SYTYCD Top 10

It’s on, baby.

This is where not only the judges, but I think the viewing audience as well, expects things to really step up a notch. Some pairs did with some routines, others not so much. Last week we said goodbye to Comfort and Thayne, only to see Comfort back and competing once again. Unfortunately I missed the reasons, but Jessie apparently has a medical situation that will keep her from performing for the next four weeks. She will however still be allowed to perform on the tour. Each dancer did one solo between partnered routines and wow - they really stepped them up tonight. I’ll talk mucho brief about those at the end.

The Routines

Our first couple was Courtney and Joshua and it was hard for me to pick which routine to feature! I had to go with the hip hop though, choreographed by Dave Scott. The story was a play of off the Bride of Frankenstein, with Joshua as the mad scientist and the always cute Courtney as his budding creation. So much fun. tons of hard hitting, holla out loud moves from Joshua. Courtney has already proven that white girls can dance and she did pretty damn good herself with this one too. Then there were those parts where Joshua mouthed the words to the song – HOT! I loved them as a pair and felt they played off each other well, showed a lot of commitment and looked like they were having fun.

Their second routine was a rumba by Jean-Marc. Wonderful, beautiful and so sexy. Joshua puts so much passion into whatever he does and adapts to different styles so easily it seems. Courtney has again already proven herself with these kind of slow, undulating and sensual dance styles and she nailed it again. Very hot, very sexy. I was surprised they didn’t get the hot tamale train from Mary.

Kherington and Mark’s first routine was a country western and yikes. I’ll get back to that in a moment. Their second was much better, although the judges didn’t seem to think so. It was a jazz routine by Tyce Diorio, oddly enough with no story to get into character for. Very unusual and I think that may have hurt them in the long run. It was however, at least high energy, fun and upbeat. Marc looked awesome; he seems to have this innate and natural dancing grace that translates well in a lot of what he does. Kherington showed off her vivacity and enthusiasm. The judges didn’t think there was anything added by them though. What do you think?

Their first routine was a two-step. Very awkward. The first ever done on the show and it was boring, simply did not care for it. I thought it cool to give props on the show to that style of dance, but I’d much rather have seen something along the lines of another Bollywood routine or something. I appreciated how the guest judge, Little-C, called them on their mistakes. He gave great critiques for every dance last night, actually. So this was probably my least favorite routine. I do wonder if Kherington is in danger.

Comfort and Twitch. Again another awkward first, so we’ll skip to their second, featured above. It was a hip hop routine by Dave Scott and DAYUM, it was AWESOME! Loved the music, hated Twitch’s outfit, but hey - they danced it so hot. This was both their element and it was great to see each of them nailing it. Honestly, I think this was one of the best of the night.

Back to the first - a smooth waltz. At first glance and on the surface, it was pretty. Looking much closer though, you do start to notice the mistakes and awkwardness. It’s too bad, once I realized Comfort was back I really wanted her to nail both routines. So it was simply OK and that’s really too bad for both her and Twitch at this point. I seriously doubt Twitch is in any trouble though. Comfort may be another story, even with her awesome 2nd performance.

Katee and Will – ah, another dance pair made in heaven. I had to choose their 2nd routine, a Pas de Deux, though and I think you’ll see why when you watch. So graceful, like nothing I’ve ever seen in terms of dance. They danced it to David Archuleta’s version of Imagine too, which just completed their efforts. What can I say except I was blown away and caught completely off guard, in a good, pleasantly dazed way. This one was also in the running for my fave of the night.

Their first routine was a Tyce Diorio Broadway and it was cute. They had a big ‘ole boat out their as a prop and they were in it, out of it, on the side of it and they used that thing like dancing pros. Got a chuckle at Little-C calling Tyce a “beast”. Will made smart move by ripping off his shirt at one point; no doubt he’ll be safe. :D It was cute and simply an OK routine for me, but at least it was fun to watch. Won’t be a memorable one for me though by the end of the season.

Chelsie and Gev - they made a cute couple but I do miss him with Courtney! But anywayz, Chelsie and Gev’s featured dance was their first of the night, a contemporary by Sonya and it was beautiful! Very dynamic, interesting choreography - I’m liking what this Sonya is doing. The dancers felt and looked passionate up there.

Their second routine, and the last of the night, was a jive by Jean Marc and it was a lot of fun. I kind of agree with the judges in that Chelsie outdid Gev. Both were committed, but Chelsie was like lightning, as one of the judges said. Courtney said before that she hoped it would be the best jive ever on the show. Nope, not for me. Anya and Danny from Season 3 still have that spot, IMO. BUT this was fun, it wasn’t a slump by a long shot. So not love, but at least like.

The Solos

In order, we had:

• Chelsie: I thought she was OK, very cute as usual, but nothing really extra in her solo tonight.
• Gev: High b-boy energy, very cool to watch and I would watch this very short demo of skills again.
• Courtney: I think I’d watch any dance this girl does and without a doubt she is my favorite female dancer this season. She always surprises me and her solo was no exception.
• Mark: *crickets* Very strange. That’s all I could think of while watching…
• Comfort: SO much fun to see this gal in her element! You can tell her confidence steps up.
• Twitch: Nigel has said this dancer has musicality. Even if you don’t know exactly what that means, you can kind of understand when you watch Twitch. He is almost ALWAYS amazing.
• Katee: Beautiful, very “flowing”. She just makes me happy when she dances.
• Will: Such strong masculine prowess and power, yet supremely graceful at the same time.
• Kherington: She was fun and sassy, but didn’t blow me away.
• Joshua: amazing, another hard hitting solo and possibly the best one, for me

Predictions and Faves

I hate for anyone to go, really, but they gots to. I think the two girls in danger are Kherington and Comfort. For the guys, it’s harder to say, but will go with Gev and Mark.

After ruminating on it a bit more, I have to go with Courtney and Joshua’s hip hop Frankenstein routine as myu favorite of the night because in the end I want to be entertained to the fullest and hip hop often does that for me. Almost neck and neck with it was Katee and Will’s ballet though. Such a different, strong and moving piece. Will definitely still be some talk about that one come the end of the season and I bet it gets danced on the tour. Oh what the heck, I’ll just say the two routines tied for first with me.

It was hard to choose though. There were a lot more good dances this time than bad. I believe we can expect a Mia Michaels group routine tomorrow night? Someone please correct me if that’s wrong. And feel free to share your faves and disappointments of the show.

Out of the Dark: Postcards

How To Do It

I’ve been thinking of starting a recurring post theme here on ye old blog, that of ways for romance book lovers to come out of the closet (whether it shall actually recur, we shall see). I read all over the net these days about folks that love and love romance books, but would never in a million years pop one out in public and read away, that scandalous cover undulating at the world. Or who would never ever, EVAH read one at work, for fear of ridicule. Or who would never, so long as they and their dog shall live, brandish one in any light outside the small glow that is their bedside lamp. Or wherever their fave reading position takes place. Not that there’s anything wrong with not sharing your reading preferences. But…

I Won Again!

As I told SB Sarah over at Smart Bitches via email, it’s a magical Smart Bitches time of year for me, I guess because….

Got an email yesterday afternoon telling me that I’d won copy of a Georgette Heyer historical and I am actually mucho excited about it, cuz dayum there were a lot of people vying for ten prizes. Emailed the contact at Sourcebooks straight away and whalla! Heyer reading, here we come. So, which title will I get?

I dunno! But it’ll be one of these: An Infamous Army, Friday’s Child, Cotillion, Royal Escape, False Colours, Lady of Quality, Black Sheep, or Faro’s Daughter.

Here’s a quick search I did on Amazon of Heyer titles, in case anyone’s interested in looking them up. Or, err, I might be the only one out there that hasn’t read her work. I’d been seeing mentions here and there about her books and honestly had no clue who this writer was, the author Kalen Hughes gave some great info on Heyer in the contest thread at Smart Bitches. Apparently, she’s the premier author of the Regency romance genre. So where the hell have I been? Glad to be getting one of her books (can you BELIVE my library has maybe only 2-3 of her romance titles? Ugh, actually, yes I can believe it.) and thanks very, very much to Smart Bitches and Sourcebooks. Big congrats to all the other winners too!

The Woes of DNF

I never used to entertain even the thought of DNFs. Did not finish. I would cringe when I saw it mentioned in a review too. How can you form a complete, well-thought-out opinion of a book if you didn’t finish reading the thing? The more I add books to my TBR pile though, and it’s been an alarming amount for me this year, the more I’m catching on to the woes of DNFs.

Facing facts, we’re simply not always going to enjoy what we read. Books will not work for everyone. It doesn’t mean that the writing is not good, that the thing as a whole is not good. It just did not work for a particular reader. So shrug it off, move on to the next book, right?

Book Lust, Cover Apathy

What I’m wanting lately:

Is it just me, or does this cover model look really iffy about the book he’s on? Ran across it while lusting after books on Amazon and did a double-take because while this dude may look hot in some ways, he just looks uncomfortable to me. Is something riding up perhaps? Don’t think he’s doing the book any favors with his squinty-eyed stare. The names alone, I think, would catch eyes more than anything. And the stories do sound good. Hmmm, not liking this cover though, nosiree.

This is one I’ve had my eye on, or rather I’ve tried hard to remember it’s coming out. And it releases July 29! I just don’t know, fellow Blogosphereites: is it really fair to have so many books to read but no time to read ‘em all? Yeah, let’s all go cry in our Captain Crunch over that one.

So we have the opposite problem with this cover: the full torso minus the head. The more I see them, the more I’m just not liking them. They work on some covers, but this one it’s not working for me. Are all the male models with the cut off heads ugly or something? I know, what would make me happy then? Hmmm, not sure, just not that ATM. Again though, looking forward to reading the book at least. Pssst, the first chapter is even up on it’s Amazon page. Click the book to see.

And finally, you’ll see that there is no making me happy today, apparently. We’ve got a full bodied man here, minus boots. Pffft, who needs feet anyway. But the guy himself is really turning me off. I guess it’s the way he’s standing and that pack thing on his right hip is making him appear to be sporting a rather impressive gut. Which in turn is making his ass look like a lump of something sketchy. Ha! He’s got a sketchy ass.

BUT, man oh man, this is the sequel for Warlord! Loved that book! I knew this had come out, but it’s taking me a while to seek out all the books I want to read, let alone actually read them.

And that leads me to the serious segment of today’s post:

Are authors putting out too many books a year? I know I’ve said I wanted this and that book NOW, but I had no idea of the repercussions. Srsly, people! You are making it so hard for me to

• A. stay out of a bookstore
• B. keep from contributing to my TBR pile
• C. give my family the doting, motherly eye when they interrupt my reading
• D. have any sanity, or hang on to the teaspoon of it I had

Do you feel pressured to read, read and read? I do! I love to read. Duh, take a look around this place. It’s so much pressure that I feel my buying impulses are out of control. I read the reviews, check out some author sites, snatch up a few more titles and YES! I will review your book!

I think my favorite pastime is making me crazy. I love books, I really do and they’re just about the only thing I have left “for me”. It’s pathetic that I barely have time for books anymore too.

I did make some headway in the last few weeks – I only went to the bookstore one time.

*SOB!*

Yes, only one time when I would normally have gone at least three times or more. I’m going to try very hard not to go this week. At all. Nope, not once. But ohhhh maaaannnnn! There’s so many more books I want. Usually we hear the argument that authors need to write more books a year, and in effect, much quicker. I’m almost wishing though these days for a slower pace, a lazier time between books…so I actually have time to read the ones I want before their descendants are hitting shelves too. I suppose if I didn’t have other standard responsibilities like family and work, I might be singing a different tune, but then again, some folks are way busier than me and still manage to read over a hundred books a year. I used to read that many or more.

Bottom line is I actually really appreciate authors, no matter if they churn out books like lightning, or if they only do one a year or so. And I dearly love to review books. I guess I just wish I had more time to read. Crap, where’s my Captain Crunch?

Are you as passionate about reading? If so, how do you make time to read? How many books on average do you read a year? Do you feel you’ve experienced the little known/recognized phenomenon known as Book Lust?

REVIEW: Pleasure Unbound

Larissa Ione
Pleasure Unbound (Demonica #1)
Grand Central
ISBN-10: 044640103X
ISBN-13: 978-0446401036
Paranormal romance
June 20, 2008

Confession: I picked this book up in the store back in June and thumbed through, landed on what read like a cheesy sex scene. I was weary at the time with a bad paranormal romance or two and put it back. I kept hearing how good it was though, read some reviews that saw some faults and finally decided what the hell, it’s demons and slayers and lurv. I usually swing extremely hard for that kind of stuff so away I went.

Tayla Mancuso is this bad-ass demon killing machine who works for the Aegis, an order of human slayers dedicated to eradicating their world of demons. Any demons. All demons equal mucho nasty in their book. Despite being a closet super heroine, Tay’s life isn’t going so great. Some funky stuff is going on with her body and it leads to an unfortunate mishap with her partner one night while demon hunting. When Tay wakes up, she’s on the wrong side of the tracks and ensconced in a demon hospital and she owes one of them her life. To her horror, attraction bursts and she comes face to face with the demons of her past, one she’s been running from almost her entire life.

Eidolon has an unexplainable soft spot for the red headed killer he’s allowed to live, thanks to his surgeon skills. While everyone else would rather see her dead, his own physiology is demanding he take her. It’s not long before the two are embroiled in a battle of lust, power gone rancid and the resulting mystery of who is capturing demons and selling their body parts. Throw in Eidolon’s own changing body, a possibly insurmountable evil change that can only be stopped by bonding with his mate, and it’s paradise for neither humans nor demons. It’s coming soon, it’s coming hard, and Tayla is within his sights. The only question is, can they learn to trust one another, and long enough to weather all the twists and turns manifesting around them.

I was somewhat expecting to have a few problems with this book, and I did, but not anywhere near the scope I expected. This book was pretty much an all around action packed, entertaining romance. And I could stop there…but I won’t.

What Led You To Me

And it’s time again, folks, to play that zany game of What Led You to Me. Yes, that’s right, the CRAY-ZAY things you search for that bring YOU to my blog. And I give you one of the most WTF moments I’ve personally experienced since opening this place:

Anita Blake Panties

Hmmmm….good band name?

Yeah, I said Anita Blake Panties. Unless there’s some kind of online store selling Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner underwear, WTF is that search doing leading folks to this blog? Where’s the science? I want scientific explanations. It’s late, this was my last stop at la blog before bed and people are finding this place because of a fictional character’s underwear. WTF? I dunno.

Coming to you here, tomorrow we have a review of Larissa Ione’s first Demonica PNR, Pleasure Unbound, and even though it’s in part about a heroine who can’t get off, underwear does come off, though I don’t actually mention that part in the review. And there’s certainly no damn Anita Blake. Sheesh. Anita Blake Panties. I may have almost seen it all now. The things a fictional character will engender in people to search for. What a legacy.

Are You Seeing ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’? Plus, Hear Guillermo’s Thoughts For ‘Hellboy III’

Are You Seeing ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’? Plus, Hear Guillermo’s Thoughts For ‘Hellboy III’

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RetroLurv Reviews: Poison Study

Maria V. Snyder
Poison Study (Study #1)
Luna
ISBN-10: 0373802579
ISBN-13: 978-0373802579
Fantasy
September 1, 2006

Note: The book first released in hardback on October 1, 2005. I read it in mass market format and originally reviewed it on Amazon on February 17, 2007. The cover on the right is done by its second publisher, Mira and is gorgeous, but…The cover on the left (same for hardback & mass market) was done by its original publishers, Luna and man did it look stunning on the shelf. In fact it stunned me several times before I ever even picked it up long enough to buy it. It reminded me of a classical Dutch painting, something straight out of a Vermeer, with a thread of Girl With a Pearl Earring mystique, especially in the girl’s eyes. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally buy it, but I am so glad I did. I’ve said it a lot about this series, and this book in particular, but it’s one that got me back into reading and loving mainstream fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed all three books. And now, onto the review (in which I tried to stick close to Amazon’s rules and guidelines, one reason I don’t post there much anymore - too restrictive):

Yelena has committed the ultimate sin and for that, she has been sentenced to die by hanging. Yet when she faces the man whom will send her to the noose, she receives an offer instead to live. Granted, there are catches, first and foremost the duty of food taster. Assassination by poison is ever a favored way to strike at the Commander and as the next prisoner to be executed, and as they need to fill the position, Yelena is next in line for the job. Thinking escape is surely in her future, she takes on the dangerous new duty. Her new handler though, Valek, has many tricks up his sleeve and soon Yelena finds it’s not as easy to escape as she thought.

The castle walls of the former King of Ixia hold secrets and dangers, and they all seem focused on the newest member to the Commander’s staff. As Yelena begins and perfects her new poison detecting skills, she’ll still have to deal with a general that wants her dead, the stigma of a murderer and strange powers that, while having manifested slowly long ago, are now to the point of no return–she must learn to control them or she’ll be in even more trouble than when she faced the noose. When a conspiracy against the Commander comes to light, Yelena will come face to face once more with the demons that drove her to kill. The question is; will this stoic poison detector be able to triumph over them again?

Yelena’s story is a first person tale, told entirely from her perspective and it was a wise choice for Snyder. A young woman, one of immense promise and obvious talent, readers can only be drawn to the reasons for the choices she’s made. From the moment she’s given a life in exchange for another kind of prison, Yelena does not look back. After all she’d been through up till that point, she still possesses a strength many of us can only hope to have. She’s smart, a little ruthless in her own right and capable of taking care of herself–to a point. When she needs help too, especially from Valek, she’s not afraid to accept it. Ixia is an interesting country, which houses all sorts of traits from Medieval village life to a more modern society as well. It’s one in which readers can easily identify with and understand, yet it carries its own weight in being a made-up, new “world”. Excellent visuals, but not an overload of them, carry throughout with Yelena on her strange and gripping journey as she becomes embroiled, and finally center stage persona, in a race to save a country she’s come to love in spite of its unforgiving nature. The general gunning for Yelena is a chilling addition and an excellent villain. Valek is an impossible to look away from character and one can only hope he makes plenty of appearances in the sequel, “Magic Study”, already available in hardback. As debut novels go, this one sets an amazingly strong example of what good, solid fantasy fiction can be like.

Rating: Five Amazon Stars

Footloose Wookies and Darth Thrillers

What more could a Star Wars fan want? So we have fanfic, fanart, so maybe this is fandance/fandrama?

Found these through a coworker and LMAO. Footloose Chewy and Darth Thriller were my faves, but Thriller got the winning vote from me. Enjoy!