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.  

How Amazing were 'The Voice' Finals?

The Voice Finals were AMAZING!  Here  is my breakdown:

Last performance excluded, the guys hands down, won the night.  They brought their "A" games.  As it was explained to us (repeatedly), Juliet Simms was sick.   The guys were stellar in all three of their performances.  Juliet only shone in her actual solo.  

Christina Aguilera has got to stop making this show all about her.  She was not nearly as self-congratulatory tonight as in past weeks, however I still counted seven times where she somehow brought the conversation back to her talent or ailments.  The absolute worst, though, was her mini-concert during her duet with Chris Mann.  Admittedly, sick or not, she sounded great. And he was phenomenal.  So my question is this:  Why did the judge have a bigger part in the duet than the contestant?  All the others shared the verses equally, but not Christina.  No, no....she has to be star #1 ALL THE TIME.  It didn't help that the camera was also on her the majority of the song.  For God's sake, the song began with Chris' back to the camera.  But that is a director's choice, so I'll have to forgive her that foul.

What the hell does Christina have against Tony Lucca?  Twice she made a jab at him tonight.  This does not include the countless other slights made throughout the season.  Even The Today Show picked up on this when  the contestants were interviewed this week.  They both were on The Mickey Mouse Club.  She's now a star.  He's a 36-year-old contestant on a reality show.  Why is she threatened?  

Same sex duets are far better for competition purposes.  As mentioned before, The Prayer sung by Christina and Chris was absolutely beautiful.  But the harmonies and placement of voices always allow the female to shine in a duet.  Cee Lo and Juliet's duet was just all right.  It sounded like a throw-away performance where she was trying to preserve her voice.  I loved the honestly and tenderness of Tony's and Adam Levine's duet.  This was an example of harmony and melody blending perfectly.  Jermaine Paul and Blake Shelton's duet was so much fun.  It allowed them to both loosen up and show their fun sides.

Christina slightly redeemed herself when she cried at the end of Chris' performance of You Raise Me Up.  She does seem to truly care about her team and is genuinely moved by their performances.  

Of all the contestants, I would personally buy Chris Mann's album because I like his style of music, and his voice is amazing.  But if I had to guess how America will vote, it is this:

1. Jermaine Paul

2. Juliet Simms

3. Chris Mann

4. Tony Lucca

We'll see if I'm right or wrong on Tuesday night.

Horrible, Christina. Absolutely Horrible!

"Dear God.   Please restore my brief sense of style.  I look ridiculous.  Amen."

Worst Case Scenario

I take back everything I wrote in my recent post about Christina Aguilera's transformation from tacky to tasteful.  She is slipping back into her old ways.  Why is she doing this?  Her appearance tonight on The Voice is laughable.  This image is actually the outfit I was referring to in the other article.  But what she is wearing tonight is far worse.  She just can't help herself.

And Christina, if you want to sing, go to a studio and lay down a track.  Because it's not about you, it's about the contestants.

I've Lost that Idol Feeling...at Least for This Week

Sayonara!

I promised I'd enter this week of Idol with a poor attitude, and indeed I did.  I REALLY missed seeing Colton on that stage.  

All I can say to Elise Testone being kicked off is...good riddance!  I was over her in week 1.  If it didn't happen this week, it would be next week.  Frankly, I'm surprised she lasted this long.  I still can't put a face to her fan base. Maybe that was part of her problem.  She's a good technical singer, but raspy voices are not my bag.

Here's my take on the Top 5:

In order of my preference. 

Joshua Ledet-  He should win.   He came out swinging last night.  I think he proved his versatility because we already knew the boy can SANG!

Phillip Phillips-  I dig his vibe, and I buy what he's selling.  He's obviously not the best singer, but he's authentic.  I'd like to hear some of his original work.

Skylar Laine-  I did not care for her much in the beginning.  But she had some stellar weeks there in the middle, and I was impressed.  Last night was just alright.  I'm not a fan of country, especially that Reba twang, but she could make it to the top 2 or 3 because that genre sells with Idol fans.

Holly Cavanaugh-  A couple of weeks ago, I was ready to watch her head roll.  She's really brought her A game, though, these past two weeks.  I thought she was phenomenal last night singing The Climb.  Certainly, 1000 times better than Miley Cyrus, but that's not very hard to achieve.  That said, she'll probably go next week.  Her nine lives are just about spent.

Jessica Sanchez-  Her Dance with My Father was great last night.  Other than that, she has shown me nothing since the big save.  It seems that the judges are disenchanted with her as well.  No more leaping to their feet and more criticism.  I'd love to see her go before Holly.

On a separate note, I will never watch the results show again live again because I cannot stomach another Ford music video or a performance from Idol rewind (Adam Lambert excluded.)

Amy Duncan is My Hero

If I could choose one TV mom to be my new best friend it would be Amy Duncan from Good Luck, Charlie. Before you judge me for choosing a Disney mom, here me out.  This is a really cute show that could actually survive on primetime, and one of the few that is minus a smart-alecky midget kid and plus a present mom and dad.  This clip proves that Amy and I could totally hang. The quality's not the best, but you get the point.

When we watched this episode, both girls and Chad turned to me and said, "That's you, Mommy."

NOTE:  I may have, once or twice (or more),  performed in this fashion.  But never in a preschool.  Only in the privacy of my own home.   

Every morning on the way to school the girls listen to Wicked.  And, every morning they tell me to stop singing.  I tell them that's like telling the wind not to blow.  I'm not sure if it's normal or fitting to sing showtunes at full volume as a bedtime lullaby.

The Payoff.
Art by Melanie.

American Idol Voters are Hopeless

Are you kidding me, America? Seriously? Colton Dixon is going home, and I think I want to vomit.

This is what I hate about the concept of a Judges' Save. It totally throws things out of orbit the next week. The ones who were in danger last week (except Elise) were in the clear. I'm not surprised. Their fans got on the stick and voted like crazy. 

But Colton? Granted, this wasn't his best week. But he has so much talent. I didn't love his Bad Romance rendition because I prefer him behind the piano. I actually enjoyed his September. I thought it was unique and in his style.  I just don't get why the judges need over the top dramatic builds and glory notes in order to truly back a contestant.  Not every song demands that, and very few singers today on the radio deliver that.

It's like my post from last week is prophetic with a slice of Karma.  I knew something like this would happen.  This isn't my first Idol rodeo.  I'm just disgusted that my favorite is the one who had to pay the price.  

I wish I could say that I'm done with Idol this season.  But I'm not.  No Idol result could cause as much mental devastation for me the 2009 season when Adam Lambert lost.  I was completely non-functional for a week.  I'd like to throw something at the TV, give my two cents to the judges,  and deliver a strong tongue lashing to all those who jumped off Colton's ship.  But instead, I'll just have another glass of wine and continue with this post.  And go into next week's show with a really bad attitude.

Understand this, Elise, Holly, and JESSICA, I will power vote like crazy in the hope you are the next three to go.

The New Adventures of Old Christina

Let's talk about how MUCH BETTER Christina Aguilera looks since The Voice went live as opposed to the earlier episodes.

From

Tragic Hot Mess

To

Totally Hot

I won't even go into detail about that 45 record on her head because that's a blog post all by itself.

I don't even think it's the weight loss, because she hasn't lost all that much (as I write I'm watching her prance about the stage in a horrid bustier that does nothing for her thighs.)  It's like she saw herself on TV when the pre-taped shows aired and realized the ridiculousness that she had become.  Her body is but the first step.  Her total image has changed.  Did she get a new stylist?  Everything is better:  the makeup, the hair, the wardrobe.  It's more subtle and less clown-like and gimmicky.

Please, Christina.  Do yourself a favor and permanently lose the red lipstick and hair extensions.

Mother of the Year...Again

We've been lounging all morning long.  My default TV channel for background noise is Bravo.  I left the room for a bit.  During a commercial break, Belle calls to me.

"MOMMY....I want the big kids' show with the girl with the hurt nose." 

"What big kids' show?"  Jesse?  Shake it Up?  Any Disney comedy? 

"The one that has the girl with the thing on her nose."  ????? 

"What's her name?" 

"Alexis."

As in...

Alexis from the Real Housewives of Orange County

So, my almost 4-year-old is caught up in a marathon of Orange County Housewives.  Evidently, it's the episode where Alexis elects to fix her "deviated septum."  Big kids' show indeed.

Next I hear both girls yelling, "ALEXIS!"

I find this...

"Alexis won't keep her bandage on!"

I will not comment on Alexis being portrayed by a monkey.  Please do not ask me the significance of the snake.

Time to head outside.

American Idol Top 7 "Shocker"

Article first published as American Idol Top 7 "Shocker" on Technorati.


So, big news last night on Idol.  Jessica Sanchez, an obvious judge favorite was nearly sent home.  After receiving the lowest number of votes, the judges cut her off while she "sang for her life" and used their only save of the season.  My question is this:  Are we really so shocked by this outcome?

Anyone who has watched American Idol these 11 seasons as I so faithfully have will attest to the fact that this ALWAYS happens EVERY season. Maybe not this early, but it happens.  The way I see it, it's a formula.  The judges, these three in particular, rally behind their favorite contestants and shower them week after week with praise.  They bound out of their chairs as if catapulted to deliver repeated, often unwarranted, standing ovations.  When overused, the standing O certainly loses its punch.  The constant on-their-feet applause leaves me pining for the days of Simon Cowell.  Likewise, they are often rendered speechless by the contestants they deem less worthy and offer meaningless morsels of appreciation such as "You look beautiful tonight."  The audience gets complacent and/or lazy and doesn't vote as as much as they used to for the "apparent" leaders.  Also, fans of the underdog come out in full-force and power vote for the save.  The fact that Joshua Ledet, the absolute clear favorite, was also in the bottom three tells me that this is likely the case.

But I have another theory that is likely to be less popular.  Jessica Sanchez simply doesn't connect with the audience.  Admittedly, I had tears in my eyes when she sang I Will Always Love You in the Top 12 show.  That performance was flawless.  But so is that song.  And in my opinion, she did very little to stray from Whitney Houston's interpretation and arrangement.  For a 17-year-old, or at any age for that matter, she is a technically superior singer.  She is truly gifted, and there is no denying it.  Still, I feel a disconnect when she sings and haven't voted for her since that first week.  Her performances don't touch me the way some others do.  Could it be that I'm not the only voter who senses this?

I feel that Steven Tyler's statement, "We are going to use our Judges' Save tonight" was premature.  Elise Testone was also in the bottom three and has been there off and on since week one.  To save her would have been utterly foolish.  I actually don't disagree with using the save for Jessica.  They have to use it before the Top 5 anyway.  Up until last night, I would have assumed that she would at least make it to the Final 3.  I certainly would have used it if Joshua had been the one receiving the lowest votes.  But now, two contestants will go home next week.

If I may now indulge the reader in the contestant whom I felt was most worthy of a standing ovation last Wednesday....Colton Dixon.  His performance of Love the Way You Lie had me on the edge of my seat and left me with chills.

This poor guy has never received the ultimate price of seeing the judges on their feet.  He has received abundant praise, but geez...throw the kid a bone!  And more importantly, send the message to the voters that you feel this guy could win it.

I think that Holly Cavanaugh and Elise Testone will go home next week, or at least they should. Anything other than that outcome will prove the judges' save was costly.

My Spring Lineup

I don't watch as much television as I used to since I started reading more.  I seldom watch TV during the day anymore, with the exception of an occasional Real Housewives of _____ or Jerseylicious Sunday marathon.  My nightly viewing is typically contained to 8-10pm.  After 10pm, I enjoy watching re-runs of Friends.  What can I say?  I like to live in the past.

At any rate, these are the shows I'm keeping up with at the moment (in no particular order):

The Voice

Smash

The Real Housewives of Orange County

American Idol

GCB

Shows I'm anxiously awaiting this summer:

The Bachelorette (not impressed by choice of Emily)

Bachelor Pad (always entertainment)

So You Think You Can Dance? 
Dallas (so excited...please TNT, don't disappoint)
Rizzoli and Isles

Updates on episodes to follow.