Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Posted: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Travis Cody in
14
I. Can't. Wait.
The Queen's Meme
Posted: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by Travis Cody in
The Queen's Meme #43 - The Freedom Meme
Oh! This one comes with a freedom dance! YAY!
Mimi says...French philosopher, Voltaire (1694 - 1778) wrote….“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
This is your moment. What sayeth you on the subject of freedom?
Fill in the blanks. Make your own Declaration of Independence. Freely choose your destiny. Embrace your inner freedom. Some questions are serious. Some are silly. All are revealing.
Have fun!
The prompts are in regular type and my answers are in italics. Don't tell Mimi, but I didn't answer all of them.
I wish I could free myself from...NCELMs. For those who don't know, that stands for Nasty Creepy Eight Legged Monstrosities.
I am thankful that Pam freed me from being alone.
I don't mind paying for pie but CAKE should be free.
In a free and perfect world there would be no war.
I am going to write my Declaration of Independence on a piece of a Peace Globe.
I wouldn't mind being taxed on most anything, but I resent being taxed on my CAKE!
When I was younger I was free to waste every single day of summer vacation, but now that I'm older I prefer to maximize every moment of my limited PTO.
I declare myself free from the destructive habit of swearing at traffic. (Well, most of the time I am.)
I declare myself joyfully addicted to dancing!
I don't think the world will ever be totally free of pain and suffering, and that makes me sad.
With complete abandon, I free fall into love every day with my beautiful Lady.
If I could "speak truth to power", I would say to the world get over yourselves and start taking better care of the planet and each other.
The Country Gentlemen return
Posted: Monday, June 28, 2010 by Travis Cody in
The move is a bit sad for me. I came up to Washington State so I could be close to my mom and stepdad. I knew when I moved up here that they were unlikely to make this their last permanent retirement residence. I knew how much they loved Arizona and figured they would eventually go back.
And I got to meet these gentlemen. That's quite a bonus.
Plus, it gives Pam and I a terrific vacation destination next year. We're already planning a week in July so we can see the last Harry Potter film together.
Five on Friday Set 22
Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010 by Travis Cody inIf you're looking for SYTYCD results, go ahead and click on the player and then scroll down to find out who was eliminated last night.
There are two things these five songs have in common. One is that each of them played randomly on my Ipod this week. The other is that I like them!
Those seem like excellent reasons to feature them today for Set 22.
As always, f you'd like to join us in the musical fun, the guidelines are basic and simple.
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
Go forth and enjoy music!
And cue music...
Posted: by Travis Cody inWelcome to encores and results!
I thought Wednesday's performance show was solid and entertaining. I don't think there were any real moments, but there was plenty to like.
Although I thought the basic Fosse elements were a little lacking, there was still plenty to enjoy in the Broadway routine from Alex and All Star Lauren. Click here if the clip doesn't play.
Kent and All Star Courtney may not have portrayed their characters as Tyce Diorio and the judges expected, but I thought they had an excellent performance in this Jazz piece. Click here if the clip doesn't play.
Lauren struggled a bit last week, but she bounced back well with an emotional lyrical hip hop routine. Pairing up with All Star Dominic, I'm giving Lauren dance of the night honors. Click here if the clip doesn't play.
So that was Wednesday. What happened last night?
Well, first we had an outstanding group number from our Top 10 choreographed by Sonya Tayeh.
Cat was stunning with the wavy hair and a little black dress that showed off plenty of LEGSSES.
Let's get our results. Kent is safe. AdeChike is safe. Alex is safe. Jose is safe. Ashley is safe. Lauren is safe. Billy is safe.
The bottom three is Cristina, Melinda, and Robert.
I knew the guys were strong. For some reason, the gals are not connecting with viewers...at least not enough to get the votes. I cannot imagine any scenario where the judges would not save Robert. And Cristina is just too good to be in the bottom for the first two weeks. So I suspect that this is Melinda's final dance. We shall see.
But first, Brian Gaynor visits SYTYCD. This young man is so inspiring. He has severe scoliosis but he doesn't let that stop him from being an amazing pop locker. Last night he hit the stage with his crew, Remote Control. All I can say about what they did is WOW. Click here if the clip doesn't play.
Here are the solos from our bottom three:
- Cristina - hot hot hot
- Melinda - I've seen better tappers
- Robert - that wasn't a great solo, but he needs to stay regardless
Here we go with eliminations. The decision is not unanimous.
Nigel tells Robert that it would have been easy to tell him he was going home based on the guy/gal balance. But Robert is safe. Nigel tells Melinda that the public is not connecting with her, and he would send her home. But Mia and Adam saved her.
So that means Cristina is out.
I agreed with Nigel this time. I'm not sure Melinda should have been saved over Cristina based on the solo, so it must have been down to the body of work outside her own style. I do have to say that Melinda is more versatile than I expected, and I enjoy her more when she's not tapping.
Nigel had some nice things to say to Cristina, but she is on her way home nonetheless. That leaves us with 6 guys and 3 gals returning next week.
Have a fantastic weekend!
And cue music...
Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2010 by Travis Cody inWelcome to
Our Top 10 dancers return with all new routines.
Wait...it's Cat...and...it's...LEGSSES, which I always appreciate. But I'm not sure about this feathery fringe on the white dress. The dress itself is lovely. Hair is sleek and shiny. Yes, I think I approve!
Judges are Adam Shankman, Mia Michaels, and Nigel Lythgoe.
OK, now we can begin.
Cristina Santana, a 24 year old Salsa dancer, is paired with All Star Pasha Kovalev from Season 3 for Paso Doble choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux and France Mousseau. I love JM's work. The opening lift sequence was so complicated and a bit scary, but she trusted Pasha. She's got the Paso dramatic attitude squared away. She looks very natural dancing this. Her posture is good and once again she displays the strength in her core. The choreography had drama and she brought the passion to it. But most importantly, she didn't allow the power and aggression to overwhelm the piece. She performed it, and maintained control.
AdeChike Torbert, a 23 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Allison Holker from Season 2 for contemporary choreographed by Mandy Moore. Mandy says there's no story in this piece, just emotions. The movement was really wonderful, and there were moments when I could feel the joy he had in his dancing. This was a better performance than last week, but still somewhat incomplete for me. He's definitely a very talented young man. But I'm still having trouble believing that he's giving a performance for us. Rather he seems to be dancing more for himself. That's not wrong, as long as I'm not being excluded as a viewer. I don't just want to watch the dance...I want to feel it too. Mia told him to remember that dance is an art form, but also a heart form. Perhaps that's corny, but it's also quite true. The best performances may not be the finest technically, but the ones that grab us by the emotions and refuse to let go.
Alex Wong, a 23 year old ballet dancer, is paired with All Star Lauren Gottlieb from Season 3 for Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio. It's Fosse as interpreted by Tyce. The Fosse style is a favorite of mine. Alex's extensions are outstanding and the lines he creates are exquisite. Technically, he was spot on in this piece. He can strike a Fosse pose and we could put it on a poster. But what I missed was the relaxation in the hips. Alex is a brilliant dancer but I didn't feel any of the innate sexiness in Fosse-style movement. Fosse movement is primal and contained, powerful but stylish. Alex was not bad in the piece and the performance wasn't bad. Adam said there was a lot of flash but no smolder. Smoldering...that's what I want out of any routine based on any interpretation of Fosse.
Ashley Galvan, an 18 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Mark Kanemura from Season 4 for Jazz choreographed by Travis Wall. I think she got a bum rap last week from the judges, who questioned her emotional performance. I believed her last week, and I believe her again this week. She makes me smile with her when she dances. And I thought she maintained the character and the performance throughout this entire piece, including through a series of incredibly difficult and intense lifts and tricks. But I think Nigel was correct...this wasn't really a Jazz routine. It was more lyrical, and more contemporary in flavor. That's not Ashley's fault. I think she's sneaky good. She pulls me into the piece with her. The judges see certain technical things to give notes on, but when she dances I see beyond those. I like her. And Happy Birthday girl!
Billy Bell, a 20 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Comfort Fedoke from Season 4 for Krump choreographed by Lil C. Krump is street. It's raw. And I don't generally like it. I thought that Billy had every step in the piece. He pounded when he should have. He stomped when he should have. His movement was fluid when it was supposed to be. He was sharp when he was supposed to be sharp. He was committed to the style. There was a story to the piece, which isn't always the case. But just because he may not have gotten down into the "buckness" or the "stank" of the style, he embraced it and he danced it. So he didn't hit and rebound with the power you want from an experienced dancer in this style. His partner, Comfort, who would know, complimented him. I like that. Dancers stick together. I doubt that she'd choose him for sides in a hip hop battle. Neither would I. But regardless, Billy remains a favorite of mine.
Robert Roldan, a 19 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Anya Garnis from Season 3 for Argentine Tango choreographed by Jean-Marc and France. This style is all about precision and passion. I think Robert is a complete performer. I like how he took control of the dance. He seemed confident, despite a bit of tension in his shoulders. They seemed just a little far apart in hold and there were a couple of spots where I thought he missed a step or two in the choreography. I also didn't see much of the snap and twist I expect from Tango, but that could just be a choice made by the choreographers to make more of a smooth and sensual routine rather than a crisp and powerful one. But other than that, I thought the performance was very good. 
Melinda Sullivan, a 22 year old tap dancer, is paired with All Star Ade Obayami from Season 5 for contemporary choreographed by Stacey Tookey. This routine has a very organic theme. Ade represents mankind and Melinda is the earth. I enjoyed the performance. I think Melinda is an intriguing dancer. She seemed very comfortable with the movement she was given. She made some wonderful lines...excellent toe point and lovely straight and strong legs. You would not have known that her basic style is tap from the way she extender her legs clear through her turned out feet. And her upper body...her arms made some terrific shapes. For me, she hasn't come across as very likable in some of the rehearsal and audition footage, so I'm very pleased with this performance and for her. You've got to be able to appeal to the viewers and get them to pick up the phone. I think she had a performance that could do that for her this week. 
Jose Ruiz, a 21 year old break dancer, is paired with All Star Kathryn McCormick from Season 6 for Bollywood choreographed by Nakul dev Mahajan. Oddly enough, a break dancer or hip hop dancer can sometimes settle into this style because many of the movements have similarities to the kinds of foot placement and finger locking you find in street dancing. At least that's how it sometimes looks to me. It takes a lot of energy and attention to detail. Jose looked like he was having a great time just dancing. Sometimes you just have to forget about what you're doing and perform it. And that's what he did. He was committed to what he was doing. I enjoyed watching the routine. I've seen better Bollywood in past seasons, but this dance was fun and sometimes that's enough to get you through to the next week. I wouldn't want to draw this style late in the competition though.
Lauren Froderman, an 18 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Dominic Sandoval from Season 3, for lyrical hip hop choreographed by Tessandra Chavez. This piece is about abusive relationships. I didn't really get that out of the performance, but I did enjoy the dancing. It's clear that Lauren poured herself into it. I felt emotion, but I don't know if it was the emotion I was supposed to feel. If this was about abuse, then I should have felt fear and shame and maybe a little creepiness. What I got was raw and powerful, but generic. I don't mean generic in a bad way...I mean it was deep. Lauren and Dominic connected well in the piece. I think Lauren might have re-discovered herself. Welcome and well done Tessandra.
Kent Boyd, and 18 year old contemporary dancer, is paired with All Star Courtney Galiano from Season 4 for Jazz choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Wow. I really liked that dance. I thought the performance had heat, erotic tension, sensuality, and fire. Although the piece may have called for the male role to dominate the female role, I thought between the two of them they turned it into something that worked more effectively...Courtney was the dominant, predatory woman and Kent was the wide eyed innocent sneaking under the tent flap at the peep show. Whatever character he was given in the choreography, I thought Kent interpreted the story in a way that worked best for him. There is no denying that the kid is talented. But I don't think he's really ready to pull off what Tyce envisioned in the piece, or what the judges expected to see in it. He'll develop that with experience. For now, I don't think he did anything that puts him in the bottom three tonight. He's an excellent dancer with the kind of personality that makes people pick up the phone.I think we had a show full of excellent performances. But I also thought we lacked a major moment this week. That's OK. We can't have Emmy-worthy stuff every week. Well, we hope that the dancers and choreographers are striving for that every week. That's what makes the show entertaining and fun to watch.
I voted for Billy this week. He is my favorite dancer and I thought he dealt well with the krumping. I also through some votes to Ashley, because I see something in her. Pam wasn't sure this week. She likes Kent and Alex, but she also likes Lauren and Robert. I think she rotated her votes among them.
Tune in tonight for results, and check back tomorrow for some encore videos and my results recap.
Later gang!
Poetry by Travis
Posted: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 by Travis Cody in"You should pimp this blog more." So sayeth Queen Mimi.
To those of you who have made your way over to my poetry place, I say thanks. To those of you who have yet to head over, maybe today is the day.
At Poetry By Travis, you'll find...
- Free verse
- Short verse
- Sonnets
- Introspectives
- Haiku
- Senryu
- ABC forms
- American Sentence
- Couplets
- Six word stories
All of the poems are original pieces that I've written over the course of nearly 20 years. Some of them have appeared here on Trav's Thoughts.
I hope you'll find some time to cruise on by the place.
Belleau Wood, 1 June to 26 June 1918
Posted: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 by Travis Cody inDuring the month of June in 1918, the American Expeditionary Force engaged elements of the German Army at Belleau Wood, northwest of Chateau-Thierry on the River Marne in France. For an excellent account with a time line of events, I encourage you to visit Doughboy Center, the Story of the American Expeditionary Forces.
I wanted to share some of the incredible acts of audacity and bravery associated with the Marines who fought in the battle.
Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson (1878-1930), also known as Charles F. Hoffman, stopped a German counterattack by rushing a heavily armed enemy squad that was attempting to breach his position and consolidate the high ground from which they could have devastated G/Sgt Janson's Marines. For this action, he was awarded both the army and navy Medals of Honor, one of only five Marines so honored during the war. He was the first Marine to receive The Medal for gallantry in World War I. He was also awarded the French Medaille Militaire, the Croix de Guerre with Palm, the Montenegrin Silver Medal, the Portuguese Cruz de Guerra, and the Italian Croce di Guerra.
Casualties for the American Expeditionary Force included 1811 killed and 7966 wounded. It was the first time during WWI that the AEF faced such serious losses. By all accounts, either foreign or domestic, the Marines managed the missions assigned to them with valor and intrepidity in the face of the enemy.
General John J Pershing is quoted as saying, "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle."
Semper Fi
Still celebrating!
Posted: Monday, June 21, 2010 by Travis Cody in | |
| 2010 NBA Champion Lakers |
Yup! I love it!
Five on Friday Set 21
Posted: Friday, June 18, 2010 by Travis Cody inIf you're looking for SYTYCD results, go ahead and click on the player and then scroll down to find out who was eliminated last night.
Willie has been cycling through my Ipod this week. So I thought a few of his tunes would be a great 21st Set.
If you'd like to join us in the musical fun, the guidelines are basic and simple.
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
Go forth and enjoy music!
And cue music...
Posted: by Travis Cody inWelcome to encores and results!
I had to be there for my NBA Champion Lakers last night, so I didn't get a chance to make rounds. I'll start catching up with y'all tonight and over the weekend.
There was some good stuff on Wednesday's performance show. Let's see what we liked.
Although this isn't supposed to be about the All Stars, we really enjoyed watching Twitch. Alexie needs to raise her game with her next dance style and partner if she makes it through this week. Click here if the clip won't play.
We loved the Afro-jazz routine from Robert and Courtney. It was good enough for dance of the night. Click here if the clip won't play.
Dance of the night goes to Alex and Allison, who created a moment with a contemporary routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. I thought this dance was a perfect combination of choreographer, dancers, music, story, and character. Click here if the clip won't play.
And we have Cat Deeley rocking the LEGSSES in a charming red frock and some intriguing heels.
The Top 11 rocked a dynamic group number choreographed by Cassandra Chavez. This is the first time she has made a dance for the show, and I'd love to see more from her.
We get right to results, looking for the bottom three. Alex is safe. Robert is safe. Kent is safe. Lauren is safe. Billy is safe. Ashley is safe. Jose is safe. AdeChike is safe.
The bottom three is Melinda, Alexie, and Cristina.
Well...I knew that for me, the guys were the stronger group to start. But I did not anticipate that it would be three gals in danger to start the season.
Guest performers Karine Plantadit and Keith Roberts hit the stage, dancing to That's Life from the Broadway show Come Fly Away, created by Twyla Tharp. They performed this on the Tony Awards show on Sunday. And it was just as outstanding last night.
Now for solos from our bottom three:
- Melinda - She's not doing anything for me. I've seen what she does before.
- Alexie - I liked what she did, but there's still something missing.
- Cristina - Now that was hot. She danced like a gal who wants to stick around, and should.
Musical guest Usher is in the house. OK. But you know what I'd rather see? I want to see our All Stars. If you've got that amazing stable of 12 performers already built into the show, how about putting them on stage to dance some amazing choreography every week.
And I'd certainly rather see our All Stars than I would a Justin Bieber video. Nothing against the kid, but I want more dancing.
Here we go with eliminations.
Nigel says the decision is unanimous. He tells Melinda that she needs to deliver some warmth and fire to her performances. He says that Cristina brought the fire but not the steps, and agrees that she did dance for her life. He tells Alexie that she was too contained and must learn to become more mature in her dancing.
But Alexie won't get a chance to mature on the show because she is the first to be eliminated. The judges tell her that she is employable as a dancer and will find work.
 |
| Alexie Agdeppa |
That's too bad. I think she just got swallowed up by the hip hop routine with Twitch. It's not his fault. But her weaknesses were immediately exposed in that performance.
The first week is in the can. The remaining 10 dancers will be back next week with new routines in different styles, with a different All Star partner.
Lakers 4, Celtics 3
Posted: by Travis Cody in
My Lakers finally found their championship intensity after taking it on the chin threw the first half. Boston had a 13 point lead in the 3rd quarter. LA survived a ridiculously bad shooting night by playing outstanding defense when it counted to scrape and claw their way back into the game. They grabbed the lead in the 4th quarter and never gave it back.
And so, my Lakers are NBA champions for the second straight season!!!
 |
| 2010 NBA Champs (Getty Images by Garrett Ellwood) |
Kobe is the MVP...with a huge assist from his teammates in game 7 when it looked like he was completely exhausted.
 |
| 2010 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant (AP by Mark J Terrill) |
And I am happy and I am going to enjoy this for the summer!
Thank you thank you thank you to my guys for standing up and fighting through to get this win.