Friday, June 30, 2006

So You Think You Can Dance- The Top 16 results show

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I'm hoping my 15 or so calls for Ashlee and Ben paid off this week...

We start out with a group stance to Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison". Oh man this takes me back to the days of DJ Paj on party nights and I LOVED playing this song. Seriously, I'm doing a Heisman Freeze while I'm typing this. The dancers are dressed in mid 80ish tack suits so we have a mash up of New Jack Swing and Old School goin' on. I'm not gonna quibble though because this is awesome. I can tell right away it's Shane Sparks since they pull a group react similar to to the end scene of "You Got Served." Mainly, the moves are modern day, but there are some old school hitches and at one point I swear I thought I saw Ivan do either the running man or the Roger Rabbit.

The routine devolves into a boys vs. girls battle reminiscent of the Run DMC v. Jason Nevins Video for "It's Like That". Anyway, this a really cool way to start the show.


Okay gonna cut to the chase tonight. The bottom three couples are Jaymz and Jessica, Dmitry and Aleksandra, and sadly, Ben and Ashlee.

Ashlee is happy she finally had a chance to show America what Electric Boogaloo Poppin is all about. Jessica is hoping that we'll get a chance to see the Cuban-Italian Miami wild child so Ameriker will love her. Aleksandra is out somewhere writing in her journal about lovers scorned.

The guys solos are uneventful except for the part where Jaymz fell off the stage...HE FELL OFF THE FUCKING STAGE!!!!

Dmitry, when asked, defends Aleks a whole lot after his solo. Jaymz is almost in tears he wants to stay so bad. Well, that and because he fell off the stage in front of millions of people. Ben is like, "uh...yeah" but he's probably thinking "I stayed on the stage, let's see if everyone can say THAT at the end of their solos mofo's" ...Emo Ben rules yo!

Ashlee gets the early reprieve because she's got a sparkle in her eye. Aleks and Jessica are left. Nigel apologizes to Aleks for crossing the line into Asshattery with his "Corpse Bride" comment, but then he gives her the boot anyway.

Dmitry gets the Lewinsky treatment from the jidges and he's safe. In a strange move, Nigel calls Ashlee forward to defend Ben, but doesn't offer the same to Jessica, because really, how do you defend a dancer falling off the fucking stage? Nigel asks both Ben and Jaymz how much prep they put into their solos. Hello, Nigel? One dude fell off the stage...why is this necessary? Ben says "uh". Jaymz said his solo sucked and he thought the stage was much bigger otherwise he wouldn't have fallen the fuck off it. Well he should have anyway or pulled a Pee Wee Herman "I meant to do that." Nigel goes off on this really bitchy rant about how he's disappointed and that how a shitty solo is gonna cost one of them their spot on the show. I don't buy these "the solo really counts" theatrics for a second. Whatever. One guy fell off the stage, the other guy didn't. If you're really going to base someone's dancing potential on the solo, I'd say ability to not fall off the stage is a good barometer of potential. This is all such bullshit. Anyway, Ben is gone Jaymz is safe and Ashlee is in tears. Go back to the other dancers Jaymz...and try not to fall off the FUCKING STAGE. Unbelievable.

The PAJ voting block of one has to find a new candidate. I'll have to clean up all the "Vote Bashlee" stuff tomorrow. I don't know if I'll like the show as much with 100% less Emo.

As a treat here's the aforementioned Run DMC v Jason Nevins breakdance video




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Thursday, June 29, 2006

The Office to have webisodes this summer

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From the Futon Critic

NBC'S "THE OFFICE" PREMIERES THE FIRST OF 10 ORIGINAL, EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY WEBISODES ON NBC.COM ON THURSDAY, JULY 13
Released by NBC


NBC'S "THE OFFICE" PREMIERES THE FIRST OF 10 ORIGINAL, EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY WEBISODES ON NBC.COM ON THURSDAY, JULY 13

A New Webisode Premieres Every Thursday Through September 14

BURBANK, Calif. -- June 27, 2006 -- NBC's hit comedy "The Office" (Thursdays, 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. ET, moving to 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET in the fall) goes digital when the first of 10, original stand-alone webisodes premieres on NBC.com on Thursday, July 13. The serialized, weekly arc will star the accounting staff of the Dunder Mifflin paper company in an edge-of-your-ergonomically-designed-seat whodunit.

In the first of 10 webisodes, each about two-three minutes, the Dunder Mifflin accountants -- Angela (Angela Kinsey), Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar (Oscar Nuez) -- discover that $3000 is missing from the Scranton office, and no one is above suspicion as the crack team of numbers crunchers tries to solve the mystery -- before turning on each other. Rainn Wilson, Melora Hardin, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker and David Denman also star.

"The Office" takes a painfully funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Golden Globe winner Steve Carell ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin" -- whom E! Online said, "might be the funniest man alive,") stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer ("Slither"), John Krasinski ("Jarhead," "Kinsey"), Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd") star as the employees who tolerate Michael's inappropriate behavior only because he signs their paychecks. Also starring are Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, David Denman as Roy, Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone, Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin, Oscar Nuez as Oscar Martinez and Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin. "The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American television, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Howard Klein.



This is great news...yes, I know you BBC America snobs poo poo the merits of NBC's version, but since the cancellation of "Arrested Development" there isn't a better comedy on TV. No other show has more stunning humour behind throw away lines. Little references to a "Luke Perry", "Mambo No.5" or Alicia Keyes" in the perfect places make me laugh harder than 22 minutes of anything else network.

I'll avoid highlighting the obvious Michael, Dwight mentions as great comedic characters but rather give a shoutout John Krasinski, who plays Jim on the show. He should be showered with Emmys for years after his, sometimes heartbreaking, performance the latter part of the season. His admission scene to Pam in the finale was priceless and was filled with more genuine emotion than other shows which tend to cater to the romance-seeking audience.

I can't wait.


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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

So You Think You Can Dance- The Top 16

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Tortilla Chips and Milk stream of consciousness review:
We still have two full hours of So You Think You Can Dance this week. Eight performances and almost a half an hour of filler CRAP. Clips of horrible auditions...sigh. A lindy hop performance by a group without any connection to the show...harmless, I guess. We get backstage-behind the scenes footage which is fun and we get some poolside shots...hey!




Alright, let's get to the performances now:

First, and in one of the key pimp spots, are Ben and Ashley, who have received twenty some-odd votes from me over the span of the last two weeks. They've been saddled with shitty routines and have been thrown out of their element. They have the quirkyness factor going for them and that usually means everything to me. They pick Hip-Hop out of the Dance Hat and Ashley is ecstatic. She's a popper and this should be right up her alley...not so fast Ashley.

They are working with a dude named Tod, who just screams jazz dancer who put hip-hop on his shingle just because he could. Nothing about him is hip-hop to me. After seeing the routine it makes sense. Ben and Ashley are doing a hip-hop routine to a shitty Usher R&B song which is not real hip-hop. It disgusts me that Hip-Hop in the last ten years has encompassed not only rap but shitty R&B. It seriously looks like a refined jazz routine with some street and poppin moves thrown in for shits and giggles. Really though...HATE! Okay, Ashley is great, Ben is pretty good too. My white hot rage kind of distorted my view of this routine.

Nigel says Ben wasn't so much street as "Rodeo Drive". Mary defends Ben and leurrrves Ashley, Cicely and Olisa thinks they pulled it off...Olisa ends the critique with a clap and a "Strange' " (stran-jay stupid lack of accented "e"s) Oh no she did-ehnt. A Boomerang reference? In 2006? FUCK YEAH!!!!

Next, we have Heidi and Ryan whose partnership was walking on the thinnest of lines last week. IMO Ryan should have been gone. They pick Cuban Rumba, which Heidi is confident it is a lot like American Rumba...really? Then why the HELL would they make the distinction then!!! Wouldn't it just be called "rumba" Einstein? Anyway, choreographer Alex laughs at the stupid American girl and then gets to work at turning these two into the Miami Sex Machine.

Okay, I wasn't the biggest fan of Ryan before this week, but both of them do a wonderful job with this. There's even a bit where Ryan plays the bongos on Heidi's bum. The routine is habenero hot and I really enjoyed seeing some chemistry out of this oil and water combo. Awesome.

The judges are bowled over and rightfully so. It was hot, had personality, and was fun to boot! In the context of the show, it was the perfect routine.
Boomerang Quote: "Are you telling me your parents are smoking pot in my bathroom?" "No my parents are in there, fucking!!!"

Next to go on are the refugees from the loser pit, Dmitry and Aleksandra, who have had one week to get it together. Tonight they are going to do a waltz. Heather Smith is the choreographer and creates a love story with the waltz. Dmitry is very complimentary towards his partner, while Aleks is a low-self esteem mess. From the rehearsal clips it seems like they've brought this together well.

They waltz to the elegant stylings of ... Kenny Rogers??? Okay you lost me there...seriously my mind wanders to first, "The Gambler" and I start singing "you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" in my head. Then I flashback to the time I had a Kenny Rogers Roasters lunch buffet, but it wasn't in a Kenny Rogers Roaster's, it was in a strip club. Then the routine is over.

Seems like I didn't miss much. Predictably, EVERYONE loves Dmitry and thinks he did a great job. Nigel says Aleks dances without a soul or for the less spiritual, a center. He goes so far to ask her if she's seen the movie "The Corpse Bride". I mean I agree, but DAMN that was harsh. Looks like the loser pit for those two tomorrow night.
Boomerang Quote: I don't understand how a woman that fine can have Hammertime in her feet.

Now it's time for my other favorite underdog couple, Ivan and Allison. Allison is simply adorable and she has an infectious energy that appeals to me more so than any other female dancer on the show. They are doing the Argentine Tango which is choreographed by Alex this week. Their last work with Alex was disastrous which was surprising since he does such a good job accentuating a pair's strengths.

Looks like Alex is back on track because Ivan and Allison kick ass. So much of the effectiveness of this routine is costuming. Ivan's youth is disguised by the suit and hat while Allison is wearing the minimum amount of material that can qualify to be called a dress. It's the perfect way to accentuate the strength of this pair...which is Allison. The routine is smokin' and is fun to watch...looks some other couples are bringing the hotness this week.

The judges think that Ivan has come a long way and praise Allison to the extent that Nigel says that Allison's performance was one of the best ever on the show. Mary says that Ivan is no longer a one trick pony but is now Sea Biscuit...um kay...Cicely and Olisa are familiar with these two and thinks Ivan should have looked like he wanted to eat her up. I think they've zoomed up the rankings this week.
Boomerang Quote: Remember that girl I met in the Emergency Room? Well, baby got her stitches out.

After trolling some So You Think You Can Dance message boards, apparently Benji and Donyelle are America's Sweethearts. There's waaay too much speculation about the pair...to me, from what I've seen any sexual tension between the two would be quite a stretch. They are going to be performing Jazz-Pop with Brian Friedman. More music video style story telling here. In this routine, Donyelle is going to be a Supermodel with whom DJ Benji becomes enamored with. Then we see Benji acting goofy all through rehearsals while Brian tells him he needs to man up if he's going to be believable.

For me the storytelling portion is a trainwreck. It's kinda like an NSYNC nightmare come to life. Benji does try to bring the sexual tension a bit, but the vibe doesn;t seem to be reciprocated. Maybe the internet posters are on to something...it bears watching. The dancing is solid but they've seemed to come down to earth a bit after building a lot of momentum in the first two weeks. Heh, after the performance Benji mauls Donyelle's neck, whoa maybe he does have it the hots for her after all?

It's the usual lovefest for these two from the judges. They get praise for developing a real partnership. Mary believes that these two have real chemistry.
Boomerang Quote: Don't be pussy-whipped, reverse it and whip that pussy. Like this here, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

Next up are the smoldering Musa and Natalie and we'll see if their heat builds this week. They're going to be doing the quickstep. Heh, good luck with seducing the audience that one, you two. Heather Smith is back and is faced with the task of teaching an untrained Musa how to lead in the quickstep. She even goes as far as to put a brace on him to keep his shoulders in the correct position. Okay we know how this is going to go...

Wow, without the big gun in their arsenal, and both of them out of their element, they kinda suck. It's the equivalent seeing those candid pictures of celebrities without their make up on. Musa and Natalie are the equivalent of Cameron Diaz in that respect.

The judges protect them quite a bit. They give Musa a lot of credit for having a heart and putting in the effort. They're probably in the bottom three, but there is no way the judges are knocking these two off this week.
Boomerang Quote: When I seduce you... if I decide to seduce you, don't worry. You'll know.

Jaymz and Jessica also get contemporary and get to work with Brian Friedman. He's the first to use the anticipated by TC and M "Jessie Jaymz" label for this duo. They'll be dancing a love story where Jaymz has a wall around him with Jessica trying to break through...okay without getting tacky, all I'll say is, yes, Jaymez will be able to portray having a wall built up between he and Jessica very effectively. Brian calls Jaymz a competition kid with flimsy arms and rigid hands and he's not really excited to be working with these two. Sheath those claws in Brian!

The routine is to a song that I remember from Garden State. They said an emotional connection is the key here. Okay, I don't see it. On the surface, yeah, they seem like an eHarmony.com commercial, but seriously, they generate as much sexual energy as a Land's End catalogue. I have no idea how to comment on the hopping and twirling contemporary dance style, so I won't even try.

Kat calls them Romeo and Juliet...ugh. The judges love them and are pimping them pretty hard. Cicely and Olisa pull out the "Strange'" comment again. Well that's not gonna stop me from this one from Boomerang:
"What?! You're going to turn down this pussy?! Nobody turns down this pussy!"

"Would you...shhhh! Stop saying pussy!"

"PUSSY, PUSSY, PUSSSSSYYY! pusss, pusss, pussssy!"

The final spot and the Pimpest Spot of them all go to Martha and Travis who are the couple to beat so far. They end up doing hip=hop with that Tod guy. He wants to create static between the two. Meanwhile, Travis is having to overcome a shitty choreographer to learn routine. Seriously, if you can't make Travis look good you should hang up your fake ass hip-hop dancin' shoes.

Okay more dancing to R&B... if they keep calling this hip-hop I'm gonna start stabbing people! Hip-Hop started as a rebellion, a response, to the R&B radio friendly bullshit of the early 80's and now it's come fully shitty circle to drivel like this being called hip-hop? The best illustration of the division would be Hammer and Michael Jackson. Even though Hammer sucked ass, his style of hip-hop dancing would not be considered the genre as Michael Jackson, a pop-R&B singer's, style of dancing. The division was always understood...how the hell did it get so fucked up?? GRRRRR!!!!!!

The judges really weren't impressed with them this week, but they fall short of blaming it on the choreographer. Nigel points out that the dancers were individuals, Travis rocked it hard, while Martha was smooth. The consensus is that they've given up ground to the rest of the pack this week.
Boomerang Quote: You gotta COORDINATE!


The judges have final words on their opinion of the bottom three. Dmitry and Aleks get called out twice, while Musa and Natalie are also considered to be in danger. Add Ben and Ashley and baby makes three.

Boomerang Quote: Marcus, say it ain't so. Man, first the Fat Boys break up and now this...




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Tales of Overheard Conversation

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Okay, I was walking across the street in the Haight (Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco) with a friend of mine. We had just finished laying on the hill in Golden Gate Park listening to a percussion circle and unsuccessfully trying to spot anyone selling magic brownies for about an hour or two. That experience must have heightened my perception. The repeated cadence of the drums combined with peeking over the shoulders of several Generation Tech Hippies might have created an extra-sensory ability or something, because on a normal day I would have never caught this moment so vividly.

In the middle of the crosswalk, walking in the opposite direction were a guy and a girl in their early twenties bickering back and forth. As they passed us, I heard this piece of wisdom from the guy:

"... yeah, but at least I wouldn't have to live the rest of my life being known as the pussy who didn't have the balls to jump off the motherfucking cliff"


As we got to the other side of the street, my friend and I, in unison, gave each other the "What the fuck?" and "Dude..no way" sequence of looks. Now you don't have to be Billy Dee Williams* to figure out what was said a few seconds before. First of all, obviously, the guy had done or was going to do something stupid with his friends and the girl was nagging him. Seriously, have you ever walked by a nagging couple? It shoots off this aura of nag that can make even innocent bystanders cringe. There's an 92% chance that the exchange went like this:

Girl: So if all of your friends were going to jump off a cliff, you'd jump too?
Guy: Yeah. (can be interchanged with "Bet", "Sho' nuff", "Word, booty!", "Yup, yup!" or "Dern, tootin'!")
Girl: ...but you'd be dead ____ (insert pejorative term insulting the guy's intelligence)

Now the friend I was with was my mentor of sorts and we came up with the following:

The guy? In one word...Awesome! Seriously, that response rolled off of his tongue so naturally and he said it with such conviction that he either had used that response before, or had it cocked, ready, and waiting to be used. He probably came up with the response when he was caught in an "aura of nag" once. There's a reason that women should never come at guys with these seemingly unbeatable cliched argument openings. It's because we're ready for it. Chances are what is going to come out of our mouths in response is approximately 8.37 times dumber than the dumbest response you could ever fathom. Don't believe me? Reread the block quote again. Why do you think that guys have arguments like "Dude" or "Come, on man" with a lot of gestures and head nods? You don't waste your time with leg sweeps and crane kicks when you know that the other guy is just gonna Cobra Kai your ass.

The girl? If it was a friend, depending on the girl she was either 100% sure to be sleeping with him soon or he would never ever get into her pants. Either way, any middle ground was blown to smithereens with that exchange. If it was a girlfriend? They would have the same argument two and a half years later followed by this question: "You're never going to change are you?" Naturally, he'd be ready for that one too.


*yes, I am fully aware that Billy Dee Williams is not well known for any role in which he played a character with detective skills. It's just that every once in a while you gotta give it up for Lando Calrissean, yo!


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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The YouTube Mix Tape

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Okay, so the whole Yacht Rock cancellation has me bummed out a bit. Inspired by Bill Simmon's YouTube Hall of Fame article, I'm going to cheer myself up a bit by diving into the YouTubeiverse and make a little mix. Now, back in the day, before CD burners and later MP3's and handheld players, mix tapes were a passion of mine. I was always on a quest to make the "Perfect Mix" and, without getting all John Cusack-y from Hi- Fidelity I was pretty damn good at it. A Paj Mix Tape, sometimes complete with liner notes was a big gun in my arsenal and I relied on it quite a bit...and yes, before you say anything...I was one of those cheeseballs.

Now, I'm making this specifically for ME not any of you...but if you think that I'm giving you a shout out, then I am...remember, everything I do is intentional.
Here we go:


Modest Mouse- "Positive/Negative" -Live

I absolutely love this band. I got latched on to them early and followed them through guest spots on the OC, Saturday Nite Live, and the ultimate in knowing that you've made it ... a version of their song on a volume of Kidz Bop. This particular song is so manic and uneven and just crashes. It's sums up how I feel...a lot. It's probably my favorite Modest Mouse song.



Lemonheads-"Great Big No"

Ten years later and I still don't understand my fascination with this band. I think part of it is that Evan Dando is very spacey, goofy, guy but honest with his songwriting , which I can really relate with. I'm a veteran of five Lemonheads/Evan Dando performances and I wouldn't hesitate to see him again. Plus, the Lemonheads scream Boston to me and associating places with music is a big thing personally and a constant theme here.


Eric B. and Rakim- "Eric B. is President" Live on Yo! MTV raps.

This is the hip-hop that hooked me and this is the reason why I love this genre. This is hip-hop at it's purest. Two turntables and a microphone. No women, no bling, no Cristal, no bullshit. Rakim flows like no other and the fact that he's still a sought after addition for modern day hip-hop records 20 years later is just a testament to his skill.


Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick- "La Di Da Di" Live

These two were the second act in the greatest concert I ever attended. It was the "Pioneers of Hip-Hop" show on the Sunset Strip in the House of Blues. The bill featured EPMD, Doug E. Fresh, and Run DMC It was a hot ticket and I lucked out getting in. It was an intimate show with a high-profile feel to it. Lots of celebs in attendance. Ed Lover emceed the show and Funkmaster Flex DJ'd during the downtime. It was my first taste of why there is no other place in the world like L.A. and I've been hooked on Cali and what it can bring ever since. Much like the clip, everyone at that show was rapping along too.


Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "Where Did You Go?"

This is also a reminder of an excellent show. The Bosstones played four sold out shows in San Fran. I took my "Watts" to see this show and we had an incredible time. They were the most fun band I've ever seen live. After seeing this show, my on again off again dream of being a Hype Man for a ska band came back, but then it faded like it always does, only to be replaced my my other dream of living above a White Casle and having endless burgers sent up to me by dumbwaiter.


Teagan and Sara -"Speak Slow"

I've really been into them since I heard "Walking with a Ghost" and I make it a point to try to fit one of their songs into my morning commute. Their inclusion in several Grey's Anatomy epsiodes makes me like the show more than I should. I think I've narrowed down that what I'm looking for in a woman (at this moment anyway) is an embodiment of their music, but add 5 to 10 years to it because I didn't realize they were so flippin' young...


Nirvana - "Drain You"

Known back in the day as "NUMBER 8!!!" which was it's track number on Nevermind. I look back at college and I'm so glad that this embodied the era of when I was in school. I can't imagine it any other way. This particular Nirvana song is also special to me because my whippedness was once called out to this song, lets just say I made a mental note at that moment that it would never happen again.


"Bastards of the Young" - The Replacements

This is a band that makes me wish I was older. I missed their peak by a few years and had to play catch up with their music. This is another band that gets associated with a a particular city. When I visited their hometown of Minneapolis, their music was the mental soundtrack of trip, everywhere I went I had the Replacements in my head. I thought it would be Prince, but sadly I never made my way to Lake Minnetonka. Anyway, their statement is so anti-video here that I can't help but dig it.


"What I've Got" - Sublime

This song was poplular when I first got to Cali and San Francisco. Just hearing this song brings back memories of walking through the 'Loin and Union Square for the first time and later of riding shotgun in a Miata cruising through the Marina and parking for crepes or frozen yogurt.


Daddy Yankee "Rompe -Remix"

Because I can't...escape...this...goddamn...song... na na na na na na na na na na na na na...it's taunting me...must...kill


"Me and Bobby McGhee"- Waylon Jennings

It's not the most famous version of this song, that would be Janis Joplin's. Nor is it my favorite version...that would go to the Fabulous JP's cover. The Fabs would use this song to close out their earliest shows. Stan would always give an awkward closing ad-libbed shout out to the crowd, while Steve would do the na na na parts. It wasn't pretty but it certainly had it's charm.


"Laffy Taffy" - D4L

This song embodies paradox. It's everything I hate in present day hip hop, but the very fact that this song not only made it on the radio but became a huge hit is too rich an irony to ignore. How many songs sond like their being rapped over nintendo beats? Throw in the ESPN bumper done acapella and you have magic!


Hall and Oates - "Private Eyes"

Okay now everybody ready to do a jumping sidekick with me? One, Two, Threee "Halll and Oaaaaates"





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Monday, June 26, 2006

Yacht Rock Cancelled?

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FUCKING FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!

Apparently, Yacht Rock finished seventh in the voting at last night's Channel 101 screening. They ended with another classic: Steely Dan vs. the Eagles, but it wasn't enough to finish in the top 5 and remain one of the prime time shows. So now, Yacht Rock is cancelled. I guess the combination of genius and smooth music isn't enough to convince anyone of anything. FUCK!!!!

Anyway, here's the Yacht Rock quote of the day from Episode 10...

"Welcome to the Hotel Calif-ass kick!" -Walter Becker
"Sheagou anytie nebo leeee" -Donald Fagan
Moments before giving Glen Frey and Don Henley a smooooth beatdown.


Here's one from me as I say goodbye...Fuck you you're not Koko, Koko's dead as shit! I'm going straight to the sixth stage of grieving motherfuckers...rockin' out.

As long as smooth music still lives on Yacht Rock hasn't really died. That's why I'm not shedding a single tear. Keep the fire, yo!




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Pootie Tang! Rent it!

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Okay on New Yacht Rock eve I decided to contribute to the YouTube Community. I'm sorta thankful that YouTube didn't exist when I was a kid. Otherwise there could be some truly heinous shit from my teenage years on the internet. I was like the Hundreds and hundreds of YouTubers who lipsynch to "Hollaback Girl" only worse. We wore bored as kids and I had access to a video camera and we made some really horrible music videos among other things. I would hate to have grown up know as "Wrestling on the Trampoline Kid" or "You made a really dumbass video to "Don't Worry Be Happy"" Boy.

What I upoaded was an old segment from The Chris Rock Show on HBO a few years back. It's Pootie Tang : The True Hollywood Story. I was a big Pootie Fan. I was actually one of 47 people who saw Pootie Tang the Movie in the theatres! We all still keep in touch and whip the shit out of bad guys with our belts once a year on St. Crispen's Day. Then we go tippy tow on the cappy tow. Rent this underrated gem or I'ma sine yo piddy on the runny kine. Sa Da Tay!





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Friday, June 23, 2006

So You Think You Can Dance- Top 18 results

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It's results time and I have no idea what's going to happen now. After Ben and Ashley were safe after their disco performance anything is possible. Well, especially since I did vote for them eight times this week. They start out with a lame hip-hop group number by Dan Karatay. We have a good "In case you missed it" segment with backstage reactions mixed in with highlights. We see a rather telling moment between Dmitry and Joy rehearsing backstage before the show. Joy was still screwing up and Dmitry had to push for them to get it right. This is right before the show. I really dig the backstage stuff and I hope they incorporate that into Idol next season.


This week we're separating the dancers into three groups for the "safe" or "not safe"
reveal. The first group has Jessica and Jaymz, Ben and Ashley, and Dmitry and Joy.

Wow, all three of them could be in the bottom. Jessica and Jaymz are announced as safe. Cat isn't as bad as last week with the pause. Thank goodness.
Ben and Ashley are safe again! I make no apologies this week. I like them and I hope they get to show their skillz next week. Of course that leave Joy and Dmitry and of course they are in the bottom three. Oh, yeah they've now labeled the bottom three sitting area as the "Danger Zone". Meh. I like "Loser Pit" better. So off they go to the "Loser Pit.

Our next trio of couples is Travis and Martha, Benji and Donyelle, and Musa and Natalie.

Note how Musa and Natalie are too hot that Benji and Donyelle need that distance or else they'll melt. Now this is the obvious curveball since as much as America can screw up the voting sometimes, there is no way that these three couples aren't in the top six of the show. Cat gives a group reveal and they are all safe. They have a massive group hug. No "Loser Pit" for them.

Okay they've saved two spots in the bottom three for the last group, which consists of. Aleksandra and Jason, Heidi and Ryan, and Ivan and Allison.

Wow, Ivan and Allison, are the safe ones. That makes the two youngest couples among the top six. Maybe the voting skewing young theory has some legs...

So the "Loser Pit" is full and now we come to the solos that really don't matter. The "Jidges" have already made up their mind..or at least somebody has. If it were up to me, Joy and Ryan would be gone. Only two things of note during the solos. First Aleksandra looked awful. It was like a pouty, whiny, melodramatic journal entry come to life. Also Dmitry decided to do his solo in an evening gown.


Rhianna shows up and does a mean lip-synch of S.O.S.

They eliminate the women first. Heidi get let off the hook early since they realize she's a hell of a dancer who got the misfortune of being trapped in an outfit from DEB. Joy gets called a "jack of all trades and master of none". Aleksandra's solo was called pitiful and angst ridden and she needs to work on that 'case she's staying.

Well, at least she can go back to hanging out with her friend Erin.

The guys are next Dmitry gets the early reprieve, leaving Ryan and Jason. At this point I'm thinking it's a sure thing since Jason has done well at both contemporary and Hip-Hop and Ryan...loves Natalie. Nigel says Ryan has a wall around him which doesn't allow the audience to connect. Jason gets criticized on his solo, which wasn't any better or worse than anyone else's. He also says he doesn't have the personality. Wha??? Shocker. I'm actually pissed off right now.

So this leaves Dmitry and Aleksandra as partners next week.
Okay here's the deal, after doing some research on Television Without Pity's forums, it turns out Heidi and Dmitry were partners in competition before this show. The theory is that Jason was eliminated to avoid the pairing of Dmitry and Heidi which would give both of them an huge advantage. Whether or not I buy this isn't the point...the point is it shouldn't even be an issue. Having the judges choose who stays or who goes is a horrible idea and it opens up the door to conspiracy theories like this one. Arbitrary decisions by the viewers and the effects of those choices are the hook that competitive reality tv shows have over other forms of TV. Take that away and it's not nearly as compelling.

That said, guess who's still getting my multiple votes next week.




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Thursday, June 22, 2006

So You Think You Can Dance- The Top 18

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Last week we lost ballroom dancer Stanislav and his partner Erin, in a decision that left the taint of both "America you suck!" and "This is so rigged" with a lot of viewers. The way I see it, unless I'm robbed of seeing one of the more entertaining dancers, I'll be fine with whatever. Stan and Erin were just kinda meh so no big loss.

We have nine performances but were still going to recap some awful contestants from the AUDITIONS! Get over it y'all! Tonight's judges are Shane Sparks, Mia Michaels, and Nigel.

We also have a special treat as Hawk is back and he's brought the Sick Step Crew with him. Of course Hawk can't perform since he doesn't have a work permit and because he's a lying, lying, lying, liar! The performance is to that Napoleon Dynamite song and it's pretty good, but not as headspinny and flippy as I thought it would be. Cat Deeley leads us to the break by promising Krump. WTF?? Did I just hear that right???

We come back and see Travis and Martha draw their dance style and it is indeed Krumping...they seem really happy about it..me, I think I'm gonna be watching a trainwreck. Holy crap! They brought in Lil' C from Rize (which y'all shoulda rented by now), to choreograph their routine. I rarely say this about TV shows, but I'm really impressed. They can't really get more authentic than having the guy who pretty much invented the dance style on here to put the dancers through the paces. Martha and Travis did some kick ass Fosse, but they seem kinda overwhelmed at first. It's gonna be toughest for Martha, because the women krumpers were frenetic and had to move faster than the men to pull this style off.

The routine seems really toned down...I don;t know if anyone who hasn;t seen Rize or real krumping would be able to differentiate between that and regular hip-hop. I'll have to admit Travis, for what he's given kicks ass. Martha seems a step behind on the sychronized steps and doesn't really look committed to it. It was fun, but it wasn't all dat. Just the fact that this happened is still pretty cool.

Shane is especially impressed with Travis, Shane calls Martha out for not bringin it. Mia calls it raw and drrrrty yo. Nigel is down with the Rize too, and pretty much says it didn't meet his expectations...then he gets down with some krump of his own!
Next up, we have two of last weeks bottom three survivors, Jaymz and Jessica are gonna be doing the foxtrot. This means it's Ballroom Mary's turn to choreograph...and wait her assistant looks like Artem from last year. Yes I think it is Artem because I can hear a faint "squee" from eastern wind. Is he Ballroom Mary's personal slave now? Anyway we see Mary try to convince them that it won't be boring, but it really won't matter since both Jaymz and Jessica are devoid of any chemistry and charm. Jaymz pretty much stands around looking pretty, while Jessica, is cute, but she has this tendency to make the bitchface a lot.
Okay, this is one of those times where I can't possibly add anything constructive. What makes this a foxtrot? Seriously, at least Dancing With the Stars give some instructional tips for the viewers at home. Anyway, it's not terrible...and it looks like they've both made an effort to be more expressive in their faces. Jessica's thingies are pointy, like she might be wearing a bra from the 30's or something. I will say I was drawn to watch the whole thing, so at least it kept my interest.

The judges shower them with praise and Nigel addresses the concern that they weren't exciting enough to stay out of the bottom again.

More bottom three survivors up next. Allison and Ivan are gonna do hip-hop as choreographed by Cicely and Olisa who have worked with G-Unit and Missy Elliot. Okay this should be right up Ivan's alley since he's a hip hop dancer. They focus on Allison quite a bit and she is the complete opposite of Jessica and for this week won me over as one of my favorites. Cicely and Olisa are impressed with her too. Seriously I think the fact that they are fun and cute will go a long way for them and their advancement in the show.
Their performance draaaaags. I though they did a good job, but their routine is interchangeable with the background dancing for a zillion hip-hop videos over the last 5 years or so. There's nothing outstanding or memorable about the moves. It's just smooth and that's not what this audience is accustomed to. They want their "Oh Shit !" moments in their hip-hop routines.

Shane loves Ivan and thought they were great. Mia found it lacking in fireworks and needed more than just the steps. She gets the "boooo"! Nigel is kind to both of them and thought it was good.

Dmitry and Joy, this week, are going to perform Samba with Mark Weiss. It's a traveling Latin dance he says. Thanks! Joy's accent is thick and I've been in Cali too long to deal...shut it already! This is Dmitry's strength so it's on Joy this week. In rehearsal it doesn't look good.

Joy dances like she's in a pageant with "Yeah!" smiles out of of every turn. She's floundering like a thing that lives in the water that's not in the water or something like that...I think it's a saying about a crab. Dmitry is a ballroom dancer left so he carries it and might get the votes from the ladies too...somewhere in the NE wind I thought I heard another "squee".

Shane was bugged by her smile too. Mia lays the bitchslap of the night with "It's a good thing you're beautiful because that was dreadful". She also says she's not ready for this competition. She loves Dmitry though. Nigel brings up Joy's beauty again which make "You look good" the official lead in on reality shows for "You sucked ass". In what other area of life is that acceptable? "It's a good thing your pretty, because that financial analysis you submitted was terrible" Who does that? Anyway Nigel says Dmitry wasn't carrying her as much as he could have. See ya in the bottom three y'all.

Here we go with the hawtness...it's Natalie and Musa. They are fully aware of their "hot" status this week and every moment in rehearsals they show them playing to the camera. They are doing contemporary, which is Natalie's specialty. Tavares Wilson is the choreographer and is concerned that Musa's gonna fuck it up this week. He's dropping her and throwing her all over the floor. Nat knows she's gotta carry the team at points.
Okay the performance starts and really, yo, this ain't about dancing no mo. Their routine could pass for the boring parts of a 2 AM Skinemax movie...ya know the part where people wear clothes. My eyes are glued...not to anything in particular, but just glued. I don't particularly enjoy contemporary, but this routine seemed like it lasted on 15 seconds, it went by so quick. By the way, they are SO doing it.

Shane is impressed by Natalie's coverage during Musa's weaker parts. Mia says their chemistry is amazing and thinks Musa's raw dancing added to the quality of the performance. Nigel says it was like a real man and woman on the stage dancing and enjoying it. It other words he, like a million other viewers, thought they were going to start doing it on stage.

Heidi and Ryan are going to go next using the same choreographer as Natalie and Musa. They will be doing "Pop" which according to the show means the type of dancing you would see in Pop videos. Okay...whatever. Ryan spends a lot of the rehearsal clip apologizing to Heidi for being disappointed that she wasn't Natalie. Good move, since voters remember that stuff and Heidi is the bomb, yo!

Oh no...Heidi looks like a bomb that went off by an Orange Julius...in the not-as-new-as-the-other Mall...in 1986. Seriously, what the fuck is she wearing? Pink wrestling boots? Acid Wash Mini? Did big hair make a comeback? Have I missed something here? Anyway the routine tells a story, so It's like watching a music video, back when videos used to always tell stories. Apparently Ryan and Heidi meet, do it, she's like "k", he keeps coming around, they do it some more, he starts to get really clingy, they do it some more, finally she gets bugged and says "naw" and gives him the almighty hand of rejection. At least that's how I think it goes. I usually suck at interpreting dance...that and those Dockers commercials.

Shane liked the storytelling and calls them the couple to beat. Mia gives Heidi some constructive criticism and tells her to stay grounded. Nigel didn't think they were believable in their roles of Heidi being strong and Ryan wanting her. Pretty shaky there.

The "I can't believe they are still there" couple is next. Ben and Ashley will be doing American Jive with Ballroom Mary. They both know they are in trouble and that the Magic Hat of Dance Styles has screwed them once again. Mary lets go with the "Triple time" so much it reminds me of Lisa Simpson's tap teacher and the "Tappa tappa tappa". Oh yeah, Ben also racked himself trying to leapfrog Ashley. He replied "Now I know why we're dancing to Great Balls of Fire" heh. I really like these two Ashley is lively and Ben is sarcastic and they both give a cumulative "Whatever" to this competition and I really dig that.

Okay, this is awful, compared to the Jive routines last year this is terrible. They try their hardest and they are into it, but it's really bad. They also start to lose steam near the end.

Shane says it was like five year olds dancing in a talent show. Mia complements their efforts outside both their comfort zones. Nigel thought they improved so much since last week. That might have been enough for them to avoid the sympathy vote this week. So therefore I'm voting for them eight times. Just because.

Jason and Aleksandra are next with "Old-School Hip-Hop". Cicely and Olesa are in charge again. Immediately Aleks is targeted as the the weak spot for this routine. Really the choreographers aren't that nice about it either. It's to the point where Jason is going to have to rein in his performance so it won't totally bury his partner. Too bad, because he really wrecked shit in rehearsals.

Okay, I loved this era, I love this music and if I could dance this is the way I would represent. I love the east-coast bounce of Old School and this has been my favorite routine this season. Jason is probably neck and neck with Travis for best all around dancer. It sucks that Aleks holds him back this week. She is about a second behind and is the least funky person in this competition.

Shane loved it, but says Aleks shook it like a white girl. It really is the best way to put it. Mia thought she nailed it. Nigel says about Aleks , that if this were about flavor it she would be tofu. So basically yeah she shook it like a white girl.

Benji and Donyelle are in the pimp spot this week and they'll be doing the cha-cha. They are just really engaging, after the show, those two could star in a TV show where they solve crimes and beat up thugs with their dancing skills and I would watch every single minute.


They tear the house down. Benji gets to show off his strength and Donyelle more than keeps up. They have such a great chemistry between them, but it's not the slightest bit about sexual tension. Anyway, I loved it.

The judges loved it. Shane gives a Standing O. Nigel believes they are the couple to beat. He also decides in front of millions of people that this is the time to discuss Donyelle's ability to overcome her weight problem and be confident. The sentiment is well intended but it's the type of compliment that might get a "Thanks...motherfucker!" in return.

BBL with the results recap.




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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Songs you should know - Netty's Girl

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Nobody beats the Beastie Boys...nobody! In retrospect, they are the band that has had the most influence in my life. I can relive years of good times when listening to them. They win the most important Paj Awards.

My favorite all-time album? Paul Boutique. Best video ever? Sabotage. Best example of the Incredible Hulk-Dukes of Hazzard effect featuring paddleboats? Netty's Girl.



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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Hey Kids!!! Try this on your friends - The ASSPUNCH

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As alot of you know, I am a life-long professional wrestling fan. Now I thought I would keep the wrestling limited to Tortilla Chips and Milk's sister site: Funky Chicken Sports but I really wanted to debut a new regular feature showcasing my favorite pro-wrestling moves.

The move that will be honored here is the asspunch. To paraphrase one of my favorite lines in Orgazmo, it's called the asspunch because somebody gets punched in the ass. I love this move so much the asspunch has replaced kick to the taint as my favorite physical threat. Enjoy.


All that from an asspunch!!!!



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Monday, June 19, 2006

Miami Vice -Season One DVD set- First Impressions

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I love Borders and their easy to get 30% off coupons. So, there I was in Borders with two boxes of DVD's in my hand. In one hand was the History of Dusty Rhodes the "American Dream". In the other hand was Miami Vice Season One. The Dusty Rhodes box had a button you could push on the box to hear a Big Dust 30 second interview, or promo if you weeeellll. I hit that sucker four times in a row before I realized people were staring at me while I was...well who knows what I was doing. I could have been shaking around doing the Dusty walk down the aisle or cocking my bionic elbow. Shit like that happens when I get lost in nostalgia. Try to be around me anytime "My Sharona" comes on in a convenience store. Anyway, there was a sobering moment in Border's when I realized that I'm not twelve...then I kinda got embarrassed. So I did what anyone else would have done. I shoved the Dusty DVD compilation on the shelf, took the Miami Vice Season One set and briskly walked up to the counter.

So now I get 22 episodes of Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas! Now I watched Miami Vice when I was a kid, but I wasn't a geek for it. Plus, like everyone back then, I had that one friend who took Miami Vice waaaaaaay too seriously. When you have a friend like that, you DON'T want to be that friend. He's the one who talks you into an aquamarine Ghostbusters shirt rather than a black one. He's also the guy who keeps telling you to mousse your hair. So no, I didn't do the pastels and white suits with the pants tacked. Plus, I was like 12, dressing like that would have been really really dumb. Besides none of that would have gone with my red leather jacket with the 26 zippers...joking. So here is my last chance to see Crockett and Tubbs before they turn into these guys.





Now, I just got this over the weekend so I haven't seen the whole season, but I did make it through both sides of the first of three DVD's. Here are my early impressions:

First of all, I may not have realized it back then, but there is no cooler television character than Sonny Crockett. This guy RULES!!! His job is having Miami drug dealers believe that he is one of them. Now to put this in perspective, imagine you had to convince people in Texas that you were a cowboy, Californians that you were a movie produce, or New Yorkers to believe you were an asshole. You'd have to go pretty fucking far. So he gets the "life" handed to him on house money, including Ferarri Daytona, Cigarette boat, and all the Armani he needs. The first couple of episodes show him juggling reconciliation with his ex-wife, while he bangs away at Gina, the hot Latina cop. Oh yeah he also has a pet alligator named "Elvis" too.

The main thing is that makes Crockett so cool is that Tubbs is such an unintentional cheeseball dork. I hope they rewrite the part of Tubbs for the movie, because I don't think the trying, but failing to be hip, second fiddle is going to wear well with Jamie Foxx. I hate that fake ass Jamaican accent he speaks with when he's under cover, I hate his "hey mamma" look that he gives anyone who walks by in a swim suit. I especially hate the scene in the Pilot where he's sitting the foot of the stage lipsynching to "Somebody's Watching Me" to a stripper...who the hell does that?

My favorite thing so far about the show...the nightclub scenes!!! I can't put into words how awfully dated this is when you have scenes of people dancing in the clubs. It's just headbands and glitter...it's so filled with arms flailing...I can't do it, you just need to see it for yourselves.

Seeing Al Bundy from Married with Children play a possible rouge federal agent was one of the greatest things ever. One thing I loved about Miami Vice were the guest appearances. I just saw Dennis Farina play a bookie!!!

There is no one harder than my man, Lt. Castillo. I'm working on his deathstare, seriously you won't be able to look me in the eye without feeling two foot small when I'm done. I can't believe this is the same guy who taught all those cholos math. I might have to buy season two for the episode where it turns out he was a ninja.

Oh yeah, if you watch an episode and think it looks a lot like most of the cop shows now with their use of music and the pacing...you're right on, since every action drama in existence today is in some form derivative of what went on in Miami Vice. Whether, it's the use of music, the inventive camera angles, or the spare dialogue, this show technically led a revolution mofos.
Here's a sample:





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Friday, June 16, 2006

So You Think You Can Dance - The Top 20 results show

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...and we're BACK!!! SYTYCD get s the Idol treatment with two nights a week so we don't have to wait a week to eliminate someone this season. The audience voted and the bottom three pairs will each have to to a 30 second solo before the JUDGES decide the elimination. Hmmm this sounds like a bad combo already. I really don't like the idea of the judges picking the one who is eliminated. It gives them WAAAY too much control over the outcome of the show. Having the judges take off who they want defeats the purpose of voting at all. This could be a show killer...but eight more will pop up in it's place anyway so let's enjoy the ride shall we?

We have the recap of the performances. To be honest I voted for four couples 1) Benji and Donyelle, because they are my favorite personality-wise 2) The Fosse pair, because they kicked ass 3) The Waltz couple, because Heidi is too good to be eliminated now and 4) The Flashdance couple...because somebody had to.

The couples are brought up in twos by similar dance style. Up first are the hip-hop dancers, Benji and Donyelle, Dimitry and Joy.


Cat gives each couple of recap of the judges comments, then we begin the most annoying reveal I've ever experienced in reality TV. I'll simulate it once and that's it. Benji and Donyelle the judges thought... blah blah blah...Ameri-cur has been voting and you are...
pause
pause
scratch myself
pause
pause
go potty (#1)
pause
pause
answer the doorbell
pay the pizza girl
pause
pause

Safe!!

Now multiply that by ten and tell me you don't want to punch Cat Deeley right in the babymaker!!!!

Anyway, surprisingly, stiff and smiley, Dimitry and Joy are safe! Bolshevik eep op is the new clownin yo!

Next we have the ballroom couples. Ryan and Heidi and Stanislav and Erin.

Now this is where the audience voting for the bottom three is going to really fuck things up for everyone. Couple who have to dance a waltz or the bullfighter dance are really at a handicap if left to the audience to save them. I would assume that the majority of people who watch this show are in the 18-34. They majority are going to react stronger to more mainstream, contemporary dance styles. Surprisingly Ryan and Heidi, the waltz couple are safe, while Stan and Erin are deemed "not safe" and each will have to dance their solos, which really screws a ballroom guy like Stan.


Contemporary dancers...both couples safe. I was a bit surprised that Jason and Aleksandra made it...but they did dance contemporary to a recent pop hit.

Next we have Ivan and Allison and Musa and Natalie...

One of these couples is "safe" the other is "not safe". If you can't guess which one...

Okay, the last pair of couples. The disco dancers. The 80's routine with Ashley and Ben and the 70's routine with Jaymz and Jessica.

If you recall Ashley and Ben were terrible and as of last night they knew they would be in the bottom three. Jaymz and Jessica were actually decent. One of these couples is "safe" the other is "not safe". If you can't guess which one...
Holy fucking shit!!!! Ben and Ashley are safe...they can't believe it either!!! This is the opposite of Chris Daughtry. Holy fucking shit, America...wait I voted for them too...holy fucking shit, ME!!! Seriously they look like they think they've been Punk'd.

Jessica is nearly in tears...maybe it was because she was so confident she wore her white shorts from the opening act underneath her elegant green dress and has to dance in them now. Maybe it's just the shock, but either way she looks like she's about to lose her shit.

Okay so the bottom three guys are Ivan, Jaymz, and Stan. Ivan's weakness is that he let his partner down and is a one dimensional hip-hopper, Jaymz was the cruel victim of relity show irony (I don't think the name helps either) and Stan...well he looks like the bastard child of Conan O'Brien, Christopher Walken and Clay Aiken.


The bottom three girls are, Allison, Erin, and Jessica. All of them are cute, all of them kick ass. None of them deserve to go.


Now here's the shitty part. Nigel explains that the Judge's elimination will not be based on the solo but rather their performances in the auditions as a whole. Which means basically screw you America we're picking who we want and we're not getting stuck with a winner that we don't approve of. This is apparently the "Taylor Hicks" rule.

See ya Clay O'Walken


See ya cute partner of Clay O' Walken



On behalf of everyone who votes like I do...whoops?

Next week: The teams should be unaffected!

P.S. If you think I'm going to plug that Permiscuous song...oh yeah what the hell happened to Timbaland's partner, Magoo? What the fuck was Nelly Furtado wearing? I would have bet the farm she would have been wearing low cut jeans sans underwear.


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So You Think You Can Dance - The Top 20

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Okay, we have two full hours of show to go over...sheesh. 20 dancers to be introduced, ten performances. Let's rock.

We start out with the individual dance introductions which morphs into a boys versus girls "Let's rumble...hey you're kinda cute" group mingling complete with pointy pose ending. The host is Cat Deely and we'll mention her as little as possible. Tonight's Judges are Producer Nigel, "I can only start with a whooo and a catchphrase" Ballroom Mary, and "Shane Sparks owns me" hip hop coreographer Dan Karatay.

Unlike last year we'll be voting all night. The dancers will be split up into teams prearranged by the judges and will stay together as long as their partner is in the competition. The bottom three teams will be revealed tomorrow night and each member of the bottom three teams will perform a solo, where the JUDGES decide who stays and who goes. It was the other way around last year but that wasn't contrived enough. Got it?

Anyway, I like the idea of having consistent teams, since this opens up the possibility for so many things...partners getting along, not getting along, excelling together, sucking together, romantic possibilities and the chance that we'll see a bitch fight...now that's good reality TV.

With all this shit going on we start with recaps of the auditions...SNORE!!! Seriously ten performances people let's move it!

We finally get to meet team #1 Which teams up West Coast Swing Champion and crying like a girl champion Benji and hardworking big-boned jazz-hip hop dancer Donyelle. These two probably got more screen time than any of the other teams during the auditions. They are both likeable but they both had to overcome not being versatile enough for the competition. They are very happy to be teamed with one another which is cool. They will be performing a hip-hop routine coreographed by Shane "By the way I did You Got Served suckas" Sparks. Sweet! I loved every performance he worked on last year. I'm actually excited to how this turns out.

They perform to "Too Much Booty." And it does not disappoint...Lots a booty shakin,
some krumpin, some "hey, my partner is on a string" moves. It's all over the place and it wrecks shit up. The routine lets Donyelle do her thing and plays to Benji's strenghts which are footwork and partner work. The judges love them. I did too, actually. They'll be fun to watch as the show goes on.

Next, we have a hip-hop dancer named Ivan and he's paired with Allison, whose specialty is lyrical. On the partner reveal she leaps up into his arms and they are happy about it. They are both very young...they are going to do a salsa routine with Alex. I liked his routines last year as well. He made breakdancer Ryan look like a champ early on. They have the usual problems with the hip-hopper not being used to partner work.

All I can really say is that Allison looks great, dances great and even does a "this is where babies come out of" move. Ivan...is wearing a pink hat.

The judges pretty much loved her, didn't really like his effort, and even stated that Allison would have been better off partnered with a pole...heh...pole. Looks like an early candidate for the bottom 3. Too bad, they have a pretty fun chemistry about them.

Next we have Jason who is a contemporary, hip-hop, jazz-funk dancer from L.A. Cat starts pulling the bitch move and asks Jason who he would like to be partnered with. He says "Erin, Heidi, or Jessica" Of course it isn't any of them. Bitch! Instead he gets Aleksandra who was the last girl in. She is psyched, he's like "Um...yay?"
They are doing a contemporary routine with coreographer Tyce something(?)...who is new this year.
He treats dance like a therapy session and how dance comes from identity and line and blah blah blah. The rehearsal clip shows Aleksandra a step behind Jason and how she's gonna need to step it up or suck all over the stage.

They dance to "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Jason has a blousy shirt on so I'm just waiting for it to end. Aleksandra doesn't move quite as fluidly as Jason, who actually does a good job, pirate shirt and all. The judges rave about Jason who gets the "hey you do other styles great for a black guy" comments. They got good marks, but the performance wasn't all that fun for me to watch.

Next, we have contemporary dancer Jaymz...who probably writes his name out with stars and hearts shooting from the letters. Come on now! Why even bother with the one vowell? Dude, seriously! "Jaymz???" Anyway, he gets paired with Jessica who is a ballet dancer...so naturally they are going to do DISCO mutherfuckers! Coreographer Doriana had some fun routines last year so this should be interesting. She loses me though when she tells them she wants the routine to telll a story...she wants them to pretend they are in a nightclub. Really? Ya think so?Dico in a nightclub??? That's CRAZY talk!!! I mean by definition can't disco ONLY take place in a nightclub? How many "H's" do you want in your DUH?

They get have to get their booty shakin' and that's a problem with the Ballet dancer, plus apparently she has a small ass. She does ask the question, "What's booty work?" which is kinda cute.

They disco dance to "Disco Inferno" which I don't think has ever been done before anywhere ever. They are introduced as Jessica and Jaymz...so if they catch on they will no doubtedly be called "Jeyszy Jaymz" or something just as retarded. Compared to other disco perfomances on this show, this was kinda blah. There just wasn't anything there for me. Nigel loved it, Mary loves the team, Dan thought it was fun. They are probably safe.

Next we have Stanislav who we met as one half of a dorky guy hot babe ballroom partnership. Well he made it she didn;t. He's paired with Jazz dance Erin. They are doing the Paso Doble, the bullfighter and cape dance. She's not the best partner, but since he leads they probably aren't that bad off.

Meh. I know nothing about this stuff. I just look for spots to be a smartass. This was an instance of one of the partners strengths carrying the team. Possible bottom three here. They thought Stanslaf was in his element and looked majestic. They thought Erin was slipping on stage and was carried and was a little "Jazzy" Meh.

Next, we have Dimitri who is a classical and ballroom dancer from Russia and he gets paired up with Joy, Erin's who we've seen as Erin's best friend. She knew they'd be matched up with each other because she was tall. They get Shane Spark's second routine of the evening. One small problem, Dimitri has no idea how to dance "eep op". Shane comes out and says that Dimitry is holding Joy back and he doesn't like their chances.

They hit the stage and Joy takes to the hip hop routine like a southern cheerleader, meaning she can dance but there's something just off about it. Dimitri wins the award for whitest dancer ever! He gets the coreography down but the cultural gap owns him. She does use him at one point as a platform to get on all fours and shake her booty, so that's cool. Judges really call them out on not capturing the whole hip-hop vide. Except for Mary Abdul who "whoos" a whole bunch.

Next we have Ryan. Cat pulls out the bitch move again by asking him who he wants to partnered with and he replies "Natalie, Natalie, Natalie" like he's got a fucking crush. Dude, it's "So you think you can dance?" not "So you think you can tap a white chick?" Of course it's not Natalie, but Heidi, Benji's cousin and six time U.S. swing champion. She comes out and he's less than thrilled and it shows. Dude, if I sucked at partnerwork and I got paired with a friggin champion and I was serious about winning the competition I would be ecstatic. They are set to do a Viennese Waltz. Predictibly he sucks at it and she ends up coaching him alot.

The waltz is pretty good and I can't really say what made it good, but I know suck when I see it and that wasn't it. Judges say stuff about lines and Euro vs. American Waltz blah blah blah. I think they are gonna be safe. I also think there's gonna be an explosion as they progress in the competiton.

Next, we have Ben who looks like an emo kid who just rolled out of bed after a krank bender. He gets partnered with popper Ashely. Their pairing fits for some reason . I like this team. They get assigned to Disco Dorianna who is going to set up an 80's Disco routine. I need to digress here. I had a roomate in High School from L.A. and he was a disco DJ. So I for a full nine months I heard a ton of 80's dance music like Expose, Stevie B., Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Surface, Treniere all of which would be called "Freestyle" today, but then it was still called disco . He loved that form of music so much he had a ruler whose flat side had the word "Disco" painted in liquid paper. So, yes, living with someone who had a disco ruler makes me an authority here.

Their routine is set to Flashdance. FUCKING FLASHDANCE!!! This is so not DISCO!!! Falshdance does not make up even one centimeter of the disco ruler!!! They are so screwed. I suddenly have flashbacks to every bad parody of that movie that I have ever seen, combined with years of sitting through my sisters' dance recitals. Mix it all together and spray it with Aqua Net and you get this shitty shitty routine. Other than Melody and Alan's soldier boy routine last year this is the worst thing I have ever seen on this show. Poor kids. I liked them too.

This years cocky dancer is Travis, the guy who dances in camos and had a Cooch from Vision Quest haircut. His partner is Martha. They are uber confident. Tyce gives them a broadway routine. Travis was actually on Broadway for two years. Okay then...get used to this team. Tyce actually has to tell them not to rock the shit too hard in the beginning.

They are wearing bowlers on their head and suspenders. Only one word comes to mind...FOSSE!!!! Well Fosse and AWESOME! They knock it out of the park and was my favorite thing to watch tonight. The judges declare them the team to beat. I agree.

Finally, we have breakdancer Musa who is paired with stalking victim Natalie. Hmmm. something seems kind of fishy here...oh yeah, they also happen to be the two hottest people on the show...they are partners...in a popularity contest...meaning you will be seeing alot of them. They are also going to do a mambo just in case we missed the fact that these two are hot. They have the usual breakdance pair dancing problems, but Natalie wins me over by declaring "We got this" Word.

Okay its a mambo with two hot people. Tito Puente is playing in the background but it might as well be BOM CHICKA WOW WOW music. He has an up close look at her va jay jay, she gets to rub herself all over his leg. There's a whole lotta hip shaking...by the way in case you didn't notice these two are hot. That really all the Judges can really say. While being complimented Musa and Natale each give each other "You're the hot one, no really, not me, YOU" looks while being complimented. They really do have chemistry and they are the odds on favorite for the couple most likely to be doing it. Maybe it is "So You Think You Can Tap a White Chick?" after all.



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