Sailor Moon to Return in 2013!

I've been a huge fan of Sailor Moon ever since I was a little child. I remember watching the show on YTV before I would head to school in the morning, and buying episodes on VHS at the time. I always imagined myself as being Tuxedo Mask and during the time I had a huge crush on Sailor Jupiter. I can also admit to owning the complete series on DVD. Yes, I'm a pretty huge fan of the show. That's why the news I read a few days ago made me ecstatic!

On July 6, there was a 20th anniversary talk regarding the show, and creator Naoko Takeuchi announced that the show will return with an all new anime in the summer of 2013. Full details were vague and its unsure whether the show will be dubbed in English or not, or if we'll have to watch it in subtitles, BUT it is confirmed that it will be distributed worldwide after it runs its course in Japan by Toei animation.

Well, this has got to be the most exciting news I've heard in a while, and as a huge fan of the show I definitely cannot wait till 2013 now. Whether I have to watch it in Japanese, or English, doesn't matter, I'm just glad the series is making a comeback. I'm excited to hear more details about the show, and see what direction they'll take it in. Will they bring back some old story-lines or villains like Queen Beryl or the Doom Tree or will they take a whole new approach with the series? What are some of your ideas, and what would you guys like to see with the new series?

Summer Album Review

Summer is amongst us and we all know that means its time for some of the hottest album releases. This summer has provided with no heat shortage as the last few weeks has seen albums released by Usher, Metric, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Wisin y Yandel, Flo Rida and many, many others! I've had a chance to listen to some of these, and although at first I was going to make some individual album reviews, because there were so many albums I wanted to comment on, I decided I would collect some of the good and bad highlights, and merge them all into one post. After the jump, you will find my thoughts on new albums by Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Wisin y Yandel, and Flo Rida.

Justin Bieber - Believe

Release Date: June 19, 2012

I've never been a fan of Justin Bieber's. Despite liking a few songs here and there, I always thought he was overrated and would face the same fate as other tween stars like Aaron Carter, the Jonas Brothers etc. This all changed when I heard lead single Boyfriend from his third studio album Believe. Although I didn't want to admit it was good. It was something that N'Sync could have easily sung in their earlier days (actually the song really does bare many similarities to their single Girlfriend). At that point, his albums was actually one of the most anticipated summer release for me as I was excited to see what more he could bring. He did not disappoint.

This album takes a bit of a departure from his tween-friendly songs, and shifts to a more mature audience while still maintaining an image for his younger fans. The album has more of an urban and R&B feel, which is helped by features from some of the biggest hip-hop artists in the game right now (Drake, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean). These features don't steal the song, but simply add to the amazingness Justin adds to it. The lyrics to the songs are also slightly more mature and seem to deal close with Bieber's life (i.e. Maria talks about his baby scare), while others seem a bit cheesy ("we gonna party like its 3012 tonight"). Regardless, the album has a good mix of uptempo, and downtempo songs. Highlights include the lead single, Boyfriend, As Long As You Love Me, Maria, She Don't Like the Lights, and Fairytale (a bonus track on one of the international releases). 

All in all, I never thought I'd say this about a Bieber record, but this is actually a must listen album. The album not only shows Bieber's  vocal and writing talent (he's co-written almost the entire album), but also shows the longevity he'll have in this industry if he plays all his cards right.

Rating: 4/5

Maroon 5 - Overexposed

Released Date: June 26th, 2012

Maroon 5's fourth studio album, Overexposed, fared to be a little bit of a disappointment for me. Being a huge fan of It Won't Be Soon Before Long, and mildly liking Hands All Over, this album seems to be taking the band from an album band to more of a singles band. From their last album, Misery, and Moves Like Jagger seemed to be highlights, and with Payphone being a huge song this summer, I had high hopes for the band to revive themselves after the lacklustre Hands All Over. 

The album takes a bit more of a pop/electro/dance approach in comparison to traditional Maroon 5 material. This is likely due to the popularity of the genre in the mainstream right now. Starting a strong open with One More Night, and Payphone, the album's first two singles, the album starts taking a more downward spiral when Daylight begins. Many of the songs begin to sound repetitive, and dull. If it wasn't for Adam Levine's distinct voice, the song could fit perfectly with any other pop artist out there right now. The album picks up a little bit mid-way with Fortune Teller but remains average at best. It also seems more of a solo effort by Adam Levine, rather than an album by Maroon 5. I guess this is where I was most disappointed with the album. With many artists trying to fit the mainstream dance/pop vibe right now, its nice to see when artists stick to what they are known for best. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Overexposed.

Rating: 3/5

Linkin Park - Living Things

Release Date: June 26th, 2012

After hearing the lead single from this album, Burn it Down, I was a little worried. It seemed as if Linkin Park might be doing what Maroon 5 was. Shifting slowly to the pop/dance/electronic vibe of every artist out there. However, after hearing the album, all my worries were alleviated. Linkin Park not only pushed out an amazing album, but they stayed true to their original sound we heard on Hybrid Theory and their earlier works. This album is a classic Linkin Park record that fits perfectly into their catalogue. Although they do incorporate a little bit of an electronic feel into the album, they don't it in just the right way for it to sound innovative. Some highlights on the album include Burn it Down, Castle of Glass, and In My Remains, among many others. The album is a great listen from beginning to album, and is a very cohesive album. Linkin Park fans will not be disappointed.  

Rating: 4/5 

Flo Rida - Wild Ones 

Release Date: July 3rd, 2012

When Flo Rida first entered the scene in late 2007 with club banger Low, I was unsure of how he'd do in this industry. Was he a one hit wonder or would he have longevity? Five years later and I'm still asking myself the same question. His first two albums spawned some pretty successful singles including the above mentioned Low, as well as Elevator, and the unforgettable smash Right Round. Despite being on fire with all his singles, all his albums seemed to be lacking any sense of cohesiveness or any organization. Minus R.O.O.T.S which I was actually a fan of, the rest of his albums have just seemed like an unorganized mess of tracks. Wild Ones, his fourth album, is the exact same. 

Fuelled with many hit singles preceding its release, Good Feeling, Wild Ones, Whistle, the album doesn't offer much more than these singles do. Although the album sounds promising opening with Whistle, and Wild Ones,  the rest of the album soon starts sounding exactly the same. Replace Sia with Georgi Kay and then Georgi Kay with Jennifer Lopez, the album starts sounding like a recycled mess. There's not much creativity and innovation to the album and thus I feel like Flo Rida will be one of those artists like T-Pain who sounds better on features, or soundtracks rather than one to create a full length album. 

Rating: 2.5/5

Wisin y Yandel - Lideres

Release Date: July 3rd, 2012

To be honest, the only reason I ever gained interest in Wisin y Yandel was after finding out they'd be opening for Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez on their upcoming summer tour. Although I had heard of them before on remixes or features of different artists (Enrique Iglesias, Paris Hilton), I had never taken an interest into their albums as I was never a huge listener of reggaeton music. However, upon listening to their first single from the new album Lideres, Follow the Leader featuring Jennifer Lopez, I was highly impressed and thought I would give their album a chance. I'm glad I did.

I'm not huge into reggaeton, nor have I listened to any of their albums, or even understand the language, but somehow, upon first listen, its like the album reached out to me. Music is universal and thus the language barrier didn't really affect me. An upbeat, and fun album, with features like Jennifer Lopez, and Chris Brown, the album is a party from beginning to end. It features, up and mid tempo tracks that have great arrangements and vocal delivery. Its definitely something you could hear in a club, on the beach, or anywhere tropical. The album is very feel good and is definitely worth a listen if you're down and need something to cheer you up. Or perhaps if you're getting ready to go to party, or want to have one of your own. Highlights of the album include Follow the Leader, Tu Nombre, and No Te Detengas

Its such a shame the duo dropped out of the Enrique / J-Lo tour as they would've been great to see live.

Rating: 4/5

What are some of your favourite albums of the summer?

LIGHTS is Back...and She's Breaking Glasses!

A few weeks ago, Canadian singer-songwriter Lights, hinted at a new single and album release coming soon through some tweets. Who would've thought "soon" would just be a few days before she released a much anticipated brand new single?!

The new song, titled Everybody Breaks A Glass, features Shad and Canadian electronic band, Holy F**k was released as a streaming teaser via her Twitter a few days ago, and shortly after was made for official release onto iTunes. The song is well...Lights. Her electronic, new wave pop style always set her apart from everybody else and this song continues that. With such a distinct style, that some call a female version of Owl City, you're bound to get something fresh with Lights and that's exactly what this song is. Its a combination of dubstep, electronic, new wave, pop, and dare I say, even a little bit of hip-hop/rap as she has Canadian rapper Shad perform the bridge of the song. All that makes the song a very strong, heavy, and experimental track that Lights has pulled off quite successfully. With the song you can see how she's raised the bar for herself as she is continuously pushing boundaries and growing into her own genre of music.

Ever since she arrived the scene in 2008 with her debut EP and single, Drive My Soul, I've been a huge fan of her music and simply cannot get enough. Her debut, The Listening , released in 2009 was spectacular and is still on constant listen. Followed by an acoustic EP and a teaser song, My Boots, this past winter, I am definitely ready and excited for her sophomore album. Hopefully it comes out as soon as her single did!

Concert Review: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift visited Toronto this past weekend on a stop of her Speak Now World Tour. She played two sold out shows at the Air Canada Centre, of which I saw the latter. Taylor Swift hit the music scene about 5 years ago (2006); and since her arrival she’s been breaking records non-stop and is one of the best-selling artists in the industry right now. It was only natural that she played two sold out shows at the Air Canada Centre!

Though not a huge fan of hers, the show was very enjoyable. Opening with Sparks Fly, a fan favourite from her latest album Speak Now, she played a two hour set that consisted of some of her biggest hits, as well as album cuts from Speak Now. Her voice sounded so fresh and in tact and her live band accompanying her made the show very enjoyable. In addition to her vocals, her stage set up and presence was also entertaining. Whether it was the set up of a fake church and marriage during her single Speak Now or acrobatics and the banging of a bell -reminiscent of The Hunchback of Notre Dame - during Haunted she made her show very theatrical. As my friend and I were discussing after the show, she would do very well on broadway! All of her songs depicted some type of story during the performance which added a music video type feel when watching the performance; it was amazing.

One of my favourite performances of hers last night was that of Back To December. Not only is that one of my favourite songs of hers, but it was also performed immaculately. The set up of the performance - Swift playing her piano in front of a gorgeous bridge - gave off a New York-esque feeling, as Swift's performance was reminiscent of her Back To December performance in Central Park during Speak Now's release week. Swift played the piano as she performed the song with deep emotion that you could see in her eyes. The fake snow gently descending during the performance was the perfect added touch. Another interesting element about the performance was her addition of OneRepublic’s Apologize and her own hit, You’re Not Sorry mashed up into the song. It was definitely one of the highlights of the night.

Other performances worth mentioning include her Canadian medley, Haunted and the encore, Love Story. As a tribute to her Canadian fans, Swift performed a medley of songs originally performed by Canadian artists. She started with Complicated by Avril Lavigne, followed with Baby by Justin Bieber, and concluded with I’m Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado. All of it was done acoustically and sounded amazing. I was a little shocked, though, at the fact that she didn’t perform anything by Shania Twain as not only is she a Canadian country singer, but Shania is one of Swifts’ idols. Her performance of Haunted was very theatric with acrobats, bells, and such great emotion and choreography, which was a definite highlight of the show. With her encore, Love Story, she entered into a portable balcony-esque device that suspended into the air and took her in the air across the venue. It was a great way to close the show as she connected with many fans, especially those who were in the nose bleeds, as they got an up close and personal finale.

During the show, Swift had charm and charisma whether it was during her performances or when she spoke to the audience. She spoke with such elegance and class and although it did seem rehearsed and scripted, it also felt like it was from her heart, which was nice. This was further proved when she walked through the audience from the main stage to the back stage hugging and shaking the hands of as many fans as she could. As a frequent concert goer, I’ve seen artists with less power do much less for their fans when they can do so much more, so it was nice to see how genuine and caring Taylor was. Taylor's persona emanated in her songs and interviews is definitely what you get in real life.

With a pun definitely intended, it was enchanting to see Taylor Swift live on her Speak Now world tour 2011.

Khizerlicious.com presents banner 3.0

So after having my last banner up for almost over a year, I think it was definitely time for a new one. Without further adieu, give a warm welcome to the Khizerlicious.com banner 3.0. This amazing header was designed by the super talented DARCIE KEANE who quite frankly did a fabulous job; thank you Dar-C! Check her out on Twitter and Facebook!

Below are the last two banners that previously graced this blog; version 2.0 was designed by Sebastian and version 1.0 was designed by Varun. Both will forever be remembered.

As always, the change in header means there will be more exciting news and changes coming soon! In the next few weeks, you can keep your eyes open for an interview, some album reviews, and the website's first official contest! Not going to reveal too much, so make sure you keep checking back.

Till the world ends,

Stay delicious...its Khizerlicious

Concert Review: 'Glee'

So I've been a huge fan of television show Glee for quite sometime now....you can call me a "Gleek", so it was only natural that I would be bouncing off walls in excitement that they were bringing their "Glee Live!" tour across North America. I say North America lightly as the tour went everywhere across the United States, and then brought one stop in Canada, which happened to be Toronto. Word. This was very good news as last tour, they only did a few dates, and none of them included Canada. It was about time they came to Canada and they definitely did it right; in the span of two days, they performed four sold out shows at the Air Canada Centre! That's pretty impressive for a television show tour that has been around a little less than two years!



The show itself proved to be really good and well worth the wait. The cast, including all the members of the New Directions as well as The Warblers, performed a set comprised of songs from season 1 and season 2. Although the set list wasn't very long and could've included more songs, it was still a great show filled with high energy. You can read all about it on MuchMusic by clicking HURR.



Some highlights of the show included Heather Morris' solo to I'm A Slave 4 U originally by Britney Spears. Between the steamy choreography, the outfit, and the breathy vocals, it was probably one of my favourite moments in the show. Other highlights included Darren Criss' performances with The Warblers performing songs including Teenage Dream, Raise Your Glass, and Silly Love Songs. His voice is amazing and probably one of the greatest additions to the show. The show as a whole was amazing, and the cast had such amazing chemistry together. They all had solos as well as ensembles so each cast member was able to showcase their talent. I thought that was pretty neat and a great way of organizing the show. Another nice touch added to the show was Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch being the host's of the show through pre-recorded footage. As essential cast members to the show, it was comical seeing them introduce various performances.

A few things that I was surprised / disappointed in included the fact that I thought Lea Michele should have had either more solos, or a solo other than Firework by Katy Perry. With such a powerhouse voice, I feel a different song that would showcase her voice more would've been a better choice...for example my personal favourite, Jar Of Hearts. What's odd was that she did perform Don't Rain On My Parade for a few shows before they cut it out due to it straining her voice. That wasn't the only cut out...during the first two or three Toronto shows, the cast performed a cover of YouTube sensation, Rebecca Black's Friday acoustically during the encore, but for the last Toronto show and going forward, the song was removed from the setlist. Odd. Also, in addition to her duet of Lucky with Chord Overstreet, it would have been nice to hear another solo from Dianna Agron. Either that, or her and Lea could have performed I Feel Pretty / Unpretty together. There. Hitting two birds with one stone.

Speaking of Dianna Agron, Toronto was the city that witnessed a bit of a "scandal" when she wore a shirt saying "Likes Girls". Originally, in the show , during the performance of Born This Way by Lady GaGa, each cast member wore a shirt displaying their insecurities, imperfections, etc. that included "Likes Boys" for Chris Colfer, "Can't Dance" for Cory Monteith, "Can't Sing" for Harry Shum Jr. etc. etc...Dianna Agron's shirt in the show was "Lucy Caboosey" which stood for a nickname she was called in grade school that she despised. However, instead of wearing that shirt, which she wore at all her other shows, for 2 of the 4 Toronto dates, she wore a shirt saying "Likes Girls". This caused a huge stir up in both the online world and news outlets alike debating why she wore the shirt. After much controversy and scandal, Agron wrote a blog stating she wore the shirt in support of the LGBT. Regardless of why she wore it, I think people need to focus more on the show itself than to read into things.

In addition to attending the show, I was also able to meet some of the cast members backstage. Firstly I saw Heather Morris and Ashley Fink who play Brittany and Lauren respectively. Both of them were very nice and down to earth. After sharing hugs, and talking about my name, I told Heather how she was an incredible dancer and Ashley agreed with that statement. I also told Ashley that she was the best new addition to the show. I welcomed them both to Toronto. Both had visited the city before but Ashley told me how she learnt, only that day, that people from Toronto are called "Torontorians". Wrong. They are called "Torontonians" and they were shocked that they were misinformed. I would be too. After clearing the air, we posed for a picture at which point, Heather Morris told me I smell "lovely". OMGWTFBBQ. I'm not sure if I said thank you or not because I was very flattered hearing that from her. The last thing I remember saying to her was "you too" after she told me it was nice to meet me. I also met Darren Criss backstage after the show, though this was only for a few minutes. Although all the guys were watching the basketball game after the show, Darren came into the party room and came to say hello. Our meeting was very short, but he was very nice.

Overall, the show was amazing. The cast is very talented and I would definitely go see them again if I had the chance. Anyone who is a fan of the show should check it out, and for those who aren't, its a great way to see some classic songs covered by some very talented individuals. For those who did miss it, either because they couldn't acquire tickets, or because the show didn't come to their city, there will be a 3D movie of the tour that will be released in theatres this August. I know I will definitely be checking it out!

Glee: The Music, Best of Season Two

Glee recently wrapped up its second season but many of the songs are still lingering around in my head. It is only appropriate to make a collective list of the best songs featured in the second season. Season two followed the same blueprint of the first covering current hits, old gems, show tunes, as well as more indie music. They did learn from the first season though and didn't do much of a single type to keep it varied and fresh. This year, there were a lot more indie songs covered that, normally, probably wouldn't get as much exposure if they weren't covered on Glee, so it was nice to see the producers add such songs.

It was a little bit of a challenge choosing my favourites when there were 129 songs covered in the show this season, but nonetheless I was able to narrow it down to 30 of my favourites. Check it out below (in order of appearance).

1. I'm A Slave 4U
2. Toxic
3. I Want To Hold Your Hand
4. Losing My Religion
5. One Of Us
6. Sing!
7. Lucky
8. Touch A Touch A Touch A Touch Me
9. Teenage Dream
10. Stop! In The Name Of Love / Free Your Mind
11. Forget You
12. Singing In The Rain / Umbrella
13. Marry You
14. Bills, Bills, Bills
15. Silly Love Songs
16. Baby
17. Sing
18. Don't You Want Me
19. Loser Like Me
20. I Follow Rivers
21. I Feel Pretty / Unpretty
22. Never Going Back Again
23. Go Your Own Way
24. Rolling In The Deep
25. Friday
26. Jar Of Hearts
27. Pure Imagination
28. I Love New York / New York, New York
29. Pretending
30. Light Up The World

Some of these songs are available on the 6 soundtrack release for season 2 which you can purchase via iTunes, Amazon or a retailer near you! (yes, yes, shameless plug)

Here's hoping season 3 brings out even better covers!