America's Got Talent Recap: Audition Show 3

Hey all sorry I did not get around to blogging Wednesday's America's Got Talent audition show but between So You Think You Can Dance and the I'm a Celebrity finale (yeah Lou Diamond Phillips) I did not have a chance to watch AGT until later in the week. For the record nobody on Wednesday's show blew me away but I did like the yodeling domantrix (and I am a woman, by the way), the violin playing triplets (as long as they don't sing), the illusionist (though his act was a bit predictable), and the young dancer at the end (though he seemed a bit hectic and spastic at times during the dance). My favorite act so far is still the EriAm sisters from the first show, though I have a bad feeling they won't last too long with other singers like Voices with Glory getting better judges' reviews.

We get some highlights of last week's shows, and the EriAm sisters are nowhere to be found. We do get the flying frisbee dog, the Billy Elliot kid, the young ballroom dancers who are good but not as good as the Billy Elliot kid, the guy who put a fish hook through his nose and mouth, FootworKINGz, and of course Voices with Glory. Tonight it looks like we meet the other contestant who has been pimped to us for weeks- the chicken catcher with a smooth country voice.

The judges get their usual extended introduction, and the Hoff gets the most cheers (why is he the most popular judge again?)

Tonight's auditions start out in NY- hopefully they'll be better than the ones we saw from NY last week.

First up is Carol Lugo, who was also in one of the previews for the show. She is a 62 year old woman who does a weird dance that is actually entertaining. I remember thinking when I saw the preview that I liked her better than both Voices with Glory and the chicken catcher singer (I do think he has a very good voice, just that's not really my kind of music). Carol is currently a cashier who wears her dance shoes to work. She has wanted to be a dancer for much of her life and believes in following her dreams no matter what. She will definitely get the old people vote if she makes it to the live shows. Wow her dancing is even more impressive in the show than it was in the preview. Like the kid from last week her head movement is very distracting but she has great stuff, especially for her age. She even does a moonwalk! I think she is as good if not better than the Billy Elliot kid, though I could do without the butt shaking part. Even so she was incredibly entertaining, and you almost forget how old she is while watching the routine. The judges and audience are digging it too. Sharon calls her wonderfully bizarre, David says it was awesome and she deserves to be on the stage. He even gives her a standing ovation! Piers thinks she could inspire us in a recession. She gets three yes's and is off to Vegas. That was one of my favorite acts of the season so far and I think she has a chance to go even further in the competition. And she even moonwalks off the stage!!

Montage of unusual talents (this could be good or bad...). Joseph Harris does some cool tricks with a yo-yo. I don't know if he would be able to sustain a Vegas show but he is certainly good enough for the next round, and the judges agree. The Diva League is a group of really good dancers and drag queens. They are totally in sync and one even does a split at the end! They too are put through to Vegas. Chris Allison eats a lightbulb and then has some (hopefully fake) blood coming out of his mouth by the end. He does seem to know how to work the audience though and is put through to Vegas.

Next up (still in NYC) is Jay Mattioli, a magician from Virginia. Oh boy he's going to be bad- they haven't had any bad auditions yet tonight. He always wanted to be a famous magician and when he was younger he made things out of cardboard and glue to use for his tricks. Actually I think I recognize this guy as being one of the good auditioners from the previews- I didn't recognize him until he took off his cape thing. First levitates the microphone and leans against it while it is in the air. Then he gets into an "America's Got Magic" box (awesome) as the top of it appears to come down and crush him. On the part of the box that comes down on top of him is a sign that says "Applause" (also awesome). Sure enough the part goes back to the top of the box and Jay comes out unscathed. I really liked him. He was talented plus had some funny bits in there as well, and he wasn't as predictable as the illusionist from last week. He even did some (pretty good) dancing between tricks. This show has been great so far in terms of talent level. Piers likes the pizazz and star quality Jay has, even though he thought the box trick wasn't as impressive as the microphone bit. I actually liked the box thing better but both were good. Sharon likes the modern and interesting aspects of it. David says it was not just magic but it was entertaining. Exactly! That's why I like him better than the guy from last week even if the tricks themselves were not as good. He gets three yes's and is off to Vegas! Another of my favorite acts so far.

Wow 18 minutes in and no bad acts yet. I'm guessing that's going to change soon though...

Now we are back in Chicago for more auditions. First up is Franklin Sane, a juvenile county judge from Detroit. He uses music as an escape from his boring judge life. Doesn't he as a judge have more important things to do than audition for a talent show? Just saying. Well luckily for his county he should be coming home soon because his singing is painfully bad. I'm surprised it's taking the judges this long to X him. The audience turns on him immediately though, and Piers is covering his ears at the last long note. Piers says he can't sing. Short and sweet. Franklin says he has performed in front of prisoners. Well of course they like him if they don't Franklin could extend their prison sentences haha. He is given three definite no's.

Next up is Thia Megia from California. She is a 14-year old singer and I think she was shown in the previews blowing the judges away with her voice. She would practice in front of the mirror to prepare for this moment. Aw. She does "I'm Changing" from Dreamgirls (though she surprisingly references the song's original singer, Jennifer Holliday, rather than Jennifer Hudson). I like this song so I hope she is good. And indeed she is very good. She has an old jazz singer vibe to her voice, which isn't my favorite style but she does have an amazing voice for her age. I forget she is 14 when I close my eyes. Great last note!!! Her stage presence is pretty good as well. Since a young powerhouse singer has already won this show in the past (Bianca Ryan), I don't think she will win but she has a great shot at the finals. Sharon gives her a standing ovation. David says nothing is going to stop her (a reference to a lyric in the song she sang). Sharon says she sings with emotion and that is hard to do. Piers says she is the best singer he's heard. As far as individual singers go yes (though I think she may be the only halfway decent solo singer they've had so far), but I still think the lead singer in the EriAm sisters act is better than her. She sails through to Vegas. Aw she even got Nick to shed a few tears...

Next up is librarian Jeffery Johns, who claims he is being shut out of performing in Vegas because he is too short and Vegas looks for taller acts since the showgirls are tall. First of all I doubt it's his height that is preventing him from getting gigs. Second of all he is taller than me (not that that is saying much) so he can't be that short. He also looks way too much like Carrot Top, which is never a good thing. His act involves climbing onto a giant chair and singing decently. Then he jumps off the giant chair and starts dancing and singing about being short. This would seem okay but I keep thinking he is acting like a giant kid, from the large chair to the high voice and the corny hand motions. Only David and Piers X him though. David says it was the weirdest act he's ever seen. Piers says it was irritating from start to finish and he is sent back home.

And now a montage of bad acts. Do we have to? This show was going so well with the minimal bad acts. Anyway Witches in Bikinis have great bodies but bad harmonies. Robert Myers starts out as Little Richard and was going to change into other characters but his singing was so bad he thankfully got X'd before he gets very far. Samba Samba Samba does spastic looking dancing and are so loud they can't even hear the X's because their drums are so loud.

Next are The Fab Five, sisters from Utah who are also all mothers. They now live in different states but have stayed close through performing. Their matching leather pants are very shiny. They do some very fast riverdancing in perfect unison. They even get into more complex choreography and still remain in sync. Not my kind of thing but they are very talented. David thinks they did a great job. Sharon loves their energy, technical precision, and love for the dance.
Piers also likes them. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.

And last but not least is the chicken catcher guy aka Kevin Skinner. He's a good ole' country boy from Kentucky, right down to the thick Southern accent. He likes sitting on the porch and counting stars. He even writes his own songs. He and five other guys once caught 60,000 chickens in one night. He sure is a charmer with the crowd. This is very Susan Boyle-esque with Nick and even David preparing for the worst. Wow he's even better than he was in the previews. The judges and audience don't even cheer- they just sit there taking in his beautiful voice. He might have gone a bit off on the low notes but he still was really great. He has a very legitimate shot to win the whole show. Surprisingly only David gives him a standing ovation though. Piers admits he thought it was going to be bad based on how Kevin was dressed (in an old sweater and backwards cap) but was hooked 20 seconds in. So basically he is like our Susan Boyle, though I don't think he will get millions of hits on YouTube. Sharon is in tears and can tell he is a lovely person and very genuine. David says he moves all of them. He is sent sailing through to Vegas, and Piers agrees with me that he could win the whole show.

And good for AGT for putting a little Michael Jackson tribute at the end. It was just his picture with Nick saying how talented he was, but since this show isn't live yet there's not much else they could have done.

So that's it for tonight's show, which was surprisingly chock full of talent. I liked all the acts that got through though my favorites were dancing Carol, magician Jay, the Diva League (who should have gotten more screen time), and chicken catcher Kevin. The dancing sisters and the 14-year-old singer were good just not really my thing. Kevin is almost a lock to make the finals though I'm not sure about the others.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Any early favorites? Think Kevin is going to win the whole show? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Top 16 Results

Hey all it's time for the results show of SYTYCD. I'm still in shock over Michael Jackson's untimely death. Since I'm so young my only memories of him are his plastic surgery nightmares and court cases but he still was a great icon in the music business. I wonder if they will mention his death on the show (if it's big enough news to make ESPNEWS, it should be big enough to mention here). But we also have two more contestants to eliminate tonight.

I was thinking about the top 10 this morning. I think Brandon/Janette, Melissa/Ade, and Evan/Randi are locks, and probably so are Phillip/Jeanine. That leaves eight people for two spots, and all eight of them have been in the bottom before (and two will go home tonight). I think Jonathan and Karla should go tonight but after last week's shocker anything can happen.

The group dance is set to "I Know You Want Me" by Pitbull. Well this song is kind of annoying but at least I know it. And at least that means the routine is hip hop. Actually though the routine looks more like ballroom/Latin than hip hop but it is still really cool. Probably my favorite group number of the year. At first it was very slow and sexy but then it really got going once the music picked up. The guys and girls got group solos, though once again the guys were better. Three of them even did flips over the other girls (I think one was Kupono but I'm not sure on the others). Plus the girls all got sprayed with water which must make the guys watching this very happy. Apparently the routine was by Tabitha and Napoleon so it was hip hop, though I still think it was the most ballroom/Latin looking hip hop I've ever seen. (NOTE: So I just found out apparently Dmitry Chaplin did part of the choreography as well- hence the ballroom).

Mary looks gorgeous in her red dress tonight, and Nigel is wearing a dapper tuxedo.

Nigel has a few words to say. I bet he's going to talk about Michael. Yep. First he mentions the whole "death in threes" theory of Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett (whose death will now forever be overshadowed) and Michael Jackson dying in the same week. He says Ed introduced lots of great talent to us on Star Search. I knew about Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, but Drew Carey too?? He's my favorite comedian! I never knew he was on Star Search. I want to go find that clip now. Nigel moves on to tributes for Farrah and Michael, and the producers even have photos of the three to put up during the speech. Nigel apparently met Farrah once and she tried to teach him to make pecan pie! She had great strength and will to live through her cancer. He can't even describe how big a superstar Michael Jackson was. Like I said I was too young to really remember when he was a star but from what I've heard he really influenced a lot of current musicians. But does every photo they show of him in tributes have to be AFTER his surgery? I'm sorry but those pictures just creep me out. Nigel points out how Jackson changed music and dance in the world and says the video of "Black or White", which melded different styles of dance together, was the inspiration for this show. Fred Estaire even complimented Jackson the night he did the moonwalk on television for the first time (which again I have not seen, though my father told me today it completely changed popular culture at the time). He adds we should celebrate their lives and how they influenced us today. Great message Nigel.

I just remembered Jason is a big Jackson fan, and he may be in the bottom three tonight- maybe his solo will be a tribute to Michael.

Nigel continues that many of the dancers today became dancers because of Jackson, and he thinks the greatest tribute to the King of Pop is to show the iconic "Thriller" video that completely changed the way music videos were made. I did not realize how revolutionary the video was and I've actually only seen part of it but I do think this is a great way to honor his memory.

Well they actually only show a bit of the video, and it's so different now watching it knowing he is gone. It almost makes me want to cry even though the song is not a sad song at all. And they finally show a GOOD picture of Michael as they head to the break, a photo from when he was a young afro-ed boy with a microphone in front of him. He really was attractive before all that plastic surgery stuff.


Now enough with the sad stuff and on to the results (actually, I guess those are sad too but not until the end of the show). There are five couples on stage at the same time- I guess that means the other three are the bottom three for the week? Well Asuka and Vitolio are on stage so maybe not. They are up first- could they really be safe? No they are in the bottom. Okay then I have no idea why they brought out five couples at once but at least so far America got it right.

We get our first clear view of the other couples on stage, and they are the four I predicted earlier as being locks for the top 10- Brandon/Janette, Evan/Randi, Phillip/Jeanine and Ade/Melissa. So that likely means two of the remaining three couples- Jonathan/Karla, Jason/Caitlin, and Kupono/Kayla will be in the bottom. But first we must get through the formalities. Brandon and Janette are safe (Yay!). The "butt made the cut", as Evan and Randi are also safe. I still didn't like the choreography of their routine last night but I saw many others call it the best dance of the night. They did dance the routine very well though so I'm happy they are safe. Phillip and Jeanine are next, and if any of these four might be in the bottom this week it would be them because of Phillip's poor technique, even though the dance was fun and entertaining. But America does like entertainment as well, as they too are safe for another week. Hey Ade is wearing an Obama shirt! I still don't quite see the love for him and Melissa so I'd almost be glad if they were in the bottom three but I don't think they will be. And sure enough they are safe, leaving three couples left and two spots in the bottom three to be filled.

If I was a producer I would announce that Jonathan and Karla were in the bottom first, since they were the consensus worst couple last night, and then increase the suspense by having it come down to the beautiful yet not exciting Kupono/Kayla waltz or the weak technically but exciting Jason/Caitlin paso doble. I liked both of these routines last night but I liked the waltz more so I hope Kupono and Kayla are safe. But whichever of these three are in the bottom I will not be surprised, since they have all been there before.

Sure enough when they come out onstage Jonathan and Karla are on the left, which likely means they will be hearing their fate first. The weird thing is the clips from their performance last night aren't that bad. Wonder if Nigel really bet anyone that these two would be in the bottom three? Jonathan says he would have taken the bet. Though then he would owe Nigel money since they are indeed in the bottom. No real surprise here either. Nigel though is sorry they were in the bottom because he thinks they have potential. And he adds he agrees with America's picks so far, as do I.

So now it 's down to Jason/Caitlin and Kupono/Kayla. Kayla and Jason are really popular though I think Caitlin and Kupono are much less so. I wouldn't really be surprised either way but like I said before I hope Kupono and Kayla are safe. Yay they are!!!! So that means obviously Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom. I can live with Caitlin going as long as Jason stays. Plus maybe we'll get to see a Michael Jackson tribute dance.

So that means the three worst dances according to the judges were the fans' least favorite as well. I still thought Jason and Caitlin were good but when there were really only two subpar acts the whole night someone else had to be in the bottom and if they did have the technical flaws Nigel pointed out then I guess they deserve to be there.

Mary is surprised by one couple in the bottom (I'm guessing Caitlin and Jason). Odd since I'm not surprised at all. I guess that means those two will be safe, though I thought the same thing last week about Max. Toni wasn't surprised about one but seemed to think everyone else was good so it was up to America. I'm guessing the duo she wasn't surprised at was Jonathan and Karla. Nigel demands Toni say which couple she was referring, and she admits that those two did not hit it hard enough for a street dance routine.

But before the solos we get some special guests, who get the audience cheering before they even show up. They are young beat boys called the Rage Boys Crew. They are really good but it's a bit too much jumping and flipping for my taste. They look like they range in age from around 8 to around 16 and they are all very talented (and attractive in those leather jackets!!). Woah one of the youngest gets tossed up in the air at the end- very much like Diversity from Britain's Got Talent. Cat gets down on her knees and bows to the youngest, who has a cute afro and missing front teeth. That was one of the more entertaining of these results show dance numbers, though that's not saying much since I didn't really like any of the previous ones.

After a plug for this season's auditions we get the six solos as each contestant fights for their dancing lives.

Asuka- Dances to "Don't Trust Me"- I love this song, but for a ballroom solo? Really? I thought her legs were great but her arm movements seemed a bit distracting to me. Good, but didn't blow me away.

Vitolio- Yay another current song- "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. It's strong and powerful like his last solo. It's almost animal-like, in a good way. He was better the first time he was in the bottom three but still another great performance.

Karla- She dances to "15 Step" by Radiohead. I've never been a big Radiohead fan. Anyway the routine was a bit spastic for me but the judges seem to like that sort of thing.

Jonathan- He comes out rocking a white leotard and dancing to "The Hunted" by Kodo. He actually dances pretty well but of course adds a few signature flips instead of more actual content. The routine just sort of seems like the same few moves over and over again.

Caitlin- She dances to "Que Sera Sera" by Jennifer Terran. The song and dance are beautiful and she ends with a cool cartwheel. I was actually semi-impressed by her tonight.

Jason- His song is "New American Classic" by Taking Back Sunday. It's not as good as his solo last week but still should be good enough to keep him around for another week.

I'm really torn this week since none of the solos blew me away. I think Jonathan's was the worst and Caitlin's was the best but after that they were all pretty even. Karla's was my least favorite among the girls though I think that's more a style thing than her dancing actually being poor. But based on last night those two should go anyway so I hope the judges keep that in mind.

While the judges deliberate The Veronicas come out to perform. I only know one of their songs, and it's not this one. They do their new single which actually isn't that bad either. It's certainly catchy in the chorus. And since this is a dance show they have their own dancers, who do some cool synchronized movements. The singers themselves don't dance but they do sway with with the beat a bit.

And now it's finally time for the results. The girls are up first, and they are unanimous. Caitlin comes forward first. They thought she gave the best solo of the night, and I think I agree. She certainly was the best of the girls. She is safe for another week. I hope Karla goes home but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Asuka. Karla they thought was a bit desperate- she fell off her pirouettes and never found her center. I guess that's why I thought it was frantic and spastic. They thought Asuka is an exciting performer who puts part of herself in everything she does, but they don't feel like she is growing. Thus, she is sent home. I'm a bit surprised after what they said to Karla but Asuka had no shot of winning anyway. I personally liked her and did think she was great last week but overall I think Karla has been better if you take into account previous routines and solos. I just hope Vitolio doesn't join her....

I'm surprised Toni voted to send Asuka home as well since she clearly said at the beginning the only routine she didn't like last night was Karla and Jonathan's. But like I said it doesn't matter because none of them were going to go that far.

Aww Asuka says Vitolio was the most memorable part of the show for her and that he's always been there for her. They did make a cute couple.

Now for the guys. The judges were not unanimous, which is odd since I thought that decision was more clear-cut. Vitolio is called up first, which I hope means he's safe. Nigel says he shows lots of promise but doesn't deliver. He cites examples of how Vitolio will look like he's going into a great move but then will do a less impressive on (he used actual dance terms that I don't know but that was his general jist). He warns Vitolio not to hold back and then has him step back. Jonathan gets the most cheers when he steps forward. Nigel thought he was not good the night before and the solo didn't have enough dance. Nigel thought Jason danced well last week but the solo this week was too desperate. I didn't see that at all but I agree it wasn't as good as his prior one. He gives Jason the same critique he gave Vitolio about not giving it his all each week. Well since he gave those two the same critique he can't send one of them home and leave the other on the show, can he? Nigel says Jason's routine was not that good but since he was against weaker competition they are sending him to safety. He probably is the most talented of the three and has been more consistent overall than the other two so I'm happy and not surprised. Now if only Jonathan will be sent home. Yay he is!!! They are running out of time but Nigel warns Vitolio to bring it next week or he won't survive. I'm upset about Asuka but at least Jonathan is finally gone. And that means next week Vitolio partners with Karla to form what should be a powerful duo.

Wow Jonathan actually looked semi-decent in the clips of him from Vegas week. Why couldn't he do more of that on the show?

And the best news of all- Fox is rebroadcasting the top 13 on American Idol Season 8 doing Michael Jackson songs on Monday night!! Yay!! I was totally thinking about that week too when I saw all the tributes to him and stuff. I looked up what songs everyone did and I remember standouts being "Dirty Diana" from Alexis, "Give it to Me" from Allison, "PYT" from Danny and "Remember the Time" from Kris (I threw the last one in because I am a huge Kris fan, and while it wasn't his best of the season it was certainly very good).


So what did you think of the results? I think I agree with who was sent home based on how they've done overall throughout the show. I'm interested in how Vitolio and Karla will do as partners next week. Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 16 Perform

Hey all it's time for another week of SYTYCD. After last week's stunning elimination of Max anything can happen so all the couples must bring their best. We'll also get our first taste of the new pairing Kayla and Kupono.

Kupono gets nice cheers in his opening solo. Caitlin looks like she is wearing a bird on her tiny shirt. Brandon does a cool flip in his solo. Ade's popularity seems to be growing. Evan looks so cute with his spins.

Tonight's guest judge is Toni Basil, aka the woman who sang "Hey Mickey" in the 80s. She seems to be dressed for a funeral though. Apparently she is receiving a "Living Legend of Hip Hop" award- really- she's a legend? I don't think she's been around long enough to be a legend but apparently she popularized street dance which I did not know. I'm guessing she'll be a big fan of Phillip and Kupono (and too bad Tony is gone because she would have liked him too). Mary says this group is better than ever and points out how some of the bottom groups from the first week did great in the second week- I'm guessing she means Jonathan and Karla and Vitolio and Asuka, though I still didn't like Jonathan and Karla's dance last week. Nigel says the judges shape the top 10 but it is hard to tell who will be there. I agree last year it was much more obvious who the top 10 would be. I think Evan, Phillip, and Brandon are locks, and their partners likely are as well. Kayla I think should make it too along with Melissa and Ade, though one bad dance and any of these people could go, as we found out last week.

Jonathan and Karla- They are doing hip hop with Dave Scott. I've never seen his choreography so I don't know what it is like. Tonight we find out what the contestants would do if they weren't dancing. Karla would be a journalist (like I hope to be too!!!). She minored in journalism at New York University, which is a really good school for you non-NYers. Jonathan wants to be an acrobat, which is a good job for him considering all the flipping he does. Right away in rehearsal they get black hats to do Scott's interpretation of a love story. Apparently it has a Bonnie and Clyde kind of feel to it. Karla is taking to the character of the dance well but Jonathan seems fake since he's trying too hard. Plus he's too cute to be a gangster! The song is "By My Side" by Jadakiss/Ne-Yo. The choreography is cool and they hit all the moves but they are not always together. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be or not but if they are Jonathan seemed a bit late at times. He also did not hit the moves as hard as Karla and, like Dave said in rehearsals, he's really not believable as a gangster. Karla though really did impress me with her movements and swagger. Nigel said the routine was too ironed out and not exciting- but that sounds like a criticism of the choreography, not the dancers. He also says they had no chemistry and points out the lack of unison, including on some head nods. I didn't acutally notice that part but I did notice other times they were not coordinated. Wow he calls it a "Sunday school picnic". Then he gets booed and yells back to the audience that he bets they will be in the bottom three. I agree with him (unless of course they get all the sympathy/judges' backlash votes now) but I never heard him say that out loud before. He's turning into Simon Cowell. Mary doesn't think they got in touch with their inner gangster. I thought Karla did, but not Jonathan. She says the best part was Jonathan's flips in the middle of the dance (which were really good- he should join the circus!). Toni agrees they didn't work well together and were not hard-hitting enough. So basically they agree with me, though I still thought they could have praised Karla a bit more. Anyway between their lack of popularity to begin with, their poor routine tonight, and them going first, I agree with Nigel about them being in the bottom three.

Asuka and Vitolio- I'm worried they are going so early in the show- it might make them easily forgettable. Asuka would be a jewelry maker if she didn't dance, and if she did make the ones she is sitting in front of then she has great taste. Vitolio would be a singer in a band, with an afro and purple leotard to boot. Let's just say he should stick to his day job. They are doing jazz with Mandy Moore. The routine is fast, and Asuka is out of her ballroom element. She gets frustrated in rehearsal and cries in Vitolio's arms. He comforts her like a good partner. Aww. They are so cute together. They dance to "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar- isn't that a rock song more than a jazz song? Anyway Asuka looks like a rockstar with her black outfit and makeup. The dance is very hard-hitting and they both are trying really hard to get at that, but I think Asuka falls a bit short. Like Jonathan in the previous routine she is outshone by her partner. Also I don't think they were that in sync either but it was hard to tell with the speed of the dance. I did like it better than the first dance though, and the lifts were great. Nigel saw the contrast between how sweet Vitolio was in the clip and how strong he was in the dance. He loved the routine. Wow I'm surprised I didn't think it was that good. He says the routine was simple but they did it well. Mary thinks it was really good but not as good as last week. I agree. She points out the lack of synchronization like I did. She also likes how they have improved their chemistry and partnership. Toni thinks they have potential to be great but warns them to focus more on emotion over technique. Odd since I think they need to work on technique more than emotion. Anyway I agree with Mary in that they were good, not great. Certainly better than the first group but they still may be in trouble with their lack of popularity and their early spot in the pecking order.

Melissa and Ade- Melissa would continue to be a pilates teacher and get her own studio. Ade would be a sound engineer on TV shows, but when he tries holding the giant microphone for Melissa he hits her in the head! Again, stick to your day job. They are doing a rumba with Tony Meredith. It's a love dance that requires sensuality and emotion along with technique. They really struggled at first, and Melissa claims they are overwhelmed. The song is "Emotion" by Destiny's Child. Yay I like this song. Rumba is one of my least favorite ballroom dances because it always seems boring to me. This one isn't that exciting but they do dance it very well technically. They are probably the best so far, but that's not saying much. Ooh they messed up a bit in the middle when Ade started turning Melissa the wrong way. Also the chemistry was not always believable though it picked up towards the end in that regard. Nigel says Melissa was sexy in her skimpy shiny dress (which she was) and then jokes "what a different Ade makes". Yay puns! He thinks Ade was there for Melissa in the dance and they danced it well. Mary is buying the emotion they sold and she totally believed it. I didn't always believe it but at times it was really good. She adds how Ade was not too stiff and had great technique, which he did. I'm surprised they haven't mentioned the mistake yet, but maybe it just looked like one but was actually part of the routine. Toni says it was beautifully done and then takes time to compliment Tony's choreography. I still was not a huge fan of this dance but like I said I think it's just because I don't like that style. I do agree it was well-danced though, which should keep them safe for another week.

Janette and Brandon- Brandon would be a lighting designer of sets. Janette would be a loan processor. Apparently she is a finance major and enjoys working with numbers. Okay that part I get, seeing as I'm a math major (yes, I study math and journalism- odd combo I know) but even for me a job as a loan processor does not sound exciting. Brandon agrees with me. This week they are doing hip hop with Dave Scott again. Hopefully they'll do better with his routine then Jonathan and Karla. Janette is a rock star and Brandon is a hip hop dancer who wants to be a rock star, so the routine is a mix of rock and hip hop styles. Brandon and Dave got into dancing matches during rehearsal. Apparently he has skills as a popper too. Who knew? The song is "What a World" by Common. Wow Janette does look like a rock star with her black leather leotard and tall black boots. Janette starts out doing rocker poses in a chair while Brandon shows off some fast hip hop steps. Wow is there anything he can't do? Then they get up and do some unison moves that seem more like rock than hip hop but either way they are both nailing it. I think I liked their dance last week better but this was still great and the best dance so far. Brandon even does some break dancing on the floor. Nigel thinks it was like 50 Cent and Cher- is that good or bad? He adds Brandon impressed him with the hip hop, which he really did, and that Janette was a great rocker despite being a salsa dancer, which she was. Mary thinks they really hit it and again compliments how well they did out of their elements. Toni thought the juxtaposition of hip hop and rock was a great strategy and thinks they really nailed it. These two have become my favorite couple and while I didn't love the choreography the dancing itself was amazing and should definitely help them stick around for a while.

Kupono and Kayla- I love Kupono but he hasn't impressed me thus far with his dancing in the live shows. Hopefully that will change this week with a new partner. Kayla loves modeling, and has done some for dancewear. She wants to get into more high fashion modeling as well. Hey she should go on America's Next Top Model too! She especially loves getting made up. Kupono loves costume designing. He basically mismatches different things together, but at least he is staying true to his unique (though odd) style. They hated being in the bottom three last week, and Kayla was shocked to be there (as was I). They are doing a Viennese Waltz, a very technical dance, so Kupono might be in trouble. They also might have trouble doing such a romantic dance after only being partners for a week. They struggled in rehearsals, as Kupono doesn't have the upper body strength for the lifts. More bad news for him. They just want to pull the audience in emotionally. The song is "Sweet Dreams for You" by Jewel. Wow Kupono is actually really graceful- he looks so pretty doing the arm swoops (sorry for the lack of technical terms). I actually spend most of the time watching him but Kayla looked pretty good as well. Plus the routine seemed to go by really quickly for me which means I enjoyed watching it. They seemed to do all the lifts pretty well though I think I saw a slight stumble in one of them. But otherwise the only other flaw was a lack of chemistry but I think that will grow over time. Nigel points out how a waltz is a hard routine to wow people with but says this was a beautiful routine, which it was. And I totally agree that a waltz is not a dance that gets people on their feet. But even so I still enjoyed it. He also liked the flow of the dance but adds that it won't get people to stand up and cheer for it. In response some audience members do just that- awesome! Mary says it was elegant and flowing and believable. I don't totally agree on the believability but I agree on the elegance and flow. She also points out how great it was that two contemporary dancers pulled this off. She does recommend Kupono work on heel leads but still seemed to like his effort.There is also some Kayla praise, though not as much as last week. She even puts them on the hot tamale train, which gets Kupono and Kayla excited. They do deserve it though with the elegance of that dance. Toni really liked the routine but points out to choreographer Jean Marc that it is pushing the envelope to have dancers to a waltz with no shoes (which Kupono did). This reminds me of that shoe controversy with Lance Bass on Dancing with the Stars, when his partner Lacey Schwimmer (a former SYTYCDer) choreographed a routine with neither of them wearing shoes and they got points taken off for it by one of the judges. But Toni still loved it, especially how Kayla was in the moment on stage and how well they did as new partners. This was my second favorite of the night so far and hopefully they should be safe for another week.

Randi and Evan- Like Kupono, Evan was an early favorite of mine but he has not impressed me the past few weeks. Kupono did so tonight, and hopefully Randi will do the same. Randi wants to be an elementary school teacher, specifically special education. Evan wants to own a custom car shop on the heels of us finding out last week he is a gear head. They are doing a Mia Michaels routine. Randi's behind is the center of the dance, which is kind of odd, though I'd expect nothing less from Mia. It is supposed to be a cat-and-mouse love story with a Mia Michaels spin. I am very hit or miss on Mia routines so let's see how this goes. Mia fears it seems cliche in rehearsals. The song is "Koop Island Blues" by Koop featuring Ane Brun. The song title sounds like it should be in a Mario video game. The routine was just... odd. They both danced it very well, and Evan looked better than he has in weeks but I just didn't get the story at all. It just all seemed weird for me, though I blame Mia for that, not the dancers, who were both very good with what they were given. Nigel says the routine was simple but beautifully danced. I agree on both counts. He adds there wasn't a great idea behind it but you could interpret it many different ways. It also was memorable, which is definitely was. Mary says they were terrific, which they were. She loved how they kept the character going throughout the dance. And Evan gets props for finally being a leading man. Toni says she would love to work with Mia if she was a dancer on the show and states they lived up to the great choreography. I hated the choreography but really liked the actual dancing. I don't know if everyone will like that routine but Evan's popularity should ensure they stick around.

Jason and Caitlin- Let's see if they can bounce back from their bad routine last week. Caitlin wants to be a broadcast journalist. She does a little teaser as a news anchor and is actually pretty good. Jason would be playing soccer, which is apparently is his second love (after dance of course!). They are doing a paso doble with Jean Marc and France. It's a very exciting routine, unless the waltz we saw earlier in the night. The two have to pretend to hate each other in the dance. Jean Marc ripped off Jason's sneakers and Caitlin's skirt before they started dancing. Why would you come to dance rehearsal in sneakers anyway? The song is called "O'Fortuna" by some orchestra with a long name. Ooh Jason has his shirt off. And Caitlin balances on one leg and one knee while in Jason's lap. This routine is really intense, in a good way. I can't keep my eyes off Jason with that evil look in his eyes. He looks so fierce in that outfit. Caitlin seemed to be overshadowed by him a bit but I think she did a good enough job. This was another of my favorites of the nice, mainly because of the great passion in the dance. Nigel thought Jason performed too much to the audience a bit, which I guess I get since he looked at the camera a lot. But he thought many other things were exceptionally good, namely Caitlin's lines and flow. Mary thinks it was a strong performance but warns Jason lost his posture and character a bit at times. Toni enjoyed the performance of the characters even though they at times struggled with their technique. I didn't notice the poor technique as much but that could hurt them despite the strong performance.

Phillip and Jeanine- Phillip wants to be an inventor. So both of his careers are not very lucrative haha. Jeanine wants to be an actress. Apparently she did some commercials and independent films as well. They were both shocked to not be in the bottom three, but I wasn't because of Phillip's popularity. They are doing a Broadway routine (yay!) with Tyce. Hopefully it is better than Tyce's routine for Asuka and Vitolio early in the season. Phillip has to jump over a couch in the routine but is too scared to do it. Wow he really looks like he is flying when he does it in rehearsal. The song is "Moses" from "Singin in the Rain". Boo I don't like old Broadway- I like more current stuff. Love them reading a SYTYCD book while on the couch together. It's a cute, fun number. Kind of reminds me of "I Love Lucy" a bit. They even get to throw pillow feathers all over the stage. And yes, Phillip does safely jump the couch. Not my absolute favorite of the night but certainly good enough to get them through to next week. Haha Phillip ripped his pants in the routine (but we can't see anything too risque). We do see a bit of his butt hanging out. They should have done that for Randi in her routine with Evan. Nigel says they needed to bring lots of personality, and while he thinks Jeanine did Phillip did not as much. I did find myself drawn to Jeanine most of the dance, and that's probably why. Mary is allergic to down feathers but not to that routine. She too notes Phillip's lack of technique and how great Jeanine was. Toni thought it was adorable but didn't live up to the Gene Kelly standard. She says they can't let the feathers upstage them, whatever that means. And they were better this week than they were last week of course. If they could stay out of the bottom three after their poor performance last week they should sail through to the top 10.

My favorites were Brandon/Janette, Kupono/Kayla, and Jason/Caitlin. I liked all the other dances though the first two were my least favorite.

So that's it for tonight's show. The bottom three are getting tougher and tougher to predict. I think Jonathan and Karla and Asuka and Vitolio will be there almost certainly, and deservedly so. I don't know who else I would put in the bottom. Brandon/Janette, Evan/Randi, Melissa/Ade and Phillip/Jeanine are really popular so I think it will come down to Kupono/Kayla and Jason/Caitlin for the final spot in the bottom three. I thought both were great but the former wasn't the most exciting dance and the latter lacked in technique according to the judges.

So who do you think is going home tomorrow night? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: Season Premiere

Hey all so just so you know I am not just a fan of So You Think You Can Dance, I will be recapping other reality shows on this blog as well, starting with America's Got Talent. I've watched this show from the beginning and still can't believe Neal beat out Nuttin' But Stringz or my personal favorite Eli Mattson last year. Oh well.

Sorry for the lateness of this blog but I got in trouble for screaming at one of the acts (more on that later) which woke up my parents who made me turn the show off. Anyway on to the show...

I've already seen plenty of previews and can guarantee the chicken catcher who sings country music and the siblings who woke their mother up from a coma will both make the finals. The country guy is good, but not really my thing, and while I didn't like the siblings' voices at first they have started to grow on me as I saw their commercial more and more.

But first we have to get through the audition rounds. I wonder how many times they'll mention Susan Boyle in the intro (I bet they'll mention her much more than they mention Neal).

Well no specific mention of Susan, just clips from the various world versions of this show with a large shot of Susan at the end and Piers' reaction to her voice (because of course they can't show Simon's reaction since he's not a judge on this show...)

And the siblings who woke up their mom already appear in the intro as well, though at least they showed the young girl who in my view is the most talented of the three.

Quick comments from the judges- Piers wants a unique act to win (especially after two singers winning in the past three years I bet), Sharon loves how this show makes dreams come true, and David says the show is fun, especially with the wacky acts.

Why is Nick Cannon in front of the White House for the intro? That's kind of random... OMG he's going to dance with one of the acts! This I got to see.


I didn't watch most of the acts they showed in the intro because I wanted to be surprised when they came out but that young boy dancer looked really good.

Nick gets his photo AND name in the credits- Regis and Jerry never got that. Hmm...

So wait, there are no auditions in Washington DC?? Then why the hell is Nick there???

First up, NYC. I think we see those three siblings here since I know they are from upstate NY.

The judges get their traditional big intro and now it's time for the auditions. Nick certainly knows how to work a crowd.

First up is a cute teacher's aide named Ray Schwarz. He's a singer and dancer who hopes to touch people with his music. Please let him be good!!! Well his voice isn't horrible but his "dancing" consists of shaking and waving his arms back and forth. Too bad he seemed like a nice guy. The audience is hating it but the judges dig it for a bit. Oh wait there's David with the X,and Piers soon follows. And there goes Sharon. Ray says he needs improvement, and Piers wonders how bad he was before lessons! Ouch. At least the judges are nice in their rejections.

Montage of bad acts. Jay Brunelle plays guitar and sings badly while slipping on a unicycle. Andy Lopata ( a forty-year old white guy, mind you) does some "rap" that sounds like rhythmic poetry more than rap. Sky and Vlad Eros Fire (cool name) do a fire dance but Sky's hair catches on fire halfway through. They even needed fire extinguishers to put out the blaze! The judges are not impressed.

Now we have moved to Chicago. Oh yeah I forgot they are going to jump back and forth between cities like they did last year. I hated it then and I hate it now- too confusing. Ooh Johnny Depp lookalike.

Moses Lanham- A movie usher with a unique talent. Apparently he's the only living person who can do what he does, and it is dangerous. This could be really good or really bad. His act is turning his feet 180 degrees and then walking. That sounds really painful and cool, though I don't know how he could sustain this for a whole act in Vegas. Well he does it, and it is cool and weird, but like I said what will he do in the next round to top this? Haha love the look on Nick's face. Piers X's him when he gets grossed out enough, but the guy even has a tie on the back of his shirt and then puts his back to the audience but with the tie and his feet he looks like he is just facing forward with his head turned around! David agrees with me that it's not enough to sustain an act though, and even the audience is lukewarm. Sharon says no, and Piers says he got physically ill. I'm not surprised though at least he actually has talent, unlike the other rejects so far.

Nick turns his clothes and shoes around and imitates Moses as he walks off the stage! I think I'm going to like Nick as the host.

Ooh sad music starting- that means the next act will be good and have a sob story to boot.

They are a six-man group called FootworKINGz. They grew up in bad neighborhoods and want to inspire others to go for their goals. They have a motto but I can't really understand it- something about water I think. They are full of confidence, already predicting they can win the million. They start out running in a circle and I wonder where the dancing is but once they start they are really good. They are essentially a group that dances hip hop in unison. It got a little repetitive with the choreography but there's no doubt these guys have skills. The audience loves it as well. Piers and Sharon loved it, but David worries they won't be able to sustain the act for an hour show, which is a fair point. However they deservedly get through to Vegas.

We stay in Chicago after the break...

Shine- a four-person sibling act called Shine who sing uplifting, positive music. One of them names themselves the happiest group in America, and they certainly seem it. They start to sing and the audience turns on them right away. I don't think they are that bad but I'm getting a strong Brady Bunch vibe from them, and I don't think that's a good thing. They even have the corny group choreography down pat. The voices get even worse as the song goes on but Sharon lets them finish the act. They have never been booed by an audience before but still seem upbeat after the song. Three no's from the judges.

More "uplifting acts". Four men dressed in red and green jumpsuits look like tomatoes call themselves The Positive Brothers. They dance okay but seem out of sync, and the judges send them on their way. Laura Velgos strips and dances while her mother? Alicia plays accordian. They claim the act is original, but it's not original in a good way. Christy Marie sings Cher and I don't think she's that bad either but the audience and judges give her a quick no. Wow they are harsh tonight. Jay Jay comes out in a rocker-esque wig and plays something on a keyboard that just sounds weird and creepy. He too is sent packing.

Wow a half hour in and only one good act so far! Hopefully the action will pick up soon.

Still in Chicago- when are they going back to NY?

Next up is an impersonator, and I'm guessing by the patriotic music it's an Obama lookalike. Well better than all the Bush guys we got last year. Wow he really does look like the president. His real name is Peter Peterkin by the way. He's actually pretty funny in his standup routine, saying he always must say five "thank yous" when he is introduced. Then he puts on a wig and does a little James Brown, and hey his voice is pretty good as well. He claims to do 300 impressions and play 15 instruments. David thought it got lame at the end. Piers liked the uniqueness of the Obama impression but questions the singing. Really? I thought his voice was the best part. He does some spot on Little Richard as well. Sharon says yes, as do David and Piers! He didn't blow me away but he was entertaining for sure.

And out comes Nick in the James Brown wig!! Awesome!!!

Montage of good acts (finally). Black Fire Percussion is a group of youths who play drums while tossing sticks in the air too. I didn't love it but the judges did. Anointed S is a "vocal percussionist" aka beatboxer. Not my thing but he's good at what he does. Unexpected Step Team does some cool moves despite the weird cheerleading outfits.

After the break we meet Debbie Victor, who has worked on her act for fifty years. I have a feeling she's going to be bad, talking about how her act is unique. She does animal sounds as an act- these people have auditioned before and never gotten through, and I don't think that's going to change now. She starts out sounding like a sick dog, but her monkey is pretty good. She does a sheep and then another animal I don't recognize before getting X'd off the stage.

Animal acts!!! Tommy and Diane Long have a mini horse that supposedly plays golf but ends up just moving the club around in the air.

Next up is Rockin' Rory, an adorable dog whose owner Tony found him at a shelter. Ooh a frisbee act (I think). Tony throws Rory some frisbees and Rory grabs every one, dancing and jumping over Tony in the process. Rory even stands on Tony's feet at one point. I wasn't that impressed at first but then Rory bounces off Tony's chest to grab frisbees from the air. I have to admit that's kind of cool. Still not really my thing though. Piers says the dog looks like he flies, which he does. The judges all say yes, and the audience gives him a sitting (not standing) ovation.

Now we're off to Seattle. Wow NYC's getting the shaft in this episode. I remember the Idol auditions here were historically bad (and I think so were the SYTYCD ones) so my expectations aren't too high.

Brad Byers is a small-town guy hooked on show business. This is the act that got me screaming at the TV and waking up my parents by the way.When he was young he appeared in his grandmother's talent show and has been hooked to performing ever since. He is doing a fishing trip gone wrong with a hook and anchor. Okay..... Wow he literally sticks the hook through his nose and has it come out his mouth!!! Ew!!!! Then he attaches the anchor to the hook and swings his head back and forth like it is nothing! He even pulls the hook back out without any sign of blood! But he's not done yet. He then takes out a drill, turns it on, and sticks it through his nose! Wow! This is gross but kind of cool. And out comes the drill, with not a bit of blood on it. Even Nick is grossed out. Brad adds that he does lots of other similar things as well, including putting out a propane blowtorch on his tongue. I actually want to see that. The judges (minus Sharon) agree it was gross but entertaining, and he is sent through to Vegas.

Another montage of bad acts, this time Seattle style. EmpeROAR Fabulous dresses in silver and glitter and does a weird strip singing act. Louie Lichtenstein attaches a suitcase to a rope and flings it around the stage for a bit. Kerry Christensen does yodeling that sounds like a chicken. Cirkus Pandemonium balance on top of each other and do things with fire. Johnny Bagpipes plays bagpipes (shocker!) and plays them badly.

After the break we are still in Seattle and still have weird acts. Noel the Freak attaches hooks to his eyes and various objects to the other end of the hooks while his partners break those items one by one. That's like Brad's act but weirder. The judges say no, but I think that was just as impressive as Brad's act before and he got through.

Note to all reality show producers- NEVER go to Seattle for auditions again. That's three shows now that have had disastrous auditions there.

Next up are three girls -ages 15, 11, and 14-the EriAm Sisters. They write songs together and practice every day. Aw... They are really close and hope to be the next Destiny's Child. Nick is just happy to have found some normal people in Seattle. They come out with cool choreography and singing "I Want You Back". All three get solos at the mike and all have great voices, though the 11 year old (who got the bulk of the solos) is the best in my opinion. Even the background harmonies sound great, and the whole audience is up on their feet. This is my favorite act so far, and the judges love them too. They really do remind me of a young Destiny's Child. Piers is surprised the two older sisters can sing since the youngest one got most of the solos. He also gives them good advice on staying closer together when they sing. David says they are the most talented kids he's ever seen on the show (even better than Bianca Ryan????). Sharon loves them as well and they are sent straight through to Vegas! Yay they were awesome!

Finally another montage of good acts after the commercial. The Jesse White Tumbling Team (including a 74 year old- wow!) do lots of acrobatic air tricks. Though it looks like the 74 year old is just the conductor/leader and doesn't do any tumbling. That would have been really impressive. The Urban Nation Hip Hop Choir remind me of a gospel choir you hear at church (not necessarily a bad thing). Draconik breathe fire and do other fire tricks, like one guy putting fire on a hula hoop and putting it around his neck. It was kind of hard to see much of what their act was with the short segment but it seemed kind of cool.

David Johnson is a loan officer who has played guitar since high school. He first started to write a song in high school about his crush from Baywatch. He sort of implies the crush is Pamela Anderson but why do I get the feeling the song is about The Hoff. His guitar playing is not bad, and neither is the singing, but the song itself is kind of perverted. And yes the song is about David Hasselhoff!!! I totally called that! Apparently David (the contestant) bought Knight Rider on DVD and the Hoff's speedos from the internet. Wow. He really was pretty good though, and the song was actually kind of funny. Piers felt the emotion, David thought the song was very true. Of course David says yes, but he's sad the person who wrote a song about him was a man! Ha! Sharon says no, so it's down to Piers. Come on Piers, he actually has some talent! Sure enough he gets through to the next round! He won't last too long there but I want to see what else this guy can come up with.

Hey Neal Boyd has a new CD out- including "God Bless the USA"- I love that song! Ooh and he's on tour with Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts- those who like that kind of music (which I don't) will love that show.

Woah one of the auditioners looks like a guy who auditioned for Idol a few years back- I forget his name but I know he was really bad.

Next up are Bruce and Simone, lovers clad in silver. They feel they are soulmates, especially singe Simone loves Bruce's feet and soft hair. Bruce thinks Simone is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Of course they are going to suck but at least they will suck together. Bruce however thinks they are going to win. They have a double hoop act, whatever that means. They are actually not as bad as I thought they would be. They do lots of sexual-looking acts in the hoop. At one point Bruce stands on Simone as the hoop rotates around in the air. It's kind of boring to me but the audience and judges seem to dig it. Nick wants a hoop for his bedroom haha- I can't picture him and Mariah doing that. Piers thinks they should keep the act in the bedroom but Sharon enjoyed it. David says no, Sharon says yes. Sharon tells Piers if he says yes the two of them can do that act later. I'd much rather see that then see these two lovebirds again but Piers does put them through. They do have some talent but I don't think they will last long in Vegas.

Woohoo they are back in NYC (finally!) There haven't been any good New York acts so far but hopefully that will change.

The NYC Gay Men's Chorus sing "Single Ladies"- yes that "Single Ladies". Their voices only sound okay but the mere awesomeness of them choosing that song puts them through.

Joseph Maracina is from Queens, and he does impressions. He claims he can do anyone's voice. Well his normal voice sounds like Robert Deniro a bit... He starts out with some Nicholson and I think it's pretty good but Piers X's him right away. Well the impression isn't bad but what he is saying isn't really funny. He then does Anthony Hopkins, which I can't judge since I don't know what he sounds like. This gets two more X's and boos from the crowd. The judges claim the actual impressions weren't that good, but I thought it was the routine itself that wasn't funny. Either way he gets three no's.

Next are Zoe and Dave. They are dancers who at first worked together and then fell in love. I think this is the act where little Zoe picks up large Dave with her bare hands. They call themselves Paradizo Dance and dance to "No Air". I'm getting SYTYCD flashbacks with the song choice. In fact Zoe picks up Dave three times in the dance, though to me there doesn't seem to be much dancing in the piece-just lots of lifts. He picks her up as well, and while she seems very graceful he does not. I like Zoe a lot as a dancer but Dave really takes away from the piece for me. The judges and audience seem to love it though. Apparently Dave weighs 240 lbs and Zoe is around 100 lbs. That part of the piece was cool but the rest was only okay. The judges send them through to the next round, though I hope they don't last much longer.

And last but not least are Voices with Glory aka the siblings from the previews who woke their mother up from a coma. Of course the producers save the best story for last to drum up popularity for these guys right away (as if the commercials they were in did not pump them up enough). Their ages are 16, 13, and 9. They haven't even mentioned their mother yet. But then of course Piers asks them about their inspiration and they get into the story. Their mother was in a head on collision in a car and they sang by her bedside to comfort while she was in a coma. They even sang to others in the hospital as well. And of course the mother is now alive and backstage, as the previews showed. Now for the singing. They are certainly talented, but they are not worth all the hype they are getting in my view. The young girl is really good but the two older boys are only okay. The girl does get the main part of the song while the boys sing background, but I don't even love their harmonies that much. I would much rather the girl group
from earlier (the three sisters) make it to the finals instead. Either that or the girl should just get a solo career and leave her brothers behind. Piers says they are the "pride of America", David says their mother is proud of them. Sharon is in tears and the audience demands the mother be brought out. She's in a wheelchair but other than that she looks good for having been in a coma for eight months. Sharon cries some more. Piers says we must judge them as performers but he thinks the singing was one of the best he's heard. Really?? I did not think they were that good at all but maybe it's just my taste. Of course they get right through to Vegas.

So that's it for tonight's show. The only act that really wowed me were the EriAm Sisters, though Rockin Rory and FootworKINGz also impressed me. I also want to see what Brad Byers does next, weird as his act may be.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Were you as disappointed with Voices with Glory as I was? Who else are your early standouts? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Top 18 Results

Hey all glad to see I actually have some followers on this blog. I really appreciate the fact that you like my blog enough to keep coming back. Anyway on to this week's results show. I'm glad to see from reading other blogs that I was not the only one who did not like Jonathan and Karla's routine, though I do seem to be the only one who did not like Melissa and Ade's. Still both of the duos doing Shane's routines, Ashley/Kupono and Jason/Caitlin, should be in the bottom. After that it's hard to tell.

Cat looks much better tonight in a stylish white button down blouse and pants.

There are rumors the highly anticipated Katie Holmes dance routine will be aired tonight. It was supposed to be for the 100th episode later this year but since the cat is out of the bag (yay Internet!) some think the producers might just show it tonight instead. I've never seen Katie sing or dance but I want to see what she can do.

The group routine is choreographed by Mia, as Nigel spoiled last night. The song is "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder and features all the dancers in black leather and face makeup that makes them look like animals. Lots of leaping across the stage, especially by the guys. A bunch of guys have a small group solo in the beginning and look fierce. I think that Ade in the front looking creepy yet powerful. Three girls follow but don't pack as much of a punch. Then they all dance in unison looking like a combo of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula. Mia's style isn't really my thing but there were moments (particularly the group male solo in the beginning) that were really cool.

First up is a montage of Lil C's comments from last night- aka his "Dictionary of Dance". Very appropriate seeing as a topic on the blogs today was Lil's odd rambling comments that often made not sense. The crowd and dancers seemed just as confused as we were doing the montage. Even choreographers Shane and Brian? (the guy who did the pop dance number) seem perplexed. But Lil C gets a hug from Nigel to cheer him up.

The first three couples are Melissa and Ade, Jason and Caitlin, and Phillip and Jeanine. Interesting. Melissa and Ade are clearly safe, but that means one or maybe both of the three worst couples last night is safe as well. Melissa and Ade are first, and sure enough they are safe. No surprise there. I still didn't love Melissa last night but Ade is starting to grow on me. I'd guess Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom and Phillip and Jeanine are safe but I hope both are in the bottom to be honest. Jason called their dance from last night a "hip not". Ha! Hopefully Cat will say now that at least one of them are in the bottom. Sure enough she says only one of them is safe. I like Phillip and Jeanine better overall though after watching replays of their dance last night I can see the poor technique the judges were talking about. And like I thought they are safe thanks to Phillip's popularity. Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom and in danger of going home. This is bad news for Asuka/Vitolio and Jonathan/Karla, one of whom will likely take the third spot in the bottom three now.

Mary is not surprised but is disappointed at how poorly they did after doing so well the week before. I still didn't think their Bollywood routine was that good though... She says they are great individually and will have to show that in their solos.

After the break the next three couples are out on stage: Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Kupono and Ashley. Dang that means Jonathan and Karla are likely safe and Kupono and Ashley are in the bottom. So Asuka and Vitolio are likely couple number three in the bottom even though they were one of my favorites last night. For some reason people don't like Asuka but she and Janette are the only two females I really like this year. Brandon and Janette are indeed safe (shocker!) and I love the excitement on their faces when they find out. Now I'm assuming Kupono and Ashley are in the bottom since their routine was worse and Kupono is not popular enough like Phillip to save the two of them despite a bad routine. Apparently their nickname is Ashono! Awesome! Though one or both of them may go tonight, which would defeat the point of the nickname. Funny though- their routine looks better in the clips we see tonight than it looked last night. But either way they are indeed in the bottom, and Jonathan looks so cute celebrating in delight. So both of Shane's numbers were not popular with viewers- but those were the obvious picks for the bottom three. The next duo should be the interesting one.

Lil C has a similar reaction to Mary before- they were great last week but bad this week. He adds it shows what happens when dancers go outside their comfort zone. Except Jonathan was outside his own style this week and the judges (though not me) loved him. The good think about this is I get to see Kupono's solo, which I loved in his first audition. I don't really care about Ashley but I hope he stays.

Now for the final three groups- but first a treat for Evan, who is on the far left with Randi and thus likely safe. A "familiar face" auditioned for season 6 of this show. Yay it's Ryan!!!!!!!!! We get a clip of his audition, and his tap routine (minus the whoopie cushion) is even better than his audition from this season. And he gets a ticket to Vegas!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the fall now!

Evan apparently didn't know about this and teared up as the clip ended. And there's big brother in the crowd holding up six fingers for season six. Hopefully Evan will be safe this week so they can be happy together.

Anyway on to the results. The other two duos in limbo are Asuka and Vitolio and Max and Kayla. Actually of the three Evan and Randi were my least favorite, but I love Evan overall. Max and Kayla were my least favorite of the three, and though I know some didn't like their routine I think they will be safe. I hope Asuka and Vitolio will be safe instead, but I doubt it. First up are Evan and Randi and sure enough they are safe, to the delight of Ryan. OMG ASUKA AND VITOLIO ARE SAFE!!! Happy dance!!! They look delighted, though some of the other dancers, namely Melissa and Randi, look as shocked as me.

This should be interesting now. No way the judges said Kayla home, and Max is probably safe too. But any combo of the other four could be out. I'd rather they send home Ashley and Caitlin but since they can't do that I hope Kupono stays since I have liked him from the beginning.

Nigel is partially shocked. He points out that the bottom three are completely different from last week, which shows how close a race this is. He thinks a lot of people did not understand choreographer Brian's work, which makes sense since I saw on the blogs many who did not like their dance because it was so "out there".

This week's special guest dancer is a Bollywood dancer whose name I can't spell or pronounce. It starts out really slow but then as the beat picks up she goes into a ridiculous amount of spins in a row. The rest of the dance is a lot of body shaking while the dancer stands in place. She did the dance well but I'm more of a fan of fun, faster Bollywood dances.

The solos:

Caitlin- The song is "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele. Hey this is the song Kris Allen did on Idol that made him my favorite. Anyway the dance is solid, though for me not amazing. She has some nice moves and then a cool flip thing at the end.

Jason- The song is "Superman" by Robin Thicke. Yay another current song, though this one I don't know. Now this dance made me say "Wow". He has great leaps and beautiful lines throughout. I think that may have just saved him, which is bad news for Kupono.

For what it's worth both of these two got huge cheers after their solos.

Ashley- The song is "By Your Side" by Coco Rosie, whoever that is. It was okay but she spent much of the solo dancing around the stairs and looking kind of like a strip dancer with her clothes on. Her bright red lipstick doesn't help her in this regard.

Kupono (please be good, please be good!!!)- The song is "Many Moons" by Janelle Monae. I love him but I'm not feeling this solo. A bit too fast and a bit too much running around and not enough dancing. I think both he and his partner are in trouble.

Both of them seemed to get less cheers than either Jason or Caitlin after their solos.

20 minutes left in the show- I guess the producers are saving the Katie Holmes dance for the 100th episode.

Kayla (no way she gets sent home unless she literally falls- and even then she might be safe)- The song is "Walking on Air" by Kerli- again never heard of the song or artist. It was actually a good song choice since she did look like she was trying to walk on air during the dance. It didn't blow me away but it was as good as Kaitlin's and better than Ashley's so she should be fine. Though even she did not as many cheers as Caitlin and Jason.

Max- OMG he's dancing to "Footloose"!!! He should get saved just for doing that. The dance is a jive, and the kick portions are just fabulous. The rest is solid but not spectacular, but like with Kayla I don't think the judges would have sent him home unless he was really bad.

My favorite of the six was Jason's. Caitlin and Kayla were a tie for first on the female side. Sadly I think this should be the end of Ashley and Kupono, as their routines paled in comparison to the others, in my opinion.

While the judges deliberate we have special guest Kristinia DeBarge, who admittedly I have never heard of. Apparently Katy Perry, One Republic, and Lady Gaga all made their first TV appearances on this show. And perhaps not coincidentally, all of them have also been on Idol in the past two seasons.

She sings her hit single "Goodbye". Oh I've heard this- it's the song that rips off that "Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye" chant I always hear at sporting events. I didn't realize she sang this- that's what happens when your local radio station plays the same songs over and over yet rarely says what each song is called/who sings it before they play it. Kristinia is wearing VERY short shorts and has a cavalry of backup dancers. She even dances along with them and does pretty well. I don't love this song but there's a lot of songs I didn't like at first that started to grow on me over time ("Poker Face" and "Boom Boom Pow" among them). And the ripped off chorus is actually kind of catchy.

And now finally it's time for the results. First up are the girls. Hmm Nigel says they were not unanimous on either the guys or the girls. Odd, since I thought this week the solos were more clear cut than last week. Then again a lot goes into their decision besides the solos I'm sure. The judges loved Caitlin's quality of movement and control in her solo. They felt Ashley had great Hollywood glamor in her solo but it had no substance. They thought Kayla has been great in the past but had too much going on in her solo. I see where they are coming from but I'd rather have a solo with too much like hers than with too little like Ashley's. And the judges agree, sending Ashley home. I wonder who was the one who did not vote for her. I'm guessing whoever did voted for Kayla instead, though all three of them loved her last night.

I forgot this was the fourth time she had auditioned for the show. I feel bad that she got cut so soon but her solo really did have little dancing in it.

Now time for the guys. The judges loved Jason's solo- they called it the best on the series to date! Do they mean best this season or best ever? I don't know if it was best ever and I even think Vitolio's last week was a bit better than his though it was close. They don't even keep him waiting and send him to safety. Not surprising- his was the best solo of the night for sure. The judges felt that Kupono's solo had little substance, though they like the different characters that he takes on in a dance. They think Max works really hard and understand how difficulty it is for a ballroom dancer to do a solo. It sounds like they are setting up to cut him, which would surprise me but make me happy since I do like Kupono more than Max. And indeed they do cut Max. Wow that's a shocker. I didn't even think he would be in the bottom three, plus I thought they wanted more ballroom dancers since they don't have that many this year yet they have Phillip to do hip hop dancing like Kupono. While I do like Kupono more overall I do think the judges got it wrong based on the solos tonight. Plus I thought Max and Kayla were locks for the top 10. The best thing for Kupono is he is partnered with judges' favorite Kayla now so hopefully he won't be in the bottom three anymore.

Anyway that's all for tonight's show. What did you think of tonight's elimination? Did the judges make the right decision? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 18 Peform

Hey all so it's time for the next round of performances on SYTYCD. It will be hard for the contestants to live up to the greatness of last week. Also I think going in Asuka/Vitolio and Karla/Jonathan are in trouble because of their lack of fan bases.

Cat is wearing a red dress with a giant bow/ruffles on one side. It looks really weird and unflattering on her, as beautiful as she is.

Love Brandon's flip in his solo in the beginning. Vitolio does some cool hip hop moves to try to increase his fan base. Jonathan does a semi-cartwheel and looks very cute in a T-shirt and jeans- guess he's going for the tween vote. Asuka and Karla get by far the least amount of cheers. None of the solos really stood out to me except maybe Brandon's.

Tonight's guest is Lil C. He seems to be a good judge from what I've seen, though he of course is one of the judges who is lukewarm on Brandon. Hopefully Brandon can make Lil C change his mind. He thought last week was a very solid beginning, whatever that means. Cat and Mary make more jokes about her botox line from last week. Nigel tells the dancers to show off their strengths, not their weaknesses, especially those who will be doing solos tomorrow.

The theme of the pre-performance packages is the contestants revealing their partners' secrets to the audience.

Randi and Evan- Randi has a dog that she treats like a child, including calling him and putting him on speakerphone. Aw that's really cute. Evan loves cars- he even built his own from scratch. That's cool but not as interesting as Randi's secret. They got the jive, one of my favorite ballroom styles. Neither of them have done it before though. Louis Van Amstel teaches them to show their personality in their dance. The dance is also very "fun", so much so that it is said 14 times in their short package. The song is "Shake a Tail Feather" by Ray Charles. It definitely was "fun" and fast, and they were very in sync on their kicks. The only complaint is that Evan's arm was sometimes awkward while he was stretching it out and he looked a little bit off in parts. Still it was a great way to start the show.

Hey Ryan's in the crowd again! Lil C says Evan looked a little too smooth and subtle, so he needs to work on his approach a bit more, while Randi was a firecracker. I agree, she was great and showed why she was picked for the top 20. I actually thought she outshined Evan but Lil C thought they were equal. Mary says it was "fun" and the "fun" counter on the bottom of the screen goes nuts. She adds that jive should have been their best dance but it fell a bit short. I agree. She also agrees with me and states that Randi did better than Evan, particularly on the kicks where she says Evan was sloppy, but she still enjoyed it. Nigel gives props to Louis after he got none last week. He also was disappointed in Evan and says he didn't have enough bounce in his kicks. Weird since I thought his kicks were the best part but I agree it wasn't as good as last week but still solid and fun He thinks Randi did a better job tonight but loves them as a couple. Aka- don't forget to vote for them! They were good not great but they should be popular enough to get through to another week.

Melissa and Ade- Melissa is married, and her sister married her husband's brother. So does that means her husband is her brother-in-law? I always get confused with those kinds of things. Ade's real name is Adetokunbo Isaac Kayode Obayomi. No wonder he goes by Ade. Yet people still pronounce this shortened name wrong too! This week they have a jazz routine with Sonja, who gets a big cheer when she pops up on screen. The dance is about a girl playing hard to get and a guy who hates to lose. So a lot of back and forth between the two dancers I guess. I'm kind of torn on Sonja's routines- sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't. It looks cool in the package, though they are struggling through the pain. They dance to another song I don't know "24 Hours" by Terry Poison. I thought Ade was really good but Melissa seemed a bit too dainty and not powerful enough at times. Ade really shone with some lifts and a leapfrog jump over Melissa where he landed on his feet. Also I didn't really love the routine itself- it seemed more like jumping than dancing, but maybe that's just me. Lil C says it was "buck", his signature term. He predicts Ade could be a favorite to win, and if he dances the way he did in that last number he might be. Though early faves like Brandon, Phillip, and Evan will be tough to beat. He thinks Melissa tried to submerge into the character, though I don't know if she succeeded. Mary decides to give them some tough love- because it's tough to find anything not to love. Another fakeout by Mary. I still didn't think Melissa was that good but then again it was hard to focus on her with Ade being so good. Nigel thinks Melissa equaled Ade's strength, and I disagree, at least at some points in the dance. But Ade was so good and the comments were so positive they should be around for a while.

Caitlin and Jason- Jason used to be obsessed with Michael Jackson. And we get some awesome home video of a four-year-old Jason in Jackson garb and wig doing the moonwalk! Caitlin talks like a baby and a velociraptor (not at the same time). No cute home movies of her though... They are doing hip hop with Shane. I didn't like Shane's group routine last week but maybe I'll like this one. By the way, I didn't know Shane was black. He tries to emphasize chemistry and character, though Caitlin accidentally pulls down Jason's pants in rehearsal. Dang even the hip hop song I don't know- "Missin You" by Trey Songz. The song is slow and kind of boring which takes away from the routine, and the movements are slow to go along with it. Caitlin does have a great solo in the middle and then does a ground flip thing right after it. They also had great chemistry but I found the routine itself kind of dull and not memorable. Lil C did not love it- he did not understand the end of the number, and calls it a "nightmare". Ouch. He thinks it was corny because it was danced so sharply. I didn't think it was that bad- I just found it not memorable at all. Mary says it was like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears because they danced so differently so it wasn't in sync. I didn't notice that at all but the replay in slow motion does show how Caitlin was more flowing and Jason more sharp. She can't understand why they were so off when last week they were so good. I didn't think they were that good last week either and I found some other bloggers who agreed with me. Nigel says Shane did a different style of hip hop to make them look good, and he did that. I agree with what Nigel is implying here- the routine wasn't the greatest but the two of them danced it well. Still they may be in trouble this week, though I doubt the judges would send them home unless their solos were really bad.

Janette and Brandon- Janette had bad teeth when she was young. It was really just giant front teeth, though you can't tell now. Brandon has never worked out a day in his life, even with his great body. I'm sure he gets that body from dancing, but that is still pretty amazing that he got those muscles from dancing. They are doing dreaded disco with Doriana Sanchez. Usually disco routines are unpopular with viewers, though these dancers are so popular hopefully that won't happen. The routine is really fast and Janette has trouble with it at first, and she doesn't seem too confident they will get the routine. Usually when someone says that the routine turns out great. They dance to "Loving Is Really My Game" by Brainstorm, which may or may not be a current song. And it looks really good to me. I hate disco but this is my favorite routine so far. It is fast and fun like the earlier jive but I think they both dance it better than Evan and Randi did. Brandon was the standout with his flips and lifts, though I think Janette held her own with such a strong partner. The crowd doesn't seem too enthused though. Lil C starts talking about labor and then says he saw the birth of progression in both dancers. He thought it was amazing. Yeah the judges liked it too!!! (or at least one of them did). He points out a mishap at the end that I didn't notice but sure enough the replay shows she tripped at the end. I didn't notice at all though so she hid it well. Mary thinks the routine was on fast forward it was so fast. She's never seen a disco that fast but thinks they both nailed it. She jokes Janette needs to work on her flexibility (she did some splits) and that Brandon needs to work on his strength (he did several strong lifts). They embodied everything disco ever was. And we get the first Mary scream of the night. Nigel says he would scream too if he could and calls it one of the best disco routines ever on the show. That's probably true since all the past disco routines have sucked. Apparently the choreographer was in Dirty Dancing and Nigel adds that this routine had more in it than the big lift routine at the end of the movie. That's high praise indeed. It certainly was the best of the night so far and no doubt they are safe for another week. And the best part is Brandon got Lil C on his side!!

Ooh Mia is doing the group dance tomorrow. So Brandon is dealing with his two nemeses in the second week!

Asuka and Vitolio- I hope they do well since I like them but they are unpopular for some reason. Vitolio is obsessed with motorcycles and wants to be a rockstar. Asuka makes spitballs, and Vitolio barely knows what they are- ha! They promise to be better this week. They hope to show personality but that will be hard with a waltz that they will do with Louis. Tough break that the two personality-less people get a slow boring dance. They have trouble getting romantic with each other so Louis makes it a dance on Vitolio's tough journey and upbringing. That's a good strategy I think. The song is "Dream Are More Precious" by Enya. Well at least I've heard of the artist, though not the song. The dance is beautiful, especially the lifts at the beginning and end. I usually don't like waltzes but found this one captivating, and the two of them danced it really well also. I especially loved the emotion on their faces during the dance. Too bad Asuka is really not popular because I think this routine could keep them out of the bottom this week. Mary is speechless- is that good or bad? She's crying, so I guess that's good. She calls it painfully beautiful and says Vitolio danced as honest as she's ever seen him. She points out a few flaws but overall thinks there were more amazing things than bad. Asuka also gets props for her emotion on her face, which really was believable. Lil C points out the choppy steps but says that was canceled out by the sincere emotion. He adds Asuka has dominant submission, which apparently is a good thing. Nigel says anyone not touched by that routine is heartless. He feels like they are a different couple this week- maybe because they actually had a good routine this week! And Louis deservedly gets more props from Nigel. They should be safe based on how they danced but I fear their unpopularity may cause them to be in the bottom if no one else stinks up the joint.

Max and Kayla- Max is the "house dad" in his apartment, as he does all the cooking. Guys who can cook are great, especially for me since I can't cook to save my life. Kayla texts a lot, like every other person in their teens and 20s nowadays. Mostly she texts her mom to say she's okay. Aww. She texts 100 words per minute- that's impressive. They are working with Brian Frideman, who has not been on the show in a few years so I've never seen his work. Apparently it is a pop/jazz style, which sounds cool. Kayla is a princess and Max wants to steal her throne by seducing her. The routine is strenuous on the body, and the dancers are getting battered and bruised. Another song I don't know, this one "Hot Like Wow" by Nadia Oh. This routine is great too. Kayla starts out on the couch while Max shows off for her and then they get up and dance with power and precision. The night started off a bit rough but the last three dances have been really great. At the end Max "kills" Kayla and gets her throne. Lil C says dancing is a language and dancers have to pick up choreographer's vernacular, which both of them did. He can't even critique Kayla because she was so good, and he gives Max props as well. I actually thought there was a short part where Kayla lost her energy a bit but otherwise she was great, as was Max. And Kayla's grandparents are back to cheer her on. Mary was pleasantly surprised by Max but he could not overtake Kayla. I'm not a big Kayla fan but she was great in this routine (mostly). Nigel thinks Kayla is a frontrunner. She probably is a frontrunner for the girls in particular since there are not too many standout girls this year. He adds Max has the problem of keeping up with Kayla but with his character he did tonight. Between their strong dance last week and their perhaps better one tonight they should be safe for another week, and likely a lot longer.

Jonathan and Karla- With Asuka and Vitolio's strong routine earlier these two are likely in the bottom three for sure with their limited fan bases. Karla is a great hip hop dancer even though she specializes in contemporary. She even belongs to a famous hip hop group that I've never heard of. Jonathan loves to sing, but he's not very good, according to Karla, and I concur. They don't want to be in the bottom again. They are dancing contemporary, so they better be good in Karla's specialty. They have a new teacher Stacey Tookey, and they will learn a dance about strangers having an accidental meeting and feeling chemistry. Jonathan is having trouble learning a new style; he particularly struggles with the lifts. They dance to "Falling Slowly"- woohoo a song I know! I don't know this version- only the one Kris Allen did on Idol, but close enough. They seemed to dance it pretty well and the lifts were beautiful but I felt something lacking- perhaps the chemistry. Mary says Jonathan did that style better than he did his own specialty of ballroom the week before. I agree, mainly because he really did not impress me with ballroom last week. She correctly points out that they are underdogs, (aka they have had zero prior screen time) but still thought they were amazing. She loved Kayla's lines and Jonathan's feet. Nigel loved Jonathan's center of gravity and says they came back from being in the bottom last week to have a great routine this week. Lil C thought it was in balance and again calls a dance "buck". I didn't like it as much as they did, and I thought the same thing last week when they were in the bottom three. With other strong dances tonight they too may be in trouble with their small fanbase.

Jeanine and Phillip- Phillip is a big nerd, as he is an engineering physics major. Love stories about nerds putting aside their school smarts to become dancers! He even has a collection of reptiles in his room. Jeanine has a teddy bear named Spanky, whom she calls the perfect boyfriend. Okay.... They are doing a tango, but neither of them have ballroom training, so this could be really good or really bad. Phillip accidentally groped Jeanine in rehearsals! Then she kicked him in his privates! Tony Meredith says "I'm nervous" to the camera and Jeanine and Phillip hear him! Like I said with Brandon and Janette's dance whenever it seems really bad in rehearsal it comes out great. The song is "Violento" by Bailango!, which sounds like a great tango song. Tango is not one of my favorite dances but they did it pretty well. Jeanine in particular was good though Phillip lost his posture a bit early on and stomped around a bit too much. Also like some of the early routines tonight it wasn't memorable for me. Mary gives Phillip an A+ in attitude but a C- in technique. Phillip seems to agree with this assessment. Jeanine's technique was better though and she did great. Cat accidentally calls Jeanine Janette- don't feel bad Cat I get them confused too! Lil C says Phillip had no confidence in the routine and it showed. I didn't notice that but I did notice the poor technique the second time around. Lil C says Phillip's knees were too bent, but Mary counters they are supposed to be. Cat goes to Tony Meredith to break the tie, and he sides with Mary. Lil C takes his defeat with grace. Nigel loved Phillip's bent knees. Ha! He points out Phillip's huge fanbase and that the tango is a technical dance. He points out that Phillip showed strain when lifting Jeanette, which I did not notice until the replay. He says it was not good technically but was entertaining, which is probably why I liked it. He also points out that this show is a learning process and Phillip should be allowed to grow more on the show and learn technical dances. They should be in the bottom based on their performance but with Phillip's popularity they likely won't be.

Ashley and Kupono- Kupono has weird OCD- everything must be straight, and he organizes his closet in a weird color-coded way. Ashley vomited on her entire class in first grade. That sucks for her but the story is awesome! They are doing hip hop with Shane, which should be good for Kupono. Plus it can't be much worse than Shane's first routine tonight. Ashley is Kupono's shadow in the dancing. Kupono has a hard time with the slow walks, and Ashley with the fast movement. Kupono breaks out his to-do list again (that thing is adorable) and it says "Find Your Inner Shane Sparks". I love him! (Kupono that is, not Shane). The dance is to "Imma Be" by Black Eyed Peas, another artist I've heard of but not the song. I thought the dance was okay but not amazing. I tried watching to see if they were in unison and it looked like they were though it was hard to tell. Mary says it was okay- she didn't hate it but she didn't love it. She adds it wasn't memorable. I agree on both counts. Lil C says there was no synchronization because Kupono was struggling so much. He thinks Ashley did what she could and saved the routine. I didn't think Kupono was bad, I just didn't love the routine. Nigel says it stopped right when he started to like it. He was underwhelmed, and so was I, even though I liked Kupono in his first audition. Nigel points out how great it is to have Shane back even though both his routines tonight sucked (that last part was my views, not Nigel's). He doesn't think the dancers who did Shane's routines brought out the best in them, and I have to agree.

So the middle of the show was good but the rest was only okay. My favorites were Brandon and Janette, Asuka and Vitolio, and Max and Kayla, in that order. The bottom three should be Jason and Caitlin, Kupono and Ashley, and Phillip and Jeanine, though Phillip's fanbase might save their duo from the bottom. In that case I guess either Asuka/Vitolio or Jonathan/Karla might be in the bottom instead.

What are your thoughts on tonight's show? Who do you think will be in the bottom three? And who should be? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: First Two Finalists Eliminated

Hey all it's results show time on So You Think You Can Dance. From reading other blogs today it seems the consensus is Tony and Paris and Vitolio and Asuka will be in the bottom three couples, with the other duo either being Jonathan and Karla (hopefully) or Ashley and Kupono. Either way I think the two going home will be from one of the first two couples I mentioned, unless someone else' s solo is really bad...

Cat starts out reminding us how great the show was last night and how tough this first cut will be.

The group dance is to "Boom Boom Pow" from the Black Eyed Peas. At first I hated this song but ever since I heard it on AI it started to grow on me a bit. The theme is a bunch of the dancers being poor, with one holding a sign saying "Save the dancers, save the world". Ha love the Heroes parody! Others then come in as heroes in leather outfits. The guys in the leather are amazing, though I can't tell who all of them are. I think I see Brandon and Ade and Vitolio, and the others look like Jason and Jonathan, but I'm not sure. One of the blonde girls comes out with the wind blowing in her hair and heavy eye makeup so she looks really creepy. Then the "poor" dancers strip off their clothes and reveal their leather outfits underneath. At this point they are just running around the stage and it seems a bit too messy for me, though Phillip gets a great popping solo. The guys do a weird cape thing, and the girls get a group solo that is less impressive than the guys' one earlier in the number. Overall not a bad group number, but not on of my favorites either.

We meet the judges again, with Nigel looking dapper in a blue shirt.

First filler piece: Interviews about the contestants' first week working with partners. Jeanine is happy to have a great partner in Phillip (especially since he has the built-in fan base that will let them last a while, I bet). Ashley loves Kupono, and Max loves working with hot blonde Kayla.
And now we get Cat's rules to a good partnership:
1) Respect Boundaries- Paris gets mad at Tony for spanking her butt. Evan is upset that Randi is married so he can't be as flirtatious with her.
2) Communication- Brandon can't understand Janette, especially when she speaks in Spanish! Jason says "pretty far" instead of "so far" and gets flack from Caitlin.
3) Feel Comfortable- Melissa always burps in front of Ade (TMI!)
4)Shared Interests- Kupono likes the chicken sound Ashley makes, and he counters with a monkey sound. The producers play both at the same time and it sounds like a real jungle.
5) Hard Work- Phillip and Jonathan sweat a lot, according to their partners. Asuka is scared of Vitolio's sweat. Why is it that only the guys sweat on this show?

First round of results: On the floor are Phillip and Jeanette, Kayla and Max, and Evan and Randi. I don't know how these shows usually work but I guess all three of them are safe- might as well get some of the obvious ones out of the way first. If any of them are in the bottom I would guess Kayla and Max, but either way none of these nine are going home tonight. Kayla and Max are safe, as are Randi and Evan. Phillip and Jeanine must have thought they were in the bottom after that was announced, but sure enough they are safe as well, causing Jeanine to let out a piercing scream that caused Cat to drop the results card!

The next four out are Tony and Paris, Kupono and Ashley, Ade and Melissa, and Jason and Caitlin. Ade and Melissa and Jason and Caitlin should be safe. Tony and Paris should be in the bottom. Since there are three left after this group, either the last grouping will have two couples in the bottom (namely Asuka and Vitolio and Jonathan and Karla since Brandon and Janette aren't going anywhere) or this group will have two in the bottom with Kupono and Ashley joining Tony and Paris, though I hope this isn't the case. I did actually see some who agreed with me and didn't like the Bollywood routine as much as the judges did but Jason's popularity should save him and Caitlin. And indeed they are safe for another week. By the way I love how excited the contestants get when they find out they are safe. Melissa and Ade are also predictably safe. Cat now says one of the two remaining couples is safe and one is in the bottom. Please let Ashley and Kupono be safe! Yeah they are! They don't seem too excited though... That means Tony and Paris are in the bottom. Tony's lack of technique in his solo might hurt him but his entertainment factor will help him. Adam Shankman says many on twitter were defending these two last night, but he thinks that was because they are charming, not because they danced well. Ouch! I actually liked their routine last night but I think that's just because I like hip hop in general.

That leaves Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Asuka and Vitolio, with only one being safe from the bottom three. If Brandon and Janette are not safe I will be shocked, though I'm sure the judges would save either of them anyway. Asuka and Vitolio are first, and indeed they are in the bottom three. No surprises so far. Already Brandon and Janette are getting more cheers than the other two. Sure enough Karla and Jonathan are in the bottom in a mild surprise, though one that makes me happy since I didn't love their routine last night as much as others did. Plus Brandon is safe for another week!

This season SYTYCD has decided to feature dancers from around the world during the results shows. This week they have two dancers doing a tango from somewhere in South America or Spain, I guess. The tango isn't my favorite dance but these two definitely have the drama and intensity down. And the steps look really good as well from my untrained point of view. Really cool lift at the end!

Now it's time for solos. Paris's solo has good spins and jumps but seems to lack some passion and intensity. Tony's is fast and fun, and showed more actual dancing than his solo from Vegas week. It's obviously hard for Asuka to do a ballroom solo without a partner but her fast kicks in the jive are very impressive. Vitolio has the great jumps and lines of Paris's routines with the passion her routine lacked. He may have just saved himself with that solo.

Cat just called Sean Kingston a "teen pop sensation"- uh since when does rap= teen pop???

Two solos left: Karla wobbled a bit at one point but overall also had more intensity than Paris did. Jonathan starts out strong with a great flip and has a lot of tricks but the overall dancing is only okay.

It's going to be a tough call for the judges. I always seem to disagree with them on the solos, but I would send Paris home for sure. None of the girls' solos really impressed me but I thought hers was the worst. Vitolio's solo was my favorite of the six, so I hope he stays. It's close for me between Tony and Jonathan going home but I like Tony's style better so I hope he stays, though I think he'll go home because of a lack of technique. Plus they thought Tony was worse on performance night even though I liked him better than Jonathan Wednesday too.

The judges head off to deliberate, and Nigel jokes they are going to tweet instead! That'd be really funny if they did.

Sean Kingston does his hit "Fire Burning", but I like "Beautiful Girls" better. Sean's not really a great dancer but the girls behind him are really good!

Back from the break and now it's time for the eliminations. The girls are up first. Nigel says they are unanimous in this result. Karla steps forward, and Nigel says the solo was very good but she must work on personality. However they think she did well enough to stay for another week, and I agree, especially since she was very good Wednesday night as well. Nigel says their decision is based on everything they know about the dancers and about what other styles of dancers they have in the show. That's good news for Asuka, since she is the only female ballroom dancer, while Paris is one of several contemporary dancers on the show. He tells Asuka it is hard to do a jive as a solo number but she really showed her personality in the dance. I agree- she did so much more than Paris. Nigel thinks Paris didn't bring everything she could, and that plus the abundance of contemporary dancers in the show means Paris is out. Woot I'm one for one! Her solo was in my opinion the worst of the six so I was hoping this would be the case. Of course we get the montage of her experience, mostly from her audition and Vegas week. We also get another glimpse of the routine from Wednesday that got her sent home.

Now comes the guys, which is the harder decision in my view. But the judges were unanimous. Hmm.. Nigel didn't like any of the solos, which is odd because I liked all three of them. He says Vitolio didn't show personality in his routines. But his name is being called first which makes me think he is safe. And he is!! Now I don't really care who goes home- I'm hoping it's Jonathan but I don't think it will be. Nigel says both disappointed in their own genres on Wednesday night, but Jonathan was a bit better. Will that be the deciding factor? Nigel adds that Tony's locking was not great. Wow I didn't notice that at all but if that's the case then he's probably gone. He adds Jonathan's dancing wasn't good but the tricks were, which I totally agree with. Those tricks might have saved him. Sure enough, Jonathan is staying and Tony is out. Not very surprising- they had one of the worse routines last night according to the judges, but from what I've read he does have a lack of technique. Plus he's not popular since people think Evan's brother should have made it instead so he wasn't going to last long anyway. Tony looks really bummed but we get to see his Nigel-photo solo again! He even says he will be dancing in his grave- that's a good attitude.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's elimination? Did the right pair go home? Post your comments below.