It's week nine, the semifinals, which means it's time for the video of the DWTS "mirror ball" trophy surrounded by smoke and lights. Our lineup tonight includes three female celebrities and one male, which I believe might just be unprecedented. They've got three "full" (meaning, I suppose, not part of group numbers) routines to dance tonight: one Ballroom dance, one Latin and the "Knockout" dance they prepared weeks ago during the dance-offs. In addition, each couple's Latin routine must include a solo by the celebrity, not my favorite gimmick at all.
Donny & Kym: Despite having done an awesome Argentine Tango, they bring in Gilles ("I'm on Brothers & Sisters, also on ABC") Marini to help with the romance and passion: "make people uncomfortable", he advises. The music is awful, way better suited to Foxtrot than Tango. Kym's foot catches and tears the hem of her skirt, which throws them both off. Donny loses his performance focus even though his footwork is clean. He feels really bad about it, and you can't help but feel bad for him. 7.5/10.0
Donny's so distraught, he lays down on the floor. Tom's reaction? "Somebody call the paramedics, we have another Osmond down! Another Osmond down!" Donny blames seeing Marie in the audience for losing his focus. Marie, standing next to Tom Bergeron, protests.
Joanna & Derek: The rehearsals are getting rough, Derek is pushing hard and getting frustrated. Brooke Burke visits to joke around and make fun of Derek. Viennese Waltz. The opening is simple and pretty and so is the entire routine. Very understated and classic, not a lot of flash, but that's the right call. Nice lines, and a good start to body stretch, but still lacking grounding. Carrie Ann, of course, has to criticize her and makes some pointless comment about her arms and not her feet, which have been iffy all season. 9.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: With a family dog dying, the "new" more motivated Kelly is pushing through and practicing instead of falling apart, and is not intimidated by the Rumba, which for some reason they're doing instead of their Ballroom. She's feeling the music, really thoughtful and soft in performance. The solo isn't so great. Decent technique, some hips, a bit shaky on some of her lines. She does, though, do the last one where she's braced on one foot against Louis and he's holding on to the other and nothing else pretty well. 7.5/10.0
Apparently, Kelly's feet were in such pain she had a shot to numb them, which must somehow explain the flip-flop of their dances.
Mya & Dmitry: She brings in a white board to remind them of the practice rules, the last of which is ironically that Dmitry is in charge. Sure. Waltz. Excellent technique, and not overdone or trying too hard. Very graceful. Their dance hold is off, I think she's a bit misaligned. Still a lack of chemistry and connection between them beyond the technique. They also do a lift at the end, but Carrie Ann Inconistent doesn't catch it. 9.0/10.0
In the audience: Helio Castroneves. During the next section, the intro video will be a little history of each celebrity.
Donny & Kym: Man, his kids totally look like him. Samba to his own "One Bad Apple", cute. Lots of great energy, some good hips going and lots of feeling. He's really in the music, a great change in his performance. His solo has some nice steps and content, and he really looks like he's having fun. He'll never be as hard and sharp as some others, but he'll always be very smooth. 8.5/10.0
Joanna & Derek: Single mom + two girls left Communist Poland. Mom, it seems, passed on very good genes to both her daughters. Cha Cha. She starts with the solo, slinking on the stage with some great swivel and hip action. The full fringe pants, I'm betting, are Derek's idea, highlighting her best technique and camouflaging her weaknesses. Very sharp movement, great connection and lead & follow. 9.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Her unusual upbringing and history make her adventurous and resilient. Quickstep. Random song, super fast for Quickstep. Great technique, especially the Charleston footwork in the corner which might be the best of the season. Slightly off during a jump. Bright and fun performance, nice choreography, points for keeping up the speed. 9.5/10.0
Mya & Dmitry: She was taught tap by her mom out of a library book. Salsa, although their song "La Isla Bonita" is a Samba and the arrangement even more so. Lots of great rhythm, very fast music. Good hip action and Latin motion, nice follow. They do a variation on the neck-drop-to-foot trick that works very well. Her solo is strong, but it's easy in this dance and something like Cha Cha. 9.5/10.0
Len's comment is "Tutti Fruitti, what a booty". No, seriously.
Video package: the prep of the Knockout dances. Interesting to note that it's been a couple of weeks since any of them have practiced these routines, and none of them were called upon to use them for a dance-off. Apparently, celebrities being asked to do three routines in one night is also unprecedented.
Donny & Kym: Jitterbug. Good call. We finally get to see those gaudy spangly green costumes in action. It's Donny's signature high energy and solid technique. Some good tricks, lots of fun. 9.5/10.0
Joanna & Derek: Salsa. Excellent energy, very sharp movement, lots of great swivels. Good connection, some callback to their neck drop. Lots of Derek mugging. 9.5/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Cha Cha. Adorable look with the pink/black costumes. Great musicality. Very sharp, excellent arms and hands. Solid performance. 8.0/10.0
Mya & Dmitry: Cha Cha. Good technique. Clearly from a while ago, as the choreography isn't as tight and interesting as what he's doing lately. Some tricks, good footwork, still not quite together. 8.5/10.0
Results show. They've ramped up the drama music. Tom calls it the most "entertainment-packed" show ever, and considering the lineup, he's not far wrong.
Encore: Mya & Dmitry's Salsa. Some parts of it actually work better tonight than last night. The Wife and some friends share our less-than-totally-impressed view of this couple. One common comment was that when speaking, Mya's words seem to come off a little disingenuous, a little fake. I notice on Twitter (a great way to follow the action and find out things closer to the stars' and celebs' real feelings) that no matter how much everyone gushes about everyone else, the one exception is that nobody seems to be especially close or affectionate with Mya.
We find out that the reason Kelly's solo last night looked off was that she'd forgotten her choreography and was improvising it. Wow.
They bring up the four couples to the stage and fake them out. Instead, we get a video package of each contestant sizing up their competition.
We're treated to a performance of the song "Be Italian", as staged in the upcoming movie musical Nine. The movie's number is re-created and adapted for the studio, with a dancer filling in for the really-surprisingly-good-at-the-song Fergie, who plays the Whore in the movie (no seriously, that's the character). The number is good and well-staged. I'm really looking forward to the movie.
Musical guest: Alicia Keys, "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart". She has her own two couples for dancers, and they're quite good. She's wearing thigh-high blue suede high-heel boots that seem to have no zippers.
Video: The celebs lip sync to Queen's "Under Pressure". The sync quality varies greatly, but Joanna, Kelly and especially Donny seem to get into the overdramatics with gusto. There are dresses torn, mirror balls smashed and high heel dance shoes set on fire. Very funny, mostly for Donny.
They bring the two higher-scoring couples to the stage, and inform Mya & Dmitry that they've made it to the finals. No surprise, but a little disappointment here. We find her the most technically talented, but least interesting to watch dance.
Musical guest: Leona Lewis, "Happy". Four couples to dance in a floor full of smoke, and using huge black sheets as props. Um, okay.
The lower-scoring couples come to the stage. Donny is moved to the finals and is very relieved.
Musical guest: the Bee Gees, "You Should Be Dancing". It's their 50th Anniversary, wow. They can still hit the falsetto, but the song just doesn't sound right with just the two of them. Tony, Cheryl, Chelsie and Artem (making one of his occasional appearances) dance some Hustle, and then Tony dances with his partner from last season, Melissa Rycroft who gets to dance barefoot, probably because she couldn't get used to the heels again fast enough. I note that Tony has no trouble lifting her over his head either, so he must only have trouble with Cheryl. The audience is on its feet clapping along. We see Sharon grooving, but Ozzy looks especially confused by the disco music.
Video package: We actually spend some time with the professionals, watching backstage footage of them creating the pro routines. It's interesting to watch the interplay of the egos and creative forces. They get worked up, but we don't see any fighting, and clearly they know how to work together to make great results.
And it's time to announce the third couple in the finals, and it's Kelly & Louis.
Eliminated: Joanna Krupa & Derek Hough. He's totally ready for it. She sounds really sincere in her thanks. Probably the worst part of it all is that Derek was promising a freestyle that would blow their futuristic Paso "out of the water", and I believe it. Instead of a last dance, surprisingly, they're asked to encore their Viennese Waltz from last night. It's still a great routine, and she dances it well.
Finals next week. See you there.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 8
Two dances tonight for each couple-- that is, two full original routines. First, is the Ballroom (aka Smooth or Standard) round, and then the Latin which for some reason they've decided to theme tonight by assigning each couple not just a dance but a particular decade. I am not a fan of the gimmicks this show usually comes up with to mix things up, and I'm not feeling much better about this one. The dancers head down the stairs. Kelly always looks adorable (and never in my life did I expect to ever consider Kelly Osbourne "adorable"), Aaron has another inexplicably huge collar and Joanna's done up all old Hollywood glam.
Video package: the judges size up the competitors for the Ballroom round.
Mya & Dmitry: "If you put in something just to please the judges, you lose the 'wow factor'," she strategizes continuing to prove that she's in charge, not the pro. She does push herself on the technique, though, and for no reason they go horseback riding. Quickstep. Good footwork, great posture. Her right arm in hold is soft, but Dmitry doesn't let it break. Solid expression, simple and focused on the dance. 8.5/10.0
Let me get rude for a minute. Mya, frak you and your "wow factor". People who vote on this show will vote for who they like pretty much regardless of how well they dance. If you're going to win, you need to court both sides of the fence, and pushing for more style and less substance is a bad strategy, especially when you're a better dancer than you keep showing. When Len breaks out his 10 paddle, Dmitry gives her a really amusing miniature 10 paddle on a ring.
Aaron & Karina: He thinks it's important to be happy and enjoy the experience. Karina is getting sick, but is determined to not let him dance with a different pro. Smart. Foxtrot. Good movement and travel, decent footwork. Trying to get both technique and performance, lacking a little smoothness. His frame rides too far forward to be in balance. I really don't like her dancing in pants for this. 7.5/10.0
They give them a song with the lyrics "lucky I'm in love with my best friend". A little in-joke there, show?
Joanna & Derek: Working on the super-fast dance with a still frame. He has them watching tapes of Mya to watch for an edge, concentrating on competing. Quickstep. Great frame and posture. Footwork decent, but lacking grounding and strength. Loses a bit of sync in places, a little too far apart in closed hold. Good fast travel. Great choreography ranging the floor. 8.5/10.0
In the audience: Sabrina Bryan, Marie Osmond and, of course, the Jacksons.
Kelly & Louis: She hasn't had a Ballroom since week one, yikes. She gets really distracted by anything, and Louis puts a "do not disturb or Louis will kill you" sign on the door and locks up her phone. Foxtrot. Very together, good confidence and performance. Good movement, very graceful. Fun and cute routine, overall. Love her head position. 8.0/10.0
When they go back, the Red Room is completely empty, which is really kind of eerie.
Donny & Kym: He's feeling bummed out, so he starts over mentally for a fresh start. Struggle to remember steps. Viennese Waltz. Fantastic expression and character. Great movement and travel, very light and graceful and easy. Good frame and posture. Choreography lets it slow and stop for a moment, which I like a lot. 9.0/10.0
Len calls it "arty-farty". Donny points out that he went from "airy-fairy" (per Bruno) to "arty-farty". Tom tells them to "hoppy-skippy" back to the Red Room. We get a "DanceCenter" ad parody.
Time for a pro routine to eat some time. A Latin medley with Tony, Mark, Jaymz Tuaileva (OMG I can't believe I had to type it that way... also, he was on SYTYCD and in High School Musical 2), Snejana Petrova, Lilit Avaqvan, and Sandra Udis. (You have no idea how long it took me to find those names, yikes.) It's a great Latin medley, mostly Paso Doble and Samba.
Video package: the judges size up the competitors for the Latin "Dancing through the Decades" round.
Mya & Dmitry: 70's Samba. Adding the disco moves, having understandable trouble with Samba rolls. He's getting choreography block. He has a great wig and pornstache. Very good choreography with lots of solid content. They didn't do the rolls. Not enough connection between them, mostly because she rarely looks at him. Hip movement but no bounce. Solid overall. 9.5/10.0
Aaron & Karina: 90's Samba. They think to incorporate his old boy-band-ish moves, but not too much she thinks. He's overboard with the energy again, just can't seem to control himself and ease up. Good content for Samba and a few good 90's moves he hits too wild/hard. Pretty good movement and technique. 8.5/10.0
Apparently, Aaron is sick and felt so queasy at one point he nearly barfed. Tom calls that "our oversharing moment for tonight".
Joanna & Derek: Futuristic Paso Doble. There'll be lots of side-by-side work. Hardest choreography and most unusual, unique routine he's ever done. Their costumes light up and their hair and makeup is great. The routine is genius, incorporating both solid Paso content and lots of good theme elements, like straightening traditionally curved arm and leg lines. Solid technique. Awesome show. 10.0/10.0
Clearly, Carrie Anne is determined to never give Joanna as good a mark as the other judges.
Kelly & Louis: 60's Jive. She loves the era, so she gets to contribute steps. Working on the stamina for the dance. Cute looks with their wigs and the ragdoll prop that Bruno misses catching when Louis throws it. Much more confident on the floor, nice expression. Technique-wise, not as great with soft feet, low knees and no ticking. Not an explosive-energy kind of dancer. 8.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: 80's Paso Doble. "No room for a soft edge" in Paso, he says correctly. Pics of his old mullet look. Me, I loved "Soldier of Love", and I don't care who knows it. Adam Ant look for him, awesome costumes and makeup. Paso expression and character is solid throughout, but I think they got a little swamped in all the costuming. The wind machine and uplighting moment, though, was priceless. 9.0/10.0
Okay, the pros really went all-out in making the decade themes a part of the routines and got very creative with the interpretations. It made what could have been very staid and typical late-season Latin dances just a little out of the box. This was one of the best ideas they've had in a long time.
Results show. Tom jokes about the volume of the studio audience and how hard it is to hear themselves and one another. It's bad on this side of the camera, too.
Encore: Joanna & Derek's Futuristic Paso. Slight adjustments in hair and makeup, less extreme. The routine is still as brilliant as it was last night. Only Derek, I think, has the creative chops to have done something this good with that theme. Someone like Dmitry, I think, would have been lost. In Len's introduction, he mentions that they're not picking the one perfect-score routine, maybe somewhat acknowledging that if not for Carrie Anne being an idiot, this routine would have gotten a 30, too.
Safe: Joanna & Derek. Their costumes are still lit when their spotlight goes off, which is awesome and so is Dmitry missing a high five to Derek.
In the audience: Hugh Hefner and his 3 skeezy new girlfriends, Jane Seymour. Mya's score is almost perfect, the rest of the four are separated by just 2 points.
Musical Guest: Michael Bublé, "Just Haven't Met You Yet". Love his voice, amused by his frat boy looks. Jonathan, Maks, Anna & Cheryl dance a great and unusually lighthearted and fun routine with lots of awesome partner switching.
Safe: Mya & Dmitry.
Yay! DanceCenter! Kenny Mayne (minus his usual makeup, but also minus pants), Jerry Rice and Len size up the competitors, noting Joanna's braying laugh, Aaron's crying and Donny's age. "Special Backstage Correspondent" Stacy Kiebler goes through hair and makeup to be on camera for two seconds with Donny & Bruno acting couple-y.
Macy Stars of Dance: Design-A-Dance. And the surprise pro dancing with Sabrina Bryan is... Mark Ballas, of course! In their not-as-awful-as-it-sounds tiger stripe costumes, they dance Paso Doble to "Eye of the Tiger". She is fierce and awesome, strong sharp and intense. The choreography is top notch and even involves some climbing over one another and ends with his face in her cleavage. They're both so intense, I wonder if they're working out some issues here. It continues to be a crying shame that America let her be eliminated in her fifth week.
Music: Michael Bublé, "Feeling Good". Love this song, love the video, too. Dancing some great Ballroom are Urs Geisenhaier and Agnes Kazmierczak.
Tom calls elimination "like walking a carpeted plank".
Safe: Donny & Kym.
Music: Susan Boyle, "I Dreamed A Dream". Tony & Chelsie do a very good lyrical theatre arts routine as usual. I note he can lift her over his head just fine, but has trouble with Cheryl. I wonder if she's heavier or if she doesn't help enough. I can't think of Susan Boyle without thinking of what Sharon Osbourne said she looks like. Her singing is fine.
DanceCenter. Kelly is the "Princess of Darkness", is confused and curses a lot. Kenny mistakes Mya for the pro and Len criticizes her not dancing.
When Tom teases the elimination on the other side of the commercial, Louis very clearly uses the F-word on stage.
Safe: Kelly & Louis. She's jumping up and down.
Eliminated: Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff. He was ready for it, and is appreciative for all the "learning" and "growing up" he's done. Len makes a speech about how proud he is of Aaron, which he does a lot-- enough that Maks on his blog wonders if Len wants to adopt the kid.
See you next week at the Semifinals.
...Read more
Video package: the judges size up the competitors for the Ballroom round.
Mya & Dmitry: "If you put in something just to please the judges, you lose the 'wow factor'," she strategizes continuing to prove that she's in charge, not the pro. She does push herself on the technique, though, and for no reason they go horseback riding. Quickstep. Good footwork, great posture. Her right arm in hold is soft, but Dmitry doesn't let it break. Solid expression, simple and focused on the dance. 8.5/10.0
Let me get rude for a minute. Mya, frak you and your "wow factor". People who vote on this show will vote for who they like pretty much regardless of how well they dance. If you're going to win, you need to court both sides of the fence, and pushing for more style and less substance is a bad strategy, especially when you're a better dancer than you keep showing. When Len breaks out his 10 paddle, Dmitry gives her a really amusing miniature 10 paddle on a ring.
Aaron & Karina: He thinks it's important to be happy and enjoy the experience. Karina is getting sick, but is determined to not let him dance with a different pro. Smart. Foxtrot. Good movement and travel, decent footwork. Trying to get both technique and performance, lacking a little smoothness. His frame rides too far forward to be in balance. I really don't like her dancing in pants for this. 7.5/10.0
They give them a song with the lyrics "lucky I'm in love with my best friend". A little in-joke there, show?
Joanna & Derek: Working on the super-fast dance with a still frame. He has them watching tapes of Mya to watch for an edge, concentrating on competing. Quickstep. Great frame and posture. Footwork decent, but lacking grounding and strength. Loses a bit of sync in places, a little too far apart in closed hold. Good fast travel. Great choreography ranging the floor. 8.5/10.0
In the audience: Sabrina Bryan, Marie Osmond and, of course, the Jacksons.
Kelly & Louis: She hasn't had a Ballroom since week one, yikes. She gets really distracted by anything, and Louis puts a "do not disturb or Louis will kill you" sign on the door and locks up her phone. Foxtrot. Very together, good confidence and performance. Good movement, very graceful. Fun and cute routine, overall. Love her head position. 8.0/10.0
When they go back, the Red Room is completely empty, which is really kind of eerie.
Donny & Kym: He's feeling bummed out, so he starts over mentally for a fresh start. Struggle to remember steps. Viennese Waltz. Fantastic expression and character. Great movement and travel, very light and graceful and easy. Good frame and posture. Choreography lets it slow and stop for a moment, which I like a lot. 9.0/10.0
Len calls it "arty-farty". Donny points out that he went from "airy-fairy" (per Bruno) to "arty-farty". Tom tells them to "hoppy-skippy" back to the Red Room. We get a "DanceCenter" ad parody.
Time for a pro routine to eat some time. A Latin medley with Tony, Mark, Jaymz Tuaileva (OMG I can't believe I had to type it that way... also, he was on SYTYCD and in High School Musical 2), Snejana Petrova, Lilit Avaqvan, and Sandra Udis. (You have no idea how long it took me to find those names, yikes.) It's a great Latin medley, mostly Paso Doble and Samba.
Video package: the judges size up the competitors for the Latin "Dancing through the Decades" round.
Mya & Dmitry: 70's Samba. Adding the disco moves, having understandable trouble with Samba rolls. He's getting choreography block. He has a great wig and pornstache. Very good choreography with lots of solid content. They didn't do the rolls. Not enough connection between them, mostly because she rarely looks at him. Hip movement but no bounce. Solid overall. 9.5/10.0
Aaron & Karina: 90's Samba. They think to incorporate his old boy-band-ish moves, but not too much she thinks. He's overboard with the energy again, just can't seem to control himself and ease up. Good content for Samba and a few good 90's moves he hits too wild/hard. Pretty good movement and technique. 8.5/10.0
Apparently, Aaron is sick and felt so queasy at one point he nearly barfed. Tom calls that "our oversharing moment for tonight".
Joanna & Derek: Futuristic Paso Doble. There'll be lots of side-by-side work. Hardest choreography and most unusual, unique routine he's ever done. Their costumes light up and their hair and makeup is great. The routine is genius, incorporating both solid Paso content and lots of good theme elements, like straightening traditionally curved arm and leg lines. Solid technique. Awesome show. 10.0/10.0
Clearly, Carrie Anne is determined to never give Joanna as good a mark as the other judges.
Kelly & Louis: 60's Jive. She loves the era, so she gets to contribute steps. Working on the stamina for the dance. Cute looks with their wigs and the ragdoll prop that Bruno misses catching when Louis throws it. Much more confident on the floor, nice expression. Technique-wise, not as great with soft feet, low knees and no ticking. Not an explosive-energy kind of dancer. 8.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: 80's Paso Doble. "No room for a soft edge" in Paso, he says correctly. Pics of his old mullet look. Me, I loved "Soldier of Love", and I don't care who knows it. Adam Ant look for him, awesome costumes and makeup. Paso expression and character is solid throughout, but I think they got a little swamped in all the costuming. The wind machine and uplighting moment, though, was priceless. 9.0/10.0
Okay, the pros really went all-out in making the decade themes a part of the routines and got very creative with the interpretations. It made what could have been very staid and typical late-season Latin dances just a little out of the box. This was one of the best ideas they've had in a long time.
Results show. Tom jokes about the volume of the studio audience and how hard it is to hear themselves and one another. It's bad on this side of the camera, too.
Encore: Joanna & Derek's Futuristic Paso. Slight adjustments in hair and makeup, less extreme. The routine is still as brilliant as it was last night. Only Derek, I think, has the creative chops to have done something this good with that theme. Someone like Dmitry, I think, would have been lost. In Len's introduction, he mentions that they're not picking the one perfect-score routine, maybe somewhat acknowledging that if not for Carrie Anne being an idiot, this routine would have gotten a 30, too.
Safe: Joanna & Derek. Their costumes are still lit when their spotlight goes off, which is awesome and so is Dmitry missing a high five to Derek.
In the audience: Hugh Hefner and his 3 skeezy new girlfriends, Jane Seymour. Mya's score is almost perfect, the rest of the four are separated by just 2 points.
Musical Guest: Michael Bublé, "Just Haven't Met You Yet". Love his voice, amused by his frat boy looks. Jonathan, Maks, Anna & Cheryl dance a great and unusually lighthearted and fun routine with lots of awesome partner switching.
Safe: Mya & Dmitry.
Yay! DanceCenter! Kenny Mayne (minus his usual makeup, but also minus pants), Jerry Rice and Len size up the competitors, noting Joanna's braying laugh, Aaron's crying and Donny's age. "Special Backstage Correspondent" Stacy Kiebler goes through hair and makeup to be on camera for two seconds with Donny & Bruno acting couple-y.
Macy Stars of Dance: Design-A-Dance. And the surprise pro dancing with Sabrina Bryan is... Mark Ballas, of course! In their not-as-awful-as-it-sounds tiger stripe costumes, they dance Paso Doble to "Eye of the Tiger". She is fierce and awesome, strong sharp and intense. The choreography is top notch and even involves some climbing over one another and ends with his face in her cleavage. They're both so intense, I wonder if they're working out some issues here. It continues to be a crying shame that America let her be eliminated in her fifth week.
Music: Michael Bublé, "Feeling Good". Love this song, love the video, too. Dancing some great Ballroom are Urs Geisenhaier and Agnes Kazmierczak.
Tom calls elimination "like walking a carpeted plank".
Safe: Donny & Kym.
Music: Susan Boyle, "I Dreamed A Dream". Tony & Chelsie do a very good lyrical theatre arts routine as usual. I note he can lift her over his head just fine, but has trouble with Cheryl. I wonder if she's heavier or if she doesn't help enough. I can't think of Susan Boyle without thinking of what Sharon Osbourne said she looks like. Her singing is fine.
DanceCenter. Kelly is the "Princess of Darkness", is confused and curses a lot. Kenny mistakes Mya for the pro and Len criticizes her not dancing.
When Tom teases the elimination on the other side of the commercial, Louis very clearly uses the F-word on stage.
Safe: Kelly & Louis. She's jumping up and down.
Eliminated: Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff. He was ready for it, and is appreciative for all the "learning" and "growing up" he's done. Len makes a speech about how proud he is of Aaron, which he does a lot-- enough that Maks on his blog wonders if Len wants to adopt the kid.
See you next week at the Semifinals.
...Read more
Thursday, October 29, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 6
Don't know who decided to pair Waltz and Jitterbug on the same episode, but it definitely makes for an odd combination of costumes in the lineup. Gotta say that they put together some pretty cute-looking ones for Jitterbug, including a one that features not only our old friends Kym's Boobs but Kym's Abs as well. One odd costuming choice is definitely the massive high collar on Aaron's shirt.
Hugely looking forward to the "Group Marathon" event at the end of the episode. Our good buddy Maks explains why it's an important addition to the show, since it's the closest DWTS has ever gotten to an actual (or, as Len would say, "proper") ballroom competition format.
Mya & Dmitry: Their nickname: Team D-Mya. She's enjoying dancing more. This is the most physically demanding dance they've done. Jitterbug. A long, but cute intro. Great bounce and energy to it, nice expression. A couple of good lifts, but just not explosive enough. 8.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark Time to step up and be serious. The slow speed proving a challenge. In comes Mark's mom Shirley Ballas to coach: "Puppies up," says Shirley to Melissa, echoing Anna T last week. Waltz. Starts hesitant and unsure, posture good for about 3/4, good frame. Not enough swing in legs or sway in body, balance off. 7.0/10.0
Looking at Mark's short hair on the floor and long near-fro in the video, I wonder out loud if Shirley told her son to cut it. Tom: "Later on, I'll be telling you how you can bid on Mark's hair from last week." Great minds.
Mark & Lacey: To make him stand out, she's giving him all the tricks. They go to a Swing club dance for inspiration. Jitterbug. Nice intro and loads of solo work for him. Massive energy, huge tricks, he's really throwing himself into it. Bouncy and happy, a couple of missed connections. 9.0/10.0
Aaron & Karina: He brings flowers and wears a suit to prove his serious commitment to work hard. Waltz. Awesome frame and posture. Very controlled and nicely musical. Good footwork and excellent driving leg action on long steps. Should have realized he's built like a Smooth dancer, it suits him well. 9.0/10.0
There are Jacksons once again in the audience, along with some Osmonds. Len is enjoying showing his "9" paddle to the crowd to get some applause.
Michael & Anna D: On his sports talk radio show, he thanks his fans. They're working to finish strong. Waltz. Nice posture, good frame, very solid footwork. Some good expression and definitely a good feel for the music. The content not especially difficult, but well executed. 7.5/10.0
In the audience: Julianne Hough. Len, it seems, is in a particularly good mood.
Kelly & Louis: She fears failing and is worried she's not good enough. He makes her swing from a trapeze to feel just jumping in, and suddenly there's much more Osbournes-style bleeped cursing. Jitterbug. Manages some good bounce and energy on injured foot. Cute, but flat and contained. She's having fun. 7.0/10.0
Video package: double elimination tomorrow night and knockout dances. For the dance-off, the couples are picking their own dances and music for 30 second routines. Only the judges will decide who's eliminated in the dance-off.
Louie & Chelsie: Feeling the pressure of three dances, really beating up on himself physically. She uses his snowboard videos to teach him. Jitterbug. Lots of energy and good tricks, but clumpy feet and no control and off time. He drops her coming out of tricks twice. A nice try. 6.5/10.0
Tom: "Women fall for Maks all the time-- he told me so himself."
Joanna & Derek: Total change with the slow time and feeling of the dance. Time for Derek's frustration to start showing. Waltz. Gorgeous flow and sway, excellent smoothness and lightness. Great footwork and posture, solid frame and very nice follow. Terrific layback spin, really impressive. 9.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Starting with a clean slate. They're doing some crazy pretzel moves, and he's finding the lifts and tricks taxing. They do a dance class for challenged kids. Jitterbug. Packed full of tricks and choreography. Awesome fun and energy, great expression. A little frantic on timing, maybe. 9.0/10.0
Okay, time for the Group Marathon event, our dance being Mambo. A video package outlines the different skills that this will test: technique (they will still have to dance properly and well), endurance (the music will play until there's a winner, up to four minutes) and floorcraft (the ability to avoid problems with other couples on the floor as well as get the judges' attention). Each couple has different ideas for strategy and have different challenges. All couples will take the floor, dancing until the judges indicate their elimination (with a stagehand doing the actual tap on the shoulder). The order of elimination determines their score. The couples walk out, all of them color coded to one another except Aaron & Karina for some reason. There are also helpful spotlights to give them their starting spaces.
Their elimination order: Michael & Anna D (2 points)... Louie & Chelsie (3)... Melissa & Mark (4)... Kelly & Louis (5)... Mark & Lacey (6)... Donny & Kym (7)... Aaron & Karina (8)... Mya & Dmitry (9)
Joanna & Derek win, taking 10 points. He puts her in a neck drop and bounces her about ten time before bringing her up. I would have been very upset if Mya took it, as she and Dmitry fell off correct Mambo rhythm.
Results show. The scores feature their fifth different leader in five weeks. Clips now feature the RED VIDEO OVERLAY FILTER OF DOOOOOOOOOOM. They're not wasting time with this episode, as there'll be three musical performances.
Musical guest: Taylor Swift, "Jump Then Fall". I gotta notice her band is a little emo'y looking, oddly. On the floor are Theater Arts couple DJ Guthrie and Kersten Todey (Guthrie, who also choreographed, is Lacey's boyfriend).
Several couples are wearing the most brightly-colored costumes ever to be seen on DWTS.
Safe: Joanna & Derek, Mark & Lacey.
In the audience: From Eastwick, 2 of the 3 witches and Sara Rue. Rebecca Romijin decides to display all eight feet of her legs. I'm noticing they're getting very creative with the light patterns on the floor this season.
Video: the competitors' fear of the double elimination. Tom: "They pulled out all the scary music for that."
Safe: Donny & Kym, Aaron & Karina.
Musical guest: Tiempo Libre, "Tu Conga Bach". Seven guys from Cuba whose story is apparently being adapted into a musical. Two couples doing some very good showy Salsa.
Video: The celebrities are designing the costumes for their partners next week.
Safe: Mya & Dmitry, Kelly & Louis. The bottom three in the RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOM: Louie & Chelsie, Michael & Anna D, Melissa & Mark.
Musical guest: Taylor Swift, "Love Story". Is it just me or are her vocals a bit lower-pitched than the recording? Three couples dance, Jonathan & Anna T, Tony & Cheryl, Maks & Edyta. They're wearing sort-of period costumes with the girls in awesome flowy skirts and Ren Faire-ish bodices, guys in more Edwardian ruffled shirts and vests. Anna T looks gorgeous in emerald, and Edyta looks way better than usual, probably because she had no say in the costume. Jonathan choreographed.
Video: Three athletic champions describe competition. Nadia Comaneci, Greg Louganis and Bill Walton.
Eliminated (Lowest Score): Melissa Joan Hart & Mark Ballas. She was very nervous, they get a standing ovation. Her family was going to visit next week, so now she's coming home.
Dance-Off. They start with both couples in a big RED SPOTLIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM on the floor. Michael & Anna D choose Samba. Lots of hips, but just not correct, loose and fun. Louie & Chelsie (or rather, Louie) picks Jive (because it's fun). Off time and he loses his steps at the halfway point.
Bruno elects to save Louie, Len picks Michael and Carrie Anne does, too.
Eliminated (Dance Off): Louie Vito & Chelise Hightower. He does a twisting flip off the stage and is very happy and gracious. I wonder if they were having too much fun for him to progress. Or it could be the fact that they're dating.
See you next week.
...Read more
Hugely looking forward to the "Group Marathon" event at the end of the episode. Our good buddy Maks explains why it's an important addition to the show, since it's the closest DWTS has ever gotten to an actual (or, as Len would say, "proper") ballroom competition format.
Mya & Dmitry: Their nickname: Team D-Mya. She's enjoying dancing more. This is the most physically demanding dance they've done. Jitterbug. A long, but cute intro. Great bounce and energy to it, nice expression. A couple of good lifts, but just not explosive enough. 8.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark Time to step up and be serious. The slow speed proving a challenge. In comes Mark's mom Shirley Ballas to coach: "Puppies up," says Shirley to Melissa, echoing Anna T last week. Waltz. Starts hesitant and unsure, posture good for about 3/4, good frame. Not enough swing in legs or sway in body, balance off. 7.0/10.0
Looking at Mark's short hair on the floor and long near-fro in the video, I wonder out loud if Shirley told her son to cut it. Tom: "Later on, I'll be telling you how you can bid on Mark's hair from last week." Great minds.
Mark & Lacey: To make him stand out, she's giving him all the tricks. They go to a Swing club dance for inspiration. Jitterbug. Nice intro and loads of solo work for him. Massive energy, huge tricks, he's really throwing himself into it. Bouncy and happy, a couple of missed connections. 9.0/10.0
Aaron & Karina: He brings flowers and wears a suit to prove his serious commitment to work hard. Waltz. Awesome frame and posture. Very controlled and nicely musical. Good footwork and excellent driving leg action on long steps. Should have realized he's built like a Smooth dancer, it suits him well. 9.0/10.0
There are Jacksons once again in the audience, along with some Osmonds. Len is enjoying showing his "9" paddle to the crowd to get some applause.
Michael & Anna D: On his sports talk radio show, he thanks his fans. They're working to finish strong. Waltz. Nice posture, good frame, very solid footwork. Some good expression and definitely a good feel for the music. The content not especially difficult, but well executed. 7.5/10.0
In the audience: Julianne Hough. Len, it seems, is in a particularly good mood.
Kelly & Louis: She fears failing and is worried she's not good enough. He makes her swing from a trapeze to feel just jumping in, and suddenly there's much more Osbournes-style bleeped cursing. Jitterbug. Manages some good bounce and energy on injured foot. Cute, but flat and contained. She's having fun. 7.0/10.0
Video package: double elimination tomorrow night and knockout dances. For the dance-off, the couples are picking their own dances and music for 30 second routines. Only the judges will decide who's eliminated in the dance-off.
Louie & Chelsie: Feeling the pressure of three dances, really beating up on himself physically. She uses his snowboard videos to teach him. Jitterbug. Lots of energy and good tricks, but clumpy feet and no control and off time. He drops her coming out of tricks twice. A nice try. 6.5/10.0
Tom: "Women fall for Maks all the time-- he told me so himself."
Joanna & Derek: Total change with the slow time and feeling of the dance. Time for Derek's frustration to start showing. Waltz. Gorgeous flow and sway, excellent smoothness and lightness. Great footwork and posture, solid frame and very nice follow. Terrific layback spin, really impressive. 9.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Starting with a clean slate. They're doing some crazy pretzel moves, and he's finding the lifts and tricks taxing. They do a dance class for challenged kids. Jitterbug. Packed full of tricks and choreography. Awesome fun and energy, great expression. A little frantic on timing, maybe. 9.0/10.0
Okay, time for the Group Marathon event, our dance being Mambo. A video package outlines the different skills that this will test: technique (they will still have to dance properly and well), endurance (the music will play until there's a winner, up to four minutes) and floorcraft (the ability to avoid problems with other couples on the floor as well as get the judges' attention). Each couple has different ideas for strategy and have different challenges. All couples will take the floor, dancing until the judges indicate their elimination (with a stagehand doing the actual tap on the shoulder). The order of elimination determines their score. The couples walk out, all of them color coded to one another except Aaron & Karina for some reason. There are also helpful spotlights to give them their starting spaces.
Their elimination order: Michael & Anna D (2 points)... Louie & Chelsie (3)... Melissa & Mark (4)... Kelly & Louis (5)... Mark & Lacey (6)... Donny & Kym (7)... Aaron & Karina (8)... Mya & Dmitry (9)
Joanna & Derek win, taking 10 points. He puts her in a neck drop and bounces her about ten time before bringing her up. I would have been very upset if Mya took it, as she and Dmitry fell off correct Mambo rhythm.
Results show. The scores feature their fifth different leader in five weeks. Clips now feature the RED VIDEO OVERLAY FILTER OF DOOOOOOOOOOM. They're not wasting time with this episode, as there'll be three musical performances.
Musical guest: Taylor Swift, "Jump Then Fall". I gotta notice her band is a little emo'y looking, oddly. On the floor are Theater Arts couple DJ Guthrie and Kersten Todey (Guthrie, who also choreographed, is Lacey's boyfriend).
Several couples are wearing the most brightly-colored costumes ever to be seen on DWTS.
Safe: Joanna & Derek, Mark & Lacey.
In the audience: From Eastwick, 2 of the 3 witches and Sara Rue. Rebecca Romijin decides to display all eight feet of her legs. I'm noticing they're getting very creative with the light patterns on the floor this season.
Video: the competitors' fear of the double elimination. Tom: "They pulled out all the scary music for that."
Safe: Donny & Kym, Aaron & Karina.
Musical guest: Tiempo Libre, "Tu Conga Bach". Seven guys from Cuba whose story is apparently being adapted into a musical. Two couples doing some very good showy Salsa.
Video: The celebrities are designing the costumes for their partners next week.
Safe: Mya & Dmitry, Kelly & Louis. The bottom three in the RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOM: Louie & Chelsie, Michael & Anna D, Melissa & Mark.
Musical guest: Taylor Swift, "Love Story". Is it just me or are her vocals a bit lower-pitched than the recording? Three couples dance, Jonathan & Anna T, Tony & Cheryl, Maks & Edyta. They're wearing sort-of period costumes with the girls in awesome flowy skirts and Ren Faire-ish bodices, guys in more Edwardian ruffled shirts and vests. Anna T looks gorgeous in emerald, and Edyta looks way better than usual, probably because she had no say in the costume. Jonathan choreographed.
Video: Three athletic champions describe competition. Nadia Comaneci, Greg Louganis and Bill Walton.
Eliminated (Lowest Score): Melissa Joan Hart & Mark Ballas. She was very nervous, they get a standing ovation. Her family was going to visit next week, so now she's coming home.
Dance-Off. They start with both couples in a big RED SPOTLIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM on the floor. Michael & Anna D choose Samba. Lots of hips, but just not correct, loose and fun. Louie & Chelsie (or rather, Louie) picks Jive (because it's fun). Off time and he loses his steps at the halfway point.
Bruno elects to save Louie, Len picks Michael and Carrie Anne does, too.
Eliminated (Dance Off): Louie Vito & Chelise Hightower. He does a twisting flip off the stage and is very happy and gracious. I wonder if they were having too much fun for him to progress. Or it could be the fact that they're dating.
See you next week.
...Read more
Friday, October 23, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 5
The show has experienced all manner of debilitating injuries to its participants but it has never faced the flu, Tom intones with his usual tongue-in-cheek drama. Samantha's poodle hair is back, and it brought friends with Lacey, Kelly and Louis all getting odd 'dos this week. Once again, I can barely hear Tom which I think has mostly to do with all the audience screaming.
Natalie & Alec: Power and aggression are up her alley. She has an overly technical approach and needs to feel. Paso Doble. Very clean and exact throughout, but not enough physical connection between them. She's dancing way too tight. Horrible music. 7.5/10.0
Aaron & Karina: "Turn me on," says Karina, "and that's hard 'cause I'm a cold, hard bitch." Glad she said it. Bring in Parissa & Sandor, an Argentine Tango couple. Excellent, intricate choreography. Great character and expression. Legs not quite flexed enough for a solid base, so feet a bit wobbly. Well done. 8.5/10.0
In the audience: LaToya Jackson (again, but this time they announce her), Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic from Castle. Maks is noticeably absent from the Red Room during Karina's interview.
Michael & Anna D: This should be his dance, with the aggression. She tells him to drive his hips up and forward like he's holding a coin between his butt cheeks. He pretends to. Paso Doble. Good poise standing and in closed position, but off in pivot. Strong, but not explosive and striking. His best so far. 7.5/10.0
Anna D looks really good with the dark hair. Just thought I'd mention. Also worth mentioning is that now Maks is in the Red Room and Karina is not.
Mya & Dmitry: The choreography is difficult, and she nails him in the crotch twice. They do the visit to Habitat For Humanity. Argentine Tango. Spectacular job with technique and leg action. Great job acting on the intro, awesome centering on turns. A little short on fire and chemistry. 9.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: Trying to break out of the middle pack, finding his action movie star aggression. He gets a small "solo". Paso Doble. Very strong, very sharp and well-poised, although posture sometimes stretched a little too far back. Great shapes and solid leading. 8.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: "This is the most passionate dance of all, do you understand?" asks Kym. "I have five kids, what do you think?" Donny deadpans. Argentine Tango. Fantastic technique, great footwork and leg action-- perfectly soft and flexed. Intense character, great feel for dance and music, so subtle and nuanced. 10.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: Bouncing back from the bottom two, putting all his focus. His pretend house in the interview has a snowboard on the wall, of course. Argentine Tango. Very focused, he nails the steps of difficult choreography. Good connection. Weight too far over his feet, especially in solo walks. Big improvement. 7.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark: He stayed home one day with flu, bringing in Anna T, who says to "keep the girls (her boobs) up and perky". Argentine Tango. Difficult, super-fast choreography. Some very nice snap and speed, but a few falters because of the speed. A little light on chemistry. At the end, her fishnet stocking gets caught on his jacket button. 8.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: She can't believe her character is a cape, and can't stop giggling. Paso Doble. They're dancing to Ozzy's "Crazy Train", so they're done up sort of like Ozzy & Sharon, and a big skull is projected on the floor. Very solid footwork and leg action, good shapes and speed. Intense in spots, mostly well performed, but loses focus in spots. 8.0/10.0
In the audience: Ozzy, of course. In the Red Room, Maks is holding a Derek mask over his face.
Joanna & Maks: Derek looks very sick in rehearsals (jokingly blames it on taking his shirt off last week) and has to stay home for days, so Maks subs. Maks: "it was refreshing how quickly she picked it up". Argentine Tango. Streetlamp on the stage, awesome theatrical opening. Great choreography, fantastic footwork. Good leg action. Needs more softness in her body. She steps backwards wrong, stumbles, but recovers. 8.5/10.0
Apparently, Kelly sprained her ankle during her performance, so will be dancing barefoot for the...
Group Dance: Hustle to "Do the Hustle", naturally, plus a big sign saying so on stage. Corky Ballas is the choreographer. They totally dressed up a club to rehearse. Donny is loving it, flashing back to the 70's. Out come the crash mats for the solo bits. They've all got hysterical period costumes on, the girls have their hair done and the guys have awesomely bad wigs, especially Alec; although Mark in his wig looks like my father in old pictures. To do the solos, it's like the Soul Train line, awesome. Melissa cracks up after their solo. Best were Mark, Donny, Mya and Michael's lift.
Results show. This will be choppy, since we fast forwarded through almost all of it.
Encore: Donny & Kym's Argentine Tango. A great demonstration of how to be strong without being hard.
Video package: Throughout the show, they look back at the total of 17 routines that have been danced on the show to Michael Jackson songs. They start with Monique Coleman's, and wow did I forget how good she was.
Musical guest: Norah Jones. Two couples dancing for her, one of the guys looks like a young version of Benjamin Linus (AKA Benry Gale) from LOST.
Video package: What a show day is like.
Musical guest: Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me". Jonathan and Anna T Waltz and are beautiful and adorable dancing together. It turns out this was their wedding song, awwww. Even as Tom is talking, they're still swaying and being cute in the background.
And finally, the much-touted tribute to Michael Jackson. There's a video on the influence Jackson had on the pro dancers and all dancers in general. The performance is introduced by LaToya. They've got the second stage set up on the other end of the floor. There are a few different sections, danced to various songs: Mark, Karina & Derek dance "The Girl Is Mine"; choreography for "The Man In The Mirror" section was by Maks; the "Thriller" section, which closes out the routine looks like Louis' work. When all 16 pros are on the floor doing the iconic "Thriller" choreography, it becomes apparent who has the jazz/hip hop dance chops (the ones in front) and who aren't that comfortable with it (the ones in back). Overall, a pretty good dance show if not mind-blowing.
Eliminated: Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo. Bruno and Carrie Anne are visibly very upset over the loss. The judges begin a standing ovation for her. She's clearly taking it hard.
Next week we start two weeks of double eliminations, plus the dance-offs begin.
...Read more
Natalie & Alec: Power and aggression are up her alley. She has an overly technical approach and needs to feel. Paso Doble. Very clean and exact throughout, but not enough physical connection between them. She's dancing way too tight. Horrible music. 7.5/10.0
Aaron & Karina: "Turn me on," says Karina, "and that's hard 'cause I'm a cold, hard bitch." Glad she said it. Bring in Parissa & Sandor, an Argentine Tango couple. Excellent, intricate choreography. Great character and expression. Legs not quite flexed enough for a solid base, so feet a bit wobbly. Well done. 8.5/10.0
In the audience: LaToya Jackson (again, but this time they announce her), Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic from Castle. Maks is noticeably absent from the Red Room during Karina's interview.
Michael & Anna D: This should be his dance, with the aggression. She tells him to drive his hips up and forward like he's holding a coin between his butt cheeks. He pretends to. Paso Doble. Good poise standing and in closed position, but off in pivot. Strong, but not explosive and striking. His best so far. 7.5/10.0
Anna D looks really good with the dark hair. Just thought I'd mention. Also worth mentioning is that now Maks is in the Red Room and Karina is not.
Mya & Dmitry: The choreography is difficult, and she nails him in the crotch twice. They do the visit to Habitat For Humanity. Argentine Tango. Spectacular job with technique and leg action. Great job acting on the intro, awesome centering on turns. A little short on fire and chemistry. 9.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: Trying to break out of the middle pack, finding his action movie star aggression. He gets a small "solo". Paso Doble. Very strong, very sharp and well-poised, although posture sometimes stretched a little too far back. Great shapes and solid leading. 8.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: "This is the most passionate dance of all, do you understand?" asks Kym. "I have five kids, what do you think?" Donny deadpans. Argentine Tango. Fantastic technique, great footwork and leg action-- perfectly soft and flexed. Intense character, great feel for dance and music, so subtle and nuanced. 10.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: Bouncing back from the bottom two, putting all his focus. His pretend house in the interview has a snowboard on the wall, of course. Argentine Tango. Very focused, he nails the steps of difficult choreography. Good connection. Weight too far over his feet, especially in solo walks. Big improvement. 7.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark: He stayed home one day with flu, bringing in Anna T, who says to "keep the girls (her boobs) up and perky". Argentine Tango. Difficult, super-fast choreography. Some very nice snap and speed, but a few falters because of the speed. A little light on chemistry. At the end, her fishnet stocking gets caught on his jacket button. 8.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: She can't believe her character is a cape, and can't stop giggling. Paso Doble. They're dancing to Ozzy's "Crazy Train", so they're done up sort of like Ozzy & Sharon, and a big skull is projected on the floor. Very solid footwork and leg action, good shapes and speed. Intense in spots, mostly well performed, but loses focus in spots. 8.0/10.0
In the audience: Ozzy, of course. In the Red Room, Maks is holding a Derek mask over his face.
Joanna & Maks: Derek looks very sick in rehearsals (jokingly blames it on taking his shirt off last week) and has to stay home for days, so Maks subs. Maks: "it was refreshing how quickly she picked it up". Argentine Tango. Streetlamp on the stage, awesome theatrical opening. Great choreography, fantastic footwork. Good leg action. Needs more softness in her body. She steps backwards wrong, stumbles, but recovers. 8.5/10.0
Apparently, Kelly sprained her ankle during her performance, so will be dancing barefoot for the...
Group Dance: Hustle to "Do the Hustle", naturally, plus a big sign saying so on stage. Corky Ballas is the choreographer. They totally dressed up a club to rehearse. Donny is loving it, flashing back to the 70's. Out come the crash mats for the solo bits. They've all got hysterical period costumes on, the girls have their hair done and the guys have awesomely bad wigs, especially Alec; although Mark in his wig looks like my father in old pictures. To do the solos, it's like the Soul Train line, awesome. Melissa cracks up after their solo. Best were Mark, Donny, Mya and Michael's lift.
Results show. This will be choppy, since we fast forwarded through almost all of it.
Encore: Donny & Kym's Argentine Tango. A great demonstration of how to be strong without being hard.
Video package: Throughout the show, they look back at the total of 17 routines that have been danced on the show to Michael Jackson songs. They start with Monique Coleman's, and wow did I forget how good she was.
Musical guest: Norah Jones. Two couples dancing for her, one of the guys looks like a young version of Benjamin Linus (AKA Benry Gale) from LOST.
Video package: What a show day is like.
Musical guest: Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me". Jonathan and Anna T Waltz and are beautiful and adorable dancing together. It turns out this was their wedding song, awwww. Even as Tom is talking, they're still swaying and being cute in the background.
And finally, the much-touted tribute to Michael Jackson. There's a video on the influence Jackson had on the pro dancers and all dancers in general. The performance is introduced by LaToya. They've got the second stage set up on the other end of the floor. There are a few different sections, danced to various songs: Mark, Karina & Derek dance "The Girl Is Mine"; choreography for "The Man In The Mirror" section was by Maks; the "Thriller" section, which closes out the routine looks like Louis' work. When all 16 pros are on the floor doing the iconic "Thriller" choreography, it becomes apparent who has the jazz/hip hop dance chops (the ones in front) and who aren't that comfortable with it (the ones in back). Overall, a pretty good dance show if not mind-blowing.
Eliminated: Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo. Bruno and Carrie Anne are visibly very upset over the loss. The judges begin a standing ovation for her. She's clearly taking it hard.
Next week we start two weeks of double eliminations, plus the dance-offs begin.
...Read more
Thursday, October 22, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 4
Okay, I complain about the costumes on this show plenty, but the ones they've got going for these four oddball dances are just way out there. I can also pretty assuredly say that the couples who got assigned Lambada were anything but random. As they usually do for the less-than-typical dance styles (not that it actually makes sense for anything but Lindy Hop/Jitterbug, but whatever), they've removed the "no lift" restriction, provided the move is consistent with the dance style.
Chuck & Anna T: He's a lot goofier practicing this, and his happy to get to wear jeans and do some lifts. Country Two-Step. He barely does anything, dance-wise, just a few short walks, and those aren't even on time with the music. The lifts are okay, but it's just clumsy and clunky all over. Anna's hair continues to be huge. 4.0/10.0
The judges softpedal him. Are they afraid to give him criticism?
Melissa & Mark: "Time to be fearless," she says, and is drilling steps so as not to need to think about them. Mark has a huge moustache. Charleston, and it begins in black and white, nice. Very cute routine and well danced. Complicated choreography, great expression and performance, lot of energy for about 90% of the routine. Lots of fun. 9.0/10.0
In the audience: Joey Lawrence (he and MJH are developing a TV series), Gilles Marini (he's appearing on ABC's Brothers & Sisters), and LaToya Jackson (she's...)
Natalie & Alec: Working on loosening her up and increasing the difficulty level. Bolero. Good extension and great stretch. Working well with the music, but not as comfortable with movement as last week. Not enough connection between them, lacking performance. 8.0/10.0
Aaron & Karina: After last week's critiques, he got hugs and comfort from... Michael? They want a back flip so they go to a gymnastics coach. Lambada. The flip is good. High energy and showy, but too much-- frantic and just trying too hard. Kind of overly disco-y feeling than Latin. 7.5/10.0
Mark & Lacey: He needs to lighten up and enjoy dancing, so they bring in his three kids. Country 2-Step. Bales of hay on the floor. Things look a lot more fun and confident, good expression. Slips on time a bit. Good progression and some nice tricks. 8.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Chicago-meets-Cabaret theme. She doesn't like the dancer "noises" they all make. She was set to play Roxie Hart, but was pulled for not being able to dance, that sucks. Charleston. Louis wearing Emcee makeup. Great energy, lots of content, great performance. Confident in more spots, cute routine. Good use of prop canes. 8.5/10.0
Speaking of Roxie Hart... Samantha played her on stage? Ugh, that must've been horrendous.
Joanna & Derek: Derek says he has "the best job in America". They're going for difficulty. Lambada. Derek tosses away his shirt, she starts behind Len. Great rhythm and musicality. Lots of difficulty in the choreography, very good tricks. Strong chemistry. Adjusting last lift where she's straddling him looks wrong. 9.5/10.0
Carrie Anne: "I hope the children were in bed for that performance." Tom: "I think some of the adults are, now." (Tom FTW!)
Donny & Kym: He's a total perfectionist and is scared of mistakes. A "typical Donny dance", Charleston. Excellent choreography. Terrific footwork and great speed, not taking it easy. Great sync and performance for them both, looks like a lot of fun. Cute. 8.5/10.0
Donny runs over to the audience and kisses his wife and kids but not Marie. In the Red Room, Louis is making weird faces (even weirder with makeup) and pretending to touch Samantha's hair.
Michael & Anna D: Bring in Tony to coach for the feeling and passion. Bolero. Much improved connection and chemistry. Very little dancing, mostly walking and posing. No content for him at all. 4.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: To find the cowboy within, they go to Ty Murray's ranch and do chores. Country 2-Step. Awkward first steps, then no content for him. Not really on rhythm at all, just walking around off-beat. Good work with arm connections, at least. 5.0/10.0
Mya & Dmitry: They're trying to please Len. Sometimes it seems she takes charge of the choreography, hmm. Lambada. They're all oily and wet-looking. Good rhythm and feel for the music, nice expression. A little over-excited, needs more control. 9.0/10.0
Results show. Derek's shirtlessness was a impulse decision, and he apologizes for the way the end of the Lambada looked.
Encore: Melissa & Mark's Charleston. Just as great second time.
Musical guest: Shakira. "Did It Again". Group of female Korean drummers. Odd, interesting song. Amazing boots she's got on. I have to wonder if she'd be considered much weirder and less popular if she wasn't so attractive.
Safe: Mya, Melissa. RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM: Aaron.
Pro dance: Demonstrating next week's dances, medley of Paso Doble (choreography by Louis) and Argentine Tango (choreography by guest Tango dancers). Alec, Dmitry, Louis, Cheryl, Edyta & Karina. Awesome, as always.
Samantha delivers another super-awkward interview. Aaron gets and awkward laugh. She doesn't even talk to Mya.
Safe: Kelly, Natalie, Joanna. All the women are safe. Mark, Michael.
Video package: Kids visiting their parents at the studios.
Musical guest: Shakira. "Hips Don't Lie". Eight pseudo-belly dancers.
Video package: Stress, pressure and frustration for both celebs and pros.
Safe: Donny, Louie. Bottom two: Chuck, Aaron (he looks nauseous, Karina looks teary)
Eliminated: Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya. She calls him her "bear" and her "hippo". He says he had a lot of fun and they're both very gracious.
...Read more
Chuck & Anna T: He's a lot goofier practicing this, and his happy to get to wear jeans and do some lifts. Country Two-Step. He barely does anything, dance-wise, just a few short walks, and those aren't even on time with the music. The lifts are okay, but it's just clumsy and clunky all over. Anna's hair continues to be huge. 4.0/10.0
The judges softpedal him. Are they afraid to give him criticism?
Melissa & Mark: "Time to be fearless," she says, and is drilling steps so as not to need to think about them. Mark has a huge moustache. Charleston, and it begins in black and white, nice. Very cute routine and well danced. Complicated choreography, great expression and performance, lot of energy for about 90% of the routine. Lots of fun. 9.0/10.0
In the audience: Joey Lawrence (he and MJH are developing a TV series), Gilles Marini (he's appearing on ABC's Brothers & Sisters), and LaToya Jackson (she's...)
Natalie & Alec: Working on loosening her up and increasing the difficulty level. Bolero. Good extension and great stretch. Working well with the music, but not as comfortable with movement as last week. Not enough connection between them, lacking performance. 8.0/10.0
Aaron & Karina: After last week's critiques, he got hugs and comfort from... Michael? They want a back flip so they go to a gymnastics coach. Lambada. The flip is good. High energy and showy, but too much-- frantic and just trying too hard. Kind of overly disco-y feeling than Latin. 7.5/10.0
Mark & Lacey: He needs to lighten up and enjoy dancing, so they bring in his three kids. Country 2-Step. Bales of hay on the floor. Things look a lot more fun and confident, good expression. Slips on time a bit. Good progression and some nice tricks. 8.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Chicago-meets-Cabaret theme. She doesn't like the dancer "noises" they all make. She was set to play Roxie Hart, but was pulled for not being able to dance, that sucks. Charleston. Louis wearing Emcee makeup. Great energy, lots of content, great performance. Confident in more spots, cute routine. Good use of prop canes. 8.5/10.0
Speaking of Roxie Hart... Samantha played her on stage? Ugh, that must've been horrendous.
Joanna & Derek: Derek says he has "the best job in America". They're going for difficulty. Lambada. Derek tosses away his shirt, she starts behind Len. Great rhythm and musicality. Lots of difficulty in the choreography, very good tricks. Strong chemistry. Adjusting last lift where she's straddling him looks wrong. 9.5/10.0
Carrie Anne: "I hope the children were in bed for that performance." Tom: "I think some of the adults are, now." (Tom FTW!)
Donny & Kym: He's a total perfectionist and is scared of mistakes. A "typical Donny dance", Charleston. Excellent choreography. Terrific footwork and great speed, not taking it easy. Great sync and performance for them both, looks like a lot of fun. Cute. 8.5/10.0
Donny runs over to the audience and kisses his wife and kids but not Marie. In the Red Room, Louis is making weird faces (even weirder with makeup) and pretending to touch Samantha's hair.
Michael & Anna D: Bring in Tony to coach for the feeling and passion. Bolero. Much improved connection and chemistry. Very little dancing, mostly walking and posing. No content for him at all. 4.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: To find the cowboy within, they go to Ty Murray's ranch and do chores. Country 2-Step. Awkward first steps, then no content for him. Not really on rhythm at all, just walking around off-beat. Good work with arm connections, at least. 5.0/10.0
Mya & Dmitry: They're trying to please Len. Sometimes it seems she takes charge of the choreography, hmm. Lambada. They're all oily and wet-looking. Good rhythm and feel for the music, nice expression. A little over-excited, needs more control. 9.0/10.0
Results show. Derek's shirtlessness was a impulse decision, and he apologizes for the way the end of the Lambada looked.
Encore: Melissa & Mark's Charleston. Just as great second time.
Musical guest: Shakira. "Did It Again". Group of female Korean drummers. Odd, interesting song. Amazing boots she's got on. I have to wonder if she'd be considered much weirder and less popular if she wasn't so attractive.
Safe: Mya, Melissa. RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM: Aaron.
Pro dance: Demonstrating next week's dances, medley of Paso Doble (choreography by Louis) and Argentine Tango (choreography by guest Tango dancers). Alec, Dmitry, Louis, Cheryl, Edyta & Karina. Awesome, as always.
Samantha delivers another super-awkward interview. Aaron gets and awkward laugh. She doesn't even talk to Mya.
Safe: Kelly, Natalie, Joanna. All the women are safe. Mark, Michael.
Video package: Kids visiting their parents at the studios.
Musical guest: Shakira. "Hips Don't Lie". Eight pseudo-belly dancers.
Video package: Stress, pressure and frustration for both celebs and pros.
Safe: Donny, Louie. Bottom two: Chuck, Aaron (he looks nauseous, Karina looks teary)
Eliminated: Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya. She calls him her "bear" and her "hippo". He says he had a lot of fun and they're both very gracious.
...Read more
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 3
As usual, they refer to this as "Latin Night" and "the sexiest night of the season" because it features both Samba and Rumba. The costumes are surprisingly low on skin this season around and are either great or ridiculous. Apparently, Lacey's is her favorite ever for no reason I can discern.
Mark & Lacey: Trouble keeping him slowed down and calm and smooth. Rumba. Good hips in place, but loses the flexibility and smoothness in motion. Good stretch and lines. Lack of chemistry and feeling for music. Needs grounding. 7.0/10.0
In the audience: Lance Bass, Sabrina Bryan, Paula Abdul (!)
Joanna & Derek: She says she has no problem with the sexy and the "shaky shaky". They're trying the difficult-for-anybody Shadow Samba Roll. Samba. Some nice start to bounce and leg action. She over-reaches on step back. Awful wig. Keeps shape in Shadow Roll, great rhythm. 8.5/10.0
Mya & Dmitri: They make the dance all about the relationship. She dresses up the practice space to get into romantic character. Rumba. Excellent stretch and very fluid, good extension. Needs a little more footwork and figure content to show skill. Awesome chemistry, great dress. 9.0/10.0
Headdress Lady is going explode out of a pink Flinstones-print dress.
Melissa & Mark: "I'm a mom," she says, "I haven't been out partying in a while." It's tough teacher time. Samba. Very good leg action and strength. Great footwork. Thinking too much again, losing the animation except in side-by-side. More upper body rhythm. Mark's fluffy hair? 7.5/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: He's actually heard of Rumba and looks way better with his hair slicked back. They're editing them into the designated showmance. So little dancing for him, no content at all. Good partner and support for all her tricks. Cameraman likes her shiny rear end. 5.5/10.0
Debi & Maks: She's motivated by last week and promises to be quiet. They bring in Mel B, who also came back from being Bottom 2. Samba. Cute start, lots of textbook figures, very clean but not especially exciting. Flubs a bit at the end, you can see the worry on her face. The audience is clapping too fast. 6.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Looking to tap his serious, emotional side-- "like singing a love song" she coaches. Rumba. Good job, especially in solo, but not strong enough. Nice hips, good footwork. Takes it easy and doesn't try too hard, but not a whole lot of fire. Okay. 8.0/10.0
Bruno calls his arms "airy fairy" and sensing a pot/kettle situation, Donny runs up to the table and pretends to make out with him. Everyone's stunned and cracking up, especially Donny who thinks "they might not let me back in Utah now!"
Tom talks to Paula. She has prepared for this show like she does for Idol, and begins the usual near-hysterical drug-fueled rambling, referring to Len as "Mr. Bad-man" and also comparing him to Simon Cowell among other wanderings.
Michael & Anna D: She's pushing hard, and there's some communication cross. They set a goal checklist which works for him. Samba. Light and quick enough on his feet, but it's a lot of walking. Fun and relaxed, but a lot of "groove shoulder" and no middle motion at all. 5.5/10.0
Natalie & Alec: Trying to be sexy, she blushes and giggles. They bring in Edyta to "help". Rumba. Smoke and wind machine intro like a Copperfield trick. Great stretch and movement throughout. Excellent legs and feet. Good hips and solo work. Solid and expressive. 9.0/10.0
Chuck & Anna T: She's goofy and calls it a flamboyant party dance. He gets a pedicure with his daughter, aww. Samba. He has the standard ruffle-sleeves that tear off. So stiff in the middle and awkward with the movement. Entertaining, though, and fun. He's really trying to do the technique and perform. 5.0/10.0
In the Red Room, Donny & Aaron are dancing. Apparently, the camera did not catch this exchange-- Samantha to Donny: "Only a 7 from Bruno? You should have given him tongue!" One of her rare funnies.
Tom & Cheryl: Working hard, but his feet are getting worse. Stress fractures on both sides. Doctors, producers & Cheryl all advising to quit, but "What's pain when you can party?" he says. Samba. Republican/Democrat costumes. He's totally counting out loud. No bounce, not on those feet. Tries, stays clean, nearly drops her at end. 5.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Her confidence shaken, she's looking for focus and determination. Samba. Louis has an ugly shirt, and he knows it. Fantastic footwork, great figures and speed. When she's on, the technique is awesome. Having fun, lots of personality. Smooth. 7.5/10.0
Results show. Between Paula's comments and Len's scores, they call the previous night "mayhem". In their interviews, the celebrities are taking the comments and criticisms hard and emotionally.
Encore: Chuck & Anna T's Samba! Nice to see them recognizing a low-score, high-commitment dance. He's way more relaxed, loose and on time. Way improved over last night.
Musical guest: Queen Latifah, "Fast Car". She's really there, with people instead of pre-taped. Unexpected straight pop song. Maks & Cheryl dance a great routine.
In the audience: Napoleon & Tabitha Duomo from SYTYCD, Christian Slater.
Three lowest scoring men: Tom (Safe), Michael (Jeopardy), Chuck (Safe)
Video package: First impressions and reactions.
Tom DeLay withdraws from the competition because of his injuries. He was scheduled to do Country Two-Step, which he's disappointed about, but is invited to come back for the finale if he's better.
Three highest scoring women: Mya (Safe), Natalie (Safe), Joanna (Safe)
Four highest scoring men: Donny (Safe), Louie (Safe), Aaron (Jeopardy), Mark (Safe)
And the celebrity picked for the Design a Dance? Sabrina Bryan! Good pick, considering she was so ROBBED.
Stars of Dance: Jabawockeez, dancing to a great remix of "Singin' In the Rain". Their usual masterful choreography is on prime display, working in wires and props and even a couple of "mystery dancers" who turn out to be Mark and Lacey.
Musical guest: Queen Latifah, "Ease On Down the Road". Her own dancers perform.
Video package: Predicting a winner with an ESPN Fantasy Sports Analys, Steve Wozniak and a toddler. That third was supposed to be a chimpanzee, but animal activists complained.
Three lowest scoring women: Debi (Jeopardy), Kelly (Safe), Melissa (Safe)
Safe: Aaron (Tom: "You cried for nothing!"), Michael
Eliminated: Debi Mazar & Maks Chmerkovskiy. She trips on the way down the stairs. She's sort of ready and settles (sort of) the pronunciation of her name.
Four new dances next week: Bolero, Charleston, Country Two-Step and Lambada. Oy.
...Read more
Mark & Lacey: Trouble keeping him slowed down and calm and smooth. Rumba. Good hips in place, but loses the flexibility and smoothness in motion. Good stretch and lines. Lack of chemistry and feeling for music. Needs grounding. 7.0/10.0
In the audience: Lance Bass, Sabrina Bryan, Paula Abdul (!)
Joanna & Derek: She says she has no problem with the sexy and the "shaky shaky". They're trying the difficult-for-anybody Shadow Samba Roll. Samba. Some nice start to bounce and leg action. She over-reaches on step back. Awful wig. Keeps shape in Shadow Roll, great rhythm. 8.5/10.0
Mya & Dmitri: They make the dance all about the relationship. She dresses up the practice space to get into romantic character. Rumba. Excellent stretch and very fluid, good extension. Needs a little more footwork and figure content to show skill. Awesome chemistry, great dress. 9.0/10.0
Headdress Lady is going explode out of a pink Flinstones-print dress.
Melissa & Mark: "I'm a mom," she says, "I haven't been out partying in a while." It's tough teacher time. Samba. Very good leg action and strength. Great footwork. Thinking too much again, losing the animation except in side-by-side. More upper body rhythm. Mark's fluffy hair? 7.5/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: He's actually heard of Rumba and looks way better with his hair slicked back. They're editing them into the designated showmance. So little dancing for him, no content at all. Good partner and support for all her tricks. Cameraman likes her shiny rear end. 5.5/10.0
Debi & Maks: She's motivated by last week and promises to be quiet. They bring in Mel B, who also came back from being Bottom 2. Samba. Cute start, lots of textbook figures, very clean but not especially exciting. Flubs a bit at the end, you can see the worry on her face. The audience is clapping too fast. 6.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Looking to tap his serious, emotional side-- "like singing a love song" she coaches. Rumba. Good job, especially in solo, but not strong enough. Nice hips, good footwork. Takes it easy and doesn't try too hard, but not a whole lot of fire. Okay. 8.0/10.0
Bruno calls his arms "airy fairy" and sensing a pot/kettle situation, Donny runs up to the table and pretends to make out with him. Everyone's stunned and cracking up, especially Donny who thinks "they might not let me back in Utah now!"
Tom talks to Paula. She has prepared for this show like she does for Idol, and begins the usual near-hysterical drug-fueled rambling, referring to Len as "Mr. Bad-man" and also comparing him to Simon Cowell among other wanderings.
Michael & Anna D: She's pushing hard, and there's some communication cross. They set a goal checklist which works for him. Samba. Light and quick enough on his feet, but it's a lot of walking. Fun and relaxed, but a lot of "groove shoulder" and no middle motion at all. 5.5/10.0
Natalie & Alec: Trying to be sexy, she blushes and giggles. They bring in Edyta to "help". Rumba. Smoke and wind machine intro like a Copperfield trick. Great stretch and movement throughout. Excellent legs and feet. Good hips and solo work. Solid and expressive. 9.0/10.0
Chuck & Anna T: She's goofy and calls it a flamboyant party dance. He gets a pedicure with his daughter, aww. Samba. He has the standard ruffle-sleeves that tear off. So stiff in the middle and awkward with the movement. Entertaining, though, and fun. He's really trying to do the technique and perform. 5.0/10.0
In the Red Room, Donny & Aaron are dancing. Apparently, the camera did not catch this exchange-- Samantha to Donny: "Only a 7 from Bruno? You should have given him tongue!" One of her rare funnies.
Tom & Cheryl: Working hard, but his feet are getting worse. Stress fractures on both sides. Doctors, producers & Cheryl all advising to quit, but "What's pain when you can party?" he says. Samba. Republican/Democrat costumes. He's totally counting out loud. No bounce, not on those feet. Tries, stays clean, nearly drops her at end. 5.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: Her confidence shaken, she's looking for focus and determination. Samba. Louis has an ugly shirt, and he knows it. Fantastic footwork, great figures and speed. When she's on, the technique is awesome. Having fun, lots of personality. Smooth. 7.5/10.0
Results show. Between Paula's comments and Len's scores, they call the previous night "mayhem". In their interviews, the celebrities are taking the comments and criticisms hard and emotionally.
Encore: Chuck & Anna T's Samba! Nice to see them recognizing a low-score, high-commitment dance. He's way more relaxed, loose and on time. Way improved over last night.
Musical guest: Queen Latifah, "Fast Car". She's really there, with people instead of pre-taped. Unexpected straight pop song. Maks & Cheryl dance a great routine.
In the audience: Napoleon & Tabitha Duomo from SYTYCD, Christian Slater.
Three lowest scoring men: Tom (Safe), Michael (Jeopardy), Chuck (Safe)
Video package: First impressions and reactions.
Tom DeLay withdraws from the competition because of his injuries. He was scheduled to do Country Two-Step, which he's disappointed about, but is invited to come back for the finale if he's better.
Three highest scoring women: Mya (Safe), Natalie (Safe), Joanna (Safe)
Four highest scoring men: Donny (Safe), Louie (Safe), Aaron (Jeopardy), Mark (Safe)
And the celebrity picked for the Design a Dance? Sabrina Bryan! Good pick, considering she was so ROBBED.
Stars of Dance: Jabawockeez, dancing to a great remix of "Singin' In the Rain". Their usual masterful choreography is on prime display, working in wires and props and even a couple of "mystery dancers" who turn out to be Mark and Lacey.
Musical guest: Queen Latifah, "Ease On Down the Road". Her own dancers perform.
Video package: Predicting a winner with an ESPN Fantasy Sports Analys, Steve Wozniak and a toddler. That third was supposed to be a chimpanzee, but animal activists complained.
Three lowest scoring women: Debi (Jeopardy), Kelly (Safe), Melissa (Safe)
Safe: Aaron (Tom: "You cried for nothing!"), Michael
Eliminated: Debi Mazar & Maks Chmerkovskiy. She trips on the way down the stairs. She's sort of ready and settles (sort of) the pronunciation of her name.
Four new dances next week: Bolero, Charleston, Country Two-Step and Lambada. Oy.
...Read more
DWTS - S9 Week 2
Since I am oh so behind with these reviews, I'll try to cut down the length as best I can. Prepare yourselves for the sentence fragments.
Not getting the costumes and outfits tonight, even Samantha's and am amused that Kelly Osbourne's is the most understated. With Len out, we get director Baz Luhrmann as our guest judge. He looks odd with such short hair. "I don't want to see the work," he says, "I want to see the joy of the performance."
Joanna & Derek: Working on looking controlled and composed, typical model stamina problems. Jive. Black leather outfits. Great energy, good body motion but feet flat and knees low. Not as much connect and chemistry as before. 6.5/10.0
Natalie & Alec: Like a swimmer, she's not breathing while dancing so there's no way to be relaxed. Quickstep. Excellent footwork, great speed and travel. Overthinking and not breathing enough, but a few spots relaxed. Stays mostly closed, needs more connection. 7.5/10.0
Chuck & Anna T: No problem with the aggression. They try to work in fighting moves. Tango. Plenty of aggression, footwork clompy. Very muscled-through, shoulders crowding forward into hold. Mostly on time. Grappling move looked better in practice. 6.0/10.0
Melissa & Mark: Need to relax and enjoy the dancing. She nails him in the groin at some point. Jive. Great upper body and arms, but just not lifting feet and knees enough to get the speed going. Mark is the king of goofy jackets and hair, it seems. 6.5/10.0
Michael & Anna D: Time to challenge him. Working long rehearsals. Quickstep. Lots of content, all of it textbook basic figures, but clean. Looks slow because he doesn't drive forward on the slow counts. Needs to balance the energy more. 7.5/10.0
Judges getting a lot of boos. Tom: "I feel like I'm at a healthcare town meeting".
Debi & Maks: She hits the point of hurt feelings with his tough teaching, even getting in a smack. Tango to Moulin Rouge version of "Roxanne". Great job performing the drama and conflict. Very Argentine flavor, needs to move more from center. Links are solid. 7.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: Trying to apply their youthful energy and step up to challenge. Including big twist/flip. Jive. Great footwork, high knees, flicking legs. A little ahead of music. Not so great swivels. Pretty good technique overall, nice tricks. 8.0/10.0
Lots of green in the costumes tonight, and Headdress Lady is out of control.
Aaron & Karina: Pushing himself hard, he hits a wall with progression. Quickstep to the theme from The Muppet Show with Animal in the balcony and Gonzo on horn, making him Kermit and her Piggy. Fantastic footwork and drive, great leg action, nice pivots. Big expression, lots of fun. Good hold. 9.0/10.0
We continue to flog Moulin Rouge references (Bruno's "spectacular, spectacular") and find out the Professional Competition will be back this season.
Kelly & Louis: Pressuring herself to match last week, but still having fun. Tango. Extremely difficult, intricate choreography, fast footwork. Solid on a lot of it, errors hard to see on TV thanks to the speed and her skirt. She takes the critiques hard. 7.0/10.0
Kathy & Tony: Time to "throw caution to the wind". Quickstep. A little too light and dainty, needs to dig in and put pressure on the floor. Looking for more energy and punch to her dancing, more attack. Mismatched costumes are actually for The King and I music. 6.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: His brain is overwhelmed with information, trying to learn a fast dance quickly. Quickstep. Good intro. Lots of big and energetic performance, explosive but not enough controlled. Loses footing early but recovers for clean footwork and legs. Fun overall. 8.0/10.0
The judges continue scoring low this season.
Mya & Dmitri: She's determined not to see a 5. Might get in trouble falling into tap technique. Jive. Fantastic performance, so much expression. Looks fun and easy. Nice swivels and center action. Dmitri gets geeky, too. Excellent dance overall. 9.5/10.0
Tom & Cheryl: Head snap a problem. He has stress fractures in one foot, but is committed. Tango. Very clean and kept on the right level. Very textbook, but executed. Lacking drive and attack. Almost drops her at the very end. 6.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: Challenged by speed of music and his stamina at 51 years old. Jive. Great energy throughout, never lets up. Fast and high feet, nice and springy. Good flicking, nice connection, lots of expression. Cute choreography. 8.5/10.0
Results show. Tight field, with 11 couples separated by only 3 points. Reports are that Macy Gray did not interviews because she was so upset about being cut. Samantha has poodle hair and a gigantic necklace that looks like a prop from a Riddick movie. Dmitri falls off his stool in the interviews. The Wife notices that the longer-standing pros are not getting as high-potential partners as the newer crop of pros. True?
Encore: Mya & Dmitri's Jive. My only quibble is that I now notice she doesn't spot.
In the audience, randomly: Mickey Rourke!
Results are coming in by rank groupings. Of the three top scorers: Donny (Safe), Mya (Safe), Aaron (Safe).
Musical guest: Joss Stone, "Colour Me Free". Excellent Theatre Arts couple Jeremy Hudson & Mallauri Esquibel.
Video package: The new DWTS training center, a multi-studio warehouse where everyone practices now. One room has a mockup of the full stage. A high school feel with drop-ins, pranks and lots of socializing.
Another group up. Mark (Safe), Natalie (Safe), Debi ("still in jeopardy").
Musical guest: Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Falling Down". Still working on her stage performance. Derek & Karina dance a hot Cha Cha to Louis' choreography. I'm distracted by her bootie shoe covers and his fringey hair.
Tom on big hair: "Don't Samantha and Kym look like sexy Chia Pets tonight?"
Score 20 group: Joanna (Safe), Michael (Safe).
Score 19 group: Chuck (Safe), Melissa (Safe), Kelly (Safe), Loue (Jeopardy)
Video: Breaking the stars' bad habits.
Stars of Dance: Choreographed by Stomp the Yard's Chuck Maldonado and Jimmy R.O. Smith, also featuring the Spirit of Troy Marching Band from USC, marching in from outside the studio. A total of 52 performers, the most ever.
Musical guest: Joss Stone, "Son of a Preacher Man". Gorgeous purple dress, awesome singing. Louis, Cheryl, Dmitri and Anna T do a pseudo-Samba. I am stunned by the 2-couple Samba Roll! Mickey Rourke is unimpressed. Or asleep.
Score 18 group: Tom (Safe), Kathy (Jeopardy). Louie safed.
RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM: Debi, Kathy. Their partners high five. Safe: Debi.
Eliminated: Kathy Ireland & Tony Dovolani. Tony's ready for it. Kathy keeps on the same face she wears all the time while mispronouncing her partner's last name.
...Read more
Not getting the costumes and outfits tonight, even Samantha's and am amused that Kelly Osbourne's is the most understated. With Len out, we get director Baz Luhrmann as our guest judge. He looks odd with such short hair. "I don't want to see the work," he says, "I want to see the joy of the performance."
Joanna & Derek: Working on looking controlled and composed, typical model stamina problems. Jive. Black leather outfits. Great energy, good body motion but feet flat and knees low. Not as much connect and chemistry as before. 6.5/10.0
Natalie & Alec: Like a swimmer, she's not breathing while dancing so there's no way to be relaxed. Quickstep. Excellent footwork, great speed and travel. Overthinking and not breathing enough, but a few spots relaxed. Stays mostly closed, needs more connection. 7.5/10.0
Chuck & Anna T: No problem with the aggression. They try to work in fighting moves. Tango. Plenty of aggression, footwork clompy. Very muscled-through, shoulders crowding forward into hold. Mostly on time. Grappling move looked better in practice. 6.0/10.0
Melissa & Mark: Need to relax and enjoy the dancing. She nails him in the groin at some point. Jive. Great upper body and arms, but just not lifting feet and knees enough to get the speed going. Mark is the king of goofy jackets and hair, it seems. 6.5/10.0
Michael & Anna D: Time to challenge him. Working long rehearsals. Quickstep. Lots of content, all of it textbook basic figures, but clean. Looks slow because he doesn't drive forward on the slow counts. Needs to balance the energy more. 7.5/10.0
Judges getting a lot of boos. Tom: "I feel like I'm at a healthcare town meeting".
Debi & Maks: She hits the point of hurt feelings with his tough teaching, even getting in a smack. Tango to Moulin Rouge version of "Roxanne". Great job performing the drama and conflict. Very Argentine flavor, needs to move more from center. Links are solid. 7.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: Trying to apply their youthful energy and step up to challenge. Including big twist/flip. Jive. Great footwork, high knees, flicking legs. A little ahead of music. Not so great swivels. Pretty good technique overall, nice tricks. 8.0/10.0
Lots of green in the costumes tonight, and Headdress Lady is out of control.
Aaron & Karina: Pushing himself hard, he hits a wall with progression. Quickstep to the theme from The Muppet Show with Animal in the balcony and Gonzo on horn, making him Kermit and her Piggy. Fantastic footwork and drive, great leg action, nice pivots. Big expression, lots of fun. Good hold. 9.0/10.0
We continue to flog Moulin Rouge references (Bruno's "spectacular, spectacular") and find out the Professional Competition will be back this season.
Kelly & Louis: Pressuring herself to match last week, but still having fun. Tango. Extremely difficult, intricate choreography, fast footwork. Solid on a lot of it, errors hard to see on TV thanks to the speed and her skirt. She takes the critiques hard. 7.0/10.0
Kathy & Tony: Time to "throw caution to the wind". Quickstep. A little too light and dainty, needs to dig in and put pressure on the floor. Looking for more energy and punch to her dancing, more attack. Mismatched costumes are actually for The King and I music. 6.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: His brain is overwhelmed with information, trying to learn a fast dance quickly. Quickstep. Good intro. Lots of big and energetic performance, explosive but not enough controlled. Loses footing early but recovers for clean footwork and legs. Fun overall. 8.0/10.0
The judges continue scoring low this season.
Mya & Dmitri: She's determined not to see a 5. Might get in trouble falling into tap technique. Jive. Fantastic performance, so much expression. Looks fun and easy. Nice swivels and center action. Dmitri gets geeky, too. Excellent dance overall. 9.5/10.0
Tom & Cheryl: Head snap a problem. He has stress fractures in one foot, but is committed. Tango. Very clean and kept on the right level. Very textbook, but executed. Lacking drive and attack. Almost drops her at the very end. 6.5/10.0
Donny & Kym: Challenged by speed of music and his stamina at 51 years old. Jive. Great energy throughout, never lets up. Fast and high feet, nice and springy. Good flicking, nice connection, lots of expression. Cute choreography. 8.5/10.0
Results show. Tight field, with 11 couples separated by only 3 points. Reports are that Macy Gray did not interviews because she was so upset about being cut. Samantha has poodle hair and a gigantic necklace that looks like a prop from a Riddick movie. Dmitri falls off his stool in the interviews. The Wife notices that the longer-standing pros are not getting as high-potential partners as the newer crop of pros. True?
Encore: Mya & Dmitri's Jive. My only quibble is that I now notice she doesn't spot.
In the audience, randomly: Mickey Rourke!
Results are coming in by rank groupings. Of the three top scorers: Donny (Safe), Mya (Safe), Aaron (Safe).
Musical guest: Joss Stone, "Colour Me Free". Excellent Theatre Arts couple Jeremy Hudson & Mallauri Esquibel.
Video package: The new DWTS training center, a multi-studio warehouse where everyone practices now. One room has a mockup of the full stage. A high school feel with drop-ins, pranks and lots of socializing.
Another group up. Mark (Safe), Natalie (Safe), Debi ("still in jeopardy").
Musical guest: Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Falling Down". Still working on her stage performance. Derek & Karina dance a hot Cha Cha to Louis' choreography. I'm distracted by her bootie shoe covers and his fringey hair.
Tom on big hair: "Don't Samantha and Kym look like sexy Chia Pets tonight?"
Score 20 group: Joanna (Safe), Michael (Safe).
Score 19 group: Chuck (Safe), Melissa (Safe), Kelly (Safe), Loue (Jeopardy)
Video: Breaking the stars' bad habits.
Stars of Dance: Choreographed by Stomp the Yard's Chuck Maldonado and Jimmy R.O. Smith, also featuring the Spirit of Troy Marching Band from USC, marching in from outside the studio. A total of 52 performers, the most ever.
Musical guest: Joss Stone, "Son of a Preacher Man". Gorgeous purple dress, awesome singing. Louis, Cheryl, Dmitri and Anna T do a pseudo-Samba. I am stunned by the 2-couple Samba Roll! Mickey Rourke is unimpressed. Or asleep.
Score 18 group: Tom (Safe), Kathy (Jeopardy). Louie safed.
RED LIGHT OF DOOOOOOOOOOM: Debi, Kathy. Their partners high five. Safe: Debi.
Eliminated: Kathy Ireland & Tony Dovolani. Tony's ready for it. Kathy keeps on the same face she wears all the time while mispronouncing her partner's last name.
...Read more
Friday, September 25, 2009
DWTS - S9 Week 1
Okay, grab yourselves a caffeinated beverage and a comfy chair, folks, this one's gonna be long.
Because DWTS is a show that cannot stopthrowing in new gimmicks innovating, those little 3-second pose-for-the-camera-and-smile intros that the pros and celebs all usually have? Well, this season, they feature a bullet time shot at the end of the person leaping, spinning, kicking, whatever. It is so 1999. Unfortunately, the one old thing they keep around every season is Samantha Harris.
So, it's Monday night and the male celebrities are first to dance, so we're treated to what's probably my favorite part of any episode, professional dancing. The male pros come down on a big window-washer elevator, mugging like mad for the camera (sorry guys, you're all PWND by Maks at mugging). They're dancing to "The Boys Are Back In Town" and... it's the pros. They're awesome: sharp, strong, fast, and in complete sync. This is what they do and they do it well, especially as it's Louis' choreography. We get to see their individual personalities, too.
Aaron & Karina: He can't concentrate because Karina is pretty. That was cute with 17 year-old Cody, not so much with this guy. Cha Cha for them. Fantastic footwork, strong and sharp leg action. Needs more center flexibility and power, but great start. Karina looks like she mugged Lady Gaga for that outfit. 8.0/10.0
In the audience: some of the Backstreet Boys, naturally. Also, Gilles Marini, Shawn Johnson and George Hamilton. Marie Osmond and Jermaine Jackson (?)
Chuck & Anna T: They meet in his gym. He's a grumbly perfectionist who can't remember to smile, like most athletes. Foxtrot for them He's thinking really hard, putting a lot of effort into it, but can't relax. Surprisingly light on his feet, and he does manage a smirk here and there. She's adorable as ever. 6.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: Lots of goofing around. They're trying to use his martial arts skills and apply them. Cha Cha to the obvious "Kung Fu Fighting". Lots of strength and some very nice hip action going on. Needs stronger footwork. The choreography was too simple and didn't give him enough to do. Solid start. 8.0/10.0
Edyta's bullet time still is a total beaver shot. Classy.
Ashley & Edyta: The idea that dancing with a former partner's son is "keeping it in the family" is kinda weird. He was in an accident that affects his mobility on one side. They have Foxtrot. He's not exactly spry, but definitely light and it's clean. Lacks power and doesn't show enough personality. 7.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Marie has dared him to better her 3rd place finish. He's embarrassed being in a close hold because of boobs. Foxtrot, too. Wonderful theatrics and expression. Nice spring in his feet and movement across the floor. Lots of fun to watch and really good solid movement. 8.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: He's never seen an episode, but is trying hard. She makes him do pushups for mistakes. Another Foxtrot. It starts out very simple and kind of clunky, but picks up and smoothes out. Some coordination there, solid feet, nice posture, even. A good start. 6.5/10.0
Michael & Anna D: He was inspired by Jerry Rice as a kid, so they pin up a pic of Jerry in his afro wig. He talks to the mirror. Cha Cha now. He gets his hips moving well standing in place, it's okay when walking (of which there's lots) then gets all mincing in the actual steps. Good personality shows through. 5.0/10.0
Carrie Ann actually addresses Anna regarding the choreography, something that happens way too rarely on this show. Speaking of the judges, they are being really hard and specific in their critiques and are scoring 1-2 points lower than normal. I like it generally, but the US version of this show has always up-scored, so it's a little shocking.
Tom & Cheryl: They're looking to get him shaking and moving his hips. Cha Cha, too. Surprisingly spry in his feet and quick in movement. Good footwork, nice expression, even pretty springy. The theatrical stuff doesn't sit well on him, though, but he does try gamely. 5.0/10.0
Tom Delay on being judged: "I've faced lots bigger critics than them, I'm okay." Don't make me like you, dude.
And now for the big gimmick, the "Relay Dance". I actually kind of like this one, because it's a chance to compare the couples almost side-by-side. The four couples who performed solo Ballroom dances will compete in a Latin relay, and vice versa for the other four. The format is kind of a round-robin dance to a two minute song, with each of the four couples performing for a 30 second segment. The judges then rank the four, and the couples are given scores relative to that ranking (4th = 4 points, 3rd = 6 points, 2nd = 8 points, 1st = 10 points), to be added to their individual scores. Got all that?
Latin Relay: Salsa. Ashley has no hips and no speed; Chuck might have the start of hips; Donny is spectacular on all counts; Louie shows some groove, but not much else.
My order: 1) Donny 2) Chuck 3) Louie 4) Ashley (the judges agree)
Ballroom Relay: Viennese Waltz. Aaron's is rushed and frantic, but strong and fast; Mark's moves are kind of clipped and checked, but more in control; Tom is slow, but clean; Michael has no closed hold but some stretch.
My order: 1) Aaron 2) Mark 3) Tom 4) Michael (the judges agree)
Time for the female celebs to take the floor. We start out with the female pros getting their own group number to "She's A Lady", with the costume theme being black and sparkly. Lacey drew the short straw, I guess, and the barely-nothing costume, but I like Anna T's backless number way better. A lot of mugging/blowing kisses to the camera. Lacey (who choreographed!) & Chelsie go barefoot to do some leaps.
Samantha looks good with the bob hair, Macy Gray looks bored. Or stoned.
Debi & Maks: "Dancing is not a democracy," says Maks. Unsurprisingly, she's constantly running off at the mouth. Salsa for them. She's totally relying on him for everything, but she's at least keeping speed. Doesn't quite nail her turn and her energy slips a little late. Too much thinking, not enough strength. 6.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark: She's feeling awkward in motion and needs posture and balance work. Viennese Waltz is theirs. Small with not much travel, but the moves are controlled and balanced. Good composure, but she needs to relax and drive forward when it's her turn. Some nice expressiveness. 7.5/10.0
Mya & Dmitri: She's a tap dancer. "I'm not afraid to show my skills... or my chest," says Dmitri. We remember. Viennese Waltz, too. Great speed and very good lightness, lots of musicality. Very graceful. Needs power and heel leads and extension on kicks. More content next time, too. 8.5/10.0
A typical DWTS judging blowup, with Len insisting it wasn't a "proper" VW (which it was much more theatrical than figure-based, yes) and Bruno flabbergasted by this, though Bruno has now learned to turn around and get the audience on his side. This cracks up Karina, and Tom Bergeron deftly handles it.
Kathy & Tony: She was once asked to leave an aerobics class for being uncoordinated. Ouch. Salsa for them. They're keeping it careful and easy to keep her from losing speed, balance or control. No center movement at all. It's clean, but there's no energy or fire to it at all. 6.0/10.0
Natalie & Alec: She has a concentration face that is not at all attractive, so Alec wants her to smile when she's thinking. Salsa for them, too. Excellent footwork and leg action. She's definitely thinking hard, but it pays off. Good hips and center action. They drew slow Mambo-speed music, so that helps. 8.0/10.0
Samantha: "Natalie, you're used to having your face in the water. How weird is it to be wearing makeup?" Okay, seriously? Seriously?
Hmmm. Early set reports indicated that Ashley Hamilton was the worst dancer (considering his difficulty moving, if that wasn't common knowledge, okay), that Chuck Lidell was surprisingly light on his feet (check), that Mark Dacascos was fun to watch (check) and that Macy Gray really didn't want to be on the show. Let's see...
Macy & Jonathan: There's nothing enthusiastic about her interview, where she says she did the show because her mother likes it. Jonathan calls her "eccentric". Viennese Waltz. Lots of walking, and even that's not good. Awful arms. Either she really feels the music or is stoned. She moves okay. 5.0/10.0
I barely catch it, but she refers to the performance as having "busted her cherry", ballroom dance-wise. Classy.
In the audience: LaToya Jackson (?), Shawn J, Marie Osmond.
Joanna & Derek: She took dance lessons as a kid and says she's a hard worker. "I'm rough, I'm tough, I'm Derek Hough." Salsa for them. Some speed, very good connection and great chemistry. Nice expressiveness, excellent swivels. Tight, confident, needs a little more control. Very fun to watch. 9.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: She never got to be a little girl growing up, so she wants to go tomboy to princess. Viennese Waltz. Solid work, if a little hesitant. Footwork strong, very light and graceful. She needs to relax more, but she lights up when she does. Very pretty and looks like she's having fun. 7.5/10.0
Ozzy & Sharon are in the audience. Sharon is weeping, Ozzy is... moved, I think. Kelly is crying, and I think Louis might be, too.
Ballroom Relay: Foxtrot. Natalie's is a little muscle-y but solid; Kathy's is a little too tentative; Joanna's is light and expressive; Debi shows good, strong following.
My order: 1) Joanna 2) Natalie 3) Debi 4) Kathy (the judges agree)
Latin Relay: Cha Cha. Macy seems more awake; Melissa shows nice swivels, but soft; Mya has excellent legs, tight; Kelly's is strong, fun and fast.
My order: 1) Mya 2) Melissa 3) Kelly 4) Macy (the judges say Mya/Kelly/Melissa/Macy, agreeing, incidentally with Sabrina Bryan's tweeted rankings)
Results show.
In the audience: Kelsey Grammer, Courteney Cox (who both have new shows on ABC). Shawn Johnson & Corky Ballas.
Encore performance: Kelly & Louis' Viennese Waltz. Beautiful and relaxed.
Male celebrities go first. Safe: Louie & Chelsie, Aaron & Karina.
Video package: "The Losers Club", funny interviews with Kenny Mayne, Jeffrey Ross and Penn Jillette. "Whoever gets eliminated tonight, we're saving your spot."
Safe: Mark & Lacey, Chuck & Anna T, Donny & Kym. Tom & Cheryl, Michael & Anna D.
Eliminated: Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinksa. He's very gracious and appreciative. Edyta is so ready, she has her speech prepared. She has never been eliminated in the first week, even with her worst partners, in nine seasons.
They premiere the video for Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA", but I think nothing could be so horrifyingly entertaining as the stripper pole performance of it.
Lady celebs. Safe: Natalie & Alec, Mya & Dmitri.
Video package: the guys get a locker room pep talk/shouting-at by Adam Corolla. Lots of good sports, playing along and laughing at themselves. Lots of fun.
Stars of Dance: the cast of Broadway's The Lion King, performing "The Circle of Life". Not a lot of dancing, per se, but a grand spectacle. This show is absolutely breathtaking in performance, and I'm in awe of the work the performers put into their animal movements.
Safe: Melissa & Mark, Joanna & Derek, Debi & Tony.
The show puts on a tribute to the late Patrick Swayze. First up are Dmitri & Chelsie dancing a theatre arts piece to "She's Like the Wind". Next Jonathan & Anna T do a great Viennese Waltz number to "Unchained Melody", ending it with a heck of a makeout session in the center of the floor. And of course, Tony & Cheryl reprise their adaptation of the final dance from Dirty Dancing to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". Tony leaps from the stage to dance back up to it with the other performers (you know the part I mean), adding Anna D and Louis to fill out the triangle. Cheryl runs to him and the overhead lift is shot so you can't tell he barely gets her up, let alone get his arms straight. Overall, it's very nice, but a lot less emotional than expected.
They ask Len about their tough scoring. "Some people blossom early, some don't," he explains, and at the last word, the camera focuses right on Macy.
Safe: Kelly & Louis, Debi & Tony (he thought it was them)
Eliminated: Macy Gray & Jonathan Roberts (he's so ready for it, too). "It was cool. I learned a little," was her entire appraisal of the experience. Jonathan is his usual classy teacher self, praising her highly. This poor guy seriously needs to be assigned a contender instead of getting stuck with clear losers (because let's face it, Marie Osmond coming in third was a fluke-- on performance night, Sabrina's comment was "That was painful. Poor Jonathan."). He's had it way worse than, say, Edyta who has had people with more potential that she's wasted by being an awful teacher. Up on stage, Debi says, "I feel sorry for her." Don't know who she means.
See you next week.
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Because DWTS is a show that cannot stop
So, it's Monday night and the male celebrities are first to dance, so we're treated to what's probably my favorite part of any episode, professional dancing. The male pros come down on a big window-washer elevator, mugging like mad for the camera (sorry guys, you're all PWND by Maks at mugging). They're dancing to "The Boys Are Back In Town" and... it's the pros. They're awesome: sharp, strong, fast, and in complete sync. This is what they do and they do it well, especially as it's Louis' choreography. We get to see their individual personalities, too.
Aaron & Karina: He can't concentrate because Karina is pretty. That was cute with 17 year-old Cody, not so much with this guy. Cha Cha for them. Fantastic footwork, strong and sharp leg action. Needs more center flexibility and power, but great start. Karina looks like she mugged Lady Gaga for that outfit. 8.0/10.0
In the audience: some of the Backstreet Boys, naturally. Also, Gilles Marini, Shawn Johnson and George Hamilton. Marie Osmond and Jermaine Jackson (?)
Chuck & Anna T: They meet in his gym. He's a grumbly perfectionist who can't remember to smile, like most athletes. Foxtrot for them He's thinking really hard, putting a lot of effort into it, but can't relax. Surprisingly light on his feet, and he does manage a smirk here and there. She's adorable as ever. 6.0/10.0
Mark & Lacey: Lots of goofing around. They're trying to use his martial arts skills and apply them. Cha Cha to the obvious "Kung Fu Fighting". Lots of strength and some very nice hip action going on. Needs stronger footwork. The choreography was too simple and didn't give him enough to do. Solid start. 8.0/10.0
Edyta's bullet time still is a total beaver shot. Classy.
Ashley & Edyta: The idea that dancing with a former partner's son is "keeping it in the family" is kinda weird. He was in an accident that affects his mobility on one side. They have Foxtrot. He's not exactly spry, but definitely light and it's clean. Lacks power and doesn't show enough personality. 7.0/10.0
Donny & Kym: Marie has dared him to better her 3rd place finish. He's embarrassed being in a close hold because of boobs. Foxtrot, too. Wonderful theatrics and expression. Nice spring in his feet and movement across the floor. Lots of fun to watch and really good solid movement. 8.0/10.0
Louie & Chelsie: He's never seen an episode, but is trying hard. She makes him do pushups for mistakes. Another Foxtrot. It starts out very simple and kind of clunky, but picks up and smoothes out. Some coordination there, solid feet, nice posture, even. A good start. 6.5/10.0
Michael & Anna D: He was inspired by Jerry Rice as a kid, so they pin up a pic of Jerry in his afro wig. He talks to the mirror. Cha Cha now. He gets his hips moving well standing in place, it's okay when walking (of which there's lots) then gets all mincing in the actual steps. Good personality shows through. 5.0/10.0
Carrie Ann actually addresses Anna regarding the choreography, something that happens way too rarely on this show. Speaking of the judges, they are being really hard and specific in their critiques and are scoring 1-2 points lower than normal. I like it generally, but the US version of this show has always up-scored, so it's a little shocking.
Tom & Cheryl: They're looking to get him shaking and moving his hips. Cha Cha, too. Surprisingly spry in his feet and quick in movement. Good footwork, nice expression, even pretty springy. The theatrical stuff doesn't sit well on him, though, but he does try gamely. 5.0/10.0
Tom Delay on being judged: "I've faced lots bigger critics than them, I'm okay." Don't make me like you, dude.
And now for the big gimmick, the "Relay Dance". I actually kind of like this one, because it's a chance to compare the couples almost side-by-side. The four couples who performed solo Ballroom dances will compete in a Latin relay, and vice versa for the other four. The format is kind of a round-robin dance to a two minute song, with each of the four couples performing for a 30 second segment. The judges then rank the four, and the couples are given scores relative to that ranking (4th = 4 points, 3rd = 6 points, 2nd = 8 points, 1st = 10 points), to be added to their individual scores. Got all that?
Latin Relay: Salsa. Ashley has no hips and no speed; Chuck might have the start of hips; Donny is spectacular on all counts; Louie shows some groove, but not much else.
My order: 1) Donny 2) Chuck 3) Louie 4) Ashley (the judges agree)
Ballroom Relay: Viennese Waltz. Aaron's is rushed and frantic, but strong and fast; Mark's moves are kind of clipped and checked, but more in control; Tom is slow, but clean; Michael has no closed hold but some stretch.
My order: 1) Aaron 2) Mark 3) Tom 4) Michael (the judges agree)
Time for the female celebs to take the floor. We start out with the female pros getting their own group number to "She's A Lady", with the costume theme being black and sparkly. Lacey drew the short straw, I guess, and the barely-nothing costume, but I like Anna T's backless number way better. A lot of mugging/blowing kisses to the camera. Lacey (who choreographed!) & Chelsie go barefoot to do some leaps.
Samantha looks good with the bob hair, Macy Gray looks bored. Or stoned.
Debi & Maks: "Dancing is not a democracy," says Maks. Unsurprisingly, she's constantly running off at the mouth. Salsa for them. She's totally relying on him for everything, but she's at least keeping speed. Doesn't quite nail her turn and her energy slips a little late. Too much thinking, not enough strength. 6.5/10.0
Melissa & Mark: She's feeling awkward in motion and needs posture and balance work. Viennese Waltz is theirs. Small with not much travel, but the moves are controlled and balanced. Good composure, but she needs to relax and drive forward when it's her turn. Some nice expressiveness. 7.5/10.0
Mya & Dmitri: She's a tap dancer. "I'm not afraid to show my skills... or my chest," says Dmitri. We remember. Viennese Waltz, too. Great speed and very good lightness, lots of musicality. Very graceful. Needs power and heel leads and extension on kicks. More content next time, too. 8.5/10.0
A typical DWTS judging blowup, with Len insisting it wasn't a "proper" VW (which it was much more theatrical than figure-based, yes) and Bruno flabbergasted by this, though Bruno has now learned to turn around and get the audience on his side. This cracks up Karina, and Tom Bergeron deftly handles it.
Kathy & Tony: She was once asked to leave an aerobics class for being uncoordinated. Ouch. Salsa for them. They're keeping it careful and easy to keep her from losing speed, balance or control. No center movement at all. It's clean, but there's no energy or fire to it at all. 6.0/10.0
Natalie & Alec: She has a concentration face that is not at all attractive, so Alec wants her to smile when she's thinking. Salsa for them, too. Excellent footwork and leg action. She's definitely thinking hard, but it pays off. Good hips and center action. They drew slow Mambo-speed music, so that helps. 8.0/10.0
Samantha: "Natalie, you're used to having your face in the water. How weird is it to be wearing makeup?" Okay, seriously? Seriously?
Hmmm. Early set reports indicated that Ashley Hamilton was the worst dancer (considering his difficulty moving, if that wasn't common knowledge, okay), that Chuck Lidell was surprisingly light on his feet (check), that Mark Dacascos was fun to watch (check) and that Macy Gray really didn't want to be on the show. Let's see...
Macy & Jonathan: There's nothing enthusiastic about her interview, where she says she did the show because her mother likes it. Jonathan calls her "eccentric". Viennese Waltz. Lots of walking, and even that's not good. Awful arms. Either she really feels the music or is stoned. She moves okay. 5.0/10.0
I barely catch it, but she refers to the performance as having "busted her cherry", ballroom dance-wise. Classy.
In the audience: LaToya Jackson (?), Shawn J, Marie Osmond.
Joanna & Derek: She took dance lessons as a kid and says she's a hard worker. "I'm rough, I'm tough, I'm Derek Hough." Salsa for them. Some speed, very good connection and great chemistry. Nice expressiveness, excellent swivels. Tight, confident, needs a little more control. Very fun to watch. 9.0/10.0
Kelly & Louis: She never got to be a little girl growing up, so she wants to go tomboy to princess. Viennese Waltz. Solid work, if a little hesitant. Footwork strong, very light and graceful. She needs to relax more, but she lights up when she does. Very pretty and looks like she's having fun. 7.5/10.0
Ozzy & Sharon are in the audience. Sharon is weeping, Ozzy is... moved, I think. Kelly is crying, and I think Louis might be, too.
Ballroom Relay: Foxtrot. Natalie's is a little muscle-y but solid; Kathy's is a little too tentative; Joanna's is light and expressive; Debi shows good, strong following.
My order: 1) Joanna 2) Natalie 3) Debi 4) Kathy (the judges agree)
Latin Relay: Cha Cha. Macy seems more awake; Melissa shows nice swivels, but soft; Mya has excellent legs, tight; Kelly's is strong, fun and fast.
My order: 1) Mya 2) Melissa 3) Kelly 4) Macy (the judges say Mya/Kelly/Melissa/Macy, agreeing, incidentally with Sabrina Bryan's tweeted rankings)
Results show.
In the audience: Kelsey Grammer, Courteney Cox (who both have new shows on ABC). Shawn Johnson & Corky Ballas.
Encore performance: Kelly & Louis' Viennese Waltz. Beautiful and relaxed.
Male celebrities go first. Safe: Louie & Chelsie, Aaron & Karina.
Video package: "The Losers Club", funny interviews with Kenny Mayne, Jeffrey Ross and Penn Jillette. "Whoever gets eliminated tonight, we're saving your spot."
Safe: Mark & Lacey, Chuck & Anna T, Donny & Kym. Tom & Cheryl, Michael & Anna D.
Eliminated: Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinksa. He's very gracious and appreciative. Edyta is so ready, she has her speech prepared. She has never been eliminated in the first week, even with her worst partners, in nine seasons.
They premiere the video for Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA", but I think nothing could be so horrifyingly entertaining as the stripper pole performance of it.
Lady celebs. Safe: Natalie & Alec, Mya & Dmitri.
Video package: the guys get a locker room pep talk/shouting-at by Adam Corolla. Lots of good sports, playing along and laughing at themselves. Lots of fun.
Stars of Dance: the cast of Broadway's The Lion King, performing "The Circle of Life". Not a lot of dancing, per se, but a grand spectacle. This show is absolutely breathtaking in performance, and I'm in awe of the work the performers put into their animal movements.
Safe: Melissa & Mark, Joanna & Derek, Debi & Tony.
The show puts on a tribute to the late Patrick Swayze. First up are Dmitri & Chelsie dancing a theatre arts piece to "She's Like the Wind". Next Jonathan & Anna T do a great Viennese Waltz number to "Unchained Melody", ending it with a heck of a makeout session in the center of the floor. And of course, Tony & Cheryl reprise their adaptation of the final dance from Dirty Dancing to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". Tony leaps from the stage to dance back up to it with the other performers (you know the part I mean), adding Anna D and Louis to fill out the triangle. Cheryl runs to him and the overhead lift is shot so you can't tell he barely gets her up, let alone get his arms straight. Overall, it's very nice, but a lot less emotional than expected.
They ask Len about their tough scoring. "Some people blossom early, some don't," he explains, and at the last word, the camera focuses right on Macy.
Safe: Kelly & Louis, Debi & Tony (he thought it was them)
Eliminated: Macy Gray & Jonathan Roberts (he's so ready for it, too). "It was cool. I learned a little," was her entire appraisal of the experience. Jonathan is his usual classy teacher self, praising her highly. This poor guy seriously needs to be assigned a contender instead of getting stuck with clear losers (because let's face it, Marie Osmond coming in third was a fluke-- on performance night, Sabrina's comment was "That was painful. Poor Jonathan."). He's had it way worse than, say, Edyta who has had people with more potential that she's wasted by being an awful teacher. Up on stage, Debi says, "I feel sorry for her." Don't know who she means.
See you next week.
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SYTYCD - S6 Auditions part 3
Honestly, not a lot to say about this week's audition episode. I was really looking forward to seeing what my old stomping grounds of Boston would bring to the stage, and while there was a distinct lack of those really awful or loopy auditioners like Phoenix, there really weren't any huge standouts as there had been in L.A.
I was less that blown away by Teddy "Plaid Pants" Tedholm, but I guess I could see the little bits of strong technique hidden in the quirkiness. Same with Jean Lloret, the b-boy who did pull off an amazing 360 trick with his legs, but not much else impressive. Ditto ballroom couple Karen & Matthew Hauer, which was a bit of a letdown, since my background is both Boston and ballroom. For me, the only really notable performance was by krumper Russell Ferguson, as he found ways to vary his movements and add extra elements beyond the usual standing crunches.
Atlanta next.
I was less that blown away by Teddy "Plaid Pants" Tedholm, but I guess I could see the little bits of strong technique hidden in the quirkiness. Same with Jean Lloret, the b-boy who did pull off an amazing 360 trick with his legs, but not much else impressive. Ditto ballroom couple Karen & Matthew Hauer, which was a bit of a letdown, since my background is both Boston and ballroom. For me, the only really notable performance was by krumper Russell Ferguson, as he found ways to vary his movements and add extra elements beyond the usual standing crunches.
Atlanta next.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
SYTYCD - S6 Auditions 1 & 2
So You Think You Can Dance is back, less than a month after Jeanine Mason was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer" for their fifth season. Apparently, the FOX network wanted it to be a fall series, more than likely so it can run alongside the (absolutely brilliant and hysterically funny) series Glee. Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe has promised some changes for this season: first, with their fall schedule somewhat hemmed in by baseball season, S6 may run slightly shorter than the previous five. Producers are mulling a six-person (top three men, top three women) finale episode.
More interestingly, as Nigel is known for liking a three-judge system (he was a producer on American Idol for years), SYTYCD is filling the third seat that was traditionally for a guest judge with a new resident judge: director and choreographer Adam Shankman. I think it's a good fit; "Shankers" has a great, upbeat personality without ever straying into the grating and shrieking of Mary Murphy. Also, this affords the show a greater pool of choreographers each week, as the guest judges are unable to choreograph on the week they're judging.
The show begins its new round of auditions in Los Angeles. Mercifully, that miscreant "Sex" is nowhere to be seen. On particular display are some great standouts, including three of the best tap dancers I've ever seen. Ryan Kasprzak, elder brother of S5's Evan got his ticket to Las Vegas on the strength of a delightfully poetic unaccompanied performance piece (of course, we saw that a couple of months back, but it's nice to revisit). Bianca Revels, who vowed to not return after being cut late in the game in Vegas, swallowed her pride and impressed her way through a "trade" with Ryan (not quite a battle). Phillip Attmore is another fantastic tapper who really emulates the nonchalant makes-it-look-easy style of the best dancers from the Thirties and Forties. Another standout the camera will likely find often is Mollee Gray, a girl from Utah with an adult dancer's body and a 12 year-old girl's face. She was a principal dancer in all three High School Musical movies and moved to L.A. to get more dance work. She's excellent.
They're hitting new cities this time around. Episode two takes us to Phoenix, AZ and the broiler-like heat that comes with the place. While there weren't a lot of dancers that blew me away, what I did notice was that the not so great dancers, for the most part, all had really good attitudes about things. Even those mismatched poppers from the start of the show, took everything in stride, bowed out gracefully and stayed positive. And yes, there was a lot of weird, but it was generally entertaining weird, so that's a big plus that this show has over, say, Idol. I spend so much of those auditions wanting to smack sense and humility into people. Willem de Vries and Jacob Jason are there to dance some same-sex Latin (a Rumba, to be precise), and we all gird ourselves for Nigel's reaction. He ends up praising their lines and how they combined expressiveness with strength, and both Mia and Mary get teary and wibbly over them. What did these two have over the couple from last season? Willem and Jacob are really good dancers. Those other guys weren't so much which added to the lead-switching, the unfortunate catsuit costumes and the fact that one dude dropped the other dude on a lift, didn't make them the best ambassadors for same-sex dancing.
See you next week when SYTYCD hits the city that taught me how to dance, Boston, Massachusetts!
...Read more
More interestingly, as Nigel is known for liking a three-judge system (he was a producer on American Idol for years), SYTYCD is filling the third seat that was traditionally for a guest judge with a new resident judge: director and choreographer Adam Shankman. I think it's a good fit; "Shankers" has a great, upbeat personality without ever straying into the grating and shrieking of Mary Murphy. Also, this affords the show a greater pool of choreographers each week, as the guest judges are unable to choreograph on the week they're judging.
The show begins its new round of auditions in Los Angeles. Mercifully, that miscreant "Sex" is nowhere to be seen. On particular display are some great standouts, including three of the best tap dancers I've ever seen. Ryan Kasprzak, elder brother of S5's Evan got his ticket to Las Vegas on the strength of a delightfully poetic unaccompanied performance piece (of course, we saw that a couple of months back, but it's nice to revisit). Bianca Revels, who vowed to not return after being cut late in the game in Vegas, swallowed her pride and impressed her way through a "trade" with Ryan (not quite a battle). Phillip Attmore is another fantastic tapper who really emulates the nonchalant makes-it-look-easy style of the best dancers from the Thirties and Forties. Another standout the camera will likely find often is Mollee Gray, a girl from Utah with an adult dancer's body and a 12 year-old girl's face. She was a principal dancer in all three High School Musical movies and moved to L.A. to get more dance work. She's excellent.
They're hitting new cities this time around. Episode two takes us to Phoenix, AZ and the broiler-like heat that comes with the place. While there weren't a lot of dancers that blew me away, what I did notice was that the not so great dancers, for the most part, all had really good attitudes about things. Even those mismatched poppers from the start of the show, took everything in stride, bowed out gracefully and stayed positive. And yes, there was a lot of weird, but it was generally entertaining weird, so that's a big plus that this show has over, say, Idol. I spend so much of those auditions wanting to smack sense and humility into people. Willem de Vries and Jacob Jason are there to dance some same-sex Latin (a Rumba, to be precise), and we all gird ourselves for Nigel's reaction. He ends up praising their lines and how they combined expressiveness with strength, and both Mia and Mary get teary and wibbly over them. What did these two have over the couple from last season? Willem and Jacob are really good dancers. Those other guys weren't so much which added to the lead-switching, the unfortunate catsuit costumes and the fact that one dude dropped the other dude on a lift, didn't make them the best ambassadors for same-sex dancing.
See you next week when SYTYCD hits the city that taught me how to dance, Boston, Massachusetts!
...Read more
RIP Patrick Swayze
Before I actually do what this blog is supposed to be for and comment on the first two episodes of SYTYCD, I have to acknowledge the passing of actor and dancer Patrick Swayze.
Like most kids of the 80's, I have very strong memories of the movie Dirty Dancing. I'd always liked movies with music and dancing in them, but this one seemed a little different, in great part because by the age I saw it, I was starting to "get" the boy-meets-girl content of the shows and movies I was seeing. And of course, I have never failed to be thoroughly impressed by the dancing in the film.
On two separate occasions, I had the opportunity to step into Swayze's Cuban-heeled shoes and do what I'm sure so many other ballroom dancers have had the idea to try: re-create the iconic "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" routine from the end of Dirty Dancing. The first time was for my senior year in college, for a performance themed to Hollywood and the movies, so taking on the number was my first idea. I remember sitting in my apartment, winding and rewinding the tape (no DVDs in 1998, kids!) to tackle the choreography. Let me tell you, folks, that music is fast. But eventually I got it down, taught it to my partner, and took it on stage. The moment when that audience full of students our same age recognized that first lift of the girl's arm and exploded into screams remains one of my favorite memories of my college dancing career.
About four years later, for a similarly-themed event at the dance studio where we were both teaching, I brought back that routine and danced it with my wife. Once again, it took a lot of sweat, eyestrain and rewinding to get it right. But the reaction from those students was worth every bit of work. They burst into applause, hooted and hollered and clapped along. For the year more that I was at the studio, I would occasionally have it mentioned to me by students who were there.
Patrick Swayze lived his life doing the things that he loved. While he never enjoyed the same success as he did in his early career, he seemed to me to always maintain a grace and class about himself that many of those who have followed in Hollywood could learn from. He'll be missed.
Like most kids of the 80's, I have very strong memories of the movie Dirty Dancing. I'd always liked movies with music and dancing in them, but this one seemed a little different, in great part because by the age I saw it, I was starting to "get" the boy-meets-girl content of the shows and movies I was seeing. And of course, I have never failed to be thoroughly impressed by the dancing in the film.
On two separate occasions, I had the opportunity to step into Swayze's Cuban-heeled shoes and do what I'm sure so many other ballroom dancers have had the idea to try: re-create the iconic "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" routine from the end of Dirty Dancing. The first time was for my senior year in college, for a performance themed to Hollywood and the movies, so taking on the number was my first idea. I remember sitting in my apartment, winding and rewinding the tape (no DVDs in 1998, kids!) to tackle the choreography. Let me tell you, folks, that music is fast. But eventually I got it down, taught it to my partner, and took it on stage. The moment when that audience full of students our same age recognized that first lift of the girl's arm and exploded into screams remains one of my favorite memories of my college dancing career.
About four years later, for a similarly-themed event at the dance studio where we were both teaching, I brought back that routine and danced it with my wife. Once again, it took a lot of sweat, eyestrain and rewinding to get it right. But the reaction from those students was worth every bit of work. They burst into applause, hooted and hollered and clapped along. For the year more that I was at the studio, I would occasionally have it mentioned to me by students who were there.
Patrick Swayze lived his life doing the things that he loved. While he never enjoyed the same success as he did in his early career, he seemed to me to always maintain a grace and class about himself that many of those who have followed in Hollywood could learn from. He'll be missed.
Friday, August 21, 2009
DWTS - S9 Preview
I know I dropped the ball with SYTYCD, but you can be sure I'll be on my game with DWTS. With the shows running against one another this fall, I'm probably just going to give general impressions on SYTYCD, just to keep myself sane.
Well, we've got an interesting field for this season, one I think that could get us some pretty entertaining television. As usual, here's my rundown of the celebs and their partners, and my completely unscientific, totally arbitrary and based-on-my-own-judgment idea of their chances of winning (taking into account both how well I think they might dance and how many votes they might pull in).
MYA & Dmitry Chaplin: Mya has a lot of the right elements: she's young, but a season entertainer and performer. She's done a decent amount of dancing in her time, and had a good fanbase then that should still remember her fondly. Also, she's paired with a SYTYCD pro, so he's going to bring in some calls, too. 5 to 1
DONNY OSMOND & Kym Johnson: He was pretty much a given after Marie's showing. I've always found him more fun and more accessible than his sister, and way goofier. I think his dancing will be fair, but his performances will be strong. Obviously, there's a lot of Osmond-lovers, based on Marie's high placement. Kym (who the producers seem determined to keep from winning) will give him plenty of comedy routines. 15 to 1
AARON CARTER & Karina Smirnoff: Again, there are good elements to be put together here. Youth, which is both good physically and with the demographic, and experience performing are both strengths. Don't know if there was much dancing in his act, though. Also I'd argue he was never as A-list famous as, say, Mya or even Joey Fatone at their heights. Karina seems to still be learning how to craft winners. 9 to 1
TOM DeLAY & Cheryl Burke: This year's stunt casting, to be sure. Whatever spin people put on it, DeLay was gotten because of his notoriety (campaign finance charges). Because of that, I doubt even his conservative reputation will win him much votes from the core demographic. Cheryl is an expert on coaching contestants on this show, but I doubt even her skills will fall short with DeLay to work with. 100 to 1
ASHLEY HAMILTON & Edyta Sliwinksa: DWTS' first legacy contestant! He's pretty much only famous for that and being married to Shannen Doherty for fifteen minutes (or so). Where he land on physical ability, performance and personality is anybody's guess at this stage. Edyta... well, her partner's young this time, so she might try for a week or two, but if he can't dance but lasts any longer than that, Ashley better get used to standing still. 85 to 1
DEBI MAZAR & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: One of those "you'd remember her if you saw her" actresses, she who was doing the 40's pinup look ten years before Katy Perry. Definitely signing on to revive a flagging career, there's no telling what her dancing aptitude will be, but she specialized in spunky characters, so maybe she's got that attitude. Maks is a veteran and a very good partner now, and if she can dance, they'll be okay. 35 to 1
NATALIE COUGHLIN & Alec Mazo: DWTS does love its Olympians, and people love them on the show, proven by their track record. As Shawn pointed out, no Olympian has yet failed to capture the trophy, and Natalie has the package: a background in hard training, excellent conditioning, good looks. What might be questionable is her partner. Alec won, but in the much less competitive first season, and has not fared as well since, even with contender partners like Toni Braxton. 5 to 1
CHUCK LIDELL & Anna Trebunskaya: If you remember how well the boxers on this show have danced, that's probably a UFC fighter's level, except maybe a bit faster. Unless Chuck has done a lot of footwork training, I'm not expecting much there. However, UFC is a massive property, and he will definitely pull lots of male viewers and possibly votes. I'm really happy to see Anna again, I just wish it was with a better partner. 40 to 1
MICHAEL IRVIN & Anna Demidova: Emmett's teammate. He will likely follow the standard football player model: good with uptempo music, a feel for the beat, heavy but strong, not so great in the Ballroom dances, much more comfortable in Latin. Seen it every season. A good match for the rookie Anna D., as his fanbase will do plenty of work for them. 30 to 1
LOUIE VITO & Chelsie Hightower: While Louie's an athlete, it's in a less disciplined sport (snowboarding), so his conditioning could be very good, but his work and training ethic as applied to dancing could be an awkward fit. Also, he might have trouble as some of the male athletes do, being expressive enough. Chelsie was a surprise for me last season, proving to be a patient and solidly supportive partner to a challenging student. 45 to 1
JOANNA KRUPA & Derek Hough: Models tend not to fare so well on this show, which I'm sure the designers think is a shame, since they wear the costumes so well. As usual, while she has a nice figure, there's no telling what her actual fitness level might be, and how coordinated she is moving. Derek has it a bit tough with this draw, I think, but at least he'll enjoy looking at her while he misses living with Shannon. 60 to 1
KELLY OSBOURNE & Louis Van Amstel: Short and not-skinny is a non issue, as we've seen. My main question with her is what kind of attitude and work ethic she's going to bring to the table, since I couldn't tell you what sort of personality she has, even though I watched the show some. Louis is used to a very certain kind of emotional, touchy-feely kind of partner, so this seeming mismatch could be great or disastrous. 50 to 1
KATHY IRELAND & Jonathan Roberts: Two models in one season. Just kind of cut and paste everything I said about Joanna here, although I might expect Kathy to have a bit of an edge, being a former model and having made a couple of poor attempts at acting... meaning, she's a little more humble and grounded, maybe. Jonathan is a spectacular coach for this show, and for however long he's got, she will look her best, whatever that is. 55 to 1
MELISSA JOAN HART & Mark Ballas: She's gotten some magazine coverage for being a mom and losing weight, so a lot of this show's demographic has recent good impressions of her. Still young, and probably still in decent shape, she could do okay. No dance or stage performance background that I can recall. Mark is a very good partner, and has his own huge fanbase, which these days is a big help. 25 to 1
MACY GRAY & Fabian Sanchez: I'm not a big fan of Macy's singing, but that doesn't change her being a decently well-known name. Her act didn't involve any dancing, so she's got no experience there, and I can't speak to her personality or attitude. Big question mark over her. Fabian, as he proved with Marlee, is exceptionally patient and supportive to his student partners, so she's got help there. 50 to 1
MARK DACASCOS & Lacey Schwimmer: My personal bias aside, I think Mark has potential. As a martial artist, he's in good condition and is used to remembering forms and using his entire body. He has acting background, including stage work, and if Iron Chef America is any indication, he's got a good sense of humor and personality. Lacey is a bit of a question mark for me, as she seems determined to live up to her "rebel" reputation, for which her partners sometimes suffer. 35 to 1
Of particular note are the new training rules that ABC has instituted to try and stave off the injury-fests that recent seasons, especially this last one, have become.
*Couples may only train for five hours per day for the first two weeks.
*Couples must take a 30-minute break after every two hours of training.
*Couples must take one day off from training per week.
Thank goodness.
...Read more
Well, we've got an interesting field for this season, one I think that could get us some pretty entertaining television. As usual, here's my rundown of the celebs and their partners, and my completely unscientific, totally arbitrary and based-on-my-own-judgment idea of their chances of winning (taking into account both how well I think they might dance and how many votes they might pull in).
MYA & Dmitry Chaplin: Mya has a lot of the right elements: she's young, but a season entertainer and performer. She's done a decent amount of dancing in her time, and had a good fanbase then that should still remember her fondly. Also, she's paired with a SYTYCD pro, so he's going to bring in some calls, too. 5 to 1
DONNY OSMOND & Kym Johnson: He was pretty much a given after Marie's showing. I've always found him more fun and more accessible than his sister, and way goofier. I think his dancing will be fair, but his performances will be strong. Obviously, there's a lot of Osmond-lovers, based on Marie's high placement. Kym (who the producers seem determined to keep from winning) will give him plenty of comedy routines. 15 to 1
AARON CARTER & Karina Smirnoff: Again, there are good elements to be put together here. Youth, which is both good physically and with the demographic, and experience performing are both strengths. Don't know if there was much dancing in his act, though. Also I'd argue he was never as A-list famous as, say, Mya or even Joey Fatone at their heights. Karina seems to still be learning how to craft winners. 9 to 1
TOM DeLAY & Cheryl Burke: This year's stunt casting, to be sure. Whatever spin people put on it, DeLay was gotten because of his notoriety (campaign finance charges). Because of that, I doubt even his conservative reputation will win him much votes from the core demographic. Cheryl is an expert on coaching contestants on this show, but I doubt even her skills will fall short with DeLay to work with. 100 to 1
ASHLEY HAMILTON & Edyta Sliwinksa: DWTS' first legacy contestant! He's pretty much only famous for that and being married to Shannen Doherty for fifteen minutes (or so). Where he land on physical ability, performance and personality is anybody's guess at this stage. Edyta... well, her partner's young this time, so she might try for a week or two, but if he can't dance but lasts any longer than that, Ashley better get used to standing still. 85 to 1
DEBI MAZAR & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: One of those "you'd remember her if you saw her" actresses, she who was doing the 40's pinup look ten years before Katy Perry. Definitely signing on to revive a flagging career, there's no telling what her dancing aptitude will be, but she specialized in spunky characters, so maybe she's got that attitude. Maks is a veteran and a very good partner now, and if she can dance, they'll be okay. 35 to 1
NATALIE COUGHLIN & Alec Mazo: DWTS does love its Olympians, and people love them on the show, proven by their track record. As Shawn pointed out, no Olympian has yet failed to capture the trophy, and Natalie has the package: a background in hard training, excellent conditioning, good looks. What might be questionable is her partner. Alec won, but in the much less competitive first season, and has not fared as well since, even with contender partners like Toni Braxton. 5 to 1
CHUCK LIDELL & Anna Trebunskaya: If you remember how well the boxers on this show have danced, that's probably a UFC fighter's level, except maybe a bit faster. Unless Chuck has done a lot of footwork training, I'm not expecting much there. However, UFC is a massive property, and he will definitely pull lots of male viewers and possibly votes. I'm really happy to see Anna again, I just wish it was with a better partner. 40 to 1
MICHAEL IRVIN & Anna Demidova: Emmett's teammate. He will likely follow the standard football player model: good with uptempo music, a feel for the beat, heavy but strong, not so great in the Ballroom dances, much more comfortable in Latin. Seen it every season. A good match for the rookie Anna D., as his fanbase will do plenty of work for them. 30 to 1
LOUIE VITO & Chelsie Hightower: While Louie's an athlete, it's in a less disciplined sport (snowboarding), so his conditioning could be very good, but his work and training ethic as applied to dancing could be an awkward fit. Also, he might have trouble as some of the male athletes do, being expressive enough. Chelsie was a surprise for me last season, proving to be a patient and solidly supportive partner to a challenging student. 45 to 1
JOANNA KRUPA & Derek Hough: Models tend not to fare so well on this show, which I'm sure the designers think is a shame, since they wear the costumes so well. As usual, while she has a nice figure, there's no telling what her actual fitness level might be, and how coordinated she is moving. Derek has it a bit tough with this draw, I think, but at least he'll enjoy looking at her while he misses living with Shannon. 60 to 1
KELLY OSBOURNE & Louis Van Amstel: Short and not-skinny is a non issue, as we've seen. My main question with her is what kind of attitude and work ethic she's going to bring to the table, since I couldn't tell you what sort of personality she has, even though I watched the show some. Louis is used to a very certain kind of emotional, touchy-feely kind of partner, so this seeming mismatch could be great or disastrous. 50 to 1
KATHY IRELAND & Jonathan Roberts: Two models in one season. Just kind of cut and paste everything I said about Joanna here, although I might expect Kathy to have a bit of an edge, being a former model and having made a couple of poor attempts at acting... meaning, she's a little more humble and grounded, maybe. Jonathan is a spectacular coach for this show, and for however long he's got, she will look her best, whatever that is. 55 to 1
MELISSA JOAN HART & Mark Ballas: She's gotten some magazine coverage for being a mom and losing weight, so a lot of this show's demographic has recent good impressions of her. Still young, and probably still in decent shape, she could do okay. No dance or stage performance background that I can recall. Mark is a very good partner, and has his own huge fanbase, which these days is a big help. 25 to 1
MACY GRAY & Fabian Sanchez: I'm not a big fan of Macy's singing, but that doesn't change her being a decently well-known name. Her act didn't involve any dancing, so she's got no experience there, and I can't speak to her personality or attitude. Big question mark over her. Fabian, as he proved with Marlee, is exceptionally patient and supportive to his student partners, so she's got help there. 50 to 1
MARK DACASCOS & Lacey Schwimmer: My personal bias aside, I think Mark has potential. As a martial artist, he's in good condition and is used to remembering forms and using his entire body. He has acting background, including stage work, and if Iron Chef America is any indication, he's got a good sense of humor and personality. Lacey is a bit of a question mark for me, as she seems determined to live up to her "rebel" reputation, for which her partners sometimes suffer. 35 to 1
Of particular note are the new training rules that ABC has instituted to try and stave off the injury-fests that recent seasons, especially this last one, have become.
*Couples may only train for five hours per day for the first two weeks.
*Couples must take a 30-minute break after every two hours of training.
*Couples must take one day off from training per week.
Thank goodness.
...Read more
Monday, June 22, 2009
SYTYCD - Top 18
Yikes, that's some odd giant-sack-bow of a dress Cat's wearing. I just read that she's styling herself this season, so any credit or blame goes right to Ms. Deeley herself. Speaking of fashion, when the dancers come out for the intros, it looks like Asuka has borrowed a pair of Edyta Sliwinksa's leg warmers. Of course, Asuka is somewhat more covered up, so I'm not sure why.
On to the couples. The theme for the intro videos is telling "secrets" about each partner-- odd anecdotes that range from projectilve vomit stories to teddy bears and as many uninteresting and boring things in between as possible.
Randi & Evan: Jive, Louis van Amstel. Apparently, Jive is Louis' favorite Latin dance, awesome. They're going for the fun, dorky side of things. In fact, the show runs a "fun" counter for each mention of the word. The routine is great with lots of speed and high knees, good kicks. Lots of energy & expression.
Mary decides to nitpick his triple steps for some reason. The "fun" counter clicks up somewhere around, um, 213, I think. I stopped paying attention.
Melissa & Ade: Jazz, Sonya Tayeh. A typical "battle of the sexes" theme, looking for the rougher side of the ballerina. Um... it's okay. They dance it cleanly and skillfully, but I got none of the conflict/attraction in the performance. Strong, but just kind of there.
The judges love it. Okay.
Caitlin & Jason: Hip hop, Shane Sparks. It's the second meeting after a hook-up, I guess. Again, they do a pretty strong job, but it's definitely short on the strength and aggressive sharpness in the movements the choreography seems to want. Ehh.
Janette & Brandon: Disco, Doriana Sanchez. Oddly, she the salsa dancer is having it tough. It's a great, very strong routine and probably the best "disco" performance ever on the show. They keep the speed and energy up and are bright and snappy without being cheesy. Really well done.
Asuka & Vitolio: Waltz, Louis. In a very Louis move, the dance is inspired by Vitolio's life stroy and will be "lyrical, spiritual" and he wants Vitolio to "dance full of pain". And it's beautiful. They do a great job with great lines and excellent movement. The partnering is shaky, but the performance is awesome.
Hey, there in the audience: Marlee Maitlin.
Kayla & Max: Pop jazz, Brian Friedman. She's a princess, being romanced by a performer... okay. I get very little of that, since they're both very frantically moving everywhere. It's well-danced and clean, but they never get a chance in all the flailing to connect really.
Again, the judges much more impressed than me.
Karla & Jonathan: Contemporary, Stacey Tookey(-tooky!). An accidental romantic meeting is the theme, and wow, they do a fabulous job with it. She is so light and he is amazingly strong and centered and very expressive. It's amazing for a salsa dancer. Great expression, fantastic lifts.
Okay, we get one interesting "secret": Karla is a member of the BoogieBots, a very successful hip hop group that competed on America's Best Dance Crew. I actually remember them.
Jeanine & Phillip: Tango, Tony Meredith. A lot of lift issues in practice, what with him groping her bits and her kicking him in the nads. Nice attack in performance, lots of attitude. His frame is strong, but posture is compressed and footwork bad. She's solid, if not great, and they performed it well.
Ashley & Kupono: Hip hop, Shane Sparks. She dances as his shadow/mirror. They're having a tough time with the speed and intricacy. Performing, I see some great isolation and lots of sharp movement, and some good sync. When they get to the end with a little breakdown, I don't love it.
And the judges didn't like it overall, but liked the end. Weird.
RESULTS SHOW
Now Cat, that tailored white suit and loose hair is fabulous.
Group dance tonight is to "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder, choreographed by Mia Michaels. It is spectacular. The dancers are decked in slim black "suits" and adorned with Maori-style face tattoos. Everything about it is tightly wound, shaking-muscled tension. The movements are sharp and strong, and while it's solidly grounded, it's so restrained as opposed to Mia's usual expansive style. Love it.
Video package: "Lil' C's Dictionary of Dance". They clip together the highlights of Lil' C's comments from last night into a fun string of "flights of fancy" (as Nigel calls them). The best parts are the reactions of the choreographers, especially Shane Sparks' bewildered turn to the camera. C, for his part, is cracking up.
They whittle their way through the pack. Evan gets a surprise as we're shown a cute clip of his brother Ryan delivering an inspired a capella tap routine at Season 6 auditions earlier that week and getting a ticket to Vegas.
In the end, the bottom three couples are: Caitlin & Jason, Kayla & Max and Ashley & Kupono, a totally different lineup.
Our dance guest this week is another recycle from Superstars of Dance, traditionaly Indian dancer Amrapali Ambegaokar, she of the super-fast belled feet.
Now for solos. Caitlin's is well-danced, but doesn't engage until the end. Jason's shows great control and strength, but I don't feel it. Ashley's is nicely different and has some attitude. Kupono's is the expected quirky and light, very fun but not impressive. Kayla shows a lot of her skill and technique. Max is stuck with the usual Jive-y stuff, but does it well.
This week's musical guest is Kristinia DeBarge, performing her song "Goodbye". It's a display of throughly generic pop music, boring staging, dull costuming and bland dancing. It's about as cookie-cutter as possible, and for as little moving as she's doing, she still lip syncs.
The decisions for elimination are not unanimous, and the judges would have preferred to send home no one of these six.
Eliminated: Ashley Valerio and Max Kapitannikov.
Which leaves Kayla to dance with Kupono. Should be interesting. See you then.
...Read more
On to the couples. The theme for the intro videos is telling "secrets" about each partner-- odd anecdotes that range from projectilve vomit stories to teddy bears and as many uninteresting and boring things in between as possible.
Randi & Evan: Jive, Louis van Amstel. Apparently, Jive is Louis' favorite Latin dance, awesome. They're going for the fun, dorky side of things. In fact, the show runs a "fun" counter for each mention of the word. The routine is great with lots of speed and high knees, good kicks. Lots of energy & expression.
Mary decides to nitpick his triple steps for some reason. The "fun" counter clicks up somewhere around, um, 213, I think. I stopped paying attention.
Melissa & Ade: Jazz, Sonya Tayeh. A typical "battle of the sexes" theme, looking for the rougher side of the ballerina. Um... it's okay. They dance it cleanly and skillfully, but I got none of the conflict/attraction in the performance. Strong, but just kind of there.
The judges love it. Okay.
Caitlin & Jason: Hip hop, Shane Sparks. It's the second meeting after a hook-up, I guess. Again, they do a pretty strong job, but it's definitely short on the strength and aggressive sharpness in the movements the choreography seems to want. Ehh.
Janette & Brandon: Disco, Doriana Sanchez. Oddly, she the salsa dancer is having it tough. It's a great, very strong routine and probably the best "disco" performance ever on the show. They keep the speed and energy up and are bright and snappy without being cheesy. Really well done.
Asuka & Vitolio: Waltz, Louis. In a very Louis move, the dance is inspired by Vitolio's life stroy and will be "lyrical, spiritual" and he wants Vitolio to "dance full of pain". And it's beautiful. They do a great job with great lines and excellent movement. The partnering is shaky, but the performance is awesome.
Hey, there in the audience: Marlee Maitlin.
Kayla & Max: Pop jazz, Brian Friedman. She's a princess, being romanced by a performer... okay. I get very little of that, since they're both very frantically moving everywhere. It's well-danced and clean, but they never get a chance in all the flailing to connect really.
Again, the judges much more impressed than me.
Karla & Jonathan: Contemporary, Stacey Tookey(-tooky!). An accidental romantic meeting is the theme, and wow, they do a fabulous job with it. She is so light and he is amazingly strong and centered and very expressive. It's amazing for a salsa dancer. Great expression, fantastic lifts.
Okay, we get one interesting "secret": Karla is a member of the BoogieBots, a very successful hip hop group that competed on America's Best Dance Crew. I actually remember them.
Jeanine & Phillip: Tango, Tony Meredith. A lot of lift issues in practice, what with him groping her bits and her kicking him in the nads. Nice attack in performance, lots of attitude. His frame is strong, but posture is compressed and footwork bad. She's solid, if not great, and they performed it well.
Ashley & Kupono: Hip hop, Shane Sparks. She dances as his shadow/mirror. They're having a tough time with the speed and intricacy. Performing, I see some great isolation and lots of sharp movement, and some good sync. When they get to the end with a little breakdown, I don't love it.
And the judges didn't like it overall, but liked the end. Weird.
RESULTS SHOW
Now Cat, that tailored white suit and loose hair is fabulous.
Group dance tonight is to "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder, choreographed by Mia Michaels. It is spectacular. The dancers are decked in slim black "suits" and adorned with Maori-style face tattoos. Everything about it is tightly wound, shaking-muscled tension. The movements are sharp and strong, and while it's solidly grounded, it's so restrained as opposed to Mia's usual expansive style. Love it.
Video package: "Lil' C's Dictionary of Dance". They clip together the highlights of Lil' C's comments from last night into a fun string of "flights of fancy" (as Nigel calls them). The best parts are the reactions of the choreographers, especially Shane Sparks' bewildered turn to the camera. C, for his part, is cracking up.
They whittle their way through the pack. Evan gets a surprise as we're shown a cute clip of his brother Ryan delivering an inspired a capella tap routine at Season 6 auditions earlier that week and getting a ticket to Vegas.
In the end, the bottom three couples are: Caitlin & Jason, Kayla & Max and Ashley & Kupono, a totally different lineup.
Our dance guest this week is another recycle from Superstars of Dance, traditionaly Indian dancer Amrapali Ambegaokar, she of the super-fast belled feet.
Now for solos. Caitlin's is well-danced, but doesn't engage until the end. Jason's shows great control and strength, but I don't feel it. Ashley's is nicely different and has some attitude. Kupono's is the expected quirky and light, very fun but not impressive. Kayla shows a lot of her skill and technique. Max is stuck with the usual Jive-y stuff, but does it well.
This week's musical guest is Kristinia DeBarge, performing her song "Goodbye". It's a display of throughly generic pop music, boring staging, dull costuming and bland dancing. It's about as cookie-cutter as possible, and for as little moving as she's doing, she still lip syncs.
The decisions for elimination are not unanimous, and the judges would have preferred to send home no one of these six.
Eliminated: Ashley Valerio and Max Kapitannikov.
Which leaves Kayla to dance with Kupono. Should be interesting. See you then.
...Read more
Monday, June 15, 2009
SYTYCD - S5 Top 20
Just to reiterate, I really didn't care for Cat Deeley when this show started, but she really has grown on me and I can't now imagine SYTYCD without her. Sure, you can almost rely on there being something puzzling or just downright awful about either her hair or her dress, you can also count on the genuine affection and support she shows to the contestants. "I have new babies!" she announces happily, in fact, as she introduces our top 20. And proving my ealier assertion wrong, both her 'do and dress are quite nice tonight. Did she always have the crystal/rhinestone-ringed microphone?
The top 20 do their little moments as they're introduced. Overall, while the girls are all obviously talented and skilled, it's the guys who really impress with their diversity and tricks. Brandon gets points and winces for that split. Only Asuka and Melissa stand out for the girls, being the "oddballs" in terms of dance style.
Joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel tonight is the hardest working man in showbiz, Adam Shankman, who is currently balancing his SYTYCD commitments (which sadly don't include choreographing on S5, understandably) with producing three feature films simultaneously. This includes Step Up 3D, which would be an almost instant-thumbs-down from me, but apparently features former SYTYCD'ers Twitch, Katee, Joshua, Ivan & Cedric.
On to the couples.
Jeanine & Phillip: hip hop, Napoleon & Tabitha, a theme of "don't go to bed angry". Another awesome lyrical hip hop from the duo? YES. The two of them absolutely nail the sharp edges and soft lines, she does a great job keeping up and holding her own, and he partners her well.
Mary is orange, people, and it's worse with the blonde highlights. Oh, and for those feeling like getting even closer to the resident shrieker, she joins a number of the other judges on Twitter: @HOTtamaleTrain
Asuka & Vitolio: Broadway, Wade Robson, a silent film theme. Lots of trouble locking for them, naturally. It's very cute and altogether sharp and nice and clean, but there's not enough pop of huge personality that needs to come through in an upbeat character number like this.
Karla & Jonathan: Cha Cha, Tony Meredith (sans Melanie LaPatin?). They want sexy, and alas, he's more sweaty (an affliction with which I sympathize). Good, solid, clean and fast. Karla is on my list, mugging for the camera at every moment like Lacey Schwimmer. Overall, not a good enough connection.
Randi & Evan: jazz, Tyce Diorio, an intimate romantic piece. She's married, and neither has had to act lovey before. In performance, you wouldn't know it. They're awesome, squeezing out every bit of emotion. The number is subtle and calm (a little un-Tyce). Beautiful and strong.
Paris & Tony: hip hop, Napoleon & Tabitha, hard-hitting. Tony, more of a character dancer, is having trouble being aggressive. On the floor, there are some okay stops and sharpness, but it lacks a lot of the attack and punch the music wants. The overdone too-many-pieces costumes don't help.
Caitlin & Jason: Bollywood, Nakul Dev Mahajan. Intense, fast and super-hard choreography that kills them to learn precisely. They do fantastic, keeping the energy going full-speed all through. He hits the moves a little harder, but she's a little sharper. He looks surprised by the kiss at the end.
Janette & Brandon: Foxtrot, Louis van Amstel (YAY!), evoking Fred & Ginger. They start learning easy, but then it gets challenging. They do well, with a nice feel for the music. Both light up as they leave closed hold. The lifts are solid and a little scary.
Cat wants a reaction: "Give us an eyebrow, Mary!"
Mary overshares: "I can't, not since the Botox."
Ashley & Kupono: jazz, Wade, old crash-test dummy meets new (?). High concept (Wade's specialty) is sometimes a tough sell, but they do such a great job of selling and embodying their characters through movement even in the ridiculous get-ups is awesome. Technique shines through. Very impressive.
Melissa & Ade: contemporary, Mandy Moore, theme of first love. She's the oldest competitor at 29. Yikes. They refer to one tangled-up floor move as "dirty Twister". Great chemistry between them, wonderfully connected. The lifts are terrific, and they are really feeling it. Awww.
Kayla & Max: Samba, Louis. Louis has known Max since he was 14, and speaks to him in ballroom-ese, so that Louis can concentrate on teaching Kayla and Max can help her more. Smart. It's an awesome result. She's fantastic, and the whole thing is fun and well-connected. He has great focus and good expression.
Nigel is wearing some headphones that were part of Tony's costume earlier, but Mary yanks them off to scream. In fact, she does so much she makes herself hoarse. Not permanently, alas.
RESULTS SHOW
The opening group number starts out like homeless zombies, then lets the girls get glam for some reason. It's a tight, sharp and poorly-shot (by the cameras) hip hop routine from returning favorite Shane Sparks. One of the homeless zombies holds a sign that reads "Save the dancers, save the world." Frankly, I'd actually watch Heroes if it was about super-powered dancers.
A video package talks about the four steps to a good partnership and illustrates with "amusing" clips of the dancers: 1) respect boundaries, 2) communicate, 3) respect your partner and 4) share interests.
The featured dance guests are Miriam Laricci & Leonardo Barrionuevo performing an Argentine Tango. The Wife spots them as having appeared on the disappointing Superstars of Dance last year.
They go through the couples, showing clips and doing the usual rigmarole until we learn...
Bottom three: Paris & Tony, Asuka & Vitolio, Karla & Jonathan.
Solos: Paris (good, but not particularly inspired); Tony (a retro thing that's just okay); Asuka (the usual not-great ballroom solo, but flirty); Vitolio (nice and strong, very good); Karla (very by-the-numbers bit); Jonathan (good gymnastics, not much dancing).
Nigel tweeted: "So hard to eliminate two dancers, but we are unanimous."
Eliminated are: Paris Torres & Tony Belissimo
See you next week!
...Read more
The top 20 do their little moments as they're introduced. Overall, while the girls are all obviously talented and skilled, it's the guys who really impress with their diversity and tricks. Brandon gets points and winces for that split. Only Asuka and Melissa stand out for the girls, being the "oddballs" in terms of dance style.
Joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel tonight is the hardest working man in showbiz, Adam Shankman, who is currently balancing his SYTYCD commitments (which sadly don't include choreographing on S5, understandably) with producing three feature films simultaneously. This includes Step Up 3D, which would be an almost instant-thumbs-down from me, but apparently features former SYTYCD'ers Twitch, Katee, Joshua, Ivan & Cedric.
On to the couples.
Jeanine & Phillip: hip hop, Napoleon & Tabitha, a theme of "don't go to bed angry". Another awesome lyrical hip hop from the duo? YES. The two of them absolutely nail the sharp edges and soft lines, she does a great job keeping up and holding her own, and he partners her well.
Mary is orange, people, and it's worse with the blonde highlights. Oh, and for those feeling like getting even closer to the resident shrieker, she joins a number of the other judges on Twitter: @HOTtamaleTrain
Asuka & Vitolio: Broadway, Wade Robson, a silent film theme. Lots of trouble locking for them, naturally. It's very cute and altogether sharp and nice and clean, but there's not enough pop of huge personality that needs to come through in an upbeat character number like this.
Karla & Jonathan: Cha Cha, Tony Meredith (sans Melanie LaPatin?). They want sexy, and alas, he's more sweaty (an affliction with which I sympathize). Good, solid, clean and fast. Karla is on my list, mugging for the camera at every moment like Lacey Schwimmer. Overall, not a good enough connection.
Randi & Evan: jazz, Tyce Diorio, an intimate romantic piece. She's married, and neither has had to act lovey before. In performance, you wouldn't know it. They're awesome, squeezing out every bit of emotion. The number is subtle and calm (a little un-Tyce). Beautiful and strong.
Paris & Tony: hip hop, Napoleon & Tabitha, hard-hitting. Tony, more of a character dancer, is having trouble being aggressive. On the floor, there are some okay stops and sharpness, but it lacks a lot of the attack and punch the music wants. The overdone too-many-pieces costumes don't help.
Caitlin & Jason: Bollywood, Nakul Dev Mahajan. Intense, fast and super-hard choreography that kills them to learn precisely. They do fantastic, keeping the energy going full-speed all through. He hits the moves a little harder, but she's a little sharper. He looks surprised by the kiss at the end.
Janette & Brandon: Foxtrot, Louis van Amstel (YAY!), evoking Fred & Ginger. They start learning easy, but then it gets challenging. They do well, with a nice feel for the music. Both light up as they leave closed hold. The lifts are solid and a little scary.
Cat wants a reaction: "Give us an eyebrow, Mary!"
Mary overshares: "I can't, not since the Botox."
Ashley & Kupono: jazz, Wade, old crash-test dummy meets new (?). High concept (Wade's specialty) is sometimes a tough sell, but they do such a great job of selling and embodying their characters through movement even in the ridiculous get-ups is awesome. Technique shines through. Very impressive.
Melissa & Ade: contemporary, Mandy Moore, theme of first love. She's the oldest competitor at 29. Yikes. They refer to one tangled-up floor move as "dirty Twister". Great chemistry between them, wonderfully connected. The lifts are terrific, and they are really feeling it. Awww.
Kayla & Max: Samba, Louis. Louis has known Max since he was 14, and speaks to him in ballroom-ese, so that Louis can concentrate on teaching Kayla and Max can help her more. Smart. It's an awesome result. She's fantastic, and the whole thing is fun and well-connected. He has great focus and good expression.
Nigel is wearing some headphones that were part of Tony's costume earlier, but Mary yanks them off to scream. In fact, she does so much she makes herself hoarse. Not permanently, alas.
RESULTS SHOW
The opening group number starts out like homeless zombies, then lets the girls get glam for some reason. It's a tight, sharp and poorly-shot (by the cameras) hip hop routine from returning favorite Shane Sparks. One of the homeless zombies holds a sign that reads "Save the dancers, save the world." Frankly, I'd actually watch Heroes if it was about super-powered dancers.
A video package talks about the four steps to a good partnership and illustrates with "amusing" clips of the dancers: 1) respect boundaries, 2) communicate, 3) respect your partner and 4) share interests.
The featured dance guests are Miriam Laricci & Leonardo Barrionuevo performing an Argentine Tango. The Wife spots them as having appeared on the disappointing Superstars of Dance last year.
They go through the couples, showing clips and doing the usual rigmarole until we learn...
Bottom three: Paris & Tony, Asuka & Vitolio, Karla & Jonathan.
Solos: Paris (good, but not particularly inspired); Tony (a retro thing that's just okay); Asuka (the usual not-great ballroom solo, but flirty); Vitolio (nice and strong, very good); Karla (very by-the-numbers bit); Jonathan (good gymnastics, not much dancing).
Nigel tweeted: "So hard to eliminate two dancers, but we are unanimous."
Eliminated are: Paris Torres & Tony Belissimo
See you next week!
...Read more
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
SYTYCD - S5 Las Vegas week
This review would have been to you sooner, if not for a less-than-completely-tightened cap on a bottle of Coke Zero being somewhere near the papers where I jotted down my notes for last week's Las Vegas week episodes.
SYTYCD has taken over the big theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort/Casino, which I remember quite fondly as the new Aladdin. I'm really curious about how they've re-themed and re-decorated the place, and the show doesn't give us much in the way of peeks. Oh, well.
The action starts with all 178 contestants performing a solo. As usual, the show helpfully singles a few out for us, ensuring that we'll have seen maybe half of the top 20 dance by the time they're chosen. However, they pick a couple of doozys: Alex Wong, of the Miami Ballet Company, shows off his stronger side with an awesome martial arts-flavored routine; Tony Belissimo (who to me, looks like the younger brother of Sam Witwer, who plays "Doomsday" on Smallville) is a hip-hopper with a great prop-driven solo to "Somebody's Watchin' Me", complete with multiple Nigel Lythgoe pictures spying on him.
Contestants were told there "might" be a cut (well duh...) and of course, there is one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the "you're not as good as we thought in your original cities" speech Nigel gives-- does he do that every season? Anyway, to stay through this cut, a dancer only needed one "yes". After the smoke clears, 45 dancers are sent packing, including the awesome Travis Prokop.
Time for choreography! First up to bat are Napoleon & Tabitha, with hip-hop to the Black Eyed Peas' new "Boom Boom Pow", a song that actually uses auto-tuner as a stylistic element, and not to cover up a lack of talent. Routines, we see, must be learned in one hour before being performed-- yikes.
Mia Michaels gives great quote: "I love cutting. Because I like to see people who are not good at what they do go home." DAMN. The judges make good on that ruthlessness, paring down another 37 dancers. (For those scoring at home, we're down to 96.)
The next day, Jean-Marc & France have ballroom duty, giving them a Waltz. J-M is not having any of their milling around and talking-- he's barking like a drill sergeant. Phillip Chbeeb can't stop popping even as he Waltzes well. His gal-pal Arielle is eliminated after this round, while Japanese popper Nobuya passes and cries over it.
Next routine is Jazz, done by Sonya. She's pushing them hard. Natalie and Brandon, that dynamic duo of almost-was'es are in their element, and even are made to demonstrate for everyone. However at crunch time, something in her doesn't connect like it did in practice and one of the definite front-runners from the start of the season is eliminated. Brandon makes it through. Gabi Rojas is made to "dance for her life" not five minutes after performing, and makes the cut. Our total remaining is now 73 (the show started counting down instead of keep track of cuts).
7:30 PM on that day, and the dancers are put into their groups and given their random music selections to work on throughout the night. This is probably my favorite part of Vegas week, because it puts stress not only on them as dancers, but as people and personalities. The show is, after all, looking for America's favorite dancer.
The next morning, we get video clips on a few of the groups. The first few routines pretty much suck. Nigel and the judges do most of their yelling about people giving up to rest and sleep when they weren't confident in their routines or teammates. A not-that-bad one comes up, and suddenly things get good. Or at least, that's how it was edited.
Silky Moore, a tapper, DFYL's and fails to make the cut.
Judgement Day! It's Mia's contemporary routine. What a surprise, it's intense, tough and very complicated. In an unusual move, Tony B. is asked not to DFYL, but to repeat the routine with the last group. Caitlin Kinney does DFYL and passes by 3-to-3. The Kasparczak brothers pass, as does Tony by votes. We're left with 54.
The last routines will be a bit different. Tyce Diorio comes in to do a girls' routine and a boys' routine, both inspired by West Side Story. The girls dance first, a skirt-waving high-stepper to "America", and there will be no voting until the judges have seen them all. Cut are Gabi, Megan Kinney and a less-than-graciously accepting tapper. And we're down to 16 girls.
The guys get "Cool", and are trying to emulate the pop and power of that routine, working really hard. And they're down to 16. All of those 32 will dance a solo, which for some reason or other isn't televised, and then the judges will form their top 20.
It's the elimination, and Cat Deeley has gone with a plaid flannel shirt. Okay. Again, the dancers are made to walk past video monitors of their dancing so far.
Pass: Jeanette (the Salsa jump-flip-split girl), Vitolio (the African headdress guy), Kayla (?), Kupono (formerly long-haired contemp guy), Paris (?), Janine (?), Ade (?), Karla (?), Jonathan (?)
Pass: Brandon. I single this one out because there is a damn near catfight amongst the judges over him. Mia, who has been saying all Vegas long that she has yet to see the great talent the other judges have told her about, and that she doesn't like his seemingly smug attitude. Lil'C has also remained unimpressed. Debbie Allen praises him greatly and Mary Murphy gets really close to calling out Mia, saying she (Mary) "can't stand hearing people tear [Brandon] down like this". He passes 4 to 2. Brandon promises to make Mia and Lil'C into believers, and the choreographers for their part, look like they'd relish the chance to torture him.
Pass: Tony (hip hop Doomsday), Maxim (ballroomer), Caitlin (replaced hip), Melissa (the "naughty ballerina"), Jason (?), Ashley (?), Randi (a girl who wears unitards almost exclusively and is sporting a giant diamond ring and diamond wedding band).
Cut: Randy Sun (Asuka's partner)
Pass: Phillip (popper), Asuka (Go Asians! ballroomer).
Cut: Alex Wong. Nigel makes it clear that they wanted Alex in the top 20. However, Alex is under contract with the Miami Ballet Company and despite Nigel making a personal phone call to the company's artistic director, there will be no temporarily letting him out of the contract, making Alex ineligible to compete at this time. It SUCKS.
This being reality TV of a sort, the very last elimination comes down to the Kasparczak brothers. The judges say that essentially, they could only have one of them, due to the similarity of their styles. As it turns out, the stellar choreography of the older brother helps push the younger into the top 20.
Cut: Ryan Kasparczak
Pass: Evan (classic Gene Kelly guy).
Live shows begin this Wednesday.
...Read more
SYTYCD has taken over the big theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort/Casino, which I remember quite fondly as the new Aladdin. I'm really curious about how they've re-themed and re-decorated the place, and the show doesn't give us much in the way of peeks. Oh, well.
The action starts with all 178 contestants performing a solo. As usual, the show helpfully singles a few out for us, ensuring that we'll have seen maybe half of the top 20 dance by the time they're chosen. However, they pick a couple of doozys: Alex Wong, of the Miami Ballet Company, shows off his stronger side with an awesome martial arts-flavored routine; Tony Belissimo (who to me, looks like the younger brother of Sam Witwer, who plays "Doomsday" on Smallville) is a hip-hopper with a great prop-driven solo to "Somebody's Watchin' Me", complete with multiple Nigel Lythgoe pictures spying on him.
Contestants were told there "might" be a cut (well duh...) and of course, there is one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the "you're not as good as we thought in your original cities" speech Nigel gives-- does he do that every season? Anyway, to stay through this cut, a dancer only needed one "yes". After the smoke clears, 45 dancers are sent packing, including the awesome Travis Prokop.
Time for choreography! First up to bat are Napoleon & Tabitha, with hip-hop to the Black Eyed Peas' new "Boom Boom Pow", a song that actually uses auto-tuner as a stylistic element, and not to cover up a lack of talent. Routines, we see, must be learned in one hour before being performed-- yikes.
Mia Michaels gives great quote: "I love cutting. Because I like to see people who are not good at what they do go home." DAMN. The judges make good on that ruthlessness, paring down another 37 dancers. (For those scoring at home, we're down to 96.)
The next day, Jean-Marc & France have ballroom duty, giving them a Waltz. J-M is not having any of their milling around and talking-- he's barking like a drill sergeant. Phillip Chbeeb can't stop popping even as he Waltzes well. His gal-pal Arielle is eliminated after this round, while Japanese popper Nobuya passes and cries over it.
Next routine is Jazz, done by Sonya. She's pushing them hard. Natalie and Brandon, that dynamic duo of almost-was'es are in their element, and even are made to demonstrate for everyone. However at crunch time, something in her doesn't connect like it did in practice and one of the definite front-runners from the start of the season is eliminated. Brandon makes it through. Gabi Rojas is made to "dance for her life" not five minutes after performing, and makes the cut. Our total remaining is now 73 (the show started counting down instead of keep track of cuts).
7:30 PM on that day, and the dancers are put into their groups and given their random music selections to work on throughout the night. This is probably my favorite part of Vegas week, because it puts stress not only on them as dancers, but as people and personalities. The show is, after all, looking for America's favorite dancer.
The next morning, we get video clips on a few of the groups. The first few routines pretty much suck. Nigel and the judges do most of their yelling about people giving up to rest and sleep when they weren't confident in their routines or teammates. A not-that-bad one comes up, and suddenly things get good. Or at least, that's how it was edited.
Silky Moore, a tapper, DFYL's and fails to make the cut.
Judgement Day! It's Mia's contemporary routine. What a surprise, it's intense, tough and very complicated. In an unusual move, Tony B. is asked not to DFYL, but to repeat the routine with the last group. Caitlin Kinney does DFYL and passes by 3-to-3. The Kasparczak brothers pass, as does Tony by votes. We're left with 54.
The last routines will be a bit different. Tyce Diorio comes in to do a girls' routine and a boys' routine, both inspired by West Side Story. The girls dance first, a skirt-waving high-stepper to "America", and there will be no voting until the judges have seen them all. Cut are Gabi, Megan Kinney and a less-than-graciously accepting tapper. And we're down to 16 girls.
The guys get "Cool", and are trying to emulate the pop and power of that routine, working really hard. And they're down to 16. All of those 32 will dance a solo, which for some reason or other isn't televised, and then the judges will form their top 20.
It's the elimination, and Cat Deeley has gone with a plaid flannel shirt. Okay. Again, the dancers are made to walk past video monitors of their dancing so far.
Pass: Jeanette (the Salsa jump-flip-split girl), Vitolio (the African headdress guy), Kayla (?), Kupono (formerly long-haired contemp guy), Paris (?), Janine (?), Ade (?), Karla (?), Jonathan (?)
Pass: Brandon. I single this one out because there is a damn near catfight amongst the judges over him. Mia, who has been saying all Vegas long that she has yet to see the great talent the other judges have told her about, and that she doesn't like his seemingly smug attitude. Lil'C has also remained unimpressed. Debbie Allen praises him greatly and Mary Murphy gets really close to calling out Mia, saying she (Mary) "can't stand hearing people tear [Brandon] down like this". He passes 4 to 2. Brandon promises to make Mia and Lil'C into believers, and the choreographers for their part, look like they'd relish the chance to torture him.
Pass: Tony (hip hop Doomsday), Maxim (ballroomer), Caitlin (replaced hip), Melissa (the "naughty ballerina"), Jason (?), Ashley (?), Randi (a girl who wears unitards almost exclusively and is sporting a giant diamond ring and diamond wedding band).
Cut: Randy Sun (Asuka's partner)
Pass: Phillip (popper), Asuka (Go Asians! ballroomer).
Cut: Alex Wong. Nigel makes it clear that they wanted Alex in the top 20. However, Alex is under contract with the Miami Ballet Company and despite Nigel making a personal phone call to the company's artistic director, there will be no temporarily letting him out of the contract, making Alex ineligible to compete at this time. It SUCKS.
This being reality TV of a sort, the very last elimination comes down to the Kasparczak brothers. The judges say that essentially, they could only have one of them, due to the similarity of their styles. As it turns out, the stellar choreography of the older brother helps push the younger into the top 20.
Cut: Ryan Kasparczak
Pass: Evan (classic Gene Kelly guy).
Live shows begin this Wednesday.
...Read more
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