AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Audrey Case & Matthew Kazmierczak

This competition is tough and getting tougher. In the YouTube comments, someone asked me who I thought would make the Top 4. This is when the fan votes are strong and the judges don't have any say.

Here are my Top 4 picks: (based off of FAN votes, not who I want in the Top 4.)

Men:                        Ladies:
1. Paul                     1. Amy
2. Aaron                  2. Hayley

Sadly, my picks send Fik-Shun and Jasmine home. If my picks turn out to be true, I hate the thought that Jasmine is going home. All three women are incredible dancers. I would prefer to see Amy and Jasmine as the last two standing. On the men's side, if I am correct, I think it's time for Fik-Shun to go home. He had an incredible run and I've really enjoyed watching him on the show this season.

A huge thanks to Audrey Case and Matthew Kazmierczak for joining us in studio this week. I love that they are still friends after their season. Having former contestants on the show always gives us more and more perspective on SYTYCD. The stress, the excitement and the injuries are all a big part of each season, so I'm happy we've had some great guests to give us that insight.

If you missed our show last night, watch it below:

Don't forget to let me know your thoughts on this week's show in the comments below!



Photo Credit: Audrey Case

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Alex Wong

Oh, what a show!  I am loving this season of SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV because none of us agree. We all hold some really different opinions...and I like it.  Lest you think we don't like each other, don't worry, we all get along off the air. After we finish the show each week, the four of us actually hang out at the AfterBuzz studios and chat about absolutely everything. It's so much fun working with this team!

The controversy about the eliminations is going to continue. I don't think Nigel is going to change the format because it has us all talking: fans, the media and former contestants. It makes for good TV even if we don't agree with Nigel and how cruel the elimination seems.  Nigel isn't really a warm and fuzzy guy. He wants to produce a show with ratings.

We have been discussing possible solutions over in the YouTube comments. "WhatFC" came up with a great idea:  Reveal the Top 3 at the beginning of the show and then have the dancers perform their partnered routines for the save. Get rid of the "Dance for your Life" solos and make that night's dances truly count. What do you guys think of that idea?  Let me know in the comments below.

Alex Wong was another great guest who offered some honest comments about the show and how unfair the eliminations are this year. We are excited to see him back as an All-Star later in the season.

Finally, I saw this moment in the show and I could not stop giggling. Did we bore you, Chloe?  Awesome screen cap! It's at the 16:18 mark when we talked about criteria for eliminations. Chloe knows Nigel doesn't care, so why should she? ;)

If you missed the show you can watch it below or download it in iTunes here. Remember, we have a list of upcoming guests for this season, so get excited!  Season 10 is going to be epic.

DWTS Connections: Lacey Schwimmer

I've shared this before, but I think it is a fun flashback for a few of you to see another DWTS connection...and this time it's not Cheryl Burke. I hosted an infomercial back in 2010 and the celebrity endorser was Lacey Schwimmer. Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to work together, but here's a fun look back at the infomercial...The Rhythm Rocker!



I also found a hilarious Consumer Reports video reviewing the workout equipment and our infomercial. You never know what you are going to find on YouTube. Watch here.

London Games: Gymnastics Drama

I don't think it gets any better than talking gymnastics with Michael Buckley of What the Buck?! fame. If you thought I was the biggest gymnastics geek, he certainly has me beat.  He gave us some great insight on what happened in today's Women's Gymnastics Team Finals.  Check out me and Stuart Brazell as we talk all things Olympics on Spreecast......

Join us tomorrow as we talk more London Games excitement with Josh Sussman (Glee) and Tess Hunt at 5PM PT/8PM ET.

October: Monthly Wrap-Up

It's been a week of premieres, panels, and infomercials, so my posting has been a bit lax.  I will be back with a vengeance on Monday and I will post more on my awesome week on set in Nashville with an infomercial icon.  In the meantime, here is what you were reading this month on Red Carpet Closet:

Top 5 Posts:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet: The Sequel:  This continues to be a heavy hitter with a majority of the readers coming from overseas.  I'm not sure what is drawing them in as awards season is still six weeks away, but I appreciate everyone stopping by to learn a little about putting your best foot forward on the red carpet.

2.  GQ/Glee Controversy:  The photos are all here, you can chime in with your opinions on Lea Michele's spread-eagle photo spread.

3.  Happy 20th Anniversary, 90210!:  A lot of you certainly remember the Brenda years and those delightful mom jeans.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  This post continually makes the monthly Top 5 list, but it slid a few numbers down.  Maybe you are finally tiring of this topic?

5.  Behind the Scenes with Taryn Southern:  This lovely lady is a multi-hyphenate:  actress, producer, writer, singer, and host.  Learn a little more about my pal, Taryn.

I decided to also do something new for this monthly wrap-up:  The Top 5 Most Absurd Searches:

1.  "Berbank Delai":  Um, not sure what this means, but it sure is close to this post about getting stuck at an airport.

2. "Can You Have Carpet for Kinect?":  Okay, this isn't a video game blog, but I did attend the launch of XBox 360 Kinect.  Even armed with that knowledge, I have no idea if you have to have hardwood floors or carpeting to play a video game.  That would seem a bit exclusionary, no?

3.  "Glasses Mark Gantt Wears":  Well, I do know Mark Gantt, but I don't know about his glasses.  He is the super hot star of The Bannen Way.  Do you want me to ask him what kind of glasses he wears?  Mark, maybe you could chime in the comments section.

4.  "Something Serious in Olga Kay's Life Right Now":  Yep, I know YouTube sensation, Olga Kay, too.  I think she is okay, but thanks for your concern.  Maybe Olga can reassure all of her fans with a comment below.  Olga, are you okay?

5.  "Smarties Halloween Treat Holder":  That's some interesting phrasing, but is this what you were looking for?

Have a safe and sweet Halloween!  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

It Gets Better

I was planning on doing a light and fluffy post today with photos of my show and my time here at the State Fair of Texas, but I watched a video yesterday created by my friend, Michael Buckley AKA Buck.  If you aren't familiar with Michael and his show, What the Buck?, I encourage you to head over to YouTube and subscribe to his show.  It's the perfect pop culture round-up of reality TV, celebs, gymnastics, figure skating, and Broadway shows.  Honestly, Buck is the perfect man for me. (Shhh, don't tell my boyfriend.)  He talks about everything I love.  Well, yesterday, he created a video that moved me to change my post and share it all with you.   If you have been following the news this week, there have been several high profile stories about two young men committing suicide after being bullied by their peers for being gay. (See the stories here and here.)  Both separate incidents, both in different parts of the country. Think about what the poor families are dealing with right now......okay, now watch this video:

I hope you were as moved as I was by Buck's message.  It's no secret that I have been a huge supporter of the NOH8 Campaign, but I feel like I need to take it up a notch in light of this week's news.  For every heterosexual person reading this, think back to your youth.  What were you teased about?  For me, it was my red hair.  I was called "Peppermint Patty or Annie or Pumpkin Head".  Okay, it's kind of funny now.  If I really hate my red hair as an adult, I can change that.  In fact, I am really blonde at the moment for an upcoming job.  If you were teased for being overweight, you can hop on a bike, eat better, and lose weight.  You can change that.  You cannot change being gay.  It is not a "lifestyle" or a "choice".  Buck even mentions he knew he was gay when he was four years old.  America, it is time to wake up and treat EVERYONE with love, kindness, and support.  Isolating, condemning, or teasing people for being different from you is not okay.

There is now a campaign to offer support to gay youth to understand that, "It Gets Better".  The project was started by Dan Savage, a journalist who for years has penned the column, Savage Love.  I remember his work in The Village Voice from my days in NYC.  I am posting his column explaining the project and the reason behind its inception.  The article offers more information on the videos that have been created for the project, links to the YouTube channel, but most importantly, it offers HOPE to gay youth.

Dan Savage:

I just read about a gay teenager in Indiana—Billy Lucas—who killed himself after being taunted by his classmates. Now his Facebook memorial page is being defaced by people posting homophobic comments. It's just heartbreaking and sickening. What the hell can we do?

Gay Bullying Victim Who Survived

Another gay teenager in another small town has killed himself—hope you're pleased with yourselves, Tony Perkins and all the other "Christians" out there who oppose anti-bullying programs (and give actual Christians a bad name).

Billy Lucas was just 15 when he hanged himself in a barn on his grandmother's property. He reportedly endured intense bullying at the hands of his classmates—classmates who called him a fag and told him to kill himself. His mother found his body.

Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids.

"My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas," a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. "I wish I could have told you that things get better."

I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.

So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.

I've launched a channel on YouTube—www ­.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don't dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we've gone and things we've experienced—that we would've missed out on if we'd killed ourselves then.

"You gotta give 'em hope," Harvey Milk said.

Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

The video my husband and I made is up now—all by itself. I'd like to add submissions from other gay and lesbian adults—singles and couples, with kids or without, established in careers or just starting out, urban and rural, of all races and religious backgrounds. (Go to www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject to find instructions for submitting your video.) If you're gay or lesbian or bi or trans and you've ever read about a kid like Billy Lucas and thought, "Fuck, I wish I could've told him that it gets better," this is your chance. We can't help Billy, but there are lots of other Billys out there—other despairing LGBT kids who are being bullied and harassed, kids who don't think they have a future—and we can help them.

They need to know that it gets better. Submit a video. Give them hope.

---

Behind the Scenes of The Fine Brothers

I often get asked about how we arrange interviews and I will write an entry soon on how that process happens. This particular interview was probably our most unconventional. I think I received a note via our Facebook profile that said, "When is it our turn?". I didn't even know The Fine Brothers knew our show existed, so I was completely flattered to receive the note. We happened to have an open production date, so I wrote back, "How about next week?" and we were off and running. We also shot this episode in mid-November 2009, so it has been on our back burner because we had premieres or finales to coincide with on other shows. I am happy we were able to finally bring this episode to you since The Fine Brothers offered the most brutally honest take on what is happening in the web space. You have to remember that they were early adopters to the web arena even before YouTube existed. It's hard to imagine that YouTube didn't exist until February 2005. It has become a part of our daily internet landscape and The Fine Brothers have found great success on the site.

I hope you all take in the advice that Benny and Rafi are offering. It may not always apply to your show, but you can adapt it to fit your production. They were open enough to offer up some of the things they have done wrong and where they need to diversify. Listen to their words carefully, it might help you avoid some of the missteps they made on their way to success. I am also interested in watching how this all plays out for everyone in the next few years. I hope many of you can be supported solely by new media and that there is a greater understanding from the studios with how to utilize and promote internet content.

Now to some things that wound up on the cutting room floor: one more serious, and one more fun. First, I questioned them quite intensely on the issues that YouTube has with their view counter. Why does it freeze in the 300 view range? I understand that YouTube wants to make sure that they are qualified views and not some auto-generated program to bump up the hit count, but The Web Files has experienced view counts frozen for up to 3 months. You never get those views that you missed counted again. It is one of the main reasons we switched over to Blip because we are getting a more accurate read of what our views are, what everyone is enjoying, and what type of content drives them to our site. They defended YouTube and I would expect them too as their success has been driven by the YouTube viewer and as a partner, they have access to customer service representatives. This venue has worked for them, but it may not work for everyone as YouTube becomes saturated with content.

On to the fun! I wore a shirt that quotes an Oscar winning film that I received when I worked the 2007 Academy Award exhibit, Meet the Oscars. I wore it in honor of their hit, Movie Spoilers: Oscar Edition. Many of you know I am a huge Oscar geek because I used to do media work over at the Kodak Theatre, so I am a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. I thought I might try and stump them with my t-shirt. "Well, la-dee-da!" What Best Picture film is that from? The Oscar geek in me was happy to stump them. Do you know what movie it is from? First correct guess wins an NAIAS souvenir gift pack. Comment below and check out the episode if you missed it. Wednesday brings a new episode with Casey McKinnon and Rudy Jahchan of A Comicbook Orange.

The Web Files: Episode 1

Hey Everyone!
It's an exciting day here over at The Web Files. We have Episode 1 launched and ready for viewing. I feel like we have been talking about this day forever, but it has only been 3 1/2 months from idea to conception. Our first guest is Tay Zonday, the hit sensation from YouTube. If you haven't heard "Chocolate Rain" yet, trust me, you will have it in your head all day after watching our show. Tay put a lot of faith into allowing us to interview him as our first guest on a show he has yet to see....until today. Behind that booming voice, Tay is intelligent, funny, and a total sport. Seriously, I take the man to Big Sugar for chocolate cupcakes and he has a gluten allergy. Way to go, KB!

I think you will be surprised at the man behind "Chocolate Rain". Think about it.....a grad student in Minnesota goes from making a video in his living room to posting it on YouTube to Jimmy Kimmel's couch to 39 million hits on YouTube. Pretty amazing in my book, but the question Tay is continuing to answer is where do you go from here? Stay tuned to The Web Files and to Tay Zonday to find out.

Reporting Live from my last day of vacation somewhere in the US,
kb

The Web Files: Tay Zonday/Chocolate Rain Edition

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all of your comments, please keep them coming because the feedback is helpful to me. What will I wear to my next event? I have a really fun red carpet coming up for Holly Hunter's season 3 premiere of "Saving Grace", so your thoughts and ideas will help me plan my next outfit.

This outfit was assembled from a variety of old and new wardrobe. We were shooting the first episode of The Web Files with Tay Zonday. If you don't know Tay and his YouTube sensation, "Chocolate Rain", it is time you stopped and took a look here: Chocolate Rain 37 million hits and counting on YouTube, I call that impressive. Anyway, the shoot was taking place at Big Sugar in Studio City, home to some of the most delicious cupcakes in Los Angeles. I wanted something colorful and fun to go along with the festive bakery decor. Digging through my closet I found one of my favorite summer skirts from.....get ready for it.......Costco. I found it 3 years ago and paid about $15 for the Mix Nouveau skirt. Yellow, hot pink, and light blue are the dominating colors in the floral skirt which makes it easy to accessorize and change up the look. I usually wear tank tops with the skirt, but I needed something more appropriate. I hit one of my favorite independent stores in Los Angeles called Indulge. I pass by it on my walk to the gym each day, so it is kind of dangerous for a shopper like me. I found a great hot pink top by Have with rope detailing by the neckline and cap sleeves all in a soft cotton fabric.

The hot pink shoes are a throwback from 2001 from a friend's wedding, but are by Ann Taylor Loft with a fabulous kitten heel. They are well-constructed considering I have worn them for the last 8 years. The only other accessory I had on that day was a beautiful set of gold earrings in an oblong design that were given to me as a gift from my amazing model friend, Alison Koellisch.

The interview went really well. Tay is an engaging and intelligent guy who is feeling his way through the jungles of Los Angeles. I was amazed to hear that his YouTube journey took him from a PhD program in Minnesota to starring in a Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper commercial.. Where will his journey take him next as one of the biggest web celebs? I am not sure even Tay knows, but I can promise you that his "Chocolate Rain" will stick in your head for days.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I will have more from the Red Carpet Closet next week.

Reporting Live from Los Angeles,

kb

PS The Web Files is now on Twitter. Follow us here: The Web Files