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DWTS13 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 13, Part II

 So with each hour closer to the cast announcement that we get, we seem to be getting more and more leaks of who’s in – the next 24 hours will definitely be the time to stay tuned to PureDWTS, as we’ll be posting any potential last minute leaks as soon as we hear them! I dunno about you guys, but I’m getting excited…so let’s take a look at who else we might expect to see, based on casting patterns 😉

The Teen Idol

Previous examples: Joey McIntyre, Aaron Carter, Donny Osmond, Lance Bass, Mel B., Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Ian Ziering, Cody Linley, Sabrina Bryan, Mario Lopez, Kyle Massey, Chelsea Kane, Romeo

Advantages: If sales of Tiger Beat are any indicator, the teenyboppers will come out in full force to support their favorite heartthrobs/idols.  Being young & good-lookin’ sure doesn’t hurt! Many also have the added advantage of having a decent dance background, especially if they were part of a musical act.

Disadvantages: Youth can also have its disadvantages – as in immaturity.  What some might call “youthful exuberance”, others might call “immaturity” or “attention deficit disorder” – poor Cody Linley had a hard time sitting still! Emotional immaturity (a la Aaron Carter’s post-rumba meltdown in the confessional) can be especially off-putting. They’ve also got to contend with the large middle-aged female contingent of viewers/voters – they far outnumber the young viewers likely to vote for them.

Possible candidates this season: Now that the Candace Cameron-Bure rumor seems to have died down, it looks like we’re going to be seeing former child starKim Richards, also of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame…maybe she’s doing double-duty as the reality star this season, too!

The Host

Previous examples: Jerry Springer, Brooke Burke, Leeza Gibbons, Mario Lopez, Kenny Mayne, Lisa Rinna, Tucker Carlson, Mark Dacascos, Rocco DiSpirito, Erin Andrews, Wendy Williams, Mike Catherwood

Advantages: Being that they’ve been at the helm of their own shows, these guys usually have the media savvy & charisma to appeal to the masses, as well as the previous exposure & recognizability.  Most (not all!) are also decently attractive, which never seems to hurt (unless, of course, you’re a model – see previous post for explanation).

Disadvantages: Many hosts are only used to hosting – as in just sitting down & talking (or dodging the occasional punch, if you’re Springer), so the lack of movement experience problem seems to come into play. 

Possible candidates this season: I’ve started preparing myself to watch Nancy Grace try to hoof it this season, though I can’t say I’m even the tiniest bit excited about it.  Someone hosts I’d rather see? Craig Ferguson or Ricki Lake – the former is just hilarious, and the latter might actually be pretty good due to her Broadway background.

The Actor

Previous examples: John O’Hurley, Melissa Joan Hart, Steve Guttenburg, John Ratzenberger, Debi Mazar, Denise Richards, Ted McGinley, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennie Garth, Vivica Fox, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Shannen Doherty, Jennifer Grey, David Hasselhoff, Ralph Macchio, Kirstie Alley

Advantages: Being that their bread & butter is acting, most can usually nail the emotions of the dances. Bonus points if they’ve done any Broadway (like Winokur) because they have likely had dance experience.

Disadvantages: For lack of a better term, many of them seem to be “has-beens” – actors that haven’t been particularly active in the mainstream in the past several years – or were never that big to begin with (can anyone else think of anything John O’Hurley has been in BESIDES Seinfeld?), making it harder for them to garner votes from a public who may not remember them. 

Possible candidates this season: I think it’s safe to say David Arquette is a lock.  There’s been a couple of murmurs about Henry Winkler as well, and I’m still wondering if Lorenzo Lamas is gonna crop up, after all the talking he did last season.

The Reality Star

Previous examples: Kim Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne, Melissa Rycroft, Steve-O, Holly Madison, Trista Sutter, Shanna Moakler, Kate Gosselin, Jake Pavelka, Audrina Patridge, The Situation

Advantages: Many have achieved pop culture icon status on their respective reality outlets, making them fairly recognizable.

Disadvantages: They may be memorable for the wrong reasons – people tended to remember things like Kim Kardashian’s sex tape more than her reality show when she was on DWTS, and people seemed more focused on Holly Madison’s split from Hef than her antics on The Girls Next Door.  Many can also come across as attention-hungry & talentless(*cough*JakePavelka*cough*) – reality TV is often looked down upon as a way to get famous without having any talent whatsoever. 

Possible candidates this season: We had the great Snooki scare of 2011 (which I doubt is going to amount to anything), but Rob Kardashian & Kristen Cavallari’s names are still being tossed around. 

The Singer:

Previous examples: Mya, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mario, Belinda Carlisle, Master P, Chuck Wicks, Sara Evans, Willa Ford, Monique Coleman, Toni Braxton, Macy Gray, Nicole Scherzinger

Advantages: As with the teen idols, many have had dance experience concurrent with their music careers. 

Disadvantages: Most seem to be committed solely to one genre of music (often R&B or country), making it hard to appeal to a wide fanbase.

Possible candidates this season: Christina Milian’s name has been said quite a bit, but we haven’t had any confirmation. But rumor has it Chynna Philips is definitely in. 

The Wild Card

Previous examples: Heather Mills, Tom DeLay, Mark Cuban, Steve Wozniak, Priscilla Presley, Buzz Aldrin, Bristol Palin

Advantages: The sheer novelty of having someone with such an off-the-beaten-path claim to fame (famous divorcee/widow, entrepreneur, disgraced politician, etc.) may be enough to have the public voting them – just to see what happens.  Being the “underdog” is a powerful thing…as we saw with Bristol last season!

Disadvantages: Due to their often dubious fame, people just may not have any clue who they are – I personally had to Google Mark Cuban’s name. There’s also the risk of backlash from some viewers who don’t think they’re “stars” per se, and shouldn’t even be on the show in the first place.

Possible candidates this season: I’d say our best bet is Chaz Bono

So we’re mere hours away from the official announcement, gang – who do you think is in and who do you think is just wishful thinking? Be sure to check back here for Heidi’s Casting Announcement Live Blog starting at 8 PM EST tomorrow night …she (and the rest of us) suffer through Bachelor Pad so you don’t have to! And make sure you’re following @puredwts & @tvblog on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on who’s in!

August 28, 2011 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 Dance of the Day- A Preview

Heidi’s Note: Everyone welcome Lori!!

If you are anything like me, you go into withdrawl once we have to wait for MONTHS! for it to come back!!!

Thank GOODNESS for videos, because they provide a way to let us see those dances that we want to see again… And again, and again, and again!!  And, thanks to Princess Heidi for posting Derek Dancing videos over on her other site, for inspiring the Dance of the Day HERE!

So, with the Season over, I will try to post DWTS Performance videos a few times a week.   They may be randomly chosen, or they may be something I want to see again.  And I will take suggestions, and IF I can find it, I may put it on the list to post.  We’ll get to see again the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly… So we will be seeing Marie’s Infamous Doll Dance… Maybe.

I have been trying to figure out how this will work, I am open to some ideas. Right now, since we have had 12 seasons, and there are A LOT! of past performances, I think we’ll try to have theme weeks. If there’s any videos you’d love to see again, please let me know in the comments.

ANY SEASON! And please, PERFORMANCE SHOWS only, even though I LOVE watching the wonderful Pro dances we’ve seen over the years… And to make things easier for me, please be as specific as possible to make it easier for me to find the dance.  🙂

Our first videos….. SEASON 4 Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough’s SAMBA

SEASON 3 Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel’s JIVE

SEASON 3 Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s FOXTROT

SEASON 5 Jennie Garth and Derek Hough’s CHA CHA

So… Any thoughts? Improvements? Ideas you’d like to see? Comments?

June 13, 2011 I Written By

Just a typical, ordinary DWTS fan..

DWTS Season 12 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 12, Part II

In part one of my typecasting analysis, we took a look at who we might get from the Olympian, athlete, model, comedian, legend, & soap star categories.  Now let’s take a look at the other 6 categories and speculate on who else we might see before tonight’s cast announcement!

EDITOR’S NOTE: The site is getting hit with an extraordinary amount of hits right now (which is great! :-D) but it’s also slowing us bloggers down while we post – hence, there are no links in this edition because it’s just taking too long to add them all in.  However, you can access all of the DWTS casting rumors in Vogue’s post from the other day if you need a refresher on some of these 🙂

The Teen Idol

Previous examples: Joey McIntyre, Aaron Carter, Donny Osmond, Lance Bass, Mel B., Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Ian Ziering, Cody Linley, Sabrina Bryan, Mario Lopez, Kyle Massey

Advantages: If sales of Tiger Beat are any indicator, the teenyboppers will come out in full force to support their favorite heartthrobs/idols.  Being young & good-lookin’ sure doesn’t hurt! Many also have the added advantage of having a decent dance background, especially if they were part of a musical act.

Disadvantages: Youth can also have its disadvantages – as in immaturity.  What some might call “youthful exuberance”, others might call “immaturity” or “attention deficit disorder” – poor Cody Linley had a hard time sitting still! Emotional immaturity (a la Aaron Carter’s post-rumba meltdown in the confessional) can be especially off-putting.

Possible candidates this season: I think the Lindsay Lohan rumor has been almost completely shot down, but Full House fans have been campaigning for both Jodie Sweetin & Candace Cameron Bure in the online voting.  I’ve also seen a surge of support within the past few days for New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight to do the show.

The Host

Previous examples: Jerry Springer, Brooke Burke, Leeza Gibbons, Mario Lopez, Kenny Mayne, Lisa Rinna, Tucker Carlson, Mark Dacascos, Rocco DiSpirito, Erin Andrews

Advantages: Being that they’ve been at the helm of their own shows, these guys usually have the media savvy & charisma to appeal to the masses, as well as the previous exposure & recognizability.  Most (not all!) are also decently attractive, which never seems to hurt (unless, of course, you’re a model – see previous post for explanation).

Disadvantages: Many hosts are only used to hosting – as in just sitting down & talking (or dodging the occasional punch, if you’re Springer), so the lack of movement experience problem seems to come into play. 

Possible candidates this season: Wendy Williams name has been repeated quite a bit, although Joan Rivers’ name was out there for awhile as a possible contestant.

The Actor

Previous examples: John O’Hurley, Melissa Joan Hart, Steve Guttenburg, John Ratzenberger, Debi Mazar, Denise Richards, Ted McGinley, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennie Garth, Vivica Fox, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Shannen Doherty, Jennifer Grey, David Hasselhoff

Advantages: Being that their bread & butter is acting, most can usually nail the emotions of the dances. Bonus points if they’ve done any Broadway (like Winokur) because they have likely had dance experience.

Disadvantages: For lack of a better term, many of them seem to be “has-beens” – actors that haven’t been particularly active in the mainstream in the past several years – or were never that big to begin with (can anyone else think of anything John O’Hurley has been in BESIDES Seinfeld?), making it harder for them to garner votes from a public who may not remember them. 

Possible candidates this season: Lorenzo Lamas has been claiming he’s on the casting “short list” for weeks now, so we’re thinking he’s a lock. 

The Reality Star

Previous examples: Kim Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne, Melissa Rycroft, Steve-O, Holly Madison, Trista Sutter, Shanna Moakler, Kate Gosselin, Jake Pavelka, Audrina Patridge, The Situation

Advantages: Many have achieved pop culture icon status on their respective reality outlets, making them fairly recognizable.

Disadvantages: They may be memorable for the wrong reasons – people tended to remember things like Kim Kardashian’s sex tape more than her reality show, and people seemed more focused on Holly Madison’s split from Hef than her antics on The Girls Next Door.  Many can also come across as attention-hungry & talentless – reality TV is often looked down upon as a way to get famous without having any talent whatsoever. 

Possible candidates this season: Aside from the omnipresent Heidi Montag rumor and ridiculous rumors about both NeNe Leakes & Kim Zolciak from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, we’ve also heard of former Idol contestant Danny Gokey gunning for a spot.

The Singer:

Previous examples: Mya, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mario, Belinda Carlisle, Master P, Chuck Wicks, Sara Evans, Willa Ford, Monique Coleman, Toni Braxton, Macy Gray, Nicole Scherzinger

Advantages: As with the teen idols, many have had dance experience concurrent with their music careers. 

Disadvantages: Most seem to be committed solely to one genre of music (often R&B or country), making it hard to appeal to a wide fanbase.

Possible candidates this season: There’s been big campaigns in the online voting for both Zack Wilde & Paul Byrom, but nothing really “legit” to go off of.

The Wild Card

Previous examples: Heather Mills, Tom DeLay, Mark Cuban, Steve Wozniak, Priscilla Presley, Buzz Aldrin, Bristol Palin

Advantages: The sheer novelty of having someone with such an off-the-beaten-path claim to fame (famous divorcee/widow, entrepreneur, disgraced politician, etc.) may be enough to have the public voting them – just to see what happens.  Being the “underdog” is a powerful thing…as we saw with Bristol last season!

Disadvantages: Due to their often dubious fame, people just may not have any clue who they are – I personally had to Google Mark Cuban’s name. There’s also the risk of backlash from some viewers who don’t think they’re “stars” per se, and shouldn’t even be on the show in the first place.

Possible candidates this season: Not sure if it was the hailstorm of controversy from Bristol last season or what, but this category was booming with rumors this season – everyone from Tony Robbins to Christine O’Donnell to Al Sharpton to Brooke Mueller.  Will any of them actually do the show? That remains to be seen.

So we’re mere hours away from the official announcement, gang – who do you think is in and who do you think is just wishful thinking? Be sure to check back here for Heidi’s Casting Announcement Live Blog starting at 8 PM EST…she (and the rest of us) suffer through The Bachelor so you don’t have to 🙂 And make sure you’re following @puredwts & @tvblog on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on who’s in!

February 28, 2011 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 12 – Enter the Dove® Close-up Challenge

Dove® and the official Dancing With The Stars site is advertising a new Contest where you can meet actress and former dance contestant Jennie Garth. This contest also mentions the winning contestant will get whisked away to Los Angeles, CA for an intensive week of training with one of the Dancing With The Stars performers. Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? For details and to enter the Dove® Close-up Challenge, go >>>> HERE!! This Contest ends March 26, 2011. Special thanks to PureDWTS reader @Upclose22(Dee) for the heads up on this last night. Fun video promo below….

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.

Dancing with the Stars – The History of Judges Scores, Part 1

Obviously, season 11 made a lot of people crazy, what with all the good dancers that left before a much lesser dancer. I’ve said over and over that the judges scoring was at issue – too high for some, too low for others – but lets take a look at if that’s really the case or not…and if it was at all out of the ordinary. The question is – was Bristol scored in line with previous younger contestants with little dance ability?? Or was she given an easy ride?? I put it in the context of Bristol because of the uproar her continued presence on the show created – many claimed that either there was a huge voting block for her (already debunked that one, IMO) or the judges were much easier on her than they were on similar contestants in the past (me included).

This is going to be a series, because once I started I realized that it was likely going to be too large of a project to fit into one post. So, it will be broken down by season, starting with Season 5, and then there will be a summary post at the end. What I am doing is -re-watching the seasons, starting each at episode 5 in order to weed out the really pathetic people. 🙂 I’m watching with an eye to the judges – how they score, do they have patterns, how they behave toward the contestants. I expect to note other, related patterns – have they always had the same bits that annoy/please them? Do they have a favorite pro? And so on. What we all (me included) will have to remember is that even though this will have the appearance of a scientific study, it is still highly subjective. There is only so much a bunch of numbers can do for you – at some point, personal bias comes into play during the analysis (like it does during the judging). Not to mention that there isn’t likely to be enough data for scientific validity anyway. 🙂

Let’s start with the contestants and their scores for Season 5:

Season 5 Weekly Scores (Part I)

Celebrity Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Helio 23 (Rumba) 28 (Cha Cha) 25 (Tango) 27 (Paso Doble)
28 (Samba) 30 (Quickstep)
Mel B 29 (Samba) 30 (Rumba) 24 (Foxtrot) 27 (Tango)
30 (Paso Doble) 29 (Mambo)
Marie 21 (Samba) 23 (Paso) 28 (Quickstep) 24 (Rumba)
24 (Cha Cha) 25 (Jive)
Jennie 25 (Samba) 27 (Mambo) 25 (V. Waltz) 24 (Jive)
28 (Rumba) 26 (Foxtrot)
Cameron 26 (Rumba) 25 (Samba) 24 (Quickstep) 27 (V. Waltz)
27 (Jive) 24 (Cha Cha)
Jane 26 (Rumba) 22 (Jive) 24 (Quickstep)
26 (Cha Cha)
Sabrina 28 (Rumba) 25 (Foxtrot)
Mark 21 (Samba)

Season 5 Weekly Scores (Part II)

Celebrity Week 9 Week 10 Week Finale
Helio 30 (Foxtrot) 25 (Jive) 30 (Quickstep)
30 (Cha Cha) 29 (Freestyle)
Mel B 30 (V. Waltz) 28 (Cha Cha) 30 (Mambo)
30 (Paso Doble) 27 (Freestyle)
Marie 29 (Quickstep) 24 (Samba)
27 (Mambo) 22 (Freestyle)
Jennie 28 (Tango)
30 (Cha Cha)

At the time this season originally aired, many thought that Marie was a much worse dancer than Jennie. While I’m inclined to agree that she was not as good, the life and entertainment value Marie brought to her dances is no small thing either. I think the thing that sticks in people’s minds is the dreaded doll dance and the fact that Marie’s retorts to the judges made her one of the most annoying contestants in memory. I would say that, by week 6, the quality of dancing was pretty high, even including Marie. Her dances were pretty up and down in terms of score, but she gave everything she did a lot of life – something Bristol never did.

Now the judging – my recollections that I voiced during season 11 were correct. The did tend to judge harder going into the semi-finals and they did appear to have a favorite – Mel B. By week:

– Week 5: The judges pretty much shredded Helio’s rumba and Len was pretty critical of Sabrina’s as well – over the top was his comment. Agreed. Mel B was in the bottom 2 the previous week, so she got a 29 on a Rumba that wasn’t as good as the one Edyta choreographed for Cameron – in my personal opinion. 😉 I was actually pretty surprised at how good Cameron and Edyta’s rumba actually was.

The problem with comparing Cameron and Mel is, of course, they are not the same gender – what is required in the rumba is different for each of them. Mel was the best dancer of the season, but I think the judges were a tad generous in the interest of keeping her out of the bottom 2 (and yes, it was a REAL bottom 2).

– Week 6: Nothing much of note, here, except the judges all comment on Sabrina’s Foxtrot as being too hard – which coincidentally has always been my comment about her and Mark’s partnership.

– Week 7: The judges on a “the finals are coming up you have to do better” kick – they said something of that sort to both Jane and Helio. They said Marie’s Cha Cha didn’t have enough content (and I would agree) and they were pretty critical of Mel’s first dance. You’ll note that most of the couples have one high scoring dance and one much lower scoring dance. Of course, it wouldn’t be DWTS if the judges weren’t erratic; Cameron noticeably missed steps in his Quickstep, yet got the same score as those who did NOT miss steps, namely Mel and Jane. For some reason, they were much too hard on Jennie’s Viennese Waltz.

– Week 8: In week 8 I got the feeling that the judges had figured out who they wanted in the final two – Mel and Helio.  Now, Mel and Helio WERE awesome, but once they made their decision it seemed they judged accordingly, instead of judging the actual dances. That is, at least one of them played spoiler on the other couples. It is very hard to objectively look at these dances and say the judges were unfair – so remember, these are my feelings from watching the show a long time after they originally aired.  This is not commentary disparaging Mel or Helio – I loved both of them and think they, at the end, got scores they deserved. What I’m saying is that I think the judges were harder on those they didn’t see as good enough for the finale – regardless of how they actually danced.

Anyway, Marie’s scores were fair, although I think Len overscored her on her Jive. All three agreed she didn’t have enough content on her first dance and Carrie and Bruno said the same for her Jive. While I agreed with the comment Jennie got about her posture not being great, I thought a 24 was too low. Then, some of you may remember she did a lovely Foxtrot and Bruno, of all people, said he wanted to be “dazzled” and he wasn’t. Ridiculous. They said Cameron’s Cha Cha was too “hard and stiff” – maybe so, but a 24?  You can see they are indeed getting much tougher because it’s later in the competition – whether you agree with them or not.

– Week 9: Well, I guess if you actually make it to the semi-finals, they let up a little bit. 🙂  Why do I say that? Well, all the judges comment on Marie messing up her footwork, yet she gets a 27 on that dance. Yet, Carrie Ann says she doesn’t see a connection between Jennie and Derek – who danced perfectly otherwise, and she gets a 28. Oookay.  I do think the judges also overscored Marie on her first dance.  Looking at the scores, it sure seems to me that they ranked the dancers. One part of me doesn’t have a problem with that – except I don’t see as much of a gap between Helio and Jennie as they do, and I see MORE of a gap between Jennie and Marie than what they actually scored.

– Week 10: And Marie’s scores plummet.  Of course, that doll dance was a nightmare and the 22 was being kind, but they also scored her Samba very low. I don’t disagree with that in the finals. If you’re in the finals you have to BRING it. I think they underscored Helio’s first dance by a point and overscored Mel’s freestyle by a point or two – that thing was BORING. But really – the writing is on the wall here in terms of the judging. I don’t think they are picking a favorite that was undeserving in the slightest. No storyboarding here. 🙂

Season 5, in Summary: Well, they DID comment on the fact that they were scoring harder later in the season.  Several stars were victims of this, including the final 2.  So, when did this change – and do you agree it did change??  Other than that, I didn’t see anything seriously out of order with the judging, beyond the occasional wacky call.  I will say that the worst dancer in the final 6, Marie (IMO) was a MUCH better dancer than I remember and easily a more entertaining/better dancer than Bristol – yet she was scored tougher than Bristol.

Random Observations:

  • Up until Week 7, they did a real “bottom two” every week.  I think the reason they didn’t do a bottom two in the 7th week is because it was the week Marie’s father passed away – and she was in the bottom two but safe. After that, they realized they liked the drama of “in jeopardy” better than showing a real bottom two. And thus endeth my conspiracy theory for Season 5. 🙂
  • Late weeks formula was to do the couples choice of Latin and Ballroom for the Semi-Final. Then in week 10 it was Judges Choice, Freestyle and then the final dance of the final 2’s choice.
  • I actually agreed with the judges most of the time. This will likely be significant later on.
  • I think Mel B might have been the best of all of Maks’ partners. I like how she handled him and how they were with each other.
  • The weeks where there were two dances, they still only had ONE package – this was before they got greedy and felt the need to keep the show at 2 hours no matter how many contestants there were. 🙂
  • Cameron and Edyta dance a Viennese Waltz to the theme from Harry Potter in Week 8; this makes me realize that the crazy ass songs for certain dances is not a recent thing. Edyta’s doing? Or the producers? In more recent seasons – the producers.
  • In week 10, Maks wastes quite a few bars with Mel B in the audience – so when Courtney and I were commenting on it in recent seasons, it was not a recent phenomenon. 🙂
February 9, 2011 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 Tacky Dance Themes Part 2

Since all the songs this week are new-ish… we are deprived of being able compare Season 11 celebs with other celebs in the past… That being said… the good news is that we have other trips down memory lane to give you! Meaning another round of Tacky Dance Themes! *evil cackle*

So here you have it… round two of the Tacky Dance Themes, if you are wondering what the heck is this about… go to Part I and enjoy the commentary.

Now what other couples decided to have some strange dance themes prior to the “Dancing Through the Decades” theme and “Movie Night”?

Season 5: Mark Cuban & Kym Johnson
Dance: Samba
TV/Movie Program: I Dream of Jeannie
Tackiness Quotient
Music: The Theme song itself is pure instrumental, which traditionally I don’t consider as tacky. But there are so many nuances in the music that just screams the TV show that this deserves a Score: 3
Costuming: Oye, you have Kym as Jeannie in full regelia and you have Mark trying to be Major Nelson? Well, more like a geek is a better description. Granted Kym looks really good in that costume… Score: 2
Nuances: Too many to count, it didn’t bring me to a carnivale as a Samba should, it just reminded me of the show too much. Mark’s facial expressions didn’t help matters any… well at least they were having fun. Score: 2.5
Conclusion: Final Score: 7.5
I’ll admit it was a fun dance, and Kym looked good in that costume. But the concept that Jeannie would do her thing to make her partner dance is just so cliche. Still it’s better than the Star Wars routine as a dance… meaning that I don’t mind rewatching it, on occasion, with a bottle of vodka on hand (and I don’t drink).

Season 5: Cameron Mathison & Edyta Sliwinska
Dance: Paso Doble
TV/Movie Program: Superman
Tackiness Quotient
Music: Superman Theme Song… enough said. Score: 3
Costuming: You have Cameron wearing something with the letter C emblazoned on his chest similar to Superman AND Edyta wearing almost nothing but a cape? Yeeeaaaah Score: 3.
Nuances: It was okay, I can’t really think of anything, I mean it’s not like Cameron flew onto the dance floor… so Score: 1
Conclusion: Final Score: 7 out of 9
What’s a Superman dance without a cape? And what better dance to make use of a cape but the Paso Doble! The only thing that’s confusing me is whether that piece of cloth that Cameron was waving around was suppose to be his cape or is it Edyta? As odd as that sounds… it worked! Kind of, sort of, maybe.

Season 6: Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska
Dance: Paso Doble
TV/Movie Program: Monday Night Football
Tackiness Quotient
Music: Monday Night Football Theme Song… ok I haven’t really watched football and didn’t really recognize the song when I first listened to it without the visual, which is a good thing so they get Score: 1
Costuming: Did they wear the colors of Jason’s team (Miami Dolphins) at the time of this season? OMG, I think they did! Score: 3.
Nuances: This seems to be a clear cut and dry Paso Doble, except for that last move at the end. Nothing that really screams tacky… but darn that last pose did it for me. Score: 2
Conclusion: Final Score: 6
It was a respectable Paso Doble, but Jason has the physique, plus this partnership moved on to be second in a Season that included Kristi Yamaguchi. Though that hood that Edyta had tacked onto her costume…. why? why? That was so distracting.

Season 6: Adam Corolla & Julianne Hough
Dance: Paso Doble
TV/Movie Program: Zorro
Tackiness Quotient
Music: Puhlease… it’s the Plaza of Execution, where else could it have come from? Score: 3
Costuming: *rolls eyes* Just look at Adam! Enough said. Score: 3
Nuances: There wasn’t much in terms of nuances… but dammit that unicycle did it for me (not to mention Julianne stripping Adam’s mask off)…. Score 2.
Conclusion: Final Score: 8
It was a fun dance, a bit stiff… there was “fluff” that I could do without, but the unicycle bit was pretty darn entertaining and just died when he got onto his feet… still >.<
Since the video cannot be embedded… here’s the link.

There you have it for this next set of Tacky Dance Themes! Stay tuned for the next installment of Tacky Dance Themes… 😀

September 24, 2010 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)

DWTS Season 11 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 11, Part II

So apparently I might be onto something with my typecasting theories, because it seems like a lot of you are also trying to deduce from the absolutely CRAZY amount of rumors flying around who might be fulfilling each type…and honestly, at this point, I have no clue what to believe 😛 But that’s the fun of DWTS, right?

If the majority of what’s being reported is true (doubtful), then it looks to me like they might actually skip some types this season (haven’t heard any major reports about soap stars or hosts);  but if they’re leaking only a few actual celeb participants and the rest are red herrings, then we might get few suprises thrown in and have a more “well-rounded” cast.  But enough general speculation – on with the rest of the types!

The Teen Idol

Previous examples: Joey McIntyre, Aaron Carter, Donny Osmond, Lance Bass, Mel B., Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Ian Ziering, Cody Linley, Sabrina Bryan, Mario Lopez

Advantages: If sales of Tiger Beat are any indicator, the teenyboppers will come out in full force to support their favorite heartthrobs/idols.  Being young & good-lookin’ sure doesn’t hurt! Many also have the added advantage of having a decent dance background, especially if they were part of a musical act.

Disadvantages: Youth can also have its disadvantages – as in immaturity.  What some might call “youthful exuberance”, others might call “immaturity” or “attention deficit disorder” – poor Cody Linley had a hard time sitting still! Emotional immaturity (a la Aaron Carter’s post-rumba meltdown in the confessional) can be especially off-putting.

Possible candidates this season: Looks like Brandy is our best guess. 

The Host

Previous examples: Jerry Springer, Brooke Burke, Leeza Gibbons, Mario Lopez, Kenny Mayne, Lisa Rinna, Tucker Carlson, Mark Dacascos, Rocco DiSpirito, Erin Andrews

Advantages: Being that they’ve been at the helm of their own shows, these guys usually have the media savvy & charisma to appeal to the masses, as well as the previous exposure & recognizability.  Most (not all!) are also decently attractive, which never seems to hurt (unless, of course, you’re a model – see previous post for explanation).

Disadvantages: Many hosts are only used to hosting – as in just sitting down & talking (or dodging the occasional punch, if you’re Springer), so the lack of movement experience problem seems to come into play. 

Possible candidates this season:  Chris Jericho also hosts some show on NBC, so I guess he could do double-duty and fulfill the role of both the athlete and the host. 

The Actor

Previous examples: John O’Hurley, Melissa Joan Hart, Steve Guttenburg, John Ratzenberger, Debi Mazar, Denise Richards, Ted McGinley, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennie Garth, Vivica Fox, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Shannen Doherty

Advantages: Being that their bread & butter is acting, most can usually nail the emotions of the dances. Bonus points if they’ve done any Broadway (like Winokur) because they have likely had dance experience.

Disadvantages: For lack of a better term, many of them seem to be “has-beens” – actors that haven’t been particularly active in the mainstream in the past several years – or were never that big to begin with (can anyone else think of anything John O’Hurley has been in BESIDES Seinfeld?), making it harder for them to garner votes from a public who may not remember them. 

Possible Candidates this season: This one has blown up big within the last few days – we’ve got David Hasselhoff, Jennifer Grey, & Florence Henderson (who could also be considered a “legend”) now on our radar. There’s been a campaign for Bern Nadette Stanis, as well as one for Leslie Jordan that he himself is heading up.  Also a minor campaign for Melissa Peterman.

The Reality Star

Previous examples: Kim Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne, Melissa Rycroft, Steve-O, Holly Madison, Trista Sutter, Shanna Moakler, Kate Gosselin, Jake Pavelka

Advantages: Many have achieved pop culture icon status on their respective reality outlets, making them fairly recognizable.

Disadvantages: They may be memorable for the wrong reasons – people tended to remember things like Kim Kardashian’s sex tape more than her reality show, and people seemed more focused on Holly Madison’s split from Hef than her antics on The Girls Next Door.  Many can also come across as attention-hungry & talentless – reality TV is often looked down upon as a way to get famous without having any talent whatsoever. 

Possible candidates this season: Oy vey – this is the subtype that has had, by far, the greatest amount of casting rumors…everyone from The Situation to Teresa Giudice to both Ali Fedotowsky & fiancée Roberto Martinez, to Audrina Patridge, but it’s hard to tell who’s got a legit chance and who’s bluffing.  Personally, I’m still holding out for Sig Hansen 😉

The Singer

Previous examples: Mya, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mario, Belinda Carlisle, Master P, Chuck Wicks, Sara Evans, Willa Ford, Monique Coleman, Toni Braxton, Macy Gray, Nicole Scherzinger

Advantages: As with the teen idols, many have had dance experience concurrent with their music careers. 

Disadvantages: Most seem to be committed solely to one genre of music (often R&B or country), making it hard to appeal to a wide fanbase.

Possible candidates this season: Most obvious choice? Michael Bolton.  But in the same token, you could also have Brandy and/or David Hasselhoff fulfilling this role if they’re trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. The Xzibit rumor is still lingering slightly, and Pete Wentz fans are still holding out hope.

The Wild Card

Previous examples: Heather Mills, Tom DeLay, Mark Cuban, Steve Wozniak, Priscilla Presley, Buzz Aldrin

Advantages: The sheer novelty of having someone with such an off-the-beaten-path claim to fame (famous divorcee/widow, entrepreneur, disgraced politician, etc.) may be enough to have the public voting them – just to see what happens.  Being the “underdog” is a powerful thing!

Disadvantages: Due to their often dubious fame, people just may not have any clue who they are – I personally had to Google Mark Cuban’s name.

Possible candidates this season: Can it get much wild card-ier than Bristol Palin?! Good grief…still trying to wrap my brain around how they’re going to try and spin her claim to fame…

Did you miss part I of my typecasting of season 11? Check it out here.  Feeling nostalgic? Check out parts I & II of my typecasting of season 10, and see how everything stacked up 😉

August 28, 2010 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.

Dancing with the Stars – Who Wore it Better, Part IV

Wow…can’t say that I really expected these costume posts to become as popular as they have! I was pleased as punch earlier today when I did a search for “Who Wore It Better?” and found many sites (even ones not related to DWTS!) linking to our posts.  Glad to see everyone’s having as much fun playing fashion critic as we are 😉 

Now I only have one concern: how long is it going to be before other not-to-be-named DWTS fan sites (that are notorious for posting content very similar to ours, ahem) start “borrowing” our pictures and commenting on them the same way we have? Hmmm…well just remember, kids: you saw it here FIRST 😉

 

Battle of the two-piece black vinyl paso dress: Anna in the pro dance to Def Leppard in season 6 vs. Lacey in the pro dance to Kevin Rudolf in season 8

Courtney: Eh…I’m having a hard time with this one.  I think it physically looks better on Anna, but she doesn’t have the personality to carry off the whole rocker persona; I think Lacey has the right attitude, but it just doesn’t look as flattering on her.  I have the hardest time when the girls go barefoot to do Latin – the movement just doesn’t seem as dramatic & crisp, and I feel like it makes their legs look short.  So I guess I’m going with Anna on this one.

Heidi: Well, I’m with Anna too, but it’s purely a personal preference for her as a dancer. I also don’t like the barefoot ballroom deal – I think of ballroom almost always elegant (even the raunchy latin) than the contemporary stuff that the bare feet bring to mind. Personal preference, although I give Lacey props for this particular dance.

The winner: Anna, by a high heel.  😉

 Battle of the white, heavily-stone ballgown with matching choker: Melissa’s Viennese waltz with Tony in season 8 vs. Anna’s waltz with Jonathan to Norah Jones in season 9

Heidi: Best couple dancing on the show, bar none, goes to Anna and Jonathan when waltzing. Makes me all schmoopy – and that’s so not me. 😉  Don’t like the sleeve things on Melissa – the simpler look from Anna is cleaner and prettier. Not to mention the look on her face.

Courtney: You know I love Anna to bloody bits, so this one is no-contest for me 😉 I think wardrobe was wise to eighty-six those weird sleeves from when Melissa wore the dress, and replace it with one simple drape across the front.  And Melissa, please, don’t slouch – everything looks better when you stand up straight! Wow…I just love that picture of Jonathan & Anna.  *sigh* They are just a dream to watch.  BEAUTIFUL.

Heidi: It’s so funny that you said that about Melissa. I really like Melissa now that her fans aren’t being nasty all over the DWTS message boards, but my first thought on seeing that picture was “straighten up, girly!”

The winner: Anna, by a husband.

 Battle of the black & tan, two-tone fringe Latin dress: Shawn’s cha-cha with Mark in season 8 vs. Anna in the ladies’ pro dance opener in season 9

Courtney: I’m probably going to incite a firestorm of debate with this one, but…I actually like the dress better on Anna than Shawn. *hides face in fear* Shawn is adorable, don’t get me wrong – but I feel like the overall fit of the dress is better on statuesque Anna, while it seems to really shorten Shawn’s torso and hits her hips at an odd angle.  And as I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of the over-styled, severely bump-itized hairdos…I much prefer a more loose, carefree hairstyle, so I’m sorry, but I have to give this one to Anna.

Heidi: Oh you’re fine. And you won’t get any argument from me. 😉 What the problem is, I think, is that the black/tan border hits Shawn in the wrong spot – she is so short that the dress almost works against her, shortens her frame more, whereas Anna has such a long torso that it just seems to wear better on her.

Courtney: Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.  It just seems like everyone thinks Shawn is just so adorable in everything she wears…and while Shawn is cute, I don’t think this dress was particularly flattering on her. 

The winner: Anna by a long torso.

 

Battle of the yellow-fringed, cut-out Latin dress: Jennie’s samba with Derek in season 5 vs. Kym in the pro dance to Robin Thicke in season 8 vs. Ashly & Cheryl in the pro dance to the Beach Boys in season 10

Heidi: Ashly has this weird drape of fabric right across her waist – what is up with that?? It looks horrible like that!! Jennie looks ghostly in it, so I think it comes down to Cheryl and Kym.  I like it on both of them, but I think Cheryl has the edge due to the darker hair and the darker skin.

Courtney: Talk about a dress that’s been around the block a few times-er, seasons! Yellow seems to make Jenny look a little jaundice, so she’s out; the cut of the dress seems a bit odd on Kym, so she’s out too – honestly, I think it’s nary impossible for blondes to wear yellow without looking pale, so poor Jennie & Kym were already at a bit of a disadvantage.  That leaves Ashly & Cheryl, who got a bonus drape of fabric added to distract us from the fact that we’ve already seen this dress twice before, hehe.  Now while I think both carry off the color quite well, yellow just doesn’t seem to strike me as a color that Ashly has a lot of in her wardrobe…so I’m going to go with Cheryl.  Cheryl has the personality to carry off yellow 😉

The winner: Cheryl!! We found a dress for her! 😀

 

Battle of the white & blue, two-piece fringe Latin dress: Brooke’s jive with Derek in season 7 vs. Denise’s preseason photo shoot in season 8

Courtney: Blech…two ladies whose personalities I don’t particularly care for, in a dress that I don’t particularly care for.  Do I really have to pick one? Ugh, fine…Brooke, I guess.  The color at least looks good with her hair and skin.  Denise looks washed out.  But at least they got rid of those suspender-like drapes for Denise and replaced it with a single, well-placed drape.  Ok, that’s it…nothing else better to say.

Heidi: I have to go with Brooke even though they had those two vertical drapes which were just plain weird.  You’re right, it looks better with her hair and skin than it does on Denise.

The winner: Brooke, in spite of the suspenders

 

Battle of the red-fringed ballgown with draping sleeve: Julianne’s quickstep with Cody in season 7 vs. Nancy’s would-be preseason photo shoot with Tony in season 8 vs. Ashly’s preseason photo shoot with Buzz in season 10

Heidi: Hmmmm….I don’t think I can see enough of the dress on Nancy, and poor Ashly seems to have a baby bump in her picture, so I go with the Hough of the bunch, despite being bitter about Footloose to this day. 😉

Courtney: Ironically enough, I think Nancy actually wore this one the best – even though she never actually danced on the show! Haha.  Love her hair and how the pose she’s in really lets the fabric & fringe drape beautifully.  It’s ok on Julianne – red just doesn’t seem to be the best color on her.  As for Ashly, the color is nice – but the cut of the dress, coupled with the pose, just really isn’t flattering on her.  It kinda stinks, but I feel like wardrobe has really “mommy-ized” her since her return to the show – poor girl has a great body and is only in her 20s, yet this season they seemed to put her in dresses better suited to a much older woman.  Bring back the old Ashly costumes, PLEASE!

The winner: Tie between Jules & Nancy – because they don’t look pregnant

 

Battle of the red-bodice, black-lace overlay tango dress: Kelly, Joanna, & Kym in the group tango in season 9 vs. Kathy’s tango with Tony in the season 9 finale

Courtney: It was a little surprising to me that they dittoed a dress in the same season it was originally worn, but I guess maybe they just didn’t have time to make Kathy a new costume just for the finale.  And maybe that’s why she seems a bit awkward in it, too.  Kelly & Joanna look nice in this dress, but I think Kym’s hair and makeup and overall expression really work this dress the best.

Heidi: Yeah, I’m with you – Kym has the right expression for the dance AND the dress, I think. Joanna suffers from having the weird rumba hair left over from earlier in the evening and Kelly looks fish-facey.  Kathy looks amazing too though…but I’m going with Kym.

The winner: Kym, by a fierce face

  Want more? Be sure to check out parts I, II, & III to relive the magic of our first three installments, and we’ll be back again next week with a fresh batch of dittoed costumes 😉

 

July 28, 2010 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 10 Niecy & Louis (and Others) Dance Comparisons

Another week, another celebrity eliminated. This time it was Niecy Nash and her professional partner Louis van Amstel that was given the ax. After going through all of their songs, it came to my attention that they only have one recycled song! La Bamba by Ritchie Valens Ritchie Valens - The Best of Ritchie Valens - La Bamba

Here is that Samba as done on Week 5 by Niecy Nash and Louis van Amstel:

This song was previously done as a Mambo by Paulina Porizkova & Alec Mazo of Season 4 on Week 2. (Start at 1:57)

Read more..

May 14, 2010 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)

DWTS 10 Week 6 Predictions

Another week has come and gone and with upcoming Monday’s show, comes new dances… in this case the fiesty Samba and the sultry Argentine Tango…

(Un)Fortunately, the Argentine Tango was introduced only two seasons ago as thus there is limited data available for analysis. But I will do with what I can…

Many thanks to Heidi for breaking down who is dancing what in tomorrow’s show

Pamela Anderson/Damian Whitewood – Argentine Tango
– Season 8 (Holly Madison/Dmitry Chaplin, Week 4): 16/30
Prediction: 23/30

Niecy Nash/Louis van Amstel – Argentine Tango
– Season 9 (w/ Kelly Osbourn, Week 10): 26/30
Prediction: 20/30

Chad Ochocinco/Cheryl Burke – Argentine Tango
– Season 8 (w/ Gilles Marini, Week 4): 30/30
– Season 8 (Lawrence Taylor/Edyta Sliwinska, Week 4): 19/30
Prediction: 21/30

The Samba on the other hand has been around since Season 1 of Dancing with the Stars, as thus there is much more data available for analysis:

Erin Andrews/Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Samba
– Season 2 (w/ Tia Carrere, Week 5): 22/30
– Season 4 (w/ Laila Ali, Week 7): 30/30
– Season 5 (w/ Melanie Brown, Week 5): 29/30
– Season 8 (w/ Denise Richards, Week 3): 16/30
– Season 9 (w/ Debi Mazar, Week 3): 17/30
Prediction: 22/30

Evan Lysacek/Anna Trebunskaya – Samba
– Season 2 (w/ Jerry Rice, Week 5): 23/30
– Season 9 (w/ Chuck Liddell, Week 3): 17/30
– Season 9 (w/ Mark Dacascos, Week 7): 19/30
and of course in comparison with that other figure skater…
– Season 6 (Kristi Yamaguchi/Mark Ballas, Week 8): 26/30
Prediction: 26/30

Jake Pavelka/Chelsie Hightower – Samba
– Season 8 (w/ Ty Murray, Week 10): 23/30
Since there is so little information in regards we look to other reality stars for additional data
– Season 8 (Holly Madison/Dmitry Chaplin, Week 3): 17/30
– Season 8 (Melissa Rycroft/Tony Dovolani, Week 9): 30/30
Prediction: 23/30

Nicole Scherzinger/Derek Hough – Samba
– Season 5 (w/ Jennie Garth, Week 5): 25/30
– Season 6 (w/ Shannon Elizabeth, Week 5): 23/30
– Season 7 (w/ Brooke Burke, Week 4): 26/30
– Season 7 (w/ Brooke Burke, Week 10): 28/30
– Season 8 (w/ Lil’ Kim, Week 3): 25/30
– Season 9 (w/ Joanna Krupa, Week 3): 23/30
Prediction: 27/30

As for who I think will leave the competition on Tuesday? According to several calculations, I believe that bottom two would be Niecy and Pam with Niecy going home… though I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Jake is swapped with Pamela.

Those are my predictions, what are yours? 🙂

April 25, 2010 I Written By

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)