Wednesday the 16th

SYTIt'sTheFinale

• Well damn straight they open the massive group number with Legacy, bc Legacy is awesome and got robbed last week. ROBBED. The dance itself was OK, but not spectacular. I found myself racking my brain trying to recall who the first people eliminated were - Kat's reminder that these were the "top 19 dancers" helped. That Brandon kid who made it in as a replacement for Billy Bell, then did an inexplicable hip hop routine to a John Mayer song and was heaved aside but told he can reaudition. And the girl was... was... huh. Hope I blogged about that and... I did. Still don't remember her, really.
  
  
• Why so many upcoming musical numbers? And not masters of dance?!? Prediction: I will be fast forwarding. A lot.
  
  
• ...and apparently I will begin fast forwarding now, because I already watched last night's show. Last night, in fact.
  
  
• Lil C's favorite - the hip hop collaboration from the intro show. Legacy and Russell still incredible. Kevin still not sure why he was top 20. While this was fun, after seeing so many cool hip hop routines on "America's Best Dance Crew", this was just OK.
  
  
• Adam's favorite - Ellenore and Jakob's contemporary choreographed by Sonia. YES. This was an incredible choreographer-dancer pairing.
  
  
• Nigel's favorite - the group tap routine. Was it just me, or did it feel like their hearts weren't really in this? Or was it just Bianca? Who has a right to be bitter because they cut her too early?
  
  
• Mary's favorite - a new routine by the married couple. So they could do ballroom. And be married. Ashleigh finally seemed to have her face under control, but there were two moments with noticable pauses where she was lining up waiting for Ryan, once for him to kick over her head and once when he was jumping over her.
  
  
• Leona Lewis, and as I fast forwarded, I thought to myself "It was sure great when Chelsea and Mark danced to that Leona Lewis song 'Bleeding Love' - yes, I sure do enjoy it when there is dancing on 'So You Think You Can Dance'." And also, "Way to freakin' shill this show out as a movie commercial, producers."
  
  
• Y'know, I'm also thinking that while I didn't love Season 5 it did have some truly memorable numbers - Addiction, The Butt, the Travis Wall contemporary piece for Jeanine and Jason - and this season lacked those. Because I am having a tough time thinking of anything iconic from it - I really loved Ellenore and Ryan's contemporary, and Legacy and Kathryn's waltz, and nothing is else is really coming to mind right now.
  
  
• OK, guest DANCERS. I will watch you, Groovaloos. Hey, isn't that girl in the purple shirt, who I didn't realize was a girl at first, from Beat Freaks?? YAY!!! And those two guys leaping over and under each other at the same time was incredible. Cutting off the last 2 members during the bow? BOOOOO!!!! BAD SHOW, DIRECTOR!!!!
  
  
• Jakob and Kathryn, contemporary piece. Maybe I would like this better if it wasn't to a cheesy song. I have never liked this song - not since it was on "Family Ties". No argument that the dancing is superb, I just didn't connect to the piece.
  
  
• Tyce's favorite, Nathan and Mollee's Bollywood. Eh. I wish Russell and Ashleigh had been able to dance their number together, because I think that would have been the better piece. I think Mollee was a lot better this time around - some switch really did flip for her because grown-up dancing Mollee is more fun to watch than cheerleader gymnastics camp Molleee.
  
  
• OK, this just got dramatic and I am not happy about Russell being hurt at all. And while I'm glad Ryan is in 6th, who is going to hold Russell up? Kat agrees. Summary - I had higher hopes, I really did like a few of his early dances, but he wasn't the highest caliber.
  
  
• Adam Lambert, who is supposedly not going to offend anyone tonight. WRONG. I am offended because this number involves no dancing. Fast forward.
  
  
• Montage of auditions, which I fast forward, until the part where they show the top 20 bc it's fun to go back and watch their auditions - except clips are minimal. So more fast forwarding!
  
  
• And Ashleigh in 5th - I agree again, and am relieved because now I will be pretty happy with whoever wins. She grew on me, but again - not the same caliber as the other girls left.
  P.S. Her mom's hair is cuh-razy big.
  
  
• Adam's favorite - Ellenore and Legacy the Mr. and Mrs. Smith thing. Again, I just didn't connect to the theme. I liked it a little better this time, but they still can't make me love it. It's like last season when they tried to make me love cancer. If you tell me I'm supposed to like it, I probably won't.
  
  
• Debbie's favorite - Russell and Noelle's, African Jazz. "Luckily, we have a tape." Um, really Kat? That sounds pretty goofy. Like there was going to be a problem getting the rights to this, or finding it backstage. Shit, it's probably on YouTube. As for the number, it's entertaining. I would be up for seeing more African Jazz in future seasons.
  
  
• Fourth. I don't know - I'm going to guess Ellenore. Since she was third last week. And she is. Which is a bummer, because I really, really loved her dancing. I hope we get to see more of her in the futire. I would pay money.
  
  
• Lil C's favorite - an orgy of majestic contemporary artistry. Huh. I think this season made me really hate Tyce. Kudos to Ariana, because she was the best part in this, and now I remember why I was annoyed they cut her first. She put her heart in this one.
  
  
• Mary's favorite - Russell and Kathryn, hip hop. I hope they are lucky enough to have a tape - oh, good! They do! All the way from last night! I still like it! I still think she didn't hit as hard as him, and if they didn't like her less the judges would have said this!
  
  
• Mary J. Blige, and as I fast forward it appears those could be dancers in the background, but turns out they're just sort of standing there posing. At least that's what it looked like in fast forward.
  
  
• Nigel's choice, yet another number from the season opener, but it's the Wade Robson one so OK. Oh wait, it's the Wade Robson one that I thought was Taboleon. Drat. But it did point out for me that Jakob has really been awesome all season, and may have still been in the top even if Billy Bell had stayed in the competition.
  
  
• Third - gonna say Kathryn, because I think guys traditionally get more votes, unless the girl blows them out of the water. Unless it's Katee, who should've at least been second and would have actually been a great choice for winner of Season 4. And it is, and glad she managed not to get all ridiculously squeaky. I liked her a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning of the season. And am still shipping her and Legacy.
  
  
• J. Lo., and it involves dancing. But it's J. Lo., so I don't care. Fast forward. Watched some of the interview, and damnit now I have to rewatch because there are supposed to be familiar SYTYCD faces. Huh. Couldn't pick any out. Why can't they name them? Because it's sad that success is being an unrecognizable dancer backing up J. Lo.?
  
  
• Winner: I'm going with Jakob, because I think he has the most support from the whole season. Russell had a terrific night yesterday, but Jakob has been just fantastic and it would be nice to have the actual best dancer win this time. (Not to say I haven't been thrilled with other past winners, but acknowledge that the most technically proficient has never won.) Russell sure had some entertaining moments, though, starting with the Vegas round when he did such an awesome job in the ballroom.
  
  
• Whaddya know. I kinda think Russell pulled a Jeanine and won because he was exceptional in the last show, but wasn't necessarily in the lead the entire time. I am a little disappointed it wasn't Jakob, but if Ellenore goes on tour with him I will pay even more.
  
  

Tuesday the 15th

SYTIt'sAlmostOver

• Has anyone ever said anything interesting in the "I made the finals" interviews? No.
  
  


• Kathryn and Ryan, Samba. Must admit - it is pretty hard to complain about Ryan being shirtless here. And Kathryn was delightfully sinewy. It was a pretty hot number.
  
  


• Ellenore and Jakob, Broadway. There were roughly 78 splits in this routine, and it was just kind of ridiculous. Tyce Diorio is lame. Ellenore and Jakob are aweseome.
  
  


• Ashleigh and Russell, Lyrical Jazz. Russell made my jaw drop - he was really spectacular here. His extensions were great, and while I thought the signature Sonia jerkiness was forced, he committed to it and looked like he really felt the piece. And Ashleigh - was apparently also in this, but I don't think she did much beyond get lifted. It reminded me of her early work with Jakob, where she also didn't do anything.
  
  


• Ryan and Ellenore, Jazz. This piece was a lot of fun! Ellenore was amazing - her robotic skills were fantastic. Ryan wasn't nearly as good as she was.
  
  


• Jakob and Ashleigh, Fox Trot. I didn't care. I didn't care A LOT. It wasn't a particularly strong piece for Jakob, and Ashleigh still bores me.
  
  


• Russell and Ellenore, Paso Doble. Wow, Russell is nailing it tonight - what a good time to peak! And... I didn't hear the pairing and assumed it was Kathryn and didn't realize it wasn't until they came up to the judges. So - actually, that's pretty good because I was thinking Kathryn was nailing it as usual, and I haven't seen Ellenore dance before where I didn't immediately think "Yup, that's Ellenore."
  
  


• Kathryn and Jakob, Contemporary. While they both danced this passionately, and were both amazing, and I really recognized Kathryn's signature style here - I found myself thinking "Yeah, this is good, but it's not great like the piece Jeanine and Jason did last season."
  
  


• Ashleigh and Ryan, Contemporary. It was fine. She still pulls too much face. Y'know what bugs me? If they love each other so much, why are they always crying about it? Gah!
  
  


• Kathryn and Russell, Hip Hop. I think Russell may have just won this. WILD CARD!!! And I was wondering if Kathryn did any other hip hop? Because she couldn't hit it hard enough.
  
  


• I'm really not sure what the outcome is going to be tomorrow. Based on tonight, I say give it to Russell. Based on the season, Jakob or Kathryn or Ellenore. Probably Jakob. So to summarize - not Ryan or Ashleigh.
  
  


• I wish they had gone one more week, so it could have been a really deserving final four, and so they would have each had time to solo. Because since the voting is for just one person anyway, I think it was a shame not to see each person dance individually.
  

Wednesday the 9th

SytawheckIdon'tcaremucheither

• Sonia's group dance number was cool, and super long. Very distracted noticing Ashleigh still wasn't dancing.
  
  
• Suspected something up with the girls when they brought out the boys first for voting. Not surprised with the results.
  
  
• Surprised Ashleigh made it, but not all that annoyed about it. Not happy Ellenore is in the bottom, but with a final 6 - don't think she has a shot at winning anyway.
  
  
• Musical group, extremely annoying. Blech.
  
  
• K-Mart product placement - painful to watch. Thank God they don't pull this shit more often on the show.
  
  
• Legacy. I approve of the almost all spinning solo, bc hell lots of spinning is impressive and this one is to demonstrate skill rather than to win votes.
  
  
• Ellenore. WOW. That was my favorite Ellenore solo yet. Her movement was so fluid, and unexpected. I would pay money to see her.
  
  
• Ryan. Was it just me, or were those mom jeans? And boo, repeat solo.
  
  
• Mollee. The intro reminded me of Nathan's solos, in a good way. Girl certainly peaked this week.
  
  
• Second musical guest. Eh. Don't care. Don't watch American Idol, and this Kris Allen kid is all right but ... hey, is that Constantine, the really irritating American Idol contestant from a few seasons ago, on bass? Weird.
  
  
• Ellenore safe - phew! And I'm glad Mollee got to go out after showing she really can grow beyond pep squad dancing.
  
  
• Ryan? RYAN?? Fuck. Stupid tweenie voters who bought into the "oh, the married couple is so in love and so cute" storyline. I would much rather watch Legacy for one more week. DAMNIT.
  
  

Tuesday the 8th

SYTIt'sTuesday

• It took them an awful long time to explain why Ashleigh wasn't in the dance intro tonight. Didn't want to see her go out this way, but I don't think she's going to prove popular enough to get through to tomorrow without dancing. Oh, and now it will be way easier for America to not vote Ryan in either. Dad's prediction was the 2 of them, and I agreed, provided they weren't paired up tonight.
  
  
• Kathryn and Ryan in aw damnit disco. ENOUGH DISCO. Anyway, I didn't see the storyline at all. And it was well done, but still disco, so I don't care anymore. Just don't care.
  
  
• Jakob and Mollee, Viennese Waltz. Jakob is the MIDAS of dancers, because this was my very favorite Mollee routine ever. I really liked it - I thought they danced it beautifully, and it was very sweet. That last lift was SO CUTE.
  
  
• P.S. What's this nonsense about having a finale with a top 6? Poor planning, Fox. That's too many dancers. Although I must admit the back-to-back seasons were too close together, and while I still love this show, even MY enthusiasm has waned.
  
  
• Ellenore and Legacy, Contemporary. I was put off by the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" rip-off, BUT, can't argue that they did it really well. They were incredibly acrobatic, but I kinda missed more... dancing.
  
  
• Jakob. Holy shit, that kid is so good. SO. GOOD. I'm gonna call it right now - he will be the first best dancer to win this competition.
  
  
• Russell and Ashleigh, SHAAANNNNEEEE SPAARRRKKKKSSSSS!!! Yay. YAY! And Russell KILT this. Just flat out killed it. It was so much fun to watch him do his own style.
  
  
• Mollee. Good on her - this one did NOT look like a cheer routine. It was pretty good.
  
  
• Ryan and Kathryn, Cha Cha. Well he better be good at this, but - still don't think it'll save him. And he WAS good! It reminded me of back during the auditions when I thought he was going to be fun to watch. The ending pose was so fantastic. This was indeed hot.
  
  
• Legacy. The phone was silly, but I still loves me some old school b' boy moves. I would totally give him money if I saw him dancing on the pier.
  
  
• Ellenore. I think she would be the most fun to watch dance spontaneously, like at a party or something. She just looks so improv, and fun!
  
  
• Russell. Santa costume cute, and the wacky thing he did gliding with his feet was unreal. But the teddy bear was silly. What's up with the props tonight, kids?
  
  
• Jakob and Mollee, Broadway. Nicely done - sense of humor, and fun to watch. If Mollee had been paired with Jakob early on, maybe I could've liked her the whole time.
  
  
• Kathryn. Ooohhh... I loved her twisty pretzel moves!
  
  
• Ellenore and Legacy, Hip Hop. Not strange enough. Shane Sparks could've made this even weirder. Like the transformer routine.
  
  
• Ryan. You know who else did better ballroom solos? Pasha. And Dmitry. Plugging his wife was nice, but wish he could've done it without choking himself up.
  
  
• Russell and Ashleigh, Bollywood. Wow, looks like hip hop is good training for Bollywood, because Russell was once again TERRIFIC. I love that kid.
  
  
• Looked like everyone was peaking tonight, EXCEPT - sadly - Legacy and Ellenore. Still think it's likely Ashleigh and Ryan go home tomorrow, and Jakob for the win in the finals!
  
  

Wednesday the 2nd

SYTYCDResults

• Who did Kat's make-up? Matte red lips and flesh colored dress? No.
  
  
• Group Number - Mad Max and Billy Joel together at last! Uh... This was fun, and featured a whole lotta Jakob being AWESOME, and also seemed to give everyone a little showcase moment. Or at least each of the boys.
  
  
• Nooooo... it should have been Mollee and Noelle. Not Kathryn. Damnit. Prediction: a not so joyeux Noelle.
  
  
• The men? I concur. Prediction: G'night, Ryan.
  
  
• The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Who knew synchronized b-boying was so PRETTY? Loved it.
  
  
• Noelle - well, that solo was the best thing I've seen her do. But she can still go. And I still would have rather had Bianca around longer.
  
  
• Ryan - boo, recycled solo. Even though he was corny, I think all the ballroom guys should seek out Benji Schwimmer for solo advice bc he was generally entertaining.
  
  
• Kathryn - aw, honey, I love you but boo, recycled solo. And it was better yesterday.
  
  
• Nathan - best solo of the night. It was really good, and I love his dance - I just wish... he had seasoning, I guess, so he came across as more likable. Brilliant dancer, maybe shouldn't talk.
  
  
• Snoop Dogg. And QWEST CREW WOOOOHHHOOOOOOO!!!! And a bunch of other dancers, so I liked this. Because while it was a musical act, it mostly featured dancing and how the music worked to inspire movement.
  
  
• So , for Noelle, keep in mind Kherington also went out #5 and she managed to book the remake of Fame. And Nathan also has a lot of potential to have a dance career. (And I think Ryan is likely to go next week. Not that I don't like him, I just don't think he's as well-rounded as the other guys (Jakob), or as spectacular in his style (Russell).

Tuesday the 1st

SYTYStill Watching? Hmm...

• Noelle and Ryan, Hip-Hop. This left me bored, and I was struck by how much Noelle looked like Tabitha while she was dancing. Or like she was imitating Tabitha. Ryan kept up, but he looked like a performer on an old variety show trying to do a hip new routine.
  
  
• Legacy and Ashleigh, Contemporary. This routine was REALLY neat, and I loved how they kept using each other as platforms. Their sync was hit or miss, though - there was one section where they were mirroring each other, face to face, and just as I was thinking "WOW, they're really timing this well" they got... off. I admit that I enjoy watching Ashleigh dance a lot more now than I did in the beginning - but the face pulling still gets to be a bit much. Not that Legacy is much different, actually, but his fit the tone of the piece better. The ending pose with Legacy on his head was WAY cool.
  
  
• Mollee. No doubt the girl is athletic, but her solos have a "cheerleader" vibe rather than "dancer".
  
  
• Russell. He is AWESOME. Creative disrobing, a fall into an elbow stand, and the last leap into a one-legged squat? C. Razy.
  
  
• Kathryn and Nathan, Broadway. Oh, she is just too adorable. So classy, and she danced that beautifully. He? Looked kinda oily. I'm having a hard time getting past his "Little Prince" personality, but was also bugged bc he ALSO pulled faces like mad. If he and Ashleigh got paired, it would be very, very painful.
  
  
• Noelle. She does look joyful. Some of her extensions were a bit off. Pretty standard contemporary fare.
  
  
• Jakob and Ellenore, Quickstep. Cute little routine, and I liked the separated section. Ellenore looked a bit stiff, but that may have been because she was doing this well. I think they would have scored 2nd or 3rd in an actual Quickstep contest.
  
  
• Ryan. Had a really impressive leap in there where he reached his head back and almost touched his toes. And has anyone used "Rock You Like a Hurricane" for a Paso Doble yet? Bc that would totally work.
  
  
• Kathryn. Gosh, I like her. This was a pretty piece - nothing earth-shattering, but pretty.
  
  
• Mollee and Russell, Lyrical Jazz. I was distracted by the lame song and the even lamer remix of the song. And I think it was kind of lame choreography overall. I kept getting bored and had to remind myself to keep watching. They danced very well, this piece just felt hollow to me.
  
  
• Nathan. Has some beautiful movement, but... is he acting here? Or just freaked out bc he isn't as popular as he thought?
  
  
• Noelle and Ryan, Smooth Waltz. The opening made me laugh out loud, bc it is exactly what I would do if I were pretending I could waltz. And sweeeep the arms, and looook awaayyy, and sppppiiiiiiiinnnnn in my floaty dress.... Yeah, that's all I got for this one.
  
  
• Ellenore. Oooohhh, she's from Santa Cruz.... Her quirkiness just became even more endearing. And this was the first solo I wanted to rewind and watch again. Heart her.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Legacy, Hip Hop. That was dull. Just - dull. I blame Dave Scott. Nothing happened, and Ashleigh looked like she was trying awful hard.
  
  
• Nathan and Kathryn, Rumba. He was a good frame, but again with the faces. She was still splendid, but I don't think she killed it with the Latin here.
  
  
• Legacy. Wow. WOW. See, now I love him because I believe only Legacy can do what Legacy does, y'know?
  
  
• Ellenore and Jakob, Contemporary. Fan-freakin'-tastic. That head to head section at the beginning was killer. They were so perfect for this piece. (And I totally agreed with Adam Shankman that this was like "The Garden" part 2.)
  
  
• Ashleigh. Solo samba rolls - pretty cool.
  
  
• Russell and Mollee, Jive. I loved Russell in this piece. Mollee was OK, a little clunky. I think Pasha and Anya did a great job choreographing this piece. It was fun, but I think it would have actually been great if it had still been Russell and Noelle.
  
  
• Jakob. Huh. That was a surprisingly generic contemporary male solo. Good and all that, but... just good.
  
  
• Prediction: Jakob and Legacy are safe, Ellenore and Kathryn are safe. I think Ryan and Noelle may be going home.

Wednesday the 25th

SYTTheyAreHalfwayThere

• I totally thought the group number was by Sonia. It was wacky. I watched twice, but mostly bc I was having a lot of trouble figuring out who everyone was - and then trying to think who I was forgetting. (Noelle? Ryan? Things don't look so promising for you because I apparently find you forgettable. You're like the Bashful of the 7 Dwarfs - I thought of you last when naming everyone.)
  
  
• And in the ridiculously long talk to the judges segment, I did a Sudoku puzzle, filled the dishwasher, and made a mix CD for my Thanksgiving drive. So thanks for that waste of time, show.
  
  
• The look on Karen's face pretty much telegraphs "Yeah, I'm going home, let's get this over with so I can stay stoic during my clip package."
  
  
• Join me in shipping Kathryn and Legacy? They're beautiful dancers, and both sweetly ridiculous in their emotional displays.
  
  
• Woooowwwww. Adam Shankman called Nathan out on his clip package! AWEsome, and true, and something I don't think ANYONE on the show has ever had the nerve to admit these clips are reality-TV staging.
  
  
• I am irritated that Ellenore and Ryan are in the bottom, but not concerned. We will not lose my Ellenore. We will NOT.
  
  
• Professional dancer - Paloma Herrera. DAMN she was en pointe a lot. (But still kind of put me in a ballet coma.)
  
  
• Karen - Honey, by now you have had enough time to choreograph a reasonable solo. That wasn't it.
  
  
• Victor - He is incredibly athletic, but that was... well... not masculine. Y'know? And the backward stage crawl is an odd recurring theme this season. Clearly, Legacy has a very specific one nailed (his "crabwalk" on his hands), but Nathan also used a very similar crawl in his solo last week.
  
  
• Mollee - Dollee Dinkle at the hip hop school and your cheerleading coach must be proud. I had to watch that last spin a few times to find out if the twist on her foot to land herself on the ground was intentional. Maybe?
  
  
• Nathan - I actually thought he was more noticable in the group number tonight. He didn't seem to do anything in this solo, except the wacky little sit spin. Maybe Adam's personal attack on his shallow jet-skiing hobby got to him, because he looked more upset than impassioned.
  
  
• Ellenore - I love this girl. Hope this had enough content for the judges - her solo still seems to showcase her quirkiness rather than her dancing, but that's also what makes her so much fun to watch.
  
  
• Ryan - That was kinda silly and the shirt was UG-ly. Pretty typical latin male ballroom dancer solo, but not one of the better ones they've had on the show.
  
  
• Prediction - hasn't changed. Karen and Victor are outta here. Even though an argument could be made to axe Ryan, the show is probably pretty enamored with the idea of putting a married couple in the top 10 for the first time. And the show will still have an incredible contemporary dancer with Jacob.
  
  
• Shakira - it was OK. I'm glad it had dancing, but I was thinking it's hard to watch "stand in a formation and dance" choreography on a show that has more intense and exciting group numbers. But I suppose that wouldn't work from a vocal performance standpoint, bc you don't want attention taken away from the singer. I wouldn't put up with it. :-)
  
  
• I think Karen lost steam after week 2 or 3, and I wonder if that's when things started going south with her husband bc she just didn't have the same self-assurance.
  
  
• Oh no. Don't pan to the Mom. That made me sad. Pobrecitos. Victor seemed like a really nice kid and he was extremely powerful, but he looked like a contemporary dancer in everything he did.

Thursday the 24th

SYTIt's Already Next Tuesday?

• Brief recaps tonight - kinda late, kiddos, but I want to get my first impressions up.
  
  
• Ryan and Ellenore - Lindy Hop. For the first time, I thought he looked a lot more comfortable than she did. Some great stuff, especially the "lemon twist" lifts where he swung her around, stepped over her, she did the splits, and they did it again. (Coffee grinders with front flares. Thank you, Adam Shankman.) He seemed sharp, but she was just a bit - tentative? Off her game? I don't know - it just wasn't all there.
  
  
• Kathryn and Legacy - Jazz. It was very cool, but I didn't get "he really wants her" from this. Legacy just had serious face on, not quivering lust. Kathryn was fantastic. I applaud Sonia for working plenty of b-boy moves into her piece for Legacy to do, but don't think it advanced her stated theme. (And I totally want them both in the final 4. With Russell or Jakob and Ellenore.)
  
  
• Victor and Karen - Tango. Meh. It wasn't great. She also seems off her game tonight, and Victor danced well, but his face just reads so - fake. Like a kid wearing an expression that he thinks is a serious face.
  
  
• Mollee and Nathan - Hip Hop. They did this well - like 2 white kids who are really good at hip hop. Nathan's overacting was kind of annoying, but I think that's mostly because I find his immaturity kind of annoying.
  
  
• Russell and Noelle - Samba. I thought this was very good - and Noelle was terrific. I was relieved to see Russell handle this one, since I was frightened by his fox trot last week.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob - Lyrical Jazz. It was OK - based on the preview, I was hoping it would be softer. Then it was a lot of "Jakob can leap! Jakob has great extension!" and Ashleigh - kinda looks the same to me as she did in her other routines. Not in a bad way, but like some musicians always kind of sound the same. Anyway, I don't dislike her the way I did in the beginning but I still don't find myself rooting for her.
  
  
• Ellenore and Ryan - Broadway. Fabulous. They were both great, but I really couldn't take my eyes off her most of the time. This showcased Ellenore really well, and showed off her quirkiness and grace.
  
  
• Legacy and Kathryn - Viennese Waltz. This one choked me up. And here's where. There's a moment where Legacy's arms are out, waiting for Kathryn to show him where to go next, and she looks back at him with the most patient, encouraging face. The choreography was brilliant - "Let's give him a character who doesn't know how to dance so we can write off any mistakes he made! "- but Legacy went beyond that to look like someone who CAN do this just ACTING like someone who can't. By far, my favorite Generaux/Mousseau piece ever.
  
  
• Karen and Victor - Hip Hop. They sure looked intent. But it wasn't all that good. Their sync was weird. I think this late change in partner was tough for these two.
  
  
• Nathan and Mollee - Can Can. This was kind of a hot mess, and I put most of the blame on Tyce. He said it was originally a partner dance, but the partner work was ridiuclously minimal. The whole routine looked like it had no idea where it was going.
  
  
• Noelle and Russell - Contemporary. They danced well, and it's great to see Russell handle a contemporary piece. Tyce is annoying the shit out of me - I can't put my finger on it, but it just seemed - to lack cohesion. I guess. I don't know, mostly I want to smack him.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob - Cha Cha. Good for her, because she killed in her style. And was better than Jakob. Damn her for making me like her. Jakob did well, but did NOT look like a ballroom dancer to me.
  
  
• Prediction: Victor and Karen, Mollee and Nathan, Ashleigh and Jakob. Because I am not alone in my Ashleigh irritation, even though she did great work tonight. If I had watched in time to vote - it would have been for Kathryn and Legacy.

Wednesday the 18th

SYTYCD! Results!

• Huh. My Fox affiliate appears to be airing tonight's episode in "extra narrow vision". Or my DVR somehow magically squished this, which wouldn't surprise me much. In any case, this sucks for watching DANCE. F%$@.
  
  
• So now we've gone from focusing on the word "favorite" in "America's favorite dancer" to the word "dancer". Will we talk about the deep meaning in "America's" next time? Or add another word to this phrase? Cut the results show down to a half hour and stop babbling, jidges.
  
  
• Not so surprised that Mollee and Nathan are in the bottom 3, but a little surprised it's Russell and Noelle who were safe as opposed to Channing and Victor. Although I am thinking it's likely Russell has quite a fan base, since he's awesome.
  
  
• Pre-solo prediction: Adios Kevin and Mollee. Note - yay, the screen is fixed! Back to normal view!
  
  
• Nakul - I love that he's performing with his group, and want to see MORE of the choreographers. His knee spins were SO SMOOTH. I wasn't expecting the facial expressions to be so broad - I wonder why he doesn't stress that more when he's working with the contestants?
  
  
• Karen. She used more of the stage this time, and certainly created a character - but I think she needed a "big move", and this lacked that.
  
  
• Kevin. It's good, and I love gliding - but same thought as last week. He doesn't strike me as the best at any of his hip hop moves, and to be a stand-out hip hop performer on this show you have to look like you can do something no one else can figure out how to do. I guess the back bend falls are different, but... not different enough.
  
  
• Channing. And Victor. I have the same comment about both - technically fantastic. On the verge of having a distinct personality, but not quite. (His rise to the toe-stand was pretty cool, though.)
  
  
• Mollee. The most fun so far, and reminded us that she has gymnastic talent, which I don't think has been showcased yet. The music and costuming were a little "Dance Squad!", but she's young.
  
  
• Nathan. OK, THAT was the best one. Quirky and strong, and did not disappoint. I really do want to see him dance more, I just want to see him dance with someone other than Mollee.
  
  
• New predictions. Still Kevin, and... Karen joins him, bc the judges will think her appearing in the bottom twice in a row means America is not all that into her. (My preference? Would be Kevin and Channing. Mollee bought a little cred with me after her solo.)
  
  
• Musical guest. Orianthe, "According to You". I've been listening to this song bc it was free on iTunes, and it's cute. And I'm impressed with her guitar playing, but live her voice was a bit flat. ALSO, and MORE IMPORTANTLY. WHY doesn't this show feature dancing with every musical guest? For pete's sake, DANCING WITH THE STARS does this. Show, do you want to be LESS than Dancing with the Stars? DO YOU?? Yeesh.
  
  
• Huh. So the judges agreed with me about Channing - I think this girl had more potential, but something about being on the show really watered her down and she never felt at ease.
  
  
• HAHAHA they called Victor out on the pirouettes. And I would not watch a show to find "America's Favorite Pirouetter". It would make me dizzy. Anyway, bye bye Kevin. Not sure how you stuck around this long, but you seem like a well-meaning young man.

Tuesday the 17th

SYTYCD!

• I was feeling rather ambivalent about coming home to make dinner and then realized 2 awesome (and unrelated) things: I had everything I needed to make burritos, and it's SYTYCD night. Aw yeah.
  
  
• Intro dances: Nathan impressed. And did you catch the Legacy-Russell bro hug on their way offstage? I'm going to ship them.
  
  
• Judge opening: ENOUGH with the Botox jokes. It was funny the VERY first time, and even then? Not as funny as they seem to think. Notice how Cat escaped posting her picture. That's why she is the consummate host - it ain't about her, she's there to facilitate. Give Cat an Emmy!
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob: Hip hop. OK, you just KNOW Jakob and his buddies were dancing to "Bye Bye Bye" in their talent show. Awesome. So the screens were used to good advantage here in this number - the text message was a little silly, but established the scene well. And - I liked Ashleigh in this one. There, I said it. I liked her. I even paid more attention to what she was doing than Jakob. While I usually find her over-emoting annoying, it worked in this piece. I don't know that either of them was great at hip hop, but they weren't distracting. And the lift - flip was fantastic. The quibbles I had were more with some of the choreography looking goofy (specifically, coming out of the threading section with the leg pumping and downturned heads - kinda hip-hop-sad-Charlie-Brown dancing), but not the dancers. This was good.
  
  
• Kevin and Karen: Broadway. All right, these kid pix are making me soft. I'm going to end up liking everyone tonight. But - still don't care much for Kevin's dancing. He looked so stiff, poor thing. And the rehearsal clip package did them NO FAVORS bc it basically showed all the things they couldn't nail. Karen is still really good, and was very cute (as opposed to sexy), but the whole piece just seemed - tentative.
  
  
• Noelle and Russell: Foxtrot (oh dear). Hey, I forgot they pulled this before. That doesn't seem quite fair. But I actually LIKED him the first time, so maybe... hmm. He looks more awkward this time, and their opening seemed realllllyyy off. It didn't look like he lacked confidence, he just took a long time to find a groove, and always looked like - a novice. She looked good. I loved her little kicks as she slid down his back after the lift. I give them credit for selling this, but I think it fell short.
  
  
• Victor and Channing: Jazz. I am confused by Channing bc she SEEMS like she should be more fun (her kid pix were charming) and yet... she comes off as dull. Competent, but not much fun. (This season's Kayla?) The music was rather distracting for this one - not bc I didn't like it, I did - but it was so much more staccato than their movements were. And I found the staging at the end very strange - she runs all the way back to the cage while he stays front and center? I give it a meh.
  
  
• Kathryn and Legay: Paso Doble. I could almost be over the Paso Doble, bc it can be so cliche and dull. But when it is good, it is VERY good. (e.g. Sabra's donut drop down Neil's body.) HOLD THE PHONE. I am all for shirtless Legacy (six-pack - WOW), but is THAT how a Naval Admiral would dress? I think not. He handled the chest-puffing parts well, but everything in close hold looked awkward. And the lift at the end was kind of a mess. She was fine. I think this was their weakest performance to date. I still love them, but this showed they are certainly still vincible.
  
  
• Ryan and Ellenore: Contemporary. Ryan's bunny costume pix? Most humbling so far. Heehee. Travis Wall? Sooo gooood. Picking the right music? Key. This piece? My favorite tonight. Next sentence? Just as short. They were both fantastic.
  
  
• Mollee and Nathan: Pop Jazz. OK, first kid pix that made me like them a little less. Nathan was a brat, and Mollee was a creepy pageant kid. I still think this pairing did neither of them any favors. As for the dance, it felt like it could have been really good, except they got out of sync so many times. They both had the right intensity, they just didn't have their timing down.
  
  
• Why was I more hung up on actual dancing while the judges' were more hung up on selling personality this week? My vote: Ryan and Ellenore. My bottom 3 prediction: Kevin and Karen, Noelle and Russell, Victor and Channing.

Wednesday the 11th

SYTYCD!

• OOOoooohhh, I forgot there would be a group dance number! YAY! And this one was fun and spotlighted my boy Legacy and my girl Ellenore well. Although the boys were distractingly out of sync at the beginning.
  
• Adam Shankman, thank you for admitting that America can't "get it wrong" because the show is set up for the most popular (and not the most talented) to win. Can we stop saying that now, and instead say that the voters are a bunch of cretins and/or hicks when that is what they mean?
  
• Ellenore and Ryan. Not an undeserved fate. (I still lurv her, though.) Peter and Pauline. Also not undeserved. (And they're likely to go home, bc the judges never really seemed that into either of them.) Karen and Kevin. Also predictable, bc they went early and were forgettable, and the judges were so vehement about how Mollee and Nathan would need "protecting" by the voters that they GOT that protection. (Oh, and I would rather see Kevin go home than Peter, but that's not likely.)
  
• Professional dancers! I love that they have added this to the results show. And HOLY FUCK the Alvin Ailey dancers were AMAZING. It is startling to watch the contestants on this show and think they're really good, and then see actual professionals and realize how much further dance can go. I loved how sinewy the male dancer's arms were in the opening, and how still the first female dancer's upper body was when she did the backwards tip-toe run across the stage. And the pose the last female dancer froze in at the end? Just beautiful.
  
  
  SOLOS
  
• Ellenore. I love how quirky she is, and still graceful.
  
• Ryan. This showcased his talents well - his retractions were great.
  
• Pauline. Meh. How come so many of the "dance for your life" solos looks so unrehearsed when so many of these dancers turn in great audition performances?
  
• Peter. Boy can tap. And I do like goofy guys with swagger. But I think he may have needed to imbue this with more of a character, instead of just guy tapping.
  
• Karen. I can't recall ever seeing anyone use less of the floor. Eh.
  
• Kevin. He just doesn't reach me. He does stuff well, but doesn't do anything in a way that makes me think I haven't seen it done better by someone else.
  
• Sticking to my prediction. Pauline & Peter.
  
• The decision: It feels like Nigel is pimping the Season 5 dancers to sell the rest of the tickets to their tour. And damnit, for a minute I thought Peter might make it. RATS.

Tuesday the 10th

Aw yeah. SYTYCD!

• Intros. Kat Deeley's slicked back hair? Awesome. I kinda miss when she used to dress crazy more often. Bring back the crazy, Kat! Dancing: Channing, I still think there might be something there and I look forward to seeing her athletic side come out with a different partner. Victor, I'm going to take last week's comments back: enough with the spinning. And I doubt the girl weighs enough to donate blood, but Pauline's choice of outfit was VERY unflattering.
  
• Karen and Kevin: Disco. I will not separate this from other disco bc it's just MORE DISCO AND ENOUGH ALREADY. So she's divorcing her husband? That's a bummer - they were really cute. Anyhoo, the dancing. Y'all, I just don't think Kevin is very good. I thought he looked clunky. Karen was good (and I need another adjective for "good" - something better than "adequate" but not hyperbolic like "terrific"), and the death drops (yeah, that's probably the technical term) were very impressive - but this performance was not stellar. And I forgot the whole part about her leading until Mary Murphy brought it up again.
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob: Jazz. She's the epitome of a... book nerd? Is that... a thing? Jakob is Jeanine's best friend??? Aw, I like him more now. And... they had me at "Relax". The styling for this one was fantastic. And I really don't have anything negative to say about Ashleigh this time, except that Jakob is still clearly better and makes her look like she's not doing much. Her back is mighty flexible. Overall, quite good.
  
• Peter and Pauline: Quickstep. (Oh dear - I'm nervous for them.) He choreographs folks with special needs? And I already thought he was adorable. Pauline eats a lot? Um, see my intro comment. So the dance. I'm... still nervous. They looked like people who are really good dancers attempting to do a totally unfamiliar dance for the first time for fun at their friend's dance class. Or something.
  
• Kathryn and Legacy: Broadway. Wow, I hadn't realized she was such a pretty girl - her photos from her volunteer trip really showed what a natural beauty she is. I think they were terrific AGAIN. I love how athletic he is, and how spunky she is. I agree that she could have added some irritation to the sass. More fire would've raised this to the next level (e.g. Katey and Twitch in "The Door").
  
• Victor and Channing: Contemporary. Doesn't it seem like she could've mustered up a little more enthusiasm about lawnmower racing? So the dance was pretty, but... looked like every contemporary piece ever. With more throwing themselves to the floor. And Stacey Tookey, if you do another toxic relationship piece next week, make it something really wild (he's an alien life form that has inhabited her body - y'know, like "Fringe") or your stories will grow tiresome.
  
• Ellenore and Ryan: Hip Hop. Lil C!!! Have we actually seen him choreograph anything yet?? And... I was distracted bc Kherington and Twitch already did a hip hop bank robber dance. So, Lil C? Enthusiasm - waned. Neither Ryan nor Ellenore seemed very comfortable here. He hit it like a white boy trying to hit it, and she was rather lackluster. Plus they weren't very in sync.
  
• Nathan and Mollee: Salsa. I... miss Janette. Sigh. These 2 were OK, and I will give her credit for finally looking sexier. I think she had to spend so much time concentrating on being sexy that she didn't dance all that well. They just didn't look all that competent here. Hold the phone! Nigel's slo-mo recap shows they started out on the wrong feet? That's baaadddd. That should NOT happen.
  
• Noelle and Russell: Afro Jazz. Sounds like fun.... And it was, but I would not have known he was a frog without the intro piece. Although Russell had a few squats and frog leaps that were really awesome. Noelle held her own, but did look a little goofy.
  
• WHO WILL MAKE ME PICK UP THE PHONE? Kathryn and Legacy. Not their strongest piece, but I didn't absolutely love any dance so I might as well call for my favorite dancer so far - Legacy.
  
• BOTTOM 3 PREDICTION: Karen and Kevin (bc admit it, you've already forgotten their number, haven't you?); Peter and Pauline (also early in the show, and not memorable as being all that good); Victor and Channing (don't think they connected to the audience).

Wednesday/Thursday the 4th/5th

• Man vs. Food. Detroit Rock City. I would not have liked either hot dog place. Raw onions? Blech.
  


• RW/RR Challenge. Remember when I used to like Jonny Bananas? Yeah, I can't explain that, either. Moron. And at times Kellyanne SEEMS like she could be likable, but she thought Veronica was... cool? NO. Plus she dates... Wes. Weird.
  


• Survivor. Lil' Russell was more irritating than ever - taking credit for things that really don't have anything to do with him - like photosynthesis - but I do think it made sense for him to just play the immunity idol and be out with it. Unlike Erik - hahahahahaha! Oh, Erik. Pretty - but pretty dumb. As soon as Russell played his idol and stated his reason why, I think he should've been RIGHT behind him. Having both immunity idols played WOULD have been a kick-ass Survivor moment.
  


• The Office. I'm bored. And she hit him open palm? Lame.
  


• Project Runway. Also boring. And predictable outcome. At least Gordana and Christopher went out on very nice pieces.
  
• 30 Rock. NOT boring. STILL funny. YAY!

Tuesday the 3rd

SYTYCD! D! D!

Opening: Props to Victor for making the standard pirouette interesting.

New Set: Bugs me. Too many lights - it makes me dizzy. And I miss the stairs.

Noelle and Russell: So the style is... tennis? Huh. It could've worked, actually, had Russell been paired with someone who could dance hip hop. OR play tennis. Noelle did not impress. Somewhere during Adam's judging Kat murmured something about "the comfort factor", and I think that was Freudian. Because it would have been fun to watch Comfort dance this one.

Jakob and Ashleigh: Viennese Waltz. I actually didn't mind her so much, and I was surprised that I didn't feel Jakob nailed it. Other than his split jete, the whole thing seemed too literal - too ACTUAL first wedding dance, rather than two professionals. I am looking forward to hearing Adam continue to dissect the choreography - it will be a welcome change from the choreo-butt-kissing that has been going on every other season.

Bianca and Victor: Broadway. She had me smiling within the first 15 seconds - girlfriend OWNED this one. And Victor? He tried. I wish they had had time to find him some sort of coach to lead him in a montage sequence so he could learn to be loose and less careful.

Nathan and Mollee: Bollywood. It was OK, but I was thinking to myself that I wish they hadn't put the 2 youngest dancers together bc I don't think they're going to GROW. It would have been more fun to see Mollee have to work with Ryan (ALL man), and for Nathan to dance with Karen (ALL woman). I will say the lift sequence at the end was pretty, and Nathan's pirouettes WERE awesome. (It's the night of entertaining pirouettes!)

Channing and Phillip: Samba. It felt very careful. They looked kinda terrified, and I think it's bc neither one of them trusted he was strong enough. And Nigel's comment about how the color of her dress suited her well? Reminded me of the time my friend came to school distraught bc she had hit a dog on the way there, and I said, "Well, at least you look great today - that's a really pretty skirt..." and she replied through her messy tears, "Yeah, I'm dressed to kill!"

Kevin and Karen: Hip Hop. I don't think anything actually HAPPENED in this one. It was dull. She outshone him again, but I think that's because there just wasn't a lot for Kevin to do.

Kathryn and Legacy: Contemporary. VERY nice. This was the best pairing of the night, and they both did a tremendous job. I am ready to ship them. I am thrilled to see Legacy can reach beyond hip hop, and that Kathryn is more than just a high-pitched squeak.

Peter and Pauline: Jazz. OMG I heart you Wade Robson. Dancing Starry Night on its own would have been enough, but making them characters FROM the painting? I am re-watching the intro, that's how awesome this idea is. And DAMN that f'ing backdrop, which was clever in principle but made them too hard to see. I think Peter was better, bc he had more drag in his feet and his movement, so it was more creepy. Pauline was pretty good, but she didn't mesh all that well with the piece.

Ellenore and Ryan: Argentine Tango. Oooh... Leonardo the choreographer is back... so hot. Ellenore dancing with the dress caught on her heel was indeed very impressive BUT... this felt too slow.

PREDICTION: Noelle, Pauline, Phillip, Victor.

RESULT: I have gone 3 for 4. Based on the critique, I'm not surprised they put Bianca in the bottom, but I don't think she belongs there.

OK, NEXT PREDICTION: Adios, Noelle and Phillip.

Noelle: Every contemporary girl solo ever, but the low split was nice, and she did seem to dance it like she meant it.

Victor: OK, I know I said it was a theme this evening, but that was a few too many pirouettes. He certainly does have an impressive amount of strength in his movement, though.

Bianca: I think she could have done more with Tootsee Roll - bc it's Tootsee Roll, for God's sake! Anyway, it was cute.

Phillip: Liked his intro, and it was a good tap solo. He'll continue to find work in tap, so good on ya, buddy, thanks for coming.

RESULT: Wait, what?? Bianca's going home? That's crap.

And Phillip? What a rotten week that kid's having. I am now impressed with his ability to show up and keep smiling, and really do wish him a great tap career. Poor thing.

Cat Deeley? Best host on any reality competition award. I have never seen anyone fight tears and be so beautiful and classy and sincere. She is my reality TV best friend.

Monday the 2nd

Commute:

• Finished off this weekend's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, and the This American Life episode on infidelity. I hadn't listened to any This American Life podcasts for a while - and flat out deleted a few of the Planet Money themed ones. I enjoy them separately. In this instance, I do not want the peanut butter all over my chocolate.

Nighttime:

• HIMYM. It was OK. Still not all that enthused about Barney/Robin - I am almost longing for a Ted storyline.


• Modern Family, the football episode. I love Cameron. His cannonball at the end was fantastic.


• Big Bang Theory. Also about football, and I especially loved this one because my friend Ravi, despite being a very cool hipster, could totally hang with the nerds on this show. And like Sheldon? Is from Texas, and magically understands football. It is a fascinating phenomenon.


• The Soup, Something About Smackdowns. If it weren't for this show, I might have to watch even more crappy reality TV. So I'm glad this summarizes.
  
• And it's taken a while, but I have hit a show I don't really want to admit to watching. Little People, Big World. I don't watch it often - in fact, I may not have seen any last season - bc I feel like I'm watching a train wreck. The dad isn't very likable, the mom is passive-aggressive, and I feel guilty not liking all the kids bc - they're just kids.
  
• So I changed the channel to watch The Colbert Report, just in time to see Dan Jansen. He has aged WELL. If the Colbert Nation does sponsor U.S. Speed Skating, I will have to start paying some of my Colbert Nation taxes. Is this actually happening, because... awesome!

Sunday the 1st

• Modern Family. Finally got around to watching this in an effort to clean out the DVR. Turns out it is FANTASTIC. I laughed out loud at every episode, and got teary-eyed at most. The "Circle of Life" moment in the premiere episode was just perfect - check iTunes to see if you can still download this for free. Well worth it. Start watching so it sticks around a while.


• The State, Season 2. Netflix is hella behind sending me the rest of Dexter Season 3, and so I've ended up with too many episodes of The State to watch back to back. It's still funny, but not needed in large doses.


• Sports. Somehow, I got caught up watching Niners/Colts (loss - DAMN), Packers/Vikings (wanted to see the response to Favre's return - will be curious to read his biography years later and find out what actually happened with his retirement/return), and the World Series. I was rooting for the Phillies, bc rooting for the Yankees isn't all that much fun, but had to give up to Johnny Damon for stealing two bases (and shame on you, Phillies, for letting that happen).
  
• TAR. One of the best episodes of the season - the Globetrotters dance - and a real bummer of an ending. While I didn't much care for the Poker Players, that was a horrible way to have to leave the race. I wonder how hard hitting the bell was? Can you solve that with physics, or just brute strength?


• Mad Men. This season really took off in the last 3-4 episodes. I was struck by how dark and moody the lighting was when Don went upstairs to absorb the fact that Betty was willing to say she didn't love him. Of course, knowing he'd just been having another affair makes it pretty difficult to feel very sympathetic about this. I am also glad the show addressed the Kennnedy assassination - I'd heard internet rumors that they weren't planning to - because I find it even more engaging to watch characters I already know react to a historic event, rather than watching a movie specifically designed to address that event.

Saturday the 31st

Coffee Walk:

• A whole slew of Story of the Day podcasts. I especially enjoyed the piece on Kobe Bryant's former personal trainer, who is now a gym teacher at a charter school in New York. Where he works with the "legitimately immature". Oh, and all the teachers get paid $120K a year. Note to the world at large: I would gladly go back for $100K. Bargain, huh?

Daytime:

• Man vs. Food. I did not need one more reason to love Adam Richman, but he gave me one. He wore a "Carcetti for Mayor" shirt to his first stop in Baltimore.

Friday the 30th

Commute:

• Story of the Day, I caught up with a piece from last week about a retired football player who now suffers from short-term memory loss. When he was younger, the team had a drill where the boys would actively butt heads like rams. Who thought that would turn out poorly? One of the most moving elements was hearing the player describe his nostalgia for his high school team, even though he'd won a college bowl game and played with the 49ers in a Super Bowl season. I can't put my finger on what is so resonant about sports in our psyche - especially since I have played on so few teams myself.

Late Night:

• 30 Rock. Pretty good episode, and I loved the Kenneth clone cameos.
  
• It's Always Sunny. I think I may have preferred the South Park wrestling episode. Is wrestling having some weird renaissance, or is it just always dependable comedy fodder?

Wednesday the 28th

Morning Commute:

• An entertaining Planet Money podcast, featuring an interview with Elinor Ostrom, who shared the Nobel Prize for Economics this year for her work demonstrating the tragedy of the commons isn't necessarily tragic. She was very down-to-earth and practical and I enjoyed her take on human nature. Namely, that it's in our best interests to get along with each other.

Work:

• All Songs Considered. The most recent podcast featured the best in jazz this year. I've always meant to like jazz, but can't quite get there. I did really enjoy this podcast, though, and downloaded a really beautiful piece by Robert Glasper called "Open Mind". It has humming. I like humming.

Late Night:

• RW/RR Challenge. An OK episode. The vote that put Ibis in was pretty hilarious. I recently rediscovered the recaps on TVgasm and they have brought me great joy.

Thursday the 29th

Commute:

• Culturetopia podcast - featured part of a really moving and serious interview with Tracy Morgan. I downloaded the entire show to listen to later. He doesn't strike me as a "sad clown", but he certainly has channeled a great deal of pain into his work.

Nighttime Viewing:

• Survivor. Ugh. Getting bored.


• The Office. "I'm not usually the butt of the joke. I'm usually the face of it." I loved this episode. From the opening to the ending, this struck me as the show at its finest. The characters are still ridiculous, but they're genuine. Michael tries too hard, takes everything to personally, tries to hard to get over it, and comes out OK in the end. Pam finds Andy ridiculous, but still cares enough to put in a good word for him with Erin. Plus an opening montage with Darrell pointing out just how insane the environment is.
  
• Project Runway. Winning look? UGH! Are there NO BRAS on the Macy's accessory wall?!? I didn't like Althea's winning look the first time, and didn't find this companion piece any more flattering or interesting. And Logan's aufing? Overdue. In his own words, his designs are not for 90% of the population. That... is not really a good thing, dude. I understand that 90% might not wear your looks, but more than 10% should want to see them.
  
• Models of the Runway. This was almost interesting for about 5 minutes. Model controversy! Boob tape! But then it just got all dull and blew like it normally does.
  
• The League. I don't actually know anyone into Fantasy Football (or at least no one who tells me they are), but guy obsessions are very amusing when you don't actually live with them.

Tuesday the 27th

SYTYCD!

• I'm dubious about the judge's only selection process this week. I will either feel frustrated - or I will be glad they did it and annoyed when America votes next week.
  
  
• I would like Noelle to just go home bc of the headband. Not even kidding.
  
  
• From the "Your Top 20!" I was impressed with Channing and Russell.
  
  
• Phillip and Channing, Jive. The fact that Phillip does "spoken word" poetry (as opposed to "read quietly to yourself" poetry) does NOT make him less creepy. Technically, their feet looked good, but the whole piece seemed tttoooooooo ssssllooooooooowwwwwwwwww.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob, Broadway. Jakob will surely go on about how he is gonna represent the spirit of ORLANDO! No? Floridians only do that for Miami? Hmm. Anyhow. He blew her AWAY. Even the cameraman agreed - I can't recall other moments when they've followed one dancer and not even kept the other in the shot. I am wondering what the hell wardrobe was thinking - and hoping that sweater was the result of a terrible backstage coffee accident that ruined what he was SUPPOSED to wear.
  
  
• Peter and Ariana, Hip Hop. This is a promising pairing - they are cute with a capital Q. I think the tension was missing in the dance because they just weren't very sharp.
  
  
• News Break. Holy crap, a cable snapped on the Bay Bridge! Yikes! It might not go anywhere as cool, but you don't have to worry about that kinda shit on the Dumbarton...
  
  
• Russell, Foxtrot. Wow, he is fantastic. Very graceful, and well-acted. Actually, one of the best foxtrots I think they've had on the show.
  
  
• Bianca and Victor, Contemporary. He is very good in his style. And this is an extremely promising beginning for Bianca! I wouldn't have guessed it was so far out of her style. Well done.
  
  
• Kevin and Karen, Cha Cha. Holy cross promotion, Fox. A song from Glee? Really? Eyebrow raised... and it didn't bother me. Because I was so distracted with how terrible he was. Clearly, the hip in hip hop does not refer to the body part. Yes, she was extremely good, but not so good that I didn't notice him. I noticed. Yikes.
  
  
• Ellenore and Ryan, Contemporary Jazz. Oooh, she should kill this. Yeah, this could be awesome. Any minute now, it's going to get crazy. And... oh, it's over? Huh. They were both good, and I think they did what they were supposed to do, but I just didn't find this all that interesting. I may just be over Sonya.
  
  
• Pauline and Brandon, Waltz. I missed the beginning due to more bridge coverage. Which is a shame, because I believe he's a local boy (Concord) and that means his friends and family missed the beginning, too. I can only assume that he said something like "I guess it's sorta cool that I'm on the show now". Anyway, it was a pretty waltz, and I wouldn't have guessed he had a more abbreviated practice schedule than the others. Pauline sold it pretty well, too - beautiful smile. (And I never say that.) Not sure why Nigel is crapping all over it when he thought Asuka and Vitolio were so good last year.
  
  
• Legacy and Kathryn, Hip Hop. Dave Scott is my favorite tonight. This was awesome. Their musicality was GREAT - I loved the way they found the beats. I am also impressed that it had a fantastic sense of humor without being goofy. The only routine I have felt like rewinding and watching again so far.
  
  
• Nathan and Mollee, Disco. Can we retire disco? I think last season was as good as it is gonna get (Jeannine! and Brandon, Ade! (and Melissa)) , because isn't it always gonna be kinda the same? Prove me wrong, show. Right after another news break?! Seriously, Fox?! Nothing is happening now - the bridge is CLOSED! And if people are driving, they are not watching TV news right now! Argh. So we begin with the dancers mid-run. And talk about prom dances. This was lame. "Adorable" in a best-looking kids at the retro theme party way, but... don't you also sort of hate those kids?
  
  
• OK, I wish they would send Phillip and Ashleigh home because I don't want to watch them. Before I fast forward to the end, I'm going to predict the bottom will be Peter, Ariana, Brandon, and Pauline. I am 3 for... WHAT???? RUSSELL??? Did they SEE Kevin? He was MUCH worse.
  
  
• Ariana. Typical contemporary solo. Meh.
  
  
• Russell. That headspin was sick. I totally heart him.
  
  
• Pauline. Most boring routine ever done to "Magalenha". Sigh.
  
  
• Brandon. Not bad, not thrilling. I hope they plan on letting him try again next season, because this seems cruel.
  
  
• Prediction: Adios Brandon and Pauline, bc they love to eliminate in pairs in the beginning.
  
  
• Ariana? Rats. Now I really wish they sent ol' dopey headband home. (After Ashleigh.)
  
  
• Brandon. And... they'll let him re-enter next year. Because that's good ratings.

Monday the 26th

SYTYCD!!!

• I love the idea of the Top 20 Showcase. I'm really looking forward to seeing why everyone made it this far, and it will also be a good comparison when we see everyone outside their styles tomorrow.

• Group Number - Well done, but sort of a throwback to the latin club number Taboleon did last season. Wade, you can do more. From the dancers, Nathan was a stand-out for me, and I'm concerned about Legacy.

• Hip-Hop. Yeah, still concerned about Legacy. I think the other 2 are going to adapt to learning choreo better. I do love threading, and thought it was a really cool way to show how these dancers can play off each other.

• Contemporary. Tyce. WTF???? Let's make their first dance about... SADNESS??? That's laaaaaammee. Save that shit for week 3 when people start going home. This one should be about joy. I'm glad they showed the slo-mo's of Jakob, bc I otherwise would have missed how spectacular his leaps were.

• Tap. I love their exuberance and confidence - these kids got heart! And moxie! The lighting for this number was distractingly awful - the black and white waterspot background made it look like they were trying to dance in a camouflaged background. Phillip creeps me out a little, and either he didn't get a break-out solo in that number or it was thoroughly forgettable. Bianca had great leg extension, and I think she's going to be just fine this season.
  
  
• Jazz. Still very excited about Ellenore, and Pauline is also very cute. But I think Mary Murphy was being too generous with Molly, because I see exactly what the judges meant when they said she dances like a little girl. Yes, they should pump everyone up tonight, but choose something they did do well. Don't lie to us. We notice.
  
  
• Contemporary. Bad news here, kids. Just read that Billy Bell is already out due to illness, which is a bummer bc his solo really was fantastic. And OMG NO MORE SHOTS OF GROSS INJURIES!!! BLECH! OK, the number. Wow, they had a LOT of synchronization problems. And the girls were utterly forgettable. I am now even more upset about Billy leaving early because he was by far the best part of that routine.
  
  
• Ballroom. I am already prejudiced against Ashleigh. I think she is mediocre, and the face pulling bugs. Her husband? Totally hot. So maybe that's why I hate her, too. Anyway. She was better than I expected. But I was actually rather bored by the whole number.

Weekend the 23rd-25th

Friday Commute:

• Listened to a slew of Story of the Day podcasts and NOT ONE was about health care! They were great.

Weekend Viewing:

• 30 Rock. This feels like it should've been the premiere - much better than last week. I love the GE tie-ins. Maybe I just have a soft spot for microwave ovens.


• The State - Season 2. From Netflix, and it is about damn time this became available. Terrific sketch comedy, and their exuberance is so much fun to watch.


• Fringe. Caught up on everything else from this season. Still a pretty satisfying series.


• The Simpsons. Also caught up on this season's episodes. The Halloween was a definite middle-of-the-packer, but I did enjoy the kick-punch-choke ultimate fighting league episode.
  
• It's Always Sunny. "The World Series Defense". I laughed out loud when Charlie pushed Dennis in front of the car. Typing that, it really sounds like something I shouldn't have laughed it. But trust me. Hilarious.


• The Amazing Race. I admit, I didn't think the Globetrotters would be able to do the math challenge after the watch debacle. But I don't really blame them for razzing the girl who freaked out at the water slide. One word. RACE.
  
• Mad Men. What a fantastic episode. It was fascinating to watch so many characters lash out at the people who had broken their hearts in such controlled ways.
  
• World Freerun Championships. I turned this on just to see what the hell that meant. And it meant awesome. Parkour! Parkour!

Thursday the 22nd

Nighttime:

• Glee. Man, I kinda want a grape slushee. I also can't wait to one day buy someone a kitten, let them fall in love with that kitten, then one day years later sneak into their house at night and punch them in the head.



• Survivor. This does look like a particularly physically miserable season. I actually can't remember anything looking this bad since season 2 in Australia, when Tina went into the raging river to save the rice. But two episodes in a row of nothing really happening? You're boring me, show.


• The Office. Pam freaking in the parking lot was too ridiculous, but the freak out in the conference room was pretty good. But my favorite moment was a quick shot of Creed tearing up when he heard the aria. Sometimes those notes just hit ya, y'know?
  
• Project Runway. Carol Hannah's dress was too Uli for me, and while Irina is bitchy she did put a luxe look together. I would not have had an issue with any of the boys going home. Christopher's southwestern look was just pathetic. It looked like an old McCall sewing pattern.

Wednesday the 21st

Commuting:

• A Story of the Day about Jewish delis - I totally want to try rolled beef, and agree that anyone requesting pastrami on white should be ignored.
• Planet Money - healthcare for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs do sound awful cute, but I doubt I would spend thousands to keep one around.
• World Cafe, and All Songs Considered with a new track from Vampire Weekend! Woo-hoo!
• Half of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me
• Somewhere in one of these I heard a piece on Ben's Chili Bowl and the half-smoke in D.C., but I can't recall where. This was an odd coincidence because...

Evening:

• Man vs. Food, Adam goes to D.C. and his first stop? Ben's Chili Bowl! Now I must go. His next stop featured some woman named Big Momma who is now my favoritest cook Adam has met. She was funny, and natural, and looovvveedd her food.
• SYTYCD - this was a rather irritating selection show, and dragging all of the contestants to a new location (Hollywood) just to dump half of them right away seemed cruel. I am exciteed about Ellenore, though! And Victor! And Legacy! And the krumper! And tapping!
• RW/RR Challenge I only wish Tonya had hit Veronica harder. That girl is awful.

Tuesday the 20th

Morning Commute:

• Culturetopia podcast. I started listening to this because of Linda Holmes, who now edits the Monkey See blog for NPR and who I first became aware of as Miss Alli on TWOP. Her recaps of Survivor and TAR were hilarious, on-point, and thought-provoking. She made me feel better about being a tv-ophile. Kaela and I went to see The Frames at the Great American Music Hall just bc Miss Alli said she liked them, and I actually even sent her a fan email when she left TWOP.

Nighttime:

• Sons of Anarchy. They could probably bait me with Juice, too. Feels a little strange how immersed Tara is in her acceptance of the club now, and seeing her go all mean girl with Gemma seems kind of out of place. I suppose it's a good bonding mechanism for them, though.

Nightstand:

• Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin. South America has been a recurring theme in my reading over the past year or so - I read about Teddy Roosevelt and the River of Doubt and The Lost City of Z, both of which were mentioned in the introductory chapter of this book. Doesn't make me actually want to go to the Amazon, but it's good reading.

Monday the 19th

Morning Commute:

• Planet Money, something about economics that I tuned out but would probably be able to follow if there was a quiz. Maybe they should add quiz segments!

At work:

• I realize that "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys has been featured in many things, but for some reason I had to download it after hearing it on "The Debarted" episode of The Simpsons. I kinda felt like leaving it on repeat all day. And signing along in my cubicle. That wouldn't alarm anyone.

Evening:

• HIMYM. Aw, a Canada episode. This one actually felt a lot better to me than the last few. I could sympathize with Ted's feelings of loss -it's hard when your best friend is in a couple and doesn't realize that while you genuinely like their partner you still want to have your friend to yourself sometimes. I thought that storyline came off true but not overly sappy.


• The Simpsons. Catching up on the new season, starting with "Bart Gets a Z" - poor ol' Ms. Crabapple.


• The Big Bang Theory. Silly, but not noxious.


• Fringe. The one where the cop crystallizes and EXPLODES. Wait, that could actually be any episode, huh?

Weekend 16-18th

• RW/RR Challenge. Ugh, I wanted Suzy to go home. I think I find her particularly vile because she was so cute on her season of Road Rules in Australia, and now she's a self-satisfied patronizing sanctimonious little creep.


• Fringe. A whole bunch of these from the new season are languishing in the DVR. I still think the show is entertaining, but it isn't a "popcorn" show where I enjoy watching one episode right after the other.


• 30 Rock. I loved Tracy Morgan's man-on-the-street moment.


• The Office. Still not enjoying this season much.


• The Big Bang Theory. I haven't watched this show often, but Kaela told me it's worth watching for Sheldon alone. And he is pretty awesome. I may have to start watching, and can just fast-forward through all the other geeks.


• Man vs. Food Who knew Boise was a home for such ridiculously large quantities of food? It seemed crazy that the first stop offered DOUBLE one-pound patties with multiple cheese slices, and people seem to order it as just a regular meal and not a competitive eating challenge. One could easily feed a family of 4. A FAT family of 4.
  
• The Soup One of my sources of "news". I loved Greg Kinnear on this show, grew to enjoy John Henson, loved Aisha Tyler, and it took me a while but I now love Joel McHale, too. But they could have cut that Miley Cyrus rap waaayyy shorter. Knowing it existed was awful enough, actually viewing it was unnecessary. Actually, all the clips seem to be running way too long today. But I am very glad they mocked the brainiacs on TAR who couldn't recognize Jackie O.
  
• The Simpsons - a whole mess of saved episodes, from the early days (Lisa enters Little Miss Springfield) to the latest Sideshow Bob foiled murder attempt to The Debarted where Bart's group is infiltrated by a spy.
  
• TAR - I'm surprised that Boston couple went out as gracefully as they did, but it was nice to see them both accept blame for the bad leg and to end with reasonable cheer. BTW, I would NOT have gone for that snowman in s snowmound challenge. That had loser written all over it.
  
• It's Always Sunny - "The Waitress Gets Married" and "Intervention! Intervention!"
  
• Mad Men. I'm enjoying reading the critical analysis of this how on Slate and - believe it or not - the Project Rungay website.

Thursday the 15th

Morning Commute:

• Planet Money podcast, about the interplay between economics and children. Nowadays, they're luxury items. We don't want them in the workforce because they'd take jobs away from adults. Sneaky little bastards.

Nighttime Viewing:

• Survivor. I didn't understand the goal of this food challenge - basically, they wanted people puking bc that's entertainment? Why not impose a time limit, or make it a race? Dumb. Tonight's vote? Dull.


• Project Runway. I don't bother paying much attention until Tim walks in the workroom to make critiques. Ms. Aguilera's lipstick was a little Crazy Town, no? Overall, this challenge seemed like a rather dull bust. Nothing actually jumped out at me as "costume". (Except what the Hell was going on with the nipple clamps on Gordana's dress?) I think Christopher should've gone home first - he's confused "reinvent" with "reproduce" twice now.


• Models of the Runway. Fast forward, interview segment with Heidi (who cracks me up), fast forward, model picking, and... Ebony and her weird eyebrows head home. Whatever.

Wednesday the 14th

Morning Commute:

• Culturetopia podcast. Roller derby girls going to watch Whip It - very cute.

Before Band Practice:

• Whatever, Martha. This had been on hiatus in my DVR bc it kept recording the same repeats even though I asked for just new episodes. But I popped it back in the line-up to see if a new season started, and lo and behold it had. I do not care for the new set - it looks cold, and the lighting seems too sharp. I thought it was fun when the sets were less "professional kitchen" and "professional craft area", too, because it was more in keeping with the spirit of "why the Hell does Martha think people can/would do these things at home?"

After Band Practice:

• SYTYCD. These boys are weepy this season. It's interesting that Mia makes all the dancers cry whether she's mean or loving. What on earth position does she put their bodies in that unlocks that? I was about to download the music used for her choreography, "Walking on Air", and it turns out I already have it! Must've been a free single off iTunes or from Amazon. Woo to the HOO! In other thoughts, I believe it will work in that Billy kid's favor that Adam Shankman is moving up to regular judge status this season. This season looks pretty darn promising...
  

Tuesday the 13th

Commutes:

• Plowed through a whole bunch of Story of the Day podcasts. I remember that only one was about health care. How will I ever know what is going on now?

Evening:

• Saw Shawn Colvin at Yoshi's! She was terrific, and called Sting a pansy ass mo-fo for using an electric tuner. It was a very simple set - just Shawn and a guitar, and a backup singer for 3 or 4 tunes. Her voice is just as pure and true as it is in her recordings, and holy cow can she work a capo on the guitar.

Monday the 12th

Morning and Evening Commute:

• Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me podcast. Mildly entertaining, Ashley Judd was a guest bc she's currently a grad student at Harvard, and that's all I remember. Oh, except I totally missed the "Bluff the Listener" - turns out that a Denver weekly is actually hiring a marijuana critic. No, the outlet is not the Mile High Times. (See, I could totally be a Wait Wait panelist.)

Nighttime viewing:

• HIMYM. Start being funnier, show. I am growing even less tolerant of forced hilarity. I was actually OK with Marshall and Lily's over-the-top terrible hosting, but the ending was ridiculous. Robin and Barney? Too good for that.


• Mad Men. Don is not very likable this season. Not showing many redemptive qualities. It was thrilling to see Roger put him in his place, even though the point he had to make was that the agency has to find a way to keep themselves endeared to their horrible clients. They could take lessons from poor Carla.

Sunday the 11th

Morning Coffee Walk:

• NPR:Books Podcast. I loved the interview with Madeline Albright about her pins, and think she used them well as a diplomatic tool. There is a lot of wisdom in putting a point of view in a very obvious place where it can be noted and used to set a tone.

Between Things:

• Started catching up on Season 2 of Fringe. Who else was annoyed when they didn't check Charlie's palate from the get-go?


• HIMYM, "The Possimpible". I'm going to start channeling my visio-tivity right now.

Evening:

• Went to see Whip It, and was pleasantly entertained. Fun, cute, and rewatchable. Drew did a good job, and it was fun to see her give herself such a ridiculous rough and tumble character.

Late Night:

• TAR - and how was it possible only 2 of those teams recognized Jackie O?? Pathetic. I was very disappointed with the outcome this week, and don't really care who wins now. The dad & son, I guess. Or the Globetrotters. The rest of them are all grating.

Nightstand:

• Rereading Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut. It was my second nomination for book club - originally, I had said we would read Woman on the Edge of Time because I remember reading it for a fem. stud. class back in college and that it provoked interesting discussions. What I had forgotten is that it is stilted and unreadable, so I retracted it and suggested Cat's Cradle instead, because given the option? I would probably be a Bokononist myself.

Saturday the 10th

Morning Commute:

• Read the Spellman book. Polished it off at a coffee shop after work this afternoon. It was a satisfying read. Characters were true to form, and it was nice to see Isabel's developing self-awareness. I remain interested and excited about more in the series.

Afternoon:

• Thought I might actually watch a football game, and Stanford was already getting beat up by Oregon State. Yikes. Switched to...
  
• Fringe. It's time to polish off the last DVD of Season 1.
  
• Man vs. Food. Mmm... corn dogs... NOW I have a reason to go to Springfield, Illinois.

Evening:

• REALLY finished off Fringe. It was good, and the season wrapped up nicely without closing the mystery down entirely.
  
• Somehow I got sucked into watching an episode of Made on MTV, where they taught 3 random suburbanites to dance and put them in a hip hop contest. One of the judges was Twitch, so I stuck around, because TWITCH! He was very enthusiastic and supportive. You go, Twitch. I'm always thrilled to see dancers getting work after SYTYCD.
  
• Community. Terrific credits. Heehee - nice Seacrest dig. I love pop culture tie-ins.
  
• Glee. I am starting to love it. Sue Sylvester was in fine form, and it had TWO musical numbers - yay!
  
• SNL, and my finger is on the fast-forward button. Drew Barrymore usually proves to be an entertaining host so she got the show a 1-week reprieve (and Regina Spektor! I absoLUTEly love her), but after tonight - it's off the DVR record list.

Friday the 9th

Morning Commute:

• Read Revenge of the Spellmans.

At work:

• Claire reminded me this week's Office episode was the wedding, which had completely slipped my mind. She mentioned they spoofed the Forever wedding march from YouTube, which I had never heard of. So we watched it. It was very cute - but we both agreed if we were the bride we would have choreographed the hell out of our entrance.

Late Night After Work:

• So I watched The Office when I finally got home. Worst. Episode. Ever. I'm not sure if I find it the worst because of the lackluster content, or because of the missed opportunities. This one just felt like it was trying too hard, and one of the things I hate most in comedy is forced hilarity. I did not like the gross-out humor (what's with the new "show, don't tell" approach to vomit?), the lack of knowledge demonstrated by the secondary characters (Pam's best friend didn't know about Dwight?), or the reliance on ridiculous stereotypes (Grandma will be shocked the couple lived together and will disapprove of the match, Pam's Dad is dating someone really young). I did think the "mental pictures" were adorable, and the filming of Pam and Jim's actual wedding was quite sweet, but the way they arrived there just felt contrived. Pam is upset because her veil was supposed to be in her control? I get the concept, but the dialogue was weird. Which also brings me to the missed opportunity - wouldn't it have been great to hear how Pam feels about Jim for once? Wouldn't that have been a great thing to save for the special episode? Instead, we get the whole gang from the workplace dancing down the aisle with only a few actual friends or relatives of the couple.
  
• Then I plowed through The Soup, Models of the Runway, and RW/RR Aftershow. Who would've thought Johnny Bananas would be one of the few to offer insight into what it really feels like to be a participant in such a ridiculous environment? I feel bad for Ev for taking the whole thing too seriously, but do think it made sense that she decided she was not going to let people who had no respect for her feelings use her muscle to help them win.

Thursday the 8th

Morning Commute:

• Plowed through 4 Story of the Day podcasts - the best was an interview with Jane Lynch from Glee. The interviewer was terrific, too, and asked her if she had ever caught herself on TV in something she'd forgotten doing. And it turns out she was on an episode of Married with Children and had forgotten she could say she'd done that show. Which was especially funny when reading Playbill later...

Evening Outing:

• ...for RENT! At the Curran Theatre, featuring 3 of the actors who had been in the original Broadway production, including Anthony Rapp (who rightfully listed Adventures in Babysitting) and Adam Pascal (who included a guest spot on The Backyardigans. Um, really?) It was fun, and I loved the ensemble feel. I also loved the crowd support, and imagined it must feel incredible to be able to sing in such a powerful way and have a whole audience mesmerized.

Before Bed:

• Survivor, not because I feel terribly invested in this season, but because I hate finding out who got the boot on competition shows before I watch them. Which is why I also watched
  
• Project Runway. I was very impressed with Shirin's clever use of thread, but happy that Gordana finally won. Good for her! And I could understand why the divorce challenge kinda messed with her head. It's something a lot of people go through, and you can certainly move on without being haunted, but it's also something you don't want to be reminded of or forced to make light of. Anyway. I think Logan shoulda been auf'd here, especially since it's the second time he's tanked when interacting with a client.

Wednesday the 7th

Morning Commute:

• I have no recollection of whether or not I put my headphones on. Read more Spellmans.

Nighttime Viewing:

• Home late, kinda bummed, thought maybe SYTYCD would cheer me up. Then I realized - it's WEDNESDAY! RW/RR CHALLENGE!!! And it did not disappoint. I love ridiculous people drama. I cannot believe these jokers are making me feel sympathetic towards Wes. Who is still a ridiculous d-bag.
  
• THEN I watched SYTYCD. That Elinor girl was a dream, and I loved that other kid's bounce style all over again. I would totally sign up for that class at the gym. I am also very excited about Russell the Crumper, but that Yveta woman freaks me the hell out.

Tuesday the 6th

Morning Commute:

• I was actually interested in Friday's Planet Money, on why it seems socialism is not taking hold right now the way it did after the Great Depression. They had a guest talking about recent elections all over the globe, and I rewound it 3 times and still couldn't focus. Sad.

At work:

• Co-worker had me watch The Contract. I giggled.

Nighttime:

• Torn between booze, pills, or maybe just Sons of Anarchy. Went with the latter as my drug of choice this evening, and it was an excellent choice. Y'all, this show is good.
  
• SYTYCD - the auditions are finally ending! I was not in sync with the judges for the first half - I thought the first b-boy was AWESOME and I hope he has a crew so we can watch him on America's Best Dance Crew, and I had to watch that one girl's crazy backbend 3 times to figure out what the hell she had done. But the dancers the judges loved? Meh. While I am thrilled we didn't have to watch that attention-seeking long-haired goofball this year, I was NOT happy to see the "Nigel is a letch" montage OR extreme close-ups of the bloody dance accident. Ech. Also, it was kind of them to bring that guy's wife to Vegas bc she was really not impressive. He was, though.

Monday the 5th

Commuting:

• Polished off Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and then watched the "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass" episode of It's Always Sunny on my iPod.

Nighttime viewing:

• Watched the baseball park episode of Man vs. Food. Adam Richman is totally one of my TV boyfriends - I love his good-natured enthusiasm and appreciation for the ridiculous. The concept of the shore is, of course, appalling - food challenges no one should attempt - and yet it is done with such unabashed glee.
  
• HIMYM, something about Robin school. Total meh-pisode. Keeping the Robin/Barney relationship as a focus is dangerous, shark-jumping territory.
  
• Trauma. Episode 1 - First thought, is that first guy is a "That Guy". Turns out to be Herc from Friday Night Lights. (Thanks, IMDB!) And so far... not looking like this is gonna stay in the DVR recording list. Watching car accidents occur in places where you drive is creepy. Also, the set-ups and the characters just seem so artificial. I think the idea of first response medical teams is dramatic enough without starting the characters off with a flashback to give them a "Troubled Past!" and "Complicated Relationships!" or characters with nicknames who holler catchphrases. Fast-forwarding to see where they filmed... and... HEY! It's Buddy from Friday Night Lights! I love when that happens, when you see multiple actors from one show on another. Anyway... fast forward... and... we're done. That was dumb.
  
• Starting on episode 2... and... realize I do not care at all. I don't need to watch this to see where they film because I live here, and can also just GO OUTSIDE to see San Francisco. But I do find it funny that people are just walking by in the location shots and ignoring the paramedics. I kinda think that's more likely to happen with film crews than with actual paramedics. City dwellers are jaded, but still full of schadenfreude.

Nightstand:

• Might push through to finish off Alive in Necropolis tonight.

Sunday the 4th

Morning Run:

• Yeah, that's right. I went for a run. So Amazon has MP3 daily deals, and I've picked up some interesting stuff there. Recently, I downloaded Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon. My current favorite tracks are "Ain't That Pretty at All" by Pixies and "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" by Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt.

Laundry viewing:

• The Soup. They made Wendy Williams up, right? That can't be real.

Mid-morning commute:

• Read Revenge of the Spellmans.

Evening commute:

• Polished off 3 Story of the Day podcasts - 2 on healthcare (enough with the healthcare!) and one on a children's orchestral program from Venezuela. Then most of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, which had a timely and unwelcome series of anecdotes for the "Bluff the Listener" segment - ridiculous legal stories. The true one was about a brief being tossed out for poor stapling, and the listener got it right because she used to be a paralegal. Yup. I got that one right, too.

Nighttime viewing:

• FINALLY sat down for SYTYCD, and that New Orleans Bounce audition was fantastic. It got me to wondering, what's my favorite audition ever? And one still stands out. Phillip Chbeeb, Season 3 (his first attempt). Now he did not turn out to be one of the best contestants - but what he did was so unusual and yet lyrical that I have never forgotten the feeling I had watching it. An edge of my seat, joyous amazement that made me want to scream "Did you SEE that?!"
  
• SNL. Checking IMDB now to remind me what Ryan Reynolds has been in bc I'm confusing him with... oh. He WAS Van Wilder. Which I didn't even see. He's like Dane Cook without the constant shouting, or Ryan Gosling without the indie cred. Anyway, intro over and I haven't laughed yet. 2 minutes into the Family Feud parody aaaannndddd... I am done. I am deleting this from my scheduled recordings. We are on a break, SNL.
  
• TAR (That's The Amazing Race, to you non-TWOP readers (and that of course is Television Without Pity). I'm not gonna lie - it makes me very, very happy that the loud-mouthed attorney is such a dumbass when it comes to figuring out the Race.
  
• The Office, finishing up "The Promotion". And this one has inspired me to coin a term - it was a meh-pisode.
  
• Mad Men. The Pete & Trudy moments were very well done - they captured that awful wordless exchange, where you go from feeling so optimistically close to someone to realizing things have gone very, very wrong.

D(VR)leted:

• Dollhouse. I just don't care. I had high hopes, because Joss Whedon's Firefly was fantastic, and I like Eliza Dushku - but the overacting in this show is horrendous. I will stare at Google images of Tahmoh Penikett (hhhaaawwwwtttt) rather than sit through this festival of meh.

Insomnia viewing:

• HIMYM, "Little Minnesota". Kaela had told me this is her favorite episode and it took me until the 2nd repeat to catch it. And it was pretty good, but I think my favorite is when Robin sits in as Barney's bro.
  
• It's Always Sunny, "The Nightman Cometh". He's a master of karate, and friendship - for everyone!