May 25th, 2010 by soullldiva

Finals night came in the blink of an eye on Dancing With the Stars last night. In fact, I was in the middle of a rousing rendition of “Ring My Bell” from the Wii game Just Dance with my family (we’re at a reunion) when I panicked and realized I was missing the show (DVR, I love you).

For the finals this year the stars need to perform an unprecedented FOUR dances (two on Monday, two on Tuesday). Tonight they must do a Redemption Dance, where they will attempt to redeem themselves for a dance the judges say they should have done better on, and the infamous Freestyle, who everyone says locks in the trophy.

SO! Were they redeemed or not? Let’s see…

First is Erin and Maks, and they must attempt to redeem themselves on the Samba. Ooh, tough one for the judges to pick for them. Bruno stops in to help her with her hip action, which (along with your arm work) is really the most important thing in the Samba (oh, along with the Par-Tay!). Bruno likes what he begins to see: “Look at the ass! So much better!”

As they begin the dance, Erin and Maks button UP Maks’ shirt. Very cute. Erin’s dress is fabulous, love the red flutters and her necklace. They did very well, but I feel this was not as earth-shaking as it needed to be. Improvement, yes, fantastic, no. Judges’ Scores: 10-10-9 (which will turn out for me to be the most surprising score of the night).

Evan and Anna is next. They get help from the Great Len Goodman for their Viennese Waltz, which they did all the way back in week one. Chemistry is what is needed here for the two of them here. Evan needs to put more focus and love on Anna, rather than thinking and going to the next move (yeah, Olympian).

Anna choreographed a really, really lovely intro for this Viennese Waltz (her dress is fab), and they kept the connection the entire time when not in hold. Truly lovely. Probably the best Viennese Waltz I’ve ever seen on DWTS. Great work and absolute redemption. Judges’ Scores: 10-9-9

Nicole and Derek have Carrie Ann come in and help out with their Rumba. When they did it the first time, Nicole’s nerves got the bes of her and it was probably her worst meltdown (among quite a few). Carrie Ann really pushes her to take the meltdown and convert it into vulnerability (so use it before rather than after). Really let go and show she’s more than a pretty face and a dancing machine.

Their Rumba is sensitive and beautiful. Nicole is vulnerable and connected to Derek, and Derek himself is more connected to any partner than I’ve ever seen. The choreography is solid and that hold at the end is new and very interesting (she wraps her leg around him and holds herself up, whew). They are completely redeemed here. Carrie Ann’s lift police rant is absolutely necessary here, and I wish she would have just shut up. Judges’ Score: 9-9-10

Freestyle: POP! or fizzzle…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is the most highly anticipated dance of the entire season, and somehow it is always a disappointment. Either the couples go crazy and do stuff that is just “not them”, or they play it safe and do stuff that they would normally do (like a pop star does hip-hop). What will happen for season 10?

For the first time ever, there is a Contemporary/Lyrical freestyle on DWTS. WHAT?? Erin has decided to do something different, and more of what she would do (she had years of ballet and jazz). They even call the lovely Ms. Mandy Moore (woo hoo) in to help out with the choreography. This is unprecedented (there’s that word again, she keeps on using it), and I am anticipating the performance highly.

I expected to love it, but I just…didn’t. And I’m really sorry I didn’t. Erin took a real risk with this and really showed what she wanted to do. I suppose it just looked too odd to me on the ballroom floor, and I felt that contemporary should just stay over on the Fox So You Think You Can Dance set. Plus, there was a bed AND a sofa. Too much, even for a contemporary piece. Off the mark for me personally. However, this dance gave us the best Tom Bergeron moment of the entire season: “In ten seasons, ‘It’s not the bed I rehearsed on’ is the my favorite excuse ever!” Judges’ Scores: 9-8-9

We see Evan and Anna butt heads for the first time this seaon, over the steps for their freestyle. Evan wants to take more chances, and Anna wants to stick to what they do best. They both really want to win, you can tell. Things smooth out when they bring in a choreographer in to help out and be the go-between.

Their freestyle is a prom theme from “Footloose” (this made me think what a great freestyle the prom scene from “Grease” would make). Lots of fun and a huge crowd please. They looked like they had a great time. Technically speaking (except for the impossible lift at the end) that the choreography was a little light, but still super fun. The judges, however, were uniformly disappointed. Judges’ Scores: 8-8-8 Boo.

What, oh what will Nicole bring? Her Pussycat Doll card or something new? I adore their sparkle-y tux outfits with the chartreuse shoes and ties. Really popped. They chose “Little Less Conversation” by Elvis (love it) for their song and they just brought it ALL. This was super-fantastic and absolutely perfect (with a slight hesitation on the lift at the end). Clearly the Winner of the Freestyle Round, and Len hit it right on the nose: He saw all different styles of ballroom dance used together in a new and inventive way. Now THAT’S a freestyle! Judges’ Scores: 9-9-9

So in a surprise on the leaderboard, Erin and Nicole are tied for first with 55 out of 60 points. Evan is second with 52 out of 60 points. The stars and their partners will do their third and fourth dances on the Results show. What will they do? My money is on one dance will be the stars pick and the other will be the judges’ pick. We’ll see. It’s shaping up to be an exciting and very interesting show Tuesday night. My early pick for the winner? Nicole Scherzinger. And she would deserve it. Tune in tonight!

BTW, Spoiler Alert for Season 11: Hugo “Hurley” Reyes wins!!! (thanks to Jimmy Kimmel’s Aloha to LOST show, which helped stop my tears over watching the final episode ;o)

April 27th, 2010 by soullldiva

A lot of the ladies on my forum that I chat with said last Tuesday night: “Ding dong, the witch is dead”. And with that, my least favorite contestant of all time left Dancing With the Stars. She goes on to her new TLC show where she gives people relationship advice. Hmm.

OK–ONWARD. And all of those stars that are left are real contenders for the semis and finals on season 10. Tonight are two dances, one tough and the other even tougher. The Samba and the Argentine Tango, which is my all-time favorite ballroom dance. So I will be tough tonight.

Jake and Chelsie seem to have stumbles frequently, and this week was no exception. I have to give it to him, he sure knows how to recover and there is nothing like a big stumble in your dance to bring you completely out of it, and it’s a challenge to finish (another Tom Bergeron moment: “I hope you enjoyed our salt in the wound slow motion replay”). Pretty good on the Samba, which I think is one of the toughest dances to look good in. Judges’ Scores: 7-7-7

Next are Evan and Anna, who also have the Samba. More Hips, More Hips! More hips because Anna will smash your head to the ground if you don’t! Ouch, man. He was so lucky he’s okay, I would not have wanted my neck torqued that way. Their Samba is super good, and Evan even does the Samba rolls well, which are super hard. These two have great chemistry together as well. Bruno gets on him for his lines being too lyrical for the Samba. Carrie echoed him, and Len said it was his worst dance. Bah Humbug, geez!! Judges’ Scores: 7-7-7

Niecy and Louis are the first Argentine Tango of the night. And she asks “Has anyone ever done a funny Argentine Tango?” I want Louis to bust her butt on technique so she gets better scores. He does not disappoint, and I hope it can translate to the dance floor. Good girl on the develope! Keep the cookie away from her, Louis! I thought she worked hard and they did a great job, big improvement. Carrie thinks she’s in the zone, Len thought it was great and Bruno wanted her to stay away from his lunchbox. Judges’ Scores: 7-7-7

Erin and Maks bicker like a married couple (oh, right), and he begs her to stay out of her head and just dance. Please do! I’m trying to figure out what the heck she is wearing and my husband says as he walks across the room: “when are you getting pasties like hers?” My friend who was visiting swore they were going to rip off that feather tutu and it just never happened. Maks’ sleeves and shirt came off, though. Thank you Maks. I thought their Samba was decent, but a little forced. And oh boy, Len did NOT like the non-proper Samba and Maks talked BACK! I have never seen that from a pro before. Whew! Judges’ Scores: 9-7-9

Chad drags Cheryl back to Cincinnati for the Bengals draft party in order to get energized. After they get back for rehearsals, Cheryl tells Chad to manhandle her in the Argentine Tango. She really wants him to lead. He’s strong and forceful and his steps are more precise this week. He’s worked hard and it shows. But IMO Cheryl is still leading. The only partner I think she didn’t lead with was Gilles Marini (ooh, Gilles). Judges’ Scores: 8-8-8

I’m not sure what Nicole’s deal is, but she is over over over analyzing everything and driving Derek crazy. Just dance girl, because you can. Their Samba is the partiest, sexiest, gyratingest samba I’ve ever seen. They do a fantastic job of really engaging the audience and it seems like Carnivale is happening in the soundstage. No more insecurities for Nicole, baby. Len grinds them for not having any voltas or botafogos, two essential moves in the Samba. Judges’ Scores: 9-7-10

My underdog favorite is next, Pam and Damian, doing the Argentine Tango. Pam is such a trooper and a pro, she’s been in the bottom two the last two weeks after great dances, and she just presses on. She looks great in a brunette wig and really looks like Raquel Welch, although Bruno calls her Angelina. They dance really great and do some awesome lifts. Every once in a while she looks slightly awkward on her feet, but it doesn’t affect her character. This chick really knows how to act the dance and carries it over to the interviews (“I like being on top”). Some may say that the sexy is just second nature to her and big deal. But I say that it takes skill and style to use it in the dance and make it work. And while she borders on overly bawdy sometimes, she always manages to keep it clean and put a really great humor spin to it. Judges’ Scores: 7-7-8

The Swing Dance Marathon is new, and I love that they have integrated these more realistic style heats into the show. This is what dance competitions look like. Many couples out on the floor, where anything can happen and elbows and ankles do fly. The spectacular thing about Swing is the lifts (“ooh mother of sweet baby air!” exclaims Nicole), they are always fun to watch. Chad seems to think he can strategize his way through this with x’s and o’s and while that’s cute, I don’t think so.

All the couples look so adorable in their bright colors. The guys wear suspenders and the girls halter dresses and spectator pumps. Much fun ensues, and it’s super cute. But the couples are eliminated one by one until they are down to the winners Nicole and Derek (didn’t he win last year in the Mambo Marathon?). They get to add a whole 10 points to their Judges’ Scores for the evening.

Who will be eliminated tonight? I’m biting my nails in anticipation…

April 13th, 2010 by soullldiva

This week on Dancing With the Stars, it’s “Double Score Showdown”–one score will be for technique and the other for overall dance performance (they also must do three specific moves). The dances this week are the sexy Rumba and passionate Tango. The Rumba can be hard if you don’t have chemistry with your partner, the Tango, too. But since the tango is more force, precision and passion and less pure sex (the Rumba is of course called “The bedroom dance”), usually there is less difficulty with that.

Let’s get started!

Erin and Maks are up first with the Tango. Erin is stressed because Len picked on her footwork, even though she’s very graceful. That, and she’s having severe back pain. I feel for her, and she’s going to push through it and dance. I wasn’t completely thrilled with the dance, which looked just fine but seemed to have no spark (interesting for a couple who I believe is now dating). She gets points from Len for the content, but still needs to handle the footwork. She still has the “deathgrip” on Maks according to Carrie. Too much thinking on the dance floor can be dangerous. To her credit, we learn in the fishtank that her heel got caught in the strap of her other shoe. Near miss!
Tech Scores: 6-6-6
Performance Scores: 7-7-7

Evan and Anna are next with the Tango as well. Immediately as the dance starts you see real passion here, real dynamics. I love the bit with Anna in the chair at the beginning. They’ve got it together and this is an amazing Tango, and technically super good. Evan and Anna are a winning pair.
Tech Scores: 9-8-9
Performance Scores: 9-8-9

Ok, Niecy (whose name I’ve been spelling wrong, sorry!) and Louis are up and I’m already tearing. Louis tells Niecy that the Rumba is also a spiritual dance–this I was not aware of, although it could make complete sense. Louis wants to dedicate it to Niecy and have her dance out her feelings for her brother, who died 17 years ago. This woman is full of emotion and I so hope she can put it right into the dance. The technique will take care of itself.

I just love this woman. She put all that emotion into the dance and even though she was really dancing for her brother, it really read so well as a sensual, celebratory dance of love and life with Louis. True emotional connection. Unfortunately, the judges really didn’t like it and were pretty hard on her. And I can always tell it’s so hard on the stars when they bare all and get no love from the judges. It’s tough. But to hell with them!
Tech Scores: 6-6-6
Performance Scores: 6-6-6

Aiden and Edyta are up next with a Rumba, and Edyta really wants to be felt up every time in rehearsal (sorry, my tee hee moment). The Rumba is all about feeling up, baby. I am so distracted by Edyta’s strategically placed bits of tinfoil for a dress that I can barely pay attention to their dance. It seems like they danced well and he was more comfortable, but he was very stiff in his shoulders. Bruno said he had the “Blue Steel” down, but there was no flow to the dance. Sigh.
Tech Scores: 5-5-5
Performance Scores: 6-6-6

Best Tom Bergeron Moment: “Would you guys like a candy bar or some orange juice to get the blood sugar levels back up?” Referring to the judges harsh scores during the evening. Thanks for the levity, Tom!

Derek and Nicole are up next and after their rule-breaking Quickstep last week we’ll see how they do on their Rumba. Can she quell her giggles during the dance of love? Once again, I am distracted by costumes. Why is she wearing an ill-fitting toga? Thank gawd Derek’s shirt is closed. Wow, great display of technique and dance ability and absolutely sexy. Mixed bag with the judges on comments, but better on the scores.
Tech Scores: 9-8-8
Performance Scores: 8-8-9

Jake and Chelsie are up next with the Tango, and for someone with as much trouble as he has in rehearsals, he usually looks pretty good. Very sharp, great attack, looked confident and they looked good moving together. Wow, up and down the stairs! That was a super move. They really looked damn good, even with some slight stumbling.
Tech Scores: 6-7-6
Performance Scores: 7-6-6

And now we come to Kate and Tony. And Tony looks…tired. Her world is just too big for this show. But good for Tony to try to get her to put it into the dance and just work and stop getting upset. She’s lamenting that she’s the most inexperienced and she has big self-doubt. I feel ya lady.

Their tango is just fine, but seems to be very on automatic and careful and stiff. And she still clomps a bit. A measurable improvement from the Paso Doble last week. The judges are positive that she is improving, and this is her best dance so far. She says she’s beginning to have fun and she wants to stay and do more. Hmmmm…..
Tech Scores: 4-5-5
Performance Scores: 6-6-6

Chad and Cheryl. Chad, oh Chad. I’ve never seen a guy be so full of himself yet be super charismatic. And I love him. And he gave Cheryl a ring?? Is that thing real? Their Rumba is very hot, even though he seemed to drag and throw her around the floor pretty hard (was that just me?). The judges loved it and praised his fluidity and improvement on posture. Well done to them.
Tech Scores: 7-6-8
Performance Scores: 8-7-8

Are Pam and Damien always last? What’s up with that? They’re doing the Rumba and she’s warned by Len to not be raunchy, a comment that I find unwarranted, because I have not found anything raunchy about any of her dances so far. Pam is my new underdog, she could go far.

You know what I realized, I really don’t like the costumes they do for the girls for the Rumba. They just don’t drape like clothing. It’s like half a sheet going down their bodies. Very unflattering on even the most flattering bodies. Ugh. Well, onward.

Damien and Pam are really truly lovely in the best Rumba of the night, just enough sex and sultryness, and even love thrown in. Technique was great and smooth. The song choice was really great for this (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”), as it helped tone the “come hither” down a bit and make it something more refined.
Tech Scores: 7-8-8
Performance Scores: 8-7-9

Wow, such a tough night for most of our dancing couples. Looks like Nicole/Derek and Evan/Anna came out on top, with many of the others dropping well below them. And what was up with the judges tonight? Take a happy pill, folks. Who will be eliminated tomorrow night? Tune in and find out!

March 30th, 2010 by soullldiva

Oh, it was SUCH an interesting week on Dancing With the Stars. And we’re only in week two! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much drama from both stars and pros. Tears, walking out, and little pouting rounded out the week. Frankly, it kind of exhausted me to just watch it.

In these early weeks with so many stars, I like to look back at all the dances and think who I am going to vote for. And THAT’S who I’m going to highlight in my post. We’ll see if that surprises and intrigues you. Hopefully so.

Once again, I was surprised by Shannen Doherty. She can dance, even if she throws hissy fits every once in a while. It’s good for her partner Mark Ballas to push her into doing the harder stuff, and it shows in the performance. Their Jive was super hard, and she had fun doing it and really engaged the audience. Plus I loved her outfit. She just needs to be a little sharper in those flicks and kicks. Judges’ scores: 7-6-7

Nicey Nash did not fail me, she is still my favorite star on the show. Her ability to handle everything with charm and humor really helps her get through her rehearsal time (“When did I become a white man?” she quips when partner Louis Van Amstel tells her he wants to be her “mirror”). Could she do as well in her Foxtrot as she did in her Cha Cha Cha? Their performance was light, airy, used a great song (“I Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls), had great choreography and was just lovely. Carrie Ann made the comment that Nicey knows why she’s moving. It’s the difference between “I’m pointing right at you!” versus “this is the part where I lift my arm up because my pro told me to.” A++ in my book! Judges’ Scores: 7-7-7

It seems that Erin Andrews has real dancing talent and ability. Her solo moments in her Foxtrot with Maks were so really amazing, I almost couldn’t believe it. For someone with no prior dance experience, for her to turn with those lovely arms is a testament to natural talent (and I will give credit to Maks, too). Usually someone does well in the beginning, but the arms are limp, or the toes not pointed, knees bent, that sort of thing. She was really stunning, and their Foxtrot was sweet. Judges’ Scores: 8-7-8

Pam Anderson–darn if she doesn’t know how to get a character (and I’ll grant you Marilyn Monroe isn’t a stretch for  her) and keep it in, even after the dance and getting her scores. First of all, you will probably never see one moment of drama from this woman. She really knows how to just try things, do it or mess up and go on with a little giggle. She looked lovely and like a dead ringer for Monroe. Their Foxtrot was solid and very good. Smooth, easy, sexy and smashing. I loved it. And Tom Bergeron said her Marilyn was so good that “a bus load of Kennedys just showed up.” Judges’ Scores: 7-7-8

And those were my votes for the night. Needless to say, I don’t care for drama very much and found myself rolling my eyes a little bit. Of course, I am not in their shoes and putting it all out there for the world to see on the dance floor. But some of it’s just necessary. Yes, I’m hinting at Kate and Tony. Tony was the big man there and accepted responsibilty. But really, no more, please.

You may ask “But why is she not talking about Nicole and Derek’s Jive?” Yeah, wow! Two 10′s in the second week! Technically well done, sharp, sexy, and the audience loved it. For me, though, it wasn’t really exciting. It was unbelievably fast, in my opinion almost too fast. Too frenetic, too pushed. I dunno, I just didn’t get it. Nicey’s Foxtrot was so much more enganging than Nicole and Derek’s Jive. But that’s just my opinion, let me know what you think!

Who will be leaving the ballroom in the first elimination? We’ll all have to wait until tomorrow!

March 1st, 2010 by soullldiva

In the midst of all the (kinda sorta) ridiculously grueling pomp and circumstance that was the season finale of ABC’s The Bachelor “On the Wings of Love” (gag), my homey Mr. Tom Bergeron bounced on to give the official announcements. And as it turns out, a few of my rumors were actually correct–wow!

Tom teased us several times with hints such as “the original moonwalker,” “the ultimate Baywatch babe” and “a name changing wide receiver.” The teasing was just too much for me after having to sit through the gawd awful sobfest in Saint Lucia (really sorry for the snarkiness, Bachelor fans). Ugggh! I’ve waited for too long.

OMG FINALLY Tom comes on with…Melissa Rycroft! Does that mean that she’s the new co-host? Oh, more Bachelor to watch…

Whew, Jake just let go the girl who I think is cuter. They both look tortured. Who would want to put themselves through this??

Now Finally Tom and Melissa come back on to make the official announcements. But what is this, they’re only announcing 10? Who is the 11th?

The Official Cast:

Pamela Anderson: For sure she’s going to be fun. And fun to watch bounce!

Chad Ochocinco: There had been rumors about Chad going around for some time, apparently. No cast of DWTS is complete without an NFL football player!

Aiden Turner: I used to be a big soap fan, but couldn’t handle trying to catch up with it after I joined the 9-5 workforce. Aiden is a cutie-pie from All My Children (ABC soap, hello!). Let’s see if he’s got lead feet or wings. Oh, and he’s a Brit, so love the accent.

Erin Andrews: ESPN sportscaster who I’m not familiar with. It seems she’s popular with sports fans “for her beauty” (according to Wikipedia).

Shannon Doherty: 90210′s Brenda comes to DWTS! Hopefully not the ‘tude, though. We’ll see…

Buzz Aldrin: This one was hard to believe, but turned out true. Is he as light on his feet on earth as he was on the moon? Ok, bad pun. Hopefully no stress fractures for him.

Niecy Nash: Ok, I’m gonna love this one. I adore Niecy on her Clean House show, and I know she’s done some outrageous stuff on Reno 911. We’re in for a treat.

Nicole Schertzinger: Here’s ringer #1 for this year. Lead singer of Pussycat Dolls who can ALL dance. But can she Foxtrot and Mambo?

Evan Lysaceck: And here’s ringer #2 for the season. Hello, remember Kristi Yamaguchi? Still loved her, who cares that it came easier to her? But Evan is male, and the game is just a little different for male star dancers. Very interested to see how he does.

Kate Gosselin: Not. A. Star. All I have to say.

And of course, there was ONE more surprise announcement: Mr. Bachelor himself, Jake Pavelka!!  He’s sure cute and he can fly airplaines!  Let’s hope he can dance a little. Put those muscles to use, kid.

Oh, so sad to see no Jonathan Frakes. I was really looking forward to seeing Number One do a little Cha Cha Cha. Sigh.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early on Good Morning America they will be announcing who the stars’ pro dancing partners will be.  I’ll have my laptop out and ready with the insight and wit! Come back tomorrow morning and we’ll have it!