And cue music...
Posted: Friday, July 09, 2010 by Travis Cody inWelcome to encores and results!
There was some good stuff on Wednesday's performance show. Let's see what we liked.
We liked the hip hop from Kent and Comfort. We thought Kent kept his "Kent-ness" without sacrificing the story and character in the piece. The embed feature is disabled for the clip, so click here to watch.
We liked the Broadway routine from Billy and Katee Shean, who stepped in for an injured Allison Holker. This dance was made by all the little performance details. More disabled embedding, so click here to watch.
We liked the hip hop from Ashley and Dominic. And a third time we are foiled by the embed police. Click here to watch.
Dance of the night goes to Lauren and Kent, who danced a sweetly romantic contemporary piece choreographed by Travis Wall. Travis captured the innocence of both dancers while still crafting an intimate moment for them to interpret. And it's a clean sweep for embed disabling. I encourage you to click here to view the dance.
Warning...rant ahead.
I remind myself and often that So You Think You Can Dance has been, is, and always will be about the search for America's Favorite Dancer. The winner isn't always the "best" dancer. I don't imply that past winners have not been excellent dancers, or possibly even the "best" a season had to offer...they have been outstanding, in my opinion. I can't really argue against any previous winner.
So I don't take exception with any of the dancers.
However...the judges sometimes irritate me and they did on Wednesday. My problem with them is that they seem to be giving Jose a pass on his dancing in favor of his bright light of personality. Not only do I find this insulting to viewers and the other competitors, but I think it does Jose a tremendous disservice because he isn't getting extensive critical notes to help him improve.
The judges also made two incredibly disparaging remarks directly to two dancers over the last couple of weeks. First they told Melinda that they thought they made a mistake the previous week by eliminating another dancer instead of her. Then on Wednesday they completely dismissed AdeChike to blatantly say that they missed seeing what an injured Alex would have done with the choreography.
Whether I agree with those sentiments or not, to say such things is incredibly unprofessional and counter-productive to Melinda, Cristina, AdeChike, and Alex.
So I say to the judges...shame. I've come to view the job of a SYTYCD judge as one of mentor and provider of useful and constructive notes. I don't appreciate the blatant favoritism. I want a judge to point out things in the performance I may have missed, so I can learn and become a better viewer. I can decide for myself who I like and who will get my vote. And I want to test what I saw against what they saw...do the judges think the dancers need to improve in the same areas I think?
I'll choose my own favorite, thanks. And I think other viewers can do that for themselves as well.
By all means, gush over something that you think is good or great or magnificent. And point out what falls short. But don't disrespect the dancer in front of you, or the viewers, or yourselves by suggesting that the actual dancing isn't so important for some competitors as it is for others.
Thanks...rant ends here.
Now that I'm over that bit of fuss, let's have our Cat update...the hair people must have gotten my memo because the hair is loose and wavy, just the way I like it. And she's got another winner of a dress, emphasizing the LEGSSES. You know I like that.
The group routine combined the Top 8 with some of the All Stars. I'll be honest...I found it to be a little disturbing. That's a bit of Mia Michaels choreography I didn't care for.
Emmy nominations are out...check it:
- Although DWTS host Tom Bergeron earned another nomination as Outstanding Host for Reality or Reality Competition Program, which I applaud, Cat has been snubbed yet again. Dammit. I blow a big wet raspberry in the Academy's general direction.
- Adam Shankman was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for his work on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.
- Mia Michaels was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for three routines from Season 5. They are One featuring the Top 8 from the 100th episode, Koop Island Blues or The Butt Dance featuring Randi Evans and Evan Kasprzak, and Gravity/Addiction featuring Kayla Radomski and Kopono Aweau.
- Stacey Tookey was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for Fear from Season 6, featuring Kathryn McCormick and Legacy Perez.
- Derek Hough was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for his work on Dancing with the Stars. The routines were the futuristic Paso Doble featuring Joanna Krupa from Season 9 and the Quickstep in sailor suits with Nicole Scherzinger from Season 10.
- Derek is also nominated with Chelsie Hightower for Outstanding choreography for their DWTS Paso Doble from Season 10.
- Dancing with the Stars was nominated for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, Outstanding Hairstyling, Outstanding Lighting Direction, Outstanding Make-Up.
- So You Think You Can Dance was nominated for Outstanding Make-Up.
Results...Lauren is safe. Kent is safe. Jose is safe. Robert is safe. AdeChike is safe.
Good for the fans for ignoring Mia's insensitive comments. She did offer something of an apology to AdeChike, telling him that she wants him to shine and her tough love approach got away from her on Wednesday because she felt he wasn't living up to his potential. I appreciate that, but let's try to express that in a more constructive way next time, eh?
The bottom two dancers are Billy and Ashley, joined by Alex, who is in the bottom three due to injury. In my opinion, the only fair thing to do is let Alex go unless it is absolutely certain that he is fit and able to dance to his full potential in the competition. If he is, then I can't see the judges eliminating one of the last two gals. I won't like it, but if Alex is good to go then this will be the end for my favorite dancer Billy.
Solo time:
- Billy - I don't know why it doesn't translate to his dancing in partner routines, but I think his movement is stunning.
- Ashley - She is rounding into her own and does not deserve to go home yet.
Here we go with eliminations.
Nigel announces that Alex has lacerated his Achilles tendon, which means it has detached from the bone. He must have surgery on Tuesday to reattach it and will withdraw from the competition. Both Billy and Ashley will remain in the competition.
I'll say it again...it's a damn shame about the injury. Alex is invited to come back for next season, but I can't imagine he'll go through it again. Not when an amazing career is in front of him once he heals and rehabs. Best of luck, young man.
Rant on! Go ahead and say it. Mia was the judge in both cases. The sad thing is, that they showed the AdeChike critique again on Thursday. Even though it was a lead in to a Mia apology...kind of (I'm tough love mama Mia).
I completely agree about Jose. He is the weakest dancer left and the judges are letting it slide. He is NO Legacy, not even close. The truly sad thing is, Jose will still be standing when Robert and Billy are on the plane home. They are much better dancers, but they can't seem to generate a fan base. It will be interesting to see where Alex's fans place their support.
Yes, it is an absolute tragedy about Alex. He was truly brilliant and I am going to miss his talent.