Salome's Corner

My Week Kicked Me in the Pants

2009-12-19T22:53:00.004-06:00

Awww, kitty! It's the first image I found when looking up the word "exhausted." It's been a very busy week. I'm sitting down to take stock of it because I have one last chore to finish: folding the final load of laundry, which is still drying. Then tomorrow we'll be off to my parents' house for the week. That means I've been under a deadline. All that I wanted to get done before the holidays had to be completed by tonight. Ye olde kick in the pants!

On Monday, I was still feeling pretty rough, so I didn't go to my last Chicago North meeting of the year. Tuesday was all about errands: I volunteered at the school, baked cookies and bundled them as teacher gifts, did Christmas shopping, got my hair cut, and generally made short work of all the running around that I'd put off while sick. I also made The To-Do List of Doom!!

On that list? Finish Flawless. Heh. That would mean writing 15,000 words (roughly 70 pages) between Wednesday and tonight.

Wednesday was a great day for writing. I'd worn myself out with all the errands and re-pulled a muscle in my ribs--which I'd tweaked initially by coughing too much--so I sat with the cats on the couch and wrote all day. Five thousand words down! I also wrapped Ilsa's birthday presents and all of the Christmas presents. That evening, we went to the Winter Concert at Juliette's school. All very cute and generally feel-good. After the girls were in bed, I spent a good couple hours chipping away at the massive amounts of promo I still need to finish over the next two weeks.

I had another good day of writing and sitting on the couch when Thursday rolled around. Yay for five thousand more words! I was getting so close. Could I actually do all that I needed to do for family and holidays and still finish my draft? At that point, I couldn't imagine not finishing. How disappointed I would be with that looming over me for the holidays! Throughout the morning, I also baked two batches of Christmas cookies and bundled up all the last-minute gift packages I had to mail.

That evening, the girls and I picked up Keven from work and drove down to Gurnee, where we dined at Red Lobster. Not only is it one of the girls' favorite restaurants, but I had a gift certificate! We opened her presents there. She got a Spongebob Squarepants sticker/coloring book, a hidden picture book, a big book of kindergarten activities, Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel, the game Zingo, and a praying mantis pagoda. Yeah...we'll see how that goes. She was most excited about the praying mantis pagoda and the Spongebob book, which she snuck into bed with her that night.

After dinner, we drove to Christmas Lane here in Kenosha, which has the tradition of being decked out with holiday lights on all the houses. The girls got a real kick out of seeing so much. Our condos are nicely, demurely decorated, but holy moly, some people go all-out. I remember taking similar sight-seeing drives when my brother and I were young, so it was cool to pass that tradition down to my kids. This week we also watched the Baryshnikov version of The Nutcracker and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I think the only major Christmas flick I haven't seen yet this year is A Christmas Story, but we're saving that for when the girls can watch it at grandma and grandpa's house. Should be a hoot.

Friday, Ilsa had a half day. She got home and I'd only completed one scene. I had a chapter and a half to go! Luckily she's obsessed with the computer game SPORE now, so she spent the next four hours on my computer, which I worked from the couch using my Alphasmart. She would occasionally stop to come tell me what stage she'd unlocked, and I'd stop to get us snacks, but we were pretty much in our own worlds. Bizarre, but super productive. I finished the draft with five minutes left before I was to go pick up Juliette.

Yay!

(Only this morning did I realize that I missed Juliette's follow-up appointment with her doctor. It was at 3:30 and I totally forgot. Whoops! Brain cramp.)

Today's been about chores. We scrubbed the condo from top to bottom. It took all day. I can't imagine trying to clean a bigger house. We live in 1200 sq. feet for a reason. We also finished up the last of the Christmas wrapping and did most of the stuff-gathering for the trip tomorrow. I did bills, updated my website, got Unusual Historicals sorted for the week, and baked the last batch of Christmas cookies. I'm about ready to collapse. But dang, just goes to show what I can accomplish in a week if I truly and completely devote myself to my goals!

Mid-Month Round-Up

2009-12-18T11:12:00.008-06:00

Double hyphenated title!

OK, so as we near the release date for SCOUNDREL'S KISS, which is now only 18 days away, the advance reviews and interviews will really start to gain momentum. I'll be centralizing them all here, as well as notifying everyone when and where you'll be able to win free copies through various blogs. Yay for free! Here's the list of activity from this week:

** Katie has a marvelous, blush-worthy review on Babbling About Books. I think she liked it. "SCOUNDREL'S KISS has a near epic type feel to it in an exotic land with so many twist and turns. Carrie Lofty is a masterful storyteller who kept me hooked until the very last page. This is one much recommended romance."

** Historical Tapestry mostly reviews historical fiction, so I was glad to see that my romance (mostly) held up under more intense historical scrutiny. "The era and location are not usual among historical romance or even historical fiction, and from the first pages, I was immediately swept away."

** The Historical Novel Review also thought it was the bee's knees. "They are memorable for their bravery and resilience with each new trial, but even more for the power of their love. Their story was a great pleasure to read and I highly recommend SCOUNDREL'S KISS."

UPDATED TO ADD: I forgot that I'm giving away a copy at the HNR blog. You have thru Monday! Just leave a comment for your chance to win.

And I've done a quick post featuring a short, steamy excerpt over at the RomCon blog.

I have two other pieces of happy book news. My sexy, wonderfully happy short story "Sundial," in which a modern girl finds herself in 1950s Italy and meets a fellow time traveler from the 1980s, is now available in print form. The THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE anthology features all four winners from the contest Wild Rose Press held back in 2007. The other winners were Leanne Tyler (American Historical), Loretta C. Rogers (Western Historical), and Michelle Chambers (Non-American Historical). Because of its 1950s setting, "Sundial" was the winner of the Vintage Historical category.

And finally, the historical romance formerly known as "Serenade," in which a widowed violin prodigy begins a steamy love affair with a renowned composer, only to learn that he stole the symphony he's most famous for, has been chosen to help launch Carina Press. Carina Press is Harlequin's new digital-only venture, which will open its doors in June 2010. I'm so excited to be part of this launch, and that my little-Austrian-story-that-could will find a much wider audience. You can read more about it here on Carina's blog, and I've posted the first chapter here. More details, including the new title, when I have them.

Happy Birthday, Ilsa!

2009-12-17T07:12:00.004-06:00

My baby girl turns six today. She's been so excited about it that yesterday she got sent to the office for being disruptive. Twice. At a Montessori. The whole point of a Montessori is to do what you want, so she must've been a little hellion.

Tonight we're going out to Red Lobster, her favorite, (plus I have a gift certificate!), and doing the cake-and-presents thing at home. She's also delivering cookies to all her school friends because the birthday child gets to bring in a treat for everyone. I'll provide details in the morning. There's one gift in particular that I wonder how she'll react...

In other news, Juliette participated in her winter concert last night. The combined kindergarten and first graders performed two songs. All very cute, especially the second graders. The fifth and sixth grade choir was the best--very pretty songs. I can't seem to upload the video of Juliette's to my computer, but I know I did it somehow for her concert back in May. I think I figured it out last night. I'll try to have it up later this evening.

Otherwise, I'm doing my best to cross everything off my huge work/holiday/birthday/chores list. Slowly, slowly, it's all coming together.

Best of SYTYCD

2009-12-16T16:30:00.005-06:00

This seasons best performances, as determined by me. I know a few will be on the recap show tonight, but I wonder how many?

Best Contemporary: I'm calling this one a tie between Ellenore & Jakob's "You Tore My Heart," by Sonya, and last night's "At This Moment," danced by Kathryn & Jakob and choreographed by Dwight & Desmond. I get to call it a tie because the Sonya piece is quirky and the D&D piece is emotional. My rules.

Honorable mentions go to the Travis wall routines danced by Bianca & Victor, Ellenore & Ryan, and Ashleigh & Ryan. I also adored Kathryn & Legacy's "Fear," as choreographed by Stacey Tookey, and "A Case of You" by Tasty Oreo, as danced by Noelle & Russell.

Best Jazz: Kathryn & Legacy's "So Deep," also by Sonya.

Best Hip-hop: Dave Scott's "Cavemen" as danced by Kathryn & Legacy, followed by three done by Tabitha and Napoleon: Karen & Kevin's "Car" routine, Jakob & Ashleigh's "Caught Cheating," and Noelle & Ryan's "Desk" number.

Best World: Kathryn & Ryan's cha-cha by Jason G., followed by Mollee & Nathan's Bollywood number by Nakul.

Best Solo: Legacy's Top 10 OMG mental "No Air"

Best Group: Wade's "Four Gangs"

Best Guest Performance: the Alvin Ailey trio

SYTYCD Week #8

2009-12-15T21:27:00.007-06:00

I'm going to do this wrap-up as quickly as they did this supposed finale. One hour? Really? The editing was so distracting.

Kathryn & Ryan (Jason G's samba): I still have major samba envy, coz I want to move like that! The opening was a little too complex and labored for my tastes, and the end had me wondering how many times she fell on her ass before she got it right. I want Kathryn or Russell to win.

Ellenore & Jakob (Tasty Oreo's Broadway): How does she make him seem less gay? It's amazing, their partnership. This was foxy and fun.

Ashleigh & Russell (Sonya's lyric jazz): I hated this version of a Jewel classic. Is she mining older material in lieu of new stuff? I had goosebumps throughout the dance, though. Could be because it's only 8F outside, but I'll be generous and say that it was emotion. Nigel needs to shut up about the shirtless guys. It's one of the wonders if watching dance!

Ellenore & Ryan (Garry Stewart's jazz): I loved her kneepads. Excellent and entertaining. Yet in an evening of overtly emotional performances, this one suffered from lack of tears-in-hankies.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Jean-Marc's foxtrot): They were oddly mismatched in the opening, to the point where I was thinking, "Wow, they had to get used to a virgin partnership and it's not sitting well on them." I'd totally forgotten the first five weeks of them working together. Forgettable.

Ellenore & Russell (Jason G's paso): More shirtless! God bless the wardrobe department. Very nice. They were convincing and well-matched. But again, it was all about the emotional pieces tonight. This won't help either of them.

Kathryn & Jakob (Dwight & Desmond's contemp): *sobs...rewinds...sobs again*

Ashleigh & Rysn (Travis's contemp): It's a rare night when a Travis Wall contemporary will get shown up, but it was tonight. This routine suffered from having to follow Kathryn & Jakob's *sobs*...that one. But when Ryan did the cradling motion and rocked her back and forth...*wipes tear* Assholes.

Kathryn & Russell (Tab & Nap's hip-hop): Cute, hard-hitting, and well synchronized. But if it's not lyrical hip-hop, the chorey rarely has the same impact for me as with other styles. Damn, Russell is good.

Basically, I'd like to see anyone but the married couple win it. I still protest that Ashleigh shouldn't be here. I'll put it down to Kathryn and Jakob, with Jakob joining his best friend Jeannine as America's Favorite Dancer.

The Other Author in Our Family

2009-12-13T21:06:00.009-06:00

We've always suspected that Juliette's fascination with art was a substitute for verbal and written skills she hadn't yet mastered. Her latest complete story is a sublime example of that. She's illustrated the cover and the finale, but that's it. Packed between those drawings are five densely-handwritten pages of text. I present it here in its entirety, slightly edited for grammar and spelling (although, OMG, that's so much better than even a few months ago!).

Merry Christmas, Ribbets the Tree Frog
By the author of Ribbets in the Rain Forest [her words! click the cover!]

Ribbets didn't know the true meaning of Christmas. He didn't know anything about Christmas. All he was doing was hibernating.

On the 20th of December, Jaguar said to him, "I have a Christmas present. Can I come in to put it under your tree?"

"I don't have one," Ribbets answered. "All I want is for someone to tell me the true meaning of Christmas."

Jaguar didn't know it. So Ribbets went on hibernating.

On the 21st of December, Parrot came. "Can I come in?" he said.

So Ribbets let Parrot in. "What's the true meaning of Christmas?" he asked.

"I don't know," he said as he drank his hot chocolate. And Parrot flew away.

On the 22nd of December, Chameleon came over. He wanted to borrow some cocoa.

"What's the true meaning of Christmas?" Ribbets said.

Chameleon didn't know and he walked away.

On the 23rd of December, Tree Boa was slithering on the roof of Ribbets' tree. Ribbets opened his door and looked up. "What's the true meaning of Christmas?" he asked.

Tree Boa didn't know and she slithered away.

On the 24th of December, Spider Monkey swinged along. Ribbets asked the true meaning of Christmas again. Spider Monkey didn't know. And he kept on swinging. "But remember, Ribbets, tomorrow is Christmas," said Spider Monkey.

"I know. I do have a calendar," said Ribbets.

"Uh, that's February," said Spider Monkey.

That night, Ribbets didn't want to eat his fruit and horseflies. "What's the true meaning of Christmas?" he said.

So he went away from South America, through North America, across the Arctic Ocean, to the North Pole. It was lonely. He wanted to go home. But then a few seconds later, he saw a castle. Inside he saw a stable, but instead of horses it was reindeer. Then he saw an elves' workshop. And he saw a big flying thingie. Inside it was tons and tons and tons and tons of toys.

He went inside the bag. There were dolls, and cars, and yo-yos, and stuffed toys. Oh, it was fun in that sack until...someone came into the sleigh. "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!" he shouted.

Ribbets had never heard anyone say that. Then the sleigh began to take off. Ribbets saw the whole world, but he didn't see South America. "I knew going to the North Pole was a bad idea," he said.

Then the person found him. It was Santa Claus. So he gave him a toy and said, "Reindeer, go south."

Ribbets hopped down. By morning he sent off invitations which said, "Dear rain forest animals, please come to my house at half-past seven. Sincerely, Ribbets."

There was Jaguar, and Parrot, and Chameleon, and Tree Boa, and Spider Monkey, and Piranha, and Vampire Bat, and seven Fire Ants. "Welcome to my Christmas Party," Ribbets said. "What should we do first?"

Jaguar said, "How about we decorate the Christmas tree I gave you?"

So they did. There were glitter pinecones, and nutcrackers, and bells, and plain ornaments, and candy canes, and garland, and lights, and popcorn chains, and glass reindeer, and of course, the star.

"Let's open presents!" yelled Ribbets.

So they did. Jaguar got a hang-glider. Parrot got binoculars. Chameleon got new color crayons. Tree Boa got slippery lotion. Spider Monkey got one hundred bags of seeds. Piranha got a fish tank. The seven fire ants got stilts.

"Christmas dinner!" yelled everyone.

Everyone helped Ribbets make dinner. Jaguar made delicious pudding. Parrot made Parrot Chef Surprise. Chameleon made chameleon-made sugar cake. Tree Boa made tree sap lemon sauce. Spider Monkey made vine-wrapped mumbo jumbo. The seven fire ants made a wild food sundae. Vampire bat made cow blood juice.

When they were eating, Ribbets found out the true meaning of Christmas and he said, "I found the true meaning of Christmas, everybody!"

Everyone said, "The true meaning of Christmas is what?"

"I knew all along. It is spending time with friends and family. We all agree on that."

The End. My kid is awesome.

SYTYCD Week #7

2009-12-08T21:50:00.006-06:00

OK, fine. If they're just gonna start making up rules on the fly, then just call it a variety program rather than a competition and be done with it. In previous instances of injured contestants (Jessica in S4 and Penny in AU2), they're done. They're out. Other dancers fill in, but there's no way that the injured contestant gets to have folks vote for their shiny personalities. Otherwise Penny would've won AU2. If Ashleigh makes it into the finale--and don't even get me started about the Top 6 being the finale!--then I call shenanigans.

Oh, Cat, why the gold one-piece hot-pants thing?

Kathryn & Ryan (Doriana's disco): Ryan dreams of disco? Really? These two were oddly unsynchronized, as if they'd learned the steps but hadn't practiced in front of a mirror together. I thought that Kathryn looked the more uncomfortable of the two, but neither of them really got into the loose, cheesy disco feel.

Mollee & Jakob (Jason's Viennese waltz): Jason is The Man. This was lovely and innovative. I was a little uncertain about the speed, and it would've looked fairly crappy with anyone but Jakob leading, but he did such a good job of staying light and still guiding Mollee so well. Weird when the dude is the more graceful and flexible of the pair!

Ellenore & Legacy (Travis's contemporary): This is the first of Travis's contemporaries that I haven't liked. The judges kept stressing the danger aspect, and maybe that was the disconnect. It was too dangerous--more like watching a stunt show than a dance. It was interesting but I wasn't moved.

Russell & Not-Ashleigh (Shane's hiphop): My DVR cut out (stoopid weather!) so I have no idea what this was like.

Kathryn & Ryan (Jason's cha-cha): Spicy and entertaining. Kathryn was extra flirtatious and very much in command, and yet Ryan kept the transitions smooth and natural. Jason really did have a great night of stellar pieces. I'll have to watch this one again.

Mollee & Jakob (Joey's Broadway): Mollee really is a whole different person with her new, post-Nathan partners. She's striking me as Kayla did last season in that she totally becomes her role. She's a blank slate to start with, which makes the choreography sit very easily on her. It's not like trying to make Legacy into a guy who can waltz. Mollee is a professional dancer. She's not meant to have a genuine personality--just the personality that's assigned to her. Jakob is very similar: skilled, great performer, but rather lacking in distinctive sparkle. I think that's why this routine worked. They could just be their characters.

Ellenore & Legacy (I refuse to call them "Nappy Tabs"): Meh. Boring, lacking in connection, and generally kinda...gimmicky? They needed better at this stage.

Russell & Not-Ashleigh (Nakul's Bollywood): Russell was both shown up by Nakul's assistant (in that she was so very, very sharp and in command of the movement), but also aided by her expertise (in that by her excelling, she made him look more competent). Ashleigh might have done fine, but she wouldn't have necessarily had the same flare that the "real thing" was able to provide for Russell. After all, despite the cameraman's attempt to have me do otherwise, most of my attention was drawn to her.

Solos, all in one word each:
Ashleigh: doped!
Jakob: bendy!
Mollee: DVR-fail!
Legacy: sweet!
Ellenore: jazzy!
Russell: goofy!
Kathryn: dynamic!
Ryan: schmatlzy!

I've given up predicting who's going home. As Iggy Pop said, "The rules are all wrong...every perversion is justified." So there's no telling how this will go down! People may actually prefer to vote in a woman who didn't dance rather than one who did. I tell you, it's dogs and cats living together. Instead I'll say who I'd like in the so-called finale: Kathryn, Mollee and Ellenore (naturally), plus Legacy, Russell and Jakob (just so the married folks can get the boot together).

They Were Just Kids

2009-12-08T09:18:00.014-06:00

I'm watching "WWII in HD" on the History Channel. So far it's been the best that the History Channel can produce, in that its inherent pro-American retelling and bombastic music are offset by some truly remarkable footage and an excellent sense of the dramatic. This is more than a documentary; it's storytelling.

Anyway, I knew this was coming because of what Liz had described to me, but yesterday I watched the portion where a young sailor named Jack Yusen survives a shipwreck. He in the Philippines, and his ship, the USS Samuel B. Roberts, and a hodgepodge of other light vessels staved off Japanese destroyers and kept the secured beaches of Leyte safe. They basically knew, going in, that they were entirely outmatched.

(As an aside, I had to look up who Samuel B. Roberts was. Turns out he was killed in Guadalcanal, and three Navy ships were eventually named for him.)

The Samuel B. Roberts was sunk. Yusen and his fellow sailors clung to a raft for fifty hours, surrounded by sharks. At one point, a tiger shark pushed up against Yusen's thigh. He immediately made a bargain with God. He begged God to send the shark away, and in return, he'd be a good man for the rest of his life. The first on his list? "I won't fight with my brother."

I started to cry.

What grown-up would ever make that bargain? We might promise to be honest, or to be good citizens, or to stay faithful to our spouses, or to go to church, or to raise good kids, or to help our fellow man, or to keep from living greedy, materialistic lives. But to promise not to fight with a sibling? That's the promise a kid would make. It was first to his mind because, in his brief life, he'd probably never been accused of more serious transgressions.

What made it even more powerful was that Jack Yusen, now in his 80s and pictured here, was telling the story. That first mention of not fighting with his brother--those were his words, which means that even after all these years, the terms of his promise to God were emblazoned on his memory.

Turns out the tiger shark moved on. It swam down past two guys and bit the leg off of another sailor. They had to "turn him lose," as Yusen described it. They had no medical supplies, no morphine, and no way to keep the feeding frenzy at bay if they tried to save their friend.

This part about the soldiers being little more than kids is lost in cinema. For example, in The Longest Day, which I couldn't finish because it was so frustrating, Robert Ryan (age 53) and John Wayne (age 55) portrayed Gen. James "Be Still My Heart" Gavin (age 37) and Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort (age 27). In what universe is that even close to the reality of an entire airborne division being led by a 37-year-old? Modern adaptations strive for accuracy, but even in "Band of Brothers," Damian Lewis was four years older than Dick Winters, and Ron Livingston was eight years older than Lewis Nixon. It's truly hard to fathom how young they were, for how much responsibility they carried.

What's also interesting about this whole ordeal was that the Samuel B. Roberts was initially bound for North Africa. It had been part of a convoy heading across the Atlantic when it ran into a whale. After heading back to the States for repairs, it then joined up with a convoy heading through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific fleet. Who knows what he would've endured in the Mediterranean, but if it hadn't been for a whale, of all thing, his whole experience in the war would've been considerably different.

I think part of the fascination--mine and everyone else's--with war stories is the "you can't make this up" factor. It sounds too improbable, too bizarre. But when literally millions of people were engaged in operations all over the world, it becomes more like monkeys typing Shakespeare: anything's possible.

Science for the Win!

2009-12-07T10:35:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, Keven took the girls to the talk with Paul Sereno. As you can see from the picture, Juliette was brave enough to stand up and ask her question: "How can we tell female SuperCrocs from male ones?" Turns out it's about size, in that they believe the females were larger. Keven said there were about 150 people in attendance, so Juliette totally kicked butt in asking--with a microphone no less. Apparently Ilsa had wanted to ask a question too, and she was even waiting ahead of Juliette, but one of two things happened: either she chickened out (Keven's take) or her question was already asked (Ilsa's version). She'd wanted to know how long the SuperCroc's eggs were.

Oh, just how super, you ask? Here. It makes people look bite-sized.

Afterward, they got their picture taken with Dr. Sereno and he signed little dinosaur fact books for both. Because I promised we'd buy a frame if she got a picture, we'll be heading to Walgreen's this afternoon to pick one out. So cool. Props to Kev for finding out about the talk in the first place, and for venturing into downtown Chicago for his Sunday. They didn't get back home until 6:30.

One day it'll be all about Jonas Montana type idols, but for now their celebrity fascination is devoted to a paleontologist. I couldn't be more tickled.

Author Copies!

2009-12-04T12:30:00.002-06:00

I'm still hacking but I'm feeling much better...especially since my author copies arrived a whole month early! That means I'll spend part of the weekend sending them to reviewers who need print copies. I'll probably come up with a contest, too. Stay tuned!

So pretty....!

Sick-O

2009-12-03T19:55:00.003-06:00

I am not well. I think I have pneumonia, if pneumonia means watery lungs and a hacking, hideous cough. I'll go to the doctor if I'm not much, much better by Monday. So I've spent most of the last two days on the couch. Good for my word count...not so good for every other responsibility. I'm off to watch "WWII in HD." Liz told me about it, and now it's playing On Demand. How sad am I that one of the selling points is that Ron Livingston does the voice for one of the twelve profiled people?

SYTYCD Week #6

2009-12-01T22:37:00.010-06:00

Holy crap. I'm still breathless from this absolutely mental episode. I haven't seen this many fantastic routines--a few of which will go down as classics--packed into one show since the first weeks each of S5 and S3. And wow, doesn't the show go quickly without the pre-dance packages? It really makes the choreographers work harder to get their vision across without the spoken intro. Let it all be said with dance!

Noelle & Ryan (Tab & Nap's hiphop): I am so much happier with Ryan if I just pretend he's Hugh Jackman. From a distance it totally works. This was cute and sexy. I likey. I'm shallow that way.

Ashleigh & Legacy (Garry Stewart's contemp): Done by SYTYCD contestants, Garry's work should look like this (as performed by Charlie & Talia of Aussie S2). This...wasn't close. I liked the effort, and it was interesting enough to hold my attention, but it wasn't fierce enough.

Kathryn & Nathan (Spencer Liff's Broadway): Very cute. However, I just watched White Christmas last week where, holy moly, Vera Ellen and John Brascia tore up the Bob Fosse choreography. There's just no comparison. Kathryn was wonderful to watch. Nathan, of course, couldn't match her for shit. He's more intent on showing off what he can do than actually performing with his partner.

Ellenore & Jakob (Mel & Tony's quickstep): Meh. Their feet weren't synchronized in several places, mostly through the fault of Ellenore. The concept was cheesy. I really feared for them after this number. But it was some serious quickstep chorey. Tough stuff.

Mollee & Russell (Mandy Moore's lyric jazz): It wouldn't be Mandy Moore without the 80s. There were some gorgeous lift sequences, but I didn't feel the chemistry. Russell was a pretty forklift. However, his wonderful partnering really showed how poorly Nathan worked with Molleeeeee all these weeks.

Noelle & Ryan (JT & Tomas's waltz): He has huge strides. I really think that male partnering makes or breaks Latin routines, and he did well. He balanced her perfectly over her supporting leg, showing her off nicely. The music was lovely and evocative. But did I feel the intense passion and connection that Pasha could bring to his waltz, or even Mark when he waltzed with Courtney? Nope.

Ashleigh & Legacy (Dave Scott's hiphop): What the hell boring POS was that? It's kinda insulting to give them something so basic, so charmless, so uninspired. I feel bad for Ashleigh (coz Legacy will be fine). I really think Dave Scott is better than that. Wonder what happened?

Kathryn & Nathan (Mel & Tony's rumba): Oh, fish-face boy. That's not what sexy looks like. And having good Latin carriage does not mean sticking out your tummy. Kathryn totally held him up. She was incredible, very committed.

Ellenore & Jakob (Sonya's contemporary): I have no words. That was mental. Perfection. An instant classic. I have goosebumps just thinking about it.

Noelle & Russell (Anya & Pasha's jive): OH! Mollee was totally channeling Anya's rear end. I missed seeing a bit of "the message" from Russell, but he did a great job of leading. Mollee had a lot to push off of. Totally fun and happy and energetic. Great way to end, especially considering that they had to come right after Ellenore & Jakob.

Here's a quick run-down of the solos...
Mollee: I've come to expect more from her solos. Unimpressed.
Russell: Fun how he can be intense, scary and intensely personable too.
Noelle: Pretty, with some innovative moves, but again--unimpressed.
Ryan: *wipes chin* That was very naughty.
Kathryn: Very pretty. The contemp stuff all starts to blend.
Nathan: He's an immature little kid, but he sure can pirouette.
Ellenore: Thank goodness for something different.
Legacy: OMGOMGOMGOMG. Mental.
Ashleigh: SuperSamba! But it looked a little sloppy.
Jakob: Totally showed Nathan where to stick it.

And all the parents who cry over how proud they are of their kids...they can just kiss my rear. *wipes tear*

OK, bottom three are...Noelle, Ashleigh and Kathryn, with Ashleigh going home, plus Nathan, Ryan and Russell, with Nathan going home. Your thoughts?

Talk with Dr. Sereno

2009-12-01T08:05:00.003-06:00

In our household, Dr. Paul Sereno of Northwestern University is a rock star. You see, he's a famous paleontologist. He discovered Supercroc, Nigersaurus, Suchomimus, and the oldest known dinosaur fossil, Eoraptor. Juliette could probably name more. Keven was looking up information about him and learned that he's debuting his newest documentary, When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs, at Northwestern this coming Sunday, then answering questions afterward.

Keven is going to take the girls out to lunch and then to the show. (I'd go, but I have a monthly writers meeting--and they'll have a great time just the three of them.) When Kev told Juliette this morning, she pantomimed fainting. Told you...total rock star. I'm excited to learn whether Juliette will be brave enough to ask a question--considering her performance in the year-end musical last year, I don't have too many doubts--and whether they can get a picture with him. That would be awesome.

A Little Publicity Update

2009-11-30T10:00:00.001-06:00

Mmmm...a tasty new interview at Once Upon a Romance, and a lovely review from the ladies at Night Owl Romance. Yay that they loved Fernán! He was the absolute best surprise about writing SCOUNDREL'S KISS.

I've also scanned and uploaded the article I wrote for this month's issue of Romance Writers Report, titled "Writing by Committee: Exploring the Unsavory Side of Critique Groups." You can read it here.

My Holiday Films

2009-11-29T20:12:00.015-06:00

After a quick three hours through Chicago, we arrived back from a lovely Thanksgiving with my parents and my brother's family. Our speed-of-light trip home made up for the 6 1/2 hours we spent on the road Wednesday afternoon. Mom cooked all of our traditional family favorites--so good! Then we watched the awesomeness that is Star Trek and the mediocrity that is Zombieland (review to come), and spent most of Friday playing Rock Band. Good times, people. Good times.

I also snuck in a viewing of White Christmas, which is way, way up there among my favorite holiday films. I decided to do a list so I won't forget any. Last year, because we spent three weeks in Britain and because I was busy promoting What a Scoundrel Wants, I missed out on a lot of the holiday to-do, particularly movies. (We made up for it in Britain by watching a zillion Christmas-themed programs, such as the glorious Big Fat Quiz of the Year and the Christmas episode of "Doctor Who". But I think I missed It's a Wonderful Life entirely!)

My list consists of three parts: favorites, tangential holiday movies, and ones I'll watch again now that the girls are old enough. The first category is simple--just the ones I cannot do without. The second involves movies set at or around the holidays but which aren't specifically Christmas movies. The third consists of movies that I plan to revisit; they're not my all-time faves but are worth seeing. These are ones that the girls may enjoy more than me. They've already watched "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman."

Favorites:
A Christmas Story
It's a Wonderful Life
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Nutcracker (starring Mikhail Baryshnikov)
Scrooge (1951)
Scrooged
White Christmas

Tangential:
Die Hard
The Family Man
Love Actually
The Shop Around the Corner
While You Were Sleeping

New to the Kids:
"A Garfield Christmas Special"
Home Alone
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Miracle on 34th Street
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Prancer
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
Santa Claus: The Movie
The Santa Clause
Scrooge (1970)

Oh, and look what I found on YouTube! It's the A Claymation Christmas Celebration, circa 1987. I loved this version of "We Three Kings" when I was in 6th grade and used it to try and teach my brother to sing harmony with me. That didn't work out so well...

And here's a bonus list of ones I have yet to see: The Lemon Drop Kid, Holiday Inn and The Polar Express. Do you have suggestions for ones I've left off?

SYTYCD Week #5

2009-11-25T12:30:00.007-06:00

Hi! I'm ducking out of my revision cave (yay!) before ducking back into my family holiday cave (yay!) to do a recap of last night's SYTYCD.

Cat...wearing...giant...shoes!

Ellenore & Ryan (Carla Heiny; lindy hop): Benji did chorey for a lindy in Canada last season and it sucked. He needs to stick to West Coast Swing. This, however, was awesome. It had a great amateur feel, but then Ellenore went right into a perfect double pirouette. The stamina was sky-high. Very enjoyable.

Kathryn & Legacy (Sonya; jazz): DUDE. Loved it. This was the gorgeous and effective blend of jazz technique and b-boy tricks, without the tricks overpowering the story. I especially liked Kathryn's slow struts contrasted with Legacy's twitchy walks--yet still synchronized. Wonderful.

Karen & Victory (Tony & Mel; tango): Oh, those costumes! I can't think of another style of dance that would allow them to actually demonstrate sexual chemistry. I missed seeing some flick kicks and other really sharp moves, but those opening and closing poses were fantastic.

Mollee & Nathan (Jamal Sims; hip-hop): They don't really "do" unison, do they? They're both so immature (read: not the same thing as "young") and don't give up ground to find a common pocket. Nice body locks from Nathan, but overall too "twee," as Nigel said. Do Americans know what that means now?

Noelle & Russell (Tony & Mel; samba): I still have serious samba envy. The ending seemed off; it continued without music. Maybe the lift went on too long? Her chest shimmies were very tight and her hips restrained. I agree with Adam in that it needed to be down and dirtier. Nice, but not a keeper.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Sonya; lyrical jazz): His flexibility makes me feel icky, so maybe that's why I didn't connect with this one. Too many contortionist tricks. With Legacy and Kathryn, it was Kathryn doing the flexibility poses. Here it was reversed. Meh.

Ellenore & Ryan (Spencer Liff; Broadway): I liked the restrained gravity to this. It was tense and slow without being boring. Ryan's height and carriage really pulled off the character, and I'm liking Ellenore more and more.

Kathryn & Legacy (Jean-Marc & France; Viennese waltz): Uh-oh. *looks out from between fingers, fearing trainwreck* Truly, they did the best they could but it kinda sucked. Kathryn held it down for them both.

Karen & Victor (Laurieanne Gibson; hip-hop): Sucked. Mary got it right: there was nothing to latch on to here. Bad chorey, meh dancing, no chemistry.

Mollee & Nathan (Tasty Oreo; can-can): Do the can can can!! It was cute and well done, but again with the friggin' unison! Two out of the three places where they needed to be in synch--the side-by-side high knee kicks and the finishing matched splits--were off. I was expecting more can-can-ocity, but maybe that's coz I've watched Moulin Rouge! too many times.

Noelle & Russell (Tasty Orea; contemporary): Katee is Tyce's assistant! Cool! Oh, this one brought me to tears. Isn't that funny, how routines affect each person differently? Absolutely beautiful.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Jean-Marc & France; cha-cha): I love Jean-Marc in very small doses. Judging for SYTYCD Canada is just...too much. Hated the make-me-barf spinning camera work. So distracting! The dance was cute, fun, and well done, although no one has better strutting cha-cha walks than Heidi, and no one can do sexy cha-cha better than Anya.

Bottom three: Ellenore & Ryan; Karen & Victor; Mollee & Nathan. Home...Karen and Victor. I'm looking forward to Shakira tonight. What did y'all think?

Have a great Thanksgiving if you're in the US!

Imagine My Surprise

2009-11-20T16:05:00.002-06:00

Kensington sprang for a full-page ad in Romantic Times to promote three hot historicals coming out in January...including SCOUNDREL'S KISS! I love that they used my cover for the background image. Praise be to the cover gods!

SYTYCD Week #4

2009-11-18T08:34:00.008-06:00

Cat's wrapped in aluminum. Wait, she's British. Cat's wrapped in aluminium.

Funny that they're looking back at when these dancers were kids. Ha! Some of their home videos are dated from when I was in college.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop): Quality number. First I've really enjoyed of theirs. The choreography was sharp and edgy, and they delivered the emotion very well. I'm still not getting all the love for these two, because I don't connect with either, but at least I don't hate them anymore.

Karen & Kevin (Spencer Liff's Broadway): I wish they'd intro these choreographers, let us know what they've done or where they come from. Sometimes I know, but in this case I don't. Anyone? The cartwheel flip that Spencer and his assistant demonstrated in the package was left out, but K&K have always had trouble with lifts. That's where the packages do the dancers a disservice. It was cute but far too restrained. Very...ordinary? You could see the concentration on their faces. Bottom three.

Noelle & Russell (Eddie Simon's foxtrot): This was playful, charming, and featured a gorgeous lift sequence. Very nice. Russell's fouetté pirouette, which Nigel pointed out, was the highlight for me--he's so much more than "just a krumper." However, I'm afraid that even Russell's star power may not be enough to keep them out of the bottom three with such a (merely) pleasant number. The drama was high and very flashy tonight, which leaves their foxtrot at a disadvantage.

Channing & Victor (Tasty Oreo jazz): I completely agree with Adam regarding the song. It was distracting. The choreography was gorgeous, especially that jump sequence where she dropped down to him. Their double pirouettes matched beautifully, which proves that they're both excellent contemporary dancers. However, this particular routine is a great demonstration of the divide between jazz and contemporary dancers. True jazz dancers would've made it sharper, more exaggerated. Channing is this season's Caitlyn: athletic, beautiful, but fundamentally lacking in confidence. Bottom three is my guess.

Kathryn & Legacy (Tony Meredith's paso doble): Did Tony forget Melanie at home? Legacy's shoulders were a little hunched toward his ears, but his overall frame and shape were great. Very commanding. I wish they could've done without the final lift sequence because they had trouble there. The drama was fantastic. I loved the portion where he grabbed her skirt, she flew up into his arms, and they went straight into the close-hold promenade. And I like, too, that Mary pointed out that exact sequence. I'm not a schlub!

Ellenore & Ryan (Travis's contemporary): Travis can do no wrong. OMG. The boy is stellar. And Jamie from S3 was his assistant! She trained at his mom's studio for years and years, so that makes sense. As with Ashleigh and Jakob, this is the first time I haven't disliked them! But dude, Ryan's first performance as a kid? Wearing bunny ears and a tail is why dads don't let their boys go into dance!!

Mollee & Nathan (Laurieanne Gibson pop-jazz): Adam mentioned the synchronized movements but I didn't see that at all. They were all over the place, with a complete lack of confidence. The producers may have created a "dream team" in pairing these two, but they did them both a serious wrong. Neither has the maturity to help the other through. I can't imagine Nathan practicing in the lunchline, as they mentioned with Legacy. Both M&N wore expressions that read: "We're embarrassed by these old people."

Then again, maybe the judges were taking a different tactic. Last week's lambasting didn't work (a la S3's Cedric), so maybe some faint praise will do the trick. I wish these two were in the bottom three over either Channing & Victor or Noelle & Russell, but I just don't see that happening. Teen favorites are only eliminated in later weeks when grown-ups quit splitting the vote.

Your thoughts?

Four Stars for Gavriel & Ada

2009-11-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Yay! SCOUNDREL'S KISS got a four-star review in the December issue of Romantic Times. Happy!!

With its atypical setting and unique characters, Lofty's latest sweeps readers into a historical plot that tackles many contemporary themes in a meaningful and thought-provoking way. Kudos to Lofty for her innovative approach.

You Can't Take it With You (1938)

2009-11-17T13:42:00.005-06:00

Jean Arthur (Alice), Lionel Barrymore (Grandpa), James Stewart (Tony Kirby), Edward Arnold (Anthony P. Kirby)

Directed by Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life)

IMDB: Alice Sycamore, the only normal person from a zany family, falls in love with her boss, Tony Kirby.

Hijinks ensue!

I rented this one on the recommendation of Leslee. I didn't even look up what it was about--just knew that it was more Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur and Frank Capra.

While I doubt that any Capra/Stewart film will ever touch my love of It's a Wonderful Life, which has been ingrained in me since my childhood, this film was a great bundle of monkey laughs. The family was absurd and lovable. The jokes came from both obvious and subtle places. And of course, Jean Artur and Jimmy Stewart were just fantastically charismatic.

However, the show belonged to Lionel Barrymore--his timing that spurs the comedy, his character's decisions that motivate the plot. I've only ever known him from his role as Potter, so this performance came as quite a delightful surprise. Lovable, whimsical, unconcerned with money, and generally adorable, he's the Anti-Potter!

The plot comes together very slowly, building up to the big showdown between the cops and the family on the night they meet the Kirbys. We saw it coming, but it was hilarious nonetheless. And of course the courtroom finale is overblown and smile-worthy.

Watching this movie, as with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I kept seeing flashes of what would become It's a Wonderful Life. The courtroom scene when everyone comes forward to financially rescue Grandpa is like a practice run for the George Bailey finale. And here, Jimmy Stewart's performance is subdued. He's emotional, he's charming, and he's funny, but he's also third-fiddle to Arthur and Barrymore. His full potential as a leading man came to fruition with George Bailey. Here, again, is more practice.

Lovable practice! But gosh, all these oldies are making me so so so so so keen on re-watching my favorite old Christmas movies. Bring on the holidays!!

Ilsa the Sickie Monster

2009-11-16T16:01:00.004-06:00

Ilsa stayed home today and I took her to the doctor this afternoon. She has an ear infection, bronchial inflammation, and pink eye. Whee! After a trip to the pharmacist and $105 later, I got her home and stuffed her full of medicinal goodness. Her pediatrician says she'll be a completely rejuvenated kid by Thursday, which is, I'm guessing, the earliest she can return to school.

Ah, my week, how unpredictable you've become.

Hopefully we'll be all cleared up and better by the time we want to visit the Ritzemas in Milwaukee this Saturday, and if not by then, at least in time for Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, after returning from the doctor, the entire living room was made of cloud. It had transformed into a sauna while we were gone. I thought that the air vent must've become clogged, but it turned out to be a disconnected dryer hose. Back to Walgreens for duct tape!

Few people on this planet hate DIY chores more than I do, but it turns out that Juliette is one of them. Like father, like daughter! I asked her to hold the hose and help me with the tape. Five minutes proved enough time for her to ask three times if she could return to watching her show. I had to phrase things like: "Set the tape down and don't leave" or "Bring me the scissors and don't leave."

But now the dryer's fixed too. I keep patching and repairing today. Leaves little time for my big long to-do list. *sigh* Maybe tomorrow.

Oh, and if you haven't seen last night's episode of "Doctor Who," you'll be in for a treat once you do. It was brilliant.

A Tale of Two Weddings

2009-11-15T16:29:00.008-06:00

Yesterday morning at 3am, Ilsa came into our room and said that her ear hurt. Uh-oh. Never good. I got up and gave her Tylenol and a decongestant, because her cough has become more aggressive over the last few days. Tomorrow will actually mark the three-week point since it began. Again, not good. What was worse: we planned to drive to Ohio yesterday for my friend Kerry's wedding. This wedding was postponed from August when a cousin of hers died the week before. I was very much looking forward to seeing my friends from college, so the thought of missing this rescheduled date was really upsetting.

But when morning came, Ilsa said her ear felt better, and both she and Juliette were keen on going. Okay, I guess we're a go. We scurried around and got out the door by 8am, eventually arriving in Bowling Green by 3pm. Karen and Art just happened to be in the adjoining hotel room, so that was exciting. Later Art would re-enact the squeeing that Karen and I did when we opened the adjoining doors and hugged.

We went out to a late lunch because the wedding reception wasn't schedule to begin until 7. That's when things started to go downhill. Ilsa basically...melted. All of her energy went. Her sinuses were a mess. She had no appetite. Keven finished off his meal and went back to the hotel with the girls, putting Ilsa down for a nap. That helped. She slept for a good hour. Eventually we all go dressed and headed to the chapel.

Ilsa continued to go downhill. We weren't half-way through the sweet, low-key, rather brief service--a separate tale of two weddings when compared to the very elaborate bilingual Catholic ceremony that Steve and Silvia had in June--when Keven and I began making plans to compensate for Ilsa's illness. I would take Juliette to the reception while Keven took Ilsa back to the hotel; he had some documentaries about Nazis on his iTouch, which meant he could look after her and not lose his mind while she consumed three episodes of iCarly.

So I had a date with Juliette.

This was always going to be the better deal--heading to a reception with a well child rather than to hotel room exile with a sick one--but Juliette is particularly adept at an event such as a reception. She loves food and is not afraid of trying new things, she's social and older and more easily self-contained, and she doesn't get tired as easily. In other words, we had a great time.

She was stoked that she could eat, basically, anything she did or didn't want. What she wanted was lots of fruit, Sprite, and three pieces of cake: white, chocolate, and carrot. She also ate about ten chocolate party favor squares. While I talked with my friends, having a good time catching up, she went exploring in the giant ballroom. Funny, but the last time I was in that ballroom was for a Halloween dance in 1994, where I danced to "American Pie"; last night I was there with my seven-year-old.

After a while, the music started and, to my vast surprise, Juliette wanted to dance. She never dances other than a bit of goofing around. At first I thought it was just something she wanted to do to occupy some time, being a bit bored. But she kept going. Eventually I joined her, in solidarity, despite the song being "Come On, Eileen." Not my favorite in the world, but now it has a whole new set of memories: me and Juliette alone on the dance floor.

Other songs followed: "Single Ladies," "Runaround Sue," "What I Like About You," "Billie Jean," and "Living on a Prayer." We took breaks, but for the most part Juliette danced for two hours. We borrowed a rubberband to get the hair off her neck--she'd left it down, princess style--and she kicked off her dress shoes. I'd worn flats because my ankle is still swollen, but I managed to overdo it.

Then came that part that all partygoers fear: Juliette puked. Too much Sprite, too much cake, and too many dances. She took it all in stride, sat another dance or two out, and then was back at it again. I see shades of her college years.

Even Cinderella gets tired, though. It got to be 10:30, so Art drove Juliette and I pack to the hotel. Ilsa was kinda awake and very emotional, but Keven said to go back and enjoy myself. Art and I went back to the reception and we all stayed another 90 minutes, catching up and having a great time. Kerry and Brandon looked intensely happy, and all their families were out in force to celebrate.

I got back to the hotel room around midnight to learn that Ilsa had thrown up too. She was feverish, so I think that was the culprit. Keven punched out as parent in charge and took the side of the bed farthest from Ilsa. He'd more than earned it. I was up about four times for the rest of the night when her coughing got the better of her, and so I could push the fluids. We learned our lesson in Britain last time, that Ilsa cannot afford to become dehydrated.

Our trip back today revealed that Ilsa not only had a cold but a nasty case of pink eye. Ew. We stopped by Meijer on the way our of Bowling Green and got decongestant, more Tylenol, pink eye relief (not a cure but a symptom reliever), and some electrolyte stuff to add to her water. And cookies. Gotta have cookies. She slept for about 90 minutes through Chicago, and we made it home this afternoon at roughly 3:30--at which point I doused her with the pink eye cure we have leftover from last time. I still think all of this confluence of snot and weeks-long cough will deserve a trip to the doctor tomorrow.

So there it is, the tale of two weddings. Aside from some lingering guilt and obvious worry over Ilsa, I had a fantastic time spending it with my party girl. At least she didn't have to suffer the long drive and a bout of boredom because of Ilsa's condition. As Karen and Art said, Keven is 50% their parent too--he just got the shitty end of the 50% this time. I owe him big.

Meet Ellen Connor

2009-11-13T15:53:00.006-06:00

In the middle part of last year, my friend Ann Aguirre and I teamed up to co-write an apocalyptic paranormal romance called NIGHTFALL, the first of three in our proposed "Dark Age Dawning" trilogy. Lo and behold, after many months of waiting and contract thorns, we sold the trilogy to Penguin this afternoon. I am too happy for words. It really has been an amazing experience so far, and Ann and I are super excited to get back to work on writing MIDNIGHT and DAYBREAK. No word yet on release dates, but you can be sure that I'll keep you posted.

Why Ellen Connor, you might ask? We took our pseudonym from Ellen Ripley of Alien and Sarah Connor of The Terminator. Yes, we love our Old Skool heroines. May we kick ass for many years to come.

Our website is live. Go browse around its utter awesomeness, including book blurbs, excerpts, and a little more about how Ann and I have clicked creatively, such as this montage of our favorite pop culture inspirations!

Tiny Post for a Great Day

2009-11-12T19:41:00.003-06:00

In the future, looking back, I'm going to regret not blogging about days like this. It's been wonderful: productive, smooth, healthful, happy, full of laughter and dance and friends. Maybe this is just enough for now. Imagine that this short like post is a bookmark for a day really well lived.

SYTYCD Week #3

2009-11-11T07:05:00.004-06:00

Cat looked wrapped in a lizard. Weird. Perhaps I was just in a grumpy mood last night because I'd lost work on a new scene, but the whole show was lackluster. I don't know if I'll keep any of these performances.

Karen & Kevin (Maria Torres' hustle): My favorite hustle was S3's Maria Torres' number with Lacey and Kameron, and this one didn't come close. The opening was a bit...boring? I kept waiting for it to happen. It finally came together at the end with a great finale (before the OOPS! recovery). They are both glorious hams, and he partnered her very well.

Ashleigh & Jakob (Mandy Moore's jazz): Mandy does love her 80s! Can't fault her there. Have I mentioned before that I hate props? Yes, I have. It felt inorganic and forced, and Nigel was very wrong about comparing it to the table number. Why do I dislike Ashleigh so much, a feeling in direct disproportion to how much the judges love her? And for those of you who can't let anything go when it doesn't compute, I had to look up the psoas muscle that Adam brought up. He's still incredible.

Pauline & Peter (JT & Tomas's quickstep): Oh, thank goodness we have new blood. I'm missing the old guard choreys something fierce, but it's always cool to see what new people bring to the show. This was an aggressive quickstep; they didn't pull punches when it came to close holds and footwork. Too bad the dancers couldn't deliver much more than a wink and a smile to do it justice.

Kathryn & Legacy (Andy B's Broadway): K&L should open a happy shop together. They just seem so genuinely sweet. The program was adorable (I think that was Adam's word too), but I won't be keeping it. To use an Aussie term, it was a bit "under." Awesome trust in the neat-o tricks, great energy, but not stellar.

Channing & Victor (Stacey's contemp): Lovely, as always. However unless Stacey gets dancers with a real sense of connection, her chorey just comes across as pretty and enjoyable, not moving. Compare the judges' reaction to these two as opposed to Kathryn and Legacy last week.

Ellenore & Ryan (Lil' C hiphop/krump): I smile to think what Russell would've done with this. E&R threw it on the ground and peed on it. Not good. But then, I can't remember a Lil' C routine I've ever adored.

Mollee & Nathan (Gustavo Vargas's salsa): Yay! Gustavo's here! He, like Stacey, comes to us from Canada, creating my favorite SYTYCD CA Latin numbers (Nico & Arassay's salsa and last season's Top 3 Guys). Good to see him here as a nice change of pace from Melanie & Tony. That said, trainwreck!! OMG, I don't remember the time I've seen dancers duff chorey so badly. That was just hideous. If they're not in the bottom three, we'll know how rabid their fans are.

Noelle & Russell (Sean's afro-jass): Yay! Sean's here! Another Canadian. He did TJ & Everett's awesome tap Braodway number last season. He's also done afro-jazz in Canada before, which I always enjoy. This was quality stuff--slinky, sharp, entertaining. Perhaps I'll rewatch it later to see if I was just overly grumpy and didn't give it enough credit at the time.

I wonder if this means they'll have US1's Blake McGrath, choreographer and occasional judge in Canada, back for a reunion with the US show sometime soon. Only if he does something fiery hot or super naughty.

If there's any justice, the Bottom Three will be Ellenore & Ryan, Channing & Victor, and Mollee & Nathan. Your thoughts?