May 19, 2009

Dancing with the Stars 2009 Final Power Rankings

Written by: John

Well, for those long time readers, you know that I’ve already posted two different methods of predicting the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner. So, the rankings won’t be a surprise. However, there’s still a whole lot of uncertainty about tonight’s Dancing with the Stars Season 8 winner. So, let me know if you feel different than me in the comments.

Now, let’s get to it. The following are my final Dancing with the Stars 2009 power rankings:

1. Shawn & Mark - I would have maybe been more nervous for Shawn if she didn’t tie for the top score last night. However, with her judges score tie with Gilles and her extreme popularity is going to land her the mirror ball trophy. You could see how happy Mark was last night when she was scoring high. Turns out he’s into a lot of money like Shawn Johnson will make from DWTS. The only reason that fans of Shawn Johnson could be skeptical is if somehow her fans got complacent and figured she had it in the bag. That said, I have a feeling we’re about to see the youngest ever Dancing with the Stars champion: Shawn Johnson.

2. Gilles & Cheryl - I think that Gilles scores were too high last night. Seriously, it wasn’t fair to Melissa that he was scored as high as he was scored. Len showed that he’s just a puppet by not scoring him down on his freestyle. All of that said, that doesn’t really affect his power ranking too much. Gilles has benefited greatly from being on the show. He wasn’t very well known before the show, but he is now. Cheryl brought something amazing out of him and he should be really happy to get second place on Dancing with the Stars.

3. Melissa & Tony - Melissa had a bit of a lackluster night last night. She’d been king of trailing off this way for a couple weeks. I bet her revealing outfits won’t win her any votes either. She’s still wildly popular. The start of the Bachelorette might have been good for her as well. Melissa fans are incredibly passionate, but this might be the end of Melissa Rycroft’s time in the spotlight. Third place for Melissa is actually an incredible achievement. Who would have thought she’d ever even be on the show. Well done Melissa.

That’s it. Tonight, we’ll find out the final Dancing with the Stars 2009 results. Not to mention I can’t wait to hear Jeffrey Ross roast these 3 stars. Plenty to talk about there. We have a frenchy, a little girl and a no name. This should be a fun night.

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Best Dancing with the Stars 2009 Music

Written by: John

As the best online source for the list of Dancing with the Stars music, I think it’s only fitting for me to provide a list of the most popular music from Dancing with the Stars 2009. Certainly this list isn’t perfect, but does show a pretty good cross section of the best music choices on Dancing with the Stars season 8.

Clapping Song - Sound-A-Like As Made Famous By: Shirley Ellis by Studio Group? Studio Group - Almost Pop: Something - Clapping Song - Sound-A-Like As Made Famous By: Shirley Ellis

Baila Baila by Chayanne? Chayanne - Grandes Exitos - Baila Baila

Womanizer by Britney Spears? Britney Spears - Circus (Deluxe Version) - Womanizer

El Tango de los Assassinos by John Powell? John Powell - Mr. & Mrs. Smith Score - El Tango de los Assassinos Download MP3 on Amazon

Slow Dancing In a Burning Room by John Mayer? John Mayer - Continuum - Slow Dancing In a Burning Room Download MP3 on Amazon

Carmen - Habanera by Georges Bizet? Georges Bizet - Classical Moods - 100 Top Classical Favorites of All Time - Carmen - Habanera Download MP3 on Amazon

Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade? Secondhand Serenade - A Twist In My Story (Bonus Track Version) - Fall for You Download MP3 on Amazon

Mi Confesion by Gotan Project? Gotan Project - Lunatico - Mi Confesion

At Last by Etta James? Etta James - At Last! (Remastered) - At Last Download MP3 on Amazon

Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beyoncé? Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Version) - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)

It Is You (I Have Loved) [From "Shrek"] by Becky Jane Taylor? Becky Jane Taylor - By Your Side - It Is You (I Have Loved) [From "Shrek"]

I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [More English Extended Mix] by Pitbull? Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - EP - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [More English Extended Mix]

Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy? Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree - Dance, Dance Download MP3 on Amazon

Taquito Militar by Conjunto Tipico Del Tango? Conjunto Tipico Del Tango - Tango for Dancing - Taquito Militar

You Raise Me Up by Celtic Woman? Celtic Woman - Celtic Woman - You Raise Me Up

Take a Picture by Filter? Filter - Title of Record - Take a Picture Download MP3 on Amazon

Poker Face by Lady GaGa? Lady GaGa - The Fame - Poker Face Download MP3 on Amazon

She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5? Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane - She Will Be Loved Download MP3 on Amazon

Calloway Boogie by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get? - The Music of Cab Calloway - Calloway Boogie

Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield? Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This - Gotta Get Thru This

Which DWTS songs were your favorite?

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May 18, 2009

Dancing with the Stars 2009 Top 3

Written by: John

ABC and Dancing with the Stars made a great decision to keep the Dancing with the Stars 2009 top 3 final performances to only an hour. It was a great hour of entertainment. Any longer and they’d have been stretching for content. Here’s my review of the top 3 from tonight’s show.

Shawn Johnson - Anyone that watches Shawn has to just love her little girl innocence and her cute personality. Her detractors use that against her, but that’s a big plus for me. Sure, she doesn’t have that adult woman’s nuance in her dancing, but she’s so precise in her movements.

Shawn’s freestyle was far and away the best of the night. I was really disappointed that she didn’t pull at least a few tasteful gymnastics tricks, but it was still entertaining.

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Gilles Marini - Gilles’ paso doble was Gilles being Gilles. It was well done. He deserved good scores. I don’t think it was a 30 performance, but it was great. Gilles has been solid all around and Paso works really well for him.

Gilles freestyle was my least favorite of the night. The freestyle highlighted Cheryl instead of Gilles. If I was evaluating Cheryl, then I’d have given it a 10. Cheryl really danced it with some amazing personality. Plus, I think that Gilles should have stuck with the sensual stuff he started with. When he went to playful, he just didn’t pull it off very well. The effort was there, but it just felt awkward. I should also mention that I think it’s a joke that Len would mark down Melissa for her “choice of style” but would still give a 10 to Gilles who had much less dancing (see Carrie Anna and Bruno’s comments).

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Melissa Rycroft - I still wonder if it was a strategy for Melissa to wear 2 bikinis for her routine or if it was just coincidence. She did look pretty stunning. She did look a little awkward at a couple times in her Paso Doble. So, I think the scoring was accurate for her Paso.

I really enjoyed Melissa’s freestyle. It was occasionally disjointed, but unlike Len I really loved that she incorporated her cheerleading moves into the dance. It shows her versatility which is what I think freestyle should be all about. It’s just shameful that Len would mark down her score just because he didn’t like that style of dancing. Lesson for all those doing a freestyle in the future: add in at least some ballroom or get marked down by Len.

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Watch tomorrow for me to post my final Dancing with the Stars power rankings.

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Julianne Hough Will Return to Dancing with the Stars in Early 2010

Written by: John
Maxims 10th Annual Hot 100 Celebration - Red Carpet

I just found this short little story on People that talks about Julianne Hough not leaving Dancing with the Stars for good. Here’s the quote from the article where Julianne Hough talks:

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Hough said: “I am appreciative to be taking this coming season of Dancing with the Stars off to focus on my other career paths like touring in support of my album and recording my next one. I look forward to returning to DWTS in early 2010.”

Dancing with the Stars executive producer, Conrad Green, is also quoted in the article talking about how they encourage the dancers to take a break. Check out Julianne Hough’s list of Tour dates and you can see she’s going to be busy without Dancing with the Stars.

Glad to know Julianne Hough will be back on Dancing with the Stars.

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Tweeting the Dancing with the Stars Finale

Written by: John

Yes, I am on the west coast, so the Dancing with the Stars finale is going on right now. For those interested in hearing some of my commentary on the Dancing with the Stars 2009 finale, you can follow my comments on my Dancing with the Stars twitter account. Go and check out some of my most recent comments like:

“I told everyone that the Dancing with the Stars finale is always a Love fest. They want to pump up the final 3 as part of the storyline.”
and
“I’m really disappointed Shawn Johnson isn’t going to use her gymnastics in the freestyle. It’s called FREE-style. Grrrrrr!”

Looking forward to seeing you on Twitter.

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Dancing with the Stars 2009 Finale Music

Written by: John

Check out the list of music from the Dancing with the Stars 2009 finale. Always fun to see what the stars bring to the table for the finale. Especially for the freestyle dance they do. I’ll update this as the Dancing with the Stars 2009 finale progresses.

Also, check out all of the Dancing with the Stars 2009 music.

Shawn & Mark, Melissa & Tony, Gilles & Cheryl danced a Paso Doble to the song “So What”—Pink P!nk - Funhouse (Deluxe Version) - So What
Shawn & Mark danced a Freestyle to the song “Do Your Thing”—Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx - Rooty - Do Your Thing
Shawn & Mark danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”—Michael Jackson Michael Jackson - The Essential Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
Melissa & Tony danced a Freestyle to the song “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”—C+C Music Factory C+C Music Factory - C+C Music Factory: Super Hits - Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
Melissa & Tony danced a Samba to the song “Jaleo”—Ricky Martin Ricky Martin - Almas del Silencio - Jaleo
Gilles & Cheryl danced a Freestyle to the song “Flashdance (What a Feeling)”—Irene Cara Irene Cara - What a Feelin' - Flashdance - What a Feeling
Gilles & Cheryl danced a Argentine Tango to the song “Assassin’s Tango”—John Powell John Powell - Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Assassin's Tango

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Dancing with the Stars Season 8 Twitter Choice Winner

Written by: John

I just posted the results from the Pure Dancing with the Stars poll. However, I thought it would also be fun to take a look at other ways of determining who the most popular of the final 3 is (since at this point it really becomes a popularity contest).

I recently posted a list of the Dancing with the Stars twitter accounts. Since then, my stats program has tracked which twitter account link has been clicked on the most. Certainly not a scientific way to determine who is the most popular, but still fun fodder while we wait for tomorrow’s Dancing with the Stars finale.

Here is the ranking according to the number of clicks to the final 3’s twitter accounts:
1. Melissa Rycroft
2. Gilles Marini
3. Shawn Johnson

Interesting, no?

Of course, another way to look at it is by number of followers that each star has on their twitter account. Those would go like this:
1. Shawn Johnson - 6768 Twitter Followers
2.3. Gilles Marini - 1444 Twitter Followers
3.2. Melissa Rycroft - 258 Twitter Followers 4797 Twitter Followers

Granted, Shawn and Gilles definitely are using Twitter more than Melissa. Although, it is interesting that it’s the same as the poll results I just posted previously. [UPDATE: One of my twitter followers informed me that Melissa Rycroft has another twitter account with many more followers. I've updated the post to reflect the difference. I wondered why Melissa wasn't updating the account I knew about. By the way, you can follow this website on Twitter as well.]

Any other cool ways that I should look at who will become the next Dancing with the Stars winner?

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Pure Dancing with the Stars 2009 Winner Results

Written by: John

I recently invited readers of Pure Dancing with the Stars to vote for the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner. I posted 2 polls asking “Who do you WANT to be the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner?” and “Who WILL be the Dancing with the Stars 2009 Winner?”

The following are the predictions for will become the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner:

Who do you WANT to be the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner?
Dancing with the Stars 2009 Winner Voting Results

Who WILL be the Dancing with the Stars 2009 Winner?
DWTS 2009 Winner Voting Results

Looks like Shawn Johnson has a lot to look forward to on the finale of Dancing with the Stars season 8. Although, I have to admit that this has to be the closest race ever in the history of Dancing with the Stars. I said previously that it reminds me of back when Mario Lopez and Joey Fatone were really close.

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May 13, 2009

Mayo Alanen & Kym Johnson Professional Dance Competition Videos

Written by: John

Mayo Alanen is a really great dancer. I enjoyed his dancing with Kym. The only problem for him is that Anna Demidova was off the charts. It’s sad that Dancing with the Stars can’t take both of them, but doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of having a competition? Either way, his performance was still tremendously entertaining and worth another watch. Looks like season 9 of Dancing with the Stars is still in good hands.

Mayo Alanen & Kym Johnson danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song “Shake Your Groove Thing” Peaches & Herb - Disco Gold - Shake Your Groove Thing—Peaches & Herb

Mayo Alanen & Kym Johnson danced a Tango to the song “Jalousie” Alfred Hause's Tango Orchestra - Tango - Jalousie—Alfred Hause’s Tango Orchestra
*I’m still searching for this video*

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Anna Demidova and Maks Chmerkovskiy Professional Dance Competition Videos

Written by: John

Anna Demidova really lit up the stage on Dancing with the Stars. I’m with the judges for once and really hope that America votes Anna Demidova as the next professional on Dancing with the Stars season 9. She definitely deserves it. Don’t believe me, check out the videos below or check out Anna Demidova before Dancing with the Stars.

Video of Anna Demidova and Maks Chmerkovskiy dancing a quickstep on Dancing with the Stars to the song “Almost Like Being in Love” Frank Sinatra - Come Swing With Me! - Almost Like Being In Love— Frank Sinatra

Video of Anna Demidova and Maks Chmerkovskiy dancing a Samba on Dancing with the Stars to the song “Crayons” Donna Summer - Crayons - Crayons (feat. Ziggy Marley)— Donna Summer feat. Ziggy Marley

UPDATE: Fans of Anna Demidova will also like this video of Anna and Derek Hough dancing at the Grove to the Ballas Hough Band. Anna comes on at about 2:17 into the video.

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