A Brief Recap of Season 9 of SYTYCD

My favorite dancer is still Allison.

Bright Red Lips?

So, as you all know, one of my favorite shows is So You Think You Can Dance, and it is back for season 9!  Get ready for some posts on the matter!  I'm sure you're all excited.

Anyhow.  One thing I notice is that one girl on the show with light blonde hair and a soft complexion always wears bright red lipstick.  Actually, it wasn't me who initially noticed it, but it was several of my facebook friends who pointed it out.  They noticed that, in one piece, she was forced (presumably, lol) to wear a different color to match her costume.   "Wasn't it weird to see her without her bright red lipstick?" they asked.  They are, apparently, not a fan of bright red lips.  Or, at least not, on her.  When I later watched the show (DVR'd), I, too, noticed her usually sporting bright red lips and it really jumped out at me in the one piece where she wasn't sporting them (perhaps some mind over matter came into play).

I remember having a friend who hated it when girls wore bright red lipstick.  I feel there's probably a good group of people in this world who seem to hate the look, or perhaps feel it's a little outdated (perhaps like blue eyeshadow, but then again, there's a market for the blue shadow too).

Anyhow - what's the general consensus on bright red lipstick?  Veto?  Only some can pull it off?  Go for it?

Well, I do not know offhand where I stand on this debate.  But there is one thing I do know.  I bought some.  Nars Norma, if you will (I assume it's Norma Jean/Marilyn being referenced).  I've only sported it a handful of times.  I don't wear it often because, well, there's nothing subtle about it.  Sometimes there's nothing subtle about me.  I'm not sure if I fall under the umbrella of 'can pull it off', but it's up to you, dear jury.

What are your thoughts on bright red lipstick?

Some More Kim Kardashian Humor

The other day, I was watching Jay Leno, and he commented on the fact that Kim kardashian has an autobiography coming out.

'Finally, we'll get a glimpse into the life of this mysterious elusive individual we know so little about. What is she going to talk about - what happens when they're changing the tape in the camera?'

I found that hilarious. I don't know why I find Kim humor that amusing.  She seems like a nice person and I certainly, at the very least, have nothing against her. But LOL.

Some Thoughts on Paula Abdul

She's really pretty.

She might be batshit crazy.  But she's really pretty.  I hope she gets it together. 

In Case Anyone Was Wondering....

My all-time favorite dance from the So You Think You Can Dance stage....

Still Allison.

I'll let you know if anything changes, but I really don't forsee that happening.

Update on Lee DeWyze

Last year, I spent a good amount of time following Lee DeWyze and his American Idol journey.  I also followed his personal life.

I have recently learned an update.  Per the American Idol facebook page, he is now engaged.  Her name is either Joanna or Jonna Walsh (I've seen both in the American Idol article).  Apparently, they met while casting for his video 8 months ago.  So, apparently, any rumor of him dating Lacey Brown was just that (or it ended quite a while ago).

Anyhow.  I send my sincere congrats Lee's way.  This does make me a little sad that I won't marry him.  (Another complication that would prevent this is that I've never actually met him in person.)  Anyhow.   It looks like our nice little young Mount Prospect boy has a fiance.  Best wishes, Lee!

American Idol Update

So, I don't have much of an update.  I stopped watching.  However, I do find it a little insane that hometown girl Haley Reinhart made it this far - especially because hometown local boy Lee DeWyze won last year.  That, and if I remember correctly - the other two finalists aren't better than her.  Could the northwest suburbs have back-to-back idols?  Do you think Haley is good enough to be the American Idol?  Does being the American Idol mean anything any more?  Did it ever?  Have our last three or four winners had any real commercial success?   Is the show going to live another season?  Should they keep the same judges?

Your thoughts?  

Idol.

Ok, as of now, I'm staying with it.

My favorite girl.

Haley Reinhart.  Maybe it's the northwest suburban bias talking.  She's from Wheeling.   Last year we obviously had the Lee DeWyze win (but has it actually done anything for his career?  maybe these questions are details....)  Then the blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.  They say these things happen in threes.

However.  My favorite overall idol contestant thus far.

Paul MacDonald.

I don't know if it's the voice, or the style of singing, as much as it is the cute guyness (it worked for Kris Allen!).  Or maybe it's the fashion statements he makes:

I love the jacket.  But moreso, I love the kind of man who can wear that kind of jacket.   He makes a statement.  I like that.  I'll pick up the phone to keep him around just to see what he wears next.

The Next Hit Reality Show...

According to my good friend Eric (alias Bobo, alias Sausage King, alias PPC):

Battle of the Bloggers.

Please let me know how I can become a part of this show.  Or, how I can go about creating it.  That might be better.  I call being Simon Cowell.

My Lee DeWyze Encounter Back in Mount Prospect (for the Welcome Home Parade Festivities)

Lee in the Q101 booth - he's pretty much dead center in the picture.  Sorry for the poor quality - it's from a camera phone.

That's Lee's head against the window, facing away from the camera (err, phone).

Lee walking through the door out from the Q101 studio (the idol cameramen told us to cheer - ha, like they needed to!)

Kind of a creepy looking pic - I blame the phone.  I tried to get a pic with him, but the idol peeps ushered him off too quickly.  Sigh.

GOOOOOO LEE!

For Those of my Readers Following So You Think You Can Dance, Season 6

Just one quick question...when will the finale be? Per my calculations, it should be, in theory, happening right around the week of Christmas. This doesn't seem logical with timing/ratings/etc. I have looked online in multiple places, including Fox's website, and I cannot find an answer. Does anyone know anything about this? Anyone else curious about this? Anyone else care about this post?

P.S. My favorite dancer, as of now, is Kathryn. I also like Russell. And Victor. But he keeps ending up in the bottom for some reason. There's a LOT of girls I could do without - Mollee, Ashleigh, etc. Ok, I will stop now.

The SYTYCD Judges

So I received a request to post on the judges of So You Think You Can Dance. Well, to be specific, to post on Mary Murphy and her screaming antics.

It is very clear that Mary drinks throughout the show. She is never without the opaque cup. Might as well be a flask. Now, don't get me wrong - I will agree that her antics are like fingernails on the chalkboard. The 'hot tamale train'? Really? Where did that come from? And why the hell did it have staying power? That choo choo has been going strong for like four seasons now. Anyhow.

However. Mary is certainly not my least favorite judge. Sorry, I almost kind of like her. Maybe because she actually is a respected member of the ballroom dance community and actually (at times) has some reasonable feedback about technique. She is an expert in her field.

This brings me to Nigel Lythgoe.... What the hell is his point on the judging panel?! Yeah, I get it, he's the executive producer. Yeah, I get it, he's an expert in his field (that being making money and successful reality shows). However, I will argue he is, in no way, an expert in dance. At least nowhere near what Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels or Adam Shankman are. He's got an opinion and maybe some experience in watching dance, but that's about it. His real area of expertise ogling females. However, an old man's viagra induced haze does not a good reality show make. Anyhow.

I would seriously boot Nigel for Paula Abdul. In fact, I'd seriously boot Nigel for a grapefruit. Your thoughts?

So You Think You Can Dance: The Start of Season 6

Ok, is it just me?

I f&*#ing hate this bitch.

It's Laurie Ann Gibson from SYTYCD (well, apparently - she just randomly showed up one week last season). She made last season's winner (who I was never impressed with, but winner nonetheless) cry. Anyhow.

So You Think You Can Dance already has a bitch - Mia Michaels. However, the fundamental difference between the two - Mia Michaels is fucking amazing. She's Mia Fucking Michaels - emmy award nominee/winner. She has at least 2 of the best 5 dances each season to her name. She choreographs like none other. She's like pizza - even when she's bad she's good.

Laurie Ann, however, is NOT. She's not bad. But she's yet to impress me. She's yet to do anything choreographically outstanding. She's no Mia Michaels. To my knowledge, I've seen two routines of hers - and they both seemed like standard jazz fare. Fine. Good. Nothing more.

Anyhow. I think her biggest problem is she thinks she's better than she actually is. She carries Mia Michaels' attitude. Perhaps even moreso than Mia. She's marching around there being like "I'm Laurie Ann Gibson, so move the f' over and bow down'. Yet she's the weakest of all the SYTYCD choreographers. Including Tyce DiOrio and Brian Friedman. And Wade Robson during his fox routine.

Am I the only one who feels this way about her? Please let me know.

Clarissa Explains It All....

So it was announced today that Melissa Joan Hart will be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. When I was growing up, I love love LOVED her on Clarissa Explains it All. I kind of wanted to be Clarissa. I kind of thought I was. In fact, that's kind of what this blog is: Jaime Explains It All.

Although I consider this a guilty pleasure, almost every girl I know in my age bracket who grew up with cable at the very least kind of liked this show. Who is with me on this? Who remembers Clarissa? Who watched Clarissa? Who will be cheering for Melissa because of this?

Jaime's Top 5 Dances of SYTYCD, Season 5

Ok. #1 - Kayla and Kupono in the addiction piece. (see below).

#2


#3


#4


#5

Drama!!

So Paula's out and Kara's in.

I don't think this was a wise decision. Whether or not Paula "made this decision herself", it's pretty obvious her hand was forced. And I don't think the 'puppermaster' on this one is thinking.

Both of these woman are equally worthless in the charisma department. Kara is supposedly some music industry seasoned-veteran, but Paula Abdul is better known. And more importantly, Paula has more entertainment value. One can laugh at (not with) her. Right now Kara's just plain blah and boring. If she starts saying 'listen dawg', she might as well be Randy Jackson. She needs to start taking drugs or something to up her humor ante, otherwise she might as well not be there.

Conspiracy Theorist....

Ok - so - spoiler alert for last week's SYTYCD....

Randi and Kupono were TOTALLY set up to go home. I'm not sure, necessarily, why (well, aside from the fact that the judges must not like them, or at least, must think they are fine people but not good enough to continue in the competition). But seriously. It's not just that they got a dance out of their style. They got ballroom - ballroom is NEVER a crowd favorite, even if they would have killed the dance, they most likely wouldn't have won the popular vote. Especially when they were up against contemporary dancers with a contemporary dance, etc.

Anyhow, it was, realistically speaking, probably their time. However, regardless - it was fixed. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm curious to see who gets screwed this week. I'm curious to see if America goes against the judges - last season, they clearly loved Will and America ended up booting him anyway. Should be interesting....

So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5

To be quite honest - I am not really ALL that impressed with any of them. It's not like last season, when there were SO many that I LOVED (Twitch, Josh, Katee, Kherington, Chelsie Hightower, Kortni, Courtney, Matt, etc.). It seems as though, on the show, every other year is an off year. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the second season, and the third season, again, left me feeling a little under-satisfied. Sure, I loved Sabra, Danny and Neil, but most of the rest were just underimpressive/might as well have not been there.

Anyhow.

My thoughts on the cast this season. I like Randi and Evan, but I like them as a pair. Also, I think what I like best about them is that they seem to be sincere, down-to-earth people - I don't know that I'm in love with either of their dancing. I don't know if either of them will hold me when the partnerships separate - to be quite honest, I don't really know what Randi does (when not doing someone's choreography).

Melissa and Ade - I like Melissa's dancing, however, each time she opens her mouth, I like her less and less. That and she doesn't seem to have what it takes to actually win things. Ade - he is a good partner, but kind of like Randi, I don't even know if I notice him outside the partnership. I don't really know what he does. I kind of assume he's good because the final product is good, but I'd be hard-pressed to tell you something about him as a dancer, individually.

Moving along - Janette and Brandon. Janette is good. I like her style and sass, although I don't know if she has what it takes to win. In another season, she'd probably have found herself in the bottom 3 by now, but with this group - she's pretty much got a one way ticket to the finale. Brandon. Ok - call me Mia Michaels on this one - I'm not feeling him. He's definitely GOOD. There's nothing wrong with him. But in a show that's featured SO MANY contemporary dancers, I don't know that I'm, in Randy Jackson's words, jumping out of my seat for him. Again, he's good. He's definitely good. I just am not taken in by him like I have been by other contemporary dancers.

Then, there's Kayla, whom the judges love, but America, and I, seem to be indifferent to. Another one who is undeniably good but just not outstanding. I could really do without Kupono. Jeanine - who is yet another good one who can't seem to get me to notice or care about her. Philip - who is not good at other styles of dance and seems to be getting old for people. Jason seems to be pretty good but doesn't appear to have the likability (and hasn't had the best luck in the draw of the dances). Then there's Caitlin. I like Caitlin. But America doesn't. And NONE of my SYTYCD watching friends like her. I give her two more weeks on the show, max.

Anyhow - long story short - the only dancers on the show who seem to have the following, ability, personality, camera time, and je ne sais quo necessary to win the competition are Evan, Janette, Melissa, Philip, and Brandon. However, I can't really see any one of them as a clear cut winner. Your thoughts? Is anyone a 'standout' this season?

Reality TV....

Normally, I HATE reality shows. I mean, I liked them back in high school (like the Real World), which is probably part of why I hate them now. I like to think my taste is much more dignified and I have moved on to finer things.

Editor's sidenote: Anyone else remember the Real World New Orleans - the season with Julie, Matt, Jamie, Kelley, etc.?! That was quite possibly the best season I ever caught. What are they all up to now? I think I once saw the uber-hot gay guy in a spot on Dawson's Creek. I believe I read somewhere the Julie was supposed to be on September 11th's United 93 flight, but I'm not really sure. I would sacrifice all dignity and reservations about the real world to watch a reunion of this season's cast. Sigh. Anyhow. MTV, for a stupid as it might be at times, was really quite possibly ahead of the curve on the reality TV phenomenon.

Ok. So there are two reality shows that I absolutely LOVE....Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. I feel inspired when I watch SYTYCD, cause, quite frankly, I think I can dance. Anyhow -the new season starts tonight. I can't wait. There's always something good. I mean, sometimes Mia is being a bitch and Nigel's hair is a little out of control (well, that, and if you can get past the fact that Nigel doesn't really have a dance background like the other judges), but it's really some great TV out there.

My favorite dancer on the show is still Allison Holker from season 2 - I was SO MAD when she left the show before her time. GRR. I'm over it. I think. Almost. Well, it takes me a long time to get over things. She was in High School Musical. I wonder where she is now....maybe hanging out with the cast of the Real World New Orleans. Hmm.

The Cute Guy

Kris Allen.

From here on out, your new name is 'the cute guy'. Let's face it, it's what I've been calling you all season so far. It's played a large role in the fact that you made it this far, my friend. Even having a cute wife hasn't hurt the cause. You're nice to look at. And right now, that's all I care about. Since Allison (moment of silence) has left the show, I am now cheering for you to take the title, cause if you don't, well, it'll be Adam or Danny, and that is a reason to rally behind you. Yeah, it's like you're John Kerry in 2004!!

It was once questionable if you would even make the top 12. Now look at you boy! Our next American Idol? Or America's Next Top Model? They're one in the same at this point to me!