Well, after weeks of left-footed drag queens, decidedly unsexy men named Sex, and a whole lot of broken bones and broken dreams, the So You Think You Can Dance auditions are over...and the competition has started among the top 20. And whoa, there's not a Schwimmer in the bunch! What gives? I figured ole Mama Schwimmer would keep popping out tiny dancers well into SYTYCD season 18, but now I guess last season's Lacey was the final Schwimmer spawn to compete. No adopted brothers of Travis this season, either. So it's a whole new show, and it's anyone's game.

Going into tonight's top 20 episode, I of course already my faves picked out. Among the men, I was digging hunky Mark, who impressed me with his "Bohemian Rhapsody" dance routine even more than when past reality TV hunks Constantine Maroulis and Michael Johns sang that classic on American Idol. And among the women, I was partial to dark, gothy, utterly compelling Kourtni.

I was pretty neutral about most of the other ladies (I didn't

Coffey Anderson (first name pronounced "Caw-FAY") is definitely one to watch this season on Nashville Star. First of all, this actor/model/street musician/soul singer is a personality-plus-plus-plus. Second, he's a rare African American in country music, which is much needed. Third, the man can saanng.

And fourth, the guy has already coined THE catchphrase for the season, when he told the judges last night (defending some of his corny-bravado mannerisms): "Everything's better with cheese!"

I agree--I personally like a little cheese mixed in with my Coffey, for flava. Which brings me to these awesomely flava-ful viral videos I just found of this tall, dark, and handsome urban cowboy.

Sure, when Coffey crooned a soulful rendition of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" last night on the season 6 premiere of Nashville Star, he was great, one of the best of the night. But I appreciate an artist with diversity--and bravery--and any country singer willing to tackle tunes by Rihanna (with an Andre

Maureen McCormick, Bobby Brown, and Carnie Wilson may have lost--some say quite unjustly--to Julio Iglesias Jr. on the CMT show Gone Country. But while Julio seems to have given up on a country career already, and Gone Country svengali John Rich (of Big & Rich) has since moved on to his judging post at Nashville Star (which premieres tonight), these three reality vets are going country anyway.

See, Bobby, Carnie, and MarciaMarciaMarcia are set to star in CMT's Outsider's Inn, on which they will join forces to run a bed & breakfast in rural Tennessee. And wackiness will surely ensue!

Now, anyone who witnessed Maureen and Bobby's onscreen chemistry in Gone Country knows this odd couple makes for some fab TV. So it's worth setting your TiVo for the show's August premiere now:

Nashville Star premieres next Monday, the 9th, and I for one am pretty excited. I've already had the privilege of meeting the top 12 contestants and watching them perform at the pre-taped premiere at Nashville's Acuff Theatre last Monday, and of course I have wasted no time in picking my early favorites.

But before I get to that, here are some of the top 12 introducing themselves in the Acuff Theatre green room (please note I mostly got footage of the male finalists, since the majority of the ladies were still busy getting beautified in the hair and makeup station):

OK, so two of my favorites are the wacky Las Vegas trio Third Town, who almost didn't make the Nashville Star cut at all (see a future blog of mine to hear their entire story), and octave-of-five mom-of-five Melissa Lawson. Here's a clip of the Third Town boys showing their Vegas roots by declaring they're willing to bet good money that Melissa will win the whole thing:

Two more finalists near and near to my heart, so