A Family Affair

You just had to know that one of these days Benji and Heidi were going to be partnered up and they would KILL. One could argue that they had an unfair advantage having danced together many, many times before. On the mambo however I would have thought it to be a disadvantage because who really outside of West Virginia (sorry it was too easy) can look at their cousin with passion and lust? It was a little creepy, but their amazing dancing took away from the creepiness. Tons of energy, tons of action, tricks left and right. I think Benji is going to win this thing. It will be hard to stop him.

Travis and Donyelle made an interesting pairing. The hip hop was not my favorite but it had more to do with the masks than the dancers. And for goodness sakes Shane Sparks stop with the whole 'Walk Like An Egyptian' hand motion thing. It was cool the first couple of times but it doesn't have to be worked into every routine you choreograph. I actually rather enjoyed the quickstep. It's a hard dance to like because its not hot like a samba or romantic like a waltz. I didn't think they did a bad job at all though. Travis is growing on me again after his and Heidi's contemporary.

Well look at that. Allison and Ivan got to be partners again. Nigel has such a hard on for him. I don't know why. He's a cute kid. He's good at what he does but he's not f'ing better than Dmitry!!! Sorry. Got carried away. Oh and that's right - they also got the Argentine Tango which they did so well the last time. And hip hop which they did pretty well last time and which is also Ivan's specialty. I really did love the hip hop routine. It was very cute and I liked the props. As for the tango... I liked it better the first time but I think it had more to do with the music and the choreography. Ivan was impressive. I must admit.

Last and least Ryan and Natalie. You know, for how badly Ryan wanted to have Natalie as his partner this didn't work out very well at all. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. I disliked the contemporary. No chemistry. Disliked the choreography. It was just bad all around. And normally I love Tyce's work. The disco was better, but nothing that would make me rush to the phone and vote.

Of course, now I know the results. Ryan is gone and frankly I would have been shocked if it had been anyone else. He was the clear choice. Allison however was not. I don't think it should have been her. Natalie was the worst this week although she's certainly been amazing in the past. It would have been tough no matter who went. The girls were all very good and it was pretty much just an eenie meenie minie mo thing. Of course, I think Benji had something to do with it. Think about it. Heidi is his cousin. Donyelle was his partner through most of this. And Natalie partnered with him last week. He has no connection to Allison. Therefore she had to go.

All about Benji people.

The Big Switch

Wow. We had a lot on our So You Think You Can Dance plates last night. New partners, more dancing, Nigel attempting to strip. It was a lot to handle folks. And then there was Dmitry... *fans self* He makes me want to do a Mary Murphy scream.

In what I think will be the easiest way possible I am going to rank the couples in order from my favorite to least favorite and also go over the individual dancers. And before I do that I have to admit that Cat Deeley is starting to grow on me as a host. I think I just had trouble letting go of Seacrest.

1. BENJI and NATALIE aka Benjalie
All things considered I think they had great chemistry and it helped that they're two of the best entertainers/dancers on the show. Yes Benji fans I know Natalie is not Donyelle, but we have to keep our chins up and look on the bright side. I loved both performances and was shocked that Nigel didn't like the hip hop routine. He must have been on crack.

Benji's solo was the best of the night I felt. It was entertaining and it was some seriously good dancing. I would be pretty shocked if he didn't win at this point.

Natalie's solo was great as well and I think the impressive thing about it was the emotion. Of course, if I'd just lost Musa I would be upset too. She just really poured her heart out as a dancer and stepped it up a notch.

2. DMITRY and DONYELLE
Again, you have two people here with radiant personalities and serious talent. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out between these two but way to make Benji jealous Donyelle! That samba was hot and the lindy hop was fun. Great to watch.

Dmitry's solo was a typical Dmitry solo. HOT. I mean, Nigel does have a point with the whole gimmick thing. That point simply being that Dmitry feels he needs to do things like rip off his shirt and shake his hips to gain fans. The thing Nigel missed is that Dmitry is a seriously talented dancer (one of the best Latin dancers I have ever seen) and the hotness is just an added bonus.

Donyelle is the mistress of all tricks. There isn't a dance she can't do. I do keep forgetting that hip hop is her specialty and last night she showed us why. It was hot and sexy and will keep her around for a long time.

3. TRAVIS and HEIDI
I discovered after last night that Heidi is exactly what Travis needed. Let's face it folks, Travis is not the most masculine guy on the planet. Next to Martha he might as well have been Britney Spears. He needed a "girly girl" to make the partnership more believable. Their first dance was really good. Their contemporary was AWESOME in part thanks to Tyce. I was very impressed.

Travis's solo blew me away. It was miles better than last week. I still like to hate on him a little cause he has a tendency to be whiny, but he has an amazing talent.

Heidi almost never fails to impress. Her solo work being a couples dancer is just amazing. I think it would be a travesty if she got booted this week.

4. RYAN and ALLISON
I disliked their contemporary. Their second dance was good. I think their chemistry problem is due to the fact that Ryan's personality level is not quite up to Allison's. When you have two very charismatic people like Benji and Donyelle it's going to work like a charm. But in this case it didn't work that well.

Ryan is a phenomenal dancer. He could have a solo career anywhere he wants to right now. He just doesn't have the personality to make it in a competition where people see you on tv and vote. I think his time is almost up.

Allison's solo was really good as well. I don't think she's AS super as the judges give her credit for because they act like she can do no wrong. But she's young and she is very talented and one of my favorites. I just wouldn't say I think she deserves to win at this point.

5. IVAN and MARTHA
You would have thought this partnership would have worked. Unfortunately there's not a whole lot of chemistry and you have one person who is a very good technical dancer and the other is a very good hip hop dancer. It was a bad night for both of them.

Ivan's solo was a gimmick and not much more. Ivan said it was entertaining. Yes it was entertaining to a point, but I would have liked to see more dancing and less skating.

Martha's dancing in her solos has been impressive, but she hasn't given me much emotionally. Ever. That's why I feel she should be the one going home tonight. You have four girls who have been great every week, are adaptable and have been sensational entertainers. Martha impressed me the first week and has not ever since.

Well, that's just what I think.

Mass Confusion

Okay this is going to be really messy and not make much sense, but I have missed out so forgive me. I was on a little vacay and had some trouble catching up on my television programs so this will be the short and sweet version.

Briefly, I was sorry to see Jaymz go on SYTYCD, but he would have been my choice. Not the case with Musa who, love him or hate him, is highly entertaining. He wouldn't have won so I wasn't that devastated, but it still sucked. One of these days I will go on another one of my famous rants about how there aren't too many "fair" reality shows out there. But hey, I watch them anyways.

I'm very nervous about the new couplings. Just when you start to like two people together they go and break 'em up! I guess at least now we're voting for individuals. If I had to choose my next guy and girl to go would be Ivan and Martha. What do you know? They're partners! Ivan has grown a lot, but if I had to pick SOMEONE it would have to be him but it will probably be Ryan. Martha is my homegirl but she just doesn't have the personality that the other 4 girls do.

We shall see.

Oh and on Treasure Hunters I am now heavy on the Air Force and Ex-CIA bandwagons. And I have even warmed up to the Fogals although someone needs to put a sock in Kayte's mouth. Seriously.

BEWARE

Reality recap forthcoming. I've been slacking.

Interview With Ryan Starr

So I haven't landed an American Idol interview until now. And who better to interview than a girl after my own heart - Ryan Starr. Ryan was kind enough to answer some questions for me.

1. What prompted you to audition for Idol?

I was asked to go with a friend and then I made it. I didnit really know what I was getting into at the time. None of us did.

2. If you could pick any one song to represent who you are what would it be?

Not sure. I love so many songs they all represent my love for music. I think I love "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". I am not a quitter and I fight for my dreams every day and always will so that song really suits me I think.

3. Who has been your favorite Idol contestant since your season?

I don't watch American Idol.

4. If you could do anything for the rest of your life besides singing, what would it be and why?

I would love to be a painter. To be able to capture a beautiful moment in time forever is something to be admired. Or maybe a dancer. I feel like dancing is a visual expression of what your soul is thinking or feeling.

5. What do you feel has been the best thing to come out of this whole experience for you?

Being able to sing for a living. I love to sing. It's all I've ever really wanted to do so since American Idol I have been able to do it daily and get paid. That was my dream and it is coming true.

6. If you were chosen for celebrity boxing or something competitive like that, who would your ideal opponent be?

Michelle Rodriguez. She is one tough chic and I wouldn't wanna fight some wimp. If your gonna do it might as well go for it right?

7. What would you most like to accomplish in the future?

In the near future, a great album that is inspiring. The distant future, a great wife and mother and a great role model for the rock n roll world.


You heard it here first folks. Michelle Rodriguez -- you have been challenged. I would start watching Rocky and Million Dollar Baby and... oh yeah that movie Girlfight that you were in.