Yesterday, after ten weeks, we reached the final steps of DWTS. Everyone was there again, some to show us why they left, some to make us wonder why they did. Highlights of the highlights: Adam once again brought a great spark of intelligent humor to the show, giving us the Patriotic take on DWTS: ‘this is why the terrorists hate us!’ Is he running for VP? A reprise of the best tango of the season: Priscilla’s. The most beautiful young couple (Shrek) doing their most beautiful fun dance, the quickstep, followed by Poopee and Karina showing us what a mambo is all about.
But the best dance numbers of the night belonged to Usher! Both of his numbers were outstanding. First, Usher was the closest thing to what Michael Jackson was in his day: a great singer and a great dancer. And for his second number he created quite an amazing choreography, a mix of Step, tap, quickstep and Hip Hop to an odd re-mix of his hit “Yeah!” Yeah to Usher!
We felt bad that Cristian left early but they were all winners, definitely. JT says he will dance again "for the right price"? Certainly his Touch Down dance will never be the same again! Kristi, as expected and deserved, won the mirrored ball.
DWTS is over for this season. SYTYCD starts on Thursday! Read our blog, all SYTYCD, at www.thedancefiles.com
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
DWTS: Finally the Finals!
After lots of spray tanning flowing downstream and down the drain our finalists are ready to show us what they’ve got and why they should be considered dancing stars, not just props in the hands of hard and hot bodied professionals.
The cha-cha face off gives us the final Latin taste of the season, and here is where we see the improvement, their transformation and the skill of each one clearly compared to the others. In a great and entertaining number all three stars dance one after the other.
After all the dancing, we believe that the most improved of all is Cristián, having found his Latin rhythm—remember he is from Chile, not exactly renowned as a “dancing country” among the Latin crowd. He was hot (pink) in the first number! For the second number, we enjoyed the samba, choreographed by Cheryl in a little more classical form than usual for the freestyle, except for all those one armed lifts. Question: Did the fact that they had no hip-hop moves affect the Judges’ comments? In the end, this show has been great for Cristián, because we all knew who JT is, and we also knew Olympian Kristi, but who really knew about Cristián before DWTS? He really has worked hard to be in the finals and whatever the results, he’s won. Sí!
Regardless of any previous experience as an ice skater, Kristi was the greatest transformation of the season. She got Bruno’s vote early in the dance off, by leaving lipstick under his nose starting the Cha-cha. But she was definitely dancing, not skating. Many will say “unfair” if she wins, because she was an “ice dancer” to start with. But she has demonstrated to us—and learned herself—the difference between ice skating and dancing. That jazz/hip-hop freestyle number was outstanding! The difficulty of the fast choreography and multiple lifts left the couple and the audience floored. Her personality did come through this time and we can see that she took Julianne’s advice to spread her legs and pointe her feet (though with those Converse on her feet, pointing seems pointless). She has the greatest chance to win this thing… because she IS dancing!
Jason’s arms were overshadowed once again by Edyta’s legs. She has a way of distracting our eyes, but still we did get to see that Jason has not improved as much as he should have. In the freestyle her Pocahontas costume distracts once again, and JT, not to get outdone has his shirt ripped off at the end! Len comments on all the eye candy in a way that shocks our brain with an image related to him and Jason we need to erase! This number is fun and better than the Paso from last time, with the amazing lifts and push & shoves this time a lot easier on the eyes than the rag-doll feeling we got that time. The hip-hop funk continues (from Kristi’s previous dance) more credible, less jazzy. But Edyta: you really should have taught JT what to do about those arms. Jason amrs always looked awkward, unnatural and, sorry, but not the way a man moves. Did JT never see how Derek moves? Or Mark? Or even Cristián (although his injury got in the way of posture at the end)?
Our prediction: For the greatest, and in the end most difficult, improvement in dancing technique and showtime personality: Kristi Yamaguchi. For coming out of nowhere and incredible transformation, first runner up: Cristián de la Fuente. And coming in third over all the rest of the competitors, and originally our personal favorite: Jason Taylor.
The cha-cha face off gives us the final Latin taste of the season, and here is where we see the improvement, their transformation and the skill of each one clearly compared to the others. In a great and entertaining number all three stars dance one after the other.
After all the dancing, we believe that the most improved of all is Cristián, having found his Latin rhythm—remember he is from Chile, not exactly renowned as a “dancing country” among the Latin crowd. He was hot (pink) in the first number! For the second number, we enjoyed the samba, choreographed by Cheryl in a little more classical form than usual for the freestyle, except for all those one armed lifts. Question: Did the fact that they had no hip-hop moves affect the Judges’ comments? In the end, this show has been great for Cristián, because we all knew who JT is, and we also knew Olympian Kristi, but who really knew about Cristián before DWTS? He really has worked hard to be in the finals and whatever the results, he’s won. Sí!
Regardless of any previous experience as an ice skater, Kristi was the greatest transformation of the season. She got Bruno’s vote early in the dance off, by leaving lipstick under his nose starting the Cha-cha. But she was definitely dancing, not skating. Many will say “unfair” if she wins, because she was an “ice dancer” to start with. But she has demonstrated to us—and learned herself—the difference between ice skating and dancing. That jazz/hip-hop freestyle number was outstanding! The difficulty of the fast choreography and multiple lifts left the couple and the audience floored. Her personality did come through this time and we can see that she took Julianne’s advice to spread her legs and pointe her feet (though with those Converse on her feet, pointing seems pointless). She has the greatest chance to win this thing… because she IS dancing!
Jason’s arms were overshadowed once again by Edyta’s legs. She has a way of distracting our eyes, but still we did get to see that Jason has not improved as much as he should have. In the freestyle her Pocahontas costume distracts once again, and JT, not to get outdone has his shirt ripped off at the end! Len comments on all the eye candy in a way that shocks our brain with an image related to him and Jason we need to erase! This number is fun and better than the Paso from last time, with the amazing lifts and push & shoves this time a lot easier on the eyes than the rag-doll feeling we got that time. The hip-hop funk continues (from Kristi’s previous dance) more credible, less jazzy. But Edyta: you really should have taught JT what to do about those arms. Jason amrs always looked awkward, unnatural and, sorry, but not the way a man moves. Did JT never see how Derek moves? Or Mark? Or even Cristián (although his injury got in the way of posture at the end)?
Our prediction: For the greatest, and in the end most difficult, improvement in dancing technique and showtime personality: Kristi Yamaguchi. For coming out of nowhere and incredible transformation, first runner up: Cristián de la Fuente. And coming in third over all the rest of the competitors, and originally our personal favorite: Jason Taylor.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
DWTS: Stepping up to the Finals
Okay, so we were wrong: Jason prances on. It was a tossup, trying to choose between him or Marissa leaving. Two athletes and an entertainer are left. We’re glad that Cristian made it to the final, because he really deserves it. Kristi’s been good from the beginning. And Jason, well, he even said it (his own words) he’s “fooling America into voting for him.”
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
DWTS: Random Balls of Dances / Deliberate Acts of Dancing
Semifinals week, four couples left, one week left. The couples select their dances picking out little mirror balls out from a giant half of a Mirror ball (mistakenly referred to as a hat by Jason: is that what he wears on his dome?). This contrasts with what should be the intentional selection of final-worthy choreographies: the show tonight should be especially tough.
Jason makes a charge to end zone clicking his heels in the Fox Trot: a good attempt. Good flow, it looked good, with the occasional odd arms, in this case it seemed like he was trying for real. But when it came to his Latin dance, The Paso Doble, he looked stiff all over. What was Edyta’s thinking, trying to make him show off extensions that just were not there? The choreographed moves just made him look stiff and awkward. Edyta, having herself thrown around like a rag doll? Perhaps the “aggressiveness” that Len wanted went a little overboard: a little on the Frankenstein dance look, not looking effortless, not pretty, a little scary even. Paraphrasing Jason in his own comments afterward: it seems as if he doesn’t want to dance, but does it as an obligation. Training camp for the Dolphins has started, and DWTS has not ended... is he showing his priorities? I think he fumbled.
Love seeing Stacy Keibler once again giving tips and, okay, so that was weird: Len shaking his hips hotly with Marissa (and Marissa sliding her hands down). Marissa does deserve to be in the finals, great moves in the quick-step, as always a bit on the safe side: occasionally a slow-step instead. That rumba demonstrated what this show is all about. Her development since the show started is amazing! She pulled it off, slowly seductive moves that worked well. Carrie Ann did not care for this number, though; she even thought that it was not up to semifinal standards. Bruno, comparing Marissa to a locomotive—as always a little on the non-PC side—does bring to mind the little engine that could, or maybe not? The competition was hard tonight; her personality may carry her through even when her dancing may not. However, it seemed as if the judges have their own hidden agenda, and want Jason in the finals instead.
Good Viennese for the one armed dancer! He does look scared all the time, his mouth agape even since before his injury. But maybe we were looking for something more risqué in this one: there did not seem to be that much “chemistry” going on. What happened? His Samba, though, was outstanding! No arm troubles here. His scared face once again does make him look a little intimidated…. by Cheryl’s hot moves? or by the possibility of re-injuring his arm? Regardless of his “Mask” expression and oversized dental veneers, shirtless Cristian should make it to the finals! We like it when he talks, but when he dances: can he please keep his mouth closed?
For Kristi it seems as if the Tango is hard emotionally: a dance that has to show seduction between two people that do not care about each other, except in a professional sex-trade way. She has to seduce, but does not care. He has to seduce but does not care. Success in making it come together in the end is hard. Kristi tried, but was not quite convincing enough in this department. However the technical aspect in this dance is so far removed from ice skating that this time you could see some real dance moves from her. Not perfect but close. What we loved about Kristi this week is that she wasn’t ice skating any more (except for that little slide in the jive). Truly this was her best night to show and demonstrate improvement. She is dancing; she is going to the finals.
The votes really count tonight, and we may be wrong for the second time this season, but if all is fair and we want to see some entertaining dances in the final of DWTS, these will include Kristi, Cristian and Marissa toe to toe. Sorry Jason: back to training camp. Jason, when Balanchine said: “I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance,” this is not what he meant.
Jason makes a charge to end zone clicking his heels in the Fox Trot: a good attempt. Good flow, it looked good, with the occasional odd arms, in this case it seemed like he was trying for real. But when it came to his Latin dance, The Paso Doble, he looked stiff all over. What was Edyta’s thinking, trying to make him show off extensions that just were not there? The choreographed moves just made him look stiff and awkward. Edyta, having herself thrown around like a rag doll? Perhaps the “aggressiveness” that Len wanted went a little overboard: a little on the Frankenstein dance look, not looking effortless, not pretty, a little scary even. Paraphrasing Jason in his own comments afterward: it seems as if he doesn’t want to dance, but does it as an obligation. Training camp for the Dolphins has started, and DWTS has not ended... is he showing his priorities? I think he fumbled.
Love seeing Stacy Keibler once again giving tips and, okay, so that was weird: Len shaking his hips hotly with Marissa (and Marissa sliding her hands down). Marissa does deserve to be in the finals, great moves in the quick-step, as always a bit on the safe side: occasionally a slow-step instead. That rumba demonstrated what this show is all about. Her development since the show started is amazing! She pulled it off, slowly seductive moves that worked well. Carrie Ann did not care for this number, though; she even thought that it was not up to semifinal standards. Bruno, comparing Marissa to a locomotive—as always a little on the non-PC side—does bring to mind the little engine that could, or maybe not? The competition was hard tonight; her personality may carry her through even when her dancing may not. However, it seemed as if the judges have their own hidden agenda, and want Jason in the finals instead.
Good Viennese for the one armed dancer! He does look scared all the time, his mouth agape even since before his injury. But maybe we were looking for something more risqué in this one: there did not seem to be that much “chemistry” going on. What happened? His Samba, though, was outstanding! No arm troubles here. His scared face once again does make him look a little intimidated…. by Cheryl’s hot moves? or by the possibility of re-injuring his arm? Regardless of his “Mask” expression and oversized dental veneers, shirtless Cristian should make it to the finals! We like it when he talks, but when he dances: can he please keep his mouth closed?
For Kristi it seems as if the Tango is hard emotionally: a dance that has to show seduction between two people that do not care about each other, except in a professional sex-trade way. She has to seduce, but does not care. He has to seduce but does not care. Success in making it come together in the end is hard. Kristi tried, but was not quite convincing enough in this department. However the technical aspect in this dance is so far removed from ice skating that this time you could see some real dance moves from her. Not perfect but close. What we loved about Kristi this week is that she wasn’t ice skating any more (except for that little slide in the jive). Truly this was her best night to show and demonstrate improvement. She is dancing; she is going to the finals.
The votes really count tonight, and we may be wrong for the second time this season, but if all is fair and we want to see some entertaining dances in the final of DWTS, these will include Kristi, Cristian and Marissa toe to toe. Sorry Jason: back to training camp. Jason, when Balanchine said: “I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance,” this is not what he meant.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
DWTS: 100 Shows of the Workout Program for The Stars…. oh, and the Results
Last night, we really enjoyed the 10 best dance countdown! What we loved the most: Maksim & Mel B recorded number, justifiably in the top 10! And Maksim live in the dance with other pros! Stacy Keibler, the wrestler, a beautiful face and the best body in 100 shows, Bruno’s weapon of mass seduction! Great Yellow banana dance for Helio and Julianne, sealed with that surprise kiss and drop; and one of our favorites, the cowboy Drew, riding with Cheryl! All 10 were great, and I suppose you have to show one first and another one last, but the top 10 choice was indeed well selected: Mario (Lopez) and Karina’s tango was great, amazing! The footwork, the faces, the swoons… and then Mario L. showed us in the live celebration that he ain’t improvised. His chorus line number kicked it up high. Apolo and Julianne came out with a great number for Julianne. Helio says, wow that guy can dance! But he reminded us of the fact that this show is also a dance workout for the stars: Apolo has not kept in shape… did you see his butt in those red pants? Julianne, as always, was great. We love seeing her every time.
About the results (yeah, that too): Our five finalists did concur with what we said in our last blog: Personality is key. Each one of them talked about their favorite previous star and focused on the personality, not the technique of their favorite. Mario (no last name -- better known as Poopee) did not win the audience on this one, and as we predicted, walked away.
About the results (yeah, that too): Our five finalists did concur with what we said in our last blog: Personality is key. Each one of them talked about their favorite previous star and focused on the personality, not the technique of their favorite. Mario (no last name -- better known as Poopee) did not win the audience on this one, and as we predicted, walked away.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Dancing With the Stars Lifts Galore: Bottoms up!
The semi-semi final saw a bit of a change in the rules, with lifts being allowed. Priscilla would have had an advantage this week because she just walks on the floor with several lifts already. But let us talk about our couples. At this point personality is what starts making the votes count. All contestants have demonstrated dancing capabilities. A little flare for drama and the unexpected goes a long way today. Personality plus technique is what counts tonight.
Kristi Yamaguchi’s first number was nearly flawless technically, and she knows how to woo a judging panel. Shades of Ethel Merman’s hands start showing and somehow appear again with Marissa’s number. Kristi’s second number includes a lot of ice skating without the skates, including some on the spot spins that Marissa also does. The hands, the spin… was Marissa spying? Once again, Kristi’s complicated routines looked, however, effortless, as the accomplished artist she is. Kristi takes advantage of her strengths, but has not shown as much development as Mario, for example. And it seems as her strength is also her weakness: Her obvious technical advantage places her high technically, but low in viewers’ hearts. Her low scores tonight also place her in danger. Technique rating: 9.5 impressive! Personality rating: 6.5 a bit too much of a nice girl.
When Mario did that lift of Karina the first time it was amazing. I think Carrie Ann liked Mario’s stiff this time, and Len’s initial comment makes us wonder: how many times has he seen Britney Spears getting out of a Limo? Odd comment… Britney is probably not going to watch the show anymore. When Mario repeated the almost exact same lift in his second number (granted, with a little over the head twist) it looked as if we had seen it before (about ten minutes ago!) Give me a break, the anticipation and buildup was greater than the delivery. The bit in the swimming pool was also déjà vu all over again, Karina trying to show off in a bikini after Cheryl already did it. Mario had a lot of missteps in his second number, Karina eying him all the time to make sure he was getting it right. Mario will be lucky if he stays out of the bottom two. Technique rating: 8.2 stiff and not at the same time, a little too much of the same. Personality rating: 7.5 of a brazen hip hop youth.
Marissa can do sexyyyyy! Both her numbers were safe, but her second one was hot! Marissa is the underdog tonight, and she knows it. She brings out the smiles, the fun and the charm. She ain’t a size two, but she sure can make us fluster. She has become the heart of what this show is all about but, were they sneaking at Kristi’s rehearsals? The hands? The “pepper pot” at the end? Technique rating: 6.5 for some copy-catting and little risk taking; Personality rating: a Bruno’s dirty TEN! (despite Len’s comment that she should be sleazier).
Jason has fans but Len is not among his most devoted tonight. The judges’ table was polarized, with Len’s geography a little off, what with his problem in the dance being that what he saw was a Tango from Argentina, nonetheless! Carrie Ann said that Bruno was possessed, given his sharp reaction against Len. Personally, the first dance did seem like a great routine, but wardrobe was not up to par, despite Edyta’s near state of undress that drew most of the focus of the dances to her. Both of the dancers in the same shade of dark in that first number made them blend rather than clash, as the choreography suggested. Edyta’s dress should always be red. Carrie Ann did mention new shades and colors in the competition perhaps reflecting Jason’s new (spray) tan (was that really necessary?) and whitened teeth (reminded us of Ross’ from Friends). The first routine was almost perfect: the expressions, the choreography, the movements. Great! Jason has charisma and star power and in this number he showed why he is the one to beat. In the second number he really did not do well, perhaps trying to hold off: afraid of looking too gay? Techinque 7.9 (well executed lifts, lousy samba); Personality 9.5 for taking lunches with Denzel Washington and Al Pacino.
The one armed dancer and his partner Cheryl come in trying to play the sympathy card. Once again not in good graces with the wardrobe department in that first number, although the reference to “the gloved one” (Michael Jackson) in relation to Cristian’s injury was kind of funny. But what, no Moon Walking? Cristian uses the injury, clearly detailed in scary-CSI detail so that skeptics will believe, to try and play up the athlete angle: Remember more athletes have won DWTS than entertainers. No Pain no gain, no ten no gain, no Len no Mirror Ball… His pain was apparent from our camera angle almost as much as his spray tan. Although the judges say they did not see his pained face, will our seeing it garner votes? Cheryl peering through a feather duster (Tom does have a way with words) is not a good sign of things to come in that department. The mambo was a show stopper, not gay at all (Jason, take note), biggest pleasant surprise of the night. Technique: 8.9 for the second number, Personality 7.5 improved substantially this week.
Only five couples left, next week is the semi finals and tomorrow is the 100th show. DWTS is a guilty pleasure, a high rated program that used to go under the radar in most popular entertainment news, but has always been really funny. The fake drama, including padded butts getting kicked out as they cry, the light comedy, the innuendo and the paso-double meanings, make us want to watch the show… all… the… way! This Monday Night the finish line is in sight, the line of scrimmage set, and a touchdown seems almost inevitable.
PS: Mario and Marissa in the bottom two, a tossup between both: Mario will not be making lifts tonight. A possible big upset, however, could be Kristi skating away.
Kristi Yamaguchi’s first number was nearly flawless technically, and she knows how to woo a judging panel. Shades of Ethel Merman’s hands start showing and somehow appear again with Marissa’s number. Kristi’s second number includes a lot of ice skating without the skates, including some on the spot spins that Marissa also does. The hands, the spin… was Marissa spying? Once again, Kristi’s complicated routines looked, however, effortless, as the accomplished artist she is. Kristi takes advantage of her strengths, but has not shown as much development as Mario, for example. And it seems as her strength is also her weakness: Her obvious technical advantage places her high technically, but low in viewers’ hearts. Her low scores tonight also place her in danger. Technique rating: 9.5 impressive! Personality rating: 6.5 a bit too much of a nice girl.
When Mario did that lift of Karina the first time it was amazing. I think Carrie Ann liked Mario’s stiff this time, and Len’s initial comment makes us wonder: how many times has he seen Britney Spears getting out of a Limo? Odd comment… Britney is probably not going to watch the show anymore. When Mario repeated the almost exact same lift in his second number (granted, with a little over the head twist) it looked as if we had seen it before (about ten minutes ago!) Give me a break, the anticipation and buildup was greater than the delivery. The bit in the swimming pool was also déjà vu all over again, Karina trying to show off in a bikini after Cheryl already did it. Mario had a lot of missteps in his second number, Karina eying him all the time to make sure he was getting it right. Mario will be lucky if he stays out of the bottom two. Technique rating: 8.2 stiff and not at the same time, a little too much of the same. Personality rating: 7.5 of a brazen hip hop youth.
Marissa can do sexyyyyy! Both her numbers were safe, but her second one was hot! Marissa is the underdog tonight, and she knows it. She brings out the smiles, the fun and the charm. She ain’t a size two, but she sure can make us fluster. She has become the heart of what this show is all about but, were they sneaking at Kristi’s rehearsals? The hands? The “pepper pot” at the end? Technique rating: 6.5 for some copy-catting and little risk taking; Personality rating: a Bruno’s dirty TEN! (despite Len’s comment that she should be sleazier).
Jason has fans but Len is not among his most devoted tonight. The judges’ table was polarized, with Len’s geography a little off, what with his problem in the dance being that what he saw was a Tango from Argentina, nonetheless! Carrie Ann said that Bruno was possessed, given his sharp reaction against Len. Personally, the first dance did seem like a great routine, but wardrobe was not up to par, despite Edyta’s near state of undress that drew most of the focus of the dances to her. Both of the dancers in the same shade of dark in that first number made them blend rather than clash, as the choreography suggested. Edyta’s dress should always be red. Carrie Ann did mention new shades and colors in the competition perhaps reflecting Jason’s new (spray) tan (was that really necessary?) and whitened teeth (reminded us of Ross’ from Friends). The first routine was almost perfect: the expressions, the choreography, the movements. Great! Jason has charisma and star power and in this number he showed why he is the one to beat. In the second number he really did not do well, perhaps trying to hold off: afraid of looking too gay? Techinque 7.9 (well executed lifts, lousy samba); Personality 9.5 for taking lunches with Denzel Washington and Al Pacino.
The one armed dancer and his partner Cheryl come in trying to play the sympathy card. Once again not in good graces with the wardrobe department in that first number, although the reference to “the gloved one” (Michael Jackson) in relation to Cristian’s injury was kind of funny. But what, no Moon Walking? Cristian uses the injury, clearly detailed in scary-CSI detail so that skeptics will believe, to try and play up the athlete angle: Remember more athletes have won DWTS than entertainers. No Pain no gain, no ten no gain, no Len no Mirror Ball… His pain was apparent from our camera angle almost as much as his spray tan. Although the judges say they did not see his pained face, will our seeing it garner votes? Cheryl peering through a feather duster (Tom does have a way with words) is not a good sign of things to come in that department. The mambo was a show stopper, not gay at all (Jason, take note), biggest pleasant surprise of the night. Technique: 8.9 for the second number, Personality 7.5 improved substantially this week.
Only five couples left, next week is the semi finals and tomorrow is the 100th show. DWTS is a guilty pleasure, a high rated program that used to go under the radar in most popular entertainment news, but has always been really funny. The fake drama, including padded butts getting kicked out as they cry, the light comedy, the innuendo and the paso-double meanings, make us want to watch the show… all… the… way! This Monday Night the finish line is in sight, the line of scrimmage set, and a touchdown seems almost inevitable.
PS: Mario and Marissa in the bottom two, a tossup between both: Mario will not be making lifts tonight. A possible big upset, however, could be Kristi skating away.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
We were wrong, but we were right!
Well, we missed the mark this time. But we're happy with the results. We'll see now how creative Cheryl can be, choreographing for a one arm (one functioning arm) partner! And Shannon's out! We got tired of her crying, and her temper tantrums, and apparently the rest of America did too! Good!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Double Trouble Dancing with The Stars
Marissa’s sexy woman gave us a mixed rumb-ango tonight. Her first number, the tango, we thought was very well executed, passionate and credible. Great dancing routine and choreography! The 27 was a little low in our view, however. And then came “Cuando cuando cuando…” and we thought, cuando (when) is she going to feel more confident? This was a slow boring hot latin dance. Not dirty rumba, not sexy rumba… a boring rumba. Technically, it was alright, but in personality (or lack of it) a reminder of weeks past. Nothing exciting here, nothing that really makes us want to see more of Marissa. She seems to have such a great personality, bubbly, always with a smile and a good feeling. This dance was not quite a match to others in this competition. However, Cristian’s injury may save Marissa from elimination tonight.
The South American Clark Gable, Cristian, was so elegant. He was flawless at the Viennese Waltz! And he was finally showing his personality also, looking more comfortable at it. We have come to like him a lot. Their hot latin dance looked like it was going to be fun, and then, what the…?!! The injury!! He truly looked in pain. But it is too bad, because he wasn’t that popular to begin with. We think he’ll be out. Cheryl’s a great trainer; no doubt, she can make a clean dancer out of anybody. But Cristian won’t be saved…
No much to say about Kristi, except that she’s doing a lot of Ice Skating moves. Their Hip Hop and Latin combo was great! An obvious generational gap between Len and Bruno and Carrie Ann, reflected in the score. Two hip judges and one cranky pant! (so says Tom Bergeron). Their dances were creative, cool and beautiful, and they will certainly stay another week.
Mario and Karina. We think they were really good last night. Their Fox Trot was a little messy at times, stiff in the beginning with odd arms. The judges’ comments did not have a very good tone. They almost sounded as if they did not think he would make it to next week. And their scores were low, especially at this stage of the game. Mario’s Mambo King! What else can we say… he was good, Great technical skill almost invisibly effortless in its perfection, as the fun went on. A very unfair 27!!! Was this the same as Shannon and Derek’s tango? A 27! No way!
Shannon aggressively slaps Derek and it all goes downhill from there. Torture and unpleasant b… (again, Tom’s words) of a dance, we did not agree with Bruno. It was not easy on the eyes. Carrie Ann is off, and so is Len. We have to watch it again because, truly, it was not fun to watch. The score of 27 as a technical reward, perhaps? Or perhaps the judges didn’t want to hear Derek and Shannon complaining again of bias against them? Well, tonight it seemed that they were positively biased towards them… The second time around, Shannon once again is dancing as if in “High School Recital” (a yet to be made for TV Disney movie): “Look at me Mama, I’m dancin’!!” No matter the fake butt, Shannon was stiff and THERE WAS NO HIP ACTION. This 24 was a lot better deserved than the earlier 27. At the beginning of this show, we kind of liked Shannon, but now, she seems more and more a spoiled little girl (or tall tomboy, whatever…). Maybe that’s why she’s had a hard time with her movie career?...
Jason and Edyta started off very quick and dynamic, Jason doing the drums thing and then jumping over Edyta in a spectacular way. His arms were better and both in the holding and in the separate the coordination was almost impeccable. A fun dance, quite the contrast with the one before (Shannon’s)… Perhaps ending with him on top is not quite PG-13, especially for a married man, but we all are grownup old codgers watching this show, aren’t we? A score of 29 was perfect for this dance. And then Jason and the NFL Monday Night Football theme! Is he going for the votes or what? At first we thought, great, this is going to be the Encore dance, but then something was missing, and they got a low 24 for it.
Who would do the Encore tonight? If Cristian is alright, they’ll probably do that one (to be nice, as they always are). If not, then we think Marissa’s Waltz or Mario’s Mambo. Who would be out? Cristian unfortunately, because of the low scores, his lack of popularity to begin with, and the fact that some viewers thought (unfairly, of course) that he was faking it (read at abc’s blogs).
The South American Clark Gable, Cristian, was so elegant. He was flawless at the Viennese Waltz! And he was finally showing his personality also, looking more comfortable at it. We have come to like him a lot. Their hot latin dance looked like it was going to be fun, and then, what the…?!! The injury!! He truly looked in pain. But it is too bad, because he wasn’t that popular to begin with. We think he’ll be out. Cheryl’s a great trainer; no doubt, she can make a clean dancer out of anybody. But Cristian won’t be saved…
No much to say about Kristi, except that she’s doing a lot of Ice Skating moves. Their Hip Hop and Latin combo was great! An obvious generational gap between Len and Bruno and Carrie Ann, reflected in the score. Two hip judges and one cranky pant! (so says Tom Bergeron). Their dances were creative, cool and beautiful, and they will certainly stay another week.
Mario and Karina. We think they were really good last night. Their Fox Trot was a little messy at times, stiff in the beginning with odd arms. The judges’ comments did not have a very good tone. They almost sounded as if they did not think he would make it to next week. And their scores were low, especially at this stage of the game. Mario’s Mambo King! What else can we say… he was good, Great technical skill almost invisibly effortless in its perfection, as the fun went on. A very unfair 27!!! Was this the same as Shannon and Derek’s tango? A 27! No way!
Shannon aggressively slaps Derek and it all goes downhill from there. Torture and unpleasant b… (again, Tom’s words) of a dance, we did not agree with Bruno. It was not easy on the eyes. Carrie Ann is off, and so is Len. We have to watch it again because, truly, it was not fun to watch. The score of 27 as a technical reward, perhaps? Or perhaps the judges didn’t want to hear Derek and Shannon complaining again of bias against them? Well, tonight it seemed that they were positively biased towards them… The second time around, Shannon once again is dancing as if in “High School Recital” (a yet to be made for TV Disney movie): “Look at me Mama, I’m dancin’!!” No matter the fake butt, Shannon was stiff and THERE WAS NO HIP ACTION. This 24 was a lot better deserved than the earlier 27. At the beginning of this show, we kind of liked Shannon, but now, she seems more and more a spoiled little girl (or tall tomboy, whatever…). Maybe that’s why she’s had a hard time with her movie career?...
Jason and Edyta started off very quick and dynamic, Jason doing the drums thing and then jumping over Edyta in a spectacular way. His arms were better and both in the holding and in the separate the coordination was almost impeccable. A fun dance, quite the contrast with the one before (Shannon’s)… Perhaps ending with him on top is not quite PG-13, especially for a married man, but we all are grownup old codgers watching this show, aren’t we? A score of 29 was perfect for this dance. And then Jason and the NFL Monday Night Football theme! Is he going for the votes or what? At first we thought, great, this is going to be the Encore dance, but then something was missing, and they got a low 24 for it.
Who would do the Encore tonight? If Cristian is alright, they’ll probably do that one (to be nice, as they always are). If not, then we think Marissa’s Waltz or Mario’s Mambo. Who would be out? Cristian unfortunately, because of the low scores, his lack of popularity to begin with, and the fact that some viewers thought (unfairly, of course) that he was faking it (read at abc’s blogs).
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Dancing with the Stars: The Results!
Good thing that we won’t have to endure Len’s “bottom two” at the supermarket!
Tonight, Len was PC, requesting the group dance: everyone got a chance to dance again! Obviously this wasn’t a surprise to anybody, as they were all in costume already. They danced once again, and it was even messier than last night! Not much more to say here. This dance wasn’t good last night, and it wasn’t good tonight…
Shannon cried us a river, trying hard to convince us that she can dance. Shannon, don’t be childish, you have shown us that YOU CAN’T dance… and, by the way, the hips were NOT moving… furthermore, if you cannot handle criticism, then you won’t be able to improve ever… We liked this couple at the beginning, but Shannon and Derek were not beautiful last week and were kind of childish and spoiled this week!
Marlee is in the bottom two—no surprises this week so far.
Riverdance! It really is cool to see tap in one of its many forms on a TV show. Well choreographed, entertaining, clean and loud! Keep tap alive!!!!!!
The kids dancing… we’ll wait for their future shows ....
Marissa and Cristian are safe, and we don’t get to see Len’s bottom two! It looks bad for Jason, with Kristy and Mario in the final trio with him. But Mario (pronounced “poopee”), the hot one is in the bottom two! After two nines and a ten! Was it too trashy for America? Wow, we did not expect Mario to be under the red light, and we are surprised…
But, cue the scary music and, no surprise, Marlee signs out. And once more, we are accurate at predicting the loser. Five out of six is pretty impressive! We correctly predicted when Monica, Penn, Adam (although he was one of our favorites), Priscila and now Marlee were voted off the show. We only failed with Steven.
Tonight, Len was PC, requesting the group dance: everyone got a chance to dance again! Obviously this wasn’t a surprise to anybody, as they were all in costume already. They danced once again, and it was even messier than last night! Not much more to say here. This dance wasn’t good last night, and it wasn’t good tonight…
Shannon cried us a river, trying hard to convince us that she can dance. Shannon, don’t be childish, you have shown us that YOU CAN’T dance… and, by the way, the hips were NOT moving… furthermore, if you cannot handle criticism, then you won’t be able to improve ever… We liked this couple at the beginning, but Shannon and Derek were not beautiful last week and were kind of childish and spoiled this week!
Marlee is in the bottom two—no surprises this week so far.
Riverdance! It really is cool to see tap in one of its many forms on a TV show. Well choreographed, entertaining, clean and loud! Keep tap alive!!!!!!
The kids dancing… we’ll wait for their future shows ....
Marissa and Cristian are safe, and we don’t get to see Len’s bottom two! It looks bad for Jason, with Kristy and Mario in the final trio with him. But Mario (pronounced “poopee”), the hot one is in the bottom two! After two nines and a ten! Was it too trashy for America? Wow, we did not expect Mario to be under the red light, and we are surprised…
But, cue the scary music and, no surprise, Marlee signs out. And once more, we are accurate at predicting the loser. Five out of six is pretty impressive! We correctly predicted when Monica, Penn, Adam (although he was one of our favorites), Priscila and now Marlee were voted off the show. We only failed with Steven.
Dancing with the stars: A night of turn arounds, turnouts, turns and turn-ons!
Only one more month and it will all be over. At this point, we can evaluate the season and say “it has been good”. From the top of the balcony, Tom and Samantha greet us and bring out the stars. Mario (pronounced “poopee”) already has his tie undone and we are reminded of how good an (Academy award winning) actress Marlee Matlin is!
Jason dances like an airplane (big and light at the same time), keeping his arms splayed out, doing a very sexy hot cha cha that should get lots of votes. A great lift (not penalized!), spun around Edyta and showed a lot of fun all around. At 24, the judges were fair, given his footwork.
Shannon’s true colors did not show: she needed to point her feet in this gentle choreography and her hips truly did not move at all, but she did had some good leg extensions. And her legs do sell! And she looked gorgeous with her partner, Derek, who’s even more gorgeous! Is Derek getting too distracted with their “trying to get into character” and not helping her improve on dancing technique? Well, we liked this couple and wanted to see them go all the way, but it seems unlikely they will be in the finals.
Marlee had another fast Latin dance tonight, with the mambo King no less, and a pep speech from the Fonz! Despite that, and regrettably, we do believe her limit has been reached. Stop and go dancing at this stage of the competition is just not good enough. She is an amazing and courageous personality and star, but cannot make the grade at this level of dancing. The choreography made her look as if she was a puppet being manipulated, not an especially good feeling. Her low score reflects on the dancing, not on her Star power. We believe that she will be out tonight.
Frederico Astaire was next, with Cheryl saying “no, no, no!” to his first Fox Trotty attempts. Good for Cheryl learning more Spanish (even without realizing it!). And how creative that pool rehearsal technique! Cheryl proved one more time that she’s an amazing instructor. Their efforts paid off with a beautiful choreography and this was a complete turn around for Cristian. Cristian and Cheryl shouldn’t have any trouble staying tonight, except for Len’s threat to moon us all in the supermarket if Cristian is in the bottom two. Would people not vote for Christian hoping Len’s will have to follow through with his bet? We hope not, and have no desire to see Len’s bottom two! Remember you can vote online until noon today Tuesday.
Princess Marissa seems always a bit dizzy even without the spinning. We liked this dance, which had some beautiful lines and turns. Tony did the best he could with Marissa, and he was wonderful as always. However, there were some awful lines also, with Marissa’s feet always sticking out flat. The awful song choice by the producers, the cover of Tom Jones’ Delilah, did make us wonder why, why, why Marissa? Her feet were not pointing (it is amazing how much better it would have looked if she had made that effort) and her final floor spin kinda crashed. Altogether, we did not think (despite the judges’ comments and scores) that this was such a great performance. It was pretty, but was it really better than Jason’s or Cristian’s? We do like her when she smiles though.
Kristy’s dance should be repeated in the results show. It was fun, they had fun, and it showed. At times her turnout still faltered but she obviously worked on it. We learned tonight that she had club feet as a child. Her professional achievements and efforts are even more commendable, given the condition.
As Mario (pronounced “poopee”) strutted towards Karina unbuttoning his shirt we knew this would be a hot dance. Bruno called Len a (bleep) and Carrie Anne got seriously turned on, saying it was better than (bleep, bleep). This was definitely a hot one. Bruno even got bleeped (about something about eating -bleep--bleep--??)! The dancing was good, the entertainment value was good. The penalized lift and Len’s prudishness got them a 28 that could have been a 30.
Marissa said the hoe down at the ballroom corral could go either way… it did. Tricks, cartwheels and lifts, many of them unsuccessful. Jason the Airplane and Mario’s (pronounced “poopee’s) were probably the most showy. Not much to say otherwise.
Week Five! Four more ‘til the finals… the votes may save Marissa, Shannon could be down there, but Marlee will sign off tomorrow.
Jason dances like an airplane (big and light at the same time), keeping his arms splayed out, doing a very sexy hot cha cha that should get lots of votes. A great lift (not penalized!), spun around Edyta and showed a lot of fun all around. At 24, the judges were fair, given his footwork.
Shannon’s true colors did not show: she needed to point her feet in this gentle choreography and her hips truly did not move at all, but she did had some good leg extensions. And her legs do sell! And she looked gorgeous with her partner, Derek, who’s even more gorgeous! Is Derek getting too distracted with their “trying to get into character” and not helping her improve on dancing technique? Well, we liked this couple and wanted to see them go all the way, but it seems unlikely they will be in the finals.
Marlee had another fast Latin dance tonight, with the mambo King no less, and a pep speech from the Fonz! Despite that, and regrettably, we do believe her limit has been reached. Stop and go dancing at this stage of the competition is just not good enough. She is an amazing and courageous personality and star, but cannot make the grade at this level of dancing. The choreography made her look as if she was a puppet being manipulated, not an especially good feeling. Her low score reflects on the dancing, not on her Star power. We believe that she will be out tonight.
Frederico Astaire was next, with Cheryl saying “no, no, no!” to his first Fox Trotty attempts. Good for Cheryl learning more Spanish (even without realizing it!). And how creative that pool rehearsal technique! Cheryl proved one more time that she’s an amazing instructor. Their efforts paid off with a beautiful choreography and this was a complete turn around for Cristian. Cristian and Cheryl shouldn’t have any trouble staying tonight, except for Len’s threat to moon us all in the supermarket if Cristian is in the bottom two. Would people not vote for Christian hoping Len’s will have to follow through with his bet? We hope not, and have no desire to see Len’s bottom two! Remember you can vote online until noon today Tuesday.
Princess Marissa seems always a bit dizzy even without the spinning. We liked this dance, which had some beautiful lines and turns. Tony did the best he could with Marissa, and he was wonderful as always. However, there were some awful lines also, with Marissa’s feet always sticking out flat. The awful song choice by the producers, the cover of Tom Jones’ Delilah, did make us wonder why, why, why Marissa? Her feet were not pointing (it is amazing how much better it would have looked if she had made that effort) and her final floor spin kinda crashed. Altogether, we did not think (despite the judges’ comments and scores) that this was such a great performance. It was pretty, but was it really better than Jason’s or Cristian’s? We do like her when she smiles though.
Kristy’s dance should be repeated in the results show. It was fun, they had fun, and it showed. At times her turnout still faltered but she obviously worked on it. We learned tonight that she had club feet as a child. Her professional achievements and efforts are even more commendable, given the condition.
As Mario (pronounced “poopee”) strutted towards Karina unbuttoning his shirt we knew this would be a hot dance. Bruno called Len a (bleep) and Carrie Anne got seriously turned on, saying it was better than (bleep, bleep). This was definitely a hot one. Bruno even got bleeped (about something about eating -bleep--bleep--??)! The dancing was good, the entertainment value was good. The penalized lift and Len’s prudishness got them a 28 that could have been a 30.
Marissa said the hoe down at the ballroom corral could go either way… it did. Tricks, cartwheels and lifts, many of them unsuccessful. Jason the Airplane and Mario’s (pronounced “poopee’s) were probably the most showy. Not much to say otherwise.
Week Five! Four more ‘til the finals… the votes may save Marissa, Shannon could be down there, but Marlee will sign off tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Our Take and Handicap
DWTS’s backstage comments were lame, no major exciting insights here. The most facetious, of course, were Cristian and Cheryl’s, suggesting the illegality and after hours chemistry that would be needed to increase the hot chemistry between them.
The first number was appropriately hot and Latin with “Coso Matte” and the dancing professionals shaking it up with a salsa / samba number that had them all over the place strutting their stuff. Changing the dynamic and shaking the house, the first results came in and, well Kristy is safe—no surprise—but Cristian and Cheryl are in peril!
Once again, the kids danced, giving us a glimpse of future Edytas, and Dereks. Then all that “show day” stuff was fun: with the guys showing how “macho” they are—Cristian playing football, Jason saying that he has more time because he doesn’t have to do his hair, Mario showing off his pecs (he may be dancing in this show but he is a “macho man”); and the girls: Priscilla doing Yoga, Marissa being girly, Shannon worrying and worrying, Marlee with her kids… and then we went back to the Studio and Jason was safe.
James Blunt gave us the next musical interlude with great star power and an beautiful and athletic accompanying dance routine. In the end, however, many of the lifts did not seem effortless, but rather strained.
Cue the scary music… and Priscilla was gone.
Now who do we think will actually win? It is hard, we like them all, everyone brings something to the floor and to the show. Now it is almost down to personality and likeability but the three finalists we expect will be Kristi, Jason and Mario. And the winner will be Jason. Do we think he’s the best dancer, however? Actually no, we don’t, but that’s life!
The first number was appropriately hot and Latin with “Coso Matte” and the dancing professionals shaking it up with a salsa / samba number that had them all over the place strutting their stuff. Changing the dynamic and shaking the house, the first results came in and, well Kristy is safe—no surprise—but Cristian and Cheryl are in peril!
Once again, the kids danced, giving us a glimpse of future Edytas, and Dereks. Then all that “show day” stuff was fun: with the guys showing how “macho” they are—Cristian playing football, Jason saying that he has more time because he doesn’t have to do his hair, Mario showing off his pecs (he may be dancing in this show but he is a “macho man”); and the girls: Priscilla doing Yoga, Marissa being girly, Shannon worrying and worrying, Marlee with her kids… and then we went back to the Studio and Jason was safe.
James Blunt gave us the next musical interlude with great star power and an beautiful and athletic accompanying dance routine. In the end, however, many of the lifts did not seem effortless, but rather strained.
Cue the scary music… and Priscilla was gone.
Now who do we think will actually win? It is hard, we like them all, everyone brings something to the floor and to the show. Now it is almost down to personality and likeability but the three finalists we expect will be Kristi, Jason and Mario. And the winner will be Jason. Do we think he’s the best dancer, however? Actually no, we don’t, but that’s life!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Latin Night: Should’ve been the Sexiest Night of Competition…
…but it wasn’t. Only Cheryl and Christian had some chemistry tonight. Lots of ultra tans, open chests and skimpy dresses couldn’t compensate for the lack of passion. We definitely missed Adam’s joker wicked sense of humor. And Marissa’s taking the place of the comedian of the pack did not satisfy our amusement cravings. I guess we will have to lose some sleep and endure Jimmy Kimmel Live at some point. On to the couples:
Competing against a deaf lady, Mario (pronounced poopee) asked for dancing tips from a blind guy. Dancing the samba, however it was too bad that Stevie Wonder could not see! A seeming natural, Mario started the show on a high note! And Karina really moved that scant Yellow—Big Bird—Basket! All about hips and hopes, Mario demonstrated that he dances in more than one way, richly heeding to Len’s admonishment that he should demonstrate that he can dance differently from week to week. A well deserved 27. Karina’s exhibited body seemed like it should have been in an exhibition of extreme spray tanning disorders.
Priscilla. Being aware now that lifts are a no-no, repented and contrite came to practice, somehow with her face looking better. Dancing the Rumba, that sensual slow Latin dance, she got down with that initial split, signaling a routine (and eventually a night) full of dance tricks. They planned a tough routine, in an especially tough slow dance for non-experts; it was a little shaky in the hard tricks, simply trying too hard. Unfortunately, the complicated choreography was not favorable to achieve a high score. We thought that the 21 was a bit generous and, at this stage, not good enough.
Marissa admittedly got to shake her tushie and other parts of her body in ways she had never before. Besides all the shimming, though, there was also some dancing going on. Tony really did an outstanding choreography job, his tall stature offset by his smartly bent knees, pairing well with Marissa. They do have a vertical challenge, don’t they? The judges were a little disparaging with all the fat jokes (“lots of bounce per ounce”? “bouncing like a beach ball”?), and we thought that she should have had more than last week, but with a 24 she should be safe.
Cristian and Cheryl are a dreamy couple indeed, as that Spanish telenovela sequence demonstrated. Again, a slow sensual Rumba but this time a lot more convincing. Cheryl is definitely an amazing instructor, actually making a dancer out of Cristian. But this dance (the Rumba) is definitely hard. Cristian stumbled and faltered but did not look as bad as Priscilla did. A 23 perhaps was almost unfair, but perhaps just a point shy from what we thought it should have been. By the way, Cheryl should expand her Spanish vocabulary: saying “si, si, si” all the time might get her in trouble.
In the preamble to her routine, Marlee’s handicap was truly and painfully obvious. Fabian struggled to communicate, and Marlee to respond. This Samba dance routine definitely was problematic, given her handicap. She obviously stumbled, had to wait for her partner’s signals, lost her synchronization at times, and definitely had a hard time. She looked great, though! Back cleavage with a rhinestone tattoo! Spirit and tenacity! Too bad this is a dancing competition and not a personality contest (altogether). The judges, and Bruno in particular, were a bit generous with the scores, giving her a 22.
Kristi had to try that hard Rumba with what she described as a young hot thing, and her two young daughters watching. Looking like a young hot thing herself she managed to give the best Rumba of the night, although her turnout is still obviously faltering. The tricks well performed and the sensuality convincing. Over 27 would have been fair, 30 would have not—we liked the 29! The oriental pacific pearl comment seemed almost non-PC—but that is a good thing about this show: it really is not PC and they do not seem to care.
The Kismet couple came next. Shannon’s little throw up from a few weeks ago seems to be contagious. Derek has pranced several times towards the hurling bucket, apparently. To the dancing: despite the glitter all over her body, tourmaline legs, and locks flying about, Shannon definitely did not shake her maracas enough. Lots of energy dissipated in the dancing with lots of panting at the end, Shannon seems like she needs to work a little on her endurance training. Definitely not her best. The weirdest judge comment of the night: Carrie Ann wanting to partner with Shannon? Ok, it was hard to tell whether Shannon was channeling Disney’s Esmeralda, Jasmine or Jack Sparrow, she being a self-confessed tomboy, but still…
Jason and Edyta danced the dreaded Rumba but, how can you disparage leggy Edyta? She was smart also, avoiding in her choreography the dance tricks for the Stars that all the other couples tried so hard to pull off—despite that crotch-and-foot-in-his-face-split that she did, not him (which obviously would have been disastrous). Again we disagree with the Judges, regarding Jason’s lines. He needs to work on his arms and shoulders!!! He can be so much more masculine in his movements if he just wouldn’t try to imitate Edyta. Edyta, please, he needs to see some real men dancing. Jason, please, pay attention to the other men in the show! He had a big score with that 27, and will be safe, but could be so much better! If he does not correct his attitude and posture he will not make it to the end… and we actually want him to.
When all is said and danced, even though this was supposed to be the sexiest night of the season a markedly lack of chemistry and hotness was all around. From what we saw, and given the judge’s scores, Marlee might be in the bottom two, but we think that Priscilla will not be able to lift herself out of this one.
Competing against a deaf lady, Mario (pronounced poopee) asked for dancing tips from a blind guy. Dancing the samba, however it was too bad that Stevie Wonder could not see! A seeming natural, Mario started the show on a high note! And Karina really moved that scant Yellow—Big Bird—Basket! All about hips and hopes, Mario demonstrated that he dances in more than one way, richly heeding to Len’s admonishment that he should demonstrate that he can dance differently from week to week. A well deserved 27. Karina’s exhibited body seemed like it should have been in an exhibition of extreme spray tanning disorders.
Priscilla. Being aware now that lifts are a no-no, repented and contrite came to practice, somehow with her face looking better. Dancing the Rumba, that sensual slow Latin dance, she got down with that initial split, signaling a routine (and eventually a night) full of dance tricks. They planned a tough routine, in an especially tough slow dance for non-experts; it was a little shaky in the hard tricks, simply trying too hard. Unfortunately, the complicated choreography was not favorable to achieve a high score. We thought that the 21 was a bit generous and, at this stage, not good enough.
Marissa admittedly got to shake her tushie and other parts of her body in ways she had never before. Besides all the shimming, though, there was also some dancing going on. Tony really did an outstanding choreography job, his tall stature offset by his smartly bent knees, pairing well with Marissa. They do have a vertical challenge, don’t they? The judges were a little disparaging with all the fat jokes (“lots of bounce per ounce”? “bouncing like a beach ball”?), and we thought that she should have had more than last week, but with a 24 she should be safe.
Cristian and Cheryl are a dreamy couple indeed, as that Spanish telenovela sequence demonstrated. Again, a slow sensual Rumba but this time a lot more convincing. Cheryl is definitely an amazing instructor, actually making a dancer out of Cristian. But this dance (the Rumba) is definitely hard. Cristian stumbled and faltered but did not look as bad as Priscilla did. A 23 perhaps was almost unfair, but perhaps just a point shy from what we thought it should have been. By the way, Cheryl should expand her Spanish vocabulary: saying “si, si, si” all the time might get her in trouble.
In the preamble to her routine, Marlee’s handicap was truly and painfully obvious. Fabian struggled to communicate, and Marlee to respond. This Samba dance routine definitely was problematic, given her handicap. She obviously stumbled, had to wait for her partner’s signals, lost her synchronization at times, and definitely had a hard time. She looked great, though! Back cleavage with a rhinestone tattoo! Spirit and tenacity! Too bad this is a dancing competition and not a personality contest (altogether). The judges, and Bruno in particular, were a bit generous with the scores, giving her a 22.
Kristi had to try that hard Rumba with what she described as a young hot thing, and her two young daughters watching. Looking like a young hot thing herself she managed to give the best Rumba of the night, although her turnout is still obviously faltering. The tricks well performed and the sensuality convincing. Over 27 would have been fair, 30 would have not—we liked the 29! The oriental pacific pearl comment seemed almost non-PC—but that is a good thing about this show: it really is not PC and they do not seem to care.
The Kismet couple came next. Shannon’s little throw up from a few weeks ago seems to be contagious. Derek has pranced several times towards the hurling bucket, apparently. To the dancing: despite the glitter all over her body, tourmaline legs, and locks flying about, Shannon definitely did not shake her maracas enough. Lots of energy dissipated in the dancing with lots of panting at the end, Shannon seems like she needs to work a little on her endurance training. Definitely not her best. The weirdest judge comment of the night: Carrie Ann wanting to partner with Shannon? Ok, it was hard to tell whether Shannon was channeling Disney’s Esmeralda, Jasmine or Jack Sparrow, she being a self-confessed tomboy, but still…
Jason and Edyta danced the dreaded Rumba but, how can you disparage leggy Edyta? She was smart also, avoiding in her choreography the dance tricks for the Stars that all the other couples tried so hard to pull off—despite that crotch-and-foot-in-his-face-split that she did, not him (which obviously would have been disastrous). Again we disagree with the Judges, regarding Jason’s lines. He needs to work on his arms and shoulders!!! He can be so much more masculine in his movements if he just wouldn’t try to imitate Edyta. Edyta, please, he needs to see some real men dancing. Jason, please, pay attention to the other men in the show! He had a big score with that 27, and will be safe, but could be so much better! If he does not correct his attitude and posture he will not make it to the end… and we actually want him to.
When all is said and danced, even though this was supposed to be the sexiest night of the season a markedly lack of chemistry and hotness was all around. From what we saw, and given the judge’s scores, Marlee might be in the bottom two, but we think that Priscilla will not be able to lift herself out of this one.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It would’ve been a tragedy if he’d won!
Lynn’s slip of the tongue said it all. Meaning to say that it would be a tragedy for the show to lose Adam, Lynn accidentally let his mind talk and said that it would’ve been a tragedy if Adam had won. We disagree, but obviously expected this.
We must say that we are going to miss Adam’s smart (sweet and sour) sense of humor. The show’s not going to be as much fun anymore. Who’s going to come up with statements such as: “If you want to get higher scores, now, there’s an idea” after Julianne’s innocent “Screw the Judges” comment.
Anyway, hopefully the producers of this show may still use Adam for something. Be creative, please!
As for the rest of the night, everything was great. Sheryl Crow… and the lovely dancing kids... and the even lovelier Derek/Shannon moment!
We must say that we are going to miss Adam’s smart (sweet and sour) sense of humor. The show’s not going to be as much fun anymore. Who’s going to come up with statements such as: “If you want to get higher scores, now, there’s an idea” after Julianne’s innocent “Screw the Judges” comment.
Anyway, hopefully the producers of this show may still use Adam for something. Be creative, please!
As for the rest of the night, everything was great. Sheryl Crow… and the lovely dancing kids... and the even lovelier Derek/Shannon moment!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Animal Circus: All about Bulls, Swans and a Matador
Oh what a night! Some animals, strong men and bulls for sure, some swans—perhaps dying—a proxy black steed on a single wheel. We did miss the kittenish Presley in this Animal House. And for the first time ever, we totally disagree with the judges. An almost perfect score for Jason Taylor’s swan moves? Are you kidding us? If there is something that we really like about this show is that it shows manly men dancing like manly men, with grace, but as strong men. Jason’s waltz was too girly for our taste and somebody should have called him on that! Pardon us all Jason’s fans, which, by the way, we also are… he is certainly 100% masculine, and this wasn’t his fault, but we need to point out the truth here: The judges were too easy on him and should have noticed that his arms and hands were not appropriate for a man. What is happening with our favorite dance judges?
Kristy Yamaguchi is definitely opening up, great performance. Not skating anymore but still with a bit of problems with her turnout. Len’s comments about her being too similar from week to week just belie her technical proficiency, making every dance she undertakes nearly flawless. Well deserved 10s. The judges seem to agree with our first comments in this blog when we argued that having such a highly skilled technical dancer raises the bar for everyone.
Oh, Priscilla’s turquoise eyes look dreamy and swirly, with a certain purry animal magnetism that she could perhaps have shared occasionally with her partner Louis. She swirled and swayed. Carrie Ann and Len penalized her today for the unforgivable lift that is a no-no. We couldn’t help to pair the sin of her dance lift tonight with that of her face lift that, since day one, has also seemed unforgivable.
Adam Carolla could not be on a real horse but brought along a Toronado Unicycle (to match his unibrow?). Unfortunately his dancing ability got unmasked at the end, revealing the real persona: a poor man’s Diego de la Vega with two left feet—no Antonio Banderas here! After Adam opened his mouth with a funny salacious reference once again, it was Julianne who got her S word bleeped! Adam, as much as we liked your comedic ability, we expect and hope that your dancing career got to an end tonight. Adam, we think you did lose it tonight.
Marlee Matlin’s performance was not especially memorable, but it was adequate. No question about it, she can dance and Bruno finds it remarkable given her handicap. No question about it, her posture needs fixing: open the chest, straighten the shoulders, “bring in the bum”. No question about it, she should not go home. Heck, she made Carrie Ann cry! And we guess that if you make her cry, you get a better score than if you make her laugh. Fabian’s wild monkey scream made it worth it.
After all the previous dances, except Kristy’s, Mario and Karina’s routine was a breath of fresh air. Wild and fine, rehearsal hours paid off, as they do for all dancers. Bruno definitely likes Mario, Len is ambivalent, but he does have old clothes: apparently. Mario just recently can be legally drunk, and Len’s underpants apparently are too! Seeing Karina get lifted, both during rehearsal and during the routine, makes us think once again, what lift were the judges penalizing Priscilla for, after all?
Treat her like a lady, not be like a lady. So, according to Len, Jason Taylor has gone from rooster to feather duster to swan. The problem is, we don’t like to see men dancing as swans! Jason should be getting tips from previous DWTS winner and football legend Emmit Smith, not some loser Knight that dubs him “Sir Dancealot”. His score was way higher than he deserved, furthermore on account of his stumble.
And then, after bulls and swans a zillion, we finally got our Matador! The real Zorro/Diego de la Vega-Christian de la Fuente-was unmasked! We really want this one to be the Encore tomorrow. And not just because Christian was the closest to Antonio as we have had, but also because Cheryl was the dream of a Latex fetishist come true…or gone wild! We have always loved Cheryl, and she went all out tonight. Encore! Encore! Encore!
Romeo and Juliet… rather, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough: What a beautiful performance! Shannon Elizabeth was the epitome of youthful grace, and Derek, wow! This is what we mean by the difference between a swanish girlie man and a man dancing ballroom like a man! If you Tivoed this show just watch these two waltzes against each other and you’ll see what we mean. Or go to abc.com and download these two dances. Look at Jason’s arms and compare them with Derek’s. Big difference here. We know, we are comparing a professional with an untrained dancer, but our point is that the judges should have said something about Jason’s upper body…!
Marissa danced without smiling, and it was good! A substantial improvement. She should survive tonight. Backstage she said “I never felt so light in my life!”. Yes, her feet were kicking high, she was lifted and she has, obviously and remarkably, lost lots of weight since the show began, Her fate is on voters hands and she is at a disadvantage, being the last to dance, when many voters may have already spent all of their nine votes. We expect, if all is fair, Adam to leave. Bye, Adam—see you in The Man Show! Julianne will go on, 9 to 5.
Kristy Yamaguchi is definitely opening up, great performance. Not skating anymore but still with a bit of problems with her turnout. Len’s comments about her being too similar from week to week just belie her technical proficiency, making every dance she undertakes nearly flawless. Well deserved 10s. The judges seem to agree with our first comments in this blog when we argued that having such a highly skilled technical dancer raises the bar for everyone.
Oh, Priscilla’s turquoise eyes look dreamy and swirly, with a certain purry animal magnetism that she could perhaps have shared occasionally with her partner Louis. She swirled and swayed. Carrie Ann and Len penalized her today for the unforgivable lift that is a no-no. We couldn’t help to pair the sin of her dance lift tonight with that of her face lift that, since day one, has also seemed unforgivable.
Adam Carolla could not be on a real horse but brought along a Toronado Unicycle (to match his unibrow?). Unfortunately his dancing ability got unmasked at the end, revealing the real persona: a poor man’s Diego de la Vega with two left feet—no Antonio Banderas here! After Adam opened his mouth with a funny salacious reference once again, it was Julianne who got her S word bleeped! Adam, as much as we liked your comedic ability, we expect and hope that your dancing career got to an end tonight. Adam, we think you did lose it tonight.
Marlee Matlin’s performance was not especially memorable, but it was adequate. No question about it, she can dance and Bruno finds it remarkable given her handicap. No question about it, her posture needs fixing: open the chest, straighten the shoulders, “bring in the bum”. No question about it, she should not go home. Heck, she made Carrie Ann cry! And we guess that if you make her cry, you get a better score than if you make her laugh. Fabian’s wild monkey scream made it worth it.
After all the previous dances, except Kristy’s, Mario and Karina’s routine was a breath of fresh air. Wild and fine, rehearsal hours paid off, as they do for all dancers. Bruno definitely likes Mario, Len is ambivalent, but he does have old clothes: apparently. Mario just recently can be legally drunk, and Len’s underpants apparently are too! Seeing Karina get lifted, both during rehearsal and during the routine, makes us think once again, what lift were the judges penalizing Priscilla for, after all?
Treat her like a lady, not be like a lady. So, according to Len, Jason Taylor has gone from rooster to feather duster to swan. The problem is, we don’t like to see men dancing as swans! Jason should be getting tips from previous DWTS winner and football legend Emmit Smith, not some loser Knight that dubs him “Sir Dancealot”. His score was way higher than he deserved, furthermore on account of his stumble.
And then, after bulls and swans a zillion, we finally got our Matador! The real Zorro/Diego de la Vega-Christian de la Fuente-was unmasked! We really want this one to be the Encore tomorrow. And not just because Christian was the closest to Antonio as we have had, but also because Cheryl was the dream of a Latex fetishist come true…or gone wild! We have always loved Cheryl, and she went all out tonight. Encore! Encore! Encore!
Romeo and Juliet… rather, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough: What a beautiful performance! Shannon Elizabeth was the epitome of youthful grace, and Derek, wow! This is what we mean by the difference between a swanish girlie man and a man dancing ballroom like a man! If you Tivoed this show just watch these two waltzes against each other and you’ll see what we mean. Or go to abc.com and download these two dances. Look at Jason’s arms and compare them with Derek’s. Big difference here. We know, we are comparing a professional with an untrained dancer, but our point is that the judges should have said something about Jason’s upper body…!
Marissa danced without smiling, and it was good! A substantial improvement. She should survive tonight. Backstage she said “I never felt so light in my life!”. Yes, her feet were kicking high, she was lifted and she has, obviously and remarkably, lost lots of weight since the show began, Her fate is on voters hands and she is at a disadvantage, being the last to dance, when many voters may have already spent all of their nine votes. We expect, if all is fair, Adam to leave. Bye, Adam—see you in The Man Show! Julianne will go on, 9 to 5.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
No! Not the Gutt!
Result shows are always uneven, but this one started definitely on a high note. Steve Guttenberg got to dance again with Anna’s husband, this time in full swing mode! We had predicted (expected? hoped?) something of the sort (see our previous blog), possibly Steve partnering with Adam Carolla. But we certainly did not expect it tonight. This was a pleasant surprise! The producers of this show are certainly clear about one thing: Entertainment. We thank them for it!
The musical numbers were a little off. Kyle Minogue’s show seemed out of place, with her stiff hip-hop/jazz dancers nowhere close to the level of the professional dancers in the show. The Alvin Ailey piece, what can we say? Technically okay but lacking something… Soul maybe? A little too stereotyped, perhaps designed for mass consumption? Good, but not the best of Alvin Ailey. The neon green accents in Mark’s and Christine’s number with Kyle were the most interesting bit of all the fill-in numbers.
About the backstage comments, I guess the one extra detail that we didn’t need to know was that Shannon Elizabeth had a bit of throw-up in her mouth while being judged… We hope that is the closest we get to see hurling around in the show!
The results surprised us a bit from the start. We had thought that Marissa was going to be out, but she was among the first to be safe. We thought that bottom two might be her and Mario or Steve. It is probable that last nights Bruno’s 9 for Mario saved him tonight.
Adios Steve… is that why they say nice guys finish last?
The musical numbers were a little off. Kyle Minogue’s show seemed out of place, with her stiff hip-hop/jazz dancers nowhere close to the level of the professional dancers in the show. The Alvin Ailey piece, what can we say? Technically okay but lacking something… Soul maybe? A little too stereotyped, perhaps designed for mass consumption? Good, but not the best of Alvin Ailey. The neon green accents in Mark’s and Christine’s number with Kyle were the most interesting bit of all the fill-in numbers.
About the backstage comments, I guess the one extra detail that we didn’t need to know was that Shannon Elizabeth had a bit of throw-up in her mouth while being judged… We hope that is the closest we get to see hurling around in the show!
The results surprised us a bit from the start. We had thought that Marissa was going to be out, but she was among the first to be safe. We thought that bottom two might be her and Mario or Steve. It is probable that last nights Bruno’s 9 for Mario saved him tonight.
Adios Steve… is that why they say nice guys finish last?
Horror down Roxanne’s Alley.
Wardrobe dept was really against all the women tonight! From Christine’s wig, to Shannon’s dress, to Kristy’s Betty-Boopish hairstyle, it seems as Adam’s comment that someone upstairs in the Wardrobe department had it against the women may be on target. The innuendo regarding the hotness all around was also in high gear tonight. But let us comment on the dancing.
Marlee Matlin was great! Her jive did make her seem light on her feet. She wants to win! We want to see her a lot further. Good kicks, good moves, great expressions. Her shoulders seem to not always be right, but she can certainly improve that too!
Steve Guttenberg came out to dance, and it almost seemed that he came out, period! Anna Trebinskaya was sick, and her husband made Steve get some manly moves. A couple that worked, but we hope not the beginning of a trend. Steve looked a little mad to be dancing with Anna, more than the aggressive Tango warranted. He did well, however, despite the fact that Anna did not seem pleased by his comments. Chemical fallout in the future?
Christian de la Fuente got to partner with a Sea Lion, the oddest couple by far. Well, as we said last week, he was not relating to Cheryl, so we guess she was sending him a message: “You are not dancing with a fat barking loudmouth with fish breath! Either you look at me and smile or you go back to the icy water!” He listened. It was much better. Incredible energy, he related, he smiled, he danced, and we all had fun. It was good. Like Cheryl said: “si, si, si!”
Mario’s schedule evidently took a toll on his Tango dancing. Five cities in five days or so, it showed on the show. Knees seemed to knock, feet flew in different directions when they should not have. That dreadful version of Roxanne by the band did not help either! Step it up Mario! Take it seriously and have some dance fun. His expression was better than Steve’s though. And Bruno likes him!
Shannon Elizabeth must have one of the worst dresses ever, hiding all that she is about, highlighting instead her middle in a fat sort of way. She did kick some out there, though. Again, a great choreography set up by Derek (these Hough kids are smart!), enough to bring them both down to the floor. I guess after last season’s scare and fall by Marie Osmond, the stars have been told to sit if they have to! Tom Bergeron seemed to like it a bit and got flustered also, even when he wasn’t kicking it up! A 900 number Tom?
Adam Carolla came out dancing. Not the best Tango but commendable. He is not getting any votes from Utah, or the gay vote either! He is too wickedly funny to leave us soon: pimps and prostitutes? “This chick can dance”? (referring to himself). An entertainer he is, lets hope he can dance on for a few more weeks. Re Julianne’s horror makeup, dress and wig: eeww!
Marissa Jaret Winokur was mechanical, and seems to have low self-esteem. She looked like she was going to cry when judged. But really, the number was not challenging, low energy, it did not exploit her personality. She may be the one to go this week. Actually, she should be the one gone.
Priscilla Presley’s dress at first seemed like it was from a costume shop in Transylvania, but it worked! Her stiffened face belies her flexible attitude. She needs to keep her butt in a little: straighten up lady! Before she danced we thought she might be a candidate for leaving. She is not! Great performance. With Len’s comment to Priscilla regarding that “he approached you and you swatted him away as if saying ‘don’t touch what you cannot afford’” he capped the storyline regarding P&Ps, 900 numbers and Mormon teachings…
What happened, Jason Taylor? The Jive is supposed to be fast, but we suppose if you are that big, fast movements look as if they are in slow motion. It is not about dance, stop, pose, dance, stop, pose. No matter how gorgeous you are! It’s about dance, dance, dance! We guess the pose part is what Bruno was referring to when he said he has ballet lines. He is not leaving, but he has to kick it up a notch.
Not much to say about Kristy Yamaguchi. Safe (too safe?), clean (too clean?). We hated the hair but loved, LOVED, the shoes! Read rhinestones all over! As wicked as Adam Carolla!
Adam really cannot dance much, but he’s so much fun that makes up for it. Please, keep him! And Steven should also stay. But please don't have them both, Adam and Steven, dancing together... Or maybe do! If it's for the good of the show, we will take it! Marissa should be out tonight.
Marlee Matlin was great! Her jive did make her seem light on her feet. She wants to win! We want to see her a lot further. Good kicks, good moves, great expressions. Her shoulders seem to not always be right, but she can certainly improve that too!
Steve Guttenberg came out to dance, and it almost seemed that he came out, period! Anna Trebinskaya was sick, and her husband made Steve get some manly moves. A couple that worked, but we hope not the beginning of a trend. Steve looked a little mad to be dancing with Anna, more than the aggressive Tango warranted. He did well, however, despite the fact that Anna did not seem pleased by his comments. Chemical fallout in the future?
Christian de la Fuente got to partner with a Sea Lion, the oddest couple by far. Well, as we said last week, he was not relating to Cheryl, so we guess she was sending him a message: “You are not dancing with a fat barking loudmouth with fish breath! Either you look at me and smile or you go back to the icy water!” He listened. It was much better. Incredible energy, he related, he smiled, he danced, and we all had fun. It was good. Like Cheryl said: “si, si, si!”
Mario’s schedule evidently took a toll on his Tango dancing. Five cities in five days or so, it showed on the show. Knees seemed to knock, feet flew in different directions when they should not have. That dreadful version of Roxanne by the band did not help either! Step it up Mario! Take it seriously and have some dance fun. His expression was better than Steve’s though. And Bruno likes him!
Shannon Elizabeth must have one of the worst dresses ever, hiding all that she is about, highlighting instead her middle in a fat sort of way. She did kick some out there, though. Again, a great choreography set up by Derek (these Hough kids are smart!), enough to bring them both down to the floor. I guess after last season’s scare and fall by Marie Osmond, the stars have been told to sit if they have to! Tom Bergeron seemed to like it a bit and got flustered also, even when he wasn’t kicking it up! A 900 number Tom?
Adam Carolla came out dancing. Not the best Tango but commendable. He is not getting any votes from Utah, or the gay vote either! He is too wickedly funny to leave us soon: pimps and prostitutes? “This chick can dance”? (referring to himself). An entertainer he is, lets hope he can dance on for a few more weeks. Re Julianne’s horror makeup, dress and wig: eeww!
Marissa Jaret Winokur was mechanical, and seems to have low self-esteem. She looked like she was going to cry when judged. But really, the number was not challenging, low energy, it did not exploit her personality. She may be the one to go this week. Actually, she should be the one gone.
Priscilla Presley’s dress at first seemed like it was from a costume shop in Transylvania, but it worked! Her stiffened face belies her flexible attitude. She needs to keep her butt in a little: straighten up lady! Before she danced we thought she might be a candidate for leaving. She is not! Great performance. With Len’s comment to Priscilla regarding that “he approached you and you swatted him away as if saying ‘don’t touch what you cannot afford’” he capped the storyline regarding P&Ps, 900 numbers and Mormon teachings…
What happened, Jason Taylor? The Jive is supposed to be fast, but we suppose if you are that big, fast movements look as if they are in slow motion. It is not about dance, stop, pose, dance, stop, pose. No matter how gorgeous you are! It’s about dance, dance, dance! We guess the pose part is what Bruno was referring to when he said he has ballet lines. He is not leaving, but he has to kick it up a notch.
Not much to say about Kristy Yamaguchi. Safe (too safe?), clean (too clean?). We hated the hair but loved, LOVED, the shoes! Read rhinestones all over! As wicked as Adam Carolla!
Adam really cannot dance much, but he’s so much fun that makes up for it. Please, keep him! And Steven should also stay. But please don't have them both, Adam and Steven, dancing together... Or maybe do! If it's for the good of the show, we will take it! Marissa should be out tonight.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Wizard’s Out… Are The Wicked In?
As we predicted, Penn was out last night. No magic tricks here. And we were right about Monica also. We fell a little bad for her since it seems like the show was being so good for her! So, sorry Monica, but as much as we appreciate the cathartic effect of dancing for your soul, your dancing was creating anguish on ours so we’re actually happy to see you go. Enough with the penitence!
This show is so nice, and everybody was so nice last night, that it honestly got to be a bit annoyingly sugary! Where’s the envy, please? Only Carolla had the courage to express his eyebrow envy last night. Where’s the drama? Who is cheating on whom with whom? That can’t be! Please, kick the drama up a notch next week!
This show is so nice, and everybody was so nice last night, that it honestly got to be a bit annoyingly sugary! Where’s the envy, please? Only Carolla had the courage to express his eyebrow envy last night. Where’s the drama? Who is cheating on whom with whom? That can’t be! Please, kick the drama up a notch next week!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Dancing with the Stars: When Tough Men Dance...the World is a Better Place!
Tonight again the mix of sports athletes and celebrities with great dance coaches brought all sorts of surprises and fun to Dancing with the Stars. The best so far, Kristy Yamaguchi and Mario, can be considered by some to be “cheaters” (people with obvious previous training or experience) but our opinion is that they bring something quite important to the mix, since they raise the bar for everyone. Furthermore, nothing could be worst for this show than some sort of “big brother rules” that would state “no previous dancing experience allowed.” Yes, Kristy’s skating training gives her a lot of advantages, especially regarding arms and upper body, but she has to work hard on fixing her turnout. The same with Mario, who may have some Hip Hop and Video Music dancing experience, but has no formal dance training. And, as many dance instructors would know, sometimes it is even more difficult to “fix” previous habits than to start completely from scratch. In that sense, coaches such as Cheryl, with Christian de la Fuente, or Derek Hough with Shannon Elizabeth may have the best chances with their clean (and “gorgeous’) canvases.
Our take on this week’s performances is the following:
The guys.
Steve Guttenberg: He may not be the best guy dancing (actually, he will soon be the worst, in a couple of weeks…), but he certainly spoke the best line tonight: “This show makes the world a better place”. Really, even for Monica Seles, who probably will be out tomorrow, being in the show obviously slayed some dragons or killed demons lurking in her soul. Her shyness and stiffness on week one was painful, but some of it was gone tonight, and she certainly looked a lot better. But (more on her later), back to the guys, Steve was fun and charming, regardless of anything else. His effort was technically stiff, but clearly he should have a chance to entertain us some more. Really after the line we quoted he surely deserves to stay!
Christian De La Fuente may have an advantage… he does have that Latin stuff going on for him (although Chileans are not especially renowned for their dancing…, if you don’t believe us, ask any of your Latin American friends). His greatest advantage is Cheryl! But, what is up with him and her? He’s dancing with this great lady and seemed so detached! Posture was good, but no feelings! Too detached… a lower score would have been deserved.
The magician Penn Jillette has big feet. He probably should have been tortured a little more. He is so stiff and just hops around the floor! In terms of dancing, Bruno’s “really, really, really bad” was one for each foot and the other one just because. He is an entertainer no doubt, his magic is fun and he can make us laugh, but… hocus pocus alakazam, poof he will be gone this week!
Jason Taylor, NFL’s Man of the Year does indeed demonstrate that “tough men can dance”. He looks great and did great! He is not leaving us tomorrow!
Mario: Just three words for now: Young, hip and cool! He has it naturally and also worked hard for it this week. We’ll see a lot more of him, for sure.
Adam Carolla. See, with him, we could put him right there with Penn and Steve; however, we think Adam has some ingredients that will save him, at least from elimination tomorrow, and may even help move further in the competition. Compared to Penn, Adam is a lot more charming and a lot more fun. And he danced a lot better tonight (remember, this is a dancing competition after all!). Comparing Adam to Steve, Steve is charming also but in this “perfect” Jewish American good son sort of way. Adam on the other hand is, how could we articulated it? Wicked! There is something delightfully devilish about Adam! Tonight’s’ Adam dancing with Julianne was like a tasty mix of George Clooney with Jim Carey (the Mask), and considering that we like both, George and Jim, Adam would likely be safe from elimination this week!
Now the girls.
Monica is working so hard it hurts. She even had a hard time smiling! She pulled off with that mambo something she did not pulled off last week. However, her prettier face and body, and her occasionally good move,s did not compensate her poor arms, and her poor posture. This is not her thing—but we love it that she evolved and changed so much from the previous week! She really demonstrated what dancing can do to your soul: transform an inner conflict into an outer manifestation.
Priscilla Presley, what can we say? Her performance tonight was not exactly memorable. Her rear end kept sticking out and her head moved weird and slow. But it was OK. We cannot say that it was great, but it was OK. A score of 20 at best we thought…; the Judges gave her a little more. We don’t want to be mean but do they really have to keep on reminding us that she is the granny of the show?
Shannon Elizabeth has such long legs! And she moves them well! She demonstrated what the difference is between posture and stiffness. She lost a little bit of the later and slouched in the middle but her dance truly was well performed. The choreography by Derek was entertaining and within the rules. Great smiles, great attitude. A great dance routine.
Kristy Yamaguchi is obviously not leaving this show for a while. Amazing both nights! As a figure skater, don’t you think she has an advantage? Her upper body, arms and hands are great. As a skater she may have a tendency not to turn out, but she is obviously working on it. She may win, but it is still early to say.
Marissa Janet Winokur. Not much to say here. A Hairspray kind of performance tonight which, without trying to be mean, brought to mind John Travolta’s in the same movie. We expect to have a lot more to talk about her in the future, however, because she is a performer and entertainer and she certainly is not the worst on the show so far. We do not expect her to leave yet.
And finally, Marlee Matlin. We were again highly impressed with her musicality (as remarked by Carrie Anne) and her performance. So far, she deserves to win. She feels the music more than anybody else in the show! However, there is still a lot to see and a lot of changes, surprises and transformations to come. That’s the effect of dancing, after all! Our take: Penn and Monica will leave tomorrow.
Our take on this week’s performances is the following:
The guys.
Steve Guttenberg: He may not be the best guy dancing (actually, he will soon be the worst, in a couple of weeks…), but he certainly spoke the best line tonight: “This show makes the world a better place”. Really, even for Monica Seles, who probably will be out tomorrow, being in the show obviously slayed some dragons or killed demons lurking in her soul. Her shyness and stiffness on week one was painful, but some of it was gone tonight, and she certainly looked a lot better. But (more on her later), back to the guys, Steve was fun and charming, regardless of anything else. His effort was technically stiff, but clearly he should have a chance to entertain us some more. Really after the line we quoted he surely deserves to stay!
Christian De La Fuente may have an advantage… he does have that Latin stuff going on for him (although Chileans are not especially renowned for their dancing…, if you don’t believe us, ask any of your Latin American friends). His greatest advantage is Cheryl! But, what is up with him and her? He’s dancing with this great lady and seemed so detached! Posture was good, but no feelings! Too detached… a lower score would have been deserved.
The magician Penn Jillette has big feet. He probably should have been tortured a little more. He is so stiff and just hops around the floor! In terms of dancing, Bruno’s “really, really, really bad” was one for each foot and the other one just because. He is an entertainer no doubt, his magic is fun and he can make us laugh, but… hocus pocus alakazam, poof he will be gone this week!
Jason Taylor, NFL’s Man of the Year does indeed demonstrate that “tough men can dance”. He looks great and did great! He is not leaving us tomorrow!
Mario: Just three words for now: Young, hip and cool! He has it naturally and also worked hard for it this week. We’ll see a lot more of him, for sure.
Adam Carolla. See, with him, we could put him right there with Penn and Steve; however, we think Adam has some ingredients that will save him, at least from elimination tomorrow, and may even help move further in the competition. Compared to Penn, Adam is a lot more charming and a lot more fun. And he danced a lot better tonight (remember, this is a dancing competition after all!). Comparing Adam to Steve, Steve is charming also but in this “perfect” Jewish American good son sort of way. Adam on the other hand is, how could we articulated it? Wicked! There is something delightfully devilish about Adam! Tonight’s’ Adam dancing with Julianne was like a tasty mix of George Clooney with Jim Carey (the Mask), and considering that we like both, George and Jim, Adam would likely be safe from elimination this week!
Now the girls.
Monica is working so hard it hurts. She even had a hard time smiling! She pulled off with that mambo something she did not pulled off last week. However, her prettier face and body, and her occasionally good move,s did not compensate her poor arms, and her poor posture. This is not her thing—but we love it that she evolved and changed so much from the previous week! She really demonstrated what dancing can do to your soul: transform an inner conflict into an outer manifestation.
Priscilla Presley, what can we say? Her performance tonight was not exactly memorable. Her rear end kept sticking out and her head moved weird and slow. But it was OK. We cannot say that it was great, but it was OK. A score of 20 at best we thought…; the Judges gave her a little more. We don’t want to be mean but do they really have to keep on reminding us that she is the granny of the show?
Shannon Elizabeth has such long legs! And she moves them well! She demonstrated what the difference is between posture and stiffness. She lost a little bit of the later and slouched in the middle but her dance truly was well performed. The choreography by Derek was entertaining and within the rules. Great smiles, great attitude. A great dance routine.
Kristy Yamaguchi is obviously not leaving this show for a while. Amazing both nights! As a figure skater, don’t you think she has an advantage? Her upper body, arms and hands are great. As a skater she may have a tendency not to turn out, but she is obviously working on it. She may win, but it is still early to say.
Marissa Janet Winokur. Not much to say here. A Hairspray kind of performance tonight which, without trying to be mean, brought to mind John Travolta’s in the same movie. We expect to have a lot more to talk about her in the future, however, because she is a performer and entertainer and she certainly is not the worst on the show so far. We do not expect her to leave yet.
And finally, Marlee Matlin. We were again highly impressed with her musicality (as remarked by Carrie Anne) and her performance. So far, she deserves to win. She feels the music more than anybody else in the show! However, there is still a lot to see and a lot of changes, surprises and transformations to come. That’s the effect of dancing, after all! Our take: Penn and Monica will leave tomorrow.
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