Mary Murphy-related stories
Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:45AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E24) From six to one, it was a night of eliminations on the sixth season finale of
So You Think You Can Dance. They even trotted out six judges to sit in on the festivities. Joining Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Adam Shankman on the dais were Lil' C, Tyce Diorio and Debbie Allen.
This allowed the show to have the judges "pick" their favorite performances of the season and have them performed again. I'm always suspect as to just how many of these choices are truly the picks of each particular judge, or if the judges are just chosen to introduce the dances the producers want to showcase again.
We also got guest appearances by dance troupe The Groovaloos, and a quartet of singers: Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Leona Lewis and Adam Lambert. They didn't all sing together, but could you imagine that performance if they had?
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - America's Favorite Dancer (season finale)
Posted Dec 16th 2009 1:35AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E23) For the first time in the history of
So You Think You Can Dance, we have six dancers in the final performance show, which makes it even more unpredictable. It was a great night of dancing, but I'm not even going to venture a guess as to who might win, as a strong case could be made for at least five of them.
I would have liked to see tonight's episode be a two-hour showcase rather than tomorrow's finale. We could then have seen each of the dancers perform in solos, or perhaps some of the more diverse couplings and group numbers we've gotten on other finales.
Instead, we got nine dances, pairing each guy with each girl through the night. It was wall-to-wall dancing to pack it into an hour, which was a refreshing change, and we did get to see married couple Ryan and Ashleigh perform together ... and
not in a ballroom routine.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 6 Perform
Posted Dec 9th 2009 3:02AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S06E21) This season of
So You Think You Can Dance will be ending with a final six instead of a final four. I'm convinced someone messed up the schedule and they were supposed to double eliminate a couple, probably back in the Top 20. Noelle's injury didn't help the situation, and they decided to just go with a final six.
We welcome the top seven contestants because Ashleigh popped out her shoulder in rehearsals and has to have an MRI scan. She won't be dancing, but she's in tears because another crippling injury may end her dancing dreams. Sadly, she would have done an amazing job with both Hip-Hop and Bollywood.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 8 Perform
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:06AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E20) I go into these elimination shows expecting a lot of pad and filler. But when it's a dance show, I want to see dancing; which is why I'm always a little perplexed when musical guests who don't dance show up. This week's musical guest was Snoop Dogg, and I really enjoyed it. And yes, I know that Snoop does little more than bounce and swagger.
It was that either he or the producers were smart about how to put together his stage show. Hip-hop videos are known for dancing, so why not bring that dancing to the live show? Joining Snoop on stage was Quest, a former winner of
America's Best Dance Crew, as well as the dance home for three former
SYTYCD contestants: Ryan, Dominic and Hok.
What about the results, though? I was surprised that even though we've switched to voting for individual dancers, it was still two couples from last night's performance show that wound up in the bottom.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 8 Revealed
Posted Dec 2nd 2009 1:57AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E19) What an amazing and jam-packed night of dance. With ten couple dances and ten solos, it was wall-to-wall performances. Amazingly, almost every single one of the performances was excellent.
Honestly, I am so impressed with this entire Top 10, I can't say enough good things about them. Sonya Tayeh finally blew me away as a choreographer. Working with Ellenore is a match made in heaven for both of them, really.
We've got a lot to cover, so why are you still here? Jump into the article and get to reading about all of it already!
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10 Perform
Posted Nov 25th 2009 2:35AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S06E17) This week determines the top ten of
So You Think You Can Dance. We welcome the top twelve dancers and judging by the audience, Legacy and Jakob are the most loved. With
Dancing with the Stars ending this week, I'm happy that I can devote more time to this show because the dancing is a higher caliber and it isn't just a celebrity popularity contest.
Tonight we got to see the first Can Can and the return of the Lindy Hop. I am happy that the show continues to break the boundaries of dance and shine a light on new choreographers.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12 Perform
Posted Nov 19th 2009 3:33AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E16) If things keep going the way they've been going, I'm going to start thinking America's really learning something about dance after all these shows they've been watching the past several years. I understood and agreed with every single one of America's choices, which is more than I can say for Nigel and the judges.
We did get to see Nakul Dev Majahan, joined on stage by MDN Bollywood Productions, in a Bollywood routine he choreographed. While I loved the earlier Bollywood piece we got this season, this one didn't grab me quite as strongly. A lot of that probably has to do with how foreign it still is to our Western senses; we don't really understand what we're seeing or why we're seeing it all the time.
Still, I guess I'm glad it's part of the show, as it continues to showcase the diversity in dance around the world. I even applaud their ill-fated attempt to try Russian folk. I say keep trying
SYTYCD, just be very wary of what you put on these dancers.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12 Revealed
Posted Nov 18th 2009 1:44AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E15) After last week's lackluster performances, I was starting to wonder about the vaunted strength of this season's Top 20. But the 14 remaining dancers came back very strong this week, with improvements across the board. There was only one dance that completely disappointed me, but throughout the night, I cannot easily see the Top Ten dancers we're working toward.
One thing that's a little frustrating when we get down to a smaller number of dancers like this, and they're only performing once ... we get a
ton of filler. The judges went on and on about each contestant. Maybe FOX should consider shortening the episodes to an hour-and-a-half during these weeks and give us more episodes of some of their great sitcoms like
'Til Death or
Brothers.
Hmmm -- maybe I can handle the rambling judges after all.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 14 Perform
Posted Nov 11th 2009 2:27AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E13)
So You Think You Can Dance finally lets America vote. Sadly, I only liked four of the eight dances this week and I wouldn't mind if any of them were eliminated. One thing I did like was the introductory sequence, they finally figured out a way to make the stage a little less huge. The choreographers are doing better to let the dances fill the huge stage.
With only eight performances, the show felt like the critiques were longer than the actual dancing. If they inserted one large group dance, the show could have cut off some of Mary's more annoying comments.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 16 Perform
Posted Nov 4th 2009 4:12PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E12) Yet again, because of the ongoing World Series on FOX, there was no elimination this week, which means we barely had time to process the dancing before two contestants were being eliminated. Luckily for me, it became clear pretty quickly which two performances were the weakest of the night.
There were two that were absolutely amazing as well, one that may go down as one of the top
SYTYCD dances of all time. But the most important question of the night was: Did the judges agree with me as to who should have gone home?
Thankfully, by next week all these distractions will be sorted out and you and I will be able to vote for ourselves who we want to keep around.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 18 Perform
Posted Oct 28th 2009 12:55AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S06E11) We finally get to the actual competition on
So You Think You Can Dance. On tonight's episode, the judges cut one guy and one girl without America's help. It's okay, I don't trust America. Cat welcomes us in a stunning Chinese-inspired dress. I'm still amazed by Cat's ability to look good in anything.
As we watch the dancers open the show, we start with the newest addition to the Top 20: Brandon. Even after meeting these contestants yesterday, I still don't know them. To make it worse, the sound people kept using the live mic on the tappers, and at first I thought my ears were going.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20 Perform
Posted Oct 27th 2009 12:31PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Celebrities, Casting, So You Think You Can Dance
On last night's special Monday episode of
So You Think You Can Dance, producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe displayed an empty chair, just in case, he said, a special guest decided to grace them with her presence. The chair was marked with the name "Paula Abdul." (On a side note,
SYTYCD was on basically in place of
House -- how can such a popular show go on break so often?).
The current slate of judges, including Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Adam Shankman (in for Mia Michaels), seems perfect. Other than the fact that I wish I had the technical know-how to develop a filter that would detect when Murphy is about to sound like a claxon and automatically adjust the volume of my TV, I enjoy all three judges. And, as
I've said before, I actually feel like I'm learning something from the show when they critique the dancers. When they need another voice, they have Debbie Allen, the sometimes overly loquacious Lil C, and a few others who can easily step in.
Continue reading Paula Abdul on So You Think You Can Dance?
Posted Oct 27th 2009 1:08AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S06E10) In a
So You Think You Can Dance first, we get to meet the Top 20 before competition starts. It's nice to see the dancers doing well in their element before they fall apart trying to learn Disco, Bollywood, or Russian Folk.
We also welcome Adam Shankman as a permanent judge. Nigel wants Paula Abdul to guest judge eventually. Since she was in the audience of
Dancing with the Stars, she's probably got the time.
I dislike the return of last season's finale stage as the new permanent stage. The camera angles constantly have heads in the corners, and there are no more stairs for cool performance elements.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Meet the Top 20
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 12:48AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E09) Tonight, we started with 38 dancers, and by the end of the hour, the Top 20 stood revealed. I'm never quite sure how to take these episodes;
American Idol always has one, as well. For the most part, it's just contestants walking in front of the judges and hearing "Yes" or "No." For those of us who've been watching since the beginning and finding our early favorites, it can be a little tense and exciting.
But then I think about someone who's never watched the show, and who's maybe tuning in for the first time tonight. What a boring hour of television they would be in for. You barely get any snippets from the good dancers who make it through. Mostly it's just a parade of faces you don't know and lots of crying.
But before we get to the tears, we need to get excited. For the first time, and to give everyone a more even playing field going into the first performance show, this Monday at 8pm ET, FOX offers a special non-elimination episode where the Top 20 get to show us their stuff.
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20 Revealed
Posted Oct 15th 2009 12:50AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
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S06E08) We're down to 77 contestants trying to get to the top 20 of
So You Think You Can Dance. It's day two of Vegas and we follow the rest of the contestants as they go through choreography from several of our favorite choreographers including
Making the Band's Lorrie Ann Gibson.
Injuries plague several of the dancers tonight, and it makes me wonder how far I would make it on this show before I sprained my Achilles' tendon.
I was all excited that we would find out the top 20 tonight. Sadly, I've been duped and will have to wait for next week.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Vegas Callbacks 2
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