They came, they danced and the judges were almost too positive, especially since two more dancers will be sent packing from So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow, leaving only the all important Top 10, who are expected to go on tour in 2010.

For the dancers who remain after Wednesday night’s elimination, next week will bring new styles and a new partner. So who will the shake-up help and who will it hurt?

Topping the list of those who may feel the squeeze is Ashleigh Di Lello. Last week, we speculated that without her partner Jakob Carr, Ashleigh may find herself in trouble. Jakob’s strength was certainly evident in their first number, with judge Adam Shankman saying the only flaw was his pants. But Ashleigh got high praises after their second number, a cha-cha, with judge Nigel Lythgoe again saying that those who questioned her abilities in Vegas were eating their words.

“That may have been a cha-cha, but you are waltzing through to the top 10,” said Nigel of the performance.

Mollee Gray may also find herself in a bad place when her partnership with Nathan Trasoras breaks up. The couple seem to have been buoyed by Nathan’s popularity and Mollee may not fare so well with voters on her own. But a more mature partner could prove to give her the push to make it through to the top 4.

Meanwhile, if Karen Hauer makes it through the elimination, she will need to connect with one of the stronger men if she hopes to survive another week. A fresh partner may also prove the right move for Noelle Marsh, who has done well with Russell Ferguson, but may shine with someone else.

As for who will be headed home this week, expect to see Karen and partner Victor Smalley among the bottom three couples. As for the rest - it really is anyone’s game right now.

Who do you think will benefit from the partner switch up? Which dancers do you want to see in the Top 10?

Join us live on Twitter @Reuters_Fanfare for the east coast airing of the show.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Jakob Karr (L) and Ashleigh Di Lello (R) perform a Lyrical Jazz routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on FOX. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Nathan Trasoras (L) and Mollee Gray (R) perform a Can-Can choreographed by Tyce Diorio on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on FOX. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

The top 18 dancers sashayed straight into competition — and eliminations — on Tuesday’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

The two-hour long show was the final round to be decided entirely by the panel of three judges before voting is handed back over to viewers on November 10.

It was a packed show, with all nine couples performing ahead of the same-day elimination.

The night started off with Noelle Marsh, freshly recovered from an injury that kept her out of the competition last week, and partner Russell Ferguson in a tennis-inspired hip-hop battle.

The routine, choreographed by first-time contributor Jamal Sims, was fast-paced, but fell short for all three judges.

“It was just so fast that I think you really didn’t get a hold of it,” said judge Nigel Lythgoe, adding that he found the routine disappointing.

Ashleigh Di Lello and Jakob Carr were up next with a Viennese Waltz that prompted judge Adam Shankman to gush, “I am madly in love with you guys.”

Also evoking rave reviews were fan favorites Mollee Gray and Nathan Trasoras. The show’s youngest couple aced a tough Bollywood number prompting host Cat Deeley to rename the genre “Molleewood.”

Latin dancer Karen Hauer, who was the first contestant this season to board judge Mary Murphy’s Hot Tamale Train, was so spicy in this week’s hip hop routine that Shankman fell out of his chair – literally.

Meanwhile partner Kevin Hunte’s dancing was so “hot, hot, hot” that Murphy invited him to hop on the Tamale Train too.

Contemporary dancer Katheryn McCormick shone in the most “compelling” act of the evening, a Stacey Tookey contemporary number about a woman and her fear — potrayed by partner Legacy Perez, who was praised for his growth in the competition.

“Legacy, you are a different man than I have ever seen before,” said Shankman. “You turned a corner, buddy… you were dancing.”

Also garnering rave reviews were Ryan Di Lello and partner Ellenore Scott — who danced the majority of a challenging Argentine Tango with her dress stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

Falling short this week were Bianca Revels and Victor Smalley, who struggled with their Tyce Diorio Broadway routine.

Meanwhile, Channing Cooke and Philip Attmore were criticized over the lifts in their piece, but praised for their support of one another.

After a brief meeting, the judges decided Revels, Smalley, Attmore and Marsh would have to dance for their lives. After the solos, Lythgoe announced that, in a split decision, tapper Revels was being sent home.

Attmore was also sent home, with Lythgoe adding that it broke his heart to let two tappers go in one night.

Next week, voting is back in your hands.

Are you glad to have the power to vote again? Do you think the judges made the right choices? Was it a good idea to let two tappers go in one night?

(Noelle Marsh (L) and Russell Ferguson (R) perform a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Jamal Sims on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE . ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Becker/FOX)

(Nathan Trasoras (L) and Mollee Gray (R) perform a Bollywood routine choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Becker/FOX)

(Ellenore Scott (L) and Ryan Di Lello (R) perform an Argentine Tango choreographed by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Becker/FOX)

Hollywood starlet and tabloid favorite Audrina Patridge takes to the big screen in horror movie “Sorority Row,” which opens September 11.

She plays a sorority girl who ends up being the victim of a prank gone wrong — which later sparks a killing spree at the sorority.

She talked with Reuters about the film and her upcoming reality TV show on MTV, which you can read here.

In the video below, she shares what her favorite horror movies are, talks about her character in “Sorority Row” and dishes on bonding with her fellow castmates.

It turns out, Patridge said, that on the set there was none of the cattiness that colors “The Hills,” the top-rated reality series on MTV that made her a celebrity. Click below to watch the video.

The “dreaded quickstep” was once again the kiss of death as ballerina Melissa Sandvig was eliminated on Fox’s fifth season of the popular “So You Think You Can Dance.”

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

It was a night of celebration on Fox’s summer hit “So You Think You Can Dance” as the show marked it’s 100^th episode with special guest appearances and the return of Emmy-winning performances.

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

With the latest Harry Potter movie opening across North America tomorrow, “The Half-Blood Prince” is already — and perhaps expectedly — among the hottest-selling movie tickets of the year.

From Alaska to Florida, 2,500 midnight showtimes of “The Half-Blood Prince” have sold out, according to Fandango, a top movie and entertainment online ticket seller.

The website is currently selling an average of eight Harry Potter tickets per second.

It seems the British boy wizard has cast the right spell to reclaim his spot among the top 3 advance-ticket sellers of all time, a coveted honor lost last fall to “Twilight”.

In fact, by the end of the day, “The Half-Blood Prince” may even outpace “The Dark Knight” in advance-ticket sales.

“Harry Potter fans are insanely loyal,” said Fandango spokesperson Harry Medved. “And it’s clear that the online buzz and positive reviews for ‘The Half-Blood Prince’ are fueling the online ticket sales.”

This should come as a surprise to the Wall Street Journal.

An article posted Friday on their website argued that Harry Potter fans were getting too old for spellbooks and Quidditch.

The article further stated the average teen would rather spend time with “the gorgeous vampire (Robert Pattinson) who fights his own biological destiny to fall in love with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a human girl” in the Twilight series.

While there is no denying Potter fans are growing up (the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997), are they really ready to abandon the boy wizard en masse?

The numbers suggest most fans have room for both.

Fifty-five percent of people who plan to see “The Half-Blood Prince” said they are also fans of the Twilight series of books, according to Fandango.

And 59 percent of people who plan to see “The Half-blood Prince” said they are looking forward to “New Moon”, the upcoming Twilight movie.

But there is one category where Harry Potter has Twilight beat.

While 63 percent of people planning to see “The Half-Blood Prince” are female, there is still a sizable group of males looking forward to watching Harry Potter’s latest adventure on screen.

“It’s not like Twilight,” said Medved. “That was 80-90 percent female.”

Medved added that Twilight’s popularity may have been fueled by the fact that “The Half-Blood Prince” was delayed from its original release date in November of 2008.

“A lot of fans had to satisfy themselves with ‘Twilight,’” said Medved. “I’m assuming that some went to see ‘Twilight’ to get their fantasy and romance fix.”

The draw of a romance-infused plot line has not escaped the “Half-blood Prince” producers. If this trailer is any indication of what is to come, the latest movie promises plenty of romance.

“So You Think You Can Dance” host Cat Deeley — looking fabulous in a white pant suit — kicked off Thursday’s results show with a hilarious compilation of judge Lil’ C’s critiques from Wednesday — often incomprehensible, inventive, and always verbose.

The laughs didn’t last however, and it was a sad night for Ashley Valerio and Max Kapitannikov, the second female and male dancer to be sent home on Fox’s hit summer reality show.

This week saw some of last week’s favorite couples performing under par and last week’s bottom dancers delivering.

As a testament to the incredibly strong and fairly evenly matched crop of talent this season, executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe told the bottom three couples, “if it were up to us, we probably wouldn’t lose any of this six tonight.”

Despite strong routines last week, Ashley and Max’s solos and performances on Wednesday were less memorable and simply didn’t make the cut for audiences and judges alike.

Living to see another week of competition were Caitlin Kinney and Jason Glover along with Kupono Aweau and his new partner Kayla Radomski.

Despite hip-hop’s popularity and the return of choreographer Shane Sparks (a judge on “America’s Best Dance Crew“), it was “hip-not” this week with two of last week’s star couples unable to deliver, landing them in the bottom.

Last week, Caitlin and Jason nailed their bollywood number, and Kupono and Ashley impressed with Wade Robson’s crash test dummies routine, but both couples struggled with uneven hip-hop performances that underwhelmed the judges.

Early audience favorite Phillip Chbeeb and his partner Jeanine Mason were safe despite a dismal and awkward tango performance. “A lack of confidence is the heaviest anchor you can put on your creativity, on your art. You had no confidence through that whole routine,” Lil’ C told Phillip. Nigel simply said, “It wasn’t good.”

Asuka Kondoh and Vitolio Jeune — who were in the bottom three last week — came back with a moving and lyrical waltz performance choreographed by Louie van Amstel, inspired by Vitolio’s background growing up an orphan.

Mary Murphy also praised Jonathan Platero and Karla Garcia’s contemporary routine by Canadian choregrapher Stacey Tooki, telling Jonathan, “I have never said this in five seasons: Jonathan you did that style better than your own!” They too also came close to saying goodbye last week.

Rising to the “threat-to-watch” list was Ade Obayomi, whom Lil’ C called  “everybody’s competition”.

As the contrast between this week and last week’s performances showed, favorites can change week to week depending literally on the luck of the (genre) draw. Dancers can rise to the occasion after disappointment, while the confidence of others can be shattered when performing out of their element.

Which genre and choreography will send next week’s dancers home? And which dancers will prove themselves to be versatile in anything thrown their way?

(Writing and reporting by Laura Isensee)

These days vampires seem to be all love and no bite.

Or they bite mainly when they’re making love, as in the case of “True Blood,” the original HBO series that premieres its second season on Sunday, and is the focus of aggressive marketing with an advertisement that took over the front page of the ailing Los Angeles Times on Friday.

The series, based on Charlaine Harris’ book series called the “Southern Vampire Mysteries,” tells the story of telepathic Sookie Stackhouse, who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton in a small Louisiana town where vampires have come out of the coffin, so to speak.

The show stars Anna Paquin and is one of HBO’s brightest hopes after the cable channel suffered the one-two punch of losing “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under.”

The series also is part of the latest phenomenon of vampires biting into movies and television.

The blockbuster “Twilight,” featuring rising stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, recently swept the MTV Movie Awards and the trailer for “New Moon,” the second installment in the movie series, earlier this month received 10.6 million online views in its first week..

Also showing its fangs again is an erstwhile vampire favorite. Producers say a new “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie is in the works, following on the original 1992 movie which morphed into a popular television series from Joss Whedon that ran from 1997 to 2003. Cable channel the CW will debut a new series in the fall called “Vampire Diaries” that tells the story of a love triangle between a girl and two vampire brothers, one good and one evil. So it seems producers are seeing an opportunity to make a killing from the vampire craze.

Even Alan Ball, the creator of “True Blood,” joked about audiences’ thirst for blood-sucking drama, at the screening of the second season at Paramount Pictures Studio this week, and how he’s constantly asked why people are so fascinated with vampires.

“Usually I answer with something vague about vampires being sexy or we’ve all known somebody who’s sucked the life out of us,” Ball said, drawing laughs from the audience.

“But I don’t really say what I truly believe which is: Why are people so fascinated with vampires? I don’t know! Why do we have appendices? Why are they still making Hummers? Who are Jon and Kate and why does anyone care? Some questions just cannot be answered,” Ball joked.

How is this latest generation of blood-suckers different from others, like the classic Dracula?

“The main difference is that they are very complex in their portrayal of characters and relationships … You didn’t see that in the others that were really blood and gore, violent and campy ,” said Elayne Rapping, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo.

Rapping said the latest vampire hits are more like soap operas. And the unrealistic story line makes the intense emotional entanglements possible. With a more realistic story line, “it would seem too goofy, really,” Rapping said.

(Writing and reporting by Laura Isensee)

Two presidents, a major general and a shaved head all played a part this week in comedian Stephen Colbert’s declared mission to bring attention to the 6 year-old war in Iraq and the troops still fighting abroad.

On Thursday, Colbert broadcast from Iraq the last of four episodes he starred in this week from the battle-torn country. On Thursday’s edition of “The Colbert Report,” a program which spoofs U.S. politics and culture on cable channel Comedy Central, the show featured a special shout-out to the troops by former President George W. Bush. It was one of several guest video spots that included politicians from right and left, from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to President Barack Obama.

The political satirist went to the Middle East under the humorous title “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando,” but he seemed serious about his mission. This week he guest-edited Newsweek magazine, albeit as his fictional on-screen persona.

“I know what you’re thinking: ‘Isn’t the Iraq War over?’ That’s what I thought, too. I hadn’t seen it in the media for a while, and when I don’t see something, I assume it’s vanished forever, like in that terrifying game peekaboo. We stopped seeing much coverage of the Iraq War back in September when the economy tanked, and I just figured the insurgents were wiped out because they were heavily invested in Lehman Brothers,” Colbert wrote in Newsweek.

“Turns out there are still 135,000 troops in Iraq, which I don’t understand because we’ve already won the war,” he continued in his column.

Colbert, who is splashed on Newsweek’s front page this week, also helped select stories for the issue that focus on Iraq. But he didn’t drop his humor, also publishing fake letters that his character has sent to the magazine over the years.

Cynics could say the trip to Iraq was really about Stephen - and ratings. But others, including Los Angeles Times columnist James Rainey, believe that Colbert is serious and sincere.

Do viewers think Colbert was successful in his mission? Will his comedy show from Iraq spark more media attention to the war in today’s fast-paced news cycle? Is more coverage of the war and the troops needed? We thought Fan Fare readers might want to share what they would write in Colbert’s after-action report.

Police in Thailand are working to solve the mystery of actor David Carradine’s death last week in a Bangkok hotel, and they have said not to expect any answers for a month.

His family, however, is ready to settle at least one question: whether the media should publish photos said to be the actor’s body, discovered naked and hanging in his Bangkok hotel room on June 4. 

Carradine’s death has sparked intense media speculation about how he died (Click here for that story). Theories have ranged from suicide to murder to accidental autoerotic asphyxiation. All are speculative, none are confirmed.

When a Thai newspaper, Thai Rath, which is known for lively coverage of crime and celebrities, published grainy photos on Saturday that it claimed showed Carradine’s hanging body, an attorney for the actor’s brother, Keith Carradine, said the family will take legal action against people or media outlets that publish the photos.

“The family wants it understood that … any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published,” said the statement from attorney Mark Geragos.

Thai police have declined to confirm the authenticity of the photos. (Click here for that story). They did say media were not present at the crime scene and the picture was not leaked by them. Thai Rath did not give a source for the photograph or show the face. We here on the Fan Fare blog have seen it online, and at best it appears highly suspect.

The events bring to mind the leaked police photo of Rihanna after she was allegedly attacked by singer Chris Brown back in February. The photo caused a stir and was not published by some media outlets but was published by others. A key difference was that it was said to be a police photograph, which was later substantiated, and it was clearly Rihanna.

Media outlets daily juggle questions of what should and should not be published, and each case often has a different answer depending on details. The story of Carradine’s death and the speculative information on how he died, as well as the photo published by Thai Rath, have again sparked debate here among some of our reporters on what details should and/or should not be published.

We thought Fan Fare readers might like a chance to tell us what they think. So, when does publishing salacious details — real or imagined – of a death and, perhaps, a real photo go too far? Or, put another way, when does the right to privacy trump the public’s right to know?