There are a ton of things to knock about this season’s Heroes finale. Therefore, I’ll start with some of the good things.

1. It’s over. Look, I know that I am being harsh, but to be honest, this season tried my patience more than any other did. It was wildly uneven, often relied on clichéd plot development and recycled character stories and wanted too much to be too many things. It’s an oft-repeated problem with Heroes, and it’s hard to fault them. The ones at the helm do try to push the envelope and take chances. (See: all time travel storylines) However, they often go too far. The arcs tend to start well but then spiral out of control, and it’s hard for the viewer to feel fully invested when things jump so swiftly. And tonight’s episode is a perfect example.

Hiro’s storyline could only be resolved in so many ways, and the question most fans wanted answered: Will he save Charlie? Can Hiro actually get his happily ever after? For those of us who can’t help but head to the net and magazines once our favorite shows go off, see Jayma Mays on a Golden Globe winning, little show called Glee. It promptly makes the idea of Hiro and Charlie growing old together seems highly unlikely. Therefore, the writers had to come up with an intriguing way to have the hero save the girl, but also have the girl exit. They also had to wrap up that ever-elusive time travel issue since Samuel dropped her who knows when.

I would say they accomplished part of this storyline’s mission. Charlie wasn’t a cliffhanger. Hiro did in fact find her once he woke up in the hospital and convinced Ando that he was cured. A sweet origami bird is hand delivered to him, and he knows Charlie is near. Now, I guessed the big reveal, partly because hospitals only make me think of one thing….old. Therefore, Charlie ended up being an old woman in her late 70s or 80s. Did the writer’s take the easy way out? Yep, but I didn’t really expect much less since they had to stuff so much into one episode, and there were many other heroes to focus on. Charlie, having been left in the 40s and never recovered, got the chance to live like Hiro always wanted for her, even if it was without him. He did pause for a long moment to think about time traveling again to pick her up and right her life. Smartly, she pointed out her family and full life, all a product of what happened to her, and reminded him that they were important too. At least they had a calm chance to say goodbye before Hiro was off to help the others on the quest to defeat Samuel.

2. A second, major issue is with character development. Part of the reason Season 1 was such a success was due to the beauty of unraveling the depths of characters that had just uncovered new, amazing abilities. Each person was so unique and, for the most part, intriguing. Peter and Hiro searched for greater purpose. Mohinder attempted to decipher his absent father’s mysterious work. Claire had begun to feel like an outsider in a world where she used to belong. Isaac battled an intense drug addiction. This list could go on. Yet somewhere along the line, the writers took the spotlight away from the characters, focusing more on mythology. And while some of the mysteries were definitely inspired, they were often poorly executed or dropped with no explanation and the characters were the ones hurt the most.

Sylar’s evolution has jumped all over the place. First, he’s a baddie. Then, he’s a reformed Mama’s boy and sidekick and next a villain again. Oh, wait! Only to have his personality recycled once more. (Zachary Quinto, you are a champ.) All of this I could accept if they would have displayed these changes with more poignancy. During this final showdown, Sylar did, in fact, save the day. He did what Peter’s vision promised and saved Emma from death/mass genocide by cello. He even restrained Doyle and left him alive. As I said earlier, I often champion such a drastic change in a show. Nevertheless, this went from a great idea to being a lost opportunity because I wanted to see and know more, instead of seeing the change happen over the course of one, boring episode.

The Claire/Gretchen storyline was also another that the writers teased all season, but the writers just dangled the carrot in front of us and expected us to keep running. When I can see the effort of a storyline completely downgraded, then I feel downgraded. They could have gone so many places for Claire with this one and ways that stayed away from being cheap and fake. At least they focused more this season on her relationship with her father, Noah. She was whiny most days, but her father’s almost death brought out the best of both worlds: the emotional daughter and the determined, independent lady. Having them buried in a big tin can under 40 feet of solid dirt was even claustrophobic for me! The uncomfortable situation gave Claire a chance to express that she truly loves her father no matter what and gave Noah the chance to tell Claire that she’s the bright spot in his otherwise dark life. He was almost gone, but there’s no way I could buy them killing off one of the most beloved characters on the dying show, so it wasn’t unexpected when Tracy showed up to save the day. She did her Alex Mack thing and made her way into the trailer to help them get out. Tracy let it be known that she doesn’t just do things for no reason and that he owed her. They made a point to have her say it and then Claire repeat it so I see big things in Tracy’s future. (Not that I’m excited about it or anything, but you might as well know too.) This escape was all a little dodgy, though. How did they really get out of there? We’ve never seen her power translate into morphing others.

3. Though there are a slew of reasons why Heroes should kick the bucket, my final point will focus on the final battles. Every season the story is supposed to lead up to some epic battle, and it’s always a letdown. This one was especially so. Samuel made right on his promise to bring the carnival to Central Park and get Emma to draw in the masses. All this lead to a showdown that included Claire giving a soapbox speech denouncing Samuel to all of his followers, and Peter and Samuel in the most ridiculously boring earth vs. earth fight EVER! I always wanted Samuel’s power to develop into something more than just moving earth. But truthfully it was a limiting power from the beginning. On a small scale, it’s boring, and on a grand scale, it’s pretty much too destructive to use.

Plus, for the first time, getting all the heroes together didn’t result in fireworks. You’d think a ton of people with crazy powers, fighting for the survival of thousands of people, might cause a massive raucous. Not really, since they all used them in the smallest of ways. Claire convinced all the carnies to leave Samuel, weakening him. It helped that Noah and Edgar teamed up and brought Eli into the fold. (Barely a blink was given to this.) Peter did…whatever that was subduing Samuel. Hiro helped teleport all the carnies out so that Samuel would be powerless, and he wouldn’t have been able to do it without Ando’s supercharge. Yep, that was it.

WRAP IT UP
Of course, in the end, we always get to peak into the first moments of the next installment. In this case, news vans flocked to the scene of the “commotion” to find Claire ready to show the world that she is different. I didn’t gasp with everyone on screen as Claire flung herself from the tallest thing she can find, but I loved to watch the expressions on their faces. The final moments were by far the most unsettling and interesting, always the case with this show.

Overall, this season had some highs in the beginning but it couldn’t sustain them. The writers started with a strong idea, hindered by putting out a weak product, therefore leading to a mediocre season. I always want shows to have the opportunity to end their tales on their own terms, so I’m up for another Heroes season, if only for some resolution. However, I accept that I’ll have to force myself to watch. Though as a TV lover, I’m okay with that.

PARTING SHOTS
“I gotta say. I never liked carnivals.” – Noah
“Yup.” – Peter

“What is she doing?” – Lauren
“Breaking my heart.” – Noah

“What the hell does she think she’s doing? She gonna change everything.” – Peter
“That’s right. It’s a brave new world.” – Sylar

“This is Claire Bennett, and this is attempt number…I guess I kind of lost count.”

Season 4, Episodes 19: Brave New World (originally aired February 8, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Chris Haston, and Trae Patton.

So, we visited Denver for the first half of the week, and the second half was spent watching some auditions we hadn’t seen from the past few weeks. While I loved the assortment of YouTube covers of “Pants on the Ground,” I am more than ready to yell, “sayonara auditions!” at the top of my lungs.

WATCH OUT FOR…
Mark Labriola, 28, sings “Tempted” by Squeeze, a song that I don’t ever remember hearing on the show, and he owns it. The only thing that makes me smile during these rounds are when someone, primed to be a dud, completely shines. He held his own under Simon’s crazy-talk grilling after learning Mark was kidnapped by his mother at a young age. (Yay for a life story not told from the ::tear::tear:: perspective!) Plus, his baby was oh-so cute.

Tori Kelly, 16, greases the judges with her tag-along, little friend named Hope, at that. The girl is sly. She then kills John Mayer’s “Gravity”. I understood Simon’s critique of her “annoying” voice. She was a little bit shrill, but I think being put together, confident and sunny goes a long way early on.

Jessica Furney, 20, found empowerment in rejection by losing some weight, feeling and looking more vibrant, and returning for another shot. She also found a way to butter up Simon by singing “Footprints in the Sand,” a song Simon co-wrote.

Amanda Shectman’s, 19, voice was perfection, but she showed very little emotion during her performance. Now, we knew from her interview with Ryan earlier that she wasn’t a shy girl. But the judges weren’t prepared after her dour performance to see an outburst of emotion. And their chiding of her dramatic ways only provoked her even more. After much torture, they put her through. Now if we could do something about those tan lines.

Didi Benami, 22, was a big ball of nerves. Even Kara pointed out how much she could tell Didi wanted it, which only made her release her frustration in the form of an endless stream of tears. Her voice is distinct, different and if this girl can take control of herself, she could carve out her own little folkie niche.

Aaron Kelly is a sweet-faced 16-year old who reminds me of David Archuleta since they’re both angelic, adorable, soft-spoken and polite. Now can he go just as far?

Let’s not forget those flashes in the pan. Lee Dewyze, 23, and Crystal Bowersox, 23, both brought guitars with them kind of like how a baby sleeps with their blanket on a hot summer’s day. It’s not necessary, but it makes you feel safer. Rachel Hubbard, Thaddeus Johnson, or Genesis Moore, all 16, could be the next Mouseketeers 4.0 or the stars of HSM: The Next Generation.

NEED FINE BUT NOT FAB? CALL…
Kimberly Kerbow, 24, got a lot of flack for singing the line, “I’d buy you Rogaine” to Simon. It was all a little silly because it is the actual lyrics to the song she was singing, and then there was Simon’s low blow. “You’re a single mom? I wonder why…” But he recovered by saying yes and that she was funny. She wasn’t funny actually or all that great. I thought she was trying too hard to be cute and sexy, but her voice wasn’t half bad. Once she left the room though, he called her out for wearing a wig. Touche, Simon!

Danelle Hayes, 24, had a sob story about how hard it is to put on a smile and do little shows after little shows when you have such a big dream. I liked her voice, but she seemed to be screaming a lot and cracking a little. I’m sure her voice was affected by the fact that she was crying as she entered the room and teary as she sang, but she made it easy for Simon to pick up on the fact that she may be broken and got to them just in time. So what happens when you cut her, Simon?!

Casey James, 27, is pretty nice on the eyes, so he easily swayed Kara and Victoria, especially after telling him to take his hair out of a ponytail and take his shirt off. (The shirt was strangely Randy’s suggestion.) He also seemed like a big sweetie, hearkening on a motorcycle accident he lived through but the docs predicted he would never play guitar. He overcame that obstacle but that’s nothing compared to Simon. His problem is he’s kind of bland and mumbles his words. Not exactly star qualities.

Nicci Nix, 22, flew from Florence for fourteen hours to make it to the audition. The girl was pure sugar and so naïve, she had no clue Simon was making fun of her voice that sounded like it was helium-filled. Her singing voice was fortunately lower and less squeaky. She made no qualms that her personae is straight up pop by singing a Girls Aloud song. Plus, tell me her name was not made for stardom.

Haeley Vaughn, 16, knows she’s different and pretty adorable. She wants to be the first black, country-pop female singer. Her obstacle will be to overcome the lisp she has when she sings, the sometimes overzealous reverberation in her voice and sounding too much like Carrie.

Lacey Brown, 23, has tried before and failed, though the Top 50 is nothing to cry about. She got her second shot, but I still don’t believe that her voice is strong enough or that her personality pops enough to get much farther. I do commend her, though, for knowing who she is and having a distinct tone.

Hope Johnson,19, is so aw-shucks sweet that the judges couldn’t say no. They complimented her voice more than I would have but critiqued her phrasing. For my tastes, it was frail, too breathy and lacked a wide range, but it wasn’t bad. I’d like to see if she could improve in this short time. Plus anyone who says of her poor youth, “I thought lots of kids didn’t eat dinner,” is enough to make me give her a ticket. Fine! You got me, Idol, with your sobs stories. You got me.

BE GLAD YOU MISSED…
Austin Paul, oh, Austin Paul. Not too long ago, I knew guys like you. That guy who truly believes he’s a jack of all trades and can do no wrong. One who is God’s gift to women. He doesn’t just write songs; he composes them. He can shake it, AND he can carry that pigskin! The self-important vibe was oozing from every pore but, at least, led to one of the great lines of the night from Simon. “I think you could be very annoying, one of those voices after 30 seconds being like ‘Oh! Shut up!’ I’ve just been there, and that’s the kind of voice you’ve got.”

Kenny Everett, I know Mary J. Blige riffs endlessly, but you are not Mary. Singing only two words of the song and lengthening those riffs for an extra minute when they sound like a dozen cats on a hot, tin roof does not make you Mary or even Mary-like. And when they rejected him, he just pulled another song out of his Mary songbook. Painful.

Ty Hemmerling, were you content to see yourself on TV tonight in a bikini gyrating while all the judges walked out on you? And what was the point? To make me laugh, because I didn’t even laugh once. It’s these ploys that I hate the most, especially when it’s teased at the opening of the show as if the guy would be naked. Did I really think that would happen? No, but I thought it would at least be better than what we got. I never thought I’d say this, but bring back Bikini Girl! Way less assaulting on my eyes.

Stephanie Fisher is a fame whore. Again, I don’t get it! And I don’t understand why the producers continue to promote this kind of behavior. I understand the William Hungs of the world. They’re novelties and absurd. It’s like going to a carnival ::wink::wink:: and gawking at the human oddities. Things that warp our brains fascinate us. But a fairly typical-looking girl with platinum blond hair, channeling 80s Madonna? Not fascinating.

Adrian Chandtchi was a 17-year old kid with the voice a castrated monk, trapped in a 6’8” body. I would say more, but he is a teenager and so politely let them know he’s available for re-callbacks or a job. I can’t bust a teenager with manners.

WRAP IT UP
Hollywood Week is so close! Twenty-six contestants skied out of Denver straight to Hollywood, making a total of 181 to join up and sing in sunny Southern California. Plus, Ellen hooks up with the panel, and from the clips, she will be honest AND make you laugh. Soooooo excited! Let the fight for those coveted spots truly begin.

PARTING SHOTS
“You may have come in here just in time to rescue you from corporate hell.” – Simon

“How can four people tell you that you can’t sing, and you know you’re a good singer. Something has to be up with that.” – Kenny

“I am a beautiful man flower. I will blossom…” – Adrian

“Adrian, there’s like a small school boy trapped inside of you.” – Kara
“Either that or you’ve eaten one.” – Simon

For another opinion about these episodes, check out The Mile High Club by Erin Biglow.

Season 9, Episodes 7 & 8: Auditions: Denver & The Road to Hollywood (Originally aired February 2 & 3, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.

“Maybe I deserve this, this nothing. Maybe I earned it.” – Sylar
I swear sometimes these titles say more than the writers really mean them to say. “The Wall” really did symbolize what I felt was the writers plowing at 90 miles an hour into a massive creative wall. SPLAT! After watching Supernatural’s season three mind trap episode (Dream a Little Dream of Me) done ten times better, I was disappointed at this lazy plotline. Everyone was expecting a Peter vs. Sylar showdown after last week, and though things weren’t predictable, I was incredibly bored. Most disappointing was Sylar being demoted to a screeching, crazy person and the ominous, yet anticlimactic revelation that Peter and Sylar would be trapped forever at the beginning of the episode. Yeah, right! It’s not even a teaser when you know you’d bet a trillion dollars it’s not at all likely.

Pan out to see the two enclosed in a dead city by a very tall, brick wall. This reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode, but more like the latter ones that weren’t as good. Their scenes involved no more than a constant cycle of battering the brick wall with a few sledge hammers and Sylar and Peter annoying the heck out of each other. To them, it felt like years, but we were constantly reminded that it was mere hours. It felt like years to me too, guys! There was no showdown and no eloquent expositions. Liken these two to Echo and Alpha in the last episode of Dollhouse, but Sylar’s psycho cure was only half as satisfying. That’s saying a lot. I do commend them for using an interesting way to bend time to their whims, i.e. a major shortcut. To have Sylar repent and rehabilitate all in his mind was smart. I just think that they could have used more exciting ways to shows this to us instead of having Peter and him bash a brick wall. I get the metaphor but still not impressed. So now, Peter and Sylar are teamed up and ready to save Emma. That is if they can get by Eli.

“My dad didn’t shoot anyone. If he had, you’d be dead.” – Claire
Thank you, Claire, for not being 75% brain dead all the time. I remember when you were cool, tossing yourself off bridges and testing your limits. Why test your limits when you almost never use them to DO anything?! You were even more fun than this during the lame season two storyline of Dark Claire. At least you had a gun!

Samuel uses a carnie, with an awesome power of being able to uncover anyone’s memory and project them, to torture his captives. Awesome! Is this at all useful? No way! But that’s why you don’t give a main character such an intrinsically lame power. I wish we got to see more stuff like that this season. The carnies didn’t even have to speak. Just allow them the opportunity to show us some different powers, pure flash and little substance, that you’ll never have to explore ever again. He forces Claire to witness memory after memory, and all are inevitably secrets.

My first issue was why were the flashbacks in black and white. It wasn’t like Noah was 10 and in the 1950s. I guess to finagle the age, black and white was better, but he looked pretty much the same to me. I choose to ignore that this could just be cliched direction, especially since the “Company Man” director returned for this episode. I don’t mind the constant reuse of a tool, but it seemed off here. On top of that, the reason “Company Man” was so good was because it was an origins story we hadn’t seen. It gave us the chance too look into Noah’s past and see why he is the man he is today. Riveting, I tell you!

However, now his past has been rewritten…again. Sure, it’s shocking. but that’s because we had no clue about most of it, much like Lauren’s introduction. It’s frustrating because once again the writers would rather rework the past to their liking than build a story that sustains going forward.  Anyways, Noah had a wife before Sandra who was killed by a special with telekinesis. She was carrying his unborn child, who also died. This man happened to be the first special Noah ever encountered and would also be the reason for his first kill. You see, Bennett goes all renegade and hunts for the man who murdered his wife. He ends up interrogating another guy with powers and is convinced that specials are so unique they must all know each other. So, he holds him at gunpoint with shaky hands, and when the guy tries to use his powers to defend himself, Noah ends up shooting him.

Claire seems pretty accepting of all that she learns. I’m even surprised to see that she doesn’t storm out when she realizes that his marriage to Sandra was practically arranged (ordered by the Company). He swears it was still love, though can anyone ever really believe Noah at this point? It helps that he keeps reminding her that the past is the past. But the breaking point is when she sees Noah over the recent Thanksgiving Day weekend, threatening Gretchen into telling him that Claire was at the carnival. Samuel believes he has won when Claire finally does storm out, but she reminds him that his manipulation can never change the fact that she loves her father, something he may never understand. This is some more recycled garbage because I swear Claire had this exact conversation with Sylar too….my head  hurts because this sucks so much.

WRAP IT UP
On a side note, Lauren tries to reason with Emma after she gets caught trying to steal medical equipment, but Emma stupidly ignores her and turns Lauren over to Samuel. Luckily, it seems like she gets away as I’m sure she’ll save someone in the final battle.

Usually pre-finale shows are action packed and exciting. This one was a major buzzkill, especially after two uneven but unique, recent episodes. I’m not sure how everyone will come together to save the world or save Emma or just save Charlie. Sylar and Peter have to battle Eli out of Matt’s basement to get to the carnival. And Samuel is planning to put on a nasty show in Central Park, but not before putting Noah and Claire in a trailer and burying it. Where is this battle going to even take place?

As long as it’s not in Sylar’s or Matt’s head, I’ll be okay. I’ve never been more excited for a finale, and sadly, not in a good way.

Season 4, Episodes 18: The Wall (originally aired February 1, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and Adam Taylor

While I count my blessings each week that Idol’s audition episodes have been shortened from two hours to one, this is the first week I really felt like I practically saw no one worth calling home about. But then I also don’t have to suffer through twice as many duds, so it all balances out. All in all, Hollywood and Dallas didn’t necessarily live up to their legacies as The Entertainment Capital or The Discovery Place of Kelly Clarkson, but there were some shining moments.

WATCH OUT FOR…
Andrew Garcia, 23. Seeing a man playing with his cute son, talking about his parents providing more for him than they had in their gang-filled youth, and then watching his dad cry with pride really got to me. His take on Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” blew me away.

Tasha Layton, 26, is a personal assistant by day and a minister at night. Her unconventional career matches her unconventional sound. She’s easy-going, pretty, earthy and confident to boot.

Lloyd Thomas, 29, is a big teddy bear with a big voice and a big personality. Though his vocal talent is undeniable, the judges want to see the same enthusiasm when he performs as when they’re just chatting with him.

Dave Pittman, 27, joins a very small bunch of contestants who knocked me to the ground with their auditions. With a lot of extra screen time and the confession of his Tourette’s syndrome, I knew he had to be decent, but he was nothing short of fantastic. Sure, I get down on the sob stories sometimes, but there are those special circumstances when the story is just so touching and empowering that I can’t help but fall for it. With a condition that can so easily make you an outlier — especially in a singing and performance competition, David puts himself front and center with an easy swagger and a voice that proves it all.

Maegan Wright, 20, was a hot mess. And I mean that in the Cobra Starship kind of way. Essentially, I’m loving it, hell yes. She walked in like a peppy cheerleader on too much Red Bull, but then transformed into this sullen, emotional performer and morphed into a Celine Dion belter. Her audition just kept getting better and better.

Christian Spear,16, was diagnosed with cancer when she was a child and has been in remission for eight years. It’s clear that she’s an extremely mature and fearless teenager. I was dazzled by the way she attacked Etta James’s “All I Can Do Is Cry” with all the depth it demands. More importantly, she impressed all the judges too.

NEED MORE FINE THAN FAB? CALL…
Jim Ranger, 27, had the guts to sing an original tune. Though his voice doesn’t excite me too much, the judges find it authentic. But they have doubts that he can do it all: being a pastor, husband and father to three.

Mary Powers, 28, has a powerful, raspy voice. She was also smart enough to just hold her tongue when Simon called her look reminiscent of a rocker cliché.

Kimberly Carver, 26, is a throwback to those smooth, jazzy days. Simon is the only one on the panel who shares my opinion that Kimberly’s more lounge singer than idol. Though I wouldn’t have said no like Simon, I agree that she didn’t bring anything current or exciting to the table besides a good vocal and a tepid original.

Todrick Hall, 24, actually sang an original song and got me tapping my foot. Instead of performing some abstract, drop in the well number, he wrote a tune about the Idol experience and included the judges. It was cute and okay, a little syrupy, but he had a good voice and a great hook to go with it.

Erica Rhodes, 23, is an original. That’s for sure. As an ex- Barney and Friends pint-sized star (totally remembered the clip they showed!) turned grad school, play dominatrix, it didn’t really matter that she only had a so-so voice. She had confidence, eagerness and earnestness with a touch of sweetness. She won’t go far, but I’ll be happy to watch her accomplish her dream of proving she can be more than a Barney star. Though she did have to sing the degrading theme song to get to that point.

Chris Golightly, 25, was one of Kara and Randy’s favorites. There’s no doubt that he has a great voice and interesting back story, but he bothers me a little by over-embellishing like he has to overcompensate for something.

There were not as many fantastic passer-bys this week, but keep an eye on Stephanie Daulong, 20, who’s image-ready with a Jewel-like voice and a hippie vibe.

BE GLAD YOU MISSED…
Neil Goldstein said, “In my heart is the love to perform, the love to touch the souls of others. To exhilarate, to exaltate, to exalt in what it is to be human, to be vulnerable, to have strengths and weaknesses and passions and loves and hates and everything bundled up inside until you can let it out.” Yes, those exact words came out of someone’s mouth on television. Oh, and he was also drawing a heart on the bathroom mirror with lipstick around his face. This can’t be real.

Austin Fullmer is a combination of Mick Jagger swagger and an aerobic Olivia Newton John. If you didn’t think this was humanly possible, I‘m here to tell you it is. “Katy Perry and Kara Dioguardi like lit up. They’re like this is what I like. This is sexy. A real man came in here. And Simon, something about it, he couldn’t handle it.” Whatever helps you sleep at night, dude.

WRAP IT UP
In the end, Dallas spat out 23 contestants, while Hollywood mustered up 31 hopefuls. I will note that it was nice to have some people of my generation on the panel, but I did perceive a greater sense of entitlement, more humiliating laughter and fewer noteworthy critiques. NPH always makes me happy whether he’s playing a character or is just himself, and I loved Katy Perry for not taking any of Kara’s lip or buying into her fake, girl power gang ups just because they’ve worked together. But I’m about ready for Hollywood week to just get here. February 9th can’t come soon enough.

PARTING SHOTS
“Just take a deep breath. We’re rooting for you.” – Kara
“I know. I know.” – Neil Goldstein
“Or we’re not…” – Simon

“Is she talking to a puppy or a person?” – Katy about Kara

“This isn’t a Lifetime movie, sweetheart.” – Katy

“You make me feel dirty…It takes a lot for me to feel dirty.” – Katy
“Yeah, I‘m sure with THAT top.” – Jason

“My goal today, Kara, is to shatter the dreams of thousands. If I can make 2 – 3 dozen people cry, I feel like I’ve done my job.” – NPH

“Vanessa, if anyone ever asks me in my life what my nightmares look and sound like, I’m gonna refer to that. That’s what keeps me up at night.” – Simon

For another opinion about these episodes, check out Hooray for Hollywood/Don’t Mess With Texas by Erin Biglow.

Season 9, Episodes 5 & 6: Auditions: Los Angeles & Dallas (Originally aired January 26 & 27, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.

“Why don’t you just try going to class for once? You say you want a normal life, right?” – Gretchen
Claire’s ready to make up with her father, but when she arrives at his doorstep, she finds Lauren, Primatech files and tons of information on the recent “natural” disaster. I guess this is better than catching your dad in flagrante, but even seeing all of Samuel’s destruction doesn’t curb her anger over her father’s return to the work that tore apart her family and that he promised to leave behind. After storming out and not bothering to wait for his return, she returns back to the dorm where she continues to spew venom.

What would you do if you had a regenerative roommate that you had the hots for who only complained and talked about me, me, and me? Well, I’d want to chop off their head and watch it grow back. That’d be interesting, but I’d like to think that I would give them a swift kick in the rear or at least talk to the Housing Board about putting in a transfer; maybe get that sweet single down the hall. But more likely, I’d react like Gretchen, who is visibly annoyed when Claire decides to take it upon herself to save the carnies. She even says no to allowing her to borrow her car, again, but caves. Seriously, Claire would have to do a lot more than some hand holding to budge me.

Back at the carnival, everyone is scared of Samuel, and who wouldn’t be?! He pretty much leveled a town, which I thought last week was the field they were planning on building their carnie utopia, but no. It was an entire town, where 200 people have been found dead and the count’s still rising. Lydia doesn’t understand how Samuel could commit such a crime when they were supposed to want the same things. Then, she throws an even stronger jab by also pointing out that no one respects him, but he sees her power play and raises one vow to win his “family” back because he needs them.

When Claire arrives, Samuel still hasn’t put any plans into action, but you know he’s brewing some kind of redemption plot. He seems completely shaken up about what he’s done, wishing he could take it all back. But Claire believes the only way for Samuel to save his family, if he truly cares, is to turn himself in. Already knowing her father is on the way (if not there already), she calls him.

Noah’s planted on a hill with Lauren, finally glimpsing Samuel and Claire in his sniper rifle scope. (I want to scream at him to take the shot, but it’s more in the hopes of taking down Claire whose flip-flopping gets on my nerves and also always screws things up.) He answers his cell and tells Claire that he’s ready to take Samuel down, but she says, to save as many people as possible, Samuel has agreed to turn himself over. Lauren’s thinks it’s suspect. And she’s right because not soon after Samuel begins to give his farewell speech, he’s shot, though not fatally. And then, all hell breaks loose as carnie after carnie is mowed down. Now, anyone who watches the show would know that Noah would never do something so reckless. He had one main target, and if he’d take the shot, he would not have missed. Also, he wouldn’t have shot Claire in the neck, as much as I was begging him to.

It all comes to light that this was Samuel’s plan all along, and unlike last week’s sappy Samuel, I’m energized to see the baddie we all wanted to emerge take his place. Did he really order Eli to start taking down their own, killing Lydia in the process? Oh, yeah he did! YES! Sure, it makes no sense compared to everything Samuel has ever done, but it’s way scarier than last week’s village annihilation with all the nobodies that we could care less about. (I guess since we don’t even know any of the mute carnies, they’re nobodies too but whatever! He’s going Full Metal Jacket on everyone!)

Lauren takes one in the arm and reveals she’s not as tough as she seems. Sometimes I forget that she’s a normal person who’s probably not used to fatal injuries. And we rarely see Noah get hurt because he’s often too valuable or just that good. Noah is captured by Eli and taken to Samuel, who milks it for all its worth. Samuel puts on a show, cradling a shot and dying Lydia in his arms. But couldn’t he let her go in peace? No! Where’s the nefarious character-building in that! Instead he kisses her and, essentially, transfers the memory that this was his entire plan. She’s too weak to fight back or tell anyone else and so she takes the secret with her. Samuel takes a mournful moment to speak to his congregation about the evil, normal people and how they’ll never let them live in peace alone. Finally, he’s created a villain for them to hate, whose deeds are greater than his own past acts. Plus, Edgar appears right in time to see his lady’s lifeless body and jump on the bandwagon. The fact that Noah also happens to be Claire’s father makes her another perfect representation of everything the carnies now want to destroy. And we are left with the picture of Samuel assembling an army that will no longer stand idly by.

“Are you in my mind again?” – Matt, “Please that’s so two months ago!” – Sylar
Peter is still having visions, though this time they’re becoming clearer. Now, he can see that Sylar is trying to help Emma while Doyle is controlling her. He makes a visit to his mother who’s still grieving over Nathan and unsure of what to put on his headstone. (Don’t focus your continuity on these little points, writers! Let’s maybe focus more on interesting plot points and character choices making sense.) They confer over their shared visions, and she says that it’s too soon after Nathan’s death for Peter to see Sylar and makes it clear that she doesn’t really accept the idea that the psychopath can change so quickly. (Yeah, I’m with you on that, but they’re not paying ME to write the show.) But Peter believes that Sylar is the key.

Elsewhere in Heroes-verse, Sylar seeks out Matt for two interesting reasons. The first is that he wants to see if you can lead a truly normal life as a person with abilities. Sylar seems to feel Matt has accomplished this, and I want to remind him that only two months ago they were doing the brain tango. He asks politely holds a finger up to Matt’s wife’s head and orders him to take away his powers, but Matt can’t no matter how hard he tries. Or so it seems when, in fact, he just has a better plan. That plan is to trap Sylar within his own head within his worst nightmare of being alone forever. He then proceeds to bury the limp, mental trapped psycho behind a wall in his basement. At first I’m thinking, won’t he need nourishment otherwise he’d die and then decay and become all stinky? And even if he won’t, does Matt really want to live with a “sleeping” psychopath in his basement? Last time he tried a mind rearrangement, that didn’t turn out so well. Plus, what if he did want to sell the house and move. Who’d want that shoddy brick work?

In the end, Peter shows up, takes Matt’s power and realizes that his visions are true, and Sylar is there. He heads to the basement and is shocked to find out what Matt’s done. Though Matt argues with Peter to stay the course, Peter truly believes he’ll need Sylar to save Emma and all the others who may get hurt, and he jumps into Sylar’s head without heeding Matt’s warnings. (I smell an impending showdown.)

WRAP IT UP
Though it pains me to say, Tracy did make an appearance at the end of the episode. Apparently, she’s the one person Noah trusts when things go bad, and he gave Lauren instructions to call her if things went south. I was about as excited to see her as she looked to receive that phone call.

It’s great (infuse sarcasm) that it took almost all season for something truly exciting to happen at the carnival. It was supposed to be the main storyline, right? I imagined that putting this large group of abilities-ladled people in one place would have meant a whole lot of cool, new powers to check out. Unfortunately, Edgar hasn’t had very much to do lately and Lydia’s power was just like all the other vision powers we’ve had, except they just dressed it up with tattoos and called it empathy. Eli is one of the most predicable villains ever. Anytime you need someone to eavesdrop on a conversation or hold someone hostage, he’s there. Hopefully now, with a real fight a-brewing, we’ll get to see some real action.

QUOTABLES
”I love them. I need them. I just have to prove my worth.” – Samuel

“You don’t have to worry about me.” – Noah,  “That’s not an option anymore.” – Lauren

“You’re going to be normal? I’m sorry, that ship sailed 50 murders ago.” – Matt

“You will purge me of these powers, Parkman, or I will use them. Use them all.” – Sylar

“I know your secret. I know you’re afraid of living forever alone. Welcome to Hell.” – Matt

“It’s time to show the world what we are…and what we can do.” – Samuel

Season 4, Episodes 17: The Art of Deception (originally aired January 25, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Adam Taylor and Chris Haston.

I really wanted to hate the film, and almost did, but Scott Stewart pulled off such stylish (if cheesy) fare that it at least, had some entertaining moments and a ton of silly action. Stewart is best known for his special effects work on such visually splendid movies like Sin City, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Superman Returns and the last two Pirates of the Caribbean. You can tell he understands the best ways to blow things up and blow guys away. Add a solid cast, and the film is actually watchable, and that’s a true compliment given writers Peter Schink and Stewart put to paper a whole lot of nothing supported by weak dialogue. A cool concept was present, and the tools were ready to be used, but the backbone of Legion was never put in place. And that is its greatest detriment.

At the onset, we see an archangel fall (obviously, Michael), but we don’t get to see how and who for some reason. Michael reminds us that the last time God was angry with man, he sent a flood, yet this time he chooses to zombiefy the weakest to do his bidding, a plan that’s clearly not as grand and takes way more effort. Then, there’s the idea that an unborn child’s chance to live and be the next messiah will save everyone, but we get no explanation to how and why, and no one has the right mind to ask either. There are so many gaping holes, it’s like watching Swiss cheese.

Most of the action is centered at a diner (aptly named Paradise Falls), in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere, around a ragged bunch of common archetypes who are stuck there and forced to join the good (or is it bad since it’s against God) fight. Dennis Quaid plays the gruff diner owner Bob, who doesn’t get his son Jeep’s (Lucas Black) devotion to ready-to-burst waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki from Friday Night Lights), who doesn’t return his affection. Percy (Charles S. Dutton) is Bob’s one-armed sidekick and diner chef. The passerbys are Kyle, a mysterious, gun-toting stranger, played by Tyrese Gibson, and the rich family with a broken-down car, including Sandra, Howard and their wild daughter Audrey, played by Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh and Willa Holland respectively. The film culminated in a predicable battle between Michael and Gabriel (Kevin Durand), toting a suped up, spiked mace and bullet-deflecting wings. Who knew angels were up on the newest technology?

The cast executes what their given, and pretty well, since they were given very little to work with, but are, truly, elevated by Paul Bettany’s portrayal of the stoic Michael. Out of all the unbelievable mush, he’s the one thing I really believed, as he fully commanded every scene he was in and word he was given.

And if Bettany gets the best performer award, the best guest appearance would go to Jeanette Miller, who portrayed a sweet, old lady turned potty-mouthed, ceiling-scaling neck chomper. Her turn elicited the most laugh and gasps of the entire film.

Watching Legion is like watching Supernatural after drinking a bottle of scotch, jumping in after missing the first 20 episodes and skipping straight to the two-hour finale. While, if I had a time machine, I would never pay $11.00 to see the film in the theater again, I would recommend it for rent, especially if you like horror-action hybrids and/or are an atheistic. Not to offend, but clearly, portraying a vengeful God isn’t going to drum up too many Christian fans. But it’s worthy enough to fill a rainy, boring Sunday afternoon if only to revel in all the machine gunplay.

And is it me, or has this season’s number of sob stories sky rocketed? If you skinned your knee on the way to the audition, it’s reason enough for an introduction package! Let me be clear. Right now, I just want to know if you can sing. All the other stuff can be filled in later, please.

As a guest judge, Shania Twain raises the bar. She wasn’t mean, but she didn’t seem like a pansy. She was unafraid to make fun of herself and laugh at the ridiculous. And she provided realistic musical and performance critiques. Now that I see her, she would have been a perfect Paula replacement or, better yet, Kara swap. Joining the judges on the second leg, Kristin Chenoweth brought a big bright, shiny ball o’ sunshine. She didn’t fare as well as her predecessor, but nothing will reach the low of Victoria Beckham’s non-existent contribution.

WATCH OUT FOR….
Katelyn Epperly, 19, may not want it as much as her mother does for her, but the girl has a beautiful, mature voice. It’s nice to have a breath of fresh air, right out of the gate. She sort of looks like Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights). She has that cheerleader sheen but rocks a huge, very visible tat on her right shoulder, so she may turn out to be that girl next door girls with edge. And Idol, please no more stories about sad divorced families. My parents are divorced, but that doesn’t mean I deserve a ribbon.

Charity Vance, 16, is a little timid, but that can be worked on. You can’t duplicate her intriguing and unique voice. Her parents own a salon, where she sings and sweeps. I’d suggest she branch out and maybe try some community theater musicals, but whatever works.

Angela Martin, 28, has a sob story if I’ve ever heard one. Her father had recently been killed the first time she made it to Hollywood week, and last season, she made it to the top 50, only to be sidelined by a court date. The beautiful thing is a hospital saw her story and her disabled daughter during her first audition and offered to take care of her baby until she turned 21. So, Idol does truly inspire people more than one night a year. She’s proven her vocal skills in the past, so I don’t doubt that she’ll go far.

Jermaine Purifoy, 24, had a nice swagger and a killer voice. He didn’t even look like he had an ounce of nervousness in him. For the first time this season, I can see a little star. Now, I’m excited.

Shelby Dressel, 18, lost the use of the jaw muscles on the right side of her face, and you can see her insecurity at times. She’s nervous, forgets her words and drops a holy expletive. But it made her more endearing. The judges liked her personality and felt she had potential, but I kind of loved her.

Matthew Lawrence, 25, has a raw and untrained voice. The sweet, big lug looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but we learned he robbed a bank with a BB gun at 15 and got four years behind bars. Idol represents a chance to regain the things he lost, and he deserves it. Yes, he needs to work on his follow through and pronunciation, but some people are just born with it and only need a little fine tuning.

NEED FINE BUT NOT FAB? CALL…
John Park, 20, is the kind of talented, a cappella singer who can woo the women but makes the guys go, “what’s the big deal?” He has a great voice but is overshadowed by Shania’s comments (which weren’t intended to sound dirty but, well, did) and the madness they invoked. At this point as Randy pushes Shania down the dirty mind well, I realize that I would love to see her as a judge. She’s sweet and upbeat but a little bit sassy. FOX, are you writing this down?

Paige Dechausse, 21, almost died when she went into anaphylactic shock due to her asthma. The cherry on the cake was this happened while in a singing lesson. The doctors said she’d probably die or have brain damage. She‘s good but Simon thought she was indulgent and sang to herself. Paige intrigues me only because she’s the first person the judges have really been torn over. Simon says no, but Shania and Kara team up to convince Randy that she needs another chance.

Let’s not forget those flashes in the pan who the judges deem too boring for camera time. Kasi Bedford, 19, and Brittany Starr James, 22, were both cute and bubbly. Justin Ray, 20, should have been told by one of his family members or friends that his awful hair might overshadow his good voice. Keith Semple, 27, has that indie rocker voice that often fits in better in a smokey, dive bar than on the Idol stage, but he could add a different flavor to the show. And Marcus Jones, 18, seems likeable and confident with an easy voice.

BE GLAD YOU MISSED…
I thought it could never be true, but I found a musical I could never like. It’s titled “Amy Lang. Amy Lang! AMY LANG! The Musical.” Amy accomplished many things during her audition. She practically molested Ryan, had the audacity to attempt Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood”. She, also, faked passing out and then she displayed her greatest talent, pectoral popping. Or was it boob boxing?

Curly Newman proved why no one but Maxwell should sing Maxwell‘s mostly falsetto “This Woman’s Worth”. It’s utterly comical, that’s why. I usually hate when the judges just crack up uncontrollably and pretty much humiliate the contestant, but there are those few, like this big, round man, who should sound more like Barry White than a munchkin, that brings out the giggles in you.

Harold “The Champion” Davis believes he’s talented, but he couldn’t come up with a better excuse for his poor performance than the overused allergies bit. Allergies don’t make someone with a good voice act like a total creeper. I didn’t feel bad about laughing with the judges until he burst into tears. He made me really feel uncomfortable before, but when the tears started rolling, I had a sudden compulsion to fast forward. Phew, awkwardness averted!

Theo Glinton wants to be a chain salon owner, a superstar and a fashion designer. His best friend is also his assistant. He wore tiny mirrors and feathers on his face and couldn’t find his way out of the room without help. He’s very special.

Jarrod Norrell gave it up to God before he started his rendition of “Amazing Grace,” but he devilishly snapped after Kara likened his voice to a lawnmower and then the judges rejected him. I didn’t think security would come back so soon, but crazy contestant #2 had to be escorted out, this time forcibly with handcuffs.

WRAP IT UP
“That Don’t Impress Me Much” was the theme song of the Chicago rounds, and not only because of Shania. Only 13 move on to Hollywood while Orlando produced the mirror opposite with 31. The good news is that this week was the first time I actually got excited about contestants. And that eagerness to see what someone will perform next is what Idol is all about.

PARTING SHOTS
“Do you find that when you sing at home a lot of animals turn up outside the house?”

“No…Tip toe that way.” – Kara

“Yes, you have a beautiful bottom end…You have nice lips.” – Shania

“I am the next American Idol, and if I’m not the next American Idol, I am going to be in the bottom three.” – Theo

“You walked in like a cocktail stick, and then sang as if you sat on a cat.” – Simon

“You’re crazy nodding when you were listening to your sister like Whitney [Houston] being reborn. And, like, she hasn’t…” – Simon

Season 9, Episodes 3 & 4: Auditions: Chicago & Orlando (Originally aired January 19 & 20, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.

The plot moved forward, characters deepened and things surprised me. I couldn’t  have asked for more, except that this came out of nowhere! Did some assistant in the writers room decide to go on a blog after boycotting technology for 2.5 years and then muster up the balls to tell his boss that people have been tearing the show a new one? Oh, and wait, boss! Here are some nifty ways you can actually make the show interesting. Or is it the “Dollhouse/Lost” phenomenon? Must all science fiction shows flounder around in storytelling confusion without an end in sight? (Though the word is that this season’s early February season finale is a huge cliffhanger.) I’m sure I could have gone on wondering, but I really needed my brain cells to focus really hard on the TV so I wouldn’t get lost.

And that’s the part that really irked me since television is as much entertainment as it is comfort, for me. I don’t like to be messed with or teased by a show I’ve invested time (and DVD money!) in. And inconsistency is intolerable to a consistent viewer. So what was so jarring you say? I would be a bad recapper if I didn’t, at least, clue you into this week’s feature presentation, so here’s a quick return to our regularly scheduled program.

“The basic building blocks of our lives, and we have the same blocks, yet here we are. Content college coed and me. How did we end up so different?” – Sylar
Gretchen tries to comfort Claire, who’s still depressed, but heads off to class when things get a little to touchy for her liking. Thankfully, for the my viewing pleasure (though not for Claire), Sylar’s the substitute teacher. He wants to know why Claire is the one who can help him and shows her his new tattoo. He says he’s holding Gretchen hostage to force her hand. Sylar uses this time to give a lecture, pointing out on the board how similar their pasts are. She spits back that the difference is Sylar’s a psychopath and attempts to storm out, but Sylar won’t let  her leave. Instead, he telekinetically holds her down and plants one on her.

Getting another Sylar-Claire pairing is truly magical. He always pushed Claire to be more powerful and fearless, and we get treated to Sylarific quips. He uses powers acquired from Lydia to, basically, read Claire’s soul and figures out that she’s like  him. She doesn’t let people in or allow herself to be vulnerable. He points to the Gretchen memories he read and tells her there’s something significant between them. She takes his pause as a chance to escape by jabbing a pencil into his eye. No really, there was a pen jutting out of his bloody eye! She reaches Gretchen and confesses that Sylar was right, and she wants to step out and be more like her. Gretchen says that maybe Sylar will become human if he loses his powers. But it’s not really her lady love because Gretchen morphs into Sylar, and it becomes apparent that her friend was never in danger. However, this little scare does propel Claire to take a leap and hold Gretchen’s hand for all to see, including Sylar.

“I saved the world… Twice.” – Hiro
Mohinder plans on returning to India to make things right with his old girl Mira. He says goodbye to Noah, Ando and Hiro and is completely self-absorbed and oblivious to the fact that Hiro’s not looking so good. After Mohinder leaves, Hiro passes out and ends up at the diner. But how? Is this real or not? It’s never clear, but I’m just going to assume it was one of those “at death’s doorstep” cerebral moments. In the real world, Ando is rushing Hiro to a hospital where they say they have to operate even though the procedure is risky. But in LaLa Land, the dead Adam Monroe greets him and says that a judge will declare his fate in the case Hiro vs. The World. The judge turns out to be his father who says that Hiro broke the Heroes code by altering time for his own gain, a crime punishable by death.

We take a trip down the Heroes rabbit hole, so forgive me if things get a little crazy. My brain had a hard time trying to understand why they fit some random movie into the middle of a TV show, and then I realized that the movie was kind of cool so why not enjoy it. Hiro’s past is paraded before him, usually in ways to dispute his hero-worthiness. Ando is his attorney, and witnesses include the young pairing of Ando and Kimiko from the fair. But the best part (besides more of the devilishly, charming Adam) was a cameo by the old Sylar from Season 1 and getting to see him rattle off the names of all the heroes he’s killed. Hiro asserts that the world was better with Charlie in it, but when it is his turn to testify, he changes his tune. He owns up to the fact that his motives changed. He used to follow a strict code, like when he wouldn’t bend time to save his father, but as time went on he wanted to right the wrongs in the world. He says that he may, in fact, be guilty. And his father doesn’t argue with him.

Back in the real world, will Hiro make it through the surgery? This is mirrored by his imaginary journey. Speaking of imaginary with his family and friends besides him, Hiro walks towards the bright white light where he’s greeted by  his mother. He wants to leave with honor and changes his plea to guilty, but a katana materializes and his mother urges him to fight Adam. A crazy, awesome, but “huh?” kind of moment ensues as the two sword fight. Hiro eventually kills Adam, and his mother kisses him and tells him she’s proud. He says he’s ready to go, but she tells him he has a destiny to fulfill.

“This is your fantasy, and it’s beautiful, and I’m happy for you. But it isn’t me. My life isn’t here.” – Vanessa
I have to say kudos to the director Michael Nankin for some of the most beautifully shot scenes of the season. Samuel and Victoria reminisce, but she’s already out the door. The wordsmith weaves her right back in, and what unfolds  is a true love story. It isn’t melodramatic and, for just dropping a bomb on us, it felt very organic. I believe this is achieved mostly because Kate Vernon and Robert Knepper acted their pants off.

Samuel’s stories of their childhood really loosen Vanessa up, and by the end they’re enveloped in their old dreams and old feelings. Samuel decides to show her what he’s been planning, and it turns out to be the cottage she always dreamed of in the middle of nowhere. He tells Vanessa that it was all for  her, but even though she clearly cares for him, she can’t leave her life. It’s too much for Samuel to handle, and he tells  her it’s time to get her home. And you know he’s not the type to sit in his room and cry about it, so instead he heads to the diner where they shared a milkshake earlier and flips out on the waitress. He pins all his pains on this one, poor woman and then levels the place and the home he built for him and Vanessa.

WRAP IT UP
If I could liken “Pass/Fail” to any other episode, it’d be the bomb episode of Grey’s Anatomy or the entire Denny Ghost arc or the one where she drowned and saw her mom who was able to forgive her. Is it so hard to believe that a new intern would manage to have a one night stand with a man who turns out to be her boss? Or that a doctor would cut the L-Vac to ensure her patient, who she happened to fall in love with, would get a new heart? Hey, I think not. But a doctor sticking their precious hand into a patient with a bomb in their gut? WHAAAAT?! That’s when my eyes squint, I scrunch up my nose and suddenly, I’m a little weary.

Even after writing this article, I feel a little more love towards the episode than I felt when I started. And I realize a lot of my issues were because it left a feeling that the writers haven’t spent anytime trying to figure things out until this moment. And then there’s the fact that they crammed so much awesomeness into one episode when they could have applied the crescendo effect over the course of the season. There’s also the feeling that this is just a fluke and they won’t be able to hold this up over the handful of episodes we have left, but I welcome the jolt it gave me, no matter how jarring.

PARTING SHOTS
And tonight’s winner is….Adam Monroe

“And as long as you saved his girlfriend, you could kill some more, willy nilly?”

“Objection, your honor! He’s reciting the opening to Quantum Leap.”

Season 4, Episodes 16: Pass/Fail (originally aired January 18, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and Chris Haston

Victoria Beckham was the distinguished guest for the week’s Boston auditions. Though she was pretty to look at, she didn’t really have any useful critiques. (This is a singing show! Right?) But kudos for having the English cahones to confront Simon for his unwanted sass, even if she may have missed the memo that some of us watch purely for that reason. Luckily, the talented and reputable Mary J. Blige joined the trio in Atlanta and actually ADDED substance to the panel.

Very, very few contestants stood out as potential stars, and even fewer were at the level of past winners like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, or even fourth placer Chris Daughtry. However, who can even recall Kris Allen from the audition rounds? You probably blinked and missed him. So, our American Idol really could be among the standouts and fly-bys of this week. Now, pay attention!

KEEP AN EYE ON…

Luke Staffer, 24, epitomizes the reason I watch Idol, to find my next mid-evening snack. He’s scrumptious and easy on the ears.

Benjamin Bright, 25, has an easy, breezy attitude and a pitch perfect voice.

Tyler Grady, 19, was set up to be a laughable dud, but this 70s throwback came out of left field. He ended up wooing the ladies…and the guys.

Katie Stevens, 16, needs to be in the top 24. Besides the cute boys with sweet voices, I watch Idol for the youngins with raw, undiscovered talent that can be groomed and who blossom in front of our eyes.

Bryan Walker, 25, could totally be the star of the real life Cop Rock. The man with a badge, gun and pipes has won me over so far.

Jermaine Sellers, 18, killed “What If God Was One Of Us”. Rarely do I want to hear a male singing that song, but he makes it his own and makes the folk tune sound cool as well. I especially love how he called his mom first and then told the camera she was going to call the whole neighborhood now with such earnestness.

Jess Wolfe, 24, may have a Lisa Loeb look but her voice is all soul. Jennifer Hirsh’s, 22, voice is like a throwback to scatting jazz days, and Tisha Holland’s, 18, voice made me stop and rewind, partially because she’s so good and also because we only got about three seconds with her. I’m sad they showed so little of all three of these contestants.

NEED FINE BUT NOT FABULOUS? CALL…

Maddy Curtis, 16, should get a ticket just for being such a strong and sweet girl. Her parents are those rare types of people who seem truly selfless and happy. Not only does one of her brothers have Down Syndrome, but her parents have adopted other brothers, for her, who have the same affliction. I know so much of AI is focused on talent-free people and sob stories, but I think her voice is good, sad story or not.

Amadeo Diricco, 28, growled a lot with an odd choice in “Muddy Waters,” but he may have been hiding a good voice in there. He was powerful and confident and all around nice. Plus, he should be around for a little bit since they visited his big Italian family at his home. He spoke of some wife, but there were a lot of ginormous men to greet him went he got through to the next round.

Justin Williams, 27, is a cancer survivor and a breath of fresh air. His vocal style is like Michael Bublé, which he explains as alternative-pop-soul. I would have said more Top 40, but he can call himself 100 genres if he keeps singing like that.

Keia Johnson, 26, didn’t win the top prize in the Miss America pageant, but she won Miss Congeniality and likes it better that way. First, no one who likes pageants enough to enter one, would ever believe that statement, and neither do I. But she seems to be a genuine person and has a fine, yet nondescript voice. The judges went ga-ga over her, though.

Vanessa Wolf, 19, is straight-up country, right down to her tiny town, her mother living down the road, her feelings of being stuck and her country twang. Her voice is a tiny bit shrill, but as Kara said she’s “authentic” country. You feel it when she sings, but Simon foreshadowed that if she doesn’t toughen up, Hollywood could swallow her whole.

Holly Harden, 20, dressed up as a slutty guitar and sometimes sounds like a man, but her voice isn’t that bad. If she does well, hopefully, she keeps that outfit in a musty corner in an attic somewhere and only brings it out for Halloween.

Mallory Halley, 20, has a sweet and strong, country-ready voice, but she was so BORING! She’s pretty, which is always a leg up, but does not negate a lackluster personality. And when her mouth wasn’t open, she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else or just giggled and lifted up her chin because I guess she thinks that’s cute.

It’s clear that Antonio “Skii Bo Ski” Wheeler, 22, could care less about touching people through his music, even though his voice is actually good. But he definitely wanted to touch Kara and Mary, though in inappropriate ways, and his cocky attitude and nonsense comments almost turned Randy’s vote from a yes to a no and really rubbed Simon the wrong way.

Ashley Rodriguez, 21, is smiley, pretty, polished AND talented. Prime competition in my book.

You can see the desire in Leah Laurenti’s, 22, eyes and hear her passion as she speaks. Leah’s biggest hurdle will be opening up and breaking out of her shell. It’s time to unleash the diva within, girl.

BE GLAD YOU MISSED…

Janet McNamara, 26, has convinced herself that a high score on the American Idol video game transcends to the real world. “So we’re going to be putting this to a test. Does this game actually work?” Simon asked. Combine her strong accent, potty mouth and inability to distinguish Kara from Paula and you’ve already got a recipe for disaster. And then, there’s the voice.

Derek Hilton compared his sound to a mix of Chris Brown and the Eagles. Hold the phone! What does THAT sound like? He can definitely carry a tune, though I’m not sure which tune that is. And he wavered in between sounding like a chipmunk and a wailing seal.

I think that things went a little too far with Mere Doyle, who wasn’t horrendous but definitely assaulted my ear with her screams. I understand Idol pioneered the mocking audition rounds, but to cut the clips so that it looked like her mother was pained to support her in following her dreams is just wrong. You don’t mess with a woman and her baby! (Okay, so it was just a well-placed eye roll and an evil stare.) But still!

Andrew Fenlon blamed his anger on the many hours he had to wait, but he is probably just an all-around angry person. He walked in with attitude, gave lip to the judges and basically complained during his one moment to shine. Kara couldn’t hide her seething hatred of him. Let’s check out some blurbs from his 3 minute audition. Andrew’s “I’m here auditioning for American Idol. Should be fairly obvious at this point. I also like waiting around…” and “Let’s have a little conversation about this.” And then there’s Kara’s: “I really don’t like you. I have a very strong reaction to you,” and “You need a spanking, that’s what you need…You’ve been very naughty!” and “Have you ever had a girlfriend?!” Sad thing is that he wasn’t bad looking or off tune, and probably would have, at least, made it to the next round if he was a little sunnier.

If you’ve seen “My Big Redneck Wedding,” you know there’s a good and bad to everything. And Jesse Hamilton’s “cheap dramatization” package pretty much summed up all the stereotypes possible, from a friend almost shooting you while can shooting to the traumatizingly awful mullets.

Lamar Royal said he’d respect the judges’ opinions no matter what they said. But either he’s a really great liar or in total denial because he gave us this season’s first major flip out. Watching security have to walk out a singing/cursing mad man…priceless.

“Pants On The Ground (Looking Like a Fool)” Larry might have been 62 years old, and therefore too old to compete, but he made me laugh and smile and not cringe at the same time, which is an accomplishment for Idol. Plus, his little ditty is sure to be a hit!

WRAP IT UP

So after two days of auditions, 32 people from Boston received golden tickets and 25 were lucky in Atlanta. I will say that when they show the crying montage, I truly wonder if there are that many people who are utterly crushed when they don’t get through to the next round. Especially since not everyone has a fantastic voice, but then I remember that, at one point, 32 million people watched the show. This week averaged about 30 million, and that’s a lot of people. I also have to ask for a moment of silence to mourn Paula. This will not be the last week people will be talking about her absence, and Ellen hasn’t even joined the panel yet, so the comparisons haven’t even started, but I do miss her. So, please don’t mistake any Ellen gushing for Paula hating. I’m just sticking to my New Year’s Resolution of living in the NOW!

PARTING SHOTS

“Why have you walked in as a guitar?” – Simon

“I’m like the dollar store.” and “Once you feel me, I feel you.” – Skii Bo Ski

“I’m going to get my pants and buy a belt after this.” – Randy

Season 9, Episodes 1 & 2: Auditions: Boston & Auditions: Atlanta (Originally aired January 12 & 13, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.

“You know some days, maybe you just can’t just save the whole world; some days your better off just getting your own house in order…Go home. Hug your little girl.” – Matt
Where has Lauren and her high-tech gadgets been hiding? Only with her help does Noah finds his only lead, one of Samuel’s old friends Vanessa Wheeler. (Seriously, Lady has some high-level surveillance access?) Played by the lovely Kate Vernon, a BSG alum, Vanessa also happens to be Samuel’s first love who he dreams of bringing to the carnival. He professes that his plans are for the entire family, yet it seems that all he wants is to prove to this woman that he’s important.

Next, the disappearing Matt finally shows his face, and he’s quite different from the cop we last saw struggling with a psycho in his brain. Now,  he’s the quintessential stay-at-home dad, making breakfast and kissing wifey before sending her off to work. His peaceful abode is shattered when Noah stealthily emerges from his kitchen. Matt still holds a grudge against Noah for the whole Nathan-Sylar swap gone bad. Plus, he’s happy in his boring life. Noah makes a good point, however, when he suggests Matt help in order to ensure his son’s safety.

The two track down Vanessa, where Matt uses a little mind control to convince her that they are people she can trust. She confides that she’s worried about Samuel. All she has are sweet stories of their childhood, but recently since his brother’s death, Samuel has been acting crazy, spouting off about them being together once she sees how powerful he is.

Noah and Matt decide to use Vanessa as complicit bait and lure Samuel into a trap, but the nefarious one is two steps ahead of them. He sneaks past Matt as Eli sneaks up on Noah, and the two get away with Vanessa. Matt and Noah tail them as quickly as possible because they luckily planted a tracker on her. But by the time they reached the little red dot on their laptop (that they magically always have now!), the carnival is gone, leaving only litter behind. Frustrated, Matt questions how they’ll ever get further since the erratic-acting Noah has burned so many bridges.

Back at Chef Parkman‘s, Matt chops up carrots for a ratatouille, while Noah screams about Matt’s responsibility and not being a coward and that he’s one of the good guys. But Matt’s priorities are in order. Family first, and he suggest Noah think about the same.

“Just tell the truth, for once in your life, Mom. Please.” – Peter
Lydia does what she does best, watch from the fringe of the scene and leer like a stalker. Her daughter Amanda wonders why Lydia wants to stir the pot, but Mom is convinced that Samuel isn’t the leader the carnival needs. She seems at a loss of what to do until Amanda gives her an idea. She says her mother should call them. (I really hope that Lydia could have come up with such a simple plan without the help of a 14-year old.) In New York, Peter awakens with a start, grabbing his arm where a spinning, and seemingly painful, compass tattoo has appeared.

The Pied Piper begins to play, and it becomes clear that Emma is attempting a little target practice by trying to lure Peter to her. Once at her apartment, there’s little time for simple pleasantries like, “Wow! That power is awesome. Do it again!“ He notices the compass on her cello is akin to the marking that appeared on his arm, and he asks her how she got it. She tells  him about Samuel and the story about homeless Ira. Peter shows her a picture of the man he met as William, and she confirms that he’s Samuel. She says he didn’t want anything from her and shows Peter the compass he gave her. Peter recounts the Noah stabbing ordeal, over a very similar compass, and warns her to stay away.

Then, Angela appears, acting spooked by the sight of his new friend, and Emma takes the awkward moment as her cue to exit. Peter wants to know why his mom has chased away the only girl he’s had a crush on since he lost the last one by messing with the space-time continuum, and Angela confesses that Emma is going to help kill thousands of people somehow with her cello. But it’s not enough information for Peter, and he absorbs her clairvoyance power in lieu of further investigation.

In his own vision, he sees a distressed Emma at the carnival playing her cello. It’s totally blurry and psychedelic, but what’s clear is some garbled screams and Sylar offering to help her. Of course, Peter could never imagine letting Sylar near his pretty Emma or Emma’s melodic music to be allowed to annihilate a bunch of people. Instead, he heads right over to  her apartment and smashes the instrument. He futilely tries to explain what he was doing, but all she can think about are the shattered piece of wood on the ground. Evidently, Peter didn’t think that his actions may be exactly what pushes her to follow the compass and run to Samuel in the first place. But we can’t all think so clearly.

“Perfect. One who can’t walk and one who can’t talk.” – Mohinder
I would recap the Hiro-Ando-Mohinder story at length if it had any pertinence to the main storyline at all, but I’ve rambled enough and their plot doesn’t lead us with anything that will be useful going forward. Hiro and Ando find Suresh and break him out.  It starts with Hiro speaking in riddles, and by the end of the episode, Ando uses his electrical abilities to give Hiro’s brain a shock and cure him. (Why couldn’t this happen in a doctor’s office with some electrode pads? Don’t know.) In the beginning, Mohinder is loopy in a padded cell. At the close, Hiro and Ando have miraculously, and also inevitably, broken him out. I guess the fun is supposed to be in the journey, but it felt like a waste of time. I did enjoy seeing Mohinder go Hulk on the orderlies and Ando use his powers to short circuit a locked door. But Hiro still doesn’t have Charlie, and wasn’t that the reason Mohinder was drugged and left there in the first place?

WRAP IT UP
Ultimately, Noah shows up at Claire’s and apologizes for everything he’s done. He wants to rebuild bridges, not burn them, but Claire has plans, and Dad isn’t high on the priority list anymore. Though he has done wrong, it’s clear that he has changed because the old Noah would have waited in the wings and then stolen the compass from right under his daughter’s nose.

Matt sits down at the perfect dinner table he always wanted with his wife and son, but he feels like a coward. He’s disappointed he didn’t do more after he unleashed a serial killer from his brain, and he’s let so many people in the world down. She wants him to let things be; he looks after his family and that’s where he belongs. But from that last guilty look, I’m certain Matt’s not going to be staying at home much longer.

And Samuel and Noah are both with the women who have their heart. At least Lauren is willingly sleeping over. Wonder what her bedhead will look like? And now that three more Heroes are out to get Samuel, how much longer does he really have? Find out next week!

Season 4, Episodes 15: Close to You (originally aired January 11, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and Chris Haston

After pleading her case, of Samuel hiding something that could put their home in jeopardy, Doyle frees her and sends her to Lydia to get some answers. (I’m glad that they didn’t overplay Claire’s naiveté or self-discovery. The girl has been dismembered and killed. She can start acting like an adult already!) She takes charge by interrogating Lydia, discovering that Samuel killed Joseph and confronting him tête-à-tête.

Samuel never seems to waver, though, even if Claire doesn’t know that yet. It’s like his next step is always in queue. When she confronts him, he’s all ready and prepped to show her a small part of his plan. He asks Ian to create their own little oasis in the desert. It’s the reason he’s bringing heroes together; to make a beautiful, grassy knoll of a new home. Claire still wants to get out of Dodge as soon as possible because she already has a home, and she realizes that the carnival isn‘t it. Sadly, that home is now missing one of two fathers. With messages from Noah and Peter, she gets the grim news and attends Nathan’s funeral. (Quickly and awkwardly explained away by a mysterious, solo plane crash.)

“I used to think he was just being a big brother and he was picking on me. But now I understand. He just wanted me to be ready… for anything. I’m ready, brother. For whatever comes.” – Peter
I needed me some Peter on a mission. He is hottest when he’s determined. I thought that’s what I would get this episode, but then they threw in Nathan’s funeral, and he turned into Debbie Downer. Noah didn’t get to attend the reception because Claire can’t stand to look at him for what he did and how he lied to her. Angela realizes she also won’t be much help to Peter, who for all his empathy is unable to mourn his brother’s death. So she sends Claire to help reel him in. He’s ready to go after Sylar and put his life in danger, all in the name of revenge and anger. He even runs into a hostage situation, and though he does save the day by getting the gun from the gunman, he also gets shot. Claire wonders if she should heal him or let him think about the choices he’s making and chances he’s taking, but where would she be without her uncle (who she creepily has fantastic on-screen chemistry with) so of course she heals him. But she makes him promise to not do anything crazy. Riiiiiiight?

“I see what you want. I got your power. I don’t need to kill. That’s just something I like to do.” – Sylar
Sylar also makes it back to the carnival where he realizes that he’s, now, an impotent killer. Lydia uses her powers of seduction to discern that the reason Sylar has been unable to kill is because of his very human emotion of loneliness. Hiro’s tale of a future, where Sylar would die alone, really hit the baddie hard. Samuel tries to convince him to stay at the carnival and be a member of the family, but after he allows Sylar to see his true path with the magic ink, he discovers it leads away from the carnies and right to Claire, who’s, then, safely back at college.

WRAP IT UP
So I wouldn’t say the plot moved very much, but at least the two hours were spent getting our heroes together and calling everyone to action. Sure, they’re not all on the same mission just yet, but they will be soon.

Season 4, Episodes 13 & 14: Upon This Rock and Let It Bleed (originally aired January 4, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and Chris Haston

Jericho

Okay, so I want to be upfront and admit I lied. I cunningly crammed 12 shows in the “top 10” and included a bunch of other shows as well. I just couldn’t help myself! And to clarify the criteria I used, there are a ton of canceled shows that I love but I believe had ample opportunity to tell their story. (For instance, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, The Shield.) Of course, there are many people who feel these shows were canceled too soon, and even I would have watched most of them for years longer. However for this list’s purpose, I wanted to place most of the focus on shows that had very few seasons and/or ended abruptly. Each of their passing left itty-bitty holes in my heart.

10. STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
1 season, 22 episodes
2006 – 2007 (NBC)
Must See Episode: “The Friday Night Slaughter”
Breakout Stars: Matthew Perry, Sarah Paulson, D.L. Hughley
“Look, I hate Los Angeles just like everybody else, but I have to work here because in any other part of the country I’m unemployable.”
Aaron Sorkin’s smart writing surely helped The West Wing nab a ton of awards during its run, but it put a lot of viewers off in Studio 60. The drama was about an SNL-like sketch comedy show and the behind-the-scenes inner workings. Critics claimed it would be a hit, but a strong following never developed, and it quickly turned into a punch line. Many comedy writers believed it to be unrealistic and “obnoxiously smart.” However, I loved the relationships between the characters and the “show within a show” format. It just so happens that 30 Rock was the better “show within a show” show that year and stole a lot of its thunder.

9. AMERICAN DREAMS
3 seasons, 61 episodes
2002 – 2005 (NBC)
Must See Episode: “City of Fire”
Breakout Star: Brittany Snow, Milo Ventimiglia
“Haven’t you ever wanted something so badly it hurt?”
American Dreams was the perfect family drama. Focusing on the Pryor family in Philadelphia, the series took a snapshot of the pivotal history of the ‘60s and brought it to life. With much of the series taking place on the fictionalized studio set of American Bandstand, it brought something new by allowing modern day artists to play musicians who would have appeared on Bandstand during the show’s time. And supported by fantastic writing, Dreams represented well the turbulent era of racial inequalities and the Vietnam War.

8. POPULAR
2 seasons, 32 episodes
1999 – 2001 (WB)
Must See Episode: “Caged!”
Breakout Stars: Ryan Murphy, Sara Rue, Leslie Bibb, Carly Pope
“You want to be unique, sure. Just like everyone else.”
Ryan Murphy went on to produce other over-the-top shows like Nip/Tuck and Glee after Popular, and those were much better received. However Popular was like Dawson’s Creek mixed with a little bit of Donnie Darko strangeness and some Heathers-style campiness. It addressed important social issues like transsexualism and cancer while also tackling teen issues like divorce and peer pressure. Though not always perfect, Murphy took risks that I vividly remember to this day.

7. JERICHO
2 season, 29 episodes
2006 – 2008 (CBS)
Must See Episode: “Walls of Jericho”
Breakout Stars: Skeet Ulrich, Alicia Coppola, Lennie James, Shoshannah Stern
“This isn’t a fight about land or about this town. It’s a fight for our very existence.”
Jericho is one of those rare shows that got canceled and then resurrected with fan support and swiftly canceled again. Set in fictional Jericho, Kansas, the town must quickly learn how to survive a nuclear attack on 23 major US cities. How can you reconcile your past life with such a different and unexpected future?  It was a bleak look on how quickly neighboring towns can turn on each other and so can next door neighbors. It then morphed into a story about uncovering a government conspiracy and discovering the true villains behind the attacks.

Veronica Mars

6. DARK ANGEL
2 seasons, 43 episodes
2000 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “411 on the DL”
Breakout Stars: Jessica Alba, Jensen Ackles, Michael Weatherly
“Two million years of human evolution and this is what we get. You morons.”
James Cameron is known for a lot of big things (like this month’s Avatar) but creating Dark Angel isn’t usually one of them. This sci-fi tale, set in the future, starred a young Alba as a genetically-modified soldier hell-bent on protecting the ones she loves, saving others like her and unearthing a large government conspiracy.  Cameron is no stranger to strong female characters who channel their anger and resentment about their life’s losses and the state of the world into strength and riveting drama.

5. CHAPPELLE’S SHOW
3 season, 33 episodes
2003 – 2006 (Comedy Central)
Must See Sketch: Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince
Breakout Stars: Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy
“Cocaine’s a hell of a drug!”
Dave Chappelle was unafraid to tackle race with his comedy, and it was this fearlessness that turned Chappelle’s Show from a Comedy Central novelty to a pop culture phenom. No longer did people think SNL when they thought of brilliant sketch comedy routines. His most notable sketches included Charlie Murphy and his Rick James stories, Lil’ Jon’s highly selective vocabulary of “WHAT?” and “O-Kay!” and a psychotic Wayne Brady. Sadly, Chappelle left the show, citing burnout and issues with production, and we didn’t even get a proper goodbye.

4. DEAD LIKE ME / PUSHING DAISIES
2 seasons, 29 episodes / 2 seasons, 22 episodes
2003 – 2004 (SHO) / 2007 – 2009 (ABC)
Must See Episode: “Pilot” / “Bzzzzzzzzz!”
Breakout Stars: Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue / Lee Pace, Kristin Chenoweth, Chi McBride, Anna Friel
“Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation begets disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest.”  / “I just thought my world would be a better place if you were in it.”
Bryan Fuller shows are quirky, sarcastic and unafraid to treat dark things with a light touch. Dead Like Me, about a rag-tag group of grim reapers who look just like me and you, was so deadpan about death it was hysterical. Pushing Daisies, about a pie maker who used his abilities to temporarily reanimate the dead to solve crimes, was artistically gorgeous and heart-warming. Fuller should be proud of two shows that took a chance and stepped WAY outside of the box. Look at Glee. Sometimes it can work out. And at least we have two seasons of each to re-watch.

3. VERONICA MARS
3 seasons, 64 episodes
2004 – 2007 (UPN/CW)
Must See Episode: “A Trip to the Dentist”
Breakout Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Amanda Seyfried
“I hope we’re still friends after I taser you.”
Despite all the critical praise in the world, Veronica Mars could never garner the audience it deserved. I think it was in large part due to the network it was on. Rob Thomas developed a noir-style detective show with the premise of Nancy Drew meets The O.C.; it was hardly attractive to the average viewer. But it was smart, and Kristen Bell’s portrayal of the tough as nails and emotionally vulnerable Veronica was spot on and charismatic.

Freaks and Geeks

2. FIREFLY
1 season, 14 episodes
2002 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “Out of Gas”
Breakout Stars: Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk
“We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.”
It’s not that big of a surprise that a western set in space didn’t get the big reception FOX had been hoping for. Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) knows how to make unique, sci-fi stories that can be dark, funny and emotional. It never really had a chance to lift off, but it was temporarily resurrected in 2005 with the movie Serenity and continues to be a cult success in DVD sales.

1. FREAKS AND GEEKS / UNDECLARED
1 season, 18 episodes / 1 season, 17 episodes
1999 – 2000 (NBC) / 2001 – 2002 (FOX)
Must See Episode: “Test and Breasts” / “Parents Weekend”
Breakout Stars: Judd Apatow, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillips
“The dance is tomorrow. She’s a cheerleader; you’ve seen Star Wars 47 times. You do the math.” / “Sleep don’t drink no beer.”
Apatow has had all kinds of luck in the latter half of the decade with hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express, but he didn’t get much love early on. Three of his critically-acclaimed, though not mainstream-accepted, television series were canceled before 2005. Both Freaks, created by Paul Feig and produced by Apatow, and Undeclared managed to capture the reality of life as a young adult with all its angst, awkwardness and self-discovery. He relied heavily on stereotypical adolescent behaviors and situations, but his main characters always had depth and color. He understood perfectly how tough growing up could be but also how funny as well.

Top 10 Honorable (Canceled Too Soon) Mentions of the Decade: Eli Stone, Life, The Middle Man, Privileged, Reaper, The 4400, Roswell, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Gilmore Girls, Journeyman

Top 10 (Cancelled Too Soon) Shows That Probably Would Have Made the List If I’d Gotten to Them In My Netflix Cue: Deadwood, Arrested Development, Wonderfalls, Sports Night, thirtysomething, The Comeback, Greg the Bunny, My Name Is Earl, Rome, Jack & Bobby

Top 10 Guilty (Cancelled Too Soon) Pleasures of the Decade: Temptation Island, Reunion, Harper’s Island, October Road, Women’s Murder Club, Dirty Sexy Money, The Black Donnellys, Traveler, Prison Break, The O.C.

For more television reviews, click here.

Photographs courtesy of ABC, CBS, The CW, NBC, and IMDbPro.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

It seemed like television might not make a comeback after the dreaded 2007-2008 Writers’ Strike, yet here we are at the end of a fantastic year of television. It’s inevitable that some great shows, actors and moments will be left off this list which is part of the reason I wanted to focus on superlatives instead of a top ten. (Much easier to choose.) And of course, not everyone will agree with my opinion, but if we were all attending the Nisi School of TV, this is what the superlatives page in the yearbook would look like.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2009
BEST BOWOUT: Battlestar Galactica
Very rarely does a show come around that can meld intergalactic battle and robots with the quest to understand the true meaning of humanity. BSG could be so nail-bitingly action-packed one moment and then tender and somber the next. Ronald D. Moore was unafraid to confront the oft-tense discussion of religion and science or personal freedom vs. national security. He turned a campy ‘70s show into modern and relevant gold. The final season satisfied by wrapping up unresolved mysteries, mourning the loss of many characters we became fully invested in, revealing all of the cylons and just plain concluding an epic journey.

BIGGEST LETDOWN: FlashForward
Already, the show’s been shelved away until March of 2010. It’s mired with set shutdowns and a show runner shift. For me, working against it is my high opinion of Robert J. Sawyer’s book which is slowly being destroyed with each minute I watch the show. It’s quite possible that their winter hiatus will give the writers a chance to really sort out the story and figure out how to find and covey its voice. Maybe in 2010, FlashForward will begin to live up to its potential. But with an already difficult premise to sustain, a stiff lead in Joseph Fiennes and way too many music montages, I won’t hold my breath.

BEST TRANSPORT: Torchwood: Children of Earth
This miniseries rejuvenated the Torchwood series, ramping up the wit, the action and the death. All this was accomplished while not focusing too much on the show’s heavy backstory and alienating newbies. They also made some tough decisions that were sure to pain many faithful viewers, but I believe the story benefited from this sacrifice. I was scared of the creepy children in Village of the Damned and The Grudge, but CoE brings that fear much closer to reality.

Party Down

BEST KEPT SECRET: Party Down
Who would have thought that Starz could hide a comedy goldmine? I may not want to continue to designate this show as a secret because before I know it without viewers, Party Down could be gone. (So start watching!) Though 30 Rock continues to be a critical success, very few shows centered around the entertainment industry flourish. At its heart, Party Down is about a group of hapless misfits just waiting for their big break. By working as cater waiters, the writers have ample event fodder to work with, and hopefully I’ll be party hopping with this crew for a long time.

DRAMA KING & QUEEN: Rachel Berry & Cameron Tucker
Glee is arguably the debut show of the year, and its success is in large part due to its lead and her voice. As an unknown to relatively anyone outside of the Broadway world, Lea Michele was given the opportunity to fully mold and embody Rachel, the girl with the undeniable talent who is almost impossible to ignore. And never did TV make dysfunctional families look so good than on Modern Family. Eric Stonestreet steals scenes as Cam with his hilarious flair for the dramatic and his lovable individuality. Whether focusing on his devotion to his partner Mitchell, his love for newly adopted Lily or his enthusiasm as Fizbo the Clown, Cam is always the center of attention.

BEST COMEBACKS: Alicia Florrick & Dexter Morgan
As an Emmy award-winning actress for her work on ER as Nurse Carol Hathaway, there’s no doubt that Julianna Margulies has the chops . But after 2008’s Canterbuy’s Law, I wasn’t so sure that The Good Wife wouldn’t be just another legal drama. Ripped right out of the new headlines of stories like Eliot Spitzer and John Edwards, Alicia returns to work after her politician husband gets caught with his pants down. She’s intelligent and strong yet emotional, and Margulies plays her beautifully. Okay, Michael C. Hall never really went anywhere, but Dexter sort of did. Last season’s Prado (Jimmy Smits) storyline started out well but spiraled into absurdity. Then, there was the question of whether the baby would kill the show? Season four was so prime to bomb that it was relegated from my DVR list to OnDemand viewing. But a season hasn’t been so good since numero uno. With the addition of John Lithgow as Trinity, Dexter was able to confront his life as a husband and father in an interesting, compelling and often comical manner.

The Office

VILLAINS YOU LOVE TO HATE: Russell Hantz & Sue Sylvester
There have been a few gripping moments on Survivor this season (ex: Russell Swan‘s collapse), but overall, the one character that made this semi-bland season worthwhile has been evil Russell. He’s found three immunity idols, two without clues, and almost single-handedly runs the game. Glee’s Sue can somehow say the most despicable things and make you love her more with each word. There’s no doubt that certain things should never be uttered, and some things are politically INCORRECT for a reason, but her conviction and ability to speak her mind always results in pure hilarity. Plus, Jane Lynch is an animal. (Also see: Party Down)

WEDDING WE’D MOST LIKE TO CRASH: Niagara Falls Nuptials
With a ton of buildup and heightened expectations, Pam and Jim’s wedding had a lot to live up to. This Office episode managed to be funny, sweet and beautiful all at the same time. Recreating the YouTube sensation “JK Wedding Entrance Dance,” with their Dunder-Mifflin co-workers shimming down the aisle, was priceless. What the show does best is achieve the unexpected. You can’t say you predicted the show to kick off the season with office Parkour, right?

BIGGEST CRAZE RUN AMOK: Fang Frenzy
The Western world has always had a slight obsession with all thing undead, but 2009 was the year things exploded. Vamps moved from the underground and out into the sun, from fantasy to mainstream. True Blood is breaking HBO records and getting nominated for prominent awards. The Vampire Diaries is helping to revitalize the struggling CW and the Twilight series is almost tandem to a living, breathing organism. You’d think we’d almost sucked the life out of the vampire fad, but I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

BEST ‘OH NO THEY DIDN’T’ MOMENT: The John Deere incident
If someone would have asked me to foretell one of the most surprising TV scenes of the year, I would have leaned more towards reality TV, maybe the soapy Desperate Housewives or Grey’s Anatomy. The molasses-paced Mad Men wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. Now all I think is what can top a show that fit a champagne-laced ad office, an obnoxious Brit, a secretary riding a John Deere tractor and a missing limb into one episode. No one can say, any longer, that nothing happens on Mad Men.

BEST NEVER AIRED EPISODE: “Epitaph One”
I championed Fox’s decision to bring back Dollhouse for another season, especially after seeing this unaired episode. Set in the Dollhouse future, viewers got to see a post-apocalyptic world where the invention of Doll technology had brought the world to its knees. Joss Whedon’s fans love him so intensely because the worlds he creates seem so whole and believable. Yet, they are unlike anything we’ve ever imagined. It would have served well as a series finale. And though I haven’t been a strong fan of the second season, I think now that an end has been ordered, this episode will help craft and lead the show to an intriguing conclusion.

Cougar Town

OTHER WINNERS INCLUDE:
HOTTEST MILF & DILF: Jules (Cougar Town) & Don Draper (Mad Men)
BIGGEST BREAKOUT: Matthew Bomer (White Collar) & Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)
TIGHTEST CLIQUE: The MacLaren’s Crew (How I Met Your Mother)
CUTEST COUPLE: Coach and Mrs. Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
SWEETEST SUPER SPY: Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
MOST ANTICIPATED 2010 RETURN: Lost

WRAP IT UP
Only two more weeks until 2009 is history and 2010 starts making a name for itself. Will we still remember V and FlashForward in the spring? Can Glee sustain its forward momentum when it returns next April? Who’s going to be the next American Idol? And the biggest question of all, how does Lost end? TV is one year older, folks, and I couldn’t be more excited!

For more television reviews, click here.

Photographs courtesy of HBO, BBC America, Starz, NBC, ABC, and IMDbPro.

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

So You Think You Can Dance

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

KATHRYN AND RYAN

A disco by Doriana Sanchez to “Last Dance” by Donna Summer (Samantha Ronson remix): So You Think You Can Dance has seen its share of ridiculously hard Doriana routines, and this wasn’t one of them. This doesn’t diminish the routine which was still fun and jazzy. These two, to me, weren’t as on fire as the judges thought. But they really looked like they were having fun. It was nicely performed, but I didn’t feel that extra oomph, and I expect more from these two. Thankfully, Nigel backed me up a tiny bit. He thought the style suited Kathryn, but Ryan was stiff. 8

A Cha-Cha from Jason Gilkison to “Put Your Hands On Me” by Joss Stone: This is the sizzle I needed to see. Ryan has drawn two ballroom styles so I know he should and will nail it. With Kathryn, I always expect greatness. Adam pegged it right, saying “Jason this is a huge night for you. That was one of the best ballroom routines that we’ve had on the show.” Jason, tonight, has created believable stories, put them to some great pop music and re-imagined the genre. It’s fantastic. And this pair smoldered with his help. 10

MOLLY AND JACOB

The Viennese waltz with Jason Gilkison to “Ordinary Day” by Vanessa Carlton: Jason is finally on the SYTYCD map. Adam wrapped it up nicely when he said, ‘I could have watched that for two hours.” I felt the same way, never wanting it to end. I would have never thought I would get so excited about this coupling, but these two came from out of nowhere. Their connection was so bright and free. Jacob didn’t outshine Mollee which should say volumes about how great her performance was. Plus, I’ve never had a waltz make me smile from ear to ear. 10

A Joey Dowling Broadway piece to “Easy Street” (Samantha Ronson Remix) from the TV soundtrack of Annie: I always love it when a little-seen choreographer creates something memorable. Nigel felt it was the perfect couple for the story and style. They’re both athletic and flexible. Jacob always brings a certain flair, and Molly discovered a sweet sass. Finding such a great blend of theatrics, poise and technical talent in a dancer isn’t typical. 9

ELLENORE AND LEGACY

A contemporary routine by Travis Wall to “Machine Gun by Portishead: This was another threesome I was stoked about, but instead of the usual romantic, Travis channeled a little “War of the Roses meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Sometimes I forget this is an 8pm family friendly show. Parents have a lot of explaining to do when their kids start asking “Why is the Mommy trying to kill the Daddy?” It was a dangerous, stunt-like routine that was exciting and passionate and sexy. Nigel gave a nod to Travis, guessing that this could get him an Emmy nod. I concur, Mr. Lythgoe. 10

A hip-hop number by Nappy/Tabs to “People Are Strange” (District 78 remix) by The Doors: Unfortunately Nappy/Tabs is on a horrible streak. It makes sense that there would be an ebb and flow when it comes to art and creativity. They were trying something new and literally alien, and it just didn’t rub me the right way. Ellenore and Legacy both seemed uncomfortable and out of the groove of the piece. It was so out there that I was positive that it would seal both of their fates in the bottom four. 6

RUSSELL

A Shane Sparks hip-hop routine to “Too Much Booty 2” (Bobby J Remix) by Soundmaster T & Jah-Rista feat. Korveil: So Shane Sparks promised to give us “nothing less than the hood” and to turn Ashleigh into a “booty shaker.”  We only saw half that promise achieved, but Russell gave us exactly what Shane promised, and I liked it. He was dancing for his life. In terms of the routine, this is the Shane I remember, when I first fell in love with the show way back when. Hard-hitting, hot and dirty. While the judges could not stop opining about missing Ashleigh, they gave it up to Russell for always giving his all, performing and making us feel that he’s having a good time. 9

A Bollywood number by Nakul to “Spirit of Rangeela” from the Rangeela soundtrack: Mr. Shankman rambles a lot, but at least a lot of what he has to say is fantastic and on-point criticism. He called this number “pure dancing,” and it was. It was purely joyful, purely upbeat and purely historical. Place your fingers in the wrong position and you could offend an entire country! But Russell did quite the opposite with his performance; hopefully, he made all the Indians watching proud because he certainly made the judges proud. 9

THIRTY SECONDS TO SHINE
The solos were a little Twilight Zone tonight. Russell dressed up in a Santa costume and reminded us that sometimes you just have to let go and have fun. I didn’t even believe that Kathryn or Jacob could get any better. That was false. Ellenore scared me a bit because even though when she dances she often makes the prettiest and coolest pictures, sometimes weird scares people. Mollee did a lot of the same flips and tricks but did them well. I was a little disappointed this week that Legacy focused more on theatrics than his choreography. There were more exciting b-boy moves in his non-b-boy routines than his solo. And Ashleigh had to be awkwardly paraded on stage again. Poor, girl.

THE RESULTS
Based on my scores, Ellenore, Legacy, Ashleigh and either Russell or Ryan should be in the bottom. My money would be on Russell to sail through just because he’s a fan and judge favorite, and he truly does epitomize what the show is about. It’s centered on dancers learning new styles and growing technically and as performers. It’s about creating a well-rounded dancer that America falls in love with. Two checks! It’s at this point that I realized how difficult results night would be. You’d think it’d be easier since this season has a six person finale, but it’s not.

We opened up the evening with a wonderful Sonya jazz routine. Then, Asia’s #1 pop group The Wonder Girls performed “Nobody.” I’m not knocking them because they were polished, somehow managed to share the spotlight equally between five girls and pulled off a believable lip-sync. And I’m all for undiscovered pop transports, but this is the episode before the finale, and they couldn’t get anyone more exciting, bigger or just recognizable? The song contained about 15 words and an extremely catchy hook, the worst combination. I still can’t get the darn song out of my head, and I feel like I was just a victim of some subliminal messaging.

Now, the Kris Allen performance I can understand. Sure his album isn’t that hot, and his American Idol runner-up got the top billing with next week’s finale performance (ouch!), but it’s good cross-promotion for Idol and a good chance to force-feed us their newest product. (I’m gobbling it up, by the way. He’s still adorable.)

I know you’re all biting your nails, so I won’t hold off anymore. The four in the bottom are Ryan, Legacy, Ellenore and Molly. I’m shocked that Ashleigh didn’t have to dance for her life. Her husband’s impassioned and teary plea must have really gotten viewers to rally behind her, but unfortunately it also might have taken some votes away that would have gone to someone else.

They all soloed well, but at this point it doesn’t matter because the choice has already been made. I just wished and hoped that it was Ellenore and Legacy saved. Ellenore’s in and so is….Ryan! Unfortunately, my genie decided to take an early lunch break and only saved one of my favorites. Wow! Legacy is definitely one of the most improved dancers of the season, and I’m sad to see him go. Mollee really did find her stride after Nathan’s ouster, but it was too little, too late.

WRAP IT UP
So what do you guys think about the top six, and who do you want to see win? Last chance to hit the comments section before our season six winner is crowned. I think it’s a battle between Jakob, Russell and Kathryn, and really it’s Jakob’s to lose. The man has not made one wrong move the whole season. Either way with those choices, no one’s really a loser. Right?

For another opinion on this episode, check out The Good, The Bad, and The Sappy by Trisha Huntsman.

Season 6, Episodes 21 & 22:  The Top 8 Perform & Two of 8 Voted Off (originally aired December 8 & 9, 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

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we’re only dreaming

Yes, Avatar evokes allusions to Pocahontas, but all I could think of as I left the theater was Aladdin and Jasmine on their magic carpet ride. I felt like a giddy kid again. Aladdin opened up a whole new world to my pint-sized imagination with genies, magical kingdoms and talking parrots. And James Cameron has succeeded in waking the inner child in me; one I actually never knew had fallen asleep.

Like any movie, there are and will always be polarizing viewpoints on Avatar. Was it worth the hundreds of millions of dollars that it took to create the film? Was it worth the years devoted to make it? Is this the true future of film-making? And if so do we want it? I say yes to all of the above. This is history in the making, guys! It is a story we’ve all heard before, but it’s told in such an innovative and cool way that I was glued to my seat at every moment. I didn’t want to blink for fear that I would miss something beautiful or unique.

I avoided reviews and spoilers with the same fervor that I avoid the gym. I didn’t want the hype to build-up so much in my mind that it would detract from actually enjoying the film, and I’m happy I did. My mind was a blank slate with my interest up for grabs.

Avatar focuses on the Na’vi (a mix between gorgeous NBA basketball players, Smurfs and Thundercats) and their world. In the year 2154, humans are exploring Pandora in the hopes of harvesting a very lucrative material that can only be found in a place very dear to the indigenous people. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic Marine who takes the place of his brother on an expedition to get in good with the natives, get the unobtanium America needs to get rich and stay rich, and hopefully buy the use of his legs back. Leading the team of researchers is Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), and on the opposing moral side is corporate scum Parker Selfrige, played by Giovanni Ribisi, and Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), pure military evil. On his mission, Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the Na’vi Chief and spiritual leader. However, learning about their culture, customs and connection with nature is not an easy one. Of course, he’s that brash but likable guy that can pick up almost anything, but I dare anyone to not get emotionally invested in his journey anyway.

There were a few things I was scared about, but the biggest was the 3-D aspect of the film. Often 3-D is thrown in the mix to thoroughly entertain people with thrills. Things pop out at unexpected times; you jump out of your seat or dig your nails into the arm of the person next to you, and that’s that. You’ve been entertained. Yet, Avatar’s 3-D doesn’t pop out at you as much as it pulls you in. It heightens the viewing experience by adding a level intensity, allowing the world of Pandora to envelope you, instead of becoming a distraction.

Overall, the acting isn’t Oscar-worthy, but it certainly is above the norm, and there’s not a single weak link in the bunch. Greats like Weaver and Ribisi are as strong as ever. My biggest worry, Saldana, was so raw and visceral. I was pleasantly surprised by her portrayal. Lang is that true villain you love to hate, and Worthington has once again proven that this Aussie import needs to be embraced by the US and made a Hollywood staple. Most of all, each performance is honest. The characters are so fully developed, the vision so strong that I can forgive a little bit of lazy writing here and there. And though the plot is predictable, the story knows exactly where that sweet spot is at the core of your heart and hits it hard. The new use of a virtual camera in this CG-environment makes the Na’vi humanoids, animal and plant life all seem real. As writer and director, Cameron has been missing since his last epic Titanic became box office gold, but you can see all the hard work from the last decade right there on the screen.

If you are a Sci-Fi or Fantasy nut like me, you will enjoy the movie for its sheer beauty, grandeur, and the undiscovered places it takes you. If not, my best advice is to just see the film and make your own judgment. If only to experience the state-of-the-art special effects, it is worth the 11 bucks. You may find you see things the same way I do, because in my eyes, Avatar is pure magic.

For additional Poptimal reviews of Avatar check out Avatar: Beauty is in the Eye of 3-D Glasses by Matt DeGroot.

On top of that, they packed 10 couples’ performances and 10 solos into this week which must have given the producers a heart attack. (Can someone go check on them, by the way?) All this bloated programming meant we missed out on seeing any rehearsals which was really strange. The good part is that we finally get to hold the reigns. It’s no longer about voting for your favorite couples; it’s about your favorite dancer. And the judges have no say besides their opinions. If there wasn’t enough pressure already, all the couples have been mixed up as well. Let’s get to it!

THE SOLOS
In order of awesomeness!

1. Russell + Solo = Dope. Where has he been hiding all these tricks! He just gets better and better even when he’s flexing his own stuff.
2. Jakob is a powerhouse. The only reason he is number two is because it’s kind of expected how amazing he’ll be, so he was missing a little shock value.
3. No suprises here! Legacy’s solo was athletic and fun, and showed him as not just a b-boy but as someone who could incorporate other styles into his own.
4. Kathryn is in the same boat as Jakob. There weren’t a lot of new moves or surprises, but it was still gorgeous to watch.
5. Everytime Noelle dances I’m reminded how wonderful she is, especially in this light and joyful solo. But I forget about her when she’s not dancing.
6. This process must be trying on Nathan because his tears reached an inappropriate level. Either that or he’s really smart and listened to Adam’s advice. Something’s fishy here. At least his solo was a really unique mesh of contemporary and lyrical hip-hop.
7. Mollee threw in a ton of flips and executed them all like a champ, but now I need to see a deeper level of emotion from her. This isn’t Make It or Break It.
8. I fear for Ellenore because her solos are so quirky and odd that it could turn some supporters off. Hopefully they always remember how great she is no matter what style she tackles. I’m usually gushing but tonight was just okay.
9. Ashleigh is growing as a performer in all other styles, but it’s more of the same for her own. She’s at a disadvantage because she’s a ballroom dancer, but I can only watch high kicks and fast feet so many times as a solo before I fall asleep get really bored.
10. Only a tall, buff and very confident guy like Ryan would attempt a ballroom solo to “Rock You Like A Hurricane” by Scorpions. That’s a smidge too much cheddar with my bread, Ryan.

NOELLE AND RYAN
A hip-hop routine by Nappy/Tabs to “Give It To Me Right” by Melanie Fiona
It started off a little rocky, but these two found their footing in a style foreign to them. Noelle reminded me of Rachele Brooke Smith from Center Stage: Turn It Up. (And though I know only three other people and I have actually seen that movie, it’s a compliment.) Okay, maybe she looked more the part than danced it, but I give her kudos for the attempt. Ryan was also a little awkward, but that didn’t surprise me after his last hip-hop attempt. Maybe that’s why he was sitting behind a desk most of the dance. The choreography definitely didn’t help them, and it threw me off. Nigel thought Noelle dialed up the sexy, and Mary saw a completely difference dancer. Adam felt it might not have been Ryan’s highest moment, but it was a great one. Not in my book. 7

A smooth waltz by JT and Thomas to “Jeux d’eau by O” from the Cirque du Soleil soundtrack. (Is there some cross promotion going on?)
Nigel felt like it was the “prince and princess at the end of a Disney movie falling in love. He wanted more softness in Noelle’s face, but the rise and fall and flow were great. I was kind of bored. Yes, Ryan is a fantastic partner. I get it. But when does he get time to shine in these numbers? Overall, it was executed well and the lifts were effortless. Just didn’t bowl me over. 8

ASHLEIGH AND LEGACY
A Gary Stewart contemporary piece to “Poison” by The Prodigy
My first thoughts were strange style, strange choice of music. Contemporary on this show is usually about emotion, and this one was devoid of it to me. It felt like movement without thought. Something was just off. I stared in awe when Legacy stood on his head, but that was about it. Nigel thought they were “physically abused by [their] choreographer.” He also pointed out that Gary’s work “requires you to be so athletic and really defy gravity. It’s almost like Kobe Bryant or Lebron when they jump in the air and get as far as they can, they always seem a little bit further.” Maybe that’s why I so tired and confused after watching it. 8

A hip-hop number by Dave Scott to “Slow Down” by Bobby Valentino
I’m so glad Dave has stepped up and filled the Shane Sparks void. I didn’t really get the whole vampire and cape vibe though. It was distracting and a disservice to the number and the dancers. The judges didn’t hold back their disdain. Nigel wanted to see Legacy do more and lose the cloak. Adam pinpointed that the difficulty level just wasn’t high enough. But you can’t only blame it on the moves. They didn’t even seem like the dancers I’ve grown to love. 7

KATHRYN AND NATHAN
A Broadway number from Spencer Liff to “Choreography” from White Christmas by Danny Kaye
This was as close to perfection as I’ve seen Nathan since Las Vegas week. It was a very sweet ‘50s style piece that was a lot of fun. Clearly, I missed Kathryn’s old partner Legacy up on that stage with her. The spark just wasn’t the same, but I also thought Nathan would continue to tank, and didn’t. So you win some, and you lose some. Mary and Adam were anticipating trouble for Nathan, as was I, so they just chalked it up to Kathryn pulling the maturity out of Nathan. (I guess, more like putting it in.) To me and Mary, Kathryn is always gorgeous, and she just continues to twirl beautifully. 9

A rumba by Tony and Melanie to “Walk On By” by Aretha Franklin I didn’t really feel this number. I thought Kathryn looked beautiful, but Nathan seemed to be trying WAY to hard. He was puckering his lips and making funny faces which were not sexy. Like I, the judges just didn’t feel the passion in this number or the weird faces. Mary did commend Nathan on his back walks though, and Adam felt like Karthryn was dancing with such passion and purpose. It was as if she was in a competition. 7

ELLENORE AND JACOB
A Tony and Melanie quick step to “Four Brothers” by Manhattan Transfer
The Gods have been listening to my prayers. My two favs were paired up, and it was as kick butt as I dreamed. These two are so sinewy and sexy and talented; it’s otherworldly. Mary said that Tony and Melanie had a lot of confidence in them because they threw a lot of tough stuff at them. Adam called them as the couple he wanted to see all season. (…with our powers combined, Adam.) They say pretty people make pretty babies. Well, pretty sweet dancers make pretty sweet dances and cute little quick steps. 9

A Sonya contemporary piece to “Tore My Heart” by OONA & Dave Tweedie
Once again, this pair has proven to be the cream of the crop. I always figured Sonya and Ellenore would make a super nova-like pairing, and I was right. Even Nigel had to point it how they’re probably from the same planet. Mary coined them the new dream team, and Adam was ready to pass out from the sheer greatness of the number. I see two of the top three already. 10

MOLLEE AND RUSSELL
A lyrical jazz by Mandy Moore to “It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette
Wow! I wasn’t ready for that. This was the most anticipated couple for me behind Ellenore and Jacob. Mandy Moore is back in all her fabulous glory, and Nigel finally saw a woman. Seriously, I wanted emotions out of Mollee, and she sort of told me to shut it. There was a lot of body tossing and throwing. It was total abandon. Mary thought Mollee fed off of Russell’s strength, and the quality of her dancing just shot up a level.  Adam is scared of Russell when he krumps (in a good way) but acknowledges his transformation into a beautiful contemporary dancer and powerful partner. 9

A jive from alums Pasha and Anya to “Land of 1,000 Dances” by Jimmy Barnes
These two accomplished two things: keeping up with the fast pace and having a good time. Personally, the number was full of missteps and missed footings, but the judges raved about it. Mary even screamed for it, and it so did not warrant those decibel levels. And Adam and Nigel loved this new pairing. I wanted it to live up to their first number, but for me it was a hot mess. 7

THE RESULTS Tyce created a fantastic opening number for the dancers to “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” by Billy Joel. He didn’t even pop into my mind when I was trying to guess who choreographed it. I appreciated how he gave everyone an opportunity to bask a bit in the limelight. Then it was time for the results.

I call outrage! How did Kathryn get into the bottom two?! When it came down to Ashleigh and her, I was almost certain that Ashleigh, being the weaker dancer, would be the choice. (And I really do like Ashleigh, but she’s my number three.) Mary seemed like she was going to cry when asked to speak about Kathryn, and I was right there with her. I do think America got it right when it came to the boys by picking Nathan and Ryan, though Nathan’s solo was even better seeing it the second time around.

Next were the performances. Where were this Legion of Extraordinary Dancers hiding? (Until I realized they actually performed on Season 1.) Their performance took my breath away. It was modern, hip, urban and completely unexpected. The gravity and the magnitude that they danced with was inspiring. Also hooray for Quest Crew, one of the winning ABDC Crews, visiting the stage. (Season three’s Dominick “D-trix” Sandoval and Hok Konishi and Season 1’s Ryan Conferido are members.) They’re 10 times cooler because they brought Snoop Dogg with them.

WRAP IT UP
In the end, Nathan and Noelle were America’s choice to go home, and I believe they got it right tonight. Nathan just pressed too many of the wrong, emotional buttons, and Noelle wasn’t memorable enough for all that talent. At least, they’ll get to tour. That’s something to be happy about!

For another opinion on this episode, check out I Am Shaking My Finger At You, America by Trisha Huntsman.

Season 6, Episodes 19 & 20:  The Top 10 Perform & Two of 10 Voted Off (originally aired December 1 & 2, 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

“Makes you wonder if we’re not destined to be the last generation of our species. And if that’s so how can we stop that from happening.” – Samuel
Lydia pops in on Samuel and tells him that, though she knows his secret, she has a daughter, and his secret is safe with her. She exits as Eli (Todd Stachwick )shows up. Samuel asks him if he’d be his right (and left) hand man. (You see, he’s kind of like Michael Keaton in Multiplicity but without the different personalities.) He then charges him to break into Noah’s apartment and steal some information.

“Give me her number. Working for the CIA has a few benefits like waterboarding terrorists, some pretty decent bagels and the ability to triangulate cell phone calls.” – Lauren
Someone knocks on Noah’s door. It’s Lauren, ready for their date. They share some sassy, but so out of place, banter. As she eyes Noah’s “research” board, Noah realizes that the compass is missing. It’s clearly a Clair issue, and they quickly join forces to track down his daughter.

I really do love the man known to many as HRG. So many characters without powers have fallen by the wayside, but he’s got real substance. And his family/Company man storyline was some of Heroes most riveting work, but all the lovey-dovey Lauren stuff is really starting to bore me. I find myself tuning out, which makes writing these things harder because I have to rewind over and over again. So doubly, no fun.

But then Eli shows up, multiplies himself into Noah’s apartment and triggers a Reed and Sue Richards-style team up between these two. (Geek Translation: The married, crime fighting team of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.) Not only did I learn that true partners are always partners no matter how much time passes, but you can also covertly hide a lot of guns in one tiny apartment. Awesome.

The two hide out in the bathroom and don’t end up fighting much more. Boooo because that was fun. Ready to fight, the two head out only to find an empty apartment. Eli is gone, along with Noah’s Primatech files.

“Peter, there are five stages of grief. You need to leap over denial phase and get right into the acceptance of this whole thing.” – Angela
Angela visits Peter at the hospital and tries to dissuade him from going after Nathan. It’s basically like they passed the nonacceptance baton from mother to son. Angela realizes the err of her ways, but Peter wants to fight for Nathan. He even called in the Haitian for a power switcheroo. (Sadly this storyline of who will and won’t survive is the complete opposite of suspenseful since NBC, Tim Kring and Adrian Pasdar are all over the entertainment news regarding his recent sacking.)

Sylar gets the drop on Peter in the elevator. Even I didn’t see Sylar coming disguised as an older, black and female nurse. (I miss the days when Heroes used to always surprise me like this…i.e. the first season.) What happens after that is some of the most riveting Heroes moments in awhile.

Peter was only surprised for a minute or so because then it became apparent that this was the plan all along. While Sylar believes he  has the upper hand, Peter uses his new power-blocking abilities. Taken aback, Peter then beat him like a pinata. (Little Petrelli is starting to re-light my fire a tiny bit.) It’s give back his brother time, or be nail gunned to death? Seriously, I could not make this stuff up!

Things start to get a little iffy again when he attempts to mind pull Nathan out and erase Sylar. Mission accomplished in two minutes without any Jack Bauer-level torture is clearly not reality. In the end, the writers gave Adrian Pasdar some emotional and tough work for his last episode. The tension and emotion is palpable, and he truly does a great job. (He, actually, might be getting out at the perfect time despite all the hooplah about how he found out.)

Nathan chooses to give up the fight by flinging himself off a building roof. He’s too tired for it anymore, and he’s accepted his fate. Peter clings on as long as he can with no help from his brother who tells him that he loves him. “You’re going to have to carry on for the both of us. Tell mom I love her, and take care of Claire. Fight the good fight. You’ve always been everything that’s good in the world, and I got a feeling the world ain’t seen nothing yet. You can do anything. Anything. Remember that. I love you.” Slight tear, but only because Nathan was one of the characters I fell in love with instantly.

In one of the coolest fall scenes I’ve seen in a while, Nathan falls in slo-mo, transforms into Sylar (essentially dying), lands on a parked car hard, and Sylar rises. He even throws in a little wave from below. (Top form for the actors and writers.)

“We’ve been on the road for a day, but you’ve been on this road your whole life, and it’s lead you here. So you have to at least check it out.” – Gretchen
While extremely creepy, Gretchen really is a good friend at heart. And she’s there for her when Claire’s too scared to enter the carnival. Samuel is also there to ease her in. He takes the hands off approach, gloating about how they’re actually more normal then one would think. Carnies need to make an honest living too. Of course, it sounds like some free spirit, wonderful oasis. He even gives the girls popcorn, which he says is the best in the world. He tells them to walk around, meet his family and finish their snack, and then he’ll catch up with the two to walk them out.

They reach Lydia. (This girl needs to give me some tips on who to bare ones back in the most provocative of ways.) She reads Claire’s desires which manifest as a picture of her, The “Indestructible Girl”. A little spooked out, they high tail it out of there.

Gretchen and Claire come upon a jerk who never quite became the baseball star he always aspired to be. He’s holding up a game booth, attempting to show off his wicked slider and win a big stuffed tiger, and there’s a sad, little girl waiting for her turn. Claire points out the carnival worker who uses telekenisis to make the jerk miss but also to help the little girl win. Gretchen isn’t really impressed, and she’s not sure how to take someone who rips off a guy, even if he is a jerk. (Doing something nice, doesn’t always negate something mean, right? I think Claire could learn a few things from her girl crush/BFF.)

Their popcorn is almost finished, and Samuel says he can show them where everyone lives. Claire wants to see, but Gretchen wants to go. Samuel makes a point to say no matter what, everyone is welcome. (Man, he lies so well even I believe him.) To Claire, this world is everything she’s looking for.

Samuel tells a big group of children stories, and Claire gets to tell the last one of the night. She even gets a big hug from one of the wee ones. She runs into Doyle (aka the Puppet Master) who seems like a new person and touts the wonders of the carnival. The jerk comes back, screaming about being ripped off, and he attack Samuel. He doesn’t fight back, and he stops anyone from helping him. Except for Claire of course. When she asks him why he let that happen, he says that their life involves a lot of practice in restraint to maintain their lives.

Gretchen is sketched out, even questioning Samuel intentions to his face (liking this girl more and more), but she supports Claire when she chooses to stay a couple of days longer. Too bad when she drives away, she misses the jerk, dead in the back of his truck. (Who says carnivals can’t put on a good show?)

Samuel and his family, including Claire return to the site of Joseph’s burial. Samuel makes a speech about how they will be nomads no more and they will plant roots there once they’ve gathered all of their brethren and taken them back “home.” And Claire just looks on, eating up every word.

WRAP IT UP

This was the perfect Heroes episode. I wish they decided to take the path of least resistance this season because a lot of the storytelling it took to get to this point was painful. I also didn’t really miss Mohinder, Tracy, Hiro, Ando and Parkman who were only shown briefly at the tail end. Clearly, we’ll jump into their story later. In the end, the result of this mid-season finale has me super excited for the show to return in a month. Though Nathan and Adrian Pasdar will be missed, I wish him much luck in his future endeavors. He deserves it, and I only hope without that sticky storyline, things will start to get even better.

Season 4, Episodes 12:  The Fifth Stage (originally aired November 30, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC  and Justin Lubin

Now onto how Cat fared! I dub thee a 7, Cat. That’s like a 15 for me so I don’t feel bad getting critical. (And she made up for it with a prefect 10 on the results show.) Her dress color was great, but she kept having to pull it down and the hair was a little frizzy. Of course, she was still as cute and sweet as ever. Some things never change.

RYAN AND ELLENORE
A Lindy Hop by newbie Carla Heiney to “I’ve Got To Be A Rug Cutter” by the Boilermaker Jazz Band
Let me preface by saying that I’ve loved the Lindy Hop ever since I had to perform it in a school musical. Unfortunately, in the performance I watched, I saw characters but it didn’t seem like they were playing off each other. And that’s sad given they may never dance again. I will commend them on pulling off a few cool tricks, but it just didn’t float my boat. Adam thought it was fantastic. Nigel got me for a second when he said, “I thought it was terrible…that we haven’t had the Lindy Hop on this season, well, for three seasons.” 7

A Broadway routine by Spencer Liff to “Razzle, Dazzle” from the Chicago (Original Broadway Cast) soundtrack
Ellenore is definitely one of my favorite dancers, so I was glad they had a second opportunity to prove themselves before America voted. She was perfection as she usually is and also showed some crazy foot flexibility. Ryan also continues to impress me more and more in terms of performance and skill. Mary felt that he really dug in and still managed to pull off a ton of lifts. Adam said that it was “true Broadway vocabulary,” which I guess means it could have come straight off the stage and onto our TVs. 8

LEGACY AND KATHRYN
A jazz routine by Sonya to  “So Deep” by Hot Chip
Kathryn is, by far, the most surprising dancer this season. Sonya’s choices forced her to do things I’ve never seen before all while being sexy and smooth. The number  was insane, and her performance equaled it. While Legacy didn’t catch my eye as often, he was strong and supportive and fit in perfectly. Sonja also put in some jazzified b-boy moves which helped a lot and still managed to elevate the dance. Nigel called it his favorite routine of the season, and Mary called these two “walking into the top ten.” Agreed. 9

A Vienese Waltz by Jean-Marc Genereux and France to “Your Guardian Angel” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The dance brought Legacy to tears again. Who is this guy, Dominic? What is it about Latin b-boys being so emotional. I truly saw a weakness for this pair for the first time. Kathryn was elegant and beautiful, but Legacy’s form was horrible. Basically, he held her back. The judges had a hard time judging him since, well, he cried! Nigel said, “I’m glad, this evening, that you are being judged by three people whose hearts you’ve stolen and will turn a blind eye to a lot of things that were going on there that really weren’t as good as I believe you can actually do now-a-days…you were gorgeous, my darling Kathryn.” 7

VICTOR AND KAREN
A tango by Tony and Melanie to “Monstserrat” by Orquesta del Plata
There’s no nostalgia here as these two have only been dancing together for a week. And I think that nostalgia would have added a little passion to the dance. Karen was sexy (duh) and sultry, and Victor was very strong and poised, but I didn’t see the “hot chemistry” that Adam saw or the great pairing. Maybe I just had a bad day because the judges and I were not on the same wavelength. Mary also commended Karen’s frame, top line and quality of movement. I trust her when she says it was a difficult routine. And they did make something that looked hard seem easy. 8

A hip-hop routine by Laurie Ann Gibson to “Moving Mountains” by Usher
This one had me really perplexed. First of all, the start was completely out of sync. No matter how much attitude those two gave, I didn’t believe a single emotion. Individually, these two are both great dancers and have had some shining moments, but where as many are improving, they’re stagnant. It’s really good but not great. It didn’t help that the routine was boring, and the music didn’t seem to match some of the movements. 6

NATHAN AND MOLLEE
A hip-hop number by Jamal Sims to “Ring-A-Ling” by the Black Eyed Peas
Surprisingly, I thought Mollee had some flaaaavor. Nathan was so uninteresting that I forgot to look at him. I didn’t even notice when he ripped his pants. The routine wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t as hard hitting as it should have been, and there were some flubs. Of course, the judges like Nathan more than Mollee because it was Opposite of Nisi day. Thankfully, Nigel gave me a little back up when he said he‘s looking forward to seeing them each with more mature partners because this one reminded him of “Dolly Dinkle’s Regional Hip-Hop Class 1010”. 7

A Cancan by Tyce to “Cancan Suite” by Offenbach / Ponchielli
I agreed with the judges who thought this face-paced and energetic dance was the perfect pull. With Mollee’s flips and Nathan’s pirouettes, they really got the chance to have a good time, look smiley and show off some skills. These two really need something perfectly suited for them. There were also no characters for them to have to fake. It didn’t stun me, but it was fun. 8
RUSSELL AND NOELLE
A samba by Tony and Meredith to “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira
Samba is, apparently, a difficult dance because of the awkward ways your body has to move. It’s not an easy dance to jump into cold turkey. I’m not a ballroom connoisseur so I can’t point to all the things that were executed poorly, but some of the lifts were really awkward. At times, I feared for Noelle’s life. It was less sultry and more goofy. I feel like the judges went a little easy on this two. Adam loved the performance value. Mary was a little disappointed and critiqued them, but she also prefaced everything with a compliment. Nigel needed Noelle to give him more sex to give him a reason to act pervy. 6

A contemporary routine by Tyce to “A Case of You” by Diana Krall
Tyce wanted Russell to “paint with your face across her chest.” As Nigel mentioned, if that’s not the best advertisement for young guys to dance, I don’t know what is. Technically Noelle is great, she doesn’t have Ellenore’s level of charisma or Kathryn’s level of appeal, but she definitely knows how to command attention and that stage. It was one of my favorite Tyce numbers. I’ve also never seen Russell in such great form and in control. 9

JAKOB AND ASHLEIGH
A lyrical jazz routine by Sonya to “Time Flies” by Lykke Li
Nigel called Sonja’s last dance his favorite of the season, but this one set the bar even higher. Ashleigh is the one I wish I‘d never doubted. Their growth coupled with their eminent split almost brought Mary to tears. Seriously when do these ever falter? 10

A cha-cha by Tony and Melanie to “Cha Cha Heel (Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit)” by Rosabel featuring Jeanie Tracy
See above. These two are on fire! Seeing Ashleigh square in her element was so exciting, and though Jakob wasn’t perfect, he was committed and confident which made up for a awkward body roll or two. 9

THE RESULTS
Want me to allow the anticipation to build before you find out who actually went home? I thought so. I know you’re dying to know who visited the SYTYCD stage this week.

I don’t know where Nappy/Tabs have been hiding this season, but I need to see more routines like this week’s opening group number. Later, Paoloma Herrera performed a ballet piece. And Shakira sang her new single “Give It To Me.” Though I appreciate her hotness, I really miss old Shakira when she used to actually sing.

When it comes to the bottom six, Mollee, Nathan, Victor and Karen were easy to pick. Yet when it came down to Ryan and Ellenore versus Russell and Noelle, I was torn. They’re all great, but I prefer Ellenore over Noelle, and Russell and Ryan are neck and neck. Any way it played out, a talented dancer that I liked would go home.

I think Karen learned from the disaster that was her solo last week. It was like the old Karen before she started flailing a bit, but too little too late. And Mollee seems like a completely different dancer when not paired with Nathan and fighting for her life. Both she and Nathan appeared to have channeled the maturity the judges  have so wanted from them.

Victor did his usual bottom dance thing. He picked some intense music and joined it with some intense faces and intense dance moves. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching some melodramatic contemporary ballet performance. No doubt he is super talented, but not as likable as the other dancers. Ellenore was her unique and odd self. Ryan had fun and flare, playing to the crowd.

In the end, it was Karen and Victor who were sent home. Though Mollee is not my favorite dancer, and I liked Karen more, one’s growth was slowing down while the other was speeding up. And I may not like it, but I can’t disagree with the judges rationale. The top ten was close for those two; just not close enough.

For another opinion on this episode, check out And the Top 10 Are… by Trisha Huntsman.

Season 6, Episodes 17-18:  The Top 12 Perform & Two of 12 Voted Off (originally aired November 24 & 25, 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

“Naked lady, I think you are trying to seduce me! I think you should know my heart belongs to Charlie.” – Hiro
The episode kicks off with Samuel watching Chandra’s old film in awe. Hiro wants to know where Charlie is, but Samuel isn’t done using him yet. Though I’ve enjoyed Robert Knepper’s performance, this is the moment where I really felt I comprehended his true villainy. He gave me chills.

Lydia finally gets some lines that aren’t in the interactive story “Slow Burn” when she tries to comfort a frantic Hiro. She says he can tell her anything because they’re family, but Hiro isn’t hearing any of it. He explains that Samuel is an evil man and won’t return Charlie, and then it dawns on her. Perhaps Hiro can help her answer some questions?

Lydia gets all unnecessarily sultry as she explains how she can help Hiro with her powers. She says he can read into his soul if he touches her. He does, and she sees what Hiro has told her, though she doesn’t understand why Samuel wouldn’t use Hiro to save Joseph. Lydia convinces him to take her back where she sees Samuel and Joseph argue and then follows a few steps behind them.

Back at the carnival, Samuel realizes Hiro and Lydia are missing. Weeks earlier, Samuel and Joseph argue in a field as Lydia and Hiro watch from afar. “You can move the earth, Samuel, but it’s more than that. Cities. Mountains. You have the power to kill millions. I can’t let that happen.”

Samuel tries to convince him that he can handle the power, but Joseph tells him he’s already told Mohinder to burn the tape. He’s also given some government man (I wonder who.) the compass so that he can find Samuel and take him in.

Overcome with rage, Samuel kills his brother as a horrified Hiro and Lydia look on.

With what she now knows, Lydia feels like she has to stand up to Samuel, but Hiro knows that if she does, he’ll never find out where Charlie is. She beelines it to Edgar who must have done some quick convincing because when Hiro and Samuel pop in, her game face is on.

At the carnival dinner table, Samuel gives thanks, and then proclaims that he knows Joseph’s killer. Duh. Duh. Duuuuuuh. But the reveal is halted when Edgar prods Samuel to confess. Samuel looks to Hiro who apologizes because he has to lie for Charlie’s sake. Samuel points the finger at Edgar and attempts to kill him. Luckily for Edgar, Hiro stops time and lets him get away.

Back in the present, Hiro stands up to Samuel. Too bad Samuel’s brought back up in the form of  a carnie who wipes Hiro’s memories. It all seems doomed until his plan backfires, and Hiro disappears.

“You are Nathan Petrelli…we are still a family.” – Angela
In New York, Angela’s finally back. She’s already in bossy Martha Stewart mode, but Peter has questions. He wants to know about the body, Matt’s story and the possibility that Sylar’s really dead. It seems like she has an answer for everything, but they eventually back her into a corner. She gives them an ultimatum: Sit down and celebrate the holiday like family or she walks.

Then out of nowhere, Nathan starts to change back into Sylar. Or so it seems. There’s a lot of electricity. I don’t really understand what happened because there’s no rhyme or reason to this sudden and overly dramatic transformation. But he’s back, and Angela and Peter are mute with awe.  “It feels good to finally be me again. What‘s for dinner? I‘m starved.” Doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere anytime soon.

As Sylar and the Petrellis sit around the dinner table, holding  them telekinetically hostage, he eggs them on. He tells Angela, “You’ve raised the evil incarnate bar to an entirely new level. Thank you for giving me something to strive for.” Then, he plants a kiss straight on the lips. He tries to scalp Angela but is stopped by some force he can’t see. It’s clear that Nathan is still fighting within his mind. When Nathan regains control, all he can ask his mother is “what have you done to me?”

After Nathan storms out, Peter’s hellbent on saving his brother. With this turn of events, Angela might as well have clued him in to the plan in the first place. It just irks me how quickly things turned.

“I think that Thanksgiving dinner was just his way of letting Claire know that she has a family that loves her. Nothing wrong with that.” – Lauren
Elsewhere, Noah attempts to convince Claire to join the family for Thanksgiving dinner and does a pretty good job of it, by holding over her head the fact that Sandra will be bringing her new boyfriend. We flash to his cell displaying a picture of his old partner Lauren. And poof! She pops up in his supermarket aisle. There’s some silly banter, but she basically gets an invite to what can only be the most awkward dinner ever.

Of course what we see next is awkward. Claire’s like Lauren “pretty, new lady” who? Sandra gives Noah the “you’re dead” eye. Surprise, surprise.

Sandra must be happy that Mr. Muggles found himself a love mate. Too bad it came with the legume-intolerant, cheesy Doug.  Sandra gets a little sassy when she realizes that the two used to work together with The Company. She even brings up all the times her mind was wiped. It gets to the point where Claire can’t take it anymore, and she confesses that she’s thinking about dropping out of school.

It’s not just one thing. It’s Becky and Gretchen and an inability to ever feel like she fit in. It’s clear that Sandra has no clue what’s been going on in Claire’s life. Doug thinks all her feelings are perfectly normal, and it’ll all blow over. If only he knew. Wait! He did know because she sliced her forearm at the dinner table. (Didn’t your parents teach you some manners?)

Lauren imparts some wise words when she finds Sandra sitting alone. Sandra comments that nights like this are par for the course with her husband. She wonders what’s going on between him and Claire, but Lauren reminds  her that it was a nice gesture to have a family dinner. (I will say I like Lauren, as a character. I thought her last episode was a little jarring, but she brings out a fun side of Noah.)

Noah picks the moment of his daughter’s mental breakdown to tell her about the compass and what he’s been researching. She’s tired of it all. He tries to tell her that the carnival people aren’t on the side of good, but I think that only gives her a potential idea. She doesn’t get too long to ponder though because Noah has called Gretchen to come over and cheer his little girl up.

In another rapid change, Claire and Gretchen make up and make googly eyes at each other. Lauren and Noah make a date. Claire apologizes to her mom. I love when Sandra says, to explain the madness, that she told Doug that he ate a peanut. “He’s not the sharpest tack, but he’s a good man.”

Claire’s looking perkier by the minute, but we quickly find out that Claire and Gretchen are about to embark on a roadtrip to find out the full extent of what Claire’s choices truly are. I’m sure Noah will be kicking himself after he finds out that she snagged the compass.

WRAP IT UP
So I understand it’s TV but, writers, please do not take every liberty in the freaking book. If you’re going to create some huge build up, give me a powerful and deliberate resolution. I’ve pretty much enjoyed the season so far, but tonight’s was one of my least favorite episodes. The way the story unfurled was so inconsistent. It was like the writers just rested on the family tradition of Thanksgiving and got lazy. And it sadly tainted the reveal of Samuel backstory which I was really excited about, and made my Monday night a little less “happy”.

Season 4, Episodes 11:  Thanksgiving (originally aired November 23, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC  and Justin Lubin

You could say I’m a Stephanie Meyer fan. I’ve enjoyed the entire Twilight series as well as The Host (I love YA novels, and I’m a Sci-Fi nut so it’s kind of right up my alley. Once I picked them up, they literally could not be pried from my fingers). What I can’t stand is all the entertainment hype. I don’ t need to see the stars, constantly plastered all over my magazine covers (No thank you Entertainment Weekly, TVGuide and, yes, even you Maxim!). The screams unleashed during the opening credits, the first shirtless Taylor Lautner (My Own Worst Emeny) scene, as well as the strategically placed ad for Pattinson’s new movie Remember Me, was enough to make you want to Vincent Van Gogh yourself.

But, luckily, it was worth every second of that agony. Not only did New Moon improve in almost every aspect of film-making and storytelling, but it was still engrossing and entertaining. Will it ever be contender for best movie or AFI’s top 100 movie list? No. It’s will always remain the fantasy version of the High School Musical craze; much like the books will never win a National Book Award. Even those who genuinely buy into all the hype were snickering at certain parts of the film. But at least, be gone fake-looking, sparkly Edward Cullen. Hello, incredibly awesome, gigantor wolf morphing.

Chris Weitz definitely put his CG experience (see: The Golden Compass, another book-to-film adaption) into this one. The fight scenes, the slow-mo action and the sweeping panoramic Forks views were all the better. And Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter, who wrote the Step Up screenplay, last year’s Twilight and also worked on the TV show Dexter, provided a more succinct story even with all those cheesy lines.

Not much has changed since we last saw Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, except that this threesome got a little thicker. Forks, Washington (currently dubbing itself “Home of Twilight”) is still gray and wet. Bella is still a simple, Plain Jane student, but this time Jacob is dealing with some new werewolf tendencies and Edward is throwing a little bit of a hissy fit when it comes to protecting his soul mate. Old vamp/foe Victoria, played by Rachelle Lafevre and by Bryce Dallas Howard in the next installment, also shows that she’s not done with Bella just yet. And throw in the Volturi, the rules-bound, royalty of the vamps, and the meat of the saga has begun to develop. Whereas Twilight was a set-up film, this film is about building, for the audience, the blueprint to where things are headed.

Both Kristin Stewart (Adventure Land, Into the Wild) and Pattinson (Little Ashes,  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) often look a little bored, but I think that’s Bella’s main job besides being a quintessential klutz. Both of these two act like they’d rather be anywhere else than in this franchise. Lautner is just scrumptious, feelings I tried to fight every moment he appeared on screen (Seeing more of the Quileute pack also shirtless was awesome but did not help as when they were shirtless, Taylor was more likely to be shirtless). I enjoyed seeing more of the Cullen family, especially Alice, played wonderfully by the beautiful Ashley Greene. And the Volturi, one of my favorite aspects of the book, were excellent to watch with the addition of Dakota Fanning from Push and The Secret Life of Bees as Jane (making great strides towards her adult acting career) and Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon,  The Queen), who just needed way more screen time.

Will the films and/or novels every be completely worthy of the hype? Not so much, I believe. Harry Potter forged the way; it deserved all the attention it received. I can’t say the same for Twilight, but I can say that the masses have a right to choose their obsessions and flavors of the week, and I won’t turn away from something fun and glossy and entertaining just because tweens are losing their heads over it. I walked out of that crowded and noisy theater with a smile on my face and a desire to reread the books again (I held off so as to not spoil my own perception of the movie). And for me, that was all I was asking of the film.

Want to read more Poptimal reviews of New Moon, check out Robin Reed’s article New Moon: AWESOME

There were a lot of great things about “Brother’s Keeper”. First, all of our heroes were all getting together for the first time in a long time. And it’s about time. Second, we got to see Mohinder dead finally. (But more on that in a bit.) Third, we delved into Samuel’s back story, and he’s just as hardcore as he’s seemed thus far. But for all the good, it bogged down with a lot of MADNESS. The writers might want to ask the folks over at AMC’s Mad Men for their help. Some call Mad Men boring but its lethargic pace lends itself to lots of detailed storytelling and organic character development and often a great build up with a huge payoff.

“What you find might be more than you can bear.” The Haitian to Peter
Nathan explains to Peter that something’s up. (Waking up in a carnival without, at least, some kind of wicked hangover will give you that feeling.)  At Nathan’s office, the brothers find out that Angela’s mother spit some lies to cover Nathan’s butt in his absence (what’s new?) so that’s why no one seemed too worried when a U.S. Senator disappeared. André, The Haitian, pops up but only wants to talk to Peter. Angela wanted their memories wiped, but André’s not down with that plan. He gives Peter a key to a storage locker where he says Peter will find all the answers he’s searching for, but he warns him not to bring Nathan.

Of course, Peter doesn’t listen, and when they arrive, the two are in for the shock of their lives. Nathan in a box. Dead. (Now, that’s what I call a real out-of-body experience!) When Nathan touches himself (Teeheehee, I can’t help by reacting to that like a 13-year-old.), he gets a flash of himself in a hotel room, Sylar and a screaming Matt. With Sylar dead, they have a new mission. Find Matt.

When they look him up, they find out that he’s in critical condition. With Peter’s new-found healing skills, they head there and save him. Matt awakens in his body, arguing with Head Sylar and trying to quickly warn his friends about what’s happened. Sylar assumes Matt’s body again and tries to get Nathan to touch him so that his consciousness can be transferred. Of course, Nathan gets close enough to let this happen. Now Matt’s got his own body and use of his telepathic powers, and Nathan and Peter fly away before Matt can say anything about it.

Peter’s not so sure he really believes all that he’s learned, but for Nathan, the pieces are finally fitting together. He’s distraught with the idea that he’s living inside the mind of a maniac and realizes that no one, especially Peter, will be able to look at him without seeing Sylar. He asks Peter if he’s wrong, but his brother has no words for him.

“I’m sorry your friend had to die.” – Samuel to Hiro
Samuel tells Hiro that the only way for him to save Hiro is to go back into time and stop Mohinder from destroying a very important film reel.  Hiro isn’t sure that his powers will work, but Samuel doesn’t have time to care.

Nine weeks ago, Mohinder is a teacher in Chennai, India, and shacking up with his former colleague Mira Shenoy (Kavi Ladnier), a genetic researcher who offered Mohinder a job in “Seven Minutes to Midnight”.  She finds that he’s still holding on to a box of his father’s research and warns him not to get absorbed back into that old, crazy life of his. Basically, checking out Dad’s old research = bad. What does Mohinder do? Check out Dad’s old research. What happens? Bad stuff.

The film, from 1961, shows his father Chandra at the Coyote Sands Relocation Center. He expresses that there is a force that increases exponentially when a large group of people with powers are together and it’s dangerous. He notes a pregnant woman who is emitting seismic energy and shows her giving birth. As she does, the ground under the center quakes.

Mohinder gets wrapped up in this research and figures out his father’s equation. He creates a device that he says can be used to trace this energy. Mira finds him in the morning and is disappointed, but Mohinder’s married to no one but his work. He says that the child in the film, if surrounded with enough specials, could wield an insane amount of power. She says that if he goes again, she won’t wait around for him. (He’s dumb. This lady is beautiful) But he leaves.

Let’s speed recap a bit because, as you can see, it was a “cram as much into one hour as possible” kind of week. Mohinder uses the compass to find the carnival. He finds Joseph, Samuel‘s brother, who introduces him as a guy from India researching for a book. Samuel is drunk, and Mohinder is surprised. Joseph says that he‘s been keeping his brother’s potential hidden from him for his entire life. Clearly, Joseph sees how powers might affect his little bro. Mohinder wearily trusts Joseph and leaves when asked to, but Samuel’s been listening.

Samuel follows Mohinder back to his hotel where he kills him after realizing that he has already burned the film, the key to unlocking his power. (At least he apologizes after.) Flash-forward to Hiro going back to the  moment Mohinder was about to light it all on fire. We see him take the real film and replace it with a dummy.

Fortunately for Mohinder and not so much for us viewers, Hiro let Samuel think that Mohinder was killed when, in fact, he gave Mohinder a bullet proof vest. Mohinder died, but now he lives! (ACK!) Mohinder wants to stop Samuel, but Hiro needs him to lie low until he can save Charlie. Do we know Mohinder for his listening skills? No. So Hiro kidnaps him and puts him in a straight jacket in a padded room in a mental facility for safekeeping.

“Ladies, how was your day?” – Noah
“You know. Same ole, same ole.” – Claire
In the least interesting but equally ridiculous plot, Tracy visits Noah when her powers start going haywire but she finds Claire instead. First she freezes off the doorknob to the front door. Then she starts to freeze herself. Then, she freezes Claire. As Tracy is dragging Claire to the tub to try and put her in hot water, I’m thinking, ‘You’re an idiot.’ Obviously, a body part was going to snap off, and it happened to be her foot. As Tracy bawls and bawls, Claire heals from the intense hypothermia and grows a new foot, and all is well when Noah finally comes home. With a handle on her powers (which reacts to her emotions, albeit erratically), Tracy meets up with Samuel who welcomes her to the family and whispers to her about a plan he needs her help with.

WRAP IT UP
Seriously, this could have been a 6,000-word review, but I wouldn’t torture you like that. I wasn’t disappointed in this week’s episode because I finally got answers to a ton of questions that really piqued my interest this season. However, I think that all these revelations might have been easier to process (and enjoy) if they had been spread out over two or three episodes. Plus, a lot of our characters’ moves just seemed unbelievable. Nathan and Peter go straight to Matt instead of questioning their mother, no matter how unreliable she may be? Hiro has a aneurism and worries about his time-traveling capabilities, yet does so without a hitch? Tracy’s powers just start malfunctioning out of the blue? Not buying it all, but still happy that at least the ideas are fun and interesting. It was also good to have Nathan back even if only for a little while. Adrian Pasdar might be off the show, but his acting chops will be missed.

Season 4, Episodes 10:  Brother’s Keeper (originally aired November 16, 2009)

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC , Chris Haston, and Trae Patton

THE TOP 16
Karen and Kevin performed the hustle choreographed by Maria Torrez to “Come To Me” by France Joli
A bomb was dropped early on in Karen’s package when she announced that she’s, now, filing for divorce. I feel a little awkward with this intimate piece of information. Ummmm. Next! The dancing, for me, started slow. For a second, I thought the hustle might provide this pair with their first speed bump, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was a smidge of trepidation, but every trick they attempted was a success. Adam fawned all over both of them, noting that Kevin shined on the same level as Karen for the first time. And Nigel was proud of Kevin’s jeté and double pirouettes. 8

Ashleigh and Jakob performed a jazz piece choreographed by Mandy to “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
I’m loving this week’s package teaching us what we don’t know about the contestants. All these facts are kind of blowing my mind. Jakob pulled out of a dust attic some hella old road trip footage of him and Jeanine Mason, last season’s winner. They’re BFFs in real life! Of course, their routine killed. I now expect no less. Jakob continues to baffle me with his talent and likeability. Ashleigh, as the judges noted, just gets better and better. Girl transforms like a drag queen when you do her hair, put on some heavy makeup and put her in a leotard. There was nothing but praise for this routine and the dancers who danced it. 9

Pauline and Peter performed a quick step choreographed by newbies JT & Tomas to “Hey Baby!” (Shake Those Hula Hips) by Big Kahuna & The Copa Cat Pack
I could see the struggle on Pauline’s face from the beginning. They actually danced it well, but it was missing that extra flair you get when the dancers are relaxed and confident. I don’t blame them since plucking the quick step is like being hexed. The judges loved the performance aspect. Peter was on fire tonight in my opinion. Both Nigel and Adam pointed out that having a story helped. Technically, they didn’t really skim the stage with grace, but the judges and I enjoyed it for its entertainment. 7

Kathryn and Legacy performed a Broadway number choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler to “I Wanna Be Like You” by the Swingin’ Fireballs
Kathryn is absolutely beautiful. I mean all the girls who grace that stage are lookers, but when she dances, she becomes more beautiful. And to me, that’s a star. Adam wanted more man-eater instead of adorable, but that didn’t really bother me. Legacy stepped it up once more. I kept waiting to see a b-boy move slip through, but it didn’t. He had crazed, football hands the entire time, but Adam gave good advice about losing the tension. Mary wanted more chemistry, but loved Legacy. Nigel thought that Kathryn was juvenile and childlike. I’m starting to see what they mean, but I guess I just didn’t think the dance called for a vixen. Whatever personality she was giving, to me, suited the dance well. 8

Channing and Victor performed a cotemporary routine by Stacey to “Be Your Love” by Rachael Yamagata (Live at KCRW)
It’s their first dance as a pair, but they totally lucked out since they’re both contemporary dancers. They also lucked out with Stacey’s beautiful choreography because it was the type of performance that calls for the dancers to be both strong and soft at the same time. There are a ton of nuanced moves, body throws and tough lifts, yet it was still full of emotions. Adam thinks the pairing is invigorating for the two of them, and Victor helped bring out Channing’s softness. Mary wasn’t knocked out of her seat, but she thought it was danced well. Nigel agreed, thinking that they had to be great in their own styles, but he also felt it didn’t evoke his emotions or raise the bar. 8

Ellenore and Ryan performed a hip-hop number by Lil C to “Lost Boiz Anthem” by The J Squad
Ryan was awkward! There wasn’t enough tension in his movements which made him look flaily at times. Ellenore actually did pretty well, but it was hard not to watch The Awkward Ryan show. He was still confident, so I can give him that. Adam dubbed him the most transformed of the night after ripping on them a bit for picking a style that is the complete opposite of their personalities. I also noticed Adam likes to use the term “yeoman’s job” or “yeoman’s work” and besides that weird tidbit, he really does give fantastic criticism. Mary was a little more critical, and Nigel was more in line with my opinion that it wasn’t that good at all. 7

Mollee and Nathan performed a Salsa number choreographed by newcomer Gustavo Vargas to “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Did the dream team just stumble? Finally! These two needed something to smack them back to reality after hearing that they were so darn great at everything they touched. While I believe Nathan is a technical prodigy, I still think Mollee has some growing and reigning in to do. It’s hard to attempt to fix what you are told over and over again isn’t broken. They were scared and out of sync. The dance, which is supposed to be sexy, was downright laughable. I mean, these are kids, and you could tell. The judges felt that, regardless, they’d still be in the competition with the fan base that they have. 6

Noelle and Russell performed an afro jazz piece by new choreographer Sean Chessman to “Frog Dance” by Mickey Hart & Planet Drum
Now, that’s the way to end a show. It sad that I had to watch seven other numbers (not including Jakob and Ashleigh’s) before I was really revved up by a performance. That being said, Russell is finally back on the map, stepping outside of his comfort zone and excelling. I think putting him in the bottom that first week really reminded him that he’s going to have to push and push and learn extremely quickly. And this week, I would have never imagined the person I watched dance was a krumper. Noelle, also, had a lot to prove after being sidelined with an injury. The piece was based on an African princess, and though her looks may not embody the character, her body and movement surely did. 9

THE BOTTOM SIX
Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed this week. Nigel pointed out that, for the first time, we really got to see this season’s contestants’ weaknesses, and I’d have to agree. There weren’t a bunch of awful routines, but I also wasn’t completely and utterly wowed this week. In a perfect world, Mollee and Nathan, Pauline and Peter, and Ellenore and Ryan would grace the bottom six. For me, these were the week’s worst dancers, but looking at the pickings’, it’s hard to chose. Overall, they each are great dancers.

The show opened with a fantastically intense hip-hop number to “Warrior, PT.2″ by Lloyd Banks. Dave Scott is really rocking my world lately. Nappy/Tabs has the lyrical corner, but Dave Scott is killing the hard-hitting stuff.

The best part about recaps are skipping all the filler without having to fast forward so here goes. Adam reminded us all that this is a show about America’s favorite dancer, not the best dancer. So who’s floating America’s boat?

Ellenore and Ryan, Peter and Pauline and Karen and Kevin are in the bottom three couples. I’m baffled at how wrong America got it. Nigel said Mollee and Nathan needed a wake up call and reemed out Nathan for his immaturity. He even said the only reason he made it through was because girls like him and his looks. (Ouch!)

In my opinion, I enjoyed everyone’s solo, but Nigel stated the judges were disappointed this week. He compared their solos to some of last year’s contestants and said that they didn’t rise to the challenege and will have to work harder.

In the end, it’s Pauline and Peter who are sent home. In some more ouchie moments, Adam said that Pauline danced like a very advanced classroom dancer, and Nigel felt that Peter never achieved his star quality potential. I don’t really know the difference between a great dancer and a great classroom dancer, but I do agree that I wanted more from Peter, especially after a growing to like his personality so much.

It was a tough week, and with the talent this season, it’ll only get harder, but I’m okay with the judges choices. Did you agree or disagree with this week’s bottom six and the two the judges sent home?

Season 6, Episodes 13-14:  The Top 16 Perform & Two of 16 Voted Off (originally aired November 10&11, 2009)

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

“Tell me. What would Bennett do?” – Noah
In one of the lamest explanations of strange occurrences ever, Claire tells the miscellaneous pledges that the sisters must have drugged them. This, miraculously, explains how they could have seen Claire being impaled or Rebecca appearing out of thin air. (Seriously? I get that they’re dumb, but inserting erroneous and dumb characters is just lazy writing in my opinion.) Plus, Claire gets Papa to come to the rescue anyway, and he brings the Haitian. So I don’t really see the point.

Gretchen is bugged out of her mind, and even with the Haitian as back up, she’s not willing to sit around and wait for something to happen to her. Not even for her new rush crush Claire, so she books it. Back at the house, Claire leaves Noah to rifle through Rebecca’s room. (Did anyone notice how dark and ominous Rebecca’s room was when Noah went in, but the next shot we see of him in her room it’s got sunlight streaming through the windows and flowers on the window sill.)

Rebecca and Samuel take this perfect moment to divide and conquer. Samuel corners Claire and tells her about the carnival. He says that alike people understand each other. He also tells her that Rebecca was never after her, but her father, because he killed Rebecca’s dad during his Company Man days. Claire’s father also tried to get Rebecca, but at the right time, her invisibility powers manifested.

In the end, Samuel and Rebecca get away. Rebecca tries to go for the kill, but Samuel steps in. Noah has to think twice before letting them go, but with Claire’s pleading eyes, he does. So, Samuel ends up looking like the hero, and Noah looks like a heatless, hero-hunting monster. Smooth move.

“I’m crossing that line. You told me that I’m not man enough to take a life. Well, you know what? You’re wrong. ‘Cause I’m going to take yours.” – Matt
Sylar and Matt play tug-o-war with Matt’s body and brain. Sylar tries to get away by plane. Matt makes Sylar see a gun as a pair of socks, which by inadvertently packing, gets him detained, questioned and put on the Do Not Fly list. Matt drives Sylar into a flat tire, and Sylar ends up killing the tow truck guy with Matt’s hands. It’s like The War of the Roses, but instead of being locked in a house, they’re locked in the same body.

The two end up at the Burnt Toast Diner, where Sylar taunts Matt some more with the fact that he shouldn’t try anything since the whole world is his hostage. He convinces Matt to divulge where his body is and who helped “kill” him. But before he can get away and exact revenge, Matt, subliminally, gets Sylar to write on a napkin that he’s got a gun and will shoot up the place. This prompts the waitress to call the cops who in the end, gun Sylar down.

“Maybe you shouldn’t use it anymore?” – Emma
“And be ordinary?” – Peter
Peter and Emma are at hospital ground zero after a two-train collision injures dozens. For Peter, it’s a chance to flex his new healing skill, and for Emma, it’s a chance to be needed even with her ability. Peter’s constant use of his new power starts to weaken him.

Emma and Peter end up helping a young girl who stops breathing. Actually, Peter just sat back while Emma did her real world, real medicine thing, and she saves the little girl’s life. After a little celebration, Emma confesses that Christopher, her nephew (not husband as I thought), drowned while on her watch, and she couldn’t revive him. She failed as a aunt and doctor, and she hasn’t been able to get over it. Fortunately saving this last child might be just what Emma needs.

ON SIDE
While sleeping, Sylar’s body morphs back in to Nathan, and he appears to have, at least, some of his memories back. He flies away from the carnival before anyone notices the difference and shows up, at the end of the day, on his brother’s doorstep. And Nathan knows he’s in trouble.

WRAP IT UP
Somehow with Heroes, the storyline is either crawling like a snail or moving at a rapid speed. I can’t say that tonight was the best writing, but all the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together, and I’m kind of liking the big picture. The stage has been set with Claire and Bennett aware of Samuel and the carnival. Nathan is starting to remember what’s really going on, but most likely has no clue what it all means. Sylar’s been turned into Swiss cheese, but if anyone stuck around for next week’s preview, he’s nowhere near dead. So, what happens next? Will Claire chase after Gretchen? Will Rebecca finally get the revenge she seeks? And where does Tracy, Hiro and the dead Mohinder fit into all of this? Either way, I can’t wait to find out.

Season 4, Episodes 9:  Shadowboxing (originally aired November 9, 2009)

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

One thing I don’t appreciate are boring running gags like that empty Paula Abdul chair. Give it a rest already! If you offer enough cash, she will come. Believe it. Last episode, we also learned that producers have agreed to let Billy Bell join the top 100 in Vegas next season, while Brandon has to start the whole audition process all over again. It sounds a little biased to me, but I’d rather have Billy anyway so I’m not complaining.

THE TOP 18
Russell and Noelle performed a hip hop number by Jamal Sims to “Move Shake Drop Remix” by DJ Laz, Flo Rida & Casely
That was some hard-muggin’ tennis. I was a little weary of this concept, but the dance was actually fun. I thought Russell held his own. Sadly, Noelle tanked, and I was rooting for her to at least make a decent comeback. Nigel was the only judge who wasn’t sympathetic given Noelle’s injury. 6

Jakob and Ashleigh performed the Viennese Waltz from Tony and Meredith to “At Last” by Etta James
Ridiculously beautiful. I don’t claim to know much about ballroom, but it drew out a small tear from my eye. I saw perfection in both dancers, but Mary, the expert, brought Mr. Perfect down a peg. She also picked on their little, planned smooch. Watch out for Ryan, Jakob! Ashleigh is growing on me big time. Now that I’ve acknowledged her dance skill, tonight she showed me that she can be a believable actress. 8

Victor and Bianca performed a Broadway number by Tyce to “Maybe God Is Tryin’ To Tell You Something” from The Color Purple soundtrack
This is the first dance of the season that I didn’t enjoy. I believe Victor is a fantastic technical dancer, and Bianca has improved loads, but I didn’t feel true emotions. Shankman tried to give them inspiration by pointing to an Alvin Ailey production of Revelations which I’ve seen. And I can see why! That made me feel things from my toes all the way up. This didn’t, and it didn’t do it for the judges either. 4

Nathan and Mollee performed a Bollywood routine by Nakul Dev Mahajan to “Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah” from the Jodhaa Akbar soundtrack
There are no breaks for this couple, but what better fit for the pair with boundless energy. The dance was beautifully framed with the lights and background. Add a sword and some great dancing, and I’m fully enthralled. 8

Phillip and Channing performed a Samba choreographed by Tony and Meredith to “Maracatu Funk” by The Samba Squad
I wavered throughout this entire dance. Channing really put on a show and drew my eye. I agreed with Mary that the lifts were labored. Phillip has a look and attitude that makes him seem 20 years older than everyone, and he’s used to planting his feet firmly which should be perfect for this kind of dance. But with all that, it was still unbelievably fake in terms of emotion and sub-par in terms of dance. 5

Kevin and Karen performed a hip-hop routine by Nappy/Tabs to “Ice Cream Paint Job” by Dorrough
Kevin has it really hard. There’s rarely such a thing as too good, but when you’re being compared to that rarity, too good looks pretty sucky. Both these dancers killed the routine, but since it was out of Karen’s zone, she shone all the more. She really has become a favorite because of her skill and her charisma. 9

Legacy and Kathryn performed a contemporary piece by Stacey Tookey to “2 Steps Away” by Patti LaBelle
This is why SYTYCD rocks. Because there are 12-year-old kids who would have never watched or appreciated a contemporary number, loving every moment of this piece. And they should. As Shankman stated, a b-boy pointed his toes! Legacy really stepped up his game and proved how much he’s evolved with his strength, technique and partnering. Kathryn continued to defy all my preconceived notions and killed it once again too. Stacey, you and Travis give me hope for the fate of contemporary on this show once Mia leaves. 10

Peter and Pauline performed a Wade Robson routine to “Little Green Bag” by George Baker Selection
Wade is trippy, man. This was a ‘hate it or love it’ kind of dance, and Wade is famous for creating polarizing numbers like this. I happen to be on the love side. I think it was danced well, and I had been waiting for Peter to make me remember why I liked him during the audition process. Finally, he’s back! Pauline, I believe, is always a great dancer, but she’s just a little bit forgettable when it comes to personality. 8

Ryan and Ellenore performed an Argentine Tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo to “Violentango” by Astor Piazzolla
Of course, the final number of the night has to have a wardrobe malfunction. Sorry, no nudity, guys! I know you only watch for the skimpy outfits. Ellenore happened to get her heel caught in her dress, but you would have never known it. I really didn’t until the judges brought it up. Their dance had fire and passion, and this duo is giving the Ashleigh/Jakob pairing a run for their ballroom money. 9

THE BOTTOM FOUR
They did things a little different this week by picking three couples to put in the bottom, and then sending back the two contestant that they think don’t deserve to go home. This week it was Russell/Noelle, Phillip/Channing and Bianca/Victor. They then sent back Russell and Channing to safety.

Noelle danced like her life really DID depend on it, and it was like witnessing the determination of that spin-ey, standing split all over again. She put Bianca’s tap to shame, especially since Bianca chose that moment to focus more on fun and personality than her skill. Phillip spun in a circle, while tapping, over and over again, and it got old compared to Victor’s.

While I’m sad to see two tappers go home so soon, I’m not surprised. They had it hard from the beginning. Bianca was a breath of fresh air, but just not as skilled as many of the other ladies in multiple genres. And what did they show in Phillip’s exit video? Him tapping in a big circle over and over again. I knew then that they’d absolutely made the right choice. Okay, so I knew way earlier, but I was trying to be nice.

WRAP IT UP
I have to consider this week a step down from last week. This is just because there were so many low rated numbers, but the tops were just as fantastic. I know I’m going to start to feel every cut from now on because I really like the dancers left and totally love a lot of them. Oh, well. It’s time to cut that cord, isn’t it.

Season 6, Episodes 12:  The Top 18 Perform (originally aired November 3, 2009)

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

Heroes doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to dealing with the past. (Though, I loved how they poked fun at that when Hiro said, “Who cares about the sword. Forget the sword.”) However, I can vouch that while tonight was utterly baffling, when I took a step back and really thought about it, things made sense. Sure, there were some questions raised, but they’re so minute that I can suspend belief for the fact that this is TV we’re talking about. Ergo, time-traveling on Heroes MADE SENSE! Someone in the writers’ room needs to bust out a gold star. Now, onto the story…

I’ve got my own butterflies that need crushing. – Samuel
Samuel isn’t a very happy camper. He seems to have found a ton of people who can help him achieve what he wants (to save his brother), but the ball isn’t in motion yet. With Lydia’s help, he finds a way to get to Hiro by realizing that a pivotal moment in time is about to change. It’s a two-part plan. First, he learns that Hiro is in love, the type of love that makes you do craaaaazy things. Second, many other people’s paths are connected to this one moment in time, and Hiro is unaware of that.

Samuel uses his friend Arnold, who’s pretty much at death’s door, to send him back in time. He arrives three years earlier at the Burnt Toast Diner, and it’s pre- “Save the Cheerleader. Save the World.” There, he explains to Hiro that things won’t be as easy as it was when he rectified Ando and Kimiko’s Great Slushie Debacle. Both Noah and Sylar are there, and one wrong step could cause disaster. What if Claire is never rescued? What if she’s never attacked by Sylar in the first place? Thankfully, Samuel, the “Butterfly Man,” appears to guide Hiro on this quest and help him dot his “I”s and cross his “T”s.

You told me I could right the wrongs of my life by stepping on the right butterflies. This is the biggest. It’s Mothra. – Hiro
I’m a Sylar lover through and through so to get the opportunity to see the old scalp ‘em and leave ‘em baddie was amazing. I forgot how downright creepy he was, and gosh, the deadpan way that he says some things just kills me. (Not an invitation, mister!) Before Sylar can get to Charlie, Hiro freezes time and puts him in the luggage compartment of a bus. However, inside he notices that he is not in the birthday picture with Charlie as he should be and realizes that if she never died that he didn’t go back in time to save her and fall in love. Future Hiro tells Past Hiro to go do this and the picture is fixed.

This leads to a happy reunion between Charlie and Hiro until she begins spouting eerie, Wikipedia facts. Her brain aneurism is rupturing, and strangely, the only person with the power to help (i.e., the power to see how things work and fix them) is the man who came to kill her. When Hiro re-finds Sylar, he’s already escaped the compartment and wants to know what Hiro did to him. Hiro shows off his sweet power and convinces Sylar that instead of killing them both, if he saves Charlie, Hiro will tell him about his future. (I’m not fully sold on this.) But Sylar agrees, and with Charlie cured, Hiro tells Sylar the truth.

“Yes, I will tell you how you die. You die alone. I’m sorry.” – Hiro

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” – Sylar

“It means that you will collect a lot of powers. You will kill many people. You will become strong. The strongest of them all. But in the end, it won’t make any difference. We all gather to stop you. You’re alone. No one will mourn your death. No one will shed a tear. No one. I wish I could change fate, but you must go on your path.” – Hiro

And he does leave for the pep rally where we know that Sylar goes on to attempt to kill Claire. And, it seems like everything has worked out. That is until Charlie realizes the gravity of what Hiro’s done. It has to be a lot to take in for a person to all of a sudden realize that their in the middle of some crazy soap opera, à la Passions. She’s mad a Hiro for using time travel so that she can cheat death. He tells her it’s because he loves her, but she is not happy Hiro let some serial killer walk away like it was nothing. Later on, she apologizes for being rude and not acknowledging how much he sacrificed and thanks him for saving her life. Oh, and she tells him that she loves him. Totally adorable!

It’s too bad Samuel is still hanging around to ruin everything. He grabs Charlie and hides her somewhere in time with Arnold’s help. He brings Hiro with him to the carnival where he explains what Arnold used his last breath to do and that Arnold was exactly like him, dead because of a time-travel-induced brain tumor. Hiro has no time to ask questions though because he wants to know why the “Butterfly Man” would do this. Flash to Samuel’s past where we see a dead Mohinder.

The course of true love never did run smooth. – Noah quoting A Midsummer Night’s Dream
I want to say that way too much time was spent on this storyline, and it felt like a huge throw away. Three years ago, Lauren Gilmore, played by Elisabeth Röhm (Law & Order, Angel), is a co-worker of Noah’s who used to meet with him twice a week at the Burnt Toast Diner for bad pancakes and some chitchat. There’s a spark between them, and she’s more than overt in expressing that she wants to take things to the next level, but Noah loves his family and doesn’t want to jeopardize it. It’s hard, for me, to really believe that the company man we know would be flirting with some chick when his daughter is about to get murdered. She kisses him anyway but apologizes for it. Then, she lets the Haitian wipe her memory to allow for them to still work together and be professional.

The writers, clearly, thought the viewers needed some sort of connection to the past that we could understand so everything could be put in context. (We also got an Isaac and Eden scene.) There’s Claire in her cheerleading outfit! There’s Noah with all his secrets. Now, everyone can understand where in the storyline this is and how much things have changed. Also, the fact that they threw in some character, who we know NEVER existed up until the point that the writers decided to plop her into the storyline, really bugs me.

WRAP IT UP
While I love Jayma Mays, this won’t go down as my favorite episode in history, and it was a step back in terms of all the solid storyline development that has been going on thus far. My thoughts are that Samuel accidentally killed Mohinder who was the key to helping cure Joseph’s sickness. I also think that Lauren is going to come back into Noah’s life somehow, and we needed setup before this random character just appeared out of nowhere. But just because the setup makes sense doesn’t mean I approve.

So were you as confused as I was at first? Did you enjoy this almost fully Hiro-centric episode? Should he be killed off so that time-travel is never revisited on this show? Share your thoughts.

Season 4, Episodes 8: Once Upon a Time in Texas (originally aired November 2, 2009)

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

First, the whole kit and kaboodle has been shaken up. There’s a fourth judge and a new stage. Second, because this season is taking place in the fall during the World Series (Go Yankees!), we’ll be missing out on voting. Yep! The judges will be making the decision until a baseball victor has been crowned. Then, the results show will kick in. Third, we got a treat in Monday’s show since, for the first time, we were able to watch each contestant in a group number that showcased their own genres. (I actually think this needs to be done EVERY season to even out the playing field between those who get a ton of camera time and those who don’t.)

Fourth, Billy Bell, an early favorite for the judges, fans and myself, had to bow out of the competition due to illness (::cough::mono::cough::). Brandon Dumlao, a hip-hop dancer who only got one passing mention in all of my SYTYCD audition reviews, stepped in to take his place. Can you imagine a fifth point?! Well, there is. Fifth, Noelle hurt her knee and had to sit out of this week’s competition. She may continue on; she may be too hurt, but we won’t find out until next week. In essence, her pain garnered her a one-week, free pass. I probably could have written five reviews this week with all the material that SYTYCD provided, but I will try my best to condense the highlights into one bulging review.

SHOWCASE NIGHT
No one went home after dancing on Monday, and I’m okay with that because, man, it would have been hard to choose. The group performed a Wade Robson jazz routine to open up the show, and I can’t remember another top 20 opening routine that could hold a candle to this one. Everyone shined on introduction night, but the real standout, for me, was Jakob. He had very little screen time up to this point, but he shot right up to the top of my pick list. Of course, the judges praised everyone tonight, but it was deserved. Even Cat (good to see you back in the spotlight and looking fabulous, Ms. Deeley) asked, “How are we going to send anyone home this season?”

THE TOP 20
This season I’ll be ranking the dances on a 1-10 scale. A 10 means absolutely amazing, and a one means someone falling on their face would have been more exciting. I’m ranking a dance only against the other dances that night. A 10 this week could be a 8 compared to next week’s dances. So here goes…

Phillip and Channing performed a jive by new SYTYCD Australia choreographer Jason Gilkison to “Rockin’ Robin” by the Jackson 5
Channing surpassed my expectations. She was absolutely captivating. Phillip could work on making that cheese of his more genuine. It’s just too pearly. The jive is probably the easiest type of ballroom for him to pick up with its quick leg work, but I don’t want to deter from the fact that he did a commendable job. There was one extremely awkward lift, but overall, a solid routine. 7

Ashleigh and Jakob performed a Broadway piece by Tyce Diorio to “Hit Me With A Hot Note (And Watch Me Bounce)” from the Sophisticated Ladies original soundtrack
Jakob must have, seriously, rubbed off on Ashleigh because she didn’t bother me. Shankman said that God put Jakob on this earth for one thing “and it is to spread the gospel of dance and its excellence.” He’s so right. He did lifts and high kicks and higher jumps and fast drops. I mean, WHAA? Ashleigh needs to work on her face which she scrunches up in a weird way sometimes, otherwise, she’s come very far in a very short time period. 8

Ariana and Peter performed a hip-hop routine by Nappy/Tabs to “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparro
The concept was stellar. The routine was based on two robots who only come “alive” when they’re together. Peter was alright, but Ariana was really stiff. Nappy/Tabs bring the flavor, and the performance was just dry. The judges noted that they weren’t similar in their dance moves. Plus, the chemistry was weak for a piece that was supposed to be about robots in love. 5

Russell performed a foxtrot choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin to “Vagabond Shoes” by Victor Damone
Russell’s partner is supposed to be Noelle, but she had to watch from the stands while Melanie stood in. He didn’t have all the technique down, but he had flare and confidence and made me happy to watch him. Given the fact that he danced with a woman that he’s probably not attracted to and had a partner switch, midway through week one (AND he’s a krumper), I’m impressed. The judges also enjoyed it, though that’s not new news. 6

Bianca and Victor performed a contemporary piece choreographed by Travis Wall to “Wasted Time” by Me’Shell Ndegeocello
This was my favorite piece of the night. I witnessed the perfect combination of great music, amazing choreography, strong dancing and powerful chemistry. Mary pointed out that Bianca has fought so hard to reach this point and was passionate, and you could taste the fight emanating out of that girl. Victor joined Jakob as a guy who’s been off the radar and just sky rocketed. 10

Karen and Kevin performed a cha-cha choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin to “Push It” by the Glee Cast
In pre-show talks with a friend, I discovered that we were on opposite sides of the Karen train. I will now concede that she was right, and I was wrong. Even though Karen got her style, she still took it to a higher level. She nailed every step, every turn, every look and then some. Kevin was so-so in my opinion. The judges saw his lack of technique but praised him for his fire and passion. 8

Ellenore and Ryan performed a jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh to “Arcadia” by Apparat
Sonya is a visionary. She was totally that kookie girl in the back of my class who said the strangest things and probably thought even weirder things. The really cool kids would totally laugh with at her. Well, who’s laughing now? Cause that girl is completely brilliant. Her best routines are pure art. I have nothing bad to say about these two. Ryan made me forget that he was a ballroom dancer. A BALLROOM DANCER! That rarely happens this early in the game. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Ellenore. She was graceful and beautiful and freaky at the same time, quite a feat. 9

Pauline and Brandon performed a smooth waltz choreographed by Jason Gilkison to “Light Up My Life” by Whitney Houston
This duo was the underdog of the night. It’s an extremely difficult dance, and it doesn’t always capture viewers like a contemporary piece can. Brandon had to learn the piece, and both had to adapt to a new partner, in a day and a half. With all that being said, I think they did a great job, and I thought it was beautiful. I know things must look different in the studio without the panning camera angles, but Nigel though it was like a prom couple dancing. Plus, he pointed out that they get no favors just because they went through a rough patch. 6

Kathryn and Legacy performed a hip-hop routine choreographed by Dave Scott to “On & On” by Missy Elliott
I loved this one. It was the hip-hop version of Sonya’s dance. Every move and every choice was a great one. Kathryn was hot, which I never really thought before, and Legacy looked like a dancer, not just a b-boy. Both Shankman and Mary were impressed with the way that Legacy hit his moves as if he’d been picking up choreography his whole life. 9

Mollee and Nathan performed a disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez to “Turn The Beat Around (Pablo’s 12” Remix)” by Gloria Estefan
I know it’s a disco, but it was a tiny bit frantic to me. These two made up for it, though, with their dancing and energy (even if it looked like dance on speed). Nathan also proved that he can dance like an angel in contemporary and then get saucy and sexy, and Mollee kind of reminded me of sunshine. 8

THE BOTTOM FOUR
When I look back at my scores, the bottom four is pretty clear, but that didn’t stop me from being surprised when Russell was put in the bottom. Ariana, Pauline and Brandon joined him. He is the show darling, and there was no way that they’d send him home before Brandon. This whole group is talented, so I enjoyed everyone’s solo. In the end, Ariana and Brandon were sent home. Nigel stated that, currently, there is a rule which states once you make the Top 20 you can’t be a contestant on any other season. However, he is going to talk to the producers about making an exception for Brandon. Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t object.

WRAP IT UP
So two dancers are already down and out. Really, four dancers including our injured Billy and Noelle. I guess, I mean five if we count losing the awesome Paula.  This is already turning out to be the craziest SYTYCD season ever. Game on!

Season 6, Episodes 10 & 11:  Meet the Top 20 Dancers/Top 20 Perform (originally aired October 26 & 27, 2009)

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

That is the second Parkman I made scream today. – Sylar
The best part of this Sylar-Matt storyline is Zachary Quinto. Though Heroes might not always be, Quinto is always at the top of his game. When he laughs, I’m completely creeped out. While I’ve always like Greg Grunberg, Matt Parkman might currently be my least favorite character. He has this dope power that just happens to backfire on him every time he uses it to do something cool. He can control people’s minds! Shouldn’t he be plotting world domination or something?

Alas, his powers once again crippled him. Now, Sylar can subconsciously control Matt? Obviously, he can since he gave Matt’s wife the best sexual night of her life and her true husband can’t even remember it, but really? And once again, Matt is forced to completely tweak out his wife. I’m not sure what I’d do if my husband started screaming at the invisible voices in his head.

I appreciate that the storyline played out in a different way for the first time. He didn’t run away from her and the baby, although he wanted to. And he didn’t go on to shack up with some new girl (maybe with lightning fast speed) who he “supposedly” loved too before returning to his fam. Instead he stayed in their home, and she left. He, then, proceeded to obliterate his brain cells and liver because he realized that Sylar got weaker with every drink he took. Matt did this until he disappeared, and then slurred with victory.

Of course, wifey came back, with sponsor in tow, to find her husband completely sloshed. Matt passed out, and when he woke up, he seemed better. In my head I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way he detoxed that fast. Something’s up!’ And as he walked away so nonchalantly, I knew I was right. That’s totally Sylar. I didn’t even need to wait for the big reveal to realize that Matt was now the one locked up and Sylar’s in total control.

I know you’ve been lost too. It’s your nature. – Samuel
Jeremy seems to have made an impact on Noah because he’s really putting himself out there for him. When Jeremy is brought in, the cops aren’t too keen on believing the neighborhood nutjob (killing animals and writing death poetry) doesn’t have something to do with his parents’ strange deaths.

We knew that Noah and Tracy would be reuniting sometime soon, but who else thought that it would be the Haitian to come to Noah’s rescue? I was a little shocked, but he called her because she and Jeremy have something in common. They’ve both killed people (albeit accidentally) and now have to live with the consequences. The young kid is having a lot of trouble processing things, and Tracy could help him as his mentor. They ran into trouble getting cops to release him so Tracy cashed in a Capitol Hill favor.

She ran into Samuel who takes her to the carnival. Tracy’s one tough cookie so she’s not happy about being whisked away or the mind games that Samuel’s tried to play with her. He told her that she should bring Jeremy “home”, even leaving her with the magic compass so she can find her way back, but she’s not ready to commit Jeremy or herself to such an abnormal life.

When she returns, her DC friend has pulled through and Jeremy is released. Don’t ask me how this small town hired all of LA’s paparazzi, but there’s a lot of commotion. When one of the looky-loos gets extra rowdy and charges at Jeremy, calling him a parent killer, he can’t control his emotions and kills him on the spot in front of the crowd. This leads to two of the officers taking Jeremy back into custody, then taking him to the boonies and tying him up to their car so they can drag him to his death. (The turn this storyline took was so powerful. It’s something big that will resonate with Noah and Tracy and make their future choices more believable. It reminded me a lot of Matthew Shepard’s tragic death and what can happen when small town ignorance and violence mix.)

So Noah failed. I’m not sure he had a good plan to start out with. Setting this young boy up in an apartment down the street from him, alone, isn’t the best way to take care of a lost teenager. Tracy is not only ticked off with Noah, asking him to never contact her again, but angry at herself for letting Jeremy down as well. Her path back to the carnival is crystal clear at this point.

“They have entire websites devoted to this.” – Claire
What, Claire? Do you mean websites devoted to cheap, lesbian porn ploys? Because you’re so right about that. I’m not really feeling this arc, but I can appreciate that the writers are being transparent about what’s going on. Claire has not had much time to figure out who she is, let alone what love is, which makes her a little bit more open to the possibility of some girl on girl action. I like that she and Gretchen aren’t acting awkward or dancing around the issue but being exceptionally frank with each other, though I was completely bored by the whole you’re a virgin (gasp) plot.

It’s the week of Halloween so someone had the burden of shouldering a scary-themed storyline, and it was aptly plopped onto Claire. As a kind of sorority, initiation hazing, Claire, Gretchen and two other nameless pledges are kidnapped by Becky and Co. and left in a slaughterhouse for a scavenger hunt. Since Claire has died a million times, she’s not so scared until she realizes that some unseen person is trying to kill Gretchen.

Claire began to put together all the strange occurrences that have come up since the beginning of the semester and realized someone else with powers must be on the campus. She has yet to figure out the “why would they be messing with me” part. In the end, Claire saved Gretchen but ended up kabobbed on a pole. (Of course, she heals up just fine.) Becky revealed herself as the invisible stalker but escaped, and the two random pledges witness a whole lot of unexplainable madness.

ON A SIDE NOTE
Nathan/Sylar totally noticed Tracy at the carnival, noting that he remembers helping her when she was sad and flying her away, but Samuel quickly reminded him that those memories aren’t truly his.

HUH?
So I figure that this is a great forum to express the things that completely shock or confuse me and ask you guys what your thoughts are. Claire thinks someone is about to kill Gretchen so they enter a room which has been labeled the “kill room”? Has she ever seen a horror movie? Is some sorority hazing all THAT important to her that she wouldn’t just trust her intuition and book it? And then there’s Sylar’s voice in Matt’s head. Did Matt really fall for the idea that Sylar can be quieted with some Coors Light and Jack Daniels? And foreva eva at that?! And really Noah, you’re so disappointed in losing Jeremy but what about all the other people you screwed over in your bag ‘em, tag ‘em days? I’m sure there are a ton of people you can truly help who aren’t. And Tracy, since when do you think that living out in the open would ever work? Don’t you remember being hunted down last season?!

WRAP IT UP
Even though it was a filler episode when it comes to the big picture, I was entertained this week. Overall, Heroes has been on a steady path, and these last episodes have really hit the mark. Next time, it’s all about Hiro and Charlie, and since we’ve already seen Hiro tackle the “save the waitress, save my heart” story, I’m interested to see how they’ll twist it around and make it new and different. Plus, I’m officially a Gleek, and more Jayma Mays will make me happy. Until then…

Season 4, Episodes 7: Strange Attractors (originally aired October 26, 2009)

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

For many of the ones who were cut, it was also the first time we even saw them. Seeing as they’d got no prior screen time, it wasn’t a surprise when they left, and I can’t say they’ll be missed. Getting down to it, I can’t wait until I can drop these contestants’ last names and finally get to know them as dancers and people.

This season, as you’ll see below, is a season on of many firsts, that Adam Shankman’s addition (yay!) will make a four-judge panel. I can’t jump for joy that there’ll be more talking this season, but this first can semi-make up for that fact that there was absolutely no dancing this week unless you count contestants jumping around in victory or those tiny clips they show on the huge screen behind the dancers as they take their walk of shame/fame. So here’s what our top 20 looks like in no particular order.

TOP TEN MALES

Nathan Trasoras, 18, contemporary, 1^st 18-year old (i.e., youngest ever) to make the top 20

He’s the 18-year old who auditioned last year but didn’t get through because he was only 17 at the time. He’s still a baby, but they want to be a part of his growth, and I would too if someone so talent was dropped at my doorstep.

Billy Bell, 19, contemporary

Billy is a Juilliard student who fortunately was allowed to take a school sabbatical for the show. He’s got all the grace of a gazelle, but he has yet to show his personality which could be his downfall. He could quickly fall into the Will Wingfield category of talent with no pizzazz (except at least Will had a downright sexy bod!).

Russell Ferguson, 20, krump, 1^st krumper ever to make the top 20

Russell was clearly a favorite from the start with his never-ending screen time. He’s strides ahead of the competition when it comes to making a connection with the viewers. He’s also proven that he can spread his wings and succeed at other styles so all he has to do is keep it up.

Kevin “K’Bez” Hunte, 23, hip-hop

With Russell stealing all his thunder and so many great male dancers this season, Kevin might have a hard time of it. It is true that hip-hoppers, recently, have been known to fare well on SYTYCD, but unless he makes a connection with the audience and fast, he might get cut before the top 10.

Phillip Attmore, 25, tap, 1^st tapper ever to make the top 20…and there’s more

I like Phillip, Ryan Kasprzak’s, ex-roommate, when he first auditioned, but apparently, he gave major ‘tude to the judges in Vegas which of course we didn’t get to see clips of until tonight. New like that is really off-putting to the voting public, so he better start reining it in pretty darn fast.

Peter Sabasino, 23, tap, 1^st other tapper to ever make it to the top 20

Peter faltered in Vegas as he just couldn’t pick up routines and perform them as well as the other contestants. But I need some certified eye candy. Plus, he just seems like an all-around upbeat and fun guy so he may win over some hearts.

Victor Smalley, 20, contemporary

There’s always one guy the judges have to pick on to because there hair is just to “edgy” and draws away from the performance. Last season it was Kupono, and this season it’s Victor. Both ended up shaving their heads, but did anyone ever stop to think that maybe some of their power was IN their hair?

Jakob Karr, 19, contemporary

Jakob started off great in New Orleans and has continued to impress the judges, though he hasn’t garnered too much screen time. I still remember liking him off the bat, but he has some stiff competition in Billy.

Jonathan “Legacy” Perez, 28, hip-hop

I know that Legacy isn’t the best all-around dancer, but he’s sick at what he does, and there’s just something sweet and genuine but confident about him. He’s my pick for the contestant who will struggle the most, but he’s also the one who could possibly knock grow the most.

Ryan DiLello, 28, ballroom, 1/2 of 1^st married couple ever to make the top 20

Ryan is a judges’ favorite, though he’s not as hot as he and everyone else thinks he is in my opinion. He is the sole male ballroom dancer, and following past contestants like Dmitry Chaplin and Pasha Kovalev, he’s not going to be able to just rely on his looks.

TOP TEN FEMALES

Katherine McCormick, 18, contemporary and lyrical

Some of you may find Katherine’s high-voiced crying endearing, but I found it incredibly annoying. Really, is there nothing more to this girl than how high her voice can ascend? Luckily overall, I think she’s a sweetie, a sweetie I couldn’t tell you a single thing about but a sweetie nonetheless.  

Channing Cooke, 18, contemporary

Channing is a strong, spunky blond with definite staying power if she can get her partnering skills in line. While she kills her solos, she stumbles when given a partner, and in this kind of competition, that weakness to her is like kryptonite to Superman.  Being paired with Ryan, who is the master of partnering, could really help this girl out.

Ellenore Scott, 19, jazz

Ellenore really won the judges over with some great dancing and a big personality, but we barely got to see what she could do. She’s a ham, and since we do watch TV to be entertained, I think she’ll go far if her lack of screen time doesn’t hold her back.

Ariana Debose, 18, contemporary

I feel bad saying any of this because everyone deserves a chance. She worked her butt off, I’m sure, and clearly, the judges must have seen something in her but not so much the producers because she got the least amount of screen time out of everyone. Who are you Ariana?! You’re a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Bianca Revels, 20, tap, 1^st female tapper ever to make the top 20

She’s extremely likeable, and she’s broadened her range. Bianca said she wasn’t going to come back after being cut during last season’s final Vegas round, I’m bet she’s glad she did now. And even if she doesn’t win, she’s become the poster child for never giving up in the SYTYCD audition world.

Mollee Gray, 18, jazz

I could have seen every top 20 contestant in a 30-minute dance clip in the time that they devoted to Mollee and her new BFF Noelle (see below). Clearly the girl, who proclaims someone a best friend for life after competing against them a mere week, is the one the judges are harping on about the maturity in her dancing. I’ve gone back in forth with my feelings on her, but she’s officially the female candidate this season for growth.

Noelle Marsh, 18, contemporary

The only reason we know anything about Noelle is because of her association with producer darling Mollee. Hopefully once they’re split up and she’s matched with her guy, we’ll all get to see know this contestant a little better.

Paulina Mata, 18, contemporary

Paulina killed her leg in Vegas but managed to pull it out in the end. She’s got great follow-through, and her passion is evident. How her dancing measures up to the other females remains to be seen, but I like her enough just because of her work ethic and high pain threshold.

Karen Hauer, 27, American-rhythm

Karen is my pick for one of the first females to go. I wasn’t too impressed with her during the auditions though she and her husband were a sexy looking pair. Though we saw little of her, it seems like when we did she was always squeaking by so I’m not getting too attached to this one.

Paula Von Oppen, contemporary, 1^st finalist to decline top 20 invitation

Paula is the opposite of Karen. She’s a girl I was VERY attached to, who impressed me every time I got a glimpse of her. I marked her as my favorite the minute I knew she was in, but I had to wait until the end of the episode to find out that she turned down the opportunity because she got a part in a movie. What’s your passion Paula!?, I scream. Unless you are the lead in the movie Step Up on the Center Stage for Fame 2, you should be sharing your gift with the world week after week!

Ashleigh DiLello, 26, ballroom, 2/2 of 1^st married couple ever to make the top 20

Ashleigh shouldn’t feel bad that she only got her spot because the more talented and effervescent Paula dropped out. At least she gets another week with her husband before she goes. Plus, she really has grown so if she doesn’t mess up her first week, she might be able to make it to week two.

 WRAP IT UP

So how do you feel about this top 20? I’m pretty impressed, but really just plain excited to see some dancing and bask in the glow of Mia Michael’s choreography for her last season. You know there’s Emmy written all over her routines. It’s going to be crazy stupid!

Season 6, Episodes 9:  Vegas Callbacks, Part 3 (originally aired October October 21, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

“A broken vessel. An empty shell. What is a man without a mind? Without memory? A ghost? A body in search of a soul? With no compass to guide us, how can we know if our destiny is to seek the good or obey the demons that whisper in our ear? The blank slate hungers to be written upon. The body thrives when the heart has a mission.”

Booya Mohinder! Get paper and a pen and take some notes from the new master, Samuel. That is how a voice over should be done. Your accent will get you points, but you still have to bring something else to the table. While Sylar was on a search for his memories, Peter and Noah searched for a boy who could heal Hiro’s brain tumor. And with Peter on a mission, Hiro helped Emma search for understanding when it comes to her new powers.

All that searching isn’t surprising after all that acceptance last week, and it makes a lot of sense when you consider the week’s title, “Tabula Rasa”. When you watch as much TV as I do, you see a lot of episode titles, and “Tabula Rasa” is right up there with “ChChChChanges” in the amount of appearances it makes. Already, I’m thinking of shows with episodes that share the same title like Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Law & Order. So, a tabula rasa symbolizes a blank slate. It’s time for our characters to move forward and start building on these clear palates of theirs. And with how good this week’s episode is, I think Heroes gets a clean slate as well. (At least in my book.)

“It’s been a long time since I’ve teleported.” – Peter
Peter and Hiro see fate in different ways. Peter thinks that, being an ex-hospice nurse/paramedic, maybe there’s a reason the dying Hiro came to his apartment, but Hiro thinks that maybe it’s Peter who could benefit from Hiro’s time traveling abilities. Elsewhere in the hospital, Emma’s worried that something is wrong with her powers, but Peter tells her it’ll get easier. He suggests that Emma talk to Hiro if she has questions since he needs to go on a mission to save his friend’s life.

Peter pops in (really he pops into the bathroom) and clues Noah and Claire into what’s going on with Hiro. They track down a boy that Noah remembers from his “bag and tag” days named Jeremy. Unfortunately, what they find is a lot of death instead of the life they’re looking for. After killing both his parents, Jeremy is convinced that he can only bring death, but Noah knows that there are many more facets to an ability. It’s a little tough to reason with the kid since he welcomes them with a shotgun, but Noah continues to try to calm him down.

Noah almost assures him, but Peter teleports in and shocks Jeremy, causing the kid to pull the trigger. Peter freezes time, with a look on his face of pure elation, until he realizes that the bullet has already gone through his body. (The visual is so sick. I had to rewind and watch it again.) Noah starts to come down hard on Jeremy, telling him to trust him and that he can heal if he visualizes it and just tries, and of course, he can and does. After healing, Peter makes sure to get Jeremy’s power and zips off to Hiro, leaving Noah to stay with Jeremy and giving him an opportunity to apologize for letting him (and many others like him) down.

“We need to jump start the real Sylar, wake the sleeping lion.” – Samuel
A la carnivale, we learn that Lydia’s pretty intuitive. After hearing tales of Sylar, Samuel wonders what’s happened to him. The man and the myth just aren’t matching up. Lydia suggests that it’s as if there are two sides of him at war with each other. Samuel realizes that Sylar doesn’t know his own names and asks that he spend the day with him and his people. He asks him to ask what the first name that pops into his head is. Sylar? Gabriel? But he asks Samuel to call him Nathan.

As Samuel shows him around, pointing out that there are other people who are “special” like him, Samuel introduces Sylar to Lydia. As he shakes her hand, he gets a flash that he may have been a politician since he remembers shaking a lot of hands. (The war is on!) While he’s finishing the tour with Lydia (seeing Sylar all smiles and giggles is incredibly strange!), Samuel ponders that things are really wrong with the man who’s supposed to be a ruthless renegade. He realizes Sylar’s memories are coming back, but they’re the wrong ones.

Setting a plan into motion, Samuel invites Captain Lubbock to the carnival with his family. He believes that if Lubbock sees Sylar, it’ll force them into a kill or be killed situation and that will force the real Sylar out. He also introduces Sylar to Damien, a man who can unlock the mind. Damien takes Sylar into the House of Mirrors where we and Sylar witness a fast-forward version of his past. Basically since Sylar has killed a lot of people, we get to see a lot of people get scalped. It may be old news to us, but Sylar is so disgusted that he pukes.

Like most people, he doesn’t want to believe that he was a killer or that he could still be one. Samuel brings divine fate into the picture, saying that Sylar was brought into their family because the outside world created that person he saw, and at the carnival, they will love him for who he truly is. And he could help protect them as well. Samuel warns Sylar about Lubbock and asks him to take care of it. But Sylar’s still not his old self just yet, he can’t bring himself to kill Lubbock and tells him to run, only to instinctually (muscle memory) shock him with electricity when Lubbock won’t lower his gun.

It almost ignites something inside of him, and for a second, I thought he’d take the kill, but he just walks away. Waiting in the wings is Edgar, who doesn’t take a breath before slicing Lubbock down. Edgar can’t hide his frustration from Samuel at the fact that Sylar is still acting like a tame kitten (and that he‘s getting Lydia‘s attention), but Samuel encourages him to have faith. That they will make a better Sylar, shaped by their beliefs.

“Abracadabra!” – Hiro
Now, I never thought Hiro would wait around for Peter to get back, but he did hang out long enough to impact our new character Emma. (Everyone who meets Hiro just falls in love, and that’s no surprise.) And though in the end he time travels to the Burnt Toast Diner to see Charlie before her death in the end, he took the time to use his powers and put on a magic show for some sick kids. By doing this, he shows Emma a potential side of her powers that she hasn’t yet envisioned, using them to do something good and help the world. It really was a cute storyline but just not as exciting as the prior two. It did bring us a little closer to Emma though.

WRAP IT UP
Overall, this was a fantastic episode. I paused midway through just to acknowledge to a friend just how great it was. It’s been a long time since Peter interacted with Noah and Claire and then met up with Hiro who he introduces to a new hero. And Sylar is in abilities playland. Never once has there been so many potentially awesome, abilities-fueled fights and possible interactions with periphery characters with powers. Already at the carnival this week, we saw a guy make things disappear and Sylar and Edgar in a sweet, powers battle. And it’s only episode six! I’m actually terrified of the idea that a really ticked off, fully recovered Sylar could wake up in this smorgasbord-of-powers carnival. Only time will tell, and I’ve got one foot back on the bandwagon.

Season 4, Episodes 6: Tabula Rasa (originally aired October 19, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

In 1987, the original The Stepfather debuted, starring Terry O’Quinn (Lost), and it’s based on the true story of John List of New Jersey. For 18 years, List was sought by the authorities for the 1971 murder of his mother, wife and three children. He was finally apprehended in 1989 following an America’s Most Wanted broadcast depicting the murder.

Director Nelson McCormick and writer J.S. Cardone teamed up again in the hopes, I‘m sure, of producing something better than their last project (they’d previously worked on the horror movie Prom Night which was horrid!). But sadly, I don’t think it went as planned.

The cast actually didn’t bother me all that much. Dylan Walsh of Nip/Tuck plays the title role of David Harris. And for someone like me who’s used to seeing him as the more mild manner half of McNamara-Troy, it was fun to watch him take on such a complex role. I actually think he nailed it as the sweet looking man who seems like he could do no wrong but suddenly unravels before our eyes.  Joining Walsh is Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) as the soon-to-be step son Michael Harding. This was his feature film debut so I’m sure he was feeling the pressure especially since all his castmates are also making names for themselves outside of the CW, but I was underwhelmed. His acting wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t like he was stretching himself. It was basically Dan Humphrey in the suburbs with a different blond, frisky girlfriend. Other cast members include Sela Ward (Once and Again), who plays the mom Susan Harding, Amber Heard from Pineapple Express, who plays the skeptical girlfriend Kelly and Paige Turco (who I will always envy because she played April O’Neil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies, and I used to pretend they were all my boyfriends) as Susan’s sister.

After returning home from military school, Michael must learn how to live with a new man in his life. David and Susan have only known each other for six months, but they’re ready to walk down the aisle. He seems like the perfect guy to Susan’s friends, other two children and Kelly, especially since her ex (Michael’s father) won’t be winning any Father of the Year awards anytime soon. But Michael is suspicious from the start. Slowly but surely, he starts to piece together the real history of this stranger he has to share a roof with, and it’s not pretty.

From the beginning of the film, the audience is clued into the back story. There’s no qualms that this guy is the antagonist, and you can pretty much figure out how the story will play out. Unfortunately having this insight is exactly what makes the film so boring. The entire time you’re just waiting for something to happen so when nothing does for the first hour and 15 minutes, at least I, got extremely frustrated. And by the sounds of the audiences I watched with, I’m not the only one. It was also rated PG-13 which didn’t help the “thrill” part of the film which can usually be heightened with little blood, gore and nudity.

When I heard about this film, I immediately likened it to the Amityville Horror movies (let it be known that The Stepfather has absolutely nothing to do with the paranormal). But just the idea of a father going crazy and hurting those most dear to them is one of the most terrifying things I could imagine. Yet as sick and twisted as it is, it’s an interesting story if only because it could be an intriguing character study of a deranged man. Sadly instead of taking the road less traveled, everything was as predictable as it could possibly be. If I had the choice to go back in time and do it all over, I’d stay home and rent the original instead. I’d strongly advise you to do the same.

Neither could Laurie Ann Gibson and Nigel, who both acted like coaches hopped up on more whey shakes and caffeine than humanly necessary. I’ve never seen her so intense, and that says a lot since she’s normally an 8 on the intensity scale, but tonight‘s cattle drive routine was definitely a 15. To steal just a small bit of quoting goodness from the lady, let‘s get into and “now DANCE!”

With Laurie Ann’s jazz routine, things are off to a sad, bad start as the auditions get underway. The show’s first married couples did poorly, but while Karen Hauer barely squeaked by, her husband Matthew just plain tanked. Even Willem de Vries, our certified gay, ballroom dancer and Iveta (my early pick to get to the top ten at least!) were cut in the first six minutes.

We met Mollee Gray in Los Angeles. She’s still just as sweet, but maybe not as put together as when we last saw her. I was hoping to see some of that talent I thought she was hiding, and I got quite the opposite. She ended up twisting  her ankle and handicapping herself as well as her group for the choreography round which was up next. Somehow she still managed to scoot by round after round so maybe the judges remember what I saw when she first auditioned or they’re just filling their cute little blond quota.

Another person who sailed through, though this time with style, was Russell Ferguson, this year’s official krumper. Do I really believe he’s had absolutely no formal training? I’m not so sure, but he gets a pat on the back for being so strong throughout Vegas week.

I’ve got to say I was pretty disappointed by this year’s group choreography round. And, surprised! It wasn’t because there was a lot of poor execution or a lack of creativity. Besides Molle’s group who gets shredded, everyone else seemed to impress the judges. We only see one good performance - Russell’s group. It was fun and creative and refreshing since they were first, and I hoped figured that it would be bomb after bomb from there on out. No luck for me! Where was all the drama SYTYCD? The exhaustion? The head butting? The TEARS?!

For Mia’s contemporary round, she goes from dragon lady to Zen lady. Last year, she was a ball buster and this year she’s leading meditations? Maybe seeing herself in a negative light on camera brought her back down to the real world. Though if her routine was any indication of what we’ll be getting this year, I hope that part of her stays crazy stupid!

The star this time around is Kevin Hunt who almost made it season three. Boy is a hip hopper, but he murdered contemporary. Billy, Molly, and Russell also do well. And then, there was Legacy. He almost brought me to tears. “It changed something inside of me. It’s your energy. Just your movement means something. And you just made me a better dancer.” Just another day in the life of Mia Michaels, life changer. He also impressed her so it was a win-win for everyone!

The final round of choreography is Broadway with Tyce. The girls are up first, and Pauline Mata gets screen time because her ankle bone swelled up to the size of a baseball. It gave me goosebumps, though, thankfully, not as gross as the Toegate. All she can think of is dancing, and all I can think is “your ankle bone looks like it’s about to pop out of your leg! How can you think of anything else?!” I don’t know how performers do it. Kudos!

Ashleigh Di Lello, the lackluster other half to her husband Ryan, finally impressed the judges (and me!) with some star quality. And Ryan makes everyone on the panel but Nigel drool so it’s no surprise that he’s a shoe-in to move on. Billy Bell makes Adam cry with his graceful moves and beautiful lines, getting Mia to ask “What are you?” and Tyce to ask “Where did you come from hunny?” I would call that Mission Top 20 Accomplished for Billy.

WRAP IT UP
So what did you all think? Where you surprised at some of the cuts? And did you agree with the contestants they put through? Are you forming your own top 20 in your head, and if so, who’d be in it? Are you as shocked and saddened by the recent Mia news?

The dance must twirl on, however, and we’re so close to seeing some full and fabulous dance routines. I can taste it. Tastes like sweat, tears and victory. Mmmmm.

Season 6, Episodes 8:  Vegas Callbacks, Part 2 (originally aired October October 14, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

“I don‘t make a habit of locking myself in with unrestrained lunatics.”

Sylar confesses to Madeline that everything he’s experiencing feels new. It’s almost like déjà vu. Madeline says that it’s common in people who’ve have traumatic experiences, but it also signifies that the old him is still in there somewhere. She asks him to concentrate of the first thing that pops into his mind, but he’s distracted by a ticking clock and her watch (both minute sounds he shouldn’t be able to hear) which he says are not in sync.

Lubbock then sends Madeline away since they figured out that Mr. NoName is actually Gabriel Gray, the watchmaker who killed his own mother. (Oh, what Captain doesn’t know about what this guy’s done.) Sylar unknowingly uses his powers and escapes, finding Madeline in the parking lot and begging for help. You can tell she has an instinct that he’s not a killer, but when Lubbock catches up to them,  he doesn’t take any chances and shoots him when sparks of electricity appear in Sylar’s hand. Madeline tries to get him out of the way and just ends up tumbling down a hill with him. Sylar (magically) gets up, unhurt as the bullets fall out of his body. She can’t understand, but again, she goes with her instincts and tells him to run while he has the chance.

“Why me? Why now?” – Emma Coolidge
Emma gets to spend a lot of time hanging out with her doctor mother since they both work at the same hospital. (It would drive me crazy, but they seem to have a great relationship.) After hearing about the things Emma’s been seeing, Mom suggests she may have conversion disorder, otherwise known as hysterical blindness.

Someone else trying to connect with Mama bear is Peter who meets up with Angela. He’s trying to reconnect with the world, but unfortunately, she only has Nathan on the brain who’s been MIA. It’s quite the opposite at the hospital where Doc Mom wants Emma to join the world. We learn that its been six years since someone named Christopher died, and I can only guess that it was a husband or child.

Emma takes a walk, and, distracted by all the city “sounds,” ends up in front of a bus. Luckily, Peter’s around to save her. He tries to talk with her, but she can’t hear him and combined with her antisocial tendencies, she just ends up leaving withput a word or gesture.

Attempting to get on with his day, Peter tries to break into a super speed run, only to realize there’s no oomph anymore and something new has replaced that power.

At the hospital, Peter is mesmerized by some kids singing and the sights their voices are making before noticing Emma. They both realize they’re seeing the same thing. (And if Peter’s smile is any indication of where things are headed, it’s getting hot in there!) Peter tries to explain to her how there are other people like them with abilities, but apparently, that’s not exciting enough news for her because they decide to play the piano together. (Now, I don’t really get how seeing music interpreted into color can just up and make you a great musician, but I haven’t been this excited about a Heroes episode in a long time, so I’m just going with it.)

Emma can’t grasp why her, but Peter says they’ll figure it out together and get her out of the file room. Her mother said something similar to her earlier, insisting that she could still be a doctor, and Emma joked that her mother would think twice if the files just started disappearing, but this time she takes it personally and leaves.

I’M NOT A STALKER…I JUST CRUSH A LOT
Claire is relishing normal college life with Gretchen, free of serial killers and exploding men. Becky Taylor (Tessa Thompson from Veronica Mars ::tiny tear shed for this show::) stops by their rather empty table to let Claire know about sorority rush. Sandra was in her sorority which makes Claire a legacy, basically a shoe-in. Gretchen tries to discourage her from going since she’s afraid Claire will turn into Stepford Claire, but she’s convinced to tag along, too.

Claire and Gretchen finally show up for rush which Becky calls prospective pledge speed dating. (I have first hand experience with rush, and she’s completely right about that. You’ll never flirt as hard in you life as you do when you’re in a sorority and rushing a frosh.) Somehow with Claire’s lack of normal experiences, she comes off kind of awkward, and Gretchen, who seems to tell everything about Claire to every active she meets, comes off a shining star.

Before heading to their next rush event, a mixer, Claire discovers that Gretchen has been a little nosy. (To be honest, Claire also snooped on her laptop to find out this information, but she’s vulnerable here! I forgive you, Claire.) She finds her own outdated Facebook-like page, some news articles about her and info on murder-suicides. A little Creepy!

As Claire’s “mixing” with Psi Alpha Chi actives, a very sharp flap poll falls from overhead. She pushed the girl she’s talking to out of the way in time, only to see Gretchen looking down from above. Though I wouldn’t agree that this is the best time to make an awkward exit without saying a word, Claire does.

Claire and Gretchen go at it when they get back to their dorm room. Gretchen thinks Claire’s being paranoid, and Claire is starting to see a stalker born before her eyes. What Gretchen says and does next completely takes her by surprise when she confesses she’s crushing on her and kisses her. (That actually makes you less EVEN creepier, girl!) So all the snooping and talking about Claire was because she makes Gretchen nervous, and she’s in love? Not so sure. Too bad none of us get anytime to process all this as PAC girls come in to give them both bids to join the sorority.

“This is my favorite part of the day. It’s full of possibility.” - Samuel Sullivan
According to Samuel, traveling carnival life is all about unconditional love, family, understanding and trust. I didn’t hear anything about truth in his eloquent speech so he hasn’t yet fessed up to what he’s been up to. He promises by the days end their table, which is missing one family member due to his brother Joseph’s death, will be complete. Lydia wants to know what Sam’s been up to, but she comes to realize that he has no clue as well.

Later, all the pieces start to fit together for us when we come to find out that Becky is actually a member of Samuel’s carnie family. She killed Annie, led Claire to find that info on Gretchen’s computer and tossed the flagpole. She even left that suicide note that Claire swore came from thin air. And with Rachel’s invisibility power, it truly did.

WRAP IT UP
So Claire and Gretchen are now sisters. (This has to be the fastest rush I’ve ever seen which makes me jealous that I spent a whole month of my life devoted to it over my four college years.)  Back at their respective homes, Emma begins to play the bass/cello (I can never tell!), and Peter is greeted by Hiro, who collapses in his arms. Emma also realizes that as her anger builds up and she plays even harder, it will manifest itself physically since her pictures fall off the wall. And Sylar escapes, but only because Sam and his carnival appear before him. When Sylar asks where he is, Sam says that he’s home. I think Heroes just got back there too. All in all, best episode in a long time!

Season 4, Episodes 5: Hysterical Blindness (originally aired October 12, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of IMDbpro

“There was no gravity going through your body.” – Mia
Bryan Boyer is the best b-boy to hit the So You Think You Can Dance audition stage. He’s confident without being cocky which is a difficult feat. It’s even harder when you’re that crazy good. He can walk on air, stand up on his head and crash on concrete without breaking any bones. He’s a hip hop superhero. Well he was until he quit before finishing choreography. Superheroes don’t quit, Bryan!

“You’re a little competitor. I like that.” – Creepy Nigel who also got his own Creepy Nigel montage.
It’s strange how you can get one vibe off of someone and instantly dislike them. Hayley Cloud had herniated a back disk while she was practicing her dance, and she has permanent nerve damage. But after hearing her “story,” I thought about Allison Becker with spinal meningitis and Jessica Jensen who lost a hand, and I can’t really bring myself to care about her disc! But she danced her butt off, and her skill totally won me over. That’s a true performer.

“Can I see that again?”- Who else? Creepy Nigel
Ariana Rowley aka Satine La Rouge is a burlesque dancer. I’ll leave it to you to imagine what she could do with a chair and a bow on her butt. I almost threw up a little bit in my mouth. I have to be drunk to watch that or at least mentally prepare my self. Come on, guys! They actually put her through to choreography where she was painful to watch. At least she didn’t strip off any more articles of clothing.

“I love when someone gets so taken over by talent…It’s magical.” – Mia
Iveta Lukosiute, I just want to say thank you for coming to America. You immigrated from Lithuania and are thankful for finding a place where dreams come true, and I’m thankful you made me forget the horrible memory of Satine La Rouge that’s burned into my retina, even if only for a few seconds. She looked fantastic, had a killer accent and spun circles around that floor. She made Mary cry and kind of became my new favorite.

Megan Kinney and Genise Ruidiaz also wowed the judges with some ridiculous moves and great presence. Surprisingly, Megan got a lot of screen time last year but almost nothing this year. Also, ballroom pairings Ryan and Ashley Di Lello and Leigh Ashay and Josh Murillo peaked the judges’ interest. The Di Lellos are married, but husband would beat wife in a dance off. And after killing her routine, Leigh  had a  very bloody toe since she lost her entire big toenail. Did we really need a close up? I don’t know if I’ll be able  to fall asleep tonight! Josh, however, gets cut after the choreography round. So 33 contestants move on from Salt Lake City. This makes a total of 152 dancers who would fly to Vegas where Adam Shankman, Debbie Reynolds, Tyce Diorio join Mia, Nigel and Mary to make the big decisions.

VIVA LAS VEGAS
Nathan Trasoras got a ticket to Vegas during last season’s auditions. He was so good; there was no doubt he deserved it, but since he was only 17, he would have to hold onto it for a year. Ellenore Scott was just so entertaining you couldn’t deny her. Thomas Hamilton ruined his audition by climbing up one of the stage equipment, and William de Vries and Jacob Jason, the gay ballroom dancers, were split up. Only 111 made it past round one and onto the hip hop round with Tabitha and Napoleon.

Teddy Tedholm and Jean Lloret are on two different levels this set, but somehow Jean just can’t pick up the choreography and Teddy kind of killed it. But oh-so-close Ryan Kasprzak almost gets cut after a poor showing which makes me feel like they’re playing the favorites game. (They’ve known him like eons longer than every one else when you think about it in audition time.)

Louis van Amstel is up for the second round. It’s such a lightning-fast, ballroom routine that Billy Bell gets an elbow to the nose and stars gushing blood. He can’t even get to learn the entire dance until he stops being a human geyser and that still left him a tiny amount of time, but he works well under pressure because he makes it through. Teddy doesn’t put out a solid performance and is sent home. On a surprising note, Krumper Russell Ferguson seems at ease with ballroom and SLC Iveta only makes it look that much easier for him. And after a rough prior round, Ryan just can’t pull it together. There’s no denying the look in his eyes screams “I want this!” but it’s no where near good enough. It was a little sad, though, when he made that call to his brother Evan, a last season semi-finalist.

“If this is dancing for your life, it needs to look like this is the last time you’re gonna dance.” – Tyce
That sums it up for what b-boy all-star Legacy and John Litzler have to do to ensure they’re time in Vegas isn’t cut short. John just doesn’t emote to make enough judges care to give him a yes. It’s unfortunate because he really does have the face and abilities to do well in this type of competition. Legacy, however, kills his solo. It’s fantastic how effortlessly he moves on that floor. Now, he just can’t drop the ball in any of the other styles he’ll have to tackle.

WRAP IT UP
We got see some really fantastic dancing in these early Vegas rounds. Though some of my early favorites were picked off, I have a whole lot of faith in the group that’s still left. The judges like to say that every season is shaping up to be better than the last, and I agreed wholeheartedly when they said it last season. I can’t agree this early on since I think there’s still more to prove, but I am excited. And now that we’ve reached Vegas, this is where the momentum starts building. So what did you think? Was there anyone you think left too soon?

Season 6, Episodes 6-7: Vegas Callbacks Part 1(originally aired October 6 and October 7, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

It’s not that this week’s episode was bad. It was actually a pretty great one in comparison to the recent past, but one thing I despise most about sitting in front of my TV and watching Heroes every week is the belief that I’m watching it die a slow, painful death. They say some sick people get better before they die, even feel healthy. And I guess if you look at it that way, I’d rather have a good push before the end, instead of a bad one, but it’s still going to end. I can’t imagine NBC putting anymore money into it. They might as well go play the lottery with all that cash since they probably have a better chance at seeing a return.

I guess I just have to acceptHeroes for what it is, and I will try my hardest not to be too hard on the show. It’s fitting that the episode is titled “Acceptance.” This week ,  our heroes had the opportunity to really take a look at who they were, who they want to be and what they want to do. Nathan delved into some hidden corners of his past, and Hiro hit a speed bump in his bucket list. Claire coached her Dad in his new company-free way of life, and Tracy takes her new lease on life as an opportunity to be a new woman. I think it’s a good move to focus on a few character each episode. Things were getting a little sloppy last season. I’m sure some people stopped watching just because of the madness.

“Every time there’s a secret buried someplace, I find you with a shovel behind your back.”
Nathan’s still grappling with the fact that things don’t seem to be right inside him. When Mama stops by toting some of his old knickknacks to jog his memory, Nathan gets flashes of his pasts. (In season three’s “One of Us, One of Them”, Sylar actually acquired clairsentience, the ability to learn the history of an object by touch.). He meets up with Peter who thinks all these new powers are just in the family genes, but Nathan is seriously ill at ease, as he should be. And he’s even more freaked when he remembers his dead ex-lover from his teenage years floating in a pool.

The girl supposedly ditched town, and he never knew what happened to her. When he visits her mom, Angela’s friend Millie (Swoozie Kurtz from “Cold Snap”) , that familiar pool turns into a buffet of flashes straight out of a horror movie. (Really, it wasn’t Nathan’s fault, except he provided the booze that made the girl woozy enough to fall off the diving board, hit her head and kill her.) It was only a small amount of time before another secret of Angela’s was dug out of that deep closet of hers. Of course she took care of everything to protect her son, but Nathan has a guilty conscience. He even confesses to Millie who doesn’t take it too well.

Next, we see Millie getting drinks with Angela, but in reality, she’s hired an assassin to kill Nathan. He’s shot and then left for dead in a ditch. Luckily, Sylar also had the power of regeneration so it’s no shocker when someone claws themselves out of a shallow grave. The bombshell is that the body is not Nathan’s but Sylar’s. Duh, duh, DUUUUH!

“First of all, you must really hate your job. Nobody copies their butt forty-seven different ways without wanting to get fired!”
What would Hiro be without a mission, and this time around it’s to undo all the wrongs of his past. Now that his present has been changed and Ando and Kimiko are planning on marriage, Hiro is more determined to make today better by altering the past. He agrees to give his sister away at the wedding, but Ando is worried that he won’t be alive and presses him to tell Kimiko the truth.

Hiro’s got other things to think about though when Dial-A-Hero gets a second customer in Tadashi, an employee at Yamagato Industries. Hiro makes it his mission to save the suicidal man. No matter how many ways he attempts to change Tadashi’s past, specifically from photocopying his butt and shaming himself and his family, somehow the end result remains the same, making it utterly impossible to save Tadashi. Or so we thought. Apparently, all Hiro needed to do is tell Tadashi to do what he loves and to accept his life as is.

This leads him to take is own advice, and tell Kimiko what’s been going on. She comforts him, but not for long, since he poofs away right in front of her. Poor Ando’s got a lot of explaining to do.

“Maybe you have to remember who you were to figure out who you want to be.”
Peter stops in on Noah after the spinning compass tattoo shows up on his arm. When he gets there it’s gone which makes me think it only activates around other people with abilities. When Claire arrived, I wanted him to lift up his jacket sleeve but of course not. She sticks around to help Noah through these hard economic times, especially since his bag ‘em, tag ‘em skills don’t translate well to most jobs.

It’s nice to see the relationship between this two evolve, as Noah lets go and Claire grows up. (This is the most natural I’ve seen Hayden Panettiere in a very long time.) Noah can’t be someone he’s not, though. It’s a little surprising to Samuel when Noah’s face shows up on Lydia’s body since isn’t he out of the game? But Noah is very much in the game and researching the compass. Good to have you back, man!

“This job, I want it to be more. I want to set agendas, help people who can’t help themselves.”
Is it bad that every time I see Tracy, I think of The Secret World of Alex Mack? I used to love Larissa Oleynik and that show. I wanted to melt into a pile of metallic goo so bad! Tracy hooks up with her old pal, Mr. Governor. She used to help him entertain and woo people over to his way of thinking, and he’s happy to see Tracy wants back in. Tracy, however, wants to actually do things that can change the world and help people.

All is grand for the governor, who just wants to roll in the sack with his favorite ex-employee. Tracy gets so shaken up that she starts to liquefy in the ladies room. When she pulls it together, she walks out and lets him know that she’s not the same person she used to be and leaves him hanging.

WRAP IT UP
Heroes, like the Titanic, was a beautiful ship to behold at first sight. Sure, they didn’t reinvent the wheel, but they put a new and fresh spin on the superhero tale. Truthfully, I think they might have bit off more than they could chew in the first place. Even Lost hit some speed bumps with its large cast, sprawling storylines and vast mysteries, but somehow they managed to pull it all together into an intriguing story. When they go, they’ll be sorely missed, but I believe they will have accomplished what they set out to do, it will be a satisfying end and it will be time.

I can’t say I have as much faith in Heroes because while season four seems to be veering in a really great direction, it’s a little bit too late. I kept holding onto hope that they could turn it around, but it’s like throwing salt into the cake batter instead of sugar. Sure, you could add every tasty, sweet ingredient in the book to the mixture to cover that salt taste, but really what you need to do is toss the entire bowl and start again. Unfortunately, TV shows don’t really get do-overs unless we wait 20 years. Then maybe someone will remake it.

Season 4, Episodes 4: Acceptance (originally aired October 5, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Justin Lubin, Chris Haston

I wasn’t sure how director Ruben Fleischer would fare since it was his first feature film, but I was extremely impressed. I can’t say I had much more faith in the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who’ve only written for obscure things like The Joe Schmo Show. But this team definitely has some chops when it comes to comedy, and I can see them carving out a little indie niche for themselves if they keep it up.

At it’s core, Zombieland is a movie about a cross-country road trip with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Sure they may be different but what they share is that they no longer have homes to rest all safe and sound in because they’ve all had to leave their loved ones and old lives behind. It’s also pretty much why we never get to know their real names, only pseudonyms of where they’re trying to go. That was then and this is now.

Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), is one of those shy, awkward loners who is just so bumbling he’s lovable. Woody Harrelson (Edtv, “Cheers“) plays bada** zombie killer Tallahassee, who’s just so off-the-wall bonkers that he’s lovable too. Emma Stone (The House Bunny, Superbad ) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) are Wichita and Little Rock, two devious sisters who would leave you shoeless and penniless if you turned your back for a second. These four are an unlikely band of brothers but somehow they work, and some of the films best scenes (besides the zombie throw downs, of course) are when they’re all playing off each other.

Zombieland doesn’t shy away from the gore. It’s bloody and gross, and I might have dry heaved a couple of times, but it was all worth it. The hilarious dialogue, the wicked use of double barreled shotguns and the 32 rules of survival in Zombieland (which the film heavily relied on) kept me enthralled in this fantasyland where anything goes. And apparently in Zombieland, you can even get away with breaking into Bill Murray’s house and blasting the Ghostbusters theme song.

Sure there’s a romantic storyline, but by no means is this about love in Zombieland. You see Columbus and even Little Rock change and  grow up but it isn’t a coming of age story about surviving the end of the world. In the end, it is just about watching zombie’s get killed in hilarious ways and being lucky enough to see it through the eyes of some very fun characters. Like I said, nothing more nothing less, but completely delightful.

Bare with me though. This is my second season of recapping SYTYCD, but I’m still trying to get the right structure and flow. And it’s always nice to keep things fresh right? So, I’m going to try something new and see how it works out. Please continue to see how auditions faired this week.

YOU SHOULD BE SAD YOU MISSED IT
“Great legs, Great technique…tuck your tush under.” – Nigel
Nineteen year-old Bill Bell looks like he could be a High School Musical back up dancers. He’s clearly had some training for his young age and he‘s strong, but for me he dances a little too wildly. And his butt sticking out actually does bother me a little. It’s almost like he’s doesn’t exhale a single time throughout the whole performance, but the judges loved him so that‘s that.

“There’s no good reason on God’s green earth that you should dance that good and we should be so disengaged.” – Lil’ C
Amber Jackson is powerful and controlled but the look on her face when she dances is pure boredom. It’s sad to have technique but not charisma. The judges a verbal slap upside her head and allow her to prove her talent in the choreography round. Though we don’t get to see it, apparently, she does enough to move on.

“I’ve always said we’re really happy to see people that we’ve seen before come back because you just get better as dancers.” – Nigel
Anthony and Antwain Hart are back for another go. How could you forget these cute twins? They’ve practiced and have gotten better though I’m not sure if it’s ENOUGH growth to ever make it to the top 20s. If I had to pick one, it’d definitely be Antwain who can flip and spin and do other cool stuff. Sadly, Anthony shined in choreography while Antwain flailed.

“I know you’ve got great rhythm, I know you’ve got great musicality, but I don’t know if your legs work.” – Nigel
Matthew “Boogie Link” Pollard has a little bit of Phillip Chbeeb and Robert Muraine rolled into one big, black body. He does joint tortionism, isolations and popping like a fiend, but can he do anything else? We had to wait until the choreography round to find out, but it was as Nigel predicted. Even Boogie said, “My salsa was more like guacamole.”

“You definitely are an inspiration to so many people who have it all and are just wasting their talents. You are getting up there and fighting and doing a really good job.” – Mary
Jessica Jensen developed epitheliod sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer, in her hand. To see this beautiful, smiling and funny lady with only one hand dance was pretty magical for me. I’m the first to be touched by a story of overcoming adversity, but something about the way she attacks life that makes me want to find her and just force her to be my friend. How will she do with a partner in choreography though? It proved too difficult, but she should walk away proud of herself.

“Mia Michael’s has that affect on people.” – Lil’ C
Thomas Hamilton was born a crack baby. He went through Special Ed and was teased, and he overcame all that. He danced his way out of Scottdale, Georgia, and with that talent, he should stay out of there. One dance class with Mia made him love contemporary, and it looks like he’s been dancing that style his entire life. They put him through the choreography run around, and salsa did not hold him back.

Others in the ATL like Jamal Jackson mixes contemporary and African and even throws in an aerial, making it all look effortless. Victor Smalley has a very pretty face and very pretty dance moves. Both deservedly get to go straight to Vegas.

“This is giving so many other dance styles an avenue to showcase and expose the world to it.” – Lil’ C
Shelby “Skip” Skipper killed the New Orleans Bounce. It’s a style I’ve never seen or heard of before and the strength he needs to bounce, for what seems like 10 minutes, on one leg while making it look like a smooth dance move, is tremendous. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have made him do choreography, but I commend the judges for showing him respect.

“It was absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking ::pause:: fabulous. Another little germeroo, huh?” – Mary
Jonathan Litzler is one of the best technical dancers I’ve seen this season. Plus, he’s cute as hell. I see the next Neil Haskell in our future. Okay so enough about how nice he looks because his dancing was actually superb. His boring song choice threw me off there for a moment, but I can forgive him. So it’s off to Vegas.

“You lived in the song. Thank you for portraying that for us.” – Lil’ C
Calvin Turner, Jr. is the perfect example of how to pick a song that evokes as much emotion as the dancing does. He doesn’t get as much time to shine as I would hope, but the moments he does have are amazing. Vegas, here he comes.

“The clear joy in all of it has completely lifted my day.” – Adam
Edward Spots has a thousand watt smile and dances with the agility of a circus performer. Jump. Air Split. Jump. Air Split. How is he not making him self sick with all that bobbing around. He’d be perfect for Sin City in Cirque du Soleil. Actually he should give them a call if he doesn’t make it.

“Nobody really starts out with air flares.” – Lil’ C
Justin Kenney survived a bad car crash, and thankfully he did because he’s got that smoldering, Billy Zane look; the guy’s talented. He’s crazy athletic, but he could work on his performance level. I think if he had he should have avoided the choreography round, where he strugled, but they take a chance on him anyway.

“You leg lines, your arms, your passion while you dance,  everything was evident just now.” – Mary
Kimalee Piedad takes ballroom to another level. She’s light as air and beautifully graceful. The, almost vertical, upside lift, was bananas. And when they stopped the music, I might have jumped at the screen and screamed “no!” I think she shouldn’t have to do partnering in the choreography round, but Adam wanted to see more. Luckily Lil’ C and Mary think it’s Vegas for this lady.

“We’ve seen all the stuff that you’ve done, but yet, it felt fresh. You were totally selling it, and I bought it.” – Adam
Micah Mixon turned his life around once he found dance, a great means to express his pent up emotions. Let me just state for the record that I love guys named Micah, so he had a leg up, but really, he’s the kind of dancer you just want to watch and that’s a gift. It’s too bad he’s a hot mess in choreography, but he should take the year to practice and bring it next season.

“You just kind of lit up the stage right now, and thank god, you lit up New Orleans for us.” – Mary (infamous Mary scream included)
You knew Jakob Karr was off to a good start when the judges couldn’t stop whispering praise from their seats. He picked a great song. He didn’t need lots of extra flare because he was simply fantastic.
Alison Nance impresses the judges and gets a Vegas ticket but, to me, she’s the kind of girl who relies more on her looks than her talent. I’m not a fan, but I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on her based on the five seconds I actually saw.

“He left just in time to get a front row seat.” – Diana’s Dad
Diana Drexler has a gift, and her parents were right to push her to go to the auditions even though her grandfather was sick. He passed away while she was following her dreams, but I can only imagine how proud he’d be of her. She danced effortlessly and got the opportunity to prove in choreography that she deserved that Vegas ticket.

YOU SHOULD BE GLAD YOU MISSED IT
“Hip-hop Adam Shankman! That’s awesome.” – Lil’ C
Travis Denison dances like a bad, male cheerleader in Bring It On 25. He’s high energy and fun, which probably serves him well as an University of Georgia Mighty Man, but that doesn’t not really make him a great dancer. I could do what he does! I could do that when I was 10. I think I did do that when I was 10 minus a few booty pops. He does kind of look like Shankman though!

“My solo today is dope. And I don’t care what anybody else says. I don’t care what the judges say. My solo is dope, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t make it straight to Vegas. – Jonathan Bryant
Maybe, Jonathan, you shouldn’t make it because you suck as a choreographer. And you dance like you are angry at someone. And you are so cocky that even when you start to cry, I can’t pretend to care. The sad thing is he can do way more than I could but his attitude and his inability to listen, learn and evolve will keep him at the level of a sub-par dancer.

“You’ve had six Red Bulls?! MEDIC!” – Adam
Eric Le Blanc downs six Red Bulls before he hits the stage, but with the moves in his arsenal, I don’t think he really needed the help. He’s probably one of the pathetically, funny B-Boys I’ve ever seen, but I don’t think he’s trying to be funny. He makes it through to choreography because the judges want to see him make a fool of himself.  The judges did go a little cuckoo without Nigel around.

“This is that moment when I wish that Nigel was here…it just went all wrong.” – Adam to Lloyd Ballard. He ruined “I’m in Love With A Girl”  by Gavin DeGraw for me therefore he should be burned.

“Flexing and crumping is your style, huh? Is that called flexing when you grab your frank and beans and gyrate it?” – Mary to Casey Cristoso

WRAP IT UP
Altogether, 21 dancer left Atlanta for Vegas, and another 29 will join them from New Orleans. I’m extremely impressed by the level of talent this season. And I thought that last season raised the bar. I’m also enjoying the fact that the focus has been on the amazing instead of the horrid. It really is a testament to how SYTYCD is more dance show than reality show. Bring on the dance!

Season 6, Episodes 4-5: Audition Show #4  and Audition Show #5 (originally aired September 29 and September 30, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

It was such an ensemble cast with so many no names that it doesn’t feel necessary to list all the actors, but it was nice to see Kherington Payne from So You Think You Can Dance moving and grooving, even if she basically played a more snooty, less electric version of herself. Sadly Kay Panabaker (Summerland), who’s got such a sweet face you just want to like her, was the flattest I’ve ever seen her. Debbie Allen returns to the school as Principal Angela Simms though one can explain how Lydia’s doppelganger has appeared at the school decades later. The best parts were Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth and Kelsey Grammer as the wonderful teachers, but sadly they were rarely on screen. The most affecting parts of film were when they were in them.

Directed by Kevin Tancharoen, who’s most recent project was the TV show The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Next Search for the Next Doll, and written by Allison Burnett (Feast of Love and Resurrecting the Champ), the plot doesn’t differ much from it’s 80s counterpart. Teens with the desire to artistically express themselves audition to attend the New York City High School of Performing Arts and spend the next four years reaching for their dreams. The setup is broken into the same parts: the auditions, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year. And you can see glimpses of the original characters in these new ones.

But while you felt for these kids almost 30 years ago, there’s not the same connection this time around. There are a few more characters to focus on, so many of the characters and their development get lost in the shuffle. Where the 80s teachers also had their chance to shine, you wanted more time with their updated versions. The issues of feminism, race and homosexuality were prevalent throughout the old film, whereas the biggest issue this time were parents who stifled their child’s artistic ambition. Oh and any hint of sex was thrown out the door. Yes, this version was more like its Disney counterparts, all shiny and squeaky clean. And while the music was enjoyable, I wish there had been grander dance scenes. The big finish was fantastic and the iconic lunchroom outburst was fun, but the rest of the movie fell kind of flat in that prospect. It reminds me of Center Stage, a very similar story that did the whole dance part so much better and with more gusto. In that the storylines were more serious but the film stayed light at heart.

This version of Fame didn’t quite achieve that balance, but what this new film does have in common with the old is heart and I think that’s the main goal of  both Fames. When the kids are dancing and singing you feel that they love what they are doing, even if you also chuckle at the idea of not so great actors aspiring to be great actors on screen.

This week Heroes practically crawled, which was a good thing, because instead of hopping from character to character, we had the chance to focus on and develop a few. Matt battled with the demons in his head, while Peter came face to face with the circus ringleader Samuel. And Claire came clean with her new friend Gretchen. And we meet a new character with some unique powers.

CLAIRE BEAR’S ALL GROWN UP
After seeing Claire put herself back together after jumping out a window, Gretchen starts calling her like an ex-boyfriend who just won’t get the hint. Claire does a good job of avoiding her until Noah shows up and invites Gretchen out to lunch with them. Being the snarky girl that she is, Gretchen takes every chance to rub it in Claire’s face that she knows something is up, but Noah’s too smart not to realize that it’s not every day that a college girl gushes about someone she saw on YouTube that can’t feel pain. Noah confronts Claire when he thinks she let her secret slip and says they’ll need the Haitian to erase Gretchen’s memory, but Claire confirms that it’s not what he thinks and even if it were, she’s old enough to decide who to trust.

It takes Gretchen opening up about being teased in high school for being bulimic, something very deep and personal, to convince Claire that she can confide in her. And she’s genuinely happy once she does. The two get closer emotionally and physically, foreshadowing the girl-on-girl action to come. Gretchen even suggest they become roommates but I can’t see anything good coming out of kissing a girl, liking it and living with them!

GET OUT OF MY HEAD
I feel so sorry for Parkman because he really is a good guy who just happens to get himself into the worst situations when he’s not even trying to. That’s also a pretty big problem when it comes to the show because no matter how long we watch these characters, they fall into the same pattern over and over again. Where’s Hiro at this point? He’s figuring out how to fulfill his destiny and become a true hero. Nothing new there. Sylar keeps popping into Matt’s head and messing with him. Matt believes he can just tune him out and ignore him since Sylar’s powerless, but Sylar makes it clear that he’s not powerless and he won’t go away so easily.

When Matt and his partner attempt to arrest a drug dealer at his home, Sylar plays a sick mind game on him. First he helps Matt find the dealer, saves him from getting shot by alerting him that the perp has a gun but then leads him to find a kidnapping note (fake) and a dead body under the stairs (false, as well.) Matt isn’t clued into this game until he’s already beat the guy to a pulp and his partner is looking at him with eyes that say what have you done. The beating is so bad that Matt has to use his powers to erase his partner’s memory, a power he’s worked hard not to use. He might have saved his job at this time, but he lost a lot of his dignity. Point, Sylar.

THE BOY WITH THE SAVIOR COMPLEX
And Peter has some strife of his own. When a William Hopper sues Peter, complaining that he’s out of work because Peter manhandled him during his last rescue, things start to spin out of control. His co-workers start wondering if he really is the hero he seems to be or if he may have started all the trouble himself to “look” like a hero. And it looks even more suspicious because he doesn’t remember William Hopper being at the scene or on the log so he denies it vehemently.

What we learned earlier was that Samuel not only controls the earth but also ink. He takes a little pool of ink in through his fingers before leaving his tattooed lady Lydia and the circus behind. He even sneaks into Peter’s apartment and uses the ink to place himself into a picture from the accident that Peter clipped out of the newspaper. The end game to all this running around is to find someone to replace his dead brother Joseph who apparently is like his compass. It hasn’t been fully divulged what this compass does for him besides give him peace of mind, and but now Samuel’s figured out a way to sink his hands into Hiro and Peter. Two down.

He hits Peter where it hurts and that’s his heart and his guilty conscience. Peter is convinced “William” wasn’t there until he returns home and finds the doctored photo. That’s when he starts feeling really bad and finds “William” to apologize. Samuel shares with him that he lost his brother, and Peter shares that he wanted a turn at saving people as a paramedic instead of watching people die as a hospice nurse. And that’s all Samuel needs to know to recognize that he’s the guy that he’s been looking for. But before he goes, he drops the suit, shakes his hand and says that Peter’s exactly who he hoped he’d be.

Then, Samuel’s off to visit the house he and his brother grew up in. His father was a butler, and they lived in the carriage house, but since the new residents are throwing a grand party of their own, the lady of the house won’t give him the time of day. As a thank you for her time, he creates a sinkhole that sucks the house into oblivion, though I didn’t hear any ‘your welcomes’ in return. Samuel is definitely giving Sylar a run for his money in the best Heroes villain category.

NEW GIRL IN TOWN
Peter runs into a deaf woman just as her powers are starting to emerge. At first you don’t really know what Emma’s, played by Deanne Bray, deal is. I kept thinking how can she just act like it’s normal that her alarm clock also makes her bed vibrate. In what world is that normal? But, apparently, it is in the deaf world. Emma starts to see bright light, and the doc thinks that it may just be heightened senses, but by the end of the episode we realize she is seeing sound depicted in this bright light.

When she first runs into Peter, the look he gives her when he realizes the unresponsive person he’s been trying to have a conversation with is actually deaf, is the look that she tries so hard to avoid every day. But when she comes across a cello and the amazing amount of light it emits, she can’t help but play it. The people who surround her don’t have pity in their eyes but amazement, but when Peter shows up again she’s reminded once again and runs. Me thinks this is not the last we or Peter will see of Emma.

WRAP IT UP
So in the end it wasn’t a horrible episode, and I like where they’re taking Samuel and Peter and the introduction of this new Emma character. Yet, I’m not sure two new storylines and one improved one is enough to save the show. I’ll stick with it for the whole season because I’m not one to give up, so I guess we have awhile to see what happens. Here’s hoping that episode four, which will undoubtedly focus more on Tracy and Hiro most likely, reinvents those characters in new and creative ways that will keep me excited or at least hopeful.

Season 4, Episodes 3: Ink (originally aired September 28, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Justin Lubin, Chris Haston

THE GOOD
Teddy Tedholm is the kind of guy who doesn’t look like he has a single rythmic bone in his body. Not to mention he came wearing checkered pants and a bowtie and calling himself whimsical. But I was captivated the moment he started moving to the music. There were no jumps or flips or crazy spins but he was unique and beautiful. He could make a small movement look huge and that’s special. I can’t wait to see if he can do other styles in Las Vegas.

Courtesy of IMDB Pro

Jean Lloret started out with some slow and boring Latin moves, but once he busted out his true B-boy flare there was no denying that this boy needed a plane tickets. The fact that the beginning of his routine was another style and utterly boring might prove that he won’t last in the competition long, but he pulled out some moves that I have never seen in  my six years of SYTYCD and ABDC viewing combined.

Kimara Wood is a little frantic, but from the few seconds devoted to the dreadlocked hottie, he looked powerful and, hello, those abs! Apparently the judges got to see more than we were shown because I can’t imagine he got a ticket based on two seconds.

Courtesy of IMDB Pro

Russell Ferguson really got me excited. A crumper has never made it to Vegas, but his choice of music, resembling something tribal, just had me going. Tyce called him one of his favorite auditions in Boston and then proceeded to kick his legs in the air and accidentally let one rip which is why I love him, while Nigel just isn’t into crump unless it’s a huge group number. I thought it was wicked cool, as they say in B-Town, and he proves to Nigel he can perform other styles well enough to continue to get a ticket to Vegas.

Speaking of great partners, Karen and Matthew Hauer are such a cute married couple, I want to gag. However, I was expecting more from them, more technique, more flair and more fire. Maybe it was because they just look so hot. I actually though Matt was better than Karen, but the judges decide to keep them together and send the first married couple ever to Vegas.

THE ORDINARY
Channing Cooke is the type of dancer Nigel dreams about. She’s young and beautiful and flexible. Okay maybe she’s the kind of girl all boys dream about. Methinks she’s the type of goofy and fun tomboy I could chill with, but I thought she was completely emotionless and a little pose 1, 2, 3, when she danced. Luckily the judges agreed with me and thought they needed to see her in choreography. Channing does enough there, though, to move on.

Ryan Casey is a 18-year old giant. I mean, you see something new everyday, and I had never see a 6’ 8” tapper. To me he just looked awkward and flaily, but apparently he has “educated ankles,” according to Nigel. And it’s off to choreography for him, where he just doesn’t look less gangly and in control to be put through.

Gene Bersten call his Latin moves the sexy dance. I guess that would be true, but there’s nothing sexy about his facial ticks when he dances. I appreciate that he danced by himself and picked a contemporary pop song, but I agreed with judges that he needs to show that he could control his face during the choreography round. Overall though, he had great technique, and it doesn’t hurt that choreography this year at the auditions is all about the Latin style so it’s enough to get him through.

Kevin “K’Bex” Hunt isn’t the best hip hopper I’ve ever seen, but he’s a good performer. He auditioned during Season Three and is back to prove himself. I’m not over the moon but sending  him to choreography is appropriate. Tyce is already an angry man by the time someone who isn’t actually bad comes in front of him. K’Bex says he trained in contemporary while he’s been off the SYTYCD radar, but we saw none of that, and Tyce isn’t to happy that he’s didn’t bring out the big guns. In the end, he agrees what he did in his style was great, but gearing someone say “It’s great” in an angry manner is a little off putting. He flexes his stuff, though, in choreography and it’s “great” enough to get to Vegas.

THE UTTERLY HORRIBLE
Fabrizio “Breeze” Jenkins was a big, fat baby (his omission) and now he’s a big, fat and boring dancer. He fell over in the middle of the dance, which was the most entertaining part of it all, but at least he got up and kept moving, even giving the judges a little wink. Nigel sends him through to choreography which makes me wonder how bad you have to be to just get straight cut. He doesn’t even end up performing because that fall really messed up his ankle, and he thinks his partner deserves better than a gimp.

Forty-six year old Paul Magliato created a movement and is also the first to wear tight, blue spandex. I couldn’t even begin to discern what is involved in that movement since he never really explained it, but it includes a lot of poorly executed spins. Nigel’s look of shock when he stops the music is hysterical. Insert thought bubble saying, “What? Stop me? The consummate performer?!” Cleary, he’s too old for the competition, but when he danced, he reminded me of what little kids do when they interpret every word in the song they are dancing to. Kind of sad really, but at least he left with his head held high.

Luckily, Paul is the only exceptionally awful dancer we saw and  saved from having to sit through bad auditions.  But I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tyce’s clip reel where he berates all the horrible dancers. He even gets a new nickname: Dr. Evil!

WRAP IT UP
So goodbye, Boston. I am hoping that they’re not planning one week of showcasing great dancing and then the next week is spotlight on the pitiful because so far that’s been the scheme. I’m starting to see the value of drawn out auditions because we really have gotten to see more great dancers instead of cramming two cities into one night during the summer. All in all, Boston totally beat Phoenix and gave Los Angeles a run for its money. 33 dancers get though coveted plane tickets.

I wonder what Atlanta will show us next week!

Season 6, Episodes 3: Audition Show #3 (originally aired September 23, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

The film is about two unlikely friends, Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and Needy Lesnick (Amanda Seyfried). The former is that gorgeous and aggressive teen who happens to be a cheerleader, and the later is a mousy girl who hides behind her glasses. They’ve been BFF since the sandbox, so close that Needy often puts Jennifer, the girl who doesn’t like to be outshined especially by her best friend, before her own boyfriend.

I don’t want to let you in on too much of the story because, truthfully, I think if I even tell you a tiny bit, you’d be able to discern the entire course of the film. But Jennifer turns into a demon which amplifies her, already, man-eating ways tenfold. Oh, and it takes the man-eating part from the metaphorical to the literal realm. You wonder throughout the film what Needy will or even can do to stop her friend from slaughtering the male population of their town. Let me say, if you’re not a fan of blood and guts or cannibalism, than I suggest you pass this film up.

What I found interesting throughout the film was, however, how smart of a horror film it truly is. Clearly Cody is in touch with teen angst and up on her pop culture. Both the characters of Jennifer and Needy are common movie caricatures but the way they are written, the dialogue they are given and how the actors attack the roles make them entities of their own. It really is funny and not just about boys getting eaten.

When a band’s song “Through the Trees” becomes this little town’s anthem after a large group of people tragically die, every time you hear the media tout this song or play it over and over again, you can’t help but laugh because it is reality. Think of any tragedy in the last ten years and how the media covers it straight until the stories run out and they have to find ways to keep milking it. It gets a little sad sometimes, but she also shows it from the view point of how people latch onto these kernel’s of hope and how tragedies affect teens. It’s commentary like that, which may pass over the heads of boys and men alike just hoping to get a glimpse of a naked Fox, but kept me from feeling like the film was a wash.

All in all, Jennifer’s Body may not be the type of film to drop cash on in the theater but it’s definitely worth a DVD rental. In my opinion, Megan Fox does prove that she’s more than a pretty face and that she can be dramatic and funny! It reminds me a lot of Carrie, in the sense, that the point of the film is not to condemn Jennifer (though you do end up rooting for Needy), but to empathize with the maniac. Also the soundtrack is killer! (No pun intended!)

I know I said it last year, but I’m serious this time. You and me, we’re done if you let me down this season. I keep holding on to hope, but if I have to sit through another implausible storyline where all the characters I love act like crazy people I don’t even recognize, I will go mad myself. So you’ve had your 100 millionth chance, and I’m not going to just sit around forever.

Love, Nisi

Phew! Now, I don’t mean to be mean but that just had to be said. However with the season premiere behind us now, I can vouch that things are definitely on the ups in Heroes-verse. As Peter said, “There’s a lot of change going on with me.” Volume Five is title “Redemption,” and could they have picked something more fitting? The tone of this season is very similar to the first season that made it a breakout hit. It’s dark and mysterious, as if each week we’ll be ripping off layer after layer until we’re finally illuminated.

The focus has returned to the show’s characters and how they balance being normal and extraordinary at the same time. It’s about their thoughts and emotions, and not so much about throwing as many battles as humanly possible into an hour or two in this instance. It’s a thin line to tread, being too character driven or acting like you’re making a live action comic book. The truth is we want both, but not if one is a detriment to the other.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
“Redemption” will focus on a band of circus folks who actually have REAL powers. Robert Knepper (aka T-Bag from Prison Break) joins the cast as the carnies’ leader Sam, a man with a power I still don’t get but has to do with a compass. Not much has been revealed yet about their motives, but it’s clear they’re about sticking with their own. The things we have learned are that Sam wants to travel back, possibly to change his brother’s death, who’s buried during the show’s opening. I’m sure you can guess who he turns to, but how finding our other Heroes will help his plan is still to be determined.

Sam has the ability to control earth, but he can also create powerful tattoos. He uses another carnival worker Lydia’s ability to discern information from these tattoos when they’re put on her body, and he also uses a tattoo to choke Edgar when he gets a little mouthy for his liking. Edgar is another carnie with lightning fast speed and some sweet knife-wielding abilities. When Sam sent him out to find a compass, that’s important for some reason I’m sure they’ll clue us into later, he’s a little doubtful about following Sam’s lead. Maybe another hero with a conscience?

IT’S 9 O’CLOCK. DO YOU KNOW WHERE OUR HEROES ARE?
Peter is still Mr. I Need to Save the World, but he’s doing it on a much smaller scale nowadays. He’s working as a paramedic using his powers to help people who would most likely be goners if the man attempting to save them didn’t have super strength and super powers. Sadly, he’s regressed socially, ignoring calls from both his mother and Nathan.

Claire starts college but quickly becomes the odd frosh out when her roommate seemingly leaps to her death from their dorm room window. She also meets a new friend who finds out Claire’s abilities when she sees her bloodied and broken after jumping from the aforementioned window in a forensic experiment. Her friend Gretchen is played by Madeline Zima (Californication), and she was such a naughty girl on that show, I can’t really trust her just yet.

Tracy has been murdering people left and right, seeking revenge on those who tried to hunt her down and kill her last season. Danko’s still holding a grudge, but can you really blame her. It’s a kill or be killed world. A perfect example of how the show’s direction is changing, and hopefully will continue to do so, is the fact that the focus isn’t about the chase in this case. It’s about how Tracy reconciles what she’s done with what she knows is right. And the fact that Noah offers her a helping hand (even after she tried to kill him), and erased Danko’s mind to forget her and give up his hunt, gives her a second chance. Unfortunately, it’s the last chance for Danko since Edgar takes him out.

Noah, on the other hand, is getting the second chance that I think he deserves. As the poster boy for everything the Company did wrong, he’s gotten the short end of the stick. His wife still isn’t speaking to him, so he’s living a sad and lonely life. He gets a smack in the face when he calls her and a man picks up. Ouchie! All Angela wants to do is pull him back in though all he wants is his family back. And when he does get involved by finding the compass, Peter acts as his bodyguard but only for a short time, rescuing him from Edgar but leaving him with the compass. Since Edgar won’t give up, in the end Noah ends up without the goods and in the hospital. Poor HRG.

But there are two in an even worse state. Nathan, who we know is really Sylar without Sylar’s consciousness and with all of Nathan’s memories, has begun to realize that something is off. Powers he never had are starting to emerge. And when he turns to Peter, who went through a similar abilities transition, he gets no love back. Good thing he doesn’t notice how warily Angela regards him since she sees Nathan acting as Nathan but looking like Sylar in her visions.

It’s actually so burdensome that she turns to Matt, the one who locked Sylar away, to help straighten Nathan out once more. But like so many other Heroes, Matt just wants to spend time with the family he neglected and almost lost. What he did last season, though, haunts him quite figuratively. Sylar taunts at him saying what he did left a piece of him in Matt, and he wants his body back.

And across the world, Hiro is still not doing so hot since he still has the nosebleeds.  Taking it easy, he’s not doing the grand version of saving the world anymore without his time traveling powers, so he starts a cute little business with Ando called Dial-A-Hero. During  his first and only assignment so far, he freezes time but then ends up freezing himself. While he and Ando try to figure out what’s going on, he ends up going back in time and meeting Sam. He pushes Hiro to use his powers to help other people by rewriting the past. But having always thought you shouldn’t change time because of the butterfly effect, he’s hard to convince. But when he does something so small as to prevent Ando from spilling a slushy on his sister Kimiko’s favorite dress when they were kids and when he returns to the present, Ando and Kimiko are in love. Is he a fairy godfather or playing with fire?

WRAP IT UP
Just know that things are looking more and more like the Heroes so many of us loved before they went off the deep end and stated writing like they were writing fan fiction. This season is off to a promising start, but it’s happened before, and I will not get my hopes up this early on. So far so good though. Heroes, you can still take me out on that date next Monday if I didn’t hurt you too bad earlier. I can’t promise you any more than that.

Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2: Orientation & Jump, Push, Fall (originally aired September 21, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Justin Lubin, Chris Haston

HOST WITH THE MOST
I love Neil Patrick Harris. His face and voice just make me smile. His opening number “Put Down the Remote” focused on why you shouldn’t change the channel, and from that moment on, I never did. It didn’t hurt that the music and lyrics were well written, and he performed it wonderfully.

One of Harris’ best moments was when he lost in Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, and he ripped up his cue cards, saying it’s not going to be awkward. He then proceeded to check with the actual winner to make sure the card didn’t have his name on it. But nothing can beat an homage to Dr. Horrible. I really should have watched it by now, but after seeing the Emmy-version of the little internet miniseries that could, I will definitely be Netflixing it. Who knew Harris and Nathan Fillion could fit so much musical funny into two minutes?!

DEJA VU
Alec Baldwin won again for 30 Rock. I was kind of hoping that it might be Jim Parsons’ year, but there’s no question that Alec still deserved it. 30 Rock also took the win, again, for Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy.

Mad Men, also a shoe-in, won in the Best Drama category, and after the deep and dark season two finale, I could only stand up and applaud them.

Jeff Probst won for the second time as Best Reality Host for Survivor, and The Amazing Race won Best Reality Series for the seventh time. No surprises there. It really is a breathtaking show with a non-stop pace so I understand, but sometimes you just have to share the love. It’s reality TV! Jon Stewart, who I could watch win over and over again, took it home for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy series for the seventh time too.

And Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, while Glenn Close won the female counterpart for Damages. I’ve never watched Breaking Bad, and I passed on this past season of Damages, so I can’t say if they deserved their awards. But when in doubt, just guess that they’ll give it to last year’s winners, right?

THE UPSETS
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, the first award of the night, went to Kristin Chenoweth, and the tears she shed immediately were so genuine. It made me start to tear up, especially since I never thought Pushing Daisies would win! I mean, it was canceled. Clearly, the critics and I are the only ones who loved that show.

Next up, Toni Collette won for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy for United States of Tara. I always get so excited when I hear someone, who more oft than not, plays an American, talking in their real accent. Hers happens to be Australian and damn awesome. The fact that Tina Fey didn’t take this one is still shocking, accent or not.

Some other new wins include Michael Emerson for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama, after one of his best Lost seasons, and Cherry Jones for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama, after her turn as the first female President in 24.

A little perplexing is how Jon Cryer, from Two and a Half Men, won for Supporting Actor in a Comedy. I know there are a lot of people who love this show, and they have the Nielsen results to prove it. But he didn’t win for so long; I just never thought he’d have a chance this far down the line. I did appreciate his opening speech quip (see: Quotables). I guess he truly is funny.

And Justin Timberlake, also, won an Emmy. It’s just for Guest Star in a Comedy, but it must be like a sucker punch for the “real” actors who were also nominated with him.

GREAT FILLER
We get a tour of the stage, and they really jazzed stuff up, putting the control room and the band on stage. They even give Harris a podium to hang out at during the show. All the better to push the show along, my dear.

John Hodgman (the PC guy!) was also the color commentator, the person who gives you fun facts like how many awards the winner has won as they walk on stage, but it also made me think of a beauty pageant. Thankfully, he funnied it up with stats of some of the winners’ worst pieces of work or just flat out lies.

Maksim and Karina from Dancing With the Stars and some of my favorite SYTYCDancers performed a number, choreographed by NappyTabs, and if you read any of my past reviews you’d know I was super jazzed about that. That’s me though. Most of the people in the audience just wondered why they were watching dancing at the Emmys, reality host award or not).

Sarah McLachlan sang “I Will Remember You” as the In Memorium played in the background. We really did lose a lot of amazing people this year who worked in the media. Let’s just say by the time they got to Patrick Swayze and closed out with Walter Cronkite, I was bawling my eyes out.

QUOTABLES
“I’m not employed now so I’d like to be on Mad Men. I also like The Office and 24.” – Kristin Chenoweth.

“This is how you host the Emmys.” – Jeff Probst to Harris. He did look like the most angry and embarrassed of all of last year’s hosts by the end of the show.

“I used to think awards were just shallow tokens of momentary popularity, but now, I realize they are the only true measure of a person’s real worth as a human being.” – Jon Cryer.

“Trevino was struck by lightning twice and now I know how he feels. I’m glad Glenn Close is a woman.” – Bryan Cranston.

“I will make my speech as brief as possible in the hope that it won’t be interrupted by a congressman or a rapper.” – Ken Howard, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries.

“The thing about the Oscars and the Golden Globes, they’ve got film stars with their jaw lines and chiseled looks, making me feel bad, but in this room, I’m probably above average. Yeah, definitely. Here, Steve Carell is considered handsome. But Rainn Wilson, we’ve got to be honest, he’s weird, even here.” – Ricky Gervais.

Tracy Morgan just speaks and people laugh, even if what he’s saying is not funny.

WRAP IT UP
Yes, there was only one place to go but up, but I think Emmy producers have finally realized what they need to do to put out a entertaining show that viewers want to tune into and keep watching. Pick a host that’s actually funny. Don’t spend too much time on fluff. Pick comedians that make us laugh to keep the show upbeat and focus on the stars we love.

Here’s to hoping that it’ll only get better in the years to come.

61th Primetime Emmy Awards (originally aired September 20, 2009)

For television reviews, click here.

Photographs courtesy of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, CBS, Monty Brinton  and  IMDbPro.

Nigel gave me a giggle when he asked, “How close are we to Roswell?” And this sent me on a trip down memory lane where I realized that Katherine Heigl was a lead in a show named Roswell on the, then, WB, and then I remember it was 1999 when that show premiered, so I’ve aged 10 years. And then I start thinking I’m going to have a panic attack at any moment! But I digress. And thankfully there was some dancing to keep my mind off of my quarter life crisis.

SYTYCD is back to the type of horrendous audition rounds that talent reality shows are known for. And since my favorite dance show took only one episode before falling back into the basics, I think it’s time for “The Good, The Ordinary and the Utterly Horrible.”

THE GOOD
Sasha Mallory auditioned on season four and went straight to Vegas, but now, she’s ready because she’s all grown up.  As the first person I feel told a story through dance, she blew me away. Plus her bod is super cut, reminding me of Sabra, and she’s got great technique. All of the praise just brings an endless stream of tears, but the judges really give her something to cry about when she gets put straight through to Vegas.

Willem de Vries and Jacob Jason are the second same sex ballroom couple that we‘ve seen audition, but this time Nigel bites his tongue. His criticism is clearly biased, as if how good they were surprised him, but at least he was surprised in a good way, right? For me, when they switch back and forth between the typical ballroom gender roles of male and female, it’s a little distracting, but you can’t deny the dance is full of passion and beauty. And they’re seriously skilled since they showed they could partner with women just fine during the choreography. Off to Vegas they go.

Jonathan “Legacy” Perez is this season’s first legitimate B-Boy, and he also assisted Lauren Gottlieb with choreography last season. Seeing him flip, spin and top rock, get me energized but I’ve seen dancers just as good, if not better. That could be from all my ABDC and some of the past SYTYCDancers like Dominic. His routine had some crazy highs, but I definitely saw some slips. Still, I’m okay with him going straight to Vegas.

Only seen for mere seconds were Katie Muth and Ellie Soto, but in those brief moments they show performance, presence and technique so maybe we get to see more.

THE ORDINARY
Demetrio “Biggie” Bargas and Brandon “Shorty” Smallwood are bosom buddies. They’re two peas in a pod, a bonafide bromance. From their nicknames, it’s pretty clear that they’re far from twins, but just the idea that the little man and huge guy get together to bust a move makes me smile. I’m completely entertained watching them. They’re funny and lively, and their performance sums up the reason I love dance. It’s about having fun, enjoying yourself and doing what makes you happy. They might not be the best, but it’s not always about being the best or winning the race. It’s about enjoying the journey as you get there. And it’s clear they are.

Now this next girl will touch your heart, and maybe you will disagree with me putting her in this category because as a human being she’s truly exceptional, but this is about dance, guys. And as a dancer, she’s just okay. Allison Becker had spinal meningitis, and doctors said she’d never dance. Hell, they said she’d probably die, but in the end, she lost her hearing. Being deaf, though, hasn’t prevented this girl from following her dreams. People say it over and over and will continue to do so, but it IS truly an inspiration, and it makes me grateful for the chances I have in life. Allison is truly beautiful, and she smiles brightly the entire performance. She’s also very powerful but something is missing for me. You want her to be amazing but she’s just really good.

Kelsey White happens to be the first dancer after a montage of horror. She’s basically that breath of fresh air after driving behind a garbage truck that finally makes a turn. Okay so she’s not great, but at least she has talent! I feel bad for her because Nigel just walks out on her and then screams yes to the choreography from the wings.

Of all the ordinaries, everyone but Allison pretty much crash and burn during past contestants Pasha and Anya’s ballroom choreography, but they plainly couldn’t hack it.

THE UTTERLY HORRIBLE
Jonathan Noronha is special. So special I really don’t know where to start. This kid at a kegger would be a gas with his sticks and props and passion for every genre of dance ever created. Too bad he did none of it well.

Jarvis Johnson is like the Energizer Bunny of dance. Even Cat Deeley asked, “Can you ever be prepared for Jarvis?” The squealing and jumping around shtick got old, for me, very fast, but the judges were interested enough to send him to choreography where he flunks, of course. Finally realizing that dancing is actually harder than running around aimlessly, he then collapses and has what I can only imagine is a panic attack, but he says it’s an asthma attack.

Brandon Gordon and Nicole Peterson are like Frankenstein and Mini Me. They’re sweet but completely uncoordinated. It was like watching myself attempt to play soccer, sad and scary.

WRAP IT UP
Fifteen dancers move through to the next round. Phoenix had way more characters but less talent, and I didn’t see anyone that I would really root for, but people can surprise you. I can see at least one or two of these guys as real top 20 potential so I look forward to seeing what they can do and if production saved some Phoenix gems for later. The home of the Red Sox is up next. Will Boston wow us?

Season 6, Episodes 2: Audition Show #2 (originally aired September 16, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

Like I assumed, we didn’t get answers to everything that was brought up this season, but they answered more than I expected. And to everyone who was getting a little tired of the Maryann storyline, you’ll be pleased to know that she’s dead as a doornail. (That’s a Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse book title by the way.) As much as I loved this season, they sure did save a lot for the last possible minute.

We pick up in that precarious situation we left Sookie in last week, the one where she’s trapped in her grandma’s house and surrounded by her friends turned black-eyed loonies. Oh, and everyone was fawning over this big egg.

MARYANN AND THE REST OF BON TEMPS
Turns out the egg is no parts demon and all part ostrich and just part of Maryann’s offering to her God who will also be wedding her when he arrives, hence Maryann wearing Sookie’s grandma’s wedding dress and choosing Sookie as her maid of honor. While we’re waiting on Sam to arrive, Maryann taunts Sookie about her powers which Sookie can’t even begin to use because she has no clue at all what she really is. But come Sam does at the behest (and fangs) of Bill who thinks that giving him up is the only way to save Sookie and the town. Now we all know our little Miss Stackhouse would never sacrifice her friends for herself, so she’s none to happy with Bill. Jason and Andy are pretty much no help because the moment they try to get close to Maryann, they’re turned. (Guess that answers my questions about whether they’re something supernatural or not. Or does it? You can never tell with a show like this.)

Once Sam’s strapped up and ready to be sacrificed, Maryann gets Eggs to stab him right in the chest. Sookie is completely distraught, but together enough to listen when Sam mind-whispers for her to destroy the egg and that gross meat tree. Maryann’s not too happy to have her gifts ruined, and she turns to all of her (so far) faithful black-eyed minions, deciding that all of their slaughter would make up for the fact that there’s no longer an egg or meat tree to offer. Seems a little off balance to me but who am I to judge.

And then appears a beautiful white bull, and Maryann is so verklempt she’s not even prepared when the bull rams a horn right through her. I think I yelped out in glee which is pretty morbid when you think about it, but the lady doesn’t bleed red so I get some leeway here. By this point I’ve guessed what’s really going on so I wasn’t too surprised when the bull transformed back into Sam. I was shocked when he pulls out her heart and squeezes it, effectively rendering her a corpse. I will say Michelle Forbes was fantastic until her final breath and deserves a huge bravo.

THE AFTERMATH
And with that, Bon Temps is saved, and everyone returns to normal (sort of). We learn that Bill planned this all along, promising to save Sam by allowing him to drink his blood and heal him once he “sacrificed” himself. Jason and Andy are trying to deal with the fact that they think they’re heroes but that no one else in the town can remember that fact. And let’s just say that Andy’s taking it a lot worse. Everyone just wants to hang out at Merlotte’s and who can blame them with its ample supply of booze.

There’s a sweet moment between Sookie and Sam when she thanks him for the risk he took and for just being an all around great guy. Sookie also talks with Eggs who turns to her for some help remembering what he’s been up to while  under Maryann’s trance. Waking up with blood on your hands kind of messes with your brain. Not that I know about that or anything. But after he learns what really happened, he sure wishes he didn’t have a clue.

Seeing as he didn’t kill one but three people, he tries to give himself over to Andy (who’s also been returned to full detective status!), and he has the murder weapon in hand. But Eggs is so distraught and crazed, he ends up looking ready to kill Andy instead, and that’s when Jason, after all those war games, finally gets his first kill. Andy, taking in the situation, ends up pushing Jason away and taking the rap for himself. Tara’s beside herself and the entire town is at a loss for words, but we’ll have to wait until next season to see what happens.

And in the biggest reveal of all, Bill, finally, takes his lady out for a beautiful, expensive French dinner and he proposes! Sookie starts crying, sad tears which is never a good sign, and she tells him that figuring out she’s not really human has confused her and that she can’t give him an answer. The proposal and rejection endears me to Bill, but I can’t say when she ran away to freshen up that running mascara that I didn’t hope Eric would pop up. (He doesn’t, and by the way, I don’t condone infidelity unless it has anything to do with Eric.) And when she comes back out of the little girls’ room, Bill is gone. (For everyone who might be a little angry with Bill for just leaving Sookie, know that there’s actually some foul play at hand, and it probably has to do with my new boyfriend Eric.)

ON A SIDENOTE
Jessica and Hoyt seem like they’re on their way to a reconciliation when Hoyt realizes that all the horrible things his mother said about his father were true. Maxine even admits that she wanted to keep Hoyt all to herself because she was afraid of being alone, which doesn’t sit well with a man who was never allowed to really grow up. After that, he’s quick to make up with Jessica, but she’s already out with another man. Unfortunately for the guy, he doesn’t know that she’s a vampire just looking for her next snack. Broken hearts and vamps just don’t go well together. What will Hoyt feel if he ever finds out?

Sadly, we didn’t get enough of Eric this episode. Eric and the Queen played Yahtzee, and we discover that Sophie Ann is the one ordering Eric to supply humans with V. While Bill brought out the boring in Sophie Ann, Eric brought out the wild side. She should show that side more often because Evan Rachel Wood actually kept me very entertained this episode.

And Sam takes a big step by opening up about who he truly is to his adoptive parents. When he first changed into a dog, let’s just say they were mortified, shocked and more than happy to let him run away. He gets a lot of apologies when he returns but not acceptance. Don’t feel bad for Sam because acceptance isn’t what he’s looking for. He actually wants to contact his birth parents, and after all they’ve done to him, his father does get him their information in the end.

WRAP IT UP
Season two of True Blood definitely went by too quickly. I can’t believe not too long ago I was recapping about the Fellowship of the Sun. Doesn’t that feel like a distant memory? We didn’t lose any big players, but I have a feeling that Eggs’s death will really have an impact on Tara next season. And did Eric actually kidnap Bill or did someone else beat him to the punch? Will Sookie get to show Bill that she really does want his engagement ring on her left hand? And Sam’s mom said that his real parents aren’t good people, but I’m less interested in judging them and more interested in finding out who or what they may be.

So after everything is said and done, I’d give this season an A-, but the finale a B. What’d you think of the finale and the rest of season two? Did it live up to your expectations?

Season 2, Episode 12: Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ (originally aired September 13, 2009)

For more on True Blood, click here.

Sundays at 9pm on HBO

Photographs courtesy of HBO and IMDbPro

WAKING UP IN VEGAS
Mollee Gray is a bowl of sugar. She’s an aw shucks, sweet girl and a strong dancer. She’s also been a dancer in High School Musical 1, 2 & 3. It’s not the best performance that I think she can give, but I think we’ll see more from her. And she chose Postal Service as her music, so thumbs up!

Ryan Kasprzak has a lot going for him. He was the last boy cut last season, and his brother made it to the finale last season as well. But counting against him is the fact that no tap dancer has ever made it to the top 20. He really performs. There’s no music, only his tapping shoes, his voice and his fingers tapping, but it’s enough.

Bianca Revels complained over and over again that she wouldn’t return after being cut multiple times, but did you really believe her? She’s the second person to keep tap alive, and she even gets to battle (Apparently, it’s actually called trading) Ryan. It was sweet. And though no one was declared the winner, she got a ticket.

Amber Williams’s mother is paralyzed from the waist down, so seeing her dance definitely evokes some strong emotions. The personality wasn’t there for me, but she’s a beautiful girl and a very great technical dancer.

Christina Santana is our first Latin dancer. She and her partner Pepe are pretty much insane, and they do something a little different, trying a lot of separate in sync choreography as well as all Latin partner moves. She says she does ballet, jazz and belly dancing, but the belly dancing didn’t seem all that great, so I will wait to see if she can REALLY do other genres.

Phillip Attmore was Ryan’s roommate when they toured with Fosse. (By the way, I love me some Fosse.) I think he has a lot of heart. You can definitely feel how much he loves what he can do. And the footwork was strong. Sometimes you have to strain to hear every shuffle, but he was all power.

We didn’t get to see a lot of Alexie Agedeppa or Paula van Oppen but from the snippets we got, they were gorgeous both physically and talent-wise. David Hovhannisyan, Amanda Kirby and Brandon Dumlao were a few other dancers we got to see a brief glimpse of.

THANKFULLY YOU MISSED IT
Cole Clemons, the first auditioned, must have never seen the show because he thought a theatrical piece without music would get him through. No one even clapped in the audience! At least Sex got more than that.

Christopher Aguilar wants to make movies. He’s inspired by Ginger Rogers, and he’s written a thesis about how changing the character of Velma in Chicago to a male character might or might not affect the storyline. He loves jazz hands and shimmying and lands on his knees, painfully, when he attempt flips.

WRAP IT UP
If this episode is a glimpse of how all the auditions will go then things have definitely changed. Having Adam Shankman on the panel reminds me that it’s still my old SYTYCD, but they barely focused on the terrible dancers (I’m okay with that).  We also didn’t get to see any dancers who didn’t go straight through to Vegas. They glossed over the choreography, and then showed us a montage of people who finally made it, though we saw none of their dancing or even their names.

Unlike summer when there’s very little on, they’ll only get one show per week for auditions. I know you know what I’m thinking. We have a long way to go. We’re going to be watching audition rounds until October 6th, and we won’t know the top 20 until October 21st. But hang in there because if the performers are any indication of the dancers we’ll be seeing over the next eight weeks, then we have quite the show ahead of us.

Until next week in Arizona!

Season 6, Episodes 1: Audition Show #1 (originally aired September 9, 2009)

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

Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED

My first let down came with the introduction of Sophie-Ann, vampire queen of Louisiana. Evan Rachel Wood looked incredible, but I didn’t gravitate towards her character like I have to other vamps introduced in the past like Godric, Eric, Pam and Lorena. Sure she was fashionable (very Chanel chic!), and her humble abode was gorgeous and, well, not so humble. Basically, the look was there and the backdrop was there but a real character I could hold onto just wasn’t.

When Bill arrived, Sophie-Ann is sucking on the femoral artery of a beautiful lady and not very interested in the comings and goings of Bon Temps. She’s polite and chatty, and would rather sunbathe and play Yahtzee (you know she’s old if she loves that game!) than discuss Maenads. The few times I really enjoyed Wood were the scenes where she asked Bill in that sweet, honey voice of hers not to go and to play games with her, but you could tell by the look in her eyes that it wasn’t so much a question as an order.

The one thing that she does manage to offer Bill is some information on Maryann’s weakness. The conversation was completely one-sided, stilted and just odd, but I assume that was the most convenient way to answer all of our questions about how to kill someone who’s apparently immortal. In short, Maryann is waiting for her God to appear and kill her. All this is pretty stupid in my opinion, but thank her God for her stupidity because it is in this moment of sacrifice that she is weakest. Basically wait for her to make her sacrifice and believe that her God is coming, and she will let her immortal guard down both physically and metaphorically.

THE CRAZY BUNCH

While Bill is doing some reconnaissance, Sookie, Lafayette and Lettie Mae hold Tara hostage. All she wants to do is save her man, and she’s spitting venom at anyone who’s in her way, no matter how harsh. She says Lafayette’s holding her back because he’ll never find love like she has. She questions why Sookie can always act the heroine to save her man, but she can’t. And in the most devious act of all, she baits her own mother with forgiveness. Let her go, and she’d forgive her mom for all that she’d put her through. And it worked!

So Tara rushes off to save her first love in one of the stupidest moves ever on True Blood, and that’s saying a lot. Of course, I know that it’ll take Maryann 1.5 seconds before she’s got Tara back under her spell, but Tara HAS to be the hero. And as Maryann predicated, she brought her friends back with her, leading Sookie into a scary situation and Lafayette all black-eyed as well. And what is up with that big, nesting egg? It looked ominous. No baby Maryanns please!

THE TALE OF TWO RENEGADES

Our renegades are ready for battle. Jason saying, “Guys, I read a book about this. This is Armageddon. This is the oral history of the zombie war. We need weapons. Lots of ‘em.” Pretty much sets the tone of this shoddy team. Jason basically spends his time rambling about how cool it is that Sam’s a shape shifter. (I wish he hadn’t clued them in off screen because that would have been one funny scene.) But the aftermath is still hysterical. Though Jason and Andy never got along, they bond over the fact that they may be the only two people who can rescue Bon Temps. (Lord, save us all!)

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Sam starts to realize that he has to do something, but going after Maryann with guns cocked and ready to go isn’t the best option. When Arlene’s kids find their way to mom’s place of employment, he’s the one to take care of them. (Can I get a collective AW for Sam Merlotte, the greatest guy ever? He’s being hunted by one badass creature, and he can still make these kids sandwiches.

He heads to Fangtasia to see what Eric can do. Of course, Eric will do nothing without compensation, so he offers his “future” help. Hopefully, he’ll be around. This had to be one of my favorite scenes. Pam’s completely disgusted with human children, while Eric is fascinated and, most definitely, attracted calling them tasty “teacup human.” Alexander Skarsgard, you amaze me with the fact that you could say that line with a straight face. He, then, flies off to Queen Sophie-Ann, and I get a flashback of Nathan Petrelli. Where did that power come from? And how?

Another fantastic moment is Eric’s dismissal of the ever-pissy Bill when he arrives as he fixes his wind blown hair. (As we saw earlier in the season, Eric loves his hair.) Bill threatens that if he doesn’t stay away from Sookie, he’ll tell the queen that he’s been peddling V and that shut him up pretty fast. At least for now.

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS

And I feel for our poor, star-crossed lovers. Hoyt managed to get Jessica’s fangs from out of his mother’s neck, but the damage had already been done at that point. His mama could have died, and all he can think about it how he should never have trusted Jessica to be one of those good and controlled vampires. I feel bad for her seeing as she really didn’t have anything to eat in a long time, and Hoyt’s mom really is a hateful wench, but you just can’t go snacking on your boyfriend’s family. Etiquette, ladies! He gets him mom out of there to safety, and all Jessica can do is cry blood and scream bloody murder.

WRAP IT UP

So there was a lot I loved and some things I really didn’t. The writers threw a lot at us and expected an audience, who wants to see the story wrapping up, to just be okay believing and digesting all this new information. I’m not too happy about that, especially when the plot progresses a millimeter in the process.

I loved Jason and Andy’s scenes and Sam and Eric’s. I liked that good dramatic work put in by Nelsan Ellis when he was having torture flashbacks as Lettie Mae held a gun in his face. I appreciated seeing that both Lafayette and Sookie are having dirty dreams about Eric, so she’s not really that special. But what’s the egg about? And why can some vamps fly and others can’t? Will we even see Sookie’s new power again this season? And I’m supposed to believe that some immortal beings become immortal just because they think they are? And if Tara was the one who summoned Maryann with her fake exorcism last season, why’d Maryann come? Because fake spiritual callings have to happen pretty often in the world, right? And the whole “save the town/Sam” arc is going to happen over one episode? I don’t know. That’s a lot of questions to have pop up after seeing the second to last episode of the season.

Phew! So you see, yes, I was a little peeved at the end. Alright that might be an understatement. I wanted to throw my laptop at my TV, but I love those things almost as much as I love my family so that didn’t happen. And I’m laid back. I can go with the flow. Alan Ball and crew, you’ve done well by me all season, so you better bring it on in two weeks!

Season 2, Episode 11: Frenzy (originally aired August 30, 2009)

For more on True Blood, click here.

Sundays at 9pm on HBO

Photographs courtesy of HBO and IMDbPro

Back in the 1978, a properly-spelled, Italian B-movie titled The Inglorious Bastards was released by a man named Enzo Castellari. He may be no Sergio Leone or Federico Fellini, but a film nerd like director Quentin Tarantino is the perfect man to tackle this spaghetti western in a way that puts it on a pedestal and knocks it down a few pegs at the same time.

So the film, I’m told since I haven’t seen the original, isn’t a remake and, thank god, Tarantino wouldn’t be the type to tout it as a redux or reboot or whatever else we’re calling remakes with freedom to change as we please these days. And besides a loosely taken plot about the “basterds”, vicious fighters who sneak behind enemy lines of the Nazi’s to seek revenge on the big men in charge, it’s suppose to be completely its own.

Much like any Tarantino film, the soundtrack choice is superb and the 35mm visuals are pretty great to watch. But the greatest thing of all is the characters he brings to life. These characters are over the top  and broad in the personage spectrum but nowhere near being generic. The three superstars are Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent and Christoph Waltz, who respectively play the Antihero, the Femme and the Nazi. Yes, it’s as simple as that.

The Antihero Lieutenant Aldo Raine’s (Pitt) got a thick southern drawl and is the leaders of the “basterds”, requiring all of them to get at least 100 Nazis scalps. No joke! Though he comes around to be the hero of the story and you root for him and his group of merry men, they’re kind of the dregs of society.  The Femme Shosanna, played by Melanie Laurent, watched her entire Jewish family massacred. After changing her name and acquiring a movie theater, she plans to use a Nazi premiere to blow the enemy away. And Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Waltz), who also won the 2009 Cannes Best Actor award, kicks off and ends the film in grand fashion and makes it clear that sometimes it is oh-so fun to play the villain.

Some would say that it might be the best Tarantino film made to date. It’s funny, it’s smart and wonderful to watch visually and musically. It’s dark and light at the same time. It succeeds at everything Tarantino tries to encapsulate and capture in all his films. Plus, it’s an added bonus to see World War II end in a much different manner.

Sookie, Bill, and Jason were technically playing catch up on the things we already know have been going on back at home. People were running around town, tossing themselves in front of cars and pretty much just acting a fool. Repeated calls to the police station were greeted only with an answering machine, and for a town that small, it was utterly baffling and annoying to Jason.

After hearing all the crazies talk about finding Sam and, well, killing him, they head to Bill’s. There, Jessica and Hoyt have their hands full trying to wrangle the newly black-eyed and liberated Maxine. Keeping her locked up is probably the smartest thing these two could do, but it sure as hell doesn’t look like any fun with all her hateful ranting and sexual lunges at Jason (I feel you, lady!). But the funniest part of all was the realization that an alien-killing Wii game would hold her attention.

The two give them the heads up that party central has been Maryann’s place which also happens to be Sookie’s place, and they go off to find out what’s going on. Jason takes the opportunity to break from them and use his FOTS training to  confront, head on, what’s going down in town.

And Maryann is done with pleasantries when they arrive. I guess I get that since she’s already erected a giant tree statue made out of meats and veggies and other earthly things. I can’t imagine what that thing smells like in that hot Louisiana sun, but she just wants a little more Kobe beef and Sam. Sookie makes her stand. but Maryann is faster and stronger, so Bill goes vamp on her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to be filled with blood, more like gross sticky black ooze that makes him puke. In all the mayhem, Sookie puts her hand on the baddie’s forehead and a light sparks out of it. It puts Maryann out of commission for a second so they take the opportunity to run. No one has any idea what just happened, let alone Sookie, and all Maryann can do is laugh as they run and scream out “what are you?!”

Elsewhere, Jason finds Sam and Andy stuck in Merlotte’s freezer with all the maddies in town ready to turn him over to their new leader. Terry, with his military background has become the groups leaders. Jason bust in, wielding a chainsaw, and when no one paid him any attention until he sawed their radio player in half, I almost died. No one seems to care that he’s ready to knock ‘em down like bowling pins until he puts a nail gun to Darlene’s head. Well actually, everyone wants him to (teehee) nail her, even Arlene but Terry doesn’t like the idea of him hurting his lady friend. They retreat long enough for Jason to get Andy and Sam convinced to come out but not long enough to help them escape.

So Sam gives up. He’s thought about it a lot in the last couple of episodes, but he actually does it this time. Thankfully, Jason’s scheming isn’t done yet, and he takes advantage of the fact that these black eyes make vision a little blurry. He dons a gas masks, throws some flares, and keeps some in his hand for a god-like effect, and all the while Andy’s holding this tree branch as antlers behind his head because no one will believe he’s a god unless he has antlers. Hysterical. At this point, I’m rolling around in my bed. Sam screams “smite” me about ten times before Jason gets with the picture, and then shape shifts, and that’s enough to convince everyone to go back to Maryann and tell her that their job is done. Now, we haven’t yet tackled Jason and Andy seeing Sam disappear and reappear naked, but I can’t wait until they finally put it together in their little brains.

And the final piece of this puzzle is saving Tara from Maryann’s hold. Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to reach her with slaps and prayer and nothing works. Lafayette quips, “This has got to be the worst [bleeping] intervention in history!” Never mind, Tara just chants the same thing over and over again and says “He’s” coming to kill them all. He must be Dionysus or Satan, definitely someone scary. When Sookie and Bill show up, Bill glamors her while Sookie presses further than she’s ever had to to get answers, and though it’s difficult, she finally unlocks Tara’s brain and all those repressed memories. Boy, her realization of everything that’s happened is heartbreaking. But Bill can’t hang around because he knows something has to be done, and he doesn’t want to call on Eric like Sookie suggest. Instead he heads to the Queen Bees home, who happens to be the head honcho of vamps in Louisiana.

Side Note: Jessica has enough with mommy dearest vamp-hating rants and attacks. Doesn’t look good for either of them in Hoyt’s eyes. And Bill recognizes the sacrificial tree with a burning man from a book he was reading in a flashback a few episodes ago. He also remembers the names that accompanied the picture, which he thought was just a myth, and the words Tara was chanting happened to be those names. Oh, and the picture and caption definitely had to do with Dionysus and his Maenads.

So we didn’t learn very much, but I’m happy that Bill, Sookie and Jason are finally clued in to what’s been going on while they were in Dallas. I love Sookie all gussied up and ready to defend the people she loves, and hopefully Tara will finally have the will to fight back too. It’s also clear that something different about not only Sookie, with her new powers, but Jason (same blood, duh!), Hoyt, Andy and maybe even Lafayette and Lettie Mae since they all seem to be immune to Maryann’s crazy juice. Hopefully we’ll get some of those answers before the end of the season as well as Maryann’s downfall. Only two more to go!

Season 2, Episode 10: New World In My View (Originally aired August 23, 2009)

For more on True Blood, click here.

Sundays at 9pm on HBO

Photographs courtesy of HBO and IMDbPro