Giles, if you would like to get by in American society, then you are going to have to follow our traditions. You're the patriarch. You have to host the festivities, or it's all meaningless.

Buffy ,'Sleeper'


Non-Fiction TV: I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own

This thread is for non-fiction TV, including but not limited to reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef: Masters, Project Runway), documentaries (The History Channel, The Discovery Channel), and sundry (Expedition Africa, Mythbusters), et al. [NAFDA]


Jessica - Jul 15, 2010 6:31:30 am PDT #14516 of 23273
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

And I'm wondering where on earth they got those crabs. It was not MD blue crab season AT ALL when they were filming.

I think there are farmed blue crabs available year round.


megan walker - Jul 15, 2010 6:32:01 am PDT #14517 of 23273
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

I also get that choosing to use your own body, and often nude, is a valid way to make a certain statement, or explore certain themes in art. But I can't help feeling that Jaclyn does it because she can't think of anything else to do.

I wonder if she had really gone with her original "Austin" plan (with her self-portrait photo) if they would have been tired of the concept by the time the Audi challenge came around.


lisah - Jul 15, 2010 6:38:37 am PDT #14518 of 23273
Punishingly Intricate

I think there are farmed blue crabs available year round.

Yeah, that makes sense. I just think of crabs as a summertime thing.


sumi - Jul 15, 2010 6:41:18 am PDT #14519 of 23273
Art Crawl!!!

Man, Project Runway is going to start off with 17 designers in season 8.

I wonder if there is going to be a huge auffing early on.


Kathy A - Jul 15, 2010 6:54:04 am PDT #14520 of 23273
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil

I'm debating if I'm even going to watch PR this time around. I feel rather blah about the idea.

Is anyone else watching The Choir on BBCA? Last night was good, although I'm hoping that some of those kids realize that the second round of auditions (which Gareth had warned them about during the very first rehearsal) is yet another reminder that, hey, life isn't always fair. Loved seeing the Kenyan family reunited--so sweet! And the choir's fear of the dreaded 11th year's (aka, seniors) reaction to their concert had me flashing back to high school.


sumi - Jul 15, 2010 7:00:06 am PDT #14521 of 23273
Art Crawl!!!

I keep forgetting that it's on!

I hope it's On Demand.


Scrappy - Jul 15, 2010 7:04:56 am PDT #14522 of 23273
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

I am loving the Choir too. Gareth is nicely fulfilling my need for a tall pale skinny freckled passionate Brit since the Tenth Doctor left. Now that they are going to China, I think the muttering will die down. I loved the deadpan tone of the narrator, describing the 11th years circling like wolves. I do hope Enoch gets to go to China. He's such a darling.


Kathy A - Jul 15, 2010 7:39:16 am PDT #14523 of 23273
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil

I do hope Enoch gets to go to China. He's such a darling.

Isn't he just adorable? Love that family, and him in particular.

Thought it was great that Gareth managed to get in some of the older boys to boost up his tenor and bass sections. The blond kid who sang Jingle Bells for his tryout really surprised me with the quality of his voice--he was really good!


Kathy A - Jul 15, 2010 7:40:43 am PDT #14524 of 23273
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil

sumi, I think it might be On Demand; IIRC, I saw a placeholder category header for it under the BBC America page a few weeks ago.


kat perez - Jul 15, 2010 7:54:54 am PDT #14525 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

Jose was so exposed last night. Poor booboo. He really does seem like a sweet kid, but doing that b-boy routine with Dom put his whole game on blast. Dom's flares were capital "F" Flares, no? With power and extension and speed. Jose's flares were like little boy flares. I thought the Broadway routine was not Joey's best work. Courtney was criminally underused. But with Jose, well, I kind of think Joey was doing the best that she could because he's so limited as a dancer. Sadly, that routine was probably his strongest out of his style since he's been on the show. And it's awful to watch the judges treat him like he's in Special Olympics rather than SYTYCD. When he sucks, come hard with the critiques. By not doing so, they actually signal that they don't believe he can do better, and if that's the case, why put him on the show.

Also exposed? Robert. All out on front street. Travis' Fix You piece was lovely. It wasn't all the judges made it out to be, but ever since Mia's Dead Daddy Dance, it's become illegal to offer up anything but unadulterated praise for routines about disease or illness on this show. Anyway, there were lovely moments, most especially that ending with Allison standing on top of Robert's feet doing the assisted walk, and the piece was technically demanding, but Allison was blowing Robert off the stage. And the disco was so wibbly wobbly, I was concerned for Kathryn's safety during some of those lifts. I was hoping to get through an entire season without Doriana. I'm unsurprised that Ashley got hurt learning the routine because Doriana's choreo is always just a trick factory. This one was no different. And for once this season, Mia didn't protect her pet and was right to point out that Robert's dancing lacked weight. It's that competition kid lightness creeping back in, the lack of being grounded and dancing down into the floor which would be giving him a stronger center, especially in the lifts. The dancing came to a dead stop every time he lowered Kathryn out of one of those lifts.

Who else was exposed? The Hunchback. Kent danced circles around Neil in that Broadway piece, which was another trick factory and just why Tasty? Why? Does he own stock in Bob Fosse? Anyway, Tasty managed to bring back all of the Hunchback's worst qualities - lack of musicality, lack of transitions, over reliance on tumbling, falling out of turns. He was kind of a train wreck. Consequently, Kent looked like a rock star. I did enjoy the turns in second into the suicied flip. That is not easy. I thought he did well in the Dee Casprey piece, but I didn't care for the choreography. Too much business with the chairs and the choreo was so busy that the dancers really didn't have the opportunity to stretch and breathe through their movements.

Totally exposed? AdeChike. That salsa was bad direct from Ugly Bad Headquarters. Anya worked like a demon to salvage that dance, but the connections, all the holds, the hip action, ugh. It was all bad. And the lifts, good lord the lifts. So labored. I think he dropped her on her butt one time although she managed to save it. True, the salsa was exceptionally difficult, but I found it complicated just for the sake of being complicated. It wasn't beautiful and it didn't flow and it didn't showcase the dancers to their best advantage. It just seemed like the choreographers wanted to throw as many tricks into the routine as they could. I never thought I'd miss the subtlety of Alex da Silva.

Billy was so good in that Boogie Shoes piece that I will forgive him for that jive. He's just not built for ballroom dancing. I will not forgive Louis for using Paradise by the Dashboard Light which is way too slow for a jive.

TBC had another great night. And she brought me Mark naked from the waist up and covered in tribal tattoos for which she has earned my respect. I am now a TBC fan and would like to see her win. Naked Mark. I'm easy.