Just Read...

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

At first I didn't understand all the 2 and 3 star book reviews on GoodReads when I started this. Then I finished it. Read my Book Report to find out what happened. Coming soon.

--Me

Break it Down Now!

Day two of auditions and we're starting off in Hollywood! (All quotes in this review will be from Jesse)

I love when Cat hangs out in line with the contestants. She always does crazy things. Mary, Nigel, and JESSE TYLER FERGUSON!!!! I Love when that guys's on this show! He always has astute and good things to say. "I wanna see booty shakin'! I wanna see you feeling yourself up!"

Alexa the Veteran is back from last season (she was cut at the end of Vegas). I liked her audition costume of the skirt. Unique compared to everyone else. Loved her audition showed her flexibility and range. From slow to fast and power. But she was a little sloppy it looked like. She could have have more control, it looked like. I liked the song she danced to. Straight though to Vegas

Johnny Waacks. Like the cat woman / spy lady from last year. This whole dance style is insane. But he is such a unique and awesome character. The whole question and answer segment was a little uncomfortable/tacky on the judges' part. Honestly, I didn't think it was that funny, and it was kind of unfair to the contestant. But then again, he was setting himself up. Let's just see him dance already. Jeez. Wow. He had some moves and flavor when he started dancing. But far from what the show needs. Prncess Lockaroo from last year was a million times better. "If Lenny Kravits was a Russion Nesting Doll, you'd be the very center."

Eliana contemporary and areal silks! A ring! Cirque de soleil. Wow. What a resume! Eliana Girard Pole Dancing Girl. Wow. I'm in love.She's amazing. OMG. Favorite! Ballet and contemp combo. Beautiful. Loved that back pointe slide move. SOOOO GOOD. Standing O. There was so much respect in Nigel's eyes. . The kick on pointe! Oh, be still my heart. Jesse's right. The presence that Eliana brings is a lot like Melanie from last season.

Lots of good dancers in the montage. Lots of Vegas Direct dancers. Which is good.

The TWINS!!! I've been waiting all week for Nick and James.!!! You have no idea. They need an act. "We said we'll dance!" *Snap*. They're awesome!!!! "You wanna know why he got fired? Because he was meant for beter things." They are good but they need to work on being in sync better. I think they need a few more years practice. James is so good with his face and expressions. They are good. Uh-oh, Nigel said no lip syncing. Oooh! Acrobatics. Standng O from the auditorium. I'm so bummed they're too old to be on the show. :(

Sam. Wow. Her mom kicked her out one day after dance class. Leg lift in the beginning, woo! She can bend! and her leg strength!!! She has a lot of talent and strength and CONTROL! She made everyone cry with her beauty! I can't believe they didn't let her dance any longer. It felt like she didn't dance long enough. Good feedback from Nigel – you know he likes her when he offers critiques like this. Choreography!! 

Caley with the sweet mustache. A tapper. Let's see. That as a main dance style has never made it through very far. Because they aren't strong enough in other areas. He's a quirky personality. Good smile and eyes sparkle when he does. ADHD – comes through 100%. LOVE the song. Wish he would have done a little more upbeat one, though, but he worked it with tricks and acting. Personality up the wazoo! He really worked his taps in well with the music. Keeping with the music and the beat. GREAT!! Loved that last part he did. "Such a Cliché. You have a mustache you tap ad you surf. I see it all the time." Jesse's right, such a mash up of a person. He's like an excited little penguin, flapping his arms like that. Choreography. Nice! He was excited, so was I.

Megan Branch AKA Mini Sonia. Oh. A Sonia dancer. Could tell that right from the beginning and the way that she moves. Great song (Yet again). Trying to remember where I've heard it from. Great facial expressions. And she's dancing to the song with the song. Great power and talent. Oh! Why'd they make her stop?! Very good energy. (Okay, the clip below isn't from SYTYCD, but it's the same routine).

Cole the Martial artist dancer. He looks like a model. Wow! Speed and power. And grace abounds with this guy! I'd love to see him do other genres of dance, too. It does look like martial arts, but so smooth and fluid and beautiful. Another great song. I think they should make a soundtrack for the auditions. So spot on. Great. I want to see him go to Vegas. Mom's in the background "You're such an over achiever…" He does have awesome presence. VEGAS!!! His mom is so awesome!

Where are all the crazies?!?! There are the crazies!! I was beginning to wonder! Hubby got all excited and ran into the room, parking his behind next to mine. David the hoop dancer! Hes a circus performer! wow. What a great living situation. Where's that kind of circus? I wanna go to that kind of circus. They might send him to choreography to see if he can do anything else, but based on that alone, not strong enough to Vegas. Obviously. How is he not dizzy? Oooh! He brought it back up. It is very skillful and beautiful, but for entertainment value, in my opinion. I'm sorry. A hand reach out into the audience isn't going to be enough, David. "It's amazing what you can do with one of Cat Deely's old earrings."

Stephen Jacobson. Threw it together last minute. Nigel is a dirty old man. Non-traditional ballet. But he's been dancing it 17 years. That's not ballet at all, what I just watched. What the heck is he doing on stage? And what's that look on his face. I agree with Nigel. This is terrible. Cincinnati Ballet. "You should be shot for that choreography." (<-- Nigel)  Ouch! But they're right. "Well, that was fine….." Holy crap. They're giving him a second chance. Unprecedented. How can he dance if he doesn't know the song? Great ballerina. Such nice lines and power. That got him to Vegas. Good thing he got a second change and Nigel kicked him in the but! And when he was doing his flips outside, I swear, it looked like he was going to hit his head on the concrete.

Lots of familiar faces. Guy with the goofy pants! And the girl popper and the blond! I REMEMBER THEM ALL. Jonathan is back, I don't ever remember him. The Italian Cat. Small guy. Going from ballroom to b-boy? Not sure how this is going to go. Wo, those flips show so much strength. Such personality. Looks like he's been bumbled. And his body is kind of twisting in weird ways. His personality is coming through well. Still kept a little of his arrogance at the end there. OH. Wow. That guy is something else. Oh. My. gosh. I can't keep watching. What?!?! Mary wants to send him to Vegas. Jesse's the deciding factor. To Choreography he goes.

Marchae and Jasmine are brother and sister. Wow, Jasmine is such a strong dancer and beautiful lines. Love her hair. So pretty. Great dancer. I really didn't have time to comment because I was so enthralled in her routine. Vegas. Marshea Kidd. Look at thoselines! So much feeling in his routine. And in his moves.

I'm disappointed that there were'nt more crazyies. Idiots aboutnd, tough.

Predictions: Wow. So many good dancers. I think that Eliana, Megan, Jasmine will make it into the Top 20. I think there's a stong possibility that Stephen and Cole will make it as well. At least I hope they do! Marchae? Not so much. 


Happy Firday, my friends!


--Me

Freebee Friday!

Ha! This explains so much. It's so true!

Happy Friday, my friends!

--Me

I've Failed You!

I was at my sister-in-law's high school graduation last night so I missed SYTYCD!!! I know! When I realized this morning that I missed it, I was devastated! Oh well, tonight!


--Me

SYTYCD Season 9 is Back!!!

I can't believe it. Another season of So You Think You Can Dance started last night! So thrilled.

They've changed the structure a little bit, so it will take some getting used to. Tryouts are the same as they always have been, and when they get down to 10 dancers, they're bringing back the all stars. But it's between those two points where it gets a little fuzzy. They're only doing one show a week (instead of the two) and that one episode is going to be 2 hours long.



My "predictions" and thoughts are at the very end of this post.


So! What were some of the highlights of the auditions? Let's take a look-see at my comments as the show happened:

New York

Always really good dancers here. We had Nigel, Mary and my favorite, Tyce, as judges. First up Amelia. Very cute look to her, a little weird of a personality. Amelia adorable according to Tyce. Loved her 1920s. Everything she did was big, moves gestures, smile, everything. Standing O from the judges. She kind of reminds me of my friend Kelsey in her personality. Toshihiko. I love how the Japanese bow after everything. Floor slide on his butt was awesome. So talented. Very good flow and movement. But, can he do anything else? Choreography. 

Hubby loves watching the ridiculousness of the crazy dancers like Austin and the Mr. Wiggles. It makes you wonder, with people like this, if they're serious or if they're just trying to get their 5 minutes of fame. Which this guy was obviously doing. "What are you do-ing-a?" ßTyce's words. Have I mentioned how much I love him? Leopard stretch pants? No! But I like that dancer. And she's going to Vegas. Shafeek is a flipper. I want his "I <3 me" shirt; it's awesome. Wow!!! What a crazy sick opening!! Shafeek! So much strength and control! And passion. He brought moves and a certain something that I've never seen before on SYTYCD. And the judges loved it! Oh no. Mary's gonna cry. I can feel it. Nope, I was wrong, but she really respected him. "You move like silk – effortlessly" Tyce. And the story behind the dance was just awesome, too. In choreography – the Japanese locker. He left. Dang.

Day two looked promising. Like, wow. Leo Reyes is dancing for his mom. "Life isn't forever. You aren't guaranteed tomorrow. I didn't expect that day". Tube socks. Heck yes. You know he can do hip-hop because of his video clip in his montage, but he can also do beautiful contemporary. Good dancer. Strong little man. Nigel looked really moved throughout the audition. The crowd loved it. Standing O in the room. All the judges' eyes were glistening. Mary's frozen Botox face. I love you, Mary. Straight through to Vegas. Poor guy didn't know whether to go crap or go blind, as my mom would say. Hugs and tears all around. I'm always so afraid that when they do their excited happy dance Vegas dance they're going to land wrong and twist or pull something. Ugh! That'd be terrible!

"I did not enjoy that at all." ßTyce. The looks. LOL. Haha. Love the clips of the bloopers. Chehon the Swiss Ballerina. He danced to my favorite song, so that was a sign. WOW. His moves and power. You wouldn't think that he'd only ever trained and danced ballet. Looked like he was losing steam towards the end, though. But he wasn't really dancing towards the end. Tyce used to dance Ballet??? News to me! But I'd love to see a clip of him dancing that way. I only ever know him as Broadway. I want more excitement from him.

38 total. 21 from choreography. 17 Straight Through.

Texas

Judges are Nigel, Lil'C, & Mary are judging this city. Is this their first time in Texas? I think so. Either that or it's been a while since they've been there before. Bree's kids and husband are in the audience. Great dancer. Cutest little boy yelling out, "Mommy I love you" from the judges table right in the middle of the performance the little boy walks up on stage and hands her mom the plane ticket to Vegas. The little girl dancing was the best. That whole first act was the best ever. So cute.

Oh my, the crazy people. Exorcist style. Zombie? No, thank you. But they were entertaining. We have some winners, here. Crushing up people's souls and running it through their veins and then giving it back. Holy crap. Zombie guy is very good, talented, but a Nigel says, he's not all there. It's like a fun house. But what else can he do? Standing O from audience. Oh, how I missed Lil'C. But where are his inventive words? Not one so far.

Horses: What the freak? Get out of our pasture you crazy humans.

Hampton the soul scrubber. He's so good at the popping and locking, such control. Even if he is a little….scary,…to Evanescence, wow. But so perfect. Mary's crying. He's good, but I don't know about that good. Cry worthy, I mean. But Nigel looks pretty moved, too. Maybe this guy's soul scrubbing work. I think it's the song. Looks like he's sliding on ice. I picture him starting a new religion in America. He'll be rich. Wowza. That lat part with his heart! Awesome. The audience judges and dancers were all in tears. Who woulda thought. Standing O from EVERYONE. Whether they say yes or no, you're going to Vegas I'll pay for you myself. These are the kinds of dancers I like seeing go all the way to the final 20 and really seeing them grow as a dancer and excelling in it. I hope he makes it far. 10 to Vegas (I saw 2 fall with their excited Vegas dance).

Day two. Daniel from down under. Ballet dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. I'm  glad I'm not the only one who thought he kept saying he was a belly dancer. Amazing power and skill. Such a good dancer. Straight through to Vegas. 

Lots of people made it to Vegas in this round. 3^rd injury on Vegas dance. Sam. Autistic guy who has the courage to dance on stage. People like this you can really appreciate what they're doing, even if they aren't any good at it because you understand what it took for them to get up there and do it, to overcome their difficulties challenges. It's simply amazing.

Von Kipper auditioning for the show but doesn't want to. It's the hamster. Cat asked him why he's here if he doesn't want to be on it. But he never gave a reason as to why he's trying out if he thinks it's selling out to be on the show. He's a horrible guy. Arguing before he even started dancing. Boooo!!!! Get him off the stage!!! That guy, that's what I sounded like after coming back from the dentist.

Jarell Suspenders!! I'm trying to get Hubby into those. Dad looks a bit like an older Samuel L Jackson. "Don't touch my water it's vodka" Such a great dancer. That's why I really like Contemporary dancing there's so much room and opportunity for emotion. I like how he put in other types of dancing – popping, a little ballet, miming, etc. and Broadway with his face and emotion. Good, good dancer. Standing O from the audience.

Lil'C's new word for the season: Millisecond.

12 after choreography several direct.


Predictions: I think that All the video'd people will make it to the top 20. I think that Amelia from the 20's will really show how much she can shine in Vegas and I think that Reverend Hampton will surprise everyone and be one of those dancers who you think is really limited but just has so much pure talent, he excels. I think that Chehon the Swiss Ballerina is a little arrogant of himself (but he is that good), but will probably have some trouble with Broadway and the Latin dances. I think Daniel from Down Under will excel. You saw how the girls reacted. I think his personality and talent will carry him pretty far in the competition. Mommy Bree, as much as I like her and think she's good, I think she'll get voted out early in the show. (But then again, she also strikes me as the Dark Horse type). What about you?

Juggling Act

I haven't been here in a while. Sorry 'bout that. I missed (I think) the last two Freebee Fridays! and I feel horrible. Since Book Addicts is so new, it's requiring a lot of time. Plus everything else that's going on in Life right now.

One of the main Time Suckers is the new blog for Book Addicts. It's over at WordPress, and I have to say, that blog platform is pretty dang sweet. Check it out. We're using that one instead of Blogger because it's supposed to be "compatible" with our newspaper's website (at some point).

Anyway, wonder wander (sheesh, it's been a long day) over there and check it out. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and hopefully I won't be spending ALL my time over there. To tide you over, how about a poll? Book-to-Movie to be precise. :)




--Me