All right people, the day you have been waiting for arrived yesterday! David's new album was released.
So...do you have it yet? What do you think of it?
If you don't have it yet, head on over to Amazon.com to purchase it.
And if you want to take a look at the lyrics to the songs, you can read them here.
What are you waiting for? GO!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Rock Star: Led Zeppelin????
Huh? Really????? Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh wait...before I get too far ahead of myself here...it isn't a sure thing. In fact, at this point, it is just speculation. It seems that the boys of Zep want to tour again. Well...most of the boys of Zep that it. Robert Plant isn't completely sold on the idea, so the others are talking about finding a new singer and touring any way.
Producer Dave suggested that Rock Star could be a great way for them to find that lead singer. And I am in 100% agreement!
How awesome would it be to have Led Zeppelin touring again? And how amazing would it be to have Rock Star back on our TV's???
So...is there anything you can do about it? Well...yeah! Make your voice heard!!!
There is an article complete with a poll about bringing various reality shows back to the air found at TV Week. Place your vote for Rock Star. Also, scroll down to the bottom of the article and leave a comment detailing why you think it would be a good idea!
Then head over to the Rock Star: Led Zeppelin thread at RockBandLounge.com and talk with other fans about your ideas for how to make this happen.
And while your at RockBandLounge.com, jump on into The Big Letter Writing Campaign thread to find more ways to make your voice heard.
Rock Star: Led Zeppelin could be a huge hit. Brooke Burke, our lovely host, is riding high right now on Dancing With the Stars, and will likely be cruising to a victory shortly. We could once again be exposed to great new talent, like Ryan Star, Marty Casey, JD Fortune, Zayra Alvarez, Storm Large, Suzie McNeil, and so many others! If this is something that you want to see, do something about it!
EDIT: Led Zeppelin fans...what do you think? Leave a comment on this blog, or head over to the official Led Zeppelin forum to chime in on it.
Oh wait...before I get too far ahead of myself here...it isn't a sure thing. In fact, at this point, it is just speculation. It seems that the boys of Zep want to tour again. Well...most of the boys of Zep that it. Robert Plant isn't completely sold on the idea, so the others are talking about finding a new singer and touring any way.
Producer Dave suggested that Rock Star could be a great way for them to find that lead singer. And I am in 100% agreement!
How awesome would it be to have Led Zeppelin touring again? And how amazing would it be to have Rock Star back on our TV's???
So...is there anything you can do about it? Well...yeah! Make your voice heard!!!
There is an article complete with a poll about bringing various reality shows back to the air found at TV Week. Place your vote for Rock Star. Also, scroll down to the bottom of the article and leave a comment detailing why you think it would be a good idea!
Then head over to the Rock Star: Led Zeppelin thread at RockBandLounge.com and talk with other fans about your ideas for how to make this happen.
And while your at RockBandLounge.com, jump on into The Big Letter Writing Campaign thread to find more ways to make your voice heard.
Rock Star: Led Zeppelin could be a huge hit. Brooke Burke, our lovely host, is riding high right now on Dancing With the Stars, and will likely be cruising to a victory shortly. We could once again be exposed to great new talent, like Ryan Star, Marty Casey, JD Fortune, Zayra Alvarez, Storm Large, Suzie McNeil, and so many others! If this is something that you want to see, do something about it!
EDIT: Led Zeppelin fans...what do you think? Leave a comment on this blog, or head over to the official Led Zeppelin forum to chime in on it.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Denton Photos: September Flowers
I took my camera with me on a walk in my neighborhood today. One of the primary things to catch my eye through the lens? Roses. Many of the roses on the bushes were dying, but I did manage to capture a few that were absolutely gorgeous, among some other buds.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Pretty Baby is now Cobralush
The band formerly known as Pretty Baby is now known as Cobralush! Everything else is still the same. Zayra, Daniel, and Dave are all still hard at work, and the music is the same.
Check them out at Cobralush.com and at MySpace.
Check them out at Cobralush.com and at MySpace.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Olympics: Gymnastics Scoring
Let me first say that I fully understand that scoring in Olympic sports like gymnastics, diving, and figure skating is completely subjective. However, with that said...the scoring system that the FIG has set up for gymnastics is not working.
I like the idea of having a start value/difficulty value in addition to a score for the execution of the routines. Diving has a system similar to this one, and it seems to work fairly well from what I've seen. But in the world of gymnastics at the Beijing Olympic Games, something isn't working.
Why did they institute allowing judges to not only view instant replays of the routines, but to view them in slow motion? And do they really think this is going to solve any of the problems they have in scoring? Granted, I am not a gymnast, nor have I ever been. But why is it necessary for these judges to scrutinize every tiny detail of the routine after it is over, in order to determine how many tenths of a point they are going to deduct from the execution score? Why should they have phones at their station to call the head judge and discuss these deductions? None of this makes sense to me, and frankly it is creating needless delays and what seem to me to be unjust deductions.
And in addition to that, I've got another beef with the scoring of gymnastics at these Olympic games. It may sound like sour grapes, but it is something that just doesn't make sense to me. I get the feeling that too many of these judges are scoring with a bias as opposed to attempting to score fairly.
Again, I am not a gymnast...just a fan. But I am a fan that has been watching gymnastics my entire life. I know what a perfectly vertical handstand on the high bar or parallel bars looks like. I know how to spot a "balance check" on the balance beam. I can see with my own two eyes when someone FALLS OFF of their apparatus. And I can tell when a gymnast has delivered a virtually flawless performance, possibly with a small step or hop on the landing.
So judges, please explain to me, how does a routine on the balance beam with a high start value that is virtually free of visible errors wind up with a score that is virtually the same as a routine on the balance beam with a lower start value and multiple visible errors? How does that happen? Especially when you consider that it happens during the same event, with the same judges, just minutes away from each other.
Or can you explain how you give scores to a gymnast whose only real errors of the entire night are small steps on his landings instead of sticking them like he did a few nights previously wound up in the middle of the pack, with so many other gymnasts who had multiple major errors (such as falling off their apparatus) finished ahead of them? How do things like this happen?
I know I really shouldn't be complaining about this, since the U.S. men's team finished with a bronze medal, the women's team finished with the silver medal, and two of the women's gymnasts won the gold and silver in the All-Around. But frankly, something stinks here. If I was seeing the same kinds of errors from the American gymnasts that I am seeing from these other gymnasts, and then seeing the scores that they are receiving, it would be understandable. But those errors are just not there.
How can some of these deductions be justified? How is it possible to have more deductions taken from a virtually flawless routine than from one that is riddled with balance checks and connected elements that do not connect?
The FIG needs to seriously do some major work on their scoring system. The way it is now, the judges can seemingly arbitrarily take deductions at will, without justifying their scores. This needs to be fixed, and the sooner it happens, the better.
I like the idea of having a start value/difficulty value in addition to a score for the execution of the routines. Diving has a system similar to this one, and it seems to work fairly well from what I've seen. But in the world of gymnastics at the Beijing Olympic Games, something isn't working.
Why did they institute allowing judges to not only view instant replays of the routines, but to view them in slow motion? And do they really think this is going to solve any of the problems they have in scoring? Granted, I am not a gymnast, nor have I ever been. But why is it necessary for these judges to scrutinize every tiny detail of the routine after it is over, in order to determine how many tenths of a point they are going to deduct from the execution score? Why should they have phones at their station to call the head judge and discuss these deductions? None of this makes sense to me, and frankly it is creating needless delays and what seem to me to be unjust deductions.
And in addition to that, I've got another beef with the scoring of gymnastics at these Olympic games. It may sound like sour grapes, but it is something that just doesn't make sense to me. I get the feeling that too many of these judges are scoring with a bias as opposed to attempting to score fairly.
Again, I am not a gymnast...just a fan. But I am a fan that has been watching gymnastics my entire life. I know what a perfectly vertical handstand on the high bar or parallel bars looks like. I know how to spot a "balance check" on the balance beam. I can see with my own two eyes when someone FALLS OFF of their apparatus. And I can tell when a gymnast has delivered a virtually flawless performance, possibly with a small step or hop on the landing.
So judges, please explain to me, how does a routine on the balance beam with a high start value that is virtually free of visible errors wind up with a score that is virtually the same as a routine on the balance beam with a lower start value and multiple visible errors? How does that happen? Especially when you consider that it happens during the same event, with the same judges, just minutes away from each other.
Or can you explain how you give scores to a gymnast whose only real errors of the entire night are small steps on his landings instead of sticking them like he did a few nights previously wound up in the middle of the pack, with so many other gymnasts who had multiple major errors (such as falling off their apparatus) finished ahead of them? How do things like this happen?
I know I really shouldn't be complaining about this, since the U.S. men's team finished with a bronze medal, the women's team finished with the silver medal, and two of the women's gymnasts won the gold and silver in the All-Around. But frankly, something stinks here. If I was seeing the same kinds of errors from the American gymnasts that I am seeing from these other gymnasts, and then seeing the scores that they are receiving, it would be understandable. But those errors are just not there.
How can some of these deductions be justified? How is it possible to have more deductions taken from a virtually flawless routine than from one that is riddled with balance checks and connected elements that do not connect?
The FIG needs to seriously do some major work on their scoring system. The way it is now, the judges can seemingly arbitrarily take deductions at will, without justifying their scores. This needs to be fixed, and the sooner it happens, the better.
Olympics: Men's 100 Meter Butterfly
Michael Phelps is seriously blowing me away. Heck, he's blowing all of America away. No, more than that...he's blowing the world away. He rocks.
In what is the closest race he has won of the Beijing Olympic Games, Michael won his 7th gold medal in 2008, his 13th gold medal overall, and his 15th overall Olympic medal. Wow. With 7 in one Olympiad, he tied Mark Spitz for the most ever won in a single Olympiad, and he is still expected to win another one tonight in the 4 x 100 Medly Relay. He is just unreal.
This race he won by only .01 second. Seriously...one of the closest races I've ever seen in swimming. And everyone thought he had lost it by taking that last half stroke, but in actuality, that is what made sure that he won. He thought he had lost it. His Mom thought he had lost it. His coach thought he had lost it. The delegation from the silver medal winner's country thought he had lost it. Everyone thought he was going to take the silver, and his hopes to beat Mark Spitz's record instead of simply tying it would be dashed. But instead, he won it in one of the most exciting races you'll ever see.
And frankly, who cares that he didn't break the world record in this race? I don't think that is what anyone is going to remember after this is all said and done.
When I find a decent video of it, I'll post it here.
In what is the closest race he has won of the Beijing Olympic Games, Michael won his 7th gold medal in 2008, his 13th gold medal overall, and his 15th overall Olympic medal. Wow. With 7 in one Olympiad, he tied Mark Spitz for the most ever won in a single Olympiad, and he is still expected to win another one tonight in the 4 x 100 Medly Relay. He is just unreal.
This race he won by only .01 second. Seriously...one of the closest races I've ever seen in swimming. And everyone thought he had lost it by taking that last half stroke, but in actuality, that is what made sure that he won. He thought he had lost it. His Mom thought he had lost it. His coach thought he had lost it. The delegation from the silver medal winner's country thought he had lost it. Everyone thought he was going to take the silver, and his hopes to beat Mark Spitz's record instead of simply tying it would be dashed. But instead, he won it in one of the most exciting races you'll ever see.
And frankly, who cares that he didn't break the world record in this race? I don't think that is what anyone is going to remember after this is all said and done.
When I find a decent video of it, I'll post it here.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olympics: Men's 4 X 100 Freestyle Relay
So I mentioned in a previous post that I am an Olympics junkie, or at least something to that effect. So far in the Beijing Olympics, I haven't had as much time to watch as I would have liked, but I've been recording it all so I can try to catch up on my break. I was watching last night, though...so I saw this.
All I can say after that performance by the U.S. men's team is WOW. Yeah, it doesn't hurt that I've been rooting for Michael Phelps since the Athens games, when he tried to win 7 gold medals in one Olympic Games. He didn't get it in 2004, but he did get 6 golds which is nothing to sneeze about. The first two races he has had in the Beijing Games have been two he wasn't supposed to be able to get gold in, or at least the ones that should give him the biggest problem out of all of his races...but he has come away from both of them with the gold. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for this country.
I don't know what else I'll be blogging about for this Olympiad...we'll have to wait and see. But so far, I am enjoying the games. I think the Chinese crowd have been very appreciative of all of the athletes from what I've seen. And as expected, there has already been a lot of excitement. I'm sure much more is yet to come!
All I can say after that performance by the U.S. men's team is WOW. Yeah, it doesn't hurt that I've been rooting for Michael Phelps since the Athens games, when he tried to win 7 gold medals in one Olympic Games. He didn't get it in 2004, but he did get 6 golds which is nothing to sneeze about. The first two races he has had in the Beijing Games have been two he wasn't supposed to be able to get gold in, or at least the ones that should give him the biggest problem out of all of his races...but he has come away from both of them with the gold. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for this country.
I don't know what else I'll be blogging about for this Olympiad...we'll have to wait and see. But so far, I am enjoying the games. I think the Chinese crowd have been very appreciative of all of the athletes from what I've seen. And as expected, there has already been a lot of excitement. I'm sure much more is yet to come!
SYTYCD - Finale
Sorry it took me so long.
Top 20 Group routine - Shane Sparks
Group routine with former SYTYCD cast members:
Pop-Off between Philip Chbeeb and Robert Muraine
Joshua Allen WINS!
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux - Reprise
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood - Reprise
Katee and Joshua - Hip Hop - Reprise
Kherington and Twitch - Viennese Waltz - Reprise
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary - Reprise
Courtney and Mark - Jazz - Reprise
Chelsie and Mark - Hip Hop - Reprise
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop - Reprise
Courtney and Gev - Rumba - Reprise
Mary Murphy danced with Season 2's Dmitry Chaplin!!!
And Nigel Lythgoe danced with the kids from the Debbie Allen Academy:
All in all, this was a fabulous season, with all the things I expected and a lot of things I didn't expect. Until next year!
Top 20 Group routine - Shane Sparks
Group routine with former SYTYCD cast members:
Pop-Off between Philip Chbeeb and Robert Muraine
Joshua Allen WINS!
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux - Reprise
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood - Reprise
Katee and Joshua - Hip Hop - Reprise
Kherington and Twitch - Viennese Waltz - Reprise
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary - Reprise
Courtney and Mark - Jazz - Reprise
Chelsie and Mark - Hip Hop - Reprise
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop - Reprise
Courtney and Gev - Rumba - Reprise
Mary Murphy danced with Season 2's Dmitry Chaplin!!!
And Nigel Lythgoe danced with the kids from the Debbie Allen Academy:
All in all, this was a fabulous season, with all the things I expected and a lot of things I didn't expect. Until next year!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 4 - Video
I'm sorry it is so late in coming! Enjoy.
Katee's Solo
Courtney's Solo
Twitch's Solo
Joshua's Solo
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary
Twitch and Joshua - Russian Trepak
Courtney and Twitch - Hip Hop
Katee and Courtney - Broadway
Katee and Twitch - Foxtrot
Courtney and Joshua - Jive
Top 4 - Contemporary
After tonight's finale, I'll be saying goodbye to my first summer obsession, and moving on to my every-four-years summer obsession: The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing!
Katee's Solo
Courtney's Solo
Twitch's Solo
Joshua's Solo
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary
Twitch and Joshua - Russian Trepak
Courtney and Twitch - Hip Hop
Katee and Courtney - Broadway
Katee and Twitch - Foxtrot
Courtney and Joshua - Jive
Top 4 - Contemporary
After tonight's finale, I'll be saying goodbye to my first summer obsession, and moving on to my every-four-years summer obsession: The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 4 - Commentary
Courtney and Twitch - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon - We know Twitch can hit it hard, but I've definitely got questions about Courtney. I see some definite improvement from her, but I'm not sure this is something that I really would want to see any more of from her in the future. I wasn't really all that into the routine by Napoleon and Tabitha either. It wasn't a bad performance...but it wasn't anything I loved at all either. Not my kind of hip hop.
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary (Wade Robson) - I can't wait to see what Wade has choreographed! I can't think of anything of his other than last season's fox routine that I haven't absolutely loved. Seeing these two working together again is really exciting for me. I love Joshua and Katee together. The little touches that Wade puts in like kissing her elbow are really just beautiful. Really lovely routine with tons of emotion, and these two pulled it off insanely well. I'm nuts about everything about this.
Katee and Courtney - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - Parasols, Tyce? Hmmm...I just really don't know what to say about this one. I typically really love Tyce's choreography, but this one is doing absolutely nothing for me in any way, shape, or form. And I'd have to say...I don't think it is the girls' fault. They did what they could with what they were given, in my opinion. But this piece just really didn't work for me. These two could have been amazing together in so many things, but this one, to me, just isn't the right piece for them.
Twitch and Joshua - Russian Trepak (Youri Nelzine) - I'm really, really intrigued! I've seen some dancing in this style before, and this is difficult stuff. Oh yeah, and I love the Nutcracker Suite! Wow! Joshua's leaps are insanely high. And the floorwork they've got Twitch doing is unreal. I don't know that any other combination of guys from this season could have pulled this off like these two are. And how cool is it to see so many different styles of dancing this season? Awesome! It will really be a shame if one of these two doesn't win.
Katee and Twitch - Foxtrot (Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin) - I really hope for Twitch's sake that his smooth ballroom skills have improved! His frame is improved! I don't feel like his shoulders are up next to his ears any more on this. And I really think they both are doing well with this, the footwork, the lines, the lifts...all really pretty good. I love the choreography for this foxtrot. And Twitch really played the part of a gentleman with it. Not bad at all.
Courtney and Joshua - Jive (Jason Gilkison) - They may have finally found a style that I won't love Joshua dancing. His footwork is okay, but his kicks don't seem quite right. I don't feel like he's kicking high enough, and not getting the retraction down quite right. I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to Courtney in this one. It was a really insanely tough routine though, without a doubt. They got the tricks down really well though, and they were spectacular!
Top 4 - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - Katee really shines next to Courtney in this one for me. They are performing the same movements, but my eyes go to Katee. And the same for Joshua over Twitch. Which surprises me a bit. I love what Mia created with this one - it is truly gorgeous, the movements involved in creating this dance. Oh yeah, and shirtless Twitch and Joshua on one stage...hell yeah. This was just a really amazing performance from all of them, all said though.
Solo order: Courtney, Twitch, Katee, Joshua
I'm still not thrilled by Courtney's solos. She has really nice lines, but her movements in her solos feel almost frantic. I love her when she's choreographed, but not as much when she does her own choreography. She, for me, has to be the biggest surprise in the Top 4 though. Not because she isn't a beautiful dancer, but because she never really was one of the stand-outs. She just kept plucking her way through it all, and here she is. You go girl!
Twitch...what can I say? I love him! I love watching him dance. It doesn't matter to me if he is adding some comedy to his routine or just doing a straight hip hop kind of routine. He loves what he is doing, and he makes me love him. He is fabulous.
I love Katee's lines. She has a way of finishing off her movements that is very unique, and very polished, and it makes her so incredibly easy to watch her and love her. For someone I wasn't so sure about coming into the Top 20, she has proven me wrong and the judges who voted to put her through right. She is an amazing dancer, and I am in love with so many of her performances from throughout the season.
I love that Joshua went up to the judges' podium and danced there. He really brought a lot of personality into his solo, which for me is the only thing that is ever really missing in his solos. He is absolutely adorable, and he brought that into his solo tonight. I love him too. He's fabulous!
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary (Wade Robson) - I can't wait to see what Wade has choreographed! I can't think of anything of his other than last season's fox routine that I haven't absolutely loved. Seeing these two working together again is really exciting for me. I love Joshua and Katee together. The little touches that Wade puts in like kissing her elbow are really just beautiful. Really lovely routine with tons of emotion, and these two pulled it off insanely well. I'm nuts about everything about this.
Katee and Courtney - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - Parasols, Tyce? Hmmm...I just really don't know what to say about this one. I typically really love Tyce's choreography, but this one is doing absolutely nothing for me in any way, shape, or form. And I'd have to say...I don't think it is the girls' fault. They did what they could with what they were given, in my opinion. But this piece just really didn't work for me. These two could have been amazing together in so many things, but this one, to me, just isn't the right piece for them.
Twitch and Joshua - Russian Trepak (Youri Nelzine) - I'm really, really intrigued! I've seen some dancing in this style before, and this is difficult stuff. Oh yeah, and I love the Nutcracker Suite! Wow! Joshua's leaps are insanely high. And the floorwork they've got Twitch doing is unreal. I don't know that any other combination of guys from this season could have pulled this off like these two are. And how cool is it to see so many different styles of dancing this season? Awesome! It will really be a shame if one of these two doesn't win.
Katee and Twitch - Foxtrot (Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin) - I really hope for Twitch's sake that his smooth ballroom skills have improved! His frame is improved! I don't feel like his shoulders are up next to his ears any more on this. And I really think they both are doing well with this, the footwork, the lines, the lifts...all really pretty good. I love the choreography for this foxtrot. And Twitch really played the part of a gentleman with it. Not bad at all.
Courtney and Joshua - Jive (Jason Gilkison) - They may have finally found a style that I won't love Joshua dancing. His footwork is okay, but his kicks don't seem quite right. I don't feel like he's kicking high enough, and not getting the retraction down quite right. I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to Courtney in this one. It was a really insanely tough routine though, without a doubt. They got the tricks down really well though, and they were spectacular!
Top 4 - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - Katee really shines next to Courtney in this one for me. They are performing the same movements, but my eyes go to Katee. And the same for Joshua over Twitch. Which surprises me a bit. I love what Mia created with this one - it is truly gorgeous, the movements involved in creating this dance. Oh yeah, and shirtless Twitch and Joshua on one stage...hell yeah. This was just a really amazing performance from all of them, all said though.
Solo order: Courtney, Twitch, Katee, Joshua
I'm still not thrilled by Courtney's solos. She has really nice lines, but her movements in her solos feel almost frantic. I love her when she's choreographed, but not as much when she does her own choreography. She, for me, has to be the biggest surprise in the Top 4 though. Not because she isn't a beautiful dancer, but because she never really was one of the stand-outs. She just kept plucking her way through it all, and here she is. You go girl!
Twitch...what can I say? I love him! I love watching him dance. It doesn't matter to me if he is adding some comedy to his routine or just doing a straight hip hop kind of routine. He loves what he is doing, and he makes me love him. He is fabulous.
I love Katee's lines. She has a way of finishing off her movements that is very unique, and very polished, and it makes her so incredibly easy to watch her and love her. For someone I wasn't so sure about coming into the Top 20, she has proven me wrong and the judges who voted to put her through right. She is an amazing dancer, and I am in love with so many of her performances from throughout the season.
I love that Joshua went up to the judges' podium and danced there. He really brought a lot of personality into his solo, which for me is the only thing that is ever really missing in his solos. He is absolutely adorable, and he brought that into his solo tonight. I love him too. He's fabulous!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 4 - SPOILERS
Friday, August 1, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 6 - Results
Sorry it took me so long this time. I've got a lot going on!
They opened the show with a group routine choreographed by Emmy nominee Mandy Moore.
Each of the Top 6 performed another solo, to show what they can do in case they were eliminated.
Courtney:
Mark:
Katee:
Joshua:
Chelsie:
Twitch:
Lil Demon, a six-year-old hip hop/break dancer came out and entertained the crowd to fill some more time. He's too cute for words!!!
And in the end, a tearful Chelsie and gracious Mark were eliminated, leaving the Final 4 of Joshua, Katee, Twitch, and Courtney. Finale is next week!!!
They opened the show with a group routine choreographed by Emmy nominee Mandy Moore.
Each of the Top 6 performed another solo, to show what they can do in case they were eliminated.
Courtney:
Mark:
Katee:
Joshua:
Chelsie:
Twitch:
Lil Demon, a six-year-old hip hop/break dancer came out and entertained the crowd to fill some more time. He's too cute for words!!!
And in the end, a tearful Chelsie and gracious Mark were eliminated, leaving the Final 4 of Joshua, Katee, Twitch, and Courtney. Finale is next week!!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 6 - Video
Thanks again to MJ for loading the video or finding them...whichever it may be. It seems like there has been a crackdown at youtube, so we may not be getting any good quality vids uploaded there for SYTYCD for a while. Too bad.
Courtney and Mark - Viennese Waltz
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary
Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo
Courtney and Mark - Jazz
Katee and Joshua - Paso Doble
Chelsie and Twitch - Hip Hop
Chelsie's Solo
Twitch's Solo
Katee's Solo
Joshua's Solo
Courtney's Solo
Mark's Solo
Courtney and Mark - Viennese Waltz
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary
Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo
Courtney and Mark - Jazz
Katee and Joshua - Paso Doble
Chelsie and Twitch - Hip Hop
Chelsie's Solo
Twitch's Solo
Katee's Solo
Joshua's Solo
Courtney's Solo
Mark's Solo
SYTYCD - Top 6 - Commentary
The show is starting an hour later than normal tonight, and is only one hour long instead of the usual two hours. They started off by showing a rerun of last week's elimination episode. I'll be back with more later!
Adam Shankman is back on the judging panel with Mary and Nigel! Squeep! Have I mentioned before that I am absolutely in love with him? Because I am. He is a fabulous judge, and I wish they would make him a permanent fixture on the judging panel. Or maybe they could alternate between Adam Shankman and Lil C. Those two seem to be the most useful as judges with giving constructive criticism and without delving too deeply into favoritism out of the guest judges.
On with the show!
Courtney and Mark - Viennese Waltz (Jason Gilkison) - These two actually make a really cute couple! And SQUEEP!!! Sorry for the fangirly moment...but it is my Cookie! David Cook, Time of My Life! Oh yeah...dancing. Um. Okay. Effortless lifts, but the rise and fall action seems to be forced to me on Courtney's part. It makes the whole dance seem a little bouncy or something. Not quite as smooth as I would like to see from her. They were both in character really well, and portrayed the romance that was being asked of them. Mark was definitely the stronger of the two, for me.
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) - I love Tyce's contemporary pieces, and it will be really interesting to see how these two make it work. Blech. More Celine Dion. Quite a letdown after David Cook! But, FABULOUS choreography from Tyce again. The lifts are expressive and creative, and these two are performing the heck out of it again. Katee's lines are simply fantastic, and Joshua is right there with her...and he is a very strong man. There were tons of lifts in that, and he never wavers in them. (*wave to Paula Abdul in the audience*) That was an amazing routine, and I am back in love with these two. I love them apart...but I love them even more together. If we could have a winning pair, they would get my vote.
Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo (Tony and Melanie) - Twitch's pants are definitely not falling off tonight! Chelsie is fabulous, as expected. Twitch is keeping up with her pretty well, and they are performing their tricks nicely. His posture isn't quite working for me for this dance. His shoulders feel funky, again. Overall though, they did a really great job. This isn't a piece that I'm going to really remember in the end though, it's not one that is going to make me think back and go WOW. But it wasn't bad.
Courtney and Mark - Jazz (Sonya Tayeh) - Let's see what Sonya can do with a jazz piece! She was saying something about it being French burlesque, so that at least has me intrigued. This is freaking amazing choreography. I love everything she has done on this show this season. They definitely need to get her to be a more regular choreographer! There are so many parts in this piece that Mark and Courtney had to basically freeze in place in a pose, and they hit all of those pieces perfectly with the music. They did a GREAT job with this piece. I am so proud of the two of them. This is one of my favorite pieces that I've seen this season, easily. Wow wow wow wow wow!!!
Katee and Joshua - Paso Doble (Jason Gilkison) - Joshua is shirtless!!! I knew it was coming!!! And he's got tight pants on again too. Wow. I love a man with some meat on him. Okay...back to the dancing. WOW. I love the passion of a paso doble done well, and these two are doing it really well. Joshua definitely has the arrogance of the bull fighter down in playing this part. Katee is simply gorgeous in the way she moves. The footwork was impeccible, their lines were sensational, and everything about it just worked. This was OUTSTANDING choreography, and I absolutely LOVED everything about this routine. These two are amazing together. I think they could be my favorite pairing ever on the show.
Chelsie and Twitch - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - Interesting idea about the crazy conductors, and whoever has the baton (yes, it is a baton and not a "stick") is in control. I'm LOVING Twitch in this one (as I expected), but Chelsie is not doing much of anything at all for me here. She looks really uncomfortable, and she is trying too hard with her facial expressions, and just plain looks goofy doing it. I had a difficult time paying attention to how she was dancing because of her face. And how freaking cool was that arrangement of Janet Jackson's "Control"??? Love it!
Solo order: Chelsie, Twitch, Katee, Joshua, Courtney, Mark
Chelsie's solo was boring to me again. She is not as strong in doing her ballroom solos as some of the ballroom dancers from previous seasons. I love Twitch's comedy and the way he integrates that into his solos. He really does have the Midas touch, as far as I'm concerned! Yes, I am biased. No, I don't apologize for it. Katee's solo was about what I would expect from her...she has amazing technique and beautiful lines, but she is lacking a bit of originality in her solos, now that we've seen it a few times. When Joshua really gets going on his solos, I can't take my eyes off of him. He does things that a hip hop dancer should not be able to do, and he is such a hard hitting popper. I love what he does. Courtney's solo makes me feel like I have already seen this from her before...again. All of her solos are blurring together for me. She needs to find an in between speed - something other than lightning fast and completely still. And apparently Mark didn't want to be the only one to not go shirtless! LOL. I didn't enjoy this solo as much as I've enjoyed some of his others, but it certainly wasn't bad or boring.
So...for tonight, my order for the guys:
Joshua
Mark
Twitch
My order for the girls:
Katee
Courtney
Chelsie
With that said though, I absolutely don't want Twitch to go home! I would prefer for it to be Mark that goes tomorrow night, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. I would be fine with this order for the girls...and honestly, I would be okay with Courtney going home before Chelsie. I honestly don't think either of them has a chance to win against any of the three guys...Katee is the only one that I think has the potential to do that, if any of them do.
Adam Shankman is back on the judging panel with Mary and Nigel! Squeep! Have I mentioned before that I am absolutely in love with him? Because I am. He is a fabulous judge, and I wish they would make him a permanent fixture on the judging panel. Or maybe they could alternate between Adam Shankman and Lil C. Those two seem to be the most useful as judges with giving constructive criticism and without delving too deeply into favoritism out of the guest judges.
On with the show!
Courtney and Mark - Viennese Waltz (Jason Gilkison) - These two actually make a really cute couple! And SQUEEP!!! Sorry for the fangirly moment...but it is my Cookie! David Cook, Time of My Life! Oh yeah...dancing. Um. Okay. Effortless lifts, but the rise and fall action seems to be forced to me on Courtney's part. It makes the whole dance seem a little bouncy or something. Not quite as smooth as I would like to see from her. They were both in character really well, and portrayed the romance that was being asked of them. Mark was definitely the stronger of the two, for me.
Katee and Joshua - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) - I love Tyce's contemporary pieces, and it will be really interesting to see how these two make it work. Blech. More Celine Dion. Quite a letdown after David Cook! But, FABULOUS choreography from Tyce again. The lifts are expressive and creative, and these two are performing the heck out of it again. Katee's lines are simply fantastic, and Joshua is right there with her...and he is a very strong man. There were tons of lifts in that, and he never wavers in them. (*wave to Paula Abdul in the audience*) That was an amazing routine, and I am back in love with these two. I love them apart...but I love them even more together. If we could have a winning pair, they would get my vote.
Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo (Tony and Melanie) - Twitch's pants are definitely not falling off tonight! Chelsie is fabulous, as expected. Twitch is keeping up with her pretty well, and they are performing their tricks nicely. His posture isn't quite working for me for this dance. His shoulders feel funky, again. Overall though, they did a really great job. This isn't a piece that I'm going to really remember in the end though, it's not one that is going to make me think back and go WOW. But it wasn't bad.
Courtney and Mark - Jazz (Sonya Tayeh) - Let's see what Sonya can do with a jazz piece! She was saying something about it being French burlesque, so that at least has me intrigued. This is freaking amazing choreography. I love everything she has done on this show this season. They definitely need to get her to be a more regular choreographer! There are so many parts in this piece that Mark and Courtney had to basically freeze in place in a pose, and they hit all of those pieces perfectly with the music. They did a GREAT job with this piece. I am so proud of the two of them. This is one of my favorite pieces that I've seen this season, easily. Wow wow wow wow wow!!!
Katee and Joshua - Paso Doble (Jason Gilkison) - Joshua is shirtless!!! I knew it was coming!!! And he's got tight pants on again too. Wow. I love a man with some meat on him. Okay...back to the dancing. WOW. I love the passion of a paso doble done well, and these two are doing it really well. Joshua definitely has the arrogance of the bull fighter down in playing this part. Katee is simply gorgeous in the way she moves. The footwork was impeccible, their lines were sensational, and everything about it just worked. This was OUTSTANDING choreography, and I absolutely LOVED everything about this routine. These two are amazing together. I think they could be my favorite pairing ever on the show.
Chelsie and Twitch - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - Interesting idea about the crazy conductors, and whoever has the baton (yes, it is a baton and not a "stick") is in control. I'm LOVING Twitch in this one (as I expected), but Chelsie is not doing much of anything at all for me here. She looks really uncomfortable, and she is trying too hard with her facial expressions, and just plain looks goofy doing it. I had a difficult time paying attention to how she was dancing because of her face. And how freaking cool was that arrangement of Janet Jackson's "Control"??? Love it!
Solo order: Chelsie, Twitch, Katee, Joshua, Courtney, Mark
Chelsie's solo was boring to me again. She is not as strong in doing her ballroom solos as some of the ballroom dancers from previous seasons. I love Twitch's comedy and the way he integrates that into his solos. He really does have the Midas touch, as far as I'm concerned! Yes, I am biased. No, I don't apologize for it. Katee's solo was about what I would expect from her...she has amazing technique and beautiful lines, but she is lacking a bit of originality in her solos, now that we've seen it a few times. When Joshua really gets going on his solos, I can't take my eyes off of him. He does things that a hip hop dancer should not be able to do, and he is such a hard hitting popper. I love what he does. Courtney's solo makes me feel like I have already seen this from her before...again. All of her solos are blurring together for me. She needs to find an in between speed - something other than lightning fast and completely still. And apparently Mark didn't want to be the only one to not go shirtless! LOL. I didn't enjoy this solo as much as I've enjoyed some of his others, but it certainly wasn't bad or boring.
So...for tonight, my order for the guys:
Joshua
Mark
Twitch
My order for the girls:
Katee
Courtney
Chelsie
With that said though, I absolutely don't want Twitch to go home! I would prefer for it to be Mark that goes tomorrow night, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. I would be fine with this order for the girls...and honestly, I would be okay with Courtney going home before Chelsie. I honestly don't think either of them has a chance to win against any of the three guys...Katee is the only one that I think has the potential to do that, if any of them do.
Monday, July 28, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 6 - SPOILERS
Spoilers are starting to come in for Wednesday night's show! If you want to know the pairings, choreographers, dances, and the guest judge, check it out here. If you don't want to know, don't click.
There will be more detailed spoilers up at this link later, if you're interested.
See you Wednesday!
There will be more detailed spoilers up at this link later, if you're interested.
See you Wednesday!
Friday, July 25, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 8 - Results
The night started off with a group performance choreographed by Chuck Maldonado.
We then learned which dancers were in the Bottom 2 Guys and the Bottom 2 Girls: Will, Twitch, Comfort, and Courtney. I think everyone was shocked that Mark was safe. He was in the Bottom 2 last week, and he arguably had the weakest performance of all the guys on Wednesday night, with his Foxtrot. I'm not upset that he was safe...I love him! He is fabulous!!! For me, it's not just about technical skill, it's about who moves me, who makes me feel something. Mark consistently has done that. Very cool that he was safe.
Each of those dancers then performed yet another solo, just because.
Comfort
Will
Courtney
Twitch
And then Cat revealed with of those dancers would be leaving the competition: Comfort and Will. So, maybe this time, Comfort is leaving the competition IV REAL. Here's hoping that happens, at the very least. Tonight was a tough one for me, as far as the guys are concerned. I have genuinely enjoyed all of the guys who were in the Top 5 guys, and it is only going to get tougher each week. I think I have finally figured out that my overall favorite throughout the whole competition has been Twitch. I think he is fabulous. And he's been a favorite for me since before the season started...since Vegas week of last year! So seeing him in the Bottom 2 with Will (who is easily the best technical dancer on the show) was a tough one. I was biting my fingernails with nervousness for Twitch. Granted, it seems that the voters have been in agreement with me about Will...fabulous dancing, but lacking that little something extra that makes you just LOVE to watch him. He has shown that he is extremely creative and diverse in his solos - no two have been even similar, let alone exactly alike (like all of Comfort's solos). And frankly, his solos make me take notice, make me feel something, make me love him. They have since his very first audition! But there have only been a couple of his partner routines that have done the same. Something is lacking there, and we can no longer blame it on Jessica!
Anyways, Twitch is safe for another week! Thank you!!!
So far, since we were down to the Top 6 guys, they have been going home in the order that I had worked out in my head fairly early on in the season. Thayne, then Gev, then Will...leaving Twitch, Joshua, and Mark. I have a bad feeling in my mouth that it is going to continue in the order I had in my head earlier too...Twitch, then Mark, then Joshua will win. Not that I don't think Joshua will make a great winner! He will! I still love him, and Mark too. I've just gotten to the point that none of the dancers are above Twitch when it comes to my personal favorites. *sigh*
This next week is going to be another tough one for me. I think regardless of which one of Joshua and Twitch goes home...it will be one of them. They are both fabulous, but I think they are splitting a fanbase, at least to an extent. One of them has to go home if the other one is going to have a chance to beat Mark in the finale.
And yeah, I realize I am talking an awful lot about the remaining guys and not so much about the remaining girls. The girls this season, for the most part, haven't done much for me. My early favorites were Kherington, Chelsie, and Katee. Kherington has been eliminated. Chelsie has seemed to kind of flatline for me - she doesn't seem to be improving each week, so she is still at the same place I feel like she was at the beginning of the show. I want more from her. I want her to wow me again, and frankly, she hasn't in a long time. And her solos? Ugh. She needs to work on her solos in a big way. I realize it is difficult for a latin/ballroom dancer to dance a solo, but there have been many who have done it on this show in the past, and who have danced better solos than what she is doing. She needs to step up her game! I don't feel like she is as good a ballroom dancer as Heidi, Lacey, or Anya from previous seasons. And while she has proven to be versatile, she isn't making me love her as much as I loved some of them. And then we come to Katee. I still love Katee...she is a fabulous dancer, and she hasn't let me down a single time. My only concern for her is that I just don't think she has a chance to beat any of the guys. Nothing against her at all...I just think the guys are more unique, more interesting dancers...even if they aren't as technically good as Katee, and even if they have each screwed up a time or two in their routines. With Katee, I feel like she is incapable of messing up. I expect perfection (or near perfection) from her. I guess it might have something to do with those expectations. I don't expect Joshua to be able to dance a samba. I don't expect Twitch to be able to dance a contemporary. I don't expect Mark to be able to dance a hip hop. So when they do, and do it well, it seems better than when Katee dances anything, which I expect her to be able to do well, and then does it extremely well. Probably not fair, I realize. But that seems to be how it is for me.
More next week!
We then learned which dancers were in the Bottom 2 Guys and the Bottom 2 Girls: Will, Twitch, Comfort, and Courtney. I think everyone was shocked that Mark was safe. He was in the Bottom 2 last week, and he arguably had the weakest performance of all the guys on Wednesday night, with his Foxtrot. I'm not upset that he was safe...I love him! He is fabulous!!! For me, it's not just about technical skill, it's about who moves me, who makes me feel something. Mark consistently has done that. Very cool that he was safe.
Each of those dancers then performed yet another solo, just because.
Comfort
Will
Courtney
Twitch
And then Cat revealed with of those dancers would be leaving the competition: Comfort and Will. So, maybe this time, Comfort is leaving the competition IV REAL. Here's hoping that happens, at the very least. Tonight was a tough one for me, as far as the guys are concerned. I have genuinely enjoyed all of the guys who were in the Top 5 guys, and it is only going to get tougher each week. I think I have finally figured out that my overall favorite throughout the whole competition has been Twitch. I think he is fabulous. And he's been a favorite for me since before the season started...since Vegas week of last year! So seeing him in the Bottom 2 with Will (who is easily the best technical dancer on the show) was a tough one. I was biting my fingernails with nervousness for Twitch. Granted, it seems that the voters have been in agreement with me about Will...fabulous dancing, but lacking that little something extra that makes you just LOVE to watch him. He has shown that he is extremely creative and diverse in his solos - no two have been even similar, let alone exactly alike (like all of Comfort's solos). And frankly, his solos make me take notice, make me feel something, make me love him. They have since his very first audition! But there have only been a couple of his partner routines that have done the same. Something is lacking there, and we can no longer blame it on Jessica!
Anyways, Twitch is safe for another week! Thank you!!!
So far, since we were down to the Top 6 guys, they have been going home in the order that I had worked out in my head fairly early on in the season. Thayne, then Gev, then Will...leaving Twitch, Joshua, and Mark. I have a bad feeling in my mouth that it is going to continue in the order I had in my head earlier too...Twitch, then Mark, then Joshua will win. Not that I don't think Joshua will make a great winner! He will! I still love him, and Mark too. I've just gotten to the point that none of the dancers are above Twitch when it comes to my personal favorites. *sigh*
This next week is going to be another tough one for me. I think regardless of which one of Joshua and Twitch goes home...it will be one of them. They are both fabulous, but I think they are splitting a fanbase, at least to an extent. One of them has to go home if the other one is going to have a chance to beat Mark in the finale.
And yeah, I realize I am talking an awful lot about the remaining guys and not so much about the remaining girls. The girls this season, for the most part, haven't done much for me. My early favorites were Kherington, Chelsie, and Katee. Kherington has been eliminated. Chelsie has seemed to kind of flatline for me - she doesn't seem to be improving each week, so she is still at the same place I feel like she was at the beginning of the show. I want more from her. I want her to wow me again, and frankly, she hasn't in a long time. And her solos? Ugh. She needs to work on her solos in a big way. I realize it is difficult for a latin/ballroom dancer to dance a solo, but there have been many who have done it on this show in the past, and who have danced better solos than what she is doing. She needs to step up her game! I don't feel like she is as good a ballroom dancer as Heidi, Lacey, or Anya from previous seasons. And while she has proven to be versatile, she isn't making me love her as much as I loved some of them. And then we come to Katee. I still love Katee...she is a fabulous dancer, and she hasn't let me down a single time. My only concern for her is that I just don't think she has a chance to beat any of the guys. Nothing against her at all...I just think the guys are more unique, more interesting dancers...even if they aren't as technically good as Katee, and even if they have each screwed up a time or two in their routines. With Katee, I feel like she is incapable of messing up. I expect perfection (or near perfection) from her. I guess it might have something to do with those expectations. I don't expect Joshua to be able to dance a samba. I don't expect Twitch to be able to dance a contemporary. I don't expect Mark to be able to dance a hip hop. So when they do, and do it well, it seems better than when Katee dances anything, which I expect her to be able to do well, and then does it extremely well. Probably not fair, I realize. But that seems to be how it is for me.
More next week!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 8 - Video
I will add them as they are uploaded to youtube!
EDIT: Thanks to MJ of MJ's Big Blog for the video. I'll likely change them to youtube vids once they get uploaded, but no one has started to upload them there yet. I have better luck with embedding them from youtube than from redlasso.
Courtney and Will - Samba
Video
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary
Video
Comfort and Mark - Hip Hop
Video
Chelsie and Joshua - Argentine Tango
Video
Courtney and Will - Hip Hop
Video
Katee and Twitch - Broadway
Video
Comfort and Mark - Foxtrot
Video
Chelsie and Joshua - Disco
Video
Video for the solos will be in a separate post again, like last week.
EDIT: Thanks to MJ of MJ's Big Blog for the video. I'll likely change them to youtube vids once they get uploaded, but no one has started to upload them there yet. I have better luck with embedding them from youtube than from redlasso.
Courtney and Will - Samba
Video
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary
Video
Comfort and Mark - Hip Hop
Video
Chelsie and Joshua - Argentine Tango
Video
Courtney and Will - Hip Hop
Video
Katee and Twitch - Broadway
Video
Comfort and Mark - Foxtrot
Video
Chelsie and Joshua - Disco
Video
Video for the solos will be in a separate post again, like last week.
SYTYCD - Top 8 - Commentary
Tonight, Toni Basil is joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel. Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about her being a judge...and it makes me wonder if she'll ever choreograph anything on the show. I mean, I know Adam Shankman hasn't ever choreographed any of the competitive pieces (only a group number), and I highly doubt that Debbie Allen has choreographed for the show...at least not that I know of. But she's Debbie-freaking-Allen, so I know she knows what she's talking about. I don't know much about Toni's dance background other than what we saw in the video to the "hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey *clap, clap - clap* hey Mickey *clap, clap - clap*" song. I guess she is well known in the dance world...but I really don't know much about it all.
Interesting that we're getting a prepackage clip before the solos tonight. I don't know that they've ever done that before. Toni as a judge was pretty okay. She sounds like she knows what she's talking about, which is always a good thing, IMO. She does use the word "street" a bit too much, and I could live without her saying "organic."
Courtney and Will - Samba (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I think Will has really managed to get the flamboyance of the dance down really well, without losing any sense of masculinity. That's something that is really hard to do with the samba. Courtney looks great, but I have to admit, I'm really not focusing on her much in this routine. Will is pretty much stealing the show on this number, which is a little surprising to me. Outside of contemporary-ish routines, he has had a difficult time capturing my attention. He did with the samba tonight. A few times he wasn't quite down-'n-dirty enough for me, but overall, really pretty good. I think Courtney probably did really well with it, because I would have noticed if she was stinking up the joint.
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - Apparently these two knew each other before they made it onto the show, so they didn't expect to get to work together. That should help with the chemistry! There's a door in the middle of the stage as a prop...and apparently Katee is an abusive girlfriend in this one. Interesting. And Twitch keeps coming back for more - he can't get enough. I'm so caught up into the story on this one that I haven't paid much attention to the dancing in it. Really interesting story on this one, Mia. I didn't want it to end. They both got into their characters so well, that I couldn't pay any attention to technique. I loved this routine, and I really hope they do it on tour.
Comfort and Mark - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - We know hip hop suits Comfort, and I think Mark can do some much harder hip hop than we saw the first time around. I think this has the potential to be a real stand out kind of piece. I love the beginning section with the desks. And this is definitely a much harder hitting kind of hip hop than we've been getting from Tabitha and Napoleon. They are KILLING it! This might be my favorite routine that we've seen from Tabitha and Napoleon, because it combines a real hip hop kind of flair with a story line. It is the best of both worlds. Mark and Comfort really played their parts well, their dancing was off the hook, and that made me really happy. Oh yeah, and that flip lift? SICK!
Chelsie and Joshua - Argentine Tango (Dmitry Chaplin) - Dmitry is hot. Very hot. The intro with the chair was sexy, but I don't know how much tango was going on there. Once they actually get going, it is really fast and intricate footwork that they are required to perform. Dmitry did a fantastic job with the choreography on this one! They are flying all over the place! I'm not 100% sold on Joshua's frame in that one, but overall, I think they did a fabulous job. I think this is the best tango choreography we have seen on this show, and I'm not just saying that because I love Dmitry!
Courtney and Will - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - Slow hip hop with a ghost, huh? I guess we'll have to wait and see. SYTYCD history, Will? We'll see. I think one of the biggest challenges of this kind of slow hip hop is keeping the synchronized parts completely in sync. Sometimes, they are doing a great job with that, and other times, it becomes really obvious that they are just a hair off. I'm not digging this routine by Tabitha and Napoleon nearly as much as I did the earlier one, at all. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic either. It was just okay. I didn't buy into them playing those parts. Nigel seemed to think that they got the emotion of the routine down, but I really didn't feel it from them.
Katee and Twitch - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got some interesting relationships in their routines tonight! Earlier he was running from her because she was kicking his ass, now he's running from her because he really isn't interested. Tons of energy here, and I think they are really in control of the characters that Tyce gave them to play. I love the playful aspect that he puts into his Broadway pieces so often, especially in the lifts. The lifts he choreographs are never what you are expecting. Tons of fun! And for a style that is not really either of their specialty, they both really seem to excel at it. They both make me smile when they dance. And what a compliment from Toni for Twitch, saying he dances from the inside out. That really seems to match what I feel about him. I just wish she could have said it without saying the words "street" and "organic" again. LOL.
Comfort and Mark - Foxtrot (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I love Brian Setzer!!! The BSO is fabulous. Comfort and Mark on this foxtrot, however...not so much. They were missing connections all over the place, and I can't help but feel like those misses were mainly Comfort's fault. Mark has proven to be a good partner time and again, but he has had two partners in a row who weren't up to snuff. They were thinking too hard throughout the entire routine, and it made it feel very stiff. Their posture and hold weren't right AT ALL! Mark manages to really make lifts fly somehow though.
Chelsie and Joshua - Disco (Doriana Sanchez) - I really can't stand disco, and I really, really, REALLY can't stand Disco Doriana. This number is going to have to be seriously amazing for me to not hate it from the very core of my being. Lots of lifts, Doriana? Really? I'm shocked. Ugh. Yep, tons of tricks and lifts and really very little in between to make it cohesive as a dance at all. Did they do the tricks and lifts well? Sure. Fine. Really well, actually. But seriously, if they put another disco number on the show this season I'm gonna gag. Doriana's choreography is only good for making the audience gasp over the tricks.
Solo order: Comfort, Will, Katee, Mark, Chelsie, Joshua, Courtney, Twitch
Will as James Brown really, really works for me. Nice to see some personality coming through. Mark's solo, as usual, was incredibly interesting and unique. I could watch him dance in his own style all day. Happy Birthday to Chelsie - but honey, you need to up your game with your solo. And Twitch? He is definitely one of my superheroes!
Interesting that we're getting a prepackage clip before the solos tonight. I don't know that they've ever done that before. Toni as a judge was pretty okay. She sounds like she knows what she's talking about, which is always a good thing, IMO. She does use the word "street" a bit too much, and I could live without her saying "organic."
Courtney and Will - Samba (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I think Will has really managed to get the flamboyance of the dance down really well, without losing any sense of masculinity. That's something that is really hard to do with the samba. Courtney looks great, but I have to admit, I'm really not focusing on her much in this routine. Will is pretty much stealing the show on this number, which is a little surprising to me. Outside of contemporary-ish routines, he has had a difficult time capturing my attention. He did with the samba tonight. A few times he wasn't quite down-'n-dirty enough for me, but overall, really pretty good. I think Courtney probably did really well with it, because I would have noticed if she was stinking up the joint.
Katee and Twitch - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - Apparently these two knew each other before they made it onto the show, so they didn't expect to get to work together. That should help with the chemistry! There's a door in the middle of the stage as a prop...and apparently Katee is an abusive girlfriend in this one. Interesting. And Twitch keeps coming back for more - he can't get enough. I'm so caught up into the story on this one that I haven't paid much attention to the dancing in it. Really interesting story on this one, Mia. I didn't want it to end. They both got into their characters so well, that I couldn't pay any attention to technique. I loved this routine, and I really hope they do it on tour.
Comfort and Mark - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - We know hip hop suits Comfort, and I think Mark can do some much harder hip hop than we saw the first time around. I think this has the potential to be a real stand out kind of piece. I love the beginning section with the desks. And this is definitely a much harder hitting kind of hip hop than we've been getting from Tabitha and Napoleon. They are KILLING it! This might be my favorite routine that we've seen from Tabitha and Napoleon, because it combines a real hip hop kind of flair with a story line. It is the best of both worlds. Mark and Comfort really played their parts well, their dancing was off the hook, and that made me really happy. Oh yeah, and that flip lift? SICK!
Chelsie and Joshua - Argentine Tango (Dmitry Chaplin) - Dmitry is hot. Very hot. The intro with the chair was sexy, but I don't know how much tango was going on there. Once they actually get going, it is really fast and intricate footwork that they are required to perform. Dmitry did a fantastic job with the choreography on this one! They are flying all over the place! I'm not 100% sold on Joshua's frame in that one, but overall, I think they did a fabulous job. I think this is the best tango choreography we have seen on this show, and I'm not just saying that because I love Dmitry!
Courtney and Will - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - Slow hip hop with a ghost, huh? I guess we'll have to wait and see. SYTYCD history, Will? We'll see. I think one of the biggest challenges of this kind of slow hip hop is keeping the synchronized parts completely in sync. Sometimes, they are doing a great job with that, and other times, it becomes really obvious that they are just a hair off. I'm not digging this routine by Tabitha and Napoleon nearly as much as I did the earlier one, at all. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic either. It was just okay. I didn't buy into them playing those parts. Nigel seemed to think that they got the emotion of the routine down, but I really didn't feel it from them.
Katee and Twitch - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got some interesting relationships in their routines tonight! Earlier he was running from her because she was kicking his ass, now he's running from her because he really isn't interested. Tons of energy here, and I think they are really in control of the characters that Tyce gave them to play. I love the playful aspect that he puts into his Broadway pieces so often, especially in the lifts. The lifts he choreographs are never what you are expecting. Tons of fun! And for a style that is not really either of their specialty, they both really seem to excel at it. They both make me smile when they dance. And what a compliment from Toni for Twitch, saying he dances from the inside out. That really seems to match what I feel about him. I just wish she could have said it without saying the words "street" and "organic" again. LOL.
Comfort and Mark - Foxtrot (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I love Brian Setzer!!! The BSO is fabulous. Comfort and Mark on this foxtrot, however...not so much. They were missing connections all over the place, and I can't help but feel like those misses were mainly Comfort's fault. Mark has proven to be a good partner time and again, but he has had two partners in a row who weren't up to snuff. They were thinking too hard throughout the entire routine, and it made it feel very stiff. Their posture and hold weren't right AT ALL! Mark manages to really make lifts fly somehow though.
Chelsie and Joshua - Disco (Doriana Sanchez) - I really can't stand disco, and I really, really, REALLY can't stand Disco Doriana. This number is going to have to be seriously amazing for me to not hate it from the very core of my being. Lots of lifts, Doriana? Really? I'm shocked. Ugh. Yep, tons of tricks and lifts and really very little in between to make it cohesive as a dance at all. Did they do the tricks and lifts well? Sure. Fine. Really well, actually. But seriously, if they put another disco number on the show this season I'm gonna gag. Doriana's choreography is only good for making the audience gasp over the tricks.
Solo order: Comfort, Will, Katee, Mark, Chelsie, Joshua, Courtney, Twitch
Will as James Brown really, really works for me. Nice to see some personality coming through. Mark's solo, as usual, was incredibly interesting and unique. I could watch him dance in his own style all day. Happy Birthday to Chelsie - but honey, you need to up your game with your solo. And Twitch? He is definitely one of my superheroes!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 8 - SPOILERS
And here they are...wait...um...
WHERE ARE THEY????
All of the usual sites are quoting each other, mainly just furthering some speculation about the pairings, and possible dances for one of the speculated couples. Nothing is really concrete. I am starting to think that we may not get anything else before the show. I hope I'm wrong, and if I am, I'll post it here.
In the meanwhile, the speculation is that the pairings will be:
Mark and Comfort
Twitch and Katee
Josh and Chelsie
Will and Courtney
Further speculation is that Mark and Comfort will be dancing Hip Hop and a Foxtrot.
BUT - all of this is speculation, and none of this is confirmed. If anything else shows up, I'll either post it or link to it. Have fun with speculation!
Oh, wait...one thing that is fairly certain - Mia Michaels will be choreographing at least one of the dances. That is based on something she said in an interview recently.
EDIT: As soon as I hit post, I find this at TWoP. That'll teach me to give up on spoilers. LOL. I'm sure more will show up from there, but that will give us a start.
WHERE ARE THEY????
All of the usual sites are quoting each other, mainly just furthering some speculation about the pairings, and possible dances for one of the speculated couples. Nothing is really concrete. I am starting to think that we may not get anything else before the show. I hope I'm wrong, and if I am, I'll post it here.
In the meanwhile, the speculation is that the pairings will be:
Mark and Comfort
Twitch and Katee
Josh and Chelsie
Will and Courtney
Further speculation is that Mark and Comfort will be dancing Hip Hop and a Foxtrot.
BUT - all of this is speculation, and none of this is confirmed. If anything else shows up, I'll either post it or link to it. Have fun with speculation!
Oh, wait...one thing that is fairly certain - Mia Michaels will be choreographing at least one of the dances. That is based on something she said in an interview recently.
EDIT: As soon as I hit post, I find this at TWoP. That'll teach me to give up on spoilers. LOL. I'm sure more will show up from there, but that will give us a start.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 10 - Results
I'll add videos as they are uploaded to Youtube. UPDATE: All videos are up now.
Tonight was a sad night for me. Losing any of the 5 guys in the Top 10 is heartbreaking, because I truly love to watch all of them dance. I want to see more from each of them!!! I can't get enough. And I enjoy most of the girls that are left, too.
The night started with a Bollywood styled group number.
Cat Deeley announced that So You Think You Can Dance was nominated for 4 Emmys: Wade Robson, Shane Sparks, Mandy Moore, and the makeup artists were each nominated for an award! Congratulations and good luck.
The Top 5 girls all came back out to dance a Mia Michaels contemporary routine.
We then learned that Comfort and Kherington made up the Bottom 2 from the girls, and they would each dance another solo for us tonight, though it would not determine which one was eliminated.
Then, the Top 5 guys came back out to dance a number choreographed by a "mystery" choreographer, otherwise known as Mr. Nigel Lythgoe. This is the first time I've seen anything he's choreographed! It's about time, Nigel. I'm sure he couldn't resist working with such an extremely talented group of guys.
After their dance, we learned that Mark and Gev were the Bottom 2 guys. Like the Bottom 2 girls, they would each get the opportunity to dance one more solo for the audience.
Comfort's Solo
Mark's Solo
Kherington's Solo
Gev's Solo
Kherington and Gev were eliminated. I was not surprised about Gev. To me, he was the most likely choice for the first of the Hip Hop/B-Boy guys to leave. While he is FABULOUS at his own style, he hasn't had as smooth a transition into the other styles as Joshua and Twitch seem to have had, and he also has seemingly had a smaller fanbase than either of those two. I was prepared for his departure. I was not prepared for Kherington to leave. I know some are turned off by her smile, and I know she didn't have the best night last night. Frankly, her solo last night was weak as well. But she has had a really strong run, up until last night, at least in my opinion. I wasn't surprised to see her in the Bottom 2, but I was certain that voters would send Comfort home again. To me, the other girls pretty much had a free ride this week. I was wrong. And I am sad.
Tonight was a sad night for me. Losing any of the 5 guys in the Top 10 is heartbreaking, because I truly love to watch all of them dance. I want to see more from each of them!!! I can't get enough. And I enjoy most of the girls that are left, too.
The night started with a Bollywood styled group number.
Cat Deeley announced that So You Think You Can Dance was nominated for 4 Emmys: Wade Robson, Shane Sparks, Mandy Moore, and the makeup artists were each nominated for an award! Congratulations and good luck.
The Top 5 girls all came back out to dance a Mia Michaels contemporary routine.
We then learned that Comfort and Kherington made up the Bottom 2 from the girls, and they would each dance another solo for us tonight, though it would not determine which one was eliminated.
Then, the Top 5 guys came back out to dance a number choreographed by a "mystery" choreographer, otherwise known as Mr. Nigel Lythgoe. This is the first time I've seen anything he's choreographed! It's about time, Nigel. I'm sure he couldn't resist working with such an extremely talented group of guys.
After their dance, we learned that Mark and Gev were the Bottom 2 guys. Like the Bottom 2 girls, they would each get the opportunity to dance one more solo for the audience.
Comfort's Solo
Mark's Solo
Kherington's Solo
Gev's Solo
Kherington and Gev were eliminated. I was not surprised about Gev. To me, he was the most likely choice for the first of the Hip Hop/B-Boy guys to leave. While he is FABULOUS at his own style, he hasn't had as smooth a transition into the other styles as Joshua and Twitch seem to have had, and he also has seemingly had a smaller fanbase than either of those two. I was prepared for his departure. I was not prepared for Kherington to leave. I know some are turned off by her smile, and I know she didn't have the best night last night. Frankly, her solo last night was weak as well. But she has had a really strong run, up until last night, at least in my opinion. I wasn't surprised to see her in the Bottom 2, but I was certain that voters would send Comfort home again. To me, the other girls pretty much had a free ride this week. I was wrong. And I am sad.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 10 - Solos - Video
Again, I'll post them as I find them.
Chelsie
Gev
Courtney
Mark
Comfort
Twitch
Katee
Will
Kherington
Joshua
Chelsie
Gev
Courtney
Mark
Comfort
Twitch
Katee
Will
Kherington
Joshua
SYTYCD - Top 10 - Video
I will update as I find them! Solos will follow in a separate post. Twenty youtubes in one post would be way too much. LOL.
UPDATE: All videos loaded. Enjoy!
Courtney and Joshua - Hip Hop
Kherington and Mark - Two Step
Comfort and Twitch - Smooth Waltz
Katee and Will - Broadway
Chelsie and Gev - Contemporary
Courtney and Joshua - Rumba
Kherington and Mark - Jazz
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux
Chelsie and Gev - Jive
UPDATE: All videos loaded. Enjoy!
Courtney and Joshua - Hip Hop
Kherington and Mark - Two Step
Comfort and Twitch - Smooth Waltz
Katee and Will - Broadway
Chelsie and Gev - Contemporary
Courtney and Joshua - Rumba
Kherington and Mark - Jazz
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux
Chelsie and Gev - Jive
SYTYCD - Top 10 - Commentary
I'm getting started late tonight. I have to love the wonders of dvr on DirecTV! I don't know what we all did without Tivo and dvrs and the like.
This week, the Top 10 each drew a new partner from a hat, in addition to dancing two new dances and a solo. Supposedly, tomorrow night, we will get three group dances instead of the typical one: the whole Top 10, the Top 5 girls, and the Top 5 guys. Should be interesting.
Only 9 dancers come out, and Cat brings Jessica out to explain why she is leaving the competition. She looks gorgeous. She thought she had a cramp in her side, but it turns out she actually had a few ribs broken. Jessica will be back on tour, so we will get to see the fabulous Adam and Eve routine with Will on tour. Cat tells us that Comfort has been brought back to compete in Jessica's place. Also, the judges are no longer responsible for cutting a guy and a girl each week. Instead, that responsibility shifts to the voters. But guess who is on the judging panel this week? None other than Lil C! I'm excited to see how he is as a judge.
Courtney and Joshua - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - I LOVE Dave Scott! I'm glad to see him back and choreographing a routine for Joshua. It's a Bride of Frankenstein themed piece, so it should be really cool. And as I expected, Joshua is KILLING it. Again, I feel like Courtney is a bit too bouncy for me, but not as bad as she was in the hip hop number she did with Gev a couple of weeks ago. Really cool concept for the routine, and overall, executed really well. I think Courtney has shown a lot of improvement in this style, and I think that the partnership is a good one for her.
Kherington and Mark - Two Step (Ronnie and Brandy) - I'm really excited to see Two Step on SYTYCD!!! I've been wanting to see some different styles, and it is really cool to see one that is from my part of the country being introduced. Their spins need to be faster and less forced. Mark looks GOOD in Wranglers and boots! But this two step feels slower and more labored than I can see in any country bar in Dallas or Fort Worth by untrained dancers. They're getting the steps in, but they were missing tons of connections, and it just didn't feel free. I'm kinda dissappointed.
Comfort and Twitch - Smooth Waltz (Smooth Waltz) - They've both done a waltz before, with varying levels of success. Watching the two of them trying to pull off a romantic couple in rehearsal is funny. For the short amount of time they had together to work on this, I'm actually really impressed. It definitely doesn't have the rise and fall that I would hope to see, and there wasn't the smoothness that I could have liked, but some of it is gorgeous. The lift at the end was breathtaking. Not as good as I would hope, but not as bad as it could have been. I would say that there was a decided improvement from Comfort, but maybe a step back from Twitch. (I have to say, Lil C is giving FABULOUS critiques. He really gets it. THANK YOU!!!)
Katee and Will - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got an actual boat on stage that works into the choreography. Interesting to see Will playing a part in a routine like this. It is very out of his normal character. He typically seems to be so serious and maybe a bit introverted, and he had to pull out every bit of extroversion he could muster. Great dancing, great choreography, great use of the boat prop. They completely embraced every aspect of what they were doing with this one. And it will never hurt for Will to rip his shirt open. I definitely had flashbacks of Dmitry.
Chelsie and Gev - Contemporary (Sonya Tayeh) - I'm really LOVING this choreography, and they are doing a fabulous job with it. Actually, I think I'm liking Gev in it more than Chelsie. He has totally embraced everything that Sonya gave him, and his movements are powerful and unique. Very interesting, and beautiful. They completely bought into the characters that they were given, and the choreography. That was fabulous. But he really blew me away tonight, and we're only halfway through.
Courtney and Joshua - Rumba (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Joshua looks sexy as hell in this. The latin ballroom dances definitely suit him so much better than the smooth ballroom dances. The boy knows how to move his hips, and he knows how to work it. And Courtney??? WOW! Amazing extensions and lines in her movements, and she really bought into the character of the dance. That is definitely one of the better rumbas I've seen on this show. Fantastic footwork and sensuality throughout the routine, but a couple of the lifts were a tiny bit shaky. HEE!!!! Joshua is *threatening* to get nekkid like Twitch and Will always are. "Just wait till you see the rest of it" he says...I'm waiting.
Kherington and Mark - Jazz (Tyce Diorio) - They've both got a great quality of movement here, but I'm not sure that they are matching each other the way they really should be. She's got fabulous lines and extensions, and he has unique and interesting lines, but when they should be in unison, it doesn't quite line up. Lots of energy in it, but I don't know that they really had much chemistry on this piece. It wasn't bad at all, but there didn't seem to be a lot of passion involved in what they were doing together. I'm not sure I would agree with Mary that Mark is lost without having a character to play. I think if there had been more of a connection in the partnership, that he would have been fully believable.
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - LOL...Twitch thinks the match-up will be "somewhat tremendous"...let's hope he is right. This definitely has the makings of being the best hip hop number ever on the show. Let's hope they don't dissappoint. The costumes are horrific, but once you get past that, these two are insanely good. They're hitting hard, they've got tons of personality, they really connect with each other on this one, and they completely showed that they absolutely know what they are doing in their own style. Outstanding. And thank you, Lil C, for explaining the meaning of buck: internal artistry meeting physical output. Definitely the best I have ever (and I do mean EVER) seen Comfort.
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux (Desmond Richardson) - Let's hope Katee can become like Gumby then. Will is nearly nekkid again. No complaints from me on that one. He is insanely strong, making these lifts look like they are completely effortless. There was a bit of a struggle on one move, but for the most part, I am seriously blown away by not only their technique, but also simply by the fact that they are doing this, and pulling it off! Katee exhibited some serious trust in him, throwing herself at him in some of these crazy moves and just knowing that he would be there to catch her. I am amazed.
Chelsie and Gev - Jive (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - I'm nervous for Gev on this one, I will admit. Chelsie will be fabulous, since it is her style. And she is! She is a little firecracker, that is for sure. And Gev isn't as bad in this as I would expect him to be. He's got the speed, but some of the moves seem to be all speed and no bounce, if that makes any sense. The jive should be really bouncy, and he's just a bit jerky. All in all though, not as bad as I expected from him. He didn't seem really comfortable with the jive, but he gave it his all.
Solos: Chelsie, Gev, Courtney, Mark, Comfort, Twitch, Katee, Will, Kherington, and Joshua.
Standout solos for me were Mark, Twitch, Katee, and Joshua. I hate that we are going to have to say goodbye to one of the guys this week...they are all amazing. I kinda expect that Gev will be the one to go though. Out of the girls, I fully expect Comfort to be eliminated again, even though she was FABULOUS in the hip hop with Twitch. I just don't think that will be enough to save her yet again.
This week, the Top 10 each drew a new partner from a hat, in addition to dancing two new dances and a solo. Supposedly, tomorrow night, we will get three group dances instead of the typical one: the whole Top 10, the Top 5 girls, and the Top 5 guys. Should be interesting.
Only 9 dancers come out, and Cat brings Jessica out to explain why she is leaving the competition. She looks gorgeous. She thought she had a cramp in her side, but it turns out she actually had a few ribs broken. Jessica will be back on tour, so we will get to see the fabulous Adam and Eve routine with Will on tour. Cat tells us that Comfort has been brought back to compete in Jessica's place. Also, the judges are no longer responsible for cutting a guy and a girl each week. Instead, that responsibility shifts to the voters. But guess who is on the judging panel this week? None other than Lil C! I'm excited to see how he is as a judge.
Courtney and Joshua - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - I LOVE Dave Scott! I'm glad to see him back and choreographing a routine for Joshua. It's a Bride of Frankenstein themed piece, so it should be really cool. And as I expected, Joshua is KILLING it. Again, I feel like Courtney is a bit too bouncy for me, but not as bad as she was in the hip hop number she did with Gev a couple of weeks ago. Really cool concept for the routine, and overall, executed really well. I think Courtney has shown a lot of improvement in this style, and I think that the partnership is a good one for her.
Kherington and Mark - Two Step (Ronnie and Brandy) - I'm really excited to see Two Step on SYTYCD!!! I've been wanting to see some different styles, and it is really cool to see one that is from my part of the country being introduced. Their spins need to be faster and less forced. Mark looks GOOD in Wranglers and boots! But this two step feels slower and more labored than I can see in any country bar in Dallas or Fort Worth by untrained dancers. They're getting the steps in, but they were missing tons of connections, and it just didn't feel free. I'm kinda dissappointed.
Comfort and Twitch - Smooth Waltz (Smooth Waltz) - They've both done a waltz before, with varying levels of success. Watching the two of them trying to pull off a romantic couple in rehearsal is funny. For the short amount of time they had together to work on this, I'm actually really impressed. It definitely doesn't have the rise and fall that I would hope to see, and there wasn't the smoothness that I could have liked, but some of it is gorgeous. The lift at the end was breathtaking. Not as good as I would hope, but not as bad as it could have been. I would say that there was a decided improvement from Comfort, but maybe a step back from Twitch. (I have to say, Lil C is giving FABULOUS critiques. He really gets it. THANK YOU!!!)
Katee and Will - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got an actual boat on stage that works into the choreography. Interesting to see Will playing a part in a routine like this. It is very out of his normal character. He typically seems to be so serious and maybe a bit introverted, and he had to pull out every bit of extroversion he could muster. Great dancing, great choreography, great use of the boat prop. They completely embraced every aspect of what they were doing with this one. And it will never hurt for Will to rip his shirt open. I definitely had flashbacks of Dmitry.
Chelsie and Gev - Contemporary (Sonya Tayeh) - I'm really LOVING this choreography, and they are doing a fabulous job with it. Actually, I think I'm liking Gev in it more than Chelsie. He has totally embraced everything that Sonya gave him, and his movements are powerful and unique. Very interesting, and beautiful. They completely bought into the characters that they were given, and the choreography. That was fabulous. But he really blew me away tonight, and we're only halfway through.
Courtney and Joshua - Rumba (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Joshua looks sexy as hell in this. The latin ballroom dances definitely suit him so much better than the smooth ballroom dances. The boy knows how to move his hips, and he knows how to work it. And Courtney??? WOW! Amazing extensions and lines in her movements, and she really bought into the character of the dance. That is definitely one of the better rumbas I've seen on this show. Fantastic footwork and sensuality throughout the routine, but a couple of the lifts were a tiny bit shaky. HEE!!!! Joshua is *threatening* to get nekkid like Twitch and Will always are. "Just wait till you see the rest of it" he says...I'm waiting.
Kherington and Mark - Jazz (Tyce Diorio) - They've both got a great quality of movement here, but I'm not sure that they are matching each other the way they really should be. She's got fabulous lines and extensions, and he has unique and interesting lines, but when they should be in unison, it doesn't quite line up. Lots of energy in it, but I don't know that they really had much chemistry on this piece. It wasn't bad at all, but there didn't seem to be a lot of passion involved in what they were doing together. I'm not sure I would agree with Mary that Mark is lost without having a character to play. I think if there had been more of a connection in the partnership, that he would have been fully believable.
Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - LOL...Twitch thinks the match-up will be "somewhat tremendous"...let's hope he is right. This definitely has the makings of being the best hip hop number ever on the show. Let's hope they don't dissappoint. The costumes are horrific, but once you get past that, these two are insanely good. They're hitting hard, they've got tons of personality, they really connect with each other on this one, and they completely showed that they absolutely know what they are doing in their own style. Outstanding. And thank you, Lil C, for explaining the meaning of buck: internal artistry meeting physical output. Definitely the best I have ever (and I do mean EVER) seen Comfort.
Katee and Will - Pas de Deux (Desmond Richardson) - Let's hope Katee can become like Gumby then. Will is nearly nekkid again. No complaints from me on that one. He is insanely strong, making these lifts look like they are completely effortless. There was a bit of a struggle on one move, but for the most part, I am seriously blown away by not only their technique, but also simply by the fact that they are doing this, and pulling it off! Katee exhibited some serious trust in him, throwing herself at him in some of these crazy moves and just knowing that he would be there to catch her. I am amazed.
Chelsie and Gev - Jive (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - I'm nervous for Gev on this one, I will admit. Chelsie will be fabulous, since it is her style. And she is! She is a little firecracker, that is for sure. And Gev isn't as bad in this as I would expect him to be. He's got the speed, but some of the moves seem to be all speed and no bounce, if that makes any sense. The jive should be really bouncy, and he's just a bit jerky. All in all though, not as bad as I expected from him. He didn't seem really comfortable with the jive, but he gave it his all.
Solos: Chelsie, Gev, Courtney, Mark, Comfort, Twitch, Katee, Will, Kherington, and Joshua.
Standout solos for me were Mark, Twitch, Katee, and Joshua. I hate that we are going to have to say goodbye to one of the guys this week...they are all amazing. I kinda expect that Gev will be the one to go though. Out of the girls, I fully expect Comfort to be eliminated again, even though she was FABULOUS in the hip hop with Twitch. I just don't think that will be enough to save her yet again.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 10 - SPOILERS
As previously reported, Jessica is out due to an injury and Comfort is back in.
The first spoilers are in here.
It seems that Lil C is the guest judge this week...and we are getting group routines on Performance night, not just on Elimination night.
So far, all we have are the dances and maybe the choreographers. I'll update later if I find more.
UPDATE: The three group routines are supposedly for Thursday night's show, not for Wednesday night's show. Who knows?
The first spoilers are in here.
It seems that Lil C is the guest judge this week...and we are getting group routines on Performance night, not just on Elimination night.
So far, all we have are the dances and maybe the choreographers. I'll update later if I find more.
UPDATE: The three group routines are supposedly for Thursday night's show, not for Wednesday night's show. Who knows?
SYTYCD Top 10 Injury Update
According to zap2it.com, Jessica has an injury that required her to leave the competition. Comfort is supposedly back to fill in for her. We'll likely know a bit more, after the spoilers start coming in.
I may not be the biggest Jessica fan, by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't want to see anyone leave the competition for reasons like this. I hope she is better soon.
Check back here, I'll link to spoilers once they are up.
UPDATE: Zap2it has reported on this again, stating that Jessica has been suffering with a leg injury since the beginning of the competition that she had kept hidden from the producers. I do happen to remember her wearing a knee brace when she danced for her life the first week.
Also, speculation on the web is that the doctor's decision to medically remove her from the competition came as late as Sunday (some claim Saturday). All reports are that Comfort only found out that she was back in it on Sunday. That didn't give her much time to learn her routines, since performances are taped on Mondays!
I may not be the biggest Jessica fan, by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't want to see anyone leave the competition for reasons like this. I hope she is better soon.
Check back here, I'll link to spoilers once they are up.
UPDATE: Zap2it has reported on this again, stating that Jessica has been suffering with a leg injury since the beginning of the competition that she had kept hidden from the producers. I do happen to remember her wearing a knee brace when she danced for her life the first week.
Also, speculation on the web is that the doctor's decision to medically remove her from the competition came as late as Sunday (some claim Saturday). All reports are that Comfort only found out that she was back in it on Sunday. That didn't give her much time to learn her routines, since performances are taped on Mondays!
Friday, July 11, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 12 - Results
Last night, we discovered which dancers would become the Top 10 and head out on tour. The Top 12 danced a hip hop number together, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon.
To start the night off, we learned that Phillip Chbeeb has agreed to participate in a Dance-Off with Robert Muraine! Too freaking cool. I can't wait for that. Comfort and Thayne, Jessica and Will, and Kherington and Twitch made up the Bottom 3 couples and would each be dancing a solo to prove to the judges that they deserved to stay. But, before they got to do their solos, three dancers from the Alvin Ailey Dance Company performed. They were AWESOME!
Comfort:
Thayne:
Jessica:
Will:
Kherington:
Twitch:
In an elimination that likely suprised no one, Comfort and Thayne were both eliminated after their 4th consecutive trips to the Bottom 3. The judges said they wished they could could have kept Thayne and lost two girls (meaning Jessica would have been eliminated in addition to Comfort), and I couldn't agree more. Sadly, the format of the show requires an even number of guys/girls each week so that wasn't possible. I have a strong feeling that Thayne will be one of the alternates on tour though, so I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him. He has really, seriously grown on me over the last few weeks. I don't think he is as explosive a dancer as the rest of the guys in the Top 5 (did y'all SEE Will and Twitch's solos last night??!?!?!?!!?!), but he is a really beautiful dancer, regardless of his permagrin.
To start the night off, we learned that Phillip Chbeeb has agreed to participate in a Dance-Off with Robert Muraine! Too freaking cool. I can't wait for that. Comfort and Thayne, Jessica and Will, and Kherington and Twitch made up the Bottom 3 couples and would each be dancing a solo to prove to the judges that they deserved to stay. But, before they got to do their solos, three dancers from the Alvin Ailey Dance Company performed. They were AWESOME!
Comfort:
Thayne:
Jessica:
Will:
Kherington:
Twitch:
In an elimination that likely suprised no one, Comfort and Thayne were both eliminated after their 4th consecutive trips to the Bottom 3. The judges said they wished they could could have kept Thayne and lost two girls (meaning Jessica would have been eliminated in addition to Comfort), and I couldn't agree more. Sadly, the format of the show requires an even number of guys/girls each week so that wasn't possible. I have a strong feeling that Thayne will be one of the alternates on tour though, so I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him. He has really, seriously grown on me over the last few weeks. I don't think he is as explosive a dancer as the rest of the guys in the Top 5 (did y'all SEE Will and Twitch's solos last night??!?!?!?!!?!), but he is a really beautiful dancer, regardless of his permagrin.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
SYTYCD - Top 12 - Video
EDIT: All videos are up now!
Chelsie and Mark - Salsa (Alex Da Silva)
Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon)
Jessica and Will - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio)
Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha (Pasha and Anya)
Kherington and Twitch - Krump (Lil C)
Katee and Joshua - Viennese Waltz (Jean-Marc Genereaux)
Chelsie and Mark - Broadway (Tyce Diorio)
Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary (Mandy Moore)
Jessica and Will - Quickstep (Tony and Melanie)
Courtney and Gev - Jazz (Mandy Moore)
Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango (Jean-Marc Genereaux)
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan)
Chelsie and Mark - Salsa (Alex Da Silva)
Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon)
Jessica and Will - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio)
Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha (Pasha and Anya)
Kherington and Twitch - Krump (Lil C)
Katee and Joshua - Viennese Waltz (Jean-Marc Genereaux)
Chelsie and Mark - Broadway (Tyce Diorio)
Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary (Mandy Moore)
Jessica and Will - Quickstep (Tony and Melanie)
Courtney and Gev - Jazz (Mandy Moore)
Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango (Jean-Marc Genereaux)
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan)
SYTYCD - Top 12 - Commentary
Once again tonight, we will get two dances from each of the couples who remain in the competition. So, they might not have to rush through the prepackage clips quite as fast as last week, but I have a feeling that they might be almost as short. By tomorrow night, we'll know who the Top 10 will be, and voters will take over the responsibility of voting off a male and female dancer each week. Also, they will randomly get a different partner each week, in addition to randomly getting their dance assignments.
Mia Michaels is back on the judging panel with Mary and Nigel this week. I think its a bit soon to have Mia on again, but oh well. Hopefully she won't fully piss me off tonight.
Chelsie and Mark - Salsa (Alex Da Silva) - They look HOT together tonight. Mark looks a little stiff in the shoulders, but he's got the footwork down and really knows how to play the part. That was a fabulous exit from the lift at the end. Lots of fun and energy going on in the routine. I'm not sure what Mia is talking about with Mark's "insecurity."
Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - They're trying to keep Thayne from smiling too much for this number. Not sure if they'll manage it, but kudos to Napoleon for attempting. Comfort's definitely hitting harder than Thayne, but I expected that. He's actually doing better than I expected him to. I think I kinda like him in this routine...but I wasn't too fond of the routine as a whole. While Comfort did the harder hitting, she wasn't as enjoyable to me in the routine as he is. She kind of ignored him throughout, while Thayne played the part. He is the more intriguing dancer of the two, for me at this point.
Jessica and Will - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) - Interesting...the Garden of Eden, huh Tyce? They're practically naked up there, and writhing around all over each other. The pair of them are hitting some gorgeous lines. I have to say, I love what Tyce has done with this, the music is perfect, the poses are perfect, the connection between the two is perfect (which I was missing last week). I'm seriously impressed with all of them on it, not only Tyce, but both of these dancers. This is the first time that Jessica has managed to move me. Oh yeah...and almost nekkid Will is never a bad thing. I am IN LOVE with this entire piece. LOVE!!!
Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha (Pasha and Anya) - I want it a little dirtier from Gev. He seems like he is trying too hard for perfection, and in the process he is losing some of the rawness of the dance. And I could use a little more hip action from both of them. The footwork was really good on her part, really iffy on his part. Really not bad, but not as good as I was hoping for from them. And the choreography was great - nice work Pasha and Anya! Lots of fun overall.
Kherington and Twitch - Krump (Lil C) - Holy crap, Twitch is KILLING this. And Kherington is proving that she can hang with him. I'm seriously impressed with the pair of them after that. Granted, I love them anyway...but they made me enjoy Krump, which surprised me. The end lost some of the synchronicity and energy, but overall it was insane.
Katee and Joshua - Viennese Waltz (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Katee looks absolutely stunning tonight. She is hitting all of her lines beautifully. Something doesn't feel quite right about Joshua's frame to me. His shoulders aren't in the right position or something. And his feet are not smooth at all, but really he is almost stomping them into the floor. He did well with it, but I don't feel like he did as well as Katee did. She was the star of this routine, where most weeks he has been the star.
Chelsie and Mark - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - I usually can't look away from Mark, but in this number, I'm having a difficult time seeing anything but Chelsie. She fully embraced this part and is owning it. He did well when I did manage to pay attention to him, but she was fabulous. This was a really sexy, fun routine. The fall forward? Wow...impressive.
Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary (Mandy Moore) - So they got a routine in each of their styles this week. Really interesting lifts again, like in Mandy's last contemporary routine. I'm really falling hard for her contemporary choreography. She creates such interesting movements and finds unique ways to tell her stories. Thayne is gorgeous in this one, with the lines he's hitting. Comfort, while not as good as Thayne, did much better than I ever would have expected for her on a contemporary routine. Pretty harsh from Nigel though. I get that there wasn't enough of a connection, and that Comfort wasn't fully engaged in the routine, but to say he wished a different couple was dancing it...ouch. (But I have to say...after Mia's two routines last week, and Tyce and Mandy's routines tonight, I am giving in. I am now a fan of contemporary dance. Dammit.)
Jessica and Will - Quickstep (Tony and Melanie) - Jessica seems to be slipping and sliding a bit, instead of taking real steps. The twist felt really out of place in this number, but I guess Tony and Melanie were trying to make it more exciting to get people to vote. But honestly, to me, the most memorable part of the entire routine was Will crawling across the floor to her at the end. The dancing was a bit bouncy and not really smooth. Will is truly a gentleman with his response after Mia's comment. I like him a lot. I want to love him...but right now, I just really like him a lot. And as great as Jessica was earlier, she was right back where she's been the last several weeks for me on this one. I really think that if they are in the bottom three tomorrow, she is likely to leave, even over Comfort. Comfort is at least the only girl in her style in the competition, so she is a bit more unique. Jessica has all the skills, but none of the confidence. Granted, I'm sure that hearing the judges tell her these things over and over and over again isn't helping her confidence level any. But still.
Courtney and Gev - Jazz (Mandy Moore) - Mandy seems to have a thing for props this season. Let's see how this works. LOVE this choreography! And they are performing it sooooooooo well. Mandy did a great job of not only putting together a routine that really works with the music, but also using some of Gev's moves and making them work within the character of the dance. I have no idea if it was difficult choreography or not, but it was insanely well performed, and it was interesting, and I wanted more, more, more of it.
Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Mr. and Mrs. Smith, huh? This makes two dances tonight that have forced Kherington to take on a more intense persona, and yet again, I feel like she is doing a really good job with it. Twitch's carriage seems to be a bit off. The dance didn't feel like a proper tango to me, but I loved that there were characters to play and a story to tell. I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as the judges seem to feel it was. It likely isn't really as memorable as I would have liked, but it wasn't bad.
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan) - This is really energetic and interesting. They both kept their energy up throughout, and stayed in character. I don't really know how to go about critiquing something like that, because it is something so very different from anything I've ever seen before. It's really cool to see something so completely different on this show, and to expose the American public to a completely different style of dance that most have likely never even heard of. Their symmetry of movement was right on point throughout, which seems to be really imperative in this style of dance.
So...top 3 of the night? Courtney and Gev, Chelsie and Mark, and Katee and Joshua.
That would leave as the bottom three: Comfort and Thayne, Jessica and Will, and Kherington and Twitch.
My guess as to who will leave? Thayne from the guys, and either Comfort or Jessica. I hope Jessica.
Mia Michaels is back on the judging panel with Mary and Nigel this week. I think its a bit soon to have Mia on again, but oh well. Hopefully she won't fully piss me off tonight.
Chelsie and Mark - Salsa (Alex Da Silva) - They look HOT together tonight. Mark looks a little stiff in the shoulders, but he's got the footwork down and really knows how to play the part. That was a fabulous exit from the lift at the end. Lots of fun and energy going on in the routine. I'm not sure what Mia is talking about with Mark's "insecurity."
Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - They're trying to keep Thayne from smiling too much for this number. Not sure if they'll manage it, but kudos to Napoleon for attempting. Comfort's definitely hitting harder than Thayne, but I expected that. He's actually doing better than I expected him to. I think I kinda like him in this routine...but I wasn't too fond of the routine as a whole. While Comfort did the harder hitting, she wasn't as enjoyable to me in the routine as he is. She kind of ignored him throughout, while Thayne played the part. He is the more intriguing dancer of the two, for me at this point.
Jessica and Will - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) - Interesting...the Garden of Eden, huh Tyce? They're practically naked up there, and writhing around all over each other. The pair of them are hitting some gorgeous lines. I have to say, I love what Tyce has done with this, the music is perfect, the poses are perfect, the connection between the two is perfect (which I was missing last week). I'm seriously impressed with all of them on it, not only Tyce, but both of these dancers. This is the first time that Jessica has managed to move me. Oh yeah...and almost nekkid Will is never a bad thing. I am IN LOVE with this entire piece. LOVE!!!
Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha (Pasha and Anya) - I want it a little dirtier from Gev. He seems like he is trying too hard for perfection, and in the process he is losing some of the rawness of the dance. And I could use a little more hip action from both of them. The footwork was really good on her part, really iffy on his part. Really not bad, but not as good as I was hoping for from them. And the choreography was great - nice work Pasha and Anya! Lots of fun overall.
Kherington and Twitch - Krump (Lil C) - Holy crap, Twitch is KILLING this. And Kherington is proving that she can hang with him. I'm seriously impressed with the pair of them after that. Granted, I love them anyway...but they made me enjoy Krump, which surprised me. The end lost some of the synchronicity and energy, but overall it was insane.
Katee and Joshua - Viennese Waltz (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Katee looks absolutely stunning tonight. She is hitting all of her lines beautifully. Something doesn't feel quite right about Joshua's frame to me. His shoulders aren't in the right position or something. And his feet are not smooth at all, but really he is almost stomping them into the floor. He did well with it, but I don't feel like he did as well as Katee did. She was the star of this routine, where most weeks he has been the star.
Chelsie and Mark - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - I usually can't look away from Mark, but in this number, I'm having a difficult time seeing anything but Chelsie. She fully embraced this part and is owning it. He did well when I did manage to pay attention to him, but she was fabulous. This was a really sexy, fun routine. The fall forward? Wow...impressive.
Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary (Mandy Moore) - So they got a routine in each of their styles this week. Really interesting lifts again, like in Mandy's last contemporary routine. I'm really falling hard for her contemporary choreography. She creates such interesting movements and finds unique ways to tell her stories. Thayne is gorgeous in this one, with the lines he's hitting. Comfort, while not as good as Thayne, did much better than I ever would have expected for her on a contemporary routine. Pretty harsh from Nigel though. I get that there wasn't enough of a connection, and that Comfort wasn't fully engaged in the routine, but to say he wished a different couple was dancing it...ouch. (But I have to say...after Mia's two routines last week, and Tyce and Mandy's routines tonight, I am giving in. I am now a fan of contemporary dance. Dammit.)
Jessica and Will - Quickstep (Tony and Melanie) - Jessica seems to be slipping and sliding a bit, instead of taking real steps. The twist felt really out of place in this number, but I guess Tony and Melanie were trying to make it more exciting to get people to vote. But honestly, to me, the most memorable part of the entire routine was Will crawling across the floor to her at the end. The dancing was a bit bouncy and not really smooth. Will is truly a gentleman with his response after Mia's comment. I like him a lot. I want to love him...but right now, I just really like him a lot. And as great as Jessica was earlier, she was right back where she's been the last several weeks for me on this one. I really think that if they are in the bottom three tomorrow, she is likely to leave, even over Comfort. Comfort is at least the only girl in her style in the competition, so she is a bit more unique. Jessica has all the skills, but none of the confidence. Granted, I'm sure that hearing the judges tell her these things over and over and over again isn't helping her confidence level any. But still.
Courtney and Gev - Jazz (Mandy Moore) - Mandy seems to have a thing for props this season. Let's see how this works. LOVE this choreography! And they are performing it sooooooooo well. Mandy did a great job of not only putting together a routine that really works with the music, but also using some of Gev's moves and making them work within the character of the dance. I have no idea if it was difficult choreography or not, but it was insanely well performed, and it was interesting, and I wanted more, more, more of it.
Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Mr. and Mrs. Smith, huh? This makes two dances tonight that have forced Kherington to take on a more intense persona, and yet again, I feel like she is doing a really good job with it. Twitch's carriage seems to be a bit off. The dance didn't feel like a proper tango to me, but I loved that there were characters to play and a story to tell. I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as the judges seem to feel it was. It likely isn't really as memorable as I would have liked, but it wasn't bad.
Katee and Joshua - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan) - This is really energetic and interesting. They both kept their energy up throughout, and stayed in character. I don't really know how to go about critiquing something like that, because it is something so very different from anything I've ever seen before. It's really cool to see something so completely different on this show, and to expose the American public to a completely different style of dance that most have likely never even heard of. Their symmetry of movement was right on point throughout, which seems to be really imperative in this style of dance.
So...top 3 of the night? Courtney and Gev, Chelsie and Mark, and Katee and Joshua.
That would leave as the bottom three: Comfort and Thayne, Jessica and Will, and Kherington and Twitch.
My guess as to who will leave? Thayne from the guys, and either Comfort or Jessica. I hope Jessica.
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