Tuesday, March 31, 2009

DWTS - Week 4 Results

File Under: Television Obsessions

Wasn't home to watch the show but I reviewed the DVR. The bottom three were Holly Madison, Steve-O, and Steve Wozniack. Two couples went home tonight. There was no dance off.

The first couple announced was Holly and Dmitri. She seemed relieved but was so gracious and seemed like she enjoyed her time there. She had an annoying laugh, I won't miss it.

The second couple announced was Steve Woz and Karina. I was actually surprised that his fans didn't come through for him. It's no secret that I resented the fact that he won out to Belinda, I didn't feel that the worst dancer was sent home that week. Even if I wasn't a fan of hers, I would have felt bad seeing her go. But I digress. I'm glad he was there. He had fun. He brought fun to the show. I think he tried and took it seriously and wanted to do well. He just wasn't good. But, he's got a big following, many devoted fans.

Next week, the dances will be the Paso Doble and the Viennese Waltz. I love the Paso Doble, should be a good week.

Who's next to go? Probably Steve O.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Dancing With The Stars - Season 8, Week 4

File Under: Television Obsessions:

Tonight’s competition introduces two new dances to the competition, the Lindy Hop and the Argentine Tango. Also this week, we will see the first double elimination. Two couples will go home.

Len explains that the Argentine tango is different from the ballroom Tango in the hold. The couples can separate and allow for more creativity and it’s very sensual. The Lindy Hop is very much like a jitterbug, lots of character, fun, lifts are OK.

But enough about that…on to the dancing-

David and Kym – Lindy Hop: Very theatrical, he’s not bad. Good with his kicks. Oh, he just did a cartwheel. That was good. Len and Bruno said he lost timing, Carrie Ann (realized I’ve been misspelling her name all this time!) liked it very much. 22/30

Lil Kim and Derek - Argentine Tango: Pretty…lots of swirly legwork in the beginning. Nice holds, it’s sensual but not over the top. Nicely done. Standing ovation from the crowd. Lil’ Kim’s in tears. Len didn’t see the heat, the others did. By the way, Bruno is VERY orange. 27/30 (a 10 from Bruno)

Chuck and Julianne – Lindy Hop: Okay he looks cute as a soda jerk. Cute number, not quite the full energy I would expect. He looked a bit nervous. Did I mention that he’s cute? 22/30
Lawrence and Edyta – Argentine Tango: Very nice legwork but in spots he looks a bit flat-footed. Overall it was nice. 19/30

Ty and Chelsea – Lindy Hop: Oooh, cute start! This dance seems well-suited for him because it kind of hides his sometimes sloppy footwork. Amazingly he’s keeping up really well with the kicks and moves. He looks scared, though and stiff in the twists. Judges seem pleased. 25/30

Steve Woz and Karina – Argentine Tango – First 20 seconds were done on a chair. He’s posing and she’s dancing around him. Okay, there he’s moving a bit. He did a few decent moves, but also stumbled a couple times. It wasn’t very passionate or sensual. 12/30

Melissa and Tony – Lindy Hop: Wow she’s good. This is a really fun number. No critique…it was great. High energy! 29/30 (10’s from Carrie Anne and Bruno)

Holly and Dmitri – Argentine Tango: She’s dancing with sore ribs. She’s going to “fight thru the pain!” A little difficulty on the barstool at the beginning. Footwork is so off. She did manage a cool flippy thing. Eh…it was so-so. 16/30

Steve-O and Lacey – Lindy Hop: He’s not fully there…His footwork is off but he’s got some good moves and he’s giving it good energy. Just sloppy. 15/30

Gilles and Cheryl – Argentine Tango: Very precise movements, nice foot and legwork. This routine oozes sex. Wow. Gilles appears to be crying. LOL I think the judges all had orgasms. 30/30

Shawn and Mark – Linday Hop: Good energy, lots of flips and tricks, good footwork. Seem to be doing more acrobatics than footwork thought. It was fun. 25/30

So there you have another week of DWTS. Who’s going home? Probably Holly and Steve-O. Unfortunately I think Woz is safe, yet again. Stay tuned…

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Life in High Definition

File Under: Wow

Sometimes I'm clever and the title of my blog post is a metaphor and sometimes it's just what it says.

I've had my new TV for a couple of months now, and I upgraded my cable service to include the HD channels. I've been enjoying it. The Food Network looks great - it's as if I can reach into it and sample some of the delicious food being prepared by Ina and Giada. "Dancing With the Stars" is exciting, it's like I'm in the ballroom.

Tonight, I turned on The Discovery Channel and an episode of "Planet Earth" was on. I have to tell you, it was stunning. The aerial views left me feeling dizzy. The underwater shots made me feel like I was swimming along with the fish. Truly amazing stuff!

Now I'm watching "Clean House" on The Style Network. Not quite as visually stunning, but fun. :) Nicey's flowers in her hair leap off the screen.

I don't mean to brag, but I really, really like my TV.

Ah...Spring in Chicago

File Under: Snow? Seriously?

This morning I awoke to snow on the ground. No, I awoke to the sound of buzzing...my cell phone was on vibrate and it was ringing on the table in the hallway outside of my bedroom. By the time I got to it, I had missed a call from Dan. In the mean time, I looked out of my window. The blinds were open and all I saw was white. It had begun to snow overnight and was still snowing at 9:20 am. The ground was covered with about 2 inches of snow. It was wet and slushy so it wasn't going to survive very long but apparently it was enough to be a nuisance in traffic. Dan called me back, he was on his way to the gym and said that driving in it was a bit of a challenge. More for the bus that he saw skid into a bus stop than for him.

I had done everything I needed to do outside yesterday. No reason to leave the house, but at about 1 I decided the worst was over and I ventured out, Again, because of the wetness of the snow, it wasn't much of a challenge to clean. A few swipes and my car was clean, it just slid right off. Driving was fine. I made it to the gym without much delay. When I left, the sun was attempting to come out. By the time I got home, the sun was out and most of the sidewalks were clean.

My hope is that the tulips and crocuses (Joy, is that the proper plural for cruocus?) that are beginning to appear will survive the snow and still bloom in a couple weeks. It would be sad to lose them.

How's the weather where you live?

Friday, March 27, 2009

California Here I Come

File Under: Proper Getaway

Last week's DWTS disappointment was the push I needed to check ticket availability for the Go-Go's House of Blues show in Hollywood. Sure enough, there were a few tickets available. My friend Mark was the deciding factor, he so graciously offered me a place to stay. I bought the concert ticket, so the only thing that was left was the airfare.

Round trip, $196.

Done.

I'm going to California next month, to see the Go-Go's. I'm sure there will be assorted DWTS people in the crowd since it's televised from LA. Belinda may even bring Jonathan Roberts on stage with her to dance. It'll be nice to see "the girls" again, hopefully I'll have the opportunity to visit with Jane, and Belinda, and the others. It'll also be excellent to meet up with my friend DeDe who I know will be there, as well as some of my other LA based pals.

Happy Thoughts and Good Wishes

File Under: Friends

Shout out to my very dear friend Dan. He's going through some medical matters, which he mentioned in his blog today. While I'm 100 percent convinced that everything will be fine, that the matters will be resolved but a few extra good wishes never hurt anybody.

Thanks!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

DWTS - Results

File Under: Television Obsessions

Woz is safe, again. Just proves that he's got an army of tech geeks phoning in every possible vote and registering every possible email address for online voting. And the iPhone does only work on the AT&T wireless network and AT&T can text votes, too.

Denise is gone. I'm sad that Maks won't be dancing regularly for the rest of the season. Two hot guys, gone.

Next week, two new dances and a double elimination! Stay tuned!!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Dancing With The Stars - Week 3

File Under: Television Obsessions sans Go-Go ;)


The recaps continue even though I was not pleased with last week's outcome. Life goes on and so does the competition. I'm still a fan of the show so here we go. This week's contestants are dancing a Fox Trot or a Samba. My comments are as I'm seeing the performance.

Well, the old beginning is back showing the entire cast. Happy to see that Belinda gets top billing. Alphabetical order, of course. ;-)

Denise and Maks – Samba – She seems like she’s holding back, being cautious and forgetting steps. She’s not shaking it like this dance calls for. Maks coached her on that in her rehearsal. Actually looks like she just walked away and ended the dance. Len was polite, Bruno was not. Carianne agreed with Bruno. 16/30

Chuck and Julianne – Foxtrot – he’s got nice posture and is good with the jazzy moves. Okay, he’s not bad. Damn he’s a cutie. This is a nice dance. Bruno is happy. Carianne is too. Len said it was good but not great. 23/30

Holly and Dimitri – Samba – I could be wrong but she looks way out of step. Not a lot of fire with this samba. Carianne isn’t pleased, called her disjointed and saw a lift. 17/30

Steve-O and Lacey – Foxtrot – He looks like Pee Wee Herman. Stiff…very stiff. His steps are totally off…on purpose? Wow…this is awful. He fell on the steps. Ouch…he’s in pain. Len was very polite and paid him some complements. Bruno is pointing out flaws. Carianne is polite, didn’t comment on his performance, just praised him for performing him in pain. 15/30.

Lawrence and Edyta – Samba – very funky, not sure where the samba moves are coming in. Seems careful, she’s doing a lot of the dancing around him. Judges are complementary. They want him to do more. 20/30

Shawn and Mark – Foxtrot – Pretty. Nice moves, good posture. Tom called it elegant. I agree. Carianne is happy, very happy! Len is pleased. 27/30

Gilles and Cheryl – Samba – lots of ass shaking and hips – it’s like they’re dry humping. I think He just did a boob fluff at the judges. This is a SEXY samba. Judges all happy. 27/30

David and Kym – Foxtrot – theatrical beginning. The dance itself is OK…kinda lackluster. Wow, he can kick high. Eh. Bruno is pleased. Carianne is pleased. Len is pleased. Hm. 24/30

Steve Woz and Karina – Samba – Oh the drama…Woz is in an ambulance again. Oh dear God. Seriously? No further comment. I’m just going to watch. Judges no likey. 10/30

Melissa and Tony – Foxtrot – Classy and pretty. VERY NICE! Len and Bruno loved it, Carianne enjoyed it but wants to see more. 27/30

Lil’ Kim and Derek – Samba – Girl can swing those hips! She’s bringin’ it! Looks like she lost it at one point as she was watching Derek, but I could be wrong. Um…she’s got something peeking out from her top. Judges happy! 25/30

Ty and Chelsie – Fox Trot – Really nice. He’s improving, looking more comfortable. Oh she slipped, he was there for here. Oh, he slipped too but they did well overall. Judges pleased! 23/30

Predicted dance-off tomorrow night...Steve-O and Steve Woz.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

My Shining Light

File Under: Friend, Indeed!

We go through life with a number of "best friends." When we're young, we had a new best friend sometimes weekly. Kids are fickle. As we get older, we connect with different people who become our friends but then there are those people that you just know will be a constant and there for you for life. That friend who is there for you, on call, and at the ready to be your defender. I know that a lot of my friends fall under this category, but the one who stands out is Dan. He and I have shared a lot, been through things together, and we've been there for each other. Dan is my my Shining Light.

Annie Lennox released her greatest hits record recently. On it are two new tracks, one is this song, "Shining Light." I've always been a fan, I think she's so intelligent and talented and a brilliant artist. Lyrically, I think this song speaks more about a romantic relationship but the general message speaks of that one person who makes the difference in life and makes it all worth it.

Please enjoy this video clip, Annie Lennox performing "Shining Light" on a UK television program.


This song is actually a remake of a song done by the band Ash. I'm not familiar with them, but kudos to them for writing such a beautiful song.

Sunday Dinner

File Under: Fun with friends

At about 9:15 this morning, my cell phone rang. Well actually it vibrated on my night table and I glanced at it and in a blur I saw that it was Dan. I was barely awake. A few minutes later I was awake enough to listen to the voicemail message that Dan left, and it was an invitation to dinner. I promptly called and accepted.

This afternoon, Dan and Luis hosted an impromptu dinner party. In attendance were Denise, Tina, Polo and me.

The menu for this dinner party was quite the spread. Prime rib, chicken, roasted fingerling potatoes, simmered mushrooms and onions, macaroni and cheese, and salad. Luis, the chef, along with his sous chef Dan, presented everything beautifully.

Not one to show up empty handed, I made individual chocolate ganache tarts which finished us all off and sent us into a food coma.

The food was great, and as usual, the company was second to none. It was nice gathering and visiting with some of the greatest friends a guy could have. A perfect way to end the weekend.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Hi DeDe

File Under: Friends who Follow

My latest follower is none other than my Go-Go pal, DeDe. I wrote all about DeDe way back in January 2008. See?

Hi DeDe! You can follow me anytime!

I am The Guru




You Are the Guru



You are a naturally good counselor. You are inspiring, encouraging, and compassionate.

You are eager to help everyone who crosses your path, even those who don't want to be helped.

You are a natural healer. People feel at peace when they are with you.

You are so good for people, in fact, that they go through withdrawal once you're gone.

You quietly do your own thing, without openly resisting. You secretly try to fix every problem.

Your biggest regret is not being able to help as many people as you'd like.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Shout Out

File Under: Welcome Wagon

To all of my new readers, Welcome! Hope you're enjoying yourselves! Thanks for visiting!

XOXO

Back To My Routine

File Under: No longer a TV hostage

Belinda's appearance on Dancing With the Stars meant that I needed to be home Monday evenings so that I could cast my votes by phone and online. Phone votes could be cast up t0 30 minutes after the end of the telecast. Online votes could go into early the next day. I've never voted in the past so I would watch the show later in the evening after going about my evening routine. I haven't been to the gym on Monday or Tuesday evenings in 2 weeks. With the outcome of last night's show, I can now resume my routine.

No more speculation about what happened. It's over, Belinda gave it her best. She was sweet when she said that she felt bad for her partner because she feels like she let him down. On a happy note, she can now return to France to be with her husband, her son, and her pets, including her one-eyed, wheelchair-bound pug.

Tonight, it's laundry night...no gym for me. I'll resume that tomorrow. I've done so well and in about 1o weeks, it'll be street festival season. :)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Dancing With The Stars - Results

File Under: Jim is SAD

That is all.

Belinda was in the bottom two, had to face Steve Wozniak in the dance off. They both repeated their routines from last night. Both scored one point lower than the previous night's scores. Steve had more viewer votes. He won.

I'll still watch, still update weekly. I'm rooting for Lil' Kim.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Dancing With the Stars - Season 8, Week 2

File Under: (same as the previous post) LOL

Week 2 of Dancing With the Stars and it was an interesting departure from last week's showing. Many improved, a couple languished at the lower end of the scoring and there was one who was MIA. Here is my summary of the performances, these are the comments I made as I watched each performance. In some cases, the judges and I agreed.

This week's scores will be combined with those from last week so my scoring indicates the total that each couple received over the two weeks.

Holly and Dmitri – Quickstep 6/6/6 + 18 from last week = 36/60
Dance was uneven, her feet weren’t quite in it and she lacked posture. The judges noticed it too.

David and Kym - Salsa 6/5/6 + 19 = 36/60
Fun routine, but it seemed a bit clownish. He’s stiff with his movements. It’s a fast routine. Kym danced around David a lot.

Denise and Maksim – Quickstep 7/7/7 + 18 = 39/60
Still looks stiff and nervous, counting steps, a beat or two off but had some good moves. She fared better from the judges this week.

Belinda and Jonathan – Salsa 6/6/6 + 17 = 35/60
Fun and free, kind of wild, kind of lost something in the middle but she took some chances and did a handstand! She was enjoying herself. Judges were complementary but still felt she was lacking.

Ty and Chelsea – Quickstep 7/6/7 +14 = 34/60
Nicely done, improved over last week with confidence. A bit stiff but it seemed clean. Judges were pleased.

Shawn and Mark – Salsa 8/8/8 + 23 = 47/60
Kind of stiff in the hips. Good footwork and of course good with kicks. Judges are favorable.

Steve and Karina – Quickstep 6/5/6 + 13 = 30/60
Steve is dancing with a broken foot. Dancing in sneakers, looks paddle footed, clumsy and lost. Kathy Griffin is in the audience.

Chuck and Julianne – Salsa 6/7/7+20 = 40/60
She’s doing more of the dancing. He’s doing OK…still looks stiff. He didn’t move a lot. Couple of hip moves and wiggles. Bruno thought so too!

Lawrence and Edyta – Quickstep 7/6/7 + 16 = 36/60
Nice, but he still looks like he’s unsure of his steps, good energy. Judges seemed to like it.

Steve-O and Lacey – Salsa 5/4/5 + 17 = 31/60
This is dress rehearsal, he was injured earlier, so this is the performance on which they are judged. The performance lacked salsa, it was just a bunch of disjointed somewhat raunchy moves. Judges no likey.

Lil Kim and Derek – Quickstep 8/7/8 + 21 = 44/60
Nice and light and fun. She has a look on her face like she’s kind of surprised. She’s got the footwork right. Sweet! I like her!

Melissa and Tony – Salsa + 9/8/9 + 23 = 49/60
She’s got the hips and the kicks and is pretty good with the footwork. Heavy on “stunts.” More sympathy applause. Carianne loved it. Len loved it. Bruno loved it.

Gilles and Cheryl – Quickstep 9/9/9 + 24 = 51/60
Nice footwork, seems very smooth. Couple of steps were out of step…looked a bit like he was holding back but did a showoff finish. Judges LOVED IT!

So that's week 2. I'm biased so you know where my votes went, and I hope you all voted for my favorite, too. She's trying, she's having fun and she's warming up. She won't win this, I'm pretty certain of that but I want to see her hang around a little while longer. I'm guessing that one of the Steves will go.

Here's a screen capture from tonight's show. Guess who...


Added these for David, since I'm sure he's missing Gail's boobies.

Dancing With The Stars - Tonight


File Under: Television Obsessions-a-Go-Go

Tonight is week 2 of Dancing With the Stars. Nobody was eliminated last week. During the week of rehearsals, 4 people were injured. Woz broke a bone in his foot, he's expected to dance. Gilles dislocated his shoulder but is expected to dance. Steve-O has been having back issues, early reports had him as questionable but later it was reported that he would dance. Belinda tripped in the parking lot outside the studio and scraped her foot. She says that she's fine.

Could the little Olympian be pulling a Tonya Harding?

Tonight, Belinda dances a Salsa. She said that she feels good about her dance and is looking forward to it. She needs your votes!! (800)868-3402. Phone voting takes place from the time the show starts through 30 minutes following the end of the broadcast in your time zone. Online voting lasts throughout the evening. 13 votes per phone line and email account. VOTE FOR BELINDA!!! And her yummy partner Jonathan, too!

Some pictures from last week's show:








Checkin' to make sure "the girls" are still in place. David, have you seen Belinda's boobies?

Saturday, March 14, 2009

DWTS Curse - Follow-up

File Under: email exchange

My note to Belinda:

Jim Ginter

March 13 at 5:33pm
Dear Belinda,

Sorry about your stumble, I'm glad it wasn't worse. My darling, those are some serious shoes you were wearing when you fell!! My gosh. With this recent string of season 8 injuries, can I suggest an outfit made of bubble wrap (Hmm...that may be something you actually wore back in the punk days!) and sensible flats?

Be well, stay focused and well rested...looking forward to Monday's show.

Cheers!

Jim

Her reply:

Belinda Carlisle

March 13 at 10:41pm

that is funny, it wasn't at the time, i can assure you. i'm fine. it was all so dramatic.
i'm excited for monday.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Belinda on FoxLA

File Under:DWTS-a-Go-Go



Here's a really cute interview that Belinda did this morning on the the Fox LA affiliate.

The Curse Continues!!!

File Under: Dancing With the Stars

This afternoon, I learned of another star who has suffered an injury. Belinda Carlisle fell in the parking lot outside of the dance studio. She scraped her foot. She was interviewed about it, says it's minor and looks worse than it actually is. She's very upbeat about it and also very upbeat about the next dance.
Look at the shoes she was walking in!!!


Day Off - Update

Update: I left Starbucks, went home, picked up my laundry. I went to the laundromat which was crowded but managed to get in and out of there in about 2 hours. I then went to the gym, then to The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy where I did my part to stimulate the economy. I didn't splurge, I just picked up a few things to rotate into my wardrobe for the spring, to keep current.

Now I'm home. The next planned even is dinner with Dan and our friend Steve, tonight at 8.

The Dancing With The Stars Curse

File Under: Television Obsessions

There has long been this legend of the "Dancing With the Stars Curse," as throughout the seasons, a number of Stars as well as their pro dance partners have sustained injuries or bad luck incidents. Some of the more notable events were when Misty May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon during a rehearsal. In the film footage of the rehearsal session, you can hear it *pop* as she goes down in agony. This required surgery and ended her season. Christian De La Fuente tore a tendon in his arm but continued in the competition with modified routines. Then there's Marie Osmond, who fainted after one performance (BAM! She went down, sliding out of the arms of her dancing partner Jonathan Roberts), then weeks later suffered the loss of her father. Marie made it to the final 3 (sympathy votes??). Jane Seymour suffered food poisoning, and professional dancer Derek Hough fell and knocked himself unconscious while training.

Before this season even bagan, two celebrities had to bow out due to injuries. TV Host Nancy O'Dell had to withdraw from competition 3 days before it began due to a torn meniscus. Singer Jewel had to withdraw 3 days earlier due to a fractured tibea in both legs. Now comes word that during training for week 2, actor (and famous penis) Gilles Marini has dislocated his shoulder, Steve-O has back problems, and Steve Wozniak has a broken bone in his foot. All are expected to perform on Monday's show.

Wrap 'em all in bubble wrap, I say!

At Starbucks

Sitting here in what I thought would be a warm seat, I'm anything but warm. This is one of those times I wish I owned a Snuggie and had it with me. Imagine me, sitting in a comfy chair at Starbucks, wearing a Snuggie.

Day Off

File Under: A Proper three day weekend

I took today off from work. My last day off from work was January 2. I decided it was time for a long weekend.

I have no plans, I've got some chores to do but no set schedule. I'll check in from time to time with what I've accomplished. Right now I'm sitting at Starbucks. I got up at my usual time because I decided it was important to get going early, rather than sleep late and putter around the house for half the day. Sitting around me, there are people reading their papers and books, writing notes in their planners, checking their messages on their phones. It's sunny and cold, right now it's about 25 degrees. I'm sitting in the corner, next to the fireplace but across from the door and with the wind coming from the east, I feel a cool blast every time the door opens. But, it's a corner seat and if I want to scroll thru Dan's blog , I can do so without the fear of shocking anybody. :)

My Closet

File Under: A Proper Mess

Dan's post about his new closet prompted me to post these pictures. These were taken a couple years ago, when I was in the process of swapping out one season's wardrobe for another. One of my QTS friends used to sell custom closets and went on and on about his fabulous closet and the ones he designed. I posted a little tour of my closet for all to see. It's about 7 feet deep, 4 feet wide. I think I've efficiently used the space, don't you?


Brown cardboard box on a shelf. What do you suppose is in there???



Heating pad, camera bag, games, a poster.




Well, these pictures are obviously out of order. That would be the "After" shot, those would be winter sweaters.


Empty shelves, hamper on the floor, ties and belts hanging from hooks, shoes hanging from a sorter on the inside of the door. To the right are 2 levels of hanging space. The items on the bottom rack drag on the floor.


Another "Before" shot with the shelves emptied. Oh look, my halloween pajamas hanging on the hook next to the shoes. :)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I Twitter, Too

File Under: Other online activities

I blog. This you know because you're reading it. I have a Facebook page. And now, I Twitter. Why? Why not. It's not like I have anything exciting to say. Heck, most of what I say here is to help you all fall asleep. I'm not saying anything different on Twitter. Similar to the Status Bar on Facebook, Twitter allows you to post messages that are read by followers, the messages are a maximum of 140 characters. I'm not sure what else Twitter does, when I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Interested? Find me on Twitter, here.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Dancing With The Stars - Season 8 - Week 1

(I have edited this post to correct one of the dances. They danced a Waltz last night, but not a Viennese Waltz. Apparently those are two different dances. Oopsie)

File Under: Television Obsessions (-a-Go-Go)

Tonight was the premiere of Season 8 of Dancing With The Stars. Exciting on its own, this season brings more excitement with Belinda Carlisle as one of the Stars. Not sure if you've figured that out, yet. :)

Season 8 starts out with 13 celebrities. The first episode had them each performing one dance, either a Cha-Cha-Cha or a Viennese Waltz. Below are my performance reviews summarized in a few words. I'll try not to be biased. Mind you, I don't know all the technical stuff I'm supposed to watch for, I'll save that for Joy to discuss on her blog, here!

Lil' Kim, partnered with Derek Hough
Cha-Cha

The very first dance of the season has got to make anybody nervous, but you would not have known it watching Lil' Kim. I don't want to like her but she was good. It'll be interesting to see how she performs the ballroom dances as opposed to the rhythmic Latin numbers.
Judges scores 7/7/7 = 21

Belinda Carlisle, partnered with Jonathan Roberts
Waltz

Belinda held back and looked nervous but her performance was definitely respectable. In her preview tape, she mentioned that she has issues with spins and this number opened with one. It was a nice dance but it lacked some wow. She's got potential.
Her number for voting is (800) 868-3402. Voting continues for 30 minutes after the show ends in your time zone. Just saying...
Judges scores 6/6/5 = 17

Lawrence Taylor, partnered with Edyta Slwinskaya
Cha-Cha-Cha

Unlike previous football players, Lawrence looked clumsy and unsure of his footwork.
Judges scores 6/5/5 = 16

Steve O, partnered with Lacey Schwimmer
Waltz

Clunky, had a couple OK moves.
Judges scores 6/5/6 = 17

Gilles Marini, partnered with Cheryl Burke
Cha-Cha-Cha

Totally played up the sex appeal and it worked. He's got good moves. He'll be interesting to watch in future weeks.
Judges scores 8/8/8 = 24

Chuck Wicke, partnered with Julianne Hough
Waltz

He had wobbly knees and bad posture.
Judges scores 6/7/7 = 20 ???

Holly Madison, partnered with Dmitry Chaplin
Cha-Cha-Cha

Trained for 5 days, wasn't terrible but has a lot of ground to cover if she's going to last. Not very delicate with her feet. Perhaps it's because she's top-heavy. ;)
Judges scores 6/6/6 = 18

Ty Murray, partnered with Chelsie Hightower
Waltz

He was stiff and shaky, definitely nervous. He lost his way during the routine.
Judges scores 5/4/5 = 14

Shawn Johnson, partnered with Mark Ballas
Waltz

It was really good.
Judges scores 8/8/7 = 23

Steve Wozniak, partnered with Karina Smirnoff
Cha-Cha-Cha

Two words: Pink boa. Three more words: Oh Dear GOD!
Judges scores 5/4/4 = 13

David Alan Grier, partnered with Kym Johnson
Waltz

He seemed unsure of his feet.
Judges scores 6/7/6 = 19

Denise Richards, partnered with Maks Chmerkovskiy
Cha-Cha-Cha

She cried in her preview tape. She looked like she was going to cry after her dance. Uninspired performance, like she phoned it in.
Judges scores 6/6/6 = 18???? SERIOUSLY????

Melissa Rycroft/Tony Dovolani
Waltz

Melissa's claim to fame is being dumped by The Bachelor on TV one week prior. She was a last minute replacement, stepping in for Nancy O'Dell. Elegant performance, lots of ballet moves. Bitch better not get the sympathy vote.
Judges scores 8/7/8 = 23. Hmmm

There will be no elimination show tomorrow. They will return in a week to perform a second dance. Combined scores from both weeks will determine a bottom two, and they will have a dance-off to claim their position to stay in the competition.

It's Here!

File Under: Television Obsessions-a-Go-Go


Tonight is the 2 hour premiere of season 8 of Dancing With The Stars. I love the show, and I love one of this year's competitors. I'm not sure if you were aware of that. :)


Tune in tonight to your local ABC affiliate at 8:00 pm (7:00 pm Central) and see what the madness is all about!




Thursday, March 5, 2009

THREE MORE DAYS

File Under...okay I'll spare you the file key

Cute little interview clip from Access Hollywood. Belinda is cute and funny, her partner is adorable. Nice arms!

http://www.accesshollywood.com/inside-belinda-carlisles-dancing-rehearsal-march-4-2009_video_1051201


Tuesday, March 3, 2009

FIVE MORE DAYS

File Under: Dancing With the Stars-a-Go-Go

Movie Day

File Under: Weekend Movie Festival.

I don't see a lot of movies. I own a lot of movies. I probably have close to 200 DVDs. I've watched maybe half of them.

Sunday was a crappy weather day. I had been to the gym, then I stopped at Starbucks, sat there a few minutes, then came home. It was the perfect day to watch movies. I had two recent purchases that I decided to watch:



I can't begin to tell you how much I LOVED "Wall-E." What a fantastic film. I've enjoyed all of the Pixar films I've seen, but this one stands out from the rest of them. It's a sweet story about love and hope and determination. There's a big environmental message, too. What surprised me was how much of the story it told without dialogue. I don't think there are actual spoken lines for the first thirty minutes. At the end of the film, I cried. It's a film I highly recommend, even if you're skeptical about seeing a "cartoon." It's SO worth it.
A complete switch from the previous film was "Lars and the Real Girl." Another love story, but an unusual one. Ryan Gosling's character is so unusual and sad and he plays it so well. I won't say much about the film because if you haven't seen it, I wold be revealing too much, but this is also a story about love and taking chances and it presents a strong message of acceptance. You feel for the characters, all of them. Another must-see.

A Good Day

File Under: Good Things

I would sum today up as being a good day. Work was uneventful. I left early today as my mom had another doctor's appointment, she's been going monthly just to follow up on her blood sugar and her blood pressure. Today's visit was good. Her doctor is satisfied with her blood sugar numbers and he took her blood pressure twice because he was so happy that it was close to normal. Mom's pretty happy, too.

She was done early so I went to do laundry. This also allowed me to get to the gym, after dinner. I've been trying to go regularly, targeting problem areas (my stomach) and working on toning my arms and chest. I want to be fully ready for street festival season. Never know who you're going to run into at one of those events. ;)

It's March now...and that always seems hopeful, in terms of seasons. Sure, we could still have winter weather, but nothing is long-lasting. Spring is less than 3 weeks away. That makes me happy.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

One More Week!

File Under: Dancing With the Stars-a-Go-Go

Just one week for the premiere of Dancing With the Stars - Season 8. Here's a bit of rehearsal/interview footage. Belinda's quite chatty in this and it's clear she's having fun!


Click the link below to see the clip!

Belinda Carlisle Has the 'Dancing with the Stars' Beat

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