Okay, I tried. No, really. I did. But even with all the cheesy goodness, I can’t get into it. Pirate Master, you were supposed to save me from the Reality Show desert of summer. But no… It just can’t make up its mind what it wants to be when it grows up. I expected better from the Survivor crew.

However! So You Think You Can Dance, with Crack Mary and Dirty Uncle Nigel? Oh yeah. THAT one, I’ll recap.

So, we start with the Atlanta auditions that I missed last week. (Thank you, SYTYCD producers.) It’s enjoyable, but what mostly sticks out in my mind now, several days later, was the guy with scoliosis. I adored him. I agree this show is too far afield for him, but was thrilled that Shane wanted to put him in his next movie. I hope that came to pass.

Then we head to Vegas, where I was exhausted just watching what those poor dancers had to go through. I liked the ruthless cutting down right from the start. Better to cull the herd early, then let them all go through that grueling week thinking they have a shot. Plus, how can you focus on anyone with 200 dancers out there?

I will say, each season, the talent is growing by insane leaps and bounds. This season was pretty brutal, making the top 20. But we benefit with an embarrassment of talent to keep us entertained over the next few months.

So, Vegas Week. And can I say, I hate it that her mom has cancer, and I admire that she got back into dance to support her mother’s dream for her, but oh my god was I glad when she got cut. What a drama queen - can you imagine dealing with that all summer? Ack. All in all, there weren’t too many cuts that bothered me. Of the Lindy Hop couple, I actually was more hoping the guy would go through as I liked his personality, but they definitely weren’t really up to snuff. The only cut that really bothered me was the girl with the prosthetic arm. I wanted her to go on and thought she had the talent. I also thought the really young girl should have made it. But she has plenty of time to come back, so I suspect we’ll see her again.

I think it’s very interesting that we have Benji’s sister, Stanislav’s sister, and Travis’s adopted brother on the show this year. I was sort of glad all three made it. Since only one dancer can win, this lessens the whole preferential treatment thing. I wish we’d seen more of some of the dancers who made the top twenty who are complete strangers to us. Just like on American Idol, I think these dancers start off at a distinct disadvantage due to lack of airplay. Other dancers already have a fan base building and these guys are total strangers. Sabra and Drew? Who are these people?

On the other hand, I was thrilled to see more beat/street dancers make it through, mostly because I got such a kick out of watching previous hip hop dancers expand their horizons and grow into other genres. I was especially thrilled to see that Hok got through. He’s an early favorite for me.

I’m definitely looking forward to next week, when we can start to see what these guys have, and how they’re going to run the competition this year, as to pairing them up. So far, no one really turns me off and it looks like a stellar cast of talent. Yay! Should make for a fun summer!

Okay, now it’s time for the SHaQ Attack winner! I asked you to name the book in which I get to talk about Ranger. Mmmmmm, Ranger. But I digress. The correct answer is Perfectly Plum!! Woo hoo! It just hit the shelves and I’m so tickled it’s finally out. Janet’s latest Stephanie Plum book, Lean Mean Thirteen, is out next week, so it’s all perfectly plummy. For those of you who pick up a copy, I hope you enjoy it. All the essays are wonderful.

This week’s winning blog babe is…..Joyce M!! Wooooot!

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you Monday.

Tags: Writing //