DWTS 11, Week 7 – Weekend Media Edition

Just a few things to report to you this Friday! First of all, I thought this interview with Gilles was interesting from USA Today. He makes a prediction for who will win, why Bristol is still in this thing (which I think he’s dead on about), and more. Here are a couple of snippets. Be sure to read the link for more.

Who he thinks will win: “Jennifer Grey. First of all, she’s a very sweet woman, and she has, by far, the best choreographer. Derek Hough is passionate. They are, by far, the front-runner. Now, Brandy’s coming a bit out of her shell and letting it go. She had the best dance last week. I think it will be the final between those two.”

Why Bristol Palin is still in: “Now, like in American Idol, you have a massive amount of people that will vote for the way under-under-underdog – and that would be Bristol Palin. I don’t know if it’s the Republican Party that’s thinking that politics needs to be mixed with reality TV and maybe this is a good coup. Look at the elections – they all shifted to that direction, so maybe all the Republicans in America are voting for Bristol and make her survive week after week.”

On being a real raw talent: “The truth is, when I went in to the first day of Dancing With the Stars, I had no clue. When I left, I came out as a dancer. When I was judging this week, Len Goodman, he was telling me, ‘Gilles, you really are my favorite because from when you started to when you finished, you accomplished things that no one else (did).’ I was like, ‘Wow, this is the best compliment and honor from someone who actually lived his entire life surrounded by ballroom.’ Len Goodman understood Gilles Marini did not dance a day in his life before he started the show. There were no gimmicks about me. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I never danced!’ and they did 17 movies with dancing (in them). Obviously, Nicole (Scherzinger) was the best dancer ever on that show because all her life she danced. It’s stupid hiding it. Show it, say you did and move on, and show the people you’re doing something spectacular.”

Here’s Derek and Jennifer in a new video interview on ET On-line. They are laughing and in rare form more than the norm. They also talk about their dances next week. Check out the looks to the camera when Jen says” The Gloves are off”. (yikes, lol)

Jennifer also was a guest on Jay Leno last night. Here is Part 1 and Part 2 of this fun interview. The “whether she’s a professional dancer or not” topic comes up again and more. I LOVE HER DRESS!

Brandy’s new blog is up as well on Access Hollywood. She gives her thoughts on this week’s elimination. She’s in a very reflective mood. Be sure to read the link for more.

Stunned!

Shocked!

Even a little heart-broken.

That’s all I can say about this week’s elimination of Rick and Cheryl. From our first meeting at the televised cast announcement to our very first satellite TV press tour together, Rick and I have had a very special bond. He has such great energy and is always quick to make me smile. No matter how tough things got, it was a ritual: he and the boys (Maks, Kurt and Kyle) outside the trailer throwing around the football before show time. Funny as it may seem, there are so many changing aspects of this show from week to week, I found comfort and joy in seeing the guys goofing off and having fun. It definitely cut the tension and reminded me of everyday things outside the rehearsal studio. On Tuesday, when they announced Rick’s name, it really threw me for a loop because he had done such an amazing job on Monday night in both his solo and the group (go team Kristi!!) dances. I was still coming down from my own personal high off a great performance by Maks and me when they called his name and we all rushed backstage. I remember walking backstage and seeing Rick and Cheryl first on the press line and all Maks and I could do was rush to give them a hug.

It was very difficult for me to say goodbye, and now it’s finally starting to sink in that this is it! We’re nearing the end of this competition and there are only five couples left standing. The fans continue to speak out each week and believe me – WE ARE LISTENING. As important as the judges’ critique and scoring are, you must by now realize (as all of us ‘stars’ on the show have) that YOU play a very important part in us moving on towards the next week. I try to focus and concentrate on doing my best and improving each week, but more and more I understand that who I am really dancing for is the fans.

I truly believe that’s what makes this show so successful and why DWTS is now in its 11th season, celebrating its’ 200th episode! It’s about connecting with our audience, sharing with you our ups, our downs, and welcoming you into our life… if only for a little time. Well, welcome to my world….

Bristol and Mark were interviewed by Ellen Degeneres yesterday. Here’s a sneak peek into that interview thanks to Access Hollywood. She addresses the dating rumors with Mark, her feelings on Levi running for Mayor, and her Mom running for President. You can see the full interview on Ellen’s show Monday, Nov. 8th.

The “Dancing with the Stars” finalist also shot down rumors that she’s dating her partner Mark Ballas.

“It’s really hard for me to want to date after the situation I had myself in and I’m not worried about a boyfriend right now,” she explained.

Bristol might not be rooting for Levi’s future in politics, but when it comes to mom Sarah Palin, she’s all for another race to The White House.

“Is your Mom going to run for the President?” Ellen asked. “I’ve heard she would if no one else runs… that’s not going to happen because someone will run. Will she run?

“I don’t know, but I hope she does,” Bristol said.

For those wanting to see the ‘full’ version of Maks’ Celebrity Ghost Story, you can see it below. This story is just so fascinating. Was there or was there not a “Maria”? Whoever she was or wasn’t, if it wasn’t for her, Maks wouldn’t have ever danced or walked like he does today.

Lastly, Maks posted a new blog today at TV Guide. He writes about his and Brandy’s closeness, this past week’s elimination, and their new dance without any music. Here is a snippet. But, be sure to read more at the link.

Rick leaving is another example of the judges not being a factor. I don’t know why he got fewer votes, but it’s totally undeserving. I feel like his fans were like, “Oh, he’s safe.” He’s a stand-up guy. This guy is amazing. I can compare him to Jerry Rice and how super-nice, genuine and smart he is. He has this very contagious smile. I know some people were surprised that Bristol was safe, especially since she said she wanted to go home. I feel like, why would you want to go home? You put yourself out there for people to vote — and they do — and instead of embracing it, you’re undermining the participation. If she embraced it better, I think she’d be having a lot more fun.

So next week, we have the waltz and the Cha-Cha for Instant Dance. First, I think everyone needs to know that getting music the last minute is part of competitive ballroom competitions. You work on five routines, go to the competition and you don’t know what music they’re going to play. But Dancing with the Stars is not a competitive ballroom competition. The beauty of Dancing with the Stars is that we can come up with the costume, the look and the stage performance beforehand so we can put on a show for people. It’s not a straight-up dance competition. And we have to teach the celebrities. They only just got familiar with learning a dance in a week and now they don’t get the music. So for our purposes, it’s going to be messy. If anything, I find it unfair to the celebrities because we’ve had past winners going like, “I would never be able to do this. This format is crazy.” Seven seasons ago — which sounds like a long time ago, but isn’t because we have two seasons a year — we had a show that everybody loved and everybody watched. And it was a simple show. The dances are still iconic and phenomenal. If you noticed, on the list of iconic dances, most of them were from the middle seasons, except for Nicole, who was out of this world last season. It got so crazy in the later seasons.

The format and changes are wearing on the professionals too. We are mentally drained and physically exhausted. I’ve been sick this entire season. I know they want to try new things and keep people on their toes, but I also think it will make for better TV if you can prepare properly. I’m a proud professional and I would never let myself come out with a mediocre product, but I’m going to give a hard thought about what I want to do. I’ve said this before, but the only thing I can compare it to is to have a professional swimmer swim in Jell-O.

I’m the best at what I do under the proper circumstances. It doesn’t make me less professional. I don’t want to do instant dances or dance marathons because there’s no way to properly prepare for it. I don’t understand why we got Argentine tango and paso doble in our semifinal if we get there. They’re just way too similar.

Ok, that is all we have for you for now. More coming soon. 😉 xxx