American Idol is back!! Yay!!!!!!

Tonight, after a long long time, I felt that it was really a competition and that people were making an effort to stand out... which of course was the case for most because only the top 10 Idol contestants get to go on tour and it would completely suck to be the 11th man (or woman). Tonight's theme was the Billboard's No: 1 hits through the years.

Lee Dewayze was good but not great when he opened the night with The Letter. It was then followed by Paige singing Against all odds (a bit ho-hum unfortunately - I felt a little bad for her as she stood there being completely battered by the judges). This was followed by Tim Urban singing Crazy Little Thing called Love - he will stay I think because he has his finger (firmly I might add) on the teen vote unless his teen audience also could not stand that performance. I personally thought Paige was a bit worse than Tim was. Then the competition really began with Aaron Kelly belting out Aerosmith's Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - he did a decent job despite his tonsillitis and laryngitis. Aaron is never ever pitchy or out of tune but tonight he was in a couple of places and I hope his fans vote for him to stay because he is one of the best vocally. Crystal Bowersox wowed the judges again with Janis Joplin's Bobby McGee. I thought she was good but not great... I think it's also some of the "halo effect" taking place - where someone does a couple great things and then everything that follows is just great whether or not it really is - again I am not saying she was bad by any means but just that I wasn't as euphoric as the judges were.

Andrew Garcia was completely thrashed by the judges for his performance a Marvin Gaye song. He may also be in danger of going home tomorrow - he was fabulous when he sang Straight Up during his audition but for some reason has been unable to recapture that star moment. Katie Stevens sang Big Girls Don't Cry - she began very strong but I didn't much like it as the song continued - she probably sings most out of tune of all the contestants... The judges were surprisingly happy with her but I am still not a fan. Oh and I forgot to mention Big Mike singing When a Man Loves a woman and he did a fine job but didn't get much love from the judges because he didn't take any risks. Casey (the boy is cute and can sing - I'm becoming a fan) sang The Power of Love. I liked him - he is one of the few that is consistently good. Simon was mean to him but methinks he was completely wrong!! Didi is another gal I really like - I was considering her in my top 3 for the office pool at one point but she sang You're No Good tonight and didn't earn any fans among the judges. I actually liked it - she reminds me of Brooke from last season. My favourite this season, Siobhan Magnus was GOOD. She sang Superstition and was really good... but again failed to win Simon's heart... but what I like about her is that she reminds me of Adam Lambert in that she is not afraid of taking risks... at the same time, I would like to see her not rely on the high note and sing a mellow song for a change.

Miley Cyrus was surprisingly good as a mentor on the show... initially I was a bit skeptical that Hannah Montana was giving the singers tips but she was actually good and spot on with her comments about a few of the contestants like Lee and Crystal. And I just have to say - what is with Kara - for the last 2 episodes, she is practically sitting in Simon's lap and simpering and purring like a kitten... even Ellen said something to the effect that Kara is married and Simon is engaged so she didn't know what was going on... watch out Kara's husband!!

Shutter Island - Leo's best?

My brother, who was visiting, and I went to watch Shutter Island. I love suspenseful movies, thrillers, mysteries - bring it on. The hubby on the other hand hates this genre of film which is why I was glad to have some company to watch it with.

Shutter Island is not a horror movie as the trailers will have you believe. It's more a psychological thriller. I will try to review this movie without giving the ending away. It starts with 2 Marshals played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, who arrive by sea, to Shutter Island. Shutter Island is a mental institution for the criminally insane - a heavily guarded place, surrounded by rocks and gun-toting guards - virtually impossible to escape. However the Marshalls Ted Daniels (Leo) and Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) are at the island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a patient called Rachel, who we are told, drowned and killed her 3 children. Due to a sudden storm, the 2 marshals are forced to stay overnight at the facility run by Dr. Cawley played by Ben Kingsley. In the interest of retaining the suspense factor of the movie, I will not write more but suffice it to say that things start getting a bit crazy (pun unintended) - will the 2 marshals find Rachel and get out of Shutter Island despite all odds? Where is Rachel and how did she get out of a locked room? To get the answers to these questions, you have to watch the movie!

This is quite possibly the best acting by Leonardo DiCaprio I have ever seen - even in his Titanic days I couldn't see the appeal so suffice it to say that I was not too big a fan of his. However this movie convinced me of his acting chops! He was fabulous. Mark Ruffalo - he's another actor who has never got his due. He is the most understated actor I have seen (something about him reminds me of Abhay Deol... not sure why... maybe it's his mouth - but I digress). He does a great job supporting Leo. Ben Kingsley is not required to display his superior acting skills in this movie. Martin Scorsese does a wonderful job holding up the suspense throughout the movie although I must admit that I found the movie a tad too long (now was it really too long or was it my growling stomach, I don't know). My brother and I also kind of guessed the ending around three quarters into the film. That said, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and it has filled my "suspense movie craving" for now (I needed it more than ever after watching Paranormal Activity which was not scary in the least bit - I'm not sure why people were so impressed with it but that is another review).

I recommend watching it if you have the opportunity.