I'm Not the Only One Who Finds Christopher Scott Worthy

So does the the 2012 Emmy Nominating Committee.  He is nominated for two SYTYCD dances from last season...two of my faves.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Nigel Lithgow!  Take a look.

Twist and Sasha- "Mysty Blue"


Men- "Velocity"


Also nominated are Stacey Tookey (3 Contemporary), Spencer Liff (2 Broadway), Travis Wall from his company's performance on Dancing with the Stars, and 3 numbers from Smash ("Let's Be Bad," "I Never Met a Wolf," and "National Pastime").

I've spent a decent amount of time today watching all the nominated dances on YouTube.  If I had a vote, I'd either go with Scott or Smash.

Speaking of Travis Wall's dance company though, I stumbled across a promo for his new Oxygen reality show this morning.  LOVE it!  Lot's of SYTYCD alums.  You can watch the first episode online, which I did.

Of course, next week, Nigel will drone on and on about the noms.  He seems to see them as a nod to show.  Which they are to an extent. The show's nomination for best Reality Show is his, but the dances are the vision of the choreographers.  I still think he's too stingy with his admiration for their craft.  

All and all, my day has pretty much been spent watching dancing online.  Not bad.

5 Takeaways from SYTYCD

It's Week 2 of the live shows and here are a few of my thoughts on the show:

1. Stop kissing Sonya Tayeh’s ass.  Christopher Scott is a mastermind.

Every season there's a golden choreographer.  For so many years, it was Mia Michaels.  This season belongs to Sonya.  Her choreography is very good.  But it irks me to no end when the judges, mainly Nigel Lithgow, call out choreographers on national television.  That is unacceptable.  I loved both of Christopher Scott's routines.  He is so inventive.  Just because there is no angst and jerky movements with flexed feet doesn't mean that his dances are worthwhile.

2. It’s not about you or your movie, Adam Shankman.

I loved Adam when he directed Hairspray.  He is a champion of dance in film, and I dig that.  But I'm over the self-promotion as a running gag.  He is a valid, legit judge.  I respect that.  Too often SYTYCD has complete incompetents on the judging panel.  But shut up about Step Up Revolution already!!! 

3. I have a huge crush on Matt.

They refer to him as Matthew. That's beat.  His dancing partner calls him Matt, so that's what I'll call him. Every season I have a male crush. First was Neil, then Kent, now Matt. It's really all about the total package:  dance ability, looks, charisma, and sex appeal.  I just think he's the bee's knees.  My fave for sure.

4. I don’t like the new voting format.

It sucks that Fox has cut the results show.  With all the crap on TV these days, especially on Fox, they can't spare 30 minutes on Thursday night?  The producers have dealt with it and structured it as best as they could, but the abrupt departure of dancers at the end takes away from the credit due to the ones leaving.  Tonight, no one got to "dance for their life."  It also takes away from the amount of rehearsal time we see during their dance segment.  It is what it is, but I'm disappointed.

5. I obviously am more drawn to male dancers than female.

This goes for American Idol as well.  And don't even get me started about Maks and Derek on Dancing with the Stars. When I look back over my voting history, I predominantly vote for males.  Which is strange because in the Olympics, I always prefer womens' figure skating and gymnastics to men's.  But what can I say?  There is something ultimately sexy about a strong male dancer.  

The Chaperone: A Review

This is one of those books where I'm left scratching my head as to the title.  

Warning:  Possible Spoilers

Cora Carlisle is a 36-year-old housewife from Kansas when she is chosen to chaperone 15-year-old Louse Brooks to a summer dance seminar in New York City. Louse is tough and no-nonsense with an air of haughtiness and indignation.  Cora is on a search to find the story behind her birth parents.  The two clash.  Cora is old school in a sense, but is up on the suffrage movement.  Louise is as full-on Modern.

Cora gets some answers.  Louise gets a dancing gig.  There's a love interest.  And then that plot ends roughly 3/4 through the book.  The latter part of the novel is a sort of fast forward epilogue. The story shifts from being about Cora as a chaperone to Cora as a wife, mother, grandmother, lover, respected citizen, etc. The story finally ends in the '80s with Cora's death. Louise and Cora share one more scene towards the end. Hence, my confusion over the title.  I wanted more of their relationship.  If this were pure fiction, I'd want some bonding moment where the two totally get one another and become each other's confidantes and champions.  Being historical fiction, though, it may be a stretch to create such an event that never happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but was confused with the structure.

What I did love was the picture of history that was painted.  I love the Twenties.  I enjoyed learning about women's issues and societal views on modern women during that time. I found it interesting to learn how orphans were treated and the adoption system during that time as well as. The novel also touches on Kansas' ultra-conservative views on Prohibition and homosexuality.  I learned about a lot of things.  This is why I dig historical fiction.

Some say Louise was a bitch, but I loved her.  She had spunk and knew what she wanted.  She was the Jazz Age.  I read that Liza Minnelli channeled Louise Brooks when creating her portrayal of Sally Bowles in Cabaret. I wanted to know more about her career and not just in fast forward.  That being said, I truly did enjoy Cora's story.  She was a likable character and a great heroine.

This was well-written, and I would suggest it to anyone interested in historical fiction and the '20s.

The Spectacular Now: A Review

Sutter Keely embraces the now.  He also embraces a full flask and a tall 7-Up.  This story chronicles the last months of his senior year of high school.  He sorts out his friends, family, and relationships...or at least tries to.  

This is one of those books where the plot isn't as compelling as the way it is delivered. This is totally a character driven novel. Sutter is the narrator.  He talks to the reader as if he's your friend and you've known him all your life through statements like "...but you know me." The dialogue is witty and compelling, but some of the best parts are his narrative.  He's the guy who's friends with everyone and everyone wants to have around.  But as the novel progresses, you move from admiration to pity.  His now, as it turns out, isn't really all that spectacular, it's almost pathetic.  What's so great about Sutter, though, is he doesn't see it that way.  He always finds a way to make it spectacular.  And then, you move from pitying him, back to admiration.

I'm not crazy about the ending.  I don't know if I wanted more, or something different, or even if it wasn't actually perfect.  The ending, I suppose, goes along with the whole "now" theme.

The book is being adapted for a movie, which is why I read it.  My former Drama student, Miles Teller of Footloose fame, is playing the role of Sutter.  This is a great character and a great role for him.  I can't wait to see his interpretation and delivery.  I'm also interested to see how the narratives are portrayed in the movie.  I know books and movies are separate entities, but this this novel actually does lend itself to the film format because of it's short, succinct scenes and dialogue. 

I really enjoyed the writing.  It's smart, and I appreciate that.  Read it.  And then go see the movie when it comes out.

I'm Back (sort of)

I don't know what my problem is.  I have the worst case of writer's block.  When I'm teaching and full of angst and frustration, the words keep-a-flowing.  But this summer, with my kids all up in my business, it's hard to get my groove on.  I've certainly experienced writable moments, but I just can't be bothered to pound it out on the keyboard.

In an effort to post in July, I'll share some notable happenings of my summer thus far:

1.  I've been reading a lot.  Of course, I'm hooked on smutty, short romance novels because I'm trying to pump up my stats, but who's judging?  Typically, I enjoy meatier subjects (pardon the pun) during the summer because I have more time to focus and absorb. But this summer, if the novel doesn't have a shirtless six-pack on the cover, I'm not reading it.

2.  I have a new workout regime.  I'm all about Yoga and Pilates.  If the workout requires shoes, forget it.  I also don't want to be yelled at.  I have a slight problem with purchasing new workouts every week, because I like to keep mixing it up, but I'm digging the results.  Of course, I haven't curbed my food or alcohol intake, so I'm not losing weight.  But I'm more toned and feel good.

3.  I'm working part-time for Florida Virtual School.  I'm a TA for Driver's Ed.  To your number one question the answer is "Yes," it is possible to teach Driver's Ed online.  It's only the written portion...rules, regs, say no to drugs/texting, etc.  Thank God they didn't review my driving record as a prerequisite.  I've wanted to get on with them for the longest time.  This is seasonal at the moment. I'm hoping to stay on part-time into the school year and eventually switch to Social Studies.  It's sort of a bummer, though, that it came about during my time off.  Working is really cramping my fun in the sun.  Which brings me to:

4. I LOVE our pool.  What the hell did I ever do with my time before we had it?  I cant' get enough. If the mosquitoes wouldn't devour me, I'd sleep on a raft in it.  My obsessive compulsive personality is rearing its ugly head though,  because tanning has become my job.  I feel it's a must to be out there everyday, for multiple hours.  And I've got no business being in the sun everyday. Skin cancer runs like wild horses through my family.  I've personally had skin cancer removed from my scalp.  My lesson?  Wear a hat.  And broad spectrum SPF.  If it's sunny, I'm out there.  When it's raining, I'm pissed.  The good new is that I haven't gotten burned once.  The bad news is that I'll never have more than a healthy base tan.  A Hawaiian Tropic Model I'll never be.

After our week at the beach over the July 4th holiday, the girls can't be bothered to swim anymore. There are too many bugs, their ears hurt, they want to watch T.V.  I say piss on that.  So, I leave them inside and float about alone.  They come outside occasionally and ask me to place Barbie's hair in a ponytail  and then disappear.  We threaten that we're going to call Mr. Pool to come and take the pool back.  That gets them fired up.  "NO!" they yell.  But still, little to no swimming occurs. This of course is an idle threat because I will most certainly be lost without that pool. Tomorrow (weather permitting), I'm hiding the remotes and the iPad and forcing them to swim.  "And you will enjoy it, dammit!"