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So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Top 16 Perform 2 Eliminated

15 08 2015

We are quickly making our way towards the finale where America’s favorite dancer is announced. I think all the dancers are reaching inside themselves to conquer those elements of dance with which they were least familiar. It has made for an exciting season so far.

Tonight’s group dance was choreographed by Nick Florez and RJ Durell to the song “Love is Free” by Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique featuring Maluca. What a fantastic way to wake up the audience in preparation for tonight’s show. I am always in awe when these dancers can learn things that have so many complicated fast moves. It shows such great effort on their parts to want to give the best performance possible.

Cat revealed who won most of the votes last week. Team Stage barely won with 50.5% of the votes with Team Street pulling 49.5% of the vote. Derek injured himself this week and won’t be able to perform. He may or may not be in danger this week but if he makes it through to next week, he will automatically be in the bottom 3.

Ray Leeper choreographed Hailee and JaJa in a jazz number. It is a song about female empowerment danced to the song “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves. JaJa held her own. Hailee brought more sexiness to the dance than JaJa and dug a little deeper to bend more, stretch more, and emphasize more. But JaJa represented a different type of woman I think; after all, there are so many versions of us. Nigel said they are two incredible ladies. Together they are a knockout. He said whether it is Hailee’s hair or eyes or the “hey look at me” mentality she has when she walks on stage, he has to focus on her. She is just a sensation. JaJa is one of the most interesting street dancers they have ever had on the program. She is growing in technique exponentially. Paula thinks the spectrum from where JaJa started from last year not making it to the choreography rounds to where she is today is unrecognizable. It is brilliant to watch the growth. She knocks them out week after week. Hailee has a radiance about her and they are drawn into the luster of her brilliance. It shines with her like a dance partner that never leaves her. Words that you cannot even describe. They can’t help but laser into her. It’s a beautiful gift. Jason thought it was a beautiful performance. He is so proud of JaJa. Her intention was there. The style of the dance was there. He cautioned her to be careful with her leg extensions and stretch a bit more because when both of their legs are up, Hailee’s leg is “way up here” and hers is “a little down here.” Hailee is coming out of her shell and becoming a star right before their eyes. Cat reveals the results from last week’s dances for them. Both of them are safe.

Dave Scott choreographed Neptune and Alexia. It is a crazy love story type of hip-hop dance to the song “Flex (Ooh Ooh Ooh)” by Rich Homie Quan. I loved this. I got goosebumps. Traditionally I get goosebumps to songs that touch an emotion in me. This pairing was perfect. Alexia was fantastic with her moves. She had great chemistry with Neptune. The added feature of a padded-wall prop made the routine so much more interesting. When things like this are introduced they are either a hit or a flop. This was definitely a hit. Their marks for the wall were perfectly timed singly and in duet. I totally got “crazy love story” from this. If I had to guess I would say Alexia’s character was more of the cray-cray part of the relationship. Paula gave them a standing ovation. Paula thought it was a fun, fun routine. Twerking up a padded wall was pretty creative. Both were committed to the character. They both had so much fun. It was sick, crazy love, whacky, insane, sensual, sexy and just weird and she loved it. Jason told Neptune he will be important to his team. He is a head runner and will steer his team over. Let sure he is leading his team. Alexia is getting better and better every week and keep it going. Nigel agrees Alexia is getting better and better every week. As Jason said, Neptune started quietly and every week is building himself slowly week upon week. America is crazy if they don’t recognize that. Based on last week’s dancing, Alexia and Neptune are both safe.

JJ and Derek got together with choreographers Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo for an Argentine tango. Since Derek can’t perform, she gets to dance with Leonardo. What a treat for her. The song is “Duo De Amor” by Astor Piazzolla. He really helped her get all those lines and high lifts. I think the chemistry was there. It was beautiful. The judges were on their feet. Jason said, “Girl, you brought sexy back, and all the judges didn’t know how to act.” He said it was unbelievable. She overcame adversity and she held her own. Nigel said from the first breath throughout the routine how sensual she was making it. If Mary Murphy were there now, JJ would definitely be on her hot tamale train. He teased her that Leonardo held her at the end for a bit longer and she was enjoying every second of that. She laughed in agreement. She was a credit to her team. Paula said it was beautiful routine. The most incredible, incredible transformation comes from her. It’s the whole 360. The grace and beauty of her extensions. She is like a young ingénue of maybe Natalie Wood and maybe Leslie Caron. It is lovely seeing her like this. Results from last week’s dance: JJ and Derek are both in danger.

Ariana and Jim were paired with Sean Cheesman who choreographed a contemporary routine. The story is about the ups and downs of dealing with depression. The song is “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” by Lorde. Interesting version of this song; I had never heard it before. It set the mood for the dance. The dancing was fabulous but I think Jim needed to dig a little deeper for the emotional connection. There is great despair in depression and it was more like he was playing a part versus experiencing it. Situational depression is different from chronic depression and trying to dig your way up from that. Usually dances like this will certainly give me goosebumps, but not today. Bummed. The judges were on their feet. Nigel said he thought they conveyed the brilliant message that Sean wanted to convey. Nigel said that dance is a great weapon in depression and dementia so if you ever feel this way, get up and dance. He said he didn’t know why the audience was not connecting with Ariana. Nigel felt Jim was not struggling at all. Paula said just when you think you can’t grow better or stronger, both of them are proving that each week. She thinks it is one of the best routines that showcased both of the breadth of who they are as dancers, and both the light and the shame of the depression, the light and the light—it worked beautifully, seamlessly. Ariana was keeping up with Jim step for step with him. Jason said he is blown away by Ariana for being able to dance with such a technical dancer as Jim and hold her own is unreal. He can never tell what team she is on. He said to Jim that he has never seen talent/technique like that live and thanked him. After hearing these comments from the judges, I wonder if the song is what threw the whole dance off for me. I was concentrating on the song so much (as the original is an all-time favorite of mine) that I was trying to wrap my head around that which held me back from fully experiencing it as they did. The results from last week from Cat: Jim is safe and Ariana is in danger.

Virgil and Gaby were teamed with Al Blackstone for a Broadway routine about two people on the streets of New York who think they know each other after they bump into each other to the song “Where or When” by Sammy Davis Jr. That was adorable and so much fun. I could picture them having a job on Broadway. Nigel was on his feet—wait all the judges! Paula said some wonderful things about the dance but turned to Virgil and said he is like a young Sammy Davis Jr. He can do it all and he is so wonderful to watch. She thought Mattel should slap their sign on the back of his behind and sell a million Virgil dolls. (Okay?) Paula said Gaby is impeccable. She is so well versed. It’s lovely to see how elegant and how amazing she is in this competition. Jason told Virgil he breathes life into every performance. Jason shares he went to college for musical theater and *this* (meaning the routine) is his thing. They both did an amazing job. He said the breadth of knowledge of dance that Gaby has is pretty amazing. He cautioned him to not let Virgil upstage her. He told her not to underestimate a smile. Her smile lights up a room. Nigel said he disagrees with Jason—they were both a fabulous power couple tonight. He said Broadway demands the best of you. When they go on those hallowed boards, you have to be brilliant every time, rain or shine, whether you are ill or fine, you just have to be brilliant and both of them were brilliant tonight. Cat told them they are both safe based on last week’s dance.

Asaf and Kate joined together to do a jazz routine choreographed by Sean Cheesman. The story of the dance is that Asaf and Kate ARE the in-crowd at the club. Kate unfortunately does not feel safe with Asaf who is having trouble with the lifts. The song is “Braveheart” by Neon Jungle. I guess thes choreographer and the team captains felt it was better to get the lifts out of the song. It was an okay routine. I feel bad for Kate. She tried her best to make the situation work, but I think what happened messed up the chemistry they might have been able to have—to connect better. Jason told Kate she has been a favorite of his in the past few weeks. Jason said they got a lot of heat last week for saving him and he does not regret it. He thinks, however, that he is in that danger zone. He does not think his performance saved him. Jason feels like Asaf is in a limbo. Nigel said to Kate that her technique has never been in question; it has always been about a connection. She really connected to him tonight and he hopes she did with America. Nigel said that he is constantly being told by his choreographers how hard he works. This was so much better this week than his cha-cha last week. He lived up to his name and he “danced his ass-af.” Paula told Kate she looks lovely tonight. She said what she was happy about was that there was no more fear; she trusted her partner; both of them worked very well together. She told Asaf he was there for his partner and it is like night and day from last week to this week. Cat announces the results from last week’s votes, they ae both in danger this week.

Marissa and Yorelis join together for a Christopher Scott hip-hop number. For the story, Yorelis gets to hypnotize Marissa to win her over to Team Street. The song is “Let Go” by Kezwik featuring Mimi Page. They make a great team. This routine is among my favorites tonight. This is when I like Christopher Scott’s routines. Nigel thought Marissa’s tumbling skills really came into this routine, although she was terrific. He warns her she has to be careful to get the same liquid flow to her body that Yorelis has. He echoed Jason’s words earlier that he does not know who is on whose team tonight. He thought Yorelis is so beautiful and sensational. Her whole body moves to the music. It’s almost like she hasn’t been choreographed. The music drives her body. Paula wants to compliment both of them. She thought Marissa just licked it up and acknowledged it is hard for a jazz/contemporary dancer—the animation is hard. The choreography was well thought out and very clever. This is where Yorelis shines. Jason thought it was a really good performance. He said that after seeing some of the performances today, it did fall a little short. He wanted them to be a little more intense, a little bigger, based on the intensity of the song. At times they nailed it and at times they didn’t. The little intricacies he thought they did well. For the size of the song, he didn’t feel like the performance matched. It was good but it didn’t blow him away. Cat said that Marissa is the final dancer in danger tonight based on last week’s routine.

Megz and Edson are paired for a contemporary dance from Talia Favia. The story is about temptation and being extremely intrigued by it. Megz is discovering temptation and is constantly being pulled back by Edson. The song is “You There” by Aquilo. GOOSEBUMPS. The expressions on Megz face and her technique considering she is Team Street is so impressive. All the judges were on their feet. Paula was in tears. Paula had bumps all over her arms and she is very taken with this routine. She thought Megz was truly amazing. She told Edson they danced—she didn’t know how it could be any better. Words cannot describe so she is going to leave it at that. Jason said easily one of the best performances of the night. He thought the struggling in the shirt was a concept that was so dope but it could easily go wrong. You had to have the right amount of desperation and he believes they accomplished that. He thinks this number will go into SYTYCD history. Nigel thought for the first time a shirt has come off in this show for a good reason. Cat shrugs and says, “So you say.” The image of how much we hide from each other in a relationship was captured beautifully by Talia’s choreography. He felt she and JaJa have become contemporary dancers. You’ve moved over to Travis’ team. He told Edson that Edson finds it hard to be passionate in his dancing sometimes, but he did not tonight. He really released his emotions so it was great to see. It was a beautiful routine as everyone has said. And since the dancers who are in danger have already been revealed, both Edson and Megz are safe.

Team Street dances together to choreography by Luam. She feels it captures the spirit of New York and the hustler spirit. The song is “Commas” by Future. They nailed it. It was wonderful. The judges were on their feet.

Next up is Team Stage choreographed by Travis Wall. The theme is ghosts of theaters past. The song is “Beautiful Friends” by Helen Money. WOW TRAVIS WALL! I love you! That was so wonderful. I think this is the third time Travis has choreographed his own group number. Time to “Step Up” tWitch!

Twitter votes save JJ and Derek (injured Derek—is that fair Twitter?—he is automatically going to be in the bottom 3 next week). The judges save Kate and let Marissa go. As far as the street dancers, the judges save Ariana; Asaf is leaving the competition.

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Tags: Al Blackstone, Alexia, Argentine tango, Ariana, Asaf, Broadway, Cat Deeley, Christopher Scott, contemporary, Dave Scott, Derek, Edson, Fox Broadcasting, Gaby, Hailee, hip-hop, JaJa, Jason Derulo, jazz, Jim, JJ, Kate, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Luam, Marissa, Megz, Miriam Larici, Neptune, Nick Florez, Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, Ray Leeper, Reina Hidalgo, RJ Durell, season 12, So You Think You Can Dance, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, Talia Favia, Team Stage, Team Street, Travis Wall, Virgil, Yorelis
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance

So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Top 18 Perform, 2 Eliminated

1 08 2015

The opening number is Justin Timberlake’s “Let The Groove Get In.” Edson and Virgil were the ones who caught my eye tonight. I enjoyed that a lot. One of the better openers. It was choreographed by Reina Hidalgo and Asiel Hardison. Cat shared the results from last week’s show. Team Street had 48% of the vote and Team Stage got 52% of the vote.

Alexia and Derek and JaJa were paired with Stacey Tookey to perform a contemporary routine. The story is about bravery and how it takes on different forms. Derek is a war veteran; JaJa is a woman leaving an abusive situation; Alexia is a single mom. The song is “All Waters” by Perfume Genius. OH MY GOD. GOOSEBUMPS!!!! The entire song—goosebumps. I was almost near tears. Each one of them did a wonderful job, but JaJa and Derek affected me the most. Nigel said Alexia did a tremendous job. Seeing Derek relying on the girls and the girls on him was terrific. JaJa said she just started a new show for him—“Guess who is the street krumper”—because he would have never known. He said someone in his life told him to bloom wherever you are planted and that is exactly what she is doing. Paula said it always starts with choreography and she gets it right. She takes 3 separate unique dancers and blend them beautifully. They all danced beautifully tonight. Regarding Derek, she felt he really fell into the character and tonight so far was his best night. Regarding Alexia, she understands the height challenges and she is always going to have to stretch to be seen and she IS being seen. Regarding JaJa, each and every week she is morphing into a very accomplished dancer and because of that she is always going to have them in the palm of their hands rooting for her. Jason thought said it was beautiful. He felt like our country needed to see that. It was more than a competition—they were living up there. He agrees that tonight by far was Derek’s best routine. He felt like it was about the story and they delivered that tonight. The votes, based on last week’s dances: Alexia and JaJa and Derek are all safe.

Megz, Moises and Jim were paired together for a Team Street hip-hop routine choreographed by JaQuel Knight (who choreographed “All The Single Ladies” for Beyoncé). This dancer, however, is about standing up to the haters saying “whatever.” And appropriately the song choice is “Whuteva” by Remy Ma. Megz was the star of this. Moises was probably next best and Jim still struggled with being straight. Overall I enjoyed the routine quite a bit, and I have a feeling this might be my new anthem. I thought, too, it was clever that the song lyrics cued them in on what the choreography should be with the arms. Paula felt the routine they were given wasn’t necessarily technically challenging so the dance really relies on them filling in the spaces, committing to being in character and being over the top with the vibe and feel. She felt Megz did well but could even give more. Moises really needs to drop down into it like tWitch was saying. She felt the same with Jim but he was giving it his all. Jason thought it was cool. He said the first 75% she was giving it to him, but the last 25% she kind of dropped off. The guys were kind of like the brother back-up dancers. He felt this was not the guys’ best number and they struggled. Nigel agrees with Paula that it was more about the attitude than the steps. Nigel said it didn’t work. Megz gave it everything she had. He didn’t think Moises could be mean or cruel if anyone was kicking him about the stage, but he has to find that attitude. He didn’t comment on Jim. Cat shares the results from last week’s show: Jim and Megz are safe; Moises is in danger again this week.

Edson, JJ and Yorelis were next up to do a jazz routine with choreographer Tovaris Wilson. The song is about the push and pull of relationships. The song is “Restart” by Sam Smith. Edson owned the sexiness. The girls had no worries about their sexiness. They did a terrific job. Jason thought it was good and entertaining. Jason demonstrated to Edson what he was looking for—that he could be into the ladies at any time and not worrying about looking at one or the other. He encouraged him to be more free. Nigel said the girls were two of his favorite street kids this year. This was a nice way to bring the street kids into jazz with the groove. Edson needs to start using his sensuality into it now. Jason is right—keep your options open. Paula said this routine was all about the vibe. The two girls are little bright lights but they have to look at their techniques. We have to see pointed toes and arms with intention. Yorelis was more comfortable in this zone than JJ but they are both wonderful to watch. Edson was the dude; he was the stud; nothing more can be said. The results for last week’s dance puts Edson is in danger; Yorelis and JJ are safe.

Asaf and Marissa got together for a club cha-cha with Jean Marc Genereux. This is about the rock star coming into the room and the groupie fan. Twitch jokes with him that this week he doesn’t have to take him outside to talk to him and that is amazing. The song is “+1” by Martin Solveig featuring Sam White. Marissa was fantastic. You could really see Asaf struggling. He could see him thinking in his head about what he had to do and where he had to be to be a good partner that he totally left his hotness in the closet. This is a routine where he could have used his flirty nature to turn up the heat and if he had accomplished that all the little mistakes with arm positioning and many other things would have been overlooked. He had this little firecracker on his arm! Such a shame. I am glad he didn’t complain about the routine, now he needs to stretch himself. I have no idea why the audience gave them a standing ovation. Perhaps it was because of Marissa. Nigel said he didn’t know what club cha-cha was but it didn’t feel much like a cha-cha to him. I have to agree with Nigel. Towards the end there, I was thinking modern-day disco perhaps. He felt Marissa did everything that was required of her but instead of using him throughout the performance, she used the audience and she was supposed to be the “groupie” of Asaf (who he jabbed with that he looks like a rock star but doesn’t dance like one). Nigel complimented Asaf on how hard he did work this week. It is a journey. This was not a good routine for Asaf (comparing him to a caterpillar that will someday bloom into a butterfly). Paula said she could tell him about the cha-cha about not turning his hips in, not to be pigeon-toed with his feet, but forget all that. She looks at where he started and you can’t help but to feel completely changed to where he is now. It didn’t work for her either but he gets an “A” for effort. Regarding Marissa, the selflessness she saw in rehearsal didn’t come through in the final product and she agrees with Nigel. Jason said it is all about the connection. She didn’t have the same connection with him as she did with the audience and him; it came off as being fake. Regarding Asaf, he has to flex his muscles some to get some votes because he is going to have a hard time. Cat told them that Marissa is safe this week and Asaf is in danger this week.

Sean Cheesman choreographs Gaby, Burim and Ariana for an African jazz number that is what Sean calls the “Dance of the Blood Moon.” He says they are mystical creatures, like creepy animals. Indeed they looked like creepy spiders when the dance began to the song “Gorilla” by Lord Kraven. I would say Ariana was the star of that dance followed very closely by Gaby, but props to Burmin who held his own. He was worried about not getting it, but I think he got it. I loved the standing back rolls the ladies did. Did it give me goosebumps? No. But I think so far it was my second favorite dance of the night. Paula said it was a very strong routine. Paula said to Burim “I loved watching your package.” And Nigel interrupted and Paula realized what she said. She said the show is also about overcoming adversity as it is about getting constant praise. She loves to see the struggle and then they get to sit back with a smile on their face and say, “wow, you pulled through.” That’s charming, that’s exciting, and it makes them proud. Regarding the ladies, she said she knew they were strong but seeing them lift each other and throw each other—those two were fierce. The precision of dancing together was very well done. Jason said if Burim can’t find the foot, don’t let it not happen, just look down for it, because the audience doesn’t know that he isn’t supposed to look down. All in all Jason thought it was a really good performance. Conceptually it was one of the best numbers for him. Nigel said it was one of the best numbers for him tonight. Regarding Ariana, she looked comfortable in it. She was great and powerful in it. He can’t believe that Gaby is really a tap dancer. He is so proud of her. Nigel gave him some dancing pointers. Cat said Ariana and Burim are in danger this week and Gaby is safe.

Neptune and Kate teamed up with Justin Giles for a contemporary routine. It’s about a husband and wife saying goodbye not knowing if the husband will return from a dangerous job. The song is “Promise” by Ben Howard. I had such wonderful goosebumps. Kate improved with her emotional connection and Neptune—wow! He really dug deep. That was beautiful. Jason said that piece was beautiful. Choreography these days are a million steps, but this was not and they had to fill in the pieces and they did that beautifully. The chemistry was chilling. He felt like they were item and still feel that (just putting it out there). That was a grade-A performance. He felt Kate really came out of her shell. It was his performance from her. Neptune surprises him every single week. He doesn’t know who his favorite is this week but Neptune is kind of taking that spot. Nigel said he found it interesting and challenging. It was static in its movements but expansive in what it was trying to say as well. I was shocked when Nigel said that 10 years ago he would get complaints about a black person dancing with a white person (WOW—shocking). But he feels that so much was said in that routine and both portrayed it beautifully and complimented Kate on her performance. He has complained about her not releasing but she did this week. Paula said it was such a simple, beautiful concept yet so complex with emotions and both were able to deliver beautifully. Paula told Kate she was worried about Kate letting go and being vulnerable and she was just right. Neptune is one of the favorites. He is really showing the breadth of a dancer that he really is. Cat said that Neptune is safe. Kate is in danger.

Virgil and Hailee take on a hip-hop routine with Pharside and Phoenix number. They are robots from outer space. The song is “Runnin’” by Noahplause. WOW!!!!! I would have said Hailee was on Team Street. The moves were fantastic. I was blown away. Now, it didn’t give my goosebumps, but I think it was my favorite non-goosebumped-song. The judges were on their feet. Nigel said these two were the best two characters they have this year. Their personalities shine out beyond the little lights on their chest. Even though Hailee’s light has gone out she still….and Virgil came in and turned her light back on, still in character. That was a memorable routine. He thinks when they have a season 20 anniversary special, this routine would be on there. Paula said if they represent what aliens are, sign her up—she’ll go there. It was fantastic. It was crazy fun. Jason said he always knew Virgil was crazy, but he didn’t know Hailee was that crazy. If she is this good in street, he is anxious to see how far she will go. He had no idea. Cat tells them both of them are safe.

The group number for Team Stage was choreographed by Jaci Royal and it is about when you need help from people to overcome obstacles. The song chosen was “For My Help” by Hayden Calnin. OH MY GOD!!!! I’m in love. It looked like everything was timed perfectly and at times it took my breath away. I like that new choreographers are on board this year. It has added a different layer of depth to the show. The judges were on their feet.

Team Street is up next. Choreographed by Marty Kudelka (who was a nominee for best choreography in a music video and the 2007 winner VMA for best choreography in Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” video. Twitch said they have to be cooler than a polar bear’s toenails. The song is “Break Ya Neck” by Busta Rhymes. I enjoyed that, but liked Team Stage better.

The Twitter save goes to Ariana from Team Street and Kate from Team Stage. The judges save Asaf from Team Street (that is a mistake—Burim is a much better dancer). From Team Street, the judges save Edson. I think that was the right decision. Moises is a great dancer but Edson is the better of the two.

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Tags: African jazz, Alexia, Ariana, Asaf, Asiel Hardison, Burim, Cat Deeley, club cha-cha, contemporary, Derek, Edson, Fox Broadcasting, Gaby, Hailee, Jaci Royal, JaJa, Jaosn Derulo, JaQuel Knight, jazz, Jean-Marc Genereux, Jim, JJ, Justin Giles, Kate, Marissa, Marty Kudelka, Megz, Moises, Neptune, Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, Pharside, Phoenix, Reina Hidalgo, Sean Cheesman, season 12, So You Think You Can Dance, Stacey Tookey, Tovaris Wilson, Virgil, Yorelis
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance

So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Los Angeles Auditions

28 06 2015

Part of the programming was interrupted by the coverage of Tropical Storm Bill that was headed our way. However, it finished up by the time the first contestant’s audition started in Los Angeles. Asaf Goren does “Hebrew Breaking” as a style of dance. It was really interesting. It had an element of B-boy dancing that I don’t think I have ever seen before. Just when I thought he was done, he threw water on the ground and wowed me even more. All three judges were on their feet. Asaf was so emotional, he was getting all teary eyed. Nigel thought it was, in the British vernacular, bloody great B-boying. Paula thought he had a wonderful personality. Jason thought he is a star. He believes he is going to create something special that is going to change the world. He said sometimes people come in with that kind of confidence and it is off-putting, but after seeing him perform, he understands why, because it is the truth; it is not being cocky. Paula added that he danced from his heart and everyone could feel it. Nigel said he looked like a very young…and Jason chimed in Aladdin at the same time Nigel was saying Rock Hudson. He is through to Vegas.

Avo Karapetyan is formerly from Armenia but currently living in Boston. He came to try out for a spot on Team Stage with Travis Wall. He chose “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith. Instant goosebumps. His height was tremendous. His technique was terrific. The judges again were on their feet. Paula was crying. She said she would love to critique him but she cannot critique perfection. He is smashingly brilliant. Nigel thought he was a joy to watch. It was stunning. Jason said his hat went off to him. He was through.

Jana “Jaja” Vankova, an animator who made it to Pasadena last year but then got cut. Jason was already yelling at her. She is a tremendous animator. Right up there with Cyrus I think. I think she will give the Queen of Detroit a run for her money. Again the judges are standing on their feet for a standing ovation. Jason said that is bananas, that she became another being. He would pay money to see her. Paula thinks she is a perfectly wrapped gift that puts smiles on people’s faces. Nigel said it is a gift to watch her. She is through to Vegas.

Allen Genkin was trying out for Team Stage. He is a very young man who was diagnosed with testicular cancer and is now 3 years down the road from all of that. He chose “Land of 1000 Dances” by Will Pickett. I loved it. Paula said he lit up the stage with his high-energy routine. Paula was sarcastic about how terrible he was. It was so “off” in the right way, and that he was so fantastic, phenomenal, sexy, etc. Jason said before he started moving he knew he was going to be great. Nigel compared him to Benji Schwimmer. He is also through to Vegas.

A bunch of performers go through for Team Street. Brothers Illijaz and Burim “B1” Jusufi wished to join the team with their breaking moves. Some of their moves were typical moves we’ve seen before but some were unique. I think they deserve a ticket to Vegas, but I don’t think they’ll make the top 10. The judges liked it though. Nigel wasn’t sure why they had to take their t-shirts off to do their head spins. He thought they were incredible. Paula mirrors what Nigel is saying. Jason thought it was entertainment at its finest. They had a great connection between each of them and to the audience. They are through.

Mary Kate Lavoir called her dad out as a dance dad who bedazzles costumes. She danced a jazz routine to “As Long As You Love Me” by Justin Bieber. She is beautiful and definitely has star quality. She has great strength in her legs. There was a lot of self-glorification with the touching of herself that the judges have ridiculed them about in past seasons. Her routine was average. I think with a good choreographer, she could improve. I would say that most of her routine was about the self-touching and the rolling around on the floor. Nigel invites dad up to the stage to show his dad’s unique style. His name is Patrick (I like his name). He dances to “Opposites Attract” by Paula Abdul. Mary said she wasn’t feeling it; she has seen better at the kitchen table. Dad said it would be a long flight home. Paula thought it was the best walking she has seen. Jason thought he connected with Paula really well. Nigel thought he needed to be stronger. Nigel thought Mary, on the other hand, was tremendous. No for dad to Vegas but Mary will be going to Vegas.

Krump. I love krump. Krump started in 2001 in South Central Los Angeles. Krump was derived from clown dancing in 1992 (who knew?). I must have been asleep for that style of dance. The movie “Rize” inspired this next young man to get out of a gang and start dancing. James “B-Dash” Derrick hopes to take his game to the next level to make a career out of his moves. He dances to Glitch Mob’s “Animus Vox.” He threw some animation in there as well. He was on fire. I thought it was less krump though. Jason said he loved it because it is so different from what they are used to seeing. It didn’t feel angry but more like entertainment. Paula thought he was phenomenal. He is through to Vegas.

The next performer’s story was cut off due to more Tropical Storm Bill coverage. Shaolin from Mortal Kombat (?) was the song of choice for this ballet dancer. Jim Nowakowski owned that stage. It was like samurai ballet. Nigel compared him to Alex Wong. He felt they had the same strengths and technique. Alex was from the Miami Ballet; he is from the Houston Ballet (Woo-hoo Houston!). The performance was remarkable. Nigel thought it was one of the best dances he has ever seen on the show. Paula said he was exceptional. Jason asked him how many hours a day does it take to become a dancer like him. He replied “Forty hours?” They all giggled with that. Then he realized what he said and corrected himself saying eight hours. Jason felt it was amazing to have watched something like that. Jim obviously makes it through.

The last contestant on day one of the LA auditions was a young man with Down syndrome named Cody Carlson. He wanted to audition for Team Street with some freestyle hip-hop. Jason Derulo was his inspiration. Jason cheers him on. He is a terrific dancer. Jason said he is a born entertainer. Nigel shares that for the first time ever they are entering dance into the Special Olympics. Nigel is honest with him that this competition might not be the right one for him to be in because the dancers at this level are so technically trained, but he might be representing America in the Special Olympics. Paula said he is magnificent and not to forget that. Jason said he was an inspiration to him and a lot of people watching him. I don’t think Cody cared about a ticket to Vegas. He just wanted to hug Jason and it was a beautiful moment that made me cry. But Jason also hands him a ticket to Vegas.

Day two of the LA auditions commenced. Jacy Jordan was up first. When she was 7, she and her family were in a car accident. She was ejected out of the window despite her seat belt. She was bleeding to death and she might lose her leg. They told her she would never walk again but she refused to accept that. She is from Manvel, Texas? Wow! That is just south of Houston. (I looked up the story and it indeed happened). James Vincent McMorrow’s “Cavalier.” I really enjoyed her dance. It had a lot of emotion and wonderful technique. It was a great song choice, too. Jason said he felt attached to her because he had a near-death experience as well. He said he is not a crier, but he had to hold back his tears because that (her dancing) was such a moment for him. Paula said that dance, if you have experienced it, keeps you going through the hardest of times. She didn’t see any disability; she saw incredible ability. Nigel said the fact that she is dancing is, in fact, a miracle. Nigel said as far as Vegas, he was going to pass because he felt they had stronger dancers. Jason said yes and Paula said yes, so she is going through.

Jessica Rabone has a Japanese heritage and has been living in the shadow of her sister Becky who is a celebrity over there. Jessica decided to combine waacking and “house” for her audition. She had previously been in a battle with Comfort Fedoke, a contestant from season 4. She and Comfort were a team and they won the battle. Jessica has such a stage presence and has a face of a star. Her dancing was fierce! It was so fluid and–I’m not kidding–my dog while sound asleep was moving rhythmically to the song. When it was over, he stopped (he was sleeping). Nigel thought he saw a lot of Toni Basil in her. Jessica said Toni had trained her. Paula said she was like a mini superhero. She was representing quirky and fun with an amazing infectious smile and she knows how to work it and play her character well. She only suggested she incorporate more of a vocabulary with her movement but it was wonderful. It was very special. Jason said he loved it too. He was about to have some coffee but he had his fair share of caffeine right there–with a little cream, of course. Nigel said she lit up her stage. The smile lights up the entire theater. He thinks she needs more steps but this is not “so you think you can choreograph” so she is going to Vegas.

A group of female hip-hop dancers who were just hitting it hard on stage, and who I can’t wait to see in Vegas, all made it through.

Kareem “Anointed” Ali came with a unique dance style: All-style spiritual vibrational dance. I hope his dance style lives up to his hype. I’m not sure how this is different from the usual street dancing, but some of the moves were unique. The whole dance was indeed entertaining. Some of those moves made my biceps hurt. Nigel said what was great about him is that he was performing and his great personality came across. He did some really brilliant b-boy stuff. Paula said he has a gift. He dances in his own lane and that is what she is looking for. Jason said being a street performer you have to have a special something to stand out in a crowd. He brought that on stage. He lived up there. He is a gift. He gets a ticket to Vegas.

The last contestant is Brandon Armstrong. In 2012, he wasn’t old enough at that time and he was given a ticket to come back in 2013 but he went on a mission. During that mission he had to talk about Jesus from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. No TV. He was not even allowed to dance. He chose “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson. The year off did not harm his dancing ability in any way. He needs to back off on the facial expressions a bit. I think he deserves a ticket to Vegas. Jensen, his partner who is underage for the show, gets her own ticket to come back next year. Paula thought he was stunning. He has a lot of flair and wonderful style and is very well trained. Jason said his father said, “you gotta know how to handle a woman” and Brandon knows how to handle his woman. In ballroom you have to know how to dominate and that is exactly what he did. Nigel cautioned him on the mouth “oo” expressions. He also cautioned him on overextending in some of his lines. He is going to Vegas.

After four cities now 84 stage dancers and 84 street dancers were going to Vegas.

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Tags: Alex Wong, Allen Genkin, Asaf Goren, Avo Karapetyan, Benji Schwimmer, Brandon Armstrong, Burim “B1” Jusufi, Cody Carlson, dance at Special Olympics, Fox Broadcasting, Illijaz Jusufi, Jacy Jordan, James “B-Dash” Derrick, Jana "JaJa" Vankova, Jason Derulo, Jessica Rabone, Jim Nowakowski, Kareem “Anointed” Ali, Los Angeles auditions, Mary Kate Lavoir, Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, Rize, season 12, So You Think You Can Dance
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance

o You Think You Can Dance Season 12 Detroit Auditions

19 06 2015

The auditions move on to Detroit where 18-year-old Christine Shepard from Columbus, Ohio danced to “Settle Down” by Kimbra hoping for a ticket to Vegas and an ultimate spot on Team Travis. While I developed no goosebumps, I did find it very entertaining. I felt like she incorporated some movements of African jazz into her own eclectic jazz performance. It had so much personality and had Paula on her feet. Paula said she is a bright light, a breath of fresh air, hashtag everything. She adored her. Jason said it was a hell of a start. He thanked her for blessing the audience. The nuances were everything for him. It makes such a difference when you have the bing, bang, boom, and then you hit them with a little nuance, a little ornament. It’s those moments that make a performance special. He commented as well on the African vibe that made it a little different. Nigel said everyone has a light inside of them that there is something in life that will make them turn it on. Sometimes they don’t know they have it or what will make that happen, but she has it and it is shining out like a beacon. It was the little things like the side-split contraction, then the shoulders, and then the contraction. It was magical and a great way to start the day. Of course, she made it through to Vegas.

Animator Kenya Sutton is the Queen of Detroit, Queen of the Streets, S.O, Standing O, just O. She is almost as good as Cyrus. All three judges were on their feet. That is just so difficult to do (animation). Jason said now he knows why she is called Standing O because there is no better response than a standing ovation to her performance. The fact that she brought sexiness to animation he has never seen that. She made it hot, sexy and feminine, and that is dope. Paula said she is everything they have been looking for in this competition. She is unique. She is clever and witty, tongue-in-cheek, great flirting with Jason. She is pretty darn special. Nigel asked her why it has been so long since she came to audition. She was afraid of being overlooked. Before she would have had to go through ballroom and contemporary and she didn’t train yet in that. She wasn’t even going to fool herself. So Nigel says now that there is just stage and street side she is going to climb up and up that ladder. She gets a ticket.

Kelly MacCoy met Tyrell Noll in line at last year’s auditions in Atlanta who is now her fiancé. I think that makes two couples (tWitch and Allison Holker got married). She chose “A New Day Has Come” by Celine Dion. It was done well but there were only some moves at the end that made it special. It’s hard when you have other people like Christine. I think she deserves to go to Vegas because she will only get better. Nigel said that she reminds him of Ginger Rogers. She had fabulous technique, great feet, loved everything she did. He felt her connection with the music as well. Paula said what is special about her is that even in the moments where she is not dancing there is such a different emotional connection. She was outstanding. Jason said it was a stunning performance and he loved everything about it. Her kicks were way up and her altitudes were some of the best they have seen. Three yeses.

Her fiancé Tyrell Noll performs freestyle to “Habits” by Maria Mena. The music is beautiful. He was animating so well it sort of glided. It was beautiful. Paula said he went against the grain and picked music not typically used for street dancing and that was very intelligent. His movement reflected a story. Nigel said it is very rare that they disagree. He didn’t find a lot of dancing going on. He has seen the puff and walk done so many times and it done better. Tyrell makes his case that dance is about emotion and pouring your heart out on the stage. Jason gave it two thumbs up. There was such an element of acting to it and dancers need to be actors as well. He gets two out of three yeses which gives him a ticket to Vegas.

Break dancer Corey “Mission” Whitfield, age 30, is from Detroit and works for the Pistons. He chose “Latch” by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith. He reminds me a little of Legacy. Jason thought it was very impressive. Paula loved him. Nigel invited his godchildren up on stage to dance with him. The kids were awesome. How old are they? Can they go through to Vegas? Mission is going to Vegas.

Then came a large montage of people going through to Vegas for Team Street.

Brooke Fong came to do a jazz routine from California. She chose “Fever” by Beyonce. I like her. Her spin moves were pretty phenomenal. Jason said they talk about those special moments where they can go home and still talk about and she had them in those pirouettes. Paula thought she was a very smart dancer, very sharp and in her control of her core. She thought she was a contender. Nigel said she was sharper than the spikes on a porcupine’s ass. He felt like she was raising the standard again this year. Three yeses.

Next was a montage of people trying out for Team Stage.

Two dancers from The Bronx came together to try out on opposing teams. First was stage dancer Chelsea Harold, age 26, dancing contemporary to “Brain” by Banks. Her flexibility did not seem to be there like the other dancers we’ve seen. She looked like she was struggling. Her legs were not high enough in her jumps. I love her spirit and I loved the concept of the dance, but I’m not sure what happened in the other. Paula said she is a proficient dancer—she could see her training—but there were areas where she needed to extend more. Nigel said her legs appeared tensed. Jason felt that her emotion was more internalized. She received three no’s.

Her friend Samantha Reyes was hoping for a different answer. She dances in the subways. She is going to freestyle street dance. She chose “Faded” by Zhu. It was good. I think she needs some help perfecting her style a bit though. Jason likes her passion but he thinks she needs to add more to her repertoire. Paula said she sees softness in her but Paula reassures her that it is a beautiful thing. Paula said she needs to be taught structure and choreography so she can start building her dance vocabulary but she shows a lot of promise. Nigel says he sees a girl who has to be tough in her life but agrees with Paula that there is a softness about her. She gets three yeses.

Jessica Southwell (aka J-South) auditioned doing a tap/Charleston. OUCH! She fell. It was interesting. He said the routine was juvenile but the outfit made him short for words. She said, “It’s ironic.” Paula thinks she needs to work on the cleanliness of her taps. Jason thought it was like a dirty Snow White. All three were a no, but Jason called her “babe” so she can go away with that I suppose.

At the end of the day ten dancers were joining Team Street and five more were joining Team Stage.

Day two in Detroit. Miranda Wilking just turned 18 on the day of her audition with District 78’s “The Antidote.” That was some hard-hitting dancing there. She was not going to be denied a ticket! I’ll remember the intensity, but not so much signature moves. There was no critique other than Nigel saying “she’s fierce” while she was dancing. She has a ticket to Vegas.

Aaron Viland describes his style as pop-and-lock-a-mation. He dances to “The Creep” by The Lonely Island. He had the judges up dancing. Nigel thanked him for making everyone so happy but it wasn’t strong enough for them to put him through. Paula predicted he was going to become an internet sensation. Jason said they needed a little wakeup call and thanked him.

Michael Manson came on stage to perform the legendary Detroit Jit. That is one FAST dance!!! I wonder how many calories you can burn doing that? Nigel thought it was good. Paula said, “Jit happens.” Michael said that is their slogan. Paula thought what he is doing was extraordinary but he needed to change it up. Jason was there for it. He gets a ticket to Vegas.

Kelsey Rose Young is performing a tap routine to “Bang Bang” by Jessie J. WOW!!!!! She is fantastic. She intermixed some krump into her tap routine. Nigel said she is a born performer. He loved the track she danced to because it was fresh and modern. Her performance was outstanding (a little over the top if he is being honest). Her performance reminded him of Paula. She was double espresso coffee in the morning. Paula wants to carry her in her purse everywhere she goes. She thought she was a little firecracker and she surprised Paula. Jason felt that tap is a dying art and it needs to be brought to current times, like what she did. She gets a ticket.

There was a montage of unnamed stage performers who received a yes for Vegas, followed by a montage of both street and stage dancers who received a no.

Gabby Diaz got cut after her solo in Dallas (a week ago). She completely changed her solo based on the judges’ feedback. She chose “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves. I loved it. It was a great tap song. Jason said “now that was amazing” before the actual critiques occurred. Nigel said her auditions were like night and day for him. Her song choice was right, her expressions were right, her interpretation was right. Paula said she took the constructive criticism that they gave her, she took it and it paid off. It was very smart of her and Paula is very proud of her. Jason is proud of her as well. She was almost like a new dancer. She gets the prize—the ticket to Vegas.

Krumper Roydell Shannon blew up the stage with his performance. His son BamBam was called to the stage. BamBam gets a standing ovation from the judges. Nigel thought he was just as good as Russell. Paula thought he brought other dimensions into his routine, not just krumping, and it was incredible. Jason said he was more than a krumper—he is an entertainer. He became a beast and he’s got buck. Definitely going to Vegas.

The tally is 55 dancers for Team Travis and 60 for tWitch

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Tags: Aaron Viland, BamBam, Brooke Fong, Chelsea Harold, Christine Shepard, Corey "Mission" Whitfield, Detroit, Fox Broadcasting, Gabby Diaz, J-South, Jason Derulo, Jessica Southwell, just O, Kelly McCoy, Kelsey Rose Young, Kenya Sutton, Legacy, Michael Manson, Miranda Wilking, Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, Queen of Detroit, Queen of the Streets, Roydell Shannon, S.O., Samantha Reyes, season 12, So You Think You Can Dance, Standing O, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, Team Stage, Team Street, Travis Wall, Tyrell Noll
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance

So You Think You Can Dance S11 Los Angeles Day 2 and Philadelphia Auditions

18 06 2014

Los Angeles Day 2

Christina Applegate joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe for day 2 of the LA auditions.

Serge Onik (age 25 from Upper Saddle River, NJ) made it to the green mile last season. He has a new partner this year, Alla Kocherga, a 24-year-old woman from Los Angeles. Five seconds in and I loved it. Goosebumps! Rarely does ballroom give me goosebumps. That had a sizzle finish. Mary loved it. They are through.

Timothy Joseph is a 24-year-old, B-boy dancer from Sacramento, California who specializes in “suicides.” He is fantastic. He reminds me of Legacy. Mary thinks he is fearless. He was flipping too much for this. They send him to choreography; however he hurt himself during the solo so he has a decision to make. He was in too much pain to continue.

Casey Askew, 19 years of age, a contemporary dancer from Seattle, Washington. Goosebumps! I loved watching him. He had such great emotion. I got more impressed the more he dances. They stop the music and give him a ticket.

After a montage of successes J4 might have a problem with his height. But he IS only 9. He wants to show him hip hop “for the experience.” Fik-shun and Cyrus join him on stage. This kid is fabulous! What a joy and talent he is. Everyone is on their feet. He was able to meet his idol Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss. According to him, it was the best day of his life.

Her dance is for her brother who was struggling with addiction who is now sober and healthy. Jourdan Epstein, age 24, from Plymouth, Minnesota is fabulous. I again had goosebumps. She gave Christina chills. Mary puts her on the hot tamale train. She is through.

Johnny “Waackd” Gibson, age 22, from New York City. I think he had improved from his audition 2 years ago. It is a “yes” to choreography and from there he is through to the next round.

Armen Way is a 28-year-old from Glendale, California, who tried out in season 10. I was turned off by him last year. His dance appeared to be all about himself. He seemed to objectify women from this rap video they showed in his audition packet. Last year he was sent home because he dropped Malece Miller on her head. I LIKE this version of Armen better. This year he had a new partner, Malene Ostergaard, a 25-year-old from Studio City, California. She reminded me of Mila Kunis. That dance was hot and sexy. I felt that Armen’s attention was on his partner this time and the dynamic between them sizzled. Yep, I like this version of Armen much better. Mary Murphy talked the entire way through the dance about how impressed she was. What a dynamic couple they are. She felt Malene ran the hot tamale train straight off the tracks. Christina said people would love them both. They are through to the next round.

Philadelphia Day 1

Prima ballerina Misty Copeland joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe during this audition.

Bridget Whitman, age 19, from Tempe, Arizona was up first. Her back-story was making me cry. One of her last memories of her dad before a tragic car accident killed him was her telling him that she wanted to be on the show. He told her that she could get there through a lot of hard work. I was sobbing. Mary Murphy was crying, too. Is she the best contemporary dancer I have seen during the auditions? No. But she does deserve a shot in the next round. Misty thinks she is a beautiful dancer. Mary can feel everything she is going through. She gets her ticket.

They then showed a montage of really fantastic male dancers.

Amir Sanders, age 21, is a self-described funky ballerina from Baltimore, Maryland. She is interesting from her look to her style of dance. It did not give me goosebumps, but I enjoyed it. Misty thinks her technique and lines are beautiful, but there were small moments she needs to focus on to improve. Mary thought for a moment it was like watching Diana Ross striking a pose. They sent her to choreography, which shocked both the audience and me. However, she does make it through to the next round after choreography.

Last year’s Jenna Johnson had a partner last season who was too young to audition. Landon Anderson, age 18, from Springville, Utah came back to audition (along with Jenna). He had some nice foot work but is he as strong as some of the other guys on the show? I don’t know about that. Mary thought he was a great partner. Misty said that he became someone else for dancing–like a little boy in speaking but a man in dancing. He gets a ticket to move to the next round. Jenna gets a surprise as well when Nigel extends to her an invitation to come back this season to be an all-star, something they don’t usually do when they were just contestants the prior year.

The last contestant for day 1 was Shafeek Westbrook. In season 9, he left with a really bad attitude. His words were “not coming back ever.” He hails from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and is 24 years old. I loved his moves, but I was not sure why he felt the need to take his shirt off. Mary wanted more “wow” moments. Misty felt like he was trying to sell them his body versus his dancing. Nigel says yes to choreography. He makes it through to the next round after the choreography sessions.

Philadelphia Day 2

Billy Porter joins the judging panel for this round of auditions.

First up is Stanley Glover. His mother died when he was 4 years old while he was sleeping next to her; she had a heart attack in her sleep and they found her dead in the morning. Both sides of his family failed to go to the court date that would decide guardianship of him. His mother’s friend, Margaret Chamberlain, stepped up and brought him into their home. He is a 19-year-old from Chicago, Illinois. His choreography was genius and for a moment the words “Shelob’s mate” popped into my mind. Or at least a creature from the show on the CW called “The 100.”

Krumper James “Banks” Davis was shot twice in his knee four years ago. They were about to amputate his leg but his pulse came back. He is from Brooklyn, New York, age 24. This gave me goosebumps. It was such a unique style of krumping. Way to represent Brooklyn (I was born there). Billy felt like he was a true storyteller and it was fantastic. He gets to go to choreography, but he does not get to the next round.

Dance Crews

This was a tough choice. It was between a Bollywood/Hip-Hop Dance Crew called Wanted Ashiqz versus a group of hip-hop street style called Mix’d Elements. I’m really torn between them. As of right now, we do not know the results of the vote.

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Tags: Alla Kocherga, Amir Sanders, Armen Way, Bridget Whitman, Casey Askew, Christina Applegate, Cyrus, dance crews, Fik-Shun, Fox Broadcasting, J4, James "Banks" Davis, Jenna Johnson, Johnny "Waackd" Gibson, Jourdan Epstein, Landon Anderson, Legacy, Los Angeles, Malece Miller, Malene Ostergaard, Mary Murphy, Misty Copeland, Mix'd Elements, Nigel Lythgoe, Philadelphia, season 11, Serge Onik, Shafeek Westbrook, So You Think You Can Dance, Stanley Glover, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, SYTYCD, Timothy Joseph, Wanted Ashiqz
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, TV shows

So You Think You Can Dance S11 Chicago Day 2 and Los Angeles Auditions

11 06 2014

Chicago Day 2

Joining Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe for day 2 of the Chicago auditions was Fabrice Calmels from the Joffrey Ballet.

First up was “The Puppet” Paul Brushaber. He is 18 and from Mokena, Illinois. He makes it look so easy but I cannot imagine how difficult his style of dance is. I would send him to choreography just to give him an opportunity to partner with someone. The judges surprised me. Mary wanted to live in his world. Fabrice loved that he created his own style.

Emily James, a 21-year-old from North Kingstown, Rhode Island, auditioned twice before in seasons 8 and 9. She took season 10 auditions off so she could use her degree, but she discovered that it is dance is what she should be doing. I got a mini-set of goosebumps at times. She has power but there is something missing here. Maybe it was just nerves or maybe a disconnection of her dance to the chosen music emotionally. I remember when I first saw Melanie Moore and I knew she would be the winner. Melanie always extended her reach lines just a little bit further. But Emily had some interesting moves I have not seen others do. Fabrice said it was solid. She is through to the next round.

We are then shown a montage of people who get through, but they are cutting the audition features down it seems.

Next up is Franchesca Bass, an 18-year-old young lady from Crown Point, Indiana. I loved that she created this story behind her dance. It was unique and interesting. Nigel was mesmerized by her and she had fabulous techniques. Fabrice, too, thought it was unique and he really enjoyed it. She is through to the next round.

Jenna Scaccia is an 18-year-old trainee with the Joffrey Ballet and apparently has a slight crush on Fabrice. She is a ballet dancer but it looks more like contemporary with ballet mixed in. It was light and heavenly and I’d give her a ticket. And they do. Nigel said she had a good flow of movement and it was very beautiful. Mary said it was like she floated on a cloud. She made Fabrice proud; he loved it.

James Thomas is a hip-hop dancer who does contortion and bopping. He is from Chicago. This type of dance is always so freaky to watch (in a good way). Fabrice thought it was insane. He tells them that he knows other styles so they give him a yes to choreography. Choreography proved too much for him and he drops out.

Los Angeles

Christina Applegate joined Mary and Nigel for this round of the auditions.

Jessica Richens from Yorba Linda, California did a jazz number. I loved the routine but I hope her “sexy” does not become a crutch. I think this particular audition was my favorite to watch so far of all the ones shown to date. Mary and Christina thought she could win the show and she is through.

I enjoyed Valerie Rockey‘s tap routine quite a bit. Mary said she was full of light and life. Christina said she wanted to look at her feet but she was drawn up to her face and then she saw what she was looking for in her expressions. She is through to choreography and from there she got through to the next round.

Jana “JaJa” Vankova is part of Phillip Cheeb’s animation crew who hails from the Czech Republic but now lives in Chatworth, California. She needs some lessons from Cyrus to get her animating to the next level. It was enjoyable. She is through to the next round.

The next contestant was a joy. Kyle Taylor is a 28-year-old man from Wichita, Kansas. He does popping in his home, but has never had professional guidance. I was amazed. Kyle just wanted to get a favorable opinion from other dancers. Kyle, I don’t know if my opinion counts, but that was hot! You were on fire! Nigel proposes a battle and Fik-Shun, Cyrus, and Legacy get up from the audience and join Kyle on stage for a little dance-off. I enjoyed this part so much. It made this guy’s day. He did such a great job that they give him a yes to choreography but he bowed out when he realized it was too much above his level.

Justine Lutz has experience in ballet and jazz but decides to do a contemporary routine for her audition. For a moment I was worried for her. For someone who has no experience in contemporary (and freely admitted this to the judges) who had the guts to do contemporary, it was beautiful. I had goosebumps. All three judges were standing and she is, of course, through to the next round.

Mauricio Vera and Deise Mendoza are in love. They are 27 and 23 respectively from Santa Barbara, California. I got goosebumps. Christina was in tears. She wanted to watch them all day long. Mary started crying. Off to the next round for both of them.

Hailee Payne is a 19-year-old from Roy, Utah. Her family is a lot of fun as well. I think Sonya Tayeh will LOVE getting her hands on her. I loved her hair (I want it). I also loved her dance. I will remember her because of the unique style that makes her stand out. I also liked her personality. That is a big part of the ability to win over people’s votes. It is not always being about the best dancer. She is through.

Sebastian Serra, a 24-year-old from Orlando, Florida, was fabulous! He was cut last year right before the green mile. I hope he makes it further this year.

Dani Platz‘s story of overcoming an eating disorder (and still fights these demons) between ages 16 and 18 was powerful. Her story was in her dance. She is such a brave young lady and a great role model for other dancers who starve themselves. Not only did I have goosebumps, but I was crying. I felt like she was broken and then at times healed and then broken and then healed throughout the entire dance. This is what I mean about having an emotional connection to the dance that I felt was lacking in Emily James. This is NOW my favorite dance shown to date. “Dance is like oxygen for the soul.” I loved that. Christina saw her story in her dance, too. She said she was healing through dance and it was beautiful. I was SHOCKED that they wanted to put her through choreography (and Christina was, too). But she fortunately made it through that round.

Marie “Poppins” Bonnevay is a popper who lives in North Hollywood, California and performs on the street. In doing such, she has to engage the audience in order for them to leave money to support herself. She utilized this skill during her audition with a very positive response as well. When she got close enough to the show’s previous contestants, Fik-Shun jumped up on stage and engaged with her. I love seeing this with the other dancers coming up and getting caught up in the moment (or if it is rehearsed, who cares about that). They need to keep this portion of it. She is moved to tears by it and she gets a ticket to the next round.

Dance Crews

Breaksk8 versus Academy of Villains.

Breaksk8 was interesting but I liked the Academy of Villains better.

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Tags: Academy of Villains, Breaksk8, Chicago, Christina Applegate, Cyrus, Dani Platz, Deise Mendoza, Emily James, Fabrice Calmels, Fik-Shun, Fox Broadcasting, Franchesca Bass, Hailee Payne, James Thomas, Jana "JaJa" Vankova, Jenna Scaccia, Jessica Richens, Joffrey Ballet, Justine Lutz, Kyle Taylor, Legacy, Los Angeles, Marie "Poppins" Bonnevay, Mary Murphy, Mauricio Vera, Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Brushaber, season 11, Sebastian Serra, So You Think You Can Dance, SYTYCD, The Puppet, Valerie Rockey
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, TV shows

So You Think You Can Dance S11 New Orleans & Chicago Auditions

29 05 2014

NEW ORLEANS

Wayne Brady joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe for this round of auditions.

Shelby Rase, age 18, from Covington, LA. I have been to Covington on my way to Atlanta. Nice little town. She had really beautiful stretches and lines but seems to only lift up her right leg which I thought was kind of odd. She did well. I didn’t get goosebumps or anything, but she was nice to watch. Her emotion seemed a little detached but I think it was more song choice than her dancing. The judges loved it. Nigel engaged her in discussion and I like her personality. Nigel called her father down to “bottle dance.” Her dad is a brave, brave man. I loved it. She is through to Los Angeles.

Shelby Rase

Tanisha Belnap, a ballroom dancer, age 19, Payson, UT. This one I got goosebumps on. I am not one to get those on ballroom. Ask Aaron Turner and Jasmine Harper about my goosebumps and how they never lie. As far as the judges, Nigel wanted to see more. Mary said her technique is great and she looks great. She is through to LA.

Shelby Skipper, age 25 & Shane Skipper, age 21, both of New Orleans. I enjoyed it so much and was grooving along with them. Shane goes home but Shelby goes through to choreography. Later, he drops out of the choreography round.

Megan Marcano, age 22, from (YAY!) Houston! She has had a tough life. Now SHE caused the emotion I was expecting with Shelby Rase. I had major goosebumps! Nigel thought she was fabulous. Mary felt like she is a star. Wayne said she has the complete package.

Trevor Bryce, age 18, Orlando, Florida. He is unique indeed. What do you call that? Ballet fusion? Best of all he made me laugh and watch something I hadn’t seen before. Nigel said it was the greatest solo performance in SYTYCD history. Mary loved the whole world of Trevor. Wayne said it was like he said, “I trained for this bitches!”

Courtney Barnes, age 22, Jackson, MS. Interesting but it lacked a lot of technique. However the moves shown where enough to go to choreography. He does a wicked Wendy Williams impression. Nigel says no but Mary and Wayne give him a chance at choreography, but choreography proved too difficult and he bowed out.

Novien Yarber, age 22, Huntsville, AL. He auditioned last year in Memphis. I remember him. I had goosebumps! His strength, his flexibility, his emotion–the great trifecta. They all give him a ticket to continue.

Caleb Bruner, age 21, from Blue Springs, MO. I remember him from last year, too. I lived in Blue Springs from Sep-Dec of 1978 (before he was even born). I still have friends there. My heart was just breaking for him. Last year, his father was called up on stage with him to dance. Sadly, his father died this past year. The father he got to dance on stage with the previous season passed away. I was crying right along with Mary Murphy. Nigel said the dance made him smile and thanked him for working so hard this past year. Wayne said he had spark. They move him to choreography, but his partnering skills were not strong enough. He is not given a ticket to Los Angeles.

Jacoby Jimmerson, age 18, Mount Pleasant, TX. He should stick to Zumba. He has great energy. Wayne tells him to be healthy. Nigel invites him back to some future audition. He made me smile.

Wayne dances with Jacoby Jimmerson

Marcquet Hill, age 18, from South Jordan, UT, auditioned with Witney Carson in season 9 but was too young to audition at the time. Now he partnered with Brooklyn Fullmer, age 18, from Provo, UT who reminds me of the actress Summer Glau. His lines are a little sloppier as he got older and taller. I think she was better than he was. Nigel was blown away by it. Mary loved the together. Wayne loved them too. They are both through.

Marcquet and Brooklyn

SYTYCD Twist!

We will get to votes on different crews with the ultimate crew dancing in the finale. Up first is Poreotics from LA. I was going to vote for them because no one has done the song “What Do The Fox Say” in a long time and I enjoyed hearing it again. However, the second crew, Syncopated Ladies, a tap group, had a better presentation. I was watching this too late to vote, but I would have voted for them.

CHICAGO

Jenna Elfman joins Mary and Nigel for this audition. I really enjoyed her when she was guest judge last season.

Nick Garcia, age 18, ballroom dancer, Miami, FL. He needs to stop singing the song. It was distracting. Nigel loved it. Mary said he was completely awesome, Jenna said double thumbs up.

Rudy Abreu, age 18, Miami, FL. His style of dance is “emphasize my scar.” He’s got skills but they need to be refined. The judges love it and send him to LA.

Caleb Bruner is back! This was a much better audition because it came from a place of honesty. Jenna loved it. But he is through once again to the choreography round. However, he makes it through this time.

FAME dancers are back and brought Mary and Jenna to the stage to perform for them.

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Tags: . Aaron Turner, Caleb Bruner, Chicago, Courtney Barnes, Fox Broadcasting, Jacoby Jimmerson, Jasmine Harper, Jenna Elfman, Marcquet Hill, Mary Murphy, Megan Marcano, New Orleans, Nick Garcia, Nigel Lythgoe, Novien Yarber, Poreotics, Rudy Abreu, season 11, Shane Skipper, Shelby Rase, Shelby Skipper, So You Think You Can Dance, Syncopated Ladies, Tanisha Belnap, Trevor Bryce, Wayne Brady
Categories : Fox Shows, So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, TV shows

Fox Upfronts Fall Schedule

12 05 2014

FOX ANNOUNCES FALL 2014 SCHEDULE AND

NEW PORTFOLIO OF CONTENT

FIVE NEW DRAMAS, TWO NEW EVENT SERIES, FOUR NEW COMEDIES

AND ONE NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES JOIN SCHEDULE

POWERFUL UNTOLD ORIGIN STORY “GOTHAM,”

YOUNG ENSEMBLE DRAMA “RED BAND SOCIETY,”

10-PART MYSTERY EVENT SERIES “GRACEPOINT,”

MULTI-CAM COMEDY “MULANEY” AND

BOLD SOCIAL EXPERIMENT “UTOPIA”

TO DEBUT IN FALL 2014

NEW SERIES SET TO DEBUT IN 2015 INCLUDE

MUSIC-INFUSED EPIC FAMILY DRAMA “EMPIRE,”

FANTASTICAL ADVENTURE “HIEROGLYPH” AND

OFFBEAT COMEDIC CRIME DRAMA “BACKSTROM”;

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S MIND-BENDING 10-PART EVENT THRILLER “WAYWARD PINES”;

WILL FORTE’S COMEDY “THE LAST MAN ON EARTH,”

SINGLES ENSEMBLE COMEDY “WEIRD LONERS” AND

THE ANIMATED “BORDERTOWN”

Live Specials JUMP OF THE CENTURY (working title) to Make Grand Leap in Fall;

PITBULL’S NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION (working title) to Explode into the New Year; and

GREASE LIVE (working title) to Electrify in 2015

New York – Kevin Reilly, Chairman, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX), today unveiled the FOX portfolio of content for the 2014-2015 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.

“Our portfolio of content this year reflects the biggest investment in programming we’ve ever made,” said Reilly. “FOX is redefining the network experience on our air and as a 24/7/365 platform, with distinctive series, addictive event dramas and can’t-miss live specials that will deliver broadcast’s most youthful audience at scale.”

Joe Earley, Chief Operating Officer, FOX, added, “The new series and specials we’re presenting today feature buzzworthy worlds and characters that we think will be the most talked about, liked, tweeted and shared of the season.”

Origin story GOTHAM and touching, coming-of-age series RED BAND SOCIETY are the two new dramas set to debut this fall. GOTHAM traces the rise of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”) and starring Ben McKenzie (“Southland,” “The O.C.”), Jada

Pinkett Smith (“Hawthorne,” “Collateral”) and Donal Logue (“Vikings,” “Sons of Anarchy”), GOTHAM follows one cop, destined for greatness, as he navigates a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.

From Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and starring Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer (“The Help,” “Fruitvale Station”), Dave Annable (“Brothers & Sisters,” “666 Park Avenue”) and a charismatic cast of fresh faces, RED BAND SOCIETY is a provocative, inspiring and, at times, comedic young ensemble drama told through the eyes of a group of teenagers who meet as patients in the pediatric ward of Ocean Park Hospital in Los Angeles.

Also this fall, 10-episode mystery event series GRACEPOINT, starring Welsh BAFTA winner David Tennant (“Dr. Who”), Emmy Award winner Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”), Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Academy Award nominee Nick Nolte (“Warrior,” “Affliction”) and SAG Award winner Michael Peña (“American Hustle”), joins the schedule. The riveting mystery follows the tragic death of a young boy, and the major police investigation and nationwide media frenzy that subsequently overtake a picturesque seaside town, where anyone is a suspect.

The new comedy premiering this fall is MULANEY. MULANEY stars Emmy Award-winning writer and comedian John Mulaney (“Saturday Night Live”) as a rising stand-up comic trying to take his career to the next level, and the friends and mentors who lift him up, hold him back and push him around. The multi-camera sitcom boasts a cast of comedy all-stars, including Martin Short (“SCTV,” “Saturday Night Live”), Academy Award nominee Elliott Gould (“M*A*S*H,” the “Ocean’s 11” franchise), Nasim Pedrad (“Saturday Night Live”), Seaton Smith (“Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell”) and Zack Pearlman (“The Inbetweeners”).

One new unscripted series debuts in the fall: the groundbreaking social experiment UTOPIA, which asks, “Does a perfect world exist?” From unscripted mastermind John de Mol (“Deal Or No Deal,” “Fear Factor,” “The Voice,” “Big Brother”), and based on the Dutch hit of the same name, UTOPIA is a bold new series that moves 15 everyday Americans to an isolated, undeveloped location – for an entire year – and challenges them to create their own civilization. Will it be ultimate happiness or utter chaos?

In 2015, the portfolio of new content joining the schedule includes three distinctive dramas, EMPIRE, HIEROGLYPH and BACKSTROM; an evocative event series WAYWARD PINES; and three comedies, singles ensemble WEIRD LONERS, Will Forte’s THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and animated comedy BORDERTOWN.

From Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Precious”) and Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (“Game Change,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”) comes EMPIRE, a sexy and powerful new drama about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife all battle for his throne. Set to an original soundtrack written and produced by hip-hop hitmaker Timbaland, the family drama stars Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard (“Crash,” “Hustle & Flow”) and Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson (“Person of Interest,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”).

The world of ancient Egypt – a time of magic, Pharaohs, gods and thieves – lives again in HIEROGLYPH, an adventure series from creator/executive producer Travis Beacham (“Pacific Rim,” “Clash of the Titans”). The epic fantasy follows a notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharaoh, forcing him to navigate palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and divine sorcerers, as he races to stop the downfall of one of history’s greatest civilizations.

Created and executive-produced by Hart Hanson (BONES), offbeat comedic crime procedural BACKSTROM centers on Detective EVERETT BACKSTROM (three-time Emmy Award nominee Rainn Wilson, “The Office,” “Six Feet Under”), an unhealthy, offensive, irascible – albeit brilliant – detective who is brought back from exile to run the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Crimes Unit (S.C.U.).

Based on a best-selling novel and brought to life by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”), WAYWARD PINES is an intense, mind-bending 10-episode thriller starring Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (“Crash”) as a Secret Service agent on a mission to find two missing federal agents in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID. Every step closer to the truth makes him question if he will ever get out of Wayward Pines alive. The all-star cast also includes Academy and Emmy Award winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”), Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard (“Crash,” “Hustle & Flow”), Carla Gugino (“Entourage”), Shannyn Sossamon (“How to Make It in America”), Toby Jones (the “Harry Potter” franchise) and Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear”).

WEIRD LONERS, from writer Michael J. Weithorn (“The King of Queens”) and director Jake Kasdan (NEW GIRL), is a new single-camera comedy about four single 30-something underdogs who are unexpectedly thrust into one another’s lives and form an unlikely bond in a Queens, NY, townhouse. The series stars Becki Newton (“Ugly Betty”), Zachary Knighton (“Happy Endings”), Nate Torrence (“Hello Ladies”) and newcomer Meera Khumbhani.

Created by and starring Will Forte (“Nebraska,” “Saturday Night Live”) and directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie,” “21 Jump Street”), THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a new single-camera comedy about the life and adventures of the last man on earth. PHIL MILLER (Forte) was once just an average guy who loved his family and hated his job at the bank – now he’s humanity’s last hope. Will he ever find another person alive on the planet? Would hoping that she is a female be asking too much?

A new animated comedy from FAMILY GUY’s Mark Hentemann and Seth MacFarlane, BORDERTOWN is a satirical look at the cultural shifts taking place in America. Exploring family, politics and everything in between with a cross-cultural wink, the series centers on two very different families living in a fictional Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border.

Also announced for the 2014-2015 season are brand-new LIVE specials JUMP OF THE CENTURY (working title), PITBULL’S NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION (working title) and GREASE LIVE (working title). This fall, on the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel’s high-stakes attempt to jump across Idaho’s Snake River Canyon, two very different personalities – professional stuntman Eddie Braun and daredevil Big Ed Beckley – hope to achieve what Knievel could not by crossing the gaping 2,300-foot-deep canyon LIVE on JUMP OF THE CENTURY (wt). On PITBULL’S NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION (working title), global superstar Pitbull will be joined by some of his favorite A-list musicians and celebrity friends to ring in the New Year LIVE from the sandy beaches of America’s hottest city – Miami! Get ready to do the hand jive as FOX enrolls at Rydell High with GREASE LIVE (working title), a LIVE three-hour production of the massively popular crossover musical “Grease.” Featuring a young ensemble cast, GREASE LIVE (wt) will reintroduce the great music and timeless story to an entirely new generation.

Additional FOX series include: AMERICAN IDOL, ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF, BOB’S BURGERS, BOOM!, BONES, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, FAMILY GUY, THE FOLLOWING, GLEE, HELL’S KITCHEN, HOTEL HELL, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, THE MINDY PROJECT, NEW GIRL, THE SIMPSONS, SLEEPY HOLLOW and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. TEEN CHOICE 2014 will also return to the FOX schedule.

Additional new and returning series and schedule information to be announced.

Following are the FOX fall 2014 primetime schedule, as well as social media information for and synopses of the new series:

FOX FALL 2014 SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM (new)

9:00-10:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM UTOPIA (new)

9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL

9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN

9:00-10:00 PM RED BAND SOCIETY (new)

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM BONES

9:00-10:00 PM GRACEPOINT (new)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM MASTERCHEF JUNIOR

9:00-10:00 PM UTOPIA (new)

SATURDAY

7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY: FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM NFL ON FOX

7:30-8:00 PM THE OT / BOB’S BURGERS

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM MULANEY (new)

BACKSTROM (new), BORDERTOWN (new), EMPIRE (new), HIEROGLYPH (new), THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (new), WAYWARD PINES (new) and WEIRD LONERS (new) join the schedule in 2015, as do returning series AMERICAN IDOL XIV, THE FOLLOWING and GLEE, among others.

(Press release)

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Tags: 2014-2015 television season, American Idol, American Idol XIV, Animation Domination, Anna Gunn, Backstrom, Becki Newton, Ben McKenzie, Big Ed Beckley, Bob's Burgers, Bones, Boom!, Bordertown, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bruno Heller, Carla Gugino, Chris Miller, Danny Strong, Dave Annable, David Tennant, Donal Logue, Eddie Braun, Elliott Gould, Empire, Family Guy, Fox Broadcasting, Glee, Gotham, Gracepoint, Grease Live, Hart Hanson, Hell's Kitchen, Hieroglyph, Hotel Hell, Jacki Weaver, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jake Kasdan, Joe Earley, John de Mol, John Mulaney, Juliette Lewis, Jump of the Century, Kevin Reilly, Lee Daniels, M. Night Shyamalan, Mark Hentemann, Martin Short, Masterchef, Masterchef Junior, Matt Dillon, Meera Khumbhani, Melissa Leo, Michael J. Weithorn, Michael Pena, Mulaney, Nasim Pedrad, Nate Torrence, New Girl, Nick Nolte, Octavia Spencer, Phil Lord, Pitbull's New Year's Revolution, Rainn Wilson, Red Band Society, Seaton Smith, Seth MacFarlane, Shannyn Sossamon, Sleepy Hollow, So You Think You Can Dance, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, Taraji P. Henson, Teen Choice 2014, Terrence Howard, The Following, The Last Man on Earth, The Mindy Project, The Simpsons, Toby Jones, Travis Beacham, upfronts, Utopia, Wayward Pines, Weird Loners, Will Forte, Zachary Knighton, Zack Pearlman
Categories : Fox Shows, TV shows

My Letter to Mr. Reilly of Fox to Save Enlisted

15 04 2014

(This is what I’m mailing to Kevin Reilly of Fox Broadcasting today to save ENLISTED in case you need some inspiration to write YOUR letters)

Dear Mr. Reilly

I do not write letters often to save shows as they are often futile. In the case of “ENLISTED” I feel like I it is worth the effort. I know you (or your decision-makers) felt the show was worth a shot. Shows like “Us and Them” that were shown in the May 2013 upfronts never made it to air. Everyone knows the ENLISTED pilot had problems. The energy that has been put into the show both by the network and the cast has been amazing–hiring a military consultant to get some things corrected that bothered our military viewers, the principal cast going to Boot Camp to experience what our soldiers go through and bonding over it just as a troop does, the phenomenal app that shows exclusive videos, but mostly the cast who week after week engage the fans in live tweeting events that blow my mind. There are individual cast members of other shows who might take one week in a rotational schedule to live tweet but never the sheer numbers we’ve seen the cast and crew of ENLISTED do. It is TROOP SPIRIT. They have done so many interviews. They have done some wonderful things for our military families. Here is the problem: It was put into the Friday death slot. Then it was interrupted by the Olympics. None of these things are your fault. I imagine Friday was the only slot you could give it. But it deserves a second season and a time slot where it can flourish, such as pairing it with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The comedy is similar–it’s smart, it’s unique. It deserves to have a Tuesday comedy slot. If after a season 2 it doesn’t do well, then I can understand if the network decided to cancel it. But it deserves this chance. Every week the scripts have improved.

I would like to point out that this past week I helped engage the fans to promote the advertisers of the show. Fans had a healthy discussion with Applebees and Charmin people. Charmin is not yet a sponsor but after the response they got from the “Parade Duty” episode, if they were given a season 2, they might consider it. Many people on Twitter have already promised to switch to Charmin and they haven’t even signed on to advertise yet. People have said they will go to Taco Bell this week. Others have said they will go eat at Applebees (because they hosted on the Fox.com viewings). Fox commissioned a study about the power of Twitter on advertising.

The network is ahead of the curve by not just looking at the standardized numbers of the antiquated Nielsen’s system. With “The Following” for example, Fox looked at viewing across all platform media. People rarely have time to watch things live anymore. Binge-watching is becoming more common. I don’t understand appeal of the demographic of an 18-year-old male who in this job market likely is living at home with his parents, unemployed, with zero buying potential. I am a 50-year-old, white woman, born in Brooklyn, NY and now living in Texas who has tremendous buying power and understands the economics of television broadcasting. Perhaps that 18-year-old was married already 30 years ago, but that just isn’t the reality of our modern times. Taking the cues from Bart Smith who suggested to Maureen Ryan that instead of us buying useless tokens to flood your offices (like fans of Jericho did with CBS by flooding the office with peanuts) fans make a donation to the Wounded Warriors Project, I did and you should be receiving that confirmation letter soon.

ENLISTED is a show the entire family can watch (and there are not many shows out there where people can). It is about love of country. In a world where people are brainwashed into thinking they need to be rich to be successful, the show sends a message that you can have a job that is less glamorous but your job is important in the big picture and you can do that job with love and joy. Not only is it about family (whether you are related by blood or together by other forces), but it also is about supporting each other. It is about choosing happiness in whatever job you have to do, even Doody Duty. Women adore strong female leads and Angelique Cabral does a wonderful job as Staff Sgt. Perez.

X-Files had an initial cult following, an audience that grew and benefitted the network in many ways. ENLISTED seems to also have a cult following for now, but with a better time-slot I see it growing.

Decision time is upon you with the upfronts coming in May. Please take our pleas into consideration. Thank you for your time reading this letter and have an amazing day.

Respectfully submitted,

Hilda Bowen
AKA @PBMOM on Twitter
AKA Call Sign Ninja Mom

——————

To readers of this blog: If you need addresses or ideas to help save this ENLISTED, please see my previous post. Click here.

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Tags: advertising, Angelique Cabral, Applebees, Army, AT&T, Bart Smith, Cameron Castaneda, Charmin, Chris Lowell, Chris Plourde, Colby Jensen, donate, Dr. Pepper, Enlisted, Esurance, Ford Motor Company, Fox Broadcasting, Geoff Pierson, Geoff Stults, Griffin Cleveland, Keith David, Kevin Biegel, Kevin Reilly, Kyle Davis, live tweet, Lowe's, Marines, Maronzio Vance, Maureen Ryan, Mel Rodriguez, Michelle Buteau, Mike Royce, Mort Burke, NET10 Wireless, Nielsen ratings, Nissan, Pam Oliver, Parker Young, Sanjay Shah, Save Enlisted, Sleep Comfort, Sprint, Taco Bell, Tania Gunadi, Twitter, Verizon, Walmart, Wounded Warriors Project, write letters
Categories : Enlisted, Fox Shows, TV shows

Save Enlisted

11 04 2014

Troops! Rally! Our beloved show is definitely in trouble. I really don’t understand the ratings game. As a 50-year-old woman I have a TON more buying power than a 25-year-old unemployed young man. While the industry is definitely trying to change from the old Nielsen model, it isn’t going fast enough to catch up to the quality shows we want to keep around.

When ENLISTED was shown at upfronts in May of 2013, it got feedback from a critical audience. To the network’s credit, they didn’t just scrap the show after the pilot. They decided to regroup and fix it. The premiere originally moved to November was now moved to January. Some of the principal cast members attended boot camp at Fort Bliss. They made fun of themselves. They invited the audience at the premiere in January to spot their mistakes. They engaged the military audience and made each script better. They brought on a military consultant to help them get basic things accurate so they did not alienate the military audience. They created an awesome app with literally hundreds of videos you cannot see anywhere else.

But ENLISTED faced an uphill battle. It was given the Friday death slot where shows go to die. ENLISTED also faced more hurdles. They showed some shows out of order. In the episode “Homecoming”, Derrick had the girl and a few weeks later he was trying to get the girl. Then the Olympics happened and the show was not shown for several a few weeks. How you are supposed to build a fan base without a consistent show I will never know. Fox found this out after the first season of “24.” There were too many interruptions of the show which is why the following year they went to a January premiere date.

The cast and crew have worked tirelessly to promote the show. They have done interview after interview. I do not ever remember a show where most of the cast and crew are live tweeting week after week. And every week it is trending, even when there is no live show and the fans are watching the show on Fox.com. Fox even did a study on the effect of Twitter on advertising potential. Partial information from that press release:

1. The majority of those who are exposed to TV-related tweets not only have taken immediate action around a given show, but are also highly likely to watch a show they’ve never watched before, or resume watching a show that they’d previously stopped watching, as a result of a TV-related tweet.

2. TV show viewers who recall seeing tweets mentioning a show’s brand partners are much more likely to view that brand as appealing and pay more attention to that brand’s on-air ads than the general Twitter TV audience.

Specifically, FOX, Twitter and the ARF found that the majority of those who recall seeing TV-related tweets have searched for a show (76%), have taken action on Twitter (78%) – such as click on the show’s hashtag, follow a talent handle or retweet TV-related tweets – or have taken action to watch TV show content (77%). In regards to watching TV show content, 42% have made a plan to watch the show later, 38% have watched episodes online and 33% have changed the channel to watch the show. In fact, viewers who live-tweet with the linear broadcast are more likely to take action to discover content than those that don’t live-tweet.

Tweets that mention brands also generate significant action: 54% of those who recall seeing such tweets have taken action by tweeting, searching for the brand online, or considering to try the brand mentioned. This jumps to 58% when measuring actions taken by the live-TV-tweeting audience.

“This groundbreaking research has allowed us, for the very first time, to understand and quantify the very real value of the enormous volume of tweets generated by our shows and our brand partners every week,” said Judit Nagy, FOX’s Vice President of Analytics. “The level of engagement, activity and perceptual impact we’re seeing from these results far exceeds what we’d expected, and that’s really good news for networks and brands alike.”

Maureen Ryan (@moryan) did a story in the Huffington Post about why the show should be saved. She invited people to send her ideas. Bart Smith offered up a wonderful suggestion: Why don’t we donate to the Wounded Warriors Project in honor of ENLISTED? So Maureen did. She put in honor of ENLISTED and her father who served in the military, and sent the receipt to Fox. I did as well. My father-in-law served in the Navy in World War 2 and my father served in the Navy during the Korean War. I have many cousins who served in the Army and Air Force. I decided to make a donation as well. Here is the link to The Wounded Warriors Project and the screen shot of how I filled out the “in honor of” just like Maureen did.

I still have the March 28th episode of ENLISTED on my DVR (Paint Cart 5000 vs the Mondo Spider). I made a list of all the companies who bought an ad that aired during this show. And I’m listing the email address or link to where you can leave a comment for them. There were multiple wireless companies. I’m certainly not going to switch my company, but my company is among those who supported the show. I’ll write to them. Here is a sample: Dear _____. I want to thank you for supporting the Fox Broadcasting show “ENLISTED.” I am a __-year-old male/female. ENLISTED is a wonderful comedy. It is a show that can be watched by the entire family. For me it symbolizes ____________________. (And if you feel like you are going to support the advertising because of this you might say something like this for example: “I have always shopped at Home Depot because it is closer to my home. Because you are supporting ENLISTED, I will drive a little further and shop at Lowe’s to thank you for that support.” Sincerely,

Here is the list of advertisers for that episode:
AT&T
208 S. Akard St.
Dallas TX 75202
http://www.att.com/contactus/

Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.
Attn: Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 869077
Plano, TX 75086-9077
http://www.drpepper.com/contactus/

Esurance
650 Davis St
San Francisco, CA 94111
http://www.esurance.com/contact

Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
http://www.ford.com/help/contact/

Lowe’s Customer Care
P.O. Box 1111
North Wilkesboro, NC 28656
http://www.lowes.com/cd_Contact+Us_347544179_

NET10 Wireless
9700 N.W. 112th Ave
Miami, FL 33178
http://www.net10.com/contact.jsp?nextPage=contact.jsp&task=contact

Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37068-5003

http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus?next=footer.contact.link

Sleep Comfort Corporation
Media Relations
9800 59th Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55442
(Their email contact us link is not working properly)

Sprint
6480 Sprint Pkwy
Overland Park, KS 66251
(Their contact us form isn’t really clear which one to use).

Taco Bell
1 Glen Bell Way
Irvine, CA 92618
http://www.tacobell.com/portal/site/tacobell/account/template.CONTACT_US

Verizon
1095 Avenue of the Americas
Floor 7
New York City, New York 10036
(Their contact us form is not really the place to send thanks).

Walmart
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716
http://corporate.walmart.com/contact-us/

You can also write letters. PLEASE KEEP THEM RESPECTFUL AND POSITIVE. A network executive is much more likely to listen to something you have to say versus one where you tell them why you will never watch their network again if they don’t renew the show. Send them to:
Kevin Reilly
Fox Broadcasting
10201 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Or email them: askfox@fox.com

As well, I was thinking about taking a page from Save Farscape campaign where people made a commercial and said, “I am Farscape” and they had their age. On Twitter tonight (or in the comments below), list your age and sex and if you want the part of the country you live. Use the hashtag #IAmENLISTED

Now get to work troops!

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Tags: advertising, Angelique Cabral, Army, AT&T, Bart Smith, Cameron Castaneda, Chris Lowell, Chris Plourde, Colby Jensen, donate, Dr. Pepper, Enlisted, Esurance, Ford Motor Company, Fox Broadcasting, Geoff Pierson, Geoff Stults, Griffin Cleveland, Keith David, Kevin Biegel, Kevin Reilly, Kyle Davis, live tweet, Lowe's, Marines, Maronzio Vance, Maureen Ryan, Mel Rodriguez, Michelle Buteau, Mike Royce, Mort Burke, NET10 Wireless, Nielsen ratings, Nissan, Pam Oliver, Parker Young, Sanjay Shah, Save Enlisted, Sleep Comfort, Sprint, Taco Bell, Tania Gunadi, Twitter, Verizon, Walmart, Wounded Warriors Project, write letters
Categories : Enlisted, Fox Shows, TV shows

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