So You Think You Can Dance: Top 12

Tonight marks the last time the couples are staying together. Some of them I'm sad to see part, but for the majority I feel like this will really separate the men from the boys, so to say. Well, lets get down to the dancing.

Ryan & Elenore
Dance 1:
Lindy Hop by Carla Heiney
I've got to be a rug cutter
That was such a fun routine and they were so cute! I loved the slide Ryan did to the front on his heels. The cartwheels and lifts and flips were great. I had no idea Ryan was playing with a recently injured back, he really played up the fun and hid the pain well.

Dance 2:
Broadway by Spencer
Razzle Dazzle from Chicago (original Broadway soundtrack)
Ellenore was really strong in this routine. The vertical split with the foot flexing, the move Adam pointed out, was really impressive. I also loved her very jerky movements while Ryan held her up on his shoulders.

Kathryn & Legacy
Dance 1:
Jazz by Sonya
So Deep by Hot Chip
That was hot! It is funny how very b-boy a lot of Legacy's moves were in a Jazz routine. It will be very interesting to see them with different partner, since they have developed a really good partnership and chemistry. I could see Kathryn really exploding and coming into her own with a new partnership, a la Jeanine last season.

Dance 2:
Viennese Waltz by Jean-Marc Genereaux
Your Guardian Angel
The Red Jumpsuit Appartus
That was my favorite waltz since Twitchington's in Season 4. Wow, absolutely loved that. When they showed Legacy's teary eyes and his little speech about hope, well I was sold. Voting for them like 10 times tonight.

Karen & Victor
Dance 1:
Tango by Tony and Melanie
Montserrat by Orquesta
I didn't see the secret lovers plot they talked about in pre-dance video. It was nice to see Victor finally do something other than Contemporary/Jazz, but I wasn't as impressed as the judges were. If they had been together longer, this could have been an amazing routine. But as it was, I didn't see the chemistry that was needed. I'm thinking this will be in the bottom three couples.

Dance 2:
Hip Hop by Lorieanne Gibson
Moving Moutains by Usher
That was kind of boring. Slow, lacking focus, and lacking attitude. This was more of an issue of choreography, though. I totally agree with Mary, there was nothing that stood out and that will be remembered when looking back at the dances tonight.

Nathan & Mollee
Dance 1:
Hip Hop by Jamal Sims
Ring-A-Ling by Black Eyed Peas
That was really good! Looks like the Top 12 are killing it this week. Nathan was REALLY good at hip hop. He just hit those beats so well. It was interesting to see hip hop done in 1800s clothes, too. I loved the move where Nathan did spins on his toe while Mollee did those cartwheels/back handsprings behind him. I agree with the judges that they'll really benefit from a partner switch up. They're just such babies together. Very disappointed in that routine, I expect more given Lorieanne's track record.

Dance 2:
Can Can by Tyce Diorio
Can Can Suite by Offenback
Wow, Nathan's pirourettes are great. Mollee's ariel was really impressive too. That was fun and fast and they did a great job.

Russel & Noelle
Dance 1:
Samba by Tony and Melanie
Hips Don't Lie by Shakira
Meh, I didn't really care for that. It was nice, but not very memorable for me.

Dance 2:
Contemporary by Tyce Diorio
A Case of You by Diana Krall
I'm glad Russell finally got to do contemporary before the Top 10. It was beautiful and just flowed. I'm glad they got to end on this dance, it'll definitely garner them more votes than their Samba will.

Ashleigh & Jakob
Dance 1:
Lyrical Jazz by Sonya
Time Flies by Lykke Li
That looked so technically hard - with the lifts and jumps and splits. Wow, Adam was nearly brought to tears from that. Jakob just has such incredible lines and flexibility, it is UNREAL. Sonya had a great night tonight between this routine and Kathryn & Legacy's routine.

Dance 2:
ChaCha by Jean-Marc Genereaux
ChaCha Hells by Rosabel
I think Ashleigh might have finally won me over. She was phenominal! They killed it. They had a great night over all - helped by the fact they they both got to dance their styles tonight.

Standouts: Loved the Nathan/Mollee hip hop, Kathryn/Legacy Waltz and Jazz, and the Ashleigh/Jakob ChaCha.
Bottom 3 Predictions: Karen/Victor, Ryan/Ellenore, and Russell/Noelle. I'm thinking Victor and Karen are going home, just shy of the Top 10. I could see Ryan going in Victor's place depending on solos, though.

Overall, I think this was a pretty strong episode with a few memorable dances that just might end up being performed again in the finale. What did you think of the Top 12 dances?

WTF: Comfort Wipe

Thanks goes to Justin, for posting this on Facebook. I can't believe this thing actually exists. How lazy are people?

Muppets + Bohemian Rhapsody = Awesome

I Love You Philip Morris

This is the first I'm seeing of this movie, and while it looks odd, it also looks like it could be really funny, offbeat, and awesome.

Weekend Movies 11/20

I spent last weekend mostly spending time in the movie theater. Exactly how I love spending my weekends! Here's my thoughts on the movies I saw this weekend.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Ok, I like my vampire media. Just to give you an idea: I'm rewatching Buffy and Angel with the roommates, loving Vampire Diaries and True Blood, and read all the Twilight books. But I hated the first Twilight movie. Twilight was just a blue, poorly shot, poorly acted mess. The only way I got through that movie was with two glasses of wine. And I'm not the only one. While it racked in the dough, it scored a lackluster 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. I was abroad when it came out, so I completely missed the madness and didn't quite get it. Then I came back and fell into the books and now I'm one of the people who contributed to its $140+ million box office weekend.

I saw it Friday night and got in line for the screening about 2 hours before the show started. The line was stereotypically mostly young women, but there were a few groups of guys seeing it (to pick up young chicks? Fans of Taylor Lautner's abs? Who knows.) Watching it with such a fanatical crowd was really the highlight. The girls screaming when Taylor Lautner takes off his shirt, the one girl who let out a lustful "oooh my godddd" when Bella and Jacob hugged, and the chorus of "NOOOOOO"s when it ended - the mania totally makes the experience better.

The movie itself, not so great but not terrible either. It was way better than the first, overall. Shot better, marginally better acting, and the dialogue was way less clunky (see: "Hop on my back, spidermonkey!"). The best parts were when they weren't talking, though. The chase scene in the woods and the fight in Italy were really well done - I loved how they played around with time to show just how fast they move. The ending was a nice change from the book; it makes the audience want to see "Eclipse" all the sooner. And we don't have to wait long, "Eclipse" comes out June 30, 2010. If New Moon makes that much money in November, I don't even know what the next one will make as a summer blockbuster.

2012
This movie clocks in at nearly 3 hours, but it did not feel like that at all to me. The beginning, where they're introducing the characters and trying to make us care for them, was slow and didn't really pull me in. But that's not why we see these types of movies is it? I went for the spectacle and boy did it deliver! The sheer scale of it all and immediacy of the diaster had my heart pumping. Plus, I LOVED that little dog. Yay, Japanese Shins! The deaths at the end seemed a little rushed and unecessary, but otherwise a pretty solid action flick to tide us over until the summer blockbuster season.


The Blind Side
I went in this movie expecting to come out a bawling mess. The trailer alone had me in tears! But, while it was emotional and touching and great story, it never packed that emotional punch that would have turned me into a weepy mess. It was a great inspirational family story. I wouldn't categorize it as a sports movie though, since there's a total of maybe 10 minutes of football footage in the film. The focus is on Mike and Leanne (Sandra Bullock) and how this relationship changed both their lives. They both put in great performances (Sandra Bullock for Best Actress?) and it was a really well paced movie that didn't drag its feet in the melodrama. It's gotten good reviews from the critics, and even as an A+ from audience exit polls on CinemaScope. If this movie can keep its legs and gross some big money, along with a big push from Warner Bros. I could definitely see Sandra Bullock getting some award recognition for the role.


Did you guys see any movies this weekend? What'd you think?