plus 4, Cohen brings down house in first show since '06 - Herald Tribune

Cohen brings down house in first show since '06 - Herald Tribune
Cohen brings down house at U.S. nationals - NBC Sports
See ya, Jersey Shore - Newsday
Latest "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" Premieres In February - All Headline News
The 7 Deadly Sins for an 'American Idol' Audition - Buddytv.com

Cohen brings down house in first show since '06 - Herald Tribune

Posted: 21 Jan 2010 11:03 PM PST

And bring the house down.

Skating for the first time since the 2006 world championships, the Olympic silver medalist skated with her trademark elegance and smoothness and showed she is not to be taken lightly. Here and, if she keeps skating like this, at the Vancouver Olympics. The women's final is Saturday.

"I'm so happy to be out here," said Cohen, whose score of 69.63 is slightly behind 2008 national champion Mirai Nagasu and just ahead of Rachael Flatt. "It was really a special night for me."

The folks in the arena would say much the same thing.

The United States has been desperately seeking someone to fill Cohen's considerably large skates since she went on her hiatus. The Americans haven't won a world medal since '06 and fared so poorly at last year's world championships they have only two spots in Vancouver. It's only the second time since 1924 the Americans have failed to have the maximum.

But as Cohen reminded everyone Thursday, the original is always better than any substitute.

"This is a really special time in my life," Cohen said. "I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye."

Wearing a crimson dress with beautiful lace bodice that looked more couture than costume, Cohen acknowledged she had some nerves when she took the ice. (She could be seen singing along to Britney Spears as she waited for her name to be called.) When her "Espana Cani" music started, though, she was all business.

Her triple lutz-double toe loop combination was solid, and she tossed off her triple flip with ease, something she wasn't always able to do.

As always, though, it's the show that sets Cohen apart.

She headlined the "Stars on Ice" tour during her break, and it has only sharpened her performance skills. Her spirals are, if possible, even more impressive than before, and the audience probably would have been happy just to see those. She did a forward Charlotte, extending her leg so her body is in the full splits and her upper body is touching her skating leg, that had the audience whooping and whistling.

And as she began her footwork, she gave the fans in the front row a saucy little smile as if to say, "Missed me, didn't you?"

"I came back because I missed it and I love being here," Cohen said. "I really, really appreciate the people that have come to care about me and cheer me on and just the personal struggles I've overcome to be here. That gives me a lot of faith and confidence in my skating."

Fans were standing well before her music finished. As she stood at center ice, soaking in the adoration, longtime coach John Nicks thrust his arms in the air.

"I enjoy her skating so much," Nicks said. "I didn't come here for ego or because I enjoy nationals. I came here to watch her skate."

Now she needs to do it again to make her third Olympic team.

The knock on Cohen has always been holding it together when the stakes are highest. She has yet to do clean short and long programs in the same major event, costing herself who knows how many titles, and there will be no room for error Saturday with less than a point separating the top three women.

"It was a good start, an extraordinarily good start," Nicks said. "But that's all it was. The rest of the job has to be done Saturday."

Cohen's performance will overshadow that of Nagasu, a shame because it was excellent.

Nagasu gave the U.S. women some spunk and pizazz - not to mention some darn good skating - when she won the national title in 2008. But she hasn't been able to duplicate that magic - until Thursday night.

"I'm just here to show myself and everyone that I'm the future of the U.S.A.," Nagasu said. "I'm not in my personal bubble all the time, and I do have access to the Internet. I can read what people write. I just want to be a dark horse and come up from behind."

Her "Pirates of the Caribbean" program was as big a hit as any of the Johnny Depp versions, the kind of get-your-blood-pumping fun U.S. audiences haven't seen since Michelle Kwan ruled the rink. Her jumps were so huge the judges had to look up to see her, yet they flowed like poetry.

Her spins were exquisite. The positions of her layback were spellbinding - Gumby's got nothing on this girl - and she was so fast she was practically a blur. Yet she didn't budge an inch, staying in the same tight little circle.

"She's really skating well," coach Frank Carroll said - high praise, considering he was threatening to kick her out of the rink in November when he didn't like her reaction to a poor performance at Cup of China.

Asked what changed, Carroll said, "Believing that she can perform and have personality and hit the elements. Before, she was worried only about hitting the elements."

Indeed, that's where the move to Carroll has benefited Nagasu most. She used every inch of her body, from the top of her head to the very tips of her fingers, and she said as much with her face as she did with her skates.

"All I can say is Frank's girl must have been pretty good to beat (Cohen's) performance," Nicks said. "And I told him that."

Flatt, runner-up the last two seasons, was one of only two women to do a triple-triple combination. She was a little swingy on the landing of the triple flip, the first jump in the combo.

"It's probably one of the worst landings I've had on a triple-triple all week," Flatt said. "My first two jumping passes were a little shaky, but I think I did a good job fighting for them."

But her spins are nowhere near as difficult as her jumps, and the first half of her program was totally lacking in luster to match her sparkly pink dress. It wasn't until the end of the program - when all the hard stuff was out of the way - that Flatt let loose. Her footwork was fun and peppy, so reminiscent of a 1930s jazz club you could almost see the clouds of smoke.

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Cohen brings down house at U.S. nationals - NBC Sports

Posted: 21 Jan 2010 11:32 PM PST

SPOKANE, Wash. - Sasha Cohen can still put on a show like nobody else.

And bring the house down.

"I'm so happy to be out here," said Cohen, whose score of 69.63 is slightly behind 2008 national champion Mirai Nagasu and just ahead of Rachael Flatt. "It was really a special night for me."

The folks in the arena would say much the same thing.

But as Cohen reminded everyone Thursday, the original is always better than any substitute.

"This is a really special time in my life," Cohen said. "I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye."

Her triple lutz-double toe loop combination was solid, and she tossed off her triple flip with ease, something she wasn't always able to do.

As always, though, it's the show that sets Cohen apart.

And as she began her footwork, she gave the fans in the front row a saucy little smile as if to say, "Missed me, didn't you?"

Fans were standing well before her music finished. As she stood at center ice, soaking in the adoration, longtime coach John Nicks thrust his arms in the air.

"I enjoy her skating so much," Nicks said. "I didn't come here for ego or because I enjoy nationals. I came here to watch her skate."

Now she needs to do it again to make her third Olympic team.

"It was a good start, an extraordinarily good start," Nicks said. "But that's all it was. The rest of the job has to be done Saturday."

Cohen's performance will overshadow that of Nagasu, a shame because it was excellent.

Nagasu gave the U.S. women some spunk and pizazz — not to mention some darn good skating — when she won the national title in 2008. But she hasn't been able to duplicate that magic — until Thursday night.

Her spins were exquisite. The positions of her layback were spellbinding — Gumby's got nothing on this girl — and she was so fast she was practically a blur. Yet she didn't budge an inch, staying in the same tight little circle.

"She's really skating well," coach Frank Carroll said — high praise, considering he was threatening to kick her out of the rink in November when he didn't like her reaction to a poor performance at Cup of China.

Asked what changed, Carroll said, "Believing that she can perform and have personality and hit the elements. Before, she was worried only about hitting the elements."

"All I can say is Frank's girl must have been pretty good to beat (Cohen's) performance," Nicks said. "And I told him that."

Flatt, runner-up the last two seasons, was one of only two women to do a triple-triple combination. She was a little swingy on the landing of the triple flip, the first jump in the combo.

"It's probably one of the worst landings I've had on a triple-triple all week," Flatt said. "My first two jumping passes were a little shaky, but I think I did a good job fighting for them."

But her spins are nowhere near as difficult as her jumps, and the first half of her program was totally lacking in luster to match her sparkly pink dress. It wasn't until the end of the program — when all the hard stuff was out of the way — that Flatt let loose. Her footwork was fun and peppy, so reminiscent of a 1930s jazz club you could almost see the clouds of smoke.

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See ya, Jersey Shore - Newsday

Posted: 21 Jan 2010 04:01 PM PST

Sunday September 13, 2009 11:26 PM By Mark La Monica

MTV Video Music Awards time, people. Let's rock the live blog. Here we go:

>> MTV VMA Red Carpet photos
>> MTV VMA show photos

8:04 p.m.: Oh, sweet buttery deity of your choosing, what the heck is Lady Gaga wearing tonight?

8:06: Sway to Shakira, "I've never quite seen a video like 'She Wolf,' and I've never watched a video so many times." That's what I've been telling you, people.

8:12: Pink on the red carpet about Carey Hart: "Last year, I was singing about him. Now, he's my date."

8:14: The Lady Gaga-Kermit the Frog date skit on the red carpet is remarkably unfunny. What is truly hilarious is the neckbrace "attire" Gaga is rocking.

8:20: Matt and Kim win the Breakthrough video of the year for "Lessons Learned."

8:25: Photo alert: Jack Black is still not funny.

8:26: Taylor Swift arrives in some sort of Cinderella horse and carriage buggy.

8:31: Alicia Keys on the red carpet, looking as perfect as ever. I'm reminded right now of a recent IM convo with Big Cat. "Alicia Keys would definitely be top-5 on my draft board," he wrote. "I would trade up one spot in front of you," I responded.

8:35: One of the drawbacks of live blogging - having to watch commercials. However, they just showed a spot for Rhapsody, with lyrics from Jay-Z's "Run This Town." I'm loving his line "Follow the leader, so Eric B. we are."

8:37: Not really sure I can bring myself to watch "The Hills" this season, but dang, Kristin Cavallari is looking mad good in that silver number.

8:40: World premiere of the "Fame" music video to go along with the new movie out Sept. 25. Still the same song, just with a hipper and hopper dance beat. Kinda catchy beat, actually. Watch it here.

8:45: Just showed 15 seconds of the "Michael Jackson THIS IS IT" movie due Oct. 28. I think it's going to be an extremely interesting two-week run in theaters with this behind the scenes documentary. So interesting, I'm guessing they keep in theaters more than 14 days.

8:52: Yeah, Jennifer Lopez is still pretty much the hottest woman ever. At least for right now at this moment.

8:55: Nominated for 9 VMAs, Beyonce says she would prefer to win the Moonman for Video of the Year. She should win all nine.

8:59: The VMA for Best Video That Should Have Won a Moonman goes to the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." Great video. Would have preferred David Lee Roth's "Just a Gigolo" just for that true old school flavor.

9:01: Out comes Madonna to introduce Janet Jackson and her tribute to Michael Jackson. Wow, that's a 1980s and '90s pop culture iconic overload right there. Powerful for us older folks.

9:05: Madonna is still going. Touching speech and story telling. Slightly awkward in some points, though.

9:06: Madonna still going. "My sons, 9 and 4, are obsessed with Michael. There's a lot of crotch-grabbing and moonwalking going on in my house."

9:07: Loved the old MTV intro to go from Madonna to Janet, with the rocket taking off and the man landing on the moon.

9:07.30: You know it's Thriller.

9:09: And the whole world has to answer right now because I'll tell you once again, who's bad?

9:09.30: Still no Janet.

9:10: We've been hit by a smooth criminal.

9:11: "Scream" video on the big screen. Crowd going crazy, Alicia Keys and Beyonce in particular. And here comes Janet.

9:12: Great camera work by MTV right now. Janet is alone in the shot, with Michael on the video screen behind her right shoulder (our left) and matched his dance moves from the "Scream" video step for step. Whoever is in production truck working that shot deserves an instant Moonman! This video below will show you what I'm talking about.

9:17: VMA host Russell Brand says Beyonce and Jay-Z are the most beautiful couple in the world. "But he must know that the Mrs. is keeping the average up." I laughed. She didn't. As expected.

9:21: And that about was the highlight of Brand's monologue, save for his Lady Gaga bit, which we won't repeat here.

9:24: Taylor Swift wins the Moonman for Best Female Video for "You Belong With Me." That is some straight-up hosery right there. Catchy song, sure, and the video is cute, but I was hoping for a Beyonce sweep.

9:25: Oh yeah, here comes Kanye West to interrupt Swift's speech. "Taylor I'm really happy for you, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time." Beyonce is stunned every time they cut to her. Swift doesn't know what to do. Hilarious move by Kanye. Typical, too. Chumpy, as well. He pretty much just verbally smacked Swift in the face during her moment. Can't wait to hear/read/watch the post-game on this.

9:26: Swift will perform in a few minutes. I hope she fires back at Kanye. C'mon, T-Swizzle!

9:34: We said it at 8:25 p.m. and we'll do it again after his little presenter skit with Leighton Meester: Jack Black is remarkably unfunny.

9:36: Green Day wins Best Rock Video for "21 Guns." Surprisingly, Kanye West is NOT outraged.

9:38: Little 15-year-old Justin Bieber comes out to introduce Taylor Swift's performance. "I just wanna say 'Give it up for Taylor Swift.'" Oooooh, take that Kanye.

9:39: Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" starts on a subway platform, the moves into a subway car. Very cool concept. Original. Oh, snap, that subway car is moving, too. Let's hope she doesn't have to transfer at 34th Street.

9:40: Wait a tick, how does her wireless microphone work underground. So unfair!

9:41: Ah, she exited at 47th-50th Streets stop with a bunch of people following her. They were already in the car, and the safe guess is they were handpicked beforehand. Now she's on top of a cab singing outside Radio City.

9:42: Eat that, Kanye!

9:51: Here comes Lady Gaga in some sort of white lace get-up (think Madonna's "Like a Virgin" wedding gown VMA outfit from way back . . . on steroids!) doing a slowed down version of "Paparazzi." Not feeling it. Especially the fake bleeding stomach thing. Makes no sense to me. No offense to the Gaga crowd out there.

9:54: Here come the Kanye West photos. Will post them in our MTV VMA show photo gallery asap.

10:01: Russell Brand not funny yet, which is quite upsetting. I kinda like his comedy usually.

10:03: Best Pop Video nominees. I want Beyonce to win still, but now maybe not if Kanye West promises to clown himself again.

10:04: Oh boy, Britney Spears just won the Moonman for Best Pop Video for "Womanizer." Please tell me Kanye West is in restraints right now, even if Brit is on tour and had to accept her award via taped speech.

10:08: Green Day just pulled a whole bunch of fans onto the stage for their performance. Very cool stuff.

10:18: Extended trailer for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" debuts. Third round of trailers. Looks pretty decent, even for those of us who aren't screaming teenage girls.

10:25: As much as I love the close-up shots of Beyonce, I'm loving even more the wide-angle shots of the entire stage, with the four levels of dancers spaced out. Very cool.

10:31: Diddy and Jamie-Lynn Sigler are presenting Best Male Video. Diddy mentions Kanye West as a nominee. A huge "Booooooooooooooooo" erupts from the crowd, followed by chants of "Tay-lor! Tay-lor!" Awesome. Diddy responds, jokingly, "What happened? What did I say?"

10:33: T.I. wins Best Male Video for "Live Your Life." Still no sign of Kanye.

10:50: The Moonman for Best Hip Hop video goes to Eminem for "We Made You." Nice. Great video, probably his funniest. And the anti-Kanye West sentiment continues in the voting results.

10:53: "I just interviewed Madonna backstage. I feel like Kurt Loder." Great quote from MTV's backstage reporter, whose name escapes me right now.

10:59: Best New Artist. Lady Gaga. No shocker there. OMG, NOW what the heck is she wearing? Photos to come as soon as the wires move them. This is hilarious. It looks like she bought too much red lace fabric for a tablecloth and decided to use it to turn herself in a cage dancer at an Imperial Guard club on the Death Star.

11:00: Serena Williams presents P!nk. "She won't have to worry about stepping over any lines." Well, at least she didn't threaten to jam a tennis ball down anyone's throat this time.

11:03: Crazy, acrobatic performance by P!nk. She's flying through the air, doing all sorts of trapeze stuff. Impressive visuals. More impressive athleticism. Could get my vote for performance of the night when it's all over.

11:12: Here come the nominees for Video of the Year, the Neil Armstrong of Moonmen.

11:13: And the Moonman goes to . . . BEYONCE! They liked it and they put a Moonman on it! Thank you, MTV, for keeping my faith in you.

11:14: "I'd like for Taylor to come out and have her moment." Nice touch, Beyonce.

11:15: "Maybe we could try this again?" Swift said. She seems a little nervous at first, but calms down a bit. Beyonce . . . Awesome!

11:22: Jay-Z just rolled up to the VMAs. I'm pretty sure he runs this town.

11:25: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys rockin' Radio City. Pretty sick video display going on behind Jay-Z, too.

11:27: Oh for the love of Pete, what the heck does Lady Gaga have on her body now? She looks like a skinny Uncle Jesse from "The Dukes of Hazzard."

11:30: "Michael Jackson THIS IS IT" footage being shown now. All rehearsal footage for what would have been his last tour. Gonna be a sick documentary to watch. See you in the movie theaters on Oct. 28.

11:31: That's it, folks. Thanks for riding with me through the 26th annual MTV VMAs. Keep reading and keep commenting while I keep digging up photos to post.

>> MTV VMA Red Carpet photos
>> MTV VMA show photos
>> MTV maintains its wild side

Tags: MTV, VMAs, awards

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Latest "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" Premieres In February - All Headline News

Posted: 21 Jan 2010 03:32 PM PST

January 21, 2010 6:37 p.m. EST

Topics: Television

Los Angeles, CA, United States (CNS) - The stars of the upcoming "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" come from the world of tabloids, reality television, music, and even "High School Musical." Among them are the Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline and Whitney Houston's former husband Bobby Brown.

Along with Federline and Brown, joining the team this year are "Project Runway" Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll, former "Baywatch" star Nicole Eggert, Federline's ex and former "Moesha" star Shar Jackson, former Skid Row lead Sebastian Bach, infamous "Bad Girls Club" member Tanisha Thomas, and "High School Musical" star KayCee Stroh.

The cast will be broken up into two teams and competing for $200,000 cash. The individual who drops the most weight wins $50,000 in prizes.

The last season of "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" featured "Saved By the Bell" star Dustin Diamond, "American Idol" Season 1 co-host Brian Dunkleman, and actress Tina Yothers, among others.

The latest season of "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" premieres February 8th at 9pm ET/PT on VH1.

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The 7 Deadly Sins for an 'American Idol' Audition - Buddytv.com

Posted: 21 Jan 2010 03:32 PM PST

There are plenty of books, DVDs and video games out there designed to help train your vocals so you can become the next American Idol. But just as important as what you do is what you DON'T do. When auditioning for American Idol, there are some major landmines that contestants still step on.

Here are seven simple things that, if done during an Idol audition, will almost certainly spell your demise.

Men Singing Women's Songs

Last season Paula Abdul praised Kris Allen for "shopping in the ladies' department," but for the most part, a guy singing a song by a female artist is a recipe for disaster. When a man walks into the audition and says he'll be signing Whitney Houston or Britney Spears, there's really no point for him to even sing. He's already lost.

Wearing a Stupid Costume

Standing out in a crowd is important, but you should never do it with a ridiculous Halloween costume. If you show up to Idol auditions dressed as a cowboy or a French maid or a clown, you're done. However, there are exceptions to this rule, as proved last year when Norman Gentle and Bikini Girl both made it to Hollywood.

Auditioning with a Mariah Carey Song

Mariah Carey's 8 octave range spells disaster for even talented singers. Season after season we see auditioners struggle to hit Mariah's high notes. So, unless you happen to be trained in opera, it's best to avoid songs that call for Mariah's signature falsetto like the plague. (Whitney Houston songs also tread similarly dangerous territory.)

Being A Less Than Lovely Lady

I'm sorry ladies, but this is a sad truth. You can be a butt-ugly dude and still make it to Hollywood on American Idol, but if you're a lady and anything less than cute-as-a-button, your chances are slim to none.

Thinking You're the Best

Confidence is important, but not cockiness. If you're a really amazing singer, you probably know it and you don't need to broadcast it. But if you walk into the audition talking about how your voice is God's gift to the world and how everyone tells you how great you are, there's a good chance you're going to bomb.

Singing a Signature Idol Song

Has a former Idol winner or runner up performed a signature version of your audition song? Is your audition song the number one hit from an American Idol winner? Did last years winner audition with the song you've chosen? If you answered yes to any of these questions, find a new one STAT. Few things kill your Idol dreams faster than Simon being able to say, "Kelly Clarkson did that so much better."

Being One of the Best Auditions

This sounds incredibly insane, but it's true. If the judges claim you're the best audition ever or that you have "It," chances are you'll be gone in the first day of Hollywood week. If Randy Jackson said anything like "a thousand, bazillion percent yes" after your audition; you my friend, are a total goner.

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