Effective immediately all future reviews will now appear on my personal blog, Inside My Wild Mind. The only reviews to appear here now will be the completion of the Fresh Meat Challenge season. This is something I had pondered for awhile, and when I started reviewing I originally planned to have my reviews appear on my personal blog. At some point, I decided to put them in their own place.
However, I think my original plan of over a year ago is probably best, and what better time to do the switch than with the start of the fall season. I will be moving all affiliate links to that blog this week, so if you could change your links accordingly I'd appreciate. At the moment, you can find a review of this week's premiere of Vanished on FOX.
NOTE
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Quite Note About Fresh Meat Episode
Monday, August 21, 2006
Due to a power outage and thunderstorm in my area, there will be no episode recap this week. I will try to catch a repeat airing, but in case I'm not able to for now we'll say no recap.
So You Think You Can Dance The Finale
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
After nearly three months of auditions, dancing and voting we have now reached the final night. Tonight, we find out which of the final four will be named the 2006 So You Think You Can Dance champion. What does that mean? They will win a part for a year in Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day. They will also win a new SUV and $100,000. Who are you favorites? Who did you vote for? Nearly sixteen million voted last week. Benji, Donyelle, Heidi and Travis are all that is left, and anyone can win tonight. After a look back at last week, we see a performance by our top twenty dancers by Shane Sparks.
After a commercial break, we take a look at So You Think You Can Dance around the world, and the tour is mentioned. You can find a full list of dates here. Tonight's show being two hours long, it means we get to see a lot more dancing. Our final four picked their favorite performances from the season to perform again on tonight's show. Benji picked a dance with his cousin Heidi, while Heidi chose her contemporary performance with Travis. We have another short break before we see an all new couple return to dance for us, Natalie and Dimitry. These two heat up the dance floor. The floor is then taken over by Ciara for her performance of her new song from the movie, Step Up. Donyelle then chooses her Broadway performance with Benji to perform again. That performance is followed by a performance by Ivan and Allison picked by judge Mia Michaels to see again.
As we head into the second hour, we start to see our final four eliminated. Heidi is brought out to perform solo, and then she is told she hasn't made it into the top three. Throughout the competition, Heidi has been one of my favorite females, and I'm sad to see she didn't win. In my mind, this competition is between three dancers - Heidi, Travis and Benji. Donyelle is a good dancer, but not up to the same caliber in my mind. Next up, we see Travis and Heidi dance before we take a look back at Donyelle's time on the show before she performs solo. This means she is next to be eliminated. This also means that a man once again will win this competition.
Brian Freidman brings back Travis and Martha's Broadway performance from the first episode of the competition before we take a look back at Benji's time on the show and also see him perform solo. However, we have to wait to see Travis dance before we find out who will win. The show is far from over at this point. We see another special performance, the top ten perform, and then we see Dan Karaty choose to see last week's performance by Travis and Benji once again before the judges tell us what they think of these two.
These two started off their journey well before the show premiered in May, and by the end of tonight's show we see Benji crowned America's favorite dancer. Many had said that honor would fall to Travis, but Benji is this year's winner. Congratulations to Benji!
Group perfomance: Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole - Step Up - (When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me
Benji/Heidi: Black Mambo - Angel and the mambokats
Heidi/Travis: Calling You Celine Dion
Dimitry/Natalie: Magalenha - Sergio Mendes
Ciara - Get up
Donyelle/Benji: You Can't Stop The Beat Hairspray
Allison/Ivan: Why Annie Lenox
Group: Ramalama Bang Bang - Roisin Murphy
Heidi: I Love Rock and Roll Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Travis/Heidi: The Plaza of Execution
Donyelle: I'm Free - Amber
Travis/Martha: Steam Heat
Benji: Never Knew The Rocket Summer
Travis: Wonderful - Annie Lennox
Fergie - London Bridge
Group: Cell Block Tango Chicago
Travis/Benji: Gyrate
Fresh Meat Challenge Episode 12
Monday, August 14, 2006
On last week's Fresh Meat Challenge, we saw Derrick and Diem win another challenge, and Shane and Linette go home after being exiled. This week's challenge begins with a possible romantic heating up between Derrick and his partner. However, she fears it going nowhere due to her medical condition. The two definitely have their eyes on each other. We also learn of an alliance between Theo, Derrick and Darrell.
The next day we see the remaining teams head off for their most dangerous mission yet, Deep Blue. The mission involves the team members diving down thirty feet to retrieve their team flag. The first two to go dive are Tina and Kenny. The pressure definitely gets to these two. They don't make it down. Next up are Darrell and Aviv, and they are successful in retrieving the flag, but a better time might have wanted by both. Theo and Chandra are up next, and they are also successful. Following them is Wes and Casey, and we see problems from the beginning. However, they are also successful.
Derrick and Diem are last to go, and they appear to do the best time. They do win by one second, so they get to choose who goes to exile again. This means the two have a tough decision to make about who to send in, one that might cause them to break any alliances they may have made with other competitors they have left. Diem and Derrick send in Theo and Chandra. The remaining characters spice up things with voting in Darrell and Aviv to exile. This puts two strong teams into exile, and this is the first time Wes and Casey don't go into exile. Unless one of those two teams win the next challenge and get pardoned from exile.
Derrick is upset about how things end up with his two friends going into exile. Darrell feels betrayed, but Chandra understands the move. Theo is upset as well. Derrick turns to Wes, and the two make an odd sort of alliance. Wes had been trying to get the stronger teams into exile the whole competition, and he finally was successful without really trying. By the end of the episode, we see Derrick and Diem heat up even further. Next week, we'll have to see how these two teams fair in the next competition. Will one of them get out of exile?
So You Think You Can Dance Performance Finale
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Tonight on So You Think You Can Dance we have the performance half of the finale. The dancers will be all dancing with each other. We'll see the girls dancing together, the boys dancing together, and the couples mixing up. The dancers will also be dancing solo. In all, tonight we saw eleven performances. Tonight's judges are Nigel Lythgoe, Brian Friedman and Mary Murphy.
Tonight's first performance is with Heidi and Travis. They do a disco performance by Doriana Sanchez, and they do an amazing job. These two receive nothing but positive comments from the judges. After a commercial break, we see Donyelle and Benji paired up again with a viennese waltz. This is their second time performing the style, and the judges are less than impressed with the dancing. The two have great chemistry together. They just didn't have the moves down tonight. After a commercial break, we see the dancers head off to the premiere of Step Up.
Next up, we see a solo performance by Heidi, and once again she is just amazing. She is my favorite of the females. We then see Travis and Benji paired up to perform a Shane Sparks hip hop routine. These two just are amazing together on stage, and the judges definitely agreed. Following these two, we see solos by both Heidi and Travis. Solos definitely show how well these dances do what they do.
Donyelle is up in the next two performances . Once with Heidi and then with Travis. She does well both times, but the judges definitely have some things to say about their performance, and not all of it was positive. In between her two performances, we The last dance of the night is with cousins Benji and Heidi. These two are amazing together every time they hit the stage. These two have danced together before, even before the show began, and they are great partners together.
After a break, we are told there is one more dance, and this is a group performance by Wade Robson. It was funky and fun to a song recently released, and the dancers all did well. As Nigel said, they are all great, but not all of them deserve to win. My votes are going to Benji and Heidi. Who do you want to win? We'll find out next week!
Heidi/Travis: Shake your groove thing - Peaches and Herb
Donyelle/Benji: I'll be - Edwin McCain
Heidi: Rie & Llora - Celia Cruz
Benji/Travis: Gyrate
Donyelle: Human - Dionne Farris
Travis: Konstantine - Something Corporate
Donyelle/Heidi: Big Spender
Benji: This House is Rockin' The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Donyelle/Travis: Georgia on My Mind Ray Charles
Group: Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
Fresh Meat Challenge Episode 11
Monday, August 07, 2006
Last week on Fresh Meat, we had a shocking development as the best team of the competition was eliminated due to injuries they had sustained in the competition. So we said good-bye to Coral and Evan. In another shocking twist, Derrick and Diem won a mission, and these two made a strategic move that sent Shane and Linette into exile. This upset Linette because she is friends with Diem. Linette goes to her friend and asks her to tell her if Derrick is planning to vote those two to go first in the mission.
The next mission starts bright and early the next morning. In Jump Down Under, the teams will jump off a four story high platform, and then climb up a huge plastic ball and retrieve a flag. Derrick and Diem choose the line-up, and they ended up picking Shane and Linette to go up first. This once again angers Linette, but they do complete the mission. Wes and Casey are next up, and Casey has some problems in this mission.
She won't jump from the platform and they are eliminated from the mission. Theo and Chandra are next and they also complete the mission successfully. They are followed by Darrell and Aviv and Tina and Kenny. They both complete the mission successfully. Tina and Kenny work especially well together this time around. Last to go is the Derrick and Diem, and they win the mission with the lowest time.
Once the mission is complete, we see Shane and Linette prepare to go into exile against Wes and Casey. Linette is determined to win. Shane and Linette have over 170 pounds to carry against Wes and Casey's 113 pounds. The two teams do well, but once again Wes and Casey come out on top and they return to the house. This sends Shane and Linette home, and it spells the end for Theo and Linette's relationship. Next week, we see Derrick and Diem move past partners to something more!
So You Think You Can Dance The Top 6 Eliminations
Thursday, August 03, 2006
On last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance, we saw the top six perform in couples and solo for America's vote. Tonight we will see one more male and one more female leave the competition. Next week, we will have the first part of the finale in which the top four will perform for the last vote. Twelve and a half million called in last night to vote for these dancers. This breaks another record for the series. This week our three judges are Nigel Lythgoe, Mia Michaels and Mary Murphy. Mia Michaels also choreographs the group's opening number at the beginning of the show. After the group performs, the judges are introduced and we then see what happened last night both on stage and behind the scenes.
Immediately following the behind the scenes look and a commercial break, we jump right into the girls and finding out which made the bottom two this week. First though we see them each perform again. Natalie is first up this week, and this was the first routine of hers that did nothing for me. It just didn't feel right to me. Heidi came out next, and she did amazing. I wouldn't be surprised to see her win this competition. Her and Benji are two of the best dancers here. However, Mia Michaels has some words for her, and these words cause Nigel to stand up for the dancer. Donyelle is up next, and once again Mia speaks up. This time Mary Murphy stands up for the dancer.
After a commercial break, the men take the stage one at a time. The first up being Travis and he is followed by Ivan and Benji. The judges have nothing but positive comments for the men, unlike they did for the ladies. All three do well though, and with these in the top six, the competition is wide open for next week's finale. After a performance by Omarion, we see the ladies brought back up on stage. After the three are spoken to, Heidi is sent to safety. This means that either Natalie or Donyelle are going home. This is as I suspected. The men are then brought up on stage and after Cat speaks about each of them she sends Travis to safety.
Donyelle and Natalie come back up on stage and we see Natalie sent home. I figured this week might be the end for her in the competition. Her performances this week were definitely less than up to her usual. She takes the news in stride though, and I think we will see her go far in the dance world. As for the men, we see Benji and Ivan brought back on stage. Seeing Benji there scared me a bit, but I had a feeling he wouldn't be going home. He isn't. Instead we see Ivan going home. At this stage of the competition, he is the logical decision to go home. His lack of dance training does him in. Next week, we see the final four dance for America's vote once last time before we see who America picks for their favorite dancer on the August 16th episode of So You Think You Can Dance! Check back for my thoughts of the performances next week.
Group: Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Natalie: I Would Die For You - Jann Arden
Heidi: Hey Mama - The Black Eyed Peas
Donyelle: Buttons - The Pussycat Dolls
Travis: Flying Without Wings - Westlife
Ivan: I Question Mark - Wade Robson
Benji: Brown Derby Jump - Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Omarion - Entourage
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 6 Perform
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
So You Think You Can Dance is getting right down to the end. Next week, the final four are going for gold with the finale set to begin. Tonight though we have the top six going for it as the couples each dance two dances together. Tonight, we also see the dancers each dance a solo performance, unlike last week.
Tonight, the show opens with Ivan and he picks Natalie as his partner. Out of the hat, she picks contemporary and jive for him, and they open the show with a jive performance put together by Ron Montez. All three judges are quite harsh with their critiques of the performance this time around, and Nigel even tells Natalie she needs to step it up if she is going to stay on. The crowd boos as usual, but the two take it in stride. After they leave the stage, Travis takes it for his solo and he does well.
After a commercial break, we see Donyelle and Benji reunited. These two were partnered together early on in the season, and seeing them together again is wonderful. The judges are a bit harsh to Donyelle with her follow through and energy level, but they all have great things to say about Benji. Natalie's solo follows, and once again she showed why she is one of my favorites left. Before we see another solo, we see Heidi and Travis pair up for a smooth waltz. The judges have little negative to say about their performance. Mia Michaels just has a comment about the flow. We then see a solo by Ivan, and he does well. This time around the judges aren't commenting on their solos.
We then begin our second round of dancers with our partners. First up is Donyelle and Benji with a hip hop routine by Shane Sparks. It was fun and aggressive, and the judges don't have one negative thing to say about it. These two are great together. Afterwards we see Heidi, and the judges call her the most improved female in this competition, and I agree with them. She is just a wonderful dancer.
Another commercial and then we see Ivan and Natalie perform for a second time. I think they look amazing, but the judges don't think so. In their contemporary performance by Tyce Diorio, the judges don't feel no chemistry between the two. Mia Michaels comments that Natalie looks fake and that she is performing. Ivan is told by two judges that tonight he showed his lack of training. He has improved greatly since he joined the competition, but he still is a hip hop dancer. Benji takes the stage following their departure. The audience once again love him.
The last couple of the night is Heidi and Travis as they work on a pop routine with Wade Robson. These two are just amazing the moment they take the stage, and Nigel calls them the best couple of night. The other judges have nothing but positive things about the two and their choreographer. This is the first time we've seen Wade Robson work with the dancers, and he is amazing as a choreographer. The last up for their solo tonight is Donyelle.
Now it is up to America. Which four of these six will be in next week's performance finale? Who are your favorites? For me, I think it Heidi, Natalie, Benji and Travis. Those four are just amazing. I love Donyelle too, but we can only pick four. I don't think Ivan is ready just yet. He needs some more training. Who do you like? Are you voting? We will find out on tomorrow's show who is going home. Check back then for my thoughts on the final pair of eliminations.
Ivan/Natalie: Route 66 Cars Soundtrack
Travis: You and Me Lifehouse
Benji/Donyelle: Le Jazz Hot - Victor/Victoria Soundtrack
Natalie: Ooh La La - Goldfrapp
Heidi/Travis: Flying Cait Agus Sean
Ivan: It Was All In Your Mind - Wade Robson
Benji/Donyelle: Hotline - Ciara
Heidi: I Like It - The Blackout Allstars
Ivan/Natalie: Everytime We Touch - Cascada
Benji: Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson
Heidi/Travis: W'happy Mama - Zap Mama
Donyelle: And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going - Dreamgirls
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