document_title: 8 Mile (film)

question_text: who did mekhi phifer play in 8 mile

question_tokens: who did mekhi phifer play in 8 mile

text: 8 Mile (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Fall 1995 in Detroit, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), a blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggles with various aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the run-down trailer home in Warren, Michigan of his alcoholic mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie's abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Although encouraged by his friends who hail him as a talented rapper, Jimmy worries about his potential as a musician, due to his lack of confidence. This causes him to panic during a rap battle one night at a local venue called "The Shelter" and he leaves the stage humiliated.

text: Jimmy works at a car factory, but when he asks for extra shifts, his supervisor laughs, and dismisses his request on account of his habitual lateness. Jimmy befriends a woman named Alex (Brittany Murphy). Over time, Jimmy begins to take more responsibility for the direction of his life. When he exhibits an improved attitude and performance at work, his supervisor grants him the extra shifts he requested.

text: Later on, Stephanie receives a notice declaring that, because she cannot afford to pay the rent on her trailer, she and her family must vacate the premises immediately. Despite Stephanie's best attempts to keep the eviction notice a secret, Greg finds out about it anyway, with a brutal fight ensuing between him and Jimmy, and Greg leaves Stephanie for good. Stephanie then kicks Jimmy out, but she lets him back in when she wins $3,200 at bingo, turning their life around.

text: Jimmy's friendship with Wink (Eugene Byrd), a radio DJ with ties to a record label prompter, becomes strained after he discovers that Wink does promotional work for Jimmy's rivals, a rap group known as the "Leaders of the Free World". At one point, Jimmy and his friends get into a violent brawl with the Leaders, which is disrupted when Jimmy's friend "Cheddar Bob" pulls out a gun and accidentally shoots himself in the leg; he survives, but is confined to crutches.

text: At work one day when on lunch break, Jimmy witnesses a rap battle in which an employee named Mike (Xzibit) insults a gay co-worker named Paul with his lyrics. Jimmy joins the battle to defend Paul by berating Mike. Alex is impressed by his actions, and she and Jimmy have unprotected sex in the factory. Wink arranges for Jimmy to meet with producers at a recording studio, but Jimmy finds Wink and Alex having sex atop a mixing console. Enraged, Jimmy beats up Wink as Alex tries to break it up. In retaliation, Wink and the Leaders of the Free World attack Jimmy outside his mother's trailer. The leader of the gang, Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie), holds Jimmy at gunpoint, threatening to kill him but Wink dissuades Papa Doc.

text: Jimmy's best friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) pushes him to get his revenge by competing against the Leaders of the Free World at the next rap battle. However Jimmy's late-night shift conflicts with the timing of the next battle tournament. But a goodbye visit from Alex, who is moving to New York, changes his mind about competing. Paul, the work colleague whom Jimmy had stood up for earlier, agrees to cover his shift at work as a thank you, and Jimmy goes to the battle.

text: In each of the three rounds of the battle, Jimmy is pitted against a different member of the Leaders and wins the first two rounds. In the final round he is paired against Papa Doc. Jimmy is aware that Doc knows all his flaws, so he uses his difficult life as a springboard to reveal the truth about Papa Doc: his real name is Clarence and despite passing himself off as a thug he comes from an affluent background, having attended Cranbrook Schools, a private high school in upper-class suburb Bloomfield Hills, and grown up in a stable, married two-parent household.

text: With nothing to say in rebuttal, Clarence hands the microphone back to Future, feeling embarrassed that someone he thought was below him defeated him in a battle. After being congratulated by Alex and his friends, he is offered a position by Future, hosting battles at The Shelter. Jimmy declines, saying he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He walks back to work, with a renewed sense of confidence about his future. "Lose Yourself" plays as Jimmy walks away.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Eminem as Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr.
Mekhi Phifer as Future, Jimmy's closest friend and the rap battle host
Brittany Murphy as Alex Latourno, Jimmy's love interest
Kim Basinger as Stephanie, Jimmy and Lily's mother
Anthony Mackie as "Papa Doc" (Clarence)
Michael Shannon as Greg Buehl, Stephanie's boyfriend
Eugene Byrd as "Wink"
Evan Jones as "Cheddar Bob", Jimmy's friend
Omar Benson Miller as "Sol George", Jimmy's friend and Iz's brother
De'Angelo Wilson as "DJ Iz", Jimmy's friend and Sol's brother
Taryn Manning as Janeane, Jimmy's ex-girlfriend
Proof as "Lil' Tic"
Xzibit as Mike (Male Lunch Truck Rapper)
Craig Chandler as Paul
Obie Trice as Male parking lot rapper
Chloe Greenfield as Lily, Jimmy's sister
John Singleton as Bouncer
Miz Korona as Vanessa (Female Lunch Truck Rapper)
Brandon T. Jackson (uncredited) as a Chin Tiki club-foe

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: 8 Mile received positive reviews, with critics praising the music and Eminem's performance. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports the film is "Certified Fresh", with 76% of 206 professional critics giving the film a positive review and a rating average of 7.0 out of 10. The site's consensus is that "Even though the story is overly familiar, there's enough here for an engaging ride."[3] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has rating score of 77 based on 38 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[4] CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend revealed the average grade cinemagoers gave 8 Mile was B+ on an A+ to F scale, with the core under-21 demographics giving it an A.[5]

text: Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. He said that we "are hardly started in '8 Mile,' and already we see that this movie stands aside from routine debut films by pop stars" and that it is "a faithful reflection of his myth". He said that Eminem, as an actor, is "convincing without being too electric" and "survives the X-ray truth-telling of the movie camera". He praised Eminem's approach to his role, saying that "The genius of Rabbit is to admit his own weaknesses." He complimented Basinger, saying that "Her performance finds the right note somewhere between love and exasperation; it cannot be easy to live with this sullen malcontent, whose face lights up only when he sees his baby sister, Lily." He said that criticism of Basinger for being "too attractive and glamorous to play Rabbit's mother" were unfair: "Given the numbers of ugly people who live in big houses, why can't there be beautiful people living in trailers?" He called the film "a grungy version of a familiar formula, in which the would-be performer first fails at his art, then succeeds, is unhappy in romance but lucky in his friends, and comes from an unfortunate background. He even finds love, sort of, with Alex," but "What the movie is missing, however, is the third act in which the hero becomes a star," as it "avoids the rags-to-riches route and shows Rabbit moving from rags to slightly better rags." He said that he "would love to see a sequel in which Rabbit makes millions and becomes world famous, and we learn at last if it is possible for him to be happy."[6]

text: In the At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper review, both Ebert and Richard Roeper gave the film a thumbs up; Roeper said that Eminem has a "winning screen presence" and "raw magic" to him. He was happy with Rabbit's "tender side" presented through his relationship with the "adorable" Greenfield as his sister, but felt that Basinger was "really miscast". But as in his own review, Ebert felt that the dark, depressing atmosphere of 8 Mile would turn off some Eminem fans, while Roeper thought they would like it. Roeper said: "8 Mile probably won't win converts to rap, but it should thrill Eminem fans."[7]

text: Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars. He said that 8 Mile "is a real movie, not a fast-buck package to exploit the fan base of a rap nonentity" that "qualifies as a cinematic event by tapping into the roots of Eminem and the fury and feeling that inform his rap. Hanson spares us the rags-to-riches cliches by leaving Rabbit on the edge of success. The film ends not with a blast but with the peace that comes to a rapper who finds his voice at last. That kind of class is a big risk for a novice stepping into the movie ring. Eminem wins by a knockout." He praised Hanson's directing, stating that he "succeeds brilliantly at creating a world around Eminem that teems with hip-hop energy and truth" and "excels with actors." He hailed Eminem's performance, saying that in 8 Mile, "Eminem is on fire" with an "electric" screen presence, "hold[ing] the camera by natural right" and "read[ing] lines with an offbeat freshness that makes his talk and his rap sound interchangeable," and sulk of "intensity to rival James Dean's." He said that Murphy was "dynamite, "play[ing] Alex with hot desperation and calloused vulnerability," while saying that "Basinger shines" in her role as well. "Hanson builds to a spectacular climax" with Rabbit's last three battles, and compared his final battle with Papa Doc to fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in Rocky.[8]

text: Box office[edit]

text: 8 Mile opened at #1 with $51,240,555 in its opening weekend, the then second highest opening for an R-rated movie in the U.S.[9] The film would go on to gross $116,750,901 domestically, and $126,124,177 overseas for a total of $242,875,078 worldwide.[2] The film's final domestic gross would hold the film at #3 in Box Office Mojo's "Pop Star Debuts" list, behind Austin Powers in Goldmember (Beyoncé) and The Bodyguard (Whitney Houston).

text: The 8 Mile DVD, which was released on March 18, 2003, generated $75 million in sales and rentals in its first week, making it the biggest DVD debut ever for an R-rated movie and putting it in the all-time Top 10 for first week home video sales for a movie. A VHS version was also released on the same date.[10][11]

text: Top lists[edit]

text: 8 Mile has been named to various year-end and all-time top lists:

text:
2nd – Billboard (Erika Ramirez): Top 10 Best Hip-Hop Movies Ever[12]
7th – The New York Observer (Andrew Sarris): The 10 Best English-Language Films of 2002[13]
9th – Time (Richard Schickel): Top 10 Movies of 2002[14]
10th – Rolling Stone (Peter Travers): The Best Movies of 2002[15]
N/A – The Daily Californian: Best Films of 2002[16]

text: Awards and honors[edit]

text: In 2003, Eminem won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Academy Awards, for his single "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack of 8 Mile.[17][18] Thus he became the first hip hop artist ever to win an Academy Award. He was not present at the ceremony, but musician Luis Resto accepted the award.[19] The film has been nominated for 32 awards, winning 11.[20]

text:
[show]List of awards and nominations

Year
Award
Category
Result
Recipient

2003
Academy Award
Best Original Song – Lose Yourself
Won
Eminem, Luis Resto and Jeff Bass

Black Reel Awards
Best Original Soundtrack
Nominated
8 Mile

BMI
Film Award for Music
Won
Eminem

Most Performed Song from a Film – Lose Yourself
Won
Eminem

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
Critics Choice Award for Best Song – Lose Yourself
Won
Eminem

CNOMA Awards
Best Make-Up Artist for a Feature Film
Nominated
Donald Mowat

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
Most Promising Performer
Nominated
Eminem

European Film Awards
Screen International Award
Nominated
Curtis Hanson

Golden Globe Award[21]
Best Original Song – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Eminem

Golden Trailer Awards[22]
Best Music
Nominated
8 Mile

Best of Show
Nominated
8 Mile

Most Original
Nominated
8 Mile

Golden Reel Award
Best Sound Editing in a Feature - Music - Musical
Nominated
Carlton Kaller

Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards
Best Contemporary Makeup - Feature
Nominated
Donald Mowat, Ronnie Specter, Matiki Anoff

MTV Movie Awards[23]
Best Movie
Nominated
8 Mile

Best Male Performance
Won
Eminem

Breakthrough Male Performance
Won
Eminem

Online Film Critics Society Awards
Best Breakthrough Performance
Nominated
Eminem

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
Best Original Song – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Eminem

Satellite Awards
Best Original Song – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Eminem

Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie: Drama
Nominated
8 Mile

Choice Movie Actor: Drama
Won
Eminem

Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star
Won
Eminem

Choice Crossover Artist
Nominated
Eminem

Choice Movie: Liplock
Nominated
Eminem and Brittany Murphy

World Soundtrack Awards
Best Original Song Written for a Film – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Eminem

2004
ASCAP Awards
Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture – Lose Yourself
Won
Eminem

Grammy Award[24]
Grammy Award for Record of the Year – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Eminem

Grammy Award for Song of the Year – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Jeff Bass, Eminem & Luis Resto

Grammy Award for Best Rap Song – Lose Yourself
Won
Jeff Bass, Eminem & Luis Resto

Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance – Lose Yourself
Won
Eminem

Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media – Lose Yourself
Nominated
Jeff Bass, Eminem & Luis Resto

text: The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

text:
2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:

"Lose Yourself" – #93[25]

2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated[26]

text: Music[edit]

text: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile is the official music soundtrack to 8 Mile. Eminem features on five tracks from the album. It was released under the Shady/Interscope label and spawned Eminem's first number 1 US single[27] "Lose Yourself". The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart that year with over 702,000 copies sold and 507,000 sold in the second week also finishing the year as the fifth best-selling album of 2002 with US sales of 3.2 million, despite only two months of release. It also reached #1 on the UK Compilations Chart and the Australian ARIAnet Albums Chart. It also spawned a follow up soundtrack, More Music from 8 Mile, consisting of songs that appear in 8 Mile that were current singles during the film's time setting of 1995. The album was also made in a clean edition removing most of the strong profanity and violent content.


document_title: So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)

question_text: who won first so you think you can dance

root

text: Show format[edit]

text: A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is divided between a selection process, during which expert judges select competitors from a wide pool of applicant dancers, and a competition phase, during which these 'finalists' (more typically referred to as the 'Top 20') compete for votes from home viewers.  Though it is produced over the course of months, the selection phase is highly edited and usually constitutes only the first 2–4 weeks of aired episodes, with the competition episodes forming the remaining 8–9 weeks of the season.

tag: p

text: Open auditions[edit]

text: The open auditions, the first stage in determining a seasons finalists, take place in 5–6 major U.S. cities each season and are typically open to anyone aged 18–30 at the time of their audition.  The cities where auditions are held change from season to season but some, such as Los Angeles and New York, have featured in most seasons.  During this stage, dancers perform a brief routine (typically a solo, but duet and group routines are allowed as well) before a panel of dance experts, usually headed by series creator and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.  This panel then decides on-the-spot whether the dancer demonstrated enough ability and performance value to proceed further.  If the dancer exhibited exceptional ability in their performance, judges award "a ticket to Vegas" (or in more recent seasons "a ticket to the Academy"), moving them instantly one step forward in the competition.  Alternatively, if judges are on the fence about the dancer, they may ask the contestant to wait until the end of that day's auditions to participate in a short test of their ability to pick up professional choreography.

text: Callbacks[edit]

text: The second stage of the selection process is referred to as "the callbacks" (the round has often been held in the city of Las Vegas and also been known as "Vegas Week" for much of the show's run, but has been called Academy Week since season 13).  The callbacks consist of a several-day-long process in which the remaining hopefuls are tested for overall well-rounded dance ability, stamina, creativity and their ability to perform under pressure. The dancers are put through a battery of rounds that test their ability to pick up various dance styles; these are typically some of the more well-represented genres that are later prominent in the competition phase, such as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and contemporary.  Additionally the dancers may be asked to perform further solos in styles of their choosing and participate in a group choreography round in which small teams of contestants must display their musicality and ability to communicate professionally by choreographing a performance to a randomly selected piece of music — this challenge is notable as being the only time competitors are asked to choreograph themselves, aside from solos.  The Callbacks are often collectively portrayed as one of the most exhausting and stressful stages of the competition; each successive round sees cuts in which a significant portion of the remaining dancers are eliminated from competition and dancers are given a limited amount of time to adapt to styles they are sometimes wholly unfamiliar with while being physically taxed by the rapid progression of rounds and a limited amount of rest.  At the end of this process, usually less than 40 competitors remain in a pool that final contestants are chosen from.  Most seasons have featured 20 top finalists for the competition portion of the show, but Season One was represented by a Top 16, Season Seven saw a Top 11, and Season Thirteen employed a Top 10.

text: Finalist selection and showcase episode[edit]

text: Following Vegas Week—-which has, through video vignettes, made many of the dancers increasingly familiar to the audience as it observes their attempts to cope with the challenges of the week-—the judge's panel selects their finalists from the remaining dancers, breaking the good or bad news to each dancer.  Since Season six, the series has also featured a showcase episode that takes place immediately before the main competition.  In this episode, dancers compete for the first time on the main SYTYCD stage in Los Angeles before a live audience, dancing duet or group routines, but only in their own styles. In seasons eight through ten, the finalist announcement episode and the dancer's showcase were combined into one episode, with groups of dancers taking to the stage for the first time immediately after they are revealed. In seasons six through nine, no dancers were in danger of elimination at this point and the first round of viewer voting and judge eliminations occurred the following week. In the slightly more compact format of the more recent seasons, the dancer showcase is often the first episode to be accompanied by viewer voting and a resulting elimination.

text: Finalist Stage[edit]

text: Following the finalist selection process, the show transitions into its regular competition phase, which lasts the rest of the season.  The competition stage is typically divided into 8 weeks,  generally with two contestants eliminated per week. Dancers are paired-up into male-female couples that will sometimes stay paired for half of the remaining competition if neither is eliminated.  These couples perform 1–2 duets per week in randomly selected styles.  These duets, as with all non-solo performances at this stage in the competition, are choreographed by professional choreographers.  Prior to most duet performances, a video packet of clips of the couple preparing to perform the routine is shown; these packets are intended not only to demonstrate the couple's efforts to master the routine, but also to give glimpses of the personalities of the dancers as well as to allow the choreographer to give insight as to the thematic, narrative, and artistic intentions of the piece.  Following each duet performance, the week's panel of judges gives critical feedback, often emphasizing the two key areas of technique and performance value.  Duets and their accompanying video packets and critiques typically take up the majority of a competition show but may also be supplemented by solos or group numbers.  Each competition show ends with a quick recap of the night's routines accompanied by voting prompts—traditionally by phone, but increasingly through online voting processes.  Performance shows typically last around two hours, commercials included.

text: In seasons 2-8 the show's weekly format was split between two episodes, a performance episode, as described above, and a results show which reveals the outcome of the at-home-viewer voting.  Results shows typically aired on the night immediately following that of the performance show of the same week and usually opened with a group routine from the remaining contestants.  The main purpose of this show was to determine which of the dancers are eliminated that week, but these episodes generally also featured guest dance performances or guest musical acts, and sometimes further video packets that provide insight on the dancers and their journey on the show.  More recent seasons have moved to a one-show-per-week format, combining elements that used to be found in both varieties of show.  Regardless of how many shows air per week, a "bottom three" couples (those that garnered the fewest votes from viewers—in some seasons it is a bottom three of individual dancers rather than couples) are typically revealed weekly at this stage in the competition.  Each of these dancers are then in danger of elimination and must perform a solo for the judges as their last effort to impress and stay in the competition.  The judges then retire briefly (typically during the night's headlining musical guest performance) to determine which man and woman (which are not necessarily from the same couple) will leave the competition.  The eliminated dancers are then announced and given a brief send-off via a video montage.  On very rare occasions, the judges have been unwilling to send any of the bottom dancers home on the merits of their performances that week and have abstained from making an elimination and instead allowed all competitors to proceed to the next week (often to be followed by a double elimination the following week).  Since Season 7, dancers have also been routinely paired with "All Stars", returning dancers from previous seasons who partner with the contestant dancers, but are not themselves competing.

text: The total number of hours shown in a given week during the performance phase of the competition has varied from two to four hours.  In season one there was no results show and the dancers' eliminations were pre-recorded the week they occurred and then broadcast at the beginning of the next week's episode.  Seasons 9-14 have also utilized one show per week, but with votes from the previous week being revealed later in the show.  Voting has varied by season (and often within seasons) with regard to whether the voter selected individuals or couples.  There has also been variability in how long couples are kept together and how the at-home-viewer votes are balanced against judge decisions, though ultimately at some point in every season, the judges give up their power to save dancers at this point, and eliminations are determined exclusively by viewer votes, with judges serving in only an advisory capacity.  Each season undergoes one final format shake-up in its last week, which typically takes place when the show reaches a Top 4.  In the final performance show, the remaining dancers typically each dance duets with all of their remaining fellow finalists as well as perform solos and participate in group numbers.  The following night's season finale episode is often the most elaborately produced show of a season and features the last performances of the competitors, encore performances of many of the season's most acclaimed routines, guest dancers (including returning past season competitors and cast-members from other international versions of the franchise), musical performances and multiple video packets chronicling the course of the season's events, all culminating in the announcement of the winner of the competition, as decided by the previous night's vote.  Some seasons have featured a singular winner, while others have allowed for a male and female winner. Following the closure of the season, the Top Ten dancers often go on tour for several months, performing hit routines from the season amongst other performances.

text: Judges[edit]

text: The judging panels has varied considerably over the years,in size and composition over the run of the series. Typically a season has 2–3 permanent judges with an additional 1–2 guest judges for most episodes, with the panel ballooning up to six to nine members for Vegas Week and the finale.  Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is the only permanent judge on the panel for all of the seasons. Other permanent judges have included ballroom specialist Mary Murphy, film director and choreographer Adam Shankman and contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels. Guest judge positions are typically filled by choreographers who work regularly on the show—though choreographers will never develop routines for an episode on which they judge—who in rare cases may also be former contestants themselves, and by iconic names from the entertainment industry.  Guest judges for the show have included: Debbie Allen, Christina Applegate, Robin Antin, Toni Basil, Cicely Bradley, Kristin Chenoweth, Alex Da Silva, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, Carmen Electra, Brian Friedman, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Neil Patrick Harris, Hi-Hat, Katie Holmes, Dan Karaty, Lady Gaga, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lil' C, Rob Marshall, Mandy Moore, Megan Mullally, Kenny Ortega, Toni Redpath, Debbie Reynolds, Wade Robson, Doriana Sanchez, Shane Sparks, Sonya Tayeh, Olisa Thompson, Stacey Tookey, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Travis Wall.  In earlier seasons, the judges decided on eliminations until around week five of the competitive phase of the show, but in seasons seven through nine the judges decided the eliminations until week seven. Beginning with the twelfth season, Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo joined Lythgoe as permanent judges.[1] For the thirteenth season, 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler joined the panel as a fourth judge.[2] Season Fourteen has seen the departure of Abdul, Derulo, and Ziegler from their season-long positions of the judges panel, but introduction of Vanessa Hudgens and the return of Mary Murphy to her seat.

text: Overview of format and presentation by season[edit]

text:
Season

Dates

Host

Permanent judges

Separate results show?

Dancer showcase episode?†

Number of finalists in first live show

Number of contestants eliminated per week

Number of contestants remaining in finale

No. of winners

All-Stars included in format?

Point at which judge eliminations end

Voting for individual dancers starting with

1

Summer 2005  (July–October)

Lauren Sánchez

Nigel Lythgoe

No

No

16

2

4

1

No

Top 8

Top 8

2

Summer 2006  (May–August)

Cat Deeley

Yes

No

20

2

4

1

No

Top 10

Top 10

3

Summer 2007  (May–August)

Nigel Lythgoe  Mary Murphy

Yes

No

20

2

4

1

No

Top 10

Top 10

4

Summer 2008  (May–August)

Yes

No

20

2

4

1

No

Top 10

Top 10

5

Summer 2009  (May–August)

Yes

No

20

2

4

1

No

Top 10

Top 10

6

Fall 2009  (September–December)

Nigel Lythgoe  Mary Murphy  Adam Shankman

Yes

Yes

20

2

6

1

No

Top 10

Top 10

7

Summer 2010  (May–August)

Nigel Lythgoe  Adam Shankman  Mia Michaels

Yes

Yes

11

1*

3

1

Yes

Top 4

Top 11

8

Summer 2011  (May–August)

Nigel Lythgoe  Mary Murphy

Yes

Yes‡

20

2*

4

1

Yes

Top 6

Top 10

9

Summer 2012  (May–September)

No

Yes‡

20

2*

4

2

Yes

Top 6

Top 20

10

Summer 2013  (May–September)

No

Yes‡

20

2

4

2

Yes

Top 6

Top 20

11

Summer 2014  (May–September)

No

Yes

20

2

4

1

Yes

Top 10

Top 20

12

Summer 2015  (June–September)

Nigel Lythgoe  Paula Abdul  Jason Derulo

No

Yes

20

2⁂

4

1

Yes

Top 14

Top 20

13°

Summer 2016  (May–September)

Nigel Lythgoe  Paula Abdul  Jason Derulo  Maddie Ziegler

No

Yes

10

1**

4

1

Yes

Top 8

Top 10

14

Summer 2017  (June–September)

Nigel Lythgoe  Mary Murphy  Vanessa Hudgens

No

No

10

1

4

1

Yes

Top 6

Top 10

15

Summer 2018  (June-September)

No

No

20

TBA

TBA

1

Yes

TBA

TBA

tag: table

text: †  From its inception in season 6 and through season 10, the dancer showcase episode represented a non-competitive round with no viewer voting or subsequent eliminations, followed the next week by the first competitive round.  In season 11 it was the first episode of the season upon which viewers voted.

text: ‡  For seasons 8-10, the dancer showcase episode was combined with the Top 20 reveal episode, with groups of the dancers performing immediately after being revealed as finalists.

text: *  In both seasons 7 and 8, the judges decided not to eliminate any dancers on the occasion of one results show; in both cases this event was followed by the elimination of double the normal amount of contestants the following week.  Similarly, for format reasons, season 9 featured two shows with double eliminations, with four dancers eliminated instead of two for each of these shows.

text: ⁂ Unlike all previous seasons, season 12 featured the elimination of one "street" dancer and one "stage" dancer each week, as opposed to one female and one male contestant (as in all previous seasons which eliminated two dancers per week).

text: °Season 13 (during which the show was subtitled 'The Next Generation') featured competitors between the ages of 9 (or as young as 8 at time of application) and 14.

text: **In season 13, the judges held the audition rounds, but the all-stars, rather than the judges, made the eliminations during Academy week to choose the top 10.  After this, in episodes 7 and 8, from the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes, the judges made the elimination. In episode 9, the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes were both eliminated, and in episodes 10 and 11, the contestant with the lowest viewer votes was eliminated.

text: Dance styles and choreographers[edit]

text: Over the course of its eleven seasons, So You Think You Can Dance has featured dozens of distinct dance styles in its choreographed routines. Most of these styles fall into four categories that are regularly showcased and can be found in almost every performance episode: western contemporary/classical styles, ballroom styles, hip-hop/street styles, and Jazz and its related styles. Various other forms of dance that do not especially fall into these broad categories are seen as well, but not as regularly.  The following styles have all been seen in a choreographed duet or group routine; styles featured only in auditions or solos are not listed.

text: Classical styles[edit]

text: Routines from the classically derived style of contemporary dance are the most common dances seen on the show, being seen in every performance episode of the series (and typically at least twice per episode).  While contemporary, lyrical, and modern dance are typically considered three separate (if overlapping) styles, the practice on So You Think You Can Dance has been to refer to all routines in this area as "contemporary", except in the first season where the label "lyrical" was used for the same purpose. Ballet routines occur much more rarely, at a rate of one or two per season since their introduction in the fourth season.

text:
Genre

Styles

Western Classical styles

Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Ballet/Pas de Deux

Choreographers

Dee Caspary, Tessandra Chavez, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Justin Giles, Mandy Moore, Mia Michaels, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Garry Stewart, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey, Travis Wall, Tovaris Wilson, Keith Young, Lindsay Nelko

text: Street and club styles[edit]

text: Hip-hop routines are also present in every performance episode.  While these routines frequently feature elements from many different subgenres of hip-hop (locking and popping, for example) and various "street" styles (such as breaking), they are typically all labelled under the umbrella term of hip-hop.  An exception is the now frequently featured lyrical hip-hop, which is unique amongst all the styles on SYTYCD in that it is the only one that is held to have become a known distinct style at least in-part as a result of the show; the style is widely attributed to regular show choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo and the term itself to judge Adam Shankman.  These two broad categories are occasionally supplemented by krump routines, which have been featured a few times a season since their introduction in season 2.  Additionally the styles of breakdancing (in the sense of a full breaking routine as opposed to a hip-hop routine with a few breaking tricks), waacking, and stepping have all been featured in exactly one routine. In Season 12, there are more street style dances because of the season's new format where there are 10 street dancers which do only street styles.

text:
Genre

Styles

Street and Contemporary Club Styles

Hip-hop (umbrella term for all Popping, Locking, and New Style/Commercial Hip-Hop styles), Lyrical Hip-hop, Breaking/B-boying, Krump, Stepping, Waacking

Choreographers

Cicely Bradley, Luther Brown, Tessandra Chavez, Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, Dan Karaty, Marty Kudelka, Lil' C, Chuck Maldonado, Todd Sams, Christopher Scott, Dave Scott, Shane Sparks, Jamal Sims, Olisa Thompson, Dana Wilson, Pharside and Phoenix, Luam.

text: Ballroom styles[edit]

text: Ballroom styles are also seen regularly in every performance episode; these dances may be traditional European-derived styles or Latin-American styles or a mix of the two.

text:
Genre

Styles

Standard or Smooth Ballroom styles

Foxtrot, Tango, Argentine Tango, Quickstep, Waltz (including Smooth Waltz, Slow Waltz, American Slow Waltz, and Viennese Waltz variants)

Latin/Rhythm Ballroom styles

Cha-Cha-Cha, Jive, American Jive, Mambo, Paso Doble, Rumba, Salsa, Street Salsa, Samba, African Samba

Choreographers

Mark Ballas, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Dmitry Chaplin, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Alex Da Silva, Sasha Farber, Anya Garnis, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Hunter Johnson, Pasha Kovalev, Melanie LaPatin, Miriam Larici, Liz Lira, Michael Mead, Tony Meredith, Tomas Mielnicki, Ron Montez, France Mousseau, Mary Murphy, Jonathan Platero, Oksana Platero, Toni Redpath, Jonathan Roberts, Fabian Sanchez, Edward Simon, Emma Slater, Heather Smith, J.T. Thomas,   Louis Van Amstel, Gustavo Vargas, Glenn Weiss

text: Jazz, Broadway, and musical theater styles[edit]

text: Jazz is featured in nearly all performance episodes.  While these routines are typically labelled simply "Jazz", the genre is notable as being one of the most fusional featured on the show and various style combinations and sub-categories have been referenced.  Descended from Jazz but treated as a separate genre on SYTYCD, "Broadway" is analogous to the label "Musical Theater" outside the U.S.

text:
Genre

Styles

Jazz Styles

Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Modern Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, African Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz, Pop-Jazz/Pop

Broadway/Musical Theatre Styles

Broadway, Burlesque, Can-Can, Tap

Choreographers

Andy Blankenbuehler, Sean Cheesman, Tyce Diorio, Brian Friedman, Laurie Ann Gibson, Derick K. Grant, Charles Klapow, Ray Leeper, Spencer Liff, Mandy Moore, Anthony Morigerato, Amanda Robson, Wade Robson, Sonya Tayeh, Savion Glover

text: American social styles[edit]

text: These dance styles are featured less frequently than their ballroom relatives, but have been seen intermittently since the first season.

text:
Genre

Styles

American Social / Traditional Club Styles

Charleston, Country-Western Two-Step, Disco, Go-Go, Hustle, Lindy Hop, Rock n' Roll, Swing, West Coast Swing

Choreographers

Ronnie DeBenedetta, Carla Heiney, Brandi Tobais, Travis Payne, Doriana Sanchez, Benji Schwimmer, Kristen Sorci, Maria Torres, Nick Williams

text: Regional/traditional styles[edit]

text: In addition to the broad categories above, many more styles that are less common in the U.S. are sometimes featured.  Most of these are seen only once, but the Bollywood style has been featured several times per season since the fourth season.

text:
Genre

Styles

Regional/Traditional Styles

Bollywood, African, Capoeira, Kalinka, Malevos, Tahitian, Tropak

Choreographers

Lilia Babenko, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Nakul Dev Mahajan, Miriam Larici, Tiana Liufau, Youri Nelzine.

text: Seasons[edit]

text: Grand Finalists[edit]

text:
Season

Winner

Runner-up

Third place

Fourth place

Fifth place

Sixth place

1

Nick Lazzarini(Contemporary Jazz)

Melody Lacayanga(Contemporary)

Jamile McGee(Popping)

Ashlé Dawson(Jazz)

2

Benji Schwimmer(Swing/Latin)

Travis Wall(Contemporary)

Donyelle Jones(Jazz/Hip-Hop)

Heidi Groskreutz(Ballroom)

3

Sabra Johnson(Contemporary)

Danny Tidwell(Contemporary)

Neil Haskell(Contemporary)

Lacey Schwimmer(Swing/Latin)

4

Joshua Allen(Hip-Hop)

Stephen "Twitch" Boss(Hip-Hop)

Katee Shean(Contemporary)

Courtney Galiano(Contemporary)

5

Jeanine Mason(Contemporary)

Brandon Bryant(Contemporary)

Evan Kasprzak(Broadway)

Kayla Radomski(Contemporary)

6

Russell Ferguson(Krump)

Jakob Karr(Contemporary)

Kathryn McCormick(Contemporary)

Ellenore Scott(Jazz)

Ashleigh Di Lello(Ballroom)

Ryan Di Lello(Ballroom)

7

Lauren Froderman (Contemporary)

Kent Boyd (Contemporary Jazz)

Robert Roldan(Contemporary Jazz)

8

Melanie Moore(Contemporary)

Sasha Mallory(African Jazz)

Marko Germar(Contemporary Jazz)

Tadd Gadduang(Breakdance)

Female winner

Male winner

Female runner-up

Male runner-up

9

Eliana Girard(Ballet)

Chehon Wespi-Tschopp(Ballet)

Tiffany Maher(Jazz)

Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer(Popping/Animation)

10

Amy Yakima(Jazz)

Du-Shaunt "Fik-Shun" Stegall(Hip-Hop)

Jasmine Harper(Contemporary)

Aaron Turner(Tap)

Winner

Runner-up

Third place

Fourth place

11

Ricky Ubeda(Contemporary)

Valerie Rockey(Tap)

Jessica Richens(Jazz)

Zack Everhart, Jr.(Tap)

12

Gaby Diaz(Tap)

Jaja Vaňková(Animation/Krump)

Virgil Gadson(Hip-Hop)

Hailee Payne(Jazz)

13

Leon "Kida" Burns(Hip-Hop)

J.T. Church(Jazz)

Tate McRae(Contemporary/Ballet)

Emma Hellenkamp(Tap)

14

Lex Ishimoto(Contemporary Hip-Hop)

Koine Iwasaki(Contemporary)

Taylor Sieve(Contemporary)

Kiki Nyemchek(Latin Ballroom)

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season premiered on May 12, 2006. The top 20 finalists were revealed on June 8, and the winner, Benjamin Schwimmer, was named "America's Favorite Dancer" on August 16, 2006 after 16 million votes were collected for the season finale. Travis Wall was the first runner-up, and Donyelle Jones was named second runner-up.  There were several changes to the show's format in the second season.  This season was the first to feature two episodes per week, splitting the bulk of the performances and the voting results segments between two nights.  New styles of dance were also introduced, and the winning prize was increased from US$100,000 to $250,000 and also included a new car and a one-year contract to perform in a Céline Dion show then performing Las Vegas.  The season was also the first followed by a live tour for the top ten dancers.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: Open auditions for season 3 began early October 2006, held in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Like the previous season, those that made the cuts moved on to Las Vegas. The taped auditions premiered on the Fox on May 24, 2007, and the subsequent shows were taped and broadcast live for a 12-week season. Cat Deeley returned as host, and Nigel Lythgoe returned as permanent judge. Joining Lythgoe permanently at the judging table was Mary Murphy; her promotion was reported by TV Guide on March 8, 2007.  The prize for the winner remained at $250,000 cash. On the performance finale show (August 16, 2007), Sabra Johnson was named "America's Favorite Dancer," while Danny Tidwell (brother of season 2 runner-up Travis Wall) was runner-up.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 4 began in Texas on January 17 and took place in six locations through March 2008. The show kicked off its two-hour season premiere on May 22, 2008.[3] Cat Deeley returned as host and Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as permanent judges. This season saw the introduction of new dance styles, including Bollywood, and new choreographers, including hip-hop duo Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo. The prize for the winner was again $250,000 cash and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and additionally included an offer for a role in the dance film Step Up 3D. In the finale, viewers voted Joshua Allen as the overall winner, while Katee Shean was voted the top female dancer and was given a previously unannounced award of $50,000.[4]

text: Season 5[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 5 kicked off in New York City on November 13, 2008 and continued on to Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Memphis, and Seattle. The premiere aired on May 21, 2009. Louis van Amstel joined the show's cast of choreographers and Shane Sparks returned to choreograph while on break from America's Best Dance Crew. The prize for the winner was once again $250,000 cash, the chance to be on the November 2009 issue cover of Dance Spirit Magazine, and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." On August 6, 2009 (the finale), Jeanine Mason was given the title.

text: Season 6[edit]

text: After a low-rated special episode of Dance featuring Lythgoe presenting his and viewer's favorite dance routines from seasons 1–5, the sixth season of Dance, premiered on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.[5] Auditions were held in Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.[6] Adam Shankman joined as the permanent judge for the first time this season. The winner was Russell Ferguson and the runner-up was Jakob Karr.

text: Season 7[edit]

text: Auditions began in Miami, Florida, on January 18, 2010, continuing through New York, Dallas, Nashville, and Chicago, ending in Los Angeles on March 26. The season premiered on May 27, 2010. This season introduced significant format changes to the show, with a Top 11 dancers instead of the traditional Top 20 and "All-Stars", contestants from previous seasons who returned to partner with the Top 11 for a portion of their routines. Lauren Froderman won this season with Kent Boyd as runner-up.

text: Season 8[edit]

text: Auditions started October 13, 2010 in Oakland, California and continued through November 15 in Brooklyn, New York. The premiere aired on May 26, 2011.  This season began a new version of the "All-Star" format in which the All-Stars didn't come in until the top 10. The show returned to a top 20 with couples. This season also marks the first time that the public can cast votes online, in addition to calling in, with a limit of 50 votes per viewer. On August 11, 2011, Melanie Moore won season 8, and Sasha Mallory was named the runner-up. Together they received 79% of the 11.5 million votes.

text: Season 9[edit]

text: The ninth season premiered on May 24, 2012. Fox discontinued the results show.[7] The two winners selected on September 18, 2012 were Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp.

text: Season 10[edit]

text: Season 10 premiered on May 14, 2013, in its new Tuesdays at 8 p.m. time slot.[8] The two-part premiere concluded on May 15, 2013 at 9 p.m., after the finale of American Idol season 12.[9] On September 10, 2013, Amy Yakima and Du-Shaunt 'Fik-Shun' Stegall were named the season 10 winners, becoming the first contestants to take the top two positions who had been a couple at the beginning of the live show competition.  No music artists or special dance performers appeared on this season except for All-Stars who were former contestants.

text: Season 11[edit]

text: The eleventh season premiered on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The season finale aired on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. Contemporary dancer Ricky Ubeda was the winner of the season with Tap dancer Valerie Rockey finishing as the runner-up.[10]

text: Season 12[edit]

text: The twelfth season of the show divided contestants into two equally sized teams, one representing "stage" dancers and the other "street" styles, with one contestant eliminated from each team weekly until the finale.[11] Auditions began on January 24, 2015 and took place in five major American cities.[12] Season 12 premiered on Monday, June 1. Tap dancer Gaby Diaz was the winner of the season, becoming the first tap dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance.  Animation dancer Jaja Vankova finished as the runner-up.

text: Season 13[edit]

text: The thirteenth season of the series premiered on May 30, 2016, titled So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. The season features young dancers between the ages of 8 and 13 (at their date of application). After auditions, during Dance Academy episodes, 10 All-Stars eliminated competitors until each selected one contestant to mentor and partner with in performances during the live episodes.[13] One or more finalists were eliminated each week beginning July 18, 2016.[14] 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler observed the Academy episodes and joined the judging panel for the live shows (also observing and commenting on rehearsals), together with continuing judges Abdul, Derulo and Lythgoe, the three of whom conducted the auditions.[2][15] Leon "Kida" Burns won the top prize of $250,000. J. T. Church was the runner-up.[16]

text: Season 14[edit]

text: On January 30, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a fourteenth season, which returned to its former contestant age range of 18-30 but keeps the All-Star partnerships. The season premiered on June 12, 2017. Contemporary dancer Lex Ishimoto was the winner of the season with contemporary dance Koine Iwasaki finishing as the runner-up and female winner, becoming the first Asian-Americans to take the top two positions of So You Think You Can Dance.[17]

text: Season 15[edit]

text: On February 16, 2018, Fox renewed the series for a fifteenth season set to premiere June 4, 2018 and see Deeley return as Host and Lythgoe, Murphy and Hudgens return as judges.

text: Special shows[edit]

text: On September 2, 2009, as prelude to season 6, a special show aired featuring judge picks for the top 15 routines from the first five seasons. At the end of the show, show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe presented his favorite performance, a contemporary piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi.

text: In March 2014, Chinese television station CCTV broadcast a promotional episode in which notable all-star dancers from the U.S. and Chinese versions of So You Think You Can Dance competed directly against one-another as teams.  Titled Zhōngměi Wǔ Lín Guànjūn Duìkàngsài - Super Dancer Born Tonight, the show was shot in Las Vegas but never aired on U.S. television.

text: Ratings[edit]

text: So You Think You Can Dance premiered with over 10 million viewers in 2005.  For Season 1, it was the No. 1 summer show on television. However, when NBC's America's Got Talent premiered in the summer of 2006, it took the title of "#1 summer show" and, over the following few years, broadened its lead.  In summer 2009, SYTYCD premiered strong with a 3.4 rating in its target demographic, although with the start of America's Got Talent roughly a month later in the same timeslot, Dance fell to No. 4 on the ratings board.  It continued to lose viewers throughout the summer of 2009 and ended up with an average of approximately 8 million viewers.  Fox then moved SYTYCD to its fall 2009 schedule where its ratings continued to decline; hitting an all-time series low of 4.6 million viewers for a "special" episode hosted by Nigel Lythgoe on September 2, 2009.  The move to the fall was short-lived.  After dropping to an average of 6 million viewers, Fox moved SYTYCD back to the summer in 2010.  With Mia Michaels replacing Mary Murphy and former contestants termed as "All-Stars" being used as partners, the ratings for Dance continued to slide to all-time series lows; dropping to just 5.6 million viewers on July 15, 2010.  For Season 7, So You Think You Can Dance averaged just over 5 million viewers. After season 7, Mia Michaels was replaced on the judge's panel by returning personality Mary Murphy.  The change appeared to have little effect on the ratings, and the show continued to average just over five million viewers per episode in 2011's season 8. Season 9 saw a slight uptick in ratings early on, with each of the season's first five episodes garnering between six and seven million viewers, but the rise was short-lived and the show's ratings hit a new low of 4.16 million viewers on August 29, 2012.  Season 10 maintained similar numbers, averaging about 4 million viewers per episode in 2013, with a 4.3 million viewership for the last episode of the season, an all-time series low for a finale.[18]

text: In April 2014, Nigel Lythgoe appealed on Twitter to fans to share information about the show ahead of the 11th season's May premiere in an attempt to augment the show's ratings for the upcoming season and bolster its chances of renewal thereafter.[18][19] The show was renewed for a 12th season, but ratings continued to decline, with an average of around 3.5 million viewers per show. FOX renewed the show for a 13th season, but with a drastically re-worked format focused on child dancers. Ratings declined further for the new version, with only five episodes breaking the 3 million viewer mark; the finale saw a series low viewership of just 2.27 million viewers.[citation needed]

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "in general", Dance "is more popular in cities, though it hits peak popularity in Utah".[20]

text:
Season

First aired

Last aired

TV season

Timeslot (ET)

Seasonviewers

Seasonranking

Date

Viewers(in millions)

Date

Viewers(in millions)

1[21]

July 20, 2005

10.30

Final Performances: September 28, 2005

7.30

2005

Wednesday 8:00 pm

Season Finale:  October 5, 2005

8.20

2[22]

May 25, 2006

10.70

Final Performances: August 9, 2006

10.10

2006

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 16, 2006

10.70

Thursday 9:00 pm(results)

3[23]

May 24, 2007

9.50

Final Performances: August 15, 2007

8.70

2007

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 16, 2007

9.60

Thursday 9:00 pm(results)

4[24]

May 22, 2008

6.70

Final Performances: August 6, 2008

9.00

2008

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 7, 2008

9.70

Thursday 9:00 pm(results)

5[25]

May 21, 2009

8.80

Final Performances: August 5, 2009

7.80

2009

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 6, 2009

9.60

Thursday 9:00 pm(results)

6[26]

September 9, 2009

6.60

Final Performances:

2009-10

Tuesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: December 16, 2009

Wednesday 8:00 pm(results)

7[27]

May 27, 2010

8.20

Final Performances:

2010

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 12, 2010

Thursday 9:00 pm(results)

8[28]

May 26, 2011

9.50

Final Performances:

2011

Wednesday 8:00 pm(performance)

Season Finale: August 11, 2011

Thursday 8:00 pm(results)

9[29][30][31]

May 24, 2012

6.26

Final Performances: September 11, 2012

4.33

2012

Wednesday 8:00 pm

Season Finale: September 18, 2012

4.71

10[32][33][34]

May 14, 2013

5.12

Final Performances: September 3, 2013

4.17

2013

Tuesday 8:00 pm

Season Finale: September 10, 2013

4.37

11[35][36][37]

May 28, 2014

5.33

Final Performances: August 27, 2014

3.68

2014

Wednesday 8:00 pm

Season Finale: September 3, 2014

4.12

12[38][39][40]

June 1, 2015

4.03

Final Performances: September 7, 2015

2.64

2015

Monday 8:00 pm

Season Finale: September 14, 2015

2.44

13[41][42][43]

May 30, 2016

3.75

Final Performances: September 5, 2016

2.37

2016

Monday 8:00 pm

Season Finale: September 12, 2016

2.27

14[44][45][46]

June 12, 2017

3.56

Final Performances: September 18, 2017

2.14

2017

Season Finale: September 25, 2017

1.91

15[47]

June 6, 2018

3.25

Final Performances:

2018

Season Finale:

text: Influence and international franchise[edit]

text: Dance competition had been a part of American television for decades before the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, but usually in the form of all-around talent searches, (such as Star Search, Soul Train, or Showtime at the Apollo).  However,  a season-long American Idol-like talent-search show with a sole focus on dance had never been broadcast on American network television.  Producers and judges associated with the show have stated on numerous occasions, both within the context of the show and in interviews, that the series was meant to rejuvenate the visibility and appreciation of dance as an art form in the U.S. and to give exposure to struggling dancers.  Series judge Mary Murphy says, for example, "Of course you hope you can make a living at it, because you don't want to give up on something that you do, but the honest truth is most dancers have to carry one or two jobs and dance as much as they can on the side -- it's a very lucky dancer who gets a full scholarship."[48]  A number of dance-themed competition shows have been produced for American television since the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, including America's Best Dance Crew, Superstars of Dance, and Live to Dance.

text: In 2009, Lythgoe came together with fellow SYTYCD judge Adam Shankman as well as Katie Holmes, Carrie Ann Inaba, and others in the dance entertainment industry, in an effort to launch The Dizzyfeet Foundation, with the aim of providing scholarships and training to young dancers of limited means.[49] The foundation has been referenced sporadically on the show since. In 2010, Lythgoe, with the assistance of other SYTYCD personalities and long-time healthy lifestyles proponent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was successful in getting another of his dance-oriented concepts realized—an official National Dance Day, held now annually on the last Saturday of July, to promote fitness through movement.[50]  This national dance day has been celebrated annually by the show since.[51]

text: Before the end of 2005, the year the series first premiered, its format had already been licensed for the first of a number foreign adaptations.  To date, the resulting So You Think You Can Dance franchise has produced 26 shows representing 37 different countries and comprising more than 80 individual seasons.  These adaptations have aired in Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, India, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Emmy Awards[edit]

text:
hideEmmy Awards and nominations

Year

Result

Category

Recipient(s)/Choreographer(s)

Style

Music

2007

Won[a]

Outstanding Choreography

Wade Robson

Pop-Jazz

"Ramalama (Bang Bang)"—Róisín Murphy

Mia Michaels

Contemporary

"Calling You"—Celine Dion

2008

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Wade Robson

Jazz

Hummingbird and Flower/"The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha

Nominated

Mandy Moore

Jazz

Table/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"—Eurythmics

Nominated

Shane Sparks

Hip-hop

Transformers/"Fuego"—Pitbull

Nominated

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

2009

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Tyce Diorio

Contemporary

Adam and Eve/"Silence" from Unfaithful

Nominated

Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Hip-hop

"Bleeding Love"—Leona Lewis

Nominated

Mia Michaels

Contemporary

"Mercy"—Duffy

Nominated

Dmitry Chaplin

Argentine tango

"A Los Amigos" from Forever Tango

Nominated

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won

Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special

Soyon An

2010

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Mia Michaels

Contemporary

"Koop Island Blues"—Koop feat Ane Brun

Contemporary

Addiction/"Gravity"—Sara Bareilles

Contemporary

"One" from A Chorus Line

Nominated

Stacey Tookey

Contemporary

Fear/"Two Steps Away"—Patti LaBelle

Nominated

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won

Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special

Soyon AnGraine O'Sullivan

2011

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Hip-Hop

"Scars"—Basement Jaxx ft. Kelis, Meleka, and Chipmunk

Lyrical Hip-Hop

"Fallin'"—Alicia Keys

Hip-Hop

"Outta Your Mind" (District 78 Mix)—Lil Jon and LMFAO

Won

Mia Michaels

Contemporary

Alice in Mia-Land/"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"—Sting

Contemporary

"When We Dance"—Sting

Contemporary

"This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Twilight"—Max Richter and Dinah Washington

Nominated

Mandy Moore

Pop-Jazz

"Oh Yeah"—Yello

Jazz

"Boogie Shoes"—KC & the Sunshine Band

Contemporary

"I Surrender"—Celine Dion

Nominated

Stacey Tookey

Contemporary

"Mad World" (Alternate Version)—Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules

Contemporary

"Sundrenched World" (Live Session)—Joshua Radin

Contemporary

"Heaven is a Place on Earth"—Katie Thompson

Nominated

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"Collide" (Acoustic Version)—Howie Day

Contemporary

"How It Ends"—DeVotchKa

Contemporary

"Fix You"—Coldplay

Nominated

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Cat Deeley

Won

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series

Robert BarnhartPete RadicePatrick BoozerMatt Firestone

Nominated

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

Producers

2012

Nominated

Outstanding Choreography

Stacey Tookey

Contemporary

"In This Shirt"—The Irrepressibles

Contemporary

"Turning Tables"—Adele

Contemporary

"Heart Asks Pleasure First"—Ahn Trio

Nominated

Christopher Scott

Hip-hop

"Misty Blue"—Dorothy Moore

Hip-hop/Contemporary

"Velocity"—Nathan Lanier

Nominated

Spencer Liff

Broadway

"Whatever Lola Wants"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway

"Please Mr. Jailer"—Rachel Sweet

Broadway

"(Where Do I Begin) Love Story (Away Team Remix)"—Shirley Bassey

Nominated

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Cat Deeley

Won

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

Robert BarnhartMatt FirestonePete RadicePatrick Boozer

Nominated

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

Producers

2013

Nominated

Outstanding Choreography

Sonya Tayeh

Contemporary

"Possibly Maybe"—Björk

Contemporary

"Turning Page"—Sleeping At Last

Jazz

"Sail"—Awolnation

Nominated

Mandy Moore

Contemporary

"The Power of Love"—Celine Dion

Contemporary

"Wild Horses"—Charlotte Martin

Nominated

Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Jazz/Hip-hop

"The Circle of Life/Nants Ingonyama (District 78 Remix) from The Lion King"—Ella Fitzgerald

Jazz[52]

"The Lovecats"—The Cure

Jazz

The Beautiful People (District 78 remix)"—Marilyn Manson

Nominated

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"Where the Light Gets In"—Sennen

Contemporary

"Without You"—Harry Nilsson

Contemporary

"Unchained Melody"—The Righteous Brothers

Nominated

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Cat Deeley

Nominated

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

Robert BarnhartMatt FirestonePete RadicePatrick Boozer

Nominated

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

Producers

2014

Nominated

Outstanding Choreography

Christopher Scott

Hip-hop

"Trigger (Original Mix)"—Kezwik ft. Mel Presson

Jazz

"Sand"—Nathan Lanier ft. Karen Whipple

Contemporary

"The Gravel Road" from The Village (Score from the Motion Picture)

Nominated

Mandy Moore

Contemporary

"I Can't Make You Love Me"—Mark Masri

Jazz

"Feeling Good"—Jennifer Hudson

Contemporary

"Edge of Glory (Live from a Very Gaga Thanksgiving)"—Lady Gaga

Won

Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo

Hip-hop

"Gold Rush"—Clinton Sparks ft. 2 Chainz, Macklemore, & D.A.

Hip-Hop

"Run the World (Girls) (Nappytabs Remix)"—Beyoncé

Hip-Hop

"Puttin' On the Ritz"—Herb Alpert ft. Lani Hall

Nominated

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"Hangin' By a Thread"—Jann Arden

Contemporary

"Medicine"—Daughter

Contemporary

"Wicked Game (Live at Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland 2011)"—James Vincent McMorrow

Nominated

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Cat Deeley

Nominated

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Nominated

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

Producers

2015

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"Wave"—Beck

Contemporary

"When I Go"—Over the Rhine

Contemporary

"Wind Beneath My Wings"—RyanDan

Nominated

Sonya Tayeh

Contemporary

"Vow"—Meredith Monk

Contemporary

"So Broken (Live)"—Björk

Contemporary

"Europe, After The Rain" —Max Richter

Nominated

Spencer Liff

Broadway

"Hernando's Hideaway"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway

"I've Got the World on a String"—Frank Sinatra

Broadway

"Maybe This Time"—Liza Minnelli

Nominated

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Cat Deeley

Nominated

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

Nominated

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series Or Special

Sallie Nicole
Sean Smith
Dean Banowetz
Ralph Abalos
Shawn Finch
Melissa Jaqua

Nominated

Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special

Heather Cummings
Marie DelPrete
Amy Harmon
Tyson Fountaine
Adam Christopher

Nominated

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

Producers

2016

Nominated

Outstanding Choreography

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"Beautiful Friends"—Helen Money

Contemporary

"November"—Max Richter

Contemporary

"Gimme All Your Love"—Alabama Shakes

Nominated

Anthony Morigerato

Tap

"Dibidy Dop (Swing Mix)"—Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda Boykin

Nominated

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

2017

Won

Outstanding Choreography

Travis Wall

Contemporary

"The Mirror"—Alexandre Desplat

Contemporary

"Send in the Clowns"—Sarah Vaughan and the Count Basie Orchestra

Contemporary

"She Used to be Mine"—Sara Bareilles

Nominated

Mandy Moore

Contemporary

"Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)"—X Ambassadors

Contemporary

"This is Not the End"—Clare Maguire

Nominated

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

As of 2017, nine former SYTYCD contestants have been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.  Five were nominated for their work on Dancing with the Stars:  Chelsie Hightower in 2010, Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini in 2012 (with Teddy Forance), Alison Holker in 2013 (with Derek Hough), and Witney Carson in 2015.  Hokuto “Hok” Konishi, Ryan “Ryanimay” Conferido, and Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval were nominated in 2016 as part of the B-boy troupe Quest Crew for their work on America's Best Dance Crew. Dmitry Chaplin in 2009 and Travis Wall in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were nominated for their work on SYTYCD, itself.  The only former contestants to have won the Choreography Emmy are Konishi, Conferido, and Sandoval in 2016 and Wall in 2015 and 2017.[53]
^a : Wade Robson and Mia Michaels were joint-winners along with Rob Marshall and John Deluca from Tony Bennett: An American Classic.

text: Teen Choice Awards[edit]

text:
Year

Result

Category

2006

Won

Choice TV: Breakout Show

Choice Summer Series

2007

Nominated

Choice Summer TV Show

2008

Nominated

Choice Summer TV Show

Choice TV: Reality Dance

2010

Nominated

Choice Personality: Cat Deeley

Choice Summer TV Show

2018

Pending

Choice Summer TV Show


document_title: A Christmas Story

question_text: why did the dad get the leg lamp in a christmas story

text: A Christmas Story

text: Plot[edit]

text: The film is presented in a series of vignettes, with narration provided by the adult Ralphie Parker reminiscing on one particular Christmas when he was nine years old. Ralphie wanted only one thing for that Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Ralphie's desire is rejected by his mother, his teacher Miss Shields, and even a Santa Claus at Higbee's department store, all giving him the same warning: "You'll shoot your eye out."

text: Christmas morning arrives and Ralphie dives into his presents. Although he does receive some presents he enjoys, Ralphie ultimately is disappointed that he did not receive the one thing he wanted more than anything. After it appears all of the presents have been opened, Ralphie's father, "The Old Man," directs Ralphie to look at one last present that he had hidden. Ralphie opens it to reveal the Red Ryder gun he wanted.

text: Ralphie takes the gun outside and fires it at a target perched on a metal sign in the backyard. However, the BB ricochets back at Ralphie and knocks his glasses off. While searching for them, thinking he has indeed shot his eye out, Ralphie accidentally steps on his glasses and breaks them. He lies to his mother that a falling icicle broke his glasses, and she believes him.

text: Ralphie is in bed on Christmas night with his gun by his side. The adult Ralphie narrates that this was the best present he had ever received or would ever receive.

text: Other vignettes:

text:
The Old Man wins a "major award" in a contest, which turns out to be a lamp in the shape of a woman's leg wearing a fishnet stocking, which was derived from the logo for Nehi (pronounced "knee-high") pop, a popular soft drink of the period.[4] The Old Man is overjoyed by the lamp, but Mrs. Parker does not like it and a feud over it — referred to by adult Ralphie as "The Battle of the Lamp" — develops and results in the lamp's "accidental" destruction.[5]
The Old Man also fights a never-ending battle with the malfunctioning furnace in the Parker home. His frustrations cause him to swear quite often, including one profanity-laden rant that the adult Ralphie says "is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."[6]
Still another source of frustration for The Old Man is the dogs that belong to the next door hillbilly neighbors, the Bumpuses. The Bumpuses own "at least 785 smelly hound dogs" that harass The Old Man whenever he comes home from work. On Christmas Day, the dogs ruin the family's dinner by romping through their kitchen and eating their turkey. This results in the family having Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant instead.[7]
Ralphie and his friends Flick and Schwartz are tormented by the neighborhood bullies Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. Ralphie eventually snaps and beats up Farkus.[8]
Flick accepts a dare from Schwartz to stick his tongue onto the school flagpole. His tongue freezes onto the pole, requiring assistance from the police and fire department to free him.
After getting a Christmas tree on the ride home, one of The Old Man's tires becomes flat, so he goes to fix it. Mrs. Parker encourages Ralphie to help. When Ralphie flips the tire he says, "Oh Fudge!" but he actually said the bad word. At home, Ralphie is given Lifebuoy soap in his mouth. His mother asks where he heard the word. He actually has heard from The Old Man every day but chickens out and says Schwartz. This leads to his mother calling Schwartz's mother on the phone. As a result, Schwartz's mother beats him and Ralphie is punitively sent to bed.
For homework, Ralphie and his class are assigned to write on what they want for Christmas. Ralphie knows what he is going to write about: The Red Ryder BB Gun. He imagines the ultimate A+, but gets a C+, with Miss Shields writing, "You'll shoot your eye out!" on the paper.
Ralphie, a fan of the Little Orphan Annie radio program, eagerly awaits the arrival of a decoder pin he has applied to receive. When it comes in the mail, he uses it to decode a secret message at the end of the day's broadcast, but is disappointed to find it is only an advertisement for Ovaltine, the show's sponsor.

tag: ul

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker
Jean Shepherd as adult Ralphie (voice)
Ian Petrella as Randy Parker
Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker
Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
Scott Schwartz as Flick
R. D. Robb as Schwartz
Zack Ward as Scut Farkus
Yano Anaya as Grover Dill
Tedde Moore as Miss Shields
Jeff Gillen as Santa Claus

text: Casting[edit]

text: The basis of the screenplay is a series of monologues written and performed by Jean Shepherd on radio. Shepherd wrote the screenplay adaptation with Bob Clark and Leigh Brown.[9] Several subplots are incorporated into the body of the film, based on other separate short stories by Shepherd. Shepherd provides the film's narration from the perspective of an adult Ralphie, a narrative style later used in the dramedy television series The Wonder Years. Shepherd, Brown and Clark all have cameo appearances in the film: Shepherd plays the man who directs Ralphie and Randy to the back of the Santa line at the department store; Brown – Shepherd's wife in real life – plays the woman in the Santa line with Shepherd; Clark plays Swede, the neighbor the Old Man talks to outside during the Leg Lamp scene.

text: In the DVD commentary, director Bob Clark mentions that Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of the Old Man; Clark expresses gratitude that he ended up with Darren McGavin instead, who later appeared in several other Clark films. He cast Melinda Dillon on the basis of her similar role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Some 8,000 actors auditioned for the role of Ralphie; "He walked in, and he had us from the beginning," Clark later recalled of Peter Billingsley who was already a successful actor in commercials[9] and from co-hosting the TV series Real People. Clark initially wanted him for the role of Ralphie, but decided he was "too obvious" a choice and auditioned many other young actors before realizing that Billingsley was the right choice after all.

text: Ian Petrella was cast immediately before filming began. Tedde Moore had previously appeared in Clark's film Murder by Decree and was the only onscreen character from A Christmas Story who was played by the same actor in the sequel, My Summer Story. Jeff Gillen was an old friend of Clark's who had been in one of his earliest films.[10] The schoolyard bully, Scut Farkus, was played by Zack Ward, now an actor, writer and director, who had actually been bullied himself while in elementary school. In 2017, he said he was surprised at the impact his role had had over the years. "I saw that I was ranked — as Christmas villains go — higher than the Grinch. That's amazing."[11]

text: Production[edit]

text: The screenplay for A Christmas Story is based on material from author Jean Shepherd's collection of short stories, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.  Three of the semi-autobiographical short stories on which the film is based were originally published in Playboy magazine between 1964 and 1966.[12] Shepherd later read "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder nails the Cleveland Street Kid" and told the otherwise unpublished story "Flick's Tongue" on his WOR Radio talk show, as can be heard in one of the DVD extras.[13] Bob Clark states on the DVD commentary that he became interested in Shepherd's work when he heard "Flick's Tongue" on the radio in 1968. Additional source material for the film, according to Clark, came from unpublished anecdotes that Shepherd told live audiences "on the college circuit."[10]

text: Locations[edit]

text: The film is set in Hohman, Indiana, a fictionalized version of Shepherd's hometown of Hammond, named for Hohman Avenue, which runs through downtown Hammond.[14] Local references in the film include Warren G. Harding Elementary School and Cleveland Street (where Shepherd spent his childhood). Other local references include mention of a person "swallowing a yo-yo" in nearby Griffith,[15] the Old Man being one of the fiercest "furnace fighters in northern Indiana" and that his obscenities were "hanging in space over Lake Michigan," a mention of the Indianapolis 500, and the line to Santa Claus "stretching all the way to Terre Haute, Indiana." The Old Man is also revealed to be a fan of the Bears (whom he jokingly calls the "Chicago Chipmunks") and White Sox, consistent with living in northwest Indiana.

text: Director Bob Clark reportedly sent scouts to twenty cities before selecting Cleveland for exterior filming. Cleveland was chosen because of Higbee's Department Store in downtown Cleveland. (Since Higbee's was exclusive to northeast Ohio,[16] the department store referenced in Shepherd's book and the film is most likely Goldblatt's, located in downtown Hammond [with the Cam-Lan Chinese Restaurant three doors down on Sibley Ave].) Until they connected with Higbee's, location scouts had been unsuccessful in finding a department store that was willing to be part of the film. Higbee's vice president Bruce Campbell agreed to take part in the project on the condition he be allowed to edit the script for cursing. Ultimately, Higbee's was the stage for three scenes in the film:

text:
The opening scene in which Ralphie first spies the Red Ryder BB Gun in the store's Christmas window display. Higbee's was known for its elaborate, child-centered Christmas themes and decorations, with Santa as the centerpiece.
The parade scene, filmed just outside Higbee's on Public Square at 3 AM. The parade was filmed at night because during the daytime the 1960s Erieview Tower and Federal Building were visible from the Public Square, as was the BP Tower, which was under construction at the time.
Ralphie and Randy's visit to see Santa, which was filmed inside Higbee's. The store kept the Santa slide that was made for the film and used it for several years after the film's release.

text: Higbee's became Dillard's in 1992 and closed for good in 2002.[17]

text: In addition to the scenes involving Higbee's, the exterior shots (and select interior shots where Ralphie lived, including the opening of the leg lamp) of the house and neighborhood, were filmed in the Tremont section of Cleveland's West Side. The house used as the Parker home in these scenes has been restored, reconfigured inside to match the soundstage interiors, and opened to the public as "A Christmas Story House". Appropriately, the fictional boyhood home of Ralphie Parker is on Cleveland Street, the name of the actual street where Shepherd grew up.

text: However, Cleveland was only one of several locations used. The school scenes were shot at the Victoria School in St. Catharines, Ontario.[18] The Christmas tree-purchasing scene was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, as was the sound stage filming of interior shots of the Parker home.[19][20] The "...only I didn't say fudge" scene was filmed at the foot of Cherry Street in Toronto; several lake freighters are visible in the background spending the winter at Toronto's port, which lends authenticity to the time of year when the film was produced.

text: In 2008, two Canadian fans released a documentary that visits every location. Their film, Road Trip for Ralphie, was shot over two years and includes footage of the filmmakers saving Miss Shields' blackboard from the garbage bin on the day the old Victoria School was gutted for renovation, discovering the antique fire truck that saved Flick, locating all the original costumes from the film, and tracking down the real-life location of the film's Chop Suey Palace in Toronto.[21]

text: Red Ryder BB gun[edit]

text: The Red Ryder BB gun was available beginning in 1938 and remains available today, but never in the exact configuration mentioned in the film. The Daisy "Buck Jones" model did have a compass and a sundial in the stock, but these features were not included in the Red Ryder model.[22] The compass and sundial were placed on Ralphie's BB gun, but on the opposite side of the stock due to Peter Billingsley being left-handed.[23]

text: Dating the story[edit]

text: Director Bob Clark stated in the film's DVD commentary that both he and author Shepherd wished for the film to be seen as "amorphously late-'30s, early-'40s".[24] A specific year is never mentioned in the film; however, numerous sources including The New York Times and CBS News have dated the film variously at 1940 to the early 1940s.[25][26][27][28]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2018)

text:
A Christmas StorySoundtrack album by Various artistsReleased
November 10, 2009Recorded
1983Genre
Instrumental, holidayLabel
Rhino Records

text: Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllmusic[29]

text: Release and reception[edit]

text: Initially overlooked as a sleeper film,[30] A Christmas Story was released a week before Thanksgiving 1983 to moderate success, earning about $2 million in its first weekend.[31] Vincent Canby's mostly negative The New York Times review complained that "the movie's big comic pieces tend only to be exceedingly busy. Though Mr. Billingsley, Mr. Gavin, Miss Dillon and the actress who plays Ralphie's school teacher (Tedde Moore) are all very able, they are less funny than actors in a television situation comedy." [32]

text: Roger Ebert suggested the film had only modest success because holiday-themed films were not popular at the time but he praised the nostalgia of the movie, and the Santa scene, which is the "best visit to Santa I've ever seen".[33] In 2000, Ebert added the film to his list of Great Movies.[34] The film would go on to win two categories in the 5th Genie Awards, for Director Bob Clark and Best Original Screenplay for the work of Leigh Brown, Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd.[35]

text: By Christmas 1983 the film was no longer playing at most venues, but remained in about a hundred theaters until January 1984.[10] Gross earnings were just over $19.2 million.[31] In the years since, due to television airings and home video release, A Christmas Story has become widely popular and is now an annual Christmas special. The film was produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The rights to the film were acquired by Turner Entertainment Co. after Ted Turner's purchase of MGM's pre-1986 film library. Subsequently, Time Warner purchased Turner Entertainment, and currently holds rights to the film.

text: Over the years, the film's critical reputation has grown considerably and it is considered by some to be one of the best films of 1983.[36] Based on 55 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 89%, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site's consensus reads: "Both warmly nostalgic and darkly humorous, A Christmas Story deserves its status as a holiday perennial."[37] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38] In his movie guide, Leonard Maltin awarded the film a rare[citation needed] four-star rating, calling the film "Delightful" and "Truly funny for kids and grown-ups alike" with "Wonderful period flavor."[39]

text: On December 24, 2007, AOL ranked the film their #1 Christmas film of all time.[40] IGN ranked the film the top holiday-themed film of all time.[41] In 2012, a Marist Poll named the film the favorite holiday film in the U.S.[42]

text: American Film Institute lists

text:
AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – Nominated[43]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
"You'll shoot your eye out." – Nominated[44]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated[45]

text: Broadcasting and home video release[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: The film first aired on television on HBO in 1985, and quickly attracted a growing following. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the film began airing quietly on SuperStation WTBS and Superstation WGN.[46] In 1988, then-fledgling Fox aired the film the night after Thanksgiving.[46] In 1989–1990, TBS showed it Thanksgiving night, while in 1991–1992, they aired it the night after.[46]

text: 24 Hours of A Christmas Story[edit]

text: Turner Broadcasting has maintained ownership of the broadcast rights, and since the mid-1990s, aired the film increasingly on TBS, TNT, and TCM. By 1995, it was aired on those networks a combined six times on December 24–26,[46] and in 1996, it was aired eight times over those three days.[46]

text: Due to the increasing popularity of the film, in 1997, TNT began airing a 24-hour marathon dubbed "24 Hours of A Christmas Story," consisting of the film shown twelve consecutive times beginning at 7 or 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and ending Christmas Day.[46] This was in addition to various other airings earlier in the month of December. In 2004, after TNT switched to a predominantly drama format, sister network TBS, under its comedy-based "Very Funny" moniker, took over the marathon. Clark stated that, in 2002, an estimated 38.4 million people tuned into the marathon at one point or another, nearly one sixth of the country.[10] TBS reported 45.4 million viewers in 2005,[47] and 45.5 million in 2006.[48] In 2007, new all-time ratings records were set,[49] with the highest single showing (8 p.m. Christmas Eve) drawing 4.4 million viewers.[49] Viewership increased again in 2008, with 8 p.m. Christmas Eve drawing 4.5 million viewers, and 10 p.m. drawing 4.3 million,[50] and 54.4 million total.[51] As of 2009, the film had been shown 250 times on the Turner family of networks.[51]

text: In 2007, the marathon continued, and the original tradition was revived. TNT also aired the film twice the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 25). In 2009, the 24-hour marathon continued on TBS, for the 13th overall year, starting at 8 p.m. eastern on Christmas Eve.[52]

text: In 2009, the film aired on TBS during a 24-hour marathon on Christmas Eve. The first viewing at 8 p.m. Eastern on December 24 earned a 1.6 rating (18–49) and beat the major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox).[53] In 2010, the marathon averaged 3 million viewers, up 2% from the previous year, ranking TBS as the top cable network for the 24-hour period. The 10 a.m. airing on December 25 was seen by 4.4 million viewers, and the 8 p.m. airing on December 24 was close behind with 4.3 million viewers.[54] The marathons in 2011[55] and 2012[56] continued to see increases in ratings.

text: For the 2014 and 2015 editions of the marathon, Turner Broadcasting elected to simulcast it on both TNT and TBS, marking the first time since 2003 that TNT aired it as well as the first time the marathon is being carried by multiple stations; the two networks set their airings one hour apart (so that the TNT airings began while TBS was at the middle of the film).[57][58] Both networks were running 24 hour marathons in 2017, as well.[2]

text: Subsequent and earlier works[edit]

text: A sequel involving Ralphie and his family, titled My Summer Story (originally released as It Runs in the Family), was made in 1994. With the exceptions of Tedde Moore as Ralphie's teacher (Miss Shields) and Jean Shepherd as the narrator (the voice of the adult Ralphie), it features an entirely different cast. A series of television films involving the Parker family, also from Shepherd stories, were made by PBS, including Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss (1988), The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1985), The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters (1982), and The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976).

text: A Christmas Story 2 is another sequel which ignores the references and events of My Summer Story and was released direct-to-video in 2012[59] and directed by Brian Levant. It was filmed in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.[60]

text: Stage adaptations[edit]

text: In 2000, a stage play adaptation of A Christmas Story was written by Philip Grecian.[61]

text: In November 2012, A Christmas Story: The Musical, based on the film, opened on Broadway. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (music and lyrics) and Joseph Robinette (book), the musical opened to positive reviews.[62] The run ended December 30, 2012.[63] The musical was directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle and featured Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd.[64] The musical received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Robinette), and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre.[65]

text: The musical was then adapted for television as the three hour A Christmas Story Live!, which aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2017.[66] Reviews were mixed; on Rotten Tomatoes, the production received a 46% rating based on 13 critics' reviews and a very low 14% based on 44 audience reviews.[67]

text: Home video releases[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Betamax (1984,1988)
VHS (1984, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000)
LaserDisc (1985): pan and scan
LaserDisc (1993): deluxe letterbox edition
DVD (1997, reissued by Warner Home Video in 1999): fullscreen, includes original theatrical trailer
DVD (2003) 20th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003): Widescreen & Fullscreen; includes cast interviews, audio commentary, and featurettes.
HD DVD (2006)[68]
Blu-ray (2006)[69]
DVD (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin case features the same 2003 two-disc special edition, but includes special memorabilia.[70]
Blu-ray (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin which features the same 2006 Blu-ray disc, but also includes a strand of Leg Lamp Christmas lights.[71]
Blu-ray (2013) 30th Anniversary Edition: Steelbook with Blu-ray in 1080p (like the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD) with a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track (whereas the previous releases had Dolby Digital mono), and more special features than the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD.