Ox Notes: August 31, 2007

Is Sabrina Bryan a ringer, brought in by ABC to become the first woman to win Dancing with the Stars since Kelly Monaco? Here's a video of Sabrina dancing the Tango on an episode of The Cheetah Girls:

One of Sabrina's competitors on DwtS, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., said he thought about quitting once he realized how difficult ballroom dancing is: "But I'm a true champion, and true champions don't quit."

The producer of MSNBC's documentary series Lockup, Rasha Drachkovitch, talked to Reuters about some of the dangers and surprises of filming in a prison, including the inmate who liked being on camera so much he started confessing to other crimes.

If you're interested in keeping up with Who Wants to Be a Superhero but, like me, don't have the SciFi channel, Zap2It has recaps of each episode.

Greg Grunberg gave TV Guide an update on the Heroes world tour, where he and Masi Oka have been goofing around on the Tokyo subway.

If you're interested in buying episodes of Heroes at iTunes, you'll soon be out of luck: NBC won't renew its contract with iTunes.

Since it's payday for many of us -- and the start of a three-day weekend here in the States -- here's a great way to blow some money: Amazon is having a special Primetime Emmy DVD Sale on boxed sets of Emmy nominated shows, past and present. I'm eyeing the first season of Rome for $54.99, but the first season of Soap is even more tempting at $14.99.

DwtS 5 First Impressions

My Ox Is Broken correspondent Carole gives her first impressions of the new Dancing with the Stars cast.

DwtS 5's cast includes a smorgasbord of celebrities. Here's my take on this Fall's eclectic cast of dancing hopefuls.

Supermodel hotties Albert Reed, 22, and Josie Maran, 29, bring some great eye candy to the dance floor, but do they have the moves? These two catwalk strutters, most familiar for their print-ad portfolios, both garner checkmarks in the "unknown" column for me. Albert, who hails from Miami, was a competitive surfer in his teens, so I am guessing that he must have a well-honed sense of balance -- a valuable skill in this type of competition. Josie at one time had a long-term relationship with magician David Blaine, though she is currently linked with photographer/fledgling director Ali Alborzi. I'm anticipating that she'll have a few unexpected tricks up her sleeve!

Marie Osmond, 47, and Wayne Newton, 65, successfully fill the "seasoned" entertainer slots. Both register high on the likeability scale: Marie, courtesy of her popular 70's show and her work with the Children's Miracle Network; Wayne, thanks to his almost 50-year reign as Mr Las Vegas. I mean, honestly, is there anyone out there who hasn't heard "Danke Schoen" at least once? Wayne will likely keep many nostalgic seniors up past their regular bedtime, while Marie is sure to attract countless viewers in their 40s and 50s. I wouldn't be surprised to see her brother, Donny, featured as one of the Results Show performers -- provided Marie lasts long enough in the competition. Will a DwtS doll be her next promoted product on the QVC network?

Melanie Brown, 32, and Sabrina Bryan, 23, by the time the show airs, -- and to a lesser degree Jane Seymour, 56, and Mark Cuban, 49 -- have dance credentials that elevate them above the novice level. Melanie's previous performance experience and current preparations for the Spice Girls reunion tour in December and January mean that Mel B is already prepped to heat up the stage. Her recent tabloid-featured paternity battle with comedian and total sleaze ball Eddie Murphy should earn her a respectable number of sympathy votes.

Meanwhile, Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan certainly seems to have a leg up on the rest of the field. In early 2006, Sabrina released her own fitness-dance DVD, Byou, she currently has Byou II in the works with a Spring 2008 release date. She lists herself as a dancer, singer, and actress on her website. Then again, this Disney Channel star failed to register on my celebrity radar. Will her fan base be loyal enough to tune-in to DwtS and then heat up the phone lines? If Hannah Montana star Billy Ray Cyrus' longevity last season is any indication of the commitment level of the Disney Channel crowd, then Sabrina's popularity and talent could pose a serious threat this season.

Veteran actress, Jane Seymour, brings a touch of class to this year's contingent – she even has her own 15th century castle in Bath England. Jane studied ballet quite seriously as a youngster. At just 13 she made her professional debut with the London Festival Ballet. Four years later, at age 17, Jane danced with Russia's renowned Kirov Ballet. A knee injury sustained during her first performance with the Kirov troupe put an end to her dancing career. Nevertheless, with over 10 years of intense dance training under her belt, Jane probably still retains the musicality, flexibility, and work ethic that DwtS competitors need to be successful. The only question seems to be whether her physical limitations will resurface and impede her progress.

Dot.com billionaire Mark Cuban rounds out this quartet of dance veterans. His dancing expertise comes from his stint as a disco dance instructor during his college years, which helped fund his education. This successful entrepreneur holds the distinction of being DwtS first billionaire. Does this title mean that if worse comes to worse Mark could resort to bribing the judges or buying votes?! He certainly has the funds and the Internet where-withal to get his name out there in a BIG way.

The thirty-somethings crowd is well represented by the four remaining contestants: Jennie Garth, 35, Cameron Mathison, 38, Helio Castroneves, 32, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., 30. Each of these individuals brings their own dedicated group of fans to the table. The most well known (at least to me) is Jennie Garth, a popular Beverly Hills, 90210 star. Cameron, a resident heartthrob on All My Children, pulls in a fairly substantial soap opera delegation, according to Internet chatter. He's also the only homegrown Canadian representative, which earns him mega brownie points in my book! Charismatic Helio, a two-time Indy champion, brings his own carload of racing enthusiasts. And Pretty Boy Floyd fills the ring with another batch of boxing devotees. How adept these contenders are on the dance floor is an unknown factor. I'd have to nominate Floyd as the most likely to succeed given the fancy footwork that he regularly executes in his professional boxing bouts.

Of course, the potential of these celebrities is closely linked to the professional dancers with whom they've been partnered and the committed fans that those pros bring to the mix. So I'm going to go out on the proverbial limb and give a preliminary prediction of the four teams that -- at least on paper -- have the best chance of making it to the finals. They are: Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas, Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Floyd Mayweather Jr. & Karina Smirnoff, and Cameron Mathison & Edyta Sliwinski. Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough could conceivably overtake Floyd & Karina, providing Helio's dance skills make the grade.

Polish up that disco ball trophy and let the games begin!

Ox Notes: August 30, 2007

Now that the cast list for Dancing with the Stars 5 has been released, people are setting odds on who's most likely to win. Here are the odds as calculated by The Chicago Sun-Times' Doug Elfman, who posits that Jane Seymour signed on to the show to "avoid making 'Dr. Quinn Returns,' co-starring Kenny Rogers."

DwtS alum Drew Lachey will host Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (formerly called Dance-X), which will air six episodes this winter.

MTV's working on a new reality series called The Paper about a high school newspaper -- because nothing's more exciting than watching people write.

Variety has an interesting article about networks' back up plans in the event of a writers strike when their contract runs out in October, that include importing popular cable series. The website also features a piece about the good old days of network fall TV campaigns, with links to some amusing YouTube videos.

Billboard magazine has an interview with Flight of the Conchords' Jermaine Clement, who sounds a little burnt out by the comedy duo's recent rise to fame.

And Tim Gunn is making the rounds promoting his new show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, which premieres on Bravo September 6. In an interview with The Chicago Sun-Times, he says that the presidential candidate he'd most like to make over is Hillary Clinton: "I find her uniform to be a crashing bore."

Tim is completely candid in this interview with AfterElton.com, and it is a must read for Tim Gunn fans. He opens up about his lack of a love life and his unexpected path his career has take since Project Runway: "If I were to read a script that had all this in it, I'd say this is preposterous – fire the writer!"

Ox Notes: August 29, 2007

While on tour with Dancing with the Stars this summer, Cheryl Burke answered fans' questions for People -- although she doesn't address what she thinks of her new partner, Wayne Newton.

Here's an interview with Christa DeAngelo after she failed to win Pirate Master. Has she mentioned that she was playing for her daughter?

Updating a story I wrote about a couple of days ago, Kevin Smith will not be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica after all.

To toughen up Katie Couric's image, CBS is sending her to Iraq. They defend the move as more than just a publicity stunt: Katie's high profile has enabled her to secure interviews with "reclusive politicians and alleged terror leaders."

The Writers Guild of America has jumped into the Kid Nation fray, alleging that the network kept their workers in "deplorable" conditions. Variety's Brian Lowry says that the real story behind the Kid Nation controversy is just how many rights reality show participants willingly sign away for a chance at fame.

Maxim has a list of Ten Fall Shows We Won't Watch, and in most cases, I think they may be onto something.

Finally, Filmwad has a list of Actors Who Have Spent Their Entire Careers Playing the Same Character. I especially liked their description of the character Ben Affleck always plays: "Almost Charming, Immensely Douchebaggy Sonofabitch."

DwtS 5: Cast Revealed!

Tom Bergeron, Carrie Ann Inaba, and reigning trophy holder Apolo Anton Ohno stopped by Good Morning America to announce the cast of Dancing with the Stars 5. And, after all of the rumors that had been circulating, a few of the names were a bit of a surprise:

Marie Osmond -- Singer, Actress
Partner -- Jonathan Robers

"Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- Boxer
Partner -- Karina Smirnoff

Melanie Brown (aka Scary Spice) -- Pop Singer
Partner -- Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Helio Castroneves -- Racecar Champ
Partner -- Julianne Hough

Jennie Garth -- Actress
Partner -- Derek Hough

Cameron Mathison -- Soap Star
Partner --Edyta Sliwinska

Jane Seymour -- "Queen of the Mini-Series"
Partner -- Tony Dovolani

Albert Reed -- Model
Partner -- Anna Trebunskaya

Sabrina Bryan -- Actress, Singer
Partner -- Mark Ballas

Mark Cuban -- Owner, Dallas Mavericks
Partner -- Kym Johnson

Josie Maran -- Model
Partner -- Alec Mazo

Wayne Newton -- Entertainer
Partner -- Cheryl Burke

Jane Seymour called in during the live announcement. She said she's dancing for her mother, who's recovering from a stroke -- Dancing with the Stars is her mom's favorite show.

Tom explained that, when the show returns on September 24, the female celebs will dance on Monday, the men on Tuesday, with the first elimination on Wednesday. That Wednesday night's musical guest will be Dolly Parton, and future Results Show performers include Avril Lavigne and Gloria Estefan.

More information on the cast and new season can be found at ABC's Dancing with the Stars website.

Pirate Master Finale

By the end of last week's episode, the winner of Pirate Master had already been decided.

When Jay decided to keep Ben instead of Louie, he doomed both himself and Christa. There was no way either of them could beat Ben in a challenge that demanded physical strength and stamina, as every challenge had to this point. The final challenge was no different, so it was no surprise when Ben became Pirate Master.

At the beginning of the two-hour finale (well, 80 minutes since it aired without commercial breaks), Jay, Ben, and Christa learned that the race for the $500,000 treasure was only a two person affair. That meant that one more challenge would determine which one of them would get a free pass and which two would wind up with Black Spots.

Christa lagged behind the guys on the run through the jungle -- just far enough so that Ben could cut down a rope bridge and effectively put her out of the race. Ben then outran Jay, who's more than a decade Ben's senior, to the penultimate treasure.

With Ben's spot in the final treasure hunt secured, it was time to decide who would race against him. To make that decision, the "ghost crew" of all of the previously eliminated pirates was brought back.

To quote Jay: "Frick. I'm history."

Time had not healed the ghosts' wounds, and several of them championed their own moral superiority for not having stooped to the devious levels Ben, Christa, and Jay had (although that "nice guy" mentality probably explained why they didn't last as long in the competition as the final three did).

Particularly disturbing was a rant by Cheryl about how she didn't respect any of the people left in the game. It was difficult to see the bitterness she had about the game at that point, knowing that mere months after the filming, she would kill herself, expressing frustration with Pirate Master until the time of her death.

Kendra, on the other hand, used her bitter feelings to make an hilarious jab at Christa. Rolling her eyes as stay-at-home mom Christa said for the umpteenth time, "I'm doing this for my daughter," Kendra retorted, "You drag your daughter out every two minutes. Well, set an example for her: get a job!"

The ghost pirates voted, and Jay, who'd acknowledged playing a part in the elimination of all of them, lost: 12-1 (I'm guessing the "1" was Kendra). If the producers really wanted to do something bold -- and true to the pirate's code of ethics -- the 12 votes would've earned Jay a pass into the final race for inspiring such contempt in his crewmates.

But Christa got the spot in the finale, and Jay was not cut adrift, forced instead to hang out on the ship with the all of the crew members who'd just told him they hated him.

The following day, Christa and Ben were told to choose three teammates from the ghost crew to help them on the final treasure hunt. Both Ben and Christa offered up the money they'd earned until that point as a reward for the three crew members, should their team win. (To see who needed the money most, Wikipedia has a breakdown of how much booty each pirate earned while on the show.)

As the ghosts made their cases for why they'd like to play on the final task, some of them offered their services only to Christa, including Nessa and scientist/exotic dancer John. Jay made the same offer, but warned Christa that he probably wasn't in the best physical shape after their grueling jungle run the previous day.

Still, when asked to vote for the three crew members she'd like, Christa submitted the names of Jay, Nessa, and scientist/exotic dancer John. Ben made his submissions: Cheryl, Azmyth, and Nessa.

That prompted a bidding war for Nessa. Ben promised her $10,000, regardless of if his team won. Christa promised the same guaranteed $10,000, plus the entire amount she'd won to that point -- around $70,000 -- if their team won (she got Jay's and scientist/exotic dancer John's permission, first).

Nessa went with Christa, and Ben chose Jupiter. The remaining ghost pirates were then cut adrift again.

Finally, it was time for the big race, which wasn't any different than the previous treasure hunts. Row to shore, run through the jungle, carry something heavy, run some more, carry something heavy back to the boat, row back to the Picton Castle.

Turns out, all along, the $500,000 prize was hidden in the Chest of Zanzibar, right under the crews' noses. Who'd've ever thunk it?

Once back on board the Picton Castle, Ben and Christa had to work alone to solve a puzzle that revealed the combination to the last lock on the chest. Ben had a sizable lead on Christa, giving him enough time to solve the puzzle first. He won the loot, just like we knew he would, as soon as Jay voted to get rid of Louie.

Ox Notes: August 28, 2007

One last day of Dancing with the Stars 5 spoilers, this time courtesy of TMZ. Their cast list includes Indy car driver Helio Castroneves.

The casts of two other reality shows have been released: America's Next Top Model and Beauty and the Geek 4.

Kevin Smith is going to direct an episode of Battlestar Galactica.

Here are two lists of important stuff to know ahead of the fall TV season. Reality Blurred has a list of premiere dates for every reality show, including obscure offerings like FOX Reality's The Search for the Next Elvira.

And Zap2It has an extensive gallery of actors with a supporting role in a new fall series, along with mentions of where you've seen them before. The alphabetical list is a real whopper, with more than 100 entries -- from Paul Adelstein to Natalie Zea.

I'm off to watch the final episode of Pirate Master, a show I desperately wanted to love and that could've succeeded with a couple of changes: more variety in the challenges, and a mutiny option that only required a majority of the crew's consent, not the entire crew minus the captain.

The boring challenges -- row to shore, run uphill, read a clue, dig up treasure -- are really what ruined the show, since they were bound to the narrative of the ship's fictional captain. Rather than hunt for Captain Steele's buried treasure every week, the crew could've been tested on their pirate skills: sword fighting, cannon firing, speed climbing the rigging, plank walking.

Instead, viewers got a show that was very unswashbuckling.

Ox Notes: August 27, 2007

The cast rumors for Dancing with the Stars 5 are coming fast and furious -- and from increasingly reliable sources. Sports Illustrated has learned that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will take part in the show, and E! corroborates that rumor in an article about another likely participant -- Jane Seymour. The MySpace page for the Disney show The Cheetah Girls mentions that Sabrina Bryan is also a part of this season's cast.

Former DwtS pro Nick Kosovich posted at this MySpace page that Mark Cuban will be partnered with Kym Johnson and Jane Seymour with Tony Dovolani. Nick also mentions that Cheryl Burke will dance with Wayne Newton, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy will be paired with model Gisele Bundchen.

Reality TV Magazine gathered up the names of all of the rumored DwtS 5 celebrities and distilled a list of the most likely candidates based on the sources of the rumors. We'll find out how many of their predictions come true on Good Morning America Wednesday morning.

In other reality show news, the host and judges for FOX's The Next Great American Band have been announced. The show will be hosted by Dominic Bowden, who hosts New Zealand Idol, and the judges are Johnny Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls, musician Sheila E., and Ian "Dicko" Dickson, one of the judges on Australian Idol. Oh, how I'm looking forward to watching Johnny Rzeznik try to say the name "Dicko" with a straight face.

Ox Notes: August 24, 2007

Fox canceled its reality/scripted hybrid Anchorwoman after just one episode.

Slate explored the question: Are reality-TV actors professional? The simple answer is no.

Sunday night offers a couple of intriguing premieres. Countdown with Keith Olbermann leaves MSNBC for a temporary run on NBC at 7 ET. And the second season of Living with Ed debuts on HGTV at 10 ET, before moving to its permanent home Monday nights at 10:30 ET. The official Living with Ed website has great tips from HGTV on earth-friendly home decor and renovations -- as well as a few suggestions from Ed Begley Jr. himself.

The writers on Lost and 24 are loving the fact that they don't have to be ready for a September premiere.

I finally saw Chak De India last night, which was kind of like Hoosiers or Miracle, only about girl's field hockey -- fun fair that showcased the diversity of Indian women.

Hollywood -- which only represents 8% of the box office in India -- has given up trying to force Western movies into the market and has instead paired with Bollywood production companies to make Hindi-language films. Sony, Viacom, and Warner all have deals in place, and Disney is working with Yash Raj films on CGI cartoons.

Kick off your weekend with a little "Rock and Roll," Bollywood style (from the film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna):

Ox Notes: August 23, 2007

YES! NBC is bringing American Gladiators back! A revamped version of the nineties classic debuts midseason.

The contestants for Dancing with the Stars 5 will be announced on Good Morning America on Wednesday, August 29. One of the latest rumored stars is Wayne Newton, who is at the top of my list of old guys I'd want to see on the show (along with Robert Goulet and Tom Jones).

In an interview about a Hot Legs contest she was judging, Stacy Keibler confessed that she can't dance without Tony Dovolani. And John O'Hurley's $6.2 million house is for sale.

The New York Times has some of the unsavory details of the contract parents of the kids on Kid Nation had to sign. One clause states that CBS isn't responsible if a kid becomes pregnant or contracts an STD, if the child "chooses to enter into an intimate relationship of any nature with another participant or any other person."

Who are these "any other person's" outlined in the contract? Does that include production staff members? And since all of the kids were 15 or younger, how could they be held responsible for that choice? This whole show is creeping me out more every day.

In lighter kid-related news, ABC Family has greenlit the series Samurai Girl, based on a young adult book series that I'm going to have to check out.

And finally, I've got a new favorite on Top Chef after last night's Restaurant Wars redo. Sara kicked butt running the kitchen for the restaurant formerly known as The Garage. Right now, she'd be my pick for head chef if I was opening a restaurant.

Anthony Bourdain has a blog at Bravo's website, and he gave a great explanation of last night's elimination -- which he agreed with -- and talked about the diverse skill set every chef needs to have to keep a kitchen running smoothly.

Ox Notes: August 22, 2007

Donald Trump isn't the most reliable source for information, so this shouldn't come as a surprise: Jeff Gordon's spokesperson said that the race car driver hasn't committed to being on Trump's celebrity edition of The Apprentice. Let's see how many more people from the list I posted yesterday are on the same page as Gordon.

Cheryl Burke is looking forward to getting an "open-minded" partner for this season of Dancing with the Stars. And DwtS alum Willa Ford is looking forward to marrying Dallas Stars center Mike Modano on Saturday.

Two other DwtS alums, Joey Fatone and Lisa Rinna, are the TV Guide Channel's official hosts for all red carpet events, including the September 16 Emmy telecast.

Before the new season begins, the cast of Heroes is going on a world tour, with stops in Munich, Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, and Toronto.

Finally, Reality Blurred has been documenting the accusations that the upcoming CBS show Kid Nation violated a number of child labor laws and put the kids in danger during filming. At least one girl suffered burns from a grease fire, while several other children mistakenly drank bleach.

What could be more damaging for the show are the child labor allegations. CBS reportedly chose to film in New Mexico, where laws governing child actors aren't as specific as they are in California or New York. And when labor officials showed up on set to investigate, the investigators were turned away.

I'm curious as to whether someone could get a judge to block the show from going to air until it's determined whether CBS violated child labor laws. But if child labor concerns aren't enough to change Americans' shopping habits (who do you think makes all that imported Chinese stuff sold at Wal-Mart?), I doubt the accusations against CBS will keep viewers from tuning in.

Pirate Master: Episode 13

With a sudden upsurge in the amount of airtime given to Louie, it wasn't hard to guess who would be eliminated from the latest episode of Pirate Master.

Captain Christa and Jay made up this week's Black Crew, vying for treasure against Ben and Louie. To make sure that Christa stayed in power, Ben was told to throw the challenge -- which he did, without Louie ever suspecting a thing.

The captain claimed another $40,000 in treasure. Christa and Jay split $23,000, giving Ben $12,000 for his troubles and Louie $5,000 for being such a good dupe. Louie was so effusive in his thanks for the gold that Jay and Christa almost felt guilty.

Christa was left with probably the most difficult decision any captain has had to make. As in past weeks, she still had to assign two Black Spots. That meant leaving one pirate with the power to eliminate one of the Black Spotted pirates or mutiny against her.

She didn't trust Ben, so it was all but assured that he'd get a Black Spot. Louie, while being completely trustworthy, wasn't part of her original alliance.

That left Jay. On some level, Christa knew that Jay would just as soon mutiny against her if he thought it would put him in a better position to win. But she chose to rely on her friendship with him and the bond they shared as the only parents on the ship, and she gave Jay the power to determine everyone's fates.

At Pirates Court, in a fit of guilt, Ben told Louie that he'd thrown the challenge the day before. Louie was so stunned that he couldn't even speak.

Even if Ben made his declaration just to make himself feel better, it was a superb way to make sure he didn't get voted off. How could Jay and Christa bear to look Louie in the eye knowing they'd convinced Ben to throw the challenge, and then sat there as Louie nearly wept with joy over being given a measly $5,000?

Jay gave a speech about how nobody -- not even the captain -- should trust him, but then he voted to give Louie the boot anyway. Thanks to footage of Louie standing in front of a rainbow and waxing nostalgic about his pirate life earlier in the show, I had a feeling that he was the one going home.

Next week on the Pirate Master finale, Jay, Ben, and Christa compete for the remaining $500,000 prize, and it looks like the ghosts of pirates past return to pass judgment. Of the final three, Ben's been the best in challenges, and he probably has the fewest enemies of the eliminated pirates. If he doesn't win, he's an idiot.

Ox Notes: August 21, 2007

Every day it becomes more apparent that Donald Trump's celebrity edition of The Apprentice is really happening. He announced yesterday some of the celebrities who've already signed on to the show: Jim Cramer, Carmen Electra, Joan Rivers, Naomi Judd, George Foreman, Kimora Lee Simmons, Pete Rose, Dana Patrick, Tony Hawk, Jeff Gordon, and Trump's own creation, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. I'm not sure if "Dana Patrick" was a misprint of Dan Patrick or Danica Patrick, though.

In more reality show casting news, three more names have surfaced as possible candidates for Dancing with the Stars 5: Richard Quest, Nia Peeples, and Patrick Swayze. ABC hasn't announced when it will reveal the final cast, but TV spots the network is running for the show are available at ABC's website.

TV Guide has an interview with Kristen Bell following the announcement that she'll be joining the cast of Heroes -- a gig which may have come about as she was riding the train with Hiro and Syler.

The TV mag also has an interview with Kenneth Branagh ahead of tonight's HBO premiere of his updated version of Shakespeare's As You Like It.

And if you're a dominatrix or a rapper, Trading Spaces wants you. TLC is trying to branch out beyond neighbors in an effort to revive its flagging decorating staple. The casting notice also called for vegetarians, and I think I can speak on behalf of my people when I say that we don't really have a uniform design aesthetic that we subscribe to. Just don't decorate our homes with a meat motif and we'll be okay.

Ox Notes: August 20, 2007

High School Musical 2 premiered to the largest basic cable audience ever on Friday night -- 17.2 million viewers. While Monique Coleman wasn't able to win Dancing with the Stars 3, I'd bet that any of her HSM castmates could walk away with DwtS 5 -- unless another rumored contestant, Lou Ferrigno, turns out to be much more nimble than he appears.

DwtS Musical Director Harold Wheeler calculated that, in four seasons, the house band has played 411 songs. I'm going to have no sympathy for the Season 5 celebrities when they start complaining about having to learn two routines each week.

Hooray! Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell has been given a multiepisode story arc on Heroes.

Casting for Rob Mariano's show Tontine isn't going well. He got caught on tape punching a heckler in the head at the show's San Diego casting call.

Finally, the cast for Survivor: China has been announced, and Jeff Probst gave his take on each of the contestants to TV Guide. The Fei Long (Flying Dragon) Tribe includes James the grave digger, while the Zhan Hu (Fighting Tiger) Tribe has its very own diva -- WWE Smackdown Diva, Ashley Massaro.

Ox Notes: August 17, 2007

Dancing with the Stars scoop: the professional dancers will meet their Season 5 celebrity partners on August 25. As for which pros will be returning, manly chested Nick Kosovich is out, and Cheryl Burke and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are in.

TV Guide has a backstage report from the So You Think You Can Dance finale. Nigel Lythgoe says Sabra winning was important because "it shows that you don't have to begin dancing at 3 or 4 years of age. She's got to be an inspiration for anyone who's even contemplating dancing."

That crabby diner at The Garage on Wednesday's Top Chef was Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone.

Jerry Springer will host the U.K. version of Fox's icky lie detector reality show Nothing but the Truth.

Uhura and Sulu are back together again on Heroes. Nichelle Nichols plays a part in the new season's fourth episode, and says that when she announced the news at a recent Star Trek convention, "the entire room went insane. I felt like I was Oprah giving out cars!"

In related Heroes news, Ali Larter talked with TV Guide about her new movie, Marigold, which opens this weekend. Larter plays a B-movie actress who's forced to take a role in a Bollywood movie to make ends meet. TV Guide's Matt Webb Mitovich describes the film as "a primer for Bollywood movies," and Larter stars opposite the bad boy of Indian cinema, Salman Khan.

I'm excited to see Marigold just because I appreciate any movie that can introduce more people to the Bollywood genre. This weekend, I'm planning to see Chak de India, which stars my favorite actor, Shah Rukh Khan (if you live in the Chicago area, it's showing at the AMC Cantera 30 in Warrenville).

If you're interested in a couple of Bollywood started films, head to your local Indian grocer and rent the ridiculously fun Jhoom Barabar Jhoom or the slightly more dramatic Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Both take place in London, and both feature incredible dance sequences.

SYTYCD 3 Finale Results

If you only saw one episode of So You Think You Can Dance all season, this was the one to watch. The dancers reprised over a dozen of the season's best performances. And, on top of that, we got to see who was crowned America's Favorite Dancer. And the winner is...

Sabra!

The show started with a group performance by the Top 20 dancers: a reprise of Tyce DiOrio's Lion King routine, originally performed on the Top 16 results show.

Then, all of the judges and choreographers were asked to pick one couple's routine that they'd like to see again. Mary Murphy went first and nominated Lauren & Pasha's Hip-Hop from Top 10 Week. After the pair performed, Cat had the audience give Lauren & Pasha the ovation they didn't get when they were kicked off in an empty studio on the previous results show.

Two dancers who stood out at the auditions, but who didn't make it into the Top 20, were brought back for special performances. Brandon Norris from the Atlanta audition was up first, clogging to "The Way I Are" by Timbaland. The second dancer would perform later in the show.

Nigel Lythgoe's Nomination: Wade Robson's hummingbird routine by Jamie & Hok from Top 16 Week.

Jean-Marc Genereux's Nomination: Sabra & Dominic's slow Hip-Hop routine from Top 14 Week.

Adam Shankman's Nomination: Sara & Neil's Disco from Top 10 Week.

After a clip package of breakdancers' auditions, Brian Gaynor (like Norris, a non-finalist from the Atlanta audition) danced to Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man." His brilliant robot got a standing ovation from the judges, and Shane promised to try getting Gaynor a part as a dancer in the movie Back Down.

That special performance was followed by a reprise of Shane Sparks' Top 8 Matrix-inspired group routine, which will be a part of the SYTYCD tour. Nigel announced that the tour alternates are Jesus, Anya, Shauna, and Hok -- which means that the hummingbird routine will probably be a part of the tour.

Wade Robson's Nomination: Lacey & Danny's Samba from Top 10 Week.

As soon as they finished, Cat Deeley joined them onstage and said that one of them was about to be eliminated. Lacey was out, and she said she wasn't surprised. Ever the professional, Lacey cried but managed to keep a smile on her face.

Musical guest Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls) followed the evening's first cut with a solo performance.

Shane Sparks's Nomination: Sara & Pasha's West Coast Swing from Top 14 Week.

Tyce DiOrio's Nomination: Anya & Danny's Fox Trot from Top 12 Week.

Tony Meredith's Nomination: Sara & Jesus's Pop Jazz vagabond routine from Top 20 Week.

Mia Michaels' Nomination: Sabra & Neil's "eighties jazz power lunch" from Top 6 Week.

Once again, Cat came onstage wielding a card with the name of next dancer to get cut. Neil was told he was not America's favorite dancer, and from the grin on his face as he waited for Cat to read the card, it looked like he'd been expecting to go.

That left Danny and Sabra to vie for the big prize.

But first, it was time for Mia Michaels' Top 10 contemporary group dance.

Mary Murphy introduced a special performance by Cat & Nigel that Cat had been hyping all night. It was just a dumb animation with pictures of Cat & Nigel's heads on bodies dancing the Paso Doble -- not them actually dancing. For all of the hype, the actual event was very disappointing.

Then Ryan Cabrera performed the song all of the dancers have been kicked off to this season: "I Will Remember You." You may remember me, Ryan, but I'm hoping to forget that ugly-ass hat you wore.

Dan Karaty's had the final judge's nomination of the evening: the contemporary "flower" routine Mia Michaels choreographed for her dad, danced by Lacey & Neil during Top 8 Week.

Finally, it was time for the big announcement...

Cat told Sabra she'd won, and confetti fell, obscuring the dancers onstage. As the credits rolled, Sabra could be heard chanting, "Oh my god, oh my god."

It was a fitting end to an entertaining season that was all about growth. Though I couldn't help but notice that Sara was nominated for more judges' choice performances than any other dancer. I wonder if those judges would've picked her to win, had the audience not intervened.

Ox Notes: August 16, 2007

Big shocker -- Bachelor Andy and his chosen girl Tessa called off their engagement.

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of The Amazing Race and National Treasure, is creating a drama about -- what else? -- treasure hunters.

Dateline: To Catch a Predator, which is being sued by the family of an alleged predator who killed himself when NBC's camera crew showed up at his house, is going to be the focus of a special investigation by ABC's 20/20.

Finally, I confess to being a Real World junkie. And so far The Real World: Sydney is great, primarily thanks to Tricia. MTV cast Tricia to be the bitch in the house, and she's living up to the role in spectacular fashion. A roommate asked to use the computer, and Tricia responded, "Get a personality."

What makes this season special is that all of the roommates are calling her on it when she acts terribly. In last night's episode, southern boy Cohutta told her that he didn't understand how she could hold hands with some Aussie guy when she's got a boyfriend back home. And when she asked Isaac, "Do you like me as a person?" he replied, "I don't know yet."

For Tricia in a nutshell, watch the third segment of episode 3.

But Tricia doesn't limit herself to picking on her roommates; she's managed to offend the entire Asian Australian community. In the show's second episode, she described to her roommates her futile attempt to get a sample of a McFlurry at McDonald's from an employee who she said didn't understand English. She recreated their dialog using a mocking Asian accent for the employee.

Perhaps it was Tricia who didn't understand that, in order to sample a McFlurry (a shake-like dessert), you'd have to make the whole damned McFlurry in the first place.

Now MTV is under fire for airing Tricia's racist rant, and Tricia has to defend herself from accusations that she's a bigot. Ahh, sweet consequences.

SYTYCD 3, Top 4: Performance Show

On a night when performances ranged from comical to wonderful, one thing was clear: So You Think You Can Dance 3 is still up for grabs.

Dan Karaty joined Mary Judo and Nigel Tae Kwon Do at the judges' table. Mary got the evening off to a good start by telling Nigel, "Quiet down, English Muffin," before Cat Deeley introduced a clip package of the Top 4's greatest hits.

The first performance of the night had the group dancing a Tyce DiOrio Broadway routine to Liza Minnelli's "Mein Herr," from Cabaret. There was plenty of sex appeal, and the routine ended with the dancers running up to the judges' table. Danny's and Neil's athleticism really showed through.

Lacey's Solo -- Daft Punk, "Technologic"
An awkward outfit (her dress was so big, it looked like she'd borrowed it from Cat) distracted from Lacey's dancing -- at least until she fell into the audience (deliberately) in a cool ending maneuver. Nigel told her to stop the ballroom "ooh, ahh, finger pointing" gestures and facial expressions.

Sabra & Neil -- Hip-Hop
Choreographer: Shane Sparks
Song: Kat DeLuna, "Whine Up"
During footage of their rehearsal, Neil said in response to a request from Shane, "Asking me to be sexy is like asking Nigel to be British." But this routine wound up more playful than sexy. Nigel called it a "bright summertime" dance that could've been more "funky" and "loose." Mary said, "I was expecting a little bit more at this point," and Dan agreed that the pair had given better hip-hop performances earlier in the season.

Lacey & Danny -- Viennese Waltz
Choreographer: Jean-Marc Genereux
Song: Avril Lavigne, "Keep Holding On"
With so many lifts, there was little time for closed hold dancing -- but the routine was lovely. Nigel said, "It was like you were dancing on ice at one point." Mary was impressed with their technical execution, and Dan said, "The two of you together aren't even fair.

One of the best moments of the night was when Lacey and Danny started arguing on stage during the judges' comments -- "having a domestic," in Cat's words. Lacey told Nigel she'd practiced with a Popsicle stick in her glove to help her keep her hand straight, and Danny said incredulously, "She totally made that up." Lacey gave Danny the evil eye, which got even more evil when Nigel said to her, "It's really good to know you take notes, even if you lie about them." Lacey mouthed, "I'm not lying!" as she play-punched Danny.

Neil's Solo -- Shawn McDonald, "Gravity"
The moves were good, but there wasn't much interpretation of the music. My hubby said that Neil, with all his jumps and twists, dances "like a fighter from Tekken." Mary said he danced with "maturity," and Dan called him "dynamic."

Lacey & Sabra -- Jazz
Choreographer: Wade Robson
Song: Nitin Sawhney, "Koyal (Songbird)"
This routine was about a mother fox and a baby fox, and Lacey and Sabra pranced about with scarves in their mouths. It was ridiculous. Nigel said, "I didn't get that at all, I'm afraid. You didn't really do anything apart from stay in character." But he said the fault was the choreographer's, not the dancers'. Mary agreed that the routine was impossible to critique. Dan noted that people will love or hate the routine, but he appreciated the dancers' attention to detail.

Danny's Solo -- Gavin DeGraw, "We Are the Champions"
Danny interpreted the music well; he's willing not to be moving all the time if it suits the song. Mary cooed, "You're just crazy, aren't you," and then screamed. Dan wanted to know what was in the water at Danny's mom's studio to produce such a wonderful dancer.

Danny & Neil -- Contemporary
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Song: The Presets, "Are You the One?"
Mia's concept was two princes battling for the throne, and the routine was chock full of daring tricks. Mia said, "They're just throwing each other around and being dudes." It was cool, and elevated dance-fighting beyond cheesy West Side Story (or Zoolander) stuff. Nigel said, "It was great." Mary screamed, "Okay, I loved it! Mia, I just loved this piece!"

Sabra's Solo -- James Morrison, "Wonderful World"
This solo really highlighted Sabra's strength and athleticism. Mary said, "You have everything that it takes to be the champion of this show." Dan confessed that, early in the season, he thought Dominic was carrying Sabra, but his opinion changed: "You deserve to be there."

Lacey & Neil -- Lindy Hop
Choreographer: Nick Williams
Song: The Big Elliot Swing Orchestra, "Bill's Bounce"
Neil said, "The basic steps aren't very basic when they're that fast." It may not have been perfect, but it was tremendously fun to watch. Nigel said Lacey & Neil were "both excellent." Mary appreciated the difficulty of the partnering skills and lifts, saving her loudest scream of the night for them. Dan grinned and said the performance was "entertainment at its best."

Sabra & Danny -- Cha Cha
Choreographer: Melanie LaPatin
Song: Celia Cruz, "Gotta Get Down"
This dance was pretty cool, and it would've been nice if these two had gotten a chance to partner together earlier in the season. Nigel overlooked any technical slip-ups and just enjoyed the performance. Mary noted that once they reached the middle of the routine, Sabra & Danny relaxed enough to give a great performance. Dan agreed.

As the show ended, Nigel advised fans to take into consideration the dancers' body of work from the whole season. And he mentioned that, from a producer's perspective, it would probably be good if a girl won.

Tomorrow night, along with performances by the top twenty dancers and special guests, Cat will be dancing with Nigel.

If I were voting based solely on tonight's performances, I'd have to vote for Danny. His battling princes routine with Neil was very entertaining, and he continues to be my favorite soloist. Based on the entire season, well, I'd still give my vote to Danny. As much as I like both Sabra and Lacey and would like to see a girl win, Danny's just better than everybody else.

Ox Notes: August 15, 2007

So You Think You Can Dance's Lauren and Pasha gave lengthy interviews to TV Guide, and Pasha thinks this season's winner will be Danny or Sabra. Spoilers for tonight's final performance show are available here.

In Dancing with the Stars news, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the latest celebrity rumored to be in the Season 5 cast. And here's a picture of some bikini-clad guests at Edyta Sliwinska's bachelorette party.

If you enjoy driving slowly by traffic accidents or pulling the wings off of insects, then Fox has the show for you. The network is importing a reality show from Colombia in which contestants are hooked up to a lie detector and made to answer questions in front of their loved ones. Examples of the types of questions to be asked include asking a mother if she loves one child more than the other, and asking a husband if he's cheated on his wife. Delightful.

Kristen Bell doubts the chances of a Veronica Mars movie ever being made, but joked that she'd consider it: "Depends on how well I age."

Finally, the Bricks Explode blog has a list of Top 10 Supporting Characters on TV, and I have a lot of respect for the author for giving a nod to the woman who plays the Indestructible Cheerleader on The Soup. If only he'd also included the woman who plays my two favorite recurring characters on the show: the Dancing Maxi Pad and Brooke from The Real World: Denver.

While we're at it, enjoy The Soup's Mary Murphy Wake Up Call:

Pirate Master: Episode 12

Ben learned the hard way that it's better to work with Jay than against him.

As soon as the crew had fallen asleep on the night of Kendra's ouster, Ben pulled Christa into the galley for a chat. He told her that Jay was planning to get rid of her -- failing to mention that he, too, had talked about getting rid of Christa.

The two agreed to do whatever it took to keep Christa in control of the game, and their task was made easier the next day when Jay joined their Black Crew, leaving Laurel and Louie as the lone members of the Red Crew.

The challenge was of the typical Pirate Master swim/run-uphill/dig-up-treasure format, with the obligatory directional blunder by the lead team -- which was again the Black Crew. Christa, Jay, and Ben found the treasure first and split $30,000, leaving Louie penniless for the fourth week in a row.

Back aboard the ship, Christa confronted Jay about Ben's accusations, and Jay did what any sensible pirate would do: he blamed everything on Ben. Christa brought both of them in to her quarters for a chat, and instead of clearing things up, Ben and Jay's bickering reduced Christa to tears.

Christa was troubled as she sat deciding on which pirates to assign the Black Spot. She liked Ben, but, as much as she didn't trust Jay, she felt guilty about the prospect of taking money away from his kids. Giving Jay the Black Spot would undoubtedly put him out of the game.

Christa's decision became a little easier when Laurel spoke with her. Laurel said that she'd been approached by Ben about finding a way to get rid of Christa.

Suddenly, Ben found himself branded with a Black Spot, despite all of his efforts to make Jay the target. He'd have to face off against Laurel at Pirates Court, and Louie had already made it known that he would never cast a vote against Laurel.

So Ben sucked up his pride and went to plead his case with Jay. He promised to do anything Jay told him -- even give up his share of the food -- if Jay would agree not to vote against him.

When it came time for Pirates Court, Jay went out of his way to make Ben, Laurel, and Christa as nervous as possible, giving them all meaningful glances while casting his vote. Ultimately, he voted against Laurel, forcing a tie and putting the decision in Captain Christa's hands.

Christa reasoned that, while she was unsure of her relationship with Ben, she'd rather lose to a good competitor than keep someone around for an easy victory. Laurel was cut adrift, and she was happy to leave the cutthroat game and return to living in her van.

Next time, Ben and Jay go back to what they'd been doing before this week: plotting Christa's demise.

Ox Notes: August 14, 2007

TV Guide has a backstage report from the set of So You Think You Can Dance in which Nigel Lythgoe says that, between the final performance and results shows, the Final Four dancers will be performing 11 or 12 routines. Perhaps Wednesday's and Thursday's two-hour-long episodes won't be all filler material after all.

Another pair of dancers, Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo, had their respective bachelorette and bachelor parties in Las Vegas this weekend.

In other talent competition news, NBC has sold the format for America's Got Talent to 80 countries. The show could be huge in the Philippines, where there is already a huge pool of future parolees who can dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller":


The grandmother of all competition shows, The Miss America Pageant, is moving to TLC. The network will lead up to the contest with a reality series following some of the contestants.

And I'm excited that the cast of Family Guy is coming to Chicago to perform two shows that will include musical performances, a table read of an episode, and a preview of the season premiere Star Wars episode. Anyone willing to share Tickemaster's Internet presale code?

SYTYCD 3, Top 6: Results

On Monday night's So You Think You Can Dance Results Show, the field was pared down to the final four.

This week's group number was the story of some zombie satyrs whose significant others had just left on a train. Hey, I can only interpret based on the song's lyrics (Tom Waits' "2:19") and the costumes. Only choreographer Wade Robson knows what the hell his routines are really about.

Then, Titus Fotso & the African Dance Music Ensemble performed.

The show's next two segments featured the six remaining dancers' solos:

Sabra -- "I Gotcha" from Fosse
Lauren -- Pat Benatar, "Heartbreaker"
Lacey -- Lillix, "What I Like About You"
Pasha (shirtless) -- Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Zoot Suit Riot"
Neil -- Rob Thomas, "All That I Am"
Danny -- Robin Thicke, "2 The Sky"

Choreographer Lil' C and some of his dancers then killed time by performing a krump routine.

I was hoping I would enjoy this style of dance better once I'd finally seen it performed by someone who dances it regularly -- and not someone who'd just learned the style in the span of a few hours. I didn't.

It was almost time to reveal the night's big losers. After a thorough recap of Wednesday's performances, Lacey and Danny were told they were safe.

Then, Cat Deeley stopped the proceedings and ushered the audience out of the studio. This episode had been filmed on Thursday. So, in order to give the Final Four time to practice over the weekend, the results had to be revealed in secret.

With Sabra and Lauren as the two girls in danger, it wasn't a surprise when Lauren was told she'd been eliminated. But the absence of a noisy studio audience added a creepy feeling to Cat's announcement. Nigel Lythgoe -- who'd been allowed to remain in the studio -- said that Lauren might have peaked too late to win over voters.

Then Pasha and Neil took the stage to sparse clapping from the judges and a couple of crew members. Pasha got the axe, but Nigel called him a "charming gentleman." Mary Murphy teared up as she talked about Pasha's development as a dancer, and Debbie Allen told him to take acting lessons and capitalize on his fame.

I agree. Hollywood has suffered from a dearth of shirtless Russian dancers for years. It's time this crisis was addressed.

Ox Notes: August 13, 2007

Dancing with the Stars' Ashly DelGrosso gave birth to a baby boy on July 27th, and her website has pics of little Ammon Michael.

CBS Television Distribution is hoping to create new Internet superstars on Big Shot with a little help from its other property, Entertainment Tonight. You've got until January 7 to perfect your best dramatic look:

NBC is working on syndicating a half-hour version of Deal or No Deal, and the network is trying to save money by lowering the maximum prize to $250,000 and cutting back on briefcase girls.

Just what the world needs -- a reality show about the Harlem Globetrotters.

If none of the three above show ideas excites you, here's why: they are all versions of the same reality show formats we've seen already. Variety's Josef Adalian gives an overview of this summer's reality fare, and why it failed to produce any breakout hits like Survivor or Dancing with the Stars.

Ox Notes: August 9, 2007

Since there is no So You Think You Can Dance results show tonight, here are TV Guide's interviews with last week's eliminated dancers, Sara and Dominic, to tide you over until Monday night.

In other Fox reality show news, a prospective contestant went into labor at the American Idol auditions in Texas.

ABC announced its newest Bachelor, and he looks an awful lot like Survivor's Colby Donaldson.

Now that The Simple Life is through, E! has turned its efforts to a new show about another hard-partying socialite, Kim Kardashian.

And USA's Burn Notice became the latest summer cable drama renewed for another season, following in the footsteps of TNT's Saving Grace and The Closer and Lifetime's Army Wives.

SYTYCD 3, Top 6: Performances

Six great performances from six great dancers on tonight's edition of So You Think You Can Dance.

The incredibly (if not overly) positive Debbie Allen returned to the judges table, joining Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. Like last time she guested, Debbie loved everyone.

Lacey & Pasha -- Hip-Hop
Choreographer: Dave Scott
Song: Junior Boys, "In the Morning"
Dave Scott is evidently a big fan of the movie Mannequin; Lacey played a mannequin, and Pasha played Andrew McCarthy. So why they didn't dance to Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"? Nigel said, "I thought it was danced very well." Mary said Pasha was "crazy good" and Lacey was "terrific as usual."

Sabra's Solo -- Elisa, "Rock Your Soul"
Another quality solo from Sabra.

Lauren & Danny -- Contemporary
Choreographer: Mia Michaels
Song: Celine Dion, "Then You Look At Me"
From mannequins to aliens -- at least according to Mia's instructions. I'm not sure I saw the "alien" in their movements, but I'm guessing that kissing a girl was pretty alien to Danny. Hey-O! The performance was great. "Incredible! Absolutely incredible!" shouted Nigel. "What am I gonna say after that?" wondered Mary, before breaking into one of her patented, "Woo's!"

Pasha's Solo -- Bonnie Tyler, "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Pasha directed his dancing toward a dress on a mannequin (not a live one, this time), and ended his solo with a roundoff. Cat joked with Pasha, "Maybe one day you'll get the girl," instead of always having to settle for mannequins.

Sabra & Neil -- Jazz
Choreographer: Mandy Moore
Song: Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Mandy described the routine as an "eighties jazz power lunch," complete with a negotiating table. Mandy is my favorite choreographer, because she can make the goofiest concepts look totally cool. Nigel said, "I hope the finale comes up to this standard, because the dancing tonight is fantastic. So many good things going on." Mary was impressed as well, although she didn't scream this time.

Lauren's Solo -- Maria Mena, "Sorry"
She punctuated her sharp, quick movements with some pretty spins.

Lacey & Pasha -- Smooth Waltz
Choreographer: Hunter Johnson
Song: Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan, "A Daisy In December"
This was some of the best dancing we've seen from Pasha and Lacey. Nigel was impressed with their technical achievements, although he was disappointed with Lacey's hands. Mary said the dance was "absolutely dreamlike. It was really sweet and touching."

Neil's Solo -- Dave Matthews Band, "Out of My Hands"
Neil's acrobatic tricks made the girls in the studio audience scream.

Lauren & Danny -- Disco
Choreographer: Doriana Sanchez
Song: The Communards, "Don't Leave Me This Way"
The tricks were great and Lauren & Danny looked really good together, although the routine worked more as a showcase for Lauren than Danny. Nigel liked it, and he pointed out the numerous bruises on Lauren's legs to emphasize the difficulty of the routine. "I thought it was so much FUN!" yelled Mary, and she called Lauren a "seventies goddess."

Lacey's Solo -- Shiny Toy Guns, "Le Disco"
Lacey's solos had lots of Latin moves, but she did them barefoot instead of in heels.

Sabra & Neil -- Paso Doble
Choreographer: Tony Meredith Song: Juan & Gennaro, "Espana Cani"
Neil embraced the chance to be the toughest guy in the room, and he looked pretty macho for a guy wearing a frilly shirt. "Wow. That was absolutely stunning," said Nigel. Mary said, "You guys look hot. You're both back on the Train again! Woo!" Neil corrected Mary that this was actually the first time he'd been invited on her Hot Tamale Train.

Danny's Solo -- Joshua Radin, "The Fear You Won't Fall"
This song was cool. Danny gave a nice smile to the camera that's sure to earn him a few extra votes.

My favorite dances of the night were Lacey & Pasha's Smooth Waltz and Sabra & Neil's Jazz. I'm an unabashed Pasha supporter, and I cast my vote for him.

Since the competition is really between Sabra and Lacey at this point, it seems obvious that Lauren will be the girl to go home. All of the boys seem equally at risk, although my hunch tells me that Neil isn't connecting with the at-home audience as well as the others and will probably be the one to go.

There's no results show this week; the lowest vote getters will be cut in a special results show on Monday night at 8 ET. I'd like to know how the dancers are supposed to pair up and practice their routines for the final performance show, when they don't know who's been cut. I hope they address that on Monday night. It seems a little mean to have everyone practice over the weekend, and then to cut two dancers before their routines.

Ox Notes: August 8, 2007

According to spoilers for tonight's episode of So You Think You Can Dance, the pair of dancers many of us have been waiting to see perform together finally get their chance. Each couple will perform two dances, and all six of the dancers give a solo as well. Mercifully, the show is only scheduled to last one hour -- more dancing, less filler!

Following up on the New York Magazine story about Bravo reality shows mentioned in Monday's OxNotes, Jay McCarroll is going out of his way to prove that he's not homeless. Queer Eye's Ted Allen had this to say about Jay: "He’s really kind of a jackass, whether he won Project Runway or not."

Here's hoping that life after a reality show works out better for Age of Love's Mark Philippoussis and Amanda Salinas, who reunited in Las Vegas on Monday to watch the show's finale.

At this time next year, I will be watching some of the 3,600 hours of Olympic coverage NBC has planned.

Provided that NBC can work the Olympic coverage into their busy schedule of pedophile-trapping shows, of course. This Variety article questions the wisdom and ethics of the network's creepy policy of exploiting parents' fears for ratings.

I can't think of any show that makes everyone involved look bad the way that To Catch a Predator does -- not even The Real World (the Sydney season debuts tonight at 10 ET on MTV).

Pirate Master: Episode 11

Somehow, Louie managed to survive for another week on Pirate Master, despite making one of the stupidest moves in reality show history.

As soon as Nessa was eliminated, Jay began planning a way to ensure that his puppet captain, Christa, would stay in power. Step one: make sure that Christa's Black Crew won the next challenge.

Jay had his chance the following day, when Christa was joined on her crew by Louie and Ben, and Jay lead the Red Crew of Laurel and Kendra. Even though his team was already mismatched physically, Jay did his best to make the Red Crew even worse.

As the crews rowed to shore, Jay kept up a pokey pace, allowing the Black Crew to gain a significant lead. But his efforts nearly failed when the Black Crew took a wrong turn running through the jungle, allowing the Red Crew to catch up.

When the teams returned to the beach to search for a chain buried near a giant anchor, Jay was the only person looking in the correct spot. He quietly whispered to Ben to follow the chain into the ocean.

Ben discovered a cluebox on the seafloor, and he had the Black Crew row out and haul it up. The Black Crew used their clue to find the treasure chest -- which was empty. Even though the winning team earned no gold, Christa remained in power, which was all Jay really wanted.

He and Ben celebrated by playing a simple game of "high card." The two of them each picked a card randomly from a deck. The player with the highest card won $500 from the other, each round.

Even after Jay drew the same red queen three times out of four, Ben still didn't realize that Jay was pulling one over on him with some simple sleight of hand. Jay happily took Ben's money and congratulated himself for aligning with such a strong, dumb guy.

Riding high, Jay wasn't careful when he talked with Ben about possibly having to get rid of Christa, who they agreed was smarter than they'd expected. Kendra was snooping on the conversation, vowing to use the info to her advantage.

Her chance came when Christa called the crew in one at a time to nominate two pirates to receive Black Spots. Kendra said that, while she knew for sure she'd be up, Christa ought to think about cutting Jay loose before he did it to her.

Christa's decision this week was made very easy for her. Kendra was a given, and to make sure she'd finally be sent home, Louie heroically volunteered himself for the other Black Spot, counting on the loyalty of his friends to keep him safe.

This was tremendously stupid, because at this point in the game, loyalty means very little. Jay and Ben realized that, as much as they wanted Kendra gone, this was a good opportunity to get rid of another strong player in Louie.

It didn't take long for Louie to realize his boneheadedness, and at Pirates Court he was forced to mumble meekly about how the others should keep him around because he's so slow and nonthreatening.

Jay suggested that Kendra was dangerous because she was sneaky, and that seemed to be the reason that the crew needed to finally get rid of her. The fact that she annoyed all of them hadn't been enough during her five previous Black Spot nominations.

Kendra was cut adrift, saving the audience from the possibility of a thoroughly boring finale.

Next time, Ben and Christa finally realize that Jay cannot be trusted. I hope this realization comes a little too late to get rid of him; Jay's the only real player on this entire show.

Ox Notes: August 7, 2007

Ahead of tonight's AFL-CIO sponsored Democratic presidential debate on MSNBC at 7 ET, TV Guide has an interview with moderator Keith Olbermann.

I tuned in for the end of Age of Love last night to confirm that Mark Philippoussis would do what we always knew he would: dump the older woman and pick the younger one.

Also on TV last night was the HBO premiere of the documentary White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In case, like me, you missed it, the documentary was released on DVD today.

On the same subject, I just finished reading First Into Nagasaki by Anthony Weller, a collection of articles written by his father, reporter George Weller, who snuck into Nagasaki four weeks after the city was bombed, before reporters were allowed in. The articles were censored at the time, and most never made it into print. The book presents the unique perspectives of Japanese doctors, American POWs, and Weller himself on the immediate aftermath of the atomic bomb.

In other important news of the world, Mario Lopez ran on a treadmill, and Samantha Harris had a baby shower -- the celebrity kind where the venue holding the shower provides the presents.

Finally, Wizard Entertainment has a list of the Top 25 Cliffhangers of All Time, from every entertainment genre. Expect spoilers.

Ox Notes: August 6, 2007

New York Magazine's latest cover story is an expose on what happens to Project Runway and Top Chef contestants after the show is over. In the case of most of the Project Runway folks, not much, unless the designers were already somewhat successful. Some designers new to the business side of fashion, like Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll, have had a hard time capitalizing on their fame.

The piece is catches up with several of the designers from Project Runway, but provides few updates on the cast of Top Chef. The article also mentions a contract Bravo recently signed with a talent management firm to help contestants in their post-show transition. Hopefully, the magazine will revisit that relationship in years to come; I'm very curious (and hopeful, for the sake of the contestants) to see if it works.

In other reality show news, NBC has renewed Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent for next summer.

Presidential candidates are scheduling campaign stops on The Daily Show:
August 8 -- Joe Biden
August 16 -- John McCain
August 20 -- Tommy Thompson
August 22 -- Barack Obama

And beware of these 12 types of commercials. Although it's okay to have a soft spot for Tiny House.

Ox Notes: August 3, 2007

Let the fall schedule reshuffling begin. Fox has pushed its new scripted series Highlander, er, New Amsterdam (hey, they're both about immortal guys...and there can be only one, after all) back until January to make room for more Don't Forget the Lyrics.

And one reviewer suggests that ABC's comedy Cavemen is so bad it might never make it to air.

One new show to be excited about is The Return of Jezebel James. Not only is it written by the creator of Gilmore Girls -- a great show in its early seasons -- but it stars Lauren Ambrose and Parker Posey.

Also new for the fall is a guest spot on Smallville for another former Superman, Dean Cain.

While the networks focus on bringing new material to the airwaves, Discovery is expanding its online offerings. Episodes of Dirty Jobs and TLC's LA Ink will be available on the Internet the day after the episode's initial airdate. The first episode of the new season of Animal Planet's addictive Meerkat Manor is available online now -- a week before the new season begins.

Reality Blurred did some calculating and discovered that the $1 million prize for winning America's Got Talent isn't really worth $1 million -- it's actually more like $375,000.

If you'd like to brush up on your dancing skills with a little help from the Dancing with the Stars pros, there are a couple of great opportunities next week. Tony Dovolani and Elena Grinenko will be in Huntington, West Virginia on Monday and Tuesday, performing and offering classes for adults and kids as part of a charity fundraiser.

And Maksim Chmerkovskiy with be in the Chicago area Monday through Wednesday, giving private lessons at the Fred Astaire Chicago North Studio in Buffalo Grove. Maksim's brother, Valentin, will be offering his own private instruction at the same studio on August 15 & 16.

SYTYCD 3, Top 8: Results

It was time to say B-bye to the B-boy and -girl on tonight's episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

To start the show, the group performed a Matrix-inspired (I think) routine choreographed by Shane Sparks to Ciara's "Get Up." Then Nigel killed the mood by launching into a warning for the dancers that they need to start thinking now about what to do with their lives after their dancing careers are over.

Since there were still 50 minutes of show to fill, all eight of the dancers gave solos in their own styles. The girls went first, followed by the boys.

Girls' Solos:
Sara -- Big Daddy Kane,"Set it off"
Lacey -- Rocket Summer, "I'm Doing Everything"
Sabra -- Shemekia Copeland, "Better Not Touch"
Lauren -- P. Diddy feat. Keshia Coles, "Last Night"

Lacey's solo was the weakest of the bunch; there was so little content that, despite being only 30 seconds long, Lacey's solo was boring. She's great with a partner, but I'm not sold on her as a soloist.

Boys' Solos:
Neil -- James Morrison, "Better Man"
Danny -- Elvis Presley, "Fever"
Dominic -- Carl Carlton, "She's a Bad Mama Jama"
Pasha -- "Scott and Fran's Paso Doble" from Strictly Ballroom

Pasha had the best solo of the guys, and not just because he did his shirtless (although it certainly didn't hurt). He wisely chose to dance a solo Paso Doble -- the Latin dance that most naturally suits a solo performance -- using a cape as a prop. Did I mention he was shirtless?

The girls were brought out first to find out which two received the lowest number of votes, and then the boys learned their results. Sara and Lauren wound up at the bottom with Neil and Dominic.

The final results would have to wait a little longer, as it was then time for the band One Republic to perform their single "Apologize."

Finally, we learned whose journey was over. Sara and Dominic were sent packing.

Nigel used the opportunity to commend Sara and Dominic for conducting themselves with class at a time when other young celebs are getting into trouble. Dominic then used his final moments onstage to molest his one true love, Cat Deeley.

I was surprised and disappointed to see Sara go. Not only was she my favorite girl, but she's shown more growth than the other remaining girls. Here's hoping that this isn't the last we've seen of her.

Ox Notes: August 2, 2007

TV Guide has interviews with Jamie and Kameron, the dancers eliminated last week on So You Think You Can Dance. Jamie reveals that the sparks between her and Hok were fake; he's actually got a crush on someone else in the cast.

Two years since his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, John O'Hurley has released an instructional dance DVD with his pro partner from the show, Charlotte Jorgensen. When the show returns in September, pregnant co-host Samantha Harris plans to be there "for as many days as I’m feeling up to it."

In news of other co-hosts, Whoopi Goldberg has officially joined the cast of The View. While the show is still looking for another panel member, talks appear to be breaking down between ABC and comedian Sherri Shepherd. Apparently, Shepherd wants to be paid the same amount as Joy Behar and Elizabeth Hasselbeck, even though she'd only be the fifth funniest member of the current panel.

Following up on the story about the orphaned teens allegedly kicked out of the home they shared with a family who appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a judge dismissed their case against ABC since the show contract wasn't in their names.