Shane Sparks returns to choreograph tonight’s group routine, and while there’s a lot of cool to be had, I have to call him a little bit on placing the 4 best dancers in the style front and center and putting everyone else in the back basically doing nothing. But its still really cool. And it reminds me of what good hip-hop looks like on this show (Nothing against Katee and Joshua’s first week Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop, I just didn’t think that routine was really hip hop). Cat welcomes our judges and Mary looks much better and less cougary than last night.
Immediately, our first three couples are brought out. Katee and Joshua are first, and I’m sure they’re gonna be safe because everyone loves them (and granted, I think only one or two other couples could have pulled off the corniness of that dance). They are, indeed, safe. Kherington and Twitch are next, and again, I’m sure they’re gonna be safe, since they were all kinds of beautiful and awesome last night. Cat puts them in a holding pattern while we get Chelsea and Thayne’s results. I’m not gonna be surprised if they’re in the bottom, because they weren’t all that great (Despite the fact that I like Chelsea a whole lot). Chelsea and Thayne are in the bottom, while Kherington and Twitch are safe. Mia’s not surprised and says America got it right. She tells them to set the stage on fire.
We come back and the next three couples are already on stage. Chelsie and Mark are up first, and I was all sorts of a fan of this dance (despite Chelsie’s maybe weakness maybe shoe malfunction), so I’m happy when they’re safe. But then they cut to the father Schwimmer holding that dumb electric sign for Chelsie and I’m upset, because I liked that pair and now I’m wondering if I should (Yes, THAT is how much I dislike the Schwimmer family). Kourtni and Matt are next and I liked their foxtrot, but Cat puts them on hold for Jessica and Will, who I thought were the worst of the night. One of the couples is in the bottom three, and that couple is, uh, neither, apparently. Yeah, they’re all safe. Cat, you adorable British trickster, you.
The final 3 couples are back on stage, and I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone that Susie and Marquis and Comfort and Chris will be in the bottom (because Courtney and Gev rocked it last night). Susie and Marquis get sent to the bottom three first, and Mary thinks that what happened to Susie and Marquis could happen to anyone. Chris and Comfort are, indeed, also in the bottom 3, meaning Courtney and Gev are rightfully safe. Nigel thinks he’s said everything he had to say, but is looking forward to seeing them in their own styles.
Cat brings Timo Nuñez on stage, who is apparently America’s foremost flamenco dancer. He’s not nearly as entertaining to watch as Poppin’ Pete was last week, since Flamenco seems to be a lot of very small foot movements, as opposed to overall body movement. It also, at least to me, seems like all of the entertainment value of the piece was supposed to be the fact that he was mostly shirtless. Here’s hoping next weeks legend of dance is more like week one than this.
It’s time for solos, but first we have to endure creepy Snuggle and the happy dancers. What’s interesting this week is that there appear to be some real dancers (or at least people who should think about auditioning for the show). Oh, and one awesome old lady, who does a great little shuffle.
SOLO TIME
Chelsea- Chelsea rocks it and is entertaining to watch. She really is a little ball of something on stage. I say something because I’m not sure if its sex or energy, or maybe, just maybe, energex (I like combination words too, Mia Michaels!)
Thayne- He’s got great extension and spins and looks like a really good contemporary dancer. Although it does seem like he was holding something back. Like he wasn’t going through will all his moves. I noticed it at least twice.
Susie- Susie is actually, surprisingly, pretty good. She’s energetic, and, most importantly, sexy. She may have actually been a little over the top on the sexiness. But color me impressed.
Marquis- Well, that was unexpected. Marquis kind of blows every solo out of the water, including Will’s awesome one from last week. He put his all out on that stage. Marquis could actually be a dark horse in this competition. Seriously, he rocked it. There was one ridiculously amazing flip into a sit. Just banoodles.
Comfort- She’s good, and there’s a bunch of really cool fluid movements, but, I dunno, I was kind of expecting a little more. She almost didn’t seem like she put her all into it.
Chris- He’s good, but not as good as Thayne or Marquis. There doesn’t seem to be that much there. I’m guessing Chris is going home.
It’s performance time, and this week, we have Flo Rida on our stage. He’s clearly lip-synching and his background dancers don’t seem to be doing much more than spinning in place, flailing their arms, and wearing booty shorts. This season on Gossip Girl, one character had a ridiculous line that I remember solely because of how ridiculous it was. She said, “All I want to do is study for the SATs and never hear Flo Rida again.” I understand what she meant. I mean, he’s not as atonal and screechy as that bunch of dancing prostitutes from last week, but he ain’t exactly good.
It’s cuttin’ time, and the girls are up first. First, Nigel wants to make a point to the girls about being great dancers but it doesn’t make any sense, because he’s using the NBA finals as a reference point and I don’t think he quite understood the game. Nigel tells Chelsea she has to step up, but she’s safe. Susie is next, and Nigel thinks she didn’t use the stage enough. Nigel thinks Comfort never found her potential, but they’re keeping her tonight, because they think she may still be nursing the injury, which means Susie is going home tonight. As I’ve said before, I’ve been calling her Susie “Cannon Fodder” Garcia, so this no surprise to me. She was better than I expected her to be, but she wasn’t good enough to make it much farther.
It’s the boys’ turn now, and it was unanimous. He thinks its weird that it’s three contemporary boys, but since there were like 6 of them, it’s not surprising to me. They think Thayne has potential but something’s not there yet, they think Marquis was all tricks tonight (the crowd and me both boo), and they think Chris danced with passion and personality (were they watching the same solo?). The boy going home tonight is Marquis and frankly, I think that’s BS. Marquis blew those other two out of the water tonight, and that was the wrong decision. I think they’re just afraid to break up the couples. Agree? Disagree? Other?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Pilot Review: Fringe
Fringe
Fox. Tuesdays at 9.
Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Lance Reddick, and Chris Britton
So, I was a little misled by the commercials for Fringe. All the promotional stuff I had seen for the show made it seem like a sci-fi “things going bump in the night” thriller type show. But it’s not really that. Yeah, there are a few things that go bump in the night, but overall, it’s more about evil corporations and science and stuff. More mythology based, I guess. Which, unfortunately, is not a good thing, since, at least in the pilot I saw, the mythology is far less convincing or interesting than the things going bump in the night.
(a few spoilers here and there)
The pilot starts out really promisingly. The highly-previewed stuff with the plane is all really cool, and the effects are really well done (particularly, one guys face melting off). But then, the show begins to focus less and less on occurrences like that and more and more on the investigating of occurrences like that. Which, don’t get me wrong, could be a really interesting show. However, the more it goes on, the less it focuses on the actual occurrence. Which, as I said earlier, is troublesome, because the plane is far more fascinating than anything else.
However, even if the show focused on investigating the plane, it would have been interesting. But it doesn’t. It focuses on Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv, hovering somewhere between mediocre and good), whose unconvincing boyfriend (played by Mark Valley, who has been much better) gets infected with the same thing that was on the plane, trying to save his life and find a cure. Which, with the help of a father and son science team (John Noble and Joshua Jackson, far and away the most interesting characters on the show), she manages to do (not before a completely bizarre sequence where she enters the consciousness of her dying boyfriend in order to see the face of the man who can save him). By the end of the pilot, thankfully, we don’t have to worry about their relationship (it ain’t movin’ forward), but I’m still left with the question of why, in a show steeped in sci-fi and mythology, you focus on your protagonist’s love life in the pilot.
That said, Fringe isn’t a complete bust. Like I said earlier, John Noble and Joshua Jackson are both really interesting characters, and if the focus shifts to them, the show could seriously improve. Lance Reddick, spouting mythology and orders like he was Matthew Abbadon on Lost (Oh wait, he is), also does a decent job. And some of the morsels of mythology are interesting. The show gets interesting in the last 15 minutes, but until then, the pilot, at least, is a little bit of a mess. JJ Abrams, you’re letting me down. I’m going to give it a second chance, but it’s right on the border. There’s interesting bits here and there, but there’s large chunks of the show that seem to serve no purpose. Those little bits just slightly outweigh the large chunks, which is why Fringe gets
Rating: I’ll Give It Another Shot
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance 6/18- The Top 18 Perform and Did Someone Give Nigel Paula Abdul's Drink?
Cat looks stunning in a black cocktail dress and welcomes us to tonight. During the dance intros, Comfort, Gev, Will, and, surprisingly, Marquis are the standouts (surprising, because I have no idea who Marquis is). Cat is still mercifully not saying the word judges. The judges tonight are Mia, who is now blonde, Mary, in full cougar form, and Nigel. Mia says she thinks this season is gonna be banoodles. Awesome, awesome made up word. She also says that there’s a few dancers she’s not gonna miss. But then she says because she hasn’t connected with them. You best not be going soft on me Mia Michaels.
Chelsea and Thayne- Chelsea likes Thayne’s positive attitude, but dislikes his superstition. Thayne likes Chelsea’s positive attitude, but dislikes Chelsea’s sleepiness. They’ve got a Mandy Moore jazz routine about royalty. Mandy also makes a comment on Thayne’s superstition. Hmm. I like it. But I can’t connect to it. The choreography is interesting, but there’s something that isn’t there. It may be the lighting/editing, it may be the ridiculous outfits, it may be the footwork. There are a few beautiful moves, but something just isn’t working fully enough for me. Mia likes the concept but says it wasn’t executed. At all Mia kicks them off the Hot Tamale train. Mary agrees (or at least puts them in the caboose), and didn’t feel their chemistry this week. Nigel didn’t believe it, but places a good deal of blame on the outfits. I still think Chelsea will make the final 4.
Chelsie and Mark- Mark loves the smell of Chelsie’s hair, but sometimes she’s gets on his nerves. Chelsie loves Mark’s quirkiness, but thinks he could maybe be more upbeat. They’ve got Alex DeSilva’s Argentine Tango this week, but ballroom dancer Chelsie doesn’t really know this style. They’re very close to each other during rehearsals. I really like this, but Chelsie is, to be frank, a disappointment. She kept looking at her feet (although her toe popped out at some point, so that may explain that (plus, props if she did that with a shoe malfunction)) and she’s a little sloppy in her moves. Mark, however, is awesome (he’s another member of my predicted final 4). They’re actually really sexy too. Mia is in love with them, and calls them the most perfect, odd couple ever, calling the dance fantastical. Mary loved everything about it. They get a mini-scream. Nigel felt a real sexual tension between them, but he could have used a little more fire and passion in Chelsie; he wanted her to be sleazier. Oh, Nigel!
Sidenote: The ads for Fringe are a little misleading. I watched the pilot today (full review will be up tomorrow), and it wasn’t nearly as “things going bump in the dark” as I expected it to be.
Jessica and Will- Will likes Jessica’s personality, but doesn’t like Jessica’s personal battles. Jessica likes how focused he is, but thinks he needs to be less focused. This week, they’ve got a Cecily and Olisa hip-hop routine. Will is excited to have fun. Its… alright. The choreography seems so-so, to me. It seems more like a lot of skipping/hopping than what I think of a hip-hop dancing. Will is better than Jessica, but that’s to be expected. Mia thinks the choreography was ridiculous (in a good way) but she didn’t believe Jessica, telling her that she didn’t even seem to be on stage. Mia calls Will a genius though. Mary agrees with Mia, but also thinks Jessica wasn’t there and calls Will a force to be reckoned with. Nigel thought Jessica did a good job and predicts Will as a member of the final 4 (he doesn’t make mine).
Kourtni and Matt- Matt likes Kourtni’s eyes, but doesn’t think she has a good ear for singing. Kourtni likes that Matt always compliments her, but hates his singing. They weren’t happy with being in the bottom. They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux foxtrot this week. Jean Marc doesn’t have kind words for their pre-performance. I like it, it’s very 1930s Fred Astaire (if that makes sense). Matt’s still a little stiff (and he needs to smile less), but his technique is beautiful. It reminded Mia of Hollywood elegance. She loves Matt, but thinks Kourtni is only strong when her leg is in the air. Mary loves the choreography, but thinks the rest is a mixed bag, especially in their footwork. She’s slightly disappointed, overall. Nigel wasn’t disappointed, and seemingly insults Kourtni’s weight (to which she responds “Thank you”). He thinks Matt is strong, but he’s too twee. He calls it a little fake. But he says he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Courtney and Gev- Gev thinks Courtney is pretty, but doesn’t like that she has a boyfriend. Courtney likes Gev’s work ethic, but not his height. Gev does not like dance thongs. Good to know. They’ve got a Mandy Moore contemporary routine. Mandy tells us her routine is not deep. Wow. I’m a little blown away. It’s beautiful and simplistic and they work amazingly together. These two have serious chemistry together. Mia loves Mandy’s choreography. She thinks Courtney did well, but she jazzified it too much and took too much control. Mia was really proud of Gev though. Mary loved it. Gev impressed her too (as was I). Nigel thinks they fit each other well, but he didn’t believe the emotion in the routine. He thought they danced it well, but it wasn’t there for him emotionally.
Katee and Joshua- Katee likes that Joshua is caring, but dislikes his nitpicking. Joshua loves Katee’s smile, but dislikes her awkward dance. They’ve got a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine this week, and they’ve been practicing their jazz hands. It’s cute and fun, but I’ve never been a fan of Tyce’s, and this dance ain’t changing it. Joshua is much better than Katee though. Nigel loves it to the point of dancing in the aisles, and calls it entertainment. He calls Joshua amazing and Katee a beautiful spirit. Did someone give Nigel Paula Abdul’s coke cup? Mary loves them too and says they should have a satisfaction guarantee and they get a scream and Joshua apparently goes into the tra-la-la part of Mary’s heart (Men go in, but they never come out). Mia thought it sucked. KIDDING! No, she thought it was amazing. She thinks their connection is unreal. Mia calls Joshua a force and pushes him into her top 4 (Josh was my replacement male).
Susie and Marquis- Marquis loves Susie’s energy, but dislikes her hair. Susie loves that Marquis is a goofball, but she dislikes his constant appetite. They’ve got an Alex DeSilva salsa, which is Susie’s style. Alex is teaching them in Spanish, which Marquis doesn’t speak. Doesn’t seem like the best strategy to me. Alex knocks Susie’s style, which Susie hears. Tears ensue. They’re good, but Susie is, with the exception a few moves, weak sauce. Totally not impressive. Marquis, on the other hand, kind of blows me away. He’s really good. Mia liked the choreography, but wasn’t crazy. She thinks Marquis was over-exaggerating and expected more from Susie. It didn’t quite work for Mary either, and she expected more from Susie too. Nigel was disappointed too, and thinks Marquis might have been a bad partner and their dancing was labored. I guess Marquis was a little over the top, but compared to Susie, he was pretty darn good.
Kherington and Twitch- I have these two in my final four, but Joshua could easily take Twitch’s place and Kherington’s placement is precarious too. Twitch likes Kherington’s positive attitude, but dislikes her strong legs. Kherington likes Twitch’s muscles, but doesn’t like his fake glasses. They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux Viennese Waltz, inspired by Jean-Marc’s handicapped daughter. They’re beautiful and the dance is beautiful and they seem to be dancing it really well. My only complaint would be that it didn’t really feel like a waltz so much as a contemporary/waltz hybrid. And Kherington smiled a little much. Mia loves the choreography and the essence, but agrees that Kherington smiled too much (Nigel cuts in and defends her) and Mia gets bitchy at Nigel and Kherington in return. Cat asks Kherington about it and she starts to cry and they’re gonna get massive sympathy votes (Rightly so). Mia says Twitch stepped up and promises to shut her mouth. Mary thinks they were touched by angels. Nigel inappropriately cracks a joke but thinks the routine was beautiful and they danced it beautifully.
Comfort and Chris- Comfort likes Chris’ humble-ness, but dislikes his sweatiness. Chris likes Comfort’s versatility, but dislikes her fast speaking. They’ve got a Lil’ C Krump routine, which is Comfort’s style. Chris could be a trainwreck on this though. He’s not that bad, but he’s not that good either. Sadly, neither is Comfort. I was expecting a lot more from her. She could have hit things a lot harder than she did. They seem to kind of peter out by the end too. Mia is a big fan of Lil’ C, a huge fan of Comfort, and thinks Chris worked really hard this week because he pulled it off. Mary thought Comfort could have hit it a little harder and found Chris respectable. Nigel tells Chris that his granny is tougher than that performance and tells him to be butch (Chris protests Nigel’s suggestion to grab his crotch). He also expected far more from Comfort than he got. Chris tells America to only remember Mia’s comments.
My Rankings For The Night:
1) Courtney and Gev
2) Kherington and Twitch
3) Chelsie and Mark
4) Kourtni and Matt
(decent sized drop)
5) Katee and Joshua
(another decent sized drop)
6) Comfort and Chris
7) Susie and Marquis
8) Chelsea and Thayne
9) Jessica and Will
Should Be Worried: Jessica and Will will probably be making a repeat appearance in the bottom three. Marquis and Susie should start prepping solos too. I’m guessing Chelsea and Thayne will be there too, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Comfort and Chris or Kourtni and Matt there either.
Chelsea and Thayne- Chelsea likes Thayne’s positive attitude, but dislikes his superstition. Thayne likes Chelsea’s positive attitude, but dislikes Chelsea’s sleepiness. They’ve got a Mandy Moore jazz routine about royalty. Mandy also makes a comment on Thayne’s superstition. Hmm. I like it. But I can’t connect to it. The choreography is interesting, but there’s something that isn’t there. It may be the lighting/editing, it may be the ridiculous outfits, it may be the footwork. There are a few beautiful moves, but something just isn’t working fully enough for me. Mia likes the concept but says it wasn’t executed. At all Mia kicks them off the Hot Tamale train. Mary agrees (or at least puts them in the caboose), and didn’t feel their chemistry this week. Nigel didn’t believe it, but places a good deal of blame on the outfits. I still think Chelsea will make the final 4.
Chelsie and Mark- Mark loves the smell of Chelsie’s hair, but sometimes she’s gets on his nerves. Chelsie loves Mark’s quirkiness, but thinks he could maybe be more upbeat. They’ve got Alex DeSilva’s Argentine Tango this week, but ballroom dancer Chelsie doesn’t really know this style. They’re very close to each other during rehearsals. I really like this, but Chelsie is, to be frank, a disappointment. She kept looking at her feet (although her toe popped out at some point, so that may explain that (plus, props if she did that with a shoe malfunction)) and she’s a little sloppy in her moves. Mark, however, is awesome (he’s another member of my predicted final 4). They’re actually really sexy too. Mia is in love with them, and calls them the most perfect, odd couple ever, calling the dance fantastical. Mary loved everything about it. They get a mini-scream. Nigel felt a real sexual tension between them, but he could have used a little more fire and passion in Chelsie; he wanted her to be sleazier. Oh, Nigel!
Sidenote: The ads for Fringe are a little misleading. I watched the pilot today (full review will be up tomorrow), and it wasn’t nearly as “things going bump in the dark” as I expected it to be.
Jessica and Will- Will likes Jessica’s personality, but doesn’t like Jessica’s personal battles. Jessica likes how focused he is, but thinks he needs to be less focused. This week, they’ve got a Cecily and Olisa hip-hop routine. Will is excited to have fun. Its… alright. The choreography seems so-so, to me. It seems more like a lot of skipping/hopping than what I think of a hip-hop dancing. Will is better than Jessica, but that’s to be expected. Mia thinks the choreography was ridiculous (in a good way) but she didn’t believe Jessica, telling her that she didn’t even seem to be on stage. Mia calls Will a genius though. Mary agrees with Mia, but also thinks Jessica wasn’t there and calls Will a force to be reckoned with. Nigel thought Jessica did a good job and predicts Will as a member of the final 4 (he doesn’t make mine).
Kourtni and Matt- Matt likes Kourtni’s eyes, but doesn’t think she has a good ear for singing. Kourtni likes that Matt always compliments her, but hates his singing. They weren’t happy with being in the bottom. They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux foxtrot this week. Jean Marc doesn’t have kind words for their pre-performance. I like it, it’s very 1930s Fred Astaire (if that makes sense). Matt’s still a little stiff (and he needs to smile less), but his technique is beautiful. It reminded Mia of Hollywood elegance. She loves Matt, but thinks Kourtni is only strong when her leg is in the air. Mary loves the choreography, but thinks the rest is a mixed bag, especially in their footwork. She’s slightly disappointed, overall. Nigel wasn’t disappointed, and seemingly insults Kourtni’s weight (to which she responds “Thank you”). He thinks Matt is strong, but he’s too twee. He calls it a little fake. But he says he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Courtney and Gev- Gev thinks Courtney is pretty, but doesn’t like that she has a boyfriend. Courtney likes Gev’s work ethic, but not his height. Gev does not like dance thongs. Good to know. They’ve got a Mandy Moore contemporary routine. Mandy tells us her routine is not deep. Wow. I’m a little blown away. It’s beautiful and simplistic and they work amazingly together. These two have serious chemistry together. Mia loves Mandy’s choreography. She thinks Courtney did well, but she jazzified it too much and took too much control. Mia was really proud of Gev though. Mary loved it. Gev impressed her too (as was I). Nigel thinks they fit each other well, but he didn’t believe the emotion in the routine. He thought they danced it well, but it wasn’t there for him emotionally.
Katee and Joshua- Katee likes that Joshua is caring, but dislikes his nitpicking. Joshua loves Katee’s smile, but dislikes her awkward dance. They’ve got a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine this week, and they’ve been practicing their jazz hands. It’s cute and fun, but I’ve never been a fan of Tyce’s, and this dance ain’t changing it. Joshua is much better than Katee though. Nigel loves it to the point of dancing in the aisles, and calls it entertainment. He calls Joshua amazing and Katee a beautiful spirit. Did someone give Nigel Paula Abdul’s coke cup? Mary loves them too and says they should have a satisfaction guarantee and they get a scream and Joshua apparently goes into the tra-la-la part of Mary’s heart (Men go in, but they never come out). Mia thought it sucked. KIDDING! No, she thought it was amazing. She thinks their connection is unreal. Mia calls Joshua a force and pushes him into her top 4 (Josh was my replacement male).
Susie and Marquis- Marquis loves Susie’s energy, but dislikes her hair. Susie loves that Marquis is a goofball, but she dislikes his constant appetite. They’ve got an Alex DeSilva salsa, which is Susie’s style. Alex is teaching them in Spanish, which Marquis doesn’t speak. Doesn’t seem like the best strategy to me. Alex knocks Susie’s style, which Susie hears. Tears ensue. They’re good, but Susie is, with the exception a few moves, weak sauce. Totally not impressive. Marquis, on the other hand, kind of blows me away. He’s really good. Mia liked the choreography, but wasn’t crazy. She thinks Marquis was over-exaggerating and expected more from Susie. It didn’t quite work for Mary either, and she expected more from Susie too. Nigel was disappointed too, and thinks Marquis might have been a bad partner and their dancing was labored. I guess Marquis was a little over the top, but compared to Susie, he was pretty darn good.
Kherington and Twitch- I have these two in my final four, but Joshua could easily take Twitch’s place and Kherington’s placement is precarious too. Twitch likes Kherington’s positive attitude, but dislikes her strong legs. Kherington likes Twitch’s muscles, but doesn’t like his fake glasses. They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux Viennese Waltz, inspired by Jean-Marc’s handicapped daughter. They’re beautiful and the dance is beautiful and they seem to be dancing it really well. My only complaint would be that it didn’t really feel like a waltz so much as a contemporary/waltz hybrid. And Kherington smiled a little much. Mia loves the choreography and the essence, but agrees that Kherington smiled too much (Nigel cuts in and defends her) and Mia gets bitchy at Nigel and Kherington in return. Cat asks Kherington about it and she starts to cry and they’re gonna get massive sympathy votes (Rightly so). Mia says Twitch stepped up and promises to shut her mouth. Mary thinks they were touched by angels. Nigel inappropriately cracks a joke but thinks the routine was beautiful and they danced it beautifully.
Comfort and Chris- Comfort likes Chris’ humble-ness, but dislikes his sweatiness. Chris likes Comfort’s versatility, but dislikes her fast speaking. They’ve got a Lil’ C Krump routine, which is Comfort’s style. Chris could be a trainwreck on this though. He’s not that bad, but he’s not that good either. Sadly, neither is Comfort. I was expecting a lot more from her. She could have hit things a lot harder than she did. They seem to kind of peter out by the end too. Mia is a big fan of Lil’ C, a huge fan of Comfort, and thinks Chris worked really hard this week because he pulled it off. Mary thought Comfort could have hit it a little harder and found Chris respectable. Nigel tells Chris that his granny is tougher than that performance and tells him to be butch (Chris protests Nigel’s suggestion to grab his crotch). He also expected far more from Comfort than he got. Chris tells America to only remember Mia’s comments.
My Rankings For The Night:
1) Courtney and Gev
2) Kherington and Twitch
3) Chelsie and Mark
4) Kourtni and Matt
(decent sized drop)
5) Katee and Joshua
(another decent sized drop)
6) Comfort and Chris
7) Susie and Marquis
8) Chelsea and Thayne
9) Jessica and Will
Should Be Worried: Jessica and Will will probably be making a repeat appearance in the bottom three. Marquis and Susie should start prepping solos too. I’m guessing Chelsea and Thayne will be there too, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Comfort and Chris or Kourtni and Matt there either.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Top 10 of the Year- #8- Chuck
So, you know how in the post for Gossip Girl (#10), I said that it took Reaper’s spot on the list? Well, that’s not entirely true. While Gossip Girl did edge out Reaper for the 10 spot, that wasn’t the only reason Reaper didn’t make the cut. The other big reason was that Chuck had already made the list. In many ways, I consider Chuck and Reaper to be birds of a feather. They both chronicle young men in dead end jobs who suddenly possess a great power. They both have potentially aggravating sidekicks, love interests, and whatnot. But Chuck is the greater show, and that is why it makes the list.
Chuck’s success lies mainly in its actors, particularly Zachary Levi as the titular (hehe, titular. Sorry, I’ve got the maturity level of an eight year old) Chuck. His charisma and likeability sustain the show through the sometimes repetitive plots and the stretches of time that Morgan (dear God, is there a more annoying side kick on TV?) is on screen. Levi’s chemistry with Yvonne Strahovski (as one of his handlers and his love interest) is also pretty good and his chemistry with Adam Baldwin (as his other, grumpier handler) is even better. While, yes, Morgan is the most grating sidekick I’ve seen in a long time, the lead trio (as well as various other characters- Shout out to Ryan McPartlin as brother-in-law to be Captain Awesome) make the show feel light and enjoyable.
Which, to be honest, is refreshing nowadays. Current dramas are mostly dark and grim, and even the comedies don’t seen to be light and refreshing in the way that Chuck is. Chuck is just enjoyable to watch. It’s not trying to be high end art, it’s just there to entertain. Which I think actually may be why it nudged out Reaper. Because, as much as I love Reaper for finally developing a serial plot, it started to lost the fun charm. Chuck, even though it can get pretty darn repetitive, keeps it light, and even when it doesn’t keep it light, the charms of the actors shine through and lighten the mood. So congrats Chuck, welcome to the top 10. Be proud, you managed to make it here on only a half season. I look forward to seeing you next season.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Mole 6/16- Luging And Naked Time! Sadly, Not Together...
Previously on The Mole, the group got schooled by kids, Paul was a d-bag, and Bobby was the weakest 25 year old I had ever seen. Oh, and Nicole threatened to kill Paul while he slept. No big deal.
Paul is surprised that Nicole threatened to kill him. Meanwhile, in a brilliant bit of editing, that is crosscut with Nicole confessionaling like a sociopath. Apparently, everyone is concerned with Nicole’s comment, but I don’t understand why, because she only threatened Paul, and he’s an ass. Apparently, Mark, Clay, and Bobby have a secret coalition. Also, apparently, Nicole was just kidding and trying to antagonize him. Darn.
Jon Kelly, playing like he’s surprised by the group’s arrival (Don’t pursue an acting career Jon), greets the team at their next mission. The group is split in half, Those Who Can’t Trust and Those Who Trust Blindly. They then have to pair up into groups of two and luge. Oh, also, those who can’t trust are blindfolded and are being steered by those who trust blindly. They also have to identify pictures of fruit. Clay and Bobby are up first. Bobby mis-identifies an avocado as a pair, but Clay manages to correctly identify 5 out of 7 (even correcting the avocado). Paul and Ali also get 5 out of 7. Craig and Victoria do well (I miss the number). Mark and Kristin get all 7. Nicole and Alex, however, only get 1 right, because they repeat the green apple in their order (It’s a little ambiguous as to whether Nicole or Alex is actually to blame). I’ve got an aside for you readers though: If you think about it, I’m about 95% sure that the mole HAS to be on the blindfolded team. Because if they tell their team mate the wrong fruit, it’s going to be blatantly obvious to their teammate, thus exposing them as the mole. But if they’re blindfolded, they can easily sabotage. Jon tells them that they got 25 right, which should earn them $50K. But, apparently, Bobby/Clay and Craig/Victoria broke the rules, which knocks their challenge win down to $26,000. Clay now suspects Bobby to be the mole, and Craig now suspects Victoria. Mark and Clay are now questioning their alliance with Bobby. Mark confessionals that he trusts Clay most. Clay confessionals that he trusts Clay most too.
Jon, apparently, booked everyone for a spa day. Everyone is having a great time. Kristen is on to Nicole’s game, that she is trying to convince everyone that she’s the mole. Kristen does suspect Alex though. Everyone gets massages. Bobby recognizes that his allies don’t trust him, and then starts some Corbin Bernsen style mole-hunting by pointing out that Jon was eating a big apple yesterday and Paul is from New York. Sorry to break it to you Bobby, but while Paul is from Yonkers, Yonkers ain’t a part of the Big Apple. Oh, and Jon came by and stole everyone’s clothes.
And thus starts their next challenge. The team is split is split into two teams of two and two teams of three. The players have to make it to a restaurant in like two hours. And they have to convince the people of Santiago to give them their clothes off their backs. Their nice clothes, because the restaurant has a dress code. Oh, and they have to do it in their underwear. And if they don’t get to the restaurant, they don’t eat dinner. Mark and Clay immediately decide not to participate. Bobby, Nicole, and Craig are all kinds of failure. Victoria, Kristen, and Ali are getting wolf-whistled, but then again, two of them are also wearing hooker boots and the other one is wearing stripper heels. They encounter two buses of HS males. Fun, awkward times. Alex and Paul are actually having success though. Nicole, Bobby, and Craig are actually having success, with Nicole fully completing an outfit. Victoria, Kristen, and Ali aren’t having any success though. Paul and Alex are having a lot of luck, fully completing their outfits. They get to the restaurant. Ali wants to give up, but her teammates don’t. They find Americans and convince them to give them their shirts. Then they find a nice lady who gives them pants. They get to the restaurant. Bobby’s outfit gets completed. Then they find the Laundromat where Jon took their clothes. And they complete their outfits and make it to the restaurant too. They bring everyone else’s clothes too. They add $40,000 to the pot, which ups to total pot to $129,000.
Jon takes them all to dinner and then its quiz and execution time. Mark obsesses over his journal because if he gets eliminated he wants to know that he did everything in his power to stay. Which I guess means Mark is going home (although Bobby got a redemption arc tonight so it could equally be him). Paul continues to be a d-bag to everyone and everyone is getting pissed. Victoria looks incredibly displeased with her decision to sit next to Paul. Understandably so.
QUIZ TIME
I suspect Kristen and Victoria. Kristen because I still think there’s something moley about her. Victoria because she botched the luge mission (and there seems to be a lot of people online who claim to have “proof” that Victoria is the mole.)
Nicole suspects Bobby.
Victoria thinks Ali could be the mole.
Alex suspects Nicole.
Paul suspects Bobby, Nicole, or Craig.
It’s execution time. Jon welcomes them to an old train station in Santiago and immediately offers the players $20,000 to get up and walk away. No one takes it, although Nicole and Paul seem like they were really heavily considering it. Kristen is up first, and she’s safe, meaning I may not be a complete idiot. Mark is next, and reality TV editing 101 misleads us, because he’s safe. Victoria is next and wonders if it’s too late to take the money. But she’s safe (yes, that means I also may not be an idiot). Jon raises his offer to 30 grand. Ali decides to take it this time, because she thinks she botched the quiz. She and Jon walk away and everyone expresses mild shock. Ali would have been safe though. In another twist, the execution continues, so two people are leaving tonight. Alex is next, and he’s safe too. Bobby is next, and my knowledge of reality TV pays off this time, because he’s eliminated. Victoria is broken up, and Craig is too, kinda. Paul continues to be an ass and is happy two people are gone.
Next Time on The Mole: People hike up a mountain, Craig goes to the hospital, and Mark wanders off into the Chilean wilderness.
Paul is surprised that Nicole threatened to kill him. Meanwhile, in a brilliant bit of editing, that is crosscut with Nicole confessionaling like a sociopath. Apparently, everyone is concerned with Nicole’s comment, but I don’t understand why, because she only threatened Paul, and he’s an ass. Apparently, Mark, Clay, and Bobby have a secret coalition. Also, apparently, Nicole was just kidding and trying to antagonize him. Darn.
Jon Kelly, playing like he’s surprised by the group’s arrival (Don’t pursue an acting career Jon), greets the team at their next mission. The group is split in half, Those Who Can’t Trust and Those Who Trust Blindly. They then have to pair up into groups of two and luge. Oh, also, those who can’t trust are blindfolded and are being steered by those who trust blindly. They also have to identify pictures of fruit. Clay and Bobby are up first. Bobby mis-identifies an avocado as a pair, but Clay manages to correctly identify 5 out of 7 (even correcting the avocado). Paul and Ali also get 5 out of 7. Craig and Victoria do well (I miss the number). Mark and Kristin get all 7. Nicole and Alex, however, only get 1 right, because they repeat the green apple in their order (It’s a little ambiguous as to whether Nicole or Alex is actually to blame). I’ve got an aside for you readers though: If you think about it, I’m about 95% sure that the mole HAS to be on the blindfolded team. Because if they tell their team mate the wrong fruit, it’s going to be blatantly obvious to their teammate, thus exposing them as the mole. But if they’re blindfolded, they can easily sabotage. Jon tells them that they got 25 right, which should earn them $50K. But, apparently, Bobby/Clay and Craig/Victoria broke the rules, which knocks their challenge win down to $26,000. Clay now suspects Bobby to be the mole, and Craig now suspects Victoria. Mark and Clay are now questioning their alliance with Bobby. Mark confessionals that he trusts Clay most. Clay confessionals that he trusts Clay most too.
Jon, apparently, booked everyone for a spa day. Everyone is having a great time. Kristen is on to Nicole’s game, that she is trying to convince everyone that she’s the mole. Kristen does suspect Alex though. Everyone gets massages. Bobby recognizes that his allies don’t trust him, and then starts some Corbin Bernsen style mole-hunting by pointing out that Jon was eating a big apple yesterday and Paul is from New York. Sorry to break it to you Bobby, but while Paul is from Yonkers, Yonkers ain’t a part of the Big Apple. Oh, and Jon came by and stole everyone’s clothes.
And thus starts their next challenge. The team is split is split into two teams of two and two teams of three. The players have to make it to a restaurant in like two hours. And they have to convince the people of Santiago to give them their clothes off their backs. Their nice clothes, because the restaurant has a dress code. Oh, and they have to do it in their underwear. And if they don’t get to the restaurant, they don’t eat dinner. Mark and Clay immediately decide not to participate. Bobby, Nicole, and Craig are all kinds of failure. Victoria, Kristen, and Ali are getting wolf-whistled, but then again, two of them are also wearing hooker boots and the other one is wearing stripper heels. They encounter two buses of HS males. Fun, awkward times. Alex and Paul are actually having success though. Nicole, Bobby, and Craig are actually having success, with Nicole fully completing an outfit. Victoria, Kristen, and Ali aren’t having any success though. Paul and Alex are having a lot of luck, fully completing their outfits. They get to the restaurant. Ali wants to give up, but her teammates don’t. They find Americans and convince them to give them their shirts. Then they find a nice lady who gives them pants. They get to the restaurant. Bobby’s outfit gets completed. Then they find the Laundromat where Jon took their clothes. And they complete their outfits and make it to the restaurant too. They bring everyone else’s clothes too. They add $40,000 to the pot, which ups to total pot to $129,000.
Jon takes them all to dinner and then its quiz and execution time. Mark obsesses over his journal because if he gets eliminated he wants to know that he did everything in his power to stay. Which I guess means Mark is going home (although Bobby got a redemption arc tonight so it could equally be him). Paul continues to be a d-bag to everyone and everyone is getting pissed. Victoria looks incredibly displeased with her decision to sit next to Paul. Understandably so.
QUIZ TIME
I suspect Kristen and Victoria. Kristen because I still think there’s something moley about her. Victoria because she botched the luge mission (and there seems to be a lot of people online who claim to have “proof” that Victoria is the mole.)
Nicole suspects Bobby.
Victoria thinks Ali could be the mole.
Alex suspects Nicole.
Paul suspects Bobby, Nicole, or Craig.
It’s execution time. Jon welcomes them to an old train station in Santiago and immediately offers the players $20,000 to get up and walk away. No one takes it, although Nicole and Paul seem like they were really heavily considering it. Kristen is up first, and she’s safe, meaning I may not be a complete idiot. Mark is next, and reality TV editing 101 misleads us, because he’s safe. Victoria is next and wonders if it’s too late to take the money. But she’s safe (yes, that means I also may not be an idiot). Jon raises his offer to 30 grand. Ali decides to take it this time, because she thinks she botched the quiz. She and Jon walk away and everyone expresses mild shock. Ali would have been safe though. In another twist, the execution continues, so two people are leaving tonight. Alex is next, and he’s safe too. Bobby is next, and my knowledge of reality TV pays off this time, because he’s eliminated. Victoria is broken up, and Craig is too, kinda. Paul continues to be an ass and is happy two people are gone.
Next Time on The Mole: People hike up a mountain, Craig goes to the hospital, and Mark wanders off into the Chilean wilderness.
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