So You Think You Can Dance - Top 6

It's already the penultimate episode of the season.  How is that possible?  The summer has gone so fast!

The show opened with a hip hop number to "Hide" (N.A.S.A.).  It involved glow-rings, half-masks, and a lot of fast movement.  The choreographer was Nick Demoura.

Cat Deeley announced that the dancers would perform three numbers tonight:  one with a fellow contestant, one with an All-Star, and one solo. 

The guest judge this week was Christina Applegate ... always a great addition to the judging panel.

Ricky and Valerie danced a Broadway number choreographed by Spencer Liff.  The song was "I've Got the World on a String" (Frank Sinatra), and the dance involved a swing, with retro Broadway style costuming (flowing dress for Valerie).  It was fabulous -- and my favorite number of the night.

Jessica and Casey danced a disco number by Doriana Sanchez to "Dim All the Lights" (Donna Summer).  It was fast and fun with lots of lifts.  They did a great job.

Ricky performed a solo to "My Tears Are Becoming a Sea" (M83).

Zack and Jacque danced a foxtrot choreographed by Jean-Marc Generaux to "Anything Goes" (Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga).  It was not great - sort of a flat number without a lot of connection.

Jessica danced a solo to "I Was Here" (Beyonce).

Valerie and Twitch danced a wedding theme hip hop number choreographed by WilldaBeast.  The song was "Yeah" by Usher.  It was very sharp hip hop including some crumping.  I prefer lyrical hip hop (i.e. Tabitha and Napoleon), but thought Valerie did a good job.  (Twitch, of course, is a superstar!)

Casey danced a solo to "Lay Me Down" (Sam Smith).

Valerie danced a solo to "What I Like About You" (The Romantics).  (One of my favorite 1980's songs, which predisposes me to like the dance.)

Jacque and Will danced a Sean Cheesman contemporary number to "99 Red Balloons."  I really like Will, but was not a great fan of this number.  (I also prefer the original version of "99 Luftballoons.")

Zack danced a solo to "Butterfly" (Jason Mraz).

Jessica and Ade danced a Ray Leeper number about a club in Tokyo.  The song was "Boneless" (Steve Aoki, Chris Lake, and Tujamo).  Ray Leeper is not one of my favorite choreographers, and this dance was no exception for me ... it was very busy but didn't have a lot of substance.

Jacque danced a solo to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (The Andrews Sisters).  Good for her, doing a dance out of her usual classical ballet style.  I enjoyed it!

Ricky and Anya danced a foxtrot choreographed by Jean-Marc Generaux.  He remarked that the foxtrot is originally from Cuba, which interested Ricky (he is Cuban-American).  That is neat - I had no idea.  The song was "Dare (La La La)" by Shakira.  Ricky just excels in every style of dance.

Casey and McKenzie danced a contemporary number by Stacy Tookey.  The dance was about having just one day left with the person you love.  The song was "Over You" by Ingrid Michaelson.  I think this was one of Casey's best performances - well danced and very emotive.

Zack and Fik-Shun danced a hip hop number choreographed by Phillip Chbeeb.  It was inspired by an ink blot test and danced to "Sail" (Awolnation).  The choreography was very striking and unique.  

Finally it was time for the results.  Cat said that the following dancers were safe and will dance in the finale next week:

Jessica
Ricky
Valerie
Zack

This means that Casey and Jacque went home tonight.  I am a bit surprised that Zack made the final 4 over Casey, but I am glad he did.  It is great to have two tappers (Jessica and Zack) in the final 4.   

Next week the guest judge will be Jesse Tyler Ferguson (yay!) and the all-stars will be Robert, Kathryn and Aaron.  Jason Mraz will also sing.

This was a very dance-packed show.  I am happy with the final 4.  What do you think?

Wordless Wednesday: Abby Loves to Sleep on My Clothes

Maybelline Kissing Potion: A 1970's Fave

Do you remember Maybelline Kissing Potion?   It was a roll-on shiny lip gloss from the 1970's.   The ad above (1975) features a young Kim Basinger.  The gloss originally included the following flavors:  Strawberry Swirl, Mighty Mint, Krazy Kola, Cherry Smash, Cinnamon Stick, and Fruit Flip. Later other flavors were added, like Candy Cane (pictured below).

I loved this lip gloss as a 1970's teen!  I recall it was sometimes a little gift in a Christmas stocking, or at birthday parties.  My favorite flavors were Mighty Mint, Candy Cane, and Cinnamon Stick.  It tasted sweet and it was very shiny.  I used this for a long time until one time a bottle of it leaked in my purse while I was at school.  That ended my love of Kissing Potion!  After that I moved on to Bonne Belle Lipsmackers.

If you enjoy retro topics like this, come join my 1950's - 1970's retro pop culture group on Facebook, Do You Remember (just click the link).  Do you remember Kissing Potion or Lipsmackers?

Music Monday - "Here It Comes Again" by The Fortunes (1965)

Happy Monday!  My Music Monday selection this week is "Here It Comes Again" by The Fortunes.  This British Invasion tune was a hit in 1965, and it features five singers and some great harmonies.  I found a neat old video of the song -- it is a bit grainy but fun to watch (and to listen to).  Enjoy!

Friday Fave: All in the Family

My Friday Fave is an old tv show -- All in the Family.  I was too young to get this show when it originally ran, 1971 - 1979.  It is airing this summer on Antenna-TV  and I am really enjoying catching up and watching it from the beginning.  

The show is about the Bunker family in Queens, New York.  Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) is a World War II veteran who is a working class guy with a lot of very traditional (and often bigoted) opinions.  His wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) is kind and long suffering.  She comes across as naive, but often offers homespun wisdom.  They have one grown child, Gloria (Sally Struthers), who combines her mother's good nature and her father's stubbornness.  Gloria is married to Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner), who is a politically liberal grad student.  They all live together in the same house, and Archie and Mike find much to disagree about.  It is a thought provoking show, and a very funny one.   I can't believe I've never seen it before!

If you like All the Family, I would love to hear your thoughts on the characters, favorite episodes, etc. in the comments section.