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Shane Sparks speaks

So You Think You Can Dance‘s hip hop choreographer extraordinaire Shane Sparks talks with Television Without Pity about dance, Danny, and Dominic.

They show up in the darndest places

Suffering from So You Think You Can Dance withdrawal?  Same here.  But hey, remember how Sabra and Allison were in High School Musical?  I spotted Jaymz from season two in High School Musical 2 — he was playing a lifeguard, and even had a couple lines.  Yay!  I always liked him.

If you’re extra bored, here’s a video of Britney Spears and ‘N SYNC performing at the MTV Video Music Awards to keep you entertained.  If you look hard, you can spot Wade Robson to Brit’s left at the 1:13 mark.  I bet Dan Karaty’s in there somewhere, too.

The So You Think You Can Dance 2007 finale!

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the actual finale of So You Think You Can Dance! Get ready for dancing, awkward banter, and lots of filler — the best of reality television!

First off, Cat appears looking absolutely stunning in a mauve dress, except for some seriously misplaced tulle around the midsection. It looks like a ferret is hugging her waist. I don’t get this silhouette at all, fashion designers of the world. And next year, I seriously hope the wardrobe people stop dressing Cat like she’s preggers.

But enough of this, on with the show! The top twenty are back, dressed all in white. See kids, they didn’t get eliminated, instead they just went to Dancing Heaven. They’re introduced in elimination order, i.e. from least to most liked. Ashley, Ricky, Faina and Jimmy do lame twirls, kicks and hip shimmies, puttng little to no effort in. Jessi feels up Jesus. Wow, I did not miss her at all. Shauna and Cedric do some coordinated stuff, and it’s very cute. Not as cute as Anya and Hok, who do some ballroom moves, then Hok drops to the ground and breakdances. Jaimie and Kameron also do some partnering, and Jaimie does her fancy splits. Sara and Dominic b-girl and b-boy, respectively. Pasha drums on Lauren’s butt and they goof around adorably. Then our top four strut their stuff. They look foxy as usual.

Cat assures us that there’s no padding in tonight’s show. In other words, Cat is a big fat liar. All the judges are here — Mia, Shane, Wade (the camera guy screws up Wade’s close-up, ha), Dan, Mary and Nigel. Where’s Shankman? Stuck down in the audience, since let’s face it, he’s only here to remind us that Hairspray is still in theaters. Cat asks the judges to sum up the season in a sentence each — boring. Shane says that the caliber of dancers is so improved that all the good dancers who didn’t come to auditions last year will show up for next season. Ouch! If you were in last year’s bottom ten, you’ve gotta be hating yourself right about now. Anyway, the dancers are good, diverse and they’re also really nice people. Nigel then uses his time to point out Paula Abdul in the audience, who, as a singer, is an awesome dancer. She acts crazy as usual. introduce Clare from last season in the audience, with her baby. The baby that ruined her dreams of becoming a danceketeer. I’m just saying.

Continue Reading The So You Think You Can Dance 2007 finale!…

Pasha and Lauren dish

The So You Think You Can Dance finale is just hours away! While you wait, here’s TV Guide’s interviews with runners-up Pasha and Lauren.  Lauren’s interview clears up one mystery — Sabra and Dominic are not dating.  He’s got a girlfriend.  There’s also a show preview from the L.A. Times (who knew Neil needed a brain?)

So You Think You Can Dance (August 15, 2007)

It’s here! THE FINALE IS HERE! Well, the pseudo-finale anyway, because the results show is tomorrow. But still — one of tonight’s four dancers will become America’s Favorite Dancer. (Benji’s like: “only the Favorite Dancer of 2007, thank you very much.”) This is super dramatic, yo.

Intro time: the top four strut around, all looking extremely attractive. No uggos in America’s Favorite Four!

You may be shocked to discover that I don’t like Cat’s dress. It’s gold. Beaded. With capped sleeves. Yeesh. Cat reminds us that all the contestants will be dancing with everyone else tonight, and then actually pronounces the word “judges” with her regular British accent! Dang, this episode is so great already.

Also great — Dan Karaty’s on the panel. I like his critiquing. Nigel sums up the season for us: stronger contestants, higher standards, et cetera. Cat comments that Mary looks gorgeous, and I am happy to report that both hair and outfit look super classy. Well done, Murphy. Then, just to ruin the moment, she screams. And then instantly redeems herself by calling Nigel, and I quote, an “English muffin.” Next, we get a clip show of everyone’s best moments. This is actually a treat, since we get to see parts of the four’s original auditions. Observation: Sabra’s afro used to be quite sizeable.

But let’s get on with the dancing. First up, all four are doing a Broadway routine with God of Dance Tyce Diorio. Rehearsals appear to go very smoothly. They’re dancing to a song from Cabaret called “Mein Herr,” and even though I know that musical’s set in Germany, I’m still wondering if we’re about to see some Springtime for Hitler. Neil kicks off the number by pirouetting while dressed like a mime, and the others push chairs on to the stage. It’s super slinky, super jazzy, and quite fun. There’s a brief kick line, lots of jazz hands, and they conclude by running over to the judge’s table and pose. Nigel loved it, but wants Lacey to focus on her partner more. He’s got nothing bad to say about Danny. Same with Sabra and Neil. Dan advises the folks to “take it to another level” if at all possible. Um, thanks Dan.

More pre-recorded footage: Cat’s doing sit-down chats with all the finalists. Lacey got conned into dancing by her parents, who bribed her with Barbie dolls. We get a slidehow of adorable baby pictures with Benji, then embarrassing ballroom photos, then super scary photos of Lacey in hair school. She loved doing the samba with Danny, and hated her solo from a few weeks back. We hated it too, Lacey. However, she said she kept forgetting her moves, which I empathize with. Back on stage, Lacey does tonight’s solo, and I’m pleased to say it’s really improved. It’s got a cool entrance, cool music (Daft Punk), and she works in some of her mannequin freezes throughout. She concludes by falling off the stage into the arms of some dudes. Way to step up your game, Lace! Nigel gets on her case again about the lack of emotional honesty. Mary demonstrates by some honesty by telling Lacey how much better she is when she’s with a partner. Dan’s nice, and calls her “pure entertainment.” Benji and his dad make an appearance with the electric sign.

Continue Reading So You Think You Can Dance (August 15, 2007)…

Who’s gonna win?

The So You Think You Can Dance judges are just as anxious as we are to hear who the big winner will be.  Shankman agrees with me: Sabra and Danny are where it’s at.  Mary’s sad that Pasha’s gone.  Shane’s gone from a Danny-hater to a Danny-appreciater.  Read more about what the judges have to say here.

So You Think You Can Dancers are kinda weirdos

Danny Tidwell wants to lick Sabra’s feet. Other tidbits from People’s So You Think You Can Dance photo shoot here.

TV Guide also has interviews with Sara and Dominic.

So You Think You Can Dance results show (August 13, 2007)

Happy Lefthander’s Day! Thanks to football, tonight’s show has been delayed a bit, but I was perfectly content to wait. For one thing, I like football. For another, two dancers are going home! Disaster! Last week’s voting determined which four dancers are heading to the finale.

Cat Fashion Update: It’s a bad scene. A perfectly normal dress has been ruined with what appears to be a giant Koosh ball stapled to the bodice. Cat’s normally bouncy hair is straightened, partially pulled back and plastered to her scalp. Poor decision-making by both hair and wardrobe.

Tonight’s group dance starts out confusingly — the danceketeers are a blob covered in fog. Then Lauren sticks a hand up dramatically, and we see that they’re all in Kiss makeup and enveloped in a fisherman’s net. It’s a medley of dance styles: Planet of the Apes, Electrocution, Power Lunges, Piggyback Ride. I think we have Wade Robson to thank for this.

Over ten and a half million votes cast on Wednesday! That would be surprising, except I probably cast a good nine million of them.

Intro rundown: Cat says “judges” with a hint of normalcy (THANK YOU!), Mary killed a zebra to make her shirt, and Debbie apparently killed an early nineties Queen Latifah to get a hold of the tracksuit she’s sporting. Nigel’s wearing a black shirt and a black suit jacket with inappropriately shiny lapels, but with all the other fashion crimes happening tonight, I’m inclined to overlook it. Debbie amazingly says something worthwhile: Cedric’s enrolling in the Debbie Allen Dance Academy this September. How nice! I just hope Debs doesn’t ruin his natural steez.

Continue Reading So You Think You Can Dance results show (August 13, 2007)…