Eyes for another

Yes, Lauren Froderman won & Ellen stole spotlight, but what about that PashaKovalev on So You Think You Can Dance?

Who could keep their eyes on the winner with Pasha Kovalev's impressive ...dance technique?
Lauren Froderman is the last dancer standing.
Ellen Degeneres (who has plenty of dance experience on her own show) did herbest to steal the spotlight on the So You Think You Can Dance finale.

Thursday night, live from Hollywood, it was the eagerly anticipated season finale of So You Think You Can Dance, and I tried to fall in with all the excitement when Lauren Froderman was announced as America’s favorite dancer.

But I couldn’t contemplate this disappointing forest for its tiniest of trees. “That last name is going to a problem,” I thought to myself as glitter and confetti poured around her and the cast of losers ran to offer hugs and kisses.

Lauren Freedman? Lauren Frye? Lauren del Mar?

Yes, I’ve probably watched too many Hollywood movie musicals. But there’s got to be a better stage name for the young woman who danced her way to the top. Otherwise she’s going to be confused with a Tolkien character.

I suppose I was still fuming from Wednesday night’s episode, when the ever-fickle judge Mia Michaels said that she liked Lauren’s balance of masculine and feminine. The comment burned through me, because only a few weeks ago Nigel told the talented young Billy that America wasn’t going for his “androgynous style.”

So why was it so much better coming from Lauren? Even more problematic, I don’t think it’s true. David Bowie was androgynous. Grace Jones was androgynous. I don’t find any evidence that Lauren Froderman is the least bit gender-bending.

After Mia called Lauren “filthy” (a term of praise here), the wholesome Lauren said that all season long, the choreographers have wanted to portray her as a “man-eater.” And then Mia said that Lauren hasn’t done one bad dance yet, adding that if she were still dancing, “I would want to achieve to be that.”

Oh, the hyperbole, Mia. I wish you would learn, as per your weekly mantra, “to own that.”

The dance that seemed to put Lauren over the edge on Wednesday, the one that catapulted her into the god-realm of popular dance, was a smoky tango with all-star Pasha Kovalev. Judge Adam Shankman remarked that she understood every rhythm, every note, characterizing her interpretation as “exhibition-style perfect.”

And now is the time I must admit that as a dance critic and a gay man, I can’t take my eyes off of Pasha. Yes, I confess that during this routine, Lauren was relegated to my periphery. Please don’t get me wrong — I don’t have anything against Lauren— but I adore Pasha. And I am just not seeing the emperor’s new clothes when Lauren takes the stage.

The only female dancer who can put Pasha in the palm of her hand is the brilliant all-star Anya Garnis. When Anya is on stage with Pasha, I no longer play moth to his flame, but it will take Lauren years to get to Anya’s level.

Only the coldest heart wouldn’t wish Lauren well as her career is certain to sky-rocket. Lauren, I salute you. You are sweet, confident, versatile and strong. But artistry will take more time, and you’re going to be sidetracked with other things over the coming months, like endorsing Gatorade. Lauren’s first trophy after the news broke was a bit of a letdown: A plastic bottle filled with energy drink, bearing her likeness on the label.

Stay on track, Lauren, and find a good massage therapist.

And despite my mixed feelings at the outcome, the finale was thrilling in so many other ways. Each of the seven judges picked a favorite number, which was performed as a live encore for the enthusiastic audience. There were plenty of montages centered on the laughter and the tears. Black Gold showed up to sing Shine in person. A 7-year-old named Luke tapped his little heart out, and the stunning Quest Crew demonstrated their awe-inspiring skills at dancing and ensemble choreography.

Ellen Degeneres made a cameo appearance in a hip hop number with the glorious Twitch, filling in for a post-surgery Alex Wong. It seemed cute until it became evident that Ellen was acting with a twist, stealing some thunder from the proceedings to promote her own career, no doubt.

By this point everyone knows that Degeneres has declined to return to American Idol. Is she trying to horn her way onto So You Think You Can Dance?

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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