SYTYCD - Nothin' Butt Dance, Top 16

This week's installments of So You Think You Can Dance were a little different for me than the Top 20 and Top 18. Whereas the previous weeks I'd felt a lot of the couples were performing evenly, this week i thought the group split into two groups: 4 were really good and 4 were a bit disappointing. Hip Hop once again proved a difficult challenge for the dancers. I don't remember so many couples having this much trouble with Hip Hop in the past. The Paso Doble had a weird He-Man costume theme that was paired with that crazy O Fortuna! song to bewildering effect. Add to that a not-so-impressive Singin' In The Rain number and the only Mandy Moore Jazz number I've ever truly disliked, and it can definitely be viewed as a week with several misfires.

There were some really solid routines as well. Mia Michaels gave us a very memorable contemporary piece that focused on Randi's butt. Brandon and Jeanette saved Hip Hop from going 0-4 with a solid rock-infused number. New couple Kupono and Kayla did a beautiful and flowing viennese waltz and Melissa and Ade did a smoldering Rumba. I would wager that all 8 of these dancers make it to the Top 10.

But of the remaing 6 dancers, which 2 do I think will make it to Top 10? I'll run down there chances.

Vitolio & Karla - Vitolio has a compelling story and lots of talent, so I'm not sure why he isn't really connecting with the competition. He's just not bringing it right now the way the other guys are. I think Karla is a much stronger competitor than her former partner Jonathan (who rightly got axed this week), but I don't think Vitolio is much better than Jonathan, and there's a strong likelihood that they'll fall in the Bottom 3 again in the next two weeks, and I think when that happens, they'll both be cut.

Jason and Caitlin - They had such a strong Top 20, but then they stumbled with Hip Hop and got no help from the Paso Doble. The Judges love Caitlin but seem to be tiring of Jason. I think if they could connect with the right choreographer they could muscle their way out of the bottom 3. I think Jason right now is not too far away from Vitolio on the chopping block.

Phillip and Jeanine - Phillip as a partner has to be a bit of a paradox, because he's not a great partner, but individually very popular. This helps and hurts Jeanine, I think, because the past two weeks they haven't had very memorable routines, but they haven't been in the bottom because kids are dialing in for Phillip. So Jeanine hasn't been at risk to go home, but she also hasn't had a real showcase for her talents. So if it's Top 12 Week and they dip into the bottom, Phillip can finally rock out with an amazing solo, but Jeanine might not make it.

Overall? I think it will be Cailtin and Phillip in the Top 10 with the other 8. Of course it all depends week to week who's in the Bottom 3, but all things staying equal, I think this is how it will shake out. Losing Asuka and Jonathan this week was the right call. Asuka, as Nigel pointed out, really wasn't growing in the competition and Jonathan, with his cute face and strong acrobatics, didn't really have the dance technique to continue.

For this weeks great routines, you can go here, here and here. Or check out the embedded videos below.

Wimbledone

Ooof. This is hard news to take. Rafa will not defend his title at Wimbledon this year. I was afraid of this. I hope my guy can rest and recover and make a go of it in the Hardcourt Season. Rafa not participating in Wimbledon will make the tourney less exciting for me, if Federer makes it to the Final I honestly don't think there's anyone else in the field that can challenge him. But it would be worse for Nadal to play the tournament in compromised physical condition. Maybe there will be an opportunity for someone like Murray to capture the title and make for a really compelling story, but right now I'm doubtful and quite disappointed.

In his own words: "I am not fit enough to play and as I said, I can't go on the centre court of Wimbledon if I am not 100% fit to play. The evolution of my knees are better, that's why I tried at Hurlingham, but I am not at the required level to play. As you can all imagine I am very disappointed, but I had to take this decision, one of the worst of my career."

Rafa will go back to his home in Mallorca, continuing his training and recovery. In the meanwhile, I will be reading Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played, and hoping for a Federer-Nadal Championship Match at the US Open in September. Rest well, Rafa.

SYTYCD - Hip Hop and You Both Drop - Top 18

So Top 18 Week for the SYTYCDancers was not quite as good as Top 20. Lots of people had a sophomore slump, making for 3 totally different couples in the Bottom 3 from the week before. That's rare for this show. There's usually at least one couple who continues to struggle week to week in the bottom of the draw. It just goes to show you it's a pretty tight race between all of them. Part of the let down of this week was that both hip hop routines by Shane Sparks really didn't connect. Is this the fault of the dancers or the choreographer? I have to say the dancers. There was such a lack of synchronicity in the dance, that you can't really tell what Shane was going for in either piece. I've seen non-hip-hoppers do much much better in this style on the show in previous seasons. They just didn't get it done this week, which is unfortunate, and it left six very talented dancers at the bottom and in danger of going home. We lost Ashley who was a favorite from Top 20's Crash Test Dummies and Max, who I thought was really a great partner for Kayla. That means next week it's Kupono and Kayla together... one can only hope they get Mia Michaels as their choreographer. I think that would rock hard.

Here are three dances from this past eek that I enjoyed. the third clip features Jonathan , who I'm still not really sold on at this point, but his partner Karla is outstanding. Check out the vids here, here and here if you don't see them. Although Fox is getting snippy with Youtube about the footage, so they might eventually disappear. Let's hope for some better hip hop featured in the Top 16!

SYTYCD - Talent A'Plenty in the Top 20

And so another season of So You Think You Can Dance is ready to kick into high gear. I appreciate that there were only a couple weeks of early round action and not we can get to the good stuff. And there's so much good stuff this week! Considering that the show didn't introduce half the Top 20 to us before this week, we've got a lot of catching up to do. Why they spend the start of the season on people who don't make it all the way, I'll never understand. But anyway, the Top 20 is here and they are ready for action! I have no clear favorite right now, although I think I'll be rooting for Melissa the Ballerina. 29-year-olds need to represent!

Here are three of my favorite dances from last night. If you are reading on FB, you should click on View Original Post, or go look at them here, here or here.







Tony and Paris are gone now, and i think they are the right choices in a very strong and competitive Top 20. The solos from everyone in the Bottom Three Couples were just not good enough, and i think the voting public got the bottom 3 right this week. Bring it next week, if you're in the bottom again, folks. Otherwise your ass is gone!

Also of note, Cat Deely is the best person on the planet. Also also of note, Mary Murphy can't keep screaming at that decibel. She has raised the bar for incoherent screaming too high and will eventually reach her limit where the sound will go out of the human spectrum for hearing. I know she can give an articulate assessment of dance - I've heard it in the past for both dancers she enjoyed and dancers she thought didn't measure up. Go back to saying words beyond "hot tamale train," Mary. Don't let the botox destroy all critical thought, and in the process, my eardrums.

Federer's Fight for a First: FINALLY!!

What is there really to say? Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Sunday to complete a career Grand Slam and win his 14th major title, matching Sampras’ record. Simply amazing.

It turned out to be a very straight-forward match, as the moment clearly lifted Roger and unnerved Soderling. The entire stadium had no interest in even seeing a competitive match. They ONLY wanted to see Federer win as quickly as possible so they could start celebrating. The only moment of surprise was when an idiot fan ran on court and accosted Federer in the middle of a game. Thank goodness he was only an idiot and not a psycho because for a second there Federer was very vulnerable to attack. It really altered the atmosphere in the stadium for a few games, but luckily it had no impact on the match overall.



It was great to see Roger win the French. I must admit that deep down for most of this week, I still wanted him to lose out of devotion to Nadal. Even as I was writing encouraging things on the blog, I was not 100% in Roger's corner. But then as I was working out on Saturday evening, it really hit me how much he deserved to win. Here he's been 4 years in a row. Three losses in a row. He's worked so hard to maintain his fitness and competitive edge to be at the top for so long. It's truly amazing. He didn't deserve to have this one tournament hanging over him any longer. If it wasn't gonna be his greatest rival denying him the trophy, no one else should've been able to stand in his way. He took the loss at the Aussie Open this year, so hard. It's nice that he could rebound this way, as a newlywed and an expectant father and no more questions about the clay. It's pretty awesome.

How does Fed feel? “It’s maybe my greatest victory, or certainly the one that removes the most pressure off my shoulders. “I think that now and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace, and no longer hear that I’ve never won Roland Garros.”



Federer becomes the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam championships. I hold out hope that Nadal can take a US Open and become the seventh. :) It was very fitting that Andre Agassi who was the last man to complete the career Slam (and who had been hiding somewhere away from the cameras the whole match! I didn't see him once!) handed Fed the trophy. It was a very special moment - even the rain couldn't take away from the moment. Congrats on the title, Fed. Good luck at Wimbledon, where I will go back to rooting for Nadal full force! Rest those knees, Rafa!

2009 Tonys: Highlights in Reverse

Here are the things I remember about the 2009 Telecast basically going in reverse.



* Neil Patrick Harris singing the 11 o'clock number at 11:03 was FANTASTIC, especially the part where he said Angela Lansbury hooked up with Poison backstage. I thoroughly loved you tonight, NPH.

* My favorite Billy Elliot, David Alvarez, tearing up as his show won best Musical.

* Liza going out to announce Best Musical without the envelope. You know she was just gonna announce Billy Elliot and wasn't taking no for an answer.

*Alice Ripley dressed in stunning blue living up to her FIERCE reputation by yelling at all of us about ART!



* The Billys winning best Actor and then having no idea who should speak first, but then they launched into this amazing bit that I will assume is scripted or else I'll totally lose my shit about how adorable it was that each actor who thanked their family happened to have one more sister than the last kid who spoke. Awesome.

* The Jersey Boys number provided a good opportunity to see the Lakers leading in overtime on ABC.

* Karen's award speech was so beautiful and heartfelt! Loved it!

* The Legally Blonde number provided a good opportunity to see the Magic lose their slim lead in the 4th quarter.

* Hair's win almost meant death by trampling for pint-sized Kristen Chenoweth who only seconds after announcing the win because engulfed in a sea of giant excited dancers.




* Hair's musical number kicked butt and had some really intense audience participation/molestation going on up in there.

* DHP and Sushi... I tell ya his script was pretty cheeky tonight.

* Footage of Angela Lansbury sliding down a spiral staircase in Mame proves that lady was always one kick-ass dame.

* Next to Normal's number was so intense! Everyone looked so pretty in HD though!

* In Memoriam - Bea Arthur AND Estelle Getty. And Paul Newman. Sigh. But why won't the camera just stay in one place so I can read who people were?

* Liza prepares to go into a 20 minute monologue about the making of Liza's at the Palace in her acceptance speech. She wanted to let us know when they started "it was the pits!" I love it.

* God of Carnage and The Norman Conquests won lots of things.

* Rock of Ages had a super fun number that stirred the pot of Liza Crazy Sauce after she had taken her seat. Good work, RoA. Don't stop believin'. (The number works much better in the actual show.)



*WSS's Dance At The Gym number was damn sexy fantastic. I don't understand why Tony is in casual blue clothes, but damn if he and Josefina aren't the effing cutest couple ever.

* Tom Kitt wins for best Score which is totally the right call. Good work, Tony voters. Billy Elliot got it's due, but this one really should've gone to Next to Normal.

* I actually thought the Shrek number came out looking REALLY good. I can't believe he does all that on his knees!! Dude's a trouper.



* I'm glad Angela Lansbury won. She was so gracious in her speech. I love her more each day.

* I'm glad the dude from Joe Turner's Come and Gone won, because he rocks.

* I love you Neil Patrick Harris and your shiny leathery tuxedo! Please host this shindig every year!

* The opening number is CRAZY. Microphone problems galore. I don't like the bit with Stockard Channing and the Dead Son from Next To Normal. Although ironically it did leave me bothered and bewildered if not bewitched.

So overall I thought this was a really fun telecast, only mired by the touring company numbers (which were both irrelevant and not good) and the absurd amount of prescription drug ads throughout the show for everything from cialis to ambien to something that grows your eyelashes bigger if you have some sort of traumatic eyelash deficiency. I had no idea this was a problem for people. But be careful the medicine might stain your eyes brown. I dunno, the ad was effing crazy. The show was really at a high standard this year, even though Bret Michaels was nearly decapitated 2 minutes into the show. That would've dampened the mood a bit in Radio City (i think). See you in 2010, theater community!

"It was the PITS!" ~ Liza Minelli

Federer's Fight For A First: Semifinals - Fifth Set? No Sweat!

WTF. This could REALLY happen, y'all! My brain is going crazy. Federer, a newfound lover of dramatic play, had to come from behind (twice!) in the semifinal to beat No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Fed has done a good job of showing renewed mental toughness in long matches, which had really been his problem when slugging it out over the past year with Rafa. Now Fed will play his fourth consecutive (!) Roland Garros final, and is trying for his 14th major title to match Pete Sampras AND (yes, there's an AND) hoping to complete his career Grand Slam.

If he wins he'll get handed the trophy by Andre Agassi, my previous Tennis Crush before he retired and Rafa came along. Andre is the last guy to complete a career Grand Slam, so if Roger can do it... oh, I'm already tearing up! But Soderling is playing ferociously, so who knows what will happen. I definitely believe the crowd will be all over Federer's jock tomorrow. They LOVE him and always wanted him to beat Rafa in their previous finals. What does Fed say?

"There’s still one more step. I was a bit lucky, but I fought well. Juan Martin was playing really well."

FedEx is 9-0 against Soderling, so on paper it should be no contest. But we don't play tennis matches on paper. Right now they're playing on clay, and it too tough to call! Whatever happens, tomorrow's match is definitely not to be missed. Vamos, Roger!

Side Note: I think it's totally ridiculous that NBC did not show the end of this match live yesterday. The Tennis Channel, ESPN2/NBC coverage of this tournament has been a total misfire. I feel like I had an easier time watching the Australian Open which is totally ridiculous given the time differences. I did appreciate getting to watch the end of the Fed/Del Potro match today on NBC with live commentary by people who didn't pretend they didn't know who won. But overall, they could definitely improve the way they broadcast this tournament.

No King In Queen's!

Ay, no. Rafa is out of Queen's Club! He won't be able to defend his title. I was afraid this might happen. Not that I ever mentioned it before, or thought to mention it, but in my heart there was that fear. It's those effing knees! He plays such a hard game. The precautionary tape he stabilizes them with every time he plays cannot work miracles. I'm sure Rafa is very very disappointed in this, following a disappointment in Paris and before that in Madrid. It's far more disappointment than Rafa deserves! Plus it's gonna mess up his points on the ATP leaderboard muchly. Let's all hope for Rafa's sake, and for the sake of quality tennis, that this is enough rest to get him in shape for Wimbledon. I don't want to see him miss his favorite tournament.

Rafa's quote:

"I am very disappointed to not be able to come this year to Queen's, defend the title I won last year and enjoy playing in front of their magnificent crowd. To play in London has always been special to me, to play at the Queen's Club is an honour and the fans in the UK are among the best I have ever seen, always supporting me since the first time I played there.

It's no secret to anyone that I have been having some problems in the past months with my knees, which did not allow me to compete at 100%.

I need to work with my team to recover well, work on my physical condition to be at my top form and get ready to play on grass at Wimbledon. I hope I will be ready to compete by then.

I am really sorry and I hope that the people at the Club will still want me to come next year." - Rafa

Federer's Fight For A First: Quarterfinals - No Mo'Fils

Oh my. Roger Federer is now just two victories from winning the French Open, completing his career Grand Slam and tying Pete Sampras’ record for major titles. The tension mounts!

Federer never really faced a threat in his quarterfinal match against No. 11 Gael Monfils of France, winning 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4.

Federer reached the semifinals for a record 20th consecutive Grand Slam tournament. 20 effing semifinals in a row! That is INSANE. There are only 4 Grand Slam tourneys a year so simple division tells us that it's been 5 YEARS since Fed has not been in a semifinal at a top tournament. That is unbelievable consistency. That's how you know how amazing this guy is.

This is getting serious, folks. Roger could really do this, even though he still has two hard matches left. How does Fed feel about it and is it affecting his prep?

“I felt some pressure before this match. I was very nervous, because I thought it would be very difficult.”

You did just fine, Fed. You got the job done. But the whole thing is far from over and so so exciting! Vamos, Federer!

Happy Belated Birthday, Rafa!

Rafa, celebrated his birthday yesterday! This year, Nadal got to rock his birthday in Mallorca with friends and family for the first time since 2005. Usually he's still kicking butt at the French Open at birthday time, but hey, no worries. Nadal's just 23 - the last year of his early 20's and he's still right in his tennis playing prime! You'll have plenty more shots at Roland Garros, Rafa! No worries.

Next stop: Rafa will be jetting to London where he will start focusing on the grass season. He'll be looking to defend his Queen’s Club title, followed by Wimbledon. It will be interesting to see how things go, especially if Federer manages to pull-off his anticipated French Open win this weekend. You know who I'll be rooting for! Vamos!

Federer's Fight For A First: Fourth Round - Roger the Artful Dodger

Holy Crap. For a second there, I thought my little French Open Campaign truly WAS cursed. For a good while it looked like Roger Federer would be exiting early. Don't scare me like that! THEN who would I blog about? MONFILS? I don't think so. Luckily, FedEx turned it around and won in 5 sets 6-7 5-7 6-4 6-0 6-2. He’ll now meet the Frenchie Fav Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals. Hopefully there will be less flirting with disaster come Wednesday.

With Fed coming so close to tanking, you gotta think that part of the problem was that he was still reeling from Nadal's early loss and the golden opportunity it creates for him to FINALLY in this title. I mean he already didn't have to deal with Jokovic and now we also know he won't be dealing with Murray who lost to Gonzo in the 4th round. So Roger is the last man standing of the Big Four. Nadal's exit has to be the most exciting for him though. Here's Roger in his own words on having Rafa no longer looming in the other half of the draw: “

"You’re aware of it. Definitely changes it up, if I were to make the final. But we’re not there yet, so honestly it hasn’t changed a whole lot for me.”

LIES! We know you're thinking about it a LITTLE, Fed. It's okay. You're human! But I'm sure it's also clear to you that you have to play the two matches ahead of you before you get to the final.

I hope you take down Monfils with ease, Rog. You are undefeated against him. Don't tense up. Just do what you gotta do one more time. Err... Vamos? Sure, Vamos!