Trav's Thoughts

I read some words that impacted me the other day.

"...if you don't know how to love around your differences, then you don't really know how to love."

"...how is it that perfect strangers won't even do my father the courtesy of not going out of their way just to stand in his?"

These words were written by Stinson Carter in a piece on Huffington Post called When the People Are Wrong -- A Son's Defense of His Father's Gay Marriage.

Pam and I don't want to be married. It's not important to us. We love and we live. But if we decided to marry in order to take advantage of certain rights and responsibilities that accrue to married couples, then nobody would say boo.

But if circumstances were different and I wanted to marry my life partner who just happened to be a guy named Mike, or Pam wanted to marry her life partner who happened to be a gal named Susan, well a bunch of people have decided that it's their business to stop us from doing that.

I have never read or heard a valid argument for denying any consenting adult in the LGBT community the right to be married to his or her life partner. Frankly, I don't believe such an argument exists.

I support marriage equality.

My Lakers finally put together back-to-back sustained efforts and closed out Denver last night on the road to win the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. I really like that they were able to get this done in Denver. It gives me confidence that they can win a key game on the road if they must.

And they dominated, stepping up the intensity to answer every challenge that Denver offered. The bench played well. The defense was cohesive. They controlled the boards. And they shot the ball well. It was an impressive close out road victory.

But I'm not ready to start talking any kind of smack here. That'll happen if and only if the boys can get 4 more wins and take the NBA championship.

I will say I'm very pleased at last night's result. They looked more like the champions I think they can be, rather than mere contenders.

Now it's just a matter of waiting to see whether Orlando closes out Cleveland tonight, or whether the Cavs can take one more step toward a grand recovery.

I have not cued theme music, nor are we live from Hollywood. But since I had no Feets for this Friday, you get assorted comments from the final two audition rounds before Vegas week.



First hour is from LA with Nigel, Mary, and guest judge Adam Shankman.

Another brilliant tap dancer! Her name is Bianca and she's straight through to Vegas.

A great Latin ballroom pair. Aska and Ricky...straight to Vegas. She made it into the late rounds last year.

And an absolutely brilliant 17 year old named Nathan. His transition from movement to movement gave me chills. His body positions are astonishing. His performance was so nuanced. But he's not eligible. You have to be 18. Nigel gave him a ticket to Vegas for the fall season 6.

Saw a cool pop-locker who also showed off a bit of rhythm and tons of personality in his performance. His name was Sammy. He got through the choreography and made it to Vegas.

Great stuff from LA y'all, with 32 making it through to Vegas.

And the audition rounds end in Seattle with Nigel and Mary joined by Mia Michaels.

The first day was so bad...only 3 dancers made it to Vegas.

Finally on the second day, some dancers. Not many, but some. There weren't any that stood out for me though.

My poor town didn't bring much. I didn't catch how man dancers made it to Vegas from Seattle, but it wasn't many.

Next week we're in Vegas looking for our top 20.

Cleveland held off the Magic, forcing the Eastern Conference final back to Orlando for game 6. The Magic can still close out the Cavs at home.

My Lakers can close out the Nuggets tonight in the Western Conference final, but they'll have to do it in Denver. I do not want this to go to a game 7 where anything can happen.

Disclaimer: The words you are about to read may resemble a standard review, however don't be fooled. I'm not actually reviewing this program until Top 20.

I have not cued theme music, nor are we live from Hollywood.



The first hour is from Miami. Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy are on the judging panel, along with Tyce Diorio.

You have to be confident in your technique and your talent to dance with your back to the audience. This one gal named Priscilla had that. And even with her back to the judges for a good portion of her audition, she was so stunningly good that she cruised through to Vegas.

There was a ballroom couple that did some great tricks. I thought what dancing they did was ok. They seem to have made it straight through to Vegas on the strength of those tricks.

I liked a young tap dancer named Erik Moore. He showed some ability to move beyond tap as well. Based on his demonstrated versatility, he went straight through to Vegas.

Another montage of contemporary/lyrical excellence, boys and girls, moving straight through to Vegas. And then a young man dancing an ethnic African style, as well as a young widow with a high energy club style. They earned tickets to Vegas by mastering the choreography.

And so 32 moved on to Vegas from Miami, many without much screen time.

Nigel and Mary head to Memphis during the next hour, meeting up with guest judge, dancer and choreographer Lil C. He has actually made Krumping accessible for me. And his notes to the dancers are always well thought out and useful. He also watches attentively, and is rarely rude.

Right off the top, a young man named Marico caught my intention with something I've never seen before. His footwork was outstanding. It's a native Memphis style, and he had performance and personality to go with technically excellent footwork. He went straight through to Vegas.

Kaitlin Kinney...sublime. And she's only had 5 years of ballet training, on top of gymnastics training. And she's had a hip reconstruction. Straight on to Vegas. Oh my.

Another very interesting girl...Anna. She had an unfortunate tendency to throw her head around a bit too much, but other than that she was wonderful. She did the choreography and made it to Vegas.

Evan is back! He made it to top 40 last year before getting cut. He's a fantastic jazz dancer and a great entertainer. He's off to Vegas and I just hope he's worked on some of the other styles, because he is marvelous...yes I used that word because it fits.

Evan's older brother Ryan is also taking a shot. He threw down a tap routine that was heavy on the comedy and solid technically. When you tap with no musical accompaniment, you better be talented because the tapping is the music. He nailed it. Another fantastic entertainer. He communicates the joy of dance. Nigel wanted him to do choreography, but Mary and Lil C said straight to Vegas. I'm looking forward to seeing more from both brothers. I hope they get some screen time.

I didn't catch how many total went to Vegas from Memphis. It was more than 20 but I think less than 30.

There were a few too many "don't put that on tv" moments for my liking. But there was also a lot of talent.

Tune in tonight for auditions from LA and Seattle.

Speaking of LA, I have been decidedly unhappy with the effort of my Lakers throughout these playoffs. They have been inconsistent and seemingly unfocused. I think that when they play like they give a damn, then there isn't a team in this league that can beat them in a 7 game series.

They came with sustained effort last night, and beat Denver to take a 3 games to 2 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Kobe continued to trust his teammates, and they came through. Now we'll see if they can bring the same intensity to game 6 in Denver with a chance to close out the Nuggets and advance to the Finals against either Orlando or Cleveland.

Orlando leads the Eastern Conference Finals 3 games to 1 over the Cavaliers, with a chance to close out tonight in Cleveland.

Can a grown man giggle for a half hour?

You be the judge.



I did. I giggled for a half hour.

Video courtesy of the LOLCats at I Can Has Cheezburger.

These thoughts have been rolling around in my head.

My way isn't necessarily your way. And your way isn't necessarily my way. And it's ok.

I like TACOs, but I realize that not everyone does. Some people may never have eaten a TACO before. And it's ok.

I may like or dislike something and have my reasons for it. But that doesn't mean I'm right or wrong about it, nor does it mean that I know for certain that the thing is good or bad.

I actively search for and express the positive in a thing, rather than be distracted by and focused on the negative. I prefer the phrase "I will always remember" to "I will never forget".

I try to be kind. I think kindness is a strength.

I love. I think loving is a strength.

See the banner at the top of my blog? I firmly believe in diversity and that it need not be divisive.

I want to learn something every day.

We spent Memorial Day with friends. We grilled outdoors. We listened to music. We played some games. We had great conversation. We came home and watched the Lakers. And none of that kept us from honoring the memory of those who's sense of duty led them down the path of ultimate sacrifice in service to country. We honor them in the way that seems best to us. And I hope you did as well. No better and no worse, just each to his own way.

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Memorial.



Please take a moment today to think of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to duty, honor, and country. They have my eternal gratitude.

And to those currently in harm's way, may you safely accomplish the mission and come home to enjoy all the tomorrows of your lives.

Welcome to Chapter 5 of my feature. I'm on a quest to fight the crippling effects of chronic pain from an old knee injury by getting out and walking. You can trace my journey by clicking here.

In Issaquah, not too far from where I live, there is a classic old style burger joint called XXX Root Beer Drive In. Every spring and throughout the summer, there are car shows during weekends.







The season opened last Sunday. Here are some of the cars we saw.

A 1967 Mustang GT500. The dash on this one is autographed by Caroll Shelby. I talked to the owner of this Mustang and he said that the restoration was completed last year. All of the exterior has been restored back to original.

Disclaimer: The post you are about to read can in no way be construed as a review.

I know. I know. I KNOW!

Stop laughing.

I said I wasn't doing reviews until Top 20. Well, this isn't a review.

Really...it's not!

I said stop laughing!

This is just a collection of thoughts about the Season 5 premier of So You Think You Can Dance.

If you don't stop laughing...don't make me come over there!

So the first hour was auditions from New York. Of course we have Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as judges. Joining them are Napoleon and Tabitha D'Umo.

And there were some dancers that really stood out for me.

There was a gal named Tiffany Geigel, born with a severe birth defect that fused her spine and stunted her growth. She danced beautifully. Nigel critiqued her dancing and gave her productive notes to improve. Only after that did he address her handicap, calling her an inspiration. The judges gave her a standing ovation for her effort, before telling her that she wouldn't continue in the competition. And she was ok with it, because she made her point. She dances because she loves it and because it's in her to dance.

There were a couple of ballroom dancers, Nina and Igor, that did a fantastic Cha Cha Cha. She did this incredible spin on the ball of her foot with her free leg barely off the ground. Mary called it a pot stir. Amazing. Igor made it through to Vegas, but not his partner.

There was a hip hop dancer that reminded me a bit of Twitch, last season's runner up. He wasn't as talented as a dancer, but he was a terrific performer and did well enough with choreography to make it to Vegas. His name is Chimezie.

41 dancers made it to Vegas out of New York.

In Denver, Nigel and Mary were joined as judges by Sonja Tayeh.

Right off the bat there is a gal named Kayla who is stunning. Her lines and shapes were amazing. She went straight through to Vegas.

There was a montage of what looked like 6 or 7 excellent lyrical/contemporary dancers. They didn't focus on anyone specific though. Presumably many or all of them made it to Vegas.

Well. Misha and Mitch dance a same sex Samba. One is straight and the other is gay. Technically they were a bit sub-standard. The judges were a bit confused by the routine, mainly because they switching between who did the lead and who did the follow. They went through to the choreography round, but neither made it through to Vegas, and it was about not being good enough dancers individually.

A couple of brothers caught my eye. One is only 16, so he's too young to try out. Look for him in a year of two. They are pop-lockers and very good. The older one's name is Elias. But like most pop-lockers, he didn't do well with choreography. He didn't make it to Vegas, but the judges told him to try again.

Last season, Brandon and Natalie were in the heart breaking #11 spot in a competition that takes the top 10 boys and top 10 girls to the live show. Katee made it through to the top 20 instead of Natalie, and Gev made it instead of Brandon. Natalie's audition was beautiful and she made Sonja very nearly speechless. Brandon was...I can't even describe it. He gave me chills. It was dramatic and he made everything look effortless. He brought Mary to tears. Brilliant. Both of them easily moved through to Vegas.

So 19 made it through to Vegas from Denver.

Next week, we get auditions from Miami and Memphis.

See? I told you it wasn't a review. I didn't even cue the theme music. HA!

But wait! Can I get a woooooooooooooooo for a fall season?????? Are you kidding me? We get Dancing with the Stars AND So You Think You Can Dance at the same time???

Hokey smokes Bulwinkle!

We were not as involved in American Idol this season. We did watch most of the performance shows, but we were not compelled to vote.

So who joined the list of winners?

Season 1, Kelly Clarkson
Season 2, Reuben Studdard
Season 3, Fantasia Barrino
Season 4, Carrie Underwood
Season 5, Taylor Hicks
Season 6, Jordin Sparks
Season 7, David Cook

And for Season 8, your 2009 American Idol is...



Kris Allen!

Well done young man!

Had enough dancing yet? Not me!

Tune in tomorrow night for the Season 5 premier of So You Think You Can Dance. And yes I will be posting recaps...just not until we get to the Top 20.

Cue that theme music because we're awarding that fabulous mirror ball trophy tonight. That's right...and it's live from Hollywood!



Encores anyone?

We had a the group come together for a powerful Paso Doble.

Melissa and Tony danced a hip hop free style full of tricks.

Gilles and Cheryl Flashdanced a solid free style to What A Feeling.

But for me, Shawn and Mark had the dance of the night with a free style that was fun, frolicky, and fantastic.

So how did they stack up after Monday's performances? I'll tell you! It's like this...

58 Shawn and Mark
58 Gilles and Cheryl
56 Melissa and Tony

I make this one prediction...it's going to be dang close.

But before we get to the results, we've got oodles of entertainment!

It's Lady Gaga in the ballroom, singing Just Dance. I actually enjoy her voice and she certainly brings the energy.

And now it's our first video retrospective of the first three weeks of competition, with the parade of eliminated pairs. Melinda and Jonathan return with their Samba. Denise and Maks dance their Quickstep. Dmitry and Holly dance their Samba. And each celebrity reminds us why they went home early.

Awwww...I'm sorry. That was harsh.

Oh hey! Samantha Harris is on her way to Broadway this summer, as a member of the cast of Chicago! Break a leg darlin!

Now we have the return of Geek Feet, with Steve and Karina dancing their Quickstep, leading into the next video retrospective. David and Kym return with their beautiful Viennese Waltz. Steve and Lacey dance their Foxtrot.

Oh! It's the winner of the new pro competition. It's down to Mayo Alanen and Anna Demidova. And the new pro is...Anna Demidova! Well done my dear!



And we even get an encore of this terrific Quickstep, danced with Maks.

We continue with the parade of eliminated pairs, as LT interrupts his golf game to return to the ballroom to dance Jive with Edyta. Chuck and Julianne dance their sizzling Samba.

Oh my. It's Jeffrey Ross doing his version of a celebrity roast. He was mildly amusing, but mostly uncomfortable. Fortunately it was short.

Let's rev it back up with our final video retrospective. Lil Kim and Derek bring back their Jive. Ty and Chelsie reprise their Lindyhop.

And then there were three.

Our finalists get one last dance for scores...they'll choose their favorite dances from the season. These scores get added to the totals from last night, and then combine with votes to determine the winner. Fan votes count for 50%.

As long as nobody makes a glaring mistake, watch for these scores to get as close to a tie as possible to let the fans decide their favorite. And remember gang...it is about the votes and how they fall, not necessarily who was the best dancer.

Shawn and Mark dance Cha Cha Cha. This was her break through dance and next to that free style on Monday, it was their best dance of the season. And she brought it again! You can tell she really loves this dance. All that stiffness she usually has is completely gone. She's relaxed and having fun. Personality, technique, performance, and all the Cha Cha Cha content you could ask for. Outstanding! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. She's done enough to win...did the fans come through?

Melissa and Tony dance Samba. She really earned her Latin wings on this dance. And she nailed it again this time around. It was exciting and sexy. They captured the character of the party dance to perfection. She held her energy throughout the performance. Great choice to close out. We've really enjoyed her this season. She's graceful and elegant, and she brings class to every dance. Fantastic performance! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. She's been a great partner for Tony, coming in late as a replacement, and Tony deserves the win...it's up to the fans now.

Gilles and Cheryl dance Argentine Tango. There were so many fantastic dances they could have chosen. But this one was so precise. They set fire to the ballroom with this. It was smoldering and sensual. The footwork was sharp and the performance was sizzling. They were consistently the best pair all season. If you didn't know, you'd be hard pressed to pick which of them was the professional. Just stunning. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. His elegance, sophistication, and characterization are brilliant...again, it's all about the fans.

There was no doubt in my mind that those dances would all earn straight 10's. They were that good.

Here's our final leader board:

88 Shawn and Mark
88 Gilles and Cheryl
86 Melissa and Tony

Damn close y'all. How will it end?

Lady Gaga returns for a musical interlude while the scores are tabulated. She brought her own dancers, which is a little disappointing because we always enjoy watching the DWTS pros.

And now the final results.

Finishing third, Melissa and Tony. Awwwwww.

Less than 1% separated first and second in the vote. Wow. Told ya it'd be close.

Finishing second, Gilles and Cheryl. Whoa!

Our champions, Shawn and Mark! Turns out they did enough and the fans carried the day! Came on strong at the end and peaked at the right moment, just like true champions. Well done!



And now it's over. Bummer.



But never fear! So You Think You Can Dance returns tomorrow with a 2 hour premier!

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen dueled it out in the American Idol finale last night. We like them both, and wish them both success in the next phase of their careers.

Based on the body of work throughout the entire season, we prefer Adam. But Kris is also very good and we wouldn't be surprised or disappointed with either of them winning.

Tune in tonight for the final results.

Whew! My Lakers got off to a slow start against Denver in game 1 of the Western Conference Final. But they battled back for a hard fought victory to take a 1 game to 0 lead.

This is going to be a tough series. Denver has the game plan to get it done. The Lakers need to bring effort to each game.

It's the performance finale and it's live from Hollywood!



It's a Paso Doble dance off and free style!

The judges visited each pair this week in a bit of a master class. Usually it's just Len spending time with each couple.

Bruno suggested to Shawn that she needed to bring something surprising to the choreography. He also coached her about extension and reach.

Carrie Ann told Melissa she needed to punch up the aggression and passion in the Paso, and bring that fire to the dance.

Len helped Gilles tone down the tendency to be hectic with his movement.

And here we go with the group Paso Doble. Shawn and Mark are first with the solo. They are crisp and precise, with great drama. We thought we saw some footwork bobbles, but it was hard to tell with her dress. Melissa and Tony are next. She was really doing well with the drama and passion, bringing the aggression while maintaining her poise, but I thought I saw another bobble toward the end of the solo. Gilles and Cheryl hit on every move. They were controlled and intense. They dominated the solo. The unison at the end was outstanding between the three pairs. As a whole, that dance was excellent.

Judges say 9,9,10 for Shawn and Mark.
Judges say 10,9,10 for Melissa and Tony.
Judges say 10's across for Gilles and Cheryl.

I'm not sure about the 10's for Shawn and Melissa because of the bobbles. Watch for these scores to stay very tight through the free style.

Here's the leader board so far:

30 Gilles and Cheryl
29 Melissa and Tony
28 Shawn and Mark

Anything goes in the free style round.

Shawn and Mark decided to keep the gymnastics to a minimum and incorporate what she has learned during the show. I love it when the free style still has the ballroom and Latin elements to it. This dance had all that stuff and more, taking them to another level. It was upbeat and fun. The lifts and tricks were outstanding. That last trick was way cool! And her personality was front and center. They really went for it. The choreography was creative, it was youthful, it was fast. And they got all around praise from the judges. Well done! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. We knew that was coming!

Melissa gave Tony a shiner during rehearsal for this free style. And it's a hip hop. They went for it with plenty of well done big tricks. The dance steps were pretty tame and designed mainly to get from trick to trick. The dance had high energy and although the tricks were outstanding, we were surprised that Tony went away from Melissa's strengths, which have everything to do with elegance and class. It would have been great to see a full on ballroom show dance with the best of every style. We did the dance. We just wanted to see more dancing. And if I'm being honest, it wasn't as good as Shawn and Mark. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Gilles and Cheryl give us a bit of Flashdance. This is actually what a real show dance can be like. The lifts flow from the steps, and the steps are danced. This routine had changes of pace and controlled tempo. We thought it was a bit of an unusual choice, but the performance was terrific. Still, we thought through the whole season that his biggest strength was in the Latin styles and we were a bit surprised that Cheryl didn't capitalize on that and create a show piece in that style. That would be a similar criticism as with Melissa and Tony. Cheryl had the Latin dancer of the season, and she discarded that. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28. And being honest again, we thought Shawn and Mark were better.

And our leader board now looks like this:

58 Shawn and Mark
58 Gilles and Cheryl
56 Melissa and Tony

I admit it. I wavered. I had 5 votes for my phone. Shawn wowed me last night. That free style was really good. And I was splitting between Shawn and Melissa for a long time earlier in the season. How can I choose????



But I must choose! And choose I did. I loved Shawn last night, but I went with Melissa for her body of work and consistency throughout the season.

Pam held fast and her votes went to Gilles. Although she did frown that there was no sexy Latin style dance medley.

So one pair will come in third, leaving the final two couples to dance once more for scores. And then we shall have our winner!

Tune in tonight!