"I never ever imagined this," the 18-year-old said following the announcement, adding she never thought she would be giving an acceptance speech on the same stage that hosts the Academy Awards.

More than 3,000 screaming dance enthusiasts packed inside the iconic Hollywood theater to hear the fate of the final four -- Mason, Evan Kasprzak, Kayla Radomski and Brandon Bryant -- after what was the largest vote in the show's history.

Judge Mary Murphy and executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe were joined by a full panel of guest judges including film producer Adam Shankman, krump master Lil C and dance legend Debbie Allen.

"I was absolutely delighted and I think it is justly deserved," Lythgoe said of Mason's win, which he said he learned of early Thursday afternoon.

But before the confetti and standing ovation, the finale revisited the judges' favorite performances from this season, including the energetic Bollywood number "Jai Ho," performed by Jason Glover and Caitlin Kinney, the "Butt Dance," performed by Randi Evans and Kasprzak, and a Matrix-inspired Paso Doble, performed by Mason and first-runner up Bryant.

Special guests took to the stage, including Talia Fowler -- the winner of "So You Think You Can Dance Australia" -- and the junior dance troupe Rage Boyz Crew.  The judges themselves couldn't resist the draw of the bright lights either as they donned white top hats and tails for a surprise appearance at the end of a top-eight performance of "One" from the iconic musical "A Chorus Line."

"Dark horse" Mason faced a tight race on Wednesday night's performance show, which was a feast for dance lovers as choreographers Mia Michaels, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin, Tyce Diorio and Sonya Tayeh challenged the finalists to reach new heights for the $250,000 prize and the coveted title.

Mason and Kasprzak were the first couple to take the stage with a performance inspired by a woman who has fallen out of love. "I never saw Janine coming and you have dominated week after week," Shankman said, "I so underestimated you and I will never forgive myself."

Bryant, who began dancing at the age of seven, continued to wow the judges with his power and intensity. "You’re an extreme dancer. You’re like a super athlete,” Shankman said after he performed his final solo of the competition.  “You are athletic, you are dynamic, you defy gravity at times," Murphy said, adding the 19-year-old was born to dance.

Despite making it to the final four, Kasprzak couldn't shake the criticism dished out by the judges, who chided him for his natural sweetness and lovable face. "You have the character but it felt like a character,” Shankman said of the "Nasty" number where Kasprzak found himself dueling against Bryant. In retaliation, the entire Kodak Theater erupted in applause and chanted "Evan" in support of the short man who dances large.

Radomski, a darling of the judges from her audition straight through to the finale, continued to inspire a flood of compliments for her work.  Lythgoe compared the statuesque blond to a "thoroughbred" after the Mia Michaels number she performed with Mason. "There have been some of the best dancers I have ever seen of my life on this show, Travis Wall, Will, Danny, and Kayla you just joined them in that little special club,” Shankman said after she performed her final solo.

With tens of millions of votes tallied, do you think America got it right? Itching for more dance and a chance to have your say?  Stayed tuned for Season Six, which begins on Sept. 2.

Captions: (Top Left) Jeanine Mason, 18, is a contemporary dancer from Pinecrest, FL. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX
(Center Right) Judges Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX
(Bottom Center) "So You Think You Can Dance" host Cat Deeley ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

Comments from the judges on Wednesday night were mixed for Sandvig's challenging ballroom number as Mary Murphy said she was "disappointed" with Melissa and Evan Kasprzak's performance while Nigel Lythgoe raved, "it's routines like I just watched now that started me dancing."

And in what was probably the biggest shock of the season, Ade Obayomi failed to inspire voters to pick up the phone, sending him packing rather than to the finale.  Ade and Jeanine Mason got down and dirty with a well-received Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop number, but their samba failed to impress due to technical shortcomings.

"It started to fall apart for me. Ade, you were hopping around that floor," Murphy said on Wednesday, adding the routine had a novice feel. The panel agreed the couple physically looked great but it wasn't enough to keep the critiques at bay. "We were hoping to get an explosion of excellence and it really fell short for me," crump choreographer and guest judge Lil C said of the performance.

Despite the elimination of two dancers, Thursday's show managed to retain somewhat of a celebratory feel as past finalists and winners took to the stage to perform Emmy-nominated numbers from last season, including "Bleeding Love," "Silence" and "A Los Amigos."

This week's competition got under way with Wednesday night's performance show, which was a hotbed of sexy samba, high-flying disco and infidelity-inspired contemporary.

After fielding some scathing critiques for his Tyce Diorio-choreographed Broadway number, Evan managed to inspire the judges during his quickstep routine, prompting Lil C to say,"I'm going to commend you for dancing bigger than you’ve ever danced on the show for me."

Judge favorites Brandon Bryant and Kayla Radomski continued their ride on the coveted hot tamale train with two first-class tickets doled out by Murphy.  Their "beyond intense" contemporary number, choreographed by Canadian Stacey Tookey, was a technical feast for the eyes. Kayla shone as an abused mistress in the adultery-inspired performance. "You have never taken a wrong step for me Kayla," Murphy said, "That was perfection up there on the dance floor."

Lil C continued the compliments saying Kayla, who he described as "a beast," has a tendency to outdance her partners, but her coupling with Brandon was the first time she was evenly matched.

Kayla and Brandon will join Evan and Jeanine in the final four, competing for a chance to win $250,000 and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer."  Did the final four come as a surprise or did the top dancers make the cut?

Captions: (Right) Melissa  Sandvig, 29, is a ballet dancer from Los Alamitos, CA. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX
Ade Obayomi,20, is a contemporary dancer from Chandler, AZ. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

Familiar faces from seasons past, including Travis Wall, Heidi Groskreutz, and Hawk, performed award-winning routines such as the zombie-inspired group number Ramalama (Bang Bang) and the contemporary gem "Calling You."

Thursday's show also featured a new, and perhaps the most eagerly anticipated addition, as actress Katie Holmes performed a pre-taped tribute to screen legend Judy Garland.

Despite the jovial feel, salsa dancer Janette Manrara and contemporary dancer Jason Glover were sent packing as the top eight was cut down to six.

"Janette, you were my favorite too and I really wanted you to win this year," said executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe. "You bring so much to this."

Lythgoe added he thought America got it wrong, but ultimately elimination is decided by viewers. So do you agree with Lythgoe? Was Manrara's elimination as much a shock to you as it was to host Cat Deeley?

Manrara faced stiff competition on Wednesday's performance show, which was filled with a number of memorable numbers.

Tyce Diorio's contemporary routine, inspired by a friend's battle with breast cancer, was hailed as a "perfect portrait" by an emotional judge Mia Michaels. Performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi, Lythgoe said the number prompted an overwhelming audience response, including a personal message from Olivia Newton-John, herself a breast cancer survivor.

“I think television at its best can reach out and unite a country with a shared experience and I think that happened last night with Tyce’s routine," Lythgoe said on Thursday.

Guest judge Ellen DeGeneres provided some much-needed comic relief on Wednesday's show as Lythgoe dished out biting criticisms before and after the tears, including his contention this season's hip hop numbers disappointed.

However, both street-inspired performances blew the judges away. Jeanine Mason and Brandon Bryant hit hard on Wednesday with a Laurie Ann Gibson pop-jazz routine, breaking Lythgoe out of his funk. "This is the flattest night I have ever experienced on 'So You Think You Can Dance' up until now," he said of the routine.

Michaels praised the camouflaged-clad couple saying, "you guys danced in a place that was more than dance, you were inside it.”

Kayla Radomski and Glover's ghoulish Shane Sparks hip hop routine was one of the few numbers to prompt judge Mary Murphy's coveted bloodcurdling screams. Michaels described the pair as "disturbingly hot" and noted it was her favorite Sparks number to date.

Was the milestone 100th show bittersweet with the elimination of Manrara and Glover or did you have your cake and eat it too?

Captions: (Top) Janette Manrara , 25, is a salsa/ballroom dancer from Miami, Fl. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

Jason Glover, 21, is a contemporary/lyrical dancer from Fresno, CA. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Ruiz/FOX

Even a second chance at redemption couldn’t save contemporary dancer Caitlin Kinney and hip-hop audience-favorite Phillip Chbeeb as the search for America’s favorite dancer continued on Fox’s hit show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Chbeeb’s jive routine, which executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe said was the best he had danced out of his own style, failed to inspire viewers to vote despite landing him a spot on judge Mary Murphy’s coveted hot tamale train.

Kinney, dancing in her own style, lacked rave reviews from the panel with guest judge Tyce Diorio noting she needed to “take it further” and not play it safe on stage.

In the end, it came down to a lack of star quality for Chbeeb and Kinney. But in a surprise turn, Lythgoe revealed both eliminated dancers would be joining the finalists on the road for the “So You Think You Can Dance” tour. Do you agree Kinney and Chbeeb deserve a chance to tour the nation after failing to make the top ten?

Also dancing for their lives on Thursday were contemporary dancers Jeanine Mason and Jason Glover, prima ballerina Melissa Sandvig and her partner Ade Obayomi, who found themselves in the bottom three for the first time in the competition.
On Wednesday, the six remaining couples performed together for the last time, giving dance lovers a double dose of entertainment. Murphy’s proverbial locomotive rolled into town, picking up a number of contestants, as the couples dug deep to perform two routines.
First at the station were judge-favorites Kayla Radomski and Kupono Aweau, who performed a malevolent contemporary number inspired by addiction, choreographed by Emmy-award winner Mia Michaels.

Lythgoe praised a makeup-free Radomski for her superb technique while Murphy said she was “flawless” and danced from an honest place.

Contestants Brandon Bryant and Janette Manrara were the next couple to illicit ear-piercing screams from Murphy for their smoldering Argentine tango.

The couple’s fire and attention to detail prompted a standing ovation from Lythgoe who said, “For a ballroom routine that was about as close to perfection that I have ever seen on this stage.”

Evan Kasprzak had an off night while his partner Randi Evans landed on the train and seemed to carry him through both the samba and their hip-hop number, which told the story of a young couple dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. Despite Kasprzak’s lack of story-telling ability, Lythgoe still expressed his enthusiasm for the pair saying, “without question one of my favorite couples and a great asset to this program.”

It's now every contestant for themselves as the original couples break up and partners will vary from week to week. Viewers will now decide who will stay and who will go home, but the question is, will American get it right?

The hot tamale train has rolled back into town as the search for America’s favorite dancer begins anew on the fifth season of the hugely popular “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Thursday’s elimination show was a visual feast for dance lovers with the opening number conjuring images of a hip-hop zombie apocalypse.

Paris Torres, a contemporary funk dancer, and Tony Bellissimo, a story-telling hip-hop performer, met their demise — a unanimous decision by the judges.

Paris failed to measure up in the deep talent pool of contemporary dancers while Tony took a risk by attempting to lock his way through his solo “but not very well,” judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said.

Despite disarming charm and enormous support on Twitter, as noted by guest judge Adam Shankman, personality took a back seat to strong technical skills on Thursday.

The top 20 — an eclectic mix of seasoned veterans, starry-eyed youngsters, breakers, ballerinas and Broadway buffs — set the bar high on Wednesday’s first performance show, prompting Lythgoe to exclaim it was an “absolutely fabulous night.”

The two-hour live program was jam packed and included glittering Bollywood, crash-test-dummy love, sizzling Latin pieces and a fluid hip-hop number choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha D’umo that was reminiscent of season four’s wildly popular “Bleeding Love” routine.

Mandy Moore’s standout jazz piece (performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi) brought Shankman to tears while the foxtrot (performed by Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant) sent judge Mary Murphy into her screaming shtick, forcing her to confess she couldn’t express her love for the number because of Botox.

So did the judges make the right call sending Tony and Paris home?  How important is personality in performance and can it motivate viewers to pick up the phone when dancers need a competitive edge?

As men bear the brunt of the economic downturn, could the so-called “he-cession” hold a silver lining for the opposite sex?

Men make up 82 percent of all recessionary job losses in the United States, according to a recent New York Times article, mostly due to declines in traditionally male fields like construction, where the unemployment rate skyrocketed from to 21 percent in March, from 12 percent a year earlier.

The unemployment rate for adult men was 8.8 percent in March compared to 7 percent for adult women.

Male-dominated Wall Street lost 3,100 workers in March 2009 alone, depleting New York City’s most important employer to just 169,200 workers, the state’s Labor Department records show.

Women are picking up the slack, with many finding themselves as the sole breadwinners for their families -- although the jobs held by women are often lower-paying with fewer benefits.

Nasreen Mohammed, for example, works five days a week, 51 weeks a year, without sick days or health benefits.

She runs a small day care business out of her home in Milpitas, Calif., and recently expanded her services to include after-school care. The business brings in about $30,000 annually, she says, far less than the $150,000 her husband earned in the marketing and sales job he lost over a year ago. “It’s peanuts,” she says.

Has the disparity of job losses given rise to what Maria Shriver calls “A Woman’s Nation”?

In a piece for the Huffington Post, Shriver wrote of her new venture to catalogue this new “seismic shift” and the potential opportunities it holds for a shift in women’s roles.

"’A Woman's Nation’ will be a multi-year, action-oriented project, focused on capturing an accurate and up-to-date portrait of the American woman and developing next steps to remove barriers to her success.”

“A journalist by trade, I look forward to taking ‘A Woman's Nation’ on the road - We will host a series of roundtables with men and women on the front lines of this economic and cultural shift, and conduct frank and factual interviews with cultural icons and women leaders about their experiences and recommendations.”

Will the recession break down sex-based barriers and the lead to the continuing evolution of women in the workforce, or are women the next minority to suffer? Leave your prediction in the comments section.

The hype around Friday’s release of the “The Dark Knight” has reached a fever pitch, with Heath Ledger’s dark turn as the Joker generating an avalanche of posthumous Oscar buzz.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone has called Ledger’s performance “mad-crazy-blazing brilliant,” while the sequel’s director Christopher Nolan has raved in the New York Times that Ledger’s portrayal of the sadistic makeup-caked villain is “stunning” and “iconic”.

The big-ticket Academy Award categories have typically been bereft of summer blockbuster nominees.

But is Ledger’s performance so bone-chillingly remarkable that it can survive the hype and the action-movie stigma?

As the 2006 best-picture shunning of “Dreamgirls” demonstrated, presumptive hype can lead to a snub when the Academy Award nominations are announced.

The Internet Oscar buzz alone for the Australian actor - lead by a gallery of fans likely still reeling from the shock of his untimely death in January - has eclipsed the praise of traditional critics, elevating the risk that Ledger will become a target for backlash.

The film is likely to surge above the $100-million mark during its opening weekend, placing the film in the same mega-earning category as "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

Writing Ledger's name on a ballot will perhaps become more palatable for Academy voters given the length of time between opening weekend and when Oscar nomination polls close on Jan.12, 2009.

This may be one time when fading memories are deemed an advantage amongst the fickle Hollywood elite - cementing Ledger's legacy as an Oscar-worthy talent.

For full coverage of "The Dark Knight", click here.