The Tony Awards is this Sunday (go Hamilton!) and we'll be live-tweeting the ceremony and probably some red-carpet action beforehand. Since we have Twitter on our minds, we thought we'd share some of our favorite entertainment tweeters, in case like us you get an appreciable amount of your pop culture by reading tweets about it. Among those mentioned:
Hamilton: Especially @Lin_Manuel, but also @LacketyLac, @ChrisisSingin, @DaveedDiggs, @leslieodomjr, @Anthony_Ramos1, @OakSmash, @phillipasoo, @reneeelisegolds
Pop Culture Happy Hour: @nprmonkeysee, @ghweldon, @idislikestephen
Extra Hot Great: @taraariano, @tomatonation
Writers: @sepinwall, @TheFienPrint, @fuggirls
Actors: @joshmalina, @mindykaling
Too many handles to handle? Just follow Terri's entertainment list for all these and more.
After all that twittering, we checked in with So You Think You Can Dance (from which we would like to see no more bare-skin costumes, no more vomiting children, and no more dancing moms) and then moved on to our Parks and Recreation marathon, which this week included the Season 5 episodes "Bailout," "Partridge," "Animal Control," and "Article Two." For next week, we'll be finishing up Season 5 with "Jerry's Retirement," "Swing Vote," and "Are You Better Off?" Also, if you're following along on our West Wing watch coordinated to the West Wing Weekly podcast, watch "Lord John Marbury" for next week. And don't forget to follow us in our live-tweeting Sunday night!
This week's episode marks our transition from talking about Dancing With the Stars to talking about So You Think You Can Dance. But the first episode of the new kiddie version of the dance competition has us so disheartened and uncomfortable that we spend most of the podcast talking about the huge number of trailers we watched for upcoming fall and midseason TV series. We hope you like time travel, because that's the "designated completely random theme that a whole bunch of shows independently settled on" for this season. Also, apparently stay-at-home dads are still hi-larious, which makes us think somehow we've time-traveled into the past ourselves. If you'd like to take a look at what we're talking about, we followed the links to trailers from this Entertainment Weekly page, though you can play the winner for "Most Tear-Jerking/Least Comprehensible Trailer" above. Traveling back in time even further, we continued our Parks and Recreation marathon with the Season 5 episodes "Ann's Decision," "Emergency Response," "Leslie and Ben," and "Correspondent's Lunch." For those marathoning along with us, next week brings "Bailout," "Partridge," "Animal Control," and "Article Two."
The Speed Rounds you've been listening to all week will be replacing Round 3 and 4 as you've known them -- we're tucking those mini-interviews into our group chats starting January 15. So the end of our anniversary week seemed like a good time to look back on our favorite Round 3s, Round 4s, and even Round 2s (which will still be bringing you entertainment chat every Tuesday-ish.) If you want to listen to the full episodes after hearing us chat about them, here are the links:
+ Nicole's favorites: Round 4s by Amanda and her husband Jon; Round 2s on Dancing With the Stars
+ Amanda's favorites: Round 3 on school lunches with Lexi Walters Wright; Round 4 on IEP meetings with Robert Rummel-Hudson
+ Catherine's favorites: Round 4 on Inside Out and Special Needs with Robert Rummel-Hudson; Round 2 on audiobooks and Dancing With the Stars
+ Terri's favorites: Round 3 on kids and commercialization with Lexi Walters Wright (and that Hulk cologne pull-quote); Round 2s on So You Think You Can Dance
(If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
On this week's Round 2, we said goodbye to an enjoyable season of So You Think You Can Dance, congratulations to our mutual favorite Gaby (we love you too, Jaja!), and hooray for Jim finally getting that dance with Alex (though honestly, show, you couldn't have scared up some ballet choreography?). Then, we turn our attention the glittery world of Dancing With the Stars, where many of the contestants we don't think can dance at all. The sooner some of those trainwrecks get hauled off the better, though Catherine's daughter thinks way more of Hayes Grier than Terri does (he shall be hereafter referred to in this blog as "that punk") and DWTS history suggests that a decent dancer or two will be gone before all the wreckage is cleared. Still, there were enough non-cringe-worthy performances to suggest that the second half of the season will be enjoyable, and the least star-ry "star," French-train hero Alek Skarlatos, did respectably well for himself. Join us back here every week for DWTS chat, and if you like reading other people's snarky opinions of the show, may we recommend the previously.tv forums. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
Join us for an Emmys live-tweet this Sunday, 9/20, 8 p.m. ET at #EmmyPRP!
On their next to last chat about the current season of So You Think You Can Dance, Catherine and Terri chat about their favorite routines, their least-favorite choreography styles, their favorites for the win, and their guesses on what in the world the show is going to fill two hours with in its results episode. That episode will go up against the opening ep of the next show we'll be discussing weekly, Dancing With the Stars, a show that once again interprets "star" exceedingly loosely. We typecast the current lineup as Terri clues Catherine in on some of the show's traditions and tropes. Finally, we slip in a little something serious with Catherine's review of Unbroken, which was in theaters a while back and watchable at home in all its traumatic glory now. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
Noooooooooooo! Not Jim! Our mutual favorite for the top spot made his last leggy leap as a contestant this season on So You Think You Can Dance, and while the judges didn't have a vote in that, we'll blame them anyway for swaying America with their relentless dissing of Jim as just technically wondrous and flawless and the best ever. (I guess he should be grateful they didn't make him dance like a sexy fish.) We chatted about the dances, booed (or fast-forwarded past) the "expert" critiques, and picked our faves and best guesses for the big winner. Then we turned our sights to the next dance show on the horizon, Dancing With the Stars, taking a look at the "stars" so far announced (including singer Andy Grammer, whose performance on last season's show and video for the same song you should go watch after listening to the podcast) and the differences between the shows (like the fact that if the choreography stinks, at least the choreographer gets booted along with the dancer). Finally, we peeked in on the VMAs, and decided that the less said about that self-consiously provocative exercise, the better. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
Our weeks for talking about So You Think You Can Dance are running out, with the cast whittled down to six this time around. We wished they'd stop calling attention to Jim's (alleged) lack of "connection" and Virgil's (undeniable) lack of height; felt sorry for Megz being dumped on by the judges; did not feel particularly sad to lose Derek and Neptune; and wondered how the few remaining episodes will pair or pare away our favorites. We also looked ahead to Dancing With the Stars, which Terri will be making Catherine watch with her this season. Then, turning to more literary topics, Catherine gave a book report on Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's controversial sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Spoiler warning! She totally ruins the ending. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
This week on So You Think You Can Dance, Terri and Catherine enjoyed the absence of sexy fish and the presence of brief solos from the top 10, as well as some winning routines by our favorite dancers and their All-Star partners. Like the commenters on the Previously.tv forums, we questioned how a professional Broadway dancer ended up on the street team, and we also wondered about the cultural appropriation of Jaja's Bollywood routine and Gaby's geisha-vs.-ninja duel. Then we moved on to other TV talent showcases, like America's Got Talent. We think the Professional Regurgitator would have fit right in on David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks segment. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
They are fish. But they're sexy fish. Dancers, if you hear those words, you can be pretty sure that your time on So You Think You Can Dance is over. The most ... notable choreography on this week's show was the one seemingly designed to prevent two dancers from getting a Twitter save (see video), but as Catherine and Terri discuss, the whole episode seemed to be more about the business of getting rid of four dancers than the art of, you know, showcasing good dancing. On to the top 10! In other pop-culture discussion, Catherine's review of Into the Woods (Meryl Streep version) moved into a look at other Meryl Streep singing movies, including the new Ricki and the Flash and the older Mamma Mia, and a list that ranks all of her film performances. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
Last week, Terri made a wish for a Broadway number and some tap-dancing from Gaby on So You Think You Can Dance, and voila! her wish was granted. Gaby and Virgil's adorable number was enough to get her through all manner of contemporary thrashing, though both Terri and Catherine wondered what was up with all the mental-illness-themed choreography and whether those "Here's what America needs to know about me!" bits had to be quite so all over the place. Of one thing there was no doubt: It was time for Asaf to go home, no matter how good he looks with his shirt off. Also up for brief discussion was Apple Music, the new subscription service that gives you access to pretty much all the songs that Terri has found particular benefit in for parents. (If you're watching this without hyperlinks or access to the video of That Dance, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
So you think you can choreograph something besides contemporary? That's what Terri's wondering about the ongoing rounds of So You Think You Can Dance, which feature about 75% more thrashing about than she's really comfortable with. She and Catherine discuss a fairly meh episode in which Catherine liked Kate and Neptune's number, Terri didn't think Asaf's was so awful, and they both felt bad that somebody thought a dance in which Jim and Moises were supposed to swagger was a good idea. Moving on to Catherine's latest book-club pick, Lisa See's Shanghai Girls, which is as full of tragedies as #SYTYCD is of contemporary emoting, but sparked some interesting conversation about immigration. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
So you think you can dance more adorably than Jim and Jaja (left) in the lastest episode of So You Think You Can Dance? Probably not; their hip hop routine was pretty awesomely cute. In our weekly chat about Fox's dance competition, Catherine and Terri checked on the progress of dancers they like; worried about dancers who are poorly served by choreography, costumes, or camera work; wondered how West Coast viewers felt about that live Twitter-save business; pondered whether Asaf is as big a jerk as he's being edited to be; and wished Cat would put on some flats already. Next, they took a look at this year's Emmy nominations and asked why Kimmy Schmidt herself is missing from the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt nominations, how exactly Allison Janney is a supporting actress on Mom, and whether we really need to be honoring so darn many reality shows. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience. And if you're watching the SYTYCD special tonight, look for us tweeting about it at @mamatude, @AboutFamilyFit, and/or @RoundAboutChat.)
So you think you can dance in the style you're comfortable with for one more week? That's the question asked on this week's episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which Terri dutifully watched and Catherine will catch up with eventually when she is reunited with her DVR. After Terri filled Catherine in on what she missed, Catherine shared a New York Times Magazine article about two pairs of twins separated at birth, and Terri plugged TV critic Dan Fienberg's "Take Me to the Pilots" series of articles that look at each of next fall's pilot episodes and consider whether there's a season's-worth of TV there. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
This week's entertainment episode started with our weekly look at Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which winnowed the field down from a seemingly huge number of dancers to 10 on Team Stage (including one of our mutual favorites, tap-dancer Gaby, left) and 10 on Team Street. We're glad to be moving on to the real post-audition part of the show, but wondering why most of the folks we got to know and root for have fallen by the wayside. Good luck to all you dancers we kind of maybe recognize! Catherine has also been enjoying Chef's Table on Netflix, and Terri has been wincing over a raunchy song selection on Spike's Lip Sync Battle. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
In honor of Catherine's recent cross-Midwest drive to deliver a child to skate camp and many of our listeners' upcoming drive to see family for the Fourth, we chatted about road-trip entertainment, from new possibilities like audiobooks and Bluetooth and watching MacGyver on your iPad to old-school memories of melted cassette tapes and listening to DVRs you couldn't see while driving. Catherine recommended three audiobooks her kids enjoyed: Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, Lionboy by Zizou Corder, and Jeremy Brown: Spy by Simon Cheshire. Meanwhile, on So You Think You Can Dance, which we're watching and discussing every week, a bunch of sentimental favorites made the road trip to Las Vegas for nothin', as a moving up-close-and-personal wasn't enough to get you through to the next round. Bye, newlyweds! Bye girl who overcame a terrible leg injury! Bye guy whose family never saw you dance! Bye cute ballroom guy with a foot injury who would dance on one foot if you could! Bye all you folks we were encouraged to care about! There's always next year! At least we appear to be done with solo auditions for the next little while. Please? (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
Catherine's book club had another meeting, and so she's got another book to talk about, in this case The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. She sets up some of the book's storylines and themes for us -- but don't worry, no spoilers -- and gives it a thumbs-up as a novel tailor-made for book clubs. (Terri's dog, on the other hand, is clearly disturbed by the lack of canines in the narrative.) Next up for Catherine's club and our podcast is Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, so read along if you want to know what she's talking about in a month or so. And watch So You Think You Can Dance if you want to know what we're talking about when we chat about the show every week. Our audition fatigue continued with this last week of try-outs from New York City, and despite some excellent hip-hopping and tapping and duo dancing, we wished a couple of non-contenders could have been allowed to peacefully fail without all the build-up and the, you know, chasing of the shamed out into the snow. We're curious to see where the show goes from here with its two extremely large teams and how cruel the winnowing to a manageable number is going to be. Join us every Tuesday for our entertainment talk, and if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.
Spoilers have become a big point of Internet etiquette, but is it fair to expect everyone to wait to talk about entertainment they've enjoyed untll you've had a chance to catch up? After a chat about the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which at this point in the audition process isn't particularly spoiler-sensitive, we shared our thoughts on the notion that imparting information on a piece of entertainment to someone who has not yet consumed it is inherently awful and cruel. We discussed the old days when TV Guide was in the spoiler business, the value of stories you already know the ending to (spoiler! things do not work out well for Romeo and Juliet), the buzz-dampening effect of dumping show episodes nobody can talk about yet, and the benefit of knowing you can always look up what happened on a show so you can safely watch while multitasking. Are you a spoiler-phobe or a spoiler welcomer? Share in the comments or look us up on Facebook or Twitter.
After live-tweeting the Tony Awards telecast Sunday night, Terri and Catherine got together for a Round 2 review, with discussion of co-hosts Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming (and the impossibility of topping NPH's opening number from a few years ago), the general dissing of plays, the "awesome" online red carpet, the relegation of too many awards to commercial-break time (including a lifetime achievement for Tommy Tune, who you really want to put in front of a mic on your broadcast, CBS, c'mon), and the need to maybe move the ceremony to a cable channel where it could be less devoted to putting people you recognize from TV and movies on your screen. From there, we tap-danced over to Fox's So You Think You Can Dance for a chat about the surprising lucidity of Paula Abdul, the reason girls are dancing in their underwear, the winnowing that must get done between the line and the stage, what Jason Derulo brings to the table, and when we can be through with all this auditioning already. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)
The sparkly baton of talking about dance shows is passed from Terri to Catherine, who is planning to follow the new season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. The idea of DVRing that show and finding a time for your whole family to watch led into a chat on why there is still a half-season of Fringe on Terri's DVR, why she'll probably catch up on those 13 episodes of NCIS:LA first, and how whole-house DVRs force you to notice what your child is watching (and maybe even watch American Ninja Warrior now and then). Terri also mentioned an appearance by Haley Joel Osment on Marc Maron's podcast that will give you faith in the possibility that child actors can turn out OK. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience, and visit us on Facebook and Twitter too.