Dancing With the Stars, Season 13

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 1 - Dance Night, September 19, 2011

The new season of Dancing with the Stars doesn't have any obvious celebrity (or celebrities) who would have dance skills in their background. The sports celebrities don't seem to have any advantage other than having good conditioning, flexibility, and aerobic endurance. So things seem pretty even.

SIO's Early Favorites
I have a suspicion that David Arquette has hidden physicality and devotion to training because of his past participation in wrestling.

I have the same suspicion for former US Army vet turned soap opera actor J.R. Martinez. He survived driving a truck over a landmine, suffering massive burns. Through force of his willpower plus his sunny attitude, J.R. has overcome his injuries and worked just as hard to learn to be an actor. I sure that he'll work just as hard to be a good dancer.

Having a good figure and poise from modeling is a minor advantage for Elisabetta Canalis. Same applies to Chynna Phillips and Kristin Cavallari.

Having a reasonably good shape, plus having great aerobic conditioning should enable soccer's Hope Solo and basketball's Ron Artest to have endurance and flexibility needed for dance.

SIO's Lambs to the Slaughter
As for celebrities who seem to be have a disadvantage, I can only guess about Court Reporter Nancy Grace having a big disavantage because of her abrasive legal personality on TV. Celebrities without a large fanbase are early targets to leave. So Nancy Grace is my choice for first to leave.

Chaz Bono is controversial, so won't have much of a fanbase to vote for him. What I've seen of Chaz's dancing on the entertainment news reports is enthusiastic but sloppy.

Carson Kressley's dancing on the entertainment news reports is enthusiastic but sloppy, too.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-l-41860.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Live from the Season 13 Premiere!
Monday, September 19, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Well, we're back! Another season of Dancing with the Stars is upon us! A whole new crop of those we must call "stars" will take to the ballroom floor in search of that elusive piece of reality-TV glory that is the Mirror Ball Trophy. Who will win? Who will stumble? And who will make us throw things at our TV?

Honestly, I have no clue at this point. But that's why we watch!

Until there's anything new to recap, however, feel free to peruse our site for lots and lots of other Dancing with the Stars content, lovingly posted by myself for your edification and pleasure.


Good? All caught up? Then let's get to the recap!

Lots of spotlights for this new ballroom! Maybe it's my image, but does it look to anyone else like Tom and Brooke are standing in front of a green screen?

And wow, they all have to walk out practically on top of each other? That seems even more likely to cause disaster than usual. Or maybe that's just my fear of falling down stairs speaking right now.

OK, am I an idiot, but what is the hand signal being given by half of the performers? It's like a new, DWTS gang has been formed or something.

Tom just referred to the season 13 cast as the "most talked-about" stars ever. Are they?

Hmmm, I guess Ron still gets to be Ron Artest for dancing. Not Metta World Peace? Boo! Anyway...

Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: I wanted a little more explanation of the name. Oh well. Ron/Metta actually comes out with some moves! Granted, they're not terribly ballroom-like. Thus, I have no idea if this is even a passable cha cha. He looks awfully good though. Assuming there are actual ballroom steps happening in there, this guy could be a contender in season 13. Great start for the season anyway. (heehee... MettaPeta)

Judges' Comments
Len: "It's the same old shimmying-about stuff... Your footwork was atrocious." "It was all sizzle, no sausage."
Bruno: "Oh, Ron the Dance-a-Tron has landed with power and flair." "Go for it, Dance-a-Tron!"
Carrie Ann: "Now we know who the wild one is going to be. You're sort of eccentric and sexy." "It works on the dance floor." "But it was kind of wrong for all the technical reasons."

Scores: 5+4+5 = 14

Well, I guess the judges weren't so impressed.


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: It's so hard to not see Rob Kardashian as a frat boy. Can his dance change my perception? Well... It would probably help if Rob didn't look like he was going to burst out laughing throughout the performance. At least Cheryl is matching his big smile. This is hardly graceful, but honestly, Rob isn't half bad. Especially considering that this could be one of the hardest styles for a guy like Rob to pull off. I'm am surprisingly impressed by that. Who knew the Boy Kardashian had talent beyond genetics?

Judges' Comments
Len: "I'm not impressed, but I'm not depressed. It was OK, and OK will get you through a couple of weeks." "You have to come out and just let it go!"
Bruno: "You were going around like a little duckling, petrified." "You have to take control and you have to feel the music. I didn't feel any musicality at all."
Carrie Ann: "I don't know what Bruno's thinking. When I watch you, I see potential." "You have to let it flow a little bit more."

Scores: 6+5+5 = 16

Some seriously stingy judges this season.


Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: Did you get that, everyone? She's not a b!*ch. I suppose if I had ever watched The Hills or Laguna Beach, I might catch that reference. As it is, oh well. Kristin definitely has an advantage of looking right for the dancing. She seems a little too stiff in her movements, but they do seem to be precise and fast in a way that we haven't otherwise seen tonight. The performance isn't the best, but it's a good start.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was bright, it was lively, and there's lots going on." "You came out and you sort of went into your shell a little bit."
Bruno: "You know I love a bad girl. A bad girl with good hips that can give hot action." "When you do your turns, you are unsteady."
Carrie Ann: "You have the body to ballroom dance, girlfriend. And your hair-ography was working!" "You have great quality, you have great movement."

Scores: 7+6+6 = 19


Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: I guess Chynna is reasonably good, since Tony let her start alone. If nothing else, she's got pretty good balance in that music-box spin. This is, quite frankly, not the most exciting or interesting dance, but Chynna does seem to be doing very well with it. I can't imagine that the judges won't be impressed. And hey, she's married to Billy Baldwin! (Random...)

Judges' Comments
Len: "It wasn't the best first dance I've ever seen, but, I'll tell you what: it was close."
Bruno: "You look like you were stepping out of a dream and straight into my heart!" "The talent is there, my darling."
Carrie Ann: "That was gorgeous! You are such a graceful dancer."

Scores: 8+7+7 = 22


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: Tristan is adorable. Let me just get that out there right now. This will color absolutely everything I say about this couple from here on. As for Nancy... well... Nice opening behind the anchor desk there. Compared to the two women before her, Nancy isn't moving that much. But, taking away the comparisons, she's actually doing pretty well. Frightening thing -- she's got more movement going on than Kristin did. This is hardly perfect, but it's better than I would expect from what's been said.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Dancing's a seesaw, and you've got to get balance." "It was all, for me, a little bit underwhelming."
Bruno: "Nancy, I had no idea you were so lavishly gifted." "I tell you now, Nancy, you've got the moves... but you don't seem to believe in yourself."
Carrie Ann: "You're so cute. I think you might be the happiest contestant I've ever seen when you're dancing out there." "Work on remembering the choreography."

Scores: 5+5+6 = 16


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: Ooh... Dramatic beginning. Since the only other male star we've seen do this dance was the super-stiff Rob, I'm not sure the bar is high. But David looks pretty good dancing out there. I could be wrong, but David seems to be having a great time, and there are definite performance skills. Not the best dance of the night, but it was far, far from the worst.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You came out straight into the dance, and I was very, very impressed." "I'll tell you what: you're a dancer."
Bruno: "You did look the part, the romantic leading man... and then you got entangled in the goddess."
Carrie Ann: "You did get a little lost in the dance. And, you know, I really liked it." "All you need to do is relax a little."

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18

So Courtney Cox showed up. I guess they don't hate each other.


Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: So many accents... Nice bed, Elisabetta. Not that those are the things I'd wear to bed. It's a bit of a slow start. Elisabetta looks nice but kind of unsure of herself. What there is of the dance looks good. Still, it doesn't do much for me. I don't know if it's not enough dancing or a lack of performance, but it just seemed a bit flat. Not bad, just kind flat.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I didn't like the bed." "Once you got going, I didn't mind it too much. But then it got very brittle."
Bruno: "I liked the bed. You were very good in bed, Elisabetta." "It all fell apart the moment you were left in your own devices."
Carrie Ann: "You're very good in Val's arms... But, when you're alone, you fell apart."

Scores: 5+5+5 = 15


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: It's safe to say that Maks and Hope kind of like each other. They certainly start out pretty. Maybe Hope is a little bit harsh in her movements for this kind of dance, but it doesn't look half bad. Maks is keeping the dance fast and close, which can't be hurting. It also makes for a surprisingly intense and exciting version of the Viennese waltz. Overall, I liked it a lot.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Good hold, good posture, lovely movement. Rotation was all there. You just need to get... more feminine in your movements."
Bruno: "You've got a great drive, great attack, great musicality. Now you have to learn control."
Carrie Ann: "What was really impressive was the body contact in the hold." "You guys were connected like glue and that was wonderful."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: Whatever the results of this dance, Carson is definitely having more fun than any five contestants. Wow. He has very long arms. This is a very "disco" cha cha. Which is weird. Not bad, just kind of weird. This is actually one of the sillier dances ever performed on Dancing with the Stars. Trust me that this isn't a complaint -- I like silly. We need more silly. I doubt that was amazing, but it was more fun than anything else tonight.

Judges' Comments
Len: "There was elements of Jagger, swagger and stagger." "You were such great entertainment."
Bruno: "You're redefining camp as an art form." "Two for the price of one, Mick... and Bianca... And worth every dollar!"
Carrie Ann: "That was my favorite dance of the night!" "I cannot get over all the sparkle that's happening out there!" "Technically speaking..."

Scores: 6+5+6 = 17


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: You're kidding -- the Army doesn't emphasize waltzing skills? And the man is obviously a performer. Wow. This is actually a very beautiful dance from J.R. Like really, really beautiful. It takes a rare man to be able to dance a waltz without looking silly. J.R. doesn't look silly at all. That was just plain lovely.

Judges' Comments
Len: "For me, J.R. stands for 'just right.'" "The best performances of the night, you were right up there."
Bruno: "I can't wait to see the Latin, because you did very, very well in the waltz." "Right on top tonight."
Carrie Ann: "I was absolutely touched by your performance. You're able to bring emotional quality to your dance on day one?"

Scores: 8+7+7 = 22


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: Ricki probably needs to talk about more than losing weight in the competition. That gets old. Pretty beginning there, heading into the spinny bit. Ricki doesn't look totally confident in her movements, but she's pretty close, considering that this is only the first dance. Her performance almost seems casual -- nerves are probably not going to be Ricki's problem in the competition.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I don't want to be picky, Ricki... But I don't know what was going on with your feet." "Overall, I enjoyed it very much."
Bruno: "You looked like the cat that got the cream -- you enjoyed every moment."
Carrie Ann: "Ricki, you looked like a little princess out there." "It was like you were part of one person..."

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: He's hardly got the body for this. But that's hardly new for a Lacey Schwimmer partner, is it? I am forcibly reminded of Rob Kardashian right now in the lack of comfort out there. At least Chaz looks like he's having some fun. Nervous fun, but fun. Not the greatest dance but far from the worst of the night.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Razzamatazz, Chaz. You really came out with the right attitude." "Right on time, good footwork..."
Bruno: "So cute and cuddly! I had no idea you were so cuddly and cute!"
Carrie Ann: "I think people have been waiting all night to see you, Chaz. And you did not disappoint!"

Scores: 6+5+6 = 17

And that's that for week 1 of the Dancing with the Stars performances!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Did anyone surprise you? Which dancers gave the best performances of the night? Which gave the worst? Who will go home? Leave your comments and predictions below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 1 - Results Night, September 20, 2011

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www.buddytv.com

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 1 Results: Who's the First Elimination?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

The question returns with each season of Dancing with the Stars: Which of the celebrities will have the dubious dishonor of going home first from the dancing competition. It's an even more intriguing question than usual this year. The week 1 dances were exceptionally close in score, making viewer support the deciding factor.

So who is the first DWTS victim?

First of all, we should see who the readers here at BuddyTV chose as the most likely first casualty of season 13. According to the votes in the Readers' Poll, 55 percent think that Elisabetta Canalis is the most likely to go home. She's followed fairly closely by Ron Artest (32 percent) and trailed by Nancy Grace (10 percent) and Rob Kardashian (3 percent).


Will our predictions be more accurate than usual? Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show should let us know!

The Results Show will also try to entertain us in between results. In addition to the expected barrage of "Get to Know Your Stars" videos, we will be getting musical performances by Harry Connick Jr. and LMFAO.

So let's get to it!

Since the show is apparently planning to spend the entire first hour of Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show babbling about the cast (thus giving me little to recap), here's a reminder of how the stars actually did in their first night of dancing:

J.R. and Karina -- 22
Chynna and Tony -- 22
Hope and Maks -- 21
Ricki and Derek -- 20
Kristin and Mark -- 19
David and Kym -- 18
Chaz and Lacey -- 17
Carson and Anna -- 17
Rob and Cheryl -- 16
Nancy and Tristan -- 16
Elisabetta and Val -- 15
Ron and Peta -- 14

First important update of the night: Despite the use of his old name in the week 1 Performance Show, Ron Artest will now be known as Metta World Peace. Thus, our last entry above should read "Metta and Peta." Oh, what a partnership...

Carson and Anna, as the only dancers who really figured out the "entertainment" part of dancing last night, get this week's Encore Dance. Nice.

Wow. Did you know that Dancing with the Stars now has the largest mirror ball in North America? How exactly does one figure that out? Are there mirror ball statistics readily available?

Hey, look! They're insisting that RESULTS are coming! Of course, all I'm seeing right now is a lot of dancer silhouettes. Not quite results. But interesting. I'm guessing that the folk who showed up toward the end of the song are this season's troupe. I know there is a troupe. I just haven't gotten around to learning their names or recognizing their faces. Maybe next week.


First RESULTS!!!
Ricki and Derek, Elisabetta and Val, and Rob and Cheryl are up for results first.

And...

Ricki and Derek are SAFE!

Elisabetta and Val are SAFE!

Rob and Cheryl remain in jeopardy.

So I guess that means we're already wrong with our predictions. I wonder who was deemed to be worse than Elisabetta...

"Little does she know, I read books before I go to bed." -- Rob Kardashian, failing to make me believe in his intelligence.

Harry Connick Jr. Is singing now. People are dancing. It's all very classy.

Someone from LMFAO has a box on his(?) head. Less classy. (SIO Note: the band member from LMFAO wore a cardboard box made to look like a robot head.)

More RESULTS!!!

Hope and Maks are SAFE!

Metta and Peta remain in jeopardy.

Kristin and Mark are SAFE!

Now it's time to meet the troupe. I'll post a slideshow with pictures, names and bios soon. Which means I don't have to do that now. I'll just say right now that none of them are as attractive as former troupe member and current imaginary boyfriend of me, Tristan MacManus. Pretty, pretty Tristan...

There are many people in LMFAO. Tonight, most of them have big hair. They're also performing now. Hey! I know this song!

Which brings us to more RESULTS!

Chynna and Tony are SAFE!

J.R. and Karina are SAFE!

Chaz and Lacey are SAFE!

After roughly a millisecond of lag time from the last ones, we have more RESULTS!

David and Kym are SAFE!

Nancy and Tristan are in jeopardy.

Which means Carson and Anna are SAFE!

This leaves Nancy, Rob and Metta World Peace languishing in the bottom of the pack. Honestly, each of these three could go home, so which will prove the least popular?

Could it be that America does not want me to gaze on the lovely face of Tristan any longer? How sad...

Moving on now. Because it's time for the FINAL RESULTS of the night!

Rob and Cheryl are SAFE!

This leaves... A pair of couples walking down the stairs of the vastly expanded DWTS stage... That thing is big!

Anyway.

Nancy and Tristan are SAFE! (yay!)

Which means that Metta World Peace and Peta Murgatroyd have been eliminated!

I bet it was the name. Too complicated. Oh well.

That's that. The end of the first week of Dancing with the Stars. Only many, many more weeks to go in the competition!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Did you think the right dancer was eliminated? Was there someone you would rather have seen leave? Do you prefer to call him Ron Artest or Metta World Peace? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 2 - Results Night, September 26, 2011
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-41939.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 2 Dances
Monday, September 26, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

It's time for more dancing!

With the elimination of Ron Artest/Metta World Peace and Peta Murgatroyd last week, there's still plenty of competition left in season 13 of Dancing with the Stars for the remaining 11 contestants. And, this week, they'll have all new dances to face in the ballroom.

Which stars will rise to the occasion? Which will crumble under the pressure? Keep reading to find out!

Going into week 2 of Dancing with the Stars, the competition is fierce -- only 7 points separate first from last place. The DWTS standings, after one week of dancing, are:

Chynna and Tony: 22 points
J.R. and Karina: 22 points
Hope and Maks: 21 points
Ricki and Derek: 20 points
Kristin and Mark: 19 points
David and Kym: 18 points
Chaz and Lacey: 17 points
Carson and Anna: 17 points
Rob and Cheryl: 16 points
Nancy and Tristan: 16 points
Elisabetta and Val: 15 points


With scores so close, we can definitely expect some major shifts on the leader board when the competitors take on either the jive or the quickstep.

So let's get to it!

Uh-oh. The opening rehearsal montage would have us believe that everyone is already tired and frustrated. Hopefully it's not so bad.

Time for a complaint. Does anybody else find the descent-in-groups-of-three opening a little weird. I liked the individual descents better.

Whatever. It's time for the dancing. Dancing is good.

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the jive

My Comments: Hope has to play soccer games in the middle of practicing? And it's a soccer-themed jive. With cleat-shaped high-heels. Oh my. While it doesn't exactly look like Hope is keeping up completely with Maks, she at least seems to be having fun. Also she's successfully moving fast. Her performance skills are actually pretty good, although they do fade in and out at times. Probably when she doesn't have to think about things, she performs well. And you've got to love a dance that ends with kissing Len's head.

Judges' Comments:
Len: "It was crisp. It was booyacatchah." "Unfortunately, you lost your timing a little bit here and there." "First out, first class."
Bruno: "I know you're fit and have got thighs that could crack a walnut, but all that power is not enough." "There is a difference between a flick and kick."
Carrie Ann: "I thought it was a great performance. You were really fun, flirtatious." "All you need to work is just a little of your upper body."

Scores: 6+7+6 = 19


Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Well, she certainly looks the part if she's going for Marilyn. The dancing is looking pretty good, especially considering that this is the evil, scary quickstep. Overall, Kristin is also giving a pretty good performance. The one downside is her face -- there is a seriously frozen smile there. It's easing up a bit toward the end. Overall, an excellent dance, just needing a little more looseness and fun.

Judges' Comments:
Len: "You look fantastic. But, I've gotta tell you, it wasn't as good as you look." "The footwork could've been cleaner, the hold could've been stronger." "Overall, I thought it was a great improvement over last week, and well done."
Bruno: "I've been bedazzled by the blonde bombshell!" "You really have to hold your frame all the way through."
Carrie Ann: "Last week, nervous. This week, sophisticated, stunning!" "I thought it was goooorrrrgeousss!"

Scores: 8+7+7 = 22


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the jive

My Comments: Oh... Time for the over-dramatic rehearsal footage to begin! But I'm sure they got over it. It's safe to say that David has figured out his character for this dance: funny, funky and energetic. It's kind of hard to tell if he's doing a jive the way it's supposed to be done, but this is certainly an entertaining performance. As far as this untrained eye can see, he's doing well enough with the steps too. Nice!

Judges' Comments:
Len: "I'm almost speechless." "Any connection that had with the jive was purely coincidental. The technique wasn't there."
Bruno: "We told you not to hold back... and you're like a runaway train." "You lost the timing, you lost a little bit of technique... well, a lot of technique."
Carrie Ann: "Carson has some competition..." "This week, it all came out. You were loose, you were almost too loose."

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18

The audience isn't so happy about that. The audience was right. Stupid judges insisting on actual dance quality...


Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Whoa. Impressive glasses on Val. Also, DRAMA!!! And we thought Maks was the mean Chmerkovskiy brother. Oh Val, the dictionary isn't going to do it. Elisabetta looks lovely, but she also still looks totally unsure of herself. There's also a lot of stiffness there. On the other hand, she does seem to be getting the steps right. Considering the style, that's awfully impressive. Overall, the dance is actually quite good. She just needs to look even a little bit happy out there.

Judges' Comments:
Len: "It's not great, but it was better than last week."
Bruno: "The Italian exotica is back on track!" "The pistons were pumping!"
Carrie Ann: "You totally came back and you nailed the steps. The quickstep is your dance!"

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the jive

My Comments: Poor Rob has self-esteem issues! But it looks like he's having a fair amount of fun in the ballroom tonight. Rob doesn't look totally sure of himself, and the moves are wrong whenever he's standing still. But overall, the dance is fun and quick. Plus, Rob seems to have actually gotten the steps. Impressive!

Thanks to an untimely power outage, the judges' comments were lost. Sorry about that!

But Carrie Ann did declare Rob to be a better dancer than Kim.

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Hey, it's in black and white! And now it's in color! All that means, of course, that I have no idea about the dance. And I can't say I do now, since I'm mostly looking at the costumes. Impressive costumes. That said, the dancing seems to be pretty good -- what I can see of it. At least they're having fun. It's a slightly more restrained dance than last week. but only slightly.

Judges' Comments
Len: "If I held my knife and fork like you held Anna, I'd starve to death." "The worst dancers on the show are the most fun to watch!"
Bruno: "Tonight, we had Pee Wee Herman goes to the prom!" "You can see you put a lot of work into it." "As entertainment, is great."
Carrie Ann: "I saw improvement. Yet, I'm not sure what happened to that improvement in the dance." "It had good intent, but I was concerned for Anna at times."

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the jive

My Comments: Wow. We're going for another fast jive here. In this case, however, Ricki seems to be keeping up fairly well. I'm not entirely sure that this is a family-friendly dance (not in the strictest sense anyway). But it's sure a lot of fun. If Ricki were to say she was playing the part of an old-time bar lady, I'd totally believe it. That was cool!

Judges' Comments
Len: "There was a couple of steps that disturbed me a little bit -- I didn't like it!" "I would've liked a bit more jive content." "We're judging the jive here, me old sausage."
Bruno: "Let me call it as it is, Ricki. You're the first person tonight who did the flicks and kicks correctly." "You got to sit on Derek as well!"
Carrie Ann: "Best jive of the night so far!"

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: I guess Chaz has bad knees, considering Lacey's reaction. Is that Mike Catherwood that Lacey is all over in the audience? This is a much slower dance than some -- I'm guessing this is the concession to Chaz's knees. The dance isn't much to notice, but what there is does seem to be danced well. Chaz is certainly looking cheerful anyway.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I admire your grit, your determination. And you got through it." "It was a quickstep, and I moved faster through a car wash."
Bruno: "There is a likability about you. It was like a little Ewok dancing with Princess Leia." "You've done well for the circumstances you were in."
Carrie Ann: "I think you handled it well. You know, your charm takes you so far."

Scores: 6+5+6 = 17

Those are actually pretty impressive scores, considering the dance...


Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the jive

My Comments: "Sorry Jesus, I have to curse" may be my new favorite quote from this show. Somehow that amuses me. Again, Chynna looks more like an actual dancer than many of those on the show. The dance does seem a little slower than it should, but the steps and the performance all seem just about right-on. If I have any complaint, it's that this dance doesn't seem quite as fun as some of the others. But the actual quality is super high.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was good, but it wasn't great really. It was neat... The jive is about wow! It needed more excitement."
Bruno: "There is a sexy siren... and he's just trying to come out." "In the jive you have to give it that valawoom feel!"
Carrie Ann: "I really enjoy watching you dance." "I will say -- you're not injured right -- I kind of feel like you played it a little safe."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Funniest moment of the night: Watching Nancy watch Tristan prance across the floor on his own. And then the drama... Sigh. I bet she just wanted an opportunity to sit, holding hands with cute Tristan. Nancy seems to be getting the steps pretty well in the dance, but her posture seems oddly off. Maybe it's because Tristan is quite a bit taller? It was a pretty good dance though.

Ummm... Why do they keep showing people sitting silently, not clapping in what looks like the audience? That was super-weird.

Judges' Comments
Len: "How refreshing!" "That was a proper quickstep! Your posture could improve, but it was a proper quickstep!"
Bruno: "It was a bit top-heavy at times." "It really is again great, great to see you taking over the dance floor and perform."
Carrie Ann: "I definitely saw improvement." "I personally like a little more razzamatazz."

Scores: 6+8+7 = 21


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the jive

My Comments: More black and white? This is kind of odd. At least it ended quickly. Hand clapping! That's obviously the sign of a good dance. This seems to be a different dance from what we've seen before tonight. It also seems to quite possibly be a lot better than some of the other dances. Not that I know what perfect jive steps look like, but J.R. seems to be doing the quick, precise steps with flair and precision. That was a great dance to end the night. And you can't say the guy doesn't have charisma, can you?

Judges' Comments
Len: "The problem was, what's in the label is not on the tin. I was looking for a jive and you gave me a lindy hop." "It was a great dance."
Bruno: "J.R., you're born to dance!" "Right on it, all the way through! The most satisfying overall performance of the night."
Carrie Ann: "It was great, it was fantastic -- but there was a lift!" "Other than that, that was fun."

Scores: 7+7+8 = 22

I think he should have done better. Silly judges and their strictly-ballroom rules. Oh well!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Which dances were your favorites? Who will go home in week 2 of Dancing with the Stars? How important do you think proper ballroom styles are in this kind of competition? Leave your comments and opinions below!

(Images courtesy of ABC)

Which pair danced the best in week 2?
Elisabetta and Val
Nancy and Tristan
Rob and Cheryl
Carson and Anna
Chaz and Lacey
David and Kym
Kristin and Mark
Ricki and Derek
Hope and Maks
J.R. and Karina
Chynna and Tony

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 2 - Results Night, September 27, 2011
http://www.buddytv.c...ek-2-41960.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 2 Results: Time for Another Star to Fall
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Is this the closest race to avoid elimination that Dancing with the Stars will have all season? It's possible.

Take a look at the standings after week 2 of DWTS competition. The lowest score belonged to Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer, at only 17. That might seem bad, until you realize that it's only a few points behind all of the other dancers -- and only 6 points behind Ricki Lake and Derek Hough, the week 2 leaders.

When you mix in the various popularities of the remaining DWTS stars, and who knows what will happen in this week's Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show?

We don't know. But we can guess.

And we did: The BuddyTV Readers' Poll chose Elisabetta Canalis as the most likely to face elimination tonight, with 39 percent of the votes cast. A close second was Chaz Bono, with 36 percent of the vote. A few elimination votes were also cast for Nancy, Carson, David, Rob and Ricki.

So basically, it could be anybody.

Click here to read a recap of the DWTS week 2 performance show.

Just as a reminder, the full week 2 standings are as follows:
1. Ricki Lake: 23
2. (tie) Kristin Cavallari: 22
2. (tie) J.R. Martinez: 22
4. (tie) Elisabetta Canalis: 21
4. (tie) Nancy Grace: 21
4. (tie) Chynna Phillips: 21
4. (tie) Rob Kardashian: 21
8. Hope Solo: 19
9. (tie) David Arquette: 18
9. (tie) Carson Kressley: 18
11. Chaz Bono: 17

That's a lot of 21s.

Will the scores matter? Or will it be popularity that determines this week's outcome? Let's find out!

There are many men dancing. That's what happens when you play rock music around ballroom dancers.

And then they made out with Carrie Ann. All of them.

Yay! RESULTS right away! We get to learn the fates (kind of) of the two 18-pointers. I don't want either of these men eliminated, if I must be honest. That would be sad. Anyway.


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya are SAFE!!!

David Arquette and Kym Johnson remain in jeopardy.

Yay! We get another week of Carson fun!

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough get to do the encore performance now. That's fair. They were awfully good. Maybe not family-friendly, but good.

We're now getting a "treat." DWTS: Cribs. Is that still a thing? Whatever. It's a good chance to watch some of the stars be cute. And to watch others be incapable of acting.

Enough of that! It's time for the first musical act: The Script is performing into too-low microphones while Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower dance.


More RESULTS now! This time, those learning their fates are three of the highest scorers: Kristin, J.R. and Ricki.

There's really not much in the way of justice if any of these dancers goes home.

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!! (Not much question on that one...)

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas are SAFE!!!

And...

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

They seem to be onto the Macy's "Stars of Dance" thing now. It has a cool Busby Berkeley theme going on. And a whole lot of dancers.

They're at least teasing us with more RESULTS now. Rob, Nancy and Chaz are all heading to the stage to hear how they did.

And those results are...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer remain in jeopardy.

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are SAFE!!!


Yay! Another week of pretty Tristan secured!

That's it for results for the moment. Demi Lovato has to sing instead. While she does, a couple of dancers (and a ladder) perform pretty much on top of her. She is singing "Skyscraper." And she's actually pretty good.

OK, final RESULTS before the actual final results now. This means Chynna, Hope and Elisabetta get to learn their fates.


So...

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani are SAFE!!!

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!

Which leaves Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy in jeopardy.


Final RESULTS now!!!

And...

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer are SAFE!!!

Apparently, David and Elisabetta were the actual bottom two this time. Kind of weird to hear that for once.

David Arquette and Kym Johnson are SAFE!!!

Which means Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy have been eliminated!

We went with fame and charisma this time, not scores. I'm OK with that -- this time anyway.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think about tonight's results? Was Elisabetta the right choice for elimination? Did you expect it to be someone else? Leave your comments and opinions below!

Bah, I would have voted Chaz Bono to be eliminated due to his bad knee and substandard dance from Monday.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 3 - Dance Night, October 3, 2011
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-42031.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 3 Dances
Monday, October 03, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

This is the week when it all gets personal.

I don't mean to imply that the celebrities competing on Dancing with the Stars will suddenly be out for movie-style revenge when they take to the shiny, shiny DWTS ballroom floor. Instead, they will be making the dances themselves personal in the first of Dancing with the Stars season 13's theme weeks. That's right -- we have reached "The Most Memorable Year of My Life" week.

What can we expect from such a theme? I'm guessing a lot of sad and semi-voyeuristic stories from most of the dancers. Plus whatever passes for drama in the lives of people like Rob Kardashian and Kristin Cavallari (who really haven't had enough time to amass true drama in their short and glamorous lives).

We can also expect some different dances. Each pair got to pick a dance this week, with the end result that five of the 10 remaining couples will be performing a rumba.

Will all those rumbas be enough? Here are the overall standings as we go into Dancing with the Stars week 3:

1. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 44 points
2. (tie) Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani: 43 points
2. (tie) Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 43 points
4. Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas: 41 points
5. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 40 points
6. (tie) Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 37 points
6. (tie) Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 37 points
8. David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 36 points
9. Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya: 35 points
10. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer: 34 points

It's still very close -- only a 10-point spread between first and last place. What will happen this week? Let's find out!

First up, we have...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: I need to point out that earlier today, a colleague here at BuddyTV accused me of cynicism for saying that Rob would pick the year that his dad died. Guess what year Rob picked? Not that I don't sympathize with his choice. It makes sense. As for the dancing... Rob actually came out pretty dramatic and looks awfully good out there. There are still a few goofy moments when Rob's hands and/or expression look a little off. But the rest of the dancing is actually pretty nice-looking. Of course, other than the song choice, I have no idea how this reflects Rob's dad dying. It also might be a little too simple. But I liked it.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You just put the 'dash' into Kardashian, I'm telling you!"
Bruno: "Rob the man is getting the upper hand..." "The dominatrix has found her match!" "It remind me of Guys and Dolls." (note: Rob didn't get the reference)
Carrie Ann: "I like watching you dance Rob, because you're just so strict, stick-to-the-program."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: Yes! She's doing the "Hold On" year! It's good to have something positive to dance to. Because most of these are going to just be sad. And yay! It's being danced to "Hold On!" Adolescent Me is having a great time right now. I suppose I should actually look at the dancing now. Because I'm mostly paying attention to the music, which is still as awesome as it was in 1990. I think the dancing is pretty good. Not the most dramatic or memorable of dances, but it seems pretty. Chynna seems to be doing a good job with it too. Lots of poses. And a really great song...

Judges' Comments
Len: "Dancing like that, you're going to be here for weeks and weeks and weeks." "You have taken this whole competition to a new level."
Bruno: "I knew you could do it. You are a smoldering siren!" "The beauty of your lines, you belong in a museum."
Carrie Ann: "We asked for more and you definitely gave us more." "It's like butter!"

Scores: 8+9+9 = 26

Len Goodman is going to dance tomorrow night? That should be interesting...


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: Just want to point out right now that I am three-for-three in predicting which year each star was going to choose. Not that any of them were big surprises. What could possibly have been bigger than this year for Chaz though? Nice psychedelia in the background. I'm not sure Chaz is doing much in this dance, but at least he looks good doing what's available. A nice dance, but it was hardly a breakout performance from Chaz.

Judges' Comments
Len: "That was your best dance I've seen you do."
Bruno: "There is a very, very endearing quality about you." "There were some moments, you looked a little bit lost."
Carrie Ann: "I'm so impressed by your real courage." "Tonight, though, I have to say, I don't know, it wasn't your best performance." "You definitely seemed not quite focused into the dance."

Scores: 6+6+6 = 18


Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas
Dancing the samba

My Comments: I don't know what it is, but Kristin seems a wee bit off in this dance. She seems to be making her steps (a couple of brief moments half a step behind don't count) and is shaking it just right. But it maybe seems like she doesn't connect to the music just right. It's still a really good dance definitely. It just seems like it should be a little bit better. How exactly? No clue. Maybe the judges can help.

Judges' Comments
Len: "The Beyonce stuff isn't my cup of tea... That was only about 20 percent of the dance. The other 80 percent was fabulous."
Bruno: "That was more than crazy in love, it was crazy in lust!" "It was yes yes yes for me, all the time and all the way!"
Carrie Ann: "I think you did pretty darn good." "You are doing some very difficult choreography. You're definitely pushing yourself."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Awwww... Carson had a similar middle-school experience to me. You know, except that I'm not a gay man. Fortunately, he's going for another happy year -- 2003, when Queer Eye started. That's not the stage, Carson. Oh, he found it. Nice costume change in the middle of the song. Carson is obviously trying to impress the judges by rigidly adhering to the tango thing. The result is a bit less fun than usual. But I think he might technically be dancing better. That said, this is one of the more amusing tangos I've seen on Dancing with the Stars. And he got her shoe!

Judges' Comments
Len: "I am going to be quite positive here, but I don't need a kiss." "You put the 'boy' in flamboyant!"
Bruno: "That was insanely brilliant!" "I want the frock! Give me the frock!" "And yes you will make it to the ball!"
Carrie Ann: "Carson, I love you!" "You brought us drama, entertainment, enthusiasm... and technique, beautiful shapes, a little bit of girly-girly, a little bit of masculine."

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: J.R. wins the story contest. As you probably expected. Nearly dying in a war is a serious story. In terms of raw emotion, the dance is the best right away, before there are even a lot of steps taken. Not that the emotion lessens throughout the performance. There's heartbreak and romance in all of this. Also, the steps look good. But that's hard to notice with all the emotion going on. That was lovely.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was a wonderful performance, it was so poignant."
Bruno: "You dance from your heart. I could feel every emotion." "You did it, and it's so hard to do my darling!"
Carrie Ann: "Tonight, you did something extraordinary. You touched us all, and I could feel the weight with which you danced." "That was one of the most profound, honest dances I've ever seen."

Scores: 9+8+9 = 26


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the waltz

My Comments: "Moon River" is a great song. Another excellent musical choice for the night. Nancy looks nice in the dance, but there is little flair. And, considering that this is a slow waltz, flair would be very good. Really, there's nothing wrong with the dance. But it's very forgettable. Maybe the choreography highlighted the wrong emotions for Nancy? Because she was lovely and emotional in her rehearsal package.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Nancy, you've got to try to get this ballroom stretch through and a little better posture."
Bruno: "Soft and dreamy, like a mother's embrace."
Carrie Ann: "I was transported." "I felt like all the little forest animals came and were watching you dance..."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: It's good to see somebody going for straight romance. We've had enough tragedy tonight. And this is definitely romantic. There is a lot of spinning for a rumba as well -- super-fast spinning at times. Not actually knowing the proper steps for a rumba, I can't be sure of how well Ricki is doing, but it looks like she's doing very, very good. That was pretty.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Ricki, may a congratulate you on dancing it so well."
Bruno: "Every step was as expressive as a word in a poem."
Carrie Ann: "Ricki Lake is on fire!!!" "Honey, you are looking fierce!"

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: More sports stuff. Hopefully, this sport-related dance will be better than her last one. If anyone can teach sexy, it may be Maks. She certainly has the costume for "sexy." I doubt that Len is going to like the amount of time they spent on vertical sex at the chair. Mostly, Hope is definitely looking right for the part in this dance. There were a couple of moments in which she looked a little lost, but the movements still worked. The second half of the dance wasn't quite as good as the first half, but it was still pretty good.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I found the costume and a little bit of the routine a little bit provocative for me." "I would have liked a little sharper action... But for me that was your best dance so far."
Bruno: "The sexy minx was out of the cage! You were going for him, more like a panther there!"
Carrie Ann: "You're a really strong dancer... but... I just want to take you and work on your walk."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: The serious themes of this dance are unfortunately a bad fit with the goofiness that David wears so well. Fortunately, he's an actor and can change character. I'm still not convinced that David is much of a dancer -- he's barely moving and some of the moves that do happen look a little off. It's hardly the worst dance ever seen, but Kym is doing far more of the work than she should be doing. Especially if David wants to not be on the bottom again.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was a mix of motion and emotion. I think you did a great job!"
Bruno: "You brought sensitivity, vulnerability, you were achingly romantic..."
Carrie Ann: "Very nice comeback." "You have this incredible raw emotion that is pure and honest."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

And that's the night! Is it just me, or did the judges seem particularly nice tonight?

Oh well, we'll find out exactly what their niceness (or lack thereof) brings about tomorrow night for Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show. Plus, we'll get performances from Mary J. Blige, Estelle, a surprise guest and even Len Goodman dancing the twist.

Should be interesting.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Did you have a favorite dance tonight? How did the stories affect your enjoyment of the individual performances? Are you looking forward to seeing Len dance? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 3 - Results Night, October 4, 2011

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www.buddytv.com

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 3 Results: Here's Where the Story Ends
Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

There's something sad about going home after you bare your heart in front of millions. Tonight, one of the remaining 10 contestants on Dancing with the Stars season 13 will find out exactly how sad it is. One dancer must be eliminated. Who will it be?

That's what Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show is for.

Who do we think is the most likely to be eliminated in week 3 of Dancing with the Stars?

According to our BuddyTV Readers' Poll, 52 percent think that Chaz and Lacey are the most likely to go home. They're closely followed by Nancy and Tristan, who received 36 percent of the votes cast.

And that's pretty much it for our votes. If anyone else goes home, there will be a lot of surprise around here.

Other than eliminations, Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show has a fair amount of other entertainment in store for us. Mary J. Blige and Estelle will be providing the musical entertainment for the night. As for dancing, we can expect to see DWTS judge Len Goodman cutting a rug!

Do you think they'll let the Dancing with the Stars competitors critique Len for a change?

That would be fun. So let's get to it!

They're not waiting too long for the music, are they? Mary J. Blige (and her Marilyn Monroe-like hair) is performing a whole 1 minute into the telecast. Although there are a couple of ballroom dancers out there, the real dance performance to watch is the boogie going on behind the judges' table.

Enough of that music stuff. Time for RESULTS!


The first results are for: Chaz and Lacey, Ricki and Derek, J.R. and Karina.

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!!

And...

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer are SAFE!!!


Safety all around! What does that mean? I can think of two things right now. 1) We get to see Cher in the audience next week. And 2) Nancy Grace should be very, very worried right now.

Chynna and Tony get the encore dance in week 3. Maybe I'll watch the actual dancing this time? Nah... Much more fun to just listen to "Hold On" again. I think I really ought to go download that song. 20+ years and still awesome.

Dancing over for the moment, let's move on to our next RESULTS of the night. This time, it's Hope and Maks, Nancy and Tristan, Carson and Anna, Rob and Cheryl.


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya are in jeopardy.

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are SAFE!!!

And...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are in jeopardy.

That's a bit of a surprise.

Anyway, it's movie scores as the theme for next week. Because Dancing with the Stars can't wait for that, the troupe is dancing to "Tara's Theme" from Gone with the Wind now.

We could have more results now, but instead Estelle is singing a soulful version of Chubby Checker's "Twist" song. I'm not sure you can successfully inject deep emotions into a song about a dance craze. It's kind of like crying during the Macarena.

But in a stunning twist (see what I did there?), Chubby Checker himself is now performing the song! Nice.

And now Len Goodman is doing the twist right next to Chubby Checker. Len twists very well. Also very briefly. With that much build up, I expected far more dancing from the DWTS judge.

You might think that this is a good point in the hour for more results. You'd be wrong. Dancing with the Stars is giving us more of Mary J. Blige instead. Did they forget about results for the last three pairs? And the final results? There are only 15 minutes left to fit that in!


Finally, the time for RESULTS comes back around. The final three pairs are Chynna and Tony, David and Kym, Kristin and Mark.


Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani are SAFE!!!

David Arquette and Kym Johnson are SAFE!!!

Which means that...

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas are in jeopardy.


Kristin didn't look too happy about that.

Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya are SAFE!!!

Yes! (Not that I'm biased or anything. But WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!)


Anyway. Len is, as usual when fairly good dancers go home, borderline apoplectic. But...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!

Which means that...


Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!

That's a bit of a shock, even if it's not quite the earth-shattering tragedy that the DWTS folk seem to be thinking right now. Oh well.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think of the week 3 results? Did the right couple get eliminated? Did someone else deserve to go in Kristin's place? Is it even possible for Chaz to be eliminated? Leave us your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 4 - Dance Night, October 10, 2011
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-42138.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 4 Dances
Monday, October 10, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Lights! Camera! Bedazzling sequin action!

It's movie week on Dancing with the Stars! The remaining 9 DWTS competitors will pull out all the stops and dance their best to musical scores from the silver screen. Will we be hearing the mournful strings of Schindler's List? The resounding marches of Star Wars? The heartwarming tones of E.T.?
Or maybe something **not written by John Williams. I suppose that's possible too.

Whatever the case and whatever the movie-score choice, there should be some interesting dances tonight. Those dances will hopefully be just as impressive as tonight's audience -- which includes entertainment legend (and, lest we forget, Oscar-winner) Cher.

Along with the movie themes, we will be seeing a mix of dance styles for week 4 of Dancing with the Stars. Paso dobles, tangos, foxtrots and more will help the celebrities compete for a chance to keep on dancing.

The overall scores going into this week remain very close, with a tie for first place overall:

1. (tie) J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 70 points
1. (tie) Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 70 points
3. Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani: 69 points
4. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 65 points
5. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 61 points
6. David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 60 points
7. (tie) Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya: 58 points
7. (tie) Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 58 points
9. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer: 52 points

A few obvious leaders. Some trailing behind. But, as we saw last week, none of this means anything once the dancing begins. So let's get to it!

Just a warning for those who aren't excited about this whole movie theme: I may just be throwing random, dance-related movie quotes into this recap. Maybe.

With that in mind -- and to get it in before anyone Dancing with the Stars says it -- "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

There's more band tonight. Thus, they get to play a movie medley. Fun game! I'm now going to try to guess as many movie themes as possible! They're starting out with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Which might describe the DWTS costumes this week. And... Already I'm stumbling. The second, vaguely militaristic one was lost on me. But now we're on to the theme from Star Wars. Light saber battles!

It's now time for the competition to begin! First up:

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the tango

My Comments: A tango to the theme from Mission: Impossible? OK then... And, seriously??? Tony Dovolani is descending from the ceiling on a wire! That certainly counts as a entrance. It looks like Chynna is playing the Russian-spy temptress or something in this tango. The dance is very pretty and stylish. There aren't many emotions, but that's probably the point. Almost definitely the point actually. I'm not getting into Chynna's dance as much as I'd want, but it looks good.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It all went up the Swanee River." "Unfortunately, there was a lot of mistakes."
Bruno: "Don't worry, because you were slash-and-burn hot, but you lost the plot!" "The little bit you did, they were breath-takingly beautiful."
Carrie Ann: "You lost your place, but you did not lose your composure."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

"Gotta dance! Gotta dance! Gotta dance!!!" (Singin' in the Rain)


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: It's a Raiders of the Lost Ark theme this time. And David came in swinging on a vine. Of course. Is any man in this competition going to start on the floor? In the dancing itself, David looks a bit hesitant and perhaps doesn't have the musicality that he should have. On the other hand, he's got a lot of character. Plus, there's way more athleticism in this dance than we usually get from the stars. Overall, enjoyable but not perfect.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I liked the entry in and I liked your attitude. After that, it was all Temple of Doom."
Bruno: "Look at me David! I love the way you crack your whip!" "Watch your turns, because sometimes your a bit unsteady."
Carrie Ann: "David saves the day! What happened? It's like this week, there's suddenly all this bravado." "It was like watching an action movie."

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23

Much like a baboon, Bruno ended up displaying his backside as part of his argument against Len.


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the Viennese waltz

My Comments: Can Carson win tonight for his costume alone? I love the stylish pirate look popularize by Johnny Depp... They get to sword-fight! Pink pirate flag! Parrot! Who needs dancing? They're on a boat! This is awesome. Sword-fighting! Oh hey, it's time for the dancing part. There seems to be a lot of spinning and a continuation of a maritime theme there. Honestly, I have no clue how accurate this is, when it comes to the Viennese waltz, but it's a lot of fun to watch. As far as performances go, this is easily the best of the first three.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It's like childbirth -- terrible when it's happening, and a joy when it's over." "It was great fun. I tell you this, if I was at home, I would be phoning for you."
Bruno: "Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Jack Sparrow, the Gay Blade." "You lost the steps quite a few times." "Nobody cares about this. It was fun."
Carrie Ann: "It was kind of like watching or being on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. But weirder." "Then I watch the technique and it's like erhakfuaeruio."

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20

"I thought that was good." (Strictly Ballroom)


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: Nancy is dancing to Queen? Never saw that one coming. What's up with this? No crazy opening? Len is going to love it. Oh wait -- there's fire in the background. We're still in the realm of the overdone. Oddly, this is an awfully good dance, as far as I can tell. Perhaps the anger of the paso doble was just what Nancy Grace needed to truly shine on the dance floor? Whatever the case, this may be the best dance of the night so far (in terms of actual dancing anyway). Bit of a stumble at the end, unfortunately.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Your dancing is competent, but I can't get excited."
Bruno: "Nancy, you've got to become a ball-breaker out here." "It's got to be truthful every moment."
Carrie Ann: "I think we need to give Nancy a little more credit." "You need to connect more to the audience."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

Honestly, I liked the dance a whole lot better than the judges, but...

"What are you gonna do, pass another law?" (the new Footloose)


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: Cute little Toy Story music for this one. So Maks is Woody and Hope is the girl-version of Woody? What was her name again? [Note: Thanks to Bruno, the name is Jessie.] Oh well. The foxtrot starts off well. I'm not sure it's really the dance style that best fits this song or the movie theme. It's a little too formal when compared to the whole toy thing. A little less formal with all the spinning and leaping around later in the dance, the overall effect is actually really good. That was just a plain nice dance.

Judges' Comments
Len: "The more you polish in the rehearsal room, the more you shine on the floor."
Bruno: "That was so lovely!"
Carrie Ann: "It made me smile the whole way through." "It was so refreshing to see you out there having fun."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Len didn't bring his happy pills this week, did he?


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: Yay! Superman music! Can I help it if I'm a John Williams fan? Oh Rob... Don't reject "nerdy." Nerdy is good. Rob is starting out in full Clark-Kent mode. Do we get a Superman reveal later? Hope so. He actually kind of looks the part. I'm not sure about Rob's moves when on his own, but the guy does look pretty nice when dancing with Cheryl. Ah, too bad the ripped-open shirt didn't happen until the camera looked away.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I didn't mind it... I can't go into raptures about it." "When you were walking around, it was as though you was a waiter giving out hors d'oeuvres."
Bruno: "Rob, it's time to leave Smallville and take on the world!" "You've got to believe in yourself more and be more assertive."
Carrie Ann: "Rob Kardashian, I like the way you move... it's steady, just the way a man should be in the ballroom."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

"You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" (Batman)


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the tango

My Comments: They're dancing to the music from Psycho? That's an interesting choice. Ooh! Shadow dancing! That is actually a pretty cool way to start off a dance. This is easily one of the fastest dances we've seen so far. So far in the competition, I mean. To keep up with the Psycho music, it would have to be. The steps don't always seem to be perfectly in time with the music, but that's probably a limitation of the music -- not the dancers. Overall, a seriously cool dance was just done by Ricki and Derek. Very deserving of the "Wow" Carrie Ann Inaba just mouthed.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You're like the U.S. Mail -- you always deliver." "Top of the leaderboard, I think so."
Bruno: "This was a blockbusting performance! Worthy of three sequels!" "It really was an immaculate tribute to the Master of Suspense."
Carrie Ann: "Pretty simple. Brilliance in the ballroom. Done."

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

And we have our first 10s of the season! They may even deserve them. That was a seriously cool dance.


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: Of course someone had to do Rocky. And the training montage included Richard Simmons? That sort of makes it a training montage from a surreal horror film, in my mind. As for the dance, I was a little worried that Lacey was going to make Chaz dance in boxing gloves, but he fortunately got those off early in the dance. The rest of the dance was pretty decent -- better than some of what we've seen from Chaz in the past. It's hardly perfect, but there is definite improvement this week. And there's Cher! Hi Cher!

Judges' Comments
Len: "Like Rocky, you're 'getting stronger!'" "It wasn't exactly a knockout performance, but it was your best to date."
Bruno: "Chaz, in the true spirit of Rocky, no matter how many knock you take, you keep coming back."
Carrie Ann: "I watch you, and somehow you get under my skin." "You have magic."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

"Well I have a dream too. But it's about singing and dancing and making people happy." (The Muppet Movie)


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: Oooh! The Pink Panther theme! You can't get better than that. Nice use of flashlights to start. Also, it's pretty nice that J.R. got to be out there on his own for so long. That may be the pinkest costume ever worn on this show. And that's saying something. Wow. It almost distracts from the foxtrot. Almost. Fortunately for J.R., the pink suit isn't the most amazing thing on the floor -- this comedic foxtrot is right up there too. I would honestly have trouble picking out the pro from the celebrity in that dance if I didn't already know.

Judges' Comments
Len: "This was the best male dancer of the night! Great technique! Lovely hold! Just enough humor!" "This is fabulous."
Bruno: "You are a dancer of great ability and versatility." "What more do you want -- you're great!"
Carrie Ann: "I thought it was OK... For some reason, this performance fell a little flat for me." "I think it's the humor -- you didn't need the humor."

Scores: 8+9+9 = 26

Carrie Ann is a stupid sourpuss. So there.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

And that seems to be it for the week 4 performances on Dancing with the Stars. Did you have a favorite dance? A least favorite? Who is going home this week? Let us know what you think below! For now, as they say in the movies:

The End.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 4 - Results Night, October 11, 2011
http://www.buddytv.c...ek-4-42155.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 4 Results: Who Will Fade to Black?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Much like movies themselves, the story must end for one Dancing with the Stars competitor this week. Will we get another surprise elimination? Will the lowest-scoring dancers find themselves in danger? Is anybody safe?

No movie ever had this much suspense...

That's not entirely true, of course. After all, there's an entire genre of movies considered "suspense." But the story on Dancing with the Stars will still be filled with an enviable number of twists and turns before we find out who the final week 4 elimination is.

First of all, we need to try to figure out the ending. As always, our BuddyTV Readers' Poll is the main source for our speculation. That poll indicates went with a tie this week: Nancy and Tristan and Chaz and Lacey each picked up 32 percent of the elimination votes. Those two pairs were trailed by Rob and Cheryl and Chynna and Tony, each of whom got 10 percent of the votes cast.

Of course, we were very, very wrong last week.

Getting bored while you wait for results? Check out these photos of the DWTS celebrities from before they were stars!

In terms of non-results entertainment this week, Dancing with the Stars has plenty to offer us. Musical performances will come from Raphael Saadiq, Susan Boyle and Blake Shelton. We will also get to see Footloose star (and former Dancing with the Stars professional) Julianne Hough dancing to Blake Shelton's music with co-star Kenny Wormald and with her brother, Derek.

That's actually a lot to pack into one little hour. So let's get to it!

We get a Star Wars beginning this week. As it should be. I will not, however, be keeping up with the cheesy movie references throughout this episode. I have to recap and therefore do not have time for that.

The performances of the show are beginning with Raphael Saadiq performing "Soul Man."

Was Pee Wee Herman in the audience every week before this season?

Are we never going to get actual results? Probably not. Instead, we're going to get Susan Boyle singing "Unchained Melody."

By the way, did you catch Tom's face when Brooke announced the title of the song as "unforgettable" hit "Enchanted Melody?"


First up for RESULTS: Rob and Cheryl, Ricki and Derek, J.R. and Karina.

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!!

Big shocker there, right?


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke remain in jeopardy.

Are we going to get more results right away? Considering that Brooke is interviewing three more couples in the skybox, the answer is hopefully yes.

Assuming that more RESULTS are coming, the next pairs up are Chynna and Tony, Carson and Anny, Chaz and Lacey.

Oh, never mind. That was just a tease. Instead, Julianne Hough is dancing with Kenny Wormald to music by Blake Shelton. Not that the singer sounds much like Blake Shelton. Maybe he's the one playing the guitar off in the darkness somewhere. Oh, there's Blake Shelton! No one told me it was a two-song medley.

OK, now we get those RESULTS!


Before that, however, what's with all the rehashing of Carrie Ann's comments? There have been a few of Len, but there is a lot of Carrie Ann tonight. Anyway...

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer are SAFE!!!

Ah, committed voters...


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya are SAFE!!!

Ah, good-humored voters...

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani remain in jeopardy.

That's enough results for the moment, apparently. It's time for Julianne and Derek Hough to dance together. They're very fast at that jive.


I think we're done with the non-results related entertainment for the evening. That means it's time for yet another round of RESULTS. This time, Nancy and Tristan, David and Kym, Hope and Maks are up.

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus remain in jeopardy.

Which means that...

David Arquette and Kym Johnson are SAFE!!!

All that remains now before the final fade to black on week 4 of Dancing with the Stars? The final RESULTS in which we'll find out if it's Rob and Cheryl, Chynna and Tony or Nancy and Tristan going home this week.


And...

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are SAFE!!!


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

Which means that...

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!!!


So we got another surprise elimination. That seems to be a theme of the season, doesn't it? But, after all, the best movies have a twist at the end!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

How do you feel about Chynna and Tony being eliminated? Were they the right pair to go? Who would you have picked? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 5 - Dance Night, October 17, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-42216.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 5 Dances
Monday, October 17, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Awesome!

It's '80s Week on Dancing with the Stars! Tease your hair, turn up the pop music and get ready for the eight remaining celebrities to moonwalk their way into dance history!

There. I have officially pandered enough to the DWTS theme-of-the-week and will henceforth just write the recap like a normal person who is not swayed by random thematic choices. To do so would be totally gnarly, dude.

Sorry.

Anyway... Week 5 of Dancing with the Stars will be featuring a whole lot of '80s music (including a live performance by The Bangles) as the remaining pairs struggle to avoid elimination. Considering the past couple of weeks, absolutely anyone could be going home. Which stars will shine? Which will dim? We will find out tonight.

First of all, let's look at where we are, going into week 5. The standings for the remaining dancers are as follows:

1. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 99 points so far
2. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 96
3. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 88
4. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 85
5. David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 83
6. Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 79
7. Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya: 78
8. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer: 73

In case you were wondering how much of an upset last week's elimination of Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani was, the pair had 90 total points for the first four weeks. That means they were in third place overall.

Ouch.

But enough about the past. Let's embrace the future by going back to the '80s!

Want something to do in between dances? Check out BuddyTV's brand-new Dancing with the Stars personality quiz! Which season 13 DWTS celebrity are you?

I think my head just broke from so many '80s references in the intro alone. I wonder how long it took a DWTS producer to come up with them all?

Fortunately, the aching head was instantly soothed by the dulcet tones of The Bangles, singing "Eternal Flame." Bangles! Woo! There's some dancing too. "Eternal Flame" quickly segues (with absolutely no transition other than changing the lights) into "Walk Like an Egyptian." This is also cool.

However, a note to the Dancing with the Stars troupe (and to the judges' table): I'm pretty sure that's not how the Egyptians walked. Just saying.

Oh lord... Brooke has shoulder pads. All the cheesy '80s references in the world aren't as bad as a pair of shoulder pads.

Granted, considering the costumes that quickly followed down the ballroom stairs, I don't think I should complain about some little shoulder pads.

Fortunately for those of us who fear shoulder pads, it's time for the dancing. First up:

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the tango

My Comments: However overloaded with '80s kitsch I'll be by the end of this episode, the giant brick phones are still kind of awesome. Oh dear. The band is butchering "Livin' on a Prayer." Also there's dancing. I'm not entirely sure that Hope is keeping up with Maks at every moment. The dance is also fairly jerky. That's not always a bad thing in a tango, but it's not working for me here. On the plus side, this is definitely a complicated dance with no big mistakes obvious to the layperson. Also, it ended with headbanging. No dance that ends with flailing hair can be all bad.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Tango is about action and reaction... Hope, you were too filleted and willowy, there was no strength." "I don't know how Maks controls you." "I like the aggression and the attack that you put into it."
Bruno: "Hope, I think you got the '80s super-b!*ch down to a T." "You were strong, sexy and powerful!"
Carrie Ann: "I think you were totally strong... but Len is right... It's almost like you attacked it so hard that some of your lines got a little awkward." "Sometimes you have to learn that less is more."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Big question from that dance: Hope and Maks were both alive in the '80s? Having checked, I am shocked and impressed to report that they definitely were. Born in 1981 and 1980 respectively. Looking good...


Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Dancing the jive

My Comments: How many stars are actually going to wear leg warmers this week? Wow. Fancy lighting scheme. And now we have jiving cheerleaders. I wasn't expecting that. Honestly, this dance looks like a bit of a mess. A very enthusiastic and colorful mess, but a mess. My knowledge of actual jive steps being what it is (nonexistent), this might actually be very good. No idea. But it was fun -- just like you'd expect from Carson and Anna.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Carson, I like you. You know I like you." "If I was judging with my heart, you would be back next week."
Bruno: "Carson, that was loopier than a looney tune!" "You managed to squeeze so much wacky fun out of a minimal jive." "This is a crowning achievement in madness! I loved it!"
Carrie Ann: "It is week 5 and I just didn't see much technique anywhere."

Scores: 6+6+7 = 19


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: Oh Nancy... Insulting Len's dancing is probably not the best way to improve your chances with the judges. OK, Tristan just secured Carrie Ann's vote. Handy when the pro is gorgeous. What am I bet that that's how Nancy's hair actually looked in the '80s? Silly tackiness aside, this is actually a pretty good dance from the pair. Nancy seems to be keeping up, and she definitely has the attitude right for once. That may have been my favorite dance from Nancy all season.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I thought that it was simple, but it was very effective." "There was an ease and an elegance about it." "Overall, I thought you did a very good job."
Bruno: "Don't take my boy-toy away, Carrie Ann..." "I thought you pitched it exactly right tonight. It was sensuous, it was sexy, it wasn't slutty..."
Carrie Ann: "It was nice. It was appropriate, I think. But... I want to see real passion when you're dancing." "They're feeling a little on the drab side to me."

Scores: 7+7+8 = 22

Interesting pictures of the judges in the '80s...

Because it is, in fact, Monday, The Bangles have returned to perform "Manic Monday" before we get our next dance. When you think about it, this is not a particularly "manic" song.


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the samba

My Comments: Hey! I had a sparkly bug antennae headband like that as a kid! They were cool. J.R. has drums. And he's playing them. Possibly badly. Fortunately, this is not Drumming with the Stars. (NOTE: I would totally watch that show.) J.R. is definitely into the groove on this one. I don't think even Carson had that much fun out on the dance floor. This also has the advantage of looking good. J.R. is possibly slightly too slow with a little of the faster footwork, but it's only by a bit and not all the time. That was a pretty great dance. Very Latin-seeming.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Way to go, Jose!" "In the future, if anyone says to me, how should a guy dance the samba? I'll say just look at J.R."
Bruno: "You were like a loin-shattering sex machine!" "Look at that! The Kardashians are gagging!" "You had so much fire down below, it was like a volcano!"
Carrie Ann: "I want more of that, because that was **** amazing!"

Scores: 9+9+10 = 28


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: Romeo's back! I forgot about him... What does that say for the DWTS fame boost? Did the singer miss his opening cue there? Or do I just have a bad sound connection? Anything is possible. Rob, as he so often does, looks best when he and Cheryl are together. By himself, he still looks a little awkward. But only a little. Rob is honestly not a bad dancer. His steps don't have the style of a professional (or even of J.R.), but they're competent. And the overall dance is pretty good.

Judges' Comments
Len: "This dance, for guys, is very hard. You've got to try to be masculine... you've pulled it off." "You took command in that dance." "Don't keep trying to do the splits, because you could ruin your potential."
Bruno: "We start to see Rob the Heart-Throb! Really, for the first time I start to see you using Cheryl as a partner." "Very sentimental, a great performance."
Carrie Ann: "You're like the tortoise and the hare... You're like the tortoise." "You were totally in control of the woman. Cheryl."

Scores: 9+8+8 = 25

The cast of Man Up is sitting in the dark. Not the worst place for them. (Sorry about slipping a mini-review in there...)


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the samba

My Comments: Lacey Schwimmer's father Buddy is a little bit awesome. Is Chaz going to be drunk for this? That rarely improves dancing. Although it may be Lacey's skirt that's distracting me, but Chaz might actually be doing a bit better this week. He's nowhere near as good as some of the others, but he doesn't look awkward out there at all. That's been a problem in the past. And you've got to give the guy credit for making it atop the bar at the end. That's hard to do (not that I would know...).

Judges' Comments
Len: "Chaz, I think that was a gallant effort." "The technique was lacking here and there... you came out and really gave it a go."
Bruno: "It was like a dribbling basketball." "You did very well."
Carrie Ann: "It's so nice to see you going strong from last week." "That was the most dancing I've seen you do in all the routines."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Did David actually paint that mirrorball thing? Impressive, in a graffiti sort of way. Also impressive: that Len impression. How exactly can David see in those glasses. Oh, Kym kicked them off. No problem then. David has just the right attitude for a bad-boy tango. The dance might be a little too slow and simple for higher scores, but what's there looks very good -- clean and with attitude. Overall, that was a fun dance to watch.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I've gotta tell you, first, it had a great '80s feel." "You have to show up, or shut up. You have shown up, and it was fantastic!"
Bruno: "That was a tango with a rebel yell!" "That's the way to go -- in charge!"
Carrie Ann: "What you need to work on... I actually think you need to work on musicality." (This comment causes the judges to dissolve into full-on anarchy.)

Scores: 8+9+8 = 25


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: It may be a shock for Ricki, but it didn't feel like a shock to me that John Waters would show up. Seriously, how do the guys dance in those sunglasses? Not that Derek doesn't look totally rad in them. I'm not so sure about this dance matching the music. But Ricki is dancing it pretty well. She looks good, but honestly, it's nowhere near as exciting as last week's dance. A very good dance, just not the best for Ricki overall.

Judges' Comments
Len: "No one likes funk like I do." "Your footwork was a little bit hit-and-miss." "It wasn't your best dance, but it wasn't your worst."
Bruno: "You did it wrong! You did it off rhythm!" "In this case, you didn't gel." "You can't be a genius every week."
Carrie Ann: "You did the Roger Rabbit the first time, you were way off." "It's like you guys are one person." "You should've just stayed in hold."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


And... much like the '80s themselves, this episode of Dancing with the Stars ends. But did it end well for everyone? We'll find out tomorrow -- see you then!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Did your favorites perform the way you wanted? Does anybody seem doomed after '80s night? Let us know what you think below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 5 - Results Night, October 18, 2011

http://www.buddytv.c...ek-5-42241.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 5 Results: Someone, Like the '80s, Is History
Wednesday, October 18, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Week 5 of Dancing with the Stars has already brought us successes, failures and lots of bad hair. But it's going to get a whole lot worse than questionable '80s fashion choices for one star this week. Which dancers will survive? Which will soon be but a faint memory of a bygone era? Tonight we find out!

We will also listen to a bunch of music (from Kelly Clarkson and The Band Perry), survive a few more '80s-related puns from Tom and see some dancing. It should be busy!

Before we get to any actual results, let's see how the dancers fared in our predictions. The BuddyTV Readers' Poll suggests that the most likely pair going home this week is that of Carson and Anna, who received 38 percent of our elimination votes. Not too far behind, in elimination likelihood, are Nancy and Tristan (27 percent of votes) and Chaz and Lacey (19 percent). A few people also think that Hope and Maks or Ricki and Derek might feel the sting of elimination.

Will we be right? Probably not. Will it be fun to find out? Hopefully!


Yay. We get to start off the show with a medley of Madonna songs and some troupe dancing. Also, there's a choir (for "Like a Prayer") in robes that match the stairs. They're actually kind of hard to see.

That was almost exciting. But not quite. Can we have results instead?

Shockingly, Len doesn't like how things have been going so far this season. Not that Len likes much of anything.


Anyway, it's time for the first RESULTS of the night! First up, we have Ricki and Derek, Hope and Maks (ooooohhhh! dramas!).

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!!

But...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy remain in jeopardy.

Wow, show! Does this mean that we're getting more RESULTS now? Yay! It's the men who look to be up next. Rob and Chery, David and Kym, J.R. and Karina will all get some results. Soon anyway.

The results won't come until after a production package in which the stars talk about their pros. I have to say, it's hard for me to believe that the first thing Nancy noticed about (pretty, pretty) Tristan was his tattoos. I mean sure, eventually. But first, pretty face! Pretty accent! Oh well.

Also before any more results, Kelly Clarkson gets to perform. The song is "Mr. Know-It-All," which is apparently a new single or something. Sorry for a lack of further information. I'm not hip to the stuff the kids are listening to these days (or you know, what the kids were listening to a few years ago when Kelly Clarkson was the biggest thing in the universe). Snarkiness aside, it's pretty good.

Wow. That was a serious results-tease there. A production package, a musical performance, commercials and now an inspiring story? At least it's all inspiring and stuff. The focus is on a dancer named Charm Ladonna who had a rough upbringing before making it in dance. That's kind of cool.

Also cool? She's dancing with Mark Ballas and Derek Hough. Also some special effects.

Seriously? Another musical act before we get any results? Sigh... Anyway, The Band Perry is performing now. It's a bit of a change from the earlier musical acts of the night. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.


And finally! RESULTS!

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

You didn't really think they'd go home, did you?

David Arquette and Kym Johnson remain in jeopardy.


But...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

And Kelly Clarkson is singing again... I miss having zillions of dancers to give results to. Those shows went by much more quickly.

No matter how much Dancing with the Stars tries to delay it, the time for RESULTS has come again! The final group includes Nancy and Tristan, Chaz and Lacey, Carson and Anna.


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer are SAFE!!!

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are SAFE!!!


Which means that...

Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya remain in jeopardy.

However obvious that last choice was, it still makes me sad. Could this be the end of Carson on Dancing with the Stars?

Whatever the final results, it's time to get to it.


And...

David Arquette and Kym Johnson are SAFE!!!

Next...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!

Which means that Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!


Boo!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Do you agree with this week's elimination of Carson and Anna? Should it have been someone else? Who might be the next to go? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 6 - Dance Night, October 24, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-42348.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 6 Dances
Monday, October 24, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

As if it were possible for Dancing with the Stars to get any more dramatic than it already is, week 6 brings us Broadway Week! Instead of random pop hits, the DWTS celebrities will need to tap their feet to a collection of show-tunes and Broadway classics.

Honestly, this could be brilliant.


Although last week's eliminations have been deprived of the potential for some incredible overacting by Carson Kressley (Can he just come back? Please?), there are sure to be plenty of dramatic moments this week. The remaining dancers not only have to perform their own choreographed dance, but they also will be presenting a group dance during the show.

Of course, it's not just dancing and competition in this two-hour Broadway extravaganza. Kristin Chenoweth will be on hand tonight to sing a Broadway medley, and the cast of Broadway's Sister Act is expected as well.

The whole thing should be very entertaining.

As for the DWTS celebrities themselves, where do the remaining 7 pairs stand when stacked up against each other?

1. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 124 points so far
2. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 123
3. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 112
4. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 110
5. David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 108
6. Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 101
7. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer: 94

Are you like your favorite DWTS celebrity? Find out in BuddyTV's newest personality quiz!

Time for the show to begin! And it begins with a performance from the cast of Sister Act, which is apparently a Tony-nominated show that has already run for a couple hundred nights. I was honestly only vaguely aware of the play's existence.

There are many women dancing in shiny nun's habits. Also, there is suddenly a stained-glass window above the DWTS stairs. Where did that come from?

Also, to file under the category of things I never knew I needed to see: nuns in a can-can line. Thank you Dancing with the Stars! Thank you! Or something...

Hey! There's Kristin Chenoweth, being all cute as usual!


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: We get to consider "Walk Like a Man" to be a Broadway song now? You put a song in one Broadway musical and 40+ years of pop-music presence means nothing? Sigh... Whatever, it's an awesome song. I don't know that I would identify this as a cha cha without the cue from the show. It's fun and quick, but it doesn't look particularly Latin. Also, Rob's hands sometimes a wee bit odd. I'm not sure what's up with that, but it just seems off. Otherwise, however, that was a particularly good dance from Rob. He has very definitely gotten better since the first week.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was clean, it was precise, it had good timing... The cha cha cha has got to show rhythm and there was no rhythm." "It wasn't oily!"
Bruno: "You've got to be there! There! There! There!" "It was adequate..." "Listen to Mama!"
Carrie Ann: "You're like a late college bloomer... You're a college graduate, but you haven't gone on to your masters' yet."

Scores: 8+7+7 = 22


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: Spam-a-Lot? I definitely didn't see that one coming. Ha! Tristan has coconuts! I need to get my complaint in now: I will have "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" stuck in my head for the rest of the night. And they're dancing with coconuts. Once you get past the silly costumes, it's a pretty calm and conservative dance. Nancy seems to be doing fine with her steps (especially those high kicks), but it's not as exciting as the song would make me expect. Also, kind of sucks that they edited out (of course) the "Life's a piece of sh*t, when you look at it" line. I love that line...

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was much more personality came out... A certain amount of it has to be in hold, and that part of it wasn't there."
Bruno: "Is Nancy Dance-a-Lot! With Lancelot!" "I've seen the musical, and you've captured the feel of it."
Carrie Ann: "You upped the ante on your content, and you nailed it."

Scores: 9+7+8 = 24

Hey! Carson Kressley is back! Even Dancing with the Stars couldn't stand itself without him! And he's the "creative director" for the group dance? Yay! Yayyyyyyyyy!!!

David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Good song. They should have skipped that hand-jive opening. If you just watch David's lower half, he looks very good. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to totally match the top part in attitude. For a guy who was all excited to let it all out for Broadway Week, this is the most restrained dance of the night. It might be a good quickstep, but it isn't hugely exciting.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was what it was." "It was high-energy, it was full of enthusiasm."
Bruno: "You are so charged up you are like a live wire."
Carrie Ann: "As far as performance goes, I thought you completely lived up to any expectation we had." "You were a little out-of-sync."

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Guys and Dolls! Yay! That's Broadway! Way to buck the trend, Ricki. From the starting moment, this dance certainly wins the prize for the fastest dance so far this week. Ricki's long dress makes it kind of tough to see if she's being perfect with the feet, so I've got no clue there. It looks good. The performance -- although fairly basic in showmanship -- is done well, so that it doesn't seem boring. An easy choice for the best dance of the night (so far, anyway).

Judges' Comments
Len: "You don't need luck if you've got talent, and in this number, you proved you've got talent." "It was really motoring." "I loved it. I thought it was fantastic."
Bruno: "Impeccable style. Outstanding choreography. Dazzling showmanship." "Your interpretation of the music was just beyond belief."
Carrie Ann: "It's beautiful to see such poetry in motion, done so well." "Can anyone say Tony award?"

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

Of course Len couldn't manage a 10...


Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Lacey is sure setting Chaz up for failure in the rehearsals, isn't she? Giggles for the Phantom mask. Nice candle decorations too. Chaz seems a little stiff, but he's getting through the dance. Unfortunately, I can't see much of it too well, thanks to the dark lighting. The mask, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea. People are mostly connecting to who Chaz is -- not who he's playing -- so covering that up probably isn't going to help. The dance was OK, but none of what (admittedly little) I saw made me excited.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I know that you're trying your hardest, and you can see that." "The holds should be tighter..."
Bruno: "It was like watching a cute, little penguin trying to be a dangerous bird of prey." "To me, this character didn't fit you."
Carrie Ann: "This was the most aggressive I've seen you." "At week 6, I want to see a little more content."

Scores: 7+6+6 = 19


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the rumba

My Comments: Hope's sweater-thing looks very ready to fall off. It does fit with the Rent theme though. The dance seems a little bit weird when the dancers are separated, but it gets a lot better when they're together. The footwork is especially looking good. There may also be a little too much of Maks' patented "let's be dramatic and not dance for extended periods."

Ah, it's the time in the season when Maks and Len fight! Yay!

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was totally full of heel." "This is your worst dance of the whole season, in my opinion."
Bruno: "It worked at times but... the rumba never stops moving." "You were doing the staccato." "It didn't quite gel as well as it could have."
Carrie Ann: "I definitely saw for the first time relaxing and trusting your natural sexiness." "Sometimes you force the move so much." "It's like blossoming and not-blossoming all at once."

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20

Was that dance really only 1 point better than Chaz's? Maks' rather public and possibly dangerous comments about the difference in judging standards isn't exactly wrong. Will things be getting interesting on Dancing with the Stars? Hmmm...


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: It's probably a good sign when the beginning of a dance makes me think of Donald O'Connor. It's impressive considering that he's going up against actors, that J.R. is the best performer of this competition. He makes you totally believe in the character of a Broadway song-and-dance man. The dance was lovely, and the performance was even better. It's hard to know if this or Ricki's dance was the best of the night...

Judges' Comments
Len: "You are truly relentless!" "Tonight, you have really come up a notch."
Bruno: "You've created a rip-roaring, audience-rising, 11 o'clock number that makes the show a hit!"
Carrie Ann: "Bob Fosse would have been proud."

Scores: 10+9+10 = 29

Seriously, Len? Seriously? Ah well, hard to complain.

Anyway, that's it for the individual dances. Which means that it's time for Kristin Chenoweth! She has far more voice than anyone that size has a right to. Although both songs are good, I have to go with "Maybe This Time" as the better one. This is probably because I'm not a big fan of "I Could Have Danced All Night." It definitely has nothing to do with the singing.

By the way, for anyone not keeping up with the show's constant name changes, GCB is what was earlier called Good Christian Belles and even earlier Good Christian Bitches. Stupid acronym title aside, it's a mid-season show to watch for...

Group Dance!
While there is probably some reason to watch the dancers and choreography, this is more an excuse to enjoy more Carson Kressley.


•Hope is very tall.
•The loss of Carson Kressley is a sad one for Dancing with the Stars.
•Ricki Lake talks about weight too much.
•Lifts are terrifying-looking in rehearsals.
•Fedoras + feather boas = Broadway
•14 people on one floor is a lot.
•The individual bits seem to be a lot of the pros dancing around the celebrities. (With the possible exceptions of Ricki and Nancy with their complicated-looking flips)
•What lesson should we take away from a money-themed medley like that?


And that's it for Broadway night on Dancing with the Stars!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Did you enjoy Broadway on Dancing with the Stars? Who was the best dancer? Who was the worst? Who is in the most danger of elimination? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 6 - Results Night, October 25, 2011

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'Dancing with the Stars' Week 6 Results: It's Curtains for Someone
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

As we come to the final act in this Broadway Week on Dancing with the Stars, it's time to ask: Which season 13 competitor will take his or her final bow tonight? Will a dancing star come plummeting to Earth? Or will the theater go dark for a struggling performer? We will find out on Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show!

Note: The above paragraph pretty much used up my store of Broadway-related phraseology. Thank goodness.

Prior to results-time, we must -- as always -- check on our predictions to see who the lovely readers of BuddyTV think is up for elimination in week 6. According to the BuddyTV Readers' Poll, it will be a close one this week. The largest number of voters (44 percent) picked Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer as the most likely couple for elimination. However, almost as many (41 percent) went with Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

It would probably be interesting to check out predictions against the actual results over a several-week period. It would probably also be depressing. Thus, I will not do that. Instead, let's get to the show!

In addition to many, many results over the course of the night, viewers can look forward to/fast-forward through several musical performances. Kristin Chenoweth will return for an encore, and Martina McBride will also perform. The big dance number of the night will be a "Macy's Stars of Dance" Broadway homage choreographed by Kenny Ortega and featuring Corbin Bleu.


Oh, the puns... I'd be happy to get rid of theme nights if it meant the end of the puns.

What I'm happy to not get rid of is an encore performance! I've missed these. This week, it's (not surprisingly) J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff reprising their kind of amazing quickstep. J.R. could actually pull off Broadway in real life. That would be neat.

Before Broadway, however, there must be RESULTS. J.R. and Karina get their outcome in a solo fashion for some reason. And...


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

Although the presence of a bunch of stars indicates that more results are imminent, it'll still be awhile. Instead, Kristin Chenoweth is performing again. Because I paid no attention to the intro, I have no idea if this is a Broadway tune or something from Chenoweth's country album. While it doesn't sound too country, I'm thinking album anyway. Unless that's wrong.

Yep, it's from the album. Also, Kristin Chenoweth is ridiculously cute and lovely. She needs to be on every show all of the time.

But I'll happily trade Kristin Chenoweth for more RESULTS. This time, the couples on the hot seat are Ricki and Derek and Nancy and Tristan.


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!!

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are SAFE!!!

Since we can't have too many results all at once, the show will now devote itself to the "Macy's Stars of Dance" number with Corbin Bleu. Apparently, the theme is the streets of Broadway. It includes songs from 42nd Street, West Side Story (yay!) and (I'm guessing) In the Heights.

Definitely a streets-ahead performance.

The Broadway thing is followed by the country thing. That would be Martina McBride this week. Singing about cancer? Yikes. Sad topic...

This brings more RESULTS to the show. This time it's David and Kym, Chaz and Lacey waiting for their fate.


David Arquette and Kym Johnson are SAFE!!!

But...

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer remain in jeopardy.

Back to the filler performances, Mark Ballas and Lacey Schwimmer have shown up to lead a bunch of dancing kids in what might be the scariest thing ever seen on Dancing with the Stars. The song might be from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It might not. It's been awhile. Wherever it's from, seriously disturbing (but well-danced!).

We're now up to the time when Rob and Cheryl, Hope and Maks get their initial RESULTS. Although, considering there's only one couple in jeopardy thus far, I would imagine that both couples will start off in jeopardy before the final results.


Or maybe they're only going with two couples for the final results. Because...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

Meanwhile, Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy remain in jeopardy.

And, with all of the filler in our pasts, it's finally time for the last RESULTS of the night. Will it be Chaz or Hope going home?


And...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!

Which means

Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!!!

Is it weird that this result is something of a surprise? Although, barring total craziness, it had to happen at some point.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think of this week's elimination? Was Chaz the right choice for elimination this week? Should it have been Hope instead? Leave your comments below!

Thank Goodness Chaz is gone! He should have been the first to leave in my opinion.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 7 - Dance Night, October 31, 2011

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'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 7 Dances
Happy Halloween!

While children around the country are rambling from home to home in search of sugary goodness (and possibly in search of naughty pranks), we instead turn our attention to Dancing with the Stars, a place easily as surreal and bizarrely-costumed as any haunted house. Whose dancing will be a fright tonight? Which couple will scare up a win? How many Halloween puns can fit into a single recap? How cool is it that episode 13 of Dancing with the Stars season 13 is on Halloween?

All of your answers are here!

I should probably first point out that this week's Dancing with the Stars performance show will be delayed by half an hour -- to 8:30pm -- in order to accommodate special Halloween programming. If you tune in between 8 and 8:30, there will be a Shrek holiday cartoon. But there might also be some brief clips of live footage from the DWTS studios, so the holiday special just might be worth it.

But probably not. Instead, we suggest you spend your extra time perusing the stats for the remaining dancers and playing the new BuddyTV Dancing with the Stars personality quiz. That's a much better choice.

With that in mind, here are the standings going into Dancing with the Stars week 7:

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 153 points total
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 152 points
Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 132 points
Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 132 points
David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 131 points
Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 125 points


Basically, J.R. and Ricki are still battling it out for the lead, and the other four couples are smashed up together further down the leader board.

It's anyone's competition to win, so let's get to Dancing with the Stars, Halloween-style!

Hey, there's some show on right now! Basically it's some moody backstage stuff. Unfortunately, someone thought it would be a good idea to make Brooke Burke talk in a "scary" voice. The result? Monotone.

On the other hand, if that was actually Nancy Grace's scream, I'm impressed.

Why are the twins from The Shining at Dancing with the Stars? Any chance they can take out Brooke while they're there?

The judges seem to be giving the Halloween bits a round of 6s. That seems generous to me.

One note on the Shrek special I am otherwise avoiding. This is not new. I saw it last year. And now I'm watching it again. Sigh...

OK, I admit it, "Dead from Hollywood" made me giggle. It's going to be hard to maintain any semblance of a straight face throughout this night. Even if Tom "Boogeron" keeps himself to a minimum.

The band is made up of zombies. The judges are skeletons. Improvement?

If I were more ambitious, I would try to keep track of the puns and stupid Halloween jokes. But I'm not. Instead, here's the first dance!


David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: A vampire cha cha? Why not? For once, David's footwork looks very good. He's giving a more-restrained performance than the usual. There may have been some missed steps toward the middle, but David is doing a good job keeping it solid throughout. Still, not the most exciting dance, even from this specific dancer. To totally change the subject, Kym looks a lot like Karina Smirnoff in that outfit.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Lots of tricks and lots of treats!" "Overall, I'll tell you what, well done to you."
Bruno: "David, you've got the prestige my darling. You're a natural at turning tricks!"
Carrie Ann: "David, you're improvement is phenomenal." "You could be a little more consistent..."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Ummm... What did Bruno say to Carrie Ann there?


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Is there actually a giant spider on the stage, or is that some weird special effect? Either way, they had to have broken the budget on that. Also, yay! Theme from Ghostbusters! Wow. Good job, DWTS producers! You actually found J.R. briefly being aggressive and stuff. And then they hug. There are coffins on the stage. Of course. I totally expected Karina to be in one of them. Despite the rather insane distraction of Karina's dress (and the awesome but probably inappropriate music), the dance still looks good. It's not as flourish-filled a dance as some they've done, but it still looks good. And at least Karina ended the dance in that coffin.

Judges' Comments
Len: "For me, this performance was substandard for what I expect from you."
Bruno: "Bewitched! Conquered! And swept away by the ghostly beauty!" "You actually lost it a few times."
Carrie Ann: "I think you captured the tone of this piece perfectly." "You were very still precise and sharp without being overbearing."

Scores: 9+8+8 = 25

A "disappointing" dance for them is a 25? Yeah, they're OK.


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the jive

My Comments: "Happy" Nancy seems kind of cool. I wish she didn't base her normal TV persona on being angry. So we're going with a devil thing here? Also, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" may count as the song I least expected to hear paired with a jive. Nancy isn't keeping up as well as she has in the past in this one. Honestly, combined with the music, Nancy's performance reminds me of line-dancing or a hoedown. Not a bad dance by any means but far from her best.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Certain dances suit you and certain dances don't... For me, this wasn't a good dance for you."
Bruno: "Either the Devil got you or your shoes are too small." "You're suitably devilish, but the footing was devilish as well."
Carrie Ann: "You sort of lost your choreography a couple of times."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

Carson Kressley will be back tomorrow? Carson Kressley will be back tomorrow! Can we just get him hired as a co-host now?


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Is fear what you need to get a 10? The Addams Family may be the best theme for a tango ever, by the way. Gomez and Morticia were totally tango types. Rob looks slightly stiff when spinning Cheryl, but otherwise, he's impressively in character for the theme and for the dance. The cute little run at the end of the dance was a wee bit off-putting, but that's probably not a huge fault. That was quite fun.

Judges' Comments
Len:"Well done! I'll tell you what, I think you did a terrific job."
Bruno: "You've never been so manly and in control!" "You've got to keep your bum under you!"
Carrie Ann: "My favorite part is how you started dancing with Morticia, but by the end, she was Cousin Itt."

Scores: 9+8+8 = 25


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: Uh oh. Hurt Ricki! Considering what Ricki is wearing, I'm almost expecting a wolf to snatch her away (a la Grimm last week). But no -- it's just Derek. Derek is cuter than a wolf anyway. Even hurt, Ricki is doing an impressive job out on that dance floor. She's moving fast and with precision. This is actually a beautiful dance -- very fast and entertaining.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Those shapes that you made are fantastic. Lovely crisp, precise footwork."
Bruno: "It was like a blizzard of passion and fear! In the frozen woods!" "At times, you tensed the shoulders a little bit."
Carrie Ann: "Your shaping is just so gorgeous."

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Maybe David Arquette should dance with a skeleton all of the time? That was an awesome addition to the background of another dull Brooke interview.


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the samba

My Comments: OK, enough with the rehashing of last week's Maks-Len showdown. It was awkward the first time... Of the pros, Maks would indeed make the best werewolf. This dance is fast and looks quite precise. They're also having some fun, which is pleasant. Still, Hope doesn't necessarily look like she's in the same dance as Maks. Her expression is cheerful but not there. It's weird, because she's obviously concentrating. She just doesn't look like it.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You coped well with a very difficult dance."
Bruno: "You are running away from the Big Bad Wolf, and you were dancing as if your life depended on it."
Carrie Ann: "This was better than that Toy Story dance. There's this new-found ease of motion."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


Team Tango
Danced by David, Kym, J.R., Karina, Nancy and Tristan

My Comments: Awww... Nancy was picked last. And then she makes a big pumpkin mess in the rehearsal space. As for the dance set, wow. Very wow. That's a little insane. The dancers are impressively in sync at the beginning. Nancy didn't quite keep up with Tristan in her solo, but she recovered quite well. There seems to be something odd about the way that David is standing in his solo. It's like that straightjacket is actually impeding his movements. J.R. and Karina managed to start off with some rather extreme sexiness -- something lacking from the other dancers. Overall, a very good group dance.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Each one of the individual performances was a disaster."
Bruno: "Once you took individually to the dance floor, everybody had a mistake."
Carrie Ann: "I thought you started out extremely well." "Your shoulders were a little high..." "It was overall very nice."

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23


Team Paso Doble
Danced by Rob, Cheryl, Ricki, Derek, Hope and Maks

My Comments: They really do have a lot of insanely attractive men on that team. Apparently, Derek is the angel to Maks' devil. With those hoods, are the men supposed to be executioners? All of that fog and weird lighting makes it awfully tough to see the details. It's certainly very dramatic. Harder to distinctly notice parts than it was in the tango. Rob and Cheryl looked good with what I could see. Hope and Maks' part looked to be a lot of Maks and a little bit of Hope. Although there's plenty of Derek in it, Ricki looked nice in her solo. Poor Rob looked awfully out-of-his-element when whipping that cape around.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Your individual parts were fantastic."
Bruno: "Building to a fantastic ending! It was fabulous to see everybody going for it!"
Carrie Ann: "You guys were in sync with your cape work!"

Scores: 9+8+9 = 26

And that's that. Time for trick-or-treating!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Which performance was your favorite tonight? Did anyone surprise you? Who is in the most danger of going home? Did the Halloween puns get overwhelming? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 7 - Results Night, November 1, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ek-7-42455.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 7 Results: Bieber, Eliminations and Other Scary Things
Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Justin Bieber! Boyz II Men! Carson Kressley! Oh, and that little elimination thing. That's right -- it's time for Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show.

After an oftentimes scary night of performances on Halloween, one of the remaining six DWTS competitors must take his or her final bow. Can Nancy Grace survive that hoedown-jive? Was J.R. Martinez's first misstep forgiven? Are viewers tired of Hope and Maks bickering?

All questions will be answered tonight.

But before there can be answers, there must be vague and speculative predictions! That's where the BuddyTV Readers' Poll comes in. According to that oh-so-scientific survey, 64 percent of readers think that Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are the most likely pair to be eliminated in week 7. A sizable minority of 20 percent thought that Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy were more likely elimination choices, while the other dancers only got a few votes apiece.

Is this the outcome to be expected? Here is the week 7 leader board:

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 53 points
Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 51 points
Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 50 points
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 48 points
David Arquette and Kym Johnson: 47 points
Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 44 points


Those group dances certainly made a difference, didn't they?

So let's find out what happened!

I'm officially old -- Justin Bieber is performing and I do not see the appeal. At all. I guess he sings OK. And kind of dances. There are also many bright and flashy lights.

I honestly have a hard time believing that Len Goodman is into this performance.

Oh well. It's not like pre-teen heartthrobs have ever made sense to anyone over the age of 15. It's actually comforting to realize that certain things will always stay the same.

Justin Bieber is over now. There is fire coming from where the band usually sits. Were they sacrifices on the altar of teen fandom?

Anyway, screw Justin Bieber -- Carson Kressley is back! He was back yesterday anyway, chatting with people in the line and in the ballroom. Apparently Jason Biggs was there too. Why hasn't Brooke Burke been replaced yet? Even Carson couldn't remember her name.

Back to the dancing thing, Len requested an entire team as the encore: Team Paso Doble is back to do that creepy, dark dance again.

The dancing finished, it's time for the first RESULTS of the evening.

First up are Rob and Cheryl, Nancy and Tristan.

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are in the Bottom Two -- and obviously therefore in jeopardy.


But...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are safe!!!

We're at the inspirational part of the night now. Victoria Rose Viren, a teenage ballet dancer who survived a brain tumor and got back to dancing, is performing to the music of singer-songwriter Christina Perri. It's very nice.

This is followed by a half-naked Derek Hough dancing with Allison Holker (of So You Think You Can Dance fame). It's also very nice.

Time for the RESULTS to return! This time, the dancers facing the music are J.R and Karina, Ricki and Derek.


Of course, Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are safe!!!

Also,

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are safe!!!


Not that J.R. heard that result.

Now, because Halloween is over and we can officially commence the Christmas season, Justin Bieber is back. With a Christmas carol. And with Boyz II Men. If you listen carefully to the words (especially the Fa-La-La chorus), you might even be able to tell that this is indeed holiday music. Otherwise, it sounds a lot like the last Justin Bieber song overlaid with some Boyz II Men stuff.

The Bieber being done, it's time for more RESULTS. The final two to hear their fate are Hope and Maks, David and Kym.


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are safe!!!

Which means that...

David Arquette and Kym Johnson remain in jeopardy, having fallen into the Bottom Two for the week.

Having no more Bieber to give us, Dancing with the Stars must get to the final results of the night. With Nancy and Tristan and David and Kym being the only ones left...


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are safe!!!

Which means that David Arquette and Kym Johnson have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!


The audience (especially young Coco Arquette) did not like that. Alas, the popular competitors must meet their fates as well.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What's your opinion on this week's elimination? Were you surprised to see David go? Should it have been Nancy? Someone else? Let us know your comments and opinions below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 8 - Dance Night, November 7, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-w-42561.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Week 8 Dances
Monday, November 07, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Only 5 remain...

Now that we've lost more than half of the Dancing with the Stars season 13 cast to eliminations, things are getting pretty interesting. No rest for the frontrunners. No mercy for the stragglers. And no pre-set choreography and music for anyone -- not now that we're into Instant Dance time.

What will happen? It's anyone's guess. But if you're wondering where the DWTS cast stands before tonight's dances, here's the rundown:

* Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 205 points overall
* J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 201 points
* Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 183 points
* Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 182 points
* Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 169 points


Each of these remaining couples must face a new dance style and an Instant jive performance if they want to survive into the semi-finals. And there is absolutely no guarantee of anyone making it from this point forward.

So let's get to it!


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Hey! "Take on Me!" Love this song. Rob looks like he's having fun in this dance. Maybe it's the after effects of doing well last week? There's not much in the way of flair going on in the dance, but it does look pretty good. Rob is managing to keep up with Cheryl very well, which seems to be the big challenge in a dance like the quickstep. Not the most exciting dance from Rob but a very good and solid performance.

Judges' Comments
Len: "That opening section was terrible." "Once you got in hold, the whole thing changed." "Your best dance so far."
Bruno: "Once you took off, you were speedier than a drag race." "Once you know what to do with your bum, everything else falls into place." "It's incredible, the improvement. Incredible!"
Carrie Ann: "He grew and you grew and you grew!"

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Rob Kardashian's favorite group ever is Hall & Oates? Seriously? Seriously???


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the quickstep

My Comments: Awwwww... Maks and Hope are having a touching moment and stuff. How long will that last? Long enough to get to the dance anyway. Where they have umbrellas. It was hard to tell behind that umbrella, but it's possible that Hope was a little off in the beginning of the dance. Not by much and it was caught up by the time the umbrellas flew across the stage. Hope seems to be keeping up with Maks fairly well, although there are moments where it looks like Maks is carrying her across the floor. Nice ending with the balloons there.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was a blend of speed and control, it was fast, it was energetic." "It's your best dance. You fulfilled your potential!"
Bruno: "What's going on tonight? Is the night of miracles!" "You never moved so well!"
Carrie Ann: "Hope, come here. I just want to give you a hug!" "You guys were so in sync with each other."

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

On an unrelated note, what's up with Carrie Ann Inaba's hair? Her eyes seem to have disappeared behind some bangs...


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the waltz

My Comments: That's a very flowy beginning. That beginning is followed by a whole lot of spinning. This should not be a shock for a waltz. The dance doesn't look particularly complicated, but it's still lovely. Unlike most dancers (even at this point in the competition), Ricki never looks hesitant or awkward while dancing. She just looks good. Another pretty dance for Ricki Lake.

Judges' Comments
Len: "This was like a river, gently going through the dance. It was beautifully executed, the whole way through."
Bruno: "It was deliciously dreamy, floatingly soft!" "It just was absolutely beautiful."
Carrie Ann: "You had a little stumble at the end there... but your movements, they're exquisite." "When you dance, you lose yourself completely in the dance."

Scores: 9+9+10 = 28


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Um, why is Tristan so pretty? It's distracting. I'm not sure that Nancy is moving quite right for the dance, although she seems to be hitting the steps well. There is too much hesitation in some steps, and her posture seems a bit off at times. Considering that Nancy isn't afraid of conflict, it seems odd that an angry dance wouldn't suit her. But this does not seem to very well.

Judges' Comments
Len: "After all these weeks, being on that plateau, up you've gone."
Bruno: "Oh you brazen Jezebel!" "It was the right attitude."
Carrie Ann: "I just love your spirit." "What you did tonight was very clean, very sharp."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the waltz

My Comments: There is a very large heart on the stage. Also, some sad dancers. Oh, not so sad now. I guess they needed to dance. J.R. is having a little trouble with the typical male-dancer problem of looking a bit silly while waltzing. But not too much, especially when he's not doing those quick baby steps. The emotions of the dance are definitely there. It's hard to say how the dancing went, but I think it was pretty good.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Last week you retreated a little bit... You came back, all guns blazing."
Bruno: "It was like a musical Valentine card. You danced with your heart on your sleeve." "You were so in tune, it was divine."
Carrie Ann: "You have this incredible natural grace and fluidity... Something happened in the middle there that was just magic."

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

So he got his 30. Nice. Also, this score has allowed J.R. Martinez to thank Justin Bieber on national television. That's the true win.

Time for the Instant Dances now!

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the jive to "Maneater"

My Comments: Rob is starting on the judges' table? Scary. The actual dancing had a bit of a shaky start, but Rob seemed to get into it quickly. He's still having fun out there. The dance isn't quite as smooth as his earlier quickstep, but it's pretty good for an Instant Dance. They didn't skimp on dance steps either, which is always nice.

Judges' Comments
Len: "There was no glaring mistakes." "I thought you did great -- gotta flick a little bit more."
Bruno: "Great job. Great pace. Youthful energy."
Carrie Ann: "I'm impressed with the seamlessness of the transitions." "I'm still recovering from the booty shaking."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Ah, DanceCenter! Easily the best part of every season of Dancing with the Stars. Tomorrow night!


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the jive to "The Best Damn Thing"

My Comments: Since they just showed us Hope's earlier jive, it's easy to see how much she has improved since the early weeks. This is a very fast jive, and Hope seems to be keeping up well with Maks. She got a very small bit off toward the end, and that we're-never-going-to-stop thing was odd. But otherwise, that was very entertaining.

Judges' Comments
Len: "This was fantastic, Hope! It was everything a jive should be!"
Bruno: "The fast and the furious! You're like a wild child!" "Hope, you've got to stretch the back of your legs."
Carrie Ann: "Definite improvement from the last time you did the jive." "Something that was a little strange were just your hands."

Scores: 8+9+8 = 25


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the jive to "Land of 1000 Dances"

My Comments: They're certainly not going the slow route with this jive. It's not anywhere near as polished as many of Ricki's other dances, making her seem stiffer than she usually does. Derek is also doing a lot of the dancing-around stuff that pros do. It makes it look like Ricki is taking it a bit easy. She may not be. But that's the look. Still, it's a very good dance.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I thought you coped very well." "It was good, it's a tough dance, and I thought you did very well."
Bruno: "Very demanding choreography as usual." "Some sections didn't go together as well as they could have."
Carrie Ann: "There was a few little stops and starts, Ricki." "You got right back into it."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24


Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus
Dancing the jive to "Upside Down"

My Comments: Did Tristan bop Nancy's head when he jumped her? It might have just been her hair. The jive seems precise, although it doesn't have the excitement of some other jives seen tonight. Nancy just isn't bouncing enough to make the dance snap quite right. On the other hand, her steps look nice and precise. Plus, she did a cartwheel (in heels!) at the end. That's impressive.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Yours is the Cinderella story... however, for me, it's midnight and it's time to go home."
Bruno: "It was a little bit laid-back and loose for a jive."
Carrie Ann: "Unfortunately, you got lost in the choreography." "The chemistry that you two have saves you."

Scores: 7+6+7 = 20

Ouch.


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the jive to "Tutti Frutti"

My Comments: Now, there is energy in this one. J.R. definitely brought his performance skills to this one. He and Karina are all over the place, in the best possible way. There was a moment in the middle, when it looked like J.R. might not be perfectly in sync, but it's entirely possible that it was just the choreography. They also managed to stop right at the right moment, which is just plain impressive.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You've got the x factor and the feel-good factor, mixed together."
Bruno: "J.R., you were off like a rocket!" "Your side kicks were sensational!" "You've got it man, you've got it!"
Carrie Ann: "You're in a class all of your own. There's nobody even coming close to you guys tonight."

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

So it's safe to say that J.R. is going to be safe tonight.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

And that's it for week 8 of Dancing with the Stars! Which star was your favorite? How about your least favorite? Who is the most likely to go home? How awesome was J.R. tonight? Let us know what you think below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 8 - Results Night, November 8, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-week-8-42585.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Week 8 Results: Who Will Make the Semi-Finals?
Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

So close...

We're only a week away from the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars season 13 (ah, how the time flies!), which means that one contestant will, tonight, feel the sting of defeat just inches away from success. Will the eliminated contestant be expected? Are viewers going to be surprised in week 8? Keep reading to find out!


Eventually.

There are only five possibilities for elimination, so the show is going to have to fill up its hour with a whole lot of other entertainment. What entertainment? DanceCenter (yay!!!), Andrea Bocelli with Chris Botti, Flo Rida, Cirque du Soleil and more will all perform tonight.

But still, the point of the show is that pesky elimination. Who is the most likely candidate to go home? According to our BuddyTV Readers' Poll, the most likely competitors to leave in week 8 are Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus -- with 84 percent of BuddyTV voters picking them. A small number of readers also picked Rob and Cheryl, Hope and Maks, and Ricki and Derek.

So we've covered our bases.

Considering the scores from the Dancing with the Stars week 8 performance show, this does not seem an unlikely outcome:

1. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 60 points
2. (tie) Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 52 points
2. (tie) Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 52 points
4. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 51 points
5. Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus: 44 points

Still, there is the age-old question of whether scores or votes matter more. Let's find out!

You know, there is no way I'm ever going to get used to "I'm Brooke Burke-Charvet." It just sounds odd to me.

In other news, the female pros are dancing to "I Am Woman" by Jordin Sparks. Although much better danced, the choreography would not be out-of-place in a strip club.

Seriously? RESULTS already? Way to surprise me, Dancing with the Stars! Granted, these won't be very final results. We've got at least 50 more minutes before those come.

First up to hear their fates, Rob and Cheryl, Hope and Maks, J.R. and Karina.

Or not. We get a DanceCenter clip (Say "third," Tristan!) and commercials instead.


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE!!!

Shocker there.

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are SAFE!!!

Which means that...


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke remain in jeopardy.

And now the important part of the show: DANCECENTER!!!

Kenny Mayne on everyone:
Derek Hough: "He's a lot like Mark Ballas, except that he's blond and way less creepy."

J.R. Martinez: "Height, weight and shoe size don't matter. The man is a hero."

Rob Kardashian: "Most people think of Rob Kardashian as the loser brother of the family."

Time for a musical act or two... Which means that Andrea Bocelli and Chris Botti are performing for the Troupe's dancing.

More DanceCenter!!!

On Tristan: "He's a leprechaun."

On Hope: "She's kind of like the girl next door who can beat your ever-loving ass."

As far as razzing Maks is concerned, a picture is worth 1000 words:


That hilarity over, they're doing the Cirque du Soleil/Michael Jackson thing. It involves far better dancing than we usually see on (or above) the DWTS stage.

OMG! MUPPETS NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUPPETS ON DWTS!!! OMGOMGOMG!!!

Sorry. Crazed fan moment over. Until next week...

Meanwhile, it's time for Flo Rida to perform something I don't really know, because I am not hip enough.

That musical silliness out of the way, it's time for a few more RESULTS. Nancy and Tristan, Ricki and Derek remain to hear their fates.


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE!!!

Which means that Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus will (briefly) remain in jeopardy.

OK, we're finally at the end for this Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show. Will it be Nancy or Rob who goes home?

After an appropriate amount of build-up from Tom and Brooke...



Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE!!!

Which means that...

Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!


Not a shock, but it's impressive how not-inevitable that seemed. Nice tribute to Tristan from Nancy. Goodbye Nancy! Farewell, sweet Tristan!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think of these results? Was Nancy the right choice to go this week? Who are you looking forward to the most in the semi-finals? And why can't we have DanceCenter every week? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 9 - Semi-Final Dance Night, November 14, 2011

http://www.buddytv.c...ap-s-42693.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Semi-Final Dances
Monday, November 14, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

This is the week when it all gets serious, folks. Granted, it's probably been serious all along for the contestants on Dancing with the Stars season 13, but now it's serious for everyone. With only four couples left in the DWTS semi-finals, every step and every vote could make the difference between the finals and elimination.

Who will rise to the challenge? Who will crumple under the weight of three dances? Keep reading for our full recap of the Dancing with the Stars season 13 semi-final dances.

In case you don't believe me when I say that every little thing counts, let me remind you of how close the race is, going into week 9 of competition:

1. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 261 points overall
2. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 257 points overall
3. (tie) Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 234 points overall
3. (tie) Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 234 points overall

While there are obviously a pair of front-runners on this list (Seriously, what force on earth could keep J.R. out of the finals at this point?), it's still anybody's Mirror Ball to win. It looks like Dancing with the Stars season 13 has that rarest of reality-show commodities: A semi-final competition in which all competitors deserve to be there.

Which dancers deserve it the most? Let's find out!

Interesting costumes tonight. Including Zorro, by J.R...


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: Ugh, why do TV shows think that it's OK to show shots on television. Getting over a case of the willies now... So Hope is in chains. That's likely to make the dancing tough. Oh, she's free now. She and Maks seem to be doing their fighting thing, only in dance form. At least it's believable between these two. This is a very dramatic dance. The moves seem good, but Hope is still missing a little musicality and flow between her individual movements. Overall, it's very entertaining and fun to watch. It just doesn't have the spark that would make it amazing.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You had attitude, you had aggression... Because you had so much attack, you lost control and finesse."
Bruno: "You have to combine the energy with the artistry." "Control is as important as energy."
Carrie Ann: "I think you nailed the character of the dance." "In the hold, you sort of lost a little bit of your shaping."

Scores: 7+7+7 = 21

Not the greatest scores. Now, was Maks' response sincere or sarcastic? I'm not exactly sure...


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the paso doble

My Comments: J.R. is dressed like Zorro. This cannot be bad. Hey, they both have capes! This is excellent music for a Spanish dance, by the way. I have no idea if it's the music or the costumes or the dancing itself, but this performance is totally working for me. There are a few moments in the faster bits when it's possible that J.R. wasn't perfect. But they passed quickly and were totally overshadowed by the rest of the really good dancing. And J.R. re-twisted his ankle... Uh oh.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Certain dances suit you, certain dances don't. And for me, this dance didn't suit you at all." "It was more zero than Zorro."
Bruno: "I could feel the thrill and excitement of the chase... Dressed up, ready to kill." "Paso doble is all about the posture, and it wasn't there all the way through."
Carrie Ann: "I do believe it affected your posture a great deal... There were a few moments of uncertain pauses."

Scores: 8+7+8 = 23

The judges are super-cranky tonight, aren't they?


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the samba

My Comments: Good lord, what's happening on the stage right now? It's like a cartoon has just come to life out there. Which is followed by an impressively-fast start for Rob and Cheryl. Rob doesn't look quite professional out there, but this is easily as close to professional as he has ever looked. The goofy, smiling guy works great in the samba. Plus, you've got to be impressed by those super-fast steps. And it ends with streamers! I love things that end with streamers. But I bet the DWTS janitors won't like that so much.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Once you got on that floor, I was saying 'Oh yes!'"
Bruno: "That's how you turn a handicap into an asset. Once you start the shaking, there's no stopping you!"
Carrie Ann: "Who are you?! What was that?!" "Holy cow, it's a bootybootybootybootybooty..."

Scores: 10+9+9 = 28

Apparently, the judges just needed some rainbow colors, maracas and booty-shaking to feel happy?


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the samba

My Comments: Should yellow that bright be legal? Being slower than the samba we just saw, this dance seems less exciting than Rob's. It's also possible that Ricki isn't quite keeping up with Derek in the very fast steps. That said, this is still a very polished and lovely dance. While Ricki does not seem to be enjoying herself at every moment, the technical dancing is very good. The previous samba was definitely more fun, but this was good too.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. You've just taken a giant step into the finals."
Bruno: "Sizzling hot, bright and brilliant from the beginning to the end!"
Carrie Ann: "I saw you working out your shoulders so hard..."

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30

Len then expounded on what judges want to see in an Argentine tango. He used many words that I did not know. He also advocated adultery as a dance style.

Len's words were followed by an actual tango by professional dancers. This is possibly not the best idea ever conceived on by Dancing with the Stars. After all, how could a bunch of celebrities ever hope to compete in comparison to this?


Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the Argentine tango

My Comments: I've been to Richland, Washington! Honestly, it's not very exciting. To the dancing now -- Hope had better get off that table at some point. And she did. Hope and Maks look very good together in this dance. Although it doesn't totally look like they're "together," if that makes any sense. Hope's leg movements seem a bit off at times, but otherwise, she's definitely got the dance down. Overall, this was fairly good -- better than the paso doble anyway.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I thought it was far, far better than the paso doble. The lifts were clean, it had a lot of content."
Bruno: "Much better. Full-on display of athleticism... You did look like you were going to kill him all the time."
Carrie Ann: "I thought that you guys were working together in movements." "I give you points for being so ambitious with it."

Scores: 8+8+8 = 24

Is it just me, or did the judges seem straight-up angry when they gave their scores? Are they mad at Hope's comments?

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the Argentine tango

My Comments: J.R. has the best story of anybody on this show, ever. Even if we've already heard most of it. As for the dance, what is it about streetlamps that screams "tango" at the DWTS designers? J.R. seems to be doing a lot better with this tango than he did before. I'm not sure if it's angry enough, but there is definite passion. Also some seriously scary steps throughout.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It had mood, it had intensity. I was transported to the backstreets of Buenos Aires."
Bruno: "You were in Latin-lover mode! Strong, fearless!" "The sexual interplay with the two of you was absolutely incredible to watch."
Carrie Ann: "What is fabulous is the way you were able to negotiate the mounts and dismounts of those lifts."

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27

Considering J.R.'s face throughout that effusive praise, I'm guessing that his ankle is really, really hurting right about now.


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the Argentine tango

My Comments: Rob isn't that much younger than J.R. or Hope, is he? It's not like you're done at 30... It had better not be over then, since I'm in a whole lot of trouble. Anyway, dancing. The performance begins with a lot of dancing from Cheryl and notably less from Rob. Pretty standard for these dances, and Rob looks good while Cheryl dances around him. But still. Overall, Rob looks good, but he's just not doing as much as he has in other dances.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You're finishing strong."
Bruno: "You started out as a goofy outsider, now you look like a leading man."
Carrie Ann: "There was no faking involved, there was good, strong dancing."

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the Argentine tango

My Comments: I'm not sure that Ricki's wearing a good kind of dress to spread her legs like that. Although I'm sure there are many undergarments involved. This dance seems very fast and professional. Also kind of weird in its choreography. Four dances into the Argentine tango section, weird is good. Ricki is spinning and stepping quickly, keeping up with whatever weirdness Derek throws at her. That was both interesting (a nice change) and great.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Lovely contrast of movement from fast into slow." "Ricki, I don't think you know how good that was."
Bruno: "Totally transported into the underworld of Buenos Aires!" "Mood, spot-on. Dancing, peerless."
Carrie Ann: "What I see in you is the core-strength developing." "You've always have the passion, but now you have the pop to go with it."

Scores: 9+10+10 = 29


Now it's time for the cha-cha relay. This means an extra 10 points for the dancers judged the best, followed by 8 points to second place, 6 points to third place and 4 points to fourth place.

Cha-Cha Relay

Ricki is up first. Her cha cha, like everything else she does, looks quick and polished and generally lovely. The one criticism I could have is that they didn't connect to the music.

Hope is next. She and Maks go the athletic route, although Hope seems to be having some trouble keeping up with Maks at times, and there may have been a stumble.

J.R. is third. He's keeping up better than Hope, although this is not the fast and over-the-top performance we'd probably get if he wasn't hurt.

Rob is last. The theme of Fun Rob is continuing here. This is probably the fastest dance since Ricki and Derek at the beginning, and Rob is doing a great job of keeping up with Cheryl. Not as polished as Ricki, but otherwise good.

While the judges will have their own comments and scores, my ranking of the dances is as follows:

1. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
2. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
3. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
4. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

And the judges' choices...

4th Place: Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (4 points)
3rd Place: J.R. Martinez and Cheryl Burke (6 points)
2nd Place: Ricki Lake and Derek Hough (8 points)
1st Place: Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke (10 points)

I think it's safe to say that Rob is having a good night.

In case you don't want to do the addition, the final, cumulative scores for the night are:

Ricki and Derek: 67 points
Rob and Cheryl: 65 points
J.R. and Karina: 56 points
Hope and Maks: 49 points

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What did you think of the dancing in the semi-finals? Which couple was the best? Which couple was the worst? Who is in danger, and who is going to the finals? Leave your comments and get ready for the Muppets tomorrow night!!!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 9 - Semi-Finals Results Night, November 14, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...i-fi-42717.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Semi-Final Results: Is There Any Hope?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

In terms of standard Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show airings, this is pretty much the biggest night of the season. Tonight, we find out if J.R. Martinez can overcome a hurt ankle to take his expected place in the finals... If Rob Kardashian's last-minute surge is enough to keep going... If the audience loves Ricki Lake as much as the judges do... If Hope Solo has any hope (sorry, too easy) of survival...

Let's find out!

Alas, we will not actually find out much of anything for quite awhile. That's what the filler is for. And what filler! Muppets! Also, some singing and dancing (most notably by Cobra Starship). But who cares about the singing and dancing when there are Muppets in the house?

There will also, eventually be an elimination. Will it be Hope? Will it be one of the others? According to our BuddyTV Readers' Poll, 72 percent of you think that the most likely couple up for elimination is, in fact, Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. A smaller group (16 percent of voters) picked Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke instead. Only a very few readers seem to think that either J.R. or Ricki is likely to go home.

Not that we haven't been surprised before. But it does seem that surprise is less likely in the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals, considering the scores from last night:

1. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 67 points
2. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 65 points
3. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 56 points
4. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 49 points

Let's find out if the scores reflect the results!


Yay! The rainbow is back -- thanks to an encore dance from Rob and Cheryl! It might not be quite as polished as last night. But it's fitting that an episode of DWTS with Muppets brings back a giant rainbow for a dance. We even get streamers again!

This seems to be immediately followed by some RESULTS! Rob and Cheryl get to hear their fate first.


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are SAFE and in the finals!!!

But that's enough of the results thing for awhile. Instead, Cobra Starship (excellent band name, even if it is reminiscent of a classic rock/pop group) is performing. There are many fancy lighting cues involved in this. Also, someone is playing a keytar. The presence of a keytar officially makes everything more awesome.

It's time for Hope and Maks to get some RESULTS. They don't seem quite as positive* about the whole thing, probably for the obvious reasons.

* By "not quite as positive," I mean comments like "Kiss my booty" from Hope.

Awwww... That might be the saddest thing Len has ever said: "The thing is... We were nice."

Kind of makes me root for the evil judges.

Anyway...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy remain in jeopardy.

Also, Carson Kressley is back! I am becoming more and more convinced that he never actually left. Apparently, his purpose is to investigate the insane geniuses hidden backstage in the wardrobe department of Dancing with the Stars.

In the interest of filling more time, the Macy's Design-a-Dance thing is happening. Derek Hough and Anna Trebunskaya are dancing to "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. This involves some dramatic (although not Gaga-crazy) costumes and a lot of fog.

I'm not sure why Dancing with the Stars doesn't want us to see Muppets. Instead, we get to hear about how male dancers get picked on. Bullying sucks, but the PSA isn't very interesting. The dancing, on the other hand, is quite good.

MUPPETS NOW!!!

Tom Bergeron takes pointers from Gonzo very well. Hey, it's like Kermit isn't actually playing that piano! The people dancing are not actually dancing. This is a bit of a disappointing performance -- a cheesy song, real-people dancers and just a few close-ups of Muppets. They could do better. Muppets are still cool. This fake Muppets-in-the-studio thing is disappointing though.

Anyway, back to the RESULTS! J.R. and Karina, Ricki and Derek are getting some info. And...

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff remain in jeopardy.


But...

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough are SAFE and in the finals!!!

OK, it's time for the final final RESULTS of the night, telling us which dancers will be in the finals and which are going home. Will it be the fairly obvious Hope and Maks? Or the much less obvious and kind of shocking J.R. and Karina.


And...

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are SAFE and in the finals!!!

Which means that...

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!!!


Thus, the finalists in Dancing with the Stars season 13 are:

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff

Not exactly the lineup we might have guessed at the beginning, is it?

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think of the semi-final results on Dancing with the Stars? Are you happy with the finalists? Were Hope and Maks the right dancers to go home? Leave your comments below!

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 10 - Finals Dance Night, November 21, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ap-t-42819.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: The Season 13 Finale Performances
Monday, November 21, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

We've made it to the finale! Granted, we haven't made it with exactly the celebrities we would have thought back at the beginning of Dancing with the Stars season 13: Did anyone really expect that Rob Kardashian could dance? But he can and he's in the finals -- along with J.R. Martinez and Ricki Lake. And all of their hopes and dreams of Mirror Ball Glory depend on tonight's performances.

Which of the remaining stars will shine? Which will fade? Keep reading to find out!

The overall scores are, of course, no help in figuring out who will win. While Ricki Lake and Derek Hough lead for the moment with 316 points earned over the season, J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff are right behind with 311 overall points. And let's not forget that it was J.R. in the lead before last week! Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke are trailing somewhat, with 289 points, but have been rising steadily for the past few weeks.

There's no way to know for sure how it will go tonight. So let's find out!

As the finalists wander down the stairs, I have only one question: Is Karina's dress made of cut-apart pieces of yellow measuring tape? That's what it looks like.

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: OK, now that it's the finals, could we ask Ricki to stop talking about being fat. She's not fat. Anyway, dancing. It's good that Ricki and Derek aren't holding back in this final night of dancing. Everything is moving super-fast. Also, this looks like a lot of fun. Some dances don't, but this does. Ricki may have stumbled slightly in a couple of places, but this was overall a really entertaining and well-danced start to the finals.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Action-packed performance... It's a dance deserving of this final."
Bruno: "You've never been hotter, you've never been sexier." "At times... there was a slight lack of fluidity in some passes, but fantastic."
Carrie Ann: "You are looking fierce!" "Tonight, you were definitely living the dance."

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the waltz

My Comments: Is the element of surprise really so important on Dancing with the Stars? Ugh, dark lighting again. Rob is holding his own in the waltz, although it's far from the showcase he might want in the finale. A lot of the time, he seems to be standing around, waiting for Cheryl to finish spinning. To his credit, Rob does this well. He even avoids the silly look suffered by many a DWTS male celebrity. A good dance but not the best.

Judges' Comments
Len: "You had good hold. You had good posture. You had more rise and fall than Pam Anderson jogging..."
Bruno: "So full of expression! I love the continuity of lines." "You just messed up some of the footwork..."
Carrie Ann: "You're like the male version of Cinderella: you made it to the ball and deservedly so!"

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the cha cha

My Comments: The beginning of the dance almost makes me think that J.R. and Karina are trying to ignore each other. So much dancing apart. Even together, there's a lot of back-to-back dancing happening there. Of course, all of this is possible because J.R. doesn't need Karina holding his hand throughout the dance. I didn't see any obvious mistakes, and the man has obviously come back from that ankle injury. An excellent and fun dance.

Judges' Comments
Len: "I think it was brave that you did a lot of that dance on your own." "J.R., this wasn't that good."
Bruno: "I really like the mood you set." "The character was on it."
Carrie Ann: "I think when people watch you dance, they fall in love with you."

Scores: 8+7+9 = 24

To quote, as I often do, Strictly Ballroom, "I thought that was good."

Wow. What did they say to Len to piss him off?


Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the freestyle

My Comments: Giant picture of Ricki there. Technically, this freestyle is probably a good dance, but somehow it's not working for me. There's a certain Frankenstein-quality about it -- like Derek took a whole bunch of dances and shoved them together in little bundles. Other than impressive moves, I'm not getting any feeling of flow throughout the dance. Ricki danced it well, but I didn't like the entirety of it.

Judges' Comments
Len: "It was fun, it was entertaining, you lost it a little bit in the quickstep section..."
Bruno: "By God, you did a good job!"
Carrie Ann: "You did it effortlessly, it was fluid."

(There were probably more comments, but the excitement of the judges and the audience kind of made it hard to hear them.)

Scores: 9+9+9 = 27


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the freestyle

My Comments: Yay! Man in a hat! Also, Cab Calloway music. I can't fault that. It's an interesting choice to give a young guy like Rob an old-timey dance. A lot of the dance involves excessive Cheryl dancing, while Rob does less. Again, the dance seemed to be a little disjointed, although not so much as the previous freestyle. It was a good dance, but it was hard to connect to.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Rob, you've just given your all. You should be proud. Your family should be proud."
Bruno: "I tell you, timing in life is everything -- you peaked at the right time!"
Carrie Ann: "To get a 10, you have to blow us away. Consider me blown!"

Scores: 10+10+10 = 60

Whoa. Could Rob Kardashian be the dancer to beat in Dancing with the Stars season 13?


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the freestyle

My Comments: Um, Karina? It's the celebrity who's supposed to freeze up at the end. Not you. But she got through the lift in the actual performance, so I suppose it was OK. It's hard to tell how much actual ballroom dancing is happening from J.R. in this, but he's definitely having a lot of fun. There is no lack of enthusiasm, although it's a strange choice from Karina to have such all-over-the-place choreography. Good, I think, but again no clue how the judges will react.

Judges' Comments
Len: "Two things were revealed: Karina's body and your talent. Fantastic!"
Bruno: "You're a wild exuberant..." "It was a jungle, tribal experience!" (or something like that -- the accent was out of control)
Carrie Ann: "I have one thing to say. J.R., you 'Wind it up...!'"

Scores: 10+10+10 = 30


That makes it a tie for the night between J.R. and Ricki. And the winner of the performances in the finale of Dancing with the Stars season 13 is... Rob Kardashian? Seriously?

What a crazy, upside-down world we live in. It's kind of fun!

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

Who was the best dancer in the DWTS season finale? Do you agree with the judges' scores? Who are you voting for? Let us know in the comments section below!

I have to admit that Rob Kardashian put on a great second dance and I was happy for him.
I think that the judges were way too harsh on J.R. Martinez on his first dance. I think they were challenging the home viewer to use their votes to save him from an unjust outcome.

I think that Ricki will finish below the surging Rob. I guessing people don't want Derek to win another season of DWTS because he's getting a big ego.

I think that the homeviewer wants J.R to win in order to show how the Sky's the Limit for great guy with a great attitude who's worked hard to overcome devastating war injuries.

 

[superintelligentone]

Dancing With The Stars, Season 13, Week 10 - Finals Results Night, November 22, 2011

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-wi...ason-42849.aspx

'Dancing with the Stars' Season 13 Finale Results: And the Mirror Ball Goes To...
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Laurel Brown
Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Who will win?

That's the only question that really matters on this final night of Dancing with the Stars season 13. Will Rob Kardashian make good on his finale week win and take the Mirror Ball? Will J.R. Martinez prove to be as beloved as we suspected? Could Ricki Lake take it all with her style and solid dancing?

We have all of the DWTS results here, so keep reading!

Did you miss anything from Monday night's DWTS performance finale? Click here for a full recap!

There is a pretty good chance that this will be one of the closer DWTS finales in recent memory. After all, Rob was a dark horse going in to the finale -- and then he won. J.R. and Ricki have been front-runners throughout Dancing with the Stars season 13, but both have stumbled toward the end. With only 3 points separating the dancers this week, it may all come down to the votes.

With that in mind, it's time to take a look at the results from the BuddyTV Readers' Poll. While there is a clear winner in the poll, the results are far from certain. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff seem to be the favorites, with 56 percent of BuddyTV voters picking them to win. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough have a fair number of votes as well (24 percent). The smallest number of readers -- 20 percent of those voting -- picked Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke as the DWTS season 13 winners.

Will this be the case? Let's find out!

Is this the most over-dramatic opening to any Dancing with the Stars ever? Ummm, show? This is a dancing competition. We're not bringing about world peace or anything. Seriously, what's with the dramatic and sad-looking finalists standing in corners while dramatic music plays?

Fortunately, we're quickly back to the true Dancing with the Stars -- a bunch of professional dancers performing their impressive moves to club music. Followed of course by the many eliminated competitors (in gold), with their pros (in black). They seem to be forming some highly-choreographed gauntlet for the finalists to pass through. Or not.

After a brief look back at how all the dancers were feeling last night, it's time for the first of tonight's musical interludes. The special musical guest is Lady Antebellum, which is a band whose music actually crosses paths with my life on occasion. Considering that I rarely know who the musical types are, this is impressive.

To start off the competition bit, the three finalists get to perform again. It's their favorite dances of the season! This should be a lot of fun...

First up --

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
Dancing the tango

My Comments: Oh, I did love this dance! One of the more entertaining of the season. Of course, the camera people are being creative, which makes it hard to actually see the dance a lot of the time. But it still looks good. There may have been a moment when Ricki and Derek were off the music. Or that might just be because this is such an odd piece of music for a tango. They got back on right away anyway. The screen dancing is still cool too. That was an excellent choice for the repeat. Very excellent.

Judges' Comments
Len: "This is one of the memorable dances of this or any season. The first time around, I really liked it. I loved it the second time."
Bruno: "It was a grand, cinematic extravaganza!" "Unforgettable!"
Carrie Ann: "Tonight you have proven to us yet again that you are a fighter." "It was perfect the first time. It was beyond perfect tonight!"

Sorry, no scores yet. I guess we get those later?


Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the foxtrot

My Comments: This was a good dance the first time. Also, it was early enough in the competition to allow for a lot of improvement. Ergo, good choice! There may be a few little stumbles toward the beginning. Small ones, but that's never a good thing when in the finals. Still, Rob has definitely stepped up his dashing-dancer persona in the intervening weeks. Was the miss of Cheryl as she slid a mistake? They covered it well if it was. The dance was still a lot of fun. Probably not quite as polished as Ricki and Derek but still good.

Judges' Comments
Len: "The little slip doesn't mean anything." "You've got the best footwork of virtually every guy I've ever seen on this show ever."
Bruno: "You really have improved beyond everyone's expectations." "You made even a little hiccup look charming."
Carrie Ann: "Everything just looks like it comes easy for you now."

Oh... We get the scores after all three dances. Explanations are sometimes hard to come by in this life.


J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Dancing the jive

My Comments: Yikes. Is it dangerous to do a dance that didn't score terribly well? At least this was an awesome dance. Oh right. It started out in black-and-white. That's odd looking. I kind of love how J.R. is the only celebrity dancer who looks good when he's not with his partner. If there are points for moving quickly, this dance is sure to be a hit. Still no clue if there was lindy or not, but it's still a lot of fun.

Judges' Comments
Len: "J.R., you did exactly what I asked you to do -- you took out the lindy." "You just light up this room."
Bruno: "What you did was energetic, fast-paced fun, fun, fun!"
Carrie Ann: "J.R., you had a little bit of a rough time in there. I don't know what happened." "I did miss the lift."

Oh, such confusing scoring... If I understood Tom correctly, the first place dancer will get 30 points, the second-place performer gets 28 points and third-place gets 26 points. And then it all gets mashed together for the final results.

And the RESULTS are:

3. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 26 points
2. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 28 points
1. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 30 points

This means that the revised standings are:

1. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough: 84 points
2. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke: 83 points
3. J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff: 82 points

So now everybody is only 1 point away from everybody else. It's all going to be about the votes...

This means that we've made it to the first Dancing with the Stars Finale Elimination and the announcement of the season 13 3rd Place. And...

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough have been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars season 13.

I totally called that. Just saying...

Now Rob and J.R. get to walk down the stairs yet again, accompanied by the super-dramatic music that DWTS loves tonight. And then they get to stand in illuminated squares of ballroom floor. OK...

Since both men have done very well in past sambas, this should be an interesting match-up. The two men will have the same music ("Shake Your Bon-Bon") for their dances, with J.R. dancing first and Rob following.

While the finalists go work on their dances, it's time for the eliminated dancers to show us why we were idiots to get rid of them. First up are Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) and Peta Murgatroyd, followed by Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy.

Kristin Cavallari is the next eliminated dancer to show up. Somehow, she made Mark Ballas morph into two different men for the beginning of the dance. Not sure what was up with that, but it did make for an impressive beginning.

These are actually some pretty good dances from the eliminated contestants.

Time for the next surprise elimination contestant -- Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani. Chynna gets to talk before her dance. But then we get the Mission: Impossible dance again! Alas, Tony doesn't begin this one dangling from a wire. Maybe that's for the best. And yes, when not totally messed-up, this is a pretty good dance.

Not that you would know he was even gone, but Carson Kressley was the next dancer eliminated. Now he's back (again). And in rare style. Carson seems to be playing Madonna in the "Vogue" video. This dance seems to be involving a rather high number of additional dancers. Oh my.

Next up for the eliminated contingent, Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus are back to do their Spamalot dance. That was a cute one.

Chaz Bono comes next. He and Lacey Schwimmer get a bit of an assist from Lacey's dad, Buddy. He's an impressive dancer for a roundish man. Now that was an interesting dance...

David Arquette and Kym Johnson managed to rope in the help of a whole pile of dancers too. Technically, this is the same dance that we saw during Broadway Week. Only bigger. Bigger works for this dance. And, unfortunately for the finalists, David Arquette has just stolen the Mirror Ball.

Just in case audiences were getting tired of all this dancing stuff, we go back to Lady Antebellum at this point.

Finally, the parade of eliminated dancers ends with Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, repeating that flowers and sunshine dance. It might not be all flowers and sunshine for Hope though -- she gave one of the footlights a good kick. That was the kind of kick that sometimes results in actual injuries. But she managed to keep dancing, so hopefully not too bad an injury.

Back to the competition... First up are J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff.

Thanks to a bunch of annoying camera angles, it's kind of hard to get a feel for this dance. It seems to be going well. Not a very fast or crazy samba, but it's a good one. I couldn't see any mistakes -- which is a plus.

All to soon, we move on to Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke. They're also going for a very conservative samba, although they're moving around more. It's possible that Rob was a little off in a couple of the more minor moves. Nothing to trip him up horribly though.

Now for the judges' comments:

Len: "These two always do it. I rarely do this, but I'm going to say well done."
Bruno: "J.R.... people eat it from your hands, and they just eat it from you." "Rob... Last week you were beyond the rainbow. Now you're in orbit."
Carrie Ann: "I think both of you are winners... That was a great way to end the season!"

Samba Scores for J.R. Martinez: 10+10+10 = 30

Can't get better than perfect, can you?

Samba Scores for Rob Kardashian: 10+10+10 = 30

So, what they're saying is that absolutely nothing that happened tonight matters? Isn't that basically the result here? Oh well.

Whatever mattered and whatever didn't, it's now time for the final RESULTS of Dancing with the Stars season 13.

And...

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke have ended the season in 2nd place.

Which means that...

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff have won Dancing with the Stars season 13!!!

And all's right with the world.

Did Dancing with the Stars get it right this time? Are you happy with the winner? Who did you think would win? Leave your comments below!

Dancing with the Stars DID turn out correctly. "All's right with the world" indeed. .
Congratulations to J.R. Martinez, you deserve it. Congratulations to Karina for guiding J.R. to the Championship. She finally got a partner who wasn't a longshot.