SATURDAY, 26th

HOW WILLIAM SHATNER CHANGED THE WORLD: How epic is this?! This 2005 documentary features Shatner comparing today’s technology to what was first introduced in the original Star Trek. I shat you not. (10pm/History)

Nine: Hits A Sour Note

I’m a musical-lover. Did I love Chicago? Check. Hairspray? Check. Moulin Rouge? Check. 90s animated Disney movie? Oh, yeah! I really wanted to love Nine, not only because of its Oscar-worthy cast, but also because Rob Marshall (Chicago) helmed the project. Just putting those two things together should equal awesome!

At a wedding two weeks ago, a friend who had seen an advance screening sort of dampened my expectations when she told me she didn’t like it. Now, I trust her judgment, but I also know that I’ve repeatedly watched all the High School Musicals multiple times. How can I not, at least, enjoy the film? She explained that her issues included not getting to see enough singing and dancing, and when there was, it was awkward. The storyline was unevenly paced. She also acknowledged the greatness of Daniel Day-Lewis but that he wasn’t the best fit for the role. And on top of that, the songs just weren’t that great which is, obviously, a dagger to the heart for a musical. So, my mind was open, but unfortunately, my friend was 100% right.

Nine is based on a Broadway musical that was based on the 1963 Federico Fellini film 8 ½. Fellini’s film won the foreign language film Oscar and inspired countless film lovers to put down the Hollywood movies and check out European films. The Broadway show garnered five Tony Awards and numerous nominations. The late, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) and Michael Tolkin (The Player) joined forces on adapting the script. With such a legacy, you’d think Marshall would have an easy time of it.

The plot centers on Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), an Italian film director with a huge creative block and more women than he knows what to do with. Marion Cotillard, the bring spotlight of the film, plays his wife Luisa. Penelope Cruz is his mistress Carla, and Nicole Kidman, wasted after proving her musical chops in Moulin Rouge, is his actress muse Claudia. Judi Dench plays his costume designer and friend. Kate Hudson is journalist Stephanie, Fergie plays Saraghina, a prostitute from his past, and his deceased Mamma is played by Sophia Loren.

With all that star power, it’s no surprise that the acting is good, but the story about a man struggling to create something out of nothing is slow and becomes depressing after awhile. Chicago was dark, funny, sarcastic, biting and had a pizazz that could be found in the writing, the musical numbers and in the actors’ portrayal of their characters. In Nine, pizazz can only be found in the song and dance numbers, which are lively but do not add any forward motion to the story and come off as more glossy than anything.

I thought Day-Lewis could do anything, but his turn in this film proved me wrong. I found out later that Antonio Banderas played Guido on Broadway, and I could see him imbuing the much needed charisma and lightness that Lewis missed. The women of the film each had a solo, while a few were graced with an extra number. Therefore, I missed that cohesive story told through song that is usually found if you pick up a musical soundtrack. And to add salt to the wound, the songs aren’t very catchy.

Nine has already been nominated for five Golden Globes among other awards, so I’m willing to give it a second viewing. It’s hard to dislike because it’s a stylish film visually, the females are glitzy and sexy, and Contini definitely comes off as a believably tortured soul, however I don’t believe Marshall pulled it all together into an provocative and enthralling story. Hopefully, he continues to make musicals for my song-loving sake and just fares better the next time.

For Additional Poptimal point of view check out Nine is Fine by Liz Cooper’s and Nine: A Musical of a Different Color by Matt DeGroot

Sherlock Holmes: Jolly Good Show, Chaps

Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) is the greatest Hollywood comeback story of all time. After gaining fame on the fringes of the Brat Pack and snagging an Oscar nod, he went down a 15 year rabbit hole of substance abuse and idiocy till cleaning up in the mid 2000’s and getting cast as the lead in Iron Man, having reinvented himself as a man of near infinite confidence and swagger with just enough humanity beneath the surface. Add the insane race-bending antics of Tropic Thunder and now his triumphant embodiment of Sherlock Holmes and you get a complete journey from cautionary tale status to flat out Johnny Depp levels of quirky megastardom.

Buoyed not only by Downey’s awesomeness but also by a charming supporting cast and an impeccable visual flair, Sherlock Holmes is a crowd pleaser for the ages. It’s a dapper Victorian detective yarn fused perfectly with a buddy cop comedy thriller. When an occultist serial killer seems to rise from the grave with world domination on his mind, it’s up to Holmes and his ever steadfast companion Dr. Watson (Jude Law) to bring him to justice. The plot is a marvelous clockwork of twists and turns (with each and every one dissected and explained in delightful detail) but the biggest delight comes in just watching Holmes & Watson do their thing. Downey plays Holmes like a cross between Jack Sparrow and Rain Man, which I suppose makes Watson a cross between Will Turner and Tom Cruise. Collectively, their relationship plays like western civilization’s first bromance and it’s a blast. What’s a guy to do with himself when his best friend gets engaged and moves out of the apartment? What’s the secret to balancing bro time and lady time? Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow have made such issues their stock in trade, but they mesh surprisingly well with both the period and the genre at play.

In addition to being the crown jewel in RDJ’s comeback, Sherlock also represents a mainstream coming out party for director Guy Ritchie. The ex-Mr. Madonna made his name with zippy Brit gangster flicks Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but he’s been fading into a swamp of flash and self-plagiarism (did ANYONE see Revolver or Rocknrolla?). Maybe it was the bigger budget and drastic change of scenery, or maybe it was studio heads demanding a more commercial sensibility, but whatever it took, Guy brought just enough of his slow-mo flash-backtacular vibe to the proceedings to add spice without becoming distracting. Add a considerable number of fight scenes, some super memorable action set pieces and a grimy yet grand vision of Industrial Revolution London and you’ve got a sweet visual package.

Mixed bag of final comments: Rachel McAdams does a serviceable job as Irene Adler, Sherlock’s crafty ex who gets a few of the plot’s wheels turning, but I know she’s a better actress than she shows, falling somewhere between Megan Fox and Kirsten Dunst in the Hero’s Paramour school of acting. I wouldn’t mind seeing her back in the sequel if she tries harder. And it’s no dealbreaker, but the screenplay could have been a bit tighter in the dialogue, or at least had the wisdom to no blow all the best zingers in the trailers. These keep Sherlock Holmes from being an out and out classic, but it’s still a grand piece of entertainment that’s well worth detecting.

For Additional reviews of Sherlock Holmes check out Sherlock Holmes: Chemistry, My Dear Watson by Trisha Huntsman

It’s Complicated: Just Misses the Mark

What a great cast, I remember thinking when I first saw the advertisement for Its Complicated. First off, you can hardly go wrong with Meryl Streep. Second, Steve Martin is usually good for a laugh if nothing else. Add in Rita Wilson and John Krasinski, and there should be nothing stopping this movie from at least comedic success. And it is very funny. I, along with the rest of the audience, laughed heartily more than a couple of times. I covered my mouth and muttered “oh my goodness” several times as well. It’s just…not quite perfect.

What is stopping the film from being completely pleasing, you might ask? Alec Baldwin. Let me set up the story a bit. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play Jane and Jake Adler. They have three grown children and have been divorced for ten years. When they end up at their son’s graduation, something happens between them that makes then think there might still be something there. Meryl Streep does a great job at portraying a woman who is confused about her feelings but tired of feeling guilty about every decision she makes. Their kids, especially future son-in-law John Krasinski, are real, believable and endearing characters. Steve Martin plays Jane’s architect, and presents a romantic alternative to her ex-husband. He’s just a bit too nice to be likable, but he does his job, which is to make Baldwin’s character jealous.

The story is set up so we kind of want the married couple to work things out, to get back together and be happy. I want to resent Steve Martin’s presence in their lives, I want to hate Jake’s new, young, snotty wife (Lake Bell). I really want to, but I just don’t. I don’t because Alec Baldwin’s character, Jake, is a complete tool. Seriously, I don’t know if that’s how the character is written or if Baldwin added the whiny baby nature to the guy on his own, but all I could think from the beginning was that Jane is better off without the man. He obviously misses her taking care of him more than anything else. He misses her cooking, the way she watches his diet, and the way she takes care of the household around him. We never really get that he actually misses anything about her at all, like the way she always wanted to open her own bakery, loves to garden or is a great mother. Things that might matter. Everything that comes out of his mouth is annoying and whiny. I couldn’t have an affair with the guy because I would’ve kicked him off the barstool next to me after the first idiotic line. All this does is make me not care about whether they decide to get back together or not. Which isn’t good, because as a member of the audience, it should be the filmmakers goal to have me emotionally involved.

That said, the comedy really is great. Meryl Streep’s comedic timing is flawless and Steve Martin has made a career out of funny moments. This film has some great ones, both physical and dialogue driven. Jane and Jake attempts at hiding their affair are amusing, as is the scene when they get busted by their soon to be son-in-law at a hotel. Perhaps the best laughs come from an incident with a web-cam. I’ll leave it at that, I don’t want to spoil the scene and I couldn’t do it justice anyhow. The bottom line here is a good cast and a fun story that doesn’t quite tug the heartstrings like I wish it would have. It’s worth seeing, and I’d honestly be sorry if you missed some of the laughs it offers, but it’s a wait for video recommendation from me. There are a boatload of sexual references, obviously, as well as nudity, drinking, and illegal drug make my kid recommendation fifteen or older.

For Additonal Poptimal reviews of read It’s Complicated: Old People Love…Yikes by Renata Sellitti

Dollhouse: As The End Grows Near

There may actually have been a benefit to the Dollhouse showrunners knowing that they only had a short time before Fox was pulling their plug: it forced them to cut out any filler and fat, focus in, pull out all the stops and end the show as strongly as they could. That’s exactly what they did, because ever since the show came back this month in weekly two-hour increments, the episodes have been outstanding. This latest block was the best Dollhouse has ever been, with tons of kickass action better than most of what I’m seeing at the multiplex these days, emotional payoffs, great, twisty writing and character revelations all drenched with true originality. Wow. I never thought I’d be raving about the show as much as I am now. If they had done this from the beginning we would have been looking at the next great network tv cultural powerhouse.

The first hour, “Stop Loss,” is centered on Victor. He completes his contract with the Dollhouse and Boyd has his memory restored and grants his freedom. To Victor, it seems like only five seconds have passed instead of five years. He asks if the war is over. Boyd tells him no. So now we know that Victor was a soldier. Interesting. They cook up a cover story to explain where he has been for five years, then Victor hits the streets. All this plays like a mini-narrative in itself, a drama chronicling this guy’s attempt to readjust to society. It’s almost as if he just came back from Iraq or Afghanistan instead of the Dollhouse. Hell, he may not know it, but the Dollhouse was probably a more traumatic experience than even the war was. Is Victor really free? Can he start a good life? Maybe he could have, but we don’t have time to find out. On his first night out, these scary ninja guys break into his apartment. Victor puts up a good fight, but they take him down and into their evil black van (is there any other kind?).

Back at headquarters, Echo realizes Ballard’s body is missing and storms into Adelle’s office and lays the smackdown on her. Adelle assures Echo that Ballard is being taken care of. “I’m smarter, tougher and a whole lot scarier than you could ever hope to be” Echo snarls at Adelle. “Now you can be on my side or you can be on Rossum’s, but the time for playing both is over.” Eliza Dushku is awesome in this scene. We’re talking almost a Clint Eastwood or Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight level of badassery here.

So who kidnapped Victor? His old Army buddies, and they want him to join their new program…you know, because all the cool kids are doing it. Victor agrees, having given in to the peer pressure. Then they implant something in his neck. Never a good sign.

Boyd and Echo team up to figure out what happened to Victor. Turns out his Army buddies work for a classified program called Mind Whisper (really? that’s the best they could do?). Mind Whisper is another division of Rossum—basically their version of Blackwater. They use the Dollhouse architecture to link the brains of all these soldiers so that they think not as individuals but as one tactical unit. They can always hear each other’s thoughts and they’re all the same. Creepy. One step removed from Terminators basically. And now Victor is one of them. Or he will be very soon, unless Echo can get to him and snap him out of it.

Toward that end, they wake up Sierra, figuring she is the only person that might be able to break through to him and bring him back. From here, get ready for some awesome fight scenes and genuine suspense. Oh yeah, and it’s not hard for everyone to do this under Adelle’s nose because she has been hitting the sauce rather severely and is passed out. You’d think she’d be happier, being that she reclaimed her office from Harding.

The second hour picks up with Echo, Victor and Sierra in a world of trouble. They escaped the Mind Whisper joint, but Dewitt came out of her drunken stupor and took them all up to the Attic, under much protest from Boyd. If you’ll recall, the Attic is where defective dolls go. They check in and they don’t check out. No one really knows exactly what goes on up there…except that the rumor is that it is supposed to be worse than hell, and everyone lives their worst nightmare over and over again in a continuous loop. So this gives the show a chance to do all kinds of bizarre and macabre dreamscape imagery and twists and reveals, and boy does everyone deliver.

Laurence Dominic plays a major role in all of this. He was a supposed Dollhouse employee who was revealed to be an NSA (or was it the CIA?) mole last season. He kept trying to kill Echo during his time at the Dollhouse, but now we know why: he was trying to take the Dollhouse down and back then, Echo was part of the enemy. Anyway, I never thought we’d see him again, but he comes back. He has been stuck in the Attic all this time, still alive, going from nightmare to nightmare. So he gets to be the mentor figure in all of this, showing Echo the ropes and trying to help her be the first person to make it back.

Victor and Sierra are of course up in the Dollhouse as well, each dealing with their own nightmares. The team has to unite and realize that it’s all a dream, it’s all unreal. Once they know this, maybe they can find a way out. The visuals in this episode are pretty fantastic, and I was surprised by the grisly nature of some shots that Fox let them air. Great action and more than a little scary. There’s also a great twist at the very end of the episode I did not see coming. I’m actually excited to see the remaining Dollhouse episodes. If they can be half as good as these two were, it will be a really strong ending to a show that, while always intriguing, didn’t find its footing until too late.

Season 2, Episode 9 & 10: Stop Loss & The Attic (originally aired December 18, 2009)

For more on Dollhouse, click here.

Fridays at 9/8C on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

J.D. (Excerpt): French Laundry vs. NY Burger Joints

Jone Dome (Excerpt) - The Fellas discuss The World renown French Laundry restaurant versus burger joints in NY.

Excerpt Credits:

Written by: Ference, Double Edge, and Sebastian

Produced & Edited by: Zuberi B. Williams

Venue: Austin Grill (Silver Spring, MD)

Leopold Bros. Distillery

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T. Dubb is a lover of the arts and enjoys drawing, listening to music, and watching movies in her spare time. Originally from Los Angeles, she currently resides in Davis, CA.

Avatar: Beauty is in the Eye of 3-D Glasses

The plot? Seen it before. The acting? Just slightly above average. The dialogue? Not an original line of it to be found. Masterpiece? Hell, yes.

Don’t worry. You didn’t just read a typo. True, it was an incredibly polarizing set of descriptions but I’ve probably never written truer words in a film review. James Cameron’s “Avatar” is without a doubt one of the most stunning films I have ever laid eyes on and even though every aspect of it may not be absolutely original or perfect, he shows us things and a world that we’ve never even seen hints of before and best of all – he makes us feel like we’re actually there.

When word started coming out a few years ago that Cameron was toiling away on a top secret science fiction film that would revolutionize movie-making I was dubious but cautiously optimistic. It always seems like the movies that want to be revolutionary never are, while  those that do change the art form are either happy mistakes or are out of left field from a genius just waiting to be discovered. When I saw the first trailer for “Avatar” I (along with most moviegoers) was pretty sure Cameron and his marketing team had been over-hyping this story of super tall Smurfs and floating mountains and wouldn’t change anything other than the people who green-light movies at Fox. Well, it turns out my 3-D glasses came with a side of crow and I happily ate it with my popcorn and gummy bears for the entire two and a half hours.

To say that my expectations were surpassed would be to say that puppies are cute. It is an understatement of the highest order and you should stop reading this right now and just go see for yourself. Cameron takes us to the planet Pandora through the eyes of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic Marine who is taking the place of his dead twin brother on a scientific expedition into the body of one of Pandora’s native Na’vi people. With his mind transferred into the tall, blue body of a Na’vi, Jake is able to walk again and venture out into the jungles of Pandora to befriend real Na’vi tribes and negotiate a deal for a corporation from Earth to obtain the rich minerals that lie under the Na’vi main living space. As you can probably imagine, Jake meets an alluring female Na’vi (Zoe Saldana) and starts to go soft on his mission with the full support of the tree-hugging human scientists led by Sigourney Weaver in a fun performance.

None of that is surprising and it naturally pisses off the obnoxious corporate suit (Giovanni Ribisi) and a truly evil military leader played wonderfully by Stephen Lang. All out war breaks out and Jake must choose between staying true to his mission or the people that he has come to love and respect. It’s a classic story and it serves its duty well as a backbone to the groundbreaking visuals that Cameron bestows upon us.

I saw “Avatar” in it’s 3-D version and honestly can’t fathom seeing it any other way. This isn’t 3-D in the classic sense of things coming at your face in a hokey manner. Rather it is about depth of field and looking ahead to feel like you’re occupying the same space as the characters. From the leaves of the jungle to the ash from the fires, I was mentally transported to the world of the film and when combined with the lush score from James Horner and perfect editing, I was literally overwhelmed by its beauty and can safely say that any filmmaker will have his or her work cut out for them if they ever want to surpass the raw power of the imagery on display here.

Cameron further proves his mettle with a climax that is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I can safely say I didn’t breathe for a majority of the last thirty minutes or so when it became clear to me that I was watching the most masterfully crafted piece of action film-making ever made. Don’t believe me? Ask the woman to my right in the theatre who couldn’t stop gasping and murmuring out to her lord and savior. It’s that good.

They say this is the most expensive film ever made and for once every penny is on the screen. It’s rare that Hollywood gives us a gift this exhilarating with emotion and beauty to match, so enjoy it the way it is meant to be seen – on a very big screen with 3-D glasses firmly in place. You will not be disappointed.

Grade: A

For additional Poptimal reviews of Avatar check out Avatar: Worth The Buzz And Bucks! by Inisia Lewis.

Top Chef: I like my reunion shows montage-y

The most interesting footage from this season’s Top Chef seemed to end up on the cutting floor but luckily we got to see it all in the reunion episode. Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen once again hosts the special with guests Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Gail Simmons, and Toby Young as well as cheftestants in the latest round of the show. This episode was like one long gag reel and it was fun to watch all the funny things that happened while they were filming.

The first big question of the night is how the judges decided that Michael Voltaggio won the title. In the end Tom explained that it was as simple as Bryan’s first two dishes being under salted. They proceed on to the next question on what life has been like after being on the show. Most of them had mentioned the publicity their own restaurants have gotten as being great for business, getting more customers as well as more reviews than before. This seems particularly comforting for our runner up seeing that before he came on he was worried that his restaurant would go bankrupt.

While the whole Robin vs. Mike Isabella/Eli/Michael scenario made for good television, they patched it all up with Eli even apologizing to her for anything he said that might have offended her. It was funny to see the montage of Robin talking to herself throughout the season that seemed to annoy a lot of the other contestants. Who knows if they were playing nice in the reunion special or that they just played up the annoyance in the show for the sake of television ratings? In any case it was entertaining to see the character that was Mike Isabella. The DC chef, who apparently just got married recently, proclaimed he was actually a nice guy in real life and that his undying confidence in himself was what kept him motivated to be better. Did he seem annoying at times? Yes. At least he wasn’t being fake.

Another hilarious thing pointed out this season was while the caliber of contestants was the highest it’s ever been, there seemed to be a lot of self directed criticism and bashing going on. This was probably my favorite clip out of the entire episode because it was pretty funny to watch how often the chefs thought their dishes sucked.

The best behind the scenes footage also always involves drunken revelry and nothing was more entertaining than the night of Mattin’s birthday, where the name of the game was to get as intoxicated as possible. The birthday celebrant proceeded to throw up and then jump into the hot tub to strip down while Jen and Ash were still inside. At the very end Mike and Mattin carry Jen who was fighting so hard to not get thrown into the pool (which she did).

We also learn that former Top Chef contestants Marcel Vigneron (season two runner up) and Hung Huynh (season three winner) had both worked with Michael and had been the ones to encourage him to join the show. The two had both cooked for him in the past. Meanwhile, Ilan Hall (winner of season two) had worked with Bryan at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole and according to a Q&A chat session hosted by the Washington Post got this Voltaggio brother interested in the show.

It dawned on me after watching that they never announced who the fan favorite was! There was a small blurb at one point where they debated on who would win, having it be either Kevin (or his beard) or Bryan. Padma points out that she thought Jen would have a big chance as well and then they went to a montage on Jen’s time on the show. Apparently if we want to find out, we’ll have to watch it on Andy Cohen’s show Watch What Happens that airs on Thursdays at midnight.

Lastly, why did they choose to air the reunion special an hour earlier than the normal 10 pm spot that the show has been on? Perhaps I should write to Bravo and demand an explanation, or at least ask where I can get a bottle of the quickfire wine.

Season 6, Episode 15: Watch What Happens Reunion (original air date December 16, 2009)

For more on Top Chef, click here.

Wednesdays at 10/9C, Bravo

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal and Virginia Sherwood

So You Think You Can Dance: This Is It!

This week is the finale of So You Think You Can Dance, and from what I can uncover it’s also the first time that the finale contains six couples instead of four. I’m guessing Fox couldn’t get the timing quite right between Summer, the holidays, and the all important launching of American Idol next month. Tuesday night the final six danced their little hearts out, but my mind changed very little. The following is my ranking, from the ideal winner on down.

Kathryn – I’ve made no secret about her being my favorite for several weeks, and Tuesday night Nigel admitted to her being his favorite girl as well. Adam stated tonight that the show’s title should be changed to “The Rise of Kathryn.” She danced a Samba with Ryan and looked great doing it. To be honest, I’m not sure it would have gone down quite so well with a different partner. Her second dance had the audience and judges on their feet and both Mary and Adam in tears. The stars aligned in the partner arena again, and she drew both Jakob and a Contemporary piece. It was nothing short of mind-blowing and soul-ripping in all the best interpretations of those terms. Her third dance was a Hip Hop with Russell, and she was great. Really hit the whole thing hard, kept pace with Russell, and threw herself into the genre. That said, I don’t think this will ever be her best performance.

Jakob – I honestly don’t know what Jakob could do any better than he does, except figure out how to channel charisma. He began the night with an outstanding Broadway routine, hitting every move with perfection. The amount of performance in this piece, from both he and Ellenore, was impressive and right on. His second number was a Foxtrot with Ashleigh, which was pleasing but nothing to stand up and scream about. His last dance was the contemporary piece with Kathryn, the “game changer” according to Adam, and the performance of the night (maybe the season) for both of them.

Russell – Russell cannot take a wrong step as far as the judges are concerned. Even though I (as a person with no technical dance knowledge) had issues with at least one of his numbers tonight, the judges had nothing but accolades to heap upon him. And that’s okay. I would venture to say he’s probably the favorite male of all the judges. He is a good dancer and is blessed with all the charm and star quality that eludes poor Jakob. His first number was a Paso Doble with Ellenore in which he faded into the background while she toned down all her quirkiness and became downright sexy. Next, he and Ashleigh took on a contemporary piece that was lovely, sweet and well done. It was just…nowhere near the caliber of Jakob and Kathryn’s. His last number was the Hip Hop alongside Kathryn, and he shone in his element, bringing her along for the ride.

Ellenore – Ellenore really grew on me tonight, and showed me that she’s more than a slightly odd girl with crazy flexibility. I almost put her above Russell in my rankings. In fact, they are a dead tie for third best, in my opinion. Her Broadway routine was hot, she was sexy, and she and Jakob just nailed every move, every facial expression, every emotion that was asked of them. Like I said, in her Paso Doble with Russell, she sure stole the show. She danced with more maturity than I’ve seen out of her previously, she was smoldering hot, and she did much better than I expected her to do with this type of ballroom number. Her third dance, unfortunately, was an extremely disconnected Lyrical Jazz routine with Ryan. It left me feeling devoid of emotion instead of infused with it, which may have been the point but I didn’t like it.

Ashleigh – I can’t say I’m disappointed to see Ashleigh back, and she didn’t do anything wrong Tuesday night either. As with Jakob, though, she doesn’t have the fire or the ‘look at me!’ attitude of some of the others. She’s gorgeous, and her movement is beautiful, but I don’t watch her dance and go, WOW. Ashleigh began the night with the Foxtrot alongside Jakob, and this is essentially her specialty. She did a wonderful job and looked like she was gliding across the floor. Next was the Contemporary piece with Russell, and though the judges talked little about her, I actually spent most of the dance watching her and not him. Her body and movement is so pleasing to watch during those types of pieces. Last, we finally get to see her and Ryan dance together, and I admit I was disappointed that they drew a Contemporary piece instead of something in the Latin Ballroom genre. I would have liked to have seen them together in their element. Oh well. It was still sweet and tender, done as well as could be expected, and made them and probably a large portion of the audience break down.

Ryan – I’ve been trying to decide why Ryan is still on this show. Yes, he’s a good partner. Yes, he has a nice body. Yes, he and his wife have a cute little story and actually seem fond of one another. But…is he one of the best six dancers out of everyone they auditioned? It’s a moot point, I know, just wanted to throw it out there. Ryan landed one Ballroom routine tonight, the Samba with Kathyrn, and he looked comfortable in the routine. He is a great partner, always there, strong, ready to show off his woman. Without his help Kathryn might have been in trouble with this dance. His Lyrical Jazz routine, like I said, was emotionless and a bit awkward. He is very tall for a dancer, and in these types of routines (lots of jumping, up and down on the floor, etc) his body sometimes doesn’t behave quite right. The last dance though, was of course the one we’ve all been waiting for as he and Ashleigh took the stage together. The Contemporary routine held the same pitfalls for the tall guy as the Lyrical Jazz, but our eyes are riveted on the interaction between him and his wife so it’s harder to notice. It made me smile and tear up right along with them and the judges.

Finally it’s time to find out who America’s Best Dancer is. Well, not quite. First we sit through a two hour show of performances and chatter. The judges and choreographers who assisted with auditions all pick their favorite performances of the season to be recreated. I was actually looking forward to this, because there were some routines I absolutely loved from earlier on. I was disappointed. Instead of using it to pull the best performances of the season, they used it as an excuse to get everyone from the top 20 back on stage at least once. Oh well. Leona Lewis performed the theme song from Avatar, but after the episode of Bones two weeks ago nothing surprises me in the shameless plug category. Next was a performance by a dance crew called the Groovaloos, a hip hop crew that showed off some great moves. They were followed by Adam Lambert, which I enjoyed, and Jennifer Lopez. She was a bit ‘whatever’ for me. And I have no idea why she was on the show. Lewis (by attaching herself to Avatar) and Lambert (by participating in American Idol) have sold their souls to Fox Broadcasting and have no choice.

Results. I was right about the bottom three as Ryan, Ashleigh, and Ellenore went out in that order. Much to my chagrin, Kathryn went out in third, leaving Jakob and Russell competing for the title. And the winner of season six is…Russell Ferguson! He couldn’t believe it, and though I don’t necessarily think he was the best dancer he was a constant favorite on the show. It was a feel good moment as he thanked God, his family, his girlfriend, and the judges for believing in him. I enjoyed the season, all the dancers, and the general uplifting they gave me on a weekly basis. At this point I guess I’ll be suffering through months of American Idol before we can see more dancing.

For more information on the dances, music, and choreographers, click here.

For another opinion on this episode, check out A Winner is Crowned! by Inisia Lewis .

Season 6, Episodes 23 & 24:  The Top 6 Perform & Finale: Winner Announced (originally aired December 15 & 16, 2009)

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, click here.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

So You Think You Can Dance: New Winner Crowned!

So You Think You Can Dance may have fallen down the rabbit hole this season, but it was, at least, a fun ride. For one, there were six finalist this season. That’s a first. Other firsts include the first krumper and the first married couple ever to make it to the finale. There were also countless injuries and shake-ups. Though not many people stood out from the pack this season, I attribute it to the fact that so many contestants, trained and untrained, were just that good. With all the changes, the season felt a little awkward, but that can’t deter from the fact that I would be perfectly happy having Jakob, Russell, Kathryn or Ellenore make it to the end. Alas, only one will win so Tuesday night’s performance was all about proving to America why they deserve to be crowned the champion and win the big bucks.

Each dancer had the opportunity to perform with each contestant of the opposite sex, i.e. three dances per person. (Did anyone else miss seeing the boys perform a number and the girl perform one? And don’t get me started on the lack of solos.) I appreciated that the routines were non-stop, but one hour just didn’t seem enough. Like Glee’s mid-season finale, I could have dealt without a two-hour, fluffed-up show but would have liked a nice super-sized one, maybe an hour and 30. But let me stop nitpicking. I’ve ranked my choices, but that’s not to say that’s who I think America would have picked. We’ll get to all that a little later.

THE ROUTINES
1. Kathryn and Ryan performed a Jason Gilkinson to “Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes. Ever since Dance With Me, this song makes me think Vanessa Williams and body rolls. I enjoyed the performance in that movie more than this one, but it was still sexy. 9

2. Jakob and Ellenore danced a Tyce Broadway number to “I Gotcha” from Fosse (Original Broadway Cast). These two performed as equals, and Ellenore was sexy AND normal. 10

3. Ashleigh and Russell performed a lyrical jazz routine by Sonya to “Angel Standing By” by Jewel. It’s not often Sonya gives us something so soft and simple. The piece was gorgeous, and I would never though these two weren’t jazz dancers. 9

4. Ellenore and Ryan danced a jazz piece by Gary Stewart to “Kontact Me” by Boys Noise. Last time Gary pulled into the SYTYCD station, I wasn’t quite on the train, but this one grew on me. Nigel called it a technical exercise and devoid of emotion, but it was really intriguing and clearly difficult. 9

5. Jakob and Ashleigh performed a Foxtrot by Jean Marc to “Let the Good Times Roll” by Chuck Brown & Eva Cassidy. I can’t say I was incredibly riveted by this work, but there’s also nothing bad to say. It was a nice piece, performed well, and it looked pretty. 8

6. Ellenore and Russell danced a Jason Gilkinson Paso Doble  to “Village Attack” from the Blood Diamond soundtrack. Now, this is a ballroom number. There was nothing but drama, skirts swooshing, chest bared and hard, foot stomping. Yes. 10

7. Kathryn and Jacob performed a contemporary piece by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson to “At This Moment” by Michael Buble. And no, my score is not a typo. Nigel dubbed this one a showstopper. And I dubbed it perfection. If this beautiful and emotional dance doesn’t get an Emmy, I’ll cry. 11

8. Ashleigh and Ryan performed a Travis Wall contemporary routine to “I’m There Too” by Michelle Featherstone. Usually Travis bowls me over, but Nigel was right when he said for the umpteenth time that Ashleigh had more chemistry with Jakob than her husband. 8

9. Kathryn and Russell dance a hip-hop number by Nappy/Tabs to “I Can Transform Ya” by Chris Brown (feat. Lil Wayne and Swizz Beats). And Nappy/Tabs is BACK! It took them practically all season. They dropped the characters that had turned their routines into more cheese and less dance as of late and just focused on the steps and the attitude. Bomb. 9

THE FINALIST
FIRST. Jakob performed an energized Broadway routine that really flexed his technical side and his smooth, classy style. I know that many people may feel that Jakob doesn’t really deserve to win because he had crazy skills from the get-go, but I say WAH WAH! Nigel said that he hoped Jakob would join a Company so that he’d be surrounded by people at his talent level who could push him. Amen to that brother! I’d buy a ticket to that show, and I be 100% confident that I’d see an even better dancer in him. Adam called him selfless for how committed to his partner he is when, with all he could do, he could just steal the show.

SECOND. Russell is the quintessential SYTYCD choice. Since the beginning, the judges made it clear that he was their favorite, and he continued to surprise them and the audience, I believe. I think his piece with Ashleigh encapsulated perfectly how he’s grown as a performer. He was pointing his toes, flowing effortlessly, emoting and doing double spins in the air. I could barely watch Ashleigh because he was so commanding and strong. This is a krumper who not only excels in his genre, but can morph into this soft and touching jazz dancer. He brought Mary to tears in his first number!

THIRD. Kathryn caught me by surprise. I wouldn’t have put any money on her during auditions, and though I discovered her talents quite early in the season, I still didn’t expect her to make it this far. At least not then. Of course as the last few weeks have progressed, her potential only became more apparent. It’s always a little easier for the prettier people, and she’s gorgeous, but she’s also a beautiful dancer. When she’s doing something like contemporary or jazz, she’s effervescent. When she pulls Hip-Hop, she somehow musters up a helluva lot of flavor. And when she gets ballroom, she’s muy caliente. Nigel often called for more emotion from her since he could rarely pick on her technical prowess, but though she may not play characters as well as her old partner Legacy, she always seemed to emote joy when she danced.

FOURTH. Ellenore was easily my favorite girl for a long, long time. Unfortunately, some of her off-stage quirks overshadowed her dancing. When she pulled an odd-style number, the judges either always focused on how it should have been perfect for her but was too strange or was perfect for her and was still strange. It couldn’t have helped her to repeatedly have the words odd, weird or quirky fly about every time she was critiqued. I still believe she‘s insanely talented, and these last performances really proved it even more. Though her number with Ryan was “weird,” she was awesome in it. And as Adam said, she really was the most beautiful I’d ever seen her when she performed that jazz number with Jakob and super hot in her paso doble.

FIFTH. Ashleigh is one I truly felt bad for because in her opening number with Russell, he completely overshadowed her. I always felt like she didn’t, exactly, deserve to win. Though she does get an award for winning me over when I kind of despised her during the audition rounds. But it became clear that she had no chance after that first number. No matter how much you evolve, how can you compare to a krumper’s transformation? I will say her Foxtrot was her shining moment. She was graceful, beautiful to watch and poised, but she lost a lot of momentum since she was unable to perform the prior week.

SIXTH. Ryan is extremely likable, and I think that he stuck around because who doesn’t like to watch a guy in love with his beautiful wife, who’s supportive, nice to look at, strong and can spin you in circles around the dance floor? He also conquered challenge after challenge. (That’s if we act like hip-hop never happened.) But he managed to stay in the background when he partnered, and his solos, although often entertaining, were never inspiring or breath-taking. He was always fighting a losing battle.

THE FINALE
About 45 minutes into the show something went terribly wrong. Not so surprising since this is the cursed season and all. As Cat brought out the top six, her mic stopped working. She was handed a new one and then the intro/outro music was cued. This left Cat asking what was going on. Then only three contestants appeared. Left are Ryan and Ellenore to help Russell onto the stage. He was practically bawling and his leg clearly hurt. But the show must go on however torturously uncomfortable the atmosphere. And for the first time in a long time, I was completely gripped by the tube. Seriously, I was watching SYTYCD sans DVR so it felt as if it was happening in real time. ::Shivers::

THE PERFORMANCES
There are many reasons to explain why my memory is  worse than a goldfish’s, but I swear I forgot about two-thirds of the dancers who came back. Good thing Kelley Abbey, a deftly hidden choreographer, reminded me with her jazz number of how amazing they were, even if many still remained nameless.

It was strange to see a panel of judges again, since they’d been missing all season, but I really did miss them. Lil C chose Kevin, Legacy and a Russell number from the “showcase” episode. With this hip-hop routine as the opening number, I had a really good feeling that this was going to be a night of great routines performed even better the second time around. These boys hit it hard and fast. (THAT’s what she said.) Then, Adam picked a Sonya contemporary piece danced by Ellenore and Jakob. This one will go down as one of the best finale performances ever. Predictably, Nigel chose a tap number by Derrick Grant, including Phillip, Peter and Bianca. It was okay the first time, and meh on this illustrious night.

One number was very out of place, and that was Mary’s pick. Ashleigh and Ryan were allowed the rare opportunity to perform their own jive. Clearly, this was just a ploy to get the married coupled together in a dance of their style since they didn’t have one all season, but I’m getting sick of their married this, married that, blah blah. Nigel picked a repeat of Kathryn and Jakob’s fantastic number from the night before. It was nice to see a little ethnic diversity with Tyce’s pick of Nathan and Mollee’s Bollywood dance.

One of the performances was impeded by Russell’s injury, like the African jazz “Frog” dance chosen by Debbie Allen. Instead they played a tape. The audience must have felt jipped, though I couldn’t tell the difference. I did feel for Noelle who must have been excited to dance again, especially after all that practice, but she’s in the top 10 anyway.

The last few dances included Lil C’s choice of Arianna, Jakob, Channing and Nathan “Crying” contemporary number and Nappy/Tab’s hip-hop routine with Russell and Kathryn from the prior night. And to close out the evening, Nigel picked this season’s top 20 (really top 19 without Bill Bell who’ll probably be auditioning next season again or Brandon Dumlao) opening, group number, choreographed by Wade and his wife Amanda. It’s, by far, one of my favorite group numbers in the show’s six seasons. It showcased all the dancers well (especially pre-whiney Nathan) and Jakob. All-in-all, a enticing trip down memory lane. (With four out of 11 dances hailing from the ‘Meet the Top 20′ night, I have a feeling that’s not the last we’ll see of the new format.)

THE CONCERT
With Adam Lambert, Leona Lewis (singing the Avatar theme song), Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez gracing the stage, FOX really pulled out all the stops. The fall season didn’t catch on with every SYTYCD lover which is understandable. I was a little daunted by the workout that my DVR and Hulu would get because of the amount of time per week that would have to be devoted to one show where there once was none. So the finale is their last ditch effort to grab some numbers. (Don’t you love how they exhibit other dancers, groups and troupes all season and then throw a concert for the finale?)

I hate being pandered to, but I didn’t complain that I got to see sneak peaks of Avatar on the big screen behind Leona Lewis’s performance. (Zach Morris Time Out: The song put me to sleep, and Leona sucked. Guess which was a surprise.) The Groovaloos a b-boy/hip-hop group spun, flipped and danced their butts off, and then Adam Lambert got a reprieve. Unlike the AMAs, he’s dressed in in a sharp, slate suit, though a tumor was growing from his shoulder, and there wasn’t a lick of pelvic thrust or tongue action. Boring! I actually enjoyed the song, but I’m still non-plussed when it comes to his singing. (See: my AI reviews.) I did feel his “Whataya Want From Me?” squeals. Prime lyric choice.

Later, Mary J. brought down the house with “I Am”, looking fabulous and making me want to murder for her outfit. (All jealous of how 15 years look like five on her.) Though Jennifer Lopez (Don’t let her hear you call her J. Lo?) lip-synched to “Louboutins,” she reminded me of the woman who used to put on a great show instead of the one the paparazzi forgot about. The girl’s also still got moves and brought some SYTYCD alums on the stage with her. Bonus points!

THE RESULTS
Out with sixth place is Ryan, and then his wife Ashleigh followed. At that point, I was two for two but I guess those were the easiest ones. Ellenore got a standing O when she went out in fourth place. Nigel had spoken earlier about the fact that all the choreographers raved about her, so she must have been a tough one for the judges to see go. Yet, the kid inside of me was jumping up and down that things were still going my way. (I know I say that I’d put money on things a lot. Now, I wished that I literally did.) Kathryn was awarded the bronze medal, and it’s official. This recaper is psychic! AND the winner was…..not Jakob! Russell was overcome with emotions as he went from tearing off his shirt and growling to crying. Cat had a hard time reeling him in, but she eventually did even if the credits were rolling over their faces.

THE WRAP UP
So my house of cards didn’t quite stack up in the end, but I’m happy with the final outcome. I can only imagine insanely wonderful things for Jakob in the future, and Russell definitely transformed into a new man and dancer. This season has had some crazy lows and some major highs and a whole lot of firsts. It won’t be the most memorable season or the most thoughtfully produced, but I’m thankful, this holiday season, for fall SYTYCD and the beautiful dancers and innovative choreographers it brought with it.  Until next season!

For another take on this week’s episode, check out This is It! by Trisha Huntsman.

Season 6, Episodes 23 & 24:  The Top 6 Perform & Finale: Winner Announced (originally aired December 15 & 16, 2009)

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, click here.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

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