SYTYCD Top 6 Elimination Results

For last night's episode, two more dancers were eliminated from the competition and the Top 4, the dancers in the finale, were revealed!

For an extra special touch, four Emmy nominated routines from last season were danced once again!


"Mercy" choreographed by Mia Michaels and danced by Stephen "Twitch" Boss and Katee Shean!
These were my two favourites from Season 4 so I was super happy to see them again! I wish I could still watch them dance!


"A Los Amigos" choreographed by and danced by Chelsie Hightower and Joshua Allen (the winner of Season 4).


"Bleeding Love" choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha and danced by Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura


"Silence" choreographed by Tyce Diorio and danced by Will Wingfield and Jessica King!

Oh man, seeing all of those dances once again made me miss Season 4! It was a really great season of SYTYCD :)

Well, onto my least favourite part of the night... the elimination.

The bottom two girls were Kayla and Melissa, which I predicted. The bottom two boys were Evan and Ade, which I also predicted. In the end, the two eliminated were Melissa and Ade. I had wanted Melissa to leave for weeks, and I was very surprised when Janette was eliminated instead of her, so I wasn't heartbroken. Although I have to say that I was very sad to see Ade go; I really wanted him in the Top 4. I'm really afraid that Evan might win this season. Sure, he seems like a nice guy and he is a good dancer, but he's not the best. He keeps getting these mixed reviews, and yet he's in the Top 4? C'mon America.

So goodbye Melissa and Ade! Good luck in the future, and you'll be missed! :(



So the Top 4 dancers for So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 are Brandon, Kayla, Jeanine and Evan!

Just one more performance show, and then the elimination show and we'll find out who is America's favourite dancer! :)

SYTYCD Top 6 Performance Show Review

Finally, here we are! The last performance show before the FINALE!

Here's the Top 6 Dancers:

Melissa, Ade, Jeanine, Evan, Kayla and Brandon!




The night started off with a BANG thanks to a jazz routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and danced by the Top 3 guys: Ade, Brandon and Evan!

This routine was really edgy with great choreography! It had awesome back flips and lifts and all of them did really well. They did great as a group and individually they stood out.

The first couple of the night was Jeanine and Ade and they danced a Samba:

Despite the judges critiques, I really liked this routine! I thought they had great chemistry, and it was definitely H-O-T! They had a great attitude, and the song choice was really great for the Samba (even though I'm not a Lady GaGa fan). The only thing I was disappointed with was the ending position.

Kayla's solo was very cute but it was lacking a little bit of personality. The song choice was great though; You Found Me by The Fray.


Second couple of the night was Melissa and Evan and they danced a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio.

I thought this routine was very cute, very happy and very energetic! Melissa held her own; she did better than I thought she would. Although it did seem to lack something. It was good, but not great.

Ade's solo was very nice! He's really shining and he's probably my favourite boy in the Top 6.


The third and last couple of the night was Kayla and Brandon and they danced a contemporary routine choreographed by Stacy Tookey (from SYTYCD Canada). The story of this routine is a mistress of a married man and what happens when she's not strong enough to leave him.

My first thought: WOW. They had great chemistry (much better than I was expecting!) and the choreography had some cool new moves! The song went perfectly with the dance, and the dance itself stood out last night!

Melissa's solo was a little bit dull but overall her technique is great.


Jeanine and Ade's second routine of the night was a Hip Hop choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. The story was friends getting evicted from their apartment.

Oh wow! It was one of the best hip-hop dances of the season! They had a really rough and dirty attitude which was just perfect for the dance. They were hitting really hard and they had some amazing moves with the boxes! I loved the ending with the sad faces drawn on the boxes, it was so cool! It wasn't the most meaningful dance but it really shined from a choreography stand point!

For his solo, Brandon did his solo from his audition and the judges gave him a standing ovation!



Melissa and Evan's second routine was a Quickstep (oh no, the dreaded Quickstep!).

I thought this dance was a little bit awkward, and ended up being pretty lackluster. It was supposed to have such high energy but it fell a bit flat. The judges were iffy about it and I agreed with their reviews.

For Jeanine's solo, the song (Feedback by Janet Jackson) seemed to outshine her dancing. The song was very happy and energetic and I didn't think it necessarily suited the pace of her movement.


Evan's solo was very fun and charismatic! He's very talented in his own genre, and he always puts a smile on my face when he does Broadway.


Brandon and Kayla's second routine of the night was a disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez.

This disco was ridiculous! It was so fast with so many difficult lifts and moves! I was happy to FINALLY see a girl doing some lifts. The double deathdrop was really fun to see! I noticed a teeny tiny bit of fumbling but it was excusable because this choreography was so challenging! When the judges' reviews came along, Nigel made my day! He jumped up, starting screaming and dancing around! I laughed SO hard!

To finish off the night with a BANG, the Top 3 girls performed a contemporary routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh! The story of the routine is that the girls are superheroes! Kayla is Storm; Jeanine is Wonder Woman and Melissa is Buttercup!

The costumes and makeup were amazing! I adored their looks! This routine had some really sweet moves, and overall it was such a great dance! The girls all shined on their own but kept together as a group. I'm impressed with this Top 3 girls! :)

I'm expecting Evan/Melissa to leave the competition tonight, but I've been shocked quite a few times during this season so I could be completely off.

Tonight is the elimination episode that will reveal SYTYCD Season 5's Top 4 Dancers and which dancers made it into the FINALE! NEXT WEEK AMERICA'S FAVOURITE DANCER WILL BE REVEALED (CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?!) !

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I was very excited for this movie because the 6th book is one of my favorites. Although I’ve felt a roller coaster of emotions from the 5 previous films, ranging from utter disappointment (the 3rd film) to complete satisfaction (the 4th film), I was trying to keep in mind that it’s just a movie and it can’t please everyone.

Surely that mindset kept me from hating the film, but it couldn't help me love it like I so wanted to. After seeing all of the trailers, I was so ridiculously pumped to see this film! I went to the midnight showing, and waited in line for 2 1/2 hours. In the end, I left feeling confused about just what I thought about the film. Since then, I've mostly sorted out my feelings towards the 6th Potter flick.

I'll begin with the negative comments so that I can finish with the positive comments and thus end the review on a positive note.

1) No fight scene at the end! I knew that the fight scene between the Hogwarts students/teachers and the Death Eaters was going to be left out from the film, but I still felt disappointed that the end was so anti-climatic.

2) I wanted a bigger fight scene between Snape and Harry. Harry is supposed to HATE Snape, to be absolutely FURIOUS with him but I didn't really sense that emotion. Harry seemed to give up really quickly, and Snape was not as angry (I do recall a "I AM NOT A COWARD!" in the novel) as I had hoped.

3) David Yates concentrated too much on the romance aspect of the story. Other parts of the story weren't explored as thoroughly as I would have liked because of the focus on the teenage romance. Oh, and the kiss between Harry and Ginny that the fans eagerly waited for? LAME. I'm sorry, but there was no passion at all there.

4) I agree with Caitlin that there was definitely not enough Voldemort memories! I wanted badly to see the Gaunts, and I felt that Voldemort took a back seat in this film.

5) The Half-Blood Prince storyline took the 2nd backseat in this film. It seemed so unimportant and I even had friends who hadn't read the series asking why it was named "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".

6) Burning down the Burrow. Why exactly did the Death Eaters (well, Bellatrix and Fenrir) attack the Burrow? Nothing really came out of that lackluster fight except for the burning of the Weasley's home which didn't take place in the novel and wasn't explored later in the film.

7) The inaccuracies. Harry's supposed to kiss Ginny in front of approximately 50 people. Harry's supposed to be immobilized beneath the invisibility cloak while Dumbledore dies. These little details might have made both those scenes so much better for me.

OKAY, now after such negativity (sorry everyone!), here's the positive comments:

1) HILARIOUS. OH MY GOODNESS, this film was SO FUNNY. I was laughing so hard; the script was funny and the actors did such a great job at comedy! The Felix Felices part was ridiculously hilarious,and definitely one of my favourite parts of the movie. My favourite lines of the film were:
"Not to mention those pincers. Click click!"
"Harry!" "SIR!"
"All hands on deck, Granger!"
"So you and Ginny did it?"
"...Well, she has nice skin..."
Really, some great comedy there!

2) Slughorn! When I saw the trailers, I was disappointed that the actor did not have a walrus-like mustache and didn't really fit my physical idea of the character. But man, oh man, did Jim Broadbent impress me! He was downright hilarious and really made the character come to life. His movement, his speech...everything was just flawless!

3) Ron and Hermione. I'm a huge fan of this couple; I've loved the idea of them since the first couple novels and I was so happy to finally see a more pronounced loving tension between the two. When Ron is in the hospital and he whispers Hermione's name in his sleep, I'm pretty sure I "Aww"'ed for a good 5 minutes.

4) Lavender Brown. This actress was perfect for this character! Her performance was hilarious, and really enjoyed her over-the-top acting!

5) The acting. The quality of the acting from all of the actors, young and old, has really improved over the years. It's been a subtle growth but I really noticed how much work they put into their acting in this film. I was really impressed with all of the actors here.

6) Fred and George's Jokeshop. Although it wasn't shown all that much, I was impressed with how well the shop corresponded with my image of how it would look. It was very well done, and I loved the moving statue of the twins outside!

Overall, I enjoyed this film. It did lack on several accounts, but it made up for it in other ways. It wasn't the action-packed adventure I had hoped, but it was much more of a comedy then any of the previous films and had me almost crying from laughter! I'll give it a 3.5/5 because on the whole it kept me entertained and has a good chance in ending up being one of my favourite Potter films!\

(* cross posted from the cooperative blog Collision)

SYTYCD TOP 8 Performances and Elimination Results

Wednesday night's performance show was another night of random pairings between the top 8 dancers. The couples were Janette and Evan, Kayla and Jason, Brandon and Jeanine and Melissa and Ade (re-united!).

The first dance of the night was a Jazz routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and danced by Janette and Evan:

I thought Janette did wonderfully in this dance, but Evan fails to impress me once again. His lines just aren't nearly as good as the other boys, and next to Janette he seems clumsy. Overall this dance wasn't all that memorable, and it wasn't a favourite Sonya routine of mine.

Janette and Evan's 2nd routine was a Rumba:

First, I love this version of 'Heartless'! It's really classy, and it works so well with the slow sensuality of the Rumba. Second, Janette looks gorgeous; her dress is amazing! Just like the previous routine, Janette outshined Evan. I noticed a couple stumbles on Evan's part but to his credit, he did pull off a couple of very nice moves! Overall I thought this was a good routine :)

Melissa and Ade's first routine of the night was a Cha-Cha:

I'm not certain why but I just didn't care for this dance. I didn't feel any heat between the pair of them, and I thought it fell really flat. Mia Michaels commented and said she thought this was Ade's worst performance and I have to agree with her. Ade is an amazing dancer, but he just didn't shine in this routine.

Melissa and Ade's 2nd dance was a very emotional contemporary routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. The subject of this dance was breast cancer; Melissa is a woman fighting breast cancer and Ade is her strength.

This piece was definitely the stand-out of the night, and definitely one of the best routines of the season. Melissa and Ade were amazing in this routine; Melissa put her full trust in Ade, leaping into his arms and everything. It had me crying, and it had all of the judges crying too. This is one of those routines that really reaches out to people, and touches them. <3

The third couple of the night, Brandon and Jeanine, first danced a Waltz:

I wasn't very impressed with this dance. The beginning of the dance, with Jeanine high over Brandon's head was VERY impressive but it all felt flat after that. It certainly wasn't terrible but it was just a forgettable routine.

Brandon and Jeanine's 2nd dance was a Pop Jazz:

This was a cool routine and I was finally impressed with this couple. The song's a good choice, the outfits a good choice but the only thing I didn't care for was the lack of contact between Brandon and Jeanine. It would have been nice to have them dance together a few more times.

The last couple, Kayla and Brandon, danced a lovely Broadway routine:

I actually really liked this routine! The song was great, the lighting effects were great and of course Kayla and Jason are amazing dancers! They fit together nicely, almost as though they could have been an original couple.

Kayla and Jason's 2nd routine of the night was a zombie Hip-Hop:

This hip-hop was awesome!! Kayla's quick makeup change at the beginning had me hooked! They were both 100% in character, and the final move at the end with Jason choking Kayla was so cool!

For Thursday night's elimination episode, I was expecting Evan to leave the competition. I wasn't sure which girl would leave, but even though Melissa was part of a very emotional routine, I was getting less and less impressed with her on the whole.

Thursday's episode was SYTYCD's 100th episode and thus they bought back some past routines that were Emmy nominated and had a few special moments.

Here's a montage of So You Think You Can Dance throughout the seasons:


The three Emmy nominated dancers were:

Ramalama choreographed by Wade Robson and danced by Season 2's Top 20

This time, Wade Robson himself danced in this routine, making it even more special! I love this routine, and the song is perfect!

The Hummingbird and the Flower:


and The Bench:


At the end of the night, Janette and Jason were eliminated. Nigel admitted that Janette was his favourite, he really thought she was going to win this season and he thought America had it wrong. I was really sad to see Janette go because she's so great, and she always shined in every routine! :( Jason was great, and he delivered some amazing routines! Gooodbye Janette and Jason, you'll be missed! Good luck in the future <3

C.R.A.Z.Y.

A couple weeks ago, I was added to the great group of people blogging on the lovely Collision. For my first post, I introduced one of my favourite films: C.R.A.Z.Y.



It’s a french language film from Québec directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and starring Marc-André Grondin, Michel Côté and Danielle Proulx. IMDb describes the film as “a story of two love affairs. A father's love for his five sons and one son's love for his father, a love so strong it compels him to live a lie. That son is Zac Beaulieu, born on the 25th of December 1960, different from all his brothers, but desperate to fit in. During the next 20 years, life takes Zac on a surprising and unexpected journey that ultimately leads him to accept his true nature and, even more importantly, leads his father to love him for who he really is. A mystical fable about a modern-day Christ-like figure, "C.R.A.Z.Y" exudes the beauty, the poetry and the madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions.”



The acronym C.R.A.Z.Y. stands for the names of the five sons: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary and Yvan although the story focuses mainly on Zachary’s struggle to accept his sexuality and to have others accept him for who he is. Struggling for answers and acceptance, Zac turns to God; in his younger years through prayer, in his rebellious teen years through the songs of rock legends such as David Bowie and as a young adult by attempting to follow the footsteps of Christ.



I absolutely adore everything about this film. The story is phenomenal, the actors are extraordinary and the wardrobe and soundtrack are amazing. The story was created by various anecdotes from Vallée's old neighbour, Francois Boulay, with who he co-wrote the script. Vallée states: “This, of course, is the stuff of families, where some of the warmest things are said and done but also some of the harshest and cruellest. I told him to write it all down and we'll make a great film.” Vallée was being modest, this film is far better than great. I would recommend this to anyone, and all those I know who have seen it have enjoyed it very much.

Here are a few more pictures from the film and the trailer:


Zachary (Marc-Andre Grondin) as a young adult.


Zachary riding on the back of his brother, Raymond's, motorcycle.


Zachary and his father (Michel Côté), singing on Zachary's 20th birthday.


Zachary's parents (Michel Côté and Danielle Proulx)

And finally, the trailer! Here it is WITHOUT English subtitles


and here it is WITH English subtitles:


C.R.A.Z.Y. is really everything I look for in a film, and Hollywood would do well to take some cues from this Québecois film.

(* cross posted from the cooperative blog Collision)