Trav's Thoughts

I hope you'll join us this Friday for the 8th Blog Blast for Peace.  As you know, I've been counting down the days to 4 November, first with 100 reasons to blog for Peace, and then with 30 days of Peace quotes.

For this year's Blog Blast, founder Mimi of Mimi Writes has designed a number of excellent new templates.  So as part of my Peace Week celebration leading up to Friday, I decided to update all of my past Peace Globes with the new templates.  I'll reveal them to you over the course of the week, beginning today and culminating on Friday with my 2011 Globe.

My early Globes were very basic.  There are a couple of reasons for that.  One is that I just didn't have all that much experience with doing any kind of graphics on my computer.  The other reason is that the movement was new and we were all just getting our feet wet with it.

I didn't write anything on that very first Blog Blast day in November 2006.  I had only just started my blog the week before.  But I "met" Mimi through my pal Vinny's blog.  I wasn't sure about this peace movement in the bloggosphere, so I checked into it and found out that it wasn't some silly fad or meme.  It was a genuine idea from a genuine person.  And so I made my first Peace Globe.  Here is the updated version on a new template.


Then June 2007 rolled around, and I was ready.  I had gotten to know more about Mimi and her ideas.  I wrote this post and made the Globes you'll find if you click on the link.  Here is how they look on the updated templates. 


Now I'm committed to the movement.  It is a highlight of my online presence.  I am also an activist in my bricks and mortar world. 

You are hereby formally invited to participate.  Do it!  You know you want to.  All the info you need is at Mimi Writes. 

I believe that words are powerful, so this matters.




Reason 6:  Because I believe in the magic I feel in this movement.

Reason 5:  Because today's reality need not be tomorrow's.

Reason 4:  Because of posts like this one, Write on My Heart with Every Word.

There's a lot going on today.  We've got Halloween coming up on Monday.  We've got my 5 year blogiversary.  We've got Set 92.  We've got Peace Week about to begin, with Blog Blast Day exactly one week away.

Yowza!

So 5 years ago today I opened this blog.  From then to now I have published 1,642 posts, been visited 104,215 times, and received 21,608 comments.  I don't know whether that's good or bad.  But I send my thanks to all for hanging out with me over the years.

What music makes sense for a 5 year blogiversary?  I don't know.  I didn't know until it was getting pretty late last night and I was staring at a blank page.

Then I had a clever idea.  Well, I thought it was clever.

One, Three Dog Night
Two Divided by Love, Grass Roots
Gimme Three Steps, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Four Letter Word, David Cook
Five O'Clock World, Vogues

Get it?  HA!  I counted to 5 in music!

One, written by Harry Hilsson, as released by Three Dog Night, 1969


Two Divided by Love, written by Lambert, Potter, and Kupps, as released by The Grass Roots, 1971


Gimme Three Steps, written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant, as released by Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1973


Four Letter Word, written by David Cook, Claude Kelly, and Matt Squire, as released by David Cook, 2011


Five O'Clock World, written by Allen Reynolds, as released by The Vogues in 1965


If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!

In exactly one week, we blog for Peace.  Are you ready?  Do you have your Peace Globe? 

If you don't, why not?  What are you waiting for?

You are hereby formally invited to participate.  Do it!  You know you want to.  All the info you need is at Mimi Writes. 

I believe that words are powerful, so this matters.

I missed my quotes and reasons yesterday, so you get a double dose today.

Reason 8:  Because Blog Blast isn't a fad or a bandwagon.  It is a movement.  It is a chance for bloggers to spread the word...because peace comes from us as individuals, spreading out in ripples across our own little corners of the world.

Reason 7:  Because Peace is a constant and worthy struggle.

It's encores and results!

So Monday's performance show had some drama, some harsh criticism, and some disrespect.  Then there were some fine performances mixed in.  These are the dances we really liked.

We liked the Foxtrot from Nancy and Tristan, but we don't think it was worth 24 points from the judges.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


We really enjoyed the fine Quickstep from JR and Karina.  JR keeps getting stronger each week.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


After a bit of a stumble last week, Ricki and Derek claim dance of the night honors with their Quickstep, just edging out JR and Karina in our opinion.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


Here is a reminder of our leader board after Monday's performances:

29 Ricki and Derek
29 JR and Karina
24 Nancy and Tristan
23 David and Kym
22 Rob and Cheryl
20 Hope and Maks
19 Chas and Lacey

Let me take a moment here to address the dust up between Maks and the judges.  Maks had an excellent point about inconsistency in the standards the judges apply from celebrity to celebrity, and even sometimes from pro to pro.  I've been watching this show from the very beginning, and there has always been a double standard.  I've gotten used to it and it mostly doesn't bother me anymore.

However, there is no excuse for the disrespect shown on either side.  Both parties crossed the line.  It's embarrassing to have to watch the judges shout over each other, or try to come up with witty descriptions of the contestants that end up just being insensitive.  But in my opinion, Maks crossed that line just a little more with his comment that DWTS was his show.  I'm not going to try and interpret what he might have meant.  I'm going to take his words at face value.

My response to Maks thinking that DWTS belongs to him and has success because of him is this...the original professional dancers from Season 1 included Louis Van Amstel, Edyta Sliwinska, Jonathan Roberts, Ashley DelGrosso, Charlotte Jorgensen, and Alec Mazo.  Maks didn't show up until season 2, and has participated in 11 of the 13 seasons.  He has never won.  He has finished 2nd twice, 3rd twice, 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 12th twice.

That would indicate to me that the show doesn't necessarily belong to Maks, and often gets along very well without him.

I have tremendous respect for Maksim Chmerkovskiy as a dancer and as a teacher.  I enjoyed his work with Kirstie Alley in Season 12.  He has made some of the most memorable dances in the run of DWTS.  But he can often be a jackass...to his partners and to the judges.  There is no excuse for disrespect.

OK, that was more than a moment.  I'm shaking that stuff off now.  Let's get to the show and some results.

The judges select the Quickstep from JR and Karina as the encore.

First results...JR and Karina are safe.

Kristin Chenoweth returns to perform a song from her new album, accompanied by Tony and Dasha.

More results...Ricki and Derek are safe.  Nancy and Tristan are safe.

Macy's Stars of Dance is a tribute to Broadway, choreographed by Kenny Ortega and starring Corbin Bleu.  That was terrific!  It was music from 42nd Street, West Side Story, and In the Heights.  Outstanding work!  Yes!  The clip is posted already.  Watch it...it's 3:43 well spent.


Now Martina McBride is in the ballroom performing her current single, accompanied by Val and Chelsie.  Very nice.

More results...David and Kym are safe.

Cool!  Mark and Lacey dance with a bunch of little kids in a Halloween number.  Excellent!  Lacey choreographed that piece.  Well done girl!  This isn't really a good recording, but it's a great performance.


You know, next week's show airs on Halloween night.  I'm looking forward to some spooky numbers. 

Final results...Rob and Cheryl are safe.  Hope and Maks are safe.

And that means Chaz and Lacey are eliminated.


That's probably the right call.  Chaz was struggling to keep up and I think that was directly attributable to his weight.  But having said that, I thought he put up with an awful lot of crap comments, from Bruno in particular.  I don't know if I'd have been quite so gracious after being called an Ewok or a penguin.  Bruno may have thought that was clever.  I thought it was rude and insulting.

I have tremendous respect for Chaz to put himself out there.  Well done Sir. 

Tune in next Monday for a special Halloween themed show.

Later gang!





Reason 9:  Because there is enough volatility in the natural processes that make up this planet on which we live.  There is no need for humans to add to that volatility with unnecessary conflict and war. 

It's live from Hollywood!

This week our 7 remaining couples dance to music from Broadway.  I love me a good musical!

And...every couple has two dances.  First an individual dance to a Broadway hit, then the group dance.

First up, it's a performance from the company of Sister Act.  Excellent!

Rob and Cheryl dance Cha Cha Cha to Walk Like a Man from Jersey Boys.  I like the song, but I had some trouble getting into the Cha Cha Cha rhythm at the top of the beginning.  I think it was a credible dance, but there were some issues with musicality and I think that comes down to the song.  It was hard for me to follow the beat, so I had a tough time following the movement.  I can say that his foot placement was very clean and precise.  But I didn't think Rob was relaxed with the style.  I didn't feel any of the cheekiness I like in a Cha Cha Cha.  There were some nice moments, but as a whole I thought the dance was just average.  Judges say 8,7,7 for a total of 22.  I agree with that score.

Nancy and Tristan dance Foxtrot to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python Spamalot.  Now this could be good, if she lets go and performs with confidence.  She has it in her face.  The problem is that her legs seem nailed to the floor.  She get any knee bend when it was called for, and she also continues to have issues with her posture.  She did start getting into it toward the end and seemed a bit lighter on her feet.  I think she enjoyed that dance more than any she's done so far.  And I did like the performance.  It had a proper Foxtrot flavor and they also added some nice Python character to it.  Judges say 9,7,8 for a total of 24.  I don't know about the 9.  Nancy had way too many technical and posture issues for a 9.  But as I said, I enjoyed the performance.

David and Kym dance Quickstep to We Go Together from Grease.  Now that's a great musical selection for Quickstep.  Kym is rockin' the Sandra Dee yellow dress too.  Love that!  There was a real 50s flare to the choreography, particularly to start the dance with hand jive and a few steps in tribute to the show.  Unfortunately, the dance got out of control right out of the gate and looked sloppy.  It seemed like David was trying so hard to control his exuberance that he let the steps get away from him and lost his timing.  His musicality was off, and that impacted his ability to hold synchronization with Kym.  It was the first time in several weeks that he didn't provide a strong lead for Kym.  Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23.  Kym was ambitious with the choreography, but I think this dance was a miss.

Ricki and Derek dance Quickstep to Luck be a Lacy Tonight from Guys and Dolls.  That was wonderful choreography.  I thought it captured the flavor of the musical, which is right in the wheelhouse for Quickstep.  And they danced it beautifully.  That's how you come back from an off week.  It was fast and high energy, with a tempo change or two for balance.  Ricki kept up.  Sometimes the female celebrities get dragged around the floor during Quickstep, but not this time.  Her musicality was outstanding.  And the performance was clean, crisp, and precise.  Classy, sophisticated, and elegant.  Well done!  Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.  You gotta work to get that 10 paddle from Len.

Chaz and Lacey dance Tango to Phantom of the Opera.  He's really getting the steps.  His posture is very good.  He kept his shoulders back, which helped with his balance.  That was really quite good.  He was in control and seemed to be leading Lacey through it.  I think he captured the drama of the dance and the attitude.  I disagree with the judges about how Chaz handled this dance.  I thought he took a huge step forward in his control of the movement and his musicality.  We're getting down to case now, and I do agree that he needs to step up his performance.  Lacey tried to increase the difficulty, but she also has to make a dance that Chaz can do.  I thought his performance was pretty good.  The problem is that even when he improves, he's still quite a bit behind the rest of the celebrities.  Judges say 7,6,6 for a total of 19.  That's harsh.  I don't think the dance was that bad, but maybe it just wasn't difficult as some of the other performances.  It's just tough when you have such a likable person hitting that moment in the show when the judges try to counterbalance the fan vote.

Hope and Maks dance Rumba to Seasons of Love from Rent.  Too much drama in their rehearsal.  If she can't get this out of her head, she's going to dance herself right off the show.  That was a good effort, but she still looks so awkward to me.  I found her a lot sexier in goal on the soccer pitch than I do on the dance floor.  This Rumba wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either.  I didn't find it sexy or sensuous.  She doesn't look comfortable with the movement.  I think everyone got it in their head that she had potential as a dancer.  But I think the reality is that she's like any of the male athletes that didn't have the rhythm, musicality, or softness for dance, and I think that because she's a woman, no one has wanted to say it.  So I'll say it...she's awkward and doesn't have the coordination for dance.  And that's OK.  Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20.

JR and Karina dance Quickstep to music from Chicago.  Wow.  That was some tough choreography.  Karina said in rehearsal that she was going to make an ambitious dance because she had faith that JR could handle it.  This had lots of runs and spins.  And it seemed to keep getting faster as it progressed.  One thing I really liked was that JR didn't bounce during those runs.  He managed to glide across the floor.  I thought the dance had a great flavor to it.  It definitely captured the period in which the musical Chicago was set.  I enjoyed the whole performance.  JR's personality and charm were the stars, and his ability carried the rest.  It would have been so easy for JR to get ahead of the dance because of the way the tempo kept building, but he stayed in complete control.  Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.  Len is still hanging onto that 10 paddle. 

Here's our leader board after that round of dancing:

29 Ricki and Derek
29 JR and Karina
24 Nancy and Tristan
23 David and Kym
22 Rob and Cheryl
20 Hope and Maks
19 Chas and Lacey

Warning!!  Mid-show rant ahead!

Let's address the tiff between the judges and Maks after his and Hope's dance.  It makes me very uncomfortable when a pro mouths off to the judges.  It also irritates me when the judges criticize the celebrities too harshly.  They do it both ways.  They'll set expectations much too high for certain celebrities, picking nits to find something wrong with an outstanding performance while rewarding an inferior celebrity dancer for effort over content.

Or they'll expect more than a celebrity is capable of, like they do with Hope, and express unreasonable disappointment when she doesn't measure up.

Then they'll try to hide behind "It's my job to judge and criticize" when a pro steps up to defend his or her partner and call the judges out for a bit of unfairness.  When this kind of thing happens, you'll find me snarling back at the TV and warning everyone to cool it off and settle down.

And Pam will say, "Travis it's only TV".

This is a puffy fluffy fun show.  I don't want this drama and I don't need it.  Now everybody kiss and make up so I can go back to enjoying my program.

End of mid-show rant.

Oh...that's right!  We've got a performance from the lovely, charming, and supremely talented Kristin Chenoweth.  She is joined by our pros for a stellar performance of Maybe This Time and I Could Have Danced All Night.


Now we have our group dance, choreographed by Kevin Maher with some assistance from Carson Kressley.  By assistance, you know that I mean moral support and sparkly silliness, right?  No scores for this round.  It's just for fun.



And it was fun!  I thought they all did a great job.  It was cohesive and I thought they all blended well together.

Good show.  We narrowed our focus and split votes evenly between Ricki and JR.  We think those two should be in the finale, with perhaps Rob or David rounding out the top 3 for freestyle.

Tune in tonight for what promises to be a great results show...well, great if you like Broadway.  And check back here tomorrow for my encores and results recap.

Later gang!


I continue counting down to 4 November with 30 Peace quotes and 100 reasons to blog for Peace.




Reason 10:  Because sometimes you just have to stand up and be counted.

 

It's a good thing that my poetry place, Poetry by Travis, comes up in my dashboard whenever I sign on to Blogger, otherwise I might completely forget that I have some small claim to the name of Poet.  The last post over there was way back in February.

I don't know where my mojo has gone.

I wanted a burst
Of creative energy
So I tried Haiku

Yeah, I know that's kind of lame.

Leaves of red, gold, brown
Lash'd by howling mad zephyr
Crisp chill of autumn

Lame again.  That's what happens when you try to force it.  But then came this...

I sense her nearby
Her footfall echos in the
Mist, like gentle rain

That's much better.  True Haiku captures the feel of nature and beauty.

OK...it was a short burst, but it's better than nothing I guess.

Still counting down the days until 4 November with 30 days of quotes and 100 reasons.




Reason 13:  Because everyone in the world isn't going to like me or the way I live, and that's OK.  All they have to do, and all I have to do, is respect traditions and cultures that are different than mine.  As long as the way each of us lives does not hurt others, then respect on both sides leaves us each living as best suits us, in peace.  I blog for peace because I have respect.

Reason 12:  Because our troops are coming home from Iraq, and I wish to honor their sacrifice to duty by wishing them peace in all the tomorrows of their lives.

Reason 11:  Because our troops are still in harms' way in hot spots throughout the world, and I wish to honor their sacrifice to duty by working to bring them home safe and whole.

The Bangles were on Dancing with the Stars this week, and I'm a fan, so you could have predicted what Set 91 would be.  Women in little black dresses and heels playing electric guitars.



Yes indeed.




If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!

That's really all I wanted to say today.  I love my grandpa.  And I miss seeing him.

He just made a major life change.  After more than 60 years in the house my mom grew up in, he has moved into a retirement community in San Mateo CA.

My mom and my sister helped him organize and downsize the stuff in the house.  Pam and I couldn't make it down to help.  I'm sad about that.  I have so many memories of that house.  I know it's just a place.  It's the memories that really matter. 

We had a great evening last night.  We met the gang downtown.  We ate and laughed, and ate and laughed, and drank and laughed some more.  Then we came home and my grandpa called me.  He doesn't do that often.  He says he intends to call me, but then he gets a little side tracked and by the time he remembers, it's late and he says he'll do it tomorrow.

Last night he wanted to tell me that he got my check and my monthly note.  I had sent it to the old address and the post office forwarded it to his new one.  He wanted to tell me, so he took advantage of a perk at his new home...he asked the front desk to call him at one bell at evening watch and remind him to call his grandson. 

Grandpa worked ships.  He often lapses and calls time by ship's watch.  One bell at evening watch is 20:30 hours, or 8:30pm.  The gal at the desk who entered the reminder for him knew that!  Grandpa was delighted that he didn't have to explain.  Grandpa has a clock that rings the bells of each watch.  It used to sit on the mantle.

I remember having a struggle learning to tell time correctly when I went to school because I thought in watch bells. 

He's 86 years old and has had only two addresses for his entire adult life...either aboard ship or at the house in South San Francisco.  The last time he moved was out of his parents' home and onto his first berth as an ordinary seaman.  He was 16...lied about his age.

My grandmother took care of the move into the house in South City because Grandpa's ship was on a 2-day turn in port...just long enough to sign the papers to buy the house.  When that tour ended and he was able to take extended leave, Gram picked him up at the harbor and drove him to the new house, which had been completely furnished and made ship shape.

That was in 1948.

So he had to tell me that it was nice of the post office to put a big yellow sticker on his mail, not just to make sure the mail got to his new home, but to remind him to tell the sender that he has a new address.

Mom had already sent me an email with that and his new phone number.  But my grandpa is a responsible man.  He said that it was the right thing to do to follow the instructions of the post office, and be sure to notify anyone who might mail him something to send it to his new address.

And I have dutifully written down the new address and phone number, even though I already have it in my yahoo contacts and in my phone.  After all, my grandpa called me specifically to tell it to me.

"My boy," he said.  "This yellow sticker on your letter says that the post office will forward all my mail, but that I should remember to advise my contacts and associates that I have moved.  I forget things, so it's good that they do that.  While I have your letter in front of me, I decided to call to give you my new address and telephone number."

He says telephone.

Nobody else calls me that, by the way.  Only my grandpa calls me "my boy".  It's comforting.  So I write him notes and call him every so often so I can hear him say it.  "My boy, I enjoy those notes" and "My boy, it's good to hear from you".

I'll miss that old house.  It's just a place, but it's the place where my mom grew up.  It's the place where my sister and I spent summers with our grandmother.  For half of my life I lived within 100 miles of that house and I could go there whenever I wanted...or needed.

Gram is buried less than 5 miles from that house.  Grandpa's new home is about 10 miles from it.  It's the place where my grandpa taught me to grill a steak, because a man should know how whether he does it every weekend or only a few times in his life.  It's the place were my grandpa told me that whatever I was going to do, I should always be determined to do it well.

I have photographs of the house, and so many memories. 

So yeah, that's really all I wanted to say today.

It's encores and results, live from Hollywood!

We agreed with the judges sometimes and sometimes we didn't.  Here are the performances from Monday that we found encore worthy.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Rumba from Nancy and Tristan.  We liked it.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


David took charge of his Tango and danced as a strong lead for Kym.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


Rob has improved steadily every week, and his Rumba with Cheryl was all grown up.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


JR and Karina take dance of the night honors for their outstanding Samba.  Click here if the video doesn't play.


Excellent.

Here is a reminder of our leader board after Monday's performances:

28 JR and Karina
25 David and Kym
25 Rob and Cheryl
24 Ricki and Derek
24 Hope and Maks
22 Nancy and Tristan
21 Chaz and Lacey
18 Carson and Anna

Our Dance Troupe leads off the show with Val and Peta in a nice little Madonna medley in dance.

First results...Ricki and Derek are safe.

Kelly Clarkson is in the ballroom, with an assist from Tristan and Kym.  That was Kelly's new single, Mr Know-It-All.  I really liked it.  Yes Kelly!  Come on the show as a celebrity performer! 

We've got something new here called a Spotlight Performance, sponsored by AT&T.  Mark and Derek dance with a young woman named Charm Ladonna.  She was raised in Compton CA by a single mom who sacrificed everything so Charm could take dance.  She got an audition with Madonna and went to work as a professional dancer.

Now Charm volunteers at her old Compton elementary school, teaching kids to dance and showing them by example that anything is possible if you work for it and make your opportunity.  Her mom was in the audience to watch a great performance.  Here's the segment and the performance.  It's worth your 5 minutes.



Let's see.  Next up is the Band Perry.  I don't know who they are.  Oh wait...I recognize this song, If I Die Young.  OK.  Now I know who they are.  Even better, we get to see Karina and Louis.

More results...JR and Karina are safe.  Rob and Cheryl are safe.

Kelly Clarkson returns to perform Walk Away, accompanied by Mark, Shawna, Val, and Peta.

Final results...Chaz and Lacey are safe.  Nancy and Tristan are safe.  David and Kym are safe.  Hope and Maks are safe.

That means Carson and Anna are eliminated.


I think that's the right decision, but some of the sparkle just went out of this season.  Carson wasn't a very good dancer, but he did what you do when you're not as coordinated...he learned and he had a good time.  He was entertaining, and he did give us a really nice Tango a couple of weeks ago.

Very quickly...Hope needs to remember that this competition is supposed to be fun.  I know she's a world class athlete, but she's got to ease up on the pressure she puts on herself and just dance.  She did earn a 24 from the judges on Monday, but when I watch her it seems to me that she regresses each week.  I want her to do well, but watching her rehearsal footage with Maks is way too dramatic and tense.

Anyway, tune in next week when our 7 remaining pairs will dance to Broadway tunes!

Later gang!


I continue to count down to 4 November with 30 days of Peace quotes and 100 reasons to blog for Peace.



Reason 16:  My dear friend Mimi, founder of the Blog Blast, said "The more you align yourself with creative souls, the more creative you become yourself and the more your passion is fed by their energy."  I blog for Peace because I believe in the truth of that statement, and because I want to join my creativity and passion for art in all its forms to something powerful and worthwhile.

It's live from Hollywood!

We began with 12 and now we're down to 8.  It's 80s week for our remaining pairs.  This could be entertaining or disastrous...we shall see.

Wahooooo!  The Bangles are in the house!  That's a seekrit you may not know...I was and remain a huge fan.  Our Dance Troupe accompanies the medley.  They didn't sound great, but I don't care.  Love me some Bangles.

Hope and Maks dance Tango.  I would have preferred that they not mess with the coat and just work the Tango steps and technique.  I thought her frame and posture were awful.  She didn't seem to have any balance and she looked like this was the first time she ever danced.  I really didn't like that performance.  I thought her movement was too jerky and loose.  She was kind of like a sack that Maks was pulling around the floor.  Maybe she had the attitude for the dance, but I didn't see anything dramatic or sexy in that dance at all.  Judges say 8s across for 24.  I don't agree with that score.  The judges seem to be rewarding something I can't see in Hope's dancing.

Carson and Anna dance Jive.  Again with the costumes peeling off.  I don't like it because it takes the celebrity out of the moment to stop and pull clothes off.  Carson can't afford that break.  As for the dancing, it wasn't great and it wasn't horrible.  His lack of coordination really shows in a dance like the Jive, which requires quick and precise flick kicks.  There wasn't much Jive content, and the content they did put in wasn't performed very well.  I thought the dance was very sloppy and that they were out of sync.  Carson certainly had a good time and the crowd enjoyed it.  But we're starting to get down to cases, and the scores are likely to become more reflective of ability as opposed to entertainment value.  Judges say 6,6,7 for a total of 19.  I think that probably should have been 6s across. 

Nancy and Tristan dance Rumba.  She showed that she can shake her hips during rehearsal when she did her little cheer from high school.  But she didn't carry that through to this Rumba.  I liked the story they told and I enjoyed watching them dance.  It was nice and simple.  With the exception of the missing hip action and some balance issues, I thought she managed the dance very well.  They took the difference in their ages seriously and Tristan designed a routine that didn't make it creepy.  There was a subtle sensuality in Nancy's movement that was very attractive.  And when she smiled through the last third, I could see how much she was enjoying the routine.  Judges say 7,7,8 for a total of 22.  Rumba can intimidate.  It was nice to see that Nancy embraced the style and danced reasonably well.  I agree with that score.

More Bangles!  It's Manic Monday, accompanied by our Dance Troupe.  I must say that there is something so very sexy about girls playing electric guitars while wearing short black dresses and heels.  We likes that, preciouss, we likes that very much.

JR and Karina dance Samba.  He has such a charming and engaging personality that gets me smiling before he even starts dancing.  That was a hot Samba.  That's the way the party dance should be performed.  He had the hip shaking and the full flavor.  I thought he had the perfect mix of controlled abandon throughout the dance.  He held his technique through each of the movements.  And when it was time to let it loose, he let it loose.  Then he pulled it back and remembered that his job was to lead Karina through it.  And he performed nearly flawless Samba rolls and walks.  That was really difficult choreography too.  Outstanding job!  Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.  Well deserved.

Rob and Cheryl dance Rumba.  Whatever your preconceptions were about Rob Kardashian based on his name...throw them out the window.  This was an outstanding Rumba by any standard you can set for a male celebrity.  He kept the movement flowing and smooth for the most part.  He and Cheryl developed a romantic chemistry throughout the dance.  I thought he looked very comfortable and confident.  He led the dance and was a strong partner.  And his technique was wonderful.  There were a few stumbles, but he maintained his masculinity and balanced it with sensitivity.  That was really a terrific performance.  Well done young man.  Judges say 9,8,8 for a total of 25.  Excellent.  I would have thrown at least two 9s for that performance.

Chaz and Lacey dance Samba.  Wow.  That was an unexpectedly credible Samba.  The music was at just the right tempo that he could control the movement and get all the parts moving in the right direction.  I thought he had the party flavor and he danced with confidence.  Lacey put a lot of Samba content into it and Chaz worked hard on getting most of it performed correctly.  There were still some issues with technique and with connecting everything together.  There was less walking through the steps and much more dancing.  And I could really see how much he was enjoying what he was doing.  Chaz embraced the style and that made a difference in the performance.  Judges say 7s across for a total of 21.  Well done.

David and Kym dance Tango.  What a great rehearsal.  Very collaborative.  And he was so concerned about doing the dance correctly and maintaining hold.  He looks so confident with this dance.  He's leading Kym through it.  That was really good.  It didn't have the high level of excitement that a Samba might, but technically it had everything you want in a Tango.  I thought they really captured the the flavor of the dance and the 80s era.  There were a couple of issues with the hold and posture, but I thought his musicality made up for it.  That was a great blend of dance style, music, and choreography.  I enjoyed the performance.  Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.  Excellent score and well deserved!

Ricki and Derek dance Foxtrot.  This is a tough song to work in standard Foxtrot choreography.  It looked a little weird to me.  I just think this was a very unfortunate music selection.  All the Foxtrot bits in hold were outstanding.  But in this case I really have to agree with the judges that the bits that had nothing to do with Foxtrot could have been left out.  I know they were trying to blend with the era and the music, but the dance just didn't need anything that wasn't Foxtrot.  Ricki and Derek have such a terrific partnership that I think they could have stuck with classic Foxtrot and turned the music to their advantage.  I enjoyed the performance, but it didn't build on the momentum of last week's Tango.  Judges say 8s across for a total of 24.  That's a credible score for a credible performance to an unfortunate music selection.

Here's our leader board:

28 JR and Karina
25 David and Kym
25 Rob and Cheryl
24 Ricki and Derek
24 Hope and Maks
22 Nancy and Tristan
21 Chaz and Lacey
18 Carson and Anna

Good show.  We lost a favorite last week when Chynna was eliminated, so my votes went to JR, Ricki, and David.  Pam split three ways between JR, Ricki, and Rob. 

Excellent!  I like it when we have a bit of difference in who we like.

You know the drill.  Tune in tonight for results, and check back here tomorrow for my encores and results recap. 

And next week is Broadway!  Wa-hoooo!



I continue to count down to 4 November with 30 days of Peace quotes and 100 reasons to blog for Peace.