SYTYCD Canada - Gre8t

So You Think You Can Dance Canada - Top 8 Performance Night - Ep. 218
Judges: Jean-Marc Généreux, Tré Armstrong, Dan Karaty, Mia Michaels


Top 4 Guys Group Dance - Cody, Emanuel, Everett, Vincent
Style: Theatre
Choreographed by: Melissa Williams
Song: "Beggin'" -Jersey Boys (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Grade: B

I forgot to switch over to HD at first on this so I couldn't really tell exactly who was who. I mean, Emanuel was easy to spot and Vincent is so tall and strong that he sort of stole the show, but the one in the other white shirt was kind of weaker than the rest, but I first thought it was Everett, but alas it was Cody. Hmm... (Man, this would have been so much better with Austin. Just sayin').


Here's the video of the Top 4 Guys Group Dance:



Tara-Jean Popowich
&
Vincent Desjardins
Dance #1
Style: Rumba
Choreographed by: Eric Caty
Song: "Hero" - Enrique Iglesias
Grade: A

Judges loved it. The partnership was strong from two of the stronger dancers in the competition, if not the strongest. I mean, what else can I say?

Vincent has yet to falter Okay, so it's another ballroom for him, but considering how well he did in even Hip-Hop, the boy can just do it all.

Tara-Jean is proving week after week how strong she is and what a fireball she can be. It's a strong bunch of girls but I think TJ might be able to take them all down.

Here's the video of Tara-Jean and Vincent's Rumba:



Kim Gingras
&
Cody Bonnell
Dance #1
Style: Hip-Hop
Choreographed by: Luther Brown
Song: "Humpin' Around" - Bobby Brown
Grade: A-

Hip-Hop for the two Hip-Hoppers? Okay, well, Vincent got ballroom again so I guess fair is fair. I mean, Cody was good but did it seem like Kim could eat him alive? Maybe it was because of the wardrobe but I found myself glued to Kim and Cody was just sort of peripheral.

Here's the video of Kim and Cody's Hip-Hop:



Melanie Mah
&
Emanuel Sandhu
Dance #1
Style: Contemporary
Choreographed by: Sabrina Matthews
Song: "The Scientist" - Coldplay
Grade: B+

At first I thought Melanie was just being hesitant and not fully trusting Emanuel because she seemed to slow down just before joining up with Emanuel, but then he did it too, so maybe the dance was just designed that way?

Other than that, I thought it was great, and I thought Emanuel actually did well next to Melanie, but there still seemed to be a connection problem. Dan Karaty called Emanuel out for forcing the "moments" and Mia called out his technicality of the piece, which to be honest, I'm surprised (but kinda happy) since the judges usually have a lovefest over Emanuel.

Here's the video of Melanie and Emanuel's Contemporary:
Coming soon


Jayme Rae Dailey
&
Everett Smith
Dance #1
Style: Mambo
Choreographed by: Gustavo Vargas
Song: "En Barranquilla Me Quedo" - Joe Arroyo
Grade B+


Oh, Everett seems so sweet. Love that boy, but boy did he get bossed by Jayme Rae. Jayme Rae was just jiggling it all around perfectly for the Mambo and she was just fierce hot. Mia loved it and loved her.

Mia called Everett out for not wiggling his hips as much as he should have but his winning personality and effort won her over. I pretty much agree. I thought he could have wiggled it more, and seemed particularly stiff especially in the first half, but he's so winning that you can't help but smile. I'm not sure if it was the best of the night so far as Dan Karaty said, but it was a good solid effort and Jayme Rae was a star!

Here's the video of Jayme Rae and Everett's Mambo:



Top 4 Girls Group Dance - Jayme Rae, Kim, Melanie, Tara-Jean
Style: Jazz
Choreographed by: Sean Cheesman
Song: "Dr. Feelgood" -
Grade: B+

I was just about to ask if we could keep all 4 girls and lose 2 boys (Cody and Emanuel) and then Mia just says it. These are the best Top 4 girls she's seen in the 5 years she's been with SYTYCD. WOW!

Here's the video of the Top 4 Girls Group Dance:



Tara-Jean Popowich
&
Vincent Desjardins
Dance #2
Style: Krump
Choreographed by: Lil C
Song: "Chea-Chea-Chea " - Tha J Squad
Grade: A-

Remember what I said about Vincent and Hip-Hop? Well. Now they have the Krump which I would say is even farther from any of the styles they are used to. Vincent? Thank you very much! Mia wanted him to be uglier but complimented him for doing so well as a ballroom.

I thought it was fantastic and I love watching these two buck it up.

Here's the video of Tara-Jean and Vincent's Krump:



Kim Gingras
&
Cody Bonnell
Dance #2
Style: Smooth Waltz
Choreographed by: Pierre Allaire
Song: "What A Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong
Grade: B

Mia hated it more than I thought she would. I thought it was decent. I thought Kim did better than Cody and most of Kim's performance was good, (though her run around in a circle seemed awkward) and Cody held his own, at least for Cody.

Here's the video of Kim and Cody's Smooth Waltz:



Melanie Mah
&
Emanuel Sandhu
Dance #2
Style: Disco
Choreographed by: Melissa Williams
Song: "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" - The Pussycat Dolls
Grade: B+

Okay, again, I thought the partnering wasn't as tight as it should be, and as Mia guessed, probably because of the injuries. Still, it was fun and they did what they could considering these two only just started dancing together and Emanuel has broken everything. Melanie did what she could and put the pizazz when she didn't have to depend on Emanuel.

Dan called Melanie his favorite.

Here's the video of Melanie and Emanuel's Disco:



Jayme Rae Dailey
&
Everett Smith
Dance #2
Style: Jazz Funk
Choreographed by: Nico Archambault (SYTYCDC S1 Winner) & Wynn Holmes
Song: "Sexy Chick" - David Gueta feat. Akon
Grade A

NICO!

Okay, that was such a fun dance! I mean, props and nerdy characters always seem to be winning but Jayme Rae and Everett nicely sold it! I think JR had a bit more to do than Everett since Everett just had to look terrified half the time but he was so into the character!

And Jayme Rae, what a sexy chick!

Here's the video of Jayme Rae and Everett's Jazz Funk:




The Solos

Jayme Rae Dailey
Song: "Gettin' in the Way" - Jill Scott
Grade: A-
Jayme Rae's solo's are getting better everyweek but considering she started off so strong in the pairings, I think her not-perfect solo's lost her some luster for some folks. I still love her but I think the other girls are gaining speed just at the right time.


Everett Smith
Song: "Stand By Me" - Ben E. King
Grade: B+
Everett was a Tap Dog? I loved that show.
Great tapping but was it me or did it not really go with the song?


Melanie Mah
Song: "Innocence" - Bjork
Grade: A-
Ooh, that was almost Mark Kanemura quirky! Great spin on her solo!


Emanuel Sandhu
Song: "Mad World" - Adam Lambert
Grade: B+
Poor boy. Broken fingers, sprained ankle. It was a pretty great solo, especially considering, but alas, I've seen better from Emanuel (understandably so).


Kim Gingras
Song: "Jerk It" - Thunderheist
Grade: B+
There weren't that many "tricks" but I liked how she choreographed her solo to the song. Nothing showy but still showy in a stylistically simple way. Nicely done!


Cody Bonnell
Song: "Missin' You" - Trey Songz
Grade: B+

Cody is good at his style, though I noticed that he was totally dancing to himself and rarely looked out to the audience. Cute, but I can see what Mia said way back during the auditions.


Tara-Jean Popowich
Song: "Farewell" - Rosie Thomas
Grade: B
It looked like it was going to be a great solo but I think she timed it wrong and the song took too long to get to any movement because it seemed to suddenly end and get cut short. Oops. Oh well, we know she can dance.


Vincent Desjardins
Song: "U Can't Touch This" - MC Hammer
Grade: A-

OMG. Huge points for doing a ballroom solo to "U Can't Touch This". That's BALLSY! I knew there was a reason I loved him.

Here is the video of the girls solos:


Here is the video of the guys solos (except Everett's. Should be coming soon):



- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Final Roundup:

Best Couple of the Night: Jayme Rae and Everett's Jazz Funk
Second Best Couple of the Night: Tara-Jean and Vincent's Rumba
Third Best Couple of the Night:Tara-Jean and Vincent's Krump

Best Male of the Night - Couples: Vincent Desjardins
Best Male of the Night - Solo: Vincent Desjardins
Best Male of the Night - Overall: Vincent Desjardins

Best Female of the Night - Couple: Tara-Jean Popowich
Best Female of the Night - Solo: Jayme Rae Dailey
Best Female of the Night - Overall: Jayme Rae Dailey

Worst of the Night - Couple: Kim and Cody's Smooth Waltz
Worst Solo of the Night: Tara-Jean Popowich

Predictions:
Bottom Four: Kim, Melanie, Cody, Emanuel
Should Go Home: Cody and Emanuel
Going Home: Emanuel and Kim

I think my list from favorite to least looks like this right now (#position from last week in parenthesis):

1. Vincent (1)
2. Tara-Jean (4)
3. Melanie Mah (3)
4. Jayme Rae (7)
5. Everett (5)
6. Kim (6)
7. Emanuel (8)
8. Cody (9)


- - - - - - - - - - - - -
For More So You Think You Can Dance:
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For So You Think You Can Dance Season 2:
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Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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The TV Blog Coalition - Returns and Point of No Return

Most of the shows have returned now, but still waiting for Ugly Betty and 30 Rock, both of which I still love (I don't care what you all say about UB, it still makes me laugh). ABC was smart enough to push the season premiere of Ugly Betty to next week, now starting Friday Oct. 16th (instead of on the long weekend because Friday on a normal weekend wasn't already hard enough for TV shows to survive (see Dollhouse ratings. Ugh. And just when I caught up too). 30 Rock will start the day before on Oct. 15th.

Hoorah! Can't wait! Not that there isn't enough to watch already? I seriously need to purge. I try to give new shows a few chances since it can often take some shows a little while to get into the groove (if not a whole season) but I'm not sure I'll be back for more medicine with Mercy, Trauma, Three Rivers now will I probably be back for Hank though I didn't mind The Middle so Hank might just get a reprieve for being lumped into ABC's Wednesday comedy night (Kind of the same thing that's lucking out for Accidentally On Purpose and HIMYM).

Melrose Place is also lucky to announce Heather Locklear's return just as I was about to give up on that show.

On the other hand, I was going to totally write off Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy and they were actually pretty good again and sucked me right back in. ARGH. Cause something's going to have to give on Thursday night, and I'm just not sure what yet.

In the meantime, here's what the TV bloggers were talking about this week:

Vance ranks the new shows he's checked out from best to worst. Where did you think he put Glee and Modern Family? (Tapeworthy)

In the wake of the much ballyhooed Jenny Slate controversy, Kyle examined indecency, SNL, the FCC and drew one conclusion -- who cares? (TiFaux)

As the third season of Mad Men rolls on, BuzzSugar's got the rundown on what other projects the talented ladies of the show have lined up. (BuzzSugar)

This week, we took a first look at Al Pacino in HBO's new original movie, You Don't Know Jack. (Daemon's TV)

Trauma may not have had the best pilot ever, but hey, it had a fingerless Buddy Garrity. (Scooter McGavin's 9th Green)

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

More After the Jump...

The Barrymore Dynasty - The Royal Family & Whip It - Stage and Film Review

The Royal Family - Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - *** (out of 5 stars)
Written by George S. Kaufman & Edna Ferber, Directed by Doug Hughes
Currently in previews, Opens Oct. 8th 2009, Closes Nov. 29th 2009

Whip It = B+
Written by Shauna Cross based on her novel, Directed by Drew Barrymore
Opens Oct. 2nd 2009

The Royal Family, a play that debuted on Broadway in 1927 by Edna Ferber (Show Boat, Giant) and George S. Kaufman (The Man Who Came To Dinner) is a thinly veiled comedy about the Barrymore acting dynasty, circa 1927. While the play may be about the Cavendish family of actors, it was really a satire on John Barrymore and sister Ethel Barrymore and their prima donna ways. The Manhattan Theatre Company is now presenting a luxurious revival on Broadway (at the former Biltmore Theatre which is next to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre... too bad that one was booked, it would have be delicious irony to perform the Barrymore parody there!).

Decades later, descendent Drew Barrymore (down from John Barrymore's family line) has thoroughly made herself an A-list actor in Hollywood after a comeback from being a child star and the requisite tumultuous teenage years that follow. Now, Drew Barrymore has directed her first film, a fun girl power movie that combines a feelgood underdog Hollywood gleam with an indie quirky charm (which has become its own movie style category in recent years (500 Days of Summer, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine etc. etc.))

The Royal Family is an enjoyable charming comedy about manners, actors and living an oblivious high life and the play apparently never really hid its parody template of the Barrymore acting dynasty. Tony Cavendish is a womanizing drinker whose whole life is about play (apparently much like John Barrymore). Julie Cavendish, Tony's sister, is the diva (and a ruse for Ethel Barrymore), Fanny Cavendish is the regal legendary head of the actors family who isn't about to quit the game.

The new production by the MTC is definitely luxurious, with an astounding set by John Lee Beatty, with lots of layers for the actors to play around with and has a nice variety of entrances and exits. The set actually feels like a real mansion with a plausible plan and allows the characters to run amuck with physical comedy on the playful set.

The cast is superb with a bemused Rosemary Harris (Spider-Man, above) leading the pact as Fanny (and devastating in the final scene), Jan Maxwell as Julie, a deliciously playful Reg Rogers as Tony, John Glover (Smallville) as Herbert Dean (Fanny's brother, below), Ana Gasteyer (SNL, below) as Kitty Dean (Herbert's wife) and Tony Roberts (Xanadu) as Oscar Wolfe, the family's manager.

Kelli Barrett as Gwen Cavendish (Julie's daughter, above with Harris and Maxwell) and Freddy Arsenault as Perry Stewart (Gwen's man) are wonders in their Broadway debuts. While David Greenspan makes the most of his role as servant Jo and creates a hilarious side character that should be a main.

While the actors are mostly incredibly winning (Jan Maxwell, while acts up a storm as a prima dona, feels too smart and poised to truly play the diva in a slight bit of miscasting, while Tony Roberts doesn't really make his mark amongst a cast of zanier actors), the play itself is still extremely mild and tame, and feels like a historic relic from 1927, which it is. In this day and age of TMZ and US Weekly, the tantrums and outbursts from actors is expected and barely noteworthy anymore, so a play in which its comedy relies on the SHOCKING behavior of a family of actors becomes hardly shocking anymore, and at this point, seems merely quaint and antiquated.

It thus leaves the entire show feeling like a cute enjoyable afternoon of entertainment that needs to be accompanied with tea and finger sandwiches but while I appreciate the exquisite revival production, I just wish the MTC could spend more of its energies on furthering the future of theatre (like it did with Pulitzer winner Ruined this year) instead of relying on the past.


Whip It marks Drew Barrymore's first time directing and she wonderfully balances a quirky comedy with enough Hollywood happiness without losing any of the independent charms or becoming overly precious.

Whip It takes the age old story of outcast girl named Bliss (Ellen Page) forced by mom (Marcia Gay Harden) to enter beauty pageants, who secretly rebels and joins a roller derby team. Basic outcast/underdog story built in with moments of independence power/girl power, family drama, reconciliation, beauty pageant comedic disasters and well, roller girls.

Drew Barrymore assembles the current go-to-it-girls to form the Hurl Scouts, the underdog team in the ragtag league that runs on the outskirts of big city Austin. With Barrymore herself playing Barrymore on skates, she lets Kristen Wiig (Extract, Adventureland, SNL etc. etc. etc. And that's just this year alone) takes over the lead as the voice of the women's team, and Wiig manages to give heart and depth as the leader of the roller pack.

And as Bliss, it-Indie girl Ellen Page again takes a Juno role but gives the character hutzpah and a spine without losing the underdog facility. Pairing her with Michael Cera's Arrested Development partner Alia Shawkat as her best friend just seems so natural and continues the trend of adding one part AD with one part Juno, add in Wiig, Ari Graynor and a rapper (this time Eve) and an up-and-coming indie rock singer (this time Landon Pigg playing aloof and indie rock perfectly) and you have the makings of a perfect indie-"surprise breakout" movie.

With the always terrific Daniel Stern (where have you been lately?!) and Gay Harden playing Page's parents, a wonderfully funny Andrew Wilson (yes, the third Wilson brother) playing Razor, the teams less-than-impressed coach, and a slimy Jimmy Fallon in a small part as the roller derby announcer, Barrymore assembled a great team to back her up.

Then there's Juliette Lewis, playing snarky Juliette Lewis at her best, as the biggest opponent to the Hurl Scouts and Page's chief rival. Lewis relishes in playing evil and toying with our protagonist but holds it just back enough to keep her character at bay, since in the end, she ultimately doesn't become the chief enemy (because you know, it's Bliss that is her own worst enemy as the lesson of the day gets spelled out).

It's not a genius film, but it surprised me by never falling too far into the indie-too-cool-for-school style or the Hollywood hokeyness. There was nothing brand new in the direction, but Drew Barrymore makes a solid directing debut with a confident film that manages to balance a rocking soundtrack over a very fun film. There's definite promise in the future of Barrymore, the director.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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My Future

My two husbands meet!

Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, Hair) with Gavin Creel (Hair, Mary Poppins)

And both played Claude in the same production of Hair! (One in Central Park, one on Broadway)

That is all!

(Thanks to @meaghan416)
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

More After the Jump...