Dancing With The Stars - Season 9, Week 2

All 14 couples will dance tonight. Filling in for Len Goodman tonight is guest judge Baz Luhrmann. It was noted that his early film “Strictly Ballroom” was the movie that "Dancing With the Stars" is based upon. Who knew?

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough – Jive – Some of the moves are very herky-jerky (is that a word?) and it look awkward because she’s so tall but she’s got good lines. It was good, I think. Carrie Ann said “spastic and out of control feet.” Bruno said it wasn’t “clean.” Baz wants to see more of a connection between them. 20/30

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo – Quickstep – Yay, this is nice. She’s smiling and dling nice kicks and the footwork is there. I think it looks good. Bruno said Natalie needs to relax a bit more and she’ll be amazing. Baz said the second half of the performance was great, her smile lights up the room. Carrie Ann thinks she has potential but wants to see her connect a bit more with Alec. 21/30

Chuck Lidell and Ana Trebunskaya – Tango – Now with Ultimate Fighting moves. Yay? He’s very powerful and intense, looks like he’s angry. Footwork is flat but he’s trying and it’s actually sort of charming. Baz was impressed (think he was scared to say otherwise), Carrie Ann saw impact but didn’t say much else. Bruno saw the work, and the steps; he saw imperfections but said there’s potential. 19/30

Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas – Jive – She’s having fun but looks like she’s still holding back a bit. Okay, getting better. Timing a bit off. Ooh, cute hubby!!! Carrie Ann is happy! Bruno saw some imperfections with footwork. Baz said the steps were “a bit defeating.” 19/30

Michael Irvin and Anna Demadova – Quickstep – He looks a little clumsy but all smiles. He’s kind of got the kicks down. It was fun. Bruno said the content was there and he’s improved over last week. Baz saw charm and thought it was “gorgeous and fantastic.” Carrie Ann was pleased. 20/30

Debi Mazar and Maks Chmerkovskiy – Tango – Okay, Maks is proving that he’s an ass as a teacher. Ooh, very sexy dance. I think her timing is off in spots. Baz thought they did fantastic. Carrie Ann was pleased. Bruno referenced timing in his comments. 21/30

Louie Vito – Chelsie Hightower – Jive – Louie’s got cankles and always looks stoned. Oh this is cute! At times it looked like she was doing more of the work but he kept up with the steps nicely. He’s cute! Carrie Ann thought he looked lost a few times. Bruno saw what I saw. Baz saw joy, but said he dropped out a couple times and that the jacket threw him off. 19/30

Aaron Carter – Karina Smirnoff – Quickstep – Okay…apparently it’s a Muppet performance. They’re dancing to The Muppet Show theme. He looks good. Posture is nice, great steps, good energy. It was cute! Bruno called it “Spectacular,” and said he was a mini-Fred Astaire. Baz was impressed and called it a great show. Carrie Ann called it a pleasure, good contact in hold. 27/30

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel – Tango – Intense, quick footwork, I think her timing is off but her movements are great. Baz saw mistakes but said she’s great and should not give up. Carrie Ann gave her pointers to keep up the momentum, Bruno was positive but saw mistakes too. At least they were polite. They had to be or Sharon would have punched them. 19/30 (she’s pleased!)

Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani – Quickstep – It’s pleasant, but lacks wow. I didn’t see many of the quickstep footwork I’m used to seeing. Carrie Ann said Kathy is too reserved. Bruno said she’s not engaging, lacks couple connection. Baz said it wasn’t exciting. 18/30

Mark Decascos and Lacey Schwimmer – Quickstep – Looks like he lost his footing, and may be like he’s a little jiggly but it was pretty good. I think she’s wearing a back brace or something. Bruno saw footwork errors but appreciates his dancing. Baz is complementary. Carrie Ann encouraged him to breathe. 21/30

Mya and Dmitry Chaplin – Jive – Wow she’s pretty. Wow she can move! She’s working her little flapper dress and those legs. Nice! Baz said “fantastic.” Carrie Ann said “great,” and “good connection.” Bruno loved it. 27/30

Tom Delay and Cheryl Burke – Tango – Respectful, reserved. When he shakes his head, his chins follow, that’s kind of fun. The kicks are pretty funny, too. Uh-oh, a tumble at the end. Nearly broke a hip. The Golden Girls sitting along the sidelines are still clapping. Carrie Ann told him that he needs to “Squeeze them together at the end!” Tom said “historically that’s never been his problem.” LOL Bruno was polite, as was Baz. 18/30. Audience is booing. Score too high? I think so.

Donnie Osmond and Kym Johnson – Jive – Really good. Footwork is just right, kicks are good, moves are not too flashy, it’s fun! YAY! All three judges are pleased. 25/30

Tied at the top with 27are Aaron and Karina along with Mya and Dimitri, tied at the bottom with 18 are Tom and Cheryl along with Kathy and Tony.

Hopefully Tom won’t have enough Republican cronies who will jam the phone lines and vote so that he’ll get sent home this week, but Kathy could be boring enough to be just who gets sent home. I think she deserves another week, then it can be her turn to go. We’ll see…stay tuned!

Dancing With the Stars - Season 9 Premiere - part 1

It's BACK! Tonight, the Men will dance!

Corny opening number “The Boys Are Back in Town” the male pro dancers (who will dance with their partners tomorrow night) did a routine. Maks looks great, Jonathan looks adorable as always.

The proper intro/descent from the big staircases took place, all of the couples made their entrance. Just judging how some of them came down the stairs, it’s going to be an interesting season. Chuck Lidell, Tom Delay and Macy Gray are going to be train wrecks. Kathy Ireland looks clunky but pretty.

Tonight the men will dance twice, the first dance with their partner, the second dance as a relay with three other couples. Each will do a ballroom dance and a Latin dance. The relay dance will not be individually scored by each judge, but they will be ranked, with an added score (1st = 10, 2nd = 8, 3rd = 6, 4th = 4); that score will be added to their individual score. Total score for the night is listed next to my critique for the first dance, notes on the second (relay) dance at the end.

Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff – Cha-Cha-Cha – Posture isn’t great, kind of wormy movements, footwork is sort of flat. Len sees potential and called him stiff. Bruno sees potential but says too much energy. Carrie Ann said “excellent” but feet were funky. 22/30 + 10 = 32 for the night.

Chuck Lidell/Anna Trebunskaya – Fox Trot – Stiff, probably nerves, but not horrible…oh wait, yeah, he is. When he’s holding her and letting her lead, he’s OK. When they’re apart, it’s messy. Bruno called it rough. Carrie Ann said “not graceful but smooth and charming.” Len said “better than I thought it would be, would like to see him work on grace.” 16/30 + 6 = 22 for the night.

Mark Decascos/Lacey Schwimmer – Cha-Cha-Cha – Of course a Kung Fu theme. Nice hip moves, good arms. Sexy. Maybe a tad stiff. Carrie Ann is concerned about the arms. Len called them out on the Kung Fu and said he doesn’t want to see it in other dances, said feet were “dodgy.” Bruno said timing was off and saw need for improvement in footwork. 21/30 + 8 = 29 for the night.

Ashley Hamilton/Edyta Silwinska – Fox Trot – not very exciting. He’s tall, probably makes him look even more stiff. Len saw correct footwork, but said it was rough. Bruno said lack of showmanship and rough. Carrie Ann said that he failed to “define himself.” 15/30 + 4 = 19 for the night.

Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson – Fox Trot – I’ll start by saying that he doesn’t have a single line in his forehead! Okay, the showman is showing his stuff. This one will be scored high. He’s good. Bruno faulted posture. Carrie Ann agreed. Len called it too theatrical. 20/30 + 10 = 30 for the night.

Louie Vito/Chelsie Hightower – Fox Trot – Okay, he’s a total stoner. He’ll be fun to watch. He’s kind of cute. He looks like a little boy trying to emulate big boy moves. Kind of stiff but not horrible. Oh he just stumbled a bit. Safe and nice. Carrie Ann enjoyed it, critiqued the feet a bit. Len said technique was good and enjoyed it. Bruno said it lacked fluidity, sees potential. 19/30 + 8 = 27 for the night.

Michael Irvin/Anna Demadova – Cha-Cha-Cha – Really trying to work the hips, but he’s not. Wow is he stiff. He doesn’t seem to have much sense of rhythm. Okay, loosening up a bit towards the end. Bleh. Len wasn’t fond of it, said it needed more content. Bruno said it was poor (footwork, timing, content). Carrie Ann agrees with Len, said there was lack of content and blamed the pro. 13/30 + 6 = 19 for the night.

Tom Delay/Cheryl Burke – Cha-Cha-Cha – He nauseates me with his comments as he’s rehearsing. Something about looking like a sissy. Eww..watching him shake his diapered butt is gross. Cheryl choreographed a safe dance for him. He’s got the steps but no flourish. Eww…more butt shaking. Bruno called him crazier than Sarah Palin. Said the dancing wasn’t too bad. Carrie Ann called it surreal and said he has a natural grace. Len said part magic, part tragic. 16/30 + 4 = 20 for the night.

Salsa Relay – Chuck, Ashley, Donny and Louie. - Ashley’s arms are like rubber bands, but his body is stiff. Chuck is a bit intense but better than his ballroom dance. Donny has the moves. Louie came out doing flips and has the body movements. 4th is Ashley, 3rd is Chuck, 2nd is Louie, 1st is Donny. Points added above.

Viennese Waltz Relay – Aaron, Mark, Michael and Tom. - Aaron has very big moves but looks good. Mark is looking very precise and refined. Tom looks like a dirty old crook. Michael looks lost but has a huge smile. 4th is Tom, 3rd is Michael, 2nd is Mark, 1st is Aaron. Points added above.

Dancing With the Stars - Season 9 Starts Monday 9/21!

While this season's episode of DWTS isn't as exciting to me as the previous season (see my seemingly endless posts about Belinda Carlisle's inclusion in season 8, even after she was voted off), I'm still excited that the show is returning for another season with the largest cast ever.

Above is the score sheet that I assembled for work. A handful of coworkers and I make our guesses on who will land where in the elimination process. Since we're often wrong, we allow ourselves to guess again after the half-way point (hence the "Rank 2" box). No wagers are placed, we do this for fun and it makes for some lively discussions at lunch after elimination day.

The way I understand this season's first week, the men will dance first on Monday night, the women will dance on Tuesday night. Both nights will have 2 hour time blocks. Another hour of DWTS will air on Wednesday, unknown to me at this time is whether it will be an elimination show or just a recap.

As I have done in the past, I will recap. You've been warned. :)

Stay tuned...