09:39 PM EDT 04/13/2013
Nigel Lythgoe
So You Think You Can Dance Celebrates 200 Episodes
Originally posted 06/27/2012 03:20PM
So You Think You Can Dance is turning 200-episodes-old!
Fox's hit dance competition, which requires hip-hoppers to tackle the tango and ballroom dancers to try Bollywood, is celebrating with a special episode, airing Wednesday (8 p.m. ET).
The judges will announce this season's top 20 finalists (10 men and 10 women), "who will perform their own specialties, free of any judgment, so that America can get to know more about them and their talents," according to a press release.
But that's not all! The show has also put together this video tribute, showing 200 dancers in 200 seconds. It's a fun way to spend the next three minutes and 20 seconds!
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Ace Young: How I Planned a Live TV Wedding Proposal
Originally posted 05/24/2012 07:15AM
It was the engagement seen 'round the world Wednesday night on American Idol, so how did Ace Young manage to pull off his surprise proposal to fiancée Diana DeGarmo?
With a little help from his Idol family, it turns out.
"I called [producer] Nigel [Lythgoe] directly last week and said, 'I want to do this. I'm going to do this. Is there any way I could do it at the show?' " Young, 31, told PEOPLE at the Ford-sponsored American Idol season 11 finale post party. "He said 'Yes, I'm not going to tell anybody until the day of ... [and] I want you to figure it out with Ryan [Seacrest]."
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So You Think You Can Dance Sends Mitchell and Clarice Home
Originally posted 07/22/2011 09:15AM
The So You Think You Can Dance contestants competed as individuals this week, and without the protection of their partner's popularity, some dancers found themselves struggling to find their own winning style.
The first dancer to be voted in to the bottom two guys Thursday was Mitchell Kelly, a predictable vote after his Broadway routine was deemed "over baked" by the judges the evening before.
"You can't just have this big smile. There's got to be something else attached to it," judge Nigel Lythgoe told reporters after Thursday's elimination. "I don't think Mitchell found the style."
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Nigel Lythgoe Preps for Royal Visit BAFTA Event
Originally posted 06/28/2011 08:00PM
Nigel Lythgoe can now add the title "royal party planner" to his overwhelming resume.
The reality star producer and judge is helping coordinate the British Academy of Film and Television Arts "Brits to Watch" event on July 9 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, which will welcome Prince William and Kate.
"On behalf of BAFTA I would like to say, 'It's absolutely fantastic,'" Lythgoe said of the opportunity to host the royal newlyweds adding, "On behalf of Nigel Lythgoe, 'Aaaaaaahhhhh!'"
When it comes to planning such a prestigious event with the royal couple in town, Lythgoe is feeling the pressure. "It's really tough," he tells PEOPLE. "We've had to keep it secret for so long because we couldn't reveal anything because of security, so now … we are running around."
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So You Think You Can Dance Shows Off Its Second-Chance Dancers
Originally posted 06/15/2011 05:00PM
Contemporary dancer Ryan Ramirez was cut right before So You Think You Can Dance's top 11 were revealed on season 7, but that didn't end her dream of being on the show. Rather, the rejection fueled her.
The 19-year-old worked hard, auditioned for her second time this year and made it into season 8's Top 20. "I was definitely more prepared this year," Ramirez tells PEOPLE.
That kind of determination is supported – and rewarded – on SYTYCD.
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American Idol's New Judges Hopeful They'll Find a 'Superstar'
Originally posted 01/17/2011 11:30AM
It may be their first season on the show, but new American Idol judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are already thinking big.
"There is a genuine hope that we can find a superstar," producer Nigel Lythgoe told PEOPLE on Saturday at BAFTA's annual awards-season tea party in Los Angeles. "Everyone is pulling in the same direction, and that is hopefully going to be rewarding, not just for the program but for the viewers, too."
The 10th season of the singing competition premieres this Wednesday on Fox. And while it's obviously early in the process, Lythgoe says the guys – who've won four of the last five seasons – might have an edge on the girls this year.
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American Idol Changes: No More Top 24 Contestants
Originally posted 11/18/2010 05:00PM
Winning American Idol just got tougher.
According to the show's executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, the competition will be whittled down to the top 12 contestants – and skip having the top 24.
"I didn't think [the top 24] were very good," Lythgoe tells TV Guide of previous seasons. "I was bored with them by the time they got there."
He's also creating more difficult challenges for the contestants, including having them make music videos, promote themselves, and work on awards show-style performances.
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Jennifer Lopez Is the 'Alpha Female' at the Judges' Table, Says Idol Producer
Originally posted 10/25/2010 12:15PM
The "rock 'n' roll rascal," the "elder statesman" and the "alpha female" – that's how American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe describes the new panel of judges for season 10.
With Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez on board, Lythgoe says the dynamic is "new and fresh, which is a big difference."
"[There's] real warmth and real humor," Lythgoe, 61, tells PEOPLE. "It's just a lot of fun to work together."
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Jennifer Lopez: I Won't Be a Diva on Idol
Originally posted 09/22/2010 06:40PM
Will having Jenny on the block drag down the neighborhood?
No way, says Jennifer Lopez, who laughed off reports of outrageous diva-like demands during negotiations to become a new judge on American Idol.
"After as many years as I've been in this business, I'm used to that kind of stuff," Lopez said Wednesday at an Idol press conference in Inglewood, Calif. "I'm used to speculation."
If anything, Lopez says, she felt she was dragging FOX into negative headlines.
"I was calming the FOX people down," she explained. "I was like, 'Listen, it'll be gone tomorrow. Once they hear who we are and what we're doing, it's going to be fine. Don't worry about it.' I was just looking forward to getting started."
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