Tag Archives: step up

Dancing to T Pain

TV & Movies, , , , ,

I wouldn’t really call myself a T. Pain fan, nor would I ever endorse the lyrics of this song which is just wrong on so many levels. But I have to admit I loved the scene in Step Up 2 where Tyler (Channing Tatum) and Andie (Briana Evigan) had a dance-off to this song.

I’ve seen other people dancing to this song after that, but I’ve never really liked it since I always invariably compare it to the dance scene in Step Up 2. But then I saw Twitch and Courtney using NappyTabs’ choreography in So You Think You Can Dance, and I have to say – I liked this as well. Here’s the full video of the performance.

Complete Song List from STEP UP

Music & Theatre, TV & Movies, ,

I really liked the movie “Step Up” and have been listening to the soundtrack nearly everyday on my way to and from the office. It’s a lot of fun to listen to, but I kept thinking I would prefer a CD containing all the songs from the movie in the order they were played. For some reason I never thought to check out the list of songs in the credits, but found a song list from IMDB.  I added some scene descriptions and did some minor corrections on the list.

Petey Pablo – Show Me The Money (included in the soundtrack)

This was played during the opening credits where they interposed scenes of dancers doing ballet and hip-hop to show how dancing has inherent similarities.

Clipse – Ain’t Cha (included in the soundtrack)

This was played during the opening party scene at Omar’s, when Skinny bugged Mac (who was making out with a strangely deep-voiced woman) to leave the party saying, “This party’s whack.”

T I – Get It

This was played in the scene you can call “Where Tyler’s At,” which was the first time we see Tyler dancing (and with PJ’s girlfriend too).

Dolla – Feelin’ Myself (included in the soundtrack)

This was the song Tyler listened to when he headed straight to his room (“I’m not hungry”) after getting 200 hours of community service.

Kathleen Crees – Violette

This was played while Tyler was on his balcony looking outside, after telling his foster sister Camille to get out of his room.

Jeanette Ortea et al – Maidens of the Grove

This was the song being sung by the three girls in the hallway of MSA, when Tyler first got there.

Nuttin but Stringz – Canon in D

This was the song played by the violinists in the hallway of MSA.

Black Sheep – The Choice Is Yours

This was played while Tyler was dancing in the parking lot in his “garbage man jumpsuit,” when he noticed Nora watching him from a window.

Mark Ronson – Little Dap

This was played when Tyler, Mac and skinny were playing basketball at the court.

Shilo Monaco – Shilo’s Piano

This was the song played by the student practicing on piano while Principal Gordon was looking on approvingly. According to the DVD commentary, this was really the composition of the guy playing the piano.

Ron Feemster – Cleaning Song

This was played while Tyler was cleaning MSA and being a jerk about it.

Fatboy Slim and Macy Gray – Love Life

This was played when Nora was auditioning sophomores to be her temporary partner while Andrew was out injured, which was one of the funniest parts of the film. This should have been included in the soundtrack I think.

 Chris N Drop – Crazy Strings

This was played while Nora rehearsed alone, waiting for Tyler.

C. Ride – Pushin’

This was played while Tyler and the boys were going to Omar’s, and found out that them “dudes froze out.” 

Chris Brown – Say Goodbye (included in the soundtrack)

This was played while Lucy and Nora were talking in the cafe about Nora being so defensive and denying her feelings about Tyler.

Samantha Jade – Step Up (included in the soundtrack)

This was played during the montage of Nora and Tyler rehearsing. There were lots of funny scenes there. It was also used in the Step Up Dance Contest.

Josh Henderson – Philosophy

This was the song that Brett (Nora’s soon-to-be ex-boyfriend) was recording in the studio with Miles when Tyler came in late for his rehearsal with Nora. I wish this was included in the soundtrack so that we can hear the entire song.

Kwame B. Holland – Tonight

According to the website where I got this from, this was the new song Miles played for Nora, and was used during the group rehearsal (when Tyler found dancers to do back-up for Nora, so she could have it the way she imagined her routine to be). This is kind of weird though, because I think it was ‘Bout It. I’ll have to watch the movie again and check.

Gina Rene – U Must Be (included in the soundtrack)

This was played in that rooftop scene where Tyler and Nora danced. This has got to be one of my favorite scenes of all time.

Jamie Scott – Made (included in the soundtrack)

This was the song Lucy’s older, “sophisticated” boyfriend Colin performed in the club. I love this song. Interestingly enough, Colin’s real name Jamie Scott is also the name of the son of my favorite TV show couple (Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill). 

Sean Paul & Keyshia Cole – Give It Up to Me (included in the soundtrack)

This was the song played after Colin and his band took a break. He met Tyler and convinced Miles to play with them, while Nora arrived and headed to Tyler. Channing Tatum (who plays Tyler Gage) and Jenna Dewan (who plays Nora Clark) appeared in the music video and did a really cute dance sequence.

Drew Sidora featuring Mario – ‘Til the Dawn (included in the soundtrack)

This was the song Lucy performed in the club, when Nora asked Tyler to dance. He didn’t know it was a line dance, and fumbled through the steps at first, then ended up showing off his dance skills. My favorite scene in the entire movie!

Drew Sidora featuring Mario – For the Love (included in the soundtrack)

This was played while Lucy (played by Drew Sidora) and Miles (played by Mario) were talking after the performance. This was the song on the background when Tyler and Nora finally had their first kiss.

Kelis – ’80s Joint (included in the soundtrack)

This was played during Tyler and Camille’s dance-off while playing with a ball. FYI, Camille (played by Alyson Stoner) is actually the amazing kid dancing in the music videos of Eminem’s Lose It (ha-ha-ha-ha-ha) and Missy Elliot’s Work It.

Novel – Damn

This should have been included in the soundtrack! This was played during another montage of Tyler and Nora rehearsing and goofing around.

Anthony Hamilton – Dear Life (included in the soundtrack)

This was played after Tyler and Nora’s major fight, because Andrew came back and Tyler had to drop out of the showcase.

Pitbull – Toma

This was played during the party scene at Omar’s, when Mac said “All these girls and he [Tyler] don’t feel like dancing.”

Rhymefest – What Up!

This was also played during the party scene at Omar’s.

Ryan “Alias” Tedder – Attention Please

This was also played during the party scene at Omar’s.

Youngbloodz – Imma Shine (included in the soundtrack)

This was the song Miles played in Omar’s party, to which Nora did lyrical jazz (her favorite style of dancing according to her audio commentary) and Tyler did hip-hop. This was also the song playing when Skinny got shot.

Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake Waltz

This was the song the ballerina was dancing to during the showcase.

Young Joc – ‘Bout it [instrumental] (included in the soundtrack, but with vocals)

This was the song used during the showcase. What a way to end the movie!

Ciara – Get Up (included in the soundtrack)

This was played during the closing credits where they included submissions from the dance contest. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan also appeared in the music video wearing black leather.

Stepping Up the Game with Step Up 2: The Streets

TV & Movies, , , ,

I’ve always been a fan of dance movies, so it’s no wonder I was so excited to watch the sequel of my favorite dance movie of all time, Step Up. I got even more excited when my boyfriend told me that Channing Tatum will be reprising his role as Tyler Gage, even if it’s just for a few minutes. I immediately asked him if Tyler was doing any dancing, and when he said yes, I knew I had to watch this movie. Anyway, here are my favorite scenes:

Step-Up-2-The-Streets-Andie-vs-Tyler-Gage

#1 The dance battle between Tyler and Andie West (Brianna Evigan), and it’s not just because Channing was there. The dancing was fun, with the trampolines and the back flip from the DJ booth. My favorite part in that entire dance was when he jumped off the trampoline and hooked his long sleeves, so that when he jumped back to the floor he was only in his sleeveless shirt. After that move, the DJ screamed, “It’s over! It’s over!”

I also thought putting the dance-off in the movie was very smart because of the following reasons:

a) It provides continuity from Step Up 1 to Step Up 2 – it was like Tyler was passing the torch to Andie and Chase (whom we see freestyling at the Dragon Club in his black hoodie) By the way, speaking of hoodies, the black and white hoodie he was wearing was Nike. I hope they’ll sell it here. So anyway, unlike other sequels where you don’t really understand how one is related to the other (such as the Bring It On movies – you just know that everything’s about cheerleading), the short scenes with Tyler connect the two movies without seeming contrived or forced.

b) It explains the absence of both him and Nora from the rest of the movie. Remember when he told Andie that “Me and Nora goin’ on tour” then did this silly dance? It showed that they were still together, and they were both going places now, which is actually the case in real life for them too. In case you didn’t know, Channing Tatum (who played Tyler Gage) and Jenna Dewan (who played Nora Clark) are still going strong as a couple and as individual actors with promising careers.

c) It ensured that all Channing fans will go see the movie (mostly to see him dance). It also completed Tyler’s character transformation since Step Up 1 from unambitious kid who’s going nowhere fast to a driven rolemodel whom Andie’s guardian believed set a great example to all the other kids in the block.

So thanks to director Jon Chu for getting him there, though I wish Jenna had a cameo as well (even without dancing since the whole ballet thing probably wouldn’t work with the storyline).

moose-stairs-dance-step-up-2-the-streets

#2 The amazing moves of Moose (Adam Sevani) to the song “The Way I Are” on the stairs. First of all, can I just say he’s the spitting image of Gordo from the Lizzie McGuire show? They both got this nerdy geeky thing going for them.

This is Moose:

This is Gordo:

Anyway, what’s so funny about Moose’s dancing is that he’s such a nerd so you’d never think he’s capable of doing even the most basic dance moves. When Andie heard his ring tone, she disbelievingly said, “That is not your ring tone,” mainly because it’s not the type of music you’d expect a nerd to like. Then Moose does this funny beat box and weird moves and says, “Watch me” then started free styling up the stairs. Talk about shock value! The New York Times even said he “might be the baddest nerd in movie history.”

The little ballerina stole the scene in Step Up 1 when she glared at Tyler, who couldn’t keep laughing while doing ballet. For Step Up 2, the scene stealer has got to be Moose. I mean, he even won an award for it at the 2008 Young Hollywood Award.

Step-Up-2-Hypnotism

#3 The final dance of the MSA crew, especially Moose in “Bounce” and the pair dancing of Andie and Chase Collins (Robert Hoffman) towards the end. I’ve never seen two more evenly matched dancers together. Tyler and Nora were matched as well, but they were good in different styles. Both Andie and Chase are amazing hip-hop dancers. I loved watching them together.

Reasons Why I Love STEP UP

Here are some of the reasons why I love STEP UP.

#1 The story didn’t focus on the rich girl – poor guy angle (also known as the heaven and earth plot line, which is so overused in Philippine movies). Instead, they focused on the differences of Tyler Gage and Nora Clark as individuals.

#2 Tyler and Nora didn’t get together until AFTER she has broken up with her boyfriend Brett. Cheating on your boyfriend, no matter how big an ass he may be, is just a huge no-no in my book. I mean seriously, can’t you at least make a phone call to break up with the person you’re with before you hook up with someone else?

#3 The dance sequences and the music were really interesting. I have this thing for combining two different genres, like old-school church hymns with punk rock tempos (like “It Is Well with My Soul” my Jars of Clay” or sappy love songs like “Always Be My Baby” with rock star vocalists like David Cook. So combining ballet with hip-hop, and strings with percussions (such as in Bout It by Yung Joc featuring 3LW and Imma Shine by Youngbloodz) really worked for me.

#4 I totally understand Tyler about not wanting anything so that it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t get it. I’m like that myself sometimes (or most of the time? I am SO unambitious). But I guess it’s time to “think I can have them” too.

#5 Channing Tatum. Seeing him on screen is enough of a reason to like any movie. After seeing him in Step Up and researching about him on the internet, I realized that I’ve seen him before in Coach Carter and She’s the Man, and in the music video of “Get Up” by Ciara.

Definitely a Step Up in the Dance Movie Genre

TV & Movies, ,

07 May 2008 was an important day for me for one simple reason… It was the first time I saw the hit dance movie STEP UP, and it’s now officially my favorite dance movie.

Okay, okay, so Step Up is a pretty old movie, and it was shown here in the Philippines about two years ago I think. It’s probably not the best movie to write about for my first blog entry since it’s not very current. For some reason, although I am a huge fan of musicals and dance movies, I didn’t watch Step Up when it was showing because it seemed formulaic and predictable to me. Rich, stuck up ballerina meets edgy bad-boy street dancer. They fight. They fall in love. They dance together in the end – maybe she does hip-hop, or he does ballet (ew).

My boyfriend Sidney (who’s a pretty good dancer himself) has seen the movie before and liked it, so he told me about a month ago that it was going to be on Star Movies and that I should try to catch it. I said okay half-heartedly, without really planning to check it out. I remember even being a bit irritable when he asked me for the fourth or fifth time if I’ve already caught the movie on cable.

That is, until it was the deadline for my Shelfari challenge with Mike R. I was planning to stay up late on the night of May 7 just to add all the books I have previously read in my lifetime to my Shelfari account in order to win a geeky bet. I flicked on the TV to keep me company, and I chanced on Step Up. It was the scene where Tyler Gage (played by Channing Tatum) was cleaning the muddy floor of MSA (which is in the first one third of the movie, so I wasn’t missing much). I called my boyfriend to ask whether this guy was a janitor or something, and he explained the whole community service thing.

I got sucked into the story when Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan) held auditions for her temporary partner, and these lithe ballerinos (is that even a term? ballerinos as opposed to ballerinas who are female?) showed up and couldn’t manage to lift or hold on to her. That was so hilarious, and I found myself leaving my seat in front of the computer and taking a seat in front of the TV to enjoy the movie better. Then Tyler went down the ladder (after he finished cleaning the windows), wiped his hands, and approached Nora:

Tyler: I’ll do it
Nora: Do what?
Tyler: I don’t know, whatever y’all were trying to do out here.
Nora: (looking at him in disbelief) You want to lift me? Are you kidding?
Tyler: (with a tough-guy expression) Does it look like I’m kidding?

By the time they started rehearsing, I knew I was hooked. It was funny, and sweet, and had an interesting plot – never mind my previous apprehensions on the storyline, they didn’t really focus on the rich girl-poor guy angle that I loathe. I also instantly noticed that they were doing their own dancing (unlike in Save the Last Dance where it was SO obvious that Julia Stiles had a dance double in the ballet sequences). Then came the club scene, which became my favorite.

The very next day I watched the club scene repeatedly on Youtube and bought a DVD of Step Up before I went home. I was up until the wee hours of the morning just watching the movie again and again, especially the dance sequences.

I’ve always wanted to have my own blog, but for some reason I never got around to doing it. Sure, I wrote a couple of blog entries for my Friendster blog account, but I was never serious about keeping it because I felt like I was going to run out of topics sooner or later. But now, I think I have one topic I can talk about for a couple of blog entries worth.