In love with my DVR

Yay for a New Season! American Idol

2011-01-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know I have fallen off the wagon blogging here... I've been focusing on my lunch blog.

But I can't let a new season of American Idol begin without marking it with a blog post!

Lots of changes this season. Nigel Lythgoe is back as producer. Simon and Kara are out. Steven and J.Lo are in. I'm not at all sure how I feel about any of these changes, but as always, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

J.Lo's entrance is in a sparkly jumpsuit with built in saddle bags. Nuff said. Steven Tyler wants to find a Janis Joplin for this generation, and urges hopefuls to sing like they do when no one's looking. J.Lo wants to be the compassionate one, and claims not to be in the business of crushing dreams. Randy is excited for the new table.

Also welcome, Jimmy Iovine as on-staff mentor. We'll see about that, too.

First auditions are in NJ. And Seacrest was welcomed to the NJ audition arena by Constantine Maroulis.

First in is Rachel Zevita auditioned in Season 6, made it to Hollywood, and was cut the first day. JLo remembers her from her previous audition. She has a really nice voice with good control. I worry that she has a phglemy sound at times, but her transitions between octaves are good. JLo thinks that it wasn't the best audition. Steven thinks that she didn't show the fire that she has. He wants to "let her in the door, water the flower, and watch it grow." She's through to Hollywood, but it's tentative.

Caleb Hawley is up next. Steven was digging him for sure (providing percussion). I forsee Steven being the sound byte king of this season. The judges dig him (a lot) and he is through.

Kenzie Palmer is 15 (they lowered the age limit this year). She's a musical theater student at a performing arts school. And she has an awesome voice. I don't know about her presence. Steven agrees with me. JLo does not. Randy sees what Steven was saying, but loves her voice. And so Kenzie is through to Hollywood.

Montage of unheard Golden Tickets.

Then comes Achille Lovle from the Ivory Coast. She declared that she was singing Dress You Up by Madonna. Instead, she bellowed something completely unintelligible. Steven said that she needed to reign the wild horses in. Achille said that her vocal coach was working on her accent, but Randy said "it's just not your thing, baby." She got the first no votes we saw, and Jennifer was feeling horribly and was ready to go home after the no. Get used to it, babe.

Montage of annoying Jersey stereotypes. Uck.

Tiffany Rios demonstrated the proper technique for teasing hair. What is this, 1983? She wants to make Jennifer Lopez proud. She broke into tears as soon as she got up on the audition stage, and got a hug from JLo. Oh, and she's singing an original song. With accompaniment fro her boob stars, jingling along. It wasn't the worst I've heard, until she went up super high. She was allowed to sing a second song, for which she covered up the boob stars, because it was a more emotional song. It's a Celine song (I'm Your Lady), and it wasn't embarrassing. If she laid off the oranging, I could take her more seriously. I expected her to suck and she didn't. She's through.

Montage of terrible singers. Steven got some practice with the no's. JLo Paula'd it up and couldn't say no. She seemed physically pained to deny people.

Robbie Rosen was in a wheelchair in kindergarten due to an illness. (Sinnovitis? Not familiar with it). He's 16. He's singing Yesterday, and he's good. Good control, nice tone. That annoying slight exhale I dislike at the end of phrases, but not too terrible about it. He got a wow from Steven, who appreciated the arrangement. He got a lot of happiness from the judges. Randy liked how he marinated the notes. He's through.

Steven had a fan club. And he appreciated the pretty ladies, too. Didn't Paula get in trouble for that?

Chris Cordiero is a proud 18 year old Boy Scout. He made a PSA video for his Eagle Project against texting and driving. Wow. He has no charisma at all. And a really stupid hat. JLo wondered if he was dressed to go fishing... And he's predictably terrible singing My Way. His mother, in the hallway, singing to Seacrest, seemed to be much better than her son...

Wow. Nervous burper. That's gross. And he's awkward in many other ways, too. His name is Michael Perotto, and he sounds like a singing muppet. My husband says he sounds like Gomer Pyle. JLo told Steven to make him stop. Steven wondered if he ate a lot of paint chips as a child, and said American Idol has higher standards, to which Michael busted out something he thought had "higher standards." Steven said "What we have here is a failure to communicate." JLo said that he sounded like he was singing in an imitation of someone else's voice. Steven said maybe he's a natural for Broadway. Randy said that he shouldn't sing anywhere.

Ashley Sullivan has a nervous laugh when saying that she is the next American Idol, and said that she might be the first Awkward Idol. And she's a huge Britney fan. Carries a Britney picture in her pocket for good luck. She's singing a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie, and it was really good! Very musical theatre. Wonder if she has anything more modern. JLo said that her thing was more for musical theatre and less for American Idol. Ashley said that she wants to be the first musical theatre pop star, and thinks that pop needs to get with Liza Minelli. I kind of really love her. Randy gave her a no, but the other two gave her a yes and she's to Hollywood. Steven said that wanted to personally work that into something good.

Victoria Huggins is from North Carolina, and I find her precosiously obnoxious. She does video updates. Wow. I kind of want to punch her. She doesn't have a bad voice, but I don't think she connects with the lyrics of the song at all. Steven was amazed at how proud she was of herself. JLo thinks she's adorable. Steven made a crack about her knee length skirt, and she "yo-yo dawged" Randy. And she's through. Man, I hope that she doesn't make it far.. she's worse than DiGarmo.

Melinda Ademi is stunningly gorgeous. She's from Kosovo and her family escaped during the war. Her father got a Green Card in a lottery. Wow. I am so happy that she has a great voice, too. And nice control. She's in. Hurrah!

Devyn Rush is a singing waitress in Times Square. She's singing God Bless the Child, and I love her voice and her attitude. Nice scatting! Steven said it was delicious. JLo was totally surprised. Randy thought that her look and her voice were bait and switch, in a good way. He said that she has a really good ear. JLo reminds her that she needs to believe in herself and dress the part so people can see that she's the total package.

Montage of painful singers. Steven can't help himself from singing along. He has me laughing my butt off.

Yoji "Pop" Asano has been imitating Michael Jackson since he was 2, or actually before he was born. Wow. That's dedication. He hated the Party in the USA song by Miley Cyrus, and so decided to sing it. I use that term loosely. He's doing Michael-esque moves, but he has no vocal talent and it was painful. And that brings us to the first singing montage, all to a that stupid ass song, some good and some... well... just dreadful. Yeah. Yoji is NOT through.

And montage of awful... as the judges tried to let people down lightly.

Brielle Von Hugel is from Statten Island, and her dad used to be in a doowop group. He has survived throat cancer - and here I was suggesting that he sounds like Mo from The Simpsons. Oops. And she's quite good. They loved her and invited her dad in. She's through, though JLo thinks she has a little work to do.

Travis Orlando has a twin brother who is completely different from him. He's from the Bronx, and they have been in shelters after their dad lost his job, and the area was really bad. He sings Eleanor Rigby, and he's got a really different and cool take on it. They asked him to sing something else, and he busted out I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. I really really like him. He's only 16. Wow. And he's in.

Ok, so I am more than pleasantly surprised by the new season. I don't miss Simon.

What's that I said?

That's right, I don't miss Simon. The new judges are good, and the singers are good so far. Not too much spotlight on the embarrassments, and that makes me happy. Hooray!

And what did you think?

Tomorrow, it's New Orleans.

Survivor Nicaragua 11.10.10

2010-11-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

After tribal, Naonka felt badly for Jane. Really? She admitted that if it had been Marty going at her, she would have fought back. Jane re-dubbed Marty "Farty" and said that he was grasping at straws, and she wasn't planning on changing her game.

Next day, Marty lamented that he was playing the game with stupid people. Hetold his group that they should tell people they were voting Naonka out, and they should vote Holly instead, and it would flush out the idol. He was gunning for Holly because Sash told him it was her who wrote his name down. Interesting plan..

Reward Challenge

They will be randomly divided into two teams, through an obstacle course to collect three keys, and then use the keys to unlock three locks. First to raise their flag wins. They win a zip line experience, and a Survivor BBQ.

Teams are randomly Men vs. Women, with Chase not selected. If Chase selects the winning team to back, he's going on the reward with them. He admitted to doing something crazy and backed the ladies. The two teams are seriously neck and neck... until there was a stick blockade that they had to break, and the men brute forced through first. And then, poor Jane fell behind. The men won it as the women tried to get through their walls... and Chase was staying at camp with the women.

Purple Kelly broke down crying because she was hungry.. Probst gave the men a chance to offer reward to someone on the women's team they thought deserved it for working so hard. They declined the offer. Nothing for the ladies. Marty called Chase joining Jane "like watching Dumb and Dumber." Tell us how you really feel, Marty..

The reward looked amazing. Dan said that there aren't any zip lines in Brooklyn, unless you are a burglar. And the food? Looked like heaven. Marty was excited to have a chance to talk to the guys about his plan. Everyone seemed to buy into it. But, Sash admitted in confessional that while Marty's plan makes sense, he thinks that he and Brenda are the smartest two people in the game.

Back at camp, the women gave Chase some hugs, before Brenda admitted that Chase wasn't making smart decisions. The girls all want Marty out. Chase doesn't want to ruffle Brenda's feathers, and he worried that she might be in with Marty. He and Naonka went to talk with her on the beach, and she was very quiet. She called him a little baby and too paranoid, with the illusion of alpha male persona.

Tree mail brings clues to an Immunity challenge, which seems to be a Trivia. and so it is.

Immunity Challenge

Memory challenge - It's like Simon. A series of symbols will be shown, and they will have to repeat them with cubes with symbols on them. Jane and Naonka are the first ones out, at just the third symbol. Then Dan pulled a symbol that wasn't even in the first group. Next, Holly, Kelly, and Sash fell.

There were five left for the second round. ~~Jud~~ Fabio was out next, followed by Chase, then Benry.

It's between Brenda and Marty, and then Brenda won it.

Back at camp, ~~Jud~~ Fabio was talking with Benry, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio said that he hates playing stupid, but it's easy. Wait... is this stupid all a strategy? Then, Marty told Chase it was going to be Naonka... so, they aren't telling him of the Holly switch? Chase told Holly that they told him they were voting Naonka, but he thinks they are going to blindside Jane. Then, Marty went to tell Brenda that Sash's plan is to say they are voting Naonka and then blindsiding Jane. Is that the new plan? Brenda said that Marty isn't running the game, she and Sash are. She and Sash talked, and they were vascillating between Marty and Jane.

Tribal Council

Probst talked of the random men vs. women at the challenge, and Jane said the hardest thing was the bamboo sticks and the "brick" wall, which they bounced right off... Sash admitted that they used the time out to strategize, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio brought up that back at camp, the girls plus Chase were strategizing, but he was happy to be eating while strategizing. Brenda admitted that Jane is more of a threat against the jury, because she is so nice, whereas Naonka is a trouble maker, so she wouldn't be so tough against. Probst brought up the food theft again, and Naonka said that it wasn't something she wanted to talk about anymore, and then called herself a "humanitarian," which she took to mean only human. Um, not quite. Even ~~Jud~~ Fabio looked aghast at her gaff. Then, she got into it against Marty, saying that his "walk sucks," and she went on and on about how she was fighting him, and she was going to scare him. ~~Jud~~ Fabio tried to stop her, but she kept going on. Then, Marty said that it gave him the insight into the kind of person she is. ~~Jud~~ Fabio said that she wasn't making any sense, and that she was saying she was sorry, but she still did it. She said that they were still talking about the damned flour. ~~Jud~~ Fabio admitted that Naonka's behavior irritated him, and she said that she was irritated by him, too. She said "this is who I am," and said that she's not putting on a show, this is who she is. Wow. nice. Probst said that he wonders if her recurrent outbreaks and continued presence in the game meant that she was going to be carried to the finals... maybe. Ugh.

At the vote, Jane said that she wouldn't let her kids or grandkids play with Marty's, and that he is a disgrace to all fathers. Wow. Personally, I would put those same words to Naonka being a teacher... and Naonka didn't play the idol. Guess she's feeling pretty confident.

Votes go to Jane and Marty... and Marty is going home. Guess that's what you get when you announce to the person who is charge of the game (Brenda/Sash) that your plan is the only plan... buh-bye.

And next week - Something terrible happens and they didn't show us. Just shocked dismay. I wonder if an animal gets into their food or something? We'll have to wait and see...

Survivor Nicaragua: 11.3.10

2010-11-03T21:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry that I didn't blog last week, it was a crazy week with Halloween and all..

Time for a merge!

Benry is plotting against Alina. Espada is surprised to see Jill gone. Marty feels like it's home sweet home and he's been given a new lease on life. They open the treasure chest together and find a wealth of bread and food and new buffs. ~~Jud~~ Fabio is more excited than anything about the merge. Marty dubs the new tribe Libertad. And then, there is rum in the treasure chest. and cookies. And salami. Naonka was shoving food in her clothing - peanuts in her bra and the like. Brenda was super excited to see Naonka again. Ugh. I hate that Naonka is in a strong alliance. They went for a walk and discussed everything that had happened, including Marty giving Sash the idol.

Jane and Chase discussed North Carolina and her prowress in P90X. I could dig this alliance. And I have even more respect for Jane. P90X is rough. Good for her.

Naonka is annoyed because she made tortillas and she got the last, smallest one. And then, she took the flour in her bag and left camp. Holly saw her do it. She buried the flour. Wow. I really can't stand her. She then took all sorts of fruit and cooking tools and hid them, too. She is such a baby. And then, she decided to share with Alina, and told Alina that people would be gunning for her, and so she needed to win immunity. I don't get Naonka. I do, however, like Alina, so... Naonka admitted in confessional that she told Alina so that she would have her vote in the jury.

Then, the tribe realized that there were some things missing - bowl, frying pan, flour... and ~~Jud~~ Fabio said "that doesn't get swept away by the tide." And Holly brought up that she saw Naonka take the flour. She denied, denied, denied. Alina felt badly about not saying anything. Sash and Alina told Naonka that she needed to admit that she took the flour and the other things. She did admit it, but then threw Alina's name in the mix, too. And she said she brought it away to portion it out so they didn't go through it all. Marty wasn't buying it.

Jane continued the be The Man, and was catching fish left and right. Marty felt threatened by Jane in the game, and said her connections would spread like "cancerous tentacles" through the tribe. Marty brought up his problem with Jane to Brenda, and she didn't think that he had the right idea about Jane, but worried that he would be able to bend others to his will, so maybe they should just go with him, in order to lessen his influence. What?

Immunity Challenge

They have to hold onto a steel handle and keep tension on it, to not let it slip down a pole to drop break their plate. The last man and the last woman will win immunity. And Purple Kelly and Dan are out almost immediately, followed by Alina, and then Brenda and Benry. Sash followed, and Naonka. And Jane won Woman's Individual Immunity, but continued, saying that she wanted to stay in the challenge and see if she could beat the men. She said "Picking up 80 lb dogs helps." Marty lost it, and it's between ~~Jud~~ Fabio and Chase for the men's immunity. And Jane was still hanging on. Chase dropped his bar, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio won - and Jane held out strong right to the end. Nice job, Jane.

Jane really wants Marty out. It's between Marty and Alina. Sash told the group that he promised Marty when he gave him the idol that he would give it back if he was in trouble for the next tribal. Jane worries that Marty might get the individual immunity the next time, and she worried that she was Marty's target. They assured her that they were her alliance.

Then, Dan went to Marty and told him that Chase was gunning for him. Marty confronted Sash and Brenda and was upping his own paranoia. Sash said he was digging his own grave.

Alina went up to ~~Jud~~ Fabio and asked him to vote for Marty, but ~~Jud~~ Fabio brought up the (very valid) point that Naonka should be going home. Then, he told her that her strategic thinking is why people want her gone, and he told her that he gets along with Marty, and she stormed off, saying "seems to me that we got along, too." Oh, ~~Jud~~ Fabio, you just can't win...

Tribal Council

Marty immediately attacked Jane, saying that if Jane makes it to the final 3, he would vote for her, because the people who let her get there made a terrible mistake. He said "If you think someone's going to take a million dollars out of your pocket, that's what you have to think about." Alina said that perhaps Marty just called himself out as the biggest threat in the tribe. Then, Dan brought up the food theft, and told Probst that it was Naonka and Alina. To Naonka's credit, she took all of the blame for it. Then she said she was punished because no one talked to her for the rest of the day. Poor baby. And Alina admitted that she knew about it, but called herself the ultimate swing vote, she they should keep her around.

We'll see...

Benry called Alina a "dirt squirrel" in his vote for her. I don't get the animosity, but again, we don't see everything...

Votes went to Alina... and she's gone. That makes me really sad. She didn't do anything wrong, except for not having a really solid alliance... Sad.

Next week, Sash and Brenda try to maintain power, and ... another tribal of Naonka being a grade A beotch and ~~Jud~~ Fabio scoffing in disbelief at her behavior. Ought to be fun...

Survivor: 10.20.10

2010-10-20T21:45:00.000-04:00

Uh oh... Did not know that Yve was not told about the ouster of Tyrone. This could get messy. Holly has come around from her near quit, and realizes that you should suck it up and finish what you've signed up for. This is just as Dan decided to be done.

Yve is upset about being left out of the decision, and Holly told her that they didn't tell her because she and Tyrone had an alliance... which she didn't. Holly says maybe they should be more open and honest. Then she told Yve that Dan had declared he was done....

Over at La Flor, Marty and Jill worry that the young people just sleep all the time and don't do chores... but Jane fits right in and Becky says that votes would be split between Marty and Jill at a tribal, and it would flush out the idol...

Immunity Challenge

And.... it's individual immunities. Both tribes are going to tribal and voting someone out. Each tribe will have someone immune...

Everyone has to go out and dig in an individual area for rings, which they have to toss over their shoulders into baskets on their backs. First back with all their rings wins. Then, the winners compete for tribal reward - a feast enjoyed while watching the other tribe's Tribal Council. That's a ring toss.

Holly wins immunity for Espada. And Jill wins for La Flor. The best laid plans of Becky are dashed.

And Jill won it for La Flor. Fantastic.

And the schemes began... the plan was to split votes for Marty and Kelly B. - but tell Kelly B. they were voting for Jane. Not sure about that...

And of course, ~~Jud~~ Fabio is the wild card.

Marty of course has a plan. He told ~~Jud~~ Fabio that he is a grand master in chess and pulled some tennis player's name out of his butt as being the best strategist for the situation... and ~~Jud~~ Fabio ate it all up. Marty admitted that he could pull anything out of the 70's on these kids, and they would buy it. I think that is mostly true of ~~Jud~~ Fabio.. not so much all of the others.

And Espada was trying to figure out their move... Dan and Yve seem to be on the chopping block. Naonka continued to show no sympathy for people with physical ailments and said that Dan's knees are about to give out and sooner rather than later he's going to be walking on nubs. Nice.

Yve tries to pull in Naonka and Alina and tells them that she's got good relationships with the old Espada tribe, and this would be good for them somehow. Alina brings up the point that this is the perfect reason to vote her out.

Chase was not sure what to do, and Naonka told him to not vote with his heart, but to vote with his gut. She said that if they want to vote out Yve, she will write her name down and then smile in her face. Nice. Oh, nice.

And La Flor, Jane thinks she is as thick as peanut butter and jelly (her words) with the younger people.

Sash told the plan of the split vote to ~~Jud~~ Fabio, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio is reticent to vote for Marty, because he thinks he's in thick with Marty.

La Flor Tribal Council

Becky brought up that Jane should perhaps be worried about Marty and Jill voting her out. Marty told her that was preposterous - because he and Jill are two, against the rest of the group. Kelly B. feels pretty safe in the tribe. Uh oh. Marty says he felt less secure than before Brenda started talking.

And of course, because Becky brought up Marty's plans, Jane voted for Marty. Marty voted for Brenda, saying she was a black widow, king cobra, and black mamba all rolled into one.

Marty made a STUPID move and did not play his hidden idol.. Votes went Split between Marty and Kelly B, with Brenda getting Marty and Jill's votes. And it's a tie. Revote. This is Kelly B going home, I'm pretty sure, because Jill isn't voting for Marty... I am really sad. I liked her. She had spunk and never did anything to deserve to go home. Boo. I guess Kelly B. was going home no matter what, though, even if Marty had played the idol. He probably figured that and that's why he didn't play the idol...

Espada's Tribal Council (while La Flor feasted)

Naonka pointedly did not look at the eating. She looked close to tears. Probst told Dan that they could hear the ice cubes plunk into the glasses, and he said if it wasn't a martini, it didn't bother him. Yve brought up Dan's complaints and that he said he wanted to quit. Probst tried to get them to admit that Dan was bad at challenges. And Dan said that Yve is just speaking up because she's in trouble. She admitted that was fair. Then, he called her arrogant, and she countered with the fact that she is not the one talking about her cars and houses and the like, and Dan admitted that he does that, but thinks it's her attitude that's arrogant... ummm... ok.

La Flor left before the vote, and Yve is gone. Lesson learned - saying what a great competitor you are and how the other guy is no threat? Not the best strategy to be kept around.

Next week looks good - Sash is trying to get the idol away from Marty, Jane is cooking a fish in the forest on the sly, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio likes to pee in the water that they will all be competing for the challenge in. Nice. I forsee that being talked about on the reunion show...

Survivor Nicaragua: 10.13.10

2010-10-13T22:04:00.000-04:00

Post Jimmy T's ouster, Espada despairs at having to go to tribal again and again. Holly didn't have any idea that Jimmy T was going and she's really upset. Marty called tribal a slam dunk and declared himself in charge of the game. He "can't imagine anything going wrong" and tells Dan the same. This is sure to be foreshadowing.

And over at La Flor, Naonka is proud to be on the younger tribe, and she has a happy alliance, has her hair done, has her shoes clean, and thinks if she looks good, she's going to do "good."

Challenge Time.

And.... ha. Drop your buffs. Tribal shake up. So there, cocky people. Probst brought out a bag of rocks and they drew for new captains. The new captains are Brenda and Holly. Brenda gets three people from the older tribe, and Holly got four from the younger. Jane, Jill, and Marty joined La Flor. Aline, Benry, Chase, and Naonka joined Espada.

And no more Medallion of Power.

It's Survivor Plinko - with balls going down what is essentially a plinko board, after being thrown up a flat wall, with tribe members at the bottom catching the balls. If you drop, the other team gets the point. First to three points wins. And they are playing for two chickens and a rooster. Naonka can't wait to "wring them necks on them chickens."

Right off, it was tied... and then Marty dropped one for La Flor, and Espada pulled ahead. Then, Alina dropped one for Espada, and it's tied again. And Marty dropped a second one, and Espada headed back to camp with the chickens.

Newly mixed tribes got to know each other. Tyrone wanted to leave all the chickens alive for a while so they would produce eggs, and seemed to be stepping right into leadership role of the tribe with Marty gone. And he was telling all of the new tribe members what to do, keep things clean and do chores and such... and Naonka took offense to being told that there were things to do. Holly felt like the "kids" were receptive to her. She and Naonka got on well together right off. Two crazies together. Awesome. Alina was hanging with them, too. Naonka wants to go where ever the numbers are, so suddenly she's ok with Alina.

And on La Flor, ~~Jud~~ Fabio is pretty stoked about the switch. Then, Marty starts asking about responsibilities and tribal chores, and Brenda just looks bemused, with ~~Jud~~ Fabio looks confused at the concept.. Jane likes new tribe and their easy-going attitude. She wants to get rid of Marty and Jill. Then, Marty found out about Naonka's tussle with Kelly B, and her running away with the clue, and ~~Jud~~ Fabio said "I guess we're the young tribe, and we really don't know what we're doing." Marty talked to the tribe as a whole and told them that he has the immunity idol. Brenda thought it was cocky of him, and said it was like he walked in and declared himself king.

The new Espada is feeling rather unfortunate... the resources at their camp don't seem as lush as at La Flor, and the shelter is built in such a way that the rain drives right through them. Naonka is cold and she doesn't do well when she's uncomfortable. Poor thing. Alina said that Naonka seems like a PMSy high school girl, and thinks it's better for her if Naonka is despairing and wants to go home. She told Naonka "You have the rest of your life to be warm and comfortable." Chase came and told her a story about a rainbow that appeared when his dad died. But it's hard! And she's cold! And wet! And she wants to go home! Oh, Naonka... sorry this isn't Club Med. I have a hard time finding any sympathy for her.

Immunity Challenge

La Flor is happy to have a great camp with a dry shelter, and Alina said that Espada bonded in a different way because they were wet.

And this challenge is crazy. Three tribe members will be strapped to a revolving wheel, and they will be spun around to go briefly under water to grab water in their mouths, which they have to spit into a pipe on the top of the wheel to fill it and release balls. Then it's Survivor Skee Ball to break tiles to win.

Kelly B, Purple Kelly, and Brenda are on the wheel for La Flor, with Yve, Holly, and Alina on the wheel for Espada.

La Flor was spinning fast, but missing their target, while Espada had a more comfortable pace and filled their pipe first. Tyrone and Benry were off to the Skee Ball game. Shortly thereafter, La Flor released their balls and ~~Jud~~ Fabio and Jane threw for them. It was all tied up, and then ~~Jud~~ Fabio won the challenge for La Flor.

Naonka had a feeling they were going to lose, and she's ready to go home, thinking Espada's cursed. She says if she continues to go, kudos to her, but if not, she's happy. Naonka wants to eat before Tribal, and they decide to eat one of the chickens. Tyrone is in disagreement of the idea. They put it to a vote and the chicken dies. Tyrone didn't take part in chicken prep, but was ready to eat when it came to it. And he seemed to eat more than anyone else, after telling people to be mindful of their neighbors when they were getting food. Alina and Benry also brought up the fact that Naonka was totally mentally checked out... we'll see. I'm hoping for Naonka's swift exit, that's for sure.

Tribal Council

Alina brings up that she felt a bit like a child coming into the tribe, and Tyrone was the obvious boss man. Naonka said that the night was the worst for her, except for getting a divorce at 26, but she blames herself for that. Then, she did some weird math and said that she wanted to quit, and there weren't 24 hours in that day, there were 26, but it felt like 48. huh?

Probst tried to get the others to admit that it would be easy to vote out Naonka, because she was breaking down. Benry feigned that he had no idea what Probst meant, but Yve admitted that she was looking for longevity in people to keep around, and if Naonka broke down, she could easily break down again. During the vote, Benry declared it was time to dethrone the king of Espada, saying "Benry's here, baby," before knocking something off the voting table. Nice, dude. Smooth.

Votes go to Naonka and Tyrone, with the person going home .... Tyrone.

While he was abrasive at times, I think they are going to regret that vote mightily.

Next week, Dan is pretty well ready to go home, and Marty reveals that he is a chess grand master... and there's another twist - no tribal immunity. Wow. Can't wait.

Survivor Nicaragua: 10.6.10

2010-10-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

Oh, Marty... got rid of Jimmy J. Will this be a mistake? And can Naonka be any more hateful?

Let's see!

After the ousting of Jimmy J, Jimmy T denied that Jimmy J was a good leader at all. And then he broke out into a really weird impromptu song. Really? Marty called it the Jimmy T. Show, and said that he needs to hear his own voice. Marty said if you give Jimmy T a little rope, he'll hang himself from the nearest branch. Wow. Faith in your tribe, Marty. Amazing.

The next morning, they had some serious beach flooding and washed up debris. No more swimming in the ocean. Also no fishing. Jill brought up the point that there was no food and no means of getting it - 2 c of rice a day and that's it. They watched a pelican fishing and decided they should fish like him. Jimmy T tried to fish all by himself and refused help. As you can imagine, that went well. Jane wants someone to step up as Captain and Co-Captain... we'll see.

Over at La Flor, Naonka said she slept so well that she didn't even know it had rained until she got up and it was damp out. And then Brenda figured out the hidden immunity clue. She and Naonka fund the idol. Crap. And Naonka said that Brenda helped her figure it out, but the idol is hers. Classy, Naonka. That was Brenda all the way. Naonka said "Not even a one-legged person would stand in my way. One shove, and she's out of there." Wow.

Alina and Kelly B. have formed a bond, and they had found the previous clue, so they went out searching for the idol, and Naonka said she was going to go get in their heads and scare them. Mostly, she made herself look crazy. Well done.

Espada was still starving, but thinks that they are doing well. Marty wants one voice to delegate what they are going to do in the challenge, and he nominated Tyrone. Jimmy T. spoke up and said he usually wants to be a leader, and he is aware that he is going to snap every once and a while, begging to be played, but he doesn't want to be a leader in this case. He thinks that Marty doesn't like him because he is insecure and feels threatened by him. Ummm... I don't think that's it.

Tree Mail brings messages of a possible blindfolded challenge. They practice listening to Tyrone blindfolded. Then Jimmy T. spoke up to make sure that everyone would listen to Tyrone. Ummm. Ok.

Challenge

No chanting (visibly) from La Flor upon arrival at the challenge. That's good.

Pairs of blindfolded people will be directed by vocal calling to gather 10 items, then find keys to unlock a chest. Winner gets all first. Also, the challenge winner gets to choose three of the items to keep. La Flor decided to use their medallion of power and they start with 2 of 10 items back on their mat. Dan sits out for Espada, and the two Kellies sit out for La Flor.

Brenda and Tyrone are callers. Even with the practice, Brenda was doing a better job of getting people to items and back with them. It wasn't even close - 4 items made it back for Espada and La Flor already had all of their items. And guess what? Jimmy T (who gave the speech about listening to directions) wasn't listening even a little, and La Flor won.

Three groups of items going back to their camp are fishing supplies, a tarp, and cooking supplies. Excellent.

Back at camp, Espada tried to decide who was going to be going home. Jimmy T. wants the opportunity to be a leader, and said that coaching basketball teams in his regular life means he would be good. Everyone was pretty annoyed with him, it seems.

And at La Flor, Chase quietly found a clue to the Hidden Idol.. and he shared the knowledge with Brenda. He had no problem at all figuring out the rebus clue. She felt badly leading him on a wild goose chase, and after ascertaining that he trusted her more than anyone else on the tribe, she told him that Naonka had the idol, and told him that she found it for Naonka. She urged him to keep his mouth shut.

Espada resorted to eating sea urchins. And according to Jimmy T, Marty was eating too many, and he called him out for not being a team player. Then the talk was getting rid of Dan (because he's weak), or Jimmy T (for obvious reasons). Marty wants to keep Dan. Jimmy T. kept talking about how he wants his chance to lead.

Tribal

Probst called them out when they said that they thought it was close in the challenge. It was not close. They are delusional. And then Jimmy T complained about not getting his chance. Daniel admitted that he wasn't good at challenges. And Holly thinks that Jimmy T. should have his chance.

Too little too late, though... Jimmy T. is gone. Hurrah.

Survivor Nicaragua: 9.29.10

2010-09-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

La Flor realized that they had a lot of coming together to do before they were going to be successful. Naonka of course thought it was all fake, and had some bitchy words about it.

Espada were stalking Howler Monkeys because they realized that they would lead them to food. And Jimmy J. had a conversation with the monkeys. Yve thinks Jimmy J's soul is inspiring. Marty is just pissed off that Jimmy is a celebrity. And no one is paying any attention to Marty. Jill wanted Marty to calm down and think of the current tribe, not the threat Jimmy would be at the future merge. She wants to show the hidden idol that they found to the others..

Over at La Flor, ~~Jud~~ Fabio was breathing in smoke from making fire, and he maintained that his strategy was to hang out and make people laugh, and he wants to be kept around for his spirit. Naonka thinks that if you knocked on his head, you would hear hollowness, and she just can't stand him.

And Marty did what Jill wanted to, and showed the idol, saying they could share it as a tribe. Jimmy T. thinks that this reveal strengthened the tribe 5x, but secretly thought that he was a moron (though a nice one) for sharing it. Tyrone wondered at Marty's motives for sharing the idol, and still thinks he's shady.

After some bad sleep, Dan O' the Expensive shoes and the Bad Knee worried that the tribe would see him as a weak link. He thinks he's stronger than the girls. I don't think so.

And the younger tribe was trying to figure out what to do next. Alina looks to be in the minority, along with Kelly B.

Chase seems to be in an alliance with Naonka, Kelly "Purple" (I hate that, by the way), Sash, Brenda. Hmmm.

Challenge

Both tribes will race out to collect 10 barrels from a field and arrange them on a platform, and then one person at a time will toss sandbags onto the barrells. First tribe with sandbags on all barrels wins immunity and a Survivor garden - spices, oils, and a sustainable herb garden.

La Flor decided not to use the medallion. I think that's a good idea.

Both tribes spent some time on strategy first, and then they started. The younger tribe got the barrels back just before the older tribe, but the stacking went faster for the younger tribe. Dan was lagging behind.

Even so, they started throwing at about the same time. Benry and Tyrone started, and Tyrone was a rock star. Benry was doing a god job for the younger tribe, and tied it up at 6, then pulled ahead. Tyrone didn't let anyone else have a chance, and Jimmy T was muttering about being wasted. Jimmy J. acted coach and sent in Jimmy T... and he got one, but then Benry got the last one and won it for La Flor. Benry, stupid name in all, really showed his stuff at that challenge. Good on him.

As they grabbed their reward, Kelly B. saw a hidden idol clue, but unfortunately, Naonka saw it as well...

Back at camp, RUMBLE for the clue. Naonka grabbed the clue right out from under Kelly B. and smushed bananas in the process. Naonka said that she would do it again, and would push her so hard that her "damned leg" flew off. Wow. She really has an irrational hatred for Kelly B.

And then she shared the clue with Brenda, who is much smarter than she is, I think. Naonka had no clue about the clue, but Brenda seemed to figure out a little...

The older tribe is reeling from their loss. Jimmy T. in particular thinks that his talents are being wasted and asked Jimmy J. to evaluate him. This started a bit of a heated grump about everything...

And Marty is gunning for Jimmy J. He wants to shake the tribe to its core and make everyone follow him instead of Jimmy J. I think it's ridiculous to get rid of Jimmy J. first.

Holly is sure her name is going to be on the chopping block, but Dog Trainer Awesome lady (forget her name) told her that she hasn't heard her name. While fishing, Jimmy J. told the ladies (including Yve) that he knows he's in danger.

Tyrone thinks that Jimmy J. is all about motivating others, and he worries that Dan has physical ailments. Marty sees his reluctance as weakness, and not thinking clearly. I see it as smart.

Tribal Council

Probst wants to talk about the challenge. Jimmy T. again brings up that he was not used properly. Jane said that Jimmy J. is the most accomplished strategist among them, so obviously they listen to him. Jimmy T. asserts that he hasn't had a chance to talk to Jimmy J. Tyrone finds it baffling that Jimmy T. thinks that Jimmy J. is threatened by him. Jimmy J. thinks that he and Jimmy T. have a good relationship, even though they haven't really talked. Jill wants the tribe to be strong, to face La Flor. Dan says that he is average in strength. Jane brought up his obvious knee scar/weakness.

Probst asked what went down after the challenge, and Jimmy T. said that they are planning to keep the tribe strong, and refuses to call out names, but says there are 3-4 weak people he can think of. The only person to admit he is one of the weaker people is Jimmy J. Marty wants to accelerate the game. I think he's a dumbass.

Vote time.

All votes go to Jimmy J... (except his for Dan) and I am so sad. I don't think that was the smartest move at this point... Jimmy's parting words are to tell him tribe to win the million. Probst tells them that they just voted out the proven leader, and wonders who is going to step up to fill those shoes. I predict lots of roosters crowing around camp next week.

Also next week, there's warning for Hurricane Naonka. Good lord. She really annoys me...

Survivor: Nicaragua 9.22.10

2010-09-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Over at the elder tribe, Marty is grumping about not sleeping well. Time for a group "conversation." Jimmy J. stood while nearly everyone else sat, and they decided to rearrange their shelter. Jimmy T. tried to bring up an idea, but he was shot down so that Jimmy J. could finish his idea, and T. felt

And over at the youngin's camp, Sash and Naonka bonded over their minority status, and he said he wanted to form a minority alliance, and bring Brenda in.. hmm. They felt that Kelly B. was a threat because she's a "charity case." Hmmm

At Oldsville, Jill was eating snails and Holly grumped about it, saying they were inedible, and ended up looking mentally unstable. Then, Holly got upset because Dan was mocking her behind her back. So, she did what any mentally stable person would do and filled his shoes with sand and sunk them. Wow. And... turned out that Dan brought $1600 alligator shoes to Survivor. Ok, maybe he deserved the shoe sinking... who on earth brings $1600 shoes on Survivor?

Holly came clean about the shoe sinking. He said that if she were a guy, he would have knocked her out. Tyrone said every time she speaks, she gets more and more crazy, and he said he would keep one eye on her, and one eye on his shoes...

La Flor is bug bitten, and Naonka is missing a shoe and calling sabotage. So she stole someone else's socks. And they were Jud's socks. I'm sorry, we're calling him Fabio now. They are even subtitling him as Fabio now. That's funny. There's no love lost between ~~Jud~~ Fabio and Naonka, that's for sure.

Holly is having a chat with Jimmy J. about her place in the game. She wants to go home. He urges her not to give up yet. He said "You can do it for one more day, right?" She is unsure, but the pep talk seemed to help her a little.

Reward & Immunity Challenge

And La Flor entered the challenge again with a dumb chant. Oh man. That alone makes me root for the older tribe...

One person from each tribe at a time will race through mud to dig through hay for four balls. Then the other people will bounce balls on paddles to targets.

Reward is a choice of a tarp or fishing gear.

Will the older tribe use the Medallion? The advantage is a ball in their bucket to start, and because of that, they can sit out a weak person. They choose to use it, and the medallion goes to La Flor.

Dan is sitting out on the Older Tribe, and Naonka is sitting out for the Younger.

Brenda and Jimmy J were head to head through the mud, and Jimmy J got the ball first. Kelly B. did not let the artificial leg bother her and busted out he last ball for her team. Holly took a super long time finding the last ball for her team, and then Benry got a ball in and tied it up. Then, the older tribe pulled ahead as Tyrone brought them in, and won it for them. They chose the fishing gear instead of the tarp, despite their grumping about their shelter.

On top of getting their reward and safety from tribal, Estrada found the key for the immunity idol. They were much better at figuring it out, and Jill told Marty when she figured out the last clue... and while Dan was there when he told her, he was not there when they found the idol together. So, hopefully Marty will stay true to Jill, because he couldn't have found it without her.

Over at La Flor, plotting begins. Naonka said that she sat out to see if Kelly B. used her leg as an excuse to get out of physical challenges. And she didn't. She busted it out. So there. Worries about Brenda and Chase getting too close made people aim for Brenda. Naonka was gunning for ~~Jud~~ Fabio. And Shannon because he's too strong. And then she talked to Brenda about the minority idea, which made Brenda happy.

Chase went to chat with Brenda about the fact that everyone else was gunning for her, and she wondered why they don't just go for Shannon. Looking like it might be a tie. And ... Alina overheard their conversation. Confusion abounds.

Tribal Time!

Shannon had never been camping before this. Wow. And then he called Chase out saying "I hope his girlfriend stays with him when everyone else is gone." Wow. Chase said he was between Shannon and Brenda the whole time. Probst is excited because never has an opening question in tribal open that much whoop ass. Shannon went off on everyone saying that no one trusted him and he didn't trust anyone. Then Sash spoke up, and Shannon said that he's from New York, and New York is just full of gay people.

Say WHAT?

And ~~Jud~~ Fabio wanted them all to be friends. Probst told him to get his head out of the trees.

Then Brenda didn't know why she was a threat. Shannon said that it was going to be Naonka, but then they talked about Brenda instead.

On top of that, Naonka let it be known that she really hates Fabio, and he just didn't like her attitude... I tend to agree with him...

~~Jud~~ Fabio ended with "Can we just vote now?" and Naonka said "Yes, CAN we?" Wow.

During voting, Sash called himself the biggest bachelor in NY. Humph. I don't think I can get behind him, either.

I have to say, I don't think I like any of the men on La Flor. Maybe Chase. He seems a solid guy just caught up in a bunch of crap...

At least Shannon is gone. So much for making sure a dude wins this season, dude with a girly name. Won't miss him at all. Probst told them that the biggest threat to their tribe is the tribe itself. Yup.

Looking forward to next week! Shannon said that he should have been with the older tribe because he's been married for 11 years, so he's really 41. Oh, I feel sorry for his wife.

Yay for a New Season! Survivor: Nicaragua 9.15.10

2010-09-15T21:53:00.000-04:00

Wednesday for Survivor, huh? Not sure how I feel about that... but I'm very excited about this new season.

I did watch the preview, but did not blog about it. There are some really interesting characters this season, that's for sure.

Namely, Shannon, who says he doesn't want another girl to win this season.

Instead, let's let the guy with the girly name to win.

This season, the tribal lines are split by age. I really can't get behind Benry. Because his name is Ben Henry and he goes by Benry. That speaks to some sort of mental imbalance, in my opinion.

Just saying.

They started out not split by age lines. Tricky.

Kelly B. is an amputee and is trying to not show her prosthetic leg (and she had a special leg made for the game).

Probst revealed the new twist in this game - The Medallion of Power. It's hidden somewhere down the beach, and the first person who brings it back wins it for the tribe. But they have not yet been told what their tribes are.

Brenda skitters up a tree and gets the medallion first.

NFL coach Jimmy Johnson congratulated her.

Marty was proud of Brenda for winning the medallion, because he thought it was for his tribe. No such luck, as they are told to separate by age.

And CRAP. I just lost a whole bunch o' blog because my computer had a hiccup. Boo! Basically, tribes separate, older women rock it out and start a fire, Jimmy Johnson is the first to puke and gives his team a pep talk, the truth about the prosthetic leg comes out (from the owner), Shannon beats his chest and declares himself alpha male, and Brenda flirts with Chase and he has to decide whether to side with the cute girl or the alpha male. And Wendy has a really hideously fringed jacket.

Onward to the Immunity challenge, La Flor tribe enters with a really cocky and annoying chant/dance. The challenge is to pour water down a chute of gutters into a bucket to release a bag of puzzle pieces and the first tribe to solve the puzzle wins. Espada decides to not use their medallion (which would give them a bucket of water advantage) and goes on to lose the challenge by a hair.

Back to play by play... stupid computer.

Espada is back at camp, and Jimmy T. is feeling down after the loss. He is voting for Jimmy J. Then he proceeds to talk in a really annoying manner about how stars blind people. Jimmy J. admitted that he is one of the weakest players, and says that he thinks it's between him and Wendy.

Marty and some of the girls stand around and try to talk about who to toss out, and no one is willing to really say anything.. interesting.

Tribal Council

They talk first impressions, and Jimmy T. says he felt annoyed by the presence of Jimmy J. Jimmy J. reiterates that he is not going to be a threat to win ... Jimmy T. disagrees, because if he's such a good leader, the jury might reward him.

Holly is concerned that she made an alliance that was too quick (with Wendy). And Wendy was annoyed because no one even asked her age. And the others say that you never ask a woman her age. She then said that she stayed quiet because she didn't want to get on the outs with anyone, but then she continued to talk talk talk about how much she talks, and how much she could bring to the tribe. To me, it was a demonstration of "I'm much more annoying than you think I am at first glance!" And I think she may have just shot herself in her unblistered feet.

Wendy gets votes, and Eve got a vote. Really? Wonder if that was Holly. Well, at least she looks good for 48. Really good. On her way home. Goodbye, stupid fringe and giant hat.

Good first episode! What did you think?

Next week, someone gets his shoes filled with sand and sunk. Wow. That's a rather Russell move.

So You Think You Can Dance: 8.12.10 - Finale!

2010-08-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

Cat's dress is really sweet. It looks like a 50's prom gown.

Hey, it's the others in the Top 10, and the All Stars. Nice Group Dance. Wonder who choreographed it? And Alex was carried out to dance in a chair. Cool that they could include him. I really dig this choreography, centering on the final 3 reaching for their destination. Nice. It was choreographed by Christopher Scott. Really cool.

It's a panel full o' judges. 7 choreographers over there. Oh god, there's Mary. Please don't yell. Please don't yell. There's a kind of hilarious montage of Nigel's hair through the seasons, of course set to Hair. Montage of Mia's invented words and sounds. Love it. And Montage of Adam's faces, set to "She's Got the Look." I love it. Tyce, Stacey Tookie, Kenny Ortega, and Mary... oh, Mary. I did not miss her. At all.

Montage of last night's routines. Fast forwarding.

Best routines of the season coming up... and Cat teased that Nigel might be taking the stage for a tap spectacular.

Kenny's favorite routine of the season is Tyce piece with Neil and Kenny, the Shoeless Joe routine. Love this routine.

Nigel's favorite is Stacey Tookey's Mad World routine, with Billy Bell and Ade. Love it.

Special Guest Time, Dance Crew featuring Ryan formerly of SYTYCD- Quest. They are mightily impressive. I think some of them must have rubberized spines. That's the only explanation.

Mia's favorite dance of the season is Tabitha and Napoleon's Comfort & Adechike number, Fallin'. Oh... I really like this routine. Totally awesome. I think they actually danced it better tonight than their first go through. Cat agreed with me.

Fast Forwarding through some fluff. And enter Kent & Anya with their First Kiss Routine. Mixed feelings about the song, because I really really dislike Ke$ha, but the routine is wonderful.

Tyce's pick to see again was Tabitha & Napoleon again. It was Robert & Dominic's clown routine. Fun.

Nigel hobbles out on stage, with crutches and a giant bandage on his foot, and says that the Season 7 curse hit him, and he stubbed his toe on Adam's wallet. Enter adorable 7 year old kid who says he wants to stand in for Nigel. Holy cow, he's good. And so cute. Astounding. His name is Luke Spring.

More fast forwarding through some tap.

Nigel's next choice is Lauren's Argentinian tango with Pasha. Nice. Sexy. And so dramatic. And Pasha has a shirt on. I think that's a first.

Adam's choice is Travis' piece with Robert and Allison. And I think I cried a little. Beautiful.

Russell dancing with L'il C? That's kind of all sorts of awesome.

Mary's favorite routine (along with screaming, can she please never come back?) with Dominic & Jose's B-boy duet.

SYTYCD UK winner, in a routine with Neil, choreographed by Mandy Moore... She's fearless. Neil just flung her around like crazy.

First result of the night - Who is third? Robert. As it should be. Looks like he'll be doing his Bollywood routine later, though! And, he got a giant consolation bouquet.

Adam's next choice for dance was Napoleon & Tabitha's routine with Lauren and Twitch. Love this routine. Lauren is super awesome in it. She really can just do anything.

Cat wanted to see the Sonya piece with Alex & Allison, and it was to tape, because of Alex's injury. It wasn't my favorite, though the judges all went nuts over it, but it was nice to see again.

Stacey Tooky's choice for routine was Robert and Billy's Bollywood routine. Nice. I love all the Bollywood this show has taken to doing!

Mia's pick is Travis' Neil and Kent routine. Oh god, yes. This routine is heart wrenching. I almost cried again. Astounding.

Fast Forwarding through the musical performance of the Kiss Off Song.

Surprise guest? In Alex's place in the routine with Twitch.... Ellen Degeneres. And she is doing a not embarrassing job. I mean, it's Ellen dancing. And it's funny. And it was enjoyable. Ah, Ellen. It certainly had me laughing, and poor Alex came out on his crutches. She said she was inspired by National Dance Day.

Oh drat. Final results. I was hoping for the Prom Routine. Boo.

And the winner is....

Lauren!

Congratulations, Lauren. Really, this could have gone either way, and it would have been wonderful, because they are both astounding.

Hooray! It's been a good season!

So You Think You Can Dance: 8.12.10

2010-08-11T23:33:00.000-04:00

You know how last week, I said that Cat looked like she was in a lacy wedding gown? This week, she looks like she's going to a goth prom. And she pulls that off, too.

Four dances each tonight!

Kent (with Lauren G, Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul) This one is supposed to be cheesy. And holy cow, I love when Kent does flips. Seriously a fun routine! I am no bollywood authority, but I think they did a really good job. He did really well on the knee spins. Nigel loved it. Mia thought it was very Kentish and it worked. Adam thought the energizer bunny could retire.

Lauren (with Twitch, Hip Hop choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon) It's a political debate in dance. Interesting. Certainly interesting. Lauren can hit harder than you would think given her background. And I just love watching Twitch. That was a pretty cool routine. Nigel said she nailed it. Mia called Lauren filthy. She told Lauren that her consistency would make choreographers want to hire her. She loves Lauren's balance of masculinity with femininity. Adam thought the dance was ironic and wonderful, and said that Lauren makes him proud to sit in the judge's chair, and calls Lauren one of his favorite girls the show has ever had.

Robert (with Mark, Jazz choreographed by Tyce D'iorio) Cool! Mark! The piece is a "power surge of electric energy." Interesting. And they are dancing to Whip It. Awesome. The dance was really fun. I love Mark. In case you didn't know. I think that Mark outshone him a little, though... Nigel loved that Tyce did something so different. He thought that they worked really well together, and said that he doesn't mind which one of the final dancers win, because they are all so strong. I actually agree. (Though I like the others more than I like Robert... it wouldn't anger me if he won). Cat just called them two lovely little packages of kooky bonkers in handsome packages. Ha. Love it. Mia thinks that Robert has gotten more grounded as the show has gone on, and calls him most improved. She loves him with Mark. Adam thinks this piece is a testament to the success of the addition of the all-stars. He thinks that Robert danced like he wasn't competing, and in a good way.

Kent's chat with Cat was really cute. His favorite routine was the prom routine with Lauren. With the kiss at the end.

Kent's solo: He just astounds me. Love when he flips and throws himself at the ground and just keeps going.

Lauren & Robert (Contemporary, choreographed by Dee Caspary) They have a pillow as a prop. She outshone him. I have to say. But he did well, too. What a beautiful routine. Nigel said that there were touches of genius in the routine. He loves how strong the both of them are. Mia thinks this is Robert's most delicious performance by far. She loves how humble Robert has become. She said that Lauren was perfection and is so proud. Adam saw how much they supported each other and loved that, and said it was a story about action and reaction and rebound, and called it perfection. Nice.

Kent & Lauren (Jazz, choreographed by Mandy Moore) They are dancing to Hip to Be Square and are dressed as nerds. I love it. They are so cool. Definitely my favorite two dancers. Loved this routine. Seriously. Nothing but fun from beginning to end. Nigel saw that Mandy was going for geeky fun, but didn't think it was challenging enough for the finale. He said that they did what was asked of them, but can't really critique the dancing. Mia said it was fun, and they danced it well, but she didn't like it, because it isn't her cup of tea. Adam loves them, and repeatedly told them to get out of here. Not sure what that meant particularly. But they had fun! I think that counts for a lot.

Robert's talk with Cat - his favorite dance was the Travis Wall dance with Allison. Agreed. And he really got more than his share of ballroom.

Robert's Solo: It's a weird little solo and he tried to throw so many different styles into it.. Not my favorite, but good.

Kent (with Allison, contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookie) It's about an outwardly perfect couple with a lot of hidden problems. There was a part where they both played puppet, then puppeteer, and it was fantastic. I was brought to tears. Gorgeous. Nigel thinks that Kent's lines get better and stronger, and loved the emotions, and the character. He said the only chink is perhaps Kent's upper body strength, but it didn't show here. Mia loved how invested he was in it. She has run out of ways to tell him how much she loves him. Adam saw the birth of Kent the artist. He was blown away by it.

Lauren's chat with Cat - Her favorite dance was also the prom dance with Kent.

Lauren's solo: Beautiful. She's so strong I just love it.

Robert (with Kathryn, Broadway choreographed by Spencer Liff) I think Courtney would have been a better All Star for this, but oh well. It was a really well done routine. The beginning was basically a little solo time for Robert, and he got the character well. Well done. Not really a KILLER routine, though. And Robert split his pants. Nigel and Adam argued about West Side Story, but in the end, Nigel is delighted in him. Mia loved the classic feel and thought it was danced brilliantly, but wanted more simmer and sizzle in the movements. Adam thinks the original choreography is the best piece in musical theatre, and thinks that Spencer stayed true to it, while putting his own spin on it, and loved what Robert did to it.

Lauren (with Pasha, Cha cha choreographed by Tony & Melony) Dang. That girl can dance anything. She is so amazing. Love love love it. Nigel thought everything was damned near perfect, and said she is probably the best contemporary girl they have ever had do ballroom. Mia wasn't sure who Lauren was and is so happy that she stood up for Lauren's booty. She said that if she was still dancing, she would want to dance like Lauren. She never gets bored watching her. Agreed. Adam said that she feels music like no one else on the show, and if music turned into a person, it would be her. He said that was exhibition style perfect, and said that she dances as effortlessly as most people breathe. Wow.

Kent & Robert (Malevos - missed the choreographer's names) It's a tango style battle. And it was awesome. They were both so strong. and fantastic. Nigel said that the routine is apparently what men do to practice their tango before they dance with their women. Wow. Nigel said this routine showed how hard they have to work to achieve what they have achieved. He urged people to vote. Mia loved the feel of the routine, and said there was a debbonairre quality. She said the legwork could have been tighter, but they are a couple of contemporary dancers, and they did an amazing job with it. Adam said that these three are his favorite top 3 of the whole show, any season, and brought up the fact that it is the youngest finale ever, and they entered as kids, but came out professionals.

I have no idea who is going to win. But I can't wait for the finale. I am hoping for Kent or Lauren, but I wouldn't be sad to see Robert win.

I loved Kent's dances tonight. All of them. His routine with Allison was my favorite. Lauren's dances were all also awesome. The cha cha was my favorite from her, though I loved her other dances, too. And Robert's dances? I really loved his dance with Mark. But that could have been the Mark Factor...

What do you think?

So You Think You Can Dance: 8.5.10

2010-08-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

Cat looks like she is in a casual wedding gown. Very lacy.

The group number feels like Sonya. Am I right? It's amazing. Nope.. Dee Kaspary. Really cool. Good work.

Fast Forwarding to the meat of the show..

Lauren's Solo: I think that was my favorite solo of hers to date. She's amazing.

Kent's Solo: His solo was very aerobatic. And that's always fun. Very high energy.

The first person safe is ... Lauren! Hooray!

You can tell the judges are all more than thrilled.

Adechike's Solo: Other than a really cool split, I wasn't moved by it.

Robert's Solo: I think his best solo of the show so far, too. Nice job, Robert!

The second person safe is... Kent! Wooo!

Fast forwarding to the meat!

And the final person in the finale is Robert. That's about right.

What do you think? Is this a good Top 3? Are you as thrilled with Kent and Lauren as I am?

So You Think You Can Dance: 8.4.10

2010-08-05T22:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the late post! Didn't get a chance to watch last night.

Cat looks like an 80's dance party. And I kind of dig it.

Joining the judges is Tyce D'iorio tonight. And hoping everyone had a good dance day. I boogied in my living room. But, that's an everyday occurance...

Tyce did a routine with the Top 4, to Guys and Dolls. What a fun routine! I really love Lauren's dress! Lauren and Kent all the way!

Tyce thinks that Kent stands out, and had nice words for Robert and Lauren, but told Adechike that he wants to see the fight. I would agree with that.

Lauren (with Pasha, Tango, choreographed by Miriam and Larico) Holy cow, sexy. Really well done, in my opinion. It is a slower tango. I felt every second of it. (Lost some comments here because my computer shut down for no reason... but everyone loved it.)

Adechike (with Lauren G, AfroJazz choreographed by Sean Cheeseman) Quite fun! I liked it! Nigel thought he had fun. Tyce wanted more connection. Mia didn't feel the joy in the piece. Adam felt he needed to be looser and lose his center. He felt conscious of Adechike thinking of the choreography.

Robert (with Anya, Vienesse Waltz choreographed by Jonathan Roberts) I felt him thinking about the choreography. The straight armed lift was impressive, but it looked labored to me. He looks like he's trying too hard to act the part sometimes. But, a very nice dance, all in all. Nigel thanked Jonathan for doing a great, non-boring Vienesse Waltz, and thought that Robert's carriage was beautiful. He also appreciated the straight armed lift. Tyce thought that he invested whole-heartedly in the dance. He thought that Robert wore it like a suit. Mia thought he wore it like an Armani suit, and called Robert the prince of the season. She wants Robert to relax and enjoy the ride somewhat more. Adam thought Robert was brilliant, on the perfect night to be brilliant, and called his movement quality on par with Anya.

Kent (with Courtney, Disco, choreographed by Doriana Sanchez) There were a lot of falls in rehearsal and I hope that Kent doesn't injure Courtney... And he did not! What a super fun routine. Wow, that was fast. And the death drop! And the above the head spin! Wow. Nigel thought that he did a really good job with a tough dance. Tyce thought it was fun, but thought that Kent needed some more of the dance history. He called it just good. Mia thought it was a little rough. She thought the partnering was kind of solid, but the non-partnering parts felt childlike, bouncy, tight, and squashy. She thought it was his worst performance of the season. Adam said that Mia is not totally wrong. Nigel said that he is not marrying Adam now. Adam thought that it was Kent's most youthful performance yet, and the best thing about disco is masculinity and Blue Steel.

Lauren (with Ade, Jazz choreographed by Sean Cheeseman) Holy sparkly bodysuit, Lauren! She's a black widow in this routine. And she's amazing. The hand choreography was amazing. Amazing. And then she did a backflip over Ade as he lay down... incredible. Just utterly amazing. Wow. Nigel loved some of the lifts and the fast choreography. He said not only was it good choreography, it was strong dancing, and she danced it like a strong woman. He said he hopes that America votes her in to the finale. Tyce gave Lauren snaps. He wanted a little more ferociousness in the final position, though her dancing is spectacular. Mia called Lauren a beast. Sometimes the sexual chemistry wasn't as strong as it could have been, but it was amazing. Adam said he wants to hire Lauren. Lauren said "any time, any day!"

Adechike (with Kathryn, Contemporary, choreographed by Dwight & Desmond) It was good, but the choreography didn't grab me so much. Nigel thought that he lost his energy near the end, and started losing his lines. Tyce wanted to celebrate where he's at right now. He thinks that Adechike put a piece of himself on the dance floor, even though he needed some more in it. Mia wanted more. Adam is just super proud of him.

Robert (with Dominic, Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon) Neat. Messed up. Robert was better in this than he has been in anything for a long time for me. He worked well with Dominic. Nigel loved it and loved the choreography. Nigel hopes to see the routine on tour. Tyce loved the "Tab & Nap" and thought that Robert really showed up to the piece and made it magic. I would agree with that. Mia called it hip hop theatre. She loved how he committed and thought it was perfect. Adam thought that Robert out-danced Robert.

Kent (with Neil, Contemporary choreographed by Travis Wall) It's about a broken friendship, where Neil has done terrible things to Kent. Wow.... my heart was breaking during that routine. Amazing. I love Travis. When Neal threw Kent across the stage... amazing. Just astounding. Nigel thought that the piece was inspirational and chilling. He called it the number of the show. He wanted to know if there was personal inspiration from Travis, and he admitted their was. Nigel wants to see this one again and thinks that Kent booked his place in the finale. Tyce wanted to know if they were kidding him, and said that excellence was delivered on all levels. Mia said it was the first time she can't find words and was brought to tears and said it was so real and uncomfortably awful and called it true genius. Adam called Travis brilliant, and thinks if it were the finale, Kent would have just won the show.

I think Adechike is going home. Robert could be, though he did really well. I hope beyond hope that Kent and Lauren are safe.

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.29.10

2010-07-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, I hope that Lauren is ok! Cat's in a dayglow pink dress with bed head. She she pulls it off.

I don't see Lauren in the (very very cool) group number... I wonder if she was supposed to have Allison's part? I think this might be... Wade Robeson? I really dig it. It's really neat and weird. It could also be Sonya. Oooh - it was Mia! Very very cool, Mia! Bravo!

Lauren is ok (though she couldn't do the group routine). Yay! Hope that she's safe.

First up to find out their fates are Kent and Jose. If there's any justice, it will be Jose in the bottom 3. And, there is justice. Kent is safe.

Billy (looking dapper in a cravat) and Adechike are next. I'm betting on Adechike in this group to be in the bottom. Gah. Billy is in the bottom 3. I think he'll be safe. Unless Lauren lands in the bottom 3 for some unknown reason...

Between Robert and Lauren, I really think it's going to be Robert. And... it's Lauren!

Oh man, I bet the judges don't want to send two home tonight! I think Jose is a lock to leave, but between Billy and Lauren? That's tough! I think it's going to depend on the solos.

Fast forward through the dancers. And the first guest singer. He's like a boy band boy without the boy band. In wickedly unpleasant highwater pants.

Jose's Solo: His solo had a few new tricks in it, and he's sweet, but ... I think it's definitely his time. And has been for a couple weeks.

Billy's Solo: Very neat and different solo. I liked it. I hope that Lauren kills it, because I don't want her gone. His giant floppy cravat kind of got in his face a bit.

Lauren's Solo: You would never know that Lauren went to see the medics yesterday. She did a flying leap into a split on the ground and it was beautiful. I really hope they save her.

Guest performance by Allison Iraheta. I'll watch at least part of this one. Those are not All-Stars dancing for her. Odd. Her hair has gotten rather ... patriotic... hasn't it? Orianthe's guitar is beautiful... but I am fast forwarding. She's good, but I want to see the results!

The judges are unanimous, and say it's the toughest decision yet... and their last, because America decides after this one. They don't think Billy is connecting with viewers, but they think he connects beautifully with the choreographers. And Lauren is IN. Hoooooray!!!!

I think the judges made the absolutely right decision. I would not have put Billy or Lauren in the bottom, but... they did the right thing with what they were given. What do you think?

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.28.10

2010-07-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

Is it an injury free week? I think it just might be. Wonderful. If only two people weren't being sent home. I kind of like Cat's outfit tonight, though the pattern does look a teensy bit like tire tread...

The judges are joined by Toni Redpath tonight.

Kent (with Anya, Cha cha choreographed by Jean-Marc and France) Kent is just so very entertaining. It seemed like his shoulders were a little tight in a couple places, but other than that, I really enjoyed it. Nigel thought that Kent has ended up as a man dancing from starting off as a little boy. He wanted stronger hands at times, though. Toni thought his cha cha was much better this time around, and he was more grounded. She mentioned the tightness in the shoulders that I saw, and said he thought it was part of his attempt to be more manly. Mia said that the hips of a contemporary dancer can get in the way in ballroom, but thought that the whole routine felt a little "crunchy," and said that he's not taking the note about his face. And Kent said he tries to work on his face, but he just can't help it because he's having so much fun. Adam thinks it was a super solid performance, but he needs more length and breath.

Robert (again with Kathryn, Contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey) It's a beautiful and emotional dance and they dance it very well, but I'm still not connecting with Robert and I don't know why. As a twist, the end of the choreography turned out to be Kathryn heading off to war, not Robert. That was unexpected. Nigel loved the connectivity and loved how Robert has removed himself from the goofy and grown as a dancer. Toni asked Kathryn what kind of partner Robert was, and his wonderfulness brought Kathryn to tears. Mia thought that the beginning of the piece was tender and sacred and selfless. Kathryn's stunningness freaks Adam out, and Robert rose to her level for him.

Jose's Solo: He's good in his own style, there's no denying that.. But I just think his time is up.

Adechike (with Courtney, Jazz choreographed by Tyce Diorio) I know we're supposed to be focusing on Adechike, but Courtney is so much fun to watch! Of course, Adechike can fly and that's pretty darned impressive. It was a fun routine but didn't grab me. Adam loved how balls out dancing it was, and not too partner heavy. He said Adechike showed total joy, but he wants some more looseness in his back and hips. Mia thought it was a great performance, but Adechike needs to find the balance of style with power. Toni thought it looked like a super fun routine to dance. Nigel wanted more abandon from Adechike. I would agree.

Lauren's Solo: She names her slippers, and I kind of dig that. They are named Joshua and Levidicus. Go Lauren. Her solo grabbed me, too. It was to Natural Woman, and indeed she is. Beautiful girl.

Jose (with Comfort, Hip Hop choreographed by Marty Kudulka and Damian Ward) Strangely, it's set to Try a Little Tenderness. Interesting choice. Comfort looks gorgeous, I must say. The connection feels a little forced, though, and I don't see him as trying to pick her up. I think that the choreography is sub-par, honestly. not my favorite. Nigel loved the cool and funky vibe. And Nigel explained why Jose wasn't in the group routines for the last couple weeks - he had an injured groin. He also said that Jose looked a little flappy and uncomfortable at times. Agreed. Toni was absorbed in the feeling and character of the dance. Mia didn't think that Jose was showing any game and swagger, and instead it was bouncy and kooky. I agree with her. Adam sees what everyone was saying. He's more on Mia's side.

Billy's Solo: His solo was really odd and fun. I liked it. It was weirdly rhythmic. I'm not entirely sure that it worked for him so much, but it was cool.

Kent's solo: Amazong. I could watch that boy for an hour. A minute and a half hardly seems adequate.

Lauren (with Allison, Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio) What a fun routine! I am just totally drawn to Lauren. I thought it was grand. Adam says he thinks of Lauren as an all-star already, because she is just so good. He was running numbers they could do together through his head. Mia said that there is nothing to critique and thinks that Lauren has forged ahead of others. Toni said that strong is sexy, and complimented Lauren on her facial work. Nigel just called the show American Idol. Oops.

Robert's Solo: I mean, he's a good dancer, but I just don't feel the connection.

Billy (with Ade, Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey) Billy is playing a homeless an to Ade's very successful man. And it's set to Mad World. Beautiful. And I think Billy danced half the dance with his hat down over his eyes. I mean, it was a knit hat, so maybe he could seem but it was impressive. Wow. That gave me chills. Ade had some impressive lifts, too! There was a judge's standing o. Nigel thought Billy's maturity was amazing. Toni loved it, and thought the piece was more about the dialogue than the dance. Mia called it sheer perfection, and said it was her favorite piece of Billy this season. Adam thinks that Billy dropped into the zone, and called it magnificent.

Adechike's Solo: Boy can dance, that's for sure. I really didn't care for the song, though...

Kent & Jose (Broadway, choreographed by Spencer Liff) And here's a routine where Kent's goofy face works and is called for. And in the end, Kent got the (invisible) girl. It was really fun. I think that Kent out-danced Jose. Adam thought Spencer killed the style (in a good way). He said that Kent is born to do this, but he needs more breath under his hands at times, and was impressed by Jose as a hip hop dancer. Mia thought that Kent just found his home, and everything about it fit his world, even his face. She said that Jose kept up with Kent, even though you could see they aren't the same level. Toni didn't know if the choreography was smart or lucky, but it worked. She called Kent a contender. Nigel said that he hasn't seen anything that Kent hasn't done brilliantly. He said the worst thing for Jose was having to do it with Kent, but he should still be proud of himself (and eluded to the fact that it may be Jose's last week here)

Lauren & Adechike (Foxtrot, choreographed by Jean-Marc & France) Ooooh, sparkly dress. Pretty. And Fever. I prefer Peggy Lee's version to Beyonce's, but... It's a very good routine. I think that Lauren is dancing it better than Adechike. But only marginally. Nigel thought it felt a little jazz instead of ballroom, but liked the connectivity and the sultry factor. Toni didn't think they had good ballroom muscle memory, and the technique was off, but the character of the dance was good. Mia thought that Adechike had some good partnering moments, but when he stepped away from her, there was a disconnect. Mia thought that Lauren had a grace and a sensuality that she appreciated. Adam said that Lauren did everything right, but Adechike looked concerned to make sure he was there for her, but he needed to just ... be. I can see that.

Robert & Billy (Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul) I think that Billy shones more. There's soething about his presence that I find more believable. Robert always seems a little robotic. Nigel thought that it was the best two-guy Bollywood yet. Toni said that Robert was a big cheesy hamburger, but Billy's still delicious pizza, and it's impossible to pick the better between the, because it was wonderful. Mia was happy to see that there were no injuries because it was hard. She loved the routine.

Gosh, what a tough night to decide who is best and who is worst... I stand by my Kent & Lauren love. Billy was right up there tonight, and he's not always there for me. I think that Jose is nearly guaranteed a ride home tomorrow, and if I had to choose between Adechike and Robert to stay, I'd probably choose Adechike. But I wouldn't be mad if it went the other way...

Oh crap! Lauren is with the medics. God, what a mess. Hope that she's ok.

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.22.10

2010-07-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

The group number tonight is All That Jazz, and started with Mark. That's always a good sign. The current contestants weren't in it until the middle. They tossed Kent way up in the air. Coool. I didn't even really notice any of the current contestants except for Kent. Were they there? It was choreographed by Kelly Abbey. New?

Cat looks ready for a tea party. Not in the best way. It's a weirdly juvenille dress.

Denise Jefferson (a famous dancer) died this week. She was the director of the Alvin Ailey Dance School.

Lauren is safe. Yay! Kent is up next, and is also safe.

(Fast forward through the inevitably lovely Pas De Deux)

Safe in the final group of boys is Adechike. I'd say that's warranted. His dance with Comfort was amazing last night.

Robert and Jose will be dancing solos, with Billy in the Final 3. I think Jose is going home.

Dance performance by DJ Smart. He's amazing, but... fast forwarding.

Highlight of All-Stars: Lauren & Neil. ooooh... the Wade Robeson Magic Routine. Slick. This I will be watching. Such a strange little dance. Really cool. Don't care for the screaming bit.

Allison, Dominic, Courtney, and Ade will be going on tour along with Russell and Kathryn, the top male and female from this season, and four others still to be cast. Boo for no Mark on tour. Not like I'm going to see it anyhow, but..

Robert's solo is first, and he's doing the same solo as last night, and I don't like the song. It's whiny.

Jose's solo is next and I think it's the same solo as last night, to? He seemed to throw more tricks at it tonight and more energy, but I still think he's done.

Fast Forwarding through Enrique...

Who's going home? Nigel said they haven't made up their minds, but they have come to a conclusion. They think Robert is improving, but not growing. They feel that Jose has stopped growing, but his breaking is getting better. They feel that Billy's decision to rest this week set a precedent they aren't really happy about. They are not sending anyone home this week. Two people will go home next week. Wow.

Do you think they are prolonging Jose's misery? His solo was really good tonight, but...

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.21.10

2010-07-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

Cat looks like she's been mauled. Not a good look for a dress.

The judges are joined by Kenny Ortega, jack of all trades in the dance world. And oh, goodness. Billy has hurt his knee. Nigel says that they will bring in specialists to warm them up better, etc. Billy's doctors cleared him to dance if he wants to, but he said he didn't feel right about it. But, if he clears being in the bottom 3, he should be back to dance next week.

Lauren (with Twitch, hip hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon) She has swagger! It was a neat routine, and she cowgirled it up to take Twitch down in a duel. Very cute, and I like her more and more. Adam thought she tore it up and is on fire. Mia said giddyup, and thinks that she went so hard, and loves how Lauren is letting go. Kenny said "Save a horse, ride a cowboy," and said that Lauren has enough energy to power LA. Nigel used some slang awkward for an Englishman, said it was bad, nasty buck, and she had swag. I feel unclean.

Jose (with Allison, Contemporary, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh) What a beautiful routine! They were on the edge of the stage nearly the entire time, and it was very creative choreography and they sold the relationship beautifully, I thought. And, I thought it was one of the nicest "dance" moments for Jose. But, the judges could disagree with me entirely. Adam loved the concept and said that it was hard to critique the dancing, but the character, the partnering, the commitment were all there. Mia thought it was more pedestrian contemporary instead of "trained" contemporary. Kenny loves Sonya and loved Jose's partnering, and fell over Allison. Nigel agreed about his commitment, and thought that Sonya helped cover up his weaknesses.

Robert (with Lauren, Jazz choreographed by Tyce Diorio) This routine is about seduction. Did he just lick her leg? I'm pretty sure he did! Other than that, though, I didn't feel much heat between them. It seemed a little forced to me. Though the dancing was good, I was feeling way more from Lauren. Adam thinks he commands the stage and he loved him, hmm. Mia loved the strong clean jazz piece. Kenny liked it a lot. Nigel thought that Lauren was an inspiration to get guys into dance, but liked Robert's dancing. Shows what I know.

Adechike's Solo: He is doing a solo to This Woman's Work. Hmm. Risky. This song belongs to Melissa and the Breast Cancer Dance. Good solo, though.

Kent (with Kathryn, Jazz choreographed by Sonya Tayeh) Sonya uses Kent's tumbling to her advantage, and he partnered really well with Kathryn. This is a really awesomely fun routine. I think I'm a little in love with Kent's dancing. Loved this one. A lot. Go, Sonya. Adam thinks that Kent makes the show more special, and loved the handspring over Kathryn, and thought he kicked ass. Mia thinks that sometimes his face is so animated that it makes the choreographer's work look juvenille, though his dance was totally solid. Kenny thinks Kent is awesome, and thinks he's like a young Gene Kelly, and thinks that Kent is the one to beat. Nigel thinks that Kent mixes really good technique with a really fun personality, and thinks that Kent is out-dancing the All-Stars.

Robert's Solo: Really solid. Some really strong moments that I was surprised by. And, it's Robert's 20th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Robert!

Lauren's Solo: She dances with such passion. I just love her.

Adechike (with Comfort, Lyrical Hip Hop choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon, Fallin' by Alicia Keyes) Ok, this is really strong. I am surprised in Adechike. Comfort brought out good things in him. Really really good choreography, really good character work. Loved it. Wow. Adam said it felt like watching a movie and loved it. Mia thought it came from such a raw raw space and it was like watching dance film, and was the highest level of dance. She was brought to tears about how MUCH Adechike has. Mia thinks that Comfort is like Mary J. Blige in a dancer. Kenny gave more love to the choreographers, and thought it was honest and heartfelt and beautifully connected and wonderful. Nigel thought that it moved to another level, and likened it to Bleeding Love (with Mark). I would agree.

Jose's Solo: This solo is just flat out joy and fun. I don't think it's the best he can do, though, which is a shame. Shouldn't solos be your absolute best? Still, it was good and fun.

Kent's Solo: He has so much feeling in his dance, and I think it was the best solo of the night, conveying a lot of feeling instead of just "hey, look at what a good dancer I am."

Robert & Lauren (Samba, choreographed my Dmitry Chaplin) Lauren's hips get their own chance to shine again. She's just really good at this. And Robert's no slouch. The last spin that Robert did looked a little labored to me. Adam loved Robert's lines and thinks that Lauren could have a future in latin dance. Mia loved Robert in the dance and thought he was great. She thought that Lauren's butt and hips were great, but thought she was in plie a lot and that brings a heaviness to her movement. Kenny loves Dmitry. Nigel was moved by how much the dancers' parents love them. He thinks that Robert did himself proud as a birthday boy, and thinks that Lauren has shaken everything possible on the show and thought it was really enjoyable, though there may have been a couple technical hiccups.

Jose & Adechike (Pasa Doble, choreographed by Dmitry - assisted by Legacy) This is a battle. With capes. I think that Adechike won the battle. Adam loved how committed and connected they were in their partnership, but wanted Jose to stretch his legs and feet, and thought that Adechike could use more abandon. Mia thought it was aesthetically gorgeous, but the technique was lacking for both of them. They didn't fill the spaces in the choreography for her. Kenny thought it was a valiant effort. Nigel agreed that it was a valiant effort, but thought they were missing most of the attack that a Pasa Doble has. I would agree.

Kent (Stepping, with(out) Billy, choreographed by Chuck Maldonado - with Twitch instead) Fun routine. I thought that they both did a good job, though Billy was pulling some funny faces. It would have been fun with Billy. Still, loving Kent. Adam thanked the show for bringing in new kinds of dance, and thanked Kent for kicking it's ass. Mia had no idea that Kent had that in him, and called it disgusting and filthy and sick and amazing, and loved the chemistry with Twitch, and then chided Kent for zoning out when she was talking to him, before calling Kent the one to beat. Kenny thought he was awesome. Nigel reminded them about his own routine, Five Guys Named Moe, which had stepping, but he loves stepping, and thought Kent managed to combat everything thrown at him in the show. Nigel is sad that Billy didn't get to do it, but loved Twitch.

I think that Jose's time has come. I think that Robert will be in the bottom with him, and with the obligatory injured Billy. I don't see the judges sending anyone else home before they send Jose home.

Lauren and Kent for the win!

(Adechike was not so shabby tonight! Loved his routine with Comfort)

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.15.10

2010-07-15T22:01:00.000-04:00

Cat is a yellow canary tonight, and the group number also involves the All-Stars, in a Broadway Routine. I'm thinking Tyce? It's really fun. And Kent got to do some really fun tumbling. And it was Tyce. Go, me!

I think Cat is channeling Felicity Shagwell...

Promo for National Dance Day, including Tabitha & Napoleon's downloadable routine, and lots of people's videos sent in.

Lauren and Kent are up first (my two faves from last night). Neither one of them is in the bottom with Ashley. Yippee!

Fast forwarding through special guest dancers. They are cute, but I don't feel like watching them. I'm sure I'll watch them when my kids watch the show.

Adechike and Billy are up next. Billy is in the bottom 3, along with injured Ashley. Jose and Robert are up next to find out their fate. Jose is in the Bottom 3. I'd say that's deserved. Travis' number with Robert last night was so utterly astounding, I am glad that he's not in the bottom 3. This week.

Fast Forwarding through the next guest dancers... thought that they were going to be featuring all-stars?

Oh... here's the All-Stars. Comfort & Twitch. Fun. Their Dave Scott Hip Hop routine is up, and I loved it the first time. So much fun!

Billy's Solo is up first, and it's a really good one. He has such nice lines. I don't think he's going anywhere.

Jose's solo is up and the first thing that came off was his stupid toque. He got right to the tricks, and he showed what he can do. I do think he's likely to leave if Ashley is clear to stay. He's great, but limited, even though he's charming as all get out.

A SYTYCD TV premier for an artist that Stacey Tookey used in a routine a few weeks ago. Christina Perry - Jar of Hearts. She was a waitress and now she's on the charts. Slick. Her tattoos look like she's been drawn on by a child, but she's got a good voice. I believe that the routine (danced by Neil and Allison) is the same as the original routine. It is beautiful. The cellist is also a backup singer. That's kind of cool.

Nigel thinks that Jose's solo was focused and almost angry, and it was him fighting to stay. He told Billy that he was going in the right direction, but his solo was more of the same old same old, though he does have the capability to be a really great dancer. And Ashley... needs 3-5 weeks rest. Oh, man. Another one bites the dust. She's off to get better and hopefully join the tour. Poor kiddo.

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.14.10

2010-07-14T22:38:00.000-04:00

Cat's dress is weirdly peacocky tonight, but she carries it off, because she's Cat. Another night of two dances each. Cool.

Oh no! Another injury! Ashley was brought to the hospital with severe rib pain, and can't dance this week. This means she will be in the bottom 3 automatically, and if she makes it, and can't make it to dance next week, she's out. Gah!

Kent is dancing Broadway with Neil, Adechike is dancing Salsa with Anya, Robert is dancing Contemporary with All Star Ashley, Ashley would have danced the rhumba with Pasha, Billy is dancing Jive with Anya, Lauren is dancing Cultural with Mark, and Jose is dancing Broadway with Courtney.

Adechike and Kent will be dancing together. Ashley would have danced with Robert. Lauren is dancing with Billy. Jose is dancing with .. Gold Star? That would be Dominic. B-Boy!

Lauren (with Mark, Tahitian Cultural, Choreographed by Tiana Lufau) It's the first Tahitian dance ever on the show. Mark is portraying night, and Lauren is portraying day. They are full of feathers and leaves and it's kind of awesome. Lots of really good hip and butt shaking. Lauren did a great job, and Mark looked at home. Lauren looked like some really randy bird. Girl's hips must have been exhausted after that! I liked it! Nigel didn't know what to say, but thought it would be a good dance for turkeys to do on Thanksgiving. Mia loved it, and thought it was like a duck in heat. Adam was in awe of Lauren, and loved her energy, and his friend in the audience who used to teach Tahitian dance gave them the thumbs up, so he thought her technique must have been spot on.

Adechike (with Anya, Salsa choreographed by Liz Lura) Mighty fluorescent costumes they have! I am not sure if she was supposed to almost fall on the floor in the very first lift, but it didn't look intentional! Anya looked better than Adechike, and he looked like he was struggling at parts with some of the technique. To me. Untrained me. It didn't flow very well for me. It wasn't magical like they should be at this point in the competition. Not to me. Nigel thought the choreographer was a crazy woman, and thought that it worked. He thought that Adechike pulled it off. Ok, I might be just totally off again. Mia loved the choreography and the tricks.. but she thought there were little bumps here and there, and they looked like they needed a couple more hours of rehearsal. She did think it was a really good attempt. Adam thought that he did a good job, too. I'm with Mia.

Jose (with Courtney, Broadway choreographed by Joey Dowling) Courtney is a show girl, and Jose is a sad stage hand who is enamoured with her, but she never notices him. It's to Mister Cellophane from Chicago. He did the character really well, and the dance was fun. Courtney was there to dance with giant feather fans beautifully. Nigel loved the number from Chicago, and loved the way that Joey changed it up. He worried that Jose's personality was hidden, and it showed that his dancing wasn't very good. He said that Jose's dancing wasn't up to par. Mia didn't want to see Jose sad. His puppy dog eyes were killing her. The patheticness was a little maxed out, and the glimmer of hope was missing, and the technique wasn't there to back it up. Adam wanted to give him some constructive criticism, and told him that he had some lines that were missing, and really, he just needs dance lessons.

Robert (with Allison, Contemporary choreographed by Travis Wall) The routine is about Travis' mother, who just went through surgery and a lot of things. Allison is portraying his mother, and Robert is portraying the son. He is very close to his own mother, so this should work well. Wow. Just Wow. They are amazing together, and this choreography is astounding. There was one moment where she just leapt entirely blindly backwards, and he caught her, and the trust was palpable. I got chills. Amazing. Robert broke out in tears afterwards. The judges gave them a standing ovation. Nigel said that it was transcendent. He likened it to Addiction and Tyce's Breast Cancer pieces. I would agree. Nigel thought that if the audience doesn't come out for Robert after that, he doesn't know what would do it. Mia was in tears and said that it was the best Robert had danced to date. Adam thinks that it is a shoe in for Emmy Nomination. I would agree. He said that the routine made him blow a snot bubble crying on tv. I love Adam.

Billy (with Anya, Jive choreographed by Louis Van Amstel) I think Billy may be made of rubber. I thought it was a fun routine. I don't know much about jive, but the Rock and Roll Anya, as Cat called her, was fun. The back of her skirt ripped, too! Nigel said that it was the hardest Billy has worked to get chemistry with a partner. He said that sometimes, Billy's legs are too straight and too classic, but all and all, he loved it. Mia loved it. Confusion ensued when Cat called it a Sex Bomb, and people thought she was saying "Sex Bum." Adam thought it was Billy's best yet, because of the connection, and loved all the kicks.

Kent (with Neil, Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio) They are portraying baseball players. Awesome. Ok, the first thing that happened was Kent vaulted over Neil at full height. That's insane. Some of the tumbling that Kent has done was evident. What a super fun routine! I really enjoyed it. For the first time, Kent didn't have to throw some sexy on the fire, and it was good. Nigel thought that Kent was the MVP tonight, and said that he out-danced Neil. Awesome. Mia loves boys, so much. Cat asked Adam if he also loves boys. Funny. He thought it was an awesome dance, and loved the Fosse-esque style. He told Kent that he could have a huge future in Broadway if he wants it.

Lauren & Billy (Jazz, Choreographed by Mandy Moore) Lauren apparently eats like a squirrel, and Billy is in love with soda. They have different colored converse sneakers on, and their shoes are "doing the dancing." Bedazzled converse. The camera started out focused on the shoes, but thankfully pulled out. These two are good partnering together. It was a really fun routine. Nigel thought it was a cool routine and it made him smile. He again congratulated Billy on doing better with the partnering, and thinks that Jazz fits on him well. He also thought that Lauren did well with the partnering. Mia thought it was completely in the pocket, quirky and groovy, and the cutest thing ever. Adam thought it was Happy-making, and thought that Billy finally lost himself in the music and got into the groove.

Jose (with Dominic, B-Boy, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon) I don't think these boys have bones like the rest of us. I don't know if they were supposed toe in sync the whole time, but I don't really care. it was really cool. Some of the pairing was really amazing. That was really cool. I like. Nigel told Jose that he totally redeemed himself in this dance, because no one else could have done that. Mia reiterated her love of boys. She wants more strength from Jose, but still thought it was awesome. Adam said that this is the way to compete and show who is boss.

Adechike & Kent (Contemporary Jazz, choreographed by Dee Kasperwhat?) Adechike wants to be a cook and write a cookbook for dancers, and Adechike attested that Kent has a crush on Lauren and the kiss last week was more than choreography... the dance is using chairs, as if they were girlfriends fought over by the two boys. The dancing itself was wonderful. I like Kent more than I like Adechike. I just think his personality shines more, and I love the way he moves. Nigel called it a tremendous job. There was one moment when Adechike jumped like a gazelle. He thanked Kent for underplaying it, and not going over the top. His small moments made it beautiful. Nigel told Kent that he stands a good chance of being this year's champion. Mia is in love with Kent's dancing, and loves the organic quality of his movement. She thought that the vulnerability and strength of the two of them was wonderful, and loved that it was a good week for Adechike. Then, she called him a Giselle. Nigel corrected her, and she said she is having a dumb day. And then, in one of the funniest moments ever, she did a Paula Clap. I laughed so hard I had to pause. Adam thought that they taught America that super athletes can also be super artists, and said that they taught him about dance and performance and called them both brilliant.

Robert (with Kathryn in for injured Ashley, Disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez) Robert danced with Kathryn last week. This hardly seems fair. I really wish this was Ashley dancing. Kathryn is great, and Robert is dancing super well, too, and some of the drops were terrifying to me (was the last lift a little slow on the release?), but it was good. Nigel doesn't think people realize how hard disco is. There are no stops for breath in disco. He thought that Robert gave everything he needed to. Mia loves him, but never wants to see him do that again, because it seemed too thin and didn't bring the masculine weight to the texture of the movement. Adam said that disco is about being there for your partner and selling fun, and he bought it.

Another super hard week! I think that Kent and Lauren were at the top for me, with Billy having his best night yet.

Jose's first routine wasn't all that great, but his B-boy routine was awesome. He may be in trouble, if Ashley is recovered. Adechike's first didn't sell me, but I loved the second. Robert was really good, but I don't know if America will vote for him.

What do you think? I hope that Ashley gets better! I don't want to lose her!

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.8.10

2010-07-08T22:17:00.000-04:00

I really like Cat's dress tonight! Her hair-flattening ornaments, not so much.. but the dress is nice.

The group number is set to Sting, and people are in white and angelic costumes... and who is the one with wings, standing completely sill? I have no idea. Is it Ade? I wonder if it was supposed to be Alex. It was a really beautiful (if strange) dance. It was choreographed by Mia. I could have guessed that.

Congrats to SYTYCD for all of the Emmy nominations (along with Adam for the Emmys, and Chelsea Hightower who is now on Dancing with the Stars). Nigel also pimped July 31st Dance Day, and some one has introduced a bill to make it a national day! Congress is apparently doing a flash mob in the park in DC. That's kind of cool. But... isn't a flash mob supposed to be a surprise? Great job ruining that, Nigel.

Lauren and Billy are out first. Lauren seems to have misplaced half her dress. The right half. Oops. Billy is in the Bottom 3, with Alex. Lauren is safe. As it should be.

Everyone else comes on stage now for more results. Kent is safe and I am so happy. He did super well last night. How about Jose? Also safe. I'm glad. His first performance was strong enough to warrant his safety alone. Robert is next. He is also safe. Will it be Ashley or Adechike? Ashley is in the Bottom 3. Didn't see that one coming, though I didn't think it was Ashley's strongest night.

Mia apologized to Adechike for her comments last night to him. That was nice.

Anya & Pasha Spotlight time! They had never partnered on the SYTYCD stage before now - back in their very first audition. Awesome! They are wonderful. The stage with on fire.

Broadway number, fast forwarding.

Billy's solo: Billy gives one heck of a solo. I don't think he's going anywhere.

Ashley's solo: She gives a passionate and wonderful solo. I don't want Alex to be injured, but I don't want to have either Ashley or Billy leave either!

Natasha Bettingfield. I'll give her a listen. She's backed by some of the All Stars. I don't like Natasha's mullet dress. And I have a feeling the song would be better on the radio.

Results. Alex's MRI showed that he suffered a lacerated Achilles tendon. He has to rest for 3 months, although he's having the operation on Tuesday... he's out of this year's competition. Nigel invited him back next year. Ashley and Billy are safe.

I wish Alex the best possible recovery. Poor guy.

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.7.10

2010-07-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

Cat looks lovely in gold, and then there was a strange microphone echo and she played it off in a charming way, because she's Cat.

Oh no! Alex was injured in rehearsal. He will not be able to perform tonight. They think it might be a ruptured Achilles. There's an MRI this week. He will automatically be in the bottom 3, and will be judged. Also, if he can't perform next week, he's out.

Lauren will be dancing Cha cha with Pasha and Contemporary with Kent. Kent will also be doing hip hop with Comfort. Robert got Jazz with Kathryn and Quickstep with Ashley. She also got Hip hop with Dominic. Adechike has Jazz with Courtney and had pulled Bollywood with Alex. Alex had also picked Foxtrot with Anya. Jose pulled Contemporary with Lauren and African Jazz with Billy. Billy got Broadway with Allison.

Lauren (Cha cha with Pasha, choreographed by Jean-Marc and France, Telephone by Lady Gaga and Beyonce) It is ok, but she doesn't seem as fluid as she should be. She looked sexy, and they had chemistry, but I don't know if there was enough follow through. I may be totally wrong. Cat congratulated her in keeping her dress on. Nigel appreciated her growth into womanhood for this routine and liked her hair, and thought she looked smoldering. She said that she was pretending to be a tiger and Pasha was walking in her jungle and she took bites out of him. Nice. Mia said it was pure murderation. Ok, so admittedly I know zilch about ballroom. I guess she was great. Adam thought that she made her minimal costume work, and she was sharp and sexy and is very proud of her.

Jose (Contemporary with Lauren, choreographed by Mandy Moore, Never Tear Us Apart, by INXS) Wow. Sexy from the start. Jose is impressing me this time. His dance is actually really really good. The part where he flipped her was really cool. Nigel thought that he looked amazing, and loved that he pointed his toes and partnered so well. Mia thinks that people should try to be more like Jose, with a lack of ego and an open heart and purity, and thought that he danced from an honest place, and thought Mandy did some really smart choreography. Adam thought that Mandy played to all of Jose's strengths, and said that he is growing technically.

Kent (Hip Hop with Comfort, choreographed by Dave Scott) I have to say, this is really good for Kent. He isn't trying to be sexy, and he seemed to feel the music and did some decent popping. He was playful (and he smacked Comfort's butt!) and did some decent enough B-Boy moves. And in the end, he got to do more simulated kissing (behind a hat). Cat compared him to a little Justin Timberlake. Nigel agreed and called it Soft Hop instead of hard hip hop, and loved how he didn't over-act it. He thought it was fun and musical, and commended the spank for being on the beat. Then - slo-mo spank. That was funny. Mia said "I wasn't mad at you, at all!" She wanted a bit more cool, but thought he did well. Adam saw growth in him this week, and said it was his smallest performance of the season. And that's a good thing. Interesting.

Adechike (Jazz with Courtney, choreographed by Mandy Moore) The dance is set around closing time at a bar, and Courtney is up to seduce Adechike. I adore Courtney's hair in this routine. They are dancing at a bar as a prop. Adechike is having fun and isn't taking it too seriously, which makes me like him more. It was really cool. I liked it. Nigel thought it was a really good routine, and thought that he did really well with his character this time, too. He loved the actual dancing part, since most of it was character, really, but he liked it. He wasn't expecting him to be that good. And apparently, Adechike lost one of his contacts during the dance. Oops! Mia thought that he relied too much on the character, and the actual dance was really mediocre. She said the bulk of the routine was donut holes - empty. Adam thought that he had a breakthrough last week, and then got really tumbled up in his words, and wanted Adechike to get lost in the character.

Billy (Broadway, NOT with Allison, who injured her ribs! so, in comes Katee!, choreographed by Spencer Liff) I think Billy is really shining in this style. Nigel agreed with me, and said this is the best Billy's danced outside of his solos. Mia called him Fabulicious, and said he was sharp, had style, and thought he was awesome. Adam thought he has never connected with a partner this well to date, and loved how his small moments were perfect. He thought that perhaps everyone has had a drink of performance juice.

Ashley (Hip Hop, with Dominic, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon) They are like ninja assassins. She was not hitting as hard as she could have, but her movements were good. She did not look comfortable at all. Nigel said that they love Ashley, and this proved that he can do something more than contemporary. He thought that she hit hard (shows what I know!), and didn't like the drop crotch trousers because they made her legs look stumpy. Mia thought that Ashley danced it hardcore, but there was no kill in her eyes. Adam thinks she's a quiet contender, and thinks she did very well. Again. Shows what I know. Dominic continued his ridiculous flirtation with Cat.

Robert (Jazz, with Kathryn, choreographed by Sean Cheeseman) They are dolls come to life. They were in boxes in the beginning, and I don't know if they were supposed to be in sync in the boxes, but thye were not. They just seemed off the whole tie, not really connecting or working well together. I could see when he was going to do a lift, and he looked like he was trying really hard. And she's an itty bitty girl. I could probably toss her around. Cat thought it was plastic fantastic. Nigel loved the concept, and he went online to see why Robert has been in the bottom 3, and saw that people think he's arrogant, and defended him. He thought the dance was really great. Humph. Am I just totally off tonight? Mia loves Robert. She also loved the inside the box movement, but she did say it could have been cleaned and tightened up some. Adam thinks Robert is totally great, and called it stellar. What is wrong with me tonight? I just can't agree with the judges!

Adechike supposed to be with Alex for Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul. Instead, Marla, Nakul's assistant will be dancing with Adechike. It looked like he was doing a good job, but the smile was plastered on blandly again. The end, with the super quick tempt was really good. He got to do some leaping, which obviously he can do with glee. Nigel warned him that he had to be deeper in his plie in this style, and said he started making it a little funky in places, and he has to be careful to stick to specific styles. I would agree with that. Mia called it kind of African in style. Cat stood up for Adechike and said that when Jose did Bollywood, they told him it was ok to put his own little twist to it, and now they are picking on Adechike for doing the same thing. Mia said that it was a little flaily for her and she really missed Alex. Adam said that he could tell that Adechike felt the music, but he lacked finish and snap.

Kent & Lauren (Contemporary, choreographed by Travis Wall) It's about two people after prom. That should work for them. I kind of adore them as a couple! The dance was wonderful. I really loved soe of the intricate jumps and footwork. And, Kent got another kiss! Truly, that boy gets around! Nigel thought that the routine proved what fabulous Contemporary dancers the two of them are, and what a great choreographer Travis is. He said that he has been looking for the heart in Lauren, and he found it. He loved what a hard worker Kent is, and thinks his hard work is going to pay off. Mia thought it was stunning - the connection was there, and thought that Lauren's athleticism, technique, and soul were all great. She said that Kent also had a great evening. Adam said it became so honest and intimate and real, he almost felt embarrassed to be watching it. (They do make a truly adorable couple, really)

Ashley & Robert (Quickstep, choreographed by Jean-Marc and France) I don't know. It looked like they were just running part of the time and weren't really following steps. Got better in the middle. Still, not really feeling it. Nigel thought it really was the dance of death, and the character part was hard, to switch to the dance part. He admitted that they had more close hold than anyone else, and it wasn't the best close hold, and thought that Robert's hydraulics were a bit off for this style. He thought that Ashley was lovely and looked like she was enjoying herself and had better form. Mia thought they got through it and it wasn't a train wreck. She didn't like the music choice for Quickstep, and thought that Robert's legs were too far apart and reiterated that ballet would be good for him. She said it wasn't the kiss of death, but it was a bad kiss. Adam thought that the music spoke more to jive, but thought that they got through it.

Billy & Jose (African, choreographed by Sean Cheeseman) Jose is the hunter, and Billy is the prey. I thought it worked, and both of them had parts to show off their own strengths. The judges didn't think that they hit it quite right, and Billy was a little too contemporary at times. Billy as a cat again didn't work for them much.

I thought that Lauren had a super night, as did Kent. Jose's contemporary was great, but his second dance wasn't as great. Same for Billy - first dance was fun, but the second one was a little blah. I wasn't feeling Ashley's hip-hop, but she was the better person in the Quickstep.

Adechike didn't pull it out tonight. I think that Robert will be in the bottom 3 again. I didn't drool on his dances at all. And Alex will be down there, too, automatically.

Who do you think will join Alex in the bottom 3?

So You Think You Can Dance: 7.1.10

2010-07-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

Group dance is to Carmina Burana. That's kind of cool. Why they are all dressed like half dressed clowns, I don't know, but the dance is neat. Choreographed by Jamal Gains? He's new, right?

I really like Cat's dress. Webby, almost, but not in a creepy Cher way.

Next week - Two routines, and they'll dance with an all-star they've never danced with, and also one of their competitors. Interesting. I think I like it.

Out first are Alex, Ashley, Adechike, and Kent. Alex is safe. Ashley is safe. And so are Adechike and Kent, after a psych out making it look like it might be Kent in the bottom three.

Next out, Lauren, Robert, and Billy. Lauren is safe. Billy is in the bottom 3. And so is Robert.

Will it be Melinda or Jose joining them? Unsurprisingly, it's Melinda. If she isn't the one going home this week, I'd be stunned.

Neat new feature - highlights from Allstars. And this week, it's Mark (squee) and Courtney. And, remembering Nigel's ridiculous hair. Oops. Mark and Courtney are dancing The Garden! Wheeee!!!!! I am so happy right now I can barely think. I wonder how many times they've done that routine? I still love it, and it looked like they still do, too.

Fast forwarded through the Cirque de Soleil routine.

Solo time. Billy's first, and he had some great moves, though I am really distracted by his mesh backed shirt. Why is that necessary? Really? Robert is up next, and he brought some funkier moves, but he's no Mark. I just started to get into his solo when it was ending. His buildup was too long. And next, Melinda. If she doesn't go home, I'll be stunned. Her solo was the best yet, without extra distracting music. She brought more fun that previous solos.

Fast forward through Neyo, who is trying to be Michael Jackson and failing.

The judges are unanimous, and Melinda is going home. I don't think anyone is surprised. I wanted her to be better, but she just couldn't quite get it together. Sad. I liked her.

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.30.10

2010-06-30T23:43:00.000-04:00

There's only three girls left! This is weird!

Cat is shiny tonight, in a really lovely metallic dress.

Partners this week are

Lauren & Neil
Melinda & Pasha
Billy & Kathryn
Ashley & Ade
Robert & Courtney
Jose & Anya
Kent & Allison
Adechike & Lauren
Alex & Twitch. Can't wait. :D

Everyone also does a solo tonight.

Adechike (with Lauren, Hip Hop choreographed by Dave Scott) In glasses, Adechike looks like Dwayne Wayne. This is the most I've liked Adechike to date. He really connected well with Lauren and with the routine. Nigel thought that Dave Scott brought out Adechike's personality. Agreed. Mia also thought that something has shifted for the better in Adechike. Adam cheered and gave him a standing clap.

Ashley (with Ade, Contemporary choreographed by new choreographer Dee Kaspary) Ade is such a fantastic partner, he made her work look easy. She was a broken creature supported by him,and it was gloriously done. I got chills. Although it was contemporary again for Ashley, Nigel thought she looked like an entirely different dancer, with a fluidity that didn't get broken by the steps. It was her finest performance for Nigel, and I agree. Mia loved the idea of complete surrender and thought it was danced extraordinarily, and said it was like a purple wind, a hurricane, and a summer breeze, and said that Ashley is her favorite female dancer. Adam called her breathtaking and said it was one of the best contemporary performances ever to date on the show. I would agree with that, actually.

Billy's solo - It was pretty cool, but nothing that would blow my mind.

Robert (with Courtney, Jazz choreographed by Sonya Tayeh) The problem is, I am just more drawn to Courtney than I am to Robert. He is good, but she is just a little ball of fire. I think they are styling his hair to try to make him look Mark-like. Nigel thinks that Sonya's choreography suits Robert like it suits Mark. Mia wanted Robert to take ballet, which would give his movement weight and ground him. I can see where that would be a good thing for him. Adam loved how engaged and committed Robert was. He told him to be careful to jump up and not down. Robert seemed to know what he was talking about.

Jose's Solo - I love a good B-boy solo. He spent a good deal of it on his head. I remember seeing that Jose does yoga to strengthen his moves, and I can totally see that.

Melinda (with Pasha, Salsa choreographed by Fabian Sanchez) In the beginning, her shoe got caught on her dress, but she didn't waste too much time fixing it. They don't seem to have too much chemistry, and my husband thought that they were off. Nigel questioned her musicality. Mia thought that she danced as hard as she could, but thought it looked like she was thrown in a pool with bricks on her legs for part of it, and thought that he feet were pigeon toed. Agreed. Mia said that she felt like they made a mistake letting Cristina go last week. Adam actually agreed with her. They did congratulate her for fixing her shoe and keeping on.

Kent's Solo: I find him more engaging as a dancer than Billy. Maybe it's because he's so darned likable.

Alex's Solo: He did a lot of leaping and spinning. He can move, that's for sure.

Lauren (with Neil, Broadway choreographed by Joey Dowling) It was a fun routine, but didn't do too much for me... and another wardrobe malfunction as her dress strap broke right at the end! Oops! Nigel said with the dress strap and everything, it was a seduction and a half! He enjoyed the dancing a lot. Mia felt that it was a great piece danced really well, but she wished for more slinkiness. She warned Lauren that she is such an athletic dancer, she needs to tap into her sexiness. Adam told her that she needs to try to dance as if she's dancing in butter. He was really proud of her, though.

Ashley's solo: It was pretty good, but didn't call to me.

Billy (with Kathryn, contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey): What a beautiful routine. Hard to see Billy as a heartbreaker, though. Nigel thought that the most connected Billy was was right at the end, and he didn't quite believe the partnership, though Billy CAN undoubtably dance - it's about the partnering with him. Mia thought that he needs to let go of the thought of perfection of his lines and needs to connect totally with partners. Adam wants him to watch his dance on playback and he'll see what was missing.

Robert's solo: I think I like his solo best so far. He is interesting, that's for sure.

Jose (with Anya, Samba choreographed by Dmitry) It's Jose's first partnering dance. I don't know if all his moves were exactly right, but I loved the dance. He was a convincing partner and Anya is just smoking hot. Nigel thought that Dmitry brought out the man in Jose, and introduced him to the "Ooh, I've lost the buttons on my shirt" club. lol. Nigel said that though Jose is not the best dancer, he has the charisma and the personality that you can't teach or bottle. He also thought that Jose had very good technique in some places. Mia said that while he is not that great a dancer in a lot of areas, she can't help but love him. They can't pick on his technique so much, because he's so full of joy. Adam said he made the dance work for him, and called it brilliant.

Melinda's Solo: Tapping to Alicia Keys? Ok... that's interesting. It was a weird solo. I have to admit it.

Kent (with Allison, jazz, choreographed by Mandy Moore) Mandy said that Kent's biggest problem is being a man, not just acting like a man. I think he did a convincing job of being a man in this routine. Nigel loves Kent's personality, but wanted him to keep an honesty in his dance, and he admits that Kent has a magnetism, but he doesn't want him to play too much to the audience instead of working with his partner. Mia thinks he is beginning to play too much into the tv personality aspect of the show. She wants him to take the choreography to another level. Adam thinks he is a very hireable dancer, but wants him to lose the hungry jazz face, because he's better than it.

Adechike's solo: Ok, I take it back. This is my favorite solo fo the night. He is just magnetic in solos. More so than in his partner dancing. Maybe I'm just drawn in by his muscles...

Lauren's Solo: Nice solo! My favorite solo of the girls, for sure.

Alex (with Twitch, hip hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon) Totally surprised, Alex is pulling it off! Could he have hit harder? Sure. And they managed to get some of the ballet moves in there, too. Twitch is, of course, simply amazing. It was a fun routine for the two guys. The judges were all standing. Cat says it is the loudest roar from a crowd in the show's history. Nigel loved the concept, and said it was Tabitha & Napoleon's best choreography to date. He then said that Alex did the most incredible hip hop ever, and while I don't know that I agree completely, because he could have hit harder, it WAS pretty awesome. Mia thinks that Alex has defied everything about the ballet world and he held his own next to Twitch. Adam said that it is Alex's world, and he is just visiting. He said that Alex made him so proud.

Favorites of the night? Jose, Alex, and Ashley.

Middle? Kent, Billy, Robert and Adechike.

In the bottom? I'm afraid it's probably Melinda's time to go. I wouldn't be surprised if Lauren's in the bottom with her, but I really think Melinda is going.

What do you think?

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.24.10

2010-06-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

The group routine is funky. I'm thinking Wade? Or Sonya? And it was Sonya. I like when I can recognize the choreographer's work.

Cat looks nice and zippery tonight. It looks like a Project Runway dress. Nigel pimped National Dance Day again.

Out first are Kent (adorable), Adechike, and Cristina. In this group, Adechike should be in the bottom 3, in my opinion. Kent's adorableness and hard work kept him safe. Oh, for heaven's sake. Cristina's in the bottom 3 again. She doesn't deserve to be there.

Alex is safe. Jose is also safe. Melinda is in the bottom 3 again, too, and Ashley is safe... what are Melinda's red latex pants about??

Lauren is safe. Robert is in the bottom 3 this week, and Billy's Krump didn't send him to the bottom 3.

Brian Gaynor's Crew, Remote Control is performing! This is one performance I won't be fast forwarding through. They are like the Gold Man Group. They are amazing.

Cristina's Solo us up first, and she brought it her all again. I hope that the judges don't let her go anywhere. We need a salsa girl in the competition.

Melinda's Solo wasn't very thrilling. Still, I like her and want to see more. Tough week.

Robert's Solo involved a lot of tumbling and leaping, but something about him leaves me cold.

Another good performance? Six all-stars dancing while Debbie Nova sings her latest song? Well, I have no idea who she is, but Mark's dancing (shirtless). So I'm watching. The song isn't anything exciting, but I enjoy the dancing. She got a copious amount of confetti at the end, which was weird. And, she's about a foot shorter than Cat.

The judge's decision is not unanimous this week. Robert is safe. Melinda is safe, and Cristina is out. Now, that's just not fair. I think she did a glorious job. Boo.

what do you think?

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.23.10

2010-06-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

Cat is very feathery around the edges. I've seen better.

We find out who is paired with who first.

Billy (paired with Comfort, for Krump)

Lauren (paired with Dominic, for Lyrical Hip Hop)

Adechike (paired with Allison, for Contemporary)

Kent (paired with Courtney, for Jazz)

Melinda (paired with Ade, for Contemporary)

Alex (paired with Lauren, for Broadway)

Cristina (paired with Pasha, for Pasa Doble)

Ashley (paired with Mark, for Jazz)

Robert (paired with Anya, for Argentine Tango)

Jose (paired with Kathryn, for Bollywood)

Neal and Twitch will not be dancing this week. I wish they could dance together. Just for fun.

Cristina (paired with Pasha, Pasa Doble, choreographed by Jean-Marc and France) I love a good Pasa Doble, and I'm glad that Cristina got this style. It was hot. Gorgeous. Truly. Nigel wanted passion, power, fire, and control, and Cristina brought all of that. Mia thought it was everything, the whole package. Adam made a "Pasha Doble" joke, and called it perfect, and full of commitment.

Adechike (paired with Allison, Contemporary, choreographed by Mandy Moore, Listen to Your Heart) No story, just emotion this week. His smile looks forced. The dance is beautiful, and his emotion is better than last week, but Allison shines in the emotion, and I don't buy him most of the time. However... dance was glorious. Nigel saw a major improvement in his emotional connection, but he also thought he was interrupting the flow of his emotional journey with the steps, and he needs to make it muscle memory. Mia wants him to tap into joy, and thinks that he is stiff on top and doesn't let the emotion get into it. She says that dance is an artform, but it's also a heart-form, and she didn't feel it. Adam thinks he is dancing from his head, but he needs to dance from his heart, but does think that he danced it beautifully.

Alex (paired with Lauren, Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio, Summertime by Sylvester) It's a Fosse Style dance, and Alex does very well with it. Damn, that boy can kick high. I liked it a lot. Cat put on the hat after the dance and it was tiny, and she said "that just goes to show what a massive head I've got." Nigel wanted Alex to research Fosse, and needs to see more power in his performance, and thought it looked like he was tight in the shoulders. Mia wanted him to know that it's not always about the tricks. Adam reminds him that it's not about technical details, it's about subtlety.

Ashley (paired with Mark, Jazz choreographed by Travis Wall, Wonderful, by Annie Lennox) It was awesome and Mark's shirt was nearly off... so thank you, Travis! Ashley's 20th birthday is on Saturday. Congratulations. Nigel wants Jazz to be separate from Contemporary, and that's more of a critique of Travis, and I would agree. Nigel didn't get anything new from Ashley, even though she was strong in the routine. Mia wished it was jazzier, but still thinks that Ashley is one of her favorite girls, and thinks she delivered. Adam agreed with Mia that the transitions need to also have the story in them.

Billy (paired with Comfort, Krump choreographed by Lil C, So U Think U Can Krump, by J-Squad) I have to say, Billy was hitting it harder than I thought he possibly could. Better than expected, that's for sure! Nigel really hated the music, and Cat told him that he wasn't supposed to like it - because all the young people like it. Nigel thinks that Krump is a warrior dance, and doesn't think that Billy's quite found his warrior yet, but thinks he gave it his all. Mia thought that Billy knocked on the warrior's door, but he didn't answer, and said that it was awkward. Adam laughed and said that Billy was obviously trying hard. Comfort said that Billy was buck to her, but Adam maintained that though Billy is one of the best dancers on the show, this was a bad experiment.

Robert (with Anya, Argentine Tango, choreographed by Jean-Marc and France, Libertango, by Bond Quartet) It turned out, to my untrained eye, very well. It was super quick, and I believed it. Nigel said that Robert took control like he was supposed to in the dance, and said that it was magnificent, and the lighting and direction helped to make it stand out. Mia thought that Robert's carriage and his groundedness wasn't powerful enough, and thought that Anya dominated him. Adam thought that Robert had unbelievable footwork, but looked really stressed out, and wanted him to stretch his steps some.

Melinda (with Ade, Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey, Squander, by Skunk Anisie) This routine is about the relationship of Man (Ade) with Mother Earth (Melinda). I really really liked it. Nicely done. Lots of throwing herself around. Nigel gave some love to Canadian choreographers. He thinks that for a tapper, Melinda has got some beautiful lines. Mia loved the concept and the story but was distracted by Melinda's dress. She was also impressed with Melinda's lines. Adam thought she was just great.

Jose (paired with Kathryn, Bollywood choreographed by Nakul) It's a genie in a bottle theme, and it's awesome. He did an awesome job. Nigel thinks that taking people out of their element is interesting, and thinks that Jose didn't quite make it all the way to India, maybe made it as far as South Africa, and then made a World Cup reference that flew over my head. Nigel thought that he didn't get all the fingers right, but he was having fun. Mia said that although there was a lot he did wrong, he had fun and it's infectious. Adam thinks that Jose wins the prize for the brightest light on the show. He admitted that his Bollywood was kind of absolutely wrong, but he's so sweet it almost doesn't matter.

Lauren (paired with Dominic, Lyrical Hip Hop, choreographed by Tessandra Chavez, If I Were a Boy, by Beyonce) This routine is about an abusive relationship. Heavy. I definitely felt the emotion. It was wonderful. Nigel welcomed Tessandra to the family, and thanked her for the routine. He told Lauren to give herself a stronger base, but thought it was a really fine performance from both of them. Mia thought it was outstanding, but thought that the abuse moments should have been a bit more about the abuse and less about the steps. Adam was happy that she took his notes from last week and could tell that she was in an emotional and raw space because of the dance and wants her to celebrate that because she's become an actress. She said she's gotten to a deeper place, and the judges say she's gotten there. Then, Cat stuck her foot in her mouth and asked Dominic if he wanted to get in a deeper place... he leered at her a little before leaving the stage. oops!

Kent (with Courtney, Jazz choreographed by Tyce Diorio, Amy Amy Amy, by Amy Winehouse) Kent was really adorable in rehearsals, excited that he got to touch Courtney as much as he wanted and she didn't care. I thought the routine was really awesome. Nigel worried about his outfit (which was weird), and thanked Tyce for a real Jazz routine. He worried also that Kent wasn't having as much fun as he was in the cha cha, even though it wasn't a very good Cha cha. Mia thought there were some great moments of technical movement, but wanted him to step into a more mature role. Adam thought he did really well, but does need to work on the character.

I thought that Cristina was amazing, and I enjoyed Robert's Tango and Melinda's Mother Earth. Lauren showed amazing improvement, and I also really like Kent.

I liked Ashley quite a lot, but I'd put her in the middle, with Billy. Jose is infectious, and I don't think he's going anywhere.

Adechike continues to underwhelm me, and I don't love Alex nearly as much as the judges do. I have no idea who is going to be in the Bottom 3. your thoughts?

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.17.10

2010-06-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the late blog - and I'll be fast forwarding through a lot. I don't care about most of the performers.

The Group Dance in the beginning was pretty darn cool, and Jose got a chance to do some breaking, and Melinda got a chance to do some (weirdly out of place) tapping. Overall, pretty cool. No one looked horrible. New choreographer (Cassandra Chavez?).

I really like Cat's gingham inspired dress. It's very Grace Kelly.

July 31st is apparently National Dance Day. Ok, thanks for that, Nigel. You can download a routine at Dizzyfeet.org, or on the SYTYCD FB page - and he wants Cat to try it next week. We'll see.

First four contestants out are Alex, Robert, Lauren, and Kent. Robert and Alex are safe. Kent is safe, and there was much rejoicing as Lauren is also announced as safe. In the next group are Melinda - who is in the bottom 3, and I hope she does well - Billy, who is safe, Ashley, and Alexie. Alexie is in the bottom 3. About right. She's adorable, but she wasn't great last week. Will the last one in the bottom 3 be Jose, Adechike, or Cristina? Jose is safe. Adechike is safe, and Cristina is dancing in the bottom 3. Didn't see that coming! Adechike was much weaker than Cristina! (And she was dancing with Mark! Really, America?)

Fast forwarding through the dance routine.

Melinda's Solo: She's tapping to I Got That Feelin by James Brown. She brought a lot of personality to it, but tap solos are tough.

Alexie's Solo: She's dancing to I've Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding. It didn't speak to me.

Cristina's Solo: She ought to be safe, though a salsa solo is always hard. She's just really good.

Next - Usher. And, me fast forwarding. And Justin Bieber video. And me fast forwarding.

The judges are unanimous. Nigel likes Melinda's style with the tap and thinks she's really cool, but she needs more fire. Cristina brought the fire in her solo, but not the steps, but he said they felt like she looked like she was dancing for her life. Alexie was very contained in her dance, and though she's small, she needs to bring the length. She is leaving, and I am not surprised. Adam told her that she is very hireable, so she needs to not lose hope. Mia assured her that she won't be wanting for work.

I think that was the right decision.

Yay for a New Season - Top Chef: Washington DC

2010-06-16T22:51:00.000-04:00

I don't know that I have the energy for an in depth blog tonight, but I'll give it my all.

Tiffany started out working at IHOP, and now she's an executive chef. Stephen left his wife and 13 month old twins behind to be on the show. Tracy is an executive chef. Kenneth has been cooking since he could stand up by a stove. Kelly and her husband own a restaurant in Vale, Lynn is a chef instructor at CIA. Arnold is an executive chef and owner of three restaurants. Kevin is sure he is the best damned cook out there. Kenny and Kevin know each other. Jaqueline is a self-taught caterer. Angelo likes to talk about how he was in Monte Carlo last week, Kenny was annoyed by him. So was I. John has super bad teeth and a stupid bandana and stupider hair.

Quickfire

Basic Skills and Speed - Mis En Place Tournament, with people eliminated in every round - peel 10 potatoes, then do something to 10c onions - apparently dicing to 1/8"x1/8"x1/8", then break down 4 chickens, then create a dish with the ingredients prepped, and have it judged. Winner gets $20K.

First round - Kenny is done first. Second round, Kenn is also done first. Andrea was one of Food & Wine's best chefs and got cut. She was mad at herself. Holy crap, in the third round, Kenny was also done first.

In the final round, Kenny, Kevin, Timothy, and Angelo. Angelo made a roasted wing with curried onion jam and potato noodles. Kevin made a hot and sour broth with chicken wing. Tim did a gallete with a cherry... hmm. Kenny did chicken two ways and it looked delicious.

Tim put too much cream in his dish, and Kevin put too much salt in his broth. The winner is Angelo. Oh, poor Kenny. I wanted him to win it. Kenny says he sees Angelo as more of an obstacle than a threat.

Elimination Challenge

They will be divided into four groups to cook food from their regions, for 300 at the Cherry Blossom Festival. In each group, one person will win, and one person will go into the bottom. Let the school yard pick begin! Ed sent the last pick to Kenny.

I am drooling over the gorgeous tools in the Top Chef kitchen. Stunning.

Do not have energy to blog the prep, but it was hectic, and some of the dishes sound promising, while others sound questionable. John particularly burned his macadamia nuts and had to start again.

And what's this? Gayle is going to be hosting a "Top Chef: Just Desserts" show? Slick! I would love to see something with people who generally know how to cook desserts. Yay! When's that coming?

Jacqueline went light on the fat in her chicken liver mousse, and had a problem and needed to recook because it was grainy. The judges didn't like it.

Tracy's shrimp and grits was bland. Kenny's dish had many layers of flavor and looked delicious.

From each group, the winners were Kenny, Kevin, Angelo, and Alex. Angelo was the winner.

For the bottom, Timothy, John, Jacqueline, and Stephen. First out is John. Oh, good. I can't take a chef seriously that has that bad personal hygeine. Nor one who uses store bought puff pastry and then doesn't make the rest of the dish perfect.

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.16.10

2010-06-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

Cat is looking rather Grecian tonight. It works on her.

They will be switching up partners randomly every week. That makes me happy at least.

Adam, Mia, and Nigel are on board. Numbers are 1-888-6-BEST-##

Billy Bell - (with Lauren, Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Footloose by Kenny Loggins) He really loves do-it-yourself projects, and his dad is a general contractor. The dance is fun and they are really good together. Billy has some charisma. I liked it. Nigel thought that Tyce was listening to different music than most choreographers in this song, and the movements were longer, which suited Billy. He liked the buddy chemistry with Lauren. Mia was very proud of Billy and thought he stretched himself. She wanted more bounce in the movement, and wants him to dance like a man instead of a boy. Adam thinks dancing comes so naturally to Billy, it seems easy, but he needs to work on character and what's in between the steps. He then called Billy a super boy.

Cristina - (with Mark *squee*, Jazz, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. Starstruck by Sanigold) - she once auditioned for the Mexican version of American Idol, but was cut. Now she sticks to dance. Her character is a snake. Oh, how I love Mark. Cristina kept right up with him and got the looseness of being a snake right down. Nigel thought it was all about Sonya and Mark. I would have to agree. He said she was absolutely tremendous in it, and he said his eyes were not always pulled to Mark, and that's saying something. Mia said that she was partnered with a genius of twisted dark, and couldn't have had a better partner for the routine. Agreed. She was impressed at how well Cristina did. Agreed. Adam was stunned and expected disaster when he heard of her genre. He saw no trace of a salsa dancer.

Jose (with Comfort, Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon. Beautiful Monster by Ne-Yo) - He does yoga to keep himself flexible and clear his head. That's awesome. The routine was full on kick ass. I loved everything about it. Nigel thought that the fact that he is new to choreography and did things like he did this week was amazing. He thought it was outstanding. Nigel said he looked like Adam Shankman after a drink. Mia thought it looked like he had a fabulous weave on. In fact, it was nothing of the sort. She said that when he was breaking, his character was solid, but when he was doing the choreography, it wasn't as solid. Adam thinks he has grown legions since Vegas and also amazingly since last week. He thinks Jose's smile is going to get him votes. He wants more, faster, power moves in his breaking, because that will also get him votes.

Adechike (with Kathryn, Jazz, choreographed by Travis Wall. Addicted to Love, by Fran + The Machine) Adechike went to the Fame School, and so did Tyce. And Tyce didn't do that well. Ha ha. The routine is about a guy daydreaming about a beautiful lady at work. I was more impressed by Kathryn than I was with Adechike. Nigel loved the choreography and thought Kathryn was giving him everything, but he didn't believe it was his fantasy. Mia loved the choreography but thought that Adechike wasn't picking up the sexual chemistry that Kathryn was throwing all over him. She said he brought nothing to the stage for her. I kind of agree. Adam thought he was there for Kathryn the whole time, but he didn't go any further. Agreed.

Melinda (with Pasha, Jive, choreographed by Tony and Melanie, L.O.V.E. by Brown) She was on As the World Turns and writes her own music. She gives really good character, for sure. And, if I remember correctly, the jive was hard for tappers last season. She didn't seem to struggle even a little. (Maybe it was the Quickstep that tripped them up alast season... I forget.) Nigel thinks that Melinda is totally vivacious and gorgeous, but worries that she pulls her faces too much. He thought her retractions were good, but thought her legs didn't look right. He worries that she's going to be dancing for her life tomorrow. Mia thinks there's something about her legs, that it makes her look pigeon toed, and doesn't think she straightens her legs enough. Adam wants Melinda to watch her performance back and she will learn from it. He thought she masked her troubles with the style by the fact that she's a good actor.

Alex (with Allison, contemporary, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, Hallelujah, by Jeff Buckley) He loves to sing. He should stick to dancing. The routine was not my favorite, but Alex brought good character to it. It was not as moving as I wanted it to be, but it was good. Cat got chills. Adam looked like he was crying. Nigel was struck nearly speechless, and thinks that Alex just set a new standard for the show, and showed that the poetry of dance is just as important as the steps. He thought they were mega light years ahead of everyone else. Eh. I didn't get that. But, I don't know anything about dance, I'm a total lay person. Mia thought that the pain that exuded from the both of them was incredible. She thought it was hands down the best piece of work danced on the SYTYCD stage to date. I disagree. Adam thought that Alex and Allison upped Sonya's choreography game. He understands why the ballet didn't want to release him from his contract.

Alexie (with Twitch, hip hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon, Butterfly, by Jason Mraz) She was on Star Search and was judged by Adam. Hilarious. The dance was good, and I love Twitch. Nigel thinks that Alexie is such a cute little dancer, and it could be a problem in this style, because she didn't hit before getting to the flowing part of the dance. Mia thought she danced like a young adorable girl, while Twitch was dancing like Mr. Swag. Adam thought her charisma was what made her ok in the dance. He said she needed to channel how Tabitha dances - all the sensuality of a woman, but all the power of a man.

Lauren (with Ade, Pop Jazz, choreographed by Mandy Moore, Oh Yeah, by Yello) She works with kindergardeners. Hey, it's the Ferris Bueller song! Love it. My friend watching with me thought that her choreography was sloppy. Nigel thought the choreography was really good, and thought Ade's partnership was good, but thought it felt sterile, and made another sports reference that I didn't get, basically saying that Lauren is safe. Mia again said that she needed to fill in the space, though technically, she was really good. She thought it felt like the first draft of a dance, instead of the final piece. Adam is concerned that Lauren isn't really listening to their critique. He wants her to look deeper.

Kent (with Anya, cha cha, choreographed by Tony & Melanie, Lady Marmelade by Diva Invasion) He was crowned homecoming king, with only 14 other people in his class. I really enjoyed his cha cha. He had good character in it, and to my untrained eyes, it was a good job. And Anya is amazing. He did pull some faces. He apologized for the faces he pulled before even getting to the judges critiques. Nigel said that it was obvious he enjoyed the routine, and leered about him getting some cougars in addition to the cows on the farm. He did warn him about a bit in the middle where he looked like Jessica Rabbit. Mia loved how he committed to everything, and other than the Jessica Rabbit step, he looked like a ballroom boy. Adam said that he reminds him of Dominic and Gev, who were so bound and determined to do well outside of their style. Then, he said it was like you lost your little boy at the zoo and found him dancing in a lion cage.

Ashley (with Neal, contemporary, choreographed by Tyce Diorio, For All We Know, by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway)She likes to make crazy voices. Including a weird robotic voice. Gorgeous dance. Beautifully executed. Stunningly acted. Loved it. Nigel thought she needed to use her personal feelings in her dance as much as possible. Mia felt her emotion a lot, but wasn't sure if it was love or pain, but it was a nugget of emotion that wasn't completely formed. Then, she called Ashley a very special little bunny. Adam thinks that this season seems to be full of technically brilliant people, who need to connect more emotionally.

Robert (with Courtney, African Jazz, choreographed by Sean Cheeseman, Norweg from Cirque de Soleil.) He really wanted to be a professional baseball player, and he still hits balls with his dad. Courtney and Robert make a very attractive couple. Dancing in the African Jazz was quite something. They gave it their all. I liked it. Even Cat commented on what a good looking couple they were. Nigel loved the choreography, and he loved the way Robert danced it. He thinks Robert could be a dark horse. There are so many things Mia loves about Robert. Adam loved seeing Robert and Courtney together, and loved how completely there they were for each other. He thinks that Robert is one of the best contemporary dancers ever on the show.

I really loved Cristina, but was that because of the Mark Factor? I thought that Jose did a great job, and I find him appealing. Kent, I just want to hug. Loved him, and his ballroom lips. I also really loved Lauren's dance, and Robert's African Jazz was slick.

Both Melinda and Lauren I wanted to be much better than they were. I didn't get the fawning over Alex. I must have missed something.

In the bottom for me? Adechike, Alexie, and sadly, Lauren. I totally love her, but... For me, either Adechike or Alexie can go and I won't really miss them. I would miss Melinda or Lauren.

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.10.10

2010-06-12T09:59:00.000-04:00

First look at Season 7! I think this show is the "what can they do in their own style" show. Awesome. Cat looks like a frilly easter egg...

They are dancing to Fame, by David Bowie first, and it's he all stars up first. Why, Hello, Mark. Missed you! They are having a tea/dance party. And enter the new contestants! This is going to be an awesome season. The routine was choreographed by Wade & Amanda Robeson.

This is kind of "So You Think You Can Dance - With the All-Stars!"

On the judge's panel are Adam, Mia, and Nigel. Hooray for the lack of Mary!!!

Lauren & Kent - Jazz, choreographed by Travis Wall. Mark will be with Lauren, and Kathryn will be with Kent. I think Lauren just became by favorite. Because I love Mark. And that's the problem with pairing them with the previous season veterans. The dance is super cool. Both Kent and Lauren did beautifully. They are both very compelling. Lauren especially. Kent is fishing for a date. He's so funny. He wants someone like his mom, or Beyonce. Adam thanked the other judges on the panel, and then told Travis his choreography was so good, it was sick. Then, he hopped up and fist pumped about Lauren & Kent. I would agree.

Alexie & Melinda - Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They will be dancing with Allison & Lauren tonight. Ah... so the couples are not set yet. I think Melinda is much better for the show than last season's tappers, because she is already trained in some other styles, and she is so darned charismatic. And beautiful. I really like her. Alexie doesn't grab me as much, but she's also good. Tyce loves his own choreography and the dancers. Nigel loved them both, but wants more fire from them.

Jose - Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon. He will be dancing with Twitch, Comfort, and Dominic. The routine is really cool. Jose held his own with the All Stars. There was a little humor in the routine, and some really net choreography, not to mention Comfort got to do some booty shaking. It was really cool. Looking forward to seeing what he can do. Dominic was all over Cat and was kind of hilarious. Tabitha and Napoleon gushed over Jose. Adam is really excited to see how the Cat/Dominic thing plays out, and thinks Jose is fantastic, and wants him to bring performance all season.

Cristina - Latin, choreographed by Jason Gilkinson. She will be dancing with Anya & Pasha. Pasha is instantly the luckiest man in the season, to get to dance with these two hotties in shimery shiny dresses. And Cristina held her own with Anya. Impressive choreography, to put Pasha with both girls, and of course it wouldn't be Pasha if he didn't end up shirtless. It was a delightful menage a trois. Jason loves Cristina. Nigel tossed the love at Anya and Pasha, and thought the girls were fighting over Pasha, and loved that Jason made his dreams come true. He warned Cristina that she has a tendency towards lazy feet, and needs to pick them up a little more.

Alex & Billy - Contemporary, choreographed by Mia Michaels. They will be dancing with Ade, and Mia explained that the routine is about a journey from childhood to adulthood to old age. Billy starts out playing with a car, and Alex is the grown man, with Ade as the rickety old man. It is a beautiful routine, and they all played their parts perfectly. Nice piece, Mia. The judges loved it, and Mia said it was an honor to work with these dancers. She called Billy a freak of nature, and loves how technical Alex is, and called him a stallion and a beast. Cat wanted everyone to give it up for the freak and the beast.

Adechike, Ashley, and Robert - Lyrical Jazz, choreographed by Sonya. They will be dancing with Courtney and Neil. I love the choreography. It was awesome. Really really cool. Of course it was Sonya. Sonya pushed them beyond human endurance.

Can't wait for next week!

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.9.10

2010-06-10T22:36:00.000-04:00

Vegas, Part 2.

And Ida Saki, who I love love loved... is floundering in Vegas. And is quitting. She wants to go back to college.

The non-quitters are doing Broadway choreography.

Adrian Lee and Lauren Froderman are in the first group up on stage. They bring so much personality, and they can dance like nobody's business. Lauren especially shines. Both of them are in. Awesome.

Melinda Sullivan (tapper), Jose Ruiz, and Alexie Agdeppa are also through the Broadway round. Along with many others.

And Ida tells the judges that she is quitting. Nigel thinks she is quitting because of negative criticism. She went so far as to say that she wouldn't take the top 10 if she got it, and Nigel just thinks she can't take criticism. I tend to agree with Nigel.

10 others are cut after Broadway.

47 dancers are left. They are divided into groups at random. They pick cds at random, in different styles. They have to choreograph a routine to the music on the cd and perform it the next morning.

The first group did pretty well, I think, giving each person time to shine and it was good musicality. Mary thought it was inspiring. Adam loved the group. Nigel aid that every one of them is on his favorite list.

The next group has Melinda Sullivan, and a bunch of other styles... including an African dancer. They butted heads in their rehearsals (the African dancer and one of the guys most of all). The routine was kind of all over the place. Adam thought it was uneventful choreography. Mary thought it was uninspiring. Nigel thought that Melinda was the only one who understood the music and shone. The African Dancer is through (wish I knew her name - Kdige?). Chris, the guy who butted heads with her, is a split decision, but just barely in his favor. The rest of the group is also through.

Montage of other groups. And most of them are pretty good, it seems. 8 more dancers were cut by mid-day. That leaves 34.

In the final group, Billy Bell, Ryan Ramirez, Adichike, and a couple others are there. It was really not good. The judges were sad. Adam called it a disaster of epic proportions. Tyce thought this group should have been the best, but Nigel said it was out and out crap, and didn't think they listened to the music at all, and thought they were tight and constricted. Even though the judges are wildly disappointed, they are all through.

Contemporary time, with Travis Wall.

Salsa dancer girl did very very well and is through. Giselle Peacock did not do nearly as well. Her leaps lacked oomph and her extensions were not complete. Nigel thought that she lost her sparkle. Mary was in tears telling her to work on her extensions. She is cut.

Nicole Knusen, of the giant hair, and her bun is back, is out. Kdega is out, too. I don't have to learn to spell her name.

Jose Ruiz did well, as did Adichike.

Kent, small town boy, was in the final round with Alex Wong and injured leg man. I think he held his own, but I could be wrong. Alex is missing passion, but he's in. Anthony Burrell is in. He's still in pain. Kent's turn. Nigel sees a lot of growth potential in him, and the other judges love him, too. He made Lil' C cry and "feel like Adam." Kent didn't expect to measure up to the likes of Alex Wong, but he did. He's in.

Choreography rounds are done. 24 people are left. 10 will make it through. Before they go, there will be final solo rounds. Before that, they get some training from a famous choreographer (don't know his name), and he will train them on reaching their star potential.

Final Solos.

Lauren Froderman is up first. I loved her solo. It was glorious. The judges thought so, too.

Montage of other solos and "I wanna dance" speeches.

The judges are dramatically traveling the country to give hopefuls their news. Cristina Santana and Adrian Lee are up first. Cristina gets a visit from Toni, who tells her she's in the Top 10. Cool. The long drawn out drama annoys me.

How about Adrian? He's not in, but Mary urges him to come back and audition again.

Lexi got a call from Nigel, and she's not in. The judges are too busy to visit everyone. Nigel called some others to let them go. I didn't really recognize any of them.

Lauren Froderman got a call from Nigel, who then told her to come to the door, and inexplicably, the mail carrier was there. He told her that she was one of the best dancers in Vegas, but it isn't just dance that gets people in (style, age, etc..), but... she's in. Awesome. She deserved it.

Mia is heading to see Anthony Burrell. He is not in this season, but she wants him to come back.

This going to their houses? Much more cruel than the hallway walk and stage decision. I don't like it. It seems wasteful and stupid and full of manufactured drama.

Ashley Galvan is up next, with Lil C. She is in.

Jose Ruiz? In. Good. He's really got something.

Melinda the Tapper? She's in. Awesome. I really really like her.

Nigel is trying to find Kent in Wapakanetta.

Alex Wong is next. He gave up his solo position in the Miami City Ballet to audition for the show. He is in the Top 10, so that's good for him.

How about Adichike? He's in.

Nigel is still looking for Kent. For this trouble, he'd better be in. And Nigel got pulled over by a cop.

Joceylin Orley is cut.

Who will the last girl be? Alexi Agdeppa, or Ryan Ramirez? It's Alexi. And I still hate Mary. I hope that Ryan tries out again.

Billy Bell and Robert were performing together in a show, and Adam was going to tell them the news.

And Nigel finally found Kent Boyd. For that trouble, I hope that Kent is in. And Nigel went to use the bathroom as soon as he got there. Really? Fake drawn out drama. I hate it. Nigel said it was bad news for the whole family - fake out - because they are going to miss Kent, who is in. Again. Fake drama. Nigel said "do you honestly think I would come all this way to say no?"

So, I assume it's Billy Bell in the final spot. Could be wrong, though. It is in fact, Robert getting in. Wow. Adam let Billy know he is supernaturally talented, and it was a struggle... so they are both in. Ok. that's interesting. They are both in.

Pretty good Top 10. Looking forward to seeing this season!

(I'm behind blogging. Apologies. It's been a rough week here)

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.3.10

2010-06-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Dallas! With Tyce and Toni Redpath joining Nigel.

Ida Saki is up first. She is so gorgeously muscular, I am enthralled. Seriously. She's amazing. She's been dancing since 6th grade, and both of her parents are from Iran, and her mom was never able to dance in Iran. Nigel called her exquisite. Toni didn't think one human could produce what she did. Tyce simply wrote "wow" on a piece of paper. Her mom was brought up on stage, with her little brother. They all gave Ida hugs, and to Vegas with all of them.

Robert Rolden has gorgeous lines. Toni was spellbound by him. Rebecca Hart made Tyce's jaw drop. Vegas, and Vegas.

Haylee Durbin is up next. Her dad was her dance support, and he died of colon cancer. She's good, but made funny faces while dancing. Strange frowns. Nigel didn't like her stank-face and didn't think she showed herself off to her best ability. Toni thought she danced tightly and didn't finish things. Tyce didn't feel a lot coming from her, and wants that. She's going to choreography.

Montage of the judges enjoying themselves. Montage of crazy people.

Conor, aka Scooter Rocket, is nuts. He also writes (bad) music. And looks like an anime villain. I don't know what he thinks this is, but it's not a roller skating competition. I believe the music he "danced" to was his own. It was kind of catchy, but... it wasn't dancing. Tyce wasn't blown away. Neither was anyone else. He's out.

Montage of bad and bizarre.

Nicole Knudson has what Nigel calls Marge Simpson hair. It's all her own and she wears it up. I don't know what she was doing with the head phones dancing, but I kind of dig how she moves. She's tall and lanky and muscular and connects. Tyce thought she was electric, and thinks she is the kind of talent that comes along every 100 years. Nigel thinks she is absolutely unique and is in control of everything. Toni's breath was taken away. She's heading to Vegas.

In choreography, Haylee is cut. 13 other dancers made it through.

Day 2 in Dallas!

Derrocius Harris is dancing to Toxic, and he's very odd. Men in spandex should be banned. Forever. Nigel thought he was more suited to the Dallas Cheerleaders. Toni couldn't see him partnering well. Tyce thought the outfit wasn't right, and the whole thing made it hard to imagine him dancing with a woman. That's something that happens in this show, so... he's done.

Marcella Raneri is gorgeous. Her dad was in the mob and got caught, they lost everything. Her mom started a lingerie company, which she modeled for and helps design for. She's a really nice dancer. Nigel thought there was no heart or soul in her work. When he heard that her dad was a mobster, he said she was going to choreography according to him. Toni thought that the whole thing looked like a set up for the next move, and wants to see her in choreography. Tyce thought it seemed that she was doing moves she'd seen other people do, but wants to see her in choreography.

Jordan Johnson was ostracized for being a dancer and a gymnast in a tiny town. He found out that he had a biological father (presumably different that any dad he knew), and he struggled with it, battled addiction... (out of rehab for five years now) then he met his biological father, and they didn't really connect. He tried to reconnect with him recently and his biological dad wanted nothing to do with him. Wow. And his dancing? On fire. He certainly brought some gymnastic moves to it. And he brought humor and personality. Nigel thought he was dangerous, exciting, unpredictable, and he appreciated everything. Toni thinks, although he is not traditionally handsome, his energy is sexy. Tyce thought he reached them with his fresh talent. Vegas.

After choreography, Marcella is through to Vegas.

Nashville!

Nigel is joined by Adam and Joey Dowling.

Faith Looney is auditioning, and her best friend is her partner is Kelsey in flamenco. They fought for 2 1/2 hours because of Kelsey's mean boyfriend. They seem very very young. And the flamenco was soulless. Nigel wanted to see her with more fire, because what she did was not flamenco. He told her she would make dead people look like party animals. Adam wanted to say "Ole" but just said "Oy vey!" Joey thought she seemed so uninterested in the style, she seemed to be making fun of it, and she was too sweet for flamenco.

Next? Montage of awful...capped off by Shayna Vaughn. I don't know what she was doing, but it wasn't dancing. Adam thought it looked like she was grooving to a song by herself in the corner. Joey thought she looked like she was dancing in her house, taking a break from cleaning. Nigel thought her lower body was totally stationary.

Worst day of auditions ever. Did they even send anyone to choreography? Next day? More terrible.

Brian Gaynor is back. He has scoliosis, and it's a terrible worsening condition. He's dancing to Fireflies, and it was magical. He is absolutely Mr. Roboto. Joey was crying. Nigel also called him magical, but worried that he wouldn't do well with partner work, because he's really small. Adam thought he was one of the best in the world at what he does. Joey thinks he glows, and thinks he's the reason that other people dance. Nigel wanted to know what he's been doing, and he's joined an awesome crew. Nigel said that he isn't going through to choreography or Vegas, but his crew will perform on the show. That's cool.

Two days in Nashville, and only 7 people made it through. And we didn't see any of them. Boo.

And now? Vegas!

Only 10 people are going to be in the finals this year, because the SYTYCD All-Stars are dancing this season! I'm excited to see some favorites, but I don't know about the fact that only 10 people get through...

Ugh... Mary. I see previews of Mary being there. Why? Can't she just go?

Vegas Day 1. L'il C, Mary Murphy, Tyce. Adam, Toni Redpath, and Nigel are judging. Why Mary? WHY??

Straight to Vegas this year were Billy Bell and Alex Wong. Alex had a contract with the Ballet, and he's back now. Billy was ill last year. He's back. Alex is up first for his solo. And he's astounding. Billy is up next, and he is also outstanding. He connects really well.

Anthony Burrell pulled his hamstring and had to the dr before seeing if he could do his solo.

Montage of amazing solos. Anthony got the clear to go, after a cortisone shot. His solo ended up being quite lovely. good for him, and I hope he's ok.

After the first solos, a bunch of people I didn't recognize got cut. Anthony Burrell, Billy Bell, Kent Boyd, Alex Wong and some others were called to the stage and were called the "special mentions" and they are safe.

Next round is hip hop. Sarah Brinson (Charlize Look Alike) is nursing a bad back, and that's really sad. Hope that she works it out. I like her.

Tabitha is running them through the hip hop choreography. Rachael Germa (rhythmic gymnast) and Jose Ruiz are having troubles picking up choreography. Jose is doing better than Rachael, who is having a melt down. When it came t the performance, Rachael was Not good. Jose seemed to do ok. Rachael is out. Jose is in (though Lil C gave him a no).

Melinda Sullivan, Lauren Frodeman, Alexi Agdeppa, and her partner did well. Teddy Tedholm was cut. Darn it.

Anthony Burrell and Sarah are up in the last group. Anthony is through. Sarah is out. I hope that she comes back. She broke down in tears, and Tyce told her that she is a stunning dancer, and when she told them she hurt her back, they understood a little better. She's still out.

Next round: Ballroom.

Only 69 remain after the cuts on the first day.

Toni Redpath is doing cha cha for the choreography. She's a drill sergeant at the choreography. Billy Bell called her a Nazi Barbie.

Nicole's big hair was a problem in the choreography. The judges wished her hair was down. They actually asked her to dance it with her hair down. She was off in search of a partner.

Jose Ruiz did a good job with the cha cha. Serg Ornik and Giselle Peacock breezed through. Some contemporary dancer who I can't spell his name decided to do a tap routine in his solo instead of his genius contemporary, and he has scraped along since then. He's getting a chance to dance for his life.

Jordan Johnson is in the last group of choreography. He was not strong in the choreography AT ALL. He was barely there and looked utterly lost.

Nicole's turn to dance again is up. She had a really good partner. She's through to the next round.

Person with impossible to spell name is Adichike Torrent. His solo is so incredible. Why oh why oh why did he do tap before? Nigel said "How dare you deny us the beauty of that solo and do the silly things you've done so far?" He gave him a yes, and so did everyone else. On to Broadway with him.

And that will be next week.

So You Think You Can Dance: 6.2.10L

2010-06-02T22:43:00.000-04:00

LA! Joining Nigel are Adam Shankman and hip hop choreographer Hi Kat.

Lauren Frodeman is a cheerleader and she's got a really sexy dance to Sexual Healing. She has beautiful lines. I find her quite appealing. Nigel called her tremendous. Hi Kat loved her, but didn't think she connected super well with the audience. Adam loved how she turned the R&B song into something seductive without being creepy. She's going to Vegas.

Hella Hung is delusional. He got his own very stylized clip package. He called his sweat "manly juice." That's creepy. Then he sang to Cat and kissed her neck. Also creppy. But, can he dance? He's wearing some ghastly gold hammer pants, and an art smock, and no. No, he cannot dance. Not at all. The judges are simply speechless. "Not right for this show." Right. Hi Kat suggests that he might get a job entertaining at birthday parties.

Rachael Girma has only been dancing for two weeks, but she's been doing rhythmic gymnastics for 9 years. She injured her foot (stress fractures) and couldn't go to the Olympics. She certainly has some moves. I noticed that she started her routine in the corner of the stage like a gymnast does. And moved diagonally across the stage like a gymnast. It was certainly incredible movement. Nigel gave her a wow. Hi Kat didn't want to routine to end. Adam thought it was brilliant. To Vegas with her. I hope that she does well in choreography. I think she could be glorious.

Montage of fantastic California girls. Adam called one of them "the perfect stew and I want to eat you." Ummmm... wow.

Next up is the girl who smacked Billy Bell in the nose in Vegas last season. She was cut before the top 20 last year. She's Cristina Santana, and this year, her partner Pepe Alvarez is auditioning with her. She's wonderful. He's kind of stiff. Adam told Cristina that she sizzled, understand her body and listens to the music. He thought that Pepe was forgettable. Hi Kat agreed. She's going through to Vegas, and Pepe is going to choreography.

Taylor Costello is from Glendale, AZ. She found out when she was 11 that she was adopted, but her birth mom died. She found out that her birth mom loved to dance, so she dances to be close to her. And she's really close to her adoptive family, too. She moves with strength and passion. She's compelling. Nigel wanted to know what her driving force was. She told the story of how her birth mom was murdered and they never caught the killer. Nigel thought her dancing was slightly manic, but very good. Hi Kat thought the musicality was there and different. Adam just really loved her. She's on to choreography.

Pepe dropped out before choreography, because he didn't think he was up for it. Taylor was cut, but is urged to come back next season. Other nameless people got their tickets.

Day 2!

Alexie Agdeppa auditioned last season and got cut in the final round. She dances with joy. Nigel didn't think she was as strong as she was last season, and then said "this is how you tell a lie." The others just loved her (as well) and she is going to Vegas.

Montage of really good female dancers. Melinda Sullivan is at the end of the group, and she's a tapper, who loves tapping because you get to be a drummer with your feet. She's also taken ballet and acting lessons. She's got a great look and her audition was very interesting. I'm not sure I got her choice of music, but she is undeniably talented. Adam thinks she is really interesting, and thought that tapping to a ballad was different. Hi Kat thought she was interesting. Nigel didn't know if he really liked it, and didn't like her choice of music, calling it slightly rude to Stevie Wonder. He didn't like her routine, but he likes her. She's on to choreography.

Montage of not so good men.

Finally, Ryan Ramirez. Her family lost their house during the economic downturn, and Mia Michaels met her and liked her and helped her continue dancing. She assisted during the bed routine in Season 4, among other things. She's really really wonderful. Adam called her a very very talented dancer, but she didn't connect with the judges at all. Hi Kat loved her music choice and her technical dancing, but wanted more connection. Nigel told her that the best dancers don't win this show - it's the best dancers who are the best performers. Choreography with her.

Melinda the tapper and Ryan are bother heading to Vegas, along with lots of people we didn't see.

Next up - Chicago!

Joining Nigel and Adam is Stacey Tookey.

Kent Boyd is from Wopakeneta, an itty bitty town. He's planning on going to NYC for dance in the fall. He's really really good. And Neil Armstrong is from his town. Nigel wanted some more connection. The others also thought he had potential. Choreography for him.

Andrew Phillips brought his fraternal twin (who has severe spina bifida) with him. They are very very close. He's a beautiful dancer. Adam and Stacey love him. Nigel thinks his technique could use some work, but he's heading to choreography.

Hick-Hop? Ummmm... I don't think the world is ready for this. Because it sucks. Malinda Jacobssen is the originator of it. Nigel appreciated how unique she was. Stacey thought it was out of control. Adam thought her heart was in the right place, but thought the music was off-putting and she's not going on.

Montage of Terrible.

Adrian Lee is a breath of fresh air after the terrible. He's kind of weird looking and gangly, though. He has that connection, though. To Vegas with him.

Kent it through to Vegas. Andrew is is also through. Yay!

Day 2!

Kellen Brothers is the first delusional dancer of the day. He looked like he was having a seizure. He's obviously not going on.

Christopher Gilbert came on stage with a cane and broke into a really impressive routine. He threw in some Michael moves, and he had on a Cosby sweater with a Dwayne Wayne hair cut, but I could like him. He's super tall and skinny. Adam liked the "dancing Urkel vibe," and thought he was compelling. Stacey thought he was unique and wonderful and entertaining. Nigel wanted to know if the glasses were real, and Christopher said he was just a dork and embraces it to the fullest. I really like him. He's on to choreography.

Montage of people heading to choreography.

Jarrod Mayo has some really strong lines and he flies! The judges really loved him. Nigel wanted to meet his mother, who came up on stage and who was adorable. He's going to Vegas. And I think his mother was just as excited as he was.

Jarell Robinson is deaf - he was born hearing, and then became deaf. He is astounding. Stacey thought he was extremely musical for someone who can't hear, but his "vocabulary of steps" wasn't strong enough at this point. Adam thinks he is special, inspiring, and deeply talented. He found it fascinating how good his interpretation is. Nigel wanted to know how he felt the music. Jarell explained it's through the bass. Nigel told him that other dancers could learn from that ability. They didn't think he was right for this show, but think he can be exceptional if he continues to be brave enough to keep pushing boundaries.

Christopher Gilbert lost the Cosby sweater for choreography. Not strong enough, sadly. I hope to see him again.

Anyone stand out for you?

Yay for a New Season - So You Think You Can Dance - 5.27.10

2010-05-28T19:04:00.000-04:00

Big changes at SYTYCD this year! Only 10 dancers will make it into the finals, and they will be paired with returning favorites. Not sure how I feel about that, but I'm looking forward to seeing some people return (Mark).

The first audition city is NYC. Nigel, Adam, and Mia are judging. Hooray for no Mary! I think I read that she may be choreographing, but not judging. If that is true, the season just got so much better, because I could live happily my whole life without ever hearing her scream again. Ever.

Sarah Brinson (22, Philadelphia) She has always felt like the "big" dancer, because she is a larger size than your average dancer. I hope that she is phenomenal, because I think she's got a gorgeous shape (and she's maybe a size 10. If that. She's strong and curvy. I love it.) She has really nice lines and Nigel said that she looks like Charlize Theron. She says that she gets that a lot, and I can see that. Mia thinks that she dances beyond her years. Her parents are golfers. Adam loves how self assured she is. Vegas for her. Wonderful. Then, she snubbed Adam for a hug and he got bitchy.

Giselle Peacock & Henry Byalakov - They are latin ballroom dancers, and they are hottttt. They just got off Broadway. Mia and Adam agreed that they were smoking. Adam told them that they just tore up the floor. Nigel saw them in Burn the Floor and thought they were stars there, too. To Vegas with them!

Montage of a delusional trio, 1 2 3 Party! In his audition, one member did a lot of what looked like aerobics and bad 80's dance moves. The judges looked confused. So was I. Then, he didn't know who Adam Shankman was, who was sitting right in front of him. Wow. He calls himself Lazer, and his team mates are Ice and Ultra. Enter montage of more bizarreness.

Welcome back, Teddy Tedholm! I really dig the conviction with which he moves. Adam was either loving him or really bored. At the end, he said "Oh my God," and Mia was also "upset," and she was crying and saying that he reminded her of the unpopular kid who was always laughed at and made fun of, and the pain and reality that he brings is moving. She called him genius. Adam loves how he puts himself out there, and said that it was really really special, and said he is honored to have watched it. Nigel accused him of upsetting the entire panel, and said that he previously saw him as a whimsical dancer, but was disappointed in him in Vegas. He hopes that he won't be disappointed again, because he's going.

Also going, Briana de Falco, who was glorious, Daniel Baker, who had an amazing leap and great pecs. Both to Vegas.

Scott Vogel cleans up when people get murdered, but he really wants to dance. He is really terrible. He does country line dancing. Oh, and he also runs a cereal bar. Ummm...ok.

Shockalock is apparently the king of locking. Chris "Isolock" Dixon is bringing his new style to locking. He's dressed like the Cheshire Cat, and has a picture of Nigel on the top of his top hat, which was kind of fun. Then he threw some Russian folk dance kicks in there. It certainly was entertaining! Nigel loved the eccentricity of him, and thinks that Toni Basil would be frothing at the mouth to see him. Mia wants to know if he can do more. Adam was impressed with the knee kicks like they do in Bollywood, and the Russian folk bits. He's on to choreography.

He joins 33 others in choreography, taught by Courtney and Jason. Can Chris "Isolock" bring it? He looked horrible. And then he dropped his partner. He's out. 15 others are going on.

Jamie Greco makes horror movies and decided to audition dressed as Carmen Miranda. And then stripped off his oat and had broccoli taped to his man boobs. Then "pooped" an orange. That was... interesting. Adam was happy. Mia appreciated his love affair with fruit and vegetables. He's not going on.

Montage of people falling. Sometimes painfully.

Wadi Jones is a free runner. His dancing seemed rather uninspired. Some of his moves were impressive, but he didn't connect to me. Mia loved how light and quiet his footwork was. Adam was also impressed. Nigel sent him to choreography.

Anthony Burrell (wasn't he in a previous season, too) is amazing. Megan Davis is lovely. Vegas and Vegas.

Edward Spots auditioned in season 6, and he's back. And glorious. The judges loved him and sent him to choreography.

Megan Carter is a bigger dancer, and needed to work up courage to audition. I am so glad that she did. Adam and Mia were moved to tears, and Adam thought that she threw all stereotypes out the window. She made Mia happy to be a "woman of size." Nigel told her that it would be hard to find jobs as a dancer, just because of the way of the business. She's going to choreography.

In the choreography round, Wadi and Megan are cut. Edward is one of 16 going to Vegas on Day 2 in NYC.

Next up? Miami, with Jason Gilkinson and Sonja on the judging panel.

Michael Petr is from the Czech Republic and is a ballroom dancer. He's got something. I love the way he moves, actually. And he's on to Vegas.

Tyrell Rolle got a huge clip package and has beautiful lines. He's got a great story (decided to pursue contemporary dance instead of hip hop and didn't sell drugs in a bad neighborhood). Nigel thinks he phenomenal, and Sonya loved his strength. Jason loved every second of it, and he's going to Vegas.

Henry Rivera couldn't even get through his pre-audition interview without crying. Wow. He kept it marvelously together for his audition. Nigel called him a brilliant dancer and called him inspirational. Sonya loved his attention to detail. Jason loved everything about it. To Vegas with him, too.

Montage of family moments. Darla Kopylova auditioned with her father in a romantic dance, and it was a little creepy, though well danced. Nigel thought it was weird that she danced it with her dad. Sonya was also uncomfortable and thought it was awkward. She's gone.

Ami Aguyar-Riley has a hot husband and an adorable 6-year old son. She can also dance like crazy. She dances in a way that makes me think Sonya is salivating. Nigel appreciated that she was trying to do something different, but worried that it looked like aerobics at times. He likes her intensity. Sonya loves her aggressiveness. She's through to choreography.

After choreography, Ami is through to Vegas. 9 others joining her.

Candace Craig is in a girl group called the Velvet Angels. It's akin to the Spice Girls, and she's the sexy one. Jason thinks that she dances almost too sexy, but she's a good dancer. Sonya thought that her oversexualization kind of took away from her dancing. Nigel thought she was rather burlesque, and she's through to choreography, but was advised to button up her busoms.

Rose Neptune thinks she is a better dancer than she is, and her partner (who is not auditioning) is useless. Jason loves that she loves dancing, but doesn't think this competition is for her. Sonya thinks she's sweet, but not up to par with what she show needs. She's out.

Montage of suckiness. The judges were getting annoyed.

Final dancer of the day is B-Boy Jose Ruiz was inspired by Legacy being on the show. I was utterly impressed with his head spin where he sped up halfway through. Nigel thought it was a good audition. Sonya loved his performance and his energy. Jason liked him instantly. He's going to choreography.

In choreography, Candace is cut this time, but they urge her to get more training. Jose's partnering wasn't brilliant, but he's through.

Next week - LA and Chicago.

I'm so happy to see this show back!!!

Finale Alert: American Idol - 5.26.10

2010-05-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

Why is Randy wearing a floral blouse? And Simon appears to have lost half of his buttons before his final AI appearance...

Why have they dressed the finalists as students at Hogwarts?

Top 12 Group Sing.. School's Out for Summer. Ah... Siobahn. How I wanted her to be better. She totally pulled off the Hogwart's outcast look.Creepy children's choir... then Alice Cooper. That's pretty cool.

Kris Allen performs and theirs something wrong with his mic at first. Oh, lovely, AI. I like Kris, and I want him to do well... but right now I am fast forwarding.

Cut to Simon passing out mints... and then a montage about Simon.

Whoever thought that Siobahn would be best used singing with Aaron Kelly on a Bee Gees song was sorely mistaken. Also fast forwarding through Michael singing precisely the kind of music that makes me happy he got voted off.

Now... Dane Cook sings a song using Simon's greatest insults. "Simon Said." Love it. Wanted more of it.

Lady's group sing of Beautiful. It was sung live, which I appreciate... except for the few girls who couldn't quite sing in tune... and then they broke into Fighter, and this is a better use of Siobahn. Katie is also sounding quite good. Paige also didn't suck too badly, though she did go off tune a couple times. I really like this song. The video is awesome. Makes me wonder when they are going to trot out the bonifide Christina... and... there she is. With Princess Leia hair. Interesting. Fade to black (with blue lights on the strings) which she sings a song by herself. She's amazing. I think this is one of her new songs. Her sparkly leggings are distracting. Oh, no... it's not leggings. She must have run out of time to finish getting dressed. She's wearing sparkly leggings and a teddy. Poor thing forgot her dress. Good for her for going on with the show under such circumstances. And singing so well at the same time.

Next - Ricky Gervais. From satellite. Funny, but didn't add too much.

Men's group sing, and it's kind of bad. I Can't Go For That. And I really can't. And I really didn't miss Tim Urban. Man Eater is better. Would have been better without Tim. And welcome to the stage, Hall & Oats! Cool.

Toledo loves Crystal. And she's singing Ironic, and I love it on her. Now, add Alanis, with You Oughta Know. Awesome. Anyone notice the lyric change? "Would she go down with you to the theatre." Silly censors. They looked like they were having a good time on stage. Alanis looked happy to be singing with Crystal.

Carrie Underwood's up next. I left it on because the hubby likes her.

And the finalists get their personalized Fiestas. Crystal's is way cooler. Final Ford Commercial,with a montage of the other commercials. They weren't good enough to create a montage with, sorry. I do like Crystal and Lee's voices together, though...

Casey James on stage next, singing Poison's Every Rose Has It's Thorn. Good song for him. Since you can't keep Brett Michaels down, he comes to join Casey on stage, and Casey switches to the electric guitar he had slung over his back.

Next up? Lee and a Medley about Chicago, his hometown. It's kind of lame. Hate to say it. Oh, and Forgotten Matt Rogers is with Lee's hometown party. Lee is De Wise choice? Lame.

Another Simon montage. Awkward moments of Simon feeling himself up.

Welcome back, Pants on the Ground! Go, General Larry Platt. He's got some moves. Love it. The mix was catchy. I really love this guy. And ... William Hung. Awesome. While the General did some pilates. That was funny.

Another Simon montage. When Paula met Simon. And enter Paula. She looks coherent and sane. She's even able to speak. She made a joke about having Simon's lovechild. Not a very funny joke, but a joke. It was akin to a roast. Ok, maybe she isn't coherent. She was sounding a bit out of it by the end. Montage of more Simon moments.

Yay! Kelly! I was wondering if she would make an appearance! Unfortunately, she's joined by two of my least favorite idols - Rueben and Fantasia. Then, there's Carrie. And Jordan. She was good. Oh, Taylor. And Kris. Ok, where's David Cook? Wow.... blasts from the past. Justin Guarini! That's pretty cool. Lots of former finalists. And they sounded good. Loved it. That was fitting for Simon's last night. Simon was brought up on stage, and got to say a couple words.

Time for the laser show. And another Top 10 song, with a freshly shorn Janet Jackson. Is that a dress, or a strange jumpsuit? Whatever it was, she got to sing her new song. I miss her hair. And she sounds more like Michael than ever. Cool. After her new song, we get some Nasty Boys. And Cool dancers. She shed her overdress and is in a jumpsuit now. Or a body stocking. Hey, that's Nathan from SYTYCD. And Glee. I think. good for him.

At this point of the evening, my husband started wishing for actual results.

Obligingly, Seacrest introduced the montage of their journey. And then they sang the theme song from Wonder Years. With Joe Cocker. Sweet.

And local weather cut into it because we had a tornado warning. Seriously, is that more important than Idol? At least my satellite isn't messing up.

Finally, results. Certified voting results brought out by a very much taller than Seacrest official dude. Lee looked like he was about to cry before the envelope got opened. And the winner is...

LEE DEWYZE.

Crystal was better, but she'll still get an album. And Lee will sound good on the radio. Simon didn't look too pleased. I think he just gave Lee a golf clap. Lee was totally out of sorts. And his music came on, and he was forced to sing, my dvr cut it off... because with a 2 hour show, how could you possibly expect them to end on time?

*sigh*

Thus ends another season of American Idol. I wish Crystal had won, but I'm not mad about Lee winning. I can't wait to hear their albums.

Goodbye, Simon. It's been a pleasure blogging about you.

American Idol: 5.25.10

2010-05-25T21:19:00.000-04:00

Lee vs. Crystal. Both really good. Very different styles. (Not as different as Kris Allen vs. Adam Lambert, of course, but ...) Hopefully they won't have to sing a Craptacular Crowning song.

They are at the Nokia. Huge. Wow, I didn't realize that both Crystal and Lee auditioned in Chicago (and they are both 24). Neat. Simon's last week! And somehow, Randy still feels the stupid need to boo him. *sigh*

The two finalists make their ways up to the stage, though a hand-slapping "good game" alley, with a lot of strange starts and stops. That was awkward. Three songs - their favorite from the season, Simon Fuller's Choice, and the Crowning Craptacular. Crystal is going second.

01 & 03 & 05) Lee DeWyze (is it wrong that I wished that Lee would bring back the bagpiper?) He's singing The Boxer. I love this one. He could totally release this song. He connected well. Randy thought it was a great way to start it off, even though it wasn't a very energetic performance. Ellen said she couldn't be prouder if she birthed him herself. Awesome. Kara wants him to punch harder, but liked the connection and the believable song. Simon wanted more passion and excitement. He said it was a kiss on the cheek when he wanted a kiss on the lips. Not from Lee, he specified.

02 & 04 & 06) Crystal Bowersox - she found her first guitar in a closet when she was snooping for Christmas presents. She's singing Me & Bobby McGee. Awesome choice. She sounds totally and perfectly Crystal. Randy thought it was dope, dude. Ellen finds her and her guitar totally compelling on stage. Kara loved it and thinks she has fire in her belly. Simon is reminded of when they fell in love with her, and thinks this is her back on her best.

01 & 03 & 05) Lee DeWyze - Simon Fuller chose Everybody Hurts. I think that Lee's voice sounds tight on this song. I thought it was really one note and kind of bland. Randy felt it and thought it was a lot better. I did not. Ellen admitted he went off key a couple times, but was more concerned that he seemed to be holding back in his performance. Kara loved that he was telling a story, though it wasn't brilliant vocally. Simon loved the song choice, but thinks that Lee seems nervous.

02 & 04 & 06) Crystal Bowersox - Simon Fuller chose Black Velvet. Nice. The arrangement is very dramatic, almost Bond Theme-ish, and I like it. She went off a little as she was making her way to the front of the stage, and she's sans guitar. She was a little shaky throughout, but still very very good. I say Crystal won this round. Randy thinks that Mamma Sox is in it to win it. Ellen was reeling at the wardrobe change, saying it was like a Cher concert, and called it fantastic. Kara loved that she gave it her all. Simon is almost allergic to the song, because he's heard it terribly done so many time, but loved what she did with the song.

01 & 03 & 05) Lee DeWyze - really? His first single is going to be a cover of Beautiful Day by U2. Better than Inside Your Heaven, but I wish it was an original... I know, I'm hard to please. This didn't thrill me. It was good, but I wasn't blown away. He seemed sharp to me. Randy thought it started off a little interesting, but thought he got his groove at the big notes. Ellen thought he was fully present for the song and loved it. Kara thought he was swallowed up in the song. I agree. She thinks he has grown the most, has a very commercial voice, and deserves to be there. Simon thinks that Lee is what the competition was designed for.

02 & 04 & 06) Crystal Bowersox - Her potential crowning single? Up To the Mountain. Never heard of it. She's on the stage sitting on a stool with her guitar. It's beautiful. Sure, there's a gospel choir... and I can't get behind the gospel choir, but it's subtle enough to not annoy me. She doesn't seem to be channeling Sister Act. The choir was more of an instrument than a backing vocal. She's just singing with all of her heart. I adore it. She wins this round for me. Hands down. Randy thought this song was what the show is about, and thought it was one of the best performances, and one of her best songs, at the perfect moment. Ellen loves how unique she is. She would buy Crystal's album, go see her on tour, or eat a salad Crystal made. Kara loved how emotionally invested Crystal was, and called it amazing. Crystal wanted to say something to Simon before his final critique ever, and thanked him, and wished him good luck in future endeavors. He told her that it was the best song of the night, and thought it was outstanding.

Crystal ought to be winning this. Seriously. I won't be angry if Lee wins, but Crystal seriously deserves it after tonight.

Wait, what? This season's boot song was sung by Will Young (original UK Idol winner)? Totally thought it was a chick. Anyhow, he's singing it live. Nice. He's good.

American Idol: 5.19.10

2010-05-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I will be fast forwarding through the performances tonight!

Interviews with the final 3 - it's hard on Idol, everyone! They are working all the time! They are pushed constantly! And, they are all humble and didn't think they had a chance of winning, but they all want to win. How insightful. They are all super busy and don't have time to keep in touch with people. Crystal's diabetes is under control. Padding, padding, padding...

Casey's home visit - he's single. Girls are nuts for him. He signed a dog. He visited the drs who saved his life after a bad accident.

Fast forwarded through Dude I don't Recognize.

Crystal's home visit - she signed a guy's chest, who claimed he was going to get it tattooed on. She was having a blast. She got the key to Toledo. She got to see her son. She got to sing. She got Crystal Bowersox Day. She sang some of her original songs. Very nice. Holy Toledo is a great song. They played it in the background, and she was crying watching it.

Lee's home visit - he is mobbed, he threw the first pitch at a Cub's game. He got to go home, and to his old paint shop job. He vowed to try to win. He got super emotional singing The Boxer, and he sounded good when he wasn't crying. He seemed totally energized by seeing his fans.

Down with Bieber!

Onward to results! Lee is in the finals. It's between Crystal and Casey, and with any justice, it'll be Crystal. And, there is justice. Casey gets a boot-off song, and he sings freaking Daughters. I am fast forwarding. I really truly hate this song.

Can't wait for the finale! I'd be happy seeing either of these two win. They are both super talented.

American Idol: 5.18.10

2010-05-18T21:23:00.000-04:00

Final 3!

01 & 04 & 07) Casey James - Personal Choice (Ok, It's Alright With Me, by Eric Hutchinson) This song choice is strange, and I am bored nearly from the start. It also doesn't showcase enough of Casey's best talent - besides hair maintenance - his guitar work. It seemed like a lazy performance with no hook. Randy said it was an odd song choice - and was just ok, alright with him. Ellen felt he didn't bring it to the stage, and he didn't blow them away. Kara wished he had picked a more well known song. Simon said this is arguably the most important night of his life, and this was like the salad before a hopefully more substantial dinner. He thought it was a dud song choice, though he sounded good.

02 & 05 & 08) Crystal Bowersox - Personal Choice (Come to My Window, Melissa Etheridge) She's got her harmonica on, and that's cool. She starts it off with some harmonica, and in the beginning of the vocals, she seemed a little unsure, but she got into it very soon. I thought that the tempo on the backing band seemed a little fast, but I' not sure. The harmonica was cool, but it ended up reminding me of a strange retainer. Crystal is just so so good. Randy did not love the arrangement, but he loved the vocal. He thought that the arrangement was fighting her a little (and I agree), but her vocals rose above it. Ellen thought Melissa would be proud of her. Kara thought that she would have liked it more if it had been acoustic, but still liked it. Simon didn't think it was the most stunning thing ever, but he loves that she doesn't compromise herself as an artist, and thought it was a very honest performance.

03 & 06 & 09) Lee Dewyze - Personal Choice (Simple Man, by Leonard Skynard) Excellent song, and strong start by Lee. He looks more comfortable on stage tonight than he has in a long time. I loved the whole thing - but the end seemed a little off. I am not going to complain too much, though. He was good. Randy thought it was a great song choice, and could see him making a record with it. He said that Lee looked like he feels like he could win it. Ellen said he started off as a scared little lamb, and now he is like a gazelle or an impala, something springy and wild. Kara thought that he did the best job of the first round. I'd have to agree. Simon thought the song was absolutely on the money, and thinks he crushed the other two in round one.

01 & 04 & 07) Casey James - Judge's choice (Daughters, by John Mayer) Oh, how I hate this song. "Be good to your daughter, because I'm going to be banging her some day." It creeps me out. John Mayer creeps me out. Casey's guitar work was good, but it was a dull and boring song. The judges really must not want Casey to win this thing. He's so much better when he's rocking out. Randy patted his song choice on the back, and loved it. Ellen thought that he would have daughters, mothers, and maybe some sons voting for him. Kara liked that it showed his artistic vulnerable side, and also congratulated her song choice. Simon thought it was a better song choice than before, but thought that the arrangement was not as strong, and culminated in a rather limp guitar solo. Kara and Randy defended their song choice.

02 & 05 & 08) Crystal Bowersox - Judge's Choice (Maybe I'm Amazed, by Paul McCartney) Ellen's choice, and I like it. She is sitting on the stiairs in the beginning, and seemed to start off a little unsure, but around the middle, she got her groove and her Siobahn-worthy belting on, and I really liked it. It was definitely different, and it definitely showed her range. Randy, yo, hey hey, yo yo, thought it was a great song, great vocals, and declared that Crystal is in it to win it. Ellen said that Crystal delivered exactly what she wanted to hear. Kara thought that, although she didn't change it up much, she delivered and showed parts of her voice that they hadn't heard before. Simon was initially surprised by the song choice, but thinks that Crystal showed that she has soul, and thinks that perhaps Crystal will be thanking Ellen for putting her in the finals next week.

03 & 06 & 09) Lee Dewyze - Judge's Choice (Halleluja, by Leonard Cohen/Jeff Buckley) I loved how he started it, all stripped and beautiful. Then, the gospel back up singers marched in, and they just annoy me. And he seemed to go off key in places. The arrangement got a little heavy handed there, too. Abundant timpani is no random bagpiper, that's for sure. Randy, of course, thought that Lee threw down the gauntlet, and called it the biggest moment of his whole time on the show. Lee thanked Simon for the song. Ellen called it stunning. Kara thinks that his growth this season is what the show is all about. Simon thought he did a great job.

If there is any justice, it'll be a Crystal/Lee showdown next week. I give the first round to Lee, and the second round to Crystal, by a hair. I think my favorite of the night was Lee's first song. I love that song, though. I am against random gospel choirs, in robes or out. Sorry.

What do you think?

Finale Alert: Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

2010-05-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

I am really pleased with this Top 5 - except for wet noodle Colby. They are tricky and sneaky and conniving and I kind of love it.

Back at camp after Tribal, Russell is pissed that Sandra kept the knowledge of her idol to herself. He's grumpy. And he is starting to distrust Parvati, thinking that she knew about the idol.

And Colby is feeling pretty pleased with the "disfunctional family" of villains.

Individual Immunity Challenge

Simple - stack dishes on top of a platform balanced on a ball, last to drop wins. Probst calls out instructions of what kind of dish to stack. I had written "what kind of fish to stack." That would make it a much more interesting challenge. As it is, it's all bowls, plates, and cups, of varying sizes.

Sandra is out first. Jerri is out next. Russell is (sadly) out next. It's down to Parvati and Colby. Colby is down, and Parvati wins.

Hopefully, they will stick together, and Colby will be out.

Back at camp, Colby gave his "Surrender" Speech, which he said was so good, he almost believed it himself. Then, he had a very long pause during his confessional, saying he was not planning on quitting, and he said when the time was right, he made one last ditch attempt.

That's right. He went to Russell. And said "Why don't we get rid of Sandra tonight, and then it's the three of us against Parvati in the Immunity Challenge." Good plan, actually. Russell says he's going to decide at Tribal Council.

Tribal Council #1

At Tribal, Colby admitted that he went to Russell and wants to get rid of Sandra, and wishes that Sandra had won immunity, because then he could have tried to go after Parvati, because no one wants to go up against him. Everyone admitted to being at least a little distrustful of all the others, and Colby just wants to shake up the dissent, to give himself a little bit of a chance.

Too little, too late. Colby is gone.

The Villainous Final Four returns to camp, and Parvati said that Colby opened her eyes to the fact that she's a threat with the jury. Next morning, Parvati went out for water, and Russell went to Jerri and told her that they have to win, or Parvati will take it all. He admitted that he is at a crossroads, because his main alliance has been Parvati, but he's leaning towards sending her home.

Final Tree Mail - They will go to a ceremonial beach, perform the "Fallen Comrades Rights of Passage," which I always like, as a reminder of all those who came before, and then go on to the Final Immunity Challenge.

Sugar, Stephanie, Randy (who Jerri called a good friend to her... which might be a surprise to he of no friends), Cirie, Tom, Tyson (first "victim of his own stupidity"), James, Boston Rob (oh, if only he and Russell could have played nice), Coach (who they said "Namaste" to), Courtney, JT (second "victim of his own stupidity"), Amanda (her first time voted out of the game ever), Candace, Danielle, Rupert, and finally, Colby. After collecting talismans, they tossed them onto a bonfire (Burning Man) and watched them burn.

Final Immunity Challenge

Survivor Maze, blindfolded, with symbols at guideposts with, in effect, braille markers, leading them towards necklaces. They get all of them first, they get immunity.

Russell and Jerri are first to get necklaces, followed by Parvati. Sandra ran into Parvati and tried to take her necklace off. Sandra finally found her own first necklace, as Russell got his second. Parvati found her second, then Jerri found her third, and Parvati found her third. Sandra is chasing after Parvati instead of using guide posts. She finally found her second necklace, and Russell got his third. Parvati and Russell found their fourth necklaces and ran for the exit, chased by Jerri who found her fourth. They were in a race for the exit. Russell walked right past the pole with the necklace on it, and then found it, just as Jerri and Parvati found it. It was within inches. Jerri declared it a fun challenge. Sandra, out of the maze with no hope of winning, said that it sucked. Probst agreed that it was one of his most exciting finishes of any challenge ever.

Russell insisted that Probst put the Immunity Necklace on him. Parvati wanted to chat with Russell. Russell said that he plans to use Sandra to help him win the million, and tells her so. She said "That's alright, I'll take the $100,000." Parvati brings Russell aside, and tells him that she thinks Sandra will get a bunch of votes. Russell tells her that his best strategic move is to keep Jerri and Sandra, and she said that's not true, because Sandra will win. He says that he'll just ask what strategic moves she made to get there, and he'll win because he's better...

Because he doesn't yet know that that strategy failed him his first time around....

Tribal Council #2

Probst asked Jerri what changed at camp, and she said that she didn't do as much solo contemplation after the challenge. Sandra said that her strategy was to go to the person with immunity, and admits that she told him that she couldn't win, and said that Russell keeps telling her that she can't win. Parvati admitted to being nervous. Jerri said that she pushed the point that Parvati is a huge threat. Parvati said that if Russell wants to redeem himself as being loyal to one person from day one, he should go with her. She said that she has protected him, and Russell snorted, and she said they'd been protecting each other, and he snorted and said that he has been protecting her. She maintained that she never went against him, and that is the same as protecting him.

I think that Russell might actually gain some votes in the jury if he did keep Parvati, because certain people would respect that loyalty.

In the end, it's Jerri going home. Didn't see that coming. Neither did she, and as she hugged Russell goodbye, she said "I can't wait to hear this story later."

Jerri's boot off interview started with "Crap!" and she said that she is leaning towards Russell, because though he's crazy and hot headed, he makes decisions that make sense. Except for tonight. Ha.

Back at Camp, the final three rejoiced. And the next morning, they rejoiced more when they say their beautiful feast. And Russell was thrilled that he made it to Day 39 two times. Interstingly, he said "Last season, I brought two people to the end who I thought I could beat and I didn't." I thought he didn't know that he hadn't won?

Then, Russell asked Parvati who she would have voted for if he had voted her out, and she said she would have voted for Sandra. As he went off on a walk, Sandra and Parvati giggled about how Russell doesn't know that he's up against two women... and then ...... Sandra burned Russell's hat! She said "Screw it! That's payback for everything he's done to me in this game." Russell was desperate to find his hat when he got back, and she said that she didn't know what had happened to it. He declared that he wasn't leaving without his hat. Somehow, I think he will.

Final Tribal Council

Sandra was the first person to make her case to the jury. She said that she get where she is by herself. Russell said that in some cases, the game is one of luck, but not in his case. He said he tried to play hard, and apologized if he offended anyone, but he played the game. Parvati said that she didn't realize what a threat she was when she started playing the game, and said that she kept Russell, the Dragon, as her pet, instead of slaying him. She thinks that she played the ultimate social game, the ultimate physical game, and the ultimate strategic game. I don't think that Russell probably liked that statement.

Colby is up first, and he asked Russell if he really believed that there was no luck involved, and Russell said that he did, and Colby called him delusional. He asked Parvati what strategic moves she made, except for in challenges. Parvati brought up the play of her two idol giveaways. That was pretty impressive. He doesn't even address Sandra.

Coach called Parvati a Charmer and a Manipulator, and Russell a Schemer, and also the liar, and Sandra the coattail rider. He called Russell a small man in stature and deed, and quoted "Only the penitent man shall pass," and wished that he had admitted that he crossed the line. He called Sandra weak, and we all know that Coach believes Iron sharpens iron. He called Parvati an unexpected warrior in challenges, and said that the day he trusted her was the day she helped vote him out. He promised that he has not yet made up his mind.

Amanda asked how Sandra's strategy was better than the other two, and she admitted if her strategy was better, Russell wouldn't be there, but she could never get Heroes on her side.

Courtney is proud of her fellow villainesses. She appreciated Parvati's physical strength, and wanted Sandra to explain her loyalty as a strength. Sandra cemented Courtney's vote by saying how loyal she was to her.

JT addressed Russell. He said that getting to the end of the game is only half of winning the game, and Russell said that he believes that the jury will respect his gameplay, especially in this jury full of previous players. Parvati said that she was a huge threat from day one, but Sandra was not, because she only gave 50-60% in challenges. Sandra said that she gave her all, but she isn't as strong. She did say that she wished she could have thrown that idol back in JT's bag. JT says that he is not out for vengeance.

Danielle wanted to know if Russell would change anything in his game after hearing what the jury has to say. He said that he wouldn't change anything and he doesn't regret it, because he wouldn't have made it this far any other way, and he isn't going to tell her what she wants to hear.

Jerri asked for the story from Russell on how he came to the decision to boot her out. He said that she hadn't hurt anyone in the jury and would get votes. Parvati said it was because he was sure he would get her vote. Jerri told Sandra that though she claims to watch backs, she didn't watch hers.

Candace said that lying is part of the game, but Russell told unnecessary dirty lies that hurt people. She told Parvati that she was like a spouse in an abusive relationship, and she wanted her to get out, but she never did. She is basing her vote on how they played the game, but also what they fell for.

Rupert is the antithesis of Russell, and said that Russell took the easy way out in being deceitful and conniving. He wished he had listened to Sandra more, and called Russell a despicable human being. He said that Parvati deserves to be in the final three, even though she aligned herself with a terrible person, because she fought with all her might.

Guess Jerri decided against voting for Russell - she voted Parvati. Candace voted for Sandra. Danielle of course voted Parvati, and Courtney gave her vote to Sandra, of course. Colby's vote is not revealed, but Coach voted for Parvati, saying that King Arthur's journey has ended. What? Rupert is in love with Sandra and gave her his vote.

Off to New York with Probst and the votes!

And Russell's got a new hat.

At least he's got that. Because he is not getting any votes.

Sandra wins. And Parvati was right, Sandra did win when Russell brought her.

I don't think that Russell was winning in any case, though. Poor Russell - always the Bridesmaid, never the Bride.

Reunion

Sandra is the first person to ever win twice. She said that makes her the queen (put on a crown), and said she is the best player ever. Parvati said that she has played three times, played the most days, and is a challenge dominator. Russell said that Sandra is not a strong social player, not a strong physical player, and not a strong strategic player, and thinks her whole strategy was getting rid of him, which never happened, so her strategy failed and she was rewarded for it. He said there is a flaw in the game, if she could win twice. He wants America to have a percentage of votes, and Sandra said he still wouldn't have won, because the only people who like him are his family. Probst said that Survivor has set rules, and the jury decides. End of story.

He asked Tom what it means when Sandra has played twice and won twice, but has never won a challenge, and even Courtney has won a challenge. Tom said that whoever wins deserves to win. Russell said that he didn't play twice, he played once, for a long time... and brought out the laminated letter from JT and said if he can make a winner look like the dumbest player in history, that means he's good.

Sandra's husband is home from Afghanistan, for two weeks, and then he's heading back. wow. Parvati that she had to win challenges, because no one believed she was playing as strongly. She has the most days played, and is tied with Colby at individual immunity wins. Russell figured that something had happened to his hat, but didn't get the strategy of burning it. Sandra said "It was dirty, it was funky, I threw it in the fire." He said that burning his hat may have flustered him at Tribal Council, and said that Parvati should have won, and Probst said "That's a different game; that's called Russell Decides Who Wins Survivor." Probst had to calm Russell down, when he started going off, and asked him if he is aware of the jury votes when he is playing, and Russell said he didn't care, and he makes it to the end. He makes it to the end, but he never wins.

Probst asked Rob what would have happened if they had teamed up, and Rob said it would probably have gone pretty well. He said that Russell plays the game, but doesn't play to win, and Russell said that Rob's never won, so... Rob said that he would go back and kick Russell's butt anytime, and Russell wants it to happen. Probst says "Future Season - Rob vs. Russell" I'd watch that.

Tyson looks like he's trying out for Jesus Christ, Superstar, and said that if his move had worked out, it would have been genius. JT said that he felt odds were against him, so he played the odds, and didn't know about Russell's villainy when he trusted him.

Dumbest Survivor Move Ever? It's a Poll. JT asked if there was a monetary prize. Probst said "No, you have to give money back."

The winner is ... JT. Yes, yes... I would agree with that.

Wow. Rupert's toe that was broken? It was taped to another toe. That was also broken. He still likes being called a hero. Colby was brought back because he embodied Hero previously, and he knew right off that physically, things were different. He said he had more fun watching it than playing it. He missed the exploration parts of it, because they couldn't go in the water, and they couldn't go explore the forest, because they were quarantined. Really?

Amanda? Lacking killer instinct in the game, and Probst asked if she is lacking that in life, too. She said that it just happens, and she can't do it.

Stephanie knew that her lack of relationships with other people in the game didn't bode well, and then she plugged her pizza restaurant. Have to admire that.

Cirie thinks maybe the perception of her coming in was what doomed her.

Coach's insecure tears with Tyson in the night was up next. He admitted that he came off as an arrogant ass in the first season he was on, and he just wanted to change perceptions of him. He thinks he is a more humble, chivalrous and down to earth person now.

Rob and Amber's baby is in the audience. She's adorable. Of course, she's with Amber.

Rupert and Russell are the finalists for Fan Favorite. Good vs. Evil. Evil won. Russell won Fan Favorite. Good for him.

Probst was proud of Jerri's game this season, thinking that everything came together this season. She said the first time she played, everyone hated her and wanted her gone. This time, they liked her too much to keep her around.

Danielle said that her breakdown at Tribal proved that she wasn't a villain. And she said "Russell, Damn you."

Probst said that Courtney always seems to be having fun. And Randy didn't seem to be having any fun, and he said that he didn't. Poor Sugar, went out the the end of her season, and was out first this season. And Candace got married. Good for her.

Freaky Survivor Fun Morph - all winners together, create one super Survivor winner. That was weird. I would rather have heard more from people.

And next season? They are off to Nicaragua. Awesome. Looks fun. Can't wait to see it. "And Something That Might Surprise Them All!" - Rob and Russell? Somehow, I think not.

Fantastic season. Wish Russell had won. Or Parvati. I really didn't want Sandra to win... oh, well.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - 5.13.10

2010-05-13T21:38:00.000-04:00

Post Tribal, Parvati was stunned that Rupert didn't go home, and Rupert was gloating. Jerri told Parvati that Russell threatened to vote her out if she didn't go with him. Parvati didn't like his scare tactics, and doesn't trust him anymore. She wants to get rid of Rupert and Colby first, then deal with Russell. Russell ascertained that Danielle was going to go after Parvati, and she and Jerri wanted assurance that they were tight.

The next morning's tree mail brought them a Jungle Sprint Palm Pre. There were videos from loved ones, who will be visiting and doing the challenge with them.

Am I the only one who misses the Eat Gross Things Challenges? I loved the season where the loved one had to eat gross things.

Parvati's dad, Jerri's sister (in from Germany), Russell's (very hot) wife, Colby's brother, and Rupert's wife. And it's Rupert's anniversary. Cool. Last out was Sandra's uncle.

The challenge - they have to scoop water from the ocean with a pail, from which they will toss water to their loved one, who will fill a bucket. First to fill the bucket wins. They get a plane trip to someplace where they will experience "the blow holes," and they get to save their memories on a brand new Palm Pre. Colby is getting very frustrated with his brother, and Russell's wife is wringing water out of her hair. Slick. Colby was close to swearing at his brother. Jerri and her sister won the reward!

They get to choose more people to go with them, and Jerri makes perhaps the stupidest decisions EVER and chooses neither Russell nor Rupert on his anniversary. As she chose Parvati and then Sandra, Russell muttered how she had made a terrible mistake, and as he went back to camp with Rupert and Colby, I think something's brewing... Jerri... stupid.

The blowholes were pretty slick. They got some plugs in for the Sprint Palm Pre, because what would a reality show be without some product placement? They got food, too. Sandra cried about the fact that her uncle is there because her mom died a year ago, and her husband is in Afghanistan. Jerri realized that Russell was pissed of. Parvati said that she wasn't worried. Sandra said that the only way to get to the end for Russell was to get rid of the two guys.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Russell fumed. He called the girls a bunch of unappreciative little bitches, and suggested a Final Three with Rupert and Colby. They shook on it. Rupert said "He is a villain, but he's the best villain I've got, and if I can bring the best villain with me, that guarantees me a win." They scheme to get rid of Parvati, and Russell thinks that Jerri will go along with it.

When the women returned to camp, Jerri wanted to talk t Russell, but he and Colby were sleeping. And Rupert was sawing. And annoying everyone. And making it so that no one could sleep. Jerri thought he was completely inconsiderate, and wasn't sure if it was cockiness or stupidity. She wants Rupert gone more than anything. Of course, she couldn't sleep, so she went to talk to Russell, who also woke up.

Russell told her he wasn't mad, he just wanted to see his wife. He said that all he wants is her with him in the finals. He told her that he just doesn't want Parvati to sway her from him. She declared there was no way of that happening. He did not bring up his plan to vote out Parvati.

Immunity Challenge

With arms outstretched, they have to hold two poles against an overhead board, and balance it (poles are on the tops of their hands). Pole falls, they are out. Colby is out in 15 seconds. Sandra is out next. Gads! Russell was out next, and looked stunned by it. Jerri was out next. It's Parvati and Rupert. Rupert adjusted some, which was foolish, but it didn't fall. Parvati was also close. Rupert adjusted too much, and Parvati won immunity. Ruh roh. What's Russell going to do now?

He is planning on flipping back to the girls and voting out Rupert. Sandra wants Russell out badly. Rupert told Russell that Sandra is pushing hard for him. Russell went right to Sandra and said "Are you with me, or are you against me?" She replied "I'm against you, Russell." He claimed to be comfortable in the game and not worried. Sandra told Rupert "loose lips sink ships." Parvati wanted to know who invited Boston Rob back to the party with the "Are you with me or against me" talk. Jerri said the camp has turned into crazy town. As Parv and Sandra giggled together in the shelter, the guys and Jerri talked about getting rid of Sandra. She said that she will bring the idol with her to Tribal, but she isn't worried and probably won't play it, even though it is the last day to play it. That's just plain stupid.

Tribal Council

When Danielle came in for jury, Parvati mouthed "hot," and I'd have to agree. She looks much better with make-up. Sandra brought up the conversations with Rupert and Russell. Probst was stunned to hear that Sandra flat out said she was against him (and Parv had a good Sandra immitation). Parvati sees no point in switching it up, because if one Hero is in the final three, they'll get jury votes. Rupert said you have to be able to show that you are the Top Villain or the Top Hero, and Parvati says that she is a Hero on the inside.

Sandra voted for Rupert. Rupert voted for Sandra. All other votes were hidden. Sandra played the idol, saying she would hate to go home with the idol in her bra. Russell was stunned, and everyone else agreed that they have no clue she had it. Rupert is voted out. Colby looked pouty. Not all the votes were read, so Sandra has no idea that Russell voted for her.

Season Finale is on Sunday!

And... astoundingly, Russell did NOT vote for Sandra. He voted for Rupert. But, Rupert doesn't know that. Very very interesting....

American Idol: 5.12.10

2010-05-12T22:09:00.000-04:00

Fast forwarding through Fantasia, right off. Wow, her hair is epically bad. It's like she put a toupee on backwards.

Ford video - nothing to write home about, but looks like they had fun.

Reminders of final 3 trips home in past seasons. So, whoever gets cut tonight can suck it, because they won't be getting this reception.

Their families and friends are on the stage, two representatives each.

Some results. Casey is safe. Mike had better be going home, that's all I have to say about that.

Time for Daughtry! Yay! He's awesome.

More results. Lee is safe. So, it's between Crystal and Mike. This ought to be no contest. But, it's AI. You never know.

Fast forwarding through Bon Jovi. I like them, but it's late, and I'm not feeling super well...

And, in the top 3 is... Crystal. As it should be.

Michael is good, but so forgettable for me. He's bound to get signed and make some forgettable albums.

Looking forward to the Top 3!

American Idol: 5.11.10

2010-05-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Duets! Neat!

Oh, the propaganda of how wonderful Jamie Foxx thinks he is... and he brought "Artist" t-shirts for everything.

01) & 05) Lee Dewyze (Kiss From a Rose) Jamie did that annoying thing where he got right up in Lee's face during rehearsals. I love this song, but I wonder if Lee's voice is too tight for it. It wasn't my favorite of his. It seemed flat and kind of forced. I think he seemed rushed. Randy thought Lee did nothing with the song and it was just ok. He thought he should have chosen a more rocking song. Ellen understands where Randy is coming from, but still thought Lee was great. Kara (straight from a board room?) thought that the arrangement lost him along the way, but thought that he was still great. Simon told Lee that there are so many brilliant movies and songs, but thought this was verging on karaoke, and thought he was trying too hard to sound like the original. I would agree with Randy and Simon. I like Lee, but I don't think that he had his chance to shine on this song.

02) & 06) Michael Lynche (I Will Be There) This started off too low for Michael. What a boring song, and he threw in some Michael Jackson-isms, too. Back-up gospel choir... I can't handle it. I predict I will forget about this by the end of the show. As always, he's good, but I just find him so bland. Randy wished he had chosen an R&B song, and thought it started rough. Agreed. Ellen thinks you can't go wrong with the classic sound of a gospel choir. I disagree. Ellen thinks he always sounds good, but thought it was predictable. Kara wished for the goosebumps she was having during a couple of his performances. She thought he could do this in his sleep. Simon didn't understand Free Willy, and thought that Michael kind of did a good job, even though he didn't understand the song choice.

Lee & Crystal (Falling Slowly) YAY! I love this song. Awesome movie, and perfect song for them. Kris Allen sang this song all by himself and it was one of my favorite performances of his. Lee and Crystal sound great together. It is blatantly obvious how much better her voice is than his, but they work well together. It was beautifully done. They performed looking at each other and it was wonderful. Randy thought this was a great song by two great singers, and thought it was amazing and could be a hit right now. Ellen said they are like the new Captain and Tenille. Kara said it was one of her favorite moments of the entire season, and loved the interactions between them, and thought they brought out the best in each other. Simon said that he wasn't sure he would call it a good song - he would call it a fantastic song. Agreed.

03) & 07) Casey James (Mrs. Robinson) I wanted Lee to sing this song. Is that a ukele? He's sitting on the side platform in the audience, and his vibrato works for this song. I love it, kind of. This is such a wonderful song. I wanted him to open his eyes, because the squinting was annoying. The arrangement was really cool. Nice job. Randy wanted to know the meaning of the song for him, and thought maybe he was singing it for Kara. Man, let it go. He thought it was ok, but thought it was cool and ok. Ellen was disappointed that they didn't give him a big boy guitar, and liked what he did to the song. Kara thought he was fighting to stay in the competition. Simon didn't think it had the substance required at this point in the competition, and thought it was a little bit lazy, and thought he could have made more of an impact, but thinks that there have been some very strange song choices tonight, and said that was one of them. Well, I liked it. But, is Casey freshly fake tanned?

04) & 08) Crystal Bowersox (I'm Alright) She has stripped the song down a lot in the beginning, and then opened it up with some fun percussion. I really liked it. She showed her range of style in the song, and I think she had fun. Yay for Crystal! Yo, yo, Randy loved that she tried to switch the song up some, even though it wasn't his favorite. Ellen thought the performance was Crystal-ized, and thinks that she made the song better. Kara agreed with Ellen, and declared her an artist. Simon said that after that performance, Crystal is back in the game.

Casey & Michael (Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman) Good song, with some room for guitar beauty. Some of it sounded quite lovely, but some of it missed the mark a bit... Randy thought the guitar work was awesome, and thought that it worked out well. Ellen said "As a matter of fact, yes I have loved a woman." Kara declared the duets incredible tonight, better than any solos. Simon agreed.

Best of the night? Crystal. Hands down. And then Lee gets an honorable mention for the duet. I also enjoyed Mrs. Robinson. I think the final three should be Crystal, Lee, and Casey. Pretty much in that order.

What do you think?

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - 5.6.10

2010-05-06T21:43:00.000-04:00

Two Immunity Challenges! Two Tribals! Things are getting thick!

Jerri is excited that Candace flipped, but says that she is now a threat, because someone who flips so easily can flip back. Colby and Rupert are talking about how weak, pitiful, and self-centered Candace is. Rupert declares that he and Colby are the only true heroes.

The next day, Rupert told Russell that he is a disgusting, dispicable human being for swearing on his kids' lives, and says that he doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. Russell said "Rupert, I'm a villain." And then, he called him a dumb ass. Nice.

Immunity Challenge #1

They will be standing barefoot on a small wooden platform, with a hand up tethered to a bucket. Bucket falls, they lose. And temptations will be offered, along with a twist. Sandra and Russell are the first two to step out, without even seeing what their temptation is. That was stupid. They are sharing cookies and milk. That was seriously stupid. I love cookies as much as the next girl, but...

The next challenge is four donuts and an iced coffee. They get 30 seconds to think about it before he gives them to Russell and Sandra. Colby takes it.

Next is pb&j, candy, chips, and milk. Jerri, Candace, and Danielle share this one, leaving Parvati to battle it out against Rupert. And Rupert fell (with no food temptation) and Parvati wins! Good for her.

And the twist? There is a clue to a hidden immunity idol at the camp. "Salvation is hidden where two paths meet... etc..." And, how long will it take Russell to find it?

The mad scramble was on to find the idol. Wow. Sandra found it. Didn't expect that. She put it back because she wanted to read the note later by herself. Rupert put a rock in his pocket to make people think he has the idol. Russell can spot an idol in a pocket from 40 yards, and says they just need to vote for Rupert. Sandra said that's fine by her. Jerri is gunning for Candace. Rupert and Colby plan quietly to also vote for Candace.

Let's see what happens.

Tribal Council #1

Amanda is looking hot in the jury. My brother will be pleased. Everyone is sure that Rupert has the idol. Rupert eyed Candace with pure hatred. Votes go to Rupert and Candace. Candace looked flabbergasted to be getting so many votes, and she is going home. Amanda looked gleeful.

Post tribal, Russell was mad because the votes went against Candace instead of Colby. No one thinks that Rupert actually has the idol. Russell does not like that Parvati holds equal control, and vows to take charge.

Immunity Challenge #2

They will race to find a peg in the sand that they will use to maneuver through a table maze. Five move on. Next, they have to get up a ramp using four pegs as foot and handhold. Three move on. Last, there's a slide puzzle.

Rupert is first with his peg. Parvati, Sandra, Danielle, and Russell find theirs, followed by Jerri. Colby finally finds his. Rupert, Sandra, Russell, and Parvati move on, and Danielle takes the last spot.

In the second round, Russell got halfway up the wall with no pegs at all. He's up first. Rupert and Parvati move on, too.

Final round, and Russell won immunity. Awesome.

Parvati wants to get rid of Rupert. Russell thinks that it might be the time to vote off Parvati, because he doesn't want her in the final two. He then went to tell Parvati that Danielle is gunning for her. Russell didn't anticipate that Parvati would want to talk to Danielle about it. Oops. Russell went to the Heroes and told them to vote for Danielle. Danielle and Parvati went to Jerri to tell her of Russell's plan.

Tribal Council #2

Rupert says that it's Russell and Parvati calling the shots. Danielle says that the villains all agree with each other and play together, and Probst asked if it is just quiet around camp. Jerri said Hell, No. Then, the drama of the pitting of Danielle vs. Parvati against each other. Parvati said that she thinks Russell is testing loyalty. Danielle got very frustrated and started crying. Danielle then said "I'm closer to Parvati than you think." "Oh, really," said Russell. That doesn't look good. Vote time.

And, Danielle is gone. Wow. Parv is mad. Jerri threw her lot in with Russell that may bode well for her in the long run.

Next week, Russell tries to make a pact with Colby and Rupert as the other villains turn against him. This could get interesting.

American Idol: 5.5.10

2010-05-05T22:35:00.000-04:00

Group Lip Synch - Medley of Sinatra tunes. Crystal is in tails and got a nice solo in The Lady is a Tramp. And she almost sounded like she was singing live. Was she? Then Aaron got to sing "When I was 17..." It's actually a nice medley.

Ford Music video time. This one is actually kind of cute, with the boys in love with the car when Crystal thought it was her. Funny, actually.

Little montage on what Tuesdays are like for the contestants... and the stand-in judges? That's pretty much the most hilarious thing ever. Seriously.

Lee joined Seacrest in the center of the stage to some rousing applause. No surprise, he is safe. Yay!

Now, it's time for Lady Gaga! I love Lady Gaga, so no fast forwarding through her! She's singing Allejandro. I bet I just spelled that wrong. She threw in some Bad Romance at the beginning. Her piano is totally bizarre, covered in what looks like trees made out of trashbags. Some modern dance, some violin, and into Allejandro. This is not my favorite Gaga song, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. She's wearing netting and a bikini, and I think a full body fishnet. The song is rather subdued for a Gaga song, and the chorus is catchy, but not as much as her other songs. And part of the dance looked like an aerobics routine. Still, love me some Gaga. I was Lady Gaga for Halloween, so... I'm biased.

For some padding, there's some more from HCJ. He's funny. He picked on their use of the (non)word pitchy. I've heard rumors that people are vying for him as new judge next year, and I think he could be very very good. And now, his performance. He's singing "And I Love Her," and he's amazing. Undeniably talented.

Hey, now! The top 5 are singing some of HCJ's songs, as he accompanies. Are they really singing, or is it more synching? Is this the way we pay for last week's lack of group sing?

There was some ribbing between HCJ and Ellen, and it is funny.

Back to results. Crystal is up next and is sent to the far side of the stage. Michael is sent to the near side of the stage. Aaron joins Michael. Casey joins Crystal. Uh oh. And Seacrest wants Lee to pick a safe group. He declines. Michael and Aaron are in the bottom 2, which means that Crystal is safe (yay!), and Casey will survive to bleat another day.

Aaron is going home. He's sweet, but he was not going to win this thing, so it's good for him to go.

His boot off sing is Fly Me to the Moon. Because HCJ is right there, ready to accompany him. Goodbye, Aaron.

Anyone catch what next week's theme is?

American Idol: 5.4.10

2010-05-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

Oooh, Crystal looks all sparkly and pretty tonight! Fun. And hello there, Harry Connick, Jr. Nice to see you.

Kara finally doesn't look like she spent the previous night on a bender. Simon's shirt is precariously low cut. It's a little awkward.

I love Frank, so tonight could be fun. And Harry Connick, Jr. wrote the arrangements for them. That could be a very good idea.

No random camera shots in the audience for HCJ, noooo, he got the grand entrance down the stairs. He will be playing piano for the contestants, too. Very nice.

Sinatra's daughters, Nancy and Tina are in attendance. And they gave a monogrammed hankie of Frank's to Simon. Fun. He couldn't wait to tear into it.

01) & 06)Aaron Kelly (Fly Me to the Moon) I think Aaron looks older with his hair in a normal person style instead of trying to be all spikey and contemporary. I think this song is good for him, but it really shows his limits. He voice is so young. Because he is so young. In the middle, he got somewhat better. You know what? He's looking like Wesley Crusher tonight. Randy thought he did a good job. Ellen thought he stripped any country out of his voice and did a really nice job. Kara thought last week was stronger and wants more charisma. Simon is star struck by his hankie, and said that Frank was the King of Cool, with swagger and machismo. If Frank was a lion, Aaron was a mouse. He admits that Aaron tries hard.

02) & 07) Casey James (Blue Skies) Hilariously, one of Casey's friends thought he could be swayed away from AI with $50 and a free dinner. His friend apparently doesn't watch tv and has no idea about the whole AI thing. Casey told him he was kind of busy. Harry said that this is less about the lyrics for Casey than bringing the right vibe. I thought the first notes were really rough, but when the band came in, he got better. He's still sooooo bleating, and it is glaringly obvious without his grand guitar. He pulled some weird faces, too. Now, he had some nice long notes that the vibrato stayed out of for a good long time, and then snuck into at the end. Not my favorite, but he did a serviceable job. Yo, uhhhh, Randy thought it was his worst performance, pitchy from beginning to end. He said when he was singing, the orchestra sounded out of key. And you know that's bad. Ellen made a crack about HCJ, and said that his performance felt very stiff, and he did not have the required swagger. Kara thought he started loosening up by the end, and said it was nice to hear him hold notes... but what's this? She said he sounds like a lamb and needs to work on his vibrato. Is she just noticing that? Simon said the good news was that the band was great, but the bad news was that Casey wasn't that great, and came across as embarrassed. Casey admitted to being uncomfortable without his guitar, and HCJ said that he sang better in rehearsal, and admits that it's hard to hear on the stage. "You killed it about two hours ago. Not that that's going to help you." Bwah ha ha.

03) & 08) Crystal Bowersox (Summer Wind) HCJ had no advice for Crystal, who made vague and enigmatic references to the song's meaning for her. She looks beautiful. Her voice sounds astounding. Seriously. This is a good style for her. I love Crystal so so much. Randy thought it was a great arrangement and one of her more subdued performances. He thought it was sleepy. Ellen thought at first, it was like she was swallowing words, but then she opened up and did a great job. Ellen called her really impressive. Kara says it's out of her element, but loved her phrasing and kind of liked it. Simon loves the song, wasn't in love with the song choice for her in his mind. He thought it was indulgent. He said this is her second "ok" week. I still loved it and will be voting for her. Crystal said that it is a sweet love song and doesn't need to be sung big all the time, and doesn't think that she should sing big notes because she is on AI, it should be about the music. Simon just wants her to present herself in the best possible way.

04) & 09) Michael Lynche (The Way You Look Tonight) I think vocally, he is spot on. I get annoyed by singers who lick their lips while they sing. I predict that this will be yet another forgettable Michael performance. He's good, but I just can't get excited about him. He seems so schmaltzy. Randy, yo, thought it was an unbelievable arrangement and declares that Michael is in it to win it. Ellen thinks that he is the most comfortable on stage and loves his look and his sound. Kara thought he found the drama in the song and did everything right, and didn't lose himself. Simon thought that Michael had the best performance of the night so far, and felt that he listened and everyone worked together, and applauded the arrangement. I like him better on this than in previous weeks, but will I remember him tomorrow? Not sure.

05) & 10) Lee Dewyze (That's Life) HCJ says that his wife thinks Lee is cute, and after meeting him thinks that he's a new and improved version of himself. That's funny. Great song choice for Lee. I think this is the most relaxed Lee has looked on stage, and he really has a great voice for this kind of music. I think this might be my favorite Lee performance. Well, except for the Epic Bagpipes. That can't be topped. But, great great job. Randy also applauded the arrangement, and loved how Lee stayed true to himself. Ellen was distracted at first by Harry's organ (bwah ha ha, go Ellen), and thinks that if this was the last night of performances, he would have won the whole thing. Kara asked him if he believes he can win, and told him to go write it 100 times later tonight. Simon applauded HCJ and thinks that he has brought Lee's personality and confidence out. He loves that Lee gave it 110% and said it was by far the best of the night.

I would have to agree - Lee is on top tonight, followed by Crystal for me (I really loved her performance), with Michael next, and then Aaron and Casey. One of them ought to go. I am left wishing that Siobahn had gotten her chance at this theme. She could have killed it.

What do you think?

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - 4.29.10

2010-04-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

Post Tribal, Rupert and Colby are feeling doomed. Russell is feeling betrayed, and Sandra played right into it. "Oh, you didn't know either?" Russell went to talk to Parvati and told her that he felt like she lied to him, and it pissed him off that she didn't share with him. Parvati said that it was a secret, no harm done. She admitted that she wanted to shake his belief that he is in control of the game. Amanda told Rupert that the Heroes are solid, but they need to swing over someone. He wants to talk to Sandra.

Russell, the next morning, went to talk to Candace, to see if she would jump ship and join them, because the Heroes ship is sinking. He promised her that if she was the last Hero standing, he wouldn't let her go at #6. Russell went to talk to his ladies and told them that he thought Candace might flip to them. Interesting.

Reward Challenge

It's Survivor Shuffle Board. They are playing for a trip to Robert Louis Stevenson's home, which is a museum, watch the Treasure Island movie, and get to sleep in a real bed. Parvati wonder

Candace, Parvati & Jerri vs. Rupert, Russell, and Sandra vs. Colby, Danielle & Amanda. Russell right off the bat got the best toss, but then Rupert (also red team) got even closer. Danielle knocked Rupert's puck out of the way, but Russell's was still nice and close. Colby had the last shot, and he WON it. He got directly on the bull's eye.

Danielle is the only chance the Villains have at finding the clue to the idol. Amanda has her mind set on getting the clue. She was obsessed. And then, Danielle found the clue in the bowl of popcorn, and hid it under the bed, but Amanda saw it and snatched it from her. There was a cat fight. Colby just sat on the bed and enjoyed it. Danielle called Amanda psychotic. Colby agreed that it is Danielle's clue. Amanda felt betrayed by Colby. I say, Amanda was acting like a total baby. I like her, but that was not ok.

Danielle brought the clue to her alliance, and explained the cat fight to them. They went to find the idol, and Russell's Idol Radar worked again. He found it. And hid it from the rest of them. He once again declared himself the King of Hidden Immunity Idols.

When the rain stopped Russell went to Candace and told her that he had the idol, and she wanted to see it to believe it. He told her "Stick with me, and I could take you places." She is beginning to trust him.

Sandra had a chat with Colby about her place in the game. Colby is pretty sure that Danielle has the idol and will keep it. He is gunning for Parvati or Russell. Sandra told Russell then that Colby is uptight with no personality and wouldn't talk to her. I think Sandra is dangerous. He then told her that they have one of the Heroes on their side, so it wouldn't be good for her to flip, because it would be a tie. Sandra then went and told Rupert that she is in to get rid of Russell, and then told him that Russell told her that someone from their side has flipped.

The heroes are gunning for Russell or Parvati. I hope that Parvati wins immunity and then Russell plays his, and then a hero goes home.

Immunity Challenge

It's house of cards time - with tiles. First person to 10' tall wins.

It's pretty much down to Russell and Jerri. Russell ran out of cards and had to re-shuffle, but Jerri brought home the immunity by a hair. It's her very first immunity ever. Good for her. I have no idea what is happening at Tribal.

Russell told Candace that they were voting for Amanda. Why Amanda and not Colby or Rupert, I don't know. Candace told Russell that they are planning on his name, but they were wondering why Sandra was looking so sure of herself.

Sandra told Rupert that Candace is flipping. Candace denied flipping. They all decided to vote for Parvati instead, because they think that Danielle has the idol. They said if it doesn't work, it's Candace's fault. Sandra told Candace that they needed to stick with Parvati, and said that she is jumping ship because of her. Candace still wants to vote Amanda. Sandra was freaking out. Candace seemed torn. I have no idea what is going to happen.

Tribal Council

How about that, Coach is wearing a shirt. And a baseball hat. He still looks like a douche. Rupert admitted that the Villains have no reason to switch. Sandra said that she is feeling on the outside of her own group. Russell said that Danielle is aggressive, and so is he. Jerri is cool-headed. Parvati is charming. And Sandra asks, what about her? He said "Sandra, she's just here with us." Wow. The Heroes are all totally sure that Danielle has the idol. Parvati is feeling vulnerable, because she gave her protection away. To Sandra. Who plans to switch.

And... Russell played the idol for himself.

When votes are going to Parvati, Russell swore quietly to himself. Amanda is going home. Villains remain in control. It's the first time Amanda has even been voted out. Parvati told Russel that he wasted the immunity idol, and he admitted to being nervous. Was that an eye-roll she gave his play?

Next week, trouble in paradise... Russell looks to be threatening members of his alliance. This could get interesting.

American Idol: 4.28.10

2010-04-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

Guest stars all over the place tonight!

Rascall Flats are up first. I don't particularly care for them, but the hubby does, so I'll leave them on without fast forwarding. Personally, I thought the song and the performance sucked. But, I'm not a fan. Not at all. The backup singer/guitar dude has a strangely Blake Lewis-esque hair style, which seems odd for a country group. Wow. I really did not enjoy that song. And the drums seemed overwrought.

Behind the Scenes of the Ford Music Video, and everyone gets to be a vampire. They actually all looked really cool as vampires. I really liked Siobahn and Crystal as vampires. Aaron looked kind of ridiculous. And they attacked Michael. He scared them away with a garlic pizza. Ok, that part was dorky, but the rest of the video was the most fun they've been this season. So, vampires are trendy. I still like them.

(And no, I haven't even READ Twilight. I liked them way before Twilight.)

And the Idols got to meet the director of Shrek, and Siobahn did a Yoda voice, while Michael did a Arnold Schwartzenager voice, but then they settled in and did some mock voice overs which were kind of cool. And then, they got to watch a screening. And then Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas joined Seacrest on the Idol stage. Wow. Antonio Banderas has gotten old. And Cameron Diaz looks really nice. Then they sucked up to Seacrest before getting some lights dimmed to get down to business.

Three groups of two are on the stage. Siobahn goes to the far side of the stage. And it just struck me that I wish she had sung "That Don't Impress Me Much." Oh, well. Aaron heads to center stage. Michael goes to the opposite side of the stage as Siobahn. Lee joins Siobahn. Casey joins Michael. Crystal joins Aaron.

Who's in the bottom 3? Well... Siobahn is brought over to stand next to Michael and Casey... and that's the bottom 3!

Noooo!!! It was Casey's best night yet. Siobahn looks to be getting back to her stride. I hope that Michael is going home.

Next week - Harry Connik, Jr. will be mentoring songs of Frank Sinatra. Awesome.

And Carrie Underwood is back to introduce Sons of Sylvia. Fast forwarding though a guy who can't sing into a microphone properly..

And now, Lady Antebellum. I like them. I read that the lead female singer auditioned for AI years back and was rejected. Goes to show. I think the microphone levels sound off tonight. It's like everyone's muffled. But, they sound very nice.

For heaven's sake - ANOTHER performance? Shakira with Rascall Flats. She's playing the harmonica. That's kind of cool. And I kind of like the song. Shakira has such a unique voice. I'm glad to see her pulling out some belly dancing moves. I love belly dancing, even slow seductive belly dancing. Fun song. Questionable lyrics "I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me." Hmmm. Well, it works for her.

There is definitely something weird going on with the mic's tonight. Come on, AI. Get it right.

Back to the results. Michael is safe. It's down to Casey vs. Siobahn. Casey had his best night ever last night, and Siobahn has been lackluster for a long time... I am saddened either way. I really really like Siobahn. She's going home, and I think that's about right after last night. She started with such potential and I think the judges killed some of her spirit when they told her to not do her thing, and she never really got back to herself.

As her encore, she's singing Think. Awesome. This is when she was herself. I don't know what happened between then and now, but it makes me sad. Can we blame bad themes for her? I hope that she does well post-Idol.

So much for it being a woman's season! Go, Crystal!!!!

I think everyone who is left, except for Aaron, is a guitar player. Am I right?

American Idol: 4.27.10

2010-04-27T21:07:00.000-04:00

Shania Twain Night! Wonder how this will turn out...

Kara looks like she's wearing a giant geode around her neck.

Call 1-866-IDOLS-##

01 & 07) Lee Dewyze (You're Still the One) I thought he was way off key when he started, but it turns out he just changed up the melody somewhat. Not my favorite style for him. It seemed strained and tight, vocally. And flat. I appreciate the changes he made, but I didn't like them, and he sounded like he was yelling. Randy, yo, loves this song, you know listen, thought it started out pitchy, but yo, made it his own later on. Ellen thought it was really good. Oh, Ellen, I disagree with you on that. A lot. She then said "All aboard the Shania Twain." That's funny. Kara thinks his voice makes anything current, but wasn't sure he was feeling the song. Simon thought it was the perfect song for him, but thought he was pulling some weird faces.

02 & 08) Michael Lynche (It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing) I'm kind of sick of Michael singing sappy songs. I wish that he'd done something upbeat. He's got an undeniably good voice, but I find myself bored. Randy thinks he is definitely the R&B balladeer, and I guess he's good at it... but it's boring. Ellen thought it sounded like Luther Vandross. Kara appreciates that he relates to his songs, and thinks he did a great job. Simon agrees with the comparison with Luther Vandross, but thought the performance was a little wet, like he was in a musical acting out the words. He then said it was a little girly for him.

03 & 09) Casey James (Don't) Ok, he is giving me chills. He sounds really nice in his lower register, and though I hate his seat on the stupid Behind-the-Judges ledge, I'm really enjoying this performance. That was really truly good. Randy said it was one of the best Casey James performances ever, and wants Casey to keep this kind of thing in his wheelhouse. Ellen thought he sang it like it was the kind of music he should be singing. She thought it was his best to date. Kara loved that he showed the good, the bad, the ugly, and thought he was vulnerable and raw. Simon thought that it was probably his best performance so far, and thought it felt like he was singing the song, and suggested that he go give Shania a kiss on the lips. Casey obliged. And Shania didn't seem to mind.

04 & 08) Crystal Bowersox (No One Needs to Know) She turned this into kind of a bluegrass song, and I like it. I just love every bit of her song. She did a quick octave change a couple times, and it sounded effortless and lovely. Yo yo, Randy loved the Nickel Creek style, but it wasn't his favorite from her. Ellen thinks there is nothing she can't do, and though it wasn't her favorite performance, that's like saying "that's not my favorite color of the rainbow." Kara thought it was believable, and said also that it wasn't her favorite. Crystal said that it wasn't as big as previously, but bigger isn't always better. Simon says the shocker is, they didn't like Crystal this week, and thought it was like a bad coffee shop performance, and thought she lacked conviction. Crystal pointed to her conviction (her boyfriend) in the audience.

05 & 09) Aaron Kelly (You've Got a Way) I love this song, but Aaron is shaky and weak. He seemed off key and more nasal than normal. His last note was nice. Yo, Randy called it his wheelhouse and thought he did a really good job. Ellen can't get over how young he is, and when he corrected her when she said "I can't believe you're only 16" and told her he was 17 now, she said "Oh, well, I'm not as impressed now." Kara liked it, and thought he had conviction. Simon thought he did really well tonight.

06 & 10) Siobahn Magnus (Any Man of Mine) What the hell is she wearing? Siobahn, what has happened to you? She started off ok, but then just started sounding fractic. And then, in the end, she did her patented scream, and ended very well. But what the heck was going on in the middle. Yo, Randy loved the punk country. Ellen thought she pulled the Shania Twain into the station and called it fantastic. Kara declared that Siobahn is back. Simon really liked the song, and thought the final note sounded like she was giving birth.

I think I liked Casey the best! And then Crystal. Well, maybe Crystal first. I can't decide. And I enjoyed the end of Siobahn's song.

I really thought that Lee blew it, and I hated Aaron's performance. Who else sang? Oh, right. Michael. Again, I'd forgotten him.

Survivor Heroes vs. Villains 4.22.10

2010-04-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

At Hero Camp, they can't wait for the Merge, and want to see Russell and four girls walk in. Well, they will... just not the four girls they want to see. Amanda and Rupert worry that they might be annoying people. They get Tree Mail, and it's a giant box, saying "Don't open this Box until you have the key. Make Room in your Camp, Company will be arriving soon."

At Villain Camp, they get a key and the map to Hero Central. Russell can't wait to go over to their home turf and weed them off one by one. Russell plans to tell them that he played the Idol, but Parvati played one too, and that's why Parvati is still around. This would have been genius if Sandra hadn't been listening in and looking like a spy. Gah. They should have kept Courtney.

When the Villains arrive, and JT saw the make up of the tribe, he said "Russell played the idol, and Parvarti had to have played another one." They open the box and there are new black buffs, a big ol' ham, vegetables, fruit, and they settled to figure out a new name. Jerri wants to call themselves "All Villains" because they are all villains. Colby couldn't get over her audacity. Russell was chatting with Candace and Amanda, and Amanda was telling a story about a parasitic worm or something.

And Parvati is pissed because no one is taking her seriously and they are underestimating her. "They don't know it, but they are about to get picked off one by one." Russell went to chat with JT, spinning the Immunity Idol Playing Tale, and said that he is comfortable in a way he hasn't been since Day 4. I love to see Russell playing. JT called him a "good ol' country boy," and admitted that it's possible that Russell is the leader of the girls, but he doesn't believe it, and he trusts him. Russell, meanwhile, was gleeful about how they bought it, hook line and sinker.

Meanwhile Sandra went to rat on her former tribe and told Rupert the real deal. She told him that she is the last person of her alliance. Sandra told him to agree to whatever Russell says, but don't believe it, because Russell is the leader, and Parvati is his second in command. Rupert said "This is where the game gets crazy."

After they had eaten, Parvati and Danielle made enemies by breaking the Banana etiquette when they went to have bananas after the meal was done. Rupert went to tell the rest of the tribe that Russell was playing them, but JT and Amanda refused to believe it. They still decided that would tell Russell they were voting for one person, to test his loyalty, and then vote someone else without telling him. JT said that there is a reason that he's been doing Rupert's strategic play this whole time. "Do you believe what Sandra told you, or do you believe the obvious truth?"

Amanda and Parvati went for a walk, and Amanda told her that everyone wants her gone, and that she has no power. She told Parvati that she is trying to get rid of Sandra. Parvati put on her innocent trustworthy face and asked Amanda to tell her who they were voting for. Then Parvati made a dumb ass decision of telling Amanda that she has an idol. Amanda said "how did you get another one?" and Parvati said "I'm crafty." Amanda said that she likes Parvati, but knows that if she gets to the end, she's going to win again.

Immunity Challenge

They decided on the name Yin Yang. Cool. Good and Evil. Their challenge? Hold onto a pole as long as possible. Giant totem poles. JT, Candace, and Parvati have all competed in this challenge before, and none of them won. Colby is down nearly immediately, followed by Sandra. Russell is out next. Wow. Rupert goes next. It's JT and the girls. Amanda is out next. JT almost fell, but got back up, then fell right out. Candace, Jerri, Danielle, and Parvati are left on their poles. Parvati looked like she could stay there forever. She was standing on it with one foot. Jerri was out next, at 1 1/2 hours, claiming dehydration. Candace was out next, and everyone looked at her like she was crazy. Parvati asked Danielle if she wanted her to win, and Danielle said (hopefully quiet enough that the rest of the people down below couldn't hear) "I'll win, because you have the Idol." Parvati stepped down.

Rupert shows some brains when he suspects Parvati of having the idol, or she wouldn't have stepped out. True, dude. So true. They should have fought it out and Parvati should have pretended to fall. That would have been a more clever move.

JT also found it suspicious how Parvati stepped out. They plan on telling Russell they are voting Parvati, and they will vote for Sandra. Or Jerri. Russell plans to give the idol to Parvati, save her, and vote off JT. She said "Oh, you! You shouldn't have!" She's now got two in the bag. Literally. Amanda told he to play her idol. "Just in case." Parvati knew she was lying when she said they are voting for her. Because Amanda is a terrible liar.

Tribal Council

Coach is wearing an open robe in the jury, and Courtney looks clean and shiny. Rupert brought up Banana etiquette and Danielle thought the whole thing was ridiculous, and Russell wanted the banana wars to be over. He said that tonight will dictate the rest of the game.

JT lamented that no one wanted to talk to him, and Russell said that it's paranoia, and he talked to JT all day. Sandra said that she hasn't talked strategy with anyone. Parvati said that she felt like a leper and no one was talking to her, and Probst asked if it was just because she was used to getting attention in her whole life. Colby said that maybe they weren't talking to her because they know she is going to be around for a few more days. JT said he had no idea who had idols. That is true, though he doesn't know it. And Parvati made a slip (I think) when she said that the idol broke a solid alliance in the Villain's tribe and changed the game. That means that it's out in the open that an alliance was broken, and that points out that there is no all-girl alliance.

Before the votes were read, Courtney said "If that little troll plays the idol..." Parvati said that it would be downright depressing to sit and watch green bananas turn yellow without her little villains, and proceeded to GIVE HER IDOLS AWAY to Jerri and Sandra. They both played them. Wow. I did not see that coming. Bye bye, JT...

And Rupert mumbled "I knew we shouldn't have trusted that..." And JT is gone. That's what you get for trusting a villain. And Russell ... not pleased about Parvati's having a second idol. "Someone's got some explaining to do," he whispered to her, and she shrugged and whispered "Secret," back. That may bite her. He guns for people who lie to him.

In previews for next week, Russell is pissed, and Sandra is gunning for Russell.

And JT felt like a total idiot, and said that you shouldn't trust villains or women. Maybe he should have thought about that before.

Good episode. What did you think?

American Idol: 4.21.10

2010-04-21T22:24:00.000-04:00

Idol Gives Back, and while it's a great cause, I am so not blogging the whole thing. All I want is some results.

Preparing to fast forward...

Final 12 group sing, and Crystal is looking like she's in a nightie. I would be really happy if this wasn't lip synching, but it so is. I can't bring myself to watch this. Fast forwarding...

Victoria Beckham is on... and fast forwarding.

How about some results? Everyone's in white, and it's not the best look for everyone. Michael is feeling good, Tim is happy to be there. Seacrest wonders how Lee preps for a performance. He gets emotional. But - no results for us. Fast forwarding. (Fergie looks like some sort of superhero. What is it with female singers wearing leotards recently? NOT a good fashion choice. And her boots are thigh high. She's like a snakey Wonder Woman. And... returning to fast forwarding)

Stupid bit about George Lopez winning the prom date with Katie for the most votes. Fast forwarding.

Ford Video? Nothing more hilarious than people falling flat on their backs in white paint and getting sprayed by a fire hydrant while fruit litters the street... I remember when the Ford Videos were clever. Good times...

Crystal and Casey join Seacrest in the center of the stage first. Crystal is safe, and Casey takes a seat on the Somber Stools. Aaron and Lee are up next. Aaron is joining Casey on the Silver Stools. Lee is safe. That's right.

Fast forwarding some more... Joss Stone looked and sounded lovely. I really enjoy her voice. Morgan Freeman wants you to give to Idol Gives Back, and who are you to argue with God himself?

Siobahn, Michael, and Tim are up in the center of the stage next. Siobahn is safe. Good. Now, step it up next week, girl!! Michael is safe, and Tim is in the bottom 3.

Yup, that's about right.

David Cook! Wow, Captain Combover looks like his hair got caught in the hairdryer. I'm glad to see him... but.... fast forwarding...

Randy is playing backup to Mary J. Blige on Stairway to Heaven. Ok, that's pretty cool.

Then, my DVR cut off. Because Idol was going over. Wow. Bloated much?

I switched back at 10:15. and there will be no more fast forwarding for me, because it's live. Crap. Well, at least Elton John is good. Did any of you see his duet with Lady Gaga at the Grammy's? It was astounding.

Next week's theme? Shania Twain. It could be ok. Or it could suck. That seems to be the general theme lately.

Aaron is safe. Oh, grrrrr.

So, it's down to Tim or Casey... and it's .... Tim!

I may have just cheered out loud. Don't judge. I never thought he deserved to be on this show. I only liked maybe one or two of his performances. I'm so happy that he is out. Just the right results, in my opinion.

And what do you think? Did you enjoy Idol Gives Back?

American Idol: 4.20.10

2010-04-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Oh, Inspirational Songs... such drivel. Here's hoping it doesn't suck. Why can't we have some upbeat happy songs? Please?

Crystal looks sparkly, and Siobahn looks like she's getting ready for a run in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Can't wait to see what they bring to the stage.

Call 1-866-IDOLS-##

Alicia Keys is the mentor.

01) Casey James (Don't Stop, by Fleetwood Mac) Alicia wants him to be present in the song. The Fleetwood Mac song works with his bleaty voice, and there is no doubt that the guy can play the guitar. He's like a very talented sheep. Randy called it a good performance, but thinks that Casey should bring something new to the stage. Ellen appreciated his guitar playing, but wants him to be great, and doesn't think anyone will be talking about it tomorrow. Kara misses Jealous Guy. Agreed. Simon is amazed at his song choice, saw zero emotion, and thought there was no originality.

02) Lee Dewyze (The Boxer, by Simon & Garfunkel) There is a mishap in cuing up the tape, which was amusing. Alicia had Lee speak the lyrics for her, so that he kept sight of the song's meaning. I love this song, and Lee looks confident and connecting more. I'm digging this. It's rougher around the edges than Simon & Garfunkel, and that's ok. I mean, really good. I got chills. Yay for not sucking! Randy thinks that Lee is a great artist ready to make big albums. Ellen loved his song choice, and loved the soul and depth in his performance. Kara thinks that this was his Moment. Simon thinks that was the best of the night, two songs in, and thinks that the difference between him and Casey was staggering, and thinks that he made the song totally current, and called it absolutely brilliant. Yes. Good job, Lee.

03) Tim Urban (Better Days, The Goo Goo Dolls) He is singing very softly, and he doesn't have the strength behind it to support it. It was out of key all over the place, and when he gets louder, he's worse and there was no feeling. Randy said it was ok good karaoke and it just laid there. Ellen called him the soup of the day that she sometimes likes and sometimes doesn't, and this is soup she didn't like. Kara thinks he's in the right place, but it wasn't his best performance. Simon thinks that they would have been impressed if it was the first time they had seen him, but he just didn't believe the performance tonight. Agreed. Although I have really never been impressed with Tim.

04) Aaron Kelly (I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly) Oh, oh, oh, I hate this song. He is shakey and all over the place and just ... really not good. Cringeworthy. Truly. He needs to go. It was terrible. He thinks he did wonderfully, of course. He's all smiles. Randy thought the arrangement was a little funny, but thinks Aaron has pure vocal talent and did a good job. Ellen said there was a brief time in the 70s when she believed she could fly, and thinks that he did a good job at it. Kara thought it was rough in the beginning, but he took off at the end. Simon likes Aaron, and thinks he gave it his all, but thinks if that song was on the radio, it would be turned of in 10 seconds.

05) Siobahn Magnus (When You Believe, Mariah Carey) It sounded rather old fashioned, though she sounded lovely, and looks like she went through a butterfly garden. Randy thought the song choice was just ok, and thought Siobahn was just ok. Ellen thought it was confirmation about why she is there, and liked it. Kara thought technically it was very well sung, but worried it was a musical-caliber performance. She wants to hang out with Siobahn, but doesn't want to buy her music. Simon was distracted by the "leaves" on the dress (they are butterflies), and thought the song was old fashioned and found the arrangement odd. Siobahn loved the song and didn't want to be scared away of a song just because of who it was by. She was excited to be there to have a chance to sing the song.

06) Michael Lynche (Hero, by Chad Kruger) Pretty good, and I liked it better than a big ol' love song. Randy was a bit worried about the song choice, but thinks that he held his own. Ellen thought he did a great job. It was not Kara's favorite, and thought he doesn't have the tone for the song. Simon thought he sang it pretty well, but thought that a song about Spiderman isn't exactly inspirational. He thought it sounded artificial.

07) Crystal Bowersox (People Get Ready) Silhouette Crystal started the song, a capella, and she is without an instrument tonight, except for her fantastic voice. She's astounding, and in a different league. She got very emotional and started crying at the end. Wow. Randy thought it was unbelievable and stood up for her. Ellen thinks she looks beautiful and thought it was fantastic. And the funky mic stand is Crystal's personal stand - it looks like a lamp. Neat. Kara thinks she just schooled all of the other contestants. Simon thought THAT was inspirational, and thought it was in a completely different class. Agreed.

My favorite of the night is hands down Crystal. Lee was second. After that, I did like Siobahn, thought not as much as I wanted to.

Mike was ok for me, as was Casey.

Suck fest? Tim. Aaron. They both can go. Now.

How about you?

Survivor Heroes vs. Villains 4.15.10

2010-04-15T21:11:00.000-04:00

Will the Villains continue to self-destruct?

Post-Tribal, Sandra is tickled that her plan worked. Jerri is scared that she is next with Coach gone. Danielle told her that she is not. The camera men are showing rats all over the place. Russell told Jerri that he had an inkling about what was going to happen, but he didn't write Coach's name down. And he didn't. Smart move, bucko.

Tree Mail - it's the stand between two planks challenge from Tocantins, and they have to rank themselves for strength, and they will be put against the other tribe's rankings. The Villains decide that the girls with smaller feet will probably do better. Over at the Hero Camp, Rupert wants to go first, because he thinks he is stronger than anyone.

Reward Challenge

The Heroes are absolutely convinced it's a woman's alliance on the Villain Tribe, and they are not shy about saying it.   Bwah ha ha. First tribe to three points (won by winning a head to head match) wins a HUGE feast by Outback Steakhouse. Way to get the sponsors in. Russell sits out. Smart, because then he's there for the Immunity Challenge.

Danielle vs. Candace, Courtney vs. Amanda, Parvarti vs. JT, Jerri vs. Colby, and Sandra vs. Rupert.

Interesting pairings. First round, 10 minutes. Head is fine for leaning, no hips, no butt.

It's the 100th Day that Amanda has played 100 days. She's the first person to reach that milestone.

I'm sure my brother is very happy. Let's say, he's an Amanda fan.

Everyone's still in it when they move to the next level, smaller footholds. Sandra talks about how much she loves Outback Steakhouse.

Love it - on the bench, Russell made pleading motions to JT, planting the "Russell Seed."

Third and final foothold, and it's a tiny one. They stay there for as long as they can. That foothold is 1/4" wide. Yikes. Colby is the first out, with the first point scored for the Villains. Rupert and his broken toe are fine. Jerri told Sandra that she can do it, because she's popped out some babies. Sandra said "Two of em, and didn't even get an aspirin." Rupert is down, and Sandra brought the second point. Amanda fell on her 100th day, and the Villains won the reward.

As they gave the "Good Game" shakes, JT muttered to Russell to "Hang in there, buddy." Bwah ha ha.

Outback Feast. Great. Advertising works. Now I really wish I had some Outback right now. Sandra sucked down some drinks super quickly. First they get some salad, with napkins, and.... Parvati found the clue for the hidden idol in her napkin and shoved it in her underwear before anyone saw it.    Wonder if she will share with Russell?

They all giggle about how the other tribe thinks it's an All Girl Alliance.

Mmmmm, Loaded Baked potatoes. Wonder if they are given lines to say to get the advertising in. Parvarti snuck away to pee, and Danielle went too... and Parvati showed her the clue. She did this as a way of getting Danielle feeling closer to her than to Russell. They don't plan on telling him, unless it's a need to know basis.

Over at Hero Central, JT said "I don't care about steaks," and told them about his plan... his plan to give Russell the hidden idol at the next immunity challenge, to secure him with them, to get rid of Parvati. Amanda thought it was really crazy, because they don't know for sure what's going on over there. Candace thinks it might be a good idea.

Danielle and Parvati went out in search of the idol. Quietly, without telling Russell. With shovels. They found it, and Parvati doesn't plan on telling Russell right off. That might burn her if Russell finds out that she has it. She said that Russell is not the King of Survivor, she's the Queen. "And usually, the King does what the Queen says, anyway."

JT drafted his letter to Russell, detailing what he should do with the idol. Rupert told him if it works, it could be a great plan. This ought to be interesting.

Immunity Challenge

Both tribes will start on platforms in the water, and one person at a time will get bags of puzzle pieces to bring to the mat through an obstacle course. They have to build totem poles to win Immunity.

Jerri and Rupert are out first. Rupert got to the mat first. JT and Danielle are out next, and JT is back before Danielle barely has time to start. Amanda was out next, and got it in. When Colby and Russell are the last ones left on the platforms, Colby told Russell to go see JT after the challenge, after getting the assurance that Russell thinks he's going home...

Without much difficulty, Heroes won it, and JT passed the idol to Russell. How Russell stopped from giggling, I have no idea.

Russell said "See now, I don't even have to find the idol. People are giving them to me. You don't give the idol to the enemy, especially when his name is Russell Hantz."

JT is happy about this whole plan.

And over at Villain Central, Russell showed the thing to Parvati, and they giggled together about the whole idol debacle. JT's note really was pretty humorous. Parvati said "Why would you give a villain your heart? JT just gave Russell his heart, and Russell's going to stab it, and then he's going to hand it to me, and I'm going to eat it."

Sandra and Courtney went out for a sad chat, and Sandra said that her without Courtney is like rice without beans.

Parvati talked with Courtney and said that she would try to save her if she could, because she thinks Courtney would be more loyal post merge. Parvati tried to subtly push the vote towards Sandra. She's good. She's very good.

Tribal Council

It's down to Courtney vs. Sandra, and Danielle said that Sandra wasn't in her alliance, and Sandra was called Rob's Sidekick. Parvati says if you ask the Heroes, she's the boss, because she's obviously running a crazy women's alliance. She said it's Boston Rob's Girls vs. Russell's Girls. Courtney says that Jerri flipped in time to save her butt, so "Awesome for you." I hope that Courtney stays just for her one-liners. And, it's always fun to see if she's going to snap in half like a twig if she happens to be forced to compete in a challenge.

Votes go Jerri, and then all Courtney. Oh, well.   Sandra is safe for another day. And the day after Tribal is Parvati's 100th Survivor Day. Nice.

Next week, JT sees Parvati enter the camp for the merge. And Sandra looked to be flipping, talking frankly to Rupert.

This could be epic.

American Idol: 4.14.10

2010-04-14T22:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Kara looks ready to go out clubbing instead of like she just woke up from a bender.

I am full of rage at the lip synching. Rage. These kids can sing. Let them. I'm not sure that American Idol wants to be proud of teaching them to lip sync. And drunk cameraman struck again, with a few seconds of a shot of the stage and the stage alone. That was funny.

Ford commercial is somewhat clever tonight. But still, they used to be more fun.

Casey James is up first, standing along with Aaron and Andrew. They are brought into the center of the stage.

And without any pretense, Andrew is swiftly eliminated.

Aaron and Casey are safe.

Elliot and Kara went to Africa. Idol Gives Back. Give if you Can. Fast forwarding.

Also fast forwarding through Ex-Mr. Miley and Brooke White. Sorry, guys.

Joining Seacrest next on the center of the stage is the entire bottom row. Lee, Siobahn, Katie, Michael, Crystal, and Tim. Crystal is safe, as is Siobahn. Yay. So is Lee (though Seacrest messed with him). Tim, Michael, or Katie is going home. After Adam.

Next week is Inspirational songs. With Alicia Keyes as mentor. Hope it doesn't suck.

Time for Adam Lambert! He's starting his performance in a Star Trek transport device. It's pretty slick and I know a few people who's panties are exploding right now. Not mine, but just saying. He's performing in a green fog laser show. His IFB (that's his ear bud) is highly bedazzled. Love it. I have a feeling that Adam puts on one heck of a show.

Back to the results. Safe is Tim. It's Michael or Katie going home, and one of them is not even in the bottom 3. Leaving with Andrew is Katie. That's good, then, because it would totally have sucked to use the save on Michael and then have him sent home the next week. Plus, he was really good last night.

Katie is good, but she's so young, and I think that's her biggest hurdle.

I'd say that's a good results show!

American Idol: 4.13.10

2010-04-13T21:49:00.000-04:00

Because of the save of Michael last week, two people are going to be eliminated this week. As long as their names are Aaron, Tim, or Katie, I am fine with that.

It's Elvis Night, with Adam Lambert mentoring. The Top 9 went to Cirque de Soleil Elvis Show, which looked fun. Adam has super tall hair tonight. He says that he tried to be honest and constructive with the hopefuls, but wants them to wake up a little on stage, suggesting coffee. I would agree with that.

Seacrest made a crack about his song not being as talented as Adam's, and Adam's look at the camera was priceless.

The number to call is 1-800-866-IDOLS-##

01) Crystal Bowersox (Saved) She is rocking the electric guitar tonight. And fake eyelashes, I think. I dig her pants. And her voice. She sounded amazing. I wouldn't mind seeing her move around some sometime. So Yo, Man, Randy thinks Crystal has energy and blues vibe and he loved it. Ellen feels like a broken record saying how great Crystal is. Kara's hair looks like she just woke up and ran some grease through her hair. She thought Crystal was fun. Simon loved her song choice, thought she sounded original and didn't fall into the karaoke trap. Wow, her guitar is sparkly. I like.

02) Andrew Garcia (Hound Dog) Adam was bored by him in rehearsals, and wanted him to change it up and have fun with it. He changed it up... into a weird jazzy rendition of it. I'm not sure I am a fan. It was different, but I was still bored. And her went onto the lip behind the judges. I hate that lip of stage. It needs to go. Yo yo yo, Randy thought it was not good karaoke. Ellen thought he pulled it off. Kara and her day after club hair and makeup thought he was using the microphone as a crutch and didn't own the stage. Simon thought it was lazy, and the part of the musical that no one needs to see or hear. He thought that all of Andrew's coolness has been sucked out of him. He didn't get it. Neither did I.

Seacrest's Mom. That's interesting filler.

03) Tim Urban (I Can't Help Falling in Love) Ok, I liked the guitar work in the rehearsal, but I predict that Tim will not connect at all with the song. Let's see if I'm right. Ughhhhhh, he's on the lip. And Seacrest called him Turban. He needs to go. It was sleepy, and though I loved the guitar work, he sounded so blah and boring and just sounded like he was talking half the time. I suppose it was better than sneaking into the bedroom, but .... I was still bored. Adam suggested to him that he should do the end in his falsetto, and he did not. I really didn't like it. Yo, check it out, Randy actually liked it. Ellen compared him to a shot of tequila that she's gotten used to after a bunch of unsure shots. Kara might be wearing a camo dress, and she thought it was her favorite Tim performance to date. Simon thought he went from zero to hero, and thought the clean arrangement was good.

04) Lee DeWyze (A Little Less Conversation) Adam wanted Lee to find his playful side and perform on stage. Good advice. He sounds really good and I also like his guitar work, it's very good, and sounded like something I could hear on the radio today. He changed it up just a little. He did a little better connecting, but he could have done better still. He's very good, though. Yo yo, check it out, Randy is loving how in the zone Lee is. Ellen thought he made it very current and showed more confidence. Kara may be trying to be a rocker trick, and thought that Lee had some great intensity, but wanted a little more playfulness. Simon wanted to know if she wanted kittens, or if she wanted him to skip around the stage. He said that Lee nailed the song, and it was on the money, full stop.

05) Aaron Kelly (Blue Suede Shoes) Oh, the poor child is trying to be sexy. I do appreciate him actually moving around the stage, and I kind of liked this style of performance for him much more than the sleepy Archie Wannabe performances he's been giving. I hated the back-up singers at the end. It took away from him. Not bad, but it felt like something you might see in a musical. In a high school. Randy thought it started out weird, but it ended up well. Kind of half and half for him. Ellen thought it was a big song to take on, and thought he did a really good job, even if he didn't get all the way there. Kara liked him out of his comfort zone, and she thought it made him younger (really?) and more current. Simon thought it did the opposite and made him old fashioned. Aha - he thought it was like someone at a high school giving a concert, and it was frustrating because it was very karaoke, and felt like he was playing dress-up.

06) Siobahn Magnus (Suspicious Minds) She started out the performance facing the back of the stage, and I'm not sure what I feel about that... And her outfit looks like something straight out of the 80's, White leather? She killed the vocals, I have to say. And she brought some of her screaming back, and she really changed the song up. I really hated her outfit, though. The back was cut out and looked like she had a giant leather thong showing... Randy liked the big vocals at the end, and liked it better. Ellen loved her outfit. Really? She loved the performance. Kara may in fact be wearing a trashbag, and she was confused by the dichotimy in Siobahn's voice. Simon thought she seemed old, and hated the first part of the song, and thought it was erratic. He worries that she's lost her way. Siobahn defends the fact that she always sounds different, because she can't even label herself, so why is it necessary to be labeled? I like her spunk.

07) Michael Lynche (In the Ghetto) Will he show that he deserved that save? He got right down to it with a guitar and story telling. See, Tim? This is how you feel the meaning behind lyrics. It was beautiful and it gave me chills. I've never really like this song before. Now, I do. That was really really good. Yo, Randy thought it was a little sleepy, but the vocals were hot. Ellen was glad that they saved him. Kara thought it was a beautiful song and he sang it well. Simon thought it was one of the best performances of his yet, and thought it was a million billion times better than last week. That's a lot better...

08) Katie Stevens (Baby, What do you Want Me to Do?) Adam wanted her to feel the frustration, and she needs to sell the song a little more. Is she wearing lace leggings? Oh, no, Katie, No. I hated her shirt, but she was singing really well. She hit a couple bum notes in there, and seemed to lose steam near the end of the performance. It seemed kind of theatrical. I wish that Siobahn had sung this song. Randy thought it was entertaining, and Ellen called it a very horny song (what with the brass section), and Kara thinks that she showed the judges. Simon found it very loud, a bit annoying, and didn't like the song very much. Kara talked back at him. That was annoying.

09) Casey James (Laudy Miss Claudie) He found a really bluesy song, and Adam wanted him to build a musical arc with it. I've never heard this song before, but I really like Casey on it. I do not like the high pony tail, but and yes, he is still bleating in his vocals, but it works for this song, and dang, the boy is good on guitar. I liked it. A'ight, so listen, Randy thought it was a solid performance from him. Ellen didn't think it was as exciting as it could have been, but he did well. Kara looks like she needs a morning after cocktail, and said that he didn't get to the brilliance that he is capable of. Simon thought it was a wasted opportunity for Elvis night.

Favorites of the night? Crystal, Lee, and Michael.

In the middle? Katie, Siobahn, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) Tim. Because I really liked his guitar work.

Andrew was really not good, and Aaron was forgettable and amateurish. I think Casey might also be in the bottom there.

What did you think?

Survivor Heroes vs. Villains 4.8.10

2010-04-08T21:08:00.000-04:00

Post-Rob Boot, Russell and Parvati are feeling pretty happy about their awesomeness. Coach thinks that Russell is a bully, and Jerri is feeling guilty about going along with it. Coach says that they won't win any more challenges, and they are just going to have to pray for the merge. Good attitude, there, Coach. Wonder what he does when a key player gets injured on his team? Well, might as well just throw in the towel, no use in trying...

Over at Hero Central, JT disappeared to go look for the Immunity Idol, and Amanda (in her cool glasses) caught him. He had to tell her that he had it. Then, he told Candace. Then, he decided to tell everyone else. Hmmm. That negates the "hidden." He says they can use it for the first person who needs it after the merge. Candace told Amanda that it was a good thing she walked up to JT as he found it, because who knows if he would have said anything otherwise. Candace doesn't trust JT at all, and thinks that he's a threat because he's got ins with everybody, and he's the Golden Boy.

Back at Villain's Camp, they get Tree Mail for Reward Challenge, and it promises food. They are hoping that it's a merge, and decided to bring all of their stuff to the challenge with them. Not a bad strategy, but... I don't think it's the merge.

Reward Challenge

There's a load of pizza and brownies and good stuff waiting. The Heroes are shocked that Rob is gone, and assume it's an All-Girl Alliance. JT leaned over and mouthed to Russell to "hang in there," meaning that he would rescue him from the girls.

Probst told them to drop their.... cheers all around... expectations. No merge.

Survivor Bowling. Everyone gets 2 rolls, and the first to 3 points wins. Villains sit out Sandra and Courtney.

Parvati vs. Rupert first, and Parvati gets a gutter ball. Rupert knocked over 3. On the second roll, Parvati gutter balls it again. One point for Heroes. Next is Danielle vs. JT. JT got 6, Danielle got gutter ball. JT got gutter ball on his second roll, and then Danielle got another gutter ball. Heroes have 2 points. Russell vs. Colby next, and Russell gets a gutter ball first. Colby also gets nothing. Russell gets some down in the next roll, but Colby only gets one, so there's a point for the Villains. Coach got 5 down next, vs. Amanda who also gets 5 down. Coach got one more in his roll, and Amanda got 2... winning it for the Heroes. The Villains are going back to camp, no pizza, to re-make their shelter, etc.

Back at camp, Jerri is pissed that they have to put the camp back together, and thinks that the decision to sit out Courtney and Sandra (made by Coach) was stupid, because now they have to play in the Immunity Challenge. Jerri wishes that Sandra and Courtney had some get up and go. Sandra thinks that she should be with the Heroes tribe, and that the Villains are the worst tribe ever made, and she hates them all. Sandra told Courtney that the way to get rid of Coach would be to tell Russell that Coach is gunning for him. Good plan, actually.

She went for it, and Russell ate it up. He went to tell Parvati that Coach is after him. Russell also said that if there is only him left, the other tribe will absolutely think it's all girls against guys in Villain-land, and bring Russell right on in with them. True enough.

Immunity Challenge

They will be belted together in pairs, going over and under obstacles through mud to retrieve flags.

One match up will be one on one. Villains sit out Jerri and Danielle.

First is Amanda and Candace vs. Sandra and Russell. Heroes got their flag first, and Sandra was having a really hard time. My brother will be thrilled to see Amanda mud wrestling. Sandra is completely stuck.

Coach vs. Rupert next. Coach got his flag seconds before Rupert, but Rupert made up a lot of time on the obstacles. Coach managed to get it first.

Finally, it's Parvati and Courtney vs. JT and Colby. Parvati and Courtney are slow slow slow. JT and Colby win without any problem, and the Heroes win it.

And, Courtney, apt to break, hurt her ankle.

Danielle is gunning for Courtney. Back at camp, they all clean up, and Coach said that the mud was like going to the spa. He did some Dragonslayer Chi, and says everyone is down, but he's coming into his own. He thinks that they are all going to vote for Courtney. Russell wants to get rid of Coach, because of the seed that Sandra planted, but Danielle told him that they should get rid of Courtney, and Russell refuses to even listen to her.

After thinking about it, he told Parvati that Danielle is right, and maybe they should get rid of Courtney... Parvati thinks it's stupid, and they should stick to the plan. Who knows what's happening.

Tribal Council

Probst asked them if they regretted getting rid of Tyson and Rob before weakling Courtney, and then added "no disrespect, Courtney." Bwah ha ha.

Coach says that he wants Courtney to stick up for herself and go for it, and he says that he is not the one who is demoralizing the tribe.

Probst tells them that they are working under the assumption that there is going to be a merge. Courtney says that she is the poster child for weak survivor, but she's a skinny little bitch who will fight. Russell says that it's about keeping the tribe strong and keeping trust in place.

When Courtney voted for Coach, she called him a freaking lunatic. Nice. She hasn't had enough sound bites this season.

Votes go for Coach, Coach, Courtney, Courtney, Courtney, Coach, and the person voted out was Coach. He's in the jury. He looked shocked. As much as I think that Coach is, in fact, a lunatic, Courtney should have left tonight.

Probst says the problem with trust is, you don't know that it's gone until it's too late.

In the preview for next week, JT was telling everyone that he might give the hidden idol to Russell. I just cackled a little. I'm sure Russell would be right there with me cackling like a mad man.

American Idol: 4.7.10

2010-04-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

The producers have told Seacrest that there are "shocking" results tonight.

Idol Gives Back is coming soon, and there's an online program - "Help Me Give Back," and an auction with things donated by the judges and Seacrest.

Group Sing Time - Oh, how I hate the really super bad lip syncing. Does anyone like the lip syncing? It needs to stop. NOW. It's terrible. Worse than terrible. These kids are more than capable of singing live. Probably together. Mostly in key. I just feel badly for them. They are better than this drivel. And then, the Ford Commercial. These used to be fun. What happened? Oh, look. Idols in kaleidoscopes. That was blahhhhhhhhghhh.... onward to the results, please?

Siobahn is in the center of the stage.

Oh no, it's the Top 9 dreaded 3 groups.

Who will be sitting in the middle of the stage tonight?

Crystal is in the same group as Siobahn. Katie is in the same group. Hmmm.

Maybe he's not doing the Dreaded 3 Groups. Crystal is safe. So is Siobahn and Katie. That was just a whole slew of filler, there, Seacrest. But about right.

Fast forwarding through Jason Dirulo.

And I don't feel like I've missed anything.

And Archie? Buh-bye.

Ok, here comes the two groups.

Lee is sent to the far side of the stage. Michael is on the close side of the stage. Casey is joining Lee. Aaron is joining Michael. Tim is joining Lee and Casey. Andrew is in the group with Michael and Aaron.

Unless something is really off, Andrew, Michael, and Aaron are the bottom 3.

Ellen agrees with me, and we are both right.

Not shocking so far.

I wish Tim was there instead of Michael or Andrew, but...

Out of their misery right off is Aaron, who rightfully should have been going home... blah.

Fast forwarding through Rhianna.

It's between Michael and Andrew. Andrew is safe, and Forgettable Big Mike is singing for his life. Ok, that's pretty close to shocking.

I don't think they'll save him, though. He's singing This Woman's Work. Good choice for song, but I think the save will be reserved for Siobahn or Crystal. I don't know what it was about Michael, but he never moved me to vote for him. As I've mentioned, I kept forgetting about him by the time it came to voting.

Simon said that the frustrating thing is that they wish he had performed like he did just now last night.

And HOLY CRAP, they saved him. That shocked me. Totally.

May Michael be more memorable in the future. And may Crystal and Siobahn never face going home because he stayed...

What do you think? Do you think they made the right decision?

American Idol: 4.6.10

2010-04-06T22:31:00.000-04:00

Lennon-McCartney Night! Here's hoping it doesn't suck!

I a convinced that this show has three too many camera men and tells them to go get random shots and switches to them without warning.. that can be the only explanation for some of this drunken camera work.

Paul McCartney himself recorded a message to the hopefuls.

The judges love the Lennon-McCartney songbook. Simon wants them to sometimes switch it up, but sometimes not. Some songs are apparently sacred. Still, he doesn't want sound alike. Agreed.

01) Aaron Kelly (The Long and Winding Road) Apparently Aaron is Yoda. That's kind of funny. The other contestants make Yoda-Voice for anything he says, and I think it's hilarious. Even funnier? Michael holding him above his head and making it look like he's levitating. Not funny? The Muzak arrangement this song got for him. Also not funny, his inability to stay on pitch. What a boring song. At least what he's making of it. I wonder if he's sick. He sounds rough. So listen, Randy means, ahhhhh, the things he liked about it was Aaron's tone, but hated the arrangement, and called it sleepy. This was not one of those sacred songs Simon was talking about. Ellen thinks it sounded like a long and winding song. Kara thinks he's been good, but not great, and he needs to be great. She also thinks that he's been one note. He promises a surprise next week, if he's here. Simon wanted to know why he tried this song. He wants Aaron to be young and relevant. Agreed. Boring.

02) Katie Stevens (Let It Be) Her dress looks like a bottle of pepto bismol. She's been asked to five proms, and says that she will go to the prom with the person who has voted for her most, according to phone bills. All the other hopefuls think Katie is fun and she does a great Single Ladies dance. She looks oddly like one of Robert Palmer's back up dancers. What's up with the hose? She sounds pretty good, but I saw someone a few weeks back refer to her as Diana DeGarmo-Lite, and I absolutely agree. It was good vocally right up until the end, when she his a cringe-worthy note. She has an interesting quality, but I think she's just unfinished in her technique. Randy, listen, thought it was her best performance ever and called them hot vocals. Ellen said that she changed it just enough to make it her own without disrespecting the song. Kara thinks she is blossoming. Into a peony? Perhaps. Simon thinks the she has paid attention to the fact that she's been in the bottom 3, and thinks that she was leaning country and that's why it was better. It was not country, Simon. Put that box away, she's not getting into it.

03) Andrew Garcia (Can't Buy Me Love) Andrew cracks everyone up. Again with the singing behind the judges? I repeat - there's a GIANT stage up there. Why use the tiny lip of a stage behind the judges? Anyhow, this is the most entertaining he's been in ... I'll say ever. His yellow shirt makes me smile, and I appreciate that he went upbeat. I liked it. Randy thought it was solid, though somewhat corny at times. Ellen thinks you can buy love, and thought it was the perfect song choice and loved it. Kara wanted to love it, but thought that he could have done more with it. Simon thought it was like a guitarist in the wedding band singing, and thought the band overpowered him. I would agree, the brass was a bit much. I still liked it.

04) Michael Lynche (Eleanor Rigby) He's huge, loud, hilarious, a teddy bear, and likes to announce his entrance with fake electric guitar sounds. This started out an inch from calling out a gospel choir, which would have had me throwing up my hands in despair, but ended up powerfully with good use of strings. I ended up really enjoying it. Randy, yo, thought that it didn't all work, but the parts that worked were great. He wants Michael to record it, and loves seeing the artist in him blossom. Ellen thinks he can do anything. Kara thought it was fire, dramatic, and loved the vocals and the commitment. Simon didn't love it entirely, because he thought it was like a song from a musical, and thought it was a little over the top. Randy got in a plug for Glee. Which is back next week. Wee!!!! Michael thought that Simon just wants to challenge him to a pec contest.

Oh, filler, filler, filler. Can this show please be an hour long next week? Hour and a half? Gahhh.

05) Crystal Bowersox (Come Together) Crystal has a cold! Oh no! She's also channeling Coach fro Survivor with feathers in her hair. Hmmm. The other hopefuls have many nicknames for her, including Mamma Sox. I have to say, her kid is so freaking adorable. Oh, ok, this could just be awesome. She's got a dijerido in accompaniment. Along with her guitar. I just can't get over how much I love her. I could listen to her constantly. She's got this great pureness to her tone, and I just love everything about it. She changed the song up enough to make it sound like a Crystal song. Love everything about it. Seriously. And right after she stopped singing, she started coughing, poor thing. Yo yo, Randy thought it was a solid performance, but he thought the dijerido was distracting. Ellen loved the dijerido, and says the only thing she has to worry about is finding a new way of telling Crystal how great she is. Kara thought it was one of her favorite performances of Crystal's, because it was slinky, sexy, and playful. Simon thought this song could be on the radio now, and thought it was quirky and thought it was contemporary. He loved her. Yay! Go, Crystal!

Cue Dijerido to break! Has this become Survivor?

06) Tim Urban (All My Loving) The other hopefuls like Tim's smile and his hair flip. He's so boring. He was playing the electric guitar with no particular flair, and I just can't believe anything he sings. He might as well be singing in a foreign language, for the amount that he connects with lyrics. He's on key, but what does that matter when you are seriously boring. Yo, Randy thinks he's in his own category, and said that he would only compare him to other Tim performances. He thinks it was pretty good. Ellen thought it was his second best performance. Kara likes him with a guitar, and liked the performance. Simon refuses to judge him on a Tim Performance, but still thinks he did really well. No gimmicks, no over singing, just him doing his thing. He likes that Tim can take criticism like a man. I can see that. I still want him gone. A lot. It wasn't awful, but I just really don't like his voice.

07) Casey James (Jealous Guy) The others make fun of Casey for being like a Soap Opera star, and make up good Soap Opera names for him. He also has a huge laugh, and fantastic hair. This is a tender performance of a song I've never heard before. His guitar work is beautiful, and can I say I think he gave me chills? I still don't love his bleaty voice, but he feels it. I have to appreciate that. I think that was my favorite of his. It was powerful. Randy was impressed and loved it, even though it wasn't the perfect vocal, it was heartfelt. Ellen thought it was his best performance to date, and was moved by it. Kara thinks that he showed some vulnerability, and thought it was tastefully done. Simon thought it was the best performance of the night. Alas, he forgets Crystal. I would call it the best improvement of the night, but not the best performance of the night.

08) Siobahn Magnus (Across the Universe) Everyone thinks she is the most interesting person ever. Oh yay!!! I was hoping that she would sing this song. I'm so excited. She looks like she's a saloon girl who stole someone's vest. This is a more tender performance from her. It's very stripped down and beautiful. Just lovely. And see, Simon, she can do a song without that great screaming. Yo, Randy loves watching her. He thought it was a little sleepy, but liked the tenderness and the control. Ellen likes people who march to the beat of their own drum, and thinks that Siobahn honors who she is, and loved it. Kara thought that she hit the notes, but that it was restrained and polite, which they are not used to. Simon wanted to know how she connected to the song, and she said that she was singing for her baby sisters, and they are her whole world, and nothing's going to change that. Simon thinks that she came back beautifully after last week. Random loud guy in the audience liked it, so how can it be bad? Random Loud guy was called up to hug Siobahn. That was weird.

09) Lee Dewyze (Hey, Jude) Lee is the resident worry wart, according to the other hopefuls. Lee and Andrew are like brothers, or "dating," and Crystal said she is happy that they can be together and have a lot of Danny Gokey babies. Now that was hilarious. I think he's a little off key in the beginning, but it got better as he got into it. This isn't as mind blowing as last week. But wait... bagpiper for the end? I have to love that. I mean, when the bag piper first came down the stairs in shadow, I thought it was Aretha Franklin in one of her giant hate, but it was a bagpiper. I have to love that. My husband wants a bagpiper/dijerido battle on stage. Randy loved the bagpiper, and loved Lee. Ellen was confused when the bagpiper getting separated from his parade, but loved that Lee was not rattled by it. Kara loved it. Simon was laughing as much as I was about the bagpiper and the dijerido on the same night. He worried that the bagpiper was out of context. It was 100% Lee's idea. I love it.

I have to say, this has been kind of awesome all over. Who was bad? Aaron can go. He's out of his league. Katie was good tonight, but is boring. Tim... blarghhhhhhh...

I liked Andrew, and again, I forgot about Michael, no matter how good he was. And he was good.

On top? Crystal, Casey, Siobahn, and Lee.

I'm still giggling about that bonus bagpiper.

Survivor Heroes vs. Villains 4.1.10

2010-04-01T21:29:00.000-04:00

Post-Tribal, Rob is shocked at the blindside and said it was his first shock in three times playing Survivor. Courtney called Russell a bandy legged little troll, which was kind of awesome, and said that clearly Parvati has no problem flirting with anything that walks. Then, Russell told Parvati that they have to work on Jerri. Rob is nervous that Russell, Parvati, and Danielle have so much confidence for being behind in the numbers... and he wonders if people on his side are defecting to Russell's side.

Jerri went to chat with Russell and his girls, and Danielle tried to convince her that they could get anywhere with a tight alliance. Russell patted himself on the back for bringing Jerri and Parvati together, when they hate each other, for his own good. Parvati tried to tell Jerri that she would take her to the final four, and Jerri wasn't sure if she could trust that promise.

Over on the ~~Whiner's~~ Heroe's Tribe, everyone is unsure about the decision to boot James. Colby is stunned to still be around.

Reward Challenge

Three members of each tribe must race through water to get a ball and work together to get it in a basket while three members of the other tribe try to block them. First to three baskets wins a fabulous waterfall-side feast.

Courtney, Sandra, and Parvati sit out.

First round - men vs. men. Colby got a couple rim shots as there was complete mayhem in the water. Coach is not good at basketball. The pygmys must not play basketball. Colby managed to snag a basket for the Heroes.

Next round - two women + one man on each side. Colby and Coach stayed in. Candace got a second basket for the Heroes.

Next round - Men vs. men again. Colby got the last goal, and the Heroes won. I'm happy for them. They deserved a win, and Colby redeemed himself. Broke Knee James would not have done well in that challenge.

And there on the table... the next clue. Amanda was the first to open the clue. I wonder if Russell will find the hidden idol at his camp? The Heroes decided to find the idol together and use it in a unified manner.

Over at Villain Central, Russell wants to know if Jerri is with them. Russell calls Coach over and says that he wants Jerri, him and Coach, together in the Top 3. He claims to not want to go against Parvati in the finals. Coach isn't sure that he wants to buy Russell's "pure line of gold," which Jerri is swallowing hook, line, and sinker. Jerri only wants to go with Russell if Coach comes along, because they are "honor bound." Coach is feeling hurt because Jerri didn't talk to him first, and wants to have more trust than Russell does. In confessional, Jerri called Coach totally naive, because he doesn't seem to get the game, because he is dead set against manipulating anyone, and Jerri doesn't think that's the way to win the game.

Immunity Challenge

People will race relay style up a net to get six bags of puzzle pieces, and the remaining players will solve the puzzle for immunity. Jerri, Danielle, and Russell are sitting out the challenge.

Rupert, Colby, and Candace are running and JT and Amanda are solving. For the Villains, Parvati, Courtney, and Coach are running, and Rob and Sandra are solving. They are neck and neck, and Courtney lost a ton of time, being reticent to drop onto the big net, and she really did not help. The Heroes got to solving the puzzle first, but the Villains were not far behind. Amazingly, Rob and Sandra had troubles with the puzzle, and JT and Amanda rocked it out, and they won. Rob looked pissed. Beyond belief.

Russell is gunning for Courtney. I think that's a wise decision. HOWEVER - sitting on the beach with Rob, Sandra, and Courtney, Rob asked him what he was thinking, and Russell pointed at the girls and said "One of these." Wow. Rob was stunned at his audacity. Sandra didn't like the idea, but Courtney seemed to appreciate his honesty.

Rob asked Coach what he was thinking of, and Coach brought up the elephant in the room, that Courtney had no value in challenges, and also thinks that Parvati is a problem. Rob wants Russell out. Rob tried to sway Coach to Russell, and they shook hands on it. Uh oh. The Russell Group thought about maybe going for Rob - which I think is a terrible idea, because he's singlehandedly helped them win almost all the challenges. Coach has his man-crush on Rob, and he is not happy about the idea of voting against Rob. Coach looked about to cry. That's what happens when you give your word to everybody! Rob told Jerri that he understood if she votes for him. Jerri told Coach that she's not a good villain because she hates these hard decisions...

Tribal Council

Coach called Tyson the guy who bridged the gap between the different factions of the Tribe. Russell said that he just wanted the strongest tribe, and said he could have blindsided anyone last tribal. That's true. Russell told Rob that he didn't think that he had the guts to do the Idol play that he did last week. Russell told Rob that if you are gunning for him, you aren't getting what you want. Big words from a little man. Coach said that if they keep the tribe strong (and vote out Courtney), they could still win every single challenge, but by getting rid of their stronger competitors, it isn't going to make them stronger. Wow. Did Coach actually say something that made sense?

Unless something goes funky here, and Courtney goes home, some one is going home who I want to stay.

Votes go to Rob, Russell, Rob, Russell, Rob, Russell, Courtney, and Rob. Oh, Boston Rob. He didn't deserve to go home. Coach tried to give him a hug goodbye, and Rob shook him off, saying "You're a little man." He had no problem giving Jerri a big hug, though.

I have to say, Coach voting for Courtney was the way for him to stick to his guns. I think this was a terrible mistake, ego vs. ego, and Courtney who has sat out nearly every challenge is still there. For the first time, I thought "Why aren't people listening to Coach?" Never thought I would write that on my blog!

What do you think? Next week looks like total implosion on the Villain Tribe. Big surprise.

American Idol: 3.31.10

2010-03-31T22:55:00.000-04:00

Starting off the night with a fast forward through Ruben, and watched the Ford video, which was set to Kung Fu Fighting. Eh. Not the best.

I am highly amused that the info on my dvr for the episode said "American Idol starring Ellen Degeneres and some other people."

Michael is sporting a Siobahn-esque purple rat tail extension glued to his head, and Andrew thinks he's full of personality. Tonight features The Clash of the Titans, and they went to the World Premiere. Fast forwarding...

Some results. Lee is safe, no surprise there. Casey blathered on about not having any idea how to stretch himself as an artist, and he says he just picks a good song and does what he does with it. He's safe. Aaron's up next, and Seacrest went on about who is in love with who, and Simon told him this isn't the Oprah Winfrey show, and he needs to stick to singing. Bravo. Siobahn said that she wasn't going to make excuses for her off night, but said that she isn't feeling defeated. Katie says that she is going to listen to the judges, but take the thoughts of the judges to heart. Katie is in the Bottom 3, and Siobahn is safe. To the Stools with Katie!

Simon told Seacrest that he is really getting on his nerves tonight. I would agree.

And.... fast forward through Usher and his triple split screen.

Back to the matter at hand.. Didi says that she just started playing guitar, so it feels like taking a risk when she plays it. Sadly, she's in the Stools of Shame.

Michael was psyched out by Seacrest, who had him walk across the stage to him, only to tell him he's safe. And then Michael picked him up and shook him around a little. I'd say Seacrest deserved that, and that many other people have wanted to do that during the course of the show. Crystal is back in her comfort zone of style, and she's safe.

Down to Tim and Andrew. Andrew is safe, and Tim takes his habitual spot on the Stools. Well, in the middle of the stage. Going immediately back to safety is Katie. That's about right.

At this point, it could be either one of them. However, Didi actually has talent, so I hope that she stays.

And, fast forwarding through freaking Diddy. Gahhhh.

Singing for her life, it's Didi. And freaking Tim is freaking safe again.

STOP VOTING FOR HIM, TEENY BOPPERS!!!!

She's singing Rhiannon, and she's good. BUT, the judges are obviously going to save that single save for Siobahn or Crystal or maybe Lee.

Someone, sign Didi, so that I can hear her on the radio. She's going home. Ah, Didi, you lost your way, that's all.. find it, record some awesome music. Thank you. That is all.

And next week, looks like it's back to the Lennon/McCartney songbook. Man. Didi could have done well with that...

American Idol: 3.30.10

2010-03-30T22:05:00.000-04:00

After an awkward backstage intro where the judges were pretending to make out, it's finally time to get started.

I kind of love Crystal's dress.

The theme is Soul and R&B, with Usher as mentor. I don't like him much, so I'm not looking forward to this so much. Seacrest did some chatting with Usher, with matching shades. He apparently felt silly, because he didn't leave them on long. Oh, lookie. Usher's new album released today. Not it all make sense.

Vote at 1-866-IDOLS-##

01) Siobahn Magnus (Through the Fire, by Shakakahn) I just love Siobahn's low range. And her high range. Her boots were not my favorite. Oh, wait!!! Was that Siobahn going off key for a second? I'm pretty sure it was! And, I kind of hate the song. And the arrangement. This is not good. She tossed a big power note in there, but it didn't make up for it. Yo, Randy thinks she's courageous and has conviction, but thought that she missed the pitch in a lot of places. Ellen thought she was like a hiker going off the trail. She loves Siobahn, but not the performance. Kara thought that the scream worked, but not anything else. She says that every performer is entitled to one off night. And this was Siobahn's. Simon thought it sounded like she'd run a marathon, and was singing while running, out of breath. He called it by far her weakest performance, didn't think the song suited her, and is getting bored with the screaming at the end. Ellen thought that her scream at the end was gilding the lily. Kara said that she seemed to be anticipating that note the whole time, and forgot about the rest of the song. That makes sense. Oh, that saddens me. I don't think she's going anywhere, but that saddens me.

02) Casey James (Hold On, I'm Coming, by Sam & Dave) Casey can really play the guitar. I like it. His voice is rather bleating, though. Still, his vocals were really good, even with the bleating, and he looked totally at home on stage and looked like he was having a blast. Nice job, Casey! Yo, Randy thought it was a perfect selection and choice, and loved the performance. Ellen thinks that Casey is always good, loved the vocals, but thought it was a little generic (this got her boo-ed). She worried that it was his safe zone. Kara thought that the electric guitar is limiting him, and wants him to be acoustic. Simon thought it was his strongest week so far. I agree, actually.

03) Michael Lynche (Ready for Love, by India.Arie) He's playing the guitar tonight, and sitting on a stool. He seemed to be in a tractor beam of light. Is he BEHIND the judges? That's weird. There's a huge stage up there, and he's not using it. The judges were not watching him. Very weird. Anyhow, vocally, he was spot on, and he brought a lot of feeling into the song. He got the crowd arm waving. Not that that's hard. But still, good performance. Just bad staging. Dude, what, dude, Randy thinks that Michael is in the zone. Ellen doesn't like when people talk behind her back, and doesn't like it when they sing behind her back, but thinks it was beautiful. Kara said that she hadn't heard the song before hearing he was going to do it, and then she went to listen to the original. She thinks that Michael nailed it. Simon said it was the first time he's taken Michael seriously as an artist, and loved it. The judges were apparently watching the performance on screens in front of them. That's good at least. I'm glad that Seacrest cleared that up.

What's with the post-performance interview after the commercial? Are they trying to fill up that much time?

04) Didi Benami (What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?) Her dress is fabulous. I really like her eye makeup, too. And her hair. Her vocals were good, too. You could tell she was feeling the song. I think she even did her version of the Siobahn scream. It was good, I think. Randy, yo, didn't think it was about the song, and thought it was a flat-lined performance. He didn't get it. Ellen boo-ed herself before saying that it was dramatic, and she loves Didi's voice, but didn't like the performance. Kara thought it was overdone, and thinks she's lost her way. She was confused by the performance. Simon said it was like swimming in jelly, and said it was so over the top, so old fashioned, and thought she sounded like the singers murdering songs on Dancing with the Stars. (Or, "one of those dancing shows.") Didi said it was a challenge to get through the song without losing it, emotionally, and admitted that she's not an R&B singer, and did her best. Seacrest brought back to mind the reason Didi auditioned for her show (remember, her friend died?) and I think he was casting the net for the sympathy votes for her. It should be said that she didn't want to answer the question of why she sang it. I liked it better than the judges, but I do agree that she has been better on other themes.

05) Tim Urban (Sweet Love, by Anita Baker) Apparently, papers are calling him Teflon Tim. Usher wanted Tim to convince him of the lyrics of the song, to really feel the song. That's Tim's problem. He sounds generic. He was sitting on the stairs for the song in the beginning. I don't believe he's in love, sweet love. And the look on his face was pleading and a little scary. Tim is SOOOOO boring. The arrangement was straight out of 1970 and he got froggy in parts. Boring boring boring. Please go away, because it will always be this way. I bet the judges love him, just to spite me. Dawg, yo, wassup, Randy thought he was like a singing waiter, and it felt pedestrian. The good part was that at least he was mostly in tune. There was no vibe and no swag. It fell flat for him. Ellen said there's apparently a drinking game for every time she calls him adorable, and said she's going to call him adorable because they may never drink again. She said that he looked like he was sneaking into a bedroom. She said "good for you for taking it on, but ugh, why?" Kara called it Broadway times Vegas and bad. Tim was laughing. Simon called it a completely inappropriate song, but it doesn't matter, because apparently, people will vote for him, and he'll be here next week. I think that Simon is as frustrated with Tim's continued inexplicable presence as I am. Don't vote for him, America.

And I really hate these awkward time filler interviews. Is it this hard to fill the time? Ridiculous tonight.

06) Andrew Garcia (Forever, by Chris Brown) This is the best he's sounded in weeks. I think he finally picked the right song for his voice, and his vibe was good. I'm not familiar with the original song, but I certainly dig Andrew's version. Redeemed? Perhaps! Yo yo, yo baby, so listen, Randy declared that Andrew is back. Loved his outfit, loved his take on the song, best performance in a long time. Ellen said that he is finally not competing with Straight Up, and this was just a good song on it's own. Kara said that nothing makes her happier than saying that it is one giant leap in the right direction. Simon said it was miles better than previous weeks, but worries that his personality is coming across as boring. Filler of Andrew's mom threatening to beat Simon down for calling her son boring. Really?

07) Katie Stevens (Chain of Fools, by Aretha Franklin) I love this song. I adored it in The Commitments. She's got a good alto, and ridiculously large hoop earrings. This is the first time in a long time that I have seen the potential in Katie. Unfortunately, she's wearing a really awful jumper. On top of shiny leggings. Just no. Her shoes are cute at least. But, terrible outfit with a really good song. Best in weeks and weeks. Nice job, Katie. Yo, so listen, Randy thought it was disconnected a little, but thought it was one of the strongest vocals of the night. He thought it was a bunch of small moments, and wanted one big moment. He compared her to a young Christina. Ellen admired her Snookie Poof, loved the vocals, but thought it was kind of a dated song. Kara says that Katie has found where she belongs, and the vocals were great. She also wants it younger. Simon thought her performance was kind of robotic, and Star Search. He just really wants her to be a country singer, and isn't going to like anything until she sings country. I think that this is the kind of music she needs to sing.

08) Lee Dewyze (Treat Her Like a Lady) Lee apparently had walking pneumonia. Yipes. Sickly crew this year. Really good job! I think sometimes he sounds like he's squeezing his vocal chords, and sounds very closed up, but when he opens up, he's impressive. Best job in a few weeks again. I also really like his jacket. I want to hear him sing something softer along the way, though. Still... nice job. Randy called it unbelievable, and called it the bomb. Ellen said that the night has finally started, and thinks it was the best performance of the night. Kara said he brought the song into his world, and declared that it could have been on his own record. Simon said that he has been a fan of Lee's, and thinks he lacks some self confidence. He told Lee to go home, watch the show back, and realize this is the moment when his life may have changed forever. Nice.

09) Crystal Bowersox (Midnight Train to Georgia, by Gladys Night) Her surprise is a pair of rocking stillettos. And no guitar. Instead, piano. Nice. Just full of surprises. She's glorious. Perfect song for her. She gave up the piano in the middle, and got up and made some connection with the audience. Good idea. Wonderful. Randy loved the whole thing. Ellen said that Crystal is never not good. That means she's always great. Yes. Kara was glad to see the risk, and loved the whole thing. Simon said that the song choice was great, the vocals were at some times perfection, but thought that the backup singers shouldn't have been there, because it made it old fashioned, and doesn't want the show to change her into something that she's not. Crystal promised to always stay true to herself.

10) Aaron Kelly (Aint No Sunshine, by Bill Withers) His outfit looked like he just got back from the mall, and didn't fit the song at all. He's doing a decent job vocally, with a few pitch problems here and there, but not embarrassing by any means. I think that he thinks that scowling towards the camera equals intensity and feeling, though. Wrong. Yo yo, it was just a'ight for Randy. Ellen said "if I had that much confidence when I was 11... wait, how old are you?" She liked it. Kara liked it, but wasn't in love with it. Simon said it was like a cupcake in comparison to Lee's steak.

The worst of the night was Tim, and then sadly Siobahn. I bet that Didi is in trouble, too. I don't think Siobahn is in danger of leaving, though.

Casey was really good, Katie was better, Lee was phenomenal, as was Crystal, and Aaron didn't embarrass himself. Andrew has redeemed himself, Michael was good, but I've already forgotten him..

Please let Tim go home!! If he doesn't, I fear for Didi, and I really like her (not on this kind of music, but still).

I'll be fast forwarding through Usher and Ruben Studdard tomorrow. That's for sure.

What did you think?

American Idol: 3.24.10

2010-03-24T22:27:00.000-04:00

I've created a lot of buffer time, so I can fast forward through ALL of the guest performances. Yay!

Really unflattering pause on Randy on the big screen, and Seacrest smirked through the intro, so you know that was on purpose.

Group Sing is to Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. I love this song, and I really wish that they would quit with the pre-recorded shit. It was painfully obvious and not ok. Did Didi almost fall off the stage?

I noticed last night that everyone was wearing muted colors. Grey, brown, black, white. Tonight, there's some color. Siobahn is wearing a pink shirt, and there's some plaid from Andrew and Casey.

I really really really hate the lip syncing. Hate. These kids are so much better than lip syncing. Do you hear me, Fox?

Sadly, no... *sigh*

Ford Music Video Time - set to Our Time Now (never heard it before), and they put rainbow balls in a fountain and danced like Friends. Kind of lame.

Results time. Siobahn's boss is not shaving until she wins, and her fan/friends are calling themselves Siobahnbies and are dressed like zombies. Katie's dad can't watch her in competition live, and is across the street, probably having a drink, and getting play by play by phone from people back home. Michael was shown in a clip with his baby in a Bjorn, and it was really cute. His wife and baby are living in an apartment close to the Idols' house, and Michael sees them every night, but it's hard to see them so seldom.

Time for the Seats of Doom. Siobahn is up first, and is safe. Cruely, Seacrest first told her to pack her bags... for this summer, because she's going on tour. Up next, it's Lee and Casey. Seacrest left them standing and called up Tim and Paige next. Does this mean that they aren't BOTH in the Seats of Shame? Tim asserted that he had a great time during his performance. Maybe, Tim, but I didn't. And I think very few people did. I could have fun spinning around in a circle on stage, but that doesn't mean that an audience would want to see it. In a shock of Things Going the Right Way, Seacrest announced that Paige is in the bottom 3... and so it Tim. Awesome.

Fast forward through Miley...

Idol Gives Back is coming in four weeks. You can raise money now - www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback

Who will be in the final Silver Stool of Sadness? Aaron is in a very interesting shirt, he's starting to feel better, and he's safe. Didi (I love her belt) wants to know what the judges want of her. Ellen wants Didi to do what Didi does, maybe a little diddy. Ellen loves her, just wants her to make better song choices. Simon thinks her problem is overthinking, and she just needs to choose a good song and be good, full stop. Didi is safe (yay!) even though the mics are such that she couldn't really hear Simon's advice. Maybe she'll watch it back. Michael is safe. Simon wondered if Crystal would listen to Kara (no guitar) or Simon (guitar) if she stays. She said she would listen to herself. Go Crystal. She's safe. Katie is up next, and wants to stay pop/r&b, but says that she would try country for Simon, but it isn't where she's feeling it. Andrew is safe (hope that he proves himself next week), and Katie is in the bottom 3.

That's about right. Paige needs to go home. Seacrest immediately sent Katie back to the couches. Well, that was pointless.

Fast forwarding through Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas. Buh-bye.

Tim is safe tonight, but only because Paige sucked. Badly. She gets a chance to sing for her place in the show, but Simon told her before singing that there is no way they are saving her. It was 100% unanimous as a decision.

Next week is Soul & R&B with Usher as mentor. I don't have a great feeling about that....

Paige sang them out, and was better than last night, but it was definitely her time to go. I was distracted by her matching hair extensions and eyeshadow.

Hopefully, Tim will be gone next week!!

Survivor Heroes vs. Villains 3.24.10

2010-03-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Post the boot off of Tom, James offered Colby a hug. Candace voted for Tom because she doesn't want to make anyone mad. She failed, because Amanda wants her gone.

Over at Villains Camp, Rob was up in the middle of the night, and Russell went to talk with him. Russell said that he doesn't want to fight with Rob, and Rob said that a lot of people were angry that Russell went looking for the idol. Russell tried to play it like he hadn't found it, but Rob didn't seem convinced.

The next day, they got a vague Tree Mail. James is still in a big ol' brace...

It's Individual Immunity against your own tribe - because everyone's going to Tribal, and each tribe will vote someone out.

Everyone will be attatched to a rope and will have to thread themselves through an obstacle course. The winner from each tribe gets immunity. The two winners will compete head to head, and the winner gets a hot dog/soft drink meal for their tribe, while they watch the other Tribal council.

James somehow managed to pull himself into the lead, but then JT and Candace pulled ahead. Candace won it, and JT said that just marked Colby.

For the Villains, it was Rob, Tyson, and Russell battling. Rob won it.

For the head to head, it's Rob vs. Candace. There's a third level to the obstacles, and it's taller. They both threw themselves into it. Rob won it. Why am I not surprised? Good for him.

Back at the Villains camp, Rob is pulling for Parvarti to get voted out, but wants Russell to think that he is going so he plays the idol. Rob told Russell that if he doesn't have the idol, he needs to find it. Russell still said that he didn't have it, and Rob told him "Good knowing you!"

Russell went to Parvarti and told her that he thinks they are trying to gun for her, and he's planning on voting for Tyson and giving the idol to her tonight. Wow. That guy is good.

Over at Heroes Camp, Colby seems resigned to going home. He talked to James, and admitted that he hasn't had a very good time, and admitted that he was sucking. Even though Rupert has a broken toe, and James has the leg barely working, Colby was last in the challenge. That's awful. The others talk about needing to have a strong tribe. Amanda told James that he was going to have to prove that he can run, and that he can't eat more bananas than everyone else, without getting any for other tribe members.

James and JT had a race. JT ran backwards, but James still ran it and did a good job. Colby lazed in the water. I think that Colby has sealed his fate.

The scheming continued at Villain Central. Rob wants the alliance to split the vote, between Parvati and Russell. But... will Coach go with the crowd, or his new King?

Russell took Tyson aside and told him that he would vote for Parvati, and he would save her if he could, but he can't. Tyson seems ready to flip his vote to Parvati. He's genius. He anticipated what Rob was going to do and flipped Tyson. maybe. I love it.

No matter what, I want Rob and Russell in this for the long haul, together. They are wonderfully devious and smart and they really really know how to play the game.

Tribal Council: Villains

Sandra called Russell out for having the hidden idol, and Russell still said that he didn't have it. Parvati called out Tyson for having connections on both sides. The same is said of Parvati. Eeeeen-teresting.

Sandra in her vote REALLY hates Russell. She said he needed to get in the ocean and wash his ass, if I heard her right. Wow.

Let's see how these votes go. Russell got up and said that he was going to take the target off of his back, then told Probst that he wasn't going to play the idol that way, and told Coach that loyalty, honesty, and trust is the best thing. Then, he handed the idol to Parvati, who played innocent like she had no idea it was coming, and played the idol, calling Russell a gentleman.

Rob still looked pleased with himself... until the fourth Parvati vote was read, and Tyson was out. Who was the third vote for Tyson? Coach? Russell looked tickled. Oh,man, it was Danielle who voted for Tyson. Wonder how that went down?? Again... Eeeen-teresting.

Hot dogs and soda in hand, the Villains settled in to watch the Heroes' Tribal. Rupert wanted some dogs, but it was raining on them all, and James found some satisfaction that it was "raining on the parade."

Tribal Council: Heroes

James admitted that he lost the race with JT. James said that Colby was one of the baddest Survivors ever, growing up. Colby said that he was not that old. James still said that Colby lost a race against a fat dude and a cripple, and it was like seeing that Superman was wearing a girdle. Colby said that hearing it wasn't as bad as living it.

Before the vote, the Villains were sent away (but able to finish what was in their mouths). Since Tribal lasts for a super long time, not all shown on tv, I doubt anyone went away hungry.

Color me stunned when James was voted out. I think it was the right decision, but I thought his alliance was going to keep him there, bum leg or not. JT told him to have a shot for them, and James' parting words were "I'm going to be drunk in five minutes." Now, can Colby get his head out of his butt and back in the game.

Next week, Rob compares Russell to a suicide bomber. I hope that Russell finds the next hidden idol, and keeps this thing interesting!