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DWTS Season 11, Week 6 – Odds & Ends Media Part 1

So much to report today! Good thing Heidi has collaborated with me on this one again!! šŸ™‚

First up, more news on next week’s shows. According to Playbill, the 200th show, along with Rod Stewart and Taylor Swift, will include a broadway performance from the cast of “Mary Poppins”.

The 200th episode of “Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show,” which airs Nov. 2 at 8 PM ET on ABC, will feature the cast of Mary Poppins. Led by Caroline Sheen as Mary and Nicolas Dromard as Bert, the company will perform “Step in Time.” The performance will mark the second time “Dancing with the Stars” has hosted a Disney on Broadway musical. Last year, the cast of The Lion King performed “Circle of Life.”

Also, for you Damian Whitewood and Peta Murgatroyd fans like myself, stay tuned. She’s confirmed to me at facebook that the two will be dancing in the Results show again this week. They’ve been tweeting about it too. *dies* I love these two!! šŸ™‚

There is also more news on Maks’ and Brandy’s special Halloween appearance on The Ellen Show today from The Examiner. Apparently, he’s going to be escorting Brandy as Prince Charming. Brandy will be dressed as Minnie Mouse. Be sure to tune in today on ABC. It’s an Ellen show you won’t want to miss.

Speaking of Maks and Brandy, more pics have been released of their “OK” shoot and the full interview has been released. Here is one of the pictures and a snippet from the article. Be sure to see and read more at the link. 9 photos in total.

Whatā€™s the most important thing being on Dancing With the Stars has taught you?Brandy: Staying in the moment. Dance is all about trusting the moment and letting the dance flow through you, instead of over analyzing.

Itā€™s a lot of exercise. How are you feeling?Brandy: Great, very energized. Iā€™m starting to develop some calf muscles and we all want those Britney Spears legs, so if I keep dancing and keep doing my lunges, Iā€™ll have some killer legs. And my midsection is looking a little muscular. Not a six-pack yet but watch out, Janet Jackson!

What surprised you about doing DWTS?Brandy: The level of fear that comes with the show is unexpected. You are so
nervous on Mondays. Thereā€™s judgment, constructive criticism and being compared to other people. Iā€™m really proud that Iā€™m able to get out there every Monday.
Maks: I think she retains choreography quick, but she still gets nervous on Mondays and it can jeopardize our performance. But I feel like now, week by week, she gets more and more comfortable.

Are you enjoying the costumes?Brandy: Oh, when I wear the costumes I feel like a completely different
person. With the hair and the makeup ā€” I feel like a real-life Barbie doll. My favorite so far was the one for the samba. It was really tight at the top and flowy at the bottom. I felt really sexy in it and I donā€™t feel sexy a lot in my real life!

In other fun interviews out there, Lacey talks to TooFab. Here is a take from that interview.

On her chances of winning with partner Kyle Massey …“You never have any idea with this show. Obviously, we ‘d love to be at the end, but at the same time we’re happy we’ve made it this far!”

On Audrina’s elimination …“She’s so lovable and so sweet and was doing amazing on the show. I was definitely shocked to see her go. At this point in the game though, we’re shocked no matter what. We’re like a family, we never want to see anybody go. She’ll be really missed.”

On why Bristol Palin’s lasted so long, despite low scores …“She’s more of the underdog and she knows she’s the underdog. She’s working her butt off, she’s sweet and such a great girl, she’s having a blast.”

On dancing with Kyle …“He’s like a little brother. He’s super fun at all of our rehearsals. And I totally understand how my mom felt raising me and my brother.”

On what we haven’t seen on the show …“Kyle has a basketball he named Jacko Wilson. It can’t leave his sight during rehearsals. He’ll go talk to it for 5 minutes. We play basketball, kickball with Jacko. It’s really fun.”

On their toughest competition …“At this point, it’s hard to say. We’re all really consistent at this point, but there are ones that will definitely make it to the finale, like Jennifer [Grey].”

And YOU GO William Shatner on Jimmy Kimmel!! Check out who he thinks is “America’s Greatest Dancer” and even compares him to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in one. I have to say he’s pinned it about Derek. What do you think? He loves Dancing With The Stars. See why here.

More coming up Guys. So, stay tuned!! šŸ˜‰

October 29, 2010 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS, Season 11, Week 6 – Recovering from the Aftershock and Media

As most of you know, next week, Dancing with the Stars will celebrate its 200th episode. Associated Content is reporting that each celebrity will perform a dance they have not learned yet as well as a team dance. To celebrate the 200th episode, past DWTS contestants will return. Among those confirmed to return to the ballroom are Helio Castroneves, Kelly Osbourne, Emmitt Smith, Drew Lachey, Mel B. and Gilles Marini. There will also be two group dances, led by “DWTS” winners , team captains Kristi Yamaguchi (season 6) and Apolo Ohno (season 4). Musical guests include Taylor Swift and Rod Stewart.

Right now, this is all very confusing to me and messy. I hope that isn’t the case next week. We are all confused enough by what happened this past week with the elimination of Audrina and Tony which I still haven’t recovered from. lol (Heidi: It didn’t confuse me. šŸ˜‰ )

Speaking of….Erin Andrews dished to Movie Line on her thoughts on the devastating elimination. Here are some snippets from that interview. Be sure to see the link for more.

In fact, itā€™s probably good to have a bad week. Then people remember to vote for you. Otherwise you end up like Audrina did yesterday!Iā€™mā€¦ stunned. Are you stunned?

Traumatized!Ha! I was shocked. I was actually flying back from LA, and I hadnā€™t gotten to see the show. When I landed, I read Maksā€™s Twitter, and it said, ā€œAmerica got it wrong.ā€ And I was like, ā€œWhat?!ā€ They were the last people I thought would be eliminated. I was with Tony [Dovolani, Audrinaā€™s partner] at dinner the night before. Let me tell you, there are some nights you think youā€™re going home. But that was not the vibe any of us felt about those two.

Ouch, you got to talk to them the night before? Were they at all pessimistic? I mean, they tied for second place this week.Second place. It was unbelievable. I donā€™t think either one of them had the sense theyā€™d be leaving at all. I think everyone kind of thought, ā€œEhh, maybe this person will go, that person. Maybe itā€™s time for that person to go.ā€ But not those two!

On Maks, Brandy, and Bristol, she said this…..

Yeah, you got to witness the Brandy-Maks dynamic firsthand. What did you think?I liked it! You know, I thought their dance was great. I thought he kind of stole the show with the leather pants ā€” no offense to Brandy. I mean, he comes out in those pants and itā€™s like, what else are you supposed to focus on? But I loved meeting her. She was great. You can tell she really, really, really wants to win this thing. She kept saying it over and over. She kept saying, ā€œI really want to win this. I really want to win this.ā€ She said she was glad I was came and she appreciated the support. So I enjoyed meeting her.

I know you said Bristol did better this week, but how optimistic are you for her future on the show?I donā€™t know. Itā€™s just going to get harder. Obviously the night of the dance marathon that night, I was there. But theyā€™re going to have to start doing two dances. Itā€™s going to get worse. The competition will get more difficult. I mean, if she can stay in it, and I know she wants to, Iā€™m all for it. Good for her. But itā€™s just going to start getting harder. I donā€™t remember what her criticism was that night, but I thought she did have the technique. Her technique looked great. Sheā€™s just got to let herself go, emotions-wise. I donā€™t know what dances she has coming up, but itā€™s not going to be any easier. And the judges arenā€™t going to get any easier as well.

Mark Ballas has blogged a little about the next week’s dances and Bristol at USA Today. Here’s what he wrote;

Time to kick it into overdrive!

The results show just wrapped and I only have about 20 minutes before the remaining cast hops into a minibus and heads to rehearsal for three hours tonight. We have two dances next week: a partner dance like we always have, and a group dance. For the group dance, we’re separating into two teams of three couples, each headed up by either (former season champs) Apolo (Ohno) or Kristi (Yamaguchi) my partner when we won Season 6. I really hope I’m with Kristi, as we’re close friends and work very well together.

It might sound redundant by now, but I’m really proud of Bristol. After getting the poor scores and doing our worst last week, getting the encore performance this week was incredible! I knew heading into Monday’s show that Bris would do well, and she killed it. I wish (judge) Len (Goodman) hadn’t docked us the point for separating, but it doesn’t matter because Bristol is coming alive on the floor!

Have you noticed how she’s really owned the judges’ critiques of more emotional performing, playing a character and enjoying the dance? The more comfortable she feels, the better I think we’ll do. Isn’t it fun watching Bristol get better every week? I know I love it, and I get a front-row seat. Each week, this competition will get more heated. The dancers are a close bunch, and we become like a big family with the celebs. But on show days and with someone going home on results shows, backstage gets really tense. I mean awkward tense. Everyone is working hard, and no one wants to lose.

We hope to have more blogs coming up. So, stayed tuned.

Thanks to Heidi and Pure Derek Hough for this interview of Derek at Popwatch. He may like the “Theme Nights” but, I think it’s safe to say from the reaction here, fans of the show are over them. More at the link.

Does anyone on the show take the ā€œin jeopardyā€ thing seriously at this point? Were you and Jen shaken at all to be ā€œunder the red lightā€?You forget while itā€™s happening that it may not be a real bottom two. That red light is like the warming light at a diner. You hope that something good comes out of it, but you never really know.

How important do you think is the order in which couples dance on Mondays? Any idea how the order is determined? Are you relieved whenever you find out youā€™re dancing near the end of the show?
Every couple is different. Iā€™m not sure how they choose who goes first and last, but Iā€™d prefer if we always went in the middle somewhere.

So many theme nights this fall! Are you tired of shaping dances around themes, or do you think themes are necessary to keep things interesting after so many seasons?
The themes present new challenges. I like that aspect of it ā€” we get to think even more creatively about choreographing and props.

Heidi’s Note: Found an article about Audrina’s elimination and the guest judges next week at Access Hollywood:

Next weekā€™s ā€œDancingā€ episode will mark the showā€™s 200th episode and more than 50 former celebrity contenders will be back for the monumental event.

Helio Castroneves, Kelly Osbourne, Emmitt Smith, Drew Lachey, Mel B and Gilles Marini will all return to serve as guest judges, while Apolo Anton Ohno and Kristi Yamaguchi will also be back to serve as head team captains for a group dance round with the showā€™s current contenders.

On Tuesday, Kristi, who returned to the ballroom, said sheā€™s ready to take down her fellow skater after seeing him land a couple of his ā€œDancingā€ numbers in the Viewer-Voted All Time Top 10. (Click HERE to see which dances made the list)

ā€œHe had two dances in the top 10 and that just stoked my fire because I want to turn the heat on now,ā€ she said. ā€œI want my team to beat his.ā€

In TV Alerts out there: Be sure to watch The Ellen Show on Friday. Maks and Brandy are making a guest appearance on Ellen’s special “Halloween” show. Should be good.

Lastly, just a reminder that today is the last day you can vote in the “Design a Dance” competition for your favorite dancers. So be sure to get your votes in if you want to see your favorites dance.

Ok, that is for now All!! More later if you are good. šŸ˜‰

October 28, 2010 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS 11, Week 5 – Stuff Off My TiVo

That’s the title I’m going with from now on for random bits of DWTS that I find on my TiVo. šŸ™‚ Not everything that’s on my Tivo, only the things I like or find interesting, for one reason or another.

The first bit of this one you’ve seen before, but it’s the Kristi Yamaguchi impersonation that gets me – how does one do that spin on a dance floor??

A bit from Extreme Makeover, followed by a DWTS Champions – Where are they Now?

I think it’s Barry Williams that sent Florence home.

And for you Situation Fans. šŸ™‚

October 24, 2010 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 11, Week 5 – Media Weekend Edition

I was just wondering from all the dances there are, which is your very favorite on the show? Mine is the Argentine Tango. I hope for whoever has this dance this upcoming Monday, can nail it with a lot of heart, emotion, romance, and passion in it. The more, the better I say!

For media to start off our weekend, we have Anna and Kurt practicing for their upcoming dances from ET On-line. They have the Paso Doble this week. Anna explains the Group Marathon.

Jennifer and Derek were interviewed by Access Hollywood. They address the drama backstage and if there is any animosity. Thanks again to Heidi and Pure Derek Hough for this tip. šŸ˜‰

As reported before, Rick and Cheryl were on “The Talk” yesterday. They discussed their their dancing strategy for winning! Rick also discusses co-parenting with actress Vanessa Williams. Plus, Cheryl discusses being a victim of cyber-bullying and how she made it as a dancer.

Does he not look fine if that suit?? He is one of the best celebrity male dressers out there.

For some cool details on the Results show this upcoming week, J!-Entertianment is reporting that legendary rock group “Heart” and Kylie Minogue (one of my favoritie artists) will be performing. There will also be another Special Macyā€™s Stars of Dance Rock Number from School of Rock. More details below. Note to John: Check it out! Peta Murgatroyd is going to be dancing. šŸ˜€

On Tuesdayā€™s results show, legendary rock and roll band Heart will play its iconic hit, ā€œBarracuda,ā€ accompanied by ā€œDancing with Starsā€ pros Louis Van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, Derek Hough, Chelsie Hightower, Damian Whitewood and Peta Murgatroyd. Heart recently released its 13th studio album, ā€œRed Velvet Car,ā€ produced by Grammy-winning producer Ben Mink (kd lang, Feist, Bare Naked Ladies), which debuted at No.10 in Billboard Magazineā€™s Top 200 Album Chart. Their current AC single, ā€œHey You,ā€ was in the Top 30 for three months, while their classic rock single, ā€œWTF,ā€ hovered near the Top 10 (on those respective charts). Heart has sold over 30 million albums and had 22 Top 40 hits. Over the past decade, Heart songs have achieved ubiquity in pop culture in films (ā€œShrek 3ā€³), television (ā€œAmerican Idol,ā€ ā€œGlee,ā€ ā€œDancing with the Starsā€), commercials (Honda, Swiffer) and videogames (Rock Band, Guitar Hero), as well as being performed by other top artists (Eminem, Fergie, Gretchen Wilson, among many others). To support the release of ā€œRed Velvet Car,ā€ Heart toured throughout the summer of 2010, including four Lilith Fair shows and nearly 40 headline shows, which continued through September 25 and will pick up again in November and December. Heartā€™s first album, ā€œDreamboat Annie,ā€ was released in 1976. The band broke barriers with a repertoire that includes rock classics like ā€œBarracuda,ā€ ā€œCrazy on You,ā€ ā€œMagic Man,ā€ ā€œStraight On,ā€ alongside acoustic standards like ā€œThese Dreams,ā€ ā€œDog & Butterflyā€ and ā€œDreamboat Annie.ā€ They were 2008 recipients of VH1 Rock Honors, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northwest Grammy Foundation and received ASCAPā€™s Award for Excellence in Songwriting in 2009.

Also on Tuesday, international Pop icon Kylie Minogue will perform her new single, ā€œGet Outta My Way,ā€ which hit the top of the Billboard Club Chart this week and marked her second consecutive No.1 Billboard Club single from new album ā€œAphrodite,ā€ following the smash ā€œAll the Lovers.ā€ This is Minogueā€™s fifth No.1 club single to date, joining an illustrious list of chart-toppers including ā€œCanā€™t Get You Out of My Head,ā€ ā€œLove at First Sightā€ and ā€œSlow.ā€ ā€œGet Outta My Wayā€ impacts mainstream radio on Nov. 1, and a suite of remixes are currently available on all digital download stores. Minogueā€™s new album, ā€œAphrodite,ā€ was released in July and debuted at No.19 in the U.S., marking her highest U.S. chart position since 2002ā€²s ā€œFever.ā€ ā€œAphroditeā€ became her fifth No.1 album in the UK, hitting the top spot a full 22 years to the week since her debut album, ā€œKylie,ā€ entered the chart. The album also made Minogue the first solo artist in the history of the UK charts to have a No.1 album in four different decades.

Lastly, we have Maks’ latest blog from TV Guide. Here is a take from it of their upcoming dances. Be sure to read the link for more about his feelings on their dance last week and some updates on his family and how they are coping after their loss.

We have the tango next week. It’s going well. We’re taking the same approach. Like the quickstep, we have a dance that has us in a close position the entire time. It’s the challenge of making it as exciting as possible since other couples have the paso doble, which is a much more visually exciting dance. We’re just trying to do the best tango we can. I’m a little concerned about the costumes because we have to do things that represent Rock ‘n’ Roll. We have a rock song and the floor is going to be black. I know some people don’t like all the themes, but I don’t mind them. You will never be able to please everybody. Producers are doing what they can to make it entertaining. I just want to make sure that the focus doesn’t shift from ballroom dancing. The simplest comparison I can think of is asking a pro swimmer to swim in something other than water. I’m just worried about the changes to the floor. It’s not hardwood, so it poses some difficulty. I know there’s going to be some rips and stuff. But we’re all in the same situation. We all need to figure out how to be our best. I feel like they can experiment and we’ll see how it goes. There’s no way of predicting what it’s going to be like.

We also have the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon. We started working on ours a little bit. We’ll put together like a 30-to-40-second routine mix of jive, swing and lindy and go from there. The biggest challenge will be to dance for a long period of time. They didn’t choose an easy dance for four minutes. It’s really about stamina and creativity. We’ll put together a more active routine. The thing with the marathon is that the audience doesn’t get to see the whole floor, especially for those watching at home. So you watch whoever you’re drawn to. But this is more of a ballroom format where there are so many couples dancing at the same time, so you need to be active.

But honestly, my focus right now is the tango. I’m so in my head as far as the tango goes. Brandy and I had a long conversation Wednesday. We got a taste of what it’s like to be on top and we want to stay there. We don’t want to rest on laurels and say, “That’s good enough.” I’m focused on bringing out the best in her every week. She said she’s considering putting some stuff on hold because she wants to do her best as well. Every celebrity who does the show does it to promote themselves in some way, but I always believe that the publicity will absolutely come to you. If you do too much publicity during the show, it could cost you. Or you could be on the show until the end and the publicity will come to you after you’re done. Also, I want her to get the most out of this experience. You blink and it’s all over. We’re halfway done now. Five weeks sounds like a long period of time, but it’s short in this competition. I’m happy that she actually told me that. I was like, “OK, great.”

Ok, wrapping is this up for now. Have a great weekend Everyone!xxx

October 23, 2010 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS11 Week 5 Caption Contest

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who supplied us with laughs in last week’s caption contest šŸ™‚ Everyone really stepped their game up this week, so it was hard to pick a winner…but alas, there can be only one (as well as some honorable mentions for those we just couldn’t resist mentioning ;-)) and this week’s winner is Linde, with her winning caption below!

Our runner-up this week was J (whose captions just keep getting funnier from week to week!) who gave us this:

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to pleightx (another consistently HILARIOUS captioner!) who’s caption was an absolute riot, but was unfortunately too long to fit in a speech bubble:

Anna: Up there in the rafters. See?
Kurt: Yep! We found it! Thatā€™s where Markā€™s shirt ended up after Bristol ripped it off of his body.
Anna: Maybe we can find the rest of Bristolā€™s costume up there too.
Kurt (whispers): Yeah, along with her dignity.

Congrats to all 3 of you, and thanks so much for supplying us stressed-out bloggers with some much needed laughs šŸ˜€

And now…onto this week’s caption contest photo! As an homage to our recently-ousted, but oh-so-classy former Brady, this week’s photo is none other than Team Florky, with a rather awkward cameo by Brooke Burke:

**Photo courtesy ABC/Adam Larkey.**

Somehow I think you guys are gonna have a field day with this one, hehe šŸ˜‰ HAVE AT IT!

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.

DWTS, Season 11, Week 5 – More News Bits, Blogs, & Media

It’s already Friday and another dance week is fastly approaching. I can’t believe the dancers can put together a performance together so quickly let alone TWO dances for this upcoming Monday night!! šŸ˜®

Up first today, we have a new 8 minute interview with Maks and Brandy on Fox “Good Day LA“. They try to stomp out rumors that the two don’t get along and how much they’ve grown as a dance couple and as friends. Check out how one of the interviewers calls Maks an “ass” and how he addresses it. lol

Brandy also wrote about their dance last week in her new blog on Access Hollywood. She describes the intensity and how sad she was to see Florence go.

So, weā€™re at the halfway mark now and while Monday was a great night for both Maks and I, Tuesday was filled with both joy and sadness. After a rough week of intensive rehearsals, I felt nothing but calm going into Mondayā€™s night performance. All day I felt prepared and ready and very confident that I knew the routine and could hold up my frame. Practicing for the quickstep was almost as tiring as the jive, because while my arms and neck are stiffly positioned, there is a lot of footwork that goes into the dance.

We had pulled the theme song from the TV show ā€œFriendsā€ and I knew that it would strike a chord with the audience. While I knew the song, I had never seen the show. I definitely believed that we pulled that song for a reason, as Maks and I have a burgeoning friendship that Iā€™m certain will go beyond this show. He brought in some useful tools to help me keep my upper body in frame during rehearsals. We went over each portion of our routine, bit by bit, and put together what I thought was a great way to incorporate the audience into our dance. So, all of Monday, I felt completely calm and ready for the show.

I admit that my nerves flared up just a bit before we went on, but once the spotlight hit we were off and I felt confident that I had managed to keep everything together and pull off a good performance. When we heard the judgesā€™ scores of three 9ā€™s, I was ecstatic! Itā€™s one thing to be confident about your performance and another thing to have the judges validate it. I definitely wasnā€™t perfect, but I had incorporated the judgesā€™ previous points and my confidence was at an all-time high when we returned to the booth.

Needless to say, when it came down to the final two, I was saddened to hear Florenceā€™s name called as the one being eliminated. And yes, before you ask, I did get a bit teary-eyed but Iā€™m hoping the camera didnā€™t catch that! From day one, Florence has been really wonderful to me. I was just so excited to meet such an icon, but she truly is an inspirational woman and always had a smile whenever we were together. We would sit in the make-up trailer and chat and compare aches and pains. She would share with me part of her lifeā€™s journey at times and I laughed at some of the great stories she told. Maks became a complete cuddly bear whenever she was around. She was so protective of him that I would giggle! Imagineā€¦.Maks needing protection!

When we knew she was going home, everyone got emotional and I made sure to rush down the press line so that I had a chance to say goodbye. It really does get harder, knowing that you will have to say bye to someone who has been such a huge presence in your life each week. No matter what anyone says, when you work the long hours that we do and spend so much time together, there is a bond built and you do become a sort-of family. And now half of that family is gone. It is a sober reminder of the weeks to come. As I grow more and more confident in myself and in my abilities, I continue to strive to get better each day of each week. Itā€™s not just about the dance. Itā€™s also not just about the people. Itā€™s about the memories that weā€™re all making together.

Thanks to Heidi and Pure Derek Hough for this video showing the awesome support the celebrities have this year. Note the special appearance by Michael J Fox and his wife in support Jennifer Grey. Is he just not the coolest or what? Same with Jamie Lee Curtis.

Speaking of Team Jenougher, I’ve got to post this. Look at this picture Rick Fox took of Derek yesterday funning around in Rick’s suit. The size difference is remarkable, isn’t it? Special thanks to Cheryl for posting this on Twitter. Heidi’s Note: He so looks 12. šŸ™‚

Anyone else having a “Thriller” flashback moment? šŸ™‚

So, is it The Tea Party keeping Bristol in this competiton? I hate to say it, but I think that is exactly the case for what Joy Behar said on “The View” this week. It’s a “right wing conspiracy”, simple as because I don’t see what else it could be (some of you are going to kill me for saying that, lol). If that’s the case, she and Mark could be around for a very long time yet despite talent and who are the better dancers. Watch this and see which lady from “The View” you agree with.

Can you believe DWTS is to air their 200th episode come Nov. 2nd? Time flies when we are having fun. In honor of this special event, The Examiner is reporting that Taylor Swift has been one act booked to perform. Most likely she will perform something from her new album. This will be her second time to perform on the show.

For some TV Alerts, Rick and Cheryl guessed on “The Talk” on CBS today. We hope to have a video of that soon. Also, don’t miss seeing Audrina and Tony on “The Ellen Show” on Monday on ABC before the show.

Ok, more later and don’t forget to do a Tango in your living room tonight with one of your family members or better yet, by yourself with a broom. It is fun. Try it sometime. šŸ™‚

October 22, 2010 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS Season 11, Week 5 – The Cheesecake Awards!!

Fasten your seat belts, kids, we’re in for a long and bumpy ride!!

Award for the Biggest, Fattest, Cheesiest Waste of Time this Season So Far: The Judges discuss the Contestants on Performance Night.

Heidi: This annoyed the living hell out of me. So, the producers need to kill a HALF AN HOUR to make it a two hour show?? And they do this by having the judges blather on about each of the couples. Then they show snippets of each the contestants dances that they think are their best ones?? HELLO?!?! Weā€™re only in Week 5 ā€“ your audience isnā€™t THAT stupid (well, most of them arenā€™t, anyway). I will speak for much of the audience (going by the disgust being vented on Twitter) when I say ā€“ ā€œwe can make up our own damn minds about what we think are the best dances and who our favorite couples are.ā€ ABC, find ANOTHER show to put in the slot where DWTS was and shorten the damn show as you lose couples. Gawd. My HD TV is much harder to watch with a shoe sticking out of the middle of it.

Courtney: I see you’ve resorted to the ol’ “foot through the TV” maneuver I’m so fond of, Heidi šŸ˜‰ But I agree…good griefā€¦I get home from a long (ok, it was only 3 days) trip away from home, anxious to watch the cache of DWTS fabulosity on my DVR, and what do I get? A half hour of worthless schlock from the damn judges before I actually get to see any dancing.Ā  Can we say filler? If I wanted to hear those 3 blather on any more than they already do when giving their post-dance critiques (and no, I donā€™t want to hear any more than that), Iā€™d just download the Tiny Bruno app for iPhoneā€¦oh wait, already did šŸ˜‰ IMOā€¦waaaaay funnier than the real thing, and when you want it to shut up, you just close the app! BRILLIANT!

Award for Most Distracting Hair Styles: Derek Hough, for appearing to be a Brunette. Honorable Mention: Maks Chmerkovskiy for attempting a Snookie poof AND shaving

Heidi: Seriously, my twitter feed for PDH was clogged with people going, ā€œDID DEREK DYE HIS HAIR??!?!ā€ Youā€™d have thought heā€™d broken an arm or something. Of course, my initial reaction to the hair was, ā€œEEEP!!! NO!!ā€ so I guess Iā€™ve no room to talk. Then when I saw Maks I wondered what the hell was wrong with his face. It looked…clean. I donā€™t like it when it looks clean. I like the scruffy on Maks. And what the hell was up with the poof on the top of his head?? What was that supposed to represent?? Or has his tendency to throw other people under the bus caused his head to get pointy?? Like a Pinocchio thing only on the top of his head? šŸ™‚

Courtney: I didn’t really notice Derek’s hair so much (sorry, the 5 hour drive had worn me out and I was just trying to stay awake and watch the performance show at this point!), but I agree that Maks definitely looked odd completely clean-shaven.Ā  Very…prepubescent.Ā  Were they going for the Chandler Bing look? I’m thinkin’ yes…would explain the slicked back pseudo-pompadour as well.Ā  Oh, the 90s…surprised they didn’t try to slap a “Rachel” wig on Brandy, or break out into an impromptu version of “Smelly Cat” in the middle of their quickstep.Ā  I would’ve given that dance a perfect score!!!

Award for Most Obvious Display of Dementia: Len Goodman ā€“ the whole show.

Heidi: Where do I start?? Len liked the monkey suit. HE LIKED THE MONKEY SUIT and then dissed Jennifer for holding a feather duster before the music for their dance even started. WTF?? He said their little bit at the beginning of the dance was too theatrical. ON THEME NIGHT. So I guess the monkey suit was a representation of Bristolā€™s song, but NOT theatrical?? And Brandy sitting in the audience with a lollypop was just good old ā€œFriendā€ly fun? Hey Len, why donā€™t you try talking to the producers and tell them to quit with the cheesy-assed theme nights if you donā€™t like the theatrics they naturally produce. If that doesnā€™t work, how about you get the stick out of your ass and at least attempt to judge all the contestants the same ā€“ donā€™t yell at Kyle and Jennifer for doing the exact same things as Brandy and Bristol. Howā€™s that for a freakinā€™ start?? Any other night it wouldnā€™t have been as noticeable ā€“ but the MONKEY SUIT?? Are you f@#king kidding me??? I know you guys are always telling one couple one thing and then something different for other couples ā€“ but this is taking it to a whole new extreme.

Courtney: I’m still trying to figure out how lollipop = Friends nostalgia.Ā  A latte would’ve made more sense šŸ™‚ But anywho…I digress.Ā  I think I just tried to tune out the judges as much as possible and focus on the mediocre dancing I was seeing.Ā  While I do agree that Len needed some Gerovital after being as much of a hypocrite as he was the other night, I think the monkey suits may have been the only things he saw as praiseworthy in that jive – and when I say “praiseworthy”, I mean “Wow, it’s a wonder you didn’t pass out just doing that short little bit of jive before you (unsuccessfully) tore off the monkey suits!” THAT was one of the worst jives I’ve ever seen…even Bolton didn’t don a monkey suit! And really, on TV theme night, when you’re expected to convey the theme you’re given…aren’t you kinda SUPPOSED to piddle around with props and shit? I mean, the way he’s putting it – lollipops and monkey suits = fun, but featherdusters & disco = WRONG.Ā  It’s like one of those weird analogies they give you on the verbal portion of the SAT.Ā  Then again, Len did pitch a fit about Mya’s featherdusting back in season 9…maybe he just has something against featherdusters? And maybe, by extension (no pun intended), feathered hair? Thus the dislike of Lacey & Kyle’s foxtrot? I’m reaching, aren’t I?

Heidi: A for effort, Courtney. A for effort. šŸ™‚ Ā It’s as good an explanation as any.

Award for the Most Awesome Display of Logic When Faced with Crack-addled Judges: Tom Bergeron ā€“ ā€œWait, didnā€™t you just want Bristol in the Monkey suit longer??!?!ā€

Heidi: Bless you, Tom Bergeron, for having a tendency to say exactly what Iā€™m thinking at just the right time and with just the right about of amused indignation. Marry me. šŸ™‚

Courtney: God bless Tom for making the judges feel appropriately nincompoopish.Ā  Reminds me of when the lovely Cat Deeley called the SYTYCD judges out on a rather hypocritical statement they made this past season…you could almost feel a collective “OOOOH! BURRRRN!” by the audience, and at that moment everyone wanted to be BFF with Cat.Ā  I want Tom & Cat to get married and have little TomCat babies that are fabulously charismatic and poised and ridiculously funny…but would they end up human redwoods like Cat, or pocket-sized like Tom? Hmmmmm….

Award for Ickiest Gross-Out Moment of Performance Night: Barry Williams/Florence Henderson

Heidi: The whole Barry/Florence aura and ensuing discussions was, frankly, way too much for me. Just. No. And how is it that Barry looks older than Florence?? Drugs?? No, seriously, Iā€™m really asking. I have to give him props for the ā€œHeā€™s younger than BOBBY!ā€ line though. LOL

Courtney: Barry just hasn’t aged well at all – and I would venture a guess that it was due to some hard-partying in his younger, handsomer days.Ā  He was pretty hot, by 60s & 70s standards! But even though she isn’t his real mom…there’s something icky of Oedipus proportions there that just makes my stomach churn thinking of those two doing…er, nevermind.Ā  Let’s pretend that didn’t just happen.

Award for the Hugest WTF??? in Costuming: The Monkey Suits. Honorable Mention: Florence Henderson.

Heidi: What exactly is going through Mark Ballasā€™ head that he would put Bristol in a monkey suit?? Please, someone, explain this to me. The only thing I can think of is that Mark always thinks ā€œcartoonā€ when he hears the word jive ā€“ I mean, he usually dresses his partners like Minnie Mouse on crack for that dance. Maybe that was getting too boring and staid for him. So, he put a monkey suit OVER the Minnie Mouse on Crack. Two birds, one stone. Mark, start paying attention to Derek. He told you you were nuts (heh-pardon the expression) when you wore those little tiny red shorts to dance with Shawn and he said ā€œneverā€ to putting one of his partners in a monkey suit too. He shouldnā€™t have to tell you these things, really. But you know what? It runs in the family, because Ballas Senior had Florence Henderson dressed like Mrs. Santa Clause and that somehow signified ā€œBrady Bunchā€ to him. Mrs. Clause on crack, I should say. Or a life sized Christmas package. On crack. Or a Scottish Highlander in the depths of winter. On crack. Or, like the sofa in Pee Weeā€™s Playhouse ā€“ look, you can sit on it AND it dances!! On crack.

Courtney: Crack is whack, Heidi.Ā  While you may be onto something with your Mark Ballas Cartoon Jive theory, I just think he’s given up to the point that he might actually be TRYING to get sent home…and what better way to get people to think you’re a total joke than to don a monkey suit? Hmmm…the tiny red shorts…as I recall, there was a suspicious bulge in them there shorts that ended up all over The Soup and Best Week Ever that week…but once again, I digress.Ā  Oh the housecoat that Flo wore…I don’t ever recall Mrs. Brady wearing one, but I think it was a Jan thing.Ā  She was always the dowdy one.Ā  That particular coat reminded me of theseĀ plaid nightgowns (with matching caps!) that my mom bought my sister and I for Christmas one year when we were little and insisted on taking oodles ofĀ pix of us wearing them by the Christmas tree.Ā  I don’t think I’ve ever recovered from that trauma…I still refuse to wear plaid…

Heidi: ::singing:: “I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay, I drink all night and I sleep all day.” Ā Name that show…no, really, name it because I can hear the song but can’t think of the musical act. Ā It’s the plaid’s fault.

Award for Tom Bergeron Line Oā€™ the Night: ā€œSo weā€™ve learned that Tony got punked by Richard Gere.ā€

Heidi: Bwahaha…well, thatā€™s what you get, Tony, for being a big ole cheesy name dropper AND torturing your partner by getting her to bite into an onion. Was that really the wifeā€™s idea? If I were you, I would disregard what Gere tells you ā€“ especially if it has to do with hamsters. Word to the wise.

Courtney: HAMSTERS!!!! Bwahahahahaha.Ā  I’d like to also call this award the “Most Misguided Piece of Advice” award, because whoever told Tony that rubbish about onions & garlic before a love scene (pssssh, Richard Gere my ass! Oh wait…BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!) probably hadn’t done many love scenes in his or her day…because that would seriously make ANY costar recoil in disgust and dry up any ounce of romance in a love scene.Ā  But hey…maybe rodents dig onions and garlic šŸ˜‰

Heidi: We are cracking me up. LOL. Bet we’re making John REALLY uncomfortable right now. šŸ˜‰

Award for Highest Degree of Cognitive Dissonance in Costuming ā€“ Week 5: Kyle Massey

Heidi: And the internet screamed, ā€œItā€™s ISSAC from the LOVE BOAT!!ā€ So why were they dancing to Charlieā€™s Angels?? Of course, from a pair that didnā€™t know who the Eagles are I would expect them to also think that Charlieā€™s Angels were Drew Barrymore, Lucy Lieu and Cameron Diaz, not realizing we are talking TV THEMES, not the movies. HOWEVER, after Laceyā€™s simulating ā€œKids in the Hallā€ last week, I have to wonder if the production crew are having a bit of fun with this seemingly rather clueless pair. ā€œHehehe…letā€™s dress him as Issac from the Love Boat and tell them itā€™s Bosley from the TV show.ā€ Um, no. Kyle, for someone in the entertainment business, I would think that you at least took a gander at Nick at Night or TV Land once in your short life.

Courtney: He looked like a strange hybrid of Isaac from The Love Boat, Shaft, and Richard Pryor pre-setting himself on fire.Ā  Oh, and vaguely like Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction (Tarantino represent!) without the potty mouth and the glock.Ā  I’m sure Lacey had something to do with it – you could tell she was just loving her little shampoo commercial moment with the wind blowing in her feathered blonde hair.Ā  Those two are attention FIENDS – I don’t think they even give a rat’s ass about what their costuming conveys as long as it’s attention-grabbing.Ā  And I am just so over the whole Charlie’s Angels craze – every damn wedding picture I see on facebook has all the bridesmaids striking the famous pistol-wielding pose, and I about wanted to smack both Chelsie & Kym (both whom I love) for doing the breathy “Hello Charlie” while striking that damn pose.Ā  It’s so over, ladies…don’t let Lacey (or the producers) convince you to do it again.

Award for Most Misplaced Celebraquarium Honesty: Bristol Palin. (Dis)Honorable Mention: Lacey Schwimmer.

Heidi: Bristol, Iā€™m really not sure itā€™s a good idea to say, ā€œThe Jive SUCKSā€. While I admire your honesty, crap like that always comes back to bite you. Like in a Lindy Hop/Jive Marathon, for example. As for Lacey, raucous laughter at your judgeā€™s scores almost certainly guarantees your partner a 4 paddle next week unless you produce a killer routine. Well, I would look for a 4 anyway, Kyle and Bristol both, because I think the judges have realized that if they want the BAD dancers to leave before the GOOD dancers do, they have to score appropriately and lay off the drugs. Bristol should have gone home on Tuesday, but they gave her 6s ā€“ in watching the dance again, it was worse than I thought. They will want her or Kyle gone so prepare for the worst. Unless they donā€™t care if they lose Audrina, that is.

Courtney: For some reason, I kinda appreciated Bristol’s candor – poor girl has been pretty PC (and NOT in the literal sense…so help me god, the next person who tries to insinuate that the GOP is somehow behindĀ Bristol’s every move is getting called out for theirĀ wanton idiocy – you know who you are)Ā up until now, generally being pretty polite and quiet despite being embarassed or upset.Ā  Good to finally see some sort of strong emotion out of her.Ā  As for Lacey – I damn near put my foot through the TV when she decided to punctuate their receipt of their scores with raucous, arrogant laughter.Ā  And no, that was not nervous laughter – it was “Screw you, I’m awesome and you don’t know what you’re talking about so !$%@ off!” laughter.Ā  Lacey, if I were you, I’d reign it in – if this season’s scoring is any indicator, the scores can fluctuate suspiciously from judge to judge and dance to dance, for no apparent reason…just sayin’…

Heidi: Not to mention the fact that it’s only by the grace of God and Edyta Sliwinska that you are even ON the show this season.

Award for the Cheesiest Cheese that Ever Intentionally Cheesed: The Faux Commercials on the Results Show.

Heidi: Under the category of ā€œtheyā€™re so bad, theyā€™re goodā€ we have a couple of commercials that actually cracked me up. I have to give Mark Ballas credit for guts going shirtless with torn pants in that Bruno commercial ā€“ and Iā€™m totally not surprised that he was good at the Cheesy. The Easy Steps had Rick being hilariously cheesy and caused the internet to light up with offers to Derek. Everything from asking for overnight shipping to fights over who got him first. An estimated value of $150?? Not going by what I saw on twitter. But what really got me to laugh out loud was the VERY END of the David Hasselhoff commercial, where he pops into frame with a false mustache and says ā€œHabla Espanoleā€. Hilarious.

Courtney: Mark looked far, far too excited to be doing that commercial šŸ˜‰ And Lacey even pulled out her beloved razor blade bra for the occasion! I think Bruno sporting the wifebeater tank was a strategic move on his part to try and intimidate anybody still trying to avenge Bolton…look at those tan, oily guns! Oh Easy Steps…if only they could also make toast, balance my checkbook, and satisfy other urges…but I digress once more šŸ˜‰ Poor Hoff – they had to throw him a frickin’ bone after the uber-early elim.Ā  This was the only way they could think of – but at least he seemed coherent, and pretty damn funny!

Heidi: Satisfying urges? I think you missed the part of Easy Steps where if you call within 12 minutes, you get a world class dancer for free. $150 dollar value. Since Derek is already being shipped overnight to me, I bet you could get, like, Jonathan or Alec. šŸ™‚

The “Oh PLEASE Shut Up About Team Smurgles Already” Award: Kyle Massey

Heidi: Dear lord, does Kyle have Smurgles Tourettes Syndrome or what? Does that word just spontaneously burst out at least once per sentence?? Can we PLEASE make it stop????

Courtney: What the hell isĀ a Smurgle? One of the Muppets? A type of hors doeuvre? The noise it makes when you put a straw in Jell-O and blow?

Heidi: The sound a wet fart makes? Ā Oh. I think I just grossed myself out.

The Karma is a Bitch Award – Week 5: Tony Dovolani

Heidi: So there’s grumpy Tony back stage complaining that Carrie Ann “likes to go at me” and that “there was NO LIFT” and then a beautiful thing happened – those evil little producers whip out the instant replay which clearly shows both of Audrina’s feet off the ground. LOL!!! Hilarious. Dude, that’s twice this season that your mouth has gotten you in trouble – did you pee in the producers cornflakes?? Too much complaining about your typical quality of partner?? šŸ™‚ Or are they just plain fun folks who like to embarrass those who make such definitive statements?? šŸ™‚ I laughed like the evil wench that I am.

Courtney: Murphy’s Law of Lifting on DWTS: if you swear up & down there was no lift, they will go back and replay the footage in slow mo to prove you wrong.Ā  No amount of onion & garlic consumption could’ve saved you from that one, brah.

The Lon Cheney/Boris Karloff Award for being Krazy Scary (aka I am really a Wax Figure of Frankenstein Award): Corky Ballas

Heidi: Dude, did you SEE his barely blinking, grinning stare into the camera at the end of the show when Brooke was doing theĀ spielĀ for each of the three couples standing up there?? Ā  It lasted forever. He was skerring me like crazy. Ā I was thinking he was going to suddenly turn to Derek and strangle him and then carry either Florence or Jennifer off, grunting. Ā I was looking for the bolts in his neck!! Ā  It was like someone said, “CHEESE” – he smiled and they shot him full of botox and he stuck that way. Ā :::shiver:::

Courtney: I must’ve missed that part…thankfully…*shudder*

Costume Cheap Skate Award: Rick & Cherylā€™s cop costumes

Courtney: Ok, it was blatantly clear to me this week that the costume department may have gotten a bit lazy and just run down to the Halloween store (hey, tis the season, right?) and bought some of this weekā€™s costumes ā€“ because some of them looked downright low-budget.Ā  The worst offenders were definitely Rick & Cheryl ā€“ the wardrobe department may as well have used the store-bought variety (and maybe just bedazzled them) and saved a ton of money, rather than making these.Ā  Hell, they could’ve even saved a trip to the costume shop and picked up Rick’s cop costume at the same time they picked up the pimp suit for Chad’s jive last season.Ā  For those of you wanting to get the “Rick Fox in the key of Hill Street Blues” look (at a fraction of the cost!), simply go to buycostumes.com and snatch up the Sexy Policeman costume – it’s on clearance!!! Get it while it lasts, kids!

Heidi: Did they at least get some candy?? Candy sounds really good right now. Ā You know those Reese’s Pumpkins that they have at this time of year?? Ā Yup, that sounds good to me. Ā Anyway, you know what it was – it was the bedazzled pocket. It ruined the whole look. šŸ™‚

Most Head-Scratch-Inducing Analogy from a Judge: Len comparing Jennifer & Derek Rick and Cheryl to a “couple staying together for the sake of the children” during their foxtrotrumba

Courtney: Ok, I may be a divorce kid, but I’m not quite sure how a couple “staying together for the kids” would look dancing a rumba…would they be bickering the whole time? Crying? Apathetic? I’d rather see a rumba from a “couple who are expecting a baby but the father could be the husband’s twin brother” or a paso doble from “siblings who are on the lam for stealing a fortune from a wealthy banker” or a lindy hop from a “couple who are being torn apart by their flatulence”.Ā  Soooo much easier to convey, don’t you think? šŸ˜‰

Heidi: How did this become a fart post? Ā All the cheese? šŸ™‚ Ā But seriously, you said it earlier – Crack is Whack. Len, you aren’t Tom Bergeron. Quit trying.

Most Hilarious Analogy to Football from an Eastern European: Anna comparing Walter Payton to the 2 Russian dogs who went into space

Courtney: Reason #2,458 I love Anna: she’s unintentionally hilarious, and it usually stems from her Russian heritage.Ā  This was no exception…when Kurt throws out Walter Payton as a “legend”, Anna comes back with “those two Russian dogs who went into space”.Ā  I had to giggle – and god bless her, she stuck with it! She was adamant that those dogs were every bit as famous as Walter.Ā  I love how her Russianness seems to peek through in the cutest, funniest ways šŸ˜›

Heidi: OMG, you read my mind – I was totally googling “russian dogs” and laughing at Kurt’s immediate Walter Payton Ā reference (he did a dance too – Google is your friend). Ā Best part was their confessional the next night when Kurt was poking fun at Anna for totally calling out his walking in front of 20 million people and she’s making little tiny dog noises and he’s like “bad dog”. Ā Hilarious. These two are pretty cute together.

That’s it for tonight, folks. And remember – CRACK is WHACK. Ā šŸ™‚

October 21, 2010 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 11, Week 5 – News Bits, Blogs, & Interviews

So, our stars of the show are starting to blog about this past week’s dances and on their future dances. Here are some snippets from Mark’s new blog from USA Today. On his Dad and Florence leaving, he wrote;

The best emotion to describe how I feel right now is bittersweet. I can’t explain how great it feels to know that Team Ballin has great fans that pulled us through this week. But it’s a bitter feeling because my dad (pro dancer Corky Ballas, matched with entertainer Florence Henderson) got eliminated.

I’m his biggest fan and it makes me really sad that he’s leaving the show. I lost my partner who throws the football around with (retired NFL quarterback) Kurt Warner on Tuesday afternoons. Who’s going to show up (pro dancers) Maks (Chmerkovskiy) and Tony (Dovolani) with me now? Ha!

On Bristol;

It’s terrible feeling like you might go home. As professional ballroom dancers, we’ve spent our lives competing and we want to win and be successful very badly. When you don’t have your strongest performance and feel you may be eliminated, you just feel sick to your stomach all day.

So how about those gorilla suits? How funny was that? The judges keep harping on Bristol to have a better overall performance and play a character, so that’s exactly what they got! We had great fun with all the shots of us backstage, jumping on couches and beating our chests, and the fact that we pulled off dancing in gorilla suits will be remembered for years!

Pro dancer Derek (Hough) said never in a million years would he have his partner wear ā€” and remove ā€” a costume like that. I’m so proud of Bristol for going for it and pulling it off!

We’re back to work Wednesday. We have two dances this week, the Tango and a group dance.

No time to let up now!

Here is a snippet from a cool new interview with Erin Andrews on the show and her former partner Maks from Movie Line. She is their new “Dances With The Stars” Commentator.

Your old partner Maksim had a great week with Brandy, earning the highest score of the night. What was your reaction to that?I know Maks had a tough week because his grandmother passed away. Obviously they didnā€™t show that in the feature. [Based on] everything that I heard from him, the show really helped him out with dealing with that. So I was happy to see [Maks and Brandy] not fighting and getting along. I havenā€™t met Brandy yet, but I know how much everybody puts into that. By the time Monday comes and you see the feature theyā€™ve put together, itā€™s like ā€” if youā€™ve been fighting all week, youā€™ve finally gotten through the week, and then you see the feature where youā€™ve been arguing ā€” youā€™re like, ā€œGosh, really? This is the focus?ā€ Thatā€™s why I kind of felt bad for Derek and Jennifer. You work so hard, and then you see, ā€œOh, crap, weā€™re going to be fighting. This isnā€™t good.ā€ So I was happy Brandy and Maks had kind of gotten their act together.

Last week you said that Brandy needed to stop and listen a bit more with Maks. Do you think she did that?It sounds like she kind of figured out that heā€™s a perfectionist. I made this comparison at the time: Heā€™s like a lot of coaches that I look up to in the sports world. He demands a lot of his students. When you come into that show being the best that you are in your profession and youā€™ve got someone whoā€™s demanding of you and you donā€™t know really what youā€™re doing, itā€™s very hard and you become very insecure. So you have to kind of figure out your groove in the relationship with him. I donā€™t know if I ever figured it out. It looks like she kind of figured it out. And you know what? The competition is getting tougher. Sheā€™s going to have to learn two dances. It tests you and tests your patience. Sheā€™s still going to have to learn about how to handle him, but Iā€™m glad it looked like they got off to a better start.

Do you think he needs to adapt to her just as much as she adapts to him?Oh, I absolutely think every professional has to adapt to their students. Maks had to figure out how testy I got, and he knew that if my blood sugar was going down, it was time to get out of there and go get a coffee or a smoothie, because I wouldnā€™t pay attention and Iā€™d get crabby. He knew not to have practices too early in the morning because I was exhausted. He knew when I needed to be fed, he knew what things to joke with me about and when to push me, absolutely. Both sides have to figure out what the best way to work together is.

Itā€™s funny that Audrina forced herself to eat an onion and ruin her breath this week to help deal with the pressure of a romantic dance. Are the ā€œromanticā€ parts of a routine nerve-wracking? Did you think about them a lot ahead of time?Well, thereā€™s two things about that. I would always get in trouble on that show for chewing gum. I was always insecure about my breath. Itā€™s just something that bothers me in my life now, like when I interview athletes or coaches. Dancing with this gorgeous man for seven hours a day, I was like, ā€œMy breath cannot smell.ā€ So I constantly had to have gum in my mouth. The producers would yell at me and be like, ā€œI need you to take the gum out because you canā€™t be chomping on-screen.ā€ And Iā€™d say, ā€œNo, Iā€™m sorry, I donā€™t want my breath to smell with him.ā€ So when Audrina did this onion thing, I was like, ā€œI am so confused.ā€ That would not make me want to be romantic! Maks wouldnā€™t come near me if I didnā€™t have gum in my mouth, and Iā€™d push him away and say, ā€œMy breath smells, donā€™t come near me.ā€

And that’s not all. Special thanks to Andie, Rick Fox did a fun interview with Ryan Seacrest this past week which is a fun listen if you happened to miss it.

Speaking of….for you Cheryl Burke fans who are wanting to see more of her after this season ends, The LA Times is reporting that she is to star in “Forever Tango” at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills in January.

“Forever Tango,” which is directed by creator Luis Bravo, tells the history of the sensuous dance through musical numbers and vignettes. The show originated in San Francisco in 1994 and opened on Broadway three years later. Burke has been practicing up for her stage gig. She and her current partner, former Laker Rick Fox, tangoed their way through last week’s competition, which included a visit from the “Forever Tango” troupe. The show at the Saban will run for four performances, Jan. 14-16.

Here is a little preview of what this fine show is like;

Ok, that is it for now. Maybe more later. Voguerista over and out! šŸ˜‰

I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS Season 11, Week 5 – More Miscellaneous Media

And a word from someone who does learn from past history!! Ā How is it that Derek, one of the younger men on this show, actually understands how it works?? Everyone (Maks šŸ™‚ ) take notes.

The Contestants guilty pleasures – with each week that goes by, DWTS becomes mine. šŸ™‚

October 20, 2010 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 11 – Week 5 Media

Lots of media to post on. Where do we start? šŸ˜® Before I begin, a special thanks to Heidi and her contributions. This was a joint effort this time. Heidi’s comments are in Italics.

First up, for anyone who might have missed Rick Fox on KIIS.FM Monday, this is a great streaming interview with him about the show this year and his challenges with dancing versus basketball.

Rick also dished to Wet Paint about the grueling hours put into it all and trying to be ‘the best you can be’. Here is a snippet from that interview.

Athlete, actor, movie producer, dancer ā€“ seriously, what next? Astronaut?
Yeah, I’ll leave that to Buzz Aldrin! But yeah, I think there’s that ā€˜Renaissanceā€™
label that I continually get tabbed with which is a really nice compliment. I try to
go where the spirit leads me and if it’s entertainment, I’m gonna be involved in it. I love that aspect of my life, that expression. Good stories, good teamwork, great people in front or behind the cameras is really my mission in life. Especially, living here in this town. It’s hard not to find yourself in that conversation. And if you’re in it, you might as well be the best you can be.

How has your success in the dancing changed your life? I mean I’m sure
that this had to have a mental affect on you to know that you were able to
tackle it and still be doing really well.

I was just talking to Cheyenne Jackson about having a Broadway background
and eight shows a week and singing and dancing. And they’re not requiring me
to sing, but I’m definitely required to move my body in ways I had never moved it before even as a former professional athlete. This has been a challenge beyond any challenge I’ve faced. So just that grind of eight hours a day, seven days a week ā€” it’s been eight weeks now and weā€™ve got another five. It’s strengthened me in many ways mentally. Physically, my body’s changed. I feel stronger for it. You know, I’m 41 years old, so I’m in great shape.

Changed in a different way from when you were playing basketball?
Feeling different kinds of muscles at work?
Oh yeah. Flexibility’s increased, exactly that thing. The joints that are under
demand now and under distress after the first month they seem to be more
lubricated. They seem to work a little more effortlessly than they did when I
retired. So it’s been therapeutic.

Bristol and Mark told Access Hollywood they were convinced they were going home this week. Here is a take from that article. They also talk of their upcoming two dances on the show. (The “JIVE MARATHON?” as Heidi wrote when she sent this to me. “Yikes” is right, Girlfriend! I think this is going to be extremely difficult for Bristol and her most challenging night ever. In fact, I hate to say it. But, I’m picturing a very hot mess. šŸ˜® )

ā€œWe both were like, ā€˜Are you serious?ā€™ā€ Bristol said of the two pairsā€™ reactions to being told they were safe at the start of Tuesdayā€™s show. ā€œWe didnā€™t believe it, but Iā€™m thrilled that we both got through and weā€™re moving on to Week 6.ā€

Bristol said sheā€™s ready to tackle next week, and the two competition dances that come with it, especially now that sheā€™s come out of her shell a bit more on the show.

ā€œI think definitely that Iā€™ve grown a lot as a person and become more confident and Iā€™m just going to have fun with this entire experience,ā€ she said.

Bristol revealed she and Mark will tackle the tango next week and a marathon jive dance-off against the other couples ā€“ something they are a little worried about.

ā€œIt could last up to four minutes. Weā€™re only used to dancing for like a minute-and-a-half so that is going to be stressful, but Iā€™m excited,ā€ she said.

Here is another snippet from TV Guide where Bristol talks on this week’s dance and how she was ready to go home. Tom and Carrie Anne weigh in on Bristol too.

“From the get-go,” says Palin, “I just wanted to come out here and have a good time. And I’m gonna leave with a smile on my face if we go home tomorrow.”

There was even some discussion that she might want to go home after last week’s performance of the rumba in sparkly underpants and a white silk shirt. Some news organizations suggested that she regretted her decision to wear that get-up, in light of her position as an advocate for teen abstinence. But, says Palin, “I wasn’t as uncomfortable as most people made it seem. I’ve had fun every week, regardless of what the costume was like. Standing out here [on the press line] last week in my underwear was kind of embarrassing. But that’s just part of it.”

Had she ever worn an outfit like that before? “No, and I’ll never repeat it,” she says.

Host Tom Bergeron, who learns a lot by watching the stars and the pros interact backstage, was bemused when he heard about Palin’s costume regrets. “No one is forcing you to dance in your underwear,” he says. “You can ultimately say no if you don’t want to do it. What I’ve seen is that she’s more excited about dressing a little sexier. I don’t know what to say. I think she’s conflicted.”

And, according to judge Carrie Ann Inaba, part of that conflict is her shyness. “Her biggest challenge will be allowing her personality to come out,” she says, “because she’s very shy.” Why is she still on the show, when Henderson, a TV icon, is not? “Bristol has had no training in terms of performing,” says Inaba. “But that’s also what makes her so compelling to watch, because this is truly the process of somebody learning how to perform. It’s engaging.”

Here is a little hint from Maks for what is going to come for their dances next week and why he was trying to “pace” Brandy all Season. He also talks of their process for what they go through each week.

Maks was also interviewed after the show by E! . Here are a couple of snippets from it. As most know I am a huge Maks fan and always will be. But, I have to question whether he’s being honest about having no drama with Brandy?

Last night you got the highest score. How do you guys plan on getting that perfect 30?
We’re just going to do our thing. I think Brandy finally got the whole idea of why I am the way I am. We’re doing amazing. We’re probably one of the friendliest couples on this set. People have problems and drama and all of that. We don’t. Our dramas don’t exist. We never walk out, we never walk away. If we bump heads, we do it while we’re dancing and we don’t even stop. We’re absolutely on the same page. We’re absolutely 100 percent a team and 100 percent committed to this competition.

What did you think of Bristol Palin’s monkey costume?
I thought it was fun. It was a shame you didn’t see the dress rehearsal because she did so good. It was funny, it was fun. You know, she’s not the best dancer but nobody pretends to be the best dancer. We’re just trying to do our best. When she came out during the show and hiccupped a bunch of times, it was a shame because she did a good job before that.

Who else do you think did well last night?
I think Audrina and Tony did great, I just feel like it’s a little bit unfair because their music skipped. We have an amazing band but it’s a live show and this stuff just happens. It’s really hard to recover, especially for celebrities who aren’t used to dancing. The music hiccupped a little bit and they lost four counts of the routine somewhere and it was really a shame because the judges commented on that, meanwhile it wasn’t their fault, it was the orchestra that messed up their song.

Last week you told us Brandy’s ankle was bothering her. How’s she doing this week?
We all have troubles with everything. My lower back hurts, hip is sore. Her ankle and quads. Next week we’re going to do a tango. The floor is different, Brandy and I have elaborate costumes, it’s a bit risky but I think we’re going to have a lot more sore muscles than today. And it’s just the name of the game. It is what it is. You’re going to get hurt doing this whether you like it or not. Everybody’s hurt.

Heidi Note: I have to say, this pissed me off – not only is he deluding himself, but he’s constantly throwing other people under the bus. So is he stupid or does he think WE are? Ā And quit bringing all the other couples into your shit to try to make yourself look better. To make matters worse, He said the following to Zap2It:

Some of the pros got sassed for taking too long to start their dances and instead focusing on the narrative this week — Brandy and Maks weren’t among them, which is because its something Chmerkovskiy tries to avoid: “Some of the couples’ choices are more theatrical than technical. Not to throw anyone under the bus, but I’m a perfectionist and a technician. If it’s a foxtrot, I’m going to do the foxtrot 95 percent of the time.”

And you’ve won how many times again? :::rolls eyes::: Ā Sweetie, I can count – you and Brandy sat on your butts in the audience for a very long 15 seconds, then did a slow run (not in hold) across the entire floor at the end. That is NOT all that technical and, yes, it is theatrical. Now, if it weren’t for Len ONLY criticizing Derek and Jennifer for it, and if it weren’t for the fact that you are revising history, I wouldn’t have actually cared that you did those things. It fit the dance and it was THEME night. But all this nonsense afterward is just ridiculous. Seriously, people wonder why I have a problem with Maks sometimes?? Okay. HeidiRant over for now. šŸ™‚ Here’s a bit more From Zap2It:

We didn’t see it coming

  • Bristol Palin‘s rapid descent into total crap is only slightly less surprising than the judges’ bizarre candy-coating of their clear disapproval. Praising her progress and commitment and then slamming her ode to “The Monkees” (And those were gorilla suits, by the way) with the night’s lowest scores? Two-faced and justifiably confusing to poor Palin.
  • The rehearsal packages need to milk the drama for all it’s worth. (Hence, Maks and Brandy’s faux-feud), but pittingĀ Derek Hough andĀ Jennifer Grey against each other after one strained moment seemed a little silly. They’re the cutest together.
  • Florence Henderson andĀ Barry Williams have long been rumored to have gotten up to some naughty business behind the scenes on “The Brady Bunch,” but the smooching and coy allusions were crazy over the top. Can’t they just admit it now or are we going to have to wait for them both to die — like Deep Throat?

Back to Vogue…

Also, here is Brandy with E On-line addressing the “spanking” controversy again. Hey, if she doesn’t mind, why should we?

“I don’t mind the spanking!” the singer told us last night at Ubisoft’s launch of Just Dance 2. “The spanking gets me going a little bit. It’s all good. It looks like it hurts but it doesn’t hurt. I try to act like it hurts so he can feel like he really did something but it didn’t hurt.”

Brandy continued, “Me and Maks are really, really good friends and we’re growing to be greater friends. I can guarantee you that after the show is over that he’s going to be my buddy.”

Speaking of all the dancers this year, as you know (special thanks to Kurt Warner), a weekly Football Ritual has been taking place on Tuesday afternoons before the show. Though by looking at some of these takes at Ok Magazine, it looks like it’s just as competitive in the parking lot as on the dancefloor. šŸ˜®

Thanks to Heidi and Pure Derek Hough for this fun interview too where Derek talks to Popwatch about Jennifer, his dream partner (whoa Sandra Bullock? That would be super cool!), and his future plans.

You are doing a fantastic job with Jennifer [Grey] this season. How do you balance pushing and challenging her around her injuries? She looks fantastic for her age, but she is 50, not 30. Do you worry about pushing her too much, especially when you guys hit two dances for one week? ā€“Susan
I do worry about pushing Jen, but the really great thing is that sheā€™s a wonderful communicator. She lets me know when she canā€™t do something or when it doesnā€™t feel right and then we just change it up a bit to make sure it works for her. Itā€™s very easy to forget that someone with her flexibility and stamina is 50.

Derek, why do we never see you in any of the pro dances on Tuesday nights? I know you canā€™t do them every week (though Iā€™d LOVE it if you did), but it seems like itā€™s becoming increasingly rare. ā€“Sarah
I do the pro numbers when Iā€™m asked, I just performed with Carlos Santana a few weeks ago. And I have an idea for one this season. But as the season progresses, a lot of the time the show uses the pros that have been eliminated as it makes scheduling easier and our jobs easier as the competition gets more intense.

Is there a celebrity (whether or not theyā€™d ever do the show) who would be your dream partner? ā€“Orville
For me a dream partner is someone who is willing to learn and to put their trust in me. That being said, I think Sandra Bullock would do a great job. She seems to have the kind of fun-loving personality mixed with a strong work ethic that would enable her to do really well.

Derek, I saw you in Burn the Floor on Broadway and you were phenomenal. I also read the amazing reviews you got from starring in Footloose in London. Any plans to do more theatre in the future? ā€“Sarah
Iā€™d love to do more theatre and acting. I attended a performing arts high school in London and it would be great to be able to put all of that training to use again.

I second the above question, and what about films? ā€“JaneFilms and television opportunities are definitely things Iā€™m exploring.

Lastly, if you missed Florence on Corky on Jimmy Kimmel last night after the show, be sure to see this video of them. Once again, Florence is such a class act. Don’t miss some of her comebacks to Jimmy. Good stuff!!

Bye Florence. We sure are going to miss you!!xxx

I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.