It is a very unusual cast for season 11 of Dancing With the Stars and I am very anxious to see how everyone starts out. Who has potential and who has two left feet? It is usually obvious who the ringer is of the season, but this fall season it’s not so obvious. Let’s just get started shall we?

I’m going to continue with my “DWTS First Night Awards” that I started last season, because I love first impressions.

Biggest Surprise: Kyle Massey. Whoa, this kid put it ALL out on the dance floor. Rhythm, musicality, personality, technique, speed, smoothness. And he’s a big guy, so doing the Cha Cha Cha super fast ain’t easy, folks! He let his enthusiasm take over and I just love that.

Biggest Potential: Again, Kyle Massey. Just wait until this kid loses 25 lbs, see how he flies across the dance floor (and it WILL happen, you know!) Hope he has staying power.

Best Tom Burgeron Moment: “It took you 8 seconds to overshare” (to Judge Len Goodman talking about his clenched buttocks)

Weirdest Bruno Tonioli Moment: “I love the taste of Brandy in the evening.” Hmmm. Kinda creepy. But I guess that’s just Bruno!

Toughest First Critique: Len Goodman’s critique of Kurt Warner’s waltz with Anna Trebunskaya. He’d already been nice to Audrina Patridge, so he missed his chance and Tony shouldn’t hold his breath for next week. Ouch!

Best Choreography: Lacey Schwimmers’ cheeky Cha Cha Cha to “My First Kiss”. Yummy!

Biggest Disappointment: As sad as I am to say this, I thought Florence Henderson was going to just wipe the dance floor up with Corky Ballas (and what an amazing dancer Corky is). But it just didn’t happen, she seemed stiff and hesitant. Granted, she’s the oldest person in the cast, but she’s no Cloris Leachman!

I-Don’t-Get-It-Outfit: Once again to Cheryl Burke for her odd-colored orange/tan/flesh-colored spandex and white feather dress for her Waltz with Rick Fox (ooooh, Rick Fox). Looked like she should be on the cast of Jersey Shore.

Best Outfit: Brandy’s pretty champagne/sunset satin gown for her Waltz with Mr. Maks. Whenever you saw the peek of that sunset orange underneath. Classy. Brooke Burke’s dress on the other hand…not so much. Say what you will about Samantha Harris, she always looked completely classy.

Biggest Train Wreck: Bristol Palin. Honey, get over the embarrassment and just dance. I know you can.

Favorite Couple: Amazingly enough, Karina and The Situation. I’m just talking the two people together, not ability or anything. I’ve never seen Jersey Shore, or just enough to be turned off by it. He seems cute and funny and genuinely interested in doing the work, even if he’s a little full of himself. He did only get 5 days where everyone else got three weeks. Maybe he’ll improve enough to stay a few weeks!

Best Dancer of the Night: Baby is back, and Jennifer Grey was smashing in her Viennese Waltz with Derek Hough. Excellent work!

Interestingly enough, I don’t believe there is a ringer this year. Yes, Jennifer seemed to be slightly ahead of the pack, but it is just week one, and they all had three weeks to practice (except for Mike). Now they all have the regular 5 days in between shows to put together their dances.

I’m excited, let’s get down to it–get to work stars, I wanna see some DANCIN’!!

I LOVE Glee. I was in choirs and show choirs and musicals my whole young life through Middle School and High School and we never did anything close to what they do on this show. What I wouldn’t have done to have a rock band available every day for choir practice (who wouldn’t).

Since the premise of the show is a glee club in High School, it’s easy to segue into the musical numbers. Most of them are super fun. But this one was extra special.

Towards the end of the second season there is a storyline about Artie (played by the lovely Kevin McHale) seeking procedures and therapies to help him walk. Now, Glee has taken heat for its famous “wheelchair episode” where they did “Proud Mary” with the entire cast in wheelchairs. I don’t pretend to know what a wheelchair bound person deals with every day. All I can say is that there are people in wheelchairs and they are people just like anyone else and should be treated with respect like any other person on this earth. I’m glad for Artie’s character because paraplegics don’t get enough screen time. TV just isn’t “real world” enough, and they sometimes don’t want to highlight the tougher issues that might just “bring us down”. How people deal with their confinement in the chairs and still express their art is what makes them unique. And everyone needs to play up their uniqueness, because there is only one YOU. (thanks Mia)

Artie talks with Emma Pilsbury (Jayma Mays) about the different experimental treatments they are doing to help people walk again. I really hate that her character discourages him from these, saying that they are in the first stages and would take years to perfect, let alone use. I actually don’t like her character all the time (now Sue Sylvester on the other hand I’ll take any day, considering how she treated the Down’s Syndrome girl, yea).

But then Artie is at the mall with his new girlfriend Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and tells her that he’s actually been doing the treatments, and he thinks they’re really working.

The dance is so completely awesome it makes you want to get up and dance with him. This is also the first time we see Kevin McHale out of the chair and moving. Hey–he can effin’ dance!! The song is a perfect choice for the scene as well, as 80′s one-hit-wonder pop tunes usually are (thank you Men Without Hats). You are so elated by the dance and Artie’s obvious joy that when the song abruptly ends and slams him back in his wheelchair your heart is pinched hard. Tears sprang to my eyes. You and empathize a bit more with Artie and his longings. If you were in a wheelchair, would you want to dance too? I would.

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If you search through YouTube, you can find hundreds of “first dances” from weddings. New couples, just fresh into their vows displaying their skills at the waltz, the jitterbug, the foxtrot, or just the hands on hips/shoulders “sway”. There are also the tribute dances: re-enactments of the last dance from Dirty Dancing, or even the zombie dance from “Thriller” (one of my personal faves).

But this one is extra super special to me, because it’s my beloved baby brother dancing with his enchanting new wife at their wedding held just a couple weeks ago. I had already been dazzled by the setting (Calistoga in Napa Valley) and the location (a beautiful ranch decked out for a sumptuous celebration) when I suddenly heard the strains of “Soul Sister” by Train. They kept it a secret, they really wanted to surprise us. And as I peeked through the shoulders of the people in front of me while trying to hold up my son, I was indeed surprised.

As far as I know my brother has not danced since Fiddler On the Roof in 10th grade. Nor have I ever gotten the impression that he was the dancing kind of guy. But he dances with true commitment (well it IS a wedding) that shows how much he is in love with his woman.

And what can I say about his wife? I could go on for hours. I was more than happy to deliver to my brother our Nana’s diamond when he asked to use it, and I knew he would only ask if this was the ONE. And I was even happier when I met her and she exceeded all my expectations (older sis and all, I have expectations). With this dance I got her even more. Not only is she super smart and engaging and gorgeous with that natural red hair, but she is nostalgic, whimsical, and extremely savvy. What a gal.

And what a dance! I could tell they WORKED on this. I mean, geeze, it’s over three minutes long! The average dance on So You Think You Can Dance is 1:30, the solos are only about 25 seconds! If they worked with a coach (I didn’t ask, it’s possible they did this on their own), they made this fit them specifically with their personalities, showed their chemistry, and showcased their natural dance abilities.

Oh, (sniff). It makes me tear up every time.

Couldn’t resist sharing my 2 year old son dancing at my brother’s wedding a couple of weeks ago. I’m downloading The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s collected works asap. As soon as he can take direction well–dance class, baby.

I don’t know if anyone remembers watching the movie Napoleon Dynamite for the first time. I remember sitting in the dirty, small AMC theater in the Burbank Town Center Mall (this was the only theater that was showing it at the time) and laughing at the odd comedy. I also was thinking that I knew at least a couple of people exactly like Napoleon in my little High School in Kansas growing up (you know who you are out there). The other thing that I thought, reluctantly, was that there was a little Napoleon in ME. WHAT???

This is such an interesting character that was developed by Jon Heder and Jared and Jerusha Hess. An outsider, an introvert, sometimes a jerk, bullied, pushed around, abused, and just weird. But he also loves fantasy, is creative, befriends the new guy, is unaware that he’s really that much of a dweeb, and willing to take risks and just show what he’s got.

Then comes the true surprise in the last 10 minutes of the film. The SKIT. When Pedro’s opponent for student body president, Summer, does her dance/sign language ditty, I’m thinking “what does this have to do with a school election?” Come on, what high school election was EVER based on platforms and NOT popularity? None of the ones in my school, that’s for sure. Pedro is done for. No one even told him there was a “skit”.

Napoleon to the rescue. With no second thought, with no thought at ALL (add dependable friend to the list above), he gives his audio tape to the stage manager and steps out in front of the crowd.

My jaw was literally on the floor as I sat in the theater. And the music? “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai. Singularly one of the most danceable songs out there (and also used in the fun dance romp “Center Stage”). Nothing will endear you more to me personally than just letting it all hang out and really having a moment of pure enjoyment for yourself while you move your body. And that dance is completely improvised. Jon is not a trained dancer nor was he helped by any pro. But you can tell dancing comes very naturally to him. Those loose hips are sometimes very hard to teach (watch any first time dancers on DWTS), and he’s got them in spades. I wanted to stand up and scream at the end, and when the auditorium crowd does just that after a long pause, you feel completely vindicated for loving Napoleon and his original dance.

Bonus? He gets the girl in the end.

If you’ve ever heard the opening piano riff from Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” then surely the picture that comes to mind is of a stringy high school kid on the verge of manhood, sliding across the living room floor in his button down shirt and tightie-whities. Yes, I speak of Mr. Tom Cruise in the 1983 film Risky Business. “Princeton could use a guy like Joel.” Amen.

To continue where I left off with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I adore when dance is used in a non-dance movie. It’s just so real-life. When you are so excited you can’t contain yourself, you do a little jig. When you are completely alone and want to let loose, you pull out your hairbrush and sing “I Will Survive” at the top of your lungs while gyrating in front of the mirror. When you need to step in for your best friend to do a skit, you dance to “Canned Heat” (uh, what).

Here’s the original, that stands the test of time:

As all iconic images do, they spawn copies, spoofs and tributes. Here’s a quick one from the TV show “Scrubs”:

And another from “The Nanny”:

Here’s the sexiest version I’ve ever seen:

Wow, bazoombas…

How about a bunch of athletes? Kobe, don’t you think those shorts are a little long for tightie-whities??

Gotta love it. Thanks Tom, for the original.

Throw a cute Brit foodie into a small town of slightly overweight and sometimes touchy West Virginians and what do you get? You get an awesome dance smack dab in the middle of Marshal University! Yeah, WHAT?

That’s just what Jamie Oliver (one of my favorite celebrity chefs) did on his ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. And I have to admit he chose a pretty tough task to go into a small southern town as not only an outsider but a foreigner and tell people how they should eat because it will change their life.

After a very (very) rocky start, Jamie made headway. And one of the first things he did to promote his program and attempt to teach 1000 people how to cook a simple, healthy, yummy meal was to stage a performance at Marshall University (yes, “we are Marshall”, that college). Complete with woks, dancers, spring onions, a sweet song and olive oil. Sounds crazy, ends up being delicious in more ways than one.

How fun was that? I love it when dance is worked into even the oddest of circumstances–or on to television shows that don’t normally have dance in it (that includes movies that aren’t dance movies).

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!

Thanks Jamie, for the little spark of awesomeness on my Friday night.

Tonight on Dancing With the Stars, the judges submitted a NEW challenge to the stars and their pros: Telling a Story! This is so up my alley I can barely contain myself. Dance as a Story is MY BAG.

Whew! Let’s start the show.

Ooh! We get examples of the Waltz, the Paso Doble and the Quickstep from our beautiful pros, what the stars should aspire to do. And THERE’S Lacey Schwimmer! So fantastic to see her on the DWTS floor.

First up is Evan and Anna, doing the Quickstep to the “Hot Honey Rag” from Chicago. OMG the Quickstep is really a super, super hard dance and Evan did wonderfully. I didn’t see a tremendous story except in the very beginning. The lady kept the man waiting. But then they just danced. Ok, not an A+ in my book, but really great on the dancing! OH, and just to add to that: THEN we find out in the fishtank that Evan has two broken toes. Cripes boy, what a pro! Judges’ scores: 9-8-8

Before we go to commercial, they give us previews of what’s to come in the rehearsal rooms: stress stress stress, drama drama drama, tears tears tears. Looks like we’re in for it, folks!

Next is Buzz Aldrin, who is hangin’ in there and promoting the space program, by gum! They have a story that could really be a tear-jerker; a daughter greeting her father back from war. Ashly his pro is so really sweet to him and just keeps him on the right track. He did a great job and he looked good. The judges try to be as kind as possible, but he knows that he’s not really that great and it’s all good. Judge’s scores: 5-4-4

Jake and Chelsie are up after the break, and they’re doing the Quickstep to “Walk Like an Egyptian”. What? Ok, gotta see if this can work. And there is stress in the rehearsal room. Frustration! Put it into the dance, folks. Seems like the frustration paid off, they do very well. Lots of props, too, which I thought they weren’t supposed to use. Anyway, they are super fast across the floor and the performance and storytelling is good. The judges pick at his frame and legs, which are a bit soft. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7

Nicey and Louis are next and they choose a story that is close to both of them (if I’m not mistaken, Louis is gay), a interracial couple falling in love in the 60′s, a time when in some places it was actually still illegal. This is a different side to Nicey, and very genuine and sweet. It affected her to put herself in the place of the role she was playing. ACTING! BRILLIANT! Louis did a fantastic job on choreography, and her ivory dress with the various panels really brought the most out of it during the spins. I felt that she was very graceful, even in the face of a stumble at the beginning. Their song was a world class duet from Billy Preston and Syreeta (“With You I’m Born Again”) and really added to the story. The judges really love Nicey, but were picky about the stumble and her technique, which she needs to work on. I disagreed with Carrie Ann that the story was confusing, and it didn’t have a happy ending. But that wasn’t the point of the story. I felt Nicey’s intoxication with a love that fills her heart, but the danger of knowing how society will react and possibly retaliate. She was super vulnerable, and Louis, too. This is first-rate dance as a story. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7

Mr. Ochocinco and Cheryl are next with the fiery Paso Doble, set to this fantastic song sung by Antonio Bandaras in the beginning of the movie “Desperado” (love it). Chad does pretty darn well with it (even after the rehearsal drama). Very powerful and dynamic. He really focused on Cheryl and wanted the girl. Great comeback from last week! Judges’ scores: 7-6-7

Miss Pam and Damien are next. They were the surprise in the bottom two last week, since she was such a crowd-pleaser. This week they’re back with the Paso Doble–their story is of a woman and the bull-fighter. She loves him, but she hates what he does as an animal activist (they are very cruel to the bulls in bullfighting). She looked fabulous and did a great job telling the story. She’s not just a blonde bombshell, that’s not all she can do. The routing seemed at times a little sloppy, but I think that was just her passion. She did great. Judges’ scores: 7-7-7 (lots of 21s tonight)

Aiden and Edyta are next and we see that even though he had a comeback last week, he was super nervous and actually vomited backstage (thanks ABC for blurring the gross stuff out). They are doing the Quickstep tonight and things are lighter for the two of them as they celebrate his birthday and his wife and beautiful 7 month old girl come in with cake (Edyta eats cake?). Their dance is pretty good, but I realize that I completely missed what their story was supposed to be. Len says that he was a bit careful, and I didn’t see that, but I did see his shoulders way up by his ears. I’m sure he’s nervous as hell, with a stomach to match. Judges’ scores: 7-6-7

Erin and Maks are next with a Waltz telling a story of trust: Erin has to dance over half of their waltz while BLINDFOLDED. It was pointed out to me by a reader that Erin actually does have prior dance experience, so I’m not looking at her in quite the same way this week, but she really is graceful. I thought it was a really beautifully done by both of them. Judges’ scores: 8-7-8

Kate and Tony are next with a Paso Doble done to “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, a song that speaks directly to Kate, because they follow her wherever she goes. Kate can’t seem to connect with Tony for the passion and anger, and he calls in an acting coach. She sees a lot of emotion that is bottled up inside, and it needs to come out. Do we really want Kate Gosselin letting all her emotions out? Hmmm…During the dance she comes at Tony with intention and anger, but she steps around the floor like she has clogs on her feet. Not a lot of grace. Tons better than last week, though. Carrie Ann said it was “odd”. Judges’ scores: 5-5-5

Nicole and Derek have the Quickstep and their story is two sailors slacking off to “Anything Goes”. Nicole freaks out a little at the difficulty of the dance, she’s scared. The dance is A-MA-ZING. Really first rate. And I love that this wasn’t Nicole’s “Pussy Cat Doll” card. It was completely opposite of what she is used to doing. Super cute and technically hard as hell. And…not a Quickstep, according to the judges. Too bad. But true. Loved it. Judges’ scores: 8-6-9

And who will be the surprise elimination this week? Tune in tonight to ABC and find out! (then be like me and watch LOST, because you just can’t get enough suspense) ;o)

I apologize heartily for my absence, but I realized as I got to my lovely, little old 92-year old Grandmother’s house on Monday that I did NOT have internet connections! So, a tiny break for me ;p

I always like a little tongue-in-cheek with my dancing on occasion. And in season 8, Lil Kim and Derek Hough dished that up with their “Jailhouse Rock” Jive. If you’re not familiar with Lil Kim, the rap artist had been in prison in 2005 for perjury and conspiracy.

So, imagine how much I giggled when the roles were reversed and Kim was the prison matron and Derek the inmate!

How cool is it that they went to the Hot Rod show at Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake, CA (practically right around the corner from me)? Awesome.

I thought Lil Kim looked so cute in her outfit and she danced well. The jive is all about speed, kicks and flicks and she delivered. And the judges loved it with a 10-8-10.

Derek and Kim were very well matched, not only in stature, but with personality. Kim and Derek are both boisterous, dramatic and larger than life. I really didn’t think that Kim lasted as long as she should have. Here’s Kudos to her!!

MOMO, a writer colleague of mine on the So You Think You Can Dance Social found this gem and I couldn’t help but pass it on.

Soul Train used to be some strange show to me that used to come on after all the cartoons were over on Saturday morning/early afternoon. Strange and…intriguing…as the intro started with that psychedelic cartoon of a train running on the tracks (and turning into the “Soul Train” logo), and the voice calling out “It’s the Sooooooooooul Train!”

I would watch young people in outrageous clothing shake their hips and wave their arms. It was odd to me and not odd. I can’t explain it. All I know is that years later I would learn to sing by attempting to imitate Aretha Franklin (not truly succeeding but not unsuccessful either, as I am from Kansas and severely Caucasian), I would be fronting my own 8 piece soul/R&B/Blues band and singing the very song in this video (Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is one of the best soul songs out there). Oh, and also shaking my hips (pretty nicely, I might add). If I ever scan in the pictures and convert the VHS tape to DVD I’ll show it to you sometime. Me, in leopard skin pants!

Soul Train is a jewel of American culture, created in 1965 on a UHF channel in Chicago, and Don Cornelius (and his fab hexagon spectacles) pretty much invented the line dance–and I don’t mean country dancing. I mean everyone lines up in two lines facing each other, then take turns in twos going down the row and struttin’ your stuff. Plus they had amazing soul acts on the show: The O Jays, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Anyway, enough nostalgic-ness, enjoy the video!