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Kaiju Ballet

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Everything posted by Kaiju Ballet

  1. I was trying to watch all the episodes online before they aired on TV. My DVR is also set to record whenever each new episode plays, but now I'm going to see if they've released the remaining episodes on the PBS site!
  2. I loved the fact that at least two auditions were shown without a backstory lead-in. And hooray, no Adam! Last night felt automatically so much fresher, even though Kelly seems to have inherited the faux-feud with Blake. I had low expectations of Gwen from her previous times on the Voice, but last night she was pretty impressive with her pitches. - You’re into rock? I’m the only one here who was ever in a rock band! - With me, you get Blake Shelton too! - You know it’s not just about your singing ability, it’s the connection with the audience, and I can help you with that! Even her “I want a little girl singer” pitch has evolved. She correctly pointed out that Kelly has several other big commitments to focus on, which of course Kelly couldn't refute. (And on a superficial note, I did love what she was wearing) John still brings so much positive energy for this show! I did like his statement about how he’s going to be more nitpicky if a singer chooses one of his songs. That spontaneous duet was so lovely. I wished that Gwen did one too! I hope that the show doesn't put an undue focus on the Asperger’s – I just want to see more of the singer growing as a result of the coaching relationship and opportunities to perform. I’m charmed by the Gwen/Blake romance, especially if their team members benefit from the “two in one” that Gwen was pitching. This season is off to a good start!
  3. So true. I think the first time I ever saw or heard of Lady Gaga was when she performed on SYTYCD...way back in 2008. There have also been songs that I may have known, but never fully appreciated until it was used for a moving performance. Aside from Lady Gaga, the show used to feature guest dance performances, which also expanded my enjoyment of dance. That being said, I was really uncomfortable with them bringing back Phoebe Kochis to perform. It seemed somewhat exploitative to me. Or maybe I'm just heartless. I am so glad they dispensed with the forcing dancers to choreograph a piece overnight in small groups, and then perform the next day. Lex stood out to me too from the time of his audition, cemented by the time in the academy. I agree with wanting a montage of academy dancers, and also if they would bring back putting the top 20 (heh!) in the opening titles? And while I'm making a wishlist, I'd like them to show the complete auditions of all the finalists. I don't think they showed Benjamin Castro's complete audition, and even though he stood out to me, I remembered thinking there was no chance he was going to make it.
  4. I'm hoping that they'll unlock the rest once episode five airs Sunday night. ETA: Or what @Raja said.
  5. Thank goodness the PBS Website is making the next four episodes members-only, otherwise I'd be up for the next eight hours. I am totally riveted by this series! I'm also far from what you'd call a country fan, but almost everything that's been played makes me want to hunt down all the music. And buy vinyl singles even without a record player (hee). Ugh, I may have to open a spotify account. Hearing some of the "classic" songs in context makes me appreciate them all the more, even over my computer's speakers. There's also another documentary series --American Epic, I think --that's being aired on PBS this week. That should help tide me over until episode 5 runs!
  6. I’m really happy for Bailey. He radiates a lot of charisma, and I loved watching him perform different styles. He was also able to project sexy, despite his height and babyfaced adorability. I agree that he was really, really lucky to have been partnered with Mariah, who let him overshadow her. I started to appreciate Mariah more throughout the weeks – I have to admit, her squeaky voice and obvious discomfort with being interviewed made it difficult to listen to her. It’s only through seeing her dance as much as she—and rest of the final four—did that her quiet star quality shone through. She was also incredibly gracious, hugging Bailey immediately after Cat made him read his own name out. Another vote for more time to get to know the dancers! I’m glad that Cat made a huge point of saying that the difference between 3rd place and 2nd place was only one percentage point. I was initially shocked that Gino came in 3rd too, but I’m glad that meant Mariah was there with Bailey onstage when he was announced as the winner. This show has been a great launching pad for other finalists, that I have no doubt Gino and Mariah will go on to have stellar careers. I ff’d through a lot of the fluff, but I did watch the montage they put together of Dominic as a contestant, and Dominic’s tears as a judge. All in all, I liked the jidging panel this year, although I hope to see tWitch on it at some point next season if there is one.
  7. I've liked Bailey's solos. I wonder if earlier seasons had more solos by virtue of having more episodes? I'm kind of bummed that Benjamin didn't advance. He stood out for me, even though he seemed to be given the short shrift since he first showed up on screen. But yeah, for this season it's Bailey, Gino, then Mariah as a distant third. Sophie doesn't even make the list for me, I always end up watching her partner.
  8. I normally would agree with you, but in this case I felt it would have been odd if there wasn't any comment made. It tied in so well with an earlier challenge where the judges brought in photographs of significant moments in their lives. Nina's personal story seemed to parallel Sebastian's, and her remarks acknowledged such. I think if anything, if Sebastian's work was not so exquisite, she might even ding him for not living up to the story he was trying to tell. I even loved what he said about the makeup referencing the indigenous people of Colombia. I teared up, at any rate, during Nina's comments and Sebastian's reactions.
  9. Although a nice offer, I thought it was weird to basically signal that she didn't think Hester was ready to be a designer on her own yet, regardless of the outcome. That gave me the glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Sebastian would win (and I wouldn't have to quit this show again, ha!) Does anyone know what the backstage person used to get the stain out of Sebastian's fabric? Kate really is the Model of Doom.
  10. + kajillion I frakking loved this. Thanks! I don’t know much about Cardi B's legal issues, only that she does a lot of red carpet, music awards shows and other highly covered events such as the Met Gala. So her inclusion on the show made sense, because with many more occasions to wear the results of an “art” challenge, she seems like a potential client for the design contestants that they'd want . Not to mention the huge publicity if she wore that particular designer at a major event. Plus her unfiltered reaction to Hester’s design was golden. Likewise, all of them got a chance to impress Linda Fargo, which is a “win” in and of itself. Well, at least for Sebastian, Bishme and Garo. And that visit to the CFDA helped highlight how those three would really benefit from the mentorship. Not sure if Hester would be receptive to the “diagnostic” and subsequent “customized” mentorship. Definitely Tessa would not be. I’m not a fan of Hester as a designer – her room was beautiful, but it also seemed like a template of many store window displays I’ve seen before. The issue for me about her personal style is that it comes off as way more polished and “joyful” (tm Nina) than the actual outfits she cobbles together. I like seeing what she wears more than what comes out on the runway, although Thijin rocks it like a superstar. At last I figured out why Garo seemed so familiar to me! When they showed a little snippet of how he had his start at a club called Mother, I realized that our paths had crossed! That was a great time for creating a lot of look with very little, in time for weekly themed parties. Agreed with the poster upthread who said even though Garo is brilliant with the corset, each look is still very distinct. I may not have been a fan at the beginning of the season, but seeing his interactions with his models and how he includes the overall experience of wearing his garment into the design itself makes me happy that he’s in the final four. I like Bishme, and I think he will do well regardless of whether he wins. It is freaking amazing that he’s the last self-taught designer standing, if I heard right. I actually preferred the original version of the room, and felt bad for the room designer that Bishme didn't. I’m also unabashedly Team Sebastian. In the shot that @Ms Blue Jay provided, (thank you!) I thought that Mimi's cheekbones were part of the overall architectural look of the dress! But I think that Sebastian's inability with crafting a story speaks more to how he could benefit from a CFDA mentorship in working with fashion writers/copy for collections and showrooms, how to market to editors and people like Linda Fargo. It also might explain, or be part of the reason why his two previous attempts at having a store failed, despite his obvious talent. And like many on this forum, while I’ve rooted for Christian before, now j’adore Christian as a mentor. He's given great suggestions that we've seen contestants disregard. And I love the fact that he's so personally invested in each one's success, to the point that his goodbyes are extremely gracious and still encouraging. Similarly, Brandon has surpassed Michael Kors for me as a judge. I do prefer Karli to Heidi--she seems to wear her heart on her sleeve more. And I agree with most everyone here about Elaine and Nina. Elaine belongs on a different show, and Nina needs to revert back to early seasons Nina again.
  11. Kelly looked lovely last night. Her and John’s candid though tactful critiques were a welcome surprise. John also gave very gracious shoutouts to both his team members – I’m sure Adam was squirming in his chair. (I try not to look at him). I love it when coaches appear joyful about the singers’ performances and evolution over the course of the show. John and Kelly have been extremely demonstrative, and that in turn makes the show a lot more enjoyable. Blake is also extremely supportive of his team, and the Mastercard commercials which showed him surprising and then giving a mentor session to an aspiring singer were pleasant enough. But Adam stands out even more for his surliness and awkwardness in finding something substantial to say. He just looks like he wants to be anywhere but there, and I wish he was. It was nice to get that cameo of Mari. I agree with everyone – viewers have been cheated this season of the opportunity to get invested in the singers and competition. But a huge part of that is how the singers have also been robbed, of the mentorship that’s been a hallmark of the show. Aside from the compressed time frame (it feels like they’ve been given less chances to sing) have they been getting as much time with the coaches? Didn’t they use to get more days to work with their coaches and sometimes guest mentors? Plus I don’t think anyone’s been given a chance to break out—I used to enjoy seeing singers have an arc and grow as performers and singers. I’m ok with a Maelyn or Shane Soundz win. I did get the feels when he dedicated his performance to his class. I felt really bad for Carter, especially since I was looking forward to hearing the Hozier song—one of the few I’m familiar with. It’s a sign of how bad the audio has been that when he first started singing I thought it sounded like everything else on the show-- bad. (And then it got really bad) Also in the feel-bad pile is Kim Cherry. She’s talented, but that performance was karaoke-level, not helped by the awkward staging. She’s hidden in some oversized tinkertoy structure with random dancers, and it only reinforces a poor comparison with Janet’s original. I was also disappointed with her duet, and I was really hoping to be blown away by her. Gyth – if he’s crowned, then he’s the winner “America” deserves. He’s definitely got stage presence. Out of the country males, he stood out to non-country me. I’m probably one of the few who’s never heard the song before, but even I could see how vote-pandering it was. Even if he doesn’t sweep the votes, he probably will have a career as a result. The set was pretty nice too. Wish they had a similar restraint for Kim Cherry’s.
  12. Shine! Meanwhile-- Maya continues to bug, TH has some moves!, loved Giselle's response to Kelly Patel (I really like it whenever she's on screen!) especially since that came as a surprise. I loved Andre's separate scenes with Cookie and Lucius. And that was really sweet with Tiana and Devon, even if Hakeem now wants her again because she's moved on. Really hoping for some happiness for Andre and Teri.
  13. This was my experience too. I still couldn't tell a lot of the singers apart, unless they had been singled out as ones to watch from their auditions or because they were inexplicable judge choices (and discussed here as such.) I can understand Kelly picking Jej--he had previously been voted in before, so there's definitely a fan base out there. I also thought he was given a pretty prominent placing in the Marshall's video, which was a good foreboding on how well he could do in his own videos. But picking Celia is absolutely inexplicable. She does have a special sound, but it hasn't been coming through in the live performances since the auditions, which suggests that she's someone who does best in the studio, or when audio conditions are technically perfect. Not in competition with the other singers who are obviously rising above the band volume and other issues. I also agree with @Wandering Snark and @JMarie99 that her interpretation of The Chain wasn't optimal. It's rare that I recognize and like a song that's used, so I will have higher expectations of its performance wowing me when that happens. Both Adam and Blake were savvy enough to choose people who were the most likely to get votes over their personal faves. I hated the song that Kelly performed. Not her singing--just the song itself. And while Is This Love was a great selection for Mari, as @observer noted, Adam seemed to leech all the joy out of it. On a more positive note, hooray for Carson's shoutout to a Pharrell team member --Koryn Hawthorne --for her Billboard nominations! Even though she didn't win her season, I remember her, because show actually gave me time to learn who she was. LB, I hope despite the huge mistake in choosing Adam, you still find success after the show.
  14. The commercial all the contestants shot for Marshall's was way better than anything that was onstage tonight. Almost everyone sounded off-key, and that has to be the sound levels/band. And then they announced that half will be cut next week? I barely recognized most of the ones who sang tonight. It felt extremely rushed. A few notes: Jej -- that whole beginning of the song went on and on in a monotone before it really went anywhere. He did have pretty good stage presence though. Kim Cherry -- stands out because I spent the first half of an otherwise ok Waterfalls wondering if she'd rap in the middle of it. (Spoiler alert: she does) Unforch, the rap sounded exactly as I thought it would --crammed in because that's her schtick. Gyth -- surprising, because his voice on its own didn't sound all that, but somehow it worked overall. Maelyn- managed to sound good despite the audio. Betsey Ade -- I did appreciate the high energy performance, but I felt it made her sound breathless and one-note for most of it. Kalvin -- that made Julian's leaving a double shame. Shaun Soundz -- like Maelyn didn't let the audio stop him from delivering.
  15. I thought Harvey took the blame for shooting the cop so the cop's family would get a pension (which would be lost if he killed himself) There was a long, lingering shot of the cop's family photo, and it's kind of consistent with Harvey's character. I kept waiting for Harper to be addressed as "Captain" -- she survived a full decade in the GCPD! There was one other person who I recognized--Alvarez? Gonna miss this show and its gorgeous art direction.
  16. This is a really good point that I have to keep reminding myself too when looking at the designs that come out on the runway. I would personally like Renee's style and designs for myself, but I'm far from a fashion editor or anyone else working in the industry. I'd expect these designers to be judged based on what could set the fashion trends--works of art and theater (with dramatic hair makeup and accessories) that will then trickle their way down to the public in very watered down, wearable and affordable versions. The flash fashion aspect of the challenge, as people have correctly pointed out, penalizes designers who are more likely to deliver on conceptual, high fashion or haute couture. Someone else mentioned a comparison to Top Chef, and that had me thinking. On Top Chef, since we can't taste or smell the food, we're 100% reliant on the judges. Here, we can see the work as presented, but must rely on the judges for feedback on how well constructed the garment is, and how it's good (or not) fashion design. And there seems to be a real disconnect between what's said by the judges vs. what we see on our screens. Even worse, the critique on design is still lacking, and so the judges scoring still seems arbitrary or a matter of personal preference instead of professional expertise. Or, in the case of Hester, production interference. ITA. It seemed to only be another thing used to ding a designer once they were on the bottom. Plus a reminder that Brandon's a big time designer. (I'm still enjoying him as a judge for the most part--definitely moreso than Zac Posen. ) Lolololol! Bless her heart whenever she would disagree with Nina Garcia and Michael Kors.
  17. Fistpump as Brandon addressed Hester –“I feel you’re being disrespectful---“ Fist turns into a different gesture “—to your other designs.” WTF? No, as people here have said, it’s Hester’s huge FU not just to the judges but all of us watching the show, wanting good design results from interesting challenges. It's beyond annoying. Elaine “I think the pasties are a brilliant idea” (but only if you’re Tom Ford) “but it’s just the execution” WTF? Especially as she then turns around and vomits something about Jamal’s design making a huge statement about gender politics. Meanwhile Hester’s model is totally being exploited. Where is Elaine’s social commentary about that? Never mind, I’d rather hear more about the actual business of fashion, please. Does Nina’s standpoint on kitsch depend on the weather or what she had for lunch? Christian is starting to eclipse Tim Gunn for me as a mentor, and I loved Bravo Tim Gunn. What Christian did for Jamal (freed from Rakan’s influence) and then his kind words to Sonia were both inspirational and exactly what you'd hope from a mentor. Hope Tessa was paying attention. (Although I did appreciate her goodnatured response to being shooed away for being nosey) And come to think of it, Christian was an example of being a huge personality in his season, but he had the chops and drive to win the competition. Hester is now the one who's bringing the show down, the more her attention-seeking ways are being inexplicably encouraged. I also feel like she’s sucking away attention from the other designers, not to mention their interaction with the models and hair and makeup and accessory selection. I like Karli, and seeing her “at work” as Brandon’s muse was really cool. Not to mention a nice template for how designers could be working with their models. (At least this challenge didn't have models sewing alongside their designers) Plus, Karli's taste level is definitely less questionable than Heidi’s. I feel almost as if Heidi would have been seen out and about wearing that hot mess that Hester sent down the runway.
  18. Ding Dong, The Wardog Gone!!!! Maybe obvious, but oh, so satisfying.
  19. I liked her, but once she was picked to go up against Shaun Soundz I knew she was toast (and Blake understandably wants to save Gyth) She did sound flat at times to me, and while I like the huskiness of her voice, I can't see her going far in this competition if by some miracle she's picked over Shaun. What did Jimmy say to Carson?
  20. I'm really starting to root for Aurora. She's fighting back hard, and she's been surviving multiple times now that the target was blatantly placed on her. I wish that we were given a little bit more explanation as to why she gave her advantage to Ron. I'm guessing that Devins was already an ally, "Judgmental Julie" is a sworn enemy, WW is obviously the new target--and the "Lesu three" aren't budging. So it's either Victoria or Ron, and unforch, Ron was the only one that had any leverage--safe enough to eat disgusting pizza, IIRC. But then why like that, where his immediate thought was to use it against her? Maybe the good it did do was create the beginnings of the fissure in that six, where he was able to turn on Judgmental Julie, in which case Aurora has serious guts. Because Ron is slimy. I'm also wondering if Julie's animosity towards Aurora is based on envy? Maybe Aurora doesn't have any alliances in the game, but she doesn't have haters on the jury either. At this point, Julie's looking like the possible goat if she does make it to the end. ETA: Oops I forgot about Gavin. Well, shows what I think about him.
  21. Thank you so much, @spaceghostess for that link. I hadn't seen it before, and when they did that very number this past episode, I was ecstatic. And ITA about Michelle Williams. That was incredible. I kept looking to see if they did a Flashdance thing, but unless it was supersophisticated CGI, that seemed to be her channeling Gwen Verdon's stage presence! I did like the fact that Gwen was the one shown to be initially resistant to it, because Fosse was starting to seem like maybe he really didn't have any talent and it was all Gwen. They do need to show him making bold--and successful--creative choices at least some of the time, in between all the time-jumping. Yeah, and what up with the time-jumping. What's annoying to me is that Gwen and "Bobby" are interacting with people who are well-known. But we're made to figure out who they are, and the time jumping doesn't help. When the woman that Gwen was talking to first mentioned her husband's name, I thought of who it was--but only because he would be a good answer for a crossword puzzle. It makes me wonder what else I've missed because I'm not well versed in the era. I've drawn a comparison to Mad Men before--when they've mentioned real people the writers/directors always provided enough context so you knew right away why they were important to the story. But before I get really pissed, Show distracts me with some beautiful art direction or a shiny dance number. So I'm in for now. There's a part of me that wishes they'd just go all the way that they seem to want, and turn it into something like Legion, where I don't know what's going on half the time, but I don't mind because it's all so stylized and gorgeous. While I'm eager to see the next episode, I'm worried this means they'll be doing more time jumping, to pad the little story that they do have.
  22. I thought that was a missed opportunity as well, but overall I loved this episode. Leonard and Kate are AFAIC the most developed characters. I love their friendship. The jailhouse lawyer and Sandra/Ted boxing were distractions from a really powerful storyline. The actor playing Leonard really did a good job, and Michael Beach's characterisation reminded me a lot of Denny Crane, lol. I really like the addition of Ted, but right now he's such eye candy that I'm not even annoyed at how he's verging on being a Mary Sue character. Still don't like Sandra's character, but I'll put up with it as they insist on having Ted interact with her the most. I'm also hoping for a season 3. This show's been getting better and better, with the latest episode the best one for me yet.
  23. I'm not going to hate on TPTB's attempts to keep the show fresh--Time will tell whether or not it's successful (also depending on the fate of artists I like, lol!) Ugh--I wasn't planning on voting, but I just did. Thank you, show, for making voting available on the website instead of forcing an instant tweet situation. Aside from the fact that the singers *weren't* arranged by battle, they were arranged by team. So yes, if you were pro-coach, you could just go down the line and give all of them 10 points. I didn't, but it would have been way easy to. And conversely if you were anti-a certain coach (cough--Adam --cough) you could see at a glance who his singers are. I'm unfortunately unable to rise above pettiness, so my feelings about the coaches definitely played into who I voted for (or didn't) Especially since I couldn't remember matchups/pairings readily. That being said, Maelyn was outstanding for me (and the reason I went online to vote). Celia wasn't the only one who sounded off key, to the point that I thought it was an audio issue. But Oliv clearly "won" that battle. It was nice of Kelly to say that no matter who wins, someone was going to get saved or stolen in the first match--but man, I sure hope nobody wastes their save or steal. That first battle --"Poison" Kim the Rapper and "You Oughtta Know" Betsey Ade--mangled two songs that I not only recognize (a rarity on this show) bit also liked (an even bigger rarity) I noted at times Kim had a lovely voice, but I can't tell if her rapping really is good, or if it was pure novelty. (Kelly should have had the Bundys up against her.) Adam is terrible when it comes to talking up his team members. He spent way more time gushing about how Blake's team member was really country, while his own team member--the guy whose first time on a stage was at the Voice--was standing there visibly squirming. And then he gave that poor guy the most generic praise. Kelley gave good comments about their performances, and was really gracious about finding something positive to say about both in each pairing. John to a certain degree was like that as well. On a totally shallow note, I liked Celia's jacket/styling--I wonder if she was wearing her mom's designs?
  24. I was really glad to see the daughter (Nicole Fosse?) listed as one of the exec producers. The portrayal of what her life was like as a child was pretty brutal. Michelle Williams totally nailed it. I loved how she did the "dancer-whispering." and I'm in rapture over the dancing, music numbers and behind-the-scenes goodness! The production and clothing design brought to mind the same level of detail in Mad Men. Gorgeous! The structure does take a bit of getting used to. The commercial breaks don't help with the time jumps. That being said, I can't wait until the next episode!
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