Life's good in Hollywood

mike — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:54:30 -0500

OK, I'm in Hollywood now, catching the semi-annual Television Critics Association sessions. I'll tell you more about them soon, now that some computer problems are fixed up. In general:

1) I almost got run over by Clint Eastwood in a golf cart. That would have been cool.

2) I'm very fond of everything related to the Chuck Lorre comedies on CBS. "The Big Bang Theory" and the people involved are a delight, but the new "Mike and Molly" is also easy to like.

What? Nothing happened?

mike — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:56:14 -0500

Watching this week's "So You Think You Can Dance," we were tempted to feel cheated. What? Nothing happened? At the end of the week, the judges decided not to decide. Instead, they'll oust two people next week.

Nothing happened -- other than making an impression on viewers and judges for the next weeks. Still, this is kind of understandable; the judges had no solution; their only options were to dump:

Choreography: It's just not fair

mike — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:35:08 -0500

On "So You Think You Can Dance," choreographers can give and take away. They can serve up one piece that makes a dancer seem dynamic ... and another that makes him seem blank.

Sonya Tayek did both tonight. The loser was Jose Ruiz, who was given a piece that was set entirely on the edge of the stage. "I find it very difficult to criticize your dancing," one judge (Adam Shankman) told him afterward. That may be because Jose never really got to dance; it was a stylish piece, but this high-energy guy was rarely given a chance to move.

Dance demolition derby

mike — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:18:32 -0500

Hey, this is turning into a dance demolition derby.

For the second straight week, the "So You Think You Can Dance" ouster wasn't because of viewers' votes or judges' views. It was because someone was injured and couldn't continue.

Last week, it was the brilliant Alex Wong; tonight, it was the appealing Ashley Galvan. This is sort of like a gladiator tournament, except that the loser isn't (to my knowledge) slain afterward.

This time, it was telegraphed from the start, because:

-- We didn't really see Ashley until the end; and

I know nothing/I know something

mike — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:59:24 -0500

This is when I'm supposed to have some intemperate words about "So You Think You Can Dance." After each Wednesday and Thursday show, I do some second-guessing.

Alas, I was gone on a family project and missed the whole thing. I'll be back to my routine Thursday night.

Meanwhile, I do have something else worth sharing: The season-finale of "Doctor Who" is sensationally good.

That starts at 9 p.m. ET Saturday (July 17) on BBC America, then concludes a week later. This week's opener is pretty good; next week's finale is wonderful.