Reality TV Dancing With The Stars, Season 11

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 1 - Dance Night, September 20, 2010

SIO's Early Favourite: Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough - Even though Jen's dance experience Dirty Dancing was a long time ago, no one else in the competition has any.
Second Favourite: Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - As a singer/actress, Brandy should have musicality and showmanship to give her an edge on the rest of the cast.

Lambs to the Slaughter: Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel & Bristol Palin and Mark Balas. I'm guessing these two have No qualifications to dance, no musical understanding, zero fanbase.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-premier-38115.aspxhttp://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-premier-38115.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Premiere: The First Dances
Monday, September 20, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Welcome to the 11th season premiere of Dancing with the Stars!

This season boasts some of the show's most highly-anticipated stars, and this is the place to follow along as the dancing excitement gets under way. Throughout tonight's two-hour premiere, I'll be updating this site with a live recap and commentary. Forget what the judge's say - what do experts know about ballroom dancing anyway? Stay here and you'll get a real, non-expert opinion.

Still here? Cool.

So let's get ready for this season's stars! And what stars they are! A 90s singing sensation... A Super Bowl star... That kid from the Disney Channel... The daughter of a certain political figure... Carol Brady... Even The Situation.

One thing's for sure - we won't be able to put any of them in the corner.

Tonight, half of the couples will dance to the cha-cha-cha, while the other couples have Viennese waltzes. We'll get scores from the judges after each dance, and then it's up to the voting public (that's you, by the way) to take care of the rest.

So we begin...

With a grand entrance down the stairs... And Margaret Cho has tripped. There may have also been a stumble from the Hoff. Is that Jamie Lee Curtis in the audience?


Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "California Gurls"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You've come out, you danced with confidence, I thought you had good technique throughout the dance."
Bruno: "You look like a beautiful show pony that needs to be pushed to the limit..."
Carrie Ann: "You started season 11 with a solo. That takes cojones."

My Opinion: My goodness, she's not so bad! A little insecure-looking, but that's about it to me. Audrina may actually be a contender in this thing. Granted, we haven't seen anyone else yet...

Scores: 6+7+6= 19


Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "This Ain't a Love Song"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I'm so glad these two liked it, because to be honest, Kurt... It had very little to commend it."
Bruno: "You're such a graceful quarterback! I can see great potential."
Carrie Ann: "The way that audience reacted to you, you have an easy connection to both Anna and to the audience."

My Opinion: Kurt seems a little too stiff and groovy for the flowing look they seem to be going for. He kind of looks like that guy who went and took dance lessons for his wedding. Which is nice, but probably not what ballroom judges want.

Scores: 7+5+7= 19
again...


Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "My First Kiss"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Well... I liked it.... Once you got cracking, I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Bruno: "You are like an adorable little [ummm?]! I want to take you home!"
Carrie Ann: "I think I just fell in love -- you are my first crush of season 11!"

My Opinion: Lacey's costume is scaring me. I need to move past this... And now that I'm past that, wow. Kyle Massey has some moves. Especially for a small, round person. Very fun dance all around, and much less creepy than I expected!

Scores: 8+7+8= 23


Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "Crazy"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Rick, you could be my twin that I lost at birth. I tell you, the height difference, for me didn't get in the way."
Bruno: "It is very rare that we see sportsmen so evenly matched."
Carrie Ann: "Can I call you Mr. Fox, 'cause I think you're a fox! Your posture was just so ridiculously gorgeous."

My Opinion: First move, I kind of fell in love with that man. Can we say charm? He is crazy tall, but I didn't exactly notice through most of that. Awwww...

Scores: 8+7+7= 22


Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "We Are the Champions"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I was really encouraged at the start... And then... The Viennese was an inappropriate dance to bring in all that comedy."
Bruno: "I think you could dance, and I think this was pushing it too far and too soon."
Carrie Ann: "Very bold choice. I'm not sure how it worked, I think it took away..."

My Opinion: Ooh! I like that dress! And I liked that routine! It's really kind of nice to see someone without that angelic grin on her face. That was neat. No clue if the dance was any good, but that was pretty much my style. The previous sentence may explain why I'll never do anything like this (also lack of fame, of course).

Scores: 5+5+5= 15


Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "Cry Me Out"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "What you can do is make a fantastic impression."
Bruno: "I love the taste of Brandy in the evening!"
Carrie Ann: "I think something you need to be careful with, you're too strong in your moves."

My Opinion: This dress, I don't like. It makes poor Brandy look all one color. She looks like she's technically doing very well (not that I can tell), but the moves seem a little too much somehow. Hey, Carrie Ann feels the same way! I understood something in dancing!

Scores: 7+8+8= 23


Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "Mama Told Me Not to Come"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I think that was a very acceptable performance for week one."
Bruno: "For you this is virgin territory... You're not a performer, work on the performance."
Carrie Ann: "I completely thought you were going to be boring... And I was so wrong!"

My Opinion: I'm trying not to think about Bristol's mom instead of her. But it's tough when they keep referencing her. OK, moving past it... Yay! The jacket's gone! I have to say, Bristol dances pretty much exactly the way I'd expect her to. Like a girl who doesn't know what she's doing, but is giving it her best effort.

Scores: 6+6+6= 18


Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "This was great entertainment.... What you've done with Florence is incredible."
Bruno: "Oh Florence, you're a spunky lady, aren't you? At times, you looked a little insecure at the series of steps."
Carrie Ann: "You were having the time of your life out there! When you were in it, it was great, but when you were out of it..."

My Opinion: Umm, if I can move like that in my 70s, I will be incredibly happy. I was thinking it was kind of mean to give the oldest contestant the fast dance. But now, it seems brilliant, since she's looking great! And I have to give Corky props for bravery, letting Florence step on him at the end that way. Could've been bad. Very bad.

Scores: 6+6+6= 18


Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "Life After You"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I thought you had musicality, I thought you moved around the floor well.... You just got to lift up a little bit more."
Bruno: "You get very tight. You know, once you start to relax, it looks good."
Carrie Ann: "Maybe you were too generous in allowing Chelsie to lead."

My Opinion: Another wedding dancer! He seems to be doing fairly well with what he's doing, but Michael doesn't seem to have too much to do in this dance. And toward the end, I was forcefully reminded of a grandfather dancing with a little girl.

Scores: 6+5+5= 16


Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "Break Your Heart"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I think you've got potential... You're just under-rehearsed.... You've got the guns but not the ammunition."
Bruno: "You're going to look like a jackass if you carry on like that."
Carrie Ann: "I want to see what you bring back next week."

My Opinion: It's probably not good if I can see when the footwork is off. On the other hand, the late-70s John Travolta look is seriously working for this guy. I doubt he'll do well in the scoring, but he's fun to watch.

Scores: 5+5+5= 15


Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the Viennese waltz to "These Arms of Mine"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was a dance that really suited you.... I thought it was great, but I'm waiting for next week to see how you can do a jive."
Bruno: "I know someone up there is going to be very, very proud of you."
Carrie Ann: "This is why I love what I do. Something very profound just happened right there."

My Opinion: I have to admit that a big section of my childhood revolved around Dirty Dancing. So how can I not root for Jennifer Grey? But this seems like an odd song for a waltz. I guess the beat is right though. Right, dancing. OK, wow. I know she's been the front-runner during the whole lead-up, but this is definitely someone who knows how to dance. Nice!

Scores: 8+8+8= 24


David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson
Dancing the cha-cha-cha to "Sex Bomb"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It's never too early to panic.... You'll go a few weeks just with a bit of slapstick."
Bruno: "All it was was madness really. There was no dancing.... It was a potpourri of insanity disguised as dance."
Carrie Ann: "You reminded me of the offspring of Donny Osmond and Jerry Springer."

My Opinion: Love the glasses, Hoff. And could they have possibly picked a better piece of music than "Sex Bomb" for this? Hey, why do they get pyrotechnics? He's certainly a smoothie, but I'm not so sure that that counts as good dancing in the most technical sense. Although I'm sure the Germans will disagree.

Scores: 5+5+5= 15


And that, as they say, is that.

The dancers have danced. The judges have scored. I've given my (totally uninformed but still enthusiastic) opinions.

Now it's up to you! You can vote by phone or online at ABC.com if you want to make sure your favorites come back next week.

We'll all find out the final results tomorrow, when I'll be back to post live throughout the Dancing with the Stars results show.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 1 - Results Night, September 21, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ults-38134.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Results: Week 1
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

The first week of Dancing with the Stars performances is over. The celebrities have shown us what they can do (for now). Scores have been received. And the voters have done their voting thing.

Now it's time to see those votes in action! Tonight, one of this season's 12 celebrities will be eliminated and sent packing. The other 11 contenders will continue on -- but not before a couple of hours of Results Show mania.

Who did you pick for elimination?
BuddyTV fans have spoken. A whopping 45 percent of you picked Margaret Cho and partner Louis Van Amstel as the first to go home. Trailing the losing couple are Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower, the first choices for last place according to 27 percent of BuddyTV fans. The Situation and David Hasselhoff received 14 percent of the vote apiece, placing both in danger of elimination as well.

On this site, at least, the rest of the competitors are safe. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that.

Just want to find out how it all ends?
If you missed last night's premiere broadcast, the live episode recap can help fill in some of the details for you. Or we can just touch on the highlights and lowlights here.

Even thought it was only the first night, we still got surprises - both good and bad. Turns out that stars Kyle Massey and Audrina Patridge can dance. David Hasselhoff and The Situation, on the other hand, not so much. Bristol Palin gratified some and surprised others by showing potential for improvement on the dance floor.

A three-way tie between Margaret Cho, David Hasselhoff and The Situation landed those celebrities in dangerous bottom territory. It would seem that injecting humor, relying only on presence and missing rehearsal do not make for high scores. Who would have guessed?

Meanwhile, we have some early leaders. Jennifer Grey, Brandy, Kyle Massey and Rick Fox all achieved scores above 20, accompanied by much judge adulation and fan applause.
Excitement from last night aside, what really matters now is...

The live Results Show!
With musical performances from Santana, Daughtry and India.Arie.

But first, a repeat of last night's dances, complete with judge commentary and reflection. In which we find out, among other juicy tidbits:

• Rick Fox and Kyle Massey might end up in a fight over Carrie Ann Inaba. Now that would be entertaining!
• Maksim Chmerkovskiy says "Brandy" in a way that makes her happy.
• Florence Henderson has the ability to make male ballroom dancers uncomfortable.
• The Situation doesn't realize that Superwoman would totally kick his butt.
• Jennifer Grey talks about bottled emotions in a way that sounds vaguely like a disturbing medical condition.
• There may be even more flames when the Hoff goes "Hoff to glory."

And we're live now!
The loser surprised "even the producers?" Interesting... Or possibly just a ploy to keep us glued to our TV.

Even without that ploy, the countdown and tense music definitely raises the emotional quota here.

Santana Plays for the Professionals
Seems like it will be "Oye Como Va" (officially the only classic Santana song I can recognize, thank goodness) for the first exhibition dance of the evening. Kind of cool to watch professional dancing (choreographed by Maksim Chmerkovskiy) to a song that demands motion. Ooh, shimmying!

Adam Corolla is a "cherry on the top?" OK.


RESULTS!!!

The four lowest-scoring couples come out on stage and... Michael and Chelsie are safe? Wow. Good on them!

And the next couple that is safe... Margaret and Louis? Seriously? Seriously?!?!?

OK, so this means that the two cool guys of the show, David Hasselhoff and The Situation, are in danger of immediate elimination! Did not see that coming.

Of course, we will not have closure on this incredible moment of exhilarating stress for approximately 45 more minutes. Sigh...


Enough of that
Off to more filler. We now get Adam Corolla on a unicycle. Why a unicycle? Don't ask -- there are mysteries that should be left unknown.

Anyway, his purpose is to explore the origins of the dances used on DWTS. There's some actual history in there. Not much, but a little. I did not know the quick-step was English.

Hey it's a green-screen! I knew he didn't really unicycle to Brazil.

Daughtry performs
With no dancers? Oh no, there they are. Not sure if they were late or if the camera was too in love with Daughtry to film them. They may be gone now, but it's hard to say. Let's just look at Daughtry some more.

Backstage with Brooke and the Four Highest-Scorers
Oh wait, I didn't think about the highest-scoring people still being on the chopping block! If voters send home Kyle Massey after that dance, I will protest strongly. Very strongly.

Four Highest-Scoring Couples on Stage
"It's never too early to panic" - Len (words to live by)
Len is very happy with the overall quality of the show. That's nice.


RESULTS!!!


And Jennifer and Derek are safe! In other news, water is wet.

Rick and Cheryl are also safe, no matter what the make, no make-off, no make-up helped.

This means that Kyle and Brandy both remain in danger of leaving the show. This does not please me. No, this does not please me at all.

More Santana, this time with India.Arie
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is this number. Very pretty song. But no dancers yet. Oh no, there they are! Very pretty dancing too.

Backstage with the Middle Four Couples
Where Florence Henderson is having trouble expressing exactly how much fun she's having. It's a lot. That much I'm sure of. To abruptly change the subject, if DWTS wants to separate Bristol Palin from her mother, they might want to stop mentioning her every five minutes.

Hey, there's booze in the balcony!

The celebrities are all amusingly enamored with each other. As they say:

"I think me and The Situation may be the most random cast members." - Kyle Massey

"Can I see your Situation?" - Florence Henderson

"Alaska to Cali? I mean, I didn't even know there were roads to connect that." - The Situation


RESULTS!!!
Looks like Audrina and Tony are safe! Cool. They deserve it.

Also safe from this group, Florence (who took a moment to process that) and Corky.

Which means that Bristol and Kurt will be up on the chopping block soon.

Before the end arrives, however, it's time for another...

Santana Performance
...This time with Daughtry.

Not a bad song. But definitely not as pretty as the last one.


The Pros Talk About the Pressure
Yes, losing would suck a lot for a professional dancer. Especially if you lose right away. And I suppose they can't totally blame the celebrity on the air.

Just one more commercial (I hope -- they can't fit anymore in, can they?) until the final results!


RESULTS!!!
Also, some Better with You stars in the audience.

Also also, more backstage interviews. Where are the results?!?


NOW, THE RESULTS!!!
Brandy and Maksim are safe! Brandy may not recover from that good news.

Bristol and Mark are also safe! Which leaves four couples still worried...

Commercials??? Not fair, show. Not fair.


How about now, RESULTS?
Yep, looks like the results.

The next safe couple is Kurt and Anna.

Along with The Situation and Karina! Guess they did want to give him rehearsal time.

That leaves us with David Hasselhoff and Kyle Massey. Not that we get to find out which right away. Oh no, we have to talk to Kyle's family for awhile first. And now on to the Hasselhoff girls, who are mostly proud that dad's knees didn't give out.

And the last safe couple is... Kyle and Lacey!

Which means that the first-eliminated couple is David and Kym!

Wow, that's a shocker -- I thought we'd keep him around for awhile.


David: "It's been a great ride!"

A final dance from the Hoff and Kym closes out this first Results Show. Can't say the guy isn't a good sport about this! Bye Hoff! You'll be missed! (But not for the dancing. That was accurate.)

So what do you think about the results? Did the Hoff deserve to go home so soon? Or did you expect someone else to go? Leave comments and vote in the poll -- make your opinion known!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 2 - Dance Night, September 27, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38207.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 2 Dances
Monday, September 27, 2010 Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Welcome back, dance fans and celebrity stalkers!

It's week 2 of Dancing with the Stars, and the remaining 11 pairs definitely have their work cut out for them.

After a stunning premiere -- in which we learned that most of the season 11 celebrities can actually dance -- the second week of DWTS has a lot to live up to. The early elimination of David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson also reminded us that anyone can, at any time, go home.

What can we expect this week? First of all, we'll get a lot of fast dances, as each pair tackles either the jive or the quickstep. We are also likely to see a raised bar in terms of dance quality -- if you can't dance, you are not going to last long on this season of DWTS.

We now have some context for predicting each star's potential, but it's still early in the competition. Anyone can shine! Will Kyle Massey repeat last week's stunner of a performance? Can Florence Henderson keep the pace? Will I be able to withstand Rick Fox's charm long enough to give any sort of unbiased review? (Probably not. Just a warning.)

Whatever happens, I'll be here, recapping as we go, cheering for the dancers and desperately trying to comprehend the judges. Join me and please leave comments as we watch together!

And here we go...

Hi Tom and Brooke! And the bongo player! And the trombone! Oh, and the dancers! And Bachelor fans? Check out who your next heart-throb will be (again)!

And it looks like Rick and Cheryl first. Ouch. Rick's foot looks bad.


Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the jive to "Tush"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was compact, it was fun, it was full of energy! If you can dance a jive... you could become a contender."
Bruno: "It's like trying to get a California condor to dance with a hummingbird! And you did it!"
Carrie Ann: "For a big guy like yourself, it's hard to do with the jive."

My Opinion: Nice face Rick. OK, I can tell a little more that he's super tall here. Not sure why. But man, he still looks nice. Not just the appearance either. The dancing seems pretty darn good too. Awesome dance!

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

Lower than last week, but still pretty darn good for a first dance!


Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
Dancing the quickstep to "Suddenly I See"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "On that performance, I'll see you next week."
Bruno: "I loved the grand dame entrance... At times it looked a little like Driving Miss Daisy."
Carrie Ann: "That is incredible that you're out there dancing with such ease and elegance."

My Opinion: From the rehearsal video, I think Florence's next role might be Tarzan. A bit slow to start, but I love that dress. She looks good when they speed up, although that might be the cool dress distracting me again. I'm guessing that this isn't perfect, but it looks pretty good. Not liking Corky's over-the-top theatrics quite as much though.

Scores: 7+6+6 = 19


Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the jive to "Magic"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "This time you took a slight step back. It was a little bit brittle."
Bruno: "At the moment, you look like a Gwen Stefani-backing dancer.... OK from you is not good enough, because I know you could be superb!"
Carrie Ann: "You're just so happy to be doing the jive... But you didn't point your toes!"

My Opinion: Because I apparently need to comment on dresses, I don't like this so much. Schoolgirl meets Hello Kitty-gone-insane. Maybe it is the dress, but Brandy doesn't seem quite as smooth and confident this week. Still definitely competent but not as into-it seeming as before. The jive might not be her dance. She's fun on stage though!

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower
Dancing the jive to "Hound Dog"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Well, I don't think the world's quite ready for your interpretation of the jive."
Bruno: "I am a dog lover, but you make it so hard for me.... You did it all very, very badly. I think this is probably the worst jive in 11 seasons."
Carrie Ann: "Unfortunately, Michael, it was very awkward."

My Opinion: Wow, everyone's sick this week. That must really suck. And that's a doghouse. OK then. He still looks a little stiff and off, but Michael's definitely looking better than last week. Maybe not up to the standards of some of the other dancers, but improved. Possibly the jive just looks better on him than the waltz did. Decent, but not exciting.

Scores: 4+5+3 = 12

Ouch.


Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the quickstep to "Love Machine"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "That was the best dance tonight!" (That's literally all he said.)
Bruno: "The show pony is turning into Secretariat. The movement was great!"
Carrie Ann: "Huge improvement.... I thought it was a fantastic performance."

My Opinion: Audrina just looks like a dancer. That's got to be a plus. Also, dancing well seems to be working for her. This looks like a good dance for her. Can't say I like the dress, but she definitely makes it work. I liked that!

Scores: 8+8+7 = 23

Will Tony be able to dance without leg hair? Hmmm...


Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the jive to "Shake It"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was bright. It was colorful. Full on, fabulous job."
Bruno: "That was a killer jive! That choreography was difficult beyond belief."
Carrie Ann: "You're kind of like this sexy hot bionic bunny out there dancing the jive!"

My Opinion: Yes, Derek. It is best to get through a jive without killing your partner. But seriously? DWTS as preventative medicine? That's different. Cancer or no, wow. She can move! Is that what the jive is supposed to look like? No wonder they didn't like Michael Bolton. And "Shake" is right. I heartily approve of the interpretation of the song! Well done! And they've died on the floor. But it's probably not terminal.

Score: 8+8+8 = 24

What do you have to do to get above an 8 here? Oh well, still a good score!

Oh, so Sarah Palin showed up this week. Nope, not like a hockey game at all. I'd be so embarrassed if my mother was interviewed before I danced. Thank goodness my mother isn't famous! Not likely to ever happen then.


Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel
Dancing the jive to "Dreaming"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I appreciate you took on board our comments from last week.... It was definitely better than last week."
Bruno: "You got to keep it tight! When you relax, when you smile... it changes everything."
Carrie Ann: "You definitely gave it your all, there was definite improvement!"

My Opinion: Ack! The zebra is bleeding pink! Margaret looks like she's having fun with this, which is good. Especially after last week. So far, a lot better than that performance too, as far as I can see. I don't think she's anything like as good as the last dance, but they're doing a lot better than, say, Michael Bolton. But... the dress. Oh, the humanity!!!

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18


Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the quickstep to "I Want You To"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was hardly a classic quickstep.... It lacked any style, but... I liked it."
Bruno: "As a performer, you are a powerhouse of boundless energy.... In ballroom, you need more control."
Carrie Ann: "You were a little flat-footed, but welcome to the new school of quickstep!"

My Opinion: If Florence was going for Tarzan, Kyle is going for Chewbacca. It may not be his dance, but this guy can sell a dance to anyone. He still looks awesome, and I still can't believe that someone as round as Kyle can do those moves! Wait, where'd he go under all that dress? He's not going anywhere soon, is he?

Scores: 8+7+7 = 22


Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the jive to "Danger Zone"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Much improved! Well done!"
Bruno: "This is a cool guy that does a cool jive.... You've got it -- I can't wait to see your progression over this competition."
Carrie Ann: "You know, you kind of remind me of everyone's favorite uncle who gets drunk at the wedding... and the inner dancer comes out."

My Opinion: Moon walk? Hah! Calisthenics in a jive? I guess that works. Kurt definitely has the attitude for the jive -- much better than when he waltzed. He looks a bit goofy. But hey, I like goofy sometimes! Overall, I'm liking this dance from Kurt much better than last week's. Not one of the best of the night, but a solid middle performance.

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


The Situation and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the quickstep to "We No Speak Americano"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was a series of unfortunate events throughout.... For a difficult dance, you did a good job. Better than last week."
Bruno: "I could tell you wanted to do it well so badly.... You have to find the right balance!"
Carrie Ann: "You have to work on some musicality.... You're not dancing with the music!"

My Opinion: He likes to say the word "situation," doesn't he? Rehearsal does improve things, I suppose, but he's still a little sloppy-looking out there. Probably the goofy grin does not help my opinion. Way better than last weeks cha cha, but it needs way more smoothness to be really good.

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18


Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the quickstep to "You Can't Hurry Love"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It's neat, it's precise, it just needs a bit more flare."
Bruno: "There is a fresh, non-showbiz quality about you that is so refreshing."
Carrie Ann: "You remind me of one of my favorite dancers, Kelly Osbourne.... I can't wait to see you come back week after week."

My Opinion: Did they just bump heads? I would totally give myself a concussion doing that. And I can't say I like that dress. Maybe if they took out the bottom part? The top is cute. Oh right. Dancing. I'm supposed to talk about the dancing. She's definitely got the dancing down this week. A smooth performance overall. I can't help but see her as a beginner who looks too stiff and unsure to convince me.

Scores: 7+8+7 = 22


And that's that for tonight! Who was your favorite? Who was the worst? Who do you think will go home, and who's sticking around for a long time to come? Leave your comments and opinions!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 2 - Results Night, September 28, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38223.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Results: Week 2's Shining and Falling Stars
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Time to lose another one!

Tonight is the Results Show for week 2 of Dancing with the Stars season 11. Last week, we said good-bye to David Hasselhoff, and now we have to see another star depart for good. No matter how certain (or uncertain) we are about tonight's winners and losers, nothing is definite until the Results Show.

Who did you pick for elimination?

Do the BuddyTV fans reflect the wider voting audience? Last week, we all missed the mark (OK, yes. Some of you did guess correctly. Well done!) and picked Margaret Cho as the most likely candidate for elimination. The Hoff only tied for the third most-likely loser here.

Will we do better this week?

According to our BuddyTV poll, an overwhelming number of you expect Michael Bolton to disappear into the night. 95 percent of BuddyTV voters picked Bolton and partner Chelsie Hightower as the most likely to endure elimination in week 2. Only The Situation, with 5 percent of the vote, offered any challenge.

It's not looking good for Michael Bolton. Of course, it didn't look so good last night either.

Did you miss anything?
Even if you missed last night's DWTS performance show, you can still get the highlight's from our live recap.

Most of the stars shone throughout the night, with only a few fizzles. Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower received the lowest score (only 12 points) with their "Hound Dog" jive. Michael may have loosened up a little since last week, but it was definitely not enough to impress the judges. Bruno even awarded his first 3 in many seasons to the unfortunate singer.

The rest of the dancers differed in score by only a few points. The stars with the next-lowest scores, Margaret Cho and The Situation, both received praise and 18 points for their improved performances. At the top of the pack, winning couple Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough managed only 24 points for their dance (a result that led to booed judges).

So, is Michael Bolton going to pull off an upset and send another star packing? Or will he be gone after tonight? Stay tuned and find out during...

The live Results Show!
And we begin with RESULTS!!!!!

And Kyle and Lacey are safe!!!

Brandy and Maksim? Not so much. So far, anyway...

But a little judge self-reflection before we move on:
Bruno: "I think Rin Tin Tin would've done a better job."

So maybe reflection without re-evaluation. Oh well!

Time for Kyle and Lacey to give us another taste of their quickstep from last night. I still think this is one cool dance. And they just won't stop dancing! I like these guys.

Coming up... Performances by Seal and Janelle Monae. Also some impressive-looking aerial stuff.

Now that we're back, Janelle Monae is performing. With some people I don't seem to recognize dancing. These aren't the normal pros, right?

OK show we get it. The audience didn't boo Sarah Palin. You're not political. Just a show with mean, mean judges. Always good to blame the press for a misunderstanding, not your own editing. Boo-gate? OK, that's just cute!

Anyway, it looks like it's time for more RESULTS!!!

Florence and Corky are safe!!!

Bristol and Mark are safe too!!!

We'll be waiting to hear later about The Situation and Karina...

But not until after Seal performs and stuff.


Back from commercials, it looks like we're going straight to more RESULTS!!! I'm cool with that.

Unlike his legs, Audrina and Tony are safe!!!

Jennifer and Derek are also safe!!! (OK, so these two might be the least shocking of the evening. Still good though!)

Just when you thought things were nice and normal at DWTS... The dancers tell you about their rituals. Most of them aren't so weird -- double socks, sweet things, football. But Corky Ballas likes to sniff the dance floor. That is... different?


It sounds like some very important choreographers are involved with this pro dance. I believe we're now hearing a Police song while tumbling and harpists take center stage. This is getting vaguely surreal. Interesting but surreal.

And now they're flying on wires. OK then.


Back from the commercials, it's time for Seal to sing for some of the female professionals. Always good for the ladies to cluster around the centrally-located singer.

Oh, and for those of you voting in the Design-a-Dance contest, the dance of choice is the cha cha.

Some of the stars are very competitive. Some of them are not. It's pretty much who you'd expect (although maybe I wouldn't have placed The Situation in the "competitive" group).

Could it be... Time for more RESULTS!!!
The next safe couple is... Kurt and Anna!!!
Also, Margaret and Louis are safe!!!

What a shocker, Michael and Chelsie aren't safe. Rick and Cheryl have to wait too.


10 minutes left in the show -- four couples still in danger of elimination. Brandy and Maksim. The Situation and Karina. Michael and Chelsie. Rick and Cheryl. I would be shocked if this ended badly for Rick and Cheryl, but the others have to be sweating it at the moment.

Time for Brooke to interview Michael, who is trying very hard to be positive. Except about Bruno, who he obviously doesn't like so much right now. That's fair.

Bruno's opinion notwithstanding, it's time for the final RESULTS!!!
The next safe couple is... Rick and Cheryl!!!

But we won't find out who else is safe until after the commercial. Of course.

Back from commercials now. So can we finally get the RESULTS!?!
That would be a yes.
Brandy and Maks are safe!!!

Which leaves The Situation and Karina and Michael and Chelsie.

And... The Situation and Karina are safe!!!


Which means Michael and Chelsie are going home!

Michael Bolton really does sound disappointed. Like he's disappointed in us. Should I be feeling bad? Oh well, I'll probably get over it.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-live-re-38207.aspx

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 3 - Dance Night, October 4, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...i-li-38263.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' (Semi-)Live Recap: Week 3 Dances
10 Couples Dance - Season 11, Episode 5
Monday, October 04, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Welcome back to week 3 of Dancing with the Stars!

This week's recap is a little different than usual, because I, your fearless recapper, am not here. I'm in LA, actually watching Dancing with the Stars live and in person!
Crazy, huh?

But you are here. This recap is here, just waiting for your input! And I'll be back later -- as soon as the show is over -- to write about dances, results and maybe a little inside gossip. Plus, later on this week, we will have interviews with your favorite dancers. So stay tuned!

For now though please feel free to post observations and results. Discuss the dances. Choose your favorites. Have fun!

What will you have to discuss this week? Well, first of all, we're down to ten couples, having lost Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower after last week's jive (and some controversial Bruno commentary). That means even fiercer competition as each pair sets its sights on the Mirror Ball!

In further excitement, it's story week. We can expect a lot of musical and visual stories -- hopefully at least some of them make sense!


Here's the show!
A little later than usual, I know. But there's a good reason for it. A very good reason. And that is? I'm in LA! For the show! Live!

Sort of anyway. The press watch the show from backstage. Way backstage. Way, way backstage. It's not quite as glitzy this far backstage actually. But there is a giant, glittery sign that reads "DO THE HUSTLE" right behind me. That's pretty cool.

But I suppose you, the reader, want to hear about the show. So let's do it, this time mixed with a few bits of commentary from the Dancing with the Stars studio.

We start the show this week with last week's winners...


Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the samba to "A Little Respect"
Story = Hot for teacher

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "What I love is when you continue it through the dance.... There was just a little twiddly bit."
Bruno: "You are the sexy mistress of the cougar town academy of samba!"
Carrie Ann: "Tonight, you're just slightly out of sync."

My Opinion: I won't deny that I really, really, really like the way Jennifer Grey dances. It always just looks nice and lyrical. Although the costumes are interesting tonight. Seriously, where's the rest of her shirt? And what's with the sea anemone-like pants? Otherwise though, another excellent dance from Jennifer and Derek.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Guess it was worthy of the same scores as before. They like to give 8s.


Next up, we have...

Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
Dancing the waltz to "Edelweiss"
Story = Pretty much The Sound of Music

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "It was poignant. It was emotional. It was sweet.... The technique in your feet was non-existent, unfortunately."
Bruno: "Simple, effective, very very sweet.... You should have continuous movement."
Carrie Ann: "You actually had a story, and that's what pushed you throgh to another level."

My Opinion: Cool! The real Maria von Trapp saw Florence play her on the stage. I'm wondering a little how Florence thinks a "very serious" waltz requires a dirndl as a costume, but whatever. The actual dance seems a bit slow, but that might just be the slower dance. Weirdly, the slow dance makes Florence seem old in a way that the fast dances did not. OK, that music box thing is strange, and oh! a kiss!

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20

(According to Florence and Corky, that kiss was impromptu!)


Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the foxtrot to "Bad Day"
Story: Cheering someone up on a rainy day

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "You're supposed to have musicality through your arms, and that was lacking."
Bruno: "Your frying pans! Last week you got it sorted out.... You've got to be cleaner!"
Carrie Ann: "It was so charming. You have this incredible charm that works well."

My Opinion: Oh no! An umbrella indoors! Don't you know that that's bad luck, Kurt? Anyway, Kurt's daughters are adorable. "Three taps!" I'm kind of liking the rain and lightning -- it reminds me of the actual weather in LA today (What's up with that? Rain in LA? This isn't Seattle!). I liked the Singin' in the Rain-style beginning, but Kurt looked a little dazed when they got to the main dance. I did like the skipping, but most of the "graceful" looks awkward. Still, the man is beyond charming.

Scores: 8+8+7 = 23


Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel
Dancing the samba to "Copacabana"
Story: "The story is about having pride while you're being criticized." - Margaret Cho

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "It started off with good rhythm... But as the dance progressed, it got a bit heavy in the legs."
Bruno: "I think you lost your way after the Copa!"
Carrie Ann: "I loved the story! But the truth is you were so full out that you kind of lost control."

My Opinion: Wonder Woman's tiara just exploded!!! These costumes are seriously incredible. Possibly tacky, but I'm loving it anyway. Margaret can certainly shimmy. Too bad that's not all of the dancing. It's like the dancing might be good, but I'm paying too much attention to the outfit to notice. Oh well. Oh, and we've totally lost the feet now. That's not good. But there are streamers!!!

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18

No better than last week. That may be a problem. Whatever it was all worth it when Margaret said: "This was the gayest thing that ever happened!"


Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the waltz to "Let It Be Me"
Story: Mourning a love lost to war

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "That was the most touching dance of the night."
Bruno: "Every move was connected to an emotional journey."
Carrie Ann: "I think the competition just got very interesting!"

My Opinion: Hi Tony! Nice picture! Does that mean he's the dead one? Or is that Audrina? She looks like a ghost in the dress, so I'm not sure. But since this is supposed to be a story about military sacrifice, I'm going with Tony. Audrina is very pretty on the dance floor. She always looks nice. But wow, that's a lot of smoke.

Scores: 8+9+9 = 26

First 9s of the season! And Tony did wax his legs!


Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the foxtrot to "Just the Way You Are"
Story: Something to do with homelessness

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "I didn't like it that much. It was all a bit too contemporary for my taste."
Bruno: "You do everything you have to do. But you're not Meryl Streep yet."
Carrie Ann: "That was a hard one.... This wasn't happening."

My Opinion: OK, the combination of Bristol's trenchcoat and Mark's homeless gear makes me think of flashers. That's probably not what they were going for. Wait, is Mark not homeless then? I'm confused. Even more confused now that Mark won't let go of Bristol's hand. Overall, this is seeming technically OK, but there isn't much emotion. And I really don't get the story behind this dance.

Scores: 6+6+7 = 19


Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the samba to "Put It in a Love Song"
Story: Remember The Bodyguard? That's the story.

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "It had energy. It had punch... I didn't quite get it."
Bruno: "I'm starting to see the comeback of the diva!"
Carrie Ann: "I don't condone that kind of teaching, but it worked."

My Opinion: Hey, is Brandy singing? Oh no. She's not. Never mind. Anyway... This dance seems kind of all over the place, but in an intentional way. I like this dance -- much prettier than Brandy has danced in the past, and it works well for her. Also, I totally get the story.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

(His teaching methods may seem pretty extreme, but they worked. And he and Brandy seem pretty darn pleased with each other -- no real drama there!)


Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the waltz to "Falling in Love at the Coffee Shop"
Story: See song title above

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "Your performance level is very high. You've done nothing with your footwork at all."
Bruno: "It is brilliant what you do!"
Carrie Ann: "You just bring the fun to the floor."

My Opinion: Is Kyle a nerd this time? That's hard to sell. But I'm sure Kyle can do it. How can you not love Kyle? Although Lacey, I'm not sure that's standard attire for a coffee house waitress. What if you spilled the coffee? Kyle's a little too frou-frou at moments here, but overall, it's the same entertainment he brings every week. And a sweet ending!

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23

(Team Schmurgles wants to take the entire competition. Even if their team name means nothing. They just liked the sound of it.)


The Situation and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the foxtrot to "Boom Boom Pow"
Story: In the future, The Situation is still not under control.

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "If that's the future, I'm glad I live in the past.... It was a bizarre performance."
Bruno: "Very futuristic, sometimes apocalyptic. But in a very weird way, very, very entertaining."
Carrie Ann: "Boom! Boom! Wow!"

My Opinion: There's a big time machine on the stage. OK. And creates a quick change! How'd they change that fast? Seriously, how? I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but I can't stop giggling during this dance. And it's possible that I don't really know what a foxtrot should look like, but is that it? It doesn't seem very foxtrot-like to me.

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20

(Think what you like about The Situation, but he very sweetly gave a little girl some of his bling after tonight's performance! Awwwww...)


Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the samba to "Whine Up"
Story: Rick Fox let down his basketball team and drowns his sorrows in a bar.

Judge's Opinions:
Len: "Your standards are much higher than I've seen."
Bruno: "We want to see more of that!"
Carrie Ann: "It was hot, it was sexy!"

My Opinion: Eek Cheryl! That doesn't look too safe, dancing on the bar like that. Although it is a way to deal with the height difference. And we have a bare chest! Yay! Thank you Rick! Somehow, these two have managed to be both cheesy and sexy. Oh, also the dancing seems pretty good to me.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

(In case you were wondering, Cheryl gives interviews standing on a box next to Rick. She's still shorter than him. Rick is very tall.)


And that's the show! The recap may be a little late in coming, but it's here now. And there's more coming throughout the week -- check back at BuddyTV for exclusive interview footage in addition to our normal Results Show and DWTS news coverage!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 3 - Results Night, October 5, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-3-38287.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 3 Live Results: Someone's Got to Go
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Do we really have to eliminate someone? Couldn't we just pretend that this week doesn't count? It would just be so much better if no one had to leave!

Alas, it will not be so. Someone does need to leave. And I may need to shed a tear. Poor whoever it is!

Who do you expect to leave?
According to the astute fans who vote here at BuddyTV, the most likely dancer to leave after tonight is Margaret Cho, with 61 percent of the elimination votes (sob). If it's not Margaret, we seem to think The Situation's days are limited (22 percent of voters think he'll be the one to go). Bristol Palin and Florence Henderson caught a few of the bad votes as well, but they seem much less likely.

Will we be right? Wrong? So totally off that we collectively kick ourselves at the end of the night?

Guess the only way to find out is to watch!

But before we watch...

Did you miss anything?
If you did, never fear! Our semi-live recap is here! It got to you late, but it was direct from the source and written in the Dancing with the Stars studio (OK, written from backstage at the DWTS studio, but still cool!).

Overall it was an impressive night. The top of the pack were all so good that picking out a favorite was nearly impossible. The most impressive of the night though? Had to be Audrina and Tony dancing the waltz and earning season 11's first scores of 9 from the judges. Most of the other leading couples stayed strong, and Brandy came back as a force!

Down at the bottom, Margaret and Louis suffered from dance errors, and Bristol and Mark needed to show more emotion. Both were good, entertaining dances though, so this race to avoid elimination will be tough!

So are you all caught up now? Great! Since it's time for...

The live Results Show!!!
Should be an interesting night. A tight competition to avoid elimination and even the return of Michael Bolton!

Time to watch a repeat of The Situation and Karina travel through time! You know, this is just as awesomely insane the second time around. Thank you producers!

That's mean Tom -- the poor Situation just danced and you're talking about his elimination?

Speaking of eliminations, it's time for...
RESULTS!!!
In the first round of results, we have Audrina and Tony SAFE!

Also, Kurt and Anna are safe!
Kyle and Lacey remain in limbo, waiting for either elimination or dancing bliss.

Wait, why is there now a violin challenge happening? Guess I'll find out after the credits...

Back from the credits now. And time for a performance from Ne-Yo. He seems to have brought his own dancers. But none seem to be dancing as much as Ne-Yo himself. Impressive.

So it seems that we will now watch Donny Osmond hang out with random people in Las Vegas. Including one woman who thinks Audrina would beat The Situation in a bar fight. Also, a lot of not-fit men lifting shirts. Thank you (not so much) Situation...

Time for more RESULTS!!!
Jennifer and Derek are safe! Shock! Excitement!

Yay! Rick and Cheryl are in jeopardy! Oh wait...

And Brandy and Maksim are safe too!

OK, when are we supposed to cheer? This is so confusing...

Back again!

Where we find out that next week's dances are the rumba and the Argentine tango. Cool.

Time for Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy to compete in guitar/violin duel (also dancing). Why not? Sort of a cross between "Dueling Banjos" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Only with ballroom dancing.

OK, time for Michael Bolton to sing. They hid Bruno somewhere, right? 'Cause this could get ugly otherwise. So far though? Pretty. Of course, he's singing "Hallelujah," which is always pretty (probably why it's been covered 80 million times).

Now what I want to know is, how did they arrange a children's choir so fast, since Michael was only confirmed yesterday? Pretty impressive.

Yay! Time for awkward small talk with Tom! And a shot of an uncomfortable Bruno. Heehee...

More RESULTS now!!!
Or not. Commercials first. Sigh.

OK RESULTS NOW!
Of the four lowest-scorers...

The Situation and Karina are safe!

Bristol and Mark are in jeopardy!

Florence and Corky are safe!

Which leaves Margaret and Louis in jeopardy...

And we will eventually find out who else is safe. But not before some more commercials! Yay!

Still in jeopardy: Kyle and Lacey, Rick and Cheryl, Bristol and Mark, Margaret and Louis.

Oh, Margaret looks like she thinks she's going home. Sad.

But Kyle and Lacey are safe!

Unfortunately no more results until after the commercials. Which include the single scariest ad ever. I will never, ever, EVER purchase Dance Star Mickey! Stop promoting that evil thing, Donny Osmond! Please???

OK, the commercials are over. Good. So it's back to the final RESULTS of the night!

Rick and Cheryl are safe!

Which leaves just two more couples... Who will it be?

Bristol and Mark are safe!

Well, it looks like Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel have been eliminated!

Awww... Margaret is crying. And I want to cry too. Boo... (Although probably not unjustified, if I force myself to be honest.)

And as they dance their last dance, I type my last words (for tonight). Week 3 is over! And only nine dancers remain to dance another week!

Do you agree with the results? Disagree? Have any particular strong feelings? Let us know!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 4 - Dance Night, October 11, 2010

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-live-re-38350.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 4 Dances
Monday, October 11, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

It's time for the show!

We're in week 4 already? Wow -- time flies, doesn't it? Three pairs have already been eliminated, leaving only nine pairs left to dance tonight. In the next two hours we will find out which of the pairs will rise to the growing challenges and which will falter.

Last week, we saw the elimination of Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel amidst tough competition. Other dancing pairs, meanwhile, took the opportunity to shine. Audrina and Tony managed to earn the first 9s of the season, knocking Jennifer and Derek down to second place for the week. Also, we saw that time machine dance by The Situation and Karina. Pretty safe to say we won't top that spectacle this week.

Week 4 offers a bit of a twist on the standard Dancing with the Stars format. It will be an acoustic show, featuring only guitar, violin and piano music to accompany the dances. The stage is smaller this week as well -- a small, round platform with the audience clustered right up to the edges. Hope nobody falls off!

We'll also be getting two stars for each dance tonight -- one score to reflect performance and the other to rate technique. That should make things interesting for some of the dancers!

Excited yet? Hope so, since it's time to start the live recap! Follow along throughout the night for dances, opinions and commentary. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say as well!

Here we go!

The band's still pretty loud for the walking-out bit. Oh, but they don't need to negotiate the stairs this time! Granted, they are all crowding onto the itty-bitty stage.

Looks like we're seeing a whole lot more skin this week -- Bristol's legs are in sight, and The Situation's abs have put in a long-overdue appearance. Yay skimpy costumes!

Sounds like the professionals are pretty apprehensive about this round, little stage. Want to take bets on falling off that stage? That would be kind of painful.

Before we get to the competition, we start with a professional dance. Should they really be showing us how the rumba should be done before we watch the celebrities? Kind of anti-climactic and all. Pretty dance though.


And the first dancers tonight are...

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the rumba to "Drops of Jupiter"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "As for the performance, I think you pitched the romantic side of the performance just right."
Bruno: "There is still one thing about these hands. Movement has to travel through the arm from the forearm ... You look like you're catching a football."
Carrie Ann: "I really loved the performance. There's a true chemistry between you guys."

My Opinion: Good to know that Kurt's wife isn't going to divorce him over a dance. That would suck. Kurt looks sort of silly when he wiggles like that. Probably not the look the rumba is supposed to have. But he definitely has sexy down otherwise. His dancing has definitely gotten a lot smoother. And wow, did they speed up the film while they were spinning around each other? I'd say it was Kurt's best dance yet!

Scores:
Technical: 5+5+5 = 15 (wonder if this means low or high?)
Performance: 7+6+6 = 19
34 in total


Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the rumba

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Well I thought the technique was very good."
Bruno: "I'm loving that kind of mood of soft sensuality ... It was like two lovers stealing a moment of passion in a midnight garden."
Carrie Ann: "I've been waiting for the real Brandy to show herself! A little more strength, a little bigger in your movements."

My Opinion: Brandy and Maks have the best rehearsal footage -- their banter is awesome. As long as they keep insisting they like each other! We seriously need to keep this pair around just for the show each week. Oh, time for the dance. Brandy is moving well tonight, as well as I can tell with that sheet on anyway. Cool dip there! And she's undressing Maks. 10! 10! 10!!! Kind of a cold love, but a passionate one anyway.

Scores:
Technical: 7+8+7 = 22
Performance: 9+8+9 = 26
48 in total

Whoa, funky microphone there, Brooke!

Time for an Argentine tango demonstration by the pros! I love the tango...


Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I thought your lifts were excellent! Your legs could've been slightly crisper and sharper."
Bruno: "You came out there, it was a bit like Clark Gable... It didn't hold all the way through."
Carrie Ann: "You came out here looking like the cover of a romance novel ... But for some reason it felt one-dimensional."

My Opinion: Before they start moving, let me say: he's pretty. Like the mustache! Very good tango attitude overall. I can't really tell if he's doing much though. I know you often don't move much in the tango, so it's hard to tell if he's dancing poorly or well by barely moving. He seemed to get the lifts though. Not my favorite Rick performance so far, but still pretty good.

Scores:
Technical: 6+7+6 = 19
Performance: 6+7+7 = 20
39 in total


Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the rumba

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Your footwork was much better... It had like a staccato feel."
Bruno: "You play it well. You have moments of fluidity... Rumba has to have a continuous flow to work."
Carrie Ann: "By doing that [paying attention to footwork], you lost track of your upper body."

My Opinion: Kyle may easily win the "best personality" contest on this show. His personality is totally incredible for dancing -- making possibly silly moves seem somehow suave. I may not be an expert on it either, but my guess is that "atrocious" footwork has improved some as well. I loved that! Despite really not liking that music.

Scores:
Technical: 6+6+6 = 18
Performance: 8+7+7 = 22
40 in total

Did Tom Bergeron just say "What the hell?"

Next week: The TV-theme week... Hmmm...


The Situation and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was consistent -- it was bad throughout."
Bruno: "You know that was a terrible mess. It was like watching somebody put together a puzzle, and it never makes sense."
Carrie Ann: "On behalf of all the women, I would like to welcome The Situation's abs to this show! Your hardest thing is the walking."

My Opinion: Bit of a hesitation before that first lift, but he did pull it off. This is definitely more the style for The Situation, but he's still a bit stiff. Kind of looking like a tree that Karina's winding around so far. I doubt the judges are going to like the technique here. He's a strong guy though -- cool spins with Karina at the end!

Scores:
Technical: 4+4+4 = 12
Performance: 6+5+5 = 16
28 in total


Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
Dancing the rumba

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was much better than I expected!"
Bruno: "A few things less would have sufficed as performance."
Carrie Ann: "What just happened?!? You're Mrs. Brady! You've definitely proved that age has no relation to just how sexy and raunchy and dirty..."

My Opinion: Naked Corky Ballas? Seriously show? Seriously??? Oh, dance now. Why are her knees trembling? What's going on??? I'm scared. Please dance now! So far, the dancing seems a little jerky, and Florence's footwork might have been a little off. I can't think that the rumba should be this stiff. And/or terrifying. I think that was technically OK, but I truly didn't like that dance. Better than The Situation, but that's all.

Scores:
Technical: 6+6+5 = 17
Performance: 6+6+6 = 18
35 in total


Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "That was a dance that combine excellent technique and performance skills."
Bruno: "As performances go, this really is prime-time delight. Technically, the intricacy of what you did is beyond belief!"
Carrie Ann: "The precision was incredible! The passion was incredible!"

My Opinion: There had just better be a lift in this dance! OK, so they basically started with one. And this is a way better tango than we've seen before. It's definitely got that sexy-pissed-off thing that the best tangos have. And pretty fast too! Nice dance!

Scores:
Technical: 9+9+9 = 27
Performance: 10+9+10 = 29
56 in total

Wow. All 9s and 10s! That's pretty amazing. Not that the dance didn't deserve it, but wow!


Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the rumba to "Umbrella"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I want to see more 'we' and less 'me' out of your routines."
Bruno: "You're always kind of clean. You place yourself properly, you do your moves, but those moves never go anywhere."
Carrie Ann: "There's no effort. We're week 4... I feel like you're just dancing for Mark."

My Opinion: They have gone for the sexy outfit this week, haven't they? Good start -- a lot more movement and expression from Bristol at the outset. Maybe she just needed sexier clothes? Possibly a bit slow on the footwork, but not bad. And now Mark is shirtless. How are we supposed to pay attention to Bristol with that happening??? No fair! But that's OK. I'll watch it. And drool... Hey, mom's there again.

Scores:
Technical: 6+6+6 = 18
Performance: 4+5+5 = 14
32 in total

I guess the honeymoon's over for Bristol.


Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I thought it was clean, it was clear... I don't know why, but I didn't get transported to a seedy club in Buenos Aires."
Bruno: "You performed a bit like the ice-queen type... Technically though, it wasn't bad at all."
Carrie Ann: "You have to work on extending your foot all the way past your toe... Your performance is growing!"

My Opinion: Were they a bit off (both of them) from the beat there? Or am I just thinking that because the movements are so precise and fast? I don't know that this tango has the same passion and Jennifer and Derek's, but it definitely works as technically impressive. A whole different level when compared to some of the other dancers in this competition. Overall, lacking in a lot of the passion, but definitely having the technique.

Scores:
Technical: 8+8+8 = 24
Performance: 8+7+7 = 22
46 in total

And that's it for the week 4 dances! What do you think? Who did the best? The worst? Did you agree or disagree with the judges' scores? Let us know!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 4 - Results Night, October 12, 2010

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-week-4-38365.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 4 Live Results: Which Star Will Fall?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Another week, another elimination. We've lost three stars already, and a fourth will fade away tonight. Will our fears (or hopes) be justified? Or will the elimination shock us?

Guess we'll just have to watch and see!

Who do you expect to leave?
BuddyTV readers have a lot of opinions, and it would be remiss of me to ignore such intelligent predictions. It turns out that a whopping 89 percent of you expect to say good-bye to The Situation tonight. After last night's somewhat less-than-stellar performance, that would hardly be a shock.

But will we all be right about that? Stay tuned to find out!

Did you miss anything?
Before we can learn the results, we need to know what dances brought them on. The week 4 performance show of DWTS allowed some of the dancing pairs to rise above the pack, while others struggled even to stay on the stage.

In their defense, that stage was awfully small.

The new and round stage definitely through a few of the dancers -- even some of the professionals -- off of their game. Solid scorers like Kurt Warner and Bristol Palin found themselves receiving harsh criticism from the judges, while The Situation tangoed down to the bottom of the rankings. In contrast, we saw brilliant performances from the competition leaders. Audrina and Tony brought us a technically-strong tango as a fitting follow-up to last week's win. Brandy and Maksim found their chemistry and translated it into a thoroughly lovely rumba. But it was the pair of Jennifer and Derek who stole the evening with a nearly perfect tango. Those first 10s of the season were richly deserved!

Check out our recap of the DWTS week 4 performances!

Everyone caught up now? Excellent, because it's time for the...

The live Results Show!
And we're going to start with some...

RESULTS!
We're going to start with the top scorers, so don't expect any surprises yet. After all, it's only the elimination of any of these stars that would shock. Hopefully they won't bother pretending that Jennifer and Derek are in any danger.

And to quote Tom Bergeron, "Ah heck. You're all safe!"
This means that...

Jennifer and Derek are safe!!!

Brandy and Maksim are safe!!!

Audrina and Tony are safe!!!

And the audience has opinions too. Fortunately, considering some of the comments, these audience members are not the only ones deciding. Kind of too bad that no one got sweated on though!

And we get treated to a repeat of last night's tango from Jennifer and Derek! Yay! I could watch that dance over and over!

Oh boy, TV-theme week next week. That will be... interesting? Definitely worth watching anyway. Is there any possibility at all that Florence Henderson will not dance to The Brady Bunch theme? Hope not.

OK, now it's time for the first musical act of the night. It's the Goo Goo Dolls, doing a medley based on "Iris." I still kind of adore this song, even after a decade or so.

It would be terribly awesome if Mark and Kyle got into a topless contest. And we're also getting to see a view of Len topless. Ummm... I guess that's worth seeing? Maybe. Unless I never recover from the sight. Can't we just look at topless Mark some more?

And Bristol, sexy dancing is not the same as teen sex. Except in that Footloose town.

Anyway, it's time for more RESULTS!

Which tell us that Kyle and Lacey are safe!!!

Bristol and Mark remain in jeopardy.

A commercial has passed, which means it may be time for more RESULTS? Or maybe an update about rescuing those Chilean miners. That would be an interesting change from the dancing...

Anyway, it is time for more RESULTS!!!

This time, it's the turn of the athletes, Kurt and Rick.

Now the real question of the night is, was that a real mustache on Rick Fox? Oh, maybe not. Thanks Tom Bergeron!

Rick and Cheryl are safe!!!
(Wait, freshly shaven? So it was real?)

Kurt and Anna remain in jeopardy.

Time for Len to explain how he gives out points. I think I could get a 2. Maybe. But I wouldn't count on it. I wonder if this actually reflects his scoring. Whatever, this skit is amusing me way too much! Len would be an impressive schoolteacher.

Len: "A 9 from me is a 10 from Bruno and Carrie Ann virtually every time."

Umm... Is everyone leaving the theater? Where are the dancers going?

Tom Bergeron: "Stop squeezing my ass."

Time for the "Forever Tango" people to dance for us. This should be cool!

Back from commercials, it's time for a performance by Florence and the Machine. Please say that this isn't what we'll be calling Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas after this week!

Finally time for more RESULTS!
But not before The Situation throws a hissy fit.

Some of the lower scorers getting their results this time, so it's actually a bit tense and all.

And...

Florence and Corky are safe!!!

(Guess we'll get to see some more grinding...)

The Situation and Karina remain in jeopardy.

Which leaves just the final three couples in jeopardy: The Situation and Karina, Bristol and Mark, Kurt and Anna. Which will it be? We'll find out after another commercial break or two! Also after we see the people from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (where some of the pro dancers will be heading this weekend). Also a retrospective set of video clips, many of which seem to be showing a camera that has hands and legs going through a standard day. Looks like the camera got some unusually high scores as well.

Finally, it's time for more RESULTS!!!

In which we get to see The Situation's abs dance better than he does!

Oh, never mind. It's time for more commercials. Results after the break...

Like I said, time for RESULTS! (If I say it enough, will we actually get those results?)

Kurt and Anna are safe!!!

Bristol and Mark are safe!!!

Which means...

The Situation and Karina have been ELIMINATED!!!

And he's actually gracious about the whole thing. Good that this guy can be classy when he wants to be. Also laughing at his own "Situation" jokes. Bye Situation!

Well, there are your week 4 results. What do you think? Did it all go down the way you expected? Were you surprised? Let us know, and see you next week!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 5 - Dance Night, October 18, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38427.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 5 Dances
Monday, October 18, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

It's already the fifth week? Crazy, isn't it? And there are only eight couples left to dance in the competition, so we know that tonight's show should feature some fierce musical battles!

Last week, we finally said good-bye to The Situation and his abs. The acoustic week format proved a challenge to many of the couples, but the performances more than made up for any difficulties. After finishing second during week 3, Jennifer and Derek were especially brilliant during the fourth week. The couple received the first 10s of the season for their performance in the Argentine tango.

Can the performers match (or even top) that performance tonight?

Did you miss anything last week? Check out our week 4 recap, performance rankings and elimination results if you need to remind yourself!

We get yet another twist in the standard DWTS format tonight: TV theme week. For this week's dances, each pair got to choose a dance style (as long as they haven't yet danced it) and set their choreography to television-related themes and music. Is there any chance of a Brady Bunch foxtrot? We can only hope.

Audrina Patridge has already announced that she and Tony will be dancing to a Hills-themed rumba, set to "Unwritten" (the theme song for The Hills). As for the others, we'll just have to wait and see what television inspired them.

Which TV shows should the stars use? Click here to find out!

Whatever crazy and amazing dances are on tap for tonight, we have to watch the show to see them. So here we go!

Wow, The Situation just exploded in the recap... It's possible that there are more explosions to come from that whole preview. Drama! Excitement! Manufactured conflict! Yay!

Ooh, an old RKO logo. That's kind of neat, even if I don't know why it would be there. Is there a reason?

I guess we're starting with mini-biographies from the judges. I guess we're at the point where filler is necessary. The results?

Len is pretty enthralled by Audrina as a dancer and expects a lot.

Bruno thinks Kyle is a lot of fun and seems to want to train him in dancing technique.

Carrie Ann points out that Brandy can do all the dances better than a lot of the others and only lacks confidence. Also, she has long arms.

Len seems to have a man-crush on Kurt. This critique is all about manliness. Perhaps also musicality and footwork, but mostly manliness.

Bruno likes Bristol's movements and musicality, but he's not so impressed with the entertainment. He also seems to want a rather violent (and possibly messy) explosion out of Bristol.

Len is possibly in love with Florence. The kiss couldn't have hurt... He also likes her performance and musicality. He's a little worried about her age and knees.

Len is pretty happy that Rick didn't conform to his low expectations. Rick's embracing of character is a big plus for Len.

Carrie Ann is impressed by Jennifer. Of course.

OK, they're coming out! The stars are finally coming onto the stage! And... oh my. Those are some "interesting" costumes... Can't wait to see where Florence and Kyle in particular are going with this night.


First dance time!

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the quickstep to "I'll Be There for You" (the theme from 'Friends') by The Rembrandts

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I'm so impressed with that!" "It was full of energy, it was a little bit sassy here and there. It was without a doubt your best dance."
Bruno: "I broke my pen, it was going so fast!" "You were on it!"
Carrie Ann: "I see such an amazing new bond."

My Opinion: Hey, Maks shaved! Come on guys, get up and dance! There they go. It looks like their steps match, which I believe is a very good thing in this kind of dance. They're really going all over the place -- thank goodness the stage is big again! Overall, that was fun if a little dull. Maybe I just disliked the music choice. It never seemed to fit.

Scores:
9+9+9 = 27


Next up...
Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas
Dancing the tango to "The 'Brady Bunch' Theme"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I wish I was a sexy senior." (Cue another Florence kiss.) "You have got to week 5 on merit. Parts of that tango were excellent." "I think that's possibly your best dance so far."
Bruno: "The beginning, when you started, it was a classic, beautiful tango. Then..." "It looked fabulous at the beginning!"
Carrie Ann: "I liked it. You were doing moves just like all the younger people." "Some of the moves threw you off on your timing."

My Opinion: So they brought Greg Brady out for the practice section. We get to rehash that whole scary relationship! Yay? But yay! that the horrible dressing gown is gone! They're having a lot of fun out there, but it doesn't look much like the tangos we saw last week. Can you have a perky, smiling tango and still be legitimate? Guess we'll find out from the judges. Still, I'm liking this dance. It's just as happy as the song!

Scores:
7+7+7 = 21


Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the quickstep to the "Theme from Bewitched"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "After last week, the only way is up, and up you have gone!"
Bruno: "The magic is back!" "You managed to get all the musical accents."
Carrie Ann: "I think I just saw the spirit of Gene Kelly enter the body of Kurt!"

My Opinion: They're nowhere near the stage. What's up with the quickstep that they need the whole theater? This may actually be a good dance for Kurt. That slight stiffness he always has actually looks about right tonight. Either he's loosened up or the dance fits better. I liked that.

Scores:
8+8+8 = 24


Monkey suits!!!

Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the rumba to "Unwritten" (the theme from 'The Hills')

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "That was an excellent rumba." "I could see a connection and a bit of chemistry going on."
Bruno: "Technically, you have improved... But, I wanted pulsating with passion! Rumba has to smolder!"
Carrie Ann: "I saw you go leaps and bounds into a whole new level." "Everything was gorgeous from the hips down."

My Opinion: I don't think Audrina likes onions much. Well, they've certainly got the "sex" part of the dance here. Audrina's lovely as usual, but I wouldn't be surprised if she gets dinged again for lack of emotion. It seems like she should have more expression during a rumba. Also, it looks like they're not doing very much. What they did was very pretty though!

Scores:
7+8+8 = 23


Next up...

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the foxtrot to the "Theme from 'Charlie's Angels'"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It started bad and it gradually got worse and worse and worse." "You're crazy! That was a joke!"
Bruno: "One thing is for sure, you bring home the feel-good factor. Nevertheless, this was a foxtrot possessed by disco fever."
Carrie Ann: "I thought you made a groovy Charlie!"

My Opinion: Just for the costumes alone, I want Kyle and Lacey to rock this. This is the best beginning for a dance ever. Ever! The slow bit didn't have much going on, but speeding up works for these guys. I hope the 70s moves won't hurt the judging, because they're pretty much incredible to me. Kyle's Angels, baby!

Scores:
8+5+7 = 20

Stupid Len. A 5? Really, Len?


Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the rumba to the "Theme from 'Hill Street Blues'"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "There's an ease and elegance about your dancing." "I didn't really get the feeling of a developing romance. It was more like a couple staying together for the sake of the children."
Bruno: "The children are going to be beautiful!" "You went from Megatron to mega-smooth..."
Carrie Ann: "It should be a crime that you can look that good and rumba so well!"

My Opinion: Basketball players in rehearsal! Sound pedagogical method or shameless ratings ploy? Hmmmm... OK, this is incredibly good music for a rumba. Probably the sexiest cop-show theme ever. Predatory look there, Rick! This is a much sexier rumba than Audrina's. Rick is nothing but sexy, which helps. But I honestly couldn't tell whether or not it was good dancing. Enjoyable anyway.

Scores:
8+8+8 = 24


Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the jive to the "Theme from 'The Monkees'"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I like the monkey suits, in fact I would have liked you to keep them on a bit longer." "I thought I saw a higher degree of performance."
Bruno: "You really tried to perform, and it worked, but the technique went down the Swamee."
Carrie Ann: "I saw a real transformation!" "You forgot a lot of the moves, it looked like."

My Opinion: Clown lessons? Monkey suits? Wow. That's daring. That stripping may have thrown Bristol off. I actually liked how she danced in the ape suit. It was the fun thing they were going for. She's not being very consistent after the costume is off. When she's on in this dance, it looks neat. But if I can see her missing the beat, won't that be a bad thing for the judges?

Scores:
6+6+6 = 18


Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the foxtrot to "Love and Marriage" (the theme to 'Married, with Children')

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "The actual dance is lovely, but for me it's all a little too theatrical."
Bruno: "It was like watching the perfect housewife!" "Look at you, pristine, elegant, beautifully danced."
Carrie Ann: "It wasn't nearly your best." "There were moments when I saw your eyes go blank."

My Opinion: I have to stop giggling about the song choice, right? They actually look like something out of an old sitcom. Very cool. Also, the dancing is nice. It always is with these two. They seem more classic than a lot of the dancers. Probably helps with the judges.

Scores:
8+8+9 = 25


So that's the night. Len was in a bad mood. The costumes were awesome. And next week is Rock n' Roll week. With 2 dances apiece! See you there!!!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 5 - Results Night, October 19, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-5-38439.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 5 Live Results: Which Star Will Go Off the Air?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

We're getting into the tough choices now -- a whole bunch of dancers putting on solid performances each week, and one pair still needs to be eliminated. Don't you miss the good old days of weeks 1 and 2 where we could easily point to a dancer or two who totally flubbed it? Actually, I kind of don't. But the tension is still getting to me!

Who do you expect to leave?
As always, it is the BuddyTV readers who have the best handle on who will stay and who will go (we'll just forget week 1 when we missed calling the Hasselhoff elimination). This week's predictions have Bristol Palin as the most likely to get sent away, with 64 percent of those polled expecting her elimination. A few voters seem to think Brandy or Florence might not make it, but they are a distant minority.

Will we all be right? Or is it time for another upset? I guess we'll have to watch the Results Show to find out.

Did you miss anything?
The results don't mean so much if you don't know about the dances in question. Unless you're one of those annoying people who just votes based on personality and not on dancing. But you're not one of those people, are you reader? Of course not! So you need to know about the dances.

Overall, the dances were... interesting. The TV theme for week 5 brought out the crazy in the costume designers, to the point where it's sometimes hard to remember anything else. But there were dances! Brandy and Maks shone in their show-opening quickstep, earning the highest score of the night (and a lollipop for Brandy). At the other end of the spectrum, even an entrance in gorilla suits couldn't keep Bristol and Mark from intense criticism at the end of their dance. Constant frontrunners Jennifer and Derek fell to second place with a 50s-sitcom performance not up to earlier standards. The other dancers landed in the middle, most showing some improvement over earlier weeks.


OK, so we're ready for the results! Not that the show will give them to us quickly enough. It's entirely possible that we might get bored. Bored is bad. So, to avoid that, may I suggest that you try out our brand-new Dancing with the Stars Personality Quiz! You know that you've always identified with David Hasselhoff, and now you have the chance to prove it.

In case you're wondering, I was "Florence Henderson" when I took the quiz. I'm OK with that.

Anyway, it's now time for...

The live Results Show!
Are we going to start with results to begin with? That would be great! It looks like one of the lowest-scorers will be declared safe right at the beginning. Either Bristol and Mark or Kyle and Lacey. Eek. We're either in for an early upset or just another Results Show. Scary start!

Time for RESULTS!
And Kyle and Lacey are the first SAFE couple!

Bristol and Mark are also SAFE!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an upset in the making... Who's going to go? Wow! Tension! Apprehension! Stuff that makes good TV! Yay!

That was a bit of a surprise. No clue who's going home now. Unless it's Florence, which wouldn't be a huge surprise.

Anyway, we get to see Brandy and Maks dance their quickstep again. That's one cute dance!

Back from the commercial break, it's time for the first of the musical acts. It's Jason Derulo! In random black and white! Oh, the color's back now. For a second, I was afraid we were in the 50s or something. That would be weird.


Time for more RESULTS!
It's the two highest-scoring couples now: Brandy and Maks and Jennifer and Derek.

I'd be pretty shocked if either of these couples left at this point, unless the voters have completely given up on good dancing on this show. (Which, with the early results, is not completely impossible)

OK, these commercials are amusing. I could use some of those Easy Steps! Dance partners only cost $150? What have I been doing without one all these years?

Was Maks just blowing into Brandy's ear?

Anyway, the next safe couple is Brandy and Maks!

Jennifer and Derek remain in jeopardy...


Now we're watching a bio of a Congolese family that likes to dance. I'm not totally sure why, since most people don't even know where the Congo is. Interesting and moving story, but I do wonder about the motivation. Oh they're going to dance too! Still wondering what the connection is... They're pretty good! Are these guys somehow known otherwise? Awwwwww...


Time for more RESULTS!

This time we're focusing on the sports guys. I hope they're both coming back. I liked them!

Yay! Kurt and Anna are SAFE!!!

Rick and Cheryl remain in jeopardy. Have they ever been declared safe at the beginning? Seems harsh.

OK, it's good to know that eliminated contestants have a sense of humor about all of this. And his commercial is probably why people totally love David Hasselhoff. That was pretty cool.

Time for more music now. This time it's Shakira, who brings a whole posse of dancers with her.

Back from commercials, we're going to hear a little more Jason Derulo. Because it's obviously too early in the show for actual results or anything.


OK, time for the last RESULTS! before the final results of the evening. After another commercial, I'm sure.

This is hard to watch, since I'm going to guess that either Audrina and Tony or Florence and Corky are going home tonight. I imagine they know it too.

Hey, before the commercial? Way to surprise me show!

And... Audrina and Tony are SAFE!!!

Which leaves Florence and Corky in jeopardy. And probably very nervous.

We're almost done for the night now. Just the last three couples. The first couple of the three to be safe is...

Jennifer and Derek are SAFE!!! (Not a shocker, other than due to the influence of crazy voters)

Rick and Cheryl are SAFE!!!

Which means that Florence and Corky are (sadly) going home. Awww, Mrs. Brady!!!

You've got to love someone with enough class to praise and thank the production staff first of all. I'm going to miss Florence! Sigh...

Anyway, this grief shall also pass. Now it's time to let us know what you think? Was this the result you expected? A total shock? Are you pleased or angry? Let us know! And see you next week!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 6 - Dance Night, October 25, 2010

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-week-6-38480.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 6 Dances
Monday, October 25, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Time for week 6!

Seven couples remain to dance in this season of Dancing with the Stars, and the competition has never been fiercer. With the poorer dancers and less popular contestants already eliminated, staying on the show is harder than ever. Whose dances will meet the high standards tonight, and who will dance themselves right out of competition?

Last week saw an emotional farewell to the show's favorite mom, Florence Henderson. Despite the nostalgia value of her tango to the theme from The Brady Bunch, the combination of scores and voting left Florence and Corky at the bottom. In contrast, Brandy and Maksim managed their first win of the season with an incredible quickstep to the theme from Friends.

Need to be reminded of any of this? Then you're in luck, our week 5 live recap, performance rankings and results recap are all available. We'll even wait for you to catch up!

Check out our Dancing with the Stars personality quiz too!

We get a major alteration in the performance show format tonight, with each couple required to dance not once but twice over the course of the evening. The couples will all have their standard routine, choreographed this week to rock music, and then there will be a group dance marathon.

That's right, a dance marathon! Although not really, since the "marathon" will only last for a few minutes, and we're not likely to see collapsing from exhaustion in that time frame. What we will see is a progressive elimination by the judges when they see a couple stumble or look tired. The last couple on the dance floor will receive an extra 10 points for their overall scores tonight!

Will endurance be the key tonight? Will precision reign supreme? Or will it be all about performance?

We'll only know the answer when we watch the show, so let's get to it!

Good to know we're going with the "Rock" theme. Flames and all! Excellent attempt to make ballroom dancing cool. Almost worked... Maybe...

Sounds like we'll also be seeing the top 10 all-time dances chosen by voters. #10 seems to be Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Mark does like his costumes, doesn't he?

#9 - An Argentine tango by Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson. I think Kym forgot half of her dress.

#8 - A quickstep by Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough. Bananas!

#7 - Another freestyle (the public is not made up of ballroom purists, obviously) by Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough.

And that's all we get before the commercials! Hey, the current stars are still in makeup. No new dances anytime soon...

Lots of paso dobles now!

#6 - Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough, dancing the way The Situation probably wanted to a couple of weeks ago. That's, um, interesting hair?

#5 - Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dancing here. She's really tall, isn't she?

#4 - Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough dancing yet another paso doble. Is it just me, or is the paso doble a particularly violent-looking dance?

And a few more commercials...

#3 - Back for a samba with Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough (again). So this is what a perfect dance looks like? A lot like an almost-perfect dance to me... Which is why I'm not a judge.

#2 - An Argentine tango with Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke. People sure like those tangos! Um, that's sexy. Like really sexy.

#1 - Another perfect score! A freestyle for Drew Lacey and Cheryl Burke. With cowboy gear.

Sorry Brooke Burke. They don't like you that much.

Oh! Time for the grand entrances! So much for the rock music. Oh lord, what are they all wearing now??? This fashion slideshow is going to be a lot of fun this week. A lot of fun. Bruno is having fun too.

The dances will be tangos and paso dobles this week. Because what else would you dance to rock music?

First to dance this week?

Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the paso doble to "Another One Bites the Dust"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "To be honest, you're getting on my nerves a bit. You've got the potential to blow us away." "You've got everything going for you, you've got to work on that character."
Bruno: "He's absolutely right, for once." "The man-eating Spanish beauty, get it all out of you!"
Carrie Ann: "The improvement that you've shown since week 1 when you came out here is ridiculous!" "What you're lacking, just a little bit, is the intention behind the movement."

My Opinion: Tony in a Bruno mask was just plain creepy. Well, I don't know if Audrina's showing any more emotion than last week, but this dance looks well with pissed-off blank stares. As always, Audrina looks nice on the dance floor. Maybe a little bit shakier with the easy stuff (walking down the stairs, pushing hair back), but the dancing looks good to me.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Pretty good scores for all that criticism. They really do want her to improve, I guess.

Tom Bergeron: "I also want to apologize for the judges, because I know before the show is out, they'll do something."

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I'm not going to sack you, I'm going to back you tonight." "You're dancing is performance-driven." "I want a bit of a balance. It was an improvement over last week."
Bruno: "You're all grown up! All macho! You've obviously put a lot of work into this!"
Carrie Ann: "Kyle, I love the way you always throw the Kyle-style in!" "The carriage was amazing this week."

My Opinion: Kyle looks way more precise this week, which can only be a good thing. Plus, he's got his typically perfect character going. He doesn't look even a little nice right now. Creepy, honestly. But in a good way. Kyle doesn't even look like a kid here. OK, I loved that dance. Who knows if the judges will agree though?

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the paso doble

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Trying to go for it with such gusto, you lost a bit of the control during the dance."
Bruno: "You got the rage right. It was like a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Get this skirt off of me! Get it off me!" "The problem is, but then you lose the quality of movement."
Carrie Ann: "You need to calm down a little bit, you're way out of control, the dance was totally disjointed." "I don't know what's happening, you're like the chosen one and you're going downhill."

My Opinion: Not sure I like the opening, but I think it wasn't the dancing. She is a convincing actress. I thought the grimace when he lifted her by the neck was real. I like the dance pretty well, but the choreography isn't doing anything for me. Did she just stumble there, or was that on purpose?

Scores: 6+7+7 = 20

Not a good night for Jennifer... Uh-oh.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Well I'm always impressed with your hold and your posture. I thought you did an excellent job."
Bruno: "It was like a Mohican on the warpath! I thought you were going to scalp her at the end!"
Carrie Ann: "I think you did amazing by mixing the intensity with the tango." "You sometimes get so stern that we lose the person behind the Rick."

My Opinion: Oh my. Must stop laughing at Rick's hair. They've really embraced "rock" here, haven't they? Not so sure that the music fits this dance. And wow, has Rick been this tall through the whole competition? He looks like a monster tonight! I honestly don't know if I like this. All I know is that I cannot look away even a little bit! I think I'm scared of Rick right now.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Good. Everybody's scared of Rick too. That was terrifying. But is anybody going to go above 8 tonight?

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Last week a chimp. Almost a champ."
Bruno: "Best performance and best technique to date!"
Carrie Ann: "Victory for Bristol! That was ridiculously amazing!" "Who are you?"

My Opinion: Um, Bristol looks like she wants to cry at the beginning. Her steps mostly look good, but a bit hesitant. Again, we're doing the pissed-off blankness as an expression (and then a random air-guitar smile), which seems to go over well with the judges about half of the time. I'd put this at about the same level as Audrina's dance tonight, maybe a bit below.

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the paso doble to "The Final Countdown"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I could see what you were trying to do, but it just didn't come off."
Bruno: "You worked very, very hard and you had that intensity..." "It looks like you were doing karate..." "It was Jackie Chan and we want Banderas!"
Carrie Ann: "You have the scruffy-scruffy, but the dance was sort of scruffy-scruffy as well."

My Opinion: Why does Kurt get Bret Michaels as a coach? That hardly seems fair. I love this music for dancing. Kurt looks awesome, as usual. The man can dress! He seems to have a bit of that awkward stiffness back, but not as much as before. Probably not so much that it'll kill him, but I don't think that was quite as good as last week.

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18

The audience is very not happy about that.

Tom Bergeron: "All right! An angry rock mob! Yeah!" (Tom is on fire tonight.)

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the tango to "Hero"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Maks, you're my hero!" "You've come out with a dance that's full of intensity, passion!"
Bruno: "Wow! That tango really rocked! Was it Brandy, or was it Tina Turner in Mad Max?"
Carrie Ann: "I had goose bumps all over my arms." "But I did see a few tiny little missteps..."

My Opinion: Well, they've got the passion. As always. Not quite the passion I was hoping for -- kind of looks like everybody went the cold, stoic route this week. What's up with that? And did Maks just stumble? A good performance there, but not a great one. She might get hurt by the high expectations, but it was solid. Brandy looks hurt or something now...

Scores: 8+9+9 = 26

Looks like we have another winner for the week...

All that's left is the marathon. This is going to mean a lot with such close scores this week.

Marathon time!!!

Get ready for the craziness! And they're dancing!

Kurt and Anna are off the floor! 4 points added to their score...

Bristol and Mark are off the floor! 5 points added to their score...

Rick and Cheryl are off the floor! 6 points added to their score...

Four couples left and a lot more room!

Kyle and Lacey are off the floor! 7 points added to their score...

Audrina and Tony are off the floor! 8 points added to their score...

Jennifer and Derek are off the floor! 9 points added to their score...

Leaving Brandy and Maks as the champions!!! 10 points extra! Pretty impressive, considering they just danced about 5 minutes ago.

Well done guys!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 6 - Results Night, October 26, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-6-38490.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 6 Live Results: Someone Has Danced Their Last
Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Only seven pairs remain going into tonight's Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show, and one of those pairs will not make it any further. However much we may want to keep them all around, someone always has to leave. Kind of sad, isn't it?

Oh well. We'll pull through somehow. The key is to just take it one result at a time. Or something like that.

Who do you expect to leave?
BuddyTV readers are a savvy lot who almost always guess right when it comes to the eliminated star of the week. Except that sometimes we're all wrong. Will this be another week like that? Hopefully not, since that's just awkward.

Who did you predict to go? It looks like Kurt Warner is the most likely star to take his final bow tonight, receiving 71 percent of the BuddyTV vote. A sizeable minority chose Bristol Palin as the likely loser as well, giving her 22 percent of the elimination vote.

Will we be right? Only time and The Results Show can tell.

Did you miss anything?
That would be bad. Fortunately, you can fix the problem easily by checking out our recap of the DWTS week 6 performance show. You can get all the highlights and the lowlights you need!

The show was, in brief, interesting. Rock music is not the most obvious match for ballroom dancing, and the marriage of the two occasionally led to unusual results. The costumes were certainly incredible! As were some of the facial expressions (or lack thereof, Audrina and Bristol...).

The dances weren't the best we've seen, although there were some good performances. Brandy and Maks did an excellent job with their dance, garnering the highest score of the evening. Kyle, Bristol and Rick also received solid scores, showing improvement over last week. On the other hand, Kurt fell to the bottom for the first time, and Jennifer only managed slightly better. It's entirely possible that Jennifer's fall derived from disappointment in her lack of perfection, but it still wasn't good.

Tired of waiting for the results? Take the Dancing with the Stars personality quiz to fill the time.

OK, it's time for the Results Show now. Here we go!

The live Results Show!

And we're starting with RESULTS! Awesome.

Starting with the three lowest scoring couples this time, so at least one of Jennifer, Bristol and Kurt is going to be resting easy soon. Whoever is left, I am very worried for them.

Is it OK to say that on TV Jennifer? Apparently, since they would've had time to beep out her "dammit."

Kurt and Anna are safe!!!

Seriously? Seriously??? Who is in trouble?


Bristol and Mark are safe!!!

Uh-oh.

Time to watch Bristol and Mark dance again. Not entirely sure why, since it wasn't that good. Better, yes, but not so great...


Back from commercials now. And Heart is performing. They're seriously still around? I did not know that. Apparently I am just ignorant of such things. Hey, did you know that two members (I can't remember which ones) of Heart went to my high school? Probably not. And if you did, I'm scared.

Anyway, fun dancing!

Looks like the middle dancers are going to get their RESULTS! after the commercials...

Kyle and Lacey and Rick and Cheryl on the chopping block. I will be honestly sad if either of these couples have to go this week. Kind of love them both!

Rick and Cheryl are SAFE!!!

Kyle and Lacey? Not so much. Argh!!!!!!

A bunch of rock stars giving advice to ballroom dancers? Why not? Insanity definitely has its place here.

Anyway, it's time for some show choir and dancing. I guess Glee has invaded Dancing with the Stars tonight. Not the best acoustics for a show choir in the theater, methinks. Although the teenagers singing "We Will Rock You" in an auditorium setting is giving me major flashbacks to middle school pep assemblies.

Time for Kylie Minogue to sing in way more chairs than one would expect in a pile. Hey, half-naked men! They're vogue-ing. Is that back now?

That was weird.

Backstage with the leaders. Audrina is whining. Not a good choice, Audrina. Brandy and Maks are pretty. Will we get RESULTS! before the commercials? Probably not, but we can hope.

Nope. Commercials!

200th episode next week. And Rod Stewart performing... My volume may be turned down for that part... (Sorry, music bias showing now.)

Time for an interview with Kristy Yamaguchi. And now RESULTS????? Nope. More reflection on the competition. Oh for Pete's sake.

Brandy and Maks are SAFE!!!

Leaving Audrina and Tony in jeopardy. Could there be an upset? I mean, obviously there's going to be a bit of an upset, considering who's left. But how much of an upset???

Time for the last of the RESULTS!

Kyle and Lacey are SAFE!!!

We have to listen to some judges' comments before we get to hear the final results. The judges are not happy. They kind of look like they want to cry. Len might actually go punch out the voters. "There is no justice!" No Len. No justice. Sigh...

Jennifer and Derek are SAFE!!!

Which means Audrina and Tony have been eliminated! Wow. I guess we were due for an upset!

But darn it, no temper tantrum! I was so hoping for that Audrina. Oh well, way to be classy on your way out!

Judge Len looked like he was ready to kill the home voters when he found that the Bottom 3 in danger of going home consisted 3 of the Top 4 talents!

Outrageous! Audrina and Tony had the second highest score this week! They've been a solid third place contender each week. Bristol Pallin continuing? Give me a break!

There is something wrong with home voters when the Bottom 3 in dan ger of going home consists 3 of the Top 4 talents!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 7 - Dance Night, November 1, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38533.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 7 Dances
Monday, November 01, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

It's the 200th episode! Not sure yet what sorts of crazy excitement that means, but I imagine it will be an impressive spectacle of music and dance. Because that's what they do at Dancing with the Stars, after all!

We're down to the final six couples, and the competition is fiercer than ever for that Mirror Ball. After last week's surprise elimination of Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani, we know that no one -- even a leader -- is safe.

Don't remember every single detail of what happened last week? Never fear, BuddyTV is here!

At least, our week 6 live recap, performance rankings and results recap are here. Everything you could ever want to know about week 6!

Also, there's a personality quiz! Nothing to do with week 6 specifically, but still cool.

So now we're all caught up for tonight's show, right? Hope so, because we're going to get underway momentarily. There's a lot to watch tonight, what with the first team challenge happening. I'm very curious to see how this affects the Results Show outcome with all those extra points up for grabs.

Tonight marks the return of old dances and old stars as well. This season's competitors will recreate some of the best DWTS performances from earlier seasons, all while being judged by the original dancers. Should be interesting!

But now let's get to the show itself!

So there are a lot of pros dancing to what was apparently the first song used for Dancing with the Stars. My brain doesn't remember such ancient history, so I'll have to take their word for it. And the song is... Ummm... A song whose title I should know but can't think of right now. Don't worry. You all know it too.

It always kind of makes me sad when the pros all dance. They're just so good! And it makes me worry about the stars. I'll get over it.

Lots of past season stars in the audience. Season 3 seems to be winning the attendance competition so far. And no one from season 6 bothered to show.

Kristi Yamaguchi is here now, with her team: Rick and Cheryl, Bristol and Mark, Kyle and Lacey. Oh lord, why is Bristol wearing a suit??? Costumers, why do you do this to us all?

Time for Apolo Ohno with his team: Kurt and Anna, Brandy and Maks, Jennifer and Derek.

Seriously, the costumes are a little frightening this week. Kurt seems to be wearing a headband.

Picking teams! Seriously, you picked Kyle last? What kind of pathetic, grade school popularity contest is this?

We shall now view the rehearsal montages. Kristi's team is cha-cha-ing this week. They seem like happy people. But their suits scare me.

Rehearsal drama! Shocking that they're not all perky and happy while working their butts off for hours and hours and hours each day...

Wait, are we supposed to vote for the individual dancers within the group dance? I'm so confused.

Team Kristi
Dancing the cha-cha to "Day and Night"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I thought you're the underdogs, but I must say you dogs have got quite a bite."
Bruno: "You went wrong, Bristol, you lost the step but you kept up."
Carrie Ann: "This is a great way to start a 200th episode." "Rick, I've never seen you on fi-re like that!"

My Opinion: Rick's still looking his sexy self here. Bristol looks a bit off there, but mostly she seems to be keeping up with Mark. And she's got the chest shimmy down. Ah, time for Kyle. Right off the bat, he looks awesome. How can you not love this guy? Overall, they look pretty good. Although the height differences between the men are almost hilarious.

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Good start, since 24 is about as high a score as we've seen all season. And each pair gets an extra 24 points on their score, which is very nice.

Oh, by the way, I get it now. The individual numbers are there just as a reminder for us. They'll be dancing again later though.

Apolo's team is rehearsing now. Kurt likes being on a team. Jennifer has to take breaks. Brandy is as hard-core as ever. I wonder why the producers want to make this team look like it's having less fun? Hmmm...

Team Apolo
Dancing the cha-cha to "Bust a Move"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I thought individually, you all upped your game."
Bruno: "You've got it! In the cha-cha with the flavor of the hood!"
Carrie Ann: "Very tight, very crisp. You were all working at your best."

My Opinion: These guys all match much better than the other team. Kurt's not stiff again. Must be the specific type of dance, because he goes back and forth between stiff and smooth on the dance floor. Brandy has definitely perfected "awesome in the past few weeks. She may have missed a step there, but who cares? Wow, how did Jennifer not get whiplash in that entrance? This is a much faster dance than the last one. They also look way more like dancers out there. I liked the first dance, but I loved this one!

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

That seems about right. That was a great dance!

But Kurt's headband is still weirding me out.

Now we get an old celebrity, from back in season 5: Mel B. She'll be judging a recreation of her paso doble, which should be interesting. And it looks like Kyle and Lacey will be doing the dance. Kyle will deserve every point he gets if he can pull off a Maks impression. Like the markered-on six pack, Kyle!

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the paso doble to "Free Your Mind"

Judges' Opinions:

Len: "You've said it, you've got to up your game. That was your best dance!"
Bruno: "You had the attack and untamed energy of a young bull!"
Carrie Ann: "That was a hard number to match up to." "You did exactly the same thing when you danced that."
Mel B: "I have to say, that was amazing! You blew me away! And, you were very sexy!"

My Opinion: He doesn't quite look like Maks, but there's definitely attitude there. I'm having more trouble believing this from Kyle than many of his dances, probably because the attitude of the dance doesn't allow for much in the way of fun. I think he's still doing pretty good though.

Scores: 10+9+8+8 = 35

Wow! Mel B must seriously adore Kyle!!!

Now for the season 3 champion, Emmitt Smith, who I believe will be judging Kurt Warner. Nice football connections, show!

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the tango to "Simply Irresistible"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "What amazes me about you, I've been critical about you some weeks, but you come back stronger every time."
Bruno: "You went from last week, Mission: Impossible to this week, Mission: Accomplished."
Carrie Ann: "What was amazing about Emmitt was his character." "You brought your own character to it"
Emmitt: "I understand why you've got your neck forward, you've got to protect yourself on the football field."

My Opinion: Nice finger guns guys. Uh-oh, it looks like Kurt might have his granite-like look back. That doesn't work as well for him. Everything looks OK, but I'm not getting the feel of personality off Kurt that he often gives. And his movements are so understated that I can't see them half of the time. OK, but not his best in my opinion.

Scores: 10+8+8+8 = 34

It's going to suck for the first celebrity to not get a 10 from the celebrity judge. Hopefully it will be deserved and not an angry judge.

The next celebrity judge will be Kelly Osbourne from season 9. That's what she looks like these days? That's a change. That was a pretty waltz when she did it. Wonder who's going to get the recreation this time? Oh, it's Bristol. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, since they seem to be matching celebrities when they can (don't ask me what the connection between Kyle and Mel B might be).

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Well, I enjoyed it very much." "You still lack a little bit of chemistry together."
Bruno: "Well you truly are pretty in pink!" "You're a natural mover."
Carrie Ann: "You have this power to touch us... But you are still slightly detached."
Kelly: "You stole my heart, Bristol. There's something about you -- you gave me goosebumps."

My Opinion: Could it be? Is Bristol in a pretty dress? Miracles can occur! She still looks a little blank and stiff to me, but she's dancing well so far. Mark really likes that nose-to-nose move, doesn't he? It's in roughly every dance. Overall, it was nice. But, as is so often the case, I didn't get any strong feelings out of it.

Scores: 9+8+8+8 = 33

So that was the first non-10. Kelly is more generous with her praise than with her scoring apparently.

Helio Castroneves is the next judge to come. From back in season 5, it's the race-car driver. Please, please say Rick Fox will be in the banana suit tonight! Oh, looks like we're going the leprechaun route instead.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the quickstep to "Hey Pachuco"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "But when you come out and thoroughly enjoy yourself, we enjoy ourselves." "It was slick, it was quick..."
Bruno: "You did your best performance today -- more faces than Jim Carrey."
Carrie Ann: "Mr. Banana-Man, you have to pass the torch to the Jolly Green Giant. Rick, by far your best!"
Helio: "That was actually incredible." "I can't believe you stole my kiss, man!"

My Opinion: I like that hat on Len. Rick is definitely having fun this time. Silly fun. In a silly costume to match, so I guess that works. He might be a bit off in those steps, but I honestly can't keep track when it's the quickstep. And I guess he had to outdo Helio on the kiss too.

Scores: 10+9+9+9 = 37

My goodness. Either the judges are in an amazing mood tonight, or else the dancers are in prime form. Maybe both!

Next celebrity judge is Gilles Marini from season 8. He wants to see Brandy "take charge?" Ummm, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the foxtrot to "Fever"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I'm surprised at these people being so pedantic about a slight mistake when we've just witnessed the most fantastic foxtrot all season!"
Bruno: "That was a foxtrot sizzling with sex! Every step was driven by relentless eroticism!'
Carrie Ann: "You totally transitioned between elegance and beautiful hold, posture into heh heh!"
Gilles: "I felt goosebumps all over my body. That performance was unreal!"

My Opinion: Creepy leopard-print gloves to start. Hey, it's like sex on the dance floor! Only way more polite, since this is ballroom dancing and all. Sorry, too busy watching to write at the moment. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this -- incredible dance!

Scores: 9+9+10+9 = 37

Len is in a good mood tonight. Oh Maks: "Actually I've been in the finals three times, Brooke."

Here comes Drew Lachey from way back in season 2. Aw, Tom misses him. A perfect-scoring tango? Yeah, no pressure there.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the tango to "Shut Up"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I think all that frustration you vented in this tango."
Bruno: "It's like watching a phoenix rising from her own ashes more splendid than ever!"
Carrie Ann: "What no one loves more is to see someone come back after a tough week and blow the doors off."
Drew: "The musicality was amazing, your lines are beautiful."

My Opinion: I'm getting a little tired of the rehearsal montages with crying and stuff. Considering how she dances, I bet Jennifer does not cry all the time. Kind of like how Brandy and Maks can't possibly fight all the time. Nice start and so far a much more contained performance than some of their earlier dances. Ooh, cool identical footwork there. And a good ending! I didn't like it as much as Brandy's dance, but it was definitely a good show.

Scores: 10+9+9+9 = 37

Pretty good scores for these dancers -- back up on top with Brandy and Maks! Barring a crazy surprise elimination, the front-runners may just be back on track. Not that I have any clue who will be going home tomorrow. It'll be an interesting one!

Make sure you check back to find out what happens!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 7 - Dance Night, November 2, 2010


http://www.buddytv.c...ek-7-38545.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 7 Live Results: Another Elimination Approaches
Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Half of the stars are gone. Only six pairs remain to dance. And tonight, yet another of their number will disappear forever -- or at least until he or she comes back to hang out in the audience in a week or two.

It's times like this when I truly miss the good ol' days of David Hasselhoff and Michael Bolton. The days when it was possible to point at a contestant and say, "Now that is a terrible dancer!" Alas, those days are gone. The best we can hope for now is the recognition of those minor differences that separate the champions from the also-rans.

Who is who? No clue.

Who do you expect to leave?
We got it wrong last week. Very wrong. I wonder if we'll do any better this time around? If I had to guess, I'd say no, especially since there was virtually no point spread between the top and bottom dancers. 7 points out of 70 possible separate Jennifer and Brandy from Bristol! That's not so much.

But we do need to make our predictions, and the BuddyTV readers are pulling for Bristol and Mark as the eliminated couple this week. That pair has garnered 52 percent of the vote for elimination. Not too far behind them are Kurt and Anna, who 26 percent of readers expect will go home. Less likely losers tonight include Rick and Cheryl, Kyle and Lacey, and Jennifer and Derek, all of whom got votes. Apparently we think only Brandy and Maks are safe!

It's going to be a close one!

Did you miss anything?
We wouldn't want you to fall behind before we even get results. But that's OK, because we have all of the DWTS information you need in our week 7 performance show recap!

In brief, the dances were excellent this week. Jennifer Grey left her struggles behind and tangoed into a tie for first place with Brandy. The sporty men, Rick and Kurt, managed yet another tie behind the leaders. Kyle put on a show that the judges loved, but his scores left him in fifth place. And Bristol's waltz brought up the rear with decent scores and criticism for performance.

If you missed any of the visiting stars, it's a safe bet that a few of them will stick around for tonight's show, especially with the big Skating with the Stars announcement scheduled for some time during the broadcast.

Now it's time for The Results Show!

Soon anyway. Hey, while you're waiting, why not check out our Dancing with the Stars personality quiz? Already taken it? Try again to see if you get a different result!

The live Results Show!!!
Starting with a whole lot of election night puns. Sigh... Fortunately, ABC won't cut into DWTS, since they know what is truly important.

And then we move on to the repeat dance, which is Team Apolo's cha-cha. Oooh, Derek was late! Still weirded out by Kurt's headband.

Now it's time for some RESULTS!!!
Going with high and low together to begin -- Brandy and Bristol on the block.

Brandy and Maks are SAFE!!!

Bristol and Mark remain in jeopardy.

Calm down crowd. Lots more results to come!

Back from commercials, and we're apparently going to see awards from the past 200 episodes.

First of all, it's the Most Dramatic Moments! Hurt arm, Kate Gosselin being a baby, a ruptured Achilles tendon, Marie Osmond collapsing on stage (they went to commercial? Wow...) and a wardrobe malfunction.

They went with Marie Osmond's fainting spell. She actually has an acceptance speech. This is going to be a long, long Results Show, isn't it?

Time now for a Broadway cast dance from "Mary Poppins." It's weird when they add songs to shows that were already musicals. The original music wasn't enough?

Finally back from commercials and election results (if anyone wants to know what's going on in Texas, let me know), just in time for a Taylor Swift performance. She's standing like she's about to fall over in those heels. Oh, and there are dancers.

The nominees for the Best Worst Dancer now. This might be amusing. Kenny Mayne (who is that anyway?). Master P is next. Then Kate Gosselin, of course. Steve Wozniak -- he's at least fun. Billy Ray Cyrus. And the winner (?) is Kenny Mayne!

And could it be time for more RESULTS? Probably not right away, but at least they're thinking about it. This round of results will be for Jennifer and Derek and Rick and Cheryl.

Yep, commercials.

We're back now, and it's RESULTS time!

Kyle and Lacey and Kurt and Anna all await their fates now.

Kurt and Anna are SAFE!!!

Which means that Kyle and Lacey remain in jeopardy.

This could be very, very bad.

Time for Taylor Swift to sing again. And there's a montage. Oh lord. This show is trying to kill me isn't it.

At least Taylor Swift is amusing.

Training footage time! Because it's not like we'd want results or anything. Or that whole Skating with the Stars announcement.

RESULTS now!!!

Bristol and Mark are SAFE!!!

Of course. Silly voters not caring about dancing. Sigh.

Skating with the Stars people now. Crazy, crazy (and possibly desperate) stars.

Time for the final RESULTS!

Whatever they are, I'm going to be angry. So sad...

Kyle and Lacey are SAFE!

Rick and Cheryl have been eliminated!

Thus proving that dancing means absolutely nothing in the competition! Oh, poor Rick is choking up. Awwwwww... Such a sad farewell to the sexy giant...

So that's it for tonight! What did you think of the results? Loved them? Hated them? Head still spinning from the insanity of it all? Leave a comment to let us know.

I must now go to quietly mourn the loss of Rick Fox. See you next week!

Once again the home voters are keeping the terrible Bristol Palin around at the expense of much more talented competitors.

Rick Fox has been consistently better than Bristol Palin and second worst, football's Kurt Warner.
Rick's individual dance on Monday was scored 10+9+9+9 = 37, tied for the lead with Jennifer Grey and Brandy.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 8 - Dance Night, November 8, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38591.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 8 Dances
Monday, November 08, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Are you ready for some more ballroom craziness? Hope so, because we're definitely in for a lot of it tonight, with only five couples remaining in contention for the Mirror Ball and yet another new format getting in their way.


Based on the results from the past two weeks, just about anything can happen on Dancing with the Stars at this point in the season. Could we be watching the final dance from a front-runner tonight? Or will a lower scoring couple undergo elimination for the first time in weeks?

In case you've been living in a cave and missed the excitement of last week, we've got you covered. The week 7 live recap, performance rankings and results recap are available for your reading pleasure. And if that's not enough for you to pass your time before DWTS stars, we have a Dancing with the Stars personality quiz as well.

All caught up? Are you jazzed for new performances, or are you still mourning the loss of Rick Fox? Either way, the performance show is coming!

Tonight's show offers an interesting twist on the now-familiar format. Each of the five remaining couples will be responsible for two full dances. The first dance will be business as usual, with choreography set to predetermined music. The music for the second dance, on the other hand, will be a surprise to the dancers as well as to the viewers. Each pair will only find out which song they have about 20 minutes before their performance. Should be interesting!

Now let's get to the show...

I think the band may have missed their music cue. Is it going to be a theme for the night? With the instant dances, we could be in for some pretty spectacular messes tonight. Is it bad that I'm almost hoping for that? Yes, probably it is. Oh well.

"We have no idea how it's going to work. If it's going to work." - Tom Bergeron

We're starting off with the performances of the pre-choreographed dances, with Kyle and Lacey first. You know, they could do an entire show of Kyle-Lacey rehearsal footage. That would be pretty awesome.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the Viennese Waltz to "Breathe"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I did smile. Just a little smile." "Last week, I saw like a little bulb, this week a gorgeous orchid."
Bruno: "We are all totally charmed by you. You've become this kind of sophisticated, refined young man." "You're a nice young man!"
Carrie Ann: "My crush on Kyle is back!" "It was like you were dancing on clouds, it was like watching a fairy tale come to life."

My Opinion: What is Lacey wearing this week? Granted, it's better than usual. Ooh! Spinning Kyle! Very pretty. Somehow, Kyle is looking tall tonight. I guess that's posture. I think he may have been a mistake with arms at the beginning, but I can't imagine that's important. Otherwise, this is just incredibly pretty.

Score: 9+9+9 = 27

They don't get to know the music beforehand in ballroom competitions? That's harsh.

And Kyle and Lacey will be dancing a jive to "Good Golly Miss Molly."

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the quickstep

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You say to Derek, 'Come on, let's face the music and dance.' And that's what you did, and it was great."
Bruno: "It was like watching a vintage Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers quickstep." "You're capable of brilliance." "You've got it in you, forget your trouble!"
Carrie Ann: "If you ever worry about whether you're loved, just look around this room."

My Opinion: Do the producers honestly think we want to see more hurt Jennifer footage? There is such a thing as overkill, show. That said, ouch. But it's not like we don't know she's at the show this week... OMG Joel Grey!!! Finally! Awesome! I don't like the dress, but that skirt looks good in the dance. This isn't as fun a quickstep as a lot of them have done. Will that hurt? She may have been a little off there, but it still looks pretty and fun. A lot of Derek solos in this one. Does that count against Jennifer?

Score: 9+9+9 = 27

Seems to be the score of the night. And for the Instant Dance, Jennifer and Derek will be dancing to "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner.

Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the waltz to "Take It to the Limit"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "There's something nice about seeing a big guy coming out, being graceful."
Bruno: "Very, very dashing." "At times, I could see you were really thinking." "We can really see that you try to do it." "Obviously there are people better than you."
Carrie Ann: "You're sort of like if they had a Ken doll for adults and he could ballroom dance. You're like a Ken doll!" "You are sort of not quite at the same level as some of the other people."

My Opinion: Nice Superman poses, guys. Pretty beginning. Not an exciting dance, but Kurt looks nice so far. I wonder if his knees are right? I bet Len tells us. I can never quite get past Kurt's slightly goofy demeanor during the dances, but I think this might be one of his better performances. Maybe not as complicated as what we've seen, but good.

Score: 8+8+8 = 24

Glad to know the judges are in an agreeable mood tonight. And... Kurt and Anna are dancing to "Hella Good."

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "It was clean, well-placed, well-rehearsed. Lacked a bit of intensity during that dance. Don't start on me, I'm telling the truth over here!"
Bruno: "I thought you were actually mean and moody!" "You kind of lose the expression in the middle of the sequence." "You have to be a bad girl all the way through!"
Carrie Ann: "The most intensity we have ever seen." "You glared at me, I glared back. And you won!"

My Opinion: You know, if we're supposed to forget who Bristol's mother is, probably seeing her every week doesn't help. Is the chair going to say on the dance floor? Requisite nose bump of the week! They certainly do look pissed. A little bit tentative on some moves, but mostly this is a pretty impressive dance from Bristol. Weirdly, I don't know that Mark and Bristol's personalities match in this. Can't say why I think that though.

Score: 8+8+8 = 24

Obviously we're not going to see much variety in scoring tonight. For the Instant Dance, Bristol and Mark will perform to "Mas Que Nada." Doesn't sound like they know that one.

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the waltz

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "If you were a nitpicky, finicky type of person, you could make a comment about your neck, but I'm not going to. Because I was overwhelmed by the whole performance!"
Bruno: "This was more than a dance, this was an exquisite interpretation of a song!" "Emotionally, it was like a symphony, it was like a poem!"
Carrie Ann: "The emotional quality to your dancing, Brandy, it was riveting." "You have to watch that neck."

My Opinion: Oh, I hope that black cape disappears soon! There it goes! Much better in the white dress. The waltzes tonight are all very pretty. And spinny. I like spinny. Very dramatic, which I suppose is good in a dance that's so slow. I can actually believe that she's about to start sobbing. Very nice!

Score: 9+10+10 = 29

Wow. Highest scores of the season! Guess they liked it. Hey, they actually know the song, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. Will that help? No clue.

Instant Dance
Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the jive to "Good Golly Miss Molly"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You came out like a pocket rocket!" "I would have liked a little more finesse here and there." "It was a little bit wild and wacky, but I really enjoyed it.
Bruno: This was top of the league in terms of entertainment value!
Carrie Ann: "That was the instant dance? It's like that song was made for you!" "That was the most fun I've had as a viewer!"

My Opinion: Good strategy to start with that run. This definitely doesn't fit the dance as well as these guys usually do, but they're doing pretty good. Way to get big moves in some of the musically appropriate places. They used their 20 (or so) minutes very well. Loved the collapse at the end!

Score: 10+9+10 = 29

Wow, more 10s! A very good nice for Team Schmurgles!

Instant Dance
Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the rumba to "Waiting for a Girl Like You"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "What I love about dancing is the variations... That's what makes great dancing, and that's what we've just seen."
Bruno:"What's going on tonight?!?" "Flawless! Flawless!"
Carrie Ann: "You captured the moment in that little bit of time!" "There is nothing more beautiful to me than to watch somebody reclaiming their power."

My Opinion: Ah, one of those sexy dances! Very passionate to begin -- this is probably where being an actress helps. And being flexible. How does she do those splits??? Um, a little too long balancing there. It seemed odd. Good performance going on here though. Honestly, I might like this dance better than the choreographed one!

Score: 10+10+10 = 30

And we have a perfect score! Very nice!

Instant Dance
Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the cha cha to "Hella Good"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "When you haven't got it, you fully focus!"
Bruno: "You came out here, you let it loose and you had fun and you went for it!"
Carrie Ann: "Musicality has never been your strong suit -- tonight you nailed every single thing!" "I've never seen you dance with such charisma!" "Two snaps up!"

My Opinion: Awww... Adorable children being fed lines! They are seriously cute though. Starting with a shimmy, Kurt? Good choice. He's going full-on silly here. Probably a good choice, since Kurt does silly well and has a hard road to compete with the other dancers. He's obviously having a great time and that works. This is where goofy works.

Score: 8+8+8 = 24

Would be good if the other scores weren't so crazy!

Instant Dance
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the samba to "Mas Que Nada"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I would have liked to see more rhythm through your hips... but for a difficult dance, you did a wonderful job."
Bruno: "The thing is, my love, he's absolutely right. Some bits were excellent, but sometimes you lost it."
Carrie Ann: "This is the true test of musicality, unfortunately I don't think you were that connected to the music."

My Opinion: That may be the orangest dress in the history of the universe. Seriously, I am blinded by the brightness. A very tentative start for Bristol there. She needs confidence more than anything, I think. This is more awkward than the others, but the dance is pretty technical for a just-choreographed performance. May be most of it. Lots of shimmies. The footwork seemed to improve at the end, which was nice.

Score: 7+8+8 = 23

Instant Dance
Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the cha cha to "Teenage Dream"

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Full of flare, full of rhythm, full of performance. Well done to you!"
Bruno: "Fabulous performers to end a truly fantastic night!"
Carrie Ann: "I'm kind of shocked that it took four beats to get into your dance." "Kurt did more dancing than you did!"

My Opinion: Good opening for the music. Maybe a little too much waiting before they actually started dancing at the beginning. The dancing looks good, but I'm not feeling much connection to the song. Probably because they didn't know it, but still. They do look like they're having an excellent time out there. Almost like two people just out for a night of dancing.

Score: 9+9+10 = 28

And that's it for tonight! How did you feel about the Instant Dances? Who was your favorite tonight? Let us know in the comments!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 8 - Results Night, November 9, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-8-38604.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 8 Live Results: Time for Another Upset?
Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Tonight, we get to see five couples cut down to four. And, after two straight weeks of upset eliminations, it's anybody's guess as to which couples will be among the lucky four.

Not that it's terribly easy to pick a loser after a surprisingly good night during the week 8 performance show. The Instant Dances, seemingly a recipe for ballroom disaster, yielded several excellent performances. We even saw the first 30 from the judges all season! In some cases, the quickly practiced dance was even better than the fully choreographed one.

Who do you expect to leave?
We haven't been doing so well with this lately.

Obviously, the voters at BuddyTV and the voters actually calling in to Dancing with the Stars have differing opinions about elimination fodder. Not many of us here picked either Audrina or Rick as the likely loser in their respective weeks, but that's what happened. Will we do any better this week?

Our elimination prediction poll shows Bristol and Mark as the most likely pair to leave during The Results Show, with 56 percent of the vote. Not far behind them in our predictions are Kurt and Anna, who 39 percent of readers pick for elimination. A small percentage of voters think Kyle and Lacey or Brandy and Maksim might go, but no one has picked Jennifer and Derek for elimination yet.

Will these results match reality? We'll have to wait and see!

Did you miss anything?
That would be bad. But, if you did, there is hope. Relive Monday night's performances with BuddyTV's week 8 performance show recap! It's an excellent resource if you don't remember every single score of the night. I know I don't.

For those too busy, lazy or disinterested to check out the full recap, here are the basics:

In the standard dances, Brandy and Maks took first place with a lovely waltz. They were followed by a tie between Jennifer and Derek and Kyle and Lacey -- each pair received 27 points for their performance. Kurt and Anna and Bristol and Mark tied for last place with 24 points apiece.

During the Instant Dances, Jennifer and Derek took first with a whopping 30 points. Closely following them were Kyle and Lacey with 29 and Brandy and Maks with 28. Kurt and Anna received 24 points for their fun jive, while Bristol and Mark followed with 23 for a samba.

Close results -- the voters will have to speak! And they will do so at some point during The Results Show!

Until the show starts, want to amuse yourself with the DWTS Personality Quiz? It's fun!

The show is starting! Yay! And we get to start with a repeat of Kyle and Lacey's jive from last night. Double yay! I would break something if I tried to fall like they did at the end.

Time for RESULTS!
Just Kyle and Lacey? OK then.

And Kyle and Lacey are SAFE!!!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kenny Mayne. And shirtless men! That ! is not for the shirtless Len.

We get to watch Dance Center this week! Jerry Rice, Kenny Maine and Len Goodman. I'm enjoying the non-serious bits. Serious stuff? Less so.

"That is a stupid prop! That is not your real hand." - Kenny

Kind of loving Jerry Rice's face spangles. A ballroom dancing comedy show would be amazing, wouldn't it? We need to get one of those.

Darn. They're going away. That was more fun than a bunch of musical performances. But they didn't ask me, so we will now listen to Taio Cruz.

Results of the backstage Rock-Paper-Scissors contest? It looked like Jennifer and Brandy (scissors) beat Kurt (paper) who beat Bristol (rock) who beat Jennifer and Brandy. For the sake of clarity, I kind of hope this doesn't reflect the final results.

Another musical performance? Without results in the middle. Boo! Anyway, it's John Legend and The Roots performing this time.

Time for more RESULTS?

That would be good. Looks like it's going to be Kurt and Anna and Jennifer and Derek getting their results in this round.

Jennifer and Derek are SAFE!!!

Kurt and Anna remain in jeopardy.

Backstage again. Maks really isn't capable of being civil.

Awwwww... Cute little kids with talent I can't even begin to comprehend!

OK, so we're still waiting on results for Brandy, Bristol and Kurt, right? What am I bet that we get no more results until right at the end of the show? Sigh.

In the meantime, more John Legend.

Ooh! More Dance Center! Yay!

"Nobody comforted me when you kicked my ass off." - Kenny

Are we actually about to get more RESULTS?!? Probably not right away, but it's nice to hope.

Bristol and Mark are SAFE!!!

Brandy and Maks and Kurt and Anna remain in jeopardy until after the commercial.

Back from commercial, it's time for the final results of the night. Umm, wrong show Bruno. Wrong network too. And...

Brandy and Maks are SAFE!!!

Which means that...

Kurt and Anna have been eliminated!!!

Looks like everyone's pretty sorry to see him go too. I can believe that -- Kurt really does seem like a nice guy. But it was time for him to go this week.

What do you think of the results? Love them? Hate them? Haven't got a clue? Chime in with your reactions and opinions in the comments! And see you next week for the semi-finals!

Once again Bristol Palin dodges a well-deserved bullet. She deserved to go home ahead of Kurt.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 9 - Dance Night, November 15, 2010

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-live-re-38656.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 9 Dances
Monday, November 15, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
This is it everybody! The semi-finals! Only four couples remaining as we go into the last two weeks of Dancing with the Stars competition. Are you ready for the excitement? The drama? The over-enthusiastic Bruno comments?

Hope so, because they're all coming at us in the performance show of week 9.

What to expect this week? Well, we're going to get double dances from the remaining competitors, doubling the pressure and work required from each pair. Some may rise to the challenge, while others might start to crumble under the rather extreme pressure of the semi-final dances.

How did we get here? Week 8's exhilarating (and surprisingly impressive) Instant Dances brought both great performances and the elimination of Kurt Warner. Did you miss any of it? Not to worry -- BuddyTV has got you covered with the week 8 live recap, performance rankings and results recap.

Have you read all that? Still need more? May I suggest the Dancing with the Stars personality quiz?

But enough about what's in the past. It's time to look to the future! And what a future it is, with the sad elimination of one remaining pair before the finals. Will it be Kyle, Bristol, Brandy or Jennifer? Honestly, the way eliminations have been going lately, I haven't got the foggiest idea.

I guess we'll just have to watch! Here we go!

They're all coming in. Um, what's with the corsets? Costume people, why? Why??? Except for Jennifer, who seems to be wearing nothing but a wee bit of fringe. Ooh! Solos for the celebrities! That could be... interesting?

Looks like we're going to move into dances right away, with Brandy and Maks. And if you forgot about Maks losing his temper, the show will remind you.

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the paso doble

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You came out 100 percent! You gave it everything you got."
Bruno: "I was going to scream, 'Stop! Stop! Somebody's going to get hurt!'" "You went so much into it that some of the finesse went kind of a little bit..."
Carrie Ann: "I've never seen you more connected to your character than you were this week."

My Opinion: Oh a pissed-off dance. They should be good at this. But the camera really ought to move back a little so we can actually see it. Brandy's solo bit was nice, although maybe a little too much like what we would expect to see at one of her shows. Paso dobles always look a little odd to me, but this one seems pretty good. Not liking the music choice -- it does nothing. Still a very good dance, in my camera-confused eyes. Maks got lipstick on his nose how exactly? And an anti-bullying PSA...

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Moving straight on to another dance (you know, after the commercial), this one by Jennifer and Derek. Derek seems to like that fringe...

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the cha-cha

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You combined good technique with a really high performance level."
Bruno: "That really was a luminous, vibrant, sexy cha-cha-cha!" "Your feet placement was excellent! Fantastic."
Carrie Ann: "I've been waiting all season to see Jennifer Grey do a solo cha-cha!"

My Opinion: Jennifer's giving the judges a little extra action. Wonder if that affects the score? Although if this beginning is any indication, she hardly needs the extra boost. This is very, very good looking. No one could possibly look more like they just want to be dancing than that. Very positive, after the first "positive" rehearsal montage in weeks. That was just plain great. And Jamie Lee Curtis goes wild!

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

Whitney Houston, Sarah Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis and Louis Gossett? Not a collection of names I ever expected to hear in one sentence.

Bristol has scary silver shoulder pads this week. I truly wonder about the costumers on the show sometimes.

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the paso doble

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Bristol the Pistol, you fired a few blanks. But tonight, all guns blazing!"
Bruno: "The little lamb is turning into a tigress!"
Carrie Ann: "What was that? You were on fire." "You just come out and nail it!"

My Opinion: Apparently, the producers have decided that Bristol is to have the "negative rehearsal" this week. I guess it's nice to give Jennifer a week off. Solo time. Good whipping of the dress, but she didn't do too much else. Bristol definitely doesn't look angry enough for this. I think she's getting the steps, although the dress makes it hard to tell. That was OK. Not their greatest dance, but hey, it's the paso doble. It never looks right to me. And I guess that's the case, since the judges loved it. What is with me and the paso doble???

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Whatever. The technical details of dancing are so not my thing.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the samba

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "I think you've got a bionic bum... You had more bounce-to-the-ounce than anybody this season."
Bruno: "You truly are a bouncing bundle of joy!" "You are irresistible!"
Carrie Ann: "You have some bounce, my God. I have never seen so much pelvic action ever!"

My Opinion: "You're the last man-child standing!" - Lacey
I love Kyle and Lacey's relationship. The routine is fun. I never knew the samba included a moonwalk. Not complaining though. It's good to start a dance with me giggling. Again with the weird, not-helping music. Liking the dance anyway, so I guess that's a good thing. Kyle looks really good tonight. And fun. As always. Can we just let Kyle be in the finals now?

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

Yay... or something. We get to look into people's pasts! Turns out Brandy sang at an early age. You'd never guess it, right? Bad stuff happened too.

Time for the dance!

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You moved in and out of those lifts with effortless ease... But the thing I loved the most was that you created an atmosphere."
Bruno: "Languid! Voluptuous! Full of flavor! Great emotional depth!" "Right in! Yes Len!"
Carrie Ann: "You had a little bit of trouble in the first dance... But the trouble is gone my dear."

My Opinion: I like the set. Not that such things matter to the judges. But I like the set. I also like tangos. This is a pretty one. Less angry than some, but that might be a good thing after the furious paso doble. Very smooth-looking there. And more judge-desk action!

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

And we have another perfect score! Pretty darn good.

Time to hear all about Jennifer Grey now. Acting and family and stuff. Good grief, has everybody on this show been in a fatal car accident?

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the waltz

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Be still my beating heart. You know, sometimes a whisper can speak louder than a shout."
Bruno: "This was a gem of a waltz!" "The quality of movement you produce is stunning."
Carrie Ann: "Through dancing we can actually see people's souls." "It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

My Opinion: Ooh! One of those pretty spinning dances! I like spins. It's so hard to say whether a waltz is excellent or just good, since it's slower than the others. It looks awfully nice though. Double spin! And ending with a music box-ballerina spin! A little dizzy now, but in a good way. Pretty!

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

Now we get to hear the story of Bristol. Did she actually play football then? Why don't you answer the important questions, show?!? Um, Sarah Palin wasn't in the audience the first week. Bad editing there. (Yes I'm going to pick on the Dancing with the Stars editors tonight. So there.)

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the waltz

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "There's a vulnerability about your dancing. This had a haunting feeling about it."
Bruno: "There was something really, as Len said, haunting." "Out of all the people in this season, you really had a journey."
Carrie Ann: "There were moments and longer moments again where I sort of feel you drifted out."

My Opinion: Another waltz. They should have varied this a bit for me. Because that's the point, right? Anyway, it's looking fairly good, as much as I can tell with the waltz. Maybe not enough emotion consistently. The emotion's definitely there at certain points, but then it sort of seems to fade. Oh, we got tonight's Mark-nose-to-nose move there! Wouldn't be a proper show without it.

Scores: 8+9+9 = 26

Not that anyone cares, but I totally called those scores after the comments.

Time to hear about Kyle now! Seriously, he can't have had time for anything horrible and dramatic yet, right? Awwww... Cute little boy Kyle!

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the Argentine tango

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You are a star! Honestly, in 11 seasons, I don't think anyone has ever come out and performed with such attack, with such enthusiasm as you!"
Bruno: "I love that you can switch in and out between fun and drama!"
Carrie Ann: "Remember a guy named Emmett Smith? That's who you remind me of!"

My Opinion: Hey it's the song from Slumdog Millionaire! I guess this is like a tango. Kyle can lift Lacey, in case anybody was wondering after the rehearsal video. This is good, although I'm not enjoying it as much as the first dance. The tango really isn't the dance to showcase Kyle's personality. He does seem to be getting the steps though. Good, just not as good as before.

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

Lacey: "He was like the little brother I never asked for."

And I officially have no idea who they're going to eliminate this week. A lot of pretty amazing dances all around. Whoever goes, it is definitely going to be close.

Going out with a bang is a good thing, but wow!

So what do you think? Who isn't going to make it to the finals, and who will be battling it out next week? What was your favorite dance? Let us know in the comments below, and see you again tomorrow for the semi-final results!!!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 9 - Results Night, November 16, 2010

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-week-9-38666.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 9 Live Results: The Semi-Final Elimination
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Time for the semi-final results! The night when we find out who will be the top three celebrities on this season's Dancing with the Stars! Which stars will make it to the finals? And who will be eliminated?

I honestly have no idea. Some guesses, but not much in the way of firm ideas. Very frustrating. Also, kind of fun!

Who do you expect to leave?
Much like the speculation swirling around the web, our predictions are close and unsure this week. While a slim majority of BuddyTV readers think that Bristol and Mark will go home (55 percent of those voting), a sizable minority have chosen Brandy and Maks (40 percent of the votes) as the ones to go home. Kyle and Lacey and Jennifer and Derek seem safe, at least in our minds, but is anybody really safe at this point?

Not so much.

Did you miss anything?
We can't have that! So, if you were unfortunate enough to miss even one second of the action on last night's Dancing with the Stars, we can help. Want to read all about the dances? Then you should check out our week 8 live performance recap! It's a lovely thing, I assure you. For the more pictorially incline among you, may I suggest the performance rankings?

Or you can just keep reading for the briefest of recaps.

This week, each pair was responsible for two fully choreographed and rehearsed dances. All proved up to the challenge -- when the lowest score of the night is a 26, you know it's pretty good.

In the tough crowd, Jennifer and Derek emerged triumphant in the eyes of the judges -- perfect 30s for both their cha-cha and waltz! Kyle and Lacey were not far behind with their two dances, each of which earned 29 points from the judging table. Brandy and Maks didn't quite match the leaders with their initial paso doble (27 points), but they came back with a vengeance for the waltz and earned a perfect 30 of their own. Bristol and Mark came out strong to a 27-point paso doble, and then kept up the effort with 26 points for a waltz.

Close scores for a semi-final! Which is why this could go to anyone.

So why don't we all go to the show and find out what's coming our way? It's time for The Results Show!

Everyone's out of the stage -- Brandy looks completely freaked out. I mean, she's in danger, but not worth freaking out yet.

Tonight's encore will be... Brandy and Maks doing the Argentine tango. Cool -- I liked that one. Maybe that's why Brandy was looking so scared. Brandy and Maks so often look like people you'd actually see on a dance floor -- only way better than most of such people. That was still pretty.

Time for Annie Lennox to sing. Apparently, this is from a Christmas album or something. We're also getting some interpretive dance -- that's a little different...

The stars talk about the experience. It's about what you'd expect. Hard work, growth, great journey, etc. etc. etc.

Hey, we get some RESULTS!!!

Jennifer and Derek get to find out their results first. If they're not safe, I'll be a little surprised. Probably the least likely elimination tonight and all.

And...

Jennifer and Derek are SAFE!!!

We have our first finalists! Not a huge shock, but nice nonetheless. Too bad we'll have to wait forever and ever and ever for anymore results.

Time for the Macy's Design-a-Dance thing. It seems to be a 50s-themed jive. There's a neat car involved. Does the winner get the car? That'd be cool. Derek changed awfully fast.

Annie Lennox is back. Interesting costumes.

The pros are talking about the stars now. Maks doesn't sound like he likes the finalists. Oh Maks... It's a good thing you're cute, since you always manage to offend as well. And yet I still kind of love him.

Are we getting more results? Already? Yay! Assuming of course that these are actual results and not just a tease.

Anyway, Kyle and Lacey are waiting for RESULTS!

Kyle and Lacey are SAFE!!!

Enrique Inglesias is singing now. The judges are very into it. That's different.

I love that Lacey insults Kyle all the time. Insults with a smile are always a fun thing to see, since they obviously adore each other.

Coming up on the final results... Not the most surprising dancers to be left at the end, but I still have no idea of which way it will go.

OK, we're past the commercials and we're running out of minutes. Which means...

It's time for the final RESULTS!!!

Bristol and Mark are SAFE!!!

Which means Brandy and Maks have been eliminated!

Because why would you get to stay on the show with a perfect score? And if anyone has a DVR or way of going back and wants a laugh, go look at Derek Hough's face right after the announcement. Safe to say he was surprised.

So that's that. We have our finalists -- Jennifer, Kyle and Bristol. Who will win it all? Tune in next week!

So what do you think about the results? Do you agree? Disagree? Are you happy or angry? Let us know in the comments section below!

I guess the Bristol supporters are actively trying to spoil the show by keeping her alive over far talented contestants.

The only way to fix this is by adding another judge whose vote will tip the balance of power.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 9 - Results Night, November 16, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-9-38666.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 9 Live Results: The Semi-Final Elimination
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Time for the semi-final results! The night when we find out who will be the top three celebrities on this season's Dancing with the Stars! Which stars will make it to the finals? And who will be eliminated?

I honestly have no idea. Some guesses, but not much in the way of firm ideas. Very frustrating. Also, kind of fun!

Who do you expect to leave?
Much like the speculation swirling around the web, our predictions are close and unsure this week. While a slim majority of BuddyTV readers think that Bristol and Mark will go home (55 percent of those voting), a sizable minority have chosen Brandy and Maks (40 percent of the votes) as the ones to go home. Kyle and Lacey and Jennifer and Derek seem safe, at least in our minds, but is anybody really safe at this point?

Not so much.

Did you miss anything?
We can't have that! So, if you were unfortunate enough to miss even one second of the action on last night's Dancing with the Stars, we can help. Want to read all about the dances? Then you should check out our week 8 live performance recap! It's a lovely thing, I assure you. For the more pictorially incline among you, may I suggest the performance rankings?

Or you can just keep reading for the briefest of recaps.

This week, each pair was responsible for two fully choreographed and rehearsed dances. All proved up to the challenge -- when the lowest score of the night is a 26, you know it's pretty good.

In the tough crowd, Jennifer and Derek emerged triumphant in the eyes of the judges -- perfect 30s for both their cha-cha and waltz! Kyle and Lacey were not far behind with their two dances, each of which earned 29 points from the judging table. Brandy and Maks didn't quite match the leaders with their initial paso doble (27 points), but they came back with a vengeance for the waltz and earned a perfect 30 of their own. Bristol and Mark came out strong to a 27-point paso doble, and then kept up the effort with 26 points for a waltz.

Close scores for a semi-final! Which is why this could go to anyone.

So why don't we all go to the show and find out what's coming our way? It's time for The Results Show!

Everyone's out of the stage -- Brandy looks completely freaked out. I mean, she's in danger, but not worth freaking out yet.

Tonight's encore will be... Brandy and Maks doing the Argentine tango. Cool -- I liked that one. Maybe that's why Brandy was looking so scared. Brandy and Maks so often look like people you'd actually see on a dance floor -- only way better than most of such people. That was still pretty.

Time for Annie Lennox to sing. Apparently, this is from a Christmas album or something. We're also getting some interpretive dance -- that's a little different...

The stars talk about the experience. It's about what you'd expect. Hard work, growth, great journey, etc. etc. etc.

Hey, we get some RESULTS!!!

Jennifer and Derek get to find out their results first. If they're not safe, I'll be a little surprised. Probably the least likely elimination tonight and all.

And...

Jennifer and Derek are SAFE!!!

We have our first finalists! Not a huge shock, but nice nonetheless. Too bad we'll have to wait forever and ever and ever for anymore results.

Time for the Macy's Design-a-Dance thing. It seems to be a 50s-themed jive. There's a neat car involved. Does the winner get the car? That'd be cool. Derek changed awfully fast.

Annie Lennox is back. Interesting costumes.

The pros are talking about the stars now. Maks doesn't sound like he likes the finalists. Oh Maks... It's a good thing you're cute, since you always manage to offend as well. And yet I still kind of love him.

Are we getting more results? Already? Yay! Assuming of course that these are actual results and not just a tease.

Anyway, Kyle and Lacey are waiting for RESULTS!

Kyle and Lacey are SAFE!!!

Enrique Inglesias is singing now. The judges are very into it. That's different.

I love that Lacey insults Kyle all the time. Insults with a smile are always a fun thing to see, since they obviously adore each other.

Coming up on the final results... Not the most surprising dancers to be left at the end, but I still have no idea of which way it will go.

OK, we're past the commercials and we're running out of minutes. Which means...

It's time for the final RESULTS!!!

Bristol and Mark are SAFE!!!

Which means Brandy and Maks have been eliminated!

Because why would you get to stay on the show with a perfect score? And if anyone has a DVR or way of going back and wants a laugh, go look at Derek Hough's face right after the announcement. Safe to say he was surprised.

So that's that. We have our finalists -- Jennifer, Kyle and Bristol. Who will win it all? Tune in next week!

So what do you think about the results? Do you agree? Disagree? Are you happy or angry? Let us know in the comments section below!

I guess the Bristol supporters are actively trying to spoil the show by keeping her alive over far talented contestants.

In my opinion, Brandy should have been Season Runner-up to Jennifer Grey this year.

The only way to fix this is by adding another judge whose vote will tip the balance of power.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 11, Week 10 - Dance Night, November 22, 2010

http://www.buddytv.c...e-re-38725.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Live Recap: Week 10 Dances
Monday, November 22, 2010

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

It's the moment we've all been waiting for... The finals! Only three pairs remaining to dance their way into television history. And I have no idea of who it will be.

What can we expect from the final dances tonight? Hopefully a lot of surprises (although maybe not as big surprises as Brandy's elimination last week...) and some incredible dances as the final three pull out all the stops in their quest to finally win that Mirror Ball trophy.

Miss anything last week? Don't worry -- we've got you covered. In addition to a rather ridiculous amount of news and reaction, we have our week 9 live performance recap, the week 9 performance rankings and the week 9 results. Everything you need to catch up!

Have you taken care of that? Hope so, because it's time for the week 10 performance show!

Ooh! Star Wars-like opening graphics! And echo-y voiceovers. So very dramatic and all.

Wait, does that make the Mirror Ball the Death Star? That would be very cool.

Here they all come. Lacey's costumers may have outdone themselves this week. It seems to be just a collection of black shapes pasted on her. Seriously, what did that girl do to anger the costume department so much?

Also, I think someone gave the pros a whole lot of sugar before the show.

OK, we're starting with "Redemption Dances," where they get to redo the dance they weren't so good at. Then the Freestyles!!!

Hey, I liked Kyle and Lacey's foxtrot. Stupid, stodgy Len.

Although that may have been the best throw-away line ever from him: (to Kyle) "Let me just hold you..."

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the foxtrot

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You come out so much better than that first effort... Overall, you've gone from messy Massey to marvelous."
Bruno: "Look at you! All slick, sharp and slinky!"
Carrie Ann: "I definitely saw the improvement in your footwork... I felt for the first half of the performance, you were a little focused on your footwork."

My Opinion: Awesome "serious" Kyle to start. He definitely has figured out how to pull off suave in the past few weeks. Honestly, I liked the "Charlie's Angels" foxtrot better, but this can't not go over better with the judges. Very much a serious dance. And pretty incredible. Way to start the finals Kyle and Lacey!

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Tom Bergeron: "Please, don't shoot your TV."

There's a skating rink next door to Dancing with the Stars? Wow, they can do anything in Hollywood, can't they?

Looks like we're seeing Bristol and Mark jive again. Sadly, no monkey suits this time. Sigh. I liked the costumes. Although I will grant that they didn't work so well for the dancing.

Oh Bristol, get over it. They were booing for Brandy not being in the finals, not for you making it.

Bruno is a strange person in the practice studio.

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the jive

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Last time a gorilla, and now a thriller!" (It rhymes in an accent.)
Bruno: "I got something out of you, didn't I?" "You came out here, you had a good time, you didn't care, and we all enjoyed it!"
Carrie Ann: "You never cease to amaze me!" "Your toes are not quite as pointed as they could have been."

My Opinion: Cute "sulky" beginning. Wait, where did the suitcase go? Oh, there was the nose bump! Every week, Mark? Really? Not the crispest looking kicks from Bristol there. She does seem to have the performance part of this down for this week. Which, considering her dances so far, that's a big thing. Did Mark just catch Bristol with his leg on that move? That could hurt... And the gorilla mask is back! Yay!

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

I have no idea what Kyle just said in the background there. I was too distracted by the insane costumes he and Lacey are wearing. Oh, I'm looking forward to that dance!

But now, time for Jennifer and Derek to do their Redemption Dance. I'm guessing it's going to be the paso doble. And I'm right! Not shocking, since that's the only dance she didn't get huge praise for.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the paso doble

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "There was a lovely mix of expression and aggression in this dance." (and a standing ovation)
Bruno: "It was an evening in sultry Seville. The flamenco dancer and the golden matador, igniting the flames of passion... From dusk 'til dawn, I don't want this night ever to end!"
Carrie Ann: "This is the meaning of redemption!"

My Opinion: I suppose it means something that Carrie Ann seemed to treat Jennifer like a pro, not an amateur. Um, show? Could we get some lighting to actually see this dance? It's dramatic and all, but I'd love to see it. Cool spin there! And neat footwork. This is why people think Jennifer should win -- this is an entirely different class of dancing than anyone else does. They're good, but this is just different. Wow. Definitely better than the last paso doble! Can the scores for this dance go to 11? Please?

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

Tom Bergeron (to Bruno): "I know you mean it as a compliment, but you frighten the children."

Did we really need past seasons' stars to tell us that the freestyle is important? I'm pretty sure we're bright enough to know that. Or maybe not. Dancing with the Stars probably knows better than me.

Kyle and Lacey doing the freestyle dance now. Or maybe just lounging on the couch for awhile.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the freestyle

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "Oh Kyle! Tootsie Roll! One of my favorites!" "I'm not a great lover of the boogaloo dancing, but this was great fun!"
Bruno: "Truly explosive entertainment and amazing charisma!"
Carrie Ann: "First of all, Len Goodman, it's called old-school hip-hop" "I dub you the Fresh Prince of Dancing with the Stars!"

My Opinion: Hey! A song that I actually know! This is fun, but I have no idea of how the judges are going to score this. They can't exactly use their standard methods... A fun dance, but I'm not sure this was Kyle's wisest move. Liked the caterpillars there. Fun, but I don't know if Kyle can win it on that. Especially since there are an awful lot of ballroom dancing fans watching this.

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

Is it just me, or does Skating with the Stars appear to be the biggest, most spectacular train wreck ever?

Time for Bristol and Mark to dance their freestyle! Ooh, a song from Chicago! You've seriously never heard of Chicago, Bristol? How did you miss it? I know they get movies up in Alaska... I don't understand... Oh well!

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas
Dancing the freestyle

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "That was no disaster, I thought it was fantastic!"
Bruno: "I have to give you credit for aiming so high. Because this is a really iconic number." "You did very, very well, but not quite at the level that this song requires."
Carrie Ann: "Did I just see Bristol Palin dancing in a cage?" "It's very hard to live up to, but I am very proud of you for dancing in the cage!"

My Opinion: If Bristol uses the word "haters" one more time, I may start considering that guy with the gun as sane. But it's time for the dance, so we're all safe! Are they going to let her out of the cage? There she goes. That would have been an interesting choice. Tug-o-war! What dancing there is seems pretty good, although I'm not sure that there's much dancing happening. Oh, now Mark's in the cage. Where's his monkey mask? It would work in a cage.

Scores: 8+9+8 = 25

Hey, those costumes might work for some Dirty Dancing... Hmmmm...

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough
Dancing the freestyle

Judges' Opinions:
Len: "You're an irresistible force! You're like a juggernaut!"
Bruno: "You're a great dancer with great versatility. Two dances at the opposite end of the spectrum!"
Carrie Ann: "I thought it was amazing! I thought it was perfect!"

My Opinion: Last dance of the show! It had better be good... Will it be safe or amazing? Derek may be trying to kill her. That would be interesting. A watermelon! Yay! Where did it go? Interesting view for the judges right about now... Jennifer gets an airplane! No lift, but I guess that was still pretty awesome. Jennifer, you have to stay on the stage. We need scores!

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

Well, Jennifer isn't going to lose on judges' scores, is she? Fine, there's a perfectly good reason for no "Time of Your Life." Still, it would've been cool.

So that's the final performance show! Pretty darned impressive finale for the stars, if you ask me. Not a bad dance out of the lot!

What did you think? What was your favorite dance? Who's going to win? Can we have any clue at this point? Leave comments with your opinions!

Jennifer Grey is far superior to everyone else, earning perfect 10s on her two dances.

Kyle Massey is very entertaining, but is obviously in second place amongst the Finalists.

Bristol Palin is definately better than ever, however her skills are inferior to everyone who got voted out so far. She's like like an unwanted guest at a party who won't leave.