November 3rd, 2009 by soullldiva

It’s getting down to crunch time on Dancing With the Stars.  Time to see who is really in for the long haul.

Last night each of the remaining stars (Mya, Aaron Carter, Kelly Osbourne, Joanna Krupa, Michael Irvin, Mark Dacascos, Donny Osmond) did one dance and a team dance where they performed with other couples, either the Paso Doble or the Tango.

In the individual dances, I was once again blown away by my “little” Aaron Carter.  Last week it was proclaimed that he became a man. He continued his journey tonight by turning in an amazingly energetic Jive.  As I watched this guy, I said to myself: “he WANTS this.” And I don’t mean just that mirror ball trophy.  I mean he wants DANCE.  He loves it, he loves getting it right then reveling in it and having fun.  Sure, he has his frustration moments, but that’s just because of his drive.  And as Michael Irvin told him early on in the competition when he was being beaten down, “there’s nothing wrong with being real and being serious about winning.” (great locker room pep talk Michael!)

Aaron’s Jive delivered fantastic sharpness and energy (essential in a Jive), plus great chemistry with Karina Smirnoff and the crowd. Their song happened to be “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, which added a great rebel attitude to their dance. The Jive takes real strength to make all those flicks hit with precision (and not look wimpy), and Aaron’s “young man strength”, coupled with the great precision workout she got him with Elite Athletics trainer Jade Molina gave him that edge.

Bruno Tonioli said he “kicked ass,” Carrie Ann Inaba said he’s a “roadrunner,” and Len Goodman said it was “wild but clean,” (high praise from Len). In fact, he was inspired to “dust off” his 10 paddle and Aaron was given his highest scores to date: 9-10-10!  I said it before and I’ll say it again: this kid has it.

Kelly Osborne finally broke through last night after her initial amazing performances followed by a 5 week slump. As I watched her rehears with Louie Van Amstel and cry and stomp and get frustrated, all I really wanted this girl to do was R-E-L-A-X!! I can’t say what’s going on with her, but what I see is a girl who is letting her nerves and frustration get in her

Kelly and Louie week one (photo courtesy of ABC)

way of letting the natural dancer out (because she is a natural dancer). Her Salsa was refreshing and cheeky, and free from odd faces she makes whenever she stumbles.  The judges were very happy with her performance and said she had mastered her nerves, but NOW needed to bring her technique up a few notches.  I’m looking forward to even better performances from Kelly, as she was an early favorite of mine after her week 1 performances.

Other dances of note were Mya and Dmitry Chaplin’s Foxtrot, which really had old school hollywood style and grace, and Donny and Kym Johnson’s Quickstep, which Donny performed so well, I missed ALL the mistakes the judges say they saw.

Who will be eliminated next?  Watch tonight on ABC to find out!

October 27th, 2009 by soullldiva

Ok, I have to vent my frustration on this.  If Aaron Carter doesn’t escape the bottom two in the elimination tonight on Dancing With the Stars, I’m going to lose it (if only temporarily).  This kid has busted his buttinsky in more ways than one.

His waltz last night with Karina Smirnoff was in my opinion the best waltz of the evening.  And even though their score was good (and yielded a 9 from Len Goodman), Joanna Krupa got a better score for hers.  It was good, but I absolutely don’t think it had what Aaron and Karina’s had: heart, love, passion, sweet smoothness. Kudos to Karina for excellent choreography, and to Aaron for really making a connection with her and becoming a MAN in this dance.  Give this guy credit America!! Nuff said.

Safe to say that Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson’s jitterbug was the hit of the night, in a sea of “careful” jitterbugs. Even so, they did not yield the scores they did last week for their excellent tango.  Donny is a true showman, and his showmanship coupled with Kym’s spirit and clever choreography make a winning team.

The addition this year of a “Marathon Mambo” really added something to the show. You get to see what a regular, general ballroom/latin competition looks like, with many couples peppering the floor and being removed one at a time. With Derek Hough being a former world champion in Latin American Dance, it was a cinch that they would win it, although I had to give props to Mya and Dmitry Chaplin and Aaron and Karina.

It will be an interesting elimination show tonight!!

October 13th, 2009 by soullldiva

The thing that I really, really love about dancing with the stars is that these people are NOT professional dancers. Yeah, some don’t have it and they fizzle. But some really DO have it. Apolo Ono Anton, Helio Castroneves, Mel B., Marie Osmond, Lil Kim, all sparked my interest because of their pure spirit of play as they trudged their tough road to performing on, ugh, LIVE TV (give ‘em props, people). That’s really what dance is about–getting it, loving it and showing that. And because of that, they’re good (and a pleasure to watch to boot).

And those aren’t the only ones. Last night, Melissa Joan Heart (who hasn’t aged one bit since her Sabrina days) did a Charleston that blew the roof off the place. She had been lagging in the scores and just not fulfilling the dances. The judges thought she was scared, and didn’t “believe it” from her. But she came roaring out of the gate with a fantastically cute flapper number that had energy, spirit, playfulness, and hard moves.  This dance earned her a 9-9-10, her highest scores yet and a much sought-after 10 paddle.  So now there’s no looking back for Melissa.  She’s brought it and she needs to continue.  But with enjoyment like that, things will most likely be much smoother for her now.

Interestingly enough, the other two couples who got the Charleston also took the bull by the horns and were really inspired to do sensational dances.  Kelly Osborne and Donny Osmond did very themed dances that really got the crowd going.

I’m going to take a moment and speak about Kelly.  It seems that all of America is witnessing this girl’s revelation through dance.  I always believed her to be (sad to say) a nasty little spoiled brat. Of course this was through the eyes of reality TV.  But this girl has talent and a really pretty spirit (not to mention gorgeous doe eyes).  She found out that she LOVES to dance.  And it’s changing her as a person.  And she’s damn good.  She was thrilled to get to do her Cabaret-themed Charleston and confessed that she was offered the role of Roxy from Chicago on Broadway–only to lose the role because she couldn’t dance. No longer.

Have I mentioned how much I love dance?  It’s a wonderful thing.