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DWTS 9 Week 2 – Miscellaneous Media

Cute video from The Insider with nearly the whole cast saying goodbye to Kathy Ireland – Hate this site because they don’t have embed codes, only links. Pooh.
Video: Dancers Say Goodbye to Kathy Ireland at The Insider

Derek and Cheryl went to the Skybar last night for an event called Fresh Faces of Fashion (after Derek and Cheryl were at Coco de Ville with Maks, Mya, and Dmitry) – ET interviewed both:

ET with a large percentage of the cast:

Backstage with Sabrina Bryan:

Kathy couldn’t dance well, but she’s a classy lady:

September 30, 2009 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Week 2 Edition: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE INCREDIBLY HOT!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I felt like things were very off this week. The costumes were all over the place….Lacey and her one strap of faux fur, Tony and Kathy not even matching with red and purple, Chelsie’s jean jacket with a green studded bra and a red skirt, Aaron’s green ensemble, Melissa and Mark I don’t even have words for!. However, I LOVED Derek and Joanna’s black/motorcycle get up, Louis’s tee with a over sized black jacket, Mya’s amazing tasseled dress, Anna T’s black costume which was a play off one of Karina’s costumes from last season.

THE GOOD
Holy Smokes Aaron Carter! I knew he could dance but this was so entertaining! His technique was above par and the muppets was a nice touch!

THE BAD
Oh Kathy…she is so beautiful and elegant but not very rhythmic. She never found that connection with Toni and she never grasped onto the concept of what each dance should in tale.

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Donny Osmond, hands down, had the best routine of the night! Kym really knows how to choreography a piece that is going to WOW the audience and still be technically up to par!

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Who will go home on Dancing with the Stars Week 3?

We’re two weeks in and we are all starting to pick our favs and our not so favs. And I have to commend Courtney on doing a great job with the DWTS power rankings. I want to know what you guys think though. I’m going to ask you to vote on who you think will go home next week on Dancing with the Stars. Not who you WANT to go home next week…because I know you have strong feelings on this.

You can tell me who you want to get rid of in the comments, just don’t vote on it :).

I Written By

DWTS9 Week 2 Power Rankings

So its the first night we get to see the guys and the girls competing together…and aside from a few standout performances, tonight was actually a bit lackluster for me.  Too many unmemorable, mediocre routines rounding out the middle of the pack, while those at the top continue to impress and those at the bottom seem to just sink further.  Tonight may have set a record for the use of the 6 & 7 paddles, which seems fitting for a night with so many ho-hum routines…

1.) Aaron & Karina – This boy is a natural! I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone cover as much floor in a quickstep on DWTS  as he did, and actually manage to keep their topline while doing the signature hops and jumps.  Now I’m sure the Donny fans are going to tear me to pieces for not putting Donny first, but I have to say, Aaron edged out Donny both performance-wise and technique-wise this week.  That, and he had a secret weapon: Muppets. MUPPETS, PEOPLE! It’s brilliant…such a cute, recognizable theme, and likely the routine that will stick in people’s heads from tonight – who wouldn’t remember Animal rockin’ out in the balcony and Gonzo attacking the judges? 🙂

2.) Donny & Kym – While Donny’s jive wasn’t as impressive for me as either of his dances last week, it’s clear that he is still a force to be reckoned with – he seems to do especially well with routines that have a sort of “theme” for him to play into (the Chicago foxtrot last week, the secret agent jive this week), and is actually quite savvy at interacting with the audience while maintaining a connection with Kym.  Technique-wise – he was better than I thought.  He had some pretty high kicks and some good spins.  It seemed to help that they put him in what I like to call the “money spot” – the very last performance of the night, so its fresh in the voters’ minds as they’re dialing in. And the screams from the crowd don’t seem to be dying down at all, so I daresay Donny could probably walk center stage and read the phonebook as a routine and he still wouldn’t get voted off!

3/4.) TIE: Mya & Dmitry and Joanna & Derek – Honestly, this one was too close to call for me.  Mya delivered another routine of impeccable technique – for the first time since I started watching the show, I wasn’t thinking of them as “pro” and “celeb”.  Mya was certainly keeping up with Dmitry well enough to make it look more like two pros dancing! Her spins were ridiculous, and she nailed the flicks and kicks. And she is starting to come out of her shell a bit – I thought her routine was fun & flirty, and it was also nice to see Dmitry out of his comfort zone (which is bare-chestedness) costume-wise.  Joanna & Derek had a fun, high-energy routine, and I am starting to see that Joanna does indeed have some natural talent – she too nailed the flicks & retractions, despite having legs from here to Omaha (which definitely makes it harder). However, they seemed to be at a bit of a disadvantage being the first to perform – I was having a hard time remembering specifics by time the show was over.  But, they seem to be popular with viewers (who doesn’t like a good-looking young couple? :-)) which could cancel out their underscoring from the judges tonight.  On the other hand, Mya is tied for the highest score – and the judges scores do factor into the equation along with viewer votes to determine who goes and who stays.  Hmmm….

5.) Kelly & Louis – Poor Kelly.  I really wanted her to knock it out of the park again tonight! And she probably would have, if she hadn’t flubbed in the middle of it – it definitely seemed to throw her off and she never really recovered from it while performing.  However, the first half was quite impressive – Kelly was actually good at turning her head in the right direction (this sounds simple enough, but in tango, the figures change so fast that sometimes you end up looking the wrong direction!) and her footwork was pretty clean.  Now why did I rank her this high? Because all the media I saw this past week was abuzz with news of Kelly Osbourne’s success on DWTS.  For once (are you listening, Heidi? ;-)), I actually saw more Kelly news this week than Donny news! I think Kelly has managed to cement herself in the hearts of a lot of the viewers, so even if she flubs – I don’t see her going home anytime soon.

6.) Louie & Chelsie – Ahhhh, the pocket couple (I think I’ll call them that henceforth).  Have to agree with the judges on this one – there wasn’t a whole lot of actual jive steps their routine.  They relied heavily on Louis’ extreme athleticism, and peppered in a lot of tricks – which, even if the judges dislike them, always seem to go over well with the viewers.  The little bit of actual jive I saw was actually quite good – Louie seemed to nail the “bounce” and the leg retractions.  And again – they’re both just cute as can be. All the women in my office could talk about last week was how adorable Louie was! And cuteness is definitely not a disadvantage in this competition…

7.) Mark & Lacey – Mark is, unfortunately, not making as big a splash as I would have expected from him so far.  While he’s clearly quite athletic (no one gets as much height on their jumps as he does!), I can’t help but feeling a sort of disconnect when he dances – like he’s so “in his head” that the audience doesn’t seem to exist.  He also continues to move rather stiffly – he was more or less walking through the quickstep, rather than gliding.  But I do see improvement – he seems to be loosening up his body a bit more, which should aid in movement.  I also can’t help but feel like Lacey is maybe losing her “edge”, choreography-wise – her routines have felt increasingly more “Len-friendly” this season, rather than the bold, unconventional ones of the past.  And I feel like her edge is what really set her apart from the others in viewer’s minds – I’m crossing my fingers for an exciting, rebellious routine from her at least once this season!

8.) Michael & Anna – People just seem to love this guy.  And I will admit – he is a joy to watch perform.  That big grin, the obvious fun he’s having.  But his dancing is still atrocious.  He moved tiny tonight – comparing his quickstep to Aaron’s, he barely covers any ground.  His shoulders are beyond slouchy. His footwork is messy. But I will hand it to Anna – she definitely gave him more content tonight, and pulled out a proper quickstep.  Choreography-aside, I think he’ll be around at least a little while longer because he’s just so likeable.

9.) Natalie & Alec – I’m definitely beginning to agree with whoever commented that Alec is completely unmemorable.  Heck, Carrie Ann can’t even remember his name (she called him Alex when giving their scores)! And now I fear that Natalie is starting to blend in as well.  Don’t get me wrong – I think her technique is every bit as strong as Kelly & Joanna’s.  But, like Alec, you just tend to lose track of her…it was a nice quickstep, it was well-executed, she looked gorgeous – and beyond that, I don’t remember any of it.  It would be a shame to see her leave so early because she is actually very good, but unless she & Alec can break away from the pack soon, I think Alec will be back to spending his nights at home with Edyta instead of performing!

10.) Melissa & Mark – Probably slightly (and I do mean very slightly!) more memorable than Natalie & Alec, but not a strong enough execution to really make an impression.  Poor Melissa looked like she was about to pass out – she was having a hard time keeping up with Mark, and like last week, she never really got into the rhythm of the dance, either.  She dances very “tentatively” – she moves small and soft, so as not to really get fouled up.  I also felt like she was almost feigning enthusiasm and energy in this dance – her expressions seemed forced.  And overall, the only thing I’m left remembering about the routine is how ridiculous Mark looked in those sparkly socks.

11.) Debi & Maks – Seriously, someone should start a club called COCABM – Coalition of Celebs Abused by Maks. Is it a contest now…how quickly can you make your partner cry? Poor Debi.  The way he was screaming at her in the lead-in was uncalled for and just kinda made him look like an [insert inappropriate part of the body of your choice here].  The theme of the dance was cool – “Le Tango De Roxanne” from Moulin Rouge, the week that Baz Luhrmann is guest judging – but the execution of it left me wanting more.  If they are going to pick such strong, iconic pieces of music to perform to, they had better bring their A-game – this felt more like C-game, with Debi not closing her feet and holding her arms and neck a bit weird (granted, she did have a rather bad neck injury).  She is also still struggling with thinking too much while dancing, which results in very little showmanship.  But I think the final nail in the coffin for these two will be Maks behavior – not neccessarily bad dancing by Debi. 

12.) Tom & Cheryl – This wasn’t a terrible tango – Tom did move through the steps, and he does exude a certain air of grace when he’s on out the floor.  His movements weren’t as staccato as I would have liked – he moved through it more fluidly, like in the foxtrot – and he did nearly drop Cheryl on her head at the end.  I think we definitely saw some of the limitations of old age showing through at that moment – he simply didn’t catch her quickly enough, and wasn’t strong enough to stay on balance.  But if anything, I think it might garner quite a few sympathy votes – for some reason, people seem fascinated with this guy. 

13.) Chuck & Anna – I was really looking forward to seeing Chuck harnass his aggression and strength in his tango.  Unfortunately, all I really got from it was another “deer in the headlights” routine.  He tends to clod through his steps with heavy feet, and seems to struggle with maintaining his frame.  I think he maybe subconsciously is afraid he’ll hurt Anna if he takes her in a proper hold.  And he still looks terrified out there – even his “strong” facial expressions seemed to look frightened – and he barely says 10 words while talking to Samantha.  But at the same time, he does have this kind of “gentle giant” appeal – I did catch a bit of  puppy-dog eyes when he was getting his scores.  However, beyond that – I think another married couple (Jonathan & Anna) might be reunited in the near future.

14.) Kathy & Tony – Blah, blah, blah.  Not bad, but not good.  Definitely not memorable.  She still seems uncomfortable with her height and doesn’t really move across the floor.  She got through the routine, but that’s all she really did – got through it.  It was really rather slow for a quickstep, and nothing really stood out about it.  She improved a tiny bit since last week, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough to pull her through again this week.  And I still feel like all her responses to questions feel rehearsed and premeditated! Don’t know if I’m the only one that notices it, but I’m fairly certain we won’t be hearing it next week.

Let’s hear your thoughts about tonight’s episode. How would you rank the dancers?

Also, check out the list of music from this episode of Dancing with the Stars.

September 28, 2009 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

Dancing with the Stars Week 2 Music

We’re back one again with your dose of music from Dancing with the Stars. All season, we’ll be creating the full list of Dancing with the Stars music. Now on to this week’s music:

Joanna & Derek danced a Jive to the music “What I Like About You” The Romantics - The Romantics - What I Like About You—The Romantics
Natalie & Alec danced a Quickstep to the music “I Want You Back” Jackson 5 - Jackson 5: The Ultimate Collection - I Want You Back—Jackson 5
Chuck & Anna T. danced a Tango to the music “Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes - Elephant - Seven Nation Army—The White Stripes
Melissa & Mark danced a Jive to the music “Long Tall Sally” Little Richard - 20 Greatest Hits - Long Tall Sally—Little Richard
Michael & Anna D. danced a Quickstep to the music “Too Darn Hot” Cole Porter - Kiss Me Kate (Broadway Cast Recording) - Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter
Debi & Maksim danced a Tango to the music “El Tango de Roxanne” Ewan McGregor, Jacek Koman & José Feliciano - Moulin Rouge - El Tango de Roxanne—Moulin Rouge soundtrack
Louie & Chelsie danced a Jive to the music “Crash” Zoom Karaoke - Zoom Karaoke: Mixed Pop Hits 1 - Crash (In the Style of The Primitives)-The Primitives
Aaron & Karina danced a Quickstep to the The Muppet Show theme song Cathodic Orchestra - Cathodic Orchestra Selected Hits Vol. 5 - The Muppet Show (Theme)
Kelly & Louis danced a Tango to the music “Take Me On The Floor” The Veronicas - Hook Me Up - Take Me On the Floor—The Veronicas
Kathy & Tony danced a Quickstep to the music “Shall We Dance?” Gertrude Lawrence & Yul Brenner - The King and I - Shall We Dance?—The King and I soundtrack
Mark & Lacey danced a Quickstep to the music “King of Swing” Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - King of Swing— Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Mýa & Dmitry danced a Jive to the music “Would You…?” Touch & Go - I Find You Very Attractive - Would You... ?—Touch and Go
Tom & Cheryl danced a Tango to the music “Por Una Cabeza” The Tango Project - The Tango Project - Por Una Cabeza—The Tango Project
Donny & Kym danced a Jive to the music “Secret Agent Man” Johnny Rivers - Johnny Rivers: Greatest Hits - Secret Agent Man—Johnny Rivers

I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

Baz Luhrman On DWTS Season 9 Week 2

Baz Luhrmann

Newsweek Interviews Baz Luhrmann on Guest Judging on DWTS. Here’s an excerpt:

On Monday night Australian director Baz Luhrmann will be making his debut as a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars. It’s not as odd as it sounds. He directed a sumptuous version of La Boheme for Broadway, reinvented the movie musical with the magnificent Moulin Rouge, and of course started off his career with Strictly Ballroom, a hilarious peek into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. He spoke to Pop Vox about his new job.

Why did you decide to be a judge on Dancing With the Stars?
Actually, well first of all it’s fun. The show is fun. But more importantly, a lot of people in the U.S. don’t know that Strictly Ballroom was the inspiration for the original BBC version which then was the inspiration for Dancing With the Stars. It’s called Strictly Come Dancing in Britain and Disney is re-releasing the DVD of Strictly Ballroom in the U.S. early next year so this is part of me linking the disc to the show.

Don’t you come from a ballroom dancing family?
I was a ballroom dancer. I grew up in a small country town. I did competitive ballroom dancing later on. My brothers got into it and then later on my mother became a judge.

Were you good?
I was alright! I won the districts triple A something or other blah blah blah. You could say I was a northern New South Wales champ at some point.

Not the whole of New South Wales. Just the Northern part?
You know what? I was a little champ. We certainly took it seriously. We loved it. Ballroom dancing for us as children was, we lived in the country. It was a country person’s escape into theatre and to be able to travel and be part of something. A world that is in one regard preposterous and fantastical and on the other hand it was a serious sport. You really had to be good at it. There is nothing like dance. Expressing yourself through dance is a really joyous thing.

September 27, 2009 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

“Dancing” Athletes Grace the Stage (and other Media)

This one seems to stop abruptly for me, but I thought it was cool.

Access Hollywood with Aaron, Karina, Donny and Kym, and Ashley and Edyta:

Excerpts from People Online – Monday’s DWTS: What You Didn’t See:

Buff Daddy: While most people drop weight on Dancing, pro Tony Dovolani has been packing on the pounds — nearly 20 — since the end of season 8 in May. Dovolani, whose twins turned one earlier this month, tells PEOPLE he’s in training for a role in the upcoming independent film Pumping Up. Shooting stars in December and Dovolani has been working out every day. “I eat like a horse, five or six times a day, and I drink protein shakes, I eat protein bars,” he says. “Right now I’m 192. Usually I’m at 175.” In the movie, Dovolani plays “a character getting ready for a bodybuilding competition. He’s an Italian guy from Queens.”

Scaredy Cats: The show’s opening number was quite the grand entrance as the eight male pros descended from the ceiling on scaffolding. “I was scared wreckless,” Alec Mazo confesses. Even tough guy Maksim Chmerkovskiy couldn’t wait to get his feet firmly on the ground. “I did not like that at all, and Mark [Ballas] was shaking and rocking the [scaffolding],” Chmerkovskiy says. “I am so glad that is over. Never again.”

Excerpts from People Online – Tuesday’s DWTS: What You didn’t See:

Snack Attack: Since it was ladies’ night on the dance floor, the men were able to relax and watch the show. Sitting side-by-side, snowboarder Louis Vito and football pro Michael Irvin shared a bag of gummy worms. Even former politician Tom DeLay was spotted dropping a worm into his mouth. At one point, all the guys were munching on something. “Candy, gummy worms and peanut M&Ms, and cookies and Altoids,” says Vito of his evening snacks. “It’s like watching a movie. How can you watch a movie without something to eat?”

Say What?: The Grammy-award winning singer Macy Gray had everyone on their toes, even the producers. After her first turn on the dance floor, Gray was asked how she felt. “I feel like I just busted my cherry.” While viewers struggled to figure out what she said, the audience roared with laughter. Tom DeLay was spotted wiping away tears from laughing so hard. A source added that backstage was no different: “Everyone was laughing, from the designers to production assistants!”

MSNBC Talks about Ladies Night:
090923-dancing-osbourne-vmed_widec

Natalie Coughlin isn’t quite a household name, but as an Olympic medalist in swimming, she’s at least athletic — and she’s paired with Alec Mazo, who’s been looking for a good partner ever since winning with Kelly Monaco in the first season of the show. Alec first worked to cure her of her tendency to grimace angrily while competing, then went on to teach her the salsa. At times, Natalie seemed to have the hang of it, but her hips aren’t quite built for Latin dancing just yet. She’s coordinated and athletic, but she still tends to look like she’s working a little too hard.

Singer Macy Gray is dancing with the lovely and frequently challenged Jonathan Roberts (who handled Marie Osmond’s fainting spell and Heather Mills’ missing leg), and it’s pretty clear that this is not the year things get easier for him. Roberts called Macy “a little bit eccentric” from the beginning, and indeed, she seemed as out of her element as anyone the show has ever featured. Macy managed to walk around the floor in time with the music when it came time for her “Viennese waltz,” but that was about it. Carrie Ann called the performance “beautiful in its own bizarre way,” which was clearly the strongest praise she could muster.

Model Joanna Krupa and past winner Derek Hough look like a great team when they’re standing in line waiting for the show to start — so how do they look in motion? In spite of wearing what appear to be pants made from Big Bird pelts, Joanna looked good dancing. Hers was the first salsa that looked genuinely sexy (her model appearance, of course, doesn’t hurt), and she definitely looks like a competitor to watch.

Last up was Louis van Amstel and Kelly Osbourne, who’s a naturally sympathetic figure, given her wacky family and her obvious insecurities about her looks, weight, and whether she’s got any sex appeal at all. In fact, Kelly explained that it was her eagerness to try something more feminine that led her to the show. Her natural fear that she’d be hopelessly clumsy did not come true at all: she turned out to have a lovely smile, plenty of grace, and much more natural ability than anyone (especially Kelly herself) expected. Looking like a likely fan favorite because she’s both talented and an underdog of sorts, Kelly hugged her wildly excited and weepy famous parents and received very nice praise from the judges. It was an obviously genuine moment, and precisely the kind of thing that keeps people tuning in to the show.

I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 9 – Entertainment News for September 21st through the 24th, 2009 (Cont.)

Picking up from where I left things last night….I will never get it all, but I’ll try to hit the high points for ya’ll (Country Music night at the local sports bar with wireless 🙂 ).

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel on Ellen!

Aaron Carter on Bonnie Hunt – you know, I sorta like this kid.

Extra on DWTS Men, September 22, 2009

EW.com has a article I can relate to – it starts out with comments on the male pros. 🙂

‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: We’ve Got Males
It’s season 9 (yes, really) of Dancing With the Stars, and the boys are back in town! I’ll get to last night’s competing men in a moment; first we need to focus on the eight swashbuckling stallions who have returned to Crazytown, U.S.A. Our beautiful male pros were back and ready to make loving eye contact with the camera in a rousing opening number. Maks even did a seductive eyebrow check for our viewing pleasure. They were both still there, as were all 500 billion hairs in Derek’s mop when he checked on its existence after the dance’s final flourish. Such fun! Excuse me, though: Who is this tall blonde lady who got to be the melted cheese in a Tony/Maks flatbread sandwich? I had no idea the season 9 premiere would feature the winner of a contest based on my ultimate fantasy.

That lucky lady was Tony’s wife – so she’s officially VERY lucky.

Is everyone ready to run down the first performances of the season 9 men? I feel like we should all submit photos of ourselves in mid-air, while attempting to execute fabulously contorted leaps, as a sign of solidarity before we proceed in this season’s DWTS recap journey together. Oh, well. Too much work. Here we go…

Ok! Magazine on the Women of DWTS!

Kelly Osbourne stole the show on Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars with a Viennese waltz that visibly moved her mother Sharon and rock legend father Ozzy Osbourne. But it was model Joanna Krupa who took the surprising first place on the hit ABC reality show’s ladies’ night — and singer Mya also looks like she’ll be a standout on the dance floor for weeks to come.
While Macy Gray had everyone scratching their heads with her censored post-dance comment, Kelly thrilled the crowd with her graceful Viennese waltz with partner Louis Van Amstel, for which she received a score of 23. The reality star cried for joy, as did her mother Sharon, who gushed to friends after the show, “it’s like she’s a young woman, not a young girl anymore. It was gorgeous!”

Backstage, Kelly told OK!, “I’m so happy, I can’t even tell you. I feel incredible. When you work so hard at something—and it’s not just about the dancing — you have to be feminine, figure out what the dance means to you. That, in itself, is really hard for me and Louis has taught me so much.

“I was crying before I went onstage and then I pulled it together,” she confided. “Then I went, you can only do the best you can do… It made me cry to share that with my mom and dad.”

Meanwhile, Joanna and pro Derek Hough couldn’t be more thrilled backstage after landing on top of the leader board with a sizzling salsa that received a 24 score and an impressive 10-point foxtrot relay. “I’m shocked. I feel like this is a dream. I really wanted to break the ‘model curse,’“ Joanna said, referring to the fact that models have never done well on DWTS. “Just because you’re a model doesn’t mean you’re stiff and can’t move.” Joanna added to OK! that she loved her flamboyant yellow salsa pants that Derek picked.

Maks, Maks, Maks – you’re going to have people accusing me of a bias against you again, when you do it to yourself every time. :::sigh::: I will point all complainers to the extremely complimentary things I said about Maks’ choreography of the summer tour.

Entourage actress Debi Mazar, who earned a 16 for her salsa and a 6 for her relay foxtrot, told OK! “I had a really good time. My nerves were hard on me.” Partner Maks Chmerkovskiy commented, “we did a lot better in practice but the first week is very tough.”

According to Access Hollywood, Donny says NO to Ballroom training….but then he kinda sorta retracts it. You be the judge. I still call him a ringer. 🙂 This one has more than just Donny – like Kelly, for example.

September 25, 2009 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Pure DWTS Sponsors A Dancer

A month or so ago I was approached by a young dancer named Caroline who was looking for sponsorship in some upcoming competitions. I was familiar with her as a contributor to Pure Derek Hough; she had met both Derek Hough and Mark Ballas through her dance studio which is a Fred Astaire Studio owned and operated by Fabian Sanchez, a former professional on Dancing with the Stars.  As a result, she had a lot of great pictures of Derek that she contributed to the site, in addition to writing a blog about meeting the guys.  So, through Pure Derek Hough, Caroline and I got to be friends and I wanted to help her out, as much as I could.

As you might imagine, dance instruction and competition is often prohibitively expensive. As a result, many young people with talent don’t ever get a chance to develop and nuture that talent, let alone compete in ballroom competitions.  Instruction alone is more than a dollar per minute, in many cases.  At a local level, competition can be more than $45 per dance – if you advance, it can get up into the hundreds of dollars per competition. And you’ve seen the costuming!  As a result, John and I have come up with a plan – we’re going to continue sponsoring Caroline and we’re going to do it in conjunction with Pure DWTS.  One of the first things cut in any school or community are the arts – we think that is a huge shame and a great loss to the community and the people who live in it.

You will see a logo on the upper right hand side of the page that says “Pure DWTS Merchandise” or you can click over to our Pure DWTS Store.  At this store you can buy Pure DWTS related merchandise at surprisingly low prices. Here’s an example of one of the t-shirts:

We’re going to donate a percentage of proceeds from sales at the store, in addition to a certain amount of our personal income from the site as necessary, in order to sponsor Caroline – and possibly other young dancers, if the program is successful. Consider this a trial balloon to see if we can get a dancing sponsorship going here – we don’t have much money, but we want to help, so your participation will mean we can help more dancers.

The great news is that Caroline had some success recently in competition – she won the junior division of  Birmingham Ballroom Challenge held by Kasia Kozak and this past May she won the Magic City Invitational. I’ve included some pictures, with her permission, below:

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make custom gifts at Zazzle

I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 9 – Entertainment News for September 21st through the 24th, 2009

I went though my Tivo and pulled off that which was recorded, and then I surfed the net. 🙂 No surprise, I got lots of stuff. First up, Melissa Rycroft’s story on GMA Monday morning.

The Local (LA) ABC Affiliate’s George Patacki (sp?):

Paparazzi Henry is on the case once again. This time he gets Tom Bergeron, in addition to several dancers. LOVE Tom. We also get Lacey, Melissa Joan Hart, Corky and Mark Ballas, Louis V, Chelsie and Aaron, among others.

E! News from 9-22-09 – the feature lots of different people, but of course Donny is always prominent. Shawn Johnson is their correspondent – very cute. 🙂

Entertainment Tonight – warning, they are using Marie all season as their representative. And of course they relentlessly pimp Donny. That whole “donny ripped out Kim’s extensions” thing – I wonder if that is where Derek got the hair? 🙂

All the celebs briefly, but a really cute bit with Debi Mazar and Maks (and Adrien Grenier from Entourage – hubba hubba).

There’s tons more – I’ll post it tomorrow. 🙂

September 24, 2009 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)