Sonia Kruger Splitting From Her Husband James

Apparently the separated at the end of last year with heavy workloads cited as the cause of the break up. No third parties have been named. They were married for six years. Full story Sunday Telegraph.

Johnathan Pease Has Had His Role Downsized In Australia’s Next Top Model

Johnathan Pease who is the “photoshoot director” on AuNTM has had his role reduced due to concerns he was to flirtatious with the very young model’s last season. Also rumours circulating last year that he was dating a school girl has also not helped his reputation. Considering I have not seen him do to much directing at the shoots, I don’t think his reduced role will be missed.

Axle Whitehead Joins Home And Away Cast.

The former Australian Idol alumni will play bad boy rocker Liam Murphy on the show. He will debut on the show on March 5. He said an the article here that he was surprised that Channel Ten sacked him after the famous ARIA penis flashing incident.

Logie Nominations Now Open

TV Tonight has a list of who you can vote for in this year’s logies. So You Think You Can Dance is up for best reality TV show, as is Natalie Bassingthwaite for Gold Logie, and Silver Logie for best presenters.

Bonnie Lythgoe the judge from So You Think You Can Dance will be particularly pleased that fans can vote for her as best new Female TV talent, with Matt Lee also in the male section of the best new talent Logie.

If  you don’t have a viral marketing campaign out at the moment you are just not hip. Here is the one doing the rounds for So You Think You Can Dance Australia. It was filmed in a Pitt street food hall in Sydney.

Just a few thoughts on tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance Australia:

• If you are going to have Wade Robson uber choreographer on the show, why not give him more than two minutes of screentime?
• Does Bonnie have a collection of fluro coloured leather jacket? And in Adelaide she dressed like Mutton Spice. Can they import Hele Mirren’s stylist please.
• Can Jason Gilkison be permanently on the judging panel? Or because he is such a good choreographer does it make more sense for him to take on that role?
• My theory that average people from other states should go to the smaller cities to audition was again proven when the only person in Adelaide to get a ticket straight to the top 100 was from Melbourne.
• Should Jason Coleman had to have absented himself from the judging panel in Melbourne as some of the people who were auditioning may have been students from his school Ministry of Dance?
• If they are going to pretend to have a day 1 and day 2 of auditions, at least get the continuity right. One minute Natalie was greeting people after choreography in black and the next she was in a cream top. This also occurred with the judges outfits.
• Was it ever worked out last year what it meant on Matt Lee’s cap I heart VZ?

The auditions are now over, and the quality of dancers does indeed live up to the hype of being better than last year. Next the top 100 and by next Wednesday we will have our top 20 dancers.

Reality TV is bringing in the viewers for Channel Ten.

On Sunday night, The Biggest Loser attracted a peak audience of 1.65 million viewers. Over one hour, the program averaged 1.16 million viewers. So You Think You Can Dance Australia attracted a peak audience of 1.55 million viewers. Over 90 minutes, the program averaged 1.31 million viewers. 

This season, the new concept of couples has given The Biggest Loser  a fresh dynamic.

I particularly feel for Amanda, the largest female ever on the show.  She seems so lost and depressed but hopefully she will find the mental willpower to lose the weight to feel better about herself. The other contestants, and I presume the viewers at home, looked at her with respect after they found out she was a trained opera singer. Unfortunately for her obesity has killed her career.

Actually I felt sorry for most of the contestants last night as they weighed in, but I am looking forward seeing them change their lives.

Hot tip: Sharif will be a hottie when he loses weight. As will Meaghan and Tiffany.

Last night 50 tickets were handed out to dancers in Sydney for the top 100. So now in Brisbane some of the rejected dancers from the Harbour city were going to test my theory that to get through on this show it was better to audition in the cities where there is not as much talent.

Max who had missed out in Sydney was back for another go in Brisbane. Jason wanted to talk about what had happened between them. Jason had thought she was rude when she said she prefered Kelley Abbey’s choreography to Matt Lee’s. It was time when Jason “I like your honesty” Coleman did not like what she said and told her that she was rude.

When he asked her what she thought had happened she said “I think it was a giant misunderstanding.” . Incorrect answer Max you were meant to grovel and apologise at this point. The big mystery about this whole fracas was whether Matt Lee was insulted by her

Ben a 26 year old jazz dancer from the Gold Coast. I thought his dance was nice and subtle instead of the usual lot of tricks. But this meant he had to go to choreography rather then getting his ticket straight away.  Even the story of him being a fat boy didn’t get him to bypass the choreography round.

Gabriel the wall punching dancer from last year wanted to come back to prove himself. He did a lot of jumping and tricks and he got a top 100 ticket. I didn’t get it. he was ok but his technique was not as good as jazz dancer Ben. Did the bad boy coming good story give him the edge?

Talia a Queensland Ballet Company member danced beautifully, Bonnie thought she was neat and tidy but thought she should go to choreography and Matt agreed. I think Talia was a bit shocked that she didn’t get a ticket straight through to the top 100. However after choreography she was given one.

Michael a tapper was not even going to turn up for the audition, his tapping to  the song Route 66 was fun and energetic. I am guessing the reason he was not going to turn up was that he had a speech impediment. Jason condescendingly said “We are only going to judge you on your dancing.” The silent meaning was we are not going to judge you on your stutter. He was put through to top 100 after the choreography round.

Then their was Luke a hip hop dancer who I thought was ok. This was his second audition, as he had been rejected in Sydney, but it was worth it as he did eventually get through to  the top 100.

Max and the other two girls from Sydney were put through, so my theory was true four of the five that flew up to Sydney got into the  top100.

The it was onto Perth.

First up were two ballroom dancers who had neer danced with each other before Kallyanne and Joseph. Unfortunately for them ballroom extrodinaire Jason Gilkison was on the judging pannel so did cop some criticism, but they  did get through to choreography. Kallyanne did end up getting a ticket into the top 100.

Mikaila was a dancer from South Africa  whose father was shot in the driveway of their home.  She did not shine at the audition, but Bonnie used the shooting to try and psychoanalyse her. Once they got tears from her she was allowed to go through to choreography.

They continued to toy with you after the choreography when bereavement counsellor Kelley Abbey said to her “the best thing for you is to continue dancing”. Mikaila’s eyes lit up as she thought she was through, but oh no this was reality TV  and she was told she was not going through. However there were no tears this time.

Nicole made it to the top 100 last year, and was now having another crack at it. Jason tried  to say he wasn’t happy with her dancing and then pulled out a ticket to Sydney.

I note that Perth was so threadbare of dancers only 10 mins of tonight’s audition was devoted to the city.

Next week Wade Robson will be at the Melbourne auditions, and Nigel Lythgoe will be judging the top 100, so SYTYCDA is only going to get better.

You would have to be in coma or illiterate  to not know  So You Think You Can Dance Australia is starting this Sunday.

As the publicity machine is in overdrive with the show’s host, Natalie Bassingthwaite, in just about every magazine and newspaper in the country. If Mastermind were to be revived my specialist subject on the show could be “The Bass”.

In the interviews Natalie talks about the criticism she attracted last year. In an article in the Courier Mail she said to expect an improvement:

Bassingthwaighte has two words for her early critics – watch out.

“I just think bagging someone that is just having a go is not healthy for the soul or good for being Australian but, in saying that, I get it and it’s a job,” she says.

“I never said, ‘I am going to do this show and I am the most brilliant host in the world’. I said, ‘I will have a go’. All I will say is I hope that that does make young girls go, ‘I am going to have a go too’. I am OK with it (now, but) at the time it was hard.”

I find it strange that she would think people were not going judge her on her performance? Her role is pivotal to the success of the show. And if it ain’t working of course viewers were going bag it. At the beginning she was not great but by the end of the series that had been a huge improvement and I suspect she will be great this season.

In the TV Week article she say’s the following:

• A lot more professional dancers auditioned this year;
• She is enjoying the role a lot more this year as she is not as nervous,
• She is not in contact with any of last year’s dancers but she does see them out and about every now and then,
• Her film Prey will be out this year,
• She hasn’t had a chance to miss the Rogue Traders,
• Her boyfriend Cameron helped her a lot with her solo album, and they co-wrote a song,
• Her New Year’s resolution is to not take on board too much, and enjoy every moment,
• She will not be returning to Neighbours.

Now if you still need more Natalie Bassingthwaite and SYTYCDA news here is another article in The Age.

So You Think You Can Dance host Natalie Bassingthwaite has said that Meryl Tankard needs to eat her words.

Tankard who is a choreographer and who considers herself a part of the arts intelligensia in Australia famously took a swipe at the popular dance show last year. She said the performances were so awful on SYTYCD that they should not be considered dance. Also she said “It’s like a fast-food version of dance.” Previous stories on the Tankard’s criticisms are here and here.

Ahead of the launch of the second series of SYTYCD Bassingthwaite told the Sun-Herald ” I think it does put a smile on your face when someone bags something that you’re a part of and then it’s successful – it’s kind of like a cheeky grin,”

“I think it was just a shame that [it came from] someone in this industry- which is small, really. Dance in Australia wasn’t known that much. I think we allowed it to have a platform, we gave it a space, where more people would go and see her pieces.”

“More [than] anything I found it bizarre that she would bag her own,” she says “It’s like being in a netball team and you start bagging netball. I mean, what are you doing?”

Well I think Natalie’s spot on comments are a big “fuck you” to the Meryl. And chances of you getting on the show Ms Tankard. Zero.

Also in the interview Natalie said the turn-out for this year’s auditions was enormous.

She said ” Because it was such a huge success [last year], not only did they come out of the woodwork this year but it looked like some of them have been training their butts off.”

SYTYCD Au will start on Sunday 1 February at 7.30pm.

Photo courtesy of Daily Telegraph

Natalie Bassingthwaite reveals today in the Daily Telegraph that she is feeling much more confident going into season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance Australian (SYTYCD Au).

She has hired an acting coach to help her with the second series. She said the criticism of her performance on the first few show last year hurt.

She says:

“I was really aware of it (nerves) at the time and in the first few episodes I was so petrified you could see me shaking.

“So I got an acting coach last year and I think I’ve found it.”

This is great news as SYTYCD was great last year, if the last few hiccups can be removed then it will be fabulous this season.

Anyway good news for fans Channel Ten have released the new SYTYCD website, and it looks super slick. Click  here. to get to it.

It looks likes Jason Coleman has had his paddlepop lion hair cut into something funkier. Only thing I don’t get is the poll on the site asking who is our favourite judge and Matt Lee has 50 %  of the votes. Hopefully only about 10 people have voted.

Link to story in The Australian.

Two Dubbo Dancer’s Are Through To the Top 100 on So You Think You Can Dance Aust
Charles Bartley and Ashleigh Tegart from Dubbo are two names of dancers who are through to the top 100 week in Sydney. Charles is currently studying at Brent St Studios, so it will be interesting how many of that alumni make it in on Season 2. Marko Panzic, Hilton Dennis and Rhiannon were three dancers from there in Season 1.

Ricky-Lee Coulter To Be A Divorcee at the age of 22.
The men in Australia will be rejoicing today now it has been revealed her marriage to Jamie Babbington is over. Ricky-Lee’s publicist cited “distance and time apart” for the split. Ricky-Lee moved to Sydney to be a co-host on Australian Idol.

The couple were together for seven years. So she must have been 15 and he was 24 when they started going out. I am not sure what I think of that.

Full story on Daily Tele.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia auditions in Brisbane Today
Brisvegas dancers were out in force today for the auditions of SYTYCD Au. Season 1 winner Jack Chambers was from Brisbane, he will be permanently moving to New York in March. Part of his prize money has gone towards buying an apartment on the Upper West Side. Nacho Pop and Jack were also at the auditions today.

Brisbane Times has more details.

Charlotte Dawson’s Boyfriend Is Doing Jail Time.
Now what is it with Next Top Model judge Charlotte Dawson and her propensity for men who have difficulties with the law. Her former husband Scott Miller currently has drug charges laid against him, and her current squeeze Matthew Rodin just spent the night in jail on fraud charges.

$100,000 is required to get him out of jail. Now Charlotte seems like a sensible woman she needs to ditch this guy and fast. Does she really want to be schleping to Long Bay Jail each weekend if he is convicted? The charges relate to a $7.5 million fraud.

The Australian has the full yarn.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 12 Spoiler Alert.
NY Mag has a little article saying the overseas trip for the Cycle 12 models is in Sao Paulo.

The inaugural So You Think You Can Dance Australia winner Jack Chambers has finally been able to take his prize.

Part of it was a getting dance routine choreographed by Mia Michaels. Channel 10 official website has some footage of Jack and Mia working together here.

In other SYTYCD AU news one of the first season’s top 10Rhiannon Villareal is currently teaching dance at Brent St Studios and Sydney Dance Company it was reveal in an article in the Macarther Advertiser.

However it appears she wants to be a singer.

She said: “I’m trying to concentrate on songwriting,” she said.

Lastly Cat Deeley the popular host of the US version of SYTYCD may have ended her man drought. She was seen out on a date with Jack Huston this week in LA. Picture here.