A Convenient Distraction

ABDC S5E10: Hip-Hop Nation & Last Chance Challenge - LOL, "ABD": Asian Booty Disease? i.e. the general lack of an ass. The Hip-Hop Nation challenges are usually pretty fun since it's like a grab bag of dance styles and I was impressed with Hype 5-0's energy coming out, but raised an eyebrow at their dissing as I don't think they performed that well across the season to be throwing out disses. But you know . . . both Blue Print Cru and Poreotics left us with pretty low energy last performances. D: You have to take a cue from We Are Heroes and go for manic energy, ABDC crews! It's about audience connection! (Like why After School beat SNSD at SDB--gotta bring the energy and get the audience into it.) I was ready to go with Blue Print Cru, as I think they brought some pretty consistent quality over the season, but then I saw their last performance; I think Poreotics' comic video game shtick will carry them in the end. (Ah, I love me some old school gaming music. XD They needed a Tetris remix up in here!)

Fawk YEAH, new Beat Freaks routine! ( Yeah, I know it's from February and I'm just slow. )

ROFL, I woke up to your guys' conflicting messages about last night's show.

Thankfully there weren't that many SNSD videos. . . . That was underwhelming. But Beat Freaks' ABDC performances playing in the background as I type this is hyping me up. "YOU, YOU, YOU ARE--!"

just_keep_on says Go Here for better quality vids.

( SBS Gayo Daejun--Girl, I've been waiting all night to see you dance like me . . . (and I saw almost none of such dancing from SNSD D:) )

I said to CP that if this is how SNSD's going to perform on all the end-of-the-year music shows, it'd probably be better for them to not perform and rest up. This was . . . lackluster and reflects poorly on the group that started 2009 with a bang. (But if I ask nicely, will someone gif Hyo feeling herself up? Please? Pretty please? Also, that spin! Don't make me do it myself, my gif-ing skills are so bad. D:)

( Dance links because looking up Beat Freaks put me in the mood for some awesome ABDC performances. )

( Aaaaaaaaaand a fun almost-end-of-the-year SNSD ranking! )

I have decided that:

a) I'm going to avoid soompi a bit for my sanity.

b) if HyoYeon left SNSD for Prepix or a dance crew like Prepix, I would totally sanction it! Just imagining it is making me drool. If I could see Hyo kick it like Yun, I think I would die of fangirly happiness. I'm actually having a hard time envisioning it because the styles we've seen from Hyo aren't like the isolations and slow-fast hip-hop that Prepix does--which is why it would be even more awesome to see Hyo pull off something like this. Seriously, dance fans, watch Prepix's videos.

Apparently, Hyo and Amber are totally BFFs. Or opportunistic dance partners. Really I don't know what's going on but it makes me smile. (Thank you to hyoyeonfan for the heads up.)

juneunhae brought a fancam! Watch the HyoFany!fail (or !win?) and actually see what Hyo and Seo were doing during their "Genie" line. Also see HyoYeon feel herself up (or should that be down?) some more during the "make me hot" dance addition. <3

Rinooooooooooooo! Of course she choreographed f(x)'s "Chu~♥"--that's why you can easily picture the boys, particularly SHINee, doing it. (I had actually wondered if Rino had done it but now it's confirmed.) Rino. ;_; Why can't SM use you to give something like that to SNSD?

I haven't checked out Rino's Twitter account for a while, but looking now she was in Korea from Oct. 12-16th. SM must have flown her out first class. HAHAHAHA. She must have been teaching f(x) the choreo. Rino also mentioned that she didn't do SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong"--Misha Gabriel did, who also did "Ah.Mi.Go." Rino, meanwhile, did the choreography for SHINee's "Noona Neomu Yeppeo (Replay)," "Love Like Oxygen," and "Juliette" and SNSD's "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)." Rino must be on SM's rotating list of choreographers.

Of course since Rino was in Korea (again--she'd visited for "Replay," I believe), I have to wonder if Hyo got to see her at all.

And let's face it: Beats Freaks is awesome. They're too cool to bother counting out beats when they're putting together choreo. Rino mentioned she and a few other Beat Freakers had participated in Missy Elliot's 2004 "I'm Really Hot." I totally caught sight of Rino and Theresa in Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music" MV (@0:55 that's Rino on the far left in the white tee and baseball cap; @3:26 you can clearly see Theresa with her bright red hair dye job and I believe that may be Theresa @1:11 rubbing up on Britney, lol).

Dude, Beat Freaks. I think a lot of the choreo they did for ABDC, though shorter, is tougher than the stuff that Rino gives SM's groups, lol

Question: What's happened to all of Hyo's bling? I take it that she's consciously been more or less "cleaning" up her image by not wearing her bellybutton ring and not decking out her ears (though wearing a necklace that says "SEXY" and that teal blue curved barbell in her right ear's rook piercing are . . . interesting choices), but what happened to the two mystery rings that she used to wear all the time and that had been shifted across her fingers over time? I haven't seen 'em this time around in the "Genie" promotions but she was still wearing them up until "Gee." Seeing a "Gee" period pic made me wonder what happened to 'em. Huh.

"You, you, you are . . . !" Check out Maryss checking out Rino in that opening. I love that theatricality she throws into it, too, the way she's whistling with her whole body. And--AHAHAHAHA--JC: "You were crispy." AHAHAHAHAHAHA, wth, so white. Don't be surprised if you see some moves reminiscent of TMYW in here.

"Girl, I want to battle. Meet me downstairs. Bring your dancing shoes and something to tie your hair." Maryyyyyyyyssss! Lil' Mama going off on a tangent as she will do.

IT WILL NEVER GET OLD. Why does this season suck so much? There's no excitement. On the plus side, I spotted Maryss in the crowd in this week's episode--looks like she's back in the States. And I never knew that Theresa and Rino were back up dancers for Britney Spears before ABDC. I knew that Maryss worked with Chris Brown. Their individual resumes considered, it's not surprising that they were able to adapt to the challenges so well. It doesn't hurt either, I'm sure, that so many of them actively teach dance.

"I'm gonna take my time. She gon' get hers before I. I'm gonna take it slow. I'm not gonna rush a stroke. So she can get a . . . sensual seduction." That hand thing is truly awesome.

"Thriller! Thriller night!" AHAHAHA: "We don't look as cool as [Michael Jackson] does!" I love that waving part at 2:11+.

Oh, Kaba. <3

What is this season's missing element? Good music mixes? The crews themselves? The fact that every video package is a sob story? It distresses me that I can't pinpoint the problem!

Kwon YuRi can dance--but maybe not so much sing in English. I'm not a big fan of attempts to sing in a language where your pronunciation may not be there. (Madonna, I'm looking at you and that sorry song called "Sorry"! I wince every time I hear the GO. MEN. NA. SAI. *shudder*)

In other dance news: I can't find the magic this season of ABDC. I don't know what's not there but I don't feel energized by any of the performances on the stage. I like this and that from groups--Afroborike does truly amazing partner work and lifts, Rhythm City has a smorgasbord of styles to exhibit and is generally really crisp and clean, We Are Heroes works the popping (and their hips this week), Massive Monkees performs some incredible stunts, Vogue Evolution is something so rarely celebrated on television--but . . . there's something missing. I don't feel a connection with the stages. Every other season there has always been at least one crew per performance that could get me jumping up and down in excitement. I'm not getting that here. =( There seems to be a real lack of being able to not only adjust to the challenges but to be able to take the challenge element and incorporate it into their own styles (S1's Kaba Modern, masters of isolations, was champion at this).

I really thought that We Are Heroes would be the second coming of Beat Freaks but I think there may be a world of difference between the levels of each group's choreography. BF just seems so dynamic when they perform--but that may be because that instead of having an entire crew that specializes in shared forms of dance, Beat Freaks is more about having members that bring different skills.

They need to have an ABDC All Stars: all the winners (JabbaWockeeZ, Super Cr3w, Quest Crew), and, hrm, who would I want back? Beat Freaks, Kaba Modern (the members that did ABDC specifically), Fanny Pak. (LOL, I barely remember Season 2's winner-runner-up Super Cr3w and SoReal Cru--shows how much Fanny Pak left an impression on me.) The funny thing is, I think on just a pure dance level, this season's Southern Movement, Rhythm City, maybe We Are Heroes even could compete with any of the previous seasons'--but, like I said, the challenges have crippled this season. D: D: D:

"We go out to the clubs and wear heels but popping in them? No one has done that." -Nichelle Thrower

Yeah, Hyo, so stop letting people talk you into popping in high heels--especially the ITNW solo. LOL

In other performances, Rhythm City brought theatrics. Vogue Evolution brought more diva attitude than you can handle. AfroBorike brought sex.

I tried making gifs yesterday from Hyo's "Chocolate" solo, but, dude, they're hard work considering the crappy quality of my gifs. /fail =( Albeit, the camera cuts make it hard to isolate just one section. Though it is really cool watching it frame by frame.

( With the end of 'Genie' promotions, maybe the girls can fulfill that wish of taking a vacation together? )

Writing as I watch, so edits will be coming.

I am way distracted by Lil' Mama's jewelry. What the heck? Spotted Beat Freaks Rino and Shorty in the crowd. SNSD has spoiled me for in sync dancing b/c I keep noticing people out of sync. ABDC is all about heartwarming stories and confessionals, apparently--does every crew have an agenda? Huh, ABDC will be airing every Sunday now.

( Beat Ya Feet Kings--mad footwork, but consequently a little messy )
( We Are Heroes--ZOMG, female popping-locking crew! )
( AfroBorike--salsa, latin crew )
( Massive Monkees--b-boys )
( Artistry in Motion--classically-trained hip-hoppers )
( Southern Movement--hick-hop?! )
( Rhythm City--possibly my favorite this season?! )
( Fr3sh--the all-Asian crew )
( Vogue Evolution--wow, an all-gay crew! )
( Sudden Death Elimination Face Off--freakin' awesome, they should always have these direct face-off battles!--results after yet another round of commercials! )

Wow. There wasn't a crew where I thought, "Wow, how did they make it through the auditions?" That makes me happy. Oh man, the level of talent is really high this season. The lowest common denominator is not low at all, whereas in previous seasons there were crews I wanted voted off almost immediately (some survived for a very long time, making me question America's tastes . . . but that's to be expected, I think). I'M WAY EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON!

Ah, I missed all the "BRING IT" commentary. LOL. And Mario Lopez's fail!MCing. LOL.

AHAHAHA. Beyonce tribute episode. Dude, Hyo, why aren't you in a creeew?!

For those who don't want to watch on MTV's schedule, MTV does put up full episodes on the ABDC website. You might have to wait until the day after the episodes air, though. MTV is hardcore about trying to have YT vids pulled, so this is really your best online bet. I am actually sitting here watching the re-run on TV.

America’s Best Dance Crew Season 4 - premier August 9th at 9:00 pm on MTV

YAY! New crews better bring it.

Project Runway Premieres August 20th on Lifetime.

Recently finished reading Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five for the first time. Apparently I was in the mood for discombobulated war tales. Only I didn't know that at the time. There was one part/quote I particularly was amused by in Catch-22 that ends with:

     "Stop it! Stop it!" Leiutenant Scheisskopf's wife screamed suddenly, and began beating him ineffectually about the head with both fists. "Stop it!"
     Yossarian ducked behind his arm for protection while she slammed away at him in feminine fury for a few seconds, and then he caught her determinedly by the wrists and forced her gently back down on the bed. "What the hell are you getting so upset about?" He asked her bewilderedly in a tone of contrite amusement. "I thought you didn't believe in God."
     "I don't," she sobbed, bursting violently into tears. "But the God I don't believe in is a good God, a just God, a merciful God. He's not the mean and stupid God you make Him out to be."
     Yossarian laughed and turned her arms loose. "Let's have a little more religious freedom between us," he proposed obligingly. "You don't believe in the God you want to, and I won't believe in the God I want to. Is that a deal?"

Eeee, auditions for the 4th Season of America's Best Dance Crew begin in June! Damn, I love this show but can there be even better crews this season? 3rd Season was kind of headed by Beat Freaks and Quest Crew from early on. For some reason, I can't seem to remember 2nd SeasonI take that back! Fanny Pak! I was initially turned off by FP, but man did I come to love their wacky theatrics. In terms of off-the-wall eccentricity, Fanny Pak takes the cake. And, of course, Season 1 was all about Kaba Modern and Jabbawockeez for me, though Kaba didn't make it into the finals (despite having such awesome choreography--I loved how effortlessly they always seemed to take a challenge and make it their own).

Have some more Beat Freaks performing at World of Dance 2009. Is it silly that my favorite part is actually this little bit in the beginning that has nothing to do with their performance? BF can't hear the music so they ask the tech people to turn it up and as they go off stage to get back into position, Lindsey, I think, starts doing like the running man and Maryss starts "pulling" her in behind the curtain. It was just cute and random.

To enjoy all three seasons of ABDC, go to mtv.com where you can watch full episodes. (I feel like a commercial.)

OMG, I totally forgot to mention this when I found out about it. When I took a Jane Austen seminar, we read and watched a bunch of Austen-related things because there are 100001 things written about, on, spun-off from, and pertaining to Austen and her literary legacy. The not-joke joke was that if you want to make some money in publishing, write something related to Austen--it's almost guaranteed to do well. Now there is truly proof of that:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!!!!

This is an actual novel. I'm not kidding. Already there are bidding wars, apparently, to make a movie of this because, as we all know, Elizabeth Bennet isn't badass enough just being who she is but now she is also snarky and a zombie killer. Whoa. I don't know whether to laugh or to get a copy of the book so that I can line it up next to all my Oxford copies of Austen. I knew Austen and popular culture were like this *crosses fingers* but this is a whole new marriage. LOL.

Oh, btw, people planning to attend Anime Expo this year, you might want to prepare/brace yourselves for the influx of Morning Musume wota. MM is finally visiting the States and Anime Expo is their venue. The current line up doesn't seem to be as much of a draw as previous ones might have been, but don't be surprised if there are a ton of screaming fanboys and fangirls the day that MM shows up.

And because I looked into the Beat Freaks some more, I cannot believe how much talent they've crammed into one group. No wonder they've got a million styles going on. I'm so amused that Maryss's nickname is "Maryss from Paris." Interviews! Also funny: Shorty says, "When I was young, I hated dancing." Apparently a b-girl soul shouldn't be born to professional ballet dancers. YT also yields videos of the members practicing or teaching classes. Ugh, I wish I could dance. =(

Here I spam with SNSD videos (credits to soshisubs where applicable): LOL @ their recent appearance on Star Golden Bell: TaeYeon's and HyoYeon's sleeping habits, SooYoung stealing food, YuRi being annoyed at Tiffany's insufficient Korean skillz. They looked incredible in the recent episode of "We Got Married"--TaeYeon makes a beautiful bride and her 8 bridesmaids looked gorgeous. But for her poor "husband" to acquire "sisters-in-law" like them? Rough. Gorgeous, but rough on a guy. If these girls remain that close into their adult lives, I'm almost afraid for their future (already existing on the downlow?) boyfriends. I do not like the Gee Remix. What is up with the choreography and half of the group freezing at points? I don't get it. Mark of pros? HyoYeon had said in Factory Girl that if they fall during a performance, they just get up and continue. Well, she had to fumble with her mic pack (her face: "Aw, dammit, come on!") but pulls off a recovery made smoother by the help of the camera cutting her off in the corner. Jessica was like, "What's going on here?"

And it should not be right that TaeYeon is wearing suspenders that suspend nothing! They are clipped to her t-shirt suspending nothing! Can they even be called suspenders?!