Some of my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines
At first, I was a little disappointed with this season’s So You Think You Can Dance. I found most of the routines underwhelming. Furthermore, Mary and Nigel constantly telling us that it’s the “best dancers they’ve ever had” and the most “competition they’ve ever seen” is a red flag. I think most viewers, those with dance training and without, know what they like and why they like it. And viewers don’t like being told they should like something.
So I started thinking about my favorite pieces from past seasons. I thought about how I got goose bumps when Anya and Danny did the Viennese Waltz. I remembered how Benji’s solos always put a smile on my face. I’ll concede that season four hit it’s stride after this week. But, you can’t argue that previous seasons, especially two and three, left a lot for these new dancers to live up to.
Some of my favorite pieces from Fox’s hit show are after the jump. I’ll probably come up with more but here’s something to start you off. Enjoy!
Let’s start with that Danny / Anya waltz routine. Usually the Viennese Waltz, much like the Quick Step, can be the kiss of death on this show. But these two pulled it off beautifully. They looked so mature up there. Of course, it didn’t hurt that both of them are stunning. I still get goose bumps when Danny turns her (sorry, I don’t know the term).
Last week, we saw another great Viennese Waltz by Twitch and Kherrington. This was nicely danced as well, but the story behind it took it to a whole other level emotionally. I think this left a lot of viewers in tears.
Let’s talk about Disco. So, far the disco this season has been drab. Courtney and Gev’s piece the first week was too contrived. And I think everyone was a bit surprised that Will and Jess’s routine didn’t land them in the bottom three this week. (I will say that Will was wonderfully entertaining in it though.) Here’s two disco routines you might have forgotten. Natalie and Musa’s piece shows just how important it is to have a strong guy when it comes to partnering. On the other hand, Lacey and Kamryn’s piece shows how important a great female partner can be.
This is hands-down my favorite Latin ballroom routine EVER on the show. Sure, I know you’re going to say that Benji and Heidi had an advantage because they’re cousins and dance partners (champions to boot). It still made for good entertainment. Try counting how many turns Heidi does.
Here’s my favorite contemporary piece from choreographer Mia Michaels. I know I’ve said that I find her work inaccessible, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. Lauren and Danny are believable as lovers and both are technically proficient enough to pull off Mia’s “alien” movements.
We know by now that the solos are just as important as the duets on this solo. These are two of my favorite solos. It’s hard to put it all out there in thirty seconds. They have to mix tricks and choreography. Plus the dancers have to relax enough so that they can show the judges how much joy they get from dance.
I love this solo by Natalie. She’s very sexy and quirky. And that turn she does from the floor onto the tops of her feet is awesome. Benji’s solo shows that ballroom dancers too can be amazing solo artists. He was there to win from the beginning.
Here’s one of my favorite Wade Robson pieces. I think many of you will agree it’s pretty darn good.
“Rama Lama Bang Bang” is one of my favorite group pieces. The song is fantastic. The choreography has just the right amount of kitsch. And the performance? Take a look.
So that’s it for now. What are your favorite dances from past seasons? From this season? And how do you think season four measures up with past seasons?
Contrary to rumors, 24 will be 24 episodes next season
There’s been some scuttlebutt stirred up to suggest that next season’s two-hour 24 prequel TV movie will be considered part of the 24 hours in Day 7, therefore leading some to think that there’ll only be 22 episodes. But how could there only be 22 hours in a day, right? Well, TV being what it is, I’m sure they’d find a way to do two hours in one — other shows do! — but that won’t be the case. There will be 24 hours, 24 episodes in the 2009 season of 24.
Part of the reason for all this confusion is an interview that actor Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty) gave to Premiere.com. Carlyle, who will be playing someone who’d been a mentor to Jack, said that the 24 TV movie, which is meant to cover what’s happened since the end of Day 6 with the new Day 7, would apply to the Fox episode commitment. He told Premiere.com, “This is two hours in real time, and there’ll then be 22 episodes.”
Well, Robert had it wrong. TV Guide’s Matt Mitovitch went directly to Fox and they assured him that Day 7 will definitely be 24 hours, 24 episodes. They are not part of the TV-movie. He also learned that the movie is set four years after the end of Day 6. That’s 2017.
I don’t know about you, but I’m itching for 24. It seems like forever since Valencia went up in a mushroom cloud. And since this TV movie is 2017, I guess Chloe’s baby — assuming she had it — will be a toddler. Does CTU have a daycare center?
[via TVTattle]
Exclusive: Find Out Who Will Play Angela's Other Man on Bones
He’s heeere…Inside sources tell me that the producers of Fox’s Bones have cast an actor to play Angela’s long-lost husband. Click in to find out which guy got the extremely great gig of canoodling with Michaela Conlin on a regular basis.
I’m told that Sean Blakemore (you can IMDb him here) will be playing Grayson Birimbau, the superperfect über-mensch (kind and brilliant, and hot and rich to boot) who met Angela one hot night in Fiji and persuaded her to become his wife (even if just for that one hot night).
Way back in April, Bones creator Hart Hanson told WWK, “We’re gonna find the best guy in the world for Angela. Whoever we finally cast, Jack has to be completely and utterly cowed when this guy finally walks in.”
And at the Asian Excellence Awards the lovely Ms. Michaela herself told E! that the producers were looking at Djimon Hounsou as the prototypical Birimbau. (I guess Kimora Lee was keepin’ him busy living life in her Fab Lane on E!)
What do you think? Did they hit close to the Djimon Hounsou mark? And more importantly, what will the introduction of Birimbau mean for Angela’s love affair with Dr. Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne)? Are they ever going to be able to disentangle this mess and tie the knot themselves?
Premiere date for season two of The Sarah Connor Chronicles
We here at TV are sometimes privy to top secret industry information (information if revealed in public would result in our spontaneous beheading). Other times, we’re just given the press release.
That being said, the second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will begin on Monday, September 8th at 8 p.m. I’ll wait while you run to the DVR to set the record time. Fox is also planning to run a season one marathon leading up to the premiere (the DVD is set for release on August 19th).
Returning actors include Lena Headey, Summer Glau, Thomas Dekker, Richard T. Jones and Brian Austin Green. New cast members include Shirley Manson, who plays a tech company CEO, and Leven Rambin as a possible love interest for John Connor.
Season one of the show had to be cut short due to the writer’s strike (and had a somewhat unsatisfying cliffhanger), but there were some real gems of episodes. I’m looking forward to season two.