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Legally Blonde Live Blog: "Nobody Shakes Their Junk Like Nick"
Hey everyone we're down to the final six on Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods. After last week's double elimination I'm running out of contestants to root against. My favorite is still Lauren, and after that Bailey and maybe Emma after last week's performance, but it's still anyone's game.Hopefully tonight someone will emerge from the pack in either a good or a bad way.
We pick up with the girls waiting for the results of last week's elimination. I can't wait to see their faces when only one girl walks through the door. The girls discuss how hard the eliminations are, but Bailey wisely hopes Autumn is eliminated because she is the strongest of the three. When just Autumn walks into the hotel, Bailey looks disappointed, and the others look shocked. Autumn wants to redeem herself after last week's disappointing performance.
The next morning they are told to go to a dance studio in Brooklyn. The girls figure out (obviously) that they will be dancing. But if the previews are any indication, they will be dancing on a bumpy sidewalk as well. Meanwhile Emma is still sick and fears it could still hinder her performance.
The girls arrive at the studio and meet Haylie. Two guys stand next to her. They are associate choreographer Denis Jones, who we met earlier in the series, and Nick Kenkel, a member of the ensemble and a hip-hop choreographer. I never knew that choreographers got to be in the shows they choreograph, so that's kind of cool (or maybe he was cast in the show first and then became a choreographer). Anyway the workshop today focuses on dance, which worries Autumn, an admittedly weak dancer.
The guys tell the girls to stand out as Elle would. Then Emma says she needs a cup to spit in. EW!! Since when does bronchitis make you spit? So Nick helps teach them a hip-hop style dance. Autumn struggles immediately with her timing. Nick tells her to be more confident and less lazy. Ouch! The girls rehearse together and it looks like a mess, although Lauren, Natalie and Rhiannon seem to be somewhat getting the hang of it. Meanwhile Emma has to step out to blow her nose and looks even worse than she did before (illness wise, not talent wise). Nick then calls out Lauren to be more aggressive. I agree she does look a little too cutesy for hip-hop, although much of that could be her resemblance to Britney Spears.
Now for the challenge. Nick presents each of the girls with high boots, since Elle dances in shoes, not flats. And then, as shown in the previews, he tells the girls that the challenge will be dancing on cobbled sidewalks, since apparently Broadway stages are not flat. I assumed they were flat like normal stages and even if they are not this seems a bit extreme. I understand making them dance in heels, as Elle is likely in heels for much of the show, but I don't see how dancing on a sidewalk will help them prepare for Broadway. But then again, what do I know?
The girls worry about how they will do on cobblestone and in heels. And now they begin. They're actually not bad! No one is falling yet either! Emma gets winded because of her illness. Then the girls switch lines so Nick and Denis can get a better view of those who were in the back. Wow Emma's really struggling to catch her breath. Natalie and Autumn have to hold her to help her. Denis offers her the chance to sit out but she bravely refuses. The fact that she persists despite this illness makes me like her more even though I really disliked her in the beginning. Lots of shots of Natalie as we begin the second line of dancing. I bet that means she's going to win. She certainly looks good, although a bit over the top (although I guess that's the point, isn't it?).
The girls all get through the challenge and Haylie announces the prize- a yoga lesson with Kate Shindle, who plays Vivienne in the musical. I actually have no clue who that character is- I've seen the movie but not the show. When is the guy who plays Emmett going to be on the show? Anyway the winner is... Natalie. Not a surprise considering the extra focus on her during the challenge. And good for her, she hasn't been on a reward yet I don't think, so this should really help her. I say "should" because the last two challenge winners were in the bottom three that week. And of course she gets to pick someone to go with her, and she picks Rhiannon.
Next the girls get packets with their next audition- the "Shake Your Junk" section in the song "Positive". I have no clue what this scene's about but it's clear from the title that a lot of dancing is involved. In fact it's an all-dancing scene with mostly hip-hop. Laura Bell Bundy does a great job with it in the show- let's see how these prospective Elles will do.
Natalie and Rhinannon meet Kate at the spa. They do some yoga poses, and they claim it's relaxing although I've done a bit of yoga and it doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I'm really not flexible at all. So after the yoga the two talk with Kate and even have tea with her. She tells them to be sure not to play too dumb of a blonde, as Elle is not dumb. Kate also says a bit of uncertainty about yourself is okay if you use that for adrenalin and to make yourself stronger. That seems like good advice.
The two then meet the other girls in Bernie's office for rehearsal. Like a few weeks ago, the girls who are not playing Elle will be in the chorus, so they must learn six different formations of choreography. Sounds complicated!! Denis tells the camera "no one shakes their junk like Nick". Haha. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing for him. The girls seem to be getting the hang of it. Well except for Emma, who keeps going in the wrong spot. Then the rehearsal was cut short to challenge the girls to learn something with only a short amount of time with the choreographer. This could happen in a show, especially if there are last-minute changes, so it is good practice to see how they will handle the pressure.
Back at the hotel the girls keep practicing. Then that night they get a call sheet at night, which is odd since they get them usually during the day. It's the questionnaire that was in the previews. The girls must answer who is the weakest singer, weakest actress, weakest dancer, who would most likely sabotage another girl (too bad Cassie already left- she'd be great at answering that question!), which girl should have already left, and which girl will win. I guess I understand that this is to see how well the girls know the criteria for being a good Broadway star, but it seems like the main thing it will do is create more tension in the house, tension that has been absent since Cassie left. The girls are angered by the questionnaire and Rhiannon even cries over it. I wonder if the questionnaire is a trap- maybe they are not supposed to answer it, and it's supposed to test their loyalty to each to each other or something. It really does seem overly mean to make them do this.
Lauren then starts bawling as well, as she thinks the girls will put her down as the weakest actress and dancer. I thought her acting was good last week and her dancing wasn't much worse than anyone else, so I don't know why she's upset. Autumn notes that this survey is not "in the spirit of Elle". So maybe it is a trap to see if the girls will realize this and refuse to answer the questions. They seem to be doing just that, as they revise the questions to say things like "most improved actor/singer/dancer", "most competitive" and other more positive things. The girls then put their sheets together to see who got the most votes for each question. Autumn won strongest actress, followed by Natalie. Autumn was weak last week but was a strong actress the week before, although I think some other girls might be better at acting than Natalie. Lauren gets most improved dancer, and she is overwhelmed with emotion. The girls even give each other snaps as they announce the winners in each category. They really do get along- no bad blood in this house now that Cassie is gone.
Ooh Natalie notes that their audition this week is to the song "Positive". Then I really think the survey was a trap to make sure all the remaining girls are Elle-like in their positivity on and off the stage. Either that or they'll be in big trouble with the judges...
The girls then rehearse some more in the studio, now united after their bonding session over the survey. They stay up all night rehearsing, which shows their determination to get the part. Good for them!
Audition day. Natalie worries about her bad hair. Typical Elle reaction haha. Haylie meets them wearing a red dress with even brighter red lipstick. She does look stunning. Haylie reintroduces Bernie, Heather, and Paul, and of course reminds them that one of them will star as Elle on Broadway (duh!).
No mention of the survey as the girls get ready for their audition. First up is Emma. She's not bad! The judges look impressed too, although she gets tired towards the end. She tells the judges if she had to do a show today she would need the understudy since she can't breathe. I'm not sure if that makes her look brave for auditioning while so sick or stupid for saying this to the judges. Paul tells her that sometimes it is too late to call for the understudy, although Emma has been sick for days so that probably wouldn't be an issue if this was a real performance. Emma is unsure after her performance if she's safe or not. I think it will depend on how the others do.
After the break it's Bailey's turn. She pops onstage with her vivacious nature and I immediately like her better than Emma. It's so over-the-top it totally works. The judges love it as well.
Next is Rhiannon, who is a little worried going in to her audition. Her audition doesn't really work for me. I'm not really sure why, although it must have been hard following Bailey's great performance. It seems a bit too goofy for me. Bernie too is disappointed, and Paul says technically it was one of the worst so far (although there's been only three dances thus far).
Lauren goes next. I hope she does well- I really love her voice and personality. Like Bailey she immediately draws attention to herself, although she loses that a bit and seems a bit unsure of herself at times. But I guess that's to be expected if she was not a dancer when she first came on the show. The judges love it too, especially how she leads the others. She definitely was the second best so far after Bailey.
Autumn is next, needing a strong performance to stay out of the bottom three again this week. The timing seems a bit off to me, and the judges don't look impressed either. Heather likes the goofiness but said she could see her lack of confidence. Autumn says she's tired and feels underprepared. But I think that often Broadway stars feel the same way and still have to come through, and Bernie tells her just that. Autumn then somewhat shockingly runs off stage. Where is she going? The other girls get similarly nervous. The camera follows her into the bathroom (okay that's kind of awkward- hopefully the cameraperson is a woman) and we hear Autumn throwing up. If she can't handle the criticism she might not be cut out for this role.
Autumn admits later on she felt sick during the dance and afterwards she just couldn't hold it in any longer. It must be hard dancing when you feel like you are going to blow chunks any second, so I give her props for that, but again this shows that the pressure might be too much for her. She comes back and the judges seem sympathetic, letting her sit out Natalie's Elle audition.
Natalie picks up where she left off at the challenge, showing off her dance skills and personality as well. I still think I liked Bailey and Lauren's auditions better but hers was definitely in the top three. The judges agree and say she shines under pressure. They even go so far as to say she's on the list and safe for this week. I'm surprised they said that in front of the other girls, although I think it's a pretty clear cut bottom three tonight.
Rhiannon thinks she may be in the bottom, but she doesn't think she will go home. Meanwhile the judges must decide who to put on the list. They fear Emma doesn't have the stamina to be in the show (although how much of that is because of her illness?). Bailey is "on a mission" and is very watchable on stage. Lauren was "a lot of fun". Rhiannon is awkward and goofy, but Heather is not sure if she's Elle. The judges feel bad for Autumn, but she has disappointed the past two weeks.
Now Haylie prepares the girls to find out who is on the list. Barring anything unforeseen the bottom three should be Emma, Rhiannon, and Autumn. Ooh but there's a twist- four girls will be on the list, and only two will be in the casting office. Now it gets interesting. Of the three who were in jeopardy I though Rhiannon might get a break since she's never been in the bottom before. I personally thought Rhiannon and Autumn were the worst, but a performer does need stamina to be on Broadway so Emma could certainly be in the bottom as well.
First the obvious. The first name on the list is Natalie. The next name is Bailey. Again, no surprise. The third name is Lauren. So the "big three" this week get safely through to the next round. I think right now these three might be the favorites to make the finals.
Now it gets interesting. Three girls, one of whom is safe from elimination. Emma and Autumn might get a pass for being sick, and Rhiannon might be safe since she's never been in the bottom before. Unless Emma makes a quick recovery I think these three will be the next to go anyway, it's just a matter of what order. If Emma gets well she does have a chance to crack the top three, although I'm not sure who she'd beat out.
So Haylie calls out the last name on the list... Rhiannon. Sure enough her impressive performances in prior weeks saved her, so it's down to two repeat offenders in the bottom group- Emma and Autumn. I feel bad for both this week since they were obviously sick, but I think Emma's stamina problem may improve when (if) she gets well, while Autumn's nerves seem to be a problem that might not go away so easily. Based on that I think Autumn should be eliminated, although both are definitely talented.
Emma says she thinks other performances were worse than hers. I think of the ones who were safe the only one clearly worse than her was Rhiannon. I was starting to root for her over the past few weeks- I hope she doesn't start getting obnoxious again!
Up in the casting office Paul tells the girls he appreciates how hard they worked despite being sick. Heather says she buys Emma as valedictorian of Harvard but she's not sure she buys her as the fun blonde in the beginning. In other words, Emma looks smart. I guess that's good for her but it might not be the best for this part. Well if that's a problem besides her stamina I can see them cutting her, although I still like her better than Autumn, who has tanked the past two weeks. Bernie criticizes Autumn for using the excuse that she didn't know the routine- he tells her that she must learn it. Heather doesn't think her steps "sparkle" enough. Both girls respectfully make their case to the judges. Bernie says both of them can play Elle, but fears Emma doesn't stand out enough and Autumn has too many questions.
And the judges decision... Emma is cut! I was just starting to like her too (except for the whole part where she said others were worse than her tonight). I did not think at all that she was the worst tonight- she was better than Rhiannon and Autumn. But Autumn has shown more potential over the previous weeks I guess. I don't think Autumn will last too much longer anyway but I still do not completely agree with this decision. I know there are many Autumn fans out there who will disagree though...
And Emma's jealously continues after her elimination, as she calls out Rhiannon, Lauren and Bailey for being "little girls". They certainly are young (especially Lauren) but two of them were better than Emma tonight and the other has been better in the past. Okay now I'm starting to be happy that Emma's gone personality-wise, although I still think she has more potential than Autumn.
Next week the girls also seemed shocked by Emma's elimination, they must do a teary scene and someone gets a bad blonde dye job (I'm guessing Natalie or Autumn, since they're the only non-blondes left).
So thoughts on tonight's elimination? Anyone else think Emma should have stayed? And do you agree that Natalie, Bailey and Lauren could be the final three? Post your comments below.
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Jun 30, 2008 11:44 PM
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