Weekend Rant - Full Speed into the new season

Best.Show.Ever

The new shows are starting to appear on the viewing schedule, and before going on to what I am so hyped about for the new season, I wanted to finish off with one important thing:

Congratulations Jordan for winning So you think you can dance Canada! It was great to see one of my favourites from day 1 go all the way and take home the title.

Now back to the Weekend Rant.... this past week I took in the first episode of Radio-Canada's Il dansent, featuring SYTYCD Canada season 1 winner Nico Archambault. Although it is another dance show, there are no eliminations and it is more of a behind the scenes look at the training the dancers will do to make them more versatile and ready to take on all sorts of challenges. On this side of the border we also had the return of Rick Mercer and the scathing 22 Minutes, as well as Les Parent and Infoman.  Survivor got off to great start with the return of Ozzie (one of my faves) and Coach (whatever) coming back for redemption. I love this series and all the drama that ensues as they all try to outwit each other.

This week I am hyped for the return of Dancing with the Stars, Glee and Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, and Modern Family. I will be checking out Charlie's Angels, and hoping it is as fun as the last films that were produced by Drew Barrymore.
Happy Viewing!

SYTYCD Canada -- Finale time!

Jordan should be this year's winner

So you think you can dance Canada has arrived at the finale, and after the surprise decision to have a Top 6 compete for the prize, the dancers have danced their hearts out and we have voted and tonight will be the big reveal.

For me the choice has always been clear since day 1. I was really hoping to see Joey and Jordan battle it out for first spot, but since he was dumped (still bummed over that, the voters really got it wrong) all of my voting has been for Jordan and I have my fingers crossed for tonight.

This season was fantastic as far as dancers and choreographers went, but I still haven't warmed up to Jean Marc's style of judging and just wish he would tone it down. I have had it with Miss Tré and don't see why she is such an expert when she is the only regular judge who has not choreographed a single thing this year. What is that all about? I like to see my judges put their money where their mouth is and strut their stuff.

I do have to say that having more Mary Murphy on the panel was great, and I love her chemistry with Luther. I was in pure heaven last week when Mia Michaels choreographed a number and Mary was gushing over how nice it was to see her. We were spoiled in Canada with having a fantastic number by such an amazing choreographer, but we were blessed with the talents of Stacey Tookey, Sean Cheesman, Sabrina Matthews and Gustavo Vargas amongst others. The talent was amazing, and I hope next season they start bringing back some All Stars so we can see more of the talent that has already graced the stage.

Catching up with SYTYCD

Joey & Geisha - they should have been Top Ten

Things have been very busy and I didn't have time to write last week, but there are a few important things that I wanted to rant about before this week's episode.
I can not, for the life of me, understand how Joey was eliminated from SYTYCD Canada last week and missed out on being in the Top Ten. He was one of the best dancers and had such incredible energy and presence on stage and I am very disappointed that not enough people voted for him. It has to be the thing that I hate the most with reality competition shows is that the public decides and it is more of a popularity contest instead of being about talent. It also seems that the Sparkle Bra curse is continuing as Geisha got the boot and she was another incredible dancer that should have stayed. It was great to see Mary Murphy back and I imagine that she will be around until the end of the season now that the American version has wrapped up, the panel is always so much more interesting when she is there. I am still waiting for Tré to step up and do some choreography for the show and to show us why she is such an authority on dance.

America's Favourite Dancer

And speaking of the US series, it was great to see Melanie win the title and become America's favourite dancer. She is a phenomenal talent and was clearly one of the front runners since the auditions.I was hoping that Tadd would be the runner up but nothing could keep up with the final 2 girls who really kicked some serious butt this season.  It was nice to see such incredible talent this season and the show seemed to get back some of it's groove that was missing last year when Mary wasn't there and they had done too many changes. Things seem more balanced, but I could do with less Pussycat Doll references and would like to see Debbie Allen back on the panel more often, she is really a dance icon. I won't complain about the guest judges though, I found them all to be charming, endearing and damn funny at times.

Weekend Rant - More on the Sparkle Bra Saga

Canada's Top 14 Dancers

So you think you can Dance has been monopolizing the viewing schedule 4 nights per week with 2 series playing at the same time.
On the Canadian side of things,  the Canadian production team was in super sneaky mode this week concerning the eliminations, so there was not a Sparkle Bra to be seen in the house, so there went my indicator for who was going to be sent home this week. I find it a little curious that a couple of the things that I mentioned here have been addressed on the show and am still waiting for some kind of performance from Tré.
I could not believe that most of the best performers were in jeopardy, and even more stunned to see Jordan and Joey (my 2 faves) in trouble. It is terrible to see great dancers under-appreciated and I hope that the voting public wakes up and votes for the best dancer and not just because he is kind of like Justin Bieber light.

American Top 4

Things are getting down to the wire with the American show, and besides the last episode being all about Melanie (well deserved, she is an astounding dancer and performer) it was full of great performances by some of the other dancers including my other favourite, Tadd. I love his energy on stage and have been really impressed by all the dances he has been doing out of his genre and he has been kicking butt. Sasha has been fierce and done some great stuff, as has Marko, but I am pretty sure that Melanie will win the season. At least our friends to the south continued the Sparkle Bra tradition and Caitlynn was sent home,along with the amazing Ricky but some one had to go. I am really looking forward to the finale this week and the chance to see some incredible dance numbers using all sorts of combinations of the final four.

SYTYCD - The Sparkle Bra Saga Continues

Things have been very busy here at Couch Potato Central, but I had to make the time to continue my ranting about the 2 editions of SYTYCD and the ensuing Sparkle Bra saga.

Last week on SYTYCD Canada, Teya was put up for elimination and at that time was wearing a Sparkle Bra (it didn't seem to be visible on stage) and was the one sent home, and on the American version, Jordan was wearing major Sparkle Bra and was the one sent home. I am sticking to my theory and every elimination episode I wait in Sparkle Bra alert mode, and if it shows there is lots of finger pointing and screaming " Sparkle Bra" at the TV. I know, childish but it has been working.

On the Canadian side of things, the performances have been great, and I am not sure if the producers have heard some of the grumblings on line, but Tré was introduced as a choreographer and dancer this week, so maybe we will get to see her do her thing eventually. I missed having Mary on the panel this week, and was surprised to see Dan Karaty, who seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. It appears he has been doing something off in Europe.

My favourite numbers this week were the Contemporary dance by Jordan and Shane that was choreographed by season one winner Nico Archambault and his partner Wynn Holmes and the other was yet another Contemporary number choreographed by Sabrina Matthews (she is really turning into one of my favourites this year) and danced by Shelaina and Kevin. I loved most of the numbers but have the feeling that time is running out for Geisha and JP and Yuliya and Matt. They didn't seem to keep up with the rest of the pack.

I voted for Jordan and Shane and for Denitsa and Joey. Jordan and Joey are my favourite dancers, and even if Joey was not in one of my favourite performances of the evening, I still think that he is one of the best and hope to see him around until the end.

South of the border, the incestuous relationship between So you think you can dance? and Dancing with the Stars continues as dancers and choreographers hip hop between shows non stop. As much as I liked seeing Lady Gaga on the panel, I was disappointed that it was not mentioned at any time that one of her main dancers, Mark, is from the show and was hoping to see some recognition at one point or even to see him as one of the All Stars. It was a missed opportunity. I did go online to check out all the videos for National Dance Day and all the routines were interesting, and I loved seeing Mary Murphy strut her stuff. There can never be too much Mary Murphy on the show, she adds such insane energy.

Tadd and Melanie are my favourites and am hoping that one of them wins. I am looking forward to the competition this week!

SYTYCD Canada - Top 18

Last night the Top 18 danced their hearts out of our votes, and it was fun to see things shaken up and all of the couples were shuffled around. It was fantastic to see season 1 winner Nico Archambault on the Judging panel, and the hardest working woman in Reality TV, Mary Murphy was in fine form last night, keeping the panel in stitches and gushing over the great dancers here in Canada. I love how she is tweeting her heart out about the Canadian dancers. If this keeps up she will have to be given official resident status. I am still trying to figure out why Tré is on the panel as they keep changing her title ( I thought she was the Queen of Urban moves or something like that) and am curious if she is going to do some choreography this year and show why she is such an expert. I just wish that Jean -Marc would tone it down a bit, he just rambles at times and I can't follow him even if I speak English and French.

There were some incredible performances last night, and while most of the performances were great, there were 4 that really stood out and 2 of them got me to vote. Congrats to Denitsa and Matt for yet another fabulous Contemporary number choreographed by Sabrina Matthews (who is turning into one of my favourite choreographers this season), I tip my hat to Yuliya and François for that killer Mambo choreographed by Gustavo Vargas and since Franswag is a local boy he got some votes, I shook my groove thing with Lindsay and Shane with that FUN disco number choreographed by Melissa Williams, and the icing on the cake was the show ender and best of the night Contemporary number with Melissa and Joey and choreographed by Mandy Moore. The piece had such flow and it literally floated over the dance floor. It was really astounding and I voted till my fingers bled on this one, it was that good.

As for who I think will be in the bottom tonight, chances are we will see Adam & Geisha, Kevin & Carlena and Teya & Boneless. I will be on high Sparkle Bra Alert to see if my theory pans out.

SYTYCD Canada and SYTYCD - the return of the Rants

After a longer than expected absence, I am back to rant about a few things on the tube.

I was pretty peeved last night when Lauren and Rodrigo were sent home, I just can not understand why one of the sexiest and most masculine guys was kept around and they kept the Justin Beiber clone (JP) who has way less swag, but that is the public's choice. I will say that I have noticed a pattern over the past couple of weeks, and if one of the girls dances wearing a Sparkle Bra in the Dance for your life portion of the show, she is gone. Seriously, I am not sure if it is the costume department having some fun or if it is just some coincidence but I will be putting my theory to test with the next episode.

Both series have been great so far this year, and one of the best things has been the return of Mary Murphy to both judging panels. Mary gives that extra oomph to the proceedings, and I am glad that she is around full time on both shows, even if the Judges beside her risk to lose hearing in one ear.

In SYTYCD Canada, the best number had to be the Contemporary number danced by Melissa and Shane and choreographed by Sabrina Matthews. It was an astounding piece of work and I hope to see more of them. Bravo! This week I am looking forward to seeing the Top Ten in the US show get paired up with All Stars to start the next round.

Top Ten of 2009 - Reality Shows

#1 - So you think you can Dance Canada? came back with it’s second season, and it was miles above the American version. The audition process was great, the choreographers and dancers were breathless, and the quality of the show was fantastic. It must be the Canadian touch, but the show is much warmer and fuzzier than the US version, and at the same time we don’t seem to be afraid to push the envelope when it comes to getting the dancers down and dirty. Our ratings and standards are not quite the same as those down south and there was more than one guest who commented on being able to do stuff that would not pass the FCC in the States. Not only were our Judges impressed with the quality of dance, but we even had Mia Michael’s endorsement (and it appears, continuing support) and even a marriage proposal. For quality alone, this show is the benchmark for dance and I can hardly wait for the next season!

#2 – Survivor – is still the King of the Jungle and just had one of the best editions with super villain Russell and the rest of the gang in Samoa. The casting was great this time around and there was some really interesting game play from Russell, in fact he ran things from day 1 and managed to alienate and piss everyone off so that, even though he played one of the best games ever, he didn’t win due to the social component on the game. It’s all about how you play the game and who ends up on the Jury. I am really looking forward to the Heroes vs. Villains edition coming up next !

#3 - Dancing with the Stars – is still a force to be reckoned with and I absolutely love how it has brought dance back on the air waves. The professional dancers awe me with their technique and ability to teach, and the Stars are always a surprise. It is not always my favourite who wins (more often than naught it is another who gets that big old Mirror Ball trophy), but I love watching people try something new or showcase some hidden talent. The show has a pretty good balance, some great guest performances and one of the best hosts in reality television, Tom Bergeron, who has a quick wit, acid tongue and has gotten out some real zingers. It’s time to give this man and Emmy for his outstanding work.

#4 - The Amazing Race - is still as amazing as ever and the production team consistently chooses a good variety of teams covering a nice cross section of the population. They threw a couple of twists in this last edition, eliminating one team out of the gate and making it harder for teams to catch up if they survive a non Phil elimination round. The locales were stunning, the challenges interesting and there was so much drama this year. I think they went overboard with all of the Type A personalities, but there were many teams to route for, and it was interesting to see Teams eliminate themselves by error this time around. It is one of the reality staples here at Couch Potato Central and I look forward to each new edition.

#5 - Top Chef – The Masters edition got me hooked on competition cooking shows (again) and I was in awe watching such high calibre chefs doing the Quick Fire Challenges and putting together some very amazing food. Next was the Vegas competition, and I devoured the past season in Vegas with much gusto and hungrily looking forward to the next one. The mix of chefs was great, and per usual, Bravo made sure to have several gay contestants in their mix and added a ton of drama to the flavour. I think it goes with the territory that a lot of professional chefs are a tad intense. Bring it on, I am ready for more!

#6 - The Soup - is must see TV and my week is really not complete with out it. Joel McHale is hilarious, and delivers some of the most scathing commentaries on the subject matter of reality TV. Not only does it make my hit list every week, but it has more often than naught, shown me a show (usually one of those terrible Guilty Pleasures) that I have to check out. Did I already say how funny and sexy Joel is? If you like your humour dark and cutting, have an extreme dislike for Ryan Seacrest, and no fear to offend any one in the entertainment industry (and that includes Oprah, which is usually a death sentence for anyone), then I invite you to my weekly viewing party. It’s meaty.

#7 – America’s Best Dance Crew – I know that there is a ton of dance related reality shows on this list, but it is the stuff that I really enjoy and it has been such an enormous pleasure to have so much to watch on TV. There is a curious almost incestuous relationship between this show and So you think you can Dance? and Dancing with the Stars, as they all share common choreographers, dancers and even Judges at times, and you get to see some great performances. It’s all very great stuff, extremely original and unlike any of the other dance competitions on the air and well worth the watch. The Judging is hard to follow at times, but seeing the blood, sweat and tears that these crews put into their performances is astounding and some of the movements are out of this world.I am not sure how things will work out this year with Shane Sparks being in hot water at this time, but I am looking forward to the next season to see some slamming Crews bust a move or three.

#8 – Battle of the Blades had a great first season and was such a Canadian success story that it deserved a spot on the list. You can’t get much more Canadian than hockey, and pairing up hockey players with figure skaters made for some interesting (and dangerous) moments, and it was stunning to see these big hulking guys trying to be graceful on the ice in figure skates. I hope it will be back next season, and would love to see them expand the competition to include female hockey players teamed up with male figure skaters and make it more gender inclusive. It was very entertaining, a surprising success and a whole lot of fun. Gotta love that wholesome TV thing eh?

#9 - RuPaul’s Drag Race – How could you go wrong in getting the most fabulous Drag Queens and Female Impersonators on the same stage to compete for a crown? The humour was deadly, the competition fierce and all the drama! I could not ask for more out of a trashy reality show and was glued to the TV every episode. There is some huge talent out there, and it was great to see some of the greats get national exposure, and there is always the catch phrase “ Now you have to lip synch for your life” that I can not get out of my head. I can hardly wait for season 2 !

#10 – So you think you can Dance? pushed things a tad too far this year and after a great summer edition, tried too hard and came back right away with a Fall edition. The Judging panel changed, and it was Nigel, Mary and Adam who were there every week. There was the failed attempt (mercifully) of trying to get Paula Abdul on the panel and Mia Michaels left the American show. With all of that, an abbreviated season that finished off bizarrely, and a set change that does not justice to the series, it suddenly felt like it had no heart and out of place. What was once the bastion of dance on TV suddenly has become a bit of a circus and I hope it recovers. I only kept it on the list because of the quality of dance and some of the incredible dancers that participated this year and not for the rest of the production that has seemed to lost it’s focus. Here is hoping that the next season has some of the heart that the earlier seasons did.

Almost made the List: Dance your Ass off, The Sing Off

Brilliant yet cancelled: The Cho Show

Fallen from Grace: Kathy Griffin – My Life on the D List, Project Runway

Biggest Disappointment: The Fashion Show, Sheer Genius, I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here!

Weekend Rant – Reality Round Up

There are quite a few reality genre shows on the Watch List, and this past week saw the Season Finale and crowning of Canada’s Favourite Dancer on So you think you can Dance Canada. Congratulations to Tara Jean for taking home the big prize. I was pulling for (and voted a ton for) her fellow competitor, Jayme Rae but glad that one of the girls won this time around. This season was another one filled with great dancers and some fantastic pieces of choreography, and I am ecstatic that it will be back again (soon) and they are already gearing up to start the audition process. We may have also have seen the last Mia Michael creation on a SYTYCD stage for the eminent future, as Mia has moved on to other things. I hope to see more of her work elsewhere.

Continuing is SYTYCD territory, the Top 20 performed on the American version sans my favourite, Billy Bell, who had to drop out due to illness. I am a tad more lukewarm about this crop of dancers and will have to see who catches my eye now that my favourite is gone. I hope he comes back next season. It is still early in the competition and I get more hyped once the herd has been culled down to Top 10 territory.

Battle of the Blades continues to perplex me with the strange voting system used by the Judges, the comments that don’t seem to always fit the performance and the continuing drama of eliminating one of the couples on elimination night after the big Skate Off. It’s all for charity so I try to keep an open mind, but things always feel slightly off balance. I still get a kick watching the Hockey Players figure skating and seeing how comfortable they can be and if they have any actual grace. I am pretty impressed with a lot of the lifts the guys are pulling off and all that strength is good for something.

Survivor is churning out a great season with our über winning Galu tribe dominating the Fao Fao tribe. Russell is turning into the biggest ego that Survivor has ever seen ( the guy is delusional in his perception of the game) and I can hardly wait until the merge and watch all his plans go down the drain. I love it when the merge happens and we get down to individual play and you can really see who the power players are. Let’s just hope the Immunity Idols are played this time around, I always laugh when I see them being hoarded and then their owner gets blindsided. It has happened to the best of players and it would be sweet irony to see that trick played on Russell. Just a thought… I would love to see Erik win it all (I love his tree house), and think he is playing a pretty decent game so far. Besides, he is not so hard on the eyes either.

The Amazing Race continues on it’s trip around the globe, and I love how we see the teams go into meltdown mode and it all hits the fan. Canaan & Mika paid the price for a fear of heights, and it was interesting to see one the other teams, the Globetrotters, break their friendly image and freak Mika out even more until she forfeited her place and quit the Challenge. I don’t think they played dirty (it was a bit mean) as they were waiting in line for her to finish. It was the first time I heard anything about a time limit for starting a Challenge, and they seem to be insisting on the rules this season. It’s always good fun but the Race is getting harder and there only a few teams left. I am hoping for the Gay Brothers, Sam & Dan, to win, but they haven’t been the smartest knives in the drawer so far so that may be just wishful thinking.

Top Chef continues to challenge our Chefs, and unfortunately, one of my favourites, Jennifer, is cracking under pressure and will be eliminated soon if this keeps up. I thought it was a given that one of the brothers would win (Michael or Bryan), but Kevin has been pulling off a lot of wins and feels like the front runner at this time. The Quick fire Challenges are always a ton of fun and I loved our TV dinner themed one this week, even if some of the Chefs completely missed the concept with their creation. There seems to be a lot of tension in the house, and I wondering if it something that they put in the water that keeps everyone on edge like that. I find the gang a tad too harsh on Robin, but I don’t have to spend all my time with her.

Weekend Rant – Catching a breath

I didn’t think that I would ever say it, but I am actually looking forward to some repeats and the chance to catch up on a few shows that have been relegated to the sidelines due to lack of time. I may have to think of trimming the Watch List down to something more manageable as I simply finding it impossible to watch every single thing and have time for other activities and work. It may be a question of survival of the fittest, funniest and most fascinating that will keep me coming back. There are only so many hours in a week, even for a Couch Potato like me.

Highlights of this past week included the Final Four performing on So you think you can dance Canada? and all my votes have gone out for home girl Jayme Rae. Not only has she been on that Hot Tamale Train all season, but she has dominated the dance floor each and every time she has performed. I don’t think there is one thing that they threw at her that she couldn’t handle, and I voted my fingers off for the 2 hours following the show. The results are too be announced tonight, and I am pretty sure it will be one of the girls taking home the Title of Canada’s favourite Dancer. The guys were good but the girls were even better. The best thing is that they will be starting the auditions for season 3, and the Top Ten Tour will be hitting Montréal again so there will be the chance to see even more dance.

Dancing with the Stars is really heating up, and the good dancers are getting better while those who are more challenged are dropping off to the sidelines. I was a tad surprised to see Natalie Coughlin eliminated while Stoner boy (Louie) and Michael were safe (it is a popularity contest after all) since she was so much better on a technical level, but she had problems connecting with her partner (a shame) and the viewers. Mya and Dmitry are the hottest thing out there and may win the competition if they can out perform Donny Osmond who is turning out some of the best performances and may be the oldest winner if this keeps up. It’s great entertainment and a highlight of every week.

Glee is still my biggest highlight of the week and damn, the show keeps getting better and better. I love how we are seeing more and more of Will’s talent, the multiple love triangles, killer mash ups and even more Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), who steals every scene that she is in with take no prisoners mentality and do not F with me attitude. She is the perfect villain for our geeky gang, who are learning about life with a few hard knocks and reality checks. The music is phenomenal, I love how song and dance is back (and popular) again.

Smallville pulled out a well written episode with Roulette, and they finally got Green Arrow out of his self destructive pattern and back into skin tight leather where he belongs. The episode was well written, had nice balance and spotlighted more of the strengths of our characters than their weaknesses. I like how things are developing so far and this version of Lois is really kicking ass. It is nice to see Chloe developing more and more into an Oracle type character, and running things from the Watchtower, and hopefully it will be time (soon) for more Justice League characters and team ups to start happening. Still, I can’t really complain about this season and hope they have the chance to go for some fun and interesting episodes. I still would like to see some Red and Blue Blur action happening again and get out of the Black avenger stuff they are doing. Superman is iconic for his Blue tights and red cape.

The Sarah Jane Adventures are back on BBC with 2 episodes each week and I am loving the return to the Doctor Who Universe. The first four have aired (loved them) and the ever enigmatic Doctor will be around next episode. Now that K-9 has returned (yippee!), the cast has been rounded out and even though the series is written for children, it is still great to have new Who stuff, even after being terribly disappointed with the last Torchwood mini series.

If anything irked me this week, it was home grown Battle of the Blades and the departure of Barb & Ron who, in my opinion, were probably the best team in the competition and I can’t understand why the Judges booted them instead of Christine & Tie. In all honesty it should have been Ken & Jodeyne that left, but for some reason they got enough votes to keep them safe. With these shocking results this week, it looks like it will be Claude & Shae-Lynn that will win. I wish that the better skaters could have stuck around but if you don’t get the votes you are done for. Too bad, they looked great and skated very well together.

Weekend Rant – New Season Sensory Overload

The New TV season (and some killer work commitments) have kept the Couch Potato very, very busy over the past couple of weeks, but the new season is now in full swing and it’s been a huge juggling act trying to watch all of it. I am still catching up on a few new things and trying to re connect with some series of last year, it seems like they all started the same day this season!

If you sneak a peek at the Watch List, you might notice that some days have up to 9 different shows listed, which means that I have to record a ton of shows and catch up on them at different times. There are a few shows that I have been watching “live” for that thrill of seeing it happen the same time as everyone else, but the majority of shows are watched off the grid, and I save time by jumping the commercials. Technology has it’s advantages.

I can’t really complain, there is a ton of Dance related stuff airing at the moment, and I am like a kid in candy story watching the incredible Crews on America’s Best Dance Crew. I am really pulling for We are Heroes to win the big prize and be the first female Crew to do it. They have impressed the heck out of me over the past few weeks and I am looking forward to seeing the big Finale this week and see if they beat Afroborike. It’s cool that the finalists are from different genres this year and it won’t be a BBoy group winning. The numbers have been incredible and the show is such fun to watch.

Dancing with the Stars came back with a vengeance and a huge list of “Stars” that were challenged with 2 dances ( one latin and the other ballroom). It was no surprise that the very bland Ashly Hamilton was bumped (they should have taken Dean McDermott instead of this idiot, he would have gone farther), but I was surprised that it was Macy Gray that got the boot instead of Kathy Ireland. Macy had a cool presence and innocence that was way more interesting than our bland supermodel. The competition looks great and I am pulling for Lacey & Mark and absolutely love Mya & Dmitry. Some of the Stars have incredible potential, such as Donny Osmond and Joanna. Others like Debi (who I love) are finding it a bit harder and may fall to the side before catching their feet. Things have just started, and even if our Judges seem a tad cranky, I am pumped for another season.

So you think you can Dance Canada has finished up with sorting our dancers out and we are now in Top Ten territory. The final cuts of Daniel and Corryne were the hardest of them all, and I would have preferred to have seen Cody get cut instead of Daniel, but I voted and that is all that I could do.The Judges realized how popular Cody is with all the tweeners. The quality of dance is still incredible, and the show is really coming into it’s own with introducing a few styles that not appeared on other SYTYCD stages as well as being a tad more adult than the American version. Our censors seem more open to content such as crotch grabs and that can make all the difference in the world for some the numbers (mild sarcasm) but setting the choreographers creativity free turns out some astounding numbers and it’s is incredible to see how most of the dancers are thriving and expanding their vocabulary. It’s turning into a much better season than the first, and I am even finding it a tad more balanced with our hyperactive head Judge Jean-Marc. I do hate that he keeps wanting to put the dancers on his V.I.D List (very important dancer) but it just comes out wrong and you think that they all have some sort of sexually transmitted disease. I know that Jean-Marc means well but his translations don’t always come out as he would like them to, and they really need to have some one tell him that his whole V.I.D idea is stoopid. It was great that Mya was by again to help out with the Judging, and I am hoping to see her choreograph something for the show.

Our American friends are continuing with auditions for this season of So you think you can Dance? and there has been some phenomenal talent so far, but I am looking forward to getting into the Top 20.

Not that all the TV has been dance, but there has also been my new favourite show Glee, that pulled out a great Beyonce inspired – Kurt Centric episode that dared to do the unthinkable and pull our fabulous boy out of the closet and onto the football field. Not only did we get a ton of Put a Ring on it, but some great pregnancy storylines, more of über-Sue and dissension in the ranks and Rachel leaving. With a guest appearance by Kristin Chenoweth (last seen as Olive from Pushing Daisies) just around the corner this show is only getting better. At least it has already been picked up for a whole season so we will get a chance to see how the story will develop. If you haven’t checked this show out I highly recommend it.

Survivor has chosen an huge bunch of Type A personalities for this round in Samoa, and I have been laughing my ass watching the antics of our biggest villain (so far) Russell has been torturing his tribe and making life difficult for as many of them as possible. I am not quite sure that I follow his strategy as his team has been losing like crazy, but it makes for good TV and I have been rolling my eyes as he plays his game. I was in hysterics when Yasmin visited their camp and got everyone riled up, this show is great for showing a cross section of society and things are pretty scary so far. No idea who will win, but it will probably be one of the dirtiest rounds we have seen so far.

The Amazing Race kicked things off with a doozy of a 2 hour opener and the first elimination at the starting gate. I liked the new twist, and was not surprised that it was our 2 very cocky teams that were hung up before our radical Yoga teachers got Philiminated. They certainly didn’t have that Zen vibe that you look for in Yoga teams, and our Poker Players might have their bluff already exposed after only one episode. The gay brothers are just too adorable for words and I hope they do well. The locales and challenges are as fascinating as ever and I love the world view feel of this show, it’s no surprise that it keeps winning the Emmy for best Reality show year after year.

Supernatural is still kicking butt but getting a tad repetitive with our boys falling in and out of sync with each other. It now appears that Dean is the vessel for Michael the Archangel, and poor Sam looks to be the target of Lucifer, which means another big good vs. evil show off between our brothers. I am not sure if they are trying to pull some Cain and Abel references in to the show but the story is great and not missing a beat.

Smallville came back with Clark being all dark and brooding and the rest of the gang reeling from Jimmy’s death. It will be interesting to see who they develop this season, but I am already loving Lois (as usual) and hope to see more of our heroes back and in action. I still don’t get why they insist on calling it Smallville when most of the action is in Metropolis, and am praying the ratings pick up or it may be a short final season.

I love the first episodes of Cougartown and Modern Family, and hope to see them around for a while as well, I love a well constructed comedy and both have some great elements and characters. I love seeing a modern gay couple with their adopted baby and all the strife with their surrounding family.

The new season is off and running and I am trying to keep up!

Weekend Rant – Limping out of the starting gate

The new season has launched but it was an awkward stumble out of the gate with the return of Melrose Place and the complete dashing of my hopes to find a juicy soap to fill an emptiness that has been there since the heyday of soaps like Dynasty and the original Melrose Place. There really hasn’t been anything on that scale, nor anything with some decent star power, on the schedule for quite awhile now, and I was really, really hoping to FINALLY have something fun and over the top to watch. But alas, the first episode bit the big one and was more cheesy and angst ridden than anything else. Besides, what the hell are they doing bringing back a character that was deader than dead, only to kill her off again. Blah blah I know all the Lost flashback stuff already and didn’t really find any of the characters that appealing… so it looks like 90210 territory and banished to teen-angst land. Blah. The only way they could get me to watch this would be for Heather Locklear to join (won’t happen, I am pretty sure about that), or for Marcia Cross to come back as crazy,crazy Kimberly. I don’t see either of those things coming true, so it’s Off the Watch List.

The CW did get Supernatural right though and it was a brilliant season opener, following the cliff hanger from this Spring and jumping into the fire with both feet. I loved how the boys had their lighter times before the terrible break up at the end of the episode, and how complex the story is with Sam seemingly back to normal after being used by other forces to free Lucifer, and Dean learning that he was brought back to be the Sword of the Arch Angel Michael. It’s all very biblical and over the top Armageddon and Resurrection and very well written. Those Winchester boys seem to get hotter each season and the subtle humour and friendly jabs between the boys and that hilarious tension that their Number One Fan brought was too much. I like the guys when they are on missions and saving the innocent a bit more than when we are in end of the world mode. There is not much time for joking at this time but I am looking forward to some more tongue in cheek humour. It's all about balance.

So you think you can Dance Canada? is still pulling out all the stops and the dancers are so great that it is really hard to decide on who should leave. Cody and Melanie are definitely the cutest couple (and youngest it appears), but it is Jayme Rae & Daniel and that are the hottest. I am really impressed with their quality of dance (and smoking hot bods) and the way that they live each dance. After this week my opinion has changed concerning Natalie & Danny as well as Kim & Emanuel. They all danced incredibly well (Natalie was very surprising) and Blake McGrath put together a killer Jazz number that was hot sexy magic. It was a shame that Jenna Lynn and Nicolas were eliminated this week, but I am a tad disappointed with the viewers from Québec that didn’t vote adequately to make sure Nicolas was safe. I’ll miss the cute little B-Boy with the big smile. The Judges really have a tough job with eliminating 2 dancers each week as each of them brings so much to the show. France & Jean Marc choreographed and interesting Afro-Brazilian number that was almost as hot and fiery as France’s hair. Still, it is nice to see our Judges strut their stuff and show their dancing chops.

The American version kicked off this week, so while we are culling the herd down to 10, our friends down south at So you think you can Dance? are in the audition process and started off this week.Fox seems a tad more low key this time around and it was only one night for one hour, as they roll out their Fall schedule. It was a great start and it’s always a trip to have Mary Murphy on the panel, she really does bring a special energy.

Glee burst out of the starting gate with a fantastic first episode, more fun music and insight into the lives of our characters. So far so good, and I can hardly wait for more music numbers and special guest stars. I hope the ratings hang in there so we can see a full season, I have already started to worship Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. That is one funny character, and I love her no nonsense lesbian sensibilities. The characters are all fascinating, and it is such a motley crew that you can’t but help falling in love with the quirkiness of it all and the great music. I love how things are ultra competitive between Glee Club and the Cheerios, and all the back stabbing and espionage with the hope that Cheer will triumph. The storyline is great, and it is such a pleasure to have a musical comedy as a regular series.If you haven’t seen any of it, surf over to FOX and check it out, it’s my Number 1 at this time.

This week I will be getting all pumped up about the return of Bones (one of my favourite shows), the return of Jean-René Dufort as Infoman ( a scathing look at politics and popular culture in Québec and Canada) and the premiere of this edition of Survivor, this time in Samoa. Survivor is still the original (and best) reality show that started the trend and I love this peek into society and how we interact with each other. The best editions are always on Islands, and I can hardly wait to see how this one develops.

Weekend Rant – Jumping into the New Season

The New Fall season jumpstarted over the past week with the debut of Wipeout Québec, the airing of a lightly extended version of the Glee pilot episode that aired earlier this year, and The Best of So you think you can Dance featuring 15 of Nigel’s favourite performances.

The Québécois version of Wipeout is a tad different than the American version that I am accustomed to watch, but featuring local folks and tons of weird (and sometimes questionable) scene takes give it a flavour all it’s own. Like the original, it features everyday people trying to win the pitiful Jackpot of $5,000. Yup, it’s dirt cheap as far as prizes go, but they try to milk the show for all it’s worth and it’s spread out as 3 half hour shows airing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The format is interesting, but I prefer seeing the whole competition from beginning to end and some of the filler is terrible. The show is new and I am sure they will fine tune things as they sort things out over there on the new station V (formerly TQS now Canal V for Vidanges –inside joke). The thing I like about the Hosts is their very retro 1970’s influenced Polyester suits and HUGE headsets, but not as much into their shtick (one of them down right annoys me), but am willing to give it a chance. It’s local redneck television.

I am so pumped for Glee, I loved the pilot and am really looking forward to seeing hot things develop with the series.It’s been awhile since there was a musical TV series, and I am crossing my fingers on this one that it attracts that High School Musical crowd (not to mention all of us who love Musical Theatre), and gets good ratings to stick around and be a success. I read that one of my favourites from Pushing Daisies (one of those Brilliant yet cancelled shows), Kristen Chenoweth aka Olive, is booked for a multi-episode arc and I can hardly wait to hear her belt out a few tunes.

So you think you can Dance Canada? is continuing the ritual culling of the herd and this week we lost Anthony and Melanie B. Things will be rough each week as all of the dancers are pulling out some amazing performances and really pushing themselves.

Mary Murphy was back this week, and she brings such big energy to the show it’s hard not to love her. I am pretty sure that Luther will be deaf if this keeps up, but I love hearing Mary gush and ooh and ahhh over the quality of dance here in Canada and how damn good these kids are. I am not sure if the same rules apply here in Canada as in the USA, but my Cougar Alert Indicator was running off the scale with the way Mary was responding to our slightly more naughty dance numbers that make it past the censors here. We are quite a bit more liberal here in Canada and the choreographers seem to know that.

I still have a huge weakness for the Bollywood numbers, and the results show had a great group number choreographed by Longinus Fernandes, the choreographer know for that little Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. It was an incredible number and has peaked my interest in seeing more of the genre.

I did enjoy Nigel’s Top Fifteen So you think you can Dance? Performances, even if a couple of my favourites were not on his list, and it has wetted my appetite for even more dance even though I feel bad that Jeanine will not have the title as America’s Favourite Dancer for a very long time with the new competition starting next week.Still, I can’t complain having all this great dance on TV, it’s such a treat.

America’s Best Dance Crew is still a fierce competition, but unfortunately Vogue Revolution got eliminated this week (too much diva for the public me thinks) after a good but not great performance. We are Heroes is still rocking the house and the competition has been as hard hitting as last year. The challenges have been fun, and I love seeing all these whack group numbers that incorporate some of the sickest moves seen on TV. I am always humbled by seeing how some of these dancers move and the way that they float around the floor as if weightless.

Dance your ass off finished things up with Ruben taking home the big prize after losing the most weight and dancing his ass off. I was happy to see our big gay guy do so well, and I am honestly surprised how well the contestants danced considering their considerable size. My opinion of big people has drastically changed and albeit the shock of some of the competition (and the exploitation), I still find it was an over all inspiring experience and I have to really congratulate all of them that participated. Shayla looked damn hot in her last performances with that big curvy figure, and Pinky brought it hard as nails for someone who was in so much pain. Job well done!

Project Runway is all you can ask for in a reality show and I am so happy it is back and true to form. This week’s Team Challenge produced a first, both the winner and the loser came from the same team and the claws are out this time around. Our Surf Inspired Challenge had 2 elements, a more traditional ensemble and then it’s avant-garde counterpart. Some of the teams did some great work but others completely missed the ball and there were some scary outfits. Although not an Judge pleaser (although I am pretty sure it’s up to Heidi’s standards), I thought Qristal’s avant-garde look was fashion forward and pretty hot.Anyways it all hit the fan when Mitchell fessed up to doing nothing for the Challenge and getting dumped for lack of talent, even though he was on the winning team. It appears that the mantra of this season of Runway is that if your are crazy or lazy you will not be hanging around for long. I just think that it’s all such catty goodness and so happy that the show is back. Models of the Runway continues to be a disturbing peek into the lives of the models, some of who seem pretty whack to be on TV. I guess it takes crazy to wear some of that crazy fashion and the show is a nice companion piece to Runway, but not strong enough to hold it’s own.

Coming up this week, I am completely pumped for the premiere of Melrose Place and I am crossing my fingers it will be the juicy kind of soap that will fill that niche in my viewing schedule that has been empty for quite awhile now. The nice thing with some of the new shows starting early, is that you have a chance to check them out and see if you want to follow them. If not, it’s easy to drop and fill in that part of the viewing schedule with another choice. I know that it can be a programming nightmare at times with multiple shows playing at the same time. Even having the ability to record 2 shows at the same time is insufficient with the networks vying for all the same prime time.

Those bad boy Winchester brothers are back on Supernatural this week (bless you CW) and it will be time to catch up and see what the hell (literally) is going on and considering how things finished up at the end of last season with Lucifer being released from Hell and our brothers having a huge rift between them due to all that big old nasty web of deceit and betrayal. It’s the start of the new season and it’s great!

Summer Rant – Finishing up the season with Dance Fever

I can hardly believe that Summer is almost over, and the beginning of September heralds cooler weather and the launch of the Fall season. The majority of shows are starting in mid to late September, but even this upcoming week gives a taste of what is to come and wraps up some of the summer fare. This is the last official Summer Rant for this year… time flies!

So you think you can Dance Canada? is following the same formula as last year, one 2 hour night of competition followed the night after with a 30 minute result show. I still find the Result show too rushed, and really, really ,really (get the point?) hate the whole “Fake out” routine that the writers insist be used to inform the dancers whether or not they will be continuing on the show. The show still has that warm and fuzzy polite Canadian feel to it, and the competition is even fiercer than last year.

I did agree with their choice of guy to boot, Taylor, as he had a terrible solo (his other dancing was fine), but was shocked that Tatiana was let go. I really thought she had the right vibe to go far and she is a phenomenal dancer. I don’t always understand the Judges.

Speaking of Judges…. I think it is great that they are sticking with an all Canadian Panel (and even in the selection process this year there was more Canadian content than last year) but Jean-Marc is just completely pissing me off. The guy is too loud and I cringe each time he draws attention to the Choreographers. A tad over the top, pas si fort SVP. I still don’t know Trey well enough to give an educated opinion on her dance qualifications, but she seems to be more ego than substance so far.

The performances have been incredible, and the majority of numbers are very intense and well done. My favourite was the Afro-Jazz routine created by Choreographer Sean Cheesman and performed by Jayme Rae and Daniel. They are a phenomenal couple and both being from Montréal makes them the home town kids and front runners for the title.The Contemporary routine with Cody and Melanie M was amazing, and I am really enjoying anything choreographed by Stacey Tooky. She is getting a incredible reputation on both sides of the border and it’s well earned. Both of these couples got all of my votes and I was hitting redial for both of them for quite a few votes each.

I really didn’t care for the Disco routine because it had no real Disco music. Without the right sound it just did not seem to be a real disco number and it was a real flop. Bad choice there by choreographer Melissa Williams as it was not good for Jenna Lynn and Nicolas. I was surprised as I usually like Melissa’s numbers. I saw that the vampire was back again, and Paul Becker looks even more vampire than last season. His number with Tatiana & Austin was very physical and intense and it is beyond me why Tatiana got eliminated. All in all it was a great first week of the competition and the performances will only get better.

This upcoming week the American version will be showcasing the Best of So you think you can Dance as a warm up to their new season starting in a couple of weeks. It will be a tad confusing to have both versions running at the same time (albeit at different rhythms) but it makes for a lot of great dance. Add America’s Best Dance Crew on to the list and top it off with Dancing with the Stars makes for a ton of dance on TV. It makes me a busy, but happy couch potato. So on the subject of America’s Best Dance Crew, I just loved the Martial Arts Challenge and how each crew had to include a style with in their number. I am really happy how Vogue Revolution is hanging in and actually getting some good feedback from the Judges who are now more interested in this innovative gay group who herald from New York's "Vogue" house/ballroom scene. This is the first dance competition show on TV that has really embraced gay groups and it is about time! The competition has been great so far, and crews like We are Heroes are keeping me glued to the set and some incredible numbers. I was sad to see Southern Movement have to leave, but one crew gets cut each week and unfortunately they got the short end of the stick.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I have a new Guilty Pleasure and have been catching up on Dance your ass off, which has been surprising and shocking me with every episode. I am still a few episodes behind, but more than half way through and sucked into watching the next episode as I have to see what they will do next. There seems to be enough positive messages that try to compensate for the exploitation components of the competition, and I am always really surprised with the performances. I do question the taste level and the actual competences of the Judges (who the hell are those people?), but if this show can get people off their ass and get them moving then it is a good thing. I just can’t get over how surprising agile some of the competitors are, it’s really unexpected and has actually broken down some of my personal stereotypes of obese people. I am pretty sure almost all of the male dance partners/choreographers are gay (yes I know another stereotype but who usually dances with fat girls?) and I am surprised that not all of the competitors are losing several pounds per week with all their dancing and training. We haven’t seen much of the Cheat Cupboard and our contestants having a meltdown and eating a box of donuts.

In other reality fare, the return of Project Runway has been a huge success at home and it’s so nice to have the gang back. The show may be on another network and in a new city, but it has all the essential elements and the right feel. This is the original and the best show of it’s genre and I am so happy that it is back. The challenge this week, to create chic Maternity wear for Rebecca Romijn (married to Jerry O'Connell), pushed a few of our designers way out of their comfort zone. Some of our designers went a bit more literal, and our androgynous Malvin went off the deep end with his chicken and egg inspiration. The Judges are not dealing well with crazy this time around so that sealed his fate and he was aufed in no time. Congrats to Shirin for her stunning design, but I was a tad concerned when I saw that it was *gasp* all gay boys up for elimination and all straight girls with the best designs. Those gay boys better start bringing their A game or thinking of a new career as a stylist. Snap.

Models of the Runway is the perfect companion piece to Runway and I am digging the behind the scenes look at those skinny models and the bitchy competition between them to get paired up with the winning designer. I am not surprised that there may be a few obsessive compulsive personality types mixed into the gang, and that some of the girls may be a tad slower as they have always relied on their beauty to get ahead in life…. but Fatma is just too whack and a tad bit obsessed with designer Logan. This is borderline stalker territory and a bit too obsessive for my taste.

Top Chef Vegas is a great competition so far, but I was a tad surprised of all the drama surrounding one of our lesbian contestants, Ashley, who was not in favour of doing a challenge that involved marriage as she is denied that right in her country , the so called “Land of the free”. I have to agree with her and think that it is just stupid, gay marriage has been legal in parts of Canada for years and hasn’t led to the end of society. I think I was more shocked that the top was brought up on Top Chef, which usually has a kind of macho/cowboy sensibility most of the time. It’s still early in the competition but I am seeing a few of the chefs stand out including Jennifer, who seems to be hitting a lot of the right notes with the Judges, and it is very interesting that the brothers Bryan and Michael seem to be frontrunners, and I can’t help but cheer more for the bad boy of the two, Michael, and his gung ho attitude and forward thinking cuisine. Course there is something to say for bad boy tattooed chefs, they have a certain sexy swagger to them.

Summer Rant – Return to Greatness

After a very busy couple of weeks and some much needed time in the sun (it’s been a rare thing in this neck of the woods) things have been burning up the TV (LCD) screen with the new season of America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC) and the second season of So you think you can Dance Canada?(SYTYCDC). Acronyms aside, some of the best dance that has been seen on TV is happening right now and it makes for some great viewing.

ABDC has a great mix of Crews, and while I was a tad upset that Artistry in Motion was eliminated. The girls were hot and who cares if they don’t have the supermodel type shapes that only a small amount of the population actually has but try to make it some unrealistic ideal. Girls with curves that know how to work it and move are damn hot, and these divas did not deserve to go after their kick ass Beyonce Challenge routine. I am very impressed that our gay gay gay Vogue Revolution (complete with a transsexual that was hotter than almost all of the other girls) is being accepted by the public and let loose. It’s time for Hip Hop and other genres to be more open to gay culture and let it assimilate it’s self into some of these reality competitions. Why not have same sex couples dancing with all the traditional couples? It just adds more flavour and makes the shows more interesting.It’s not like dance and music are not associated with gay culture and there have been tons of artists that have benefited from a gay choreographer or writer or dancer. Lil’ Momma seems very open to the gay thing and it’s nice to see, should I be reading between the lines on this one?

So you think you can Dance Canada? has been great with the auditions all over Canada in the past couple of weeks. Tonight will be the selection of the Top 20, and the regular competition and voting starts this week until we into Top Ten territory. The auditions were incredible, and once again had that particular Canadian flavour that is not found in the American version. A lot less exploitation of the bad dancers and the idiots that come out to make fools out of themselves, and hugs from the Judges as they congratulate some of the dancers that are selected to go on to the Final Selection in Toronto. I was happy to see that once again we have Mary, Mia and Lil’ C mixing in with our Canadian Panel. As always, I am humbled to see such incredible talent and it will be very hard to get down to that magical 20 from the dancers that remain. I hope to see some local talent there as a few of them were incredible at the auditions, in fact Mia offered to marry one, that is how astounding he was. Things will be getting even hotter this season it looks, but it seems that a few of the mainstays from last year are no where to be seen and it will be interesting to see which choreographers will be working their magic with our gang this season.

Lifetime has made my life complete with the long awaited return of Project Runway after a lengthy court battle over distribution rights and it’s surprising defection from Bravo. There is no other show that has the right balance of creativity and competition, and welcoming back Heidi, Tim, Michael and Nina back home was fantastic after a long hiatus. Too long, and Runway was back with a vengeance this week in a whole night event. Things started off with the fabulous All Star Challenge, reuniting a few of my favourite past designers and a feeling of familiarity that has been missing for aeons. Not only was one of my favourites there, Daniel, but he actually won (great work) this time around and it was nice to see how he has matured and evolved as a designer. These kinds of events are always hit and miss and of course, Santino the blathering idiot was there to make more bad clothes and flaunt his ego, and poor Chris had me in hysterics with his narcolepsy and how he was so shocked to even be there. Chris is too modest for his own good and I loved his avant-garde collection. Poor Kato is relegated to perpetual runner up, but her stuff is amazing and very well done. I think that Uli was the biggest surprise and I really liked her stuff. I was really disappointed with Jeffrey and was wondering why he was there, there were other designers I would have loved to have seen but maybe some of them were not interested in participating. Congratulations to Daniel once again! As cute as ever :)

This new season started off just like old times and this year it’s another messy bunch of designers that are usually easily identifiable due to a much hyped tick, phobia or other thing that stands out for each and every one of them. After the inaugural episode I have identified so far: Space Cadet (who got Aufed at the end of this episode), X-Meth Man, Retro Girl, Yugoslavian woman, the Feather Queen, Qristal with a Q (WTF?) and older Rasta Guy. More will come to me as things progress, but I liked the mix of designers and the change to LA for this round. Everything felt familiar enough, and I like the small addition of the extra 30 minutes with the models and their quest to be paired with the winning designer and get the magazine cover and some cash. Models of the Runway means that our designers will be fighting back and forth over some of the models, and those who can’t walk the walk will be out of the game sooner than later as none of the designers will want them. I still find some of the girls terribly thin in a not good way but the show might give some insight into how hard the competition is for these girls and how much they have to do and put up with to be there. I still wonder how much they get paid to do this.

Joan Rivers is still killing me with her new series How’d you get so rich? and her point blank questions to the people with the money. Joan gives an honest reaction and I have to agree with her when I see some old rich guy with a young wife and know that it involves her getting jewellery to bump uglies with the old guy. It ain’t love that’s one thing. It’s still fun to see how some of these people did make it big time and it can be inspirational to see how far some people have gone with hard work and a good idea. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they have good taste, but the cash to do what they want.

Top Chef Masters finished off with a delicious looking biography of our Chefs and a tough decision by the Judges to decide that Rick Bayless was the winner due to his incredible Mole sauce. I thought our French Chef, Hubert was going to take home the big prize, but Rick beat him and Michael by only a point or 2. I still think that Michael got shafted by Judge James Oseland (again) after making some incredible food and I think it is more a personality clash than anything else. The show was great and it had made me want to check out this season of Top Chef in Vegas and although it is not Masters, I have enjoyed the Challenges and seeing how great and imaginative the Chefs are. Hopefully they will repeat this experience as it is always fascinating to see how incredible some of these culinary masters are.

On the SyFy side of things, Eureka is as charming as ever and it’s nice to see Carter getting some action finally. The guy is too sexy to be wasted as single. Warehouse 13 is starting to grow on me and if they can continue crafting some interesting stories it will keep my interest.

The new Fall schedule will be starting soon and I am looking forward to some returning shows and getting back in to regular full seasons. I love some of my Summer fare but find the seasons too short, you start getting in to a series and before you know it it’s time for it end and be gone for another year.

Summer Rant – Transition Time

Things are still running along at a furious pace this summer, and this week heralded the endings of a few favourites, yet harkens the beginning and return of other favourites. It’s a win win situation.

So you think you can Dance? finished off this round with Jeanine winning the big title in a surprise that was both pleasing and upsetting. I was all about Brandon winning, but was happy that it was another dancer that I respected and felt did a dynamite job this season. Jeanine’s title will be short-lived, with the next round starting this Fall, but she truly deserved to win and is now the second girl to do it. I was a tad surprised that we didn’t get a performance out of Sabrina (our other female champion) during the best performances recaps, but maybe our girl is busy doing other projects. It’s a shame their tour doesn’t swing by Montréal, but I am pretty sure that we will see the dancers performing elsewhere or be returning guests on this show. It was a fabulous season and the show manages to get better and better.

I love the small dancing appearance by our Judges, but felt a tad cheated after last year’s knock out numbers with the gang. I do have to say that Cat really did a great job of hosting and keeping things going smoothly, and wardrobe issues aside she is really good. Wade’s number this time around was probably the one that I have liked the least by him, it might have been the subject matter as I love him more when he is wild and out there. Mia is always a gem and deserved all the kudos that are laid on her. I think the biggest surprises this season on the choreograph side of things, was Tyce coming into more of his own thing and being hilarious as a Judge, and how many of the Louis Van Amstel numbers were loved by the Judges. Let’s just hope that Paula Abdul is not picked up as a Judge, Idol must be happy they are done with her and all her wacky crap. I can hardly wait until next month and more dance!

Of course, next week heralds the beginning of So you think you can Dance Canada? and I will be a happy camper being able to vote and see all the local talent. It looks like Mary Murphy will be around a fair amount and it’s nice to see her flexing her vocal muscles above the 49th parallel. I am even willing to travel to Toronto to see the show live and have applied for tickets this round to see if I can see more of the live action, and would love to see the Judges and dancers do their thing live, I am sure there is tons of stuff that never makes it on air or past the censors.

Rounding out the dance stuff on TV, Randy Jackson presents America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC) dished out their Top Ten Performances special before the new season launches this Sunday. While I loved seeing all the great crews again, I hated the lay out of the show and the continual reminders that the show is now at a NEW TIME and a NEW NIGHT that were relentless and down right aggressive after the umpteenth time. Randy, you have to chill dog, and I don’t think it was just a coincidence that the Number One on your countdown was featuring one of your late brother’s hits. Let’s just hope that there is no tacky exploitation of Michael’s demise on the show as that would be in very, very poor taste, and downright disgusting it being family and all. Even with the complaints, my appetite is ready for more Dance Crew and some more of the best group numbers that can be seen on TV.

This past week had even more Finales, including the well deserved win of Kristi Leskinen & Maksim Chmerkovskiy and their kick ass performance in the last part of the Superstars. Our winning team was always near the front of the pack and won half of the competitions, and had never been to the Elimination round before the last game.The competition was fun and a nice summer diversion, and it was a pleasant surprise to see how athletic and competitive Maks is. I hope it comes back again, and that they can add more challenges and have a more interesting and complex obstacle course. It’s not American Gladiators or Battle of the Network Stars but a step in the right direction.

I survived a Japanese Game Show finished up this season and I was happy to see our soccer mom and oldest competitor Cathy kick ass, take names and win it all. The challenges in the 2 hour finale were just insane, and the Super-Majide obstacle course at the end was all the best of the worse. I think anyone who underestimated our ladies was in for a rude surprise as they ended up pitting the guys against each other, eliminating the biggest physical threat (Brent) and then disposing of wimpy and whiny Justin. Well played and another fascinating look into Japanese popular culture and their undying need to humiliate and subjugate the competitors. I thought it was hilarious how they got the guys all done up like big fat Americans and made them play their humiliating Wet T-shirt game to spell out the winning phrase, but was riddled with dangerous floods of water, foam, seaweed and other things that fell in torrents from the ceiling. The games were not always the cleanest, but if you were willing to try and win it was worth it for all the cool prizes and even for some of the punishments. That last one with the Zen masters looked fascinating and I loved how Zen Megan was after her so-called punishment. It didn’t get her to the very end, but she had a great time doing it and seeing things that some of us will never be able to do.

The Next Food Network Star was crowned this week, and I was a tad surprised that it was our slightly harried and hyperactive housewife, Melissa d'Arabian who managed to get it all together and impress some big critics and the Judges to win the big prize. Jeffrey was good, but I felt cheated by his choice of ingredient, and that simple sandwich that he put together.Melissa was way more creative and gave some good advice for the potential audience. I think the marketing people will have some fun with Melissa, and while I wish it was Debbie that was there instead, there is something satisfying about seeing an untrained home cook beat out of some more experienced and creative chefs. This round was better than last season, and if I get the chance, I will check out Ten Dollar Dinners if it plays on Food Network Canada, unfortunately things are not always the same as the American network and I have a hell of a time finding some of the shows. I have not been able to find HGTV’s Design Star (it may play one day here in the Great White North) and have given up for now.

Kathy Griffin and her Life on the D List did redeem herself with her Norma Gay episode, and while her attempt is applauded, I am not that into this season and find the disdain of her apparent friends (acquaintances) more pitiful than funny. Things wrap up next week and I am more interested in seeing vicious Kathy hosting the Joan River’s Roast on Comedy Central this Sunday than anything else. It will be scathing evening and worth the potty language. Joan was hilarious this week in the premiere of How’d you get so Rich? and her matter of fact WTF? questions with her quest for average guys and gals who have struck it rich is hilarious. I love how she interacts with the camera and her apparent love of the F word as an expletive for almost anything is very endearing. The stories are astounding at times and Joan is so hilarious in her reactions to how some of these people got so rich. This show is a must see and I can hardly wait until the next episode.