So You Think You Can Dance 7/9- Who Makes The Tour?

Hey folks,

Tonight’s the last cuts before the tour! Let’s see how this plays out, shall we? Cat is wearing something blue with a giant neck thing. I'm... perplexed by it. And not prepared to judge it yet… The opening is fairly cool, and maybe MJ-inspired? I'm betting it's Brian Friedman or Shane Sparks. Nearly everyone looks really good, but Kayla is kind of more awesome than everyone else. And Randi looks scarily like Billie Piper. It's throwing me off something fierce. But I enjoyed the opening. And it's great how they all salute Cat as she walks on stage. Apparently, it was a NappyTabs. Color me surprised. Didn't expect that from them. Nigel, who is a 60th birthday boy today, informs us that they can’t do an MJ memorial because Sony wouldn’t clear the music. Boo Sony!

Note: You know the drill. This is abridged. Where's the full one? Sytycd.ca

First two couples are up on stage are Caitlin/Jason and Brandon/Janette. Hmm, I wonder which of these two is in the bottom… Yup, it’s Caitlin and Jason. Shocker!

Up next, Randi and Evan face off against Jeanine and Chbeeb. I’m rooting for the former, although I’m guessing most are rooting for the latter. But I’m victorious this round, because Randi/Evan are safe, while Jeanine and Chbeeb are dancing for their lives.

Finally, the last two couples are up on stage. Melissa and Ade vs. Kayla and Kupono. Ok, so Adessa are my favorite couple and Pono’s my least favorite dancer, so guess which couple I’m rooting for to be safe? If you guessed Adessa, you’re right! Which is why I have sadface to the max. Pono/Kayla are safe, Adessa not. Also, pretty sure Pono screamed "Shut The F*** Up!" and wildly overcelebrated. And Tyce is being mean to Ade. Boo hiss Tyce! Boo Hiss!

Cat sneaks us a peak of a season 6 audition. It’s someone named Teddy and I like it quite a bit, although at times it’s overly flaily. Ok, wait, I realized that this S6 auditions highlights thing is a really sneaky way of implanting favorites in our head before the season even begins. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ms. Deeley and the Producers: Master Cat-Nipulators...

Solo time!

Caitlin's first. Ok, it's cute and well acted, but this is a defeated solo if I've ever seen one. And why shouldn't she be? Does she really stand a chance?

Jason's next. Ok, the judges are going to totally call this one too busy, or desperate, or whatever their watchword is for this season. I, on the other hand, think it rocks.

Jeanine's turn. And sadly, she's still wearing that gold disaster. It picks up somewhere in the middle, but after last week, this is a let down. It seemed a bit complacent to me. Then again, the judges guaranteed she'd be here next week, so why not?

Ok, so it's Chbeeb doing hip-hop. Of course it's just ridiculously awesome. And super-duper brownie points to Chbeeb from using that future aria from The Fifth Element. Awesome song choice. But his solo last week was maybe a smidge better too.

This is our first time seeing Melissa solo, and it's entirely on pointe. It's also good, not great. I mean, I don't know ballet, this may be fantastic, but I wasn't all that captivated by it.

Ade, my favorite, is our last solo. Um, and this. is. AMAZING. Amazing song, amazing musicality, amazing quality of movement. AND HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THAT FLYING CARTWHEEL! Tyce, you better take back every single word you just said. Cat's got the Deeley Chills.

Music performance. It's Kelly Rowland and David Guetta. She's clearly not lip-synching, and I know this because she sounds kind of awful at least at the get go. But, hey, for once, good back up dancers! Kelly Rowland gets somewhat better, but this is still pretty bad. I mean, not "Fire Burning" bad. Or even Kristinia Debarge bad. But it's just anemic and not very fun to watch and not very good to listen to. But hey, at least she's not lip-synching. And when the backup dancers do their little solo parts it's actually fun, if only the camera would actually pay attention to them instead of Kelly Rowland.

RESULTS! Girls are up first, results are unanimous. Nigel thinks a lot of the dancers have achieved their star potential yet. They're evaluating from a positive point of view tonight. Caitlin is called up first and Nigel basically dismisses her immediately. She's already crying, and I feel bad, because I did like her, she just didn't shine as much as she needed to. Her video package is all nice a warm and fuzzies. And it features her doing that back-bend thing a bunch. That's gotta be a good stretch.

Now it's the boys turn. They're again unanimous, and again, they did it with a positive spin. Phil is called forward first and called unique at what he does, but they're upset with his lack of versatility and he's going home tonight. What the what? Seriously? I mean, like, for reals? Don't get me wrong, I'm not broken up over this, but wowzers, didn't see that one coming. Nigel assures us that he's already spoken to the producers and both he and Caitlin are gonna be on the tour. His video package features a lot of noodle limbs. Which is good, since that's when he really shined.

Phil is really emotional, and really was glad to have the opportunity to grow. Awww, warm and fuzzies are back. Jeanine actually looks really shaken. And not to get all Machiavellian, but if Jeanine is really the chosen one, this is a great strategy of funneling Phil's votes to her. And Jason is really upset to see Caitlin going it seems. Well, we now have our top 10 folks. What do you think?

So You Think You Can Dance 7/8- The Top 12 Perform

Hey folks! Tonight, our top 12 try to cut a rug and not get cut before the tour. Wow, did Mia Michaels write that last sentence? Cat looks smashing and Old Hollywood glamorous in a simple black dress. However, she may or may not have gotten a haircut. And if she did, personally, I think it's marvelous. The great intros tonight are courtesy of Jason, Brandon, Philip, and Kupono. Maybe Ade and Melissa too. They weren't great, but they're my favorite couple, so i guess they get an automatic boost? Tyce is guest jidging tonight. Everyone’s doing two routines tonight, so instead of laying this out chronologically, I’m doing it by pair:

Note: As always, this is the abridged recap. For a more lengthy take, head to sytycd.ca
Melissa and Ade

Disco by Doriana Sanchez
It’s really high energy, and Melissa looks like she was plucked from the Saturday Night Fever extras pool. I watch her more, even though Ade seems to be doing a slightly better job with the dancing. And OMG, Melissa was just in a lift and had her legs in a 180 degree line. She should get super-duper bonus points for that, which should completely nullify the fact that she falls at the end of the routine. But know what, she recovers greatly. Nigel loved it, Mary calls them a Disco Pick-Me-Up, and Tyce says “That Was Friggin Great.”

Waltz by Ron Montez
Really, as a couple, they're SO connected. And that's what's really selling this routine. I mean, it's pretty and graceful to look at, but it's going to be memorable because of how awesomely connected they are. Nigel thought it was very beautiful but has a technical critique for ade. Mary found it beautifully danced, but didn't feel enough power from Ade on something called "the twinkles." Tyce calls it well-danced.

Kayla and Kupono

Contemporary by Mia Michaels
Mia looks very at peace when working with them. This routine is about addiction. This is also really good, but I'm not sure if Kupono's really in the character. I mean, he's hitting the moves well, but I don't actually feel the connection to the character in him. He's just kind of... glaring. Kayla, on the other hand, is just BONKERS good. Like, her face reads it completely, she NAILS every move, and just inhabits the dance. However, the routine itself is fantastic. Nigel thought it was great, Mary keeps them on the Hot Tamale Train, and Tyce thought they brought more than just steps.

Broadway by Joey Dowling
Joey seems like an awesomely demanding choreographer. The rehearsal packages with her are great, because she's clearly just so unimpressed with her raw materials. I don't know though, there's something about this routine that I just don't love. I mean, they both seem to be doing the movements well, but I'm just not connecting to this routine in any sort of major way. Kayla looks fantastic, but I don't have much else to say. Nigel didn’t think it had the necessary emotion, Mary found it really dynamic, and Tyce didn’t think they made it part of their world.

Caitlin and Jason

Foxtrot by Tony Meredith
This is a pretty darn good Foxtrot. Jason isn't really quite connecting all that greatly with Caitlin, but they're both dancing it well. They look the part fantastically, and Caitlin is doing a really good job selling it all. Nigel thinks they made it all look simple, Mary found it tremendous, and Tyce thinks they looked like stars and captured the essence.

Lyrical Jazz by Mandy Moore
Mandy is excited to bring out their strengths, because they're both basically in genre. Mandy describes it as a kitchen-sink routine. For both being in genre, sadly, I do not find this to be the most captivating of dances. Don't get me wrong, they're both doing very well. There's some awesome hand work in there. They dance it well. But I just didn't hone in on it. It didn't jump off the screen for me. Nigel found it very technically well-done, Mary didn’t feel the magic, and Tyce thought it was good but they needed to take it a step farther.

Jeanine and Philip

Russian Folk Dance
This isn't their fault at all, but it's just really bad. The choreography, just isn't enertaining to watch. They're doing their absolute best to sell it as entrtainment, and Philip does a great Trepak, and then shows in some Hip-Hop-ish stuff. And Jeanine does her best with the funner bits she has, but that's just a terrible dance to saddle a couple with. Nigel can’t fault them for how awful it was, Mary found it believable, and Tyce thinks they did well with what they were given.

Jive by Tony Meredith
Phil is greatly awkward about the sexiness of this one. I probably preferred Evan and Randi's jive from earlier this season, but it's much better than I expected to be. Phil is nowhere near as bad as I expected him to be. And Jeanine is just great to watch. She is drawing me in like whoa, and not just because she's shimmying while basically making direct eye contact with the camera and viewer. Miles better than their first routine, and a very very solid routine. Nigel calls Phil the best he’s ever seen him out of his style, Mary was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t a trainwreck, and Tyce asks us to call 1-800-Fan-Freakin-Tastic.

Randi and Evan

Hip-Hop by NappyTabs
I have to say, I'm really impressed by how well Randi is handling this. I mean, they're both good, but I kind of expected her to be pretty bad at this. But she's probably even the better of the two. They're both nailing the emotions of the number, and in all honestly, I would probably say this is my favorite hip-hop routine so far this season. I really really liked it. Nigel liked it a bit and particularly that they weren’t urban-ified. Mary was expecting a trainwreck but didn’t see one. Tyce liked the storytelling.

Samba by Pasha and Anya
Randi is out of her comfort zone. Pasha and Anya want it to be hot, intricate, and different. It's certainly intricate, and also really cool, but these two have problems pulling off the sultry. It's fun to watch, but it doesn't have that Samba sexiness. It picks up a little bit a the end, and there's some great footwork and flips, but without that sexiness, it's just missing something. Nigel thinks they did everything the could but it wasn’t hot enough. Mary found it to be a slow sizzle by wanted it to be more dynamic. Tyce wanted more fierceness.

Janette and Brandon

Argentine Tango by Leonardo and Miriam
They spoke a lot of Spanish in the rehearsal, which Brandon doesn't speak. But even if he didn't understand what they were saying, it's pretty clear that he got what they were doing. I mean, Janette is the stand-out here, but Brandon is no slouch. My only criticism of him would be that at times, you can see it on his face that it's not coming naturally to him. But Janette is fantastic. Her footwork is great, she nails the emotion, and she is just amazing to watch. All three judges give them a standing ovation. ‘Nuff said.

Jazz by Wade Robson
We're like 15 seconds in, and its AWESOME. Like, quite possibly my favorite routine so far this eason. They're both rocking the movement, the feeling, and they're just both ridiculously amazingly fun to watch. Yeah, that's my favorite routine of the season so far. Major major kudos and a half to them. Nigel thinks there’s nothing they can’t do. Mary screams “The best for last!” Tyce thinks they have that thing.

Rankings for the Night (By Couple):
1) Janette and Brandon
2) Melissa and Ade
3) TIE- Kayla and Kupono, Randi and Evan
5) (by a hair) Caitlin and Jason
6) Jeanine and Philip

Rankings for the Night (By Dance)
1) Janette and Brandon- Jazz
2) Kayla and Kupono- Contemporary
3) Melissa and Ade- Disco
4) Randi and Evan- Hip Hop
5) Janette and Brandon- Argentine Tango
6) Caitlin and Jason- Lyrical Jazz
7) Jeanine and Philip- Jive
8) Melissa and Ade- Waltz
9) Randi and Evan- Samba
10) Kayla and Kupono- Broadway
11) Caitlin and Jason- Foxtrot
12) Jeanine and Philip- Russian Folk Dance

Who’s In Trouble: Jason and Caitlin and Philip and Jeanine are likely to land in the bottom. Evan and Randi’ll probably round that out.
Who’s Going Home: Caitlin is dunzo, I’m guessing. For the guys, I’d say it’s between Jason and Evan. Which is sad, since I really like both those guys. Can we get rid of Pono instead?

Pilot Review: The Cleveland Show

The Cleveland Show
FOX. Sundays at 8:30


So, I’d say I’m a fan of Family Guy. It’s nowhere near must see TV for me, but it still is mostly amusing, and can on occasion be very funny. However, moreso than any other comedy on TV, it completely misses the mark and ends up in wildly unfunny/disgusting territory.

I’m not sure what I was entirely expecting The Cleveland Show to be then, other than, you know, a second version of Family Guy. There are still random absurd cutaways, pop culture jokes that hit, pop culture jokes that miss, and various other stock characters. Which is to say that The Cleveland Show is about just as watchable as Family Guy, could be good for a laugh but not TV you need to go out of your way to see.

To be fair, there are some very funny things in the pilot. Cleveland’s new neighbor, a Christian Conservative bear (literally, a talking bear, I wonder how long until a shit in the woods joke occurs) with a pseudo-European accent, is probably the best character in the show, and brings some comedic energy to the scenes he’s in. And in one either very clever or entirely preposterous moment, there’s a jab at black sitcoms made by white people based on stereotypes. Which is kind of what The Cleveland Show is, making Seth McFarlane either an idiot or a hypocrite, I’m not sure which. But it’s the most interesting moment of the whole pilot.

That being said, this is much more like late era Family Guy than pre-cancellation. The tone of the show is still uneven, and, save Cleveland, none of the main family members are particularly funny. There are moments, but overall, it’s just not a laugh riot. I’d be interested whether to see if they balance out the tone, figure out a way to be more than just Family Guy 2.0, or take the show down a different road altogether, maybe something more along the lines of the now-much-funnier-than-Family-Guy American Dad. So, basically, this gets a rating that falls somewhere between…

RATING: If Nothing Else Is On/I’ll Give It Another Episode