Let's see what we've got for encores from Monday's performance show. If you read my recap, you can probably guess what I chose.
Aaron and Karina had a fun and extremely sharp Quickstep, danced to The Theme from the Muppet Show. Click here.
Mya and Dmitry challenged for dance of the night with their sexy Jive. As my pal Anndi pointed out, this dance had some elements of Fosse in it. Click here.
I gotta give dance of the night to Donny and Kym for their theatrical Jive. It had all the performance elements it needed and it was clean and sharp. And Pam said it was the dance of the night. Who am I to argue? Click here.
Those three couples had the stand out performances, and any of them would have been worthy of dance of the night. It's all a matter of opinion and what you like. Everyone else was jammed together in a pack separated by just a couple of points.
Here's the leader board.
27 Mya and Dmitry 27 Aaron and Karina 25 Donny and Kym 21 Mark and Lacey 21 Natalie and Alec 21 Debi and Maks 20 Michael and Anna D 20 Joanna and Derek 19 Kelly and Louis 19 Louie and Chelsie 19 Melissa and Mark 19 Chuck and Anna T 18 Tom and Cheryl 18 Kathy and Tony
Our judges select the Jive from Mya and Dmitry as their encore.
So who is safe? Well I'll tell you. Donny and Kym are safe. Mya and Dmitry are safe. Aaron and Karina are safe.
Joss Stone is in the ballroom, accompanied by pro dancers Jeremy Hudson and Mallory Escoval. Nice.
I wasn't aware that the pairs all rehearsed in a single training center. That's pretty cool.
More results. Mark and Lacey are safe. Natalie and Alec are safe.
Selena Gomez is in the ballroom now. We nearly forwarded through it, but then Karina and Derek came out to dance, so we suffered through the singing.
And results again. Joanna and Derek are safe. Michael and Anna D are safe. Chuck and Anna T are safe. Melissa and Mark are safe. Kelly and Louis are safe.
Macy's Stars of Dance features Stomp the Yard accompanied by the USC Trojan Marching Band. High energy. Amazing tricks. And lots of fun. Cool!
Joss Stone returns with Son of a Preacher Man. She does a decent job with the song, but when I think of this song I think of Dusty Springfield. Ms Stone is accompanied by Anna T & Dmitry and Cheryl & Louis.
Here we go with eliminations now. Tom and Cheryl are safe. LLVito and Chelsie are safe.
That means Kathy & Tony and Debi & Maks are in the bottom two.
Debi and Maks are safe.
Kathy and Tony are out. It's a shame that she didn't have a little more time to get comfortable with the dancing. She's a classy lady.
Tune in next Monday when our 13 remaining couples dance Samba or Rumba.
And don't forget we've got more auditons from So You Think You Can Dance tonight!
This week we're in Atlanta with judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Lil C.
The first kid up has tremendous body control and outrageous lines. His name is Billy and although he has a few bad habits that Nigel pointed out, the judges put him through to Vegas.
Atlanta evidently has some talented dancers who don't understand how to perform and connect with an audience. There is a whole montage of similar dancers and comments from the judges. Then there was a guy with the performance energy but lacking the dance talent. Oy.
But then we saw some lyrical talent...dancers combining performance and technique and emotion, and moving straight through to Vegas.
When faced with a physically challenged dancer, this show first and foremost judges the dance ability. Of course there is acknowledgement of the physical disability. It's part of the person and does put the dancer at something of a disadvantage. But the notes all go to the performance and the dancing, and I respect that. There is a gal who lost her hand to cancer surgery. She makes it through to choreography but isn't able to learn the steps well enough and doesn't make it through to Vegas. She is talented and I hope she works hard and tries again.
We've got one more night of auditions this week, so tune in later when we head to New Orleans for the first time ever.
Dang...getting that last win to clinch the NL West is tough. My Dodgers missed another chance last night, losing to San Diego. We couldn't even back into the title because Colorado beat Milwaukee.
Welcome to week 2. Our 14 remaining pairs will dance either Jive or Quickstep or Tango. That's kind of odd that there are three dance choices. Usually it's just two, a Latin and a ballroom.
Jive is one of my favorite dance styles. It is characterized by rock steps, quick flick kicks, and swing movements, with lots of energy. Energy...check out Julianne and Derek Hough.
Quickstep is characterized by footwork that is fast but smooth and elegant. I'm going to repeat a great Quickstep clip from Christopher Hawkins & Hazel Newberry, circa 1999. They are former 3-time Professional Standard World Champions.
There are many kinds of Tango, but the dance originated in Argentina and Uruguay. Ballroom Tango is generally divided into International and European styles, characterized by staccato movements and head snaps. I'm repeating another clip because I can't think of anyone better to demonstrate the type of Tango we're likely to see than Luca and Lorraine Barrichi dancing International Standard and they are brilliant.
Now lets see how our pairs do, shall we? And remember, Baz Luhrman replaces Mr Cranky Pants on the judging panel this week.
Joanna and Derek dance Jive. OK. I'm going to say something about a model I never thought I'd say. She has terrible legses. They are rubbery and surprisingly not sexy. Dance-wise, she's not clean with her kicks at all. She's very sloppy in the whole dance. No form at all. I think she got by on playing up the hotness factor last week. But Jive takes technique and you have to be clean. The kicks have to be sharp. She looked like she was constantly trying to keep up. On the positive side, they did have great energy and it was a decent performance. Derek's choreography is always a pleasure to watch, although I prefer that he have someone who can at least keep up and dance clean. But overall that was not a good dance. Judges say 6,7,7 for a total of 20. That might be a little high.
Natalie and Alec dance Quickstep. All the oxygen from breathing makes Natalie dizzy. LOL! She's used to holding her breath when she swims. I didn't like the beginning of that dance at all. It looked like she stumbled down the steps. She's still got too much tension in her face. But this week she seems like she's enjoying the dancing a little more. There were some footwork stumbles, but Quickstep is tough. It's very interesting because she's having to unlearn habits that made her a champion as a swimmer. Who would have thought that breathing could become such an issue. But I do enjoy her and I think she's got tremendous potential. I think she's going to grow in this competition if she can hang around. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.
Chuck and Anna T dance Tango. Anna gave Chuck permission not to get in touch with his feminine side, as Len suggested last week, because Tanto is something of an aggressive and dramatic dance. He certainly has the fierce expression. He's still not very musical, but he's projecting as a strong partner. He did pretty well. It wasn't a great dance, but he maintained the character of it and got most of his steps in the right places. He was a bit less awkward, though still not smooth. Anna's choreography played to Chuck's strengths, which are not dancing and musicality. So rather than worry so much about the dancing, they competed. Tango lends itself to that kind of forceful style. I have to give him props for taking advantage of the dance and putting his particular stamp on the performance. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19.
Melissa and Mark dance Jive. Everyone I spoke with about Melissa said the same thing...we all want her to do well! There's just something about her that is endearing and sweet and charming. From the waist up she was all in that dance. I wanted to see her really kick her legs out and flick her feet, but she just wasn't quite getting there. Her face and arms were into it though. So she had about 2/3 of a full Jive. The costumes helped a lot, and having Mark's energy next to her made the dance look a little better than it was because he pulls focus. She improved over last week, but she still needs to work on connecting all the elements of the dance. Footwork is going to be key. It was an enjoyable performance and should earn her another week to keep improving. Judges say 7,6,6 for a total of 19.
Michael and Anna D dance Quickstep. There was much more content in the dance this week. And he actually did the dancing and pulled off the steps. That was much better than last week. Maybe he needed the structure of a ballroom dance instead of the more relaxed feel of a Latin style. It kept him from just wiggling and striding about. He respected the Quickstep and I appreciate that. It wasn't as quick as it should have been, but it was reasonably clean. He and Anna seemed to connect much better in this dance. I still don't like Michael Irvin, but I'm pleased for Anna to bounce back after the criticism from last week about content. Judges say 7,7,6 for a total of 20.
Debi and Maks dance Tango. It only took until the second performance week for Debi to have a meltdown with Maks. I had to turn the music off to enjoy the dance. It was the version of Roxanne from Moulin Rouge and I don't like that music. Debi actually did fairly well in this dance. There was a moment right toward the end where it seemed like Maks was simply flinging her about. On the positive side she had the intensity and drama for the dance. And she got her steps organized with decent form. But there's something I don't really like about her. I can't put my finger on it. It might be that she's not connecting through the dance from beginning to middle to end yet. I do still think she has potential, but it remains to be seen whether she'll grow on me at all. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.
Louie and Chelsie dance Jive. It's official...I gotta call the kid LLVito. That's Little Louie Vito. This should be a great dance for him. It's a perfect combination for his energy and personality. I wish the music had been better. They had all the elements for this jive, but the music just sucked the energy out of the room for me. Dang. That really should have been better than it was. LL performed it OK, but the music was so lifeless that he kept slowing down. I really like the chemistry between the two of them. And I liked the jump he did at the beginning. That's from his snowboard tricks. But overall, that dance was disappointing for me. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19.
Aaron and Karina dance Quickstep. It's Muppet Animal! But why is Muppet Animal banging Muppet drums? Oh! I get it. They are dancing to The Theme to the Muppet Show. Aaron really is a natural. He understands how his body should react and move with the music. He pulled off a terrific performance to a really silly song. Karina's choreography was outstanding and made use of all the little moments in the music. The performance had the potential to be ridiculous, and probably would have been in the hands of a lesser dancer. Instead it was charming and classic. His posture and form were outstanding, and he really did control the movement around the floor. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. That's well deserved.
Kelly and Louis dance Tango. Now I'm nervous. I want her to do as well as last week. The dance started well, but then she made a mistake and lost her focus. She tried to grin through it, but the dance definitely didn't finish as well as it started. I think she put a little too much pressure on herself this week, and when she flubbed she just couldn't pull it back together. There was no way she could have another revelatory moment like the first time. The mistakes just got into her head and then she panicked. Now she just has to slow down, go back to rehearsal, and relax. She has to remember that this is supposed to be fun. She really can do it. Maybe this is what she needed to take the pressure back off. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19.
Kathy and Tony dance Quickstep. I love the music. Tony's choreography seemed purposely delicate. This was designed as an elegant Quickstep, and it came across exactly to that design. I don't know that it had enough content though. It was almost too tentative. The performance and staging was lovely, but the problem was that it just wasn't engaging. It's unfortunate because it seems as though Tony is trying to make the dance comfortable for Kathy. By doing that, he's not requiring her to burst out. However, if that's working for the two of them then who am I to say it's the wrong approach? Judges say 6's across for a total of 18.
Mark and Lacey dance Quickstep. A new entrance, from the crowd...I like it. But dangit. He had a stumble right toward the beginning. He had enough presence not to let it affect him. Actually it seemed to motivate him. He pulled it together quickly. Their side by side jumps were well timed and he maintained his posture and frame. He's much better in his upper body at this point. He has all the elements, he's just not as polished as Aaron at this point. He really has to work on cleaning up his footwork. He just has to relax and dance. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. I think his ability to perform helped him overcome the stumble and keep his score solidly in the middle of the group on what turned out to be an average night.
Mya and Dmitry dance Jive. That dance had all the classic Jive steps with the heat turned up. Could challenge for best dance of the night. That was spot on excellent. It was a full performance with a story. It had energy and enthusiasm. And Dmitry showed that he can make a technically perfect dance and still create theatre. Her kicks were clean and the performance was sizzling. I enjoyed the sass and spice. Mr Cranky Pants may not have enjoyed the beginning of the dance, but there really wasn't anything to complain about in that choreography or in the performance. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.
Tom and Cheryl dance Tango. Tom has a foot injury this week, so we'll see how that affects his dancing. He's quite light on his feet and he is in control of the dance. I have to give him props because he can really do this. He has more appropriate music this week and that allows him to really perform the character of the dance. And except for the slight stumble at the end, he danced that very well. But that foot gave out on the final pose and I hope he didn't injure himself. The choreography was classic, elegant, and dignified, and he had it right until the end when he stumbled. As a fan of dance, I'm disappointed for him. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. That's unfortunate because I think he was headed for an 8 or two.
Donny and Kym dance Jive. Donny is wearing purple and Pam let out another sqeee. I happened to mention to Pam that Donny was 51 years old. She said "NO! He's not 51! He's 13! He'll always be 13!" Hehehehehehe! I love this choreography to Secret Agent Man. That was a great dance! It still had quite a bit of theatricality to it, but it was also a very classic Jive. That rivals Mya for dance of the night. That was fantastic! It walked the right side of the cheesy line. And may I just add...BOOTSSES!!! Kym's outfit was drool-inducing. So this dance had a little something for Pam and a little something for me. Let's have a wooooooooooo!! Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25. Pam had a bit of a hissy because she thought it was perfect. Well of course she did. I thought it was worth at least two 9s.
Here's our leader board:
27 Mya and Dmitry 27 Aaron and Karina 25 Donny and Kym 21 Mark and Lacey 21 Natalie and Alec 21 Debi and Maks 20 Michael and Anna D 20 Joanna and Derek 19 Kelly and Louis 19 Louie and Chelsie 19 Melissa and Mark 19 Chuck and Anna T 18 Tom and Cheryl 18 Kathy and Tony
I don't really have to say that all of Pam's votes went to Donny, do I? That's pretty much a given every week. As for me, I split between Kelly, Mya, and Mark.
Tune in tonight at 23:00 for another jam-packed results show.
We get a double-shot of SYTYCD this week, with another audition show tonight opposite DWTS results and a second audition shot tomorrow night.
OK, I know that the Schoolhouse Rock song says that 3 is a magic number.
But for my Dodgers it's 4, as in a combination of 4 LA wins or Colorado losses to win the NL West and only 1 more win until they clinch a playoff spot.
Before we get to results. Let's have a few encores from the last couple days of performances.
I think Mya took an unjustified hit from Mr Cranky Pants for Dmitry's choreography choices in the Viennese Waltz. I understand, and even agree to a certain extent, that the dance probably should have had more traditional competition elements to it. Lacey gets the same criticism. But Len should have addressed Mya's dancing before he went off on Dmitry. I thought Len was disrespectful, and his score of 5 for the dance unfairly penalized Mya for something beyond her control. Click here to enjoy the Viennese Waltz from Mya and Dmitry.
Aaron and Karina are real contenders. He has natural ability and the two of them had great chemistry together. Click here to enjoy the Cha Cha Cha from Aaron and Karina.
The Chairman also has natural ability and potential, along with a ton of charisma. Click here to enjoy the Cha Cha Cha from Mark and Lacey.
That squeal you might have heard Monday night was Pam and the thousands of ladies who used to have crushes on Donny Osmond...and maybe still do. Click here to enjoy the Foxtrot from Donny and Kym.
Dance of premier week honors go to Kelly and Louis for their beautiful Viennese Waltz. Click here to enjoy it again.
Now let's have some results.
Here's a reminder of our leader board after the first dances:
34 Joanna and Derek 32 Aaron and Karina 31 Mya and Dmitry 31 Kelly and Louis 30 Donny and Kym 29 Mark and Lacey 27 Louie and Chelsie 27 Natalie and Alec 24 Melissa and Mark 22 Debi and Maks 22 Chuck and Anna T 20 Tom and Cheryl 20 Kathy and Tony 19 Ashley and Edyta 19 Michael and Anna D 19 Macy and Jonathan
YAY! The judges select Kelly and Louis for the encore performance.
The first two fellas who are safe are Louie with Chelsie and Aaron with Karina.
Sean Kingston is in the ballroom doing a little reggae rap.
The next three who will return are Mark with Lacey, Chuck with Anna T, and Donny with Kym. Thank you DWTS for not leaving Donny until late in the results...it's really not nice to make Pam hold her breath for so long.
Finally, Tom and Cheryl are safe as are Michael and Anna D.
That means Ashley and Edyta are out.
You'll forgive me if I forward through the Mylie Cyrus video without any commentary, won't you? I thought you might. Thanks.
Now the first two ladies to be safe are Natalie with Alec and Mya with Dmitry.
You'll also forgive me if I forward through the Adam Carolla thing? Good. Thanks.
Let's watch the Macy's Stars of Dance instead! It's The Lion King! I saw this live on Broadway with my sister. That was so cool.
The next three who will return are Melissa with Mark, Joanna and with Derek, and Debi with Maks.
The pros perform a beautiful series of dances in tribute to Patrick Swayze. Cheslie and Dmitry started with a Rumba to She's Like the Wind. Then Anna T and Jonathan danced to Unchained Melody from Ghost.
And then Cheryl and Tony recreated the final dance from Dirty Dancing. They did this for the first time back in season 2. Back then they were joined by some of Maks' students. This time it's Chelsie & Dmitry, Anna T & Jonathan, and Anna D & Louis.
OK...I'm not too proud to admit it...that was very emotional.
Here's the clip from season 2.
But we still have the last bit of business. Kelly and Louis are safe, as are Kathy and Tony.
That means Macy and Jonathan are out.
Baz Luhrman is in the ballroom next Monday as a special guest judge. Dances next week are Jive, Quickstep, or Tango.
Oh, you may have noticed that I haven't been around to visit in several days. There just hasn't been time. Things have gotten hectic with work and with stuff around home. But I'm collecting your posts in my handy dandy Google reader, so I'll resume rounds very soon.
I hope you enjoyed the first week of dancing. Have a fantabulous weekend!
Auditions this week take us to Boston with judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Emmy winner Tyce DiOrio. I have to use Emmy winner like a title because the shine is still on the award he won on Sunday.
Now here's a B-Boy that can do some strength tricks. Wow. And he's got a little rhythm to go with it. They put him right through to Vegas, but no matter how good the tricks are, I think B-Boys should always do choreography.
There's another tapper and he's 6'8"! His tapping is very clean, although he's not as engaging as Ryan or Bianca or Phillip, but I think there could be room for a 4th tapper in Vegas. They sent him to choreograpy, but he didn't make it through. I hope he comes back. He's only 18.
And there was an outstanding krumper. I don't normally like this style, but this guy made it work and made it accessible. It looked like an art form when he did it. He says he is trained in other styles, and he goes on to choreography. They didn't show him dancing, but he made it through to Vegas.
One more week down! We're getting closer to Vegas week.
Live from Hollywood, it's the second night of the three night premier of Dancing with the Stars!
I got off to a bit of a rough start with my reviews, and I apologize. I should have given you a demonstration of the two dances. Do forgive me.
The men danced Fox Trot and Cha Cha Cha.
Foxtrot is a smooth and elegant dance characterized by long and continuous flowing movements. International style is done mostly in close standard hold, while the American version allows for dancing apart and side by side. Think Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Or think Marcus and Karen Hilton. I return to them again, because they are simply the most elegant and best examples I can find. This is from 1998.
Cha Cha Cha is characterized by hips rolled off a straight weighted leg and a bent free leg. The hips settle naturally in the direction of the weighted leg. This is from the 100th Monkey Showcase in Seattle 2006.
On Monday our male pros opened the show. This time it's our female pros in all their sequined glory, with a little Latin flavor to She's A Lady. YEOWZA! These women are HAWT! Pass me a drool towel.
Our Lady celebrities and their partners take the stage, also dancing both a ballroom and a Latin style as the gentlemen did last on Monday. The ladies dance Viennese Waltz and Salsa.
The Viennese Waltz is one of my favorite dances, characterized by simple and elegant rotational movement around the floor. This is Karen and Marcus Hilton, who are nine time professional international standard world champions.
Salsa is characterized by weight changes on the beat, shifting weight in the lower body while the upper body holds level and unaffected by the movement. This is Juan Gonzales and Lucia Ruiz.
Let's see how our female celebrities do.
Debi Mazar, actor, and Maks Chmerkovskiy dance Salsa. I had no idea what to expect from her. I'm not that familiar with her work. She was a bit awkward, especially during spins. She didn't have control of the movement, so she wasn't able to stop herself when she turned. And then when she got lost a couple of times, she did that little bunny hop with her hands...you know what I mean? That little flex of the fingers and shake that says "Dangit!" She needs to learn to get on the balls of her feet, and to listen to the music. Maks didn't spare the choreography and she had some trouble keeping up. She was really focused on getting the steps. She needs to relax and trust Maks, and just dance it. I could see the potential in the rehearsal footage. Now she just needs to gain some confidence that she can do this. Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.
Melissa Joan Hart, actor, and Mark Ballas dance Viennese Waltz. Ahhh...David Cook. This is such a perfect song for Waltz. I want to see her finish out the lines and extend her arms through her hands through her fingers. She was much too stiff and she just the "not quite" side of elegant and graceful. She didn't seem secure in turns. I was actually surprised. I had it in my head that she would be better than that. She was very heavy in her feet and unsure of her steps. As Mark said, she wore her shoulders as earrings. She has to figure out how to relax. Waltz isn't easy, but it should be made to look effortless and that looked like a struggle. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. I don't think it was that good. But I like her and I hope she improves because I like her personality.
Mya, singer/songwriter, and Dmitry Chaplin dance Viennese Waltz. She has a tap background. I am always impressed by Dmitry's choreography. Her lines are beautiful in her arms...that's what I mean about extending. I'd like to see more toe point when she when she kicks her leg up on a spin. This was a beautiful dance. She had a few issues with posture, and some unfortunate moments with bent legs. But this is all correctible stuff. Overall I thought she was elegant and classy. She and Dmitry are very well suited to dance together. I do agree just a bit with Len about wanting more dancing in hold. But the dancing that they did together was beautifully done. I think Len put on the Cranky Pants and took the scolding a little too far. Regardless of any perceived departures from true Viennese Waltz...and there were many...that dance connected with viewers and was very well performed. Judges say 8,5,8 for a total of 21. The 5 is insulting to the artistry of the choreography and I suspect won't fuss voters that much. I agree that the pros must maintain enough competition content, but they are not constrained to a particular set of rules other than no lifts. And when a dance is artfully choreographed, it's disrespectful not to acknowledge how well it was danced. Pull a point off if you must, but that dance deserved 8's across for how well it was performed.
Kathy Ireland, model and entrepreneur, and Tony Dovolani dance Salsa. Tony has a great attitude. Kathy says she doesn't know how to dance, and Tony replies that she'll have no bad habits. Regrettably, she also doesn't appear to have any rhythm in rehearsal footage. Wait...hips are working as she starts the dance and she is stepping it. She's a little timid, but she's got the hip action. A lot of times you'll see the celebrities forget about their hips when they go from move to move. But she maintained that swivel throughout the dance. She wasn't amazing, but she was not a train wreck. What she needs to do is get some confidence and let loose. It wasn't hot or sexy. She did pretty well for the first time, and for someone who admittedly didn't know how to dance. Well done. Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.
Natalie Coughlin, Olympic champion swimmer, and Alec Mazo dance Salsa. Oh yeah baby! Now we're talking hip action. She has to continue to work on relaxing her face and she got a little bit lost toward the end. It blew her concentration enough, and she kind of ran out of steam. She started off really strong though. I think she's got a lot of potential. She made me smile throughout the whole dance. She has to be confident that she can do this, because she can. But again, it was a sweet and fun performance. It didn't sizzle. Not a hot and sexy Salsa, but a fun one. Judges say 7,6,6 for a total of 19.
Macy Gray, singer/songwriter, and Jonathan Roberts dance Viennese Waltz. She's got a bit of sass. She's not as graceful as I'd like to see. and she's playing the dance with attitude. She can do this if she takes it seriously. She had a lot of fun with it and I really enjoyed wathing that performance. She was vivacious and charming. Carrie Ann had the words I wanted...Macy's dancing seemed fascinating, genuine, innocent, and pure. There was a joy about the way she moved. It's kind of attractive. She is not going to be the best technical dancer. But she's beautiful and engaging and she just threw herself into the dance. I think Jonathan is a perfect partner for her. She became more elegant the longer the dance went on. And then backstage she blew off the cute and vulnerable act by forgetting herself and speaking words that had to be silenced! HA! Judges say 6,4,5 for a total of 15.
Joanna Krupa, model, and Derek Hough dance Salsa. Here's our sexy pair. And the dance started off much hotter than some of the others. Then she stumbled a bit and lost her focus for a couple of beats. I felt like I saw too many little mistakes for this dance to sustain any kind of heat. She definitely has potential. When she didn't stumble, she was able to keep her hips working. Derek's choreography gave her moments to sizzle, but overall I didn't think that dance was as good as the judges thought it was. I couldn't get passed a couple of stumbles. Joanna is definitely hot looking, but let's not let her looks overshadow the dancing. She had more confidence than the other ladies, and that made the dance look so much better than the other Salsa's that we've seen. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. I think that's a bit high. I thought Mya's dance was of higher performance quality.
Kelly Osbourne, actor and singer, and Louis van Amstel dance Viennese Waltz. HA! Louis meets Ozzy. Bwahahahahahahaaaa! I really really want her to be good. She looks stunning. Oh my. She forgot a few steps, but it didn't matter. The look on her face was priceless. I got a chill. It's the same thing I felt watching little Louie Vito last night. Kelly Osbourne...Princess. She was just beautiful. Ozzy and Sharon were in the ballroom. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed that performance. It was just a sweet and elegant moment. I bow to Louis van Amstel. This was not the best Viennese Waltz I have ever seen, but it was among the finest fairy tales I have seen on this show. I loved that performance. Judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23. Outstanding. Carrie Ann took off for Kelly's foot coming off the floor in a spin.
And now comes the dance relays.
First group is Natalie & Alec, Kathy & Tony, Joanna & Derek, and Debi & Maks dancing Fox Trot. Natalie was elegant, but sometimes she cut her arms a bit too short. Kathy was sophisticated, classy, and long, but a bit awkward. Joanna was a little too stiff in her arms and didn't seem as elegant or smooth to me. Debi was regrettably clumsy. Hmmmm. I think I liked Kathy best in that one. Judges say 4 points to Kathy & Tony, 6 points to Debi & Maks, 8 points to Natalie & Alec, and 10 points to Joanna & Derek.
Second group is Kelly & Louis, Macy & Jonathan, Melissa & Mark, and Mya & Dmirty dancing Cha Cha Cha. Macy had a careless sultry quality. Melissa was a bit timid with the sexiness, but looked like she had fun. Mya smoked it in a professional caliber performance. But Kelly has hooked me with her charm and ability. Judges say 4 points to Macy & Jonathan, 6 points to Melissa & Mark, 8 points to Kelly & Louis, and 10 points to Mya & Dmitry.
Here's our complete leader board after two nights of most enjoyable work from our celebrities and pros.
34 Joanna and Derek 32 Aaron and Karina 31 Mya and Dmitry 31 Kelly and Louis 30 Donny and Kym 29 Mark and Lacey 27 Louie and Chelsie 27 Natalie and Alec 24 Melissa and Mark 22 Debi and Maks 22 Chuck and Anna T 20 Tom and Cheryl 20 Kathy and Tony 19 Ashley and Edyta 19 Michael and Anna D 19 Macy and Jonathan
We split our votes between Kelly and Mya.
And that's it for the first two nights of performances. Have you got a favorite yet?
Tune in for results tonight. Two couples will be eliminated.
Live from Hollywood, it's the return of Dancing with the Stars!
Welcome to the first evening of the three night premier! And welcome back to our host, one of the best in the business, Tom Bergeron. The lovely Samantha Harris returns for more of her backstage interviews.
Our familiar judges return with Len Goodman flanked by Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
And it's the male pros to start us off with some rapid Jive steps to The Boys are Back in Town. And that deserves our first WOOOOOOOOOOO of the season!!!
The fellas are up first, dancing both a ballroom and a Latin style. Wow! I think this is the first time our celebrities have had to learn two dances for the same night.
Aaron Carter, singer and actor, and Karina Smirnof dance Cha Cha Cha. He's got an advantage because he's been performing for so long. He's got no fear of the stage and looks very comfortable with the style of dance. This is a great dance for him to start with too, because it takes advantage of some of his natural movement. He's got the hip action squared away for the most part. He's a little rough with his footwork, but that's to be expected. His connection with Karina is spot on. She has given him some solid choreography to start with, and he did well with it. I didn't have any idea what to expect from him. He has great potential, he just needs to focus and clean up the steps. Well done. Judges say 7,8,7 for a total of 22.
Chuck Liddell, ultimate fighting champion, and Anna Trebunskaya dance Foxtrot. Rehearsals were not kind to Chuck. His feet were really heavy and he's plodding and awkward. His movement is stiff and uncertain. But I give him props because he's trying. The concentration is on his face, but he found a few spots where he could smile. It certainly wasn't well danced, but he didn't disrespect it and he took it seriously. He didn't have any musicality at all and he wasn't classy or smooth. However, it really wasn't the disaster it might have been...not sophisticated, but not knuckle dragging either. Pam gave him props for being charming, and she didn't expect that. It was a good start. Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.
Mark Decascos, The Chairman from Iron Chef America, and Lacey Schwimmer dance Cha Cha Cha. He looks fantastic in rehearsal footage. He's got a lot of natural ability that Lacey is going to be able to take advantage of. He'll have to work on posture and also on connecting one move to the next so that everything is seamless. And he'll need to curb some of the natural enthusiasm that can cause over-dancing...that's the key to keeping the dance smooth. But his musicality was excellent and Lacey made a great dance for him. She took advantage of his ability and the way he can move. He's got everything he needs to do well in this competition and now Lacey has to improve his footwork and technique. He's got the presentation and performance down. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.
Ashley Hamilton, actor and comedian, and Edyta Sliwinska dance Foxtrot. He doesn't appear graceful at all. He's a tall man dancing with a short woman, and unlike most first time ballroom dancers he does appear to be staying tall rather than stooping over. That gives him an elegance, despite the fact that he's a bit awkward and slow in his footwork. But he's not horrible. He looks like he's enjoying himself. He was a pretty good lead and he danced with Edyta, rather than posing and letting her dance around him. He was focused on his footwork and I didn't see a lot of misplaced steps. The one thing I thought lacking was a connection to the audience. He's at a bit of a disadvantage unless his dad's fanbase is transferrable. We thought it was a good performance. A bit rough, but nicely done. Judges say 5,6,4 for a total of 15. That 4 is too low.
Donny Osmond, entertainer, and Kym Johnson dance Foxtrot. OK...I just have to tell you how sweet and cute this is. Pam let out a squee that startled Mr Tucker, and she sat on the edge of the sofa with her hands clasped in front of her, and a huge smile on her face. And she was rewarded because Donny did very well. Perfromance isn't going to be an issue at all for him. He was smooth and sophisticated, with a ton of charm thrown in. And he managed to do things like keep his frame except for a bit of rounded shoulders, be a strong partner to Kym, connect one move to another, and put his feet in the right places. The performance was outstanding. Of course my smitten Lady thought it was perfect and she immediately got busy dialing. But we knew that was going to happen. I enjoyed the performance, but I recognize that Donny isn't a runaway technical dancer. I will say that his fanbase is going to give him plenty of time to take notes and improve on the technical parts of his dancing. The performing is always going to be strong. Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20. Pam is not pleased, but Donny himself agreed that he has work to do and he got carried away in theatricality.
Louie Vito, snowboard champion, and Chelsie Hightower dance Foxtrot. I think this is actually the first time I've seen him smile. In all the promos he's got a bit of a grimace. But that grin was one of those hey-look-at-what-I-learned-how-to-do things. It was very endearing, almost as though he was tickled at how well he was doing. He had a few stumbles, but I enjoyed watching him. He actually did ok with that, and he got better and more confident as he continued to dance. He had good posture in between the slipping and mis-steps. And there's is no getting around the fact that he's charming. He'll get votes just from that, and from how much fun he seemed to have while he was dancing. Chelsie is a great teacher...remember what she did with Ty Murray last season. Nicely done. Judges say 6,7,6 for a total of 19.
Michael Irvin, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver, and Anna Demidova dance Cha Cha Cha. I do not like Michael Irvin. Optimal outcome for me would be a very quick elimination, with apologies to new pro Anna. So Michael stood in the middle of the floor and wiggled a bit. Then he moved around the room in a sort of Cha Cha Cha pattern. It wasn't horrible. He has some smoothness and plenty of rhythm, although his timing to the music was a bit off. He'll have to work on technique and posture. And Anna will have to work on the content because there just wasn't quite enough dancing. I was a bit surprised by how minimal the content was, especially considering how well she choreographed dances during the new pro competition last season. Judges say 5,4,4 for a total of 13.
Tom DeLay, politician, and Cheryl Burke dance Cha Cha Cha. Wild Thing? Really? OK that was a funny comment...going left for Mr DeLay is totally outrageous. But this music for an old conservative is just not working for me. I do have to give him props for letting loose and just going with the dance. And I have to say he wasn't really the worst of the night either. He had a certain grace about him and he wasn't that awkward. And he was better than some other older gentlemen who have been on the show. Cheryl is great. The problem was missing Cha Cha Cha content. There just wasn't enough of it. There was some basic stuff in it and he performed well. But there was too much play to the bad music. Now of course the question is going to be...who is watching this show, and will they vote based on the dancing or on the politics? Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16.
That wraps up the first dance for the fellas. Now we have something called a relay dance, where we get a chance to see two groups of four. They dance either a Salsa or a Viennese Waltz and we get a chance to compare them against each other in the same style with the same music. Then the judges will rank them and assign points to be added to the scores from each pair's first dance. Got it?
The first group is Ashley & Edyta, Chuck & Anna T, Louie & Chelsie, and Donny & Kym dancing a Salsa relay. Ashley was very timid and awkward. Chuck attacked the dance, but he was mostly a prop for Anna although he did that well. Donny and Kym controlled the floor and smoked the Salsa. Louie threw a backflip, but then was a bit shy in the dancing part. I thought Donny was the winner among the four. Judges say 4 points to Ashley & Karina, 6 points to Chuck & Anna T, 8 points to Louis & Chelsie, and 10 points to Donny & Kym.
The second group is Aaron & Karina, Mark & Lacey, Tom & Cheryl, and Michael & Anna D dancing a Viennese Waltz relay. Aaron was elegant and smooth, although I thought the tempo was too fast and out of control. Mark slowed it down and danced very sophisticated, with wonderful arm lines. Tom was the classy older gentleman, although a bit awkward rather than fluid. Michael looked uncomfortable and struggled with posture. I thought either Mark or Aaron was the winner. Judges say 4 points to Tom & Cheryl, 6 points to Michael & Anna, 8 points to Mark & Lacey, 10 points to Aaron & Karina.
I like this relay thingy. Each couple gets the stage to itself, so that makes it easier for me to recap.
Here's our leader board after two dances for the fellas:
32 Aaron and Karina 30 Donny and Kym 29 Mark and Lacey 27 Louie and Chelsie 22 Chuck and Anna T 20 Tom and Cheryl 19 Ashley and Edyta 19 Michael and Anna D
There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that Pam's 8 votes went to Donny. My votes went to Mark and Lacey.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening watching the fellas. Tune in tonight when we'll see how well the ladies do. And then tomorrow night, we'll eliminate two couples.
Take This Tune is a feature hosted by my pal Jamie at Duward Discussion. Jamie puts up a video prompt complete with lyrics to the song, and the task is to write something inspired by the title of the song or something in the lyrics.
Please scroll down for the first prompt, a tribute to Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Today's second prompt is September Morn by Neil Diamond.
"We danced until the night became a brand new day Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play"
There are times when I feel that I'm living "some romantic play". There are times when I feel like I stumbled into something that I don't really deserve. There are times when I feel like I've stolen something. There are times when I feel like my life can't get any better than it is, and then it does.
Those times are every time I look and see her beside me.
I never knew that two people could be so compatible. I suspected that two people could love as deeply as we do. But I had no idea such a thing could be sustainable.
Mostly I thought that way because I didn't know how to do it. People tell you that relationships take work, but I didn't know how to work at it. That's probably because the work you end up doing isn't the same for every relationship. I guess if it was then you could take a class and study and do your homework and graduate and live happily ever after.
Silly.
I'll always be amazed out how the last three years have unfolded for Pam and I. We live in our own romantic play. We let "real life" intrude when it bangs on the door a bit too loudly. But then we get to retreat into our fairy tale, where we dance through the days and nights of our life together.
Shhhhh...don't tell my boss that I saved a few graphics and pictures to use while I blog. Wait...you didn't tell that I'm using my work computer to blog and stay in touch with my blog pals, did you?
You didn't? Whew! I knew I could trust you.
So you know what this means? I'll have pictures to go with my dancing recaps! Dancing with the Stars premiers tonight!!
My personal laptop screen is still kaput. I've been shopping and I'm zeroing in on the new laptop I want. I can get one from Dell with Vista now, and it will be upgradeable to MS7 operating system when it comes out next month. So I could pull the trigger on the purchase early. It all comes down to budget now.
I'll keep you posted.
Take This Tune is a feature hosted by my pal Jamie at Duward Discussion. Jamie puts up a video prompt complete with lyrics to the song, and the task is to write something inspired by the title of the song or something in the lyrics.
Today's prompt is a tribute to Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Mary Travers of the folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary, died last week from cancer. I often say that I'm not a big fan of folk music, but that doesn't seem true. I enjoy any type of music that is pleasing to my ear or gets me excited or makes me want to dance or...well, I think you get the idea.
Liking music shouldn't be about genre. I understand the need to classify music by genre, but we don't really like or dislike it in that way. If you like a bit of music, it shouldn't matter how "they" classify it.
I have always loved the mellow and gentle harmony of PP&M.
I also love the music of Gordon Lightfoot. One of my favorite tunes of his is Early Morning Rain, written in 1964 and recorded by him in 1966.
So my answer to Take This Tune is Early Morning Rain as performed by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Mr Lightfoot credits PP&M with taking his career to the next level by recording this song.
I'll add Elvis Presley's cover, just because I can.
And a cover by The Kingston Trio as well.
Jerry Reed covered it too.
And Chad & Jeremy.
And now from the songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot. This is the one I like the best.
See? A good song is a good song. Others who have recorded it are Ian & Sylvia (who were first to release it as a single), Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Grateful Dead, Judy Collins, and Eva Cassidy.
I quietly commented on the nice run by SF RB Frank Gore, 79 yards for a TD toward the end of the first quarter to give the 49ers a 10-0 lead.
Nah! I did a happy dance and shouted WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GO BABY GO BABY GO BABY GO! And then he did it again in the 3rd quarter for 80 yards to help lead SF to a 23-10 victory and a 2-0 start to the season.
Of course, I was solicitous and concerned when Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck went down with a rib injury. Both Pam and I were worried that it was his back again. We don't want to see any player get injured.
And it's always tough when our teams play against each other. Someone is going to be unhappy.
49er QB Shaun Hill isn't a great stat guy. He only threw for 144 yards on 19 of 26. But he didn't make a big mistake with an interception. Gore was the guy with his 2 long TD runs. He finished with 207 yards on 16 carries. The defense was the other story for SF, holding Seattle to less than 300 yards of offense.
SF (2-0) is at Minnesota (2-0) next week, while Seattle (1-1) hosts Chicago (1-1).
It's a double happy day as my Raiders beat Kansas City 13-10. Oakland couldn't run the ball or throw the ball with any degree of efficiency. The Chiefs had 409 yards of offense to my Raiders 166 yards.
But Oakland didn't turn the ball over and KC couldn't score touchdowns. At the end of the game, despite going 7 of 24 for 109 yards, QB JeMarcus Russell drove the Raiders 69 yards on 9 plays in 1:31. RB Darren McFadden ran 5 yards for the winning score.
It's ugly, but it's a W. These are the kinds of games the Raiders need to learn how to win. It would be great to have an accurate passer under center, a guy who can consistently get 250-300 yards passing and a couple of TDs every game, but we don't. So the defense is going to have to keep games close and give the team a chance, like it did today by intercepting KC QB Matt Cassel twice. It's a work in progress and it's going to be frustrating I'm sure over the next 14 games.
Oakland (1-1) hosts Denver next week (2-0).
Wait, did I say double happy? I meant to say triple happy because my Dodgers beat Tim Lincecum and the Giants today to take 2 of 3 from SF. Colorado also won today, so they remain 5 games back in the NL West. But my Dodgers' magic number now goes to 8 with 12 games to play.
But guess what? The magic number for my Dodgers to clinch a spot in the playoffs is only 4!!
And you know what else? I used to be concerned that our pitching wasn't going to be good enough. But that's what I get for listening to pronouncers and baseball "experts" instead of checking the numbers for myself. Get this...the LA pitching staff:
leads the major leagues in ERA at 3.41. That's .18 better than the Giants who are widely considered to have one of, if not the, best pitching staffs in baseball.
is tied for 5th in the majors for games saved, converting 42 of 65 opportunities.
has given up the 3rd fewest home runs to date, 117 through 149 games.
has given up the 2nd fewest total hits to date, 1,171 through 149 games.
is 3rd in the majors in strike outs with 1,151 thorugh 149 games.
is best in the majors in opponent on base average at .311.
So I'd say that my Dodgers' supposed lack of productive pitching is a myth. We may not have anyone among the league leaders in pitching, and we may not have a staff ace in the traditional sense of the term, but I'm much more confident that our staff has what it takes to get deep into the post season. If it takes a committee, then dangit it looks like we got one.
A little knowledge backed up by facts is good for the soul.
You know what else is good for the soul? A little bit of Faith Hill on a Sunday evening.
GO HUSKIES!!!!! Washington pulled off the improbable upset over #3 USC, with Junior QB Jake Locker leading a 63 yard drive on 10 plays in just over 4 minutes to set up the winning field goal from sophomore kicker Erik Folk in the final seconds.
EPIC!
I admit that UW got a huge benefit from the absence of USC freshman QB Matt Barkley, who didn't play due to a sore shoulder. And the Trojans may have had a bit of a hang over after the come back win last week against Ohio State. It's easy to overlook a team like Washington. I'm sure the USC players know that Washington didn't win a game last year, and had lost 15 straight until last week's win over Idaho.
But the Huskies still had to play the game, and despite giving up 250 yards rushing to USC, UW just kept hanging around and hanging around. The Huskies did not turn the ball over while forcing the Trojans into 2 fumbles and an interception. Locker threw for 237 yards on 21 of 35 and ran for the Huskies' only TD. Freshman RB Chris Polk ran for 71 yards on 25 carries. Folk was 3 for 3 on field goals, with a long of 46 yards.
Now Washington has won two in a row. I don't want to say that USC is out of the BCS championship picture, but this is a major blow to the Trojans' chances to play in the championship game.
Washington is at Stanford next week, while USC hosts Washinton State.
Notre Dame bounced back with a big win against Michigan State in South Bend. I say it's a big win because the Spartans hadn't lost at ND since 1993.
Junior QB Jimmy Clausen threw for 300 yards on 22 of 31 with 2 TDs, including the eventual game winner to junior WR Golden Tate with just over 5 minutes to play. Tate caught 7 passes for 127 yards. Junior RB Armando Allen ran for 115 yards and a TD on 23 carries. It's great to see Allen playing after the inury late in the game last week against Michigan. Regrettably, Sophomore WR Michael Floyd, who also missed the end of last week's game with a leg injury, went down this week with what could be a broken collarbone.
But the biggest plays came in the closing minutes, when MSU missed a catch in the end zone and then senior S Kyle McCarthy intercepted a pass to preserve the win.
Notre Dame is at Purdue next week.
Did I happen to mention that I love my DVR? I had a bunch of things to do today, and so did Pam. We went our separate ways at 07:30 and didn't return home until nearly 17:00. We watched Texas Tech vs Texas, and then we snuggled up and watched Notre Dame beat MSU and Washington pull off the major upset over USC.
Cool!
Here's a look at the results for the AP Top 25:
1 Florida beat Tennessee 23-13. Florida rushed for a combined 208 yards and 2 TDs on 44 carries. 2 Texas beat Texas Tech 34-24. Jordan Shipley returned a punt for a TD. For TT, Taylor Potts threw for 420 yards on 46 of 63 with 3 TDs. 3 USC lost 16-13 to Washington. 4 Alabama beat North Texas 53-7. Alabama rushed for a combined 260 yards and 5 TDs on 45 carries. 5 Mississippi beat SE Louisiana 52-6. Jevan Snead threw for 209 yards on 16 of 28 with 3 TDs. 5 Penn State beat Temple 31-6 7 BYU lost 54-28 to Florida State. FSU rushed for a combined 313 yards and 4 TDs on 49 carries. 8 California beat Minnesota 35-21. Jahvid Best rushed for 131 yards and 5 TDs on 26 carries. 9 LSU beat LA-Lafayette 31-7. Chad Jones intercepted 2 passes. 10 Boise State beat Fresno State 51-34. Jeremy avery rushed for 186 yards on 11 carries and DJ Harper ran for 107 yards on 12 carries. Kellen Moore threw for 181 yards on 18 of 26 with 3 TDs. For FSU, Ryan Mathews rushed for 234 yards on 19 carries with 3 TDs. 11 Ohio State beat Toledo 38-0. Terrelle Pryor threw for 262 yards on 17 of 28 with 3 TDs and rushed for 110 yards and a TD on 12 carries. 12 Oklahoma beat Tulsa 45-0. Landry Jones threw for 336 yards on 25 of 37 with 6 TDs. 13 Virginia Tech beat #19 Nebraska 16-15. Ryan Williams rushed for 107 yards and a TD on 21 carries. 14 Georgia Tech lost 33-17 to #20 Miami 15 TCU beat Texas State 56-21. Joseph Turner rushed for 129 yards and 3 TDs on 13 carries. 16 Oklahoma State beat Rice 41-24. Dez Bryant caught 9 passes for 161 yards and 2 TDs. 17 Cincinnati beat Oregon State 28-18. Tony Pike threw for 332 yards on 31 of 49 with 2 TDs. He also ran for a TD. 18 Utah lost 31-24 to Oregon. LaMichael James rushed for 152 yards on 27 carries and a TD. 19 Nebraska lost 16-15 to #13 Virginia Tech 20 Miami (Fl) beat #14 Georgia Tech 33-17. Jacory Harris threw for 270 yards on 20 of 25 with 3 TDs. 21 Houston was idle 22 Kansas beat Duke 44-16. Todd Reesing threw for 338 yards on 28 of 41 with 3 TDs. 23 Georgia beat Arkansas 52-41. Joe Cox threw for 375 yards and 5 TDs on 18 of 26. For Arkansas, Ryan Mallett threw for 408 yards and 5 TDs on 21 of 39. 24 North Carolina beat East Carolina 31-17. TJ Yates threw for 227 yards on 19 of 24 with 2 TDs. 25 Michigan beat E Michigan 45-17. Carlos Brown rushed for 187 yards on 13 carries with 2 TDs.
