WelcomeStranger

I find this to be such a clever show! Nearly all the episodes are charming, but my favorite two this season were: 1) The one wherein the little boy left to fend for himself wanders outside during Beacheroo fest and gets a whole new perspective on his young life, and... 2) The one with the MDMA party when the guest's grandfather, with his slow sepia-toned memories of America, shows up unannounced and decides to stay for the party even though his grandson admitted it was going to be a drug party. The grandfather reveals that he's lonely and dying, and "I'd like to try some of those drugs." I was afraid it was going to end badly with the old man having a heart attack or stroke while on ecstasy, but instead he just sat there and quietly stated: "So, this is the euphoria I've heard about. Yeah. I like this euphoria." I have virtually no interest in the drama of the locals in either season, except for the two bros in the VW bus and their sweet buddy comedy. :)

80s videos had the most bad-ass fantasy sequences.

Totally, Carter's transition was too quick. The show could have given that plotline a more gradual arc. Carter became so HAUNTED, so fast, it brought a really dark aura to an otherwise lightweight comedy. And suddenly by Season 1, Episode 4, he's got a perfectly comfortable, goofy grin like everyone else. Also, can two puffs on a vape pen really be that psychedelic? I guess if you're hallucinating half the time anyway, it doesn't take much to push you over the edge.

So what does it say about me when I hadn't been on Netflix for months, then I suddenly log on and binge-watch 13 episodes of this in 24 hours? This show is silly. It's corny. It's adorable. The animation setpieces are little bits of genius. My special favorite was the Tuvan throat-singing one that marked Carter's first high. I, too have a hard time working up a crap to give about Travis and What-Not Girl. But everyone else is great in their own way, even Dank & Dabby. Even Tai Kwon Douglas.

That was killer. I know this sounds cheesy and I've probably simply bought into Nigel's relentless self-hype for the past 10 years--but I'm still convinced that "tenth dimension" proficient fusion dancers like Lex would not have existed without the advent and influence of SYTYCD.

We can assume that Poussey's last night before her arrest was also the most magical night of her life. The funky avant garde club the drag queen hookers took her to, then the "Improv Everywhere" dudes dressed like monks on sparkly bicycles tooling her away. She didn't stop smiling the whole time, surely marveling at how the world is full of magical, quirky surprises. And then at the end, Poussey didn't just smile, she turned straight to the camera and busted that Fourth Wall to bits. I guess only a dead character can get away with that: grinning right at us the audience as if to say, "What a long, strange trip it's been. Thanks for joining me on this ride." Sweet.

I saw these echoes, too, and have no doubt it was intentional on the part of the show. When Poussey was on the ground with the life being crushed out of her, I saw her desperately mouth, "Help me..." It brought to mind the incident with Eric Garner, the 40-something man who found himself forced to the ground by police after breaking up a fight. His last words caught on camera were "I can't breathe." He later died in custody. Taystee's reaction was dramatic and heart-rending, but the scene that really tore me up was later,

Speaking of Broadway, does anyone know if any former contestants were in the corps of tonight's live production of "Grease"? I thought I recognized a face or two, but picking individual dancers out of a crowd has never been a talent of mine. Since this was a Fox production, I'd be surprised if there weren't any SYTYCD alums.

Oh, you are a young sprite still! This show STARTED (Season 1) when I was 35. That didn't stop SYTYCD from being a thing of magic and joy for me to watch--perhaps because I went into it having already accepted that youth wasn't forever, which freed me up to just enjoy all the talented contestants year after year, without letting my own thoughts of "being so old" intrude. My only concern with letting in younger kids is a serious loss of some of that professional maturity we get with dancers in their 20s. What age range do the Powers That Be consider "junior"? Casual TV audiences might be amazed by a parade of 12-year-olds throwing spectacular turns and tricks, but dance fans will miss the nuance and finish of the older dancers. I for one always kind of thought that even 18 was a little young, especially for the guys.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree Merry merry king of the bush is he Laugh, kookaburra, laugh kookaburra Gay your life will be. When I was a camp counselor, the little kids would sing this as a round. I think "jungle" was substituted for "bush" to make it more understandable to American ears, but other than that, all the 5-year-olds knew it was about a laughing bird. :)

Well her child is scarred for life, but at least her hardwood doesn't have to be. Haaahaha.

It was a quickstep, believe it or not, with Artem!

I know, right? I've been calling bullshit on red velvet for years. But the part where O'Neill proclaims that cream cheese icing should stay on carrot cake as God intended...that sealed the hilarity for me. I had to replay that scene like 3 times.

"Car crash girl." Hahahaha...

Yeah, all those guys that dislocate their shoulders and bend their skinny arms around behind them like a pretzel are interchangeable to me. It's the counterpart to the flail-forward and hair-flip on the girls' jazz/contemporary side. Strong ballet or contemporary male dancer will always win my heart, but this season I'm calling it now: it's going to be YaYa's season to lose.

Her "Let's Move" campaign. All-Stars Travis, TWitch, Robert, Kathryn, Jasmine, Marco, etc. were invited to dance on the White House Lawn for this past Easter Egg Roll. But frankly she should have gotten involved with SYTYCD years ago. Prez. Obama himself said Michele and the girls were fans as early as 2009. Her involvement now feels like too little too late, like an afterthought.

Haven't seen this posted yet, but I found a little 30-second video snippet that's a montage of Season 12 auditions. I'm missing spoilers though. Usually by now we know pretty much who made it through Vegas (or wherever) Week. http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2015/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-12-spoilers-promo-introduces-new-judges-paula-abdul-and-jason-derulo-video/

Yeah, but not such a lot of other studios bring in choreographers and dancers to pose as students. I wonder if Candy Apples even has any real students left, or did they all escape in humiliation.

I just assumed Lucas's mom being all nicey-nicey to the ALDC was a producer set-up to bring Lucas over to Abby. But someone more in the dance world loop would know better if Lucas has suddenly started showing up w/ the ALDC at subsequent competitions. Many thanks to tessa for posting the "real version" of Dancing in the Rain. Those costumes are SO much more simple and appropriate to the mood of the dance. It was refreshing to see Abby Lee dancers not wearing some fancy, sparkly, distracting piece on their heads.

Yes. In that mermaid position, with one arm swept oh-so-lightly across the chest. Pleasant the first 2984759 times--not so much after that.

Thank you, NextIteration, for finding Franchesca Bass online. Far fewer of the SYTYCD S11 audtions lasted very long on YouTube this year, compared to other seasons.. I felt like the SNL choreography conveyed a different struggle than the cage match video did--beyond the whole weirdness of a well-known adult male actor vs. a child. On SNL the dance didn't feel as animalistic or otherworldly, or something. Not to say I didn't like it.

Oh, no no.

I'm attempting to use the spoiler tag just in case there are West Coasters who haven't seen SNL yet.....

No doubt it isn't true for everyone. Both Maddie and Mackenzie are naturally small late bloomers. Kalani's maturation happened quite fast, in between her last appearance on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition and her first appearance on Dance Moms (a few months later?). I don't know how many hours a week Kalani puts in at her real studio, but we've all heard the rumors of Maddie dancing 7 or 8 hours a day--basically the schedule of an elite-level gymnast. I highly doubt that much training in any physical activity does a growing body any good.

Chloe hasn't been my favorite dancer on Dance Moms for a few seasons, because her dancing had become labored and she looked so unhappy. It was clear her passion was gone and she wasn't putting in the work anymore. Not that I blamed her, but ugh--it didn't make for very good TV. But here Chloe is back, launching this YouTube "project." What's best is that it actually centers on DANCE, not auto-tuned singing or other such ephemeral pop silliness. Her dancing looks light and free--and refreshing after years of Abby's (and Gianna's) tiresome formulaic choreography. Yay for her! :o) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ONEVfRzB9U&feature=youtu.be&a=&app=desktop