OK, I've been obsessing lately on "So You Think You Can Dance."
You can tell that by reading the recent blogs. (Hey, I promise to move on now.) You can also tell that I'm happy Melanie Moore won. Here's the interview I sent to papers:
By MIKE HUGHES
As the “So You Think You Can Dance”
season began, viewers figured they knew Melanie Moore.
Sure, surprises are nice. Sometimes, however, the lack of one is fine.
I had predicted (see previous blog) the finish -- Melanie Moore first, Sasha Mallory second, Mark Germar third, Tadd Gadduang fourth. Chances are, many people did.
From the beginning, Moore stood out. She had:
-- The talent. As Mary Murphy mentions (see two blogs ago), judges were impressed from her first audition.
-- The look. Her roundish face is distinctive and retro, suitable for any 1923 calendar. People notice her instantly.
A strong "So You Think You Can Dance" season wraps up Wednesday and Thursday, with four sensational young dancers.
My previous blog looks at the two who just missed the finale. I'll also blog after the Wednesday and Thursday shows; here's the story I sent to papers, previewing those shows:
By MIKE HUGHES
Even in a room stuffed with TV stars,
Melanie Moore gets noticed.
To some viewers, reality shows seem
bright and brash and maybe silly. To others, they're life-changing.
Caitlynn Lawson and Ricky Jaime can
attest to the latter. Both were ousted Thursday from “So You Think
You Can Dance,” just missing next week's four-dancer finale.
“We don't even have to go home,”
said Lawson, who will rehearse for the finale and then the tour. “If
you're going to be cut, this is the best time.”
TV's best summer show -- yes, that's still "So You Think You Can Dance" -- is nearing to its finale. On Wednesday and Thursday, it trims to its final four. Here's the story I sent to papers, interviewing the dancers just ousted:
By MIKE HUGHES
Let's agree that Jordan Casanova gave
out mixed signals on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
It was disappointing to see Mitchell Kelly ousted Thursday from "So You Think You Can Dance." In his solos, especially, he almost matched the magnificence of Danny Tidwell, years ago. Here's the story I sent to papers, after interviewing him and Clarice Ordaz today:
By MIKE HUGHES
After being dumped from a reality show,
young dancers and singers often insist they have no regrets.
Ashley Rich had a basic reason for learning to dance. "I was 3," she told reporters today. "It wasn't so much my interest as my mom's."
Chris Koehl had a stronger reason. "It started with me just trying to avoid reading."
From those modest starts, both soared. A few weeks ago, they had the best "So You Think You Can Dance" moment, a sensational jailhouse routine. "I definitely was excited when I got that," Rich said.
Luck and life can change quickly on "So You Think You Can Dance."
Two or three weeks ago, Chris Koehl and Ashley Rich had the week's greatest dance number -- maybe the season's greatest. He was in jail, she was visiting and the bars became the ultimate dance prop.
And this week? They were voted to the bottom three by viewers, then ousted by judges. A few comments:
This whole good luck/bad luck thing goes deeper than expected on "So You Think You Can Dance."
Sure, it makes a difference which choreographer you draw. Some -- especially Napoleon and Tabitha D'Umo -- almost always make their dancers look good; others -- Dave Scott, for instance -- don't.
But tonight we saw it go deeper than that with Sonya Tayeh. She gave one duo (Ryan and Rickey) a terrific piece, another (Ashley and Chris) a number that should send them to the bottom three Thursday.
On their way out of of competition shows, most contestants fill their final minutes with happy talk. Life is good, they say, life is fair.
The "So You Think You Can Dance" contestants mostly said that, today, too. Still, they occasionally granted that "Dance" could be more fair than it is.
