AMERICA LOVES ITS "BOYS-NEXT-DOOR" -- BUT CAN ONE ACTUALLY BEAT THE FRONT-RUNNER AGAIN?

"Boy-next-door" Kris Allen captured America's hearts and surprised America by winning 2009 American Idol. Can the same thing happen on "So You Think You Can Dance?"


The “So You Think You Can Dance” grand finale found four of the nation’s most talented and blooming young dancers competing for what might be the opportunity of a lifetime. On the line is the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer,” along with $250,000 and a cover appearance on Dance Spirit magazine.

Approximately 3,000 people jammed into Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre to witness the most important performance night of the popular dance competition show and to cheer on their favorites. From the thousands who gave their best efforts in show try-outs -- there remained only four, Jeanine Mason, 18, from Pinecrest, FL; Evan Kasprzak, 21, from West Bloomfield, MI; Kayla Radomski, 18, from Aurora, CO and Brandon Bryant, 19, from Salt Lake City, UT.

The highlight of the evening -- that one stand-out moment, though, seemed not to be the dancing, the choreographed routines or even the comments of the judges. It was the moment when the theatre erupted with chants of “Ev-an! Ev-an! Ev-an!”

Whether Evan Kasprzak is the strongest dancer has been debated in Main Street USA coffee shops and online message boards – but, regardless, there is little doubt that he has captured the hearts of America!

The clean-cut, “boy-next-door” has catapulted America, now suffering one of the most difficult economic periods in its history, back to the magical age of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly – the golden era of Hollywood when musicals dominated at movie theaters and life seemed so much simpler and purer.




Throughout the evening, though, it almost appeared that SYTYCD judges feared that Kasprzak might win the dance competition, just as Kris Allen took the American Idol crown, based more on his personality and likeability than his actual dancing talent. They seemed spellbound to ensure that fans voted for the dancer they deemed technically strongest instead of with their hearts.

On Twitter and the message boards following the finale, fans questioned why the judges were so “mean” to Evan. He had, after all, been voted into the finals – and typically in reality show finals judges highlight contestant’s strengths rather than dwelling on the weaknesses.

But while the SYTYCD judges over and over pointed out Evan’s “good guy” character and massive popularity, they seemed unable to bring themselves to compliment even single elements in his dancing routines. As one Twitter user put it, they "really pounded him."

When Evan performed a Sonya Tayeh choreographed jazz routine with Jeanine, judge Mary Murphy said that the pair “delivered”, but added “Jeanine stood out a little more.” Judge Nigel Lythgoe complimented Jeanine on her strength and personality, but warned Evan that while he was well-loved by the fans, he would have to step up his dancing if he wanted to win.

But when Brandon and Kayla performed, Murphy exclaimed, “You are the front-runners for me.” And Lythgoe went so far as to say, “I think that the show is beginning now.” – an obvious insult to Evan and Jeanine’s routine.

After the finale fans questioned why Evan and Brandon were ever asked to perform a Laurieann Gibson designed “Nasty.” This unquestionably played into the hands of Brandon, and could not have been more outside of the world of Evan. Even the judges acknowledged that this put Evan at a disadvantage. Murphy quipped, “Evan, what is the nastiest thing you have ever done?” Evan joked that there were too many “nasty” things to list – and the audience roared. But the judges all agreed that Evan did not have a “nasty” bone in his body and had never done a “nasty” thing in his life.

Evan’s best chance to shine and extract praise from the judges came with his solo. While this was likely not his strongest ever, again the judges took full advantage of the opportunity to criticize more than praise. Choreographer/judge Adam Shankman pointed out that this routine was a slightly altered version of his audition piece -- and shook his Head. Murphy at least praised Evan for reintroducing America to the Fred Astaire/Gene Kelly style of dancing, but had little to say of his performance. And Lythgoe delivered the ultimate stinger when he, after saying that America had fallen in love with Evan, asserted that Evan is not as good as strong as Brandon and Jeanine.

The situation did not improve for Evan. After he jived across the dance floor with Kayla, Shankman exclaimed that he unsure that this was a finale level routine – it “didn’t reach out to me.” Murphy called the routine was strong, but said that the dancing was not -- adding, “Kayla, you stole the show.” And Lythgoe finally did compliment, saying that both dancers came out with guns blazing.

But as the show progressed toward the final dance, fans probably expected that the final comments for Brandon and Jeanine would be strong. The pair was gifted with a paso doble that played right into their hands since strength is considered among their highest attributes.

The judges to their feet for Brandon and Jeanine -- and the audience cheered. There was the sense that the judges got exactly what they wanted from what seemed their favorite dancers. Shankman complimented the transitions, intensity and movement. Murphy could not contain herself, awarding her famous scream over and over and over again. Lythgoe placed his hands over his ears as a protection from Murphy's high-volume shrieks. And then Lythgoe offered that Brandon was “like a race horse snorting to get out of the stall, and she was ready for it.” He concluded his critique with the final words, “You two are the front-runners!”

SYTYCD judges opined that Evan has captured the hearts of the nation -- and they seemed all the tougher on him because of his popularity.

If the judges have their way, clearly only Brandon or Jeanine are in real contention for the coveted title of “America’s Favorite Dancer.”

But the question remains, what will America do? Will Brandon, who garnered clearly the highest praise from the judges all evening long, walk away with the coveted title? Will either Jeanine or Kayla, shining stars all season, be crowned? Or will fans ignore SYTYCD judges and vote with their hearts? SYTYCD fans wait for the answer!

In viewing several online polls, it appears that the judges may get their way -- since Brandon and Jeanine are generally leading. But it was also expected that Adam Lambert would be crowned 2009 American Idol, and instead the nation chose "boy-next-door" Kris Allen. Can a "boy-next-door" also surprise and win SYTYCD? Sphere: Related Content

PAULA TO MEET WITH "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE" EXEC TO DISCUSS POSSIBILITY OF HER JOINING THE SHOW

So You Think You Can Dance executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is not about to pass up a great opportunity! Nabbing Paula Abdul as judge and choreographer would be a real coup for the popular dance competition show.

Weeks ago Lythgoe opined that Fox would no doubt reach an agreement with Abdul because they would be crazy to let her go -- but that is exactly what Fox did.

Within hours of the announcement that Paula was exiting American Idol, Lythgoe and Paula arranged to meet to discuss the possibility of her joining SYTYCD.

"She's on the East Coast at this moment in time," Lythgoe revealed to LA Times. "Hopefully we're going to meet this weekend in Vegas. We go out to do our Vegas Week this week, and Paula's gonna come out there and we'll sit down and talk about what opportunities are available -- if I can afford her."

Lythgoe hailed Abdul's talent and qualifications as a dancer, choreographer and reality show judge. "I don't know anyone more qualified than Paula Abdul," he enthused.

Lythgoe said that he and Abdul did not discuss her contract negotiations with Idol executives. "All we discussd is that, yes, this is the situation at the moment -- and she may well be free to come and join us on SYTYCD," he told LATimes.

Lythgoe has also been vocal that Fox's contract negotiations with host Ryan Seacrest and judge Simon Cowell should have remained private. "That would have aggrieved anybody else and you'd want more money, I would think, when you see those numbers," he told LA Times. "Negotiatons should be held behind closed doors ... no embarrassment on either party."

American Idol fans let it be known that they saw no need for four judges after Kara DioGuardi was added to the panel last season. Shows became rushed in order to squeeze in comments from four judges -- and still critiques on the latest appearing contestants were rushed and show on occasion interfered with other programming.

"I'm not a fan of four judges," Lythgoe he told the Times. "I don't mind it as guest judges, but when it is every week you run out of time as you well know. My Tivo didn't like the fact there were four judges. I also didn't like the fact that on some weeks Simon didn't get to critique some of the singers. And, to be frank, I wanted to hear what he's got to say about everybody. So it made no sense to me to put a fourth judge in there.

"Plus, without question, for me, it lost some of its chemistry," Lythgoe told Times. He said that Randy Jackson, Paula and Simon "are the true ingredients of great judging. They're historic now. Whenever judges are discussed on reality shows, they are the ones you want to emulate. They're the ones whose names will be written in history books of televison."

And Lythgoe opined that the chemistry between Abdul and Cowell cannot be duplicated. If Kara begins to act as Paula did, he doesn't think that fans will accept it as real.


Among messages posted on Twitter with respect to Abdul joining SYTYCD:

"Paula would be a wonderful addition to SYTYCD!! But don't replace @HOTtamaleTRAIN cuz the show would bite without her."

"If you're watchinng SYTYCD now, admit it! Wouldn't Paula Abdul be a great judge instead of the revolving choreos?"

"U r so loved Paula! If not on Idol u should totally be on SYTYCD!"

"Agree they need some Paula Abdul on the show."

And, "I hope Paula Abdul agrees to Nigel's proposition." Sphere: Related Content

IDOL FANS SWITCH FROM #KEEP PAULA TO #SAVE PAULA -- WHILE THEY QUESTION FOX' SANITY IN LETTING HER GO

Fans of American Idol say that they sent powerful and clear messages to Fox that they want Paula on the judging panel!

They say they have flooded Twitter, message boards and have directly contacted Fox to make certain that their wishes to keep Paula were known!

Message boards and polls have lit up with pleas for the return of their original three judges -- and they are asking why Fox spent money to keep newcomer and fourth judge Kara DioGuardi when her salary could have been used to give Paula a raise! Four judges are too many they say as they shift gears from #KeepPaula to Save Paula!

Even former American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe expressed that Fox would be crazy to let Paula go -- and has offered her a guest judge/choreographer slot on his So You Think You Can Dance television show!

On Twitter, message posters question Fox's sanity and sincereity in apparently playing hardball in negotiations with their Paula.

The messages flood in.

One message poster wrote, "Fox is 1. saddened and 2. Paula is a tremendous talent. That didn't sound sincere."

Another wrote, "Tweet to show fox they are losing fans cuz of their stupidity. Save Paula, we support Paula Abdul."

Another wrote, "Come on Fox, you couldn't pull in a couple extra bucks for her? She's been there since the start!"

And another wrote, "Why are the people of Fox so mean? Paula Abdul is the best."

Another wrote, "Greed is a powerful thing and unfortunately Fox is a victim of it."

And still another wrote, "I am no longer watching American Idol since Paula is leaving. Sorry Fox, but you will lose my families viewership. Take THAT to the bank."

Free Web Log Directory Sphere: Related Content

WILL PAULA BECOME A GUEST JUDGE/CHOREOGRAPHER ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

It appears that departing American Idol judge Paula Abdul will not need to search "Help Wanted" ads or pound the pavement to find a new judging opportunity! So You Think You Can Dance executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe, at Tuesday night's taping of the dance competition finale, repeated his invitation for Paula to become a guest judge and choreographer on the show.

Lythgoe, former executive producer of American Idol, had previously opined that Fox would be crazy to let Paula go -- and should contract negotiations between Fox and Abdul completely break down, SYTYCD would happily take advantage by inviting her to join their cast.

Abdul, equally as famous for dancing and choreography as for singing, has worked with many celebrities, including Janet Jackson.

"We've certainly invited her here," Lythgoe told MTV. "And we've invited her to do some choreography this season as well. We just haven't been able to get it together at the moment, obviously because negotiations with Fox have been at the top of her mind."

Abdul was reportedly earning between $2 million and $3 million for her American Idol stint -- and wanted a raise with any new contract. American Idol presented her with an offer that she "didn't like at all," a source said according to TMZ. Abdul countered AI's offer -- but the show's executives would not agree to her request so sent a counter offer to her.

"Rather than responding to the second offer, Paula shocked everyone by tweeting her goodbye," reported TMZ. "The weirdest thing ... 'AI' took the tweet seriously and responded with an official sayonara."

However, Paula maintained frequent contact with her fans through messages on Twitter. She revealed that she wanted to return to Idol, but "I hope you can understand that I can only return to Idol if the deal is fair."

Rumors flew that after host Ryan Seacrest inked a $45 million contract with the show and Simon was in talks for a contract with big numbers, Abdul wanted a significant salary increase. Adding to this speculation, Lythgoe said, "I'd never been involved in negotiations when I was with the show (American Idol), but having spoken with (Fox president of alternative programming) Mike Darnell, I know Fox wants to keep Paula. The figures that have been quoted for Simon and Ryan are great figures. I don't know if they're true, but Paula seeing those figures would make her pretty upset."

So it appears that Paula finally decided that it was time to move on. In her final messages to her fans on Twitter, she wrote, "It is with sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to #IDOL. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon."

But with the SYTYCD offer on the table, it doesn't seem that Paula's days of nurturing young talent are necessarily over. Fans wanted her back on American Idol, but the suspicion is that they will equally enjoy watching her display her judging and choreography skills on the popular dance competition show! Sphere: Related Content

IDOL SHOW CONNECTIONS BEGIN TO REACT TO WORD THAT PAULA WILL LEAVE THE SHOW

American Idol connections are beginning to react to word that Paula Abdul will not return as a judge on the show next season -- her departure made official on Tuesday evening by an announcement by Fox and Twitter messages by Paula to her fans.


Speaking from the heart most eloquently, Idol finalist Phil Stacey revealed Paula's love and concern for contestants -- and said that those who will miss out most will be the future contestants who will not have her constant love, concern and guiding hand.




"Just found out that Paula Abdul has decided not to return to American Idol," wrote Stacey.

"As much as America will miss her, those I feel the most for are the future contestants of American Idol. Ms. Paula was a constant source of encouragement. She was the one voice on the judge panel that understood what it was like to pour your very soul into a performance, only to have it scrutinized before millions of people. She judged with a tender heart, and I for one really appreciated that! She saw star potential in everyone. Future contestants will certainly miss out.

"As busy of a schedule as she had, Ms. Paula took time every week to visit with us, bringing gifts from her jewelry line with messages imprinted on them that were meant to encourage us on during that crazy time. If there were children visiting the American Idol studio, she wanted to meet them, take pictures with them, and give them each a gift of their own. She's a very special kind of person.

"Thanks for 8 great seasons, Ms. Paula. We will Miss you."

Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who just inked a $45 million deal to continue in his Idol post, wrote on Twitter, "About to go to sleep when I started seeing my blackberry blow up. I have read what u have read and I am shocked and saddened about Paula. ... Idol and the cast have grown with each other over the last 8 seasons..I can't imagine the panel without Paula. She's a star @ a great friend. Spoke to Randy..hope to speak with paula privately overnight."

American Idol finalist Brooke White: "Just heard the news @PaulaAbdul thank you for the genuine care and concern you gave to us contestants, your kind spirit will be missed."

American Idol finalist Michael Sarver: "I am sad to see Paula not coming back to Idol. It will be the contestants that suffer the most. She was a loving mother to us and I can't picture AI without her. We love u Paula."

American Idol finalist Scott MacIntyre: "I love you @PaulaAbdul -- thank you for your incredible support on my American Idol Journey." Sphere: Related Content

IT'S OFFICIAL -- PAULA'S AMERICAN IDOL DAYS ARE OVER

The days of watching Paula and Simon playfully teasing each other on the American Idol judges panel are over. The days of watching Paula compliment contestants on spectacular performances are over -- as are the days of watching her comfort contestants whose performances fell a bit short. The often called "sweetest and kindest" of American Idol judges is officially off the show -- and fans say that the show will "never be the same again!"

"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to #IDOL," Paula Abdul lamented to her fans on Twitter. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.

"What I want to say most," she continued, "is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me. It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month. I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all."

Fox, FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment released a brief statement on Tuesday night officially announcing that Abdul's days as an Idol judge are over.

"Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show," the statement read. "While Paula will not be continuing with us, she's a tremendous talent and we wish her the best."

When word spread that Paula will no longer grace television screens during the airing of American Idol, fans began expressing their sadness on Twitter and online message boards. And they opined frustration that network executives ignored their extensive campaigns to keep Paula on the show.

One fan wrote, "Why does AI not listen to us? We are the fans. Without us, there would be no show. And we have been very clear in our message that we want Paula! Do they really care about us at all?"

A source close to Abdul said Fox offered her a contract -- but that Abdul turned that down, reported online Pop Tarts.

"Paula is actually handling the situation really well," a source told Pop Tarts. "She is in great spirits. She has so many offers and opportunities and has been in New York this week taking meetings."

But after eight seasons as an American Idol judge, Paula had made it clear to her fans that she wanted to remain on the show. And it was only after negotiations stalled that she explained to those fans, "I hope you can understand that I can only return to Idol if the deal is fair."

For the entire past season rumors flew that Fox had introduced Kara DioGuardi on the judges panel as an eventual replacement for Paula. Then when DioGuardi was signed for the coming season, speculation heightened that Fox might not be serious in their negotiations to keep Paula on the show.

Whatever the reason why contract negotiations failed between Paula and network executives, many American Idol fans feel that the show has also failed them. As one source revealed, "If they could pay $45 million to Ryan (Seacrest), they certainly could have kept Paula if they really wanted to do that. It appears that they didn't really want her back and didn't care what the show's fans wanted either. There is something very wrong with that."

After the announcement, one fan wrote, "No more Paula. American Idol is doomed." Another wrote, "Paula Abdul is my idol & #NopaulaNoidol." Another wrote, "I'm not watching American Idol without Paula!" And still another opined, "EVERYONE LOVES HER! I AM NOT WATCHING SEASON 9!"

Clearly Paula has been popular with American Idol fans -- and it is the fans' and the show's loss that she will not be there for Season 9! Sphere: Related Content

PAULA THANKS FANS FOR VOTING HER "MS TWITTER USA"

American Idol judge (current or former?) Paula Abdul posted a message on Twitter today thanking her fans for voting her Ms. Twitter USA.

"I want to celebrate all of you for making me Ms Twitter USA!," Abdul commented. "Thank You so much! xoP"

In a message posted hours earlier, she wrote, "Thank you to everyone who has been voting me Ms Twitter!!xoP"

It seems unclear just what the Ms. Twitter title signifies, but it appears to be a popularity contest in which Twitter users vote for their favorite nominee.

Several hours before Abdul wrote, "Been in meetings all day, but haven't forgotten you guys. Happy Monday!" She did not specify the nature of the meetings -- or whether they were concerning her possible return as a judge on American Idol. Sphere: Related Content