Monday, March 9, 2009

Dancing With the Stars -S08- Week 1

Tom and Samantha introduce us to the premiere event. There is a fancy new staircase; made. He have the 11 known contestants walk in and do the stereotypical waves hello. Jewel and Nancy O’Dell are sitting on the sidelines. Samantha reminds us that there are (still) couples competing against each other. Lil Kim opens the show.

Lil Kim and Derek Hough (Cha-Cha-Cha) Lil Kim is a Grammy award winner (Lady Marmalade) and She watched the show in prison. Amazing. Derek won last year with Brooke and he’s on that winner’s high. Lil Kim feels confident and calls herself “Black Barbie” next to her Ken. Derek uses the now abused term “Swagger” to describe her work ethic. She’s dedicating her dance to her federal detention center. She dances to “Nasty” and she definitely benefitted from good teaching. Kim also doesn’t gain air from some of the spins. I can’t help but love her legs and it seemed mostly clean on the whole, there was definitely some wobble. After welcoming the judges, Len thought the dance was first class. It was a little too wild and imposture for him. Bruno calls her nasty but tasty and compliments her booty. He points out some funny footwork. Carrie Ann sees potential and wants her to let it out. The scores are 7, 7, 7 (21).

Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts (Waltz) Jonathan and Belinda have an awkward opening but they start practices. Belinda has trouble with spins and she can’t process everything faster. She jokes about having a bucket nearby. They perform to “What the world needs now.” Does Jonathan get stuck with all the more mature women? The dance is smooth, but there is something off about Belinda’s steps. Bruno thought he looked like Julie Andrews but then she degraded to a Cloris level. He thinks that the footwork needs more help and she was heavy. Carrie Ann thinks that there are trust issues. Len thought that there was grace and elegance amidst some awkward. The judges score: 6, 6, 5 (17)


Lawrence Taylor and Edyta (Cha-Cha-Cha) Edyta points out that footballers do well and he has to continue the trend. He thinks that he has more dancablility than Jason Taylor. Edyta gives him a real pair of dancers shoes and the fear sinks in. He’s nervous that he is looking awkward and like a fool. Edyta continues her strategy to look really sexy while her partner awkwardly follows her. He seems a little heavy-footed at the moment, but Edyta’s distracting legs and dress cover up a lot of mistakes. Carrie Ann thought that he hasn’t lived up to the football player legacy. She wants him to get down and dirty. Len thinks that he needs to be sharp, but he likes the performance. Bruno thought it was a throwaway. There is something there, but he needs to perform. The judges score: 6,5, 5 (16)

Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer (Waltz) Johnny Knoxville and Wee Man go and sit in the front row to support him. Steve-O is reckless and Lacey is a rebel. It’s a match made in reality television heaven. He’s gone through rehab and he’s ready for a challenge. I’m surprised that he’s actually dedicated. He’s afraid that he’s scrawny and has “Caucasian” dancing. Lacey knows that she’s going with an uphill battle. They dance with the most awkward flip. He has this face of nervousness as Lacey’s peacock dress flows around. He shows some extra musicality. They have a nice flow and Lacey ends with a very good split. Johnny gives him a standing ovation. Len liked that he was committed and he tried, technically it wasn’t there. Len expected worse and was surprised. Bruno thought it was slapstick. He thought the technique wasn’t good. Carrie Ann had a mixed emotion because it was beautiful and awkward. She likes the determination. The judges scores: 6, 5, 6 (17)

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke (Cha-Cha-Cha) Gilles is best known as the naked guy next door in Sex and the City. Cheryl wants win number three. Cheryl thinks he dances femininely. Cheryl knows that Gilles has the smallest fan base so she wants to work him hard. Cheryl is right, he definitely is worked hard. Since he’s a lot taller than a lot of the male contestants, his legs show off more so than the other men. He probably has the most natural dancer’s frame. The dance is pretty steamy and in the end he runs a finger down Cheryl’s middle. Carrie Ann does the crazy dance and loves the potential. There was a little overextension. Bruno likes the tight and sharp moves. Len liked the mix of steps and choreography and thought the performance was fabulous. The judges scores: 8, 8, 8 (24)

Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough (Waltz) Chuck calls himself a country singer. Julianne welcomes her boyfriend (it seems awkward). Julianne works him really hard and finds him difficult to teach. There is a definite grace that the two have. His steps and extensions seem all there. Julianne is definitely working him hard. He then lifts her, accidentally, at the end spins. Bruno calls Julianne a handful. It looked good at times, but it seemed like Chuck was chasing her. Len agrees about the hectic style. The footwork is good, but it needs refinement. Carrie Ann thinks that he is one of the most graceful men. She calls out the lift and tries to nicely tell them not to lift. The judges scores: 6, 7, 7 (20)

Tom takes time to talk to Jewel and Nancy O’Dell. Jewel is disappointed to compete but she will perform next week. Nancy is disappointed, but is excited to watch.

Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin (Cha-Cha-Cha) Holly loves a challenge. Dmitry feels like he’s cheating on Jewel. Dmitry decides to just bluff the performance instead of teach technique. Holly’s legs do seem awkward and Dmitry tried his best. I think I’ve actually seen worse (Kim) She does seem to walk to some of her places. Jewel looks jealous on the sides. Tom reminds the audience that although Holly (and Melissa) have had little time to practice, they scores are based on the dance. Len thought it was not bad, but he thinks that time will help. Carrie Ann likes the charisma and knows that the moves will be better. She calls her a newborn deer. Bruno likes her looks and there were some good points. She lost her tempo at points, but there is potential. The judge’s scores: 6, 6, 6, (18)

Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower (Cha-Cha-Cha) Ty is apparently the king of the rodeo cowboys. She admits to being on So You Think You Can Dance (she can). She meets him at the ranch and he admits to being out of place. Chelsie seems to make a good coach and she turns out quite patient. Ty is afraid that he’ll be awkward. They use the stage really well and Chelsie’s best assets, her legs, are on display. Ty looks a little awkward when he does his walks and a few of his non paired sections. Jewel was quite amused. Bruno thought it was an army drill and the grabs are bad. He say’s “there is always next week.” Len knows that he was beyond his comfort level and he tried. Carrie Ann thought he was a cute cowboy, but the dancing needs more help. The judges scores: 5, 4, 5 (14)

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas (Waltz) Mark tells her to drop some of the gymnastics-skills and learn. She giggles throughout the whole practice. Seriousness makes her laugh. Gymnastics don’t like emotion and she needs to show it in dance. Shawn throws smiles as her emotion, but her spins are smooth and graceful. Mark definitely took the time to make the choreography sexy and beautiful. Carrie Ann was moved and loved the elegance and grace. Bruno thought it was surprisingly refined. He wants her to adjust her gymnastic arms. Len agrees that she needs fluidity, but it was fantastic. The judges scores: 8, 8, 7 (23)

Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff (Cha-Cha-Cha) I love how in the intro he dances on a segway. He’s quite nervous, and Karina also knew it was an uphill battle. Steve talks binary to her and he takes thinking breaks. He starts with a boa. I like the typewriter hands that he does. He definitely is having a fun time, he even attempts knee drops. There is a minor lift at the end. Len thought that it was fascinating, he appreciated the fun-ness, and the knee section, but it was a disaster. Bruno mutters some obscene random things including “Teletubbies” and “gay parade.” He wanted the boa. Carrie Ann appreciates that he’s going out on a limb and she was supporting him all the way. The judges scores: 5, 4, 4 (13)

David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson (Waltz) There is quite a bit of awkwardness because she didn’t get his jokes. I don’t either. He keeps joking about losing his weight. Kym thinks he’s a natural dancer. I hate David’s facial expressions that he makes during the whole dance. Kym is a beautiful dancer and her choreography helps a lot. David misses some of the arm cues. The end split splits a little robotically. Bruno saw some good lines, but he leans in the holds. Bruno points out the multiple faces he makes. Carrie Ann agrees about the expressive face, the lines were neat. She also points out a lift. Len thought the good outweighed the bad. His bottom sticks out a little though. The judge’s scores: 6, 7, 6 (19)

Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Cha-Cha-Cha) Denise is quite award in practices and continuously tells him “sorry” every time they mess up. She breaks down and feels stupid. They settle their differences. Well, I guess we got our crier of the season. She definitely has the legs. But she is kind of dances like pageant girl when she performs. There are some definite awkward sections and she doesn’t really connect her bottom half with her top half. Carrie Ann thinks she has potential, but her shoulders get out of proportion. Len agrees that she gave it a shot; it was too loose. Max seems to be pulling her around. Bruno thinks she has everything, but she doesn’t know how to use it. He wants her to keep in character and dig in deep. The judges scores: 6, 6, 6 (18)

Melissa Rycroft and Toni Dovolani (Waltz) The girl with the least practice gets no actual intro. Apparently these must have been made on Friday or something. She definitely shows a lot of potential. She seems light on her toes and flowed well. It actually went really well. Nancy O’Dell gives her a standing ovation and two thumbs up. Len thinks that she’s shown potential, but she has ballet toes and she should use heels. Bruno loves her grace and fluidity and compares her to a bird about to take flight. Carrie Ann loved the lines and the natural skills. She wants some emotional connection. The judges scores: 8, 7, 8 (23)

The Scores:

High
Gilles: 24
Shawn: 23
Melissa: 23
Lil’ Kim: 21
Chuck: 20

Middle
David: 19
Holly: 18
Denise: 18
Belinda: 17
Steve-O: 17

Low
Lawrence: 16
Ty: 14
Steve: 13

No elimination this week, we’ll find out what happens next week. I can see Lawrence go home next week. We'll see.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think this season will be a test to see who is more awkward: Denise Richards or Steve Wozniak. I don't know though, Im thinking Denise will be fun to watch dancing, partly because she has a banging body, but mostly because she's probably going to be pretty weird out there on the dance floor. I just see her as the kind of girl who never had to work for anything because she's so good looking and (as I mentioned before) has a banging body.

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