SYTYCD: 'Super' Six

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 6 Performance Show"

My commitment to blogging about SYTYCD knows no bounds. The laptop is on the fritz, so I was reduced to watching the show in a (gasp) computer-less room. But, unwilling to forgo the my customary recap post at this important stage of the proceedings, I took notes by hand and am now typing them up for the blog. I know, the horror!


The play-by-play:

• Cat is wearing a fairly simple royal blue mini dress with super straight hair and a big punk bracelet with a large silver pyramid on it.
• During the intro, Brandon threw and all-out fit in his mini solo!
• Jeanine is again dressed for the bedroom (of a bordello).
• Right away, Cat calls third judge Lil C out on his overuse of big words.
• Lil C says the voting is down to people's preferences now.
• Mary wants us to consider ALL of a contestant's work, not just tonight's performances. Was that a tacit admission that last week's cancer dance messed up the show by allowing Melissa to stay an extra week?
• Nigel basically flat out acknowledges that whoever gets the marquee routine gets the votes, allowing less skilled/versatile/charismatic dancers to stick around longer than they should.
• Nigel's list of past standouts (in terms of star power): Twitch, Joshua, Katee, Courtney G., Gev and Benji.

Guys' group number (Sonya Tayah jazz):

• The featurette: Evan acknowledges that Brandon is amazing. Brandon says that Evan is hard to carry around the stage.
• The dance: The throw/jump of Brandon was freaking awesome, as was Brandon's front aerial (after all these back flips, it's nice to see someone mix it up a bit with the tumbling). All three guys can do back flips. (Is that why Jason had to go? Did he do back flips? I don't remember.) That was a cool routine, and they all danced it well. In fact, I'm surprised because I expected Evan to be a lot worse than he was.
• The judging: Lil C also thinks Evan was better than expected and calls Brandon and Ade "powerhouses." Mary just loved it, yes she did!! Nigel thinks that performance was of a standard that he doesn't think the top three boys could have achieved in other seasons, which is comparing apples to oranges, really. Could these three do a better jazz routine that Josh, Twitch and Mark? Probably. Could Josh, Twitch and Mark do a better hip hop routine than these three? Most definitely. Obviously the standard can go up when they perform in a style that is so close to all of their specialties.

Jeanine and Ade (Louis van Amstel samba):

• The featurette: Jeanine was "relieved" when she picked Ade out of the hat (obviously, because she didn't want to dance with Evan.) Ade's been on the Latin train these past few weeks.
• The dance: Well, Jeanine's outfit is something. There are a heck of a lot of feathers on her butt. This routine is okay, but really not that sexy (as they kept telling us it would be). In fact, Jeanine's "sexy face" is horrendous and not sexy at all. It looks more like the "undead face" that one would make when performing "Ramalama" or last week's zombie hip hop.
• The judging: Abruptly, we start with Mary, who proceeds to skewer their technique move by move! (She was particularly hard on Ade.) Lil C agrees and says that Ade was "frollicking." Nigel thinks Jeanine "looks great." Thanks, Nigel, that's helpful. Nigel gives Louis a shout out, which is quickly followed by another shot at Ade's technique.

Kayla's solo: To the music of The Fray. It was a bit boring and then she did some nice pirouettes. Still better than what she had been doing for solos earlier in the season.

Melissa and Evan (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: I was sooooooo hoping to see Melissa and Evan do a krump and a quick step. A Tyce Broadway routine isn't a krump, but it's probably the next best (worst) thing. I want to see these two get Tyced! They will perform to "Get Me to the Church on Time," and Evan's uncomfortable about having to marry a married woman. Melissa cannot stop laughing at Evan's faces.
• The dance: Melissa's getting married in a negligee? Classy... And I'm not sure that the socks/boxers look is the best way for Evan to go. They're not dancing this routine poorly, but I'm so freaking bored that I can barely pay attention at all. And the more you look at it, the more hideous Melissa's costume becomes.
• The judging: Lil C thinks Evan didn't take the helm and live up to expectations. Lil C doesn't quite know what the element that was missing was. (I think it was interesting choreography, personally.) Mary praises the routine in an attempt to keep these two from getting sympathy votes. Nigel says Melissa has been able to adapt to every style they've given her, and I say, "That's because you've never made her hip hop!!!"

Ade's solo: Nice straddle jump, good pirouette series, some nice musicality, shirt wide open.

Kayla and Brandon (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: This routine's not choreographed by Mia! I was sure that we were going to finally be treated to a Mia/Brandon collaboration. Stacey is Mia-esque though, so I guess this will have to do. The routine is very challenging, and Brandon says that they are always exhaling and never inhaling.
• The dance: At least, as the mistress, Kayla has an excuse for wearing a negligee. They need to turn up the set lights, because I can barely see the dancers (especially Brandon because he's not as blindingly pale as Kayla). Kayla really sold the facial expressions. The routine was performed very well, as you would expect from these two exceptional contemporary dancers.
• The judging: Lil C says, "That was beyond amazing!" Lil C also calls Kayla "a beast." Mary loved every second, yes she did!! Nigel says the girls have had it rough this year, what with having addictions, unplanned pregnancies, (and cancer), being strangled by a zombie and now being an abused mistress.

Melissa's solo: Walks a bit, stands around posing for a while, and then finally starts to move around and do splits right before the music ends.

Jeanine and Ade (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Bummer. I had felt like we've been having a nice (one week) break from NappyTabs. For the record, this is poor Jeanine's third NappyTabs hip hop routine. This one is about friends who get evicted from their apartment--I feel like we're scraping the bottom of the inspiration barrel here. Jeanine fell a lot during rehearsal.
• The dance: I can't see Ade's face at all, thanks to that hat, I guess. This routine is kind of boring, even by NappyTabs standards. The boxes aren't helping anything either. They made for a pretty stupid prop, in my opinion.
• The judging: Lil C: "I wish moving was always that fun. I would relocate everyday." Lil C says Ade finally rocked his innate "dirty groove," and that they both danced the routine well. Mary says that she forgot to tell Jeanine that she was really good in the samba. Nigel: "I thought Mary was a bit mean. She was like my ex-wife's divorce attorney." Too much information, Nigel. All of the judges are trying really hard to sell the idea that this routine was great (and the boxes were a fantastic prop). There is a general consensus that "they got down," whatever that really means. At least through this routine SYTYCD was able to spread some awareness about the suckiness of getting evicted.

Brandon's solo: He means business tonight--he's got his most dramatic music and his tiniest spandex shorts. His fantastic, powerful, and meticulously choreographed solo garners a standing ovation from the judges. Then there's a choppy cut to Nigel saying that that was one of the best solos ever on SYTYCD. (Who edited tonight's episode? It looks like a third-grader did it at times. Also, what did Nigel used to say in seasons 1 and 2 when "the best ever on SYTYCD" didn't mean all that much?)

Melissa and Evan (Louis van Amstel quickstep):

• The featurette: Didn't Evan use to be cuter? I mean, seriously. Evan can't lift Melissa without falling to the ground.
• The dance: Melissa's dress is either pretty great or hideous, and I'm not sure which. Very unvaried facial expressions, especially from Melissa. I think Melissa almost fell over completely at one point, and it looked like she ran completely out of gas during the Charleston portion. The routine was fun enough, but will it get them votes? Nah. I actually don't know if Evan was good or not; I just didn't notice him because I was having such problems with Melissa.
• The judging: Lil C thinks Melissa was fabulous and Evan danced bigger than ever. Mary says that Louis created a fabulous routine, yes he did!! Mary says that their performance lost all kinds of energy as it went on and it didn't live up to her expectations. Nigel reminds Melissa that she's only 29 and not Cloris Leachman on Dancing With The Stars. Nigel says that the Lindy Hop and Charleston sections dragged.

Jeanine's solo: She continues her string of skanky outfits. Other than a nice pirouette sequence, there wasn't much to like in this solo--unless you really dig a lot of hip wiggling and hair flips. (At this point in the competition, dancers should not be relying on moves that I can do, and I can do a mean hair flip.) Maybe she's tired? I've been wanting rid of Melissa for weeks, but Jeanine has been rubbing me the wrong way all night tonight (with her dancing; I like her fine when she's talking.)

Evan's solo: This is a quick turnaround here for him. Starts with a nice back flip and then proceeds with kind of a boring display of the usual. Ends with a string of pirouettes through to a nice straddle jump. At least he didn't wear a fedora and suspenders this time. That's a little variety anyway.

Kayla and Brandon (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: I swear that every time anyone does a disco on this show, it is called "one of the most difficult discos ever on the show." Can we just agree that they're all difficult? Brandon says he's not really as confident as he comes off. Kayla says this disco is more like a circus.
• The dance: Brandon starts with a tumbling pass. I don't think Brandon is looking as good in this routine as he did in the other disco--I'm not sure if it's the height issue, the frenetic choreo, the hideous, Elvis-esque costume or what. Both dancers look very tired by the end. Kayla does a death drop and then Brandon does one too! After the routine, Kayla says she can't breathe.
• The judging: Lil C realizes this is one of his last chances to speak tonight and proceeds to spew out all of the psycho babble that he's been saving up. Something about pockets of music, I don't know... Mary also thinks this was great. Yes, it was difficult and exhausting, but it was not that good, people. Mary says Brandon's self-esteem issues make her want "to get at" him and stands up and has to be restrained by Nigel and Lil C. That was frightening. Now Nigel jumps up, runs around and yells. Mary says, "Trying to jump down my back, yes he is!!" What the hell is going on?!

Girls' group number (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: The routine has a superhero theme because Sonya always wanted to be a superhero. I hope Kayla's not too wiped from that disco to do this routine. Whoa! Jeanine nailed Kayla in the face in practice!
• The dance: It seems like Kayla's doing most of the heavy lifting here. Melissa didn't seem to have any breakout feature or get lifted up at any point. I think I liked Wonka better.
• The judging: Lil C says Sonya's in charge of PE at the Superhero School for Girls. Lil C: "You still gotta eat, and the stage is your bowl." C thinks the dancers were maybe holding back in favor of synchronization. Mary thinks Kayla stood out because she had a few harder moves. Mary thinks they should take this act to Comic-Con. Nigel: "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it an arabesque?" Nigel then again gets all pervy about how Jeanine looks.

During the end credit dancing, Ade actually took some time to play to the audience and not the camera! Imagine!

We got to see a rather extended dancing-during-the-credits sequence, so were the choppy cuts earlier in the show really necessary?

Coming into tonight's episode, I wanted Melissa and Evan to go. After tonight's performances, however, the only two I know I want in the finale are Brandon and Kayla. Honestly, I could do without all of the other four at this point.

SYTYCD: 100

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 8 Results Show"

Happy 100th episode, So You Think You Can Dance!

Let's see who gets cut going into Top 6 week. The 8-to-6 cuts have been dicey in the past. Yesterday I mentioned that Will got cut during Top 8 week last year, and it has since occurred to me that Allison got cut in Top 8 week during Season 2. And Will and Allison were definitely two of the best dancers ever on SYTYCD, so who knows what surprises we're in for tonight.

The play-by-play:

• Why was I under the impression that this was a special two-hour episode?
• Do not tell me this is another Tyce Broadway number! How many of those are we going to have to watch in one night?
• I don't know why the audience is screaming? I could do this stuff... I don't think I'd wear that white tux outfit though...
• Did we just kick of the 100th episode with arguably the worst group number ever?
• MIA choreographed it!!! Not Tyce! Ugh. The poor Broadway choreo disease is spreading...
• Cat is wearing a black mini dress with sleeves that has a sparkly tiger face on it! She's pulling out the big guns (cats?) for this special episode!
• Mia's headband situation is so bizarre.
• How many birthdays does Nigel have this year?
• I see Pasha!!!
• And Courtney Galiano! I like her. Does this mean we get to see "The Garden"? Please?
• Hey, there's Benji in the back! You win the stinking show and they don't even give you a front row seat?
• If Nigel thinks Tyce's cancer routine united a country, he was not reading the same EW message board that I was...
• The retrospective montage included the swing dancing guys!!! I still love them.
• Why does Sex get more screen time in the retrospective than past winners?
• Why was Jason crying during Vegas week? Did they show us that?
• Well, if nothing else, at least SYTYCD gave Twitch a reason not to join the Navy when he didn't want to...
• Gosh, there have been a lot of great routines on this show. Unfortunately, not many of them have been this season...
• Who cares about the results? I just want to see the vintage SYTYCD routines.
• Ohh, booooooooooooooo! Tyce's cancer routine bought Melissa an extra week that she did not deserve. This is going to suck.
• So, what's that mean? That Kayla's going to go home? Geez. Is Top 8 week when we lose all the good dancers?
• This doesn't bode well for Jason either.
• And Janette's the other one in the bottom two girls. This situation is NOT good.
• Well, even if this season is now completely screwed up, at least we get to watch "The Hummingbird and the Flower." This routine is really fantastic. And not because it was specifically choreographed to garner sympathy votes...
• Boys' results: Ugh. Poor Jason. Maybe he'd be save this week too if only his zombie had had a horrible disease (aside from zombie-ism, that is). WHAT? Now BRANDON is in the bottom two as well? Oy vey. This will officially go down as the night Season 5 (already a precarious endeavor) veered waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off track. This show is really going to have to bring it for Season 6 to make up for the debacle that Season 5 has been.
• Explain to me why if one of the Janette/Evan combo had to be in the bottom four, it turned out to be the one who danced both of their dances better?
• Now on to the (previously taped) "Bench" routine. Heidi's hair is brilliantly blond these days! It's kind of amazing how they can perform these routines so very similarly after several years.
• Kayla does the same solo she did last night, which is fine with me, because I still like it and I still love the dress.
• Jason also does the same solo, more or less. Maybe a little better tonight. Cat says it's brilliant.
• Janette is also doing the same one. I kind of wish Jeanine was in the bottom two just so I could see her solo again; I really liked that one.
• Brandon opens his solo with an impressive display of pirouettes, as if to say, "Why did you crazy-ass people vote for Evan instead of me?"
• It's time for "Ramalama"!! (Which I think is also previously taped.) Allison looks crazy scary. Wade! Whose place is Wade taking? There were five guys and four girls dancing this routine the first time around because one of the girls was injured. (After consulting Wikipedia, it looks like the fifth boy--who Wade was subbed in for--was Ryan Rankine.) I feel like we're seeing way more of Wade than everyone else combined. Ivan looks different. Dmitry looks almost unrecognizable. I think it's because the zombie makeup is even weirder this time around. The red under-eye circles are not particularly flattering.
• I love how Cat took all the "in danger" dancers up onto the balcony with her and had them pretend like they just saw "Ramalama" performed. That was some pretty impressive acting from them.
• The ridiculousness of tonight's results is detracting from my enjoyment of the performances of the iconic routines.
• And now for another previously-recorded dance routine...it's the already-legendary Tyce/Katie Holmes number. Let's finally see this monstrosity... Or at least stop talking to Katie Holmes--we don't really care what she has to say at this point. Is she going to dance in those super high heals? It's Mark! Oh yeah, Katie's not lip-syncing at all... She doesn't even have a microphone. Is that Joshua I see? Who are these other generic dudes? The one is getting a heck of a lot of screen time. Way more than Josh, a SYTYCD winner. I don't think they got one good shot of Josh during that whole number. (Did I hear that Twitch was supposedly in it too? I didn't see him at all.)
• Well, at least Josh got some quick camera time there for standing next to Tyce. Unfortunately, that means he had to stand next to Tyce... Lol.
• Ha ha, Judy Garland's son, Joe, was there in the audience tonight "to witness that" number.
• Girls' results: It's Janette! This sucks. She never even got to do that fancy flip-split thing again. Good luck at the bank I guess, Janette. Nigel says that Janette was his favorite and he really wanted her to win this season. Ok, Janette says that she's realized how much she really, really loves to dance, so it sounds like the bank job is on hold now.
• Guys' results: Jason. Boooooooooooooo. Poor Jason. I'm guessing he won't get a special speech from Nigel too, huh? He should have gone shirtless for his solo this week, I guess. Aww, poor Jason is crying. He's very gracious and thanks everyone who has helped him get to this point.
• All the judges, choreographers and alumni dancers join this year's contestants up on the stage. When the end credit music starts to play, some of the current dancers go to hug tonight's evictees, but the alumni just start dancing. Lol.
• So it's looking like Evan for the win, huh? He's been sailing through while being mostly mediocre, so if he actually pulls out something awesome in the next two weeks, it looks like he's a virtual lock.

Top 8 results night strikes again! These results were altogether depressing... At least VH1 is showing The Temptations miniseries tonight. That will cheer me up a bit; I hardcore love that movie. (If you don't feel like sitting through the entire six hours, here's the best part.)

SYTYCD: Crazy Eights

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 8 Performance Show"

Yea, it's SYTYCD night! Even though I haven't loved this season as much as past seasons, I still look forward to Wednesday performance nights each week. I'm now officially glad that there's going to be a fall season of SYTYCD this year--I do not like being without this show.

Top 8 night can be tricky--we lost Will this time last year. Will there be any surprise exits this year?

The play-by-play:

• Yea for FOX for not preempting SYTYCD to show Pres. Obama's prime time talk. I hate presidential prime time talks (and I was a political science major). My reaction to the time that Pres. George W. Bush preempted The O.C. was not cute. They should make a rule that says that unless there's some sort of national disaster, presidents only get three prime time talks each year or something.
• During the introduction solos, I thought the dancers were trying to see who could do the most boring solo until Brandon got out there and really shook it.
• Cat's dress is stunning. I'm not entirely sure if it is stunning in a good way or a bad way yet, but it's definitely something. It looks like expertly-draped liquid metal. She has paired it with a sleek pony tail and chunky silver bracelet.
• Oh yeah, I forgot that Ellen DeGeneres was on the show tonight. It's funny that they put Mary in between Mia and Ellen to break up the spiky-haired blondes. It seems like there's a hair theme tonight, and I feel like now we just need to get Kate Gosselin up there. (She'd certainly be able to come up with some critical things to say about something.)
• Ellen says she learned her dance moves on the street of her gated community :-)
• I think Mary just said that this year is "crazy off the chain." That was a very poor use of late '90s slang...
• IT'S TRAVIS WALL AGAIN!!!!!!!!! Choreographing a group number! Wohoo! It's getting close to be Travis-overload these two weeks, but I love it!

Group number:

• The featurette: The concept is a rave in the year 2200 or 2300. I guess raves won't change much in those 100 years...
• The dance: Is Nigel going to bitch about these costumes? They look a little alien-ish, and we all know how he feels about that. It is kind of hard to tell who is who. Besides for Evan and Kayla, they all kind of bend in. I think I missed some of the little individual showcases. I caught Brandon's there at the end. Overall, the dance was pretty good. It wasn't exactly up to Travis-Wall-orgasmic-awesomeness levels though.
• The judging: What the hell does Travis have on his hands? I guess they are the little light things that the dancers have. Nigel says he LIKES the costumes! What?! I'm getting the picture that Ellen's job tonight is just stalling. Mary's still trying to sell this load-of-crap line that all of these dancers are equally good. Mia recruits Ellen to wear one of these costumes with her on Thursday.

More musings:

• Where does one pick up a copy of Dance Spirit magazine, anyway? Not that I really want a magazine with one of these people on the cover...
• Wow, Wade's going to dance in "Ramalama" tomorrow! Woooooooo!

Evan and Janette (Sonya Tayeh jazz routine):

• The featurette: This combination of dancers and choreography could either be awesome or absolutely horrendous.
• The dance: The beginning was pretty good. In the middle it looked to me like Janette was really out-dancing Evan. I don't think he's got the arm motions quite right. Nevertheless, it wasn't a disaster by any means, and I really liked the Sonya choreography. I especially liked when Janette jumped up and Evan caught her. I would have loved to see this routine danced by some legit contemp/jazz dancers.
• The judging: Nigel says that he's finally getting "more" out of Evan. Do you think Ellen will say anything negative about anyone tonight? How, Mary, is this "way out" of Evan's specialization? This was jazz. He does Broadway-ish jazz, right? It was "way out" of Janette's specialty maybe. Let's home Mia smacks some truth back into these proceedings! Mia says Evan has gotten by on his adorable face. Mia says that Janette is her favorite, favorite, favorite this season. Whoa!

Kayla's solo: Dances to Imogen Heap while wearing a very pretty sparkly dress. This solo was eons better than most of the other ones she's done! She actually danced during this one, instead of just doing a rapid succession of splits and kicks. And there's her grandpa!

Brandon and Jeanine (Hunter Johnson waltz):

• The featurette: This looks like a power couple! But they drew the waltz... The two seem to be having major difficulties picking up the dance during rehearsal, and Brandon mentions something about thinking about birds and bunnies.
• The dance: I like Brandon's dress-shirt-and-vest look. This routine seems very slow. I'm getting a bit sleepy... It's not bad, but it seems like it could be better. Brandon namely looked a little awkward at times.
• The judging: Nigel says that routine was extremely demanding. He says that the music was "like pulling teeth" and like "music for insomniacs." His eventual point was that because the music was so slow, they needed to be extremely good and they just weren't as good as he wanted them to be. Ellen continues to say only irrelevant things. Mary confirms that that waltz was slooooooooooow and probably the slowest one of the show ever (yea?). Mia says that maybe if Brandon wasn't dreaming about birds and bunnies during rehearsal, the dance would have been better. Mia now says that she wanted more because these two are "the tops."

Jason's solo: Does a few really nice switch-leg splits. Not a whole heck of a lot else to write home about though. Jason points out his brother in the audience. And, is it just me, or has Jason become a heck of a lot hammier in the last few weeks (since about the time Caitlin got the boot)?

Ade and Melissa (Tony and Meredith cha cha):

• The featurette: Ugh. This pairing feels like a tired rerun. Poor freaking Ade--it's back to shlepping Melissa around the stage for him. (Couldn't they have put Ade with Kayla and Jason with Melissa so everyone could dance with someone different? I don't get it.) At least they're doing a cha cha. There haven't been enough spicy Latin dances this year.
• The dance: The highlight is that Ade's wearing bright red pants! Something about Melissa isn't working quite right in this style. She can do the hip-wiggle turns okay, but when she has to move around the stage, it looks wrong. Ade looks okay to me. Geez, there haven't been many spicy Latin routines this year, and there really haven't been many good spicy Latin routines. (Have there been any good ones at all?)
• The judging: Nigel says they did well but then proceeds to kind of pick them apart a bit. Ade's smile is adorable! Ellen: "Are you two carpenters? Because you nailed it!" Mary says she feels like everything is in slow motion right now and that allows us to really notice technique. Ade's bum was too high. Melissa was turning her feet out too much and then turning them in too much. Mia thinks this was Ade's worst performance of the season. Mia says that Ade's movement "is so thick anyways." Mia gives Melissa a free pass because she's a ballerina.

Janette's solo: Dancing to slow music in the most clothing I think I've seen her wear all season. It was a very nice solo--she managed to contemporary-up her salsa moves a bit with some spiffy leg extensions.

Another musing:

• I wish Glee would just go ahead and start back up already. I'm getting really sick of hearing about it during every single SYTYCD commercial break. And I want to seem them perform "Gold Digger."

Jason and Kayla (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Ugh, it's Broadway and Tyce. The routine is about a guy who is caught up in the music and a girl who wants to capture his attention.
• The dance: Kayla's dress is gorgeous. I'm really liking Kayla in this style. I think the dancers are doing a great job, but the routine looks a little under-choreographed. When the music was really pounding, Jason was just kind of standing there for a couple seconds.
• The judging: Nigel says that Jason's toes and feet were absolutely terrific, and at times Jason reminded him of Gene Kelly (take that, Evan supporters!). Oh my freaking heck, Mary has an actual train whistle! The interesting thing is that the whistle is far less annoying then her screaming. Cat suggests that Mary could sell her own line of train whistles. I'm not sure if that would catch on. Mia says that Jason needs to open up his upper body. Now Mia says that if Kayla can act and sing, she'll take Broadway by storm. So, basically, it sounds to me like Mia can't make up her mind of who her favorite actually is (Janette, Jeanine, Brandon, or Kayla).

Ade's solo: Is pure awesomeness. The music is just tones and rhythm, and he choreographed his moves well to it.

Evan and Janette (Tony and Melanie rumba):

• The featurette: Well, let's see if Janette can bring the sexy out of Evan. If she can't do it, no one can. Sorry, Evan, but I think most everyone falls into the sexy Latino mindset easier than you.
• The dance: Performed to a heavily-orchestrated version of "Heartless." Geez, I hate rumbas! They are so slow and boring that it looks like two random people off the street could do one after a half-hour of practice. I realize that that's not the case, but that's what it looks like. Aside from boring me to tears, the dancers did pretty well. Evan wasn't ridiculous at least.
• The judging: I think Nigel just acknowledged that people don't vote for rumbas because they're boring. Nigel doesn't think that there's anything passionate in Evan's face, and that he has heavy eyelids that make him look sleepy. Ellen says she loves Evan's eyes, and sadly that's the closest she's come to giving a substantive critique all night. Mary commends Evan for not losing his balance at any point, which does seem to be the general idea... Mia says that not everyone has to be a sexpot. Mia says that Evan was using a Zoolander face.

Melissa's solo: More interesting in the first 15 seconds than her entire solo was last week. Looks like Debbie Allen's comments hit home. The solo still didn't seem to be jam-packed with great stuff or particularly awesome for any reason, but at least it was less boring than last week's solo.

Brandon and Jeanine (Laurie Ann Gibson pop jazz)

• The featurette: Whoa, Laurie Ann is no joke! She's working them hard and reaming Jeanine out!
• The dance: This is some sort of military-themed routine that would be a lot cooler if it weren't set to a mawkish Jordin Sparks song. The dancers are trying to infuse it with a lot of strength and feeling and emotion but the song just doesn't go there with them. The dancing was good but the song ruined it for me.
• The judging: Nigel says this has been the flatest night ever on SYTYCD until this routine (which is an odd thing to say since he's given most everyone decent critiques up until now). Ellen says that they made it look appealing to join some sort of armed forces. After a long build up, Mia lets out a few loud screams. Mia says Brandon is such a powerhouse (I don't understand why she sees this now, but hated everything about him a few months ago).

Evan's solo: Hey, look, he's wearing a fedora, dress shirt, tie and suspenders. Who'd have thought? He accidentally drops the fedora, but covers it pretty well. The solo was charming, but nothing we haven't seen from him before.

Jeanine's solo: Very fun, different, nice solo to "Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope. I would have liked to watch another few minutes of this one. The girls' solos have been better over all this week, I'd say.

Ade and Melissa (Tyce Diorio contemporary):

• The featurette: The routine is designed to be a powerful piece about a woman battling breast cancer.
• The dance: Melissa's wearing a head scarf like a cancer patient would. Some gorgeous lifts and jump/catches. Not sure I really "got" the full story there though. I could tell Melissa was fighting something, but I didn't really get why Ade was there. I didn't really understand the resolution either.
• The judging: Nigel is almost in tears and says that he'd be surprised if Tyce doesn't get an Emmy nomination for this. He thinks it was one of the most memorable routines on the show ever. I'm not sure I agree. I've been more touched by other SYTYCD routines (and I honestly don't really feel the need to be "touched" by SYTYCD routines anyway). Ellen says it was the "most beautiful thing she's ever seen." Maybe it looked better in person? Mary is in tears. I'm not really understanding this "thanks to Tyce for shedding light on this situation" stuff either--yes, it's a tough subject, but it's not like breast cancer is something no one has ever heard of before, you know? I do agree that it's a good thing for us all to think about, but please don't act like none of us knew about how devastating cancer is until Tyce depicted it for us. Mia is also in tears (her dad passed away due to cancer). Tyce is crying too. One of the girls in the audience looks really familiar, like Sarah Drew from Everwood maybe. (BTW, when I Googled Sarah Drew to make sure that was really her name, I read that she is Ben McKenzie's second cousin!)

Brandon's solo: This week he's wearing no shirt, which is far more Brandon-like than his fully-clothed look last week. And this solo is really good, complete with nice dancing, fancy tricks, awesome splits and a slammin' series of back handsprings into a huge back layout.

Jason and Kayla (Shane Sparks hip hop):

• The featurette: Jason is a zombie who beats Kayla up. This seems like a very strange choice for a follow-up to the cancer routine (and a little bit insensitive). This will give both Jason and Shane the chance to redeem themselves for that horrendous hip hop routine they did with Caitlin a few weeks ago. And just for the record, so far this year we've had vampires, aliens and now zombies. What's left--werewolves?
• The dance: Zombies and dancing is very "Thriller," which Jason (the MJ fan) should like. I'm enjoying this routine a lot. They're hitting the moves well and syncing well with each other. My favorite part was Jason's little solo dance after he knocked Kayla to the ground. That was so cute! This was the first time Kayla's done hip hop, and she was great. And Jason was definitely way better in this than he was in his previous hip hop number.
• The judging: Jason is really into this zombie thing. Nigel likes the routine. He says that he's been a bit disappointed with the hip hop this year, but this one was really good. Ellen says if they keep dancing like that, they'll have their own talk show some day. Mary thinks Jason, her "little puppy dog," must have gotten rabies. Mia says this is her favorite Shane Sparks routine on the show ever and that she especially liked the strangling pose at the end.

Favorites: Jason and Kayla's hip hop, Evan and Janette's jazz, Jason and Kayla's Broadway

In trouble:

The guys: I honestly don't know who is going to get this boot this week. Personally, I'd go with Evan, but he seems to have a substantial following, so he might get through. So that would mean that the guy going home would be Jason? Maybe Ade? Maybe Brandon if people forget to vote for him? I have no idea.

The girls: Send Melissa hoooooooooooome. Her cha cha was no good, her solo was okay, and her contemporary was lovely, but the other girls are better.

The Big Bang Theory: Games People Play

The Big Bang Theory: "The Barbarian Sublimation"

This episode is one of the ones that I did manage to catch earlier in the year, but I decided to watch and blog it anyway. I'm glad I did, because this episode is hilarious. I think Sheldon managed to spend the entire half-hour saying nothing but wildly funny things. Jim Parsons = very deserving Emmy nominee.

Aside from my utter love of Sheldon, I enjoyed this episode because I think I like video game-themed sitcom episodes in general. The episode of Full House where the entire family became engrossed in playing Michelle's video game was pretty hilarious ("Go up!"/"It's a kayak, it doesn't go up!"/"It's enchanted, isn't it?"). Are there other stellar video game-themed episodes of TV shows? (If anyone is actually reading this and can think of one, feel free to leave a comment!)

Highlights (aka "Ode to Sheldon"):

• Sheldon's knowledge of lock and key technology is impressive.
• Penny: "...and just now when I was walking up the steps, a fly flew in my mouth and I ate it!"
• Sheldon: "Well, let's see. She attempted to open her apartment with her car key because her face is overly Midwestern, she hasn't had sex in six months and she ate a fly."
• Sheldon: "Level 3 and she thinks she's rich! What a newb."
• Sheldon: "You can't slay the guard captain with the bronze dagger! My Lord, it's like the car key and your apartment door all over again."
• Raj: "It's like some kind of weird comic book crossover."
• Sheldon: "I can't wear different pajamas! These are my Monday pajamas."
• Sheldon: "These Hungarians are just using you for dragon fodder."
• Sheldon: "If it is a crime in ensure that the university's resources are not being squandered to chase sub-atomic geese, then I plead guilty."
• Sheldon: "You have to do something about Penny. She's interfering with my sleep, she's interfering with my work, and if I had another significant aspect of my life, I'm sure she'd be interfering with that too."
• Penny: "Fritz, I need you on my flank! ...I don't know German. Flanken Sie! Flanken Sie!"
• Sheldon (about Leslie): "We have to concede her undeniably expertise in the interrelated fields of promiscuity and general sluttiness."
• Sheldon trying to get a date for Penny but actually picking up the guy at the next table himself without realizing it was beyond hilarious.
• Sheldon: "Wouldn't you prefer to socialize with Tom, who is a sexually passive outdoorsman?"

P.S.--Boo to CBS.com for not having photos from this episode posted in the photo gallery on The Big Bang Theory's page. Did they accidentally delete them like NASA did with the moonwalk video? (That was my attempt at a nerdy science analogy.)

Updated--My Take On Emmy Nominations

Last week, I was kind enough to take a break from obsessively documenting the goings on of So You Think You Can Dance to compile a list of actors, presenters and shows who should have been nominated for Emmys. The official list of nominees was announced today, so let's see how well the people who pick the Emmy nominees did with following my directions...

Nominated:

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad: Supporting Actor, Drama

Breaking Bad: Outstanding Drama Series

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad: Lead Actor, Drama

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?: Lead Actress, Comedy

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory: Lead Actor, Comedy

Lost: Outstanding Drama Series

Michael Emerson, Lost: Supporting Actor, Drama

Rose Byrne, Damages: Supporting Actress, Drama

Steve Carell, The Office: Lead Actor, Comedy

Undeniably screwed over:

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance

January Jones, Mad Men

Snubbed:

Adam Baldwin, Chuck

B.J. Novak, The Office

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies

Chuck

Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice

James Roday, Psych

Jennifer Esposito, Samantha Who?

Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies

Zachary Levi, Chuck

I guess 9 out of 21 isn't too bad, as far as the Emmy nominations go. I was so appalled by the snub of January Jones though that I've been a bit soured toward the whole process. I mean, come on, if I had to pick the three actors who most deserved Emmy recognition for this year of television, she would definitely have been on that list. I will admit to doing a little happy dance for Aaron Paul and Breaking Bad though. And Jim Parsons was so cute this morning during the announcement when he realized he was nominated.

(photos: fox.com; amctv.com)

SYTYCD: Adios to Unitards and Hawaiians

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 10 Results Show"

As for the SYTYCD Emmy nominations: I saw the nods to Mia Michaels' "Mercy" and Napoleon and Tabitha's "Bleeding Love" coming coming from a mile away. Those were two of the most beloved routines of the season at the time and two of the most remembered since then. I was, however, surprised about the other two routines that were recognized. I didn't remember Dmitry's Argentine tango at all. All I remembered about Tyce Diorio's "Silence" was that Will wore the least amount of clothing allowed on network TV. (I bet Tyce is going to be even more insufferable now that he's got an Emmy nom.) After re-watching, I can attest that both routines are very nice, but I'm a bit shocked that they were nominated and "The Garden" wasn't. I mean, "The Garden" is an iconic SYTYCD routine--maybe it was a little too out-there for Emmy voters?

My prediction for tonight's show: Kupono and Randi will be headed home.

The play-by-play:

• The people here a SYTYCD really just love to push Melissa out of her comfort zone, huh? Here she is in the group number wearing pointe shoes and doing ballet.
• That was actually kind of boring for a Wade Robson routine.
• Cat appears wearing a extremely sparkly, dangerously short dress.
• It must suck for Cat to have to announce all the Emmy nominees when she was majorly snubbed yet again.
• Nigel's getting an honorary degree in England and he's not here? It feels so strange without him here! But it's kind of nice having one fewer people here gabbing away.
• Goodness! That opening lift in Kup and Randi's paso was all kinds of rough! I didn't notice that last night.
• So Janette's still the obvious shoe-in for the girls? She was the first one told that she's save. I thought Jeanine would get the first reprieve. Randi is the first girl in the bottom two. Jeanine gets the second reprieve. Kayla's safe too. Melissa's the second girl in the bottom two. (And, hey, that's the way it should be!)
• Look who isn't skating by on the popularity of Evan and Ade anymore...
• It will be interesting to see who is in the bottom two for the guys (in addition to Pono). Will fan-favorite Evan escape the danger-zone yet again? If he does, that leaves only fan-favorites Brandon and Ade and Jason who had the powerhouse routine of the night.
• Cat shows us some more highlights from the season 6 auditions. I'm still not interested in them.
• This 18-year-old Utah girl who moved to California is a good dancer, but she's a tad annoying.
• Does it look like the hairstylist didn't quite finish with Cat before the show started, or is it just me?
• Jason is the first safe boy! And he celebrates by yelling "YEEEAAAAHH" a couple of times. Oh geez, Evan's safe too! What does this kid have to do to get in the bottom two/three? Pono has blue and yellow streaks on his face and a very bizarre outfit (parachute capri pants with white tassels and a shredded vest) and he's in the bottom two. Brandon's safe and Ade's in the bottom two and they both look surprised.
• Next week Mia and Ellen Degeneres are going to join Nigel and Mary on the judging panel?! Ooh-kay. (There's going to be a lot of chatting next week.)
• Cat teases the performances of "The Bench," "The Hummingbird" and "Ramalama" in the 100th episode next Thursday.
• Randi: I think her solo is better tonight, but maybe that's just because she's not wearing that gross silky ruffled dress.
• Mary can't think of any specific moments of Randi on the show? What about the butt dance, Mary? How could she have forgotten that?
• Debbie points out that Randi's outfit is much better tonight than last night. And she also reminds us that she's no fan of the paso doble. Lol.
• Pono: So he came up with this one solo and that's all he's got? But yet he always has time to shred up another new outfit?
• People, people! We've only got 20 minutes left and we've still got to do two more solos and watch the Black Eyed Peas and kick some people off! We don't have time for 15-minute monologues from Mary!
• Melissa: Are they supposed to be doing the same solos that they did last night, or have these people just run out of ideas?
• Debbie flat out tells Melissa that she needs to show us more in her solos. Tell her like it is, Debbie! (Ohh, that was awesome!)
• Ade's doing the same solo tonight too. Complete with the back flip that comes too close to the stairs...cause apparently giving people heart attacks is a good thing to do in your solo?
• I've said it before, the Black Eyed Peas/Fergie must have some kind of sweetheart deal with SYTYCD. They show up on here in one form or another at least once every season.
• Fergie needs another outfit badly. The black bustier/skin tight black leggings/black wedge shoes just doesn't look good.
• The Black Eyed Peas pull out just one back up "dancer" who just takes off her shirt. Well, thanks for that... Oh, ok, here are some more "dancers." They're not really doing anything either.
• As far as Black Eyed Peas songs go, this one's not particularly memorable or catchy. Usually they come up with something that you don't particularly want to like, but it's so darn catchy/relentless that you can't not listen to it.
• Cat even makes all the members of the Black Eyed Peas looks short.

The results:

• The girls: Randi's going home. She tells Melissa not to cry because she's not crying. So long, unitard girl, it's been fun. (She really should have worn a unitard for her solo last night instead of that ugly dress.)
• The guys: Kupono's going home too. Thank goodness, I'm so over this kid! I thought his to-do lists were cute in the beginning, but he's been on my nerves for a few weeks now.
• Randi and Kupono both look liberated--not sad. Strange. They're either being ridiculously good sports or they wanted out.

SYTYCD: Contemporary Masters

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 10 Performance Show"

My predictions for the night: Jason and Ade bust out.

The play-by-play:

• Cat appears wearing a form-fitting multi-tiered (pleated?) green frock. I think this maybe be my favorite of her dresses this season. It's rather mermaid-y.
• The third judge is...Debbie Allen! I was wondering when she'd show up.
• Cat addresses the height issues associated with pairing up some of the Top 10 (a.k.a. Evan).
• Debbie Allen says that in the past few weeks, some of the comments by the judges have caused her to throw her Haagen-Dazs at her TV screen. I wonder if Haagen-Dazs had to pay for that mention or not.
• I feel like Cat's teleprompter is just flashing "Stall!! Stall!!" at her because we are going NO WHERE fast here tonight.
• We're starting the night off with a group Bollywood number with the girls. Did they do gender-based group numbers in previous Top 10 shows? I'm not convinced it's necessary. (After some quick research, it seems last season they did gender-based Top 5 numbers during the Top 10 results show. So they did them, but they didn't affect the voting.)
• What would SYTYCD do if they actually had an Indian or Indian American dancer on the show one season? That poor kid would probably end up doing Bollywood numbers week after week after week. I mean, yes, Bollywood is cool, but we may be getting close to overdoing it.

Girls' group number (Bollywood):

• The dance: One thing about Bollywood numbers is that most audience members don't understand enough of the nuances of this style of dance to know if the dancers are doing it well or not. Plus it's so fast that it's hard to tell if there are mistakes. Example A: Jason and Caitlin did a Bollywood number that the judges thought was amazing and the same judges hated (or didn't love) everything else those two subsequently did.
• The judging: Nigel says the girls are beautiful. That's pertinent, Nigel, thanks. Nigel puts the girls on his "Hot Bangers and Mash Train." Ugh. Mary thinks any of these girls could be in the final. Debbie thinks this is the strongest Top 5 girls in the show's history.

Kayla and Evan (Tony and Melanie Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: To prove that the producers "aren't fixing the couples," they let tall Kayla pick short Evan's name out of the hat. And then we get to hear about the height difference for about 5 minutes.
• The dance: Kayla's not wearing shoes so there's not that much of a height difference after all of that build-up. I really like the dance--Kayla looks lovely in this style. I don't love the faces Evan's making--he keeps pulling out this strange forced smile that doesn't seem to fit with the music.
• The judging: Now as they're waiting for their critique, Evan looks taller than Kayla. In a semi-lengthly exercise in irrelevance, Nigel goes on and on about how he didn't see the difference between their "Viennese waltz" and a "fast waltz." Mary says that Evan's "natural turns" were slightly painful to watch. Go Mary! The gloves are off, as she says. Debbie tells Evan that he "handled [his] big woman." Poor Kayla--under no one's definition should she be considered "big."

Brandon's solo: Very strongly choreographed to his music ("In Your Eyes," I think it was the Jeffrey Gaines version). Packed a surprising amount of movement into a stripped-down acoustic version of the song. Also surprising was that he was wearing pants AND a shirt instead of the tiny spandex shorts he usually wore for solos during auditions.

Janette and Ade (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: This could be a super couple. But, yet, there is more bitching about height differences (Ade is tall; Janette is short). Ade seems kinda happy to not be dancing with Melissa anymore, but I might be misinterpreting him. And the boy finally gets to do some hip hop! It's a banner day for Ade. But then Nappy-Tabs shows up... (Seriously, are those two blackmailing Nigel or something? Nobody choreographs as much as them.)
• The dance: For having no funk, Janette's pretty good at butt wiggles. Ade should have kept the frumpy outfit on Janette because once it was off, she's started stealing the show. Ade finally got to wear his hair pick during a routine. And he got to do something other shlep his partner around the stage.
• The judging: Nigel just wants to say "Nappy-Tabs" again. ACK--Nigel just said that he's going to try to talk Mary out of her clothes later. Cat: "That's a terrible visual." LOL, Cat! Now Mary says, "We've got to get serious and cut the crap." I guess there's a first for everything.

Randi's solo: It was ok, but ultimately rather similar to every other generic girl contemporary solo ever.

CAT SAYS THAT AFTER THE BREAK WE'LL SEE A ROUTINE CHOREOGRAPHED BY TRAVIS WALL!!! And suddenly I don't care about anything else regarding this competition and am only thinking about how much I like Travis and that his hair is dark now. It might not be a good strategy by the producers to remind audience members how much more they liked the contestants of past seasons (like Pasha last week). I'll take it though. This Travis appearance will help to tide me over until I get to see The Bench Dance and "Ramalama" next Thursday!

Kupono's solo: Holy crap, it looks like he spent more than 5 minutes planning what he was going to do in this solo! What a nice change of pace! And he made his costume himself. (Meaning that he ripped up a wife-beater, I guess.) Is there no end to this boy's talents? Lol.

Jeanine and Jason (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: The two dancers who lost their partners last week got paired together anyway this week. Jeanine thinks she and Chbeeb stole the show with the Russian folk dance last week. Lol. I think it's appropriate that Travis is choreographing for Jason, since I pegged Jason as being a student of the Travis Wall School of Dance the other week. I think Travis might be trying to kill the dancers with this choreo.
• The dance: Ok, I love this because the movements they're doing look like Travis movement. And, whoa, there were some borderline softcore porn moments toward the end there. That Travis is pushing the envelope a bit.
• The judging: The judges all give a standing ovation. Nigel begins by raving about Travis' choreo, saying that it was only bettered by the dancers who performed it. And I was right--now the judges think Jason is awesome. Mary's fighting back tears over Travis' evolution into a top-notch choreographer. (Frankly, it wasn't that much of an evolution, since back in Season 2, his solos were always well-choreographed.) Debbie's reminiscing about when she first saw Travis when he was 14-years-old. Jason's brags about what a good job he did of tearing Jeanine's dress. Combining that performance and those critiques with the residual Travis love, there's no way either Jason or Jeanine goes home tomorrow.

Melissa's solo: I'm not impressed. I think she could get more extension in her leaps and she spent about 70% of the time just doing a lot of Bourree-ing, which I learned in my beginning ballet class at the Y when I was 3-years-old. (Granted, we weren't on pointe in the beginning ballet class, but you get my drift. Also, this girl I just found on YouTube's Bourrees blow Melissa right out of the water.)

Evan's solo: Well, at least he did an 180-degree split. But, yeah, I'm over Evan's shtick. (Although I was never especially taken with it, I guess.)

Kayla's solo: She's definitely got the leaps and the extensions, but I think she could used some choreography help with the solos.

Randi and Kupono (Tony and Melanie paso doble):

• The featurette: Um, on-paper this is like the opposite of a power couple tonight. Unless they get an awesome dance, these two might be heading straight out the door tomorrow night. The concept of the paso doble is confusing Pono. The practice session was rough.
• The dance: Randi's got some killer hair extensions and doesn't even look like herself. With the help of her extra hair, I think Randi's doing a surprisingly good job of selling this. Pono, however, I'm not so sure about. When he's just standing there giving attitude, he's good. When he was dancing by himself, he was ok. But when he was dancing with Randi, I wasn't impressed with him, and he could barely handle the most basic of lifts.
• The judging: I think Nigel's blaming the routine's lack of passion on Randi's wig? I think Pono's jig is up tonight. This is what happens when he doesn't get to do contemporary routines, people! I think Randi got thrown to the wolves with this partnering, but she was probably in trouble anyway.

Ade's solo: Attacks "Unchained Melody" with a kind of reckless abandon that probably could have used a little restraint (there were some bent knees in jumps, etc.) The highlight, though, was a very speedy succession of pirouettes.

Jeanine's solo: Redeems herself for her lack-luster solo-in-hooker-outfit last week with a nice solo featuring leaps and spins and kicks to some fiery Latin music that I'm sure was someone's floor exercise music. (I think it was Alicia Sacramone's music, which--heaven knows--should be engraved in my consciousness by now.)

Jason's solo: Also better than his solo last week. Tonight, he seemed to relax and just do a nice
Southern-inspired dance that showcased both his technique and his musicality without the near-panic and slight desperation of last week's effort.

Melissa and Brandon (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Dear Lord, now Melissa's bitching about height differences too! We don't care anymore, people! Aaaaaaand it's Tyce. Who is here to choreograph a number from "a very famous musical called 'Hair'." Thanks for being so educational, Tyce. I'm sure few of us have ever heard of "Hair" before (eye roll).
• The dance: The routine started out definitely not being the typical Broadway style, but then it kicked in. I kind of hate this version of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"...so much so that I'm having problems watching the whole routine.
• The judging: Nigel tries to continue the history lesson by pointing out that the '60s was the first time period that white girls danced with black guys. In the over-statement of the evening, Mary says the routine was "unbelieveable."

Janette's solo: Janette powers through her solo, refusing to buy into the idea that ballroomers can't do decent solos. And she isn't even relying on the help of a fringed costume.

Guys' group number (Jeffrey Page African dance):

• The featurette: Um, poor Evan just does not scream "African dance" to me. Pono: "It's just rhythms, a true, true dance style, and I just cannot get it!" So Pono just admitted that he doesn't have rhythm and can't handle true dance styles?
• The dance: This looks like one massive aerobic exercise. I'm having a similar issue with this routine that I had with Bollywood: I just don't know what it's supposed to look like. Were the arm motions supposed to be more fluid like Jason's or more abrupt and staccato like Brandon's? In any event, it looked freaking exhausting and they all deserve credit for just making it through. And, damn, how hot did Jason look during that?
• The judging: Nigel and Mary call more attention to Evan's lack of African-ness. It's generally agreed that they were all wonderful and no one in particular stood out. Nigel can't result throwing in one more quip about how much Russian folk dances suck. He's going to have a Russian-American boycott on his hands if he doesn't watch out.

My favorites:
Couple dance: Jeanine and Jason's contemporary (followed by Evan and Kayla's waltz and Ade and Janette's hip hop)
Guy solo: Jason
Girl solo: Jeanine

And I just want to take the opportunity to gloat one more time about the fact that my prediction that Jason would kill tonight (which I first made last week) was spot on. Booya!

SYTYCD: Picking "Stars"

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 12 Results Show"

It was tough for me to pick the two dancers I expect to get kicked off tonight for the EW SYTYCD predition game. For the girls, like pretty much everyone, I'm thinking Caitlin will go home. (She's upped her game the last couple weeks, but this field of girls is pretty strong.) But the boys are tricky this week. My guess is that the bottom three will be Jason, Kupono and Evan. If the competition were fair and Kupono does a solo that is remotely as horrendous as the one he did last week, he'd be going home. I wanted to pick Kupono as my prediction. But I think I understand the "secret" workings of the show too well to actually expect that the judges will eliminate Kupono instead of Jason. So far, Kup's been in at least two "tour worthy" numbers (Mia's addiction contemp and Sonya's vampire contemp). I doubt that the judges view any of Jason's numbers as "tour worthy." We're all well aware that they didn't like the alien number. So that's why I locked in the prediction that Jason will get the boot, even though I dearly hope that is not going to be the case. I'm still convinced that Jason is far better than we're being led to believe. I'd love to see him dance with another partner and see how that goes.

The show:

• "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes! I love this song!
• Call me crazy, but the non-hip hop guys look like they're dancing this hip hop group number better than Phillip.
• Hey, Jason got to be the only one standing at the end of the routine! Good for him. That might be small consolation when he unceremoniously gets the boot tonight, but at least it's something.
• Geez, I just liked a Nappy-Tabs routine. Of course, I think I mostly liked the song, but it's still unsettling.
• Nigel says that Sony won't clear Michael Jackson's music for SYTYCD, so they can't do a MJ tribute episode. Boooo.
• Mary almost seemed like she was going to burst into tears at the thought of her and the other judges not getting to fix who goes home anymore after tonight.
• Tyce just yelled, "That's it!" at Cat. Don't yell at Cat, punk.
• Cat asks Mary while Jason and Caitlin keep ending up in the bottom three and Mary does not have the integrity to answer, "Because that's how we, the judges, want it."
• First shock of the night: Randi and Evan are STILL not in the bottom three!
• So who is still voting for Randi and Evan? And, um, why?
• Wait! Nigel's admitting that the judges know the results in the morning and have all day to make up their minds on who is going to go home before the dancers even do the solos!!! I mean, I don't think that it comes as too much of a surprise that the judges already have their minds made up and that the solos don't count for anything, but to flat out admit it! If the decisions are already made, why even put these poor six dancers through the stress of having to "dance for their lives"?
• WHAT?!?! Second surprise of the night: Kup and Kayla are NOT in the bottom three and Melissa and Ade are!
• Well, now I'm really glad that I changed my prediction from Kupono to Jason.
• I did have a sneaky feeling that Mia's addiction routine would get Kupono and Kayla a lot of votes. It seemed almost universally loved, and when I rewatched it today, I liked it better than I did last night.
• The dancers in danger are: Caitlin, Jason, Jeanine, Phillip, Melissa and Ade. It's a whole new ballgame!
• Oh no. Now we have to watch more audition footage (for season 6) during tonight's results show. And Tyce is in it. Frankly, I saw more than enough audition footage for this season, and I don't want to watch any more. I didn't even pay attention to that Teddy guy because I assumed he was bad and then I was stunned when the judges went gaga over him.
• But anyway: Jason vs. Chbeeb. Do they chuck the far superior dancer in favor of the dude with the fan following? (But Phillip's fan following has let him down these last too weeks.)

Caitlin: Her solo is really sweet and fun to watch. I doubt it will save her, but she did a good job.

Jason: Throwing out all the spins and spinning jumps he's got. Very bold, assertive little solo and a different look for him. (But he screwed me over in the prediction quiz by not wearing a shirt, since I said all the boys in the bottom three would wear shirts.)

Jeanine: How she can dance at all in such a skimpy, escort-esque dress is beyond me. Sure enough, I'm not finding this solo to be nearly as good as her solo last week.

Phillip: However, I am liking Chbeeb's solo better this week. But it's kind of a problem that he just does weird things with his arms and shoulders and basically doesn't move his feet at all. I mean, dancing usually involves moving around the floor and the show is called So You Think You Can Dance not So You Think You Can Stand Still While You Do Some Kooky Arm Motions.

Melissa: I'm not sure this is the best display of ballet ever seen, but I think the novelty of a ballet solo will keep her save this week.

Ade: Ade's music is made up of those weird noises computers make when you start them up. But nevertheless he brings the house down with his solo because, you know, he actually did some stuff, displayed some energy and danced around. Interesting concept. He was downright Joshua-esque in that solo (in that he performed a well-conceived, interesting, captivating solo).

Continuing on:

• The judges go to "deliberate" while we "listen" to Kelly Rowland.
• If the judges already know who they're kicking off, how about they just tell us now and save us the unpleasantness of having to sit though the musical guests?
• We didn't get to see a "superstars of dance" performance tonight.

The results:

• Nigel says they made their picks on who has the potential to be "stars." I think he said that the dancers are all good with technique, so the judges made their decision based on star-quality. But, um, no, Nigel, they're not "all" good with technique--Phillip, namely, is horrible with technique. But I guess this means they're picking him over Jason. Grr.
• The girls: Nigel says congratulations to Caitlin and that she's reached the end of her journey on SYTYCD. Is "congratulations" really the correct thing to say in this situation?
• The boys: Nigel thinks all the boys are brilliant dancers. But, wait! He tells Phillip to step forward and (while Phillip makes the saddest face in the world) says that he hasn't been good in the other genres and this is the end of the road for him! A microphone picks up a stunned Jason saying "OH MY GOD," echoing what we're all thinking.
• So Nigel's "star" speech was a fakeout?
• To make us all feel better about losing the precious Chbeeb, Nigel says he's secured it so that both Phillip and Caitlin will get to go on the tour. Well, phew. I'm just so relieved. Not.
• In any event, I AM so happy to be wrong in predicting that Jason would go home! Yea Jason! I really think we're going to see great things from him next week.

The big SYTYCD news this week is that details of the big 100th episode shindig are starting to leak. SPOILER ALERT!!!!! My beloved Travis Wall reported that he went in to tape a performance of the bench dance with Heidi!!!!!!!!!!!! The bench dance. OMFG. But that's not all! There are reports that a whole bunch of season 2 people came back to do the "Ramalama Bang Bang" routine!!!!! There are reportedly going to be appearanced by a lot SYTYCD favorites from previous seasons, but just between the Travis and Heidi and the bench dance and "Ramalama," I could not be more excited about this episode. Throw in a Benji and Heidi number and something with Pasha, and I'll be over the freaking moon for weeks.

SYTYCD: Addiction, Unplanned Pregnancy & Thievery

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 12 Performance Show"

The opening:

• Ohhh, each couple is going to dance twice. I was wondering how we were going to fill the time tonight (because Lord knows it's been a struggle the last few weeks...).
• I think Kupono did more in this 5-second intro than he did in his entire solo last week.
• Cat is looking very prim and proper (but still kind of sultry and stunning) in a fitted, cap-sleeved black dress. Her makeup is rather bold, however. Her diamond bracelets are great though.
• Oh nooooooooooooooooooo, it's Tyce. (Well, on the bright side, I guess this means we won't have to watch any of his Broadway routines tonight.)

Melissa and Ade (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Can some please steal that comb away from Ade?
• The dance: I feel like this is one of the few times we've actually going to see Ade do any dancing other than just lifting Melissa around. He's kind of dancing circles around her in this style, IMO. Not that you can really fault her too much since she spent literally 60% of that routine being spun around and around and around in lift after lift.
• The judging: At least the two routines per couple tonight will mean that the judges will have to keep their critiques somewhat shorter. Or not--Mary's been babbling on for quite awhile.

Kayla and Kupono (Mia Michaels contemporary):

• The featurette: Um, yeah, the producers want these two to make it through the week--they're stacking the deck by giving them a Mia routine. Especially if it makes Kup cry during the featurette. But didn't these two just do contemporary last week?! I seem to remember something about vampires. Come on, people! This is ridiculous.
• The dance: Kayla's doing a lot of throwing herself around the stage--some of it looked pretty painful. I like Kupono's smug face. I'm not sure if I loooooooooooooooved the routine though. There was a lot of them standing in the same place and tangling up.
• The judging: Nigel says Kayla has too much hair. Kupono looks more like a vampire this week than he did last week. I'm not sure that the judges got the message that their constant over-hype of these two is not helping them out any in this competition (since they did one of the best routines last week and still landed in the bottom 3). Tyce calls Kayla "a beast" and it's meant to be a good thing. Cat thinks this routine is going to be one to remember from this season, but I beg to differ.

Caitlin and Jason (Tony Meredith and Melanie fox trot):

• The featurette: So Kup and Kayla get contemporary for the second week in a row, and these two poor kids get a fox trot?! Oy vey.
• The dance: I like Cailtin's sparkly dress with a flowy green skirt. This is a nice jazzy fox trot, but at times is seemed really, really slow. And then it went a little lift-crazy. Jason and Caitlin brought good presentation to it, however. Personally, I think there's been a collective overlooking so far this season of how good Jason actually is.
• The judging: Nigel thinks this is Caitlin's style: smooth, cool and elegant. Mary thinks it was "tremendous" too, but her tone is just a little lackluster. Tyce thinks they could have glided more.

Jeanine and Phillip (Youri Nelzine and Lilia Babenko Russian folk dance):

• The featurette: I'm not sure how I feel about the Russian folk dance being brought back. It was fun when Twitch and Joshua did one during last year's finale, but I don't know if I need to see another one. (Especially one performed by two people who can't jump as high as Josh.)
• The dance: Why do I feel like Jeanine's going to win this "dance battle" handily? Phillip sure is smiling awfully big though. To his credit, Chbeeb does pull off some impressive squat-kicks. There was an odd moment at the end when the music was at a fever pitch and they were both standing basically still, preparing to do a pot-stir. (I kind of wish they'd sent Nina, the girl from auditions who could do that awesome pot-stir, through just for this very moment).
• The judging: Nigel's not sure they should have made a couple do this. Well, duh, it wasn't my idea to make them dance in a folk style. I'm not one of the producers. Nigel thinks we needed more vodka to watch that. Mary really believed that Jeanine was a Russian folk dancer for a second. Tyce does enunciate his words very well.

Randi and Evan (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Oh, geez, this routine's about a young couple who finds out they're going to have a baby. I feel like we're running out of material here. It's about time these two got hip hop though.
• The dance: This looks soooooooo much like the Nappy-Tabs routine from last year that Mark and Chelsie did, just minus the briefcase and plus some more stomach-touching. If she's supposed to be pregnant, should she being doing so many lifts? In any event, I think they danced it fairly well; but I was kind of distracted.
• The judging: Nigel expresses chagrin at a routine showing a pregnancy preceding an engagement ring. And he also wonders whether Randi should have been doing the lifts in "her condition."

It's beginning to seem like this show has a theme along the lines of "the problems of young people" or "the challenges of growing up" or something, since we've focused on addiction and now unplanned pregnancy. What's next? A lyrical jazz routine about getting busted for underage drinking? A fox trot about bombing the SATs?

Brandon and Janette (Leonardo and Miriam Argentine tango):

• The dance: Let's see if these two can out-tango Chbeeb...so far, so good. Janette's leg movements are spectacular. Like, all I could look at during the entire dance was her legs. The lifts were great too.
• The judging: After a dramatic pause, Nigel gives the couple a standing ovation and is joined by Mary and Tyce. Nigel says, for a ballroom routine, that was about as close to perfection as we've seen on this show ever. For once, I'm pretty much on board with his hyperbole. Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale Train and spends the next 60 seconds screaming uncontrollably. Tyce uses a very extended, bizarre metaphor about an orange and a juicer. I'm at a loss.

Yes! Next week, we're breaking up the couples! Bring it on.

Melissa and Ade (Ron Montez waltz)

• The featurette: Melissa seems much more distressed about the breakup of the couple than Ade does. Now Ade has to do that waltz? Eesh--when will this guy get a chance to do something other than carry this chick around the stage? Give the boy a hip hop routine, darn it! BTW, why has Melissa never had to do hip hop? Seems like she's also getting a lot of very favorable dance selections (like Kupono and Kayla).
• The dance: I'm not loving Ade's jacket-without-sleeves. The flowy skirt of Melissa's dress is definitely stealing the show here. Hey, look, Ade just did an impressive series of pirouettes! So he can do things other than just picking Melissa up and making her look good.
• The judging: Nigel would have liked some more rise and fall from Ade, and Mary says his "twinkles" didn't have enough power. I'm serious; that's what she said. Nigel asks if he gets a break from Mary next week and Mary says, "NO! Pipe down, English muffin!" Tyce doesn't think that Melissa quite rose to the occasion of dancing to a song like "Natural Woman."

Why hasn't anyone had to krump this season?

Kayla and Kupono (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: Pono says what he'll miss most about Kayla is "her sweating hands and feet." Lol, ouch. I love how Joey torments all the dancers.
• The dance: They're kind of waltzing too, to begin the number. But it turns out to be music from West Side Story. There's something distractingly weird about Kup's pants--I think they're too short. The dance was decent--it seemed like there was something slightly off through most of it, like Pono was constantly on the verge of a big mess-up or a face-plant or something.
• The judging: Nigel didn't think they captured the right tension and style. Mary still thinks that these two are great though (eye roll). Tyce also thinks they could have dug in more, but that they'll still be around for awhile.

Caitlin and Jason (Mandy Moore lyrical jazz):

• The featurette: Jason is still super chill and collected. Jason points out that this is the first week they've gotten the chance to showcase their lines and their technique.
• The dance: Jason also gets to showcase his bare chest. Caitlin looks stunning in these lifts. She can strike positions just as beautiful as the super-hyped Kayla and Melissa. The routine was good. I'm not sure that it was the tour de force routine that they probably needed to keep them in this competition though.
• The judging: Nigel says he doesn't always see chemistry between them, but says--in a very subdued manner--that they danced it very well. Mary says she loved the piece, but that they didn't bring "magic" to it. Mary thinks it was really good, but not memorable. Tyce thinks they did a great job, but could have taken it further. This is like the night of mixed-message critiques. Everything is "very good" but "not memorable" or "not taken far enough."

Jeanine and Phillip (Tony and Melanie jive):

• The featurette: Wait, Chbeeb and Jeanine aren't going to do another Nappy-Tabs hip hop for us this week? The jive? I'm confused. Phillip: "We have a few booty-grabs and chest-shimmies-in-the-faces."
• The dance: Ok, you know what, Phillip is not that bad at the jive. I'm sure he's not nailing the finer points, and he did almost fall over at one point, but he's got the general idea and he's doing a good job of selling it. Jeanine's looking very good. She's turned out to be very versatile. That was a fun routine.
• The judging: Nigel says the choreo was terrific and that, without question, this was the best that Phillip's been out of his style. Well, duh. Mary guarantees us that Jeanine will be here next week. Well, ok. Mary thought Phillip was going to crash and burn, but that he actually did a really good job. Mary puts Jeanine on the Hot Tamale Train. Tyce says "call 1-800-fan-freakin-tastic!"

Randi and Evan (Pasha and Anya samba):

• The featurette: PASHAAAAAA!!!!!! PASHAAAA!!! PAAASHHHAAAA!!!! Holy crap, he's adorable!
• The dance: Randi's got a weird leopard print-and-fringe dress that definitely looks like it would be right up Anya's alley. Since the music was mostly rhythm (very little melody), it demanded a technical proficiency, crispness and attitude that they weren't exactly displaying. Could we please just now watch Pasha and Anya do that routine? PLEASE!!
• The judging: Nigel says it wasn't hot enough--and not as hot as it would have been if Pasha and Anya were doing it. Mary says they did a good job, but Evan needed to do more and find some more fire. Mary thought Randi was a Hot Tamale though. Tyce brings up Danny and Lacey's hot samba in addition to Pasha and Anya's hot routines, saying that this performance didn't live up to those.

Janette and Brandon (Wade Robson jazz):

• The featurette: Finally, Brandon and Janette get one of the marquee routines! They've been consistently great each week, but they haven't gotten any particularly memorable choreo. This routine is about two thieves.
• The dance: Thieves with some crazy sunglasses, apparently. Lots of stair-work in the beginning. This song is pretty awesome. This style is more up Brandon's alley, but Janette is killing it. That was a super fun and very nicely performed.
• The judging: Wade and his wife are wearing crazy sunglasses too! Nigel says that this shows that there's nothing they can throw at these two that they can't do. He's impressed with Janette's ability to keep up with Brandon too. Mary says the best was saved for last. She says they stole everybody's heart. Tyce says they have "that thing." It's a little hard to take Wade's "strong voice in the industry" seriously when he's wearing those glasses... Tyce's stint on the juding panel tonight turned out to be far less annoying than I was expecting.

My favorite routines:
Janette and Brandon's jazz
Janette and Brandon's Argentine tango
Jeanine and Phillip's jive
(runner up is Caitlin and Jason's lyrical jazz)

In trouble:
I'm thinking the bottom three couples will be Caitlin and Jason, Kupono and Kayla, and Randi and Evan.

My Take on Emmy Nominations: 2009

Emmy nominations will be announced next week, so I've compiled a list of actors, shows, and personalities that the Emmys would be remiss not to include.

(I have not broken them into categories because I'm often completely befuddled by who is deemed "supporting" and who is "lead" and what is a "comedy" and what is a "drama" and I'm trying to avoid that headache.)

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad: Paul has been flawless at handling everything Breaking Bad has thrown at him. He's been brilliant at comic relief and gut-wrenching with dramatic material. In fact, there's no one I want to see on the Emmy nomination list more.

Adam Baldwin, Chuck: Baldwin is perfect as the gruff Major Casey, giving us little glimpses into the character's humanity but never becoming too much of a softy.

B.J. Novak, The Office: He's just so good at playing such a cocky little jerk (while never losing sight of Ryan's inherent patheticness).

Breaking Bad: I've documented my love for this show before, so should come as no surprise that I'm pegging it not only for a Best Drama nomination, but also for the freaking Emmy itself.

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad: There's a reason he won the Emmy last year, and Cranston continued to excel this season as Walter's morality became even more nuanced.

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance: Deeley is easily the best reality competition show host around as anyone knows who has watched her interact with contestants, the judges and the audience. And she's a fashion icon to boot. It's insulting that she wasn't nominated last year.

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies: If McBride's surly and sassy (but secretly sweet) private investigator isn't on the list of Emmy nominations, I'm going to pull an Emerson Cod and yell, "Oh, HELL no!"

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?: Applegate was effortlessly charismatic and hilarious as the lovable amnesiac, and it's a bummer that ABC didn't give her more support.

Chuck: The top-notch quality of the show's sophomore season cannot be ignored. With the possible exception of those episodes with that annoying MI-6 spy who kept getting shot, Chuck was firing on all cylinders this season and capped it all off with a season finale that was easily one of the best hours of television all season.

Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice: I realize that Burn Notice is one of those quasi-comedy, quasi-drama type shows that people enjoy watching but the Emmys tend to completely ignore (while being all over stuff that nobody is enjoying anymore like Boston Legal), but nevertheless I think Anwar deserves a nod. You'd be hard pressed to fine anyone on TV who is cooler than Anwar's Fiona, and that's got to count for something.

James Roday, Psych: Roday's been overlooked in the past, but as Shawn, a fast-talking, pop culture-obsessed genius, he has proven time and again that he's got serious acting chops.

January Jones, Mad Men: Jones absolutely stole the show's second season with her depiction of cold-hearted Betty Draper. Jones was masterful at giving us glimpses of the fragile girl behind her character's ice queen facade.

Jennifer Esposito, Samantha Who?: Esposito's Andrea is horrendous, but she's also wickedly funny.

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory: Everyone on this show is funny, but Parsons is consistantly hilarious as Sheldon's scientific, antisocial temperament gets pushed to the limit by his friends and surroundings.

Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies: Pace's turn as the sweet and funny Piemaker ended far too soon, but it was beautiful to watch while it lasted.

Lost: Overall, I probably liked Lost's fourth season better than its fifth season, but this show was undeniable as it ratcheted up the suspense and the stakes ever-higher to lead into its final season.

Pushing Daisies: Sure, the second season was ridiculously abridged, but it was also ridiculously good.

Rose Byrne, Damages: Supporting/lead/whatever, Byrne really held her own during Damages' second season, as her Ellen Parsons went toe-to-toe with Glenn Close's Patty Hewes and didn't back down.

Steve Carell, The Office: I adored the high jinks of the Michael Scott Paper Company, and Carell shone throughout, especially in the conference room scene where he masterfully cut David Wallace down to size.

Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung and Jeremy Davies, Lost: Since so many supporting actors had very strong showings on Lost this season, the Emmy list could very well include any or all of them.

Zachary Levi, Chuck: Perfectly balanced Chuck's humor with his humanity, adding a lot of soul to a very fun show.

(photos: amctv.com, abc.com, usanetwork.com, cbs.com)

10 Things I Hate About You: Not Much To Like

10 Things I Hate About You:

"Pilot"

Full disclosure: I'm a pretty big fan of the film version of 10 Things I Hate About You. In fact, aside from Clueless, it's probably at the top of my list of favorite teen movies. It holds a special place in my heart because it came out in 1999, when I was, in fact, a teenager (and not a 20-something who still watches an inordinate amount of teen shows). Therefore, ABC Family's television remake of 10 Things could probably only really go one of two ways with me: I'd love it for reprising characters and story lines I adored or I'd detest it immensely for dragging something I love through the mud. After watching the pilot episode, it looks like you're heading for a sizable payday if you put your money on the "detest" option.

I'm tempted to turn my review into a list under the heading "10 Things I Hate About This Show," but I think I can boil the objects of my distaste down to a few key attributes. (I do, however, reserve the right to pull out a 10-part list if I deem it necessary after watching future episodes.)

First of all, the characters in the show failed dismally in living up to the appeal of the originals. If you think about it, for a teen movie, a lot of the actors in 10 Things turned out to be pretty legit: Heath Ledger (obviously), Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and David Krumholtz all have created fairly solid bodies of work. Additionally, Gabrielle Union and Andrew Keegan were proven mainstays of the teen movie/show genre. Larisa Oleynik (Bianca) has flown fairly under the radar (at least my radar) since 10 Things, but she was pitch-perfect in the film. So, it's not like the young actors in the 10 Things television show don't have some reasonably big shoes to fill.

The problem is that they're not even coming close. I'm not going to even discuss the merits of Ethan Peck vs. Heath Ledger as Patrick, because there's probably no one who could fill those shoes. (But is Ethan even giving it that great of a try? No, not really.) Kat is rather unlikeable (and not like Julia Stiles' Kat was unlikeable because she was supposed to be gruff--this one's just annoying and seems inconsistent). The kid who plays Cameron seems to be trying to channel Michael Cera so hard that it's probably actually hurting. Bianca's okay, but not quite there yet. And this Joey is NO Andrew Keegan (lol). Even the dad in the TV show fails to live up to the charm of the dad in the movie, and he's played by the same actor!

These across-the-board shortcomings lead me to the conclusion that most of the problems with the characters in the show lie with the writing as opposed to the acting. So far, everyone seems like a caricature or a stereotype and not so much like an actual person-esque entity. No one has real soul yet. No one has real dimension.

The one character/actor I did like was Dana Davis (of The Nine, Heroes, and a far superior turn on Pushing Daisies) as Chastity. Sure, she is playing a stereotype too, but she did a good job with it.

Additionally, I'm not sure why this show is a half-hour comedy instead of a one-hour, soap-style drama like Greek. Perhaps the characters would have gelled better if they'd had a little more time. It felt like we were tearing through the episode a break-neck speed and sacrificing subtle nuances like plot and character development. (After all, we did see the first day of school, cheerleading tryouts, the first party, and another school day, which seems like a lot when an entire episode could reasonably be based solely on one school day or one party.)

Highlights + a few other things I hated:

• The background music at the beginning of the episode was a little too decidedly perky and cutesy.
• Michael: "Even the biggest dorks can be cool if they play their cards right. Look at Shia LaBeouf." (Is Shia really the best example of that phenomenon? I'm not sure I ever thought that Shia was that dorky. Goofy, maybe.)
• Cameron is really tall. He doesn't seem as sweet at the movie version either. Just pathetic.
• Kat alternates between being extremely rude and extremely idealistic and humanitarian. It's bizarre.
• One other thing I like better about the movie: it's pivotal scenes don't involve a staring contest.
• Chastity: "Of the 10 things I hated about today..." (Is that how we're tying the title into the show? It's kind of clumsy. I realize that they can't have Kat reading the "I hate the way you..." poem in the first episode since that would wrap up the entire story, but I'd have been fine if the title had never being directly referenced.)
• This keg full of non-alcoholic beer thing is straight out of Freaks and Geeks.
• Why doesn't Kat just leave this poor (Patrick) guy alone? I really don't think he's even trying to mess with her. I think they just happen to be in the same room sometimes.
• At least we know that Patrick can talk--I wasn't sure for a while there.
• This Joey character is completely different. He's not sleazy--he's just "confused."
• Dad: "Are you talking to me or the democrats in your head?"
• Bianca: "Since I'm not going to be popular, I may as well join show choir. Closeted gay guys are fun."
• Ok, now Patrick might be messing with Kat.
• Bianca: "No more NPR. It's giving me menopause."
• Um, shouldn't somebody be paying somebody else to take out the surly sister? Wasn't that the whole point?

(I suspect that the show not really living up to the movie accounts for ABC Family not playing the movie over and over again in preparation for tonight's premiere. It's probably better for them if the superior source material isn't fresh in our minds.)

(photo: abcfamily.com)