Five days from now, Anthony Anderson and Lauren Graham will announce the nominees for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, rewarding the best in television for the previous television season. In this special four-parter, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on which shows and performances are destined for Emmy gold this year. First up, the reality and variety series and specials.

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION SERIES:
• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
• Project Runway (Lifetime)
• So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
• Top Chef (Bravo)
• The Voice (NBC)

Seventh nominee: Survivor (NBC)

Despite the surge in popularity of other reality shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race or the previously nominated Survivor, voters in this category are probably the laziest as this is the lineup we had for the last three years. Thus, even if there are other shows that were well-received, we’re stuck with this lineup, and that’s why I’m predicting the same six. Watch out though for a comeback of some sort, either Survivor‘s resurgence finally catches on the Academy or the farewell season of American Idol, to join the race again.

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION HOST:
• Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars”
• Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance”
• Steve Harvey, “Celebrity Family Feud”
• Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, “Project Runway”
• Jane Lynch, “Hollywood Game Night”

Sixth nominee: Ryan Seacrest, “American Idol”

Anthony Bourdain is ineligible this time around for The Taste, so that frees up a slot here, and the possibilities are endless. For now, I’m retaining three of the previous winners here – Bergeron, Klum and Gunn, and current champ Lynch – to join perennial nominee Cat Deeley. As for the newbie, I’m betting on Steve Harvey to pick up a nod, especially after his infamous Miss Universe stint in here. If not, then Ryan Seacrest probably comes back for Idol‘s series finale, or maybe RuPaul finally gets a breakthrough.

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL CLASS PROGRAM
• Grease: Live (Fox)
• Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (HBO)
• The Oscars (ABC)
• Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show (CBS)
• 69th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
• The Wiz Live (NBC)

Seventh nominee: Grammys 2016 (CBS)

For the first time, they’ve created a specific Special Class Program that separates specials to awards ceremonies and other live events. For this one, the focus is on theatrical specials and the current trend of doing live musicals on network shows will automatically give Grease Live and The Wiz Live nominations. Among awards ceremonies, however, the Oscars and the Tonys are the one that regularly gets nominated so expect them in here as well. HBO’s Lady Day special is a good bet as well, and since it’s still up in the air if we’ll get five or six nominees here, I’m including the Pepsi Halftime Show of the SuperBowl 50 which had the Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Beyonce performance.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL
• Adele Live in New York City (NBC)
• Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo (HBO)
• Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
• Lemonade (HBO)
• Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows (NBC)

Sixth nominee: Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert (CBS)

Speaking of Beyonce, the first of the Adele vs. Beyonce face-offs yet to come for the rest of the year will surprisingly start at the Emmys. Adele’s special NBC New York special is the frontrunner here, but Beyonce’s online smash premiere of Lemonade on HBO is a certain to receive a nod too. In between, there’s Amy Schumer’s Live at the Apollo special, multiple time winner Kennedy Center Honors, and as for the last spot, I’m going with the James Burrows special only because I think Burrows is a prominent and legendary TV figure that has worked on a lot of previous Emmy winning series.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK PROGRAM
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
• The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

Seventh nominee: Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

It’s a different category now without the usual shows (as the three from last year – the two Jimmys and John Oliver are coming back), especially from last year. With the exit of David Letterman and Jon Stewart, it frees up two spots here. Well, three if you include The Colbert Report, but then he’s just replacing himself with The Late Show. Trevor Noah taking over Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show is a shoo-in atoo. For that last spot, one can count on Real Time with Bill Maher to come back considering it’s a mainstay in this category except for its first absence last year. That said, I think HBO’s focus is now on Last Week Tonight already. I guess the popularity of his carpool karaoke series combined with the industrys penchant for him will give James Corden his first bid here for his CBS nightly show.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH PROGRAM
• Documentary Now! (IFC)
• Drunk History (Comedy Central)
• Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
• Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
• Portlandia (IFC)
• Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Seventh nominee: Billy On The Street (truTV)

They’re extending the category to six now from last year’s five. Considering that all five nominees from last year are still eligible, then expect all five to be back. As for what’s joining them, we’re counting on IFC’s Documentary Now which has Emmy nominees Fred Armisen and Bill Hader on the forefront to get nominated too.

Tomorrow, it’s the longform categories with the TV Movie and Miniseries programs!

Talk to me about it on Twitter: @nikowl

In the twelve years since this category started back in 2003, The Amazing Race has won this ten time with both Top Chef and The Voice sneaking one win apiece. Now that the three shows are competing again, will we see one of them winning? Or is it time for the other no-win nominees (Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance) to snatch their win?

Both the dancing shows submitted close to finale episodes. Dancing with the Stars went with “Episode 2009” while So You Think You Can Dance submitted the “August 20, 2014” episode. The thing with these dancing shows is that while they’re showing the competition, it’s not competitive enough with the other competition formats. Add the fact that they’re the only programs that show the same type of skill (dancing), it cancels out each other votes.

One time champ The Voice decided to go with “Blind Auditions 701.” It’s wise that they keep on submitting their blind audition episodes, as they feature the gimmicky spinning chairs and had the coaches fighting with each other. It also offers something new because it’s the first season with coaches Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams.

Project Runway is now on its eleventh bid in this category, and it has yet to win. They went with “The Rainway”  episode where the designers are *obviously* gonna make garments suitable for the rainy season. It also has the gimmick of having rain on the actual runway. I find this a new take from the Project Runway team, as they’re more leaning to episodes with contestants’ drama instead of having anything to do with the actual challenge.

Hoping for a second victory is 2010 champ Top Chef, which submitted their Boston season finale for this year. While there’s tough competition in this episode with an elimination at the start of the episode, it feels a bit “been there done that” already.

There’s a reason why The Amazing Race continues to dominate this category, and that’s because they know how to provide the great submissions. This year, they went with “Mo’rock n Roll” where the contestants can be seen flying to Morocco from Denmark. In a span of 42 minutes, this has all the elements of an award winning episode – you have perceived frontrunners Misti & Jim finishing a Speed Bump at the start of the episode, then there’s a Detour and a U Turn as well. Plus, the heart tugging angle of surfer Bethany doing a Road Block.

Well it’s obvious by now that The Amazing Race is winning an eleventh one, and its episode is far and above the rest of the pack. The only one I can see challenging it is The Voice with its two new coaches.

PREDICTION: The Amazing Race (CBS)
ALTERNATE: The Voice (NBC)

Full rankings:
01. “The Amazing Race”
02. “The Voice”
03. “Project Runway”
04. “Dancing with the Stars”
05. “Top Chef”
06. “So You Think You Can Dance”

You can also check the rest of my 2015 Emmy prediction analysis. Talk to me about it on Twitter: @nikowl

Hi everyone! This week is a special week long Emmy coverage here at Tit for Tat! Before Mindy Kaling and Carson Daly announce the official 66th Emmy nominees on Thursday, I’ll be doing a four-parter prediction post to cover who I think will be nominated in 30 different categories. And like in the past three years, we’ll begin with the Reality and Variety categories.

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION SERIES:

• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
• Project Runway (Lifetime)
• Survivor (CBS)
• Top Chef (Bravo)
• The Voice (NBC)

Seventh nominee: So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)

This category rarely does some major shake up if history is to be looked at. The Amazing Race has consistently been nominated since the inception of the award and has a perfect track record of 11 nominations by far. Project Runway meanwhile has been nominated 9 times, Dancing with the Stars got in eight times, while one time winner Top Chef  has stayed in this category for the past seven years. Thus, it’s easy to assume all will be getting in easily again. And then there’s current champion The Voice. With no other singing competition in the mix right now (Idol hew?), it’ll easily grab a spot as well and try to be the other multiple winning show here. Now as for the last spot, I’d say it’s between Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance and Survivor from CBS. SYTYCD has been nommed here for the last three years and it makes sense that we’ll have the same line up again considering how barren this category is, but Survivor has achieved a creative resurgence in terms of critical and commercial aspects that I think this once 4x nominee will make a comeback since it last got in back in 2006.

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION HOST:

• Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars”
• Anthony Bourdain, “The Taste”
• Carson Daly, “The Voice“
• Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance”
• Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, “Project Runway”
• Jane Lynch, “Hollywood Game Night”

Seventh nominee: Phil Keoghan, “The Amazing Race”

Despite six slots in contention this year, this still feels like a very crowded race. Probably it’s because they combined reality show with reality competition hosts in here. Let’s start with the last two champs in this category: 2011 winner Tom Bergeron and last year’s pair of winners, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. With both their shows still showing signs of strength in the Reality/Competition category, I think they are shoo-ins thus far. Cat Deeley seems like another good bet, though I won’t be surprised if both she and her show would miss this year. Then there’s also Anthony Bourdain from The Taste. After getting the surprise nod last year, I think he’ll be a consecutive nominee for it. And while it’s no sure thing, I’ve quite grown confidence with Carson Daly because one, he’s the host of the current Reality/Competition winner. Second, he will be doing the Emmy nomination announcement and more often than not, it bodes well to one of the two announcers. Lastly, I’m predicting Jane Lynch to cross over with a nod here. After her last year’s surprise comeback in Comedy Supporting Actress, it’s clear she has her fans within the voting bloc. I think that will translate to a support here just like how Betty White got in here after being shafted in the acting races.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SERIES

• The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
• Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
• Saturday Night Live (NBC)
• The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

Seventh nominee:  Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

There’s a huge chance we’d be getting the same line up as from last year. The only possible factor I can see making waves is if David Letterman’s retirement. And that’s a real possibility. But for now, don’t fix if it ain’t broken – when predicting at least.

REALITY PROGRAM

• Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
• Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (Food Network)
• Mythbusters (Discovery Channel)
• Shark Tank (ABC)
• Undercover Boss(CBS)
• Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC)

This category is very much confusing in terms of possible nominees since some winners suddenly get left out the following year. That said, I’m sticking with the same line up form last year except for the ineligible Deadliest Catch. In its place, I’m going with the NBC celebrity story Who Do You Think You Are? which was nominated also back in 2012.

There you have it! 🙂 Tomorrow, I’ll be going on the eight categories in the longform section (TV Movie, Miniseries, four acting categories, Writing and Directing). Do not hesitate to write your predictions in the Comments section as well.

And by the way, you can follow me on Twitter: @nikowl

So I decided to skip my annual movie, TV shows, red carpet looks, and songs lists for this year since I have no time to write them all. Instead, I’ll be posting my favorite moments of 2013 in GIF style. So yes, most of these would be from awards show ceremonies or basically any pop culture event of the year. Okay.

Okay so let’s begin with five six time Oscar loser a.k.a Albert Nobbs herself Glenn Close. At the Golden Globes last January, Close probably thought that she’s also one of the cool kids when she decided to play drunk after Tina Fey’s signal. You probably have no idea how epic this moment was. I mean I can’t even choose my favorite part. Is it the closing of her eyes to give a more convincing portrayal? Is it when she changed her mind and started to look up the heavens instead to make it even more convincing? Is it her husband’s coy “WTF I think I actually married Alex Forrest” tepid laugh? I guess I have to go with none of the above and choose the closing shot of her looking sideways to see check if people find her stuff funny.

That same night, we’re treated to one of the best (and yes I mean the best) awards show presentations ever. When SNL alums Kristin Wyg and Will Pharrell (as Tina Fey would say it) presented the Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy, I.WAS.DYING. As a refresher, here’s how they described the nominees that night:

(on Emily Blunt’s Salmon Fishing in Yemen): “When the salmon comes out.. and when the bad guy comes…. and the salmon was like.. and you’re in Yemen.”
(on Judi Dench of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel): “That Judi Dench. Where did she come from? Unknown, she used to be a police officer, and this is her fist movie. And when all the marigold comes out.. and it’s on her hair. And on one scene, she looks at the town people and she’s like “YOUUU!!! YOUUU GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
(on Jennifer Lawrence of Silver Lings Playbook): “Ugh love Jennifer Lawrence. J.LAW. And then comes the silverrr!! I thought it was an animated film. And all the silver she has collected and they tried to get it away from her and she’s like “NOOO! THAT’S MY COOKBOOK!” and she’s like “YOUUU!!! YOUUU GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
(on Maggie Smith of Quartet): “And no one knows what a quartet is. IT IS AMBIGUOUS! And you think you know what it is, but then the guy comes and says “I think I know what a quartet is!” but he doesn’t”
(on Meryl Streep of Hope Springs): “And Meriall Streep. And she’s the sassy sheriff! “I’m Hope Springs!” She comes in a horse and she’s like she looks at the town people and she’s says “YOUUU!!! YOUUU GET OUT OF HERE!!!”

UGH TYPING THAT WAS A HOOT. I’m laughing again. And everyone in the room was actually entertained. Everyone that is except that creature named Tommy Lee Jones.

Ugh Gramps looked grumpy as hell during that presentation. Guess what TLJ, that was my exact look when you stole that Oscar from Ralph Fiennes and Leonardo di Caprio.

Then we have the Screen Actors Guild Awards where you’re allowed to waste a minute of your life listening to Giuliana Rancic say things like this:

Girl is useless as their manicam. By the way let’s appreciate that the SAG was the only time this award season where Anne Hathaway opened her mouth and said something entertaining that does not involve
a.”a blunt object I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt”,
b. thanking Victor Hugo
c. thinking her Oscar win will stop prostitution.
d. correcting the spelling of her name
It was when Anne presented with co-star Hugh Jackman and they played a banter of how they will describe Les Mis in 2013.

Yes Anne, you crushed it. Speaking of crushed, don’t you love this BFF pic of Nicole Kidman and the lesser Nicole Kidman Naomi Watts at the SAGs? Go Nic, giving some Regina George fierceness.

Prior to her history making releasing an album without anything stint, Beysus graced us all with her presence at the Superbowl. But it wasn’t even her who stole the show. Two words: poor Michelle.

Go poor Michelle!! Put that one day off to good use and appear at the Superbowl.I’m living for her facial reaction. She suddenly got cocky when she realized she did not fall off the mosh pit. YESSS!!

But then again, we’re quickly reminded why she never skyrocketed as a solo artist. I mean not literally a rocket but even Bey can do it.

Anyway, let’s move on to the Grammys a.k.a the first televised exam to see if Taylor Swift knows this song…

or this song…

and this one as well…

and did you know she knew this song too?

Okay we get it Taylor. You know all the songs. But then again who wants to see her do it for a fifth  time when you can see Legend Kidman bopping to that Bob Marley tribute?

It wasn’t as epic as her singing Teenage Dream  at the Grammys last year but she gets bonus points because Adele is wearing a red doily.

Then there’s also the BAFTA where the only two interesting things we saw were Dame Dench’s O face (and when I say O, I mean Oh my god!) as Javier Bardem falls asleep

and David O. Russell’s reaction when Emmanuelle Riva wins Best Actress.

I was secretly wishing Emmanuelle would say “I beat J.Law” at the podium but then I remembered she doesn’t speak in English. So maybe in French? Anyway, off to the Oscars.

Okay remember when I said a few posts above that Giuliana Rancic is as useless as the manicam? Well I take it back. The Manicam is more useful than Giuliana apparently. I’m pretty sure it made Catherine Zeta Jones upset when Ryan Seacrest denied her to do one. You can clearly see in her eyes she wants to parade her fingers on the manicam. Not good, Ryan!

See even Mr. and Mrs. Keith Urban felt bad for La Zeta.

Aside from that, we saw Lil’ Quvenzhane Wallis proving she’s the man (with a proud Denzel Washington beaming from behind),

a bored Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter

and a tripping Best Actress winner. Whoever put that banana peel there for Anne Hathaway clearly didn’t work

But the best moment happened when Emmanuelle Riva unintentionally takes revenge on David O. Russell upon learning his reaction to her BAFTA Best Actress win.

Be thankful, David. At least Em didn’t squashed your face with a pillow. #justsaying

In April this year, Reese Witherspoon was arrested by the cops but she tried to get herself out of this…

…which only means she ended up in prison with a mugshot. You should have called Elle Woods to save you, Reese.

Taylor Swift won eight Billboard Music Awards in May of this year. But surprisingly, not any of those can match the WIN level of her reactions here:

Meanwhile, Miguel channels his inner Bjorn Barrefors and trains for the Olympics on air

Ouch for that woman whose head was found in between Miguel’s legs.

And as everyone celebrates film over at the Cannes Film Festival, two tiny teeny things clearly doesn’t wanna be there. Julianne Moore’s little toes can’t wait enough to go home instead they’re trying to escape while she’s on the red carpet.

Still on the subject of feet, it’s not cool to talk about North West anymore, so let’s just hope Kim K’s feet some speedy recovery for everything they’ve been through this year:

Yes Debra Messing don’t act too surprised, those are her feet.

Last August 10, two of the biggest popstars go head to head as Lady Gaga releases Applause and Katy Perry releases Roar on the same week. You know it was bound to get messy.

And someone’s coming out on top:

But come the VMAs, it wasn’t even the two of them who became the talk of the town. But before that we saw…

Justin Timberlake joined by four other lessers perform,

Taylor Swift asking her BFF to STFU,

Willow Smith whipping her head back and forth as Jaden Smith tries another shot at “acting”,

Lady Gaga opening the show,

but Katy Perry closing it.. (Ouch Gags! Was that msg for you?)

But it Miley who made the whole thing classic. Even getting a classic rxn from Rih

‘

September also was the end for Breaking Bad. And I think no amount of GIF will give it justice so I’ll just post a photo of Bryan and Aaron because uhm, duh, bitch.

And when the Emmys came, Neil Patrick Harris bombed as host, but no other bombed better than what this guy did:

Then cute Merritt Wever gives one of the best Emmy speeches ever when she said nothing but…

while Julia Louis Dreyfus stays in character in her speech.

Michael Douglas, meanwhile, uses Matt Damon as metaphor in his thank you speech

And though he did not win, Kevin Spacey still scores one in my b0ok after doing this:

And the delight of Oprah pushing people

And last month, Miley Cyrus wins Round 2 of best performance at the American Music Awards when she performs with a huge cat behind her:

As Ariana Grande shows us all how it’s really done just by standing up.

Meanwhile, a certain legend named Christina Aguilera is slaying the red carpet fo’sho:

And that’s how you make an exit!  Wait let me reiterate

On the other hand, here’s how you make an entrance. An album entrance that is. As Beysus Christ showed us, just drop em ‘off and boom.

Let’s pause this moment and recognize Queen B.

Oh wait, did you know Britney released an album this year? I’m sure even she’s not aware, but I guess she’s raking it in Vegas no so go Brit and

And as Oscar season comes, we’re treated to a whole lot of epic GIFs from contenders like this of J.Law pleading…

or Sandra Bullock in Gravity a.k.a basically whatever you wanna do to your enemy

But to close this off, a legendary performance to close the year happened between Gags and Legend X when they did a duet of Do What U Want on The Voice finale.

Anybody who does not get the ABBA meets Whatever Happened to Baby Jane reference is deads to me. Plus, I’d kill to have my head on Legend’s bosoms. Anyway, cheers to a happy 2013 and let’s hope for crazier things this 2014.

Happy New Year everyone!

PAST PREDICTIONS:

2005: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]
2006: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]
2007: “American Idol” [WRONG]
2008: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]
2009: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]
2010: “The Amazing Race” [WRONG]
2011: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]
2012: “The Amazing Race” [CORRECT]

Let’s now move on to one of my favorite Emmy categories: Reality/Competition show. Since its inception in 2003, only two shows have won this award: The Amazing Race and Top Chef. As much as how stagnant the winners circle is, they have been more receptive to giving nominations to new shows though previous nominee Survivor can’t catch a break despite a well buzzed season while former perennial nominee American Idol keeps on fading to obscurity. Anyway let’s begin the discussion.

For the second year, two dancing shows are up for the award. It’s unfortunate though that these two dancing shows are the two longest episodes this year. Dancing with the Stars had their prom episode as their submission. It’s glitz, glamour, and fun with a lot of dance spectacles such as that leading one by Derek and Kellie. However, submitting their second live show episodes doesn’t help them much as it simply went on and on and on and on. On the other hand, submitting the finale episode didn’t work for So You Think You Can Dance as well, as there’s not much competition that happened since it’s just an exhibition of their best performances all season. There’s an Emmy shoutout though, from Nigel Lythgoe, and maybe that’s a wink to these Emmy voters.

Top Chef submitted the top three episode where in they went to Alaska. It was a heart tugging extended episode where the challenge involved cooking a dish that inspired them to be the chefs they were. It also added the reality factor when Joshua, one of the remaining contestants, is anxious since her wife who’s on the other side of America is going into labor. It’s a pretty intense episode that can charm votes from Emmy people.

Intense can also be applied to the Project Runway episode since it started with the aftermath of a contestant who voluntarily left the contest followed by another one who wants to do the same. This led to the comeback of an eliminated contestant already. The challenge for this episode is about a casual wear for a busy woman who’s flaw free day and night and has Hayden Panettiere as its guest judge.

Current winner The Amazing Race submitted its second Botswana episode with some very intense tasks such as the diving in a crocodile swamped lake, delivering goats on the said lake, and guiding two donkeys with a carrot among other things. It also added extra drama when teams were stopped by police due to overspeeding, a team getting lost, and the elimination results too. While I think it’s not the season’s best episode, it’s pretty much a jam packed episode that for sure will be competitive,

And lastly there’s The Voice. They submitted the first Blind Auditions for the fourth season which featured new coaches Shakira and Usher. With two eligible seasons this year, it is wise of The Voice team to go with their most buzzed parts of the contest: the Blind Auditions. It also added the fresh faces of two more Grammy winning artists, and it featured the audition piece of the season’s eventual winner. Being the newest member of this category, it also is the most buzzed show in this group which can help.

All in all, I don’t know if there will be changes here, but it will probably be an easy win for The Amazing Race again. The only one I can see them going for as an alternate is The Voice but for the most part, it will add another trophy to the Amazing Race’s Emmy streak.

Prediction: “The Amazing Race”
Runner-Up: “The Voice”

Full Rankings:
1. “The Amazing Race”
2. “The Voice”
3. “Top Chef”
4. “Dancing with the Stars”
5. “So You Think You Can Dance”
6. “Project Runway”

To check out other Emmy predictions, you can check them here.

You can also follow me on Twitter: @nikowl

Hi everybody! It’s back to work day today. Luckily for me, I’m not required to go back to work yet (I still have my work from home card on me. Hahaha). January is a busy month for me as an awards prognosticator, as we’ll have the American award giving bodies steamroll one after the other. On January 10, nominations will finally be unveiled. So expect my last update for the nominations and the final predictions in the coming days.

As for now, forgive my late posts, but I’ll post the remaining 2012 year-end lists that I had. I still have three lists remaining (this one included), so just for effort’s sake, I’ll still be doing a write up of each. For this one, we’ll be focusing on the different musical moments that were created the past year. A live performance can make or break an artist. Think of Ashlee Simpson in Saturday Night Live or Lana Del Rey, who was once poised to be the next big thing… until we saw her SNL number. Then we have the likes of Lady Gaga who tops each performance she have bringing her artistry with each live performance that she does.

With that said, here are 12 musical moments that we’d sure remember from 2012:

You can click the name of the performance and it will bring you to the YouTube clip of it. 

12: Pink, (“Try”) – American Music Awards 2012

Pink has already solidified herself as one of the best live acts among her contemporaries. Who can ever forget her Grammy performance of Glitter in the Air in 2009? That definitely is one of the best performances to ever grace the Grammy stage. This year, she did the whole acrobatic thing once again, but with a different approach; Pink, barefooted and with patches of paint all over her body, with a partner were just doing random catching and splitting and lifting in an interpretative dance-like number of her new single, Try. And to top things off, her vocals was spot on during the whole number. Amazing, really.

11: Alicia Keys, (“Brandy New Me/No One”) – 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy Concert

New York native  Alicia Keys was one of the hundreds of singers who volunteered to be a part of the Hurricane Sandy concert last December 12. Belting out a crossover of the songs Brandy New Me and No One, it was such a delight to hear her just like how she used to slay them all off. And don’t you just love how she invited the whole audience to raise their phones during the No One part? Plus, her intro about how she was raised and how she’ll forever love New York is just the icing on top of this sweet cake.

10: Rihanna, (“Diamonds”) – Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2012

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is probably the meanest event of every year, as it makes all women worldwide feel bad about themselves. But if there’s one good thing that it has given us this year, it’s Rihanna’s performance of Diamonds.  Clad in a Adam Selman creation with Chanel vintage pearl sungless from Depuis to boot, Riri is every inch a model herself as she belts out one of the catchiest songs of 2012.

09: Esperanza Spalding, (“What a Wonderful World”) – 84th Academy Awards

Grammy Best New Artist Esperanza Spalding led the In Memoriam segment at last year’s Academy Awards with her rendition of What A Wonderful World. Together with the Southern California Children, this jazzy yet really touching performance as Esperanza served as background voice while pictures of the departed from Sidney Lumet to Elizabeth Taylor were flashing is one of the best highlights of the year.

08: PSY and MC Hammer, (“Gangnam Style”) – American Music Awards 2012

Definitely the biggest song worldwide this 2012, Gangnam Style by Korean singer PSY has been literally everywhere the past few months. From CNN to the Europe Music Awards, it was also the most overperformed song of the year. What makes this number a stand out among all the endless versions of this is that it has MC Hammer in it. It can be credited as a number of one hit wonders, but I’m sure everyone was up their feet during this closing number at the American Music Awards.

07: Christina Aguilera, (“At Last”) – Etta James Funeral

It was January of 2012 when we  lost one of the many music legends the past year. Etta James, more known as the singer of classics such as At Last and I’d Rather Be Blind, passed away due to a hepatitis C. Of course, there’s no one more fitting to perform her instant classic than one of the best vocals of the younger generation and a self proclaimed fan of the late Etta James herself, Christina Aguilera. Christina belted out At Last in true Etta fashion, and leaking spray tan issues aside, this performance got a standing ovation even before it ended.

06: Jessica Sanchez and Jennifer Holliday, (“And I am Telling You I’m Not Going”) – American Idol Season 11 Finale

Despite the fact that Jessica Sanchez wasn’t crowned the Idol title during its eleventh season, this goosebumps performance of her and one of her most vocal fans, Tony winner and Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday, of the iconic diva song And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going sent shivers all over the world. It was one thing to do a number of it, but it’s another to diva-off with the original singer herself. Now if only they invited Jennifer Hudson as well, all roofs would have been blown after that performance.

05: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green, and Christina Aguilera, (“Hallelujah”) – The Voice Finale Performance Night

The aftermath of the Connecticut shootings left the whole world in shock, but more so, in tears. Thus, it was expected that all shows would pay tribute to the countless lives that we lost there. Probably the best tribute that I’ve seen was the two minute version of Hallelujah by the four The Voice coaches. Together with the rest of the finalists (both eliminated and not), hosts Carson Daly and Christina Millian, each of them holds a name tag with the names of the victims of the shooting. Then we’d hear Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green, and Christina Aguilera belt out this Leonard Cohen classic. It was simple, heartfelt, and I bet there’s not a dry eye in the room that night.

04: Adele, (“Rolling in the Deep”) – Grammy Awards 2012

Yes, we’ve all heard that she was under operation because of too much smoking during the last year of 2011. But like a true pro, you know that we’d still hear that voice back. And there’s no better way than to showcase it to the world with a performance of her Grammy winning song Rolling in the Deep at the Grammy Awards itself. Not only was she the Queen of Grammys that night (winning a perfect six trophies out of six nominations), but this performance received a long standing ovation with everyone from Rihanna to Sir Paul McCartney cheering for her.

03: Spice Girls, (“Wanna Be/Spice Up Your Life”) – 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

90s kids, represent!!!! London did a really good job hosting the Olympics this year with their showstopping opening and closing ceremonies. What takes the cake though is the reunion performance of the Spice Girls doing a medley of Wanna Be and Spice Up Your Life on top of cars as they go around the huge stadium. It might take a long time before we see this again, so I guess we’d have to cherish this performance as if it’s the last.

02: Jennifer Hudson, (“I Will Always Love You”) – Grammy Awards 2012

A day before the actual Grammy Awards ceremony, the whole world was stunned when news broke out that The Voice herself Whitney Houston passed away. That’s probably the most difficult thing to hear on a day before music’s biggest night. So with no time left to do a tribute, it was just a simple number. But Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson made sure that it will be a tribute that will never be forgotten. Just Whitney’s picture, a mic stand, and her soaring vocals in one of the most popular songs ever, Whitney definitely was smiling up from the heavens after this performance.

01: Madonna (with LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, MIA, and Ceelo Green), (“Vogue, Music, Party Rock Anthem, Sexy and I Know It, Gimme All Your Luvin, Like a Prayer”) – Superbowl 2012 Halftime Show

And let’s all bow down to The Queen. Proving that she is still a force to be reckoned with, Queen of Pop Madonna showed all these artists how it’s actually done when she performed at the halftime of the Superbowl this February. With matching visual floors and coming from a throne, there’s no entertainer more fitting to do this year’s job than Madonna. Singing a medley of her most prominent hits from Vogue to Music to Like a Prayer, and inviting friends like LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, MIA, and CeeLo Green, this fourteen minute performance is nothing but a showstopper, all provided to you by Madonna herself.

What were your favorite performances from the list? Did you think I missed something? Pipe them in below at the Comments section.

And as always, you can follow me on Twitter: @nikowl

Christina Aguilera ‘s new era is just around the corner, as she releases her latest studio album Lotus on November 13 of this year. She kicks off this era by releasing her first single Your Body on ITunes last September 17, and the music video just earlier this day. And to say that this video is great is probably an understatement. It was colorful, fun, fierce, and I’m not even talking about the overload of pop culture references from Lucille Ball to American Psycho, from Oranium the website to the Bits N Pieces cereal she ate there.

If you’re a real Christina Aguilera fan, you’ll realize that this music video is a big “FU” or “I love you” (whichever you prefer) to all her haters  as she does a lot of references to all the things that were thrown at her since the last two years. And of course, as every real fierce beyotch knows, the correct way of addressing the issue is by showing it without even speaking a single word about it.

Here are eleven of them:

1. NICKI-TINA

Ever since Christina gained weight, the press have been nothing but negative about the change in her physical appearance even comparing her as a “second rate Nicki Minaj”. Xtina’s aware of this stuff, and gave them the comparison that they are waiting for. Wearing a purple wig, and ultra skimpy clothes, she really gives a resemblance of the Starships singer here.

2. THICK-TINA

Christina received major major flack when the world witnessed the increase in weight that she had, and even though she has cleared it many times that she is comfortable with her current state and that how much her boyfriend loves her body, the media still won’t stop criticizing her such as when poor C-lister Kelly Osbourne made fun of her for gaining weight. And amidst all of that, how did Christina addressed that in her video? By eating more. LOL.

3. PANTLESS-TINA

Another issue that they keep on bringing about Xtina is how inappropriately dressed as she choose to wear dresses and short skirts during the Live Rounds of The Voice last season, and the American Music Awards performance earlier this year with Maroon 5. Yet, X is still unstoppable by continuing the trend on her music video.

4. ADAM-TINA

With all the negative image that the latter part of The Voice Season 2 resulted mainly because of their child-like bickering, both Christina and Adam were pretty much on the same page fixing all of this together, and the Blind Auditions of Season 3 showed more of that. While one can say that there can be no other diva, when Xtina’s around, I guess he can fit one more in her video with this Maroon 5 frontman look-a-like.

5. RAZZI-TINA

Most of what fueled the media to take over Xtina and post all the negativities around her is mainly caused by the paparazzi. With that said, Xtina’s “Fuck the Paparazzi” shirt says it all.

6. DRUNK-TINA

Remember in early 2011 when Christina Aguilera was involved in a drunk-driving issue with the cops and had her mugshot even released by E! Turns out, she was just dragged in the issue as it wasn’t her who the cops were primarily after for, but since she’s the big star, all eyes were on her. In the video, we get a shot of Xtina accepting a drink from a random guy in the bar. Way to go, X. LOL.

7. FLUB-TINA

Xtina also caused major headlines last year when she flubbed over the lyrics of Star Spangled Banner at the Superbowl, and the non stop flack she received then were already worth a lifetime’s criticism. But of course, the diva knows how to move on about it, even wearing an American flag inspired tap in this part of the video.

8. TAN-TINA

Another thing they love to hate about Xtina is the stage in her career when she was obsessed with the tan sprays and tanning machines.  People back then were quick to call her orangey and a human photoshop when she comes out with this very tanned look. Little did they know that Xtina loves them to the point of having one outside her trailer in the music video. Bonus points for having the lifesize snowman in the background.

9. SPRAY-TINA

During the late great Etta James’ funeral earlier this year, we saw Christina perform James’s greatest song “At Last.” In the middle of the performance, pictures of Xtina wiping something off her leg were released even overshadowing the actual purpose of her paying her respect to the singer. Now in the video, she cleared things up by having a scene where she’s spraying tan off her left leg, the same one where the infamous spray tan was photographed leaking that time.

10. TRASH-TINA

Haters easily labeled Xtina as a white trash with her diva attitude, her notable fashion clothing, and their mistaken perception of her confidence, and she gives them an instant trash look in the video with matching chewing gums (a blown out of proportion issue where in she was chewing gum while being interviewed during the Bionic era) to boot.

11. SLUT-TINA

Lastly, here comes Slut-tina. It’s easy for haters to label Christina as this promiscuous lady who doesn’t act her age, but come on. She’s freakin 31. She has the rest of her life still waiting for her. It’s not as if she’s dating every single guy on the planet. As a matter of fact, she dated just one guy, her current boyfriend, post her divorce with Jordan Bratman. But I love how she gave a taste of that aspect in her video.

I am really in love with this video, and this surpasses Come On Over as her most fun yet. For an artist that is underrated with coming up with sassy and intriguing music videos, Xtina never fails to bring up surprised up her sleeves, and Lotus era hopefully will deliver. And more than that, she knows how to address her haters properly. After all her necklace in this photo says it all…

And in case you want to watch the video, here it goes:

Photo courtesy of emmys.com

Now that I’m done making my predictions for the Emmys tomorrow, I’ll try to fill the shoes of those who were tasked to judge the actual Emmy categories and be in a voter mood just this time. If I happen to vote on all the categories that will be presented tomorrow (plus the four guest acting awards), here’s how my ballot will look like:

DRAMA SERIES: Homeland (Showtime)

Mad Men has four already, and while they indeed had a great season again, I’d rather spread the wealth this year. Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones’s first seasons were better than the second one, I’ll wait for Breaking Bad’s series to end, and I think Homeland just brings the good week in and week out that I don’t see them topping this perfectly balanced first season; thus I’m throwing Homeland my vote.

LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA: Damian Lewis, “Homeland”

This is pretty much a non contest. Both Cranston and Lewis deliver Emmy winning performance. The only difference is Cranston was rewarded thrice already, yet Lewis has none. I’m giving Lewis my vote.

LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA: Claire Danes, “Homeland”

I’m happy Danes is getting the surge in her career post-Temple Grandin, and that her wonderful acting abilities is put into good use. She might have won just two years ago, but she deserves this quick of a follow up.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA: Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”

This was tough. Esposito was the villain of the season and he was actually good in Breaking Bad. This is also the last chance to reward Harris for years of consistent performance, but I can’t resist to vote for Aaron Paul who perfectly compliments Bryan Cranston every single time in Breaking Bad.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA: Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”

It’s really a bull that Mad Men is still Emmyless in terms of acting categories. Holloway owned this season like no other, so I’m giving my vote to her. Christine Baranski is a close second, but I’m totally voting for Miss Holloway.

GUEST ACTOR, DRAMA: Dylan Baker, “The Good Wife”

After watching his episode, he totally gave me Hannibal Lecter creeps. That’s enough to give him my vote.

GUEST ACTRESS, DRAMA: Joan Cusack, “Shameless”

What is she even doing in this category? I think she’s a solid supporting actress in her show. With that said, I’ve loved how she embraced this character perfectly and that tape just rocks on so many level.

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES: Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey” (Episode 7)

After Homeland’s The Weekend shoutout here, I’m going with Fellowes Oscar-worthy screenplay for the Christmas episode. This is totally the saving grace of an uneven second season.

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES: Vince Gilligan, “Breaking Bad” (Face Off)

From start to finish, the episode is riveting. Simply riveting.

COMEDY SERIES: Modern Family (ABC)

No Louie and Parks and Recreation on the list. I like both Girls and Veep, but I think they still ahsn’t developed the highest points of their series runs. Big Bang was more of a Big Blah this season. 30 Rock has had its shares of a threepeat here. Curb is a hit or miss for me. Easy vote goes to Modern Family.

LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY: Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

It’s between Louis CK and Larry David, but the perennial nominee deserves it based on the long pedigree of consistent performance in his show. It’s actually too overdue to happen, but I would’ve voted for him in a heartbeat.

LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY: Julia Louis Dreyfus, “Veep”

I love you Amy Poehler, and I’m happy you won the Pawnee elections, but the Veep had my vote.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”

By a mile, the only consistent and still refreshing cast member for the third season. He really deserves the Emmy.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY: Kristin Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Bleh batch of nominees. Where’s Jane Krakowski? She should have been winning this thing. Srsly. With that, I’ll go for our favorite bridesmaid.

GUEST ACTOR, COMEDY: Jimmy Fallon, “Saturday Night Live”

It’s not even a competition. Fallon owned everybody in his category, and I’m ecstatic he actually won.

GUEST ACTRESS, COMEDY: Maya Rudolph, “Saturday Night Live”

I love you Kathy Bates, and I’m happy you can now call yourself an Emmy winner, but the moment Beyonce did Maya Rudolph is already a win worthy in my book. Distant second is Melissa McCarthy’s dress tasting skit.

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES: Chris McKennan, “Community” (Remedial Chaos Theory)

I’m still over the moon with this nomination, and this only comes once in a blue moon, so why waste your time to not vote for it. This is the best nomination this whole Emmy season.

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES: Louis CK, “Louie” (Duckling)

A.K.A a vote for all of his work for the show.

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM: The Voice (NBC)

I have three favorite reality/competition shows: The Amazing Race, Top Chef, and The Voice. The first two ahve Emmys on their mantle already. It’s time to add a third companion on the list.

REALITY HOST: Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance” 

Only Deeley shows enough personality that sets her apart from being just the “instruction giver.” Other hosts should really take notes.

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES/TV MOVIE: Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (PBS)

I really don’t have any vote here. So anything other than American Mess Story is fine by me.

LEAD ACTOR, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE: Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”

This is the perfect Sherlock performance that’s less mainstream and more convincing. Iron Man, take notes.

LEAD ACTRESS, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE: Nicole Kidman, “Hemingway & Gellhorn”

Say what you want about the quality of the whole TV movie but Kidman stand out front and center in this enriching performance that shows why she’s one of her generation’s top actresses.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE: Martin Freeman, “Sherlock”

Meh batch of nominees. Don’t think Harris is the stand out at all, and the others aren’t even close. Give O’Hare some props though.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MINISERIES/TV MOVIE: Sarah Paulson, “Game Change”

We all know Lange is winning and she deserves it, but Paulson is the real definition of a supporting actress in Game Change. She gets my vote.

How about you? Who will you be voting for if you were an Emmy voter? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🙂

Now that Season 2 is finally over, and that the weeks leading to the finale became one surprise after the other, we go back and reminisce the performances that made indelible mark not only for that specific season, but in the history of the show. As a matter of fact, many performances here are some of the best I’ve witnessed in the history of any reality singing show. Here are twenty of them:

20. Justin Hopkins, Tony Vincent, ” Faithfully” (Battle Rounds Week 4) 

The last battle during the Battle Rounds went out with a bang as two big voiced rocker men belted out Journey’s classic Faithfully. I love how the song sets them up both for a grand spectacle that blends well with Cee-Lo’s theatrics. It’s pretty apparent that Tony Vincent will be the one chosen, but I specifically preferred  Justin Hopkins here.

19. Jamie Lono, “Folsom Prison Blues” (Blind Auditions)

The sandwich boy back story was just a cherry on the top of the cake when it comes to Jamie Lono’s audition. It was obvious from the start that it was his voice that will make the coaches press their buttons for him. Sadly, his journey ended too soon, as I think we haven’t seen the last of him yet.

18.Lindsey Pavao, “Skinny Love” (Live Rounds, Week 5)

After two weeks of going current and mainstream, Lindsey Pavao went out with a bang as she goes back to her roots with simply a guitar in her version of Skinny Love. Plus points to anybody who sings Bon Iver and /or Birdy in a singing competition.

17. Jamar Rogers, Juliet Simms, Katrina Parker, Tony Lucca, “All These Things That I’ve Done” (Live Rounds, Week 5)

Despite not working under the same team, Team Cee-Lo’s Jamar and Juliet blended well with Team Adam’s Katrina and Tony in this The Killers song during the Top 8 week. This is probably one of the best group songs in any singing reality competition.

16. Jordis Unga, “A Little But Stronger ” (Live Rounds, Week 3)

It’s sad to hear that Blake Shelton decided to cut Jordis Unga off her team after her best performance on the show yet. Her A Little But Stronger is the closest she came to her Rockstar INXS days. It was raw, poignant, and emotional and definitely deserving of another week in the comeptition.

15. Jermaine Paul, “I Believe I Can Fly” (Finale)

R. Kelly’s staple song is one of the most cliched records to ever use in any singing competition especially when you are in the finale. However, Jermaine Paul’s version made it grand and gave us goosebumps as if he was really singing the time of his life here.

14. Katrina Parker,  “Jar of Hearts” (Live Rounds, Week 4)

Since Adam clearly doesn’t know what to do with her, it took until the Top 8 before she finally got her biggest break in the show. Jar of Hearts is a very difficult song to sing and while Katrina’s version is not perfect, it molds to highlight the best thing about what the show is about. After this performance, America fell in love with Katrina and I really wish she should have gone to the finale.

13. Ashley dela Rosa, “Paris Ooh LaLa” (Last Chance Performance)

Ashley dela Rosa is your typical cannon fodder. Her audition wasn’t shown, yet she made it ti the Battle Rounds. She went in to the Live Shows and she was saved by her coach Christina Aguilera. After her Paris Ooh LaLa performance, it was already clear that Ashley ahs a hidden talent not only in her voice but with her choice of songs as well.

12. Chris Mann/Christina Aguilera, “The Prayer” (Finale)

It’s difficult to outsing Christina Aguilera. That’s probably one of the easiest tips one can give any The Voice aspirant. Somehow, Chris Mann and Christina Aguilera made magic together in this finale duet of The Prayer that I’m willing to forgive the pressure of anybody who’s nervous for a possible nip slip from Xtina.

11. Pip, “House of the Rising Sun” (Blind Auditions)

American Idol’s Haley Reinhart gave one of her best performance last season when she performed this song. However, Pip gave it his own spin this season. Bowtie issues aside, clearly everyone fell in love with this performing including the four coaches who all pressed their buzzers for him.

10. Jamar Rogers, “Seven Nation Army” (Blind Auditions)

It’s sad that Jamar Rogers was never given this rich material by his coach during the Live Shows. His choice of a White Stripes song during his audition certainly got the attention of eventual coach CeeLo Green. One makes you wonder why the other coaches did not turn their chairs around for him when this is clearly one of the best audition pieces this season.

9. Charlotte Sometimes, “Apologize” (Blind Auditions)

Charlotte Sometimes may tend to be polarizing when it comes to her attitude in the show (I, for one, really love her), and while her stint on the show was disrupted very quickly, her Apologize audition piece is one of the few brilliant auditions this season that received a four chair turn from all the coaches.

8. Tony Lucca, “Trouble” (Blind Auditions)

See my comment for Jamar Rogers and replace him with Tony Lucca, and replace CeeLoGreen with Adam Levine. Tony has been a very controversial figure on the show, and it was all for the wrong reasons. Had we seen more of this Tony like his audition segment, or his Devil Town single, then I don’t think the issue of being one dimensional will ever be brought out this season.

7. Jesse Campbell, “A Song for You” (Blind Auditions)

While this is one of the most overrated audition pieces in the show, there’s no denying that this voice is certainly deserving of a mention in the list. Jesse Campbell’s rendition of this Donny Hathaway classic is indeed one of the best renditions that has ever done of this song in any reality competition program.

6.Juliet Simms, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (Live Rounds, Week 6)

Certainly, no one can touch Christina Aguilera’s version of the song as its best rendition in recent years, but there’s something raw and emotional about Juliet’s version that makes you feel that she means every word being sung in this number. While Roxanne made her the frontrunner, this one cemented her status in the finale.

5. Blake Shelton, Jermaine Paul, “Soul Man” (Finale)

What’s good about this number is that it highlighted Jermaine Paul’s strength as a vocalist. And his connection with his coach was the highest point of this number. It was fun and entertaining and merits a spot in the list.

4. Jermaine Paul, Jamar Rogers, Pip, James Massone, “I Want You Back” (Finale)

The best thing about the finale is that it brings back contestants of the show who didn’t manage to make it until the end. This is one of them. Jermaine Paul bring back Jamar Rogers, Pip, and a very likable James Massone in this Jackson 5 number which is a standout in that very long season finale.

3. Lidnsey Pavao – Say Aah (Blind Auditions)

In what I call as the best audition piece for this season, Lindsey Pavao managed to transform a forgettable Trey Songz track into something that is cool, edgy, and hip. Add the fact that this Katy Perry slash Kristen Stewart crossover has a knack of  making the bubblegum pop songs with a more interesting and mysterious approach.

2. Juliet Simms, “Roxanne” (Live Rounds, Week 2)

There is something about this legendary The Police track song that makes things better than what they’re supposed to be. The last time we’ve heard is in that twisted Community episode. The next time we’ve heard it is when Juliet Simms sang the hell out of the song during her first Live Show performance, and the rest, as they say, is history.

1. Jessie Campbell/Anthony Evans, “If I Ain’t Got You” (Battle Rounds, Round 1)

People always hear the saying “bringing down the house”, and this is a clear example of that. Both Jessie Campbell and Anthony Evans sang it as if there’s no tomorrow, and even original singer Alicia Keys can’t stop herself from tweeting how great it was. There’s no stopping this performance, and this is certainly deserving of the top spot.

Do you agree with what’s in the list? What are your favorite numbers this season? Chime them in at the Comments section. 🙂

So here’s a recap of the different things that happened the past week:

 * The Philippines won two awards at the 6th Asian Film Awards last Monday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Shamaine Buencamino won Supporting Actress for Nino while Eugene Domingo  won the People’s Choice for Best Actress. This is the second time that a Filipino won an acting award after Gina Pareno won in the same category for Serbis way back in 2009. Iran’s A Separation swept the awards this year winning Picture, Director and Screenplay for Asghar Farhadi, and Editing. Eugene Domingo, who was shimmering in gold, was the crowd favorite, thanks to her funny banter with Andy Lau. She also gets to present Best Supporting Actor that night. Hurray for Pinoy pride!

Photo courtesy of pep.ph

* FX’s American Horror Story officially campaigns in the Miniseries categories at the Emmys this year. Given the format of the series, this is the logical thing to do in order to earn more Emmy nods. However, their eligible material (13 episodes) is 12 times more than their possible competition this year. While I don’t think Connie Britton will defeat Julianne Moore or Nicole Kidman for the Emmy, she is now guaranteed a nomination. Jessica Lange will transfer her frontrunner status at the Miniseries Supporting Actress category with literally no one having a chance against her.

* In other Jessica Lange news, she now replaces Glenn Close in the Elizabeth Olsen starrer Therese Raquin. For the longest time, Close has been attached to the project despite some names literally coming and going. However, it’s now official that Lange will be replacing her for the role of Madame Raquin. Between this and Sally Field’s role in Lincoln, it’s safe to say that Meryl Streep is NOT hogging all the roles for 60+ aged actresses.

 * For some reality show news, Erika van Pelt finally left Idol stage, as she was eliminated at last Thursday’s results show. Sporting a new  Adam Lambert look-a-like makeover, it seems like the change of look didn’t provide her any luck. While it was Heejun Han who everybody predicted to be a goner that night, it will only take a few weeks before EVP will also be a goner. Take it as a case of foregone conclusion. Next week will probably be Heejun’s farewell unless he turns into a Sanjaya or John Stevens.

 Photo courtesy of gossip,whyfame.com

* Over at The Voice, I’ve witnessed probably the advancement of the worst vocals into the live shows in the longest time that I have been watching singing reality shows. Erin Martin’s butchering over The Garage Brothers of Tina Turner’s classic “What’s Love Got to Do With It” is a big slap to genius Jamie Lono for not making it last week. Dear Erin made it sound as if Ke$ha is a Mariah or a Celine. She’s not even singing! Between this and Chessa three weeks ago, we all know that Purrfect the Cat and not Cee-Lo, should be the one tp choose the victors for his battle rounds.

* The women of Wisteria Lane a.k.a the Desperate Housewives get one last time to cover Entertainment Weekly as a group. As the nearing series finale comes, we get to see more juicy and interesting storylines among the four Housewives. While the show was never able to regain the glory of their first season heydays, I think that they were still able to come up with decent to good seasons and the performances of the Housewives has been underrated in terms of awards consideration. For the first time, they’ll be talking about that infamous Vanity Fair cover in 2005. Very juicy, indeed!

* The Hunger Games is now in theaters, and while this hasn’t topped any box office records, it’s slowly joining the bandwagon. In fact, with a good ratings from the critics and impressive box office returns, it is safe to say that it is the new book to film sensation that will keep everyone gaga. Catching Fire, though, is premiering to theaters much later than usual on November 2013.

* Oscar winner Taylor Swift? Not gonna happen folks. While T-Swift’s efforts with another T (T-Bone Burnett, that’s who) gets critical praise, together with the whole Hunger Games soundtrack, it won’t be hearing it’s name come Oscar time, as it was the second song to be featured at the credits of the movie. Oscar contenders for Best Original Song must be played in the course of the movie, up until the first song in the credits. This is the same thing that happened to Madonna’s Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” for W.E. Luckily for Swift though, she can count on a Globe and Grammy nods in the Original Song categories.

* Kate Winslet wants that EGOT title right? Winslet is set to appear on her first Broadway show: a play written by two time Oscar nominee (The Hours, The Reader) playwright David Hare. There is no tentative date yet for this play, but Winslet is probably going gaga over the thought of her achieving the EGOT now. If she managed to accomplish that, she’ll be the youngest member of the club whose latest inductee is producer Scott Rudin.
 * Lastly, it’s the Golden Screen Awards tonight. This is the closest to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes, as they separate the awards into Drama and Comedy categories. While I’m hoping for an Angel Locsin repeat win in the Best Actress: Drama category, that and Best Actor are the most difficult to predict. Martin Escudero (Zombadings), Eugene Domingo (Babae sa Septic Tank) are the frontrunners for the Comedy Lead acting while John Regala and Nonie Buencamino are the most buzzed for Supporting Actor. Nino stars Raquel Villavicencio and Shamaine Buencamino are the frontrunners for Supporting Actress while both Solenn Heusaff and Rocco Nacino might have repeat victories in the Brakthrough Acting categories.

photo courtesy of mykiru.ph

That’s it for this week’s report of Weekend Update! 😀