(S04E13) It was a long night on Wednesday getting through fourteen routines, most of which were lackluster. When do you think the judges will start admitting that season four is just not up to snuff? Now it's time to see who was able to snag enough votes to stay one more week on So You Think You Can Dance.
The Opening Performance
The top fourteen dancers performed a Broadway routine to "Money Money" from Cabaret (Original Cast Recording) choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. The performance started off slow for me, but at the part of the song where the company starts whispering "money, money, money, money," I thought the dance picked up as well. I think that's testament to Tyce's ability to pace a number.
How would you like to watch this man do the mambo? Don't be stunned. It could happen.
Professional athletes have done well on Dancing with the Stars. Kristi Yamaguchi, ice skating star; Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic speed skater; Helio Castroneves, race-car driver. It's also true that pro football players have done very well. Former Dallas Cowboy great Emmitt Smith won in 2006, and Miami Dolphins' Jason Taylor came in second this year.
Therefore, it's not surprising to hear that the producer of DWTS are courting another grid iron great, but this one? Warren Sapp, a recently retired defensive tackle, says that he's been invited to Dancing With the Stars and he's thinks he's going to do it.
Warren says he's been asked, but I'll believe this when it's announced by ABC. I'm not saying he's lying, I just think something may have been lost in the translation.
(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.
(S04E09) Mia cried. Mary kept relatively quiet (Thank God!). Nigel lectured. Cat wore a green dress. And we eliminated another two dancers last night on So You Think You Can Dance. Off we go!
Opening Performance "Elevator" by Flo Rida featuring Timbaland (choreographer: Shane Sparks)
What a great hip-hop performance! And I'm so glad that Shane Sparks is lending his expertise to the show again. I was worried he'd be totally wrapped up in America's Best Dance Crew this summer. The girls part on the floor was great but a few of them messed up the arm movements. The best part of the piece was Comfort with the three guys. It was near perfect. My eyes never left Comfort. I wasn't impressed with her krumping on Wednesday but this opener proved to me why she's there.
Antoria Gillan really, really wants to be on American Idol. At nine months pregnant, she was auditioning for the show in Dallas earlier this week. Maybe it was all that standing around that contestants have to do... but Antoria went into labor just before it was her turn to sing for the judges. Amazingly, she ignored the contractions and sang her heart out. Then she went directly to the hospital and gave birth to a baby boy she named Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces.
First of all: good for her for incorporating her unique labor experience into his name in a tasteful way. Second of all: you go girl! Apparently it was worth the pain and suffering, because Antoria got the go-ahead to Hollywood! I'm sure Fox got it all on camera, so expect to see Antoria and baby Jamil next January during auditions highlights.
American Idol has an impressive guest list of artists for the rest of this season. Guests include Tony Bennett, Bon Jovi, Barry Gibb, Jennifer Lopez, Lulu, Martina McBride, Peter Noone, Diana Ross, and Gwen Stefani. Looking at that list, it's pretty obvious there will be themes including disco, rock, pop, '50s, country, and lounge.
First of all, I'd love to see Diana Ross be a guest judge. I think her zanyness could rival Paula's and maybe even make Paula look sober.
I think the biggest 'get' is Gwen Stefani, who is on top of her game right now. I guess she knows where her fans are. There's no doubt (har, har) that Gwen's young fans are the same people who watch Idol.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though any of these celebrities will actually perform. Idol's press release lists the celebs as "coaches" and "guests". So... they'll be helping performers choose and prepare songs and probably also be guest judges. Performers scheduled for this season are former Idol contestants Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler.
I said I'd give Top Design three weeks, and I did. I watched - hoping the show would overcome its lackluster start, its disenchanted host, its odd judges and its warmed-over design challenges. It hasn't. Whether it's because the airwaves are saturated with home design shows or the constituent parts just don't make a very compelling whole, Top Design has turned out to be a labored, self-serious bore, which makes it all the more surprising that the show's accompanying blogs are candid, funny and, well, everything Top Design isn't.
What is wrong with NBC? And don't say "Jeff Zucker", because that's too easy.
The network is currently airing You're the One That I Want, which is a contest to choose the new 'Danny' and 'Sandy' for Grease on Broadway. The show keeps proclaiming that America will choose the winners, but on Sunday night, the judges on the show nullified America's votes. Instead, they kept the bottom vote-getters and tossed the second-to-bottom vote getters off the program. NBC is proudly calling it a "twist" but it sounds more like a "sham" to me.
I'm sure Americans would be super pissed off about this incident if anyone was actually watching the show. If this happened on American Idol, there would be rioting in the streets by now.
(S06E07) We're in San Antonio, Texas, home of the Alamo. There's lots of history at this location, but will we make American Idol history tonight?
It's the last stop on this year's audition tour, and what a tour it's been. I'm beat. I'm ready to wrap up these auditions and move on to the real competition. But first we see 11,000 people packed into the Alamo Dome as the Rawhide theme plays. An interesting tidbit: The Rawhide theme was originally sung by 1950s crooner Frankie Laine, who died today at the age of 93.
Back in San Antonio, the judges arrive, and Simon is cranky and suffering from jet lag. Poor Simon.
The wheel of publicity spins round and round. On January 18th, Rosie O'Donnell complained on The View that American Idol's judges were too harsh. She described them as "three millionaires, one probably intoxicated." Really, much like her remarks about Trump's hair, that description of the show doesn't seem that far out of line with the general public's perception of American Idol or, at the very least, of Paula Abdul. Nevertheless, Simon Cowell felt compelled to reply. Rosie's remarks "smacked of 'I'll have a go at Donald Trump - good for ratings. That died down, so now I'll do American Idol.' Next week it will be, 'I don't like the dresses on Dancing with the Stars.'"
Now, Rosie is on a show whose entire conceit is to gab it up on the pop culture and current events of the day so it really shouldn't surprise anyone that she moved from Trump's Miss America moralism to American Idol. I just hope Rosie doesn't respond to Cowell with some weird comment. That's one playground news cycle nobody needs. It would be so much easier if he'd just pull her pigtails, and she'd just step on his GoBot.
They are there to maintain order, or just add to the chaos, but they are an essential part of the television's fake judicial system. Today we honor the people we call "your honor." It's time to judge the judges, but not too harshly. Here we go:
Judge Wapner (The People's Court): Long before there was Judge Judy or any number of cranky old people in robes bellowing from the bench, there was Joseph A. Wapner, who didn't tolerate any shenanigans from anyone and sometimes ruled the court room like a drill sergeant. Nevertheless, his decisions always seemed fair to me, and I often saw him decide for the party he seemed to personally dislike the most. A much mellower version of him turned up years later on Animal Court, but I liked the old surly Wapner better.
This past week just drove me over the edge. How
can the woman with the doll and the guy with the word game be in the final twelve? I mean, these two inventions (and I
use the term loosely) are better than 90 something percent of the inventions that these three judges saw in the cities
where people pitched their ideas? Um, no. (And don't even get me started on the sweet lady who had the disposable
paper. Was that an "invention" or a "store purchase"?).
And the way that the producers
and ABC is packaging the show...gah. When you get right down to it, what does all this talk about DREAMS and PASSION
have to do with how good the invention is? People are quitting their jobs and living out of cars and selling body
organs? Well, that's their call. One of the rounds the other night was actually based on an emotional pitch to the
judges. Why? And the awful, overdramatic montage at the end. God, this isn't a reality show, it's like a cross between
Extreme Makeover and a Publisher's Clearinghouse commercial.
I'm going back to Survivor.
At least over there I might see someone eat a bug.
(S04E13) It was a long night on Wednesday getting through fourteen routines, most of which were lackluster. When do you think the judges will start admitting that season four is just not up to snuff? Now it's time to see who was able to snag enough votes to stay one more week on So You Think You Can Dance.
How would you like to watch this man do the mambo? Don't be stunned. It could happen.
(
(S04E09) Mia cried. Mary kept relatively quiet (Thank God!). Nigel lectured. Cat wore a green dress. And we eliminated another two dancers last night on 
Antoria Gillan really, really wants to be on American Idol. At nine months pregnant, she was auditioning for the show in Dallas earlier this week. Maybe it was all that standing around that contestants have to do... but Antoria went into labor just before it was her turn to sing for the judges. Amazingly, she ignored the contractions and sang her heart out. Then she went directly to the hospital and gave birth to a baby boy she named Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces.
American Idol has an impressive guest list of artists for the rest of this season. Guests include Tony Bennett, Bon Jovi, Barry Gibb, Jennifer Lopez, Lulu, Martina McBride, Peter Noone, Diana Ross, and Gwen Stefani. Looking at that list, it's pretty obvious there will be themes including disco, rock, pop, '50s, country, and lounge.
I said I'd 
What is wrong with NBC? And don't say "Jeff Zucker", because that's too easy.
(S06E07) We're in San Antonio, Texas, home of the Alamo. There's lots of history at this location, but will we make American Idol history tonight?
The wheel of publicity spins round and round. On January 18th, Rosie O'Donnell 
They are there to maintain order, or just add to the chaos, but they are an essential part of the television's fake judicial system. Today we honor the people we call "your honor." It's time to judge the judges, but not too harshly. Here we go:
This past week
Giveaways reminder: Office, Eli Stone, Supernatural, South Park
Giveaway Thursday: Tickets to the New York Television Festival ... all of it!
I miss the media-friendly John McCain - VIDEOS
