Review: The Hunger Games

I have quite a few fans of my movie review blog posts so..this one goes out to you! :)

The Hunger Games, based on the first book in Suzanne Collins' hit series, was a highly anticipated movie way before it was even released. Let me say that it didn't disappoint! The film grossed over $68 million in its first day and a total of $155 million domestically ($214 million worldwide) for its opening weekend.

I probably don't have to say too much about this film because many of you have probably either read the book or seen the movie already but here's my review.

What To Know

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz

Director: Gary Ross

Writers: Gary Ross and Billy Ray (Screenplay), Suzanne Collins (Screenplay/Novel)

Rating: PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images. Parents Guide

Plot: Drought, fire, famine, and war have all contributed to the collapse of what we all knew as North America. In its place is a nation called Panem, divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, one boy and one girl representative ("tribute") are selected from each district to compete in the Hunger Games, which are broadcasted throughout the nation. The Games are a literal fight to the death as, one by one, tributes kill each other with the lone victor winning fame and fortune for his or her district.

When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta Mellark, will be pitted against bigger, stronger tributes who have trained for this their whole lives. The plot takes us through a journey to find out if both Katniss and Peeta survive or fall victim to these brutal games.

Family Friendly?  Not exactly. The main thing is there are multiple scenes of intense action and violence, all directed toward kids and teens. There's also some scary scenes for younger kids as well as alcohol references and a few curse words intermingled throughout. I would say kids who are at least 8 or 9 could see this movie but no younger than that.

Should You See It? Definitely! The film keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and doesn't stray away from the foundations of the book, which many book adaption films seem to do. On the technical side, the way the movie is filmed is pure genius. The camera angles (especially those showing a first person viewpoint) put you right in the middle of the action. Plus, it's very unique how Collins uses violence to teach us about the dangers of violence. The book and film make us think about the violence we see on television as well as challenges us to look closer into reality television and how core values tend to get lost in those shows. I've already started on the next book and I can't wait for the next "Hunger Games" film to be released!

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Not Just Teens

I came across this story on WRAL's Facebook page about how a new state law requires teens who commit a traffic misdemeanor (like speeding in excess of 15 mph over the limit) are to be arrested and brought before a magistrate. They supposedly spend a short amount of time in jail to give them a "taste" of what it's like. The move is geared toward saving lives but, does it really? This leads me to a point I've been preaching on for years: why just teens? I understand that they are more prone to speeding and causing accidents but, come on. As a teen, I believe this has gone way too far. What's being accomplished by doing this? I personally don't think it will change how teens drive. There will always be someone out there who disobeys the law and drives recklessly. It's a fact of life, unfortunately. Plus, why are adults not being targeted as well by this new crack down? Can't they just as easily speed and cause accidents? Trust me, I see countless numbers of people zooming up and down I-40 or other roads and most of those drivers are well out of their teenage years.

As my usual opinionated self, I commented all over this post and got some pretty interesting feedback, some things insulted me and some did not. One commenter, who was apparently a police officer, wrote about seeing dead teens at accident scenes and the like and he kept on with the message of "saving lives." Don't get me wrong, I'm all for saving lives myself but, focusing on teens only will not solve the problem. We have to focus on and educate everyone regardless of how "experienced" a driver they are. In the end, we're all human and we all make mistakes.

Now, to the insulting parts. I used the phrase "picking on teens" in my comments because I felt that's exactly what's being done here. Some people didn't like that at all and blatantly diagreed with me. In general statements (not necessarily directed toward me) one commenter gave kind of a play on this "pity party" saying "boo-hoo" and called teens "big babies." Another commenter was a little more direct and said my opinion was "arrogant" and "flawed" but later said he understood where I was coming from. I, respectively, fought back but I'm still insulted by the whole matter.

You know what I think should be done? I think the state should invest in quality driver's education programs for teens and others who want to drive. NC recently cut funding to driver's education programs, forcing students who wanted to take the classes to pay a fee. I would guess that many families would not be able to afford such a thing. That would force students to wait until they're 18 to get a license, putting them on the road with little to no formal driving education. How can we expect teens and/or new drivers to obey the law if their only real form of driving education is, basically, taken away?

In the end, I hate that teens get the short end of the stick because, not all of them actually are reckless drivers. I, for one, am not. Adults, in my opinion, can just as easily cause accidents due to speeding as teens can. People think that adults are more "experienced" drivers but most are really just as reckless as teens are! We must focus on both groups instead of singling out one! Yes, let's put our teens in jail with the very people we don't want them to be around. Smart move North Carolina!

What do you think? Should teens be thrown in jail if they're caught speeding? Tell me what you think by commenting below!  You can check out the post by clicking here, and the full story here.

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Great Seasons

My salute for this week goes out to both the UNC and NC State men's basketball teams for great seasons. First, the Pack. Yes, even though I'm a Carolina fan, I'm a State student so I do pull for them too! I honestly thought this year would be a transition year for them under first year head coach, Mark Gottfried. They surprised everyone (including me) by pulling things together at the end of the regular season and ACC Tournament to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. They made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to Kansas 60-57. Not too shabby considering where the team was last season!

Next the Heels. I've always been a Carolina fan first and that will never change, no matter what. With that, I'm so proud of the team for what they accomplished. At the beginning of the season, Carolina was the odds on favorite to win the title. Then injuries plagued them. It all started with Leslie McDonald and then Dexter Strickland soon after. Later in the season, John Henson couldn't play due to a wrist injury. He later came back to play but then, the worst thing imaginable: star point guard, Kendall Marshall, went down with his own wrist injury; requiring surgery that sidelined him for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games. The Heels lost to Kansas 80-67 in the Elite Eight although the game was much closer than that!

I'm so proud of Carolina for fighting through all that adversity. Even though they didn't reach the ultimate goal, they proved they could fight through it and do the very best they could given the circumstances. Freshman guard, Stilman White, was phenominal after taking Marshall's place. Taking over the starting point guard duties and having zero turnovers while doing so was huge and he'll only get better throughout his career. Not many teams can have so much adversity and still do great things like this team did! I can't wait to see what next season will bring. It should be exciting!

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Insensitivity

I was, once again, apalled by the insensitivity Fox News and its commentators have displayed (I don't know why I'm so surprised) when they talked about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida. Geraldo Rivera entered the public discussion and, quite frankly, should exit immediately! On the news channel's show, Fox And Friends, Rivera made the comment the Martin's hoodie was "just as responsible" for his death as the shooter, George Zimmerman. 

Are you freaking kidding me? So, basically, I guess Geraldo is saying that, if you go around wearing a hoodie, you're obviously up to no good, people think you're a threat, and will shoot you? Come on! Give me a break! I think 'ol Geraldo needs to deal with that ugly mustache of his instead of giving ignorant and insensitive commentary!

And, while we're on the topic of the Trayvon Martin case, the whole thing is a travesty! Zimmerman said he was "acting in self-defense" but, from what? I mean, come on! I don't buy that BS one bit! I'll tell you one thing, if that guy doesn't go to trial soon, this country will go crazy!

My thoughts and prayers to the family of Trayvon Martin.

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Not Done Yet

I'm going to keep this short and sweet...

After the injury to UNC point guard, Kendall Marshall, I've heard a lot of negative talk from UNC fans and other fans alike. Most analysts have also debated whether or not the Heels are done with regard to the NCAA Tourney. 

Here's what I have to say:

Sure Kendall is a huge part but he's not the only player on the team! It takes a team effort to win a national title so, if Carolina wants to win it all, they'll have to step up and do that regardless of whether Kendall is playing or not.

I don't mean to sound harsh here but, I'm sick and tired of all this negative crap! You have analysts and some UNC fans doubting the team's championship hopes while some other fans have been celebrating Kendall's injury (trust me I've heard them). Wake up people! UNC fans shouldn't lose hope and other fans who may be celebrating the injury are, in a nice way, ignorant and shouldn't even be in this conversation! Watch out because Carolina is not done yet!

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Too Much

This week's Oops Award winners are the NY Rangers' Stu Bickel, Brandon Prust, and Mike Rupp and the New Jersey Devils' Ryan Carter, Cam Janssen, and Eric Boulton for their ridiculous behavior during a game a couple days ago.

Before the opening faceoff, there was some chatter between the players. Just as the referee dropped the puck they all fought each other. They beat each other up so bad, blood spewed out onto the ice and had to be cleaned up before the game could be continued.

This was, by far, the most unprofessional thing I've ever seen in, what's supposed to be, a professional hockey game! To make matters worse, the whole thing was staged by the teams! Apparently this was staged after many incidents in previous games between the teams including a fight that, for lack of a better phrase, tore up Rangers player Brandon Dubinsky. But let's think about kids who were there and saw this happen. Now, what do you think they're going to do? They would probably go home and copy what they saw at the game.

Let's take another sport for example: basketball. What would the NCAA do if, say, UNC and Duke players got into a fight? At the very least they would suspend the players. As far as I know, these players were given a ten minute penalty each and no suspension. That's a slap on the wrist to me! On the other hand, Jeff Skinner gets a two game suspension for kicking someone? As Peter Martin of the International Business Times put it:

"Hockey is a violent game when played by the rules and, much like football, the violence is part of what makes it exciting. But staged fights are exactly the kind of things that give hockey a bad name among the casual fans it so desperately needs in order to stay relevant in many parts of the United States."

I don't care if the teams are rivals or not, show some freaking class! An article on the NHL's website (which basically praised the fighting I might add) stated that most NHL players and coaches liked the fighting and even quoted a Montreal player as saying that this was a sign that "the game is changing." Well if the game is changing to this I want no part of it! I'm definitely not going to spend $100/ticket to watch a bunch of guys beat each other senseless! I can get that with WWE or UFC!

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Concert Of The Future

My Technology In History class segment has been on a little hiatus but it's back this week with, perhaps, a look into the future of concert going. Check it out!

I first heard this story on the news over Spring Break and was pretty fascinated by it. In Tokyo, Japan, Hatsune Miku has a huge fan base that even most pop stars would envy. She never misses a beat, fluffs a line or messes up a step. Sounds like the "perfect" pop star right? Well, she's not even a real person!

Yes, Hatsune Miku is a computer-generated program that uses voice-synthesizing technology, according to a Baltimore Sun article. The program was developed by a company called Crypton Future Media, which allows its users to create their own music for the program to perform. That's right! The fans get to create the songs she sings! The Baltimore Sun article goes on to say that some of her most popular songs "emerged from more than twenty different people." That's pretty impressive!

Hatsune Miku concerts have been selling out across Japan and the phenomenon is quickly gaining international fans as well. The article says that some people traveled pretty long distances just to see this in person. Some of the people interviewed were from as far away as Australia! The article even predicts that, if the program's fame continues to grow, we could see a performance at the London Olympics.

I found this story to be amazing! I mean, is this the kind of thing we'll see in the future? Will we go to concerts and be able to choose the music to be performed by a computer program instead of a human being? It'll be interesting to see what happens with this new technology.

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Not So 'Gentle' After All

Let's add a little scandal to this year's American Idol why don't we?

The hit talent show opened up its Wednesday night performances with the news that Jermaine Jones was disqualified. The guy who became known as the "gentle giant" was apparently not so gentle in his past. According to TMZ, Jones was arrested in March of 2011 after getting into a fight at a hotel. When talking to police, he gave them a fake name, Joel Jones, and was subsequently charged for public nuisance, obstruction of justice, and outstanding warrants.

But Jermaine wasn't done yet. In another incident in November, a car he was riding in was pulled over. When questioned by police, Jones gave them the name Kareem Watkins and was, once again, arrested for hindering apprehension, giving false information to avoid self-discovery, and outstanding warrants (again)!

Idol sources told TMZ that Jones was very aggressive behind the scenes; going as far as yelling at a staff member because he didn't like his wardrobe. TMZ also reported that, when questioned by the show's risk management team before getting into the Top 24, Jones "swore he had never gotten into a fight since high school."

Well, it looks like the cat's out of the bag now and Jermaine just lost the best musical opportunity of his life!

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2012 Bracketology

It's that time again for March Madness! I'll probably be doing the most brackets I've ever done this year so, hopefully, I'll do well on at least one of them! So far, it's looking like I'll have a personal bracket to see how I stack up with the nation and a couple group brackets with some friends. That said, here are some of my picks for this year's tourney!

Second And Third Rounds
I'll start with the Second/Third Rounds as the First Four round will probably be uneventful. I don't have too many upsets, however, there are some games to watch out for.

• Iowa State vs. UConn: Although Iowa State is ranked higher than the Huskies, this is still an upset of sorts for me since UConn comes in as the defending champ. It'll be close but I think the Cyclones could take care of the Huskies in the Second Round.
• VCU vs. Wichita State: I'm a big fan of Shaka Smart and his coaching style, especially come tourney time. I don't think the Rams will have enough to make it all the way to the Final Four like last year but I do think they can beat the Shockers in the Second Round.
• Xavier vs. Notre Dame: This could be one I pay for in my bracket but I honestly think the Musketeers have what it takes to beat the Irish in the 7/10 matchup in the South.
• Virginia vs. Florida: This will be an interesting game to watch in the West. It could also be another one I pay for dearly on my bracket. Although they struggled down the stretch, I think Tony Bennett's team is no joke and they'll get to the next round.
• NC State vs. San Diego State: After being the last team announced on Selection Sunday, I think the Pack are going to upset the Aztecs. Although State struggled somewhat throughout the season, they had a strong showing in the ACC Tourney. If they play like they did in the ACC Tourney, they could go pretty far.
• Belmont vs. Georgetown: Last but not least, I think this will probably be the biggest upset in the tourney this year. The Hoyas do fairly well come tourney time but haven't been as good this year as in the past. Belmont, on the other hand, seems to really do well come tourney time. Let's also keep in mind that this Belmont team lost by only 1 point to Duke at Cameron. They'll be ready to go for this game!

Sweet Sixteen
You may be surprised at some of my picks for this round.

• In the South, I have a rematch of Kentucky and Indiana. I also have Baylor facing Duke.
• In the West, I have Michigan State taking on New Mexico. In the other matchup, I have Frank Haith's Missouri team playing against, yes, Murray State. I think the Racers' 30-1 record is no fluke and they will beat Marquette to play the Tigers in the Sweet Sixteen.
• In the East, I think Syracuse will make it to the Sweet Sixteen pretty easily, facing Wisconsin* in an intriguing matchup. I also have Ohio State facing Florida State in the other game. If the 'Noles can play like they did in the ACC Tourney, there's no doubt they'll go far.
• Finally, in the Midwest, I have Carolina getting to the Sweet 16 pretty easily as well, facing Michigan in one matchup. Then, Pack fans rejoice, I have NC State in the Sweet Sixteen facing the Kansas Jayhawks.

Elite EightLike every year, these games are really tough to pick. However, I'm pretty comfortable with who I have.

• South: Kentucky vs. Baylor
• West: Michigan State vs. Missouri
• East: Syracuse vs. Ohio State
• Midwest: UNC vs. Kansas

Final Four

Once again, it's so tough to choose at this stage of the tourney but I think Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio State*, and UNC will make it to New Orleans.

Championship Game

Why not have the two most storied programs in college basketball play for all the marbles? This would be the ultimate national title game for me and many other people I'm sure! In the end, I see the Heels getting revenge against Kentucky. The Cats are very good but very inexperienced as well. I think the battle tested Heels will prevail and win their third title in eight years!

*UPDATE: I've changed my pick from Southern Miss to Kansas State and Temple to South Florida in the Second Round. In the Sweet Sixteen in the East, I've changed Vandy to Wisconsin. Finally, with the loss of Fab Melo, I'm a little nervous about the 'Cuse getting into the Final Four. I may pay for it later but I've put Ohio State in New Orleans.

Click on the bracket below to check out all of my picks!

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Move On

I knew Twitter and Facebook would light up after the "no call" during Kendall Marshall's game winning drive to propel Carolina to the 69-67 win against NC State. However, hearing about the same thing for eight hours straight after the game is ridiculous (and annoying). Sure, it's quite alright to complain for some amount of time but whining about it now is neither going to change the outcome nor improve the look of Wolfpack fans on the college basketball world.

Here's how I saw everything from a non-biased, basketball point of view. The "no call" on Marshall's drive was right. If anything had been called it would have been a blocking foul because Alex Johnson of NC State didn't have his feet set and slid into position to defend Marshall at an angle. But some would argue Marshall lowered his shoulder when he came in contact with Johnson. Well, after viewing a replay, he actually didn't lower his shoulder nor pushed off. Plus, in late game situations like this, the officials are more than likely not going to call things like that. It's just the name of the game.

Then, there was the final desperation try by the Pack where the ball was up for grabs and NC State thought they were fouled. In that situation, the ball was being fought for with no clear possession either way. Once again, the officials are more than likely not going to call any fouls in that situation late game. Just like at the end of the Duke/FSU game that followed, players for both teams fought for the ball near the end of the game. There was a lot of contact but no foul was called either way.

The thing that really gets me upset about this is everyone has focused on the last few seconds of the game. Let's not forget, State had a 6 or 7 point lead on the Heels and they could have easily kept that lead and won had they not shot themselves in the foot thoughout the game. The Pack shot 3-11 (27.3%) from 3-point range, 12-18 (66.7%) from the free throw line, and turned the ball over 16 times; including one that led to Marshall's game winning shot. Those kind of stats are not going to make it easier for your team to win.

One writer for NBCSports.com seemed to be letting off a lot of steam in his article for the site. Rob Dauster, a writer for the CollegeBaksetballTalk section of the website made it ver clear that NC State got "hosed" by the officials. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with that. After all, it's his matter of opinion. But when that biased viewpoint is tweeted worldwide with the NBC Sports name on it, that's where I take issue. The tweet from read: "N.C. State gets hosed by refs in loss to UNC, and now might miss the NCAA tourney." As a national sports website, you are suppose to show impartiality. It seems as though NBC Sports failed miserably at doing this. I think it's okay for the writer to express his opinion on a blog post (like I'm doing here) but not on an article that is to be front and center on a sports website that is supposed to be impartial.

Listen, State will make it to the NCAA Tournament. If they don't I'll be shocked. I honestly thought they didn't even need a win today against UNC to make it. In fact, I thought they solidified that with the win against Virginia yesterday. Like my mom said, State should have played better throughout the regular season so there wouldn't be such an uproar over whether or not they would make it. All that said, people who are still whining about what happened need to grow up and move on. What happened happened and, obviously, there's nothing you can do about it! I could say a lot more but I'll leave it at that!

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Double Dose #2

After seeing a lot of success with my first Double Dose Of Oops, I decided to do another for this week: ACC Tourney style.

The officials who worked the first game of the tourney, Jamie Lucky, Mike Eades, and Bernie Clinton, decided to take it upon themselves and wear "KH" stickers on their shoes after referee, Karl Hess, announced he would not be working any of the ACC Tourney (probably the best decision he's ever made).

Hess came under fire for ejecting Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from a Feb. 18 NC State game. He was later "reprimanded" by the ACC. As a result, Hess felt his working at the tourney would be a distraction to the teams so he chose to work at the Big East Tourney instead.

Okay, how can the ACC actually not know the refs were going to wear this sticker? From reading multiple articles, it seems as though the ACC didn't even know the refs were going to wear the stickers as they quickly told other refs to remove them. It's a good thing they did because the next game was NC State and Boston College, which would have reminded fans about what happened that day.

The second oops goes to the refs themselves. I think a Yahoo! Sports article put it best: "Solidarity is always appreciated, but refs are supposed to exude a sense of impartiality. Though Lucky, Eades and Clinton weren't working an NC State game, they've contributed to a sense that all refs are against State. The action isn't as bad as the implication." The article goes onto pose the question of what would happen if a professional sports ref pulled a stunt like that? I'm sure they would be punished accordingly, which is something the ACC seems to have a hard time doing!

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Heads Or Tails?

One section of Kentucky still won't be able to buy alcohol, a decision made by a flip of a coin. The vote ended in a 21-21 tie so officials decided to flip a half-dollar. The coin landed on tails which meant the Graham precinct did not pass the resolution to allow alcohol sales.

As of now, 17 of the county's 65 precincts don't allow alcohol sales. The result was called "unprecedented" in a vote like this and I'd say so. I've never heard of a close vote being decided by a coin flip! I wonder what would happen if our presidential elections were decided like this?!?

Read the full story here.

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Seriously?

Fox News anchor, Lou Dobbs, has criticized the new Dr. Seuss movie The Lorax claiming it is pushing Pres. Obama's political agenda down the throats of America's youth. Lou, have you lost your mind?!?

In case you're reading this and you didn't know, The Lorax basically criticizes industrial progress and embraces caring for the environment. Apparently Dobbs didn't realize the book was published in 1971! Obama was just ten years old then so, if he already had a "political agenda" at that age I would be impressed! And, certainly, Dobbs is old enough to remember when the book was published. He may even be old enough to remember when Dr. Seuss was born (just kidding)!

Yes, Lou, Hollywood's "agenda" is indoctrinating children instead of making money. I mean, come on! What's on your show next week? Criticizing Obama for wearing Hanes underwear instead of Fruit of the Loom? I mean, that's how ridiculous it's become! Before I even write a review of this movie, I'm recommending everyone to go see it, just to make 'ol Dobbsy mad!

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'Idol' Bust

After seeing and hearing the semifinalists perform, I was hyped about this season. Then came Thursday night's results. Unlike last year where I liked everybody and thought they were all great, I don't think the same this season. America voted Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Heejun Han, Shannon Magrane, Skylar Laine, Elise Testone, Colton Dixon, and Jermaine Jones into the Top 10 and the judges chose Erika Van Pelt, Jeremy Rosado, and Deandre Brackensick as the wild cards; rounding out the Top 13. I was happy about some of them getting in but not so happy about others in the Top 13 and leaving the show.

My favorites were Eben Franckewitz, Reed Grimm, Aaron Marcellus, and Haley Johnson who, by the way, are all gone! In fact, Reed was the only one of the four given a second chance by the judges for the wild card spot. And the bad part is, per "American Idol" rules, they are ineligible to audition again because they got to the semifinals (which I think should be changed). I was not at all happy with Heejun, Deandre, and Joshua getting in the Top 13 because I, personally, thought they didn't do as well as some of the others.

First, Heejun. I appreciate his personality and sense of humor he displays but, when it comes to singing, he didn't show up this week! He sounded way off pitch and it didn't really do anything for him vocally. Next, Deandre. I would like him if he just wouldn't use his falsetto during the entire song. I would also like Joshua more if he didn't scream and have a growl-like tone in his voice on every song. I'm just not too much of a fan of people who overdo it.

Now, on to my favorites. I liked Eben from day one. For only 15 years old he has a great voice and stage presence, especially during his group song in Vegas. That said, I was worried he wouldn't get into the Top 13 based on his performance Tuesday night...

Next, Reed Grimm. He did a a jazzy, slow jam version of Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger." I thought it was really cool. I think his downfall was he sounded a lot like season ten contestant, Casey Abrams, on that song. Regardless, I thought he was awesome!

Then there's Aaron Marcellus. I honestly thought he would be a lock for the Top 13 after his performance but, once again, I was wrong! And I was shocked that the judges didn't even give him a chance to fight for a wild card spot after reacting the way they did about him.

Finally, Haley Johnson. I really started liking her when she performed that amazing group number in Vegas I was mentioning earlier with Eben, Reed, and Elise. However, her rendition of "Sweet Dreams" left something to be desired; so I'm kind of not surprised she was voted off.

So, with pretty much all my favorites gone, I have no idea who the heck I'll be pulling for (if anyone). If I had to pull for a few in the Top 13 it would be Elise Testone, Phillip Phillips, Colton Dixon, and Jeremy Rosado. But I don't even know if they'll make it far!

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