Watching Reality TV

If you want to get caught up on last weeks performances, check out this post. I didn’t blog about the elimination like I normally do but in case you missed it: Jennie was booted. Better her than Mel or Helio, but not as good as if Marie had been given the heave-ho. Ah well.

So now we’re down to it here. The top three couples (eeehhhh… if they say so) in a fight to the finish to win this thing and call it a night. I think we’re all expecting fantastic routines tonight. These guys had better perform, the bar is high. Wow, Mel has quite the skimpy outfit this evening! First up, we see the “judge’s choice” and it’s a routine that they think the dancers could have performed better initially. So they’ve got their work cut out for them! Second, we have “freestyle” which will be fun, I’m sure!

First up are Mel and Maks. They picked the cha cha for them, which was their first dance together. Perhaps the judges want to see improvement? They get off to a cute start with some antics before getting into the meat of the routine. I think their personality really shows in this dance. And I like it. I don’t know it ranks as a cha cha, specifically, but it’s fun. Mel is obviously interested in having a great time tonight. Len thinks she definitely deserves the final, judging from the cha cha they did. Very crisp. Bruno says she has improved incredibly. She has stunning visual impact. Carrie Ann says she looks great, it was really good but she was expecting more excitement. (I’m totally amused by Mel fidgeting with her costume while talking to Samantha) Scores? 9, 9 and 10 for a total of 28. VOTE, ya’ll!

Marie and Jonathan are up next. I’m trying not to be too bitter here. Their judges picked the samba for them. Why? It’s the dance she fainted afterward and she thinks the judges want a chance to critique it. Oh dear me. Let’s just hope she breathes this time. It’s a good dance, I don’t know if it’s better than her last one though. And definitely not as good Mel and Maks’ dance. That’s totally objective, people. I can’t believe, based on this dance, that she’s in the final. Bruno says Marie always gives her heart and soul, but technically it wasn’t there. (Breathe, Marie! Breathe!) Carrie Ann had similar comments, as did Len. She was there with entertainment value, but the technical ability wasn’t there. Uhm, YES. Scores? 8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24. They’re definitely disappointed. But the score is deserved.

Helio and Julianne hit the floor next. He’s so excited to be doing so well and be in the final. The judges pick the jive or him, because they were disappointed with how he did. Ooh, I hope he brings it. They have a totally adorable and completely goofy start to the dance. They’re doing a really good job though, the foot work seems great to me and the routine is fast and fun to watch. Carrie Ann agrees with the raucous audience that it was exciting. but she did think the dance lacked something. Len called Helio “flat footed” and he really had some harsh words. Bruno says he has a gleaming personality but the footwork wasn’t good enough. Scores? 8, 8 and 9 for a total of 25 and just edging out Marie and Jonathan.

Mel and Maks are up again with their freestyle. They have a lot of hip hop moves in their dance and a lot of jumps and lifts and fancy moves. We even get a costume change halfway through. They have some impressive stuff here, but I liked their first dance better. And it is fun to see Maks let lose for a change. He did a great job with some different material. Carrie Ann enjoyed the routine but thinks they’re better than that dance. Len loved the lifts and the humor, it was great. A little disjointed and didn’t flow but it was a great job. Bruno says it was spectacular and they did a good job with something they don’t see very often. Scores? 9, 9, and 9 for a total of 27. Not shabby indeed. She was expecting a 4 or 5. Maks was hoping for 7. Samantha calls the judges “grumpy”. They have a 55 out of 60 for the night.

Marie and Jonathan hit the floor next and I’m not digging Marie’s “fake doll” routine here. It’s like an excuse for her dance poorly or something, and even I think she’s better than that. She’s trying to be hip here, I get that. But I don’t love it. Good lifts though, I gotta give her that. Of course, then she falls at the end of a lift so the one good thing I had to say is taken right out of my mouth. Len says it was a good idea, but wasn’t working on the floor. Marie deliberately flaunts his comments. Bruno says it was the loopiest thing he’s ever seen, he can’t even criticize it. Carrie Ann gives her that she is a risk taker. However, she agrees with the guys and it was an odd choice, not a good one. Scores? 8, 7 and 7 or a total of 22 out of 30 (Marie holds hands over her ears in order not to hear them). Oy! That was awful. She has a total of 46 out of 60 for the night. Ouch.

Last up, we have Helio and Julianne. They’re decked out in racing gear. Of course, there’s a wardrobe change almost immediately and I think Helio holds his own, guiding Julianne through some pretty difficult lifts. It’s a lot of fun, as their dances always are. They have some great moves too. He has done marvelous things with this competition. They’re very excited with how well they did. Bruno calls him Mr. Irresistable. It was a difficult routine, but they took it on and did great. Carrie Ann says she’s worn out just watching it. He’s got technique and entertainment. Len thinks it was the best freestyle of the night, by miles. Scores? 9, 10, and 10 for a total of 29 out of 30. They have a 54 out of 60 for the night, just beaten by Mel and Maks’ score.

Vote, everyone! This is it!

Last week saw Helio and Julianne smoke up the dancefloor while Cameron and Edyta were sent packing.

What will we see this week?  I’m hoping and praying for a fair elimination.  But, this is DWTS and the chances of that are 50/50 at best.  So who is first this week?

It is Marie and Jonathon and their first dance choice for the night is the quickstep.  They realize they have to step up their performance to stay in the game. First off, I’m terribly distracted by the song because I’m pretty dang sure that’s the Osmond’s themselves singing (not being a lifelong Osmond fan, I don’t really know but damn, sure sounds like her and her brothers).  It’s a cute dance though but I’ve seen better quicksteps so far this season.  Let’s hope she can step it up in the Latin round.  Len thinks she brings a lot of joy to the show and he thought it was perfect.  Really?  Bruno thought she ad gone Hollywood Classic.  Carrie Ann thought it was wonderful as well and that there was a lot of great content this time around. Geeze, shows what I know!  Scores?  10, 10 and 9 for a total of 29.  I cannot believe people are booing!  That’s a darn good score!

Next up are Mel and Maks and their first choice of dance tonight is the Viennese Waltz and Mel is hoping to do a better job with it this week than she did before.  She’s busy as all get out, but she’s determined to put her all into the show.  And I like the waltz, I really do.  I find her dancing to be always fantastic to watch and this is no different.  She and Maks have excellent chemistry together.  Bruno says it was a waltz driven to maximum impact and it was SEXY.  Carrie Ann said she gave her chills and that it was all that and then some.  Len said it had great movement, absolutely fabulous.  Scores? 10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30.  Yay!  I was so hoping they’d get a 30.

Jennie and Derek are up with their first choice for the night which is the tango.  She’s hoping to really come back strong from last week’s criticism and dance for her fans.  Hmm.  It’s a nice tango, but I’ve been spoiled by Mel and Maks, I think.  I think she’s better than she was last week too.  And I didn’t think she was that bad last week either.  I think her technique is very well rehearsed here too.  Her dedication shows.  Carrie Ann mentions her determination and thought her dance was focused and there was a little missing chemistry.  Len doesn’t agree, he thinks there was great chemistry and they had wonderful vibrance.  Bruno thought she was a red menace and the choreography was great.  Scores?  9, 10 and 9 for a total of 28.  I think they should have at least had a 29.  Alas.

Last, we have Helio and Julianne and their first choice dance for the night is the foxtrot.  Helio is nervous because he’s the last guy in the competition.  Yikes, he IS!  Loving their costumes and the music which makes me enjoy the dance even more.  I think they are doing fantastic with this dance, which is a hard one to do anything fantastic with.  He really does seem like a professional out there.  These two are downright adorable together.  Wonderful!  Len thought it was fantastic.  Bruno can’t believe he wasn’t a dancer before this competition, he’s just that good.  Carrie Ann thought it had incredible polish and technique.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for another perfect 30.  That ties them nicely with Mel and Maks.

Marie and Jonathon are first up in the Latin round and their choice to dance is the mambo.  Her dress is… soemthing. I think it’s hilarious how Jonathon was sitting with her brothers in the crowd.  Though, if her dress was distracting, then his sleeves definitely are.  Well that solves that.  There went her skirt.  And there went his sleeves.   Much better!  It’s a great dance, but I’m once again just not sure it’s quite on par with everyone else there tonight.  We’ll have to see the other Latin dances, but some of the moves were downright awkward.  Bruno thought it was a madcap mambo, but thought she lost her footwork a few times.  Carrie Ann liked her showmanship, but agrees there was some faulty footwork.  Len is amazed at her energy and loved watching her perform.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27 which I think was very fitting.  That’s a total of 56 out of 60 for the night.

Mel and Maks are up with their paso doble.  And of course, they don’t fail to impress.  Mel even has some great moves with a whip and her outfit is fantastic.  They’re aggressive and exciting and right on target.  I can’t think of a bad thing to say about the dance so I’ll just say WOW and leave it at that.  Carrie Ann said they just topped perfection.  Len said expectations are high and they met them and then some.  Bruno says Mel B is satisfaction guaranteed.  Nice!  Scores?  10, 10, and 10!  Another perfect 30 for 60 out of 60.  Fantastic!

Jennie and Derek are up with their choice of the cha cha cha.  Jennie has an adorable dress on and she’s got the hips down here.  Their dance is fantastic and I think Jennie is spot on here.  Not much else to say, much better than their earlier dance.  Len says her cha cha cha has gotten so much better since week 1 and thinks she was fantastic.  Bruno says she has the star power she was needing last week.  Carrie Ann says congratulations, she had it together.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30!  Their first!  That’s a total of 58 out of 60.  Not bad at ALL.

Helio and Julianne are up last with their choice of the cha cha cha as well for their Latin dance.  And?  Adorable as always.  There’s a definite 70’s flair here which they pull off with ease.  They have some fantastic moves as usual too and the crowd just loves them.  I do hope they carry on next week.  They need to be in the finals.  Bruno says it was full of razzmatazz, whatever that is.   Carrie Ann says Helio is a star and it was ridiculously good.  Len says the standard has been fantastic and Helio and Julianne are the standout couple of the night.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for ANOTHER perfect thirty and the second 60 out of 60 of the night.

Damn, if Helio and Mel B aren’t in the final, it will be a complete and utter travesty.  VOTE people.  (Or, as it’s too late now, pray to your chosen diety.)

So remember on Monday night when Helio and Mel dazzled and Cameron and Marie didn’t?  Oh, and here are some recaps of the results show if you’re so inclined:

• TV Squad
• Buddy TV
• MSNBC
• Television without Pity

This results stuff is for the birds.  They fill all the time with such fluff that no one really cares about. And then someone who doesn’t deserve to leave is eliminated.  Okay, the celebrity doesn’t always deserve not to leave but you have to admit it’s an alarming trend.

The encore was, naturally, Helio and Julianne and their fabulous quickstep.  I’m so happy to see them bouncing back from the mediocrity they were mired in for a while there.

The producers want to get our panties in a bunch right off the bat by announcing Marie and Jonathon are safe this week.  Ugh and Grr.  I know I’m risking the considerable wrath of the Marie Osmond fans here, but I don’t care.  It needs to be said.  WHEN is this going to end?  When are people going to remove their heads from their asses and actually vote on talent here?  EVER?  What the heck is the point?  GRR.

So Cameron and Edyta were eliminated.  And yeah, they didn’t have a very strong week but I do think they were consistently doing a better job than Marie.  That’s not me being mean.  That’s me telling the bald truth there.  So just deal with it.  Next hatemail I get supporting Marie is getting posted on my personal blog, along with your email address so you’ve been warned.  I knew he would have to go but I had hoped he would enter the semi-finals ahead of Marie.  So that’s a huge bummer and yet another facet of this show that frustrates me to no end.  It has frustrated me from the first season on.

So there you have it.  If Mel or Helio is eliminated next, someone will experience pain.  I don’t know who, but someone will.  (Probably me.)  I can all but guarantee this:  Marie will not win this thing nor will she make the final 2.  Take THAT to the bank.

(you know what’s amazing?  I didn’t feel such venom regarding Marie, quite yet, until I got that nasty comment.  Your plan totally backfired there, buddy.)  

If you need to catch up, I recapped last week’s competition here and the results show here.  The long and short of it?  Mel rocked and Jane was sent packing.

The competition is really heating up this week.  I’m going to miss Jane, I’m sure of it.  But it was her time.  Whose time will it be this week?  I actually hope it’s obvious because I’d hate for someone who did really awesome to have to leave.  And WOW, Edyta is covered tonight!

Jennie and Derek are up first and this week they’re dancing the jive and the foxtrot.  Gah, the foxtrot.  Richard Simmons comes to give her a peptalk during practice and makes her cry.  Wild.  The jive is first and she’s certainly dressed for it.  She goes into it with full energy.  The choreography is great too.  She seems confident this week, very smiley and bubbly.  And this dance needs fun to pull it off.  I actually giggled a couple times.  Nice!  Len didn’t think her jive was deserving of the semi-finals next week.  Even Bruno didn’t like it, thought it was limp.  Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno, and lectures her on watching her posture.  Eek.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  Could have been worse, I guess.

Cameron and Edyta are up next and this week they’re doing the Viennese Waltz (hence Edyta being fully clothed) and the cha cha.  Cameron really wants a 10 this week.  Just one.  Please?  The Waltz is up first and the Harry Potter music is a little disconcerting. But the dance itself is very beautiful.  Edyta has some serious slits in that gown.  I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, huh?   Nice but I wasn’t terribly impressed.  Bruno thought he did a great job, comparing him to an albatross?  Carrie Ann loved it and thought it was beautiful.  Len wants him to button his collar but other than that, he grew to love it more and more.  Shows what I know!  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  Still no 10!

Marie and Jonathon are up next and she talks about her dad and how he passed away the morning after the performance dedicated to him.  This week, they’re doing the rhumba and the jive.  Marie gets permission from Jon’s wife to get romantic  during the rhumba.  Cute.  So the rhumba is first and can they pull off the passion?  I think they do really good, actually.  Marie is a great actress and here’s where she shines.  There’s some great moves that she does with ease and I thought it was great.  Carrie Ann says she loves watching her move, but she’s worried that Marie isn’t as aggressive as she could be with her moves.  Len gets heckled for insinuating Marie is old but he liked the sophisticated tweak on the rhumba.  Bruno thought she was like Mrs. Robinson but he also felt he needed to see more.  Scores?  8, 8, and 8 for a total of 24.  I was expecting more.  Am I off tonight or what?

Helio and Julianne are up next and this week they’re dancing the Paso Doble first and the costumes are downright adorable.  All that aside, the dance seems awesome to me.  They seem to work all the elements seamlessly. And the audience really enjoys it.  So did I!  Len’s comments are drowned out by the crowd for a moment and he liked the cape work.  Good job, overall.  Bruno says mission accomplished.  Carrie Ann loved the intensity without it being just an angry face and the attention to detail was right on.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  Decent!

Mel and Maks are up next with the Tango first and the Mambo second.  These seem like some great dances for her, great potential.  Once again with the great costumes and music.  There are some great head twists and strides and I can’t think of what else to say because I just loved it, start to finish.  Do the judges agree?  Bruno says he was scared, it was strong and powerful.  Carrie Ann loved the stalking but didn’t completely love it.  Len says the footwork was right on but her shoulders came up.  Bah.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  The judges are totally anti-10 tonight.

Jennie and Derek are back doing the foxtrot.  I don’t generally enjoy the dance, as you all know.  She looks elegant though and they have some cute moves.  Despite the judges comments earlier, she still has that confidence from before.  I thought they did a darn decent job of it.  Carrie Ann says she improved her posture but she doesn’t want her to lead with her chin.  Len thinks she came back stronger this time around.  Bruno says it’s still not happening for him, he knows she has it within her.  Scores?  9, 9 and 8 for a total of 26.  Their total for the night is 50 out of 60.

Cameron and Edyta are up with their cha cha.  My husband is comforted that Edyta is at least wearing less clothes on top this time around.  I don’t have a lot of experience with the cha cha but I thought their moves were great and right on.  Let’s see if the judges agree.  Len didn’t find it terrible but a bit like painting by numbers.  Bruno thought it was too stiff for a cha cha.  Carrie Ann enjoys watching him dance but does agree with Bruno.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  Bah.  51 out of 60 for the night.

Marie and Jonathon are up next with a western jive.  I thought the premise was adorable though, and while maybe not as energetic as Jennie’s jive, I think she pulled it off better than Cameron’s cha cha.  I do wonder if the judges are right and that Jonathon isn’t pushing Marie as hard as he could.  I do wonder sometimes, if she’s holding it back.  But she more than makes up for it with personality.  Bruno says it was cute and fun but not enough jive step.   Carrie Ann loves what she does, but she didn’t feel a lot of jive either.  Len says it was definitely fun which is what a jive should be.  Scores?  8, 9, and 8 for a total of 25 which gives them 49 for the evening.

Helio and Julianne  are up next with a “Mask” themed quickstep that actually really works.  Their feet are literally like a blur on the dance floor.  The moves are fast and furious and fun.  And it ends awesomely.  SERIOUSLY.  The cheering is amazing.  Carrie Ann says it was intricate and effortless.  Len says their dance was fantastic.  Bruno says he has the finish line in sight.  Incredible.  Scores?  To no one’s surprise: 10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30.  That gives them 57 out of 60 for the night and the lead as well.

Last up are Mel and Maks with their mambo.  And they are ON.  It’s energetic, fast-paced and full of dynamite moves.  Mel really knows how to strut her stuff.  They also have a fantastic finish.  Len thought it was so hot he’s surprised it didn’t set off the smoke alarms.  Bruno thought it was flirtatious fun.  Carrie Ann thought it was great and how much fun Maks was having was a testament to her ability.  Scores?  9, 10, and 10 for a total of 29 and 56 for the night.  Just behind Helio and Julianne.  I hope they’re safe.

So stay tuned to Thursday’s post to see who was booted out.  I have NO idea who it should be, though I’m thinking either Cameron or Marie.  POSSIBLY Jennie, but I somehow doubt it.  I don’t want to see ANYONE go though.  This has been a great season.

So on Monday night we saw some great performances but to put it plainly, some were better than others.  But just barely because we are getting into the part of the show were pretty much everyone is a fantastic dancer.  And I genuinely enjoy everyone that is left so I don’t feel like there’s anyone to root against.  Which is nice, but it makes these results shows kind of sad because I hate to see anyone leave.

Anyhow, here are some recaps if you need to catch up:

• TV Squad
• Buddy TV
• MSNBC.com
• Television without Pity

Tuesday was a rather short results show.  And there was a somber mood owing to Marie Osmond’s tragedy.  If you haven’t heard, her father passed away that morning and she had to fly back to Utah to be with the rest of her family.  So she was of course absent from the results show.  The good news, however, is that she was safe from elimination as Samantha pointed out right away and she will be back for the rest of the competition.  Geesh, this is the second family member that has died during this show, you can’t help but wonder what is next.

The important thing from this elimination show was that the bottom two were Jennie and Derek and Jane and Tony.  Thankfully, Jennie was safe from elimination and that’s the way it should be because she really has some good potential in this competition.  Of course, that meant that Jane Seymour was going home.  I’m sad for it, because I enjoy Jane quite a bit but her performance lately has been quite a bit behind the other dancers.  She was the logical choice but I’ll miss her presence on the show from here on out.

Remember last week when Mel B. rocked the rhumba and then Sabrina was eliminated and a piece of me died?  If not, you should really go read those posts.  I hope this week not to anger any rabid Marie Osmond fans.  Yikes.

So yeah, last week sucked.  This week, I’m hoping, will be better.  Everyone take their valium and join me for another week of ballroom dancing!  I promise I won’t say that Marie is going home.  Please don’t kill my dogs.  We’ve got two dances tonight and two sets of scores and my brains might just bleed out my ears because of it.
Helio and Julianne are up first and they are doing the tango and the samba.  During practice, Helio gets a sappy video from his parents, rooting him on.  They tackle the tango first and  think it’s awesome.  I mean, it’s not what you’d expect of a tango, maybe, but I think that’s why I enjoy it.  It’s a lot more upbeat, but you’ve still got the moves.  Len thinks they had drive and attack but is upset that Helio didn’t do a particular move.  Bruno thinks they’re like thunder and lightning but agrees with Len.  The dance needs more polish.  Carrie Ann says she liked it.  Nuff said.  Scores? 9, 8 and 8 for a total of 25.  Middle of the road.

Marie and Jonathan are next with a Navy theme.  They’re dancing the cha cha and the quickstep.  They start with the quickstep and it’s very cute and peppy.  The Navy theme is explained when they dance to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.  It’s light and fun and Marie really has her stuff down.  I just hope she doesn’t faint.  Breathe, Marie!  She finishes off with a grand kiss for Len (a nod to him being dissed by Mel and Maks last week?).  Everyone just cracks up.  Bruno thought she was a morale booster and says she got it right.  Carrie Ann says there was nothing campy about this dance and it was all wonderful.  Len says entertainment runs through her veins and obviously really enjoyed it.  Scores?  10, 9 and 9 for a total of 28.  Dang, I thought she’d get a 30.

Mel B and Maksim are next and this week they’re doing foxtrot and paso doble.  Mel looks stunning this evening as they dance their foxtrot.  You don’t often see the women wearing pants but she pulls it off.  It’s a nice foxtrot and I don’t generally like that dance.  This time, Mel greets Tom with a hug at the end of the dance.  Very cute.  Not as good as last week though.  Carrie Ann thought it wasn’t as perfect as last week and a touch out of sync.  Len thought she had lovely arms but the footwork was off.  Bruno thought the footwork needed finesse as well.   Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  Meh.

Jane and Tony are up next and they’re also doing the cha cha and the quickstep this week.  Jane was sent to the hospital last week for a really bad case of food poisoning.  She’s going to dance to “Walk the Line” which is a tribute to Johnny Cash as she was good friends with him and June.  Her dress… distracting.  Her footwork is pretty blah too.  Not as quick as you’d hope a quickstep would be.  I won’t make any bold proclamations about who is going home, but I’m worried for poor Jane.  The dance didn’t feel like a quickstep to me.  Len says that she’s got grace and elegance but there was lack of body contact and poor footwork.  Bruno says she has natural class and her dress distracted him.  The detail needs to work.  Carrie Ann thought her technique was fine but she wasn’t excited.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24 which is pretty decent.

Jennie and Derek are up with the rhumba and Viennese Waltz.  The Waltz is first and during practice he had a hard time convincing her to act like she’s in love with him for the rhumba.  Ha!  Their waltz is beautiful and I love the outfits and the music.  Jennie is nothing but grace here and I think it’s a beautiful dance.  They did very well.  She looked anything but nervous.  Bruno says she was like a water nymph but he wants her to sustain her perfection for the entire dance.  Carrie Ann thought they came back two steps tonight, she noticed a lot of broken lines.  Len didn’t think there wasn’t enough Viennese Waltz to the dance and compared it to the samba.  Scores?  8, 8 and 9 or a total of 25.

Cameron and Edyta are up next and are hoping to come back from being in the bottom two last week.  They’re doing the quickstep and the jive.  The quickstep, naturally, is first.  First off, he’s got a ton of energy and I’m nearly shocked at the amount of clothing Edyta is sporting.   I’m paying a lot of attention to their feet (since their posture seems right on) and they seem right on with the footwork too.  Plus, they have a great finish.  Carrie Ann asks if Cameron had a Red Bull before coming on but she thought it maybe was a little wild.  Len says Superman needs to calm down.  Didn’t like the start or finish but the middle was great.  Bruno thought he forgot some steps (eh?) and thinks he needs to get it down.  But overall, Len says he did good for the two dances he had this week.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  I thought they were better than that.

Next are the Latin dances and the clothes are coming off.  I can’t wait to see what Edyta wears.  My husband predicts: floss.

Helio and Julianne are up again, this time with the samba.  Despite looking like she’s wearing an animal on her chest, they both looks good.  And they look very good and Helio seems very into it.  Most of all, he looks like he’s having a good time.  Julianne does too, but it’s him we’re supposed to be watching here.  They finish with a big belly laugh, which is cute.  Bruno says that is what he likes to see and he enjoys seeing him happy and smiling.  Carrie Ann agrees and says he seems more at ease with the Latin dances.   Len makes a political joke before saying, “It was fantastic.”  Scores?  9, 9, 9 for a total of 27.  I was actually hoping for higher.  Total, they have 52 out of 60.
Marie and Jonathan are back doing the cha cha cha.  I don’t dig the theatrical start to the dance, and it somehow seems to lack some energy that you’d expect it to have.  Marie does her best, strutting her stuff and puts on a great show as always.  She seems to pick up steam the longer the dance goes on.  Still, she seemed tired.  Carrie Ann thought her performance was toned perfectly but there wasn’t quite enough content to the dance.  Len agrees quite a bit, good effort but too much messing about.  Bruno liked the character (as always), but she wasn’t quite up to the standards of her first dance.  Scores?   8, 8, and 8 for a total of 24.  Middle of the road.  Total score is 52 for the night.

Mel and Maks go next with their paso doble.  Mel is a sexy lady this evening and she sells it.  I mean, I don’t see anything wrong with this dance.  It’s aggressive and catchy and entertaining and Mel is just perfect.  I don’t know what else to say.  Besides, YAY!  Len says he can barely even comment, he apparently just loved it.  Bruno says it was an adrenaline charged dominatrix and challenges them to top that.  Carrie Ann says they just kicked some serious booty.  So yeah, it was awesome.  And, apparently, they dedicated the dance to Sabrina.  Scores?   10, 10 and 10 for ANOTHER 30 for Mel and Maks!  Total score for the evening is 54 for the night.

Jane and Tony are up next with their cha cha cha. Jane looks cute but I still wonder if there’s enough energy.  My husband says there’s not enough hip or something.  Maybe that’s it.  But I do like it better than their quickstep.  Bruno says calls Jane a golden icon and a well-placed cha cha cha.  Carrie Ann says she did very, very well.  Len thinks she needs to come out and give them fireworks but he liked it overall.  Scores?  8, 9, and 9 for a total of 26 which is very decent.  Their total score for the evening is 50 out of 60.

Jennie and Derek are next with their rhumba.  The song is from the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack and I can’t help but think of it while they’re dancing.  I think Jennie is a perfectionist and you an see it in this dance.  The technical moves are awesome though and I think their chemistry was just fine.  Carrie Ann says they came back after last round and she had beautiful lines.  Len says it had romance and a nice mix of steps but she needs more confidence in herself, she’s fantastic.  Bruno thought it was incredibly satisfying and well paced.  Scores?  9, 9 and 10 for a total of 28.  Their total is 53 for the night.

Cameron and Edyta go last with their jive.  As predicted, Edyta is sparsely clothed but pretty conservative for her and the dance is pretty darn cute.  He finishes with a leap over her head and she flips over his shoulder.  Very cool. Nice finish.  Len thought he did FANTASTIC.  Bruno says there were more kicks than a rodeo and he did a great job.  Carrie Ann says they took a difficult dance for tall people and he’s become quite a fine dancer.  Nice!  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  I would have expected at least one ten, from their reactions.  Total score is 51 out of 60 for the night.

Who will be booted?  It’s anyone’s game at this point, I’m done with the predicting!  VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES.  And not just favorite celebrities, people, vote for the best dancers!

I’m not going to bother recapping everything that happened in the episode on Tuesday night.  If you really want to know a blow by blow, check out these sites:

• Television without Pity
• MSNBC
• TV Squad
• Buddy TV

So, as you recall, on Tuesday night’s show I expected Jane Seymour to be at least bottom two, if not eliminated.  I thought maybe Marie Osmond would be down there too, but I doubt she would get the boot because a) she’s got mad fans and b) she danced better than Jane on Tuesday night.  But then, I was assuming that that people would inherently vote on talent and not on who their favorite celebrity is.

Before I go on, I need to acknowledge a very mean, very crass and nearly threatening comment left to me on that entry because one of Marie Osmond’s fans thought I was disparaging her.  It blows my mind, honestly because I was decent to Marie in that post (shoot, has this person seen some of the things I wrote about Wayne Newton??) and because of the deeply personal things mentioned.  I didn’t delete it, because I felt this person did more damage to themselves by leaving that comment out there than not.  And let’s face it, it’s not the first time I was raked over the coals by a celebrity’s fan.  Remember when I called Taylor Hicks a no-talent hack?  I guess turn-about is fair play.  I don’t claim to be a professional writer here, and if comments such as this truly upset me, I probably wouldn’t be blogging.  Anyhow, moving on.

The big news here is Sabrina being eliminated.  I truly figured Jane Seymour would be going home.  And before all of Jane’s fans attack me, I want to point out that I am a Jane fan.  I’ve been rooting for her from the beginning but I think she did really, really poorly this week.  Her jive was just not there, not nearly on par with the rest of the dancers.  A lot of people think Marie should have been in the bottom two and perhaps that’s true.  But her dance wasn’t half bad this week.  Bottom two, maybe, but probably not eliminated.

I guess I overestimated the fans.  I figured them to be fans of the show and the dance, but I think they’re just fans of the people, dancing or not.   If that’s the case, why even have the dancing?  These are busy people, and this is wasting all of their time, and not to mention ours.  Think of how short the episodes would be if we renamed this show to what it truly is: “Celebrity Popularity Contest”.  Just have the celebrities stand up there on the stage and look cute and then we all call in and vote for our favorites.  Seriously, that’s all anyone is doing right now.

I don’t know why I’m surprised.  I’ve felt this frustration with this show before.  Back in season 1, when John O’Hurley was denied the trophy (at first) in favor of that gal from “General Hospital.”  I was so annoyed that I didn’t watch the show for the next couple of seasons.  I’m annoyed now, but I have to stick with it.  No-talent hack or not, I need to blog about reality TV here and DWTS is big reality TV news.

I’m sad for Sabrina.  I had her figured for the finale, perhaps with Mel B at her side.  She deserved it, at least.  She worked pretty dang hard.  I hope we see a shift in the show dynamics after this, but I’m not holding out too much hope.  We need to start seeing some integrity in the voting here or this show won’t last five more seasons.

Remember last week when Marie fell down and then Mark Cuban was FINALLY eliminated?  Those were good times.

Anyhow, moving on to this week where the competition gets really stiff.  I’d like to predict a Marie Osmond exit, but she’s got quite a fan base so I can’t say for sure.  Besides, I should PROBABLY watch them dance first before I make any decisions, huh?

Anyhow, everyone looks cute tonight and once again Edyta is barely clothed.  Tonight we’ll be seeing a competitive routine as well as a group 50’s rock n’ roll routine later on.

First up, we’ve got Sabrina and mark and they’re dancing the foxtrot.  Oy, not one of my favorite dances, I must say.  I’ll be interested to see what she does with it though.  And yeah, she does it proud.  I mean, I can tell its the foxtrot by watching it, but it’s just interesting enough that I want to see more.  She’s elegant and graceful but as capable as ever with her own special brand of moxie thrown in.  Very nice.  Len said her performance was excellent but it was too aggressive.   Bruno agrees with Len, she needs to work on her finesse.  Carrie Ann doesn’t know what they’re talking about, she thought it was fantastic.  Scores?  9, 8, and 8 for a total of 25.  Decent, but lower than they usually have.

Jennie and Derek are next and they’re going to be doing the mambo.  Jennie is hoping she won’t as nervous as she has been lately.  Derek wants her to have fun with it.  She wants to psyche herself out.  And the routine is CU-UTE.  A lot of fun to watch and judging from Jennie’s smile, she seems to be having a great time with it.  It does seems a little strange and stiff in parts, but I think she did pretty well.  Bruno says she has steam tonight, that was dirty dancing!  Carrie Ann agrees, she unveiled herself and had a great time.  Len says it was an exceptional performance.  I would agree with all of them, it was my favorite of hers so far.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  VERY nice.

Jane and Tony are up next and they’re going to be dancing the jive which should be a lot of fun.  And I hope its enough to keep Jane safe this week.  I’m still freaked about her being in the bottom two last week  Her outfit is super cute and the music is awesome.  We see a young side to Jane here, lots of smiles and bouncing around.  It’s not as energetic as it could be, as Sabrina would dance it.  But I think she does a good job.  Still, I worry about her.  I won’t lie, it wasn’t her best dance.  Carrie Ann says she enjoyed Jane’s vibrance but thought the dance wasn’t good enough for her.  Len said she was nifty for 50 (or whatever), but also didn’t think the jive wasn’t Jane’s cup of tea.  Bruno said she’s a class act but it wasn’t her most comfortable dance.  Scores?  8, 7, 7 for a total of 22.  Possibly her worst score ever.  OY.

Cameron and Edyta are up next and dancing the samba.  He’s worried he won’t feel it, but then Edyta takes him to Little Brazil and he gets an education on Brazilian dancing.  I don’t get Edyta’s outfit (besides being bare, it has a little Native American thing going on with it) and the music bugs me.  I don’t know how fast he’s dancing, since I think it’s supposed to be very fast, but it’s competent.  The end move was a little awkward, to be sure.  Len said it was good in parts but it didn’t capture the spirit of Samba.  Bruno says it was slightly bitter but there were good parts.  Carrie Ann thought it was misinterpreted by the other guys and thought they tapped into the feeling of the samba very well.  Very primal.  Scores?  9, 8, and 8 for a total of 25.  They’re happy with that.

Mel B and Maksim are next and they’re doing the rhumba.  This dance, apparently fits in very well with the relationship as they’re both very strong personalities. I think it’s a great dance.  I don’t care for the music, but the dancing is impeccable.  They end up at the judges table, Maks flirting with Carrie and Mel sitting on Bruno’s lap.  Bruno, of course, loved it and thought it was beautifully paced.  Carrie Ann agrees and says she was mesmerized and truly sensual.  Len thought it was it was perfected and won’t be rejected.  Scores?  10, 10, and 10 for a total of 30.  WOO!  Their first 30 of the season!

Marie and Jonathan are next dancing the paso doble.  Marie determined this week to come back from her fainting spell last week.  She wants to prove that she’s still a contender.  She’s got the act down, that’s for sure.  You know, say what you will but all of her dances are very well performed.  She picks a character and sticks with it, she’s got the drama down.  Some of the moves are almost amusing, consider her fall but really, I think it’s a great dance.  Not energetic, but unlike Jane’s dance, it doesn’t need to be.  Carrie Ann felt uncomfortable seeing her back on the floor again and she thought Marie played it a little safe.  Len liked the start with her “skirt business” but he felt like it got a little slow in the middle.  Bruno thought she started like Catherine Zeta Jones but ended like Catherine Zeta Cranky.  Scores?  8, 8, and 7 for a total of 23, just edging out Jane’s score.

Helio and Julianne are next dancing the cha cha.  He’s nervous after last weeks’ poor performance and Julianne promises a return to who he really is.  Their dance is very 70’s inspired and cute.  Helio is free to smile and be goofy all he wants. I think the choreography is pretty right on.  He’s a little on the stiff side, but mostly seems at ease with the dance.  Len says he has come back as the Helio we love.  Bruno thought he was regenerated, it was a great dance.  Carrie Ann said the Latin Booty was working overtime.  Scores?  9, 10, and 9 for a total of 28.  Very decent indeed!

Group dance time!  We get to see come cute footage of everyone practicing the dance.  We’ve got the jocks versus the greasers and it’s going to be a lot of fun, I think.  The dance is lots of fun and filled with some cute, cute moments.  Lots of dances and lifts and jumps.  Marie definitely falters a couple of times, and a few of them seem awkward dancing with everyone else out there.  But the jumps and flips are impressive.  A very fun way to close out the show.

When we last left our “DWTS” stars, Marie took a dramatic fall and I threated the heavens if Mark Cuban was not eliminated.  So what happened?  First, check out these handy, dandy recaps:

• TV Squad
• Buddy TV
• MSNBC
• Television without Pity

In grand results night fashion, this show is so full of fluff that I can see the cotton balls poking out the sides.  Of course, we had Jennifer Lopez performing some of her music which was fun and different for a change, but it’s amazing how unfamiliar her new “stuff” is.  I far more enjoyed her older and more familiar stuff.  Does this make me a fuddy duddy? And I can’t help but wonder why Lopez is making the reality TV circuit, last year with “American Idol” and this year with “DWTS.”

Mel B and Maks were invited to do the encore dance of their steamy samba.  I was glad to see that, after her unfairly being placed in the bottom two last week.  She was also declared safe fairly early long which also made me happy.  Perhaps that was her fans mobilizing for her.  She definitely deserves to stay in the show much longer.

And I’m frankly HORRIFIED that Jane Seymour was in the bottom two with Mark Cuban.  Cuban, I expected.  Anticipated, even.  Marie would have made more sense (if a little sad considering her fall the other night), simply because she was at the bottom of the scorecard along with Mark.  But why JANE?  I love Jane!  Jane has elegance!  Even the judges are a little disappointed to see Jane in the bottom two and Len expresses hope that she will remain on the show.

THANKFULLY, Len gets his wish and Jane is safe from elimination as Mark Cuban is eliminated.  And thank god for that, because I don’t think I could stand another week of him faux-dancing across the floor and thinking he’s all that.  I don’t know why I don’t like that guy, but I don’t.  Actually, I think I do know why I don’t like him and it’s pretty funny.  See, where I live there’s this guy who currently on trial for murdering his ex-wife and shooting a family court judge before going on the lam and he looks JUST like this guy.  I mean, it’s downright eerie.

So Mark has gone bye-bye and next week, we need to see Jane pull out all the stops.  I really don’t want to see her leave yet.  I’m not sure who I think should go next since I’m pretty happy with everyone who is left.  But I don’t want it to be her.  Not yet, at least.  Maybe Marie needs to depart next week.  What do you think?

Previously on “Dancing with the Stars”: Sabrina kicked booty while Carrie Ann PMS’d. Then Floyd was given the heave-ho.

Marie and Jonathon are up first doing the Samba. And I heard about what happens with Marie after her performance so I’m interested to see it for myself. Marie is her usual charming self and Jonathon is confronted with Marie’s fans and is impressed. She’s looking cute tonight in a pretty skimpy dress (skimpy for her, but fully clothed for Edyta). I think she’s doing real well and she seems to be owning the dance. I don’t dig the music though, but that’s my only complaint. She does seem out of breath when she’s before the judges. Len is giving his remarks when she drops like a ton of bricks to the dance floor. Tom cuts it right to commercial and everyone in the audience is dead quiet. We come back and Tom assures everyone that Marie is fine, she just fainted. Her first words after coming to? “Oh, crap.” Her scores are: 7, 7 and 7 for a total of 21 which is pretty low and it would have been nice to hear why they were so low. Marie explains that sometimes when she gets excited she stops breathing and this just happens sometimes. Uh. Okay.

Tom mentions that her fainting scared the crap out of him. I bet! Jane and Tony are next, back from last weeks “lift” controversy. They’re dancing the rhumba. Apparently Tony is something of a slave driver when he’s teaching her a new dance, and as much as she might get annoyed with him she appreciates his effort in the end because it seems to be working. She’s looking downright sexy in her skimpy red costume. Like Marie’s dance, it looks great to me and Jane’s form seems to be right on. She just embodies grace. Bruno says the lady has gone steamy and sexy but never raunchy. Carrie Ann says her lines were beautiful but she had problems with some of her turns. Len thought she had romance and class. Scores? 8, 9 and 9 for a total of 26 and she’s just thrilled to hear it.

Mark and Kym are up next doing the samba. I’m still amazed he’s still in the competition. I hope he’s gone this week but I’m not counting on it too much. It’s a very cute “genie” routine but again, I’m more impressed by Kym’s ability than I am by anything Mark is doing. He’s passable but nothing exciting. At times, he seems all but awkward. Carrie Ann “actually liked it”, but thought it was lacking technique. Len thought it was entertaining but that Mark needs to turn his feet out. Bruno thought it was his most entertaining dance to date, but he’s no Fred Astaire. The audience is surprisingly in favor of Mark and boos the judges whenever they dare say anything negative about him. Scores? 7, 7, and 7 for a total of 21. The samba’s aren’t impressing the judges this week.

Sabrina and Mark are next doing a rhumba and I’m almost surprised they’re not doing a samba. They’re still reeling from their perfect score last week. She going to try to be more emotional than she’s had to be in the past. She even got some coaching from Mark’s mom, of all people. I kinda dig her dress. I’m not used to seeing her dance so slow and it seems almost a little awkward in portions, as if she’s not used to dancing so slow either. She executes the technical moves perfectly though and I think overall the dance was very good.  The judges are impressed too, especially Bruno who can’t stop going on and on about it.  Scores?  9, 9 and 10 for a total of 28.  They’re obviously thrilled with it.

Next up are Jennie and Derek doing the samba.  They feel the pressure to live up to their great scores from last week and train hard to account for it.  She comes out in an outfit that reminds me of a canary stripper.  But the samba is obviously the best we’ve seen so far this evening.  I have a feeling this is more what the dance is supposed to actually look like.  I wouldn’t say it was perfect though.  Bruno thought it was great, but that she stalled a little bit halfway through.  Carrie Ann thought tonight was a rough night and she did see her stumble a little bit.  However, she thought Jennie did a great job considering.  Len agreed with me and thought it was the best samba of the night.  Scores?  8, 9 and 8 for a total of 25 which were very good scores.

Helio and Julianne hit the dance floor next doing the rhumba.   I still can’t get over how he reminds me of Sascha Baron Coehn’s character from “Talladega Nights”.  I’m convinced they based that character at least partially on this guy.  Seriously.  Anyhow, we see Helio taking Julianne for a spin in a super hot, super fast car and then practicing some dancing on the beach.  Niiiice.   Julianne’s dress is a touch distracting, but the dance is really good.  This is a great dance for Helio, he seems a natural for it.  He has to struggle not to grin though.  I really like it, it might be the best rhumba of the night.  Carrie Ann felt unsatisfied, surprisingly enough.  She didn’t feel any chemistry.  Hu-what?  Len actually agrees with her and thought there was no romance.  Too mechanical.  Bah.  Bruno agree with Len!  He looked in pain, apparently, according to him.  Oh puh-lease.  Scores?  8, 7 and 8 for a total of 23.  Bah again.

Mel B and Maksim are next with the samba, hoping to come back from their dismal performance in the audience vote.  I’m still horrified she was in the bottom two.   She was devastated and I feel bad for her.  Training was rough for them.  The Spice Girls as a whole plead for Mel to get some votes.  After the last samba, I feel I’m a poor judge but this does seem really good to me.  And… yes, they are dancing to a Spice Girls song.  Okay, that’s a little tacky.  Still, it’s a good dance.  And the technical moves seem right on.  Woo!  Len thought they are M&M, sweet.  Bruno thought they came back with a furor.  Best samba of the night (THANK YOU!).  Carrie Ann agrees and thinks its their best dance yet as well.  Scores?  10, 9, 10 for a total of 29 and the highest score of the night.  If they go home this week it’ll be a travesty.

Cameron and Edyta are next with the rhumba.  I’m still rooting hard for him.  The goal this week is to show Cameron’s sensitive side.  They want the judges to need a cold shower afterward.  And?  It definitely is sexy.  And the music is choice.  If Helio and Julianne lacked chemistry, these two more than made up for it.  Bruno says to lock up your daughters, there was incredible passion.  Carrie Ann thought the chemistry was right on.  And she had an issue with a lift (or lack thereof).  Len thought he was just as strong this week as last.  Scores? 8, 9 and 9 for a total of 26.  Should have been all 9’s, dangit.

And apparently that is it for tonight.  It seemed to fly by.  PLEASE DON’T VOTE FOR MARK.  I beg of you.

Yep, it’s time for another roundup. Sit back and enjoy the reality-filled goodness!

• There’s news about “Dancing with the Stars” today, as we’ve got wind of some celebrity cast wannabes. Apparently, Chris Harrison, the host of “The Bachelor” wants to be on the show, as does Paige Hemmis from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. So far, Chris hasn’t been signed onto the show due to scheduling concerns. Rightly so, as it might be a little strange for him to be on a show that led into his own show directly after. Paige says it’s “not if, but when” and that the only reason she hasn’t been on the show yet is because she was in the middle of “Extreme Makeover’s” shooting schedule for this season. But maybe in the spring…
• In other “Dancing with the Stars” news, it’s going to be a video game released for the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation come the end of the month. Look to see player interaction with the game (which the Wii is already somewhat famous for). This looks to be capitalizing on the fame of the “Dance Dance Revolution” games while also adding the flair of the ABC reality show. I think this game could be a big hit for the holiday season. Check out the video below to see a portion of the game in action.
• Have you heard there’s going to be a “Celebrity Apprentice”? I sure hadn’t. After last season’s dismal ratings, I thought “The Apprentice” was done for. But apparently, that’s not all true and expect to see this installment hit the airwaves later on this year (or early in 2008). There are already some names of celebrities being leaked, such as Carol Alt, Stephen Baldwin, John Cena, Marilu Henner, Lennox Lewis, Tito Ortiz, Vincent Pastore, Gene Simmons, and former Apprentice cast member Omarosa. Omarosa?? AUGH!
• Do you all remember hearing about FOX’s “American Idol” clone, “The Next Great American Band”? It premiered, apparently, and didn’t do so hot in the ratings. Apparently, this show is no “American Idol”. But as with most insanely popular reality TV shows, you can’t duplicate a hit very well so this doesn’t come as a large surprise. But it’s disheartening to hear that this show is doing particularly bad and that so many people who had their hopes up for it may have them dashed all over again.

Again, sorry for the lateness of these results, but “Biggest Loser” got the honors on Tuesday night as usual.  But I’m here, better late than never, to share the details of this week’s results show.  First off, in case you missed the show here are some excellent recaps:

• Buddy TV
• TV Squad
• MSNBC
• Television without Pity

On Monday, we had Sabrina and Mark in the definite lead with their perfect 30 with Mark and Kym dragging the bottom with their less than fabulous 22.  But, interestingly, Mark and Kym were saved from the bottom two yet again this week.  Instead, we had Floyd and Karina and Mel B and Maksim.  Mel B??  Seriously?  Floyd did decently on Monday night, pulling in a 23 from the judges (just one more point than Mark and Kym) but Mel B waltzed away with a 26 which was a very decent score.  HOW did she end up in the bottom two?  I’m insulted for her, she deserves better than that.  America!  Get off your duffs and vote for her!  And QUIT voting for Mark Cuban.  Jeezum crow.

Now that the field is being whittled down considerably, the results show is starting to drag and require more and more filler.  It wasn’t all bad though.  We got to see my favorite dancer, Wayne Newton, again!  He came on the stage to sing his infamous rendition of “Danke Schoen”.

Len Goodman chose Cameron and Edyta to perform their Paso Doble as an encore performance.  Possibly because there were no lifts?  It was an entertaining dance, with with the Super-Cam costume and Superman Theme music.  I’m just impressed they were able to put together a dance to that.  And I’m glad to see Cameron doing well, since I’m sort of rooting for him anyhow.

The difference this season is that there are so many good performers.  So many people who I’m rooting for.  It makes for some enjoyable television viewing, I can tell you that.  With the exception of Mark Cuban, I will be sad to see anyone else leave the competition from now on.

So at the end of the show, the bottom two were revealed.  As I said earlier, I was astonished to see Mel B in the bottom two.  Floyd, not so much.  I knew his time was coming but could only hope that Mark left before he did.  It wasn’t to be, however, because Floyd was eliminated from the competition.  Better him than Mel B, but still.  So next week, we have 8 couples remaining.  If Mark isn’t the person eliminated I may just scream.

Remember what happened last week?  I hardly do, but that’s probably more because of pregnancy related amnesia than anything else. The important thing is that Wayne Newton was eliminated.  One can only hope that Mark Cuban will follow this week.  But maybe I should watch him dance first, huh?

Ah, Samantha Harris is back.  I miss Drew already.  Jennie is looking great tonight, Sabrina… not so much.  Edyta is, once again, wearing nearly nothing.  Mark and Kym are up first, doing the Viennese Waltz.  I think if he can do any dance, it’s probably this one.  But we’ll see.  It’s not so bad, I’ve seen him dance a lot worse to be honest.  Still, I think the other teams are going to blow him out of the water.  Not a bad start to the evening though.  As for the judges, Len, like me, thought it was a lot better.  His best dance, even.  Bruno thought he started well but he turned into “bigfoot in a suit”.  Carrie Ann thought he showed a lot of progress.  The scores?  7, 8, 7 for a total of 22 and they look pretty happy with that.

I can’t help but wonder when we’ll be whittled down to one hour?  Sabrina and Mark are up next, dancing the Paso Doble (which I just like to say, over and over).  Not digging her dress (nor the song selection for the dance), but it’s definitely energetic.  But, not having anything to compare it to, I think it was very good.  Great to watch and pretty professional too.  She’s a fierce dancer, that one.  Bruno says she was a little lynx on the prowl.  Carrie Ann said her hours of rehearsal paid off, it was perfection.  Len said his expectations from her are high, and this week he couldn’t find anything wrong with her.  WOW!  Scores? 10, 10, and 10 for a perfect 30.  WOW!

Jane and Tony are up next doing the Viennese Waltz.  She wants her waltz to be an impressionistic painting.  And then they… paint as they dance.  Mmm.  I dig her dress.  I think the dance is great, very elegant and graceful and I can only hope the judges agree.  It was just beautiful to watch.  Carrie Ann was bummed, because the feet came off the ground or some such and Tony argues with her about it.  Len tries to smooth things and Carrie accuses him of being soft and then Len takes it out on Bruno.  Wow.  Come on guys.  Len thought it was beautiful, a great job.  Bruno thought she looked like the queen of the fairies.   Scores?  8, 9, 9 for a total of 26 which is decent, considering Carrie Ann’s reaction.

Next we have Floyd and Karina doing the Paso Doble.  He was pretty pissed at being in the bottom two last week.  I can’t blame him because it totally should have been Mark down there, but whatever.  Floyd goes for this whole bullfighter thing which is dubious at best.  But the dance itself is pretty decent.  Not, say, as good as Sabrina.  But he’s doing better.  Still gets his head down more than he should.  I don’t know, it seemed like a really strange dance to me.  Len said he was scared (lol!) and he liked his passion.  Bruno said this was his dance, very good.  Carrie Ann, of course, gets on them about a “lift” she saw in the dance.  Geeze, Carrie.  Lighten up.  She saw a lot of improvement from Floyd.  Scores?  7, 8, and 8 for a total of 23 which is pretty good.

Mel B and Maksim are up next, dancing the Viennese Waltz.  She looks nice, the music is great and the choreography is really good.  I can’t really find much to complain about with this dance, it was just that good.  She was graceful and this is Mel B we’re talking about!  Bruno said he swept away to wonderland and he was surprised yet again.  Carrie Ann she brought out “sensual elegance”, though she did have some nitpicks.  (Carrie, CHILL!)  Len says she was a revelation, bloody good job.  Scores?  8, 9, and 9 for a total of 26.  Carrie Ann needs to freaking chill out.

Cameron and Edyta hit the floor doing the Paso Doble and Cameron is literally wearing a “superman” styled outfit as well as routine.  I hope he does well because I enjoy him.  They even use Superman music.  My husband muses that he thinks Edyta just likes being naked.  LOL!  As for the dance, I’m not a good judge, but I don’t think it’s terribly bad and has a great finish.  Carrie Ann actually looks happy and says he snapped her out of a funk (ya think?).  It was incredible, every bit of it.  Len said him and Paso Doble go together like fish and chips.  Bruno is excited (isn’t he always) and says that Superman is back.   Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  VERY decent.

Marie and Jonathon are up next doing the Viennese Waltz.  Marie isn’t too confident since she admits to having a poor sense of equilibrium anyhow.  The dance is very good, if not exciting and Marie’s dance and its feathered hem are nicely distracting.  Sweet but unremarkable.  Len said she puts a feel-good factor in every dance she does.  It was “gentle”.  Bruno didn’t enjoy her character as much this week.  Carrie Ann actually liked it quite a bit for being as “sleepy” as it was.  Scores? 9, 9 and 8 for a total of 26.  Meh.

Jennie and Derek are up next doing the Paso Doble.  She’s confused about the dance of the bullfighter, is she the bull or the cape?  The dance is spicy and full of dramatic movements and the crowd just eats it up.  I thought it was pretty good, actually but my husband wasn’t impressed.  Bruno says she has improved so much and the choreography was superb.  Whatever they gave Carrie to chill her out must be wearing off cuz she mentions feet leaving the floor but she really did like the dance as a whole.  Len thought it was blooming fantastic.  Or something, I couldn’t quite understand.  Scores?  8, 10, and 9 for a total of 27.  WOW.  Decent!

Helio and Julianne hit the floor last doing the Viennese Waltz.  They’re nervous, based on the performance last week.  The music is great, I scan say that for sure.  I think it’s a pretty good dance, once you can get past Helio’s cheesy grin.  I mean, the dance seemed right on for me.  I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.  Carrie Ann says when Helio dances, he makes her happy to be alive (she’s teary eyed now?  Is it PMS?).  Len thought it was a beautiful job.  Bruno says they complement each other so well.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27 which is extremely decent.

So that puts an end to tonight’s show and Carrie Ann’s bipolar-ness.  Hopefully, next week she’ll be a little more stable.

Yep, it’s that time again.  Did everyone have a good weekend?

• First off, we’ve got the revelation that Heather Mills competed in last season’s “Dancing with the Stars” because there was a rumor she was already cast.  Not the other way around.   Apparently, when a British tabloid published a rumor that Heather Mills (as in the ex-Mrs. McCartney) was going to be on the next season of “Dancing with the Stars”, the executive producers thought it wasn’t a half bad idea and offered her a gig.  And she went for it!  Of course, we all know that I didn’t care for Ms. Mills one bit and I would have been happy had the executive producers not seen that tabloid article.  Still, it’s interesting to find out that that is how she got on the show.
• In other “DWTS” news (and not necessarily happy news at that), Samantha Harris is back on the show tonight after her maternity leave.  *sigh*  I don’t enjoy her, I just don’t.  I think she’s too forced.  However, the MSNBC article says it is her clumsiness with the microphone that makes her endearing.  Uhm.  If you say so.
• The “American Idol” road tour has been fined for violating child labor laws.  Apparently, letting underage teenagers perform without the proper permits is against the law.  The tour was fined $5,000 for 16 violations and is agreeing to pay up with no contest.  You just know this is Sanjaya’s fault.  Okay, maybe winner Jordin Sparks has something to do with it too but I just love to blame Sanjaya.
• We’ve got some early and not so savory news for “Big Brother” fans out there:  According to a recent interview with ex-houseguest Jessica, Eric was told by the producers NOT to use the power of veto, keeping Dick and Daniele in the house when Jessica would have put one of them up for a certain eviction.  Jessica says that Eric was told, ‘Do not use it. You don’t have a choice. You are to keep nominations the same.’  I’m assuming this is something that Eric confided in Jessica since the show has ended.  You know, all I can say is GAH.

That’s all for now because now I’m all disgusted and stuff.  Stupid “Big Brother” producers… grumble.

My wishes have been answered.  Life has returned to normal, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof.  Wayne Newton has been eliminated, mercifully, from “Dancing with the Stars”.  In case you missed the landmark episode on Tuesday evening, here are some recaps:

• MSNBC
• Buddy TV
• Television Without Pity
• TV Squad

However, with all good news there must be bad news as well.  Tuesday night was Drew Lachey’s last night to cohost the show meaning that Samantha Harris will be back next week.  Say it with me: NOOOOOOO!!!!  Drew has been wonderful on the show. He has great chemistry with Tom and I have enjoyed the show so much more with him on it (and Samantha NOT).  I’m very disappointed by this news.  I was hoping (against all hope) that maybe Drew would end up staying for the rest of the season.  Then the producers would see how much everyone preferred Drew and would kick Samantha out and replace her with Drew in all upcoming seasons.  It was a fools hope, but there you have it.

Jennie Garth and Derek were chosen to repeat their tango and while I was a bit skeptical of it on Monday night, it was a lot better.  And actually worthy of the marks they received for it.  I was surprised that Floyd was in the bottom two with Wayne, rather than Mark Cuban.  Perhaps Mark has a larger fan base (owing to his blog) than I expected he would have.  That won’t last if he keeps on dancing like a doofus.  Even die hard fans can only take so much.  Floyd isn’t perfect, but he’s a far better dancer than Mark.

So next week we have the Paso Doble and the Viennese Waltz.  Hmm.  This could make or break some of these couples.  Should be a good show (even without Drew *sob*).