SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Top 20 Performance

Note: Sorry for the promised live blogging last night. Technical difficulties had me watching on my Slingbox. Here’s what would have posted last night.

Let the games begin! Tonight the Top 20 dancers will be paired together and compete for the judges votes. At the end of the show, one guy and one girl will be sent home.

This week’s injury report is brought to you by Paula Abdul’s empty chair:
As most of you have heard, Billy Bell had to leave the competition due to illness, so tonight we’ll see Brandon Dumlao for the first time on the stage. Also, earlier today it was revealed that Noelle Marsh also suffered an injury. Per the rules, she’ll have one week to get medical clearance to dance. If she can’t, then she too will have to leave the competition.

Tonight the role of Noelle will be played by the fabulous Melanie Lapatin, who if I remember correctly has previously danced during the live show alongside Pasha when his partner was injured.

So sad for both Billy and Noelle. And speaking of sick, it seems our favorite hostess with the mostess is a little sick too. Cat sound a little raspy tonight – but she looks damn fine so who cares, right?

But let’s get to the partner reveals and the dancing!

Channing Cooke (Contemporary) and Phillip Atmore (Tapper)
Jazz by Jason Gilkison

My Take: Being the first couple to take the stage on the first night has got to be nerve racking, but we the audience aren’t suppose to see it. Phillip, one of my least favorite going into the competition was definitely the stronger of the two tonight. Channing looked shell shocked. You could almost see her counting the steps in her head. And her posture was terrible during the whole performance. I never notice things like that but it really stood out to me tonight. She was a bit better in the second half of the routine though. These two had zero chemistry, which I’m willing to overlook a bit, again given that it’s the first week, but on the whole I didn’t really enjoy it.

The Judges: All three judges stayed positive but offered important criticism. They all commented on the lack of energy near the end of the piece. Nigel thought their moves could have been sharper. Mary wanted more than she got.

Read more

Sneak Peek: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – “Haunted” (SPOILERS)

Elena: “She’s a vampire with issues?”

I know I’m in the minority here, but I hate Halloween.  Always have, even since I was a little kid.  But I can certainly get behind a little Halloween TV.  If you’re like me and need a little VAMPIRE DIARIES fix to get you through until Thursday at 8pm, then check out this scene from the Halloween episode, “Haunted”.

(Scenes after the jump)
Read more

CASTLE: Vampire Weekend

No words can describe the 58 minutes of happiness that played onscreen. There were mentions of vampire and supernatural lore like the WB’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and numerous references to the space Western “Firefly” that came to such an early demise. In addition to those mentions that worked up a storm on the Internet (at one point during the night, “Castle” was the ninth most popular trending topic on Twitter), we were treated to one of the funniest and wittiest “Castle” episode to date. I wouldn’t be shocked if this ended up attracting higher viewership numbers.

Let’s talk about the opening scene. We’re kidding ourselves if the first few minutes did not make you look or think twice about what you were seeing. It’s been roughly five years since “Firefly” prematurely went off the air, and well, it took another project on another network for it to reappear — even if it was for a small portion of the episode. Castle … er, Nathan Fillion … is strapping on a space cowboy costume (a la Captain Mal; doesn’t this make you want to rewatch some classic “Firefly” and “Serenity” right about now?). His daughter Alexis asks, “What exactly are you supposed to be?” Cue in the “Firefly”-esque music, the finishing touch to an already perfect scene. Castle reponds, “Space cowboy.” His daughter replies, “A) There are no cows in space and B) didn’t you wear that like five years ago so don’t you think you should move on?” Semi-hurt and seeing sadness cloud his eyes, Castle quipped right back, “Uh, I like it!”

And Castle, you are not alone. It doesn’t matter if the lines were blurred here — well, only to those of us who have tracked Filion’s career since the space Western graced our television sets or DVD players — it was Captain Mal on television again and if it takes a Halloween episode for that to happen next year, I ain’t complainin’. Paying homage to a brilliant television show is always a good thing in my book.

Read more

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

The classic 1966 holiday special is back. Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear; a bonus cartoon, “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” features Linus in a run for class president.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Welcome to Tuesday my little chickadees! Other than SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, Tuesday night TV is a little blah for me. I’m still kind of liking THE GOOD WIFE but I’m not die hard about it in the least, and even that’s a repeat tonight.  But of course SYTYCD makes up for it all.

If you’re a horror, sci-fi, comic genre fan then you might want to check out the 2009 Scream Awards tonight at 10pm on Spike TV. Vamps galore my friends.

And I’m not one to usually go out of my way to encourage you to watch Carson Daly, but CHUCK fans should know that Yvonne Strahovski will be one of his guests tonight. We all need out CHUCK fix, right?

I still have some Sunday night shows to catch up on as well and tonight I’m going to start catching up on FRINGE. So I’ll keep myself busy.

Spill it. What will YOU be watching?

So You Think You Can Dance | 8pm on Fox
“The Competition Begins”
Last night you met the contestant competing in this season’s show.  Tonight the top 20 dancers are paired up as couples and perform for the first time; the judges eliminate two dancers.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown | 8pm on ABC
The classic 1966 holiday special is back. Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear; a bonus cartoon, “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” features Linus in a run for class president.

The Biggest Loser | 8pm on NBC
Derek Jeter talks to the contestants about teamwork before they take part in a baseball challenge; Curtis Stone prepares a healthy meal for the challenge winner; a contestant breaks a Biggest Loser record.

The Forgotten | 10pm on ABC
“Canine John”
The team investigates a John Doe buried at a popular vacation destination; a stray dog standing vigil over the grave is the only clue in the case.

Sons of Anarchy | 10pm on FX
“Potlatch”
SAMCRO takes extreme measures to procure weapons for a customer; revenge is sought following a theft at Caracara Studios that puts one diva at risk; Tara’s professional and personal lives begin to collide.

Also Playing…

• Dancing with the Stars | 9pm on ABC Taylor Swift performs; two couples are eliminated.

• Sheri | 10pm on Lifetime: Trouble begins to brew when the subject of trick-or-treating as a family comes up.

• Scream 2009 Awards | 10pm on SpikeTV: Celebration of creative talent in horror, sci-fi, fantasy and comic genres; awards for “The Ultimate Scream” and “Scream Queen and King.” [GMMR: From what I hear there are TRUE BLOOD and TWILIGHT peeps there. You had me at Vampire.]

• Flipping Out | 10pm on Bravo: Season 3 reunion special

On the late night couch…

• The Late Show with David Letterman: Courteney Cox, Florence and the Machine
• The Jay Leno Show: Ewan McGregor, Tina Fey, Tim McGraw & Gregg Allman
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien:  Garry Shandling, Paula Deen, Julian Casablancas
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Alicia Silverstone, Salman Rushdie
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Artie Lange, Olivia Munn, David Chang
• Jimmy Kimmel Live:Dr. Mehmet Oz, the latest “Dancing with the Stars” castoff, Morningwood
• Chelsea Lately: Katey Sagal, Loni Love, Josh Wolf, Jo Koy
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Yvonne Strahovski, Kris Belman, Mike Posner
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Steven D. Levitt
• The Colbert Report: Randall Balmer, Gail Collins

What will YOU be watching? Leave a comment or send me an update on Twitter (new: @gmmrtv).

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 Showcase

The auditions are over. The Top 20 dancers have been revealed. And now the real fun stars. Tonight’s episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE wasn’t about the voting, it was about the dancers. For the first time ever, the top 20 took the stage not to compete for votes but to showcase their tremendous talent. It was a chance for us the viewers at home to see all of the dancers perform in their own genre, and my goodness was a show it was.

The sexy, confident and sophisticated opening routine by Wade Robson set the tone early for the night. The top 20 dancers took the stage and performed at a level which would have wowed any Broadway audience on opening night. While every dancer had a chance to shine in their small moments, the real excitement was in the fullness of the ensemble. The provocative and down right cool opening routine let us know just what talent is in store for us this season.

I said a hip hop, Hippie to the hippie, The hip, hip a hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it.

This year’s Top 20 includes three different styles of Hip Hop.  Russel Ferguson of Boston (YAY) is the show’s first Krumper. Kevin Hunte from Brooklyn is a pop ‘n locker with flair.  And B-Boy Jonathan “Legacy” Perez from Los Angeles is already a legacy with his inspired moves. Together the three came together for a hard-hitting, fabulous routine choreographed by Tabitha & Napolean that showed off each of their styles and abilities as dancers. NappyTabs worked a lot with the dancers from America’s Best Dance Crew, and it was for certain that they really brought a lot of the ABDC magic with them in this routine. Their tricks were spectacular and some of those moves were like nothing we’ve seen on SYTYCD so far. I was beyond impressed as were the judges.

We should note that these three hip hop dancers will be joined by another guy representing their style of dance.  Brendan Dumlao from Concord, CA has been added to the Top 20 with the unfortunate departure of Billy Bell.

Read more

SYTYCD Canada Finale – Top Ten Routine by Mia Michaels

Our Canadian friends were treated to a very special Mia Michaels routine during the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Canada finale.  In the opening video, Mia mentions her resignation from the US version of SYTYCD and says that “this piece is representing that place where I was when I was making that decision”.

I’m still in disbelief that we won’t have Mia’s talent on our SYTYCD anymore, but at least we still have the beauty of this routine.  Simply stunning. So Mia.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Canada – “This Moment”

Thanks to @hockeybychoice for the tip on the video!

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Monday, October 26, 2009

It’s Monday!  And of course that means it’s a BIG night for TV. It’s a bit of a mixed bag as some of our Monday night faves are in re-runs, but remember, if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to YOU!

And a special programming note for all you SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE fans, tonight the Top 20 will be showcased in a special Monday episode.  No voting tonight, just a night to get to know the dancers and let them show off their amazing talent.

*Note: For those following me on Twitter, just trying out a new experiment. I’ve changed my Twitter name to @GMMRTV. I found out that a lot of people that hadn’t heard of GiveMeMyRemote.com didn’t know that it was a TV site when they saw my username on Twitter.  So again, just a test. I’ll let you all know if I change it back.

If you’re interested in following me, I’d love to connect with you on Twitter.  If you are looking for just new blog posts only (and not any of my personal life, opinions, etc) feel free to follow @givememyremote on Twitter.

Here’s a look at what’s on.  Drop me a line in the comments and let me know what YOU will be watching.

So You Think You Can Dance | 8pm on Fox
“Meet the Top 20”
The top 20 contestants each get a chance to perform without fear of elimination. [GMMR: One dancer has already left the competition due to illness. So sad.]

Dancing with the Stars | 8pm on ABC
Celebrities are paired with professionals in a ballroom-dance competition, with one pair typically eliminated each week. Competitors include Donny Osmond, Melissa Joan Hart, Michael Irvin, Chuck Liddell and more.

Heroes | 8pm on NBC
“Strange Attractors”
Sylar continues to torment Matt; H.R.G. asks Tracy for a favor; Gretchen and Claire are hazed by their new sorority sisters.

(the rest of tonight’s TV spotlight is after the jump)

Read more

Breaking SYTYCD NEWS: One Dancer Already Out of Top 20

Sad news for those of you who are already fans of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 finalist Billy Bell. Billy had to withdraw from the competition due to illness.  He will be replaced by hip-hop dancer Brendan Dumalo from Concord, CA.

“We are disappointed that Billy cannot continue dancing in the competition on the advice of his doctor and wish him a speedy recovery,” said executive producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe. “However, we are fortunate that Brandon Dumlao has agreed to return.”

How devastating for Billy. You may remember young Mr. Bell not only for his beautiful dancing that brought judge Adam Shankman to tears, but also for memorably being kicked in the nose by his partner during Vegas Week.

We wish him well.

SYTYCD coverage has been light these days due to recent events, but know that plans for coverage nad podcasting are already underway. It’s going to be an exciting Season 6.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Everybody Ought to Have a Maid

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed tonight’s episode of Desperate Housewives. If any of you have seen pictures of what’s coming up during November sweeps I’m guessing you’re just as ridiculously excited for it as I am.

In this episode, Gabby was accused of being a bad mother. Gabby certainly doesn’t go above and beyond but I would hesitate to label her as a bad mother. I personally don’t see why two seven year olds need to be constantly watched on a play date. And the monkey scene was completely ridiculous. I highly doubt that all the mothers would leave at a birthday party except one.

Katherine is going further off the deep end and now Susan is aware of it. And after shooting Katherine in the arm, albeit accidently, Katherine has one over on Susan. It will be interesting to see how this works out.

Read more

DEXTER: Dirty Harry

Before we get started, can anyone figure out the connection between the title and the episode? Sometimes it’s really blatant, sometimes it isn’t, but usually I can come up with it. Maybe I’m just being a little dense on this one. Anyway…

Is it me, or are the writers doing a better job at giving us a bit of a gut punch at the end of each episode? I want to save the ending for later, but it was a real gut punch to me and, I think, somewhat of a game changer. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This week, we jumped right into Dexter finding out about Lundy’s death and Deb’s gunshot wounds. It turns out that Deb’s one gunshot went right through, so she would be okay, at least physically. Lundy isn’t so lucky though, as he had three gunshot wounds. It was deliberate. It was Trinity.
Needless to say, Dex is the only person who can see this. Everyone else goes tracking down the man believed to be the Vacation Killer, since the MO in Lundy’s shooting was the same. Angel uses our favorite Miami reporter to leak some information out and the suspect’s meth head girlfriend ends up taking him out. I guess we’re assuming he’s the Vacation Killer and that this storyline is wrapped up for the most part, because there’s much more going on.

Deb is messed up (well, more messed up than usual) after the shooting. Losing Lundy sends her over the edge, understandably. Everything that Deb touches seems to end up broken and I fear what is coming for her in future episodes. Most of the time, Deb is lost until something or someone provides something for her to latch on to. I feel like this is going to be another one of those times, but it could be dangerous for her and everyone around her.

Read more

What? An Update from GMMR? How Bizarre.

Hey all, Kath here! Yes, I’m actually online and updating GMMR.  Very strange indeed.  Once again thanks for all the emails and kind wishes you all have been sending. By days have been brighter because of the support from so many of you.

I wanted to send out a quick post not only to thank YOU but also Team GMMR who has been responsible for pretty much everything on the site the past few weeks. Please thank them! But I also wanted to let you know that GMMR will be coming back on the tracks this week. I’m out of the hospital and back at home. I’m still going to be mostly bed bound the next few weeks but since the pain management is (hopefully) under control, I can get back to watching TV and blogging a bit more (and since I’m on a ridiculous about of pain medication, I now have a legit excuse for all my typos. – HA!)

So keep your eyes open for daily ‘Tonight’s TV Spotlight’ posts in the morning as well as a bit more TV news, gossip and reviews from me, and of course Team GMMR.

As for The TV Talk Podcast, well I’m jonesing to talk TV with my boy Ducky so we’ll definitely get something in the works soon.  I mean come on…Fall TV, SYTYCD, so much to talk about!

Oh how I’ve missed TV…and talking about it with all of you!

Thanks again!

Kath

PARKS AND RECREATION: Kaboom

I bought a car last week.  After my previous vehicle was stolen in the dead of night, I thought it wise to find something safe, sound, and affordable.  The best deal I found was on a used luxury sedan, priced far more reasonably than the tanks driven by my neighbors.  I am not a “car guy” by nature.  I could not tell you the difference between 4WD, AWD, and WD-40.  Though I began my search looking for a simple car to get from point A to point B, I am having great fun with the extra bells and whistles paid for by the original owner.

When Parks & Recreation premiered last year, Amy Poehler was enough “car” to get me to test drive the show.  Little did I know that the supporting cast would turn out to be the sitcom version of heated seats, keyless entry, and a Bose sound system!  This week’s episode featured the P&R crew in their full sports package.

Leslie Knope has become more endearing each week of Season Two, and I attribute the fuller character realization to Amy Poehler’s gift for dancing with different comedic partners.  Need to see Leslie struggle to figure out how to manage people effectively?  Plug in Aziz Ansari, whose playful demeanor with Poehler makes him the ideal example of a perplexing, yet impossibly likable, subordinate.  Want some girl talk from your female lead?  Call on Rashida Jones, who is never funnier than when Ann & Leslie are dealing with the ills of their personal lives.  Care for a little temper tantrum from your Deputy Director?  Schedule a meeting with Nick Offerman, because…..well, because he’s “Ron F’N Swanson,” that’s why!

Special recognition must be given to this week’s cold open.  The interplay between Leslie and her credit card company was vintage SNL Amy Poehler, aimlessly spinning her wheels to explain the array of “unique” purchases.  Is there anything cuter than a career woman who is obsessed with Gossip Girl?  Until Leslie confesses to watching Tool Academy on VH1, I think not!  Not to be outdone, Aziz Ansari has mastered a facial expression that mixes genuine surprise with childlike joy.  Any suggestions on a name for this trademarked look?  Tom welcomed the news of Leslie’s Harry Potter club membership as if he had just become a father for the first time.  Magical stuff!

Read more

PROJECT RUNWAY: Michael Kors Fantasy Challenge

Hey Project Runway fans! Did you like this week’s challenge? I thought it was a fairly interesting challenge, but I wasn’t totally impressed with any of the designs. But what I think is more interesting is that season 6 of PR is shaping up to be the most passive reality TV show in history.

I guess it’s because there just isn’t a villain yet. To be honest, in the past I would have said that I didn’t care for obnoxious people on PR, but I gotta admit that without one, the show is somewhat…well, I don’t want to say boring, so I’ll just say passive again. I mean, if Michael Kors is being portrayed as the scariest person on the show?!

Then again, this episode WAS about him and his Michael Kors Rodeo Drive Inspiration Challenge. The designers were asked to design a look around one of MK’s inspired spots around the world.

By the end of the episode, the judges were making their choices based on whether or not the design produced the ‘fantasy’ of the chosen area of the world. I guess I missed the part where they stressed that it had to be a fantasy type outfit in the challenge, but then again, I guess I get what the judges were saying when they meant that a design had to totally project the location.

At the beginning of the episode, as I was examining those not Auf’d this season, I realized that I am not impressed at all with the male designers this season. Just looking at Nicolas, Christopher and Logan made me think that we could have an all female final three. Has that ever happened before? I’m not sure the show producers would go for that, but then again…the show IS on Lifetime.

But seriously, even before the challenge and the runway, I just could not see any of those three men making it to Bryant Park. Am I just not seeing it? Talk to me, PR fans!

But first, let’s discuss what the designers had $150 and 1 day to complete.

Carol Hannah: Palm Beach

This outfit was cute and def spoke about Palm Beach. I wasn’t totally impressed with it as far as a design goes. I think I could buy a dress like that at Target (no offense, Target!), so it’s just not what I expect from week 10 of PR is all. Not the winner, but not a loser design by any means.

Gordana: New York

This dress I actually didn’t love. Perhaps it was just the way it showed on my TV, but I thought it looked kind of tacky and cheap. The designs on the side of the dress were not flattering, IMO. But I love Gordana, and I was glad to see her safe. I agree with the judges that she needs to stop apologizing for her work before any one even says anything!

Read more

THE OFFICE: The Lover

Whoa, my first ever Office recap! I’m pretty excited, but also really bummed out that Kath still isn’t feeling well. But I think she’s been doing a great job keeping the site running in spite of all the pain she’s in—she’s dedicated and we love her for it!

Alright, so last night we got Jim and Pam back from Puerto Rico. Dwight is trying to bug (literally and possibly figuratively) Jim, and Michael is dating Pam’s mom. And Jim’s slow descent into becoming Michael picks up speed. Let’s dive in!

You know, I was sort of meh about the Dwight/Jim/mallard thing at first. I wasn’t that entertained by the opera music and involving an unwitting Andy in it, but giving it to Kelly was pretty funny and the payoff at the end was really worth it. I liked that Jim told Dwight he had to wash and wax their car, and Dwight agreed that the punishment fit the crime and went along with it. And I thought it was nice of Jim to tell Pam that Dwight was washing the car to cheer her up, even though I don’t really approve of lying to your significant other (btw, saying “I don’t approve” makes me feel like Angela), and all it would take would be Pam thanking Dwight to completely blow his cover, but I’m going to let this one go. I also cracked up and Jim telling Dwight he’d make a terrible spy, and Dwight trying to protest but getting cut off, but the big moment was the tag at the end, where Dwight had actually bugged the pen he accused Jim of leaving on his desk. His whole intense, low-voiced, conspiratorial speech straight into the camera was so creepy, and then when he was listening to Jim describe paper and saying, “I have eight hours of this,” followed by a “I’m not crazy” … that was some classic, vintage, grade A Dwight right there. Nice writing AND well played.

Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »