Reality Check

'Big Brother 11': What did you think of the premiere?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:12:20 -0500

Oh, Big Brother. How I love/loathe thee. It's such summer trash, and yet, I can't turn away.

I'm not sure how I feel about this summer's theme, high school, which has the cast broken up into cliques (popular, athletic, brainy and offbeat). I am sure that I am not glad that insufferable Jesse from last season is back this year.

What did you think of the theme and the contestants thus far? Anybody watching the live feeds?

'So You Think You Can Dance': Who's in the Top 10?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:06:44 -0500

Hmm, I might have been hard on Tabitha and Napoleon last night, but their group dance that opens tonight's So You Think You Can Dance -- to White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" -- is great.

After announcing that it is Nigel's 60th birthday, host Cat Deeley asks Nigel about the rumors of a Michael Jackson tribute special. Unfortunately, the music permissions didn't come through, so it's a no. (Though I can't help but think that they are going public with that to try to make someone change their mind!)

Then Cat points out that after this week, the judges don't have a say; viewer votes will determine who goes home.

Then the results begin. The first two couples to hit the stage are Annapolis' Caitlin Kinney and her partner Jason and Brandon and Janette. I can't help but think that this means that Caitlin and Jason are in danger because Brandon and Janette had that show-stopper at the end of last night's show. And .... that's a yes. Caitlin and Jason are in the bottom three, and Brandon and Janette are in the Top 10.

The next two couples called to the stage are Randi and Evan and Jeanine and Phillip. Randi and Evan are safe; Phillip and Jeanine have to get ready for their solos.

Last up are Melissa and Ade and Kayla and Kupono. Kayla and Kupono are safe -- and totally shocked. So that leaves Melissa and Ade joining the others in the bottom three couples.

While the bottom three couples get a change to ready for their solos, we get a preview of the fall season of SYTYCD.

Then, solo time. Caitlin goes cutesy but still showing of a lot of technique, and hopefully some personality too. Speaking of technique, Jason shows some off, too. Last week, they said that Jeanine's solo was the strongest, and she still is pretty strong. Phillip seems much less manic and more controlled than last week's solo. Melissa goes all sporty ballerina on us. Ade's solo is to a song called "Windowdipper" that samples Windows noises (which really freaks me out for a minute). Tyce told him to bring it, and bring it he did.

Mary doesn't want to go try to figure out who is going home.

Kelly Rowland performs, but I fast-forward through most of it. Sorry, Kelly, that's not why I'm here.

I'm here for the results, and here they are.

Nigel says everyone is a good dancer, but they need a Top 10 who are stars. They call Caitlin forward and tell her she is cut. Awww, she cries even before her highlight reel. For the guys, they call Phillip forward and tell him he is unique in what he does, but they've been somewhat disappointed with him in the other styles. He is out, but, Nigel says, "I have secured with the producers that you -- and Caitlin -- will be on the tour." Well, that is some consolation for our local dancer, at least.

What do you think of the results? I didn't envy the judges their duty tonight.

'So You Think Can Dance': Top 12 perform

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:14:12 -0500

This week on So You Think You Can Dance, the couples take on two dances per week for the first time. Well, two competition dances, since they always have to learn a group dance and they prep a solo, too.

The big question around here, though, is whether Annapolis dancer and Baltimore School for the Arts grad Caitlin Kinney will make the Top 10. Here's hoping!

The first couple is Melissa and Ade, doing disco with Doriana Sanchez. OK, first of all, those are some crazy sparkle-pants Ade's got on. Second, this is fast, and has so many spins that it's a wonder they stay on their feet. Um, well, they do until the very end, when their final move gives way somehow and Melissa stumbles. (Does Ade drop? Is her footing off? It's hard to tell.) But it's fun and energetic, for sure. Nigel Lythgoe says it was exciting and had some "tremendous stuff" in it. In the replay, it looks like both of their feet slipped, causing the fall, by the way. Mary Murphy, reference Doriana's line about praying to the disco gods: "Can I get an amen?" She adds that it was well-executed and that they were both "letting it go." Tyce DiOrio: "That was friggin' great! I mean, I want to say, I adore you, and no one would think that a ballet dancer could do that, so that's growth." He says that Ade embodied it well.

Kayla and Kupono take on a Mia Michaels contemporary routine that is about addiction. In a more revealing and emotional introductory segment than usual, Kupono discusses that he had a close friend who was almost destroyed by a drug addiction that had repercussions in his family, too, and that he almost doesn't want to portray the character of the addiction. "I just sucks having to be in it for that minute-thirty or just those two counts." Then he cries. It's pretty powerful, though there is a part toward the end where he is supposed to be guiding the addicted Kayla through some moves, and it seems like he just isn't exactly where he is supposed to be, which makes it look a little funky. Still, though, a nice piece. Nigel says it's a powerful piece for anyone who has dealt with addiction. He said that Kayla was superb as the addict and that Kupono was powerful in his role as well. Mary says Kupono stayed in character with intensity through the whole performance and that Kayla was flawless. "You guys are staying on the train; don't worry about it." Tyce says with Mia, you add a level to yourself and become an actor. He adds that Kupono could use a little more power in his body, but his acting was great. Kayla he just calls "a beast."

As a side note, can I just say, as someone with hardly any pigment, how refreshing it is to see that the stylists or whoever on this show let the pale girls be pale without feeling the need to fake-tan (or worse, real tan) them into orange oblivion? (*cough* Dancing With the Stars *cough)

New 'Top Chef' cast includes several Marylanders

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:09:49 -0500

Bravo just announced the cast of the next season of Top Chef, and how about that -- it includes several Marylanders.

One is Jesse Sandlin, the chef at Abacrombie, who Elizabeth Large had already speculated might be in the cast.

There's also brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, both from Frederick. Bryan is the chef and owner of Volt on Market Street in Frederick. Michael lives in L.A. now and is the Chef de Cuisine at Bazaar by Jose Andres.

I'll get some more details as soon as I can, but in the meantime, here's the full cast list for Top Chef: Las Vegas, which premieres on Aug. 26:

'SYTYCD': Talking with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:00:54 -0500

Mary Carole McCauley got a chance to catch up with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney yesterday. The 21-year-old is in the Top 12 on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Here's Mary:

After portraying an alien attempting to impregnate her human prey, Caitlin Kinney fully expected to be in danger of elimination last week on Fox’s hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

Before Thursday night’s results show was broadcast, the lithe, 21-year-old from Annapolis rehearsed the "dance for your life" solo required of competitors who receive the fewest viewer votes.

"Honestly, I didn’t think there was any way Jason and I weren’t going to be in the bottom three," she says, referring to her partner, Jason Glover. "We’ve been hanging on by our teeth. When I found out we were safe, I was just flabbergasted."

Kinney, who studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and trained as a classical ballerina, wrapped up an intense day of practicing by chatting about the ups and downs of the competition thus far, and her future plans.

Q: None of the dance styles you’ve assigned so far play to your strengths. Has that been hard?

A: It has been frustrating. I’d love to have a chance to dance something more lyrical. Of course, we don’t choose what dance styles we’ve been given, or what we wear. I’ll be honest, I was a little jealous when Melissa [Sandvig] got to dance a pas de deux in toe shoes last week. At the same time, the harder you work, the greater your rewards. I’d rather get a style that plays to our strengths later in the competition.

'Real World: D.C.' drama already

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:39:17 -0500

The kids have moved in, and filming has started on The Real World: D.C., and, not surprisingly since they are situated right in Dupont Circle, it's feeling a little crowded around there.

The Anti-Real World D.C. blog is chronicling the experience of living just feet away from the production. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun. (The lights are on all the time. The security staff is reportedly jerky and pushing the limits, yelling at people who are walking by on public property. Tour buses are already starting to drive by.)

For others in the area, the blog also keeps track of which bars and other establishments are not letting the cast and crew in, and which are.

Living that close to a reality-show production (especially one that is trying to keep everything so off the record) can't be fun, but reading about it will probably be far more entertaining than the actual show.

Update: Here's what happened when a local news reporter tried to interview an onlooker about the show. (That's a RW cameraman who keeps bodily getting in the way. Classy!):

'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 14 cut to 12

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:00:13 -0500

My favorite part of the So You Think You Can Dance results show is almost always the group dance.

Tonight's number -- a Broadway routine to "Brand New Day" from The Wiz choreographed by Tyce DiOrio -- is no exception. So good, so fun, and amazing costumes. (I am, however, as usual, distracted by some of the manic camerawork that makes it tough to actually see the dancers' movements.)

Host Cat Deeley gets right to the results: Karla and Vitolio and Evan and Randi are called to the stage. The quick step still might be the kiss-of-death dance, as it turns out the Karla and Vitolio are in the bottom three couples.

After the break, three more judges are on the stage. Janette and Brandon find out they are safe. Kayla and Kupono are in the bottom three couples, and Melissa and Ade are safe. Mia Michaels says she is shocked about Kayla and Kupono because she thinks they were the best performance of the night. Kayla actually cries because she's so overcome.

That leaves two couples: Caitlin and Jason and Jeanine and Phillip. (Members of Caitlin's family, including her mom and her aunt, are there dressed similarly to her crazy costume from last night, with a sign that says "Aliens for Caitlin.") Caitlin and Jason are safe (and shocked), and Phillip and Jeanine are in the bottom three.

The evening's professional dance performance is an amazing ballet by dancers Desmond Richardson and Patricia Hachey from Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Then, solos: Karla looks remarkably comfortable and strong on stage tonight. Vitolio dances to "Here Comes Goodbye," which seems like a bad choice of song. His solo is a little disjointed and off the cuff. Kayla gives an energetic and emotional but more controlled performance than her last time in the bottom three, when she was accused (unfairly, I think) of cramming too much into the solo. Kupono exudes a lot of emotion in his solo, joy and hope and just wanting to be there, I think. Jeanine finally gets to dance her style on this stage, and she is so good. Last is Phillip, who gets to show off what he does best, his crazily unique popping and locking and limb-wrenching.

Kelly Clarkson comes out to sing "I Do Not Hook Up" while the judges deliberate. She sounds great, and she looks better than when she was on Idol last season, but she still needs her stylist to work a little bit harder on her behalf.

The judges are back with the results, women first. Nigel tells Jeanine that she had the strongest solo of the evening and is safe. He tells Kayla that she is a favorite of the judges and the choreographers, but they found her solo to be very "static" and not dancing from the heart. They say that Karla is a very good dancer, but she hasn't quite shown the star quality they saw in her at first, so she is out. So Oxon Hill, Md., dancer Karla Garcia is going home. She says she will remember all her friends and dancing her contemporary routine.

They are unanimous with the guys, too. They tell Phillip he is unique and superb, but they thought he overworked his solo. Still, they are keeping him. Nigel says Vitolio has great presence and presents himself well, but he doesn't deliver. Kupono is told that his solo was weak and didn't show much passion, but they hope to see more from him in the future. So Vitolio is out as well.

Guess the quick step really is the kiss of death! Yikes.

In case you missed it: Ring Posts Q&A with Torrie Wilson

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:34:55 -0500

If you'd like some insight on what it was really like on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, check out Kevin Eck's interview with Torrie Wilson, who finished second, over at Ring Posts.

Especially interesting, I thought, was Torrie's take on Spencer Pratt:

At first I thought for sure Spencer was doing his rant for the cameras, but the longer I was around him the more I thought, maybe because he’s been on a reality show for so long that he’s started to let it blend into his real character. I don’t really know him personally so it was hard for me to differentiate, but it seemed like much of what they were doing – all of them – was very close to their true personalities.

But there's a lot more to read there, so go on, click above and read the whole thing!

Photo: Getty Images

'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 14 perform

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:03:54 -0500

On tonight's So You Think You Can Dance, Mia Michaels is one of the guest judges. As you might recall, she was really hard on dancer Brandon, and host Cat Deeley refers to this when she asks whether her opinion on anyone had changed.

Mia says, that, without naming names, it has changed for the better. So she regrets being so horrible to Brandon? Nigel asks if she is talking about a "small, male dancer," and she says yes.

Speaking of Brandon, Janette and Brandon are first, and they relive their highs and lows, which means that they recap the past three weeks in their own words. They are doing the cha-cha with Jean-Marc Genereax. The dance is very fast and sexy and fun, and they kill it. Janette is obviously in her element, but Brandon stays right with her. Nigel Lythgoe calls it "the best damn cha-cha I have ever seen on this show ever!" He praises Brandon's articulation of his feet in particular. "I can't even begin to describe how good this was," he goes on. Mary Murphy calls Janette amazing, pointing out that salsa technique and cha-cha technique are very different, and she did a great job. And, of course, "two first-class tickets on the hot tamale train [SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH]!" Mia acknowledges that she has probably scared Brandon, but says that she is the hardest on her best students and that that's where it's coming from. She makes Brandon cry. "You are going to love me and hate me on this journey. ... You are ... you're amazing. Janette, you've been on fire since day one, and today is no exception."

Baltimore 'Clean House' episode to air ... finally

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:04:00 -0500

Remember back a few months, when the Style Network's Clean House came to Baltimore and picked things up for James Buechler and Jennifer "Jiffy" Boehles? (See more pictures of the taping here.)

And then James and Jiffy weren't totally thrilled about how their house looked afterward in the places not covered by the cameras?

And then the show was scheduled to air May 27, but was pulled?

Just heard that the episode is now supposed to air at 8 tonight. And that Clean House: Messiest Home in the Country special airs at 9.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri/Feb. 7, 2009)

Melissa Rycroft is engaged

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:53:56 -0500

It's true: Jilted Bachelor "winner" Melissa Rycroft is engaged, and no, not to that toad Jason Mesnick, who humilated her on national television.

But hey, Melissa went on to great success on Dancing With the Stars, and now she's engaged for real this time. So who's laughing now?

You can read more here.

'I'm a Celebrity ...': It's finally over

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:53:30 -0500

Fabulous guest-poster Bucky is back, wrapping up I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here for us. Thanks again, Bucky!

So, to close the loop on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here here’s what happened leading up to the finale:

We left off in the last recap with Janice and Holly having been voted off, leaving Lou, John, Steven, Sanjaya, Patti and Torrie as potential King or Queen of the Jungle. Sanjaya and I are both sad because Holly is gone. John is happy because Patti is still there, even though they are only “friends.”

Stephen is … well … at wit’s end, for some reason. He was fine during one segment and melancholy the next. He decides to bug out. He says he is sure all of the strong friendships he had built will result in the other campers being understanding about his decision. HAHAHA … they talk trash about him from the minute he leaves camp. So much for understanding.

And then … AND THEN … a twist: because Stephen bugged out, another camper gets to return. Janice and Holly are made to grovel in front of the other campers, pleading their case for wanting to come back. Janice, of course, has had an epiphany and says she is a better person who wants to redeem herself in everyone’s eyes (and hearts). Holly pretty much says she wants to come back and canoodle with Sanjaya some more. (That’s not a direct quote, but it is what she meant.) The campers have a lengthy discussion about who they want to come back (Holly, because we all love Holly. No, really, we do) and who they think they can beat the easiest (Janice because she is, in the end, just another creepy Costa Rican critter who can be swatted away). They agree they need to make the strategic move, not the emotional one and … cut to the obnoxious Wal-Mart commercials.

'So You Think You Can Dance': Down to 14

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:59:45 -0500

Tonight's So You Think You Can Dance results show opens with a verrrry sexy group number -- there's lots of writhing and undulating and even dancing on water-covered tables. It was choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin and Tabitha and Napoleon.

After the group dance, head judge Nigel Lythgoe acknowledges the tragic losses of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and, of course, Michael Jackson. He says that he himself went into dancing because of Michael Jackson, and they even air a bit of the "Thriller" video.

After the break, they get right started with results, bringing five couples to the floor. Asuka and Vitolio are first; they are in the bottom three. Brandon and Janette learn that they're safe. Randy and Evan are, too, thanks to their "cheeky" performance, as Cat puts it. Jeanine and Phillip? Also safe. In this group of five couples, that leaves Ade and Melissa, who eventually learn that they are also in the clear.

'So You Think You Can Dance' recap: Top 16 perform

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:19:06 -0500

I'm filling in for Sarah tonight, who's busy with baby and other things. It's the Top 16 on So You Think You Can Dance, which still includes Caitlin Kinney, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Tonight's guest judge is Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!). We learn that she's receiving a Living Legends of Hip-Hop Award, following in the footsteps of performers like Boogaloo Sam and MC Hammer. Award winners! Can't touch them!

Before the contestants dance, they tell us what they'd be doing if they weren't dancing. It's pretty cheesy. Let's just get to the choreography, please.

First up are Karla and Jonathan with a Dave Scott hip-hop routine. Note: Karla says she would be a journalist if she were not a dancer. I'm gathering she hasn't read about the hard times we're going through! They dance to "By My Side" by Jadakiss, featuring Ne-Yo. It's not very memorable. I think Karla is way better than Jonathan, who, to me, just looks too ballroom-y and Broadway-ish. He does do a cool flip. Judge Nigel Lythgoe said the smooth hip-hop was ironed out so that there was no excitement. He said it was lacking "danger." He asks if Jonathan felt comfortable, and he replies no. Nigel says there was no chemistry. "Instead of gangster ... that was like a Sunday school picnic outing," he says. He bets they'll be in the bottom three (he asks if anyone wants to take bets). Ouch! Judge Mary Murphy agrees with Nigel. Things were not synchronized, she says. "It really wasn't in the right groove at all," she adds. She says the highlight was the tumbling, but they are capable. Toni says street has to have a groove and a funk. She says if you don't have that, it feels "store-bought."

This would be funnier

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:40:55 -0500

if it didn't ring quite so true, don't you think?