Week 9 Results and a Few Rants about DWTS

So last night was results & elimination on DWTS and I was pretty disappointed.  Brandy went home and Bristol is moving on to the Finals.  What the...  Okay, yes, I've been progressively more & more impressed with Bristol.  She really came out & proved me wrong several times.  But she's NOT as good a dancer as Brandy.  What a travesty of democracy.  Oh well.
Three things I haven't been brutally honest about while blogging this season: Kyle, Carrie Ann & Brook.

First, I have to say Kyle surprises me & did so again on Monday night with his Samba.  I've been hesitant to say much about the chubby factor but here it is.  He's a chubby guy, I'm always sure the chub will slow him down and honestly sometimes it does.  The thing is that the extra weight can slow him down which keeps him from really hitting those sharp steps the way I expect, it prevents him from really getting the extension he needs, the arching & the lines needed in the ballroom...  but sometimes he just busts out something surprising and I am utterly amazed.  And that's what he did in his Samba Monday night.  That chubby butt shook like nobodies business!

So on to Carrie Ann.  More and more I think she's a hater.  Granted, Bristol is the weakest dancer and didn't deserve any 10's on Monday night in my opinion, but I don't think she deserved the 8 Carrie Ann gave her.  I feel like Carrie Ann plays favorites and doesn't give love to the ones she doesn't like, even when they improve.  She harps on Bristol's emotional disconnect and criticizes it even when I think the emotion & character were far improved.

Last, I have to say Brook needs to go!  I've mentioned it before but holy hell that girl bugs me!  Enough with the "How does that make you feel?" questions!  You're a co-host, not a therapist!  She's kind of an air head, she's not entertaining, her questions suck...  she's really just a pretty face and a hot body dressed up in an endless supply of beautiful evening gowns.  Anyone can do that.  ABC - get Tom a new girl please!

So there you have it.  Next Monday is the final competition night!  Jennifer Gray, Kyle Massey and Bristol Palin will battle it out for the mirror ball and one will take it home on Tuesday!  I'm excited!

Instant Dances and Other Fun on Week 8 of DWTS

It's week 8 on Dancing!  This week the couples have been practicing their dances without knowing what their music will be!  They find out right before showtime!  Should be fun.  I've got a bowl of chips and my very favorite dip.  I'm ready for some dancing!  Len points out that in a regular ballroom competition, the dancers go out onto the dance floor with a dance prepared but no knowledge of what music will be played.  In this way, tonight's "Instant Dance" format is much more like a real ballroom competition.  Carrie Ann says what will set one couple apart from others will be the embellishments, how well they can hit the accents in their music, and if they can finish on the final beat.  Bruno says the best strategy will be to trust their partners, and it could be we'll see very low scores...  but we can't know till we see since in 11 seasons they've never done this.

Kyle & Lacey were up first and I have to say at this point in the competition, Kyle needs to do more than show some rhythm to earn a vote from me.  By now he should really be polishing his technique and from this Vienese Waltz, I can't say I think he deserves to keep coming back.
Len said his posture was better and implied he's blooming week after week.  Bruno said we're all charmed by him - the sophisticated, charming young man.  true, he has taken the judges comments and worked on them.  Carrie Ann said her crush on Kyle is back in full force.  She talked about his elegance & said it was like watching a fairy tale.  Eh...  I guess they were more impressed than I was.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  9-9-9
Call 1-800-868-3403 to vote for Kyle & Lacey till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.
Kyle & Lacey drew a CD for their Instant Dance segment in the second half & got Good Golly Miss Molly for The Jive.  So they'll have 45 minutes to practice before they perform live on the air.

Next up were Jennifer & Derek but there's some question she'll dance with all the clips they're playing about her injuries, pain & Dr visits.  But after a visit from Daddy she decided the show must go on.  And I'm so glad she did because I loved their Quickstep!  High energy, great footwork & lots of fun!
Bruno called it a classic Astaire/Rogers Quickstep, and said they're capable of brilliance.  Carrie Ann said they're loved and it was amazing.  Len said the song "Let's Face the Music And Dance" was perfect for the trials they've endured.  
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  9-9-9
Call 1-800-868-3411 to vote for Jennifer & Derek till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.
Then Jennifer got to reach into the mirror ball bowl and drew "Waiting for A Girl Like You" by Foreigner for their Rumba.

Next to dance were Kurt & Anna with The Waltz.  Now I have to say that of the two sports guys, I thought Rick Fox was better than Kurt Warner.  But now that he's gone, Kurt is the only big time sports star left.  He's definitely made great improvements over the weeks but I still miss rick.  Carrie Ann called him a ballroom dancing Ken doll, Len said the overall feeling of the dance was beautiful and Bruno called him dashing.  Len mention his right arm needed to be stronger and Bruno said there are better dancers but he's come a long way.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are: 8-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3408 to vote for Kurt & Anna till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.
Kurt & Anna drew "Hella Good" from No Doubt and then dashed off to practice their second dance a bit.

Bristol and Mark came next with an Argentine Tango that she was a little shy to show her mom at rehearsal!  Lets hope its scandalous!  ...well not so much but it was somewhat fierce.  She looked great in her black lace dress and even impressed me a little with her leg flicks and an awesome lift at the end.  Not bad....  Len thought the lifts were good, it was clean, well placed, well rehearsed but lacked a bit of intensity.  The crowd booed but he's right.  Bruno said she actually made him think she was mad and moody but reminded her she has to be a bad girl all the way through.  Carrie Ann said she thought it was the most intensity we've ever seen from Bristol and she was truly impressed.  She said she needed a little more energy in her legs and her flicks were a little lackluster, but great overall. 
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  8-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3407 to vote for Bristol & Mark till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.
For their Instant Dance song, Bristol drew "Mas Que Nada" for their Samba and no one in the celebraquarium recognizes the title.

Last up in the first round were Brandy & Maks dancing The Waltz.  She nailed the character - her longing was palpable.  Bruno said it was more than a dance - it was an exquisite interpretation of the song.  It was like a symphony or a poem.  Carrie Ann said it was riveting and told her to make sure she relaxed her neck.  Len said a nit-picky person could make a point about her neck but he wasn't going to because he was overwhelmed by her whole performance.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  9-10-10
Call 1-800-868-3406 to vote for Brandy & Maks till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.
Last pick of the Instant Dance songs, Brandy chooses "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry.

So with round 1 complete, we move on to round 2, the Instant Dance portion and first up again are Kyle & Lacey.  Lacey mentioned in rehearsal that Kyle needed to focus intently on the steps in order to not be distracted by the alternate music on show night.  So to help him ignore distractions she brought in her partner from season 8, Steve O!  I love Steve O.  From bubbles to a leaf blower, he did his best to distract Kyle but Kyle kept dancing!  So lets see how he does with Good Golly Miss Molly.  Okay, after his tight Jive, full of personality, I'm going to eat my earlier words and say he should be in the semi finals next week.  Len said it was fun & high energy.  He would've liked a little more finesse in some places, but he really enjoyed it.  Bruno said they didn't miss a beat, the timing was unbelievable and he loved every second of it.  Carrie Ann said it was by far the most fun she's had as a viewer in this whole season.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  10-9-10
Again, call 1-800-868-3403 to vote for Kyle & Lacey till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.

The next Instant Dance will be Jennifer & Dereks Rumba.  In Jennifer's own words: without total trust, and good breath mints, it could be a total disaster.  I see shades of Dirty Dancing and of course I love it, but I can't deny that she's not got the hip action I expect to see with The Rumba.  I don't think it was as good as Kyle's Instant Dance but I liked it!  Bruno says this challenge is bringing out the best in people because this was again, breathtaking.  Sensual, sexy, classy, and flawless underarm passes.  Carrie Ann loved it and Len said what he loves about dancing is the variation - soft hard, big small, fast slow - that's what makes great dancing and that's what we've just seen.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  10-10-10 
Call 1-800-868-3411 to vote for Jennifer & Derek till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.

We're back around to Kurt & Anna again, this time dancing The Cha Cha Cha for the Instant Dance portion.  I think Bruno was right - this Instant Dance segment is bringing out the best in all the dancers - even Kurt is dancing better than I've seen!  Carrie Ann said "I like Instant Dance!  This is fun!"  She pointed out musicality has never been Kurt's strong suit but tonight he nailed every single beat!  Len said they've coped extremely well.  His theory is that the known music is like a safety net or a track to run on and when they haven't got it they have to fully focus and it turns out well - he may be right.  Bruno said he let it loose, had fun & went for it!  The foot placement wasn't exactly perfect, but the performance was good!
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  8-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3408 to vote for Kurt & Anna till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.

Bristol & Mark had their Samba up next for the Instant Dance round and her hip action is pretty fierce.  their timing is a little off but I'm amazed with how much Bristol managed to shake it!   Len said because of the rhythm changes, The Samba is the most difficult Latin dance to get in his opinion.  He thought she coped well, would have liked to see more rhythm in her hips and less in her shoulders but it was lovely.  Bruno shouted how she shook it!  Bruno always loves it when the girls get a little down & dirty.  Carrie Ann said this round is a true test of musicality and unfortunately she didn't think Bristol & Mark were that musically connected.  They had good things to say but they still have criticisms.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  7-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3407 to vote for Bristol & Mark till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.

Brandy & Maks have the final Instant Dance of the night - The Cha Cha Cha.  Their routine is pretty tight and they just might top the leader board tonight.  Bruno called it another fabulous performance to end a truly fantastic night!  Carrie Ann said she was shocked that they took 4 8ths to get to their choreography at a time when the whole test of the Instant Dance is to see how fast you get into the musicality and make the song yours.  She wasn't impressed and she and Maks exchanged words right there in the ballroom.  Len said it was full of flair, full of rhythm & full of performance but when asked, he said he did agree with Carrie Ann that they wasted some time at the beginning.
Scores from Carrie Ann, Len & Bruno are:  9-9-10
Call 1-800-868-3406 to vote for Brandy & Maks till 30 minutes after show time, or vote online at abc.com all night.

Jennifer & Derek:  57
Brandy & Maks:  57
Kyle & Lacey:  56
Kurt & Anna:  48
Bristol & Mark:  47

Episode Two Hundred... and One. The DWTS Results.

The nights started out with a repeat performance of Team Apolo's Cha Cha Cha.  Then they got right down to the first set of results with a couple from the top and one from the bottom: Brandy & Maks and Bristol & Mark are up in the spotlights first.  The first couple safe is Brandy & Maks.  They'll definitely be back next Monday night.  Bristol & Mark were left in jeopardy.

In keeping with last night's celebratory theme, Tom announced they would be giving some awards throughout the hour.  In the first awards Segment the award was for the Most Dramatic Moment.
Nominees:
Christian's Arm Injury
Kate & Tony's Fight
Misty May's Achilles Injury
Marie Osmond's Collapse
Kelly's Wardrobe Malfunction
And the award goes to Marie Osmond who fainted after her Samba in season 5.

The Macy's Stars of Dance performance tonight was done by the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins.  First of all I love DWTS.  Second I have loved musicals my entire life.  I'm a sucker for a musical.  And third, Mary Poppins was one of my first favorite musicals growing up!  So I loved it.  Loved loved loved it.  Mary Poppins was great and I absolutely loved her exit out on an umbrella!

I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan but you have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard Mine.  And I loved the glitter guitar!

The next award given was the Best Worst Dancer award.  The nominees...
Kenny Mayne
Master P
Kate Gosselin
Steve Wozniak
Billy Ray Cyrus
And the award went to Kenny Mayne who really sucked it up for a single episode in the second season.

The elimination continued for the other top scoring couple, Jennifer & Derek as well as Rick & Cheryl.  The next couple safe to dance next week is Jennifer & Derek.  I'm glad for that.  I'm still pulling for Jennifer.  And so Rick & Cheryl were put into jeopardy.

The predictable bunch of celebs wishing DWTS a Happy Birthday made me yawn... then they jumped into another award, the Biggest (male) Dancer Transformation.  The nominees were:
Derek Hough (the perfect blond hair)
Tony Dovilani (the blinding white teeth)
Maksim Chmerkovsky (the mullet)
Mark Ballas (showing off the abs)
Louis VanAmstel (the pony tail)
And the Golden Pony Tail Award goes to Louis VanAmstel!

And then Rod Stewart performed I Get A Kick Out Of You.  What a great song that is!  And I've always enjoyed Rod Stewart - he's a great performer.  He even danced a little.  Obviously the shadowdancers did most of the real dancing but Rod can definitely shake it!

The next award was the Best Judges Moments.  This time, rather than announcing nominees and awarding a winner, they chose several winning moments and edited a montage of moments for first Carey Anne, then Len & Bruno. 

The final pre-elimination segment had Kyle & Lacey up in lights next to Kurt & Anna.  The next couple safe to bicker some more, Kurt & Anna.  Which means Kyle & Lacey were in jeopardy.  So the final elimination round was between Kyle & Lacey, Rick & Cheryl and Bristol & Mark.

So remember how I said I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan?  Well obviously, because I never heard the next song she did.  But I remember some of the classic clips they played on the screen behind her.  As much as I don't like the boring celebrity Happy Birthday tapes, is how much I do like the best-of packets.  Love'em!

And Oh. My. God.  They're doing an "instant dance" next week, where they know the dance style but won't know the song they're dancing to until they go on the air!  Oh wow.  That is gonna be really fun to watch!

At last, the final elimination.  Of the three couples,  Rick & Cheryl were sent home and I'm pretty shocked!  I'm sad because honestly I think both Bristol & Kyle should have gone home before Rick.  I guess he just didn't have the votes.  So sad.

DWTS Six Weeks In - Who Goes Home?

Last week I slacked on the results show post so by now everyone knows Florence Henderson went home in Week 5.  She was of course, lovely and gracious upon her elimination.  And as much as I hate to see Mrs. Brady go, it was a decent choice.  I still wonder how Bristol Palin keeps hanging on but truthfully she probably has more potential than Florence, considering their ages and physical states and abilities.
Last nights results though...  I'm not so sure Bristol deserved to stay last night.  I understand that she's no kind of performer so all of this is very foreign to her and getting out there at all is very big for a young girl from Alaska.  However, this is an entertainment program and she's too shy to really throw herself into this competition the way I think she should.  And I don't think she's got as much skill & potential as two of the last three people sent home.  I said before I thought The Situation could show us more and give us more than Bristol.  I also said I was surprised that Bristol could get enough votes to stay, compared to a pop-culture figure that is on an MTV show.  I think it was clear 2 or 3 weeks ago that Bristol's fan base probably includes a lot of her mothers tea-party supporters, voting for her because of their feelings for Sarah.  I find it hard to believe she's got a lot of fans in her own right yet.  Though she is a cute girl, trying hard & doing much better than she was a few weeks ago.
So I said I thought two of the three people sent home deserved to stay over Bristol.  One was The Situation.  And like I said, I thought Florence was a good choice last week.  Which means the second non-deserving dancer to be sent home was last nights competitor...  Audrina Patridge.  It's unfortunate she went home last night since she's clearly got a lot of potential, is young & healthy and has been on top in past weeks.  With 4 points more than Bristol (and more points than 4 other of the couples), she clearly didn't have the votes to keep her in the game.  That's too bad and it makes me bemoan the 'popularity contest' that DWTS tends to be.  true, I'm guilty of voting for my favorites to an extent as well.  However, my favorites are influenced partly by who I liked before the season but also by who is dancing well!  It just blows my mind when viewers vote for a truly bad dancer, as has happened in past seasons.  This is a dancing show - don't they want to see good dancing?!  Already I hear a lot of people complain about the lack of "star" quality of the stars.  But no matter who they get for the show, at least the dances are skilled and entertaining.  If we can't keep dancers with some kind of skill on the show through to the end, what's the point in watching?  Ah well.  I'll keep voting for the good dancers and hopefully the show won't devolve.

Rock'n'Roll Week on DWTS!

It's Rock & Roll week!  But first we start the evening with some of our top ten competition dances of all time!  Viewers voted for their favorites from over 1000 dances and here were the results.  At #10 is Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas dancing their final season 8 dance, the freestyle.  Shawn Johnson became the youngest champion ever on DWTS at age 17.  Then in #9 was the oldest ever champion, Donnie Osmond, dancing his Argentine Tango with Kym Johnson.  #8 was Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough dancing The Quickstep in Season XX, then Julianne showed up again at #7, this time with Apolo Anton Ohno with their final freestyle.  Coming in at #6 was Joanna Krupa with Derek Hough, dancing their futuristic Quickstep.  Mel B and Maks landed at #5 with their season XX Paso Doble.  Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough made it into the #4 with their 50's style Paso Doble.  Apolo Anton Ohno & Julianne Hough showed up again at #4 with their Samba.  The #2 pair was Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke dancing the Argentine Tango in Season 8, which was te first season the Argentine Tango was danced in competition.  Gilles is apparently destined for DWTS seconds.  He was 2nd in season by only 1% of the scores & votes combined, and then 2nd in top ten list by less than 1000 votes!  And the all time favorite dance is Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke dancing their Season 2 trophy grabbing freestyle.  I have to say I miss seeing Julianne dance.  She's always incredible and always entertaining.

Up first tonight were Audrina Patridge & Tony Dovolani dancing The Paso Doble.  My first thought was: It will be interesting to see such a sweet girl dancing something as intense as the paso!Her steps aren't crisp enough, I can see her thinking and she needs to be more fierce and larger than life - she's not.  No mistakes but it's not great.  Len said she's getting on his nerves.  Her dancing is clean & crisp without the character of the dance.  I totally agree.  Technicality with no musicality.  Bruno told her to imagine the man-eating Spanish beauty.  Carrie Ann agreed with the men but praised Audrina's improvement.  Nice of her to suggest something to work on.
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 8-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3401 to vote for Audrina & Tony for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

Kyle Massey & Lacey Schwimmer were second, dancing the Tango and as much as I love Kyle he just doesn't sell those Latin numbers very well.  I think he has a hard time getting the steps as crisp & sharp as they need to be, but I thought his frame was great.  Bruno had some constructive criticism, he & Carrie Ann both agreed his hold was good.  Bruno said he worked hard, it was still a bit rough but a great improvement.  He made a very good point: Kyle's dances are performance driven and of course we don't want to see a technically perfect dance coupe with no style, but there has to be a balance.
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 8-7-8
Call 1-800-868-3403 to vote for Kyle & Lacey for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

Jennifer Grey & Derek Hough were next with The Paso Doble (which should have been their dance last week with all her pent up anger).  It was pretty great but something funny happened there at the end.  Still the crowd is going nuts.  Carrie Ann says Jennifer needs to calm down because she's way out of control and going downhill.  Len again said dancing is about balance and she had a lot of the attack but trying to go with such gusto she lost some control.  Bruno enacted a furious fight with an imaginary skirt - it seems they all agreed she was out of control and headed down a slippery slope.
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 6-7-7
Call 1-800-868-3411 to vote for Jennifer & Derek for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.


Rick Fox & Cheryl Burke gave us a Tango next.  Almost his best dance et but he lost his frame pretty early on in the dance.  Len said he's always impressed with his hold & posture - shows what I know.  Bruno said a little more romance but good overall.  Carrie Ann said it was perfectly balanced but he needs to be careful not to be too stern. 
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 8-8-8
Call 1-800-868-3404 to vote for Rick & Cheryl for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

Next up were Brisol Palin & Mark Balas dancing The Tango.  In rehearsal she decided to show more of the personality the judges have been asking for, they should do a little air-guitar mid-performance.  Well, it was cute.  And the dance was alright as well but I still think it's time for Bristol to go home.  She's just not entertaining in the least.  Bruno called it her best performance & best technique of the season.  Carrie Ann said it was great and she created drama.  Len said last week a chimp, this week almost a champ - though he will take of a point for breaking hold in the air-guitar moment.  Ah well. 
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 8-7-8
Call 1-800-868-3407 to vote for Bristol & Mark for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

Kurt Warner & Anna Trebunskaya brought another Paso Doble next.  I was impressed though his joints looked a little wobbly.  Carrie An thought the dance lacked polish and Kurt looked uncomfortable.  Len said he could see what they were trying to do but it felt awkward & just didn't come off.  Bruno said they worked very hard but it looked more like karate than Spanish dance.
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 6-6-6
Call 1-800-868-3408 to vote for Kurt & Anna for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

The last of the individual performances are Brandy & Maksim Chmerkovskiy dancing The Tango.  Her steps were crisp, her attitude was fierce, her movements were large & bold...  I loved it.  I have to admit early in the season I was skeptical of Brandy & said I'd never seen her do more than sway a bit.  But this was great.  Len said Maks is his hero, Bruno said they were Tina Turner and Mad Maks! Carrie Ann said she got goose-bumps watching... but also mentioned a couple tiny mis-steps.
Scores from Carrie Anne, Len & Bruno are: 8-9-9  (the only 9's of the nights individual dances)
Call 1-800-868-3406 to vote for Brandy & Maks for 30 minutes after air-time, or go to abc.com to vote online till the morning after.

For the competition marathon portion, all couples will be out on the dance floor at the same time.  They can dance steps from  The Jive,  Swing Dance & Lindy Hop.  Legal lifts are allowed, one tap on the shoulder means the couple is out and when they get down to 4 couples, the final 4 can break out of their spots and move around the dance-floor.  Out first are Kurt & Anna - I was thinking that should be the first choice since Kurt was standing and Anna was doing most of the dancing.  Bristol & Mark got cut next but I didn't see much of their stuff on camera.  Rick & Cheryl go next, followed by Kyle & Lacey.  Audrina & Tony were out next leaving Jennifer & Brandy to duke it out on the dance floor.  Jennifer & Derek were tapped next leaving Brandy & Maks with an extra 10 points in the end.

So tonight the leader board is as follows:
Brandy & Maks: 36
Audrina & Tony: 32
Rick & Cheryl: 30
Kyle & Lacey: 30
Jennifer & Derek: 29
Bristol & Mark: 28
Kurt & Anna: 22

DWTS Gratuitous Fashion Post

So this is the mid-week lull where I distract myself with fashion critiques and Glee commentary while I impatiently wait for the next competition night!  So here are the facebook pictures from week 4 of competition along with some of the thoughts I didn't have time to share on last Monday night.

I think my favorite costume of the night was...  well it definitely wasn't Bristol.  She looked like she was wearing black sequin granny-panties and her dad's work shirt.  I get that certain styles are appropriate for certain dances.  Each dance has a sort of "look" if you will, and it surely helps set the tone for all of us watching and for the dancers getting in character.  And I know that The Rumba means the gals get to wear some sheer flowing number that looks like my grandmothers curtains have been turned into a poncho.  No objection here.  And though I'm not a huge fan of what Brandy wore, it seems to fit the bill for Rumba costume pretty well - sequined granny panties and Grannies sheer drapes.  Not loving it, doing nothing for me...  but I get it.  Bristol's costume though...  I mean come on Mark - she's a young girl on a dance competition, not Tom Cruise a la Risky Business. 


Not exactly the best shot of the awful costume but you get the idea. And as for Brandy's, like I mentioned, it's DWTS traditional Rumba-wear, but I'm not loving it. I've seen similar costumes on previous seasons that looked better and showed the movement of the dancer more easily. This was just long enough and just wrapped enough that it hid a lot of her hip action.


I wasn't crazy about Florence Henderson's dress either. The high-waist and belt were both terrible ideas. They made her look a little thick and shortened her torso. Also I'm not loving the orthopedic dance shoes she's wearing. Come on Flo, this is DWTS and you're a card-carrying woman! Suck it up and rock those high-heels girl!


I feel pretty neutral about The Situation & Karina's wardrobe choices, and I also wasn't raving over what Anna chose for Kurt & herself.


So that leaves my favorites. I thought Rick & Cheryl looked stunning in their shared black & white. Unfortunately for Kurt I thought Rick pulled off his tux better and was more nicely complemented by the colors & style of his partner.


I often wonder what on earth Lacey is thinking with her wardrobe choices, but just as often she's found something fun, unique and very appealing. Last week she was wearing a skin tone top with black-lace applique floral trails snaking around her body, over her puffy pink tutu-ish skirt & down onto and around her stocking-clad leg. I thought it was an interesting and adorable effect.


Tony dressed Audrina in a sparkly red number with a sort of strange strappy transition between the bottom and top but I think overall it worked well.


And Derek and Jennifer once again looked great. Her traditional short black lace dress was perfect for their Argentine Tango and the cut of the top showed off her shoulders beautifully.


So there you go, just a few of my thoughts on last weeks show. I can't wait for tonight... come back in just over 12 more hours for my thoughts and opinions on Week 5 tonight!

Unplugged in Week 4 of Dancing with The Stars

Tonight's show is in the round, acoustic and will include 2 score for each couple!
First, Kurt & Anna will be dancing The Rumba. This could be a bit of a trick for Kurt since it's got a lot of hip action and Kurt's not really got a lot of swing in his hips! But then again... I could be wrong, I think as he swivels around like a pro. And the frying-pan hands are getting better every week! Len thought the technique was alright, lateral hip action was great, and the performance was good but not over the top. Bruno is still having a hard time with the frying pan hands and thought the romance was more brother/sister than lover. Carrie Ann loved the chemistry & performance between them but agreed with Bruno that his arm movements need to start within the body as opposed to his elbow.
Technical Scores: 5-5-5
Performance Scores: 7-6-6
What ridiculous scores. I didn't think the big hands warranted such a drop in the scores
Call 1-800-868-3408 to vote for Kurt & Anna or go to abc.com

Next we see a Rumba from Brandy & Maks. Yeah, Brandy mentioned she has a hard time feeling secy when she hasn't been with anyone is 6 years and wow is she right - she looked a little awkward at times. Maks on the other hand, can Rumba into my room any time. And if he could wear that bare chested outfit that would be a bonus. Bruno said it was a moment of passion in a moonlit garden but warned her to be careful of erratic hands. Carrie Ann said the performance was fully committed & great but thought she could be a little bit bigger in her movements. Bruno thought the performance was great but also felt she could put a little more power into her legs, as both other judges mentioned.
Technical Scores: 7-8-7
Performance Scores: 9-8-9
Okay I thought it was better than Kurt's performance but it certainly wasn't THAT much better. In fact it didn't grab me enough to call in a vote before seeing all the other dancers as I sometimes do, so I don't think it warranted a 9.
Call 1-800-868-3406 to vote for Brandy & Maks or go to abc.com

Rick & Cheryl has prepared a smokin' Argentine Tango for us and I'm pretty excited to see some crazy foot action and impressive lifts. I love the intensity of the Argentine Tango & they didn't disappoint me! But ti looks like they might not have impressed the judges. Carrie Ann thought it was one dimensional. She didn't see the motion and the passion but she saw too much concentration. Len loved the lifts and what they did for the dance but felt they could be a bit sharper. He thought it was a great performance but felt a little like the intensity faded as the dance went on. Bruno seemed to agree. He also felt some of the passes were a bit like Megatron... whatever that means...
Technical Scores: 6-7-6
Performance Scores: 6-7-7
Call 1-800-868-3404 to vote for Rick & Cheryl or go to abc.com

It's time for Kyle & Lacey to show us their Rumba and we'll get to see if Kyle's footwork has improved at all since last week. He's got to point his toes... I'm loving the hot pink tutu and hardly anything else that Lacey is wearing but it still can't hide the fact that Kyle's hips seem almost fused they're so stiff! His arms were good and so were his feet but his hips... oh boy. Len thought the footwork was much better but the whole thing was just a little too sharp with not enough flow. Oh, and he liked the performance. Bruno said he has moments of fluidity but sometimes Kyle isn't on it. Carrie Ann liked what he did with the performance but felt because he was focusing so much on his footwork he lost track of his upper body a bit.
Technical Scores: 6-6-6
Performance Scores: 8-7-7
Call 1-800-868-3403 to vote for Kyle & Lacey or go to abc.com

The Situation & Karina are up next with another Argentine tango and as much as I didn't want to like this guy, he's not so bad. He's goofy & personable, not proud or cocky and willing to work. Even though he goofed just a few steps in, his footwork is looking better than previous weeks but it's possible this is just because he's stood still a large portion of the dance while Karina danced around him. He's definitely the weakest of the bunch technically and I'm afraid he's going home soon. Bruno felt it never quite made sense and there were an incredible amount of mistakes. Carrie Ann first welcomed The situations Abs tot he show on behalf of all the women. She felt it was a good time to bring ont he distraction because it was pretty bad, but good job on the lifts. Bruno said it was consistent: bad through out.
Technical Scores: 4-4-4
Performance Scores: 6-5-5
I still gotta admire the guy: he said had fun, he said was glad Karina was in one piece and all he said about the judges scores: That's definitely a situation.
Call 1-800-868-3410 to vote for The Situation & Karina or go to abc.com

Next, Florence & Corky are dancing The Rumba, which Corky describes as a vertical expression of a horizontal desire! You can definitely see Florence struggling with the hip movements but it was a sexy dance. Carrie Ann felt like it went just a little too far. Len thought it was better than he expected and Bruno thought the performance was a bit much and the hips could be better - he's seen better. But I thought it was an improvement on last week at least!
Technical Scores: 6-6-5
Performance Scores: 6-6-6
I think Carrie Ann felt uncomfortable with the sex of The Rumba because it was Florence. I don't think she would have felt that way if it were Rick & Cheryl doing the same dance. She has Florence in her head as Mrs Brady and I think that puts them at an unfair disadvantage.
Call 1-800-868-3409 to vote for Florence & Corky or go to abc.com

Jennifer & Derek are doing an Argentine tango and I love how hard Jennifer pushes herself despite her physical limitations. I love the bit at the piano but Len will say it was wasted bars. Wow. She's sharp tonight. And Derek is always sharp. The choreography was intricate and beautiful. I loved it. I dare say Jennifer Grey is back on top. Len said it combined excellent technique & great performance skills, Bruno said it was prime time delight and Carrie Ann said it was A. May. Zing! I agree.
Technical Scores: 9-9-9
Performance Scores: 10-9-10
The first tens of the season and they get a pretty pair of them! I'm definitely calling in a vote for Jennifer.
Call 1-800-868-3411 to vote for Jennifer & Derek or go to abc.com

Bristol & Mark are dancing the Rumba and as Mark says, "The rumba and Bristol have absolutely nothing in common. She's still a little young to understand sensuality so it all looks a little awkward. It;s unfortunate since this might mean she goes home. I'd bet both Florence & The situation have more fans in their own right than the daughter of a political figure. Bruno says she's always very technically clean but the moves never go anywhere & she kind of goes vacant in her performances. Carrie Ann thinks her dancing can be really beautiful but she seems to not really be dancing for the audience. Len was of course disapproving of the topless Mark portion and wants to see more we and less me from Mark.
Technical Scores: 6-6-6
Performance Scores: 4-5-5
It's true that her performance is not as impressive as her technical skill. She's not a great dancer but she works hard on her steps and technique.
Call 1-800-868-3407 to vote for Bristol & Mark or go to abc.com

Audrina and Tony are dancing The Argentine Tango. I really like Tony and despite the dubious nature of her star status in my eyes, I'm willing to give her the same benefit I've given the Situation. She seems sweet and she's a decent dancer so far this season so we'll see. Her technique is nice, her steps are clean, but it's not the intense dance we saw from Jennifer & Derek. I think it was partly Jennifer's mistake last week that landed Audrina at the top. Carrie Ann said she needs to work on extending her foot and she was floppy on the dismount, but she liked their performance. Len said it was clean & clear with good lifts & a clever routine, but he didn't get transported to a seedy club in Buenos Aires. Bruno said it was effective, but she was sort of like an ice queen. He said it wasn't bad and enjoyed the difficult embellishments but she didn't point the feet.
Technical Scores: 8-8-8
Performance Scores: 8-7-7
Call 1-800-868-3401 to vote for Audrina & Tony or go to abc.com

And so tonight the leader board is as follows:
Jennifer & Derek: 56
Audrina & Tony: 46
Brandy & Maks: 41
Kyle & Lacey: 40
Rick & Cheryl: 39
Florence & Corky: 35
Kurt & Anna: 34
Bristol & Mark: 32
the Situation & Karina: 28

DWTS Sends Home Another In Week 3

Of the facebook pics posted today, this is definitely my favorite! "This is the gayest thing that's every happened here!" says Margaret after her rainbow filled routine... clearly she hasn't watched very much DWTS...

For the spotlight dance they chose The Situation & Karina Smirnoff.

"The Situation & Karina Smirnoff! That was so fun... plus we got to amortize the cost of the time machine!" - Tom Bergeron.

OMG I love Tom. I thought it was interesting that they picked The Situation for the spotlight but it was indeed fun.

After a video packet featuring Jennifer Grey, Brandy & Rick Fox, we see Audrina & Tony, Kyle & Lacy and Kurt & Anna waiting in the spotlights. How funny that they showed the wrong video clips - I noticed a couple of production goofs last night as well! But on with the show and we soon find of the three stars standing in lights, Audrina & Kurt are safe but Kyle is still in jeopardy.

I'm not a big-time Ne-Yo groupie but I enjoyed his performance. I always like it better when the vocal or instrumental performers come down from their spot on stage and join the dance performance in some way. Sometimes they get more involved than others, some are more at home staying on the stage... Shakira knew how to shake it with impressive expertise when she appeared on the show but not everyone likes to mix it up with the pros.

So far this season we know the Macy's Stars Of Dance performance will be The Cha Cha to Billy Joel's Only Rock & Roll. This week you can go online to vote for which pro's you'd like to see.

The next segment is a visit from Donny Osmond. Donny hits the streets to see what people think of the stars of Season 11, and convinces a bunch of beer gut guys to pull up their shirts in imitation of The Situation!

And now we see the Audrina/Kyle/Kurt clips. And then we find out Jennifer & Derek are safe, Rick & Cheryl are in jeopardy and Brandy & Maks are safe. Tom & Brook switched it up on us a little and Cheryl was fooled for a second! Tom announced one safe couple, then Brook said the next couple to be announced was in jeopardy but Cheryl must not have caught that - she & Rick were celebrating until Brook said "In jeopardy - in jeopardy..." over and over again.

Did you ever sit, sipping your morning coffee, reflecting back over the previous nights episode of DWTS, thinking... "You know what would have really made the show last night? A musical face off between Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy!"? If you've had that conversation, this was your segment. Mark on guitar, Val on violin, both on the dance floor... in the words of Tom "it was like high noon with spandex."

I'm glad to see Michael Bolton back to perform. I was worried that his final judges comments would sour him on the experience. But standing in a room full of fog, singing Hallelujah while Anna & Jonathan dance like lovers... its quite the triumphant return!

I'm sure you're wondering now about the fate of Bristol, The Situation, Florence & Margaret right? Well The Situation and Florence are safe. Bristol and Margaret will join Rick and Kyle in the final reveal.

But before we are told who is going home, we get to hear the stars tell us about the emotional demands put on them as contestants on the show. Rick talks of the roller coaster of emotion they ride. It starts over every Wednesday morning with "you don't know how to dance"! I'm glad I don't ride that ride!

And next comes the final reveal... Kyle & Lacy are the first to learn they're safe and I'm relieved as well! Kyle definitely deserves to stay. This time Rick & Cheryl are actually safe and can celebrate. Whew - I would hate to see such beautiful eye candy go home. So who is going home? Margaret & Louis. I'm kind of sad that after such a rough back-to-school season for gay youth, and such a fun uplifting performance about pride last night, that they're the ones eliminated. But it's a dance show, not a political forum. And Margaret was I think the weakest dancer of the bunch.

Next week we'll be seeing The Argentine Tango - one of my personal favorites, and The Rumba.

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - DWTS Week 2 Results!

I watched the Monday night dancing portion of Dancing With The Stars yesterday morning. I got myself a cup of coffee, switched on my DVR and pulled it up so I could sit back and enjoy it again. I love seeing the dances, the costumes, the music...  without thinking too hard about who I want to vote for.

As far as costumes go, there was a lot of fun stuff, a few stinkers, and some really sexy bits...
I loved Cheryl's pink "Tush" panties!  It's a shame we only got to see them once! 


Karina looked elegant & sophisticated in her old fashioned dress and while The Situation has probably never worn clothes so tight in all his life, the uniform looked great on him!


Speaking of military uniforms, I loved Anna's old-school military uniform hot-pants and I thought the finger curls were adorable!  I wasn't a big fan of the strange sequin-outlined breast pockets she gave Kurt...


...but Kurt's pockets were certainly not as odd as the electrical tape wrapped thighs of Tony!  What is that about?  And what's going on with Audrina's fishnet chest?  I'm glad she didn't get tangled up in her own shirt!


Corky did a far better job with his suit and Florence pulls off the wet look quite well with her plethora of sequins.


Maks didn't quite wear a suit, but even in a bowtie, you can't deny he's just sexy. And who doesn't like a cutie in pigtails & plaid?!


Jennifer's gold flapper dress with the side cut-outs looked pretty hot.  And like I said, the ringlet extensions worked very well with the whole thing.  I love both of their faces in this picture!  They're so into the performance - it's great.


Lacey in her feather duster dress, mentioned below, was different but I thought it fit their dance and wasn't ugly.  And Chelsie's midriff exposing outfits can't go wrong!

I wasn't especially impressed with Bristol's layers of lavender,


and the zebra/hot-pink combo on Margaret didn't do it for me either. but I won't hold it against them since it's not "Fashion-Shows With The Stars".


Here are this weeks standings:
Jennifer Grey - 24
Audrina Patridge - 23
Kyle Massey - 22
Bristol Palin - 22
Rick Fox - 21
Brandy - 21
Kurt Warner - 21
Florence Henderson - 19
The Situation - 18
Margaret Cho - 18
Michael Bolton - 12

Last night, tuning into the results show, we first learned that Kyle & Lacey are safe & Brandy & Maks are "in jeopardy". But you know how that goes. Half the contestants will be left "in jeopardy" until the end, but only one star is actually going home.

I love the little fight going on between Len & Bruno over Michael Bolton's scores Monday night. It's funny that Len lectured Bruno on being nice. I thought Bruno was kind of an ass myself. He can say it was terrible, he can make a joke at his expense even, but does he really have to say it was the worst he's ever seen?  Typically, the judges give weekly pointers that the contestants can work on.  It's pretty mean-spirited to offer nothing constructive.  I've often made the observation that the judges and hosts on DWTS seem to genuinely enjoy each other.  I imagine them going home happy with their jobs and co-workers overall.  I don't get that same vibe when watching a show like American Idol and I don't like the undertones of actual hostility I sometimes sense between the judges of AI.  I like my judges & co-hosts happy thanks.  Please adjust the attitude before next week Bruno. 

But Len ended the squabble and announced that Kyle and Lacey were the judges pick for the encore dance tonight. I think Kyle's got a lot of musicality, he's incredibly engaging, and he's just plain good. Now, I don't think it's unfair to call Kyle chubby - don't get me wrong, I think he's adorable! But I wasn't expecting him to be as quick & agile as he is. I'm pleasantly surprised with Kyle's awesome performances. I loved Len's comment last night about how it looked like Kyle was caught up in the midst of a huge feather duster! The skirt was a bit odd but I liked it. The whole thing worked for them.


Next, Janelle Monae sang Tightrope and I'm a little curious what was going on up in that hair, but I really dug the James Brown vibe she had going. Honestly I hadn't heard of this girl before last night but I might check out more of her music. That was pretty entertaining.

You may have noticed the crazy level of booing in the ballroom last night at one point and there was a lot of news coverage later, claiming the audience began to boo as soon as they saw the cameras & Tom Bergeron were setting up to shoot a segment with Sarah Palin. DWTS came back with raw footage of another camera which indicates the audience was booing the low scores given to Jennifer Grey & Derek.  Some of the audience was even chanting "Nine!  Nine!  Nine!" so it seems clear that the booing was not at the political figure.  Though according to some bloggers that's what it was about.  Lets just consider both possibilities for a moment:  Clearly there were people in the audience chanting nine and booing the scores.  But I know cameras set up in preparation for the next segment in a live show and I have no doubt that some audience members didn't care about the already great scores of Jennifer & Derek, don't like Sarah Palin and took the opportunity to boo at her.  I'm pretty sure the booing was a combination of the two.  I have no doubt there was at least one audience member who was genuinely under the impression they were booing at Sarah Palin, which means they in fact were.  No matter if others were genuinely booing the judges scores.  Still, Jennifer & Derek thanked the audience for their show of support & all was put aside.

Of the next couples up, Florence & Corky are safe as well as Bristol & Mark. Which means that in this go-round, The Situation & Karina are "in jeopardy". Next Audrina & Tony are safe and Jennifer & Derek join them immediately, safe as well. How funny - they only had two couples up in that round and both were told they're safe tonight. I love how they love to mess with the contestants minds!

Next was a packet of the pro's talking about their rituals and routines on show-day.  They do stuff like pass a football back & forth, eat chocolate cake and sniff the ballroom floor.  Most of them keep their star partner close and all outside distractions away.  Most of them have got a lot of experience in this style of competition by now and are very clear on what works for them.

The Macy's Star's of Dance put on an amazing ballet/cirque style dance to Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. And after an endless commercial break, Seal sang The Weight Of My Mistakes. Cheryl, Lacey, Kym & Chelsie came onto the floor in fluttery little pink nighties & wavy flowing hair, dancing like little slumber party nymphs around him.  I wonder if we could get a nightie clad nymph for my next party.

Of course, how could they air a packet about pro's and their show-day rituals without also talking to the contestants about their thoughts & feelings so far in the game.  Some of them talked about how intimidating it is going up against big competitors and real stars - I'm sure it would be surreal for a reality star like Audrina or The Situation to suddenly find themselves making friends with people like Florence Henderson or Rick Fox.  And of course the serious competitors like Rick Fox, say things like they've played to win at everything they've ever tried in life and this dance competition is no different.

Kurt, Michael, Rick & Margaret were last up and we found Kurt & Anna and Margaret & Louis were safe, but before we could learn the fate of Michael or Rick, Tom sent us to another commercial! Or ten.

So back to the stage and the 4 remaining contestants are all up in lights. Rick & Cheryl are told right away they're safe. Remaining are The Situation & Karina, Brandy & Maks and Michael & Chelsie. Aaaaand it's another commercial. Of course. At this point I think Michael Bolton should go home. I hate to make people feel bad so I hate what Bruno said. especially since it's likely Michael could go home in a minute. That really sours his elimination & might send him home feeling bad.  But despite that, I think he's the weakest dancer & should be the next to be sent away.

Brandy & Maks are safe!

And yep, The Situation & Karina are safe and Michael Bolton & Chelsie Hightower are sent home in week two. Tom asked Michael about the camaraderie he experienced and if he expected that. I would imagine the consistency with which the stars get so close season after season is owed to the fact that they all share the condition of being completely immersed in unfamiliar territory.So hopefully Michael has made a few life-long friends that will make all of Bruno's words insignificant in the end. Aside from that, I do think he was the right choice to go home.

Next week it could go a couple of ways. Florence could get a dance that's tough for her - maybe one with some hip action required? And that could negatively impact her overall standing.  Or, one of Margaret & The Situation will step up a bit and the other will go home. We'll see...

Dancing With The Stars Season 11 Begins Tonight!

The sneak-peek videos posted on facebook are probably our best indication of how the contestants are going to do tonight, but even those are carefully edited to keep us from knowing too much, I'm sure!  I also notice in the video packet each week, the rehearsal clips shown seem to be from early in the weeks rehearsal schedule.  Just so they don't give away too much about how well the pair may or may not do.  So it's still hard to say how I imagine tonight will go until I've actually seen what they can do in the ballroom.


Brandy seems to be a perfectionist so that could work in her favor.


I think Jennifer & Derek get my vote right now before they get to the ballroom. I know that makes it nothing more than a popularity contest, but that's all I have to go on at this point. I'll definitely be voting based on dancing ability however. But she looks like she may do alright in that respect as well - and Derek is no cream-puff when it comes to teaching, so I think they have a chance.


Margaret Cho looks like she's picking up the steps alright and working hard.


Audrina has a dancers body and decent form so she & Tony may do really well. I like Tony and would love to see him get a mirror ball trophy of his own. The closest he's come in 8 seasons on DWTS: 3rd place in seasons 2 and 8.


Florence Henderson thinks she can get away with not wearing heels?!  Seriously Flo?  Think again!  Corcky tells her she'll get spanked by Len. Tonight we'll find out if she's going to take the spanking or not.  But she looks a little brittle in the facebook video. Not as stiff however, as Buzz Aldrin looked - second to leave in season 10!


Mark Ballas is a strong leader so Bristol Palin seems to be doing okay in their early rehearsals, but those few steps don't tell me much. More telling is the look of uncertainty on her face when Mark slaps his thighs! HAHAHA! She looks at him like she's never gotten down! Well I guess we'll see how well little miss Palin can shake it!


I'm still hoping Michael Bolton & Chelsie Hightower do well and his sneak-peek video doesn't change that! Jennifer & Derek are my pick for the lady contestants, but Michael and Chelsie are definitely my pre-dancing pick on the men's side!

Mike & Karina are doing the Cha-cha tonight, as is everyone, and I hope they can make a decent showing since it sounded in the video, like he barely arrived in LA for rehearsals a few days ago. I think maybe his Jersey Shore taping schedule had him caught up longer than the other stars of the show, but that doesn't seem like they have much of a chance if he's barely learning to dance this week. Holly Madison tried to jump in at the last minute in season 8 and was the 3rd star to go home. She may as well have been the first eliminated, but with Belinda Carlisle & Denise Richards also competing, there were a few needing to go home at once so it took a minute to get to Holly. It's possible the extra rehearsal time wouldn't have mattered since the next two weeks she was still pretty bad. We'll see if The Situation has any raw talent Karina has been able to work with over the past week or not.


David & Kym might be going home sooner than I originally thought. The Hoff has vertigo? hehehe... Oh this can't be good!


If Kurt & Anna's video is any indication, it might be just a little bit painful to watch him in the ballroom tonight!


Kyle & Lacey seem to be working hard but WHAT is with her pants? And I'm still not digging the blond hair. And as I suspected, Kyle doesn't seem to be a natural. What was with his somersault? I can do better than that and I can't even turn a cartwheel!


Rick & Cheryl seem to be having a great time, working hard and not doing too bad. "Hanging on for dear life", he called it. I think he'll do okay.

I'm excited to see the premier tonight! It will be good to find out what kind of rhythm & skill these stars will bring to the ballroom. I'll let you know what I think...

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke - DWTS Season 11

Rick Fox is well named.  And he can move on the court.  But can he move, and be a fox, on the dance floor?  That remains to be seen.  He's got the right partner if he's serious about getting the mirror ball trophy.  Cheryl is goal oriented.  This is her 9th season and she's taken home two mirror balls of her own in the 2nd and 3rd seasons.  She'll work Rick Fox as hard as he ever worked as a Laker.  I think they're a great pair.  I hope they do well.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer - DWTS Season 11

First, I have to say: Racy Lacey as a blonde just isn't doin' it for me!  I thought she was a sexy counterpoint to all the bubble-gum blonds on the show.  Now she kinda blends in with Kym, Julianne & Chelsie.  No offense to those lovely ladies - I just thought Lacey had a good thing going.  Ah well, I guess we can just let the whole season be a do-over.  I don't know anything about this Kyle kid but he doesn't look like he can dance...  maybe they'll both surprise me.

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya - DWTS Season 11

Kurt Warner is one of my favorite football players.  First, he's got such a great cinderella-story.  Second, that awesome cinderella story of his is what finally ruined my favorite quotable stat about a dome team never winning the Superbowl!  Football players have a mixed record on DWTS.  Jerry Rice (and Anna Trebunskaya coincidentally) came very close to winning the mirror ball trophy in Season 2.  Then in Season 3, Emmit Smith did take the mirror ball home.  Jerry is joined by 2 more NFL stars who made it to 2nd place: Jason Taylor in season 6, and Warren Sapp in season 7.  In season 8 though, Lawrence Taylor only made it as far as 7th place.  And just last season Chad Ochocinco made it to 4th but clearly benefited from the fan vote to get him so far.  So we'll have to wait and see how well Warner does.
Anna has partnered 5 other stars: she's made it to 2nd place twice and landed below 10 the other three times.  She's a great dancer but when she was dancing with Evan Lysacek I noticed that she didn't quite rise to the occasion the way Derek Hough did.  He brought every drop of determination and pushed his partner to the limit.  His choreography reflected his knowledge that the final dance was their defining moment and last chance to set themselves apart from every other couple that came before them.  Anna kind of seemed to crack under that pressure.

David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson - DWTS Season 11

The Hoff! I'll admit I was excited about this one! Come on, be honest... if you've seen the drunken burger eating video you must be a little curious to see if that Hoff makes an appearance. I suppose he'll be on better behavior since it's abc, as opposed to his daughters YouTube channel, but you never know - we might get lucky.
As far as skill, we know The Hoff has been in several Broadway shows.  That means we can't count him out as a dancer.  So he might be just barely acceptable, but he might be this seasons Donny Osmond. 
And speaking of Donny, Kym partnered him as well.  Personally I think she's the perfect choice!  She's cute, feisty, and doesn't fade into the background when she's with a strong personality - she's perfect for an older ladies man like the Hoff.  I really hope he holds on for a while because I'd like to see what he brings to the show.  Good luck Hoff!

Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff - DWTS Season 11

I know absolutely nothing about Mike "the situation" Sorrentino, other than the fact that he's on MTV's Jersey Shore and was unable to get to the photo shoot that every other celeb managed to attend a couple weeks ago so there's no picture of he and Karina, his dance partner.  But the other day I was scanning the program guide on TV and saw that Jersey Shore was on MTV at the moment so I flipped to it.  My husband gave me a look that seemed to ask if I was feeling alright.  But I ignored him and pressed on.  When I joined Jersey Shores, Snookie & JWoww were covered in plastic bags, cleaning the "smoosh room" so Snookie and her latest male friend could spend some time there without Jwoww being forced to listen to them moan all night in their shared bedroom.  These girls were wearing huge plastic bags!  On their heads!  I found myself hoping one of those girls would suffocate and save me from the complete stupidity.  It was that bad.  I couldn't watch long enough to get a glimpse of Sorrentino, but I really hope he brings a little more interest and intelligence to DWTS than I saw from the rest of the Jersey Shore cast.  Chances are he's a total meat head who isn't good for much more than showing off his 6-pack to all of America, but we can hope he shows us something worth watching.
This will be Karina Smirnoff's eighth season as a pro on DWTS, but she has yet to earn a mirror ball.  I'm not sure if that's because of her past partners or her teaching skills but I have no doubt she'll push Sorrentino out of his comfort zone.  I'll have to with hold any opinions for now since I just don't know with this guy...

Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower - DWTS Season 11

I'm just going to come out and say it for the record right now: When I was 13 I had a little crush on Michael Bolton.  Really you can't be too hard on me - he was better looking than my little boyfriend and he definitely had a handle on romance that was sadly lacking in most 13 year old boys.  With that out of the way, now I have to admit that I got a little giggly again when I saw his first DWTS publicity shot.  Can you blame me? Look at that smile!  It screams "I still know more about romance than any other boy you know."  Not that I'm saying he's right, just sayin...  And you know he loves women since The Michael Bolton Charities focuses mainly on helping women who are victims of violence.  You have to admire that. 
So does any of this mean he can dance?  I suppose not.  But it means I'll definitely watch to find out!
I wonder if Chelsie ever crushed on him.  Probably not...  she's a bit too young.  But I bet he's got a little crush on Chelsie...  really though, who doesn't?  She's so cute even I have a teeny crush on her.  And with three previous seasons dancing on the show, she's definitely due for her own mirror ball!  So I suppose I'd like to see this pair do well - but right now I'm not picking any favorites.

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas - DWTS Season 11

I'm not sold on Bristol Palin. I knew nothing of her but the smiley plastic face she brought to her mothers run for the vice presidency in 2008. Then I heard the teen-mom scandal and all the drama between her & her baby-daddy. Then I heard she was back at home under her photo-op-moms wing. Then I heard she'd hooked up with her baby-daddy again, and used Us Magazine to break the news to Mom. Then I heard her baby-daddy just wanted a reality show deal so she's back to single-teen-mom status and playing nice with Mom again. But I certainly don't begrudge anyone their experiences in life, and if you know me you know I'm certainly no stranger to baby-daddy drama.  And you know, I don't even begrudge her choice to use the media to fuel her over dramatic mother-daughter relationship.  I made a lot of crazy choices when I was young (now I make different crazy choices).  So who am I to judge?  Still, all of this does not a star make.  It makes her a politicians spoiled teen daughter who's caught some limelight.
Another thing that bothers me about Bristol: As a notable teen mom she has a lot of opportunity to reach other teens. She started out advocating abstinence then later (when she split from Mom briefly) came out saying she felt teaching abstinence was unrealistic and teens should be learning about birth control options etc. After her reconciliation with Mom, she was back to supporting Mom's party line of abstinence. I like my waffles with breakfast only, thanks. I'm not clear what her message is now but I know she's a Teen Ambassador for The Candie’s Foundation, to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy.  How she advocates preventing these unplanned pregnancies, I don't know.
However, most of this drama and craziness is kids stuff.  The back & forth, the drama with mom, most kids have been through it - certainly I'm no saint.  And I've seen experiences like this turn a braterpillar turn into Butterfly.  Having a baby can push the whole growing up process along as well!  So we'll have to see.  She'll have to show me some great dance moves and a fun, willing, go-getter attitude before I'll call her number.

Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas - DWTS Season 11

Let's face it, Mrs. Brady can do anything! So I won't be a bit surprised if she floats around like she was born in a ballroom.  She played Anna in The King And I, so she can dance the Waltz at the very least.  She's really done it all over the years - TV news and series shows, movies, stage performances, including light opera & Broadway, a one-woman show, speaking engagements, celebrity endorsement deals, talk show host, producer...  So however things turn out I'm positive she's taking this on with everything she's got.
I'm excited to see Corky Ballas back for another season!  His short lived pairing with Cloris Leachman was unfortunate in every way except it's life span - hopefully this will be less painful to watch.  He's quite an accomplished dancer with several ballroom titles to his credit, and could be a fabulous teacher if Marc is any indication.
I don't think this pair will go all the way but I'm not counting them out.

Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani - DWTS Season 11

Most of us know Audrina Patridge from 6 seasons on The Hills, but she's also ventured into film, appeared as a guest in several other TV shows and has signed on with several ad campaigns.  The 25 year old MTV "reality" star may or may not be able to dance.
She & Tony will be dancing the Cha cha cha & Foxtrot on the September 20th premier.  The Cha cha cha requires quite a lot of hip movement so we'll see right away if she's at all wooden. As for the Foxtrot, there's some fancy footwork (not as difficult as say, the quickstep but still), and a still upper body so we'll see how well she holds her frame.
Tony is a personal favorite of mine so I hope he does well.  He's a great dancer and he's not bad to look at either.  Hopefully he can teach his partner a thing or two and they'll stick around a bit.

Margaret Cho with Louis Van Amstel - DWTS Season 11

Margaret Cho is a pretty busy girl!  Stand-up comedy, books, regular T.V. appearances. a musical comedy album, equal rights advocacy works, she's on tour...  sounds like my kinda gal.  Honestly I don't know much about her but with a tattoo-gun holstered on her upper-thigh, what's not to love?  I have no idea if she dances or has any rhythm at all, but it seems likely that she'll be fun to have in the ballroom.  She'll be entertaining at least.
And one thing I know about Louis VanAmstel: he's a great dance teacher!  When he had Kelly Osborne in Season 9, they started out kind of rough around the edges.  But over the course of the season, he did amazing things with her and they ended up going all the way to the finals!  So I'm excited to see what they bring to the floor.  And I'm very excited to see him next week on The Bachelor Pad!