What Went Wrong With The SYTYCD Finale?

Within the last few days, several media outlets have published stories outlining everything that went wrong on this season of So You Think You Can Dance. The Daily Beast, in particular, had an insightful piece that correctly illustrated the issues that plagued SYTYCD season 7.

Without Mary Murphy, the judging panel became more harsh. And, the fact that she wasn't invited to choreograph a single routine this season is pretty shameful. Additionally, because Mia was on the panel, she couldn't choreograph save for a group number here and there.

This season's format change was also a bit jarring. Whereas previous seasons had 20 finalists dancing in pre-established pairs, until the halfway point, this season had only 11 finalists and they danced with "All-Stars." If 11 seems like an odd number, that's because it is. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe had initially intended on having 10 finalists, but changed the rules for Billy Bell. Sadly, this would not be the last time he adjusted the rules to favor Bell, despite America's distaste for him.

While I wasn't sold on the addition of All-Stars at first, the idea eventually grew on me. Sometimes they clearly out danced their counterparts, but seeing them dance every week was gratifying in its own right.

Yet, I couldn't help but feel like last night's finale was a gigantic disappointment. Unlike American Idol, whose finale has become a venue for past-their-prime celebrities, So You Think has remained focus on their contestants. But, the numbers that the producers/judges chose last night were odd and often wrong.

Because the first 3 competitors axed this season were all female, the female All-Stars got to dance a lot more this season than their male counterparts. Last night, however, only Anya, Allison and Comfort took the stage to recreate numbers from this season. This irked me because Comfort was the least prominently featured female All-Star, and the "My First Kiss" number that Anya danced wasn't particularly well reviewed the first time around. Perhaps, this is why no judge actually took responsibility for its selection last night. Where was Courtney Galiano? Where was Lauren Gottlieb? Where was Kathryn McCormick? Yes, I realize they danced in the opening number, but after that they were MIA.

This was especially disheartening in the case of Kathryn, who brought me more joy this season than any of the actual finalists. Seeing season 6 winner Russell take the stage last night only reinforced what a colossal mistake America made in choosing him over Kathryn last Fall. The number that he danced with Lil C was awkward, boring and definitely not buck. Speaking of Lil C, where was he all season long?

Now, as quickly as possible, I will break down the dance numbers from last night's show, outlining what belonged and what didn't.

"Shoeless Joe" by Tyce DiOrio featuring Kent Boyd and Neil Haskell
This was a perfectly fine pick from Kenny Ortega. "Shoeless Joe" was arguably Tyce's best number from Season 7, and it highlighted finalist Kent.

"Mad World" by Stacey Tookey featuring Billy Bell and Ade Obayomi
I like Stacey Tookey, but this wasn't her finest moment. It was obviously chosen because both Billy and Ade will take part in the tour, but that doesn't make it any better. If the judges wanted to choose a Billy number, why not pick Stacey's "Jar of Hearts" routine with Kathryn or the "Boogie Shoes" routine he did with Lauren Froderman?

"Fallin" by Tabitha and Napoleon featuring AdéChiké Torbert and Comfort Fedoke
As Mia was choosing this number, all I could think was "she's really trying to drive home the fact that she's not racist." Is that wrong of me? Maybe. But, this number was a serviceable representation of AdéChiké so its selection wasn't shocking.

"My First Kiss" by Jean-Marc Généreux and France Mousseau feat. Kent Boyd and Anya Garnis
As I mentioned earlier, the selection of this piece was baffling to me. If the goal was to highlight Kent, then there were a number of better options. Why not slot in Travis Wall's "Collide" here? The same "Collide" that both Kent and Lauren chose as their favorite dance of the season!

"Scars" by Tabitha and Napoleon featuring Robert Roldan and Dominic Sandoval
I fully expected this number to be danced. I was completely OK with its selection.

"Oblivion" by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo feat. Lauren Froderman and Pasha Kovalev
After praising Lauren for her ability to transcend genres for most of the season, it stood to reason that the judges would select a ballroom number for her to dance. "Oblivion" was one of Lauren's finer moments on the show and I was glad to see it selected.

"Fix You" by Travis Wall featuring Robert Roldan and Allison Holker
Routine of the season... period. If they hadn't chosen this, they would have faced mutiny.

"Battle for the Beat" by Tabitha and Napoleon featuring Jose Ruiz and Dominic Sandoval
This was Jose's best routine of the season and will likely be featured on the tour, so its inclusion made sense.

"My Chick Bad" by Tabitha and Napoleon featuring Lauren Froderman and tWitch
Another Tabitha and Napoleon number... really? If the goal was to highlight Lauren, I'll suggest Mandy Moore's "Boogie Shoes" again. Or, how about the Tahitian number she danced with Mark Kanemura?

"Hallelujah" by Sonya Tayeh featuring Allison Holker and Alex Wong
Because I see Alex re-entering the competition next season, I wasn't particularly fond of how the show has treated his exit. Though I didn't love this routine as much as the judges did, I know that featuring it and parading Alex out will own skewer the voting pool in his favor. Instead of "Hallelujah," I would have much rather seen Stacey Tookey's "Squader" with Ade Obayomi and Melinda Sullivan or any number featuring Ashley Galvan.

"Ganesh" by Nakul Dev Mahajan featuring Billy Bell and Robert Roldan
This wasn't my favorite Bollywood number of the season, nor was it my favorite routine of Robert's. Any of the routines Robert danced with Kathryn would have been preferable.

"How It Ends" by Travis Wall featuring Kent Boyd and Neil Haskell
I quite liked this number and was glad to see it included.

"Outta Your Mind" by Tabitha and Napoleon featuring tWitch and Ellen Degeneres
Once Ellen phoned Nigel about dancing this number in Alex's place, there was no avoiding it. Did it live up to the hype? No.

Look, I like Lauren... a lot. And, I'm glad she won. But, the finale as a whole was just plain underwhelming. Here's hoping I don't feel the same about the tour.

Pretty Little Liars Review

If you follow me on Twitter, which you should, then you know I have an affinity for Lucy Hale. My adoration can be traced back to her first audition on American Juniors. You see, back in summer of 2003 I was an impressionable 12 year old in awe of both Hale's beauty and talent. When the group that Juniors spawned went nowhere, I wasn't terribly shocked. Ratings for the show had been poor and 19 Entertainment never really carved out the audience they wanted to cater to.

Flashforward 3 years to the penultimate episode of The O.C.'s third season. After a year's worth of guest stars who I didn't care about...at all, I was pleasantly surprised to see Lucy's face come across my screen. Since then, I followed Hale's career. I watched Bionic Woman for a few episodes before concluding that even she couldn't save the show from itself. I watched all 18 episodes of The CW's Privileged, a show that I genuinely cherished.

Why am I telling you all of this seemingly tangential information? I thought that, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you I had a predisposition to like Pretty Little Liars. One of my followers asked me if my relentless campaigning for the show was based on my love the novels, the show's concept, or the fact that I'd seen the pilot. The answer was: none of the the above. I campaigned relentlessly because I wanted to see Hale succeed. So, what do I think of the show now that I've seen it?

I liked the Pilot a lot. I won't say that I loved it or that it had me doing cartwheels but it was a serviceable entrance into the world of Rosewood and its secrets. However, certain aspects of the pilot worked better than others.

I was pretty content with the casting and the acting. As my diatribe above indicated, I like Lucy Hale. And, unsurprisingly, I like her as Aria. It was a clever decision on novelist Sara Shepard's decision to have Aria leave Rosewood after her friend Alison's disappearance. Because, Aria's return makes her the audiences entry point. We are just as unfamiliar with Rosewood as she is, having been away for a year. But, Aria still knows enough about the town that she isn't a total outsider. Hale is able to unleash her charm as Aria but I did find it ironic that she would be mistaken for a college student, given that Hale has made jokes in the past about people always thinking she was younger than her actual age.

Of the remaining 4 girls, I was familiar with only Sasha Pieterse. Having been one of the few individuals who watched her long forgotten WB series Family Affair, it was bit odd to see her looking so grown up. At just 14, Pieterse is the youngest of the 5 girls and her role is also the smallest, which is probably a good thing. The Alison character is clearly suppose to be a bitch and I didn't buy that bitchiness coming out of Pieterse's mouth. Shay Mitchell was the standout of the other 3 for me. Her character immediately seemed more fleshed out than Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario's. Having said that Benson and Bellisario both did well with what they were given.

Some of the supporting players will look more familiar to audiences. The casting of Holly Marie Combs as Hale's mother on the show made more than a few TV critics sit back and think about how long its been since Charmed debuted on The WB back in 1998. But, in last night's episode there was real chemistry between the two actors that seemed genuine without being syrupy. Chad Lowe, on the other hand, didn't win me over as Hale's father. Maybe its because I spent a good portion of the episode wondering why Alexis Denisof had been fired from the role, but its more likely that my distaste stemmed from the poor dialogue shared between the two. Rounding out the "famous" parents who we were introduced to in the pilot was Laura Leighton. Leighton is playing a more stable version of her Sydney character from Melrose Place but she's managed to maintain her edge.

Former One Tree Hill cast member Torrey DeVitto plays yet another bitchy character, in this case Bellisario's sister. Former ER cast member and future My Generation star Julian Morris plays DeVitto's fiance. PS: I've seen the pilot for My Generation and its really great.

Writer Marlene King tried to fit a great deal into the pilot which, unfortunately, made it difficult to grasp onto the different characters. For much of the episode, it felt like I was being hit with plot point after plot point. And, the episode's ending was beyond melodramatic. Having said that, the show definitely kept me interested and earned itself several more viewings.

Also worth noting, the music in the pilot was absolutely fantastic. Though this isn't terribly surprising considering that Chris Mollere is acting as the show's music supervisor. Mollere serves in the same capacity on The Vampire Diaries, and makes fantastic decisions with their music as well.

Note: Pretty Little Liars drew 2.5 million viewers, which is below the debut of Secret Life of the American Teenager, while matching the premiere of Make It or Break It.



Wesley Ambrecht is a staff writer for both GreenShoelace.com and Newestra.com. He also works in a freelance capacity for a number of other sites. Follow him on Twitter here

Though It Tries, The Runaways Can’t Escape Biopic Clichés

Note: After a dispute with my editor I have decided to post my review of The Runaways here on my blog but you can see an alternative (and poorly edited) version at The Sun's website.

In 1975, The Runaways burst onto the music scene with their all girl line-up and no-nonsense attitude. Developed by record producer Kim Fowley and headed by guitarist Joan Jett they were poised to take over the charts but a series of setbacks prevented them from ever getting off the ground. Those familiar with the music industry know that Jett would go onto the front her own band, The Blackhearts, while the remaining members of The Runaways went in other directions.

Lead singer Cherie Currie released two solo albums and did some acting; but, the drug problem she developed while she was with The Runaways continued to plague her until she dropped out of the spotlight. Recently, Currie authored a novel with non-fiction writer Tony O’Neill detailing her young adult life and the time she spent with The Runaways, entitled Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway. This novel was then used, by music video director Floria Sigismondi, as the source material for a long gestating Runaways film.

Watching The Runaways it’s incredibly clear that the story has been framed so as to highlight Currie and Jett’s stories while relegating the rest of the band to the background. Part of this can be attributed to the star power of Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart who play Currie and Jett, respectively. But, the rest is probably due to Currie’s novel serving as the foundation and Jett serving as an executive producer on the film. Regardless of the reason, this is the film’s first problem. It’s incredibly difficult to invest yourself in the lives of these characters when you know so little about them. As Lita Ford, The Runaway’s tough willed guitarist, Scout Taylor-Compton is reduced to nothing more than a whiny teenager who’s jealous of her band mates. Drummer Sandy West fares slightly better, she is accurately portrayed as a co-founder of the band, but actress Stella Maeve isn’t given much to work with after that. Alia Shawkat rounds out the band presented in the film playing a fictitious amalgam of the band’s many bassists. Shawkat will look familiar to fans of the television series Arrested Development but the actress has barely any speaking lines here.

This leaves Fanning, Stewart and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, as Fowley, to carry the load. Fortunately, all three actors were surprisingly well cast for their roles. Known predominantly for her wooden performances in the Twilight films, Stewart is a much better actress than she’s often given credit for. At just 19, the young starlet has been nominated for 4 Young Artist Awards and she recently won the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Here she able to display why; embodying the poorly developed Jett character, Stewart elevates Sigismondi’s material. So does Shannon; as Kim Fowley he is careful to show hints on insanity and touches of brilliance. Rather than simply playing Fowley as a wholly over the top man, Shannon is able capture the svengali he truly was. However, it’s Fanning who is most impressive. Shedding what remained of her “child actor” label, Fanning meticulously traces Currie’s loss of innocence. More importantly she personifies the jail bait branding that music critics gave to Currie back in the 1960s. Scenes that feature Dakota parading around in lingerie or having sex, with both men and women, might upset fans of her previous work; but, they’re necessary because they highlight what life was like for Currie in her early teens.

If anything, Sigismondi tried too hard to keep the film tasteful at the expense of a fully fleshed out story. Her script continuously reminds the audience that these girls were fetish objects for the masses but it doesn’t show us that. One of the film’s major sex scenes feels too soft contextually in a movie that’s all about rebellion and anarchy, while another has a cliché fade-to-black sequence. The end result is a number of scenes that leave the viewer feeling awkward rather than satisfied. Her years as a music video director made Sigismondi well qualified to shoot the film’s numerous musical sequences and her love of the band does shine through at points. “I took more of a naturalistic approach. I wanted it very real and raw. I wanted you to be able smell the smoke and smell the beer in the clubs, just the reality of it,” said Sigismondi. Unfortunately, she and cinematographer Benoît Debie went a bit overboard with their attempts to show the grit. Several scenes are so dark that their focus becomes obscured.

Overall, the film is typical biopic with some flair. Despite its many plot holes, which do get progressively worse towards the end, The Runaways is a fun film evocative of the 1970s. It’s definitely a film worth seeing, though perhaps on DVD. Note: The Runaways opened in select cities on March 19^th to an impressive $3,300 per theater average; it will expand to a wide release on April 9^th.

Overall Grade: 5/10

Critics Need to Open Their Eyes and Wakey!Wakey!

I find it incredibly frustrating to see good music go unnoticed. All too often media outlets let great albums slip through the cracks, failing to properly review them for the masses to read. Such is the case with Wakey!Wakey!’s debut album Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You, which was only reviewed by one major publication: USA Today.
Conceived as a record that traces the steps of a relationship and the aftermath of that relationship, by lead singer Mike Grubbs, Almost Everything I Wish… is a truly fantastic album about love and its misfortunes. Opening with the piano heavy number “Almost Everything,” a song very reminiscent of The Fray’s more recent material, Wakey!Wakey! expands their pallet with each increasing track.
“The Oh Song” seems like it was tailor-made for live performances, with an audience call and response built into the chorus. First single “Twenty-Two” features an intriguing guitar riff and whistling sample that makes it feel breezy despite the heavy subject matter of the lyrics. “Twenty-Two” is followed by the simple but wholly addicting “Square Peg Round Hole,” an easy choice for the album’s second single because of its sheer hookiness.
Though Grubb’s himself is no stranger to television, having guest starred on the current season of One Tree Hill numerous times, its a little surprising how many of Wakey!Wakey!’s tracks seem like they’d serve as perfect scores. Yet, it’s not hard to envision “Dance So Good” and “1876” both playing in the background of an emotionally charged scene.
The rest of the album is rounded out by the contemplative “Got It All Wrong,” and fun tracks like “Feral Love” and “Light Outside.” Unfortunately, the album’s final two songs don’t live up to the bar set by the songs that precede them. “Car Crash” is nice enough but it feels like a space filler in the context of this album ,while “Take It Like A Man” is the album’s only true misfire.

Overall Rating 8 out of 10

Is This Really Music's Greatest Night?

I debated whether or not it was worth typing something up about this year’s Grammy Awards for a number of reasons but, ultimately, I decided it was worth weighing in on. If you believe CBS’s promotional machine, then The Grammy’s are music biggest night. And while this may be truth, the Grammy’s are only a shell of what they once were. This year, the large majority of the awards were announced in a preshow that wasn’t even televised.

Among the earlier winners who didn’t get a chance to thank anyone was Jason Mraz. Those of you who know me also know how much I love Mraz and how upset I was when he was snubbed last year. His two wins this year are bittersweet mostly because he was never shown on the screen once during the 3 and a half hour telecast. When did Best Pop Vocal Male become a category so unimportant? If Justin Timberlake or John Mayer had been eligible for the award would we have seen it on the live show? At some point the Grammys became desperate for ratings at the expense of quality.

Thus, the majority of the night was consumed by performances. Said performances ranged from awful to interesting but none of them really blew me away. Pink performed a song called “Glitter in the Air” while spinning from a ribbon and getting pounded by water. It was like a Cirque de Soleil audition gone awry. The Black Eyed Peas, who’ve been no strangers to live TV this year, stumbled their way through “Imma Be” and “I Gotta Feeling.” Jamie Foxx and T-Pain brought out the incredibly relevant duo of Slash and Doug E. Fresh to help them perform “Blame It.” And Bon Jovi marked their first Grammy performance ever by singing a medley that included “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Then there was the Michael Jackson tribute that seemed like a hodgepodge thrown together by a hard core environmentalist.

Kings of Leon walked away with 3 awards for “Use Somebody” but only one, Record of the Year, was televised. Did the group perform their smash hit? No, in fact, they didn’t get to perform at all. Instead we received the “privilege” of seeing Green Day perform with the cast of their new Broadway musical. The group would go on to win Rock Album of Year, which is bewildering for two reasons. First, they weren’t nominated for Album of Year and Dave Matthews Band was; and secondly 21^st Century Breakdown was a terrible album undeserving of a nomination let alone a win. Then again, Eminem won Rap Album of the Year for Relapse, an album I found equally bad. That award wasn’t shown on TV either by the way. Surprisingly only one Rap category made it to the telecast and that was Best Rap Collaboration. That award went to “Run This Town,” as did Best Rap Song. Unfortunately, Kanye West was banned from Sunday night’s event because of his previous indiscretions. West made “Run This Town” what it was and deserved those two Grammy’s more than Jay-Z or Rihanna, both of whom were on hand to accept. Later in the evening Drake, Lil Wayne and Eminem took the stage to perform “Forever” but West absence precluded him from taking part.

The night didn’t belong to West though; it belonged to three women who have dominated the charts this year. Lady Gaga opened the show with mash up of “Poker Face,” “Speechless,” and “Your Song.” She was joined by music legend Elton John for the latter half of her performance and walked away with two awards. Both of those wins came in the Dance category and went untelevised, something that surprised me. Beyonce also performed a mash up, and an odd one at that. She mixed her hit song “If I Were a Boy” with the Alanis Morrissette’s “You Oughta Know.” Unlike Gaga, Beyonce got to accept one of her record breaking 6 awards on the live show. The night’s most coveted award, Album of the Year, eluded Beyonce. That award went to Country Pop Princess Taylor Swift, who also collected awards for Best Female Country Vocal, Best Country Song, and Best Country Album. Swift was gracious as always but her performance may have spoiled some people’s opinions of her. Swift was joined by Stevie Nicks and rearranged “You Belong With Me” accordingly but she was out of tune throughout the song. As someone who’s come to accept Swift’s flaws it didn’t really bother me, but I can see how others might be perturbed. As least there was effort on her part, which is more than I can say for CBS or numerous other performers.

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

A year and a half after the release of their self titled debut album, Lady Antebellum released their sophomore disc yesterday. Need You Now is an infectious country-pop record that verges on perfection. Fans of a country music will appreciate Need You Now but the album’s scope should also make it accessible to the general public.

The album’s lead single, also entitled “Need You Now,” is a rock tinged cut that allows lead vocalists Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott to show off their respective ranges. The song hit number 1 on the Billboard Country Charts shortly after it was released and remained there for 5 weeks. It also found its way to the top of the iTunes Top 100 Chart, a rarity for Country musicians. One listen to the song and it’s easy to see why, “Need You Now” is incredibly catchy. Then again, that’s pretty much the case with every song on this album.

Need You Now’s second single “American Honey” is a catchy song that puts Scott on display but it’s actually one of the albums weaker tracks. “Love This Pain,” one of the few tracks not written by Lady Antebellum themselves, has a nice guitar riff and memorable chorus that would make it a radio friendly track. After “Love This Pain” the group offers “When You Got A Good Thing,” which is reminiscent of an 80’s power ballad in the best way possible.

Lady Antebellum rarely venture into full country mode, but even when they do it works. Such is the case with party anthem “Stars Tonight,” a song that I imagine playing well live. While, “Something Bout A Woman” just leaves you smiling, avoiding clichés and embracing them at the same time it is the album’s most impressive song. From production, to writing, to the way Kelley and Scott’s vocals blend with David Haywood’s instrumentation, this album is executed with an acute precision that makes it can’t miss music.

Revolution - Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert - Revolution
Score: A-


"I ain’t the kind you take home to mama. I ain’t the kind to wear no ring. Somehow I always get stronger when I’m on my second drink," croons Miranda Lambert at the opening of "Heart Like Mine." And in 3 sentences she describes exactly what makes her unique and by proxy successful. In an industry dominated by men Lambert isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She isn't trying to cross over into pop music like most other female country singers. She is content being herself, which on this album means a little less Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and a little more woman in love.

Its no secret that Lambert has found love with fellow country singer Blake Shelton, in fact he helped pen a number of the songs of Revolution, and their relationship helps evolve Miranda's lyrics. "Airstream Song" finds Lambert questioning what alternative lifestyles might be like. While On "Makin' Plans" showcases a softer side of Lambert, one who's ready to settle down. Both of the album's singles "Dead Flowers" and "White Liar" allow to show off her vocal range in ways that she hasn't on here last two albums. But the real stand out track is "The House That Built Me" wherein Lambert sings of days gone by in a way that make you feel nostalgic for a place you've never been.

Not all of the album is soft tracks though, as that wouldn't be true to form and Lambert offers up a dose of her southern attitude on "Somewhere Trouble Don't Go" and "That's the Way the World Goes Round." There are a few missteps along the way, most notably "Love Song" which wastes the talent of Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley subjugating him to background vocals. That said the album cements Lambert as one of the premiere vocalists in her genre.