How deliciously fabulous was Betty and gang this week? For one, finally we have a uniting of Marc, Amanda and Betty in their joint quest to unsurp the evil Kimmie (Lindsay Lohan) from her newfound editorial position!
Then the show is filling the re-occuring characters with delicious new boys with more from Gay for Jamie Jesse Val Emmich as Betty's neighbour, the introduction of Grant Bowler (above, Lost) as Connor, some new money type who is a fake enemy of Daniel's and looks like he's planning to get real friendly with Wily (though look at her face, she's currently not impressed as I am).
Then finally Ralph Macchio as the city councillor who is a thorn in Hilda's side (and possibly other pokey pokey ways in the future too, though I hope Justin didn't hear that). Ralph MACCHIO?!!! The Karate Kid? He's turned out better looking than I thought he would.
As always, Justin is given about 3 lines and yet nails EACH ONE.
The battle continues between Wilhelimina and Daniel but in a nice subtle way.
Again, Marc and Amanda are together WITH Betty for once!
And an appearance from Marc's boyfriend Cliff! Who knew they were still dating? That's awesome! Now an appearance longer than seeing Cliff eating pizza on Betty's couch would be nice.
And Hilda already has a new hottie in her midst even though she doesn't see it yet.
Now, some more Justin and an actual storyline for Christina might be nice but for once I'm not really going to complain.
Nick Adams (he of the bigger biceps than jealous Mario Lopez in this past summers A Chorus Line bicep battle) has spilled on his blog that he's been cast in the upcoming revival (directed by Des McAnuff and feature choreography by Sergio Trujillo) as Liver Lips Louis. Rehearsals apparently begin December 15th for a March 1st opening at the Nederlander theatre.
Nick Adams was voted most beautiful man for June 2008 by a wonderfully gratuitous website. How come I've never known about this site before? (oh yeah, cause there are like a billion of them out there already).
And here are some more gratuitous photos. Just because.
Okay, maybe I'm biased because my friend Anthony Q. Farrell wrote this episode (his first on his own!), but I thought it was AWESOME!!! (and I'm saying AWWWWESOME with a whole church choral operatic higher pitched voice). (And I'm not just saying that because he's my ticket to visiting the set)
Every storyline was funny. It was awkward. There was heartbreak. Weirdness. And a lot more hilarity. Exactly what a great The Office episode should be!
Dwight was funny by being an annoyance to Andy but wasn't himself actually annoying for once.
Jim's brothers trying to prank him by talking down at (a supposedly participatory) Pam was awkwardly awesome and the double eyes-into-the-camera by Jim's brother and Jim (for two very different reasons) was brilliant, if I do say so myself!
And although I hate the fact that Holly (the superb and invaluable Amy Ryan) has to leave, her road trip with a weepy Michael and chauffeur Daryl was hilarious! Plus we got to hear Canuck Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway" about 5 times! Way to add some music rights money into the Canadian economy Tony! Keep it coming!
Plus the cold Halloween opening with 3 Jokers and Pam as the sole New Yorker dressed up (as Charlie Chaplin with hat, Hitler without) was simply hysterical!
Yey Tony! (and all the writer's as well of course since I do know there is teamwork involved!)
Jim is going to New York to visit Pam and they are meeting Jim's brothers for dinner (or to be beat up? Loved that line). Pam is planning to punk Jim by pretending to lose her wedding ring but the brother's have their own lame idea which is wince inducing. It's as if they were Michael's brothers, here to prod Jim and Pam again!
Michael and Daryl are on their way to drop off Holly at another branch she's being forced to transfer to and the tears come down between Michael and Holly (who wasn't touched by Daryl. Just making sure you all know that) who are being forced apart. Which isn't as loud as the tears I'm dying from either laughing at the nerdy antics of Holly and Michael, or from the sadness of realizing Amy Ryan isn't signed on permanently to the show.
Back at the office, Dwight comes in with a Cornell sweatshirt on to annoy Andy and the war continues all the way to the rival beet farm Andy plans to start (with a shirtless Andy in only overalls which is frighteningly kind of sexy).
I'm so proud of Anthony, even if he did go to my alma maters rival school, but I'll forgive him. I don't want to end up opening a beet farm or anything.
Top 14 - Results Night - The Cut from 14 to 12 - Ep. 112 Judges: Jean-Marc Genereux, Tre Armstrong, Rex Harrington, Mary Murphy
Top 14 Group Performance Song: "Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Remix)" - Rob Zombie Choreographer: Melissa Williams
It's thriller night! Just in time for Halloween, the vampire are out and ready to suck your blood and ready to dance. Uh, okay. It was a weird group performance which looked good when everybody had to dance in unison but the rest seemed theatrically pointless (vampire teeth not withstanding). UPDATE: Here's the video:
So my Bottom 3 Predictions from last night were: Caroline and Jesse Natalli and Francis Vincent and Lisa
Um. EXCUSE ME? I know it wasn't a great week for everyone but two of my most favorite couples, Miles and Lara and Lisa and Vincent in the bottom 3? NOOOOOOOOO. (I know. I even predicted Lisa and Vincent but STILL). UPDATE: It just occured to me that both of Benji's routines are in the bottom 3. Hmm...
Lisa dances for her life: Grade: B (UPDATE: I rewatched it again and like it a lot more now for some reason. A-)
Lara dances for her life: Grade: A-
Caroline dances for her life: Grade: B
Vincent dances for his life: Grade: A-
Miles dances for his life: Grade: B+
Jesse dances for his life: Grade: B+
Here's the video of all the solos for the bottom 3 girls and boys:
I didn't think Lisa's was special but there's something about the way she moves that is so neat. Strangely, she's paired with her dance twin since Vincent doesn't seem particularly special until he moves and somehow puts his own unique twist and grace into regular contemporary moves.
The only good thing about seeing Lara and Miles in the bottom 3 is that we get to see their solo dances and remind us how they never seem to get a pairs dance that is close to their own styles.
Caroline has a lot of fiery passion but again, I didn't think it was that special (like Lisa's) but she lacks Lisa's uniqueness. Jesse is great at his own style but it's his partnering is what sinks him (plus the fact that he's doesn't have chemistry with Caroline and he's had the bad luck of getting dances far from his own genre).
So it's time to announce the cuts and Jean Marc chokes up with Lara and is about to give me a heart attack, but thank GOODNESS she's safe. Then he chokes up about Lisa... and about to give me another heart attack and thank GOODNESS she's safe. I know, usually it would be obvious but considering they cut Romina, it's not always.
So in the end, Caroline is cut from the competition.
As for the boys, they just cut right to the obvious chase and announce Jesse's departure. He seemed nice enough, and like he was having fun, but alas, it's not enough.
So another week, another pair that are cut. The third in the four weeks the Canadian edition has done. Ouch. But alas, it was the right cut this week and only one more to go before the final Top 10 and the pairings start switching it up.
30 Rock starts season 3 tonight (at 9:30pm)! (Well, on TV at least since they've already thrown it on the net a week ago and which thanks to 6things, I finally figured out how to watch).
AND my friend's episode of The Office is tonight (at 9pm)!
It's going to be a good hour starting at 9pm on NBC (In Canada, The Office is on Global at 9pm, 30 Rock is on CityTV at 9:30pm)!!!
Megan Mullaly guest stars (and is back on NBC Thursday night!) and Will Arnett will return as nitwit network chief wannabe Ben Silverman Devon Banks on 30 Rock. (Well, at least Silverman was smart enough to leave the low rated 30 Rock alone, though probably because it has nothing else new to replace it now that all his new shows have tanked).
While the episode is a bit of Baby Mama redux, I guess for most people who haven't seen it (although I imagine everyone who did see it is a 30 Rock fan), it lets Tina Fey's Liz Lemon get all hormonally maternal all while introducing all the chracters again to us and Megan Mullaly's baby evaluator. I actually forgot that Jack was out of a job and we get to see him climb and connive the corporate ladder (all in one episode! Why can't my career move up that fast?)
Seriously, the whole episode is a welcome return to the zanniness of Liz Lemon's world and it's only too bad they didn't get this show out sooner and milk the Tina Fey love train/free publicity over the last few months.
Judges: Jean Marc Genereux, Tre Armstrong, Rex Harrington, Mary Murphy
Choreographers: Dmitry Chaplin, Blake McGrath, Luther Brown, Benji Schwimmer, Sean Cheesman It's the Top 14 week which means the dancers have now been paired with their partners for 3 weeks now (except Natalli and Francis who have with each other for two) so they should be totally comfortable with each other. But from my spoilers on Monday, I knew that some of our favorites will mess up this week and that some will shine even more than ever before (UPDATE: Videos are up!):
Lisa Auguste and Vincent Noiseux Style: Samba Choreographer: Dmitry Chaplin Song: "Skip to the Bip" - Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda Boykin
Original Grade from Seeing it Live: B+
Original Comments: They start out with bundles of energy and pizzazz but then they made a couple of obvious mistakes near the end (including a missed move) but the judges don't care because it's Lisa and Vincent and they are becoming so good on stage that a fumble is excusable when everything else is done so well (which Mary basically states).
New TV Grade: B+
New TV Comments: They really were great until a missed spin at the end which threw them off for the next spin and it must have broke their concentration for another missed move, yet as Mary said, they were so fabulous in so many ways that it still was great to watch (I'll just cover my eyes at the end).
Lara Smythe and Miles Faber Style: West Coast Swing Choreographer: Benji Schwimmer Song: "Living' for the Weekend" - The O' Jays
Original Grade from Seeing it Live: B
Original Comments: Technically it wasn't perfect and there were a few obvious fumbles but there is something so infectious about Miles and Lara that you can't help but love these two. At the end of the show when all the dancers are dancing to the closing credits, Miles and Lara are amongst those that really shined out from the crowd and they have this certain glow and showmanship that can't be taught. Paired up with a showy Benji routine (that included his now trademark double cartwheel thingy, now with an added lift at the end), it's a match made in heaven, even when some of the in between partnering required by this type of dance is lacking. The judges pretty much say the same thing and love it despite the imperfections. Jean-Marc mentions that they are really SMOOTH and glide across the stage which I wholeheartedly agree. Since I couldn't see the dancers feet from my point of view, I thought Miles was gliding on wheelies at a few points and realized he really floated across the stage. Now he just needs to work on his hands and ballroom partnering skills but the boy has got charms to spare.
Oh, and the two start off in diner cook uniforms but then Miles unleashes a bedazzled bra'd Lara that's half disturbing in its quick revelation (and allusion to Janet/Justin) and half hilariously exciting.
New TV Grade: B+
New TV Comments: I was actually even more impressed with it on TV, especially now that I can see their feet. While Miles seemed to stumble a bit near the end with his footwork (it seemed like his feet got behind and were trying to catch up) but it didn't matter cause these two sparkle even more than Lara's bra!
Arassay Reyes and Nico Archambault Style: Hip Hop Choreographer: Luther Brown Song: "Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water On 'Em)" - Busta Rhymes
Original Grade from Seeing it Live: A-
Original Comments: For all of those naysayers that are sick of Nico and Arassay relying too much on Contemporary or similar type dances, we FINALLY get to see them do something a little different and they continue to rock it. It wasn't TOO hard hitting but Jean-Marc liked that because they were still very precise in their hits and about the only thing that wouldn't make it obvious was their slightly baggy army fatigues. The dance is about two army soldiers and Nico is strong as always but the big surprise is that Arassay really nailed it in my view. It could have been a bit dirtier but considering they were in army costumes, I could see how they made it more clean but crisp.
New TV Grade: B+
New TV Comments: The routine itself wasn't as impressive on TV but I think Nico and Arassay still did a tremendous job with it but while they were pretty together, the little things that were off seem more obvious on camera. And the uniforms give the piece a nice look but the bagginess hides any hard hits they might have done.
Allie Bertram and Danny Arbour Style: Contemporary Choreographer: Paul Becker Song: "Someday" - John Legend
Original Grade from Seeing it Live: A
Original Comments: First Nico and Arassay prove they can do something different, and now so do Danny and Allie, who ace Paul Becker's emotional contemporary piece about his mother and her reunion with her long-lost son she gave up for adoption (who were both in the audience). As Mary states, it's almost too personal to really critique the piece but Danny and Allie do an AMAZING job with it. Danny really lets loose yet still stays strong as a dancer with clean lines, while Allie is simply marvelous and fluid which makes fellow ballet dancer Rex Harrington proud. Not to say Danny wasn't good because he was absolutely terrific, but Allie really stood out and her technical ballet training really showed. She's really impressing me every week.
New TV Grade: A
New TV Comments: I think Allie may just be my favorite girl in the competition now. She's so good both technically and emotionally, she's simply mesmerizing. Danny is pretty awesome himself too. Totally wonderful!
Natalli Reznik and Francis Lafrenière Style: Theatre Choreographer: Sean Cheesman Song: "Cell Block Tango" - Countdown Singers (Chicago Musical (A new version/remix I haven't heard before))
Original Grade from Seeing it Live: B+
Original Comments: A cool spin on the song that I usually associate so much with Fosse's original moves but I felt it was a slightly bit of a cheat because it seemed slightly tailored to Francis' ballroom techniques still. On the other hand, they danced it with passion so who really cares if Francis seemed to move a bit like his usual ballroom ways? Natalli was like an animal as a woman scorned and the judges applaud her for being totally uninhibited and wild (wild for totally grabbing Francis' newly trimmed haircut (which somehow makes him look even better than before, if that's even possible) and throwing Francis to the ground. Several times! (Well, I guess the song dictates that)) while Francis still gets full marks for being the tall dark handsome and strong male that he's always displayed.
New TV Grade: B+
New TV Comments: I knew Francis got to sneak in some ballroom Paso Doble styled but it was still big and theatrical and he had to go big to battle Natalli so I'll forgive him just cause he's so cute with that haircut.
Original Comments: The two are a bit weak on the partnering for this hustle (like disco-ish) and they looked a little like school kids trying to keep up but the judges are WAY harsh on them, starting with Mary who absolutely did NOT like it (and pretty much the only team she doesn't give glowing reviews to) and the rest of the judges follow suit. I didn't think it was THAT bad but I didn't think it was good enough either and with an already strong Top 14, mistakes matter, but what's even worse than Lisa and Vincent's missteps or Lara and Miles' weak hands and inbetween partnering moments is the lack of that extra oomph needed that put Caroline and Jesse behind the rest. Jesse who I really like, looked like he was trying too hard. The judges still generally liked Caroline but even she got some blame (I think from Jean-Marc) and they simply fell out of character with Caroline overpowering Jesse when it should have been the other way around. Benji kept defending the two and kept rising from his seat to applaud the two and join in on the boos from portions of the crowd. Still, it wasn't as bad as the judges stated but it was the weakest dance of the night.
New TV Grade: C
New TV Comments: I know what the problem is. Jesse seems too soft and gentlemanly and seems more concerned for her sake than his own. He basically looks whipped, especially next to Caroline who looked like a dragonlady here.
Original Comments: Finally they do good. And the judges note it too with Tre saying "FINALLY". The dance is about a husband coming back to a scorned housewife (there seems to be a lot of scorned women tonight) and the dance is exciting and passionate, especially coming from Izaak who is usually like a block of wood. He's in 60's glasses and a suit and the costume helps, while Kaitlyn FINALLY has a partner to really DANCE to (she's in a sexy housewife outfit).
New TV Grade: A-
New TV Comments: Okay, there was a lot of shaking, more than I remembered, but when they actually danced, it was electric! Kaitlyn totally shined and Izaak actually stood his ground for once.
My original roundup: Favorite Pairs Dance of the Night: Danny and Allie 2nd Favorite Pairs Dance of the Night: Nico and Arassay
Worst Dance of the Night: Caroline and Jesse Bottom 3 Predictions: Caroline and Jesse and um? Lisa and Vincent based on their misstep and the fact they seemed to have the least signs for them. Which is CRAZY because they are so good. Lara and Miles? or Natalli and Vincent? just by default?
Kaitlyn and Izaak might still be in danger since Izaak had the noticeably quietest applause in the opener but he might have just saved himself with the help of Blake who he fully credits for his resurgence.
I'm guessing Jesse is going to go home but I have no idea which girl will go since I still think Caroline is the weakest at this point but the judges seem to LOVE her. On the other hand, they love Kaitlyn as well and the other girls CANNOT go. They cannot make another Romina mistake.
My revised roundup: Favorite Pairs Dance of the Night: Danny and Allie 2nd Favorite Pairs Dance of the Night: Kaitlyn and Izaak Favorite Individual Boy of the Night: Miles Favorite Individual Girl of the Night: Allie
Worst Dance of the Night: Caroline and Jesse
Bottom 3 Predictions: Caroline and Jesse Natalli and Francis Vincent and Lisa
So here are the dancers in current order from my favorite to least (although, I could basically switch the orders for anyone in the Top 8 and still be okay with the list):
1. Miles 2. Allie 3. Nico 4. Arassay 5. Vincent 6. Lara 7. Danny 8. Lisa 9. Francis 10. Kaitlyn 11. Natalli 12. Izaak 13. Caroline 14. Jesse
Going home this week? Jesse and... I hope Caroline only because I don't want to lose any of the other girls at this point yet.
The Good Wife (Season 2) CBS/Global 10pm ****1/2 (Low: 4)
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
Tapeworthy Shows On Hiatus
Grade system
***** - 5 Stars TAPEWORTHY AND WILL watch it LIVE for fear the recording will mess up. Do not attempt to call or try to make plans during this time.
**** - 4 Stars Tapeworthy and I will TRY to watch it LIVE
*** - 3 Stars Tapeworthy, will watch it live if I'm around but if not, will catch it later in the week.
** - 2 Stars Might tape it to watch later as long as I have space and no conflicting shows that have higher priority.
* - 1 Star Won't tape it but if I need something to watch while I fold my laundry (and I'm done all my tapes), I will watch it (ie. Reba).
0 - 0 Stars Will NOT turn on the TV for fear of coming across this show. (ie. According to Jim).
Grades only reflect current new airings. Does not necessarily apply to previous seasons. Grades are subject to change at any moment. Apologies to TV Gal for half borrowing her system.
How deliciously fabulous was Betty and gang this week? For one, finally we have a uniting of Marc, Amanda and Betty in their joint quest to unsurp the evil Kimmie (Lindsay Lohan) from her newfound editorial position! 
Then the show is filling the re-occuring characters with delicious new boys with more from Gay for 
Then finally Ralph Macchio as the city councillor who is a thorn in Hilda's side (and possibly other pokey pokey ways in the future too, though I hope Justin didn't hear that). Ralph MACCHIO?!!! The Karate Kid? He's turned out better looking than I thought he would.
