Trav's Thoughts

It's live from Hollywood!



And we return after taking last week off for vacation!

Tonight our remaining 8 pairs dance to songs from the movies. I don't know about y'all, but I kind of like theme nights.

Niecy and Louis dance Jive to music from La Bamba. Now Niecy can get her jiggly bits moving! However, she could have some trouble with stamina because Jive is all about high energy. Now La Bamba is a little slower on the tempo than the producers could have given her, which allows her to hold her energy and keep up with Louis. She's a bit loose in her technique and her footwork wasn't very clean. There were issues with precision and a bit of rubber arms. I'd like to see cleaner flick kicks and tighter legs. But I gotta say...that was a fun Jive! It had plenty of personality. She definitely nailed the performance part. And she gets points from me for outstanding bazoombas! Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. I have to agree with that score. She lacked precision and sharpness in her lower body, despite the excellent shake, rattle, and roll going on with her top half. And props to Louis for taking responsibility for a little stumble in the steps on his part.

Chad and Cheryl dance Quickstep to music from Disney's Jungle Book. Uhm. Of all the movie music we could select for a Quickstep, we get Bear Necessities? Don't get me wrong...it's got the right beat and tempo for a Quickstep. But for Pete's sake y'all! I'm already getting tired of Chad's act, and I can't possibly take this seriously. It's just too silly. It's tough to be sophisticated and elegant dancing to this music, and that's not their fault. This is a mistake by the producers. I've seen Cheryl overcome this kind of music before, but not this time. In terms of the dancing, they did carry some energy and his posture was better. I will admit, my problem with this dance was the music and the celebrity. Judges say 6's across for a total of 18. I have to agree with that score as well. The music didn't sound right and the dance didn't look right to me.

Erin and Maks dance Jive to music from Pulp Fiction. Here's another thing I'm getting a bit tired of...the way the rehearsal footage is being edited to emphasize the drama. Enough already. I like Erin's dancing, but her whining about the heels she had to dance in was a complete turn off. Now the one thing I can't complain about is the music because Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell is a perfect Jive tune, although it started scary slow and I was worried for a moment. Erin was a bit unsteady on her feet during the first half of that dance, and I would suggest to her that if she hadn't been such a whiny baby about the shoes during rehearsals maybe that wouldn't have been in her head. Still, she did seem to find her center as the dance progressed. I liked the energy and the story with the costuming directly from the film. Although with her dancing in pants, many of the issues with her legs and footwork were evident. But the choreography was outstanding and difficult, and overall the dance was strong. I'm still wanting more extension and better lines from her, because I think she's capable of it. And I'd like for her to back off in rehearsal and just learn the dance without all the extra garbage. Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22. I think that score may be reflective of some of her issues with her legs. She's not completely graceful and that costume emphasized it.

Brief interlude: Yes, you're reading correctly. I'm getting just a little cranky with the rehearsal footage. I've always enjoyed this program because it was fluff and silliness, and refused to take itself seriously as anything other than light entertainment. All this crap in rehearsals is sucking that vibe right into reality hell, at least in my opinion. We have decided that we will not be voting for anyone who's rehearsal footage has this BS in it.

Jake and Chelsie dance Cha Cha Cha to music from Risky Business. HA! He starts the dance in his underwear to mimic the Old Time Rock & Roll scene from the film. Pam would like to tell you that she is impressed by his hip action and she would have preferred that he dance the entire Cha Cha Cha in his underwear. I would like to tell you that I thought that was an excellent Cha Cha Cha! He managed to put on his pants after that beginning without too much issue...and when would you ever read that kind of sentence in a DWTS review? His musicality was on point. His footwork was very good. He had high energy and his performance was terrific. He had a little mistake, but I'm not going to hold that against him. He needs to work on keeping control of all the energy so he stops making those little stumbles though. That will catch up to him at some point. But there really wasn't that much to complain about with this dance. It was cheeky...yes I said cheeky about a guy who started a Cha Cha Cha by dancing in his underwear...and lots of fun. Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23. Well deserved!

Pamela and Damian dance Quickstep to music from 9 to 5. A couple of weeks ago, Pamela took on the character of Marilyn Monroe, and this week she becomes Dolly Parton dancing Quickstep to Dolly's song 9 to 5. I like the song and the idea of the dance, but I can't understand this dance to this music as a Quickstep. There was a clever and difficult trick at the end as they danced up a couple of chairs and a table. But I saw issues with her posture in hold as her arms and shoulders kept dipping. And it looked to me that Damian was pulling her through several of the turns. I think it's a good move for them to capitalize on her ability to characterize, but I found myself wanting just more Quickstep and less frippery. I agreed with Mr Cranky Pants this week that there was too much emphasis on props and staging and not enough on the dancing. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't. Judges say 7,6,8 for a total of 21. I guess that dance is a like or don't kind of thing, but I don't think the producers did this pair any favors with that music selection.

Kate and Tony dance Foxtrot to music from Breakfast Club. She did have a breakthrough last week about half way through her dance. Forget About Me is another odd musical selection, especially when the dance is a Foxtrot. She was back to walking through the steps this week and nothing was connected. She got her feet in the right places, she made the steps, she was fine in hold, but there was absolutely no connection between her and Tony or her and the music. And her body language and attitude while she was listening to the judges was very off putting. Last week I felt pleased for her that she finally seemed to be enjoying herself. But this week it was back to the Kate that I just don't like. I couldn't even work up a decent feeling of embarrassment for her. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15. And I'm sorry, but she needs to stop using the "I'm a mother of 8 and that's where I put my energy" excuse. If her kids wear her out so much that she feels like she can disrespect the competition by yawning her way through the routine, then it's probably time for her to go home.

Nicole and Derek dance Tango to music from Pretty Woman. Any residual nerves are completely under control this week. She came out and attacked that Tango. She was confident, dramatic, precise, sassy, and elegant all at once. I didn't realize the song Pretty Woman had a Tango tempo, but it sure does. Derek's choreography was fantastic. Everything about this dance was spot on. Nicole demonstrated how far confidence will take a celebrity on the ballroom. It helps that she's about as close to a ringer as this show gets. But last week we saw that a lack of confidence can trip her up. This week, her technique and lines were just fantastic. Every step was clean. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. Those 10s are well deserved this week. I think her bug-a-boos are going to be her own confidence with each dance, and whether viewers are going to vote for "the ringer". Past seasons indicate that they might not. But in my opinion, she's deserving of a shot at that Fabulous Mirror Ball.

Evan and Anna dance Rumba to music from Armageddon. OK...the song I Don't Want to Miss a Thing is cheesy and over-dramatic. But it's a perfectly acceptable love song in this context. Evan could be difficult time for the rest of the show, because he is also performing with Stars on Ice. So he's going to have to be able to switch back and forth between his skating technique and his dancing. One thing he doesn't have to worry about is making exquisite lines when he dances. He uses every inch of his height and Rumba shows that off. I think the only thing that was missing from the dance was a romantic connection between the two of them. It was more like the sweet and sophisticated Rumba that Louis choreographed for Kelly Osborne last year. Evan is still working to connect the movements and stay fluid, but his artistry and musicality are both outstanding. This was really a beautiful dance, as good as the Tango from Nicole and Derek. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Here's our leader board:

29 Nicole and Derek
27 Evan and Anna
23 Jake and Chelsie
22 Erin and Maks
21 Pamela and Damian
18 Niecy and Louis
18 Chad and Cheryl
15 Kate and Tony

Our main favorites are Evan and Nicole. We think they are distancing themselves from the rest of the field just in terms of the dancing. Of course, there's no telling how the viewers are going to vote.

We split votes again this week, and that's going to have to stop soon. I voted for Evan and Niecy while Pam voted for Nicole and Jake.

Results tonight!

And please remember to mark the date, 4 November 2010. You can find details about the movement and how to participate by clicking any of the links at the top of my sidebar.



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