Last week’s “Dance” competition was kind of ho-hum, as the start of these contests usually are. Was anyone really sad to see Rayven and Jamie go? Nah, we hardly knew ‘em.

Now, we’re starting to see more personality from the finalists, both on and off the stage. And for some —Jessica, I’m talking to you—they’d better bring some of that off-stage pizazz to their performances, or they’ll be saying sayonara really soon.

That said, even though it’s still early stages, the judges officially anointed two front-runners last night: Will and Joshua. Nigel announced that he’d be surprised if these two aren’t in the Final Four, and from their work last night, I’m inclined to use Mia Michaels’ new terminology and deem them “banoodles.”

The judges went crazy over the Broadway show-stopper done by Katee and Joshua, saying they were hands-down the best pair of the night.

I wasn’t quite as bowled over, but maybe that’s because I’m no fan of the genre. Still, it was obvious at how much stamina it took for the two to get through that marathon dance—and they did it with genuine smiles on their faces.

It didn’t go quite as well for Thayne and Chelsea, who were—in my opinion,—the worst of the night.

Maybe there’s something about snagging that first slot that’s the kiss of death, but the Henry the Eighth meets the ‘80s routine was awful.

Their jazz dance was supposed to be about passionate, forbidden love? Chelsea came off more as the royal in that number, rather than Thayne. And she seemed more like a queen who was dismissing a mildly interesting pageboy.

So here’s my take on who SHOULD be in the bottom three couples tonight, though we all know that America has its own ideas:

• Thayne and Chelsea

• Susie and Marquis

• Comfort and Chris

Find out my reasons why when I break it down, couple by couple…

Anyone else been wondering where Shane Sparks has been hiding on “So You Think You Can Dance?”

Image details: 2006 Summer TCA Day 16 served by picapp.com
The hip-hop choreographer has been with the hit FOX competition since its debut, yet he’s been mysteriously AWOL from the show so far this season.

Never fear.  Zap2It.com confirmed that the man responsible for such favorite routines as this Season Two booty-shaker will be back this week.
Turns out that Sparks has been doing double dance duty this year: He’s also a judge on MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew.”

I’m guessing there’s no love lost since the (in my opinion, vastly subpar) MTV show is run by Randy Jackson, who, of course, is part of “American Idol.” And “Dance” creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe is also an “Idol” producer.

Don’t cha love the entertainment world’s six degrees of separation?

Anyway, Sparks says he’s orchestrating this week’s group number to a Flo Rida tune.

Seems appropriate, since the rapper will be appearing in person on tomorrow night’s results show.

Adios, Rayven and Jamie!

We’re sad to see you go, but since we barely got to know you and all, well … see ya!

The judges made the appropriate call in eliminating this couple—which conveniently means no partner-swapping next week—who gave one of the worst “Dance” performances Wednesday night.

But boy, did America get it wrong with one-third of the Bottom Three couples.

Jessica and Will?!? Huh?

Now, I’m not much of a Jessica fan; there’s something fake about her that sets my teeth on edge. Maybe others felt the same way and took out their frustrations when voting.
But despite my feelings for Jessica, there’s no way that her tango with Will was worse than the terrible disco routine Courtney G. did with Gev.

Even they looked surprised not to be dancing for their lives.

I will give America credit for putting Kourtni and Matt in the mix, however. I’d said that Susie and Marquis should be the last couple to put up a fight, but after looking at the clips again last night, I’ll admit that their waltz was better than I thought.

And y’all know I was not happy with K & M’s rendition of “Tainted Love,” so kudos to the viewers for making a good call.

Anyway, Kourtni, Matt, Rayven, Jamie, Jessica and Will were put in danger, so they had to dance their heads off in a solo.

And um, did anyone else think—except for an amazing Will, who really did seem to dance his heart out—that they all kind of, well, stunk?

So we got to see which Top 10 guys and which Top 10 girls were coupled last night, and it looks like the show scored a few awesome match-ups.

Like Twitchington, yay!.

But of course, 3 couples will be at the bottom based on America’s votes. And after tonight’s “dance for your life” solos, we’ll be sending one boy and one girl home.

Who will it be? Hard to tell: As the judges said, it’s too early to spot any front-runners.

But based on performance alone, I’ll name the couples that SHOULD be in the bottom 3:

• Rayven and Jamie

• Susie and Marquis

• Courtney G. and Gev.

Personally, a few dancers are growing on me already: Give me more of that southern Comfort!

And is it me, or do the girls seem WAY stronger than the guys this season?

Speaking of boys versus girls, here’s a pet peeve, which was really highlighted last night. During the opening sequence—when each dancer is introduced—all of the guys seem to be dressed relatively normal.

But the girls?!? Um, they look like they’ve been attacked by a poor man’s Patricia Field.

I mean, poor Kourtni: She was wearing one black tube sock and bloomers.

And was it Rayven who was sporting an unfortunate ragged pink tutu? I know this is a dance show and all, but come on, aside from Carrie Bradshaw and actual ballerinas, no one really wears a tutu.

Anyway, let’s review what each couple brought to the stage, shall we?

Last year’s “Dance” competition had lots of family ties: There was Lacey Schwimmer (Season 2 winner Benji’s little sister) and Danny Tidwell (Season 2 runner-up Travis Wall’s adopted brother) and Faina Savich (Season 2 finalist Stanislav’s sister).

As far as I know, there aren’t any siblings of ex-contestants this time around—perhaps the show was a wee bit worried about nepotism charges?

But there is a Schwimmer connection to one Top 10 guy, though he’s not a blood brother.

E!’s Kristin dos Santos ferreted out the truth—and a few more “Dance” tidbits—from newbie Jamie Bayard. He was Lacey’s swing dance partner for four years, and the couple won the U.S. championship TWICE.

Jamie’s official FOX bio mentions the prize part, but not the Lacey match-up.

Maybe we’ll hear more on that tonight when the Top 20 perform for the first time!

And hooray, Kristin also reports that the first group dance will be to a number choreographed by Wade Robson!

Since he wasn’t anywhere in the audition episodes, I was worried we wouldn’t see the Ramalama Bang Bang king back on the show this season.

Dance on, team!

(Photos courtesy of FOX)

After a grueling week (or two hours in TV time) in Vegas, “So You Think You Can Dance” finally revealed what we’ve all been waiting for: the Top 10 guys and the Top 10 girls.

Whoo hoo! Let’s get this dance party started, right?

Last night had some highs (Debbie Allen and Mia Michaels in a faux catfight!), lows (insanely talented popper Robert quits in the first five minutes!) and whoas (a rejected Paige lists the scary “fight club” rules of pageant behavior: “You don’t fail, but if you do…” She violated all of them; will the other pageant girls give her 10 lashes with a Miss Congeniality sash when she gets home?).

Anyway, here’s the show’s Top 20, with a bit o’ bio, courtesy of our friends at FOX. And thank goodness for that, because honestly, I barely remember half of these kids from the audition episodes.

Anything I can recall, I’ve put in italics after their bios. And hopefully I’ll be able to tell the rest apart by next week!

Let’s call last night’s episode of “Dance” what it really was: A slapped-together collage of the remnants of the auditions.

Now, I’m no Milwaukee hater, but clearly the chilly city didn’t yield enough interesting dancers to fill two hours of air time.

So the show was forced to hop back and forth from Milwaukee to previous audition towns—and it was done so clumsily, I felt like Cat Deeley was taking Matt Lauer’s place in the Today show’s annual “Where in the World is …” travelogue.

Cat needed a map, not a voiceover, to help viewers identify where the heck they were at any given moment. I used guest judges Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo as landmarks for Milwaukee.

But all the world’s a stage, right, so who cares where these dancers were? Much more important is how they moved—and I guess I haven’t been sipping the same love juice as Nigel, Mary and the rest of the “jidges.”

Because for the life of me, I can’t see why popper Michael Kim and hip-hopper Philip Courter (who both auditioned in previous seasons) got a ticket straight to Vegas.

Could the boys bust a move? Absolutely. But to throw around the phrase that the judges seem to like this season, they seemed a wee bit “one-dimensional.” I’d have at least sent them to choreography, despite Philip’s tears over seeing pal Yesenia Gomez smash her chances with a hurt knee. (His friend, Yesi, who made it far in the Vegas round last year, lost 50 pounds since then and said the show “changed her life.” Nigel made her promise to return next season.)

Were there stand-outs? Of course.

I know I’ve said this before – and perhaps I’m a little cranky because my brain’s turned to mush after over-analyzing last night’s “Lost” finale. (Yes, it’s been a frenzied, TV-watching 24 hours.)

But once again, I honestly don’t care one lick about the “So You Think You Can Dance” auditions.

Get me to Vegas already!

Charleston and Washington, D.C. were a positive snore, as far as I’m concerned.

Just like the other cities, this audition episode was just an excuse to highlight a handful of stand-outs, who, if they’re as talented as they seem, we’ll see again during the main event.

Sheila Kaiser of Atlanta was the first contestant of the day, and the first one in awhile to get a trademark WHOO! from Mary Murphy.

And Brandon Bryant of Miami, thank goodness you came back to audition when you were finally of age to try out. (He auditioned in Season 1 when he was 15; contestants have to be at least 18.)

This is a cliche, but it’s still true: The boy has a body of a Michaelangelo statue. Every muscle rippled during his audition, and every move showed off incredible strength. Nigel nailed it when he said Brandon’s body was “built for dancing.”

Other than that, no one else moved me. much I was even kind of blase about the tearjerker inclusion of Claire Callaway.

To recap: She injured herself during the Season 2 auditions, and Nigel gave her an automatic free pass to Vegas for Season 3. But she couldn’t take advantage because she got pregnant; giving birth to a cutie-pie daughter sidelined her dancing for awhile.

Yay, Claire nailed the choreography and got through to Vegas, yada, yada, yada. Sniff, sob, hooray.

I realized something last night while watching the second night of try-outs (in Salt Lake City and Dallas) for “So You Think You Can Dance.”

I’m totally captivated by the auditions for “American Idol,” but I can’t stand the ones for “Dance.” Maybe that’s because bad dancers aren’t quite as interesting as bad singers. (For some reason, bad singers are far more delusional.)

Let’s face it: As mean as it may be, making fun of the untalented is the only reason to watch these auditions. Because it’s rare when you’ll be watching an audition and say,”Wow, that kid’s might be the one to beat.”

That said, there actually was a moment like that last night in Utah.

Kelli Baker totally blew the judges away, and she had a lot to live up to. Kelli’s mom is choreographer Bonnie Story, who won an Emmy for “High School Musical.” (Kelli had a bit part in the TV movie, too.) Not a bad legacy, but talk about major pressure for an 18-year-old.

Luckily, her routine—complete with extensions that made putting a leg over one’s head look easy—made Mary Murphy momentarily speechless. Guest judge Mandy Moore said Kelli gave her “goose bumps.” She’s a sure thing for the Top 20, even without seeing the rest of the Vegas competition.

But other than Kelli, there weren’t a bunch of stand-outs last night. I was kind of ho-hum about most of them: Here’s hoping the producers are saving some of the big talent to show off in the Vegas episodes.

Even Chelsie Hightower—the blonde with five brothers, one of whom paid for her dance lessons when the family hit the financial skids—didn’t really do it for me. (Although I have to admit, the girl’s got the best set of legs I’ve seen this side of Heidi Klum.)

The two fitness friends? Yawn.

Joshua Allen, the hip-hop popper?  Eh.

And Paige Jones of Dallas? Really? You sent her to Vegas?

Granted, the show didn’t show more than a moment of her in the choreography round, but the perky pageant hopeful seemed better suited for an audition for “Bring It On.” I expected her to start a cheer in the middle of her routine. (“Gimme a D! A! N! C! E!)

Poppin’, lockin’, groovin’, movin’, swivel-hippin’: It was the L.A. auditions!

YIPPEE!!!

Yup, the fourth season of “So You Think You Can Dance” kicked off last night, and there were just way too many things to love about its return.

There were glimpses of my favorite dancers from past seasons: Last year’s finalist Dominic and Season 2’s runner-up (and my dance crush) Travis helped out with choreography at the auditions.

The judges were their usual harsh, but occasionally slap-happy selves: Mary Murphy put one set of ballroom dancers on the hot tamale train, Nigel boogied with contortionist/popper Robert and Mia Michaels got weepy over a visually impaired contestant.

And Cat Deeley, oh how I missed your quirky fashion sense (that green trench coat was fabu!) and how you pronounce “jidges.”

It was all about the try-outs, though, and unless the show was tightly edited, I actually agree with Cat’s assessment (so far) that the show’s seeing the best dancers ever this season. Sure, there were the usual sad, deluded souls who actually do think they can dance.

But other than Sex and Captain Underpants, I can’t recall anyone truly horrifying.

Oh wait, except for the Italian Stallion. However, he creeped me—and the rest of America, I’m sure—out for many reasons other than his dance steps.

That said, here are the highlights of the good, the bad, and the bizarre:

You all crowned your favorite “American Idol” last night—yay, David Cook!—and now it’s time to choose America’s favorite dancer.

“So You Think You Can Dance” stomps its way back to FOX’s stage tonight with a two-hour premiere starting at 8 p.m.

As the promos say, forget about all those other dance shows—particularly that one with B-list celebrities. (That’s actually kind: I’d definitely put Shannon Elizabeth, Marlee Matlin and the rest on the C-list…)

This show is the real deal, the one where the dancers have actual TALENT. Well, at least the ones who get invited for call-backs in Las Vegas do. (It’s the “Dance” version of the golden ticket to Hollywood on “Idol.)

Anyway, the competition won’t truly kick in until June 5, when we find out who ends up in the Top 20.

Until then, the judges have to endure hundreds of horrible auditions for our viewing pleasure. I’m sure we’ll see some truly terrible routines tonight, as well as next Wednesday, Thursday and June 4.

And for the record, if you only think you can dance, you probably can’t.

Check back here tomorrow for my thoughts on tonight’s premiere. And to tide you over until this evening, check out this preview reel below!

Download:

(Photos courtesy of FOX)

At the risk of getting slapped in the face by a shrieking 10-year-old girl, I have to say that I could care less which David wins the “American Idol” crown tonight.

Archuleta? Cook? All the same to me. Well, I sorta kinda hope David Cook wins, if only because David Archuleta seems a split second away from a nervous breakdown, and I don’t think he needs any more pressure from that scary dad of his. (Okay, maybe I do care a little about this.)

Anyway, what I’m actually most excited about in “Idol”-land is that the hit show has been giving serious promotion to my super-duper summertime guilty pleasure, “So You Think You Can Dance.”

On last month’s “Idol Gives Back” telethon, the dancers from previous seasons performed a rockin’ opening number with the contestants to Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” Which was actually fun and entertaining, instead of cringe-worthy like, say, Teri Hatcher’s butchering of a Carrie Underwood song, or the finalists stumbling through a badly-choreographed ensemble piece.

And, of course, Ryan Seacrest has been talking for weeks about how “Dance” premieres tomorrow night (8-10 p.m.), one day after the “Idol” finale.

Sure, “Dance” and “Idol” share a producer in Nigel Lythogoe, who “Dance” watchers know as the snippy British judge on the panel (though he’s not as caustic as Simon Cowell).

But that didn’t seem to matter before. Now, with “Dance” picking up millions more viewers each season, it’s finally getting its due as a true TV hit.
That said, I can’t wait for tomorrow’s toe-tapping premiere, which starts off with the audition process (obviously).

So we’re sure to see the awesome—and the awful—grooving to the beat. Even if it’s a beat that only they can hear. (Remember Dave “Sex” Soller?)

Episodes featuring auditions held in Dallas, Charleston, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., will continue on Weds., May 28, Thurs., May 29 and Weds., June 4.

The top 20 dancers won’t be revealed until June 5.

Until then, I’m looking forward to seeing who Mary Murphy—WHOOO!!!—puts on the hot tamale train…

(Photo courtesy of FOX) 

For me, one unfortunate byproduct of the ongoing writers’ strike is the plethora of rotten reality shows that might be coming our way. (More “Flavor of Love”? The horror…)

But there is one reality show that is a favorite of mine, as readers of this blog already know, though it won’t be back on the air until the summer.

“So You Think You Can Dance” has slowly become a hit show, and one of my warm-weather guilty pleasures. The dancers from Season Three—including the champ, Sabra Johnson—just finished up their cross-country tour, and the producers are now gearing up to find their favorites for the next go-round.

So if you think you can dance—and if you THINK you can, you probably can’t—auditions are set to start next month.

Here’s the schedule, which expands to six cities instead of last year’s four:

Sweeping changes are on tap for Season 7 of “American Idol,” according to TV Squad. And I’m squeamish about all of them.

Contestants will be allowed to play musical instruments while singing. Some of the time spent on celebrity mentors such as Barry Manilow and Diana Ross will be replaced with puff pieces about the contestants’ personal lives. And the top Idols will be touring with the top contestants from “So You Think You Can Dance.”

I’ll admit that I have additional respect for versatile musicians. But something about allowing singers to play an instrument in this competition format seems unfair. Although I can’t quite put my finger on it, I think my concern is based in the fact that I don’t want mediocre guitar, accordion or flute skills to con America into thinking a heartthrob with a wonky voice is worthier of an “AI” title than a vocal superstar. Contrary to Simon Cowell’s oft-repeated phrase, the show would be even less of a “singing competition,” assuming it ever was one. Besides, isn’t the atrociously unwatchable “Next Great American Band” supposed to be providing that very opportunity?

As cheesy as the celebrity guest spots are, I enjoy seeing their appearances because they’re water-cooler worthy. Barry Gibb’s awkwardness, Jewel’s kindness and Bono’s randomness resulted in fun discussions this year. In addition, the celeb cameos serve as legitimate music history lessons for the young (who learned about Tony Bennett) and old (who learned about Gwen Stefani). Yes, they’re there to sell records, but liking or disliking them has no impact on the voting. The contestant profile pieces, however, could be a disaster for the same reason. Read more of this entry »

Just like the Oscars, the Emmys have a pre-ceremony awards ceremony for all the technical awards that would make the main ceremony last forever (because it doesn’t already, of course) but actually give credit to the people who manage to get the TV shows and movies and the like to the small screen.

They were last night, and HBO and NBC were the big winners — HBO with 15 Emmys and NBC leading the broadcast networks with 12.

My favorite wins?
1) Battlestar Galactica. Should have been nominated for a whole lot more and won for anything it’s been nominated for. One of the best shows on TV today.
2) The Justin Timberlake/SNL original song, “D**k in a Box.” When I saw this skit on SNL in a rerun this summer, I was almost speechless. And laughing hysterically. Go find it on YouTube. I’m sure it’s there.
3) South Park for its World of Warcraft episode. If you know anyone who plays WOW and don’t find South Park too offensive to watch, you’ve gotta see this one. I promise, your time won’t be wasted.

My least-favorite win? Why do the Oscars ever win anything at the Emmys? OK, maybe they do a really good job, but giving an award to an awards show just seems stupid to me. It’s like saying, “Hey! You did a great job giving those awards to those other people. Here’s an award for that.” Or in this case, two.

Oh, and the Tony awards also got a nod, for “Outstanding Special Class Program.” What’s that about? “Hey! You did a really nice job giving those awards to those other people, but not as nice a job as the Academy Awards, so we’ll give you this condolence prize. But it’s still an Emmy, so good job!”

And then those Grammy Awards had really nice lighting. And the Emmy to prove it.

Oddest win to me? The 10 — count ‘em, TEN — awards for individual achievement in animation. OK, so you can’t decide on just one winner. That’s fine. Even not just two winners. OK, could happen. But 10? Why not just hand ‘em out as party favors?

‘Nuff said. Here’s a look at who won what:

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
NBC, Friday Night Lights:
Linda Lowy, Casting
John Brace, Casting
Beth Sepko, Location Casting

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
AMC: Broken Trail:
Wendy Weidman, C.S.A., Casting
Coreen Mayrs, C.S.A., Canadian Casting
Heike Brandstatter, C.S.A., Canadian Casting
Jackie Lind, C.S.A., Calgary Casting
Fiorentino/Mangieri/Weidman Casting, Casting

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
ABC, Ugly Betty:
Libby Goldstein, Casting
Junie Lowry Johnson, C.S.A., Casting

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
NBC, 30 Rock:
Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
PBS, Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre), Part I:
Andrea Galer, Costume Designer PBS
Sally Crees, Assistant Costume Designer

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
Showtime, The Tudors, Episode 103:
Joan Bergin, Costume Designer
Ger Scully, Costume Supervisor
Jessica O’Leary, Costume Supervisor

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A VARIETY/MUSIC PROGRAM OR A SPECIAL
(Juried award: Possibility of one, more than one or no award). This is a juried award determined by a panel of judges from the Costumes peer group. Recommendation(s) from the jury are brought to the Board of Governors for ratification. This award was previously announced.
NBC, Tony Bennett: An American Classic:
Colleen Atwood, Costume Designer
Kendall Errair, Wardrobe Supervisor

OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
Fox, House, Que Sera Sera:
Dalia Dokter, Department Head Prosthetic Makeup Artist
Jamie Kelman, Prosthetic Makeup Artist
Ed French, Prosthetic Makeup Artist

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL (NON-PROSTHETIC)
HBO, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:
Gail Kennedy, Department Head Makeup Artist
Rochelle Pomerleau, Key Makeup Artist
Joanne Preece, Key Makeup Artist

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A SERIES (NON-PROSTHETIC)
HBO, Deadwood, I Am Not The Fine Man You Take Me For:
John Rizzo, Department Head Makeup Artist
Ron Snyder, Assistant Department Head Makeup Artist
Bob Scribner, Key Makeup Artist
Jim Scribner, Additional Makeup Artist

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A SERIES
HBO, Rome, De Patre Vostro (About Your Father):
Aldo Signoretti, Department Head Hairstylist
Stefano Ceccarelli, Key Hairstylist
Claudia Catini, Additional Hairstylist
Michele Vigliotta, Additional Hairstylist

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
PBS: Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre):
Anne Oldham, Department Head Hairstylist
Fay de Bremaeker, Key Hairstylist

OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts:
Sam Pollard, Supervising Editor
Geeta Gandbhir, Editor
Nancy Novack, Editor

OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
CBS, The Amazing Race, I Know Phil, Little Ol’ Gorgeous Thing:
Jon Bachmann, Editor
Steven Escobar, Editor
Eric Goldfarb, Editor
Julian Gomez, Editor
Andy Kozar, Editor
Paul Nielsen, Editor
Jacob Parsons, Editor

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN
Showtime, Dexter:
Eric Anderson, Creative Director
Josh Bodnar, Editor
Lindsay Daniels, Designer
Colin Davis, Main Title Producer

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC
Showtime, The Tudors, Episode 5:
Trevor Morris

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION FOR VARIETY, MUSIC OR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
ABC, 79th Annual Academy Awards:
J. Michael Riva, Production Designer
Gregory Richman, Art Director
Tamlyn Wright, Art Director
AND
NBC: Tony Bennett: An American Classic:
John Myhre, Production Designer
Tomas Voth, Art Director
Barbara Cassel, Set Decorator

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
CBS, How I Met Your Mother, Aldrin Justice, Something Borrowed, Something Blue:
Steve Olson, Production Designer
Susan Eschelbach, Set Decorator

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
PBS, Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre):
Renville Horner, Production Designer
Patrick Rolfe, Art Director
Clare Andrade, Set Decorator

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
HBO, Rome, Heroes of the Republic, Philippi, Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus:
Joseph Bennett, Production Designer
Anthony Pratt, Production Designer
Carlo Serafini, Art Director
Cristina Onori, Set Decorator

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
NBC, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:
Leslie Caron as Lorraine Delmas

OUTSTANDING SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
NBC, The Office, The Job:
David Rogers, Editor
Dean Holland, Editor

OUTSTANDING SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Showtime, Dexter, Dexter:
Elena Maganini, Editor

OUTSTANDING SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
HBO, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:
Michael Ornstein, A.C.E, Editor
Michael Brown, A.C.E., Editor
AND
ABC, The Path to 9/11, Night 2:
Geoffrey Rowland, A.C.E., Editor
Eric Sears, A.C.E., Editor
Bryan Horne, Editor
David Handman, A.C.E., Editor
Mitchell Danton, Editor

OUTSTANDING MULTI-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A SERIES
CBS, Two and a Half Men, Release the Dogs:
Joe Bella, Editor

OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR A SPECIAL (SINGLE OR MULTI- CAMERA)
Bravo, Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo:
Sylvain Lebel, Editor

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
Fox, So You Think You Can Dance, Ramalama (Bang Bang):
Wade Robson, Choreographer
AND
Fox, So You Think You Can Dance, Calling You:
Mia Michaels, Choreographer
AND
NBC, Tony Bennett: An American Classic:
Rob Marshall, Choreographer
John Deluca, Choreographer

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION
ABC, 79th Annual Academy Awards:
William Ross, Music Director

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
NBC, Saturday Night Live, Host: Justin Timberlake, Song title: “Dick In A Box”:
Justin Timberlake, Composer & Lyricist
Jorma Taccone, Composer & Lyricist
Katreese Barnes, Composer
Asa Taccone, Composer
Akiva Schaffer, Lyricist
Andy Samberg, Lyricist

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)
Discovery Channel, Planet Earth, Pole to Pole:
George Fenton, Composer

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)
TNT, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, Battleground
Jeff Beal, Composer

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING ONE HOUR OR MORE)
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
Cartoon Network, Where’s Lazlo? (Camp Lazlo):
Joe Murray, Executive Producer/Story by/Writer/Director
Brian A. Miller, Executive Producer
Mark O’Hare, Supervising Producer/Story by/Writer/Director
Jennifer Pelphrey, Supervising Producer
Janet Dimon, Producer
Brian Sheesley, Supervising Director/Director
Won Dong Kun, Animation Director
Merriwether Williams, Story by
Russell Calabrese, Timer
Phil Cummings, Timer
Lindsey Pollard, Timer
Swinton O. Scott III, Timer

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (FOR PROGRAMMING LESS THAN ONE HOUR)
Comedy Central, South Park, Make Love, Not Warcraft:
Trey Parker, Executive Producer/Director/Writer
Matt Stone, Executive Producer
Anne Garefino, Executive Producer
Frank C. Agnone II, Supervising Producer
Kyle McCullouch, Producer
Eric Stough, Director of Animation

ENGINEERING PLAQUE TO TM SYSTEMS QC STATION (TM SYSTEMS, LLC)
(This award was previously announced.)

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION
(Juried award: Possibility of one, more than one or no award.) This is a juried award determined by a panel of judges from the Animation peer group. Recommendation(s) from the jury are brought to the Board of Governors for ratification. This award was previously announced.
Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Lake Logai
Sang-Jin Kim, Animator
AND
Cartoon Network, Moral Orel, The Lord’s Prayer:
Sihanouk Mariona, Animator
AND
Cartoon Network, Robot Chicken, Lust for Puppets
Thomas Smith, Animator
AND
Cartoon Network, Camp Lazlo, Squirrel Secrets
Sue Mondt, Art Director
AND
Cartoon Network, Good Wilt Hunting (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)
Dave Dunnet, Background Key Designer
AND
Cartoon Network, My Gym Partner’s a Monkey, The Big Field Trip:
Narina Sokolova, Background Painter
AND
Cartoon Network, Class of 3000, Eddie’s Money,
David Colman, Character Designer
AND
Cartoon Network, Billy & Mandy’s Big Boogey Adventure (The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy):
Phil Rynda, Character Designer
AND
Starz Kids and Family, Eloise, Me, Eloise:
James McDermott, Character Designer
AND
Fox, Family Guy, No Chris Left Behind:
Steve Fonti, Storyboard Artist

GOVERNORS AWARD
HBO: The Addiction Project
Fox: American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back”

OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION
CBS, CSI: Miami, Rush
Jim Vickers, Stunt Coordinator

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
Sci-Fi Channel, Battlestar Galactica, Exodus, Part 2:
Gary Hutzel, Visual Effects Supervisor
Michael Gibson, Senior VFX Coordinator
Doug Drexler, CG Supervisor
Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz, CGI Sequence Designer
Jeremy Hoey, Lead Matte Painter
Tom Archer, Lead Compositor
Andrew Karr, CGI Supervisor
Alec McClymont, Lead CGI Artist/Animator
Brenda Campbell, Lead Compositor

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
TNT, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, Battleground:
Sam Nicholson, Visual Effects Supervisor
Eric Grenaudier, Visual Effects Supervisor
Mark Spatny, Visual Effects Producer
Adalberto Lopez, CGI Supervisor
Michael Cook, Lead CGI Model Maker
Daniel Kumiega, Lead CGI Animator
Megan Omi, Lead Visual Effects Compositor
Ryan Wieber, Lead Visual Effects Compositor
Marc Van Buuren, Visual Effects Producer

ENGINEERING CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT TO VARICAP VARIABLE VOLTAGE CAPACITATOR (SYCOM)
(This award was previously announced.)

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)
CBS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Living Doll:
Mick Fowler, Production Mixer
Yuri Reese, Re-Recording Mixer
Bill Smith, Re-Recording Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
HBO, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:
George Tarrant, Production Mixer
Rick Ash, Re-Recording Mixer
Edward C. Carr III, Re-Recording Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (HALF HOUR) AND ANIMATION
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority, no award.)
HBO: Entourage, One Day in the Valley:
Steve Morantz, C.A.S., Production Mixer
Dennis Kirk, Re-Recording Mixer
Mark Fleming, Re-Recording Mixer
AND
NBC, Scrubs, My Musical:
Joe Foglia, Production Mixer
John W. Cook II, Re-Recording Mixer
Peter J. Nusbaum, Re-Recording Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A VARIETY OR MUSIC SERIES OR SPECIAL
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
NBC, Tony Bennett: An American Classic:
Dae Bennett, Recorded & Mixed By
Sue Pelino, Re-Recording Mixer
Christopher Koch, Additional Audio Post Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
PBS, American Masters, Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built:
Ed Campbell, Re-Recording Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES
Fox, 24, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
William Dotson, Supervising Sound Editor
Catherine Speakman, Supervising ADR Editor
Jeffrey R. Whitcher, Sound Effects Editor
Pembrook Andrews, Sound Editor
Shawn Kennelly, Sound Editor
Rick Polanco, Sound Editor
Vic Radulich, M.P.S.E., Sound Editor
Jeffrey Charbonneau, Music Editor
Laura Macias, Foley Artist
Vince Nicastro, Foley Artist

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING (SINGLE OR MULTI-CAMERA)
Discovery Channel, Planet Earth, Pole to Pole
Kate Hopkins, Sound Editor

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
HBO, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:
Stephen Flick, Supervising Sound Editor
Avram Gold, Supervising Sound Editor
Steffan Falestich, Dialogue Editor
Eric Hertsgaard, Dialogue Editor
Patricio Libenson, Dialogue Editor
Denise Horta, Dialogue Editor
Adam Johnston, Sound Effects Editor
Paul Berolzheimer, M.P.S.E., Sound Effects Editor
Dean Beville, Sound Effects Editor
Jeff Sawyer, Sound Effects Editor
Kenneth Young, Sound Effects Editor
Mike Flicker, Music Editor
David Lee Fein, Foley Artist
Hilda Hodges, Foley Artist

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
CBS, Two and a Half Men, Release The Dogs:
Steven Silver, Director of Photography

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
HBO, Rome, Passover:
Alik Sakharov, A.S.C., Director of Photography

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
HBO, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:
David Franco, Director of Photography

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Discovery Channel, Planet Earth, Pole to Pole:
Doug Allan, Cinematographer
Martyn Colbeck, Cinematographer
Paul Stewart, Cinematographer
Simon King, Cinematographer
Michael Kelem, Cinematographer
Wade Fairley, Cinematographer

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
CBS, The Amazing Race, I Know Phil, Little Ol’ Gorgeous Thing:
Per Larsson, Director of Photography
John Armstrong, Camera
Sylvester Campe, Camera
Petr Cikhart, Camera
Tom Cunningham, Camera
Chip Goebert, Camera
Bob Good, Camera
Peter Rieveschl, Camera
Dave Ross, Camera
Uri Sharon, Camera
Alan Weeks, Camera

ENGINEERING PLAQUE TO TERANEX VIDEO COMPUTER (SILICON OPTIX, TERANEX DIVISION)
(This award was previously announced.)

ENGINEERING PLAQUE TO DVNR IMAGE PROCESSING HARDWARE-DVO IMAGE PROCESS SOFTWARE (DIGITAL VISION)
(This award was previously announced.)

OUTSTANDING CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT IN INTERACTIVE TELEVISION
ABC Family, The Fallen
The Fallen Alternate Reality Game, ABCFAMILY.com, Double Twenty, Xenophile Media

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
NBC, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
John Goodman as Judge Robert Bebe NBC

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO FOR A
SERIES
NBC, Saturday Night Live,Host: Alec Baldwin and Musical Guest: Christina Aguilera
Steven Cimino, Technical Director
John Pinto, Camera
Richard B. Fox, Camera
Brian Phraner, Camera
Barry Frischer, Camera
Eric A. Eisenstein, Camera
Susan Noll, Senior Video
Frank Grisanti, Senior Video

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO FOR A
MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
Fox, American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back”:
John Pritchett, Technical Director
Damien Tuffereau, Camera
Suzanne Ebner, Camera
John Repczynski, Camera
George Prince, Camera
Easter Xua, Camera
Alex Hernandez, Camera
Dave Eastwood, Camera
Bobby Highton, Camera
Ray Gonzales, Camera
Vince Singletary, Camera
Bert Atkinson, Camera
Brian Reason, Camera
Ed Horton, Camera
Rick Edwards, Camera
Richard Strock, Camera
Rob Vuona, Camera
Mike Tribble, Camera
Hector Ramirez, Camera
Brad Zerbst, Camera
Garrett Hurt, Camera
Danny Bonilla, Camera
Dave Hilmer, Camera
Marc Hunter, Camera
Mark Sanford, Video Control

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DIRECTION (ELECTRONIC, MULTI-CAMERA) FOR VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAMMING
CBS, 49th Annual Grammy Awards
Robert A. Dickinson, Lighting Designer
Matt Firestone, Lighting Director
Andy O’Reilly, Lighting Director

ENGINEERING PLAQUE TO OSRAM HMI METAL HALIDE LAMP TECHNOLOGY (OSRAM SYLVANIA PRODUCTS, INC.)
(This award was previously announced.)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
Spike Lee, Director

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
PBS, American Masters, Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film:
James Sanders, Writer
Ric Burns, Writer

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION SPECIAL
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
HBO, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib:
Rory Kennedy, Producer
Liz Garbus, Producer
Jack Youngelson, Producer
Diana Barrett, Executive Producer
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer
Nancy Abraham, Senior Producer

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION SERIES
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
Discovery Channel, Planet Earth:
Maureen Lemire, Executive Producer
Alastair Fothergil, Series Producer
Mark Linfield, Producer

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN NONFICTION FILMMAKING
(Juried award: Possibility of one, more than one or no award.)
PBS, A Lion in the House (Independent Lens):
Steven Bognar, Producer
Julia Reichert, Producer
Sally Jo Fifer, Executive Producer
Lois Vossen, Series Producer
AND
HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
Sam Pollard, Producer
Spike Lee, Producer
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer
Jacqueline Glover, Supervising Producer

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
Nickelodeon, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, Private Worlds: Kids and Autism:
Rolfe Tessem, Executive Producer
Mark Lyons, Producer
Martin Toub, Producer
Kara Pothier, Producer
Wally Berger, Supervising Producer

OUTSTANDING COMMERCIAL
American Express — Animals
Hungry Man, Production Company
Ogilvy & Mather, Ad Agency

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL CLASS PROGRAM
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)
CBS, The 60th Annual Tony Awards
Ricky Kirshner, Executive Producer
Glenn Weiss, Executive Producer

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Bravo, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List:
Marcia Mule, Executive Producer
Bryan Scott, Executive Producer
Lisa M. Tucker, Executive Producer
Kathy Griffin, Executive Producer
Lenid Rolov, Supervising Producer
Beth Wichterich, Supervising Producer
Kelly Luegenbiehl, Supervising Producer
Cori Abraham, Executive Producer
Frances Berwick, Executive Producer
Amy Introcaso-Davis, Executive Producer

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
USA, Monk:
Stanley Tucci as David Ruskin

SABRA!

Petite Sabra Johnson showed everyone watching “So You Think You Can Dance” last night that slow and steady wins the race.

Do you know who’ll take the title on “Dance” tonight?  I sure as heck don’t, and I can’t even begin to guess.

The judges were right in saying that this competition is wide open: Any one of the four finalists—Lacey, Danny, Sabra or Neil—could walk away with it.

And you know what? It’s true that any one of them deserves it.

I can’t even  complain about Lacey like I usually do. (Except for those horrendous leg warmers/knee socks she was wearing for her solo…what’s up with her sock fetish anyway? I can’t figure out if she’s trying to work the sexy schoolgirl look —probably—or has some horrible shin condition…)

In fact, I kind of felt sorry for Lacey last night. She actually took the judges’ criticism of her face-pulling to heart—finally—and tried to tone down her over-the-top persona. She’s a great performer, but a few of the judges have said she hasn’t been “real.”

Last night, I think she was. Or as real as she can be, because I think she’s one of those people who’s always “on.”

But did anyone else think that she was kind of being set up to look bad?

First, Nigel joked that the other dancers chould have paid the audience members to drop her when she used a few guys near the stage to catch her in her solo number.

Then Danny totally implied she was a liar when she claimed to have used popsicle sticks to help with her hand motions during their waltz.

I hope they show what happened offstage after that during tonight’s results, because I wouldn’t be surprised if Girlfriend slapped Danny Boy upside the head.

Plus, in the rehearsal video with Crazy Man choreographer Jean-Marc, they showed Lacey treating him kind of like he was mentally challenged instead of French:

“I don’t know your LANGuage, but I get what you’re telling me.”

Eek. Perhaps “Dance” doesn’t want back-to-back Schwimmer wins?

Well, we’ll find out soon enough if fans were turned off from La Lacey.

Will she reign as the champion? Or will teeny tiny Sabra steal it out from under her?

Of course, the winner could be a guy again. One of the “princes” perhaps?

P.S. I totally loved that number, even if it was by wacky Mia Michaels. It was like watching a dance version of “The Tudors!”

First there were six.

Now there are four.

America, your top four dancers are: Danny, Lacey, Sabra and Neil.

Were you surprised that Pasha and Lauren got booted last night? I wasn’t.

To quote Cat Deeley, both are fan-TAH-stic. But they’d both been among the lowest vote-getters before.

Plus, there was no way favorites like Danny and Lacey were going home. Please, like Lacey was really getting dumped after last week’s rump-shaking solo.

(And did you see her oh-so-innocent backstage comment last night after that performance? “Ooh, I think my tush might have been in the camera…” Gee, you think? She was practically using the camera as a stripper pole.).

Still, as much as I wouldn’t want to hang out with Ms. Schwimmer, I have to admit that the girl’s got moves. Didn’t she rock that mannequin routine with Pasha?

That’s why I think she’ll be a strong contender in the finale. All four will perform tomorrow night, but my guess is that the battle is really going to be between Lacey and Danny.

Danny is wonderfully talented, yet I’ve got to say that I think Lacey is the more well-rounded performer. As the judges have said, she really can adapt to any style—while Danny still seems a tad uncomfortable with routines like hip-hop.

But who knows? Maybe Neil or Sabra will be the dark horse contender and stun everyone in the performance show tomorrow (8-10 p.m.)

Either way, the winner will be announced on Thursday in the live finale.

Tune in to find out who takes the title!

Don’t feel too bad for Kameron and Jaimie, who got booted from “So You Think You Can Dance” last week.

They didn’t win the competition. But they made it to the top 10—which means they’ll be part of the show’s national tour—as the judges kept reminding us OVER and OVER. (Hey, at least they’re not still saying “dancing for their lives…”)

So if you’re a fan of Kameron, Jaimie, Lauren, Neil, Sabra, Pasha, Dominic, Lacey, Danny and Sara, they’ll be performing in 49 cities starting in September.

Here’s the dates and locations for our area:

• Sept. 29, E. Rutherford, NJ, The Theater at Continental Airlines Arena

• Oct. 02, Bridgeport, CT, Arena at Harbor Yard

• Oct. 06, Atlantic City, NJ, Boardwalk Hall

• Oct. 09, Long Island, NY, Nassau Coliseum

Tickets are available at most Ticketmaster locations, online at AEG Live.com or ticketmaster.com. “Click here”:http://fox.com/dance/showinfo/tour2007.htm for full list of dates.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s show to see if the format is revamped at all. Because having all of the dancers do the same routine—courtesy of Wade “Mr. Sensitive” Robson and his anti-war, Gap-ad choregraphy—was a horrible idea.

If I heard that dopey John Mayer song one more time, I was going to scream.

Speaking of screaming, did anyone else giggle every time a dancer did their sadly rehearsed scream in those routines?

And now that we’re down to the Top 8—who do you think will go all the way to the finals? My money’s still on Lacey. And I’ve got a feeling Danny will be joining her, unless it’s a girl-girl, boy-boy finale.

But personally, I’ve got a new favorite boy, now that my pal Hok is gone (and as much as I loved him, rightly so; he really stunk up the stage in his last two performances.)

So who’s my replacement boy?

Neil Haskell.

His flips during last week’s disco routine with Sara were awesome …

…and I totally dug his Heatmeiser impersonation in that jazz number with Lauren.

Anybody else think Neil’s on the hot tamale train?!?

ACK! I’m totally hyperventilating right now. Could it be that my two favorite dancers—Lacey and Hok—are an actual COUPLE?!?

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the rumor mill had Lacey hooking up with her dance partner, Kameron.

Whether romantically linked or not, LaceKam certainly had onstage chemistry: They’ve been beautiful dance partners, despite the fact that any man who spells Kameron with a “K” is lame-o in my book.

(From top, Lacey, Hok and Kameron, courtesy of FOX.)