(S06E02) The auditions arrive for the first time in Phoenix, and our guest judge is Mia Michaels. Choreography was the focus this week, and we'll end up seeing Anya and Pasha's "simple" choreography a lot in the future. I'm disappointed that they don't change choreo every audition spot.
Last week's auditions focused on tap dancers and cute contemporary women. I was hoping that Fox would mix it up this week. Although we got a handful more contemporary women, we're given one of the best breakers. Breakdancers are what can differentiate this show from Dancing with the Stars.
Simon, who seems to have a lexicon all his own, said that he misses Paula, too. But in his bizarre way with words, he compared the new Idol atmosphere as different, like "comparing a carrot to a banana."
Could the departure of Paula Abdul from American Idol actually result in a revitalization and renewal of the Fox monster hit? I ask that question because in the past couple of days, guest judges have been announced to sit in Paula's place and I'm absolutely psyched by the choices. The other day it was How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris. Today, Pushing Daisies'Kristin Chenoweth has been snagged as an American Idol guest judge. She's currently filming auditions in Orlando, Florida.
Of all the names bandied about as replacement judges and guest judges on American Idol, I can honestly tell you that today's name made me smile. How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris is filling in as a guest judge on American Idol as they conduct auditions in Dallas, Texas.
Neil is not only one of the funniest talents around, but he is a legitimate singer who has appeared on Broadway, hosted the Tony Awards (and the upcoming Emmys, too) and knows what it takes to sing professionally. And let's not forget Dr. Horrible.
This is an interesting find: the Saturday Night Live audition tapes for Phil Hartman, John Belushi, Will Ferrell, and Dana Carvey. Below is Hartman's audition, and after the jump Carvey's two audition bits (Choppin' Broccoli!).
Get on your craziest costume and ask your mom again if you really, really can sing because it's time to start the process of making an ass of yourself on national television all over again. Only this time, the crazies who go to the first round of auditions won't get the chance to sing in front of the judges until a callback sometime later this summer. That's because while they want to get the audition process under way, American Idol doesn't know if they're bringing back Paula Abdul or Kara DioGuardi.
I wonder if this move will keep some of the crazies away. Now you're looking at two entirely separate trips just to look stupid on television. Will it still be worth it? Sure, the local crazies will still come out, but what about the travelers? It is interesting to note that Idol is changing the process up this much due to contract questions. That must mean that they're really not sure about one or both of the women's return to the show. DioGuardi was on a one-year deal, while Abdul's multi-year contract ended this season.
(S05E01) Screams and potential contestants wailing to the cameras start off our show. What did I get myself into? Cat Deeley preps us that we have thousands of dancers, six cities, lots of tears, and one obsessively screaming judge. I guess we don't get an explanation as to what happened to Joshua, other than making it to the opening credits. Whatever did happen to Step Up 3D? Let's hope it doesn't go straight to DVD.
We started the night with New York City's auditions, specifically in Brooklyn. Cat does the Brooklyn Dance while more people dance for the camera. Our judges today are Nigel, Mary, and Tabitha & Napoleon, our favorite lyrical hip-hop choreographers. The dancers still have the same process for auditions: win (straight to Vegas), lose (rejection) or draw (choreography round where the judges will make their decisions).
The first 20 seconds of this show have already freaked me out. Ryan and Simon are in the back of a limo and they're just flirting. They're smiling and giggling, and it feels like I'm looking in on a first date. Moving on ... American Idol continues to try to make this my favorite season ever by reminding America that Randy used to play with Journey. Not only did he tell America "Don't stop believin'," but he did so while wearing a large amount of spandex. And for that reason, he will always be my favorite judge.
This episode just gets weirder when we see that the limo Ryan and Simon are in has a police escort. There are literally half a dozen sheriff's vehicles surrounding them as they are driven to the audition site. Now, I used to live in Florida and I still have family there, so I visit quite often. Let me tell you: Florida police have way bigger things going on that could use their attention. This does not strike me as a clever use of resources.
The eighth season of American Idolwill begin auditions on Thursday July 17th in San Francisco. Other cities that will be holding try-outs for the hit singing competition show are Louisville, Kentucky; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Missouri; Jacksonville, Florida; East Rutherford, New Jersey; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Any TV Squad readers going to sing for Paula, Randy and Simon? If I were to audition (and I won't), I think I'd sing something by Stevie Wonder (cause no one ever sings anything by him), or Mariah Carey (cause her songs are super easy), or maybe I'd just do my own composition and dedicate it to Simon (he likes that stuff).
(S04E05) How happy am I that Jason covered the last night of auditions on Wednesday! I'm going to agree with him about the two tappers. The second girl, Liz, was fabulous. With tap, the excitement happens below the knees so performers have to be conscious of what's going on with their upper bodies.
Okay, I have a word problem for you. What do you get when you take hundreds of dancers then make them do four different styles, deprive them of sleep, critique them on national TV, and make them play some sick version of Mother May I to see if they get to the next round?
The Vegas episode of So You Think You Can Dance, of course!
(S04E03) Last night we joined Cat, Nigel, Mary, and Tyce in Charleston, South Carolina for more auditions. I, for one, am getting sick of the two-hour audition shows already. We talked about this last week and I have to point it out again: maybe if they showed more dancing, these audition shows would be better.
Cat assured us at the beginning of the program that Charleston would not disappoint as SYTYCD went there in season two. Who did they find in South Carolina? Natalie, Dimitri, finalist Heidi and none other than Travis Woll, season two's runner-up. In the second hour, Mary and Nigel headed to D.C. where they were joined by Dan.
Find out what happened in both cities after the jump.
(S04E01) It's back! *sings terribly* "Oh, I wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me!" I am psyched for So You Think You Can Dance. We kicked off tonight with the L.A. auditions and a two-hour season premiere. There were a lot of Russians, a lot of pelvic thrusts, a lot of repeat dancers, and a lot of Mary Murphy's infectious/irritating laugh. I can't decide about that one. Some times I can't stand her and some times I want to sit next to her at the judges table. What about you?
But enough about Mary, let's get to the good stuff ... the auditions!
Are you a "momma's boy"? Or are you a mother who is really overprotective about who your son dates? Well, if you are, you might want to try out for Ryan Seacrest's (American Idol) and Andrew Glassman's (Average Joe) new show Momma's Boys. NBC's new reality series will air after the Summer Olympics in Bejing. The show will center around a group of mothers choosing the perfect woman for their sons. According to the press release, "drama ensues when numerous mothers and their eligible bachelor sons are housed together with several single women." So, they have to live together too? This sounds like The Bachelor meets Sister Patterson from I Love New York.
So You Think You Can Dance -- that other dance show -- is looking for the America's next Favorite Dancer. Starting in January, producers will stop in six cities to find dancers for the fourth season of the show.
The search will begin on January 17th in Dallas, Texas. They will then travel to Charleston, South Carolina (Jan. 31st), Washington, D.C. (Feb. 21st), Los Angeles, California (March 6th) and Milwaukee, Wisconsin (March 20th). The search will end on April 3rd in Salt Lake City, Utah. Audition venues in these cities have not been announced.
Casting for Dance is open to persons between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of audition. Auditioners need to have proof of either U.S. citizenship, permanent U.S. residency., or current employment visa allowing them to work in the U.S. without restrictions. More information can be found at the So You Think You Can Dance website.
(S06E02) The auditions arrive for the first time in Phoenix, and our guest judge is Mia Michaels. Choreography was the focus this week, and we'll end up seeing Anya and Pasha's "simple" choreography a lot in the future. I'm disappointed that they don't change choreo every audition spot. 
Oh sure, now that she's not there anymore, they miss her. Sounds like a familiar story, but this is 
Of all the names bandied about as replacement judges and guest judges on American Idol, I can honestly tell you that today's name made me smile. How I Met Your Mother's 
Get on your craziest costume and ask your mom again if you really, really can sing because it's time to start the process of making an ass of yourself on national television all over again. Only this time, the crazies who go to the first round of auditions won't get the chance to sing in front of the judges until a callback sometime later this summer. That's because while they want to get the audition process under way, 
The first 20 seconds of this show have already freaked me out. Ryan and Simon are in the back of a limo and they're just flirting. They're smiling and giggling, and it feels like I'm looking in on a first date. Moving on ...
The eighth season of 
(S04E05) How happy am I that 
(S04E01) It's back! *sings terribly* "Oh, I wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me!" I am psyched for 
Are you a "momma's boy"? Or are you a mother who is really overprotective about who your son dates? Well, if you are, you might want to try out for Ryan Seacrest's (American Idol) and Andrew Glassman's (Average Joe) new show 
So You Think You Can Dance -- that other dance show -- is looking for the America's next Favorite Dancer. Starting in January, producers will stop in six cities to find dancers for the fourth season of the show. 
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