On The O.C. (in observance of the fifth anniversary of the series finale)

photo: The WB

The final episode of The O.C., "The End's Not Near, It's Here," aired five years ago today on Feb. 22, 2007.


It's difficult for me to believe that it's been five years since I last hung out with Ryan, Seth, Summer, Sandy, Kirsten and Julie, but that's probably because I haven't spent the last five years without them. I have probably thought about them at one point or another every day since then. As weird/sad/awesome as it is to say, those characters and that show became a part of me.

So many moments from The O.C.'s run are iconic to me: from "Welcome to the O.C., bitch" and Ryan carrying Marissa after her overdose to Captain Oats and Chrismukkah to the New Year's Eve kiss and Seth and Ryan's horror at discovering Luke and Julie's affair. From Seth sailing away and Marissa's poolside freak out to Ryan chasing Marissa around with a giant penguin and Seth and Summer's Spider-Man kiss. The list goes on and on and features so many of my favorite moments ever on television.

I know The O.C. wasn't flawless. There were missteps: the Marissa-goes-to-public-school arc, many of the Sandy/Kirsten love triangle attempts, Sandy running the Newport Group... Season 3 was rough in general. And I will probably never agree that killing Marissa off was the right thing to do for the story. I'll readily admit that some of the other shows I've watched have more consistently maintained a higher level of quality than The O.C. did during its duration - Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Community, Mad Men, and certain stretches of Lost, for example.

But, still, The O.C. remains my favorite of them all. Because when I define "favorite" as the show that has most infiltrated the various aspects of my life, The O.C. takes the title in a landslide. It has impacted the actors I like, the movies and TV shows I've watched, the music I listen to, the books I've read, the things I laugh at, the way I talk, and the way I think.


The O.C. premiered the summer before I started college and ended a couple of months after I graduated, and different moments from the show remain forever tied to different moments in my life. I remember watching the pilot in the summer of 2003 (coincidentally right before I took my own trip to Orange County) and being excited by the unexpected awesomeness the show offered. I remember being rendered so desperate by my lack of a working television during my first week of freshman year that I made a rare attempt at socializing with other people on my floor just so I'd have somewhere to watch The O.C. Just hearing the opening strains of "Honey and the Moon" sends me instantly back to my freshman dorm room, where I obsessively listened to The O.C. soundtrack while studying for finals. I remember my four different dorm rooms that I watched the show in, and I know which one I was in when Marissa shot Trey and where I was sitting when Marissa died. And I remember watching the finale five years ago and bawling like a little child during Ryan's flashbacks in the Cohen house (the image of Marissa standing on the curb while Ryan drives away gets me every freaking time).


I started this blog a couple of months after The O.C. concluded its run, so I don't have an blow-by-blow online account of my adoration for the show like I do for Greek and So You Think You Can Dance and others. But it's rather telling that in the past five years, after it's last episode had aired, I still managed to mention The O.C. and its characters in 86 posts on this blog. (This post makes number 87.)

The O.C.'s Season 1 finale was called "The Ties That Bind," and some pretty formidable ties continue to bind me to this show. So how will I observe this milestone? By watching the series finale. I think it will be the first time I've watched the entire episode since it aired five years ago, a fact that's especially surprising considering that I've probably watched many episodes of this show upwards of a dozen times. But I've never been really excited to watch the finale again, although I absolutely loved it. I think I just never wanted to remind myself that the show was actually gone. But on this anniversary I think I can handle watching the finale again, because after five years it's clear that The O.C. has become part of my identity and, to me, it will never truly be gone.

New Girl: One Valentine's Night Stand

New Girl: Valentine's Day

I've documented my love for New Girl, and I've documented my love for Dale Kettlewell (Clark Duke) of Greek A LOT. (There are really too many posts about this to link to them all. Basically just look at any of my 88 previous posts about Greek. Or start with this one.) So when my two loves collided (on Valentine's Day no less), I obviously had to blog it, right? Right.

Highlights and observations:

•  Schmidt: "I'm like a Dominican teenager playing Little League: it's just not fair for everyone else."

• Schmidt: "Twirly? Is that like horny?"
  Jess: "I've got the dirty twirls, Schmidty!"
• Schmidt: "You know where that gets you six months from now? Watching It's Complicated while cradling your newborn baby."
• Schmidt: "It's really not that complicated. It's about a bunch of rich white people remodeling their kitchen!"
• Jess: "I'm sorry, I don't know who will be smelling what."
• IT'S DALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• On Schmidt's dessert island book list: "any of the scripts from the first season of Vampire Diaries"
• Jess: "Also, we both love lunch."
• Schmidt (picking up a girl by using strange tactics): "...like my confusion makes her confused."
• Lol, I love the sight of Nick and Dale enjoying champagne together.
• Schmidt: "This is a horrible neighborhood! There are youths everywhere!"Jess: "Youths? What are you, Officer Krupke?"

• Schmidt: "These monkeys look so real!"
  Oliver: "Apes! They're apes."
  Schmidt: "You're one of those?"

• Schmidt: "Youths!"
• Julia: "You got arrested in Mexico?"
  Nick: "I wasn't going to tell you until after you got knocked up and were stuck with me."
• Schmidt: "My tires were stolen by street youths!"

• Schmidt: "And whatever you do, leave immediately! God help you if you get sucked into a brunch."
• Lol  at Nick's horror at finding Jess outside Schmidt's room.
• I knew Cece was in Schmidt's room!
• Cece: "You smell so good right now!"
• Is Dale coming back? Oh no, there's only one minute left! Dale's gone :-( I hope he is at least spending some quality time with his birds...

Good episode. Not the best New Girl ever, but I got a legit laugh every time Schmidt talked about the "youths." "Twirly" Jess was entertaining too. And of course it's lovely to see Clark Duke again.

As a special bonus, Beaver (Aaron Hill) from Greek showed up on the Valentine's Day episode of Glee too! Oh, Beav, I miss you too. It was like a mini Greek reunion for a couple of minutes there, and I loved it. I really, really, really still miss Greek. Other shows need to employ those actors more often! (And, no, sorry, I do not mean Are You There, Chelsea?)

(Photo: FOX http://www.fox.com/new-girl/)

New Girl: Enchanted Thanksgiving

New Girl: Thanksgiving


While I'm not blogging about TV as much as I used to, I'm still watching plenty of it. And I loved this week's episode of New Girl so much that I couldn't resist blogging it. And I mean, I really liked this episode - I literally watched it twice in a row.


I can officially announce that I wicked love New Girl. The show's first six episodes have been a bit of a journey: I really liked the pilot, and I loved the second episode ("Kryptonite") where they went to get Jess' stuff back from her ex, but I thought the next two episodes - "Wedding" and "Naked" - were rocky (or at least uneven). I was getting a little nervous, but the show's last two episodes - the adorable "Cece Crashes" and the riotous "Thanksgiving" - have washed away all my worries. I think the show is finding its stride.

Full disclosure: I have adored Justin Long since he played Warren Cheswick on Ed way back in the day. In fact, the time he got his foot stuck in the escalator at the movie theater is still one of my favorite TV moments ever.


Highlights:

• Nick: "...then we're going to Best Buy for Black Friday."
  Winston: "Or as I like to call it, 'Friday'."
• Schmidt: "Jess, be honest: is the turkey named Paul?"
• Nick: "That's a great plan, Jess. Be the girl who replaces his dead nana."
• Don't any of these people have families? Do they all live too far away to visit?
• Schmidt: "I don't want to hear, 'Schmidt, Schmidt, you're using too much tarragon,' because I'm not."
• Jess: "I can't get it in!"
  Schmidt: "We've all been here, am I right?"
  Nick: "Jar!"
• Jess: "I put it on permanent press..."
  Nick: "Good, so you don't have to iron it."
• Nick (after Jess and Paul sing extemporaneously about Thanksgiving): "Oh my God, there's two of them!"
• Jess: "Paul brought his violin, and with a little coaxing, he might fiddle with the old horsehairs."
  Paul: "Only if you don't mind being enchanted!"
• Winston: "I'm going to say something, and you're going to say the first thing that pops into your head."
  Paul: "Kazoo."
  Winston: "We haven't even started yet."
  Paul: "Okay. I'm going to stick with kazoo."
• Schmidt (to Cece): "Beautiful savage!"
• Winston: "This is the first time he tried gelato. He did not like that!"
• Paul: "Where are you from?"
  Nick: "Chicago."
  Paul: "Ahh, the land of plenty."
• Schmidt: "Look at this recipe! Where in this recipe does it say, 'Put potatoes on Schmidt's nose'?!"
• Schmidt: "It's like a Prince video!"
• Winston: "Remember when it was only dudes living here and we had no fires?"
  Nick: "This is ridiculous! Three months ago, we didn't even know this girl!"
• Paul: "What's your name?"
  Schmidt: "It's Schmidt. It's my last name."
  Paul: "Well, my last name is Gunslinger, and I want to eat the food you've been cooking all day."
• Winston: "Play through."
• Schmidt: "I've done 'Give Me That Hat.' Only for me, it was more like, 'Here, Take My Hat,' you know what I mean?"
• Cece: "He's got this rage, this fury, inside him, and I just love it."
• Nick: "Schmidt, it's hour 9. I'm starving!"
  Schmidt: "Well, I can blanch or I can talk, but I can't do both!"
• Paul: "I feel like you think I'm annoying."
  Nick: "You didn't have to come here to say that; you could have said that from other there."
  Paul: "All right, if that's the case, which I don't know that it is..."
  Nick: "It is."
• And there's a dead body! Wow.
• Schmidt: "Are you cold? Do you want my cardi?"
• Schmidt: "This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."
• Nick: Where in the hell are they going?

(Photo: FOX.com)

10 Years Later: The Series Premiere of Alias

The 10th Anniversary of the Pilot Episode of Alias, "Truth Be Told"

Ten years ago today, on Sept. 30, 2001, the pilot episode of Alias premiered on ABC. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Sydney Bristow and her friends and enemies came into my life. On one hand, it's stunning that it has been 10 whole years since the pilot aired, as I still vividly remember watching it that night, loving every second and knowing that my entire concept of good television was being revolutionized. On the other hand, it seems like Alias has to have been around for much longer than 10 years, since I find it difficult to comprehend that there was ever a world without Sydney, Vaughn, Jack, Sloane, Dixon, Marshall, Will, Francie, Irina and Sark.

In any event, today is the 10th anniversary of the Alias pilot, a moment that literally changed my life, as the show meant a lot to me when it premiered and continues to mean a lot to me now. I'm celebrating the occasion by re-watching the pilot, "Truth Be Told," which is easily one of the best television pilots ever, in my opinion. Here's a clip from it; skip to minute 4.00 for the legendary "Write this down: E M E T I B. Got that? Now reverse it." Sydney Bristow, you kick so much butt.

Here's to you, Alias. You are loved.

SYTYCD: Stumbling to the End

So You Think You Can Dance: Finale Performance Show

It's the Season 8 finale already. Time to close out a season that featured a lot of great dancers, if not a lot of especially memorable moments.

• Cat is wearing a peach-ish strapless mini with a bejeweled bodice. Paired with a lovely updo.
• The judges are Kenny Ortega, Katie Holmes, Mary and Nigel.
• I hope this doesn't me that we have to pretend that we think Kenny's remake of Dirty Dancing is a good idea. It isn't.

Marko and Melanie (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: You know, I was just thinking, "Gee, there hasn't been much disco this season. How pleasant!" and then, bam!
• The dance: Ok, nothing about Marko and Melanie says "disco" to me. This is easily the roughest routine this pair has done all season. I don't see anyone really selling this one (the music is too spacey), but their performance is rocky. They pulled off some hard lifts, but, yeah, no.
• The judges: Kenny tries to tell us it was good. Katie claims that she loved it and "believed the story they were telling," which suggests that she might not have been watching at all. Mary claims she adores disco and Doriana and Marko and Melanie, but finally speaks the truth that some of the lifts were rocky and that they went in and out of the style. Nigel totally agrees, saying "It was a little bit of a struggle." He says they seemed uncomfortable with the style and hopes they'll be better in other routines tonight. Mel and Marko look like they're glad it's over.

Sasha with Mark (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Well, this has "cool" written all over it. I hope Sonya brings it with the choreo this time; I wasn't sold on her Sasha/Mel number. Not to mention the chandelier thing last week. 
• The dance: EEESH! Mark's facial expression at the beginning was FIERCE. Does Mark ever wear shirts these days? Mark's one of the few dancers who can come up to Sasha's level of fierceness. I think he might be stealing the show a bit here though. She throws him to the ground at the end to try to make up for it.
• The judging: Mark does a royalty-style wave as he walks off stage. Katie loves everything about it, of course. Mary says "WOOHOOOOO!" Nigel says that Sasha has just thrown down Lady Gaga's principal dancer and has thrown down the gauntlet tonight.

Tadd with Joshua (Lil C hip-hop):

• The featurette: Lil C says this is about nothing but the hustle. I was afraid he meant The Hustle, as in "do The Hustle," and was concerned, but he is referring to another kind of hustle.
• The dance: I LOVE JOSHUA. There's a slight difference between how they're dancing, and I think Josh is more natural and organic, while Tadd is more, "Hey guys! I'm doing hip-hop!" He did a good job though. But the only thing these last two routines have accomplished is making me nostalgic for Season 4.
• The judging: Cat thinks Josh is so delicious that she grabs him by the face. Cat says from her outside perspective, Tadd was hustling hard. Mary says Tadd has a "sweetie factor" but did enough to overcome that and do a hard hip-hop number. Nigel tries to channel Lil C in his praise of Lil C. Nigel thought Tadd was good, but was a little too sweet. Not bad, but not as strong as Nigel would like it. Cat on Tadd's red shoes, "If Dorothy were in the 'hood, this is what she'd be wearing." I'm just going to ignore the comments of Kenny and Katie until one of them actually says something of worth.

Melanie with Robert (Stacey Tookey contemporary)

• The featuette: Ugh, it's unrequited love again. And I'm not buying it either. Mel, it's Robert. You can do better. ;-)
• The dance: They had to bring Robert back for this to make up for making him do Bollywood in purple pants earlier this year. And they had to give Mel an emotional contemporary to make up for that heinous disco. The highlight was the side-by-side leaps. Still, I've seen more impressive contemporary numbers from Mel: the one with Neil the other week, Travis' statue routine, etc.
• The judging: Nigel says beautiful choreo by Stacey and beautifully danced. Kenny would love to work with Mel. Hey, I hear he's doing a new Dirty Dancing (groan!). Cat even takes this moment to lobby for a part in Dirty Dancing for Mel, and Kenny agrees. Cat wants 20% of Mel's earnings. Mary says that Mel has a unique ability to draw the audience in and she's loved watching her from her first audition until now.

Marko and Sasha (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Yikes, first disco, now Broadway. At least it's a Spencer Broadway not Tyce. That should help a little.
• The dance: Aww, Marko's wearing glasses as part of his "serious waiter" costume. Sasha's doing some nice kicks and leaps (and a nice stomach spin on the table). Marko did a cool jump/fall thing and some flipping too. And does a good job of looking stunned at the end.
• The judging: Kenny says he didn't even recognize that it was Marko (that's a good thing). He says Sasha went from warrior princess to sophisticated lady, and he thinks she can do everything. Here's a banner piece of judging from Ms. Katie Holmes: "Marko, I loved when you jumped up." Ha ha ha. Mary says she barely recognized Marko too because he's such a little actor. Nigel wasn't blown away though. He thinks Sasha's a better warrior than vamp. And he didn't think Marko's character embodiment was as good as the others seem to think.

Melanie's interview and solo: Melanie's favorite moment of the season was when she got to launch herself at Neil. That was one of my favorite moments too! Her solo: Slow, lovely violin music. Another one of her solos that really should have gone on for about another hour.

Marko's interview and solo: Marko's favorite piece was the statue routine. Oh, yeah, I forgot again that Marko's the one who got shot. Thanks for bringing that up again, Marko! Ooh, solo to "The Fear You Won't Fall" (but a faster version). He's really kinda boogieing to this (usually) slow, melodic song. Marko's dad is here for the first time tonight.

Sasha and Tadd (Mark Ballas cha cha):

• The featurette: Now they're making Tadd and Sasha cha cha?! Are we even trying to put on a good show tonight?
• The dance: I'm very distracted by Tadd's super skinny pants and heels for a while. This cha cha is rather slow and un-cha cha-ish, in my opinion. I'm not impressed.
• The judging: Wow, I don't think Katie even liked it! She totally avoided discussing the dancing. Mary says she has to call it like it was: lots of missed hand connections and footwork and all kinds of problems. Nigel agrees. He thinks Tadd couldn't cope with the style at all. He thinks Sasha was somewhat better, but it still was not good for her. Kenny says they should just turn around and forget about it and come back strong in their next dances. Lol at Natalia's facial expression in the audience!

Marko with Lauren Froderman (Tessandra Chavez contemporary):

• The featurette: Hey! It's a doomed love story! No kidding!
• The dance: Lauren's dress is pretty. Now we're talking; this routine is actually cool. The choreography is actually intricate and looks like there was thought put into it. Lauren's looking awesome, but so is Marko. Very good.
• The judging: Mary says Marko thrusts greatness upon himself. She loved the soul in that performance. Nigel says he's been a little disappointed thus fair, but he thinks Marko just joined in the finale because that was fabulous. Kenny thinks Tessandra gave Marko and the audience a lovely gift of choreography. And he loves Marko with Lauren. Kenny was swept away and taken to another place and time. Katie loved the little moments and the pictures Marko created. Katie tells Marko to "keep doing it," which is great advice, because I'm sure Marko was really thinking about packing it in with 40 minutes left in the season.

Tadd's interview and solo: I think the show is trying to make Tadd the new Dominic, but I just don't buy into it. Tadd's favorite routine was Travis' vulture dance. We could really use some Travis Wall in this finale (darn Step Up 4!). Yeah, I really don't have anything to say about Tadd's solo.

Tadd and Melanie (Ray Leeper jazz):

• The featurette: Melanie has caught Tadd cheating on her.
• The dance: She throws a shoe at him. Now she's dancing with one shoe off and one on; that's a little tricky. Melanie' is creating some really nice lines here. Not sure that the overall choreography is maximizing her efforts though. I'd like there to be more to a routine than just her yanking off Tadd's clothes in a malicious fashion.
• The judging: Cat: "When all else fails, bring out a pair of comedy boxers." Nigel says that just brought his evening to life, which I think is a bit strong, but whatever. Nigel says Melanie had a character well before she even started dancing and that Tadd totally redeemed himself in that routine. Kenny liked the chemistry and the story. Katie loved it and thought it was fun and a breath of fresh air. Because Katie's just been hating everything else so far tonight... Mary thought Tadd was really sexy and that he was really hitting it. And as for Melanie, "Was that a strut across the stage, or was that a strut across the stage?!"

Sasha's interview and solo: Sasha's favorite moment was when Lady Gaga threw her shoe at them. Cat's favorite Sasha dance was the one with Twitch. Preach, sister! Sasha's solo: Slower than she sometimes does, but no less awesome. I like how she does most of her solo dancing an a crouching position (or on the ground). It's interesting.

Sasha and Melanie (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: This piece is about a pair of suppressed housewives from the 1950s. Hey, finally a premise that is actually different and interesting!
• The dance: Their Betty Draper-style dresses are fantastic. The white picket fence props may be a bit literal, but it's kind of cool. They allow for some Sound of Music gazebo-style stuff, which is cool. Most importantly, the dancing is great. Very lovely; I liked this one.
• The judging: Kenny calls them two actresses that can dance. He thinks it was a beautiful piece that was beautifully executed. Katie loved the exploration of friendship and the strength that two women can give to each other. And she loves their outfits. Mary enjoyed every single second of the piece. She said the movement just filled up every bit of the music. Nigel says it doesn't matter who wins, because either of them could grace any dance company in the country.

Marko and Tadd (Chuck Maldonado gumboot stepping):

• The featurette: Dance style originally used in Africa to communicate in the mines, which is where stepping actually came from. Interesting.
• The dance: Wow, these outfits are rough. What kind of miners are they supposed to be?! Marko gumboot stepping is kinda like Ricky waacking. As in, it's not good. Tadd's not too bad though. I'd like to see Twitch give this a whirl. Um, awkward moment at the end there when the quitting whistle blows (I guess) and Tadd throws himself into Marko's arms. Uh, what?
• The judging: Katie appreciates that they gave it their all and the athletic ability it took. Mary says they looked like they were mining for gold, and she thinks they found it. Well, that was kind, Mary. She loves them both to pieces. Nigel thinks this style probably works better in a larger group. He says they weren't quite together. He thinks they stood up as well for themselves tonight as they could with the routines they had, but he still thinks a girl will win. Kenny says, "Guys, you did your job."

I know I've complained of being underwhelmed by SYTYCD finales in the past, but I don't know if I've ever been as thoroughly uninspired as I was by this one. It's a struggle for me to even pick my three favorite routines tonight. They gave them too many routines to do, and the quality of each routine suffered as a result. Plus, they picked the finale to finally give people some really out-of-comfort-zone styles to do (disco, stepping, cha cha), which seems like a bizarre choice. If there's ever a time to showcase the fabulousness of the remaining dancers, it's the finale.

My favorites:
Marko and Lauren's contemporary
Sasha and Melanie's contemporary
Joshua and Tadd's hip-hop / Sasha and Mark's jazz / I have no idea.

It's a tough call for me as to who I think should win. I usually end up changing my mind after I know the results anyway. (After the fact, I changed my mind and, to varying degrees, wished that Travis beat Benji, Twitch beat Joshua, and Jakob beat Russell.) One of the girls should obviously win. I've loved Melanie throughout the competition, but Sasha is pretty undeniable as well. Melanie's been pretty top-notch the entire time (except for disco tonight and last week's poorly choreographed hip-hop), while Sasha has had a few more peaks and valleys. But I have to wonder if Sasha's peaks didn't transcend Melanie's SYTYCD body of work. I don't know. It's a tough, tough call. Which is actually great, because we're faced with two fantastic dancers and everyone can just pick the one whose style he or she likes best. Either way, we'll have a great winner.

SYTYCD: Semifinals

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 6 Performance Show

• We're a week away from the finale already.
• Cat's dress is kind of a dusty pink with sheer long sleeves. She's got rather casual wavy hair.
• It's CHRISTINA APPLEGATE! She's also rocking long, wavy hair tonight.
• Plus Lil C, Mary and Nigel.
• Whoa! Much too plunging neckline on Mary Murphy!
• There seem to be an awful lot of famous actors who are huge fans of SYTYCD.

Melanie with Twitch (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: I'd be really excited about this, if not for NappyTabs. 
• The dance: Melanie's doing a good job of selling it, but this routine isn't doing anything for me, due mostly to the combo of the song and the choreo. Meh. Twitch is still adorable though, even when he's the Big Bad Wolf. 
• The judging: Lil C congratulates her for getting through that routine, because the music was extremely hard to dance to. Glad C noticed that too. I'm a bit confused about everything he was saying, but the overall point was that she started a little shaky but then got better. Christina says that every week Melanie dances like it's the only thing that can mend her broken heart. Mary says her brother compared Melanie to Shirley Temple. Nigel says Melanie is good at everything. He says, "Grandma, what a big talent you've got." I guess that was a compliment, but it's a little iffy.

Sasha with Kent (Tyce Diorio contemporary):

• The featurette: Why do I feel like Sasha's going to eat Kent alive? Ugh, is Sasha about to get Tyced? This should be emotionally overwrought enough to save her. 
• The dance: The two of them are sharing one set of pajamas. There's kind of an annoying cloudy wall at the back of the stage, and they run up it occasionally, but it seems unnecessary to me. It does allow for some bizarre-looking lifts, but I don't know how good of a thing that is. I'm sure everyone's going to love this one. It's good, the performances are good, but I'm not devastated by it or anything. 
• The judging: I kind of miss listening to Kent talk. Christina doesn't care so much about perfect technique, saying to Sasha, "But you put your finger against a wall, and it breaks my heart. And that's dance." Christina says Sasha's so brilliant. Mary says that routine was absolutely intoxicating. And Mary's choking up. Nigel says she communicates through dance brilliantly and passionately, and she's his favorite on the show again. Lil C is trying not to cry. I feel like the judges need to take a quick break and go have a group therapy session. He says she's now 20 notches past amazing.

Marko with Janette (Dmitry Chaplin paso doble):

• The featurette: Wow, we're pulling in some different All Stars tonight, and it's fun! But, even better, it's DMITRY!!! Looking lovely too. 
• The dance: This is the second time lately where Marko's done ballroom with a fantastic ballroom partner (Chelsie Hightower a couple weeks ago), and he's doing a pretty good job again, but the partner steals the show. I think it's just a bit hard for a boy to make a huge impression in ballroom, unless your Pasha. 
• The judging: Mary liked the style and arrogance he had (esp. in the beginning). But she notes that he did lose his footing a bit at times. She liked the "cape lift" they did and has never seen it done like that before. Nigel says it left him a bit cold. Lil C loves the way Marko performs. He loved Marko's commitment and stoicism. Christina is a big fan of Marko's and she loved his bravado.

Ricky's solo: Very low-key outfit of black pants and light blue/gray t-shirt. Nice leaps and pirouettes as usual, but he didn't totally rely on the "tricks" either. He's done better solos though.

Tadd with Ellenore (Sonya Tayeh contemporary?)

• The featurette: ELLENORE! I didn't even know I missed these people until they show back up! And Ellenore goes perfectly with Sonya's choreo. Sonya wants to find the dirtier side of Tadd. 
• The dance: To music from Beirut, no less! Whoa, there's a chandelier, and they're swinging on it. The whole thing's cool and all, and Tadd does some almost Cirque du Soleil stuff with the chandelier, but I'm not seeing a ton of dancing. 
• The judging: Nigel knew Sonya + Ellenore would be interesting. Nigel says, "I think I'd like to see a little more dancing," but he thought it was interesting. And I totally agree with Nigel, which is not especially common. Lil C liked the piece, but he didn't think Tadd lived in the moments and made them last long enough. Christina loved it and thought Sonya's piece was remarkable. Christina's impressed with his dancing, considering he's a b-boy. Personally, I didn't have the time to examine his technique, because he was swinging around most of the time. Mary thinks this was the most daring choreo of the season, considering the risk of the chandelier prop.

Caitlynn's solo: Black dress that comes the whole way down to her knees! I pretty much liked her solo, but she did rely an awful lot on bending forward at the waist and tossing her hair. Once was more than enough.

Ricky with Jaime (Dee Caspary contemporary):

• The featurette: Ooh, good partner draw for Ricky; Jaime is legit. Maybe I'm just jaded from watching seven seasons of this show, but I'm getting so tired of dances about couples with strained relationships. Even if they involve little sticks. 
• The dance: What is the point of the sticks, actually? Was that explained? Is he a conductor (like Twitch)? A puppeteer, I guess. If I didn't know better, I'd think the choreographers are mixing in unnecessary props tonight in a show of solidarity to NappyTabs after Lady Gaga called them out (twice) on their use of props last week. Ok, sticks aside, this is quite good. Jaime's amazing, and Ricky's right there with her. 
• The judging: Cat makes a joke about knitting, and I think she's spot on. Lil C says something I immediately can't process/remember, but he thought Ricky was a wonderfully magical puppeteer. Christina loved it, but thinks he could dance with just a little more clear intentions, which would make him even better. Mary says Ricky's been in the bottom and keeps rising from the ashes. Nigel thought he did a good job, but does still want him to dance lower. His lines are wonderful though.

Tadd's solo: I like his techno "Americano" music, but I can't say I'm blown away with the rest. Pink shirt and jeans, btw. Tadd does love his neon attire.

Sasha's solo: Dancing to Lady Gaga in black jeans, bra and jacket. This solo is all kinds of bad-ass.

Caitlynn with Pasha (Dmitry Chaplin samba):

• The featurette: Boy, does Pasha win the MVP award for the All Stars this season! They can't make it through a show without him. Not that I'm complaining! Wow, Pasha and Dmitry in the same room. How did Caitlynn handle this?! 
• The dance: Caitlynn's writhing up Pasha's leg, but Pasha stole the moment with his adorable grin. Not that it's her fault; nobody's going to outshine Pasha. Caitlynn's certainly got the hip wiggling down, even at a really fast tempo. 
• The judging: Christina thinks Caitlynn did a great job and seems pleasantly surprised about it. Mary says that when a contestant gets a second chance to do a dance, they expect it to be better, and this was. She loved the technique all-around, but does think Cailtlynn pulled her face too much. Mary: "But your body was dancing!" Nigel agrees--great dancing, iffy face situation. Lil C says she should swan dive into the sexy attitude, not cannonball. He thinks she can be more subtle about it, and that was an impressive bit of criticism from Lil C because it was both spot-on and understandable!

Marko's solo: I think they did this whole talk-to-their-families thing because of how much of a heartstrings-puller Marko's mom is. Khaki shorts, long-sleeved tee. I have nothing to declare re: the dancing, however. It was good, but nothing too exciting.


Melanie's solo: Grey dress with scale/petals. Fab pirouette into a split thing. I actually want to see more of her solo. The other person in that category tonight would be Sasha.

Sasha and Ricky (Kumari Suraj waack):

• The featurette: The first waacking number in SYTYCD history. Oh no, it's the dance that Princess Whoever did in audition that everyone flipped for, right? I could have lived without one of these, actually. 
• The dance: Sasha is wearing a bizarre, stiff transparent skirt. Sasha looks pretty good, but this isn't working for Ricky at all. I'm trying to decide if this would work for any boy, and I'm thinking it's unlikely. Parts of it looked like disco, and not in a good way. 
• The judging: Mary remembers Princess Lockeroo's name. Mary says she never really loved this style until she saw the level Princess took it too. She thinks they did a good job, but they're not up to the level of Princess. Nigel didn't think the waacking was lacking. Nigel enjoyed the fun of this. He thinks Ricky could relax more and not worry so much about it. OF COURSE HE'S WORRIED! HE'S A WEEK OUT OF THE FINALE AND HE HAS TO FREAKING WAACK! How could you not be worried?! I'm worried for him! Lil C thinks they were too focused on the steps and didn't get enough into the glamorous style. Christina thought it was good, but they could have waacked it harder.

Melanie and Tadd (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: The best news for Ricky after that waacking disaster is that Tadd is about to get Broadway-ed. But it's not Tyce Broadway and he's with Melanie, so he'll probably be ok. There's a complicated director/actress plot line here that is reminiscent of aspects of Black Swan. 
• The dance: Mel is exquisite as usual. Continuing the prop theme, there's a chair, a towel and a giant mirror. The mirror is actually kind of cool because you can see more angles. I liked it, actually. So much better than usual Broadways, because it wasn't especially Broadway-ish. 
• The judging: Nigel has to take a minute to commend Mel on her solo, which he thinks was one of the best ever in SYTYCD history. Nigel thinks Melanie is a great actress, not just a great technical dancer. Now Melanie's his favorite again. Nigel says that for Tadd dancing with Melanie: "To say you didn't suck is good." Lil C loves that Melanie's artistry speaks for itself and that she has a quiet fire. Lil C says that she's sooooo buck and that her solo was "so beefy." C thinks Tadd's growing by leaps and bounds. Christina says they were literally banging the table during Melanie's solo. Christina says Melanie has taken dance to another level for her. She still likes Tadd too. Mary feels privileged to watch this kind of dancing.

Caitlynn and Marko (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Marko is an overbearing, controlling man, and Caitlynn's trying to get away. Boy, am I sick of dances about overbearing people too. 
• The dance: Reminiscent of Mia's addiction number and Tyce's bad dream number last week. Still good though--they're doing some nice lifts and climbing/flipping-over-each-other stuff. 
• The judging: Standing O from judges. Lil C says this routine was "double hashtag buck." It was so reckless and committed and murderous. Christina thinks Marko's a beast too. Christina thinks that was Caitlynn's moment. (I think we've deemed several other moments to be Caitlynn's "moment.") Mary says it was one of Caitlynn's best (so at least she remembers those other "moments"). Mary still maintains that Marko's her favorite dancer on this show. She thinks he's fearless. Nigel says this more than makes up for Sonya's chandelier routine (which made him a little upset). He thinks Caitlynn came of age (again) tonight. Nigel says Marko shows what a brilliant dancer he is every time he walks on the stage.

My favorites:
Ricky and Jaime's contemporary
Melanie and Tadd's Broadway
Caitlynn and Marko's jazz

Tonight felt fairly contemporary/jazz-heavy. I would have swapped one of the contemps out for another hip-hop.

Not sure which boy will be the odd man out, but if Melanie and Sasha aren't through to the finale, it's criminal!

SYTYCD: Crazy Eights

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 8 Performance Show

Before we get to this week's show, I have a complaint from the results last week. Shouldn't the final vote be completely up viewer votes by now? Why are the judges still deciding? In other years, they haven't had a say anymore at this point--that's how we lost Allison, Will, Janette, etc. before the finales. Sometimes we lose good people, but at least the viewers are picking.

• Cat is looking bronzed and wearing an awesome white dress with kind of structural detailing on the sides. Long flowing hair with a braid of hair as a headband.
• Judging panel is Nigel, Mary, Lady Gaga and Rob Marshall

Sasha with Pasha (Jonathan Roberts quick step):

• The featurette: It’s Sasha and Pasha! My dream has come true! 
• The dance: 100 points for Sasha’s weird but awesome costume. 100 more points for the Charleston influences. I’m not sure that Sasha’s got the quick step style down completely, but she’s doing such a great job of selling the style and performance that I don’t care. She and Pasha are both looking awesome. Aces.
• Mary says Sasha had the best body position of anyone this season on the promenade. Nigel says she’s his favorite of the season. Gaga says Sasha’s as shiny on the outside as she is on the inside.

Caitlynn with Ivan (Marty Kudelka hip-hop):

• The featurette: It’s nice to see Ivan again! 
• The dance: There’s kind of a lot of build up before the dancing starts here. Ivan’s very Justin Timberlake-ish in this. Once she actually started moving, Caitlynn looked pretty good. Not the world’s most exciting routine ever, but it’s fairly cute. 
• The judging: Mary can’t contain herself because she hasn’t seen Ivan in so long and he’s just so amazing. She thinks Caitlynn was really good, if not brilliant. Both Mary and Nigel have referenced “sitting in a pocket” and the two of them are so un-hip-hop that it’s hard to know if they have any idea what they’re talking about. Gaga thinks Caitlynn is extremely sexy. Gaga says that lyrical hip-hop is kind of difficult because sometimes it can feel a bit dated. Interesting, is that what my problem with it is? Rob thought this was a beautiful style for her. He thinks she could lose herself a little more in the dance.

Jordan with Ade (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Uh oh, Jordan's about to get Tyced. 
• The dance: Eew at her silk purple romper. Yeah, we know Jordan can do crazy extensions; I feel like we're all using that as a bit of a crutch now. This routine did nothing for me at all. Ade is still strong and good at lifting girls around though. Tyce has had a haircut. 
• The judging: Nigel thought it was just such a fun routine. Gaga says that Jordan gives her hope because she's short too, and Jordan can do so many awesome positions with her legs. Gaga shows us her crazy shoes. Rob thinks Tyce is just such an amazing choreographer, and I'm not going to give credence to anything else he has to say. Mary gives it a scream, and I'm like, "Really?!" Ok, guys, nothing about Tyce is "bad-ass"! Stop saying it! I think they're over-praising it to try to alleviate the how Tyced she was.

Melanie and Neil (Mandy Moore contemporary):

• The featurette: Ok, Melanie is getting an awful lot of contemporary over the weeks... 
• The dance: Neil's got the white pajama pants/no shirt look going. The flowiness of Mel's dress is pretty. They're dancing it well, but it's kind of familiar looking. There are some MAJOR lifts in this though. Melanie threw herself halfway across the stage at one point and Neil caught her. Neil's hair is looking different; he kind of has bangs. 
• The judging: Standing ovation. Gaga says her hat is off to Melanie, and mercifully, she actually takes off her ugly hat! Melanie's greatest achievement to date! Gaga says she'd hire Melanie tomorrow to dance on her tour. Rob says that watching Melanie is like magic. He said she has amazing technique, but was also able to throw away the technique and play the scene. Mary loves it, and P.S. she loves Neil too. Nigel has already changed his mind--Sasha's not his favorite anymore, Melanie is! Fickle. Cat asks us if we want to see Melanie do the jump-into-Neil thing again, and Neil pops out from backstage and Melanie does it again! Holy moly. 

Ricky with Anya (Jason Gilkison jive):

• The featurette: Anya's leggings were pretty fantastic. 
• The dance: Whoa, nice spinny jump from Ricky in the beginning. Anya's rocking the fringe, as one would expect. Not sure how I feel about this one. I didn't love it, but I don't think it was the fault of the dancers. I think Ricky was actually doing rather well. The "jive" part of it seemed to come and go. There was a rocky lift in the middle there. 
• The judging: Rob says Ricky dances with so much joy. Mary thought he started out a little rocky with the form, but then got better, then there was a labored lift, but then he got right back into it and pulled it off. Nigel thinks Ricky needs to get lower. He says the bungled lift looked like it more belonged "in a meat market" which is a comparison that I'm sure Anya's not loving... Contrarian that she is, Gaga liked that Ricky was high. She thought his style seemed more modern than Anya's.

Jess with Lauren Gottlieb (Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop):

• The featuretteNappyTabs talk for about half as long as usual. 
• The dance: Lauren is stealing the show. Not even sure why Jess went out there with her, actually. 
• The judging: Mary sees progress from Jess every week. She thinks he was really good tonight, and it was one of his most honest performances. Nigel agrees that Jess has matured significantly over this season. Nigel says Jess did not over-play it. Gaga has respect for him coming from a place from Broadway performance. And now I love Gaga because she says there was aspects of the choreography that she didn't like. (The flower was unnecessary.) A good complaint about NappyTabs always wins me over.

Tadd with Lauren Froderman (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The dance: Tadd is kind of Michael Jackson-ish in the beginning. But the music is Queen. Whatever. It's cool to see Lauren F. again. This is supposed to be jazz, right? I'm not sure how much jazz-ing Tadd is really doing here. He's just kinda walking around and being funky. 
• The judging: Nigel never remembers Lauren looking like that (sexy). Oh come on, Nigel, you did nothing but ogle her all season long last year. Nigel thinks Tadd absorbs the styles. Oookay. Gaga thought it was amazing and loved the styling. Gaga's probing the story behind the whole thing. Rob says that Tadd keeps surprising us with every move--the levels keep changing. Mary says he put the "C" on cool. Mary thinks he's going to land himself in the finale, which seems a little premature/optimistic to me, but who knows. If the judges are picking the people in the finale, then I guess he will.

Marko with Allison (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: Well, this should be good. The dance is about how we should be nicer. 
• The dance: Jeff Buckley music--this one's going to pull on the heart strings. Allison is amaaaaaaazing. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. Marko's doing well too, but this is basically all about Allison. 
• The judging: Another standing O. Gaga's in tears because she's just so proud of Marko. Unfortunately, she's put the hat back on. Gaga: "Number one, number three, number 10, who cares? You've got it." This is the first time Marko's mom has gotten to watch the show live; she just flew in from Guam. Mary says Marko is still her favorite dancer on the show. Nigel says we've just seen a moment that is more than the show. 

Caitlynn and Tadd (Jonathan Robers fox trot):

• The featurette: The most classic of all fox trots. 
• The dance: I like Caitlynn in this. Plus her dress is gorgeous. Her smile/facial expressions are sometimes a bit much though. 
• The judging: Mary says it was a little mixed--some technique was good, some could have used some work. She didn't think it was the most memorable dance of the night. Gaga really loved it. She loved the flower in Caitlynn's hair. She does think Caitlynn can relax her hands a little. Several references tonight to Caitlynn being a "competition dancer," which I don't remember ever hearing about before. 

Ricky and Marko (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: Ooh, interesting pairing, just because this means some of the girls are dancing together too (Sasha and Mel, please!). 
• The dance: Because when you think "Ricky and Marko," you think "hip-hopping janitors." I'm liking Marko a bit better just because he's a little lower, and down-and-dirtier. They did a nice job with the fast section at the end (that was a bit reminiscent of the Twitch/Alex Freaking Wong number last year). 
• The dance: Mary loved it and gives another scream. Nigel can't believe how nasty Marko was. Cat: "He used to be a bad boy." Nigel thought Ricky was still a bit high. Nigel has reservations that Ricky might be in the bottom--well, somebody has to be. There are only four boys. Gaga thought the interpretation of "hip-hop" was a little contrived (I have a feeling it usually is on this show). She's not feeling NappyTabs' props again, and I'm still loving it. Rob says Napoleon and Tabitha are "soooo great" and I stop listening to him again.

Jordan and Jess (Jason Gilkison rumba):

• The featurette: This is the first rumba we've had this season. Not that I'm really complaining about that, because I'm usually not a big fan of them. 
• The dance: I'm not really getting "abusive relationship" from this. This isn't a great showcase for Jess, but I like him in it. His faces seemed appropriate. It was okay. There was a nice back reverse spin lift. 
• The judging: Nigel liked the lift, but he didn't get the chemistry between them at all. He's complaining about someone's swayed back, but I'm not sure who he's talking to. Gaga says there was nothing wrong with it, but she would have interpreted the song differently as an artist. She thinks the dancers did a beautiful job though. Rob thought they brought out the best of each other. Rob points out that they both sing, and he sees big theater careers for both of them. Mary says that lift was one of the best lifts all season. She didn't see the elasticity through the arms that you see in international rumba. Or something. Maybe that's why I never like rumbas on this show. I just thought it was because they're boring ;-)

Sasha and Melanie (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: This is a three-person dream team right here.  
• The dance: Matching mohawks! It's interesting to watch these two together, because they both usually steal the show from their partners. If I had to pick one, I think I'd say I liked Sasha in this better. Just because it seemed more organic to her. But they were both good. This routine/performance was good, but I am a bit letdown. With these two dancers, it could have been unbelievable. 
• The judging: Everyone--including Sonya--is beside themselves. Gaga says in the dance community when you do a good job, you throw your shoe at the stage, so she chucked her giant shoe on the stage, and Sasha scooped it up in jubilation. She says everyone can pack up and go home, because that was the performance of the night. Rob gives props to Sonya. He congratulates Cat on her Emmy nom too and she giggles like a schoolgirl again. She's so cute! Mary thinks that was the best number of the night and the best number Sonya's ever done. Um, "The Garden"?! Cat says it was almost like the "Two Princes" number but for women. They should just let Cat be the host and a judge--she usually comes up with some of the more insightful comments of anyone. Nigel says he can't decide which of the two of them are the best, and he's glad he doesn't have to decide. Sonya unleashed the beasts in them. Gaga gives her other shoe to Sonya. Nigel goes out on a big limb and says that either Sasha or Melanie could be this year's champion. Uh duh. I think we all new that in week one. 

There were several good performances tonight, but I don't think I loved as many of them as I did last week. 

My favorites: 

Marko and Allison's contemporary

Sasha and Pasha's quick step

Melanie and Neil contemporary

Sasha and Melanie's jazz

Bottom four prediction: Caitlynn, Jordan, Tadd and Ricky ?