Thursday, July 31, 2008

SYTYCD Top 6

Top six, America!" chirps Cat, who also proclaims this the "toughest season ever." My grandfather tells me that this show was really tough in the '30s.

Adam Shankman joins Mary and Nigel at the judges' table

Courtney and Mark are practicing the Viennese waltz with Jason Gilkinson. Mark apparently grabs Courtney's boob, which I imagine is about as threatening as the shower curtain brushing one's breast.

David Cook sings "The Time Of My Life" as they waltz across the stage, with nice turns and arm movement. This song might be a little fast for a waltz -- it has them bobbing up and down very rapidly. Nice lifts.

Adam says it's "terrifying" up there for the judges, because all the dancers are so good, and they don't know how America's going to vote. He praises Mark's "rise and fall," which is I guess what the bobbing up and down is. Mary screams something about how they know how to choreograph in the LAND DOWN UNDER! When her voice returns to normal human speaking levels, she praises the dance. Nigel also liked it, and takes the opportunity to plug American Idol, which is where that song apparently secreted from.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

SYTYCD Top 6 Spoilers

******SPOILERS*******

Adam Shankman is the guest judge this week.

Courtney and Mark - Viennese Waltz by Jason Gilkison (SYTYCD Australia) and Jazz by Sonya Tayeh Song: “Time of My Life” by David Cook

Katee and Joshua - Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio Song: “All By Myself” by Celine Dion and Paso Doble by Jason Gilkison

Chelsie and Twitch - Mambo by Tony Meridith and Melanie La Patin and Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha

Order of the solos here. Chelsie, Twitch, Katee, Josh, Courtney, Mark.

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Julianne Hough: Emmy Nominee

Julianne Hough, two-time Dancing With the Stars champion, has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Choreography category.
Julianne is being recognized for her mambo, “Para los Rumberos,” with former partner, race car driver Helio Castroneves. The award for the category will be handed out at the 60th Creative Arts Emmys, Sept.13, in Los Angeles.

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Saturday, July 26, 2008

Buddy TV Talks with Supreme Soul from ABDC

The finale for season 2 of America's Best Dance Crew aired last night. Or at least, it should have been. The judges all agreed that Supreme Soul and Super Cr3w were the two groups they expected to see in the finale, so it was quite the shock that they were the two bottom crews, leading to Supreme Soul's elimination.

BuddyTV spoke to Bionic, one of the members of Supreme Soul, about the elimination and the time on the show. He talked about how the crew felt during the final show, his reaction to the belief that Supreme Soul was too cocky, and how the crew choreographed its routines. Continue reading to listen to the interview or to read the highlights.

While the judges expressed shock at the bottom two on last night's America's Best Dance Crew, the members of Supreme Soul were humble, well aware of the fact that anything could happen. They'd been in the bottom before and after seeing A.S.I.I.D. go home, they had no delusions about being safe. Similarly, Bionic also knew that going head-to-head with Super Cr3w would be difficult since they are the best of the other crews.

-Though Supreme Soul was perceived as being cocky early on, Bionic chalks that up to a desire to compete and win. They weren't being cocky to intimidate, they simply wanted to come out and do their best and try as hard as they could to win, and that hunger was confused with cockiness.

-The seven members of Supreme Soul are accustomed to competing as solos or pairs, so the large group made planning the choreography a bit difficult. The other challenging part was that all the members have choreography ideas, while other crews might only have one or two dancers who help to choreograph the routines.

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Friday, July 25, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance Eliminations

I guess we're at that point in the So You Think You Can Dance competition when I shouldn't feel all that surprised when someone is in the bottom two, especially when it comes to the guys (well, and the girls who aren't Comfort). Even still, I got the wind knocked out of me a little bit early on in Thursday's results show when the first of the two guys in danger of elimination was revealed. I wasn't the only one who was emotional, though: The results were clearly hard on the dancers — and the studio audience, for that matter. I'm still feeling sad, so let's get to chatting. To see what went down last night, read more.

Well, no shocker on the girls' side: Comfort's headed home—again. And we watched her goodbye highlights reel — again. It was obvious that Courtney was really bummed out to be in the bottom two, maybe even a little shocked. But if anything, this might be a good thing for her, as it could remind fans of the tiny brunette that they have to vote for if they want her to stay.

Mark's reaction to the fact that he wasn't in the bottom two was the most genuine "I'm safe" response we've seen on the show this season. He really lucked out (and knew it!) given how awful his foxtrot was. And it was so sad when they told Twitch he might go home! Were those actual tears? I wanted to hug him!

But, wow: They sent Will home. Can you even believe it? I'm still in shock. He was, to me, the best dancer on the show, and maybe that's what doomed him. As Nigel explained, so often on these shows, if a contestant is assumed to be safe, they don't get the votes and go home prematurely. Not to be a drama queen here, but I can't believe there will be no more Will dances! I wasn't ready for this to end. I might actually go through withdrawal! It should have been Mark, people. It should have been Mark.


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Shimmy's SYTYCD picks

Katee and Twitch



Comfort and Mark



Courtney and Will

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SYTYCD Finale Mary to take the Stage??

If you ever thought So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy should put her footwork where there mouth is, your wish is about to be granted.

The TV Fanatic has learned that the show is planning a huge number for its two-part finale airing Aug. 6 and 7. And Mary may be taking to the stage to appear in it.

“I am working on something that is a secret for the finale, which will probably be the biggest surprise in ten years,” she told me at luncheon for the release of Core Rhythms dance exercise DVD at Dance Times Square Latin and Ballroom studio in New York City. “And it is something that involves me.”

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America's Best Dance Crew Recap

Fanny Pak
Using lacrosse sticks and countless other pieces of gym equipment, this is incredibly fun and silly, with a story about unruly kids who rebel against the gym teacher and eventually throw him in the locker. Brilliantly, the locker is adorned with pin-ups of *NSYNC JC Chasez and Saved by the Bell Mario Lopez. GENIUS!!! Both the judge and host seem rather amused by it. The judges are a bit critical of the overuse on props, but that's what made me love it.

SoReal Cru
This crew is joining the marching band, but they're not allowed to use the instruments by playing them, but instead they must use trombones as percussion tools. They bring it hard, but honestly, I'm just not feeling this crew. Lil' Mama agrees about the hardness, which means I'm slowly learning about dance through this show.

Boogie Bots
The D.C. crew will play the benchwarmers, with water bottles, chairs and headbands. I'm impressed that they can make a 20-second opening all on chairs interesting. There's also a cool volleyball spike and a Flashdance ending with a water cooler of confetti being dumped on one guy sitting in a chair. JC is a bit of a hater, but Shane Sparks defends them.

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Buddy TV visits ABDC Set

The America's Best Dance Crew set is smaller in person. When I sat in on rehearsals for this week's episode during the Television Critics Association press tour, my first reaction was that there are fewer seats than I'd imagined, and they're much closer to the stage than they look on TV.

A similar thought ran through my mind when Lil' Mama came out. I should've guessed from her name, but I wasn't expecting the 18-year-old judge to be so tiny, especially given her big, often outspoken voice during the episodes. Still, looking up at the five remaining banners and getting a sneak peek at what's in store for the crews tomorrow was a great experience.


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Chris Brown has new Dance Reality Show

Move over So You Think You Can Dance, America's Best Dance Crew, and all the rest. Its time to make make room for yet another reality TV dance competition. R&B hottie Chris Brown is teaming up with Survivor and Apprentice producer Mark Burnett to create a new dance competition series with a hip-hop/street dance focus.

According to Variety, the show's contestants will compete in "dance-offs" each week and there will be a weekly elimination show.

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Missy Elliot to Appear on ABDC

The MTV series "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew" will welcome six-time Grammy Award winner Missy Elliott on July 31. She will premiere a performance of "Shake Your Pom Pom" from her upcoming seventh studio album Block Party.

During the show, Elliott will be accompanied by the remaining top four dance crews who will work together to show off the freshest moves. Known for her groundbreaking videos and for showcasing some of hip-hop's most innovative choreography, Elliott will then watch from the audience as the crews perform to some of her most popular hits. Elliott's longtime collaborator, choreographer Hi Hat, also will be on hand throughout the episode to help the crews fine-tune routines with the superstar's sensibility.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

SYTYCD Top 8 Spoilers

*****SPOILERS*******

Judges: Nigel, Mary and Toni Basil

Will Wingfield & Courtney Galiano: Samba & Hip-Hop by Napolean and Tabitha
Twitch & Katee Shaen: Contemporary by Mia Michaels & Broadway by Tyce Diorio
Mark Kanemura & Comfort Fedoke: Foxtrot & Hip-Hop by Napolean and Tabitha
Joshua Allen & Chelsie Hightower: Argentine Tango & Disco

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Shane Sparks on Dance Crews

For years, there wasn't much mainstream media outlets for dance crews and choreographers to highlight their work and gain respect. However, that has changed even to the point of red carpet photographers noticing and taking photos of these crews due to the popularity of MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew". The show's judge, Shane Sparks agrees with this observation. "We're bringing that recognition. Dancers should be respected just like singers, just like actors in the entertainment industry. From Basketball players to football players, we work just as hard. It's time right now to walk the red carpet have them shout out Jabbawockeez, Shane Sparks, Dave Scott. It's time for them to yell out those names and interview them and what's going on in their life instead of Tom Cruise. You don't see Tom Cruise everyday. You only see him in movies." states Sparks.

These dancers are everyday people on these shows that are affecting kids who want to dance. "You know, you see these dance crews out there everyday doing stuff for their community. I'm not saying that those famous people don't do anything for charity but what I'm saying is that we're doing a show that is changing a young person's life and affecting them in a positive way. I mean you watch a movie for a quick minute then go home from the movie theater and you don't think about it the next month. I mean, it may change the lives for some people and it's just entertainment, but this show right now for anyone that is seven years old and up, maybe even younger to go out there and dance, it's giving them a goal. Now they are watching this show and it's giving them a reason to do this."

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America's Best Dance Crew- The Tour!

Randy Jackson is getting the crew together this fall.

The dawggone musician has announced plans for the inaugural America's Best Dance Crew Live, a 20-date tour to showcase the best the hit MTV show, now in its second season, has had to offer so far.

On the lineup so far are the masked men of season-one winner JabbaWockeeZ and the wheel-bound B-boys of BreakSk8. Three remaining spots on the tour will soon be filled by crews from seasons past and present.

"We took dance crews from across the country and put them on TV for the first time, and now we are taking our show on the road," Jackson, who executive produces the Mario Lopez-hosted series, said. "We're looking forward to seeing all of our fans across the U.S. who have helped make this show MTV¹s big hit.

"It’s going to be a party, and it’s going to be blazing hot."

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SYTYCD Top 8 SPOILERS

SPOILERS




Couples & Dances:

Mark & Comfort - Foxtrot & Hip-Hop (Napoleon/Tabitha)

Joshua & Chelsie - Argentine Tango & Disco

Twitch & Katee - Contemporary (Mia Michaels!) & Broadway (Tyce Diorio)

Will & Courtney - Samba & Hip-Hop (Napoleon/Tabitha)

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Monday, July 21, 2008

SYTYCD Eliminations

So You Think You Can Dance loses two more dancers tonight but not at the hands of the judges, but at the whim of the American public. So far in this contest, America has been fairly accurate in their assessment of who should be in the bottom three and, on several occasions, the solos have changed the judge’s mind on who should stay or go. But we will lose two tonight and it will amaze us how the dancers will start stepping it up as the numbers dwindle down in the coming weeks. Welcome to So You Think You Can Dance.


The group number was a fantastic Bollywood number as the SYTYCD producers must have been overwhelmed by the response of the number that Joshua and Katee did last week. This group certainly had the routine down and the audience went crazy for the number.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

SYTYCD Top 10 Spoilers

Here are the Spoilers for the Top 10 this week.
Judges are Nigel, Mary, and Lil C

Courtney and Joshua:
1. Hip hop - Dave Scott
2. Rumba - Jean-Marc Generaux

Mark and Kherington:
1. Two Step-Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias
2. Jazz-Tyce Diorio

Twitch and Comfort:
1. Waltz-Hunter Johnson
2. Hip hop- Dave Scott

Will and Katee:
1. Broadway - Tyce DiOrio
2. Pas de Deux - Desmond Richardson

Chelsie and Gev:
1. Contemporary - Sonya Tayeh
2. Jive- Jean-Marc Generaux

Three group routines.
Girls choreod by Mia Michaels
Guys choreod by Chuck Moldonado
Top 10 Bollywood dance

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Dance Takes Center Stage in Aston

The rolling hills and wooded landscapes of Aston, Pa., a low-key suburb of Philadelphia, are pulsing with a bit more rhythm these days after a sudden influx of the world's best ice dancers.

When the husband-and-wife coaching team of Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponossov arrived at the four-surface IceWorks Skating Complex last year, they brought an estimable stable of students, but no bona fide superstars.

That changed this spring, when a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2008 ISU World Figure Skating Championships prompted reigning Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto to leave long-time coach Igor Shpilband to train under the couple, who won the 1980 Olympic title.

"What we have been looking for is a fresh breath, if you will," the 26-year-old Agosto said. "After skating together 10 years this month, we had reached a certain point where we were no longer feeling anything new, no longer enthusiastic and excited about what we were doing."

So far, he added, the move is paying off.

"Coming here to work with Natalia and Gennadi has been an incredible experience so far . . . it's like learning to skate all over again," Agosto enthused. "Every day a new amazing thing is revealed to me."

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Todd Eldredge Spends Summer Coaching

Three-time Olympian Todd Eldredge is spending his summer coaching, and he is enjoying every minute of it.
"The funny thing is I used to think, 'I don't want to be a coach,'" says six-time U.S. men's champion, world champion and three-time Olympian Todd Eldredge, who is at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs, Florida, working with 2006 world champion, 2007 U.S. champion Kimberly Meissner, as well as a bunch of kids.

"They're fun to work with because most of the younger kids will try anything," says Eldredge, 36. "They have neat personalities. You see their excitement when they work with you and all of a sudden they land their double Axel or double flip or their single toe for the first time. They light up in their faces like, 'Wow, I did it! That's really cool.' It's neat to see."

He's helping coach Richard Callaghan get Meissner's career back on track. "Trying to get her to come out of her shell a little bit," Eldredge says. "Get her consistent on her jumps. Get her spins better. Get her footwork better.

"Right now, I'm trying to get her to use her knees a lot when she's skating. She skates a little bit stiff in her knees. If she were able to get down in her knees a little bit it would look nice and help her posture. I'm working on little nit-picky things. Obviously, she's a world champion, so she's good. But it's the little nit-picky things that you try to pick up and improve on to make her that much better."

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2 Hawaiian Dancers Hit Big on the National Scene


Now that Cara Horibe and her fellow dancers in Fanny Pack have made it to the Top 6 on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," the workload has escalated.
"It's really tough right now because all the crews that are left are really good," Horibe said from Los Angeles, where her life revolves around rehearsals and tapings. For the most part, they remain sequestered in the hotel, and MTV officials confiscate their cell phones before taping each show until after it airs to prevent results from leaking.

Horibe is one of two dancers from Hawaii to burst onto the national scene this summer, and both have proved themselves talented enough to endure brutal elimination rounds with harsh judges and even more demanding fans.


As of this week, Castle High School graduate Mark Kanemura has cracked the Top 10 on Season 4 of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," and fellow Castle graduate Horibe just needs to survive one more round of the second season of "America's Best Dance Crew" before she gets a shot at a national tour.

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SYTYCD's Mamma Mia

So You Think You Can Dance choreographer/Judge Mia Michaels has been on a bit of a tear this season. During rehearsel for the first week's performances she said that she didn't think dancer Mark Kanemura was turning out as well as she thought he would. Then, last week she took Jessica King to task for being "carried" through the competition so far by her much stronger partner Will Wingfield.

But according to Michaels herself, she's just misunderstood and is merely practicing her own brand of tough love.

"What America doesn't know is the relationship," she explains at the TCA Summer Press Tour, saying that what she brings to the judging table is a choreographer's perspective. "There's a beautiful, beautiful collaboration and very nurturing [atmosphere]. For me especially, I nurture them. I'm Mamma Mia and they look to me for that tough love actually.

"So, when I say it, American might go, 'Oh my God, that's so harsh.'

"[The dancers] are cool with it. They know. They know I only want them to be brilliant."

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Jessica is Out, Comfort back in on SYTYCD

Taken from EW's Live Press Tour Diary.

So You Think You Can Dance panel

9:16 am: Big news! It's announced that contestant Jessica King has suffered an injury and has been replaced by the recently eliminated Comfort Fedoke. EW's Alynda Wheat informs me that this is "big news." Oh, wait, make that "really huge deal." (Sorry, still not watching SYTYCD.)

9:29 am: Exec producer Nigel Lythgoe refuses to elaborate on the specifics of King's injury, saying only that her recovery will take "four to five weeks."

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Monday, July 14, 2008

Buddy TV Interviews Thayne Jasperson

Hey everybody, this is Gina from BuddyTV and today I’m talking to Thayne from So You Think You Can Dance. Can you tell me a little bit about your dance background and how long you’ve been dancing?

I’ve been dancing for six years now, I started late. I got into a dancing group and they made me take dance classes because I sucked at it, and then I saw a company dance with guys on it that was really strong. I was like, “Wow, that’s what I want to do, I want to dance like them.” So I started taking ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and I took some hip-hop. Just kind of all day long, like I would take two ballet classes a day because I wanted to become good in a matter of two months. [laughs] After that it was just working like crazy, like I would go into the studio by myself and I would work on the warmup and the different things that they would do in the jazz class. I would clean at the studio so I could take classes for cheaper, because I couldn’t really afford all the classes. And then I got into the company, I’ve been dancing with them, I went on tour to Europe, I did both of the High School Musicals as a featured dancer. I got to be in the movie American Mall, it’s coming out very soon.


Oh yes, American Mall, that’s the one that Neal Haskell’s in?

Yeah.


Oh that’s great. So is this your first year trying out for So You Think You Can Dance?

Yes, this is my first year.


What made you decide to try out for the show and what was the goal?

The goal, well, I really wanted to get on the show. I watched the show since the beginning and I loved it, I thought it was so cool, and so I wanted to get on it. I didn’t know how far I’d go really, like when I first made it to Vegas we were going on the European tour so I was like, Crap, I’m not going to be able to even go to Vegas. But then the chance came and I was able to go, and then when I was in Vegas it was kind of like each day I was like, okay, I just want to make it to tomorrow, I just want to make it Mia, I just want to make it to the last day. Then after I made it to the last thing, I was like, Okay, I really want to make it to the top 20. I think the goal the changed as I progressed through

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SYTYCD Top 12 Group Dance

SYTYCD Top 12 Video Picks

Joshua and Katee




Courtney and Gev



Chelsie and Mark

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SYTYCD Tour Dates

SEPTEMBER
DAY MONTH DATE CITY VENUE
SAT SEPT 20 Tacoma, WA Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
SUN SEPT 21 Portland, OR Rose Garden
TUE SEPT 23 West Valley City, UT "E" Center
THU SEPT 25 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
SAT SEPT 27 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
SUN SEPT 28 San Diego, CA Sports Arena
TUE SEPT 30 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

OCTOBER
WED OCT 1 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
THU OCT 2 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
SAT OCT 4 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
SUN OCT 5 Fresno, CA SaveMart Center
TUE OCT 7 Glendale, AZ jobing.com Arena
FRI OCT 10 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre
SAT OCT 11 Houston, TX Reliant Arena
SUN OCT 12 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
TUE OCT 14 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
WED OCT 15 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
FRI OCT 17 Chicago, IL United Center
SAT OCT 18 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
SUN OCT 19 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
TUE OCT 21 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
WED OCT 22 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
FRI OCT 24 Highland Heights, KY Bank of KY Ctr
SAT OCT 25 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
SUN OCT 26 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
TUE OCT 28 Trenton, NJ Sovereign Bank Arena
WED OCT 29 Boston, MA Agganis Arena

NOVEMBER
SAT NOV 1 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand Theater
SUN NOV 2 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Center
MON NOV 3 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center
WED NOV 5 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum
THU NOV 6 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
SAT NOV 8 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
SUN NOV 9 Norfolk, VA Constant Convocation Center
MON NOV 10 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
WED NOV 12 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
THU NOV 13 Duluth, GA Arena at Gwinnett
FRI NOV 14 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center
SUN NOV 16 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
MON NOV 17 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum

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So You Think You Can Dance's Jessica King Injured

Interesting news coming from the first FOX press conference of the day here in Beverly Hills: top 10 finalist Jessica King has had to bow out of So You Think You Can Dance due to an unspecified injury. Comfort Fedoke, who was recently eliminated, will replace her.

Creator Nigel Lythgoe told the gathered writers and critics that, for legal reasons, he can't specify what Jessica's injury was, how she got hurt, or when. He told reporters, though, that Jessica will discuss the injury on this week's show.

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America's Best Dance Crew 2 Top 7 Crews

Thus far the eliminations on America's Best Dance Crew have been well-rounded: one crew from the East, Midwest and South divisions have been sent home. Will that equity continue, sending one of the West Coast crews home?

This week on America's Best Dance Crew it's all about speed. The songs are sped up and crews must show off their lightning fast moves. The hard part is they must do a transition from slow to fast.


THE TOP 4

Boogie Bots
The boys with the sentimental story are the first safe team. Shane Sparks is a bit down on their sloppiness, while the other judges are more forgiving.

Super Cr3w
The b-boys are dressed like those silver guys who stand outside, motionless. They're statues, and one of the crew members is a graffiti artist who gets chased by them. Their routine is unbelievable in that I don't think they're human with the speed and originality they bring. JC Chasez once again points out the emphasis on storytelling and the lack of dancing. Shane wasn't blown away for the first time by Super Cr3w because they've stepped up their own game so much over the course of the show.

A.S.I.I.D.
The speed-up challenge is especially difficult for deaf Joey. The fast part isn't too impressive, but it involves the men tossing the women around like rag dolls. JC compliments the slow part and Shane loves the fact that they fused ballet and hip hop. Lil' Mama respects that they go hard and don't look for sympathy or excuses just because of Joey's hearing impairment.

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So You Think You Can Dance: Eliminations

The ubiquitous Ne-Yo provides the music for the opening number, featuring the gang in red satin jackets with glow in the dark piping on the sleeves, which is used to squiggly effect when the lights go out. The lights come back on for some synchronized hip-hopping. Loosely synchronized anyway, and a little bit of breaking from Gev. Lights out, and the piping actually blinks on and off. Choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon, and it didn't bore me to death!

Cat comes out to tell us that the dancers left after tonight get to go on tour, so this might possibly be the hardest cut at all for our little movers. Nigel lets us know that the Philip Chebeeb/Robert Muraine battle is going to happen on the finale, as if we needed any more reason to tune in. If they want to seal the deal, they should promise not to have any more lame fakeouts like last year's threatened Nigel/Cat dance.

The first two couples come out on stage: Katee and Joshua, and Comfort and Thayne. Comfort and Thayne did hip-hop and contemporary, and Nigel predicted they'd be in the bottom three. Mia was harsh on Comfort and nice to Thayne. Meanwhile, Katee and Joshua did a Viennese waltz (to a piece by noted composers Goo Goo Dolls) and the show's first Bollywood routine. The judges loved them, and apparently no one else is sick of the hot tamale train yet. And -- as predicted, Comfort and Thayne are in the bottom three while Katee and Joshua are safe. Mia calls it inevitable, and America got it right, and America's trying to tell them something that they're not hearing. "I don't feel that either one of you has reached their highest potential," she says, adding that she hopes that next step because she wants them to stay.


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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

SYTYCD Top 12 Spoilers

Here are the Dance Styles and Choreographers for this weeks episode.

Judges for this week are Nigel, Mary, and Mia Michaels

Chelsie and Mark
- Salsa by Alex de Silva
- Broadway by Tyce Di Orio

Comfort and Thayne
- Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha
- Contemporary by Mandy Moore

Jessica and Will
- Contemporary by Tyce Di Orio
- Quickstep by Jean Marc Generaux

Courtney and Gev
- Cha Cha by Anya and Pasha
- Jazz by Mandy Moore

Kherington and Twitch
- Krump by Lil C
- Smooth Tango by Tony Meredith and Melanie

Katee and Joshua
- Viennese Waltz by Jean Marc Generaux
- Bollywood

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Interview with Xtreme Dance Force from ABDC

It's not easy being a white, upper-class male. That may sound absurd, but on America's Best Dance Crew, it seemed to be true as Xtreme Dance Force was routinely dismissed by the judges as just a “boy band.” The guys kept dancing, switching up styles and facing a wide range of challenges from week-to-week, dancing to styles they weren't familiar with and songs they'd never heard. Yet despite proving themselves as a serious dance crew, it was hard to wipe off that label they willingly accepted: the boy band.

BuddyTV spoke to JC Renzetti and Nick Neri, to of the members of Xtreme Dance Force, about their time on the show. Among the things they discussed were the possibly unwise decision to accept the boy band moniker, the origins of Xtreme Dance Force, and their future plans. Continue reading for the highlights and to listen to the full audio version of the interview.

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Saturday, July 5, 2008

SYTYCD Top 14 Group Dance

Top 14 Group Dance by Tyce Diorio

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Shimmy's SYTYCD Pick's

Twitch & Kherington




Courtney & Gev



Katee & Joshua



Chelsie & Mark

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Happy Days Ends at Goodspeed, but Tour is Starting

Goodspeed Musicals' popular, extended run of Happy Days: A New Musical, based on the TV series about a family and their friends in 1950s Milwaukee, ends July 4 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT.

Happy Days got an added week at Goodspeed due to ticket demand. The show is based on the hit Paramount Pictures television series created by Garry Marshall, who also wrote the libretto, with music and lyrics by Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning songwriter Paul Williams ("We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "An Old Fashioned Love Song").

A separate national tour of the show will launch this fall. PS Classics released a cast album of the Paper Mill production earlier this year.

According to Goodspeed, "Richie, Fonzie, Ralph, Potsie, and all your favorites from the smash-hit TV series are rockin' and rollin' all week long. The laughs never end in a celebration of poodle skirts, jukeboxes, motorcycles and malt shops. 1959 is cool again as the gang tries to save Arnold's in a sock hoppin', engines revvin' new musical for the entire family. These days are yours and mine…"

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The American Mall

Here is the full length trailer for The American Mall. It will be premiering on MTV on August 11th at 9:00 PM!


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So You Think You can Dance Top 12

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.
Tyce's take on the song was a little watered-down and very "appropriate" for network TV. Those of you who have seen the Broadway show know that the choreography is grittier and much raunchier than that. But, what could he do?

Another slight issue was that there are a lot of people who find Will annoying. If you're one of them, you may have not liked this routine right from the beginning. After all, it starts with his mug for the first ten seconds. I like Will; I thought he was strong. But, I think Mark should have been the lead male in this dance. He's just so quirky and he's a little effeminate. The part of the Emcee would have fit nicely.

When all the dancers started dancing in unison and the camera pulled away for that double pirouette, it was awesome. The editing worked very nicely there, really complimenting the action on stage.

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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

In the Heights Choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance

Andy Blankenbuehler, the dance choreographer who won a Tony award for his saucy Latin and contemporary routines for Broadway's In the Heights, will be a guest on the best (in our humble opinion!) reality show on network TV this summer: Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. He'll be creating a new routine for one of the seven remaining couples in the competition. They dance a new routine in pairs each week in different styles, including Broadway, hip-hop, ballroom, contemporary and jazz. If the competitors make their moves on stage and don't get on judge Mary Murphy's "hot tamale train," they'll have to dance solos and risk being eliminated.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

SYTYCD Top 14 Dance Styles and Choreographers

***SPOILERS***

Week 4 Judges: Nigel, Mary, Napoleon and Tabitha

Mark Kanemura and Chelsie Hightower

Jazz by Mandy Moore
Foxtrot

Katee Shean and Joshua Allen

Contemporary by Mia Michaels
West Coast Swing by Benji Schwimmer

Kherington Payne and Twitch

Contemporary by Mia Michaels
Paso Doble

Jessica King and Will Wingfield

Jive
Lyrical Jazz by Mandy Moore

Comfort Fedoke and Thayne Jasperson

Broadway by Andy Blankenbuehler
Smooth Waltz

Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian

Hip-Hip by Cecily and Olisa
Broadway by Andy Blankenbuehler

Kourtni Lind and Matt Dorame

Hip-Hop by Cecily and Olisa
Mambo by Alex da Silva

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Dirty Dancing Makes it's Way to Chicago Stage

The movie Dirty Dancing is a legendary entertainment phenomenon. The soundtrack continues to sell millions of copies. And now live audiences can experience it as never before. Re-imagined for the stage by the original screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, combines all the intensity and excitement of live theater with new songs, new scenes, and thrilling new dances. Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is an unprecedented live experience for lifelong fans of the film and new audiences alike that explodes with heart-pounding music, breathtaking emotion and sensationally sexy dancing.

Step inside the classic story of Baby and Johnny – two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. Including a cast of 37, the record-breaking show features 35 hit songs, including "Hungry Eyes,” "Hey Baby,” "Do You Love Me?" and the heart-stopping Academy Award-winning "(I've Had) The Time of My Life.”

The acclaimed creative team responsible for the record-breaking London and Toronto productions of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage will bring the show to the United States. Directed by James Powell, with choreography by Kate Champion, the team also includes: Stephen Brimson Lewis (set design), Conrad Helfrich (music supervisor), Tim Mitchell (lighting design), Bobby Aitken (sound design), Jon Driscoll (video and projection design), Jennifer Irwin (costume design) and Craig Wilson (Latin and Ballroom dance choreographer)

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Chelsea Traille Talks with Reality TV Magazine

When asked to explain stealing flowers, Chelsea Traille said, “Well, I’m Jamaican and I just love beautiful flowers and it kind of just started. Basically it was kind of a joke. But I love having fresh flowers and like being away from home, the apartment just was kind of dull. So, one day we all went on a walk to the grocery store and we passed all these beautiful flowers and I said, let’s take some flowers.

Chelsea continued, “So we picked some flowers and we had some pretty flowers in the living room and then it just became like this thing; you know, once you start seeing flowers along the sidewalk or something you just kind of want to pick them. And I was just the one that always wanted to have flowers and so I loved color and I always wanted to have flowers at the apartment.”

When asked what she learned from her experience on the show, Chelsea said, “I think the overall experience was how to go about working with people. It wasn’t all about dance. It was working with different types of people and it was a humbling experience being around so much talent and so many different genres. I think those were the two main things that I’m going to take away from this, work ethic and working with different personalities.”

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Reality TV Magazine Talks With Chris Jarosz

When asked if any aspects of the So You Think You Can Dance competition caught him off guard, Chris Jarosz said, “I don’t think I was ever ready for all the cameras, like all the interviewing and stuff like that. There wasn’t too much of a surprise. I think some of the judging might have been a little bit of a surprise.”

Chris continued, “Just because I was expecting to eventually get some better comments from the judges and kind of like these past three weeks there’s never been, I’ve never gotten a, ‘oh my gosh, awesome job.’ Like a scream, and not that I ever thought I would, but I was hoping to have some kind of Mary going crazy at one point. It was kind of a little bit of a bummer, but I’ve no regrets or anything.”

Even though judge Mary Murphy didn’t go crazy as Chris had hoped, judge Nigel Lythgoe did go crazy after Chris’ krumping performance. Unfortunately, Nigel said his granny was more gangster than Chris and then went crazy and turned into the Hulk (as a promotion for the Hulk movie).

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The Color Purple

THE COLOR PURPLE
ANNOUNCES ALL SEATS FOR $49.50 AT SELECT PERFORMANCES THROUGH JULY 13
AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY MUSICAL NOW PLAYING AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC


TICKETS FOR PERFORMANCES OF THE COLOR PURPLE ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR $49.50. Currently playing the Academy of Music through July 13, tickets at $49.50 are available for all seats at select performances including: Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm; and Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm.

Produced and presented by Oprah Winfrey, THE COLOR PURPLE, “The Musical About Love,” is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. An epic tale of hope and the healing power of love, THE COLOR PURPLE is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world.

Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, the joyous Grammy-nominated musical score features gospel, jazz, pop and the blues.

Part of the Cadillac Broadway Series, tickets ranging in price from $28 to $87.50 are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Streets (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust Streets (during performances only). Groups of 20 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883 or 866-276-2947. Performances include: Tuesday – Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm; Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm; matinees Saturdays at 2:00 pm, Sundays at 1:00 pm, and a matinee Wednesday July 2 at 2:00 pm. No performances are scheduled for Friday, July 4.

THE COLOR PURPLE continues at the Academy of Music through July 13.

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