Random Ramblings: 'Tis a lovely Voice thou doth have. Doth thee hail from Westchester?

It's almost the end of April, which means May is nearly here (obviously...) What would otherwise be a totally unforgettable time of the year, suck it Mother's Day and your Hallmark Holiday greed, this May happens to be a very exciting time for nerds.  Next Friday is the U.S. release of Thor and while a select few Australian Jerkwads have already been treated to a premiere, seething jealousy be damned, I could not be more excited to midnight matinee this bad boy.  Everything I've seen and read (considering I own a copy of the script) makes this look to be the summer blockbuster to beat.  Green Lantern better be ready for a old fashioned prize fight punch-out.  Everything from the VFX, to the dialogue and atmosphere, down to the general tone of the film all look absolutely magnificent.  I've got a good feeling about this one.

"How darest Fast Five beat thee Mighty Thor at thy own Australian Box Office"

On another note, and I can't believe I'm saying this, the latest international trailer for X-Men: First Class debuted today and it looks... incredible?  I know, I was shocked too.  How could this have happened?  All of the pieces were in place for another train wreck of a film.  Fox producing? Check. Thorough butchering of the source material? Mega-Check.  Rushed shooting schedule?  Like you wouldn't believe.  Yet, after seeing Michael Fassbender wrap a a handful of Cuban soldiers in makeshift barbed wire nets and send them tumbling down a hill, I can't help but feel giddy with anticipation.  Sure the name blasphemously claims to take ownership of the First Class mythos.  But really, when were we ever, EVER going to get the chance to see characters like Havoc, Banshee, and Darwin appear in an Live-Action film without it being a reboot?  Never.  At least this way they have some time to screw with the timeline and introduce the actual members somewhere down the line in what I'm sure will end up being a new trilogy for the franchise. 

Seriously, what's with the helmet?? Is it an antagonist, central to the plot?

James McAvoy is also looking extremely awesome as Charles Xavier and I am very excited to see how he and Erik build the X-Men legacy together, including the school and of course Cerebro.  I find it funny that the marketing team is making such an obviously big deal out of Magneto's helmet.  Sure it looks cool, but with all the focus on Fassbender in these past couple trailers I'm starting to think maybe X-Men Origins: Magneto wasn't canned after all and we're all being duped into thinking this film has something to do with any other characters.  While I'm convinced his will be the standout performance, let's please not forget to give Mystique, Emma Frost, and Beast ample time to be awesome.

Finally, going from the silver screen down to the small screen, last night was the premiere of NBC's new singing competition The Voice.  The basic premise is that four of the industry's greatest performers: Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton each pick 8 American hopefuls to personally coach.  Each week they must then eliminate the team member they feel is the least improved.  The catch is that when initially selecting their teams they must listen to the contestants sing during a blind performance, meaning the judges can't see whoever is on stage singing.  It's supposed to prove that the show really is all about "The Voice" and that looks aren't important to the process.

As far as premieres go, I thought it had a strong first episode.  The audition episodes are always fun to watch, and while a few people were turned away, I have to say the level of talent is impressive.  I don't really enjoy watching most singing competitions, that A Capella one hosted by Nick Lachey is probably the only one I'll stomach due to my choir boy background, but the chemistry between the judges was enjoyable and entertaining.  Christina and Adam have already developed a mini-rivalry, with Adam stealing away most of the contestants Christina wanted to recruit by buttering them up with compliments.  (If more than one judge wants to recruit a contestant, the contestant gets to choose who they train with.)  I'm also a big fan of Cee Lo's personality in general, he's just a funny dude.  Altogether, I'd say it's worth checking out if you need a break from Idol but still crave that singing competition fix.  It won't disappoint.