I'm still burned out from the DWTS finale, so this is going to be fairly minimalist today.

The couples in danger on this So You Think You Can Dance results show are Karen and Victor, Mollee and Nathan and Ellenore and Ryan. The third announcement actually shocks me. I thought they were golden after last night.

First, Nigel announces that Karen is leaving the show, adding that while she brought a lot to the competition, her solo felt like she was waving the surrender flag.

Then he shares that the decision on the guys is not unanimous. Randomly, Nigel says that Victor has grown as a person and a dancer in a way that reminds him of Kelly Osbourne on Dancing With the Stars. Victor is leaving, but Nigel tells Nathan that he voted for him to leave instead. 

I'm sad about Victor, but not that sad to see Karen leave. 

How about you?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: So You Think You Can Dance
        

I haven't gotten a chance to watch last night's Biggest Loser yet, but I saw this New York Times article and had to share.

It questions whether contestants have used dangerous means to maximize their weight loss, though they had a tough time getting people to talk on the record about it.

You can read more here.

What do you think about this news? I'm frankly not surprised. Somewhat surprised that they might take risks on the ranch, like not drinking much water for the 24 hours before weigh-in, but that they might make questionable choices once they're at home? Not really.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: The Biggest Loser
        

Tonight on So You Think You Can Dance, the Top 12 are fighting to make the Top 10 (and thus the tour). Also, this is the last time they'll definitely be dancing in these couples because next week they draw partners and styles out of a hat.

Ellenore and Ryan prepare for the Lindy hop with new choreographer Carla Heiney. Their performance is charming, retro, fun, full of lifts and tricks. I like the whole feel of it, and I really love Ellenore's outfit. (These dancing outfits can go wrong so quickly.) Adam Shankman says it was a fantastic start to the show and that they look "cute as all get out. ... I sound like my grandmother!" He mentions that Ryan has an injured back and handled everything well. Mary Murphy says she thought it was tremendous and a stunning routine. Nigel Lythgoe says, "I thought it was terrible ... that we haven't had Lindy hop on this season." Hardy-har-har.

Kathryn and Legacy are doing a jazz routine with Sonia Tayeh. It's wacky, as Sonia's routines always are, but it really uses Legacy's skills to his advantage -- there are a lot of moves that only he could have pulled off. The whole thing is sexy in a very weird way; I think this was a good draw of choreographer for the couple and vice versa. Adam immediately praises Sonia for the routine and for showcasing Legacy's bboy skills (see?). He says if they keep dancing like this, "you're going all the way!" Mary Murphy loves Legacy's crabwalks and the showcased moves, but she thinks the movements in between were pretty great, too, as were Kathryn's lines and movements. Nigel says that's one of his favorite routines of the season. He says Kathryn was sexy "without pushing anything" and that Legacy proved his musicality was amazing, better than anything he showed in Vegas. He agrees with Mary on the idea that these two are in the Top 10 for sure.

... OK, so a little bit off-topic, at least in terms of this just being a recap. But another fan of the show and I were talking about Legacy and how no matter what they've thrown at him this season, he's just grasped it, even when it's way outside his experience level or comfort zone. My friend's theory is that some dancers are just freaks of nature (that was his term) who can just be told and shown what to do and they automatically know exactly what to do with their bodies to make it happen. This is not to say he isn't working hard and practicing, too. His work ethic seems to be pretty high up there. This is a separate issue. I think most dancers have a really good sense of how to move their bodies in particular ways, but some people just seem to be preternaturally good at it, and I think Legacy is one of those people. I, on the other hand, have virtually no sense of myself in space, so I'm constantly running into things in rather spectacular ways. I'm jealous of the freaks of nature, it's true.

Continue reading "'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 12 perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: So You Think You Can Dance
        

So who's going to win this season of Dancing With the Stars? We'll find out tonight, eventually.

(Update: See a gallery of photos from last night's finale here.)

When the stars start coming to the stage -- all of them from the whole season -- it just makes me feel like this season has been going on forever and ever. Was Macy Gray really on this time around? Chuck Liddell? Kathy Ireland? That feels like eons ago.

During a montage of footage from last night, we suddenly cut to a shot of Miss Piggy's back (not a euphemism), and I'm thinking my DVR is having a problem. But it turns out it's the show with the problem, and Tom Bergeron shows up, makes a joke about it being live and throws it to a commercial. Then the montage starts over again after the break. (Last night, things happened. That recap is here.)

The other reason people are paying attention to this results show? Whitney Houston performs! She looks great, and she sounds pretty good, though she's definitely singing over the top of a vocal track. But she's having a good time. (Hey, SYTYCD fans ... is that b-boy Ryan I sight among her backup dancers? The hair sure looks like his, but I couldn't get a close enough look.)

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': And the winner is ..." »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Adam Lambert raised a lot of eyebrows Sunday with his performance on ABC's American Music Awards, enough that the network got about 1,500 calls of complaint, largely related to him grinding against the face of a backup dancer.

Good Morning America decided to can his appearance this week, and CBS' The Early Show was eager to snag him for a conversation and a performance. 

He'll be on live tomorrow morning. 

TV Week has the details.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

So who's going to win this season of Dancing With the Stars? We'll get the first inkling of an answer in tonight's performance finale. (Oh, and you can have your say in our poll here.)

The first couple to take to the stage is Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel. Since we've got some time to kill, we spend the first part of the segment reliving the entire season's dances. After that, Carrie Ann Inaba comes in to work with them and give them some tips on their Argentine tango, mostly trying to get Kelly to be more comfortable with the intimate moments of the dance. It seems to help, as their tango is very intense, and their chemistry is better than usual in the more romantic dances. I feel like Louis is such a good partner and leader that he's guiding Kelly through this dance more than she's actually dancing it, if that makes sense. I mean, she does a pretty good job with it (though her posture is a bit off-kilter), but he's just so dominant. Head judge Len Goodman says Kelly epitomizes what this competition is about: as someone who has no dance experience, she has transformed into a dancer. He says she danced "right up there." Bruno Tonioli says she's been the revelation of this season because of her dedication and hard work. He didn't love her loose free hand, but it was still very good. Carrie Ann says she's proud of how far she came, especially with the emotional connection. Scores:  9-9-8, for a 26/30.

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin get a visit from Len while they are rehearsing for the paso doble. He pushes them to bring more and more intensity, more power, more aggression, more snap.  They bring that intensity to the dance floor in the performance as they dance to "We Will Rock You." That's purely me speaking as an amateur, though. Also, the audience looooves it. Bruno says it was fearless and flamboyant and amazing. Carrie Ann dubs her "the queen of the paso doble," adding that it was hot and dynamic. Len says the pressure in this final is crazy, but they came out "like the no-stress express." He says it's right up there with his favorite paso of all the seasons, Mel B and Maks'. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson work with Bruno on their cha cha, especially his technique. The tweaks from Bruno definitely help because during the performance, Donny just parties down and looks like he's actually having a good time, instead of looking like he's trying to sell the idea that he's having a good time, and a lot of his moves are sharper than they've been all season. At this point, I think, "Dang, he could win this thing." Carrie Ann wants to know where those hips came from, saying he had a breakthrough in the finals. Len says, "That was a cha cha cha!" Bruno says Donny is a credit to his profession, adding that "I shouted at him for an hour," and he took it all in and reacted like a professional. Scores:  9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: It's finals time!" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

In case you haven't heard, Susan Boyle's album is out today. Her audition on Britain's Got Talent caused a worldwide sensation, and her album set preorder records on Amazon.com.

Here's what she told USA Today about the album.

Did you buy it? Have you heard it? What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

"American Idol" runner up Adam Lambert made quite a splash at last night's American Music Awards -- and not in a good way.

Continue reading "Adam Lambert crashes and burns in American Music Awards debut" »

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (84)
Categories: American Idol
        

Heeeeere's Bucky with his take on this week's Amazing Race:

This week’s leg begins with all of the teams heading to the airport to book a flight from Estonia to Prague, where they need to find a man in a Praga (after they figure out what a Praga is) for their next clue.  In the course of searching the internet for flights, eagle-eyed Megan spots a picture of a Praga, which turns out to be a Czech car.  This gives her a big advantage, which she needs to offset the fact that her partner is that dope Cheyne.
 
Everyone takes the same flight and when they arrive, Megan & Cheyne, Sam & Dan and the Globetrotters grab taxis and head for the city square where the Praga awaits.  Brian & Ericka follow the advice of someone on the airplane and take the subway into town.  This is a bold, make-or-break move on their part.

Megan & Cheyne arrive at the square first followed closely by Sam & Dan who, however, still need to figure out what a Praga is before they can … No! Wait!  They see Megan & Cheyne and decide just to follow them. (Recall that Sam & Dan whined and complained last week about the Globetrotters using this same “hitch your wagon to the right star” strategy.  So besides being whiners, Sam & Dan are hypocrites, too.)

Continue reading "'The Amazing Race' recap: Who's mad at whom?" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: The Amazing Race