I'm back

Yeah, I didn't blog about last week's shows.  There were several reasons for that

1. It was the last week of school and I was busy and tired.
2. We had to travel to Florida for the weekend for a family thing.
3. I was really angry that they eliminated Iveta.
4. I know no one is reading this.

So, given #4 above, why I am continuing?  Beats the heck outta me.  Anyhow, I'm moving on. If there's anybody coming with me, even better.   Yes, I was angry they eliminated Iveta.  I thought she was far better in both the performance show and her solo than Ryan. 

Ryan had an irritating and inappropriate smile on her face the entire time,

and her solo was a desparate mess.

  I suspected that they chose Iveta over her because of a desire to make Ryan the "story" of season 8.  So I went into last night's performance show resenting Ryan and expecting to dislike her performance. 
However, she really grew as a result of that close-call.  Nigel had mentioned the smile to her and she didn't have a stupid face on last night.  She took the notes and improved.  Also, I thought about her performance in the contemporary piece, and I realized that Iveta probably couldn't have pulled it off.  So I guess they made the right decision, and Ryan is no longer my enemy.


Another person who seems to have taken his notes is Robert.  There was nary a woo across the entire show last night.  He is far less irritating now.

I think it's obvious that the producers manipulate who gets what style of dance, and I think that they put hits on on people by giving them unpopular dances.  Iveta was torpedoed by that lame bollywood number, and I think last night's victims were Jess and Clarice.  They danced that foxtrot brilliantly and it was gorgeous, but I don't think a number like that is a natural "vote getter".


Finally, a few shout out to my favorite routines of the last 2 weeks
Melanie and Marko can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

I was really impressed by Miranda's hip hop performance last week.

And Ashley and Chris's "Jailhouse Jazz" was so fantastic!

Guest judges:
Debbie Reynolds in particular was a hoot. Love, love, love her. 

Kristen Chenoweth, whom I usually love, was rather annoying with all that "shut the door" nonsense. She's getting a little terrifying-looking too. She could have starred in that zombie routine with a little less spray tan.

And finally, OMG did I love Cat's look last night. Perfection.  She's really hit or miss.  That yellow number last week was particularly bad. This, however, was faaaaaaaaabulous.

So who should go home?  Well, I think the bottom 3 are going to be Ashley and Chris for that unfortunate Sonya zombie number, Clarice and Jess as producer victims, and (even though they got praised) Mitchell and Caitlin for that Samba.  Her costume was ridiculous in my opinion.

I think it will be Caitlin and Mitchell who go home.  But if I have learned one thing from watching this show all these years, it's that I don't have any idea who is going to be eliminated.  I'll have to sit tight and see. 



Episode 7: The Bottom 3

So many questions, first and foremost among them being: Why is Robert dressed in a Hulk Hogan costume?

Robert and Miranda, Clarice and Jess, Jordan and Tadd and Mitchell (because he couldn't perform Weds) were all in the bottom.

I didn't find any of the bottom couples particularly shocking.  Jim and I are both over Robert and his WOOing and we pretty much thought he'd be the first to go (and Miranda with him) since they generally don't like to break up couples this early on.

And then the solos happened.

Robert: I didn't think he was that strong.  Actually, it would have been stronger if he had ripped his shirt like the Hulk.

Jess: He's awesome. I adore him.

Miranda: I wasn't that impressed, but Nigel loves her.

Clarice: I thought this was pretty lame.

Tadd: This is good fun.

Jordan: To paraphrase Tyce, "You dirty, naughty girl!" Hate the one pompom tit.

Mitchell: He is so talented. I hate John Mayer, but this was a great solo.


And then the BIG SHOCKER: Nigel asked Mitchell and Robert to dance again. The judges put their heads together and decided not to decide. No one goes home! The show goes on for ever and ever!
Look, here's the thing. It was totally unfair to let all sorts of people dance in their own styles. They need to dance outside their styles and then we can see what they can do. So next week, everybody had better be outside their comfort zone. That's my opinion, anyway.

Episode 7:Results Show

The Results show opened with a fantastic S&M cabaret group number by Sonya to XR2 by M.I.A. It was really hot. I was particularly impressed with Jess, showing he could break out of the Broadway style and be hardsz67y,7,.

Cat was in a demure bright pink frock with her hair gorgeously smooth.  She looked lovely.

Episode 6: Ashley and Chris, Iveta and Nick

Ashley and Chris
Hip hop, Christopher Scott, "Forget You" by Celo Green

This was a fun routine but it was placed in the wrong line up on this episode.  After the emotional gorgeousness of "Turned to Stone", this was a jarring note.  However, it was very good and Ashley, a ballerina, tore it up!  That's my belief: the ballet dancers are always ah-mazing because of the intense training they undergo, so it doesn't matter what style is thrown at them.  Their bodies are fine-tuned machines that are trained to move any way they have to.  Anyhow, I thought Ashley was better than Chris.  He looked a little uncomfortable in choreography and Nigel called him on it during the commentary.
Here's the video with no sound.  You'll have to sing to yourself since there's some copyright nonsense.  So make it dirty and sing the "Fuck You" version instead. The actual routine starts at about 1:44.
I see you pulled the sound from my video and I'm like
FUCK YOU
It seems my disclaimer wasn't enough and I'm like
FUCK YOU
Ah, Fox.com has posted it. Here we go:
http://www.fox.com/dance/videos/997037543001/ashley-chris-top-20?sortby=date&bctag=performance


Iveta and Nick
Quickstep, Gilkison, "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
This was pretty much an exhbition piece for Iveta.  Not only is she dacing in her style, but she is the WORLD CHAMPION in quickstep.  It was fun to see, but kind of bullshit honestly.  More on that later when I get to the "elimination" show (on which no one was eliminated.)
It was fun, Nick the tapper has fast feet so he kept up beautifully, and it was probably one of the only times quickstep has been done well on this show.  That might have been why they did it as well; to show that quickstep isn't a total drag when it's done right!  The music and costumes were just right and I think it was a good way to end the program.

Missy and Wadi, Melanie and Marko

Missy and Wadi
Jazz, Sean Cheeseman, "Judas" (R3HAR Mix) by Lady Gaga
I liked the idea of them breaking out of the boxes.  Wadi does parkour, so I thought he would use the surfaces more than he did.  The second part was way more excited than the beginning.  Mary and Nigel both liked this routine a lot more than we did.  It was good, but this season is going to be about being exceptional, as evidenced by the next routine


Melanie and Marko
Contemporary, Travis Walls, "Turned to Stone" by Ingrid Michaelson
It's no secret that Melanie is my favorite.  There's just something about her that has grabbed me from the beginning.  She was so spectacular in this unbelievable piece that I almost wept.  Everything from her eyes to the tips of her fingers expresses the dance.  I felt that the silly greek statue costumes actually detracted from this performance.  There was no need for them.  The dance itself was all that was needed.  Marko was phenomenal too, but I was obsessed with Melanie.  It instantly rocketed up the charts to one of my favorite routines of all time.

There are so many amazing moments in this.... my favorite is at about 3:09 when she throws herself into the air with such abandon and yet such control...  another is at about 3:23 when takes a breath in, creating this tension.... I can't.  It's too gorgeous.  Clearly the judges agree, as all of them were on their feet.


Aside: Melanie, "I used to wear a helmet because I'm narcoleptic"?
And Marko is from Guam?  That's kind of random.

Episode 6: Ryan and Ricky, Caitlyn and Mitchell, Miranda and Robert

Ryan and Ricky
Lyrical hip hop, Christopher Scott, "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" by Lighthouse Factory
This was a great routine and Ryan's locks and isolations were terrific. However, Jim called it when he pointed out her pasted on smile. Nigel wondered why she was grinning like a maniac while Ricky was ripping his heart out.


Caitlyn and Mitchell
Jazz, Sonya Tayeh, "In for the Kill" by La Roux
Mitchell hurt his elbow so Douchebag of Season 7 Robert filled in for him. I thought it wasn't the greatest routine. I love Sonya, but I thought it was just a standard mix of a Sonya techniques, nothing amazing. I also wasn't that impressed with Caitlyn. Apparently, I have no clue, because the judges fell over themselves telling her how wonderful she was. Meh.

Aside on this one? Ew, Mitchell clearly has a sweating problem, yet he chooses to wear that weird rag that doesn't even cover his torso in rehearsal. Gross!

Miranda and Robert
Jive, Jason Gilkinson, "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars
I loved the vision of this piece: the mod black and white clothes, the sliver go-go boots, but I just didn't think the dancers did a great job. There was something off about it, for me. Jim hates Robert and is ready to stab him for the constant "WOO"ing. We were pleased when Nigel pointed out that having a trademark "woo" is not enough to get him through the competition. Mary loved it.
I can't find the video. What a drag.

Episode 6: Jordan and Tadd, Sasha and Alexander, Clarice and Jess

Jordan and Tadd
Afro-Jazz, choreographed by Sean Cheeseman, performed to AfroCelt Sound Machine.
It was quite good. She already has that wild style down from her sexy jazz style so I thought she was a natural. The routine was interesting and fun. Tadd pulled it together and was quite credible despite his hip hop background. As an aside; she mentioned she wants to be a Pussy cat Doll. Ugh.
The video won't play here, click through to YouTube

 I also don't understand why the hair and makeup people made him look like Ruffio from "Hook."  It's not the first time they've done this look either.  Not good.


Sasha and Alexander
Contemporary, Travis Walls, "Stupid" by Sarah MacLachlan
I thought the title of the song described the outfits perfectly. HOWEVER it was beautifully choreographed and performed. Sasha in particular was remarkable. The judges got down on Alexander for not "making a connection" with Sasha, but I thought the story was that she was his conscience. It makes sense to me that he avoided facing her. Nigel clarified that he wanted more emotion from Alexander and I can kind of see that. He has that clenched-jaw thing going on that so many guys do. Nerdy aside: I found it interesting that he's from Alhmabra CA and looks like he could be a Almoravid Prince at the real Alhambra.



Clarice and Jess
Broadway, Tyce Diorio,"Me and My Baby" by Liza Minelli
Jim and I didn't think we saw any chemistry between them, but the judges didn't seem to agree. Jess is just so damn talented. The judges warned Clarice that she might be left in the dust by the other "beasts" among the girls and indicated that Jess out danced her. I thought they were a little hard on her.