Last night’s episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE has already been marred by injuries, a dated new logo outline, a shitty new stage and contestant shake-ups galore (Billy’s out, Brandon’s in, someone’s dancing with a choreographer because Noelle’s injured) so there’s a lot to overcome on their first night out the gate for Season 6.
I really can’t tell you how sad I am to see Billy Bell leave the show but on the other hand, I could care less about possibly losing Noelle. She’s out this week due to a knee injury and if she doesn’t recoup in time she’ll be replaced by one of the girls cut during Vegas. I don’t really care yet, so swap her if need be.
Before talking about the performances, I really have to throw my two cents in about this new stage. It’s too big for the intimacy needed to be showcased by the performances and the limited views and camera angles it offers if a logistical clusterfuck. Who built a stage without first mapping out how they would shoot the actual show? And what’s with that random posse of 40 kids that get to stand by the right side of the stage? It made sense before where the kids stood in front of the physical seating but this is just ridiculous. Did they let Tyce design the new stage and layout? I mean come on… there are people who do that for a living, hire them!
Anywhoozle…
First up are Channing and Phillip who worked with returning choreographer Jason Gilkison on a Jive. The show set me up to hate Phillip before he even danced a single Jive step. I don’t do spoken word poetry… to be more blunt, I fucking HATE it. Dance-wise, I thought Phillips outfit and light feet made this one of the fruitiest male performances the show has ever had. Who knew? Channing was a surprise. Like Shankman said, she was the highlight of the piece.
My possible SYTYCD Season 6 Boyfriend Jakob is sadly teamed up with my least favorite female, Ashleigh. They were given a sultry Broadway number choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Tyce gave Jakob everything to do and left Ashleigh as a mannequin. He stole the flippin’ show and I could watch this kid all day long. She was a little slow, a little sloppy and out of place if I’m being honest. Who the frak put Jakob in that sweater? He’s melting on that stage and a wool sweater doesn’t help. Note to the wardrobe department, less is more on that boy!
More SYTYCD Season 6 Top 20 after the jump… (more…)
“Welcome to East Dillon, Bitch!” Sorry for THE OC reference in this FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 4 shout out but it kind of fits…
Season 4 of FNL premieres tonight on DirecTV 101 and it’s a whole different ballgame for Dillon and the Taylors this season. In last years finale, Dillon found itself a town divided, sending Coach Taylor to East Dillon while Tami was left to rule the school we’ve come to know and love.
Lyla, Street, Smash and Tyra have all moved on and the original gang left behind finds themselves lost as Season 4 opens.
You’ll all be happy to know that FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is still pretty much the same FNL we’ve laughed and cried with for the last three years (or was that just me bawling my eyes out week after week?). It still has the documentary style look and intimate feel the show is known for. It still has the heart, passion and dedication of the Taylor family. It still has the flawless acting, authenticity, integrity and humor we expect from FNL.
Hell, it still has a shirtless Tim Riggins and that’s got to count for something right?
Because FNL doesn’t premiere on NBC until Summer 2010, I don’t want to spoil much for the non-satellite fan base so my quick not too spoilery thoughts on “East of Dillon” are after the break… (more…)
If GMMR was feeling better and able to podcast, surely you’d understand my insane fascination with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. I’m a little obsessed and am happy to declare this my favorite drama of the new season.
This Thursday brings the first Halloween episode and finds the kids of Mystic Falls dealing with a new vampire and discovering that if you thought Vicky was a bitch before, wait until she can kill ya.
“Haunted” Episode Summary:
As Vicki’s (Kayla Ewell) behavior becomes more dangerous, Stefan (Paul Wesley) tries to help her, and Elena (Nina Dobrev) tries to convince Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) to forget about Vicki. Unaware of what’s really happening, Matt (Zach Roerig) takes Vicki to the high school’s haunted house, but the evening soon takes a terrifying turn.
Being the horror/sci-fi loving homo that I am, I always look forward to the Spike TV SCREAM AWARDS. You’re mixing blood, gore, splatter porn and sci-fi geekiness with a red carpet and awards show… it’s soooo up my alley!
At 10pm tonight, Muse, Tricia Helfer, Stephen Moyer, Alan Ball, Johnny Depp, Liv Tyler, Megan Fox, Katee Sackhoff, Taylor Lautner, Quentin Tarantino, Tobey Maguire ,the cast of The Big Bang Theory, J.J. Abrams, Harrison Ford, Keith Richards, Morgan Freeman, William Shatner and more will grace the stage and present the best in horror, sci-fi, fantasy and comics.
If you don’t feel like staying up late to see the goths in the audience or to see the horror that is Isabel Lucas’ eyebrows and just want to know who won, check out the list of winners after the jump… (more…)
Last night, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE did something amazing, they gave us a look at what each of the Top 20 dancers can actually do! Before throwing the Top 10 guys and Top 10 girls directly to the “random” couplings and “random” styles we were able to witness why these kids were chosen in the first place. Bravo SYTYCD!
Too bad my DVR didn’t record the frakkin’ hour! At 11pm last night when I sat down to watch the brilliance Twitter had prepped me for, I almost passed out to discover it was not there.
Thanks to the power of the interwebs (specifically http://mjsbigblog.com/), this morning I’m able to watch and comment on some of the dances and Cat’s new crop of babies.
Wade and Amanda Robson’s group number may be the best group dance this show has ever seen. I’m not kidding, it’s cramazing! When the 3rd gang, the all boy gang, hit the stage I lost my breath a little. Whomever is featured front and center on that (too digitized online to truly tell who it was) portion is my new SYTYCD Boyfriend. The way that boy moved was pure sin!
If you, like me, missed the number here it is (while YouTube keeps it posted):
Wade Robson’s Group Number – “Comanche” by The Revels:
What SYTYCD did so brilliantly was introduce the dancers in choreographed groups.
Kevin Hunte, Legacy and Russell Ferguson are our Hip-Hop boys this year. Seriously, some of the tricks those kids did in their NappyTabs routine were out of control! That Legacy kid (oy with the name) can moooooove. I’m psyched to see what Krumper Russell will bring to the competition. Honestly an amazing routine. (Watch the Performance)
The first group of Contemporary Jazz kids (Jakob Karr, Nathan Trasoras, Channing Cooke, Ariana Debos) worked it to Tyce Diorio’s “Crying” by K.D. Lang. Onstage, Channing reminded me of GLEE’s Quinn Fabray and Jakob was a dead ringer for TRUE BLOOD’s Godric – I’m just sayin’. Ariana had some killer moves and the pirouettes Nathan did were OOC! I felt at times the dancers were dancing by themselves, not as a group, but I can forgive that because it was quite fantastic. (Watch the Performance)
My friend Beth twittered “what genius decided it was a good idea to put tapdancers dressed all in b&w in front of a b&W backdrop, for god’s sake???” and I couldn’t agree more. What the hell were you thinking SYTYCD Producers? It looked ridonkulous. Phillip Atmore, Bianca Revels, Peter Sabatino and everyone related to the show need to tone down the “history in the making” comments… we get it – tap is back… (Watch the Performance)
Going into this Jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh, these girls had the biggest job of impressing me. Not only do they have the 3 most dowdy names in SYTYCD history (Ellenore Scott, Mollee Gray and Pauline Mata) that Mollee girl annoys me. I love me some Sonya but this was the most boring, un-cohesive number of the night. Pauline may have been the best? I can’t tell… I was bored. (Watch the Performance)
It should be no surprise here that the 2nd group of Contemporary dancers blew me away. It featured Billy Bell, Victor Smalley, Noelle Marsh, Kathryn McCormick dancing a Mandy Moore routine to Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” – slamdunk! I will confess here and now that I shed a slight tear during this number. It was beautiful, masterfully danced and breathtaking to watch. That Victor is a tall hunka-hunka something on that stage, no? Excellent performances by all four dancers.
Watch Mandy Moore’s Contemporary Routine:
By now you’ve heard that Billy Bell had to leave the competition for medical reasons and is being replaced by Brandon Dumlao (Hip-Hop). It was announced yesterday afternoon and after watching this performance, it’s a HUGE loss to the show.
As I wrote on twitter after watching his cramazing performance: “It is a damn shame to lose Billy Bell from #SYTYCD because that boy brought a killer energy and brilliance to that stage.”
Sadly the statement still omits what his illness is and I guess we don’t need to know. I personally hope Billy gets better and comes to rock our worlds in Season 7!
The official statement from the Bell Family:
Billy’s family would like to thank all of the fans that came out to show their support for Billy this season. It has been an amazing experience for all of us and has really meant a lot to Billy. We feel like Billy made it through all of the tough auditions and now that the fun was beginning, he has to leave the show. We were all very disappointed when we heard the news and Billy was devastated when his doctors told the show that if he continued to dance on the show before he recovered, he could possibly die. It will take several weeks for him to recover and as a result, he will be unable to return to Juilliard as of right now. We are hoping he will be able to return in the Spring. Billy is still quite ill but was released from the hospital today. He’s feeling better but still needs to rest.
As of right now, Billy is hoping to re-audition for Season 7. He really enjoyed working with the show and had a lot of fun. Although he is sad that he will not be a part of Season 6, he hopes that the producers will allow him to return for the next season. If you would like to wish Billy a speedy recovery, I’m sure he would appreciate it. You can do so by posting on the facebook fan page or his facebook.
Thank you so much for sharing your love and support with our family.
The Bell Family
Thanks to our friends over at SYTYCDISM for originally posting the statement.
On with the dancing…
Jason Gilkison gave the Ballroom trio (Ryan and Ashleigh DiLello, Karen Hauer) some supposedly sexy sassy Samba to work introduce them to the world. Personally I was pretty bored. I think knowing that Ryan and Ashleigh are a married couple makes me not want them to do well. I’m an asshole, I know this. Something about them just rubs me the wrong way. Ryan’s suit wasn’t doing anything for me either. That white piping on that horribly round breasted jacket was a serious distraction. (Watch the Performance)
Overall I have to say that I’m more impressed with the level of dancing than I have been since Season 2. There is some unreal talent on that stage this season, I just hope it continues as these kids start getting mixed up in styles that are not their own.
Possible SYTYCD Boyfriends this season: Jakob, Nathan and Victor
Grand Prize Winner will receive The White Collar Ultimate Gentlemen’s Bag!
Inspired by Neal Caffrey’s classic style and taste for luxury, the Ultimate Gentleman’s Bag features a collection of sophisticated essentials that will delight both male and female stylemakers alike. Neal himself will want to get his hands on this bag, the perfect accessory for fall.
– Portolano Cashmere Scarf
– Links of London Leather Credit Card Case
– Striped Pajama Pants
– Kiehl’s Crème with Silk Groom
– La Maison Du Chocolat Truffles
– Two Cotton Pocket Squares
– Thomas Pink Custom Collar Stays
– Stainless Steel Flask
– 4-Piece Manicure Set
– Six-in-One Game Set
– The Modern Gentleman
– Neal’s Little Black Book
– Set of Cufflinks
– White Collar T-Shirt
*Prizes courtesy of USA Network
HOW TO ENTER:
Answer this simple question… “if you could pull off the ultimate con, what would it be?”
Leave your answers in the comments section of this post. The more imaginative the better kids… After you’re done, please tell all of your friends to enter as well.
DEADLINE TO ENTER:
Deadline to enter is November 15th. One lucky winner will be notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!
WHITE COLLAR INFORMATION:
To solve the hardest crimes, hire the smartest criminal! USA NETWORK’s new series, White Collar, premieres Friday, October 23 at 10pm/9c. WHITE COLLAR, stars Matt Bomer (“Chuck,” “Tru Calling”), Tim DeKay (“Tell Me You Love Me,” “Carnivàle”), Tiffani Thiessen (“What About Brian,” “Fastlane”) and Willie Garson (“Sex and the City,” “John from Cincinnati”). WHITE COLLAR is about the most unlikely of partnerships between a con artist and an FBI agent. The story unfolds after charming criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Bomer) is caught by his nemesis, G-Man extraordinaire Peter Burke (DeKay). Rather than returning to jail for this daring getaway, Neal suggests an alternate plan – providing his expertise to assist the Feds in putting away infamous and elusive criminals in return for his freedom. Join us online: Official Site, Facebook Fan Page, and Twitter.
I’ve been wanting to talk about the premiere of USA’s new crime dramedy WHITE COLLAR for a while now but I was living in the 1890’s for a few weeks (no TV, no internet), this is the first chance I’ve had to urge you all to tune in tonight!
WHITE COLLAR stars the smokin’ hotness that is Matthew Bomer (CHUCK, TRAVELER) as a sly con man assisting Tim DeKay’s semi-straight laced FBI agent in catching white collar criminals.
I’ve watched tonight’s premiere twice already and have to say that the show is charming as hell. I’d go as far to say that it may be USA’s best and most adult show to date. There’s nothing ground breaking or super original about WHITE COLLAR but damn if this show isn’t addictive.
What’s to Love:
Bomer has blue eyes you could stare at for days and it doesn’t hurt that he’s shirtless in the pilot (I’m just sayin’)
Dekay has long been a favorite of mine (CARNIVALE & EVERWOOD anyone?) and he’s the perfect match for Bomer’s almost too slick criminal.
The show fits perfectly into USA’s proven successful formula of comedy, crime and drama.
There’s Gallant from ER and Stanford Blatch from SEX & THE CITY.
The show has the best chemistry on USA since PSYCH’s Shawn and Gus
Tiffany Thiessen shines in a shockingly non-showy role. She plays DeKay’s oft-shunned wife and I heart her for taking the role!
There’s a lesbian! (LOST’s Naomi)
New York City is front and center as the back drop of the show which gives the show some authenticity and energy that most studio shows can’t reenact.
There’s actually intriguing and interesting character development that doesn’t detract from the central theme of the show and I can’t wait for those subplots to play out. Kate? Bring it!
If you’re a fan of USA’s character driven powerhouse, WHITE COLLAR will fit nicely into your schedule. It’s a pinch of PSYCH with a little BURN NOTICE thrown in for good measure. Tune in for Bomer’s eyes and stay for the surprisingly great performances of the entire cast.
Check out an interview with Matthew Bomer from the Bloggers Press Day I missed out on because of the Hamptons gig… *curses*
Preview WHITE COLLAR:
Check out a clip from the premiere of WHITE COLLAR:
Check out the WHITE COLLAR Photo Gallery and swoon while staring into Bomer’s crystal blue peepers.
Hey gang, I’m back from luxuriating in the Hamptons (if you find 18 hour work days and a diet of yogurt and popcorn luxurious) and ready for blogging action.
As you can imagine, the DVR was in overload when I returned and I’m just now starting to make my way out of all the TV backlog.
If you’re wondering when a new TV TALK PODCAST will be ready, it’s going to be a little while longer so hang tight. On top of my being away since October 1st, GMMR has been laid up with a back injury and she’s in no state of mind to podcast. The minute we’re firing on all cylinders again we’ll be in rare form, discussing all things TV.
Hey gang, I just wanted to let you all know that I’m going to be away from the blog for a couple weeks. Yes, a couple weeks!
I’m going to be in the Hamptons working a gig for the next two weeks and will have no time to blog let alone watch much television. That also means no new TV Talk Podcast until after the 15th… believe me, it pains GMMR and I just as much as it does you.
Can we hold out that long? As GLEE’s Sue Sylvester would say… “Yes We Cane!”
If you want to follow my escapades over the next two weeks be sure to follow Ducky Does TV on Twitter!
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