Summertime. For some, it is a time of fun and reckless debauchery. For others, it is a cruel reminder of the things that can’t be done for whatever reason. Since I fall hard into the second category, film, music, and the beautiful tele could provide some hope, though there is no doubt in my mind that the healthier thing would be to go out more and get a life.
But since I really have nothing better to do (actually, I do have a shitload of studying to do, but It’s boring me to death), I decided to start a little series about the new and returning programs, new and old films, and any other silly things I see this summer.
I hope I won’t waste your time… If anyone is even reading this.
Warning # 1: by reading this, you might die of chronic boredom.
Warning # 2: it will be infested with spoilers.
Warning # 3: my stupid opinions are just that – stupid opinions. If at any point they seem patronizing, then… what? They are stupid opinions. Just ignore them and move on.
In this installment, I go a teeny tiny bit apeshit, the pretty spooks finally return, So You Think You Can Dance turns my brain into mush, and youtube provides me with proof that I was born in the wrong time.
But first things first:
Photo by Luke Ford – License
R.I.P. Little Grasshopper
I never saw you on Tiempo Final,
but I’ll always remember Kung Fu (old and new).
On a more vengeful note: DAMN YOU NBC!! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!
What is the reasoning behind cancelling a show as well acted and as well scripted as Life? I guess it’s all just business. It’s too bad quality isn’t as valued as numbers. Based on this article, the cancelation of this wonderful show was asinine at best.
NBC… Peacock bastards.
Burn Notice is back, Yay!!!!!
Oh sweetie, let me heal your pain…
This is one of those rare shows that perfectly balance action and humor, and it just keeps getting better with every season.
The third season premier…what a way to start!
What I liked the most about this episode is that it got a little darker and grittier. Michael is now on the radar of every friend and enemy he made in the past. The stakes are higher, but the whole gang is still looking fine and kicking ass. I hope we get a bit more Madeleine screen time and please, PLEASE, have Fiona and Michael get together already or become best buddies, but don’t have them dancing around each other all season long.
Anyway, if this episode is any indication of how the rest of the season will be, then we’re in for a hell of a ride.
Kick ass moment:
So You Think You Can Dance – Yeah, I’m still obsessed
AAAAAAAHHHH!!!
I finally caught up with all previous seasons of SYTYCD and I now love it even more! Season 2 is my favorite. And I’m impatiently waiting for SYTYCD Canada’s air time to be announced. In the meantime, season 5 seems to be shaping up well.
The judges seem a little bit vicious this season, or at least they seemed that way during Vegas week. Good times. And I only say that because it is actually good to prepare the aspiring contestants for the brutal regime that a competition like this entails. It’s not like I actually know how hard SYTYCD is, but I can imagine how strenuous it is on the body to have to prepare all the routines for the show, combined with the relative isolation from family and loved ones (especially for those kids that come from other states), and what will be their newly found fame. Oh, the terrible stress…Only those who can cope with it will survive.
And about having two seasons in one year, sure it is great not having to wait a whole year for a new season, and I’m sure those Fox executives are respectively putting their hands together like Mr. Burns and saying to themselves “Excellent..”, but can you imagine how lame it’s going to be for the winner of the fifth season knowing his/her reign as America’s favorite dancer is going to last only about 3 months?
Anyway, my favorite dancers from season 2 were Benji Schwimmer, Donyelle Jones, and Heidi Groskreutz. Benji and Donyelle were tremendous dance/comedy partners, only matched to a degree by season 4’s Katee and Joshua. Which brings me to this:
Love’n Dancing – Oh no…
It is so sad to see a film that has great intentions be so poorly executed. West Coast Swing is a great style of dance, sometimes underrated and underappreciated, that should be in films and tv a lot more. Also, a deaf dancer as a character is a very interesting concept. Unfortunately this movie repeated the flaws that most non- Hip Hop dance films seem to not be able to avoid. The dialogues got too expositional when it came to the dance itself, the film got too sappy for the romantic parts of the story, at times the editing was so choppy that it made perfectly competent actors seem completely amateur; the status of the relationships between the characters did not change organically and felt a bit rushed. On the other hand, the dance sequences were very well lit and shot, and the highlight was Benji and Heidi’s dance routine at the end of the film. Yes, I only learned about this film because SYTYCD alumni were involved in the project and that’s why I saw it. They both had about 5 minutes of screen time, but that routine was great.
Woo!
Other SYTYCD dancers are involved in different dance films at the moment. Many of them, including Benji Schwimmer, are part of a new indy dance film called Leading Ladies, which based on plot alone seems a whole lot better than Love’n Dancing. And I hope they get it right this time. In case anyone’s interested:
Love’n Dancing official website.
Leading Ladies official website.
Leading Ladies facebook page.
By the way, I didn’t know Benji Schwimmer and his sister Lacey (another ex-SYTYCD) were in Christina Aguilera’s video for her awesome song, Candyman.
I LOVE that song, and the video is so pretty! But listening to the lyrics more closely, something occurred to me: Does Christina Aguilera sing the word cock in the album version of Candyman? Because she could have totally gotten away with it instead of having that annoying moan to replace it. Think about it, if any religious or family groups would have felt offended by the word cock in that song, Christina Aguilera could have easily explained it by saying she was referring to a man with a big rooster in his back yard…
How mormons dancing in a Christina Aguilera video made me think of the validity of the word cock in a modernized big band song is completely beyond me, especially since I lived with a mormon family for a year and I should know better.
To put an end to this mess, here’s my Youtube Video of the week:
I’ve been obsessing about this video for a while because I really want to learn to do that! And yes, it makes me feel like I was born in the wrong time.
In the next installment of Audiovisual Summer of DOOM: Hong Kong hides the gifted, Irish men are vengeful, Fox Telecolombia does it again, and hopefully I’ll finally get to see Terminator Salvation.
Until next time…Have fun!