TWOP Interviews Shane

Loralyn and Nick both submitted this long interview with Shane Sparks. Daniel at TWOP asks the questions.

Daniel: Yeah. It was almost like, "Sabra won! Okay! All right! Thanks! We're gone, we're out of here!" It's a live show, so I guess you started running out of time.

Sparks: I think it should have been like a recap, you know how they do a recap on the news? Or like maybe later on after the show, I think they should have gave it like five or ten minutes to the whole show, and showed her celebration, and showed what she did, and her family coming up onstage, because a lot of stuff happened after that was over, that a lot of people missed. I think people should have got to see that.

Daniel: Well, the other thing is that because it was down to her and Danny, Danny didn't really get any kind of sendoff from the audience.

Sparks: I know. I know. I didn't even really think about that, because when we're there, you see everybody coming up to Danny, like, "Congratulations, blah blah blah blah blah," you see everybody coming up to Sabra, so to us that didn't happen. But I guess from TV, it looked like -- you know, because they gave Danny roses, they gave her roses, they did a lot of stuff, you know, after the fact.

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Video Death Match

Our buddy Ducky came up with an interesting idea. He's running a video death match of top routines from the finale:

Here’s how it works: I’ve picked the 10 routines featured in the finale that I think generated the most buzz and am offering them up for sacrifice.

Watch the 10 videos below and vote on your favorites.

Each week, the two routines with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated until we are down to the Top 2 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Routines. Then we vote on a winner!

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Mia's Assistant

I don't think he's ever been mentioned on the show, but Mia Michaels' assistant Teddy Forance has developed a small following. Here's a video interview regarding classes he's teaching.

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Here he is dancing at NYCDA.

Video Of The Day

Denise Wall works with students, including Travis, on a Fever routine in 2004.

Bonus Recaps

Like finding that 20 you didn't know you had, we get one more recap from Leee at T!YBE.

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We get a few belated thoughts from a community blogger at TVGuide:

With Pasha gone, I wasn't really rooting for anyone in the final four and would have been truly happy to see anyone win so getting to the final reveal was secondary for me while watching the episode. For me it was all about seeing my favorites again (PASHA! SARA!) and a lot of montage/dancing. And other than the final four, don't think I didn't notice and Sara and Pasha probably danced the most routines that night. That made me happy. The routines that the judges "picked" were mostly right on, but it did feel VERY structured.

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Kameron In Music Video

Priscilla Jayne "Ride of Your Life"



Submitted by Nick. He's not crazy about the song, but as he says:

...at least it is a paying job. Dancers still need to make a living.

Danny/Travis Montage

Several readers have submitted this one, another Andrew creation.

Around The Web

The Idaho Statesman talks to Sabra and her Mom.

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Buffalo's KISS 98.5 made their audio interview with Neil available. It's about a 30 minutes long, and we get some new info. Scroll down a bit.

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Shane Sparks is working with Jennifer Lopez and Secret deodorant to find a dancer for Jennifer's next video.

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Danny Party

TV Blogger Rickey went to Danny Tidwell's party last night in SoHo, sponsored by Movmnt Magazine. Also in attendance was season 1 winner Nick Lazzarini.

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Ratings Update

The So You Think You Can Dance finals led the ratings Wednesday and Thursday night. Nearly 10 million viewers watched as Sabra Johnson was named America's Favorite Dancer. The biggest news of the week though, was the huge audience for Disney's High School Musical 2 on Friday. Over 17 million viewers tuned in.

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In other TV news, it appears Fox is attempting to bury Nigel & Co's next project, American Band.

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Video Of The Day

Youtube user ShellBenyo remixed the top 14 Hairspray group number to Sunday Morning by K-OS.

Finale Recap

Leee at T!YBE is all over the place with another great recap.

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Careers

BuddyTV's Oscar Dahl worries for the dancer's futures:

The main point I'm trying to make here is that it is a sad reality for the dancers that their fame will be fleeting no matter how high up in the ranks they make it in the dance world. Unlike singing, success in dancing does not equal fame. I hope viewers are aware of this and take the time they spend with contestants every summer to truly appreciate what they have: the only large-scale medium unto which amateur dancers have a chance to shine. There's a very good chance that, unless you see the So You Think You Can Dance tour, you will never, ever see Sara Von Gillern or Lacey Schwimmer again.

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Around The Web

TeeVee Time ranks their top 20 routines for season 3.

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Here's an unofficial Cat Deeley fan site. News, bio, photos, and more

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Lacey's Mom

Lacey's Mom, Laurie Kaufman has posted to her Myspace blog:

After the Show.....

hello dear family, friends and fans!!

wow....what a week!!! season 3 is officially over....i really dont know where all that time went!! first and foremost....i would like to thank all of you for voting for lacey....lacey fans are by far the best fans ever! you all pulled for her throughout the entire season and never let her down.....the time and efforts that were made by all of you will never be forgotten and i will be forever be indebted to all of you! Lacey is doing great!! i spoke with her yesterday and she has gone to the beach, got some much needed sleep, has spent time with friends and is planning on coming to visit me at the end of the week! lacey is looking forward to tour, not only to perform, but to finally meet all the fans that loved and supported her during her dance journey on sytycd! she was even making a list yesterday of all the things that she needs to bring with her on tour!! and as far as the final results of the show...
CLICK TO CONTINUE

...lacey is happy for sabra....and she wishes her great things for her dance career in the future. Would lacey have wanted to be the final winner? of course she would! but she said something interesting to me the other day....she said that originally she wanted to go on the show to become a better dancer....to be challanged so that she could prove to herself that she was able to take a challange, meet it.....and be satisfied with what she did with it!! that is what she did week after week....and so she was happy about that! but as the contest got deeper into the weeks, she realized that she wanted to go the full distance in the contest.....she really wanted to be in the final 4....and she did just that! lacey would have loved to have won the title of americas favorite dancer....she never danced just for herself...she danced for the fans! after the end of the taping on thursday.....jessica and arianna, two wonderful young ladies, and huge fans of lacey's, came up to me with tears in their eyes, feeling sad that lacey hadnt won....my heart just ached for them. they had made signs for her, wore t-shirts with laceys name on them, and jessica even had a headband on with laceys name on it! these two young ladies really wanted lacey to win....so i went up to them and hugged them and said they needed to be happy for lacey....to be happy for all of the dancing that she did for everyone all summer long! be happy that she was in the final 4, be happy that she is going on tour.....be happy for her future in dance!!! sytycd is not the end of a journey or a career....it is the beginning of a journey and a career!! sytycd is a stepping stone to laceys future in dancing.....and lacey is so greatful for that!!! she cant go anywhere without someone recognizing her....sytycd was able to promote her so that she was a household name and face! she has a great dance agent because of the show and she has so many jobs and different offers that have come her way because of her great dancing, dignity and professionalism! lacey is so excited for her future in dance.....she also wants to act....fox actually approached her about some projects that they want lacey to be involved with.....so everyone.....you have given lacey that push, that every dancer hopes for, to get a foot in the door....to be seen....to be on a number 1 television show, two nights a week, all summer long! all of you didnt just get lacey a foot in the door.....you gave her a full body in the door!!! as for me .....i think lacey should have won! although i am her mother, and of course mothers always support their children, i feel that lacey stepped up to plate every week and danced every genre that was given to her better than any other dancer on the show! now that doesnt mean i think that the other dancers were not talented....because i do....the dancers this season were amazing, but i feel lacey did the better job! so, i am officially making lacey my favorite dancer!!! i am so proud of my daughter...she had to go through some pretty tough times....the boards were so horrible to her, the stress of the show, the rumors, gossip, etc....but through it all , she came out of it with dignity and professionalism. so congrats to my lacey girl.....you stand supreme in my eyes and will always be my champion in everything that you do!! again, i thank all of you for taking the ride with me and lacey....life is not always easy, there are always bumps along the way and curves you dont always see coming.....all of us took the ride knowing that.....and we are better for it!!! i love all of you and will always be here as your friend....i dont plan on leaving....all of you have become my friend and i cherish that so much! so onto the future.....cant wait to see what lies ahead for lacey.....i know that we are going to be able to enjoy her dancing and her career for so many years to come!!!



sincerely,

laurie kauffman

Another Danny Fanvid

This one showed up in the mailbox a couple of times. Youtuber lindork created it.

UPDATED

After posting the above video, I stumbled upon this video montage of Danny AND Anya. Anyone who's been reading the blog for a while knows I couldn't pass up an Anya video. I'll add it to this post rather than create a new one, since I know we've been a bit Danny-heavy lately.

Youtube user EmbracingTheLight created this one and writes:

I miss my Danya.

There was something so "Old Hollywood" and ethereally beautiful about Danny and Anya.

They were really gorgeous on that stage together. They had a very "quiet" chemistry that I adored, and a mutual respect and admiration for one another.

I really liked this partnership, and it was one of my personal favorite couplings, right up there with my beloved "Benjelle" and "Dombra".

Meet Neil

As mentioned in comments, Neil Haskell has posted to his Myspace blog the following:

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the votes and suport! You are all amazing.

I'll be in Western New York on Monday 8/20 (tomorrow!) at David DeMarie Dance Studio from 6pm to 8pm for the studio's open house.

Stop down and say hello! It will be awesome to be able to thank you personally for your votes!

Here's the official "press release info":

For Immediate Release:
Neil Haskell Autograph Session Monday 8/20

So You Think You Can Dance, Top 3 Finalist, Neil Haskell will be in Western New York on Monday, August 20th from 6pm to 8pm to thank his fans with a meet & greet/autograph signing session at David DeMarie Dance studio located at 9135 Sheridan Drive, Clarence, NY. The autograph signing will take place during the David DeMarie Dance open house from 6pm to 8pm.

Feel free to spread the word! I'm looking forward to meeting all of the wonderful people who helped me get so far on the competition.

Thanks!

Love,

Neil

Size Disparity, Culture, And Pop

Someone named Burbly commented on this piece at Theory My Culture. The comment was so interesting and thought provoking, I want to call attention to it and post the 2 videos mentioned.

Allan Frias and Melody Lacayanga, Lyrical by Keith Young (choreography reel), season 1.

I had never seen this. I have to say, though the pairing is unusual, this worked for me on an emotional level. Sometimes, imperfection creates beauty. Burbly says they ended up in the bottom 4 that week.


Ricky Palomino and Ashlee Langas, choreography by Alex DaSilva, season 3.


It's interesting to look back at the 2 dancers we got to know the least. This was an unfortunate pairing of dancers, and dancers with choreography. The close dancing (and Ashlee's heels) accentuated the height difference. Ricky still looks to me like a 12-year-old Michael Corleone dancing with somebody's big sister at a mob wedding. I think it's safe to say we never saw the best either he nor Ashlee had to offer, but at least they both have outstanding comments from Mia Michaels to take with them for their career.

Around The Web

EW.com interviews Sabra:

How hard was it for you to adapt to all the reality TV rules, like Look at this camera! Now this one! Now this one...
That was new to me. I was in Disney's High School Musical, but just in the background. It was new, having to speak for [myself]. You know, I always have a lot to say, but [the producers] tell you, ''Okay, put that into three words'' and ''Make yourself look interesting.'' And you know, it's a popularity contest, and I hate to ever, ever be fake. Toward the end, I kept thinking, I don't ever want to put off the impression that I'm not being myself. It was hard, and then it got even harder, trying to always stay the same person and not change just because of the situation.

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BuzzSugar adds some thoughts to their finale wrap-up, for instance:

After all the hype the daughter-daddy dance got just a few weeks back, I was surprised how long it took for a judge to mention it as a favorite. In fact, I thought the Greatest Dance Performance Ever in the History of Television might not even get an encore. But it ultimately did, and so I'm wondering: Was it less effective for you the second time around? It seemed a lot cheesier to me.

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Beckylooo wraps up the finale and season in this piece:

The biggest surprise for me was Lacey. Man did I fall in love with her last night. She showed a maturity we’ve never before seen from her. First with the way she so graciously handled her elimination. I was surprised by how emotional I got when she was told it wasn’t her night. And then in the repeat of the Father Daughter piece… Hells bells. For those that don’t remember, I was not a fan of the original incarnation. I tried like hell to get it but it left me cold. Not last night. It slayed me last night. Lacey dropped all her schtick and gave in to the moment, gave in to her honest emotion at the end of this journey. The dance became about their own ending and their new beginning. The wave she offers to Neil at the top was so heartfelt and simple. Nothing like the first time she did it where it was all “Acting.” I was so proud of her I thought I’d burst.

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I've seen a couple of reports that Toronto tour tickets have sold out. It appears they're still available elsewhere.

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Ducky reviews High School Musical 2.

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Jaymz Tuaileva is pictured in this article about a very successful school dance program in suburban Chicago.

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Top 30 Routines

Here's one that may keep you busy for a while. GirlsTalkinSmack has a lengthy piece ranking the top 30 routines from all 3 seasons, and the top choreographers.

30 thru 21 LINK

20 thru 11 LINK

Top 10 LINK plus choreographers