Cue that theme music...
Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by Travis Cody in
It's encores and results, live from Hollywood!
Our celebrities and pros gave us some really good stuff for Monday's Guilty Pleasures Night. Here is what we liked. You'll have to click on the links to see the dances. For some reason I'm not able to embed videos anymore.
I haz a worry. That's LOLCats-speak to convey my concern with Kirstie's inability to get her breath under control after she dances. Even so, I give the Lady credit for dancing a mighty fine Samba with Maks. Click here to see the dance.
When I heard that Romeo was going to be on the show, you could not have convinced me that the young man would be able to pull off elegant and sophisticated. But Romeo does it. His Waltz with Chelsie was beautiful and romantic, just like a Waltz should be. Click here to see the dance.
The judges pointed out some minor issues with the Viennese Waltz from Hines and Kym, but I thought it was outstanding. Click here to see the dance. It's the long clip with rehearsal footage because I couldn't find the short one.
Even thought we're not committing votes to her at this point, I think Chelsea is definitely in the Top 3 "best" celebrity dancers this season. Her Quickstep with Mark is our choice for dance of the night. Click here to see the dance.
Outstanding!
Here's a review of our Guilty Pleasures leader board:
28 Chelsea and Mark
28 Romeo and Chelsie
27 Hines and Kym
26 Kirstie and Maks
25 Kendra and Louis
24 Ralph and Karina
22 Chris and Cheryl
And now on with the show!
Hanson is in the ballroom performing a new single. And there's our Dance Troupe with a little bit of Samba. It's not a bad song, but I find that pop tunes are almost always better with our dancing pros.
This first hour is called The Road to the Finals. We've got clips of judges and former finalists talking strengths and weaknesses of each of our remaining 7 celebrities.
Len says that Hines is smooth, musical, and a fine technician. He is also charming and sophisticated, with an understanding of how to maintain a strong frame for Kym. He's very naturally elegant, and he makes everything look effortless. And we get to see that beautiful Viennese Waltz again, with Len's commentary.
Bruno says that Chelsea's strength is her precision and timing, along with her versatility. She brings energy, but also maintains control of her posture and footwork. She can dance on the edge, but not go beyond it. She's a great match for Mark because she's willing to take risks. And we get to see the cheeky Cha Cha Cha, with Bruno's commentary.
Len says that Chris' strength is his energy and his ability to take charge of a dance. Consensus is that Chris makes great lines with elegance and precision. He is smooth and is a strong lead for Cheryl. He also brings a surprising gentleness to his movement. And we get to see the surprisingly good Viennese Waltz, with Len's commentary.
Len says that Kendra's strength is that she is taking the criticism, coming back, and trying even harder. He praises her footwork and her technique, and says that she has learned to make wonderful lines. He says the dancer is starting to come out. And we get to see her patriotic Foxtrot, with Len's commentary.
Check it out! We've got a live performance from the Tony nominated Broadway show Rock of Ages, starring Constantine Maroulis and Rebecca Faulkenberry.
Carrie Ann says that Romeo's strength is his raw style and swagger, along with his musicality. The thing that surprised everyone was his display of elegance and sweet charm to go with that swagger, and that often overcomes his lack of technical polish. And we get to see the transforming Foxtrot, with Carrie Ann's commentary.
Bruno says Ralph's strength is the ability to inhabit the role. He's stronger in ballroom than in Latin, mainly because he's reticent to release the inner fire and dance with the abandon the Latin dances require. Ralph wants to control, rather than take the risks necessary with Latin. In ballroom he can fall into the character and rely on his ability as an actor to understand what to bring and when to bring it. We get to see the wonderful Waltz, with Bruno's commentary.
Carrie Ann says Kirstie's strength is her confidence and sensuality. She has great foot placement and knows how to keep her weight centered over her feet. And she's authentic, making no apologies for who she is. Her mental strength has served her well through several mishaps, and all of those qualities have endeared her to voters as well as her ability to perform to the audience. And we get to see the eye opening first Cha Cha Cha that established that she can do the dancing, with Carrie Ann's commentary.
You know what? If you read back through my show recaps, you'll find that I've said a lot of the things the judges said about each celebrity. And I type my commentary as the dances are happening. I never just repeat what the judges say and pass it off as my own thoughts. It's encouraging to be mostly on the same page as people who really know what to look for with these performances.
OK...let's open the second hour with New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys. Apparently they have formed a super vocal group called NKOTBBSB to take on tour this summer. The song wasn't bad. Oh! It got even better when our pros joined in the fun.
Did you know that Joey McIntyre of NKOTB was the first celebrity in the first dance in the history of DWTS? Well he was with partner Ashly DelGrosso. And Aaron Carter, who finished 5th in Season 9 with partner Karina Smirnoff, is the younger brother of BSB Nick Carter. And New Kid Donnie Wahlberg is an accomplished actor who portrayed 2nd Lt Carwood Lipton in Band of Brothers 10 years ago, and currently stars in the cop drama Blue Bloods.
First results...Romeo and Chelsie are safe. Chelsea and Mark are safe.
Len selects the Samba from Kendra and Louis as the encore.
More results...Hines and Kym are safe. Kirstie and Maks are safe.
Macy's Stars of Dance is choreographed by Christopher Scott to Stand By Me, in tribute to romance. And we've got kids dancing that first youthful crush, followed by young adults dancing a wedding. And then there's a nice touch with an older couple back in the setting where the kids began the routine. And then just an older woman alone after her husband has passed, and then ending with the two kids sitting together. What a great story in dance, and a terrific performance.
NKOTBBSB return with two of each group's biggest hits. I just realized that BSB is short a guy...there are only 4 of them. What? Of course I remember it was a group of 5 originally. I don't know which one is missing, but I know there were 5. Nice touch for New Kids to have Joey and Donnie do a bit of ballroom with Peta and Anna at the end of their number.
American Idol alum from this season Pia Toscano performs I'll Stand By You, accompanied by Mark and Karina. Pia's elimination from Idol was "The Shock" of Season 10 a couple of weeks ago. I don't buy that kind of hyperbole. Her voice is fantastic, but she didn't get the votes. That's how it goes. But she seems well on her way to establishing a successful career.
Final results...Kendra and Louis are safe. Ralph and Karina are safe.
That means Chris and Cheryl are out.
I'm surprised. And some will tell you that this is the wrong choice. But you know what? It is what it is. The other celebrities are solidifying their voting blocks, while it seems that Chris' wrestling popularity didn't translate into enough votes.
Tune in next week when our remaining couples will perform two dances.
I didn't get a chance to watch much of my Lakers last night because of the action-packed-two-hour-extravaganza-step-over-lip-lock results show. But I did peek in during commercial breaks, and the crew did not let me down, winning the pivotal game 5 at home to take a 3 games to 2 lead in the best of 7 first round series.
The Lakers had six players in double figures, led by Kobe Bryant with 19 and Andrew Bynum with 18. They dominated the glass, 42 rebounds to 25, led by 10 rebounds by Bynum and 8 by Pau Gasol.
Game 6 is on Friday from New Orleans.
Our celebrities and pros gave us some really good stuff for Monday's Guilty Pleasures Night. Here is what we liked. You'll have to click on the links to see the dances. For some reason I'm not able to embed videos anymore.
I haz a worry. That's LOLCats-speak to convey my concern with Kirstie's inability to get her breath under control after she dances. Even so, I give the Lady credit for dancing a mighty fine Samba with Maks. Click here to see the dance.
When I heard that Romeo was going to be on the show, you could not have convinced me that the young man would be able to pull off elegant and sophisticated. But Romeo does it. His Waltz with Chelsie was beautiful and romantic, just like a Waltz should be. Click here to see the dance.
The judges pointed out some minor issues with the Viennese Waltz from Hines and Kym, but I thought it was outstanding. Click here to see the dance. It's the long clip with rehearsal footage because I couldn't find the short one.
Even thought we're not committing votes to her at this point, I think Chelsea is definitely in the Top 3 "best" celebrity dancers this season. Her Quickstep with Mark is our choice for dance of the night. Click here to see the dance.
Outstanding!
Here's a review of our Guilty Pleasures leader board:
28 Chelsea and Mark
28 Romeo and Chelsie
27 Hines and Kym
26 Kirstie and Maks
25 Kendra and Louis
24 Ralph and Karina
22 Chris and Cheryl
And now on with the show!
Hanson is in the ballroom performing a new single. And there's our Dance Troupe with a little bit of Samba. It's not a bad song, but I find that pop tunes are almost always better with our dancing pros.
This first hour is called The Road to the Finals. We've got clips of judges and former finalists talking strengths and weaknesses of each of our remaining 7 celebrities.
Bruno says that Chelsea's strength is her precision and timing, along with her versatility. She brings energy, but also maintains control of her posture and footwork. She can dance on the edge, but not go beyond it. She's a great match for Mark because she's willing to take risks. And we get to see the cheeky Cha Cha Cha, with Bruno's commentary.
Len says that Chris' strength is his energy and his ability to take charge of a dance. Consensus is that Chris makes great lines with elegance and precision. He is smooth and is a strong lead for Cheryl. He also brings a surprising gentleness to his movement. And we get to see the surprisingly good Viennese Waltz, with Len's commentary. 
Len says that Kendra's strength is that she is taking the criticism, coming back, and trying even harder. He praises her footwork and her technique, and says that she has learned to make wonderful lines. He says the dancer is starting to come out. And we get to see her patriotic Foxtrot, with Len's commentary.Check it out! We've got a live performance from the Tony nominated Broadway show Rock of Ages, starring Constantine Maroulis and Rebecca Faulkenberry.
Bruno says Ralph's strength is the ability to inhabit the role. He's stronger in ballroom than in Latin, mainly because he's reticent to release the inner fire and dance with the abandon the Latin dances require. Ralph wants to control, rather than take the risks necessary with Latin. In ballroom he can fall into the character and rely on his ability as an actor to understand what to bring and when to bring it. We get to see the wonderful Waltz, with Bruno's commentary.
You know what? If you read back through my show recaps, you'll find that I've said a lot of the things the judges said about each celebrity. And I type my commentary as the dances are happening. I never just repeat what the judges say and pass it off as my own thoughts. It's encouraging to be mostly on the same page as people who really know what to look for with these performances.
OK...let's open the second hour with New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys. Apparently they have formed a super vocal group called NKOTBBSB to take on tour this summer. The song wasn't bad. Oh! It got even better when our pros joined in the fun.
Did you know that Joey McIntyre of NKOTB was the first celebrity in the first dance in the history of DWTS? Well he was with partner Ashly DelGrosso. And Aaron Carter, who finished 5th in Season 9 with partner Karina Smirnoff, is the younger brother of BSB Nick Carter. And New Kid Donnie Wahlberg is an accomplished actor who portrayed 2nd Lt Carwood Lipton in Band of Brothers 10 years ago, and currently stars in the cop drama Blue Bloods.
First results...Romeo and Chelsie are safe. Chelsea and Mark are safe.
Len selects the Samba from Kendra and Louis as the encore.
More results...Hines and Kym are safe. Kirstie and Maks are safe.
Macy's Stars of Dance is choreographed by Christopher Scott to Stand By Me, in tribute to romance. And we've got kids dancing that first youthful crush, followed by young adults dancing a wedding. And then there's a nice touch with an older couple back in the setting where the kids began the routine. And then just an older woman alone after her husband has passed, and then ending with the two kids sitting together. What a great story in dance, and a terrific performance.
NKOTBBSB return with two of each group's biggest hits. I just realized that BSB is short a guy...there are only 4 of them. What? Of course I remember it was a group of 5 originally. I don't know which one is missing, but I know there were 5. Nice touch for New Kids to have Joey and Donnie do a bit of ballroom with Peta and Anna at the end of their number.
American Idol alum from this season Pia Toscano performs I'll Stand By You, accompanied by Mark and Karina. Pia's elimination from Idol was "The Shock" of Season 10 a couple of weeks ago. I don't buy that kind of hyperbole. Her voice is fantastic, but she didn't get the votes. That's how it goes. But she seems well on her way to establishing a successful career.
Final results...Kendra and Louis are safe. Ralph and Karina are safe.
That means Chris and Cheryl are out.
I'm surprised. And some will tell you that this is the wrong choice. But you know what? It is what it is. The other celebrities are solidifying their voting blocks, while it seems that Chris' wrestling popularity didn't translate into enough votes.
Tune in next week when our remaining couples will perform two dances.
That's 3 of 16
I didn't get a chance to watch much of my Lakers last night because of the action-packed-two-hour-extravaganza-step-over-lip-lock results show. But I did peek in during commercial breaks, and the crew did not let me down, winning the pivotal game 5 at home to take a 3 games to 2 lead in the best of 7 first round series.
The Lakers had six players in double figures, led by Kobe Bryant with 19 and Andrew Bynum with 18. They dominated the glass, 42 rebounds to 25, led by 10 rebounds by Bynum and 8 by Pau Gasol.
Game 6 is on Friday from New Orleans.
In my humble opinion, Kendra dodged a bullet last night. She had a good performance Monday night while Chris struggled. Neither of them have the fan base to overcome the favorites. Look for Kendra to depart next week. She is the weakest dancer with the smallest fan base left in the competition.