Quest Celebration Party, Meet &Greet this weekend!

Quest will be celebrating their victory on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 this Saturday, March 21 at LAX club in Los Angeles. This is a party, not a performance. Other ABDC luminaries are also expected to attend. BloggingBestDanceCrew.com is sending some field reporters and hope to have some pictures to share with you next week. Note: minimum age 21.

Quest will also be doing a meet-and-greet and signing at the Dub Auto Show in Los Angeles on Sunday March 22. This is open to all ages.

Team Millennia on East Coast - hosting, performing, teaching

Team Millennia (from America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 2 and 3) has announced appearances on April 25 and 26 in New York and New Jersey:

• April 25: TM is presenting Prelude EC, a dance competition. Click on the poster for details, including information on how your dance team can sign up to compete
• On April 25, they will also perform at BLVD in New York (21+)
• April 26: They'll be teaching a workshop in New Jersey (details to follow).

We'll report on Prelude EC, and are hoping for a new interview with Team Millennia to update you on their plans. If you have any questions for them, please leave them in the comments section.

Poll results: Quest dominates our readers' favorite performances

Our reader poll on favorite performances for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 is closed. Quest owned it, capturing 9 of the 11 top slots for crew or multiple group performance. Over the next 2 weeks, we'll show or post links to the videos for these favorites, so come back and watch them again (and again). Up tomorrow: OrQUESTra!

Today's the Last Day to vote in our Best Performances of Season 3 poll

Please vote today in our poll on your favorite performances for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. I'll post the results tomorrow, then start posting the winning videos on Friday.

SoReal Cru Performance in Houston on March 20

SoReal Cru performs for their hometown crowd on Friday March 20 at Status Lounge. Click on this poster for details. Minimum age: 18+ for women, 21+ for men (what's with the different ages?)

Other upcoming SoReal events in March:
- March 26: Texas A&M
- Andrew Baterina teaching a master class at Marvelous Motion Studios, Houston

Team Millennia: New in Performance and Music Videos

TM7 (the Team Millennia group that appeared on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3) performed at San Diego's Best Dance Crew on March 14. Here's their performance, posted on the official TM7ABDC Youtube channel:

Click here to watch TM7 member Chantha Mao in a music video for Ranella Ferrer's Bitter.

Beat Freaks performances in Atlanta March 21-22

Beat Freaks will give their first live performances since America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 wrapped up. They will be held at Pure in Atlanta. Click here for details on the events:

• March 21: 10pm-3am. Minimum ages:21+ for men, 18+ for women
  
• March 22: Doors open at 5pm, Meet-and-greet at 6pm, performance afterwards. All Ages
  

Quest Crew performances at Hot Import Nights

Quest Crew made an unannounced appearance at Hot Import Nights in Anaheim California on March 14. Far East Movement co-headlined the event and documents the whole event, including the surprise announcement five minutes before the show began that America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 winners Quest was in the house.
Here's Arnelproduction's video of the Quest performance:

Click here to watch an on-stage view of this Quest performance; in that one, you see less of the group performance, but have an unobstructed view of some of the moves. And, thanks for the tip, Adobostreak!

Fanny Pak Diversification #2 - What's up with their music album?

We ran into Fanny Pak backstage after the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale. They told us a little more information about the album they are recording:

• It will incorporate a variety of music styles, but they will all be "music you can dance to" (or at least music that Fanny Pak can dance to!
• Tabu (from Black Eyed Peas) and Lil Mama will be among the guest artists
• It is scheduled to be released in Summer 2009
  

Fanny Pak diversification #1- What's up with the shoes?

America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 favorites Fanny Pak is doing way more than dance. The Fanny Pak-inspired shoes from Milkshake Kicks will be released in May. On March 14, they had a photo session and meet-and-greet to promote them. You can see the photos (including the excellent one we are using here) at their Facebook page. And, you can pre-order the shoes by clicking on the Milkshake Kicks ad on the right side of this page.

JC Chasez on America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 3 & 4, and Kerosene Cowboys

At the finale, I almost got a JC Chasez interview on tape, but I couldn't get my film crew free at the same time that he was available. We did talk while I was trying to set it up. Chasez acted the same off-camera as he acted on-camera as an America's Best Dance Crew judge. He's somewhat removed and sardonic, like he doesn't buy into his role as a celebrity. Discussion highlights:

• I've met him twice (finales for America's Best Dance Crew 2 & 3). Both times he called me honey. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult
• He said that he enjoyed Season 3 and that both Beat Freaks and Quest turned in 'memorable' performances
• When asked if he would be a judge in Season 4, he said (VERY jokingly) "I go where they tell me". I assume that means he will stay involved.
• He did drop his wry persona when I asked him about his new movie "Kerosene Cowboys". He described the filming as a challenge and a wonderful experience, and the film as something that will be 'original'

Photocredit: MTV- Chris Polk

America's Best Dance Crew alums in Britney Spears Video "If U Seek Amy"

Jia Huang (Kaba Modern from America's Best Dance Crew Season 1) and Laura Edwards (Fysh N Chicks, America's Best Dance Crew Season 1) can be seen in Britney Spear's latest video If U Seek Amy (as well as in the photo above from this weekend's bowling party!). Watch it here.

They can also be seen as backup dancers for Britney's Circus tour.If you take Circus concert videos that feature these ABDC favorites, please email me the links (bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com) and I'll try to post them.
Thanks for the tip, Michael!

America's Best Dance Crew finale footage: Beat Freaks, Fly Khicks, Layla Kayleigh

5DTV highlights the ladies in their coverage of the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 finale, interviewing Beat Freaks, Fly Khicks, and Layla Kayleigh. Highlight (for me): watching their interviewer show Fly Khicks his split (definitely better than the one done by Albert at Talk of Fame!)

What's America's Best Dance Crew Quest up to NOW?

I contacted Quest to find out more about the published publicity that they would be performing in NY (which turned out to be false). They did share this news:

• The America's Best Dance Crew winners are currently working on a movie, but aren't allowed to give details yet
  
• On April 4, they will appear at a meet and greet at World of Dance at the Pomona Fairplex
• They're also preparing a celebration party in the next few weeks. If I were them, I would have already been celebrating non-stop!
  

A little more finale - Quest interview highlight video

All season long, Pacific Rim has been covering the serious and funny side of the America's Best Dance Crew crews. They just assembled a highlights video of their Quest interviews, answering questions about nationality, taste in girls, and other burning questions.

Lil Mama - I'd work with Chris Brown Again

Lil Mama spoke to MTV News about the allegations about Chris Brown's assault on Rihanna. In it, she takes a very cautious and measured approach, not wanting to pass judgment before all the details are revealed. The America's Best Dance Crew judge also says that she would definitely work with him again. "I would definitely record a song or work with Chris Brown at this very moment, I would. That's me."

Her message for Chris Brown and Rihanna: "I wish them both the best of luck. I wish them both all of the success in the world, which they deserve...As far as the way I feel about it, it's very confusing."

MTV Shows

Super Cr3w's Ronnieboy stars in new Red Bull Ad

Ronnie Abaldonado (member of Super Cr3w, America's Best Dance Crew of Season 2) won Red Bull BC One in 2007. He's now the star of Red Bull's new ad.

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.

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:

• March 19 - V20 Club, Long Beach (18+)
  
• March 20 - Shark Club, Costa Mesa (18+)
  
• March 21 - UNICEF Benefit show - Tap with a Beat, Santa Monica (all audiences, starts at 2:30pm)
• March 21 - V20 Club, Long Beach (again) (18+)

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

poll by twiigs.com

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!

poll by twiigs.com

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.

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.

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.

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):

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:
• 
  

We're back -- tune in for crew videos!

We just returned from Los Angeles. We have quite a number of videos to process and post, including several crews, Randy Jackson, and a glimpse of how crazy it is onstage after the Finale. I promise I'll have a few up tomorrow. So, bear with my computer and jet lag -- I think you'll be glad you did.

Beat Freaks Video after ABDC Finale

Beat Freaks spoke with me after the America's Best Dance Crew finale about who they'd like to tour with, the first dance moves they ever learned, the involvement in the movie "B Girl" and how their involvement might bring more respect to women in the hip hop world. Thanks to readers TiVaughn, Karen Chu, and Litisha for the questions used.

Quiz: Which Dance Crew are You?

BuddyTV has a nifty on-line quiz so that you can channel your inner dance crew. Based on questions on your dance style, your pluckiness, and your taste in Janet and Michael Jackson music, they'll tell you which America's Best Dance Crew team fits your personality.

Which America's Best Dance Crew Are You?

More on America's Best Dance Crew. Created by BuddyTV

Quest Podcast -- Did they think they would win?

Buddy TV spoke with Quest on Friday after the Finale. In their podcast, Quest members describe what it felt like at the finale, how they knew Beat Freaks was going to keep them on their game, and their plans.

Photocredit: MTV

More Season 3 Finale recaps

• Buddy TV credits Quest's tricks as the reason they won America's Best Dance Crew Season 3
• Entertainment Weekly complains about the America's Best Dance Crew finale being tedious, the group dances being 'unmeshed' and her favorite crew taking second place
• LA Times liked the show a whole lot better than EW, and posts about a dozen video interviews taken after the finale
  

Mailbox: Lil Mama, Mario Lopez, JC Chasez

• San Francisco Fashion Examiner was disappointed at Lil Mama's non-outlandish outfit at the finale.
• New York Post talks to Mario Lopez about the Season 3 girl crews, the idea of an all-judges crew, and the America's Best Dance Crew drinking game (alcoholics- pray that Mario doesn't say 'megamix')
• TV Guide interviews JC Chasez, who won't answer which is his favorite team, which crew is the fan's favorite, or whether season consistency is better than a strong finish.
  

Photo credit: Chris Polk

Interview with Shane Sparks at ABDC Finale

Sarah R. spoke with Shane Sparks after the America's Best Dance Crew Finale about his expectations for Season 4:

We just returned from interviewing Quest!

Quest is making the rounds in Los Angeles today, but they found time to talk with Sarah and me. What a great group of guys -- one of my favorite Blogging Best Dance Crew interviews ever! I'll upload it soon. In the meantime, a quiz: Lil Mama called them the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But what comic book characters do THEY identify with?

Early Finale Reports and Video

• MTV Remote Control got first crack at interviewing all the crews, judges, and America's Best Dance Crew celebrities, just after the Finale ended. Watch all 6 clips
• Zap2It recaps the show, with a few extra tidbits (best one: did you know that the ABDC winner's trophy was a bobblehead?)

Contest winners - Congratulations Baby Boy and Jeff#1

The winners of the BloggingBestDanceCrew.com contests were:

• Top 4 Challenge - Baby Boy was the first to get the finishing order of Quest - Beat Freaks - Fly Khicks - Strikers for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Though there were over 200 entries in the first 4 weeks, nobody got it right until he hit it in Week 5.
  
• Elimination Challenge - There was a tie between Eddie (who went into this last week with a 1-point lead, but guessed Beat Freaks for the win) and Jeff #1. However, Jeff came closer to predicting the number of votes cast in the last week.
  

I'll contact both of you about your prizes. Congratulations!

REASONS TO STAY WITH BloggingBestDanceCrew.com

America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 is over, but BloggingBestDanceCrew.com will be here for you over the next few months. Why should you keep reading us?

• Over the next week, we'll run videos of our interviews at the finale. During the off-season, we'll try to have regularly scheduled podcasts with the Season 1-3 crews
• We'll post the latest news on America's Best Dance Crew plans, including news of any tours and Season 4 (we hope)
• We'll keep up with your favorite crews, judges, and ABDC personalities. We'll supply information on performances, workshops, meet-and-greets, films/videos, merchandise, and anything else they're up to.
• We try to get YOU in the action, letting our readers tell us what questions they want to ask their ABDC favorites, and getting ABDC readers into local hip hop dance events as field reporters
  
• ABDC may be done, but hip hop dancing is thriving. We'll provide news and videos about other dance events including World of Dance, Hip Hop International, and any international Dance Crew competitions.
• We'll run forums, contests, and polls so that you can stay connected to others who love ABDC.

So stay with us! You'll be glad you did.
Photocredit: icanhascheezburger.com

Finale - first report from the press tent

We just returned from the America's Best Dance Crew taping. My ears are still ringing and I am still scraping confetti off my shoes. That was intense!

As with last season, I watched in the press tents with BABDC reporting crew members Sarah, Michelle, Cheryl, and with members of 21 other press outlets. Though there was some laughter (especially at the Ninja Turtle comment), wild cheering (at the Quest announcement), and lots of videotaping (why would you tape a TV in the press tent?), I missed on-line blogging and chat with this site's readers. Afterwards, we waited in an area suspiciously like a windtunnel, and finally got to see the stage around 30 minutes after the show stopped taping.

Then all hell broke loose. 22 media outlets and about 14 interviewable celebrities/crews = media feeding frenzy. We tried to interview Quest, but kept getting moved aside by other larger or more persistent camera crews. Man, I should have had my NY game going more. We did get to talk on camera to Shane Sparks, Randy Jackson, Ringmasters, Dynamic Edition, Beat Freaks, Strikers, and off camera to GOP, co-producer Howard Schwartz, Fanny Pak and JC Chasez.

No major revelations (except that there WILL be a Season 4), but we'll share the answers to our reader questions soon. And, we're going to try to talk to Quest tomorrow. No promises, but here's hoping... they did smile at us!

Survey: Which group gave the best performance at the ABDC Finale?

Survey: Which ABDC winner would win in a dance-off?

poll by twiigs.com

The Party Room/Critics Corner is NOW OPEN -- Join us!

The Critics Corner for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3's Finale is now open! Share your impressions, frustrations, hates and loves. Did America vote right? Were the group performances awesome or awkward? What strange things did the judges say this time? Give us your reactions to the Finale and to the season in general. We'll leave this post open and prominent, so you can comment all the way to Season 4!

ETA from Tbone: MTV is hosting an online after party with the ABDC Insider and Tim Kash featuring interviews with the crews, judges and various hangers-on. Keep your eye out for our own Nancy T! And of course the party will continue all night long right here on BABDC...

Photocredit: MTV

Live play-by-play blogging of ABDC Season 3 Finale!

At 10pm, TBone will be watching America's Best Dance Crew and live blogging the facts as he sees them. So tune in at 10 and feel free to read along!

Even though this software gives readers the option of sending comments, please post most of them on the separate Party Room/Critics Corner post instead (unless you REALLY want TBone to see your message real-time). Reason: with this software, reader comments must be manually inserted and he'll be pretty busy between the TV and the keyboard.

Survey: Which was your favorite America's Best Dance Crew Season?

Surveys say: Quest wins Season 3

The BloggingBestDanceCrew.com surveys indicate that Quest should beat out Beat Freaks and win America's Best Dance Crew Season 3:

• 82% of respondents said that Quest gave the best performances over the whole Season 3 (1,238 responses)
• 88% said that Quest gave the best Week 7 performance. (1,149 responses)
  

Of course, all that is based on the idea that our respondents are similar to the people who used MTV's voting system and that there was no major difference in how often partisans for Quest vs. Beat Freaks actually voted.

What would you do to make the Finale memorable?

We know that tonight's finale for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 will have 3 group performances and the crowning of the Best Dance Crew. That leaves at least 20 minutes to fill. MTV could run retrospectives, have some individual performances, some interviews..all well and good.

But, if you were an ABDC producer, what would YOU do? What other performances and guests could they trot out to make it a truly memorable show? What retrospective footage would you want to see (the auditions, top moments, crew candids?

Youtube Spoof of ABDC Season 3

Tonight, America's Best Dance Crew brings back all of the Season 3 crews. To adequately prepare you, Ryanandangelo perform a 2-man summary of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 in less than 4 minutes.

T0NIGHT: Join us for live blogging,The Critics Corner, and more

Thank God it's Thursday! Watch America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Finale with us tonight! The Week 7 Critics Corner opens at 9:30 ET and stays open as long as you want, so that everyone can comment on anything remotely related to ABDC. What did you think of the group performances? Are you happy or mad at the season result? What would you like to see changed in Season 4 (providing there is a Season 4).

At 10pm ET, TBone be doing live play-by-play while watching the show, so feel free to tune in to get his take or to get a sneak preview of the action (for those of you from the West Coast/Canada/India or other ABDC-deprived zones). I'll be watching from a press tent in Los Angeles, preparing to interview crews and ABDC people on-stage after the show ends. I promise to visit the Critics Corner when I finally return to my motel room (it'll be late!)to see what you think. Perhaps I'll even have some scoop (or dirt) to share.

Coming up: Post Finale Interviews with Crews, judges and more

I just landed in Los Angeles, and can't wait to join the hordes of press doing post-finale interviews. Please come back in the next few days to watch interviews with as many crews and ABDC people as we can get to (asking questions submitted by our readers), read any scoops that I find, and read about what it's like after the show is over!

Beat Freaks Fans: Get Ready for B-Girl, the Movie!

America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 ends this week, but the Beat Freaks go on! Lady Jules is the star of an upcoming independent film called B-Girl, about a female breakdancer in the world of underground hip-hop. Fellow crew member Teresa was one of the chief choreographers for the film. It will also star Wesley Jonathan (Roll Bounce), Drew Sidora (Step Up 2), Aimee Garcia (The George Lopez Show), and stellar b-boys Flipz, Flearock, Legacy, Remedy, and Steelo. For more information on the film (and to see clips of the Beat Freaks), go to bgirlmovie.com and the BGirl Movie Youtube channel. Here's the trailer. We'll have updates and more information soon, we hope!

The Main Event Report Pt. 2: Performances!

On February 28, Bergen Performing Arts Center was packed with hip hop fans and dancers. Thirteen East Coast teams competed, hoping to win the first East Coast Main Event. Fr3sh Dance Company hosted the show and its three groups performed in the exhibition program, along with Boogie Bots, Lost Kids, Funkanometry SF, Project EM. It was a serious dance competition, using official score sheets from the Hip Hop Dance Association, and judged by dance professionals: Emerson Aquino and Gina Rosale (Funkanometry SF), Keone Madrid (Choreo Cookies), Rocko Luciano (Boxcuttuhz), Kyle Hanagami (The Lost Kids), and choreographer Mariel Martin. Brian Puspos (SoReal Cru) was also in the house to lend support. And the Master of Ceremonies was Brian East of Boogie Bots. Brian -- if Mario Lopez leaves America's Best Dance Crew, I nominate you to fill his shoes!

The place was packed and aroar. The competition differed from ABDC format, using full size crews (a dozen and more members) performing five minute programs. All of them captured the attention and love of the audience. For me, the best ones distinguished themselves through tough moves, precision, and holding my interest by varying how they changed up with their different subgroups, how they varied tempo and energy, and their use of surprise in transitions. My personal favorites were winners Rhythm City (who I loved at the ABDC auditions too), Capital Funk (second place), EPIC Motion (third place), and newcomers WRUSH. This competition was a supremely good idea for showcasing new talent and proving that the East Coast can stand up to the West.

The exhibition teams were amazing, giving lie to the idea that ABDC has used up all the best talent. Here's The Lost Kids:


Click here to see my performance videos of Boogie Bots and Fr3sh Dance Company, as well as other people's videos of Rhythm City and EPIC Motion.

Mailbox: Team Millennia workshops, Status Quo, Mario Lopez

Team Millennia 7 (the TM group that appeared on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3) will host a dance workshop (with meet-and-greets) on Saturday March 7 in Fullerton, CA. They plan to bring their workshop to other locations:, including the East Coast, over the next few months: March 21 - Stylz Dance Studio in Covina, CA; April 11 - Jayvee Dance in Alhambra CA; April 18 - Hype Studios in Torrance, CA; April 26- New York (location to be announced); April 27 -Step by Step Dancesport in Bergenfield NJ; May 16 -Studio 429 in Encinitas, CA

The Appalachian Online (the student newspaper for Appalachia State University) spoke with Status Quo when the crew performed locally. Status Quo describes how they met, how they came up with their crew name, what it was like to watch themselves on TV, and what's on their IPods. And, they plan to make a movie about hardcore street dancing.

Congratulations to Mario Lopez at receiving one of Cosmopolitan Magazine's Fun Fearless Male awards!

Hilarious Beat Freaks interview (with some dancing)

Sassy went to the studio and talked to Beat Freaks for Lemondrop.com. This is not your same-old, same-old video. Sassy (who sounds like Fran on The Nanny) asks the crew if the Octomom should train the babies to be dancers, what they'd do if they found out Quest were vampires, and dances with them using slinkies, fans, jump ropes and other props. And her bray-laugh stops the unflappable crew COLD.

Groups and Playlist for ABDC Finale

MTV Remote Control reports on America's Best Dance Crew group performances for the finale. Since geography was not emphasized this year, the judges chose how the crews would be grouped.

• Team 1: Boxcuttuhz, Beat Freaks, Team Millennia performing to "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
• Team 2: Dynamic Edition, Strikers All-stars, and Quest performing to "Right Around" by Flo Rida
• Team 3: Fly Khicks, GOP, and Ringmasters performing to "Numba One (Tide is High)" by Kardinall Offishall ft. Keri Hilson

It appears that they tried to match (not mix) crew specialties for the crew that were not top 3, so that there is a choreo team, a 'footwork' team, and a 'street dance' team.
How would you have grouped the crews together?

JabbaWockeeZ in DJ Drama's new video

The Jabbawockeez are featured in DJ Drama's video for Day Dreaming. It also features Akon, Snoop Dogg, and T.I.

The Main Event Report Pt.1: Interviews with Boxcuttuhz, Lost Kids, Boogie Bots, ICONic

On February 28, Fr3sh Dance Troupe hosted The Main Event, the first dance East Coast hip hop competition. Twelve teams from DC, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey competed for the title, the trophy, and a winner's belt.

Before the show and during intermission, I talked to judges, teams, and audience members who had an America's Best Dance Crew connection: Rocko from Boxcuttuhz, Brian (Boogie Mind) from Boogie Bots, Brandon Tyler from ICONic, and the Lost Kids (who auditioned for Season 3, and are favorites of many of my readers). They discussed their ABDC experience, how the show impacted them, who they want to win this season (my favorite phrase: The Lost Kid's 'Freak the Quest'!), and showed me some of their favorite moves.

Here's my noisy hallway interview with Boxcuttuhz' Rocko: Click here to see the interviews with Brandon, Brian, and the Lost Kids. And come back later for a report on the performances, complete with videos of the Lost Kids, Fr3sh Dance Company, Boogie Bots, and the winning crews.

Retrospective on Season 3 Crews

MTV Remote Control posted new video of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 teams prior to their first appearances on the show. The season went by quickly!

Beat Freaks wins the internet war, but will it matter?

Maria at A Time to Dance analyzes how Quest and Beat Freaks use the web's social networking tools. Her conclusion -- Beat Freaks wins hands-down. Here's her comparison:

• Beat Freaks and its fans take full advantage of free tools including a Wordpress blog, a Facebook page, a Youtube channel, MySpace page, and twitter. The FreaktheVote.com site has a professional look and feel, with voting access
  
• Quest's website is less oriented toward fans, and Maria thinks the mission statement is more corporate than social. Their Facebook and Myspace pages have relatively low usage and there is no Twitter or Youtube channel

My question: will this make a difference in who wins the title of America's Best Dance Crew this season? Should it?

Talk of Fame injures himself with Fly Khicks!

For the last several weeks, when Albert Lawrence at Talk of Fame interviewed eliminated ABDC crews, he's taken a dance lesson from them. Well, this week he visited Fly Khicks after they were eliminated from America's Best Dance Crew in Week 7. The results are painful for me to watch!

EMPOWER Benefit Field Report, with ASIID & Supreme Soul Interviews

Field reporter Jayne Kanishak (who also writes YouLovetoWatch, a blog devoted to Reality TV) attended the EMPOWER benefit produced by Soulciety.org. Here's her report, complete with interviews with ASIID and Supreme Soul:

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Soulciety show in Alameda, CA, featuring ABDC alumni Supreme Soul and ASIID. Smart Mark from Phresh Select also did a smashing solo performance.

Soulciety was organized by Ron Carino in an effort to educate and benefit underprivileged youth overseas. The Alameda installment of the non-profit fundraiser was packed to the reafters with amazing talent. From beat boxing, to turntablism, to turntablism with a solo violinist, to spoken word, to some of the freshest, most unique (check out Ill Abilities) dancing Alameda has seen in a while, the truly wonderful acts kept a smile on my face for the entire two-hour show. The energy was upbeat with positive vibes coming from the crowd. It really was a great night and a very successful show. ASIID started the night off right with a touching lyrical piece to Halo by Beyonce. This was a very technical and difficult piece; something we really didn't get to see from the group on ABDC. I was totally impressed. Later in the evening, ASIID brought the house down with a slamming combination of jazz and hip-hop. Their choreography and musicality was fun and flirty and their performance was full of attitude and sass. You should have seen the girls in the audience screaming for Joey! It seems that he has attained rock-star status in Alameda!

After the show, I had a very chill, impromptu backstage interview with Melissa and Tristan (and Della at the end) from ASIID, where they also reveal who they are cheering for at the end. Despite the fact that I more or less intruded on their backstage downtime, they were incredibly sweet and ready to talk. Honestly, I felt like I was just kickin' it with my friends. They were so laid back and unaffected by the fame that they've attained since ABDC. Talking to them was just easy. Thanks go out to them for taking time out to talk with me and for giving such an amazing performance later in the night!


Click here for rest of Jayne's report, including her description of Supreme Soul's performance and highlights from her interview with the crew. Thanks Jayne!

Get your SoReal Cru news from their new Street Team website

SoRealCru Street Team is now online. This site is more than a fansite. Besides having bios, pictures, and videos of the America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 favorites, it promotes all the SoReal Cru events, including SoReal Cru TV, their apparel site, and upcoming shows. Also, because they have close contact with many of the crew members, they can answer questions from SoReal when the crew is too busy to handle all their fanmail (like when they are out on tour). So, sign up today and you won't miss any SoReal Cru news!

Freak the Vote TV thanks fans, urges more voting!

Freak the Vote TV has been presenting entertaining videos all Season 3 long. This week, they thank fans and urge them to keep the voting up all week long.

Mailbox: Lil Mama interview, great ratings, crew videos and your dose of Detox

• Bossip interviews Lil Mama about her music, her life, and her role on America's Best Dance Crew. Here, she talks about her unique role on ABDC: "I bring swag and identity. I definitely inspire the show... As you can see a lot of the crews wear studs in their clothes. They wear bright colors. That’s all inspired by Lil’ Mama. Before that, that style wasn’t on our show or any show...It’s so many people that love my style and love what I bring"
• If MTV cancels America's Best Dance Crew, it shouldn't be based on ratings alone. According to TV By the Numbers, last week's ABDC delivered its highest ratings since the Season 1 finale for people aged 12-24
• Pacific Rim uploaded 11 new backstage videos of Quest, Beat Freaks, and Fly Khicks
  
• LMFAO help Jim Cantiello figure out this week's ABDC
• Detox - MTV Shows
  
  

More Week 7 Recaps from all over

The America's Best Dance Crew recappers are pulling out all the accolades for Quest's Week 7 performance.

• Spoil the Ending thought the show was 'fire' and can't figure out who to vote for anymore
• Reality TV thinks the tide had turned (at least in the studio audience) for Quest
• You Love to Watch lists the 5 reasons she loves Quest
• Buddy TV calls it 'a whole new ball game' and cites Steve's somersault over 2 Quest crew members as the move of the evening