The men's semifinals are set, with one more top seed saying goodbye to the competition. No. 4 David Ferrer lost to slightly injured No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (5). For his efforts, Delpo will now face off against No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, whorecorded a straight sets victory over No. 7 Tomas Berdych, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3. Coincidentally, both matches which started at the same time on different courts also finished within a breath of each other.
On the bottom half of the draw, Murray also continued on besting Verdasco, but it took him 5 long sets. So maybe I've been wrong all along. Maybe it's not Murray who's got all those voodoo dolls in his racket bag. Maybe it's actually Djokovic after all. Novak hasn't faced a significant challenge at all the whole tournament, while his whole list of top competitors have lost early, withdrawn with injury or been pushed to their very limits in 5 sets. The only thing standing between Novak and the final now is a hobbled Delpo. Murray still has to contend with No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz who could prove to be a wild card in the next round. Obviously I'm hoping for a Delpo-Janowicz final. I mean, with the way things have been going this year, why not just overturn the apple cart completely?
(Radwanska is SO over this whole handshake thing.)
On the women's side the final match up has been decided. The last remaining top seed has fallen with No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska losing to No.23 Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 2-6, 9-7. It was a nail biter of a contest with both players having their chances. Radwanska just couldn't put the final few points together in the end when she needed them, which has to be a huge disappointment for her. She had the final in sight with no Serena, no Sharapova and no Vika waiting for her there. Instead it will be Lisicki who will face off against No. 15 Marion Bartoli, who will be making her second appearance at the Wimbledon final after losing to Venus Williams in 2007. It seems impossible to make a prediction at this point, but the way Lisicki has been taking down the strongest players all tournament, I'll say I'm rooting for her to win the whole thing. We'll find out soon enough! This crazy tournament is almost at an end!
(Bruised and Battered, but she won! That's what mattered!)
So the two ladies left in the draw I was still rooting for - No.6 Li Na and No. 17 Sloane Stephens - both lost their quarterfinal matches yesterday. With Li out and No. 8 Petra Kvitova ALSO losing in the quarters, there are not only no former Wimby champions left (Kvitova won in 2011) among the semifinalists, but no former Grand Slam winners AT ALL. Never before in the Open Era has there been a Ladies Wimbledon semifinal round without at least one previous winner of a major championship still in the field. Kvitova, summed this tournament up pretty well after her loss, ''Very weird Grand Slam over here.''
Still, what an amazing opportunity for the 4 remaining ladies. One of them is going to get there first grand slam title and it's going to be at Wimbledon! So crazy! It's going to be Lisicki vs. Radwanska and Flipkens vs. Bartoli. How can anyone even make predictions at this point? My totally uneducated guess is that it will be a Flipkens-Lisicki final. But I think both matches are a coin toss. Radwanska is the only top seed left, and as you can see from the picture above, the Curse on the Courts has already tried to take her out once this year. Watch your back, Radwanska!
Hey Ladies & G's. Wanted to let you know about a great new play I saw at The Flea Theater (41 White Street New York, NY 10013) which I almost missed out on telling you about, because I saw it at the end of it's original run, but the run has now been extended! So now I'm telling you NYC-folk to go downtown and catch it while you can.
(Plays getting extensions! Success! Live the dream!)
a cautionary tale by christopher oscar peña (he doesn't like capitals, but that's okay because I LIKE CAPS ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US!!) and directed by Benjamin Kamine is the surprising and captivating story of Vivienne and Luke, brother and sister 1st generation Chinese-Americans growing up in contemporary New York City. Sometimes allies and sometimes adversariesthey navigate the obligations and pressures of tradition, family, friends, lovers and their own internal demons. Along the way we encounter many interesting characters (Luke's best friends and a very peculiar Life Insurances salesman stand out) and some very creative staging that transforms the Flea's downstairs theater space. I've been thinking about the play a lot since seeing it, and a lot of it has really stayed with me in a strong way. I LOVE when theater does that. It's certainly what we aim for as theater people. :) I don't want to say TOO much about it because I don't want to spoil any of the plot twists, but there are some plot twists and I believe you'll enjoy them. Plus a cautionary tail is performed by The Bats, The Flea's resident theater company and you should check out the great work these young talented super-sexy actors are serving up. The play is a little long (y'all know I love to be in and out in 90 minutes with no intermission), but Act 2 offers a lot of surprises and revelations so it's worth your time investment!
(there is an intermission and fun surprises await you out in the lobby!)
The show's extension runs through July 23rd, but it's not always on the same days of the week, so you should check out the calendar here!.
ALSO, christopher recently co-created and co-wrote a really awesome web series called 80/20 with Vayu O'Donnell and you should check out that out because it's well-made, well-written, well-acted and, well, really a lot of fun. And NOT super long either, so you can watch on your computer and get invested, but not worry about a thirteen hour TV binge commitment. Watch and enjoy! Congrats to christopher on the great success of these two projects this. I will keep watching for his work in the future!
Well folks, the dark magic took out No. 1 Serena Williams today. It was the only REAL upset on a day of many dramatic matches, but it was certainly a doozy. Serena's 34-match win streak has ended! If it truly has been a bit of Brit sorcery that's been stirring up the bad juju these past 8 days, it boomeranged back at them this afternoon as Laura Robson also got knocked out of the competition. Once again, Britain's hopes for a female Slam champion are crushed.
(life is sad.)
But let's stay with Serena, shall we? Let's acknowledge that Lisicki is certainly no slouch on grass and that she has the peculiar distinction of taking out the newly crowned French Open champ here at Wimby three years running. So she definitely has the skills to compete. All the same though, Serena should've won this match. Sure, she dropped the first set, but then she was in total control. She won
nine straight games to claim the second set and take a 3-0 lead in the third. The players then
traded breaks, giving Serena a 4-2 lead. And then that was the last game she won as Lisicki fought her way through the next four games to take the match.
Afterwards Serena said, "I probably couldn't be more disappointed. I think I
may have backed off of a success. I was playing something successful. I
didn't continue that path. The result didn't go the way it could have
gone had I continued to play the way I did in the second set. I felt that I was on the verge of winning. At that point I
just was physically unable to hold serve. ... You have to be ready and
willing to hold your serve. I wasn't willing or able, probably didn't
even want to hold my serve today."
Wasn't willing or able...because of outside forces? MAYBE. Now the field is wide open for the final 8 women. It could seriously be anyone's for the taking. Personally, I'd love to see Sloane Stephens or Li Na take the title. Whatever happens, I assume it will be a crazy and drama-filled final week.
Over on the men's side, Novak, Murray, Ferrer, Berdych and even injured Delpo got through. I expect the WIMBLEDONE! curse to strike at least one of them on Wednesday when the men's quarters are played. Who can survive??? Stay tuned...
Guys, I keep saying it, but no one seems to take me seriously. I'm aware some of you might not believe in voodoo, black magic, hexes, curses and the like. But OPEN YOUR EYES! Something awfully strange is going on at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club this year. The upsets and injuries keep piling up as we enter Week 2. Won't someone PLEASE check Murray's bag for banned mystical artifacts? A proper search is in order. Also, can we get a sworn statement from officials that a red-head woman dressed in crimson robes hasn't been seen sitting in the player's box during Murray's matches, nor has she been found birthing shadow babies in the Ladies Room on Centre Court while his biggest adversaries were playing?
These questions go unanswered. Meanwhile as Week 1 wraps up, Del Po is all set to easily win his 3rd Round Match over Grega Zemlja when he slips and hurts both his knee and his ankle going for a drop shot up 4-0 in the third set. He finished the match quickly but needed to have his injuries
checked out by medical staff this weekend. He's still scheduled to face Andreas Seppi tomorrow, playing second on a super-crowded Monday schedule. But even if he doesn't withdraw, will the injury hobble his recent excellent play, setting him up for an upset by Seppi? Oh Muzz. Why have you chosen the Dark Path to get you back to the finals this year? You don't want to win it this way. Do you??
Only half of this year's Top 10 men's seeds made it to the start of Week 2:
1. Novak Djokvic 2. Andy Murray 3. Roger Federer 4. David Ferrer 5. Rafael Nadal 6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (injured) 7. Tomas Berdych 8. Juan Martin Del Potro (injured?) 9. Richard Gasquet 10. Marin Cilic (injured)
On the women's side we have 4 of the Top 10 seed left to start Week 2:
1. Serena Williams 2. Viktoria Azarenka (injured) 3. Maria Sharapova 4. Agnieszka Radwanska 5. Sara Errani 6. Li Na 7. Angelique Kerber 8. Petra Kvitova 9. Caroline Wozniacki (injured) 10. Maria Kirilenko
Despite this many seeds falling, Britain's Laura Robson is also still in the mix. Is it possible an external agent is working to make both of Britain's best hopes for a title advance? I think it's highly likely. I worry about what bad news might come out of Wimby tomorrow. Novak slips getting out of the shower breaking a hip? A piano falls out of the sky and lands on Ferrer? Serena's hotel disappears into a previously undiscovered sink hole? Nothing is too far fetched as to be impossible at this point. Stay safe, players! Some unknown force is still out to get you!
So as the rain starts falling at the All England Club, so do the seeds continue to fall from the tournament as well as all the American men. Hey, only two more retirements though! Paul-Henri Mathieu and Michael Llorda bowed out mid-match. And grass-favorite hopefuls Milos Raonic (17) and Grigor Dimitrov (29) saw there chances to capitalize on a depleted draw slip away. Kei Nishikori (12) also lost, but was not really favored here on grass.
Also it's the first time in 101 YEARS, that no American man made it into at least the third round of Wimby. That hasn't happened since 1912 and that year, no U.S. men competed! Likely this distinction would not have occurred was this not the Weirdest Wimbledon Ever and Murray's suspected voodoo dolls not claimed Isner with a freak knee injury in the 2nd Round. (Nick work there, Muzz.) Interestingly enough, there are 4 US Women still left in the draw: Serena, Sloane Stephens, and total randoms Madison Keys and Alison Riske. Keep it going, ladies! U-S-A! U-S-A!
So who the hell is left anyway? Are there any dark horse contenders who still have a chance for glory? Well presently we still have Ferrer and Djokovic in the top half of the draw and Murray and nobody else in the bottom half. Somehow the top half seems to have more challengers than before. Less than a week ago it seemed the Top Half ad it easy! Can Haas make a break through against Novak? What about Charday? Gasquet? Berdich? Ferrer's quarter still has DelPo as well. There's still a lot to be decided there.
Meanwhile, Murray's Voodoo Dolls have stripped the bottom half of virtually all seeded players - with only Youhzny at No. 20 and Jersey Janowicz at No. 24 remaining. The two players who beat Rafa and Fed have already eliminated, for Voodoo super powers only last for one round. It really seems like a formality at this point that Murray makes it to the final, but we'll see if any of the other guys in the bottom half brought their protective wards and lucky charms. It'd be nice if they could keep it interesting!
We're almost half-way through the Weirdest Wimbledon Ever! What surprises still await???
Welcome Back DanceFans! Have you been waiting for the competition to kick in as eagerly as I've been? I must say that my first viewing of the show was mired a bit by my deep disappointment in Tuesday's gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, my trying to keep live tabs of Total Hero Wendy Davis and her Filibuster in the Texas Senate and also being nervous about today's DOMA and Prop 8 decisions (newsflash: HOORAY!). So even before I started watching this week, I decided I'd reserve final judgement until after an encore DVR presentation of this week's routines. But I am really excited for the rest of this season!! I think this Top 20 is exceptionally strong skill-wise, with diverse winning personalities as well. I have high hopes and higher expectations. Also? I still don't have any idea if it's one winner or two. Maybe they'll make a clear decision about it before we get to Final Four? Time will tell! We've got 8 contempos, 4 ballers, 3 tappa tappa tappas, 2 hoppers, 2 animazings and 1 jazz hands. Here we go!
The opening group dance by NappyTabs is EPIC! It's like one of those one-shot youtube videos with people running all around their high school to a pop song except this one is at the SYTYCD sound stage. We start in the parking lot and move through backstage in what seems at least from our POV like a total labyrinth of hallways. Dancers switch in and out of formation as we move along. There are cameos by the choreographers - Tabitha, Travis, Christopher Scott (who I mistook for a gorgeous male contestant I couldn't immediately place before realizing who it was) Nigel (trying to be an animator, god bless him!), Jason Gilkison whipping Mary's hair back and forth - and finally the dancers
make it onto the stage, and Cat swings into frame right at the end to give us the "Welcome... to so you THINK you can dance!" that we all know and love. That was really impressive, y'all!
The pairs get called out in the normal intro way, but they're not the real pairs (was I supposed to be fooled that two tappers were put together? Show, please.) Tonight's Guest Jidge joining Nigel and Mary is Wayne Brady, whom I enjoy. And his little brother Curtis from Auditions made it to the Top 20! Reunion Time!
Let's get down to it. They are not being voted on as a couple. Everyone has a million individual phone numbers and online votes and things. It's super confusing and dense but of course Cat sails through it all beautifully. We get 10 seconds of info on each contestant before the routine, but we don't learn a ton. I'm not recapping it. No one admits to being a Nazi, so you can continue to love them all. Here are the routines.
Mariah and Carlos: Jive (Jason Gilkison)to "Get It Right" by Fantasia.
So Mariah is one of my early loves and she looks super hot in this yellow mini dress. Carlos is wearing sunglasses. WHY? Let me see his eyes!He eventually gets rid of them, but too late for my taste. The routine overall is too fast and too frantic and there are too many labored tricks. They seem to run out of gas about half-way through and it's understandable given what they have to do. Still, the kicks just aren't quite right. Not a disaster, but not a great way to head out from the gate either. Mary thinks it was labored too. Wayne wanted them to have more fun within the choreo.Will their personalities save them from the Bottom? Maybe for Maria. Probably not for Carlos. Cat pronounces his name "Carluss" which is awesome.
Jasmine Mason and Alan: Contemporary (Travis Wall)to "Can't Help Falling in Love," by Ingrid Michaelson.
The concept is "Love is Blind" so they are wearing lace blindfolds and again I can't see dancers' eyes. WHY?? I want to connect. Regardless, these two are going to be great partners together and they are killing it in this routine. I'm so glad Jasmine made it through this year. I thought it was crazy last year when she was cut on the Green Mile. Alan's really cute too, and I suspect he'll keep growing on me as a performer. They do this one trust fall move that freaks me out but in actuality is probably not that complicated. It's just the visual of doing it with them both blindfolded. They get a standing O from the judges, who then don't really say much of consequence to them.
Malece and Jade: Jazz (Travis Wall) to Silver Screen (Shower Scene) by Felix deHousecat.
Travis routines back to back? Okay... this one is about a Hollywood couple who were in a movie where she got good reviews and he didn't and it doesn't go well between them after that. This is one where I wish maybe so much of it wasn't explained to me, because then I judge whether or not that was really the story that came across, as opposed to if I just thought it was danced well and told me a story. And I don't think this routine quite gave me the story Travis laid out, so it didn't really do it for me personally. I think these two have potential though. There was good execution and tons of attitude. Nigel and Wayne both jump on the fact that this routine sucked in rehearsal so by comparison they thought this was phenomenal. That's a strange thing to bring up. Lots of folks have a bad dress prior to Opening Night.I just don't know if this routine or these two were doing enough to inspire votes.
Jenna and Tucker: Broadway (Tyce Diorio) to "That's All" from Beyond the Sea.
Oooh, definitely a power couple saddled with a pretty terrible routine! They can surmount anything! Tyce looks as disinterested as ever in the rehearsal video package. Before the music kicked in there's a shot of all theses clothes hanging on a wash line and I got really excited for a second that maybe we were going to see the Tornado Sequence from The Wiz. But no. And the dancers costumes are cute but what have do they have to do with the set here? Nothing? Ugh. It's typical hodge podge Tyce and the competition JUST STARTED tonight, folks. What horrors await us in weeks to come? Jenna and Tucker dial their personalities up to 11 which is the only way to try and survive something like this and they mostly succeed. They sell the hell out of it with charm and technique. The routine is dumb though. Mary starts screaming about how she's dancing in the sheets and no one really knows what to say. Wayne compares Tucker to Donald O'Connor and Jenna to Cyd Charisse and Gwen Verdon. Nigel considers them a power couple. Hopefully next week they get a much better routine.
BluPrint and Brittany: Afro Jazz (Sean Cheesman) to "Drumming Circle" by Professor Trane & The Energizers.
I really liked this routine. I like both dancers and think they make a more interesting couple in practice than maybe I would've figured on paper. They have a good connection and midway through they just REALLY start feeling it. The music is really cool too. This one worked for me. Afterwards, Cat tries to mimic the dance to adorable and hilarious effect.
After A LOT of laughing (will the show come in on time??) Wayne compares BluPrint's versatility to that of Twitch. Nigel reminds us that BluPrint didn't grow up in a jungle so it's ALL NEW TO HIM and Mary puts them on
the Hot Tamale Train. Really, Mary? I thought it was really good but the judges LOVED it. Not bad for Week 1, kids! Where do you grow from here?
Before we get to the next routine. There's a plug for National Dance Day and then they show a clip from So You Think You Can Prance? Which combines Nigel and Adam with the glory of Prancercise! YES THEY DID.
Alexis and Nico: Hip-Hop (Christopher Scott) to "Last Time" (Knife Party Remix) by Labrinth.
Guys, Alexis and Nico have no swag. They do have sunglasses though! So once again I can't see contestants eyes. Oof. Come ON, Show. Let me see their eyes! This one isn't very good. Nico is sharper than Alexis who just looks out of it, but he's not really nailing it either. Chris
Scott threw in a bunch of moves in their own styles which just makes me think he could tell how off they were in the style there were attempting. Nigel is surprised that they both kinda face planted on this one, considering how versatile and winning he finds them as dancers. He thinks they gave up on going for the style. That's pretty damning for Week 1. Mary essentially tells them to prep their solos to dance for their lives. Nico's so dreamy though! Is that really not enough to keep him away from being one of the bottom 3 guys? We'll see.
Makenzie and Paul: Viennese Waltz (Jason Gilkison) to "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne.
Paul is a jive dancer but apparently doesn't know a lot of other ballroom styles. Wait, Paul is the dude who won SYTYCD Armenia! I totally forgot that was his back story. So c'mon, he's done ballroom before! Let's be serious. They waltz to Avril Lavigne, as one obviously does. The movement is fluid and pretty lovely. Half way through they open an umbrella prop and it's kind of all I can look for the second half of the dance instead of the actors, but maybe Jason thought I'd get bored with the dance without a shiny new object to focus on, and to that extent he successfully held my attention. Mary
explains, how stiff "court shoes" can be unless properly broken in over time and how that must be difficult for Makenzie this week. The judges are pretty delicate with them, but I thought it was very solid so I don't know why them seem so worried for these two.
Jasmine Harper and Aaron: Jazz (Sonya Tayeh) to
"Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae.
Jasmine and Aaron are the giants of Season 10 which puts them only about 3 inches shorter than Cat. Sonya wants this routine to have a swampy sensual southern feel. Jasmine is
really striking. I'm glad we're done with her "Cyrus's ex" storyline and can appreciate her amazing skill. Plus legs for DAAAAAAAAYS. She and Aaron are dancing with great control. He's sturdy enough to really lift her so high and make it seem so effortless and light. Wayne asks Jasmine where she was when he was 20 and the answer is "NOT YET BORN!" He also mentions he knows Aaron's dad as the famous Vegas-performer, Earl Turner, which is a cool shout out of something we didn't learn in Aaron's 10 second interview package. Mary screeches justifiably for Jasmine's legs. I really like these two.
Hayley and Curtis: Hip-Hop (Christopher Scott) to "Go" by Delilah.
Tappa Tappa Tappa! I don't know exactly what this routine is about, so I'll go with high end call girl kills the dude that purchases a night with her. In rehearsal, Curtis is a bit scared to be super sexy and touch her private places like... her leg. And... her stomach. And... her butt. Seriously, Curtis? GO FOR IT. The routine itself works out super fine. Hayley is killing it and Curtis has sharp moves and tons of character in his face. Nigel takes a shot at Alexis and Nico within his praise for them. It's not super nice if him, but I was sorta thinking the same thing.
Amy and Fik-Shun: Contemporary (Sonya Tayeh) to "Elsa" by The Valerie Project.
Fik-Shun gets the task of being the first shirtless man of the season. He won't be the last. These two have a really great connection as partners. The emotion of the piece is palpable. Fik-Shun is a short dude but the lifts look effortless which can sometimes be a hard thing to pull off at his size. Cat says she got her first
chills of the season. Mary loves Amy's intensity, and though she felt last week Fik-Shun kinda disappointed in his own style with Mariah, this was much stronger from him. Agreed. Fik-Shun says this serious routine was a
change of pace, and then realizes: "I rocked
it." It doesn't come off as boastful though. It's cute.
That's all there is! The routines in order of my favorites are:
Amy and Fikshun's Contemporary
BluPrint and Brittany's Afro Jazz
Alan and Jasmine M.'s Contemporary
Aaron and Jasmine H.'s Jazz
Curtis and Hayley's Hip Hop
Mackenzie and Paul's Viennese Waltz
Jade and Malece's Jazz
Jenna and Tucker's Broadway
Carlos and Mariah's Jive
Alexis and Nico, Hip Hop
In danger next week?? So difficult since it's individual. Girls I'll say Alexis, Mackenzie and Malece. And boys I'll say Carlos, Paul and Jade. But we'll see. I thought they were all very close so I'm basically just guessing who might be least popular. See you next Tuesday for more dancing, results and our beautiful host Cat Deely!
