DWTS Season 11 – Week 5 Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We both were like, ‘Are you serious?’” Bristol said of the two pairs’ reactions to being told they were safe at the start of Tuesday’s show. “We didn’t believe it, but I’m thrilled that we both got through and we’re moving on to Week 6.”

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

“I think definitely that I’ve grown a lot as a person and become more confident and I’m just going to have fun with this entire experience,” she said.

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

“It could last up to four minutes. We’re only used to dancing for like a minute-and-a-half so that is going to be stressful, but I’m excited,” she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We didn’t see it coming

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

Back to Vogue…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Derek, why do we never see you in any of the pro dances on Tuesday nights? I know you can’t do them every week (though I’d LOVE it if you did), but it seems like it’s becoming increasingly rare. –Sarah
I do the pro numbers when I’m asked, I just performed with Carlos Santana a few weeks ago. And I have an idea for one this season. But as the season progresses, a lot of the time the show uses the pros that have been eliminated as it makes scheduling easier and our jobs easier as the competition gets more intense.

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

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

I second the above question, and what about films? –JaneFilms and television opportunities are definitely things I’m exploring.

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

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