Showing posts with label Dancing with the Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dancing with the Stars. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars - Finale

It is the Dancing with the Stars grand finale. The last of the rhinestones are in place. All of the spray tan has been applied. It is time. All the celebrities are back, and we will get to see who gets the mirror ball trophy.


I won't be doing a play by play on the whole night. I will just be focusing on the actual competition aspect (unless I just can't help myself - lol). Mostly, I'm happy that I get to see more of Val. ;)  Here's an example, Danica and Val's Quickstep from Disney Night. (Routine starts at about 2:40.)


Oh my gosh, Tom Bergeron just clarified something about the final scoring that I've been concerned about this season. Viewer votes still count for half of the final standings regardless of judges scores. That has been the case in previous seasons, but I had a hard time finding it among the "rules" on the DWTS' website this season. With the contestants being eliminated, I thought that the ratio might have changed with judges scores counting for more, but the producers being afraid to be transparent about it.

Perhaps as a consolation prize for James and Peter being eliminated last night, but the Twitter voters chose their freestyle routine as the Encore for the finale tonight. I have to say that I prefer the camera work for this routine tonight. Much more impressive.

So we naturally have a retrospective of the past 10 weeks. Repeats of some favorite dances as well as some re-imaginings of some new ones.  I have my favorites too.

Read more »

Monday, May 19, 2014

Monday, May 19, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 10

It is Part One of the Finals on Dancing with the Stars! No big, over the top opening number this week. It's kind of surprising considering what we've had all season. Maybe they are saving it for tomorrow night.


Perhaps, we have a clue when Mark comes out on stage with his right arm in a sling. That will make things interesting, especially since the couples will be dancing two routines tonight including their Freestyle. And bonus, no guest judge this week! Hoo-ray! The guest judges have been pretty hit-or-miss this season with heavy emphasis on the miss.

The first dance for the couples is "judges choice." What they've decided to do this season is choose the same dance that each celebrity did the week that they switched partners. What I did not see in any of the rehearsal footage of special coaching sessions with the judges. They usually do that. I'm not sure that it is better or worse. Just noting the change.

The first couple are James and Peta dancing Tango. It starts of with a good strong frame. Posture (so important in Tango) is pretty good, but he's hunched over tiny bit. The dance does look sharp, but it is more in a robotic way. While sharp, Tango should also be smooth and staulky, like a hunter. The song transitioned to more of a disco beat. This helped make it slightly less robotic, but still not 10 material as far as I'm concerned. I would say a solid 9. The total judges scores 29/30.

Meryl and Maks dance Argentine Tango. Their Tango from several weeks ago was magnificent, so I can only imagine what this will be. This one seems a little more jazzy, sultry. I'm not quite as transfixed as the last time, but I like it a lot! It's more lyrical. Lots of lifts and acrobatics, but not where it looks like "flash and trash," tricks to cover for lack of technique. All of the lifts look very organic and fit smoothly into the routine. They end a tiny bit after the end of the music, but I'm still giving it a 10. Total judges scores 30/30.


Candace and Mark dance Quickstep. They had a tough time in rehearsals this week, and Mark's rotator cuff (shoulder) is injured. It got much worse on Sunday and included a trip to the hospital, but he is able to play through the pain, so to speak.. The dance looks really cute, nice and sharp . It is done with a lot of energy. She's skipping around just like a flat stone across a pond, effortlessly. Beautiful dress. I really think this was one of her better dances. It might have a lot to do with the costuming and hairstyling. It's not so much that this made her look better than she really is, but that perhaps past costumes weren't quite right. She looks lovely tonight.  I would give her a 9. Total judges scores 27/30.


Amy and Derek dance Salsa. Okay, they're dancing to one of my favorite dance songs, Ran Kan Kan! I'm not sure how I feel about this Salsa. It may be more about the choreography than the execution, but it looks I don't know... awkward? I think one of the problems is that this is actually a Mambo song, and they're dancing it Salsa style. Mambo music is slightly slower, so it makes it the dance feel like it lacks energy, not as exciting as normal. I would give it a 9. However, the judges are giving gushing compliments. Sometimes dances look different live in the ballroom than on TV, so I expect 10s for the scores. Let's see; total judges scores 30/30.

At the end of the first round Meryl & Maks are tied with Amy & Derek for the highest score. Followed by James & Peta, then Candace & Mark.

Freestyles are next.

James and Peta go first. It definitely has a hard-edged hip hop vibe. They have four backup dancers. Instance music. I think it was very sharp and well-executed. My concern is about James getting lost with all of those backup dancers. I've noticed that in past finals that the contestant often gets lost in the shuffle. I think James did a little bit. The camera people also thought so because sometimes they zoomed in on him even when the routine had group work. Stylistically, Bruno said it was the Hunger Games meets Mad Max or something like that. I would have to agree. I think it was cool. So hard to score. Overall, I didn't think it was really over the top routine that I associate with the final freestyle, so I wouldn't think it qualified for a 10. However, I can't find anything wrong with the execution, so does it deserve a 10 anyway? Since I don't have paddles, I can do whatever I want. I'm going to give him a 9.5. Total judges scores 29/30.

Meryl and Maks have a freestyle that has a very Contemporary feel. In the ballroom world it would be called Cabaret. It has lots of lifts. We're watching the story of this couple's journey through the competition process. It is elegant, powerful, passionate, sexy, sensuous, but not raunchy, still classy. At the end of the dance there are people crying in the ballroom. I'm not crying, but that was really incredible. This is when I wish there was an 11 paddle. All of the judges were floored. Total judges scores 30/30, with Bruno adding the "1" paddle to make his unofficially an 11. ;)

Candice and Mark are doing a disco styled freestyle. Fun, I love the concept. It looks slightly clumsy. I don't know that I would have chosen this dance for her, but again it might be the costuming I'm really not in love with his costume on her I think she could have looked a lot sleeker in a sparkling fringe number like she wore earlier in the season. That would have made her look better, more glamorous.  There's no denying that she is shaking it. We also have gold tone backup dancers. This has a different effect than with James and Peta. They look different enough from Candace and Mark, and they're all male. She's definitely still in the spotlight. I think she performed it really well. With all of those lifts I would not have been able to tell that there is anything physically wrong with Mark either. I would score its a 9. Total judges scores 24/30.

Before we continue Tom Bergeron give props to the stage crew that change over entire set to prepare for these dances. I have to agree. Great job guys!

The final freestyle is Amy and Derek.  They also go to a Contemporary style routine, and they are also telling about their dance journey. There are beautiful lifts and lines. We also have some interesting circus trapeze or Cirque du Soleil style work with Amy spinning in mid air on a rope with one hand. Great light work from the stage crew! Now, I know why Tom was so complimentary about them. They had to set all that up during the commercial break. The entire effect was phenomenal. Yet, it was very different from Meryl and Maks' presentation. It was wonderful. They did fly, especially Amy. For execution, definitely a 10. Total judges scores 29/30. (Wow! I expected 30/30.)

Okay people, it's up to the voters. They will be so important to the final outcome.

There is still an elimination, and after the appropriate mood music while we wait we have a shocking result. It is James and Peta! I guess between Full House and evangelicals Candace has a deep fan base. Good for her. I would say of all the remaining dancers, she has improved the most. Now, she's competing against two Olympians! You go, girl! :)

Tomorrow, we have the second half of the Finals. Another Mirror Ball trophy will be awarded. See you then!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 9

I cannot believe that we are already to the Semi-Finals at Dancing with the Stars. Part of the reason is that we still have five couples before this week's elimination. However, there is excitement in the ballroom as the couples have their first week of two dances.

 

Kenny Ortega is our guest judge this week. He is a choreographer with a long resume including Dirty Dancing. I guess I'll accept him as qualified. *smile*

Dancing first tonight with a Viennese Waltz are Candace and Mark. Beautiful top line body position. A nice flowy skirt, but it seems like she got a bit lost during the routine. Something going wonky with the camera angles. They're switching so fast. There are parts of this dance where I think she is looks as good as she has all season. As the dance ends she definitely she looks very upset. I suppose it wasn't all about the camera angles from her perspective. Overall, I would give her an 8. Total judges scores 34/40. The judges were very supportive, and Tom had a bonus announcing they are safe this week and are moving into the final.

Charlie and Sharna dance the Foxtrot. Charlie starts this dance with a beautiful solo. Beautiful pointed toes. Beautiful lines. Beautiful facial expression. He definitely has the character of the dance. Let's see if they show his feet on camera. Ends the dance with some more solo ice skater like jumps and spins. Beautifully choreographed. A very classic Fred and Ginger kind of routine. I liked it. I may have seen a couple of baubles. I might have to give this a 9 instead of a 10, but I wouldn't be upset as a judge just gave him some 10s for that. Total judges scores 40/40. (I'm also banning my use of the word "beautiful" for the remainder of this post. lol)

Amy and Derek dance the Quickstep.  Amy has special legs like para-Olympic runners use that will help her move around the floor in this very quick dance. I am very impressed with Amy's ability to handle the intricate choreography with all the kicks and flicks that are a defining characteristic of Quickstep. This is the first time this season that she has had a routine that really moved around the dance floor. She's bouncing around the floor like a pro. Her top line looks great. I think she did really great job. Very elegant. I would score 9 or 10. Total judges scores 39/40.

Derek said something quite profound while they were waiting for the judges scores. He was asked about anxiety that was building around the show going into the Finals. "Pressure doesn't exist. We create for ourselves." If we can accept that in most nerve wracking situations, we could come into them with a lot more confidence. Now, back to dancing ...

James and Peta start off in round one by dancing the Cha Cha. They are dancing to a newly discovered Michael Jackson song (co-wrote by Paul Anka). This routine includes a lot of Michael kind of signature moves like moon-walking and classic poses. It looks really great. Michael Jackson's music lends itself well to Cha Cha. (I may have done one or two Cha Cha routines to Michael Jackson songs myself.) A little bit of the dance looked a like disco, but they move into some classic Cha Cha patterns. That will make Len happy. It's very sharp. I'm trying to check out latin hip motion. He's wearing a jacket that's kind of hiding his hips. Overall the dance looks really great. Why do I want to give him a 9. I'm not quite sure. This routine would be one of those where I can't tell which is the Pro and the contestant. I just talked myself into a 10. Total judges scores 40/40.


Meryl and Maks are dancing the Jive. Its very 50s/60s looking great flicks and kicks.. And, Maks looks like he's in the cast of Bye Bye Birdie with the duck tail hair and everything. Lots of speed, and lots of character. Something for me is not quite right. Maybe it looks flat? The routine seems like it's going for a long time when I know they're shorter because each couple has two this week. That's not usually a good sign. For me, this performance wasn't over the top. However, I can't tell the difference between the Pro and the contestant, so it is still worthy of the highest score. I'm going to with a 10. One of the judges made a good point. Meryl's costume didn't create a lot of movement to accentuate the real speed of the routine. Total judges scores 40/40.

Next we have around 2 and very different dances for the couples.

Candice and Mark's Jazz routine looks very good. Candace shook off  whatever issue she had in the first dance. She's allowing herself to look sensual without being raunchy. The movement was crisp and precise. I thought it was a great dance. We'll see what the judges think. Total judges scores 38/40. (Her first two 10s!)

Charlie and Sharna dance Samba next. They start the routine by dancing on to the stage. It's hard to accept Charlie as the latin guy. He's a little too white bread. I do see that the dance includes a lot of classic Samba. He is leading really well. I'd have to give this a 9. It's just didn't have a polish that I would like in the Samba for someone that I have come to expect to look like a pro. Total judges scores 36/40.

Next up, Derek and Amy dancing Jazz. Really excellent. Very sharp. Dare I say it? It looks jazzy. lol Costuming is great with fringe, pearls, and bobbed hair. Hitting all the marks. Total judges scores 39/40.

James and Peta dance Rumba. Its a country Rumba with James in a complete Urban Cowboy costume. I thought it was really nice, but I would say good, not great. There was the constant movement I want in a Rumba on the other hand. Overall, it still looks a bit stilted. Something not quite right. No confusion between Pro and contestant. That makes this dance a 9. Total judges scores 36/40.

Dancing last are Meryl and Maks with a Viennese Waltz. It looks like it's going to be another country style. Flowy and fast. Looks effortless. When we're talking about Viennese Waltz, that is a perfect combination. To look effortless while moving that fast is great. Very elegant. Any kind of tricks or embellishments look completely organic to the piece rather than something thrown in to get some cheap applause. (It's in the second case when I refer to it as "flash and trash.") That is great choreography, Maks. Viennese Waltz is not always the most interesting of dances, but this one kept my attention the whole time. I have to give it a 10. Total judges scores 40/40.

When it comes to couples who are safe and those in jeopardy, all of our Olympians (Amy & Derek, Charlie & Sharna, and Meryl & Maks) are on the chopping block. Our civilians (Candace & Mark and James & Peta) are safe.  Early on in the competition, I thought that Charlie and Meryl would  split their fan base vote. It may be that Amy got caught in the Olympic fan trap as well.
At the same time, we may be a victim of artificial drama. As they always mention, the couples "in jeopardy" may not be the bottom three sets of scores.

The final tension inducing music plays. We are told that Amy & Derek are safe. Meryl & Maks are safe, so Charlie & Sharna are going home. He had a great night. It's too bad, but we're at a point where all the dancers are good. Anyone could be eliminated at any time. Charlie is such a class act. His response to being eliminated is that he can focus entirely on cheering for Meryl. All that practice in front of cameras doing interviews at competitions has paid off. :)

So, here we are at the end of week 9. It seems odd that we're going to go into the finals with four couples. However one of those couples may already be eliminated by the time they dance for the first round, so I don't know how that will work.  I guess that we will all find out together.

Until next week kids ...

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Tuesday, May 06, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars-Week 8

Welcome to Dancing with the Stars! It's week 8, and if we thought things were intense before ...


This week the guest judge is Abby Lee Miller from Dance Moms. Word on the street is that she's a bit harsh with her criticism, to put it mildly. I will remain blissfully unaware because I could not watch the broadcast and had to catch up via the interwebs. (Luckily, I was also able to fix the sound on my computer, which has been out since I was forced to upgrade to Windows 7 last month. *Grrrr* @ Microsoft for ending XP support, but that's another story.)

The good news/bad news with that is that I don't know the precise order that the dancers appeared, the judges comments, their scores, or the contents of their rehearsal footage. (You see me crying over here in a corner, right?) However, I will be able to include the videos of the dances. That was something I've missed from Travis' updates when DWTS was doing a results show each week.

My first couple is Charlie and Sharna doing a Quickstep. I am loving it, right off the bat. The music is captivating me. For a change, it seems totally appropriate for the dance. Of all the dances I've seen Charlie do, this is probably the one where ice dancing has helped him the most. He has a beautiful frame and top line. Fantastic facial expressions. The footwork is intricate, and the flow is smooth and beautiful. He has the endurance to keep up the pace and make it look effortless. Very entertaining and entirely delightful. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the star and the pro. That earns a 10 from me!


Next up is Danica and Val with a Tango. ABC is updating the videos as I go, so this one includes all the fluff. I'm skipping that and getting right to dancing. As the lights come up on the ballroom floor, I love the drama of the extreme make-up and costuming of Danica. Not hearing too much about her injury. I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't already know about it. There's a kind of vampire vibe

Read more »

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars-Week 7


It's Latin Night in the ballroom. Ricky Martin is in the house. He sings. He judges. My friend Travis calls this the week of tiny costumes, and it looks like it's certainly true as far as the pros are concerned. I apologize for the tardiness of my post. I was trapped for 36 hours with a bunch of teenagers, but that's a story for another time. ;)


The news on Monday night starts with the information that Danica actually broke a rib over the weekend, but she is still in the competition. They begin the preliminary results. The first couple safe is Danica & Val. James & Peta are in jeopardy. Amy & Derek are safe, and they are dancing first.

Amy and Derek will be dancing the Rumba. The song is a sensual arrangement of "Light my Fire." Such a beautiful song. I like this dance. It doesn't have the problem the judges have mentioned with other couples. It has continuous motion while dramatizing the difference of slow and quick movements. It provides a sensuous feeling that matches the music. I would give in a 9. Len actually praised it, which doesn't happen very much with Rumba and Len. The judges scores are 36/40.
James and Peta dance Samba. Well, I can say that it was sexy, but I'm not sure that it was Samba. They were concerned about making it look "filthy," to quote Bruno, but that is not what I associate with Samba. It's supposed to be a party dance, a sensual and sexy yes, but not this. If you want sex on the dance floor, Lambada's your dance. However that is a choreography issue with Peta, and I don't like to have the contestants punished for an error by a pro. It was well danced. James did a good job, so I'll have to give this a 9. Bruno, Carrie Ann, and Ricky liked it. Len had some critique for it, but he wasn't as harsh as I expected. Total judges scores 35/40.

Next up are Danica, with a broken rib, and Val dancing the Salsa. I thought it wasn't as crisp as I would like with a good Salsa. However, she was moving her hips. Last week I talked about her face not looking sexy enough, and there is great improvement there over last week. To tell you the truth, I prefer this Salsa over many of the examples I've seen on this show. It looks more authentic. I would give it an 8. None of the judges really liked it. They are looking for stylistic things in the Salsa that I find to be misogynistic. Maybe, I'm all wrong about the Salsa, but I don't care for styles that appear demeaning to women. Taste is subjective. Total judges scores 30/40.

More preliminary results: Candace & Mark are safe. Charlie & Sharna are in jeopardy. Meryl & Maks are safe, so that means that NeNe & Tony are in jeopardy.

Stunning pose, NeNe!
NeNe and Tony will be dancing Argentine Tango. Meanwhile, the show is doing a tweet contest to see whether Tony will be dancing with his shirt on or off. It looks like this is news to Tony. In addition, since this is not live in the Mountain or Pacific time zones, those viewers can't vote on it. I would vote for shirt on only because I imagine dancing Argentine tango without a shirt for a guy would be quite difficult. After the commercial break and rehearsal footage, the results are in. Shocker, he's dancing with his shirt off.

As a side note, I have to say that I really do not like the direction that Dancing with the Stars is taking in their desperation. I understand they want the show to continue. There's lots of people's livelihood that are on the line. They've made a lot of changes in the personnel and tone of the show this season, and if this is what the show has to become in order to be successful, I'm not interested.

Back to dancing. This is the strangest Argentine Tango that I recall seeing . Naturally, the music is not Argentine tango music. It's more like a swing/hustle or disco music. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is a Tango or a Disco routine. Unfortunately the dancing wasn't particularly sharp, which is required of both for Tango and Disco . The Tango parts look more like Foxtrot. I have liked NeNe a lot throughout this competition, but I didn't really care for this dance. I would score a 7 or 8 for this. Total judges scores 31/40.

Now, Charlie and Sharna will dance Paso Doble. It's probably the ballroom dance I know the least about, but I have to say that that was a very powerful and passionate with beautiful lines. Charlie had great character expression. Totally committed. I loved it. I would give it 10s. From the judges' comments, I think it's going to be a little bit lower. I missed the judges' scores. I think it was 36/40.

Candace and Mark dance Argentine Tango. Very sharp and well-executed. Candice has made a turn, and she is in control. She is sexy. She's handling very complicated choreography. It looks beautiful. I would give her a 9. I would say this is her best dance so far. The judges total scores 35/40.

The last couple to dance to be Meryl and Maks with the Salsa. It's quite athletic, but it has some of those things that I object to as a woman. (See my commentary on Danica above.) In addition, I'm not really seeing that much hip action in this, and I'm noticing some aspects that the judges really criticized in the Salsa earlier with Danica. It almost has a hip hop feel to it more than a Salsa Latin dance. Complicated choreography. I've got some problems with the dancing. I would give it a 9. Naturally the judges love it. Total judges scores are 39/40.

Next, we have the team dances and Meryl and Charlie are team captains because both of them have the combined highest scores. So, they are dancing in competition against each other. Charlie's team is team Vida, and there they are the only team dancing live. Amy injured something in her back after the routine, so she can't dance in the team dance. Therefore, they will be using the dress rehearsal footage for purposes of judging.

Dancing Latin freestyle, here come NeNe,  James, and Charlie on this team. They come out in turquoise costumes. I like a lot of it, but we did have some issues with synchronization between the different couples. Judges' scores 35. That score will be added to each of the individual couples.

Team Loca will go with the rehearsal footage for scoring purposes. They were dancing to the song "La Vida Loca," and I've got to say they blew it out of the water. And it was the dress rehearsal footage. Man, if it was that good for dress rehearsal, I can only imagine what it would have been like if they could have danced that live. Sharp, crisp, synchronized, fabulous choreography. That was fantastic. Len mentioned that dress rehearsal may have been easier since they weren't dancing for a live international audience. The total judges scores 39/40. This total gets added to Danica, Amy, Meryl, and Candace's scores.

Final results: Charlie & Sharna are safe. James & Peta are safe, so NeNe & Tony are going home. She did such a good job in this competition. I was so pleased to see her and have an opportunity to watch her dance. It was such fun.

See you next week!

P.S. Since I was late, I was able to use pictures from this week! 


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - ,,,, 2 comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 6


Welcome back to another week off Dancing with the Stars! We are past the halfway point. That usually means that the judges start expecting more. This week's theme is "party anthems." That should mean a lot of disco and upbeat Latin music. This week's guest judge is Redfoo. I have no idea who this is. I guess that means I'm old. lol

First results are that NeNe and Tony are safe. They're also dancing first tonight with a Salsa. It definitely has more of a club vibe, but it's super sexy. I really like it. It look like tons of fun. I would score an 8 or an 9. The judges are encouraging her to focus on technique but agree that it was entertaining. I loved Redfoo's comments. He was very upfront about the fact that he's judging on entertainment only, and he did it was a lot of style. The judges score 33/40.

Next set of results: James & Peta are safe. Candace & Mark are in jeopardy.

Candace and Mark are dancing ChaCha. She is bringing out her actress chops and is going to play the sexy girl even though she says she's not comfortable with it in her own personality. The dancing is pretty good. She's really trying to work it. She may be learning that you can be sexy without being raunchy. I wish she could have started doing this a couple of weeks ago. I think that she would feel more comfortable with it now if she had. It isn't that it looks forced. It just looks a tiny bit stiff. But, she had fun with it, and she has a nice sparkly costume. I think she had a lot of fun. I would score her a solid 8. Total judges scores 32/40.

James and Peta dance Quickstep on party anthem night. How's strange will that be? This is one of the aspects of Dancing with the Stars that's just a little bit weird. They often use songs that normally go with a completely different dance. They make it look good, but it can be very confusing for people newer to ballroom dance.

Really nice top line. That's very important in Quickstep. It's such a precise dance that bad posture is instantly recognizable. The footwork is fun and clean. It looks easy, and that is a trick of the eye because footwork in the Quickstep is very intricate and tricky. Nice execution. I would score a solid 9. Really good. After giving him straight 10's last week, the judges were very picky in their comments. Total judges score 35/40.

Next set of results, Meryl & Max are safe, while Danica & Val are in jeopardy. There's something to remember about this jeopardy thing. When it comes down to it, the only couple that really is guaranteed to be at the bottom is the person that is eliminated. They always have a disclaimer about how the couples "in jeopardy" don't not necessarily have the lowest combined judges scores and viewer votes. So, they may be in the bottom group, or it could be that the show producers are putting her "in jeopardy" to create false drama. We won't know until the final elimination at the end of the show.

Danica and Val dance ChaCha. Her technique looks pretty good. The dance looks sharp, and she's getting into it. Still not confusing her with a pro though. Maybe it's because her face looks like she's having too much fun, as strange as it sounds. ChaCha is supposed to be hot and sexy, not like a carnival ride.  Maybe it's that she's not in character enough. Also at least as far as I can see, it might not be quite sharp enough. There's a slight fuzziness to it. I want to give her a 9. I really liked it, but I want her to lose the girlish look on her face. I say that, and Len says that it's the best dance of the night so far, so what do I know. lol Bruno said that Val's choreography was very difficult, and she rose to the challenge. He is a great choreographer, and the fact that I really didn't notice how difficult it was is a testimony to what a great job she did. Total judges scores 36/40.

Meryl and Max dance the Tango.That girl can hit some lines, and she is such a great actress. She is totally in character. I think that this is her greatest advantage from ice dancing. Ice dancing gives the impression of a ballroom dance, but it's the technique of skating, of course. However, on the ice it still all about character. This Tango is so strong so fast. It's totally professional. I don't know what the judges are going to say, but I would give that across the board 10s. Amazing. The judges were totally blown away. Their total scores 40/40!

Drew and Cheryl dance the Tango. He is pimping it up with his "Super Freaky" Tango. He has a red suit with tiger stripe lapels, awesome! The first thing I can say about his dancing is that his posture is much better. Yes, he has been working very hard this week. That is clear. He is really working it, and a really good strong lead as always. Great improvement. I would say this is his best dance thus far. I would score him an 8. Total judges scores 32/40.

Charlie and Sharna dance ChaCha. And they've been working on Latin hip action; watch out! Naturally, when his hip action could have been most accentuated, the camera cut away. Really fun dance routine. The patterns were really difficult, and Charlie did a great job. Completely entertaining., but I didn't see the hip action that they were talking about. That aspect definitely looked better in practice. I would score a 9. The judges were less harsh than the last time. Total scores 36/40.

The last dance of the night will be Amy and Derek dancing the Jive. This would be a difficult job for anybody. I love the concept. We had a little bauble in the middle, but Amy recovered very well and went on as if nothing had happened. It's what you have to do in sports all the time if you want to be successful, and she did it. Wow! A cartwheel at the end. Very impressive. I have to give it a 9 because of the bauble. Almost wanted to give an 8, but the rest of it was so strong. Total judges scores 38/40.

The last group to know whether they're safe or in jeopardy: Drew & Cheryl are in jeopardy, so Amy & Derek as well as Charlie & Shana are safe.

The couples in jeopardy this week are Candace & Mark, Drew & Cheryl, and Danica & Val.

The final result is that Drew and Cheryl are going home. Another surprise week for me. I really expected Drew's fan base to keep him here. I'm going to have to review the rules and see if they've changed the relationship of judges scores to viewer votes. It has been 50/50. However, to be fair he probably is the weakest dancer of the stars who are remaining. I am really proud of Drew. He did a fantastic job, and he is becoming a good dancer. I hope it's something he continues because it doesn't have to be this showstopper stuff. It's really about having fun. I'm sure that his significant other would love to ballroom dance. I have not met the woman who does not want to dance with her man.

I really enjoyed guest judge, Redfoo's commentary and enthusiasm. He never pretended to be an expert, but he knows what he likes. He wasn't afraid to express it. I can live with that.

Now, we come to my thoughts about Erin as cohost, six weeks into the season. I have not warmed up to her. I think that she is too personal and too interested in embarrassing the pros on camera. She knows them from when she was a contestant. I don't think that she would do that sort of thing with a football player on the field after a game. Not sure whether it's artificial drama or passive aggressive behavior. Completely unnecessary as far as I'm concerned. Bring back Brooke! Luckily, it doesn't affect the dancing.

Next week is Latin night and Ricky Martin will be visiting the ballroom. See you then!

ETA: I tried to look up the rules on how the show is calculating the rankings each week. The best I could find is the vague reference of combination of judges and viewers. In past years, I've been able to find the exact calculation, which was weighted equally between judges and viewers. Their ambiguity leads me to believe that they've changed it in some way that gives more weight to the judges scores. It's a good thing that the dancing is good this season because I am not pleased with the many changes they've made this go around.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 5


It is Disney night at Dancing with the Stars. And I am already singing along with the various theme song. The original dance partners are back together. Hopefully it'll be a great night.

Our new guest host is former champion celebrity, Donny Osmond. That is acceptable. At least he has a clue about what's going on dance wise.

So we've had two weeks without any eliminations, so we're in for it tonight. They start of the show with results for the first two couples. Charlie & Sharna as well as Drew & Cheryl are safe.

First up will be Drew and Cheryl dancing a quickstep to "A Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. Number one, quickstep is a hard dance. It is very fast. It's always moving. There's barely a chance to take a breath. Unfortunately, it's kicking Drew's butt. He is working so hard to remember the steps that you can read it on his face. (And there is a lot of them in quickstep) He has been really great with showmanship up to now, but he's had the time to think about it. The quickstep affords no such time. Therefore the technique isn't the greatest. I have to say that his posture is better. But overall I would have to give him a 7 on this one. I'm sure his fan base will keep him around. The judges basically agreed with me. Total judges scores: 28/40.

Charlie and Sharna are next. Based on their costumes I would guess the song would be "It's a Jolly Holiday with Mary," but based on backup dancers it might be "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." As it turns out the second answer is correct. The dance is jazz. Lots of elements reminiscent of the choreography from the movie. They scared me a lot they were tossing a cane and umbrella back and forth repeatedly, and unfortunately he dropped it once. Personally, I would call this a choreography error. Otherwise it was quite spectacular. I don't give scores for jazz. We'll see what the judges come up with. Total judges scores: 37/10, with a 10 from Len, his first for the season.

Next the results about eliminations. Safe are Amy & Derek as well as Danica and Val. NeNe & Tony and Whitney &Cody are in jeopardy.

Danica and Val are dancing a quickstep to "Be Our Guest." Danica is costumed as the Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Val looks like an Austrian Prince. So they have set the stage. This one can't really be compared with Drew's because Val is the Pro, and he's leading, so that instantly makes it easier for Danica. Having said that, it is a beautiful dance that both flows and is very sharp. Danica looks like she's having a marvelous time. The lines are beautiful. Most impressive. The judges will probably criticize that they didn't have body contact 100% of the time. However I don't think that it was possible with that choreography. I would score a 9, bordering a 10. Before a 10, I usually want absolute perfection. The judges were very impressed with Len only grumbling a little about loss of body contact. Total judges scores: 39/40. I think they liked it! ;)

Next, Amy and Derek dance a waltz to Cinderella's "So This Is Love." In the rehearsal footage, Amy talks about feeling like a princess. That's good, but doing ballroom is proving extra challenging on her prosthetics, compared with the Latin dances. As the number begins, it looks very elegant. They are definitely dressed like Cinderella and Prince Charming. There are a lot of tricks and elegant things, but good bad or otherwise, there's not a lot of waltz. I think Derek did a great job putting that together based on what we saw in the rehearsal package. The judges were very complimentary and kind. We'll see is that relates to good judges scores. Total scores: 37/40.

Cody and Whitney dance the Samba to "I Can't Wait to Be King." I've still got some problems with his posture. I'd really like to see him stand up straight. However his mastery of the choreography is impressive, but nothing that resembles samba hip action. Unlike some men I don't think he would be scared to move his hips, so that's not the problem. It was a good show, but I'd have to ding him for technique. I'd score an 8. Judges haven't mentioned posture (which affects dance hold). The judges total scores: 34/40.

NeNe and Tony dance a foxtrot to "Cruella Deville." So, NeNe had some problems transitioning from jazz to foxtrot. The dance was very entertaining. She was totally in character, and the musicality was very nice. However, when they actually danced foxtrot, it wasn't as smooth and elegant. Judges didn't agree. They loved it. I would score an 8 but barely. Total judges scores: 36/40. Tony basically called the producers out for taking their rehearsal footage totally out of context and making it look like they didn't like working with each other anymore. The mischaracterization obviously upset NeNe quite a bit. She was near tears. What you saw there with Tony is a dance instructor being very protective of his student, and I applaud him.

James and Peta will be dancing contemporary to "Let It Go" from Frozen. James is a great partner. His lines and movements are beautiful, but he's providing great support to his partner, which is important. The move and flow. Dedication to character. I imagine the judges comments will be quite a complimentary. (Yes) Total judges scores: 40/40. The first perfect score!

Meryl and Maks dance samba to "I Want to Be Like You." Maks claims to be reluctant to do a comedy themed routine, but he came up with something really fun. (But I don't believe the whole no comedy thing because he danced with Kirstie Alley, who's all comedy all the time.) For me it was one of those that you couldn't tell between the pro in the star. Fast, creative, in character, for the song and character for the samba. Lots of samba content. The judges loved it, and they seem to try to makeup for personal comments they made towards Maks last week. I'm not a total fan of comedy routines either, but that is not the fault of the star, who I'm really judging. I have to give a 10, even if I think she has an unfair advantage. Total judges scores: 36/40.

Candace and Mark dance samba to "Under the Sea." Candace makes a beautiful mermaid. It's unfortunate that she's dancing a samba right after Meryl. It's a hard act to follow. I'm actually very impressed with her hip motion, which in samba can be quite challenging. It's definitely more on display Meryl's was. There's a lot more classic content, which is very impressive for Mark who can have some problems in that area. I'm not confused about who's the Pro and who's the star, but I definitely think that she is giving her all, and it's very cute. As it is continuing, it's more fluid. She really is getting into it. I'm impressed. I would give this an eight. The judges scores: 35/40.

More results, Candice & Mark are in jeopardy, so James & Peta and Meryl & Maks are safe.

But now its time for the final cut. Safe is NeNe & Tony. Candice &Mark are also safe, so Cody & Whitney have been "voted off the island." I can hardly believe it. I really would have thought his fans would have saved him, but I guess that they are just not the demographic that watch the show. It's nice that he ended with such a powerful dance tonight. There are always surprises in the eliminations with this show. It's the best part and the worst part.

Until next week...

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Tuesday, April 08, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 4


We're here with week four. Two time DWTS pro champion, Julianne Hough is here as a guest judge. This week the stars will be switching up with new partners for this week only as selected by Twitter fans. And bonus there will be no eliminations this week. They will wait until next week when the stars will be back with the original partners.

Candice will be dancing with Tony. The challenge is that different than teachers training in different ways, and our stars will have to adapt to that. However that's also the good part because I'll be able to see the dances and whole new ways.  And, I won't have pictures of the temporary couples the week. I suppose I could have taken pictures of my tv, but that really doesn't work well. lol

Tonight Candice and Tony will be dancing the quickstep. Costuming is very rock and roll ,and Tony's dancing in sneakers. This is probably the first time I've seen quick step in sneakers. So, its a classic quickstep with a rock and roll beat. They're dancing to the song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Ballroom Blitz." I must say that she kept up with it. Quickstep is difficult at the best of times. We'll see have to see how the judges saw it. I'd probably give an 8. The judges were tougher with total of 28/40.

Our next couple will be James and Cheryl dancing the the tango. Very sharp with varying tempo. Great top line. Cheryl is fantastic at teaching guys to lead, and I think she took James to the next level on that score. The dance was incredible. Cheryl was hoping to score a 10 as he got all 9's last week with Peta. I'm borderline on giving him that 10. Definitely worthy of 9s. The judges are very positive. The total score: 35/40.

Drew is with Whitney, and they'll be dancing the cha cha. Drew has his James Brown freak on. I don't know about the Latin hip action, but he's leading really well and handling the choreography. He's so into it and having so much fun. I love it. I don't know about the judges, but I'm giving him an 8 again. Decent comments translates to a total score of 33/40.

Danica is dancing with Maks, and she described him as laid back. Who knew? Looks like they're dancing the jive. A lot of jive has been dance on the show this season so far but I don't remember whether Danica has done it. But I really like this. Nice and energetic with flicks and kicks. Into the rhythm. I would score her an 8 maybe 9. Apparently, there was some problem with the music in the beginning. I didn't notice, but all the judges had already scored her before they found out about the problem. The judges give a total of 32/40. It's across the board, so based on the comments, they scored her pretty high.

Charlie will be partnered with Peter, and they will the dancing the rumba. As he has all season, Charlie is hitting great lines, and the whole thing is very dramatic and smooth. Lead is great, but I am seeing an issue that's often gets comments from the judges in a rumba. There is supposed to be a sharpness to international style rumba, but due to the Latin hip motion that continues though the couple isn't traveling.  There's actually supposed to be constant movement within the overall impression of quick movement to sharp stops. Len is up first, and he's all over this issue. He says that he wouldn't even call it a rumba. It's more like a contemporary number, beautiful dancing but not a rumba. Julianne and Bruno loved it, but Carrie was more with Len. She's also the lift police for the judges table, and claims one was in there. Her score will definitely reflect that. I would give it an 8. The total for the judges is 33/40.

Amy and Mark will be together this week, and they're dancing salsa. Amy's working on prosthetic legs, and the rehearsal package reflects how much Mark is having to adapt his style to accommodate that. It will be interesting to see the result. I have to say that I'm distracted by the fact that it looks like her footwear doesn't have an actual heal on it, like a normal shoe would. Dancing completely on the toes. I can't imagine how difficult that must be to do. The salsa looks sexy, and from the very first week Amy has had great hip action. Very often, especially in salsa there's a lot of what we refer to as "flash and trash" to cover over less than impressive ballroom content. This was full on dancing, no flash and trash required, and the judges comments agreed with that. All that being said, I'm scoring 8. The judges total 34/40.

Cody is dancing with Sharna. They're both Australians, so that should be fun. They're dancing the foxtrot. He's got musicality and smoothness of movement, but I've got some issues with his posture. I'm not sure whether it's his jacket the shoulder pads, but he looks like he's Hunching his shoulders up. He's also slouched over a bit. That does not help a top line for a fox trot. Its the same problem that I had with Drew last week. But he's handling the choreography great, and it looks very smooth. Once again I'm calling an 8. Judges total 31/40.

NeNe will be dancing with Derek. There's an interesting height difference. Luckily they have jazz this week. That should make it easier, and Derek is a great choreographer. The dance was fierce. NeNe was really into it, but I've felt like there was a bit of awkwardness. I'm no jazz expert, so I won't give a score, but the judges seemed to really like it. Total judges score, 32/40.

Our last couple is Meryl with Val, and they're dancing an Argentine tango. I have very high expectations. *pause* I'm going to have to watch that back before I can have any comments. I was riveted. Good thing I taped it, today. *ahem* Okay, I'm back. Sharp and precise. The lines are beautiful. Total commitment to character and movement. No detail is too small. Everything is finished and complete. Totally sexy without being raunchy. Really an incredible dance. Speechless due to greatness is an automatic 10 for me, despite a couple of very minor baulbles. The judges were blown away, too. The scores total 39/40.

The elimination next week is going to be based on all the judges scores and all of the viewer votes. Regardless of whether someone's at the top of the leader board based on judges scores or at the bottom, it is anybody's game. No matter who it is, it's going to hurt because the stars are now emotionally committed, and they're giving it their all. We saw some great dancing tonight.

Next week is going to be all Disney inspired. Wonder what that's going to look like? Like this with the  change of partners this week, it could be either very good or a total train wreck. We'll have to wait and see.

Same Bat-Time. Same Bat-Channel.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014 - ,,,, 2 comments

Dancing with the Stars - Week 3

Welcome to Week Three of Dancing with the Stars!


This week the dances will be inspired by the stars' most memorable year. This is always an emotional episode, and where we really get to connect with and get to know the stars. Moreover, the stars usually step up their game because the inspiration is so meaningful to them.

Billy Dee & Emma will not be dancing this week, doctors orders. Does this mean no elimination this week? Yes, Billy Dee is withdrawing. It's too bad that he couldn't have done it last week and saved one of the other couples.

And, we also have a guest judge, Robin Roberts. Okay, I'm not sure what makes her qualified to judge a ballroom dance show. She's not subbing for anyone this week. She'll serve as a fourth judge.

Apparently, her qualification is that she's a long time viewer and TV personality. I suppose it's no worse than a thousand commentators who have no ballroom dance experience. Only they have no real effect on the outcome. My professionalism balks at this even more than Carrie Ann and Bruno who don't come from the ballroom dance world ... doing things like correcting Tony Dovolani about the technique in the jive when he's a multi-year American Rhythm champion. [/sarcasm] What is the point of having judges if they're not experts in the field or specialty?

(Pics not from this week.)
James & Peta dance first, and I don't think I'll be going into each star's sob story. They're dancing the jive. It looks pretty good. Very energetic. Great kicks and flicks. Not up to Peta's standards, but I wouldn't expect that this early in the competition. He is definitely going to be one to watch. Len says his best dance so far. Considering that last week's salsa was super that is really saying something. I would score an 8. Total judges score: 36/40. 9's across the board.

NeNe & Tony dance the rumba. I find it romantic, but its low on technique. Flattering costuming, and I see her really taking emotional risks in her dancing. It really was a beautiful dance, but I think she'll get dinged on technique. I would score a 7. Total judges score: 31/40.

Cody & Whitney dance jazz. So, I'm about as qualified to judge jazz is Robin Roberts is to judge ballroom. On the other hand I enjoyed what I saw. It looked well executed and synchronized. He really owned it. I liked it. Props to Whitney for choreography.  I won't offer a score for this one, but the total judges score: 35/40.

Danica & Val dance contemporary. Another non-ballroom dance. (Not that I have an opinion or anything. If they brought in pros that were specialists in these other areas I might feel differently.) Back to dancing. This number is incredibly beautiful, romantic, and elegant. I thought it was very well danced. Danica is obviously a talented dancer, and Val is such a brilliant choreographer and dancer. (One of my dance fantasies would be to dance with Val or even just watch him dance in person.) Added to that the song was Billy Joel's "Lullaby," one of my favorite musical artists. Total judges score: 36/40.

Drew & Cheryl dance waltz. Great lead, Drew! I'm not in love with his posture and his elbow is sticking up in dance hold, but the steps are very good. He is definitely leading Cheryl. So, visually it doesn't look fantastic, but he gets extra points from me because he's really dancing it. For a guy the lead is the hardest thing to do. Impressive this early in the comp. I'm giving him an 8 for that. The judges were less forgiving. Total judges scores: 30/40.

Meryl & Maks dance foxtrot. Maks is pulling out all the stops on the choreography. The judges may have a problem with it not being classic enough. But, this is a gorgeous dance. It is one of those where I can't tell the difference between the pro and the star. The lack of classical content made it hard to tell whether her foot work was technically perfect, but I'm going to have to give this a 10. We will see whether the judges mark her down for any reason. The judges seem totally blown away. Total judges scores: 39/40. Three 10s in week three, impressive.

Amy & Derek dance contemporary. A bit of the story has to come into this one because it is about her learning to walk again with her dad after losing her legs. Derek did such an incredibly beautiful job choreographing this. She has special feet attached to her prosthetic legs, so that she can walk on her toes. If you think walking in heels are difficult, she was walking on the tip toes of her prosthetic feet! To paraphrase Len, the artistry was phenomenal and the technical level was amazing. Total judges scores: 36/40.

Charley & Sharna dance jive to "Happy," my favorite song, so of course I'm already in a great mood. He danced it really well. It was really fun. Great kicks and flicks, which is always one of the hardest things for new to ballroom dancers to get. There was some comic aspects to it including slightly short pants with no socks, but it seemed to lack a little energy. I would give a 9. Judges agree. Total judges scores: 36/40.

Just back from commercial, and oh my gosh, Tom Bergeron is standing on top of the judges desk. What's up with that? lol The judges also seem mystified. :)

Candace & Mark finish off the week with jive. We've had a lot of good examples of jive tonight. This is the first one from a woman. She was giving it her all, for sure. High energy. Love the costume, lots of fringe, my favorite. Kicks and flicks not quite as clean as the others tonight. But, she was shaking it! Good effort. I would give her an 8. Judges agree, again! Total judges scores: 32/40.

So, next week the stars will be switching pro partners based on Twitter votes, but it will just be for a week. They have been very ambiguous about this partner switch up thing up to now, and I'm glad to see that it is just for one week. Truth be told this could really help the stars to become better dancers. When I was training, we were always encouraged to work with multiple teachers. It helps to improve faster by getting different perspectives and communication styles.

Bruno mentioned the high dance quality for this stage the competition, and I have to agree. The people with less previous experience and training are doing a darn good job keeping up with ice dancers and the like. Most impressive, indeed!

As I wrap up for this week, I would like to say how much I enjoyed Robin's commentary on the dances. She gave a prospective on the whole presentation without getting into the picky details. Yet, she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. The woman obviously did her homework. Thank you, Robin.

Until next week...

P.S. Tonight Drew Carey filled in as the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as an April Fools joke. (It's on after midnight on the East & West Coast, and that's all that matters, right? lol) Drew did a fantastic job! Craig's supposed to be the host for The Price Is Right. 

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)