Why I love SYTYCD this Season

Hip Hop Routine by Alex and Twitch
(Why? Alex does ballet! Watch the magic of this routine!)

Click title to see the amazing routine!

Mr. Lynch Ain't Dead

Mark Williams. One of the only people in the world that could make Mel Gibson look sane. I can't even discuss the disgusting letterthat follows in much more depth than to echo the sentiment from Keith Ohlbermann, if the Tea Party wants to ever dispel the idea that they are racists, they need to distance themselves publicly from douchebags like this. I present The Mark Williams letter, in its entirety:

Dear Mr. Lincoln

We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!

In fact we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the ‘tea party movement’.

The tea party position to “end the bailouts” for example is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn’t that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds.

And the ridiculous idea of “reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government.” What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves and make decisions!

The racist tea parties also demand that the government “stop the out of control spending.” Again, they directly target coloreds. That means we Coloreds would have to compete for jobs like everybody else and that is just not right.

Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government “stop raising our taxes.” That is outrageous! How will we coloreds ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The tea party expects coloreds to be productive members of society?

Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and let us get back to where we belong.

Sincerely

Precious Ben Jealous, Tom’s Nephew NAACP Head Colored Person


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SYTYCD - 7/14 Performance Night

Hard to watch the show now that my favorite, Alex, was injured and forced to quit the competition. Still, great dancing ahead...and more injuries (Ashley).

The new format is great! Here we go!

Lauren and Mark (Tahitian)
Sometimes when they do more cultural dances, they struggle to provide a reference to the artform and worse, they come off quite boring. This was wonderful and exciting and challenging. And more importantly...memorable for all the right reasons.

Adecheke and Anya - Salsa
That was kinda hot. He still kinda dances a bit like a contemporary dancer doing salsa. But damn if he didn't pull it off.

José and Courtney - Broadway
Uhhh...they really kinda didn't give him much to work with. I mean, it was really a weak routine that didn't pull his strengths out and minimize his weaknesses.

Robert and Allison - Contemporary
It was magical. Travis is one of the best things to come out of this show. There were so many beautiful moments within the piece and Robert was just incredible.
Wow...first cry of the season.
(Shut. Up.)

Billy and Anya - Jive
Really good routine and again, he's a dance beast! Not awkward and not like a contemporary dancer doing another style.

Kent and Neil - Broadway
It was fun! It played to all of Kent's strengths and the pairing of him with Neil was so perfect for the song, it was kind of a moment for him.

Billy and Lauren - Jazz
Again, another fun routine. It was inspired and they really made what could've easily been a corny and contrived routine something fun to watch.

José and Dominic - Hip Hop
That was hot! There was so much going on and so many hot tricks that it was unreal! Was it the best NappyTabs routine? Hell no! Was it memorable? I think so.

Adecheke and Kent - Contemporary
I thought it was danced well, but there was an emotional disconnect for me. I didn't latch on to this piece like I did the earlier contemporary piece. Still, fantastic dancers.

Robert and Ashley - Disco
Okay, I don't get the disco routines. It's not my favorite and sometimes it looks like Trickopolooza. It was a good routine, but THANK GOD for his first routine.

Tops : Robert, Kent, and Lauren

In danger: José and Adecheke

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American Idol - Final 3

So now that Michael is gone, we have a sad footrace w/Crystal. Two songs, one by the judges, one from the contestants. Let's see how they do...

Casey James - Ok, It's Alright With Me
It was okay...good choice of genre, but not as impressive as it could have been. It was really, just safe and kinda boring.

Crystal Bowersox - Come To My Window
I hate the way the song was truncated, but she sounded really good. This is her genre. This is her vibe. It's a lovely story and I just felt like it was abbreviated.

Lee Dewyze - Simple Man
Voice is always interesting, but I swear this is one of those songs you'd hear at the end of an episode of 90210. Great vocal, but not a moment.

Casey - Daughters
Nice job, but if Crystal or Lee come out guns a'blazin....he'll be going home.
I do have a quibble...as they argue about it being a song w/o this big crescendo, I wonder why they chose the song if it wasn't gonna give him a moment?

Crystal - Baby, I'm Amazed
Again, another song where the singer gave a lovely performance, but I'm not a lover of her voice. That said, she did a good job. Awkward lack of gender change.

Lee Dewyze - hallelujah
Simon is genius.
The song. The build. The pagentry. Amazing! I think he won Idol with that song.

Top 2: Lee and Crystal
Going Home: Casey





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The Single Best Argentine Tango on DWTS

I love Derek and Nicole. They have been frontrunners all season, and this routine is the reason why. Un fucking believable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkp5i8fTCw&feature=youtube_gdata


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Idol Final 4 - Songs of the Movies

Jamie Foxx is the mentor. Let's roll.

Lee Dewyze - Kiss from a Rose
Pitchy and all over the place. Not really original and not vocally a winner.

Michael Lynche - Will You Be There
Not bad, but he needed to take the song to church. He may have gone to a Methodist church, but that needed to be Southern Baptist, in the aisles, preaching, testifying, etc. It just wasn't enough.

Crystal/Lee - Falling Slowly
Lovely. She was very confident throughout and Lee rose to the occasion.

Casey James - Mrs. Robinson
Slightly better than karaoke. He did sound good.

Crystal Bowersox - I'm Alright
I love her, but I wasn't in love with the song or the song choice.

Casey/Michael - To Really Love a Woman
Nicely done! Better than the solos!

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Brava!

Kristen Chenoweth proves again and again she is a class act!

This is the Advocate.com article about how this star stood up against homophobic reviews of costar Sean Hayes.

Kristin Chenoweth has posted a defense of Promises, Promises costar Sean Hayes on Newsweek's website after the actor was attacked in an article that many readers have deemed “homophobic,” even though it was written by a gay journalist. In an article titled “Straight Jacket” that was posted on Newsweek.com on April 26, Ramin Setoodeh has drawn the ire of many readers for implying that it’s impossible to believe openly gay actors as straight characters. Setoodeh specifically takes aim at Hayes for his otherwise much-lauded performance in the hit Broadway revival of the musical, for which he has been nominated for a Tony award as Best Actor.

Among the irate is actress Chenoweth, currently appearing as the love interest of Hayes’s character Chuck Baxter. Here is Chenoweth’s full response:

“As a longtime fan of Newsweek and as the actress currently starring opposite the incredibly talented (and sexy!) Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of 'Promises, Promises,' I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh's horrendously homophobic 'Straight Jacket,' which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight. From where I stand, on stage, with Hayes, every night — I've observed nothing "wooden" or "weird" in his performance, nor have I noticed the seemingly unwieldy presence of a 'pink elephant' in the Broadway Theater. (The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Tony members must have also missed that large animal when nominating Hayes' performance for its highest honors this year.) I'd normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too 'queeny' to play 'straight.') This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile. Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that 'as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.' Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That's so sad, Newsweek! The examples he provides (what scientists call 'selection bias') to prove his 'gays can't play straight' hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now! Openly gay Groff is too 'queeny' to play Lea Michele's boyfriend in Glee, but is a 'heartthrob' when he does it in Spring Awakening? Cynthia Nixon only 'got away with it' 'cause she peaked before coming out? I don't know if you've missed the giant Sex and the City movie posters, but it seems most of America is 'buying it.' I could go on, but I assume these will be taken care of in your 'Corrections' this week.

“Similarly, thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to enjoy Hayes' performance and don't seem to have one single issue with his sexuality! They have no problem buying him as a love-torn heterosexual man. Audiences aren't giving a darn about who a person is sleeping with or his personal life. Give me a break! We're actors first, whether we're playing prostitutes, baseball players, or the Lion King. Audiences come to theater to go on a journey. It's a character and it's called acting, and I'd put Hayes and his brilliance up there with some of the greatest actors period. 
Lastly, as someone who's been proudly advocating for equal rights and supporting GLBT causes for as long as I can remember, I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can't be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams. I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!"

Damien Walters 2010

I wanna be him when I grow up!

More Captain America News

Guess who's playing the Red Skull?

http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2010/05/hugo-weaving-to-play-red-skull-in-captain-america/