Simple Man Entertainment

“Live to Dance” – B-Girl Precious Moments, Lyrical Popping, and More

2011-01-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Most of you already know that I’m a sucker for anything related to dance. I’m a fan of the arts – especially music and dance. When a show combines the two, you usually get some form of magic that is incredible to watch (unless of course you have to watch David Hasselhoff on Dancing with the Stars).

One new show that just premiered this past week is “Live to Dance,” headed up by Paula Abdul. Since it was related to dance, I decided to give it a watch and see if it was any good. Along with well known Abdul (you’ve seen her on American Idol trying to keep Simon in line and never succeeding) two other judges are a part of the show. Travis Payne is another dance expert that sits as a judge, and he definitely has the credentials to judge dancers with his history of being a professional dancer and choreographer to none other than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The last judge is Kimberly Wyatt, singer and dancer with the well known Pussycat Dolls.

This show is all about dancers who truly “live to dance.” Dancers are encouraged to show off their talents in the “dome” and there is no age limit or particular type of dance required. From tango, to tap, to hip hop, or ballet, anything goes in this competition. Auditions were held already in New York City and in Los Angeles and judges sent many home and kept a few around to compete for chance to be in the semi finals and later the finals. Up for grabs is the title of “Live to Dance” champion as well as $500,000, which isn’t a shabby prize at all.

So, the question is, was I impressed? Actually, I was impressed and it surprised even me. I was expecting the show to be a lame version of American Idol (as you can tell, I’m not a fan), but I was pleasantly surprised. What really caught my attention was the huge diversity of dancers that showed up to audition. From 5 to 90+, there were dancers of every age. Almost every style you can think of was represented as well.

Of course, some of the dancing was laughable. Then, there were dancers that were stunning. Several of them caught my attention. Probably one of the most inspirational was a hearing impaired teen who really brought the house down with her b-girl style talent. While she didn’t make the cut, she definitely grabbed the hearts of everyone in that audience.

Another group that caught my attention was a family of five kids, with the smallest of the five introducing herself as “B-Girl Precious Moments.” Their dancing was incredible, “Precious Moments” was adorable, and their story was heartwarming. This family lived in their car for some time and when they did get a house, they actually converted the entire house into a dance studio/community center to teach dance to kids in the community. This family definitely lives to dance!

A popper performed one act that was truly magical. His moves were fresh and crisp. However, what really grabbed me is that his moves were telling the story of the music. I believe he created a new style of dance – Lyrical Popping (no doubt someone will steal my term in the next few months…so remember, you saw it here first).

These are only a few of the incredible dancers that were seen on this show. Some routines made you laugh, others made you hold your breath, and some almost brought tears to your eyes with their beauty. When dancers can touch your heart, something special is happening, which makes me wonder why so many people have a problem with dancing (but that’s a topic for another blog).

I’m looking forward to seeing what else “Live to Dance” has to offer in the future. In any event, it should give me a dose of dance until “So You Think You Can Dance” comes back this summer.

The Real Top 6 Results Show…..Finally

2010-07-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yep they have finally cut a dancer, well actually two dancers from the shows competing Top 6 dancers last night. The reason that they cut two dancers last night was that no dancers were cut the week before due to injuries sustained by Billy and Jose. However, the Season 7 finale of So You Think You Can Dance is two weeks from now, so the double cut this week was entirely necessary in order to conform to that timetable.

Interestingly enough the to dancers who sustained injuries last week Billy and Jose wound up in the bottom 3 this week along with Lauren, who was hurt on this weeks Wednesday night show. I was actually quite surprised to see Lauren in the bottom 3 because not only has she never been there; she is just that good too. I personally hope that Laurens injury is the last one for this season of So You Think You Can Dance.

I really thought that all of the dancers had a good week this week with very good performances although none of the routines I thought was really all that standout when compared to other routines like Addiction, Mad, or A Women’s Work. I also felt that the results shows Mia Michaels choreographed opening routine was just okay I liked the music more than the performance, but who doesn’t like Sting.

The guest performances were very entertaining what with the dancers from the new movie Step Up 3D performing routines to a three-song medley from the films soundtrack. The Dancers were awesome and the music most certainly suited the performance. Recording artist Allison Iraheta performed her new single “Don’t Waste the Pretty” featuring Orianthi. Christian TV also performed and almost put me to sleep.

Anyway, I guess I should just get down to business and tell you who the two dancers were that were cut and they were surprise surprise Jose and Billy. Well actually this really didn’t come as any big surprise to me, because Jose has been the number one target in the shooting gallery from the judged although they like him and Billy has been in the bottom 3 for a couple of weeks now. Kudos go out to the judges for keeping Lauren.

Well I guess that about does it for this weeks SYTYCD review, but we will be back again next week with results for the show too. Next week the judges no longer decide who stays or who goes that will be up to the fans, so we will get to see if the mob gets it right or totally screws up and I will let you know which is which. We hope you all have an awesome weekend and we will see you again right here at Simple Man Entertainment.

SYTYCD WEEK 5: DE JA VU!!!!!

2010-07-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

That is right for the second straight week this contest sent home a dancer who was injured and could not compete. I personally think that this sucks, because none of the dancers in the bottom three had to earn their spots for next week. As you all remember last week Alex Wong had to leave, because of a lacerated Achilles tendon and this week Ashley Galvan had to leave too. However, in Ashley’s case we have no idea what her medical reason was for leaving only that the reason was medical.

Now that Ashley is gone there is only one girl left in the competition and five guys, which is really interesting. Fortunately for Lauren she is an off the chain dancer with serious skills and a great stage presence. Of the five boys that are left I think the only one she cannot beat right now is Kent, who is an awesome dancer, crowd Fav, and adored by the judges. Billy, Robert, Jose, and Adechike are the ones that I think have something to worry about. I also think that if Ashley had not left that Jose would have went home this week.

However, giving credit where credit is due I have to say that all of the dancers who competed this past week had great performances. The only dancer who garnered any criticism was Jose for his Broadway number choreographed by Joey Dowling, and performed with Courtney. The judges were unanimous in their critique that Jose’s lack of training was very evident in the routine and that it did not allow his personality to show though as well. I have to tell you though that is B-Boy routine with Dominic was wild though I loved it.

I have to tell you though that my absolute favorite routine of the week was a routine danced by Robert and Allison, and was choreographed by Travis Walls. The routine was about Travis and his mother and the struggle they are dealing with regarding his mother’s health. The music for this routine was “Fix You” by Coldplay one of my favorite bands and was an appropriate song for the dance. The judges were so awe-struck by the power of this routine that it got standing O from them and Mia Michaels had her cry.

On the night of the results show, the audience and the TV viewers got a great treat. An artist by the name of Christina Perri performed her new hit song “Jar of Hearts”, and the song is very new too. This virtually unknown artist was waitressing in a local L.A. diner just a few weeks ago, when she met choreographer Stacy Tookey and introduced her to her song. To say the least after Stacy used her song in one of the routines she choreographed the song went viral overnight and now Christina Perri is a household name.

I am sorry this post is late, but I do hope you enjoy this post and the new show, which will be airing tomorrow night. I also highly recommend that you take a minute to check out the song “Jar of Hearts” I think you will really like it. Let us just hope that tragedy does not strike again this week and that the one who is cut actually earns it. I would really be interested in your feedback about both the show and the new song because I may write about it at Simple Man Music. Thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

SYTYCD WEEK 4: TRAGEDY STRIKES…..

2010-07-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Yes that is right this week tragedy did indeed strike the Fox hit show So You Think You Can Dance. During the rehearsal process leading up to the competition phase, which airs on Wednesday night, Alex Wong suffered a Lacerated Achilles Tendon. Alex was rehearsing his Bollywood routine with co-competitor Adechike when the injury occurred. The injury that Alex sustained will no doubt change the entire dynamic of the competition.

Fortunately, there are some great dancers on the show and I am sure that the Season 7 So You Think You Can Dance show will continue to be an awesome dance competition despite the loss of Alex Wong. There are many excellent dancers to watch and root for like Kent, Lauren, Ashley, and Jose. Robert, Billy, and Adechike are also very good, but something tells me that none of these three will be there at the end. Luckily for the seven remaining dancers Alex’s injury saved them all until next week.

It is my prediction that this competition is now Kents to lose. Kent is not only a very talented dancer and performer, but has amazing appeal to the fans of the So You Think You Can Dance. It appears that Alex and Kent had gotten to be very close friends during their time together on the show, and Kent even remarked that losing his best friend was painful to him. In an interview after the show, Alex also mentioned the fact that he and Kent were very tight friends. They both also said that they would miss the other.

As far as the remaining seven dancers go, I think that barring any serious faux pa is that Kent will win the competition. That is not to say that Kent has no competition when there are dancers like Billy, who is definitely the most gifted dancer on the show now. I also think that both Ashley and Lauren are seriously in the hunt for the title as well. I do not think that Jose even with his likability can win, because he lacks skill. Robert who is as good as Billy cannot connect with the fans, and Adechike is lucky, but inferior.

My last prediction for this weeks post is that should Adechike wind up in the bottom three, he will without a doubt from the competition. I know that in the past, I have voiced my opinion that Adechike should be cut, and I really believe that he should even though his performances last week were not bad. I will also say that this young man is a talented dancer, but I do not think that he is the caliber of dancer that any of the other six remaining dancers are.

That is it for this week’s recap of So You Think You Can Dance. We will be back again next week with our coverage of week 5 of the show. As for Alex Wong, I hope he gets better very soon and comes back for season 8. Nigel and the show have seen fit to extend Alex this courtesy and he most certainly deserves it. From us here at Simple Man Entertainment have a great weekend and we will see you soon, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

9 Performances, 9 Great Dancers, But Where Are Their Personalities?????

2010-07-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

I would really like to know the answer to that question. There is no doubt in my mind that these nine dancers are anything other than phenomenal. Lets face it if they were not they would not be in L.A. on that stage. However, every week we see awesome routines form the contestants and the all stars, but we are really left with no idea of most of these dancers personalities, which makes these excellently choreographed routines feel a little fake.

Fortunately, I am not able to say this about all of the dancers this week, because a couple of them really stepped up their game last night, and I even got kind of a pleasant surprise too. Unfortunately, I am able to say this about most of the dancers, some of which are definitely crowd favorites, For the record though I am not the only one watching this program or judging these dancers who feels the same way. Last night the judges continuously re-iterated and confirmed my statement.

Some of those who took this particular criticism from the judges are Billy Bell, Kent Boyd, and Melinda Sullivan, Lets face it Billy and Kent are most certainly crowd favorites. Billy Bell is almost certainly the most genius dancer ever on the show, and Kent according to Adam is the most hirable dancer ever to compete on So You Think You can Dance, yet they continually hide themselves instead of letting go and getting totally into the routine. As for Melinda she just cannot seem to connect and will probably be going home this week.

On the positive side of this week’s criticism, I have to give kudos to Adechike. This young, talented dancer had really struggled the first two weeks showing a total lack of personality and I believe dance quality, really stepped up to the plate and delivered last night. The first two weeks it was my opinion that he should have been the one to go home and that the fans really screwed up. However, I now I hope they let him move on to week four in the competition because he really showed great improvement this week.

The two dancers that really impressed me last night were Ashley Galvan and Alex Wong. Ashley paired up with all star Ade, and performed a contemporary piece that was not only beautiful, and completely believable, but her best yet. As far as Alex Wong goes I think last night he set the standard and stole the show with is Hip Hop routine with all star Twitch. That is right his partner was not only a guy, but arguable the best in his genre and Alex not only kept up with him, but he totally dominated the performance.

I am going to stop right here for now, because I have pressing personal business to attend to, but Simple Man Entertainment will be back tomorrow to tell you all about tonight’s results show. I hope you all enjoy this post and the videos, especially the Hip Hop routine it is off the chain. I hope you all have a terrific Thursday evening and I will be back next week for another round of So You Think You Can Dance.

So You Think You Can Dance: Season 7 Week 2 Results Show

2010-06-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

The dancer has been cut and week 2 of the So You Think You Can Dance competition is officially in the bag. I have to say that I had a good time watching last nights show, because there were some very cool guest performances along with some great dance solos by the bottom three contestants. For the record though I have to say that I was once again dissatisfied with the all-important decision of which dancer goes home this week. Anyway, let us get down to business here and talk about the show.

Like every results show for So You Think You Can Dance it started with a group routine performed by the dancers in the competition. The group routine was choreographed by one of my favorite choreographers Sonja, who specializes in contemporary, jazz, and anything with a cool weird vibe. The music was a song called Royal-T performed by Crookers ft Roisin Murphy. The routine was very physical with many great tricks in it and I totally enjoyed it.

Last nights show featured two guest performances for the viewers and I have to say that I really thought that both performances were excellent. The first guest performance was by Remote Control featuring my favorite locker Brian Gaynor from Kennesaw, GA. I mentioned Brian in an earlier post that talked about getting to the Top 11 for this season. Brian Gaynor is a young man who suffers from Scoliosis, which is a neuromuscular disease with no cure. What an awesome performance by the Remote Control crew last night.

Guest performer number two was an up and coming singer songwriter named Debi Nova, who hails form Costa Rica, which is a country in Central America. Last night she performed a single off her new album called “Drummer Boy”. This tune has a great dance vibe and is a mix of pop, Latin, and Caribbean styles I think you should check it out along with some of her other music. Debbie performed “Drummer Boy” and featured six of the So You Think You Can Dance all-star dancers.

Now for the news you have all been waiting for. Last nights bottom three dancers were Cristina and Melinda again along with male dancer Robert. All three of these dancers had awesome performances on Wednesday night and their solos last night were no exception either. Unfortunately at the end of last nights show Cristina Santana was the one going home, while Melinda and Robert lived to dance again next week. I really think that the fans again got it all wrong, because for some reason Adechike managed to survive another week.

That’s about all we have for you this week for So You Think You Can Dance, but like always we will be back again next week for the competition and results show. We wish you and yours a wonderful and safe weekend my friends, from all of us here at Simple Man Entertainment, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 7: Top 10 Dance…Girls Step Up the Competition

2010-06-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. If you watched So You Think You Can Dance last night, you know what an incredible show it was. From hip-hop to Bollywood, we saw it all and here’s a closer look at how the show went.

Last week the guys were incredible. In fact, I even started to think that the guys could take this competition away. The results show proved that theory possible, with all girls in the bottom three. Apparently, that was enough to scare the girls because last night, the girls stepped up the competition!

Cristina kicked off the show with a hot Paso Doble routine danced with All Star Pasha. Every move was hot and Nigel had it right when he said it had “power, passion, fire, and control.” Ashley danced a beautiful Jazz routine with All Star Mark. Although the judges didn’t think the routine was really a jazz piece, it still was well danced and beautiful. Melinda showed that she could step it up as well. Dancing a contemporary piece with All Star Ade, she stunned the judges with her fantastic lines. The last of the girls, Lauren, blew it away with a hip hop routine danced with All Star Dominic. A piece dealing with domestic violence against women, this performance was extraordinary and perhaps my favorite for the night. Every routine by the girls was memorable for me.

On the other hand, the guys were a bit disappointing this week. Adechike’s contemporary routine was a bit better than last week’s performance, but Mia reminded him that dance isn’t just an art form, “dance is a heart form.” Alex Wong disappointed a bit on his Broadway routine, and Billy Bell’s krump routine didn’t go quite as planned. Sorry Lil C, there was no Billy B Buck here. Even Robert’s Argentine Tango left something to be desired, although his footwork did look good. Jose’s Bollywood routine definitely showed his “bright light,” but his technique was definitely lacking.

Dancing last was Kent Boyd, along with All Star Courtney. They were dancing a Jazz piece, and out of all the guys, I felt Kent had the best performance for the night. The piece was memorable, steamy, and beautiful. Although the judges want more maturity from Kent and Nigel even commented that he didn’t think Kent had as much fun with this routine, I disagreed. For the guys, I thought this was the best routine of the night. Sorry judges, I think your expert opinions went wrong here.

Now the votes are up to America, and tonight we’ll see who ends up in the bottom three. However, I don’t think we’ll see all girls in the bottom this week. Make sure you catch the results show tonight, and if you don’t, we’ll be back tomorrow to let you know what happened on So You Think You Can Dance.

So You Think You Can Dance: Season 7: 1st Week Results Show

2010-06-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we all got a chance to watch the 1st results show for the SYTYCD contest, and it was a good show, although I was surprised by the end result as well as a guest performer. As usual though we did get to see some great dancing as well as hear some great music. The opening dance routine for the show featuring the contestants was excellent. The dancers performed a routine to the song Acapella Kelis and choreographed by Cassandra Chavez

After the opening number and routine we got to find out, which three contestants wound up in the bottom after Wednesday nights voting. Now I have to tell you that I was really surprised by who wound up in the bottom three and I also have to say that the voting public really got it wrong this time. The bottom three performers were Melinda, Alexie, and Cristina. I personally thought it should have been Adechike, Lauren, in the bottom three with Alexie.

Last nights show featured three guest performances. First, there was a great guest dance performance from Twyla Tharp’s dance company featuring Keith Roberts and Karine Plantadit dancing to Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” from the Broadway show Come Fly Away. The second guest performer was Usher who performed his new hit “OMG”. After performing OMG, Usher then introduced us all to the new Justin Beiber video, which also features Usher.

However, as we all know the reason for the results show is to find out who was cut from the competition and who was not. Considering the choice of dancers that the judges had to cut from in the bottom three, I think they made the right decision. The bottom three dancers each had to dance a solo for their lives in order to convince the judges, who should stay, and as we expected Alexie went home. I think Adechike should have been the one to go home, because his performance was the worst on Wednesday night.

That is all for now from Simple Man Entertainment and I hope you all enjoy this post. I also hope that you check out So You Think You Can Dance every Wednesday evening for a two-hour show, and Thursday evening for the one-hour results show.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 7 – Top 11 Compete

2010-06-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was the night we’ve all been waiting for – the top 11 finally were competing for the title, “America’s Favorite Dancer.” It was an incredible night, the dancing was incredible, and there were definitely some clear favorites by the end of the night. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the incredible from last night’s So You Think You Can Dance Show.

The Good
First, let’s take a look at the good routines from last night. There were a lot of good routines. At this stage in the game, there really is no question that these are all amazing dancers. Billy Bell kicked off the night dancing with All Star Lauren and took us all back to the movie Footloose. Salsa girl Cristina danced a lovely Jazz routine with All Star Mark, which stunned Adam and left Mia proud. Jose dove into a hip hop routine with All Star Comfort. It was good, but I had to agree with Adam, Jose needs more power. It was too easy for him to get lost dancing next to Comfort. A couple other good routines included Alexie and Twitche’s hip hop (although I think she needs to hit harder), and Ashley and Neil’s contemporary piece, which was beautiful and special.

The Bad
Grant it, all of the dancers pulled their routine’s off fairly well. However, there were a couple that really fell a bit flat and that brought some tough criticism from the judges. The first dancer to really get negative criticism from the judges was Adechike, who danced a Travis Wall contemporary routine with All Star Katherine. The big problem here was chemistry and a lack of performance. Melinda’s Jive (also known as the kiss of death on the show) with Pasha was another routine that got harsh criticism. The judges felt that the style didn’t suite Melinda and that she tried to hide her weakness with her performance. Lauren’s Pop Jazz routine with Ade also drew criticism for having no connection and no character. These dancers could be in danger tonight, but we’ll see what America has to say.

The Incredible!
Now let’s talk about the incredible. I have two words – Alex Wong. Alex was paired with All Star Allison for a Contemporary routine by Sonja. They danced to the song “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. Absolutely breathtaking and incredible. Two judges were on their feet and Nigel proclaimed that this dance set a new standard for the show. Mia went even further, saying it “was the best piece done anywhere on any stage on So You Think You Can Dance.”

Another of the incredible routines was done by Robert along with All Star Courtney. They danced an African Jazz routine that the judges and the crowd loved. Adam even called Robert one of the best contemporary dancers ever.

In a Category of His Own…
Last, but certainly not least, was Kent. I felt he definitely needed a category of his own. Kent Boyd danced a Cha Cha routine with All Star Anya, choreographed by Tony and Melanie. Was his technique incredible? No. However, his personality and his enthusiasm for the dance had the crowd going wild and the judges throwing out glowing compliments. Nigel even called him a “Young Paul Newman,” and Adam felt that he blasted through any weaknesses he may have had. There is something about the smile and enthusiasm from this 18 year old kid from Wapakoneta that draws you into the dance. Something tells me Kent is safe tonight.

The show was phenomenal. I can hardly wait to see these dancers on stage again. I love the new format as well. I wasn’t sure how it would play out, but seeing some of my favorites from the past and the incredible pieces they are dancing out there with this season’s contestants is awesome. Something magical seems to be happening on that stage and I just can’t wait to see more. Stay tuned, we’ll be back tomorrow to talk about the results.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 7 Premier…..

2010-06-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last night we saw a completely new way of doing the SYTYCD contest shows. I really love the new format for the show using the all star dancers from previous seasons as partners for this season’s contestants. Another cool thing about this season is that the judges make no cuts that they want; it is all up to the fan votes as to who goes and who stays.

Last night’s show was the only show of the season where no contestant was in jeopardy of being cut from the Top 11. We also got a chance to see this seasons dancers perform with the all stars in their own dance styles too. The choreographers who created the routines had some awesome ideas for the dancers, and they were performed with excellence and style. I am really looking forward to the rest of this season now.

I have to tell you right now that all of this season’s dancers definitely deserve to be there. It will be hard for everyone no matter who is cut from the show throughout this season. I am an absolute fan of all of these dancers, but like the rest of fans, I have a couple of favorites too. The two that have really caught my eye are The Wapakoneta Kid Kent Boyd, and tapper sensation Melinda Sullivan.

I really think that the rest of the contestants have something to fear from these two dancers. With Kent, they have to compete with his likability as a small town boy making it in the big city. Another reason is the fact that his ideal woman likes his mom and looks like Beyonce. The main reason though is the fact that the boy can seriously dance. I really think that if he continues to mature and learn he may actually win the contest.

The reason I am so high on Melinda is the fact that she can actually dance outside of her own style of tap and do it well. In Vegas, we saw her do Ballroom, Hip Hop, and Broadway and she nailed them as if they were second nature to her. Melinda is also a consummate performer and knows how to draw the crowd. Another thing about her that I like is the maturity with which she performs. Melinda is definitely a force all her own.

Although the competition didn’t count last night, it most certainly counts in next weeks show. I personally hope that I have not backed the wrong horses in this race, but we will see. I will say to all of these phenomenal dancers competing in this seasons contest that I wish them luck they are all worthy of being in the competition. I really hope you all watch the show, pick your favorites, and vote.

That is all for now from me and Simple Man Entertainment. Have an awesome weekend and we will be back next week, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

EXIT STAGE RIGHT WE HAVE A TOP 10…..NO WAIT IT IS THE TOP 11!!!!!

2010-06-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well the tryouts are all done, Vegas week is in the bag, and the judge’s decisions are made. The judges have finally picked their Top 10 dancers for Season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance. Wait a minute though not so fast! It appears that they have changed the new format for the show to accommodate a real judge favorite, and it is now the Top 11 dancers for Season 7.

That’s right the judges went through 6 cities and a grueling week in Las Vegas to whittle down the talent pool to get these 11 superb performers. I can honestly say that it didn’t look like the judges had an easy time of it either. Some of the talents that auditioned in the cities, as well as went through the choreography in Vegas were really quite impressive. There were faces from seasons past and some really sick new talent, and all looking to land one of the coveted 10 spots open for this season.

This seasons city tryouts took place in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Nashville. With the exception of Nashville, which only supplied 7 dancers total, none of which are noteworthy, the rest of these cities really set the bar high with phenomenal dancers. I was so blown away by this year’s new crop of performers too. I worry if they will find anyone better for season 8, but that is not something we have to worry about right now.

We were going to profile a few of the dancers who appeared to be worthy of having their stories told and there were a few. There were weird dancers, heavy dancers, disabled dancers and many others who had great stories about their journeys to the stage of So You Think You Can Dance. However since most of them didn’t make it to the show with a couple of exceptions we will let their stories rest in peace.

One of the stories that we would like to touch on involves an insane dancing talent that suffers from a severe, debilitating neuromuscular disease. A popper named Brian Gaynor age 23 of Kennesaw, GA suffers from Scoliosis, yet he continues to show up at the auditions and blow the judges minds. He will never get a spot on the show or even a week in Vegas, but his heart has prompted more than one judge to remark that he is the reason they all dance,

Another remarkable dancer that appeared at the auditions this year in Chicago is Jarrell Robison age 25. Jarrell was not born deaf, but became so over time. Watching this man get up on stage and dance was breathtaking. He is a big man, but extremely graceful and obviously dances with a big heart. When he was asked why he danced he remarked that he wanted to feel what music tastes like. Jarrell completely and totally destroyed both us and the judges.

All in all it would seem that this season has it all. There are great stories, great dancers, awesome music, and more thrills than an amusement park rollercoaster. Speaking for myself I can’t wait for the first show of the season, which begins tonight on Fox. I guess all that is left now is to introduce you all to the Top 10, oops I mean the Top 11, and here they are.

Gals:
Cristina Santana
Alexie Agdeppa
Ashley Galvan
Lauren Froderman
Melinda Sullivan

Guys:
Adechike Torbert
Alex Wong
Jose Ruiz
Kent Boyd
Robert Roldan
Billy Bell #11

That is all for now from Simple Man Entertainment. We hope you enjoy the post and the Show, you won’t regret it…..well at least the show. Have a wonderful day and d until next time CIAO4NOW!!!!!

SYTYCD Season 7…..The Same Game, But New Rules!!!!!

2010-05-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well here we again my friends getting ready for another season of that Fox Fav Show So You Think You Can Dance. I don’t know about you but I have been waiting impatiently for quite a while to see season 7, lol. It looks like season 7 is shaping up to be another awesome season with great dancers, great music, and great judges, not to mention their beautiful and gracious host Kat Deeley.

Season 7 is not going to be the same as past seasons either. There is a new format for the show that promises to electrify as well as a new addition to the lineup of judges this year. For starters there will only be 10 finalists instead of the Top 20 format we have seen in the previous 6 seasons. Choreographer Mia Michaels is the new addition to the lineup of judges also.

Perhaps the most striking change to the format for Season 7 is the inclusion of dancers from previous seasons of SYTYCD, and they are some awesome dancers too. These dancers are Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Comfort Fedoke, Courtney Galiano, Anya Garnis, Lauren Gotlieb, Neil Haskell, Allison Holker, Mark Kanemura, Pasha Kovalev, Kathryn McCormick, Ade Obayomi, and Dominic “D-trix” Sandoval. Every one of these dancers has gone on to be a consummate professional in the art of dance.

The Top 10 dancers will paired with one of the above mentioned dancers in their particular style of dance and perform before the judges each week. This will be accomplished by drawing a picture of the pro from a hat by the contestant instead of drawing the style they will perform. It appears with the selection of pros that virtually no genre of dance will be off limits either.

I also wonder if Season 7’s Top 10 dancers will be at least as good or even better than last season’s dancers were, or even season 5’s for that matter. The bar has been set ever higher with each passing season, and it has to be getting very hard to find talent that will surpass all previous performances. My only wish about the dancers for this season is that Billy Bell will be in the Top 10 this season, but we shall see.

That is all for now, but will be back to talk more about SYTYCD after the 2 hour season premier this May 27th at 8/7 central on Fox. I hope you all tune in, become fans, and give us your feedback. If you give the show a chance we are confident that you will become ardent and addicted fans as we are, and hopefully become fans of Simple Man Entertainment as well. Enjoy the Promo video we included here and we will see ya later, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Angels and Demons movie review…..

2009-12-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

Once again I would like to welcome you all back to Simple Man Entertainment. Today we are going to review the movie Angels and Demons. I had read the book some time ago and I had found it to be very well written and thoroughly enjoyable. However I want to discuss the movie, which I have just recently seen and is the vehicle that most will pick to enjoy this thriller. I will say in advance that I really enjoyed the movie even if it didn’t follow the book 100%.

This movie has a very good cast of actors in it. Tom Hanks reprises his role of Doctor of Symbology Robert Langdon of Harvard University. Ewan McGregor plays the role of Camerlango McKenna. Stellan Skarsgard plays Swiss Guard Commander Richter. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Cardinal Strauss. Ayelet Zurer plays Dr. Vittoria Vetra. Other actors include Victor Alfieri, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Marc Fiorini who plays Cardinal Baggia who becomes the next Pope.

This movie begins at the location of the Hadron Collider in Switzerland near Geneva, and spans the border between that country and France. The Hadron Collider is under the control of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN under the watchful eye of Father Silvano Bentivoglio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra are attempting to capture antimatter. The purpose of this experiment is to verify the existence of what is known as the God Particle.

Immediately after a successful attempt to capture the antimatter, which they managed to gather three vials of Father Silvano is murdered. Not only was the good father murdered but the culprit also removed one of his eyes and used it to pass a retinal scan, gain entrance to the containment chamber, and steal a vial of the antimatter. Dr. Vetra arrives too late and finds the Father Silvano dead and the antimatter missing.

Meanwhile the Holy Roman Catholic Church is mourning the passing of their Pope known as Pius XVI at the Vatican City in Rome. While waiting for the papal conclave by the College of the Cardinals to convene and choose the next Pope the church falls under the temporary control of Camerlango Patrick McKenna who was picked by the Pope to be his personal assistant. The Camerlango was found by the Pope when he was a child and was raised in the church.

Unfortunately for the church the four preferiti who are considered the most likely Cardinals who might succeed the Pope are kidnapped by an underground organization known as the illuminati. The illuminati threaten to kill each of the four Preferiti one every hour starting at eight at the four alters of the “Path of Illumination”. And then destroy the Vatican at midnight in a burst of light. This forces the church to seek help from symbologist Robert Langdon and Dr. Vetra to save the Preferiti and the Vatican.

What follows is a race against time and foes both unknown and in one case unexpected. Unfortunately for our hero there is not a lot of time and he appears to be constantly thwarted by Commander Richter who commands the Swiss Guard. However our intrepid hero is also aided by Dr. Vetra, Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti, and Lieutenant Valenti of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps in his search for the four “alters of science”.

In order for Professor Langdon to aid the church he needs access to the Vatican Archives, which is something he has been seeking for many years in order to finish his research. In fact the very item he needs from the archive to aid in his search for missing Cardinals is the item he needs to finish his research, which is Galileo Galileis banned book. Using this ancient text he ultimately locates all four alters, but can only save Cardinal Baggia the last of the four Cardinals the first three having been executed, and all wore the elemental brands earth, air, fire, and water.

Upon saving the last of the preferiti Cardinal Baggia who tells Langdon where the Illuminati hide out is located, Langdon along with Dr. Vetra and the carabinieri arrive at the Sant’Angelo, which is a fortress that the church had used both as a stronghold and a prison for it’s so called enemies. There Landon and Vetra find the assassin who spares them because they are not his targets and are unarmed. The assassin also divulges that his contractors are from within the Catholic Church and then dies in an explosion when he starts his get away car.

With time running out Landon and Vetra locate a secret passage that leads them the Vatican and just feet away from the Camerlango who is supposed to be the final victim. In a rush to get to the Camerlango Commander Richter is thought to be the assassin and is killed after the Camerlango has been branded with the fifth sign, which is the Vatican Symbol. They also with the help of the Camerlango locate the vial of antimatter just minutes before it will explode and the Camerlango heroically saves the Vatican City.

I will not go any further here than to say that the ending will certainly surprise you, because it did surprise me. I will also tell you that I heartily recommend this movie if you are looking for a pulse thumping adrenaline rushing thriller, because you will not be disappointed. Another recommendation I have for you all is that if you like to read then you should definitely read the book even if you see the movie, because there is detail in the book that never makes it into the film.

That is all for now from us here at Simple Man Entertainment and I hope you have enjoyed this post. I also hope that you will see this film and read the book. I really believe that reading is good for you and stimulates the mind with intelligence, creativity, and imagination. I also hope you like the video clip at the bottom of this post and that you let us know what you think about Angels and Demons. Have a great day my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Angels and Demons trailer:

"So You Think You Can Dance" Season 6 Finale

2009-12-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment for the final post of season 6 of “So You Think You Can Dance” the season’s finale show. I am really happy to be writing this post and reviewing this particular show. The reason being is that there were many great performances, music, and surprises. There were awesome musicians, performers, dancers, and choreographers there for crowning of Americas favorite dancer also. If I were to write everything for that happened last night I would be writing about two thousand or more words, so I will just recap and highlight some things.

First I would like to tell you that I have been a big fan of “So You Think You Can Dance” for three solid seasons now, while my wife has been a fan from the very beginning. I will also tell you that I am not a great dancer by any means, but I do know what I like. I also think that after three seasons of reviewing this show that I have become a very judge of what is and isn’t a great routine. One more thing as well I and my wife are very seldom wrong about who we think will make it and who won’t. I was right about who would be the winner last night, but not in the order that the Top 6 would be whittled down to one dancer.

Last night we got to see some great routines including an opening routine by this seasons Top 20 that was choreographed by Kelly Abbey to the song “Scared of Me” by Fedde Le Grand. We also got to see some of the judge’s favorite routines including the following routines. “Take My Heart with Jakob and Ellenore. “At This Moment” with Jakob and Kathryn. “Machine Gun” featuring Legacy and Ellenore. We also were treated to a new routine featuring the shows married couple Ryan and Ashleigh danced to “Straight to Number One”.

We also got to see some of the dance and music industry’s top performers last night as well. The Groovaloos dance group performed to “Groovaloo Street” by Rapier and Burns. Leona Lewis performed her song “I See You” from the new movie Avatar. Former Idol winner Adam Lambert performed his hit single “What Do You Want From Me” and without any sexual incident like at The VMA’s. Mary J, Blige performed her new single “I Am” from her soon to be released album. Last but not least J-Lo performed her new single “Louboutins” from her upcoming album also.

Now we all know that what counts on this show is who the last one is left standing and can claim the title of Americas Favorite Dancer. This does not mean that the other dancers are of no consequence or do not count, because getting into the Top 20, Top 10, and even the Top 6 is no mean feat. However last night and this show could only belong to one dancer in the end. The Top 6 dancers in the order that they were cut are #6 Ryan, #5 Ashleigh, #4 Ellenore, #3 Kathryn, #2 Jakob, and the #1 dancer and winner of the Competition Russel.

If we were looking for the best trained, polished, and graceful dancer who danced like a genius the winner would have been Jakob, whom I thought would be the winner, but I new Russell could be the spoiler, The reason I knew this is because the back half of the season is decided by fan votes and while both Russell and Jakob were big fan favorites I thought that Russell had the edge there. I was also rooting for Russell while I rooted for Jakob, which might sound weird but you should see the guy dance. Russell is a Krumper who danced like he was trained in every genre and is totally awesome.

Now I will not be accused of begrudging Russell his moment in the spotlight because this guy busted his butt and earned it with his blood, sweat, and obviously awesome work ethic. He adapted and overcame to every curve that was thrown at him from having to learn his routines with new partners on the day the shows aired to performing routines in Genres he might not have even heard of prior to auditioning for “So You Think You Can Dance. What I have a problem with is that when Kat told him he had won he went and made it about race instead of about dance, although in the end he did say it was all about God.

All I have left to say bout last nights show is congratulations to Russell for the win and thanks to this seasons Top 20 dancers for great routines and fierce competition. I really can’t wait to see what Season 7 will be like, because I don’t know how they are going to find dancers any better than they had on this season, although I know that Billy Bell will be dancing next season. I hope you all enjoy the video of Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello who finally danced together and in their own style last night. Have a great evening and an awesome weekend my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Ryan and Ashleigh: “Straight to Number One”

So You Think You Can Dance - Finale - Top 6 Dance

2009-12-16T15:45:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Simple Man Entertainment. We're here with a look at last night's So You Think You Can Dance show. It was the first part of the finale with the top 6 dancing - competing for the title "America's Favorite Dancer." It was a great show, and they all showed how incredible they really are. I definitely think America has a tough choice ahead of them.

Kicking off the show were Ryan and Kathryn with a Samba, choreographed by Jason Gilkison (who's becoming one of my favorite choreographers this season). They danced to "Magalenha" by Sergio Mendes. They turned up the heat and it was a Stunning and fantastic routine. Mary screamed (nothing new there), Nigel loved the "entertainment factor," and Adam called the show now the "rise of Kathryn" show.

Next were Jakob and Ellenore with a Broadway routine by Tyce Diorio. They danced to "I Gotcha" by Fossee (original Broadway Cast). This really showed both of them off and it was a smoldering routine that I really thought made Ellenore especially look great. Adam commented that this type of a routine made Broadway "relevant, hip, and gorgeous."

With a Lyrical Jazz routine by Sonya, Russell and Ashleigh took the stage. They danced to "Angel Standing By" by Jewel. I loved this routine. It was beautiful and breathtaking. The judges called it "incredible" and full of "passion" and I had to agree. This was one of my favorites for the night.

Ryan and Ellenore were next with a Jazz routine by Gary Stewart. They danced to "Kontact Me" by Boys Noize. This routine wasn't my favorite and I did agree with Nigel that it was "devoid of emotion." However, I think perhaps that had something to do with the choreographer. It was well done, unique, and different, but not a top hit for the night.

Then reunited partners, Jakob and Ashleigh, were dancing a Foxtrot, choreographed by Jean Marc Generaux. They danced to "Let the Good Times Roll" by Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy. They did a great job. This was a foxtrot that I actually liked and it looked beautiful and was called "fantastic" by the judges.

Russell and Ellenore took the stage next with a Paso Doble routine by Jason Gilkison. They danced to "Village Attack" from Blood Diamond (original Soundtrack). It was a fiery routine that the judges called "magnificent" and they got it right. Ellenore was called a "Spanish vixen" and I really thought this was an incredible routine. However, I felt that Ellenore really outshined Russell in this routine.

Then Jakob and Kathryn danced together. They danced a Contemporary routine by Dwight Rodent and Desmond Richardson. They danced to "At This Moment" by Michael Buble. They received a standing ovation from the judges, and it was well deserved. This routine was brilliant and stunning, and Mary called it "one of the best performances I've ever seen." Adam thought it was a game changer, and was so overwhelmed by the routine he had to stop talking (now that doesn't happen often with Adam).

Finally married couple, Ryan and Ashleigh, were dancing together on stage for the first time since auditions. I was so excited for this moment. They did a Travis Wall Contemporary routine and danced to "I'm There Too" by Michelle Featherstone. Nigel felt they "accounted for yourselves very well" and Adam thanked them for showing their "incredible tenderness." I agreed with Mary, it's really rare that couples get to share a moment like that, and I was so glad I got to see it. Incredible!

Last of all, Russell and Kathryn were ending the show with a Hip Hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha. They danced to "I Can Transform Ya" by Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. They were hitting hard and it was a great routine. Mary gave it a big scream, and I felt it was a wonderful way to end the night.

In the end, I felt they all did incredible. It's hard to tell who will win this season. I really think that Jakob and Ashleigh will end up being the top two, although I'm not sure who would come out the actual winner of the two. However, the rest of the dancers have huge fan bases too, so I guess you just never know. We will be back tomorrow though to let you know who ACTUALLY wins the title, "America's Favorite Dancer" on So You Think You Can Dance, so be sure to visit Simple Man Entertainment tomorrow for the results! There's a 2 hour results and finale show tonight, so tune in if you can. Enjoy some of my favorite performances below.

Jakob and Kathryn - Contemporary

Jakob and Ellenore - Broadway

Russell and Ashleigh - Lyrical Jazz

Ryan and Ashleigh - Contemporary

“So You Think You Can Dance” Top 8 results show for 12/09/2009

2009-12-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome back for to Simple Man Entertainment for last nights Top 8 results show review of “So You Think You Can Dance”. Last nights show was definitely full of surprises and kept me firmly planted on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the nights results. To say the least I was very surprised by the bottom 4 that was picked by viewer vote and who the two dancers were that were cut as well.

As usual the show opened with a routine performed by the shows dancers. This routine was choreographed by one of my favorite choreographers named Sonya. Sonya’s choreography is usually very unique and I was not disappointed last night because Sonya lived up to her reputation for being off the wall. The routine was danced to "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer featuring VIBZ Kartel and was fantastic.

After the Sonya routine it was time to find out who was in the bottom 4 for the week. This was one of the results I was very curious about, because I thought one of my favorite girls Ashleigh was in danger of being in the bottom and ultimately cut. The reason was that on Tuesday before the performance show she was injured and couldn’t perform due to doctor’s orders. Unfortunately she still had to be involved in the voting process.

The boys were brought out on stage first to find out the two of them that would be in the bottom last night. Jakob and Russell were both safe, while Ryan and Legacy were voted into the bottom for the guys. On the girls side it turned out that Ashleigh was safe after all along with Kathryn who I felt should have been in the bottom. However the fans voted Mollee and Ellenore into the bottom.

After the bottom 4 was picked we were treated to a performance from Asian pop band Wonder Girls who performed their single “Nobody”. Their performance was very cool and kind of hearkened back to the fifties and sixties doo wop look with their costumes and choreography. I was actually quite surprised that their performance was that good and I think they nailed it out there on stage. I am interested to see what they do next.

After the Wonder Girls performance it was time for the bottom 4 to dance their solos for perhaps the last time on that stage. I personally think that all four of these solos were excellently performed by these four dancers. However at this stage of the game you can never expect anything less than excellence from any of these dancers and I don’t think anyone watching them was even remotely disappointed.

We also got see another guest performer after the solos were danced and I really liked this performance. The artist performing was reining "American Idol" Kris Allen. We got see him perform his single “Live Like We’re Dying” off of his own self titled album. I really liked this song and it doesn’t hurt that he had a great rhythm section to back him up on stage.

I will tell you that I was very surprised that Ashleigh had not found herself in the bottom 4 of last nights show, although there is no better dancer in this competition than her. I will also tell you that I was very surprised at the two performers that were cut also. At the end of the night both Mollee and Legacy were the two dancers going home and I don’t think it should have been them. However I am glad the Ryan will get to dance with his wife Ashleigh in the finale.

Well that it for now until next week, but we will be back with reviews for the finale show of “So You Think You Can Dance”. Until then I hope you all have a great week and a Fantastic weekend as well. I also hope you enjoy the videos of these two great dancers that were cut and the Kris Allen video too. So until then my friends from all of us at Simple Man Entertainment CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Legacy Montage

Mollee Montage

Kris Allen Performance

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 8 Perform

2009-12-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. We're back with a look at last night's So You Think You Can Dance show - and what a show it was! First of all, we found out that Ashleigh got hurt, dislocating her shoulder, and she wasn't cleared to dance, although she wanted to. However, fans can still vote for her and I'm hoping her fan base stood up for her and kept her safe because I think she deserves that finale!

Dancing first were Ryan and Kathryn. They danced a Disco routine by Dorianna Sanchez. They danced to "Last Dance (Samantha Ronson Remix)" by Donna Summer. This was a fun routine, but it wasn't my favorite. I agreed with Nigel that it looked a bit placed. I did have to laugh though when Adam said "real men can wear sequins." Okay….Adam…anything you want to tell us? Lol

Next up were Jakob and Mollee dancing a Jason Gilkison Viennese Waltz. They danced to "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton. This was a beautiful routine. It literally left me breathless. Mary called it a dynamic pairing, and I definitely agreed with all the judges that Mollee is really blooming. Gorgeous.

Ashleigh should have been dancing her solo, but they brought her out and talked to her because she couldn't dance. I'm hoping all the exposure on the show got people voting!

Next Legacy and Ellenore were dancing a Travis Wall Contemporary piece. They danced to "Machine Gun" by Portishead. This was a routine that was just unbelievably good. It was passionate, it looked dangerous, and they just "murdered it" in a good way, according to Mary - and I agreed. Nigel even went as far to say that this routine has a good chance of being nominated for an Emmy. Wow!

Jakob was next dancing his solo to "When You Say My Name" by Maria Spinetti. This was a great routine, but of course we've come to expect this from Jakob by now.

Then Russell was taking the stage. His partner had been Ashleigh, but since she got hurt that morning, he was dancing a Shane Sparks Hip Hop routine with Shane's assistant Rachel. They danced to "Too Much Booty 2 (Bobby J Remix)" by Soundmaster T and Jah-Rista ft. Korveil. It was definitely "old school" and Russell was smokin'. He hit hard, but the assistant that danced with him wasn't that great. I just wish Ashleigh could have done it because I know she would have nailed it.

Then Mollee was dancing her solo to "Heartburn" by Alicia Keys. This was another great solo. She's never missed, with solos that are great dancing and show off her athleticism.

Taking the stage again were Ryan and Kathryn. This time they were dancing a Cha Cha choreographed by Jason Gilkison. They danced to "Put Your Hands on Me" by Joss Stone. This was a hot routine and they had great team work. They were put on the "Hot Tamale Train" by Mary, who said they were "on fire." Yes, I think they were hot too! Definitely a hot number and better than their first routine. Will it keep both of them safe? I'm not sure. I think both of them could be in the bottom.

Legacy was dancing his solo next to "Fancy Footwork" by Chromeo. It was a great routine again, and I loved how he danced with the phone, and when asked who it was, he said "America." What a great concept solo!

Then Ellenore was dancing her solo to "I Got the Feelin'" by James Brown. As we've come to expect from her, it was quirky and funky, but definitely great!

Then Russell came out with his solo - dressed as a Santa no less. He danced to "Holiday Buckness" by Tha J-Squad. It was hilarious and great. Even though he danced right out of his shoes, he kept going and did a great job.

Jakob and Mollee were up with their second routine next, dancing a Joey Dowling Broadway routine. They danced to "Easy Street (Samantha Ronson Remix)" from the Annie Original TV Soundtrack. They really captured the Broadway style and did an outstanding job. Once again Nigel compared Jakob to Joel Gray, no small compliment!

Kathryn took the stage with her solo next, dancing to "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser. She performed very well. In fact, I think this may have been her best solo yet.

With a Hip Hop Routine by Napoleon and Tabitha, Legacy and Ellenore were dancing again. They danced to "People are Strange (District 78 Remix)" by The Doors. I didn't like it. I've never seen Nap and Tabs go wrong, but this may have been a first. Nigel felt the concept overrides the dancing and Adam felt it "didn't push them." It was okay, but not their greatest. However, I definitely think Legacy is still safe. After all, they blew away their first routine.

Ryan was up with the last of the solos, dancing to "Din Da Da" by Kevin Aviance. He did a great job. The part that got me was when he was asked to say his number, which was supposed to be #8, but he told the crowd to vote for #1, Ashleigh because she deserved it so much. This was such a touching and heartfelt gesture. It had the choreographers on their feet and I think this guy showed how much heart he has and what a great relationship he and his wife have. It's nice to see that on a show these days! Hats off to both of them!

Last of all, Russell was up with a Bollywood routine choreographed by Nakul. He was dancing with assistant Alicia since Ashleigh had been hurt actually doing this routine earlier in the day. They danced to "Spirit of Rangeela" from the Rangeela soundtrack. This was excellent and he totally nailed it. The judges called it "pure dancing" and commented on the joy that he dances with. It was great to watch, and for having to go through so many partners in one day, he did an awesome job.

The show was filled with awesome dancing, although it was kind of overshadowed by my feelings of loss, since Ashleigh wasn't dancing. I think the ones to watch are Ryan and Kathryn. They could go tonight, but we'll see - it's up to America now. Stay tuned because we'll be back here at Simple Man Entertainment with the results from So You Think You Can Dance. Thanks for dropping by. Be sure to check out the videos below with some of our favorites from last night and a reprise on one of Ashleigh's earlier routines to keep her fresh in your mind.

Jakob and Mollee Viennese Waltz (by Jason Gilkison)

Legacy and Ellenore Contemporary (by Travis Wall)

Russell and Replacement Alicia (in for Ashleigh) Bollywood (by Nakul)

Ryan and Kathryn Cha Cha (by Jason Gilkison)

Don't Forget Ashleigh (She couldn’t dance last night, so here is an earlier routine)

“So You Think You Can Dance” Top 10 results show for 12/02/2009

2009-12-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment and the review of the 12/02/2009 Top 10 results show for “So You Think You Can Dance”. From here on out all of the dancers will be judged by the fans and the two with the lowest amount of votes will be cut and the judges cannot change the results. I will try to make this one short and sweet for you and I hope you all enjoy the review. Anyways without further adieu let’s get started.

As always the show results show for “So You Think You Can Dance” starts with a routine choreographed by one of the shows choreographers and performed by the shows dancers. This week’s routine was choreographed by Tyce Diorio (one of my favorites) to the Billy Joel tune “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”. It was a good piece and performed excellently by the Top 10 dancers.

After the opening routine was completed Kat Deeley wasted no time bringing out the dancers to find out which two guys and which two gals were in the bottom. In the end the two guys in the bottom were Ryan and Nathan, while the bottom two girls were Noelle and Kathryn. Joy was right when she predicted to me that these four would be in the bottom. I personally thought so too, but I was making no predictions because the fans are in charge now.

After the bottom four dancers were announced we got to see an awesome routine by the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. The performed the multi dancer B-Boy routine to Cold Plays Yellow, which was performed by the Vitamin String Quartet. The routine was smokin hot and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I can’t find a video of the routine performed last night or in any other venue for you all to see, so you will have to take my word for it.

After the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers had performed it was time for the bottom four dancers to perform their solos. I found it impossible to say that any of the dancers were better or worse than the others and I think thy all brought their best efforts to the solos and all of their solos got excellent critiques from the judges as well. At this stage of the competition all of the dancers are expected to be extremely good dancers though.

Once the solos were completed we got another treat. Rapper Snoop Dogg performed his new tune “I Wanna Rock” and featured Qwest a crew who won the award for Americas Best Dance Crew. Qwest also has two former “So You Think You Can Dance” alumni Domenic and Hawk. Rick Hart and The Rangers were also featured in this performance. It was a good routine and startling to find out that Snoop Dogg could be so family friendly also.

However as is always the case in the results show after Snoops routine it was time to find out which two dancers got the axe. The two that went home last night were Nathan and Noelle. I was not surprised to see Nathan leave, but I was a little surprised to see that it was Noelle who got dropped on the girl’s side. I will say though that the crowd got it right and cut the two that were the weak links.

Well that is your Top 10 results show in a nutshell. I can’t wait to see what will happen with the Top 8 next week though. I hope you all have enjoyed this post and that you enjoy the Snoop Dogg video, which features Qwest although it isn’t from last night. Have a great evening my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10 Perform

2009-12-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment again. Finally - the Top 10 performed on So You Think You Can Dance, and what a night it was. Each couple danced twice and each person performed a solo, so the show was a packed one.

This week is all about new couples, and the first new couple to perform was Noelle and Ryan. They performed a Tabitha and Napoleon Hip Hop routine to "Give it to Me Right" by Melanie Fiona. It was strong, sexy, and the judges even called it "smokin'." A great start to the night!

The next new couple was Ashleigh and Legacy. They were dancing a Contemporary by Gary Stewart. They danced to "Poison" by The Prodigy. This routine was insane. My two favorite dancers were dancing together, and this was a challenging piece that was incredible. The judges commented that this was the hardest piece they'd ever perform in their careers and it was called the "best ending moment" ever on the show.

With the first solo, Mollee took the stage. She showed her athleticism and once again wowed the crowds.

Crumper Russell was dancing his solo next, and it was a hard hitting solo that showed off his style.

Kathryn and Nathan were partnered together this week with a Broadway by Spencer Liff. They danced to "Choreography" by Danny Kaye. The dancing was great, but like the judges, the chemistry just didn't seem to be there.

Noelle took the stage with her solo. It was enjoyable, joyful, and fun.

With a Quickstep by Tony and Melanie, new couple Ellenore and Jakob were dancing next. They danced to "Four Brothers" by Manhattan Transfer. The routine was fun and I felt they performed well together. Even the judges found it "fantastic."

Up with his solo was Ryan. While he's been criticized for past solos, this solo really rocked. It was definitely his best solo yet on the show.

Then Kathryn took the stage with her solo, and I found it absolutely beautiful. The quality of movement was excellent.

Mollee and Russell were dancing together for the first time. They danced a Mandy Moore Lyrical Jazz piece to "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette. I really enjoyed their partnership and the choreography was great. The judges loved it, but there was one part in the routine where it looked like they almost missed a hold, and there was a flash of panic in Russell's eyes. The judges seemed to ignore it, and overall the piece was excellent.

Nathan was then taking the stage with his solo routine. He did an incredible routine and once again showed off his amazing pirouettes. Not sure I've ever seen anyone do them so fast.

Noelle and Ryan hit the stage again with a Smooth Waltz choreographed by JT and Thomas. They danced to "Jeux d'eu" by O (Cirque de Soleil soundtrack). The judges felt they had a "power partnership" and the routine was elegant and captivating.

Ellenore then danced her solo. Just like her, her solo was both fun and unique. Definitely unlike any other solo out there.

Ashley and Legacy were up with a Hip Hop by Dave Scott. When I found out Dave Scott was choreographing, I groaned. I haven't been impressed with his choreography lately. They danced to "Slow Down" by Bobby Valentino. Sure enough, the judges "didn't feel it" and Adam commented that the routine was "not challenging enough. This routine sucked for them, but at least the judges pointed out that it really wasn't their fault. Once again Dave Scott managed to screw up a couple with his lousy choreography. I really hope they stop using him. However, with the fan base these two have, hopefully they'll still be okay!

Kathryn and Nathan were dancing again with a Rhumba by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "Walk on By" by Aretha Franklin. I wasn't impressed by the routine and it definitely lacked the sexiness and slinkiness that a Rhumba should have. They didn't have the chemistry between them. When they were face to face, Nathan actually scrunched up his face. They didn't get any love from the judges on this piece.

Legacy was up with his solo next. He really hit this routine and it was awesome. He really showed his stuff here.

Dancing again with a Contemporary routine by Sonja, Ellenore and Jakob took the stage. They danced to "Tore My Heart" by OONA and Dave Tweedie. This actually got a "WOW" scream from Nigel. They had great chemistry, and Nigel said it "REALLY is his favorite routine of the season." They were called the "new dream team" and they actually got a standing ovation from the judges.

Next up with her solo was Ashleigh. This was an incredible solo. Just went I though she couldn't dance faster, she went even faster. What a great routine.

Mollee and Russell were dancing the last couple routine with a Jive choreographed by Anya and Pascha. They danced to "Land of 1000 Dances" by Jimmy Barnes. The judges commented that Mollee was maturing and they were called "hot tamales" by Mary. This was an excellent jive, and I really enjoyed their partnership.

With the last dance of the night, Jakob danced his solo. As always, he was incredible. Great solo and a great way to close the night.

This was definitely a great show and I'm interested to see how the results go tonight. Of course, we'll be back tomorrow to give you the results too. For now, thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment. I hope you enjoy the videos that I could find from the show last night.

Legacy's Solo

Noelle and Ryan Hip Hop

Ellenore and Jakob Contemporary

Ashleigh and Legacy Contemporary

Noelle and Ryan Smooth Waltz

Mollee and Russell Jive

“So You Think You Can Dance” Top 12 Results Show

2009-11-26T10:22:00.001-08:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment and the Top 12 results show post. Since this is Thanksgiving Day today I will try to make this post short and sweet so you all can watch football, drink lotsa beers, and have fun at your one annoying relative’s expense.

Last night saw the departure of one more guy and gal from the show and this season’s Top 10 dancers secure their spots in the back half of the competition. The results were just as we thought they would be and we think the Top 10 is a fabulous lineup too.

As usual the judges lead by Nigel Lythgoe made the selections for the bottom three couples who wound up being Victor and Karen, Nathan and Mollee, and Ryan and Ellenore. These three couples would have to dance for their lives.

After the three bottom couples were announced we were treated to a wonderful ballet performance by American Ballet Theaters very own Paloma Herrera. Paloma danced a wonderful routine to the song Kitri’s Variation (The Fan) from Don Quixote.

After the ballet performance was completed we saw all three couples perform their solos. As usual I was impressed by Mollee’s solo performance, which the judges said was what competing in this competition looked like. Nathans solo was very strong as well. The other four solos ranged from not so good too good for the other two couples.

After the solo routines were completed we got to see the second guest performer who happened to be Shakira. Shakira performed her new single “Give It Up To Me”. Shakira performed with her dance troupe and definitely rocked the crowd. On a personal note though I like her older stuff better than her new, but that is just my opinion.

After Shakira’s performance it was time for the judges to make this weeks cut. They were unanimous on the girls cut, but not on the guys cut. For the ladies they cut Karen and for the guys they cut Victor, which is just what we expected. However Nigel informed Nathan that if he had his way that he (Nathan) would have gone home last night.

Well that’s it for now from Simple Man Entertainment my friends. I think it is time for me to get back to my family and enjoy this holiday with them. We all hope you all have a magnificent Thanksgiving and a great four day weekend, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Victor and Karen - Tango

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12 Perform

2009-11-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

Glad you're back at Simple Man Entertainment and we have a look at last night's So You Think You Can Dance show. It was a packed show, and I can't wait to see the results tonight, so here's a look at what happened.

Each couple was dancing twice, and Ryan and Ellenore were up first. They danced a Lindy Hop, choreographed by Carla Heiney. They danced to "I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter" by Boilermaker Jazz Band. This is a great dance to open the show, they were called "cute" by the judges, and I definitely agree that the "coffeegrinders" they performed were phenomenal.

Kathryn and Legacy were up next with a Jazz routine by Sonya. They danced to "So Deep" by Hot Chip. I loved this routine. Once again Adam predicted that Legacy could go all the way. Wow, that's twice! The judges called it outstanding and one of the favorites of the season. Nigel mentioned that Legacy's musically really came out in this piece, and Legacy responded, "I was just dancing." Not to leave Kathryn out - she was beautiful too!

Next up were Victor and Karen. This was their first week together and they were dancing a Tango choreographed by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "Montserrat" by Orquesta del Plata. This seemed to be a good partnership. The judges commented that the intensity was beautiful, and at this point I thought these two might have a bit of hope. More on that later…

Cuties Nathan and Mollee were dancing a Hip Hop next, choreographed by Jamal Sims. They danced to "Ring-A-Ling" by the Black Eyed Peas, in an Alexander Graham Bell inspired piece, centered around a telephone. It was a unique piece, although in the beginning there was some stress, they picked it up towards the end. As Adam said, "now you need to win a dance show." Will they be able to win? Well, I'm not so sure, but they seem to be heading into the top 10 in my opinion.

Russell and Noelle were next dancing a Samba that was choreographed by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. The judges felt that this was "too nice." I agreed. While they were joyful, this wasn't a great dance for them. I felt that the music was part of their problem. If you've every seen Shakira dance to that piece and then you watched them, it left something to be desired.

Ashleigh and Jakob were dancing next with a Lyrical Jazz piece by Sonya. They danced to "Time Flies" by Lykke Li. It was breathtaking. Adam felt it was "so beautiful I don't know what to say." This is definitely a couple I'll be sad to see split up once they get into the top 10, because after this piece, I am 100% sure these two are going to be in the Top 10 next week.

Ryan and Ellenore took the stage with their second routine. They were dancing a Broadway routine by Spencer Liff. They danced to "Razzle Dazzle" from Chicago original Broadway cast. This was a great routine and they really nailed it. It brought screams from Mary, Ellenore was called the "it girl" and it really cinched up a great night for this couple.

Kathryn and Legacy were performing again with a Viennese Waltz, choreographed by Jean Mark and France. They danced to "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Although it wasn't totally perfect technically, it was incredibly danced with heart. I found it beautiful and the judges found it extraordinary. Legacy was moved to tears after dancing and commented that he was "crying for the portrayal of hope and that anyone can do it."

Next were Victor and Karen. They danced a Hip Hop routine by Laurieanne Gibson. They danced to "Moving Mountains" by Usher. This was a less than wonderful routine. The judges commented that it wasn't memorable, and I definitely agree. They weren't even dancing together. I think they're in trouble, even after their Tango earlier.

With the first Can Can ever to be on So You Think You Can Dance, Nathan and Mollee were dancing next. The routine was choreographed by Tyce Diorio. This dance originated in the 1830s in Paris and was meant to be a scandalous dance. They danced to "Cancan Suite" by Offenbach/Ponchielli. They were definitely the best couple to do this rowdy style of dancing. They had a lot of energy and it was an excellent performance.

Russell and Noelle were dancing a Contemporary routine this time, choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They danced to "A Case of You" by Diana Krall. This was much better than their previous routine. It was beautiful, and the concept of painting with each other was lovely. It was a special routine, and the judges commented on how Russell's technique is constantly improving. They may get in the bottom, but I definitely don't think Russell will go anywhere.

With the last routine of the night, Ashleigh and Jakob took the stage again with a Cha Cha, choreographed by Jean Mark and France. They danced to "Cha Cha Heels (Ralph Rosario Radio Edit)" by Rosabel ft. Jeanie Tracy. They killed this routine and as the judges said, they "blew it out of the ball park." They were "the couple" of the night, and according to the judges, and I agree 100%, they are all the way to the top 10. If I can even add a prediction, I think they can make it to the final four too.

This was definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen on So You Think You Can Dance. The dancing was incredible and it was a great night. Tonight's result show should definitely be interesting. Here is a look at a couple of the great routines. I couldn't find many, but here are a couple for you all to check out. Thanks again for visiting Simple Man Entertainment.

Kathryn and Legacy Jazz Routine

Ryan and Ellenore Lindy Hop

So You Think You Can Dance Top 14 Results / 11-18-09

2009-11-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment and the “So You Think You Can Dance” Top 14 results show post. This week saw the Top 14 turn into the Top 12, and will put us just one week away from Top 10 and the back stretch of the competition. As usual two dancers got bad news at the end of this show but I have to tell you that I was not surprised by the judge’s decisions, which were unanimous for both dancers.

As usual this week’s results show started off with a group routine featuring all of the dancers. This weeks opening number was choreographed by award winning husband and wife team Wade and Amanda Robson. As usual Wade and Amanda did a stellar job on the choreography and the Top 14 dancers performed the piece with excellence and really gave this weeks show a great start. The dancers performed to Aha by Imogen Heap a very cool tune.

Out of the seven couples the three couples that were placed in the bottom three were Kevin and Karen, Victor and Channing, and Nathan and Mollee. With regards to Karen and Kevin all three judges had said on Tuesday night that they were the couple in danger of being in the bottom as did Joy and I. Nathan and Mollee were a bit of a surprise but I suppose it was karmic justice for skating into safety after a horrible performance the week before.

Once the three bottom couples had been chosen and told to prepare to dance their solo’s we were treated to a Bollywood routine by the NDM Dance Troupe choreographed by another award winning choreographer named Nakul Dev Mahajan who also performed in the piece. Nakul has also choreographed for “So You Think You Can Dance” and his routines featured some of the shows favorite couples and are well remembered.

After a phenomenal performance by NDM it was time for the dancers to perform their solos. This is actually my favorite part of the show because I get to watch the dancers dance for their lives on their own and I was not disappointed last night. It appeared to me that most of the six dancers in the bottom really raised their performances to the next level making the judges job that much harder.

While the judges were sent back stage to confer and make the hard call of who stays and who goes we got another great performance, which actually was a surprise because I thought they were going to go to a commercial break. This performance featured an up and coming guitar virtuoso by the name of Orianthi Panagaris. Talk about an awesome performance I really like this woman.

After the judges came back it was time for their critiques of the solos. Nathan and Mollee both brought their A-games according to the judges sparking Nigel to comment that Mollee showed everyone what dancing for your life is all about. The other four also performed very well and I thought that Channing’s solo was great. However in the end both Kevin and Channing were cut.

That is all for our “So You Think You Can Dance” reviews this week at Simple Man Entertainment. I hope you all keep your eyes open and check out tomorrows Simple Man Music blog when it comes out I think you will like it. Until we see you all again have a wonderful evening and a great day tomorrow my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Opening Group Dance

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 6 - Top 14

2009-11-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks for checking in at Simple Man Entertainment. If you watched So You Think You Can Dance last night, you know the show was excellent. Things are definitely shaping up towards the top 10, and I have some pretty good ideas as to who will be there.

One of my favorite couples, Ashleigh and Jakob opened up the show with a Hip Hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha. They danced to "Watcha Say" by Jason Derulo. It was awesome. Who knew that these two were so good at hip hop? I felt that they really were awesome, the judges loved it, and I agreed with them that Ashleigh is "a star." This couple is definitely steaming into the top 10!

Next up were Karen and Kevin. They had some trouble last week and ended up in the bottom three couples. This week they were dancing a Broadway routine, choreographed by new choreographer, Spencer Liff. They danced to "If My Friends Could See Me Now" from Sweet Charity. The judges said they didn't bring any humor to the routine, and I agreed. This routine was okay, but they were missing the performance that this dance needed. I think they could be in real trouble.

Russell and Noelle were up next with a Foxtrot choreographed by Eddie Simon. This was the second Foxtrot for Russell. They danced to "Baby (You've Got What it Takes)" by Michael Buble. About the second half of the routine, they really started to have fun, and I liked it. The judges commented that it was really good and the routine brought joy, and I thought that summed it up. Their only problem I think is that some of the other couples were so good and voters aren't fans of the Foxtrot. I guess we'll see how big their fan base is this week.

With a Jazz routine by Tyce Diorio, Victor and Channing were up next. They danced to "Blackbird" by Bobby McFerrin. The judges enjoyed it, and so did I. I thought it was cool, they danced it well, but it wasn't that memorable, and I think this couple could be in trouble too.

Kathryn and Legacy took the stage with a Pasa Doble routine, choreographed by Tony Meredith. They danced to "Persuit" by Ka. You all know by now that Legacy is one of my favorite dancers, and I was a bit worried for him. However, he NAILED this routine. The judges commented that this piece has "intensity and passion," Mary screamed, and Adam even thought that Legacy has what it takes to go all the way this season. Now that was the first time anyone has named someone to win, so I took notice. I definitely think Legacy will be in the final four. This guy eats up dance, he dances with heart, and he has no training, yet he has never missed. I can't wait to see what he'll do next.

Up next were Ryan and Ellenore. After a trainwreck last week and a stint in the bottom three couples, they had to pull out the stops this week. They were dancing a Contemporary routine choreographed by Travis Wall, an excellent choreographer who was once a contestant himself. They danced to "Your Ex-Lover's Dead" by Stars. This was incredible. The judges called it memorable, brilliant, and it even got the high praise that it was the "best a ballroom dancer has ever done a contemporary piece." I think they're definitely out of the bottom this week.

Nathan and Mollee had it pretty tough last week. Their routine sucked, yet they still ended up safe, which Nigel really couldn't believe. Nigel was tough on them, but I’m going to call it "tough love" because they deserved it. This week, they had something to prove. They were dancing a Pop Jazz routine by Laurieanne Gibson. They danced to "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. The judges felt that they dug deeper this week, and they said they were back in the game. I thought that the routine was good, but they still need to step it up a notch.

At the end of the show, the judges predicted that Karen and Kevin were in danger. I think that Victor and Channing are in danger too. As for the third couple, well, that could go about any way. I predict that Kevin and Channing will be the two to get cut, but you never know.

Below are a couple of my favorites from last night. Enjoy, and come back to Simple Man Entertainment to read about the results.

Ashleigh and Jakob

Ryan and Ellenore

Kathryn and Legacy

Season 6 Top 16 Results Show/So You Think You Can Dance

2009-11-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first results show for season 6 and it is bound to be a memorable show for us all and in particular the dancers. There were on or two surprises in last nights show that I didn’t expect as well, especially after some of the horrible performances on Tuesday night. It just goes to show you that the mob rules and that they will sometimes get it very wrong.

The voting sometimes saves dancers and couples from landing in the bottom three even though they deserve to be there and this is true of last nights results. I do believe that two of the couples in the bottom three did belong there in the case of Ryan and Ellenore, and Peter and Pauline. However I believe that my favorite couple Nathan and Mollee should have been there instead of Kevin and Karen.

Nigel, Mary, Adam and many of the choreographers have said that the dancers for Season 6 have even more talent than those who were in the Top 20 for Season 5 and I tend to agree. Unfortunately not one of the six dancers who danced for their lives last night proved it was true. If anything they made Nigel and company look like fools for making such a statement, because all of the solos last night were definitely sub-standard.

I will have to say that the two dancers I thought would be cut after last nights solos were the ones to go. Peter the third Tapper in this season’s Top 20 and his partner Jazz dancer Pauline. I will also tell you that despite the audiences dislike for Nigel's criticism’s he and the panel were spot on. The one bright spot in this otherwise dreary show of bad performances was the guest contemporary routine, which was excellent.

That is all for So You Think You Can Dance this week here at Simple Man Entertainment but we hope to see you all again next week. You can also look forward to seeing more postings on our other blogs Simple Man Politics, Simple Man Music, and Parents “R” US very soon too. I hope you all have a great evening my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 6 - Top 16

2009-11-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

Glad you're back at Simple Man Entertainment. Last night was a great show on So You Think You Can Dance. The top 16 danced, and it was interesting to see what happened. This week the viewers vote, so things will be a bit different.

Opening the show were Karen and Kevin, dancing a Hustle choreographed by Maria Torez. They danced to "Come to Me" by France Joli. I thought this dance was just okay, and really thought it should have been better, but they sure got a lot of love from the judges. I guess I wasn't there, but I thought the judges were wrong on this one.

Next up was one of my favorite couples - Ashleigh and Jakob. These two were dancing a Jazz routine choreographed by Mandy Moore. They dance to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Great tune, but the way. I loved this routine and it was one of my three favorites for the night. They performed well, and I agreed with the judges that they have a great partnership and the routine was "on fire."

Peter and Pauline took the stage doing a Quick Step, otherwise known as the "Kiss of Death" on the show. It was choreographed by new choreographers, JT and Tomas. They danced to "Hey Baby (Shake Those Hula Hips)" by Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack. The judges said it "wasn't great" but they "pulled it off." I agreed with Nigel that the characters that they were given actually helped them out. However, I think there's a chance they still end up in the bottom three.

Kathryn and Legacy were next with a Broadway routine, choreographed by Andy Blankenbeuhler, another new choreographer. They danced to "I Wanna Be Like You" by the Swinging Fireballs. The judges loved it and so did I. They called Legacy an "inspiration" and Nigel commented that this show turns "street dancers into complete dancers." I really believe that Legacy is going far in this show!

New couple this week, Victor and Channing, took the stage with a Contemporary routine by Stacy Tookey. They danced to "Be Be Your Love" by Rachel Yamagata. I was surprised that they did so well, and agreed that it did help to "reinvigorate" their partnership a bit. However, I also agreed with Nigel and Mary that I expected a bit more, especially after the phenomenal contemporary routine performed by Kathryn and Legacy last week. This was both of their styles, so it could have been even better.

Ryan and Ellenore danced a Hip Hop routine by Lil C. They danced to "Lost Boiz Anthem" by Tha J-Squad. This routine just "wasn't good at all" as the judges said. Adam thought Ryan had taken some strides, but seriously, I didn't like it at all. Although, in their defense, I don't think the costumes were helping them out. I think they're in danger, and all the judges agreed.

With a Salsa, Nathan and Mollee were up next. They were choreographed by Gustavo Vargas. They danced to "Quinbara" by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco. This was another routine that was not good at all. It was called the "bad luck of the draw" by the judges, and they all agreed that this routine just exposed all of their weaknesses. I kind of think they could end up in the bottom three, but they do have a big fan base, so we'll see.

Last of all, Russell and Noelle took the stage with an Afro Jazz, choreographed by Sean Cheesman. They danced to the "Frog Dance" by Mickey Heart and Planet Drum. I loved this piece. These two definitely danced with joy and they were put on the "hot tamale train" by Mary. Nigel went as far to call Russell a "star of the season."

The show was great, but I saw some of my favorites really get tripped up. I'm anxious to see what happens tonight, and of course we'll be back tomorrow to let you know what happened in the So You Think You Can Dance results show.

Below are my three favorites from last night. Enjoy, and thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment.

Kathryn and Legacy

Ashleigh and Jakob

Russell and Noelle

So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 12 - Top 18

2009-11-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Hi there, and welcome to Simple Man Entertainment. Last night the top 18 danced on So You Think You Can Dance, and it was a great show. Due to the World Series, the show only could air once this week, so again the judges were making the cuts at the end of the show. However, Cat Deely assured the audience that things would be back to normal next week, which means you can vote!!!

The show was packed, so let's get to it. First on the stage were Russell and Noelle. If you remember, last week Noelle didn't dance because she was hurt, but this week they were taking on a Jamal Sims (a new choreographer to the show who does a lot of the choreography for the Step Up movies) Hip Hop routine. They danced to "Move, Shake, Drop Remix" by Dj Laz, Flo Rida & Casely. It was a bit disappointing as the judges said, although Russell pulled it off a bit better than Noelle did.

Ashleigh and Jakob were up next with the Viennese Waltz, choreographed by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "At Last" by Etta James, and I thought that the dance was as beautiful as the song. They were called a "strong" "beautiful couple" and I totally agreed. These two were sure to be safe.

Let me take a moment to tell you a little why Ashleigh is one of my favorite dancers. I'm trying not to make these posts too long, but she is so inspiring I just have to talk about here for a minute. She's the wife of Ryan (they are both Latin dancers) and it's a miracle that this girl can walk, let alone dance. Ashleigh has overcome a three year illness and at one time was in a wheelchair. There was no way anyone thought she'd dance - but here she is. She is such an inspiration, which makes her one of my favorites this season. Thanks Ashleigh for showing us all you can overcome the odds to do whatever you want to if you have enough heart.

Now, back to the show. Next up were Bianca and Victor. They were dancing a Tyce routine that was supposed to have a southern gospel dance feel to it. Emphasis on "supposed" to… They danced to "Maybe God is Tryin' to Tell You Something" from the Color Purple Soundtrack. It was okay, but they didn't "get crazy" the way they should have. They weren't in character and left me and the judges disappointed.

Nathan and Mollee, resident cuties and the youngest two on the show, were up next with a Bollywood routine choreographed by Nakul. They danced to "Azeem Q Shean Shahenshah" from the Jodhea Akbar soundtrack. It was incredible. They have so much energy and were called "exciting" and "tremendous" by the judges, amid screams from Mary (big shocker). Loved them.

Channing and Phillip took the stage next with a Tony and Melanie Samba. They danced to "Maracatu Funk" by The Samba Squad. It was disappointing. The tricks looked horrible and I thought he was going to drop her. Apparently the judges agreed, saying they were "struggling" and I knew these two may be in trouble.

Next, Karen and Kevin were up with a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha, two of my favorite choreographers I might add. They danced to "Ice Cream Paint Job" by Dorrough, and it was awesome. They were both put in the "hot tamale train" by Mary, and I think they're going to stay there for awhile.

Kathryn and Legacy were up next. Have I mentioned that Legacy is one of my favorites? Oh yeah, I think I did. Lol. They were dancing a contemporary routine choreographed by Stacy Tookey, who came to the show from SYTYCD Canada last season. She's awesome by the way. They danced to "2-Steps Away" by Patti Labelle. I wasn't sure how Legacy was going to do in this style. After all he's a B-Boy - not much experience in contemporary. They NAILED it!!! It was my favorite routine of the night. Legacy was incredible and it was so touching it literally had me holding my breath. Absolutely beautiful. This couple is going places!

It was hard for me to pay attention much after that contemporary, but Peter and Pauline were up next. They both had lost partners last week, so it was their first week together. They were dancing a Jazz routine by Wade Robson. They danced to "Little Green Bag" by George Baker Selection. This was based on the idea of Van Gogh's painting "Starry Starry Night." They were supposed to be people who were taken out of the painting, and the imagery for the dance was incredible. It was called "controversial" but I thought it was pretty cool.

Last of all, Ryan and Ellenore were up to dance an Argentine Tango, which was choreographed by Miriam and Leonardo. They danced to "Violentango" by Astor Piazzola. It was unbelievable. They did an amazing job and they got a standing ovation from the judges, which doesn't happen that often.

At the end of the show, they named four dancers who were in danger and who had to dance for their life. The four in danger were no surprise. In danger were Noelle, Phillip, Victor, and Bianca.

After dancing for their lives, the judges made the cut. They cut Bianca and Phillip, both tap dancers, which was tough for them, but I believe they made the right choices. Let's hope the other tapper can keep it going for the tappers.

Tune in next week to Simple Man Entertainment and we'll be back with a look at the show and there should be a results show next week too, which we'll also cover. Until then, enjoy my favorite routine from last night.

Legacy and Kathryn Contemporary Routine

So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Episode 11 Top 20

2009-10-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. We're here to update you on one of our favorite shows - So You Think You Can Dance. Season 6 is shaping up to be incredible, and last night the top 20 competed against each other for the first time.

As Tim mentioned, Billy Bell had to leave the show, which is a tragedy. He was replaced by Brandon Dumlao, one of the guys that had been cut right before the top 20.

It was an amazing show full of some of the best talent I've ever seen, so here's a quick recap of what happened.

First up was Channing and Phillip dancing the Jive. They danced to "Rockin' Robin" by the Jackson 5. I agreed with the judges that it was "not bad." Not my favorite piece of the night, but they showed off their talent.

Next was Ashleigh and Jacob doing a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine. They dance to "Hit Me With a Hot Note" by Sophisticated Ladies. Love it! It was great. I'm loving Ashleigh more and more, and Jacob is an incredible dancer.

Then Ariana and Peter took the stage. Both were out of their element with a Napoleon and Tabitha Hip Hop Routine. They danced to "Black and Gold" by Sam Sparro. Like the judges, I found this "disappointing." It could have been so much better!

Russell, the show's crumper, and Noelle were supposed to be up next. Due to an injury Noelle is sitting out this week. If she is not able to perform next week, she'll have to leave the show. The dance was a Foxtrot choreographed by Tony and Melanie, and Melanie danced in the place of Noelle. It was a tough situation, but I thought Russell pulled it off well.

Next up, Bianca and Victor. They danced a Contemporary piece by Travis Wall. The danced to "Wasted Time" by Me'Shel Ndegeocello. It was beautiful and for a tapper, I thought Bianca held her own well!

Karen and Kevin were hitting the floor next with a Cha Cha choreographed by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "Push It" the Glee Cast Version. I was impressed. They looked good and Karen who was dancing in her own style definitely shined.

Ryan, hunky ballroom dancer that most girls are drooling over, and Ellenore took the stage next. They were dancing a Contemporary Jazz piece by Sonya Tayeh. They danced to "Arcadia" by Apparat. It was a great piece - very earthy and they performed incredibly.

Next up was Pauline and Brandon. Brandon only had a day and a half to get up to speed on this Smooth Waltz, danced to "You Light Up My Life" by Whitney Houston. They did well, but you could see the lack of technique in Brandon especially. I definitely figured he was going to get cut.

One of my favorites, Legacy, was up next with Kathryn. They were dancing a Dave Scott Hip Hop to "On and On" by Missy Elliott. They hit so hard in this piece. I was thrilled with Legacy and surprised at how well Kathryn did. One of my favorites for the night!

Last up, Nathan and Mollee took the stage. They were dancing a Dorianna Sanchez Disco routine, which are known for being hard and fast. They danced to "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estafan. It was incredible. It was hard, it was fast, and they nailed it. I just loved this routine and all the energy and excitement the two dancers brought to it.

For this week only, since they already did a show last night, they were giving the results on the same night, decided by the judges. Relax and take a breath though. Next week it's back to voting and then the judges deciding out of the bottom three couples.

In danger for the night were Ariana, Russell, Pauline, and Brandon. They were all asked to dance for their lives. I knew immediately who would get cut, and I was right. The judges cut Ariana and Brandon at the end of the night. A sigh of relief…Crumper Russell would stay on!!!

This season is incredible and I can't wait to see what happens next week. Stay tuned and we'll be keeping you updated here at Simple Man Entertainment. Be sure to catch the shows if you can on FOX!

Below are a few great videos to check out.

Kathryn and Legacy - Hip Hop

Nathan and Mollee - Disco

Had to throw this one in. Here is the hip hop routine the three hip hop dancers performed in the first show where they weren't competing. It was so incredible, I just had to post it for you all to check it out!!!

"So You Think You Can Dance" Season 6

2009-10-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment my friends I know it has been a while since we have posted anything here. Of course as I am sure you are aware we would not miss out on posting about a phenomenal show called “So You Think You Can Dance”. We are now at the start of the Season Six Top 20 competition and it looks like this season is going to over shadow Season 5, which was awesome.

Last week we all saw the judges whittle down the remaining Vegas contestants to the Top 20 dancers for this season, and there was at least one surprising twist there. One of their picks Paula van Oppen declined to compete because she had accepted a movie contract, which allowed dancer Ashleigh Di Lello to join the Top 20. This of course made her husband and top 20 contestant Ryan Di Lello very happy.

Last night we all got to see a one hour show that showcased the dancers in their chosen genres performing without fear of being cut. The show started with a 1930’s inspired piece that involved the entire Top 20 group of dancers. The routine was very well choreographed and performed depicting a sort of dancing gang fight between rival groups.

This season has also seen a couple of new firsts for the show. Season 6 finally has its first Krumper Russell Ferguson appearing in the top 20. Season 6 not is not only showcasing its first ever tapper in the Top 20 it is debuting three tappers in the Top 20. Season 6 is definitely proving to be a season for firsts and with the competition as close as it is these first timers are going to have to step it up a notch or ten.

Another first for “So You Think You Can Dance” is going to be the loss and absence of Emmy award winning choreographer Mia Michaels. She announced her departure right after she was taken to the hospital from choreographing a routine for “So You Think You Can Dance Canada”. Mia Michaels is not one of my favorite judges but she is a favorite choreographer and I will miss her creativity this season.

Tonight of course will be the first night of competition for the Top 20 dancers and two of them will be leaving the show at the end of night. This is due to a change in the format of the show by its producers. I am not sure if this format change will carry on throughout season 6 but I will find out and get back to you all about that. One other thing, it appears that Top 20 dancer Billy Bell has left the competition due to illness and there is no news yet who will replace him.

That is all I have for you right now, but we will be back tomorrow with a recap of the routines and results of tonight’s show. I hope you all have a great day and enjoy the show tonight on the Fox channel. Till tomorrow my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

NBC's Trauma - Will it Be the New ER?

2009-09-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

As I promised in my last post here at Simple Man Entertainment, we'll be spending some of our time here covering some of the new shows that have just come out on television. One of the shows I've been interested in since I heard about it's pilot is the show Trauma, airing on NBC. It airs on Monday nights, and I decided to check out the pilot show. After all, everyone's proclaiming that it will bet the "new ER," and being a big fan of ER in the past, I just had to check it out.

So, I sat down and watched the very first show this past Monday night. I have to admit, it was a pretty good show. A lot of stuff got blown up in the first show, but beyond all the things blowing up, there were some pretty good characters. Watching the show, my husband and I came up with the top 5 characters that really seem to add to the show.

First of all is Nancy Carnahan, played by Anastasia Griffith. She plays a blond EMT who loses her "boyfriend" (they never called him her boyfriend, but I suppose since they seemed to be "getting it on in the ambulance" he must have been something like a boyfriend) in the very first blow up, where a life flight and a news chopper collide. Her character is in pain and trying to figure out why she keeps going in the job, and she definitely shows some depth.

Another top character is Marisa Benez, played by Aimee Garcia, the new life flight pilot. She gives one of the other characters, "Rabbit," a run for his money, finally punching a bit of sense into him in the pilot.

Speaking of "Rabbit…" He's the flight medic on the life flight helicopter (played by Cliff Curtis). He was the only survivor of the earlier helicopter collision, and while he always seemed to have attitude, it seems the accident (he went through some time in a coma after that accident) really gave him even more attitude. Even so, he seems to be the one holding everyone together in the show - perhaps the glue keeping the show together.

Then there is Cameron Boone, played by Derek Luke. He's another of the EMT's with a wife and family. He's struggling with the weight of his job and can't take that pressure home to his family, which leaves him straying to "less savory" company and coming in the door at 4am in the morning on a regular basis.

Last of all, you get a pretty brief glimpse of Dr. Joseph Saviano, played by Jamey Sheridan. He's a doctor in the hospital. Although you don't see much of him in the first show, you definitely get the feeling that he's an important character in this show.

Is Trauma the new ER? Well, I'm not sure. First of all, it's hard to judge a show on just the pilot show. On the other hand, I'm not really sure anything is ever going to replace the show ER. However, I'm going to keep watching this show because I definitely think it shows a lot of great potential and I'm interested to see if the next shows are as good as the first. It's definitely a show I'd recommend watching at least once - the rest of the story is yet to be told.

Patrick Swayze: 08/18/1952 – 09/14/2009

2009-09-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have been watching Patrick Swayze on both the big screen and the little screen for more than thirty years. In that time he has had great success and particularly on the big screen. Some of his most notable films were The Outsiders, Dirty Dancing, Ghost, and Point Break. As a matter of fact I liked the film Point Break so much that I named my daughter after the Lori Petty character Tyler Ann Endicott, which seems a weird thing in hindsight to do now.

He has also had a little success in music as well with the song he co-wrote with Stacy Widelitz called “She’s Like the Wind”, which was originally written for the movie Grandview U.S.A., but a appeared on the film Dirty Dancing. This song has not only been a top ten hit, but it has been covered by artists like David Hasselhoff and Lumidee to name a couple of them.

I can also remember him playing gang leader Bandit in a TV show called Renegades. I have seen him in the M*A*S*H episode of “Blood Brothers and most recently in an A&E drama called The Beast where he played an FBI agent named Charles Barker. He also had a starring role on the small screen in an HBO movie called Letters From a Killer. All in all some great stuff on TV I would have liked to see him do more in this venue.

As far as the personal life of Patrick Swayze what can you say about it? He lived his life just like everyone else does. He had his ups and downs. He battled alcoholism, his sister Vicky committed suicide by overdosing on drugs, and he lost his father to a heart attack. However he had his successes in his personal life as well. He married and remained so until his death to Lisa Niemi whom he met at the age of eighteen and she was fourteen.

Unfortunately for all of us the world has lost another true artist and performer to that killer called cancer. In this case it was a form of pancreatic cancer called Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm, which is a sixty four dollar term for big trouble and no cure. Even so he fought the good fight and continued to work until he passed away just eleven short days ago, and I for one will miss him.

That is all I am going to write about for now here at Simple Man Entertainment, but I will be back again soon with something a little more upbeat I hope. Until then I hope you all have a wonderful weekend my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Fall is Here and So are New Season Premieres

2009-09-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially here, and along with fall has come many new season premieres on TV. A lot of the great shows are back, such as House, NCIS, CSI Miami, CSI New York, So You Think You Can Dance, Fringe, Heroes, Law and Order, 30 Rock, The Mentalist, The Office, Sons of Anarchy, Numb3rs, and many more. Along with great returning shows, there are new shows out, such as Glee, Trauma, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Mercy, Eastwick, Flash Forward, Brothers and White Collar.

Here at Simple Man Entertainment, we'll be taking a look at a lot of these shows. You can definitely expect coverage once again of So You Think You Can Dance, but you'll notice we have a new format for our coverage - you'll like it. We'll also be giving you a look at some of the Season Premieres, some of the new shows we really like, such as Glee, and a look at some we don't.

Stay tuned as we tune in to the hottest (and the no so hot) shows on television this fall. Have a show you want us to review or write about? Let us know and we'll be glad to feature it. We'll also be taking a look at some of the talented actors and actresses behind these shows, and a whole lot more.

You can expect to start seeing more posts here at Simple Man Entertainment. We've got a lot to look forward to, and we hope we'll be seeing you here often!

Corky Romano (2001)

2009-08-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment today my friends. Today I am going to talk about a movie called Corky Romano, which is a stupid funny kind of movie that I normally wouldn’t watch. However this one took my by surprise it was really funny and a great way to relax and enjoy myself with my wife. By the way my wife recommended that I watch the movie and as usual she was right, because I laughed my butt off.

The movie is about the son of a mobster who has nothing whatever to do with the family business, but gets pulled in at the behest of the family consigliore. His job is to infiltrate the FBI and get the evidence against his father before it can be used against him at trial. What follows is an outrageous series of screw ups by Corky (The Son) that never the less work out for him.

There are a lot of great actors in this film that you may recognize as well. Chris Kattan has the title role of Corky Romano. Peter Falk plays the father Francis Romano. Chris Penn and Peter Berg play the brothers Peter and Paulie respectively. Fred Ward plays the consigliore Leo Corrigan, Richard Roundtree plays the top fed, and Vinessa Shaw plays the love interest agent Kate Russo. As you can see this movie has a great cast of characters.

Another good thing about this movie is that it is family friendly too. You can show this to your kids and not have to worry about the content being to adult for them to enjoy the movie with you. Also since the movie came out in 2001 you don’t have to worry about spending a fortune to see it. Corky Romano will make a great family night movie, or even just a movie to help make you laugh when the day has been rough.

That is all for now from Simple Man Entertainment, but we will be back again soon with more films, shows, and stuff for your entertainment pleasure. Have an awesome day, and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

The Other Boleyn Girl - Movie Review

2009-08-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Simple Man Entertainment. I'm back with another interesting movie review, and instead of something funny (which is my movie of preference) I'm going to talk about a movie that delves into some history - The Other Boleyn Girl.

I've been planning to watch this movie for months. I don't even remember how long it's been there on my DVR waiting for me to watch it, but finally, my husband and I got the chance to watch it, so I thought I'd give it a review.

Who's Who?
The Other Boleyn Girl stars quite a few names that you'll definitely recognize. Playing the two main roles, as the Boleyn sisters are Natalie Portman (Anne Boleyn) and Scarlett Johansson (Mary Boleyn). Playing the king, Henry Tudor, in the movie is Eric Bana, and he definitely does it well. Some of the other names you may recognize include Jim Sturgess, Kristin Scott Thomas, David Morrissey, Ana Torrent, Eddie Redmayne, and Mark Rylance.

Kid Rating:
For you parents, you may be wondering if this is a movie to show the kids. Personally, I don't think so. Yes, this movie is definitely historical, but remember that history isn't always very pretty or family friendly. This is a movie with adult themes, and although it is rated PG-13, it's not one I'd show the kids. Of course, you can view it and decide for yourself.

The Story Line:
If you remember your history lessons at all, I'm sure you've heard the Boleyn name. This movie tells the story of the Boleyn family. Since Catherine of Aragon, the current queen of England, is not able to have a male child to be the heir to the thrown, The Duke of Norfolk along with his brother in law (father of the Boleyn girls) decides to try to get Anne in as the mistress to the king, trying to gain riches and political power for themselves. This doesn't go according to plan though, and King Henry ends up being infatuated by Mary, who was already married. The king gives Mary's husband an offer of a court position, which means Mary must go to court as well, and she is basically forced into being the mistress to the king. Although not put in this position of her own will, she falls in love with him along the way.

Anne of course is angry that she didn't get the king, and runs off with another nobleman, who happens to be already betrothed, and they are secretly married. The family is afraid that Anne is going to ruin the family reputation, and she is exiled off to France.

Mary gets pregnant with the kings child, but ends up becoming bedridden for most of her pregnancy. So once again Anne is called back to gain the attention of the king so he won't stray to "greener pastures" ( now there's a stretch…). This time Anne is able to seduce the king, withholding herself from him and convincing him to never speak to her sister and never to sleep with his wife. Although Mary has a son, the king will not speak to her, and she is sent away, heartbroken by betrayal by the king and her sister.

Even though he sends her sister away and refuses see his wife, Anne demands more. She wants the queen divorced and sent away so that she can legally become the king's wife. During this time, the news of Anne's previous marriage to the nobleman comes to light, but Mary assures the king that it was not consummated, which ends up reconciling the two sisters, so Mary stays in court with Anne.

Finally Anne is married to Henry, she gets pregnant, but has a daughter. Then she miscarries her second pregnancy and things that her brother should impregnate her, to avoid the wrath of the king, although they both cannot go through with it. The only problem is that her brother's wife sees them together and goes on to testify that they did have incestuous relations with each other. Both Anne and her brother are found guilty, even though they weren't, and are supposed to be executed. Marty comes back to plead for the life of her sister, since she misses her brother's execution, but she is not successful and is warned not to come back to court. Mary leaves taking Anne's daughter with her and raises the girl with her own son.

In the end, it becomes ironically clear that it is actually Elizabeth, the daughter of Anne, that does take over the throne.

My Thoughts:
The Other Boleyn Girl was definitely an interesting movie, and based on historical facts. It found it a tragic story and was horrified to see how an entire family was torn apart, and ultimately two of them killed, all because of greed and pursuit of power. The father of these girls was willing to basically sell away his daughters to get more money and political power, which actually is quite sickening.

As I mentioned, this is not really one for the kids, but it is an interesting historical movie that was well done. It's not one I'd watch again, but definitely one I won't forget!

Fast & Furious 4 (2009)

2009-08-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome back my friends to another installment of Simple Man Entertainment today. I finally got a chance to watch Fast and Furious 4, which is a movie I have wanted to see since it came out in the late spring/early summer of this year. I am a big fan of the original Fast & Furious as well as the third movie Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift, but I was not as much of a fan of Fast & Furious 2.

F&F4 reunited four of the original cast members from the movie that started it all Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez. The only two original cast members missing in this movie that survived were Johnny Strong, (Leon) and Matt Schulze (Vince). However I think Dom, O’Connor, Mia, and Letty were sufficient for this F&F4 2009 film production.

Fast & Furious 4 just like all of the other movies in this series have these things in common. F&F4 has fast cars, beautiful girls, great music, and high tech gadgetry. Unfortunately I think the film lacks a really good plot and is very shallow on character development. However if you like speed, action, adventure, clubbing, and gorgeous girls, this film will not disappoint you.

The plot is very straight forward though. Eventually Dom leaves Letty in order to protect her because he is a marked man. Letty ultimately returns home and is murdered while trying to clear his name. Mia tells her brother Dom what happened and Dom promptly returns home to take revenge against Letty’s murderer once he finds him. Along the way Dom and O’Conner reunite for the same cause and the rest you have to watch yourself.

After watching Fast & Furious 4 I have come away from the movie with these things in mind. If I have a couple of hours to kill I would watch this movie, but I wouldn’t pay to. This is also not a movie that I will watch again although the first Fast & Furious or Tokyo Drift I would watch again. I guess in the end I was not a big fan of Fast & Furious 4. That’s all from Simple Man Entertainment for now; see ya all later, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Appaloosa: Feelings Get You Killed

2009-08-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the good fortune to sit down and enjoy a true escapist movie. The movie I got to watch was a western called Appaloosa. I have always been a big fan of the genre of western films. Unfortunately there have been a lot of western films made in the last ten or twenty years that I thought cheapened the genre, however I do not think that this movie is one of those.

As with most excellent and classic western movies this one is also about the classic battle between good and evil. Appaloosa also happens to be a great love story as well, which I believe will make this movie a good viewing for both the guys and gals. The makers of this film have also seemed to have gone out of their way to keep the wardrobe, speech, and living conditions of the west as authentic as possible too.

There are also a lot of well known actors in this movie who have had experience in performing as western characters. Ed Harris plays the main character of Virgil Cole a lawman. Viggo Mortensen plays Virgil’s partner Everett Hitch. Jeremy Irons plays the evil rancher Randall Bragg. Lance Henriksen plays hired gunman Ring Shelton. Renée Zellweger plays the love interest Timothy Spall of Harry Potter fame also plays a roll.

The setting for this film is a small western town named Appaloosa. The town’s people and businesses have been terrorized for some time by the evil rancher Randall Bragg to the point that the town council is finally ready to do something about it. Their answer to the problem is to hire Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch to protect the town, because the towns marshal Jack Bell was killed by Randall Bragg. Unfortunately for Bragg marshal Bell was a friend of Virgil Cole, which motivates Virgil to accept the job.

While all of this is going a widow named Allison French played by Zellweger arrives in town on the train and grabs the interest of town marshal Virgil Cole. To Virgil Allison French appears to be a refined, educated, and attractive woman, which she is. They spark up a relationship almost immediately and Virgil starts to court Mrs. French. Unfortunately Mrs. French also shows an interest in Virgil’s partner Everett Hitch, which goes no where fast.

Ultimately Virgil Cole gets a witness to marshal Jack Bell’s murder, makes his arrest, and gets a murder conviction at trial on rancher Randall Bragg. While transporting Bragg to the county seat for his hanging Bragg is rescued by hired gunman Ring Shelton and his brother who have taken Allison French as a hostage. While trailing Randall and the Shelton brothers Virgil learns that Allison is fooling around with Bragg. Both Bragg and his crew and Virgil and Everett run into some renegade apaches at this time too.

What follows is a shootout with the renegade Indians and an unlikely partnership between the Shelton Brothers, Cole, and Everett. Ultimately a gift of a horse to the Indians in exchange for safe passage is performed by Everett, which allows the unlikely partners to reach the town Bragg was running to. Inevitably there is a shootout between Cole, Everett, and the Ring brothers, which enables Randall to escape and results in both Cole and Everett sustaining injuries and the Ring brothers dying.

Some time later after Virgil, Everett, and Allison return to Appaloosa where Virgil and Allison rekindle their relationship Randall returns with a full pardon by then President Chester A, Arthur his friend and former boss at the customs house in Washington D.C. What follows after Randall’s return to Appaloosa is nothing less than what you would expect, although not in the manner that I expected at least. I think though that you should watch the movie, because I will not give away the ending and the ending is poignant.

I hope you have enjoyed his review here at Simple Man Entertainment This movie is rated R for violence an language so I would definitely not show movie to young children. However if you like westerns jut as I do I would highly recommend that you watch this movie, because you will not be disappointed. I hope you all have a marvelous day and I will be back again soon with more here at Simple Man Entertainment CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Episode 23/Season Finale

2009-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last night was the So You Think You Can Dance season finale and it was a smokin hot from start to finish. They had some of the judge’s favorite routines from this past season and they were all awesome performances. The also had the Rage Boys Crew back as guests along with So You Think You Can Dance Australia winner Sonya Talia. This 2 hour show was nonstop entertainment I enjoyed every minute of it.

The show even had seven experts on dais last night instead of the usual three. Last nights panel of experts in addition to Nigel and Mary included Adam Shankman, Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Debbie Allen, and Lil C. Like I said I thought they picked some great routines for us to watch on the finale, and did an even better job of staying quiet and letting the dancers have their night in the spotlight.

I won’t go in to all f the routines that they picked for last nights show, but I will tell you that they picked my Top 4 favorite routines of the season. These four routines are Mad with Phillip and Jeanine, The Butt with Evan and Randi, Kupono and Kayla in Addiction, and Ade and Melissa in This Woman’s Work. I was very happy to see these routines performed with the pressure off I think that made them better.

As I mentioned The Rage Boys came back for the finale to perform to “Feel It”, which was choreographed by Tiffany Burton and recorded by Colby O’Donis and Maui B. The other guest that performed was from So You Think You Can Dance Australia Sonya Talia. Sonya ballerina performed a stunning routine to “Shot You Down” by Audio Bully’s.

Of course what we are here for today on Simple Man Entertainment is to discuss who won the competition so here we go. Kayla took 4th place in the competition, which I felt was right. Evan secured 3rd place throwing off my prediction by a 1/3. Brandon nailed down the 2nd spot easily. The winner of the competition was none other than the incomparable Jeanine who ultimately earned the title Americas Favorite Dancer and validating 2/3 of my prediction.

Well my friends this puts Season 5 in the history books. I have to tell you that I enjoyed this season even more than I did the last season. I had my ups and downs with some judge’s decisions and critiques as well as some of the dancers who got cut earlier. I also had some serious doubts about some routines that were performed. However I never had a doubt that these talented performers would shine.

I hope you all have a great day and Simple Man Entertainment will be back with the new So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 in just a few short weeks, man I can’t wait until September. We will also see you all again very soon with more entertainment info soon. We have been looking at some movies and even a few books as well that we think you guys might like. So keep an eye out for us CIAO4NOW!!!!!

MAD:

ADDICTION:

THE BUTT:

THIS WOMAN'S WORK:

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 22 - The Final 4

2009-08-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night of the finale for So You Think You Can Dance, and of course we have to write about that here at Simple Man Entertainment. It was an interesting night, with the show getting moved to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and the final four dancing all night long.

The judges for the night were Nigel, Mary, and back from the first week - Adam Shankman. It was good to have him back on the panel of judges again.

The first routine of the night was the top four dancing together and they did a Wade Robson routine, danced to "Boys Boys Boys" by Lady Gaga. It was about two cheerleaders and two football players, and the cheerleaders were too much for the football players to handle. It was okay, but it didn't start any fireworks on the show.

Tonight everyone was dancing with everyone else, so the first couple dance was done by Evan and Jeanine. I'd been waiting all season for these two to get together. They did a routine choreographed by Sonya, dancing to "Heartbreaker" by MSTRKRFT ft. John Legend. Adam called it "great," Mary said it was a "good partnership," and Nigel felt that the two were "well loved."

Brandon was up next with a solo piece that was excellent. Adam called him an "extreme dancer" and Mary said he "gave me goose bumps." He got great reviews and the judges felt that this dance was definitely competitive.

Brandon and Kayla danced together as a couple next, with a Broadway routine by Tyce Diorio. They danced to "Bye Bye Love" from the All That Jazz soundtrack. Adam felt it was "so good," Mary called them "rock stars" and Nigel called it "superb."

Jeanine did her solo next, and it was beautiful. Adam thought it was "risky" but he felt he was a "beautiful woman" and that she "fought Brandon back" with this solo. Mary said it was a "standout" and Nigel called it "brave" and "brilliant" predicting she'd at least make it to the final two.

The two guys, Brandon and Evan took the stage next, dancing together to a Pop Jazz routine, choreographed by Laruieanne Gibson. They danced to "Nasty" by Janet Jackson. Adam felt "Evan got a little dusted," Mary felt that Brandon was a "little bit sharper," and even Nigel felt that Evan got "outdanced." However, they all alluded to the fact that the piece was not one well suited to Evan (after all he's not really a Nasty boy) which was not Evans fault at all.

Kayla and Jeanine then danced a Mia Michaels contemporary routine together, to "The Four Sections IV" by Full Orchestra Steve Reich. Mary called these two the "strongest two women ever on the show" and Nigel felt that it was Jeanine who has really "peaked" at this stage in the game.

Evan danced his solo next, and of course it was well loved by the crowd. Adam said he was "fascinated" and Mary gave him "kudos" saying that "Evan is unique." While Nigel felt that Evan "brings the Ahhhhh factor" he didn't think this solo was as strong as solos done already by Brandon and Jeanine.

Dancing as a couple, Evan and Kayla hit the stage, dancing a Jive by Tony and Melanie. They danced to "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." by Travis Tritt. It was definitely a different Jive routine. Adam said he was "not sure that was a finale level routine" but of course that wasn't really the dancers fault. Mary felt that it was "phenomenal" but then said they "faked it," but then flip flopped to say that "Kayla stole the show." Not sure she really had an idea what she was talking about at this point. Nigel felt that "Evan was there the whole time" and wished that Kayla would have shown this personality earlier in the competition.

Kayla danced her solo next, and I agreed with what Adam said: "This solo was fine, but didn't show who you are." Personally, I think this has been her problem throughout the competition.

The last couple to dance was Brandon and Jeanine, dancing a Pasa Doble, choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. They danced to "Tetsuyin" from the Matrix Revolutions soundtrack. This was the best pieces of the night in my opinion. Adam felt that they "shredded" with "so much strength and power." Mary screamed, called it "phenomenal" and "spot on" than screamed again. Nigel even screamed, and said he felt that these two dancers were "in the front."

At the end of the show, the judges were asked if they had predictions for tonight's final show and who would win. Adam said he "had no idea," Mary said "no way" did she have a clue, but Nigel did weight in. He felt that Brandon and Jeanine would be in the top two and one of them would be crowned America's Favorite Dancer.

Now we already know that Tim has made a prediction that it will be Jeanine and Evan, with Jeanine winning. We also have a prediction from top judge Nigel now. No matter who else ends up in the top 2, I know Jeanine will be there, so that's as far as I'm going to go.

The dancers have danced. They've laid their heart and soul on the floor. What matters now is tonight. I hope you watch the show. If you don't, we'll give you the results in tomorrow's post.

Fool's Gold Movie Review

2009-08-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

We're back with another movie review here on Simple Man Entertainment. Over the weekend I got a night to kick back with my husband and watch a movie - Fool's Gold. After I watched the movie, I definitely thought it was worthy of a review, so here it is.

Who's Who?
There are a lot of names you'll recognize in the movie Fool's Gold. The leading man, Benjamin Finnegan is played by Matthew McConaughey and the leading lady, Tess Finnegan, is played by Kate Hudson. This isn't the first time these two have been in movies together, and they do a great job once again. Playing Nigel is Donald Sutherland, another big name, and playing his daughter Gemma is Alexis Dziena. A couple other names you may recognize are Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone, and Kevin Hart.

Kid Rating:
Is this a movie you want to show the kids? Well, that depends on the age of the kids. It's not really a kids movie, although it is rated PG-13. If you have younger kids, this isn't a movie really for them, not because it's a bad movie, but more because the story plot is more adult. So is this a family night movie? Probably not, although some older kids may enjoy it. My advice…watch it first and then decide for yourself.

The Story Line:
The story line is exciting, with Benjamin Finnegan looking for treasure in the sea, only to have his boat blow up. He finds something he thinks is important, only to be captured by the henchman of a man he owed money too - Big Bunny. Meanwhile Tess, his wife is trying to get a divorce. He escapes, only to arrive seconds after the divorce is final, in which she is awarded everything. The only problem…the boat, the only thing they owned, was blown up. She gets so mad she smacks him with a cane - truly hilarious.

Benjamin is still convinced there is treasure out there to find. While Tess is working for a multi millionaire on his yacht, Ben spots the yacht, and thinking about the fact he needs money, comes up with a plan to get on that boat. He ends up on the boat after a chivalrous deed, shocking Tess as she serves dinner to the yachts owner and his daughter. Three smashed plates later, the two end up telling Nigel, the millionaire (played by Sutherland) about the search they have done in the past and the likelihood that they know where the Spanish treasure, known as the Queen's Dowry, is located.

Nigel is willing to fund the adventure, and off they go to explore the sea to find the treasure. Along the way, newly divorced Ben and Tess begin to reignite their old love. As they search for treasure, they are thwarted at every turn by Big Bunny, surviving capture more than once, and eventually finding the treasure in a dangerous place. Do they get the treasure? You'll have to watch it and find out.

My Thoughts:
Personally, I found Fool's Gold to be an exciting and fun movie to watch. It has plenty of humor, and a love story back dropped by search for treasure - what could be better? This is definitely what I call a feel good movie, and it's not so sappy that the guys won't like it. My husband actually enjoyed it too, so this is one that is great for both the guys and the gals. This is definitely a movie I'd recommend.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-08-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yep the family I and finally did it, we went and saw the new HP flick Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. The kids have been going crazy wanting to see this movie since they first learned the release date. Of course the kids have been to see every Harry Potter movie in the theater so why would they see this one be any differently.

However we did wait until after the opening day to go see the movie, because I hate large crowds. We also went to a matinee, which worked out because it is the hottest part of the day and a movie theater is air conditioned, and it is better than spending all day in the house too. Any way I digress so let’s move along to the movie.

I also had been really looking forward to this film also especially after the way The Order of the Phoenix had ended. At the end of that film everyone was finally confronted with the reality of Lord Voldemorts return. You also get to see who the Deatheaters are as well as the members of the order. You also see the death of Sirius Black Harry’s god father.

I really did expect The Half Blood Prince to answer some of the questions that had arisen from the 6th movie. Unfortunately you don’t really get all of the answers you are looking for, but you get more questions that need answering instead. I found this to be maddening, but with film #7 still in the works and an 8th film rumored I understand why.

What you do get though is a great piece of cinematic entertainment. You get all of your favorite characters like the Weasleys, the Malfoys, the Order of the Phoenix, and Hogwarts players. You also have plenty of action/magic in this film. Another thing you see is a more clear definition of some of the characters relationships with each other.

I would have to say that all in all The Half Blood Prince was definitely worth going out to see. It was also worth every penny we spent for four including what we spent at the snack bar. If you haven’t seen this movie yet and you find yourself with a couple of hours to kill during the day it is well worth the time and the money to go see it.

That is all I can say about this film, because I don’t wish to give away the ending. As for those of you who have already seen it, well you already know how it ends. I will tell you that I have already read all of the HP books so I know how it all should end, so we will see won’t we.

Have a great day my friends and I will see you all again soon. So long from Simple Man Entertainment and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

My daughter Tyler says about the new HP:
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was a well done movie. It wasn’t exactly the greatest thing to come out of WB, but it was still watch-able. The cast was great and you can definitely see an improvement in the acting skills, but they should have added more to the plot and at least answered a few questions. For example: Why didn’t Draco just kill Albus or why didn’t Minerva look more upset when Albus died? In my opinion, there are only a few good things that came out of this film, such as couples Ron and Hermione or Harry and Ginny. The cliffhangers were a great thing to add in too. A few interesting cliffhangers - Harry and Ginny won’t be returning to school… neither will Ron and Hermione. Overall, it was a great film.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Episode 21/Results Show

2009-07-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome back my friends to Simple Man Entertainment and the review for last nights So You Think You Can Dance weekly results show. I have to tell you that last nights show was well worth watching too. There were some great routines from last years show performed by the original dancers and a couple of guest performers as well. Of Course there were also two more extraordinary dancers cut last night also.

Last nights So You Think You Can Dance kicked off with a Tyce Diorio routine danced by the Top 6 dancers. They danced the routine to “Send in the Clowns” by Judy Collins. As usual the choreography was excellent and the dancing was memorable especially Evans little sad clown part at the end. I also liked the clown outfits although clowns scare my daughter, ha ha ha.

After the opening routine Kat Deeley had the Top 3 female dancers out to find out who was safe and who would be in the bottom two. Jeanine was automatically safe, which forced both Melissa and Kayla to once again dance their solos before a packed studio audience later in the show. I will tell you that I was not surprised to see Jeanine sent off stage safe and in the finale next week, because she is I think the best dancer of the three females.

The first guest routine from season 4 performed for the show was also a Tyce Diorio routine called Silence. This routine was danced by the original dancers Will and Jessica to the song of the same name “Silence” by Unfaithful. This was definitely one of the memorable routines from Season 4. I also thought that then that Will should have been in the finale instead of Twitch who is an excellent dancer in his own right.

When the first guest routine was over Kat had the three male dancers come on stage to find out who was going to dance their solos and who was automatically safe and in the finale. To no ones surprise Brandon was found safe and automatically in the finale for the guys. Of course that meant that Ade and Evan would be dancing at least one more solo that night.

The next guest routine from Season 4 was the Mia Michaels routine Mercy and was performed by the original dancers Twitch and Katie who took second place in last seasons show. The routine is called Mercy and was also performed to the tune of the same name “Mercy” by Duffy. This was one of the most popular dance routines of Season 4 and Katie and Twitched really nailed it last night.

Right after Mia Michael’s routine the third guest routine from Season 4 was performed. This routine choreographed by former show contestant turned choreographer Dimitry Chaplin was a Tango danced to the song “A Los Amigos” by Forever. The dancers for this routine then and now are Chelsie and Joshua. Joshua won the finale last year and Chelsie was my favorite female dancer last season.

The Jabberwocky Dancer’s were guests on last nights So You Think You Can Dance and performed a group routine. They danced to the song “Freak-A-Zoid” by Midnight Star. The routine was a very well coordinated Hip Hop and showcased some great tricks by its individual members as well as an excellent performance as a group. I will also tell you that I enjoyed their performance more than the vocal performance of the vocal guest.

The last guest routine from Season 4 performed last night was also my favorite routine of last season. This routine was choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon and is called Bleeding Love. The song for the routine is also called “Bleeding Love” by Leone Lewis. Chelsie and Mark performed the routine originally in Season 4 and just like last season they shined to it again last night. Chelsie and Mark were my favorite couple last season.

The final guest performer of the evening was Reggae singer Sean Paul, who sang his new hit single “So Fine”. I have to tell you that the music had a great groove to it and his dancers were really of the chain. My only regret about this performance was that Sean Paul had to sing. This performance would have made a great dance routine without Sean Paul’s vocal addition to the performance.

Now to get down to what you all really want to know here at Simple Man Entertainment and that is who went home and who went to the finale. Well after four great solos from four great dancers Kat gave the bad news to two dancers and sent the other tow to the finale. At the end of it all Ade and Melissa went home, and Evan and Kayla went on to the finale to be shown next week.

I am going to make a prediction for next week’s finale before I end this post. I predict that the final two dancers in the finale will be Evan and Jeanine. I further predict that in the end Jeanine will win the contest and be voted Americas favorite dancer. That’s it for now my friends I hope you all enjoy this post and the video. I will see you all later have a great weekend and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 20 - The Top 6

2009-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

We're back at Simple Man Entertainment with your next look at So You Think You Can Dance Season 5. Last night the top 6 danced, and it definitely was a packed show - so let's get to it.

Judging the show was of course Nigel and Mary, and they were joined last night by Lil C.

Starting out the show, the top 3 guys danced a Sonya contemporary routine, which was incredible. Dancing to "True Romance" by She Wants Revenge, it definitely showcased the top guys. Both Mary and Lil C "loved it" and Nigel felt that Evan really "stood out" in this routine.

Paired together this week were Ade and Jeanine. They picked a Samba choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. Dancing to "Love Game" by Lady Gaga, this routine had mixed reviews. Mary felt that the "first 15 seconds were incredible…then it started to fall apart." Even Lil C felt it "fell short" although al the judges had to admit that Jeanine was beautiful and did perform well in the routine - it was Ade that seemed to have the problem.

Next up was Kayla with her solo. This was a much better solo than we've seen from her in the past. In fact, for the girls, hers may have been the best solo of the night, although it pains me to admit it.

Evan and Melissa were paired together and they first performed a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They danced a cute piece to "Get Me to the Church on Time" from My Fair Lady by Matt Dusk. I really loved this routine and was irritated that Lil C sort of cracked down on Evan, saying he expected more. However, Mary saved the day saying, perhaps this was "get me to the finale on time," and I agreed. Nigel really felt that Evan did bring enough and felt that Melissa did "good work" in the routine.

Ade was the next solo, dancing a routine that was cool and fun. Although his routine wasn't as good as the others, you always have to say this guy has fun out there.

Brandon and Kayla were paired together this week and they were dancing a Contemporary routine with Stacey Tookey. They danced to "All I Want" by Ahn Trio. It was definitely a beautiful piece with intricate work. Lil C called it "really intense" and "beyond amazing." Mary felt it was "exquisite" and Nigel called it "brilliant."

Up next was Melissa, dancing her solo. She did a good job, and as always, showed off her great ballerina skills.

Ade and Jeanine were dancing again next, doing a Hip Hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha. They danced to "Move (If You Wanna)" by MIMS. This routine was fun, and it definitely made use of some great props. I thought that Jeanine was really hitting it in this routine. Lil C gave it great praise, calling it "buck" and Mary said they weren't "getting their eviction notice." Nigel thought they "got down" and called it "fantastic."

Brandon performed his solo next, and it was incredible. It was very strong and he got a standing ovation from the judges. Usually the judges don't comment on solos, but Nigel said that his solo was "one of the best solos we've ever seen on the show."

With the Quick Step, otherwise known as the "kiss of death" on the show, Evan and Melissa were next. They were choreographed by Louis Van Amstel and danced to "As Long as I'm Singin'" by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. I thought they pulled it off fairly well. Lil C thought it was "fabulous" as did Nigel, although both Mary and Nigel both commented that the middle lost a bit.

Jeanine danced her solo next, and unfortunately I thought it wasn't quite as good as her other solos; however, it was still a nice performance.

Next up came Evan with his solo, and I just loved it. He's a happy dancer and always makes you smile when he dances. Great as always!

Brandon and Kayla hit the stage next with a Disco routine with Doriana Sanchez. She wanted to outdo her last routine, and I'm not sure that this was a good idea. They danced to "Dance (Disco Heat)" by Sylvester. The judges gave this rave reviews with Lil C calling it "awesome," Mary calling it a "home run," and Nigel screaming and running around the set. However, I felt that they overlooked some flaws in the piece. First of all, I felt that the routine had too many tricks, making it look a bit stilted. There were a few times that they faltered on the tricks as well, getting a bit behind. I'm not sure why the judges failed to mention this, and although the piece was definitely difficult and very good, I didn't think it was necessarily "all that."

The last routine of the night was the top 3 girls dancing a Sonya contemporary routine. This was a fun routine and they danced to "Kick It" by Nin Martine. They were supposed to be dancing as cartoon superheroes. Nigel called them "super dancers" and Mary said they were the "epitome of strong, versatile, sexy dancers."

That wrapped up the show. For me it was perhaps a bit anticlimactic. The group routines were great, and the couple routines were pretty good, but nothing stood out like it did last week. As to who will get cut tonight - well that's anybody's guess. Check back tomorrow to find out what happens tonight and who final four dancers will be.

Johnny English - Movie Review

2009-07-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hi there and welcome to Simple Man Entertainment once again. Through the summer Saturday nights have sort of turned into family movie night, and once again we had an interesting movie to watch this past Saturday night. The choice for the night was Johnny English, and I though I'd share a bit about this movie with you all.

Who's Who?
In the Johnny English movie, there are quite a few names that you will probably recognize from other movies. Playing the lead character, Johnny English, is Rowan Atkinson, who you may have seen in the Mr. Bean movies. The leading lady in the movie is played by Tasha de Vasconcelos. Ben Miller is another name you'll probably recognize, playing the sidekick to Johnny English. The main villain in the movie, Pascal Sauvage, is played by John Malkovich, whom you no doubt have seen in other movies like Eragon, Beowulf, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Of Mice and Men.

Kid Rating:
This movie is only rated PG, and is perfectly fine for most kids. However, younger kids may not really get the humor in the movie. Our kids are teens, and they really got a good laugh out of the movie, so you'll probably find this one a better movie for older kids.

The Story Line:
Johnny English is a secret service agent in England, and he never has much of a place in the country, being a bit of a bumbling sort of guy. Early in the movie all the other agents in the country are killed, and he is the only spy/agent left in the country. Since he is the only one left, it is his job to protect the British Crown Jewels, but at the party to show them off after being redone, the jewels are mysteriously taken when a power outage occurs.

As English and his sidekick begin to investigate, the investigation seems to lead to Pascal, a slippery Frenchman. Along the way, he meets the beautiful Countess Alexandra, who is also investigating the case from the French side. They soon uncover the fact that Pascal plans to take over the English throne and turn the entire country into one big prison. In patriotism for his country, English and Alexandra set out to stop Pascal, in a hilarious series of events.

While I won't spoil your fun and let you in on all the hilarious parts of the movie; let's just say that in the end English gets the girl, only to accidentally eject her from his high tech spy car as he leans in to kiss her.

My Thoughts:
As for my thoughts about Johnny English, I feel that it is stupidly funny. The main character is such a stupid guy that it makes you laugh. Of course, while there are laughs throughout the whole movie, the last 15-20 minutes of the movie is the best part. If you need a movie to lighten your mood or you need a good laugh, this is one I'd recommend

SYTYCD SEASON 5 EPISODE 19 THE 100th SHOW:

2009-07-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday marked the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance and the show was definitely an excellent one start to finish. They had three award winning routines that were performed on the show over the span of the last five years as well as a guest performance by Katie Holmes. Unfortunately Katie did not perform in front of the studio audience, but the performance was excellent to watch.

There were also a lot of the alumni from the shows past seasons in the studio audience last night both dancers and choreographers. With all of the goings on in last nights show it really made for a carnival/good time feeling and a great celebration of the shows 100th episode. Although one male and one female dancer were ultimately cut it really didn’t do anything at all to darken the mood of anyone at last nights show.

As usual the show started off with a group routine danced by the Top 8. The routine was choreographed by Mia Michaels who is a choreographer that has been with the show since it started. The routine was danced to the song “One” from A Chorus Line and was a very entertaining piece. Mia is a choreographer who likes to use props in her routines and the use of mirrors in this one was a very good visual for the audience.

After the opening routine it was time for Kat to bring out the Top 4 female dancers and find out who was and wasn’t safe. I have to tell you that I was a little bit surprised by the voting results and the make up of the bottom 4 last night. For the gals Kayla and Janette were in the bottom 2, which did not surprise me. I always seem to be expecting Kayla to be in the bottom and cut.

After the commercial break the first guest routine of the evening was performed. The routine is called Hummingbird and Flower and was performed by alumni Hok and Jaime to the song “The Chairman’s Waltz from Memoirs of a Geisha. This routine was choreographed by Wade Robson form a previous season as well as for tonight and it was easy to see why he won an Emmy for this routine the first time.

After Wades routine Kat Deeley brought out the Top 4 male dancers in order to find out who wound up in the bottom 4 last night and this is where I was surprised. The 2 guys who were in the bottom were Jason and Brandon. Jason being in the bottom did not surprise me probably because I am used to seeing him there. However seeing Brandon in the bottom was a great surprise, which shows that the fans don’t always get it right.

The next guest routine was called The Bench and was performed by show alumni Travis and Heidi who happen to be cousins also. The routine was choreographed by Mia Michaels in a previous show as well as last night and was performed to the song “:Calling You” by Celine Dion. Mia Michaels won an Emmy for this very powerful routine and it definitely deserved the award as far as I’m concerned.

When the show returned to air after Mia’s routine we got to see the dancers in the bottom 4 perform their solos again. While all four dancers are extremely talented and danced their solos incredibly well I found that the solos performed by both Brandon and Janette to be the better two solos of the four. As I said the solos were incredible and I was not lacking for entertainment watching them again,

After the soloists were done with their performances it was time for the last guest routine of the night. The routine was called Ramalama and was performed to the song Ramalama also. The song was done by Roisin Murphy and the routine was choreographed by Wade Robson. This was a very odd looking routine and reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s thriller, which is no surprise since MJ gave Wade his big break.

Of course once all of lat night’s festivities were over it was time to get down to the results that everyone was eagerly anticipating and that was who is going home. I have to tell you that the final results of this part of the show surprised me somewhat too, but at the end of the night two have to go. The two dancers who found themselves going home were Jason and Janette, and it was Jeanette’s leaving that surprised me.

Well that’s all on So You Think You Can Dance for now on Simple Man Entertainment but we will be back next week for the Top 6 show and the results. I hope you all enjoy the videos and have a fantastic weekend my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

SYTYCD SEASON 5 EPISODE 18:

2009-07-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

I tell ya it seems that the fewer dancers there are on this show the more things that happen and more writing because of it. However I think that is to be expected since more is asked of those in the Top 10 than in the previous Top 20. I also think that in this case more is good, because we get to see more of what these talented dancers can do. One more thing to say is that last nights show was certainly no disappointment.

Last nights show certainly started off with a bang and a routine choreographed by show rookie Travis Wall. To say the least his latest routine was a total success and blew the roof off of the studio and raised everyone’s expectations for the show as well. All of the judges really liked the routine including guest judge comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Unfortunately the first part of the show was impossibly slow.

The first couple to dance was Evan and Janette who danced a Jazz routine choreographed by Sonya to the song “move by CSS. I thought that the routine was danced extremely well and all of the judges were really impressed too. Nigel said that they were little stars and Mia Michaels the other guest judged stated that Janette was her favorite. Mary thought the routine was a little rough though. Ellen thought that they were hard hitting and amazing.

The next routine was performed by Brandon and Jeanine. The routine they danced was a Waltz choreographed by Hunter Johnson to the song “May it Be” by Haley Westenra. This routine had a graceful and beautiful vibe, but the music was incredibly slow and I think that this made it hard for the dancers to really shine. Mary thought that the dancers did a respectable job, while Nigel and Mia both had their problems with it. Ellen said that they were fantastic.

Routine #3 was danced by reunited couple Ade and Melissa. Their routine was a Cha Cha choreographed by Tony and Melanie who are excellent choreographers. The music was great but I couldn’t pronounce the name of the tune if my life depended on it, but it was very Latin and very hot. Nigel and Ellen both liked the routine Nigel saying it was very good and hot while Ellen said that they nailed it. Mia and Mary were not so impressed and Mia even went so far as to say that this was Ade’s worst performance on the show.

The first half of the show ended with a Broadway routine performed by Jason and Kayla and choreographed by Tyce Diorio to the tune Mr. Monotony by Kim Criswell. As usual Tyce’s number was excellently choreographed and also very well performed by Jason and Kayla. All of the judges seemed to be on the same page with this one saying everything from it was beautiful to watch, a fabulous number, to I love the piece. This was a great way to end the first half of the show.

The second half of the show started off with a Rhumba choreographed by Tony and Melanie. Evan and Janette danced the routine to “Heartless” by Kris Allen. I thought that they both performed this routine very well, although I must admit that I have always found it hard to picture Evan as a sexy dancer and the Rhumba is a sexy routine. However I think that they pulled it off and all of the judges were in agreement with me for a change. Nigel also said that this is a hard style to get votes with, which is true.

Brandon and Jeanine’s next routine was a Pop/Jazz routine choreographed by Laurieann Gibson to the tune “Battlefield” by Jordan Sparks. This was definitely their best routine of the night as far as I was concerned. Brandon and Jeanine really hit it hard and nailed it. All of the judges really liked it as well. Nigel said that the night had been flat until then. Mary thought the routine was strong, powerful, and dynamic. Mia’s response ended simply with wow. Ellen liked it too saying it was unbelievable.

Ade and Melissa’s second routine was contemporary choreographed by Tyce Diorio and the music was “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell. To say the least this routine had to be the most powerful routine of the night if not the entire season. This incredible piece was about a woman’s struggle with breast cancer and her friends struggle to help her fight it. This routine touched everyone in the studio so profoundly that at the end of the routine there was almost complete silence. The judges all said this piece was the most powerful of the night.

The final routine of the night was a Shane Sparks Hip Hop routine danced to the song “They’re Everywhere” by Izza Kizza and danced by Jason and Kayla. I am not a big fan of Shane Sparks, but I have to agree with Mia that this was his best routine ever on the show. Nigel enjoyed the routine and said it felt like it was Michael Jackson inspired. Mary and Ellen both enjoyed the routine also Mary said it was pure entertainment and Ellen threatened them with their own talk show.

As regards these eight dancers solo’s I have to say that they were all performed very well. I do have to say though that this was the first solo that I have seen Kayla perform where I thought she really laid it all on the line. I also really respected the way Evan recovered from his slip up with a hat that he used as a prop in his solo. However I remind all of you readers that these eight are the best of this season and their solos should be performed well and that we shouldn’t expect anything less from them.

Well that’s all for now my friends and I hope that you have all enjoyed this blog and the videos. I am dedicating this one to the cause of Breast Cancer tonight because it is an important and deadly disease and should be addressed and not just in the dance either. Simple Man Entertainment will be back with the results from last nights contest tomorrow so have an awesome evening and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Knowing

2009-07-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wow I don’t really know where to start with this one people because Knowing is not the film it seems to be. But I know I have to start somewhere so let’s start with the fact that the characters in this film are excellently played by the cast. As far as Nicholas Cage is concerned his performance as always is proof positive that he is a consummate actor and the big star.

For those of us who are Nick Cage fans we will definitely enjoy this movie because there is plenty of him to go around. The supporting cast is very good as well especially the two child stars Chandler Canterbury and Lara Robinson. Nadia Townsend and Rose Byrne were excellent supporting actresses as well.

If you are thinking that this film is going to be an action film like Bangkok Dangerous, Con Air, or Gone In Sixty Seconds you will wind up disappointed. However do not be too disappointed because there are a couple of action sequences in this movie and they are very good.

Knowing falls more into the thriller and mystery genres and in this aspect it is a great flick. The plot for this movie involves what appears to be a series of random tragic events that Nick’s character finds out are not so random when his son’s school opens a time capsule.

His son receives a letter from the time capsule and finds all of the past tragic events prophesied in the letter except for the last three events that have yet to occur. What follows is a race against time and an extra terrestrial encounter that sheds a whole different light on the subject after the Cage character thought he figured it out.

This movie does have some violence and adult language but I found it to be suitable for families. As a Nick Cage film it is also worth seeing and as it is now on DVD it is certainly affordable. If you find yourself with a little free time in the evening, or on the weekend, that is a perfect time for this movie.

That’s all we have for you on Simple Man Entertainment today, but we will be back again very soon with more entertainment to review and enjoy. I hope you all have a terrific day my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

For Richer or Poorer - Movie Review

2009-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend my husband and I decided to watch a movie, and we went for a rather old pick - For Richer or Poorer. This movie has been out for more than 10 years, but there are some movies that are worth watching again and again. Here is a look at the movie, what it's all about, and a few of my own thoughts.

Who's Who?
There are several names that you should recognize within the movie For Richer or Poorer. Playing the leading man, Brad Sexton, is Tim Allen. Kirstie Alley plays his wife, Caroline. Another big name you will recognize right off is a Seinfeld star, Wayne Knight (you know, the one that plays Newman in Seinfield) who plays Bob Lachman (the bad accountant) in the movie. A few other names you may recognize include Larry Miller, Michael Lerner, Jay O. Sanders, Megan Cavanagh, and Carrie Preston.

Kid Rating:
This movie gets a good kid rating. Although younger kids probably won't get much from the movie, if you have teens, they may find it funny. A sense of humor is definitely necessary for watching this movie.

The Story Line:
The story starts out with Brand and Caroline Sexton (Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley) in New York. They are rich, but miserable, and after their 10th Anniversary party, which ends in disaster, they decide they want a divorce. The only problem is that they don't know they have been audited by the IRS and they owe $5 million in back taxes, thanks to their slimy accountant, Bob Lachman. Their accounts are frozen and they make a run for it, only to nearly hit a cow in their stolen taxi, careening into a pond. They are stranded…right in the middle of Amish country.

They find out that the Yoder family (one of many families named Yoder) are expected cousins, so they decide to play the Amish cousins, Emma and Jacob. Their time living on an Amish farm is hilarious. Jacob (aka Brad) ends up training a horse and learning how to plow…the hard way. Diva Emma (aka Caroline) ends up sewing, scrubbing floors, and cooking, and soon both of them are more than ready to leave. The only problem…their attorney has left town.

To make a long story short, it is through this time with the Amish where they rediscover their love for each other, only to be found out by the IRS and taken back to New York and to court. I won't spoil the end for you, but I guarantee it will make you laugh.

My Thoughts:
So, what did I think about For Richer for Poorer? I really loved this movie. It has been a favorite for some time. One big reason is that it is hilarious, and I've mentioned before how much I enjoy watching movies that are funny. I think the movie really teaches that couples can be so unhappy, even with everything in the world. The real part of a relationship is loving each other, which this movie couple learns the hard way. This movie is definitely a "feel good" movie. You laugh, laugh some more, and it has a happy ending that leaves you with a smile.

Thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment again. I hope you'll take time to give this movie a watch. If you do, make sure to let us know what you think.

P.S. Here is a link to a preview of the movie, since I wasn't able to find one I could post here:
http://www.blockbuster.com/movies/for-richer-or-poorer-trailer.html

“So You Think You Can Dance” Season 5 Episode 17

2009-07-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome back once again to the Simple Man Entertainment results post for this weeks “So You Think You Can Dance” show. This post is a little harder for me to write because we are now reviewing the Top 10 dancers on the show.

It is unfortunate that any of these fantastic dancers have to be cut, but that is the rules and the reason for this particular show. Another difference with the Top 10 as opposed to the Top 20 is that the judges no longer have any say in who goes, or who stays.

This is important because it is now up to the mob and the mob rules, and they are fickle as tonight’s show irrevocably proved. Anyway let’s get down to the meat of the matter and talk about tonight’s results shall we.

To start with tonight’s show started off with a Wade Robson oriental routine that was to say the least colorful, entertaining, and well danced, and the choreography was excellent as well. This was another Wade Robson routine that showcased the Top 10 well.

After the opening number Kat Deeley got right down to business and brought the Top 5 girls out on stage to find out which two were in the bottom 2. The two girls in the bottom were unfortunately Randi and Melissa.

Next up were the Top 5 guys and Kat wasted no time at all on this group either. After it was all said and done it turned out that Kupono and Ade were the two male dancers that had wound up in the bottom 2.

Once the next commercial break had been completed each of the dancers in their respective bottom 2 got a chance to dance yet another solo before we all got to find out who were the guy and gal who were going home.

However before we did actually find out we all got to see the Black Eyed Peas perform their hit single “I’ve Got A Feeling” off of their new album The End. As usual the Peas made the whole performance feel like a party what a great performance. I have also blogged about their new album and this song on Simple Man Music.

Of course at the end of the show we all found out that Randi and Kupono were the two dancers going home at the end of the night. I was a little surprised at Randi leaving, but not so surprised at Kupono’s departure.

Do not get me wrong I believe that both Randi and Kupono are great dancers. I just believe that Randi suffered because of her last routine with Kupono, which happened to be his last routine as well. Kupono has always had problems and was in the bottom constantly.

That is all we have for this weeks So You Think You Can Dance but we will be back with more for you all next week. Have a great week and weekend and enjoy the videos too they are my favorites by Kupono and Randi, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

P.S. Nigel graduated tonight so he wasn’t there because he was receiving an honorary degree over in the UK.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 16 - The Top 10 Dancers

2009-07-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi there, and thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment once again. We're back to talk about last night's So You Think You Can Dance show, and boy was it a great show. The top 10 hit the stage, and I enjoyed every moment of the show.

Although the judges are not deciding who goes and who stays anymore, they were still there to offer their opinions. Of course, Nigel and Mary were there, and they were joined by Debbi Allen, a well known choreographer, actress, TV director and producer, and dance school owner. I always enjoy seeing her on the judging panel.

The show started off with a top 5 girls group Bollywood routine, which was choreographed by Nakul Deo Mahajan. It was a beautiful routine with traditional Indian style music and all the girls looked terrific, although for me it was Randi and Jeanine that really drew in my eyes. Nigel called it "fantastic," Mary called it "Bolly-wow," and Debbie dubbed them the "best top 5 ladies we've ever had." High praise for the ladies.

Dancing the Viennese Waltz, Evan and Kayla were up next. Kayla drew Evan out of the hat for this routine, and they were an interesting couple, with her being taller than him. They were choreographed by Tony Meredith and danced to "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal. It was lovely, and of course I loved the music. Nigel commented that it "looked fabulous" but Mary felt it was "not good enough," although she did say that Evan made the "lifts [look] effortless." Debbie commented to Evan that "you handled your big woman," calling Evan "Gene Kelly" and Kayla "white lightning."

Next Brandon hit the stage with his solo. It was an excellent solo, really showing off his style and his strength.

When Janette picked out of the hat for a new partner, she picked Ade, so it was Ade and Janette up next with a Hip Hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha. They danced to " Love, Sex, Magic" by Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake. I really loved this routine, and felt that they did a great job - the tallest guy and the shortest girl. Nigel said "you've got funk" and Mary said now "that was funky." To Mary Janette was a "spicy hot tamale" and Ade was a "gentle giant." Debbie thought the routine was "mesmerizing" and gave them a big "Bravo!"

Randi took the stage next dancing her solo for the night. I really though it was beautiful. She was in the moment and I think she would have just kept on dancing if the music wouldn’t have stopped.

Kupono danced a solo next. It was unique and definitely interesting. However, from seeing his solo, I think he's in danger tonight when we get the results about who is going home this week.

Jeanine picked Jason to dance with, and I was excited to see this couple dance. Jason and Jeanine were doing a contemporary piece choreographed by 2nd Season's Travis Wall. They danced to "If it Kills Me" by Jason Mraz. What an excellent piece this was. It was incredibly performed and great enough that the judges were on their feet with a standing ovation. Nigel felt that they have "really become stars" and Mary too called them "stars" commenting that they just "keep growing." Mary even gave a silent scream…never heard that one before. Debbie commented that this show is "evangelizing dance" and felt that the two made a "magical pairing."

Melissa was next with her solo. Once again she did wonderful toe work. However, I felt that this solo wasn't quite as great as the last one she danced.

Evan was up next with his solo and I just loved it. He really showed why he was on the show in the first place. It was so fun to watch and the crowd loved it.

Kayla then danced her solo. I've been a bit disappointed in her dancing, especially her solos, but this one was pretty good. It was earthy and she spend a lot of time on the floor, but I felt it was good.

Randi and Kupono were paired together this week with a Pasa Doble choreographed by Tony Meredith. They danced to "Dies Irae" by Karl Jenkins. I wasn't too impressed with the routine, but felt that it was more Kupono's fault and not as much Randi's fault. They didn't live up to the choreography or the music. Nigel even stated that he was "not sure the dancing was a good as the choreography" and that the "chemistry was lost." Mary felt that the "song was more powerful" than they were and that they were "falling below" what was expected.

Ade then took the stage with a solo. He had some big moves and he definitely had the crowd. Was it his best, not really, but he does seem to be a crowd favorite.

Then Jeanine was up to dance her solo. As always, her solo was so beautiful. It was excellent, refined, yet sexy. There is a reason she is one of my favorites.

Jason then danced his solo for the night and his routine was very cool and bluesy.

Brandon and Melissa came on to dance a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. They danced to "Aquarius" from Hair (The New Broadway Cast). This definitely reflected the era that this musical came from with the routine. Nigel commented that it "brought back so many memories" and that it was "fantastic." Mary felt they were the "stars of the show" and Debbie said that "together it was seamless" and "a joy."

Janette was up with the last solo of the night. She definitely showed off her Miami roots with a funky routine that was smokin' hot.

Last for the night the top 5 guys did a routine together. It was an African dance that was choreographed by Jeffrey Page. It was such an interesting piece and you could tell that it was a difficult one to pull off. Nigel called it "well done," Mary "adored the dancing," and Debbie said to all, "I was proud of you.

The entire show was incredible. The dances were great and I found them all enjoyable. I can't wait to see what is going to happen next. Of course, we'll know soon. Come back tomorrow for a review of tonight's So You Think You Can Dance results show. Meanwhile enjoy a few of my favorite videos from last night's performance.

Jason and Jeanine

Brandon and Melissa

Ade and Janette

"Fame"

2009-07-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to watch the 1980 film classic "Fame". There were a couple of reasons that we decided to watch this great film too. The first and obvious reason is that this movie is a great movie. The second reason is that a remake of the film also called Fame will be released on September 25th, 2009. As a result we thought that we should watch the 1980 movie and review it then do the same thing with the new release in September as well.

The 1980 film "Fame", which is written by Christopher Gore and directed by Alan Parker. The movie also stars Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, and Gene Anthony Ray amongst others and showcased their talents. The movie is about the waning days of the New York Highschool for the Performing Arts and its student body and was definitely ahead of its time.

In the 80’s you never heard or saw a movie about the performing arts such as dance, music, and acting. This film gives a poignant insight into what it takes in dedication to make it in an environment like that, which also offers an academic education too. There is a gritty realism regarding the lives of both the students and faculty in this institution of higher education, but is also very entertaining to watch. It will also make an inspiring artist think twice about their personal dedication to the arts before taking the plunge into this type of education.

The new release has stars from many different genres in the performing arts as well. In addition to Kherington from So You Think You Can Dance Season 4, there is also Naturi Naughton, Collins Penne, and Kay Pannabaker just to name a few of the students. Playing the teachers is world renowned choreographer Debbie Allen, Charles Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullaly, and Bebe neuwirth. There is certainly an abundance of talent in this remake of the 1980’s film "Fame" and promises to be a very entertaining and insightful film.

That is all for today on Simple Man Entertainment my friends and I hope you have all enjoyed this post, and I also hope that you all enjoy the video and trailers too. I will be back again very soon so have an awesome day and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 15 - Results Show

2009-07-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting Simple Man Entertainment once again. We are back with the results for the week from the So You Think You Can Dance show. Last night was the results show and now we have the Top 10 dancers and I can't wait to see how the show will go from here.

The show started out with a group routine danced to "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes. It was an incredible routine, choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. Probably one of the best group routines we've seen this season.

Another important note, the show was done on Nigel Lythgoe's 60th birthday, and birthday wishes were given to him from everyone in the studio. Happy Birthday Nigel!

First on stage to find out their results were Jason and Caitlin, joined by Brandon and Janette. This was a no brainer for me. Jason and Caitlin were in the bottom three, leaving Brandon and Janette safe.

Next on stage were Evan and Randi as well as Phillip and Jeanine. Now this one didn't go the way I thought it would. It actually was Phillip and Jeanine in the bottom three this week, which shocked me with the shaky performances done by Evan and Randi this week.

Then Ade and Melissa and Kupono and Kayla were out to see their results. Once again a big surprise here. It was Ade and Melissa that ended up in the bottom three, which astounded me. They've never been in the bottom before.

Next up were the solos, where the dancers in the bottom three "danced for their life." Caitlin danced first with a good routine and had nice extensions. Jason came out and did a good job, but it looked a little forced and desperate. Once again Jeanine was exquisitely beautiful, and I knew there was no way she was going home. Phillip did what he does, and of course it was awesome as usual. We got to see Melissa do a solo for the first time on the show, and she did some incredible toe work and her piece was very energetic. Ade was up last, and he performed a great solo as well.

As the judges went backstage to deliberate, DJ David Guetta and Kelly Rowland took the stage. It was the television premiere of their hit single, "When Love Takes Over." It was a nice piece with a cool sound, and was enjoyable. However, I was waiting with "ants in my pants" lol to see what the results would be.

Finally the judges were back with the results. For the girls, it was no big shock. As I predicted yesterday, it was Caitlin that was cut from the show. The guys did shock me a bit. I was expecting it to be Jason, but they actually cut Phillip. I understand why they did it, but I was so sad to see him go, since I've been a real fan of his for a couple of years.

There was good news. Nigel secured Caitlin and Phillip a place on the Top 10 tour, so they will be on the tour and performing, which I was excited to hear.

I can't wait until next week to see the Top 10 dance. I am sure it is going to be incredible. Join us next week for up to date reviews from So You Think You Can Dance. Until then, enjoy a couple videos. The first one is a solo from Jeanine from last week, which Tim and I both agreed was one of the best solos, if not the best, we have ever seen. I also posted a routine with Phillip in it and one with Caitlin to highlight these great dancers once again. Enjoy!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 14 - The Top 12

2009-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment and your review of last night's So You Think You Can Dance show. Last night the top 12 dancers performed in Episode 14, and wow was it a great show. I must say that this was the best show yet.

Regular judges, Nigel and Mary were on the set, and they were joined by Tyce Diorio, a well known choreographer. Each couple danced twice, so the show was moving fast and the judges definitely had a lot to say. So I'll try to cover it all while avoiding a whole book here…

The show was started by Ade and Melissa dancing a Disco routine to "Move on Up" by Destination. It was an excellent way to start the show, with Nigel calling it an "incredible start." Mary said it "picked me up," and it drew high praise from Tyce, who said it was "frickin great."

Kupono and Kayla were up doing a Mia Michaels Contemporary routine. It was danced to "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles and was to depict the "dance" between an addiction and an addict. This was a powerful dance and I felt they did very well. Nigel called it "brilliant" and Mary said they were "stayin on the Hot Tamale train."

A Foxtrot was next performed by Jason and Caitlin. They danced to "Minnie the Moocher" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was a well executed routine. They looked great up there and Nigel compared Caitlin to "Grace Kelly" in the elegant way they danced. Tyce summed it up well, saying they "looked like stars" up there.

With Russian Folk dance, the first one on the show, Phillip and Jeanine took the stage. I had to feel bad for them drawing this routine. They danced to "Kelinka" by Barynya. It was difficult, but looked quite childish and the judges didn't like it, which was not the fault of the dancers. Nigel did call the legwork "fabulous," Mary said it had "bright highlights," and Tyce said they did it "very well."

Next up were Evan and Randi performing a Hip Hop routine. I was a little worried for them, since I never thought they'd do well in this style of dancing. They danced to "Halo" by Beyonce and they actually surprised me. The dance was nice and played to their strengths. Randi was really hitting it. Nigel called them his "favorite couple." Mary said she was "expecting a trainwreck" but they did a "great job." Tyce felt that Evan needed to "find more" and I had to agree here.

Brandon and Janette were next with an Argentine Tango. They danced to "Libertango" from Forever Tango. This was a sexy and hot routine. They received a standing ovation from the judges, something that rarely happens. Nigel gave it the highest praise, saying It was "as close to perfection as I've ever seen in a ballroom" dance. Mary screamed and Tyce called them a "power couple."

After the break (thank goodness for DVR) Ade and Melissa were up with a second routine, dancing a Waltz. They danced to "A Natural Woman" by Mary J. Blige. It was lovely, but not quite what I expected from them. Nigel called it "beautiful" and Tyce said it was "well danced."

With a Broadway routine, Kupono and Kayla took the stage again. They performed to "The Dance at the Gym" from West Side Story. Nigel wasn't thrilled, saying he "needed more" and that there was "no feeling of true emotion. Although the other judges gave them okay reviews, I had to agree with Nigel. Could Kupono have danced his last? We'll see.

Jason and Caitlin came back on stage with a Lyrical Jazz piece, dancing to "Show Me Heaven" by Maria Mckee. I thought it was beautiful and perhaps one of their best dances. Mary had mixed feelings, saying it "wasn't 'magic'" but said there were many "unusual" things in the dance. It was beautiful, but as Tyce said, they need to "take it further."

Up with a Jive were Phillip and Jeanine. I almost groaned. Phillip…a Jive? I was surprised. Dancing to "Stuff Like That There" by Bette Midler, they actually did much better than I thought they would. Nigel said that for Phillip it was the "best you've been out of your own style" and that he was "starting to come to life." Mary found their dance to be a "big surprise" and Tyce said you can dial "1-888-fan friggin tastic." That pretty much said it all.

Evan and Randi had a Samba as their second dance, dancing to "Ritmo De Bom Bom" by Jubaba. I thought Randi did well, but this definitely wasn't their best piece. Nigel said it was "not as hot as I would like" and Mary said it only had a "slow sizzle." Randi did make it on the Hot Tamale train with Mary though.

Performing the last routine of the night, Brandon and Janette hit the stage with a Jazz Routine. They danced to "Ruby Blue" by Roisin Murphy. It was great and they played their characters well. Nigel predicted that this couple would have the "biggest vote of the night" and I'm inclined to agree. They were hot last night. Mary felt that they saved "the best for last" and Tyce said that they "have that thing."

Overall, I do believe this was the best night. The routines were awesome. The competition has definitely been stepped up. I'm predicting that Caitlin is the girl to go, but we'll see. As for the guys, I think will probably be Kupono, but that there is a chance that either Jason or Evan could possibly end up there too. It all depends, and I just can't wait for tonight's show to find out the top 10 dancers.

Make sure you check back tomorrow to find out who gets cut!

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.....

2009-07-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I finally got to watch a movie I have wanted to watch for some time now, and the movie is "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans". I am a big fan Sci Fi and Fantasy genre films of which the "Underworld" films are a part of. I will tell you also that I was not disappointed with this film, but I was a little surprised what a great prequel.

The first two "underworld" movies are about the epic war between the Lycans and the Vampire coven that had created them. Throughout both of these action packed adrenaline pumping films you get little snippets and flashbacks of the ancient history that surrounds this blood feud, but you never get the whole story.

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" answers the primary question, which is why. The reason why these two immortal races are warring is not entirely because one of them is oppressing the other; it is because of a tragic Romeo and Juliet type of love story as well. This love story proves to be the catalyst for the awesome conflict between the races.

The story begins when the leader of the coven Viktor who is played by Bill Nighy spares the life of a male baby born of a female Lycan that has human features. The young Lycans name is Lucian who is played by Michael Sheen. As Lucian grows he displays many talents that ultimately prove to be coveted by Viktor who breeds a race of these Lycans using Lucians DNA.

As Lucian grows he also becomes desirable to Viktor’s daughter Sonja who is played by Rhona Mitra. As Sonja grows into a fierce warrior known as a death dealer Lucian grows into and ultimately becomes the daytime protector of the coven as well as a great weapons smith. The relationship between the warrior daughter and the forbidden slave also grows into a romantic relationship as well.

However over time Viktor not only learns of Sonja and Lucian’s secret affair. Unfortunately after Lucian and his Lycan brethren escapes Lucian returns to save Sonja and is recaptured after a battle before the covens own gates and Sonja reveals to her father that she is pregnant with Lucian’s child. This proves to be more than Viktor can bear and he sentences his own flesh and blood to death.

After Viktor has his own daughter executed right in front of Lucian, Lucian again escapes and calls both the pure blood Lycans and the coven created hybrids into battle. What follows is a wholesale slaughter on both sides, but the coven ultimately loose the battle and all but the three coven elders and their scribe Tannis played by Steven mackintosh survive. It is also in this story that we meet Raze played by Kevin Grevioux a human turned Lycan who is Lucian’s strong right hand.

One of the very cool things about this movie is that it reunites members from the original cast that were killed in the first "Underworld" film. Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, and Kevin Grevioux were all in the first film and it was awesome to see them reprise their roles from "Underworld I" for "Underworld III". Rhona Mitra was also an excellent choice for the part of Sonja. At the end of the film we also get to see Selene who is played by Kate Beckinsale for the first time.

If you are into action, adventure, fantasy, and a little romance as well I would highly recommend that you see this film if you haven’t already. I am also including the trailer for the film in this post for you to watch. I really hope you enjoy not only this post and the trailer, but the movie as well. Have a great day my friends and Simple Man Entertainment will be back again soon CIAO4NOW!!!!!

SYTYCD season 5 Episode 13.....

2009-07-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment for the recap of this past Thursday nights results show, of So You Think You Can Dance. So without further adieu it is time to get started now.

As we all know Wednesday evening saw some very good routines performed on the show, including for the first time ever a classical ballet routine performed by Ade and Melissa that was awesome.

Unfortunately it is up to me to deliver the bad news from the Wednesday night show, and that gets delivered by the Judges on Thursday nights, and then by me on Friday. Considering that the field of competitors is getting tighter and the performances greater this part can be hard.

This week’s results I am sure were no tougher for the judges on the show to deliver to the 14 dancers standing on stage this past Thursday night, than it was when they had to for the 16 dancers last week. However, at the end of the week 2 of them have to go because that is the rules.

Before I get to the final results I want to talk about a couple of guest performances that were performed on this past Thursday nights show because they were both excellent performances. I think that the diversity of guest performers that SYTYCD showcases gives the show universal appeal also.

The first performance was a contemporary ballet routine that was performed by members of the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company. The routine was choreographed by Desmond Richardson who also performed with Patricia Hashee. The routine was graceful, elegant, strong, and breathtaking.

The second guest performer was pop recording star Kelly Clarkson. She performed her new chart topping single “I Do Not Hook Up”. Kelly’s performance was very good and the crowd in the studio went crazy and had a good time “groovin” to the tune. I think this young lady is an excellent talent.

Before the dancers were brought out on stage and the bottom three chosen, they performed a routine that was choreographed by show regular and favorite Tyce Diorio to a selection from The Wiz soundtrack. The routine was quite a production to watch.

After all was said and done the four couples that were safe were as follows:

1) Evan and Randi
2) Brandon and Janette
3) Ade and Melissa
4) Jason and Caitlin

The bottom three couples who would dance for their lives were:

1) Vitolio and Karla
2) Kupono and Kayla
3) Phillip and Jeanine

A couple of the solo’s that those dancers performed were very good, but I think most of them were not performed at the level that the judges hoped to see at this stage of the competition. Vitolio gave his best performance so far, and Jeanine’s solo was breathtaking.

However in the end the two dancers that were cut were Kayla and Vitolio. The judges all agreed that both of these choices were unanimous between them so there was no controversy involving the judge’s decisions. This week’s results prove without a doubt that this show definitely belongs to the dancers who are hungry enough to want it.

That’s it for this weeks SYTYCD reviews on Simple Man Entertainment, but we will be back next week. Have an awesome J4th my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 12 - The Top 14

2009-07-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Glad to see you back at Simple Man Entertainment. Last night the top 14 dancers performed on So You Think You Can Dance, and we are here to give you a recap of the show, and of course our thoughts on the show as well.

Judging the show was of course Nigel and Mary, the permanent judges, and joining them last night was Mia Michaels, Emmy award winning choreographer. Before the show got to the dancers, Mia had to "eat crow" and admit that she had been wrong about Brandon in the beginning, where she had said he had yet to impress her. I was happy to see that he had brought it out and proved her wrong.

Starting out the show, Brandon and Janette were up first with a Cha Cha routine, choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux. HOT! That pretty much sums up this routine. They had the steps right, the chemistry about set the floor on fire, and they had the crowd as well. They danced the routine to "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" by the Pussycat Dolls, and it was incredible. Nigel called it the "best damn Cha Cha I've ever seen on the show" and said that Brandon was the "Michelangelo of the dance floor." Mary was definitely a fan, screaming multiple times and putting them on the "hot tamale train." Mia said that Brandon had "so much ability and potential," that "Miami should be proud" of Janette, and that the routine was "on fire." That pretty much summed it up!

Next up were Kupono and Kayla. They were dancing a contemporary piece choreographed by Sonjia. They danced to "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation. I found it to be a unique and beautiful piece. It was a feisty and "dark" routine I felt, and they pulled it off well. Although I didn't feel it was one of the top routines of the night, they did a great job, and as always, Kayla just hit it. I think she makes any routine look good, no matter how strange it seems. Nigel called the routine "great stuff" and commented that Kupono was finally "reaching your true potential." Mary said that the couple was "staying on the hot tamale train," and Mia gave Sonjia high praise, saying it was one of her "best pieces ever."

Evan and Randi took the stage next, dancing a Broadway routine, choreographed by Joey Dowling. I've never seen this choreographer on the show before, so I was interested to see what kind of routine she'd choreograph for the two. They danced to "Rich Man's Frug" by Sweet Charity, which was a groovy and interesting tune. The dance was fun and interesting, but they didn't really hit it. Nigel called it "terrific stuff" but I had to agree with Mary when she said that it "could have been a little bit brighter." Mia called it "great stuff" but didn't feel that they "didn't take it to that level" that she was expecting. Now I must throw in a personal note here. Although I too was expecting a bit more from them, I believe that part of their problem was the choreography. As was mentioned by Mia in the show, Joey, the choreographer, is 6 feet tall. When she dances, it is huge. I believe instead of choreographing for Randi and Evan, who are both small, she choreographed the way she would dance. I feel that this affected their performance, and for the first time I'm afraid for them, although I'm not really sure it is their fault.

With a Brian Freedman Pop Jazz routine, Jason and Caitlin were up next. They danced to "Creator" by Santigold. This routine was quite unique, to say the least. Caitlin was supposed to be an alien that had come to earth to procreate with the last living being - Jason. Not quite sure where Brian's mind comes up with these ideas…but okayyyyyy. I though Nigel summed it up well, saying it was "very weird." I agreed! Mary said that they "dug in well with their character" but that the routine "doesn't sit right with me." "I hope you won't be in trouble," Mary said, and I agree…they could be in trouble. On the other hand, Mia called it "refreshing" and said it was "out there and fun." I guess we'll see what America thought of the routine tonight!

Phillip and Jeanine managed to pull a Hip Hop routine from the hat again. The first hip hop they did was phenomenal, so I was excited about this routine. They were choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha, two of may favorite choreographers, and they danced to "Love Lockdown" by Kayne West. The prop they used for the dance was a chain. The routine was supposed to be about how it is to be a couple on So You Think You Can Dance. They are chained together and have to learn to work and perform together. Definitely a great story to tell with this dance. So they were dancing chained together, which after seeing rehearsals and how they fell and tripped on the chain, it had you holding your breath. They definitely pulled it off incredibly, and there wasn't even one problem with the chain. Nigel commented that he hoped the couple was "chained together for life" and he "love the end" where Phillip offered Jeanine the key to get unlocked, and she wouldn't take it. Beautiful! Mary found it "incredibly creative" and said they "brought it on." Mia felt that she was "caught up in 'chainography'" saying that the chain was distracting. I think the real problem was that since everyone had seen what had happened with the chain in rehearsals, it made you on edge that they would have a problem in the dance. This wasn't their fault though. It just got spoiled by seeing them working with the chain before hand.

Dancing the first ever Pas de Deux on the show, Ade and Melissa took the stage next. They were choreographed by a choreographer I've never seen on the show, Thordal Christensen. They danced to "Romeo & Juliet: Prokofiev's Suite," which was definitely appropriate, since they were supposed to be dancing as Romeo and Juliet. The dance was absolutely breathtaking. I found myself holding my breath throughout the routine because it was so beautiful. The judges loved it as well. Nigel called it a "big 1st" and said it was "beautifully dance." Mary "love it" and said that the "chemistry was flawless." Mia felt that she was watching a "fairy tale" and said it was "brilliant." Definitely one of the best routines of the evening.

Last of all, Vitolio and Karla were up, dancing a Quick Step. They were a new couple, since they lost their partners last week. Jean-Marc Genereux was their choreographer, and they found themselves nervous about this routine, since the Quick Step has often been referred to as the "kiss of death" on the show. They danced to "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Rufus Wainwright. I was impressed. I felt that this was the best performance that Vitolio has ever done. They both played wonderful characters and this was one of the best Quick Steps I've ever seen done on the show. Nigel "loved the choreography" and commented that Vitolio was "finally getting your personality out." Mary thought they "brought the whole thing to life." Mia commented that "Jean-Marc is a genius," said Vitolio "really did step up" and called Karla "gorgeous."

This show was incredible - probably the best yet. All of the dances were great, although my favorite routines of the night were performed by Brandon and Janette, Ade and Melissa, and Phillip and Jeanine. It was a great night.

Well, it's time for me to go…somehow these posts keep getting longer and longer. LOL. Let me leave you with one final thought: "Dance is the song of the body." -Martha Graham

Stay tuned…I'll be back in the morning with the results of the show! Enjoy the videos below.

The Pink Panther 2 - A Review

2009-06-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. I said we'd be back with some movie reviews, and here is one you'll want to check out.

This past weekend I sat down with the kids to watch a movie, and we ended up watching The Pink Panther 2. It was an impromptu thing, be we sure enjoyed it. So here is a look at the movie and my own thoughts about it.

Who's Who?
First of all, let me clue you in on all the faces you'll be seeing in the movie, or at least some of the ones you'll recognize. Playing the lead role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau is Steve Martin. This should be your first clue that this is a good movie. Playing his detective assistant, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton is Jean Reno, another name you may be familiar with. Other names you'll see in the movie that you may recognize are Andy Garcia(Vicenzo), Emily Mortimer (Nicole), Alfred Molina (Chief Inspector Randall Pepperidge), John Cleese (Chief Inspector Drefus), and Lily Tomlin (Mrs. Berenger), to name a few.

Kid Rating:
For kids, this movie gets a 5* rating. It is rated PG and does have a bit of mild language and suggestive humor, but nothing most kids wouldn't already be seeing in their television shows anyway. My kids loved it. I was actually surprised how much they enjoyed it, and it brought a whole lot of laughs. Of course, my kids are teens, and younger children (under the age of 10-12) may not get the humor. You may want to see it yourself before you decide whether you want to show it to your kids.

The Story Line:
If you have seen the first Pink Panther movie, you remember that Jacques Clouseau (Martin) solved the mystery of the Pink Panther diamond's disappearance. When the famous "Tornado" thief begins taking national treasures from countries around the world, an "international dream team" of detectives is created and it is requested that Clouseau be a part of that team. The Pink Panther Diamond again is stolen, and the bumbling detective is once again trying to solve the mystery, find the criminal, and get back the diamond, which is the treasure of France. Along the way Clouseau makes numerous hilarious mistakes, yet ends up solving the crime and getting the girl by the end of the movie.

My Thoughts:
Personally, I love funny movies. I often feel that I deal with enough serious stuff in the world. I work hard, pay the bills, deal with the kids, and I just like to watch something that makes me laugh. This movie, The Pink Panther 2, definitely did that. Some parts had me laughing until there were tears in my eyes. It definitely is a movie that will take your mind off reality and allow you to have a great laugh. After all, laughter is the best medicine!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 11 - Results Show

2009-06-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. Tim is taking a bit of a hiatus for the weekend, so I'm back to give you the results from the So You Think You Can Dance show last night, and running a bit behind at that. Lol. I hope you'll forgive me.

I must tell you, last night was the first results show I was happy with! Finally! They cut the people I though they should…but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

The show started out with an excellent group dance. It was a dance bringing together both Samba and Hip Hop, and two of my favorite choreographers are the ones who got it all together - Napoleon and Tabitha. Great routine to the song "I Know You Want Me" by Pitbull. This was a hot routine, with everyone looking sexy out there.

Before the show really got going, Nigel discussed the passing of three greats in entertainment this past week, and I definitely think they are worth bringing up here. Within the past few days, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson all have died. It has been a sad time for the entertainment industry, yet we can all celebrate what these unique personalities have brought to entertainment and the way we view it today.

After Nigel's speech, the first five couples came out on stage. First came Asuka and Vitolio, who ended up in the bottom three, much to my delight. Brandon and Janette were next, and they were safe, and I was so happy to hear that. Evan and Randi were then save, Phillip and Jeanine were safe, and so were Ade and Melissa. I was very happy, but that left three couples and two more spots in the bottom three.

Next the next three couples cam on stage. Jonathan and Karla were first, and Nigel had predicted they would be in the bottom three, as did I. We were right. They deserved to be there, and they knew it. Next were Caitlin and Jason, and then Kupono and Kayla. I wasn't quite sure who would be in the bottom, but I felt it was called right, with Caitlin and Jason ending up being the last couple in the bottom three. That left Kupono and Kayla safe. Happy about that, being a big fan of Kayla…but then again…who isn't?

As the bottom three couples went to prepare for their solo dances, they brought out the Rage Boys Crew, a group of younger boys and young men to do a routine choreographed by Tiffany Burton. This routine was great, and some of the smaller boys were so great. I was impressed with their talent.

It was time for the solos after that. Asuka was up first, and I didn't think her dance was that great. She always seems to resort to shaking her butt. The butt can only get you so far girl.

Then came Vitolio. It was okay, but it didn't really do anything for me.

Up next was Karla. She did pretty good. It didn't really grab you, but it wasn't bad.

Her partner Jonathan was next. Once again he brought on the gymnastics, which Nigel chastised him on the last time he danced for his life. Apparently he didn't listen.

Caitlin came out next and she rocked. She did the best performance for the girls, and you really felt her personality come through with a strong dance, although I didn't like the last 2 seconds of it.

Jason was last. Out of the guys, I felt his dance was the best. He did well, although it was a bit on the desperate side.

While the judges went backstage to decide who was leaving, The Veronicas came out on stage to perform their hit single "Take Me on the Floor." I liked their electronica groove, and must say it has been the best musical performance yet this season.

The judges were back, and they made up their minds. The girl to go was Asuka, and I was so happy. That was a long time coming. They commented that she had not grown, and I definitely agree. I hope she has learned a good lesson, that acting snooty gets you nowhere!

Then there were the guys. Jason was safe, and then it was down to Vitolio and Jonathan. I'm not a fan of either of these guys, but it was Jonathan who was eliminated, and I wasn't surprised at all. Saw that one coming. He relied too much on gymnastics and was never able to really grow. Vitolio made it by, by the skin of his teeth and Nigel as much as promised him that he'd be cut next week if he didn't improve.

So, I guess we will see what happens next. I was happy with this show and felt that the ones that were cut did deserve it.

That is it for today. Stay tuned for some movie reviews coming up in a few days, and of course next week we'll be back to keep you updated on So You Think You Can Dance as well.

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 10 - The Top 16

2009-06-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. As you know, we've been following the show, So You Think You Can Dance, and we are getting closer and closer to the top ten. Last night was Episode 10 and the top 16 dancers came out and put on quite a show. Thank goodness it was a better show than last week!!!

Before I get to the routines, let me mention that regular judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy were joined by Toni Basil, a well-known dancer, musician, video artist, choreographer, and actress. She will be awarded the 2009 Hip Hop International Living Legend of Hip Hop Award in August of this year.

Karla and Jonathan opened the show. They were dancing a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Dave Scott. Dancing to the song, "By My Side" by Jackass ft. Ne-Yo, I about groaned as I watched the routine. They weren't hitting it at all, they weren't together, and it was a bad start to the show. The judges agreed with me, with Nigel saying there was "no excitement" and that it felt like a "Sunday School picnic." He even bet that these two would end up in the bottom three, and I am definitely inclined to agree with him.

Next up were my least favorites on the show, Asuka and Vitolio. As you remember last week, I was hoping they would get cut, but for some reason America decided to show them some love. This week there were dancing a Jazz routine choreographed by Mandy Moore, who called this routine "thrash, rocker, jazz." Dancing to the song "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar, I was really expecting them to hit this routine, but I didn't feel it was big enough, "rocker" enough, and the song outdid their dancing. In this case the judges and I didn't see eye to eye. They received high praise from Nigel who said it was "fantastic." Mary seemed to agree a bit more with me, calling it "not synchronized" and "a little shaky." Toni recommended that they not "Let technique get in the way of your emotions." Yes, this couple was a bit more connected, but still, they are not anywhere near my favorites.

Ade and Melissa were next, bringing a breath of fresh air. They were to perform a Rhumba choreographed by Tony Meredith. They danced to "Emotion" by Destiny's Child, and boy did they bring on emotion. This routine was so hot I thought the floor would melt. Sensual and earthy, they brought it with this dance. Nigel called Melissa the "sexiest girl up there" and jokingly praised Ade, saying, "What a differences Ade makes." Mary bequeathed it with her signature scream and said they were "so in tune." Toni threw a huge compliment towards the choreographers, telling Melissa and Ade "You were hot because they were hot" speaking of choreographer. Tony Meredith and his partner, who are also excellent dancers.

Out next with a Dave Scott Hip Hop routine were Brandon and Janette. Dave Scott mentioned that this was a "hip hop and rock" piece, and it definitely was! Dancing to "What a World" by Common, they really smacked this routine. They were hitting it, bringing the hip hop and the rock side to the dance. Perhaps even the best routine of the night. They got a lot of love from the judges. Nigel said it was "good stuff" and compared it a combination between "Jr. Allstars, 50-Cent, and Cher." Mary went on to say that they "really hit that" and gave them a huge scream, making their day.

After losing partners last week, Kayla and Kupono were partnered together, and for their first routine together, they had to dance a Viennese Waltz, choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux and his wife France. They danced to "Sweet Dreams for You" by Jewel. It was a lovely dance and the couple performed well together for their first time dancing with each other. The judges enjoyed it, with Nigel calling it "very elegant." Mary actually put them on the "hot tamale train" along with a scream loud enough to deafen Nigel and poor Toni. Toni felt they were "always in the moment," called Kayla "somethin' else," and said she "really loved this dance." High praise from the usually reserved Toni Basil.

Next up were another of my favorite couples, Evan and Randi. They were dancing a contemporary piece choreographed by Mia Michaels to "Koop Island Blues" by Koop ft. Ane Brun. The piece was interestingly choreographed around Randi's butt, which was hilarious, but it turned out to be a hot piece. They danced it well and had the attention and love of the audience. The judges loved it too, with Mary saying it was "one of the best numbers" and "terrific." Nigel felt it "will be remembered" and that it was "beautifully danced." Toni summed it up, calling their routine "phenomenal."

Jason and Caitlin were up next with a Paso Doble, choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux. This is a tough dance to perform, but I thought they pulled it off well. They danced it to O'Fortuna from Camina Burana. It was strong and perhaps better than I thought it would be. There were definitely some technical problems, but they were committed to the dance. "Mary called it "fearless" and Toni said they "lived with the music." Nigel felt they did an "exceptionally good job."

The last routine of the night was a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine, being danced by Phillip and Jeanine. They danced to an old tune, "Moses" from the Singing in the Rain original soundtrack. This was a cool piece. It was whimsical and unique. Phillip did a huge leap over the couch they used as a prop, which resulted in ripped pants. Nigel commented that Phillip "now knows what it feels like dancing with your ass hanging out of your trousers." However, Nigel felt that he needed "more" from Phillip. Mary felt that it was "so much fun" and said that Jeanine was "stellar." Toni felt that they did "better as a couple this week" and called the routine "adorable. I really like Phillip, so I hope he stays in this week and really is able to pick it up a notch next week.

At the end of the night, I felt the top three performances were done by Ade and Melissa, Brandon and Janette, and Evan and Randi. I really don’t think they will be in the bottom three, and I definitely hope America doesn't make a mistake here. Out of the other five couples, well I think it is anyone's guess, although I agree with Nigel that Jonathan and Karla will probably be there. Who will be joining them? I'm not sure. I guess we'll be finding out within a few hours.

Stayed tuned to Simple Man Entertainment. We'll be back in the morning to let you know who is going home. Until then, let me leave you with a thought about dance that really impressed me: "Great dancers are not great because of their technique. They are great because of their passion." ~ Unknown

"Swing Vote"

2009-06-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

The better half and I were sitting on the couch Saturday night after those teenage Frankenstein’s of ours sacked out and we had finished with our family and financial responsibilities for the day. We were trying to decide what to do in the way of entertaining ourselves, and while we have many options at our disposal we decided to find a movie to watch. The movie we settled on was “Swing Vote” with Kevin Costner.

“Swing Vote” is not a new release and has been out for about 10 months. The film stars Kevin Costner and has a whole host of great actors in supporting roles. Kelsey Grammer plays Republican President Andrew Boone and Dennis Hopper plays Democratic Presidential nominee Donald Greenleaf. Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane play their respective Chief of Staffs.

This story is set in a little New Mexico town called Texico. Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) appears to be the town slacker who doesn’t seem to care about anything but drinking beer and fishing. Bud’s daughter Molly who is played by Madeline Carroll is about the only one who cares about him and takes care of them both. Molly Johnson is also very serious about hers and his obligations including Bud’s right to vote, which he appears to avoid at any cost. His friend Walter (Judge Reinhold even thinks he is a joke.

On voting day in Texico Bud not only loses his job, but gets drunk and passes out in his truck, and forgets to meet his daughter at the polling station like he promised. At that point Molly takes it upon herself to vote in his place but runs into some technical difficulty LOL. What follows is a very comical series of events and errors in poor Bud and Molly’s life. These two even have the candidates changing platforms to stand on issues that their parties would not usually support.

They both meet the President and his challenger. They also get to meet the NASCAR King Richard Petty and Willy Nelson speaks to Bud on TV. Unfortunately Bud is not taking any of this very seriously. Meanwhile Molly is doing all of the talking and thinking for her dad, and is becoming more unhappy by the day as they lead up to Bud’s day to vote for the next President, because his vote decides who wins.

Throw into the mix a selfish TV station manger played by George Lopez who dreams of getting back to a major market and his favorite female reporter who originally breaks the story Kate Madison (Paula Patton) who almost gives up her professional ethics to keep control of the story and almost jeopardizes Bud’s chance to vote and it gets hairy for Bud, because Molly finds out and runs away to her mother. Luckily Bud gets her back in time to host a televised debate of the two candidates.

The great thing about this flick besides an awesome cast of actors is the fact that both conservatives and liberals are featured in the film. Another thing is the fact that they all played very well together and in the end and at the end the film remained independent of Hollywood partisan politics. I think that this is a great film and is family friendly also I hope you all enjoy it.

That’s it for Simple Man Entertainment today, but we will se you again soon. Have a good day and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

SYTYCD Episode 9 Season 5 The 2nd Cut…..

2009-06-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

This past week we all got to see another round of the To 20 for So You Think You Can Dance, but this time there were only nine couples. There were some very good routines danced that night although I don’t think any one of them stood out as great.

My favorite routines were danced by Ade and Melissa, Brandon and Janette, Evan and Randi, and Max and Kayla. Ade and Melissa danced a Jazz routine that was very well executed, and Little C told Ade he was everyone’s competition. Brandon and Janette performed a disco routine that the judges thought was not only the fastest disco routine ever performed on the show, but the best as well. Evan and Randi did a Jive routine that was very good too, but not their best routine. Max and Kayla did a Pop/Jazz routine that was smoking hot and the judges all said so too.

However these dancers are not what today’s post is about. Today’s post is about those dancers who had found their way into this weeks bottom three, and the Guy and Gal that got cut from the show this week. I will have to tell you that I was not surprised by two of the couples that appeared in the bottom three, but one couple that landed there totally surprised me.

The couples that appeared in this weeks bottom three were Jason and Caitlin, Kupono and Ashley, and Max and Kayla. As you all just read Max and Kayla performed a smoking hot Pop/Jazz routine. Both of the other couples performed Hip Hop routines that were choreographed by Shane Sparks. I must say that both Hip Hop routines were not performed well, but I think a lot of that had to do with the choreography and not just the dancers themselves.

However after their awesome performance I was really surprised to see Max and Kayla in the bottom three and actually it really ticked me off. The other couple I thought belonged in the bottom three was Vitolio and Asuka who I thought performed a mediocre at best Waltz routine. I also think that these were the two dancers who should have been cut last night. Unfortunately for me or perhaps fortunately for them the decision was not up to me.

Anyway as the rules for the show clearly state that the three couples with the lowest public votes go into the bottom three each week and then those dancers have to dance for their lives on the show in their own styles. I have to say that all of six of these dancers performed their solos excellently, but at the end of it all Max and Ashley were the two cut this week. This means that their partners Kupono and Kayla will now be partners.

On another note I think this week’s guest performances were great to watch. An ethnic dance routine in the Hindu style was performed by Jundarlal Gangani, while Kristina Debarge and her dancers performed her hit song “Good Bye”. Kristina was much better than last weeks guest performer whose name escapes me now, because he was that memorable.

That is all for this week but Simple Man Entertainment will be back again next week. I also hope that you enjoy the video of Max and Kayla’s Pop/Jazz routine I really though it was great. Have an awesome weekend my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 8 - The Top 18

2009-06-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last night was Episode 8 - the top 18 - of So You Think You Can Dance. I had very mixed emotions about this show. Why? Well, let me give you an overview of the show first, and then I'll let you know what I really thought of the show as a whole last night.

To kick off the evening, Randi and Evan were doing the Jive to the music "Shake a Tail Feather" by Ray Charles. Great tune, I may add. It was a nice start to the night; however, after their "smoking" routine last week, I was a bit let down. Lil C (the guest judge this week) called Randi a "firecracker," which is definitely true. Mary states that the two were "built for the Jive" but she was a bit disappointed, as was I. I think Nigel summed it up best: "It just wasn't comfortable."

Next up - Ade and Melissa. They were performing a jazz piece choreographed by Sonya to the music "24 Hours" by Terry Parson. This was an excellent routine, although I definitely felt the hot pink pants that Melissa was wearing were a huge distraction from the piece. I've always liked Sonya's choreography, and I definitely felt this was danced beautifully. Lil C called it "buck" and actually said that Ade was "everybody's competition." Not sure I'd go that far, but he definitely is an incredible dancer.

With the first hip hop routine of the night, Jason and Caitlin took the stage. After last week's Bollywood routine, they had a lot to live up to, and dancing to "Missin You" by Trey Songz, I'm not sure they did it. The hip hop routine was lame at best. Lil C said it was a "nightmare" and "corny." Mary said it was like watching "Michael Jackson and Britney Spears" (and not in a good way). However, Nigel disagreed with the other two, saying they "Looked really good out there." Sorry Nigel, I didn't agree with you. I thought it was definitely not the best hip hop routine I've ever seen…not even close.

Thankfully Brandon and Janette came out next to dance a Disco that would save the day. Dancing to "Loving is Really My Game" by Brainstorm, they really lit the stage on fire with the fastest Disco routine ever danced on the show. There were a couple mistakes that happened, but they kept going, never losing their energy. A great performance. Lil C (who has never been a fan of Brandon) was won over and called it the "birth of progression" in Brandon. Mary thought they were really "gettin' down" and that they "nailed it." Nigel gave it high praise, saying it was "one of the best disco routines."

Asuka and Vitolio were next up with a Waltz. I wasn't excited to see them, since last week I really thought they sucked (no booing please). They are not two of my favorite dancers, although I think that independently they are very good dancers. As a couple, these two have not clicked, and Asuka even stated that the reason was that she didn't find Vitolio attractive. I found that this put me off a bit. While everyone is attracted to different people, I found this statement to be quite egotistical and perhaps a little on the "nasty" side from her. No wonder I don't see much passion in this girl's dancing. She seems to think she's better than the rest. Well honey, in my opinion, you'll never make it to the top 10. But…back to the dancing…lol. The dance was nice. I don't think it accomplished what the choreographer wanted it to. Love the song though ("Dreams are More Precious" by Enya). They did get some love from the judges, with Mary calling it "painfully beautiful" and Nigel saying there were like "a different couple this week." I guess we'll have to see. Could they be in the bottom three??? I kinda hope so.

A sigh of relief. Max and Kayla were up next. Now these two I love, especially Kayla. I was wowed last week. Could they do it again? They were dancing a pop jazz routine. It was choreographed by Brian Friedman, a choreographer we haven't seen on the show for a couple years. Glad to see him back. The two danced to the song "Hot Like Wow" by Nadia Oh. It was a different routine. I thought the two performed very well. Mary said they "nailed it" and Nigel called Kayla a "frontrunner" in the competition. Well duh. I already knew that. The girl can dance and I think she'll be in the top 4.

Next were Jonathan and Karla. These two were in the bottom three last week and they really needed to step it up a notch this week. They performed a Contemporary to the song "Falling Slowly" by The Frames (a song to check out). I found this routine beautiful and definitely much better than the routine they performed last week. The judges liked this routine too. Mary felt that Jonathan danced this genre "better than your own" and said it had her "spellbound." Lil C threw out the word "buck," a sure sign that he was impressed with the routine.

Phillip and Jeanine, two of my favorites from last week, were up to perform a Tango. I almost groaned. Phillip…the Tango??? Well, I must say it was better than it could have been, but still not what I'd call good. Mary did give it an "A+ for attitude" and said that Jeanine was a "hot mama" in this routine. Lil C gigged Phillip for dancing with "no confidence" and I thought he was right. Nigel summed it up well, calling it "great entertainment." I agreed. It was fun, but the technical side definitely wasn't there.

Last of all Ashley and Kupono took the stage. They danced a hip hop routine to "Imma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas. This was the second hip hop, and it wasn't any better than the first. Lil C said that Ashley "had some nice moments," which she did. Nigel said it made him feel "underwhelmed." Mary said it was "okay" and that she "didn't hate it but she didn't love it."

Now first a note on the hip hop routines. I didn't like either of them. This week it was Shane Sparks doing the choreography for these routines instead of Tabitha and Napoleon. I think that the choreography may have been some of the problem here. Shane is a wonderful and well known choreographer but I don't think he provided these dancers with great pieces. I really do think that his choreography didn't suit them and may have been at least part of the reason that both of the hip hop routines fell flat.

As for the entire show, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. I really thought last week was great. This week, there were a couple good performances, but nothing that really jumped off the screen and grabbed me. It's pretty much anyone's guess who could be in that bottom three this week. I'm definitely hoping that the dancers step it up for next week so I'm not disappointed again.

Here are a couple of the better routines from last night. Be sure to let us know what you thought of the dancing and the show. We'd love to hear. Do you think we called it wrong? Well leave a comment and tell us. Until next time, thanks for checking out Simple Man Entertainment again…see you tomorrow for the results show post.

"Gran Torino"

2009-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment today. I have written about a few movies here, and I have said repeatedly that I would that I would write about Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino”. Well I finally got to see this movie over the weekend and I wish I had seen it a lot sooner. Anyway here is my long awaited post on “Gran Torino”.

Written by Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson and was released in January of 2009. “Gran Torino” opened at the box office to wide critical acclaim, and took the lead in box office earnings for that week. “Gran Torino” continued to claim excellent box office earnings for several weeks too.

“Gran Torino” is a story about a former Korean War veteran and retired auto worker named Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood). The film begins with the funeral of Walt’s wife who appears to be the only person he ever cared about. It is immediately apparent that Walt is not a very happy person with himself, his family, and the world in general.

It is also evident that Walt has no respect for anybody either. Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) the parish priest who had befriended Walt’s wife and promised her to look after Walt is a major sourced of Walt’s disrespect. Walt’s family receives a large helping of disrespect from Walt also. Walt’s new neighbors receive the greatest amount of Walts disrespect as well as his hatred because of their ethnicity.

Walt Kowalski’s neighbors are also the catalysts for Kowalski’s actions from near the beginning of this story to its climactic unexpected end. Walt’s new neighbors are tribal Hmong people from the hills of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. When you add this to Walts nightmare experiences during the Korean War they are the obvious targets for this troubled man to vent his anger and hate upon.

It also doesn’t help their relationship with Walt when the oldest son of Walt’s neighbors Thao (Bee Vang) attempts to steal Walt’s prized possession his 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Unfortunately for Thao, he was forced to try to steal the car by his cousin who leads the local Hmong gang because he wants Thao initiated into the gang. I say unfortunately because Walt catches Thao in the act.

This one single act sets the stage for everything else that happens in the movie. Thaos family forces him to apologize and serve Walt for a period of time as a form of penance for the attempted theft. During the course of events that surround Walt during this time he is finally befriended by Thaos sister Sue (Ahney Her).

Apparently Thaos gangster cousin is not satisfied with Thaos fumbled attempt at stealing the Gran Torino and attempts to force Thao to try again. In the struggle that ensues between Thao and his family against the gang, their fight spills over into Walt’s yard and these wannabe tough guys meet Walt and his M1 Garand rifle up close and personal.

After this confrontation Walt’s neighborhood, which is mostly ethnic Hmong people see Walt as the Neighborhood hero, a position that Walt is unwilling to accept. In apparent Walt Kowalski fashion he ultimately accepts an invitation to dinner at his neighbors and becomes a respected man and potential friend.

He also befriends Thao at this time and teaches him some skills that he can use to find a job. Thao is a willing student and learns the lessons Walt teaches him in handling tools as well as the lessons he teaches Thao in order to man him up. However Walts new found friendships with his neighbors are disrupted once again by the local Hmong gang.

These gangsters jump Thao after work, shoot up his house in a drive-by, and seriously beat up Sue. Walt becomes so enraged by all of this happening in his neighborhood and to his friends, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. In typical Eastwood tough guy fashion Walt finally puts an end to the gang problem in his neighborhood.

However I will not divulge the end of this epic Clint Eastwood vehicle, but I will tell you that it is not the ending one would expect from an Eastwood film. The ending is extremely powerful and poignant though. I would definitely recommend this movie as a must see to all of you. It might even be able to teach your children a valuable lesson about becoming involved with gangs.

I hope you all have enjoyed this post and that you also enjoy the trailer as well. That is all I have for you today but I will be back again very soon CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance: The First Thurday Night Cut.....

2009-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

As we all know Wednesday night was the first night of the competition of the long awaited season five of So You Think You Can Dance. Ten couples got the chance to dance to routines from some of dances greatest choreographers, and show us the fans and viewers what they can do. During the first show of the season there were many memorable performances and there were also a couple that were not so memorable.

Today we are going to go over the results from last nights show and talk about who danced for their lives and who ultimately got the axe and went home. As I said there were a lot of great dances performed Wednesday and a couple not so great, which made the job for the Judges of the show a little difficult. In the end I think the judges made the right decision and cut the right couple, although I think the female dancer that was cut was cut because of the poor performance of her partner.

The judges for this weeks show were Nigel Lythgoe, and Mary Murphy who are the permanent judges and guest judge Adam Shankman who is a world renowned choreographer and film producer. During their critique on Wednesday night’s dance routines I would have to say that they were very accurate in their professional opinions of each couple. I would also have to say that I think they did a great job last night when they picked the three couples who would dance for their lives singly in their own styles.

After all ten couples in three groups had been brought out on stage and seven of them had been pronounced safe we found out which ones were not. The three couples who were picked to dance for their lives based on Wednesday’s performance were Tony and Paris who were judged on their performance of a Hip Hop routine, Vitolio and Asuka who performed a Broadway routine, and Karla and Jonathan who performed a Cha Cha routine.

Paris Torres was the first to dance for her life and did so in the contemporary style of dance. While she is obviously a talented dancer I think that she did not give the judges or the audience her best performance.

Tony Bellissimo who is Paris’s partner danced in the second position in his chosen style which is Hip Hop. However I would have to say that is performance like the Wednesday performance left something to be desired.

Asuka Kondoh danced third in the group and did so in the Latin style which is her specialty. While Asukas performance was last night was great to watch she also did not perform this dance at her best.

Vitolio Jeune who is Asukas partner danced fourth in the contemporary style. I think his performance was excellent, but it could have had just a little bit more of his personality injected into his performance.

Karla Radomski danced for her life in the fifth position also in the Contemporary style. Karla is another very talented dancer, but last night her performance while better than Paris’s was still weak.

The last person to dance and in the sixth position was Jonathan Platero. Jonathan performed his routine in the Salsa style. His technique was great, but there was none of himself in the routine, but as I said he was great technically.

After these six dancers had performed for the judges it was time for them to go back stage and deliberate. In the judges absence we were treated to a performance by teen sensation Sean Kingston. As far as my critique of his performance goes, I don’t think he has the greatest voice and I don’t think his dancers would make the cut in So You Think You Can Dance either. Mercifully this performance was short and we got to the commercial break safely.

After the commercial break the judges were back and it was time for their critique of singles dance routines performed last night. While everyone waited with baited breath for the critiques to be over I had already pretty much figured out who was going and who was staying on the men’s side. It was the women’s side that I was not to sure about, but I was not surprised by the judge’s decision either. At the end of it all Asuka, Karla, Vitolio, and Jonathan were moving on to next week and Paris and Tony were going home. In Paris’s defense I will have to tell you that I think Tony’s Wednesday night performance may have helped to end the contest for Paris.

Well that is it for this weeks posts on So You Think You Can Dance, but we will be back again next week to bring you more on this awesome show. By the way enjoy this video it was my favorite performance on Wednesday night a Jazz routine with Evan and Randi, and as hot a routine as it was you would have never guessed that Randi is married. Have a wonderful weekend my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 - Episode 6 - The Top 20 Perform

2009-06-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Simple Man Entertainment. I hope you all got a chance to watch So You Think You Can Dance last night. If you didn't, you missed an excellent show.

Since I've watched every single season of So You Think You Can Dance from the beginning, I've definitely been spoiled by great dancing. Each show has been better than the last, and at the beginning of each season I always wonder will this new season keep up with the last. Well, the dancers didn't disappoint me last night!

The show started out with a Hip Hop routine performed by Jeanine and Phillip, and it was a show starter to be sure. In the words of judge Adam, it was "un-freakin' real," and I'd have to agree. I'm a huge fan of Napoleon and Tabitha's choreography in the first place, and the story that was danced was beautiful. I always look for dancing that jumps off my screen and really touches my emotions - this one did it.

Next came Asuka and Vitolio. I was excited when I saw that they would be performing Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Unfortunately the excitement was unwarranted. The performance was blasé. No, it wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me at all. I really think that for these two, their staid backgrounds held them back, not allowing them to let their personalities shine through their dancing. Anything would have been hard put to follow Jeanine and Phillip, but this didn't even come close. I think these two have a good chance of being in the bottom three tonight.

Karla and Jonathan were up next, and I was hoping the Cha Cha would bring the show back, but it wasn't to be. This dance was merely okay in my book. There were some good tricks, but the basics weren't so great. With some of the great performances on the show, I think this number really just got lost. It didn't have what it took to really compete.

With a jazz routine, once again choreographed by Tyce Diorio, Randi and Evan were up. I loved this routine. They brought the show back with a routine that was smokin' hot, even though Randi is a married woman. Lol. The lifts were great, the chemistry was there, and I think this routine set Evan up to go a long way in this competition.

Paris and Tony then were out on the floor doing another Hip Hop routine. Sorry, but they blew it. This routine was supposed to be rough and raw and it just wasn't there. This was Tony's genre, so what was going on here? He wasn't even hitting the moves, and he should have been. These two I believe are seriously are in danger of being in the bottom three and maybe even going home tonight.

Last year I loved the Bollywood routine performed by Katie and Joshua. This year they brought the cultural dance back, and Caitlin and Jason would perform it. They had a lot to live up to. The routine was a tough one and even the choreographer stated that it may have included too much and been too tough for week one. Did Caitlin and Jason live up to last year's Bollywood performance? No, I don't think so, but I have to say these two put everything they had into it. It was a respectable performance and they left it all out on the floor.

When Janette and Brandon walked out to do a Foxtrot, I almost groaned. This is a tough piece to do after the high energy of a Bollywood routine. However, I feel the couple really pulled this off. It was interesting, graceful, and well performed. Undoubtedly the best Foxtrot I've ever seen on the show. No, it didn't make my top three, but definitely one of the better performances of the night.

Doing a Wade Robson routine, Ashley and Kupono came out to perform jazz. The routine was definitely unique, as they portrayed crash test dummies throughout the routine. They did a great job at staying in the character that they were given to play. At the end of the day though, I don't think this routine was enough to become a favorite compared to many of the incredible routines performed throughout the show.

Out to save the day came Melissa and Ade, performing a Mandy Moore contemporary piece. I had really never noticed either of these dancers before this point. Melissa happens to be the oldest dancer this year, and last year it was the oldest dancer that got cut first. I don't think that will be happening this year. The routine was incredible. The dancing was strong and graceful by both of them, and it reached out and grabbed your heart. It actually made Adam Shankman tear up. These are two who I think will go a long way in this competition if they keep up this level of performance.

Last, but not least, Kayla and Max hit the stage. From the start Kayla has been a favorite for me, so I'd been waiting all night to see her take the stage. I wasn't disappointed with the Samba they performed. This was one of the night's best routines, and even though Kayla had never danced ballroom in her life, she did it brilliantly. The routine brought screams from Mary Murphy and raving reviews from Adam and Nigel. It wasn't hard to see why. It was sexy, sultry, earthy, and just incredibly HOT! What a way to end the night.

The first top 20 show was sensational. We saw some good dancing, some who needed a bit of improvement, and then some dancing that was absolutely incredible. This promises to be a great season, and from here it can only get better.

Stay tuned tomorrow morning for Tim's review of tonight's results show. We'll let you know who landed in the bottom three couples, the two that get cut, and whether we think this was the right choice.

Until next time….let me leave you with one thought on dance that I believe pertains to the show…"Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another." ~ Unknown

P.S. Videos of my favorite performances from last night are below. Enjoy!