SYTYCD - The Cream Rises to the Top

"So You Think You Can Dance" is down to the top 12 (6 boys, 6 girls) dancers, and I'm happy to report that my favorites--Joshua and Katee--continue knocking it out of the ballpark week in and week out. Joshua and Katee are the perfect combination of talent, personality, and chemistry. This week they had a Mia Michaels contemporary routine which was phenomenal. I especially loved the assisted run across the stage. Speaking of Mia Michaels, watching her routines you know why the dancers are always so hell bent to dance her choreography, she's pretty brilliant. This week she was red hot, with both the incredible number I already mentioned for Joshua and Katee, as well as a totally unique number for Twitch and Kherington which they 'danced' on a mattress. The other couple I've been rooting for is Courtney and Gev, and I was disappointed--though not surprised--that they were in the bottom three this week, but they came out swinging with incredible solos (Gev's was stunning) that showed why they deserve to stay in the competition. Now that Matt and Kourtni are gone, I'm pretty sure that the next couple to go will be Comfort and Thayne.

I don't know that I would agree with Nigel that this is the best season of SYTYCD ever, but it's definitely up there. As we near the midway point and the much desired top 10, it will be interesting to see how the dancers fare--especially the weaker ones like Jessica--when they have to switch partners. Whatever happens next, barring a total catastrophe or personal illness, right now I'd hazard a guess that the final four dancers will be Joshua, Katee, Will and Twitch. Looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Happy Birthday America

Human Space Invaders

An old Atari fan? Well then you'll love this. French-Swiss artist Guillaume Reymond created a series of stop-motion animation movies based on some of the classic video games from our youth such as Space Invaders (my favorite) and Tetris. The art project entitled GAME OVER featured the use of human beings instead of pixels.

"The pixels are replaced by a group of real human-beings that are moving from seat to seat in a theatre during about 4 to 6 hours. Each "pixel" has its own rules and decides what s/he wants to do for each picture. Once all these pictures are turned into a short animation movie, a giant human-scale video game unfolds "live"."

Space Invaders was the second video from the GAME OVER project. Filming required 67 extras, 4 hours of shooting, and 390 pictures. Here's the Space Invaders video.



Visit the GAME OVER site (link above) to see some of the other great videos, including Tetris, Pong, and Pole Position.

The Two Talking Cats

If only we knew what they were saying?



But wait...maybe we do. Here's a possible translation.

If You Can't Be There, Do the Next Best Thing

For those of you, who like me, are not going out to watch fireworks this 4th, you can still be part of the celebration by enjoying (from the comfort of your own home) one of the Fourth of July spectaculars--fireworks and all--that will air on TV. Granted it’s not as great as the real thing, but heck sometimes you have to make do with what you got. Here’s a short list of three nationally aired specials:

Capitol Fourth, PBS (8:00 pm ET)
Jimmy Smits hosts a celebration of America's 232nd birthday, featuring fireworks and performances by Huey Lewis and the News, Jerry Lee Lewis, Taylor Hicks, and Broadway's Brian Stokes Mitchell to name a few. Included: Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" accompanied by cannon fire from the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery. From the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, CBS (10:00 pm ET)
Craig Ferguson hosts the Boston Pops' 35th annual Independence Day celebration. Rascal Flatts performs with the Boston Pops, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, at the Charles River Esplanade. The finale includes an explosive fireworks display accompanied by the "1812 Overture."

Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, NBC (9:00 pm ET)
Hosted by Natalie Morales and Tiki Barber, NBC’s extravaganza will feature performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Kenny Chesney, 'American Idol's' Katharine McPhee and Jordin Sparks.

Earth to Humanity