adam shankman-related stories
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 30th 2009 6:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Awards, Reality-Free
So
Ricky Gervais has signed to host the Golden Globes, which means the pressure is on the Oscars to come up with a host or hosts equally as stellar. Or interesting. Or compelling.
One star who has removed himself from the running is last year's host,
Hugh Jackman. He will not return as Oscar host when the show airs on ABC, March 7.
He's currently on Broadway in a play -- with 007 Daniel Craig -- and he "quietly turned down the job" according to sources. It's not because he was a bomb emceeing the proceedings either. He didn't do the "Oprah, Uma, Uma, Oprah" joke nor did he trip on his shoelaces in the opening number. Quite the contrary, in fact.
Hugh Jackman was a perfectly fine host.
But he doesn't want to do it in 2010. Maybe he doesn't want to push his luck? Maybe he just doesn't want to work that hard.
Continue reading Hugh Jackman says 'no thanks' to Oscar repeat
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 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 21st 2009 11:29AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Awards, Reality-Free, So You Think You Can Dance
Maybe they'll change the name of this year's
Academy Awards to
So You Think You Can Win An Oscar? Or maybe it'll be
Oscar, You Should Be Dancing. What else can we expect now that
Adam Shankman has been assigned to produce the Oscar broadcast... with Bill Mechanic. The Bill Mechanic part is almost like fine print. (Or that cute kid Brick on
The Middle who whispers under his breathe in a funny, creepy way. "Mechanic...")
The story here is
Adam Shankman. He's a director/choreographer and dancer. He's a judge on the current season of
So You Think You Can Dance. His biggest credit is
Hairspray, one of the few movie musicals that has made it to the big screen and was a bit hit in the last decade. Shankman should bring movement, energy and -- perhaps -- dance to the
Academy Awards?
Continue reading Adam Shankman, the dancing Oscar producer
Posted Oct 8th 2009 3:05AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S06E07) So many judges, so little time. Tyce DiOrio, Mia Michaels, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe all sat in judgment of the 152 dancers who survived the audition rounds. The pace of the show picks up dramatically when we get to Vegas, and somehow I had myself convinced they were going to cram the entire week into tonight's one-hour episode.
Thankfully, I'm an idiot. Vegas Week continues next week for you and me. In fact, we only got through the first two days. But in that time, we lost nearly half of the contestants including several early favorites, and certainly some favorites of mine.
The more I see of these dancers, though, the more excited I am for this season. I thought last season suffered from the blands through a lot of it, despite some amazing choreographed performances, but there are a lot of really dynamic personalities already shining through.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Vegas Week, Part 1
Posted Oct 1st 2009 9:00AM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: OpEd, So You Think You Can Dance
I've
said before that
So You Think You Can Dance is one of the few reality shows that I actually like, despite the fact that I'm not really one who appreciates dance as an artform. It's a show that I don't think exploits its contestants or talks down to its audience, and that seems to take its subject matter more seriously than, say
American Idol or other talent shows. And last night's show was more proof for me.
On
American Idol, we often hear that the more insulting advice from the judges is a form of tough love, and in some cases, they have a point. Some people think they can sing and just can't, and need to be told. And there are similar scenes on
So You Think You Can Dance, and similarly, some people stomp off convinced that they are "it" instead of, well, something that rhymes.
But
So You Think You Can Dance is much more up front and even aggressive about telling people how they can grow. The system is better - if you show promise but the judges aren't sure, you go to the "choreography" phase and you are shown fairly empirically what your faults are, and most contestants seem happy for the knowledge, and many of them do come back.
Continue reading Mary Murphy's Rules for What Not To Do
Posted Aug 7th 2009 1:18AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S05E23) I think Cat Deeley looked fabulous tonight. The panel was chock-full of choreographers: Lil' C, Mia Michaels, Tyce Diorio, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. They brought them all up on the dais so they could each choose their favorite dances from throughout the season. That means encore performances of the best of Season 5. That's not a bad way to fill two hours.
In the end, though, it comes down to Kayla, Brandon, Jeanine and Evan. Who did America love the most last night and throughout the summer? The recap actually gave me tingles. Despite a distinct lack of personalities, there were some stunning moments of dance. And I'm ever so thrilled that the new season is less than a month away. It's a long show, so hang in there.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: America's Favorite Dancer (season finale)
Posted Aug 6th 2009 2:46AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S05E22) The judges were so excited about the final four that they even critiqued the solos. I was glad to see Adam Shankman on the panel as he's one of the few guest judges who truly offers quality criticism to the dancers. Surprisingly, hip-hop was completely absent tonight, but there were some amazing performances. And ballroom came on strong!
GROUP
"Boys Boys Boys," Lady Gaga (Pop-Jazz, Wade Robson)
That was cute. It was a little more mellow than I expected, but I do believe that every man out there with a cheerleader thing just passed out. It was a hot and fun little high school number, and nobody stood out in a negative way so I'll give them that. A feel good opening for sure.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4 Perform
Posted Jun 12th 2009 12:22AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(S05E06) The show opened, as usual, with the group number. And because The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" isn't getting enough airplay,
So You Think You Can Dance threw the band a bone and used it for this Shane Sparks piece. Unfortunately, with 20 dancers on stage it's hard to make the piece not look like a bit of a mess. Sparks' choreography was pretty good, but I don't think the dancers were all equally up to the task.
When the majority of your dancers are not familiar with the style you're using, it must be even harder to put these things together. This isn't to challenge them, nor is it for votes, it's just supposed to be for entertainment. Unfortunately these numbers aren't as impressive until later in the season. At least they're superior to those awful group numbers they force on the
American Idol contestants.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: 2 of 20 Voted Off
Posted May 29th 2009 12:18AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Episode Reviews
(S05E03) L.A. saw Adam Shankman joining the esteemed Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy. At one point he was coaxed onto stage to perform with one of the would-be contestants, where he proved that he can still hoof it. As a bonus treat, we got to see several of the finalists from last season, including winner Joshua and runner-up Katee, critique him and give him a ticket straight through to Vegas. It was a fun diversion from the true auditions.
Mia Michaels, who showed up in Seattle, is one of the most brilliant choreographers on the show, bringing some of the most exciting contemporary routines we've seen. Which reminds me that I want to see more contemporary dancers lift their left leg instead of their right one. Just mix it up people. You can do it.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Los Angeles and Seattle Auditions
Posted Aug 1st 2008 9:00AM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S04E21) Nigel told the final six that while they were getting plenty of applause and adulation on the show, they would have to get used to rejection if they continue on this career path. He advised that they use the rejection to propel them forward. But, the final six shouldn't feel too bad because each one of them got over a million votes going into this results show.
And the stakes are even higher going into the finale. Adam Shankman has added a role as a featured dancer in his new movie to the winner's prize package.
So let's see who will be battling it out next Thursday on
So You Think You Can Dance.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4 Revealed
Posted Jul 31st 2008 9:21AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(S04E20) I think by the twentieth episode of
American Idol we were just getting to "Hollywood Week." But here on
SYTYCD we're on the cusp of the "Final Four!" Last week, we lost Will and Comfort. Comfort was due, but I really think Mark should have been the one to go on the guy's side. But I can understand Will. Like Katee for the girls, he was the most technically proficient of the guys, but he just didn't connect with the audience in the ways that the other guys do. He didn't come across as aloof to me, but neither was he particularly charismatic.
It was nice to see Cat return to form with an absolutely hideous outfit. She looked positively lovely last week in classy dresses that fit her well. This week she wore a sparkly garbage bag cinched at the waist with shower poofs attached to the heels of her ... heels. Adam Shankman came back to the judging panel this week and was a little late to the praising the choreographers schtick they're doing this year. He got with the program with Tyce DiOrio and the flow of choreographer love continued unabated throughout the night.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Top 6 Perform
Posted Jun 27th 2008 10:08AM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, So You Think You Can Dance
(
S04E11) It's time to find out who our top fourteen dancers are. I think after
Wednesday night's performances, everyone knew who would be in the bottom three couples. But, it's all about the solos. Let's find out how they did.
The Opening Number "The Dance" by Charlotte Martin (choreographed by Mia Michaels)
I know some of you readers love her pieces, but I disliked this opening. It paled in comparison to Shane's opening last week and Wade's the week before that. I seldom enjoy Mia's routines though. The last one I really liked was with Danny and Lauren last season; it was a piece Mia had done for Celine's
A New Day show in Vegas. It was intense and romantic.
Continue reading So You Think You Can Dance: Top 14 Revealed
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