Water Cooler Convo

Lady Antebellum Plays The Troubadour

2011-09-16T00:53:00.000-07:00

Country superstars Lady Antebellum played a 12-song set at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, treating fans to a rare intimate, acoustic show. With the venue holding about 400 or so people, you were pretty much guaranteed a good view of the group. Thanks to my concert partner-in-crime who got in line early, we were able to get a front row spot right in front of Charles Kelley. Yes, that was glorious. And so were there voices. They sound so great live. That's one thing that has always struck me about them whenever I saw them perform on TV ... I don't recall any times when they've sounded off. And they were the same live. Flawless.

They sang some songs from the new album, including ones they had only played once before, and one in the encore they had never done live (As You Turn Away). It was quite a treat to hear the new songs, and as much as I hated not being able to hear my favorite (All We'd Ever Need), hearing the gut-wrenching vocals by Hillary Scott on As You Turn Away made it more than ok.

Setlist:
We Owned The Night
Our Kind Of Love
Dancing Away With My Heart
American Honey
Cold As Stone
Looking For A Good Time
Singing Me Home
Just A Kiss
Love Don't Live Here
I Run To You
As You Turn Away (encore)
Need You Now (encore).

Four videos coming (apologies in advance for the sound; I was right next to the front stage speakers).

As You Turn Away:

Cold As Stone:

Dancing Away With My Heart:

Our Kind Of Love:

Kris Allen Debuts New Song - You Got A Way

2011-08-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

Kris Allen debuted a brand new song Monday night in an opening set for Lifehouse in Michigan. The song, "You Got A Way", was written by Kris and band member Cale Mills, and is reminiscent of Kris's cover of "Maybe" with the tempo and the guitar. It's really pretty, and his voice sounds great on it.

(Video by mskristen8108)

Also well worth watching is Kris's mashup of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "The Way You Make Me Feel", with an awesome call and response with guitarist Andrew DeRoberts at the end.

(Video by altrus01)

Video Of The Day: Keith Urban Long Hot Summer

2011-08-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Keith Urban released his music video for his latest single, "Long Hot Summer". The video is set on the beach, and lovely visuals during sunset almost make up for the fact that he is fully clothed. On the beach. :|

Video Of The Day: Michael Johns Covers "Crying"

2011-08-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

American Idol Season 7 finalist Michael Johns played an acoustic show at Molly Malone's in Los Angeles Saturday night. In his set, he performed an impressive cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying".

Video by livehead16

SYTYCD Front-Runner Actually Wins!

2011-08-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

In a reality show rarity, a front-runner from the beginning of the season actually won. Pixie-haired dancer Melanie Moore captured the title of America's Favorite Dancer on So You Think You Can Dance Season 8, winning 47% of the vote in a decisive victory over runner-up Sasha Mallory, third-place finisher Marko Germar and fourth-place finisher Tadd Gadduan.

Melanie was featured in the first episode of the season, and she grabbed me from the second she started dancing. I called her one of my early favorites then, and she remained at the top for me throughout the entire show. I've seen people complaining about how she was never challenged, but I would like to point out that nearly the entire season was contemporary/jazz-based, and the only ones in the Top 10 who were really forced out of their box more often than not were Tadd, Jess and Ricky and Caitlynn to an extent. Whether or not Melanie was only given her style all the time is irrelevant. For the most part, the people on the show are judged on how well they do in their style most of the time anyway. Melanie is an EXQUISITE dancer. Besides, disco was the only style she flopped in.

In addition to crowning the winner, Thursday's grand finale showcased some of the top dances from the season, including Marko and Melanie's "Turn to Stone" number, choreographed by Travis Wall, and their Nappy Tabs hip-hop to "I Got You"; Sasha and Twitch's awesome hip-hop (soggy Corn Flakes), choreographed by Christopher Scott; Sasha and Kent's wall dance; Melanie and Neil's "Total Eclipse of the Heart"; Marko and Allison Holker's contemporary; Tadd and Lauren Froderman's "Another One Bites the Dust" (with no hat fail!); Caitlynn and Pasha's Argentine tango; Robert and Melinda's hip-hop (which was FANTASTIC this time!); and Ashley and Chris's jail routine. A bunch of group routines were showcased as well, but I would have tossed a few of those in favor of Caitlynn and Mitchell's contemporary that Stacey Tookey choreographed and given Ricky a spotlight dance since he was one week shy of the finale. Jordan didn't get one either.

My favorite dance of the night, though, was the tap number done by Jess, gone-too-soon tapper Nick, and SYTYCD UK winner Matt Flint. It was thrilling and fun, and I watched it back like 3 times in a row. And I don't even like tap!!!

SYTYCD S8 Finale Falls Flat

2011-08-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

After what was, prior to this week anyway, a well-danced season, the choreographers and dancers suffered a major let-down in the finale this week. No doubt exhausted with performing four dances each, there were few highlights and way more train wrecks than we should have seen this late in the game. I put most of the blame on whoever chose these styles of dances. Disco? Gumboot Stepping? Cha cha for two dancers who have no Latin experience? What even?!

Marko/Melanie - Disco, choreographed by Dorianna Sanchez
"I Feel Love (12" version)" by Donna Summer
Dorianna wanted to make this the "best disco ever". Her choreography made that impossible. That, and Melanie looked so awkward and unnatural doing this type of dance. Marko seemed to have a few issues with the lifts as well. This was easily the worst routine they've done this season.

Sasha, with Mark Kanemura - Jazz, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
"Raise Your Weapon" by Deadmau5
Sasha is such a Sonya-type of dancer. Pair her with Mark, and you've got Sonya's ultimate partnership.

Tadd, with Joshua Allen - Hip-Hop, choreographed by Lil' C
"Hustle Hard" by Ace Hood
JOSHUA. So much swag. God damn. Tadd's a little too pretty boy to match up with that. Although Joshua is adorably sweet and still managed to hit this so crazy hard. This routine would have been RIDICULOUS with Russell omg.

Melanie, with Robert Roldan - Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey
"Sacrifice" by Sinead O'Connor
Lovely routine by both of them. Like the judges were saying, she tells stories so well. And her dancing is just exquisite.

Sasha/Marko - Broadway, choreographed by Spencer Liff
"Whatever Lola Wants" by Ella Fitzgerald
I cannot ever buy Sasha as the sophisticated, elegant dancer she's supposed to be here. I don't care what the judges say. She is a powerful, strong dancer, yes, but elegant? No way. Her legs and feet are not pretty. Marko played his nerdy, timid waiter role very well. His facial expressions were hilarious.

Melanie solo -
"Song For Viola" by Peter Bradley Adams
I think she was going for the emotions here, but it was a big let-down after last week's solo stunner.

Marko solo -
"The Fear You Won't Fall" by Joshua Radin
I adore his music choices. It was lovely but not one I'd rank amongst the most memorable ones in the show's history.

Sasha/Tadd - Cha Cha, choreographed by Mark Ballas
"Raindrops" by Basement Jaxx
OOF. They were missing quite a few connections, the dance was clunky, and the chemistry was a big zero. They were both equally bad.

Marko, with Lauren Froderman - choreographed by Tessandra Chavez
"Shirk" by Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Holy crap. Lauren grabbed me the second they put the camera on her in the opening shot with her quivering lip. It was beautiful and emotional and easily the best routine of the night, and I'd put it up there with his dance with Alison.

Tadd solo -
"Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J
His solos always crack me up. And, boy, is he adorbs! This was the most enjoyable solo of the night for me.

Tadd/Melanie - choreographed by Ray Leeper
"Show Me What You're Working With" by Sista Monica
Shirtless Tadd? I approve! I also approve of the fun and playful routine. Tadd had a good back-to-back series of dances there. Unfortunately, his first and last routines were not so hot.

Sasha solo -
"Be Be Your Love" by Rachael Yamagata
She has interesting movements and is so long-limbed. I just wish she had better flexibility in her feet. She'd be unbelievable if she didn't have such flexed feet. I think I'd rank her solo second on the night behind Tadd.

Sasha/Melanie - Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey
"Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Ahn Trio
I like how this routine let both dancers shine equally and also at their own style. The theme was a little odd, but it was well-crafted.

Marko/Tadd - Gumboot Stepping, choreographed by Chuck Maldonado
"B.O.B" by Outkast
Wow. That was a train wreck. They both looked sooooo tired.

I'm not sure that anyone seized the title, a la Jeanine Mason, with their dances tonight. Nigel made a point of saying on the show that a girl is going to win, which, if this were Idol, would totally backfire on him. But it's not implausible that Melanie and Sasha could split votes, opening the door for Marko. I'm still convinced that is what happened in Season 3 when Sabra beat Danny, Lacey and Neil.

Video Of The Day: Lady Antebellum Parodies Dirt Road Anthem

2011-08-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Lady Antebellum recorded a parody video of Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem", a golf-themed ditty titled "Country Club Anthem". It is HILARIOUS. Weird Al would be proud.

New Music Monday At Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood

2011-08-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Colbie Caillat, Carolina Liar and Mat Kearney performed at MyFM's New Music Monday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood on Aug. 8. Each performer sang their latest single, plus some older hits, in an intimate, acoustic setting.

Mat started the show with a too-brief three-song set, singing "Nothing Left To Lose", "Closer to Love" and his latest, "Hey Mama". Carolina Liar sang, I believe, five songs. The only one I knew was their big hit from a couple of years ago, "Show Me What I'm Looking For". Honestly, the only thing I remembered about their set was that one of the guitarists looks like Adam Levine, they sang a song about drinking vodka, and the lead singer told us about 20 times to get louder. I counted 11 such commands before the second song ended. :|

Colbie sang five songs - "Fallin' For You", "I Never Told You", a cover of The Script's "Breakeven" with Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car", "Bubbly", and her current single, "Brighter Than The Sun".

Hey Mama, from MyFM

Breakeven/Fast Car

Brighter Than The Sun

Coldplay Plays New Songs At UCLA Concert

2011-08-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

Coldplay played some of their new songs Wednesday night at their first LA concert in two years. Amongst the new songs they played were their new single "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall", which they did twice for replay on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and a new song, "Us Against The World". Chris Martin introduced "Us Against The World" by saying if you didn't like it, blog about it. Well, I'm blogging about it, but I liked it!

Us Against The World:

In their encore, Chris sang a bit of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" leading into "Fix You":

The Scientist:

In My Place:

Life Is For Living:

Charlie Brown (from Jimmy Kimmel Live):

Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (from Jimmy Kimmel Live):

Video Of The Day: The Civil Wars Cover Billie Jean

2011-07-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

The Civil Wars recently did a Q&A and performance at the Grammy Headquarters. Amongst the songs they sang was a really cool cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" (second video):

Pia Toscano Gets Covered

2011-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

American Idol Season 10 finalist and current Interscope darling Pia Toscano has sung a lot of covers in her career, and now she has a major label recording artist covering her own song, "This Time". Epic recording artist Andrew Allen, who had a recent single "Loving You Tonight" go at least Top 30 on HAC, posted an acoustic cover of the song on his YouTube channel:

Andrew's "Loving You Tonight" was featured on Now That's What I Call Music: 37, and he has opened for The Script and He Is We this summer. He also has another really cool song, Sooner, which should be on his new album, which hopefully gets released sooner rather than later. ;)

Boyz II Men Makes Surprise Appearance At NKOTBSB Concert

2011-07-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

90's R&B icons Boyz II Men made a surprise appearance at the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert in Orlando on Friday night. Boyz II Men sang "Motownphilly", "I'll Make Love To You" and "End of the Road", with NKOTBSB joining them on the latter. Geez, and I thought my NKOTBSB concert was epic (lol whatever, it still was!)

Full video from the floor:

(video by bedtimekc)

Alex Wagner-Trugman At House Of Blues

2011-07-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

Got a few (noisy) videos from Alex Wagner-Trugman's acoustic set at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. The Voodoo Lounge doesn't lend itself well to videotaped performances, between all the socializing going on and the angles of where the audience can stand. It's like you can either get right up in his face (which no one did), or you can go off to the side, straddle the bar or stand way in the back.

Alex, who was a semifinalist on Idol Season 8, did about three or four songs he didn't do at his Viper Room show, including a cover of The Beatles' "For No One", a cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven", and a song he wrote about two days ago, called "Good Luck". I really like the new original song - it's got a lot more dynamics to it, and the guitar adds a lot to the song.

Good Luck:

Just Like Heaven:

Video Of The Day: Bruno Mars Loves His Popchips

2011-07-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Bruno Mars is such a hit-maker that he can even make a song about popchips sound legit. And also slightly dirty with lyrics like "Sour cream and onion - I want you all over my face" and "I remember the first time I opened you up". HA.

Here's his ditty to popchips, which was a main sponsor of his last tour:

Anchors Away! SYTYCD Top 10 Dance With All-Stars

2011-07-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 of So You Think You Can Dance were given new life and a clean slate, with the previous partnerships being dissolved and All-Star dancers serving as their partners. Dancing without the weighted bricks known as Alexander and Ryan, Sasha and Ricky, in particular, flourished. Power couple Marko and Melanie continued to thrive even with other partners, and Jordan and Caitlynn seemed to turn corners with mature performances that impressed the judges.

Marko/Chelsie Hightower - Samba, choreographed by Jason Gilkison
"Cinema Italiano (The Ron Fair Remix)" by Kate Hudson (iTunes)
That was such a fast-paced routine with very difficult lifts and a high-octane speed in everything they did. Marko kept up with Chelsie somehow, and he showed off his athleticism with a straddle jump and a swan dive over her. Great routine (even with the crappy Kate Hudson music)!

Jordan/Brandon Bryant - Contemporary, choreographed by Dwight Roden & Desmond Richardson
"Who You Are (Live Acoustic Version)" by Jessie J (iTunes)
I could not take my eyes off Brandon for the first half of the routine (good lord, that spin jump into immediate splits!), but then Jordan did that spin with her leg all the way up, and she grabbed and held my attention the rest of the way. She was almost balletic in this routine. Another great one to start!

Tadd/Comfort Fedoke - Hip-hop, choreographed by Chuck Maldonado
"Look At Me Now" by Chris Brown, feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes (iTunes)
I was kind of disappointed with that one. I felt like Chuck could have actually have done more with the rapid-fire Busta rap. And Nigel's comments were pretty eye-rolling. The "you're a b-boy, you're not used to choreography" is so condescending. I did agree, though, that Tadd outshined Comfort, but compared to the other hip-hop on the show this week, this was inferior in so many ways.

Mitchell/Melody Lacayanga - Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio
"Take Off With Us" from All That Jazz (iTunes)
Poor Mitchell got saddled with another one of Tyce's shitty Broadway routines. The concept of it was all wrong, from costuming to music. As Neil Patrick Harris said, I didn't get it. It was not the kind of routine that will get anyone reaching for the phone (or laptop) to vote.

Caitlynn/Pasha Kovalev - Tango, choreographed by Leonardo Barrionuevo & Miriam LaRici
"Malajunta" by Orquestra Color Tango (iTunes)
Caitlynn sold and performed this very well. She got so much slack last week for not connecting or for lack of proper emotion, but this week she was on point with it. And it was so cute how happy she was after receiving the judges' comments.

Sasha/Twitch - Hip-Hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott
"Misty Blue" by Dorothy Moore (iTunes)
DAMN. The routine of the night by far and one of the best routines of the season. Just an amazing routine with amazing chemistry and amazing dancing. Holy hotness! This is the first time I've loved Sasha this season. Between Alexander the Anchor not weighing her down anymore and omgTWITCH! being her partner for this routine, it was like the perfect storm of perfection.

Jess/Kathryn Mahoney - Contemporary, choreographed by Stacey Tookey
"The Lonely" by Christina Perri (iTunes)
NGL, I was afraid Kathryn was going to hit her head on that one lift because Jess couldn't hold her up high enough. I'm not sure this routine really did it for me as far as showcasing Jess. I thought Kathryn was amazing, though!

Melanie/Pasha Kovalev - Viennese Waltz, choreographed by Jason Gilkison
"Everybody Hurts" by Tina Arena (iTunes)
There is no doubt that Melanie is a beautiful dancer, and her moves are so flowy and graceful. I think I would have liked to have seen more in the routine. Compared to, say Marko's ballroom routine, there wasn't a whole lot of difficulty here.

Ricky/Allison Holker - Jazz, choreographed by Tyce Diorio
"Precious Things" by Tori Amos (iTunes)
CREEPY-ass routine! But amazing!!! Second-best of the night. Ricky got a lot of the blame by Nigel for him and Ryan not connecting, and I always thought that was crap, and he showed tonight that he wasn't the problem. He really showed how great of a partner and how amazing of a dancer he is.

Clarice/Robert Roldan - Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan
"Aila Re Aila" from Khatta Meetha Soundtrack (iTunes)
This show needs to retire Bollywood. I have no idea if that was done correctly. There were times when it looked like they were doing Latin dance.

I have a hard time saying much about the solos, especially when 80% of the routines are contemporary or jazz routines and consist of a bunch of pirouettes and leaps. So here's the music list instead :P

Sasha solo - "Syrup & Honey" by Duffy (iTunes)
Jess solo -"Come By Me" by Harry Connick Jr. (iTunes)
Melanie solo - "You're The One That I Want" by Angus & Julia Stone (iTunes)
Ricky solo - "Daylight Breaks" by Cassidy Haley (iTunes)
Clarice solo - "Royal T" by Crookers featuring Roison Murphy (iTunes)
Mitchell solo - "This Time" by John Legend (iTunes)
Jordan solo - "Tonight" by Lykke Li (iTunes)
Tadd solo - "Everything I Can't Have" by Robin Thicke (iTunes)
Caitlynn solo - "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine (iTunes)
Marko solo - "More Than Anyone (stripped Version)" by Gavin DeGraw (iTunes)

I will say that I was impressed by the control showed by Melanie and Ricky. Caitlynn seems to fall out of her pirouettes often. And Jess's solos are delightful.

Two dancers are going home tomorrow. It's unclear as to whether or not they are the bottom 2 regardless of genre or just the guy and girl with the least amount of votes. I would surmise that Mitchell is most likely to get voted out amongst the guys. Depending on how they are doing the eliminations, I think he'll be joined by either Clarice or Tadd.

Video Of The Day: History Of Rap, Part 2

2011-07-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon got together on Jimmy's show again for a Part 2 of their History of Rap. Best thing ever, or best thing ever?

My favorite part is "It Takes Two", with Justin peeping in behind Jimmy. Hilarious!

Idols Live Tour - Southern California Recap

2011-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Both of the Idols Live shows in Southern California were sold out this weekend. And if it weren't for some sweet luck in scoring some free tickets, I would have missed out on what may be the best Idols Live tour in the 10 seasons of the show's existence. From top to bottom, the song selections were strong and current, and the performances were entertaining and well-sung.

This year's show adopted the format of Season 6, ignoring boot order and going the ensemble route by intermixing solo performances with group numbers. Also, instead of using actual backup singers for certain songs, some of the performers sang backup for each other. While some people adamantly hate this (especially people whose favorites only have one or two solos), I like the fact that they focused on putting on a SHOW as opposed to "being fair". Granted, it helps that I didn't have a favorite and was thus more interested in seeing the ensemble.

The first half of the show was mostly about the bottom half of the Top 11, with a sprinkling of the top two girls. It started out with a girls' performance of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way", which went over about as well as it did at the finale (meaning it was met with a general meh, as no one got out of their seats for this upbeat number either time).

No one got up for the next song either, Pia Toscano doing Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind Part II", but at least it understandable because it's a slow song. I think everyone's just sick to death of/never liked "Born This Way". ANYWAY, back to Pia, she sounded amazing on the song and even better on her next, a duet with Stefano Langone on Rihanna's "California King Bed". I knew Pia would sound good, but I never would have guessed Stefano would have sounded so good as well, and the two blended beautifully on the harmonies. Both of them went well into their upper registers and brought it home on the money notes. After listening to them sing it, I can't listen to Rihanna's much inferior version. It just sounds like shit (then again, it IS Rihanna ...)

Paul McDonald followed with one of his very few appearances on the night (I'm sure he cares about as much as I do, which is not a lot), singing "Maggie May". In LA, it took him nine "come on, yo!" or "come on, yo, stand up!" commands to finally get the crowd to stand up en masse. NINE. In Ontario, it only took two "come on yo"s to get most of the floor up, but that didn't stop him from saying it 10 more times. Oy. Paul had the drunk uncle moves mostly under control, although he did trip and almost fall in LA as he bounced about the stage by the musicians.

And just as he got the crowd up, they sat right back down for Thia Megia's much less spaztic "Who Says". It could be that the crowd just isn't familiar with music from the Disney set (Selena Gomez. I think ...), but they at least screamed upon her command. It's a catchy little number, I suppose, considering I had never heard it before until Friday and then had it firmly in my head by Sunday morning. JFC. Thia was wearing a dress with a long-ass train in the back, kind of like Lauren Alaina's dress that Steven Tyler said she could only afford half of. After Thia's solo, she took that train off her dress to perform Janelle Monae's "Tightrope" with Pia, Naima, and Haley. I really did not like this performance in LA, probably because I couldn't hear them singing, but in Ontario, where the volume was cranked to an 11, I enjoyed it. Either way, Naima saved the song for the girls. It was pretty ill-fitting for the rest, although Haley had a nice moment at the very end.

Stefano returned for two solos, doing Bruno Mars' "Grenade" behind the keyboard for half the song (and on his knees for about an overwrought eighth of it) and then hilarious dancing and stripping his way through Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love". Let me first say that Stefano sounded good on these songs. His annoying staccato stylings were mostly gone, and he brought a good energy to the show in everything he did. But I cannot let his dance breakdown go without snarky comment because that thing is hilariously cheesy and not even really dancey, to be honest. It looks more like something you would do in a step aerobics class but without a step. And at the end of the song, he just takes his shirt off sometimes (he did this in LA but not in Ontario). All I could think about was "future Chippendale's guest performer Stefano Langone"!

The guys (minus Scotty) came on next to do Neon Trees' ubiquitous "Animal", Glee-style. I am sick to death of this song, so I kind of tuned out on this. It was fine. It didn't offend me any more than the song already does, so I guess that's a win.

Jennifer Lopez made a cameo on screen leading into Naima Adedapo's cover of her song "On The Floor", and then Naima proceeded to outsing and possibly outdance J.Lo, throwing in some wildly entertaining African dance during a real dance breakdown (please take notes, Stefano). She even did a one-armed cartwheel right into a split "on the floor".

Pia returned to sing her debut single, "This Time". Yes, Pia could stand to improve her stage presence, but reports of her being a total air-sucking performer were greatly exaggerated. She moved around more than I expected, and she sang passionately, if not a little too angrily for an empowerment song.

Pia, Lauren and Thia did a rather shaky "Firework" in LA, during which Thia, and at times Lauren, could not be heard in their lower registers. Again, the sound was louder in Ontario, so you could actually hear them (not that it was always a good thing).

Casey Abrams was one of the most well-received performers in Ontario, which is fairly close to his hometown of Idyllwild, and at the end of his first song, "Smooth", he got a HUGE ovation. The first half of that song was my favorite of his, as he did a jazzy version of it on the upright bass. And then he stopped playing it and went into his usual grunts and scary faces and made guitar noises, and he lost me. Haley came out to do a duet of "Moanin'" with him. It seems like they're just improvising the scatting part now. It was different in each show. In LA, Casey threw in some scatting to the Witch Doctor song, and in Ontario, he and Haley were like chasing after each other (Casey was more serial-killer, while Haley was more playful). I think this is going to be the fun performance to watch from city-to-city as the tour progresses.

After Casey closed his solo set with Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe", the Top 11 (minus Scotty) came out in hideous red suits and black shirts to sing Cee-Lo's "Forget You" with corny choreography before intermission.

Lauren Alaina's set kicked off the second half of the show. In LA, she sounded a bit hoarse, but in Ontario, her voice was much stronger and she had a lot more energy than she did in LA. She opened with Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor", then went into her single "Like My Mother Does", which, considering how crappy of a song it is, surprisingly received a standing ovation from parts of the audience. I think that says a lot for Lauren's vocals and general likeability. She closed with "If I Die Young", with Haley, Stefano & Thia on backup vocals.

James Durbin got the crowd all revved up with his two solos, wading through the audience to sing a very good version of "Sweet Child O' Mine". In Ontario, he really was the only person to get the people in the back, not just the people on the floor up, and he did it without telling anyone to, which was the only reason most people were standing up during the shows. His second song, Muse's "Uprising", was a hot mess both nights and flat in Ontario. He started the song in a higher key, and then went lower in the chorus, which makes for a really backwards build. And then in the last part of the song, he went into that really ear-splitting higher register, and I was literally doing this:

(for background, this was Nathaniel Marshall's reaction to Tatiana del Toro making the Top 36 in Season 8 of Idol).

After James' hysteria-inducing set (this is both good and bad hysteria), Jacob came out with his smooth R&B stylings, singing Luther Vandross's "Never Too Much". Jacob did his best to keep the crowd up on their feet, but eventually people started to sit down until Jacob commanded us to stand again. During the transition to his second song, "You're All I Need To Get By", the audience sat down again, but as the song went on and Jacob stepped out from behind the mic, a really cool thing happened: people started to really get into it and stood on their own to groove along to the song. Jacob was amazing on this, and I would say that it was one of my top 2 favorite performances of the night. He's the kind of live performer that makes you happy when you're watching. I wasn't a big fan of his on the show, but I loved him on tour.

Haley Reinhart was the only one of the Top 11 who was confined to songs done on the show. I guess that's the perils of being the only contestant to truly have a moment (or three or four) on the show. Her "House of the Rising Sun" was glorious. I wasn't as enthralled with "Bennie and the Jets" this time around, but I think that's more a product of that song only being good for 90 seconds. Any longer than that and it gets boring, to be honest.

Finally, our Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery made his first appearance in the show, performing an enjoyable five-song set. After a winners' montage, he came out singing Josh Turner's "Your Man", aka Baby Lock Them Doors. Scotty was doing some suggestive eyebrow raising and at one point in his set shouted out to "my ladies", but despite that and despite the subject matter, it somehow didn't come across as creepy. I guess it's hard to be creepy when you look as wholesome as he does. For his second song, he grabbed his acoustic guitar for "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not", followed by "I Love You This Big". In LA, he name-checked the local country radio station while introducing the song (well-played, kid!), and in Ontario, he brought out the mic stand towards the end of the song so he could do the double-armed this big gesture. I guess he loved the Ontario crowd more. Heh. Lauren joined him for a duet of "When You Say Nothing At All". Apparently, this duet has been the subject of much debate on whether or not McLaina is real. Oh lawd. For what it's worth, I didn't witness much chemistry between them either show. But I'm sure no matter what I say, people who think they are together are going to think they're together, so interpret that observation however you want. Scotty closed with my favorite of his, "Gone", with Lauren, Haley, Pia and Thia providing vampy backup.

The show closed with a big cheesy medley. James and Lauren started with a too-short "Here I Go Again", followed by a too-long "Faithfully" by Paul, Haley and Casey. Those three did not do that awesome song justice. Paul was singing at a whisper, and in Ontario, his timing was a half-second off with the music. Stefano, Thia, Naima and Jacob did a super-fun "Walk This Way", complete with the most ridiculous dancing ever from Jacob. Then the whole crew came out for a mashup of "Any Way You Want It" and "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" with even more ridiculous dancing. It was a good, fun way to end the show.

LA Medley:

Ontario Medley:

And if this wasn't tl;dr enough for you (omg how can it NOT be too tl;dr for you?!) or not descriptive enough (seriously, I lost steam about halfway through writing this), go check out my concert companion Taks' blog for the hilarious and extremely detailed write-up of the LA show on Friday.

SYTYCD Trims The Fat For Top 10

2011-07-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

I've been calling for their ouster for weeks now, and finally, the time has come: Alexander and Ryan were sent packing on So You Think You Can Dance!

Weeks of lackluster performances finally caught up with the two. Ryan had been in the bottom several times but saved by the judges. This was Alexander's first time in the bottom, no doubt due to Sasha's popularity. I knew the second he hit the bottom, he'd be toast, but surprisingly, the judges were not unanimous in voting him out. SERIOUSLY, mystery judge (lol probably Sonya Tayeh)? His solo was sloppy, and he was traveling all over the place on his pirouettes.

Joining Alexander and Ryan in the bottom were their partners Sasha and Ricky, along with Caitlynn/Mitchell. Ricky's solo was masterful. So exhilarating, yet also so controlled. Caitlynn also danced very well in her solo, and I really enjoyed Mitchell's as well. I'm not a fan of the style of dancing Sasha does, but she's probably Sonya's dream dancer. Ryan's solo was blah, just like her dancing has been most of the season, and especially this week.

Also notable in the episode was the announcement that from this point on, the Top 10 will be dancing with All-Stars. The All-Stars announced are:
Melody (S1)
Allison (S2)
Pasha (S3)
Twitch (S4)
Comfort (S4)
Chelsie Hightower (S4)
Brandon (S5)
Kathryn (S6)
Robert (S7)

Alex Wong was supposed to be an All-Star, but last Saturday at an audition, he suffered yet another injury, snapping the tendon in his other foot. SO. SAD. I think he just isn't destined to be on this show. :\

Tonight's music:
Top 12 group dance - En Fuego by Sean Peter featuring Oscar Ramirez
Caitlynn solo - The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga (iTunes)
Mitchell solo - Ra by Nathan Lanier (iTunes)
Ryan solo - Not In Love by Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith (iTunes)
Ricky solo - Body Language by Queen (iTunes)
Sasha solo - Thinkin' About Your Body by Bobby McFerrin (iTunes)
Alexander solo - Palladio by Escala (iTunes)
Nicole Scherzinger - Right There (iTunes)

SYTYCD Top 12 Double Up

2011-07-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

The So You Think You Can Dance Top 12 performed two routines apiece this week in the last week of the current partnership. The extra dances seemed to take a toll, as each couple had at least one routine that was sloppy at times (or two routines that were sloppy, ahem, Alexander). But sloppiness aside, I'm just glad we finally got to see some people challenged with ballroom. I was beginning to think this was called So You Think You Can Contemporary Dance.

Sasha/Alexander - Paso Doble, choreographed by Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
"Alley Dash/March of the Trolls" by Taylor Long/Rick Powell
He's a terrible partner. He can't support her and almost dropped her once or twice. The choreographers played it right in giving Sasha a strong part, but she made him look so weak.

Jordan/Tadd - Contemporary, choreography by Travis Wall
"Brotsjor" by Olafur Arnalds
Jordan has amazing strength in her legs. Tadd has amazing abs. They both danced so powerfully and so well.

Ryan/Ricky - Broadway, choreographed by Spencer Liff
"All I Need Is The Girl" by Frank Sinatra (iTunes)
There was an awful lot of nothing going on early in the routine. I think this is a trademark of Spencer Liff, as we will see later. And whoever did Ryan's makeup for this routine should be fired.

Caitlynn/Mitchell - Hip-hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott
"Break the Chain" by Lupe Fiasco featuring Eric Turner & Sway (iTunes)
Mitchell looked pretty natural in this, while Caitlynn was overcooking it. I hate to put it like this, but she looked like a suburban white girl trying to do a hip-hop routine. Their moves weren't quite in sync either.

Melanie/Marko - Tango, choreographed by Louis Van Amstel
"Triptico" by Gotan Project (iTunes)
They weren't quite perfect, and they had some moments of clunkiness, but it was a well-choreographed and very difficult routine. As Nigel said, that last lift was incredible.

Clarice/Jess - Lyrical Hip-Hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott
"Just The Way You Are" by Boyce Avenue (iTunes)
That portrait was CREEPAY but I really liked that routine. I thought it was sweet. Jess continues to surprise me.

Sasha/Alexander - Broadway, choreographed by Tyce Diorio
"That's Life" by Aretha Franklin (iTunes)
I don't think Tyce gave them a good piece (shocking!). Aesthetically not the most pleasing, and whether staged or not, some of the moves were very clunky (and I thought that even before the end when he failed to lift her and then tried to drag her across the stage). Jesse calling it his favorite number of the night so far is mind-boggling.

Jordan/Tadd - Broadway, choreographed by Spencer Liff
"Out Tonight" from Rent (iTunes)
This was the worst routine of the night and right up there with that pedestrian hip-hop that Christopher Scott gave Ashley/Chris got in week one. Not Jordan & Tadd's fault, but they didn't overcome the bad routine either.

Ryan/Ricky - Cha Cha, choreographed by Louis Van Amstel
"Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" by Enrique Iglesias (iTunes)
Everything Nigel said, I completely agreed with. Ricky was workin' it, and Ryan was overdoing it and looked clunky.

Caitlynn/Mitchell - Contemporary, choreographed by Travis Wall
"Piece Of My Heart" by Janis Joplin (iTunes)
I think these two have always been good at emoting well in their routines, although sometimes I feel like Caitlynn has been doing the same type of angry/pained dance every week.

Melanie/Marko - Contemporary, choreographed by Dean Casparay
"Skin & Bones" by David J. Roch
The dynamics of that piece were amazing! Loved the use of that light bulb, and their chemistry is off the charts. So sad the partnership is ending.

Clarice/Jess - Jive, choreographed by Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin
"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" by Robert Randolph & The Family Band (iTunes)
Clarice was a little bit sloppy, but Jess was really selling that routine for all that it's worth.

Bottom 3 predictions:
Jordan/Tadd
Ryan/Ricky
Caitlynn/Mitchell

It should be Alexander, but, again, he's coasting on Sasha's popularity. I think the judges will get rid of Ryan and Caitlynn, but Ryan's been in the bottom more often, I believe. But she is the judges & choreographer's pet, so she'll continue to be safe. Sigh.

Alex Wagner-Trugman Plays Viper Room

2011-07-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

American Idol Season 8 semifinalist Alex Wagner-Trugman is getting back into the swing of things music-wise after finishing up his college degree. On July 5, Alex played an enjoyable acoustic set to a packed crowd at the Viper Room in West Hollywood. He played mostly original songs but tacked on a few covers at the end of his set, including one borrowed arrangement by a famous friend in the audience.

One of the things that I enjoy most about Alex is his sense of humor. The dude is funny! And he did a great job of mixing this into his set. His most well-received song was his own "Bootylicious", a hilarious tongue-in-cheek love song (with rap break). Hysterically funny lyrics aside, it's also melodically and structurally a really good song. And it may or may not have been stuck in my head for a good chunk of this past week. Ahem.

(video by TMFFYT)

Another highlight was Alex's last song in his set, Kanye West's "Heartless", played in honor of his pal Kris Allen, who was in the audience. Borrowing Kris's famous arrangement, Alex sang most of the song with a devilish grin on his face, clearly taking delight at ribbing Kris a little.

Alex did one other cover, a nicely-done version of Elliott Smith's "Say Yes".

His original songs were a little hard to hear to get a good feel on (glasses clinking at the bar, people chatting, etc.), and Alex seemed a little less confident on some of these. I think this may have been his first time performing some of these in front of a crowd. But he's definitely got something there lyrically. "Mr. Blah" was one of his standouts - it has a Radiohead feel to it. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be video of this song, but here are two other originals he sang.

Anyway (original):

Rich and Standard and Poor (original):

(videos by VioletSkyye)

Check Alex out on his YouTube channel, on Twitter (@alexwtrugs) or in person. He's playing at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on July 21 at 8:30 pm.

Video Of The Day: Justin Timberlake Plays College Sports

2011-07-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Actor and sometimes (grrrr) musician Justin Timberlake is presenting the inaugural Capital One Cup at the ESPYs July 13 and filmed a promo spot for it, in which he hilariously tries his hand at several collegiate sports, including volleyball, lacrosse, track & field, and wrestling (but not the kind of wrestling he was expecting).

Another Couple Goes Home On SYTYCD

2011-07-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

In a completely expected elimination, the fourth consecutive couple was sent home on So You Think You Can Dance - Ashley and Chris. While I don't think this week's elimination was made with the intent to keep couples together (as I thought in previous weeks), I do think that they need to shake things up a bit, as some of these couples just have no chemistry and need to be paired with others.

This was Ashley and Chris' second consecutive week in the bottom three, and Ashley's second consecutive relatively lackluster solo. Chris did well again in his dance-for-your-life bone-bending solo, but he was terrible in the guys' group dance and mediocre in his salsa Wednesday. Chris hasn't been good in any of his choreographed dances, as Nigel pointed out. So it wasn't a surprise at all that either of them were cut.

It is frustrating, however, to see three b-boys go in three weeks, while Alexander coasts each week by virtue of having a popular partner in Sasha. The fourth b-boy, Tadd, was in the bottom three also, no doubt because he "drew" the ever-so-unpopular smooth waltz as his dance (his second waltz in three weeks).

And when Nigel Lythgoe actually has the gall to say, "The whole idea of the show is to do styles you're not accustomed to" while people like Ryan and Sasha haven't done anything outside of jazz/contemporary or hip-hop, I just want to throw my shoe at the TV.

For as much as TPTB are coddling Ryan and giving her everything in her style, she keeps landing in the bottom 3. Nigel may believe it's her partner Ricky who isn't connecting, but it's her and her shit-eating grin and meh solos. Her solo this week was better than her last one, but for someone who is good enough to work on the show with Mia Michaels prior to being a contestant, her solos are not up to snuff at all! Ricky's solo was fantastic - his leaps and spinning jumps are awesome and so controlled. As much as I was appalled at Tadd's song choice (1-2-3 by Gloria Estefan), I was also impressed by his handstand work and energy. Jordan got called out for overdoing her développés (or HMV as it is known to TWoPpers). Seriously, we get it, Jordan. You can lift your leg up really high. Move on.

Next week is the last week the viewers vote for couples. THANK GOD. Some fat needs to be trimmed, and quick. Although I'm sure my definition of fat wouldn't be the same as Nigel's. My only consolation is that there is no way the Top 10 will be ALL contemporary/jazz dancers. The only two non-contemporary/jazz dancers left are both guys. So only one of them will go next week .:P

Music from tonight's show:
Group Dance - Bollywood - "Kata Kata" from Raavan Soundtrack (iTunes)
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet - "Ends" by Mikael Karlsson (iTunes)
Ashley - "Lovely" by John West featuring Pusha T
Chris - "Scars" by Basement Jaxx featuring Kelis, Meleka & Chipmunk (iTunes)
Jordan - "Commander" by Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta (iTunes)
Tadd - "1-2-3 (remix)" by Gloria Estefan (iTunes)
Ryan - "Adagio For Strings" by Brno Philharmonic Orchestra (iTunes)
Ricky - "When You Say My Name" by Mario Spinetti (iTunes)
Florence & The Machine - "Cosmic Love" (iTunes)

AI10 Tour Kicks Off In Salt Lake City

2011-07-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

photo from The Salt Lake Tribune

The American Idol Season 10 tour kicked off Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, UT. This year's tour format is more akin to that of Season 6 - lots of group songs/duets, Idols singing backup for each other, less solos, and no winner's appearance until the end of the show. And it's a long show too - over 30 numbers!

First review of the show, from the Salt Lake Tribune (who thinks the Top 10 are the "most talented singers ever assembled in the show’s 10 seasons." LOL NO. The reviewer also complains about the length of the show. Dude. Come on. If it's a good show, it's never too long.): REVIEW

And another review, from the Daily Herald also praised the Idols' "serious vocal chops" (while also saying that most will struggle to have a career after this): REVIEW

The setlist and available video are after the jump:

Girls: Born This Way by Lady Gaga
Pia Toscano: Empire State of Mind Part II by Alicia Keys
Pia Toscano/Stefano Langone: California King Bed by Rihanna
Paul McDonald: Maggie May by Rod Stewart
Thia Megia: Who Says by Selena Gomez
Girls (minus Lauren): Tightrope by Janelle Monae
Stefano Langone: Grenade by Bruno Mars
Stefano + Girls (minus Lauren): DJ Got Us Falling In Love by Usher
Boys (minus Scotty): Animal by Neon Trees
Naima Adedapo: On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez
Pia Toscano: This Time (debut single)
Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano & Thia Megia: Firework by Katy Perry
Casey Abrams: Smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana
Haley Reinhart & Casey Abrams: Moanin'
Casey Abrams: Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5
Top 11 (minus Scotty): Forget You by Cee Lo Green

*Intermission*

Lauren Alaina: Flat on the Floor by Carrie Underwood
Lauren Alaina: Like My Mother Does (debut single)
Lauren Alaina (with Haley, Thia & Stefano): If I Die Young by The Band Perry
James Durbin: Sweet Child o' Mine by Guns N' Roses
James Durbin: Uprising by Muse
Jacob Lusk: Never Too Much by Luther Vandross
Jacob Lusk (with Pia, Stefano, Naima): You're All I Need To Get By Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Haley Reinhart: House of the Rising Sun by The Animals
Haley Reinhart: Bennie and the Jets by Elton John
Scotty McCreery: Your Man by Josh Turner
Scotty McCreery: Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square
Scotty McCreery: I Love You This Big (debut single)
Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery: When You Say Nothing At All by Keith Whitley (also Alison Krauss)
Scotty McCreery (with Lauren, Haley, Pia & Thia): Gone by Montgomery Gentry
Top 11: Medley - Here I Go Again by Whitesnake, Faithfully by Journey, Walk This Way by Aerosmith, Any Way You Want It/Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' mashup by Journey

Medley:

Scotty/Lauren - When You Say Nothing At All:

(videos by kebarrera)

Pia - Empire State of Mind Part II

Pia - This Time

Paul - Maggie May

Guys - Animal

(Videos by hansyncon)

(setlist compiled from USA Today's Idol Chatter and various tweets from around the interwebs)

SYTYCD8 Top 14 - Second-String Show

2011-07-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Top 14 night on So You Think You Can Dance saw the show bring in the second-string crew of choreographers. Only one of the (relative) top tier choreographers, Mandy Moore, had a routine on this week's show, and as a result, we really only got one standout routine. Hers.

We also got another week of non-challenging genres for Ryan/Ricky and Sasha/Alexander. Yep, another jazz and hip-hop, respectively. Meanwhile, Jordan/Tadd got their second waltz in three weeks, and Ashley/Chris got a poorly-received salsa.

Guys Dance, choreographed by Justin Giles
"Prague" by Damian Rice (iTunes)
Chris was very off in this performance. He was going one way, the others were going another. He needs to go.

Marko/Melanie - Jazz, choreographed by Ray Leeper
"Americano" by Lady Gaga (iTunes)
Good thing Melanie is such a beautiful dancer because they keep dressing her in the most awful outfits ever. The ending of the dance was clumsy, though. Melanie's last split jump (or whatever that thing is called) was awkwardly-landed, and Marko landed off on his side aerial right before catching Melanie. That was almost a disaster.

Sasha/Alexander - Hip-hop, choreographed by Shaun Evaristo
"To The Moon" by Miguel (iTunes)
Alexander still has no swag, and he gets totally swallowed up in Sasha's presence. They have like zero chemistry, and the best thing that could happen to Sasha would be to land in the bottom 3 so Alexander can GTFO.

Jordan/Tadd - Smooth Waltz, choreographed by Toni Redpath
"Nocturne" by Secret Garden (iTunes)
ANOTHER waltz? Seriously, show? I'm convinced they're giving them these different genres because they may be one of the few pairs who can actually handle it. I mean, can you imagine Chris or Alexander doing this or the African dance? LOL NO. Both Jordan and Tadd showed good extension, if not smoothness.

Clarice/Jess - Contemporary, choreographed by Justin Giles
"Light Through the Branches" by Celeste Lear (iTunes)
I agree with Travis - this was the best thing they've done all season. Jess was so much better than I anticipated, and Clarice was amazing! So precise.

Ashley/Chris - Salsa, choreographed by Liz Lira
"Mambo Beat" by Tito Puente (iTunes)
Their lift sequence was pretty awesome, but they really have zero chemistry. It's just as bad, if not worse, than Sasha and Alexander's non-existant chemistry. I would like to see Ashley with a different partner, but I am not sure that she'd survive another bottom 3 trip.

Ryan/Ricky - Jazz, choreographed by Chucky Klapow
"Fashion" by David Bowie (iTunes)
I was about to say that their technique is really strong, but then Ryan got sloppy on her last pirouette and nearly fell out of it. I wasn't feeling the choreography on the routine, but that's not their fault, and they did well with what they were given.

Caitlynn/Mitchell - Contemporary, choreographed by Mandy Moore
"To Love You More" by Celine Dion (iTunes)
They did such a great job in making the speed and aggression of their movements beautiful. So many of their lifts were jaw-dropping, especially the one where he flipped her over, dropped her into a split and pulled her back up. Wowzers.

Girls' Dance - Jazz, choreographed by Ray Leeper
"My Discarded Men" by Earth Kitt with Bronski Beat
Yeah, there's a reason why the girls get hyped so much. Compare and contrast with the guys' performance at the top of the show. They are so much better than them.

Bottom 3 Predictions:
Ashley/Chris
Jordan/Tadd
Ryan/Ricky (I think Travis jinxed them)

I think the only way Ashley and Chris stay are if they somehow stay out of the bottom 3. So ... yeah. They're toast.

Kevin Richardson Reunites With Backstreet Boys

2011-07-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Backstreet Boys regained its fifth member, at least for one night, when Kevin Richardson joined the group for a few songs during their NKOTBSB stop on Friday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Richardson, who left the group in 2006, surprised the sold-out crowd by walking onto the stage at the end of the catwalk in the middle of "I Want It That Way" (video) and singing his part of the song in the bridge. It was a special moment in one of the most fun concerts I've ever been to.

Even without the surprise reunion, the show was thoroughly entertaining, with both groups singing all of their big hits and collaborating with each other as Boy Band Supergroup NKOTBSB. Both groups were very interactive with the audience, and with the stage setup, featuring a nearly basketball court length catwalk, it was hard not to be. They each performed songs walking through the audience. Backstreet Boys brought four people from the audience on stage to serenade on "I'll Never Break Your Heart" (including one guy, brought up by AJ McLean). Donnie Wahlberg provided good fan service by tearing off his shirt (and whoa he's clearly Marky Mark's brother ... he's ripped!).

The show wasn't without its cheese - most of New Kids on the Block's songs are oozing, especially their earlier songs when they were younger. And that opening number with the "Viva La Vida" sampling was strange, as was the Backstreet Boys covering "Raspberry Beret" (lol no) before "Quit Playing Games With My Heart". I'm convinced that NKOTB knows that "Cover Girl" is the worst and that they enlist Donnie to take his shirt off during that song to counteract the cheese. But they somehow make it work for the thousands of adult women there who I presume have better musical taste now than they did. Sometimes it's just all about having fun and reliving your youth.

And for those looking for actual-fax good singing, there was opening act Jordin Sparks. Performing all of her singles (to backing tracks, unfortunately), Jordin put all the other singers that night to shame. She (or her musical director) also got a little creative, adding in a dance break-down with a snippet of Timbaland's "The Way I Are" in the middle of "One Step At A Time". And then she tacked on a medley of songs into the end of "Tattoo", singing Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", Jessie J.'s "Price Tag", Pink's "Perfect" and Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the Love".

Videos and more photos after the jump.

Jordin Sparks - Medley

Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

NKOTBSB - Opening number: Single/The One

NKOTB - You Got It (The Right Stuff)

BSB - Drowning

NKOTB - My Favorite Girl/Games

NKOTB - I'll Be Loving You Forever

NKOTBSB - Don't Turn Out The Lights

Full Photo Gallery