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Julianne Hough Discusses A Return To The Dancing With The Stars All Star Season

Several of you have mentioned in the comments section how Julianne Hough talked about the upcoming All-Star season on Dancing With The Stars in a new Access Hollywood interview she did before attending the American Idol Finale. You can watch it above. Julianne mentions Helio Castroneves and Apolo Ohno and how much she owes them for starting her career. If either of them asked her to dance, it would be the “hardest decision of her life” to make. “We’ll see,” she says. They also discuss the idea of a “rotation in partners” which I’m not sure I’d like. What do you think? Anyway, bring Helio or Apolo back with Julianne. Can you imagine how cool that would be?!!

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May 27, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 15  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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Dancing With The Stars Pros And Stars Grace 2012 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet

Last night, dance pros and stars of Dancing With The Stars currently and in the past graced the Red Carpet for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM in Las Vegas. Below are Lacey Schwimmer, Gladys Knight, Gavin Degraw, and Julianne Hough. You can see a slew of more pictures covering the night at Zimbio Pictures. Gorgeous!

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May 21, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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Julianne Hough, Carrie Underwood, and Alanis Morissette To Perform On Dancing With The Stars Semi-Finals

Get Ready!! Not only is Alanis Morisssette to perform next week, but, Grammy winning Carrie Underwood is also performing. Adding to the fun (and many of you will be so happy to hear this news like I am!) JULIANNE HOUGH is also going to perform. “Macy’s Stars of Dance” will also present this season’s “Design-a-Dance”. More fun highlights below and at ABC MediaNet.

“Episode 1409 & 1409A” – After last week’s nerve-racking double elimination, the four remaining couples face off in the semifinals of “Dancing with the Stars,” MONDAY, MAY 14 (8:00-9:31 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. The couples will perform one new Ballroom and one new Latin dance to determine which three couples will land in the finals.

On TUESDAY, MAY 15 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET), special musical guests Carrie Underwood and Alanis Morissette will hit the stage with unforgettable performances on “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show.” Award winning Country superstar Carrie Underwood is set to perform “Good Girl,” the first single off her brand new album, “Blown Away.” Her exciting performance will be accompanied by Tristan Macmanus, Sharna Burgess, Henry Byalikov and Emma Slater. Multi-platinum, Grammy ® Award-winning artist Alanis Morissette will hit the stage with a world premiere performance of her new single, “Guardian,” from her upcoming album, “Havoc and Bright Lights.” Her performance will be accompanied by Blake McGrath and Tyne Stecklein.

During Tuesday night’s results show we will also have an incredible performance from the upcoming Warner Bros Pictures feature release, “Rock of Ages.” The electrifying performance will feature two-time former “Dancing with the Stars” champion Julianne Hough and her co-star, actor/singer Diego Boneta. Directed by Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”), New Line Cinema’s adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” hit theaters June 15th. The movie musical stars Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, with Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise.

In the final “Macy’s Stars of Dance” performance this season, two yet to be named “DWTS” pros will perform a riveting Samba to “End of Time.” All season long, fans have voted on the performance song, style, costumes and pro dancers for the season’s Macy’s Design-a-Dance.

Also and in case you haven’t heard, Dancing With The Stars has been renewed for another season. YAY!!

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May 11, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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Dancing With The Stars Pros Attend Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood Style Event (Photos)

Pictured below are Dancing With The Stars pros Maks Chmerkovskiy, Val Chmerkovskiy, Anna Trebunskaya, and Peta Murgatroyd. You can also see former pro, turned actress Julianne Hough. Last night, they attended Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood Style Event at the Greystone Manor Supperclub in West Hollywood, California. Pictures courtesy of Zimbio Pictures where you can see lots more. Gorgeous, aren’t they?!!

Read more..

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April 19, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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Dance Floor Confidential: Behind The Scenes Of Dancing With The Stars To Air April 23rd

Last week, we reported how the judges met with Cameron Mathison for a new interview. ABC Medianet has released more information about it. The interview and special “behind the scenes” look at Dancing With The Stars will take place on a special edition of 20/20 on Monday, April 23rd at 11:00pm ET. Note how Kirstie Alley, Joey Fatone, Julianne Hough, Ricki Lake, and Mario Lopez will also be a part of this special. Below is more…

“Dancing with the Stars” has become a part of America’s television landscape and inspired millions around the world to waltz, cha-cha and samba. Now, for the first time in its 14 seasons, the hit show gives television cameras unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to see how the wildly unpredictable reality show comes together on and off the dance floor. Hosted by “Good Morning America’s” Lara Spencer and by actor, “Good Morning America” contributor and former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Cameron Mathison, “Dance Floor Confidential” takes viewers backstage to reveal the secrets to the music, the dance, the costumes, the tanning, the judges, and even the tension and high octane pressure that make the show one of the most competitive on TV. Also, former “Dancing with the Stars” favorites including Kirstie Alley, Joey Fatone, Julianne Hough, Ricki Lake and Mario Lopez talk candidly about the show that brought them a new level of fame, and in some cases, some dramatic weight loss. “Dance Floor Confidential: Behind the Scenes of ‘Dancing with the Stars’” airs as a special edition of “20/20,” MONDAY, APRIL 23 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

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April 12, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Reader Rants and Raves  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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The Top 5 Best First Week Foxtrots in DWTS History

This is a little later than I originally intended, but alas, life throws us curve balls from time to time :-) As promised, here are my top 5 first week foxtrots in DWTS history…maybe something we’ll see tomorrow night will bump one of these from the list! Or maybe it will make the worst list instead…8O But how ’bout some more foxtrot stats first?

*There is a 5-way tie for the pro that has done the most week 1 foxtrots: Maks, Tony, Jonathan, Edyta, & Mark have all done the foxtrot in the first week 3 times.

*The highest first-week foxtrot score ever given was 27 – it was given to Kristi & Mark in season 6.

*The average score for a week 1 foxtrot is 19.14. The score given most often in week 1? 18.

5.) Helio & Julianne, season 5

I just loved how cute these two were together – it also didn’t hurt that Helio had a good deal of natural talent :-) And in what you’ll see to be a recurring theme in this countdown, it was a very traditional foxtrot, which was comprised mainly of foxtrot steps with a little bit of jazzy open work thrown in.  There’s something to be said for staying in the box from time to time, kids!

4.) Laila & Maks, season 4

Another very natural mover – Laila just made everything look so EASY.  I think a lot of her appeal in her season was that sense of ease, and it really came in hand in a dance like the foxtrot, where everything is supposed to have a gliding, walk-in-the-park kind of feel.  Just the little bit of sass thrown in just made it perfect for week 1. Read more..

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March 19, 2012 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, 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. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Choreography  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  Dancing with the Stars Season 12  Dancing with the Stars Videos  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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The Top 5 Worst First Week Foxtrots in DWTS History

So the other day, we counted down the top 10 worst first week cha-cha’s in DWTS history. As you can see, we only have a top 5 for this countdown – probably because there have only been 37 week 1 foxtrots in the history of the show, and the bulk of them are neither good nor bad…but just hard to remember :-P Only a handful have stuck out in my memory as notable – and those are the ones you are seeing :-) But first, some factoids for your enjoyment…

*The foxtrot has only been used as a week 1 dance in 7 seasons: seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, & 12.  The other seasons have either had a waltz (seasons 1, 2, & 8) or a Viennese waltz (seasons 10, 11, 13) as the week 1 ballroom dance.  Season 9 had both the foxtrot and the Viennese waltz as first week ballroom dances.

*The lowest week 1 foxtrot score ever given was a 13 – it was given to Mike & Lacey in season 12.

*Besides the 3 newest pros (Val, Tristan, & Peta), the only pro this season that’s never done the foxtrot as a regular week 1 dance is Derek – unless you count the foxtrot relay in season 9 (I don’t, because it was only 30 seconds ;-)).

5.) TIE: Sara & Tony, season 3 and Leeza & Tony, season 4


Zzzzzzzz….uh, um, what? Sorry, fell asleep – thought I was watching paint dry, at the rate these foxtrots were moving! I’m not sure if these ladies thought they would shatter into a million pieces if they moved more than an inch or two, but there was just so little going on in these numbers – just some very slow strolling and painfully cautious turns.  The foxtrot is already a pretty simple dance, so it’s up to the pros and their celeb partners to inject some much-needed jazz into it to make it entertaining…and when they don’t, you get these sleepy, unremarkable foxtrots that I bet half of you probably didn’t remember.

4.) Rocco & Karina, season 7

Rocco seemed like a really nice guy, but he was pretty dorky on the dance floor :-P You could tell he was really trying as he bobbed and skipped and flailed his platter hands across the floor here, but he also had the “I feel like a massive tool” look on his face the whole time.  Granted, I think both he & Karina were nervous about her ankle injury earlier that day, but honestly – Rocco was just not a dancer.  Sorry, dude.. Read more..

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March 14, 2012 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, 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. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Choreography  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  Dancing with the Stars Season 12  Dancing with the Stars Videos  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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DWTS Celebrities: “What do you mean, I’m a Ringer?” Part 3

This is the 3rd and final part of the series where I take a look at the partners the pros have had and their “ringer” status. Part 1 discusses how I define a ringer – you can find it here —> I’m a Ringer?? Part 2 discusses the female pros and their partners and how I labeled them – I think it’s pretty clear that they’ve not been quite as blessed as the men. Reasons for that should be self evident – female celebrities are more likely to have some sort of dance experience, even if it is taking ballet or tap as a child.  NOTE: This was mostly written before the pairings were announced for Season 14 – those pairings certainly change the game for lots of pros. Lots of potential ringers on this season.

I strongly recommend you read the first two parts before you comment – I don’t want to have to reiterate everything I wrote MONTHS ago. :-)  Also, be wise and don’t complain about the length, admit that you didn’t read it all, and then argue with me – that will just earn you scorn and an eye roll.  I know this is long – I considered breaking it into two parts, but then I figured it’s still long in two parts. People will either be interested or they won’t.  :::shrug:::  Also take note that I, personally, don’t care about ringers themselves. I think a season without them is deadly.  What I DO care about is hypocrisy, revisionist history and the fairy tales that some like to spread about who has had ringers and who hasn’t.

From where I sit, there are two types of ringers – and then there’s just being blessed. Fanbase ringer (ie. Donny Osmond, etc.) or Experience Ringer (Mel B, Nicole, Sabrina, etc.), and lucky get (Lalia, Brooke, Gilles, JR). Just because someone happens to be a great dancer doesn’t mean they are a ringer. When someone is blessed with a partner who can dance, it doesn’t mean they were handed a ringer. That particular argument is so illogical that it’s hard for me to take seriously. If they actually seriously auditioned people to be on this show by making them dance with a pro for an hour or two, it would be understandable. But they don’t stand people in a room with a pro dancer and then say, “wow, she’s got some moves, let’s give her to Maks” or “she sucks, lets give her to Tony.” It doesn’t work that way. If it did, they wouldn’t be able to get people on the show. And can you imagine a pro like Tony sticking around if that was the approach they took?

As it happens, and as many people connected to the show have reiterated, the process of how a pro gets a celebrity often has to do with height, personality, looks, chemistry and the cast as a whole…and this becomes obvious as the show progresses. They are actually quite good at matching people up. I would imagine they give this a lot of consideration as it impacts, or has the potential to impact, ratings.  You’re going to try to avoid having a bunch of pairings that make people go “eeewww” or get seriously pissed off. I think you need to limit that to one couple per season. Can you imagine what it would be like for every pro on a season to have a partnership similar to that of Hope and Maks??  I would want to stab my eyes out with a fork if they were ALL like that and there was no Carson/Anna or David/Kym. Seriously – think about it.  So, it may be good to have ONE Maks/Hope – gives people (me and Courtney) something to talk about, rant about, get passionate about, etc. (This is separate from a discussion of whether Maks finally went too far or not – I don’t think that’s what the producers intended.) Read more..

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March 11, 2012 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. :-)

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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Karina Smirnoff Trying To Make Gavin DeGraw’s Hips Not Lie On Dancing With The Stars

Gavin DeGraw was interviewed by Mix941FM in Las Vegas yesterday. He says he is working on his “moves” and Karina is “breaking him in”. She’s “trying to make the hips not lie.” The interviewers talk of how “hot” Karina is. Gavin agrees. He calls her his “Little Russian Butterfly”. He doesn’t say what their first dance will be, but, promises it will be “difficult.” You can listen to the full interview at Mix941FM. He talks of the other cast members, a recent altercation in New York, and his music tour as well.

Picture above is of Gavin and Julianne Hough taken at the Escape To Total Rewards At Woldenberg Park, New Orleans last week courtesy of Zimbio Pictures.

Stay tuned to this spot. More with Gavin and Karina later on The View.

ADDING: And below is the full segment with Karina and Gavin on The View thanks to Codebear. Karina says Gavin started out a little slow when they first started dancing, but, now things are picking up. Karina runs through the competition a little. Then Karina talks about dance fitness and gives Sherri Shepherd some tips. Gavin performs and then talks on why he’s doing Dancing With The Stars. He says Sherri is his biggest competition and dancing will be an uphill battle. See why below. He’s humble and has a great sense of humor.


Shape Up With Karina Smirnoff by Codebear2

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March 7, 2012 I Written By

I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about Sam Palladio's "Fade Into You" (this version sung by WilUnleashed) for a V. Waltz?

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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DWTS Season 14 Stats Class: Pre-Season Elimination Breakdown

I’m BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

Ok that was quite immature of me, but seriously. After the kind of hiatus that I’ve had full of drama what do you expect from me. :) Anyway, the cast has been announced, we know the pairings let’s find out what the numbers say they would fare.

If you’re new to how I calculate the Pre-Season Elimination Predictions please look at Season 11′s Who Has the Edge Part 1, Part 2 as well as Season 12 for information, one of these off-seasons I’ll write a more thorough analysis for you all… but until then, settle for the short form.

Below I’ve taken the time to rank the breakdowns within the following categories: AGE, OCCUPATION and PROFESSIONAL PARTNER so you have an idea of what variables I use before applying them to Season 14′s cast. So here’s a look at how everything ranks as of last season:

AGE is broken down by decades, starting with the teens. It would seem though in general as you get older, the lower the rank (on average), somehow those in their 60s tend to fare rather well… and who knows why? These include George Hamilton, Jerry Springer, John Ratzenberger, Susan Lucci and Kirstie Alley. Maybe this is a reflection of the voting public? Your guess is as good as mine. The age groups in bold are the ones being represented on the show. The ranks go from highest ranking to lowest ranking:
1: Teens
2: 20s
3: 60s
4: 30s
5: 40s
6: 70s
7: 50s
8: 80s

OCCUPATION is a trickier category to break down, because there are a lot of crossover celebrities, or those that happen to be multi-talented. So I try to categorize celebrities based on what they are most known for, not necessarily their most recent occupation (Billy Ray being a Country Singer as opposed to Disney Star). I also separated the Olympians, NBA players and NFL players from all other athletes. Entertainers are those that actually have a little dance background and entertain with not just their voice (Singer) but with their overall personality on stage (imagine Donny and Marie Osmond), Band Member is anyone that happened to be part of a band in their time (98 Degrees, NSync, Spice Girls).
1: NFL
2: Olympian
3: Disney
4: Band Member
5: Entertainer
6: Soap Opera Star
7: Singer
8: Actor
9: Athlete
10: Host
11: Actress
12: Reality TV Star
13: Boxer
14: Other
15: NBA
16: Model
17: Comedian

PROFESSIONAL PARTNERs, whether we like it or not, play a major role in how their celebrity partner does on the show. Being that this is the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars, at this point in time the professional dancers already coming into the season with their own fanbases (Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Derek Hough anyone?). Below are how the professional dancers fared on this show with how many seasons they’ve “competed” on the show. Not included are professional dancers that have permanently left the show.
1: Derek Hough (8 seasons)
2: Julianne Hough (5 seasons)
3: Cheryl Burke (12 seasons)
4: Tristan MacManus (1 season)
5: Maksim Chmerkovskiy (11 seasons)
6: Karina Smirnoff (10 seasons)
7: Kym Johnson (10 seasons)
8: Lacey Schwimmer (6 seasons)
9: Mark Ballas (9 seasons)
10: Louis van Amstel (8 seasons)
11: Chelsie Hightower (5 seasons)
12: Dmitry Chaplin (3 seasons)
13: Tony Dovolani (12 seasons)
14: Anna Trebunskaya (8 seasons)
15: Corky Ballas (2 seasons)
16: Ashly Costa (4 seasons)
17: Jonathan Roberts (7 seasons)
18: Val Chmerkovskiy (1 season)
19: Peta Murgatroyd (1 season)

Stayed tuned as my next post would take all of the above rankings and see how the numbers would rank Season 14′s Dancing with the Stars cast.

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March 5, 2012 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... =)

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  Dancing with the Stars Season 14  DWTS  DWTS Predictions  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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