Favorite TV Series: What's Renewed, What's Canceled

R.I.P.

It's that time of year. The networks have announced the shows they have renewed and the shows they have canceled. This means I am happy and a little bit sad today.

Reasons I am happy (favorite shows that have been renewed for the 2016-2017 season):

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Arrow
• The Flash
• Legends of Tomorrow
• Supergirl (It's been both canceled and renewed. The series is moving from CBS to the CW, where it will join its other DC shows)
• Grimm
• Jane the Virgin
• So You Think You Can Dance
• Sleepy Hollow

Reasons I'm sad: (favorite shows that have been canceled):

• Castle
• Nashville

It's surprising to me that over half of my favorite shows that have been renewed are based on comic book characters. I'm not surprised they have been renewed, just surprised that they've become some of my favorite currently running TV series. I've never read superhero comic books, and I never considered myself a real fan of the superhero movies that came out when I was young, such as the Superman with Christopher Reeve, or the Batman movies with Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer. It wasn't until The Avengers was released that I found myself really enjoying a superhero movie. It could be that it was written and directed by Joss Whedon, the creator of my much-loved Buffy-verse and Firefly. Or, maybe it was Tom Hiddleston. Yea, it could have been Tom Hiddleston. Anyway. So, when I see that five of my favorite TV series are based on comic books, there's no one more surprised than I. I know that it's because of the characters on the show. Sure, I want interesting plots, but unless a show has characters that I care about, then it doesn't matter how good or exciting the plots, I won't want to tune in every week.

Arrow was the first of these current comic book-based series to catch my interest. I watched its first spin-off, The Flash, because they introduced Barry Allen in a few episodes of Arrow. I really liked his character, and how he was played by Grant Gustin. Because I liked these series so much, I was excited when they announced that Supergirl would be getting her own series, and it quickly became one of my favorite new shows of the season. The second spin-off of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, started out a bit weak, with a couple of characters that I totally cannot abide (and wish they would just abandon them somewhere to live out their destined lives together away from our other "legends of tomorrow), and I fast forwarded through many an episode this season. However, as the end of the season comes closer, the episodes have become more exciting and compelling, and I haven't fast forwarded through an episode in while.

I originally started watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because it was a new series created by Joss Whedon (along with his brother, Jed). It has gone through rocky times, but I have enjoyed this season, and I find myself anxiously anticipating how this season will end, and what character (if any) won't make it to the next season. I think episode 5, "4,755," is one of the best episodes of any TV series, and the consequences of that episode led to the emerging of a formidable "Big Bad." One of the problems I have with the series, is that it's supposedly part of that big Marvel universe that wants to be connected with all of the Marvel movies, so the Avengers exist in this world, we just never see them in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Hive is the kind of foe that, if this really is supposed to be one big (Marvel) universe, you would think that Coulsen would have wanted to call in the Avengers to help him defeat him. However, since this is television, and the Avengers are only in film, those characters will never (I am guess never) be on this television show, therefore, they can't call them in, and it ruins the continuity they've tried to create in this universe.

It's hard to believe that Grimm is coming to the end of its fifth season. I remember five years ago when I was looking forward to a new TV season that had two series based on fairy-tales. Who knew then how very different these two series would be? Unlike Once Upon a Time (which I'm not going to talk much about in this post, except to say how disappointing it has been since its first season), Grimm has remained very strong in the five years it's been on the air. It has stayed close to its original premise, and it has been exciting, original, and well-written. It has given us some great characters (Nick, Monroe, Trubel, Renard, Wu),  a few surprises (good-bye Juliette, hello Eve), lots of interesting Wesen, and a relationship I really want to hate, but kind of like (Nick and Adalind). I really like episodic TV that has an arc that continues throughout a season, and Grimm does this so well. I look forward to seeing how this season turns out and seeing what next season brings.

It's hard to explain Jane the Virgin to people who don't watch it. It's a comedy, it's a drama, it's a mystery. it's a crime show, it's a soap opera (or should we say Telenovela?). It's nothing like anything else on television. It has a narrator who is not one of the characters in the show, and who has some of the best one-liners on television. It has romance, murder, kidnapping, an evil twin or two (or three), and a Telenovela superstar who has the other best one-liners in television.  It has dream sequences, daydream sequences, and flashbacks, and a TV show within a TV show. It has rich, beautiful people running an expensive hotel, and not-so-rich, average people just trying to make ends meet. It even has a child that isn't ignored by the writers or forgotten about entirely. In fact it deals head-on with single motherhood, postpartum depression, and a mother who would like to stay home with her child, but can't. And it all centers around Jane, an aspiring writer, college student, and mother of a one-year old. This show rarely makes a misstep, unlike so many other series that I watch on a regular basis. The writing is so clever, as is the format of the show. There is so much "meta" in this show that I wish I could think of a clever word to describe it that includes "meta" in it. Metatacular? Metacredible? Metasational? Metatastic? Metarrific? Metanificent?  Sorry, I could do this all day. But I won't. Suffice it to say, I'm so glad that it has been renewed for a third season.

I am very happy about So You Think You Can Dance being renewed. I have loved this show since season 1, and I look forward to many outstanding dancers and routines. I really hope they have good choreographers this year. The routines of the last few seasons haven't seemed to live up to the excellence of some of the early season routines. There have been some gems sprinkled here and there, but I'm hoping for some memorable routines, because we never know how many more seasons this show will last. This could its last.

I'm really happy that the CW decided to give Supergirl a new home after CBS decided to cancel it. I really like this show. Not just because its main character is a woman, but because Kara is a superhero who isn't full of angst. She's an orphan whose whole planet was destroyed, but she isn't fighting against something - she's fighting for everyone she can.

Sleepy Hollow's final episode of this season was hard to watch. Not only did Ichabod have to say good-bye to his partner, but we had to say good-bye to one of the best things about the show: Abbie. Who knows where it's going to go from here, but I hope it can not only survive, but thrive without her. I feel like the show was finally getting its footing back after a really rocky season 2, and then this happened. Oh, Nicole, I will miss you. If they only could have given Abbie the stories she deserved. I loved the chemistry Tom and Nicole had together. This could be such an awesome show, a combination of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, National Treasure, and Grimm, however, much like Once Upon a Time, they just haven't been able to recapture the magic of that first season.

Three other series that I've been watching, even though they are not "favorites," that have been renewed are Once Upon a Time, The Big Bang Theory, and Reign. I really think that Once Upon a Time has overstayed its welcome. I still watch it, but I get so infuriated with it. I've written a few posts already about my frustrations with this show, and I just don't see it ever getting better. I feel it will never be able to match the magic and originality of its first season. If it does, I'll definitely post about it. I can honestly say that I do not know why I even watch The Big Bang Theory anymore. Maybe it's because it's only a half hour show and it doesn't feel like I'm wasting that much time (or brain waves) watching it. I'm very surprised that Reign has been renewed, but maybe that means we'll finally get Mary in Scotland and we'll get into the real history that's more interesting than their fictional plots.

Even though Castle is one of my favorite TV shows, I'm not sure that I'm too broken up about it being canceled. It's had a good eight season run, and that's nothing to cry about. I've enjoyed watching Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, and I've loved how you could have a crazy episode about an actor from a cult TV show being murdered at a comic-con-type convention, and also a serious episode where Rick's daughter is kidnapped, and Rick goes rogue to try to find her. I generally dislike procedural TV series, but when it has a great premise, such as a mystery writer teaming with a NY detective to solve murders, great characters, and not-your-run-of-the-mill murder plots, then I'll watch - for eight seasons.

Oh, Nashville, Nashville. What you've done in the name of prime time soap operas has really put the final nail in your coffin. This series started out great, as a story about the rivalry of two country singers, one who was an older, established superstar, and the other a young up-and-coming starlet. I was interested in seeing where these characters' stories would take them. I loved the original music from the show. I looked forward to going to iTunes every Tuesday so I could buy my favorite tracks. Three seasons later, I just get angry every episode at the choices the characters make. And if I'm not getting angry at the characters, I'm getting angry at the writers for not letting ONE character have any happiness or joy. It's become such a depressing show. Not even the music makes it enjoyable. So, why, you ask, do I still watch? Good question. I guess because I've grown to like a lot of the characters, and I want to see if any of them will have anything good happen to them this week. I'd just like to see one thing before this show goes away forever - Maddie, you have to see what a conniving, opportunistic jerk (yes, I could use another word here, but I won't) Cash is! If you don't, and you don't apologize to your Mama for being a selfish, teenage brat, then a shoe may make contact with my TV, and then I'll be really sad. If Juliette and Avery, and Scarlet and Gunnar get back together, and Will gets a number one hit, and Layla falls off the edge of the stage, and Daphne has a solo hit, and Rayna and Deacon have one moment of happiness, then that would just be icing on the cake. And Autumn? Well, she could just fall off the edge of the stage with Layla.

Another canceled show that I watched, but never really became a favorite, was Galavant. I was so excited when it was announced two years ago that Alan Menken would be writing the music for a TV musical set in medieval times. I am a musical junky, and thought it was such a great idea. However, there were only small bits of it that I liked. Most of it fell flat for me. I thought the music was quite generic, which was so disappointing because I usually love Alan Menken's music. I felt like he phoned most of it in. I did read that there is a possibility that it may be adapted for the stage, with a possibility of going to Broadway. If so, I hope that it aims much, much higher - especially the music.

Now, I'm looking forward to hearing what new series will be starting in the fall. I hope there are some gems in the bunch.

So You Think You Can Dance: The Group Routines Have It

The top 20 dancers have been whittled down to the top 10, and there have been some good routines, but so far my two favorite have been two group routines. The first was choreographed by Travis Wall. He was impressive as a contestant in the second season, but he has proven himself to be one of the best choreographers the show has ever had.

I love the song, "My Immortal" by Evanescence, and this group routine with the top 7 girls was choreographed so beautifully by Stacey Tookey.

My favorite dancers so far are Ricky and Jessica. I feel pretty confident that Ricky will win. He is an incredible dancer, and he's very likeable. If they select both a male and a female winner this season again, I hope the girl will be Jessica. I've been really impressed by her. However, I think it will probably be Tanisha. She's also a very good dancer.

I'm looking forward to having the top 10 dance with the all-stars. I love seeing dancers from past seasons coming back.

So You Think You Can Dance: What I've Been Waiting For

Last week I commented on how happy I was that the all-stars had finally arrived on So You Think You Can Dance. Many of my favorite all-stars danced last week. And this week... my all-time favorite all-star danced. 

Mark Kanemura is the all-star of all-stars.

I know I've posted this routine from season 4 before, but it's one of my favorite routines of all time, mainly because of Mark (Chelsea is really good too). I just wanted to remind you of what a great dancer Mark is.



The only thing better than having Mark on this week, is that this is the first time the all-stars choreographed their own routines. 

Mark is a quirky dancer, and he is a quirky choreographer. It was so great to see the ideas in his quirky head come out in a quirky routine with Jenna, who was just as quirky as he was. (How many more times can I say "quirky"? Well, many more times. But I won't.)

So, you know what a great dancer he is. Just take a look at what a great choreographer he is.



Okay, I'm going to say it again. Quirky. And I love it!

So You Think You Can Dance: The All-stars Have Arrived!

This season of So You Think You Can Dance has been a little lackluster. There have been a few standout performances, but last night the show (and the dancers) really started to shine. It's no coincidence that the upswing happened when the all-stars came on board.

Many of my favorite dancers were back: Katherine, Melanie, Neil, and Robert.

My favorite routine was, not surprisingly, choreographed by Travis Wall, and featured Tucker and all-star Robert Roldan. A few years ago Tucker was in an automobile accident and was temporarily paralyzed. He didn't know if he would be able to walk again, let alone dance. Last year Robert was also in an automobile accident, and he also didn't know if he would ever dance again. Travis created a beautiful routine about two brothers, one who has hit rock bottom, and the other supporting him as he tries to get back on his feet. It was truly inspiring.

Enjoy.



Welcome back all-stars!

So You Think You Can Dance: Thanks for Listening to the Fans

The producers of So You Think You Can Dance listened to the fans and changed the format back to the way it was last year. They announced the bottom three girls and boys, the dancers "danced for their life," and then the top 18 (or 17) did their routines. Then we found out who was going home at the end of the episode. It was so much better than announcing the dancers who were going home at the beginning of the episode and then making them do their routines.

I enjoyed many of the routines in this episode. Two of them were really good. One of my favorites was the contemporary number by Malece and all-star Marko. Malece's regular partner, Jade, had to withdraw from the competition because of an injury, so Marko stepped in. I feel bad for Jade, but Marko was great. My other favorite routine was Mackenzie and Paul's contemporary routine.

Because Jade had to drop out, no guy was cut this week. However, the judges cut Jasmine Mason. I totally disagreed on her being cut, but I disagreed with their decision last week too. So, so far they've been consistent. *wink*

Mackenzie and Paul:



Malece and Marko:



And now, a favorite from a past season. Since my two favorites from last week's episode were contemporary, I decided to choose another contemporary routine. This is Eliana (season 9's favorite female dancer), and all-star Alex Wong. Incredible dancing. That is all.

So You Think You Can Dance: What was Nigel Thinking?

I do not like the new format for So You Think You Can Dance.

I don't like that they announced who would be eliminated at the beginning of the show and then made the two eliminated dancers still dance their routines. Especially since they had to listen to comments after their routines that their partner did such a great job. However, I do like that individuals are put into the bottom six, instead of couples. Sometimes I've felt that a dancer deserved to be in the bottom three, but their partner didn't, so I think this new way is more fair.

Nigel annoyed me with his "You're not dancing for your life" crap. He didn't even base his decision of who would be eliminated on the dancers' solos. He based them on the Vegas auditions, last week's performances, and discussions with the choreographers. The choice had already been made before they performed their solos. Don't have the dancers "dance for their lives," and then accuse them that their solos weren't good enough if the solos are not even going to be taken into consideration.

If Nigel had based who was going home on their solos, he would have sent the other two dancers home. Did you see Carlos's solo? That was amazing. How could Nigel accuse him of not dancing for his life, and then send him home after that solo? And then Carlos danced a beautiful Stacy Tookey contemporary. When Christina said that America got it wrong that he was in the bottom three, I wanted to say that Nigel got it wrong to choose to send him home. Badly done, Nigel. Badly done.

Carlos's Solo:



Nigel talks about keeping the dancers who have room to grow instead of keeping dancers who are already good. Why are they punishing dancers for being good already? If their goal is to keep the ones who have room to grow, why don't they just fill the show with so-so dancers and then see who learns the most? And what does this show have about hip-hop dancers, and krumpers, and animators? They don't ever seem to want to eliminate them, even if they don't do very well. Mariah and Jade's solos weren't as good as Carlos and Brittany's, but I'm sure they were kept because she's a female krumper and he's an animator. I'm not saying they aren't good dancers, I just don't think they are good as Brittany, and definitely not as good as Carlos.

After BluPrint's dance, Nigel told Blu Print to "fake it till you make it." What he really means is, "You don't have the dancing chops in all genres, but don't worry, we won't cut you because you're an animator."

I love So You Think You Can Dance, but I'm a bit underwhelmed by the routines so far. I've been watching some past favorite routines, and I don't think any of the routines come close to those routines. I want to see routines that are emotionally filled, and that have unique and mind-blowing choreography. I've been entertained by some of the routines, but not yet blown away. I'm waiting...

So You Think You Can Dance is Back!

Oh yes!

Various Sundry Items

I cannot tell you how much I love this image for the new series, Sleepy Hollow, coming to Fox in the fall. I love the headless horseman. I'm just wondering where his horse is. *wink*

I hope this show lives up to its poster.

*****

It's been announced that the film adaptation of the musical, Into the Woods, will come to cinemas on Christmas day 2014. It seems so far away. I guess it's because it is. 

So far, the following parts have been cast:

Witch: Meryl Streep

Baker: James Cordon

Baker's Wife: Emily Blunt

Cinderella's Prince: Jake Gyllenhaal

Rapunzel's Prince: Chris Pine

Wolf: Johnny Depp

Jack's Mother: Tracy Ullman

Cinderella's Mother: Christine Baranski (rumored)

The cast sounds good so far. I'm not sure if Emily Blunt can sing. I hope she can, because Stephen Sondheim's music is not easy.

*****

I was going to try to stay up-to-date on my blog with the rumors flying around about who will play the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who, but I don't want to post rumors. So, I will blog about the new Doctor when the 12th Doctor is officially announced.

Even though I'm not going to post about it yet, it is exciting to read about the actors who people think are front-runners for the part. If you want to keep up with the latest news on the search for the new Doctor, and any other Doctor Who related news, go to my favorite Doctor Who blog, Blogtor Who. 

*****

Coming soon to BBC is a new crime drama, Death Comes to Pemberley. Yes, it's a crime drama based on Pride and Prejudice. Actually, it's a crime drama based on a book (called Death Comes to Pemberley), which is based on Pride and Prejudice. The three episode series takes place after Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage, and one of the supporting characters is murdered.

There will be familiar British actors in the cast. Anna Maxwell Martin (North and South, Bleak House) will play Elizabeth Bennet Darcy, Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters, The Abduction Club) will play Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jenna-Louise Coleman (Doctor Who) will play Lydia Bennet Wickham, Matthew Good (Leap Year, Chasing Liberty) will play Wickham and James Fleet (Little Dorrit, Sense and Sensibility) will play Mr. Bennet. The best news, however, is that Penelope Keith (Good Neighbors, To the Manor Born) will be playing Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I want to see it just to see Penelope play that part. 

*****

Auditions for So You Think You Can Dance are over, and the live performances have begun. Yay! And my favorite host of any reality show is back. She is so personable and fun, and just a great host. Nice to see you Cat! This is your year for the Emmy. 

I wanted to insert one of my favorite SYTYCD routines here, a hip hop number by Twitch and Alex, but youtube wouldn't let me embed the video, so you'll have to go to youtube here to see it. It's amazing and so much fun. 

I'm excited for this season, and I hope it holds many memorable routines that I can add to my favorites.

*****

Did you ever wonder what Star Wars would have sounded like if William Shakespeare had written it instead of George Lucas? Neither had I, but Ian Doescher did. Check out the first few pages of William Shakespeare's Star Wars. It's pretty funny, and pretty impressive.

I wonder how long it took Ian to write this book. If he stayed with iambic pentameter through the whole book, all I can say is - wow! From what I've read so far, Ian keeps pretty close to the iambic pentameter. My favorite lines that follows the pattern is the following:

C-3PO: I'll warrant madness lies within.

R2-D2:                                 -- -- beep beep,

I can't wait to read the entire thing. It would be great if someone produced it someday. I don't know how they would stage it, but it could be very entertaining. *wink*

So You Think You Can Dance: I Called It

In my last post about season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance I predicted who I thought should and would win. I was pretty confident that Eliana would win, but I wasn't sure about Chehon. Cyrus was never in the bottom three the whole season, and he was very likable and popular, so I thought maybe he would win. I hoped Chehon would win. He did!

A ballet dancer has never won So You Think You Can Dance, and this season two did. Nice.

Take a look at their auditions, and you'll see why they deserved to win because of their talent.

Chehon's Audition


Eliana's Audition


Chehon didn't get to show all he could do when he and Eliana were able to do a ballet routine, but you can see the talent both of them have.

Chehon and Eliana's Ballet Routine

So You Think You Can Dance: Who I Think Should Win

After Will was voted off a few weeks ago, I didn’t really care which of the male dancers won So You Think You Can Dance. I really wanted Will to win.

After the last episode, I’ve changed my mind about not caring. I really want Chehon to win. Now, I like Cyrus. I think he’s grown a great deal during his time on the show, but he isn’t near the dancer that Chehon is. He is still weak and sloppy in most of the genres that he has performed in. Cyrus should have been let go by the judges long before now. I think the winner should be the better dancer, not the one who’s more personable.

After watching Chehon’s solos the last few weeks, I am blown away by his talent. That man can jump! Beautifully. He is magnificent.

I also can’t believe that Nigel said that he wouldn’t be voting for Cyrus, right to his face, and in front of millions of viewers. I think it was a crappy thing for him to say. Whether he said it because he wants people to vote for Cyrus in sympathy, or he realizes that the judges have really coddled Cyrus this season and he’s trying to back-peddle and tell the viewers they should vote for the better dancer, I’m sure no one but Nigel will know. However, I don’t think he should have said it.

Now, to the girls. Should Eliana win or Tiffany? I definitely think Eliana should win. And I think she will. This win will definitely go to the more talented dancer. Both Eliana and Tiffany have sweet personalities, so I don’t think personality will play a factor. Tiffany is a very strong dancer, and some of my favorite routines have been by her. However, Eliana is strong in every genre. And even though she was paired with Cyrus at the beginning of the competition and couldn’t really showcase all she could do then, her talent shone through and she overshadowed Cyrus in all of her dances.

We’ll find out tomorrow which dancers will win. I know it’s just a reality TV show, but I hope I won't be disappointed.

So You Think You Can Dance: Mia Michaels Tribute

A few weeks ago the producers of So You Think You Can Dance did something they have never done before in their seven seasons: they had the dancers recreate routines from past seasons. The one thing they had in common was they were all routines choreographed by Mia Michaels.

I like most of Mia Michaels routines, and they did many of my favorites and other fan favorites. However, none of the dancer's interpretations of the routines lived up to the originals. It may be because we are all so used to the originals, or that many were choreographed specifically for the strengths and individuality of the original dancers, and in some cases simply because the original dancers were just better. But in spite of the reasons, it was still interesting to see the routines recreated by the season 7 dancers.

Among the routines they included, was my favorite (as well as many others' favorite) Mia Micheals routine, The Bench. It was not the best of the night, however. I think that if I had never seen it before, with Travis and Heidi, that I probably would have liked it better. But a great routine like that becomes ingrained in your memory with those you first saw perform it. And Travis and Heidi not only performed it perfectly, they had the right emotion also, which was what put it over the top. You can see a performance of it here.

I think the best routine of the night was "Gravity," performed by Lindsay and Cole. The theme of the routine is someone who is trying to overcome an addiction, and it was orginally performed by Kayla and Kupono. I just love Kayla and Kupono's performances and characters, it's so intense and emotional, but Lindsay and Cole performed it well also. It's interesting to see how differently the couples interpreted the dance, especially how differently Cole and Kupono interpreted their role as the addiction. Which do you like better?

Kayla and Kupono - Gravity


Lindsay and Cole - Gravity


My favorite Mia Michaels routine (other than The Bench) is a group dance from season 7. The routine is performed to Sting's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." I wish they would have done this routine for the group dance for the Mia Michaels tribute episode instead of the routine they did. I don't even remember what that group routine was, is was so unmemorable for me.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

So You Think You Can Dance: My Favorite Dancer

Matthew and Audrey have been my favorite couple since the beginning of this new season of So You Think You Can Dance, but my single favorite dancer is Will. I'm not as taken with his partner, Amelia, but I like Will's sense of humor, his quirkiness, his originality, and yes, his dancing, more than any other dancer. And he's just adorable.

I think I began to like him on the episode where they announced the top 20, and we first saw them dance. After the routine by Sonya Tayeh that featured only the men, he mentioned that he wasn't as "ripped" as the other men, that he had a bit of a belly. He said it with humor, not self-deprecation, and I liked that.

His routines haven't been my favorite, but I like him, and I hope he stays in the competition for a long time. And if he happens to win the whole thing, I would be happy. So, even though this routine isn't my favorite of last Wednesday's episode, I included this video because I just like Will.



The "Best of the Best" routine is the best ballroom routine I think they've ever had on the show. Of course it's performed by two ballroom dancers, Benji Schwimmer (winner of season 2), and his cousin Heidi Groskreutz. I wish the ballroom routines could be as good as this one.

So You Think You Can Dance: Dancing is Not About The Set

Many choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance like to use set pieces and props. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they just overshadow the routine.

There were two routines on Wednesday's episode that used sets that I felt detracted from the dances. One was in a dentist office, and the other was in a bath tub. My question is - why? I mean, a bath tub?

And speaking of the routine in the dentist office, I wonder why every routine has to have a story. I can understand Broadway routines having a story, but I think too often the stories get in the way of the dance.

By the way, my favorite routine of the night didn't have a set, props, or a story. It was just a fun Bollywood number with Witney and Chehon.



This week's favorite routine from a past season is also a Bollywood routine featuring Joshua and Katee. In fact, it's the first Bollywood routine from any season of So You Think You Can Dance. It's a great routine, even if it does have a story. *wink*

So You Think You Can Dance: Travis Wall's Titanic Routine

I promised in my Travis Wall post I would post this routine when it became available.



What did you think of the routine?

Travis Wall: Choreographer Extraordinaire

I'd like to spout off the merits of Travis Wall, dancer and choreographer.

Travis almost won the title of "America's favorite dancer" on season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. It wasn't because Benji Schwimmer was a better dancer necessarily that he won instead of Travis. It was only because Benji won more viewers' hearts. Travis is now one of the choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, and he has proven that not only is he an excellent dancer, but he is also an excellent choreographer. His routines are so heartfelt, filled with emotion, and a joy to watch.

This week's routine by Travis was performed by Audrey and Matt. The routine was based on the scene in Titanic where Jack draws a portrait of Rose. Now, Titanic is not my favorite movie, and when they said that Jack and Rose's story is one of the greatest love stories, I laughed out loud. (I'm sorry if I offend you Rose and Jack lovers out there. I'm just voicing my opinion.) I won't go into the reasons I don't like the film, but I will say that this routine, like most Travis Wall routines, was beautiful. It was set to "Unchained Melody," and the dance centered around a chaise lounge. Audrey's kicks were incredible, and when she ran across the chaise and into Matt's arms at a crescendo in the music, I thought this is choreography perfection. She stumbled a bit when she started the sprint across the chaise, but that landing as Matt caught her made up for it. The ending was a little clunky, but this is only week one of the competition itself. Matt and Audrey will find their groove in the weeks to come, I'm sure. Matt and Audrey are now my favorite dancers. It might be because they were lucky enough the get a Travis Wall routine. *wink*

Unfortunately, I can't find the routine on YouTube. When, and if, it becomes available I will post it. I do, however, have a few photos.



Travis Wall is young, and he has an incredible career ahead of him. In fact, he has started his own dance company, and a new reality TV show, All the Right Moves, will chronicle its beginnings. The show premieres July 31 on the Oxygen cable network. I hope he and his dancers are successful.

As promised, I am including another one of my all time favorite routines from So You think You Can Dance. This routine is from season 2, and features Heidi Groskreutz and, you guessed it, Travis Wall. It is considered by many fans to be the best routine of all time from the show. It was choreographed by Mia Michaels, another choreographer who fills her dances with heart and emotion. It's a beautiful piece. All you have to do is mention "the bench," and SYTYCD fans know exactly which routine you're talking about.

Enjoy!

So You Think You Can Dance is Back!

So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite reality competition television shows.

I love seeing what the choreographers will come up with next. And I love seeing which dancers I get attached to. Since no season DVDs have been released, I like to keep recordings of my favorite routines. Last season had some good dancers, but there weren't many routines that I wanted to keep. I have big hopes for this season, and I look forward to routines that blow me away enough to want to keep them.

And let me tell you that I've been waiting to say, Cat Deeley is back! She is the best reality TV host on television. She is so spontaneous and has such genuine warmth. And she's so likable, you just want her to be your best friend.

After Wednesday's episode that revealed the top 20, I have some favorite dancers. I like Will (contemporary), Lindsay (ballroom), Eliana (ballet), and Chehon (ballet). We'll see if my favorites change as the weeks go by.

My favorite routine of the night was performed by Brandon the stepper, Cyrus the animator, and Cole the martial artist, choreographed by Christopher Scott. It was a great routine that played to the strengths of all three different styles and dancers. This is a keeper. It will be interesting to see how they do with other styles of dancing.



Each week I will include a favorite routine from the week's episode and a favorite from season's past. I'm going to start with what I would consider my favorite routine of all time: "Bleeding Love" with Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura, choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. Perfection.



And I will tell you now that Mark is my favorite dancer from all the seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.