After meeting the most enthusiastic judge in reality television history at both Monday’s TEEN CHOICE AWARDS ‘08 and Wednesday’s taping of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, one fact has become undeniably clear. Mary Murphy is America’s unofficial Ambassador of Dance.
Not only is she a tireless promoter of the show and the genre, her love and respect for the remarkable young talents competing in tonight’s two-hour finale is a welcome change from the usual negative vibe that emanates from most reality television.
Press ‘play’ below to listen to Murphy’s take on the finalists, what it felt like putting on those dance shoes for tonight’s finale and what changes might be in store when SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE returns for a fifth season next summer.
Not only does this TV Addict not think he can dance. He knows it! Which is probably the reason — as I alluded to in an earlier post — that I never caught the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE bug that has spanned the globe. [Coming Soon: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Canada!]
That said, even a non-fan such as myself couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement and energy as I sat backstage during tonight’s penultimate installment of the season. I mean it doesn’t take a Baryshnikov to appreciate the remarkable talent, dedication and sheer athleticism of everyone involved in the hit FOX show.
Especially when the adorable and mesmerizing Cat Deeley was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule mid-show to talk about what it’s like to host the show, her love of the contestants and of course her recent Emmy snub. [Hilariously interrupted courtesy of an impromptu “WooHoo” from Judge Mary Murphy!]
It’s official: Three episodes in, SWINGTOWN is officially my favorite show of the summer. And really, what’s not to love? Don’t be fooled by the implication that this is a smutfest. Instead, SWINGTOWN is an examination of evolving — and devolving — friendships, and it’s hard to decide what’s more unexpected: the show’s unexpected but undeniable charm, or its ability to examine changing social and sexual mores in a non-judgemental light. I have to think that if this series wound up anywhere but on CBS, it would have wound up trading sentiment for sleaziness, and that would have been a real shame. From the beginning, my favorite character has been Miriam Shor’s Janet, who represents the old guard being forced to face that nothing stays the same… no matter how hard we might wish it would. (Best moment last night: Janet stoically declaring “I am going to eat a pot brownie!” before shoving the tampered-with treat into her mouth.) She is a portrait of heartbreak and a study in conflict, and the perfect frenemy to Lara Parrilla’s luminous Trina. Best of all, the changing times aren’t only viewed through the eyes of adults. We’re treated to teen boys who find their friendship being tested by the girl next door, and high schooler/budding feminist Laurie’s crush on a teacher. In the dead zone of summer television, populated by increasingly lame and mean-spirited reality shows (HOPKINS and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE aside), SWINGTOWN is breathing new life into Thursday nights.
I’ve only seen the first 15 minutes of the debut episode, but HOPKINS seems determined to prove that reality TV needn’t be the black sheep of programming. The stakes are life and death, and the players in this game are people, not the caricatures who populate THE HILLS or THE REAL WORLD. Given that it is populated by doctors, it’s appropriate to dub this appointment television.
If all reality competitions were as full of energy, honesty and life as SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, there’d be a lot more worth watching. This week’s episode featured several truly stunning performances, my personal favorite of which was Mark and Chelsea’s emotional hip-hop number to the tune Bleeding Love. (If you missed it, youtube it… trust me!) I hate the fact that the snarky, nasty, pointless critiques of AMERICAN IDOL put that show at the top of the ratings heap while the honest, helpful, constructive criticisms of SYTYCD’s judges make this show a hit by summer standards, but keep it from being anything near the blockbuster IDOL is. Sometimes, America, you make me hate you. I’m just sayin’.
Sometimes, I just don’t know what people want. The critics were fairly brutal where SWINGTOWN is concerned, and yet I found it — and no one is more surprised than I to have this be the first word which comes to mind — charming. Every moment seemed to offer a new flashback to an era I kinda sorta vaguely remember (having been a pre-teen in 1976). People smoking on planes, the funky fashions, references to The Omen and oh, that glorious, wonderful parade of cheesy songs! I’m sure those who tuned in expecting a smutfest left wildly disappointed, as the series is driven more by character than plot and, despite having sexual mores as it’s central theme, tends to take a less-is-more approach. But if you go into it looking for a good time, well, you’re gonna leave as satisfied as the party guests who ventured down into Tom and Trina Decker’s basement. Sure, it’d would have been nice if the doe-eyed couple who move from Eden to Gomorrah had taken a tad longer to be corrupted. By the end of the first episode, Susan had popped a Qualude and ditched long-time gal pal Janet (the delightful Miriam Shor) for life on the swingin’ side of town. But heck, who could resist the charms of deliciously sleezy Tom as personified by Grant Show? Given the way Janet’s hubby was eyeing Susan (and that “Geez, do we really have to leave?” look he gave his wife after she accidentally wandered into an orgy room and demanded of her happy-to-be-there spouse, “Do you know what kind of party this is?”), I’m dying to see where things go. Sorry, but in a summer filled with reality and reruns, you’d have to be a total square not to dive into this groovefest. The writing’s on the (bathroom) wall: For a good time, call the residents of SWINGTOWN.
While I abhor the endless AMERICAN IDOL auditions which seem to stretch for months, I’m wishing that SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE would show us more of the episodes in which they search for finalists. In part, this is due to the fact that while IDOL focuses on the negative, DANCE nearly always finds a way to spin things in a positive manner. But more important is the fact that we seem to miss out on key steps in the audition process. Personally, I want to see the dancers trained by contestant-turned-choreographer Travis, which we get only snipets of. And certainly when we got to the highly hyped “Vegas week”, which consisted of a single episode, I was dying to see more of the grueling process through which these talented young people go. So while it’s true that with IDOL, less would definitely be more, the complete opposite is true where DANCE is concerned.
As I watched last night’s two-hour installment of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, it finally dawned on this TV Addict why I have yet to get completely hooked on the show.
I don’t think I can dance. Actually, I know I can’t.
Which is unfortunate, because I truly believe that one of the big lures of reality television is imagining yourself in each contestant’s shoes. Essentially playing couch potato quarterback as you meticulously second guess contestant’s song choices, alliances, strategies and outfits. Yes, believing you can do better is half the fun.
Way back in January while attending the premiere party for TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, the TV Addict also had the opportunity to talk to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE judges Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty.
One problem, this TV Addict has never seen the show. Which is exactly what I confessed to Mary and Dan at the start of interview.
Now I probably shouldn’t admit this since I’m interviewing you, but I’ve never really watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
Mary Murphy: Next! [Laughs]. Basically it’s like AMERICAN IDOL but we’re looking for talented dancers.
Yeah I’ve seen clips and ‘talented’ is somewhat of an understatement.
Mary Murphy: I certainly couldn’t do what they do!
Is there at all a rivalry between SYTYCD and that other hit dance show?
Mary Murphy: There’s no resentment at all. In fact my feeling is the more dancers the merrier. The success of both SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and DANCING WITH THE STARS is great for our industry as a whole.
Dan Karaty: Our show’s a different show, targeted towards a different demographic. DANCING WITH THE STARS is strictly ballroom were as we offer up all styles of dance. On our show, if you’re strictly hip hop you’re going to have to do ballroom and vice-versa.
Hailing from Toronto, I know Canada is really excited to be getting our own version of SYTYD airing soon on CTV.
Dan Karaty: SYTYD is all over the world. Canada, Israel, Australia. But aside from that, I know a lot of people this season came from other countries just to audition for our show. Iceland, Russia, they come to us!
After meeting the most enthusiastic judge in reality television history at both Monday’s TEEN CHOICE AWARDS ‘08 and Wednesday’s taping of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, one fact has become undeniably clear. Mary Murphy is America’s unofficial Ambassador of Dance.
It’s official: Three episodes in, SWINGTOWN is officially my favorite show of the summer. And really, what’s not to love? Don’t be fooled by the implication that this is a smutfest. Instead, SWINGTOWN is an examination of evolving — and devolving — friendships, and it’s hard to decide what’s more unexpected: the show’s unexpected but undeniable charm, or its ability to examine changing social and sexual mores in a non-judgemental light. I have to think that if this series wound up anywhere but on CBS, it would have wound up trading sentiment for sleaziness, and that would have been a real shame. From the beginning, my favorite character has been Miriam Shor’s Janet, who represents the old guard being forced to face that nothing stays the same… no matter how hard we might wish it would. (Best moment last night: Janet stoically declaring “I am going to eat a pot brownie!” before shoving the tampered-with treat into her mouth.) She is a portrait of heartbreak and a study in conflict, and the perfect frenemy to Lara Parrilla’s luminous Trina. Best of all, the changing times aren’t only viewed through the eyes of adults. We’re treated to teen boys who find their friendship being tested by the girl next door, and high schooler/budding feminist Laurie’s crush on a teacher. In the dead zone of summer television, populated by increasingly lame and mean-spirited reality shows (HOPKINS and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE aside), SWINGTOWN is breathing new life into Thursday nights. 
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