June 16, 2011
My first thought after watching the Top 20 performance show...."Wow, there are so MANY of them." And they were all great. So, did anybody make an impression on ever-cynical me? Not overwhelmingly; again, everyone was good, and with the sheer number of performers, it is hard to single any of them out. That being said, I DO (of course) have a few random comments:
1. I must say, the hair and makeup people at SYTYCD did wonders with these contestants! Almost all of them actually looked good, with the exception of those who needed to look bad on purpose for their routines. Kudos!
2. Ashley was adorable! Her hip hop number was cute and fun, but not overly technical or exciting. I hope she doesn't go home as a result; I think the resident ballerina has a lot more to show the audience as she moves into other genres.
3. Iveta was stunning in the gold lame costume she wore to open the show. She really stood out in a group of ladies mostly wearing some combination of underwear and short skirts. I'm still not sure how she'll fare in non-ballroom genres, but I hope she sticks around long enough for the people from Dancing With the Stars to notice and invite her to join them a la Lacey and Dmitri. (If Iveta is cagey enough that this possibility is her main motivation for being on SYTYCD, I like her even more!)
4. Best non-scripted moment of the night: Jordan kicking the camera during rehearsal in the middle of a lift. At least she said, "Sorry!"
5. So, in my humble opinion, the winner of the night was: Travis Wall! Quite possibly the best thing EVER to come out of SYTYCD, Travis' choreography is always good, and last night he was exceptional. I agree with the judges that the statue number may well be nominated for an award.
So, in summary, I have no true favorites yet, and no clue who is going home. I'm looking forward to finding out (and to playing the ever-popular game of "How many dancers can you identify by name in the group routine").
June 11, 2011
Ah, So You Think You Can Dance! How I had hoped to bond with one or more hopefuls vying for the title of America's Favorite Dancer! How I watched the perfect-length audition round, as well as the somewhat-too-abbreviated Vegas Round! Unfortunately, so far I really don't have a favorite. They're all talented, of course, but nobody has me really excited to tune in. I do have high hopes for Melanie Moore, the contemporary dancer who performed such an interesting, almost Cirque-du-Soleil-esque, audition number. I wasn't over-enthused with her group routine on the top 20 show, but she mostly blended in with the other dancers. I am interested to see what she'll be able to pull off going forward. Another standout from the audition round wasn't visibile at all in Vegas, so I'm assuming he got cut early. I refer to the crumper named Brian (I think) who went by the stage name of "Hollow Dreams" (or something like that) who, when told that Lil C had "brought Crump to the mainstream", responded that he was "taking it back". I never thought he was as cocky as the editing made him look, and he had real emotion in his performance. Would have been fun to have him in the Top 20.
I guess I'll just have to wait for the first real performance show to find a favorite, or at least to have fun making snippy comments about hair and wardrobe. (Maybe I won't have to wait...the hair seems across-the-board-bad this season. Why aren't any of them gorgeous? Why don't they have perfect hair? I didn't even see any fringe yet....what is happening to this show??)
Thoughts, anyone? Who's your favorite so far? Or is the lack of good hair and fringe leaving you feeling as blah about the whole thing as I am? Never fear, I'm sure I'll be looking forward to the season once next week rolls around...if not, there's always reruns of Hawaii 5-0 to watch...
I guess I'll just have to wait for the first real performance show to find a favorite, or at least to have fun making snippy comments about hair and wardrobe. (Maybe I won't have to wait...the hair seems across-the-board-bad this season. Why aren't any of them gorgeous? Why don't they have perfect hair? I didn't even see any fringe yet....what is happening to this show??)
Thoughts, anyone? Who's your favorite so far? Or is the lack of good hair and fringe leaving you feeling as blah about the whole thing as I am? Never fear, I'm sure I'll be looking forward to the season once next week rolls around...if not, there's always reruns of Hawaii 5-0 to watch...
May 26, 2011
I'm happy that Hines won Dancing With the Stars. And I'm happy that Kym's late-week rehearsal footage did NOT include the neck brace; hopefully, a sign that she's feeling much better.
And Scotty McCreery won Idol. I'm glad--given the final two. Of course, I still thought it should have come down to Durbin vs. Pia, with Durbin winning. But whatever.
Now for a few highlights and lowlights from the finale. (Since I watched the performance and results shows back-to-back last night, I'm including both on my lists.)
Highlights (in no particular order):
1. James Durbin and Judas Priest in a metal mash-up! I "gave metal a chance", and I liked it! James Durbin is in it to win it, Dawg! For me, for you, I think it rocked! I still think Durbin should have won the whole thing. Have I mentioned that before?
2. Scotty's performance of "Gone". Liked it before, liked it again, even though I wasn't familiar with the song.
3. Jack Black and Casey's duet...even though I don't like the song, I really enjoyed the twosome performing it.
4. The Top 13 wearing white, singing "Born This Way". Great song, sharp outfits, and it was nice to see them all again (even that one girl I didn't recognize).
5. Naima Adedapo! Admittedly, one of the weaker singers, but what a performer! And watching the second part of the season without the joy of seeing Naima's fabulous wardrobe each week was just not as much fun.
6. Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw singing "Live Like You're Dying"---I had not heard this song before, but it really resonated with me. I might actually download a song from AI; you heard it here first!
7. No cheesy awards for "Worst Audition", "Most Emotional Loser Auditionee", etc.
8. The bit with Durbin and Casey going back and forth about who was the most shocking elimination.
9. Ryan acknowledging last season's snafu where the winner was announced AFTER everybody's TIVO stopped recording, and promising it wouldn't happen again. And it didn't (even though we taped extra just in case).
10. (This one was the best!) David Cook's remake of "Don't You Forget About Me". Now, HE was a true American Idol.
Lowlights:
1. JLo's marginally inappropriate dance moves during Marc Antony's song.
2. Gaga's substantially inappropriate dance moves during her entire performance. (Made slightly more palatable by Gaga's choice of Mark Kanemura as "pretty boy #1" in the choreography.)
3. Beyonce's song lyrics.
(Come on ladies, I adore all three of you, but this is a FAMILY show, remember?)
4. Chris Medina not being invited to perform or even attend. (I heard a rumor that last year's winner, Lee DeWyze wasn't invited either; isn't that poor form?)
5. The song from Spiderman: The Musical. The parts where Spidey was actually doing cool aerial stuff was nice, but the song was just kind of there.
6. Paul didn't wear "The Jacket". I really liked "The Jacket".
7. The final result. I'm happy for Scotty, but truly James Durbin should have been The Next American Idol. I hope he manages to have a career anyway. Thanks for the memories!
And now for some real excitement: So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight! Since we're just going to be watching audition footage, there will be limited opportunity to comment on wardrobe, that time will come!
May 24, 2011 (Prior to the evening's reality viewing)
Just a few quick thoughts before the Dancing results show and final Idol performance show....Dancing First: For once, I don't really care who wins. If it were my call, Hines Ward would go home with the lovely Mirrorball Trophy, but Chelsea Kane is equally good. I think Kirstie Alley is just a touch below them, but I'd still be happy if she wins. By the way, in case you're curious, there is NO WAY Kirstie is 60 years old. Looking at her, I'd say early-to-mid 40s. She is AWESOME! I wish I could take a few weeks off from my real life and dance for twelve hours a day and see a fraction of Kirstie's results. I heard (unconfirmed) that she will be wearing the same dress tonight that she wore in Week 1, and it had to be taken in THIRTY-EIGHT INCHES! Maybe Kirstie should win after all...
On to Idol, albeit briefly. Again, don't care who wins. Unless it can somehow still be James Durbin. Both young country crooners are talented, and I'll be happy with either one as winner, but sadly, only Durbin can be my pop-idol-of-the-moment this season. We'll miss you, James. I've even found myself wearing a really long scarf stuck in my back pocket as a show of solidarity. Rock on!
Even though it's not reality (at least for most people), be sure to catch Glee tonight to see our favorite show choir head to New York for Nationals!
Even though it's not reality (at least for most people), be sure to catch Glee tonight to see our favorite show choir head to New York for Nationals!
Reality updates, May 18, 2011
What a week it's been for reality tv....so much has happened, I'm not even sure where to begin. So, I guess I'll start with the most traumatic event of the week (not Kym Johnson, I'll get to her later.) I mean the tragic fact that James Durbin was voted off of American Idol. What???? I'm still hoping I dreamed it. From the beginning, the winner was obviously going to be either Pia or James. After Pia's untimely early departure, I was basically just biding my time until I could see James crowned Temporary King of the Idol on Fox World. Now that he's gone, I don't care so much what happens next or who wins. Scotty will have a stellar country career regardless of the outcome. I only hope James is able to do the same.
In other "I can't believe it, American Idol edition" happenings, do you remember Chris Medina? He was the guy who is standing by his fiance after she suffered a serious brain injury. He almost made top 24, and JLo cried when she told him he didn't make the cut. Many viewers expected to see him turn up at the finale, but it appears that he wasn't invited. When he contacted the show, he was told that he couldn't even get a ticket to attend as an audience member. A very poor way to treat someone after milking his personal tragedy for ratings earlier in the season. :(
Now, on the Survivor. First, I have to say for the record that I was happy to see Boston Rob win. He played an excellent game, and deserved the victory. Given that, however, I was saddened to see Matt not even get a chance to address to jury for his shot at the prize. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and (for possibly the first time in Survivor history) showed America a Christian person who was neither a zealot or a nutcase. He is a fine example, and I had hoped he was a shoe-in for the America's Choice vote and $100,000 cash prize. I think the rules should be changed so that the award goes to the runner-up in the event the winner is the same person who won the $1 million. But that's just me. At least Matt came away from his experience with an even stronger personal faith, and the admiration of people like me (which I'm sure means soooo much to him).
Dancing With the Stars....I figured if Ralph wasn't out, it would have been Kirstie Alley. I think she is wonderful, but not one of the top three dancers. After Romeo and Chelsea were out last week, I was too irritated to care that much. I was really expecting a final three of Hines, Disney Chelsea, and Romeo. Oh, well....Hines should win anyway. Or maybe Chelsea. Who knows? Maybe the crazy jury votes will give it to Master P or Kenny Mayne....Oh, yeah....back to Kym. She convinced Hines to try a crazy lift that even *she* had never done before. During rehearsals, she slipped, and all of her (slight) body weight, plus all of Hines' (not so slight) body weight landed directly on her neck. Ouch! She was still able to perform, thankfully, but she must have still been in serious pain.
On the bright side, So You Think You Can Dance starts next week. Looking forward to it, and all the fun and snippy costume-related comments I'll be able to share with you!
In other "I can't believe it, American Idol edition" happenings, do you remember Chris Medina? He was the guy who is standing by his fiance after she suffered a serious brain injury. He almost made top 24, and JLo cried when she told him he didn't make the cut. Many viewers expected to see him turn up at the finale, but it appears that he wasn't invited. When he contacted the show, he was told that he couldn't even get a ticket to attend as an audience member. A very poor way to treat someone after milking his personal tragedy for ratings earlier in the season. :(
Now, on the Survivor. First, I have to say for the record that I was happy to see Boston Rob win. He played an excellent game, and deserved the victory. Given that, however, I was saddened to see Matt not even get a chance to address to jury for his shot at the prize. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and (for possibly the first time in Survivor history) showed America a Christian person who was neither a zealot or a nutcase. He is a fine example, and I had hoped he was a shoe-in for the America's Choice vote and $100,000 cash prize. I think the rules should be changed so that the award goes to the runner-up in the event the winner is the same person who won the $1 million. But that's just me. At least Matt came away from his experience with an even stronger personal faith, and the admiration of people like me (which I'm sure means soooo much to him).
Dancing With the Stars....I figured if Ralph wasn't out, it would have been Kirstie Alley. I think she is wonderful, but not one of the top three dancers. After Romeo and Chelsea were out last week, I was too irritated to care that much. I was really expecting a final three of Hines, Disney Chelsea, and Romeo. Oh, well....Hines should win anyway. Or maybe Chelsea. Who knows? Maybe the crazy jury votes will give it to Master P or Kenny Mayne....Oh, yeah....back to Kym. She convinced Hines to try a crazy lift that even *she* had never done before. During rehearsals, she slipped, and all of her (slight) body weight, plus all of Hines' (not so slight) body weight landed directly on her neck. Ouch! She was still able to perform, thankfully, but she must have still been in serious pain.
On the bright side, So You Think You Can Dance starts next week. Looking forward to it, and all the fun and snippy costume-related comments I'll be able to share with you!
