DON'T BE AFRAID OF ME, EMBRACE IT

RUNNING COMMENTARY ON THE TOP EIGHT
With special guest commentators K, J, and Blanchard

(J)enny: Jeanette always wears something that wolverine has tore up before she goes on stage.
(K)ristin: I love Ells. (Yes, Kristin actually called Ellen Degeneres, Ells. They’re tight like that.)

GROUP NUMBER

(Bridget): Group number was strange and blah mostly because Tab& Nap did a group glow in the dark number previously that was much better. Plus we all agreed Kayla was far too much the focal point of that dance to enjoy.
K: Words can not describe how much I hate Kayla, even if she came over and burned my Felicity DVDs in front on me. Like in a fire not “for herself”.

EVAN/CHACHA
Bridget: We approve of Evan and Jeanette being partners, Sonja could be a pretty cool choreographer for them.

Kristi (Blanchard): Hmmm. That was alright. Evan really needed Ellen’s makeup and hair.

KAYLA'S SOLO
Bridget: Kayla is trying to confuse us by dancing her solo to the awesome Imogene Heap but we’re NOT FOOLED.

BRANDON/JEANINE

Bridget: Jeanine’s dress made her butt and boobs look huge. Butt is a bad thing, boobs is a good thing. Wow under further review her boobs actually look lopsided. The drop at the beginning of the routine was shaky and length of her dress was bad and the music was weird. I really didn’t love this.
K: I didn’t watch the dance; I was too distracted trying to figure out if Brandon was wearing leather pants.

JASON'S SOLO

Bridget: Jason was finally wearing a shirt during his solo, even if it was Ryan Atwood-esque.

OLDIE/ADE

Bridget: Oldie and Ade were partners again? LAME. What is Ade wearing?
K: Oldie is especially white.
Bridget: That dance was kinda boring and her hair is 1997 prom bad. Didn't I just warn you about this last week?
J: “You call that salsa?”

CHACHA'S SOLO

Bridget: Her solo was weird, why didn’t she do salsa? I’m so confused.

JASON/KAYLA

Bridget: (At one point during Kayla and Jason’s critique Kayla turns to Jason with a smug look and nods her head) “See Jason, I told you they were going to compliment my lines, I’m so awesome, did you see how on I was?”

K: Tyce is cool because he does lots of different kinds of Broadway.

Bridget: So Kayla, you sing, dance, act, model, dye your hair blonde, live with your awesome grandparents, and knit sweaters for eye seeing dogs? Shocker. Mia you're so silly, of course she does.

Blanchard: “Oh Mia, I do it all.”

J: I love you Mia, but calm it down about Kayla.

EVAN/CHACHA

Bridget: The Kris Allen Kanye song was great. Evan’s popped collar was great. The entire number though? Not so much. It was way too slow, the dancing wasn’t great, and LACE SHIRT ALERT. Plus Evan pulled the zoolander face for 3/4 of the number.

K: And Janette looked terrified as they walked up to get critiqued.

J: Melanie is Bette Midler’s sister from crazy town.

Bridget, K: Totally!

K: Mia has started taking antidepressants this season. (Or she's been reading the blogs that ripped her a new one over her hatred for Brandon and now she’s sucking up.)

K: Not all of us can be Kayla (mimicking Mia's serious voice).

K: I hate Kayla even more than I hate Oldie.

BRANDON/JEANINE

Bridget: So if they go to war Brandon gets to wear a gun holster and camo pants and Jeanette gets to wear underwear and a shredded tank top?

J: Jeanine looks like she takes scissors to her outfits after the designers hand over her costumes, “Thanks guys this is great.”

Bridget: Okay, we think new choreographers are sketch. But P-Diddy’s choreographer was AMAZing. I’ll look over the fact that she made Jeanine cry and wears ridiculous headphones as an accessory and SCARY NEON NAILS because we kind of loved her choreography. Plus she advises us to not be afraid of her, but embrace it. Amazing.

K: Jeanine has fantastic hair.

K: Hot Tamale train is way overused and it’s really akward when they put one partner on the train and not the other. (touche, because then you are forcing a human being to be jealous of a mythical train made of spicy Mexican peppers. And that’s just wrong.)

Blanchard: (Mia said P-Diddy's choreographer is her “sister”) Wait, they’re really sisters? Bridget: I think she meant “Sista”. (Like the way black people use it, I think it’s more meaningful that way.)

K: it must be awkward when the choreographers run in to each other after they’ve complimented one another on national television.

Bridget: Like “Hey, you said I was the best, yeah thanks, that was sweet. So um, you like stuff?”

EVAN'S SOLO

Bridget: Evan really looked like his brother in his solo. Which makes us excited for season 6.

K: my little heart just melts whenever Evan dances.

Bridget: And we love how Evan never dances to the beats at the end which makes him our fav by default.

OLDIE/ADE

Bridget: That scarf makes Oldie looks like she has cancer.

Commercial Break

Bridget: Wait, the dance is actually about cancer? Even more reasons why I’m going straight to hell. Put it on my tab.

K: Is her husband crying? (in disgust)
Blanchard: The entire audience is crying. (in equal disgust)

Bridget: It was hard to watch initially because we were distracted by Ade’s fro pick in the intro video and by the song choice (apparently this was used in a risqué scene in the movie Love and Basketball. A scene that had very little to do with cancer, if you know what I mean). We also thought the dance tried too hard for the sympathy vote. But we listened to the judges crying and speeches and watched it a second time. We admit, it was really good but agree that some sort of rigging has gone down to ensure these two were preserved for late in the game to get this exact dance. How could they possibly get voted off this week? Loved the dance. But we said we would rather see Katie and Joshua jump on stage and dance it instead.

BRANDON'S SOLO

Bridget: Brandon is really good, but still not our favorite.

KAYLA/JASON

J: Kayla gets hip hop, fina-FREAKIN-ly. Suck this up Kayla.

Dance beings.

Bridget: Huh. The makeup smearing is cool.
K: This isn’t sucking.
Bridget: Crap, this is actually kind of cool.

Bridget: That was the best Shane Sparks of the season; it’s suspicious that he saved it for Kayla. OF COURSE. We agree with Mia. The strangle was the best part of the choreography obviously because Kayla was being symbolically strangled off of the show.

[PS - I didn't have any notes on the solos for Jeanine (which was of course awesome), Oldie (blah), or Ade. Guess they didn't make a big impression on us.]

Bridget: The show's over? Hmmm…Sometimes it feels like the choreographers show the producers their numbers way in advance and then they “cast” dancers who can pull off the numbers. Basically the show is cast around the numbers. Like bringing in hoity toity Joey D who just happens to be big time Broadway and then they cast Evan in the same season? And it’s funny how it switches like that.

…. We then went in to a lengthy discussion about how this season isn’t as good as last season but then we started thinking about all the great numbers so far. And since K and J had them all recorded we went back and watched our favorites. Here’s our list:

BEST OF
Hip Hop vs. Rock, Brandon/ChaCha
Vampire Jazz, Kupono/Kayla
Week 2 Spandex Jazz, Ade/Oldie
Addiction, Kupono/Kayla
Cancer Dance, Ade/Oldie
Booty Dance, Evan/Randi
Fast Disco, Brandon/Jeanette
Crash Test Dummies (Wade), Kupono/Bird Face
Clockwork Orange (Wade), Brandon/ChaCha
Week 1 Nap Tabs number, Jeanine/Philip
Tango, Brandon/ChaCha
Travis contemporary, Jeanine/Jason

WORST OF
Pase Doble, Randi/Kupono
Russian Folk, Jeanine/Philip
Tango, Jeanine/Philip

ELIMINATIONARY (100th episode)

Alumni!! Bonus points if you can name them all without checking. I had to look up the name of second row/second from the right. And I still can't figure out who blondie third row/first from right is.

Thoughts on Katie Holmes: I’m always game for random episodes of Dawson’s Creek (even if it is inferior to Felicity and unbelievably ran two seasons longer, whatev) but autobot Joey kind of freaks me out. Throw in some tights and a top hot and it just increases the weirdness ten fold. I will say that she NAILED the “Pose Seductively With Hand on Head” move, other than that she didn’t really dance. Also, seriously? Why was she lip syncing? WHY? I’m just bugged because this 100th episode could have been really cool but it wasn’t. LAME.

Worst Guy: Evan
Worst Girl: Oldie

Who Actually Got Kicked To The Curb: ChaCha & Jason

Want to know the spoilers for TOP SIX week (tonight)?

Kayla and Brandon - Contemporary (Stacey Tookey) & Disco (Doriana Sanchez) Jeanine and Ade - Hip Hop (Nappy Tabs) & Samba (Louis van Amstel)
Melissa and Evan - Broadway (Tyce) & Quickstep (Louis van Amstel)

It's about to CRAZY! My prediction right now is Jeanine will win. We'll see.

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT I’M NOT AFRICAN

TOP TEN WEEK

This is supposed to be the cream of the crop people. I have a love/hate relationship with the producers shaking up the partners, and with two noticeable shorties in the bunch this is should be interesting.

Group Girls, Bollywood

Wow, they really like to pat themselves on the back, huh? How many times have they mentioned the fact that they “open doors” and that “no other show on television can do what we do.” You would think it goes:

1. Jesus
2. Ghandi
3. Mother Theresa
4. Martin Luther King
5. So You Think You Can Dance

Where was I? Oh, the dancing. I don’t ever LOVE bollywood, but I guess as far as that style goes it was okay. I agree with the judges though, no one stood out, they all handled the choreography well.

Evan/Kayla

First of all, Kiss From A Rose? Awesome song, but that’s besides the point. I can’t believe they made him put on actual high heels in the intro video, and then they had him in at least 3 inch heels for the number. The dance itself was awkward sauce, but better than I expected.

Sidenote: Debbie Allen get’s the money quote for the night: “Evan, you handle your big woman.” I’ve missed her.

Sidenote #2: Does anyone remember when Melanie Lapatin was on What Not To Wear? Clint and Stacey are going to be pissed when they find out she still only wears black. (I couldn't find a picture of her on the show anywhere, but trust - it was amazing.)

Sidenote #3: I love when Mary's says things like: “We’ve got to get serious and just cut the crap.” Because from my angle SHE'S "the crap," so where does that leave us?

Brandon’s Solo

I just wanted the seizures to stop. That was weird.

Ade/ChaCha

“I got funk.” Sure you do ChaCha. I thought she was a little uptight and Ade actually looked comfortable in the style. The dance was okay for me, the fro pick was NOT. Look at the picture above? Are you kidding me?

INNAPROPRIATE FLIRTING ALERT: Ummm… So Nigel wants to charm Mary out of her clothes? Scandalous! This is a family show people!

Randi’s Solo

Good, it’s about time we saw her dance a solo. She is cute as a button.

Kupono’s Solo


That is a weird outfit and seriously man, what is the point of that tank top? Otherwise, you remind me of Mark and that’s a good thing. Overall I like his strange solos.

Jeanine/Jason

Hello brown haired Travis, you should have won season two even if Benji was supposedly a return missionary.
Hello Jeanine’s undies.
Hello second hand embarrassment at this scandalous dance.
Hello kissing.
Hello Jason, yous a playa.

I liked this, although I turned my head through half of it because it was a little “intimate”. That Travis is saucy. You could tell he worked really hard on putting it together and was so nervous about everyone liking it.

Oldie’s Solo

Eh, forgettable. And Melissa, consider this a warning. Stop with the prom hair PLEEEASE. It doesn’t make you look any younger. Do they have ZERO control over their hair styles? That can't be true, I haven't seen anyone else sporting the prom hair.

Evan’s Solo
Adorable! He’s so much better on his solos. I really wish he was actually the best dancer overall too.

Sidenote: I wish the judges commented on their solos. This week felt like a ton of commercials because everything was so segmented, that’s going to be hard to get used to.

Kayla’s Solo
That was much better than her other solos. BTW, what has happened to her? She’s seems stepford wife happy, it’s creeping me out.

Kupono/Randi

Ooo boy. This was…
60% Awful
20% Straight up bad
10% Nervous
10% Okay

Kupono looked like he had no upper body strength and completely lost. Randi look nervous and jerky. This was one of the worst partnerships ever. Sad! I really like both of them.

Ade’s Solo

This was one of the best solos of the night. It reminded me of Will (it doesn’t help that Will never wore a shirt last season). I must comment on the denim though. Is it stretch? Is not actually denim? It can’t be comfortable to dance in jeans that tight.

Jeanine’s Solo
Still love her, she’s so spunky.

Jason’s Solo
This is my favorite of solo Jason, he’s like Evan, so much better alone than with a partner.

Brandon/Oldie
Very groovy, I guess. Oldie probably remembers the 60’s so she had an advantage here. It was danced well enough. Is my enthusiasm overwhelming?

ChaCha

Kind of unfair to have the ballroom dancers dance by themselves. But what can you do? All I think of when I see her dance is: Heidi, Chelsie, and Lacey. All of them better than ChaCha, too bad.

Group Boys, African

This was good and bad. Ade’s was pratically made for this dance, so the other guys just kind of hung in there with him. Evan embraced his pudgy whiteness, which was endearing and the other guys sweated a lot. Good times.

ELIMINATIONARY

Worst Girl: Janette (only because I love Randi that much)
Worst Guy: Kupono
Who Actually Got Kicked To The Curb: Kupono & Randi

I NEED THIS

(via Cupcakes and Cashmere from Digital Foto Club)

(via Darling Dexter from Urban Outfitters)

So all of a sudden I've seen portable record players popping up in the bloggosphere. And being the proud owner of 30 or so records with nary a player in sight means I need me one of these.

You can go ahead and tab this post for future happy birthday/christmas/tuesday presents pour moi.

Bless your heart, thanks!

LETS MAKE A DEAL

via

I'll stop being depressed about being back in IL/MO (pronounced Ilmo if you're cool) and finally catch up on 25 days of blogging and you’ll forgive me? Okay? Consider the dealio sealed.

And just as a teaser here’s what you can look forward to:

* Utah vacation picture blog-o-rama
* So Can Dance Top 10 and Top 8 (with special commentary from K, J, and Blanchard)
* Raspberry Picking St.Louis style
* Plano 4th of July
* The H-Pott story that will make you cry
* Summer bike riding

It will be legendary, stay tuned.

JENNY, JEN, JUB JUB, J CUP, J, LITTLE J…

This one’s for you. Thanks for the 5x8 taggie.

Things I'm looking forward to:
1. H-Pott, holla!
2. Utah vacation
3. Going on lots of bike rides
4. 2nd book in the Hunger Games trilogy coming out
5. K’s wedding
6. Brad being done with school & residency
7. Having babies someday
8. Owning a house

Things I did this weekend:
1. Went on a bike ride with the husband
2. Nachos at El Mezcal (Brad and I just can’t quit you
3. Made burgers
4. Cleaned the house
5. Watched H-Pott Un
6. Gave a talk on Families at church
7. Watch OC (we are almost done with season 3)
8. Took a long Sunday nap

Things I wish I could do:
1. Be a really great photographer
2. Be a really great painter
3. Be a really great dancer
4. Be a really great cook
5. Be a really great French speaker
6. Be a really great Broadway star
7. Be a really great scriptorian
8. Be a really great design whiz

Shows that I watch:
1. Oldies but goodies (Felicity, Arrested Development, Friends, VMars)
2. Reality TV (So Can Dance, AI, ANTM)
3. 30 Rock
4. The Office
5, 6,7,8. … I think I’ve shamed myself enough

Places I'd like to travel:
1. Greece
2. Australia
3. Italy
4. Southern France
5. Egypt & Israel
6. Ireland & Scotland
7. Prince Edward Island
8. Philippines (to see the places Brad talks about from his mission)

I tag The Alex, aka The Seestar.

CURRENTLY LISTENING: SUMMER NIGHT DRIVING

A sunburned nose, too much laughing, way too much diet coke, and the damp night rolling through my hair. If I close my eyes tight I can even smell breadsticks and feel sand between my toes. I had to explain to Brad that summer night driving music is VERY different from the daytime variety which is all things fun, loud, and ridiculous (aka THIS SONG). Summer night driving is relaxed and chill...

Train - Mississippi

Ryan Adams - La Cienega Just Smiled

Azure Ray - Displaced

Tori Amos - A Sorta Fairytale (there were only fan videos... so just close your eyes and enjoy the music)

Leona Naess - Lazy Days (Incredibly, youtube didn't have this. But it's perfectly summer. Go download it.)

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Under The Bridge (I asked Brad his Summer Night Driving Song and this was his choice. Good work son.)

What Summer Night Driving songs am I missing?

PIPE DOWN ENGLISH MUFFIN

ARE YOU GUYS ALL WARMED UP?

Don’t be alarmed. I’ve started calling a few of them by their real names. Don’t read into it, it doesn’t necessarily mean I like them the best.

A benefit to going to Texas last weekend is that I was able to - BONUS - spend time with The K-ster. Of course we talked So Can Dance and we both timidly agreed that this season has great technique but in terms of dancers it lacks the connection. That sounds utterly ridiculous but seriously… where are the Josh and Katie of this season? We're only half way through but I’m not REALLY feeling it with anyone yet.

Other notables from our conversation is that we both agree ChaCha has horrible hair. She knows she's on TV, right? Then why does she insist on the Nicki & Alex from Full House look (K's input) or Bad Bangs Karen Carpenter look (my input)? Just awful.

... Okay, so we've got double the dances and double the cutting remarks. HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS SPORTS FANS. PS - these aren't in order. Deal with it.

WHATEVER YOU FEEL, JUST DANCE IT

BLONDIE & KUPONO

Contemporary by Mia Michaels
Wow. That was bananas good. I have to admit that I heard this was the best of the night before I watched it (accidentally saw a spoiler on someone’s blog) so my expectations were high and it still blew me away. If I would say anything bad at all it’s that I honestly thought Blondie was a little jerky, and not in that good awkward contemporary kind of way. But she COMMITTED the crap out of it and Kupono did the same, he was amazing. Find Your Center indeed. Standing O. This just made the Best of So Can Dance 09 Blog.

[Ellie emailed me: “Blondie without makeup? Ouch.” Oh, Ells. I miss you.]

Broadway by Joey Dowling
Man, Kupono can really pull off a vest, huh? Two in one night. Anyway, I liked Joey “I Am All Things Awesome” Dowling better this week, and her choreography was much improved. This is my favorite kind of Broadway. Unison, big arms, and crisp costumes. Obviously, I liked this better than the judges, I even went back and watched it again and I really don't see the things they complained about. I will say it ended weirdly abruptly, almost like right before they went on stage the producers were all “PS – we’re cutting your number by ten seconds. Break a leg!” Other than that this was my favorite Broadway of the season.

RUBY & JASON

Foxtrot by Tony Meredith
Eh. At the end of the night I’m not going to remember this. I'm pretty sure the judges were thinking: So you guys are totally going home tomorrow night. We’ll just throw you some general broad comments, forced smiles, and Mary could you throw in a “Yes I did”? No? Okay just say NICE three times then. Done and done.

Lyrical Jazz by Mandy Moore
Ah, the other and less awesome Mandy Moore aka a poor man’s Mia/Sonja. Sucks to be her. Unlike Sonja, her music choice is usually awful/sappy, the clothing is hit-or-miss, and the choreography is 80% blah. I would be upset to pull her number out of the magical hat (aka strategically get assigned to her to manipulate my demise). BUT I will say that this was surprisingly good. Not all time. But I liked it. It's about time these two got the Oldie/Ade treatment and actually danced in their comfort zone.

J-FACE & LIPS

Russian Folk Dance
J says it all in the clip, “Traditional Russian Folk Dancing. Get excited.” Yeah. Um... it just looked like they had to remove all the choreography because Lips couldn’t handle it. Also, why was he pulling all those weird faces? I’ve decided he’s awkward. Her on the other hand, I want to go get a root beer with. She goes up a notch every week, I'm excited to see her with other partners.

Jive by Tony Meredith
"Jive with Passion!"... she's the funniest. And again, she was awesome. He was holding her back and mildly distracting again with all the faces. It's his "I don't know what the crap I'm doing so I just smirk adorably" face, except it's not adorable at all. It's his time to go. Jason and him are definitely in the bottom three, unfortunately. Lips man, I like you, but you're not cuttin it. Let's be friends, k?

RANDI & BROADWAY

Hip-Hop by NappyTabs
For the record: Yuck. I HATE this song with a fiery passion, when did Beyonce start pulling a Jessica Simpson with her voice (aka – over singing), oh that’s right, when she lost the oscar to J-hud. GET OVER IT Beyonce, you’re hot, you don’t get to win the oscar too. Anyway where was I? So NappyTabs have a very specific style of dance. Which I happen to really love. It does tend to be a lot of the same, but it doesn’t bother me. And I like this number, they were both strong, which I didn't expect. Granted they did get baby hip hop (hip, hip hop, hiphopanonymous) but it worked okay. One weird critique I have for Broadway is that he kept tilting his head back and it really felt like his chin should have been tucked down. PS - I’m glad Nigel commented on the proposal coming after the baby, morality in the hizzouse!

Is there anything more awesome then when Napoleon points back at the judges when they compliment him? Love it.

Just a thought who is he going to partner with Broadway when they change it up? Are all the other girls just as short?

Samba by Pasha and Anya
Can we just take a moment for Pasha? I loved that season. Why don't they put shows like this on DVD? I never really loved Anya, but since her and Pasha always dance together (are they a real life couple?) I'll give it up for her too. Pasha... wait, where was I? Oh right, the samba. This was good, not great. It looked like they messed up a few times and Broadway looked a little behind. Just knowing that they are uncomfortable makes me feel uncomfortable watching it... I swear those behind the scenes clips do more harm than good sometimes. They're still my favorite couple, I'm going to be sad to see them split up. And if either of them get eliminated this week I'll kick someone in the baby maker.

CHACHA & CARLTON

Argentine Tango by Leonardo and Miriam
Crap guys. They are really good. Isn’t it lame that the two best dancers are kinda boring? Yawn. I want the good dancers to be someone I’d be friends with.

PS – ChaCha, wait. You speak Spanish? I’m SHOCKED. You haven’t told us that twelve times before.

Jazz by Wade Robson
Luck dogs. The one positive to Bird Face's untimely demise was that at least she got a Wade Robson number. This was for sure my second favorite dance of the night. It reminded me of how much I liked this Neil/Lauren number and this Spanish Guy/B Girl number and this number he did on Dancing With the Stars. Wade Robson is usually dependable for awesomeness. This is the same guy who imitated Michael Jackson on Star Search as a kid (below), choreographed Britney Spears in the early years, and hosted a dance off show on Mtv. He’s pretty amazing. Oh wait, shouldn't I be talking about ChaCha and Brandon here? Fine, this is my deal, it was the choreographer, not necessarily the dancers. A few of the other couples could have done it just as well. I will say that ChaCha did this better than Brandon. But don't get me wrong they are both still crazy good with or without Wade.

OLDIE & ADE


Disco by Doriana Sanchez
Oh Doriana, disco can look a little cheesy? Really? I’m shocked. Okay, Oldie looked a little stiff throughout (maybe nervs? But in this point in the game?) but the fall at the end was kind of endearing. And I'm still diggin Ade. It was hard to pay attention to him with her HAIR taking up the entire screen… but you know. Okay HOLD UP, her HAIR was so fun I didn’t even notice Ade’s ensemble. What the shiny shirt and gold necklace is going on?... okay costume department, you weirdos. So to summarize: I like him, but at this point I wouldn't be sad if he went, and I still wouldn't cry in my cocoa if Oldie goes either.

Waltz by Ron Montez
This was so boring I don't even feel like making a nasty comment and pulling out a Somewhere In Time/Fantasia/watching paint dry reference. It's like "I don't remember a TIME before we started having this conversation".

ELIMINATIONARY

...Do you think Nigel meant to share their elimination process? I kind of felt like he was digging himself a hole and then just kept talking… I guess now we know for a fact that they decide eliminations beforehand. Whatevs.
...No MJ tribute? That’s crap.
...The tour is going to be in St. Louie on Halloween. Anyone want to fly out and go with me?
...GUUUYS. I’m going to be in Utah when they audition for season 6. Anyone feel like spending the night on a sidewalk with me? Huh? Huh?
...Wow. Jason’s solo was really good… too bad he’s going home.
...J-Face… honey. No. Are you dancing at the Cat Scratch later tonight? Is money that tight? I’ll send you twenty bucks if you promise never to wear that again. But A+ on your solo!
...Lips – double props for the music. The Fifth Element rules.
...I’m disappointed Oldie didn’t ride out on Cooper’s motorcycle and then dance in his bed.
...Ade’s solo was really good, I guess HE'S not boring, Oldie is.

...I’m okay with the eliminations. With all the contemporary dancers, Ruby was like 3^rd best. I was sad to see Lips go, but he was def out of his league. I have a sneaking suspicion the judges kept him around as long as possible to get him on tour. They still need to sell some tickets. PS - How interesting is this new Fall season? So while the summer season is going on they can advertise for the fall season. And when the fall season is going on they can advertise for the tour. Sneaky, sneaky. But also genius.

BREAK IT DOWN NOW

***I’m Picking Up What You’re Throwing Down
Carlton/ChaCha
5-0/Blondie

***Riding The Line
Randi/Broadway

***Doing Nothing For Me, But Not Awful
Ade/Oldie

***Should Be Voted Off the Island
Lips/J Face
Aladdin/Ruby

***Who SHOULD go home: Ruby and Lips

***Who I WANT gone: Oldie and Jason

***Who ACTUALLY got kicked to the curb: Ruby and Lips

TO THE LAND OF OSMONDS, FRY SAUCE, AND TEASED HAIR

Hello Friends -

Brad I are off to Utah in a few weeks and since I love organization and Brad loves (no seriously – LOVES) excel we’ve started ourselves a little spreadsheet-o-plans.

Here’s the list.

NEW THINGS I’m excited to see:
William Carn (newest Carn nephew)
Cash Hansen (Amber and Matt’s little guy)
Kasia Crowe (Kjell and JC’s little lady)
Angie with a preggo belly
My mom’s new backyard
Kristin’s new house

FOOD to Eat:
Burger Supreme:: Cheeseburger meal no cheese (Bridget) and Gyros (Brad)
Zupas:: Nuts About Berries (Bridget)
Café Rio:: Veggie Salad (Bridget), smothered Pork Burrito extra meat (Brad)
Panda Express:: This is embarrassing but the closest one is about 45 mins away and we love us some orange chicken…. mmmm.

OUTDOOR PLACES to possibly visit:
Mount Timp:: we might hike it, anyone want to join?
The Narrows:: Brad has never done it, we plan to venture south for a day
Drive the Alpine Loop

Things I’m exited TO DO IN UTAH THAT I CAN’T DO IN IL/MO:
Enjoy no humidity
Watch cable
Snuggle with the Moose Burger:: Chris and Angie’s dog
The Phebes:: mom’s dog
Go swimming:: pretty please, Chris?
Run safely outdoors
Have fun with K and Jen
Get some Shade/Modbe/Down East paraphernalia
Go to Macey’s
Got to Ikea and SuperTarget
So Can Dance viewing with K and Jen
Go to Nordstrom:: I’m a girl, get over it

Places to Visit FOR OLD TIMES SAKE
Out N Back
Macey’s:: I’m a nerd, I really miss my local Provo grocer
BYU:: Scoreboard Grill or Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears, anyone?

We want this trip to be EPIC. Mostly because we won’t be back for at least a year but also because Brad starts school again in August and he won’t ever have a summer vacation again (I know, tear, right?). So we want this trip to be top notch. Meaning we need your input. What are we forgetting? (I've heard rumors of an excellent cup cake place?)

Disclaimer - we will do our best to see everyone, but the burden of tracking us down may be on you. Not that we are THAT awesome, we just don’t want anyone to be offended if we don’t make significant plans. We just have a lot family in Utah and they pretty much come first. But don’t be afraid to call/text/email/ or leave a comment, we would love to see all of you… just be warned that Chinese fast food may be involved.

MAYBE IT'S A HAWAIIAN THING

ARE YOU GUYS ALL WARMED UP?

Okay. So confession time: ItakenoteswhilewatchingSoCanDance. There I said it. It feels shameful because even though we’ve already established that I’m a big nerd this feels like suspenders/Kenny G/Comicon levels of nerdism. Think about it, I legitimately sit there writing notes on a TV show that I have zero affiliation with and then post them on a blog that exactly 2 people read. I just know I’m going to be a really embarrassing mother someday. Okay so the explanation for my confession is that I started reviewing my notes this morning and found the following phrases:

- The French man allowed his wife to speak? I thought he cut her tongue out years ago.
- Mary, tamale, hot mess, awful.
- Insert Center Stage reference here.
- Did they just say “condom”?
- I miss hyper-critical-bizznatch Mia.
- Oldie looks especially old.

I lead a funny little life. And even though that pretty much sums up the night, I’m still submitting you to a lengthy and pointless critique that satisfies my urge to JUDGE (snarky commentary included).

Oh PS – I know you’ve been sitting on the edge of your seat for this post. CALM DOWN. We had a jam packed weekend in Plano visiting my dad... and Bradley got a bit sunburned. That's what you get with 103 degree 4th of July pool parties. More on that later.

WHATEVER YOU FEEL, JUST DANCE IT

Carlton/Cha Cha
I thought this was all sorts of: Just Okay. I think they are starting to be awesomely boring. It stinks for them that I expect something AMAZING, but I need to be entertained. Deal with it. What’s with Nigel calling it the best cha cha ever? Okay man, I’ll take your word for it. And apparently Mia and Carlton are in some sort of fight club because she’s toughest on the ones she loves? Smooth Mia. Anyway, I still liked it, but haven't we seen this exact dance the last 3 weeks? The Under The Legs Move at the end was the best part.

Sidenote – Did you see the guy in the audience with the Russian ski hat on? Is he protesting Russian A’s untimely elimination? Is it cold in the studio? Was it a dare? I’m so confused. Plus he’s really distracting. I can’t focus on any of the awkward choreographer shout outs now.

5-0/Blondie
When they showed them before the commercial break I was worried that it was some type of Corpse Bride ode. But OH CONTRAIRE FRIENDS! Twilight has taken over our lives! Even Sonja is on Team Edward. Seriously though she really does continue to be awesome. I wish we could be friends. And Twilight aside I actually loved this. She just consistently kicks trash with the outfits, song choice, and choreography. Mia says 5-0 and season 4 alum Mark have Calm Power – deep. AND how do I say this PC? Does 5-0’s… lisp… get stronger every week? I swear he didn’t talk like that 3 weeks ago. And even though I can admit that Blondie might be good, she still bugs. Someone needs to let her know that America loves an underdog. FYI no one cheers for the "Did you see how on I was tonight?" chick.

Unitard/Broadway
Guys… I didn’t love this. I thought the choreography was weak and they danced it a little sloppy. And I’ve even seen Fosse, I get the concept, I just didn’t love the interpretation of it. I wanted it to be faster (or the music slower) and I wanted it to be more campy and big (maybe more people?). Plus Unitard’s outfit was horribly unflattering (maybe that’s why Mia thought she danced “heavy”). And even though the judges thought Unitard was better, I thought Broadway was better (and I liked his hair). This is hurting my head. I REALLY wanted to love this, but I didn’t. Blah.

Aladdin/Ruby
Well color me suprised! I really liked this. I thought the choreography was interesting and fun. Although come on! How could alien impregnation not but fun? Also, I have to give Ruby props for TOTALLY WORKING that truly awful costume (Dancing condom? Can they say that on TV?). Even though it was 2 cups of crazy, I thought they danced this well enough.

Cartoon Lips/Emmy Rossum
First can we address the Nappy Tab name for Tabitha and Napoleon? When did this happen? Where was I? I guess it’ll save me some key strokes. Moving on… I always have mixed feeling about Lips and Emmy. I liked the choreography, their outfits weren’t awful (although HELLO BRA!), I like both of their personalities, and I loved the song. I think ultimately I’m with Mia, they did it well, but the chain was a little distracting. I could see them seriously focusing on: CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN. I just went back and watched this again and I think knowing they don't trip over the chain makes it more enjoyable to watch the second time around. They deserve to be in the top 10.

Fro Pick/Oldie

Seriously guys, the only notes I took for this were:

...What the magic hat is going on? (Yeah, like they randomly drew this. Has a couple ever been spoon fed their routines more than these two?)

...Insert Center Stage reference. (Queu Jody's well placed tear.)

...Oldie looks especially old. (Sorry! Couldn't they do a modern take on the costuming?)

I guess a few of those aren't their fault. Either way, can the So Can Dance producers check Classical Ballet off their list now and get rid of Oldie?

Orphan/Laker Girl

Aside from worrying that Orphan would snap off one of LG's painfully skinny arms my instinct was that any other couple could have danced this better. It was cute and fun and they did a pretty good job, but I wish Unitard and Broadway would have had this number. Not a great sign.

ELIMINATIONARY

***It's getting down the to the wire but there are still a few weak links. That was not the bottom three I imagined, but I'm pretty sure the judges needed approximately 3 seconds to deliberate over who was going home.

***Emmy danced her little heart out and even though she clearly did the best she was shocked when the judges praised her. Take notes Blondie - It's called endearing yourself to the public and also BEING AWESOME.

BREAK IT DOWN NOW

***I’m Picking Up What You’re Throwing Down
5-0/Blondie
Cartoon Lips/Emmy Rossum

***Riding the line
Aladdin/Ruby
Carlton/Cha Cha

***Doing Nothing For Me, But Not Awful
Unitard/Broadway
Fro Pick/Oldie

***Should Be Voted Off the Island
Orphan/Laker Girl

***Who SHOULD go home: Orphan & Laker Girl
***Who I WANT gone: Orphan & Oldie
***Who ACTUALLY got kicked to the curb: Orphan & Laker Girl

Since I've been a slacker here are some rumors going around the blogs for this weeks show:

...Every pair will dance twice (finally!)

...Carlton/ChaCha - Tango &Jazz

...5-O/Blondie - Contemporary & ?

...Lips/Emmy - Russian Folk Dance & Jive

End Note: Does anyone else WAY overanalyze how the group free dances together while the credits are rolling? Just me? Okay. Well from my close scrutiny I think Unitard and Blondie are BFFs, Ade is the playa, no one likes Carlton, and everyone loves Lips. Yeah, I'm insane.