I threw that Season 8 in there because I found Gilles on E! News in a “European” swimsuit. Ahem. Yep, never voted for Gilles when he was on the show, but he is one hot hunk of man and he seems like a real sweetheart.

Donny and Kym on ET – Donny finds out that MJ’s kids are rooting for him. (Um, so what? They’re just KIDS! Geez. They’re kids I feel sorry for because of all the hype.)

Reality Chat Part 1 – DWTS Week 5 – Melissa Joan Hart talks to Sabrina and Rosie

Reality Chat Part 2 – DWTS Week 5 – Chuck Liddell

Today’s edition is dedicated to the Viennese Waltz and the Foxtrot. I am not a ballroom girl, I much prefer the Latin dances; however, these are week one dances and I want everyone to be prepared to know what to look for

THE GOOD
Season 4: Laila Ali; Viennese Waltz
Laila was never my favorite dancer but she was a joy to watch because she always wanted to do her best! Maks really pushed her and that’s how she got to level that she got to Laila has beautiful lines in this elegant dance and amazing foot work throughout! This is one of Mak’s best choreo pieces!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Viennese Waltz
I can’t say enough good things about Brooke!  She was by far the most talented of the season 7 cast and Derek really took advantage of that with all of his choreo.  I loved that Derek showcased her beautiful lines as much as he could!  She really does look like a pro

Season 4: Joey Fatone; Foxtrot
Joey was a great surprise on the dance floor!  We know he has ‘boy-band’ dancing skills but never would I have imagined his ballroom/latin skills!  I was very impressed with his foot technique.  I find that the guys have more difficulty grasping the technique concepts but he always was light on his feet and very precise!  Kym gave him a great choreo piece here!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Foxtrot
Just like her Viennese Waltz, Brooke is beautiful in the Foxtrot!  You really can’t get better than Brooke’s technique with Derek’s Choreo!

 THE BAD
Season 5: Josie Maran; Viennese Waltz
The thing with Josie is that she was on her heels the whole time!  This makes a dancer look very, very heavy in their foot work!  Another think Josie did was stop her lines at her elbow which takes away from the elegance that the dance is suppose to give off!  She looked beautiful but she didn’t dance beautifully. 

Season 6: Adam Corolla; Foxtrot
I feel like Adam tried to do his best while on the show but I also feel like he thought it was a joke.  I felt like he was always more concerned with being funny than becoming a decent dancer!  His biggest down fall in this dance is walking the steps rather than dancing the steps. 

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Season 4: Foxtrot
Not my favorite pro dance to watch because of the style but it’s still very nicely done.

Look for the Salsa Edition tomorrow!  What dances are you predicting I show

It’s time for another edition of THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE INCREDIBLY HOT!  All of your comments are SOOOOO helpful when I’m putting together this post and I’m kicking myself right now for not remember the hottest paso thus far!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Ty Murray; Waltz
I am well aware that Ty was never an amazing dancer but he had so much heart!  From all 8 seasons…he has the biggest heart and desire to do well   This was my favorite dance of his

THE BAD
Season 8: Steve-O; Foxtrot
Sticking with the Season 8 trend, I’ve chosen Steve-O’s fox trot for a number of reasons.  First of all, clearly he was always one (or two) steps behind Lacey which was clearly noticeable at all times.  Also, we know that he was hurt from the week before and we could see it on his face which is unfortunate because he has so much heart!  I loved all of his comments about being able to do this without getting high!  I think Lacey was a great partner for him but he just didn’t have the technique to go along with the heart

THE INCREDIBLY HOT!
Season 8: Paso Doble
I love the three ladies and Derek in this dance!  They are so precise and on point all of the time!  Derek is, hands down, the hottest dancer and Julianne, Chelsie, and Lacey have got to be three of the sexiest pros on the show! 

Princess Heidi made an excellent point about my last post: The good, the bad, and the incredible hot choreography, stating that I was talking more about the execution than the actual choreography!  And I do agree…all the pros are phenomenal choreographers and it really is up to the celebrities to pull it off.  Therefore, when I talk about the choreography of the dances, I am referring to the technical aspect of how well the celebrities pull off the pros choreography! 

THE GOOD
Season 8: Gilles Marini, Argentine Tango
Cheryl is one of my favorite choreographers on the show!  I think this dance clearly shows what an argentine tango is supposed to be   Slow then fast and always sexy!  Gilles did an amazing job playing the part and partnered Cheryl very well!

THE BAD
Season 8: Denise Richards, Samba
Maks is an amazing dancer and choreographer!  I’m also a big fan of Denise Richards so I was excited about this pairing!  However, Denise could never pick up the musicality of Maks’ choreography!  She doesn’t have any hip action and her footing was always one step behind Maks’!

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Wade Robeson has got to be one of the greatest choreographers of all time!  I absolutely love this piece he created and we have some of SYTYCD alums!

What other dances are you guys interested in seeing!  Look for the next post on Monday or tweet me (JeanneSchrodt) with ideas

Many, MANY thanks to Lisa, a new friend of Pure Derek Hough and Pure DWTS!  She took these great pictures and is very generously sharing them with us. 

If you want to see Lisa’s other pictures, including some great ones of Derek with Mark and Derek with Chelsie and Cheryl visit Pure Derek Hough.

I found some video and pictures (and a review, and a blog) about the show last night in Iowa.  It sounds like it was a lot of fun – very jealous of the attendees.

Pictures courtesy of  Star 102.5!  I pasted a few of them below (gallery – click on the pic and then click again for full size):

Kurt from Star 102.5 also contributed a blog. Read the whole thing, but my favorite part is:

Then we saw Shawn, Mark, and Derek Hough. Then, Lacey Schwimmer walks into our area wearing some workout pants and her sports bra. Very nice! Apparently, dancing creates fantasic abs. Jennifer caught me looking, but I think I get a pass considering Derek and Mark apparently refuse to wear shirts backstage.

I’ve only found one set of videos for this show thus far, thanks to Blazing1010. I’ve copied a couple of them, below, but there are a total of 13 on his/her YouTube channel.

I also posted a video of Derek and Chelsie, and a video of Derek, Mark and Lacey doing a hip hop number on Pure Derek Hough.

The Des Moines Register has a nice write up about the “Shawn Johnson and Friends” show tonight in Iowa. Here’s a short excerpt:

Johnson, who was greeted by a standing ovation, spoke to the crowd before the one-time only event began. “It’s great to be here,” she said.

Johnson shared the spotlight with dozens of her friends, including her “Dancing with the Stars” partner Mark Ballas. The evening started off with a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, with a moonwalk dance set to “Billie Jean,” followed by Johnson and Ballas performing the Cha Cha Cha to “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).”

Season-eight competitor and actor Gilles Marini heated up the stage when he danced the salsa with his partner on the show, Cheryl Burke. Stuntman and funny guy Steve-O, along with dancer Lacey Schwimmer, performed the fox trot to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”

Here’s another article: Des Moines Register with pictures.

So far, we have a rehearsal video:  http://www.kcci.com/video/20182362/

And a cute picture of Shawn Johnson and Lacey Schwimmer getting ready, courtesy of Derek:

Here’s some rehearsal video from a local TV Station:

Hee. One thing I really enjoyed about this past season was how well the entire cast seemed to get along. Most of the Stars showed up at the Ballas Hough Band shows every tuesday, they all took part in the video Derek did…the list goes on. Then there’s cute pictures like this one from Gilles, which he tweeted from Iowa where he’s taking part in “Shawn Johnson and Friends“:

If one had a dirty mind….

Shawn Johnson is hosting a DWTS-themed event in Des Moine, Iowa as a big thank-you to her hometown fans.  This event is entitled “Shawn Johnson and Friends” and takes place tonight (July 26) at the Wells Fargo Arena.

While groups of previous “Dancing” contestants have conducted nationwide tours in recent years, this is a one-shot event. The Ballas Hough Band and Mitchel Musso (from the Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana”) are on the bill, as well as dancers such as Gilles Marini, Cheryl Burke, Steve-O and Kristi Yamaguchi — the latter, like Johnson, a former Olympian turned “Dancing” champion.

I wrote more extensively about this event at Pure Derek Hough, mainly because Derek was talking about it and tweeting funny pictures of himself, Shawn, Mark, Corky, and Steve-O. If you check that site, you will find what I think is a full list of the participants and a few more links to more information about the event. A check of Mark, Gilles and Lacey’s Twitter accounts also show mentions of the event and a lot about practicing. I’m really, really hoping we’ll get video of the dancing and the singing – so check back here tomorrow. Cross your fingers!!