Hey folks,
So, it’s time to lose our first two dancers. As I said last night, I’d personally get rid of Asuka and Tony after last night. They were certainly the least impressive to me. But I have a gut feeling that Paris and Vitolio aren’t long for this season. Let’s see, shall we?
Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full one, head over to sytycd.ca
Cat looks glorious in an olive green dress with a nice bow on the side. Wowzers, Ms. Deeley, wowzers. Keep up with this and I’ll stop paying attention to the dancers.
The opening number is a weirdly futuristic hip-hop number to what will undoubtedly be the worst song of the entire millennium, aka “Boom Boom Pow”. At times it seems like a wee bit of a rip-off of the most memorable group routine ever, the Ramalama Bang Bang Victorian zombies routine from season two. A lot of the dancers have great moments (I’m kind of surprised that Max can move the way he does during this number), and I like it far better than either NappyTabs routine from last night. Maybe that’s because it’s by Shane Sparks, who really should have a much bigger role in terms of the hip-hop dancing this season. His non-presence last season resulted in a dismally low number of great hip-hop routines.
And we jump RIGHT into the results with the first three couples coming on stage. See, this is yet another reason I love SYTYCD. We don’t have to wait 48 minutes for the first bit of results unlike some reality talent shows (cough cough Idol). Kayla and Max, Randi and Evan, and Jeanine and Philip are the first three couples. All are safe. Deserved, deserved, ehhhhh….
As we come back from break, our next four couples are up on stage. Caitlin and Jason and Melissa and Ade are both safe. Ashley and Kupono are safe too. Paris and Tony are the first couple in the bottom three. After another commercial break, Asuka and Vitolio join them, followed shortly thereafter by Karla and Jonathan. Again, both ranked in my bottom four for the night, so I’m neither flabbergasted nor upset.
It’s Soloin’ Time
Paris- It’s… good. Not fantastic. I almost think she was better last night doing hip hop. I’m not as invested in her survival anymore.
Tony- It’s fun, and it displays his comedic personality well, but we’ve seen such better hip-hop on this stage that I still don’t see him stacking up.
Asuka- Ballroom solos are always more difficult, but Asuka’s has a lot of jive in it, which makes it much better than your typical ballroom solo. She just jumped ahead of Paris for me.
Vitolio- Ok, so if this doesn’t earn Vitolio another week, the judges are frickin’ blind. It’s fantastic. Miles ahead of any of the other solos this evening. Cat’s got chills.
Karla- So, I’m a little surprised Karla is dancing a contemporary solo, given the word that she was secretly a hip-hop dancer. Her extension is really remarkable, but I’m not sure I loved the solo. She was better than Paris though.
Jonathan- His solo seems to be more about tricks than anything else, which is what they bounced Marquis way too early for last season. It’s not fantastic, and may have actually just saved Tony.
After having seen the solos, I think I’d bounce Paris and Tony. I was really pro Paris before tonight, but after the solos, she was the weakest in the bunch. And I think my stance on Tony is clear.
Musical performance time, and it’s Sean Kingston, with apparently, the “hit single of the season”, Fire Burning. It’s a song that I’ve never heard before, but I don’t necessarily doubt what Cat said because I don’t really listen to hit music, because its mostly awful. Case in point, this song. It’s really kind of atrocious. I can’t find a melody in it at all, he seems to sing the same note over and over, and he literally runs out of breath at one point despite barely moving during the performance. The one thing that’s clear is that he’s not lip-syncing, because he may trip over the lyrics at one point. To his own hit song. Seriously, at this point, I’d take those dancing prostitutes who usually perform their “music” on one of the early results show over this garbage.
Results time. The girls are up first, and the result is unanimous. Karla is called up first. They tell her she was very good this evening, but she needs to make sure she’s dancing, not just doing steps. But she did enough to be safe. They took everything they’ve seen so far and how many dancers from different genres are in the competition this season, which basically means Paris is going home, since Asuka is one of two (3?) ballroomers this season. They see Asuka as a personality star, and they felt Paris just didn’t bring it enough tonight. Paris is dunzo. She holds back tears as it goes into her goodbye video package. There’s a lot of her making faces in the background of shots, which really shows how much screentime she was given this season. Cat thanks her for being a part of the competition and sends her to the lone stool of eliminated depression.
The men are next, and it’s unanimous again. Nigel says none of them were good enough tonight. He starts with Vitolio and says they didn’t see enough personality from him and he wasn’t good enough either night. Um, judges, were you WATCHING what I was watching? The judges again critique Tony for failing in his style, tell Jonathan that his gymnastics were fun but aren’t gonna keep him around long, and then thankfully dismiss Tony. He just wasn’t up to par, plain and simple. Cat tells him here is just the beginning. Did the judges get it right? I think they did. See you back next week here folks.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance 6/10- Top 20 Perform! 'Bout Time!
Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full recap, complete with side notes and expanded judges comments, go to sytycd.ca
Hey folks,
It’s Top 20 Week! Which means its time for the actual dancing to start! Can I get a hip hip huzzah, people? So, I’m just going to warn you in advance, this recap may be a bit… odd. I currently have something roughly the size of a tissue stuffed completely up one of my nostrils, as part of a medical procedure. It’s uncomfortable and putting me on edge, so there may be more anger/grumpiness in this recap than usual. However, I am also on painkillers for it, which may make me a bit loopy. So, we’ll see. Either way, it should be entertaining. But enough about me and my nasal problems, let’s get to the dancin’!
Cat is wearing a white frock that seems to have a spiderweb spun by Liberace all over the front. In the opening everyone dances montage, Brandon, Evan, Janettte, Jason, Kupono, Kayla, Max, Melissa, Philip, and Tony are the ones who impress me the most. No one seems awful though. Jidging (Oh Cat Deeley, I forgot your adorable British pronunciations) tonight are Nigel (who earns a salute), Mary, and Shankers. Yay Shankers!
Jeanine and Philip- They have a NappyTabs routine about a couple that needs to bang before they go to sleep (I think). Ok, so Phil kind of destroys this. He’s, for lack of a better word, buck. Jeanine is doing her best to keep up, and does a pretty darn good job. The routine itself? Kind of meh for me. Shankers thinks the routine is Unreal, Mary was super impressed by Jeanine for being able to keep up, and Nigel thought Jeanine was fantastic as well and thinks she slipped through the editing net. Yeah, because editing doesn’t involve conscious decisions to leave certain people out or anything like that.
Asuka and Vitolio- They’ve got a Tyce broadway routine which apparently features popping/locking. Tyce, since when is there popping on Broadway? The routine is better than normal Tyce, which puts it somewhere in the range of mediocre to good. Vitolio, however is really good. Like, he’s the only one I’m focusing on. But that may also be because Asuka seems really anemic. She’s low energy, her jumping looks weak, and, I dunno, it’s just meh. Routine and Asuka bad, Vitolio good. Shankers found the routine aritifical, Mary also felt the low energy and thought it was safe, and Nigel found their personality lacking.
Karla and Jonathan- They’ve got a Tony Meredith Cha Cha, and seem kind of into it (and each other) in the pre-package. It’s to “Poker Face” by Lady GaGa so I’m already predisposed to not like it. BUT, I think this is the best routine of the night so far, but I’m not sure if it’s gonna hold up over the two hours. They both seem good, and neither really outshines the other. They’re also a bit too smiley for me. But they nailed the sexiness, their partnering was great, they had chemistry, and it was fun to watch. Shankers thought it was really good, Mary liked the roughness of the cha cha, and Nigel thinks they’ll be remembered.
Randi and Evan- They’ve got a Tyce jazz. Tyce’s jazz is usually better than his broadway (e.g. the Adam and Eve routine last year), so I’m hopeful. It’s certainly one of the best Tyce routines I’ve ever seen. This time though, it’s not faint praise. I really like it. Evan is just banoodles. He’s captivating to watch. Randi definitely holds her own too. But it’s really good. I’m a definite fan. Shankers thinks they danced bigger than they are, Mary says this quashed any doubts she had about them, and Nigel thinks they’re a couple that’ll be talked about.
Paris and Tony- They’ve got another NappyTabs hip-hop. NappyTabs were really impressed with Paris, but needed to tell Tony to get meaner. It always seems to me that when NappyTabs do routines, they are 50% great, 50% not great. This is one of the great ones. Paris is crushing this. Tony I’m not as sold by. But I’d almost say I prefer this to the Phil/Jeanine one. Shankers found it hard to focus on their dancing, Mary thinks it wasn’t memorable, and Nigel thinks they were just doing steps, not dancing.
Caitlin and Jason- They’ve got a Bollywood routine by Nakul. Jason is worried about the precision of the movement. Their fingers are worried, and Nakul is worried that he’s throwing too much at them for week one. It’s good, but it’s mostly upper body movement it seems, and I would have lied to see a little bit more full body movement. They’re both really good, but Jason’s precision seems a bit better. But I’m impressed by how well they both handled the tough style. Shankers thought they, and Jason in particular, rocked. Mary scrams, and Nigel thought it was something beautiful to see.
Janette and Brandon- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Foxtrot. Louis is new this season, and is stolen from Dancing with the Stars. I don’t really know about the technique for this, but I know that I REALLY enjoy watching it. They seem effortlessly graceful, they have personality, and Janette and Brandon each have moments where they shine. She’s maybe a little bit better, but they’re both really good. Shankers thought it was absolutely lovely, Mary thinks Janette was like Ginger Rogers tonight, and Nigel was shocked by Janette’s carriage. Mary also tells us that she can’t move her eyebrows anymore because of Botox, and it’s a genuinely great Mary Murphy moment.
Ashley and Kupono- They’ve got a Wade Robson routine about crash test dummies. And… I’m already sold on just the concept. Wade ain’t lookin too good though. It is, to semi-quote Mia Michaels beautifully, disastrously weird. Kupono is just fantastic and Ashley is pretty darn good too. Parts of it are overly distracting and I fear this may just be too out there for America, but I like it a bunch. It’s not my favorite Wade routine ever, and in fact its probably towards the bottom of my Wade list, but that still places it above the entire oeuvre of Tyce and most of NappyTabs. Shankers found their technique to be exquisite, Mary bought the routine 100%, and Nigel felt moved to another world by it.
Melissa and Ade- They’ve got a Mandy Moore contemporary about that moment when you first fall in love. Mandy is a choreographer who has only been getting better recently, so I’m excited. This is… absolutely beautiful. Probably my favorite so far. They both rock it. Graceful, strong, pretty, connected. Shankers found it to be special, Mary gives them a scream and found it totally believeable, and Nigel thinks America has a lot more to look forward to from them.
Kayla and Max- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Samba. Kayla’s never done ballroom, but Max is ballroom, so he’s looking to help her out this week. To start, Kayla looks stunning. The dance itself is pretty hot. Again, I know nothing about ballroom technique, so I can’t really judge, but their footwork looks great, their connection is great, and they even seem to know how to play to the cameras. It’s quite good, and a good way to end the show. Shankers bursts with praise, Mary places them onto the Hot Tamale train, and Nigel found it sensational.
My Ranking of the Couples:
1)Melissa and Ade
2)Brandon and Janette
3)Evan and Randi
4)Kupono and Ashley
5)Kayla and Max
6)Caitlin and Jason
7)Karla and Jonathan
8)Paris and Tony
9)Philip and Jeanine
10)Asuka and Vitolio
Who Should Be Worried: Asuka and Vitolio and Paris and Tony both definitely need to be prepping solos. Philip and Jeanine will probably be buoyed by Phil’s popularity, so Karla and Jonathan should be worried as well.
Who I’d Send Home: For the guys, it’s definitely Tony. He’s just not on the same level as the others. For the girls, it should probably be Asuka.
Who I Think is Actually Going Home: Since the show always has that one dancer who they keep to try to teach, I have the feeling Tony’s gonna survive this week, which doesn’t bode well for Vitolio. Given the show’s love of Asuka, I’d say it’s a 50/50 shot between her and Paris.
What did you guys think? Pleased with season 5 so far?
Hey folks,
It’s Top 20 Week! Which means its time for the actual dancing to start! Can I get a hip hip huzzah, people? So, I’m just going to warn you in advance, this recap may be a bit… odd. I currently have something roughly the size of a tissue stuffed completely up one of my nostrils, as part of a medical procedure. It’s uncomfortable and putting me on edge, so there may be more anger/grumpiness in this recap than usual. However, I am also on painkillers for it, which may make me a bit loopy. So, we’ll see. Either way, it should be entertaining. But enough about me and my nasal problems, let’s get to the dancin’!
Cat is wearing a white frock that seems to have a spiderweb spun by Liberace all over the front. In the opening everyone dances montage, Brandon, Evan, Janettte, Jason, Kupono, Kayla, Max, Melissa, Philip, and Tony are the ones who impress me the most. No one seems awful though. Jidging (Oh Cat Deeley, I forgot your adorable British pronunciations) tonight are Nigel (who earns a salute), Mary, and Shankers. Yay Shankers!
Jeanine and Philip- They have a NappyTabs routine about a couple that needs to bang before they go to sleep (I think). Ok, so Phil kind of destroys this. He’s, for lack of a better word, buck. Jeanine is doing her best to keep up, and does a pretty darn good job. The routine itself? Kind of meh for me. Shankers thinks the routine is Unreal, Mary was super impressed by Jeanine for being able to keep up, and Nigel thought Jeanine was fantastic as well and thinks she slipped through the editing net. Yeah, because editing doesn’t involve conscious decisions to leave certain people out or anything like that.
Asuka and Vitolio- They’ve got a Tyce broadway routine which apparently features popping/locking. Tyce, since when is there popping on Broadway? The routine is better than normal Tyce, which puts it somewhere in the range of mediocre to good. Vitolio, however is really good. Like, he’s the only one I’m focusing on. But that may also be because Asuka seems really anemic. She’s low energy, her jumping looks weak, and, I dunno, it’s just meh. Routine and Asuka bad, Vitolio good. Shankers found the routine aritifical, Mary also felt the low energy and thought it was safe, and Nigel found their personality lacking.
Karla and Jonathan- They’ve got a Tony Meredith Cha Cha, and seem kind of into it (and each other) in the pre-package. It’s to “Poker Face” by Lady GaGa so I’m already predisposed to not like it. BUT, I think this is the best routine of the night so far, but I’m not sure if it’s gonna hold up over the two hours. They both seem good, and neither really outshines the other. They’re also a bit too smiley for me. But they nailed the sexiness, their partnering was great, they had chemistry, and it was fun to watch. Shankers thought it was really good, Mary liked the roughness of the cha cha, and Nigel thinks they’ll be remembered.
Randi and Evan- They’ve got a Tyce jazz. Tyce’s jazz is usually better than his broadway (e.g. the Adam and Eve routine last year), so I’m hopeful. It’s certainly one of the best Tyce routines I’ve ever seen. This time though, it’s not faint praise. I really like it. Evan is just banoodles. He’s captivating to watch. Randi definitely holds her own too. But it’s really good. I’m a definite fan. Shankers thinks they danced bigger than they are, Mary says this quashed any doubts she had about them, and Nigel thinks they’re a couple that’ll be talked about.
Paris and Tony- They’ve got another NappyTabs hip-hop. NappyTabs were really impressed with Paris, but needed to tell Tony to get meaner. It always seems to me that when NappyTabs do routines, they are 50% great, 50% not great. This is one of the great ones. Paris is crushing this. Tony I’m not as sold by. But I’d almost say I prefer this to the Phil/Jeanine one. Shankers found it hard to focus on their dancing, Mary thinks it wasn’t memorable, and Nigel thinks they were just doing steps, not dancing.
Caitlin and Jason- They’ve got a Bollywood routine by Nakul. Jason is worried about the precision of the movement. Their fingers are worried, and Nakul is worried that he’s throwing too much at them for week one. It’s good, but it’s mostly upper body movement it seems, and I would have lied to see a little bit more full body movement. They’re both really good, but Jason’s precision seems a bit better. But I’m impressed by how well they both handled the tough style. Shankers thought they, and Jason in particular, rocked. Mary scrams, and Nigel thought it was something beautiful to see.
Janette and Brandon- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Foxtrot. Louis is new this season, and is stolen from Dancing with the Stars. I don’t really know about the technique for this, but I know that I REALLY enjoy watching it. They seem effortlessly graceful, they have personality, and Janette and Brandon each have moments where they shine. She’s maybe a little bit better, but they’re both really good. Shankers thought it was absolutely lovely, Mary thinks Janette was like Ginger Rogers tonight, and Nigel was shocked by Janette’s carriage. Mary also tells us that she can’t move her eyebrows anymore because of Botox, and it’s a genuinely great Mary Murphy moment.
Ashley and Kupono- They’ve got a Wade Robson routine about crash test dummies. And… I’m already sold on just the concept. Wade ain’t lookin too good though. It is, to semi-quote Mia Michaels beautifully, disastrously weird. Kupono is just fantastic and Ashley is pretty darn good too. Parts of it are overly distracting and I fear this may just be too out there for America, but I like it a bunch. It’s not my favorite Wade routine ever, and in fact its probably towards the bottom of my Wade list, but that still places it above the entire oeuvre of Tyce and most of NappyTabs. Shankers found their technique to be exquisite, Mary bought the routine 100%, and Nigel felt moved to another world by it.
Melissa and Ade- They’ve got a Mandy Moore contemporary about that moment when you first fall in love. Mandy is a choreographer who has only been getting better recently, so I’m excited. This is… absolutely beautiful. Probably my favorite so far. They both rock it. Graceful, strong, pretty, connected. Shankers found it to be special, Mary gives them a scream and found it totally believeable, and Nigel thinks America has a lot more to look forward to from them.
Kayla and Max- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Samba. Kayla’s never done ballroom, but Max is ballroom, so he’s looking to help her out this week. To start, Kayla looks stunning. The dance itself is pretty hot. Again, I know nothing about ballroom technique, so I can’t really judge, but their footwork looks great, their connection is great, and they even seem to know how to play to the cameras. It’s quite good, and a good way to end the show. Shankers bursts with praise, Mary places them onto the Hot Tamale train, and Nigel found it sensational.
My Ranking of the Couples:
1)Melissa and Ade
2)Brandon and Janette
3)Evan and Randi
4)Kupono and Ashley
5)Kayla and Max
6)Caitlin and Jason
7)Karla and Jonathan
8)Paris and Tony
9)Philip and Jeanine
10)Asuka and Vitolio
Who Should Be Worried: Asuka and Vitolio and Paris and Tony both definitely need to be prepping solos. Philip and Jeanine will probably be buoyed by Phil’s popularity, so Karla and Jonathan should be worried as well.
Who I’d Send Home: For the guys, it’s definitely Tony. He’s just not on the same level as the others. For the girls, it should probably be Asuka.
Who I Think is Actually Going Home: Since the show always has that one dancer who they keep to try to teach, I have the feeling Tony’s gonna survive this week, which doesn’t bode well for Vitolio. Given the show’s love of Asuka, I’d say it’s a 50/50 shot between her and Paris.
What did you guys think? Pleased with season 5 so far?
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