Saturday, March 14, 2009

Quest Performing in NY on March 27 -NOT!!!

On March 27, Quest (America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 winners) will perform at Prime in New York City. From 9-11, they'll be available for autographs and pictures. If you buy regular tickets this first week, they cost $20 apiece; prices are expected to go up. Minimum age: 21.

UPDATE: I HEARD FROM QUEST THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ATTENDING THIS EVENT. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT ANYONE WHO WAS PLANNING TO ATTEND--LIKE ME!

Turn it Loose -- upcoming film about 2007 Red Bull BC One

Turn It Loose, a documentary about the 2007 Red Bull One competition, premiered at the Jameson Dublin Film Festival in February 2009. The film follows the personal story of six of the competitors at the Soweto competition, including Ronnieboy (who also is a member of Super Cr3w, from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2): "Ronnie, a professional b-boy from Las Vegas who has a very definite purpose for being there- to honour the loss of his dead brother, and avenge losing in last year’s final." Read more about the film here.



Beat Freaks perform at Les Deux - video

Here's Beat Freaks performing on March 11, 2009 at Les Deux in Hollywood, courtesy of the Pacific Rim Youtube Channel. I completely agree with the many commenters (here and elsewhere) that Beat Freaks deserved to be in America's Best Dance Crew 3's Top 2.
Click here to see Beat Freaks free-styling with Super Cr3w at the same party.

Friday, March 13, 2009

JabbaWockeeZ video -- interview, NKOTB rehearsals

TV Guide taped JabbaWockeeZ (America's Best Dance Crew Season 1 winners) during their rehearsals for the New Kids on the Block Tour. It says that they still wake up shocked at their success.

What it's like onstage after the America's Best Dance Crew Finale

I still have items to share from the America's Best Dance Crew finale, including photos and interview items with JC Chasez and Fanny Pak. But in the meantime, here's a clip showing how utterly crazy it is on the stage after the Finale as reporters angle to get interviews with ABDC crews and personalities. MTV does a superb job of managing the mob, but it's still one of the more zoo-ish situations around.

Upcoming Boxcuttuhz California Performances

Boxcuttuhz (from America's Best Dance Crew Season 3) is performing in California over the next two weeks: Thanks for the info, Lando!

Mailbox --Quest/Shane/Lil Kim Finale video, Lil Mama on Detox, JabbaWockeeZ show review

  • Lil Mama goes home again and finds...Jim Cantiello and Detox. Can you say 'eviction order'?
  • NewsOK reviews the New Kids on the Block show and briefly mentions JabbaWockeeZ 'electric' performance
  • Young Hollywood posts its video from the America's Best Dance Crew finale with interviews from Quest, Shane Sparks, and Lil Kim. One new Quest factoid for me: The first dance class that Ryan Feng ever took was taught by Beat Freak Rino

Survey Results - Quest would win the America's Best Dance Crew champion Dance-off

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Poll: What were the best performances for Season 3?

I've taken all the reader comments on the best dances on Seasons 3 of America's Best Dance Crew and compiled them into a poll. Now, please vote in this poll to choose your top 10. Feel free to vote for multiple performances, as many as you want. NOTE: Quest week 5 should read GOT MONEY, not The Right Stuff (I can't change it without negating all the votes so far!)

I've limited the choices to the top 6 mentioned for each crew, so I apologize if I left off one of your favorites. Also, to refresh your memory, I've put the Week number in parentheses next to the performance - (1) Sudden Death, (2) Fit Test, (3) Britney Spears, (4) Whack Track, (5) Illusion (Magic), (6) Battle of the Sexes, (7) Hip Hop decathlon/Last Chance

In about a week, I'll post videos for the highest vote getters. In addition -- if they are not included in the final top 10, I'll also post the top group performance and the top performance by each Season 3 crew. So, vote right now, and vote right!

JabbaWockeeZ NKOTB Tour videos, including Single Ladies

JabbaWockeeZ (America's Best Dance Crew Season 1 winners) are part of the New Kids on the Block tour, and the Youtube videographers have been getting busy. Here's their take on Beyonce's Single Ladies, filmed by Rekcutx:


Click here to watch other JabbaWockeeZ videos from this tour.

Exclusive Interview with Strikers All-Stars at the ABDC Finale

Here's our interview with Strikers All-Stars at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale. They answer questions on their plans, funniest moments on the show, and which crews they expected to win.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Exclusive interview with Randy Jackson at ABDC Finale

We were lucky enough to be one of the few press groups to talk with Randy Jackson after the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale. Here, he talks with Sarah R about his expectations for Season 4 and his admiration for Quest and Beat Freaks.

Boogie Town Trailer, with Kaba Modern Quest's Hok, & Boxcuttuhz' Lando

Hannahdenver posts a trailer for the upcoming movie Boogie Town, which appears to feature America's Best Dance Crew alums Kaba Modern and Hok (from Quest).[UPDATE: Reader Aimee also spotted Lando from Boxcuttuhz in the trailer.] Shane Sparks choreographed this film, which is set to be released in Summer 2009.

The plot: the film is "West side Story for the hip hop generation, takes place in a New York City of the future. There's no more violence, no more drugs - in their place are illegal dance contests, which occur in the underground world of Boogie Town. Micha and Jay, leaders of rival dancing crews, acquire superpowers which take the contests to new levels. Despite the animosity between the two gangs, Micha falls in love with Jay's beautiful sister Natalie and the two become a future-day Romeo and Juliet."
Thanks for the tip, Shay!

Survey Results - Season 3 was our fans' favorite

Almost 800 people voted in our survey on their favorite America's Best Dance Crew Season. Over half thought Season 3 was the best yet.

TV Guide Interviews Quest

More fodder for the Quest fanatic: TV Guide sits down with America's Best Dance Crew Quest to find out how they met, their creative goals, and their opinions about Beat Freaks.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Will there be America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 on MTV? - I have my doubts

During the interviews after the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale, Randy Jackson said that Season 4 will be 'off the chain'. Others also made comments about Season 4. But I (and others) do not feel quite so confident that MTV will air another season.

Why? When I attended the Finale last week, I spoke with producers and show spokesmen as well as the crews and ABDC personalities. They said encouraging words about Season 4. But it felt --- forced. Kind of like a family celebration where you know that the couples may divorce, or a Christmas party at a company that may have to start layoffs. The words are there, but you still feel uneasy.

What's the problem? Not ratings or lack of talent. So, it might be production costs. As Chrissy at Yahoo! TV wrote last week, ABDC is one of the most expensive programs for Viacom (MTV's parent company) to produce, especially with the costs of music clearances. Viacom has had financial problems and recent layoffs, and they might not be willing/able to maintain the show in its current form.

I REALLY hope this isn't the case. However, if MTV did drop ABDC, I also hope that another cable or broadcast network would pick up the show. Back in October 2008, I spoke to ABDC creator and executive producer Howard Schwartz at the NY ABDC auditions. He told me that originally NBC had been interested in the program, but eventually passed on it. Perhaps NBC (or another network) will now be sold on the ABDC for a few key reasons:
  • ABDC has shown that it can deliver ratings and loyalty with a younger audience.
  • The show would be less expensive for them to produce than star-laden dramas or situation comedies
  • Oher dance shows are prospering on broadcast TV, so this format is not a risky unknown.
So, here's hoping for a Season 4, preferably on MTV, but SOMEWHERE. Let me know what you think.

Exclusive Interview with Ringmasters at ABDC Finale

We talked to Ringmasters onstage after the finale of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. They drop a hint about friendships/upcoming collaboration with Beat Freaks and Quest, their reputation for being nice, and their admiration for Michael Jackson. (As related content, MTV Remote Control reported that Ringmasters are staying with Beat Freaks as they prepare to move to Los Angeles and that Beat Freaks helped Ringmasters get an audition for Step Up 3).

MTV's ABDC Video Round-up

MTV Remote Control posts a bittersweet one-minute roundup of images from America's Best Dance Crew Season 3.

Beat Freaks Reel -- Why they're the top ABDC Girl Crew

This Beat Freaks video showcases the crazy skills of each of the Beat Freaks. Let's hope that B Girl The Movie gets released soon and that Beat Freaks goes on national tour and shows us what made them the girls-to-beat on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Exclusive post-finale Interview with Quest - their comic side

Since we didn't get to interview Quest on-stage after the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 finale (they were swamped by media!), we were invited to talk to them the next day at their hotel. Though the crew appeared exhausted by the excitement, exertion, and early morning radio interviews, they were charming, funny, and in-the moment. Conducting this interview was our favorite moment in our LA trip.

We figured that they already answered the 'straight' questions (e.g., 'how does it feel to win ABDC?') so we chose off-beat questions from our readers and the finale action. Watch for Ryan's dance move, which somehow never made it to ABDC. Off-camera, they also told us that:
  • They appreciated having Beat Freaks as their competition, since they were the one of the best girl crews around. "Beat Freaks forced us to keep working"
  • They weren't confident that they would win and were truly nervous during the finale.
  • They read BloggingBestDanceCrew.com and voted for themselves on all our surveys!
Thanks Quest and MTV for everything!

Season 3 Finale rocked the ratings for Season 3 and the Finale

More than 3.4 million viewers tuned for the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale. It was the best ratings for ABDC since the Season 1 finale.

MTV scored big ratings numbers with the Season 3 finale, beating broadcast shows in some key demographics. The show beat broadcast competition in its timeslot among people 12-34 and females 12 to 34, and all teen demographics. It also finished behind only ER among adults 18 to 34.


In Season 3, ABDC averaged a 2.23 rating for people 12-34, up 22% from Season 2. The season also averaged a 4.65 rating for females 18-24, up 67% from Season 2. Cumulatively, America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 reached 70.7 million watchers, 32.9 million of whom were aged 12 to 34, according to MTV.

More Finale Recaps, with Video Benefits

  • Jayne at You Love to Watch is gratified that she finally voted for the winners, and describes her love for Quest
  • Albert at Talk of Fame posts his Finale interviews with Quest, Strikers All-Stars, Dynamic Edition, Fly Khicks, and celebrity audience members Lil Kim, Derek Hough, and Shannon Elizabeth. Here's Fly Khicks (aka the Sisterhood of the Travelling Khicks):

Sunday, March 8, 2009

What were the best performances of Season 3?

Now that Season 3 is history, we'd like to look back at its finest moments. Please leave a comment nominating the best performances from the entire season, from all the crews. We'll compile them, put together a survey for you, then share the videos (or clips) over the next few weeks.

Exclusive Interview with Dynamic Edition, onstage after ABDC Finale

Sarah R talks to Dynamic Edition after the ABDC Finale, reading questions from our readers for the crew. They talk about which other crews they'd like to work with, why they auditioned for the show, and what they'd do if they weren't dancing.

Quest Video -- their thanks!

Quest Dance on MySpace presents video of Quest performance highlights, followed by their onstage interview, where each crew member names who they want to thank for their win and their success.
Quest Crew is America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Winners!

More Finale Recaps

  • Celebrity Movie Archive gives play-by-play, including calling the Quest/Dynamic Edition/Strikers group performance in the America's Best Dance Crew finale "A fun and energetic performance that also put a spotlight on one of the most blatant sponsor placements ever when crew highlights were shown on a T-Mobile phone. It was so off-the-wall that it was actually funny"
  • Seattle PI lists the reasons they love both Quest and Beat Freaks, and posts pictures and videos with both. Here's their Beat Freaks footage: