2016 Music Roundup: My Favorite Albums Of The Year

I realized that I didn't talk about music at all this year considering that is an aspect of entertainment I want to speak about on this blog. So I decided to compile this list. I never realized exactly how much music came out this year until I found the list on Wikipedia. We all know that albums are dropped on a weekly basis, but unless it's your job to keep up with all of those drops, the list I saw would've surprised you as well.

Below are the albums that I enjoyed this year along with my top 10* in the order of when they were released.

Albums

Anti: Rihanna

This Is Acting: Sia

Nine Track Mind: Charlie Puth

Begin: Lion Babe

The Life of Pablo: Kanye West

This Is What The Truth Feels Like: Gwen Stefani

Mind of Mine: Zayn

Lemonade: Beyonce

Views: Drake

The Colour in Anything: James Blake

99.9%: Kaytranada

Thank You: Meghan Trainor

Dangerous Woman: Ariana Grande

Chapters: Yuna

Last Year Was Complicated: Nick Jonas

Conscious: Broods

For All We Know: Nao

Generationwhy: ZHU

Glory: Britney Spears

The Divine Feminine: Mac Miller

Illuminate: Shawn Mendes

The Alter: BANKS

Mad Love: Jojo

Long Live The Angels: Emeli Sande

24k Magic: Bruno Mars

DNCE: DNCE

Starboy: The Weeknd

"Awaken, My Love!": Childish Gambino

Stoney: Post Malone

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin': Kid Cudi

*bold titles denote favorite albums which were chosen based off of me liking more than half of the songs included on the deluxe version if applicable.

HTGAWM 'No More Blood' Recap: The End Is Nigh!

With this week’s episode in the past, we’re one week away from finding out who is under the sheet. And honestly, I’m ready for all of the mystery to be over! There have been so many times where I’ve questioned whether or not I was under the sheet based on those shocking moments so far. Last week, we found out that Wes was alive, for now, and that he had snitched on Annalise to save himself from everything to come with her and her house fire. This week, we didn’t really find out who was safe, but we’re two people closer to figuring out who isn't. Either way, I was shook by the great acting and can't wait to see who truly is gone for good. Let’s chat.

HTGAWM 'Call It Mother's Intuition' Recap: Guess Who's Back?

Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can take theorizing about who could possibly be dead. This week’s episode confirmed that it’s time for me to take a break and let the body fall as it may! I can no longer stress myself during the episodes trying to decide who I do/don’t want to be under the sheet. Last week, we found out that Asher was alive, which was fab. ‘Call It Mother’s Intuition’ was the episode that reminded us that the Five were actually all Annalise’s children even though they thought she was trash AF and ruined their lives. Let’s talk about it.

HTGAWM 'Is Somebody Really Dead' Recap: Snitches Will Get Stitches

I don’t think there will be another episode that’ll top the iconic performances from last week. But this week’s episode did take us one step closer to finding out who might be #undertesheet. Honestly, I’m confused about who I think it is, but the confusion comes from a place of me not wanting it to be Connor. ‘Is Somebody Really Dead’ was that episode that reminds you how close we are to the big reveal that it doesn’t offer too much new information but a time stamp. It was still worth the watch, though. Let’s chat.

Blindspot 'Resolves Eleven Myths' Recap: Rich Has Returned

Last week, we learned that Weller has some unknown knowledge of Shepard based on him recognizing her voice in the unmodulated recording of Winter’s kidnappers. I thought that we would’ve got into that this episode, but the team was busy with other things like you know, just the regular ninja-like active shooter. This week’s episode was pretty decent and funny seeing as Rich Dotcom has resurfaced. He’s a little extra most of the time, but he’s dead on most of the time as well. Especially when it comes to reading the room when Weller and Jane are also in it. I also believe we’re a little bit closer to finding out who the FBI mole is considering they contacted Roman when contact is supposed to be limited. Let’s talk about it!

The Vampire Diaries 'Hello, Brother' Season 8 Premiere Recap: The Beginning Of The End

When Season 7 was airing, I was skeptical of watching because I wasn’t that big of a fan of Season 6 so I didn’t. Well, I did enjoy Kai and his evilness, but couldve done without some of the other stuf like Elena forgetting Damon. It wasn’t until I started seeing the buzz about Season 8 being the last that I decided I wouldn’t wait until this season was on Netflix to finally watch it. So I did what any smart person would do and binged season 7 three days before season 8 premiered. I’ve never made a better decision. Season 7 made me remember why I loved watching TVD all of these years. And the finale definitely made me want more! The premiere was everything that I thought it’d be, so I’m satisfied. ‘Hello, Brother’ was a good start to the final season of the show and I know that we’re going to be taken for a serious ride. Let’s dig in!

HTGAWM 'It's About Frank' Recap: Michaela Gives Me Life

Looking back on last week’s episode the reactions it brought were nothing compared to those this week. This had to be the best episode of the series so far in my opinion. The acting was so on point that I couldn’t contain myself. There were so many things that happened this episode. We found out who was posting the flyers, who isn’t dead, as well as more about our favorite psycho, Frank. Let’s chat!

Blindspot 'Her Spy's Mind' Recap: Who's That Lady?

It’s been a minute since I’ve recapped Blindspot, but honestly, it’s because it hasn’t done much for me. The past two episodes almost had me turn off my tv halfway through the episode. For some reason, though, I didn’t. This episode made up for the last two as it was the Blindspot I know and love. I enjoyed the episode because things are finally starting to come together. So I guess we needed two filler episodes for the writers to get themselves together. Let’s get into it!

HTGAWM 'Don't Tell Annalise' Recap: Guess Who's Pregnant?!

Last week we found out that Bonnie was next on the list of fire survivors, Laurel and her dad have some real issues, and Annalise has a strong back hand. This week, though, I was more shook than I’ve ever been before when it comes to this show. The flash forward this week literally ruined my life, I actually screamed. This was a great episode. Eve was back and then gone again, Annalise completed the first step towards recovery, and Wes had a party as awkward as his tension with Laurel. Let’s dig into it!

HTGAWM 'Always Bet Black' Recap: The One With Laurel's Dad

We’re getting closer to finding out #whosunderthesheet every week and I’m dying. Last week, we ended with Oliver being the first to be on the still alive list when he showed up to the crime scene. The next person to emerge this week wasn’t a shock to me, but I still thought one of the others would appear first. This episode finally gave us a look into Laurel’s life and it isn’t as good as we thought. Let’s get into it!

'No Tomorrow' Series Premiere Review: Is This A TV Movie Or A Show?

I know one thing for sure, if the world was ending, I’d want to spend my last days with Xavier also because he. can. get. it! No Tomorrow premiered tonight and it’s a fun show, I enjoyed it and its quirks. Here’s a quick overview.

The show follows Evie (Tori Anderson), a by the books kind of girl who works for a company similar to Amazon and Xavier (Joshua Sasse), the guy who throws a wrench into Evie’s “perfect” life and oh, he also believes that the world is ending in 8 months and 12 days…what? The way the two meet is cute but predictable when watching rom-coms. She saw him at the farmers’ market one day when he came up to her as she asked about rutabagas. After that moment, he was her dream guy that she’d never see again until that fateful day where his mail was accidentally delivered to her house. Once there, he invites her in and drops the asteroid on her. He used to have a normal copywriting job for a science magazine and that’s when he found out about the asteroid on its way to Earth. Evie obviously thinks he’s insane, but I was able to get past the crazy because of his face sorrynotsorry. NASA hasn’t replied to his email, but he’s prepared. He completed his ‘apocalyst’ with everything he wanted to do in those 8 months on it, including meet the hot rutabaga girl from the market aww.  He lives his life to the fullest every day and that is something Evie isn’t into which is obvious when she stated one thing she wanted to do before the world came crashing down was put foil in a microwave…. girl bye. Xavier takes Evie to complete one of the things on his list which was ride a dune buggy in the desert and she had a blast. That was the wake-up call that she needed. She had to remember what it was like to try new things and have fun.

The episode did have its bumps as any rom-com would. Xavier took it upon himself to send Evie’s boss a resignation email so that she could start living her life how she wanted. That definitely crossed the line. How do you do that to someone, let alone someone you don’t even really know? Evie found out that she had a heart condition as well. Evie had Xavier to thank for that because had she not gotten hurt, she never would’ve gone to the hospital (she has a fear of them) had she not fallen off of her pogo stick with Xavier watching and the worst could’ve happened. After the realization that her life and the world could end at any time, Evie creates her own apocalyst. There are only two things on it and the first has to do with her boyfriend Timothy, who barely speaks above a whisper, and turn down his proposal. The second thing was to tell Xavier that she was down to complete her apocalyst items but on her terms.

That all happened in one episode. It felt kind of like a rushed movie to me. I wish so much hadn’t taken place so fast. If the show continues on this path, I’m not sure it’ll make it to season two as the apocalypse would’ve come and gone by the end of season one. I hope that isn’t the case because there are gems in this show. Evie’s friends are entertaining and so is her family. Especially her nephew who replied with a no, thank you to the knee pads that Timothy had gotten him for his birthday. Hopefully, the show finds it’s footing because I think it fits in nicely with the line up The CW has going.

What did you think of the premiere?

No Tomorrow airs on Tuesdays at 9PM on The CW

'Conviction' Series Premiere Review: Should You Keep Watching?

Like many, I had watched the trailers for the show and anticipated its premiere. I never watched Agent Carter but was a fan of Haley Atwell from Captain America so I was interested in seeing her act in something outside of the Marvel Universe. Once Agent Carter was cancelled, everyone was basically ready to boycott ABC, but then Conviction happened.

Looking at the trailers and reading about the show's premise, it was very easy to compare it to the rest of the ABC lineup, more specifically Shondaland productions like Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder. Compared to them, Conviction is different in an I might be trying too hard to be different kind of way.

The show follows Hayes Morrison (Haley Atwell) a former first daughter whose mother is now running for Senate. She's also a lawyer who graduated at the top of her class at Harvard, had a 95% conviction rate as an ADA, and taught Law classes at a top university. What’s the catch? She made headlines for being photographed nude, sleeping with her students, and using drugs. The show actually opens with her in jail for cocaine possession. Apparently, it was a high enough amount that she could've been charged with intent to distribute. It sounds a little cliché because it is. The former good girl turned party girl and won't let anyone forget it storyline has been done before. But I decided to let that go and continue to watch. She's chosen to head up the new Conviction Integrity Unit by Connor Wallace, the golden boy District Attorney who only cares about upping his image before he runs for Mayor. Something about him makes it easy to see past his good looks and play with the idea that he has a hidden agenda and might be a bad guy, but we'll see. Turns out he was in cahoots with Hayes's mother and basically blackmailed her into the position because her mom asked Connor for "help". There seems to be some kind of sexual tension between the two but I can't tell if it's real or not. Hayes's team is made up of your typical characters the former NYPD Detective, the ex-con, the paralegal, and the person who was passed over for the job played by Merrin Dungey, Manny Montana, Emily Kinney, and Shawn Ashmore respectively. Throughout the episode, it's shown how intuitive she is as she's a step ahead of her team in knowing everything about them a la House, but she continuously had to make it known that she doesn't care and that she isn't a good person.

The one thing that I think is kind of dumb about the show is that the team is given a random five days to solve each case they reopen. I don't think the time frame was necessary. The writers could've just set it up like any Law and Order episode where the case is solved in the respective timeframe without the countdown of how long it's been.

I thought the episode was decent compared to other reviews. I went into it fingers crossed that it wouldn't be trash, and it wasn't. I think you should watch for yourself and decide.  I'll have to see what next week has to offer to decide if I'll stick with it or not. What did you think of the premiere?

Conviction airs Mondays on ABC at 10PM

HTGAWM 'There Are Worse Things Than Murder' Recap: The Who's Not Dead Games Have Begun!

So, we’re only two episodes in and I can already tell that this show is going to ruin my life (in a good way). The cliffhangers continue to leave me looking around the room in shock questioning how Pete Nowalk could do this to me. Last week we caught up with everyone and learned what they got into over the summer and we also learned that each week we’d find out who wasn’t killed in the fire at Annalise’s house. That alone is enough to cause me to have no nails left to chew on for the season! This week’s episode gave us a few more minutes of time with Annalise after finding out who was dead and we also got into a case that definitely hit home for one of the Keating Five. Let’s jump into it!

Blindspot 2x03 'Hero Fears Imminent Rot' Recap: I Pledge Allegiance To... Who Again?

Image via Flikr

After the emotional toll of last week, we continued on with a slightly less emotional true to storyline path this week. “Hero Fears Imminent Rot” brought us back to what the show and season is about, Sandstorm, and what their plans are. The show is still looking into Reade’s past, as they should since it’s so murky, and dropping hints about who characters really are. This episode wasn’t too bad, but I’m excited to see what next week will bring. Let’s get it!

'How To Get Away With Murder' Season 3 Premiere Recap: The Keating Five Are Back In Town

                                 

Remember when you were young and would jump out of bed on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought you? Well, that was me on Thursday morning when I realized that the day was finally here, HTGAWM was back for season 3!

This episode was ironically titled “We’re Good People Now” and we could all tell that the theory would be proven within the first few minutes. The premiere was chock full of hilarious dialogue and a more familial feel between all of the characters because I mean, they did all get away with murder twice. This episode was a great start to the season and showed the audience that we’re definitely going on a wild ride this season. Let’s get into it!

Blindspot ‘Heave Fiery Knot’ Recap: The Shade Team

Image via Flikr

Have you ever gotten into an argument with a friend and when you get together after it, things seem a bit off? Almost as if your relationship is tainted forever even though it’ll blow over eventually? Whelp, “Heave Fiery Knot” had a lot of that going on. Jane’s been feeling like an outsider ever since she made her way back to the FBI. After explaining her side of the story, the team still continues to side-eye her whenever she opens her mouth. But of course, they had to come together to save people as usual so that was good. Let’s get into it!

'Blindspot' Season 2 Premiere Recap: Jane's Got A Name

Image via Flikr

Tonight’s premiere showed us that this season is playing not games just like season 1. Although we’re shifting into a new time slot and day (Wednesday’s @ 8PM) we aren’t lacking on action and exciting reveals. ‘In Night So Ransomed Rogued’ proved just that. The teasers for the season weren’t catching my attention at first. I thought this season was going to be trash, but I guess not! It’s definitely going to be a wild primetime ride. Let's talk about it.

The First Day Of Fall

Tonight marks the start of the fall tv season with the premiere of Blindspot at 10PM on NBC. According to the creator of the show, this season seems to be touching more on the emotional side. As well as a less violent side, since the show is now moving to primetime with a new 8PM timeslot. Entertainment Weekly also interviewed Jaimie Alexander to ask her how she thinks everything will go down this season. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect from this season so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll be live tweeting along with the premiere tonight, follow me @dee_bayyy!

And The Countdown Begins!

Today marks only 1 month until the premiere of  Insecure on HBO! I was excited before, but now that the official trailer has been released, I'm even more excited. With this trailer, we get more of a look into what the shows going to be about. If you've previously watched The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, then I would say we could expect that level of funny if not more with Insecure. It's as if Awkward Black Girl never ended and this is the part two continuation.

Check out the Series poster here. And watch the new trailer below.

Are CD's A Thing Of The Past?

Image via Billboard

Services like Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc. are used by millions of people around the world. How is that use affecting the artists and labels that they represent as well as us as consumers? That idea is what’s being discussed in the following article. Universal Music Group is aiming to become the first major label to forbid artists from making deals to provide exclusives to Apple Music and Tidal. This idea came about when Frank Ocean dropped his long awaited albums exclusively on Apple Music. According to the article, many believe that exclusive distribution deals ultimately harm the consumer and the artist. Honestly, I don’t think it’ll be long before streaming completely takes over and the production of CD’s comes to an end. What do you think? How do you feel about streaming services?

Read more about this budding issue here

Silence Is Golden

Every once in a while, we all need a break from life to just relax. Today was that day for me. With my last week of the summer semester slowly coming to an end, it was time to take a breather before diving head on into finals week.

This morning, my sister and I headed to the mall to take a walk around, see what's new and clear our minds for all of the cramming to come. Of course, I couldn't go to the mall without passing by my favorite place, the movie theater. I had to take a quick look and see if any new posters were added since I had been there last. They haven't been yet, but I'm sure they will be by the end of the week since Suicide Squad is coming out.

While I was there, I tried out a new app that allows you to take 360-degree photos of anything that you want. I did jus that, check out the photos I took below!

SDCC Has Come And Gone

Image via Comic Con

For all of you who were lucky enough to physically attend Comic Con, congratulations, I'm glad you had an amazing time.This is for all of the little people who weren't awarded that luxury, like me, and were forced to stay glued to Twitter to get updates from your favorite people in the business of movies and television.After the first day, I got over my sadness as I was getting too caught up in the news and trailers that were being shared for my currently watched shows, new shows, and movies to hit theaters in upcoming years. So today, I'm here to share with you some of the trailers that piqued my interest amongst all of the commotion.

Movies

1. Kong:Skull Island

I was definitely not a fan of the first King Kong film, so hopefully this one will prove itself. Based on the trailer, it doesn't look horrible, but who knows.

- here's the link https://youtu.be/YAbI4w95cTE

2. Wonder Woman

The main film trailer that caught my eye was the one for Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot. All I can say is, Marvel better watch out because this film could put DC Comics on the map and Marvel out on the streets!

- watch here https://youtu.be/5lGoQhFb4NM

3. Justice League

The team made their debut with this trailer which also looks promising. The only thing is, they were missing one member. I don't know too much about the Justice League, but I'm excited to see what's in store. Ezra Miller is playing the Flash and Jason Momoa will be Aquaman.

- take a look https://youtu.be/gglkYMGRYlE

Television

1. Netflix's The Defenders, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage

Netfix definitely has been busy when it comes to the projects they've collaborated on with Marvel. Iron Fist and Luke Cage gave us a quick look at the character, while The Defenders didn't give us much but the name. I'm not familiar with any of these comics, so I'm excited to see what the characters bring to the Marvel Universe.

- watch the Luke Cage trailer here https://youtu.be/Ymw5uvViqPU

2. Gotham

As someone who still hasn't seen the show beof the lack of time, this trailer definitely put some fire under my butt to get started on wathcing seasons 1 and 2 before season 3 premieres in September

- here it is https://youtu.be/XokEThBT5eU

3. Blindspot

I'm excited to see what's going to happen once the whole team finds out who Jane really is, so I was excited when I saw the trailer for what's to come for season 2.

- link here https://youtu.be/JHqn1UG8jcQ

4. Vikings

This is another show that's on my list of shows to watch..eventually. And this trailer told me that I made the right choice in adding it to said list. 

- take a look at what's to come here https://youtu.be/G3DwTh_aPKw

5. American Gods

This is definitely new content for me. I'm not familiar with the author or the book about this series. It looks different from everything that I've seen on TV as of late, and I think I'm going to check it out (I'm not sure how yet, since I don't actually have Starz).

- take a peek https://youtu.be/oyoXURn9oK0

If you want to see more trailers that were shown at Comic Con, take a look here.

The Ides Of Summer...Kind Of

So we've reached the point where summer is almost over, well for those who go back to school in less than a month, so we only have a short amount of time to enjoy playing outside, going to the movies and hanging out with friends.

With that being said, there's only one movie that'll probably be the last one I see before school starts again and that's Suicide Squad. Almost every ad and promoted post I've seen has been about this movie in some way. Every other YouTube commercial and music streaming ad have featured the movie as well. So I know I'm not the only one hyped about it. I conducted a quick interview with my neighbor and she shared her excitement for the movie as well.

Take a listen below.

Suicide Squad comes out August 5.

Divergent Series: Ascendant Is Going To Be A TV Movie?

Today we learned that the last movie in the franchise will potentially be turned into a TV movie as well as a series. This is obviously due to the flop that part one Allegiant was in theaters. Now, I've read all of the books and absolutely loved Divergent and Insurgent. But, when it came to watching them in theaters, I would say the hype died down with each one.

Divergent was great. It was filmed very closely to what took place in the book, only leaving out minor details. Insurgent, not so much seeing as chunks of character development were left out. Allegiant was made as if they were trying to fit the whole book in one movie and the book was barely followed. Now, there were certain parts of the movie that I did like. Would I say it's my favorite of the series so far? No, no I wouldn't. But I think turning the last part into a TV movie is only setting it up for failure. I don't forsee any of the franchise characters signing on for that, at least not the main characters. And a series? I think that idea should be left on the table. If the movies have only gone down in value, why would a TV show do better?

Supposedly, nothing is set in stone yet. So we'll see what happens as the year goes on, or as the film's cast begin to drop out of the project altogether. I just hope that the people at Lionsgate know what they're doing.

You can read more about this fiasco here.

Interview With A Patron

I had the pleasure of conducting an interview of a patron at my local movie theater. She shared with me the movie she watched as well as the upcoming releases she was anticipating. I also recorded some footage of the interior of the theater. Which surprisingly, was quiet. Then I checked the schedule of movies, and they all started around the same time I walked in. You can watch her interview below. Enjoy!

#EmmysSoDiverse

Image via Los Angeles Times

We all thought that the Emmy's made history last year with Viola Davis becoming the first woman of color to win lead actress in a drama series and give a great speech along with it. But apparently, things seem to have been on an upward spiral from there!

This year, the Emmy's is making history again with people of color being nominated in every leading actor category. 

Something like this has never really happened before, so I'm excited to see who comes out on top in each category when the Emmy's comes on September 18.

Who do you hope wins? Check this out to see the actors of color who are nominated.

An Afternoon of Animation

Yesterday, I met up with my best friend and we decided to spend the day together since she's leaving to a new city to start grad school. We went out to eat and walked around the mall, the usual. We also planned to watch a movie. Which movie you may ask? None other than the box office hit, Finding Dory! It's been 13 years since Finding Nemo came out, so I was definitely excited when I heard the news about a sequel. I live tweeted my cinematic adventure, follow along below!

Finally watching Finding Dory, the nostalgia is setting in! #FindingDory

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Which Ice Age are we on now? 15? #whenwillthisseriesend #trailers #findingdory pic.twitter.com/q4gNXz4APu

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Leslie Jones would be the only reason why I'd see Ghostbusters #trailers

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

#Sing looks like a great movie, cant wait until it comes out in December #trailers pic.twitter.com/z6DMowpFbO

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Kubo looks interesting. It's definitely different than any other trailers I've seen #trailers #KuboMovie

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

#Piper has to be the cutest short I've ever seen #FindingDory

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

I think the character that I missed the most was Marlin lol #FindingDory pic.twitter.com/Ux1NV6B4aR

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Baby Dory has to be the saddest/cutest thing I've ever seen #FindingDory

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Bailey is my new favorite #FindingDory

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

@findingdory was a great movie, I'd definitey reccommend it to everyone! #FindingDory pic.twitter.com/eLD1VEaU5p

— Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) July 5, 2016

Netflix & The CW, Friends To The End

Image via International Business Times

According to an article by The Verge, Netflix and The CW have finally made an agreement. The streaming site is now going to have access to all CW shows and any seasons to come. The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and other shows can already be found on Netflix, but with this new deal, there's a catch.

Netflix will now have the complete season of a show at least 8 days after the season is complete. Now, that's great for someone like me who if I miss one to two episodes, I stop watching the show and wait until the full season is available. On the other hand, these shows will no longer be available on Hulu. So if you can't watch the show live, then you'll be out of luck and in the same position I continuously put myself in.

I'm not sure when exactly the Hulu deal with The CW ends, so it's best to try and enjoy the shows while you still can! You can read more about the deal here.

And After All This Time, You're Still The Dutchess

For everyone that is a fan of Fergie's music, the wait for something new is OVER! Fergie released her single M.I.L.F. $ on Friday and the music video for it as well. The song is going to be the lead single on her next album titled Double Dutchess.

The video came with a lot of surprises, the main one being how start studded it was. The famous moms that were featured in the video included Ciara, Alessandra Ambrosio, Kim Kardashian, and new mom Chrissy Teigen. The video and song itself are very reminiscent of 2009s 'Fergalicious' except more luxurious in a way.

The song and video don't really do anything for me, but I have to admit the song is catchy. Is it something everyone will love just like 'Fergalicious' was? I can't say. You'll just have to watch the video and take a listen for yourself!

'X-Men: Apocalypse' Review - Did The Strong Really Survive? I Guess I Made It Through

Image via Movieweb

You know that feeling when you see all of the commercials for a movie/show and then you finally get to see it and it ends up being a low-key experience? Well, that's how I felt when I went to see X-Men:Apocalypse. The movie was released on May 27, but I had the pleasure of seeing it yesterday and boy it was something. I had heard and read many mixed reviews so going into the theater I was a little skeptical. It turned out that skepticism was well placed, the movie definitely wasn't what I thought it would be. Based on the trailers alone, I was hoping for a lot of action, but I thought it was a little anticlimactic. Especially when you compare this to  Days of Future's Past  which was action packed. The movie was much more story oriented than the previous film since we were dealing with younger versions of our favorite X Team. But I didn't know more story meant more boredom.

The young characters did alright, they didn't really wow me. I thought it was going to be as if the original characters were playing themselves as teens, with that original essence being felt through the new actors, but it wasn't. The only character who peaked my interest was Storm, played by Alexandra Shipp. She made me want to know more about Storm's new life in America and what she did up until we saw her in the first X-Men film. Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters, was the same fan favorite that he was in the last film providing all of the laughs.

The villain in the film En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac, was gaining momentum in the beginning of the film but lost it towards the end. It was the usual bad guy comes to power, destroys everything, and gets defeated by the good guys story.But I guess that's what's expected with superhero movies these days.

Overall, the movie is good if you enjoy the X-Men movie franchise. I'd give the film a 3/5. Would I recommend it to others? Yes. That way, they can rate it for themselves and see if they either agree or disagree with my thoughts.

What did you think of the film? Let me know below!

Let's All Go To The Lobby

Going to the movies for me is always a process. It doesn't matter how often I go, the same things happen along the way. So I decided to share my movie going experience with you all.

We meet again. #itsbeenawhile #moviesaremylife #regalcinemas

A photo posted by Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:46am PDT

One of my favorite parts of the theater are the posters #nowyouseeme2 #tarzan #centralintelligence

A photo posted by Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:49am PDT

That moment when you don't know what to watch because you want to see everything 😅🤔

A photo posted by Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:51am PDT

Now that I struggled to choose a movie, I have to do the same with snacks 🍿🌭🍕🍫 #iwantitall #regalcinemas

A photo posted by Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:54am PDT

One decision that's always easy is: choosing where to sit. Cant wait to see how the movie is! #xmenapocalypse #mcu

A photo posted by Deanna (@dee_bayyyy) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:57am PDT

Awkward Black Girl Meets The Big Screen

The big screen as in TV that is. If you don't know what Awkward Black Girl is, it started out as a web series that was created by writer and actress Issa Rae. She starred in the YouTube series herself, along with the other wild characters in her awkward life. The show gained a following, so of course, when it ended, we were all ready to support Issa in creating a TV movie based on the show. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Fast forward to 2015 and our wishes have come true! The ABG reboot that we've all wanted is coming to life. What I didn't know was that I'd have to wait until this year to watch it. The show is titled Insecure and will be shown on HBO. Now, the wait is still on, BUT we've been lucky enough to have a glimpse of the hilarity that will ensue once the show premieres this fall. You can watch the trailer below!

The Mindy Project Recap: 'My Kid Stays In The Picture'

Image via Hulu

Wow, we've reached the 24th episode of the show already. If the show was still on Fox, we wouldn't have even made it this far (no shade), but since it isn't we get to enjoy Mindy and her antics for two more episodes! So let's get into what happened this week.

The episode starts with Morgan delivering Mindy her mail, as usual, and her flipping through one of her magazines and seeing that her favorite soap opera Tides of Tomorrow is looking to cast a biracial baby. So in typical Mindy style, she freaks out at the fact that she has a biracial baby and that Leo is finally going to become a star!

Jody and Colette are fighting because Colette hates lame old Courtney. So she decides to switch nurse duties with Morgan so that she can get a break from Jody, she had no idea what she was in for. Upon arrival, she shares her issues with Mindy who's also having similar problems with Rishi. But no worry, Mindy doesn't dwell, she shares with Colette the type of work she actually expects her to do and the first task involves brushing her hair....200 times. If I was Colette, I would've turned around and got over the Courtney issue to avoid all of the unnecessary work to come. Morgan, on the other hand, has no clue what to do with himself since he doesn't have any work to do. He even shared with Colette how Jody gave him something called a "break" in which I cackled.

The next day, Mindy and Leo show up at the audition and of course, she's nervous because all of the other babies look so talented. She meets a mom at the audition who gives her tips about being chosen and tells her not to worry because "her son was the E-Trade baby's ethnic friend." Leo ends up getting picked as well as the frenemy mom's baby. Upon hearing the great news, Jeremy volunteered to be Leo's acting coach because of his long resume of acting experience. He went on to share the one line he has as a fondled man on a Law and Order: SVU episode. Because Mindy thought his line was so great, she accepted his offer. As Jeremy was coaching Leo, he was coaching Mindy as well by telling her what not to do. 1. Don't act starstruck and 2. No drama. Now, we know Mindy's middle name is drama so we'll see how far that goes. He also should have added no friends in there because I had a bad feeling about the other mom.

Drew was supposed to be coming to the city that same night to see Mindy, but once she shared the news about Leo, he backed out and said they should reschedule. Mindy didn't seem to happy and I wasn't either. What was going on here? I thought things were going well? We'll see what happens when he comes in a few days.

It's finally showtime, Mindy and Leo arrive on set and are taken to the green room to wait until the director needs them. It is then when Leo's destiny had been revealed, he was chosen as the hero baby (or the baby used in the actual shooting of the show and not the backup)! Mindy couldn't contain herself as they took Leo to set and exclaimed how happy she was and that "she won't try and steal all of his money!" While watching the recording, Mindy a loyal fan, realized that the script was awfully similar to the storyline a few weeks prior. So sneakily, the other mom told Mindy that she should say something to the director about it. Mindy does just that and it doesn't end well.

At this point, Jody and Colette's fight has reached a new level as Mindy accidentally told Colette that Jody slept with their sister-in-law. Their elder brother Forbes shows up to clear up the issue but resorts to beating Jody up for what he had done. The viewing party was ruined because there was no Mediterranean platter as requested and Leo didn't make the cut in the show. To make matter's even worse, Mindy calls Drew to ask if he watched the episode, and he had the nerve to LIE and say that Leo did a great job. Mindy rightfully broke up with him in that very moment. Jody, on the other hand, all battered and bruised, tells Mindy about how he watched the episode and was so upset to see that Leo didn't make the cut, especially after all he had to go through just to watch it; logging into the shows website and annoying commercials.

Then the unthinkable happened...Mindy finally kissed Jody! Hopefully, this relationship will go somewhere because we've all waited this long. Let me know what you guys think below!

The Freshman Have Arrived

Image via XXL

Monday, June 13 was the day that all hip-hop fans had been waiting for, the release of the new XXL Freshman Class list.  For those who aren't familiar with the list, it's basically a list of the new up and coming rappers.

Fan favorites like Desiigner and Lil Dicky have made the list. Did your favorite new rapper make it as well?

Take a look at XXL's article to find out!

New Music Friday: 'Last Year Was Complicated'

Image via Genius

It's been about two years since we've had an album from Nick Jonas, and I'd say that the wait was worth it. His self-titled Nick Jonas was a great album and his breakout of the genre of teenage boyband type music and into the grown up sensual side of himself. There were a few standout songs on that album like Numb which featured rapper Angel Haze, Take Over, I Want You and Chains. The others were the same crooning that we could expect from someone who enjoys creating R&B type songs like Jonas. This album is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience: Part 1, in that it almost seemed like a love letter to his then girlfriend Olivia Culpo as the 20/20 Experience was written for Jessica Biel.

Getting into Last Year Was Complicated, we can see that he's talking about just that. Olivia and Nick had broken up and although Jonas took some time to compose the album, I'm sure that experience played a part in the content of the songs. The title track Voodoo was a good start to the album. The sound was different and it drew you in and let you know that this album was going to be different from the last. It also happens to be one of my favorites. The single Close featuring Tove Lo was one of the lead singles off  the album, the song was popular and got a lot of radio play, but id I had to base my decision of liking the album on that song alone I wouldn't have listened. I actually don't like it that much. The next single Bacon actually made me want to hear it and think that it had potential instead of being the usual sequel flop.

The second half of the album features more of the slow emotional songs like Under You, in which actress Shay Mitchell of Pretty Little Liars  plays the love interest. This is similar to how Jonas's first album was set up as well. Overall, I'd give the album 4/5. Nick Jonas delivers with this album just like he did with the last one. So if you're a fan of his or a new listener, you won't be disappointed.

Take a listen and let me know what you think!

The Mindy Project Recap: 'Princeton Charming'

Image via Hulu

On this episode, Mindy had just returned from visiting Peter and Lauren in Texas for a getaway from everything for a little while. It isn't until she starts distributing Texas airport gifts to her co-workers that she finds out Jody has a new girlfriend named Courtney. I as well as Mindy thought this was funny because of the gesture he made the last time they were together. This is where Princeton comes in. The ivy happens to be Mindy's alma mater and the school that wants Later Baby to do a presentation, now Jody and Mindy are forced to spend another weekend together!

The trip sounded like a great no brainer that everyone involved would see as a great opportunity and it was until Jody mentioned that he was bringing Courtney along since they had a weekend getaway planned. I don't think any other trip could top the one they're about to take. I mean, who wouldn't want a woman allergic to everything sneezing herself to death on the way to New Jersey?

The group finally makes their way to Princeton but not without an issue of course. Morgan and Jody were setting up for the presentation when some football coaches walked in and stated that they had the auditorium for "recruitment" which Mindy claimed couldn't be right. It wasn't until she checked her confirmation email that she saw she had in fact booked the room for the correct day, but not the correct year since it said 2017. Mindy then tries to convince him that their presentation about women's issues is more important than recruiting non-athletic people for the horrible football team. He says no, but of course, Mindy resorts to her Mindy ways and places the coach's hand on her boobs. That is when memory kicks in and they realize that they both attended the school at the same time, and he allowed her to have the room.

Jody and Morgan aren't happy about this considering Jody wanted to salvage his weekend, and Morgan was already in travel mode after packing up the car. Mindy promised to save the day by recruiting as many women as she can to get some patients for the practice, of course with help from the coach.

Mindy is successful with the recruitment and her and Jody sign up 16 new patients, so celebrating was only right. The team hits a local bar and guess who shows up to straight up flirt with Mindy? None other than the coach himself. Their flirtation was cut short by Courtney's complaining and Mindy fighting with Jody, resulting in the coach leaving. 

At the end of the night, Coach sends Mindy a text asking her out for food and they make plans to see each other when he comes to New York to recruit. And they seal the night with a kiss and a little more. Do you think their relationship will go anywhere, or is he just another guy to add to Mindy's list?

Let me know in the comments!