Trav's Thoughts

Positive Day comes from the mind of a terrific 12 year old. She's Diva Daughter, the daughter of my blog pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage. The idea is explained in this post.

Positive thoughts lead to positive actions, which lead to positive results. Sometimes we can trace a clear path from the thought to the action to the result. Other times, there can be so much time between them that we're unable to find the connections.

But make no mistake, consistent positive results don't happen by accident. It takes planning, which takes careful consideration. And then we must act on the plan. And then sometimes we must be patient. We really do make our own luck.

Of course, we don't always get exactly what we want. And some would say that falling short of what we want is a negative result. I disagree. Falling short of a goal requires re-evaluation. What caused the short fall? Was the plan clearly defined? How many of the steps were checked off? Were any steps skipped? Were any steps unrealistic? Was the goal unrealistic? Was an intermediate goal attained, and could this be the jump off to a redefined new goal and a new plan?

These are all questions that make us think critically. And as we think critically, we uncover truths about the goal and the desire to reach it. And we uncover truths about ourselves. This is a good thing...a positive thing...because from this kind of critical thinking comes insight.

We should never be afraid of insight into ourselves and the world around us. I think this is how we take control and gain power over our own lives. And I think it's how we learn that the majority of people with whom we come in contact are after many of the same things we are. They don't necessarily want to take our things from us, nor do they need to. They simply want to find their things, their comforts, their wants, and their desires.

These things are not mutually exclusive...me from you, you from me, us from them. We can be an Us in this way, rather than some of Us and a lot more of Them.

That's why I was pleased to hear that Diva Daughter had come up with the idea of Positive Day. She took exception to someone telling her why she shouldn't like something. She wanted to decide for herself what she liked.

See, none of us can say what's good or bad for anyone else. Experts can try to tell us, but we're still allowed to make up our minds whether we like something or not. And it's ok not to like something that the majority likes. It is not ok for the majority to tell us we shouldn't like what they don't like, or like what they like when we don't.

We can all like what we like, and dislike what we like, without running the thing down or disparaging the people who think differently than we. When we explain why we like or don't like something, it's about individual taste.

How can anyone say that an individual taste is wrong or bad? Individual tastes aren't subject to majority or minority rule. You can say you don't like Harry Potter, but you can't tell me it isn't any good...I like Harry Potter!

So what are my positive thoughts for today?

• Traffic does not have power over my attitude
• The heatwave does not have power over my attitude

And what are my positive thoughts in the longer term?

• Those determined to focus on the idea that differences of thought or opinion are bad will not have power over my attitude
• Those determined to tell me I'm wrong simply because we disagree will not have power over my attitude
• I will recognize and accept my prejudices, and they will not have power over my attitude toward those with whom I interact
  

Finally, what are my positive actions for today?

I only need one positive action, and that is to be open-minded in all things at all times.

Thank you Diva Daughter. If I'm still around in 2032, I'll give serious consideration to your ideas to take this country forward as its President. And you know what young lady? I think someone is going to beat you to the title First Woman President of the United States.

How's that for positive?

Jennifer, your girl is a keeper.

And cue music. Welcome to



Here are a few encores.

I thought Evan held his own in strength and athleticism in the guys' group dance. To those who say that Brandon and Ade are better dancers in this style, you might be right. But I'll remind you that Brandon was the one who stepped out of a back flip at about 1:30. Click here.

I didn't really like the gals' super hero dance. It was a cool concept, but I didn't care for the dancing. Still, with both of the group dances you can see and compare the kids and make your own decisions about who you like. Click here.

I couldn't find clips of the solos, but I can tell you that I thought Brandon's was one of the best of this season.

Dance of the night goes to the Contemporary from Kayla and Brandon. Click here.

Cat update...it's LEGSES in a gorgeous green sequined number. Most outstanding!

The Top 6 have a moment together in a beautiful dance choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Simply wonderful.

Hey...tonight we're seeing some dances from last season by the original dancers.

Results first for the gals...Jeanine is in the finale, which means the other spot for the gals is between Kayla and Melissa.

Jessica Goodwin and Will Wingfield return with Silence choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Stunning, just as I remembered it.

Results now for the guys...Brandon is in the finale, which means the other spot for the guys is between Ade and Evan.

Katee Shean and Twitch Boss return with Mercy choreographed by Mia Michaels. Excellent.

Chelsie Hightower and Joshua Allen return with A Los Amigos choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin. Outstanding.

Now we have solos, which will not change the results.

Melissa - I liked that a little better this time.
Ade - Still didn't like it.
Kayla - I didn't like the solo, but she has star power.
Evan - The final spins and the little leap...that's as good as anybody else.

JabbaWockeeZ performs. That's what they mean when they talk about synchronization. Wow.

Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura return with Bleeding Love choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo. Damn that is so good!

I can report that Chelsie Hightower was eliminated in the Top 6 round along with Mark Kanemura. Chelsie was in two of the Emmy nominated dances from last season. And she had a terrific season as a pro on Dancing with the Stars, taking Ty Murray to the finale this past spring.

Here we go now.

Kayla is in the finale, which means Melissa is out.



EVAN IS IN THE FINALE, which means Ade is out.



WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

HAPPY DANCE!!!

Tune in next week when our Top 4 finalists - Brandon, EVAN, Jeanine, Kayla - dance for our votes to become America's Favorite dancer.

Welcome to



Cat update...LEGSES from a simple purple number. Nice!

It's Top 6, and that means we're looking for our Final Four favorite dancers on the way to next week's finale. Excited?

Me too!

Lil C returns to the judging panel, joined by regulars Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy.

Wow...the stage looks so big now. Which of these six dancers is going to command it and fill it up?

It's two dances per pair again, plus a solo each and a separate group number for the guys and gals choreographed by Sonja Tayeh.

Let's get to it.

Ade, Brandon, and Evan showcase power and athleticism, broken up by artistic shapes. Ade and Brandon should thrive in this kind of piece, and they do. But Evan will surprise a lot of people with his performance. He held his own in leaps and throws. My untrained eye didn't find any appreciable difference between the three of them in terms of strength. Evan could easily have been lost. But Sonja did an excellent job of keeping him relevant in the piece, and Evan did the rest. I enjoyed the work, and all three guys in it.

Jeanine is paired with Ade for Samba choreographed by Louis van Amstel. I didn't like it and I wanted to. They snapped off the movements too much, and that took the sexiness out of it for me. They played at being sexy, rather than using the choreography to make it sexy. Ade was way too stiff. Jeanine had the idea, but she didn't get enough help from her partner. This was pro-level choreography clearly danced by two people who had no idea about the dance. That's ok at any other point in the show, but at this level with what we have at stake now, it just wasn't danced well enough. These are still two strong contemporary dancers. However I think they missed big on Samba.

Kayla's solo seemed thrown together. I enjoy watching her dance, but I expected her to step up and that solo just seemed frantic to me. She danced it better last week.

Melissa is paired with Evan for Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. We might finally come around to a style and choreography that suits Evan right down to his jazz hands. It was full of character and comedy. Evan was fantastic. He got a chance to clearly show the kind of entertainer he is. I thought that the problem in this dance was Melissa. She couldn't seem to loosen up her ballerina form at all. She needed to relax into the movement and she didn't. I thought Evan tried to drag her through it, and there were places where it seemed like he was toning down to keep her in it. This piece was about personality and entertaining. For me, Evan had it and Melissa did not.

Ade's solo showed me very little growth or maturity. He left out the big back flip, but I didn't understand his movement at all. I want to be brought on stage by a dancer, and he doesn't do it for me.

Kayla and Brandon are paired for Contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey. I think that these two are the most versatile dancers left in the competition. I don't recall either of them missing on a dance so far. This was a showcase piece for them. It emphasized the excellent technical training they both have. It showed off power and emotion. Not only did they dance well, but they acted well. They communicated with each other, and with the studio audience, and right through the television to me. I liked this dance very much. This was two dancers who took advantage of dancing in their own style, and stepped it up.

Melissa's solo demonstrates once more that she is a ballet dancer. While there is nothing wrong with that...and I think she is a beautiful ballet dancer...I just don't find her versatile enough to be my favorite dancer.

Jeanine and Ade return with Hip Hop choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo. I don't like what Ade said during rehearsal about doing his choreography and Jeanine messing up. Dancers must work together. I find that kind of immaturity distasteful. This choreography had some gimmicks in it. They mostly worked. I thought Jeanine was the stronger of the two. She attacks every style. I think Ade picks and chooses when he's going to play. He has all the talent in the world. Now he's just got to find the right attitude and hold it through everything he is given to do.

Brandon's solo finally went back to that emotional place he was in during that first audition. This is what I've been waiting to see all season in a solo. Brilliant.

Melissa and Evan return for Quickstep choreographed by Louis van Amstel. Oh hell. If anyone can get them through it, it's Louis. He has chosen a very 40s style for this Quickstep which suits Evan. The side by side work wasn't bad from both of them. They had some trouble in the runs, but most do. Performance-wise, they both captured the liveliness of the music and the lightness of the era. I thought they worked well together in this piece. It wasn't the best Quickstep on the show, but it was far from the worst. Evan grabbed this as an opportunity. Props to Melissa for her partner work, and Louis for his choreography. She's so much taller, but together they were able to create the illusion that the height difference wasn't as bit a deal. I think that Evan got run down a bit by the judges because he slowed down through some of the movement to let Melissa keep up.

Jeanine's solo was controlled and engaging. She made her way across the stage, showcasing what she can do. And she can do a lot.

Evan's solo demonstrates why I'm voting for him. He's not the best dancer, but he's my favorite.

Kayla and Brandon return for Disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez. A lot of times these Disco routines look out of control. I don't know if that's by design, but this one just looked like a series of unconnected moves broken up by some really cool lifts. There was so much packed into it, that it kind of bogged down. I didn't really like it.

Jeanine, Kayla, and Melissa danced with strength and power also in their group routine. I didn't really like the dance or the choreography. I ended up watching Jeanine. In fairness, by the time this dance rolled around, I was just too damn uncomfortable and grumpy from sweltering in the heat.

I voted for Evan. Pam finally committed to one dancer...she chose Jeanine. And we both ranked the dancers this week, most favorite to least.

I have them so: Evan, Jeanine, Brandon, Kayla, Ade, Melissa

Pam has them thus: Jeanine, Evan, Kayla, Brandon, Melissa, Ade

It's one of the toughest eliminations of all tonight as we say goodbye to one guy and one gal on our way to the Final Four.



In honor of Positive Day tomorrow, I'm going to have a positive attitude today that Evan is going to make Final Four.

Positive Day comes from the mind of a terrific 12 year old. She's the daughter of my blog pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage. The idea is explained in this post. Please consider joining us on Friday, 31 July, and reward a young girl's faith in humanity.

I know what you're thinking. He can't possibly put a positive spin on a heatwave.

Yes he can.

It's been in the 90's over the past several days. I know a lot of my readers would consider that mild weather for late July. After all, it's been in the 100's in the southern and southwestern states. And the eastern states are about to head into the dog days of summer...when temps and humidity soar.

But I live in the pacific northwest...the land of reasonable and mild summers...where that first tick up to 90 degrees sends the natives into paroxysms of dismay because it's JUST TOO DAMN HOT. I look at poor Mr Tucker and he just wants me to make it go away.

We don't have air conditioning.

But here's where the positive comes in. This kind of heat historically only lasts from three days to two weeks at most. And those days often don't come in a row. And when this heatwave has run it's course, temps will take a drastic dip down to the 70's before settling in the mid-80's through most of the rest of the summer.

We don't need air conditioning. We just need to get through the worst of the hot.

It was 97 yesterday. It could reach 100 today.

No A/C.

Positive Day comes from the mind of a terrific 12 year old. She's the daughter of my blog pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage. The idea is explained in this post. Please consider joining us on Friday, 31 July, and reward a young girl's faith in humanity.

Hey gang! It's another positive day in my world. How about you?

You know what's really cool? Seeing a pal have success. So imagine how cool it was to head over to Razored Zen a few days ago and see that my blog pal Charles Gramlich has a new book out.

It can be a bit intimidating for a wanna-be writer such as myself to mix with a published author such as Charles. So many of the folks who comment at his blog are published writers. Sometimes I feel like some kind of pretender or tag-a-long.

But from the first tentative comments I tried, I found that Charles is an unpretentious guy and his writing community isn't quite so scary. In fact, they are a helpful and encouraging bunch.

Then I read Charles' Talera series and realized how honestly talented a writer he is.

The new book is about writing. It's called Write With Fire: Thoughts on the Craft of Writing. Charles describes the book on his blog:

The book is 248 pages, and divided into three parts. The first part is mainly about the practical mechanics of writing. How do you shepherd ideas through the writing and editing process and into the final form needed for publication? It talks more about fiction than nonfiction but a lot of the articles are really about communicating with your writing, which applies to any genre. The second part deals more with theory and philosophy in writing. What kind of characteristics are common to writers? What makes and breaks a “page-turner?” The last and much shorter section consists of articles that are more personal to my life as a writer, such as my experiences after Hurricane Katrina.

Congratulations on the latest book, Charles! Even thought I'm not actively working on any of my fiction projects or poetry at this time, you remind me that it's always possible to succeed.

Positive Day comes from the mind of a terrific 12 year old. She's the daughter of my blog pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage. The idea is explained in this post. Please consider joining us on Friday, 31 July, and reward a young girl's faith in humanity.

Welcome to another Manic Monday...with Travis! The originator of this Manic Monday feature, Morgen of It's A Blog Eat Blog World, has interests moving in another direction lately. The first Manic Monday was way back on 29 January 2007! The very first word was Cruising. You can read my post here. I think I've only missed a couple of weeks during the most excellent run of this feature.

To Morgen, I just want to say that I appreciate how you've managed the game. It's been fun.

I didn't see a word on Friday, so I've decided to do my own. My word for today is Positive.



Positive Day comes from the mind of a terrific 12 year old. She's the daughter of my blog pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage. The idea is explained in this post.

I'm making this kind of a week of positive thinking and actions leading up to the grand Positive Day on Friday. My first positive thought of the week is to remind you that if you think you can't do something, give it another think. You might surprise yourself.

In October 1996, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with nonseminomatous testicular cancer, which spread to his lungs, abdomen, and brain. He was 25 years old and entering the prime of his career as a grand tour bicycle racer. He had won two stages in the Tour de France prior to his diagnosis. But his doctors gave him only a 50% chance of survival after surgery on brain tumors and to remove a cancerous testicle.

After rigorous and debilitating treatments, he beat cancer and returned to the grand tour with a 4th place finish in the Vuelta a Espana in 1998. Did you just do the math? He was given a 50% chance to survive a serious fight with cancer. In just two years, he returned to cycling. In 1999 he won the first of his 7 consecutive Tours de France. This feat is unprecedented in the sport of cycling, even by healthy racers. Others have won 5 Tours. Lance Armstrong won 7. In a row. After beating cancer.

Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation brings awareness and money to the fight against all forms of cancer. It also provides guidelines and suggestions for healthy living. But more importantly, it brings hope. It reminds us that no matter the odds, we can still try. Attitude is critical to fighting cancer, because the treatments are invasive and harsh. I know. I've been through it. And I won my fight.

I know many have lost long battles with cancer. My paternal grandmother fought for years and lost. Pam's mom fought and lost. Many of my blog pals have fought and won, or lost, or have family that are battling or have battled.

Lance Armstrong retired from competitive cycling after his 7th Tour win, in 2005, and spent more than three years away from the sport. This year he returned to "raise awareness of the global cancer burden." He raced without a salary for Team Astana. On Sunday, 25 July, Armstrong finished the Tour de France in 3rd place, behind teammate and overall winner Alberto Contador of Spain and second place Andy Schleck of Luxembourg and Team Saxo Bank. He has announced the formation of a new team for the 2010 cycling season, to be sponsored in the main by Radio Shack.


The next time you think you can't do something, give it another think. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for.



Edit: Morgen came through with Final for this week's Manic Monday, representing the Final word in his feature. Again I'd like to extend my thanks to Mo for giving us this weekly Monday game. I've enjoyed it.

I grabbed the graphic from Jamie at Duward Discussion.

And to tie in Mo's word Final with my word Positive, I know we haven't written the Final chapter on Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France, or on his humanitarian efforts to help defeat cancer, and to give cancer patients hope and inspiration.

Please consider joining us on Friday, 31 July, for Positive Day in the Bloggosphere, and reward a young girl's faith in humanity.

I was watching Rio Bravo last night. Did you know that it was released 50 years ago? It's one of my favorite fun John Wayne westerns. Dean Martin rocks in it.

Anyway, I was watching it last night. The body count is pretty high. And most of the shootings are pretty casual. One guy gets gut shot just for trying to break up a fight. A couple more guys get blasted trying to bust a guy out of jail. And half a dozen guys get hosed in the climactic scene.

Of course, the good guys never get hit. But they sure do pile up a bunch of bad guys.

Did you ever wonder about the bad guys who get killed? You know...all those extras who's job it is to get shot during the big fire fight? The throw-away guys who spring up with no back story and get shot or blown up.

I think what gets me about those guys is the lack of back story for them. It's like they are just bodies, all alone with no other function but to get killed in a 30-bad-guys-to-3-good-guys fire fight because the bad guys are never very good shots and the good guys hit everything they aim at.

Those guys got up in the morning and had their coffee, then met their bad guy friends for the big bad guy business of the day. And they didn't know that was going to be their last day ever. They just went to the bad guy job, and sometime during the day's events, they got in the way of a good guy's bullet.

Done. Fall down the stairs. Very little drama. Just dead. End of story. Not even a fade to black, because we don't fade to black for the bad guys...just the good guys.

And mostly we're ok with that. It's only the movies, right?

Still, I got to wondering two things. First, if you knew you were waking up on your last day, how would you get to the end? And second, if life ended suddenly with no warning at all, would you have any significant regrets?

You don't have to answer. I'm not going to answer. The movie just made me wonder.

And cue music! Welcome to



You will not see the dance from Melissa and Ade in my encores. Why? Because I did not think it was special. I thought it was lovely, but not special. You may search it out on youtube and decide for yourself. In my opinion, the judges wanted it to be special and reacted more to the subject of the dance instead of the dancers. That's not right or wrong. It's just what happened on Wednesday. I disagreed with them.

And that's enough said about that.

So what did I like on Wednesday? Well I'll tell you!

I liked Janette's solo because she brought more to it than just her Salsa style. And I liked Kayla's solo because it shows that she is rounding into a complete dancer. I could only find a clip with all four solos from the gals, so click here.

I liked Evan's solo because even though he dropped his hat, he showed that he does know how to entertain and perform with his whole body, including his facial expressions. Again, I could only find all four solos together on one clip, so you can decide for yourselves how they compare to each other. Click here.

And dance of the night? It's Kayla with Jason in the Broadway piece. I had to watch it several times and in the end I forced myself to watch Jason. Kayla kept pulling my focus, she's so dang good in the piece. Click here.

Now, welcome to the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance!



The Top 8 group number is an interpretation of One from A Chorus Line, choreographed by Mia Michaels. Most outstanding!

Cat update...LEGSES!

There's a great video retrospective of the last 99 episodes, beginning with rehearsal footage and moving through so many routines and dancers I remember. I've watched since the beginning. One of our dancers this season will join Nick Lazarini, Benji Schwimmer, Sabra Johnson, and Joshua Allen as America's Favorite Dancer.

Results for the gals first. Melissa is safe. Jeanine is safe. That puts Kayla and Janette in the bottom two. I disagree with this result.

Jamie Goodwin and Hok Konishi from season 3 reprise Hummingbird and Flower. Wade Robson won an Emmy for this.

Results for the guys now. Ade is safe. EVAN is safe!!! That puts Jason and Brandon in the bottom two. I don't necessarily agree with this result either.

But, it's America's favorite dancer and sometimes I'm going to disagree with who that is.

Heidi Groskreutz and Travis Wall from season 2 reprise The Bench. Mia Michaels won an Emmy for this.

Solos - can't change the result.

Kayla - She doesn't belong in the bottom. Something about her just isn't connecting with voters.
Jason - I think he performed that a bit better than on Wednesday.
Janette - She doesn't belong here either. I'm thinking the vote is really close.
Brandon - Dynamic, but still leaving me a bit cold.

Now it's Ramalama, choreographed by Wade Robson for the season 2 Top 10. Wade performs with the group this time around. We have got to have more choreographers dance on this show!

Katie Holmes stars in a cabaret piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio to Get Happy, filmed on a different set rather than danced live on the SYTYCD stage. It's like a mini movie. Ms Holmes donated her performance fee to The Dizzy Feet Foundation. As my pal Anndi described it..."she shimmies, walks, lip syncs, does a fan kick, gets carried, shimmies, lip syncs, shimmies, walks, kicks". I actually liked it...but what really caught my attention was spotting Mark Kanemura and Joshua Allen, and then trying to recognize the rest of the guys from their seasons on the show.

And now it's time for eliminations.

For the gals, Kayla is safe and Janette is out. I completely disagree with this result.



For the guys, Brandon is safe and Jason is out. I agree with this result.



Let me say this. If Melissa is your favorite dancer and you voted for her because you've been voting for her, then good for you. That's the way the show works. But I'm going to be honest and tell you that this result for the gals disappoints me.

Of course, at the end of this show, there are going to be several outstanding dancers who aren't America's Favorite.

Next week we get to Final Four on our way to the finale. Best of luck to Ade, Brandon, Evan, Jeanine, Kayla, and Melissa.

I haven't made blog rounds much this week. I'll catch up with y'all soon!

Welcome to



Cat update...it's LEGSES and a stunning dress!

We've got a foursome at the judging table tonight with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy joined by Mia Michaels and Ellen DeGeneres. Yes, that Ellen DeGeneres. And tonight it's a top 8 group number, solos from all 8, and 2 routines from each new pair.

We begin with the group number for our Top 8, choreographed by Travis Wall. Travis said it was supposed to be a huge banana extravaganza. I don't know what that means, but I enjoyed the number. It had power and punch.

There's a little preview of the 100th episode, which airs tonight. We'll see the Emmy winning dances from past seasons, plus a dance from Katie Holmes. I can't wait!

OK, let's get to the rest of the dancing.

Janette, 25 year old Salsa dancer, is paired with Evan, 22 year old Broadway dancer, for Jazz choreographed by Sonja Tayeh. The theme is shut up. The choreography was weird, which I've sort of come to expect from Sonja. I would have preferred Jazz choreography closer to Evan's style, although he seemed reasonably comfortable with the movement. I must say they danced what they were given pretty well. Janette is a spitfire and looks good dancing in just about any style. And Evan is often under-rated as a partner, but in this piece he was solid. I liked the piece.

Kayla's solo emphasized the control she has over her body. She combines athleticism with unusual movement, and it almost always works. She has learned how to put the movements together and keep everything connected without going frantic.

Jeanine, 18 year old Contemporary dancer, is paired with Brandon, 19 year old Contemporary dancer, for Waltz from Hunter Johnson. Lifts did not appear to go well in rehearsal. Jeanine was beautiful, and both of their non-Waltz work was well done. But as a Waltz, which it was supposed to be, I thought the dance was rough and somewhat disconnected. There was no rise and fall and they did not glide through the dance. The choreography wasn't really traditional Waltz, and it was difficult, which wasn't their fault. But I didn't see the extended lines that I've gotten used to from these two dancers. They also didn't seem to have complete control of the performance. There was no fairy tale. For the first time, they looked young and inexperienced, and unable to pull off the style. I didn't like this much.

Jason's solo was lacking something for me. He seemed to be trying to pack too much in, and so didn't appear to finish anything off. It didn't look choreographed.

Melissa, 29 year old Ballet dancer, is paired with Ade, 20 year old Contemporary dancer, for Cha Cha Cha choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. There should be no issue with chemistry between these two, since they were together in the Top 20. They did a bit better than I expected. This is so far outside anything comfortable for them. There were elements that they performed well. But really the best I can say is that they got through it. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best effort from either of them. Oddly enough, with their history together as partners, I didn't really feel anything sexy in that dance between them. Nor did I really see anything cheeky in it, and Cha Cha Cha is cheeky above all. I did not like this.

Janette's solo brought more than just Salsa movement. She didn't actually dance her Salsa style. And what she did was terrific. I like her a lot.

Kayla, 18 year old Jazz/Contemporary dancer, is paired with Jason, 21 year old Lyrical/Contemporary dancer, for Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. This is quite the jazzy number. I LOVE Kayla in this. Her lines and extensions were exquisite. She proved she can be a star. Sorry Jason...I didn't even notice you. That dance belonged to Kayla. She mesmerized me. I'll have to watch it back to get any idea about Jason. As Mia said, if Kayla can sing and act, the sky is the limit for this girl. She is that good. I'll say I liked the piece, based on Kayla's performance.

Ade's solo was much more suited to the music this week. His leaps are his strongest point, but I will say that I'm over the back flip. It's a signature move from him and I get that he's comfortable with it. But after the first wow moment, it's just there.

Janette and Evan return with Rumba choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. This could be a disaster. I'm not worried about Janette. But if she and Tony and Melanie can't get Evan to roll his hips in the proper sexy way, then he just doesn't have it in him. OK, once again Evan shows what a strong partner he can be. And he did have the hip rolls working. He actually did a good job in this, except for a bobble or two with footwork. Janette was mega watt HAWT. This style was so suited to her, and yet she did not dance beyond Evan. This actually was a pretty good dance. It was smooth and sensual. It wasn't my favorite, but I liked it.

Melissa's solo stepped slightly away from strict ballet, but it left me a bit cold. I've drawn steadily away from her throughout the show. I can't explain it, but as much as I respect her ballet talent, she's just not a favorite.

Jeanine and Brandon return with Pop/Jazz choreographed by LaurieAnn Gibson. I like both of these dancers and I thought they each danced well in this piece. I didn't care for the routine, but each of them brought emotion and power to the dancing. I can't review the dance though. Let's just say that these are two of my favorite dancers and I didn't enjoy their work this evening as a matter of personal taste.

Evan's solo once again demonstrated that he can tell a story in dance in 30 seconds. Nigel suggested after the Rumba that Evan didn't perform with his face. Uhm...pppppppffffffffttttttttt! Evan is all about entertaining with his expressions. Just watch his solo work. And make no mistake, Evan is an excellent solo artist.

Jeanine's solo expressed the music very well. I'm not sure I liked it and I think she had kind of an off night. Just my opinion.

Melissa and Ade return with Contemporary choreographed by Tyce Diorio. This is supposed to be an emotional piece, telling the story of a woman with breast cancer. The dancing was very good, most particularly the lifts. But I'm going to express what is likely to be an unpopular position with respect to the entire dance. If the rehearsal footage had not explained what the dance was about, I would have felt no emotional connection to the piece. The dance was lovely and well performed. But it was not emotional...even if you understand how much I hate cancer. This dance did not affect me, and it was not memorable. To me, the dance did not portray the struggle with cancer without telling us it was about cancer. I'm indifferent to this piece.

Brandon's solo proved again how well he can leap and spin. Didn't focus much on dancing, but he went with his strengths. He's only performed two solos since making Top 20, but I'm still waiting to see the emotion and passion in his solo work that he showed in that first audition.

Kayla and Jason return with Hip Hop choreographed by Shane Sparks. I haven't really been impressed with the quality of the hip hop this season. They both seemed to minimize the street element out of this piece and cover it with more contemporary movements. I think they danced well, but I was distracted a little bit by the costumes and make up...which of course isn't the dancers' fault. I'll say I enjoyed it. It was fun and entertaining.

Ellen cracked me up throughout the night. She was a pleasant counter to Nigel, who seemed to have the cranky pants on just a little too tight.

Of course, you'll have guessed that my votes went to Evan. I'm locked in until he either gets eliminated or wins the show.

Pam is still undecided, and Kayla's strong performance in the Broadway piece muddied the waters even further. Pam is definitely leaning toward the gals. She split votes tonight between Jeanine, Janette, and Kayla.

Tune in tonight for the 100th episode!

I try to be a positive person. I'm mostly successful. Sometimes I get down, or angry, or just funked out. Little things can annoy me. Medium things can frustrate me.

And great big things can just ruin a day.

But in general, I look at life and try to see possibilities.

My pal Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage has a terrific daughter. You can see just how terrific by reading this post and this one. The young lady is 12, and already has a well defined sense of who she is and where she's headed. In fact, she has stated that when she becomes President, she will formally declare a Positive Day.

Isn't that terrific?

Seeing as how Diva Daughter is some years away from her run at the Presidency, here's what we're going to do. Grab this badge...



...and fly it on 31 July. Post some of your positive thoughts and ideas. And be sure to link back to Dust Bunny Hostage.

Most importantly, actively pursue completely positive actions throughout the day. Think things through, find the positive aspects, and act on them.

It'll be fun. And it'll be a grand way to show a bright young lady that words and deeds truly matter and can make a difference.

I was going to complain about something today. But then I read something that made me re-think.

And so I'm going to leave you with some words from Darrell C "Shifty" Powers. Mr Powers was a veteran of E Co/2/506 of the 101st Airborne Division. He was one of the original members of Easy Company, who trained at Camp Toccoa. Shifty participated in every major battle that Easy Company fought.



Shifty died on 17 June, from cancer. He was 86.

During the filming of the HBO series Band of Brothers, Mr Powers was one of several Easy Company veterans who contributed his thoughts to the program. In his soft Virginia accent, he summarizes the simple yet profound commonalities between men in different uniforms in time of war.

"We might have had a lot in common. He might've liked to fish, you know, he might've liked to hunt. Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do. But under different circumstances, we might have been good friends."

The only things I know about Shifty Powers, I know from watching Band of Brothers and reading books about Easy Company. But those sources tell me that he was a fine gentleman who went to war, did his duty, and came home to enjoy the peace for which he and his fellows sacrificed so much.

To a man, combat veterans will tell you that the real heroes are the ones who didn't get to come home. With respect, the ones that came home are heroes too.

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

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince opened this weekend. We went to see it on Friday. It rocked!

Naturally we speculated on why some things were left out. We picked nits actually. But we've always done that. We love the books and the films. We're fans. It's natural that we think certain things are important to transfer from the page to the screen. But we're not purists, really. We can let the movies stand as compliments to the books.

Still, I think this time around that some of the omissions really could leave anyone who hadn't read the books a bit lost. I don't think this film stands well on it's own, just for that reason. But there was so much information in Half Blood Prince that the film could have easily been 4 or even 5 hours long. I would have been ok with that, but it probably wouldn't have been the best choice for the film makers.

I won't go into details. Y'all can decide for yourselves, or not, depending on your level of interest in the Harry Potter universe. Suffice to say, I loved it. My mom loved it. Pam loved it. Pam and I will likely see it at least once more in the theater.

Now, for our MM word. There is a scene where Katie Bell, one of Harry's quidditch teammates, is accidentally attacked by a cursed opal necklace.



If you click on those links above, it takes you to information in a Harry Potter Wiki page. I did not know such a thing existed. Being a Harry Potter geek, I'm quite thrilled that there is a place to go for quick details.

Anyway, if you are a Harry Potter fan and you have not yet seen the movie...WTF??? Get thee to thy local movie house and see it!



Oh hey? Is it too early to start the count down to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?



I didn't think so either. Part 1 is scheduled for release on 19 November 2010, with part 2 to follow on 15 July 2011. That's 487 days and 725 days.

And cue music. Welcome to



It's results without a safety net now. The gal and guy with the lowest vote totals are out. Yikes!

But first, let's have a few encores. Just about everyone danced well last night, but these four performances stood out in my mind.

Jason finally had an all around excellent night. His solo was fully realized and well performed. Click here.

Evan proved that regardless of any struggles he may be having in choreographed pairs, he is an outstanding dancer and entertainer. Click here.

Jeanine isn't sneaking up on me anymore. She is a star and she proved it again with her solo. Click here.

Dance of the night goes to Jeanine and Jason for their interpretation of Travis Wall's incredible vision. Click here.

Cat update...LEGSES!

It is fantastic to have Wade Robson back making dances for this show. His group number for the Top 10 was fantastic.

Nigel Lythgoe is absent. He is accepting an honorary doctorate of arts from The University of Bedfordshire in England. Bravo Sir!

The gals are up first for results. Janette is safe. Jeanine is safe. Kayla is safe. Randi and Melissa are the bottom two.

Now the guys. Jason is safe. EVAN IS SAFE!!!!!! Brandon is safe. Kupono and Ade are the bottom two.

We've got some good stuff coming up next week with the 99th episode on performance night. Mia Michaels will return as a judge, plus Ellen DeGeneres will sit in with the judges. Then it's the 100th episode on results night and we get to see reprises of some of the great dances in the history of the show such as Ramalama, The Bench, and Hummingbird. And of course Katie Holmes will perform a special dance.

The bottom four will dance solos, although the dances won't affect the result.

Randi - she danced that much better than on Wednesday
Kupono - he's just too quirky for me
Melissa - she's a beautiful dancer
Ade - I didn't like it on Wednesday and I didn't like it on Thursday

Black Eyed Peas are in the house. I'm not really a fan, but that was a pretty hoppin' party song.

But now two dancers must leave.

The result for the gals...Melissa is safe, so Randi is out.



And for the guys...Ade is safe, so Kupono is out.



Remember, our Top 8 dance for your votes next Wednesday and the 100th episode happens on Thursday!



I'm seeing Harry Potter tonight! Woooooooooooo!

Congratulations to choreographers from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. They dominated the category for Best Choreography for the 61st Prime Time Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The program airs on 20 September 2009.

I have embedded the videos, but in case they don't play I've also linked to the dances on youtube.

81st Annual Academy Awards • Musicals Are Back • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences
Rob Ashford, Choreographer


Dancing With The Stars • Jive / Great Balls of Fire • ABC • BBC Worldwide Productions
Derek Hough, Choreographer
Julianne Hough, Choreographer
The dancers of course are Julianne and Derek.


So You Think You Can Dance • Bleeding Love • FOX • Dick Clark Productions and 19
Entertainment
Tabitha D'umo, Choreographer
Napoleon D'umo, Choreographer
The dancers are Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura.


So You Think You Can Dance • Mercy • FOX • Dick Clark Productions and 19 Entertainment
Mia Michaels, Choreographer
The dancers are Katee Shean and Twitch Boss.


So You Think You Can Dance • Adam and Eve / Silence • FOX • Dick Clark Productions and 19 Entertainment
Tyce Diorio, Choreographer
The dancers are Jessica King and William Wingfield.


So You Think You Can Dance • A Los Amigos • FOX • Dick Clark Productions and 19
Entertainment
Dmitry Chaplin, Choreographer
The dancers are Chelsie Hightower and Joshua Allen.


My money is on Derek and Julianne, but that Bleeding Love piece is one of the best I've ever seen on SYTYCD. It still resonates, and I see Chelsie and Mark every time I hear the song. But the Silence number from Tyce is simply stunning.

That's it! Emmy statuettes for everyone!

And hey Academy! Get your head out of your ass and nominate Ms Cat Deeley for Best Host one of these times. Tom Bergeron handles DWTS splendidly, in the cheesy spirit of fun that the show represents. But Cat is delightful on SYTYCD, combining a love of the art with a genuine compassion for the dancers. She deserves some recognition for her ability to keep the focus where it belongs...on the fantastic work of the choreographers and the dancers.

Welcome to



Cat update...it's LEGSES.

And then there were 10. The Top 20 partnerships have been dissolved. The dancers will now draw partners from the hat, and then select a random dance style. Also this week, the Top 5 guys and Top 5 gals will each dance group numbers. Plus, each dancer will have a solo.

One of my all time favorites...Debbie Allen...joins the judging panel this week. And of course we have Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy.

Let's get right down to it.

The Top 5 gals are up first with a Bollywood dance choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan. This is high energy and really fast. It's always hard for me to review the group numbers for individual performances. So generally what I look for is cohesiveness and synchronicity. They has it. That was well danced and well performed. Nigel praises the choreography, and the gals for working together. He says they lacked nothing and puts them on the Hot Bangers and Mash train. Heheheheheeee. Mary thought it was young, hip, and fresh. Debbie called it an amazing cultural fusion, and considers this the best top 5 gals ever.

Kayla, 18 year old Jazz/Contemporary dancer, is paired with Evan, 22 year old Broadway dancer, for Viennese Waltz choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. This dance wants elegance and grace, which is going to be difficult with the height difference. Kayla is half a head taller, plus a bit with the heels. Right off the bat I love the rise and fall. They look very good toether. Kayla is in flats, and Evan's shoes have a slight heel to balance their height. Evan was a very strong partner, making the lifts look effortless and guiding Kayla smoothly through the dance. Their frame and footwork was good, although there were some issues toward the end. But they showed the sophistication required of a Waltz and I bought the fairy tale.

Brandon's solo was just a series of odd movements that seemed disconnected and not well thought out. it was a bit disappointing and I didn't care for it.

Janette, 25 year old Salsa dancer, is paired with Ade, 20 year old Contemporary dancer, for Hip Hop choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo. Ade is the Funk Doctor, tasked to wake up the funk in Janette. So individually I liked both of them, but I didn't like them together. That was mostly due to the routine, which I didn't really care for all that much. But Ade's personality really came through and he performed it really well. Janette is a spitfire and can pretty much dance anything. It's clear that these two dancers are extremely skilled. Janette remains one of my top 2 favorite gals.

Randi's solo was enjoyable, but it seemed a bit out of control. She kind of lost her center a bit on a spin.

Kupono's solo is quirky and unique. It did not appeal to me. I enjoy him much more in choreographed pieces.

Jeanine, 18 year old Contemporary dancer, is paired with Jason, 21 year old Lyrical/Contemporary dancer, for Contemporary choreographed by Travis Wall. This is a very compatible partnership, working with a choreographer who can make excellent use of their movement. This is the first time Travis has made a dance for the show, and he brings such advanced dance ability to what he has asked J&J to do. I love Jeanine. She is my first favorite among the gals. This was an extremely sensual piece, and it was extraordinarily well danced. This was a moment for Travis, Jeanine, and Jason. It was simply brilliant. Travis' work was on a level with Mia Michaels. Simply stunning. Jeanine took full advantage of having a dancer like Jason to work with, and Jason really stepped forward as one of the better men in this competition.

Melissa's solo was naturally danced en pointe, with joy and precision control. I enjoyed that.

Evan's solo seemed specifically designed to remind America why they have been voting for him, and to reward them for it. It was a complete story told in 30 seconds, and reinforced the kind of entertainer Evan is. And oh by the way, the man is light on his feet and can dance!

Kayla's solo showed how much she has grown in the competition, from throwing way too much into a 30 second solo to emphasizing her beautiful lines and incredible movement.

Randi, 23 year old Jazz dancer, is paired with Kupono, 23 year old Lyrical/Contemporary dancer, for Paso Doble choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin. Paso is so technical. They need to portray power and passion, and technique is a huge part of being able to do that. Neither of them really is a "big" dancer. Randi captured some of the fire and character of the piece. She was actually quite impressive. I wanted Kupono to take more control of it. He didn't have the aggressive stance of the matador. He needed to lead with his hips, power through with his chest, and stomp through the movements. The choreography was outstanding, and they fell just a bit short. This was a tough dance for a new partnership. They had some good moments, but overall it was a miss.

Ade's solo was danced as though he wasn't listening to the music at all. Of course the back flip was tremendous. But he danced his movement without expressing the music. I like Ade, but one of the jobs of a dancer is to interpret music, and he didn't do that at all.

Jeanine's solo demonstrated exactly what Ade's did not. She interpreted an amazing piece of music with her own brand of stunning movement. She's a star.

Jason's solo finally showed off his talent and personality. This was a man throwing his hat in the ring to challenge in this competition.

Melissa, 29 year old Ballet dancer, is paired with Brandon, 19 year old Contemporary dancer, for Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. This is from the musical Hair, danced to Aquarius. Brandon's style, power, and gymnastics ability are all perfectly suited to a number like this, and he was extraordinary. Melissa danced very well also, but Brandon pulled my focus through the entire piece. He interpreted the character of the piece incredibly well. Melissa sort of just danced in it, but Brandon performed it. I thought he carried the performance.

Janette's solo reminds us that she is a pure Salsa dancer and a hot Miami Mama! This is the first time I've seen a solo from her since auditions, and she did not disappoint. She has shown so much versatility so far in the competition, and it was nice to see her attack it in her own style.

The Top 5 guys close the show with an African dance choreographed by Jeffrey Page. As I said, these group numbers are tough for me to review. Mr Page has made a dance that emphasizes masculinity. His movements were strong, large, and rhythmic. He wanted raw movement as opposed to classic or technical training. It was all about swagger and rhythm. You know what? I really enjoyed it! I can't tell you if it was good or not, but I liked it!

We're down to it now and voting for our favorite dancer. Of course you know my favorite is Evan. I enjoyed his partnership with Randi, but now it's about getting my guy through every week until it's down to the Final Four. Still, I could have voted for Jeanine too. She was amazing. Pam split votes between Evan and Jeanine.

As they said at the top of the show, it's about America's Favorite dancer. That dancer may not be the best dancer on the stage. But I can't really argue against any of these 10.

Tune in tonight for what is likely to be the first of three weeks of tough eliminations leading to the finale.