SATURDAY, 21st

THE INFORMANT!: I tried watching this on the plane once. I fell asleep. I’ll be nice and blame it on jetlag. (8pm/HBO)

So You Think You Can Dance Review: Crowning America’s Favorite Dancer

The end of season 7 has finally arrived, and I for one am not ready to see it end. As the season began we all questioned the all-star format, the strength of these particular dancers, and their ability to stand out among their peers and predecessors.

I can say without any hesitation that these 3, the kids that made it into the finale, deserve to be there.

They are talented, strong artists who have grown, matured, and blown us away week after week. There are, of course, Kent and Lauren. Most people (myself included) predicted it would come down to the two of them weeks ago. Robert, though, surprised us, and I’m most proud of him. He ended up in the bottom 3 several weeks in a row but he didn’t give up. He listened to the judges, he kept working, and here he is in the finale. I couldn’t be more pleased with the last 3 standing or with the opportunity to watch them dance once last time.

Er, 4 more times?

With all the injuries this season, pushing the final 3 through 4 routines in the finale seemed to be taunting the dance gods. Thank goodness everything turned out alright.

Kent Boyd kicked off the night with a Bollywood number, a style we haven’t seen him tackle previously but that suited him. Bollywood is campy, so this number alongside all-star Lauren was fun and precise. Honestly, I can’t remember seeing a Bollywood number danced with such precision in the years I’ve been watching. Kent is smart. He’s athletic. He doesn’t take anything for granted. He nailed this routine.

His second routine of the evening didn’t wow the judges, but I certainly enjoyed seeing him and Lauren Froderman dance together again. The piece, a Mandy Moore Jazz routine, allowed them to explore their fun, quirky side. They were adorable and did everything that was asked of them, but the judges felt like they weren’t challenged enough. I would have loved to see the two of them dance another Contemporary together.

Kent’s third number also worked out, but also showed us a devastatingly real side of Kent we’ve not seen before. He pulled a Contemporary dance with Allison – good luck all the way around. The piece, choreographed by Stacey Tookey, portrayed a couple who appears perfect in public but is falling apart behind closed doors. It moved me, it rang true, and Kent obviously struggled with how deeply he felt the emotion behind the dance. It was so nice to see the side of Kent he hides – the side that is truly a dancer, and artist, and does it because it’s what he loves. Bravo.

He ended the night on a routine no one has ever seen on So You Think You Can Dance before, a Malevos fight with Robert Roldan. It felt masculine and even violent, two emotions Kent often lacks, so it was nice to see him capable of portraying them. It was fun, but even a novice could tell their footwork should have been tighter. Either way, entertaining.

Robert Roldan, the surprise finalist, has just blossomed and come into his own over the past several weeks. Tonight he proved his place in the finale was warranted, beginning the night with a Tyce Diorio Jazz routine with all-star Mark. They were totally handsome, and even though the piece was odd and so very not Tyce like, Robert killed it. Killed. It. His movements look effortless, but they are executed with so much precision you know they’re not.

His next performance was with Lauren Froderman, a Contemporary piece from Dee Caspery that turned out lovely. Robert is a fluid, breathtaking Contemporary dancer, and as much as I’ve enjoyed watching him tackle other styles this is quite simply where he belongs. He’s strong, he’s a fabulously supportive partner, and he feels the movements. Like Nigel says, from his “fingertips all the way to his toes.”

Robert’s second all-star dance was a Specer Liff Broadway routine with Kathryn. Set to Cool, one of the most beloved pieces of West Side Story, the challenge was clear. They tackled it with grace and brilliance. Robert could have a career in Broadway, right alongside Kent. Kathryn was, as always, lovely. The routine sparkled amongst several sparkly routines Wednesday night.

His last routine was, of course, the Malevos Fight with Kent Boyd. Robert pulled off the gangster hat and suit, the simmering evil perhaps with a bit more ease than Kent, but they both could have danced it better. In the end, the dance felt enjoyable and the audience had a nice time watching them perform together. In my opinion, the weakest routine of the night.

Lauren Froderman is a genius and a heck of a sweetheart rolled up in a strong, feminine, adorable package. I sort of want to be her. Turns out, so do Mia Michaels and Cat Deeley, so I’m not alone. She began her night with a second Hip-Hop routine with all-star Twitch, and she threw it down just as hard as she did last time. The concept of the Nappy/Tabs centered around and election and debate, and hey – Lauren wins.

Her routine with Robert Roldan, the Contemporary piece, was my favorite Lauren performance on the finale. I adore about everything she does, but watching her dance Contemporary is like watching a swan swim – it’s just what she was born to do. Watching her do it with Robert, whose lines, masculinity, and performance complement her perfectly, was stunning to watch.

Lauren’s quirky Jazz routine with Kent Boyd left me smiling but a bit empty. I tend to agree with the judges that there wasn’t enough meat on the choreography bones, and these two dancers could have stood up to a much greater challenge. After waiting and waiting for the two of them to take the stage together again, I thought it a bit of a let down.

She ended her run on So You Think You Can Dance doing a sexy Cha-Cha with Pasha, which sent her out on a bang. Great compliments from all the judges, including Mia’s statement “if I was still dancing I would want to dance like you.” Lauren really took to ballroom, and I’ve enjoyed watching her do it. Still, when she’s dancing ballroom I can feel her apprehension and miss that feeling of abandonment we get from her in routines where she’s more comfortable.

Thursday night’s finale was full of bells and whistles. The panel of judges picked some of their favorite dances of the season and we got to see them again – this is always the best part of the finale in my opinion. I (and many others, I’d guess) was disappointed that we did not get to see Lauren and Kent’s prom routine a second time. Totally adorable though – both Kent and Lauren named it as their favorite routine of the season, because neither of them had ever experienced anything like that on stage before. Sigh. Heart.

We got some footage of National Dance Day, and some tapping standouts (including a 7yo boy named Luke who blew my mind out of the water).

The Top 11 (yes, including Alex Wong!) danced a routine with all the all-stars that enraptured the audience.

Last, but not least, Ellen Degeneres hopped onstage to do a remake of Alex’s Hip-Hop routine with Twitch – one of Alex’s best moments and his last week on the show.

I love Ellen. Seriously, who doesn’t?

Robert Roldan ended his run in third place. Love the guy. More than respectable finish after having such a rough go in the opening weeks.

So we were down to Lauren and Kent. It was always going to come down to Lauren and Kent, two bright-eyed, enthusiastic, genuine, eighteen-year-old kids. I honestly had no preference on the winner, but…

Lauren Froderman is America’s Favorite Dancer.

Congrats, girl. You deserve it.

Want more So You Think You Can Dance?  An interview with the winner, Lauren Froderman, here.  Read Inisia Lewis’s review, “The Coronation,” here.  And Poptimal’s own Hollie Overton was backstage at the finale; read about it here. Read recaps/reviews of the entire season here. 

Follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.  Friend us on Facebook here. 

Season 7, Episode 22 & 23: Top 3 Perform & Finale: Winner Crowned (originally aired August11 and August 12, 2010)

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

So You Think You Can Dance Review: The Coronation

 

ROBERT and Kathryn | Broadway | Spencer | “Cool” from West Side Story (1961 soundtrack)
If there’s one thing I learned, it’s never tell Adam that he’s wrong about anything having to do with Broadway. Nigel learned that the hard way. Much of the dialogue was spent discussing the choreographer’s risky choice to re-imagine “Cool,” instead of the dancing which was totally fabulous. Robert was so masculine and sexy, and Kathryn, well, she put some circus acrobats to shame with that flexibility. The fact that the judges didn’t focus much on the actual good dancing reminded me how much I want them to shut up sometimes.

LAUREN and Pasha | Cha-cha | Tony & Melanie | “Not Myself Tonight” by Christina Aguilera
“If I was still dancing, I would want to dance just like you.” That’s probably the best compliment to get from a choreographer you admire. In this case, it was Mia. Never get bored watching her. Now that Adéchiké’s gone, nice Mama Mia is back. There’s no question that I’d want to dance like Lauren as well, and when the judges praised the contestants for maturing, for me, Lauren was the most visibly changed from her technique to her versatility to how she conducts herself on camera. She still maintains that sunny-side up personality though.

KENT and ROBERT | Malevos | Miriam & Leonardo | “The Chosen/Drum Addict” by Tyler Long
Somehow two men stomping around underneath strobe-lights tends to lend itself to an extremely awkward performances. No matter how well danced, I just never had a moment of excitement. Thankfully, the following night was filled with stunning numbers because this would not be the number to tide me over until season eight.

If we could discern anything from the solos, it’s that Lauren, hands down, should take the crown, but we know SYTYCD is about more than just one, utterly fantastic, limber, sexy, powerful solo. So although Kent’s solo was a little frenetic for me and Robert proved he knows how to make a strong, albeit quirky, statement is a very short period of time, all the viewers needed to remember was the night’s amazing numbers and the season as a whole to know it was anyone’s game.

Then, the results were in. First, the top 11 joined the All-stars for one of the best group numbers ever. Come to think of it, looking back this season‘s has given us some of the best group numbers the show has ever produced. (See: Dee Caspary’s fantastic, week 8 “Drumming Song,” Mia’s week 7 “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and week 3 “When We Dance.” This one happened to be choreographed by Christopher Scott. Our panel consisted of the usual suspects plus Mary, Tyce, Stacey Tookey and Kenny Ortega. There was a cute montage of our judges where we relished in the things we already knew. Adam is the man of 1,000 faces, Mia likes to make up words and Nigel has great hair.

For me, the most exciting part of the night, besides our coronation, is reliving some of the greatest moments of the season and seeing what all our judges pick. For the most part, they did not disappoint.

• Kent and Neil’s “Shoeless Joe” number, choreographed by Tyce
• Billy and Ade’s “Mad World,” choreographed by Stacey
• NappyTab’s “Fallen”, danced by Adéchiké and Comfort
• NappyTab’s clown dance “Scars,” danced by Robert and Dominic
• Lauren and Pasha’s Argentinean Tango, choregraphed by Miriamand Leonardo“Fix You,” choregraphed by Travis and danced by Robert and Allison
• Jose and Dominic’s “Battle for the Beat”, choreographed again by NappyTabs (This gave us the return of Mary Michael’s hot tamale train. It would have been a travesty to end the season without at least one.)
• Lauren and Twitch in NappyTabs’s “My Chick Bad”
• Billy and Robert in a Nakul “Bollywood” number
• Travis’s “How It Ends” piece, danced by Kent and Neil

NappyTabs dominated, and I’m so happy they returned to quality material. I’m not sure who picked Kent and Anya to repeat Jean-Marc and France’s “My First Kiss” but the flub at the end was painful to watch. Though fun, I could have lived without seeing that again. They also replayed Alex and Allison’s “Hallelujah” piece choreographed by Sonya.

Quest Crew brought a little of the ABDC flavor and reminded me of everything I craved when Jose took the stage but never got. The Manzari brother appeared out of nowhere to perform an eerily synchronized routine. Plus, they’re legs are so powerful. I believe acoustically, I’ve never heard tap sound so good on this stage. But they certainly couldn’t match the speedy little feet of seven year old, tap wonder Luke. Russell finally got some earned screen time with Lil’ C in, as Mia would say, a filthy Krump number. (He was so jipped last season with no tour.) Charlie Bruce, the winner of SYTYCD U.K. joined Neil, in an extremely gorgeous, ethereal, and pretty much awe-inspiring, contemporary piece. I didn’t really consider how much amazing SYTYCD dancing I could be missing on all around the world. Now, I have an internet scouring mission.

Cat kept hyping a superstar performance which turned out to relate to the Alex and Twitch memorable hip-hop routine recreation. It turned out some big guns - Ellen Degeneres. I cringed at first, but was actually impressed and pleasantly delighted. Now if only she had given me that feeling during American Idol.

So just like those torturous results shows, now that you’ve suffered through all the filler, you then learn the answer to the question you’ve been wondering about. Who’ll be carrying on the SYTYCD winner title? Robert was the first to exit, but there’s no question he’ll have a successful career, what with his long limbs and gorgeous face. Would the fan favorite conquer the girl who proved she could hang with the boys? Sorry, Kent. It just wasn’t in the cards this time. Plus since season two, we’ve been oscillating between a guy winning and a girl winning so it was pretty much destined. Congrats, girl! Not only are you talented, but you’re sweet and cute to boot. Enjoy a lifetime supply of Gatorade, becoming a cover girl and your place in dance competition history. I see a bright lights future ahead for you.

Want more So You Think You Can Dance?  An interview with the winner, Lauren Froderman, here.  Read Trish Leigh’s review of the finale, “Crowning America’s Favorite Dancer,” here.  And Poptimal’s own Hollie Overton was backstage at the finale; read about it here. Read recaps/reviews of the entire season here. 

Follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.  Friend us on Facebook here. 

Season 7, Episode 22 & 23: Top 3 Perform & Finale: Winner Crowned (originally aired August11 and August 12, 2010)

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

So You Think You Can Dance: Words With America’s Favorite Dancer, Lauren Froderman!

I felt privileged to interview Lauren Froderman after her win on Thursday night’s So You Think You Can Dance. I’ve been a fan for several weeks running. She gave a fabulous interview, apparently just as charming, carefree, and humble as she presented herself on television. As far as I’m concerned, the world is pretty much her oyster right now.

Whatever that means. I’ve never really understood that expression.

She began by answering a question about how the all-stars contributed or took away from her experience on the show. Lauren answered, as all the contestants have, that the all-stars were invaluable. They “pushed us to work harder and brought the experience of knowing how the show works.” Also, the all-stars helped her figure out how to overcome her competition dancer cred and move forward into more intimate kinds of dance. “I tried to absorb everything about the character and the piece, make a connection with my partner. I realized it’s about making the audience want to come in instead of pulling them in. The all-stars were a huge help with that.”

She mentioned Pasha in particular, thanking him for helping her work through her nerves on ballroom and showing her how to let go within a piece.

On being the only girl for so long? “I was nervous, it looked like a boy season. I still can’t believe I actually won. I wanted to represent the girls well.”

On Robert (who she’s known through dance competitions for several years): “We met at competitions when we were younger and became instant friends. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and were so excited to meet again in Vegas. He’s one of my favorite people of all time and I know he’s going to be successful in whatever he does.”

On Kent: “The prom routine was so special to me. It’s the only Contemporary I got to do before the finale and Kent and I had such a good connection from the start. I felt like I was all ready in love with the kid the first day I met him in Vegas. It felt like just the two of us up there with no audience.”

On Cat Deeley’s role on the show and relationship with the dancers: “She’s so funny and so sweet – and really jokes around a lot. We got the day off on the 4^th of July and she had us all over to her house for a pool party. She just has a great energy.”

What female was she closest to? “Ashely, for sure. I loved them all but Ashley was my roommate – we’re both crazy and we had tons of fun together.”

Did the final 3 talk about how they felt about the finale? “Kent, Robert and I are very close; there is a tight bond between all of us. We were all so proud of each other and we didn’t care who won. We just wanted to enjoy the last week dancing together.”

Lauren’s first thoughts after winning, and what she wanted to say? “I was shocked. I really, really thought it would be Kent because of his fanbase. They’re always screaming for him, he gets tons of fanmail. I’m grateful and humbled and I never believed it would be me.”

“I never thought I could win, but the winning seemed secondary. I wanted to stay and learn and grow – stay with my friends, my new family, as long as possible.”

“The fact that so many people believed in me, supported me…people are happy for me that don’t even know me. Nothing will ever replace the feeling of happiness I had last night.”

Her biggest struggle? “Letting go of the fact it’s a competition. Success is treating it as a chance to grow and learn. Don’t worry too much about what the judges say or you won’t get everything you can out of every performance.”

Lauren’s plans for the future? Well, short term: “The tour. I can’t wait. It’s going to be the best time of our lives. We can’t wait to hang out, dance together, see the country. It’s already decided that Kent and I are exploring buddies.”

Long term: “I’d like to go into acting, get an acting coach. I’ve been singing for the past two years and I want to keep up with that – basically just be as versatile as possible so I can get work. Really want to work in television and film.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll see Lauren Froderman again. Until then, catch her, Kent Boyd, and several of your other favorites on tour this fall.

Want more So You Think You Can Dance?  Read reviews of the finale here and here.  Poptimal’s own Hollie Overton was backstage at the finale; read about it here. Read recaps/reviews of the entire season here. 

Image courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro. Follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.  Friend us on Facebook here.

Project Runway Review: When the Party Goes Bad

Last week on Project Runway, Jason learned that a bowler hat does not a designer make. He and his silly black hat were sent home. Unfortunately fellow designer Nicholas was given his “adieu” in a surprising double elimination. This week the designers party it up with an “Unconventional Challenge” that forces them to find inspiration (and materials) in a party store. Some designers find genius, some lose their minds, but for one of them the party’s over.

The episode starts off with Gretchen talking lovingly about the other designers. At the same time, most of the designers are trash talking Gretchen. Christopher, Peach, and April go on about Gretchen’s general arrogance, her growing ego, and their general disdain for the girl. But in Gretchen’s defense, if I had won 2 out of 2 challenges, I’d think I’m the -ish too; which it is clear Gretchen thinks that she is as she constantly predicts herself in the upcoming top three once again. She is in her own words “a force to be reckoned with.” Okay, yes; she is getting annoying.

For their “Unconventional Challenge,” Tim takes the designers to a party store from which the designers must create their next designs. So, there’s going to be no fabric this trip, only the materials found in the store and Tim cautions the designers against using tablecloths or fabric-like materials. Some of the designers are freaked. Ivy doesn’t know what to do and neither does Andy. Casanova expresses complete disdain for the challenge and just buys anything that looks close to fabric; the complete opposite of Tim’s suggestion. While at first AJ felt comfortable with this challenge (he’s used to doing this kind of stuff), pretty soon he’s explaining to anyone who will listen that he’s struggling worse than everyone else. What with everyone’s expectations and all that blah, blah, blah.

While they are designing the group gets a bit of unwanted critique…from Gretchen who has taken it upon herself to go around the room and tell the designers how they can make their clothes better. No kidding, she walks around with a notepad going over the other designers’ work. Ivy thinks that Kristen doesn’t deserve to be in the competition. And since personal opinions are the only basis for attributing worth, I think that Ivy is egotistical without merit and is probably a horrible human being and therefore should be turned into a small gerbil. This is just to illustrate a point; I don’t actually want her turned into a gerbil. And even though Kristen ANNOYS ME ON SIGHT (!!), I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Tim comes in to access the designers’ work. He loves Valerie’s napkin dress, is brought to giggles by Kristin’s woolly balls, and thinks Peach needs to pull the coal out of her butt. Honestly, there is not much to be seen at this point as most of the designers seem to be struggling with time/design. Peach’s outfit looks trash-tastic.  How you can hope to be subtle with zebra-print is beyond me. Andy is doing some intricate ribbon work, which has not translated into an actual dress just yet. Sarah is trying to de-construct a palm tree fashionably… that’s not going so well.

On the Runway, Betsey Johnson serves as guest judge.

The designers managed to pull themselves together in the final minutes. Michael’s dress looked amazing, red with a mermaid tail. Ivy’s looked gorgeous, but it didn’t manage to make the top three. That honor went to Valerie, Gretchen, and Andy. But just when you think history is about to repeat itself, Andy pulls out a well deserved win.

In the bottom three are Casanova, Sarah, and AJ. The judges called AJ’s design silly, while Nina said it was a hot mess. Even so, he’s safe this week. Michael said Casanova’s dress looked like a “transvestite flamenco {dancer} at a funeral.” Even still it was Sarah and her cut out palm dress that left the judges feeling cold. They felt that she didn’t do anything with the challenge, so she was sent home.

At the end of the episode, drama ensued as Ivy passed out and was sent to the hospital…

Season 8, Episode 3: It’s a Party (originally aired August 12, 2010)

For more on Project Runway, click here. You can follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.

Thursdays at 10pm EST on Lifetime

Photographs courtesy of Lifetime.

The Other Guys Review: If Take-out Was Funny

We’ve spent all our lives hearing about the superheroes; improbable men with extraordinary talent called to save the world in impossible situations. But what about the other guys, the ordinary guys who go face-to-face with the impossible. This weekend, The Other Guys are brought to the forefront with a comedic film that has both substance and heart.

The Other Guys stars Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell as the comedic odd couple. Mark Wahlberg plays Detective Terry Hoitz, a macho tough guy and a good cop until he makes the monumental mistake of shooting Derek Jeter. So, in response to this boneheaded move Hoitz finds himself pushing paper patrol with new partner Detective Allen Gamble. Gamble is the complete opposite of Hoitz; he’s a happy go lucky accountant who couldn’t be less interested in working the field. This doesn’t sit well with Hoitz who is eager to prove himself out in the field once again. But then a simple case of paperwork takes our pair out of their comfort zone and deep into a world of corporate fraud, intrigue, and murder. Hoitz gets what he wants but how will these two fair up against the odds which quickly grow out of their favor.

Ferrell and Walberg have an easy spirit. Will Ferrell is crazy in a way that only Will Ferrell can be. Mark Walberg is brilliant as a guy just a screwed up as everyone else, but unwilling to see it. Eva Mendes is good as Gamble’s hot wife, Damon Wayans Jr. and Rob Riggle rock as wannabe superstars. Michael Keaton stars as the police cheif who moonlights at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Ice-T serves as narrator and Derek Jeter stars as himself when taking a shot. This movie also includes Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson as superstar cops Danson and Highsmith (respectively), whose reckless and destructive hi-jinks are as spectacular as their actual busts are not. These two are over the top and spectacular in this role. They think they’re superheroes and they made me believe it too.

I particularly liked the parallels of the Superstar vs Other Guy storyline. It may be a bit shocking and hard to swallow but it’s true to reality. And in this instance, I have to give The Other Guys a gold star. The whole, ‘it’s the guys that you don’t see flashed all over the television that are saving the world’ is a true and uplifting thought.  Sure, we get trapped in the whole superstardom thing, but it’s the real guys, the firefighters, the soldiers, the cops, who are saving the world. I particularly liked the fact that everything was against these two and still they struggled on.

I love the message of this film, and there were strong performances by all the actors. That being said, there is one small matter of contention. The Other Guys was funny, sure. There were plenty of chuckles though no moments of comedic genius that would really set this film apart from anything else I’ve ever seen. And that is my only complaint with this film: it’s good, but not great; funny, though not hilarious. It’s by no means mediocre but there is no single brilliant point on which to cling. It’s all too easily forgettable, which is dissatisfying to say the least. Maybe I am asking for too much, this film is exactly what it’s meant to be, a good-time buddy film with both action and laughs. This just doesn’t seem to be enough when almost an hour later I’m wondering what I did with the last two hours of my life. It’s a good movie, you’ll probably enjoy yourself in the theater, but just like take-out an hour later you’ll be reaching for something more fulfilling. And yes I do feel guilty in saying that.

Photo by Macall Polay – © 2010 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group

Behind the Scenes at the So You Think You Can Dance Finale

Poptimal was on the red carpet at last night’s So You Think You Can Dance finale where Lauren Froderman upset the season’s front runner Kent Boyd and was crowned America’s Favorite Dancer. All season, Kent was the one to beat but on Thursday night, Lauren took home the title. It was a night of amazing performances, from the knockout opening number choreographed by Christopher Scott with an appearance by fan favorite, the still recovering  Alex Wong along with a recap of some of the season’s best routines. The announcement of the winner was preceded by an homage to Alex’s lauded NappyTabs hip hop routine by a brave, funny, and surprisingly not-terrible Ellen DeGeneres and the always amazing Twitch.

But in the end, this night was all about Lauren. She had a spectacular season and continually impressed the judges. On the red carpet, Napoleon and Tabitha (NappyTabs) praised her consistency.

“The way she handled herself week after week was great. She’s an amazing dancer and she’s going to have an amazing future,“ Napoleon said. They both emphasized how talented all the dancers were having little to no time, less than a day or two to learn each routine.

Mary Murphy, who made an appearance as a special guest judge this season said she’s kept busy running her dance studio but is still strongly identified for her role on the show.

“I’ll be having a serious moment in public and people will come up and ask me about the hot tamale train. I don’t want to hurt their feelings and say, I need a private moment.”

Still it’s something she’s proud of.  She says the show continues to build dance and encourage dancers all over the world.

“Wherever I go, even overseas, kids, everyone wants to do this show.”

Mary said she loves how it even brings couples together.

“I don’t how many people have told me their husbands didn’t even want to watch the show and after a year now they’re saying ‘oh look they didn’t point their feet.’

Mary was equally impressed with the Season 7 winner.

“Lauren had amazing lines. I mean, that girl could do anything. When she did that Argentinean tango, she was just perfect.”

Adam Shankman told Lauren the words every dancer wants to hear said again he’d love to hire her.

“She’s going on tour but I’d hire her tomorrow.”

Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe along with all of the judges said the talent this year was outstanding. He praised Robert and runner up Kent and said he thought after Wednesday’s performance any one of them would have been a great choice. But he said Lauren had been a standout from the beginning.

“Lauren was always the strongest girl. It’s funny, I went to both Kent and Lauren’s homes to tell them they’d made the show and they ended up being the finalists.”

He too noticed Lauren after her early knockout ballroom number with all-star Pasha.

“It was really the Argentinean Tango. When I saw that, I thought, this is someone who stood a chance. “

Who did Nigel think was the most inspirational dancer of the evening? His answer might surprise you.

“Ellen DeGeneres. I know you think it’s funny but here is someone who’s had no dance training, never had a lesson and the public knows she’s not a dancer but she just did brilliantly.”

Runner-up Kent Boyd was obviously disappointed at the loss but said the experience was one he’ll never forget. He’s excited to go on tour and is looking forward to not competing, simply dancing. He said the fact that he got to make so many amazing friends and work with all the talented choreographers will be something he’s not soon to forget.

Kent’s parents Jon and Lori Boyd said they were of course disappointed that their son didn’t take home the title but were still proud of all he had accomplished.

“We are very proud. It surprised us how far he came and how fast it happened. The day after he graduated, he was on a plane coming to LA,” Jon said.

Both his parents see the bright side a show like this has given their son.

“He is the top male dancer in America. He’s got all the doors open and it’s whatever he wants to do. He’s got the exposure he needed to get. As a parent, you couldn’t be happier to see your kid succeed.”

What did the winner Lauren have to say for the experience?

“It’s just so weird. I’m America’s Favorite Dancer. I was expecting to hear Kent’s name. I did not think I was going to win. I just feel so so blessed and honored. I want to thank my fans. They’re the best.”

As for what she plans to do with that $250,000 prize money. She may be an artist but she’s got a practical side as well.

“I’m going to save the money. I can’t be trusted. I’m definitely going to put that away and save it for when I’m smarter and better with handling money. If I do spend any of it, it’ll be for my parents for whatever they want because they’ve been so supportive and they’ve made me the dancer I am today. They’ve always believed in me.”

Nigel mentioned that many had said girls couldn’t get the same amount of votes, pointing towards Kent’s large female fan base throughout the season but said that if a girl was good enough and Lauren was, then they’d get the votes. Lauren couldn’t have been happier to win over all of America but especially young girls. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of support that they (girls) look up to me and that is incredible to hear. I want to inspire and encourage.

The highlight for her though was Mia’s high praise.

“When Mia told me that if she was still dancing she’d want to dance like me, that was amazing because I so look up to her.”

The dancers get the rest of the week off before they jump right back into work to prepare for the upcoming fall tour. Lauren’s focused on that but has big plans for her future.

“I actually want to start looking into acting because it’s really important for dancers to be diverse and be able to do whatever’s thrown at you and dancers should be able to do that so that’s what I’m working on.”

Season 7 has come to an end but fans can check out the all-stars and this season’s top 11 as well as Season 6 winner Russell when they hit the road and bring your favorite dancers to a city near you.

Want more So You Think You Can Dance?  Read reviews of the finale here and here.  Poptimal’s own Trish Leigh interviewed Lauren Froderman; read about it here. Read recaps/reviews of the entire season here. 

Follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.  Friend us on Facebook here.

Image courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro.

Top Chef Review: They Killed Kenny!

This has got to be one of the biggest unexpected wins of restaurant war that I can remember. Honestly I feel horribly outraged that this team won. Am I one of those viewers easily swayed by the clever cuts the editing team? Did they want me to feel this way? Maybe. I’m certainly experiencing anger that there are two other people who should have gone home before this week’s eliminated chef. I’m looking at you Alex and Amanda.

The episode began with the tag-team quickfire before the elimination (they did the same thing in season six). Kenny, Amanda, Kevin, and Kelly were team blue while Angelo, Ed, Tiffany and Alex were team red. Immediately you get a snippet of how the elimination round is going to go; the blue team are well-organized while the red team is scrambling around and under a lot of stress. The guest judge is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who proclaims the blue team’s sautéed shrimp over angel hair with mustard cream sauce and crispy basil the winner. This was expected because the producers made certain that we knew Alex messed up by salting the red team’s fish too early.

For restaurant wars, both teams end up cooking at Redwood in Bethesda, Maryland. I was surprised that this time around there was a lack of emphasis on how the front of the room looked like compared to previous seasons. Both Evoo (red team) and 2121 (blue team) appeared pretty much the same to me.

As mentioned earlier, the frantic v. calm preparation of  both teams that began during the quickfire round was continued throughout the shopping, the prep work and finally into the kitchen. Audiences were shown that team blue worked well together and that they were all having fun. In contrast, the red team was stressed out, and it is insunated again that it’s because of Alex. The red team chefs do not trust Alex’s cooking skills and want him to do as little as possible. Alex was shown in a really bad light this episode. He was butchering meats wrong, badly prepping the fish, he was incredibly rude to the staff, and as the restaurant host he did a less than stellar job.

In comparison, Kelly as the blue team’s hostess is portrayed as warm and attentive to the judges and the guests. She also contributed two dishes that she worked on to her team’s menu. Alex on the other hand didn’t really, unless you count the pea puree which I think is a not-so-subtle reminder of “his did he or didn’t he” steal Ed’s peas in a previous episode.

Service-wise, team blue’s restaurant appears a lot smoother than team red. If we looked at how the judges were treated alone, there is a big difference in the Hosts’ greetings, the timeliness of the food, and the attentiveness shown to the judge’s needs.

The judges have something good and bad to say about both teams’ menus and I found nothing creative about either. But we find out at judge’s table (with former New York Times critic Frank Bruni as the guest judge) that the red team actually wins because they had the better food. Didn’t see that one coming, at all! It seemed like the entire time we were being set up to expect the blue team to win this round as well but nope, sorry. If the red team had lost, I’m pretty sure that they would completely turn on Alex and I’m certain he would have gone home because his team made sure he did as little as possible and he was such a poor host.

Kenny gets sent home for his beet salad and crispy goat cheese desert. In this case Amanda should have been sent home because she had one dish and she didn’t execute it well and she hasn’t been doing well in previous challenges. Kenny has been on top way more than her and he did a good job in being a team leader. I can’t believe that he got sent home instead of her honestly.

I found this episode difficult to watch. Multiple times I wanted to change the channel because of how much I disliked seeing the way Alex and Angelo were acting. If I weren’t writing a review I probably would have stopped watching. In the past, restaurant wars was one of my favorite episodes of the season because it was great to see the chefs kick it up a notch and really get bold and creative with their food. This time around, it just made me cringe.

I wish that I had been able to go to Redwood myself and tried the food to determine whether I agree with the judges or not. Gail said that what happens in the kitchen doesn’t matter and all they care about is the food and the service. It sounds like the judges valued the better food more so than the service or how well the team worked as a whole. But shouldn’t they be judged on everything because the success of a restaurant is depends on a lot of different factors, not just the food? On that ground I disagree with their decision in proclaiming the red team as the winner. If the service was awful at a restaurant, I would not come back even if their food was good. If diners were faced with two options, one place having decent food with good service and the other with slightly better food with bad service, I think most people would rather go back to the first option. Treating customers well goes a long way.

So needless to say I was not fond of this episode in the very least. Now that Kenny is gone, I don’t really know who is going to square off with Angelo in the finals because I’m guessing he’s going to make it. If it was a showdown between the two of them, I might have been more motivated to watch because of the emotional investment I’ve made in their rivalry. Now, well I guess its still anyone’s game but it’ll be that much less entertaining.

Season 7, Episode 9: Restaurant Wars (originally aired August 11, 2010)

For more on Top Chef, click here. You can follow Poptimal on Twitter @poptimal.

Wednesdays at 9/8C, Bravo

Photographs courtesy of Bravo and David Giesbrecht.

Lost Epilogue: New Man In Charge

Lost ended back in May. Some of us loved it with its character ending. Others were angry with the amount of questions left unanswered. After the finale aired executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced that there would be a twelve minute epilogue that could be found on DVD/Blu-ray when it hits in August. Luckily for those folks that don’t feel like purchasing the final season I’ve got a recap for you.

The Epilogue opens present day at a Dharma Logistics Warehouse in Orote Peninsula, Guam. The warehouse is full of pallets and boxes of food that are being readied by two workers.  Ben walks into the warehouse and tells the employees that the new man in charge from home office sent him to tie up a few loose ends. Ben informs the two Dharma workers that their services are no longer required. One of the Dharma employees states that they’ve been loading the drones with food pallets for nearly twenty years. Ben hands the employees their severance packages, envelopes filled with $100 bills, and tells them they are free to do whatever they want to do.

Giving further insight Ben replies that the Dharma Initiative hasn’t been around for close to twenty years. One of the employees insists that it is impossible as they still get coordinates for drops by drones. It turns out the coordinates came from an automated machine from the Lamp Post Station in Los Angeles. There hasn’t been a person there since around the time when the two employees started to work. Ben says this is the reason he is there. He’s going around closing up shop on orders from the man in charge.

Ben tells the recently fired employees to hit the lights before leaving. As Ben gets up to go the employees stop him and say they have questions. Ben allows them each one question.

Employee 1: Where have we been sending these pallets? Where are they dropped?

Ben: An island.

Employee 1: How’s that possible? The coordinates are different every time.

Ben: The island moves.

Employee 1: How does the island mo-

Ben: Uh uh. One question.

Technically that was two questions, but looks like Ben let it slide. So there we have it, the mystery of the Dharma food drop revealed. The food drops were seen in the episodes “Lockdown” and “Dave” in season two of the show. Pallets of food were being prepared in Guam with pilotless Drones delivering the meals to the island via coordinates from the Lamp Post Station. Since the Lamp Post Station was automated there was no one around to tell the two Dharma employees in Guam that they’ve been delivering food to a non-existent organization for the last twenty years.

Question 2

Employee 2: We are in Guam. So this island is somewhere in the tropics, right? So explain this. Polar Bear Biscuits. How is there a polar bear on a tropical island?

Ben: Polar bears actually. Plural.

Ben chooses a disc out a binder of DVDs from his messenger bag and tells the employees that he will show them the video once. After that they all will leave. Ben apologizes for the quality saying it’s a transfer from an old betamax.

The video starts playing and what do you know, it’s The Dharma Initiative video labeled 1 of 8, Orientation for the Hydra Station. Dr. Pierre Chang introduces himself like he does on all the videos. He states that for purposes of security no one should divulge his name to any outside parties. He jokes that he wouldn’t want to use an alias. For those missing out on the joke Dr. Pierre Chang ended up going by different aliases such as Dr. Marvin Candle, Dr. Mark Wickmund and Dr. Edgar Halliwax.

The Hydra Station was created to conduct biological and behavioral research on various animal, bird, and marine subjects.  We see a tracking shot containing the infamous numbered bunnies in cages, a mouse maze that looks awfully similar to Faraday’s maze, and a covered cage holding a genetic hybrid bird that screams Hurley’s name twice. That’s right, the Hurley bird which was first seen in the Season 1 Finale, “Exodus Part 2.”  Dr. Chang says they were tracked and let go on the island to see how they would adapt.

He moves on to the next animals, the polar bears. Being studied for their keen sense of memory and adaptability, the Dharma Initiative used the bears because their traits allowed them to be ideal candidates for electromagnetic studies. After the tests, the polar bears are transferred to a site that deals with a cold climate. Chang goes on to say that the bears are smart and employees are not to become attached to them. They are dangerous creatures that will take advantage of the situation. A scene is shown of a Dharma employee, who’s missing a hand, locking the bear cage. I guess losing a hand is the consequence of loving a polar bear.

Once the bears complete their electromagnetic training they are rewarded with fish biscuits. At the end of their training a giant tracking necklace is to be placed around their necks. They are then to be sent to the Orchid Station for the next phase of research.

For those that haven’t made the connection yet the polar bears were used to turn the giant frozen donkey wheel beneath the Orchid Station. Since the area was frozen it made the polar bears ideal candidates for testing. The tracking bracelet was placed around them to determine the position they were teleported to once the wheel was turned. The location happened to be Tunisia where we saw Ben arrive when he turned the wheel in Season Four episode “The Shape of Things to Come.” Earlier that season in episode two, “Confirmed Dead” Charlotte is at an excavation site in Tunisia where she finds the skeletal remains of a polar bear and a Dharma collar with the Hydra symbol on it.

Chang warns employees to check female polar bears for pregnancy before transport to the Orchid Station as the high level of electromagnetism at the location will have a harmful effect on early term gestation. This answers the question of pregnancy issues women had on the island. Women who conceived children on the island had a high probability of dying during childbirth along with the child.

The mystery of Room 23 is also unraveled. The island’s indigenous population known as “The Hostiles” are acquired from the main island, sedated, and brought to Room 23. The room is used for interrogation to better understand the Hostile’s way of life, their origins, and their worship of the island’s deity Jacob. After the research team has concluded the tests they are to apply a shot into the back of the Hostile’s neck and apply goggles onto their faces. A video of flashing images, along with the administered drug, would create an amnesia of sorts wiping any memory of the interrogation clean. Chang defends the procedure saying as long as the Hostiles don’t remember the interrogation the temporary truce between the two groups, Dharma and Hostiles, would go unharmed. With that, Chang wishes the new recruits good luck along with instructions to not talk to anyone outside of the station about the experiments taking place. The DVD comes to an end.

Ben informs the Guam Dharma workers that he has another call to make. The workers try to ask him more questions but Ben leaves without giving any more answers.

It is night when Ben arrives at Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute, the same place Hurley stayed after leaving the island. At the reception desk Ben asks to see Keith Johns and is met with resistance when the receptionist asks if he is on the visiting list. Ben says no, but passes her a note saying he will want to see him after reading what was on the piece of paper.

It turns out Keith Johns is actually Walt. That kid has definitely aged. Walt asks Ben what he is doing there causing Ben to reply, “Like the note says, a friend of yours sent me.” Walt replies he has no friend, but Ben replies with, “We all have friends. Even me.” The only difference is Ben’s friends enjoy punching him in the face

Ben apologizes to Walt when asked if he was there to kidnap him again. “I’m genuinely sorry about that. But what’s done is done. I can’t change the past. I can only take responsibility for it.” Ben relates with Walt saying he understands the difficulties he’s been through, being someone he’s not.

Ben tells Walt that he is special and he is here to help him. They need him, he has work to do, starting with helping his father. “My father’s dead,” Walt responds. “That doesn’t mean you can’t help him,” Ben shoots back. Ben takes out a Dharma granola bar he pocketed at Guam and passes it to Walt asking if he’ll go with them.

Outside, Ben and Walt get into the Dharma Van. Hurley appears in the back seat of the van welcoming Walt.

Walt: I kept hoping one day someone will come back for me. I thought I was crazy.

Hurley: You aren’t crazy dude. Not even close. You just need to get back to the island, that’s all. It’s where you belong. It’s where you always belonged.

Walt: Why?

Hurley: Can I talk to you about a job? ::Pause:: Alright Ben, let’s get out of here. It’s time for us to go home.

Ben proceeds to drive the Dharma van into the darkness and for the last time LOST appears on a black screen.

So that’s that. The clip really makes me miss Lost. Michael Emerson’s acting is still fantastic. I swear, just watch his eyes and you’ll believe that man is Benjamin Linus and no one else. In regards to Walt, I’m guessing he was always destined to be the next Jacob. Ben realized it and took him on island. If anyone has any better theories, hit up the comment section.

For more on Lost, click here.

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Mario Perez.

The CW (DC 50) Interviews Poptimal.com

Our writers were interviewed by DCOnHeels and the CW on DC 50. Check out their candid answers about the Silahi’s.  We think it has been running on TV all week.

(If you liked this video below, be sure to check out the our video other video link.  Warning not for the timid: ALT VIDEO).

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