My favorite part of the So You Think You Can Dance results show is almost always the group dance.

Tonight's number -- a Broadway routine to "Brand New Day" from The Wiz choreographed by Tyce DiOrio -- is no exception. So good, so fun, and amazing costumes. (I am, however, as usual, distracted by some of the manic camerawork that makes it tough to actually see the dancers' movements.)

Host Cat Deeley gets right to the results: Karla and Vitolio and Evan and Randi are called to the stage. The quick step still might be the kiss-of-death dance, as it turns out the Karla and Vitolio are in the bottom three couples.

After the break, three more judges are on the stage. Janette and Brandon find out they are safe. Kayla and Kupono are in the bottom three couples, and Melissa and Ade are safe. Mia Michaels says she is shocked about Kayla and Kupono because she thinks they were the best performance of the night. Kayla actually cries because she's so overcome.

That leaves two couples: Caitlin and Jason and Jeanine and Phillip. (Members of Caitlin's family, including her mom and her aunt, are there dressed similarly to her crazy costume from last night, with a sign that says "Aliens for Caitlin.") Caitlin and Jason are safe (and shocked), and Phillip and Jeanine are in the bottom three.

The evening's professional dance performance is an amazing ballet by dancers Desmond Richardson and Patricia Hachey from Complexions Contemporary Ballet. 

Then, solos: Karla looks remarkably comfortable and strong on stage tonight. Vitolio dances to "Here Comes Goodbye," which seems like a bad choice of song. His solo is a little disjointed and off the cuff. Kayla gives an energetic and emotional but more controlled performance than her last time in the bottom three, when she was accused (unfairly, I think) of cramming too much into the solo. Kupono exudes a lot of emotion in his solo, joy and hope and just wanting to be there, I think. Jeanine finally gets to dance her style on this stage, and she is so good. Last is Phillip, who gets to show off what he does best, his crazily unique popping and locking and limb-wrenching.

Kelly Clarkson comes out to sing "I Do Not Hook Up" while the judges deliberate. She sounds great, and she looks better than when she was on Idol last season, but she still needs her stylist to work a little bit harder on her behalf. 

The judges are back with the results, women first. Nigel tells Jeanine that she had the strongest solo of the evening and is safe. He tells Kayla that she is a favorite of the judges and the choreographers, but they found her solo to be very "static" and not dancing from the heart. They say that Karla is a very good dancer, but she hasn't quite shown the star quality they saw in her at first, so she is out. So Oxon Hill, Md., dancer Karla Garcia is going home. She says she will remember all her friends and dancing her contemporary routine.

They are unanimous with the guys, too. They tell Phillip he is unique and superb, but they thought he overworked his solo. Still, they are keeping him. Nigel says Vitolio has great presence and presents himself well, but he doesn't deliver. Kupono is told that his solo was weak and didn't show much passion, but they hope to see more from him in the future. So Vitolio is out as well.

Guess the quick step really is the kiss of death! Yikes.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you'd like some insight on what it was really like on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, check out Kevin Eck's interview with Torrie Wilson, who finished second, over at Ring Posts.

Especially interesting, I thought, was Torrie's take on Spencer Pratt:

At first I thought for sure Spencer was doing his rant for the cameras, but the longer I was around him the more I thought, maybe because he’s been on a reality show for so long that he’s started to let it blend into his real character. I don’t really know him personally so it was hard for me to differentiate, but it seemed like much of what they were doing – all of them – was very close to their true personalities.

But there's a lot more to read there, so go on, click above and read the whole thing!

Photo: Getty Images

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:34 PM in Celebreality | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

On tonight's So You Think You Can Dance, Mia Michaels is one of the guest judges. As you might recall, she was really hard on dancer Brandon, and host Cat Deeley refers to this when she asks whether her opinion on anyone had changed.

Mia says, that, without naming names, it has changed for the better. So she regrets being so horrible to Brandon? Nigel asks if she is talking about a "small, male dancer," and she says yes.

Speaking of Brandon, Janette and Brandon are first, and they relive their highs and lows, which means that they recap the past three weeks in their own words. They are doing the cha-cha with Jean-Marc Genereax. The dance is very fast and sexy and fun, and they kill it. Janette is obviously in her element, but Brandon stays right with her. Nigel Lythgoe calls it "the best damn cha-cha I have ever seen on this show ever!" He praises Brandon's articulation of his feet in particular. "I can't even begin to describe how good this was," he goes on. Mary Murphy calls Janette amazing, pointing out that salsa technique and cha-cha technique are very different, and she did a great job. And, of course, "two first-class tickets on the hot tamale train [SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH]!" Mia acknowledges that she has probably scared Brandon, but says that she is the hardest on her best students and that that's where it's coming from. She makes Brandon cry. "You are going to love me and hate me on this journey. ... You are ... you're amazing. Janette, you've been on fire since day one, and today is no exception."

Continue reading "'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 14 perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Remember back a few months, when the Style Network's Clean House came to Baltimore and picked things up for James Buechler and Jennifer "Jiffy" Boehles? (See more pictures of the taping here.)

And then James and Jiffy weren't totally thrilled about how their house looked afterward in the places not covered by the cameras?

And then the show was scheduled to air May 27, but was pulled?

Just heard that the episode is now supposed to air at 8 tonight. And that Clean House: Messiest Home in the Country special airs at 9.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri/Feb. 7, 2009)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's true: Jilted Bachelor "winner" Melissa Rycroft is engaged, and no, not to that toad Jason Mesnick, who humilated her on national television.

But hey, Melissa went on to great success on Dancing With the Stars, and now she's engaged for real this time. So who's laughing now?

You can read more here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Fabulous guest-poster Bucky is back, wrapping up I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here for us. Thanks again, Bucky!

So, to close the loop on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here here’s what happened leading up to the finale:

We left off in the last recap with Janice and Holly having been voted off, leaving Lou, John, Steven, Sanjaya, Patti and Torrie as potential King or Queen of the Jungle. Sanjaya and I are both sad because Holly is gone. John is happy because Patti is still there, even though they are only “friends.”

Stephen is … well … at wit’s end, for some reason. He was fine during one segment and melancholy the next. He decides to bug out. He says he is sure all of the strong friendships he had built will result in the other campers being understanding about his decision. HAHAHA … they talk trash about him from the minute he leaves camp. So much for understanding.

And then … AND THEN … a twist: because Stephen bugged out, another camper gets to return. Janice and Holly are made to grovel in front of the other campers, pleading their case for wanting to come back. Janice, of course, has had an epiphany and says she is a better person who wants to redeem herself in everyone’s eyes (and hearts). Holly pretty much says she wants to come back and canoodle with Sanjaya some more. (That’s not a direct quote, but it is what she meant.) The campers have a lengthy discussion about who they want to come back (Holly, because we all love Holly. No, really, we do) and who they think they can beat the easiest (Janice because she is, in the end, just another creepy Costa Rican critter who can be swatted away). They agree they need to make the strategic move, not the emotional one and … cut to the obnoxious Wal-Mart commercials.

Continue reading "'I'm a Celebrity ...': It's finally over" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:53 PM in Celebreality | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Tonight's So You Think You Can Dance results show opens with a verrrry sexy group number -- there's lots of writhing and undulating and even dancing on water-covered tables. It was choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin and Tabitha and Napoleon.

After the group dance, head judge Nigel Lythgoe acknowledges the tragic losses of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and, of course, Michael Jackson. He says that he himself went into dancing because of Michael Jackson, and they even air a bit of the "Thriller" video.

After the break, they get right started with results, bringing five couples to the floor. Asuka and Vitolio are first; they are in the bottom three. Brandon and Janette learn that they're safe. Randy and Evan are, too, thanks to their "cheeky" performance, as Cat puts it. Jeanine and Phillip? Also safe. In this group of five couples, that leaves Ade and Melissa, who eventually learn that they are also in the clear.

Continue reading "'So You Think You Can Dance': Down to 14" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:59 PM in Maryland reality contestants, So You Think You Can Dance | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I'm filling in for Sarah tonight, who's busy with baby and other things. It's the Top 16 on So You Think You Can Dance, which still includes Caitlin Kinney, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Tonight's guest judge is Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!). We learn that she's receiving a Living Legends of Hip-Hop Award, following in the footsteps of performers like Boogaloo Sam and MC Hammer. Award winners! Can't touch them!

Before the contestants dance, they tell us what they'd be doing if they weren't dancing. It's pretty cheesy. Let's just get to the choreography, please.

First up are Karla and Jonathan with a Dave Scott hip-hop routine. Note: Karla says she would be a journalist if she were not a dancer. I'm gathering she hasn't read about the hard times we're going through! They dance to "By My Side" by Jadakiss, featuring Ne-Yo. It's not very memorable. I think Karla is way better than Jonathan, who, to me, just looks too ballroom-y and Broadway-ish. He does do a cool flip. Judge Nigel Lythgoe said the smooth hip-hop was ironed out so that there was no excitement. He said it was lacking "danger." He asks if Jonathan felt comfortable, and he replies no. Nigel says there was no chemistry. "Instead of gangster ... that was like a Sunday school picnic outing," he says. He bets they'll be in the bottom three (he asks if anyone wants to take bets). Ouch! Judge Mary Murphy agrees with Nigel. Things were not synchronized, she says. "It really wasn't in the right groove at all," she adds. She says the highlight was the tumbling, but they are capable. Toni says street has to have a groove and a funk. She says if you don't have that, it feels "store-bought."

Continue reading "'So You Think You Can Dance' recap: Top 16 perform" »

Posted by Carla Correa at 10:19 PM in So You Think You Can Dance | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:40 AM in Jon & Kate Plus 8 | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Well, this is a move in the right direction. It seems that after next week's episode, a "retrospective" (aka clip show), Jon & Kate Plus 8 will be on hiatus until Aug. 3, EW reports.

The network told EW: "TLC continues to support the Gosselin family and will work closely with them to determine the best way to continue to tell their story as they navigate through this difficult time."

My advice: Don't! Just live your lives and figure things out WITHOUT the cameras.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:14 PM in Jon & Kate Plus 8 | Permalink | Comments (0)