'So You Think You Can Dance' - Blog Discussion Post

Um... no. I don't think I can dance. At least not now. As a child I took tap dancing classes for several years. I could kind of sort of dance back then. These days I'm better off sticking to jazz hands.

But the contestants on FOX television's So You Think You Can Dance range from amazing to "no, you can't." While I'm not a huge fan of Dancing With the Stars, I really enjoy this dancing show. As I write this, it's in the audition stages and it's the poppers and break-dancers I enjoy the most. Now, you don't see that on DWTS!

Right now I'm cheering on the break-dancing Asian guy who was sent home last season due to his lack of a work visa. What's really horrible is that I'm forgetting his name. Oy! But I think he's a dazzling entertainer and I'd love to see him go far in the show.

I see Nigel has promised to be nicer this season. I also see he's chomping at the bit sometimes. Heh. If I were to go on the show, I bet I could make him be cruel!

Although I'm sure to be posting on the show on occasion, I'm opening this post for general show discussion and invite y'all to join in with your comments. The official FOX website for the show is here --> So You Think You Can Dance. Right now, of course, the contestants for this season aren't up... because we don't know who's going to make it through the Las Vegas cuts next week. But you can relive the memories of the past two seasons and return once the competition is in full swing.

Are you watching?

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, June 1, 2007

Yeah, I know this isn't my usual TV Newsy Bits graphic. It's the price of gas this morning in the town where I live in New Jersey. It's full serve as it's illegal to pump your own gas in this state. Oh, don't ask me why. I just live here; I'm not from here.

Supposedly we have some of the lowest prices in the nation due to a low state tax on gasoline. Don't worry -- we certainly pay more than enough for living here! What's the cost where you are?

Here are today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Blog reader and commenter Paul Levinson has an interesting TV-themed blog Infinite Regress which has lots of intriguing Lost commentary. We have plenty of time before the new season (February 2008), so reading his posts on the show might keep our appetites whetted. For seven months... um, well.
• Blog reader Sue out in California sent me a link to the latest on our man Yau-Man Chan from Survivor 14: Fiji. Sue rocks!
• And, while I'm on blog reader submitted doings... blog reader JessiesGirl sent me this link to a BBC article about the latest brouhaha going on with the Australian Big Brother show. One of the houseguests on the show entered knowing her father was dying. The family had discussed it and decided that if he died while she was in the house, she wasn't to be told. Well, he died. Now the fans of the show are freaking out.
• I hear the calls for a blog discussion post for So You Think You Can Dance. If I don't get one up tonight, I will do it tomorrow. I've been watching the show, but know I'll have trouble keeping the names straight if I write about it!
• Ohhh... do you want to try to win a date with Survivor 13 winner Yul Kwon? Check it out!
• Are you ready for some spice on this fall's Dancing With the Stars? Former Spice Girl Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown is slated to be on the show according to this Reality TV World article. Tori Spelling is also in talks with the producers.

"The Big Donor Show" on Dutch Television a Big Hoax

They wanted attention and they got it -- worldwide. Even I voiced my displeasure regarding the announced show in this blog entry. Thankfully, the state of reality television isn't quite organ donors for entertainment, but I'm still a bit perturbed how they went about it.

The show, The Big Donor Show, aired last night on BNN in the Netherlands. The whole show was a hoax. It turns out that the "dying of cancer" woman who was to donate a kidney to the winner is actually an actress. The three contestants in need of the kidneys really do need them, but were in on the hoax.

So, why did they do it?

They did the whole thing to raise awareness of the need for organ donors.

Hmmm. There has to be a better way.

In other news, Jack Kevorkian was released from prison.

'American Idol' Finalists Invade New York City

They're everywhere! They're everywhere!

Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, and Melinda Doolittle have hit Manhattan big time this week. They've been on every morning show, performed in the plaza for the Today show, and more.

Today seemed to be Blake-centric. I think his performance on the FOX morning show wasn't as live as it was set up to be, though. The singing continued after he stopped. He sang the same Maroon 5 song in each appearance I saw. No, I didn't go into the city to see them live -- I've been playing delivery tag with the FedEx guy and had to wait for a package.

Earlier this evening, Melinda Doolittle was on the local FOX 5 news. She seems a lot less nervous and was very upbeat. She'll be performing on tomorrow morning's early FOX show, but I'm unsure if she'll make the same all-network circuit Blake and Jordin did. Alas, even if she does sing live at the plaza tomorrow, I'll be at work.

Sneak Peek: TNT's 'The Closer' - 3rd Season Premiere

The Closer could very well be one of the best crime drama shows you may not be watching. Golden Globe Winner Kyra Sedgwick is Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson of the LAPD Priority Homicide Division. Despite budget cuts, office politics, and official scrutiny... she closes her cases and she does it her way. Oh, I didn't even mention her humorous domestic woes with her boyfriend. They really need a bigger house.

Unlike many shows in the cop genre, this one is a bit quirky and often leaves you guessing "who done it" until Brenda zooms in on the suspect. The writing is very clever with well-crafted mysteries and intriguing characters, as well as decent actors in the roles. The character of Brenda, in particular, is complex. She's a pro at her job, one of the best in the business. But, at home, she's a bit of a mess. All in all, it makes the show's whole premise work very well.

The good folks at TNT were kind enough to send me a screener of the first episode of the third season -- slated to air Monday, June 18, at 9 PM ET/PT. Now, of course, I can't (and won't) give you a recap of the show, but I'll give you few tidbits... dangle that carrot, so to speak.

The Wallace family -- a father, mother, and young daughter -- have been viciously murdered in their home. The teenaged son, high on drugs at the time, is still alive. Suspect? Murderer? Victim? Totally innocent? The story took some twists I never would have predicted. Brenda had to fight budget cut issues with no overtime all the way. "What happens if someone gets murdered on a weekend?"

Even though there were some light-hearted moments throughout the show such as when Brenda decided to take the police jet after being told to control expenses, the ending was a shocker and a bit of commentary on what jealousy and greed can do to a person.

There.

You still could never guess the twists in the episode. But it ain't no Law and Order, for sure. Nothing as straight-laced at that!

If you haven't been watching the show, you can check out some of the season two episodes. Two episodes air each Tuesday evening at 9 and 10 PM ET/PT leading into the week before the third season premiere. That's on cable station TNT - they know Drama, y'know.