BuzzSugar

Chatting with the So You Think You Can Dance Gang on Tour

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:30:27 PDT

If it hasn't already, the So You Think You Can Dance tour might be making its way to a city near you soon! Last week, this season's top dancers came close to me in Oakland, CA, and I got a chance to hang out backstage with Chelsea Traille, Mark Kanemura, Katee Shean, Joshua Allen, and Jessica King. We chatted about life after SYTYCD, the rigor of the competition, what the judges were really like, and lots more. Check it out:

Buzz: Hi guys - how's the tour going so far?
Mark: Good - it's fun. The traveling is fun.

Do you get to interact with the fans at all? Are they what you expected the fans of the show were like?
Katee: Afterwards, we get to talk to them and stuff.
Mark: Yeah, you expect them to be young, but there are older ones.
Chelsea: A lot of women obviously, but I mean, grown men, fathers. I know a lot of married couples who watch together.

So what is more rigorous, the touring or the television competition?
Mark: I think the television competition was, by far. Just because it's not just physically draining but mentally draining.
Chelsea: The part about the show is you're cut off from reality. You're in your bubble, you don't really get the gist of how real it is because you watch it together, you film it together. The only live interaction that we get with the audience are the people that come in the studio, but other than that it's like tunnel vision.

To check out more of what we talked about, including Jessica's injury,

read more! Speaking of rigor, the injuries got serious this past season. It made us wonder how dangerous this competition felt. Chelsea: Yeah, but dancers are athletes. Jessica: I think this show is probably one of the most intense situations a dancer can be in because not only is it strenuous on your body but it's mentally and emotionally draining as well and you don’t have time to sleep or regroup. And then each week it's like, "I got it, I can do this" and then they change it. "Oh, now you have two dances," "Oh now you have a new partner," "Oh, by the way, now you have two solos," "Oh and three group routines." So the more it builds, the harder it gets. It takes a strong person, you know, stronger than me [laughs], to make it through to the end. Yeah, you guys had to switch gears a lot. How was it switching to new partners? Katee: It was definitely difficult, I think, and it was almost funny because we'd watch everybody else in rehearsals and when you'd see your partner with somebody else, you're like, "That’s weird." Jessica: You get a little jealous too! Katee: Yeah! It’s weird how, like, crazy protective everyone had become over their partners because you'd been through so much together. Jessica: It's funny because now it's all over and we're still like that. You build such a bond. If you could have kept one partner throughout the entire competition, which dancer would each of you have picked? Katee: See! No, we can’t do that. Chelsea: Plead the fifth. Mark: I mean, when I got Courtney for the last week, it was like the smoothest partnership. I don’t know what happened - it just really worked with us. Chelsea: You all got to be friends by that point, too, so . . . Let's talk judges. How hard was it to hear their criticisms each week? Chelsea: Oh, we're our worst critics. Katee: We probably critique ourselves more than anything the judges could say. Jessica: You have to remember, it's not just the judges, it's all the people watching too. One of the things I got a big response from was, "Oh my gosh, Mia Michaels was so mean to you. We can't believe how you handled yourself." And it's like, I kind of built a wall. She would say things and I couldn't let it in. Especially as someone that we as dancers, we respect her so much, that it would hurt my feelings if I was going to really listen to it. It was really nice to have my partner step in and defend me. Did the judges have different feedback for you on the air than off the air? Were they encouraging off the air? Mark: We didn’t really get to hang out with them. Joshua: The boys sometimes. [Nigel] would come into rehearsal, but we would be focusing on our stuff. And on the judges, a lot of what they were saying, they're masters. Nigel's really smart, he used to be a choreographer, and he knows a lot of things. What about Mia Michaels? She seems like the coolest to hang with. Joshua: She is, but she's hard. Chelsea: I would call her fierce in every aspect. In her feedback and extreme in her creativity - she literally gives you every inch of herself in a piece. And she demands even more of that back. Which is fine, every choreographer should. What's Cat really like? Joshua: Cat is the coolest! She loves us. Mark: Everybody always asks if she’s really as nice as she seems . . . Joshua: She was nicer. Chelsea: She's sweet. She talked to us like people. It was really cool to have that, like, real interaction in the midst of all that. Jessica: There’s not much of it though, it's just right back stage before countdown - like, we don't get to sit and have dinner. What's up next for you guys? What's the dream dance career? Katee: Keep working, keep dancing. Joshua: I would still like to dance a lot, a lot of different things. But overall I'd like to be a recording artist. So coming from a dancing background is cool, but I've always wanted to sing, too. Jessica: We can't forget right now that we're on our own tour, and that is itself such a dream. We're not dancing behind anybody, we're headlining. So to ask that question, yeah, we have future goals, but this is huge. Joshua: Yeah, that is what's crazy - it's such a blessing. Chelsea: There's always the next dancer, the next generation on your heels. This is a conveyor belt industry. Joshua: Yeah, I would say we have to work even harder - we're always going to have to prove ourselves. Tell me some fun anecdotes that we didn't see on television. Chelsea: I eat like a monster. Mark is so freaking funny! You would think he was quiet - he says hi, and it's just the timing, but it's funny. Joshua: He doesn’t dance like he acts either. Like, I thought he was crazy when I first saw him Jessica: We all did! It was like, stay away from that dancer . . . Katee: But later, all the girls were together and it was like, "Oh, who is that?" How'd you get into dance? What are your tips for people who dream of dancing? Chelsea: Class junkie! Jessica: Not just a class from one person - you have to put yourself in as many different classes as possible and in really uncomfortable positions. Chelsea: All I did was academics, and it was all dance. Jessica: Friday nights didn’t happen . . . Joshua: They happened for me, but I had to give up track and football. All my homeboys were like, "What are you doing?" They were like, "For real? You’re gonna go do like, jazz or something?" You definitely have to give up things and if your friends are your friends, you're gonna know and . . . look where we’re at now. Photos courtesy of Fox

So You Think You Can Dance: Jessica's Out!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:30:50 PDT

Big news for So You Think You Can Dance fans from Monday's session at the TCA press tour. Jessica King, who slipped into the top 10 last week, is out with an injury, and Comfort's taken her spot in the competition.

Nigel Lythgoe wouldn't be specific about the nature of her injury or the time that it happened - though he said he hopes Jessica herself will be available to do that on the show this week. Comfort hadn't left LA yet when Jessica had to drop out, and she was back in rehearsal as of Monday morning.

In fact, all of the top 10 dancers were in rehearsal, which was a bit of a bummer, since I'd really been hoping to check out Twitchington in the flesh. Instead, we got a foxtrot from Kourtni and Matt (who really are that tall) and a solo from Thayne (who really is that smiley) before Nigel, Mary Murphy, Cat Deely, and Mia Michaels took the stage for some Q&A. Some highlights:

Mary explained that she'd been using her "hot tamale train" expression for years to describe dancers - typically fiery ballroom dancers. The hot tamale train typically doesn't pull into the station during more emotional performances, no matter how much Mary likes them; she's usually too close to crying for that. Also, if some couple gets two tickets on the hot tamale train, that means Mary thinks they're headed for the finale. Now we know.
Mia doesn't think she's a mean judge. "I'm just being very honest," she said. She insisted that in rehearsals she's "Mama Mia" and the dancers look to her for tough love.
When the choreographers work with the dancers, they have an hour and a half on Friday and three hours on Saturday - and that's just about it.

For a little more - including a new pairing Nigel accidentally revealed - just

Fashionable - and Very Merry - Twitter Pictures of the Week!

Brittney Stephens — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:35:13 PST

This week, we caught up with our favorite fashionable Twitterers during the holiday and got a little glimpse at their moments of food, fun, and family. Jessica Alba's daughter Honor dressed up with her princess-loving pals, while Jaime King chilled in her family's home in Omaha. Damaris Lewis hit the ice skating rink in New York City, but fellow model Bar Refaeli caught some rays on the beach in Brazil. Click through to see all of the week's stylish holiday snaps!

Hollywood's Ladies Go All Out For GQ's Men of the Year

Hannah Weil — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:35:40 PST

Last night, Hollywood's hottest flocked to LA's Chateau Marmont to fête GQ's Men of the Year. It may have been a night to honor the boys, but the girls were the ones to watch on the red carpet. We spotted Kerry Washington in a multihued sequined Prabal Gurung mini, Lake Bell showing off her stems in a LWD, and Jessica Biel taking a more sophisticated style approach. Inside, there's more showstopping style from some of our favorites - like the lovely Jaime King in a super-sweet black party dress. Click the slideshow to see how the women wowed at last night's party - then pick your favorite for best dressed in comments.

Brad, George, Michelle, and Leo Top the SAG Awards Nominations!

Allie Merriam — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:18:10 PST

Judy Greer and Regina King rose early in LA today to announce the nominees for the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards. There was lots of love for a few films in particular, including Moneyball, J. Edgar, The Descendants, and Bridesmaids!

Supporting actress nods went to five ladies, including The Help's Jessica Chastain and Bridesmaids' Melissa McCarthy, while J. Edgar's Armie Hammer and Moneyball's Jonah Hill got respective supporting actor nominations. The field for leading actress is particularly tight between Albert Nobbs's Glenn Close, The Help's Viola Davis, The Iron Lady's Meryl Streep, We Need to Talk About Kevin's Tilda Swinton, and My Week With Marilyn's Michelle Williams. Some of Hollywood's hottest guys are up for best actor, including George Clooney from The Descendants, Leonardo DiCaprio from J. Edgar, and Brad Pitt from Moneyball.

On the TV front, 30 Rock got lots of love with individual nods for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. Kate Winslet was noticed for her work in Mildred Pierce. Boardwalk Empire also scored multiple nods, including one for Steve Buscemi. We'll get to see who wins during the SAG show on Jan. 29 - and check out our full list of 2012 SAG Awards nominees!

Announcing the 2012 SAG Awards Nominees

Molly Goodson — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:05:23 PST

The 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations are out this morning, and we're bringing you all the action - watch our streaming video of the SAG Awards announcement, which we're replaying all morning long. Judy Greer and Regina King were up bright and early in LA to do the honors, a few of which went to Judy's movie The Descendants. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio are once again up against each other in the lead actor category, which should make for a fun race, though we were disappointed to see Ryan Gosling's name left off the list. Bridesmaids continues to rake in the early award-season love as well, with the cast and Melissa McCarthy both scoring nods. The Screen Actors Guild Awards air live on Jan. 29 at 8/7c on TNT.

In the TV category, we're excited to see the love for Game of Thrones, which is up against perennial favorites including Dexter and Breaking Bad. Steve Carell also has at least one more chance to win for The Office, and with tomorrow's Golden Globes nominations announcement, we'll see if he's recognized again.

Who are you excited to see on - or disappointed to see left off - the nominations roster? To see the full list of SAG nods just

read more. OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE The Artist Bridesmaids The Descendants The Help Midnight in Paris OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs Viola Davis, The Help Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Demián Bichir, A Better Life George Clooney, The Descendants Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar Brad Pitt, Moneyball Jean Dujardin, The Artist OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Bérénice Bejo, The Artist Jessica Chastain, The Help Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs Octavia Spencer, The Help OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn Armie Hammer, J. Edgar Jonah Hill, Moneyball Nick Nolte, Warrior Christopher Plummer, Beginners OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES Diane Lane, Cinema Verite Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult Betty White, Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Lost Valentine Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys James Woods, Too Big to Fail Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Dexter Game of Thrones The Good Wife OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Kathy Bates, Harry's Law Glenn Close, Damages Jessica Lange, American Horror Story Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Patrick J. Adams, Suits Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Michael C. Hall, Dexter OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES 30 Rock The Big Bang Theory Glee Modern Family The Office OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Julie Bowen, Modern Family Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Tina Fey, 30 Rock Sofia Vergara, Modern Family Betty White, Hot in Cleveland OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock Ty Burrell, Modern Family Steve Carell, The Office Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family SCREEN ACTORS GUILD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mary Tyler Moore OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE The Adjustment Bureau Cowboys & Aliens Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Transformers: Dark of the Moon X-Men: First Class OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES Dexter Game of Thrones Southland Spartacus: Gods of the Arena True Blood

Jessica Biel and Emma Roberts Turn Up the Heat at the GQ Party

FabSugar — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:06:50 PST

Jessica Biel, Emma Roberts, Jaime King, and Kerry Washington were some of our favorite stylish ladies to attend the GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles last night. Jessica sparkled in an Antonio Berardi embellished black dress, which she accessorized with a Christian Louboutin bag, Rachel Roy heels, and on-again beau Justin Timberlake. Jaime also stunned in a black frock, this time choosing an Oscar de la Renta number with bow-tie accents and feminine tulle. As for newly coiffed Emma, the starlet turned up the heat in a skintight red Asos dress, while Kerry sparkled in Prabal Gurung. To see all the looks, watch our video now!

Fab's Top 10 Celebrity Looks of the Week - Jessica, Olivia, Thandie, and More!

Hannah Weil — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:27:58 PDT

The best way to sum up this week's batch of celebrity style might just be to say these looks are fresh - seriously. Each of our favorite celeb style sightings this week has that effortless blend of Summer ease and glamour. Nothing's overdone or too complicated, as evidenced by Jessica Alba's blazer and jeans combo, Olivia Palermo's breezy top and bright shorts, and Thandie Newton's boho-sweet dress. Just click on for the rest of this week's top 10.

Jessica Alba Treats Honor to a Mani Pedi Ahead of Her Glamorous Hosting Duties

Lauren Turner — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:29:12 PST

Jessica Alba brought her daughter Honor to a nail salon in LA yesterday. Honor had her nails painted blue and pink and played with an iPad, while Jessica snapped pictures of the fun on her iPhone. The touch-up was perfect timing for Jessica, who dressed up later that night to host a private dinner for Swarovski Elements at SoHo house in West Hollywood. She wore a Dolce & Gabbana gown and sat down for a meal with pal Jaime King and others.

Jessica recently took a break from her glamorous social schedule to focus on an important issue, the Safe Chemicals Act. She wrote an article urging parents to support the campaign, which would help regulate harmful chemicals being used in everyday products. The Senate is holding a hearing on the matter today, and Jessica's staying active about the cause on Twitter.

Diane Kruger Stays Short but Fancy For InStyle's Summer Soirée

Allie Merriam — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:16:55 PDT

Diane Kruger rocked a shorts suit last night for a party thrown by InStyle. The bash, held inside West Hollywood's London Hotel, brought out other starlets like Jaime King, Lea Michele, and Jordana Brewster. Diane's ensemble was from her pal Jason Wu's resort collection - see what the other celebs wore to InStyle's Summer soirée. Diane had a night with her lady friends after a few fun outings with her main man, Joshua Jackson. They had a sweet day date last week checking out Captain America, as both Josh and Diane gear up for the return of his show Fringe on Sept. 23.