Trav's Thoughts

Before we get to the good stuff, let me just say this...the new Round Table commercials are disturbing.

But that's not why we're here. Cue that theme music bay-bee!

Tonight our remaining 11 couples dance either Rumba and Paso Doble. They only had 4 days to learn the dances because of the extra performance days last week. That's going to put pressure on the celebrities to really focus and polish up technique and footwork.

Rumba has been called the vertical expression of a horizontal desire, characterized by slow and sensual body shapes. Rumba is sexy and theatrical and dramatic. This is Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis.


Paso Doble is the aggressive dance of the bull fight, characterized by a strong male presence and marching type steps. Paso is fluid with strong three-dimensional shapes, aggressive and intense but controlled. Here is Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya.

Let's see how our celebrities do.

Toni and Alec dance Rumba. She danced very well, but her face wasn't very expressive. All the moves were there, but we didn't really feel how sexy that should have been. Alec's choreography was very sensual, but they didn't really convey a desire for each other. She didn't miss a step, but we didn't really feel enough of the dance. And there were two lifts...we didn't think they were that big a deal, but her feet did come off the floor twice and that's a no no. The dance was good, but not the connection between the two of them. Judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23. I guess we disagree with the judges on the overall performance.

Brooke and Derek dance Paso Doble. That had all the classic Paso elements. She was controlled, almost a bit too controlled because we didn't see the fire and aggression of the dance from her. Derek's choreography was outstanding, and she hung in there with it. But we didn't see the passion. We enjoyed the performance, but we thought there could have been more. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. That's a good score. We did find the dance to be entertaining. Maybe we were just expecting more based on how well she did last week.

Rocco and Karina dance Rumba. We don't like the cooking gimmick at the beginning. Although Pam did say that it's incredibly romantic when a man cooks for a woman. (I made a note, **grin**) But this dance wasn't very sexy or romantic. He was much too stiff. He lost the hip action he had last week in the Mambo. His musicality was non-existant and there wasn't any connection between him and the gorgeous Karina. That wasn't a good effort. Judges say 5,6,5 for a total of 16. I don't know if it was that bad. Rocco has such a positive attitude though. Pam still finds him charming.

Lance and Lacey dance Paso Doble. Len may want them to present traditional styles, but they aren't getting traditional music. Once again they had plenty of competition content. But the one glaring flaw we saw was that Lance wasn't leading with his mid-section. His steps were a bit awkward. Lacey was fantastic. She threw the modern content in combination with the traditional steps, but it was hard to see because of the music. We didn't like that one as much as we enjoyed last week. Lance didn't hold the character of the dance throughout and that's what made the dance suffer a bit. They are still our favorite, but that dance had some problems. Carrie Ann suggested that they chose the music, which is not true. The pairs are given the music each week. Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20. Len needs to acknowledge that Lacey is putting proper content in the dances because she is.

Kim and Mark dance Rumba. She looks very innocent when she dances. She's still coming across as nervous and unsure. Mark is doing a good job of dancing around her and trying to hide her issues, but she's just not feeling it. The chemistry between them is non-existent. We think she really can do this, but she's not believing herself. There was nothing sexy about that dance. She does not present this persona that I've been hearing about at all. She's beautiful, but she's not appealing or sexy...at least not from a dancing perspective. Judges say 6,6,5 for a total of 17. That might be generous.

Misty May and Maks dance Paso Doble. The costuming and music only emphasized how physical she is, and we did not find it flattering in a feminine way at all. We like Misty; we think she's pretty and sexy in such a strong way. But this dance was completely unappealing to us. We will say that she was aggressive and dynamic, which is in the character of Paso. The dance was incredibly powerful, but they didn't seem to have much chemistry between them. The choreography was so strong and difficult. But we just didn't find that dance entertaining at all. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Rumba. We love this Rumba choreography. He's much less stiff this week. He had the character of the dance very well. There were some awkward steps, and it did get a bit sloppy. It was better than last week, but he's still got a long way to go. He has all kinds of potential and he's really embracing the styles. But he's just missing a bit. We think he needs to dial it down just a little, pay more attention to Cheryl, and focus on the technique to smooth things out. What he's doing is fine for clubbing, but it's not getting it done for the competition. Judges say 7,6,6 for a total of 19.

Cloris and Corky dance Paso Doble. Cloris is still having fun, but she's focusing on technique as well this time around. Ahhhh...Bolero. Now that's some nice Paso music and she's dancing a true Paso. She's doing a fine job too. That was pretty good. We were worried for her a couple of times because it looked like she was losing her balance in the turns. But Corky was right there and she earned that standing ovation. It was an excellent attempt at a very difficult dance. It was dramatic and she held the character of the dance. We enjoyed the performance. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15. Blucher!

Susan and Tony dance Rumba. Yeah. She was much more comfortable. That was sexy and romantic and elegant. Very classy. They told a story together and she really used her acting skill. She had the technique and the steps, and the performance. This is one of Tony's specialties...his Rumba choreography is almost always excellent. He did a great job of finding his partner's strengths and teaching to them. He did that very well for Susan this week. There was a wonderful mix of the Rumba posing, which we don't care for that much, and real Rumba movement, which we do enjoy. We really appreciated that performance. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. We would have liked to see an 8 in there.

Warren and Kym dance Paso Doble. More pleather, but it looked much more feminine on Kym than it did on Misty. Warren was powerful and strong, but also controlled. He did a good job of leading Kym through it, despite the wardrobe trouble at the end of the dance. That's a big man and he continues to amaze us at how light he is on his feet. The choreography had the aggression and intensity of a true Paso. Bruno said it...big and bold. Kym is doing a fantastic job with Warren. And he is so focused on the footwork. His technique was much better this week. Excellent performance. And he's so proud of those sequins! Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. Maybe there could have been a 9, but that's a good score.

Cody and Julianne dance Rumba. They do have a strong chemistry together. His movements are a little too rough and jerky at times. Rumba is a dance the requires smoothness. He missed a bit of that, but he was a surprisingly strong partner. The dance lacked the sexy hotness of a traditional Rumba, but Carrie Ann was right to point out that the dance was age appropriate. Any parent of a teenager wouldn't have a problem letting their tween girl watch that dance. We enjoyed the performance. There is something endearing about the kid. And of course we love Julianne. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Here's our leader board:

24 Warren and Kym
24 Brooke and Derek
23 Tony and Alec
21 Susan and Tony
21 Cody and Julianne
21 Misty and Maks
20 Lance and Lacey
19 Maurice and Cheryl
17 Kim and Mark
16 Rocco and Karina
15 Cloris and Corky

I voted for Warren & Kym because I really liked that Paso. And I voted for Lance & Lacey because I think they are really struggling to bring a modern flair to the dances, but they are just missing. I love what they are trying, but I'm actually hoping for a ballrooom style next week that they can really hit on all the traditional points.

Pam voted for Warren & Kym and Misty & Maks. She's worried about Lance & Lacey, but we're down to 11 votes this week and she favors Misty over Lance.

Tune in tonight for results.

Later!

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by the new MM HQ at Manic Monday the Blog. Today's theme is Nuts.

General Anthony McAuliffe, when faced with the German demand that he surrender his forces at Bastogne in December 1944, famously replied "Nuts!"

The comment became a rallying cry, and the 101st Airborne was able to hold off the German advance until the weather cleared and supplies could once again be dropped to the beleaguered troops.



Look what I've gone and done now. It's a bit of a nutty idea. I don't know that I really have the time to do this. I may just be setting myself up for failure.

Aw nuts.

I have a story idea and a basic outline. The hardest thing for me will be to turn off my internal editor for 30 days and just write. But I need to learn how to do that, because I need to write.

I can remember the early days of my stalled novel project, when I couldn't type fast enough because the words and ideas were so alive and fresh and demanding to be recorded. I want to feel that again.

And I want to be able to just put the words down and keep moving. I want to prove to myself that I can finish, and not get bogged down in perfecting bits and pieces as I go. I want to overcome the inner perfectionist that loses momentum because he gets hung up on the perfect word or sentence structure, or plot detail or timeline that doesn't quite make sense.

I just want to finish something.

I'm excited about this. So I'm going to try it. Fifty thousand words in 30 days.

Nuts.

We're hanging out watching the games today. Pam's Seahawks have a bye this week. I don't get to see the Raiders this week. None of the games we get today were all that compelling to me to do play by play.

After that rough 8-8 start, I've had back to back good pick weeks, 11-4 and 12-4 to get back to my standard 66% rate. I know I'm late getting these up today. I've been a little lazy.

Panthers over Falcons
Bengals over Browns
Jaguars over Texans
Broncos over Chiefs
Saints over 49ers
Jets over Cardinals
Bucs over Packers
Titans over Vikings
Chargers over Raiders
Bills over Rams
Cowboys over Redskins
Eagles over Bears
Ravens over Steelers

I may post some observations later. Enjoy the games or whatever other Sunday activity gets you going.

Oregon State made Pac 10 football basically irrelevant for the BCS this season with a huge upset of USC on Thursday, which was ranked #1 in both the AP and USA Today polls. Don't look for the BCS to come knocking at the door of a possible one-loss USC team if there happens to be a mess at the end of the season. They'll take a two-loss SEC team into the BCS title game before they look at anything less than an undefeated west coast squad.

Congrats to the Beavers on a tremendous win!

I guess that sort of started the ball rolling for some upsets today. Here's a summary of the AP Top 10:

1 USC lost 27-21 to Oregon State
2 Oklahoma beat TCU, 35-10
3 Georgia lost 41-30 to #8 Alabama
4 Florida lost to Mississippi, 31-30
5 LSU beat Mississippi State, 34-24
6 Missouri, idle
7 Texas beat Arkansas, 52-10
8 Alabama beat #3 Georgia, 41-30
9 Wisconsin lost to Michigan, 27-25
10 Texas Tech, idle

Can you say shuffle 'em up?

Notre Dame looked good in a 38-21 win over Purdue at South Bend. Sophomore QB Jimmy Clausen threw for 275 yards on 20 of 35, with 3 TDs. Sophomore RB Armando Allen rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries with a TD, and added 105 yards from kick and punt returns. The Irish had 476 yards of total offense.

They played with a lot more confidence at home. Now we just need them to play that well on the road.

Paul Newman - actor, philanthropist, sportsman - has died of cancer. He was 83.



Sometimes the passing of a celebrity hits me in a really soft spot. This is one of those times. Mr Newman was not just a distinguished actor. He was a famous person who used his celebrity to help others. Donations to charity from his Newman's Own food company have exceeded $220m to date. He also co-founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which is a residential summer camp in Ashford CT for seriously ill children.

He has been a lifelong benefactor to his alma mater Kenyon College in Gambier Ohio, donating $10m to endow a scholarship fund.

Mr Newman served as a rear-seat radioman and gunner in torpedo bombers, and was stationed in Hawaii in 1944. He served aboard USS Bunker Hill in 1945 during the battle for Okinawa.

Mr Newman finally won an Oscar for reprising his role as Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money (1986). He was also nominated for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Absence of Malice (1981), The Verdict (1982), Nobody's Fool (1994), and Road to Perdition (2002).



Some other notable films are The Long Hot Summer (1957), The Left Handed Gun (1958), Exodus (1960), Hombre (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Life and times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Sting (1983), The Towering Inferno (1974), Slap Shot (1977), and Fort Apache the Bronx (1981).

Mr Newman married actress Joanne Woodward in 1958. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in February this year and proved that "Hollywood marriages" could be more than publicity stunts.

I happened across a bit of writing I originally posted back in March 2007. Some of you may have read it before. The link to the original post is in my sidebar.

I'm kind of proud of this piece.

It didn't have a title when I first posted it, and it still doesn't. It's just a little slice of fiction I did for a writing exercise.

I hope you enjoy.


"Hang on Toby!"

Toby couldn’t spare any breath to answer. It took all he had to keep squeezing his fingers around the exposed root. He knew he was going to fall. He just didn’t think he should give in so easily.

Such a stupid thing and he’d known better. Just last summer he’d nearly slid over the edge chasing jack rabbits. That’s why Papaw had the fence built. Papaw always shook his finger and grumbled on and on about mule-headed boys.

“Three hunnerd acres,” the old man groused. “Still y’all rush on out to that soft pack yonder, like some stubborn ole jackass grazin’ after the sweet grass.”

It hadn’t always been so loose up on the bluff behind the sprawling ranch. Toby’s Daddy and uncles had played out there as boys, when the blue spruce had grown thick. Back then you could sit beneath one of the dense trees and gaze out over the bay, listening to the waves wash against the cliff face 200 feet below.

The rains had come earlier and more intense over the years. The bluff turned muddy. Disease had taken most of the trees. The rest had gone into the bay as the edge of the cliff eroded and the bluff became a dangerous place to walk.

But as often as you can tell a boy to mind the edge, that point doesn’t seem to settle until he catches up against it. And even then, the lesson doesn’t always hold.

A small avalanche of loose dirt and pebbles washed over Toby’s head and down his back. He heard a muffled oath and the sound of scrambling above him. All that rain that Papaw had praised over the winter…this spring it was about to cost the old man his youngest grandson. Toby reckoned there was no way they could get to him with the ground so soft at the ledge. That’s why he was in this mess.

That, and not wanting to lose the new baseball. Chris always threw it too hard. Toby was learning to catch better, but sometimes he just ducked out of the way and then ran to fetch the ball. Toby got a good giggle as he ran too, because he knew his big brother would be annoyed. But then Chris would throw it a little softer so Toby could catch a few before he started winding up for high hard ones again.

Then the baseball rolled under the fence. And Toby skittered beneath the rails, running to get the new ball without a thought. And the ground evaporated beneath his feet.

By chance he caught the root, and now Toby dangled by one hand about 20 feet below the new ledge, with Chris yelling at him to hang on. Toby had watched his new glove tumble through the air and hit the water. The splash looked so tiny. He didn’t see what happened to the new baseball. He’d saved his allowance all winter for that glove. It’d take him another six months to save up to replace it…if he didn’t fall.

It wouldn’t be so bad to fall, would it really? Like the glove…just floating down and down and down. Flying. And then a little splash in the water.

The ground shifted. The root bent and creaked. Toby tightened his grip. His hand was starting to cramp. He didn’t really want to fall. He tried again to dig his feet into the cliff face, but they just scrabbled at the loose rock. His shoulder strained and he felt his fingers slip.

“Help Chris!! I’m gonna fall!” Toby's thin voice cracked as the panic started.

Toby tried to reach his other arm up so he could grab the root with both hands. The stabbing pain reminded him why he was dangling by just one hand. Tears of fear and frustration burned in his eyes.

Something dropped past him. He gasped and cringed. His fingers let loose of the root and he screamed.

But he didn’t fall. He felt a strong grip around his waist and heard his Daddy’s deep voice.

“It’s ok now. I gotcha.”

Toby opened his eyes and looked at the waves crashing against the rocks below.

Nope – it wouldn’t have been so good to fall.

Well, on Tuesday we lost celebrity Jeffrey Ross and pro Edyta Sliwinska's LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS. That's not Jeff in the picture...that's Edyta's husband and professional partner, Alec Mazo.



Who will join them as the second pair eliminated?

Let's cue that theme music and find out, shall we?

Wait! I forgot the proper sequence for results posts. DOH! You need some encores first.

I beg your pardon. I just finished the first 8 week section in my certificate program and I'm a little wonky.

So encores...Pam and I were pleasantly surprised on Monday night by Warren Sapp. Here is the Cha Cha Cha he danced with partner Kym Johnson.


I must give dear Julie her Maks fix!


Ahhhhh...we begin with one of our favorite things as the pros demonstrate a series of Latin styles. We have Rumba followed by Samba and Paso Doble and I think there was a bit of Mambo in there too, all danced to Under Pressure from Queen with David Bowie.

Here's a reminder of our leader board:

26 Brooke and Derek
23 Cody and Julianne
23 Toni and Alec
22 Warren and Kym
22 Susan and Tony
21 Misty and Maks
21 Rocco and Karina
21 Lance and Lacey
21 Maurice and Cheryl
19 Ted and Inna
18 Kim and Mark
16 Cloris and Corky

Mr Cranky Pants can whine all he wants to about modern content, but we love Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer. Our favorite was the Cha Cha Cha from Monday.


We thought that the dance of both nights was the Quickstep from Brooke Burke and Derek Hough.


The first couple that is safe is Brooke and Derek, which is no surprise to us. Joining them next week will be Kim and Mark. Good for her, since she had to wait nearly two hours to find out if she was safe on Tuesday.

Well, Jeffrey and Edyta get to dance their Quickstep after all. He does a very nice job. I'll say this for Jeff Ross...he couldn't dance very well but he didn't make fun of the show.

More results...Cloris and Corky are safe! Oh my.



Singer Jesse McCartney is in the ballroom, performing his song Leavin' accompanied by guest pros. Dangit...Tom introduced them too fast and I didn't catch his name, but it's nice to see the return of Ashley DelGrosso.

Now we must endure Adam Corolla. Given a choice, I think I'd rather have the Jimmy Kimmel junk back.

More results. The next safe couple is Maurice and Cheryl.

The Jonas Brothers perform their song Love Bug, accompanied by Lacey & Derek and Mark & Inna dancing Jive.

More pairs advance to next week...Misty & Maks, Warren & Kym, Susan & Tony, and Rocco & Karina.

And now the final three couples to dance next week...Lance & Lacey, Cody & Julianne, and Toni & Alec.

That means Ted & Inna are out.

Dangit! I'm really out of it. I didn't catch next week's dances.

I hope you enjoyed my super-duper-step-over-lip-lock season premier of Dancing with the Stars. And if you didn't, well, all I can say to that is...

...tough noogies!

Heheheheheheheeee!

What's better than one night of Dancing?

Two nights of Dancing!

Cue that theme music!

On Monday night, 13 celebrities took to the stage with their professional partners. Some danced Foxtrot while some danced Cha Cha Cha. On Tuesday, 12 pairs danced again while one pair was the first to be elminated from the competition.

We began with all the pairs on stage together, and each safe pair was revealed and then had to dance.

One dance is Quickstep, which is characterized by light and tricky footwork in a basic up and down swing motion at a fast pace, with a slow-quick-quick-slow-quick-quick movement. This clip is wonderful, despite the black and white. Please enjoy Igor & Irina Suvorov in a classic Quickstep.


And the other dance is Mambo, which is characterized by accentuated hip movements and sharp staccato steps with rhythmic backwards and forwards motion on the beat. Let's cross over to that other dance show, So You Think You Can Dance, and pick up Lacey's big brother and season 3 champ Benji Schwimmer with cousin Heidi Groskreutz.


This is tough. Each couple has no idea in what order they'll be dancing, or if they'll be dancing at all. The safe couples are announced and then have to dance after the 2-3 minute rehearsal footage. Geez!

So here we go.

Lance & Lacey are the first to be safe tonight and dance Quickstep. The hold was a bit sloppy in spots. He missed a few steps, but overall that was a pretty good Quickstep. They have energy and chemistry, and the musicality is excellent. It was an entertaining dance. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the judges that it was fun but it wasn't quite up to standard. We wondered if Lacey would struggled to choreograph the ballroom styles. So far we have to say she was much better with Latin. Judges say 7,6,8 for a total of 21. We agree with that score.

Misty & Maks are safe and dance Mambo. She's got it going in the hip department. And she's looking less awkward and more comfortable by herself on the stage. There's no doubt that Maks is working his magic with her. Sexy mambo hip swivels bay-bee! She still looked like an athlete on the dance floor, especially in the shoulders and upper arms, but she was much more feminine and OH MY look at those LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS! Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. Again, we agree.

Maurice & Cheryl are safe and dance Mambo. Yet again, Maurice puts on a good show to begin but once the dancing begins he's too stiff. We got the impression from the rehearsal footage that he would be able to get the hips rolling, but we didn't see classic mambo hip action in that dance. It was frenetic and entertaining and fun. But it was also a bit wild and out of control. There's no doubt he's got potential, he just needs to dial it down a couple of clicks so he can control the movement and actually begin to lead Cheryl. We did enjoy it though. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. So far, we're right with the judges.

Brooke and Derek are safe and dance Quick Step. Now if you want to improve your Quickstep posture, you just strap a baby to your chest while you rehearse. We knew those little rugrats were good for something! Ha! And it worked too because that was an excellent Quickstep. The dance was elegant and classy, fun and entertaining. And Brooke goes to the head of the class as the gal to beat at this stage. We didn't get to see LEGS, and there was one little bobbled step, but that dance was fantastic. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26. Yup. That easily could have been 9's across.

Woooooooooooooooooo!!! Cloris & Corky are safe! They dance Mambo. Oh my goodness. That was so silly. I can't critique the dancing. Of course it wasn't a real Mambo. But it didn't have to be. I'll say it again...she is simply delightful. She's having a good time and she's doing her job as an entertainer. And Corky is a real pro to work with her, and make dances that let her have fun. That makes it fun for everyone, instead of something embarrassing. And just so we don't forget, nobody's career is at stake here. It's suposed to be about entertainment. Bleucher! **insert insane horse whinnies** Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.

Toni & Alec are safe and dance Quickstep. Isn't it odd that something reflexive like breathing can become such a problem to remember when you're dancing. The rehearsal footage really emphasized how much trouble she was having with her stamina. But she seemed to solve that during the dance. It was a classic Quickstep. Toni is another front runner early in the competition. Her footwork was excellent for the most part. She got a bit tired toward the end and lost her frame just a bit. She and Alec look good together. We thought it was smooth and elegant and refined. Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23. That 7 from Len must have been for the dropped frame. We thought it was 8's across.

Warren & Kym are safe and dance Quickstep. This is going to be a test. The man is definitely light on his feet. And he's also very suave and so very charming. (Pam said that) Yup...the football players can dance it up! That was terrifically entertaining. There were some issues with his technique and posture. We do agree with the judges that although he got the steps with no problem, his footwork wasn't up to standard. But we had fun watching and he really performed the character of the dance. It's nice to get Quickstep out of the way early. Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22. We'll agree with that.

Ted & Inna are safe and dance Mambo. That was oddly enjoyable. He's not the most musical, but he manages to find the beat. His posture is good and he hits all the steps. He performs the character well, and she choregoraphs a very masculine part for him to play. The Latin dances are going to be difficult for him because he doesn't have the hip action. But the two of them together are entertaining and Inna is doing a great job of teaching him. Judges say 6,6,7 for a total of 19.

Cody & Julianne are safe and dance Quickstep. OK. We're doing Quickstep to I Want You To Want Me. He had his feet in all the right places. The dance had all kinds of energy, but it was also graceful and elegant as it should be. They did a great job of holding frame and keeping posture. It bordered on wild, but stayed on the right side of that edge. We enjoyed the dance. Very entertaining. They look great together. This is one of those perfect pairs because she knows what she's about with teaching and choreography, and she can communicate easily with him because they are basically the same age. Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23. A good score.

Rocco & Karina are safe and dance Mambo. Well! He actually did learn how to move his hips. That was quite surprising. That was actually one of the better Mambos of the night. I'll let Pam tell you what she thought...HAWT SEXY HAWT SEXY HAWT SEXY HAWT SEXY!!! Rocco led Karina through the dance. He was a strong partner, and we didn't see him miss a step. We thought he was in danger, but after that dance we're glad he's safe. And he looks like he's having a great time. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. Good for them!

Susan & Tony are safe and dance Quickstep. She immediately looks more comfortable on the floor. She's still a bit stiff, but that helps her in this style. That was much better! The footwork was good and she looked like she was enjoying herself. She sold the performance. And she looked fantastic. It was tough for her to begin with Latin, but at least she got a chance to dance the ballroom style. She showed off her elegance and class. Good for her! Tony always says that the man's job in ballroom is to put the woman in the spotlight, and he definitely managed that with his choreography for Susan in that dance. Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22. Excellent!

Kim & Mark are safe and dance Mambo. No no no. We're dancing Mambo to Big Butts? She's a bit of a disaster. We didn't like that at all. They have no chemistry between them. She doesn't seem to have any confidence in what she's doing. Granted she had to stand there all night to find out whether she was going to dance or not. It had to be tough to get ready to dance at that point. We don't know very much about Kim, but she's definitely not what we expected. So we'll cut her some slack for being in a tough spot and doing her best. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18.

That means Jeff & Edyta had the lowest vote total and are eliminated. Jeff says "they told me Edyta was going to be easy on the eyes", a reference to getting poked in the eye on Monday. No more Edyta's LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS. Dangit.

Here's our leader board:

26 Brooke and Derek
23 Cody and Julianne
23 Toni and Alec
22 Warren and Kym
22 Susan and Tony
21 Misty and Maks
21 Rocco and Karina
21 Lance and Lacey
21 Maurice and Cheryl
19 Ted and Inna
18 Kim and Mark
16 Cloris and Corky

Well, I voted again for Lance & Lacey and Warren & Kym. Pam stuck with Misty & Maks, but switched to Brooke & Derek. Just as a reminder, DWTS actually limits the number of votes per phone. So we only had 12 votes each.

Tune in at 9pm tonight for results. And tomorrow I'll have encores!

It's back!

Pam and I have had our dinner...some wonderful take out from our favorite Chinese place.

We've got our CAKE...Boston Creme CAKE.

We've got a nice Merlot.

We are ready for some Dancing! So cue that theme music bay-bee!

We're such geeks! We can't stop smiling.

It's a full night...13 pairs and 13 dances. On Tuesday, one pair will be eliminated and then the remaining 12 will dance. Then one more pair will be eliminated on Wednesday.

Tonight we're dancing Foxtrot and Cha Cha Cha.

Foxtrot is characterized by smooth and elegant movements with continuous forward and backward patterns in a slow, quick, quick, slow tempo. Most of the pairs will do American Smooth. I was looking for a clip in that style, but I came across this slow foxtrot that is simply beautiful. Please enjoy Jonathan Wilkins & Katusha Demidova, 9-time United States Professional Standard Ballroom Champions.


Now Cha Cha Cha is characterized by cheeky and flirtatious movements with quick compact steps in a 5 step to 4 beat tempo. This is Maks' little brother Valentin with Valeria Kozharinova.


So let's see how our celebs do.

Cody Linley and Julianne Hough dance Cha Cha Cha. This is a great dance for the youngest pair ever to compete on the show. Ha! Julianne is actually older than her partner for a change. They need to make sure to keep it young and fresh. He's definitely a performer, but he'll need to work on his hip action. He's also just a bit clumsy with his footwork. But they do have chemistry together and it's always tough to go first. They had plenty of energy and they can play to the crowd. He has potential and I suspect they'll stick around for awhile. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. That could have gotten at least one 7, just for the performance value. It was fun to watch.

Rocco Dispirito and Karina Smirnoff dance Foxtrot. Karina severely sprained her ankle in rehearsals and was rushed to the hospital. Rocco came a long way from what we saw in the rehearsal footage. He still needs to work on his posture and he's got very little musicality. He had energy and he was charming, but he was awkward and clunky. Foxtrot should be smooth and elegant, and that wasn't. He's relying on his personality, which might not be enough. Karina did great on a bum ankle, but then we expect that from the pros. But her choreography couldn't hid a lot of flaws. Judges say 5,4,5 for a total of 14. Ouch, but we can't really disagree.

Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo dance Cha Cha Cha. We're expecting a lot from this pair. Toni is coming back from a serious issue with her heart and is working through her fear of exerting herself. She's got the moves and the potential, and she certainly understands what it takes to perform. She needs to extend her arms and watch her hand positions...they were a little flat and her legs were soft. But everything else is there. They just need to refine it and she really needs to let go and dance. She's comfortable on the stage, so she really shouldn't be nervous. Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22. We'll agree with that.

Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke dance Foxtrot. Oddly enough, after that little funky beginning, we expected him to really let go but he got kind of stiff. They have good energy together, but this was not a smooth and elegant Foxtrot at all. Cheryl choreographed a dance to take advantage of his personality. We enjoyed it, but the footwork wasn't very good. The dance was entertaining, and he definitely shows that he's enjoying himself. But the posture suffered in hold and he looked awkward and uncomfortable. There's plenty of potential though. Juges say 6's across for a total of 18. Hmmm...like with Cody & Julianne, maybe there could have been a 7 in there.

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough dance Cha Cha Cha. Oh. Oh. Oh. Now why did they cover up those beautiful LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS? They have great chemistry together. She's got the hips going, although in spots she was a bit awkward with her footwork. Derek choreographed very well for her and led her through it expertly. She's gorgeous and she really knows how to perform. All she needs to do is get over being nervous and she's going to do well in the Latin dances. That was HAWT. Judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23. Yup...she gets the 8's for being HAWT, but we need to see LEGS LEGS LEGS next time.

Ted McGinley and Inna Brayer dance Foxtrot. I see. The first odd music choice...God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. LOL! But, I must say that we finally had an elegant Foxtrot. He was tall and reasonably graceful without looking too silly. It was smooth in parts and the two of them looked good dancing together. The best parts of the dance were in hold, where Ted was surprisingly strong and bold. His footwork was good and he mostly kept his balance when they were in hold. Where he ran into trouble was when he let his nerves get the best of him, and that was when they were out of hold. Props to Inna...she made a very nice dance to capitalize on his strengths. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. We'll agree with that.

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer dance Cha Cha Cha. This is going to be a fun pair. We expect a lot here. And we're doing Cha Cha Cha to Jumpin' Jack Flash. Lacey managed to put all kinds of Cha Cha Cha content in that dance and make it fresh and modern without losing the basics of the style. And Lance may claim to be the worst dancer in N'Sync, but he can Latin just fine. Mr Cranky Pants reared his ugly head...he didn't care for the modern content. But the thing to notice in that dance was that it had lots of competition Cha Cha Cha to it. It was edgy and smokin' and outstanding. Judges say 8,6,8 for a total of 22. Ppppppppfffffftttttttt! Come on Len...that's just silly to be such a grump. That should have been 8's across.

Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas dance Foxtrot. I'm so glad we get to see her in ballroom style. She'll have too much trouble with the Latin dances. We love Cloris...she's just delightful. She's not the best dancer, she's not going to win, and she may not advance past this first dance, but you know she's going to get some votes. We enjoyed her. The woman is 82 years old! The dance was elegant and smooth, for all the content it lacked. And she's such a wonderful comedic talent. Absolutely hilarious! It was the Cloris Leachman show! Bleucher! **insert insane horse whinnies here** Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16. That score is too high. The thing that disappoints us a bit is that we probably won't get to see much of Corky Ballas, but he was certainly the right pro to pair with Ms Leachman.

Jeffrey Ross and Edyta Sliwinska dance Cha Cha Cha. Jeff was poked in the eye during rehearsal and has a scratched cornea and an eye patch. Dang. I guess the best you can say is that he tried. He has no rhythm and no musicality. No technique, awkward and clunky, no chemistry with Edyta. How do you not have chemistry with Edyta???? I'm afraid we're not going to have Edyta's LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS LEGS for too long. But you know what? He took it seriously and didn't make fun of it. He wasn't obnoxious. He did the steps with a scratched eye. Judges say 4's across for a total of 12. That was generous.

Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas dance Foxtrot. She is gorgeous. Oh more LEGS LEGS LEGS. Yikes! It's Foxtrot to the theme from the Pink Panther. She's not terribly engaging on stage. The dance was a bit boring. They didn't connect very well with each other or with the audience. She had fairly good footwork, but she was a bit stiff and not very musical. It was more precise than it was smooth or elegant. There is potential there, but we were actually expecting a bit more. This is the first time Mark has had a partner who wasn't a natural, so it'll be interesting to see how he approaches the Latin style. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19. Now this one we think should have been 6's across.

Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani dance Cha Cha Cha. She's just a little tiny beautiful woman, and we were really rooting for her to do well. She was just a bit too nervous and tentative. This was a tough dance for her to begin with because you really need to let go and just have fun and be cheeky with Cha Cha Cha. She struggled with that. Tony made a good dance for her, slowing it down and controlling it, but her musicality wasn't good and she lost her steps several times. She wasn't able to relax and she just let her nerves get the better of her. We could tell that she was just trying to remember the dance. We think she'll be much better suited to the ballroom styles, if she makes it through. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15. That's a shame, but we have to agree with the score. We really did want her to do well.

Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance Foxtrot. Maks is such an amazing teacher and choreographer. Misty is so clearly a jock, but he's already working magic so that she looks much more graceful than we expected. But dang! She's got some guns on her! They were smooth, elegant, and graceful together, which is a huge challenge for her. She is so focused and she seems to have an innate musicality. There were a few rough spots where she lost her footwork, but Maks will square away any issues with her technique. She's going to get a lot better very quickly. Judges say 6,8,7 for a total of 21. Yeah...we can see how the judges would be all over the board for her.

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson dance Cha Cha Cha. We had no idea what to expect from Warren, other than that he might be light on his feet. But whoa! That man can move! He surprised us just like Emmitt Smith did. He's a big man, but he has tremendous control over his movement. And he has that charming personality. He's got the footwork, that great big smile, lots of chemistry with Kym, and he understands how to compete. The dance had energy and musicality. It was fun and entertaining, and very well danced. Yup...it was cheeky like a Cha Cha Cha should be. There were a few technique issues, and a mistake in the middle, but they covered well. YAY for Kym! Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. that should have had a couple of 8's.

Here's our first leader board:

23 Brooke and Derek
22 Lance and Lacey
22 Toni and Alec
21 Warren and Kym
21 Misty and Maks
19 Kim and Mark
18 Cody and Julianne
18 Ted and Inna
18 Maurice and Cheryl
16 Ms Cloris and Corky
15 Ms Susan and Tony
14 Rocco and Karina
12 Jeff and Edyta

We weren't sure what to expect from this group of celebrities. And although the pairs didn't set any scoring records like they did last season, there's some potential. There are some pretty clear early eliminations, we don't see a clear front runner after the first night. Pam and I think the competition is wide open. And that's great!

We have a special connection to Lacey Schwimmer because she comes from So You Think You Can Dance. I voted for Lacey...I mean Lance & Lacey...and also for Warren & Kym. Pam voted for Misty & Maks and for Lance & Lacey.

Tune in tonight at 9pm when one couple will be eliminated and the remaining 12 pairs will dance again for votes.