito, that it kinda reminds him of a terrible part of his life, where he is stuck on the top of a high tree during a thunderstorm, until he is rescued by a firefighter. The guy's warm embrace is what Grizzly gets from the burrito.

This moment has stood out as one of the series' most memorable and beloved moments. And it can start waterworks.)
(It also makes you wonder how the three Bare Bears got together. In "Our Stuff" alone, Grizz refers to them as bros, assuming they're actual brothers, putting aside the fact that they're of different species. Oh well, I love them anyway, so I'll be cool with whatever relation they are to each other.)

We Bare Bears definitely fits the network's brand of absurd, goofy, edgy and hilarious original programming (although it's definitely not as edgy or absurd), and is a very nice fit for it. The goofy, charming and cutesy feel and the likeness of the characters hit the right spots for me right out of the gate, and the other elements make for a perfect weekly 11 minutes of your life you just might be cool with taking away. And I wasn’t surprised that it’s rated TV-Y7, whether because of the feel or not. In fact, I would’ve been shocked as heck if it was ever rated TV-PG like CN’s other shows, because it’s not the best rating for it, and it would’ve been unnecessary and unneeded. But that doesn’t matter to me, as this series is just fantastic and I couldn’t be any more happy to begin watching as soon as I did (which was five days after it’s premiere).

(In fact, I’m so happy and in love with this show, that I decided to do something I never would’ve thought of doing: I created a Tumblr page. It’s called Ice Bear-isms, where I showcase all the quotes, memes and video featuring the series’ big mute lug himself Ice Bear, along with those from Panda and Grizzly, and other featured characters too, as well as memorable moments from the series itself. Other blogs based on him and the series official page are reblogged regularly.
It’s at icebear-isms.tumblr.com--check it out and follow. And I hope you like it.
Now that the shameless plug-in is over, we now return to our regularly-scheduled review.)

I really didn’t mind the huge push it got from the network--a five night debut with the first six episodes airing during that workweek, and the first two airing in the first night--in fact, I’m happy it got this because I honestly believe it can be a big hit for Cartoon Network (and has been so far) and can be yet another memorable series for everyone to watch and enjoy.
I know this will become a success and last for a long while, because it's a kind of series for anyone (me included) to sit back and relax to, even though my television watching is a broad as the sun and the moon. I can also think that the network can and will treat it just as well as its other shows, and give it the fans and recognition it deserves and then it’ll be another piece in the puzzle of This Great Renaissance of Animation of the 2010s.
Congratulations, Cartoon Network; you have another hit on your hands.
At least I think know so, since on August 12, CN renewed the series for a second season. So it's clear that the execs at the network has given a huge liking to it; I mean that had to--they gave it a panel at Comic-Com.

And that is the another Surprise Review for another animated series I believe will be a hit for not only its network, but also for all animated television. Thank you for joining me, and I’ll see you later.

Ariana Grande Hates America (and Also Has Something Against Donuts)

(I know this was late, and took place last month, but this stuck like a tumor in the drafts section. So I had to throw it away.)



I don't know if she was drunk when the video was recorded, but I do believe it.
I don't care much for her as a person, but this was absolutely dumb and foolish.
Plus, there are people in this world that are germaphobes. They can't stand the thought of people touching their things, let alone licking them. So you have to imagine their anger, disgust and rage when she licked those donuts. Now, they have to live through it and relive through it this video.

But the thing that takes the cake here, is this: later in the video, Grande spouts this stupid, stupid statement about the country she was born and raised in:
"I HATE AMERICANS. I HATE AMERICA."

If you hate America, just leave. I'm pretty sure we don't need people who hate this country at all here anyway. You'd be perfect somewhere else where your fans will kiss your tiny ass and selectively forget that video like it's an STD.

She later apologized in this video, which I couldn't believe if she said this in a scene on Days of Our Lives.



This was just disrespectful to the donut shop, its owner and employees and America.
Screw you, Ariana Grande.

Sesame Street is Moving to HBO -- This is a GOOD THING

If you have heard the news, Sesame Street is actually switching networks--albeit in the first-run.
In 2016, the iconic childrens' series is moving from PBS to, of all networks...HBO. After 45 years of airing on the free public television network, America's most beloved television neighborhood will move to the not-free, very expensive, subscription-based pay-cable network, where new episodes will air first; the episodes will then air on the Peeb 9 months after their Home Box Office debuts. This is a part of a huge five-year programming and development deal that will keep the series alive for at least up to its 50th anniversary, along with HBO getting exclusive rights to previous episodes on its Go and Now digital services and new spin-off series.
This has a lot to do with the viewing habits of its young demographic changing from TV to the Internet.

Of course, people are in a tizzy about it, citing that HBO is not only a pay-TV network, but also a pay-TV network that caters to adults. Many of the programs that air on it are catered to adults, like Game of Thrones, True Detective, The Leftovers, Girls, Silicon Valley and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And also airs movies that are rated R.

Need I remind you that it isn't the first time that HBO has aired programming for children? After Fraggle Rock aired, HBO kept up the mantra with Babar, The Little Lulu Show, George and Martha, The Mr. Men Show, Harold and the Purple Crayon, I Spy, A Little Curious, Postman Pat, and of course, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. No one said a thing about those shows airing at the same time as The Sopranos, Sex and the City or Arli$$. So what difference is there between those examples and Sesame Street?
Because there are puppets? Because it teaches kids? Because families are too poor for cable and are too proud to ask their friends for their HBO Go accounts for this one time?
Oh yeah, I guess the G-, PG-, and PG-13-rated films it showcases don't really exist there either, right?

Might I remind you that this show taught us about death (of course in a decent, dignified manner)?

Or the fact that Katy Perry appeared wearing a skimpy-ass dress that aroused people in a singing skit with Elmo?

Or--oh yeah? this little clip involving Maria BREASTFEEDING?!?


My point is: Sesame Street was no different than any of the childrens' shows that aired on HBO years prior, and was just as bold and mind-challenging as some of the shows that aired on HBO. I'm not saying that these two polarizing-ly different things are a perfect match, but it makes sense in more than one way--
financially and successfully.

Because of the fact that Sesame Workshop is having a bad several years with money--and that Sesame Street is bearing the brunt of it, HBO (an EXTREMELY loaded network and company) stepped in to help out by giving the company a big payout and giving the show better production values and more episodes a year (previously 18, now 35) and more options to watch outside of TV (online, of course).
But no, you don't want that because HBO airs adult shows and R-rated movies? Adults shows and R-rated movies that only air at night? Why do you think they air their shows twice a week? On the same night? And that it will change it?
HBO doesn't own Sesame Street--and as a matter of fact, neither did PBS. It has been owned by Sesame Workshop (and it's previous name The Childrens' Television Workshop) since its beginnings. PBS (along with its predecessor NET) only broadcasts the show, just as HBO will do as well.

And by the way: another point people are trying to make is that they have to wait 9 months before new Sesame will air on PBS. So? Do you actually care about this? Do your children care about that? The kids won't know or care that new Sesame Street will air on PBS in the same time it takes to make a kid. That is unless you wanna stress yourself by telling them that like a fool. It's like this concerns some grown adults more than children. I'm not saying adults can't watch Sesame Street (it's absolutely fine), but it sounds super sad.

So in the end, from here on out: Sesame Street is airing on HBO. Get used to it.
It's not gonna hurt anybody (especially you ADULTS) and it's gonna be all right, especially into the future, now that HBO is putting it and Sesame Workshop under it's wing. Besides it's never going to leave PBS and will do fine there as well. And if you think that PBS will die without Sesame Street, remember this-- It's just. ONE. show. PBS already has other shows it can live off of, like Super WHY!, Dinosaur Train, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Odd Squad and Arthur. And forget the shows that air at night like News Hour, Nova, Nature, Frontline, Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow and American Masters.
So if you're still crying about it, here's a video to cheer you up--It's Kermit the Frog singing "Rainbow Connection". I'm pretty sure his break-up with Miss Piggy doesn't mean much to you anymore.


Wait. It does?? *sigh* This country...

Funday Friday: #47 -- Orlando TV News Anchorman Does Not Care About the Kardashians -- GIVE HIM AN EMMY!!

I think I love this guy.

This is John Brown, a local news anchor at Fox 35, WOFL in Orlando.
He has a rift with some people, just like we do--the Kardashians.
But, unlike everyone else, because we cannot afford to go on TV and voice our displeasure (of course one of us would be kicked out the studio), he said it loud and clear on-air, starting this video below with his rant against the "famous-for-being-famous" family, and walking out of the studio, before sitting back down. (Before I go further, this has nothing to do with them, but the Jenner family.)
The story is on Kylie Jenner buying a new pet rabbit and naming it Bruce, after her former Olympian father Bruce Jenner (emphasis on FORMER, of course, Bruce is now a trans-gendered woman named Caitlyn). Take a look.

Everyone is praising him. And he deserves it.
Listen, no one here (no one), cares about those pandering, slutty, borderline abhorrent, attention whores.
Who in the hell would find a Jenner buying an animal and giving it a name NEWS?! Only fools and drooling idiots would find this as such.
And why would this local news station (or any other, actually) even bother to broadcast this crap within the same hour as the news of the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and in the first place ? Seems like a nice killing of credibility to me.
Oh, and this: who the hell would still use Internet Explorer? No one even uses the newest version anymore

And I'm glad this man said it for us. Someone needs to give this man a raise. Someone needs to give this man an award. Emmy, , whatever. I feel happy that someone (that isn't a comedian) on this big of a medium (that isn't the Internet) to say something that we've all said before or wanted to say on TV, but couldn't. I just love this guy.
I love you, John Brown!!

Funday Friday: #46 -- Mothers in Alliance: Helping Out for Their Bundles of Joy

Hey, everyone--It's Funday Friday time!
But this is a more heartwarming edition this time around.
We start off with this lovely bittersweet reminder that sisterly affection is still going strong. In this case, it's going strong in the way of pregnancy via surrogate.

This is Allison Ardolino-Dinkelacker and her twin sister Dawn.
In 2009, Allison was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer while she was 30 weeks into her pregnancy. She was able to gave birth to a healthy boy 31 weeks in via C-section (thank goodness), but she later found out she wouldn't have any more children after this. To help complete her family, Dawn offered to carry her next bundle of joy instead.

This a lovely story.
It's sad to see someone suffer from cancer, but it's beautiful to see family coming together to help out on of their own in time of need. In this case, it's being a surrogate for your twin while she has cancer. That's commitment and

We continue on this question:
Who knew this week's Funday is spent with funbags?
Here's the picture that's driving everyone wild.

The story behind it is driving them even wilder.

25-year-old Charlie Interrante wanted her son, 18-month-old Mateo, to be breast-fed, but she couldn’t do it herself. Because of her job as a barber, she doesn't have the time to pump the milk to save. And Mateo reacts to the taste and ingredients of formula. So in a desperate time of need, her friend Jessica Colletti suggested this solution: she'll nurse Mateo, while she also nurses her own son, 16-month-old Lucian. To which Charlie agrees.


This story's wave of "controversy" originated with this post on Facebook.

Mama Jessica says:"My son on the right is 16 months and my friend's son is 18 months. I watch her son while she works...

Posted by Mama Bean - Unconditional Attachment on Saturday, August 8, 2015

While it has seen some praise by some,

"My friend and I had babies about the same time. She got sick and could not breast feed her baby for a while. I fed both hers and mine and it was a gift to both my friend and her baby. I still feel good about it 44 years later\"
"Wet nurse. As long as her friend is ok with it, then it's perfectly fine. Just like having twins.... I bet she is using mad calories nursing two!!! Honestly, not any different than donating. In fact, both are getting better benefits of the milk because it's not frozen or altered in any way. 100% fresh."
"Way to go momma! What a selfless Gift! Just amazing. #normalizebreastfeeding"

others have...some different reactions.

"Dude...don't breastfeed someone else's child. That's just wrong."
"No sitter has the right to start that...I would have sued her..my eldest had an allergy against mothers milk,something like that could have killed him...My kids should be bonding with mother only,,,,sorry but that's how I feel and from a nursing standpoint it's cross contamination." (wow.)
"What I would hate for someone else to feed my son so wrong in so many way but that's just my opinion each to there own I guess"

"To each his own" is right.
In my opinion, I don't find anything wrong with this. I really don't.
Sure, it's not my baby, and I don't have a child, but (in a point of reference) if my wife or girlfriend couldn't lactate for our child, or our child doesn't want to feed off of her, and our friend is up to the challenge, I'd take up to it. Breastmilk is breastmilk, and breastfeeding is natural. Doesn't matter if which breast it comes out of, as long as the woman with them is okay with the feeding and as long as the baby will still.

And that's it. That's all I have to say here for this story. I find nothing wrong here, and I find the ladies' actions for their sons a good and lasting thing for their lives. It's a good thing to me.
Good job, ladies. Although the photo is questionable.

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review: ST OLGA'S REFORM SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD PRINCESSES

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I am Andrew and I welcome you to the loquacious, superb, and magnanimous article you'll ever see on this trash website.
(Translation: Hey, fellow Stargazers! It's Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review Time!!)

Tonight's review is on the series first ever half-hour episode, meaning this installment is different from other episodes in that it it shown in two pats.
(Translation: It's "St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses" and it exactly what you want to expect from this show.)

Now, this review is a little different.
You see, usually during this Review series, I write done the description of the episode, with my thoughts randomly inserted between scenes. Here's that's not going to happen. Instead, in honor of this being the first half hour episode, this review will be just...review. No story, no random thoughts, just what you would expect in other reviews. This will be for just this episode, and probably more episodes like this someday. Hope you enjoy it.



In it, Star must face her greatest fear and travel to St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses to bust out Flying Princess Pony Head for her birthday.

Lemme tell ya:
Ever since I first heard the words “St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses”,
I was quite intrigued. But when I heard it a second time, along this quote from King Pony Head in "Party with a Pony",
“It's reform school, cupcake, not jail. Although admittedly it is a lot like jail.”,
my intrigue increased, and when we saw this,

I wanted MOOOOREE.

When I went to the Wiki site, it revealed that a half-hour episode would air later on in the season, I was excited. But then, when I saw that the episode in question is entitled “St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses”... I was overjoyed at what I saw. I couldn’t wait to finally enjoy the dark, scary and menacing confines of St. Olga’s, what Starco would be doing inside, the gameplan to escape and the escape itself.
Then I saw a pic of Marco wearing a dress…



(with eyelashes, apparently) and I was like…”Oooohhhh, YEEEEAAAAHHH. I’m so ready!”.
And now, that it's finally here, I can tell you personally, that this was worth the long wait, and even longer fantasies.

In this episode, it’s Princess Pony Head’s birthday, and Star wants it to be her best ever, and to to that, she has to break her out of St. Olga’s and give her the time of her life.
-This is a crazy gesture, but to me, it’s very sweet as well. Because back in “Party with a Pony”, Pony Head decided to spend her last day of freedom with Star [and Marco, too, or as she referred to him as Earth Turd] by having some fun with them in different dimensions, while hiding from school guards and keeping them low about it. Here Star decides to return the favor by giving her a birthday present worth busting out for. Literally. That being sneaking out St. O’s and going on a day of freedom. But from the little anecdotes we’ve heard about it, that’s not an easy feat. But it’s gonna be a thrill to watch.

I read on the WIkia page that there was a part of the scene where Starco that Star’s outfit transformation (animation and music) were based on Sailor Moon. Which was awesome,and another nifty example of its amazing homages to Anime.

The incidental music used is brilliant. Dark, haunting, sounds used amazing well with each scene involving it. They set the mood off perfectly and get you feeling excited and scared at the same time. It gives the great impression that you're in for the ride of your life, yet the ride has never stops until the end. It's the brilliant work of . This guy should receive more credit for his work.

Let’s get deeper here. I really felt sorry for Pony Head during her stay at St. O’s, even though she may have deserved it. I mean...look at this.

This is just mortifying.
I also felt saddened by what the other princesses go through here. All of the princesses seen in this place were living through a living nightmare, where the people who work there take their individuality, freedom, happiness and spirit, and then turn them into monotone, brainwashed, zombie-esque nothings. And it’s just...unsettling. Makes you wonder why their parents really sent them there in the first place.

Whatever Star said about this place, she was right about. This place is even worse than what she scarcely described. Even if she was overreacting, at least you gotta believe her for all of this. Even that picture I showed earlier is just like what you saw here. Her crying after seeing that poster was entirely justified. (plus, seeing her cry was really sad on its own because we’ve seen her mostly happy and never showed this kind of emotion before).

This episode sent me chills.

But...that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I loved it! I loved the scary, chilling atmosphere that happened almost throughout, the scenes of the processes going through the banal activities, the chant Marco gives to wake the imprisoned princesses--freeing them from their horrible states and bringing them back to normal, Princess Smooshy eating a bird after a forced singing activity, everything involving Miss Heinous and the guards, the call-backs, Star’s outfit, Marco in a dress and even hearing Snooki Head talking in her native accent. I miss Pony Head and seeing her again was just as joyous.

Oh, and the ending. Let’s just say that this new battle between Starco and Miss Heinous isn’t over.
And I’m excited...

This episode was awesome to watch and a perfect concept for the first full half-hour episode. It was everything I wanted to see about St. Olga’s Reform School, and then some. The writers and story-boarders really did a great job here, and I’m so glad for that.
This series continues to get better and better for me, and if I didn’t watch so soon, I’d regret it. Because the mix of dark and bright is so perfect and the action and comedy are amazingly balanced and used, like it is here (even if this particular episode was mostly dark than bright.).
Bravo, everyone! Bravo.

Favorite Lines:
“at 90%. More tea, please.” Pony Head
“Why are you saying that? You don’t even have pinkies!” -Star
“It’s not criminal to be an individual.” -Marco
“If your -- are on the table, you belong in a stable.” -Miss Heinous
“Annihilate. That;s the term I’ve been looking for!”- Miss Heinous

And that will do with this, the first Star vs. The Forces of Evil Review as just a review. I hope you all have enjoyed the article, and that this will only be temporary, as next week's review will be under the same unorthodox format you have known and loved (begrudgingly).
(Translation: Thanks for joining me here for the first ever just-review-review and see you next week when the next review is the same crap you've gotten used to since March.)
And since this episode ended with a party celebrating the return to normalcy for the imprisoned princesses, next week's "Mewnipendance Day" will feature Star celebrating the history of her home dimension with her Earth friends. You can tell where this leads. And in the opposite of things, Star sets off on her own mission to find...something she saw in a Paid Programming ad, but being Star, things get screwy. It's "The Banagic Incident"!

I shall see you next week for that, but for now, it is time to depart.
(Translation: see you in 7 days! For now I gotta do other things that seem arousing to me.)

I send my sincere thank you to the SVTFOE Wikia page for their contribution to this review.
(Translation: As always, what I said one line ago.)

So, until next time, thank you for joining me and, and enjoy you weekend. Taa-taa!
(aka I'm Andrew, saying "Reach for the Star, and Keep Looking Up!..at your TV screen.")

AGTXReview: Judge Cuts--Part 4-That Was...The End (Darn)

Hello, everyone.
Welcome back to my Review of the Judge Cuts on America’s Got Talent X. And wouldn’t you know it, we’ve reached the end. During the last four weeks, we’ve reached all we’ve could to watch some of the best acts so far try again to potentially reach the Live Shows and vie for America's hearts, votes, and possibly wallets. It's the final week, so they have to end it with a bang. So the best of the best are spotlighted for the 7 spots to the Live Shows. But that not the only thing.



For this, the final week, the judges are joined by the most memorable and beloved judge. He’s been a part of AGT for the first 7 seasons, and has really left his mark ever since. He’s made controversial remarks and rulings, but his presence has been felt by fans the nation over.
It’s Piers Morgan.

I honestly thought that Howie’s prank on him this time was just foolish and childish, and makes him a damn Man Child. His pranks on Piers are seriously unnecessary and just stupid. Sure, they can be funny, but makes Howie look more like an asshole than Piers. He can say some mean things, but they’re constructive and true at best.

--

Our (final) first contestants are The Gentleman, two well-dressed, all-around handsome brothers from Fairfield, CA making their return to impress the crowd and judges again.

After their first audition, you’d think they’d step it up and still be this cute and charming..and you’d be right.

They killed it! Again!
I thought their synchronicity was a little loose and sloppy though, and but if they do get to the Live Shows, they have to tighten it up while keeping the personality intact.
Also, these guys must love Usher enough to have him play his songs during their performances; this was the second Usher song they’ve chosen for their act, which was inappropriate and repetitive. It did show off their personality, so that’s a plus out of a negative. But they need to change that too. Other than that, their personality was full of charm, charisma, high energy and a touch of goofy. All in all. it was a really fun and cool performance and I hope they go through.
-
Another thing, during the shot of the other auditionees while they’re dancing, one of them said that “We need to step it up”. I said “Really, this guy is THAT worried to step up his act believes to boys are upstaging him!?”. I understand that has to happen, but I found it funny that a grown man is thinking that.
--
Moving on, Derek Hughes is a magician from Los Angeles. (Geez, I just realized that there are a lot of magicians here.) He claims he’s gonna to blow the judges minds (Get in line.) with his talent of mental magic.

At first, (and then later) even when he asked Howie to think of a certain city, I knew where this was going. He’s gonna find the city using “telepathy”, which is reading someone’s mind and thinking the same thing later on.
Fortunately, I was shock/surprised/happy when he threw it away, changing my perception of him a bit. That is until he picked the paper back up and shown the city of Toronto. And that one about Gunther. Which was scribbled out to reveal Bob. And the Morbid “park.”

It was still kinda predictable, though. I can understand why Piers wasn’t enjoying it as much, because I felt the same way, too, at first. He’s funny (knows how to make people), and he know how to step away from the norm of magic. That’s pretty impressive.
--
In the tank now are two Duo acts that are in the same sub genre of acrobatics. You know things are getting interesting when both of their names have the word “Duo” in them.

Up first is Duo Vladimir. They are two brothers (with the same NAME!) who are acrobats.
They certainly impressed the judges and audience with their act during their first audition...

and here...

That was intense, it was scary to see the Vlad on top nearly fall, and it was breathtaking when they took out swords(?) to make the act more terrifying. There was one hiccup when Top Vlad nearly slipped from the tiny perch, but they kept their balance, thank goodness.
This was a damn great act and I’d love to see them take it up another notch if they move on.

Speaking of notches, the other Duo needed to do just that to catch up with the Vlad-stics.
They’re Duo Voltra. A couple--two people who partner in trapeze.

Since their first audition (they were a couple), when they broke up, but have continued on with their act.

This act for me is better by a “thread” than Vladimir. not only is it intense because there is no net and barely a mat to land on, but it’s also beautiful to watch because of the chemistry and passion these two exes have put into it (mind you, again, they’re not a couple anymore), so this was a great act.

Of the Duo’s I think could go on to the Lives (I wish both should go; both are incredible acts), I think Voltra should move on; they have the personality, passion, chemistry and sex appeal to make the competition fiercer and tougher...and even more hotter.
--
After a package of acts that just don’t have the talent or impression to keep up the second time to go through,

singer Alicia Michilli took the stage to perform The Jackson 5’s classic “Who’s Loving You”. And honestly, who not loving her at that moment? She has this hot, sweet, soulful voice that can move an audience on instant, and can impress anyone (even Piers). There were points where she couldn’t reach the high or strong parts of the song, but she still pulled it off. Greatly.
--
Next is Semeneya, a Salsa act from San Antonio.
You may remember them as a quadruple act, but during their audition, one of the members broke his leg. The judges were sympathetic enough to give the act another chance, and, with two members taking the ranks, they knocked it out of the park.
Now during their re-audition, they’re trying again as a trio, as Luis couldn’t recover in time to return. And they knocked it out again.

Not only out of the park, but also the entire town.
That was spicy hot, the moves were hot, but the spins and sexiness of it all were fire. And the sashes on the ladies outfits were a big turn-on for me. These guys are definitely one of the best dance acts I’ve seen this season so far.
--
Speaking of best, Aaron Smyth (pronounced Smeith) returned, and just like in his audition,

he did his all and left nothing back here.

He stepped it up, turned up the emotion and energy and left me wanting more. Meaning for him to go to the Lives and do it again. He was
--
Siro-A took the stage next for their act. And...well...holy shit, look at this.

The synchronicity and timing with the video was astounding. The video wall itself is colorful, goofy and sid-splitting in all the right ways. Watching the whole thing gave me goosebumps, because even though I’ve seen acts like this before, this one here was still kinda new to me.
This act was so brilliant and convincing, that it was quite impossible for me to decipher which were the real guys, and which were the CPUs. And the music added on to the fun of it all. It was like watching something made by Nintendo.
These guys right here are the next Kenichi Ebina. I’m just saying.
So no wonder Piers pressed the Golden Buzzer for them. They truly deserve it.
Just like they also deserved this post-GB interview on Access Hollywood Live.
-- Next is Gary Vider, a comedian making his due as a dog walker. His set is about his problems with money. It was really funny. His dull persona worked on me, and the subtle jokes he made were hilarious under that. He could go far from that. Howie said his comedy is subjective, and that makes sense, as not everyone will love it, but I did, so he works well for me. Good job for him. -- Then things got terrible really fast. Kayvon went on stage and sung “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive. I’ll tell you quickly--this guy and his vocals suck. After he gets buzzed by three of the judges (No telling what Piers would’ve done), Howie defends him. I was confused as to why he would do that. But then when he explained that he thought he was a humor act, he was shocked to learn that he wasn’t. I was too; this guy believes he’s a serious talent. (the dude is stupid to believe that catshit he calls his vocals is talent) And then things get even worse when he opens his mouth. He insults Mel and her singing career, causing the other judges, especially Piers, to strike back.
I’m so damn glad Piers came back this week, because this fucker deserves to put in his place, and to wake up from the little dream that is being delusional enough to think he can sing. Screw him.

And that’s it for my critiques for the last acts to have made it this far in the competition.
In my opinion this was better than the last group. I was enjoying most of the acts and I would’ve had an ulcer choosing seven of them to go the the Lives, so thank God I didn’t choose them. But I think the judges made the right decision in choosing the acts I would’ve wanted to go.
Let’s see which acts are going to Radio City Music Hall:
The Gentlemen
Derek Hughes
Duo Voltra
Alicia Minchilli
Gary Vider
Stevie Starr (an act that swallows and regurgitates random objects; I really didn’t like his act, but hey, I’m not on the panel), and
Siro-A (Golden Buzzer winner) (my favorite of them all)

This was a group of acts very deserving of going to the Live Shows, in my opinion. They all posses some real nice talent in their own ways and make the competition amazing.

I was saddened to see that Semeneya, Aaron Smyth and Alex Boye were eliminated. They also had talent and likeness toward them, enough to go through, but I truly understand why they weren’t chosen: Only seven spots. And they weren’t doing enough to get those spots. I wish them well in their future endeavors.

Well, folks, that’s it. The Judge Cuts are over. The judges and their guests have chosen their favorites and they will go to the Live Shows for America to decide the winner. Who will shine? Who will fall? And what color will Nick overuse in his suit? Find out this Tuesday when America’s Got Talent goes Live!
(Of course I’ve got my review, which will moving back to Thursday at 9pm. Because three days of waiting is too much now.)
See you then. And Goodnight!!

AGTXReview: Judge Cuts--Part 3-That Was...Weird

Welcome back to America’s Got Talent--the Judge Cuts. You know how this goes:
Same as the auditions, but during this stage, the judges are joined by a special guest joining them at the panel to help find the right returning acts to take to the Live Shows.
This time around, it’s Marlon Wayans, best known from TV shows like In Living Color, The Wayans Bros., and films like White Chicks, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the “A Haunted House” series and the first two “Scary Movie” films. He’s currently the host of the new series I Can Do That, also on NBC. *sigh*
Now that we’re re-aquainted, let’s start Part 3.

First up is musical group Triple Threat, one of the early favorites from the Auditions. This all-guy group wowed us with their amazing vocals and harmonies during their first performance.

and now, their second performance, which includes an surprising song choice.

Now, comes an interesting challenge: singing “Problem” by Ariana Grande. But they pulled it off awesomely. Their vocals were just as great this time, and they even pulled off Iggy Azalea! I really like these guys; they’re sweet, charming witty, and their origin story was funny, yet cool to see, as these guys meeting would make a great outcome.
--
Animation Crew took the stage next to perform what they do best: popping, locking and amaze. If you haven’t noticed, that is dancing.

Here their act is mimicking a band in a toy box to The Jackson 5’s classic “I’ll Be There”. And wow, that just blew me away! Their movements--exactly like those in a music box--brilliant. And the version of “I’ll Be There” as if it was played by one was a very cool touch, playing along with the original. These guys are probably my second favorite dance troupe on the season, after FeeLuminate no doubt.
--
Skipping some acts, we reach ventriloquist Paul Zerdin. Last time, he straight up blew the judges' minds with his dummy skills.

And this time, he brought a special guest along with him.

My God, this guy is hilarious. His content and humor are hilarious, his ventriloquism is shockingly brilliant, and the guy knows his stuff like he done this when he was in the womb. He is a million-dollar act, and he really deserved getting the Golden Buzzer by Wayans. I know he’s gonna do huge things in the Live Shows.
Make him another British act getting the Golden Buzzer and going straight to the Live Shows. And to make it another running gag, here’s his appearance on Access Hollywood Live. Just because.

--
Straight after him, is another act blowing the minds of everyone, Oz Perelman.

In his re-audition, he wants the How’s to let him check into his heads.

That was great, but I wasn’t very interested in his act. It pretty much the same thing as his last act. But I did love when he cutted up Oprah Winfrey for Howard. That was impressive.
--
Reaching past more acts, Mountain Faith Band are back to play us a good song again (or bluegrassy cover of a pop song).
During their last appearance, they covered OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” with great fun....

and now, they’re playing to “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness. (heh, a straight-up contrast between both bands).

They did an amazing job with the cover. I’ve never heard the song before, but I’ve enjoyed this cut of it. I can bet the original was really dark, considering it’s a HEAVY METAL song, but these guys make it like it’s their own, without ruining it for their fans.
I really like this band; they’re my absolute favorite music group on this show, and I think they’ll bring a bit more to the table when the Live Shows come around.
--
Next, Vita Radionova, contortionist extraordinaire.

Hot. damn.
That was sexy beyond belief, so much so I had to research the show’s rating. That was hot to watch, but I got a definite feeling that she’ll do some of the same if she goes to the Lives. Unless she mixes it up, it’ll be corny as crap.
The look on Marlon’s face (along with, well, every male face shown) was just hilarious.
--
Benton Blout is the final act of Part Three, and out of the gate, he just reaches near-Chris Daughtry levels of rock.

He adds a really nice rough bluesy, soul-ish sound to this cover, and I just really enjoyed listening. I like this guy; his voice is like a breath of fresh air, despite it sounding rough, harsh and sandy like the music in Kanye West’s “Yeezus”.
I like him.

And now, the choices whom will go on to the Live Shows.
(And yes, if you have noticed, there are less from the last two Parts, because all that's reviewed here are the ones going. I just got tired of watching on Hulu because it cuts off after pausing for a few minutes. It's frustrating; even when the other option is going on Wikipedia and seeing who goes and who doesn't.)
Triple Threat
Animation Crew
Paul Zerdin
Oz Pearlman
Mountain Faith Band
Vita Radionova
Benton Blout
--All of these acts are, in my opinion really good choices. And that's, more often than not, because other acts were really terrible. They did not deserve going through because of the Sophomore Slump. They either got less exciting or got even worse. So i'm glad for the judges to choose these choices. Some aren't spectacular, but they're better than fine here.

Anyway, this Judge Cuts segment is fluctuating. It started out great (although it was wildly expected), then it went downhill from there, and picked up a bit here. Suffice to say, it's gonna be a hard time getting excited for the last Week (or Part by me) of the Judge Cuts. Hopefully, I'll be happy enough. Join me soon for Part 4, the final Part, of the Judge Cuts.
See you then.

AGTXReview: Judge Cuts--Part 2-That Was...Still Expected

Hello, everyone.
The Judge Cuts on America’s Got Talent has heated up.
Last week, 20 acts have re-appeared and faced the judges (along with a special guest) to prove why they’re deserving of their place in the Live Shows. 13 have fallen, while 7 have risen the ranks to secure their spots. I honestly thought almost all of the choices made were very expected, and that the end was anticlimactic...but when Alondra Santos wasn’t chosen, I was shocked. Oh well. I’m glad all of these acts I really like are going through.

This week, it’s a different course.
20 more acts are making their marks one again; and again, only 7 acts will be going to Radio City Music Hall. I was even less than pleased with this group; even if the judges had a hard time getting rid of some real good acts, it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Let’s see which acts will go to New York this time (that is, those we obviously know will be going).

But first, another round of the opening credits with the judges and shit.
This week, they are joined by Michael Buble, one of the most talented and incomparable talents and voices in music today. And host of his Christmas specials on NBC. Whichever is more relevant at the moment.

Now, let’s get started.

First up, magician Aiden Sinclair.
If you remember him, this guy previously had a really bad life as a con artist, and ended up in jail for his scams. During his time in the slammer, he picked up a book on magic and learned the ways of the profession. He has since gotten out a changed man and has made wiser moves in life to move away from his past, including appearing on AGT with an amazing audition. That was amazing.

But somehow, that couldn’t compare to this second audition he did.
Oh. My. God. This just blew everyone’s mind. I--I just can’t wrap my mind around this.
His talent is just spectacular. He’s going through. He’s definitely going through.
Another great start. Another bar set.
--
Of course it’s going to be hard for the other acts to be just as great.
But damn if they don’t try.

Shirley Claire is up first. This 87-year-old firecracker has been making us laugh, smile and feel any us should be her fifth husband since her audition. Man, can she sing!

Now, she’s back for another knockout. She’s still got it.

I love this woman! She’s witty, charming, charismatic and hot. She can make me her romantic partner if she wants; I can be down as a cougar’s mate.
--
Daniella Mass is a singer originally from Colombia now living in the US to chase her dreams.
She sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, and…

well, what can I say? This girl has the voice that can move mountains, open up skies and possibly breathe life into anything. I’d be pissed if she didn’t go--she deserves to.
--
Ira (and his mother) has returned with one goal in mind: impress, and one day settle down with, Melanie. But he now has another reason to continue on in the competition: Sing to everyone and make them happy.

I felt a little cringed for Mel. This guy’s--(I can’t believe I’m referring to this thing as a guy like I am a human)--his whole schtick is just singing his feelings about Mel B to her and everyone else, in front of her. That’s not very funny. That is...a little creepy. The dude (or the guy controlling “him” from behind) can sing, but this angle is getting really annoying at this point. And if he goes, I don’t think I’ll be a fan of this anymore.
--
Next up is Benjamin Yonnaton. He is a dancer with a painful obstacle in his life: he is legally blind. But that won’t stop him from living his dream.

This young man is inspiring. He wants to dance (and can dance) and won’t let his decreasing vision stop him. Which is great thing to see. His audition was beautiful to watch and had me emotional.

--
After a package of a few acts that were great, but might not make it through,
we are now treated to Uzeyer Novruzov, the guy who can

In this reprisal, Uzeyer is attempting to reach the top of a wobbly ladder and stand on it; no mat, no net, no safety. I wasn’t very impressed with this. It was great for him to climb the ladder and make it wobble to ass suspense, but when he stood on top for a few seconds, I was a bit disappointed. I mean, I was like “That’s it? Really?”--I wanted more than that, and this left me sad. I know there are people who’ll say “Come on, this is amazing; no one can do this like he can”
I know; it’s really hard to do, but if you’re going to fight for a spot to the Live Shows, it should be more exciting and extravagant that this. His audition was better. That was cool to see though.
--
Ryan Shaw. Aw, man. This dude has some golden pipes!

Seriously, it probably should be a crime if he doesn’t make it to the Live Shows. He’s that good His three GRAMMY NOMINATIONS are an impressive feat to have in a music career.
--
The Craig Lewis Band. Man, these guys are aMAZing!!
First the audition was tantalizing...

...and now their second act is just as fantastic.

Like Ryan Shaw, these brothers are so talented and have some of the best voices on this show this season. They have everything to make it far, and I think they can make it far. Which is why I was so glad that Michael pressed the Golden Buzzer for them. They so deserve it.
--
Speaking of deserving, DM Nation returned for their next turn. The all-girl dance troupe already impressed the judges and the crowd the last time (in two words: THAT TURN).

And now, here’s what their re- gives us.

Well, the title of the YT video said “Power and Precision”, and that’s what we’ve gotten. These girls still got the moves and timing down pat--right down to every inch of the beat of the three songs featured. I do pretty strongly feel that the Audition was better, but I still enjoyed what I gotten here.
--
Scott Heierman. My God, this man is hilarious.

His comedic skills under the guise of being a drag queen led him to be one of my favorites during auditions. I couldn’t wait to see him again during this round, hoping he wouldn’t disappoint…
Unfortunately, he did...but not for the reason you think.

He was so overwrought with emotion, that he forgot his lines and messes up his whole act. That is a terrible and painful thing to see; watching people lose their strength and determination to perform an act after so much practice and perfection, and with so much hype and excitement for you to continue what everyone loved you for. It’s that sad.
I felt very sorry for him to start this high, and then reach this fall from grace.. He really was one of my faves, and now it’s disappointing that he won’t go on to the Live Shows. Oh well.
Good luck to him wherever he goes, and hopefully he’ll come back this season and maybe knock it out of the park again.
--
And finally, the last act of Part 2, Selected of God Choir.

Here they perform a cover of Destiny’s Child classic “Survivor”. And already, out of the park, they KILLED it! Their vocals, harmonies and -- were just beautiful. And it was a perfect song for them to sing---just take out ex-boyfriend for something related to evil and you’ve got a perfect performance from a Gospel group. This group is really talented and I hope to hear from them again in the Live Shows.

---

Alighty, the acts have now given their shots in hopes of moving on to Radio City Music Hall. Let’s see who will actually go there.
Advancing to the Live Shows Are:
Daniella Mass
Ira
Benjamin Yonnaton
Uzeyer Novruzov
Craig Lewis Band
DMNation
Selected of God Choir

Those Advancing That I Like Are:
Daniella Mass
Craig Lewis Band
DMNation
Selected of God Choir

I expected myself to be shocked by these decisions; and boy, were my expectations exceeded.

--Ira over Aiden Sinclair? Freaking BLASPHEMY!! Ira is talented (is funny and can sing), but his continuing aspirations for Mel are a turn-off to me. Aiden’s a very good magician, and his acts left me speechless. If anything, he should’ve went through than him.
I mean...puppets!?! Really, judges!? Come ON!
--Another thing is this: another two acts had to go too: Shirley Claire, Ryan Shaw. It’s sad. But it’s understandable why. Some of these acts had to go no matter how great they are. You think it’s hard choosing which ones will go on, try being the judges and see how easy this is. But what makes not much sense is that out of the seven acts that did go through, only four of them I actually like. The rest are mediocre to me at best.
--I read some of the comments on the bottom of the episode’s Hulu page, and some people believe the reason Benjamin got through is because of his terrible sight issue--The judges let him go through because they had sympathy for him. That’s quite understandable, but, I find him a talented dancer, whether blind or not, and I find it annoying that people are continually referring to him as “the blind kid”, which pisses me off. How would you feel is someone refered to other auditionees as “the ex-con magician” (Aiden) or “sexy Colombian” (Daniella) or “the hot old bag” (Shirley) or
I can understand your opinions; It’s the fact that people are calling him “the blind kid” (and not his freakin’ name!) that’s driving me crazy. People, this is the internet! Stop typing in this dumb-ass term and refer to him by his name! It’s not that damn hard!
--

And now, my brief thoughts on Michael Buble as guest judge. He was pretty good. He really charming and had some one-lines that made me laugh (most notably during Uzeyer Novruzov’s re-audition), but he wasn’t as hilarious as NPH, so all is balanced out.

Well, that does it for this week. Another seven acts have made it to the Live Shows--making the number double to 14, and now the stage is set for another 20 acts to try to give it their all for a chance to advance to the Live Shows. Only another seven will be chosen. Who will it be? Check in again next week to find out, along with my critiques of the challengers’ performances as well.
Hopefully this next turn-out will be better. See you later.