This performance - from Jay-Z's really ugly leather vest to Alicia Keys's six-inch plastic stripper heels - fills me with joy. Oh, and the song is good too, I guess.
Why I feel such affection for a city I've never been to will always confuse me. I'm gonna go ahead and blame "The Great Gatsby" for this one.
Also, could MTV just give it up and not bleep out the "bad" words? This is what you fucking get when you invite a rapper to perform. Just accept it!
P.S. Pfft, who the fuck let Lil Mama onstage? Dear god isn't hosting "America's Best Dance Crew" good enough for this trick?
Showing posts with label abdc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abdc. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I'm pretty sure dances like the Stanky Leg and Halle Berry are failures of our civilization.
It's been a slow morning; I've spent it re-watching the clips from this Sunday's episode of "America's Best Dance Crew," in which the groups had to incorporate various dance crazes, like the Twist, Stanky Leg and Halle Berry (which I had never fucking heard of before), into their routines while also using a trampoline. Lots of factors at once! Anyway, Vogue Evolution, the all-gay crew fronted by Leyomi Maldonado, got ousted this week, and though I think it would have meant a lot for them to win it all, their dance style just isn't going to cut it when compared to the flips and athletics of other crews.
Plus, I think their performance just paled in comparison to We Are Heroes', who spent the second week in the bottom two but got saved again by the judges - and totally deservedly. They remind me a bit of Fanny Pack, in that they mash lots of theatrical elements into their choreography, but like ... better.
So, four crews left: We Are Heroes, Massive Monkees, Rhythm City and AfroBoriké. I'm totally eying Rhythm City to win it all. Is there any more evidence necessary than the below clip? I think not.
Plus, I think their performance just paled in comparison to We Are Heroes', who spent the second week in the bottom two but got saved again by the judges - and totally deservedly. They remind me a bit of Fanny Pack, in that they mash lots of theatrical elements into their choreography, but like ... better.
So, four crews left: We Are Heroes, Massive Monkees, Rhythm City and AfroBoriké. I'm totally eying Rhythm City to win it all. Is there any more evidence necessary than the below clip? I think not.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 6
Who's staying: Rhythm City; Vogue Evolution
Sudden-death: Fr3sh
So Fr3sh, Southern Movement and Beat Ya Feet Kings all have to perform to the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow."
Beat Ya Feet Kings went first: Tons of popping and locking and very precise, but it took a long time to get started and when you only have 30 seconds, that doesn't seem like the smartest idea.
Southern Movement: Similar with lots of intricate stuff, but also had line dancing and this section where nearly all the dancers became piano keys and one of their comrades stood above them and played them. Kinda awesome.
Fr3sh: Yes, shaking asses! They also used more actual choreography than Beat Ya Feet Kings and Southern Movement, and had a better balance between footwork and formations, but didn't do anything stupendously eye-catching.
The final verdict: Fr3sh is out. I hate Jersey too, but seriously? That's some bullshit; I thought they were really clean overall. Pour some out, kids.
Next week: The crews will all dance to jams from Beyonce. I'm hoping for a smackdown from Leiomy, and I'm gunning for Southern Movement. Hick-hop has got to go!
Sudden-death: Fr3sh
So Fr3sh, Southern Movement and Beat Ya Feet Kings all have to perform to the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow."
Beat Ya Feet Kings went first: Tons of popping and locking and very precise, but it took a long time to get started and when you only have 30 seconds, that doesn't seem like the smartest idea.
Southern Movement: Similar with lots of intricate stuff, but also had line dancing and this section where nearly all the dancers became piano keys and one of their comrades stood above them and played them. Kinda awesome.
Fr3sh: Yes, shaking asses! They also used more actual choreography than Beat Ya Feet Kings and Southern Movement, and had a better balance between footwork and formations, but didn't do anything stupendously eye-catching.
The final verdict: Fr3sh is out. I hate Jersey too, but seriously? That's some bullshit; I thought they were really clean overall. Pour some out, kids.
Next week: The crews will all dance to jams from Beyonce. I'm hoping for a smackdown from Leiomy, and I'm gunning for Southern Movement. Hick-hop has got to go!
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 5
Who's staying: Massive Monkees; Artistry in Motion
Sudden-death: Southern Movement
Next up: Rhythm City
I think it's really bad on my part that I can recognize that all their clothes are from Urban Outfitters. But anyway, I really liked the second part of their performance; not so hot on the first half. I felt like things sped up a lot and got more spontaneous toward the end (especially with that crazy chest cell phone thing), and the judges agreed:
Shane: "From the choreography, y'all killed it; the look, y'all killed it; transitions, y'all killed it ... Y'all nailed everything."
Lil Mama: "I definitely agree with Shane. ... Let's get it." (What does that even MEAN? Lil Mama, is Paula Abdul your secret parent?!)
JC: "I'm gonna have to say that was probably the cleanest performance we've seen so far tonight. It's in the details; easily, you're my favorites so far."
After that came Fr3sh, who want to be "America's best dance crew, not America's best Asian dance crew." That's going to be hard, you know, cuz they're ... all ... Asian. But they go way harder than Kaba Modern did - maybe that's the Jersey in them or something.
JC: "You know what, Dirty Jersey's in the house. Goodness gracious. ... I would say, when you're doing an aggressive dance, the last thing I would think of is Tinkerbell. So be cognizant."
Shane: "You all were like, so street tonight. ... That's what I call real dancing."
Lil Mama: "We need something different, we need something fun, and yeah, I agree. It was good."
LASTLY: All-gay crew Vogue Evolution, whose centerpiece is Leiomy, a transgendered woman who Beyonce has supposedly been jacking moves from. This shit is intense; trust.
Here's what everyone said:
Lil Mama: "You guys are perfect. ... I think that you guys are definitely bringing a new element to the show - it's new, it's hot, it's interesting. It's daring, and when I say daring, I dare you to go, I dare you to make it, I dare you to win - and no one is going to expect a group like yours to be America's Best Dance Crew. ... But you gotta bring it."
JC: "What I like about this group is that I like the fact that you guys are battle-tested. You've already been competing ... and what I like choreography-wise is the levels ... the drama, of course, was wonderful. Leiomy, I felt like I was watching 'Flashdance' at the end."
Shane: "I don't know how to feel right now. ... Y'all just ripped the stage, but I didn't know what to expect. You all are so committed to what y'all do, and it's about time for this style to be exposed. ... Thank you."
Sudden-death: Southern Movement
Next up: Rhythm City
I think it's really bad on my part that I can recognize that all their clothes are from Urban Outfitters. But anyway, I really liked the second part of their performance; not so hot on the first half. I felt like things sped up a lot and got more spontaneous toward the end (especially with that crazy chest cell phone thing), and the judges agreed:
Shane: "From the choreography, y'all killed it; the look, y'all killed it; transitions, y'all killed it ... Y'all nailed everything."
Lil Mama: "I definitely agree with Shane. ... Let's get it." (What does that even MEAN? Lil Mama, is Paula Abdul your secret parent?!)
JC: "I'm gonna have to say that was probably the cleanest performance we've seen so far tonight. It's in the details; easily, you're my favorites so far."
After that came Fr3sh, who want to be "America's best dance crew, not America's best Asian dance crew." That's going to be hard, you know, cuz they're ... all ... Asian. But they go way harder than Kaba Modern did - maybe that's the Jersey in them or something.
JC: "You know what, Dirty Jersey's in the house. Goodness gracious. ... I would say, when you're doing an aggressive dance, the last thing I would think of is Tinkerbell. So be cognizant."
Shane: "You all were like, so street tonight. ... That's what I call real dancing."
Lil Mama: "We need something different, we need something fun, and yeah, I agree. It was good."
LASTLY: All-gay crew Vogue Evolution, whose centerpiece is Leiomy, a transgendered woman who Beyonce has supposedly been jacking moves from. This shit is intense; trust.
Here's what everyone said:
Lil Mama: "You guys are perfect. ... I think that you guys are definitely bringing a new element to the show - it's new, it's hot, it's interesting. It's daring, and when I say daring, I dare you to go, I dare you to make it, I dare you to win - and no one is going to expect a group like yours to be America's Best Dance Crew. ... But you gotta bring it."
JC: "What I like about this group is that I like the fact that you guys are battle-tested. You've already been competing ... and what I like choreography-wise is the levels ... the drama, of course, was wonderful. Leiomy, I felt like I was watching 'Flashdance' at the end."
Shane: "I don't know how to feel right now. ... Y'all just ripped the stage, but I didn't know what to expect. You all are so committed to what y'all do, and it's about time for this style to be exposed. ... Thank you."
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 4
One of the women from Artistry in Motion says: "In the industry, you're expected to be a certain body type. I've been told over and over and over again that I can't be a dancer because of my body type, and one time I quit because of it and was lost without dancing. And now I'm back."
So all the women in this crew are dancers and teachers who feel "there's more to hip-hop than just shaking your bottom." I agree, but I'm pretty sure that shit doesn't show up on music videos for a reason, and that's probably because ... it's boring. Unsurprisingly, their performance was a little too artsy (ha) for me, and it just seemed like there were too many girls on stage and not enough shit actually happening.
Plus, I really, really hate American Apparel's denim leggings. That shit should be banned, forever.
Judges thought differently:
Lil Mama: "You guys are incredible ... you had the tightest choreography on the show tonight, by far. I enjoyed your performance."
Shane: "That was a flawless routine."
JC: "I thought you guys had a mostly clean routine, but the line at the end just did get a little flustered. But overall you did, you guys did have a really clean performance."
Next came Southern Movement, who coined the phrase "hick-hop." They claim they're not gimmicky, but dude, you guys danced to Dirks Bentley in plaid shirts and cowboy hats. How is that not inviting criticism?
Yet I am intrigued by that faux-gun move at the end. Kind of awesome.
JC: "I had fun with you guys, you were really animated. The guns blazing, that was nice at the end. The only thing I would say is think about your levels a little bit more ... but you guys were very entertaining."
Lil Mama: "I agree with JC, my favorite part was definitely the second half - hip-hop."
Shane: "I totally wasn't expecting that, but y'all actually can dance your butts off, and I didn't care too much for the music. But if I just watched y'all dance, you were ripping the stage tonight."
So all the women in this crew are dancers and teachers who feel "there's more to hip-hop than just shaking your bottom." I agree, but I'm pretty sure that shit doesn't show up on music videos for a reason, and that's probably because ... it's boring. Unsurprisingly, their performance was a little too artsy (ha) for me, and it just seemed like there were too many girls on stage and not enough shit actually happening.
Plus, I really, really hate American Apparel's denim leggings. That shit should be banned, forever.
Judges thought differently:
Lil Mama: "You guys are incredible ... you had the tightest choreography on the show tonight, by far. I enjoyed your performance."
Shane: "That was a flawless routine."
JC: "I thought you guys had a mostly clean routine, but the line at the end just did get a little flustered. But overall you did, you guys did have a really clean performance."
Next came Southern Movement, who coined the phrase "hick-hop." They claim they're not gimmicky, but dude, you guys danced to Dirks Bentley in plaid shirts and cowboy hats. How is that not inviting criticism?
Yet I am intrigued by that faux-gun move at the end. Kind of awesome.
JC: "I had fun with you guys, you were really animated. The guns blazing, that was nice at the end. The only thing I would say is think about your levels a little bit more ... but you guys were very entertaining."
Lil Mama: "I agree with JC, my favorite part was definitely the second half - hip-hop."
Shane: "I totally wasn't expecting that, but y'all actually can dance your butts off, and I didn't care too much for the music. But if I just watched y'all dance, you were ripping the stage tonight."
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 3
Who's staying: We Are Heroes; AfroBoriké
Sudden-death: Beat Ya Feet Kings
Next up: Massive Monkees
They're also doing the whole B-boy thing, with lots of acrobatics and bouncing on elbows and flipping so many times that I want to vomit. They're definitely good ... I just don't know if they can compare with Quest Crew or Super Crew or the glory that is the Jabbawockeez.
Here's what the judges had to say about Massive Monkees:
Shane: "100%, you all gave it to me. There's so many things I could talk about in this piece, but I don't have enough time to do that."
JC: "There's a lot of things that I like about you guys - I love that you have community support, and are doing a positive thing."
Lil Mama: "You guys set the tone for the second half, for sure."
Sudden-death: Beat Ya Feet Kings
Next up: Massive Monkees
They're also doing the whole B-boy thing, with lots of acrobatics and bouncing on elbows and flipping so many times that I want to vomit. They're definitely good ... I just don't know if they can compare with Quest Crew or Super Crew or the glory that is the Jabbawockeez.
Here's what the judges had to say about Massive Monkees:
Shane: "100%, you all gave it to me. There's so many things I could talk about in this piece, but I don't have enough time to do that."
JC: "There's a lot of things that I like about you guys - I love that you have community support, and are doing a positive thing."
Lil Mama: "You guys set the tone for the second half, for sure."
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 2
Next up: We Are Heroes, who describe themselves as: "we're just artistic, and we're women." And one of their members proclaims, "My dad doesn't want to see my dance at all, I'm trying to prove myself to him. I have to." I feel like with every Asian crew on ABDC, there's always some kind of awful child-family relationship. But whatever; here's their performance:
Really synced up, lots of American Apparel and cleavage, did some Matrix type shit that was super-impressive. They said they want to finish what Beat Freaks started last season, but from what I just saw, they've definitely got more flexibility (uh, like physically and stylistically).
Judges' quotes:
Mario: "You all are my heroes, that was tight!" Oh, Mario.
Lil Mama: "It was a little slow ... but you guys are definitely, definitely talented, and worth being here in this competition. ... I love women who come to the show and bring strength ... what I would ask for in future shows is bring more confidence, but you guys are off the chain."
JC: "You guys pop really hard, so that's fun to watch."
Shane: "We Are Heroes, in the house!"
Oh Shane! So eloquent. What a goof.
Next was AfroBoriké from Las Vegas, a mix of Cuban and Puerto Rican. They performed to Marc Anthony, wearing some bras and hot pants with their nation's flags (super-classy; a lot of butt-curve was on display), and with more of a traditionally ethnic style than the kind of shit you see in Pitbull videos.
JC: "There's so much depth in this group ... any dancer loves the movie 'Dirty Dancing,' and it's very sexy to see people partnered up."
Shane: "The energy, we're gonna need that. Choreography-wise, I think you need to broaden your vocabulary a little bit more."
Lil Mama: "I don't want to disagree, but I will say ... I just think you guys should be more together. I love it, just bring it."
Really synced up, lots of American Apparel and cleavage, did some Matrix type shit that was super-impressive. They said they want to finish what Beat Freaks started last season, but from what I just saw, they've definitely got more flexibility (uh, like physically and stylistically).
Judges' quotes:
Mario: "You all are my heroes, that was tight!" Oh, Mario.
Lil Mama: "It was a little slow ... but you guys are definitely, definitely talented, and worth being here in this competition. ... I love women who come to the show and bring strength ... what I would ask for in future shows is bring more confidence, but you guys are off the chain."
JC: "You guys pop really hard, so that's fun to watch."
Shane: "We Are Heroes, in the house!"
Oh Shane! So eloquent. What a goof.
Next was AfroBoriké from Las Vegas, a mix of Cuban and Puerto Rican. They performed to Marc Anthony, wearing some bras and hot pants with their nation's flags (super-classy; a lot of butt-curve was on display), and with more of a traditionally ethnic style than the kind of shit you see in Pitbull videos.
JC: "There's so much depth in this group ... any dancer loves the movie 'Dirty Dancing,' and it's very sexy to see people partnered up."
Shane: "The energy, we're gonna need that. Choreography-wise, I think you need to broaden your vocabulary a little bit more."
Lil Mama: "I don't want to disagree, but I will say ... I just think you guys should be more together. I love it, just bring it."
ABDC - Episode 1, Part 1
Beat Ya Feet Kings: From Washington, dance to go-go. The Washington Post just wrote a story about them, and this is the group's claim: "We're going to do things with our feet that people have never seen before."
The performance: Not bad, but not super-polished, either. One kid's hat fell off during but he didn't flip out, so that's good, but they just looked like they were thinking too hard and not being too spontaneous.
Here are the judges' comments:
Shane: "I love what y'all did with the footwork; I get it, but it was just a little sloppy to me. You gotta come correct on this show. ... You all have to come way harder than that."
Lil Mama: "I agree with Shane. You guys are obviously very, very, very passionate to be here ... but it's like you guys kinda stagnate your energy in your performance. I want y'all to keep your energy up. I just want y'all to open up and show us what DC is about, what that go-go is about."
JC: "I think it can be cleaned up in spots but I think it's just the beginning for you guys. I'd say clean it up, but when the go-go music kicked in, I love the energy you guys gave. You guys felt the music, and I loved that."
Ditto, ditto, ditto. Also, Lil Mama is wearing some ridiculous neon-pink fake gemstone jewelry set, I'll try to post photos of it later when MTV puts video clips up. Can someone just hire her a stylist? Is that really going to break their bank? Just cut back on Mario Lopez's hair-gel budget.
The performance: Not bad, but not super-polished, either. One kid's hat fell off during but he didn't flip out, so that's good, but they just looked like they were thinking too hard and not being too spontaneous.
Here are the judges' comments:
Shane: "I love what y'all did with the footwork; I get it, but it was just a little sloppy to me. You gotta come correct on this show. ... You all have to come way harder than that."
Lil Mama: "I agree with Shane. You guys are obviously very, very, very passionate to be here ... but it's like you guys kinda stagnate your energy in your performance. I want y'all to keep your energy up. I just want y'all to open up and show us what DC is about, what that go-go is about."
JC: "I think it can be cleaned up in spots but I think it's just the beginning for you guys. I'd say clean it up, but when the go-go music kicked in, I love the energy you guys gave. You guys felt the music, and I loved that."
Ditto, ditto, ditto. Also, Lil Mama is wearing some ridiculous neon-pink fake gemstone jewelry set, I'll try to post photos of it later when MTV puts video clips up. Can someone just hire her a stylist? Is that really going to break their bank? Just cut back on Mario Lopez's hair-gel budget.
ABDC!
Fourth season premiere! Happening right now! Will be updating throughout the show.
Here are this season's nine crews:
Beat Ya Feet Kings - from Washington
Fr3sh, from New Jersey
Artistry in Motion, North Hollywood
AfroBoriké, Las Vegas
Rhythm City, Bronx
Southern Movement, Nashville
Massive Monkees, Seattle
We Are Heroes, Los Angeles
Vogue Evolution, New York
Also: Dear Mario Lopez, I have missed your smarminess. Delicious!
Here are this season's nine crews:
Beat Ya Feet Kings - from Washington
Fr3sh, from New Jersey
Artistry in Motion, North Hollywood
AfroBoriké, Las Vegas
Rhythm City, Bronx
Southern Movement, Nashville
Massive Monkees, Seattle
We Are Heroes, Los Angeles
Vogue Evolution, New York
Also: Dear Mario Lopez, I have missed your smarminess. Delicious!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Pat that weave!
Oh, Lil Mama.
It's good to know that your constantly changing hair situation will be a constantly fulfilling delight to me during this season of "America's Best Dance Crew." The best things in life are free.
It's good to know that your constantly changing hair situation will be a constantly fulfilling delight to me during this season of "America's Best Dance Crew." The best things in life are free.
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