A few weeks back, Scooter polled some TV bloggers and posted the results to our picks for the Best New Shows (premiering this Fall 2009 Season).
Here was the final tally:
1. Glee (5) - Fox 2. Modern Family (2) 3. Vampire Diaries - The CW 4. Community - NBC 5. Cougar Town - ABC 6. V - ABC 7. White Collar - USA 8. The Good Wife - CBS 9. Mercy - NBC 10. The Middle - ABC
Not a huge surprise. I'm not even surprised by the great showing for TVD.
1. Glee FOX 2. Modern Family ABC 3. Cougar Town ABC 4. The Vampire Diaries The CW 5. The Good Wife CBS
Though FlashForward would have been next, but since I sent in my choices about 3 weeks ago, Community has seemed to have bounced back.
While Scooter's poll only looked at the new shows since the Fall season, I would also like to mention the other best new shows from this year!
Loving Nurse Jackie and The United States of Tara both on Showtime. (Can't wait for their 2nd season premieres on March 22nd 2010!)
10 Things I Hate About You (abcFamily) and Royal Pains (USA) turned out to be a lot more fun and breezy than their initial pilots made them look and were such delightful summer shows.
Better Off Ted (ABC) and Parks & Recreation continue to carry the Office/Arrested Development torch for quirky office comedies and are such underrated gems. Especially the low-buzzed Better Off Ted that finally returns in December soon!
Boys
1. Jakob
2. Russell
3. Legacy
4. Ryan
5. Nathan
6. Victor
7. Kevin
Final Four
1. Jakob
2. Ellenore
3. Russell
4. Kathryn
Any thoughts? This isn't how I want it to be (although it's mighty close), but how I think it's gonna go down overall. Thoughts?
Anyways, onto this week's results:
My Predictions from the Top 14 Performances:
Should Be Bottom 3 Couples: Mollee and Nathan, Karen and Kevin, Channing and Victor
Will Be Bottom 3 Couples: Karen and Kevin, Channing and Victor, Noelle and Russell
Should be Eliminated: Kevin and Channing
Will be Eliminated: Kevin and Karen
The actual results were:
Actual Bottom 3 Couples Karen and Kevin
Channing and Victor
Mollee and Nathan
I'm actually shocked that the deserved bottom 3 are actually there. I'm shocked Mollee and Nathan are there. They deserved to be, but thought they would be saved. Guess I overestimated the tween vote.
Dance For Their Lives:
Karen Hauer Song: "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" - The Doors
Grade: B
Kevin Hunte Song: "Freeze" - T-Pain featuring Chris Brown
Grade: D
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 14 Performance Night - Ep. 615
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman
So while I was in LA over the weekend, Mary apparently flew all the way up to Toronto, sat as guest judge in SYTYCD Canada's Season 3 Toronto auditions, and then flew back in time to judge this on Sunday (when they tape these things). Wow. (On the other hand, I guess I flew all the way to LA for the weekend just to see Parade (AMAZING and hopefully will transfer to Broadway)!!!)
Did I mention I met Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello this past weekend? And that they were SUPER SUPER nice? I probably mentioned it about a dozen times on twitter. I'll definitely mention it about a dozen more times in this post!
Ashleigh Di Lello &
Jakob Karr Style: Hip-Hop
Choreographed by: Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo
Song: "Whatcha Say" - Jason DeRulo
Grade: A
Okay, so after having bumped into Ryan and Ashleigh on Hollywood Blvd. this past weekend, and that they stopped, took pictures and were SUPER nice, I feel bad for being so harsh on Ashleigh in the past. So maybe it's because I like her a lot more after seeing her being SOOOO nice to us, but while I still thought there were a couple of minor connection problems between her and Jakob (there was one moment where their arms didn't seem to interlink as smooth as it was supposed to be), I thought Ashleigh did a great job and hit it hard this week. Not as hard as Jakob, who looked like he was about to bust a wall, but really hard considering how small Ashleigh is. And man, she is tiny. I felt like a bloated whale next to her and Ryan.
Ragtime - Eisenhower Theater - The Kennedy Center - Washington, D.C. - ***** (out of 5 stars) Premiered Apr 18 - Closed May 17, 2009. Transferred to Broadway:
Ragtime - Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway- New York, NY - ***** (out of 5 stars) Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Terrence McNally, Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge Previews began on Broadway on October 23rd 2009, Opened November 15th 2009
The story may be about the collision of Blacks, Whites and immigrant Jews at the turn of the LAST century, just as the Henry Ford's Model T was coming into production, Evelyn Nesbit was the celebrity-du-jour, and Harry Houdini was mastering his tricks of illusion, but the timeless themes of love, peace and the problems of the industrial revolution on the lives of the actual people are just as relevant today (especially as our economy tries to adjust itself from years of greed) as they ever were.
Based on E.L. Doctorow's novel from the 70's looking back at the start of the 1900's, Ragtime is an epic story that intertwines the lives of a white family (simply named Father, Mother, Little Boy, Younger Brother, Grandfather) living in New Rochelle, a young black single mother Sarah and her ragtime singing musician suitor Coalhouse Walker Jr., and an immigrant Jew Tateh and his daughter (Little Girl) who has just arrived into New York in 1906. Real life characters like Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Evelyn Nesbit, and unionist leader Emma Goldman figure into the lives of our Whites, Blacks and Jews.
It also makes for an epic musical, with one of the most beautiful scores by Stephen Flaherty and one of the best opening numbers (if not the best) in musical theatre where in a 10 minute opener, all the stories and characters are given a terrific introduction and all the themes are set in motion. The original Broadway production (that world premiered in Toronto) featured Broadway stars Brian Stoke Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie, Peter Friedman and a young Lea Michelle and was a truly epic production with full scale sets of everything imaginable, a working Model T, fireworks and everything else you can think of.
It was one of my favorite musicals of all time, and I'm lucky I got to see it a couple of times during it's Toronto pre-Broadway run. It's also one of the more "old-fashioned" musicals that top my list which usually consists of more modern musicals, but Ragtime is a wonderfully modern piece (written in the 90's) disguised as an old musical and probably why I think it works so well and feels so relevant still.
This new revival of Ragtime strips down the epic musical into a simpler production, but it reveals the deeper emotional core and makes the luscious musical even stronger. Director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge has taken away all the opulent set changes and with a new single three-tiered set by Derek McLane and lighting by Donald Holder, using a minimalist manner of storytelling, the entire production becomes even more theatrical yet more realistic at its core. By using the magic of our imagination, Dodge has forced us to deal with the emotional gravity at the centre of this show.
So while a red frame now represents the Model T, and a pipe staircase is used in various fashions, may look as a cheap alternative to building full out sets, it takes away all the superfluous decor so that we can concentrate on the characters at the centre of the play. It also gives it a more universal appeal by stripping away any specificities.
Since the Kennedy Centre production (my original review from DC), a few cast changes have been made (due to actors prior commitments) to the Broadway cast.
However, anchoring both cities, is Christiane Noll (ACE) as Mother, and who brings a warmth and delicacy to the role that really centers this production. Noll becomes a quiet powerhouse in a show that gives the flashier moments to the other characters, and Noll's performance is astounding in its soul searching arc (and hopefully will be rewarded come award season).
As Mother's Younger Brother, Bobby Steggert (above, 110 in the Shade) provides an emotional spark of anger and dismay that enhances Younger Brother's story. His disillusionment with his white status, and his growing concern and efforts to help others is powerfully affecting with Steggert's passionate portrayal and soaring voice.
While the original Broadway cast had the esteemed Brian Stokes Mitchell as the volatile Coalhouse Walker Jr., this time around, they found a very different actor, a big and burly Quentin Earl Darrington who thunders in as Coalhouse and creates a smooth but less princely character that works better with the story in the second act. Darrington is a powerhouse who is both charming and suave in that football playa' kind of way, and it gives the role a bit more grit and menace than Mitchell's sophisticated take.
Audra McDonald probably stole the show in the original Broadway cast, so whoever takes the role of Sarah, has huge shoes to fill. But Jennlee Shallow more than eased the fear that Sarah could not be filled, and created a sharp and strong willed Sarah as a response to her scared situation. Shallow's voice was full and strong and beautifully suited for the role. Unfortunately, Shallow was already signed on to the new Cirque Du Soleil Elvis show Viva Elvis and couldn't make the transfer to Broadway.
Filling the Sarah role on Broadway is newcomer Stephanie Umoh (above with Darrington) who does a nice job, but should ease into it better with some more heft into the performances (I saw it on the 3rd day of previews on Broadway) as she gets acquainted with her co-stars who have already been together for longer. Her performance is slightly more hesitant but she uses it to her advantage to create a frightened frail Sarah.
Manoel Felciano (above) played an exuberant Tateh in DC and his chemistry with Noll was palpable.
Robert Petkoff plays a more lovable cuddly Tateh on Broadway which I learned to appreciate and love as the show went on.
Leigh Ann Larkin (Gypsy, soon to be in the A Little Night Music revival) was a wonderfully tart Evelyn Nesbit in D.C.. Savannah Wise (above, Rock of Ages) takes over the role on Broadway and becomes a more cutesy Evelyn.
Ron Bohmer played Father both in DC and currently on Broadway and really finds a humanizing way to soften Father's arc from racist "upstanding" citizen to a sympathetic ally.
The rest of the HUGE cast (even though this is the paired down version) works well with Dodge's swift direction that moves the multiple stories along in a lean direction. It cuts the excess to the emotional core and makes Ragtime more thrilling and more relevant than ever before. The gorgeous orchestrations, the simple but grandiose tiered set are perfect to set in emotion a musical with so many winning songs, that I would pretty much have to name almost all the songs on the list.
Ragtime is getting a second chance on Broadway, and if the reception it got from the curtain rising on the night I saw it is any indication, this time, America might be ready to accept the hefty themes that form this epic musical about the turn of the last century that may hit a chord with our hearts at the turn of this current century.
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 16 Results Night - The Cut From 16 to 14 - Ep. 614
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman
Top 16 Group Dance Style: Afro Jazz Hip-Hop?
Song: "Warrior, Pt. 2" - Lloyd Banks
Choreographed by: Dave Scott
Finally. A results show which not only means the public got to vote, but we finally get a group dance number to finally take advantage of the massive stage (and probably the sole good thing about the stage). And yet, as wonderful as the choreography was (and it was kinda awesome), it again felt dwarfed by the huge stage. At this point, does ANYBODY like the stage?
Anyways, it was interesting to note who stood out and not in that piece. Obviously, Legacy and Jakob looked spectacular with their given spotlights, and Ellenore looked great as the head of the group, while Nathan looked a bit sloppy and out of sync.
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.
