So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Final Four Revealed

Hey all I'm pulling double duty tonight and recapping both the performance and results show of
So You Think You Can Dance. Like I said in my last post as long as Brandon and Kayla make it through I'll be satisfied, though I'm guessing Melissa and Ade will go home since they both are not as popular as the other four.

Cat is wearing a blinding green shiny dress with her hair pulled back. Not really a great look for her- she looked much better Wednesday night.

The opening number is to "Send in the Clowns" by Judy Collins. The dancers come out from a giant box wearing odd circus costumes. I guess the dance is about sad clowns, but I'm bored right away. The guys do all do a cool jump thing at the same time that gets cheers from the crowd. The whole routine was just weird to me- maybe it was seeing such a slow sad dance while the dancers had on ridiculous makeup. Evan waving to the crowd sadly at song's end was heartbreaking though. It was a Tyce routine, which may be why I didn't like it.

Cat announces that tonight all four Emmy-nominated routines from this season will be performed live! Yay!!!! I wonder if the producers read all the fan complaints about the lack of dances from last season in the 100th episode and decided to remedy that. I'm especially looking forward to the "Bleeding Love" and "Mercy" dances- the other two from last year I honestly don't remember but I know one of them was Will and Jessica. And to top it off Sean Paul is performing his newest song. Wow sounds like quite a show!

First off we have a recap of last night's shows, aka more filler a la American Idol. Why does Cat call last night's samba "sexy" when it failed in that department. I like the hip hop number more in these clips than I did when I saw it live. The judges loved Melissa and Evan's first number but not their second. Brandon and Kayla were the best of the night.

Right after the break we get the results- already? I guess that means they are revealing the bottom four even though there are only six dancers left. First up are the girls. For what it's worth, Jeanine is on the left, which means she is likely safe. She was very good last night. But we don't find out any of the results at first; Cat just goes down the line recapping what the judges said about each dancer. Kayla seems to get the most cheers of the bunch. Cat now will announce one person in the finale- I'm guessing not necessarily the top vote-getter though. Indeed Cat says it is not necessarily the top vote-getter, but they won't have to do a solo. Why don't they just have everyone do solos? It's not like it will take up that much more time to see two short solos? Anyway the first person into the finale is.... Jeanine. I was hoping for Kayla but this is not really a surprise- she is immensely popular and had a solid night last night even when Ade was not keeping up with her. Oddly only Mary and Lil C give her a standing ovation. Lil C says Jeanine has an appetite for success and she shows it every week.

Next up is the first Emmy-nominated piece of the night, Tyce's "Silence" aka the Adam and Eve piece danced by Jessica and Will. What the hell has Will done to his hair- it's all in cornrows and he has a beard?? It looked a lot better last season but his body still looks great. He was my favorite male last year so I was annoyed when he got cut as soon as he did. I don't remember this piece from last season and even now it's boring but at least Will looks as strong as always. Even the crowd doesn't cheer it that much. I would have much rather seen the "No Air" dance rather than this one but oh well.

Now we have our male results. Of course Cat goes through the judges' comments for all the guys before revealing the results. This time Ade is on the left, whatever that's worth. He gets a lot more cheers than I thought he would. In fact it sounds like he got slightly more than Evan did. Brandon doesn't get as many cheers as I thought he would- that's not good. And the first male in the finale is... BRANDON!!!! YAY!!!! Okay now I don't even care who else goes home for the guys as long as he is safe. The only bad thing is we don't get to see his nearly naked solo again. He is in tears! Only Mary stands up for some reason. She calls out Mia and Lil C for not liking him at first (you go, girl) and says he has proven himself every week. She tells him he must believe in himself more, which he does.

Next up is the "Mercy" dance, choreographed by Mia and danced by Twitch and (my overall favorite last season) Katee. Wow Katee is fierce is this number. I kind of forgot how slow it starts out but once she gets going it is great once again. Twitch was only okay but Katee made up for it with her power and anger. Katee even stays in character as they bow, refusing to take Twitch's hand. Afterwards though they share a cute hug.

After the break we go right into the next number, a tango from former contestant (and DWTS pro) Dmitry Chaplin, danced by Chelsie H. and Joshua. I honestly don't remember this routine at all either. Considering I don't remember this routine it is very good. Chelsie in particular shines even though she is partnered with the season 4 winner. I love the fast part towards the end and overall I can see why this was nominated for an Emmy. Aw more hugs with Cat after their performance!

Now we have solos from the four remaining semifinalists not yet in the finals. First up is Melissa, doing her same routine from last night with little choreography. It does have a bit more dancing in it than last night's solo did though. I like Ade's solo even better the second time, and he adds a backflip at the end to boot! I guess he figured if it's his last dance he might as well go out with a bang.

And now another surprise guest- the winners of season 1 of America's Best Dance Crew, Jabbawockeez! I've never actually seen them perform, so all I know about them are those masks they wear at each performance. They dance to "Freak-A-Zoid" by Midnight Star with a giant mask statue behind them. In all honesty I'm not that impressed. Most of their routine is locking and break dancing, neither of which I am big fans of. They are quite good at what they do but I've seen better hip hop dance groups on America's Got Talent.

BTW, I REALLY want to see "Post-Grad". And not just because Matt Saracen from Friday Night Lights is in it (though that doesn't hurt...)

After the break we see the "Bleeding Love" routine by TabNap, danced by Mark and Chelsie! Yay! This was one of my favorite routines last season even though overall I was not rooting for Mark or Chelsie. Just as good the second time around. This dance also seemed to get the most applause out of the four. I really hope this one wins the Emmy, though I think all are worthy except for Tyce's.

Now back to the solos. Kayla's solo is also just as good the second time around, though I still find it odd that she smiles rather than get into the emotion of the choreography. Wow Evan's solo is great too! Love the flip at the beginning and the twirls at the end. Too bad he's not this good in the partner dances or I would like him more...

The final guest of the evening is Sean Paul, singing his hit song "So Fine". Oh yeah I've heard this before, but it's getting late and I don't really like this song so I'm just going to fast forward. Yay for DVR!

So all that's left are the final results. First up are the girls. I hope it's Kayla but I don't care that much now that Janette is gone. Indeed Kayla is safe, so the first person eliminated tonight is Melissa. No big surprise there- she would have gone last week if not for the cancer dance. Kayla looks more relieved than surprised like the other finalists did.

I just realized this past week that this goodbye song is "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, and the reason I always think it sounds like "Halo" is because it actually has the same backing tracks. The writer of both songs gave the same backing tracks to both artists to use on different songs. Whoops. Of course we get her highlights from this season, including her cancer dance and her en pointe dance. Melissa says she did things on this show she never thought she could, like hip hop (even though it was in a group number). That's weird that she never did hip hop in a partner dance- luck of the draw I guess. She wishes good luck to all the ballerinas out there and thanks her husband in the crowd (who is way hot, btw).

Now it's down to the guys. This should be the interesting one. One could argue Evan was better last night but Ade has been better overall and is the more versatile dancer. Nigel points out that there are no losers on this show- every dancer in the top 20 gets exposure and a chance to work with great choreographers. Well said. He reminds us we lost Mark and Chelsie at this point last season, and now they are part of an Emmy-nominated routine. He says the only loser this week is the dance world for losing Merce Cunningham, an avant-garde choreographer who died Sunday at age 90. I've never heard of him but for Nigel to mention him on the show he must have had a great impact on dancing. So now for the results. The final dancer in the top four is... Evan. Not a big surprise but still disappointing that such a strong dancer like Ade got cut. All the teenage girls around the country can rejoice. Ade seems perfectly happy with his place in the top six- he's still smiling as his highlight package comes up. He says he'll remember being up on the stage with all the energy and all his friends he made. Aw that's so sweet.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Did America pick the right finalists (I say yes except for Evan)? Who do you think will win the title next week (I honestly have no idea)? Post your comments below.

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

Hey all sorry again for the late post but I fell asleep really early last night and then woke up 12 hours later. Too bad I'll have to start getting up early for school in a few short weeks...

Anyway I'm still shocked and upset by Janette's ouster last week. Now I don't really have anyone else to root for except Brandon. You figure if the dancers are paired tonight with the one partner they haven't been with then Melissa and Evan, the two least versatile dancers left on each side, will be partnered up. Hopefully this will finally allow people to see that Evan is a much weaker dancer than Ade or Brandon but his fanbase is so huge he'll probably make the finals no matter what. I've never been a fan of Jeanine so I wouldn't mind if she left as long as Kayla stays but like I said I really don't care about the females now that Janette is gone.

Cat is looking chic with straight hair and a cute blue outfit to go with it.

During the intro solos the cheers for the guys are pretty even, while Jeanine gets by far the most for the girls. I think she's the female favorite with Janette gone- Melissa is going to get tons of backlash since she would have gone last week if not for the cancer dance, and a lot of people think Kayla is too smug and are tired of the judges' constant praise of her.

It turns out the partners are still picked at random this week, so we could end up with the two weakest dancers (Melissa and Evan) not being paired up. I did see Brandon and Melissa paired together at the end of the intro, though I'm not sure if that means anything.

Like last week each duo will have two partner dances plus individual solos and a group number. That's four dances each.

Lil C is back on the judging panel this week, which means lots of "buck"s and other words I don't quite understand. Lil C thinks the results so far have been based on what the public prefers. In other words he thinks the public was wrong (which they were). Mary comes right out and says she was shocked to see Janette go. She also wisely tells the viewers to vote for those who have stood out throughout the show, not just tonight. Nigel advises the dancers to bring out their personalities and stand out from the crowd like the top four (and Gev) did last year. Otherwise fans will vote for the choreography and not for the dancers themselves.

First up is the men's group number, choreographed by Sonya. The piece is inspired by Willy Wonka, or "dark and abstract" according to Evan. Ade calls it a very strong piece, which is good for him and Brandon, not so much for Evan. As Brandon points out, since there are only three people on stage it will be easy for the audience to notice mistakes. Brandon gets thrown in the air and Evan is lifted across the stage- that looks cool.

The song is "True Romance" by She Wants Revenge. The costumes are certainly odd, with bright yellow gloves and lightening bolts on purple and black plaid pants. Wow do they throw Brandon high in the air! And Evan stands on top of Ade and Brandon too! It's a cool, powerful routine with lots of tricks and flips thrown in. It's hard to keep my eyes off of Ade and Brandon because of how strong they appear. From what I saw Evan held his own but still showed that he's the weakest of the three. Ade in particular stood out early in the dance.

Lil C says he has wanted to work with Brandon and Ade together for the whole season so he is living through Sonya now. He loves Brandon's dedication and says Ade is proving him correct by continuing to have strong performances (earlier in the season Lil C told America to watch out for Ade as a favorite to win, and he was right). He commends Evan for not getting swallowed by the other two, which he didn't, though he still was the weakest of the three. I do not think he was as visible during the routine as Lil thought though. Mary loved the dance and how they all moved at the same time during it. Nigel praises Evan for doing moves outside of his comfort zone. Boo for praising Evan- that will just get him more votes from the teen girls. Not that the praise is entirely undeserved, however- Evan was considerably better than I thought he would be at a dance that requires real strength.

The first pairing is Jeanine and Ade, who have not been paired together before so at least there is still hope of a Melissa/Evan "weakest dancers left" partnership. And of course we get to see another clip of the cancer dance from last week while Jeanine talks about how great Ade is. They are doing a samba with Louie van Amstel. Good to see him back doing choreography- it's been a few weeks I believe since we saw him last. However, it is not a traditional structured samba, which makes the dancers happy. Jeanine calls it "adjusted but classy". The dance is supposed to be hot and sexy, though they keep stumbling in rehearsals.

The song is "LoveGame" by Lady Gaga. For a samba? Really? The two of them are dancing it well but I don't get the sexiness from them at all. They almost seem to have no chemistry there on the dance floor. Ade is moving his hips well but is mostly just smiling to show off his sex appeal and Jeanine seems to be trying to put on a sexy face but I'm not really getting it from her either. Ade also looks a bit awkward at times during the dance itself.

Mary says the first 15 seconds were great but once the samba started it fell apart. Ade hopped around too much and they didn't do the samba rolls well. Lil C thinks Jeanine looks amazing (is he turning into Paula Abdul???) but the routine fell flat. Again Ade gets much of the criticism, this time for frolicking too much- that could be why I thought it wasn't sexy. Nigel agrees, saying Ade has to learn to change his style based on the routine. He thought Jeanine was terrific, however. Watching it again I still think they were too hard on Ade, though perhaps his poor dancing is why the routine seemed less sexy as it should have been. Either way this is good news for Evan.


The first solo of the night is Kayla's. She dances to "You Found Me" by The Fray (awesome song!). Technically it is danced very well but she seems to spend a bit too much time getting up from being on the floor. Also she doesn't quite get into the emotion of the dance as much as I would like her to.

The second couple is indeed Melissa and Evan, so all six dancers will be performing with the one partner they haven't danced with yet. Makes you wonder how "random" the pairings really are. At least now the two weakest dancers are together. There is also the height issue, as Melissa is much taller than Evan. However, she is going to wear heel when they dances, unlike Kayla when she partnered with Evan earlier this year. That sounds like a strange decision since it will really put the focus on the height difference and not on the dancing (though maybe with Evan that might be a good thing...)

Luckily for Evan he is doing Broadway this week with Tyce. Though if I remember correctly last time he did Broadway it wasn't that good. Anyway Evan is a groom-to-be who oversleeps and is late to his wedding with Melissa. Melissa is married in real life though, which is a bit awkward. Evan is getting into the dance with all the personality and flashiness of the routine. It really does seem like his kind of routine. Tyce thinks they just have to have fun with the dance and they will do well.

The song is "Get Me to the Church On Time" from My Fair Lady. The best part about the dance is Evan doing the whole thing in his boxers! Seriously Evan really brings his personality to the routine, which allows him to overshadow Melissa. Even so I still don't love the choreography- it's mostly a lot of running and jumping around on stage, and Evan doesn't seem to be hitting the steps as hard as he should. His personality saves the routine but still I found myself bored halfway through.

Lil C thinks Evan didn't live up to his expectations, and I agree. He thought they danced it well but they could have aimed for excellence. Again I agree- they could have brought more to the dance than they did. Mary disagrees, calling it fun and entertaining even though it could have been more out there. She also thinks Melissa has not taken a wrong step in this competition and held her own in this genre. Nigel says Melissa has inspired other ballerinas to audition but they can't adapt to other genres like she can. I don't know if I agree but whatever. He adds the routine was more personality-based than choreography based, and Evan did bring enough personality to the table. I didn't like the routine as much as they did but I do agree it was more about personality, which Evan certainly showed. That alone might save him from elimination, and dancing in his underwear certainly won't hurt.

Ade is next to do his solo, set to "18th Floor Balcony" by Blue October. I think this is one of his strongest solos so far, though it does drag a bit at the end and the music still doesn't quite match the choreography. Brandon and Evan are known as strong soloists also so I don't think the solos will make much of a difference with the guys this week anyway.

The last pairing is of course Kayla and Brandon. Their first dance is a contemporary piece by Stacey Tookey. They are both contemporary dancers I believe so this should be a strong dance hopefully. Kayla is a mistress of a married man who doesn't have the strength to leave Brandon. They are struggling having chemistry with their new partners, but Kayla hopes they can make it believable. Not helping matters is Stacey's tough choreography for the semifinals. There are few pauses in the routine, but Kayla thinks it could be amazing if they pull it off.

The song is "All I Want" by Ahn Trio. This is definitely the best routine of the night so far. They nail all the choreography and are almost perfectly in unison when they have to be. And yay for Brandon ripping dancing shirtless for much of the routine! I don't really feel the chemistry between the two when the camera is far away but I do see the emotion when there are closeups on the faces, especially Kayla's. Kayla's solo in the beginning was also really beautiful.

Lil C says it was intense and beyond amazing, and he is almost in tears. He thinks this is the first time Kayla has been with a partner good enough for her. Mary says they are both staying on the hot tamale train and calls the dancing "brilliant". She calls it perfection on the dance floor. Nigel says Stacey is now a star choreographer on this show. He agrees with me in saying the chemistry wasn't all there (likely because they had just been paired together a week earlier) but technically it was brilliant. Exactly. But even with their lack of chemistry I still think it was still the strongest routine of the night so far, and based on their comments the judges seem to agree.

The next solo is Melissa's, who dances to "I Put a Spell on You" by Nina Simone. The routine doesn't seem to have much dancing in it until the end- much of it is her walking around the stage and smiling naughtily at the camera. I think she needs a strong second dance or she is likely gone.

Before each duo's second dance we find out what being in the finale would mean to each contestant.

Jeanine says it would be the most unanticipated success of her life since she auditioned for this show on a whim. The experience has shown her how much she is capable of. Ade says he can't believe he has made it this far and making the finale would mean the world to him.

Their second number is a TabNap hip hop number. It is Jeanine's third hip hop number, and Ade's second, so you figure they will have the proper technique and style down. The dance is about two friends getting evicted from their apartment who take out their anger on the boxes of their belongings. Jeanine is falling down a lot, especially when she has to jump over and between Ade's legs like they are a jump rope. As Ade puts it, Jeanine is getting quite close to the "family jewels" at that part of the number.

The song is "Move (If You Wanna) by MIMS. They start out off stage and then jump onstage, seeing the eviction notice and going nuts. I can't really keep my eyes of Jeanine in this number, who is really selling it with the angry expression on her face. Maybe it's because of his cap that blocks his face but I don't really believe Ade's anger, and he doesn't seem to be hitting the moves hard enough for my taste (I'm not sure if he's supposed to be though), at least compared to Jeanine. Jeanine nails the jump rope move, and I love the ending where they put boxes with frowning faces over their heads! Overall I still think Jeanine outshined Ade but it was better than their first number for sure.

Lil C says he wishes moving was always that fun. He thinks they danced it better than he thought they would. He adds Ade took advantage of his earthy movements and pulled Jeanine down into the dirt with him, whatever that means. Long story short, it was buck. Mary goes back and says Jeanine was great in their prior samba since she forgot to say that before. Mary thinks the two of them won't be getting eviction notices after that performance. So basically she thinks Melissa and Evan are out. She thanks Ade for bringing his butt down from his last hip hop number. Nigel adds this is a routine that could have been applauded just for the choreography but thinks they really got down in the choreography. I didn't think Ade was as good in this routine as they said but I agree Jeanine was great. I was so focused on her I didn't really watch Ade that much so that could have been why I wasn't as impressed with him. Jeanine should definitely be safe tonight but Ade's status depends a lot on Evan's next number.

Next up is Brandon's solo, done to "O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana)" by Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and Kurt Prestel. Hey he's completely nude save for small briefs! Dang he has a lot of muscles in his chest. Aside from that the dancing is great as well. Not my favorite choreography from him but still super strong technically as always. Wow the judges give him a standing ovation afterwards- I've never seen that for a solo. I didn't think it was that good but it was still the best of the night so far.

Melissa came into this competition knowing she was the oldest ever on this show and had no training in styles other than ballet so she's proud and surprised at how she's done. Evan realizes the finale is in his grasp so he must bring it extra hard.

They are doing a quickstep from Louis. It's called the "dreaded" dance because it is really fast and hard to dance. I have a feeling this is going to be a disaster. Louis really got on Evan's case in the rehearsals, and Melissa doesn't really trust Evan to do the strong movements. Louis is struggling with their height difference but adjusts the routine so you can't tell as much.

The song is "As Long As I'm Slingin'" by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. It's actually a lot better than I thought it would be. It seems kind of slow for a quickstep but Melissa does well and Evan, while a bit awkward in spots, seems to hold his own. Once again his personality really shines through, and he has enough strength for the lift at the end. Not amazing, but not a disaster either.

Louis gives them a standing ovation. Lil C says Evan danced bigger than he has on the show before but his retractions still were not strong. He thinks Melissa did a fabulous job, which I guess she did- I was honestly too focused on Evan to notice, waiting for him to mess up. Mary says it had life at the beginning but then fell apart. She thinks the lift at the end was good but it was not really quickstep. She wanted to be wowed but wasn't. Well it wasn't really a "wow" kind of dance but like I said it certainly wasn't horrible. Nigel jokes Melissa is acting like she is the Cloris Leachman of this show when she's only 29. He thinks the only part that lost energy was the Lindy Hop section in the middle. He says it wasn't one of the best routines tonight (which it wasn't) and now anything can happen since these two are two of the favorites. Since when is Melissa a favorite? I think Melissa had a good night but since all the women have been good tonight she may be in trouble.

The next solo is Jeanine, who gets huge cheers when she walks out on stage. She dances to "Feedback" by Janet Jackson. Like the other female solos tonight it was a bit too much personality and not too much dancing, but it was better than Melissa's. The dancing itself was quite good and showed off her strong sexy side, though at times it was a bit too delicate-looking for my tastes.

The last solo of the night is Evan, who comes in with a strong flip. The song is "Lady is a Tramp" by Sammy Davis Jr. As usual he performs a strong, fun solo. I actually like this one better than Brandon's, though Brandon's was more technically demanding. All of the guys' solos have been strong tonight, yet they have been weaker in the partner dances except for Brandon.

Being in the final four would prove to Brandon that he's a good dancer. Uh, I think either way you've proven that, Brandon. Kayla has worked hard before and while being on the show and making the finals would show that her work has paid off. Unfortunately they are doing another one of the dreaded dances, a disco from Dorianna Sanchez. Though last time Brandon did a disco I remember it was quite good. Dorianna made Brandon do pushups before they started rehearsals. The routine is more like a circus, according to Kayla. Dorianna wants to challenge them at this point in the competition.

The song is "Dance (Disco Heat)" by Sylvester. Great flips by Brandon early on! Wow this routine is fast! The routine is full of tricks and lifts, most of which they seem to nail, though Brandon appears to almost drop Kayla on one occasion. I don't really like the choreography itself but they do dance it well, especially Brandon. Kayla started out a bit weak but turned it on quickly. After their strong first routine they both should be safe anyway.

Lil C rambles something about having to listen to the music when faced with challenges and that this removes the darkness and they did that. I guess that means he liked it. He then says Kayla got between the "pockets" of the music. He thinks Brandon inspired Kayla to excel, especially since he has done disco before. They made each other better, and he got tired just watching it. Mary says they hit a home run tonight with both their dances and they nailed their lifts. Mary stands up and yells at Brandon for having self-esteem problems and blows a kiss to Kayla. Nigel says it is easy to get caught up in the music and speed of a dance, so he decides to critique it professionally by running around and screaming like a crazy man. I guess that means he liked it too. He loves how they have shown versatility with their two routines tonight. I still didn't love this routine but they danced it well and were definitely the strongest couple of the night. If they are not both safe there is something seriously wrong with this show.

All that's left is the women's group number. They are doing a Sonya number as well, this one about superheroes. Sonya thinks all three of them have different strengths but have the same lines. Kayla is Storm, Jeanine is Wonder Woman, and Melissa is Buttercup (like the Powerpuff Girl??? Since when are they superheroes). They have trouble with their sychronization in the rehearsals along with memorizing the choreography. Jeanine even smacks Kayla in the face- sabotage? (haha)

The song is "Kick It (Stereoheroes Remix)" by Nina Martine. They come out in leather outfits with their initial on their belt buckle. I really don't like this choreography- it reminds me too much of cheerleaders at a football game. They are dancing it well for what they are given though. No one really stands out as being really good or really bad- they are all pretty solid despite the weird choreography. I liked the men's routine better as a whole.

Lil C compliments Sonya and then says a whole bunch of big words about how they have to work together and stand out from each other. He thinks they were all too courteous and didn't stand out from each other, which I agree with. He calls it amazing but wanted more than that. Mary wonders what comes after amazing. She calls them strong, versatile, sexy, and talented dancers and adds Kayla stood out since she had tougher choreography. She even thinks they should perform at Comic-Con next year! Ha that'd be awesome. Nigel loved the chemistry but agrees no one stood out since they were all great. He loves Melissa's little tutu on her costume, which I agree is awesome!

Overall it was kind of a weak night- I wasn't blown away by any of the routines, though Brandon and Kayla's contemporary was my favorite by default. I think the girls were stronger at the partner dances (except for Brandon) but the guys had a better group number and better solos. Brandon and Kayla should be safe for sure, so it should come down to the other four for two spots. I thought Melissa's solo was the worst for the girls and Ade's for the guys (though only because Brandon's and Evan's were so strong). Melissa also wasn't quite as strong as Jeanine in the partner dances, so I'm guessing she'll be out. Evan and Ade were actually much closer tonight than I though they would be. Overall Ade has been better though so I hope he sticks around, but as long as Brandon and Kayla get through I won't be too upset.

So what are your thought's on this week's performances? Who deserves to make it into the top 4? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: No Second Performances?

Hey all we are finally up to Vegas week on America's Got Talent. Now it's up to the judges to decide who will move on to the top 40 and fight for America's vote. My early favorites are Kevin Skinner, the Eriam Sisters, Kelli Glover, and Ciana, the eight-year old singer from last week. I think all four have a good chance to make the semifinals, and Kevin Skinner is a lock of course.

Nick Cannon starts out saying how huge it would be for an act to play in Vegas, like the winner of the show will get to do. Last year it was only a one night gig at Vegas though- I wonder if that changed this year. And of course in the clip they show a huge sign of Terry Fator, season 2 winner and by far the biggest success story this show has had.

Right now there are over 160 acts, so over 120 will be cut by the end of the week.

This year the judges made some early cuts before the acts even get to perform again for the judges. That seems a bit harsh to me- why not let the acts all perform and see which ones improved from their first audition? Maybe some of the fringe acts would really shine in that situation.

The judges are shown deliberating while watching clips of all the auditions. I'm worried that Piers and David both say an act is not going to win while a clip of Kelli Glover's audition is being shown. I know that doesn't mean anything but I fear they may cut one of my favorites without getting to hear her again.

The acts are split up into four groups, a la American Idol. It is unclear how many of the four groups will be going on to the next round. I'm assuming only one group will be cut but you never know.

After the judges' dramatic entrance David tells the contestants some of them will be cut right now. Group A includes that genius Asian piano player, the Obama impersonator the yodeling dominatrix, Barbara Padilla, those kid dancers who dress up like clowns, that jazzy singer who auditioned last year, the kid ballroom dancers, Acrodunk and a bunch of others, and they are through to the next round.

Group B includes those kid dancers with the red wigs, the magician who floated the microphone in the air, Ciana, the cleft lip singer, and others. Wow Sharon announces that they are going home. Too bad I really liked Ciana and the magician. That boy guitar prodigy Tallan got cut too! Wow I can't believe they cut him and Ciana and left the Obama impersonator and the clown kid dancers.

Now two groups are left and only one will be going through to the next round. So that means they cut about half the people in one swoop. Group C has Grandma Lee, the guy who stuck a fish hook through his nose, the annoying young singer who plays piano, the old guy dancer, and the dog dancer. Group D has the old lady dancer and Kevin Skinner, which I assume means Group D is through since there is no way Kevin is being cut. But I thought I saw Voices with Glory in Group C. Hmm... Turns out both groups are going through. I'm happy for the fish hook guy, Kevin Skinner, and both older dancers but I still can't believe they put the bad kid singer in (the one with the curly hair who plays keyboard) and not the good one (Ciana).

Hey the violin playing triplets who can't sing got through, along with one of the magicians and the boy break dancer. Only 25 acts were cut in this early round, presumably acts the judges thought had no chance to win. I would beg to differ on Ciana and Tallan though...

Seriously- the dancers where the small girl lifts the fat guy gets through and Ciana and Tallan don't??? What's wrong with these judges???

Also through are the bass singer, the Asian teenage singer with the big jazz voice, the singing group of post office workers, and a bunch of others who celebrate in Vegas that night. Love the danceoff between one of the hip hop dancers and Carol Lugo (the 62-year old woman dancer).

Now all the acts have been summoned to the holding area, and the judges are still deliberating, especially over the magic acts, singers, and dancers. OMG the David Hasselhoff song guy got through- I want to see him perform just to see what he will do next!

They especially are debating over the hip hop dance acts, which are all very similar to each other. The judges can't decide which one is the best.

They are having such a hard time they decide to talk to some of the acts individually. First up is Keith Johnson, a singer who I believe sang "Walking in Memphis" in his first audition not nearly as well as Eli Mattson did last year. The second one is Pete, the Obama impersonator. Overall I like the singer better since he has some talent and the Obama guy was not funny at all.

Piers was not impressed with Keith's singing but thinks he looks the part. David believes he gets the audience's attention. Of course Keith tells the audience how he has a kid at home he wants to make proud to garner up some sympathy points.

Pete wants to tell the judges his act is not a joke for him. Who said that it was?

Keith breaks down in front of the judges, and Pete adds that he has been doing comedy for 40 years. But Keith has been working his whole life for his. Neither of them are going to win, but I'm rooting for Keith. Piers correctly points out there are better singers than Keith, which may doom him since I don't remember seeing too many impersonators besides Pete. Keith cries some more in front of the judges, and they turn to deliberate. Keith though is still cut by the judges. That's heartbreaking to watch even though I agree with the judges' conclusion about there being better singers.

Pete says being cut would be devastating to his career. He of course is put through to the next round, so James Brown Barack Obama lives for another day.

Wow wait they are filling spots in the top 40 already? Without even giving the acts another chance to perform? That's kind of weird... I thought this was just cutting them down to the top 70 or whatever. No way does this guy deserve to be in the top 40 but I guess they needed an impressionist.

Next in the theater is Arcadian, the Billy Elliot-like dancer. He wants to show kids it is okay to not be jocks. He should get through I think. David fears he may be too young (he's only 13)- but there are younger acts in this show. Yay he is through! Good for him he was great! Aw his mom looks so happy.

Other acts in the top 40 include Acrodunk (no surprise there), the Platt Brothers (those brothers who wore the blue suits and flipped over each other), the Blue Man group wannabes (really?), the David Hasselhoff song guy (yay!!!!), the Asian teen singer, the kid ballroom dancers, the girl rock singers (really?), Mosaic- the a capella group from last week (yay again!), the Cowboy Tenors (I didn't think they were that good but I did enjoy them), the yodeling dominatrix (yay!), and a good tap group I don't remember.

It seems like they are going for a lot of variety this year, which explains why so many novelty acts are getting through over all the singers and dancers.

Next up is Anthony, the 74 year old disco dancer. I figure he is probably out since they didn't put him in the montage. I think Carol Lugo is better anyway. Anthony says he never thought this would happen and getting through would make his life complete. But alas his time on AGT has come to an end. I'm okay with this if Carol gets through. Tony looks really annoyed and says he won't come back next year. That's too bad he really does have talent.

Next to see the judges are Euphoria, Destined 2 Be, and Breaksk8, three dance groups. Breaksk8 were the ones on skates who were just okay. Destined 2 Be are very good hip hop dancers, and Euphoria is a group of dance teachers who in the brief clip shown look like the best of the three.

Piers says they could not decide which group to send home so he is challenging them all to dance to the same piece of music. In 12 hours the judges will watch each of them and decide based on that who to send home. That sounds fair- why didn't they do that for the other acts? He guarantees not all of them will be going through.

The last two magicians are Drew Thomas and Joseph Constantine. Drew was the one who had the floating sheets with the ladies who came out under them. Then he went into a closet on the stage and re-appeared under one of the sheets. Joseph Constantine is the one who barely got through because the judges thought his act had been done a hundred times before. This led to a big debate between Piers and David. I actually liked him better than Drew though I liked the one that was cut already the best. Joseph reminds us he lost his house recently and almost quit magic because it wasn't paying the bills. He has a good story but the judges seem to like Drew better.

The judges couldn't decide whether to put one of them through or none of them through. Joseph is indeed cut. He and his wife are in tears but promise to be together no matter what. And as I figured Drew is put to the finals. He was good but his act got a bit repetitive with the sheets until the end. Hopefully he'll take it to the next level in the quarterfinals.

After the break we find out the fate of the Spiritual Harmonizers, the postal workers who sing together. I still don't agree that the lead singer sounds like Stevie Wonder- in fact I thought he was the weak link of the group. Since the other a capella group already got through I wonder what will happen to these guys. They'll probably get through but after seeing some of the other mediocre acts get through who knows.

David tells them they are very good but there are a lot of other singing acts, including a capella groups. Wow they are cut. I do like Mosaic better but since they got the "pimp" spot at the end of the show I thought for sure they would go through. To their credit they were gracious in defeat.

More cuts: Two more dance acts I don't remember, the belly dancer woman, Bang a Rang (a tai chi dance act), and two burlesque acts.

Next up is Haido Torres, the break dancer/contortionist dude. I didn't love his act but he is good at what he does. He should get through though since his act is so unique. His mother is supporting him even though he's never had formal dance lessons. He says being in Vegas has let him believe in himself. The judges toy with him a bit and tell him it is a hard decision. Sharon wishes him well and says they are glad to have discovered him before anyone else. Of course it's just for suspense as he is put through to the finals. Aw he calls him mom afterwards and she sounds so excited!

After the break we catch up with Lawrence, the bass singer who I liked only when he sang higher notes. He has been chasing this dream for a long time and needs a break like this. Also learning his fate is Kevin Skinner, who I'm sure will get through since he's a favorite to win.

I think both will get through but if only one will it is Kevin for sure. Kevin feels out of place in Vegas- it's like a different world to him. He feels this is his time to shine and getting through would make his family proud.

Kevin tells the judges it would mean a lot to him to go through, and Lawrence says the same. David says the judges deliberated a lot on Kevin, and Sharon says Lawrence is going up against a lot of other good singers. But indeed both of them are going through to the next round, which may be bad news for Kelli Glover and the other singers on this show.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Were you surprised by any of the cuts? Who are your early favorites from the people who got through tonight? Mine are Kevin Skinner, the David Hasselhoff song guy, and Mosaic. Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Shocker of the Season

Hey all it's time for the 100th episode extravaganza on So You Think You Can Dance. And for the first time this season I have no clue who will go home. This could be the week of a shocking elimination since everyone had at least one good dance last night. If I had my way I would send home either Jason or Evan for the men and Jeanine for the women (I know she's really popular but she always seems too dainty when she dances- even during that jazz number last night she really paled in comparison to Brandon). Realistically I predicted Jason and Kayla last night to go home but I've read there is some backlash to the cancer routine, as people think the judges overreacted to the routine. These people believe that if the dance was not about cancer it would not have gotten nearly as good of a reaction. This is probably true, though I still think the dance was amazing, even if the judges' sobbing was a bit much. But if that's the case Melissa could be in trouble as well, and I wouldn't miss her too much. As long as Brandon and Janette stay I'll be happy.

Cat is wearing a leather outfit with a gold jaguar? printing on it. I don't think I could pull that outfit off put it looks great on her.

We open to the Top 8 group number, set to "One" from A Chorus Line. The contestants are all in white and standing in front of broken mirrors. They then turn the mirrors around and stand behind them before coming out in front one by one. Evan looks particularly dashing in this part, but then again it is his style so he should do well. They then start doing sharp movements perfectly in unison before breaking off into parts. I really enjoyed this routine, and I'm usually not a fan of the Broadway dances. I loved the ending where they all threw one arm in the air like the determined dancers they are. Turns out it was a Mia Michaels routine- so I guess it wasn't Broadway style after all. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. And Mia choreographing it explains the weird broken mirrors in the beginning.

Ellen is gone from the panel tonight, thank goodness. There's only so many ways you can say "you were amazing" without sounding redundant. Plus most of her jokes weren't funny.

The best thing for Mia about this show is seeing former contestants come back and move on to the next phases of their lives, like becoming choreographers. Cut to shot of former contestants in the crowd. I see Josh and Katee (yay!) from last season, along with Comfort. And is that Caitlin Kinney seated on the other side of Josh? And Courtney G. is back too! I loved her last year and was happy she made the top 4- she was my second favorite girl after Katee. Mary says this show has changed her life and had been a lot of laughs and tears. So many performances on this show have touched her over the years, and she is grateful to have been involved. Nigel thinks television at its best can unite a country, and he thinks that happened with the cancer dance last night. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration but whatever. He claims to have gotten tons of emails about that dance, including one from Olivia Newton-John (herself a breast cancer survivor), who said the routine said more than words could. It does seem like cancer survivors are those who were most touched by the dance obviously, but I still think the sobbing last night was a tad over the top. The camera cuts to Tyce, and we also see shots of Jessica, Kherington, and Twitch from last season in the background. I guess they must have invited most of their former finalists back for this special night. I wonder why Idol didn't do something like this a few years ago when they reached their 100th show; they just treated it like any normal episode.

Cat then introduces a montage of clips from the past five seasons. Since I didn't watch the first three I likely won't recognize most of these. It starts with some auditions, and I catch Josh, Kayla, a bunch of people falling, Gabrielle (the girl who got ten thousands chances in Vegas this year), Sex (again???), Brandon and Kupono. Vegas week highlights include tears, injuries, Jason leaping in the air, Twitch doing a midair split, and Comfort and Josh crying on stage. Then we move to the live shows, where we see a Katee routine I vaguely remember from last year, the Katee and Josh Bollywood dance, a dude STANDING ON HIS HEAD in a solo (that's awesome), Nigel and Mary dancing (not together, though I wish I could have seen more of their routines), Twitch with his glasses and crunk teeth (again, not at the same time), Cat with the same glasses and teeth (at the same time), Brandon and Janette (yay!), Mary screaming, Twitch and Comfort together (a lot of Twitch in this package- what happened to Josh and Will???), the popping competition from last year's finale, Phillip and Jeanine celebrating, Nigel acting like a crazy man,
and all four winners being surrounded by confetti. Whew!

After the break we get a recap of last night's routines. Evan still got too much praise after his first number, and too little after the second number. I still liked Brandon and Jeanine's waltz more than the judges did. Oddly they skip over Melissa and Ade in the recap so they can show the cancer number last. I wonder why they didn't have that be the last dance in the performance show too- going after the cancer dance might have lessened Jason and Kayla's vote total. I still don't like Melissa and Ade's cha cha. And the song from that cancer dance has been stuck in my head all day. I'm surprised it didn't get more cheers from the crowd when it was shown in the recap.

The girls are all onstage together. First up is Melissa. She is safe, which surprises me a bit. That means either Jeanine or Janette, two of the early favorites, are in the bottom. Or both of them could be. I hope it's Jeanine but I fear Janette may be in danger. Next up is Kayla, who I'm guessing is in the bottom based on her location in the line. Indeed she is. I wonder if Janette was hurt by backlash/fan complacency after Mia called her her favorite dancer of the season. She may have been, as she is indeed in the bottom. I do think overall she had the worse night of the two, as her first dance was not that good and neither was her solo, though her rumba was slightly better than Jeanine's pop jazz. But I wonder if this means Evan is in the bottom too.... And if it is not Kayla going home I will throw something at my TV (well not really, but I'll be upset).

Up next we get Hok and Jaime from season 3 doing a Wade Robson routine set to "The Chairman's Waltz"- aka "The Hummingbird and the Flower". I've never seen this routine before so I have nothing to compare it to. The routine is kind of a mating dance between the two, and I love how well they portrayed the creatures involved. It's not really my kind of dance but it was done very well, especially when they each laid on the ground and pointed their toes. And I definitely felt the chemistry between the two of them.

Now we find out the bottom two guys. First up is Ade. This should be interesting. But we do not find out his results until Cat speaks to Jason. Hmmm. That means either Brandon or Evan are also in the bottom, unless they really decide to switch things up. But no, Jason is in the bottom, and Ade is safe for another week. Good for Ade, but now I'm REALLY worried about Brandon.
I still think Brandon and Evan could both make the finals, but clearly one of them is not as popular as I thought. I hope Evan is in the bottom but I fear his rumba and solo put him over the top. And my fears are correct as Brandon is indeed in the bottom. Some boos from the crowd, but they are overcome by squeals for Evan. Stupid little girls keeping him in the contest when he is the worst dancer left. Anyway that means both my favorites are in the bottom along with the two I picked yesterday to go home. This could end very well or very badly for me.

While the dancers prep for their solos we get Mia Michael's Emmy winning "Bench Routine", aka a routine danced to "Calling You" by Celine Dion done by Travis and Heidi. The routine starts off a bit dull for me but picks up when Travis lays on the bench with Heidi below him. I can see why Travis is so popular- for me his is miles better than Heidi in this routine. I do love the lift where she jumps off the bench into Travis' arms, but I still wasn't wowed by it as much as viewers probably were when they first saw it.

After the break we get the solos, which once again don't matter so I won't comment on them that much. Kayla's solo is good though watching it again she seems to take too long to start with the actual dancing. Jason doesn't get too many cheers before his solo. He does a lot of great leaps and spins, but I still find the rock music a bit distracting. Janette does her slow solo again and I still don't like it. I do find myself digging Brandon's solo more than I did last night. Still wasn't his best, but my favorite of the four.

Then we get "Ramalama (Bang Bang)", a group number from season 2. And choreographer Wade Robson joins them in the dance. Unfortunately I can't tell which one is Wade since they are all made up and I don't know the dancers from this season. The routine is really creepy, but in a good way. It's like the zombie routine from last night times a thousand. I especially love the dancing during the chorus of the song. I did find myself fascinated by the routine and wondering what was coming next, so it was entertaining in a weird way. It was my favorite of the three encore dances tonight.

And now the moment we've all been waiting for (or not)- the Katie Holmes performance. First we cut to an interview with Katie where she talks about the Dizzy Feet Foundation and her Judy Garland homage. She will be dancing AND singing during the routine. By the way, I really don't like her hair cut that short.

Wow there's like a whole set and everything- it looks more like a movie than a dance. Katie gets out of one of those ugly vintage cars on a quiet suburban street. She looks stunning in a white dress and black shawl, though the makeup seems a bit over the top. Wow she can really sing! Who knew? Is that Mark from season 4 looking at her as she stands by a pole? Oh it turns out only that part of the routine is on the set- the rest is on the stage with a bunch of black-suited backup dancers. They all collapse around her as Katie re-enters, this time in a black hat and sexy dress. I think Joshua is a backup dancer as well. She really doesn't do that much dancing, at least compared to the guys, but she does well with what she is given. And that voice is really something I did not expect out of her- a very jazzy, 1950s vibe to it, which fits this song perfectly. The guys towards mostly just lift her around the stage and onto a table, then back off of it. Still I quite enjoyed the number much more than I thought I would.

Now all that's left is the results. But first Cat turns to Nigel, who thanks Katie Holmes, Dion Beebee (the director of photography for the routine), and Tyce, who choreographed and directed it. And it turns out Joey Luft, Judy Garland's son, is in the crowd. I bet he was tearing up during that great tribute to his mother.

So NOW it is time for results. I'm really nervous about my favorites going home tonight. First up are the girls. WOW. Janette is going home. Okay I'm not throwing my remote at the TV like I said but I'm still shocked and angry. She was my favorite female dancer this season, and I really don't like any of the others that much. I think her slow solo plus Mia's huge praise might have done her in. Even the crowd seems shocked. I do love the shot of Kayla's grandparents crying in the crowd- they are so cute.

By the way, I love this exit song. Though everytime I hear it I think it is "Halo" only to find out otherwise. Of course they show Mia last night saying Janette was her favorite of the season, which like I said before probably hurt her more than helped her. She says in her package she will never stop dancing, so good for her. Cat calls this the shock of the season, and I think she is right unless Brandon goes home tonight too. Mary and Mia give Janette a standing ovation. Nigel admits that Janette was his favorite too and that America got it wrong.. Well Brandon is still my overall favorite but Janette was my favorite for the girls. Stupid cancer piece! If not for that routine Melissa would have been out instead!

Janette says this show made her realize how much she loved dancing. She was in school for finance but now wants to follow her dreams and be a dancer instead. Way to pick a career with very little income! Just kidding- it's great that she is sticking to her passion no matter what.

Okay if both my favorites are voted off in the same episode I will have no idea who to root for anymore. Thank goodness it is Jason leaving and not Brandon. Well at least America got it half right. And hopefully now Brandon's fans will vote in full force next week to keep him in for the finals. Plus there will be no more cancer pieces to propel Ade (hopefully!). Jason gives Cat a big hug upon finding out his fate. Hey there's a different goodbye song this time- is it the same one they play for the guys every week? I can't remember.

After the recap all the contestants and judges surround Jason on stage and he thanks everyone who has supported him over the years. He seems like a cool guy but I would gladly let him leave if Brandon gets to stay.

Now I have to pick a new female favorite. I guess it's Kayla but I really don't like any of them that much.

And we get confetti at the end to celebrate the 1ooth show! Poor Janette and Jason having to see that confetti and happiness and knowing they are going home. They don't seem too upset by it though.

So that's it for tonight's show. Were you as shocked by Janette's elimination as I was? Who is your new female favorite now? And what did you think of Katie Holmes? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent- A Kid Singer Who Can Actually Sing

Hey everyone we are down to the LAST audition show. That means next week we get Vegas week and then we finally start with the live shows. Is it just me or do the auditions episodes seem to have lasted even longer this season? Anyway on with the show....

Tonight's auditions start out in LA, and we get our usual judges' intro. Boo I thought they got rid of this last week. Oh well- that's what DVR is for.

The first act is Breaksk8, a group of friends trying to turn their hobby of skating into a career. They grew up in a rough neighborhood and will do anything to get out of there. Like their name suggests they do dancing while on skates. They show great coordination (this coming from someone who can barely skate on skates, let alone dance on them), but the act gets boring kind of quickly. One guy does a cool spin on two wheels at the end, but the rest of the choreography was kind of slow compared to other break dancing acts I've seen. Yes I know they are on skates, but that doesn't mean the routine can't be a bit faster. They are good enough to go to the next round though, which they do.

Good act montage: Mosaic is an a Capella group that is very good. I wish we could have seen more of them. The Lollipop Girls are a burlesque act we don't see much of but they are very sexy. Recycled Percussion plays drums on paint cans and ladders. That's cool, but I've seen that kind of thing a lot before. Jeffrey Ou is an insanely good 18-year-old piano player, though I can't listen to piano for more than a few minutes without getting bored. SQ Entertainment is a dancing group much better than Breaksk8 who flip over each other and give a high energy performance. We then get images of other people who get through but we don't see what the acts are.
Koshka Raenelle has a very good voice, though there are other singers I like better in this competition.

After the break we meet Ciana Pelekai, an 8-year-old singer. NO NOT ANOTHER KAITLIN MAHER!!! We already have that other precocious girl who got through who can't sing but hopefully this one is semi-decent. She started singing to copy her older sister- aw. She tries to imitate Beyonce- hopefully not the sexy side of her! She says if she won the million dollars she would buy her family a new house. Holy crap she's actually good. I'm amazed. She's not the best singer ever but she is way better than any of the other kid singers I've heard on this show. If Kaitlin can make the top 10 this year this girl certainly can too- she's just as cute and way more talented. Piers says she should start looking for a new house for her parents, and says he has never heard an eight-year-old with a voice like that, and neither have I. Sharon calls it amazing. David says there is nowhere to go but up. She is off to Vegas and really has a shot to do well in this competition.

Up next is Joseph "JoJo" James, a choir director from California who has been singing his whole life. He wants to use his God-given talent to satisfy God's will. I have a feeling this guy is going to suck. He sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and as I figured it is horrible. He basically shrieks the entire song at an obnoxiously high pitch. Luckily the judges put the audience out of their misery quickly. David says it sounds like air being let out of a balloon. Joseph still insists he has a "gift" but the judges disagree and send him home.

Bad act montage: Brian and Anthony Lockard play the same piano at the same time, and not very well. Inara Darko sings decently until she shrieks the high note at the end. And why did she have a guitar accompanying her? Scott Renkes and Darren Kessner just crawl around on stage and on top of each other. Franklin Ruehl, PhD sticks straws in a potato. Seriously. I think it's supposed to be science but I don't get the scientific or the entertaining part of that act.

The last act before the Susan Boyle extravaganza is the Beale Street Flippers. They are a group of four friends who do backflips on the street for tips. Of course they have a sob story, coming from the projects where most people become thieves. Their act is basically doing flips across the stage while one guy stands in front and moonwalks/dances. They are very good at what they do but lose my interest pretty quickly. They end with one guy backflipping over the other three, which I have to admit is pretty cool. Sharon says they are young and fabulous. David says they are the best flippers ever on the show, which is true, but I still can't sit through that type of act without being bored. Piers says "flipping incredible" and they are the last act of the season off to Vegas.

Before the Boyle madness we get a recap of the best auditions. With an American flag and other US landmarks as the backdrop- that's a bit much, you think? Luckily that is short-lived, and we move on to the actual talent. Kevin Skinner! The Eriam Sisters (for two seconds)! Viva the dancing dog! And there aer some bad auditions thrown in to boot. The David Hasselhoff song guy!!! Wait I liked him- why is he with the bad auditions?? Oh wait they are back to good ones again, including the cleft lip singer, Kelli Glover!!!!!, more Kevin Skinner, that precocious kid singer from a few weeks ago who pales in comparison to Ciana, the 60-year old female dancer!!!!, Barbara Padilla (the opera singer), Arcadian, and Voices of Glory and the bass singer getting more screen time than they deserve in this montage.

So that leaves about 15 minutes of Susan Boyle phenomena. We get an intro from Meredith Vieira that treats this interview like it is being shown for the first time, even though I think it was shown on the Today Show the same morning this episode aired. Oh well. The intro gives us some background on Susan's life before she became a Youtube phenomenon. She apparently has mild brain damage from being starved of oxygen at birth. That actually explains a lot.

Susan has a shorter haircut and is wearing makeup, and actually looks pretty in her purple dress. Piers talks about how she does not look like a typical pop star. Well duh. They replay Susan's audition clip with the judges acting shocked, which will always be my favorite part of the clip. Piers claims to have gotten texts from around the world right after that performance aired. The video has been viewed 300 million times (wow!).

Susan claims she does not want this journey to end. Meredith asks Susan when she knew she was gifted, and Susan claims she is not- she is just lucky. There is some truth to that though- people really need luck some to get to the finals of these reality shows. Just getting passed the preliminary rounds is often a matter of chance- what the producers like and don't like.

Susan's mother always encouraged her to sing, and when she died Susan gave up on singing. But then she decided to honor her mom's memory by going for her dream. That is a cool story. She was nervous going to the audition, but wanted to prove to herself and her mother that she could do it.

Then comes her downfall. She had a shaky performance in the second round of the show, and at the same time was dealing with articles claiming she attacked journalists. And, as we all know, she lost out to Diversity, a dance group who I actually think did better than Susan on that night (I watched their audition, and they were good not great, but really stepped it up in the finale and deserved to win). Susan was gracious in defeat, but was rushed to a hospital for exhaustion after the finale. She claims she just needed to get away for a few days. She just couldn't handle the sudden fame, which is understandable.

On the live tour for the show Susan has still been getting standing ovations. Meredith then pulls out a doll that supposedly looks like Susan but just looks like a dark-haired, pale woman wearing a tiara.

Meanwhile Susan is in the studio recording an album that will come out in the fall. Susan won't reveal many details, but Meredith has heard it is not all showtunes, which somewhat surprises me.

Apparently Prince William from England, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts (don't know his name), and Jon Bon Jovi have all given shout-outs to Susan over the past few months. But apparently one of Susan's biggest idols was Donny Osmond. So of course Donny sends Susan a video message wishing her good luck on the album. He even says they can do a record together, redoing "Puppy Love" as "Susan Love". Okay that was sweet at first but got corny really fast. He then promises to do a "Donny and Susan Show" instead of "Donny and Marie".


But as we know Susan's biggest idol is Elaine Paige, whom she referenced in that famous audition video. I've actually heard of Elaine Page but watching a clip of her their voices are very similar. Apparently she is the first lady of British musical theater, which may be why I've never heard of her. And of course Meredith then surprises Susan by saying Elaine is backstage waiting to meet her. Susan's reaction was a bit anticlimactic- she kind of just sat there in awe of the presence in front of her. Elaine says Susan has a "glorious" voice. To wrap up the interview Susan does a duet of "I Dreamed a Dream" with Meredith and let's just say Meredith should stick to her day job.

So what are your thoughts on this week's show? Were you as impressed with young Ciana as I was? Who are your early favorites to make the finals? And what did you think of Susan Boyle? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 8 Perform

Hey all I'm still bummed by the elimination of Kupono last week but luckily we have a (mostly) strong group of dancers remaining to help cheer me up. Also tonight Ellen DeGeneres serves as a guest judge, and from what I've heard, provides a lot of laughs. I also heard the early routines tonight are subpar but one routine will make everyone in the studio cry. Well I didn't cry at Jason and Jeanine's dance last week like everyone else did but maybe tonight will be different.


Cat is wearing a sleek gold dress, and she looks gorgeous with her hair back in a ponytail.

Evan has awesome nerd glasses on for his early solo. All of the solos are pretty strong tonight, especially Brandon with his fast footwork and Janette with her sexy hips.

Tonight each duo will do two dances. Like last week the bottom girl and bottom guy will be eliminated on Thursday's 100th episode extravaganza.

For some reason I thought Ellen would be replacing Mary this week, but it turns out there will just be four judges. Hopefully they won't run overtime like Idol did this season. Mia is also on the panel this week as the third (now fourth) judge. Ellen gets the loudest cheers of the judges. Nigel is referred to as a "doctor" by Cat after he received his honorary degree last week, and even his name caption says "Dr. Nigel Lythgoe". Congrats!

Nigel thought this show would never work when he first found out about it and is happy to see he was wrong. Ellen learned all her dancing on the street, or actually from a man in her gated community named "Edwardo", who actually taught her something besides dancing- wow. That exchange was just weird. Everyone laughed but I really didn't find it that funny. Anyway Mary thinks the show keeps getting better and better and she has no clue who will win. And she calls Nigel "English Muffin" again! Mia finds it hard trying to outdo herself with each dance she choreographs, but once there is no challenge it is time to quit. That's great advice. She adds the show really pushes her as an artist.

Each performer will also do a group dance and a solo along with their two partner dances. Wow four dances- hope these contestants have a lot of stamina!

Travis was invited back to work with the top 8 on their group number. His dance is supposed to take place at a rave in the year 2300. It is a fusion of styles where each contestant gets a solo in their own style. That sounds kind of cool. Jeanine says the dance is not hard, but very fast.

The song is "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolph, which means I'll have that song stuck in my head all night. Some cool hand choreography early on as the contestants put their hands and nothing else on stage. They come out in lit, colorful outfits that make it hard to tell who is who. This is... weird. They are all kind of just standing there doing their own thing and dancing slower than I thought they would be. When they dance in unison it is better but still not really wowing me. It's still slow and the movements don't really match the music. On the plus side, Ade did another backflip and Brandon did some cool jumps at the end.

Nigel enjoyed the routine and compared it to Lady Gaga. He thought they were all terrific. Really? No one stood out as being bad but that's because the routine was so weird it was hard to watch individual dancers. Ellen takes fake credit for the wardrobe and claims she at first wanted Christmas lights but this works better. So I guess she's here more for comic relief than actual judging tonight. Mary thinks the dancing, costumes, and choreography were great, and she can't find anyone to pick on. Mia is proud of how well Travis has done at a young age. She also agrees to wear one of the costumes with Ellen Thursday. That I have to see. I didn't enjoy it as much as the judges did but there was no way they were going to criticize Travis after his great routine last week. I do think that the dancers did well with what they were given though.

Cat then gives us a sneak peak of the 100th episode. We get some highlights from past seasons and a graphic calling it the "Best Dance Show on Television". I think Dancing with the Stars has something to say about that but whatever. All the Emmy winning routines will be re-performed (with Wade appearing as a dancer in his own routine), along with Katie Holmes' Judy Garland tribute.

But first we must get through tonight's performances. The first couple is Evan and Janette. Boo that Janette got the worst male dancer on the show. They are doing a Sonja jazz routine where they are trying to get each other to shut up. The anger intensifies throughout, but Evan is not used to the intensity. Janette says she will pester Evan backstage to annoy him so he really will want to shut her up during the routine. Awesome!

The song is "Move (Metrononomy Remix) by CSS. This routine is kind of weird also. The constant mouth covering is just distracting, and I don't feel the anger between them at all, especially from Evan. At one point they are supposed to move their arms in a circle but Evan looks more like he is drowning with the way he flails his arms. I do see them getting more intense in their faces as the dance goes on but I still don't really believe it from Evan. Janette seemed to do okay with what she was given but this was one of her weaker routines.

Nigel says their personalities are coming out and Janette brought out the best in Evan. Ellen says it was hard-hitting and then start talking about the wine she had beforehand. Mary says it was fun but Evan could have been rougher. Still he was better than she thought he would be. Nigel then covers up Mary's mouth like the two did in the routine. Mary then resumes and says Janette doesn't take a wrong step. Mia thinks Evan took a step in the right direction by changing up his character but she is too cute to do that kind of choreography. She also says they need to hit it harder in the top 8 (I agree!!!!). She concludes by saying Janette is her favorite dancer this season. I'm surprised she came out and said that because now fans might get complacent and not vote for her. I am not surprised, however, by her choice, since Janette is my favorite female dancer and my second favorite overall after Brandon. Anyway I side more with Mia in that the routine was technically good but not hard hitting enough for this stage. Plus the choreography was weird too but of course the judges will never criticize that unless it's a Russian folk routine.

The first solo is Kayla. She dances to "The Moment I Said It" by Imogen Heap. She really seems to get into the music and dances a beautiful routine. The only negative thing is that her big smile doesn't seem to fit the style of the dance. But her extensions are great as always and she does some great jumps as well.

After the break we see our second couple, Brandon and Jeanine. So two of the best on the show are paired together- this routine should be good, though after reading that all the early routines were subpar (which so far, they were), my expectations are low. They are doing a waltz with Hunter Johnson. Jeanine is looking forward to being all flowing and graceful, but Hunter warns they have to be soft and powerful at the same time. Brandon is struggling with all the vocabulary and keeps zoning out during the lessons. Both are out of their comfort zones. Uh oh.

The song is "May it Be" by Hayley Westenra. The routine starts out with Jeanine on Brandon's shoulders, and they look a little awkward coming down from the lift. The dance technically looks okay but is kind of boring at first. It gets better towards the middle though, especially when the execute a cool lift where Jeanine wraps her arms around Brandon's shoulders and he lifts her up in the air without using his hands. They do another cool lift at the end, but overall the dance was decent but not too memorable. I did like it better than the first number though.

Nigel says the routine was tough and the music was so slow it felt like pulling teeth. I totally agree- that's what made the routine kind of dull. But he points out that this is of course not their fault. He adds he didn't get enough control and is disappointed in two of his favorites. Ellen disagrees, going on a weird rant about a German lady in a bathroom and then saying they were fantastic. Mary says the waltz was very slow and any pro would struggle with that speed, but they did a respectable job. She thinks they could have done more with it, and I also agree. Mia says if Brandon hadn't been daydreaming in rehearsal they would have been better. Ouch! She wanted to be taken away to another world but was not. Watching it again I do notice some wobbles but I still enjoyed it more than the weird first routine, especially in the second half of the waltz. I think the judges were too hard on them and not hard enough on Evan in the first dance.

The next solo is Jason, who dances to "Slowdance on the Inside" by Taking Back Sunday. The routine is danced well technically but is too slow for my liking, especially with the rock backing music.

Aw Jason's brother (who looks just like him with shorter hair) is in the audience cheering him on. I wonder if he's a dancer too...

The next couple is Ade and Melissa, being reunited after dancing apart for just one week. They are doing a cha cha with Tony and Melanie. Ade is worried about the speed, while Tony thinks the toughest part is the technique. Melissa too is struggling with all the steps and is a bit overwhelmed.

The song is "Yeah (Como Goza Mi Morena) by Chino Espinoza Y Los Duenos Del Son. Wow way too long of a title. It actually just sounds like a Spanish version of "Yeah" by Usher, which is kinf of distracting since all I keep thinking of is that version of the song and how it does not fit a cha cha at all. As for the dancing, it doesn't seem to have nearly enough spiciness for a Latin dance. I never like cha chas on DWTS, and this one almost seems to be in slow motion at times. Ade moves his hips well and all but overall the dance was kind of weak for me. But then again like I said I never like cha chas.

Nigel says there were good sexy moves but warns Melissa not to purse her lips and to work on her hips. He thinks Ade could have sizzled a bit more but it was well danced. Ellen asks if there are carpenters because they nailed it. Wow corny joke alert- she is fitting right in! The judges seem to like this dance a lot more than I did. Luckily Mary is more critical, saying Ade's butt was up too much which made it not that hard-hitting. So THAT was the problem. She thinks Melissa put too much effort in and lost her sexiness a bit. Mia thinks that was Ade's worst dance of the year since he didn't get down and dirty enough. I don't know if it was his worst dance but I agree he didn't bring enough heat. She realizes it is hard for Melissa to move her hips that much with her ballet training so taking that into account she did a great job. I think this dance was worse than the Evan/Janette dance, and since Ade was in the bottom last week he may really be in trouble tonight.

The next solo is Janette, dancing to "Seduces Me" by Celine Dion. Celine Dion? That's not really salsa kind of music. She moves around the floor very well and really shows emotion but I prefer her spicy salsa solos to this one. She did but some hip shaking action in that was great but the rest was only okay.

The final couple is of course Jason and Kayla, two of the least popular dancers, so they could be in trouble as well. They are doing a Broadway dance with Tyce. Jason is caught up in the music and Kayla is trying to make him focus on her. The routine is jazzy, which fits both of their styles, but it is so smooth they can't make mistakes. Kayla wacks Jason a few times in rehearsal but Tyce still thinks it will go well.

The song is "Mr. Monotony (from Jerome Robbins Broadway)" by Kim Criswell. This routine is by far the best of the night so far. The two of them let their personalities shine, especially Jason, and their movements are smooth and fluid. Jason seems to be channeling a bit of Evan, as he looked just like a taller, darker version of him, and Kayla uses her sex appeal and extensions well. Overall a great end to an otherwise pretty subpar first round of dancing.

Nigel says that style is beautiful to watch and then compliments Jason's feet. He even gets a Gene Kelly comparison. Well I compared him to Evan, who has been compared to Gene Kelly, so I guess that's kind of the same thing. He adds Kayla can do anything that is thrown at her. He thinks the dance was one of the best of the evening at showing off their personal talents. I'd take that a step further- it was THE best of the evening so far. Ellen says she wasn't expecting to judge, she only wanted a good seat to the show! Ha. She then says she'll invite them over afterwards so they can hang some pictures since they are good nailers. Okay that joke was old the first time she said it. Mary thinks the number flowed effortlessly, which it did. She adds Jason was cool and suave while Kayla gets a ticket on the hot tamale train. I actually thought Jason was better but both were very good. Mia loved the fusion of styles and thinks they danced it amazing, but tells Jason to work on his upper body to improve his lines. She thinks Kayla would fit right in on Broadway and win Tonys. Wow that seems like a bold statement after one dance. Mia adds that Kayla's picture would be next to "girl, perfection, and star" in the dictionary. Wow. Now I see why people don't like how much she is being pimped by the judges. I thought Jason was the standout in the dance but all they could talk about was Kayla. Either way those two deserve to be safe this week after clearly winning round one, while Melissa and Ade could be in big trouble.

The next solo is from Ade, dancing to "Hater" by Various Production Artist. Well at least it's not a ballad like last week. But still the dancing does not seem to match the choreography. The dancing itself though, is one of the best so far.

Evan and Janette's second dance is a rumba from Tony and Melanie. Great the other ballroom dance that I never like. Plus the dance is romantic, which will be hard for two new partners. Evan must be masculine in the dance, while Janette must be feminine. She is plenty feminine, but I don't think Evan has mastered the art of masculinity yet. And indeed Janette is doing great, but can't get the sexy Latino out of Evan.

OMG THEY ARE DANCING TO "HEARTLESS" BY KRIS ALLEN!!! Immediate bonus points for song choice (even though I know the dancers have nothing to do with that). I don't know if it's the music but I'm really liking this. Maybe it's that Evan reminds me so much of Kris Allen right in the beginning of the dance.The passion is so great I can feel it through the screen. Evan does much better than I thought he would, though I notice a few slip-ups and awkward moments towards the end. And halfway through his face starts looking weird, like he's crazy or something. But it is still so sexy and emotional that I feel like I'm watching a contemporary routine rather than a ballroom one (which is definitely a good thing). And Janette was great as always, especially getting the sexiness out of her partner. Overall it was one of my favorites of the night.

Nigel says he loves the choreography but it is a hard type of dance to get votes for because it's not a "wow" dance. He thinks that is perfectly Janette's style but that Evan didn't have passion in his face (hence the "crazy" look that I mentioned). Nigel blames Evan's droopy eyelids and says it led to a lack of chemistry. Wow I thought just the opposite. Ellen however loves Evan's eyes and the uniqueness of it. She also loves his essence and how he's not like just another dancer. She also loves Janette. It seems like Ellen is just going to say everyone is good because she doesn't want to criticize- like the guest judges on Idol a few years back. Mary agrees with me and thinks Evan did a very good job especially with a slower rumba. She especially loved the lift. She thinks Janette has the patent on spice and flavor and Tony and Melanie brought it out in her. Mia agrees with Ellen that Evan brings a unique quality to the stage and that he pulled off the sexiness. She doesn't think she has to say anything else about Janette since she said so much before. These two rebounded from an odd start and should both be safe given their huge popularities and this strong second routine.

The next soloist is Melissa, dancing to "Heads Will Roll" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Maybe it's her outfit but this reminds me much more of an exercise routine than a dancing routine. She just some nice moves but it's mostly a bunch of poses that don't seem to fit together. My least favorites solo so far.

Brandon and Jeanine will hope to rebound from their waltz (which I still think was the second best routine of the first round) with a pop jazz routine from new choreographer Laurieann Gibson. Brandon and Jeanine are nervous about how much work the routine is going to be. The dance doesn't have a story, which makes me nervous. Laurieann thinks if she can prepare them they could win the whole show, and she acts like a drill sergeant in rehearsals.

The dance is to "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. Yay for another great song choice! And fittingly the two are dressed in sexy camouflage. The routine is pretty much them just standing there dancing, which for me makes it less entertaining than the prior routine, but they absolutely nail the choreography. They hit the moves so hard it almost looks painful, especially Brandon. At one point Jeanine grabs on to Brandon's back and they both reach out like they are trying to escape. Brandon then stands parallel to the floor and leaps over Jeanine. That routine was intense but I still really liked it. My only complaint is that Brandon was hitting it so hard Jeanine seemed a bit weaker in comparison.

Nigel says this is what he was asking for the whole night. He thought this was one of the flattest nights to date (remember he didn't like the rumba either) until now. He adds that Jeanine kept up with Brandon and that Brandon's strength matched the strong choreography. Ellen thinks they made it appealing to join the army with their skimpy costumes and calls it "daaaaaaaancing". Mary calls it strong, powerful, and dynamic and puts them on the hot tamale train. It seemed too powerful for me to be put on the train but dancing-wise they deserved it. She also predicts they will both make the finale, which is probably true, though viewers always hate it when judges say stuff like that. Mia thinks they went inside the dance or something like that. She thinks Brandon is a powerhouse and Jeanine did well keeping up. She calls it a "wow" dance, which it certainly was, though I wasn't as crazy about Jeanine as they were. I still think I liked the rumba better but it is close. These two also are certainly safe this week after that routine and their large popularity. That is bad news for Melissa and Ade, who so far are the only ones without a standout routine.

Next to do his solo is Evan, who dances to "Old Devil Moon" by Jamie Cullum. Is that the same outfit he wore for his solo last week? His routine is just so much fun to watch, especially with his personality shining through. He messes up some of his hat choreography but even so it was one of my favorite solos.

Right after the break we get Jeanine's solo, set to "Let the Drummer Kick" by Citizen Cope. Oh I've heard this song before but never knew who sang it or what it was called. I've never been a fan of her solos but this one was her best to date for me.

Next up are Melissa and Ade doing an emotional contemporary piece choreographed by Tyce. Melissa is playing a women who has breast cancer. I bet this is the one that makes everyone cry. Ade is a friend there for Melissa to lean on. Melissa thinks the hardest part is portraying the emotion and not focusing on just the steps. Ade thinks if they do it right it will be a very powerful piece that people can relate to.

The song is "This Women's Work" by Maxwell. Wow this routine is just as emotional as promised. I didn't cry but it still was moving for me through the screen. Melissa even has a scarf on her head to make it seem like she lost her hair. I don't even know what to write because that routine was so powerful. There were lots of great jumps by both Melissa and Ade, and I could see Melissa's anger and fear on her face. I loved Ade carrying Melissa around on the stage and supporting her. Another one of my favorites tonight. In fact it's probably my favorite.

The audience is in tears, as are the judges. Nigel says that showed him why he loves dancing- it can express so many emotions without words. He would be surprised if that piece is not nominated for an Emmy next year, as would I. He calls it one of the most memorable routines on the show and agrees with Melissa that the routine is more about the emotions not the steps, which it was. He also thinks they were the perfect couple to dance this, which makes sense with Melissa's vulnerability and Ade's strength. He adds Ade's strength allowed Melissa to do the jumps in the dance, and Melissa's maturity helped send the message of the routine. Ellen feels privileged having seen that dance and calls it the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. Mary is crying the most and thinks she'll never forget the dance. She loves their vertical lift and how effortless Ade made it and how well Melissa trusted Ade during the dance. Nigel is turned around in his chair he is crying so much. Mia can't even talk she is crying so much and mentions how this dance shows the journey of the millions who try to beat cancer. She wishes Ade's strength could have been there for her father, who I'm guessing has or had cancer. She thinks Melissa is already there in terms of skills. That routine just saved them from going home and now puts the pressure on Jason and Kayla. They unfortunately have to dance right after this routine, so no matter what it will likely be a letdown. While their first round dance was strong it was not as good as these last three routines, so they will likely be in trouble this week.

The last solo of the night is Brandon, who comes out shirtless (yay!) dancing to "Ain't Nothing Wrong with That" by Robert Rudolph and the Family Band. He dances it well but even this seems like a bit of a letdown after that last routine. I do love the flips at the end though.

Jason and Kayla are doing a hip hop routine with Shane Sparks. Jason is a zombie who turns Kayla into his zombie mistress. This sounds like one of those weird routines you will either love or hate. Shane says they have to stick every move, and Jason thinks they will scare the panel and hope to scare the audience.

The song is "They're Everywhere" by Izza Kizza. The routine is danced well but they don't seem to be hitting the moves hard enough. And like I suspected it feels like a letdown after the last emotional routine. Still it was entertaining in a fun way, and danced very well, but it didn't blow me away like other dances tonight.

Nigel likes the Michael Jackson-inspired part of the routine. He did enjoy the routine and thinks the last few dances have saved tonight's show. Ellen thinks they will have their own talk show someday. Mary thinks Jason got bid by rabies and did what Shane wanted. They did, but that kind of routine just pales in comparison to an emotion one. She gives both of them screams. Mia says it is her favorite piece of Shane's on the show and loved Jason strangling Kayla at the end.

So overall the show ended well after a slow start. My favorite was Melissa and Ade's contemporary, followed by Evan and Janette's rumba and Brandon and Jeanine's jazz. I think Jason and Kayla are in trouble simply because they didn't have a wow number like the others. Their routines were fun, and the last one was memorable, but weren't the type to blow people away. It will be interesting to see who else is in the bottom four though. We could have a "shocker" with Brandon, Janette, Jeanine, or Evan there. Though Evan did have one of my favorite solos along with Kayla so that should help him garner votes as well.

What are your thoughts on tonight's show? Who do you think will be in the bottom four? And what did you think of Ellen as guest judge? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: MySpace Has Talent

Hey all we are finally winding down these auditions. Now all that is left is those who auditioned via MySpace. I'm not exactly sure how this worked but we'll soon find out.

Apparently these MySpacers submitted videos, but the auditions work the same way. So what was the point of the videos? Were they like the early round auditions on Idol, meant to weed out the mediocre so that all that are left is the horrible and the great? I guess so. Now that I think about it AGT probably has those early rounds too so the judges don't have to see too many acts.

First up is "El Vegas", aka Jerry Katz. Elvis impersonator complete with backup dancers. But one of those said backup dancers tells Nick backstage that Jerry is crazy. Ha! He starts singing and right away it is awful. Piers has to cover his ears the singing is so offkey, but despite the audience booing the other two judges let him keep going. The backup dancers/singers don't even do anything except stand there, and they can't sing either. Wow that was painful- I can't believe the judges let him finish. Piers says it was the most wacked act ever. Sharon says the act was a letdown. David says he didn't know what was going to happen, which is why he didn't X him, but he still doesn't know what happened! Well the backup dancers lifted up an American flag at the end of it, and that's about it. He is sent back home to NJ.

Bad act montage: The Jumping Eagles have a jump rope act, which actually could be cool if done well, but these guys keep getting caught in the rope and bumping into each other. Shaun Berkey has a worse voice than Jerry Katz and sings something unrecognizable. Don Baldaramos pours water on his head and does a monologue of some kind that is just him yelling really loudly. Shaunie is sparkly, sexy, and a decent dancer but a horrible singer.

Next up is Ashley Groff, a high school senior who even has a fan club on MySpace. She used to sing along with children's songs when she was younger and has loved singing ever since. Wow she's horrible! I really thought she was going to be great but she's just offkey and then lets out a deafening scream. David oddly doesn't X her and lets her finish with another animal-like scream. David calls her Linda Blair from "The Exorcist". Piers was genuinely scared. Sharon calls her unique but thinks this is the wrong vehicle for her. They tell her no, and the judges are getting bored.

The next act is Ishaara, a Bollywood dance group. They are a group of college friends from Berkeley, CA. They would love to be the first Bollywood act in Vegas. I really love their costumes! Most of them are Indian but is white with blonde hair. The dance starts out a bit slow but once it gets faster it is very good. They are really in unison and I love the parts where the guys and girls dance separately. And they dance to "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire", which is a great song. One girl even does great spins in the middle of the number. They get a standing ovation from the crowd, which well-deserved. David calls it terrific. Piers calls it entertaining and original. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.

The Flash do some cool acrobatic juggling on each other's shoulders, but we don't get to see too much of them.

Duo Design are two Poles who do a unique act that requires mental and physical skill. They practice all night in their basements. They come out with their shirts off, which makes Sharon happy. They start out with one guy balancing on the other one's head (!!!) and doing some stretching moves. That's cool, though it gets boring after a while. Piers agrees X's them. So they move onto their next trick, where one guy balances on the other's neck while the latter is on his hands and knees. I don't think I could watch that for an hour show in Vegas but they are good enough for the next round. Sharon says they have unbelievable control. Piers calls them oddly compelling and admits the audience liked them. David says they have an alien look (they are bald) but the act is alien cool. Awesome choice of music with the Star Wars theme in the background. Piers says no because it is too weird for him, but David and Sharon say yes and they are off to Vegas. Good for them, though I don't think they'll make top 40 unless they add more tricks. Next time they promise to include the judges in the act! Okay that I got to see.

After the break we meet Eddie Green. He started doing his act in a club but got such good reviews he was invited back as a regular. His friends and fans have told him for years to audition for this show. He has "a different type of puppet act"- okay.... He comes back with a giant doll version of Tina Turner. But apparently his act is dancing with the puppet and having her lip sync. That's it??? That's not really a talent. The judges X him quickly. Piers wonders what he does besides run around the stage. Eddie claims he impersonates puppets. Piers adds the expression on his puppet's face- horror and bemusement- says it all. That puppet's face is creepy. He is sent home to his club full of apparently blind fans.

Next up is Marcus Terell and the Serenades, a group of four friends- Marcus with three beautiful girls. They're doing a tribute to classic rock with a modern twist. They do a cool version of "Hit the Road Jack". The girls start out a bit offkey together but Marcus saves it with his great voice. The girls get better as the song goes on minus the poor harmony on the last note. They were good, not great. Piers says Marcus needs to ditch the Serenades because alone he is a star. The girls seem to agree that Marcus outshines them. I agree he has the best voice but I think the girls have potential. They mostly just need to work on their harmonies. Marcus says he'll never ditch his friends. Aw. Sharon says the girls' voices were rough but that can be fixed. David agrees the girls need to work on their voices. David says yes, as does Piers (based on their potential). So both Marcus and the Serenades are off to Vegas.

After the break we meet a college student named Charles DeWayne Dorsey Jr. He is a singer and keyboard player. His parents are his number one fans and are always there to guide him. Aw. His dream is to perform around the world and get enough money for his mother to retire. Double aw. He sings and plays "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and he has a very good voice, though not really my kind of music. He defintitely has the Stevie Wonder vibe going for him and is certainly good enough to go to Vegas though. Sharon says he has "it" and a bit of star quality. She adds he has a great smile, which he does. David agrees he has talent. Piers thinks they have found a star. He gets three yes's and is off to Vegas. I didn't quite love it as much as they did but he does have talent.

Good act montage: Encore is a super fast and entertaining dance troupe. Alycia Cooper is a comedian who I didn't think was that funny but the crowd seemed to like. N2UN is a great piano-violin duo- a lot like Nuttin' But Stringz from last year but with a piano. Kara and Corey Britz are a singer and guitar player respectively who are one of the best of the night. Kara has a great voice and Corey has some nice backing music.

The last contestant of the day is "Heavy Vee" who is a dancer despite being overweight. She thinks she has the talent and confidence to win this show. She moves her body very well for her size but mostly just flails around without any rhythm. Wow they finally ended the show with a bad audition- I'm surprised. The crowd turns on her and the judges do as well. Piers says she moved only three inches in the whole routine. The other two give her no's also but Heavy Vee says she still hopes to inspire others who are overweight to follow their dreams. I do like her attitude. But then before Heavy Vee can walk off Nick comes out on stage and offers to be her dance partner. The two prance around on stage, and Nick is hilarious, smacking her butt and everything!! That was awesome!

David thinks this was the best session so far, and I agree it was strong. I enjoyed all the acts that got through, especially Kara and Corey and Ishaara. Tomorrow night is the last round of auditions, which apparently must be short since we are also getting Susan Boyle's Today Show interview.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Any standouts so far? Post your comments below.