Happy Dance Friday #123 - SYTYCD Season 10 Finale

Have to say, this wasn't a big surprise to me; Fik-Shun and Amy (who reminds me much of Sabra from season three; that's for a later post) stood out to me from the very beginning. Aaron and Jasmine are worthy competitors, so this year wasn't as much "who's going to win" as "let's savor the overabundance of awesome dancing." Which is, I think, what we got.

Mary and Nigel served heaping portions of entertainment and fun, and when I thought it couldn't get any better...dance bomb by Adam Shankman. Loved this. More, please.

One of my favorite parts of SYTYCD finales is the command performances, where guests (and dancers) get to pick their favorite routine to see again. I loved that we got to see two Travis Wall routines, which were both amazing, but if I'd been able to pick one encore performance, it would have been Jasmine Mason and Alan's blindfolded contemporary. Travis Wall tapped into something deeply emotional here, taking the visual away from the dancers, and giving it all to the audience. I can't say that I've ever seen anything like that before, and when I see choreography, when I see dancing that makes me want to be a better writer, that has to get the nod. So, my pick:



How did you like the finale, dance fans?

Happy Dance Friday #115 - Rita Hayworth, the Bee Gees and a snow day in March

Last night, I stayed up far too late, talking books with a reader friend :waves hi to Carolina: and woke to a gorgeous sight. More than the single inch of snow we'd been forecast, everything was blanketed under a stunning blanket of white, bare tree branches blanketed, and even more drifting down. It's still coming. DH ambled out of the kitchen, asking if anybody wanted French toast and bacon. As it turns out, it was cinnamon French toast, which makes it even better. That made it official. Snow day.

Our household contains only adults, and DH still had to go in, but it still counts. Still counts as well even though I'm heading down to the coffee house for a writing session, because that's what I want to do. So what's the difference? By my standards, a lifting of the normal restritions or regulations. The chance to breathe and step back from the every day and ask what would be the best thing for this moment. What would give pleasure? What would get us ready for the return to normal life, stronger, more rested and refreshed?

For me, the answer was immediate. I stayed in my pajamaas slightly longer than usual, because eating surprise cinnamon French toast should not be done while wearing regular clothes. My brain meandered back to the conversation of the night before, of the many things I love about historical romance; the mental journey to another time and place, the chance to climb in the skins of hero and heroine and live not only through the time but through the love story. Which is a good place for a writer of historical romance to be.

Which is also a good place for a happy dance. Bee Gees make me happy and heroines who make history make me happy, so finding the two mushed together is even more fitting for the specialness of a snow day.



What makes a snow day or other found day extra special for you?

Happy Dance Friday #114 -zomg, pony!

Weird, weird week at Stately Bowling Manor, and I have no idea how it got to be March already. Not sure I'm ready for spring, winter girl that I am, but I'll give it a fair shake. I'm looking forward to seeing what spring looks like in our new environ Good things should be coming. In the meantime, here's a dancing pony I found:

Happy Dance Friday #82 - Happy Dance Smorgasboard

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Okay, this is way too cool not to mention first, and it's for a good cause, so I had to pass this along. Tony Dovolani, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy are auctioning themselves off for a private dance lesson (only one of the guys, depending on who's available at the time) at one of their studios in NY or NJ. Details here. Minimum bid is already out of my price range, but what a neat experience for whoever does win, and proceeds go to the Viennese Opera Ball for the Feed Foundation.

Preston Leatherman takes to the mall once more for a Valentine's edition of his Dancing With an iPod in Public videos:

Not technically dancing, but here's the iconic "Circle of Life" done with dogs and cats. Is it only me, or do the cats look like they're plotting revenge?


Those of us who are historically inclined should appreciate some traditional Morris dancing:


While Snoopy and friends are always in season:


And for a grand finale, we have Muppets on DWTS:


Happy Friday!

Happy Dance Friday #66 - In Person Happy Dance

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Chance for actual happy dancing next weekend, as I will more than likely (real life allowing) be spending next Saturday here:
http://www.pipesinthevalley.com/
Be still my Celtic-loving heart. I have been longing for the chance to attend a Celtic festival for years, years, I tell you. This falls under "about (expletive deleted) time." As if the fact that I can actually get to such a festival weren't enough, these guys are playing:

"Lowrider" on bagpipes? It exists:
Wonder if this will be in the live set:
Haunting and evocative, this one:
Looking forward to discovering the other bands as well; who knows, a new favorite may be awaiting.

Rockstar

I always wanted to be a rock star. Still do.

Never mind the fact that my musical skills are extremely limited. In high school, I got kicked out of chorus for having a bad voice. By the teacher. In front of the class. This did not phase me as much as I thought it would, and since it was too late to drop the course, the teacher gave me an A as long as I showed up and did not sing. He called the time ‘study hall.’ I used it to read historical romance novels.

I took piano for several years as a kid, and as a result, I used to be able to play 99% of the theme from MASH from memory. The missing one percent being the ending, which meant I would keep going until whatever adult was present lost their last nerve. I tried again as an adult, trading private lessons from a musician friend for dogsitting when she and her hubby had gigs out of town. I mastered scales. We will not mention the guitar incident.

None of this deterred me. I’m an extrovert. Put me in a bunch of people and I can run off the energy for days. Put me in front of a bunch of people and let me do my stuff and I can run off the energy for weeks. If I’m doing it right, it’s an even exchange and they take away something good as well. All of which means a career in the arts is probably a good thing.

While my high school musical aspirations came to naught (oh Glee, where were you in the 80s?)I did love theater, and if I had to do college again, I’d have majored in that instead of education. Still, the Tardis is broken, so I can only go forward. Theater and a middle school English teacher who consistently picked my assignments to read to the class pointed me towards the areas where I could excel.

Theater not only gave me the chance to experience the pure magic chemistry of a really good cast and the ability to jump into a character and walk about in somebody else’s skin for a couple of hours in front of people who paid to see it, but two moments unique to performance.

Nothing can compare to that moment in the wings right before taking the stage, the only thing between backstage and the audience being the curtain that is going to go up any second now. No more chances to get it right; this is do or die. It also leads to the other one, that skip of a heartbeat when the performer does take the stage, eyes adjusting to the footlights, and best of all, can see the audience. All those faces, focused on the stage. It’s perfect.

If I could distill the rock star ambition into one snapshot, it would be the opening frames of James Blunt’s “I’m Your Man” video, (coincidentally a song I’m playing a lot while revising a certain scene from my hero's POV.) Walking/running down the corridor on the way to the stage, right before the show is slated to begin, said corridor lined with well-wishers who all have a hand in what everybody's about to see...no energy drink can give that kind of rush.

So far, I have been less than successful in convincing my family members to reenact this on my way to the keyboard each morning, so I'll rely on knowing my cheering section is there in spirit. Then again, knowing my notoriously bad depth perception, any euphoric rush into the footlights would likely result in something perilously close to the true story behind Ben Folds' "Hiroshima" (aka "Benny Hit His Head.)

The attitude, though, that I can have. Nobody can tell my stories but me, and if I give each story my all and do it the way only I can do it, that's rockstar writing in my book. Pun intended. As long as I have the vision and the confidence and know that even if I do end up charging off the stage and doing a faceplant -and those days will come- I can get back up and with the right attitude, make that into something good.

For me, being a rockstar is about knowing my voice and finding the right platform to connect with the audience - since I'm a writer, that would be the readers. It's about dedication to doing the best job possible, to introduce the people who live in my head to the world at large in a way that connects and lets the readers into the story world. Knowing that a reader caught the writer's vision, visited the story world and met the people who live there, that's a rockstar moment for sure. Holding up homemade glittery signs for a favorite author isn't mandatory, but it couldn't hurt, either.

Happy Dance Friday #52 - SYTYCD Season 8, episode 1

...in which there is much awesomeness, Nigel predicts an Emmy nomination, and judges are stumped. This should be an extremely memorable year.

Oh dear mercy, this is going to be an interesting year, and I mean that in the very best way. Drama right from the start, as we learn Mitchell, one of the top twenty, was sidelined due to an injury sustained in rehearsal...though that did get us Surprise Bonus Robert Roldan from season seven as a substitute. I think they keep the all stars on deck in case someone's needed, and I can't call that a bad thing. Of course, Mitchell sitting the performance out meant he'd have to perform a solo on elimination night, so I had high expectations, but more on that later.

We had two Travis Wall routines, both amazing. Sasha and Alexander's performance was raw and poignant and angry and relatable

but it was the lovelorn statues coming to life and reforming themselves into a single sculpture that earned Nigel's prediction of an Emmy nomination for Mr. Wall, and I one thousand percent agree. It's performances like this that make me proud to be a romance writer:


Anytime Iveta and her partner draw ballroom as their genre, I expect it to be a slam dunk; after all, she is world ten dance champion, so I'm betting she could get a perfect score if her partner were a life sized Raggedy Andy doll. Fortunately, she gets tap dancer Nick instead, and the results more than satisfied me:


Jess and his partner, Clarice, drawing Broadway should also have been a slam-dunk. Seeing a dancer as young as Jess with such a firm grasp of his voice as a performer is rare and gorgeous and how they ended up in the bottom three...yeah, bottom three, what the firecracker? No. Flat. Out. Wrong. At least that meant Jess solo, so some consolation there.

Bottom three? Seriously, America? Seriously?

Then the drama started. Mitchell and Robert were called back to reprise their solos. My first thought = phew, Jess must be safe. My second thought = ack, we have to lose Mitchell or the Woo Man. Nooooo. Cat seemed both interested and a little off kilter by this first time ever development, so time for the girls to perform so the judges have more wiggle room on their decision about the gents. Girl solos, then back to judges to deliver verdict on boys.

Verdict was...there was no verdict. First time ever, nobody would be eliminated, which naturally means two couples go home next week, slicing the cast by four. Augh, the tension. Plus debut of a new Lady Gaga video, the promise of Guest Judge Gaga yet to come and I didn't catch the name, but someone in the music department having a stroke being rushed to the hospital. Yikes. Prayers for a full recovery, for sure.

What stood out the most for you for the start of season eight?

Going Medieval

I'd planned to hold off on getting The Sims Medieval for a while, but when I stopped by Target to make my planned purchase of the Ambitions expansion pack for Sims 3, there was Medieval at a ridiculous discount. I still meant to be strong, but I didn't count on the generous friend who was with me. Said friend doesn't want to play, herself, but likes to hear what my Sims are up to, and so it came home.

Timesink. I'm glad I waited until the weekend, because as soon as I turned it on, it was like stepping into a slightly bizarre, oddly realistic, very painterly picture book. Monarchs! Bards! Knights! Several quests involving romance in some aspect. Plus the pit beast, kingdom building, gruel, sailing to far off lands to trade goods - haven't done that last one yet, but oh be still my heart. Historical romance fans who are also gamers have got to get a copy of this.

I am tempted to call this research. As soon as I got started, I had plans - I could marry my monarch to my knight and secure an heir, which will be useful in case one of the quests results in my monarch being um, not as alive as she currently is. That was the plan, but then other quests came up and my monarch and knight are cooling their heels while my physician (who is now courting my bard, so somebody's getting some love) and merchant race about to cooperate in attempting to cure a plague. My blacksmith, when last seen, was training a lovely female apprentice and completed a legendary quest to get rid of his flaw of uncouthness, replacing it with Herculean strength. My monk has been freely distributing sacred texts. I have yet to place a wizard's tower or spy headquarters, or for that matter, a kingball court, but any of those will add another layer to the unfolding story.

Because that's how I play any of the Sims games - they are stories, told in pixels rather than words, and because I am me, they are heavy on the romance. Doesn't matter in this case if my physician is gathering leeches or my blacksmith is making armor, my brain is always spinning things. When can I get back to some loving for my monarch and knight? Do I marry my physician and bard now or make them wait for one of the quests when I need a wedding? For that matter, what about the barmaid who keeps bringing my bard a tankard of ale every time he comes home? Sure, the fate of the kingdom is at stake, but for me, the love is the heart of it all.

All of which puts my mind in historical romance mode, which, being a historical romance writer, is a perfectly good place for it to be. Also makes me hungry for a great medieval read in the very near future.

Readers or writers who game, how does your gaming affect your story construction/consumption?

Saturday at the Movies #40 - Jude Law times two

Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Carol, I jumped on The Holiday as soon as I saw it in the library's DVD section.



Carol, I owe you one. This was fantastic, and I am now the proud owner of a copy, planning some Christmas all year round double features with Love Actually. I've only had good experiences with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet and the more recent Alfie had put me on a Jude Law kick anyway, so the big surprise here was how much I liked Jack Black's performance, as his type doesn't usually work for me. Here, it most definitely did. Give me pretty much anything with "England" and "Christmas" in the synopsis and I am there in a flash. Adding a good love story to the mix makes it even better. This one has two.

Both heroines, Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet) are at romantic lows when they switch houses for the holiday with a stranger halfway across the world, which puts them in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Californian Amanda hopes to find refuge in an idyllic English cottage, while English Iris dives into the sun and glamour of Hollywood, to the surprise of Iris' brother, Graham (Law) and Amanda's colleague, Miles (Black.) The two unlikely couples find themselves perfectly suited, though not without realistic issues that must be dealt with before they can find their happy endings. The feel of old classic romance films is present here, with a modern flavor, and even the secondary characters are endearing. Iris and Miles' friend, a retired screenwriter, and two special young ladies in Graham's life provide exactly the right sort of support to further the love stories.

Moonlight fans may experience flashbacks, as the first few minutes include both Alex O'Loughlin and Shannyn Sossamon:


Continuing the Jude Law love, when I discovered that Alfie wasn't the only remake where Jude Law performed a role played by Michael Caine in the original, I had to find Sleuth.

Mr Law is now three for three with me. Loved this one. Taut, suspenseful, and while I've read some critics that called the film's look "claustrophobic," I count that as a plus, as it fits the story of two men locked in a battle of wills perfectly. I can easily see the roots of this story in its original play form and would love to see the play someday.

Andrew Wyke (Caine,) suspense novelist, and Milo Tindle (Law,) an actor and Andrew's wife's lover, meet at Andrew's high tech stately home so that Milo can persuade Andrew to give his wife, Maggie, a divorce so that Milo can be with her. It quickly escalates into something much more sinister when Andrew devises a plot for Milo to fake a jewel theft within the house, which will get Andrew a return on the insurance on the jewels and fund Milo and Maggie's new life abroad. From there, we get a game of cat and mouse, with cat and mouse switching roles more than once on the way to a chilling finish. Before long, Maggie isn't even the issue as the two men battle to see who will be the last man standing.

I am aware there are differences from the 1972 version where Michael Caine played Milo and will be on the lookout for that one. Would love to hear his take on having played both roles in different versions in the same story and if his former portrayal of Milo affected any of his choices in playing Andrew. I am grateful that the clown mask didn't make it into the remake. Never did like clowns, even before Stephen King and It.


What other Jude Law films would you guys recommend?

Happy Dance Friday #39 - Despicable Me (and the ms that eats me whole)

Only one post away from the big 4-0 for Happy Dance Friday, and thanks to E. Catherine Tobler for suggesting Despicable Me as a clip source. I still have yet to see the actual movie, but if these aren't in the dictionary next to "happy dance" then I need a new dictionary. That and the fact that the edits I've been struggling with on the current ms have now given way to rewrites that are making the whole thing oh so much better that I have got to get my groove on here.

BeeGees music, a supervillain dancing with his little girls, and minions, oh mercy, the minions:


I want dancing boogie robots:


There may not be any dancing in this clip, but I sure do like Agnes' outlook on turning a disappointment into a win:

That about sums up my feelings with struggling to the point of writer insanity with a chapter that would not get in line with my edits...but turns out it wouldn't turn into a butterfly because it wasn't a caterpillar but a Cheeto, and as a Cheeto, turned out to be quite the tasty snack. I love when that happens.

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DH and I still in the grips of the Cold That Will Not Die. If it sticks around until midweek, I think we have to buy it a Christmas present. We have perfected our tandem coughing routine with optional call and response format. Kleenex loves us about as much as we love the fuzzy blankey with the ducks on it, and we may have a cause for lobbying to have the Chinese takeout place name their wonton soup after us.

It's important while the cold has us that we maintain mental faculties. Reading labels of cold medication to see who can take what can only go so far, as well as remembering which tissues are the good kind with lotion which are great for the nose but very bad for cleaning glasses. The list of things that Cannot Be Ingested while the cold sore is present is hardwired, so that doesn't count as intellectual exercise. DH does not get cold sores, and yet he is the one who does not like hot beverages. This is not fair. For the uninitiated, my blood type is "tea."

Television is a good fallback, especially if we can find a rerun of some Law and Order or How I Met Your Mother. DH likes NPR, and I have my TBR bookcase. Yeah, bookcase. I do not hoard books, I stockpile them for exactly times like this. Give me a book or ten and my fuzzy blankey and beverage of choice and check in every once in a while to see if I have a pulse or need soup. This past week has taken me through the pages of:

The Master and The Muses by Amanada McIntyre

The Pursuit of Pleasure by Elizabeth Essex (bonus points for a fabulous name)

Rushed to the Altar by Jane Feather (Dear Ms Feather, it has been far too long)

Back to my Panera "office" today, and I will take this as a sign of good things coming. Free bagel on my rewards card, the manager dropped something extra on my table with a perky "enjoy" as she passed, and my email inbox had a notice of not only a new album by Right Said Fred but release of their Night of the Living Fred DVD. Keep this kind of stuff coming, Monday. I could get used to days like this. Now about that cold sore....

Happy Dance Friday News Bulletin

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There I was, all set to fire up the desktop once I got to the office and get back to normal Happy Dance Friday posting, but what did my buddy Linda and I see wandering around the road but a beautiful German Shepherd (henceforth referred to as GS)?

Since lunch hour traffic on a busy road is not a good place for puppies, we stopped the car and approached GS. Very good dog, she looked confused and lost, and was very trusting. Linda checked her tags and found a name and phone number. Of course both Linda's and my cell phones had to be out of commission but we were close enough to Linda's house that I could hoof it.

Called the number from the tag and got in touch with GS's dad, who came straightaway to get her. Dear readers, you have never seen a happy dance until you have seen a German Shepherd who was lost and then reunited with her person. I believe GS' response could be best translated as "ZOMG, DADDY, best thing EVAR! I lookeded and lookeded for you and you are HERE!" GS and her dad had a joyful reunion and we all did an inner happy dance on our way back to the rest of the day. Epic win for all, I do believe. Huzzah.

My day is already made. Older gentleman approaches me in Panera and asks if I've been a bad girl.

Me: Why are you asking me that?

Him: You're sitting in the corner.

Me: That's so I can see my enemies and smite them from a distance.

Him: Good for you. :makes namaste gesture, bows and leaves: