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DWTS, Season 11, Week 10 – Media Before Showtime

Hi, did you get your texting and phone votes in last night? How was your experience? I had about a 15 minute delay on the phone and then I got through. However, voting on-line was a different story. It was midnight before I could finally get my votes in. If you’ve had the same issues voting on-lne or haven’t done so yet, we want to keep encouraging everyone this morning to vote at ABC.com. It’s really important to get as many votes in as you can for this competition to turn out right.

Speaking of….Tom Bergeron makes a good point about “voting” in a new interview with TV Guide. He also discussses the unpredictable season it’s been, his thoughts on the remaining couples, and more. Here is a take.

“The complaining amuses me to no end,” Bergeron says. “Whenever someone says that Bristol shouldn’t be there to me, I almost inevitably say, ‘Of course, you’re voting for…?’ And they go, ‘Yeah, I didn’t vote.’ I have no sympathy for people who are kvetching about — and this is from a gentile — who’s still there and who’s gone.

“If you want a technical dancer, watch PBS,” he continues. “It’s part dance show, part popularity contest. It always has been and always will be. If you don’t get that by Season 11, I don’t know what I have to say to you.”

Palin and her partner, Mark Ballas, will face off against front-runners Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough, and show-stoppers Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer, who twice were one point shy of perfection last week. (Grey and Hough have nabbed three perfect 30s.) While Palin doesn’t have the dubious distinction of earning the lowest score of the season (that goes to Michael Bolton and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, who each got a 12), she’s only averaged, well, an average 21 points.

Still, Bergeron can make the winning case for Sarah Palin’s daughter.

“She’s not the strongest dancer, obviously,” he says. “But she … represents what I think is the best of our show, somebody who comes Day 1 and is completely out of their element and has shown a clear growth as a dancer. And she clearly has a massive or sufficient amount of viewer support to keep her in despite low scores.”

“Is it political? I don’t know,” he says. “But that just speaks to the importance of voting.”

Palin’s run recalls that of Marie Osmond’s in Season 5. Another mediocre, average-scoring dancer, she made it to the final on the strength of votes. She finished third after her bizarre rag-doll freestyle turned more viewers off than anything else. “The freestyle isn’t always the decider, but a lot of times, momentum can stall that close to the finish,” Bergeron says. “You see couples like Drew [Lachey] and Cheryl [Burke], who set the gold standard for what a freestyle can be and, on the other end, you have Marie’s rag-doll! It was like, ‘Oh my God!’ You can make it or break it with that last image that’s burned into your retinas.”

Palin and Ballas have more to worry about than the freestyle. Grey and Hough are arguably the heavy favorites who, Bergeron says, have “rallied back” after a midseason slump. “[Grey] dealt with physical injuries, some emotional uncertainty, but she’s looking as strong as ever the past few weeks.” Massey and Schwimmer, meanwhile, are Mr. and Ms. Consistency, and they seem to be peaking at the right time.

“They haven’t hit the top or the bottom. They have been relentlessly entertaining,” Bergeron says. “My favorite moment … was watching [their] Instant Dance. They blew the roof off the place. I immediately thought, ‘Gee, I’d hate to be any of the other couples back there getting ready!’ It put the spotlight on why they’re so good as a couple. Kyle’s just a fun, charming kid with a great self-aware sense of humor.”

The Instant Dance was one of the new elements, along with new theme weeks, that Bergeron says he loved and made for a strong and, yes, unpredictable season.

But how will it all end? After kicking off the season with a surprise result, will Season 11 wrap with one too?

“I think it’s going to be very dramatic. It’s been a season where you really can’t be sure how it’s going to play out, which I thought was lacking last season. I’ve really enjoyed this season and [the producers] have done a remarkable job of keeping it fresh coming off Season 10,” Bergeron says. “I guess all I can say now is just vote.”

Mark has finally come out. He updated his blog Sunday. Here’s a take from USA Today. He writes about Bristol and what he’s thankful for. He also talks about the hatred surrounding them. (Heidi’s Note – yes, Vogue’s first sentence in this section gave me quite a start as well, if you’re asking. 🙂 Dude, careful of the word selection. 🙂 )

We have four dances this week, and you know one of them is the freestyle, which we will dance on Monday night. Another dance is the “Redemption Dance”, which is a dance chosen by the judges that they thought we could have done better at earlier in the season. I’m looking forward to that dance as well, as Bristol has come a long way since the beginning.

Aside from the show finals on Monday and Tuesday, I’m looking forward to an exciting week.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am looking forward to the time I can spend with my family, as I am sure you all are. My mind seems to be rooted in reflection the past few days and this will be a particularly thankful Thanksgiving for me. I’ve always known and treasured the impact my mom has had on my life and during this season of DWTS, she has been my rock. With my move into my new home and the pressures that the season brings, she’s always there to lean on. Thank you, Mom!

I am so thankful to be on a show that millions of people are able to release the pressures of their everyday life while allowing us to entertain them. That really is a performer’s dream and goal, to whisk the audience away on a journey where they lose themselves and their troubles for a moment. Thanks to you all. You are the treasure in our success!

As for Bristol, she knows how thankful I am to call her my partner and friend. What Bris doesn’t know is how thankful I am for what she has taught me this season. It can be summed up in two words: determination and respect. Everyone goes through his or her own version of pain and endurance issues on the show — both the celebs and the dancers. Some pain is physical, for others it’s the pain of stress, and for some it’s the pain of having your life taken away from you as you prepare each week.

Bristol deals with a special pain of having people wanting and hoping for her to fail and dealing with hate issues no one should ever have to encounter. But probably her greatest source of pain is hearing what is said about her son. Fortunately, she has this miraculous way of dealing with it and focusing on getting better each week and proving to herself, that despite all that noise, she is a woman to be respected.

Our country was built on people taking advantage of the basic freedom to do everything in our power to excel with the God-given talents with which we have been blessed. During this season, I’ve seen firsthand how those rights shouldn’t be taken for granted, much less allowing others to take that basic human right away from you. Thank you, Bristol, for helping me understand how important that freedom is.

This season we’ve been challenged physically, most certainly verbally by the haters, questioned whether we are good enough, tough enough, and worthy of staying in the competition. Heading into the finals, I’m proud to say we answered them all. Amongst all the controversy, people have let us know how much they appreciate and respect us for simply doing that and how it has inspired them in their own lives. Thank you to all who have supported us on our journey. I hope you have been as rewarded for it as I have been.

There is a nice interview with Julianne Hough at Teen Television (that she must have given last week before the Final 4 show). She’s going to be starring in the new movie “Burlesque” along with Christina Aguilera and Cher which opens up in theatres this week. She talks about the movie as well as Dancing With The Stars, some thoughts on Bristol, and who she’d like to see win (and of course, that is her brother Derek and Jen). Here is a take.

TeenTelevision: Was doing Burlesque as much work as “Dancing With the Stars”?
Julianne Hough: Yes! The difference is with “Dancing With the Stars”, we choreographed, we danced, we taught it to the partner and then we were like their therapists. Then we were doing dances that, for the star, were hard but not that challenging for me. So coming to do this was like getting back to the grind and really pushing myself to my limit to do as much as I could do keeping up with the other professional girl dancers. It was really fun for me.

TeenTelevision: What did “Dancing With the Stars” exactly do for you?
Julianne:It opened every door imaginable. I moved out to L.A. when I was eighteen to sing and act. But, the dancing was an avenue to get to where I want to be. It was a wonderful opportunity and I just went for it. I never realized the success it was going to have and especially the opportunities it was going to bring for me.

ABC TeenTelevision: When did you first get really noticed and kicked up a notch on the show?
Julianne:It was my first season with Apollo [Anton Ohno, Olympic Gold medalist] and it was our Samba. I came out and was wearing that tiger outfit. That was like the coming out party for Julianne! After that number I felt a little more on the radar. I got calls. For Maxim magazine, I remember, I was like ‘Dad won’t approve of that too much.’ That was the first thing I did after I came out in that outfit.

TeenTelevision: Have you kept up with the show? Who do you think will win?
Julianne:Yeah. I was shooting Footloose so it was very hard to watch each week. But, I would catch it here and there. Now that it’s the last four, I can’t believe it.

TeenTelevision: I can’t believe Bristol Palin is still in it.
Julianne:That’s the thing I was a little confused about. That definitely goes to show what that show is about. It’s not necessarily about the dancing. It’s about the fan base and the people watching. I can definitely testify to that. I would not be where I’m today without the fans of the show. They’ve followed me since day one. I hope my brother (Derek Hough) and Jennifer (Grey) win. I think she’s fantastic. But, Brandy’s pretty good too. I hope my brother wins because I’m biased but, at the same time, I kinda hope he doesn’t because right now we are tied. We both have two. So, maybe he’ll have three. Nah. I’m kidding.

Kym Johnson has something very special planned for The Hoff tonight. Here is a take from Access Hollywood.

“I’ve been working with him all week. We have something very special planned,” Kym told AccessHollywood.com. “We may have been the first ones out, but this routine is gonna blow everyone away.”

While the Hoff’s clunky ballroom moves got him the boot during Week 1 of “DWTS,” all the way back in September, Kym said that during his time away, David’s learned some new moves and that the superstar isn’t afraid to use them.

“Right now, with the routine that we’ve got, he’s coming along really well and I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people,” she said. “He’s having a lot of fun with it. He has me laughing the whole rehearsal.”

Re-teaming with David in preparation for the finale, has brought back thoughts for Kim of what could have been with the former “America’s Got Talent “judge.

“I just had so many fun things I wanted to do [on Season 11 with David] because he’s such a big personality and he’s not afraid to sort of have a laugh and just put himself out there,” she said.

Sunday night, several of our Pros (Maks, Cheryl, Tony, Mark, and Karina) showed up at the American Music Awards. Be sure to see Haveyouheard.net and Getty Images for more pics. Special thanks to PureDWTS fan Sally for the Getty link. 😉

There was a little spread on Good Morning America Monday with Robin Roberts turing 50. In honor of her birthday, she’s decided to take some dance lessons from Maks and his brother Val. Maks and her Cha Cah in this video. There is also a snippet with Jennifer and Derek. More to come for that dance lesson today on GMA.

Speaking of Derek and Jennifer, here they are on E-Online rehearsing for their final dances, “savoring the last moments”, and Derek as humble as ever.

Here is more rehearsal sneak peaks from Good Morning America. Special thanks to PureDWTSfan Maddy for this heads up.

Ok All! That’s it for the media before the show. Backstage interviews from after the show coming up next! 😉

November 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 Finale Power Rankings

And then there were 3! I’ll try to keep this as brief as I can so that everyone can get back to voting, but man – I loved 2/3 of tonight’s performances.  Thought Jennifer & Derek and Kyle & Lacey both really brought their A-game tonight – Bristol, while not terrible, felt pretty lackluster up to such high-energy performances from the other two.  I know everyone’s been having trouble voting – I have too.  I’ve been getting a busy signal throughout the duration of the show on the phone, and my connection to the ABC website keeps timing out – I’m guessing it’s getting inundated right now.  But everyone keep trying, I promise it is worth the effort! 🙂 Gonna do the rankings in reverse tonight…just to build up suspense, y’know 😉

3rd place: Kyle & Lacey

I know some of you are slack-jawed right now, but unfortunately, I think the Bristol voters might be able to overcome the measley 4-point spread between her & Kyle.  It stinks, but I could see it happening…although I really enjoyed both of Kyle’s performances immensely tonight.  I think what I’ve come to appreciate most about Kyle is his ability to get into the character of every single dance – he can be energetic, silly, dramatic, suave, romantic, aggressive, and tonight – just COOL.  Really enjoyed the redemption foxtrot – glad they ditched the kitsch and decided to go the sexy, slick route, although there’s one thing about Lacey’s foxtrot’s that still bugs me a bit: they just seem soooo SLOW.  But still – a really nice, cool foxtrot.  When I saw them decked out in hip-hop gear for their freestyle, I kinda groaned – the last time Lacey did hip-hop for a freestyle, it didn’t pan out so well; however, was pleasantly surprised that Kyle took to this one like a fish to water and was 110% in it from start to finish.  This is kid is just so darn LOVABLE.  I really wish it would come down to he & Jennifer in the final two – and hopefully I will be proven wrong – but I have the sinking feeling he & Lacey will fall to 3rd place.  But man, what a great run this season from the kid that I didn’t see coming!

Runners-up: Bristol & Mark

I’m not holding any punches tonight – watching her dance tonight just confirmed to me why I’m so disappointed she made the finals: she has improved little since day 1, and I don’t even get the feeling she wants to be there anymore.  Seriously – between the way she dances and the way she acts in packages, I just don’t feel like she has any fight left in her.  And when it comes down to the finals – I want people who are HUNGRY for that trophy.  Heidi & I commiserated on Twitter over that jive – definitely not the caliber of dancing we want to see in the finale, and definitely not 9-worthy.  No, she didn’t mess up or forget her choreography; but her feet barely left the ground.  So low-energy, and I felt like Mark was dancing circles around her.  The smile was nice, but that was about it – nothing felt memorable to me and overall it just felt like she was strolling through it.  The freestyle – oy.  On paper, it seemed like a really good idea – not too fast, a dance that Bristol is good at (tango), and a character that she can channel fairly easily…if only she tried.  Again, I felt like she was barely moving, and seeing her try to channel a murdering temptress from the 1920’s just felt…awkward.  I actually felt sorry for her for a moment – something like “Why would Mark pick this when she’s clearly so uncomfortable doing it?” Then I realized it – what other choice did he have? She just simply didn’t have the technique, energy, character, or charisma to carry off anything more energetic.  Props to Mark for trying – but it was ultimately up to Bristol to stand and deliver, and I don’t think she did.  However, if her fans are as rabid as they claim to be, she may have enough support to close the gap between her & Kyle.  But I’m keeping my faith in humanity that they won’t be able to surpass…

The winners: Jennifer & Derek

Wow.  This woman went out GUNS BLAZING tonight! Total commitment to both dances, great technique, and best of all: a wonderful attitude.  The past two weeks, it’s been pretty refreshing to see Jen just kind of let go and truly enjoy the experience, and I think it’s worked in her favor – she seemed at peace tonight, but somehow still bound and determined to win.  Totally redeemed herself  in the paso – dramatic & simple, and sooooo on-point it’s ridiculous.  And I think my mom (don’t you love how Heidi & I refer to our moms for material? :-)) put it best about the freestyle: “I think the freestyle is all about moments that make your jaw drop.” And boy, did she have those…splits! Jumps! Spins! Grinding on the judges table! Even a little comedy – had to grin at the “I carried a watermelon” bit at the beginning. And I loved it that she seemed like she was (pun intended) truly having the time of her life while she was doing it – such joy.  I think these two deserve to win, and have a decent shot in it.  Good grief…I think I actually might cry if Jennifer doesn’t win.  I feel even more strongly about her this season than I did Nicole last season!

And with that, I conclude the power rankings for season 11 🙂 Better get your fill of debating this one, because there won’t be another one till March! Let’s hear it: after such a crazy season, how do you guys think things will shake out? Will the best dancer win? Will the “most improved” win? Is Armageddon upon us? 😉 Talk to me!

November 22, 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.

Vote for the Dancing with the Stars Season 11 Winner

It’s time for you to vote for who you think will be the winner of Dancing with the Stars season 11. You’ve seen the finale of DWTS 2010 and so now it’s time to cast your vote. Let’s see who the Pure DWTS readers predict to be the winner of Dancing with the Stars season 11.


Note: Sorry to those on the west coast. You can come back and vote after the show;-)

I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

DWTS Finale for a Lackluster Season

I have to be honest and admit that this season has been a really lackluster season of Dancing with the Stars for me. I know that some people disagree and have loved the season, but for some reason I just could never get into this season in a big way. Of course, I’m sure the show doesn’t really care too much about me since the ratings have been off the charts this season. Although, I can’t help but wonder how much higher the ratings would have been if it wasn’t such a relatively boring season.

I should make the clarification that it’s still a great show. I wouldn’t have started this blog if I didn’t enjoy DWTS. The dancing is still fantastic to watch and for that I’ll continue to watch the show. However, on the other side of the reality TV mix, I haven’t enjoyed the characters on this season of DWTS.

It kind of reminds me of watching a basketball or football game for two teams that I don’t really care about. I enjoy the competition and the individual efforts, but it’s not nearly as fun when I don’t have a horse in the race. This season I haven’t found a horse that I could really get behind.

Let’s take a look at the final 3 story lines:

Kyle and Lacey – Ok, Kyle is a really likable character. He sure shocked the crap out of me when he was able to move the way he did. However, maybe he’s just a little bit goofy for me to really want to get behind him. Plus, Lacey’s approach to Kyle’s antics kind of turns me personally off to him and so it’s hard for me to support him. Plus, while he’s better at dancing performing than I thought, his dances are still pretty weak and so it’s hard for me to support such poor dancing ability. It’s not like he was Emmitt Smith that had a really incredible style that despite his lack of technique was fun to watch week after week.

Jennifer and Derek – I partially blame the producers for me not liking Jennifer as much as I should. They told the storyline of her injury and pain far too much. Is that her fault? Partially, but when you hear that she’s hurting that much it makes it harder for me to enjoy her dancing. I sit there wondering about how much pain she’s in instead of really enjoying the beauty of her movement and Derek’s choreography. I’m still shocked by her 50 year old physique, but that’s not enough for me to vote. Her dancing has been fantastic overall with only Brandy coming close to her technique. This said, I’m trying to remember if she’s ever had a really break out moment where I thought, she TOTALLY deserves to win because of that dance. Slow and steady might win the race, but if you want me to vote I prefer a bit of shock value.

Bristol and Mark – What can I say? She’s the worst dancer to ever make the finals of DWTS. I know some people love watching her dance and to each their own. It’s just not my thing. In fact, the most compelling reason for me to get behind Bristol is because of all the crazy people that have gone after her. I agree that she shouldn’t be in the finale, but America voted that way and so blame America, not Bristol. The funny thing is that all the Bristol haters might be the ones that propel her to the win. Many times on a reality TV show the people that hate a certain person incite all the Bristol fans to vote in extraordinary numbers. If I were a campaign strategists for the Bristol haters, I’d be telling them to share the story of “Jennifer deserves to win cause she’s a great dancer” as opposed to the story of hate that “Bristol shouldn’t win” just because. Either way, Bristol seems like a very nice girl to me and doesn’t deserve a lot of the negative things that people are saying about her. However, that’s not a reason for me to vote for her. In fact, that’s pretty much my feelings about voting for her mother too.

Is there a storyline that I’m missing here? Has there been something this season that really makes you want to vote? Maybe the vengeful Brandy fans will come out in big numbers tonight for them to vote. I’m just not that vengeful. Or maybe I am, but I wasn’t a huge Brandy fan either.

Either way, I still love the freestyle round. Let’s hope that doesn’t disappoint in tonight’s DWTS Finale.

Plus, let’s hope next season we have some really interesting story lines I can get behind. How about the return of Julianne and/or Edyta? Bringing those two back to the show would be a good place to start.

I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

DWTS11, The Finale – Who’s Dancing What…And When?

Since Heidi is tied up creating as many email accounts as she can to vote tonight, and I owe her one for covering the rankings in my absence this week, I will be covering what everyone will be dancing 🙂

I’ll try to keep this brief, since a) I’m busy at work, and b) I feel like commenting once again on how “crazy” this season has been is just beating a dead horse at this point, quite frankly.  I also haven’t received definitive confirmation on some of these dances, so bear with me as I guestimate. And as always, if the contestants tweet that they’re going first, second, third, etc. we will do our best to update the post. So here we go!

Jennifer & Derek

Monday: “Redemption” paso doble & freestyle to a song from Dirty Dancing – most likely “Do You Love Me”

Tuesday: Argentine tango?, instant choreography cha-cha

The redemption paso doble is no big surprise for me – it was their lowest-scoring dance of the season, and the only one I think they really fouled up on.  Will be interesting to see them do another paso, since paso choreography really seems to be Derek’s strong suit.  No idea what they’ve got in store for their freestyle – Heidi, has Derek tweeted anything interesting? Or is he being his usual tight-lipped self? 😛 Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be great, despite Jen not being able to do any lifts.  I’m guessing that they will probably pick their Argentine tango as their “favorite” dance, since it’s probably their strongest dance technically and I have a feeling they will probably pull out a perfect score with it this time around.  I’m sure the instant choreo cha-cha won’t be any big deal for them – Jen’s got 2 strong cha-chas under her belt already, so this should be a walk in the park for them. (Heidi’s Note: The ONLY thing Derek has said via Twitter is that he loves the Black Eyed Peas version of “Time of My Life” – and that it’s so “relevant”. From Derek, that could be a huge clue…or he could just be being Derek. You never know. 🙂 That would certainly be one way to throw a bone to Dirty Dancing AND still do something completely different.)

Kyle & Lacey

Monday: “Redemption” foxtrot & freestyle

Tuesday: Cha-cha/jive/???, instant choreography cha-cha

Glad to see these two will be revamping that tacky Charlie’s Angels foxtrot they did – while it wasn’t necessarily bad, it wasn’t really foxtrot, per se. Again, no idea what these two are up to for their freestyle – it will undoubtedly be extremely high-energy, and according to Lacey, will be “like nothing you’ve ever seen before”.  If anyone else has seen any revealing tweets about it, let us know.  Again, total guess here with the favorite dance – I’m leaning towards either their cha-cha or jive, since they were both strong, high-energy dances with good scores that really play off of Kyle’s charisma.  And again with these two, I don’t see them struggling with the instant cha-cha – Kyle’s  got enough stage presence to power through just about anything!

Bristol & Mark

Monday: “Redemption” jive & freestyle to a song from Chicago – most likely “Cell Block Tango”

Tuesday: Tango/quickstep/paso doble/???, instant choreography cha-cha

Ok, I’m actually a little pumped to see these two redeem themselves after the dreaded ape suit jive…although I’m not sure that Bristol will have the endurance to pound out both the jive and a high-energy freestyle tonight.  She did seem to run out of steam fairly early in their first jive (then again, maybe it was heat exhaustion from the ape suit…hehe).  As for their freestyle, the only thing I’ve heard (and this is probably 5th/6th-hand info that I heard on Twitter) is that someone allegedly spotted these two trying to find a copy of Chicago on DVD last week, which is leading everyone to believe they’re going for a Chicago-themed freestyle.  Not sure this is the best idea, since that movie has already been done, but at this point I figure that she may as well have fun, with all the crap that’s going on around her.  Total speculation once more on the favorite dance – I would go with the tango if I were them, since it’s likely the dance that will get them the best score, but they also seemed pretty fond of their quickstep & paso doble.  I think Bristol may be the only one that really struggles with the instant choreo – Mark seemed to have to power her through every step of the instant samba, and he’s probably going to have to do it again this time, lest she forget her choreography (again). (Heidi Note: Mark also walked into the rehearsal studio with a bowler hat on the other night – another nod to Chicago?)

Overall, I think it will be a pretty good show both nights, but the setup seems to favor those who actually dance well – meaning that, barring the judges being all sunshine & rainbows & throwing out every paddle lower than 9, Jennifer & Kyle will likely get a decent points spread over Bristol, assuming she doesn’t miraculously start dancing fabulously (highly doubt it).  But even if they do get a decent spread…that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels and assume justice will prevail, people.  VOTE. Never before on DWTS do we here at Pure DWTS think it’s been so important. Make those email accounts so you can vote, vote, vote online; get your text and phone votes in early in the broadcast to avoid the dreaded phone overload errors after the show.  Spread the word.  Dooooo it.

Update, 3:51 PM EST: Due to our resident insider, Buttercup, that has yet to lead us astray (and some logical thinking), I generally feel confident in reporting that Jen & Derek’s freestyle will be a song from Dirty Dancing and Bristol & Mark’s freestyle will be a song from Chicago. Take it with a grain of salt if you wish – but I wouldn’t post it if I didn’t feel pretty confident in 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.

DWTS11 Finalists: What If…?

Ok, first things first: I don’t think this is the final 3 that any of us predicted at the beginning of this season.  Jennifer? Maybe, but there were concerns about her health.  Most of us had never heard of Kyle and predicted an early exit for him; and we certainly didn’t expect Bristol to last to the midpoint of the season – let alone to the finale.  It definitely leaves us with some interesting speculations and concerns – the main one being “What if Bristol wins?” Well, perhaps in an attempt to assuage some of the panic, Heidi and I decided to examine the 3 possible outcomes of the finale: Jennifer winning, Kyle winning, and Bristol winning.  Just how exactly will it impact the celebs? The pros? The viewers? Even the show itself? Read on…

What if…Bristol wins?

Courtney: Ok, obviously this seems to be everyone’s biggest worry right now – and I think we all generally agree that this would be a very, very, VERY bad outcome for the show.  Literally – this is the Doomsday Scenario for me.  If Bristol wins, the show’s credibility is basically shot to hell, as if it wasn’t headed there already with her far-longer-than-neccessary presence this season.  People are already claiming the show is “rigged” (doubt it, but some people cannot be persuaded); I think a mirror ball trophy in her hands despite a marginal performance this season would read as confirmation for a lot of people.  From those who believe the show is not “rigged”, there would be outrage about how the voting process can screw over great dancers and protect bad ones – some might be proactive and actually try to reach out to the producers and the network for voting reform (how political :-P), others would probably stop watching altogether out of disgust.  And ratings would plummet – they might manage to eek out another season just riding on the coattails of controversy from this season, but I don’t know that another season would be the ratings juggernaut that this one was.  As for the pros – I could see a few of them quitting, most likely Maks (who, understandably, seems the angriest of all about Bristol, and is being mysterious about his future on the show), maybe Tony & Louis (who seem to get their feathers ruffled more easily about ballroom politics, and already feel they’ve been “wronged” by the show in the past), and perhaps even Mark or Derek – we’ve been saying for awhile that they may already have one foot out the door, and their final season would be sooner rather than later – maybe this would be the last little “shove” they needed to leave the show for good.  As for future celebs – I definitely think it would deter some potential candidates from signing on.  Who would want to participate in a show that is known to be unfair? And who would want to suffer the humiliation of putting your all into the show, only to get the boot in favor of a pseudo-celebrity that is not nearly as talented as they are? Listen up, people: do you like DWTS? Then don’t let this happen.  Get out and vote for either Jennifer or Kyle as if your life depended on it.  Now while I don’t see Bristol actually winning (just too much talent from the other two to overcome, as well as some very angry, very proactive fans), it’s important that everyone does their part to ensure that she doesn’t even come close to winning…because this could be one very, very big nail in the coffin of DWTS.  Plus I just don’t want to hear about it or the Palins any more than I have to in the media, jeezass…

Heidi:I had a conversation with my mother today that was very illuminating. She is a very casual watcher of the show, at best, but she watches it when she can because I watch it and she’s a mom. She really likes the show, it’s just that she likes The Closer even better, which I think might be on at the same time. But she and my sisters were really loving Kurt Warner. And she has been watching the show this season because of him, as opposed to watching it every other week or so. Well, she ain’t watching it anymore. This is totally anecdotal evidence of course, but she was pretty pissed off. She kept saying she got disgusted when that “one girl” got voted off. I was trying to figure out what “one girl” she was talking about and she was saying how she just can’t watch it, she gets to mad and disgusted that Bristol is still there and “that girl” is gone. I’m like, “what the hell girl are you talking about”?? She says, the one dancing with the big athlete. I’m like, Oh ANNA?? She’s like, “yeah, that’s her.” I’m like okay, Anna is a pro, not the celeb, but that’s the couple she liked by god and she thought that Bristol wasn’t nearly as good as those two. Whatever, ma. 🙂 But my point is, my mother, the casual watcher – who I have not talked to about DWTS in several weeks – is fed up enough with the show and it being “fixed” that she’s turned the channel. My mother lives a few hundred miles away from me, so she’s not being influenced by me – but she’s pissed off. I’m thinking old Conrad perhaps wasn’t expecting this scenario when he put a politicians daughter on the show. Like it or not, it puts a different connotation on the competition that just isn’t good. Maybe it’s not rational. Maybe it shouldn’t. But there’s a little saying that goes: “Perception is reality”. If a large percentage of the audience thinks it’s political and that they’re giving Bristol a pass – well then that’s all that really matters. How people – viewers – perceive a situation and how they react to it is very important. Who cares if that’s not what you intended – this is how it’s working out. We are far from the only blog that is wondering if they will be able to get good celebs after this, or if we’ll be stuck with the likes of Christine O’Donnell. We’re not the only blog that wonders if great ratings right now translate into basement ratings in the long run because people have had enough. It’s very easy to sit back and say, “Oh people are always saying they won’t watch the show anymore, they never quit.” But what you’re missing in that little scenario is that every audience has a point where they say “Screw it”. How do you know this isn’t the proverbial straw??? As for the pros?? Well, I think they need to worry far more about the men than they do the women. Maks, Tony and Louis?? All three have been VERY vocal in the last year or so about the failings of the show. All three have other stuff going on too. Heck, Louis just testified on Capitol Hill the other day – these guys are stars in their own right. They might not leave right now, because the show still benefits them, but how much more time they have will depend on just how well the producers cast the next season. Derek and Mark?? Well, nothing seems to really ruffle Derek these days other than paparazzi – and even they are getting the occasional smile from him. But Derek’s most recent interview indicates pretty strongly that he’s got something else cooking. We’ll have to wait and see if that takes him away from DWTS. Mark? I put Mark in the same league with Maks, Tony and Louis. I think he’ll stick for a bit because he’s starting at the very bottom for his music career. He needs DWTS probably more than any of them. There is one “Pro” to Bristol still being there, though – this, and everything around it, will certainly come back and bite Sarah at some point in the not to distant future. 🙂

What if…Jennifer wins?

Courtney: I’m sure there are those that are going to point fingers at me and scream “BIASED!” (here’s a preemptive “Ummm, DUH, and I don’t really care, because this is a blog”), but I think of the 3 that are left, Jennifer is the one that deserves the trophy the most.  I’ve seen her work hard, improve, overcome obstacles, and truly enjoy herself this season.  She has technique, she has performance, and she has character – she is the full package for me.  I have enjoyed all but one of her performances (the paso doble, but I’m looking forward to seeing her redeem herself on that one). That said – this outcome would not be without backlash, either.  There is the camp that always whines “But Derek ALWAYS gets a good partner! NO FAIR!” that will likely try to claim the show is somehow rigged in his favor.  Big whoop.  There were so many outraged fans commenting here after last season that claimed they would never watch the show again because Nicole’s win was “unfair” – and I have to chuckle when I think of how many of those same fans are still actively watching and commenting this season 😉 And ratings are still fantastic…clearly enough people are not pissed off enough with Derek’s success to boycott the show. My other concern (and Heidi knows more about this and can either dispute this or support it) is that another win, just like Bristol winning, may be enough for Derek to say “You know what? I’m done.” Whether it’s going out on top or getting out before things get REALLY bad, Derek’s days on the show are likely numbered…he’s a successful, in-demand guy, and I can’t blame him for wanting more from life than DWTS.  As for Jennifer – it could possibly generate into some more TV & film opportunities, although I’m not sure that’s necessarily what she wants right now.  She seems pretty happy with being a wife and mommy, and just taking the occasional small role (anyone else catch her on House?) here and there.  But who knows – it could generate into something bigger, and she could jump right on it.  She looks fabulous and I’d sure as hell like to see her do more! Overall, I don’t think much would change on the show – I don’t see any big uproar if Jen wins.  If anything, I think America, the pros, and TPTB would breathe a sigh of relief that someone other than Bristol won.

Heidi:Yeah, I think everyone other than the Mark and Cheryl fans would be breathing a sigh of relief. 🙂 Those two groups will not be happy if Derek is the first to reach Mirrorball number three. And well, the Maks fans are always unhappy about Derek. 🙂 I see it as validation. 🙂 Who really cares what some fan groups on the net say, anyway? They don’t actually represent the general viewer, but the fringes. Hey, I’m fringy. 🙂 Really, there isn’t much to say about this scenario – everybody wins (except those fan groups I mentioned). The really funny thing is that out of all the people involved, Derek and Jennifer seem the most relaxed about the outcome. You had Brandy desperately wanting to WIN, you have Bristol and Mark on the defensive (to the point of nervous breakdown in Mark’s case, I think 🙂 ), you have Kyle having fun and wanting to win…then there’s Jennifer and Derek. I get the feeling from them that they would love to win, but they actually seem to have pretty good perspective about the whole thing. That’s just my feeling from watching all of them. Actually, Kyle and Lacey seem pretty cool too. I wonder if they have bought into Bristol as a foregone conclusion and are just going to relax and have fun. Really, they both could knock it out of the park for that reason.

What if…Kyle wins?

Courtney: The more I think about this one, the more I could possibly see it happening – just based on the fact that there are a lot of Maks fans that seem intent on somehow “avenging” Brandy, and somehow that agenda involves sticking it to both Bristol AND Jennifer…go figure.  Plus, Maks & Brandy have publicly thrown their support behind Kyle –  I think a more PC move would have been to encourage their fans to VOTE, PERIOD, and to vote for who they think was the MOST DESERVING…a very subtle way of implying that certain couples *cough*Bristol&Mark*cough* don’t deserve to be there.  But for those on Team BranDMC that aren’t too pissed off to tune in and vote, it could be good news for Kyle – an extra boost to maybe put him over Jennifer, who maybe didn’t get quite as many votes because people assumed she was safe based on scores.  Overall, I think the reaction would be something like “Hmmm…well, didn’t see that coming, but COOL! Someone other than Bristol won! GO KYLE!” There may be a bit of an uproar from those who thought Jen deserved to win, but again – I think at this point everyone (except the Tea Party) is just going to be thrilled as long as Bristol doesn’t win.  Lacey might get a little big for her britches (ugh), but I think Kyle would just laugh, say “Yay!” and ask for some pizza 😉 I could definitely see this kid having a bright future…tv shows, movies, talk shows, whatever! After thinking this one through…I almost wonder if this would be the most PC outcome of this season.  Seems like it would eliminate the Derek backlash, the Bristol backlash, and wouldn’t disrupt the dynamic of the show too much.  Do I think it’s what SHOULD happen? Of course not.  But I think it would be hard for anyone to truly be pissed off if this lovable little imp won 🙂

Heidi: Hell, even *I* wouldn’t be pissed off if he won. Of course I want Jennifer to win, but I would take Kyle easily – I think you are absolutely correct, that anyone other than Bristol at this point would be a positive outcome. I think many of the Brandy fans are a lot of talk, but like most fan groups they are only a small part of a much larger whole.  I doubt there is a lot of power voting coming from that quadrant – I know I wouldn’t if I was them. As for Lacey – yeah, ugh – she is an odd one. She was left out last season and she was nearly left out this season – you would think that that would be a bit of a wakeup call to be a bit more humble. Girl ain’t all that if she starts to go the Jonathan route – only signed on when there ain’t no one else (poor Jonathan – sob). Why she doesn’t grasp this is beyond me – lack of self awareness? Beats me. But Kyle is generally a cute little guy – even if he has been annoying me that last two weeks or so. As for the “Derek backlash” – girl, ain’t nothing stopping that, regardless of the outcome. Boyfriend is threatening. 🙂 He’s only won twice in 7 season and yet to the fans of other pros he’s the root of all evil – even though he isn’t the only one with two trophies. It’s quite validating, actually – the talent and charisma is surely there if he’s perceived as such a threat by those groups to the point that they revise history such that it is unrecognizable. You can forget that -that isn’t going to change. 🙂  Hell, I got ten bucks that says, if Mark wins, people STILL complain about Derek’s partner if he’s on next season.  Mark could be paired with Kristi Yamaguchi junior after winning three MBTs and Derek with an unknown model and still  it would be “They like Derek best!!” whine, whine, whine.   Why??? Because people are SILLY.  You wanna take that bet?? 🙂

November 21, 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 Season 11, Week 10 – Las Vegas Odds For The Finals

Could Gambling Skews be playing with the Dancing With The Stars Results as well as all of the other things we’ve discussed? According to On-line Casinos, this could be a real possibility. Here are some takes from them.

Online gambling, when it comes to some niche wagering has some major advantages over other traditional forms of betting. The biggest advantage is the speed at which one can access information that can lead to an informed and possibly better bet.

When, for example, it comes to sports betting the fact that you can watch the play and place bets on the outcome at some online sports books makes for a more exciting experience because of the immediate results.
Today’s world is all about the now and with mobile online wagering the now can be accessed anywhere in the world at any time.

There is some controversy over the use of online web sites for betting purposes one such example is entertainment betting and the Dancing with the Stars issue in the USA that has come to light recently. People who follow the show are able to speed dial their votes for the winner which can skew the winning results even by a small percentage the idea of manipulating results becomes apparent.. It looks like the show is more about popularity than talent. American Idol has cleaned up their show with actual talent this year, making for a less biased competition. Dancing with the Stars voting is allowed up to five votes by phone or text for up to 30 minutes after the show. Online voting through ABC.com allows voting until 11 a.m. ABC’s site requires people to register their email address, speculation is that people are using fake ones.

Here is what Gambling 911 is writing about it.

Though Jennifer Grey remains the -200 favorite to win Season 11 of Dancing With The Stars, Bristol Palin’s odds of winning the final have been slashed to even, meaning that a $10 bet would pay out $10 profit. Kyle Massey would pay $40 for every $10 bet with a victory.

There has been much talk about Bristol, the daughter of 2008 Vice Presidential GOP running mate Sarah Palin, making it this deep into the competition when she routinely placed among the bottom three by judges. Viewer phone call voting accounts for 50 percent of the results. Theories include everything from young teen girls voting for Bristol en mass to a Tea Party uprising.

Some have gone as far as to say that, if Bristol Palin wins this installment of Dancing With The Stars, the show will be ruined.

“It’s not as if she is a bad dancer,” says Payton O’Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website, which has watched the odds for Bristol shorten from around 45/1 to even. “She has dramatically improved week after week. But is she in the same league as Jennifer Grey? No. But she has not beaten Grey yet either.”

Patrik Jonnson of the Christian Science Monitor perhaps offered the best observation yet:

Bristol Palin and and her mother, Sarah Palin, both have weaknesses as candidates. On “Dancing With the Stars,” Bristol has repeatedly received the lowest scores from the judges. In public-opinion polls, about two-thirds of Americans say Sarah is unqualified to be president.

Yet here they are, Bristol and her warm, slightly baffled grin now in the final of “DWTS” – a feat so incomprehensible to some that they see foul play at work. And Sarah is drawing record audiences to “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” to watch her shoot skeet with a smile, even as she sends tremors through the blogosphere by simply asserting that she could beat President Obama in 2012.

And here are the odds from On-line Betting Guide:

Jennifer Grey 1.44

Bristol Palin 4

Kyle Massey 7.5

So, what do you think? Could Gamblings Skews be an issue as well for how this show is turning out this year? How far will the odds be off or on this week? We are about to find out. 😀

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 9 – The Cheesecake Award, Protest Edition

What are we protesting, you may ask?? Well, we are protesting all the fun being sucked right out of the show by Hurricane Bristol and all the CRAP surrounding her. Not her fault, per se, but the fault of wacky fans everywhere. I’m going to have to delete the DWTS related search columns on my tweetdeck because of all the right wing demands to vote for Bristol to make liberal heads explode. Hello? Can you BE more cheesey?? What kind of moron thinks that a dance show will make “liberal” heads explode? The heads exploding belong to those of us who can see that Bristol can’t DANCE. Period. Pretty sure they cross the political spectrum, especially since Courtney and I cross the political spectrum between us and we both think it’s wack. If Kelly Osborne had danced like this I think most fans of the show would be having the same reaction. And what kind of freak thinks that Bristol winning this show is any kind of political statement?? Crazy f*$kers, that’s who.

As I said in the comments, I think I will actually feel sorry for Bristol and Mark if they end up winning (but if people actually VOTE I don’t think they will win) – never in the history of the show will a win be so totally dismissed as irrelevant and not truly earned. And it won’t actually be their fault! They’ve both just doing what they’re supposed to do (except that bit where Mark was imitating CAI – that was classless and tacky). But they will get little credit for that and will go down in DWTS history as the least deserving winners ever. Blame the judges, IMO. BUT IF PEOPLE FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE AND VOTE SHE WON’T WIN. 🙂 Just sayin’. This is the one part of the show that is like politics – if you didn’t vote, you don’t really get to complain about how the government is running things. Anyway….on with the show.

Award for the Professional Dancer Most Likely to Have an Identity Crisis If He Isn’t Already: Mark Ballas

Heidi: Yo, dude, you are exhibiting serious addiction to guyliner. More than twice a season and you have to start asking yourself what’s what. “Why do I like eyeliner so much. Is it just because it really makes my eyes pop?? Or have I somehow convinced myself that I am a Rock GOD??” Mark looks at his hands and realizes…”HOLY CRAP, I must have painted my nails black in my sleep!! What is happening to me?!?! Why am I channeling Tommy Lee??” Okay, wow, I’m kinda cracking myself up which means NO ONE else will find this amusing. 🙂 Seriously, dude, lighten up – guyliner is fine in MODERATION. Moderation is the key. You’ve almost made guyliner into eye shadow – and no one wants to see that. 🙂 And to anyone who didn’t notice, I wasn’t kidding about the fingernails – he really did paint them black. Crap. Now the Rolling Stones are in my head.

Courtney: Y’know, if Mark really wants to emulate Tommy Lee, he’s gonna need to procure a raging case of Hepatitis C 😉  He is really just annoying me anymore – all of a sudden, he’s developed a case of oral diarrhea that rivals even some of Maks’ best rants, he’s doing dumb, pointless stuff in routines (monkey suits, doffing his shirt for no reason), and he’s still trying to project this image of being Mark Ballas, the Rock God.  I wonder if part of it has to do with having the most controversial celeb this season and just buckling under the pressure – and another part of me wonders if he’s doing it intentionally to get the boot.  Lord knows it’s probably not super fun for either he or Bristol right now – it’s seriously better for everyone involved with the show at this point if they do not win, IMO.  So if the guyliner is an attempt to exude extreme douchitude and get booted because of it – I’ll be taking donations of MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder to ship to him to help the effort 😀

Award for Best Pro Response to Inane Brooke Burke Questions: Derek Hough, after Brooke asks him how it “feels” to get a perfect 30, responds with a sardonic “I’m so disappointed”.

Heidi: Okay, this is as close as Derek gets to sarcastic in public and it’s quite, quite amusing. I mean really, Derek and Jennifer get a perfect 30 and the best question Brooke can come up with is her usual “how does that feel” – ya think maybe it doesn’t SUCK, Brooke?? Geez. Derek also has a light touch – he does it in such a way that even Brooke laughs at it. Non Sequitur by Heidi: Has anyone noticed that he’s got great biceps this season? Goodness.

Courtney: Good grief, Brooke – you and your prepackaged, generic questions.  I can only imagine if she posed that same question to someone who had just gotten injured badly…”How does that feel?” “Feels great, Brooke – I’m really a masochist so I get off on pain.  Would you like to come to my dungeon later and play with my whips and paddles?”

Award for Best Production F*^K Up of Week 9: the Camera Men During Kyle and Lacey’s Cha Cha

Heidi: You guys are supposed to film the dancers…not each other. Did Carrie Ann give you some of her crack??

Courtney: Wasn’t one of them quite visibly scampering out of the shot a moment later? Seriously – the production staff must be comprised of Muppets & orangutans this season.

Len Goodman Line O’ The Night: (To Kyle:) “You really had the most bounce for the ounce.”

Heidi: Okay, props to Len – that was a pretty good one. But since this is the protest edition, that’s all I have the energy to say.

Courtney: Hehe.  That’s all I can muster.  Moving on…

Tom Bergeron Line O’the Night: “Bruno’s Book of Effusive Adjectives will be available for holiday gift giving”

Heidi: Hee. Marry Me Tom. Only a very smart, funny guy can come up with that line (Effusive Adjectives? Man after my own heart) on the fly.

Courtney: Got a Bruno lover in the family??? No holiday gift-giving is complete without the book of effusive adjectives, the Bruno dance video, and the Tiny Bruno iPhone app!!!!

And now, folks, you get the real meaning of “Protest” – we can’t work up any more funny at all. 🙁 Maybe the finale. That’s usually cheesetastic.

November 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 9 – ‘Can DWTS right the ship’ Weekend Media Roundup

I wasn’t going to watch the final because I was so ticked over the unfairness of everything. But I am starting to look forward to it.

Can DWTS right the ship? Will Baby take the mirrorball? Will Kyle the underdog win it all? Or will Bristol (gasp) sink the whole show? TPTB (and the judges) have a chance to end the season with a positive bang – or not.

What else is on Monday and Tuesday nights anyway? I might find out come March. 🙂 ~ PureDWTS Reader Laurie

LOL! I just loved that quote by Laurie yesterday and it says it all, doesn’t it?!! I still love this show despite the unfair eliminations, controversies, and whackiness this year.

And for all of the fans out there that are out there hating on the show and planning to boycott it now and never watch again since Maks got voted off or for whatever reasons (I can’t believe some of the tweets I’ve seen out there), this sure isn’t what Maks wants. Please listen to his words in this new interview on Access Hollywood. He still very much loves this show, he wants the best for it, and hopes to dance on it in the future. So, when you talk of boycotting it, do you realize you are hurting Maks, the other dancers, and future celebrities you might love to see dance when doing so? (Heidi’s Note: Better still watch, and vote for either Jennifer or Kyle and avoid a self fulfilling prophesy. Strategically, it would be safer to vote for whichever of them has the higher score, but take your pick.)

Here is another interview with Maks on The Insider discussing the voting system and the elimination. He hopes the system will be checked and more thought will be put into the show in the future for what’s best for it. I agree and I hope the producers will hear him and how many of us feel after what’s happened this Season.

The producer of Dancing With The Stars, Conrad Green, also speaks out on the voting system and Bristol. Here is what he told EW.com in a new interview.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This week, there’s been a lot of outrage that it’s too easy to exploit the voting system at ABC.com. Do you have any plan in place to correct that?CONRAD GREEN: It’s already corrected, to be honest with you. It might appear that you can make up a thousand email addresses and send them in, but we have a number of security checks in place that go over all of the internet votes before they’re calculated. In this particular case, we can spot an IP address, and if one computer sends in a crazy amount of email votes, we just discard them. These things can happen for any of our contestants. It’s not like only Bristol’s fans could do that. It could just as easily be happening for Jennifer’s or for someone else’s. But either way, those excessive votes are not being counted.

Are you saying that it might look to people like their excessive votes are getting through, but because they’re using the same IP address the votes actually wouldn’t count?Exactly. And there’s a number of other security checks they can do. I’m not gonna reveal all of them, because it might encourage people to try to find a way around them. But there are tons of checks done by every one of our vendors — the phone people, the text people and the internet people. They do discard anything that looks suspicious. Sometimes people just can’t get through because the phone lines are busy; the local exchanges get overwhelmed. But that affects everyone equally. Unfortunately, it’s a huge country with a huge infrastructure, and those kinds of things are going to go wrong. Our servers have gone down on the internet during voting a lot. I’m very confident the votes that are getting through are valid.

Would you ever consider giving more weight to the judges’ scores in the future?You’ve watched the show for a long time, so you’ve seen every little brouhaha we’ve had along the way. With the amount of times people have screamed blue murder about the scores of the judges have given, do you really think the complaining would stop if the judges had the final say? What it comes down to is, we add the share of the judges’ scores each night to the audience’s votes. And if you look at the spread this week between Jennifer, who got 60, and Bristol who got 53, and the other two in between, I think the share Jennifer had of the judges’ vote was like only three and a half percent more than Bristol had. I think the share that Bristol had was only one and a half percent less than Brandy’s. So all Bristol had to do was get more than one and a half percent of the popular vote than Brandy, and then she’s through. That isn’t that surprising. I’m kind of mystified about why everyone is finding this such a bizarre thing to happen.

Do you think Bristol might win?Of course. She’s got the same chance as everyone else now. The slate has been wiped clean, every show. She’s improved every week. I think a lot of people are ignoring the fact that she’s actually a decent dancer. What I think is annoying people is that maybe she’s not as vivid a performer as some of the other dancers on the show. Kyle is quite a performer, but Bristol is probably in terms of technique a better dancer than Kyle. But she’ll never get credit for that. The thing is, when you look at her, she’s actually quite shy. Watching someone develop stage presence is actually quite fascinating to watch, and I think that’s why some people are rooting for her. You see her gradually unfolding and unfurling and all, as a performer. I can assure you that she’s really enjoying doing it. It’s not like she doesn’t want to be here. Far from it. I think she just feels uncomfortable with a lot of the things you see on our show — wearing tiny costumes, being over-the-top. She just feels slightly embarrassed doing it. She just doesn’t come from this world. I think that’s one of the things that’s absorbing about watching her.

So you think it’s just a case of America loving the underdog?
We have no way of knowing why people are voting for Bristol. If you look at it, young contestants on the show are always popular. Shawn Johnson won it. Kyle happens to be in the final as well, which everyone seems to have overlooked. You’ve got 19- and 20-year-olds in the show who have both made the final. People like young contestants, contestants who aren’t from the mainstream, who have got a tough story, who have come from no dance training. You’ll remember, this time last season, everyone was furious about Nicole being on the show because she’s got too much experience. There might be an element of her vote that’s from Republicans, but there might be an element of her vote she’s not getting because of Democrats. She was working at a dermatologist’s office in Alaska, whereas Jennifer Grey was in a movie beloved by millions of women around this country who are now our target audience. She hasn’t got any fan base to speak of. If there are a few Tea Party people getting behind her, how is that any different from Marie Osmond’s fans voting for her, or rodeo fans voting for Ty Murray, or Brandy’s fans — five million albums sold — who were voting for her? You could argue that [Bristol]‘s got no constituency. People are being melodramatic about this. If she was Kenny Mayne, yeah, that could be an issue. Or Kate Gosselin — with the quality of her dancing, that would be a bit bizarre. But she’s a good dancer, Bristol. I thought she did great on Monday. Here’s a 20-year-old girl who everyone’s screaming at. This should be the best week of her life. I really feel for this girl. Everyone’s acting like she’s getting together with Dick Cheney, trying to start an evil empire. It’s crazy. It’s a dancing competition. She’s a lovely girl. Give her a break!

A lot of fans are flipping out on the internet and insisting they’ll never watch the show again if Bristol wins. How do you respond to that?Unfortunately, people get pissed on this show. It’s the nature of it. Your favorite gets kicked off and you think it’s unfair. There’s a massive difference between “unfair” and “something else going on.” Life isn’t always fair. You could probably nominate the best dancer after only two shows — you might as well just stop the season right then. It’s about improvement, it’s about where people go. Bristol’s our most improved dancer. People threaten to leave the country if the next government wins the election. They tend not to. At the end of the day, they should be mobilizing their friends, getting their children to vote, talkimg about it in the office, you know? Make those calls. It’s a pretty easy process. It’s very easy to influence the results of this show if you’re passionate about it. The fans have always had a say in the past about who wins, and frequently someone wins who they don’t agree with. I haven’t always agreed with the person who’s won. Everyone has their favorites. That’s the nature of it. Get involved!

Heidi Adds: The article above is somewhat contradicted by what he says to Entertainment Tonight below, so, I’m inclined to think he’s referring to putting a stop to fake email addresses. He clearly doesn’t care about multiple valid emails – the abc.com site even implies you can do that.

Meanwhile “Dancing with the Stars” executive producer Conrad Green told the AP that there are security measures in place to detect abnormal activities like using fake email addresses, but that he doubts many people are doing it.

Green tells the AP that even if people could get around the voting rules, he says it’s still fair since fans of any of the dancers could do it. “I don’t think there’s any reason to believe our voting system is unfair,” Green told the news agency. “If someone really wants to sign up for a million e-mail addresses … well, so be it. But they could be doing that for Jennifer, they could be doing that for Kyle, they could be doing that for anyone.”

Speaking of Bristol, here is Brandy and Cheryl being interviewed on Access Hollywood at Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood party about Bristol Palin’s chances to win, giving back, and if we’ll see Brandy on Tuesday night’s show.

Moving on to other news….and a little scary at that. According to Access Hollywood a Hazmat team was called into the “Dancing with the Stars’” offices on Friday evening after reps for the show received a package containing an unknown white powder substance. Thank goodness it turned out to be a harmless.

“An envelope containing an unknown substance was delivered to the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ production office on Friday evening,” a rep for ABC said in a statement to Access on Friday night. “Security and the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department were immediately notified. Measures were taken to secure the area and ensure the safety of personnel.”

After authorities arrived on the scene and investigated, they determined that the white powder was a harmless household item, the ABC rep added.

“Ultimately we were advised by the LAFD that the substance was determined to be talcum powder,” the rep’s statement concluded.

Ok, that wraps up this media post for your Saturday. Have a fun day for whatever you have planned out there.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.

DWTS Season 11, Week 9 – Your Friday Media & News

TGIF Everyone! How is your Friday so far? I hope all is well and you are taking cue from the show and your favorite dancers making sure to include dancing to something in your routines and schedules daily. 😀

First up in reporting to you today, we have “official” word from ABC on what is to take place for dances, performances, voting, etc.. Here are some details.

“Episode 1110/1110A – After ten weeks of electrifying performances and shocking outcomes, Jennifer Grey & Derek Hough, Kyle Massey & Lacey Schwimmer and Bristol Palin & Mark Ballas have earned the right for a chance to be crowned champions of “Dancing with the Stars.” Eleven of this season’s couples will also return to the ballroom to dance one more time. The three finalists will have their last opportunity to impress the judges and viewers on two final nights of competition, MONDAY, NOV. 22 (8:00-9:11 p.m., ET), and concluding on the Season Finale, TUESDAY, NOV. 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In the final performance show on MONDAY, NOV. 22 (8:00-9:11 p.m., ET), each of the couples will compete in two dances. In an effort to show their improvement over the course of the season, all three couples will dance for redemption by re-choreographing and doing a previously performed dance chosen by the judges with new music for a better score. Each couple will also perform the unpredictable and always entertaining no rules Freestyle dance.

In the two-hour Season Finale on TUESDAY, NOV. 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET), the thrill of the competition will continue as the three finalists perform their personal favorite ballroom dance of the season and will be ranked by the judges. In the final element of the competition on Tuesday, each of the couples will do an “Instant Dance” — in which they will have to master the Cha Cha Cha to music they’ve been given for the first time after the show’s broadcast has begun.

Also on Tuesday’s spectacular Season Finale, multi-platinum, award-winning recording star Christina Aguilera will perform two songs. Aguilera’s performance will feature a number from her show-stopping new film, “Burlesque,” which will be released by Screen Gems, a division of Sony Pictures, on November 24. The soundtrack to “Burlesque” will be released on November 22nd on RCA Records and features numerous original songs co-written and performed by Aguilera, as well as production by Tricky Stewart and Linda Perry and songwriting by Claude Kelly, Tricky Stewart and Sia. “Burlesque” also includes remakes/covers of classic songs such as Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” and “Tough Lover” and Mae West’s “A Guy What Takes His Time.” Aguilera will also perform her breathtaking Grammy Award-winning single, “Beautiful.”

Aguilera has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, achieved four #1 singles on the Billboard hot 100 chart and has won five Grammy Awards, as well as three top five albums in the United States. She has collaborated with other legendary artists including Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Tony Bennett, Elton John and The Rolling Stones. This month she will appear in her first feature film, “Burlesque,” opposite Cher and Stanley Tucci. Earlier this year, she launched her new album, “Bionic,” which featured collaborations from artists such as Sia, Le Tigre and Ladytron, as well as producers Tricky Stewart and Hill/Switch.

All of the frenzy and anticipation will lead up to the moment we’ve all been waiting for when the couples’ scores from the judges will be combined with the audience votes to determine who among the three finalists will win reign as champion of “Dancing with the Stars” and take home the coveted mirror ball trophy.

In other news, Brooke Burke was interviewed on USA Today. Here are some of her thoughts on this week’s show and predictions for what’s to come.

Brooke Burke, co-host of Dancing With The Stars, knows Bristol Palin has been a lightning rod for controversy this season on the show.

“A lot of people are questioning whether she deserves to be there,” Brooke said today in a phone chat from New York.

“I think she deserves to be there. America makes up for half of the scores. And they are voting for her. A lot of people who are criticizing, don’t vote at all. This is a show you have to participate in and you have to let your voice be heard.”

Adds Brooke, “I think she has grown the most. And I think America has chosen to put her there.”

As for what will happen on Tuesday’s finale: “You can assume nothing on a show like this.”

Speaking of our co-hosts, here is Tom Bergeron on “Chelsea Lately” this week. He’s a hoot as always. She is too.

Derek was also interviewed by Hollywire. Thanks to Heidi and Pure Derek Hough for this fun video. The backdrop for this is so cool with Hollywood getting ready for Christmas. Derek is a class act as always.

And here is Brandy and Maks on “The View” yesterday. Joy Behar cracks me up trying get Maks to admit it’s the Tea Partiers that kept Bristol in the competiton. Anyway, they are interviewed a little backstage and then they dance their beautiful Argentine Tango again.

Speaking of Brandy and Maks, there is an on-line Petition out there to bring them back to show. Wouldn’t it be interesting to actually see the producers consider the idea? But, I really doubt it will happen. This isn’t the first unfair elimination and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I do hope this will make them re-vamp their voting systems somehow as many of you have expressed.

Maks also called in to The TV Insiders Podcast on Popwatch to discuss not making the finals. He said, “This is bulls—”. He also has some not so nice words for Carrie Ann and whether he was, in fact, wearing a thong during his week 8 waltz. lol He also talks about Bristol and the “Palism” voting.

Maks also started his own personal blog (seperate from TV Guide) so he could really air out some things and the reaction he’s seen and received. Here is a take. But, be sure to read more at the link.

But as this is my blog, my choice of topic and my own opinions, so I do want to address some of the issues that have come up as relates to Brandy & I on various forums, discussions, and even some odd comments I received from a few gloating about last night’s results….
1. My Arrogance- I am pretty passionate and also pretty blunt. I think my passion and straight response gets sometimes mistaken for arrogance. I may be strong in my belief. Maybe that is tough for some people. But I have learned to live a life in black and white, with little shades of gray. Like in dancing, there is a right way and a wrong way. There is no middle ground. I generally am passionate about perfection and doing things the right way. I give my point of view as I see it. I do not say I am more right than anyone. But it is what I believe. I don’t mean to be rude or abrasive. But my passion drives me and I believe being passionate about your work is important. It is unfortunate if that my passion is mistaken for something negative. My partners, friends and families know where I come from. I feel strongly and I express myself that way but arrogance assumes I think I am better than the rest. I don’t. I am no different than anyone else. I just am strong in my opinion.

A. Brandy’s Past- I believe people make mistakes. Look at any of the magazines out there today, everyone from politicians to celebrities, to local people in your community have made mistakes. I am not sure what the right punishment is for people who make mistakes. I come from a very tough household. We try to be the best in all that we do. All of my life I have striven, trained, and worked my a$$ off to be where I am. But do you think I have never made a mistake in my life? I am sure this won’t shock anyone. I have made plenty. Some punishments I’ve suffered are worse than others. But ultimately, I have learned that the worst punishment comes from myself, from within. So one thing I learned to do is I live and I learn. And at some point, I have to move on from the past. It is unhealthy for anyone to live in the past. And it is unhealthy for others to punish you constantly for past mistakes.

So I am addressing this to tell everyone, leave the past in the past. I hope you all see what I see in Brandy today. She is a big hearted, gracious, amazing person. She has heart. She is a sweetheart. And I have nothing but love for her. She will remain a great friend to me. I am behind her 110% in all of her endeavors today and in future.

B. My attitude/Carrie Ann/Judges- If my attitude jeopardized Brandy, then I apologize for that and I feel just terrible for Brandy. The show shouldn’t be about what I think or feel or how I teach or choreograph. This show should be about the celebrity contestants that put a tremendous amount of effort into working to learn how to dance and perform in dancesport. My argument with Carrie Ann was about that. Don’t judge Brandy for my choreography or how I trained her. That is not Brandy’s fault. Ultimately, she should have been judged for her technique, effort, and her dancing in comparison to the others.

Did Brandy do a good job? She did absolutely incredible every week. I think she overcame her own issues and insecurities each time she came out onto the dance floor. She came with composure, no drama, no tears. She came to compete. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that from my partner. She did wonderful.

Sometimes the viewers didn’t see the other side. The struggle, the worry, the emotions she did go through just like the other celebrities on there. That is the magic of video editing and I can’t control what they choose to show you. I’ve mentioned that before as well.

But I apologize to Brandy, if my passion about putting the focus where it belonged caused more an issue than my real intent. Ultimately, I am a choreographer, an instructor, and her partner. I wholeheartedly wanted to make it to the finals because Brandy, in my opinion, truly deserved to be there. If this competition were about me, I would still be competing against dancers of equal skill. But I was not competing. Brandy was. And she was an amazing partner and dancer and in my opinion, the best this season.

What can I say but that I am beyond disappointed that her talent, her skill, her improvement, her technique seemed to be overlooked or undervalued in comparison to other competitors each week. Maybe some of you will disagree. Maybe some of you feel good about certain celebrities over others. That is not what I, as her partner and coach, am concerned with. I pushed her to bring the best she could each week. I was hard on her. I trained with her daily about her movement, her technique, her footwork, her body posture. It was tough, frustrating, hard, a work out. And I pushed for her to give me perfection. She did, btw. I just wish this is where the focus should have remained with the voters.

C. Brandy’s Response That Night- For the record, this is my job. I have been here a few seasons now. It does not affect me the same as my partners. But no one should begrudge anyone the right to their own personal reaction and processing as best as they can. Was Brandy in shock when the results were announced? Yes. Did she assume she would be there in the finals as some have suggested? No. We were both nervous. But she really wanted and hoped to get a shot in the finals. The reality of that not happening had to sink in. Losing a competition for any one is tough. But losing so publicly with the intense focus on you is extremely nerve racking. Brandy had a tough moment. But who wouldn’t have in her shoes. Give her a break.

Before this week, I have mentioned a few times that behind the stage many of the celebrities from this and past seasons have taken being voted off badly behind stage. That is the truth. And maybe I’m one of those guys that sees black and white and feels terrible to see them go through it, regardless if they are my partner or not. I hate to see someone hurt. And I would stick up for anyone who feels bad after a show and reading the posts about them. I will always also try to protect and defend my friends and those I care about from getting hurt, too. Wouldn’t you?

D. Voting Issues- This season more than others I heard rumblings of issue with voting and the phone lines. Unfortunately, that is not something I control or am knowledgeable about. If there were phone issues, let ABC.com know. I hope that no foul play existed. I assume it didn’t. All I can say is I hope the DWTS producers look at that for future shows. But at this point, the results are in. It is what it is. And I will look forward, not backwards.

E. Politics- I am a dancer. I leave politics to the politicians who are good with using media and propaganda to their advantage. It shouldn’t be on the dance floor. I am simply a dancer, an instructor, and an entertainer. I hope you enjoyed our dances each week. That ultimately was our goal.

F. Next season & Me- I can’t speak to next season. All I will say is that I have had an amazing 9 seasons. It has been an amazing experience, challenging, fun and rewarding. I have met and worked with amazing people. I appreciate the opportunity to have been on the show and have no regrets with regard to participating.

And here are a couple of takes from Maks at his blog at TV Guide. Be sure to read the link for more.

I want my fans to understand me and not to be angry at the show. I don’t want to say I’m the most just and most fair person, but I think I’ve matured in a way where I realize what good is anger going to do for anyone? I want everyone to know that I had a blast this season with Brandy. People’s perception of Brandy that she’s a diva couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve never met anyone who smiles more, she never complained. Given everything she’s overcome in her life, she’s become such a positive person. She gave the show her all and she was upset like a serious athlete who’s preparing for something only to come up short.

What people don’t know is that I had a complete mental breakdown last Thursday and I had zero clue about how to do the Argentine tango. Nothing was coming to me. Brandy helped me tremendously many weeks, but this week especially. I was having nightmares. We came in Friday and I spoke to Tony and he said look on YouTube for inspiration. I watched some videos and only saw blurs. I told Brandy, “Let’s take a different approach. Let me not teach you, but let’s just dance. Where do you want to start?” She said the stage. I said we can use the steps. Next thing you knew, we started dancing. It was a dance that we truly choreographed together. And what do you know? We got a 30. Brandy has been an amazing partner and I will truly never understand the amount of hate that permeates the Internet. What is with all the negativity? People pass judgment so fast without knowing anything about anybody. I feel so bad for these people who have nothing better to do in their lives than to spend time complaining about me. Why would you waste time and energy on someone and something you apparently don’t like?

As for the finale, we will be there Tuesday along with everyone else. We will not be doing a freestyle despite Bruno’s request. I would never put Brandy through that. When you get eliminated, you completely exhale and your body goes into shutdown mode. Your muscles were in such tension and you’re on autopilot during the season that when you get eliminated, you start feeling everything. I’m very proud of everything Brandy’s accomplished. There’s no reason for her to train to do a freestyle.

Everyone’s asking me about next season. All I can say right now is, “We’ll see.” Like I said, I love the show and I don’t want to see it fail. I love the fact it promotes dancing. The show is not perfect, but nothing is. I’m not going to go on a strike. I’m never not going to dance cha-cha or anything. Honestly, there’s not hate on the planet to make me stop believe what I believe. No votes are going to stop me from dancing. If they ask me back and the situation is permitting and it’s right for me and my family, then absolutely. I may not be driven in the same way as I was this season or in previous seasons, but maybe that will be a good thing. But as of right now, the answer is I don’t know. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I am back home in New York right now and couldn’t be happier! After such a grueling season, I feel recharged and ready to restart. I saw my family, I saw Sleep, I spent time with my mom. It’s been fantastic. Now it’s back to business. We signed Tony to our company as partners and we’re going to take Dance with Me outside the tri-state area. Tony’s a phenomenal teacher. He’s had success running past studios. We’re looking to open studios in L.A., Vegas, and hopefully a town near you where you are. My brother is doing amazing. He just finished fifth in the world championships this past weekend in a higher category. He’s going for his unprecedented third title. As for my top-secret show, It’s being put together right now. It’s a slow process because of my commitments to other things. When it does come into fruition, you’ll be the first to know.

Finally, I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you — our fans — for everything this season and beyond. We feel a lot of love. Thank you for your humongous support during the tough times and the good times this season. It has truly meant a lot to both of us. It’s something that I will cherish. No hard feelings, no bad feelings for anything. It’s all only part of reinforcing what I do. I feel the love. I took criticism. We all have flaws. I’m certainly no exception. I’m just going to try to continue to improve as a person, a teacher, a dancer, a son, a brother and a friend. Follow me on Twitter and my website to see what we’re doing and what I’m doing.

Lastly, here is Kyle and Lacey being interviewed on E Online. They hope to bribe everyone into voting for them with PIZZA! lol

Ok, that is it for this Friday. Maybe more later!! Thanks for reading and being the awesome fans that you are to this site!!!xxx

November 19, 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.