Greetings, Top Chef watchers. Liz and Justine here to chronicle the last week before the competition moves from its cozy home of Las Vegas to the finale in Napa Valley. Most of the fat has been trimmed from the ranks of the cheftestants but one more still has to be cut.

Enough with the cheesy cooking plays on words. On to the cooking! 

(Photo of Bryan Voltaggio presenting to the judges from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': d'Or galore" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Welcome back, readers. Justine and Liz are back and glad to see you survived last week's boring reunion snoozefest (we sat through it so you didn't have to). Our hopes are high for this week's episode since the previews showed Padma in a bathrobe, and we're hoping to see the last of Robin this week. But nothing's ever a guarantee on Top Chef.

Enough bashing the reunion show. On to the cooking! 

(Photo of Padma relaxing in a fluffy bathrobe from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Casino tour" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

 Bravo.com

The Swag Faeries have granted our wish to give you some free stuff for faithfully commenting on our hatred of Jerkface Mike, our impatience with Jen and our swooning over the Brothers Voltaggio.

 The contest is simple: Come up with a great idea for a Quickfire. The idea has to be reasonable and, ideally, great. Delicious helps, too. (Don't expect to see your idea on an upcoming season, though: We have no ins with Bravo producers.)

We have some DVDs and cookbooks to give away to the top three ideas: Top Chef: Season 5, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, myriad cookbooks and lots o' love. The winners get to pick their prize.

You have to leave the entry as a comment and provide a valid e-mail address so we can contact you (we won't share it, we promise).

Contest ends Friday at noon Eastern. Your time STARTS NOW.

(P.S. -- That picture is what Justine's heaven looks like.)

Posted by Justine Maki at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

 (Andre F. Chung/Baltimore Sun photo 2008)

This goes out to all you Brothers Voltaggio! fans: They tell The Baltimore Sun's Laura Vozzella about the attention from hometown Frederick fans, the rivalry and being recognized at the grocery store.

Here's the story.

 And an oldie but goodie: Facts about the Brothers V.!

Posted by Justine Maki at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Hey gang, Liz and Justine here again for another week of Top Chef recapping.

We're getting down to the wire. Only seven cheftestants remain after last week's much-anticipated Restaurant Wars episode. Everyone seems pretty nervous in the previews for this episode, and there's always the chance someone we hate will go home, so we're excited. There was also a cameo by actress Natalie Portman (does anyone remember anything else she's been in besides Star Wars and Garden State?). Celebrity guests usually bring a curveball with them, so let's hope Natalie delivers.

Enough with the swooning over Natalie Portman. On to the cooking!

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Natalie Portman's vegetarian steakhouse" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Restaurant Wars is upon us, loyal readers! It's the most anticipated episode in any Top Chef season, and we (Justine and Liz) are back as your tour guides. Restaurant Wars is the challenge that tests a chef's muster in what should be their element: running a restaurant. But we've seen cheftestants fall in the past, whether it be due to a lackluster dessert offering or no charisma while working the front of the house. What will be this season's Restaurant Wars fatal flaw?

Enough with the speculating. On to the cooking! 

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Restaurant Wars -- Revolt vs. Mission " »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Another week of Top Chef means another recap from Liz and Justine. We won't lie -- the previews for this week's episode had us on edge, with all of the Voltaggio brother tension that was being foreshadowed. Would this be the week one of Maryland's own Voltaggio brothers, Michael and Bryan, would go home? Say it ain't so, Bravo!

Enough swooning over the Volts and their brotherliness. On to the cooking! 

(Photo of Kevin, Eli, Ash and Bryan tasting pinots from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Pigs and Pinots Noir" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Justine and Liz back for another week of Top Chef after what seemed like a long week hiatus for the show. Bravo left us in suspense for a whole week about the drama between Jerkface Mike and Robin. But the tension didn't disappoint.

Enough with the manufactured drama. On to the cooking! 

(Photo of Padma and guest judge Tyler Florence from BravoTV.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': What is umami?" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Project Runway alum (and Annapolis native) Christian Siriano is going to get his own show on Bravo, Variety reports.

Also with deals in the works are Fabio Viviani from season five of Top Chef and Bethenny Frankel from Real Housewives of New York.

The item from Variety states: The flamboyant Siriano, who won season four of Project Runway (back when the show still aired on Bravo), will be featured in his show as he sets up a new shop and markets his clothing line.

See photos of Christian and other Maryland reality TV stars in this gallery.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's not just you: Despite Maryland's small size, the state has had large representation on reality television shows in recent years.

We've put together a photo gallery showcasing the state's reality celebs, which you can see here. If we missed anybody -- or if someone from the area appears on a new show -- let me know in a comment or email.

(Photo of Charla and Mirna on "The Amazing Race" courtesy of CBS)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Sykesville singer Drew Stevyns, who made the Top 10 on the most recent season of NBC's America's Got Talent, will be welcomed back by his hometown on Oct. 7.

Stevyns will appear in Century High School's Homecoming Parade.

Get the details here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

During the election, there were Barack Obama candies, cookies and chocolate. Now Michelle's getting some attention via last Season 4 Top Chef cheftestant Spike Mendelsohn:

There's a new burger in town, and it's got Michelle Obama's name on it and turkey between the buns.

    The "Michelle Melt" at Good Stuff Eatery was unveiled Thursday by chef Spike Mendelsohn, a former contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef" competition. He developed it in collaboration with White House chef Sam Kass, who previously cooked for the Obama family in Chicago.

    What makes a turkey burger qualify as a "Michelle Melt?" Fresh, organic, locally grown ingredients that promote healthier eating, and the same herbs that are found in the White House garden started by Mrs. Obama.

    The recipe: free range turkey burger, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, ruby red tomato, crisp lettuce, South Lawn herb garden mayo, freshly baked wheat bun.

    Mendelsohn plans to donate proceeds from the burger's sale to D.C. Central Kitchen, which distributes food to homeless people. -- Associated Press

 Is Spike's restaurant, Good Stuff Eatery, not doing so well, so he's trying to get attention by making a gimmicky burger? Does he need more tax credits so he wanted to donate some more to charity?

 Liz and I haven't been there. Did you like it?

Photo: Getty Images

Posted by Justine Maki at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Liz and Justine here, still trying to get over the elimination of our favorite (OK, maybe not favorite. But he was at least the most fashion forward) cheftestant Mattin. The jaunty scarf made a brief appearance in mourning at Liz’s apartment as an homage, but we have to move on. This week looked promising in the previews, with someone’s equipment exploding in the kitchen and everyone hating on Robin. She hasn’t proved herself to us yet, and she’s got to do a lot to win us over as fans.

It seems as if the remaining chefs miss him, too. Jaunty scarf time! They wear scarves in memory. How cute.

Lots of people are hating on Robin in the beginning -- people are upset that Robin's still there. Jerkface Mike thinks Mattin was more talented than "many people who are still here." Perhaps him?

Enough with the hating and onto the cooking.

(Photo of the judges from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Deconstruct this! " »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Baltimore chef Jesse Sandlin, of fine dining restaurant Abacrombie, talks with The Baltimore Sun's Rob Kasper about being on Top Chef.

 But what really sticks out in our minds is that she trash-talks Padma. 

I know some of our commenters have more love for Padma than the other judges -- is this a case of a cheftestant angry she was kicked off the show, or is there a darker side to Padma that we never see?

 Find the story here.

(Photo of Padma at the Emmys by AP)

Posted by Justine Maki at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

This is the episode we (Justine and Liz, in case you haven’t been keeping track) have been waiting for. We’re SUPER DUPER EXCITED to see whose food Tom spits out. Padma has historically been able to find the smallest scale, shell or complaint about any dish (she’s the Princess and the Pea of cooking!). Tom has always been able to suck it up – even if the dish is ridiculously spicy and his shiny pate breaks out into a sweat. But this week, he caves in to his taste buds. Will the person with the offending dish be told to immediately pack their knives?

Enough with the cutlery talk. On to the cooking!

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': To ceviche, or not to ceviche" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

What a big, bloated finale America's Got Talent put together tonight.

With guest performances by Leona Lewis, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Susan Boyle and others, montages from the audition rounds, a judges' interviews, group performance of memorable bad auditions, the show was packed full.

Sykesville singer Drew Stevyns learned when the Top 10 were trimmed to the Top 5 that he had not made the cut. 

"I couldn't ask for anything more than this, these people really deserve to be here, this has been the best time of my life, and I just thank you for the experience," Stevyns told host Nick Cannon, looking unsurprised.

The fifth-place finisher was the Voices of Glory, a singing group featuring three young siblings who had started singing when their mother was in the hospital. Fourth-place was taken by the Texas Tenors, whose name speaks for itself. The act coming in third was Recycled Percussion, a quartet of musicians who make music on found objects.

Susan Boyle, performing in the U.S. for the first time after her stint on Britain's Got Talent, sang her new single, a cover of "Wild Horses." She seemed poised on stage, very natural, and hit all her power notes like a champ. 

After all the buildup, the final two -- Kevin Skinner and Barbara Padilla -- finally learned which of them was the winner.

Taking home a $1 million prize and a contract for a headlining act in Las Vegas was Kevin Skinner. 

I was pretty shocked. I haven't watched this whole season, so I don't know all of Kevin's backstory, but his singing just didn't seem that great, and Barbara Padilla's was amazing. What did you think of the finish?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (128)
        

In anticipation of tonight's Top Chef, Liz and I were checking out Maryland boy Bryan's restaurant. And let's just say that the Web site made us dissolve into laughter in our relatively quiet section of the office.

 You can find it here.

The photos! The cows!

Does it make you hungry? I just wonder how he kept his chef uniform so clean.

Posted by Justine Maki at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

On tomorrow night's Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman and crew create a cake celebrating Carnival Pride, whose home port is now Baltimore.

Take a look at the picture above to see the finished product, a replica of the Pride.

The Carnival Cruise Lines episode airs tomorrow night (Thursday) at 10 on the Food Network.

(Photo courtesy of Sandy Hillman Communications)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Last week, I chatted with Sykesville singer Drew Stevyns as he waited backstage for the America's Got Talent results show to begin so he could learn whether he'd made the finals.

He did.

Last night, the Top 10 performed for votes for the last time, but they won't learn their fates until tomorrow night.

Drew performed "I'll Stand By You," and the judges thought he did an outstanding job.

The judges, however, seemed to think just about everyone did an outstanding job, even when they didn't. They fawned all over chicken farmer Kevin Skinner, but his singing was pretty terrible.

I thought Drew did well, but I think he might be outshone by some of the flashier acts that seem more to scream "Vegas!" than he does, especially Recycled Percussion and the Fab Five.

We'll see how it plays out on Wednesday. (Also, by the way, British everywoman singing sensation Susan Doyle will be performing.)

What did you think of last night's performances?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Justine and Liz here, your tour guides through this season of "Top Chef," back for another week. The end of last week's episode of "Top Chef: Las Vegas" had us excited for what this week would have in store for the cheftestants, especially a high stakes quickfire complete with an elimination! We did get worried about how Baltimore's own Jesse would do, since she's had troubles with past quickfires.

Our old favorite Jerkface Mike complains about how he shouldn't have been on the bottom, and with a little push, he can take home a win. Likely story, JFM.

But enough hating on Mike. On to the cooking! 

(Photo of the lovely Padma and guest judge Daniel Boulud from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': En garde! " »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

I talked with Sykesville's Drew Stevyns earlier today when he was waiting backstage to find out if he was making the finals on tonight's America's Got Talent.

The producers really dragged it out for ages and made it as tough on him as possible, but Drew did make the cut, along with Hairo Torres, Recycled Percussion, Barbara Padillo and Lawrence Beaman.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I just got off the phone with Drew Stevyns, the Sykesville resident who is in the Top 20 on America's Got Talent and finds out tonight whether he is making the Top 10. He was waiting backstage for the live results show to get under way.

On last night's show, he performed a rocking rendition of "Careless Whisper," originally by Wham and currently on the radio as a cover by Seether.

You find out whether you made the finals on tonight's show. How are you feeling?

I'm backstage waiting right now. I'm very nervous, but at the same time I think I put on a great performance. ... I think tonight is even worse than last night because at least last night I had some control over what was going on -- I could just go out and give my best. Tonight I just have to wait.

[Stevyns lived in Sykesville his whole life except for between the ages of 9 and 13, when he lived in England.] What was it like being in the Church of England Choir?

It was a very long time ago, but I think the main thing I got out of it was vocal discipline, working with other musicians.

How did you get started on your current musical career path?

I started writing songs in high school, when I was about 15 years old, played in multiple bands until I was about 25 years old, so then I went solo. Things started taking off, and I realized I could pay the bills playing music, which was a good thing.

Have you tried out for any other performance-based reality shows?

I tried out for American Idol, but I didn't make it, and I'm too old now, so I decided go for this.

How has the experience been?

It's been so amazing. I was't expecting any of this. I can't say enough good things about the experience so far, and my fellow competitors and I have gotten so close.

David Cook and Chris Daughtry got some blowback from viewers when they did harder rock covers of traditional pop songs and didn't get to acknowledge the arrangement's source. Were you worried the same might happen to you last night when the judges credited you with making "Careless Whisper" your own?

They were mistaken; it's actually the Seether arrangement. It's my favorite song on the radio, and I knew I had to do it. I realized as soon as I got off the stage [that I hadn't gotten to acknowledge Seether], and I really wish I had gotten a chance to say that.

You didn't get much airtime at the beginning of the season. Do you feel like that's put you at a disadvantage with viewers compared with some of the other acts?

I think to be honest, it's kind of exciting to come out of nowhere and not have people see you coming.

If you win, what plans do you have for your act?

If I win ... [he laughs]. I don't think I would change anything. I am used to playing four hours a night in bars and restaurants, so I think I would just keep doing what I'm doing, but on a larger scale, I suppose.

Do you have anything to say to your fans back in Maryland?

Basically, thank you for everybody's support. It means so much.

When you do get to come home, what are you most looking forward to in Maryland?

I can't wait to get home and get a real meal and see my friends and family. We've been living off sandwiches here!

(Photo courtesy of NBC)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Some quick Real World DC news. The folks over at Vevmo have been tirelessly digging up Real World news and dirt, and yesterday said they've confirmed via independent sources that Erika Lauren Wasilewski has left the Real World DC cast.

Christopher Wiggins, aka @RealWorldDCNewz on Twitter, also leaked on Twitter that Baltimore's own Ty Ruff is apparently an intern with the Washington Capitals. Ty was at the Washington Capitals Media Day. The Washington Post's D.C. Sports Bog writes about it here.

Posted by Carla Correa at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Another week, another Top Chef. Liz and Justine are back again to give you our two cents on this week’s episode. Tonight the cheftestants were cooking for members of the military and their families. There was so much patriotism that maybe they thought about airing this episode around the Fourth of July. For the most part, the cheftestants brought their A game, but of course there had to be some who stumbled along the way.

Enough singing "The Star Spangled Banner." On to the cooking!

(Photo from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Chefs go to war" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

I haven't been keeping up with America's Got Talent this season, but I just heard that Maryland musician Drew Stevyns made the Top 20 as a wild card. You can see his performance of The Fray's "How to Save a Life" here.

Have you been watching? What do you think?

Judge Piers Morgan said he thought that his performance this week was probably his best of his life and that while he might not have the best voice in the competition, he thinks Drew showed hunger and desire. Agree, disagree?

You can see more of Drew's performances from a couple of years ago on his YouTube account.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Hi everybody -- Liz and Justine back for another week of "Top Chef: Las Vegas." This week brought the sibling rivalry story line between Maryland brothers Michael and Bryan to a head. They're milking this story line for as much as they can, even though it's only the second episode. But enough of the subtext; let's get to cooking!

To open the show, Baltimore chef Jesse gets first interview – this might not be good. Could it be foreshadowing? Remember, the judges didn't like her dry chicken last week. They're also showing Eve early. Whew. Maybe our prediction from last week will come true!

Enough with trying to read the producers' minds. On to the cooking!

(Photo of the judges, most notably Tom Colicchio in his shades, from bravotv.com)

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': A tale of two brothers" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

Howdy folks, Liz and Justine here. We're both business editors who appreciate good food (especially when others cook for us). We'll be here to offer our pedestrian insights and snarky comments about this season of Top Chef.

It's a whole new cast of 17 cheftestants, which makes it hard to keep up with everyone and learn their names. Luckily Bravo only kept up with a few, including Maryland's own brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio and Baltimore chef Jesse Sandlin. Even in the opening credits, their sibling rivalry came to a head, complete with cussing each other out in the kitchen. 

Other cheftestants have to make their mark by more creative means, including Mattin who is French and wears a jaunty scarf and Kevin with a huge beard. Hector has facial hair, too. This will be a beard-tastic season for sure. 

Enough about the fashion -- on to the cooking.

Continue reading "'Top Chef: Las Vegas': Sin City's full of vices" »

Posted by Liz Hacken at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Top Chef
        

I've been food editor for a couple of months now and today, I finally got to combine that gig with Reality Check (which has been going strong for three and a half years): We did a centerpiece story on Jesse Sandlin, the Baltimore chef who is competing on Top Chef: Las Vegas.

There are also Q&As with Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, brothers and chefs from Frederick who are also competing this season.

You can also see a photo gallery of all the competitors.

Check it out! Are you looking forward to tonight's premiere? A couple of new guest recappers, Justine and Liz from Caption Call, will be covering it. Come back and read and comment after the show.

(Baltimore Sun photo/March 2008)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

John-John is back, this time with a report on last night's More to Love ...

Danielle, the 25-year-old receptionist from Baltimore on the FOX show “More To Love,” was eliminated last night. I can’t say that was a bad thing.

Danielle definitely made an impression -- she jumped in a pool with her dress on the first night. But she endlessly talked and talked and talked about herself. The self-proclaimed virgin annoyed everybody in the process. Basically, it was her time to go.

“More To Love” -- for those of you new to the show -- is basically a super sized version of “The Bachelor.” Everyone is plus-sized. I’m not being mean. I’m being honest: The show shoves that fact down your throat every possible second, regularly flashing the weight of the contestants, or their dress size, on the screen. Shots of the contestants eating are shown constantly. It’s actually quite condescending. But I’m getting off topic.

Last night’s episode featured a prom theme.

The show’s prized man-meat, Luke, took all of the contestants to a makeshift prom. Luke’s best friends from college — Chase and Sam — were tasked with interviewing the girls and selecting one as the night’s “Prom Queen.” Surprisingly, they chose Danielle, but I'm not exactly sure why. Neither of Luke’s friends ever really said why she stood out. The other contestants raised objections during their confessionals, saying that Danielle wasn’t really well liked in the house. (Ouch!)

Continue reading "Another elimination on 'More to Love'" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Tashica Morgan, a 29-year-old Bowie, Md., native, was featured on the most recent season of HGTV's Design Star, where contestants compete for a chance to star in their own HGTV design show. The show airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m., and this past Sunday, Morgan was cut in a controversial elimination.
 
The challenge for Design Star contestants was a first in the show's history, transforming a family's garage into another room. The designers split up into two teams, with Morgan on a team with Dan Vickery, Lonni Paul and Nathan Galui. After the challenge, there was a double elimination, where one person from each team was eliminated. Jany Lee was the other designer whose show was "cancelled."
 
While Lee's elimination followed protocol, the elimination of Morgan was another first in Design Star history. In past episodes, the designers were sent to a green room, while the judges deliberate who to eliminate. In Morgan's case, the judges cancelled her show without deliberating first. After whispering among themselves for a moment, the judges called over the show's host, Clive Pearse, to deliver the news. 
 
Features department intern Kayla Cross caught up with Morgan in a phone interview to discuss her elimination and overall experience on the show. ...

Continue reading "Tashica Morgan reflects on 'Design Star' experience" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Marylander Ju'Not Joyner, who was in the Top 20 on the most recent season of American Idol, allged in a live chat today that the show is totally fixed and rigged. He goes on to say that he was targeted because he questioned legal documents before signing them.

Here's a key (and amusingly framed) quote from a blog entry about the chat:

"It's a fixed thing if I ever saw one," he boldly declared--much to the shock of many naive chatters, who responded with capslocked interjections and frowny-faced emoticons.

He also said:

"They pay for our lawyers to negotiate against their lawyer (which is BS)," he said. "They make us COLLECTIVELY choose the lawyer, then they act like it's in our best interest. Craziest stuff I've ever seen. I have a son to feed. I HAD to ask questions and know what I was signing. Plus I write my own songs and I needed to know details...Some folks were like, 'Just shut up and sign on the dotted line.' I know better than that...I wasn't complaining...I was asking basic legal questions. There's a huge difference between the two."

Read more here. What do you think about the controversy? Sour grapes? Legit? Some combination thereof?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: American Idol, Maryland reality contestants
        

I just watched a preview copy of Fox's More to Love, which features plus-size women vying for the love of a plus-size bachelor and premieres tonight.

The show is very ... fraught. All dating shows have a degree of desperation to them, right? Every woman and man on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette has discussed at one point or another their difficulties on the dating scene, but on More to Love, all the women -- and the bachelor, Luke Conley -- have a single issue at the forefront that they believe to be the source of their dating difficulties: their weight.

There are several women who are very comfortable with their size. But there's also a woman who's never been on a date before, a woman who quit her job to be on the show, a woman who says she feels this is her last chance to find love with someone who will give her a chance.

Like I said ... it's fraught.

Keep an eye out for Danielle, who is either a 25-year-old receptionist from Baltimore (if you believe the show's captions) or a 25-year-old theater company technical director from L.A. (if you believe the show's press release), and check out what she does to get Luke's attention.

I don't want to give too much away, but you will not believe what the show's answer is to The Bachelor's giving and receiving of roses.

OK, I will tell you, but stop reading here if you don't want to know before the show.

Continue reading "Sneak peek at 'More to Love'" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

HGTV’s fourth season of Design Star premiered July 19, and of the 11 designers featured, only one was from the East Coast.

Tashica Morgan, a 29-year-old from Bowie, Md., entered the show on a whim, after the prodding of her husband, she said. Morgan had been designing her whole life, but said she thought the idea of her on Design Star was "far-fetched." However, Morgan has made it through two challenges of the show (despite some setbacks with a torn duvet and duct-taping curtains to a ceiling), and will be in the upcoming "white wall" challenge, airing Aug. 2 at 10 p.m.

In Design Star, designers compete to have a TV show on HGTV. In the first challenge of the show, Morgan, and another designer, NataLee Callahan, chose to renovate the master bedroom in Hollywood style. Morgan and Callahan’s designs fell flat, but Morgan made it through the cut. In the second episode, the designers split into teams, and were assigned to design kitchens. Morgan’s team was led by Amy Sklar, whose TV show was "cancelled," after her team lost the kitchen challenge.

Features department intern Kayla Cross caught up with Morgan today in a phone interview to discuss her design career and ambitions, outside of the show.

When did you first start designing and why?

I actually don’t know when specifically. It’s been something that I’ve always done pretty much since I was a kid, but I didn’t know that that’s what it was being called. It was actually designing. So I think it was something that was kind of innate from the beginning. And as I got older, it became more of an understanding and I started mastering it. So back in under grad ... I started playing around with it in my home. And then friends and family members they saw it, and they’d just say "Hey, what do you think I should do here?" So I want to say my early college years is when I became pretty design-focused, but I’ve always had a natural interest for it, so that’s why I’ve always done it. ...

Continue reading "Catching up with Bowie's Tashica Morgan on 'Design Star'" »

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

Or is that back?

Anyway, the Top Chef premiere, which will feature Jesse Sandlin from Baltimore and brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio from Frederick, is now Aug. 19 instead of the next week. It airs at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

Set your DVRs, VCRs, clocks, whatever.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Hmm, I might have been hard on Tabitha and Napoleon last night, but their group dance that opens tonight's So You Think You Can Dance -- to White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" -- is great.

After announcing that it is Nigel's 60th birthday, host Cat Deeley asks Nigel about the rumors of a Michael Jackson tribute special. Unfortunately, the music permissions didn't come through, so it's a no. (Though I can't help but think that they are going public with that to try to make someone change their mind!)

Then Cat points out that after this week, the judges don't have a say; viewer votes will determine who goes home.

Then the results begin. The first two couples to hit the stage are Annapolis' Caitlin Kinney and her partner Jason and Brandon and Janette. I can't help but think that this means that Caitlin and Jason are in danger because Brandon and Janette had that show-stopper at the end of last night's show. And .... that's a yes. Caitlin and Jason are in the bottom three, and Brandon and Janette are in the Top 10.

The next two couples called to the stage are Randi and Evan and Jeanine and Phillip. Randi and Evan are safe; Phillip and Jeanine have to get ready for their solos.

Last up are Melissa and Ade and Kayla and Kupono. Kayla and Kupono are safe -- and totally shocked. So that leaves Melissa and Ade joining the others in the bottom three couples. 

While the bottom three couples get a change to ready for their solos, we get a preview of the fall season of SYTYCD. 

Then, solo time. Caitlin goes cutesy but still showing of a lot of technique, and hopefully some personality too. Speaking of technique, Jason shows some off, too. Last week, they said that Jeanine's solo was the strongest, and she still is pretty strong. Phillip seems much less manic and more controlled than last week's solo. Melissa goes all sporty ballerina on us. Ade's solo is to a song called "Windowdipper" that samples Windows noises (which really freaks me out for a minute). Tyce told him to bring it, and bring it he did.

Mary doesn't want to go try to figure out who is going home.

Kelly Rowland performs, but I fast-forward through most of it. Sorry, Kelly, that's not why I'm here.

I'm here for the results, and here they are. 

Nigel says everyone is a good dancer, but they need a Top 10 who are stars. They call Caitlin forward and tell her she is cut. Awww, she cries even before her highlight reel. For the guys, they call Phillip forward and tell him he is unique in what he does, but they've been somewhat disappointed with him in the other styles. He is out, but, Nigel says, "I have secured with the producers that you -- and Caitlin -- will be on the tour." Well, that is some consolation for our local dancer, at least.

What do you think of the results? I didn't envy the judges their duty tonight.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

This week on So You Think You Can Dance, the couples take on two dances per week for the first time. Well, two competition dances, since they always have to learn a group dance and they prep a solo, too.

The big question around here, though, is whether Annapolis dancer and Baltimore School for the Arts grad Caitlin Kinney will make the Top 10. Here's hoping!

The first couple is Melissa and Ade, doing disco with Doriana Sanchez. OK, first of all, those are some crazy sparkle-pants Ade's got on. Second, this is fast, and has so many spins that it's a wonder they stay on their feet. Um, well, they do until the very end, when their final move gives way somehow and Melissa stumbles. (Does Ade drop? Is her footing off? It's hard to tell.) But it's fun and energetic, for sure. Nigel Lythgoe says it was exciting and had some "tremendous stuff" in it. In the replay, it looks like both of their feet slipped, causing the fall, by the way. Mary Murphy, reference Doriana's line about praying to the disco gods: "Can I get an amen?" She adds that it was well-executed and that they were both "letting it go." Tyce DiOrio: "That was friggin' great! I mean, I want to say, I adore you, and no one would think that a ballet dancer could do that, so that's growth." He says that Ade embodied it well.

Kayla and Kupono take on a Mia Michaels contemporary routine that is about addiction. In a more revealing and emotional introductory segment than usual, Kupono discusses that he had a close friend who was almost destroyed by a drug addiction that had repercussions in his family, too, and that he almost doesn't want to portray the character of the addiction. "I just sucks having to be in it for that minute-thirty or just those two counts." Then he cries. It's pretty powerful, though there is a part toward the end where he is supposed to be guiding the addicted Kayla through some moves, and it seems like he just isn't exactly where he is supposed to be, which makes it look a little funky. Still, though, a nice piece. Nigel says it's a powerful piece for anyone who has dealt with addiction. He said that Kayla was superb as the addict and that Kupono was powerful in his role as well. Mary says Kupono stayed in character with intensity through the whole performance and that Kayla was flawless. "You guys are staying on the train; don't worry about it." Tyce says with Mia, you add a level to yourself and become an actor. He adds that Kupono could use a little more power in his body, but his acting was great. Kayla he just calls "a beast."

As a side note, can I just say, as someone with hardly any pigment, how refreshing it is to see that the stylists or whoever on this show let the pale girls be pale without feeling the need to fake-tan (or worse, real tan) them into orange oblivion? (*cough* Dancing With the Stars *cough)

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

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Bravo just announced the cast of the next season of Top Chef, and how about that -- it includes several Marylanders.

One is Jesse Sandlin, the chef at Abacrombie, who Elizabeth Large had already speculated might be in the cast.

There's also brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, both from Frederick. Bryan is the chef and owner of Volt on Market Street in Frederick. Michael lives in L.A. now and is the Chef de Cuisine at Bazaar by Jose Andres.

I'll get some more details as soon as I can, but in the meantime, here's the full cast list for Top Chef: Las Vegas, which premieres on Aug. 26:

Continue reading "New 'Top Chef' cast includes several Marylanders" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Mary Carole McCauley got a chance to catch up with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney yesterday. The 21-year-old is in the Top 12 on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Here's Mary:

After portraying an alien attempting to impregnate her human prey, Caitlin Kinney fully expected to be in danger of elimination last week on Fox’s hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

Before Thursday night’s results show was broadcast, the lithe, 21-year-old from Annapolis rehearsed the "dance for your life" solo required of competitors who receive the fewest viewer votes.

"Honestly, I didn’t think there was any way Jason and I weren’t going to be in the bottom three," she says, referring to her partner, Jason Glover. "We’ve been hanging on by our teeth. When I found out we were safe, I was just flabbergasted."

Kinney, who studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and trained as a classical ballerina, wrapped up an intense day of practicing by chatting about the ups and downs of the competition thus far, and her future plans.

Q: None of the dance styles you’ve assigned so far play to your strengths. Has that been hard?

A: It has been frustrating. I’d love to have a chance to dance something more lyrical. Of course, we don’t choose what dance styles we’ve been given, or what we wear. I’ll be honest, I was a little jealous when Melissa [Sandvig] got to dance a pas de deux in toe shoes last week. At the same time, the harder you work, the greater your rewards. I’d rather get a style that plays to our strengths later in the competition.

Continue reading "'SYTYCD': Talking with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

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)
        

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)
        

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 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, So You Think You Can Dance
        

It's results time on So You Think You Can Dance, and we'll see, among other things, whether Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney and Oxon Hill dancer Karla Garcia make it to the next round.

Right off the bat, Caitlin learns that she is safe, but Karla is in the bottom three couples, along with her partner Jonathan, Asuka, Vitolio, Tony and Paris. I had predicted that Asuka and Vitolio and Tony and Paris would probably be in trouble, but I'd forgotten there would be three couples in the bottom.

After a professional tango performance, it's solo (aka "dance for your life") time.

Paris is up first, and her dance is lovely and nice, but not super energetic. She does do this impressive move where she goes from being up on one toe with her other leg extended behind her to suddenly being on the floor -- I totally gasped.

Tony is next, and he does a lot of goofy moves, but nothing really that enthralling. His strong suit is supposed to be comic hip-hop, but this was pretty boring. I predict he's out without even seeing any of the other guys.

Asuka has the disadvantage of typically being a partner dancer, which always makes for slightly odd solos, but she makes the best of it and works the whole stage with a lot of fancy -- and speedy -- footwork.

Vitolio does a solo that showcases his strength and power -- and I'll assume technique, but my forte is TV not dance. He looks pretty good to me, though.

Karla makes the bold move of dancing to Aretha, and her solo is OK, though it seems to involve a fair amount of running around the stage.

Jonathan shows off his turning action, his tumbling and his hip action in his solo. Cat seems impressed.

Cat dismisses the judges so they can decide who is out. In the meantime, Sean Kingston performs, and I get to use my fast-forward button.

Nigel Lythgoe says they were unanimous in their decision for the women. He tells Karla that her solo was strong, but she needs to make sure she doesn't do just a series of steps and to bring more personality. But she is safe. Nigel says it wasn't just based on this week, but everything they've seen from them up to this point, but also this tidbit: "... and also who else is in the competition. We always try and cast it so we have all the genres of dance in the competition being represented when we can." Ummm, interesting. He tells Asuka that she is a little star of personality, but tells Paris that she didn't bring everything she could have, and that they have enough other contemporary dancers. So wow, Nigel just laid bare a little more of the behind-the-scenes action than I would have expected.

For the guys, Nigel says that he didn't think anyone did a very good solo. He tells Vitolio that they didn't see his personality in his routines, but they are giving him another chance. He tells Jonathan that he performed a little better last night and Tony that his solo was all locking and "not particularly good" locking at that. He drags it out a little, but Tony is going home. I'm OK with that!

What do you think of the results? It's always tough this early when people we didn't really get to know go home (e.g. Paris), but I don't feel quite the same about Tony because I'm not quite sure how he ended up in the Top 20 in the first place, so I felt like this was coming.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, So You Think You Can Dance
        

No pressure, So You Think You Can Dance, but judge Adam Shankman tweeted today: "No joke: tonight is one of the best sytycd dance eps ever. The 20 brought it!"

I say: Bring it on!

Tonight's panel includes Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. 

Before the competition portion gets started, we get a montage of how the Top 20 made it through all the rounds to the finals. They were good, they cried, I get to finish my dinner because it's all rehash.

The first couple is Jeanine and Phillip. Jeanine, who we haven't seen much of before, interviews that she was a hot mess when she started dancing and that she doesn't have great legs or "turnout" but she does have passion. Phillip, on the other hand, we've seen a lot of. He's the pop-and-locker who made it to Vegas last season but had to bow out because of pneumonia. He got to come back this season and showed potential for versatility, making it to the Top 20. They'll be doing a hip-hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha that's about "a couple who can't go to bed without resolving their issues," danced to "Mad" by Ne-Yo. T&N do take a rather literal approach to the stories of their dances sometimes, huh? This song has the lyrics: "I don't want to go to bed mad." Though Jeanine claimed to be horrible at hip-hop, I think she comported herself well; she didn't seem to be faking it to me. And N&T's style worked to Phillip's strengths, so overall, they did a great job. Adam says it was "un-freaking-real." He adds that Jeanine held her own with Phillip during the performance and that it's a joy to watch him dance and an amazing partner. Mary says she hates to disagree with Adam ... but SHE'S NOT GOING TO (*scream scream scream*). Nigel agrees that Jeanine was fantastic and says that she's made an impression that should help her catch up with Phillip and his following.

Continue reading "'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 20 dance for votes" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I lost a big hunk of So You Think You Can Dance tonight thanks to the storm, but I did gather this: Annapolis sisters Megan and Caitlin Kinney did not both make it to the Top 32.

During the early rounds in Vegas week, Megan, 18, did well and made the initial cuts. Her sister Caitlin, 21, lost touch with some of the choreography, but based on the strength of her solo was allowed to "dance for her life." That was when the gap in my recording started, but she evidently made it to the next round. However, in that round, Megan was cut.

So Caitlin is part of the Top 32; tomorrow night we will find out whether she makes it to the finals: the Top 20.

A number of seemingly favorite contestants fell short and were sent packing, among them Natalie Reid, the former roommate of last season's runner-up Katee, and Gabi Rojas, the amazing first auditioner we saw this season.

Update: Here's a more detailed recap from Give Me My Remote, who did not have the storm-induced TV troubles that I did. I'm looking forward to seeing who makes the Top 20 tonight. How about you?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, So You Think You Can Dance
        

It appears Tyra Banks is pulling out all the stops this year to attract viewers to America's Next Top Model. That means for the first time in 11 cycles of the show, there will be a transgender contestant among the finalists. AND, she's from Maryland!

Her name is Isis, and she hails from Prince George's County. I have often wondered how the show would deal with this if it ever became an issue. Obviously, Tyra and company feel that beauty is beauty, regardless of gender. 

In other Top Model news, I'm sure you've all heard this old piece of gossip: Cycle 9 villain/contestant Bianca Golden was involved in a fight with Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky in Turks and Caicos Islands. Blonsky's father was finally released from jail this week.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: America's Next Top Model, Maryland reality contestants
        

Maryland Institute College of Art student Bryan East is competing on the second season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. Bryan (who dances under the name "Boogie Mind") and his D.C.-based crew, Boogie Bots, have been advancing through the rounds. The Randy Jackson-produced show is filming in Los Angeles, but MICA says Bryan will return to school in September. He'll be a senior.

Crew members Migs and Magic Mike are also Marylanders. Mike, according to his MySpace page, goes to UMBC. Migs' MySpace page says he's a UMBC grad who lives in Baltimore.

America's Best Dance Crew airs at 10 p.m. Thursdays. Check the guys out!

Posted by Carla Correa at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Marylander Caity Lynn Fisher and partner Will Snyder won CMT's Can You Duet competition on Friday night. Congrats! (Part of the deal is a recording contract. It seems like reality-TV country crooners seem to find a bit of success in the "real world" -- I just heard Josh Gracin of American Idol on the radio. I'm rooting for these two.)

Posted by Carla Correa at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Just got word that Caitlin Lynn of Glen Burnie (and half of the duo Eighty1 South) is a finalist on CMT's reality competition Can You Duet.

I haven't been watching this one, but you can read Caitlin's blog about the show here.  

Also, check out the video above to see the final 8 duos. Caitlin and her partner Will Snynder perform starting around the 3:50 mark. 

The show airs Friday nights at 8 on CMT. Have you been watching? What do you think of it so far? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

At long, long last, here we are: The final performance show of this season of Dancing With the Stars.

Tonight the final three will do a "cha-cha faceoff" as well as each perform a freestyle dance.

The cha-cha faceoff is first, with all three couples dancing back-to-back during the song "Dancing on the Ceiling."

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are the first couple on the floor, and they have a lot of hip-shaking and bare-chest action (his). Then, Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska come out, and they've got all sorts of tricksy moves and body rolls. Lastly, Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas hit the floor, and their routine has a boatload of spins and an amazing amount of energy. The routine ends with Jason and Cristian lifting Kristi up over their heads, which is pretty impressive since they are so tall.

Len Goodman says at his age, it takes a lot to get him excited, but this did it. He says Cristian has great hips and rhythm, and that Jason has a grace about him and style, but he doesn't think Latin is his big thing. He says Kristi was the "complete package." Bruno Tonioli says Cristian "banged like the best" and that he's shown so much improvement. He says Jason's timing was a tad off, but he was still great and athletic. But then he adds that Kristi was in a master class all her own. Carrie Ann Inaba says it was really interesting watching them back to back. She says she thought Cristian was fantastic but that his injury seems to be messing up his posture a bit. She agrees that she feels bad that Jason had this dance since it's his weakest dance, but he still did a good job. She closes saying that Kristi won that, "hands down."

Cristian and Cheryl's scores: 8-9-9, for a 26/30.

Jason and Edyta's scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Kristi and Mark's scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.

Kristi and Mark prepare for the freestyle. When they come out on stage, Kristi is wearing PJs and Mark has on this bizarre bathrobe and fake-abs T-shirt. They rip off these clothes to reveal pinstriped sequined outfits and Converse sneakers. They are all over the place in terms of styles and choreography and have a ton of energy. They pull off a bunch of lifts, and Kristi even boosts Mark for a backflip. It's a little manic, but a blast to watch. Bruno says it was an inspiring match of mambo and hip-hop and that it was "worthy of the championship." Carrie Ann says she was the big crowd-pleaser. "Loved it!" Len says he isn't a lover of hip-hop when it's in a Latin dance, but this held his attention from start to finish, and that he absolutely loved it. Scores: 10-10-10, for a(nother) 30/30 and a total 60/60.

Jason and Edyta aim to have a ton of tricks in their routine, but during practice, Edyta gets dropped a lot. They perform to "Welcome to Miami" (of course). Edyta starts in a pretty sundress and hat, but Jason rips off her dress to reveal a tiny outfit. Their performance is pretty much straight hip-hop with lots of tricks. It's fun, but doesn't nearly have the finesse or range of Kristi and Mark's. And to keep the percentage of people who have their clothes ripped off during the freestyle round at 100 percent, Edyta removes Jason's tank top as the final flourish of their dance. Carrie Ann tells Edyta she's so glad to see her in the finals. She says, "Who knew, Jason Taylor can get funky!" Len says he loved the humor and the lifts and that he could see them together at the beach, Jason in his Speedo, "me in my thong!" Bruno speaks for all viewers when he says, "I'm not going to have dinner tonight!" Bruno says it was like "watching centerfolds, and the dance wasn't bad, either." Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30 and a total 51/60.

Cristian and Cheryl are last, with a Latin-themed performance featuring a lot of hip-shaking and an amazing number of one-armed lifts and tricks. But no clothes were ripped off in the making of this performance. Len says he loved the Latin flavor and that he has to take into consideration that the other two had amazing lifts and some of theirs weren't up to par (which he of course has to mention, regardless of the injury since everyone is being judged by the same standards). Bruno says he hasn't seen so much shaking in L.A. since the Northridge earthquake. (Incidentally, this seems like a bad time to make earthquake jokes, but maybe that's just me.) He calls Cristian a Latin stallion. Carrie Ann says that this is all about seeing who leaves it all on the floor and that while they might not have compared to Kristi's performance, Crisitian is a winner in so many ways. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30 and 52/60.

So I think it's unanimous that Kristi took that -- finally a 60/60, and both performances were a total blast.

Who do you think deserves to win? And who do you think will win?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

We've got two hours of Dancing With the Stars tonight so the show can celebrate its 100th episode (and host Tom Bergeron's birthday, as I learned on Entertainment Tonight a little while ago. Please don't judge me).

The first hour features the judges' favorite dances from the first five seasons. No. 10 is Kelly Monaco's freestyle from the season one's week six. No. 9 is Sabrina Bryan's paso doble from season five. No. 8 is Emmitt Smith's cha-cha-cha from season three. No. 7 is Apolo Anton Ohno's seaon four quickstep. No. 6 is Joey Fatone's season four jive. No. 5 is Helio Castroneves' season five quickstep (in the giant yellow suit). No. 4 is Drew Lachey's freestyle from season two's finale. No. 3 is Stacy Keibler's season two samba. No. 2 is Mel B's paso doble from season five. No. 1 is Mario Lopez's tango from season three.

I didn't watch the first season, but I learned from this clip show that the standards are a lot higher now. During that Kelly Monaco dance, there were a bunch of parts where they paused to make sure they started the next part together, and she was looking at her partner's feet a bunch. Interesting.

Let's get on with the results show, shall we?

* They kick things off with a big group dance from the pros to "Hard to Handle."

* Montage from last night.

* Backstage, Samantha Harris talks to the five remaining stars, all of whom feel at risk, glad to be there and hope to still be around next week.

* Rascal Flatts performs, and Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough dance along with them. (They rock, by the way.)

* Tom Bergeron talks to a bunch of past cast members, who are in the audience. Stacy Keibler says she emailed George Hamilton to see if he would be around. Lisa Rinna says she is doing lots of cardio ballroom. Jerry Springer says his hip still hurts. Vivica A. Fox says she's retired her stilettos. Joey Fatone says he's still bitter, and Kenny Mayne says he's tired of being Tom's punchline, and Sabrina just gets to say "thank you" after Tom says Kenny used all her time.

* Mario Lopez and the cast of Broadway's A Chorus Line hit the stage to perform.

* Rascal Flatts returns, and Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance.

* Kelly Monaco tells Samantha she's for Kristi. Apolo says he's for the athletes, but probably Kristi because he's partial to skaters. Drew says his money is on Cristian.

* Results, finally: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe, as are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. After a break, more results: Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, which leaves Mario and Jason Taylor as the last two stars standing. Leaving are Mario and Karina Smirnoff, meaning Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe.

* Mario says: "I've had a great time performing on this show, I've had a great partner, we've had some great competition. ... Len, thank you for all your comments. Ultimately, you've helped me become a better ballroom dancer. And the comment about me being brave and being an inspiration for young people. I want to say that the real brave ones are the young men and women fighting for our country."

Well, that's a classy exit for our hometown contestant. How do you feel about the results? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on two dances -- and they'll be allowed one lift per dance. Plus, we'll see how Cristian de la Fuente handles his injured arm.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas will be doing quickstep and samba this evening. In the intro footage, Kristi really wants to take advantage of the opportunity to do lifts, but Mark isn't so sure. He finally agrees to add one to their quickstep, which is their first dance. It's fun and fast and seems fairly traditional, though the lift in question ends up being, well, kind of lame after all that buildup. Judge Len Goodman says that dance cheered him up to no end and says it had "great light and shade." Bruno Tonioli says Kristi is a supercandidate with a super ticket for the final. Carrie Ann Inaba liked that they danced toward the judges, but she says that at one point, they got a little hair out of sync. Scores: 9-10-10, for a 29/30.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff practice the jive and the Viennese waltz. Their waltz is first, and he's determined to show that he can be an elegant dancer, since Len said last week that was not his strong point. I'm not a ballroom expert, but he looks pretty dapper to me. Bruno calls him "Prince Mario," and says he had "polish and distinction, poise, restraint." Yeah, he liked it. Carrie Ann says his posture was the best thus far and she thought the lift "completely enhanced your routine." Len says, and I quote, "Normally, your ballroom dancing reminds me a bit of Britney Spears getting out of a car: Not very elegant, you sometimes see odd things you'd rather not, but tonight I thought that was the most elegant I've seen you dance. ... Gorgeous, floating movement, good job." Wow, Len, don't mince any words. Backstage, always on point Samantha Harris tells Mario that he got some fantastic comments from the judges. Um. Eventually. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Host Tom Bergeron: "Coming up, more frightening analogies from Len."

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week eight performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams reports:

He said “fierce.” He called one character a “hot tranny mess.” And more important he was mentioned by name at least a half dozen times during last night’s episode of ABC’s hit Ugly Betty.

Christian Siriano indeed made his mark on the dramedy, which takes a satirical look at the fashion magazine industry through the lives of employees at Mode, a fictional magazine based in New York City.

Although his appearance was pretty brief, he packed in his usual outdated catch phrases. (Seriously, who in their right mind still says “fierce” and “work it”?)

Siriano – accompanied by three stunning models wearing designs that I’m pretty sure he designed – played himself on the episode. (I’m also pretty sure that one of the show’s stars Rebecca Romijn was wearing one of his designs.)

Anywho, writers were able to work Siriano into the storyline by having the Mode editors attempt to persuade the Project Runway winner to unveil some of his new designs in an upcoming issue. Siriano was accompanied by Project Runway judge Nina Garcia, who appeared to be acting as his agent during the show. She described him as a “diva” before he made his entrance.

Siriano is the latest guest star to arrive on the Betty set this season. Others include: Victoria Beckham, who has worn Siriano’s designs in the past; Dawson’s Creek alum James Van Der Beek; and Celebrity Apprentice alum Gene Simmons, who flashed his freakishly long tongue. Diva supermodel and frequent flyer Naomi Campbell is scheduled to appear at the end of this season.

Siriano is definitely part of an eclectic mix.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Guest blogger Karlayne Parker reports:

In planning her wedding, bride Christine Johnson of Baltimore let her wedding planner know Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

On the Style Network show, which aired earlier this week, this DIY bride relinquished little to Vicky Johnson of area event-planning business holy matrimony on the big day at Tagart Memorial Chapel on the campus of McDonogh School,

Who made the wedding cake? Christine did.

Actually, Christine made just about everything: the cake, the invitations, selected the reception hall (with her fiance), the color scheme for the wedding, and she did her own hair and makeup on her wedding day.

She was very decisive, to say the least.

"I’m trying to take things off her plate but she wants to keep them," Johnson told the reality show cameras. "I’m not going to fight with her."

In the end, Johnson managed to put her organizing skills to work for the bride and groom. There were a few glitches, though.

The episode reairs at 11 a.m. tomorrow on the Style Network. Go to mystyle.com for details on each show.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Christian Siriano, the former Annapolis resident/Project Runway winner/walking stereotype, will be making an appearance tonight on my favorite show, Ugly Betty.

Regardless of your personal feelings about the guy, it is undeniable that he is the most recognizable Project Runway winner ever. I can’t remember the last time a contestant on the show had this much buzz.

Name one who was spoofed on Saturday Night Live (see clip above)? I can’t remember one making national headlines for being a judge for the Miss USA competition. Can you remember the last Runway contestant who hosted awards shows? And now Ugly Betty.

What’s next? Hopefully, we’ll see a successful clothing line. After all, isn’t that why he won the competition? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Project Runway
        

Despite what all the gossip blogs were saying, Cristian de la Fuente, who was injured last night on Dancing With the Stars, is here for tonight's live show.

During the recap from last night, Cheryl Burke interviews that she heard a crack and thought her dress had ripped or something, and then realized the noise had been from Cristian's arm.

Reprisal time: Len Goodman says they want to see Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's quickstep.

Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe.

In case you ever wondered if they taped some of this stuff, the supposed backstage promo of Def Leppard and the pros who will be dancing with them includes Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff, but then during the transition to commercial, which returns back to the stage, Cheryl and Karina are on stage with their partners. Whoa.

Then, it's "DanceCenter" with Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Len Goodman.

Then DWtS tries to out-hip Idol and succeeds by about two decades with a "performance" of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, though it's some of the saddest lip-syncing I've ever seen, since it sounds like they are just playing the CD.

More "DanceCenter."

Results again: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe. (Whew, says Baltimore.)

Def Leppard's back for another performance, this one of a song from the band's new album, which came out today. Woo.

Results: Everyone looks really solemn except for Shannon Elizabeth, who is grinning. After the break, Tom and Samathan talk to Cristian. He says he ruptured the tendon of his bicep. Even so, he found out a few minutes ago that his doctor said he can delay the surgery and stay on the show if the voters have agreed to let him stay. Cristian and Cheryl are indeed safe, Tom reveals. In the bottom two: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Safe: Jason and Edyta. Bottom two: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

Going home: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. She says the show has been amazing, and she's made friends for life. Derek says she's been a great partner and she's "a big dork, but I love that."

They dance; she cries.

What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants have to take on two dances -- one Latin and one ballroom.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are doing the tango and the rumba this week. In the intro, Marissa says she is mixing up the two and she's afraid she's going to go out there and "do the rumbango!" The tango is their first performance, and the theatricality of it really suits Marissa. Also, she seems to have grasped the precision of the dance's steps; it's great. Judge Len Goodman says their expectations are still high even though they are doing two dances. He sums up: "Three words: your best dance." Bruno Tonioli says they had "drama, passion and a hint of disdain." Carrie Ann Inaba says something has come out of her and that it was "a wonderful performance" that showed a new side of her. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke prepare for the Viennese waltz and the samba. In another weird moment, in the intro, Cheryl says that the Viennese waltz should be like him dancing with his daughter, and then there is footage of him getting a pep talk from his little girl. But for the performance, Cristian and Cheryl dance to "I'll Make Love to You." Um, OK. But back to the dance. It's romantic and flowy (and points to the wardrobe people for Cheryl's dress, which complements their movements). Bruno calls him "South America's Clark Gable" and says they had great movement. Carrie Ann says he's found "new fluidity," but that they lacked just a hair of energy. Len says the dance had a bit of romance, but it lacked content. Scores: 8-8-9, for a 25/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week seven performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

It's time again for eliminations on Dancing With the Stars, and it could be a surprise since so many people stepped up their scores and a couple of others faltered.

Here's the rundown on the evening's activities:

* Reprised dance? The country-and-western group performance, of course.

* Ashlee Simpson sings, and some pros (including Artem from So You Think You Can Dance) accompany her on the dance floor.

* Results: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, however, are in the bottom two.

* Backstage, Shannon and Derek apologize for their heated comments after last night's show about how the critiques were unfair (Shannon) and that the judges were giving 9s and 10s to people doing "heel-leads" and ridiculous arm movements (Derek).

* Then there's a performance by some of the dancers from Riverdance.

* The junior competition continues with the 13 and younger category. Brandon and Brittany dance the cha-cha, and Austin and Liza dance the samba. The judges choose Brandon and Brittany to go forward.

* Montage of what it's like for the judges.

* More results: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe, and so are Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke (so yay, we are saved from Len showing his bum in the supermarket, which he said he would do if Cristian was in the bottom two).

* After a break, more results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are also safe, leaving Mario and Karina Smirnoff in the bottom two.

* And ousted from the competition are: Marlee and Fabian.

What do you think of the results? I'm sad for Marlee, though not shocked since she did have a rough couple of weeks. Still, I thought her fan base might pull her through. But I'm glad Mario is still in it -- he's been getting better and better, and of course, he is our hometown contestant.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's a night of two dances -- first each couple has to take on a dance they haven't tried before, and then there will be a big group country-and-western number.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska take on the cha-cha for the first time this season. In their preparations, they focus a lot on judge Len Goodman's comment last week that Jason didn't dance enough -- that too often he was just kind of there while Edyta danced around him. That is not a problem in this performance, which is fun and kicky and has way more hip action than most cha-chas I remember on this show. Len says this week definitely had enough content and that they captured the flavor of the dance, though his heart went out to Jason a couple of times when he could tell Jason was counting, but still, he calls it a "marvelous job." Bruno Tonioli says Jason always seems heroic, but they showed much more personality this week. He does agree that the missteps were a problem. Carrie Ann Inaba says Jason needs to work harder to keep his arms in check and to dance bigger. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough prepare to dance the rumba, and Shannon is concerned since she had a rough time last week. Speaking of last week, several of the contestants had trouble with the rumba last Monday, mostly because its slow speed revealed a lot of flaws. I think it largely worked for Shannon tonight and let her really extend her long limbs more gracefully. But let's see what the pros think. Bruno says they had a lot of romantic interplay, but that they had the cardinal sin of the rumba: no hip action. Carrie Ann says she needs to go beyond her potential and that she has "the ability to make great shapes, you just have to sustain them." Len says he loved the start and that they were "all over each other like a rash." Despite the lack of hip action and moments that lacked fluidity, he says they did a good job. Co-host Samantha Harris asks them just how close they have become (referring to the steamy photos of them on the beach that recently surfaced). Derek says they were on the beach practicing and in character and that was all. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week six performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Lutherville native Greg Plitt made his debut in the third-season premiere of Work Out last night. (Find a video preview and a link to an interview with him here.)

He admitted in the story that the show is all about the drama (real drama? manufactured drama?), but it was still pretty surprising to see him, as the new guy, in the first episode:

* Taking off his shirt during his first training session with a client

* Butting heads with gym owner (and star of the show) Jackie Warner over the new staff uniforms (which she designed herself).

* Showing up late to a party with coworkers -- and bringing a client as a date.

Off to a good start, dude.

And a little note for reality-TV synergy fans: How weird was it to see Sarah Kozer from Joe Millionaire again? (She was training in the gym.) Like it's not already weird enough to see Rebecca from The Amazing Race on this show!

What did you think of the premiere?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Somebody's going home tonight on Dancing With the Stars, and there are a lot of options after all the leader-board shuffling.

Here's how everything went down:

* The reprised dance of the evening is Kristi and Mark's rumba, which I can't really argue with.

* Ozomatli (I forgot how many people are in that band!) performs, and a whole ton of the pros come out to dance.

* Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe, and Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are in the bottom two.

* The Dancing With the Stars Junior competition continues with the 10 and younger group.

* Host Tom Bergeron has a TelePrompTer problem and pitches it to results instead of a montage of what show day is like.

* Now it's time for those results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe.

* James Blunt performs, accompanied by some pros.

* More results: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe, as are Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Then a break, then, more results. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe, as are Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, leaving Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel in the bottom two.

* And the ejected couple is: Priscilla and Louis. Not the biggest surprise after being in the bottom two last week.

What do you think of the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Lutherville native Greg Plitt joins the cast of Work Out as the newest trainer in Jackie Warner's gym in L.A. Greg talked to reporter Meredith Cohn for today's story.

Check out a clip from the show above. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

It's Latin night on Dancing With the Stars, which means the couples will be taking on the samba and the rumba. (Also, it's the halfway point, woo.)

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are up first, hoping to impress Len Goodman with their samba. In the interview, he says he feels the judges are wanting to see something special from him and he doesn't think he's given it to them yet. In the lead-in footage, Mario visits Stevie Wonder for some inspiration, after which he says, "I've got my swagger back." That's no lie -- there's all kinds of hip action going on, and they seem to be having fun again, which is good. Len Goodman says: "This dance suited you. It's got a freedom about it, it's a party dance. You came out with gay abandon. Great hip action you had throughout the dance. ... Work on your footwork a little more, but ... best dance so far!" Bruno Tonioli tells him: "If your hips could talk, we'd be censored tonight. ... Quite classic. ... I loved it." Carrie Ann Inaba says they got to the point and danced, and it was great. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30, their best score yet.

Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are next, with the rumba. They start with a slow walk, and then Priscilla, who turns 63 next month, does the splits. I am not kidding. Their performance is very sensual, and Priscilla sells the drama with her acting skills, as usual. Bruno says she plays her part well every week, but, "the problem is, the rumba being so slow, it reveals some faults." He says she pushed a little too far this week, but the performance was good. Carrie Ann agrees that she was going for so much technique that she was dancing in her head instead of flowing naturally. Len says her footwork was disappointing, and the other two get mad that he doesn't give them credit for the difficulty level. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week five performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Dancing With the Stars jumps right in to the show tonight, introducing Sheryl Crow to performing "All I Wanna Do" within seconds of the show starting.

But we can't avoid filler forever. After that, it's time for a montage from last night. Strangely, the judges' choice for a reprisal this evening is Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough's paso doble, unicycle and all. 

At last, some results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe, as are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. 

A new addition to the results show is a kids' ballroom competition. Daniela (age 8) and Aaron (9) dance the samba to "Under the Sea," and seriously, how could that not be entirely adorable? Len Goodman says he was "bitterly disappointed" because the performance was too short and he would have liked to see more dancing. Bruno says the audience wanted to join in. Carrie Ann says Daniela was a firecracker, and it was great when Aaron cracked a smile. Their competition is Rashell (age 8) and a different Aaron (also 8). They dance the paso doble, and it, too, is so cute. Bruno says they are small, but they sold the heck out of the performance. Carrie Ann says it was great, dramatic and dynamic. Len found it sharp, precise and a great job. The judges choose Aaron and Rashell as the couple that will return to perform another week.

The results have to wait a little longer because Sheryl Crow is back to sing another song. I think it must be pretty strange for the guest singers on this show because the audience responds heavily to the dancers who accompany them and not that much to the musical performance, which must be unusual. The next segment, as it turns out, shows what it's like behind the scenes when the pros prepare for the dances with the guest singers, and the guests seem pretty impressed by the pros' moves.

More results: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez are safe, but that's all we get. After yet another break, they're back. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, as are Mario and Karina Smirnoff (who look gobsmacked and thrilled).

Another break, then more results: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are in the bottom two, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are in the bottom two, leaving Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani as the final safe couple.

Ousted are Adam and Julianne, which, it's about time. He jokes, of course, but he does tell the audience that they should embrace that which frightens them and go get some new, great experiences. Aww, the feel-good quotient of that closing statement was almost Guttenberg-esque. Who would've thought?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on the Viennese waltz or the paso doble in an attempt to impress the judges and the viewers.

First on the floor are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, who have been the top scorers with a 27/30 for three weeks running. They are among the couples doing the paso doble, so she will have the opportunity to bring the emotions that the judges wanted to see from her last week during the tango. They dance to "Blue Monday," and the choreography has, as it should, a very aggressive, sharp feel. Head judge Len Goodman says, "You can't dance bad, as far as I'm concerned. ... My slight criticism would be that every dance has a slight sameness to it." Ah, the hazards of consistency! Judge Bruno Tonioli says she was "Jezebel out there." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba says Kristi and Mark have set the standard this season and are forcing everyone else to work even harder. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30, which includes the first 10s of the season.

Priscilla Presley and  Louis van Amstel work on the delicate movements of the Viennese waltz by going roller skating. Go figure. Their performance is very flowy and romantic, but lots of it seems to depend on Priscillia swishing her skirt around with her hands, and that's kind of distracting to me. Bruno says, "It was like watching a scene from The Merry Widow. ... Great interpretation." He adds that she needs to watch the line of her neck. Carrie Ann says she creates lots of drama with her facial expression, "but I feel that your balance was just a bit off, and unfortunately, I think there was a lift." Len: "It had elegance, it had flow across the floor. ... I've got to drop a point because you did a lift, and lifts are forbidden." Scores: 7-7-8, for a 22/30. 

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Top 9 couples perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Someone's going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars. But first, there's 59 minutes of other stuff. So let's get to it.

After a montage from last night, head judge Len Goodman announces the reprise dance of the evening, which is actually kind of amusing: They want to see Steve Guttenberg dance with Jonathan Roberts, who trained Steve for most of the dance since his wife, Anna Trebunskaya, was ill for most of the week. Steve has a little trouble keeping his intense face on because he wants to laugh, but that was different and kind of fun.

(Some) results time: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are, too. Everyone else has to wait.

After a break, Kylie Minogue performs her new single while men in glittery suits dance around her.

Results again: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel and Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe.

Then a funnier-than-expected April Fools' bit about the stars' unexpected hobbies. (Jason loves building ships in bottles! Marissa lives to surf! Kristi wins hot-dog-eating competitions!)

Next, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre performs a selection from Revelations, which is pretty awesome.

After a break, Kylie returns to sing "Can't Get You Out of My Head," while Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas dance.

More results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska and Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez. After a break, more info. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, and Cheryl is excited. Also safe: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

This leaves Mario and Karina Smirnoff and Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya (although they are not necessarily the bottom two, we are told).

The couple that is out is Steve and Anna, and Mario's Baltimore fans breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. (Whew.)

How do you feel about the results? I'm not shocked about Steve, and I'm relieved that Mario and Marissa are safe. Feel-good Steve was starting to drive me crazy.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

It's double elimination night on Dancing With the Stars -- let's get to the recap and see who's getting cut loose.

Judge Len Goodman says tonight's encore dance is Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's mambo, which is a nice choice.

Then, it's time to start talking about who is safe: Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya are in. ("WOW," Tom says, mocking Steve. Hee hee.) But, of course, we've got to draw this out as much as possible, so that's all we get for now.

The Jonas Brothers come out to sing "Take on Me" while some of the pros come out to dance.

Back to eliminations: Jason and Edyta are safe, and so are Mario and Karina Smirnoff. After a break, it's revealed that Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are safe, too, leaving Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson and Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke. At long last, Tom announces that Penn and Kym are out. That wasn't a huge surprise.

Now, the women get ready to find out. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe, but it's time for more filler.

First, Cameron Mathison runs around New York City asking people about the show. More entertainingly, there is an aerial dance performance by Cirque du Soleil dancers, followed by another Jonas Brothers song.

More safe couples: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez and Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. Then a break, then more results. Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are safe, leaving Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts and Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Going home are: Monica and Jonathan.

Next week, it's the tango or the jive.

What do you think about the departures? I don't think either one is that shocking. That'll come later in the season.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Tonight, all 12 couples on Dancing With the Stars get to hit the dance floor, and then tomorrow night, two celebs will be heading home (in the first! double! elimination!).

The couples that did ballroom last week will do Latin tonight and vice versa. The night's dances are the mambo and the quickstep, and hometown boy Mario will be among those taking on the quickstep.

The first couple of the night is Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya, who will be doing the mambo. Anna's mom Irina comes to help train him and reveals her love for Police Academy and yoga and that they also share a fear of Anna. Nice! So they perform, and Steve takes Irina's advice to have fun with it (not that he wasn't already doing that -- he seems to have an almost cultish devotion to having fun on the show), and it seems OK, but soooo cheesy. Judge Len Goodman compares his dancing to Len's cooking -- "I can see you're trying so hard, but it didn't work for me." Bruno Tonioli says all the effort went into the facial expressions and not the dance performance. He calls him out for his footwork and his posture and pretty much everything else. Carrie Ann Inaba says he was off musically, and it never really went anywhere. Scores: 6-5-5, for a 16/30, for a 34/60 with last week's scores. Speaking of cultish devotion, Steve says the show "makes the world a better place." Mmmmkay, Pollyanna.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week two" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In case you missed it, Sun TV critic David Zurawik just chatted with Baltimore's Mario, the R&B star who made a big splash in his debut week on Dancing With the Stars.

Check it out here.

See more with Mario in Monday's Today section and more about Dancing With the Stars here.

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As the premiere of Dancing With the Stars continues, tonight the women get to take the floor.

But first, a manly montage. However, I already covered that ground last night, so let's get on with the show.

Shannon Elizabeth is up first. She says she is best known for her role on American Pie (which came out nine years ago, just for the record), but she's also a poker player. Her partner is Derek Hough. They take on the cha-cha-cha, dancing to Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive." They've got speed and some technique, but you can definitely tell it's the early rounds -- Shannon looks like she is thinking really hard and seems a little tentative but she's playing to win. Judge Len Goodman says it was a great start to the season and very high energy. He tells Shannon that if she is going to wear outfits that short, her legs need to be very straight, and they weren't quite right. Bruno Tonioli calls her a sexy minx and says she has great natural extension, but she needs to finesse her technique a little. Carrie Ann says Shannon has energy and confidence and great legs. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': and now, the women" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Well, here we are, back for the premiere of yet another season of Dancing With the Stars.

It's an interesting cast this year, and locally, of course, we're most excited about the presence of R&B star Mario among the contestants.

First up, the pros come out and put on a show to "Let Me Entertain You."

Then we're introduced to the stars, after which we learn that then men perform tonight, the women tomorrow and there's no elimination this week. Well, whew, because I was afraid for a minute that this was going to be on three times this week!

The first out on the floor aremagician Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson. In an interview, Penn says he isn't the youngest or most athletic, but he has the most stage experience, which he hopes will help. They seem to be having fun during preparations, and here's hoping that sense of fun comes with them during their performance. They start the cha-cha-cha with the longest feather boa I have ever seen. And it's true, he is super-comfortable on stage and performing the heck out of the dance, but it kind of feels more like a comedy show than a dance show. Still, it is entertaining. Judge Len Goodman says Penn captured "the flavor" of the cha-cha-cha, but, "the problem is your feet." Still, he closes, "well done." Bruno Tonioli says, "It was like watching a trailer for Shrek Goes Cha-Cha-Cha." Carrie Ann Inaba says he has great attitude but needs to work on the footwork. Scores: 5-6-5, for a 16/30. (Host Samantha Harris makes comments including the words "magical" and "do the trick," and I wonder if she really wants to use all her best lines in the first 25 minutes!)

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' kicks off with Baltimore's Mario" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In case you missed Saturday Night Live's sendup of Christian Siriano, you can check it out above.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Newsday was the the finale party for Project Runway last night and got to chat with winner Christian Siriano. Check it out above.

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

So what’s is your next move?

Honestly, I’m really going to be working on my collection for next season. I’m going to show in Fashion Week again for spring. I’m just starting to work really hard on that. And it can be more of a show than you saw tonight. It’s going to be amazing. That’s the goal.

That’s the first purchase, a bed — and fabulous pair of shoes. I definitely need those.



It’s pretty amazing. She’s like a dream client and she’s such a muse. It was perfect. It was everything I wanted. Undeniably perfect.

I was competing against amazing designers. Jillian and Rami are so talented. I wanted them to know that I cared about them and I think the world of them. I was just humbled, really.

I think it was really respectful because we’re real designers, and it didn’t need to be that kind of show. It was a real fashion show during real Fashion Week. It was so much better.

You made a big splash on the show; is there more reality TV in future?

I’m not a big reality TV fan, but you never know. I could see a little sitcom or a little movie for me. We’ll see how it goes.

Posted by Tim Swift at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Finally, finally, tonight we find out who wins Project Runway -- and whether Annapolis native Christian Siriano is going to take home the big prize.

Back to the show. The three finalists show off their designs to Tim Gunn, who gives them a little feedback, although at this point there isn't much they can do.

Christian interviews that he thinks Jillian's collection is very innovative and that Rami's very talented and his work shows it, so it's messing with his head. This is a far cry from the usual, cocky Christian we've come to know.  

Next up, the final three start model casting for the runway show. Christian says he needs "strong, confident and amazing girls." Jillian interviews that she's never done a casting, so everything is a new experience for her.

Rami says some of the girls were great, some were OK and, "some were tragic."

The next morning, it's time to work out the makeup and do fittings. Christian interviews that he is over his nerves and totally excited.

Continue reading "'Project Runway': and the winner is ..." »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In case you missed it, check out Abigail Tucker's story today on Christian Siriano. The Annapolis native and Baltimore School for the Arts grad is one of the Project Runway finalists who's up for the big prize tonight.

The finale airs tonight at 10 on Bravo. I'll have a recap of the show up as soon as possible after it's over.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tomorrow, at long last, we'll know whether Annapolis' Christian Siriano is the winner of Project Runway. To gear up for the finale, take another look at a clip from last week, when Tim Gunn visited Christian in his New York apartment to check on how his collection was going.

Who do you think is going to win? Who do you want to see win? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The whole point of tonight's episode of Project Runway was to see who was making the final cut -- would it be Rami or Chris March?

But it was repeated again and again that they would have to make it through the final challenge in order to show at Fashion Week. And yet, since Fashion Week happened a while ago, Chris, Rami, Jillian and Christian -- as well as Sweet P -- all got to show because otherwise it would be obvious who had been cut.

So Rami made the final three and still has a chance to win the whole thing. But don't feel too bad for Chris March -- his collection was shown, too.

Next week, the top three will face off, and we'll learn the winner. Who are you rooting for?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Project Runway
        

I still don't know why Project Runway airs its reunion before the finale, but I guess I'm kind of used to it by now. Here are some highlights:

* Jack, who had to leave because of a health issue, is back and talks about how he made the right decision, but it was still really hard. There is a weird exchange where they ask Victorya, who is seated defensively, arms crossed tight around her, about how she felt about the scenario. She says "upset" is the right word, but it doesn't seem to be upset in the same way as the other designers who were crying upon his departure (and upon viewing the clip thereof). Heidi says to Tim, "Victorya's always a little uptight, no?" So what's the deal here? Was she mad about Chris March being able to return or what? Weird.

* There's a viewer question for Kevin about whether he's really straight. He says yes, but then they show a montage of amusing clips of him talking to his girlfriend about having lots of new girlfriends, but of the same gender, and more. Tim tells him: "If being on Project Runway didn't turn you gay, nothing will."

Continue reading "'Project Runway' reunion, and fan favorite winner" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

What an eventful episode of Project Runway!

We knew the contestants would be trimmed from five to three so that the final three would be judged at Fashion Week.

For the final challenge, they went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had to pick a piece of artwork to inspire them for their last look.

Rami went straight for a statue of Aphrodite because of the -- you guessed it -- draping. Sweet P chose a painting of peacocks. Annapolis' Christian Siriano found a painting of a Spanish soldier, and Jillian chose a painting of the battle of the Argonauts. Lastly, Chris March found a painting of an 18th-century royal woman in a gown.

The designers all went in different directions with these inspirations:

Rami created yet another gorgeous gown, but the fact that it was draped -- AGAIN -- garnered the most notice. Sweet P made a pretty, but not all that interesting dress. Christian, super-quick at the sewing machine (and pretty jerky about it), made pants, a detailed shirt, a jacket and an over the shoulder piece. Jillian proved to be the queen of jackets again, as she created a gorgeous, detailed, gold-lined jacket that evoked the uniforms in her painting, as well as a great short, gold dress. Chris March's dress was gorgeous, but too evocative of the avant-garde piece he and Christian made a few weeks back.

The judges, including guest judge Roberto Cavalli, loved Christian and Jillian's looks right off the bad. They were kind of bored by Sweet P's dress, though they found it perfectly fine as a commercial look. Nina Garcia was most frustrated by Rami and his incessant draping. And while Cavalli loved Chris March's look, the other judges weren't as enamored, since its thunder was stolen by the previous piece.

In the end, Christian was the winner, Jillian a close second, and Sweet P was out. But then, a twist. Two were supposed to be eliminated, but the judges were deadlocked, so Rami and Chris March were both in and both able to create collections, but one will be eliminated before the finale.

(Of course, this elimination is a little misleading -- since Fashion Week was last week, all five of the remaining designers got to show at Bryant Park. You can see more photos here and a closer look at Christian's collection here.)

(Photo of Christian Siriano at Fashion Week by Associated Press)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

All of the remaining Project Runway contestants got to show collections at Fashion Week -- did you realize that? No, not all of these will make the two-part finale Feb. 27 and March 5, but they all got to show in order to keep the outcome of the show up in the air.

Don't want to be spoiled at all? Don't read the link below! (But don't fret -- it doesn't reveal the actual finalists.)

Continue reading "'Project Runway' at Fashion Week" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

See ya later, Ricky! I'm so not sad to see our (least) favorite cry-boy depart Project Runway. But did it shock anyone else that, after bawling in almost every other interview segment in the whole season, he didn't cry last night? I was shocked.

But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. The challenge was, the designers had to create in-the-ring outfits for six of World Wrestling Entertainment's divas. And they thought prom dresses were taking them outside their comfort zone!

Instead of shopping at fabric store Mood, they got their supplies at "Spandex House," which was a crack-up in and of itself. And making these choices seemed to throw some of the designers for a loop. Sweet P bought these two horrible holographic silver fabrics that just fought and fought with each other (because her diva likes "sparkly" things). And Rami bought the Barbiest pink in the history of the universe.

Annapolis' Christian Siriano went with a leather and lace look for his diva, Kristal, and she loved it. So did Christian, who thought for sure he was going to win (and also said "fierce" about 700 times).

Chris March and his diva, Maria, discovered a mutual love for leopard print. Chris, who is used to making outlandish costumes, was much less intimidated by this challenge than many of the others, and he created this great leopard hoodie lined with sparkly black material and with flared arms, as well as a leopard top with black straps meant to signify a caged animal.

For Michelle, Jillian created a royal blue top and short-shorts (shortest short-shorts ever) with a sporty twist, thanks to some striping details.

Sweet P's outfit for Candice Michelle was supposed to be a robe and bikini outfit, but the robe offered no drama, and the bikini was ill-fitting (especially for someone getting flung around a wrestling ring). And the silver spandex only made it worse.  

Rami's pink outfit for Torrie was too frilly by half (especially the removable skirt), and the eyeball-searing pink? Also didn't help.

But Ricky made the worst misstep, creating what he saw as a cute "one-piece" outfit, but what looked to everyone else like a boring orange bathing suit. And he added this removable shift made of gold spandex covered with black fishnet that did nothing for his diva, Layla.

And so, a not-tearful Ricky was sent packing (finally!), and the remaining designers get that much closer to Fashion Week.  

(Photo and video courtesy of Bravo TV)

Note: Just for the record, I headlined my entry before I saw Bravo's caption on its Ricky video. But it's too fitting to change!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Food Network's Dinner Impossible stopped by Crownsville a while back and filmed an episode at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. It airs Wednesday night at 10.

Read more about it here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It was all about denim on last night's Project Runway. Well, denim and redemption.

At the beginning, crybaby Ricky lamented that none of the other designers seemed to think that he should be there and that they didn't treat him or his experience with respect. Of course, none of the judges seemed enamored with his work, either, and his experience wasn't really showing. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For the challenge, the designers were ushered to a warehouse filled with Levi's 501s in various colors and styles and asked to create an iconic look that evoked the 501. They could grab as much as they could fit in a laundry bag in a certain amount of time. 

There was drama in the middle, as both Jillian and Victorya were working on coats, and both had some timing issues.

In the end, the judges had a lot of positive things to say. They liked Rami's dress accented with zipper trim and Christian Siriano's trucker-inspired outfit, which included a pair of jeans whose legs were made of the arms of jackets. Sweet P's slimming dress of several shades of denim also got high marks (good thing Tim Gunn steered her away from her denim wedding dress idea).

But the highest praise of all went to Ricky, who created a corset-inspired dress with impeccable stitching and fitting accented by a button fly down the front. The judges were thrilled that he finally lived up to his potential and his reputation as a lingerie designer, and he ended up the winner.

Victorya and Jillian's coats found them in the bottom (and Chris March's boring dress got him there, too, but not for long), but Jillian was saved for overreaching rather than appearing totally uninspired. So Victorya was auf'd.

It was interesting to note, though, that our Annapolis contestant, Christian, seems to be losing fans among his fellow designer. He got a lot of grief in interviews for being obnoxious and immature and seeming like a cartoon character. Ouch. That won't help much when the next group challenge surfaces.  

(Photo and video courtesy of Bravo)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

This Sunday, ABC will air the episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that focused on the Luther family of Port Deposit, Md. It runs 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday night on WMAR, Channel 2. Before that, at 7 p.m., WMAR presents the special Behind the Build, which will share more of the backstory.

And next Sunday, Jan. 27, check out The Sun's Real Estate section for an in-depth look at the Luthers' experience.

For a preview, click on the video above.

(Clark Turner, of Clark Turner Signature Homes, talks about building a Cecil County house from the ground up in less than a week for ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Video courtesy of Reflexion Videography)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

OK, raise your hand if you thought Christian Siriano and Chris March would be a disaster as teammates on last night's Project Runway?

I did, until I remembered the avant-garde theme, which I think played to the strengths of the costume-maker, as well as our edgy Annapolis boy.

This week, the designers were randomly assigned into teams of two and had to create an avant-garde look inspired by the crazy hairstyles given to their models. (Well, except the one girl who just looked like she had dirty roots -- and then no one picked her, so she was out of the models' part of the competition.)

The teams got to work on their creations, and most were struggling with the time frame on the second day when mentor Tim Gunn dropped another bomb: They'd also have to create a ready-to-wear garment that complemented the original piece. EVERYBODY PANIC!

Chris and Christian used 40 yards of organza cut into circles to create this amazing piece that included basically a wire sculpture on the shoulder. It was impressive. Their second look was an organza, sleeveless ruffled top and a pencil skirt. Interesting top, rather boring skirt, but still, they worked together.

Continue reading "'Project Runway': changing of the avant-garde" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I thought the challenge on Wednesday night's Project Runway was genius -- the contestants were expecting to have to make eveningwear at some point, but for for 16- and 17-year-old girls going to the prom!

Unfortunately, the results were not so genius. I think a number of the designers were thrown off by having to create something that fit someone else's expectations. Plus, the age thing didn't help much.

Christian Siriano (of Annapolis) had a lot of trouble. Maddie, the student who chose him, is also interested in design and wanted some very specific things in her dress. When he started putting it together, it turned into this bronzey, lacy, beaded confection (and not in the good way). It was interested seeing how he dealt with the complications -- there was much less "Hell yes, I'm the best" and waaaaaay more "I'm getting eliminated tomorrow. Yep, eliminated. I'm totally going home." It was a close call (especially when at judging he cast some of the blame on his teen client), but that did not come to pass. Whew.

Continue reading "'Project Runway': close call for Christian" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

OK, sorry, that was a goofy headline. But what do you want me to do when the challenge on Project Runway involved using materials from the Hershey's store in Times Square? I just couldn't help it.

Anyway!  I'm glad to have this show back after the holiday hiatus, and it was a fun return.

The designers had five minutes to gather as much as they could from the shelves of the store -- including pillows, teddy bears and other products, so not just candy. It was a total free-for-all.

Back at Parsons, they each parsed what they'd gathered and tried to come up with a plan.

Right off the bat, Rami's outfit, created with Twizzler packaging and York peppermint patty wrapping paper, looked great. It was whimsical in shape and color and extremely well made.

Jillian was the only one who decided to use actual candy and made a bustier out of Twizzlers and created fringe on a skirt with more of them. She was having a tough time, but in the end, despite all the dramatic tension ramped up by the editors, she prevailed.

Annapolis' Christian Siriano made a brown dress and covered it with the inside wrapper from Reese's peanut butter cups. He finished really early and then proceeded to annoy everyone -- not typically the best strategy.

As per usual, Sweet P and Elisa had some trouble. Sweet P had a fairly interesting-looking dress, then questioned herself and started from scratch, creating a boring dress whose skirt mentor Tim Gunn likened to a "coffee filter or a maxi-pad." (Ouch.) Elisa said she was going for a fairy-tale Gretel look, but that didn't quite happen.

At judging, the highest marks went to Rami, Jillian and Chris March (whose slightly subdued but totally well-shaped dress caught the judges off-guard), with Remy winning the challenge. Bottom two were Sweet P and Elisa. The judges though Sweet P's dress looked rushed and that Elisa's was a boring brown dress. Finally, Elisa was out. (Earlier in the episode, Elisa had shared that she was hit by a car a couple of years ago, breaking her neck and sustaining a major head injury. I won't speculate whether that's a cause of her strange attitude, but fellow PR watcher Tim Swift notes, "Oh, they trotted out the sob story B-roll, you're out; you're no longer useful.")

She's been interesting to have around, but I think many of the other have a higher skill level, so I'm not distraught that Elisa is leaving. Also, Sweet P is not long for the show, I don't think. She's just produced too many disasters, and the second-guessing herself is not helping her.

What'd you think of the show? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Annapolis' Christian Siriano pulled out his first challenge win on last night's Project Runway, even though he thought it was soooo not his style.

The designers were each assigned a model, but rather than their usual rail-thin skinny minnies, the models were everyday women who had recently lost a lot of weight. They showed up in their favorite outfit from their larger days, and the designers had to use this as the raw material for a new, fashionable, well-fitting outfit.  

Early in the episode, Jack revealed that he had a staph infection in his face (his mouth was so swollen; it looked terribly uncomfortable). After consulting with his doctor, he left the show to go get medical treatment. To keep the numbers even, ousted designer Chris March was brought back.

For some people, the challenge was a total disaster. Steve had the unfortunate luck of getting the model whose favorite outfit was her wedding dress. He could not figure out what to do with all that beaded polyester, and he basically punted: With the $10 they had to spend at Mood, he bought a bunch of black fabric and made a shapeless black frock with white trim from the wedding dress (glued on!). The judges said it was a funeral outfit crossed with a French maid's costume. Whoops.

Also in danger was Elisa, whose highly layered outfit did little to flatter the newfound figure of her model.

But Steven's nightmare of a dress got him sent home instead. 

Other standouts were Kevin's sleeveless yellow top and leggings (made from a shapeless blazer) and Jillian's red and black dress (although she kind of flouted the rules and only used black fabric from the pants as piping).  (Also, as much as the judges loved the dress, I thought there was something about it that wasn't totally flattering to the woman. But no doubt it was well made.) 

For Christian's winning outfit, he refitted his model's jeans and created a button-down black shirt with some interesting pleating. OK, I'm no fashionista, so here's a picture.

It didn't hurt that his client LOVED the outfit and worked the runway.

My favorite moment of the show was when Tim Gunn was coaching Chris March. Since Chris got a late start on the challenge, he had until 3 in the morning to finish, and Tim was concerned that he was going to costumey and said something along the lines of, "I can't tell you how many mistakes I've made at 3 in the morning."

The designers all busted up laughing as their minds went to dirty places. ("Give us details, names," someone demanded, jokingly.) Tim went red and totally cracked up, shedding some of his usual facade. It was hilarious.

What did you think about the episode -- and, of course, our local contestant's win? 

(Photo courtesy of Bravo)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, Project Runway