Note: The Posts here and at Sytycd.ca this week are pretty close to the same. That one has slightly more, but since there wasn't really much I could cut out, they're pretty close.
So, folks, it’s here. Vegas Week! Woot! This season had a bunch of great auditions, and there are certainly a few people I’m hoping to see during those final solos (Hello Kelsea Taylor, Brandon Bryant, Philip Chbeeb, and Bianca Revels, will you please move to the front of the class? Please?). Well, lets do it to it, folks!
172 Dancers are trying to make the top 20. The judges look tough, the dancers are looking, well, a little bit weak, and Cat is, well, she’s Cat, i.e awesome. And also wearing a weird leopard print-ish top. Way to take your name literally, Ms. Deeley! Judging Vegas, we’ve got Mia, Shankers, Lil’ C, and Debbie Allen, and the stalwart Nigel and Mary. Welcome back to the judging table Debbie. Everyone starts with solos to remind the judges how they got there.
Alex Wong- Finally gets a video package of his own, and he’s ridiculously impressive. Mia, wait strike that, EVERYONE is shocked by how good and strong he is. Mia gives the Flava Flav “wooooooow” afterwards. This also totally justifies my placement of him into my potential top 20.
Nigel starts out, by telling the dancers that they are not as good as the judges thought they were. And there are cuts happening NOW! Tony is safe. 45 dancers are cut immediately, including Travis Prokop, Talia Rickards, and Chimezie. Also it seems like Devin Oshiro is cut too. Sad to see Chimezie cut, means my top 20 officially can’t happen now.
Day 1 Hip-Hop: Napoleon and Tabitha are choreographing this round, and it is apparently set to the worst pop song in recent history, aka ‘Boom Boom Pow.” Gabi Rojas, who rocked it in New York, falls apart early here and puts like no energy into it. Mary, I have to note, looks very sultry during this judging. Mia says she loves cutting people, because it sends bad people home. Gabi is given a pass because of her amazing solos. The choreography during this routine actually seems to be on the better end of NappyTabs choreography. No one worth mentioning gets cut during this round, though, apparently.
Day 2 Ballroom: Ballroom with Jean Marc Genereaux and France. The dancers seem worried. Philip Chbeeb and Arielle Coker are “worried”, and performing with different partners. Phil is having… troubles. Shankers accurately points out that Phil can’t stop popping, regardless of the style. He’s given a pass for this round. Arielle impresses me, although her extensions could use a little work. Although the judges disagree, because she’s cut. All the ballroomers who we’ve met so far, though, are getting through fine. Other dancers noted for rocking it are Kayla Rodamski and Priscilla Marrero. Nabuya Nagahama also impresses. He’s overcome with emotion about his success, and thanks his teachers profusely.
Day 2 Jazz: Sonja! Yay Sonja! Glad to see Sonja having such a big role early on this season. Natalie Reid and Brandon Bryant are owning this rehearsal though. Sonja even calls them to the front to show everyone how it should be done. Wow, they OWN this. Like, this should send them directly to the top 20. However Natalie appears to be nowhere near as Own-some in the actual routine. And she has this weirdly big goofy grin on her face the whole time. Mary lays it on thick about how much they were all rooting for her, and then tells her that she’s done, because she didn’t bring it enough. Natalie even gets send-off music, which only shows that she was supposed to be in the top 20. Big oversight on the judges part, I’m guessing. EVERYONE is shocked she’s gone, and NO ONE feels safe any more. She feels bad because she thinks she let the judges down. Brandon is just gonna rock it harder now, for her, it seems. And own it he does. He could book the lead in Goddess with that routine (I promised you Showgirls references, didn’t I?) Mia and Lil’ C are NOT fans of Brandon, because he’s been overhyped apparently. Nigel disagrees, and tells Brandon that he thinks he’s one of the best dancers the show has ever had. And Natalie gets ANOTHER exit package, this one more about Brandon’s loss of her though. I’m sad to see Natalie go, but not heartbroken about it. But it does mean ANTOHER member of my prospective top 20 is dunzo. After the commercial break, the last group performs, this one featuring Gabi Rojas. And, in a sad turn, she’s again quite awful. She’s breaking Debbie Allen’s heart, fer chrissakes. The judges are hurt by how wrong they are. They are giving her ANOTHER chance though, because she’s dancing for her life. Sami Ramirez, is also cut. Dang, I really liked him. And now I’m FOUR down. My predictive skills suck.
Gabi Rojas For Her Life in the Thunderdome- Can we get rid of the terminology “Dance for your life”? It sounds like they are dancing with Mad Max (hence my terming for dance for your life solos this Vegas week) They are basing their opinions on this solo, and her whole dance-ography so far. I like the solo, and I’ll never say no to anything danced to Nina Simone. She needs more than 3 yeses. Mia is a yes and can’t let her go yet and tells her to shape up or ship out, Lil’ C is a yes and calls her buck, Mary is a yes, Shankers is a yes, Debbie is a yes and is glad she reminded them who she is, and Nigel is a sixth yes but mirrors Mia’s comments. Needless to say, with six yeses, Gabi makes it through.
Overnight Group Dance- The groups picked a song at random and had to choreograph it themselves. We thankfully do not have to go through watching all the group drama.
Group 1: Features Eric “Silky” Moore. And he’s worried, because apparently, we HAVE to get group drama. His group is clashing. He’s also already planning his dance for his life solo. NO ONE seems to know what’s going on. Eric is the most impressive in the group, but it is most definitely weak sauce. Everyone is really disappointed. REALLY disappointed. And it’s a good thing Eric was prepping, since he WILL have to dance for his life.
Group 2: Features Brandon Bryant. Who is hoping to FINALLY live up to the judges praise. I think he always has, but whatever. Mia is still unconvinced, and tells him to STEP IT UP. He (and Priscilla Marrero and Maksim K, seemingly) is through.
The Final Group: Features Ryan Kasprzak (and a Hart twin?). They are called “Nerdography.” And they are FULL of win. They are FUN and they are GOOD and they have PERSONALITY. The judges all love them, and they made Shankers miss dancing. Aw, poor Shankers, who has to direct multi-million dollar movies, Boo hoo. Don’t make me slap you Shankers. And I’m already willing to for your unleashing of Cheaper by the Dozen 2 on the world. They’re all through.
Eric Silky Moore Dances for His Life in the Thunderdome: His tap is still remarkable, features two GREAT flips, and yet he still does not have Mia, Nigel, or Debbie’s votes. He needs all the remaining judges to stay in. He doesn’t have Lil’ C’s vote either, which means he’s done.
Day 3 Mia Michaels: Everyone is like “DEAR GOD MIA MICHAELS! OH NOES!”. Hell, even if I knew I was gonna be a miserable failure, I’d be like “ZOMG I GET TO DANCE A MIA MICHAELS ROUTINE!” Seriously, everyone seems to be crapping themselves in fear. Tony Bellisimo is seemingly impressing the judges, enough to earn him a second video package tonight. He’s worried about Mia. He’s like a beat ahead of everyone, but I think he did an okay job. Mary says they love him as a person but his dancing is not good enough. He gets to dance for his life. Only not quite, since he has to dance the choreography again. Amanda Kerby gets cut, as does Nabuya. The Kinney sisters are featured (I preferred Megan, but both were initially good). Unfortunately, Megan seems to be falling apart, and I will be very surprised if she gets through. But she DOES get through, which I’m fine with, because I had her in my top 20. Caitlin is up next, and seems to be a lot better than her sister. But Mary disagrees, and can audibly be heard saying so during the dancing. She is asked to dance for her life RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
Caitlin Kinney Dances for Her Life in the Thunderdome: She seems to be pretty good. I’m still not blown away by her, but she’s putting enough energy and personality in it to stay in. Nigel and Debbie are yeses, Mia and Lil’ C and Shankers are all nos, and it all comes down to Mary Murphy. Mary gives her a reprieve.
Mia Michaels Part 2: The Kasprzak brothers are up next, and Ryan makes it through first. Evan is up next, and based on his dancing, if he doesn’t make it through, it’s kind of a travesty. But he makes it clearly through. A number of dancers are emotional on having made it through. On Tony Bellisimo’s second shot, he vows to leave it all on the stage. Cat talks with him and asks for a little smile, which, when he gives it, she adorably calls pathetic. He seems to bring it this time, but I’ve been disagreeing with the judges all night, so who knows. Debbie takes a VERY long time to tell him he’s made it through. I wonder if this is a decision that Mia disagrees with though, because she’s sitting awful far apart from the rest of this and says “I can’t take it anymore. I quit.” He gets a post interview with Cat too, where she admits that she loves when grown men cry. Why is Cat so adorable? Seriously, does ANYONE know how she manages to be so chock-full of just ridiculous amazingness?
Day 4 Tyce Diorio: They have girls routines and boys routines today. Tyce’s two routines are inspired by West Side Story. It’s Tyce, so I have low expectations.
The Girls: While the girls dance, we get a package of all the boys hanging out at the pool. I wouldn’t mind it as much if it wasn’t set to Metro Station’s “Shake It.” Tyce says the girls are gonna have to own it. I can see Jeanette Manrara owning it up front, which is good. Bianca Revels seems to be having some troubles through. Bianca looks good in the actual performance to me. Priscilla Marrero continues to stand out to me despite her distinct lack of being featured. Even though she falls at the end of the routine. But she does it amazingly, and the judges all love it. Bianca gets cut, which means she is the second of the five locks for top 20 spots that I predicted who didn’t even make it to the end of Vegas. Gabi Rojas, Megan Kinney, and Priscilla are all cut as well. 3 Dancers who ALL made my top 20 list. Which makes half my girls done, as well as a complete lack of mention for two of them (Where in the hell is Kelsea Taylor?). The girls get cut down to a top 16, and will have to solo later.
The Boys: The girls relax at the pool while the boys go through Tyce’s broadway hell. The Kasprzak’s are up in the first group, and I manage to like both of them more each time they’re on screen. And they are both OWNING it, IMO. I liked the girls routine better overall, but neither was terrible, so I guess good work Tyce? That Hart Twin that I keep spotting gets cut, but he’s the only notable male cut.
We end with everyone doing final solos in order to get the judges attention. Alex Wong Jeanette Manrara, Brandon Bryant, Asuka Kondoh, Philip Chbeeb, Kayla Rodamski, Jason {No Last Name That I Can Remember}, and Evan Kasprzak all impress me with the few seconds we saw of everyone.
Jeanette Manrara is the first one up to find out their Top 20 fate. Or will she? Because this is the end for tonight. Cat tells us it’s the most dramatic top 20 reveal yet. And it looks like only one of the Kasprzak brothers is gonna make it through, since they seem to be the dramatic end pair. Sadly, folks, tomorrow night the recap will be up later than usual. It’s my mom’s birthday, so I’m going out to dinner and will miss the live broadcast. But it’s gonna be DVRed, and I would expect the recap should be up by like 1130. Sound good folks? And what did you think of tonight? And I say again, WHERE THE HELL WAS KELSEA TAYLOR?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance 5/28- The Final Auditions of Season 5
Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full version, head over to sytycd.ca
Hey folks, Nate here again. Tonight’s our last audition show for season 5, so lets hope for some talent. I’m not gonna lie folks, it was a long and arduous day at work, so this recap might not be entirely up to snuff. It may be sorely lacking in witticisms and various other bon mots. Lets hope it’s good though, just like tonight’s auditions.
LA
We start out tonight in LA. Cat seems her usual perky self. She even says “Gangstah” at one point. Joining Nigel and Mary tonight is Shankers. Shankers, you may be a terrible film director (Really, Bedtime Stories?), but I like you as a SYTYCD judge. Also, in the audience are Comfort and Joshua from last season.
Bianca Revels- She was that awesome female tapper from last season who made it to the end of Vegas but got shut down. She’s back again this year. She seems affable. She’s dancing without music, which makes a certain amount of sense for a tapper. She’s awesome, and apparently, this is just the year for tap on SYTYCD. She gives good face, is energetic, and connects with the judges. She gets a standing ovation from all three judges. Nigel thinks she’s everything that he loves about tap and calls her the consummate tap dancer. Mary thinks she’s brilliant, and calls her the best female tapper the show has ever had, and Shankers hopes to see very big things from her. She goes straight through to Vegas.
Unnamed Zaftig Female Dancer- She’s bad. I don’t know why we’re watching her, but Nigel makes a good comment about her needing to find moves and lines that fit her body shape. She’s also apparently a very orthodox jew, which would cause problems. Shankers talks about dancing and connection to God, and know I totally know why they showed this actually.
Calico Sequeira- She’s a swing dancer, and she’s 30 so this is her last season to try out. It seems pleasant. Yeah, I’d call it pleasant. Nigel says it was enjoyable to watch but looked like social dancing. Mary also thought it was entertaining. Shankers thought it had no presentational quality. Nos across the board. But then she invites Shankers on stage to dance with her because it seemed fun.
Adam “Shankers” Shankman- Shankers age is listed as “21ish”, which is kind of great. Also kind of great? Shankers himself. He’s graceful, good lines and footwork. He may even be a little too good, which makes me wonder if this is all staged. Nigel and Mary then call Katee (who has miraculously appeared in the audience), Josh, Comfort, and Lauren to the judging table to evaluate Shankers. Katee, proving herself to be funny as well as a good dancer, asks him how much he wants this. Joshua then starts to critique, before Shankers cuts him off reminding him that he was the one who put him through. Shankers is then sent straight through to Vegas. Honestly, this may have been my favorite moment of all the audition shows.
Ricky Sun and Asuka Kondoh- Asoka made it to the end of Vegas but didn’t get through. They’re hoping to make it just as far this year, if not farther. Their footwork is great, but Ricky’s connection with Asuka could be stronger. She’s much better, despite him seemingly making it as much about him as possible. She’s really good though. Nigel says Asuka steals the limelight and calls her stunning, but Ricky holds his own really well, and calls him absolutely excellent. Mary calls it absolutely breathtaking, and found herself coming back to Ricky. Shankers says Asuka stole his focus 100%. Both go straight through to Vegas.
Nathan Trasoras- He almost quit dancing because he was being bullied. He’s really good, great muscle control, great pirouettes, and he also manages to connect with both the judges and the music. And it’s especially impressive because he’s only 17. Which is too young to be on the show. Shankers calls him pretty beepin impressive. Mary says extraordinary. Nigel says his center is one of the best they’ve had on the program. Nigel says that if he DOESN”T come back next year, the judges are gonna hunt him down. Nigel gives him a direct ticket to Vegas for season 6. That’s how impressive he is.
Sammy Ramirez- He was a wrestler, and Cat does a pro wrestling move. Honestly, Cat Deeley, you are just unabashedly awesome. The guy who got Sammy into dance is in prison now, so it’s kind of a tribute. Wow, speaking of unabashedly awesome, this guy is definitely my favorite breaker that we’ve seen so far. His muscle control, hell his skin control, is just phenomenal. He’s smooth (well, as smooth as popping can be), and it’s just tons of fun to watch. Shankers loves him so much too and his fingers are so crossed that this guy gets through choreography. Nigel loves his smile, and his hair choreography. He gets a wholehearted yes to choreography.
Philip Chbeeb- He doesn’t even have to audition, because he goes straight to Vegas. He was supposed to go last year, but got pneumonia. But he’s not done, because he’s auditioning with…
Arielle Coker- She met Phil because he drove her to the hospital when her mom was in there. They seem really sweet. Her routine with Phil is really great. And they seem awfully coupley. It doesn’t showcase her dancing all that much. She also over performs a little bit. Really, it’s kind of impossible to not focus on Phil. I’d say he’s a top 20 lock this year, like Twitch was last year. Nigel thinks she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, which indicates she’s good. Mary also thinks she’s a good dancer. Shankers loves that she brought out the better dancer in Phil. She’s straight to Vegas.
Choreography Day 2 (We didn’t see day 1): Sammy Ramirez makes it to Vegas. Is it wrong of me to say absolute Yay?
SEATTLE
Judges: Nigel, Mary, and Mia Michaels. Hooray Mia Michaels!
Seattle is raining. Shocker!
Kelsea Taylor- Finally, Seattle shows promise. She’s got that weirdly awesome demented thing that Mark from last season had. Nigel says Sonja would love her, which only makes the comparison between her and Mark stronger in my mind. I actually love this. Definitely one of my favorite auditions of the whole season. Nigel calls her zany, slightly crazy, and likes her a lot. Mary loved the musicality and wanted to see more and noted that she didn’t show her weaknesses. Mia calls her a beautiful, disasterous, weirdo, but in the best ways possible. I love Mia critiques. She goes to choreography.
Choreography Day 1: Kelsea goes to Vegas. Note, only FOUR dancers made it to Vegas from Day 1. Yikes, Seattle must have really sucked after all.
Leonid Knyshov (I think) – His idea of dancing appears to be entirely lifted from Dance Dance Revolution. There’s no energy whatsoever. I hate auditions like this. Nigel calls it on its similarity to jumpstyle, in that it’s just really bad. Nigel says it’s like he was at a rave, Mary said it reminded her of three to four year olds jumping and twirling. Mia suggests a battle between him and sex, to which Leonid greatly says “Oh God No.” Unfortunatley, Sex is game for it.
SIDE NOTE: If FOX keeps up this amount of heavy advertising for Glee, I really fear it could turn viewers off. Give it a rest, and a big push come mid-august, FOX.
The Battle: Sex vs. Leonid- Is it possible to actively root against both sides in a battle? I mean, one has to win, right? Is it too much to hope that somehow they both manage to lose and never come back to the show? Cat calls this the ultimate dance battle, and if I were Robert Muraine or Phil Chbeeb, I would find this insulting considering their dance off last season finale. Apparently, Sex wins round one, round two is a draw, and Leo wins round three, because sex ran out of stamina (ZING!). Mia names Leo as her winner, Mary picks Leo, and Nigel picks Sex. Nigel asks Leo if he’s willing to call it a draw, but Leo will take the win, thank you very much. Nigel actually suggests Sex go to the choreography round, which I would consider a slap in the face if I was sent to the choreography round. Mary acquiesces, but Mia, expressing sanity, says no. But he’s going to choreography.
Choreography Day 2: Sex is thankfully not going anywhere near Vegas. Kupa (see full recap), however, is going to Vegas.
Well, that’s it for the auditions this year. Next week is Vegas, where you can make it or break it. I’m hoping for some Nomi Malone style breakout stars (“You have more natural talent than I’ve ever seen! Ever!”) The choreographers seem to bringing it, the judges seem to be bringing the bitchy, and lets hope the dancers the awesome too. See you guys next week!
Hey folks, Nate here again. Tonight’s our last audition show for season 5, so lets hope for some talent. I’m not gonna lie folks, it was a long and arduous day at work, so this recap might not be entirely up to snuff. It may be sorely lacking in witticisms and various other bon mots. Lets hope it’s good though, just like tonight’s auditions.
LA
We start out tonight in LA. Cat seems her usual perky self. She even says “Gangstah” at one point. Joining Nigel and Mary tonight is Shankers. Shankers, you may be a terrible film director (Really, Bedtime Stories?), but I like you as a SYTYCD judge. Also, in the audience are Comfort and Joshua from last season.
Bianca Revels- She was that awesome female tapper from last season who made it to the end of Vegas but got shut down. She’s back again this year. She seems affable. She’s dancing without music, which makes a certain amount of sense for a tapper. She’s awesome, and apparently, this is just the year for tap on SYTYCD. She gives good face, is energetic, and connects with the judges. She gets a standing ovation from all three judges. Nigel thinks she’s everything that he loves about tap and calls her the consummate tap dancer. Mary thinks she’s brilliant, and calls her the best female tapper the show has ever had, and Shankers hopes to see very big things from her. She goes straight through to Vegas.
Unnamed Zaftig Female Dancer- She’s bad. I don’t know why we’re watching her, but Nigel makes a good comment about her needing to find moves and lines that fit her body shape. She’s also apparently a very orthodox jew, which would cause problems. Shankers talks about dancing and connection to God, and know I totally know why they showed this actually.
Calico Sequeira- She’s a swing dancer, and she’s 30 so this is her last season to try out. It seems pleasant. Yeah, I’d call it pleasant. Nigel says it was enjoyable to watch but looked like social dancing. Mary also thought it was entertaining. Shankers thought it had no presentational quality. Nos across the board. But then she invites Shankers on stage to dance with her because it seemed fun.
Adam “Shankers” Shankman- Shankers age is listed as “21ish”, which is kind of great. Also kind of great? Shankers himself. He’s graceful, good lines and footwork. He may even be a little too good, which makes me wonder if this is all staged. Nigel and Mary then call Katee (who has miraculously appeared in the audience), Josh, Comfort, and Lauren to the judging table to evaluate Shankers. Katee, proving herself to be funny as well as a good dancer, asks him how much he wants this. Joshua then starts to critique, before Shankers cuts him off reminding him that he was the one who put him through. Shankers is then sent straight through to Vegas. Honestly, this may have been my favorite moment of all the audition shows.
Ricky Sun and Asuka Kondoh- Asoka made it to the end of Vegas but didn’t get through. They’re hoping to make it just as far this year, if not farther. Their footwork is great, but Ricky’s connection with Asuka could be stronger. She’s much better, despite him seemingly making it as much about him as possible. She’s really good though. Nigel says Asuka steals the limelight and calls her stunning, but Ricky holds his own really well, and calls him absolutely excellent. Mary calls it absolutely breathtaking, and found herself coming back to Ricky. Shankers says Asuka stole his focus 100%. Both go straight through to Vegas.
Nathan Trasoras- He almost quit dancing because he was being bullied. He’s really good, great muscle control, great pirouettes, and he also manages to connect with both the judges and the music. And it’s especially impressive because he’s only 17. Which is too young to be on the show. Shankers calls him pretty beepin impressive. Mary says extraordinary. Nigel says his center is one of the best they’ve had on the program. Nigel says that if he DOESN”T come back next year, the judges are gonna hunt him down. Nigel gives him a direct ticket to Vegas for season 6. That’s how impressive he is.
Sammy Ramirez- He was a wrestler, and Cat does a pro wrestling move. Honestly, Cat Deeley, you are just unabashedly awesome. The guy who got Sammy into dance is in prison now, so it’s kind of a tribute. Wow, speaking of unabashedly awesome, this guy is definitely my favorite breaker that we’ve seen so far. His muscle control, hell his skin control, is just phenomenal. He’s smooth (well, as smooth as popping can be), and it’s just tons of fun to watch. Shankers loves him so much too and his fingers are so crossed that this guy gets through choreography. Nigel loves his smile, and his hair choreography. He gets a wholehearted yes to choreography.
Philip Chbeeb- He doesn’t even have to audition, because he goes straight to Vegas. He was supposed to go last year, but got pneumonia. But he’s not done, because he’s auditioning with…
Arielle Coker- She met Phil because he drove her to the hospital when her mom was in there. They seem really sweet. Her routine with Phil is really great. And they seem awfully coupley. It doesn’t showcase her dancing all that much. She also over performs a little bit. Really, it’s kind of impossible to not focus on Phil. I’d say he’s a top 20 lock this year, like Twitch was last year. Nigel thinks she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, which indicates she’s good. Mary also thinks she’s a good dancer. Shankers loves that she brought out the better dancer in Phil. She’s straight to Vegas.
Choreography Day 2 (We didn’t see day 1): Sammy Ramirez makes it to Vegas. Is it wrong of me to say absolute Yay?
SEATTLE
Judges: Nigel, Mary, and Mia Michaels. Hooray Mia Michaels!
Seattle is raining. Shocker!
Kelsea Taylor- Finally, Seattle shows promise. She’s got that weirdly awesome demented thing that Mark from last season had. Nigel says Sonja would love her, which only makes the comparison between her and Mark stronger in my mind. I actually love this. Definitely one of my favorite auditions of the whole season. Nigel calls her zany, slightly crazy, and likes her a lot. Mary loved the musicality and wanted to see more and noted that she didn’t show her weaknesses. Mia calls her a beautiful, disasterous, weirdo, but in the best ways possible. I love Mia critiques. She goes to choreography.
Choreography Day 1: Kelsea goes to Vegas. Note, only FOUR dancers made it to Vegas from Day 1. Yikes, Seattle must have really sucked after all.
Leonid Knyshov (I think) – His idea of dancing appears to be entirely lifted from Dance Dance Revolution. There’s no energy whatsoever. I hate auditions like this. Nigel calls it on its similarity to jumpstyle, in that it’s just really bad. Nigel says it’s like he was at a rave, Mary said it reminded her of three to four year olds jumping and twirling. Mia suggests a battle between him and sex, to which Leonid greatly says “Oh God No.” Unfortunatley, Sex is game for it.
SIDE NOTE: If FOX keeps up this amount of heavy advertising for Glee, I really fear it could turn viewers off. Give it a rest, and a big push come mid-august, FOX.
The Battle: Sex vs. Leonid- Is it possible to actively root against both sides in a battle? I mean, one has to win, right? Is it too much to hope that somehow they both manage to lose and never come back to the show? Cat calls this the ultimate dance battle, and if I were Robert Muraine or Phil Chbeeb, I would find this insulting considering their dance off last season finale. Apparently, Sex wins round one, round two is a draw, and Leo wins round three, because sex ran out of stamina (ZING!). Mia names Leo as her winner, Mary picks Leo, and Nigel picks Sex. Nigel asks Leo if he’s willing to call it a draw, but Leo will take the win, thank you very much. Nigel actually suggests Sex go to the choreography round, which I would consider a slap in the face if I was sent to the choreography round. Mary acquiesces, but Mia, expressing sanity, says no. But he’s going to choreography.
Choreography Day 2: Sex is thankfully not going anywhere near Vegas. Kupa (see full recap), however, is going to Vegas.
Well, that’s it for the auditions this year. Next week is Vegas, where you can make it or break it. I’m hoping for some Nomi Malone style breakout stars (“You have more natural talent than I’ve ever seen! Ever!”) The choreographers seem to bringing it, the judges seem to be bringing the bitchy, and lets hope the dancers the awesome too. See you guys next week!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance 5/27- Miami and Memphis Move their Moneymakers
NOTE: Last week, Spot (from sytycd.ca) pointed out that posting the same recap both here and at sytycd.ca may cause problems with Google. So here’s the deal folks, what you’ll find here is the ABRIDGED recap. Then, with the full recap, you can find that over at So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Social. Sound good folks?
Welcome back folks, for another great edition of the SYTYCD auditions shows! Tonight we’re hitting up Miami and Memphis. In honor of SYTYCD’s city alliteration, I’m hoping for some banoodles breakers, beyond crazy ballroom couples, consummate contemporaries, lovely lyricals, tremendous tappers, hard-hitting hip-hoppers, jaw-dropping jazz dancers, and just judges.
Miami
Priscilla Marrero- She is Spanish, but that is about all I catch from her audition package. However, her dancing is fantastic, she knows how to PERFORM, which is key, and her quality of movement is just great. She knows how to connect with her audience. I can see her in the top 10. She’s been dancing for a long time, and it’s who she is. Nigel loved her, Mary calls her over-the-top wonderful, and Tyce says it made him happy to be a dancer and it does something to him. Maybe that’s what those pseudo-orgasmic noises he was making during her audition were.
On a serious question, though, have they been telling the guest judge to be an over-the-top character like Nigel and Mary? B/c between Sonja and Tyce, they are acting a bit too over-the-top. I tend to like the guest judge because they’re much more reasonable. But, depending on the judges schtick (Yay- Mia, Sonja, the inevitable Shankers, Nay- Tyce), this could get agitating.
Jeanette Manrara and Romulo Villaverde- They auditioned last season, she made it to the end of Vegas week, and got rejected. He didn’t even make it through to Vegas. Well, here’s that beyond-crazy ballroom couple I was looking for. They are sultry, their footwork is very impressive, as is the backflip/split they have. They seem to labor for a second every so often, but they are very very good. Nigel loved it, Mary Murphy screams and loves her sexy strength. The flip split put Tyce over the top. Mary threatens to kill Nigel if they don’t go to Vegas, and, fearing for his life, they go straight through to Vegas
Wislande Letang- She is nervous. And awful. She comes close to flashing the judges, repulses Tyce, and is just generally not even deserving of a recap. But I do this for you, readers. Mary had no idea what just happened, makes a backhanded reference to Nigel’s sexism in that she was clearly only dancing for him. Nigel says she had no style or enthusiasm. Tyce says he was shocked, but Wislande correctly calls him on actually looking disgusted. She’s kind of got him there.
Eric “Silky” Moore- He’s a tapper, and also knows hip-hop. He knows tap is a dying art, and he’s trying to bring it back. He’s dancing to Thriller. He’s really good. Fluid, fantastic footwork, knows how to perform, and you can almost see the infusions of hip-hop into the tap. Plus, there’s an awesome moonwalk and worm. So, between him and Peter Sabasino, there better be a tapper in our top 20. He was simply awesome. Nigel tells him that it was great, started slow, but got great. Mary wanted to keep watching him. Tyce found it totally inspiring from the start. He goes straight through to Vegas. Deservedly.
Paris Torres- She was Miss Washington. She entered pageants because of dance. She also has the most preposterous blue eyes, that I’m sure they must be contact fakes. It’s a very pretty ballet-esque routine. I say esque because I’m pretty sure it’s not only ballet and it’s also choreographer to a remix of Toxic by Britney spears. Certainly enjoyable, but I wouldn’t necessarily put her straight through to Vegas. Nigel found it very good indeed, Mary loved her lines and limbs, and Tyce thought it was great but she was too focused on her lower limbs. It’s a 2-1 vote but she gets straight though to vegas.
Henry Rivero, Megan Kinney, Alex Wong- They are all lumped in a montage of good contemporary. I wish we could have seen Megan and Alex’s full auditions. All make it straight through to Vegas. But, seriously, these guys get 20 second each but crappy Tony (see full recap for his blurb) gets like 5 minutes?
Thalia Rickett (I think, this may be the wrong name)- She met her husband at age 14, married at 18, and became a widow at 22. Really sad backstory, and, despite the shades of Danny Gokey in this backstory, I’m rooting for her. It’s her first audition in 2 years, and she has the attitude and hits her hip-hop moves hard, but the technique seems a little lacking. Nigel accurately points out how often she pulls her face and didn’t see enough there for him. Mary calls it fiery, but didn’t see the substance, despite seeing potential. Tyce thought the energy was good, but it was lacking in hip-hop technique. Nigel fakes her out before sending her to choreography.
Choreography Day 2: Geo (see full recap) makes it to Vegas, as does, surprising no one, Thalia.
MEMPHIS
Mariko Flake (also might be the wrong name)- He’s a police officer, and patrols the entertainment district. He does Memphis juking, which is all about bounce and smoothness. Well, in his video package, his is impressive. His actual audition is no less so. Ridiculous body control and footwork. I can totally see the bounce and smoothness in there. Best breaker-ish dancer the show has had yet. Nigel loved it, Lil’ C enjoyed it, and Mary thought he had it all going on. She points out that juking is usually in the feet, but he made them watch it all. They toy with him before putting him straight through to Vegas.
Christopher Corroza- He seems like a douche. His style is called “Electric” and it apparently is a little bit of him stealing everything. But is, in actuality, hopping in a bellbottoms like I’m sure he does at Burning Man every year. Nigel calls it EuroPop/Rave Party and then says it doesn’t show if he’s a dancer or not. This guy is a total douche. He wasted their time, doesn’t want to hear criticism, and then tells the judges they’re being overly critical. Total, total douche.
Caitlin Kinney- She is the sister of Megan Kinney (who I wanted more of earlier). And she is beautiful to watch. She does an amazing cartwheel backflip, some great leaps, and a very impressive routine (Can you tell I have my technical vocabulary down pat?). She also ands in a ridiculous upside down warrior-pose type thing. Nigel calls her absolutely phenomenal for having only danced for five years. She’s also had a hip reconstruction surgery, and Mary calls this her destiny for having come back from that. Lil’ C calls her captivating and she gave him chills. She goes straight to Vegas.
Anna Dunn- Her father killed himself a little over a year ago. She’s been getting through it via dance. It’s her outlet to express herself. I really wanna see her succeed. I really like her dancing, but something about her face doesn’t seem to sync up with the movement. She almost looks too pleased for the movements she’s doing, which seem to tell a story of being broken. Nigel calls her over-choreographed and tells her to calm it down because they need to get feeling from her, but ultimately he calls her tremendous. Mary loved everything except for the constant head movements, calling her a diamond in the rough. Lil’ C tells her to connect with the pain when she dances, and it’s probably the best critique he’s given all episode. She goes to choreography.
Evan Kasprzak – Evan made it to the end of Vegas last year and got cut. If I remember, he was one of those “WTF How did he get cut?” guys like Brandon Bryant. And this audition totally reminds me of why. He’s just simply fantastic. Totally reminiscent of Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire. Here’s my jaw-dropping jazz dancer. Nigel calls it absolutely superb, Mary loves seeing him again but worries America won’t get him, Lil’ C calls it positively amazing. They seem worried about his versatility, but he still goes straight to Vegas.
Ryan Kasprzak- He’s Evan’s brother, an a tapper, but he’s got experience in tons of other styles. He’s tapping with a whoopee cushion, so I’m automatically a fan. He’s got great comedy, footwork, uses the prop really well. This is a very good season for tap so far. Nigel calls it terrific and lots of fun. Mary calls it pure, pure entertainment. Lil’ C says it was an amazing solo and positively delightful. He goes straight through to Vegas just like Lil’ bro.
Choreography Day 2: Anna Dunn goes to Vegas, Travis goes to Vegas, and both Guerra sisters go to Vegas as well. (See full recap for the sisters and Travis)
So, it seems like this episode was all about siblings and tap. There were certainly a lot of promising contestants. And I will see you back here tomorrow for our final two cities, LA and Seattle. Viva la SYTYCD!
Welcome back folks, for another great edition of the SYTYCD auditions shows! Tonight we’re hitting up Miami and Memphis. In honor of SYTYCD’s city alliteration, I’m hoping for some banoodles breakers, beyond crazy ballroom couples, consummate contemporaries, lovely lyricals, tremendous tappers, hard-hitting hip-hoppers, jaw-dropping jazz dancers, and just judges.
Miami
Priscilla Marrero- She is Spanish, but that is about all I catch from her audition package. However, her dancing is fantastic, she knows how to PERFORM, which is key, and her quality of movement is just great. She knows how to connect with her audience. I can see her in the top 10. She’s been dancing for a long time, and it’s who she is. Nigel loved her, Mary calls her over-the-top wonderful, and Tyce says it made him happy to be a dancer and it does something to him. Maybe that’s what those pseudo-orgasmic noises he was making during her audition were.
On a serious question, though, have they been telling the guest judge to be an over-the-top character like Nigel and Mary? B/c between Sonja and Tyce, they are acting a bit too over-the-top. I tend to like the guest judge because they’re much more reasonable. But, depending on the judges schtick (Yay- Mia, Sonja, the inevitable Shankers, Nay- Tyce), this could get agitating.
Jeanette Manrara and Romulo Villaverde- They auditioned last season, she made it to the end of Vegas week, and got rejected. He didn’t even make it through to Vegas. Well, here’s that beyond-crazy ballroom couple I was looking for. They are sultry, their footwork is very impressive, as is the backflip/split they have. They seem to labor for a second every so often, but they are very very good. Nigel loved it, Mary Murphy screams and loves her sexy strength. The flip split put Tyce over the top. Mary threatens to kill Nigel if they don’t go to Vegas, and, fearing for his life, they go straight through to Vegas
Wislande Letang- She is nervous. And awful. She comes close to flashing the judges, repulses Tyce, and is just generally not even deserving of a recap. But I do this for you, readers. Mary had no idea what just happened, makes a backhanded reference to Nigel’s sexism in that she was clearly only dancing for him. Nigel says she had no style or enthusiasm. Tyce says he was shocked, but Wislande correctly calls him on actually looking disgusted. She’s kind of got him there.
Eric “Silky” Moore- He’s a tapper, and also knows hip-hop. He knows tap is a dying art, and he’s trying to bring it back. He’s dancing to Thriller. He’s really good. Fluid, fantastic footwork, knows how to perform, and you can almost see the infusions of hip-hop into the tap. Plus, there’s an awesome moonwalk and worm. So, between him and Peter Sabasino, there better be a tapper in our top 20. He was simply awesome. Nigel tells him that it was great, started slow, but got great. Mary wanted to keep watching him. Tyce found it totally inspiring from the start. He goes straight through to Vegas. Deservedly.
Paris Torres- She was Miss Washington. She entered pageants because of dance. She also has the most preposterous blue eyes, that I’m sure they must be contact fakes. It’s a very pretty ballet-esque routine. I say esque because I’m pretty sure it’s not only ballet and it’s also choreographer to a remix of Toxic by Britney spears. Certainly enjoyable, but I wouldn’t necessarily put her straight through to Vegas. Nigel found it very good indeed, Mary loved her lines and limbs, and Tyce thought it was great but she was too focused on her lower limbs. It’s a 2-1 vote but she gets straight though to vegas.
Henry Rivero, Megan Kinney, Alex Wong- They are all lumped in a montage of good contemporary. I wish we could have seen Megan and Alex’s full auditions. All make it straight through to Vegas. But, seriously, these guys get 20 second each but crappy Tony (see full recap for his blurb) gets like 5 minutes?
Thalia Rickett (I think, this may be the wrong name)- She met her husband at age 14, married at 18, and became a widow at 22. Really sad backstory, and, despite the shades of Danny Gokey in this backstory, I’m rooting for her. It’s her first audition in 2 years, and she has the attitude and hits her hip-hop moves hard, but the technique seems a little lacking. Nigel accurately points out how often she pulls her face and didn’t see enough there for him. Mary calls it fiery, but didn’t see the substance, despite seeing potential. Tyce thought the energy was good, but it was lacking in hip-hop technique. Nigel fakes her out before sending her to choreography.
Choreography Day 2: Geo (see full recap) makes it to Vegas, as does, surprising no one, Thalia.
MEMPHIS
Mariko Flake (also might be the wrong name)- He’s a police officer, and patrols the entertainment district. He does Memphis juking, which is all about bounce and smoothness. Well, in his video package, his is impressive. His actual audition is no less so. Ridiculous body control and footwork. I can totally see the bounce and smoothness in there. Best breaker-ish dancer the show has had yet. Nigel loved it, Lil’ C enjoyed it, and Mary thought he had it all going on. She points out that juking is usually in the feet, but he made them watch it all. They toy with him before putting him straight through to Vegas.
Christopher Corroza- He seems like a douche. His style is called “Electric” and it apparently is a little bit of him stealing everything. But is, in actuality, hopping in a bellbottoms like I’m sure he does at Burning Man every year. Nigel calls it EuroPop/Rave Party and then says it doesn’t show if he’s a dancer or not. This guy is a total douche. He wasted their time, doesn’t want to hear criticism, and then tells the judges they’re being overly critical. Total, total douche.
Caitlin Kinney- She is the sister of Megan Kinney (who I wanted more of earlier). And she is beautiful to watch. She does an amazing cartwheel backflip, some great leaps, and a very impressive routine (Can you tell I have my technical vocabulary down pat?). She also ands in a ridiculous upside down warrior-pose type thing. Nigel calls her absolutely phenomenal for having only danced for five years. She’s also had a hip reconstruction surgery, and Mary calls this her destiny for having come back from that. Lil’ C calls her captivating and she gave him chills. She goes straight to Vegas.
Anna Dunn- Her father killed himself a little over a year ago. She’s been getting through it via dance. It’s her outlet to express herself. I really wanna see her succeed. I really like her dancing, but something about her face doesn’t seem to sync up with the movement. She almost looks too pleased for the movements she’s doing, which seem to tell a story of being broken. Nigel calls her over-choreographed and tells her to calm it down because they need to get feeling from her, but ultimately he calls her tremendous. Mary loved everything except for the constant head movements, calling her a diamond in the rough. Lil’ C tells her to connect with the pain when she dances, and it’s probably the best critique he’s given all episode. She goes to choreography.
Evan Kasprzak – Evan made it to the end of Vegas last year and got cut. If I remember, he was one of those “WTF How did he get cut?” guys like Brandon Bryant. And this audition totally reminds me of why. He’s just simply fantastic. Totally reminiscent of Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire. Here’s my jaw-dropping jazz dancer. Nigel calls it absolutely superb, Mary loves seeing him again but worries America won’t get him, Lil’ C calls it positively amazing. They seem worried about his versatility, but he still goes straight to Vegas.
Ryan Kasprzak- He’s Evan’s brother, an a tapper, but he’s got experience in tons of other styles. He’s tapping with a whoopee cushion, so I’m automatically a fan. He’s got great comedy, footwork, uses the prop really well. This is a very good season for tap so far. Nigel calls it terrific and lots of fun. Mary calls it pure, pure entertainment. Lil’ C says it was an amazing solo and positively delightful. He goes straight through to Vegas just like Lil’ bro.
Choreography Day 2: Anna Dunn goes to Vegas, Travis goes to Vegas, and both Guerra sisters go to Vegas as well. (See full recap for the sisters and Travis)
So, it seems like this episode was all about siblings and tap. There were certainly a lot of promising contestants. And I will see you back here tomorrow for our final two cities, LA and Seattle. Viva la SYTYCD!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
This Redeems The Past Two Seasons of Heroes… Kinda
So, the past two seasons of Heroes, have, with the minor exception here and there, basically sucked. They had too many characters, focused too narrowly on the three or four they thought most appealed to audiences (Newsflash: They didn’t. Peter Petrelli will always be a whiny tool to me), and just lost the idea that a show has to have a distinct narrative thread. But, this video, to me, almost makes the past two seasons of Heroes worth all of that. Comedic (And somewhat NSFW) glory embedded below:
So, yeah, that’s all kinds of awesome. There’s apparently one for Supernatural out there too, but seeing as I’m still stuck in the middle of the first season of Supernatural (It’s the new show that I’m trying to work my way through multiple back seasons of. Worth it, readers?), I can’t judge whether or not it’s better. Credit to the awesome io9 (Gawker’s Sci-Fi blog) for posting this video. I’m not sure it fully redeems the past two seasons of Heroes, but it sure makes the failed potential somewhat more palatable.
So, yeah, that’s all kinds of awesome. There’s apparently one for Supernatural out there too, but seeing as I’m still stuck in the middle of the first season of Supernatural (It’s the new show that I’m trying to work my way through multiple back seasons of. Worth it, readers?), I can’t judge whether or not it’s better. Credit to the awesome io9 (Gawker’s Sci-Fi blog) for posting this video. I’m not sure it fully redeems the past two seasons of Heroes, but it sure makes the failed potential somewhat more palatable.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thoughts on the REAL Idol Finale
So, Kris won. Color me… surprised? I wouldn't say shocked. Unlike the judges, I didn't count him out. But I was definitely expecting Adam to win. But since Adam is basically guaranteed a record deal after the show, I'm not at all upset by the outcome of the show, unlike the spitting mad Adam fans who can be found on nearly every Idol message board. I actually feel that this outcome is better for both guys, although I feel bad for Kris having to release “No Boundaries” as his first singe. Poor guy.
But the Idol finale was as bloat as ever, and I'd call roughly half palatable. In a shocking turn of events, my favorite moment was courtesy of our 9th and 10th place finishers and a comedy icon. I LOVED the Steve Martin banjo number. It was sweet and simply melodic, fit Megan's voice best of anything she's sung on the show, and even Michael Sarver was actually pretty good. Since Wednesday, I've already listened to the original (featuring Vince Gill and Dolly Parton on vocals, a definite recommendation) like 10 times.
Most of the other performances were fairly forgettable. I enjoyed Kris and Keith Urban, but wished Kris had been paired with Jason Mraz instead. Adam with Kiss was not as good as Adam with Queen would have likely been. Looking back after Kris' win, though, “We Are The Champions” is actually really fitting, since they basically both won. Also, Simon's distinct lack of standing during Kris' victory reeked of douche. Not surprising, but still bears mentioning. So, yeah, all in all, a mixed bag of a finale. But when going into it I knew I was guaranteed to be happy with the outcome, I was perfectly fine with the mixed bag.
But the Idol finale was as bloat as ever, and I'd call roughly half palatable. In a shocking turn of events, my favorite moment was courtesy of our 9th and 10th place finishers and a comedy icon. I LOVED the Steve Martin banjo number. It was sweet and simply melodic, fit Megan's voice best of anything she's sung on the show, and even Michael Sarver was actually pretty good. Since Wednesday, I've already listened to the original (featuring Vince Gill and Dolly Parton on vocals, a definite recommendation) like 10 times.
Most of the other performances were fairly forgettable. I enjoyed Kris and Keith Urban, but wished Kris had been paired with Jason Mraz instead. Adam with Kiss was not as good as Adam with Queen would have likely been. Looking back after Kris' win, though, “We Are The Champions” is actually really fitting, since they basically both won. Also, Simon's distinct lack of standing during Kris' victory reeked of douche. Not surprising, but still bears mentioning. So, yeah, all in all, a mixed bag of a finale. But when going into it I knew I was guaranteed to be happy with the outcome, I was perfectly fine with the mixed bag.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance 5/21- It’s Baaaaaack!
Hey folks,
Nate here. If you didn’t see my previous two posts, I will be your handy-dandy recapper for the season. Anyhoo, I’m super excited that So You Think You Can Dance is back! Can we all have a collective whoo girl moment? SYTYCD WHOO!!!!!!! Wasn’t that fun? I promise, I will not be this goofy the rest of the season. It’s just I’m finally getting a weekly Cat Deeley fix again. It was a rough winter folks. Rough. There may or may have not been rioting in the streets. On second thought, I may have imagined that. But either way, I’m glad to have my Cat back.
We start out with a Cat video package of auditions, and watching all the dancey goodness is making me ooze with anticipation. At least, I hope that’s what that ooze is. Folks, I swear I’m not this goofed out always, for serious. But audition episodes are always hard to recap, so what I think I’m gonna do is just highlight the dancers who, for one reason or another (meaning the good, the bad, and the ugly (both good and bad versions of ugly)) and give mention to anyone who the show picks out.
New York (Fine, Brooklyn, but that doesn’t count, you’re just a borough after all)
Ok, so Cat dances with some of the auditioners, and she’s even more adorable than I remember. Seriously folks, be prepared for ridiculous amounts of Cat love throughout the season. The judges for New York are Nigel, Mary, and Tabitha and Napoleon.
Gabi Rojas- She was raised in the circus and has rheumatoid arthritis. Ok, so she hasn’t danced yet and I’m already rooting for her. Good way to start the show. But when she starts dancing, I’m really rooting for her. She reminds me a little bit of Mark (S4) in the way she moves. But it’s absolutely captivating. She’s so fluid and remarkable. If she doesn’t get a ticket straight through to Vegas, I’m gonna be mad. She gets a standing ovation from most of the audience and judges, and that’s a good sign. Nigel says it’s one of the best auditions of any season and says she’s destined for the top 20. She also earns a Mary Murphy scream (Oh god, I forgot about that). She goes straight through to Vegas. Good.
Mutation (Storyboard-P and Hobgoblin)- Ok, so they’re painted like zombies. The show subtitles all their weird terms, and they say they’re dancing to show change, like Obama. I’m… intrigued. It’s interesting, certainly, but besides being contortionists, it’s not great. In fact, the way they move their bodies is creeping out both me and the judges. I do like when they climb on the judges table and send the judges cowering in fear. Ok, I’m not a fan of “joint-tortionism.” The judges deem them interesting and they inspired Napoleon, and are sent to choreography to see if they can actually dance.
SIDE NOTE: You’ll see these a lot during my recaps. They’re thoughts not really connected to the show, but that I feel like saying. For instance, I LOVE the new Prius commercials with nature made of people. It’s like Soylent Green, but warm and fuzzy.
Peter Sabasino- He challenges Nigel to a tap duel AND gets a video package at home, which means he clearly makes it far. He seems charismatic, and I don’t know much about tap at all, but he seems impressive with his footwork and the judges clearly like it a lot. Nigel calls him tremendous, Mary wanted him to wear less clothing, and Napoleon liked his buildup. He gets sent straight to Vegas on his tap alone, which is… impressive.
Tiffany Geigel- She has a form of spinal dysplasia and was not expected to live through her first night. She’s 23 now, and Cat has a genuine and great chat with her about her life. Her dancing is really amazing, considering her condition. She is genuinely really good. Nigel dances around (Pun!) how to critique her, and then surprisingly enough gives her a real critique of her technique before talking about her bravery, for which the entire room gives her a standing ovation. They can’t really put her through to Hollywood, but they praise her for showing up and dancing. She just wanted to prove her point though, and she’s glad she did.
SIDE NOTE: I really want a Weight Watchers Hungry. I don’t know why Weight Watchers thinks anyone would want to fight one. I wanna cuddle it.
Maksim Kapitannikov- He’s dancing with Faina from season 3, and is a ballroomer. The judges see potential, and send him to choreography.
Nabuya Nagahama- The show seems to be making fun of his accent at first, which is a little strange for the show. But I actually really enjoy his audition. The judges seem to be having fun, but I have my doubts about seeing him again. He seems like one of those cannon fodder fun auditions. But he is sent to choreography.
Choreography Day 1- Lauren from season 3 is doing the choreography round and, according to her, it’s tough because its season 5 and it should be. Mutation leaves before even dancing, because they don’t want to face their competition. Maksim makes it to Vegas and so does Nabuya.
Arielle Taylor- She auditioned for season 3, made it to Vegas, but she admits she wasn’t ready yet. She’s pretty good. Not blow your mind amazing, but very fluid and graceful, and she knows how to connect with the audience. Nigel thinks she’s absolutely terrific, Mary calls her stunning, and Tabitha likes that she’s come back. She gets a ticket to Vegas.
Thomas Martin and Amanda Clark- They’re doing the Bolero. He was a champion baton twirler when he was young. Napoleon starts laughing during their routine, which is not really appropriate since they’re not that bad. Nigel calls it ungainly, Mary calls it novice dancing, and it’s just a no across the board.
Nina Estrina and Igor Zabrodin- They’re a ballroom couple doing a cha cha. As I’ve said before, I don’t really know much about ballroom and ballroom technique, but they’re really good. Exciting to watch, certainly. And Nina spins like 20 times at the end in succession and it’s kind of banoodles. Nigel calls it fabulous, Mary calls the spin the longest one she’s ever seen (She uses the technical term but I didn’t catch it). Tabitha and Napoleon thought their control was great. They go to the choreography round.
SIDE NOTE: That Honda Fit Blowfish ad is one of the best car ads I’ve seen in a long time.
Kellen Stancil- He dances with an umbrella, but seemingly ditches it at some point, oh no, wait, it’s back. His dancing is good, but honestly, the umbrella is distracting. He’s clearly a very talented dancer, though, and I think he’d catch my attention more without the prop. Apparently, the umbrella for his lost aunt, and now I feel like a jerk for dissing the prop. Sorry dead aunt. Tabitha hones in on the connection and importance of the routine, and Napoleon was moved. He gets a ticket straight to Vegas.
Chimezie Nwosu- He’s a breaker, and he seems fun in his intro video package. His actual dancing is kind of preposterously awesome. I love watching him, and he runs up a wall and just misses landing the flip. He’s still the best breaker we’ve seen yet. Nigel calls it fun and inventive. Mary smiled the whole time. Napoleon wanted more meat and foundation, but loved the performance and Tabitha congratulates his smart choices. He goes through to choreography.
Choreography Day 2- When dancing with new partners, Igor succeeds and Nina fails. Chimezie makes it through too.
DENVER
Judges: Nigel, Mary, and Sonja. YAY SONJA!
Kayla Rodamski- A cute blonde with a video package back at home, which means she’s makin’ it far. The video package reminds me a bit of Chelsie (S4). Her dancing is pretty great. There’s something about her hands that I can’t tell whether it’s good or bad. But they keep distracting me from her actual dancing. Nigel says she brought it and liked the hands. Mary agrees. Sonja calls it smokin’ hot and slick and slippery and this makes me want Sonja to be a judge A LOT. Like, her critiques are great. Kayla goes straight through to Vegas.
SIDE NOTE: I can’t wait to see Up. The last time I wanted to see a movie this badly was… Wall-E. Pixar, like Cat Deeley, can do no wrong. Wait, I forgot about Cars. But still, you catch my drift.
So, in the video package of great dances, Sonja proves she’s not a one time great comment fluke. Like, honestly, lock this woman into a long term contract.
Misha Belfer and Mitchel Kilber- They are a male-male ballroom couple. Oh god, I can’t imagine the problems Nigel’s gonna have with this. His homophobia is the one thing I truly dislike about SYTYCD. They seem to be pretty good, but Nigel is having a hard time not laughing. Which is understandable when they fall, but not before then. Nigel doesn’t know how to critique and compares it to a Will Ferrell movie. Nigel dances around the fact that he doesn’t like men dancing with men, but it’s clear he’s not gonna send them through. Mary critiques them on the ambiguity of roles and thinks they did lead and follow well, but their technique needs work. Sonja, also critiques them on valid reasons. They go to choreography, but not before Nigel disgusts me with a comment about how maybe they’ll find they like dancing with a girl.
Choreography Day 1- Mitch doesn’t get through and neither does Misha. The clips they showed off them during choreography makes this seem valid, but I still have doubts about the motivation behind their cuts.
Allison Moist- First, her name is amazing. Moist is a ridiculous last name. She dances with light sabers, and it’s clearly meant as comedy, but is just kind of awesome in that she clearly is in on the joke. Nigel and Mary make Star Wars puns before tearing her apart. Mary calls it comical, and Sonja is laughing so hard she can’t speak, and then tells her that she can’t believe she’s really serious. Allison seems to be crying, so I guess she wasn’t in on the joke after all?
Elias Holloway- He’s dancing with his brother Enoch, and they’re really corny. They’re the youngest of 14 children. They’re really white boys dancing hip hop, but, surprise surprise, they’re actually really fluid poppers. They also have good synchronization. All in all, I’m actually a big fan. Nigel found it extremely entertaining. Mary calls it the cutest thing she’s seen in all five years. Sonja can see him doing dance commercials and calls him very marketable. He’s sent to choreography.
Natalie Reid- Natalie is Katee (S4)’s roommate. Wow, her dancing is just gorgeous. Sonja is tearing up during it, and seems to be dancegasming at the judging table. So, she better make the Top 20 this season, that’s all I’m saying. Sonja says she’s her biggest fan, and it makes her get chills. Mary is so proud of her. Nigel makes a Katee joke, calls it superb, and says it’s an honor to see her dance. Needless to say, she’s straight to Vegas.
Brandon Bryant- Ohmygod Brandon. He so should have made it into the top 20 last season. He was robbed, even though I’m glad Gev made it. And OHMYGOD I am hooked from the first second. Is it too early to say Brandon FTW? He’s like a combination of all the things I loved about Danny, Will, and Mark. Jaw-droppingly phenomenal. Mary is crying and says she has the greatest job in the world. Sonja seems blissed out and I realize that she’s like a great combination of Mia and Lil’ C. Nigel sees exponential growth in him. He gets THREE tickets to Vegas (all the judges held them up).
Choreography Day 2- Elias is not asked through, but they want him to come back next year.
So, WOOT ALL! SYTYCD IS BACK! Also, folks, let me know if these recaps are too long. I kind of write as I go and they recaps just get longer and longer. I’ll try to cut down on them if you guys want. But I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. If this wasn’t enough of a SYTYCD for you, hop over to SYTYCD.ca. See you guys next week for Miami and Memphis!
Nate here. If you didn’t see my previous two posts, I will be your handy-dandy recapper for the season. Anyhoo, I’m super excited that So You Think You Can Dance is back! Can we all have a collective whoo girl moment? SYTYCD WHOO!!!!!!! Wasn’t that fun? I promise, I will not be this goofy the rest of the season. It’s just I’m finally getting a weekly Cat Deeley fix again. It was a rough winter folks. Rough. There may or may have not been rioting in the streets. On second thought, I may have imagined that. But either way, I’m glad to have my Cat back.
We start out with a Cat video package of auditions, and watching all the dancey goodness is making me ooze with anticipation. At least, I hope that’s what that ooze is. Folks, I swear I’m not this goofed out always, for serious. But audition episodes are always hard to recap, so what I think I’m gonna do is just highlight the dancers who, for one reason or another (meaning the good, the bad, and the ugly (both good and bad versions of ugly)) and give mention to anyone who the show picks out.
New York (Fine, Brooklyn, but that doesn’t count, you’re just a borough after all)
Ok, so Cat dances with some of the auditioners, and she’s even more adorable than I remember. Seriously folks, be prepared for ridiculous amounts of Cat love throughout the season. The judges for New York are Nigel, Mary, and Tabitha and Napoleon.
Gabi Rojas- She was raised in the circus and has rheumatoid arthritis. Ok, so she hasn’t danced yet and I’m already rooting for her. Good way to start the show. But when she starts dancing, I’m really rooting for her. She reminds me a little bit of Mark (S4) in the way she moves. But it’s absolutely captivating. She’s so fluid and remarkable. If she doesn’t get a ticket straight through to Vegas, I’m gonna be mad. She gets a standing ovation from most of the audience and judges, and that’s a good sign. Nigel says it’s one of the best auditions of any season and says she’s destined for the top 20. She also earns a Mary Murphy scream (Oh god, I forgot about that). She goes straight through to Vegas. Good.
Mutation (Storyboard-P and Hobgoblin)- Ok, so they’re painted like zombies. The show subtitles all their weird terms, and they say they’re dancing to show change, like Obama. I’m… intrigued. It’s interesting, certainly, but besides being contortionists, it’s not great. In fact, the way they move their bodies is creeping out both me and the judges. I do like when they climb on the judges table and send the judges cowering in fear. Ok, I’m not a fan of “joint-tortionism.” The judges deem them interesting and they inspired Napoleon, and are sent to choreography to see if they can actually dance.
SIDE NOTE: You’ll see these a lot during my recaps. They’re thoughts not really connected to the show, but that I feel like saying. For instance, I LOVE the new Prius commercials with nature made of people. It’s like Soylent Green, but warm and fuzzy.
Peter Sabasino- He challenges Nigel to a tap duel AND gets a video package at home, which means he clearly makes it far. He seems charismatic, and I don’t know much about tap at all, but he seems impressive with his footwork and the judges clearly like it a lot. Nigel calls him tremendous, Mary wanted him to wear less clothing, and Napoleon liked his buildup. He gets sent straight to Vegas on his tap alone, which is… impressive.
Tiffany Geigel- She has a form of spinal dysplasia and was not expected to live through her first night. She’s 23 now, and Cat has a genuine and great chat with her about her life. Her dancing is really amazing, considering her condition. She is genuinely really good. Nigel dances around (Pun!) how to critique her, and then surprisingly enough gives her a real critique of her technique before talking about her bravery, for which the entire room gives her a standing ovation. They can’t really put her through to Hollywood, but they praise her for showing up and dancing. She just wanted to prove her point though, and she’s glad she did.
SIDE NOTE: I really want a Weight Watchers Hungry. I don’t know why Weight Watchers thinks anyone would want to fight one. I wanna cuddle it.
Maksim Kapitannikov- He’s dancing with Faina from season 3, and is a ballroomer. The judges see potential, and send him to choreography.
Nabuya Nagahama- The show seems to be making fun of his accent at first, which is a little strange for the show. But I actually really enjoy his audition. The judges seem to be having fun, but I have my doubts about seeing him again. He seems like one of those cannon fodder fun auditions. But he is sent to choreography.
Choreography Day 1- Lauren from season 3 is doing the choreography round and, according to her, it’s tough because its season 5 and it should be. Mutation leaves before even dancing, because they don’t want to face their competition. Maksim makes it to Vegas and so does Nabuya.
Arielle Taylor- She auditioned for season 3, made it to Vegas, but she admits she wasn’t ready yet. She’s pretty good. Not blow your mind amazing, but very fluid and graceful, and she knows how to connect with the audience. Nigel thinks she’s absolutely terrific, Mary calls her stunning, and Tabitha likes that she’s come back. She gets a ticket to Vegas.
Thomas Martin and Amanda Clark- They’re doing the Bolero. He was a champion baton twirler when he was young. Napoleon starts laughing during their routine, which is not really appropriate since they’re not that bad. Nigel calls it ungainly, Mary calls it novice dancing, and it’s just a no across the board.
Nina Estrina and Igor Zabrodin- They’re a ballroom couple doing a cha cha. As I’ve said before, I don’t really know much about ballroom and ballroom technique, but they’re really good. Exciting to watch, certainly. And Nina spins like 20 times at the end in succession and it’s kind of banoodles. Nigel calls it fabulous, Mary calls the spin the longest one she’s ever seen (She uses the technical term but I didn’t catch it). Tabitha and Napoleon thought their control was great. They go to the choreography round.
SIDE NOTE: That Honda Fit Blowfish ad is one of the best car ads I’ve seen in a long time.
Kellen Stancil- He dances with an umbrella, but seemingly ditches it at some point, oh no, wait, it’s back. His dancing is good, but honestly, the umbrella is distracting. He’s clearly a very talented dancer, though, and I think he’d catch my attention more without the prop. Apparently, the umbrella for his lost aunt, and now I feel like a jerk for dissing the prop. Sorry dead aunt. Tabitha hones in on the connection and importance of the routine, and Napoleon was moved. He gets a ticket straight to Vegas.
Chimezie Nwosu- He’s a breaker, and he seems fun in his intro video package. His actual dancing is kind of preposterously awesome. I love watching him, and he runs up a wall and just misses landing the flip. He’s still the best breaker we’ve seen yet. Nigel calls it fun and inventive. Mary smiled the whole time. Napoleon wanted more meat and foundation, but loved the performance and Tabitha congratulates his smart choices. He goes through to choreography.
Choreography Day 2- When dancing with new partners, Igor succeeds and Nina fails. Chimezie makes it through too.
DENVER
Judges: Nigel, Mary, and Sonja. YAY SONJA!
Kayla Rodamski- A cute blonde with a video package back at home, which means she’s makin’ it far. The video package reminds me a bit of Chelsie (S4). Her dancing is pretty great. There’s something about her hands that I can’t tell whether it’s good or bad. But they keep distracting me from her actual dancing. Nigel says she brought it and liked the hands. Mary agrees. Sonja calls it smokin’ hot and slick and slippery and this makes me want Sonja to be a judge A LOT. Like, her critiques are great. Kayla goes straight through to Vegas.
SIDE NOTE: I can’t wait to see Up. The last time I wanted to see a movie this badly was… Wall-E. Pixar, like Cat Deeley, can do no wrong. Wait, I forgot about Cars. But still, you catch my drift.
So, in the video package of great dances, Sonja proves she’s not a one time great comment fluke. Like, honestly, lock this woman into a long term contract.
Misha Belfer and Mitchel Kilber- They are a male-male ballroom couple. Oh god, I can’t imagine the problems Nigel’s gonna have with this. His homophobia is the one thing I truly dislike about SYTYCD. They seem to be pretty good, but Nigel is having a hard time not laughing. Which is understandable when they fall, but not before then. Nigel doesn’t know how to critique and compares it to a Will Ferrell movie. Nigel dances around the fact that he doesn’t like men dancing with men, but it’s clear he’s not gonna send them through. Mary critiques them on the ambiguity of roles and thinks they did lead and follow well, but their technique needs work. Sonja, also critiques them on valid reasons. They go to choreography, but not before Nigel disgusts me with a comment about how maybe they’ll find they like dancing with a girl.
Choreography Day 1- Mitch doesn’t get through and neither does Misha. The clips they showed off them during choreography makes this seem valid, but I still have doubts about the motivation behind their cuts.
Allison Moist- First, her name is amazing. Moist is a ridiculous last name. She dances with light sabers, and it’s clearly meant as comedy, but is just kind of awesome in that she clearly is in on the joke. Nigel and Mary make Star Wars puns before tearing her apart. Mary calls it comical, and Sonja is laughing so hard she can’t speak, and then tells her that she can’t believe she’s really serious. Allison seems to be crying, so I guess she wasn’t in on the joke after all?
Elias Holloway- He’s dancing with his brother Enoch, and they’re really corny. They’re the youngest of 14 children. They’re really white boys dancing hip hop, but, surprise surprise, they’re actually really fluid poppers. They also have good synchronization. All in all, I’m actually a big fan. Nigel found it extremely entertaining. Mary calls it the cutest thing she’s seen in all five years. Sonja can see him doing dance commercials and calls him very marketable. He’s sent to choreography.
Natalie Reid- Natalie is Katee (S4)’s roommate. Wow, her dancing is just gorgeous. Sonja is tearing up during it, and seems to be dancegasming at the judging table. So, she better make the Top 20 this season, that’s all I’m saying. Sonja says she’s her biggest fan, and it makes her get chills. Mary is so proud of her. Nigel makes a Katee joke, calls it superb, and says it’s an honor to see her dance. Needless to say, she’s straight to Vegas.
Brandon Bryant- Ohmygod Brandon. He so should have made it into the top 20 last season. He was robbed, even though I’m glad Gev made it. And OHMYGOD I am hooked from the first second. Is it too early to say Brandon FTW? He’s like a combination of all the things I loved about Danny, Will, and Mark. Jaw-droppingly phenomenal. Mary is crying and says she has the greatest job in the world. Sonja seems blissed out and I realize that she’s like a great combination of Mia and Lil’ C. Nigel sees exponential growth in him. He gets THREE tickets to Vegas (all the judges held them up).
Choreography Day 2- Elias is not asked through, but they want him to come back next year.
So, WOOT ALL! SYTYCD IS BACK! Also, folks, let me know if these recaps are too long. I kind of write as I go and they recaps just get longer and longer. I’ll try to cut down on them if you guys want. But I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. If this wasn’t enough of a SYTYCD for you, hop over to SYTYCD.ca. See you guys next week for Miami and Memphis!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thoughts On the Idol Performance Finale
So, I watched the American Idol final performance show last night. I’ve been following this season, but I haven’t really been watching. I was rooting for Adam, Allison, and Kris all season, so you can imagine that I was happy with this final 2, and even happier that America put the Go in Gokey after multiple weeks of me just not understanding the guy.
So what did I think of the finale? Well, they both performed really well. Honestly, I will be perfectly happy with either guy winning. But I think, both in the finale and my overall rooting, Kris wins by just a little bit. To break it down as Simon does, he won two of the three rounds last night, boasted its best performance IMO, and I just think Kris winning would be the better outcome for either guy.
Kris’ “Aint No Sunshine” last night was maybe his best performance of the season, and also marks Kris’ second entry on to the “Songs I Would Actually Listen To” list (His first being his awesome take on “Heartless”). With two, he runs second place on that list, but he’s not behind Adam, he’s behind Allison (“Hot Stuff”, “Slow Ride”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, and “Cry Baby”). As much as I think Adam is probably the best singer the show has ever had, none of his performances have ever had me remembering them over and over. I mean, don’t get me wrong, his “Mad World” last night was, to correctly use an incorrect Simon critique, a “vocal masterclass.” But you know what, Glambert is set no matter the outcome. I don’t think he’ll necessarily be iconic, as Paula said, but that guy will be recording music for years to come. While I don’t doubt that Kris is golden too, I think he could use the Idol machine much more than Adam could. It’ll constrict Adam, whereas I don’t think it’ll constrain Kris nearly as much.
But a post about the Idol performance finale wouldn’t be complete without talking about that large turd that Kara took on the Idol stage, “No Boundaries.” Seriously, I know all Idol songs suck, but really? THIS was the best you could do? Hell, it didn’t fit either singer, and nearly every judge said it sucked. And that’s also the note you want to end on? Not any one of the great performances that these two guys have delivered? This has fully cemented to me that Kara NEEDS to go. Kris’ version of the two was better, I thought, and it also pissed me off that instead of complimenting him on making that awful awful song into only an awful song, they told him “you should be really proud of your second place finish.” Which is bullshit, they just didn’t want to acknowledge that Kris got really really good this season while they were too busy salivating over Danny Hokey [sic]. So I’m rooting for Kris tonight, but I’ll be fine with either guy getting it. They both put on a pretty damn good show this season.
So what did I think of the finale? Well, they both performed really well. Honestly, I will be perfectly happy with either guy winning. But I think, both in the finale and my overall rooting, Kris wins by just a little bit. To break it down as Simon does, he won two of the three rounds last night, boasted its best performance IMO, and I just think Kris winning would be the better outcome for either guy.
Kris’ “Aint No Sunshine” last night was maybe his best performance of the season, and also marks Kris’ second entry on to the “Songs I Would Actually Listen To” list (His first being his awesome take on “Heartless”). With two, he runs second place on that list, but he’s not behind Adam, he’s behind Allison (“Hot Stuff”, “Slow Ride”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, and “Cry Baby”). As much as I think Adam is probably the best singer the show has ever had, none of his performances have ever had me remembering them over and over. I mean, don’t get me wrong, his “Mad World” last night was, to correctly use an incorrect Simon critique, a “vocal masterclass.” But you know what, Glambert is set no matter the outcome. I don’t think he’ll necessarily be iconic, as Paula said, but that guy will be recording music for years to come. While I don’t doubt that Kris is golden too, I think he could use the Idol machine much more than Adam could. It’ll constrict Adam, whereas I don’t think it’ll constrain Kris nearly as much.
But a post about the Idol performance finale wouldn’t be complete without talking about that large turd that Kara took on the Idol stage, “No Boundaries.” Seriously, I know all Idol songs suck, but really? THIS was the best you could do? Hell, it didn’t fit either singer, and nearly every judge said it sucked. And that’s also the note you want to end on? Not any one of the great performances that these two guys have delivered? This has fully cemented to me that Kara NEEDS to go. Kris’ version of the two was better, I thought, and it also pissed me off that instead of complimenting him on making that awful awful song into only an awful song, they told him “you should be really proud of your second place finish.” Which is bullshit, they just didn’t want to acknowledge that Kris got really really good this season while they were too busy salivating over Danny Hokey [sic]. So I’m rooting for Kris tonight, but I’ll be fine with either guy getting it. They both put on a pretty damn good show this season.
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