Apolo Anton Ohno | Pure Dancing with the Stars

Dancing with the Stars Season 15, Week 5 – Who’s Dancing What…and When??

This is sure to be a weird week, what with the performance show split over two nights. We don’t know yet how they will do the voting, but I assume it will happen both nights. My vote is to eliminate the voting from this week entirely. That way half the couples aren’t penalized by having their solo dance on Tuesday night when fewer people actually watch the show. A lot fewer. Sure, the die hards will vote no matter what, but the casual viewer, who likely makes up the largest percentage of the vote total, might not. So, use the scores only. It will screw the margins….but at least the voting margins won’t be screwed as well. But I bet ABC is greedy for those votes and won’t do it my way. :::sigh::: Here’s to hoping for Team Shawn dancing solo dances on Monday night.

ETA: Who wants to bet me that I can tell you EXACTLY how Kirstie’s dance will play out just based on the song? I predict that it’s going to be very predictable.

ETA2: In a new ABC Press release, TPTB detail how the dances will take place in one hour shows on Monday and Tuesday. They also detail how voting will take place each night. Please read the press release carefully here. Because of the different scheduling, this could really play with votings and how this competition plays out this week, so be sure you VOTE!!! ~Vogue

ETA:3 I smell a rat. How is that Kelly knows Cher Lloyd beyond what she saw on a results show?? These songs had to the ones they were picking before the season started, so what gives?? I didn’t think she was that big of a deal here just yet. I only know of her because I watched that season of X Factor UK. I smell pimpage. Hmmm….isn’t X Factor UK an ITV show, not a BBC show? I think so. So what’s the deal? Huh.

ETA4: Well, that’s just great. The pimping of Gilles continues. It appears his team is doing their individual dances on Monday, since Melissa said they were dancing their solo first on Tuesday. Great. Fabulous.

ETA5: Kind of a moot point for those who have already read the spoilers for tonight’s show, but updated to reflect tonight’s running order. -Court-

MONDAY

Kelly/Val – Samba (Song: ”Want U Back” by Cher Lloyd)
Dancing 1st on Monday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3411

Gilles/Peta - Rumba (Song:“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston)
Dancing 2nd on Monday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3410

Kirstie/Maks – Quickstep (Song: “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel)
Dancing 3rd on Monday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3412

Emmett/Cheryl – Samba (Song: “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow)
Dancing 4th on Monday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3413

Team Shawn – Freestyle (Song: “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepson)
Shawn & Derek
Sabrina & Louis
Melissa & Tony
Apolo & Karina

TUESDAY

Melissa/Tony – Tango (Song: “Toxic” by Britney Spears)
Dancing 1st on Tuesday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3406

Shawn/Derek – Rumba (Song: “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion)
Voting #: 1-800-868-3402
Dancing 2nd on Tuesday

Apolo/Karina – Samba (Song: “Give it to Me Baby” by Rick James)
Voting #: 1-800-868-3407
Dancing 3rd on Tuesday

Sabrina/Louis – Waltz (Song: “So This is Love” from Cinderella (Disney version))
Dancing 4th on Tuesday
Voting #: 1-800-868-3403

Team Gilles – Freestyle (Song: “Gangnam Style” by PSY)
Gilles & Peta
Kelly & Val
Kirstie & Maks
Emmitt & Cheryl

Team Shawn Sneak Peek

DWTS Season 15 Las Vegas Odds Going Into Week 5: Agree or Disagree?

What an interesting shake up we’ve had in Las Vegas Odds from for Dancing With The Stars these last few weeks! According to Sports Bovada again, we have Shawn leading the odds with Apolo and Emmitt tied and not far behind which I agree with. In fact, I agree with all the placements the odds makers have wagered below except for Kirstie Alley who they keep wanting to give such low odds to. She’s danced fairly well these last few weeks and they shouldn’t be underestimating her and Maks’ fan base which I would think dominates Sabrina’s, Melissa’s, Gilles’, and Kelly’s fan bases? Also note how Kelly’s odds are stronger compared to the week before and she moved up a place higher than Gilles. Interesting and deserving in my opinion!!

New Las Vegas Odds going into Week 5:

Shawn Johnson 7/5
Apolo Anton Ono 4/1
Emmitt Smith 4/1
Kelly Monaco 5/1
Gilles Marini 6/1
Melissa Rycroft 25/1
Sabrina Bryan 50/1
Kirstie Alley 66/1

Last week’s odds going into week 4, to compare:

Shawn Johnson – 7/4
Apolo Anton Ohno – 9/4
Emmitt Smith – 7/2
Gilles Marini – 13/2
Kelly Monaco – 12/1
Melissa Rycroft – 15/1
Bristol Palin – 25/1
Sabrina Bryan – 33/1
Kirstie Alley – 50/1

Summing it up…again, I think the odds makers have pegged it, but, I think Sabrina should be at the bottom with Kirstie or Melissa second to last.

Let’s get my fellow Partners In Crimes thoughts on the matter and be sure to let us know what you think too in the comments section…..

Courtney: My only complaint here is that I still think Emmitt is too high – at this point I think Kelly or Gilles has a better chance of making it to the finale than he does. I like Emmitt as a person – he seems to be a nice guy and is having fun this season; but I don’t really see the hunger to win in him like I do in most of the others. But then again, he does seem to be getting some pretty cushy scores…but the judges do seem to be a lot less “enchanted” with him as the weeks wear on. Who knows what’s going on there. But I am quite glad to see Gilles getting edged out by Kelly Now if only Melissa makes some big moves this week and can overtake him as well! As for Kirstie – I do think after her bottom 2 appearance this week, they’ve got it about right. Skill-wise, she’s just not really a match for anyone else this season, and I think some of the votes she would have gotten on a regular season are now going to other contestants who might share her fanbase (possibly Kelly & Melissa, maybe Emmitt). I think it’s safe to say she isn’t going to win this season – but how much longer will she stick around?

Heidi: I think Kirstie is in the right spot as well. Sabrina has the potential to get great scores. Kirstie? Not so much, relative to other dancers. Since she was in the bottom two this past week, any bad score could do her in, whereas Sabrina could possibly be spared by a really great dance. The key will be that Sabrina do well on Monday and that her team does well in the team dance. I think Kirstie beats her in votes probably easily, but with a good margin Sabrina has shown she can hang on. I think the margin that Kirstie failed to beat was 17k. If that happens again, I think Kirstie goes…unless someone unexpected falls to the bottom. Like Melissa. I kinda think that Emmitt might not be as strong as anyone thinks either. Between Apolo, Shawn, Gilles and even Melissa/Sabrina, he seems kinda forgettable. He’s definitely too high in the rankings, IMO.

Time Entertainment Blogs DWTS All Stars, Week 4

Vogue’s back, hooooray!! But I saw this blog before I knew she was back and I’ve been trying to post it all day – cuz I thought it sounded like something I might write and it had funny parts. Here are a couple excerpts Time’s Entertainment Blog:

Last night was full of surprises on Dancing with the Stars: All Stars, at least according to co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was dressed like a mermaid when she said it, so you know it is has to be true. Yet after every performance show, we have to watch someone we love (or barely tolerate — we’re looking at you, Drew Lachey) go home. Who was it last night? Before we get to the dramatic elimination, we get some thrilling behind-the-scenes footage of Bristol Palin cheering her own score (32!) and Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy making a make-up lady uncomfortable with their weird mooning over each other that would not be out of place in the back row of a high school viewing of Twilight. In short, let’s just get to the results already.

How did the pitter patter of little feet score? Let’s find out:

Least Surprising Save: Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough are safe after earning three 10s and a grouchy 9.5 for their mambo. Joining them in the Circle of Safety are fake vote-seeking lovebirds Val Chmerkovskiy and Kelly Monaco as well as Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel and, presumably, the Cookie Monster if he survived eviscerating Sabrina last night.

Best Vote Stacking: Kirstie Alley and Maks Chmerkovskiy proudly crowed about finally getting a 30 from the judges. No need to mention that it took adding an extra judge’s score to get to 30. Kirstie and Maks are in jeopardy despite their “high” score.

Random Gripe: This show is wildly inconsistent with their flashback dances. Sometimes they pick a dance to be done over during the results show, and sometimes they don’t. I want to see Shawn and Derek’s mambo again and the judges should have let me.

DWTS 15: Karina Smirnoff Talks Fitness, Supplements, & JR Martinez with SELF Magazine

There’s a little something for both the guys (jimmbboe) and the ladies (Heidi, myself, and anyone else who salivates over Apolo’s physique) in this one

Karina sat down with SELF magazine to talk about the success of her first fitness DVD (Shape Up with Karina Smirnoff), her own energy supplement, and her philosophy on fitness & health. She also had some sweet things to say about JR (“We developed a friendship that will stand the test of time and became a true team in every sense of a word, supporting each other and pushing each other to be the best that we could be.”), and talked a bit about AIM, the charity she has been working with:

AIM stands for Alternative Intervention Models. It’s an organization that was set up by Leila Steinberg, and it has divisions for charities in the foundation like art, singing, sports and dancing. It’s an organization that allows me to teach underprivileged kids how to express themselves through the arts. Kids who can’t afford it, who come from low socio-economic families, or schools at risk, can become a part of AIM and express themselves in any way that they want to, whether it’s coming up with a song or learning how to cha-cha. I love being a part of it! You can check it out at my website, www.karinasmirnoff.com, or AIM’s website for more information.

Very cool to see what Karina’s been up to outside of the ballroom But the highlight for me was the behind-the-scenes rehearsal pix of she & Apolo this week…

Nice biceps you got there, Apolo.

Again, with the biceps…meeeeooooowwww.

Louis Van Amstel Talks to Parade Magazine about DWTS Season 15

Thanks to @DWTSGossip for the heads up on this one.

Oh boy. Look away, LVA fans, this dude works my last nerve and I ain’t afraid to say so. Louis talks to Parade and he sounds…bitter. To say the least.

We have changed our tune a little bit. We got a message from Carrie Ann [Inaba] and the other judges. They complimented Sabrina on her technique and dancing, but somehow they’re not looking for dancing on a dance show. Carrie Ann said, ‘You’re playing it safe.’ We were not playing it safe, we were trying to stay within the rules. To me, that’s being respectful, but somehow being respectful was not appreciated. Having said that, it lights a fire, and it made us change some of our thinking. So in the end, I’m thankful. It’s like Christina Aguilera‘s “Stronger,” about thanking her ex-boyfriend for how he cheated on her because it made her a stronger woman.

On tackling the disco tonight.
We’re going for what a disco represents—a lot of fun and making sure we’re having a good time. I actually went and did research, and I was in for a lovely surprise that a lot of hip hop and jazz heritage comes from that era. I also looked at Saturday Night Fever, and I was surprised that the dance level has changed tremendously over the last 40 years. If I would literally do what John Travolta did then, it would not come across the same. So it’s kind of interesting how you have to kind of edit the iconic moves to make it interesting in 2012.

On their disco outfits.
We’re so close to Halloween, and with disco outfits, you can so quickly go costumey. We didn’t want to make a parody or make fun of disco, so we’re still going classy. We’re trying to really make a contribution rather than walking out in something over-the-top or cliche.

So, they’re not looking for dance on a dance show?? Er…sure they are, but they expect you to up your game. You absolutely WERE playing it safe. There was nothing new or creative there. And I suppose you think you’re the only ones dancing?? Uh huh. Let me guess – you’re pissed that Derek and Shawn did so well despite having gymnastics along with their dancing. Why don’t you look to Apolo for an exciting dance…hell, Kelly stayed with in the rules and was wobbly…but she was better than you and Sabrina were as well. Wait!! Melissa and Tony too.

By the way, maybe lose the window treatment disguised as a costume and I could at least focus on the dance more! You say you’re going classy…we’ll see.

Who are the ones to beat from LVA’s POV?? Well, there’s a very notable name missing. I guess he doesn’t see the threat there??

From a dancing point of view, you can say Gilles [Marini], Shawn [Johnson], and Melissa [Rycroft], but then again, don’t count out Kirstie [Alley] and Bristol [Palin's] fan bases, because they have been on the bottom of the leaderboard. Kirstie was in jeopardy last week but Bristol hasn’t even been in the bottom two once. Emmitt Smith has a great fan base, he’s a phenomenal guy, and he has the moves. It just goes to show you that everybody is our competition.

DWTS Season 15, Week 4 – Kelly and Karina Talk About their Dances

Kelly’s up first, and I have to say, I like how blunt she is. It kinda cracks me up. Or it could just be that I love the idea of someone telling Cheryl to “F@#k off”. From Today’s Clicker:

“I personally told her to (expletive) off for giving me (contemporary),” Kelly told The Clicker. “I’d never even heard of it! I don’t watch ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ … I was like, ‘This isn’t the show I signed up for!’ I didn’t know I’d be doing this!”

And it seems her pro partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, wasn’t expecting it either.

“We called in a choreographer because Val had no idea what to do, so we’re both being taught,” Kelly, who won the first season of “DWTS,” explained. “It’s an interesting dynamic having both of us sort of in the same position. I mean, clearly, he is a lot more trained in dance lingo so he can follow better than I could ever dream of.”

The pair, who tied for first place last week with their powerful paso doble, aren’t the only ones unfamiliar with their new dance. “I know every couple is in the same boat with their professional dancer (with this) not being their forte,” Kelly said. “I think it’s going to make for a great show. … You’re going to see the couples working together in a way we’ve never worked together before.

Karina on Hip Hop via X17 video which I can’t embed – she basically says that Hip Hop isn’t her thing, but she now thinks their routine is really cool. And may I just add that Apolo looks FIIIINE. I mean, really.

How much longer till Vogue is back?? Not to be too much of a whiner but her job AND my job together is too much. The Cheese takes a lot of time, dang it.

DWTS All Stars, Week 3 – The Cheesecake Awards!!

Oooo…it’s getting super snarky in here. Hehehehe….

The Award for Pro Most Likely to Win the Role of Cinderella’s Ugly Step Sister: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Heidi: Dude, seriously – you is one ugly woman. But as an androgynous man you ain’t half bad. What was freaky was how UNLIKE himself he looked. Really, a shave and a wig and you’re nearly unrecognizable?? Amazing.

Courtney: I just have to laugh at the wig itself – that was SERIOUSLY the best Mick Jagger wig they could find? I’d find it more believable if Mick Jagger circa 1970 looked more like a cross between Jim Morrison & a mustache-less Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, with a smattering of the famous Farrah Fawcett hair flip in Charlie’s Angels. And the pants? Would make Austin Powers himself jealous. The end result was simultaneously hilarious and disturbing…in that Maks seemed to be enjoying himself just a teeny bit too much

The “Google Is Your Friend” Award for General Cluelessness: Maksim Chmerkovskiy for not knowing what Androgynous means.

Heidi: Well, if it were ME and I didn’t know the meaning of the word that Kirstie was calling me all week long, I would: A) Realize that perhaps I needed a wee bit more education and B) GOOGLE IT. The embarrassing and hard way (but hilarious for the audience) to find out the answer to the question is on National Television. Of course, you can’t know everything. But even a chimp can google.

Courtney: You know who else can Google? Muppets.

The Award for the Worst Wardrobe Idea Since the Lacey Crotch Doilie (heh): Sabrina, Louis and the Wardrobe Department for the PURPLE Crotch Window Treatment

Heidi: That entire costume was godawful, but I kept getting distracted by the material dangling…down there. It was just freakin’ weird! I was like, what the hell IS that?? Of course, the other issue was waiting with baited breath to see if the top half of her costume would hold up to the work out that her boobage was giving it. Ahem…more support is a GOOD idea.

Courtney: Her boobs were REALLY ANGRY this week, as Mama Spence put it. And each time she stomped or gesture wildly…it just looked painful. And the big triangular purple phallus just made me chuckle like a 14-year-old boy. Wonder if Louis was cranky because he was feeling inadequate by comparison Read more..

Dancing with the Stars Season 15, Week 4 – Who’s Dancing What…and When??

So, this is the week that DWTS copies SYTYCD (why copy a fading show??) and does it with crappy music. Why?? And I also lament that the most creative choreographer on the show got stuck with something he’s done before and doesn’t seem that fond of. :::sigh::: So, he’ll get crazy, put some gymnastics in it, Gilles will whine it’s not fair and drink a bottle of booze (no glass, no class). He will then imply that all Shawn and Apolo have to look forward to is a Pepsi commercial while he’s an ACTOR. Hehehe…but he got Bollywood.

Gilles and Slumdog Millionaire. That’s like…totally original. Only not at all. Not only that, but already done (badly) as Kyle and Lacey’s Argentine Tango. Of course, as a Bollywood number we’ll probably get something like Slumdog Millionaire. It’s probably too much to ask to get the Jason and Caitlin version from SYTYCD.

Kelly dancing to Fix You by Cold Play? Like I said, SYTYCD…pretty sure that it will be hard to beat Allison Holker doing a Travis Wall number. Of course, Allison is a professional dancer…which is exactly why it’s a bad idea to pick THIS song.

I went ahead an added Mark and Bristol’s song too, since dude tweeted a video of him and Bristol “dancing” to it. Unfortunately, she’ll probably do okay with this piece of cake song.

ETA1: Kirstie’s song is Slllllooooowwww….she should be able to do well. I’m sure “they” hope she does, those manipulating…. Strictly Come Dancing has done Charleston before, even found a Charleston montage from that show. And LOL to the Korean school doing a Christmas Charleston. Heh.

ETA2: Another cop out song. Not only has it been used on the show before by Joey and Kym for their Cha Cha, but it was used in the Vegas show that Sabrina was a part of.

ETA3: Geez. It’s apparent to Courtney and myself that they picked the songs so as to not complicate it further for the pros who got foreign dance styles. But surely they could have done better with the Mambo?? But Melissa certainly got lucky. If it weren’t for the fact that I would lay money on them having the song paired with the dance well before dances were picked for couples, I’d start to get suspicious.

ETA4: Someone had to bring in FOUR outside choreographers for help with her dance. And it wasn’t Karina. Dang, Apolo hit the jackpot this week, provided that Karina can hip hop as well as she does everything else.

ETA5: Depending on how they set the show up, they’ve either put Emmitt and Cheryl at the top of the hour…or buried them. Curious to see which.

ETA6: TPTB are showing family favoritism once again – Kelly has been in the last few dances all but ONCE. Sabrina is the opposite, which isn’t good. I guess we’ll see if Kelly lives up to the hype. I like her, and her partnership with Val, but she certainly didn’t deserve top of the leaderboard last week. Will they keep protecting her – at Sabrina’s expense?? Or Shawn’s? At least they finally got Apolo towards the end. He’s been stuck in the middle for three weeks.

ETA7: Hmmm…I find Gilles running order interesting, when looking at all four weeks. Not sure what to make of it. I want to say it’s cuz he’s a douchbag. I hope that Bristol and Shawn are in the right spots, since going second is, historically, the worst spot. Maybe we can get rid of her? Nah…bad feeling we’re going to lose someone really good while she sticks one more week.

ETA8: All kinds of changes. Apparently, Derek got their song changed (don’t ask me why I believe Derek did it) and I jumped the guy on Apolo being 8th – he’s 7th and Derek/Shawn are 8th. There’s a long story that has to do with someone telling me Melissa’s order wrong, followed by Karina saying they were dancing “close to the end”. Melissa’s order lead me to Apolo’s order. When I fixed the Melissa error, it didn’t occur to me that “close to the end” for Karina would be 7th. :::sigh::: A number, Karina, I need a number.

Kirstie/Maks – The Charleston (Song “42nd St.” from the musical 42nd St.)
Dancing 1st
Voting #: 1-800-868-3412

Bristol/Mark – Rock n’ Roll (Song: ”At the Hop” by Danny & the Juniors)
Dancing 2nd – by process of elimination
Voting #: 1-800-868-3409

Sabrina/Louis – Disco (Song: “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees)
Dancing 3rd
Voting #: 1-800-868-3403

Emmett/Cheryl – Bolero (Song: “Better in Time” by Leona Lewis)
Dancing 4th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3413

Gilles/Peta - Bollywood (Song: “Jai Ho” by A.R. Rahman)
Dancing 5th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3410

Melissa/Tony – Jitterbug (Song: “This Cat’s On a Hot Tin Roof” by Brian Setzer Orchestra)
Dancing 6th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3406

Apolo/Karina – Hip Hop (Song: “Poison” by Bel Biv DeVoe)
Dancing 7th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3407

Shawn/Derek – Mambo (Song: “Mambo Swing” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “Para Los Rumberos” by Santana)
Dancing 8th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3402

Kelly/Val – Contemporary (Song: “Fix You” by Coldplay)
Dancing 9th
Voting #: 1-800-868-3411

ETA1a: Cheese preview!!

DWTS All-Stars, Week 4: Apolo & Karina Bring the Heat (and Innuendo) to Access Hollywood

If Kelly & Val are the couple in “puppy love” this season…then Apolo & Karina are the couple most likely to be lusting after one another, methinks ;-P There’s simply too many “meoooooowwww” moments in this clip to list them all – trust me, you need to just watch…and giggle like a schoolgirl, like Karina. The couple hit up Access Hollywood yesterday to chat about their chemistry, their hip-hop routine, and…”man Kegels”???

Ok, you all know I’m not typically the type to swoon over the male pros/celebs on DWTS (the female pros? That’s another story ). But something about Apolo in this clip – and just in this season, in general – makes me want to climb all over him like a jungle gym. He’s definitely grown ‘n’ sexy, and has a wicked, saucy sense of humor that seems to make Karina melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July The hapless hosts just keep inadvertently asking some eyebrow-raising questions – and Apolo just keeps answering with zinger after zinger, without missing a beat. And Karina rolls with it just as well! After titillating us with innuendo about 50 Shades of Grey, “hooking up”, and who has more stamina, Apolo also talks about the differences between being partnered with Julianne vs. Karina (“She was only 18, we were not hooking up!”), and Gilles’ quest for the MBT (“He’s got his fangs out!”), and the two also chat briefly about their hip-hop routine this week – Karina says Apolo’s going to be choreographing some of it, and Apolo’s ready to “show everyone his hip-hop side”. I think I’m most excited for their routine next week – not only because Apolo seems really excited about it, but because they got an AWESOME song…which we will be spoiling at some point this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled

The two also briefly weighed in on Drew & Helio’s somewhat surprising eliminations, and Bristol’s staying power…I kind of love their facial expressions when talking about Bristol :

So who else is TeamOhYes? Or at least Team “I Wouldn’t Kick Apolo Out of Bed For Eating Crackers”?

DWTS All Stars – The Make Up Team Releases Week 3 Photos

I always find these interesting, although I rarely comment on them. This week I clicked the link to their facebook and saw an interesting series of pictures. I will narrate for you…

“Someone’s missing…Hey, Derek, get your little butt over into this picture!!” Derek: “I’m busy man, leave me alone.”

Gilles: “Come sit by me, Derek”

Apolo: “Raahahaha I danced GOOD.”