the finer dandy

Thank God America’s Best Dance Crew is back. Now I can sit in front of the TV more than usual.

Yes it’s all back - J.C. Chasez and his surprisingly urban dandy outfits, Shane Sparks and his low-brim baseball caps, bling and knack for criticism, Mr. Mario “Chorus Line” Lopez and Lil Mama along with her arsenal of ponytail-through-the-top-rhinstone-encrusted baseball caps. And might I add, I have noticed that Lil Mama, in her critiques, says “I appreciate that,” as opposed to her template quote from last season, “I respect that.” My, how she has grown.

Last year, Jabbawockeez (my sister and my cousin vow to be co-presidents of their fan club along with every other girl in the world) took the prize and this year there is some stiff competition (that’s what she said).

I’m really enjoyin’ A.S.I.I.D. (And So It Is Done), not just because they have a deaf member (yes you heard that right), but because they turned that stage out - and I loved the color combo they picked for their outfits. Good story. Good dancing. Sounds like a good combo for longevity on the show.

Then there is another girl group called Sass times 7. Ummm. Okay. The whole cheerleading act is fun and cute - but I don’t see them lasting very long - especially with a group name like that.

Boogie Bots: I just like the name for the breakin’ crew, but I am feelin’ Super Cr3w a little bit more when it comes to tearin’ up the floor with six-step tricks. Even so, their talent is not up to par as of yet. They need to STEP IT UP!

As for Philly-based Phresh Select, I didn’t catch their performance, but the name reminds me of a Fresh-Mex fast food joint. Word says that they are kind of cocky.

I was actually impressed by the boys from suburbia, Xtreme Dance Force and the LA-based jazz-pop group Fanny Pack is this year’s BreakSk8, only because it’s giving us something different to look at other than hip-hop. It’s a gimmick that beat out one of my fave dance crews from California: Team Millenia. Man - I wish they stayed on the show.

Then there is Distorted X a majority girl group (with two guys) who were pretty decent - and okay, okay, I have to mention So Real because I am from Texas and I know of the crew from my days of college, but I am more familiar with the “first generation” of the crew. But I must give them a friendly nod for their growth.

Even so, I have to back San Francisco’s own Soul Supreme they threw down on that stage - and I loved their choice of letterman’s jackets for their costuming - it’s very throwback Michael Jackson meets Rydell High.

Hmmmm…can they take the top prize? I guess we’ll just see!

I can’t WAIT for this season to start! (June 19 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!)

You can watch all of their live auditions and vote for who you want to go through to the next round at dancecrew.mtv.com.

And mind you - this is one of the only shows I watch on MTV since they decided to put on vomit-inducing shows like The Hills. Ugh. Just thinking about that show makes me have violently splattering diarrhea.