This is the first week that the judges and choreographers don't have any say in who goes home. I wanted Jasmine and Aaron to say, so as long as that happens I didn't care who left.
The group number was a fun, fast-paced jazz number from Sean Cheeseman. It was nice to get another upbeat routine. Jasmine and Aaron shined the most during this group dance.
Everyone also did solos this week. The most entertaining ones were from Fik-Shun and Aaron, although no one did a bad solo. In addition to dancing with the all-stars, the top 6 also paired with each other.
Most favorite routines
1) Amy and Alex's Bollywood from Nakul Dev Mahajan. The producers are really stacking the deck in Amy's favor. Travis Wall last week and Alex Wong this week? Lucky girl. This Bollywood number was fun and looks very difficult to execute. Plus it showcases Alex's abs, which is not a bad thing at all.
2) Aaron and Melanie's Broadway from Spencer Liff. Despite the one miscue that ended with Melanie on the floor, the routine was fun and danced well. Aaron actually kept up with Melanie, which is very difficult to do. And how sweet were his parents? Actually, it was great to hear from all of the parents and how supportive and proud they were of their children.
3) Jasmine and Aaron's jazz from Sean Cheeseman. I still cringed at the amazing stretch Jasmine did with her leg midway through the dance. This is my favorite couple and this was a great dance. It really played to their strengths.
Least favorite routines
1) Jasmine and Neil's contemporary from Tyce Diorio. I love Jasmine and Neil, but I hated Tyce's routine about hurricanes, tsunamis, and natural disasters. As typical of his big-statement pieces (like the breast cancer one), it's manipulative and annoying instead of being moving and touching. The voice-over at the end just put it even more over the top.
2) Paul and Kathryn's jazz from Tyce Diorio. It was boring and even Kathryn couldn't save it. I know I'm biased against Tyce, but his two routines tonight were just bad.
As an aside - what is more disturbing: Joshua's tiger shirt or Dave Scott's ratty bucket hat? I vote for the hat.
Eliminations
They didn't do the bottom twos this week. Hayley and Paul were eliminated, which I think was the right call. I'm just excited that Jasmine and Aaron made it to the finals, and I hope they win. It will be an exciting finale.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Battle of the Year
Mr. Y and I were watching So You Think You Can Dance tonight, and saw a preview for Battle of of the Year. As Mr. Y put it, it's like they took a typical martial arts or sports movie with all the cliches (underdogs triumphing, individuals learning how to become a team, down-on-his-luck coach getting a second chance, etc.), and applied it to the subject of dance.
The movie has a few familiar faces. My first reaction was wondering what Josh Holloway is doing in this movie. Definitely not an obvious choice for a dance movie. Some of the dancers also looked familiar, like Chris Brown (yes, THAT Chris Brown), SYTYCD dancers Dominic Sandoval and Jonathan "Legacy" Perez, and a bunch of dancers from LXD (the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers) like Luis Rosado, Ivan "Flipz" Perez, and Caity Lotz.
Trailer below:
The movie has a few familiar faces. My first reaction was wondering what Josh Holloway is doing in this movie. Definitely not an obvious choice for a dance movie. Some of the dancers also looked familiar, like Chris Brown (yes, THAT Chris Brown), SYTYCD dancers Dominic Sandoval and Jonathan "Legacy" Perez, and a bunch of dancers from LXD (the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers) like Luis Rosado, Ivan "Flipz" Perez, and Caity Lotz.
Trailer below:
Monday, August 26, 2013
Cookie Monster Spoofs Icona Pop's "I Love It"
Icona Pop's "I Love It" has been ubiquitous for the past few months. Here comes Sesame Street's spoof of the song featuring Cookie Monster, entitled "Me Want It (But Me Wait)."
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 8
Apologies for not blogging last week during top 10 week. It was a crazy week. I was excited to see the all-stars, but disappointed the judges eliminated Makenzie instead of Jenna. Not a surprise that Nico was eliminated with Makenzie.
This was a great week for the show, because not only did the all-stars showed up to dance with the contestants, but they also choreographed the pieces. These all-stars are very talented and the results made for a very good show.
Mia Michaels' group routine was definitely very Mia. Tucker was a revelation here - his freaky, long-haired centerpiece stole the show.
The guest judge was Jenna Elfman, who at least had some experience as a professional dancer before she turned to acting.
Most favorite routines
1) Jenna and Mark Kanemura's jazz. This was one of the weirdest and best routines I've ever seen on the show. Mark is already freaky and has apparently been learning more freaky as one of the lead dancers for Lady Gaga. This jazz should not work, but it did. It was so strange that Mr. Y and I didn't even notice the song was a Korean pop song until we saw the routine for the second time.
2) Amy and Travis's contemporary. Lucky Amy and lucky Travis. This was the perfect combination of routine and dancer. Amy really rose up to the occasion and did not appear cutesy at all.
3) Jasmine and Twitch's hip hop. Jasmine did the difficult thing and matched Twitch in his physicality. The routine was fun and cute and definitely worth watching again.
Least favorite routines
Again there was really only one routine I wasn't a huge fan of - Paul and Comfort's hip hop. Comfort put together a great routine and danced it well. The problem was that Paul couldn't quite keep up with her and the gap was obvious. Paul might be in trouble this week.
Eliminations
This is the last week the judges and choreographers had any say on who is going home. I'm surprised they waited this long to turn the votes over to America - usually it happens much earlier than this.
Hayley and Jenna were the bottom two girls, and Tucker and Fik-Shun were the bottom two boys. I'm glad they finally got rid of Jenna, even though she danced her best routine this week. She has been in the bottom so often only to be saved by the judges. I was sad to see Tucker go because he is a great dancer, but there was no way the judges were going to get rid of their anointed favorite Fik-Shun. There is no male contemporary dancer left in the competition.
Predictions on who will be in trouble this week:
Boys: Paul and Aaron
Girls: Hayley and Jasmine
This was a great week for the show, because not only did the all-stars showed up to dance with the contestants, but they also choreographed the pieces. These all-stars are very talented and the results made for a very good show.
Mia Michaels' group routine was definitely very Mia. Tucker was a revelation here - his freaky, long-haired centerpiece stole the show.
The guest judge was Jenna Elfman, who at least had some experience as a professional dancer before she turned to acting.
Most favorite routines
1) Jenna and Mark Kanemura's jazz. This was one of the weirdest and best routines I've ever seen on the show. Mark is already freaky and has apparently been learning more freaky as one of the lead dancers for Lady Gaga. This jazz should not work, but it did. It was so strange that Mr. Y and I didn't even notice the song was a Korean pop song until we saw the routine for the second time.
2) Amy and Travis's contemporary. Lucky Amy and lucky Travis. This was the perfect combination of routine and dancer. Amy really rose up to the occasion and did not appear cutesy at all.
3) Jasmine and Twitch's hip hop. Jasmine did the difficult thing and matched Twitch in his physicality. The routine was fun and cute and definitely worth watching again.
Least favorite routines
Again there was really only one routine I wasn't a huge fan of - Paul and Comfort's hip hop. Comfort put together a great routine and danced it well. The problem was that Paul couldn't quite keep up with her and the gap was obvious. Paul might be in trouble this week.
Eliminations
This is the last week the judges and choreographers had any say on who is going home. I'm surprised they waited this long to turn the votes over to America - usually it happens much earlier than this.
Hayley and Jenna were the bottom two girls, and Tucker and Fik-Shun were the bottom two boys. I'm glad they finally got rid of Jenna, even though she danced her best routine this week. She has been in the bottom so often only to be saved by the judges. I was sad to see Tucker go because he is a great dancer, but there was no way the judges were going to get rid of their anointed favorite Fik-Shun. There is no male contemporary dancer left in the competition.
Predictions on who will be in trouble this week:
Boys: Paul and Aaron
Girls: Hayley and Jasmine
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12
Another show, another injury. This time it's poor Tucker who got an infection in his knee. What's up with all the guys being injured this season? Tucker was able to dance his solo, but since he could not participate in rehearsals he did not dance the rest of the show.
I love the big group number this week. Maybe the powers-that-be were as sick of the dark, intense group routines as I was. I think this was the first time the group ever did a Bollywood number, and they looked like they were having so much fun. It was of course choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. I especially loved Alan and Amy's smiles throughout this number.
The two smaller group numbers were also good, although I prefer the guys over the girls. Perhaps because the guys went first, but theirs were much more interesting and impactful than the girls' routine.
The guest judge this week was Kenny Ortega. Finally someone with actual knowledge and experience.
Most favorite routines
I thought overall the routines were very good. The dancers have really stepped it up, and it should continue to get better when the all-stars join the show this week.
1) Jasmine and Aaron's hip hop by Tabitha and Napoleon. Now this is how you dance hip hop. They were both strong and believable, and they really drew strength from their movements. I still don't understand how Jasmine ended up in the bottom three last week.
2) Makenzie and Paul's contemporary from Mandy Moore. I love the rendition of Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" that was used for this routine, and Makenzie and Paul knocked it out of the park. I believe in their chemistry and it was fun to see their flirty banter.
3) Jenna and Alex Wong's paso doble from Jean-Marc Généreux. I am including this dance on this list because of Alex Freaking Wong and his abs, who replaced Tucker. Nice abs, Alex. He looked great, especially considering that he is not a ballroom dancer. I almost forgot Jenna was there.
Least favorite routine
There is really only one that I didn't like - Malece and Alan's jazz by Mandy Moore. Poor Malece. I think she knew she was a goner from the moment Jenna was saved by the judges and she had to go up against Amy. She tried really hard, but she and Alan just seemed off from the beginning and the dance did not do them any favors.
Eliminations
I was not expecting Amy to end up in the bottom three. She has been coasting along so well. The only girl left who has not been on the bottom is Hayley. As I mentioned above, the other two girls in trouble were Jenna and Malece. I also did not understand the decision to save Jenna - is it because they want to guarantee a ballroom girl in the top 10 and the tour? She has been in the bottom several times. We knew Malece was gone the moment Jenna was saved. Plus Amy danced a better solo.
I was right about the three boys in trouble: Tucker, Alan, and Nico. Nico was immediately saved, while Tucker and Alan danced solos. I thought Alan did a better solo, but the judges kept Tucker instead. Since Tucker wasn't able to dance, he immediately ends up in the bottom two this week.
Predictions on who will be in trouble tonight:
Boys: Tucker and Nico
Girls: Makenzie and Jenna
I love the big group number this week. Maybe the powers-that-be were as sick of the dark, intense group routines as I was. I think this was the first time the group ever did a Bollywood number, and they looked like they were having so much fun. It was of course choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. I especially loved Alan and Amy's smiles throughout this number.
The two smaller group numbers were also good, although I prefer the guys over the girls. Perhaps because the guys went first, but theirs were much more interesting and impactful than the girls' routine.
The guest judge this week was Kenny Ortega. Finally someone with actual knowledge and experience.
Most favorite routines
I thought overall the routines were very good. The dancers have really stepped it up, and it should continue to get better when the all-stars join the show this week.
1) Jasmine and Aaron's hip hop by Tabitha and Napoleon. Now this is how you dance hip hop. They were both strong and believable, and they really drew strength from their movements. I still don't understand how Jasmine ended up in the bottom three last week.
2) Makenzie and Paul's contemporary from Mandy Moore. I love the rendition of Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" that was used for this routine, and Makenzie and Paul knocked it out of the park. I believe in their chemistry and it was fun to see their flirty banter.
3) Jenna and Alex Wong's paso doble from Jean-Marc Généreux. I am including this dance on this list because of Alex Freaking Wong and his abs, who replaced Tucker. Nice abs, Alex. He looked great, especially considering that he is not a ballroom dancer. I almost forgot Jenna was there.
Least favorite routine
There is really only one that I didn't like - Malece and Alan's jazz by Mandy Moore. Poor Malece. I think she knew she was a goner from the moment Jenna was saved by the judges and she had to go up against Amy. She tried really hard, but she and Alan just seemed off from the beginning and the dance did not do them any favors.
Eliminations
I was not expecting Amy to end up in the bottom three. She has been coasting along so well. The only girl left who has not been on the bottom is Hayley. As I mentioned above, the other two girls in trouble were Jenna and Malece. I also did not understand the decision to save Jenna - is it because they want to guarantee a ballroom girl in the top 10 and the tour? She has been in the bottom several times. We knew Malece was gone the moment Jenna was saved. Plus Amy danced a better solo.
I was right about the three boys in trouble: Tucker, Alan, and Nico. Nico was immediately saved, while Tucker and Alan danced solos. I thought Alan did a better solo, but the judges kept Tucker instead. Since Tucker wasn't able to dance, he immediately ends up in the bottom two this week.
Predictions on who will be in trouble tonight:
Boys: Tucker and Nico
Girls: Makenzie and Jenna
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 14
Sorry this post is very, very late. At least I got it in before tonight's new episode.
The group number was choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin. I like it OK, but definitely ready for something different with the group numbers instead of these dark, intense dances.
Anna Kendrick was the guest judge. She looked so tiny sitting in that judges' table.
Curtis Holland was injured and would not be performing. The minute I heard the news I knew that he would be out if he ended up in the bottom three.
Most favorite routines
1) Jasmine and Aaron's contemporary from Justin Giles. I am amazed at how well they can dance even with an apple as a prop. Jasmine and Aaron were so in sync as usual, and they really conveyed the story well. I couldn't believe it when Jasmine ended up in the bottom three.
2) Hayley and Leonardo's tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo. Leonardo stepped in for the injured Curtis to dance this tango. Poor Curtis, but lucky Hayley. She looked amazing dancing this tango with Leonardo. It was hard to take my eyes off Leonardo, though. He was so perfect and spoke so much with so few movements.
3) Makenzie and Paul's jazz from Sonya Tayeh. As an aside, are Makenzie and Paul really dating or is this a showmance? I like this number because Makenzie and Paul really went for it. I don't understand why viewers kept putting Makenzie on the bottom - she's an amazing dancer who seems really goofy, too.
Least favorite routines
1) Jenna and Tucker's hip hop from Luther Brown. So many things wrong with this routine. Jenna and Tucker did not hit the moves hard enough, and they were not believable. Plus it was weird that this supposed club only had two people in it.
2) Malece and Alan's salsa from Jonathan Platero. Mr. Y and I did not remember Jonathan at all from season 5, but that was also the season with Jeanine, Evan, Kayla, Brandon, Ade, Phillip, Janette, and Melissa. Jonathan was unfortunately lost in the shuffle among the other more memorable contestants. I didn't think this couple had any chemistry, and I thought Malece struggled to keep up with Alan, who was right at home in his genre.
Eliminations
I was correct about the three guys in the bottom three, but did not expect the other two girls other than Alexis. How did Makenzie and Jasmine end up in the bottom three when they were amazing last week?
The judges saved Makenzie immediately, and Jasmine and Alexis had to do solos. Jasmine's solo was great, but Alexis's was just meh. It was not a surprise that Alexis was eliminated. Curtis was also eliminated, and unlike last week, they actually got the goodbye video packages.
Predictions on who will be in trouble tonight:
Boys: Tucker, Alan, Nico
Girls: Jenna, Makenzie, Malece
The group number was choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin. I like it OK, but definitely ready for something different with the group numbers instead of these dark, intense dances.
Anna Kendrick was the guest judge. She looked so tiny sitting in that judges' table.
Curtis Holland was injured and would not be performing. The minute I heard the news I knew that he would be out if he ended up in the bottom three.
Most favorite routines
1) Jasmine and Aaron's contemporary from Justin Giles. I am amazed at how well they can dance even with an apple as a prop. Jasmine and Aaron were so in sync as usual, and they really conveyed the story well. I couldn't believe it when Jasmine ended up in the bottom three.
2) Hayley and Leonardo's tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo. Leonardo stepped in for the injured Curtis to dance this tango. Poor Curtis, but lucky Hayley. She looked amazing dancing this tango with Leonardo. It was hard to take my eyes off Leonardo, though. He was so perfect and spoke so much with so few movements.
3) Makenzie and Paul's jazz from Sonya Tayeh. As an aside, are Makenzie and Paul really dating or is this a showmance? I like this number because Makenzie and Paul really went for it. I don't understand why viewers kept putting Makenzie on the bottom - she's an amazing dancer who seems really goofy, too.
Least favorite routines
1) Jenna and Tucker's hip hop from Luther Brown. So many things wrong with this routine. Jenna and Tucker did not hit the moves hard enough, and they were not believable. Plus it was weird that this supposed club only had two people in it.
2) Malece and Alan's salsa from Jonathan Platero. Mr. Y and I did not remember Jonathan at all from season 5, but that was also the season with Jeanine, Evan, Kayla, Brandon, Ade, Phillip, Janette, and Melissa. Jonathan was unfortunately lost in the shuffle among the other more memorable contestants. I didn't think this couple had any chemistry, and I thought Malece struggled to keep up with Alan, who was right at home in his genre.
Eliminations
I was correct about the three guys in the bottom three, but did not expect the other two girls other than Alexis. How did Makenzie and Jasmine end up in the bottom three when they were amazing last week?
The judges saved Makenzie immediately, and Jasmine and Alexis had to do solos. Jasmine's solo was great, but Alexis's was just meh. It was not a surprise that Alexis was eliminated. Curtis was also eliminated, and unlike last week, they actually got the goodbye video packages.
Predictions on who will be in trouble tonight:
Boys: Tucker, Alan, Nico
Girls: Jenna, Makenzie, Malece
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