Happy almost Turkey Day, everybody!  In honor of the approaching holiday, Square Eyes would like to know….

Get your votes in before the big day!  Happy Thanksgiving, dudes.

If you watched the show or read my Project Runway Season 6 finale recap, then you already know Irina Shabayeva was our ultimate winner.  But was she the fan favorite?

On Monday, we asked you all to pick your personal Project Runway Season 6 favorite.  The people have spoken…

Q: Who Do You Think Should Win Project Runway Season 6?

A: Carol Hannah Whitfield!

An overwhelming 42% of you voted for the 24-year-old North Carolinan!  Describing her look as “a modern day fairy at a cocktail party” early on in the show, Carol Hannah wowed the judges with her colorful, well-crafted gowns and dresses, and won the favor of audiences with her laid-back ‘tude and quirky sense of humor.

Unfortunately, popularity points won’t win you the crown (unless you’re like, prom queen, I guess): Carol Hannah wound up coming in 3rd at the Season 6 finale.

Thanks to everyone who voted!

The Top 14 were off to a slow start tonight on So You Think You Can Dance, but there were a few numbers that excited me. Last week, you voted for Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson’s Afro Jazz number as the best routine. What about tonight? Be sure to vote in the poll below! Videos of the performances (from MJ) and my recap NOW:

MY BOTTOM 3 COUPLES: Karen Hauer & Kevin Hunte, Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson, and Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras

Ashleigh Di Lello & Jakob Karr – Hip Hop by Tabitha & Napoleon - “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo (VIDEO): Mmmmm, whatcha saaay? Did Ashleigh & Jakob sell this number? I thought it was a very standard, angsty Tabitha & Napoleon Hip Hop routine on betrayal: pained, heartbroken looks of anguish, the “snow angel” arm swings out, the spazzy explosions of emotion - much like the famous “Bleeding Love” dance that Chelsie Hightower & Mark Kanemura did Season 4 (Re-watch it!). Now I’m not as in LOVE with Ash as the judges suddenly are (I mean they LOOOVE her now), but she was great at emoting the hurt expressions of “Ya good fer nuthin douchebag! I can’t believe you’re cheating on me!” They both did a good job and have become a couple that I look forward to watching.

Karen Hauer & Kevin Hunte – Broadway by Spencer Liff - “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from Sweet Charity 2005 Broadway Revival (VIDEO): Okay, so this was not good choreography or music. No disrespect to Christina Applegate who sang it, but it was just such a small, understated, simple song and the choreography was pretty blah to watch. I thought both dancers did fine with what they were given, but they were given a drab routine. Who is this Spencer Liff guy? He’s pretty cute, actually, but this was not an impressive choreography debut. I’m worried about them, well about Karen especially…

Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson – Foxtrot by Eddie Simon - “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” by Michael Buble (VIDEO): The judges really went batty for this, but I thought it was another unmemorable number of the night. And Hair and Makeup did not do Noelle any favors because they managed to age her normally exhuberant smiley face into a matronly, Plain Jane look. Russell did have some lovely moments, but for me they were a bit sloppy in the choreography AND the choreography itself bored me.

Channing Cooke & Victor Smalley – Jazz by Tyce DiOrio - “Blackbird” by Bobby McFerrin (VIDEO): The rehearsal footage really reminded me about why I cannot stand Tyce DiOrio. He’s a a-hole with a gnarly dental floss-thin beard who relishes being an a-hole because…I dunno, maybe because he likes to imagine himself as some fabulous, brilliant, demanding choreographer like we see in movies. Ugh. TANGENT, sorry. Like Adam, I was really distracted by the song choice. I loooove “Blackbird”, but this version by Bobby McFerrin was too odd and the a capella styling didn’t bring any life to the otherwise quirky number. I also agreed with Nigel that this is the first time you could tell that Channing enjoyed the dance because you saw a glimmer of her (otherwise huge) personality come through. Dancers should be actors though, and if she can’t stop being so guarded, then I dunno if she should stay in the competition. I didn’t even notice Victor, really - but the judges did…they noticed that he may be plateauing in his talent, and want him to push harder to avoid getting lost in the crowd.

Kathryn McCormick & Legacy Perez – Paso Doble by Tony Meredith - “Pursuit” from Ka Cirque du Soleil (VIDEO): Whoa, what was that plotline, Tony Meredith? Did I hear that Legacy is an Admiral returning from sea and Kathryn is his concubine?? That is hilarious - I love it! I’ve said many times that I’m a Paso Doble fan cuz of the drama and the hot, hot heat sexiness. Well this dance should be an example to the previous choreographers that I griped to: the music was perfect for this routine. Legacy was really damn excellent in his role - very stern, brooding and shirtless (a shame his voice is high-pitched, but he’s growing on me - I admit it). Kathryn also hit her moves with a POW, flinging her dress around with the right amount of flair. Nigel pointed out that she redeemed herself for her cornball Broadway performance last week. Erin is pleased, si. Me gusta.

Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello – Contemporary by Travis Wall - “Your Ex-Lover’s Dead” by Stars (VIDEO): Sassy Ellenore and ripped Ryan gotta worrrrrk this because their Hip Hop stank so badly last week. This is more up their alley, and Travis Wall doesn’t disappoint. The camera work is more cinematic, Ryan’s shirt is off - this should be good. At first, I was enjoying the song more than the routine because it was just a mix of a bunch of Contemporary moves that I’ve seen before (she jumps into his arms and stops; he cartwheels slowly over her and lands so it’s like they’re doinnn it; etc). But THEN, it really picked up in the middle when the music crescendos (again, there’s so much credit to be given to musicality and song choice, choreographers!). I mean, these two just totally committed themselves and threw themselves into the synchronized dancing, ending with a bang as Ellenore made that gigantic leap (of faith) into Ryan’s arms. Wow. I gotta re-watch that. Ellenore is praised for being a chameleon and being uhh-mazing at everything. The judges love them and say they are one of the first “WOW” dances of the season.

Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras – Pop Jazz by Laurieann Gibson - “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga (VIDEO): Dear Tyce, follow Laurieann’s lead to see how a REAL diva choreographer acts. I love her with the shouting and the pink headphones, and the “Boom KAT!” beat counting. Whip these whippersnappers into shape, Laurieann! She wanted them to be fierce and give goosebumps. I didn’t get goosebumps, but it was an okay number. Not the worst of the night, but not really something to write home about. Nathan was wearing suspenders like a Newsie off of work and Mollee was wearing a bad 80’s party dress - wtf? The routine was also peppered by odd little moves like *piano playing gesture*, *boxing fists*, *hippity hoppity in one place*. And um, these two are the “youngest couple” and painted to be very PG-rated, so I threw up a smidge when I think they were simulating doggie style or some other such bedroom behavior. Grossssss. Can I just point out that for all of the judges’ talk that Mollee & Nathan are soo young and immature at barely 18 and 19, but hello? Jeanine Mason - yknow, last season’s winner? She was also barely 18 at the time and she was super fantastic and mature. So no excuses! Age ain’t nuthin but a number. I’m falling off the Nathan wagon, y’all…He’s so cute, but he’s been underwhelming. Boo.

Tomorrow night, one lad and one lassie will be cut from the competition on So You Think You Can Dance. Tune in and be sure to fill out the poll on your way out: WHICH TOP 14 COUPLE GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE?

From left to right: Althea Harper, Irina Shabayeva, Carol Hannah Whitfield

Get ready, everybody!  This Thursday marks the Season 6 finale of Project Runway, the first to be aired on Lifetime and possibly the worst of all time (per me).

Regardless, I’ve been trudging through the season and must admit, I see some talent in our top 3.  And so, this week’s Square Eyes Poll asks…

Vote now!  Poll results, along with actual Project Runway results to come Friday.

Thanks 4 coming 2 this week’s poll party!  On Monday, we dared ask:

Q: When Should Mad Men Season 4 Pick Back Up?

A: The day after the finale!

Seems like either y’all don’t want to miss a single minute of Mad Men, or you have no respect for history.  I think it’s probably the first one!

Unfortch, I have a feeling your wishes won’t be granted.  With Season 1 ending on Thanksgiving 1960 and Season 2 starting Valentine’s Day 1962, and Season 2 ending October 1962 and Season 3 beginning spring 1963 (whew!), it seems though Matthew Weiner and co. will put a few months between Season 3’s end and Season 4’s start.

So much sweet, sweet waiting.  Happy Friday!

Oh geez, watching So You Think You Can Dance tonight reminded me of how Ameriker (as Cat says) and I don’t really ever agree on reality TV voting. Four of my favorite dancers were part of tonight’s Bottom 6: Karen Hauer, Pauline Mata, Peter Sabasino, and Ellenore Scott. (Kevin Hunte and Ryan Di Lello were also in the bottom).

That’s not to say that Pauline & Peter and Ellenore & Ryan weren’t technically weak and didn’t deserve to be there, but I was still *frowny face*. Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras really should have at least been in the Bottom. They were supah dupah poopahs last night with that weaksauce Salsa (get it?).

Videos (by myduckbears3) and recap below - zoom zoom!

GROUP DANCE: The show opens with our Top 16 performing a “tribal” Hip Hop dance by Dave Scott. What was going on here? Chichen Itza was projected on the background screen (still HATE this new, flashy-flashy, massive stage btw), suggesting they were Mayan warriors, but then they held up these Polynesian, tiki mask things– ehhh, best not to read too much into it. I’ll learn history from Wikipedia instead. VIDEO

We learn that the Bottom 3 couples who must DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES are: Pauline Mata & Peter Sabasino, Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello, and Karen Hauer & Kevin Hunte. VIDEO

Nigel tears Nathan a new bunshole for skating by the Bottom 3 solely because giddy tween girls are like OMG I <3 NATHAN 4EVS!!!! XD and not judging him fairly on his dancing. I mean he and Mollee were a STEAMING. SLOPPY. MESS. last night. Nigel was actually very fair about it, and I got some sick satisfaction out of him telling Nathan he was immature and wasn’t going to grow as a dancer if he thought fangurl love = accomplished dancer. You could tell the comments really sobered Nathan out of his usual nervous defense mechanism - like his *flirty eyebrow arch-arch* and “I felt HOT! *guffaw*” sorta comments. VIDEO

We are treated to an increeeeeedible performance by a trio of dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was tremendous: compelling, strong, passionate, sensual - all of the things ya know I love in a dance. And did you see that first gal’s calf muscles? Hello, doctah! Totally inspiring. VIDEO

Next, our Bottom contestants DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES in solo numbers. Ellenore’s solo is a little too gimmicky and character-focused for me. Reminiscent of her Vegas audition, but I want more dance content and less of her “oh, teehee, one minute please!” pantomiming. Ryan’s next doing a Jive in a soldier’s uniform. He has charisma, but I dunno if it was a DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE sorta solo. Pauline comes out like a little firecracker! She’s able to pull off cute and sexy and is giving it everything she’s got. It’s stronger than Ellenore’s solo. Peter tippity tap dances a capella, which is awesome, but he has a very stern look on his face the whole time and is lacking that twinkly-eyed charm I know he has - what a shame (Bottom guys’ solos: VIDEO; Bottom gals’ solos: VIDEO).

After the break, Karen lets loose with excellent musicality and flingy-flingy hip shaking. There is a bit of haughtiness to her though, and this may indeed turn off younger female voters, as Nigel mentioned. Kevin wraps things up with some Michael Jackson-inspired moves and he’s fun to watch. He’s not the strongest Hip Hopper I’ve seen, but better than Peter tonight.

ELIMINATED: Pauline Mata & Peter Sabasino. The Quickstep IS the dance of death, huh? So much for “SEASON 6 IS THE YEAR OF THE TAP DANCERS!” because all three are now eliminated (don’t get me started - Bianca Revels, you should still be in the competition). What a bummer. I thought Pauline did a much stronger solo than Ellenore, but to be honest, I would’ve been sad to see either gal go. Y’all know I wish Mollee was the one to leave instead. VIDEO

Until next week’s So You Think You Can Dance recap, y’all!  Oh and be sure to check out the new poll-y poll below: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF NIGEL’S CRITICISM OF NATHAN TRASORAS?

Tonight’s Top 16 dance-off on So You Think You Can Dance was a mixed bag, baby. Maybe I’m getting cynical on account of the bloggin’, but I wasn’t on the same page as the judges, who seemed to be WOWed and uhhh-mazed by everything. Also, the Top 12 from Season 5 were in the house (saw a lot of Jeanine Mason, Melissa Sandvig, Ade Obayomi, Evan Kasprzak and adorable Kupono Aweau). Unfortunately, they didn’t perform, so we just saw them grin and wave at the camera every chance they got. Videos of the dances (from MJ) and my thoughts ahead:

MY BOTTOM 3 COUPLES: Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello, Channing Cooke & Victor Smalley, and Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras

Karen Hauer & Kevin Hunte – Hustle by Maria Torres - “Come to Me” by France Joli (VIDEO): Oh fellaaaas, Karen wants everyone to know that she is DIVORCING from her husband (remember they auditioned together?). Smart move, girl. You don’t wanna be tied down during your national debut.  They Hustle which just reminds me of disco and do alright. Kevin was still the weak link of the pair. Judges love them (as do I), but probably give them more props than necessary.

Ashleigh Di Lello & Jakob Karr – Jazz by Mandy Moore - “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (VIDEO): Ah, the “cane dance”. Okay, in the words of Tim Gunn, I was “woeful and a bit perplexed” about this dance. The judges were jumping up and down over it (suddenly really fawning over Ashleigh), and I like Mandy’s work, but c’monnnnn, this was just a ridonkulous excuse to use a prop (a cane) to try and get…props. I mean, much like last week’s Hip Hop tennis match, this was contrived and even less relevant to the performance (at least the tennis rackets were tied to the story last week). What was the cane symbolizing? Why was it there? A little backstory could’ve done wonders for me beyond Mandy’s “How can I challenge the crap out of my dancers AND get the judges’ attention - oh look! Aunt Bessie left her cane behind! *inspiration strikes*” The dance was supposed to be a trio of “Jakob, Ashleigh and the cane”. It was more like Jakob & the cane… oh and Ashleigh. She hardly engaged with it. I must admit that both of them (Jakob & Ashleigh, not the cane) looked pretty hot (or hawt) in the androgynous, 80’s glam style. Some of the movements were reminiscent of last season’s Wade Robson “robber” dance between Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant (VIDEO). Be sure to re-watch THAT - tres genius.

Pauline Mata & Peter Sabasino - Quickstep by JT & Tomas - “Hey Baby! (Shake Those Hula Hips)” by Big Kahuna & the Copa Cat Pack (VIDEO): Aw, these two are a cute, smiley, dimpled couple but would they survive the “Dance of Death”? Well, thanks to clever choreography and a simple storyline (Peter’s a soldier who falls for Miss Hawaiian Hula Honey Pauline), these darlings skate by despite weak technical delivery. Adam, who was extra rambly tonight, makes a weird comment that the choreographers made use of Pauline’s “natural ethnicity” by putting her in the role of a hula girl. Hm. Isn’t she Filipina, not Hawaiian? I could be wrong, but Adam was sorta bugging tonight. Tick tock, tick tock - keep your feedback concise and leave unnecessary racial and ethnic comments out of it when possible please, Mr. Shankman.

Kathryn McCormick & Legacy Perez – Broadway by Andy Blankenbuehler - “I Wanna Be Like You” by Swingin’ Fireballs (VIDEO): The judges did pick up on the same distraction I did here - Kathryn’s performance was very corny. She could have brought a lot more to her taken-for-granted housewife character - some sass, some ferocity - but no. She played it with a sort of permanent, “Awww, you scamp! Why I oughta…” smirk. I really liked Legacy’s back somersault into a headstand as he fell back into the easy chair though. Judges are in lurve with him.

Channing Cooke & Victor Smalley – Contemporary by Stacey Tookey - “Be Be Your Love (Live at KCRW)” by Rachael Yamagata (VIDEO): Thank god that Nigel had the sense to give Channing & Victor a dose of reality. It should’ve been an INCREDIBLE performance: they’re both very strong Contemporary dancers, this Rachael Yamagata song is (to quote Adam) uhhh-mazing and it dealt with that classic Contemporary theme of a “toxic” couple who push and pull and “yes!” and “nooo!”… but there was a real lack of chemistry and performance. Channing’s been a real disappointment to me since her audition. She’s very guarded and I prefer my dancers to wear their hearts on their sleeves. If this was their “comfort zone”, that’s not a good sign - it was a very generic dance and I wasn’t…inspired, yknow?

Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello – Hip Hop by Lil C – “Lost Boyz Anthem” by J-Squad (VIDEO): Loquacious Lil C (hear that judges?? His name is LIL C, not “Little C”) kind of gave these two a stinker of a number. They were supposed to be robbers/burglars, but they were both dressed in white snowboarding garb, so what was that about? I found Ellenore way more convincing here and thought she deserved more kudos from the judges. There were times when they weren’t synchronized, and it became pretty boring…but I blame the choreography and the obnoxious music which consisted of something like “*siren wail* *keyboard tinking* *beeping*” on repeat. I wouldn’t want to see Ellenore go home though - she has a lot of offer to this competition.

Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras – Salsa by Gustavo Vargas - “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco (VIDEO): Whoa, JANK-O-RAMA. That was pretty damn awful, and y’all know I love me some Nathan. He is getting a little bit too stupid-frat-boy-cocky and needs to reel it in. Dear Nathan, I wanna be your #1 fan, so try to take this piece of advice to heart: HUMILITY. Yes, you’re effin gorgeous (erm, except tonight, when your hairstyle made you look like a 57-year-old uncle), but you have a lot to learn and Jakob is a much stronger Contemporary dancer. If you really want to win, then come back down to earth and win us over with that eager, “I just love to express myself through dance” attitude. The judges won’t shut up about these two being the “dream team” (I dunno about that), but this Salsa was a total NIGHTMARE (see what I did there?). Out of synch, Nathan was doing these exaggerated, bent limb movements, Mollee was a hot (still immature) mess, the shimmying was Jack nasty *sigh*. Can you tell I’m disappointed?

Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson – Afro Jazz by Sean Cheesman - “Frog Dance” by Mickey Hart and Planet Drum (VIDEO): Woohoo, last dance of the night! It’s the first time SYTYCD US featured Afro Jazz. I think it was a success. For me, Russell was the star here in the role as the frog. Those leaps! Lordy, lordy! Noelle did great in the really fast-paced part, but I felt she faltered in a few spots in comparison to her partner. It had the judges (afro) jazzed up though - I think we’ll be seeing more of Sean Cheesman in the future. Oh, and Adam made another semi-awkward racial comment when he said sarcastically, “When I think ‘African Princess’, the first person I think of is Noelle!” Get it? Cuz she’s white? Har har har hmmm… :-/

Am I being a Scrooge or was tonight pretty uneven? Do you agree with the judges? I feel like they’re trying too hard to pimp out certain dancers even when they aren’t that strong. So far I’m tiptoeing onto Team Karen Hauer, but will America agree with me? So many questions!

Tomorrow night, we find out the guy and gal who will be eliminated on So You Think You Can Dance. See you then and fill out the poll on your way out: WHICH TOP 16 COUPLE GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE?

Yep, it’s a two-Mad Men-posts-in-one-afternoon kind of day.  I’m really curious to hear what everyone had to think about last night’s Season 3 finale, so make sure to leave me a note in the comments section of my recap.

Now on to the weekly poll! Mad Men Season 2 ended in October 1962, near the Cuban Missile Crisis, while Season 3 picked back up half a year later, in spring 1963 and ended in December, after the assassination of JFK .  With these unexpected jumps in time, it’s hard to predict when Season 4 will begin… but it’s highly likely the season premiere will surround a significant point in time.

And thus, we ask:

Polls are now closed for our most recent survey!  The results are in, kiddies!

Q: What is Your Favorite Glee Cover So Far?

Week after week, it’s Glee fever!  The show has quickly become a cultural phenomenon across the States, with seven songs from the series in the top 200 of iTunes’ Top Songs chart, over two million Glee songs purchased online, and the cast’s rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” gone certified Gold [Source].

Obviously, we need to start Glee-ing up this here blog.  Let’s start with a poll…

Results Friday!  Hurry up and vote!