(Semi) Live Blogging SYTYCD: 8/06/08

6 last week.  4 this week.  It's the day of the (finale) show, ya'll!  There has been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears over the past few months covering this little show (and I'm sure there has been a little bit of blood, sweat and tears on the set...I mean Comfort DID crobar Jessicar...but this is about ME) and it's time to bid adieu for another season.  But not before one last bit of bitching with a dash of praise thrown in for good measure.  It's "So You Think You Can What What!?"

8:00- Cat Deeley is wearing a simple gold dress tonight, to signify the finale theme.  She looks a bit like an Academy Award.  If only she had shaved her head too. 

8:01- She's also rocking the lobster burn again. 

8:02- Everyone is going to dance with everyone else tonight in the finale.  How about Joshua and Twitch do a Viennese Waltz? 

8:03- Mary Murphy is wearing a pageant version of a spiderweb tonight.  Can we do a revival of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" with her? I'm sure she wouldn't have any problem eating her lover's head after mating. 

8:04- Tabitha and Napolean Beatrix and Geronimo are doing a routine for Twitch and Courtney about a crazy deranged girl that goes to the club looking for her boyfriend.   She is going to punch him in the nuts.  TREAT HIM WELL COURTNEY!

8:05- Courtney starts by walking up on the stage and chasing Twitch around as they do a bit of conversation back and forth.  Before getting into an argument with their movement.  Again B & G set the scene perfectly, defining characters easily, and allowing for investment by the audience in the routine.  Courtney has the attitude, but the sharpness of her movement seems a little forced.  They are fun together but have a bit of trouble with a partnering section. It ends with Twitch spinning her on his head like a record on a turntable. 

8:06-Mandy Moore is the guest judge tonight.  She's wearing a purple crayon as a dress, with matching eye liner.  80s not fabulous. 

8:07- Mandy notes that she has "felt the crazy girlfriend thing." It's unclear whether she WAS the girlfriend, HAD the girlfriend, or BOTH. 

8:08- Still waiting for Mary's head to spontaneously combust during one of her "screams."  Fill it with confetti and it's the perfect finale to the season.   

8:09- Nigel says, "Next week when this is all over I'm gonna miss everybody, and everything, but mainly the girls and their boobs." 

8:14- Cat is sitting down with each person this week and doing interviews.  She's totally the new Diane Sawyer.  Courtney is first, and talks about her life in New Jersey.  She lives with the Sopranos.  Cat asks her if she has a boyfriend.  She says yes.  Cat starts crying.   "You don't have to be in love with someone to have chemistry with them," she says of her relationship to former partner Gev.  "You just have to f*ck them."

8:17- Courtney has the first solo of the night and still isn't stretching her legs enough for my taste, but her hair sure flows nicely. 

8:19- The jigdes are commenting on the solos tonight.  Mary's sleeves are too distracting to focus on the words.  I keep expecting to see dismembered limbs from past male contestants caught in the web.  Or just a collection of their penises. 

8:21- Whatever problems I have with Courtney's dancing, she sure seems like a sweet person...way to work the tears Galliano!

8:25- Golden couple Katee and Joshua are up next doing a Wade Robson routine.  It's unfortunate that he hasn't been around too much this season; his routines are gorgeous.  The inspiration for this piece: "love is hard work, but it's the best thing you'll ever work for in your life."  A bit generic, but I have faith he'll make it work. 

8:26- Music is "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer...one of my favorites.  Starts with abrupt rocking of Katee in Joshua's hands.  The movement includes some jerky manipulations of each other's bodies before slower tender moments.  The camera work is FAR too close to them, and circling around the whole time, which doesn't let the movement breath at all.  Joshua is pure power and passion.  THEY MUST BE THE TOP TWO!! AND HE MUST WIN IT! 

8:29- Mandy Moore praises their honesty, which has been their strong suit all season. 

8:30- Nigel says that Wade is "one of the greatest choreographers I've ever worked with."  Can we see Lythgoe do the hummingbird number from last season? 

8:32- "Joshua has uncontrolled control," Nigel says of Joshua.  Perfectly sums up my favorite dancer of the season. 

8:37- Katee and Courtney are up next doing a *groan* Tyce Diorio Broadway routine.  And surprise, surprise, he's using props: parasols.  He does MUCH better as a choreographer when working without props, it's unfortunate he uses them so often. 

8:38-Katee starts on the stairs in scary western hooker/cake topper outfit.  They run together and meet each other, wearing Easter colors.  They have already done one running circle around the stage by the time they pick up their props.  Courtney has a strange smile on her face the whole time, and Katee, while fluid, doesn't seem honest.  One of my least favorite routines of the year. 

8:40- The two ladies stand with their parasols during the judges critique; they look mortified. 

8:42- Nigel says it's so nice to "see girls dancing like girls."  I hate his stereotypical gender assignments throughout the season.  Girls=horrifying outfits smothered in lace.  Boys=flexing muscle and showing as little emotion as possible. Then again, my commentary this season has consisted of a lot of "the girls are dressed like whores/the boys have penises."  To each his own. 

8:43- Cat interviews Twitch next.  He says he was going to work in the military "for stability," had he not gotten the show.  You know what else provides stability?  Me.

8:46- He starts his solo with an insane sideways flip.  I love how well he uses levels, traveling across the stage in a series of deep knee bends, before standing up and doing miniscule rib isolations.  Not his most thought out solo ever, but solid. 

8:49-Mary appears to have had a touch up on her makeup during the commercial break.  The updated look?  Tranny clown spider woman stripper.  Look for the Barbie doll this fall.

8:54- Joshua and Twitch are up next making out shirtless.  Their footage  starts with a cute and funny riff on their "battle" throughout the season, containing backstage footage of them beating each other up.  I wouldn't be surprised if they are the final two.   

8:56- They are doing a Russian trepak to the Nutcracker.  Could they have picked any worse routine for these two to do for their duet?  Joshua pulls out a double tour, and a center split leap with no plie, that goes well above Twitch's head.  No matter how much I love these two, I don't think I've ever hated a routine more that has been on this show.  Poorly choreographed string of tricks, doesn't give them the chance to show any musicality or personality.  Frantic beyond belief. 

8:58- I just feel for them.  There is nothing worse than not having the training to do knee bends and then being thrown into a piece like that.  Believe me.  I did it in "Petrouchka" at ABT, and I was in tears. 

8:59-They get into a "jump" battle during the evaluation.  It's a close call.  Tie-breaker?  Make out with each other!  This seems to be a theme for me tonight.  Hmmmm...

9:00- Mary stands up and as my mom says, she seems to be wearing King Tut's burial robe. 

9:01- That is "Russian street dancing," claims Nigel.  I don't know much about Russian street dancing, but I would venture to guess that it doesn't include dancing to Tchaikovsky in parachute pants.  Perhaps we could bring in Toni Basil, the expert of all things street, to explain? 

9:02- Katee's interview is next.  They recap the evil moment during Vegas week when she and her best friend were in the running together; so glad she made it through.  Her favorite routine is "No Air" by Beatrix and Geronimo from the first week.  Still one of the best pieces of the season, and amazing how refined she and Joshua were at the beginning. 

9:05- She does a solo to "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap, which is a bit two years ago, but but she dances nicely.  Has a few nice suspended turns and rolls to the floor.

9:12- Twitch and Katee are up next doing a foxtrot by Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin. 

9:14- They look dashing; he is in a sleek black suit, and she in a blue dress which upon further examination can't seem to decide if it's a floor length gown, or fringe explosion.  His upper body gets left behind once in a while, but he is a consummate performer at all times.  He has a wonderful sly smirk on his face the whole time, eyes cast down at Katee.  Their partnering work is nice, including a dead press behind his head.   

9:17- "You were nice and smooth, and controlled," says Mary.  "You blew me away."  Speaking of blowing, her lipstick is smeared all over her face.  Just saying. 

9:23- Joshua's interview is next.   He is wearing a black hat just resting on the top of his head.  Perhaps he's going to rock a beehive soon?  They show all the times he has cried during the show, and Cat makes fun of him.  She has really become a great host this season,  can't help but love her.  "I'd rather be here, dead [tired], than at home doing nothing," he says. And THAT is why he's so damn good. 

9:26- He starts his solo and exudes charm unlike anyone else on the stage.  He jumps off the stage and runs up to the judges platform, and dances right next to Nigel.  A bit of a throwaway solo, but his movement seems the most unique of anyone this season.  There's no style he can't do.    HE.  MUST.  WIN.

9:32- Courtney and Joshua are up next doing the jive.  Kiss of death from the producers?! 

9:35- He starts by doing a 540 over her head.  They've got huge amounts of energy, and the choreography is cute (at first), but Josh doesn't have the right freedom to his footwork and they are a bit out of sync.  Courtney is cute, but is not helped by poor camerawork.  Their costumes also seem horribly mismatched.  She is in a leotard with fringe, and he is in a 50s inspired jean/t-shirt combo.

8:45- Final performance of the night is a group dance with Mia Michaels.  She is going to "really dance them."  What's new?  It's about "celebrating your win, because you've already won."  It's unfortunate that they couldn't get a stronger girl instead of Courtney. I like the final four, but she is obviously a weak link. 

8:49-  She starts with the group running carrying a billowy piece of cloth which is  100% ripped off from Jiri Kylian's brilliant Petit Mort.  COME ON MIA!  Never smart to steal a signature moment from a masterpiece ballet.   They are all in Scottish inspired kilts and doing a lot of running to the pulsing strings; they're half-naked Scottish marathoners.  A nice piece but not as much of a showstopper as it should have been. 

8:51- Mary calls Twitch a "stand out" in the number.  Then goes on to critique everyone except for Joshua.    Between the jive, and this commentary, I'm convinced the producers don't want Joshua to win. 

8:52- Nigel keeps talking about Joshua and Twitch being "untrained dancers."  Didn't we see flashbacks of each of them talking about being in dance class as children during the interviews?  We saw a picture of Joshua standing at a ballet barre as a nine year old.  Methinks that is TRAINING.  Nigel...lay off trying to shape the story.  It's enough without it.  It's like saying Mary is an untrained prostitute.  It's just not believable.

BEST OF THE NIGHT:

1. Twitch

2. Joshua

3. Katee

4. Courtney

BEST OF THE SEASON:

1. Joshua

2. Katee

3. Twitch

4. Courtney

 

A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STUCK WITH ME THROUGH THESE BLOGS! THE SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME.  STICK AROUND AND SPREAD THE RANT!!!!!!

Comments

[Bruce]

It's great reading your commentary because you KNOW dance and I like it but don't know it. I loved the Russian Boy Durt and the Mia Scottish (rip-off) finale dance. I understand your commentary but as an untrained viewer, I just loved the energy I got from these.

But I assume I am more like the standard viewer.

Oh, the season is about over - what shall we do next???

[Bruce]

OOOPS - that was Boy Duet not Boy Durt! But maybe I was correct first time???

[Andrew]

I said EXACTLY the same thing with the Mia Michaels' group piece. "That was 100% ripped of from kilian"

Mia is hit or miss with me. I either love, or I... don't love. I was quite underwhelmed with the piece.

[Chimene]

Hey Matt,

Your commentary was both naughty and funny tonight. You did say penis alot. Anyhoo. I always find the finale shows to be slightly underwhelming so I'm just happy I watched it tonight on the big screen (i.e., a real flat screen t.v. vs. Youtube). I voted 95% for Joshua and 5% for Katee so we'll see. Joshua stole the night for me b/c he just gets to me emotionally. Remember when he practically cried after doing Mia's first Contemporary piece. I found Katee to be not vulnerable enough; I'm a huge Julie Kent/Victoria Jaiani fan so I gotta be moved by a dancer even if they are technically good. It's like damn it! Didn't any bad sh*t ever happen to you, Katee? I'd like to see her improve her flexibilty & ability via ballet training and to improve her acting skills like 50%.

I wish them all the very best but only one can win, and I hope it's Joshua Allen:-D

[demondoll]

Thank you so much for your wonderful recaps- I don't know from dance, and I love getting your take on it all.

(I want my Kiss of The Spider Barbie to look like Raul Julia, but have Mary's dress.)

[R]

8:07- Mandy notes that she has "felt the crazy girlfriend thing." It's unclear whether she WAS the girlfriend, HAD the girlfriend, or BOTH.

Thank you! I'm glad I wasn't the only one wondering.

Courtney's hair does seem like its own character on the show, doesn't it?

[j]

I've enjoyed reading your commentaries this season. I appreciate dance, but I certainly don't know a lot about dance. I've watched every season of SYTYCD, and this year has had the best group in my opinion. (Remember Snow and the other girl who ALWAYS kicked up her leg?) I've been undecided this year regarding who I would like to win, but I would be happy if either Joshua or Katee did. Katee is really good, and a professional opportunity (a film is part of the prize this time?) may help her improve. I agree that Joshua isn't completely untrained (I saw the ballet class also), and that he is really good. I think that he has had a lot LESS training than Katee, though. So, I would be happy with either one. My third choice would be Twitch - he also has had less training so this opportunity would be great. Courtney is still young, and may do well even if she does not win. What I don't get is why the prize (money before the film came up)is so puny. These dancers really work hard, and have to do multiple types of dance, so why isn't a training scholarship part of the award? Thanks for your commentary. I also enjoy reading your posts on The Winger. Hope you feel better, and good luck with your career after ABT.

[J. Moore]

I don't know what I enjoyed more this season. Reading your SYTYCD blogs, or actually watching the show.

I usually agree with you 100%

Ps. I never ever believed the line of bull being fed to us about Joshua never being trained. There is no possible way that he could move the way he does so effortlessly from genre to genre without formal training.

And then there it happened. In his interview package - a picture of him on Barre!!!!! I knew it.

You are an amazing writer.

Thank you.

[Natalie]

Awww so sad these hilarious recaps are coming to an end! They are so entertaining and laugh out loud funny! I would honestly be happy with anyone wining except Courtney. Mia's group number was my favorite of the night. And the Russian dance was crap. Josh's jumps were great, but it had no flow and I was annoyed at how much the boys stood there and simply watched the other one dance.

[Joanna]

I had to MISS THE SHOW so reading all the recaps is a great way to end the season. Yours are favorites because I know you know about the dance in the most intimate way. Thanks!