Music Monday - "I Melt With You" by Modern English (1982)

"I Melt With You" by Modern English was one of my favorite songs from the 1980's.  It came out in 1982, during my college years, and I thought then (as I still do) that it was a perfect '80's love song.  "I'll stop the world and melt with you ..."   For your retro enjoyment, here is the original video:

So You Think You Can Dance - Finale

So You Think You Can Dance concluded season 11 last night.  It was a fun show, packed with lots of dancing.

Cat Deeley opened the show by announcing that the winner will appear on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine, perform in the cast of On the Town on Broadway, and win $250,000.

We then met the judging panel:  Tara Lipinski, Adam Shankman (I've missed him this season!), Jenna Dewan Tatum, Debbie Allen (another of my favorites), Mary Murphy, and Nigel Lythgoe.

The dancing began with a wonderful Broadway routine performed by the top 20 to "Doctor Jazz" (Jelly's Last Jam).  It was choreographed by Warren Carlisle, and both Ricky and Valerie had exceptional solos in the dance.

Then the reprise dances began.  The judges picked a favorite, and so did each of the dancers.  Mary's favorite was Jessica and Casey in the Travis Wall "kiss" dance to "Like Real People Do" (Hozier).  It was lovely, although Casey almost dropped Jessica at one point.  I was watching with friends and we all gasped.

Debbie's favorite was Ricky and Valerie (her favorites of the season) in Phoenix and Pharside's number about an inventor and a life size doll.  It was danced to "Turn Down for What" by D.J. Snake and Lil Jon.

Zack's favorite was his dance with Amy that was choreographed by Sonya Tayeh.  It was about the loss of a friend to death, and it was danced to "Europe After the Rain" by Max Richter.

Nigel's favorite was Rudy and Allison Hoelker in the Ray Leeper number "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson.  He reminded us that Allison will be a pro dancer on Dancing With the Stars this season.  That will be fun (and good for her!).

Paula Abdul appeared out of nowhere.  Evidently she has been judging the Australian version of the show.  She introduced the winner of this season's Australian SYTYCD, Michael Dameski.  He danced and was impressive, although a bit more gymnastic (and less emotive) than I like.

Valerie's favorite was her tap routine with Zack that was choreographed by Anthony Morigerato.  It was performed up and down a set of stairs to "Sing" by Ed Sheeran.  This was also one of my favorite numbers of the season.

Les Twins performed as guest dancers in a fun hip hop routine.

Ricky's favorite was his Sonya Tayeh dance with Jessica to "Vow" by Meredith Monk.  It was just as good in the reprise.

America voted on their favorite hip hop routine last week and the winner was Carly and Serge in "Senile" by Young Money.  This was the skeleton hip hop number that I remember not caring for because the makeup covered their faces and depersonalized the dancers.

A clip aired of Jasmine Harper from last season visiting the top 4 dancers in rehearsal.  She brought singer Ciara, and they encouraged the dancers.  This was sponsored by Degree for Women (evidently a big sponsor of the show this season -- kudos to this company for airing dance themed commercials).

Jenna's favorite was Tanisha and Rudy's Sonya Tayeh dance to "You Need" (Bengsons).  Tanisha is such a good dancer!   I had hoped that she would make it to the final 4.

Enrique and Sean Paul performed a Latin/hip hop music number.

Adam's favorite was Zack and Ricky's Pharside and Phoenix hip hop routine, performed with a playing card theme to "The Antidote" by District 78.  I was surprised again at how well they performed this hard hitting hip hop number.

Cat announced the fourth place contestant -- Zack.  I really like Zack and think he showed a lot of growth this season.  I hope he continues on and explores dancing on Broadway.  I think his versatility and tap style would lend itself really well to that venue.

Tara's favorite was Emilio and Jasmine's "Get Low" (Dillon Francis and D.J. Snake).  This Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop number is about a snake charmer and an enchanted snake.  

Jessie Tyler Ferguson took over hosting temporarily and was a hoot, especially in an exchange with Travis Wall about extemporaneous dancing.

The top 10 dancers and the All Stars performed a beautiful number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Scott.  It was about people connecting at a busy train station and it was performed to "Sweet Disposition" (Tender Trap).  If you can find this video online, see it!  It is amazing.  (I have not posted SYTYCD videos as they tend to not stay online for very long.)

Jessica's favorite was her dance with Robert, choreographed by Travis Wall.  It was performed to "When I Go" (Over the Rhine).

Cat then announced the 3rd place dancer -- Jessica.  Jessica is a pretty girl and a talented dancer, but I never really connected with her performances.  I think she has a lot of talent, though, and hope she has a great career.

Cat's favorite was Valerie and Ricky in the Travis Wall routine "Oh Darling" (Gossling).  I really liked this number, too ... and love that it featured the top 2 dancers.

I had hoped all season that Valerie and Ricky would be in the top 2, and I was delighted that they were.   Cat announced that the winner was Ricky.  Yay!   He is one of my favorite dancers ever on SYTYCD - charming, versatile, and absolutely amazing in every dance style.

I really enjoyed this season.  There were so many strong dancers.  I hope the show is renewed for Season 12, next summer.

What did you think of the finale?   Did your favorite win?   I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Changes at my eBay Store

Hi vintage friends!

I've been hard at work on my eBay store, making some changes for fall and the upcoming holiday season.

When you visit, you'll see that my store now focuses on children's books, pretty vintage cards (holidays, cats, dogs), Christmas ornaments, and a small selection of vintage puzzles for children that tie in to children's books.

I have moved my cookbooks, vintage sewing patterns, and Roadside Americana items offline.   These items will be featured periodically as shorter listings (auctions and fixed price listings).

Children's books have always been the heart of my store (and they are my favorite thing to find, research, and list as well), so I am really excited about this change.

Pretty vintage cards - especially Christmas cards and Valentines - have become an exciting secondary market for me, and I will be adding more of those leading up to the holidays as well.

I hope you'll visit Birdhouse Books and check out the changes there.  

Friday Fave: Breathless on PBS Mystery - Masterpiece Theatre

Happy Friday!

My Friday Fave this week is Breathless on PBS Mystery (Masterpiece Theatre).  This is a three episode series set in 1961 London.  The central character a brilliant, charming surgeon in a gynecology ward (Jack Davenport from Smash).  He is in a loveless marriage with a beautiful wife, and he becomes interested in a mysterious new nurse at the hospital. 

Other characters include a vivacious nurse who marries a socially prominent doctor.  The nurse is played by Zoe Boyle ("Lavinia Swire" from Downton Abbey).  Another Downton Abbey actor (Iain Glen, who played Sir Richard Carlisle) is a brooding inspector.

So far the show is more about Mad Men era period detail and soap opera intrigue than mystery ... but it is a wonderfully entertaining program, and one I highly recommend.  The show airs Sunday evenings on PBS.

If you've seen Breathless, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, below.

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4

This week's So You Think You Can Dance was the penultimate episode.  The finale is next Wednesday night.

The show began with a beautiful group dance to "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Ryan Dan Travis) choreographed by Travis Wall.  The leaps and pairings in this number were just lovely.  (Photo above.)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson sat in as a judge.  He is one of my favorite SYTYCD judges.  I love the good natured humor he brings to his comments.

On this episode all the dancers partnered with each other, danced a solo, and danced with an All Star in their chosen dance genre.

Valerie and Ricky did a Sean Cheesman African jazz number to "Voices of Savannah" (D.J. Chus).  It had an animal theme and was a lot of fun.

Jessica and Zack performed a Broadway routine choreographed by Spencer Liff.  It was about an underground rendezvous spot, and it was danced to "Hernando's Hideaway" (Ella Fitzgerald).  I could really picture this number in a Broadway show.  Spencer Liff is one of my favorite show choreographers.

Valerie and Zack performed a contemporary dance choreographed by Tyce Diorio.  It was about a couple in love, and Valerie portrayed a blind woman.  The number was danced to "Pearls" (Sade) and it was really lovely.

Jessica and Ricky danced a Ray Leeper number to "F for You" (Disclosure with Mary J. Blige).  It was full of drama, but not one of my favorite numbers.

Jason Mraz performed his new song, "Love Someone."  I like it - really like his voice!  

Valerie and Jessica performed a Bollywood number by Nakul Dev Mahajan to "Ghagra" (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani).   I almost always enjoy the Bollywood numbers of SYTYCD, and this number was no exception.  The girls looked like they really enjoyed this dance.

Zack and Ricky performed a Phoenix and Pharside hip hop number about the king of diamonds and king of clubs to "The Antidote" (District 78).  It was hard hitting and athletic and I thought both dancers really did an amazing job working so far out of their genre.  

Valerie and Aaron performed a Broadway style tap number choreographed by Anthony Morigerato to "Love Me or Leave Me" (Sammy Davis, Jr.).  It was a show stopper!   This was another number that would be great in a Broadway show. 

Some clips of Ricky's first audition aired, and then Ricky danced an amazing solo to "Skin and Bones" (David J. Roch).

Ricky and Kathryn danced a Stacey Tookey contemporary number about a man who hit rock bottom and a woman who is an angel helping him.  It was performed to "Not About Angels" (Birdy).

Valerie's audition aired, and then she danced a tap solo to "Valerie" (Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse).

Zack and Aaron danced a Broadway tap number to "Piano Man" (Billy Joel).  This number was choreographed by Anthony Morigerato, and it was about a bartender and customer sharing stories.  The conversation actually took the form of tap.  What an incredible number!  

Jessica's audition played, and then she danced a solo to "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" (Juliet Sims).

Jessica and Robert danced a very moving contemporary number to "When I Go" (Over the Rhine).  It was choreographed by Travis Wall.

Zack closed the show with a tape of his audition and a tap routine to "Superstition" (Adam Rafferty).

I really enjoyed this show.  It was probably my favorite episode this season.  I thought the two tap duets (Valerie and Aaron, Zack and Aaron) were real standouts.  I also loved Ricky's solo.

I actually voted tonight - 10 times for Valerie and 10 times for Ricky.  I have to say I also like Zack a lot, and would not be unhappy if he won.

I think this will actually be a very close vote.  I usually watch the show with a group of friends and the four of us had four different opinions about who should win.

Did you enjoy the show this week?  What guy and what girl do you want to win?