SYTYCD Grand Finale: Smile! It’s candid camera!

Cat is fabulously dressed in a Greco-Roman Gladiator frilly outfit. Does that mean that there will be blood? (or pain at least)… As she introduces all the 20 dancers (wait there are only 19! – I guess Jessica is still on “medic” leave), we see 15 losers with low energy strut their stuff. Am I being too cynical? It really does seem that, especially for the ones who did not make it to the top 10, they are just going through their contract motions.
But, before we go into dancing details, I have to mention that Cat seems to be partially wearing her outfits between Wednesdays and Thursdays. I guess she doesn’t like to be that matchy-matchy. And I don’t blame her! If you recall, last week she wore the Hermes dress on W. and the Hermes sandals on R. This week, she had the Gladiator sandals on W. and the Gladiator dress on R. Too bad that there is not going to be a next week to watch and criticize. Cat! What are we going to do without you and your glossy legs?
STEP UP 3D!!! OK, so I had said I would get out of the Cassandra business, and I should have! The Kill Bull movie with the male cheerleaders or Fame seemed likely candidates, but Step Up 3D? Ok, that was a wild pitch for me… Let’s hope the project really gets off the ground and that it has real depth of dancing. However, I have to ask: has there ever been a Part 3 movie that has been successful? No, not even the Godfather. Then, why attempt the impossible? Why? Because you are the Shank-man? And Step Up 3D reminds me of Jaws 3D, which was a real sinker, and Shrek 3D which was a real stinker. Good luck anyway!
What can I say about the favorite dances? I suppose they are the ones for the tour: some flashy, some slow, all nice, all showcasing the top four (except of course Bleeding Love!). Bleeding love was the only one selected that did not include at least one of the top 4. Why? Because no list of favorite dances could have ever been complete without it! We’ll see… I have my own favorites, some you may see in my links from the sidebar, unless they have been pulled already. I’ll keep trying to give them to you though (as of today, they are all still live hot-links).
In the “surprise” portions of the show, Mary finally gets to rip a guy’s shirt off! With Dmitry (from the best all-around season: Season 2), all of Mary’s ripped abs comments finally are physically manifested. These dancing shows! I guess they really want to make you want to get up and shake your booty! Regarding Nigel’s tap surprise—it was fun. I like Jason Samuels Smith. Debbie Allen is cool too.
The great preview of Criss Angel’s Believe Vegas show with a Wade Robson’s choreography for Cirque de Soleil reminds me of the many people who have not seen Vegas shows, have not seen Broadway shows, and have not even seen a professional company’s Nutcracker. This number is very good, don’t get me wrong. The dancers are coordinated and move gracefully, without wobbly moves, with synchroncity, keeping their balance, pointing their feet. The choreography is original, good moves, individually and in groups, poignant and funny, with great costuming and makeup. But it IS what is to be EXPECTED from GOOD dancing. So please, please remember this number next time when you are spoon fed the “fabulous” SYTYCD group numbers and those “never seen before” couple routines presented to you as the next best thing since sliced bread. Please, please go to a professional show and do not be fooled by Nigel!
Oh… the results: Courtney, as expected and telegraphed the night before, is the first out, I guess she was not part of the “California Triad.” Katee, against all hope but with an outside chance is the next one out. I guess she had too much training! When the chips come down, it’s the big glasses vs. the big butt —and the cheeks have it! I guess all those scholarships with Debbie Allen over the last ten years paid off! (but, wait… he actually is an untrained hip-hop street dancer!). Congratulations Joshua. Goodbye.

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SYTYCD Top Four Season Finale: A Training Day for the "Untrained" Dancers

In our Monday night spoiler (Spoiled SYTYCD Spoilers) we commented on Twitch, Joshua and Mary going to the hospital this weekend for dehydration (the first two) and an ankle sprain (the later). News of these injuries was the big deal all over the internet during the weekend. Well, it was a surprise that there was no mention at all of this in tonight's episode. Why? Didn’t the fans deserve to know what happened? Which left us wondering: Was it all a big publicity stunt? Why didn't they want to mention it in the show? Anyhow, with Nigel-the-producer’s brain working extra hours you never know (the use of the word “medics” in all the press releases kind of gave him away as the “anonymous” source, don’t you think?).

Ok. Let’s move on. This is the last week.
My rant is long, because the night is packed. I’ll give you the bottom line (except for the winner) right now:
- Mandy tells Courtney she needs more training, especially in ballet—said in a “take two ballet classes and call me in the morning” tone. Nigel says she also needs to correct herself more in various ways. Courtney cries as she realizes that the judges do not want her to win.
- Joshua is great because he has no training. So says Nigel over and over and over and over again.
- Katee: Mary has nothing to say after her beautiful Fox Trot, after gushing over with praises for Twitch. I guess it was not in the script (read my take, below).
- Twitch: I have nothing to add to the judges praises. My grandmother taught me well.

The night starts with Cat wearing a gold (Herve Leger?) dress and black gladiator heels. It becomes her, especially because the horizontal lines of the dress contrast with the strong vertical drop of her long hair. Although she looked pretty, the dress brought to mind 3CPO (Star Wars) but my daughter said that she looked like she was ready for the Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Eve (Friends’ Episode). I’m actually happy to have another entry into the Hall of Fame of Cat’s Inspired Outfits (see our sidebar). Mary is in a dress that can only be described as a fish-scales-spider-web (doesn’t reminded me of anything; it’s just remarkably weird).

The dances started with Twitch and Courtney’s Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha. It was not a lyrical Hip Hop but a hard-hitting one. Courtney and Twitch were both good. Twitch looked certainly in its element as both a hip hop dancer and as a guy who’s violently fighting with his crazy girlfriend (remember Mia’s “Pas de Door” routine?). But we have to give it up to Courtney who, as the jealous girlfriend who’s "beating down” Twitch, was convincing and strong, kicking and hitting and punching and dancing. By the way, you cannot help but wonder what’s up in these choreographers’ lives that these is what comes to mind in their dances? First Mia’s door routine (Katee and Twitch) now NappyTab’s. All this kicking and punching is a good vehicle for showcasing the freedom of body language, but is not a good message for the young crowd watching this show, I must say. With that caveat, however, I liked the number. I think the choreography worked, and especially thanks to Courtney’s acting and dancing skills (although somehow the word dancing doesn’t seem to really reflect what happened here…). Twitch’s “acting” never felt convincing to me, and his “dancing” was not up to par; even the lift was not right and looked forced (I missed Mark here… he would have made that lift work…). Between Courtney and Twitch, I would say that Courtney won this one (for me, not necessarily for the audience though).

Good for Wade, who seems to be a well adjusted family man and gave us a more positive message with his choreography for Josh and Katee. A lyrical to John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” It was an emotive piece about how love is “hard work.” To me, this one was the best choreography of the night and almost the only one at the level of what you’ll expect for SYTYCD’s final competition night (although I liked NappyTabs’ too). The problem, however, was that the dancing was not to the level of the choreography. The dancers were not together when they obviously had to be, and their lines were not as beautiful as they could have been. There were a lot of wobbly turns and weak landings. Maybe with more rehearsals this number will look awesome for the tour… I liked the effect of using one camera and one single light, although there were a couple of moments in which the continuous one camera shot looked awkward. During the floor work (Katee on top), when the couple was filmed from the front, and not from the side, it made the movements look mundane, losing the magic and losing a potentially beautiful formation of the two bodies. But that could have been fixed with choreography, if Wade would have taken into account that the camera wasn’t moving to the side. It was a good experiment, however. Between Joshua and Katee, this one is a tie for me. Katee looked technically stronger than Joshua, but I expected more from her. Joshua was struggling –by the way, I do not believe the cr(beep)p about Joshua’s complete “untraining” (and I’m sick and tired of hearing Nigel saying it!)—but he certainly needs more training.

Next was Courtney and Katee’s Broadway by Tyce. WTH was this? Is it just me, or did they had it against the girls tonight (especially, against Courtney!). I couldn’t believe my eyes with this number. What a waste of two good contemporary dancers to use Courtney and Katee for this routine. It was definitely a waste of their skills and immediately brought to my mind that other Tyce routine, “Rock the Boat,” with Will and Katee that seemed totally unfit for those two gifted dancers. This was not exactly a stretch either! Messy dresses, messy props, poor routine. Not exactly a vote grabber! I cannot help but think that the show producers did not want a girl to win this season. I tell you, Courtney and Katee did not get in the Hot Tamale Train with this number. No way! They got in the Ice Cold Tacky Trolley! This was the total sabotage: the stupid costumes, the silly choreography, and then the props (the white lace parasols). As Mary pointed out, props are very difficult to use in numbers with more than one dancer because they are hard to coordinate. When people watch a number with multiple dancers using props and they look together it may seem easy but that kind of coordination is quite difficult to attain. By the way, Mary was the only judge making sense tonight. She was the most fair and constructive. Mandy made vacuous comments such as: “This number reminds me of old Hollywood.” Duh!! It should, since it is based on the 1940s old Hollywood movie “Meet me in St. Lois,” Mandy! What planet are you from? Nigel also had it against Courtney so openly that it was upsetting! I have not being particularly a fan of Courtney, but tonight I got upset at witnessing how ruthless and unfair Nigel and Mandy were with her. First Mandy, told Courtney that she needed more training. Next, Nigel gives her corrections (at this stage of the game?!?!?) and tells her that if you watch it again you’ll see how Katee was so much better than her? When he said that, I though WHATT? I didn’t see that. Actually, of the two dancers, Courtney was more believable to me than Katee. Courtney was there, she looked alive, and my eyes were drawn to her through the whole routine. For what the number was, Courtney made it work more than Katee (to me).

Well, I can tell you now that I watched it again and, Nigel, you’re wrong! Courtney danced it all the way, finished all her movements, and danced larger than Katee if you consider the height difference. They were asking a lot from these girls with this number and offering them very little to shine. Besides the judges’ comments that favored Katee, I actually think that Courtney won this one. Ohhh, and one final thing: Yes to parasols but no to shoes? What was that? Are these kids only going to be able to dance in a Broadway remake of the Flintstones?

And then to top the night off, it came: Josh and Twitch’s Russian Character Dance (or, “Russian Street Dance” according to Nigel… which made me wonder: has Nigel ever watched a Nutcracker Ballet?). OMG! I was very disappointed by this number after all the build up that it had through the grapevine. Excellence was not a standard that they were seeking with this routine. Oh, no! The music and basic choreography used is from the most performed ballet in the world, The Nutcracker, and I personally felt affronted by the travesty of this dance. Nigel talked about it as if it was out of this world; as if for the very first time in the history of the US this dance had been performed on an American stage or on television! Brought to you all the way from Russia by nobody else but: Mr. Nigel Lithgoe! Are you kidding me? What planet are YOU from, Nigel? In my lifetime, I must have seen about 50 Nutcrackers if not more from very classical to campy, to hip-hop/urban; from professional companies to school recitals, the Russian version, the Balanchine version, the Cuban version, and Twitch/Joshua’s Russian Dance was not among the best, oh no! Really, this was painful to watch, with poor execution, poor coordination and poor, yes, poor choreography! At best a small-school-recital number.

The worst part of all these is that I know from reading Fox’s internet boards that most people are raving about it! How sad! It is sad that one of these two guys is going to win the SYTYCD competition based on this Russian “Street” Dance, just because 90% of the voters have never seen a Nutcracker ballet. Sad, sad, sad!!!!!! Furthermore, and this just hit me: I already bought tickets for the live Tour and I’m going to have to suffer through this Russian dance again!
It was pathetic that this number got a standing O. Joshua had great elevations, but, come on! I kind of like Joshua. I like his personality and determination. But tonight it was quite obvious that, as the winner of season 4, he (or Twitch) will have to be called America’s FAVORITE Dancer, oh yes, because BEST dancer he is NOT. Not even among these four! Oh, by the way, Mandy made not sense again when she said that Joshua must have paid Twitch to get him to do the floor work (unless she did it on purpose trying to build Twitch up). Good for Joshua to coming back with: I can jump higher! Yes you can, Joshua. And the truth is that Twitch did not do the proper Russian floor (and, no, it wasn’t the choreography). And if the choreographer did not want it to be compared to the real thing, he shouldn’t have used the traditional costumes and the traditional music from The Nutcracker Suite. Ok?

Oh, one more thing Nigel: Danny and Neil’s Two Princes routine was so much better than this one!!!! Oh, Yes!!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUjdOJdnJps

Twitch & Katee’s Foxtrot by Tony & Melanie to “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé was alright. Nothing spectacular, but alright. Twitch was in a tuxedo and Katee was in a light blue dress with lots of fringes. The judges loved it for the most part. Mary told Katee that she could walk into the US Ballroom Championships in September because she is so good. I think that comment was an exaggeration, but I agree with Mary that Katee was the best of the couple. And if we are fair, she’s possibly the best of the four remaining dancers. I’m pro-Courtney tonight, however, because of what they’ve been doing to her. The final duel between Twitch and Katee was not won by Bond, James Bond, oh no. Regardless of how much Mandy, Mary and Nigel push Twitch to us the naïve viewers, I must say that Katee looked the best of the two. It was like watching that other show, DWTS, with Katee as the professional and Twitch as the amateur. Yes, I agree, that lift was good, but the overall effect of the dance was given by her, not him. Her grace, beauty and lines made the dance when they were together and when they were not, she dominated. Twitch, about that audition as 007—you will not get my call back.

The last partner dance was Josh & Courtney's jive by Jason. This was another “Sabotage Courtney Mission” team work by choreography and costuming. I understand that gladiator sandals are in, but gladiator outfits? NOT. What did they had her wearing? Who could have looked good on that? Not even Cat! And her boots! Wow, how can anybody point on those? You cannot even stretch your legs! This was a train wreck. I can even see all the cold tamales spread through the tracks! No winner here, really.

The final number was Mia’s Scottish. It started great with the long silk sheet and then WTH? I had heard a lot about this number as being weird and interesting and emotional and Ok... Mia Michaels is usually brilliant… but that was a weird choreography for the final four. And I don’t think it suited them as a foursome at all… It certainly didn’t favor Courtney and Joshua, because of their stature and body types in contrast to Katee and Twitch. The choreography had a couple of beautiful frames as well as some energy driven moments, but for most of it they looked like if they were running around like tired basketball players... missing the shots... and the costumes were awful! They were mocking ballet movements and it was a weird combination of ballet with contemporary that, to me, ended up not being this or that. And then, there was the issue of the uneven lift and Courtney. I watched it again and again and the vertical versus horizontal lift didn't look like a dancers’ mistake. It seemed obviously choreographed. Actually, wasn't it supposed to symbolize a Cross? Of course, Mia and the dancers are the only ones who know the truth, but it didn’t look like Courtney and Joshua were even trying to match Katee and Twitch’s position. It looks to me like that they were meant to be forming a Celtic Cross. Courtney was perfectly horizontal while Katee was perfectly vertical. And it looked like Courtney’s body was supposed to be horizontal in contrast to Katee’s verticality… But, what do I know?

About the solos, I have to start by saying that I loved Cat’s little moments with the contestants. I loved the relaxed interviews on the couch, showing the person behind the dances.
Courtney was beautiful. I liked it a lot. It was one of her best solos; however, it is unavoidable to compare her solo with Katee’s solo and Katee was better. Between the girls, Katee wins.
Twitch’s solo demonstrated that he’s very good at popping and that he has great musicality and sense of humor. Now, it was Joshua who stole the show with his solo! He was really AWESOME!! Started off on the stage, then ran off the stage and jumped onto the judge's platform, all the time popping and hopping and booty shaking and doing lots of trick, ending up on a floor split. He really deserved that standing ovation! And he demonstrated capacity for improvisation when, loosing a shoe at the end of the split (looked obviously unplanned), he used it (a smelly dancer’s shoe to boot!) as a phone to ask the audience for their calls—Smart move!

Overall, although Katee is the “best” dancer of the four, Joshua has to be the “favorite” dancer for most.
My Top 4 Predictions are:
1) The word untrained will come out of Nigel’s mouth on Thursday, probably more than once!
2) Mary is going to scream…
3) Cat will be wearing something wonderfully weird,,,
4) Joshua is going to win!

Bull Killer Movie

When Adam Shankman promised a role in an upcoming film to the winner of So You Think You Can Dance, at first we thought he may be talking about the FAME remake, but Shankman is not yet attached to that movie as a director or producer. We do not rule it out completely, however, since Fame is still in casting mode... We sure could see some of the SYTYCD dancers (and teacher/choreographers) cast in that film (see our Fame side bar in this same page). Mr. Shankman is currently attached to four other upcoming films: Hairspray 2 (not looking forward too much to THAT one), Bedtime Stories (this one is an Adam Sandler comedy, not a dance movie or musical as far as we know), a live action/modernized version of Aladdin (this one has been a Disney's on again, off again project for several years already), and the movie “Matadors”.

Based on the true story of the Chicago Bulls’ group of male cheerleaders, the film Matadors is described as “a comedic take on what happens when a pair of ultimate basketball fans form a cheerleading squad.” The movie will be distributed by Disney. The director will be Anne Fletcher, who directed “27 Dresses” and “Step-up” (another Shankman produced film). Is Matadors the prize for the SYTYCD winner? Maybe... but they'll have to beautify the cast a lot! The true ones are not that pretty!
To give you casting ideas, the real life Matadors for the Chicago Bulls (current season) are these (there seems to be even a spot for Will’s James Brown wig -check Corie out!):
Adam - Albert - Corie - DeLawrence - John - Kevin - Kirby - Mike O. - Mike S. - Steven
PHOTO GALLERY

Who knows. The movie could be the live action Aladdin project instead. We can see some Bollywood and other SYTYCD "ethnic" dances in that one!

SYTYCD Season 4: IV REAL TONIGHT

Still in 70’s Disco Ball dress mood, Cat greets us and the six remaining dancers who make a Mandy Moore contemporary dance look beautiful in white among the shadowy spotlighting. As she introduces the jidges once again, Adam ups the ante, offering the winner of the show a spot in a movie he is producing at this time. But I was wondering: Is this a prize for the winner or for Adam? Whoever wins has tons of publicity and already a built in audience of fans, offered to Adam at a very low salary scale. Win for Adam for sure, and, I guess a win for the winner. Maybe even a win for some other dancers in the show. How about a remake of Fame? Read our side bar item with our suggested casting…
OK, let’s go back to tonight’s show. About the solos: Joshua gave his grills away to Twitch, ready to have a winning smile; Chelsie gives another Country dance number (remember that terrible Two Step a few weeks back with Kherington and Mark?) in a cow girl costume with a tutu (love her, but I call it as I see it); Twitch does some Popping Broadway Twitch (I actually liked him a lot tonight), and thankfully does not share personal use items with anybody; Mark, Courtney and Katee also do solos… (I liked them all!).
Katee is safe and Chelsie goes home, but we’ll see her next week again, dancing group numbers in the finale. We’ll see her on the tour also (remember to check the passwords in our “Emmy” post of 7/28 to buy advance tickets tomorrow Friday). I don’t know which number I liked best, Beautiful Wedding Dress Dance or Bleeding Love… you decide.

When it comes to the boys, as expected Joshua is safe. Mark is out, as I had expected and hinted but hoped against hope. I mentioned already Bleeding Love, and he had some other great numbers, including last night’s Frenchie Animal Garden Jazz/Hip-Hop/Contemporary number by Sonya, and that special Nappitabb’s Hip Hop number In Detention, with Comfort.

Next week is the finale!
P.S.: Nothing to say about Lady Gaga

SYTYCD Season 4… And Then There Were Four (Wait, Its Still Six!)

OMG The show starts at eight PM and it is a recap! Terpsichore tells us there are eight dancers left! What? I guess they really wanted to show Comfort again!
Seeing this show again I realize that Toni Basil REALLY liked Courtney’s hat from her last Hip Hop routine, but… I am not going to annoy you with another punchy review of a repeat show. However, I just cannot resist (or I can)…
OK, only one thing: upon seeing that Contemporary Ballet Pas de Deux again (Balanchine’s “Who Cares”, choreographed to “The Man I Love”) I found it a little sloppier than the first time I saw it, and was bothered by the plastic shoes of the ballerina, reminding me why I do not like that type of Pointe shoes: They really do not look naturally made to mold to the dancer’s foot, do not enhance the arches and they look fake on stage. And one more thing… Twitch’s solo was actually very good! (better than Will’s).

When we go to the 4REAL show tonight, Cat is in 70’s Disco mode in a silver gown, and Mary is close behind. Except Cat is wearing Greek sandals! She is actually wearing the little winged sandals of Hermes, the trickster Greek god! Were they not ready last week? Take a look! (Although I think the real trickster in the show is Nigel).

All the dancers as they come out look very nervous, as they should be! The adrenaline will be pumping tonight! So, lets go to the dances:

Courtney and Mark – Viennese Waltz: A beautiful number with smooth moves and lifts, the most romantic dance of the evening, which later brings us all sort of aggressive and conflict ridden dances. Mark impresses the jidges, and is better than Courtney, but their “chemistry” together is impressive for this first timer couple. Nigel, never relenting in his unbridled commercialism (a good thing, I guess – makes him successful after all), plugs American Idol (his other show) and David Cook (last season’s winner) in a very non-contextual way. When it comes to the Jazz, I have to say, Sonya has given us great numbers all throughout the season and this one is not a let down. The matching between Mark the dancer and Sonya the choreographer is (the) one made in dance heaven, with her out-there brain images, and his unique moves. Courtney and Mark: A great couple tonight!

Katee’s and Joshua – Contemporary: Not as good as I thought it could be, it reminded me of one that I thought was better, their own previous contemporary by Miss Double M. The arrested or caught-in-mid-air leap that Mary mentioned was interesting, seeming almost like a captured bird in flight, stopping the leap (and repeating, once again, a similar move from the aforementioned Mia M choreography). I am not sure that I liked it as a smooth move, though. Nigel perpetuates the lie that Joshua has not had any classical training, something that Joshua admitted to already in the past albeit saying it was to improve his football playing. I guess Nigel’s animosity towards training has to be somehow manifested when trained dancers get near the top of the competition. Their Paso Doble: A great number, it deserves a Nigel-eye-popping-Mary-scream. Almost impeccable, I cannot say I saw fault in it. Would it have been better with a different couple? Hard to say: Katee and Twitch? Katee and Mark? Just imagine it and score it (hint: 10 with all… but some 10s are more equal than others).

Chelsie and Twitch – First for the Mambo: Adam Shankman’s comments are right on target: the eyes kept on getting drawn to Chelsie, in that (Mary’s words) Hot Tamale red dress. A good team player, she distracted away from the weak partner, but Nigel showing off Twitch’s weaknesses in slo-mo really called him on it. Not Twitch’s best number, she did very well. When it comes to their Hip Hop, a great number once again, and once again led by Chelsie. Chelsie deserves to be on top, demonstrating her versatility and her style. Twitch does good, but it is not as powerful as Chelsie, who is “outside of her style”. I must say, this number and Sonya’s Jazz by Courtney & Mark were the ones I wanted most to see, after learning about them and posting them on my spoiler blog . This number, like C & M’s does not disappoint, is entertaining and well conceived, and it is also a 10 this evening (that is, if I was still scoring).

During a commercial break we are informed that now the panties that Wal-Mart offers don’t ride up (label says: wedgie free!). I guess they are improving their quality product selection! But, wait... shouldn't this commercial have been on Dancing with the Stars instead?

The Solos:

Chelsie: She came out fighting a little hip-hoppish at the start and, but for her last smooth moves and final split, I was not particularly impressed. Maybe it was that song once again “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls.

Twitch: The best part of Twitch’s solo was Cat putting on his grills! (eeugh!). Enough to forget everything that just happened and for her to win the Emmy’s next year as best, outstanding, over the limit and beyond the call of duty TV Host.

Katee: Good for a night at the club, is she too full of herself? She is not the underdog in this competition, but she did not kick it up a notch with this one… I do like that she did no floor and that it was a happy dance, though.

Joshua: Better than Twitch’s, maybe borrowing some of his moves. After all, Twitch did borrow his grills.

Courtney: Not especially memorable, it was well executed, showing what Contemporary technique is all about. She is a top six dancer but, is she a top four?

Mark: Apparently he finally went to the waxing salon, and gives us a different image in this number. His quirkiness shows off, a little better than his (not) (and not spray tanned) six pack.

So, you may have noticed, there was no show of hands in hats pulling out partners or dances… either Nigel has realized that we know there really are no random parings and dances, or well… I am at a loss for words. In any case, if you think about it Chelsie and Twitch was a new couple, and so were Mark and Courtney. But Katee and Joshua were one of the original couples! Change it to Mark and Katee (a pairing we would like to see) and we would have seen all dancers dance with each other (except for Courtney & Mark, oh well). Courtney and Joshua had danced together before, remember Bridezilla?. Now, if Mark is kicked out, we will not have seen him dance with Katee (though it was good to see him with Courtney). Is this a good thing for Joshua over Mark? Or is it a good thing for Courtney over Chelsie? Tomorrow we’ll see… as the $250K for “America’s Favorite Dancer” gets within reach of the Final Four.

Well, Emmy Congrats are in Order…

Four Emmy nods for SYTYCD, Season 3 (last year): three for choreography and one for makeup! Nigel must have a bittersweet feeling, with three dances nominated for Emmys but two of the choreographers not with the show anymore—and one of them with a dance show of his own to boot! Anyway, these were outstanding dances and here they are for you to enjoy again:

The Hummingbird and The Flower Dancers: Hok and Jaimie; Song: 'The Chairman's Waltz' - Wade Robson, Choreographer.
Transformers Dancers: Pasha and Lauren; Song: 'Fuego' - Shane Sparks, Choreographer.
Table Dancers: Neil and Sabra; Song: 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' - Mandy Moore, Choreographer.

For those of you who went on the tour, you will remember all of these well, as they were cool. By the way, the Makeup nomination is for the same show where Hok and Jaimie did that Hummingbird/Flower dance, but I cannot know specifically if it is for that number or another.
Competing against these are a choreography from Dancing With the Stars, by Julianne Hough, who is now singing country around with that recent High School graduate, her friend Taylor Swift—and talking about HS, HSM2’s dances (as a group) are the other contender (there are five nominations). For Julianne’s Dancing With the Stars number, you can see it here:

Mambo, danced on Week 2 with contestant Helio Castroneves. (Song 'Para Los Rumberos').

For HSM2, you are on your own…
See you Wednesday!

By the way… for those of you who want to try and buy advanced, presale tickets on ticketmaster (to buy them this Friday instead of Saturday), the password is either Nigel, SYTYCD, Soyou, or Candance… I hope! If you find out for sure, let me know!

SYTYCD July 24: The Results – Six of One or Half a Dozen of the Other!

Robotic superheroes welcome us tonight in a retro choreography reminiscent of TRON and, back in the “inspiration” mode from last night, Cat is in a Greek Muse costume, I suppose Terpsichore. Black yesterday and white today – she is beautiful once again! With the laurel leaf crown on her belt, as opposed to her head where she has an odd looking angel wing hair-holding thing, she contrasts sharply with Nigel, shabby looking in a The Fonz leather jacket and a T shirt that says, maybe, vote??? Nigel does give us a good PSA talking about http://www.declareyourself.com/ and the importance to vote in the IV REAL elections this year (not the SYTYCD fake ones). You can also register to vote at http://www.rockthevote.com/ (and check out that cool Christina Aguilera video).
I did not think you could get more surrealistic than Toni Basil but well, with today’s results, I must say everybody must have been on an Absolut binge! Big surprises tonight!!! Will is not just in the bottom two but he’s out! What happened?!?! Even dialidol got it wrong, although they did have Mark safe! Which, I ‘m actually happy about because I think Mark is great and he has not been fairly treated… I must confess I’ll be looking forward to next week’s performance with lots more interest, now that I know that Mark is still in!!! But I did not expect Will to be leaving tonight. Nigel (and Mia, if she is actually watching) is bummed on this one but, regardless, now Debbie Allen can come back as jury and judge and choreographer of the last six Nigel victims. Sorry, America, but I think this was a demonstration of collective ADD: people just voted based on Wednesday night's performance (honestly, Will was not that brilliant last night and his solo was not that attractive, but they did not give him a door to lean on either….), instead of their whole work until then. Or maybe people were fed up with so much Will praising by the judges!!!

When it comes to the girls all I can say is, I hope no one else gets injured out of the competition… If I were Courtney or Chelsie, I would be taking extra care of my ankles, hips, and ribs because Comfort is just waiting around the corner… LOL. Just Kidding!

By the way, I am out of the Cassandra business. My predictions are worthless! Who do you think is off next, making that Top Four magical coven?
I do want to comment on the solos, even though the results are known (kinda like the “solos don’t count” mentality, and who's safe and who's not before everyone has been Cat callled on stage): I thought that Comfort’s solo was close to the gumby brothers and the boneless man (Robert Muraine) routines – a new variation for her? She did have better costuming than usual, and she didn’t have to pull up her pants all the time but... she did it anyway, I guess out of habit. When it came to Will, it was his lamest solo ever! He had been an original, doing a different take on contemporary all the time up to now. I guess he was taken so much by surprise by his bottom two position that he had to put his cheek down on the floor (ugh!). How is that a good dance move? What can I say about Twitch? Not much really, it was just more of the same. Frankly my dear, I don’t give a d… Finally Courtney’s solo was a lot less moving than last night’s which I think was her best so far.

One more comment… Nigel, thanks for the LA Ballet Pas de Deux. It was a great Contemporary Ballet routine, effortlessly showcasing a weightless ballerina. This is what a CLEAN routine looks like, looking so effortless that it seems easy. It’s not, of course, and only very well trained professionals can pull something like this off. What I found awkward were the Uhh, Ahhs from the audience, after every turn, every leg extension... It was almost comedic... Anyway, thank you, Nigel for the Contemporary Ballet! Now, bring us a Classical!

About LL Cool J, I have always liked him. He’s Cool.

It ain’t singing and it ain’t dancing, though… but Cool it is.

SYTYCD Season 4, Top 8: You guys are so fine, you blow my mind!

I have nothing funny to say about Cat tonight. Maybe she is too sensitive and is going bland on us. Or she has a surprise up those black three quarter sleeves for us very soon. We’ll see…

Courtney and Will - Courtney’s screaming hips start the night with Will’s and her sensual Samba. A rhythmic thumping tempo beat, shaking and shimming and having shameless fun. Great number: a 9.5 for them. For their second number I liked the “slo” hip hop. The B&W contrast was very well played out. Almost touching, touching sometimes, at the end separated. The choreography was very, very good. The dancers did well with the number, but really it was not that demanding. Nappy-Tabb’s previous number (Mark and Comfort’s) required much more from the dancers than this one. Because of that I can only give them an 8.5.

Katee and Twitch - Opening the door to the creative use of props, Mia Michaels does one of her psycho-choreographies once again. And it is fun to watch! …even though Twitch danced only half of the time, while during the other half he was just leaning against the door. Katee was scary in character and danced wonderfully. Mary and Nigel’s door is knock-knocked, and she screams, trying to out door him. The chemistry between Nigel and Mary is almost as believable as the one between Simon and Paula… not! As for the dancers, Mia's number deserves a 10, but Twitch was sooo lucky!!!! I love props, by the way. Remember that Emmy winning Mia Michaels'

choreography? See Twitch and Katee's Contemporary. In their second number we see Katee with no shoes and Twitch too! Again, Katee outdances Twitch by a sweet Georgia mile. He makes a prince valiant effort, but she shines tonight lots more. By the way, it seems to me that—given the costuming and theme—never on the Great White Way that number would have been shoeless on Broadway. A 9 for this one.

Comfort and Mark - Excellent hip hop number. Loved that lift-back-flip. Mark is a closet hip-hopper, with this number and that Bleeding Love number there is no question about it—and Tabitha and Napoleon know that and use him well. Comfort was well used by them too. They are awesome choreographers that can make a dancer shine. I just wish she wouldn’t grab her crotch all the time. Maybe it’s those baggy pants. A 9.5 for this number. Link to their dance in YouTube. However their Fox Trot was awful. Boring, stiff, but yet, surprisingly Comfort’s best ballroom number. This number does not bode well for either Mark or Comfort. Out of the eight dancers four will be in the bottom. These two will be there, despite their detention homework assignment line (“I will not be in the bottom”). The routine, choreography and costuming did not help At All! I’m no conspiracy theorist, but if somebody had anything against Mark and wanted to hurt him this is how this number would have looked! I have to give this number a 7.5 if I want to be fair to the others.

Chelsie and Joshua - Amazing kicks, a bit all over the place, reminding me very much so of a kung-fu number choreographed by Jet Li or Jackie Chan. Chelsie may be one of the next Bond girls, using dangerous helicopter legs for backstabbing with poisoned spiked heels. Careful Joshua! By the way, he was ok, using his football player strength to move her around easily. By the way, Nigel’s fixation with Joshua’s bum is getting weird. Joshua was a good partner, and I will have to give them a 9 for this one, although with a lingering doubt that I cannot quite define. Why did all the praise by the judges seem so fake? This Argentine Tango was not better than Mark and Chelsie’s… Do you want to compare? See YouTube's Mark and Chelsie's versus Joshua and Chelsie's... In their second number (Disco) Joshua shows off his strength once again, no doubt. In a choreography that was basically lifts after lifts after lifts, Joshua demonstrated that he is strong. Did it look really, really good? I don’t think so. Did it look effortless (or “seamless” as Toni Basil says)? Not so. It looked forced and awkward at times. Chelsie’s ballroom training really helped her, but I think Joshua may be the other guy in the bottom. For this number I can only give them an 8 tonight.

About the Solos:
James B., AKA Will’s solo had his wig electrify the air and the audience offa that thing! Too bad he only did a quarter of it! A 10 for originality, an 8 for timing a 9 for execution—it is a 9 for his solo and a 27 for the night.
Katee’s solo is very well executed, with all the right moves, and all the right faces. No question her contemporary is good, I just would have liked to see something more original. She still gets an 8 from me, no higher because she played it safe. Her total tonight is 27 but she is sure to be on top of the other girls.
Courtney’s solo is dramatic in its execution and has a smart use of costuming. I give her a 9 for this one and a total of 27 for tonight. She has a good chance of being in the bottom half tomorrow, but she has a following that may save her.
Twitch’s solo: now I understand why they grab their crotch. Their pants are falling off! His super T shirt stayed on though—as did every other guys’ tonight! Are they getting prudish or is that wax really starting to sting? A 7.5 at best gives him a 26.5 tonight. The choreographers, in particular Mia, saved him!
Mark’s original moves showcase his choreographic skills. He may be kicked off tomorrow but I bet we will see him around for a long time. Watch out Mia Michaels! For being out there (perhaps a bit misunderstood) the 9.5 in his solo gives him a total of 26.5 on this, his probable last night.
Chelsie’s birthday (it was Monday) is celebrated with a well performed solo. This season has a great crop of dancers. 9 for her solo gives her a total of 26 for the night.
Joshua’s solo: not inspiring, I give him an 8 because I like him. His total 25. Not a good night for him!
Comfort: choreographing those pant pull-ups is not that cool. Please use elastic or tape! 7 on the solo, 24 for the night. Are we going to be wrong again or is she going to be out tomorrow? She’s the one who should be wearing a Super C shirt! She’s indestructible!

Okay, so I expect Comfort and Chelsie in the bottom two on the girls’ side, and Mark and Joshua on the guys’ side. Who’s out? I expect Comfort and Mark to be out. However, there could be a real surprise… The shocker result? Joshua and Chelsie… Even more shocking? According to Dial Idol, Comfort won't be even in the bottom two. Instead it'll be Chelsie and Courtney!

CLICK PICTURE TO SEE ORIGINAL HEY MICKEY VIDEO
P.S.: Toni Basil’s comments make me understand why there are no product placement cups for the judges—Absolut is not allowed to have TV commercials! (Does she share her cup with Paula?) . Or maybe that’s what happens to your brain when you perform over and over such as sticky a song like Hey Mickey (can’t get the song out of my head!!!!!)…. The street must be a little wobbly from where she stands (sometimes on HER head)!

SYTYCD Potential Spoiler? Top 4 Couples Pairings?

There is a Picture floating around on the boards that supposedly has the new couples parings for this week. What do you think?


Picture was taken after Results Show, last Thursday....
Spoiler for 7/23 Episode Available at http://sytycdspoilers.blogspot.com/

SYTYCD The Results - Hooray for Bollywood!

Hooray for Bollywood!
That screwy, ballyhooey Bollywood!
Where any office boy or young mechanic
Can be a panic
With just a good-looking pan
And any barmaid
Can be a star maid
If she dances with or without a fan.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where any choreography
Done in a rush
Without many rehearsals
Can look entertaining
As long as they have
Nakul Dev Mahajan
And ten top dancers
And complacent judges
And a forgiving audience.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where ten top dancers
In not so perfect formations
Some lacking coordination
Could be considered terrific
If they’re even good!
Where anyone at all
From David Archuleta
to Mia Michaels
From Cat Deeley
to Nigel Lythgoe
Is equally understood.
Go out and try your luck
You might be Donald Duck.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where five pretty dancers
And Mia
Can make the Ave Maria
Seem empty of spirituality
And Mia
Always on the edge
Can make it possible
For five pretty girls
To look not so pretty.
Just like beggars
On the edge of the stage.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where an Old Mo’s
Old fashion dance
Done just to feed
The ego of the producer
Showcasing the top one
Of the top five
As he is expected to win
The Will of the voters.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where everything is IV Real
And where “the judges hate me” remarks
Put you at the bottom of the pack.
And where the extreme dancer
Fearless Gev
Is also sent home before his time
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where Twitch and Comfort
Will stay
At least one more week
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where Mark and Chelsie
may dance together again
And about my predictions
I must admit
I was so wrong
I should have listened to my wife
Who insisted that K the soccer player would be out.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where we were both wrong
About the guys.
Who could have thought?
That people would not have known
Who’s who
And who should go home.
Hooray for Bollywood!

LINK TO HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD by Doris Day

SYTYCD Top Ten: Perfect Pairing – Random never got it so right!

Tonight Cat in a Golden Lame (no pun intended) gown, gives a metallic touch to the night’s costuming and perfectly matches the tone and flow of her golden locks as she introduces the new couples to us. But before that happens, Jessica starts the night with this gem: “I broke two ribs and fractured one”. So, I am not sure of what she meant: Did she mean something like having her cake and eating it too? Okay, I hope that she recovers and does well on the tour, but I cannot help but think that the SYTYCD casting department had something to do with this.

Comfort is under pressure now, seeing that she was kicked off once already… lets see how the new couples do then. In the longest, dance packed show with 30 numbers total it is hard for me to be punchy, but I will try…

Courtney and Joshua: The show starts with a slap in the face to Joshua in an electric, monster performance. Dave Scott’s hip-hoppish/Broadway-comic routine is extremely entertaining and Courtney really shows off a side of her that she had been hiding from us before, the frizzy side! Was it the electricity or the chemistry? In Mia M’s language, the number is “stinky bad!” which in Mary M’s language means that they deserve an ear exploding screammmmm!!!!!

Dr. Spankenstein’s Joshua: 9. Bridezilla Courtney: 8.5.

When Courtney and Joshua do the Rumba, it is hot!! Joshua shows a hidden side also, a technique hiding under his football player past. His brushing of the floor with his toes was very good and natural. Honestly, they were almost flawless in this number, which is even more impressive for a new couple still getting used to each other. His score for this one is 9 for a total of 18 points. Courtney was again in one of those dresses that didn’t hide that much. Her performance however was not as electric or hot as she has done before. She had some good moves and I love her personality, so she gets an 8.5 from me, for a total of 17. Her athletic contemporary solo is well executed but nothing really extraordinary, so I give her an 8.5 for it and a total of 25.5 for the night. Joshua’s solo was good. However, there are two things that make Joshua quite special, one is his personality, which shined through; the other one is his versatility and we couldn’t see that in his solo. For his solo, Joshua gets a 9 from me. His total for the night: 27.

Kherington and Mark: Ronnie and Brandi teach a Country Two Step to Mark and Kherington—a complicated dance that does not match the skills of these two dancers, especially Mark’s. Their smiles were amazing, considering the disaster that the routine was. It was tough to watch, but at least they did not stumble. Mark seemed uncomfortable, moving too slow and then almost posing. The problem, however, was Kherington, who tonight seemed to have reached the limit of her capabilities. Mark: 8, Kherington: 7. For their second number, Tyce gave this new couple a jazz routine, well executed but that almost seemed in slo-mo! With that great song—“Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai (famous for the movie “Centerstage”)—and Mark’s capabilities, you expected a lot more. To me, it was obvious that the choreography had been slowed down for Kherington to be able to do it. Mark’s timing seemed off, fast in his parts and then slow next to Kherington. He was a good partner through and through, however, and for that, I give Mark an 8.5. Kherington gets a 7 (toooo sloooow!). Makes it 16.5 and 14 (ouch!) for each. Kherington’s solo is ok, demonstrating that she is one of the top ten dancers, but not much else. It lacked the athleticism and sharp moves that we saw in some of the other solos. I’m sorry K., your smile is beautiful but your solo did not shine: 8 for it and a total of 22 for you tonight. When Mark does his solo he shows why he is where he is. Great solo, his first since the auditions, brings back his animalistic electric moves. I give him a 9 for a total of 25.5 for the night.

Comfort and Twitch: Comfort back to the Waltz, seemed to do better this time. However, she lacks the technique needed and it is hard to fake it. Twitch was a little stiffer and more mechanical than usual. It was a pretty routine, but not especially great. It looked like they were thinking it a little too much. They looked uncomfortable (pun intended). Twitch 7.5, Comfort 7.5. When it comes to their second number, it’s built up as the top of the top for Hip Hop. But, was it really? I honestly saw no originality, not many interesting moves, no buck… (sorry Lil’ C). Maybe it was Comfort’s best as Lil said, but what can I say then? Is that the best dancing they can step up to? The make up was cool though, and the costuming matched the theme of the night: gold for Cat, copper for Mary and silver for them! By the way, was Cat confused with all the mirrors in Twicth’s top and thought that this was a group number? She talked about them as girls (pointing at Comfort) and boys (pointing at Twitch)! Anyhow, 8 for both, just because they do hip hop well: 15.5 for each for the night. Super T does his one dance. I like you, Super T, but your solo wasn’t superspectacular. A super 8 for you –total: 23.5 points. Comfort repeats on her solo what we have already seen. She’s good at what she does, but we are tired of seeing the same thing over and over and over again. She has had the opportunity to wow us so many times, but she seems to refuse to do it. For that, she gets a 7, and a total of 22.5 tonight.

By the way: it seems that product placement for the tour has started already with the IV Real and Super – T shirts, as well as tie dye Top Ten banners. Can see them already at the Tour’s merchandise booths!

Katee and Will: They start with a boat-rocking Broadway number, but was it just me or was this Tyce D’Orio’s routine overrated by the judges? There were a couple of brilliant moves, ciseaux, and the like that showcased the dancers, but the choreography was mostly dull and seemed to me that it was a waste of talent (the dancers’ talents). Katee and Will could have done a lot more. Honestly, they didn’t rock my boat. Still, the dancers did what they were given to do and they did it well. Katee: 9 and also for Will. When it comes to their second number, poor John Lennon must have tumbled and twirled in his grave with that horrible version of Imagine by David Archuleta, spinning more than Katee and Will did in their routine! Sorry, but I couldn’t totally enjoy their dancing because the song was distracting me. However Katee and Will did make this number their own, despite the horrible song. It was a traditional modern dance pas de deux through and through; a hard number and they did great… Will gets a 9.5 and Katee a 9, for her small stumble, but imagine, how hard is perfection when trying so hard! That gives them 18.5 for him and 18 for her. Katee’s solo redeems contemporary and makes it pretty! 9.5 for her on this one, gives her a total of 27.5 for the night, and when Will does his solo as a modern dance it is something to watch. Amazingly he does no floor! At some point all this writhing on the floor by these contemporary dancers gets a little old… no? 9.5 for him! Total of 28, the highest for the night!

Chelsie and Gev: They step it up with a contemporary by red Sonja. I felt bad for the Sonja routine that Matt and Kourtni did a couple of weeks ago, so poorly costumed that it put them in a bottom three position when perhaps they did not deserve it. With this number, Sonja showed us why she’s getting to the top of the choreographers food chain. To me, this was the best number of the night and I hope to see it live on the Tour! For this number I give Chelsie and Gev a 9.5 (Sonja gets the 10). Mary scream and all!!!!

In their next number (the last one for the night), Gev and Chelsie’s Jive pull off a high energy number that ends the night in a great note! Nigel gives Mary a killer look when she mentions “Dancing With the Stars” (that competing dance show) complimenting Chelsie as a “Star” and calling Gev an “Amateur”. Did you notice? Nigel stared at Mary as if throwing little knives at her with his eyes, and for what seemed as an eternity! But I think that Gev did a commendable effort, and he seemed really into it! I don’t know… I think she gets a 9 and he an 8.5. That makes it 18.5 for her and 17.5 for him. In his solo, Gev shows his amazing skill at break dancing, but it does not make me wanna shout, (lemme hear it, wanna shout, all together wanna shout…) 8.5 – total: 26 for him. About Chelsie’s first solo: better than Heidi, but –no shoes for Latin Ballroom? It was an ok number that really did not make me want to write too much. Just an 8.5 for her on this one, and a total of 27 for the night.
To me, the best numbers of the night and the ones that I would like to see at the Tour were Chelsie and Gev’s contemporary by Sonja, and Joshua and Courtney’s Hip Hop (Spankenstein and bride). I also expect so see Katee and Will’s Rock the Boat and their Pas de Deux (with a different version of Imagine, please!!!!).

Rankings for the night:
Will: 28
Katee: 27.5
Joshua: 27
Chelsie: 27
Gev: 26
Mark: 25.5
Courtney: 25.5
Twitch: 23.5
Comfort: 22.5
Kherington: 22

The results do not look favorable for Miss K or for Comfort. Will Comfort be out again? I expect it to be so, and it would be the fair thing to do, since she was just a replacement for the night. But I have been so wrong with Comfort in the past, kicking her out when they didn’t, keeping her in when they kicked her out (but then I was right after all because they kept her, didn’t they?), that I may be wrong again. Twitch is at the bottom of an excellent bunch, and I expect that he’ll be out. However, will it be Comfort or will it be Kherington? In the end, I think it will be Comfort and Twitch out. Well, who knows what the scriptwriters of this reality show have in mind... I think it will be a couple leaving, and that couple will be Comfort and Twitch.

Spoiler: Comfort is Back! - Top 5 Couples

We have a spoiler for you. Comfort is Back! Reason, Jessica is injured and needs to rest 4-5 weeks (rest of the competition). According to our sources, the 5 Couples are:

• Gev and Chelsie
  
• Katee and Will


• Comfort and Twitch


• Kherington and Mark


• Joshua and Courtney

Enjoy!

P.S. About the "IV Real" T-Shirts, all we have found out is that the shirts were an "inside" joke among contestants. Comfort, Joshua, Twitch, and Will wore them. It meant something about SYTYCD's fourth season -- i.e. Season 4 = IV = FOR REAL. Now we still do not know exactly what the joke meant. I guess it is an inside joke and we're in the outside!

SYTYCD Episode 15: IV REAL?

Squiggly light worms squirm as the 12 remaining dancers perform a great routine choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha. Cat, beautiful and feminine as always, introduces our first couples.
No surprise in our first two couples, Thayne and Comfort are part of that 50% that is going to be in danger, Katee and Joshua are safe. Cat asks Mia her opinion on the Thaynefort predicament and Mia seems to spill the beans as she says that it is sad that at least one of them is going to be sad. When Jessica and Will are bottom-threed (over Mark and Chelsie—not a big surprise), Mary also gives us the preview: Will’s mentor, Debbie Allen is in the audience. He’s not going to be voted off! For the last couple: it is T & K, so I missed one! Even though there was a 50-50 chance of any couple being in the bottom, there is a certain vote manipulation by the producers in the final choice (read the fine print if you don’t believe me). Showcasing Twitchington’s solos actually makes sense at this stage.
For the break before the solos we get Alvin Ailey Dancers—a lot better than Robert Muraine! Thanks Nigel!
The solos seem to be almost irrelevant, as the results may have been previously announced. The solos do show that the “contemporary” style is rather ubiquitous and generic nowadays. Either by the…

(I wasn’t paying attention to the singing number during the break for the jidges decision until I hear the lyrics “I kissed a girl, I liked it” sung by this all legged/short skirted young girl! What’s going on with this show? I found the Pussy Cat Girls singing “When I Grow Up” very inappropriate for a show that has a very young following. And after last night’s Garden of Eden I was feeling kind of uncomfortable with the “amorality” —lack of moral standards, not meaning “immorality”—of the show. This song choice tonight kind of tops it for me. I’m not a prude but there are a million better choices that could’ve been made that would’ve offered so much better role models for the young crowd that sees this show! I understand this is a business as any other, but why not be socially responsible also? Is SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY completely foreign to Fox?)

Okay, back to the results…

As I was saying, either by the audition process or because of the general pool of dance instruction out there, “contemporary” seems to be a catch-all that throws in a lot of tricks, and glosses over a lot of technique. Of the top 20, 13 defined their style as contemporary or contemporary/other. The next category was Hip-hop with only 3 self defined dancers in this category. Clearly either contemporary is a vague category or it is taking over.
However… I am sad to see such a great “contemporary” dancer as Thayne leaving. As seen in his solo he has the technique, strength and training, but given the mix of styles required and the way the show is structured he did have to leave. I am not so sorry to see Comfort go, because despite the fact that she is a great hip-hop dancer, she has really shown zero growth, doing poorly outside her style, and always the same in her own style. Jessica has shown growth and versatility, and for that she deserved to stay, despite my prediction of last night.

P.S. About the IV Real Shirts, I have not found out exactly what they meant (I know, of course, that it means For Real). Someone suggested to me that it has something to do with Season 4, but that’s all I’ve found out so far….

SYTYCD July 9, 2008. Episode 14: About the fabulosity of mixing Tarzan and Jane, the Hot Chahhhhccchaccchacchaaaah, a pair of absobloodylutely...

...dirty gangsta, a golden Bollywood couple and lots of back stabbing by the fabulous Mia.

Please welcome your host… Cat Deeley! In a breezy quasi halo dress, she looks like a girly girl ready for a summer afternoon tea. I am glad that she is out of that techno-retro fashion style and into something more becoming. Maybe all that contemporary-lyrical dancing is having some effect on her. I did think that after the tall dancers left last week she would wear lower heels, but she still had 20" heel shoes on. Perhaps it is her way of Pointe? Her hair, though, could have used some Shear Genius. Oh, well, about the dancing:


Mark and Chelsie start the night with a hot Salsa number. Chelsie nailed the number and, regardless of what the jidges said, I think Mark did too! Mia, with a killer hat (was she sharing that hat with Alex Da Silva?), tells Chelsie that she is so gorgeous she wants to stab her!! Wow, it is becoming really difficult to understand what this judges are saying most of the time. I think I have to go back to school and take MSL 101 (Mia as a Second Language).
For their second number, Mark and Chelsie do Broadway, and I really enjoyed watching this number!! I even forgot that I was supposed to “judge” and write my comments for this blog because I was just into their dance!! And that’s the difference between watching amateurs and watching professional dancers! When watching a professional dance, you can just sit back and enjoy! This number was a chemical reaction all over, from the couple, the jidges and the audience. However Mia, always the shocker, says that Mark does not have training and technique… ?!?! Please… if that’s the case, what do most of the others dancers this season have then?!?! I don’t know what Mia has against Mark, or where was she coming from, but honestly I do not see her point. Or, I wonder, maybe she thinks he’s so gorgeous that she was just showing her appreciation by backstabbing him with her comments? Again, I really have to enroll into an MSL 101 class asap! After their two numbers, my score for Chelsie and Mark tonight: 9.

Let’s move on…

Comfort and Thayne: Hip Hop. A well choreographed routine with sharp movements. Comfort in her zone (or so we expect) and Thayne working hard at it. Unfortunately the costuming did not help at all, with so many shoulder snaps and movements hidden by Comfort’s padded fluffy vest and Thayne’s oversized jacket. Definitely, not a number worth remembering. Comfort and Thayne’ second number was… flat! Poor execution, no magic. It was not a number for which you want to stop everything you are doing and watch. I think I’ll go feed the cats (not… I’ll watch every second so I can write this for you). Overall score tonight for Thaynefort: 7.5.

For Jessica and Will’s first number, Tyce D’Orio choreographs a number he says is evocative of the Garden of Eden… which for him means scantly clad dancers doing snake like moves, trying to show us what all that fuss about the Original Sin is about, however… the panting was not effortless. It seemed a little strained, but then it was primitive times back there in that Garden, wasn’t it? To me, Jessica struggled through most of the choreography, but Nigel, Mary and Mia say that Jessica is growing. Hence, I question myself, who will be voted out tomorrow, Jessica or Comfort? Because I truly believe that it will be one or the other… Mia says the music was to sleep by. My opinion? This was a good choreography that somehow was too hard for these dancers to perform without making it look too difficult… Does that make sense?
Will and Jessica’s second number: Quickstep AKA The Kiss of Death (remember Chelsea T?). The choreography showcased Will’s skills. The number was okay, though, nothing to write home about (or a blog about). The judges blamed the choreography, the costuming and Jessica for everything wrong. Hint: Will will not be voted off if he’s down. By the way, since when did Nigel become a purist about mixing styles? The Quickstep, mixed with Twist and Jive a problem? We have seen hip-hop/contemporary, lyrical/waltz, disco/salsa, and many other impure dances before. This couple’s score tonight: 8.

Anya and Pacha do the Cha cha for Courtney and Gev… And they not just bumped hips and crot…s (can we say that word in national television?) but they shaked every little muscle and extremity. Watching them dance this choreography, however, I couldn’t help but imagining Pacha and Anya in their place and how much better it would have been. Sorry, I like Gev and Courtney, and I think they really did their best with this number. But the choreography was not tailor made for them, or they did not make it their own; Courtney and Gev just looked like very good imitations. The judges loved it, however. They loved it so much that new words came out of everybody’s mouths!! Absobloodylutely says Nigel, Magic Hot Chahhhhccchaccchacchaaaah says Mary as she puts them on that Mexican train to the border. Fabulosity is the term that comes from Mia – After Will’s abs, Gev’s chest gets in the picture, with a little more detail than we really wanted to know. Apparently it itches! Courtney rubs it down and Nigel, with all his wisdom and experience suggests that he should wax it.
Courtney and Gev’s second number was pretty good. A cool choreography by Mandy Moore that was well executed and, two weeks ago, would have kept any couple safe. However, with a 50:50 chance of being in the bottom three this week, I’ll say they will be in the bottom tomorrow. My score for them tonight: 8.5.

Kherington and Twitch: This was Krump! Twitch’s turning, Kherington’s chest heaving, both their faces in a toughie look made this the number of the night so far (competing with Katee and Joshua’s Bollywood for best of the night). Kherington, who knew?!? And it is the first time in SYTYCD that I enjoy watching Krump. Twitchington’s second number, a smooth tango, did not work as well as their Krump. The costuming and lighting worked. The dancing didn’t. Oh, if they'd just kept their Krumpy attitudes for this tango, they could have killed it! Instead, they kind of murdered it. They looked good, however, and considering their strong following it is very likely that they will be safe tomorrow. Twitchington’s score tonight: 8.5.

Katee and Joshua do a Waltz inspired on the Pas de Deux from Le Sylphide, and the “City of Angels” fallen angel Seth—whose movie theme was that Goo Goo Dolls song Iris (remember the Angel that comes down to Earth, falls in love with Meg Ryan, and then she leaves with Russel Crowe?). Anyway, the whole ghost story did not really materialize (or it materialized too much?) because the choreography did not keep through the illusion of them not being able to touch each other. Hence, it was a pretty waltz, but nothing amazing. The judges comments made me wonder, could Joshua be in trouble tomorrow? But, then came Bollywood and all my worries faded away (as you can tell, I have become to appreciate Joshua’s mass appeal). That Bollywood number was cheesy and fake and oversold by the judges as an “ethnic” dance but it was also so entertaining and enjoyable and cool and precise and well performed… I would not call it authentic "Indian cultural dancing" as Nigel said (but what do I know?)... I must admit, however, that I loved it!! Congrats to the dancers who made it really wonderful! Tonight, Joshua and Katee along with Mark and Chelsie demonstrated once more that they are able of creating magic through their dancing. These four dancers have been consistently great. They come, as Mary Murphy said once referring to Joshua, with a label: Satisfaction Guaranteed!!! Katua’s score tonight: 9.5! (A 10 for their Bollywood).

My prediction for bottom three tonight: Courtney and Gev, Will and Jessica, Comfort and Thayne. Who will be out? Among the girls, I know that the decision will be between Comfort and Jessica. Based on the comments that they received tonight, I believe Jessica will be voted off. Among the guys, the decision is even more difficult. Gev has worked really hard and done a very good job throughout the season. However, he does not have the level of technique than any of the other two. Will has not done such as brilliant a job as was expected from him, especially after all the building up during the auditions: He’s Debbie Allen’s protégé and is supposed to possess very strong training and technique. He’s been fair, but not amazing. However, Jessica has been blamed for it. Thayne, a very strong technician and the dancer with the most professional experience in the show (he’s 27 years old and has been dancing professionally with a company for sometime), has been in the bottom too many times and criticized for his lack of chemistry and audience appeal. I like Thayne, and agree with Mia (for once) in that he is a wonderful dancer. He's done things through the show that I doubt any of the other dancers could do. But I believe Thayne will be out (he’ll go in the tour anyway as traditionally they hire two understudies; Mia even hinted at it by saying that no matter what, even if he’s out, she’ll love to work with him). I'll like to watch his solo tonight for sure!

In summary: Jessica and Thayne are the dancers that I predict will be out.