SYTYCD 5 - NYC and Denver Auditions

So the new season is underway, with the first round of auditions being held in New York. I'm pleased to see that our lovely host, Cat Deeley (love her interaction with the contestants!), is back to guide us through the season, as well as head judge Nigel Lythgoe and regular judge Mary "WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Murphy. Joining them in New York are husband and wife choreography team Tabitha and Napoleon.

Gabi Rojas suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, but that hasn't stopped her from developing exquisite control over her body and her ability to move. Her lines are expressive and immaculate. She moves in a different way from what you expect, but it is beautiful, and her choreography for her audition was creative, to say the least. I enjoyed her. No surprise that she got straight through.

These Mutation guys are interesting. LOL. Joint-tortionism, huh? The things these guys get their bodies to do are sick. LOL. I want to see more. But I don't. I am very torn. Watching them makes me cringe and turn away, but then peek through again.

Peter Sabasino is a tap dancer who obviously knows what he is doing in the tap realm, but I wonder how he would move in other styles. With tapping, he is engaging and entertaining. He made me smile. He says he dances in a number of other styles, so we'll see. He got straight through to Vegas, no choreography this time. I guess we'll have to wait.

I love that Nigel doesn't pull his punches. The way he ACTUALLY gave a REAL critique on the dancing of the girl with the spinal problems. He told her ways she can improve her dancing and didn't belittle her in any way for attempting something she likely would not have any chance. He really is so very different from the usual sarcastic British judge on these shows, and I love that.

Maksim Kapitanikanov is a fantastic ballroom dancer. He has excellent rhythm and beautiful lines. It is really difficult not to watch Faina, because she is fabulous, but he somehow still managed to draw my eye. I'd love to see some good male ballroom dancers through this year.

Naboya Nakahama amused me to no end. Not sure how he'll do in a serious style, but he is hilarious. I could watch him all day if he kept doing what he was doing here. He isn't the best popper/locker I've ever seen, but he brought so much fun to it that I loved everything about it. I'd love to see more from him. And we'll get to in choreography!

Lauren from season 3 is teaching the choreography this year. Sad to see the the Mutants leave before even trying, but I'm sure they knew what they were doing. But Maksim got through, and Naboya got through, so I'm happy about both of those.

The second day brought Arielle Taylor, who made it through to Vegas in a previous season. She is a contemporary dancer who is very aware of how her body looks with each movement she makes. She has thought it all through very well. I loved her.

Igor and Nina came in with some Cha Cha and set the stage on fire. He has excellent partnering skills, and she is impossible not to watch. The low spins (pot stirs?) were insane. I'm dizzy after watching that.

Kellen Stancil made excellent use of an umbrella prop to show off his lines and spins. I'm really impressed with him, because to work with a prop so seamlessly takes a ton of talent. He is truly a beautiful, moving dancer. And the story behind using it really touched me. I'm rooting for him.

Chimezie Nwosu was a sight to see. The way he moved to his chosen music, a percussive piece full of traffic sounds, was perfection. He even made use of some of the lighting features on the stage. I loved watching him very much. He made me think so much of Twitch from last season, and that is a very good thing. He got through to choreography.

Igor is through but not Nina, and Chimezie is through as well. Yay on both counts!

Then the auditions moved to Denver, where Sonya Tayeh joined the judges.

Kayla Rodomski is very young, but obviously well trained. I enjoyed watching her move, but I'm not sure she would hold my attention for a long stretch of time. The judges were all about her though, and she is definitely going to be through.

Oh no...no they didn't...Mitch and Micha dancing ballroom together. How do they decide who leads? LOL. And surprisingly, one of them is straight. Neither of them dances in a masculine enough way to make me happy though, even if it is a samba which is more flamboyant. I'm just not feeling this. Ouch! The fall during the lift sealed the deal for me. Though they have made it through to choreography, but no further.

On the second day in Denver we saw the Jedi Cat/Lion. Oy.

Elias Holloway and his kid brother aren't bad! Cute kids. And they know what they're doing with the pop locking. I hope he gets through, though I'm sure he'll have to go through choreography. Adorable. Hopefully he can do more than just this one style. Wonder if we'll see the younger brother in a couple of years.

Brandon Bryant and Natalie Reid are both back! Woo hoo. I was a big fan of both of them. last year and hoped they would make it on.

Natalie is up first, and she shows us exactly why she almost got through before. The way she goes all out and stops her mid motion always has captivated me. I truly hope she gets into the Top 20 this year.

Brandon is dancing to the same music as last year, I think, and I am just as entranced as before. I think he is even better than he was before. The strength in his legs is phenomenal. I want to see him on the show so bad it is killing me. I was devastated last year when Gev got on instead of him, even though I was nuts about Gev. He is awe inspiring. Please, let him on this year.

Elias didn't make it through after choreography, but hopefully he'll follow their advice and will get some training in other areas. I liked him.

So, more again next week when the auditions head to Miami and Memphis.

So You Think You Can Blog?

I know, I know. Its been a long time since I last blogged. A very long time.

I've been caught up with school and work and writing some novels and grieving for one of my cats and welcoming a new kitten into my home. Life has been crazy.

So, what has been going on in the world that I used to at least (semi?) regularly update? Well, David Cook has put out a fantastic album, U2 has released an album and are preparing to launch a huge sold-out tour, Blue October have released a new album, Depeche Mode have released a new album, and I believe Linkin Park is getting ready to release a new album.

It seems Britney Spears has somewhat gotten her life back on track.

JD Fortune is no longer the lead singer of INXS, possibly at least partially due to his own loose lips.

Marty Casey left Lovehammers to front LA Guns, and it seems he is now doing both simultaneously.

Project Runway is no longer part of Bravo, but has moved to Lifetime. And Bravo has replaced it with The Fashion Show. Not nearly as much of a guilty pleasure, I can assure you.

American Idol's 8th season has come and gone...and a lackluster season it was, in my opinion. There was certainly no David Cook or Michael Johns to capture my attention. Congratulations to Kris Allen. I'm just glad that Adam Glambert did not win. He makes my ears bleed.

So now what? What has brought me out of my lengthy blog silence? What could possibly be noteworthy enough to force me to set aside everything else in my life to type away to an unknown audience, regardless of the annoying A key on my keyboard, which my sweet little kitten has so lovingly pulled off so many times it won't go back on?

A new season of my biggest obsession, So You Think You Can Dance, of course!

So, tune in, sit back, and get ready for some amazing, some lackluster, and some insanely bad dancing. I'll be giving my own thoughts and comments, and if I can find videos of the noteworthy auditions and performances, I'll post them here as well.

David Cook: A New Album!

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!!!

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.

Denim

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.

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.

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.

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.

Date Night - Late!

Jason Castro has vlogged again. Check it out.

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!

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!

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!

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!

Jason Castro is NOT Engaged

SYTYCD - Top 4 - SPOILERS

Spoilers are in for the final show. It should be awesome, by all accounts!

Read more about it here and also here.

What has me most excited? WADE ROBSON!!!

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!!!

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

Mark Courtney A
by krunkyou

Katee and Joshua - Contemporary

Josh Katee A
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Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo

ch TW
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Courtney and Mark - Jazz

Mark Courtney B
by krunkyou

Katee and Joshua - Paso Doble

Josh katee B
by krunkyou

Chelsie and Twitch - Hip Hop

Ch&t_b_6
by krunkyou

Chelsie's Solo

Solo Chelsie
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Twitch's Solo

Solo Twitch
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Katee's Solo

Solo Katee
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Joshua's Solo

Solo Josh
by krunkyou

Courtney's Solo

Solo Courtney
by krunkyou

Mark's Solo

Solo Mark
by krunkyou

Date Night from Pittsburgh

Jason Castro vlogged again. Check it out.

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.