No kidding, smonster!

What would Ramalama have been without the stairs?

I know, right? The old set was just so much more intimate. I hate this new set and think it may be a contributing to the seriously cracked out camera work. Like maybe the cameras are too far away from the stage. They don't even have the big screen at the back of the stage that ticks down the seconds during the kids' DoD. What's up with that?

Plus, all of the weird lighting effect may be contributing to the awkward camera placement.

Since I'm home on the couch I decided to check out Work of Art. I didn't think I would like it, but after three episodes I'm eager to see more.

SYTYCD: Ok, I'm totally catching up, but via the internet, so I'm kinda random about how I saw stuff.

Love for Alex, of course. That was a great routine, despite the NappyTabs! Twitch was great and it was so good to see two partners really synch up the timing. That's something that's been missing in a lot of the hiphop I've been seeing on my teevee lately, including ABDC. Anyway, so happy to see Alex bring it. Yay for ballet dancers!

Glad to see Melinda go, finally. I was going to make a comment about how YET AGAIN she gave no new info in her profile piece, but as she is gone I no longer have to hear from her or look at her awful, awful feet again.

I am perfectly happy with the women being gone as it was clear from the beginning that the men cast were stronger. I think that it's shocking that the female dancer I dislike least is Lauren, but okay, whatevs. I am ready for the other one to be gone, or at least to get assigned ANY other genre than contemporary.

I watched the solos first, so about Billy, it is interesting to see his choreo improve and broaden. Not so much for Kent, as he's incorporating other people's moves, but he doesn't really understand movement. So he's just copying, not learning.

I was not surprised to see Billy in the bottom. But I would have been if you'd told me at the top of the show. Is he suffering from smart-kid college syndrome? Where he's used to be being the best dancer of everyone around him, and all of a sudden he's just a good dancer among very good dancers and it's messing with his head?

Thinking it over, I think it's a lack of commitment with him that's his failure at the moment. Looking at him laughing about the krump, well, if you think you're funny in it, you're going to put up a weak performance. If you fully commit to the movement, if you're willing to be seen as ridiculous, but you're going to do it with your whole being, then your odds of success are better.

There were some goofy, funny moments in the Alex Wong choreo he was asked to do this week. But he fully committed to it, limbs going to their full extent, face and passion all out there, and it was amazing. Billy needs to let himself go some. It's like the brief clip we saw in the early ep, where he was being told to forget about technique. That was good advice and he still hasn't taken it. He's good at technique. He doesn't need to spend his brain cells on it. He needs to express through the technique and that's not happening yet.

It's good Adéchiké stepped it up. It's good Jose at least tried to master Anya, even though I agree that the choreography was slimmed down for him. I am over Robert, and he needn't aspire to Mark, because he'll never get there with his hammy camera schmaltzy face.

The SO discovered Work of Art this week in the hotel, so we'll have to see where that goes. I still haven't seen it; I was completely crashed out.

SYTYCD episodes now available online in full from Fox: [link]

I was just rewatching Adechike's hiphop from last week, and I have to say that, even though it looks to be easier than Alex's routine, it is equal in performance level to it. It's fun to watch, and it makes me grin. Nice to know he has that level of swagger in him and that he can deliver it onstage!

Good to know, flea. Thanks.

Did anyone else see the second hour of Hell's Kitchen? biggest lobsters I've ever seen ... thought Nilka was about to lose the wrestling match with hers.

WTF? Where's Alex?

oh, that is not good.