Rock week.

I really do miss Julianne Hough, I hope she comes back, but I think she’s becoming too big of a star for that.  It’s no surprise that so many of the favorite dances are ones that she put together. 

Nicole and Derek’s 50’s paso is my favorite dance ever.  I love that dance every time I see it, and I’ve seen it a few times.  I confess that I just searched the dance in youtube and then shared it on facebook. 

Audrina and Tony – Audrina is so good but so boring.  I just don’t feel entertained when I watch her dance.  I just hope that the song they danced to wasn’t a subconscious foretelling of their very close future…. Another one bites the dust….

Kyle and Lacey – The dance was fine.  Maybe his best dance so far.  I am just sick of seeing him try to plan a kiss on Lacey at the end of every dance, it always looks awkward, like it’s not planed, so he ends up putting his mouth somewhere weird and it looks stupid.  He’s just to immature to just dance with Lacey without being a teenager. 

Jennifer and Derek – I think Derek is so great at choreographing the Paso, this one was awesome too.  I loved the intensity and Jennifer looked so great also.  They only seemed to lose it a little at the end, when She stumbled on the turn and Derek a little too.  Carrie Ann started out the judging very harshly, telling her to calm down, but I thought it was very fitting for rock week.  I kind of thought it should be a little more harsh and strong because of the theme. 

Rick and Cheryl – I think he looked too much like he was concentrating on the dance, rather than looking intense.  Other than his face, I thought the dance was great.  He did a good job at keeping his posture, even though Cheryl is so much shorter than him. 

Oh that’s very nice to see Martha Stewart in the audience.  When are we going to see her dancing on the show?

Bristol and Mark – Oh wow, what a way to redeem herself from last week’s nightmare.  I was really surprised to see that she kept her face straight for the most part through the whole dance.  One of my issues with Bristol has been that silly grin she always has on her face and it only peaked out right after her air guitar and in that, I’ll give her that one, it did look pretty good.  This was definitely her best dance and I am so happy to see her trying now. 

Kurt and Anna – I laughed so hard when Kurt came out dressed like Brett Michaels.  The dance was good, but he looked really tired through the whole thing.  I don’t know if he really looked like Jackie Chan but it wasn’t great. 

Brandy and Maks – Brandy has definitely gotten a lot better, the dance was intense and it was fun.  There was a small mistake at one point but barely noticeable. 

Rock and Roll Dance Marathon

 First couple out is Kurt and Anna.  Bristol and Mark our out next.  The worm just wasn’t a big crowd pleaser, or judge pleaser.  Rick and Cheryl left next then Kyle and Lacey (lasting longer than I expected).   Out of the 3 couples left, the next ones to go is Audrina and Tony.  Leaving Brandy and Maks and Jennifer and Derek.  No surprise there.   Brandy and Maks won the marathon, even after dancing last in the night.  They could have been so tired they wouldn’t have made it through the first 30 seconds, but they did great.  I thought Jennifer and Derek were better, but the judges know what they are doing. 


Results


Oh man, I've always loved Barracuda.  That song is one of the greatest songs of all time.  The dance was great too, but if I did see some sloppy stuff in there too, which is surprising, since they were all pros.
The School of Rock performance was pretty great.
I used to really like Kylie Minogue and that song was okay, but I really think men should dance like men, and the dancing on that was not entertaining for me.
I do like how this results show they have showed us a little of what each of the couples were saying right before they started to dance. That's kind of fun.  I always wonder what they are thinking behind the scenes, and that's always cool to see the confessional and see what their reaction is after they've gotten their scores and stuff, I think it is a glimpse of who they really are, even more so than when they show us what happened during rehearsals in the week before the dance.
At first when the 3 couples were standing there, in jeopardy, I was thinking it would be Kyle and Lacey going home, but then when the said Kyle and Lacey were safe it was obvious that Audrina and Tony were going home.  No way would Jennifer and Derek get voted off this soon.  Audrina couldn't really get any better.  Her performances have been pretty consistent so I guess I wasn't really surprised, although last week I didn't call this one.  So now maybe next week it will either be Kyle or Bristol that goes home.  We'll just have to see, anything could happen. Especially now that Bristol is giving it all in her performances, if she continues at the pace she has been going, she could very well end up in the finals.  Hard to say now.

TV theme week.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen them spend the first half hour of the show talking about the stars before the dancing even starts.  It was fun to see what the judges have to say but 20 minutes into it I was ready for the dancing to start. 

Brandy and Maks (Friends) – Maks looks very young with his face clean shaven.  Brandy was so light on her feet for this dance.  She really flowed.  I loved that dance.  She’s gotten so much better the last couple weeks, I am beginning to think she may end up winning this season instead of my personal favorite, Jennifer Gray. 

Florence and Corky (The Brady Bunch) – Why am I not surprised that Florence and Corky are dancing to The Brady Bunch theme?    The dance was good, but I’m beginning to look at them as a gimmick rather than serious about the competition, which is sad because she actually seems to be getting a little better each week.  The beginning of the dance was smooth and great but then they started in with the silly movements and made it a joke.   I think I’ve seen Florence kiss more people on this show than any other season. 

Kurt and Anna (Bewitched) – I thought there were parts where Kurt’s footwork was great and then times where his steps were too short and they were not in sync and it looked slightly sloppy.  It was very cute though and he’s definitely getting better.  I saw Michael J Fox in the audience! I love Michael J Fox! 

Audrina and Tony (The Hill) – They are getting really creative with which TV theme to give to these stars.  I don’t see how eating an onion would make it easier to be intimate with someone.  It seems like it should be the opposite.  It was cool how there was a pool on the dance floor with lights.  It was strange how they started dancing in it though.  I didn’t like the dance/song combination.  The song is so fast for a rumba and it made me feel like they should have been dancing faster. 

Kyle and Lacey (Charlie’s Angels) – I’m very thankful they didn’t use the theme song from Cory in the House or That’s So Raven.  Their dance was fun and entertaining.  He always tricks me that way.  I never really pay attention to the actual dancing because I’m entertained.  I thought Len and Bruno were harsh, but because they have to combine the dance they are given with a song that doesn’t really match. I guess it makes the competition more interesting. 

Rick and Cheryl (Hill Street Blues) – I like when they went to see Kobe Bryant and they show Cheryl with her head tilted back so she can look then in the eye.  She’s so short anyway, but to be next to basketball players, she really looks short.  Rick did pretty good in the dance, he seemed to move the way they would expect him to for the Rumba and he looked good, not like a huge robot. 

Bristol and Mark (The Monkees) – Their time spent on clown lessons should have been spent learning the dance.  I don’t think I’ve seen someone miss that many steps this late in the competition ever.  I thought she got a lot better on loosening up so it was unfortunate that her moves were terrible.  I was shocked that Len liked it so much.  He must really like Sarah Palin.  He usually hates those silly extras.  Bruno and Carrie Ann pointed out the same stuff I saw and described it best. 

Jennifer and Derek (Married With Children) – I wasn’t blown away by how good it was like so many of her other dances but I still thought it was great.  Her movements were great and she flowed smoothly.  Have I mentioned I can’t believe she is 50 years old! There is no way!

Results

I think when they said Bristol and Mark no one was more surprised than Bristol and Mark.
With Bruno's dance video and the new "easy steps" I should be a pro on DWTS in no time.
I really hope I wasn't the only one moved to tears by the african family's story and the dance they did with the pro girls was my favorite part of the whole season!!!
I laughed so hard when Shakira and her dancers come out, dancing this super sexy dance with just about the least sexy pants in the world on.  I really thought those ridiculous MC Hammer pants died a long time ago.  I couldn't stop laughing.
Wow moment of the evening number 2: The guest pros.
I think Tony should apologize to Carrie Ann about how he reacted to her pointing out a lift during their dance.  They were showing the replay of it while he was saying that she is just after him and Audrina didn't just lift her foot a little, it was clearly a lift.
I actually watched the results show after seeing on facebook that Florence was voted off so I wasn't surprised but even when I first saw the facebook post I wasn't surprised.  I just think it's just time.  Next week it will probably be either Kyle or Bristol and whichever one of them doesn't go next week will go the next week, then either Rick or Kurt will go next and it's so close with Jennifer and Brandy that either one of them could take the trophy.  So lets see how the next few weeks go, but I've watched this so for so many years and that is usually how it goes.  

Double score showdown

Kurt and Anna – Way to go Kurt! I’m so glad he mentioned that it’s strange as a Christian to dance intimately with a woman who is not his wife.  I think Kurt moves his hips pretty great for a football player.  It’s obvious he’s taking this competition seriously and really trying to do a good job.  The performance was great and I loved it, I didn’t really notice a problem with his hands until they showed the replay in slow motion….ok so there might be a problem with his hands. 

Brandy and Maks – I love that Maks took Brandy out for a romantic dinner, and I laughed so hard that she called him on how he “introduced” the flowers, candy and wine to her.  The emotion in this dance for them was so much more intense than any other week and I think it might have been their best dance so far. 

Rick and Cheryl – The Argentine Tango is my favorite dance.   It seems like Rick’s feet did not move quickly enough or something was missing.  This wasn’t my favorite dance of his.  Low energy but good lifts.  Len described it best. 

Kyle and Lacey – I kept trying to look at Kyle’s feet to see how he was doing, and I thought he did pretty good.  Kyle is like the most immature star I’ve ever seen on the show, but he is serious about the work and trying to get better in the competition. 

Mike and Karina – I kind of feel like Mike was only moving when he was doing a lift.  I saw very little footwork in that dance.  He was concentrating way too hard on lifts.  Maybe this week it’s just too early for lifts.  Their scores are painful but pretty much exactly right.  It’ll be between him or Florence for getting voted off this week.

Florence and Corky – I laughed really hard at the “appropriate/not appropriate” part of the rehearsals.  I just don’t know how to feel about this dance.  I was trying to focus on the technique so I don’t gag.  Corky is sexy for an old man but there is something about Florence’s plastic surgery face that just makes me want to throw up.  I do think they could have toned it down just a little.  Florence is so stiff for something like Rumba. 

Jennifer and Derek – I thought the beginning of their dance was very creative, and I liked it a lot.  Theirs is definitely the best argentine tango of the night.  Jennifer’s legs and footwork are so great.  The dance flowed and looked great the whole way through.  The judges were all big fans of the dance too!  The highest scores of the night and the first 10’s of the season.

Bristol and Mark – I didn’t think I’d ever see her do a dance without that goofy smile on her face.  I saw it start to peek through her serious face a couple times, but she did a pretty good job at keeping it hidden.   Best part of the dance was when Mark lost his shirt…. I wish they wouldn’t have covered up his tattoos though.  They showed a close up of Bristol’s face and it really looked like she was biting her tongue and Mark said she looked hot???

Audrina and Tony – Audrina could end up in the lap of someone on the front row and still wouldn’t get voted off this week.  She’s Jennifer’s biggest competition.  The dance was great and she gets better and better. 


Results

I'm pretty sure I never want to hear Jennifer say "dope" ever again.  Scary!
I noticed that Derek and Jennifer changed the beginning of their dance for their encore performance.  It was still awesome! They did awesome.
I was a big fan of Goo Goo Dolls when I was younger but not really into them now.  I am a big fan of the new stage though.  I don't know why, but I like it!
My favorite part of the results show is where they have some sort of fun skit.  Len is actually very funny for being such an old grump.
I didn't like the group tango, I felt like there was too much going on at the same time.  what's the point of having each couple doing a different dance?  You can only watch one at a time.
Florence and the Machine was painful to listen to, but the dancers were great!  It would be pretty challenging to dance in such a small spot like that.
After hearing Mike's reaction to his scores I was hoping it would be his turn to go.  I think Karina was a bit surprised by it too, she didn't look very happy with him.  When it came down to Florence or Mike, I was thinking "yucky old couple doing the humpty dance or egotistical male who has a name for his abs.  The abs gotta go".  Us ladies will get plenty of abs from Maks and Mark.  I'm glad that it was Mike who got voted off but I am sure that Florence making it through this week is just delaying the inevitable.  She'll probably go next week.

Week 3, Story night.

The costumes this week are very interesting.  Especially Margret Cho’s. 

The group pro dance was pretty good, I didn’t recognize a couple of the pros and then I notices one of them lost her skirt early. 

Jennifer and Derek – Derek is so funny, his facial expressions make me giggle.  I like how well him and Jen dance together.  There was a part where I thought she made a mistake but I think it was just meant to be part of the story.  After hearing the judges I guess they did mess up, and they showed us the right way, and it looked awesome!

Florence and Corky – Florence was saying during rehearsal week that her husband died 8 years ago and she tears up.  That must be the worst loss someone can go through.  I don’t even want to think about Steve dying ever.  The dance was really good; the kiss at the end was a little crazy and unexpected.  I think other than that there wasn’t really a story.  Maybe Jen and Derek going first ruined my expectations though because they did so well on the story aspect for the night. 

Kurt and Anna – he’s just a big tree dancing around. Hahaha.  I’d say he’s not used to small delicate movements.  I love that he had a tea party with his daughters.  The rain at the start of the dance was interesting.  Did they do that with lights or what?  The quality on my laptop kind of sucks so I didn’t really see it clearly.  It was enough of a distraction that I wasn’t really paying attention to the dance.  Ugh, well I didn’t see anything bad about the dance.  He definitely seemed to find his delicate side and moved not at all like a big tree. 

Margret and Louis – It’s all about pride. And that must have been where the rainbows came in.  There is so much gay pride in this dance I think I am going to have rainbow colored night mares tonight.  Mostly Margret did great with her hips and legs and I was really surprised at the beginning of the dance at how well she did but then the last half she started to miss her steps and there was parts where she was stopping between dance moves, there just wasn’t a flow.  The story was about having pride.  That’s not a story.  Over doing it, is what that was.

Audrina and tony – This story could potentially be the saddest of the evening.  The story is very real for so many people out there, not the back from the dead part, but the dead soldier part.  Audrina did very well, her dancing is graceful and she did pretty well at keeping her face in it too.  “you walk with your feet and you dance with your heart”.  That’s a great quote from Len.   To go from Gay pride to honoring our military, was a great way to help me forget that last dance. 

Bristol and Mark – I cannot imagine Bristol as intense, so this dance should be interesting.   Mark started out the dance with some contemporary and I can’t imagine Len is going to like that.  It only took Bristol about 30 seconds to plant that huge grin on her face again, but she continued to fight it through the dance and she did fairly well.  I didn’t think Bristol’s dance would be part of it but Len said it was all too contemporary for his taste. 

Brandy and Maks – I am glad that Brandy addressed how it always looks like she is fighting with Maks, and she really does want to work with him.  This Samba seemed kind of slow but they looked great dancing.  I think this was Brandy’s best dance so far and apparently so did the audience since I think that was the first standing ovation of the night.  I didn’t see anything wrong with how Maks was teaching during rehearsals but I guess he was being naughty and the judges think he is a tough teacher and partner. 

Kyle and Lacey – He did kind of look like a big bird during rehearsals.  Even though his technique and musicality was great for the dance, he still looked strange in the dance, but I don’t think it was because he did anything wrong, other than his feet.  It just looked awkward to me.  The judges seemed to like it a lot though.

Mike and Karina – During rehearsals, he was really looking pigeon-toed and I can’t imagine how hard it would be to fix that with no dance back ground and never having a reason to correct in his whole life.  The whole dance Mike has this silly grin on his face, I can’t decide if it’s because he thought he was doing so much better in the dance or if it was because of how Karina looked in her costume.  He danced so much better this week, but still not great. 

Rick and Cheryl – He said Cheryl is a 26 year old pipsqueak….really, is she only 26?  The dance started out slow but I guess that’s what sometimes happens with having to tell a story, it picked up pretty quick though and I really liked the different levels, making Cheryl taller than Rick.  His height wasn’t so bad this week, and he didn’t look like he was slouching to look shorter.  I could have done without seeing him with his shirt open though.  Eliza Dusku (his girlfriend) seemed to really love it! 

“8” was a very popular number this week.


Results:
Neyo seems to be channeling an early years Michael Jackson for his performance, but I really did like it.  The song, despite being sang by Neyo seemed pretty clean, although I didn't cling to every word so it's hard to say.
I really liked the dance/music from Mark and Maks' brother.  Very entertaining.  Not at all like a dance-off, they were more like dancing together, but it was fun!
Michael Bolton is definitely a better singer than he was dancer.
So glad to see Margret and Louis leaving this week, I wouldn't have minded if it was Florence or Corky either though.