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    hell on heels

    With Miranda Lambert's help, former Voice contestant RaeLynn caps off magicalyear

    Tyler Rudick
    Nov 9, 2012 | 4:28 pm
    • RaeLynn
      Photo by Jewel Cole
    • The Christmas tree lighting at The Galleria heralds the start of the holidayseason
      Photo courtesy of Simon Property Group

    It was a sad day in the Houston area when Baytown native RaeLynn left season two of The Voice.

    But thanks to some keen songwriting skills, a pair of high-profile mentors and a little music industry magic, 2012 has turned out to be a fantastic year for the 18-year-old country singer, who signed a record contract this summer with Nashville Republic — home of The Band Perry and Martina McBride.

    Taking a break from the recording studio this weekend, RaeLynn will be performing at the Galleria's Ice Spectacular event on Saturday.

    "My blind audition for The Voice only aired last January, if you can believe that. I can hardly believe it myself."

    "This has been a crazy year; it's all been so fast," she laughed during a recent phone interview with CultureMap. "My blind audition for The Voice only aired last January, if you can believe that. I can hardly believe it myself."

    Fusing old school Dolly Parton spunk with contemporary pop sensibilities, the singer enjoyed a successful run on Blake Shelton'sVoice team until narrowly missing the semifinals in April.

    "It was a great experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I got to showcase the kind of artist I'd like to be and gain all these fans. The best part was that I got to forge this amazing relationship with Blake and Miranda, who are like my big brother and sister now."

    "Miranda," of course, is none other than country superstar Miranda Lambert, Shelton's wife and one of RaeLynn's earliest inspirations.

    "She's been my favorite singer since I was like 11 years old — no lying — and now she's my mentor. It still kind of blows my mind."

    "She's been my favorite singer since I was like 11 years old — no lying — and now she's my mentor. It still kind of blows my mind."

    At some point, RaeLynn worked up the nerve to share some of her own music with Lambert, who'd been asking to hear her original material for months.

    "When you write a song, you're always looking for validation. I send her a song and she actually called me on the phone saying 'What the hell, this is amazing.' I seriously almost passed out. That validation just about put me over the moon."

    For the next six weeks, RaeLynn said she'll be on a "radio tour," traveling by bus to two and three radio stations each day for performances and interviews. Her first official single drops this January in advance of a forthcoming album due by spring.

    The 24th annual Galleria Ice Spectacular and tree-lighting ceremony kicks off the holiday season on Saturday at 6 p.m. The 30-minute event features ice skaters, live musical performances and visit from Santa himself . . . all at the same time.

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    news/entertainment

    Movie Review

    Tom Cruise goes all out in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

    Alex Bentley
    May 22, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
    Photo courtesy of
    Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

    Over the course of 30 years and eight films, the Mission: Impossible series has proven to be the most reliable of any action movie franchise. Not all of them are equally good, but with Tom Cruise in the lead as Ethan Hunt, they can be counted on for at least a couple of mind-blowing stunt sequences per film, enough to keep fans clamoring for more.

    Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has the feel of being the last film in the series, and not just because the 62-year-old Cruise is getting up there in age. Following up closely on the events of 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One (Part Two changed to The Final Reckoning for unknown reasons), the film has Hunt trying to stop an A.I. villain known as The Entity from taking over the world’s collective stash of nuclear weapons.

    To do so, Hunt and his cobbled-together team — Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff) — must hopscotch around the world, tracking villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) and trying to figure out a way to get The Entity’s source code, which is located on a sunken Russian submarine. Oh, and they also have to evade capture by a disgruntled U.S. government, led by now-President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett).

    Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie and co-written by Erik Jendresen, the film might just be the most convoluted one in the series so far. The filmmakers layer on tons of exposition, with lots of flashbacks to previous events in the series to explicate the events of the present, as well as providing unexpected connections to previous films. The plan for stopping The Entity and the references to the past are so dense that the first half of the film is relatively boring.

    Things pick up in the final 90 minutes of the three-hour film, mostly because that’s when the majority of the action takes place. More than other entries in the series, the film considers the geopolitical implications of Hunt’s actions, and he has to negotiate with a variety of high-powered people to do what he deems best. While his efforts are somewhat preposterous, even by the standards of the series, they lead to a bunch of fun sequences that provide levity among the world-changing drama.

    Ultimately, what makes the film succeed are its action scenes. Cruise has done stunts on planes/helicopters before in the series, but what he does during a biplane sequence toward the end of the film is almost beyond belief. Yes, he’s attached to the plane with harnesses that are digitally erased, but he’s still doing it hundreds of feet in the air at great bodily risk considering. While the series has always featured spectacular stunt sequences, this one deserves to be near the top of the list.

    The flashbacks to scenes from throughout the series underscore just how much Cruise has changed in the past 30 years, but also emphasize how amazing it is that he’s still willing to sacrifice his body as much as does to make these films. No other actor goes as far as he does to entertain the masses, and the events of the story even give him opportunities to show off his dramatic acting skills.

    The supporting cast is more packed than usual, and all of them enhance the film. In addition to Hunt’s team, the President has a group of advisers that includes actors like Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, and Janet McTeer. Other recognizable faces like Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Trammell Tillman (Severance), and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) show up for impactful roles.

    Whether or not this is the last film in the current incarnation of the series, The Final Reckoning has a lot to offer longtime fans, with action set pieces that remains some of the best Hollywood has to offer. The story may be completely baffling, but with Cruise and other appealing actors leading the way, there’s more than enough great entertainment to go around.

    ---

    Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opens in theaters on May 23.

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