Karina & Mario Sitting in a Tree?

Posted By: Bridget On: March 31, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

K-I-S-S-I-N-G, and necking, and groping apparently at The Four Seasons according to the New York Post. The Post reported that they were making out by the Valet stand at around midnight, which they say, is why there is no photographic evidence of the event. I think it is a stretch to think that not one papparazzo was lurking in the shadows to capture their escapades. I mean, the heat between Mario and Karina Smirnoff these last couple of weeks has been off the charts, so I’m sure all the gossip rags have been salivating over a possible romance.

That being said, even I thought during the first performance that it looked like they were more than just dance partners, if you know what I mean. Karina and Mario, as would be expected, deny that there is any hanky panky going on. Maybe there is and they don’t want to go public with it, it does make Karina look a little bit like a floosey. I mean, just a couple of seasons ago she was hooking up with Mario Lopez, I guess she has a thing for co-stars like Jim Carrey does.

I am also not naive enough to think that the whole thing is not a publicity ploy on DWTS and/or Karina’s part. We all know that part of why we watch the show is to see the chemistry between the dancers. Any dance that we call “hot” is usually a winner so why wouldn’t they be happy about rumors and free publicity? Karina especially knows what it did for her when she hooked up with Mario Lopez so why not try the same trick again with Mario (too cool for a last name). It helps that Mario is or at least says he is attracted to Karina, which I guess is possible, even with her really annoying voice. I’ll update you when the grainy sex tape surfaces…tee hee.

Penn Jillette & Monica Seles Appear on Jimmy Kimmel

Posted By: Bridget On: March 29, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

Penn Jillette and Monica Seles made the obligatory losers appearance on Jimmy Kimmel after the elimination Tuesday night. Penn immediately stole the show by explaining to Jimmy that his name is now a verb. Apparently when the celebs do a move poorly in practice or lose their posture the professionals tell them, “if you do that you’re going to Kimmel” Very funny! Penn then proceeded to break a glass table, obviously a staged move which he later admitted. He also said that when he fell after Monday nights performance it was also planned. However, he said breaking the dancing bar in the rehearsal hall was real and that Kym Johnson laughed for a full two minutes before asking him if he was OK.

Kimmel asked Monica who she thought should have been voted off instead of her, Penn answered for her saying him twice. Monica then went on to say that she was at a disadvantage because she had no dancing or acting experience and that the show was about being a dancer and an actor….yeah, um Ms. Seles last year’s dancer was a race car driver and the year before that was a speed skater!!!

Jimmy told Penn that he thought his stage experience was his biggest advantage. Penn replied that you can’t ask a loser what your advantage was, so Jimmy said ok then besides your personality what was your biggest disadvantage!!! HA!! I am beginning to like Jimmy Kimmel. Penn admitted that he did not think Teller gave a $^%@! about the show. Jimmy asked Monica if she blamed her friends for not rallying around her and voting for her, then he moved on to blaming Jonathan.

Monica did admit that the reason she was in Japan during rehearsals was to film a Japanese television show that she has there about health and fitness. Can you imagine how boring that program is!!!? Ms. Seles actually gained weight during DWTS which, must be a first, she said compared to tennis and running it is not much of a workout, wow.

When asked if he actually thought he could win the whole thing Penn admitted that he did try as hard as he could. But, unlike some of the other competitors he is not a perfectionist he is half assed!! So maybe DWTS is not for the half assed. To end they show they did a dancing shoe burning ceremony, which was kind of dumb.

The Music from Week 2

Posted By: admin On: March 28, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya - Mambo - I Got A Girl - Lou Bega

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke - Quickstep - Americano - Brian Setzer Orchestra

Monica Seles and Jonathon Roberts - Mambo - My Lovin (Never Gonna Get It)  - En Vogue

Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson - Quickstep - Man with the Hex - Atomic Fireballs

Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel - Mambo - Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa Isso Pra La) - Conne Francis

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough - Quickstep - Swing with me - Jessica Simpson

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - Mambo - Lupita - Perez Prado

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani - Quickstep - Flip Flop and Fly - The Blue Brothers

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough - Mambo - House of Bamboo - Andy Williams

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez - Quickstep - Mack the Knife - Rosemary Clooney

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas - Mambo - Hey Baby - No Doubt

Mario and Karina Smirnoff - Quickstep - Valerie - Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse

Mambos and Quicksteps

Posted By: admin On: March 26, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez Dance the Quickstep





Kristi Yamaguch and Mark Ballas Dance the Mambo





Mario and Karina Smirnoff Dance the Quickstep





Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel Dance the Mambo





Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough Dance the Quickstep





Adam Carolla and Julianne Dance the Mambo





Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani





Monica Seles and Jonathon Roberts Dance the Mambo





Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson Dance the Quickstep





Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya Dance the Mambo





Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke Dance the Quickstep

DWTS: The First Cut Is the Deepest

Posted By: admin On: Comments: ( 0 )

By: Alyssa




Tonight was a double elimination and I don’t normally start with the end in mind, but tonight I will. Bye Bye Penn Jillette and Monica Seles. I normally blog as I watch, but not tonight. I had better things to do which was work out while I watched. So, my laptop stayed upstairs on the couch (that couch potato) and I went downstairs and worked my big butt off while watching Dancing with the Stars.

So, I have to say I told ya so, because ya know I did. Read my last blog I did tell ya so. Bye Bye Bye to Monica and Jonathon and Penn and Kym. Sorry, but this was a little bit too predictable. I loved how they threw in Marissa Jaret Winokur and Christian de la Fuente as the Bottom two to make us think Penn and Monica were staying. Heck, I was kind of doubting the Monica elimination because I got to thinking well, people know the name Monica Seles more than Marissa Jaret Winokur so maybe Monica will stay. Well sorry, nope, the name had nothing to do with it - it was the dancing folks.

I felt this results show just was too drawn out tonight. Just get to it already. I mean c’mon two performances by the Jonas Brothers aka ‘Mmmm Bopping’ Hanson from the 90’s. All I know is those brothers have wayyyy too much hair. Hair on their head, hairy eyebrows, hairy sideburns - ick if you ask me. The one on the piano during their last song reminded me of Peter Brady singing “Time to Change” when his voice cracks all the time. I tell ya, the piano man will have a tough time after he goes through puberty. I honestly am sick of the Jonas Brothers because they are on the radio every damn morning - can I get away from them? Let’s hope so! Did you hear the teenie bopper screams in the audience tonight - ugh! But yeah, you’re right, Bridge, it does remind me when I was in love with Donnie from the New Kids on the Block. I don’t think I screamed like that though. I was more of a crier…ya know, the weepy little teenie bopper. Ahh..the memories.

And yes, thank God, someone agrees that Steve Guttenberg is a little too darn nice and making one sick. Gawd, is someone drugged up on a happy pill or something? Are you kidding me, man? Perhaps he is really like that, but I have a feeling drugs are involved. Oh, you know I’m only kidding - I don’t have proof, but one can’t be THAT happy all the time and love life like THAT all the time. Geez. If he is naturally like that more power to him and tell me what does that to you?

Let’s see - who else? I agree that Kristi Yamaguchi will have to step it up in the personality department. I am still shocked that she did so well in latin. I’m so happy that Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough were saved this week. I really want to see what Adam can pull out of that Frankenstein body of his. Oh and I had it picked (yep, read my last blog and weep, people) that Edyta and Jason would be dancing the encore dance. I had that pegged, baby. I kept going back and forth between Shannon Elizabeth and Jason Taylor, but I picked right. Am I just that good or is it becoming too predictable? Hmmm…the jury is still out on that. Can you tell that I’m feeling cocky tonight. I am. Sorry if you are offended. I’m not really sorry though.

I did like the Macy’s dancers - Macy’s has dancers? I don’t know what that whole Macy’s thing is, but oh well. It was a lot of acrobatics tonight and that tiny girl was just flying through the air. I bet it was really awesome to see that live. They danced to Meatloaf’s “I’d do anything for love, but I won’t do that.” I was thinking “you’re right, I won’t do that (referring to the acrobatics)”

I loved the Jive to the Jonas Brothers first song. Edyta, Tony, and the other two escapes me. I was thinking hmmm..poor Edyta can’t dance with her hubby this season. I’m sure he’ll be back during one of the group dances - just like Maksim will be. Let’s hope. I wonder if Maksim is missing this season or glad he doesn’t have to come up with the choreography week after week. I know one thing I don’t miss is his cockyiness (not sure if that was spelled right or not - it looks right).

The Jonas Brothers sang “When You Look Me In the Eyes” and Louis Van Amstel and Cheryl Burke did a Rhumba. It was sexy, fast, and sensual. I love Louis and Cheryl together. They dance a lot together on the tour so it is nice to see them do so on the show.

With the Rhumba and the Jive that were performed tonight are they giving us a preview of the dances from next week? Are we in for a treat in seeing Jason Taylor Jive? Hmmm? All I know is the Jive is my favorite dance followed closely by the Quick Step. I used to not like the quickstep because it just seemed like a lot of hopping and running around the stage, but Helio’s Quickstep in the banana outfit really made me appreciate and love that dance.

I can’t believe they didn’t give us Kenny Mayne - we got Cameron Mathison in his Superman costume. I bet Bridget was eatin’ it up, eh? I thought the bit was rather funny especially that “senior citizen” (I put that in quotes because she wasn’t old enough to be considered a senior citizen) who shook her stuff on camera. I was dying at that. All I could think of was my Mom and I know she’d never embarrass herself like that on camera. That poor lady! Then that lady who couldn’t say Cristian de la Fuente even after about 10 times. Cameron wasn’t overly obnoxious so it wasn’t a bad bit, but I would have appreciated seeing Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice on Dance Center more. I just love those two. With Lisa Rinna added in it was super funny. Let’s hope we are treated to them again this season.

I’m really getting into this season - after two weeks in. So far my favorite to watch is Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth and Julianne and Adam (because you’ve just got to laugh everytime you look at them). I know that Adam Carolla won’t be around very long, but hey, let’s enjoy him while he is here. Oh, and of course I love Edyta Sliwinska and Jason Taylor. He certainly will give Kristi Yamaguchi a run for her money that is for sure. I didn’t see it coming with Jason, but boy is he easy on the eyes and a good dancer. I expect great things from him. It’s gonna be a great season.

Dancing With The Stars Results Wk. 2

Posted By: Bridget On: Comments: ( 0 )

By: Bridget 
 



Apparently there was a recap episode on before tonights results show. I could not bare it, way too much recapping. Double elimination, Tom starts out the show, I guess Samantha is still getting blush on her cleavage. Dancers are going to fly tonight, whatever that means and the Jonas Brothers are going to perform. I’m letting my very excited tweens stay up to see them. More recaps for the opening and some backstage talk, Marissa Jaret Winokur looks like a drag queen with that hairstyle. Steve Guttenberg is so sticky sweet it is making me kind of sick.

The judges pick for an encore are Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska. I agree that it was worth seeing again. I can see where people like him are going to be competition for Kristi Yamaguchi, Jason has some soul and real star power to his dances and Kristi might need to work on the personality factor to compete. Also, there the whole Jason being incredibly hot thing too!!!

Ooh first safe couple is Steve Guttenberg and Anna!!! I am so very happy, see personality does count! My daughter actually gasped when they showed the Jonas Brothers just now, it is a lot like how I used to react to the New Kids on The Block.

So these boys are going to sing an 80’s classic, parish the thought. They are remaking “Take On Me’ by Ah Ha (I think that is how you say it). It’s pretty good, they are not completely destroying a great song too much. There is some dancing going on in front with Anna & Jonathan who do a cool solo and Edyta & Tony, it was fun. My daughter does not Like Joe Jonas’ new haircut…I don’t know what his old haircut was…it stinks to be so uncool.

Samantha interviews the men backstage, she looks like a midget in between all of them. They all make fun of my little Steve Guttenberg, poor fake police man.

Back from the break, and the next safe couples are Jason Taylor & Edyta and Mario & Karina. No big surprises there, but I am happy! So the bottom three are Adam Carolla, Penn Jillette, and Cristian de la Fuente. Moving quickly to our bottom two the next safe couple are Adam & Julianne, yahoo!! That means that my least favorite dancer Penn Jillette is going to go home, I am sure of it. Cristian de la Fuente is way too good looking to be sent home on the first night and Penn, frankly, stinks. Of course, I’m right and Penn & Kim are out. At least we get to save Kym Johnson from having to dance weeks and weeks more with a horrible partner like the poor thing had to do with Jerry Springer. For the record, Penn has a daughter whose name is, and I’m not making this up, Moxie Crimefighter Jillette. Fun times.

On to the ladies and the first safe couple is Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. I’m glad about them being safe, I think Shannon will turn out to be a dark horse. She improved a bit over the last two weeks and with those long legs she might be the next Stacy Keibler.

Cameron Mathison is on now doing his lame Superman schtick. I really want to vomit. Alright, already this was kind of, sort of, maybe a little tiny bit funny. But I still hate Mathison.

Flying group dance is up next. I don’t know who the choreographer is, but I am impressed that they are dancing to Meatloaf. Meatloaf does not get enough credit in professional dance! I hate to admit it but this dance was neat to watch. However, the females were smaller than my daughter, yikes!!!

Again with excitement at my house over the Jonas Brothers, who my children inform me are actually brothers, Joe, Kevin, & Nick. Lucky gene pool. They are singing a song that I heard once when I used my son’s i-pod at the gym, that was quite a work out. Cheryl Burke & Louis Van Amstel dance sexy while the preteens sing in the background. My kids informed me that the song is, “awesome.”

Safe couples are Marlee & Fabian and Kristi & Mark. Also, not surprising. Next safe couple is Priscilla Presley & Louis Van Amstel!! So the bottom two are Marissa Jaret Winokur and Monica Seles. I’m kind of hoping now that Marissa goes home, one ray of sunshine in Mr. Guttenberg is enough for this show. Even this incredibly long drawn out results show!!! And it is farewell to Monica & Jonathan. Did I call it or did I call it people???? Alyssa & I are getting awfully good at this, I hope next week is more challenging!
 

DWTS Week 2: Mambos and Quicksteps

Posted By: admin On: March 25, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

By: Alyssa




Tonights the night for everyone to redeem themselves with Mambos and Quicksteps. That’s because no one has gone home yet and they get one more chance to please the judges and America. We will send 2 couples home this week - 1 man and 1 woman.

Woooah! What’s going on with that dress, Samantha - kinda low, don’t you think? Geez? You need those boobs back from last season to fill that baby out.

First impressions: Kym Johnson’s outfit looks super slimming in the waist, Edyta Sliwinska looks super hot showing her abs, Julianne Hough looks freaky with her green outfit and 80’s style hair, Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Seles look super classy, what’s up with Marissa’s hair - can it get any higher?, Steve looks looser today, and Priscilla’s lips look like a heart - not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya is up first dancing the mambo. Anna feels like she is tough on Steve sometimes (yep, she is) so she has her Mom come in to assist. Her Mom and Steve get along wonderfully. Anna’s Mom said that they are the same age and they are both scared of Anna too. LOL! Despite Anna and her Mom helping, Steve didn’t look loose in his mambo. In fact, I saw no hip action whatsoever. He couldn’t even shake his shoulders loosely. His face was all smiles and the actor came out. Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy this - it was very, very amateuristic - and not even cute in my opinion.

Len said he can see that he’s trying, but didn’t think it really worked. Bruno said it was bad - bad footwork, bad timing and it seemed like the facial expressions took over. I can’t remember what Carrie Ann said - but I don’t think it was god. Steve looks like his feelings are hurt. He says he will work on it and respects their opinion. Awww. He received a total of 16 out of 30 this week for his Mambo. Steve is delusional and toooo overly nice when he responded to his 16 “Ya know what, this show makes this world a better place.” Tom responded with “We are making this world a better place one low score at a time.” LOL! Gotta love that Tom! His grand total for week 1 and 2 was a 34 out of 60.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are next dancing the quickstep. Cristian says it brings out the child in him. He can be seen in practice jumping and hopping around. Cheryl looks pissed stating he isn’t taking it seriously. Cheryl makes him wear a military uniform to improve his posture - let’s see if it works. He finally puts on a smile and hops around. I was amazed at his hops - seemed a bit rushed, but it was fun. They ended by her sitting down and him doing a somersault over the top and sitting in the same position. Real cute!

Carrie Ann loved his improved posture, but said footwork could be a hair sharper. Len commented on the speed - how speedy it was - but was too wild. Bruno said loved the dancing gansta feel - but told him to watch his feet. His scores were 2 7’s from Bruno and Carrie Ann and a 6 from Len. Boo on Len. 20 out of 30 for tonight. Grand total 41 out of 60 (week 1 and week 2).

Monica Seles and Jonathon Roberts are up next. We see last weeks recap and her crying in the confessional where Jonathon said he was proud of her. She was very disappointed in her scores, but Jonathon said he was very proud of her. Monica feels very uncomfortable with the facial expressions because she never had to do them before on the tennis court. Her and Jonathon go to Japan as she has a prior engagement and they practice there usually up until midnight. Monica says she is having the time of her life and this is a dream come true so she will give it all to the Mambo because she doesn’t want to go home. We don’t want to see her go yet either. She’s all decked out in gold - and here we go…

She looked a little unsure in the turns, but did better this week, but still uncoordinated. The crowd was not on their feet this week. Bruno told her to connect with the music, but she got off the rhythm. Carrie Ann said she came out and attacked it and that is a huge break-thru. The form and technique is not there though. Len said she is out of her comfort zone and pointed out the things she brings to the tennis court should be the same thing she brings here - speed, coordination, etc. I love how they try to tie it to tennis - it can be somewhat similar, but not really in my opinion. We’re back after the break and we get Monica’s scores which are 5’s across the board for a 15 out of 30 this week. Her grand total is 30 out of 60. I must say that I do like to see Monica’s positive attitude - it wasn’t visible last week, but she has it this week and it is a much better improvement. Have you been reading our blog, Monica? Jonathon is really great with her - let’s see if they are still around next week though. I’m not so sure. I did read that Monica had tennis locker rooms plastered with posters to evoke voting out of her tennis comrades such as Lindsay Davenport. Let’s see if those votes help her at all.

Magician Penn Jillette and his partner Kym Johnson have the Quickstep this week. Will it be a slow quickstep or a fast one? Posture is a big issue for him and he worked with the too-small-for him posture bar. He is leaning on the ballerina bar and it breaks and he uses that as his posture bar. Not sure if that was planned or not, but it was hilarious seeing Penn lean on it, fall to the ground, and laugh hysterically.

He is holding a voodoo doll and does some magic with his tie that goes up by itself (probably with a magnet or something). He looks like bigfoot still - no pointed toes. I hope Kym doesn’t get her foot stepped on - could hurt at that speed. One thing is for sure - the audience seems entertained. He seems to keep up well and I actually liked it.

Len started talking and Penn moved off stage - Len was impressed with the proper quickstep techniques. Len points out his terrible feet though and to work on his feet rather than his tie going up and down. LOL! Bruno called it a mess - footwork was really, really, really bad. Carrie Ann liked him out there - something very odd, but entertaining, but work on his footwork. His other half Teller is in the audience still not talking and Penn trips as he goes up the steps - he said it was a joke, but I doubt it. Scores were 6’s from Len and Carrie Ann and a 5 from Bruno for a total of 17 out of 30 and a grand total of 33 out of 60. Very low scores this season. Penn keeps interrupting Samantha and she has to keep on talking. Bet she doesn’t like him.

Priscilla and her red hot heart lips are up next with partner Louis Van Amstel. She’s all decked out in animal print - go get em tiger. Priscilla has the mambo this week - and she looks very relaxed tonight - is it the outfit or the fact she got good scores last week? In the practice she wants to be perfect, but Louis wants her to just let go - even as a grandma you can do it. She looks a little stiff at first, but loosened up. My fiance said the music is embarrassing. I tend to agree. They did pretty good and ended with a very complicated move at the end where she crawled like a sexy minx to the camera. Wow!

Carrie Ann said you are so glamous and sexy - you have it. Len said he liked dancing it on the second beat. Len said it was too precise for him and Bruno agreed. Bruno said it was very good, but go for the sexuality. Carrie Ann said she was happy she didn’t overdo it. Her scores were 7’s across the board for a 21 out of 30. Grand total 45 out of 60.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough dance the Quickstep this week. Shannon thinks the judges should have given her lower scores - she’s hard on herself - geez, girl. Lighten up. She has no cardio stamina during practice - wow, she is out of shape. Derek looks very nice in his tails. Wow they did EXCELLENT! I loved it. It was fast, complicated footwork - cutesy leg flips on the judges bench - wow - the ending was awesome. Bruno loved it saying that is what dancing is all about. Carrie Ann - that was very difficult, but you nailed it. Len said he isn’t as unbalanced mentally as Bruno and can’t carry on like him LOL but - she needs to be lighter in her hold, but it is the best dance so far tonight. I couldn’t agree more! She receives 24 out of 30 and she is happy with that (well you better be, Shannon). Her grand total was 45 out of 60.

By the way, the Jonas brothers are going to be on tomorrow night. They are a favorite among the teenie boppers. They’re ok - kind of remind me of Hanson.

Jason Taylor errr Len’s twin (according to Len - LOL) and sexy Edyta Sliwinska dance the Mambo next. Jason doesn’t like the Mambo already - he has a problem with the heal on the shoe (yep he had probs with the onesie too). Edyta is giving him a crazy routine - yep - get him, Edyta! She is wearing these tight little shorts and my fiance is going nuts with it. I must admit she is VERY hot. Dang he is good with his hips - I am shocked. He just might have a chance at winning this thing. Did Edyta keep her feet down? I think so - no lifts, Carrie Ann. I loved this performance - he is a dark horse I think!!

Len said called Jason a winner. Bruno said he is the mambo king tonight - you lead all the way through with conviction. Carrie Ann said he has a great shot at winning this - they look fantastic together and can only go up from here. I couldn’t agree more. His scores were 9’s across the board for a 27 out of 30. WOW!!! Jason thought he wouldn’t be able to do this, but said it is Edyta that she gets him in the mood - hmmm. They are gorgeous together. His grand total came to 49 out of 60. I hope Edyta takes it this year - she’s the only one who has been on every season of Dancing with the Stars. Go Edyta!

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani dance the Quick Step - will she be able to keep up and how will Tony hold on to her with her being so short. Marissa was very upset for messing up last week and was comparing herself to others. She is sad and upset and Tony says she has the x-factor that no one else has. He is referring to her charisma, energy, and personality. She’s all decked out in hot pink and has some big hair that I mentioned before. She’s very light on her feet. She is fast and light on her feet. She’s really keeping up. She has a big smile on her face the whole time and it is contagious. She is very excited after the performance.

Carrie Ann was disappointed because the synchronicity (however you spell it) was off, but she did a good job - she told her not give up. Len said she makes him smile - go with what you know - come out and perform. It was a great improvement on last week. Bruno said it was great fun and it was proper and classic and agreed with Len on the improvement. She got all 7’s for a total of 21 out of 30. Her grand total was 39 out of 60 although Samantha wasn’t too much help on that. Get with it, Samantha..not like you have lots to read on those cards there.

In the audience tonight was Jimmy Kimmel and his crazy sidekick Viermo. Len said he was hoping for Ben Affleck though. LOL!

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough dance the Mambo tonight. Oh Lord! This is a disaster waiting to happen. Adam didn’t know the juding was going to be that tough. He thought he deserved a 5.5 or a 6. LOl! We see him trying to roll his hips and well, he isn’t doing it well. She mentions his pelvis and he said dudes don’t have one and she said “Ok, then, do it from your thingy.” LMAO! And is this a family show? Hmmm. Julianne thinks the mambo has gone to his head. Adam said “you think you know the mambo, well think again because this ain’t gonna be that.” I died laughing. It was kind of stiff, but not as bad as I thought it was. He had some tricks in there and they kissed at the end and she sat on Jimmy’s lap as she pushed Adam away.

Bruno said he has re-performed the mambo like he’s never seen before, but Adam made him laugh. Carrie Ann said she is wondering what Adam is going to call her tonight after she gives her score. I guess last week he might have called her the B word, but he swears his publicist’s name is Mitch and he referred to Mitch - sayin hey Mitch she gave me a 5. Hmmm… I think the scores are still out on that, Adam. She ends up saying you are entertaining - it was green, entertaining and cute. Len called it Brilliant - it was entertaining.

Carrie Ann gives him a 6, Len a 7, and Bruno a 6 for a total of 19 out of 30. Grand total came to 34 out of 60. Samantha tells him to quiet down as she pitches them. Yep, can’t talk over you or outshine you, eh? Apparently Julianne was pinching him that was the whole to-do. It was cute. I really like Julianne and Adam, but unfortunately I don’t think their dancing will keep them around very long.

Marlee Matlin is decked out in turquoise. They gave us a listen at what Marlee hears - which is very muffled sound. It was difficult I must say. She is getting upset with Fabian Sanchez in practice saying “Nobody’s perfect”. We see her twisting her ankle several times - ouch. Wow some complicated footwork. Her posture and hold weren’t that great but I still enjoyed it. Not everyone was up on their feet which shows it wasn’t a very GREAT performance, but it was still good. Her co-star of the L-Word, Jennifer Biel, was in the audience cheering her on.

Len thought it went into some mambo and wanted it more traditional..great job, well done though. Bruno agrees with Len, but very well executed. Carrie Ann said is blown away by her musicality. I see the character comes out, but said the hold was too loose - yep another point for me being right on with the judges. Marlee went backstage talked with Samantha about a fan who had asked her if she is going to be deaf the entire show. Uh! What? People can be so stupid sometimes. Marlee received all 8’s for a total of 24 out of 30 for a grand total of 46 out of 60.

Oh Lord, Len says Cameron Mathison is back tomorrow night wearing sequins and getting America’s comments on the street - I bet Bridget is SOOOO excited that her boyfriend, Cameron is back.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas dance the Mambo - and Mark agrees that this week will be hard for Kristi. We see her in practice having issues with “shaking it” I just knew she was going to have a problem with this. Mark puts on a skirt and starts shakin’ it. It was hilarious. Kristi wants to shake her shyness and shake her booty - something tells me she won’t do that - she’ll be a little stiff. Her turns are excellent and she did shake her booty. I am quite shocked. Mark’s love, Sabrina Bryan, is in the audience cheering them on. I bet she has to hold herself back from running out there to dance with him.

Carrie Ann said it was boggling to imagine she hasn’t done this before - She said it was amazing. Len said Kristi’s done it again - fantastic. Bruno said fast, sharp, exuberant - you are right on it. She received all 9’s for 27 out of 30 and a grand total of 54 out of 60. She’s the highest scorer. Do I smell a win for Mark Ballas? Could a female win it this time? We can only hope.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff dance the Quickstep this week. Will he be able to keep up. Last week the judges complained of footwork - and tonight footwork will be of the essence. Mario and Karina practice on the beach and fall down. They are cute together. She dives off the stage into his arms. The crowd gasps. I’m not sure what she is wearing - once I figure it out I will let you know. He is rising and falling on his feet pretty well and his hold is pretty good. My fiance just said “I love that dress, it is hot, isn’t it?” Hmmm.. I guess we’ve figure out it is a dress, but what else is it, my darling fiance? LOL! Oops, Karina did a lift at the end - her foot came off the floor. Will the judges point that out? I actually liked the dance - pretty good.

Bruno said it was Mario and the Queen of Sheeba. It was energetic. It was fantastic. I think you could be a winner. Len said his footwork was pretty good most of the time, but his hold was a little weird. Len told him to work on the finesse - and told the crowd to shut up as they booed him. Carrie Ann said he is so charming on the dance floor - she said what he has is hot and Bruno piped in with “it’s bulging”..I hope he is referring to Mario’s bi-ceps. LOL!
He is way out of breath back stage. Carrie Ann and Bruno give him a 9 and Len an 8 for a 26 out of 30. His grand total is 50 out of 60.

Leader board after tonight:
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 27 out of 30
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 27 out of 30
Mario and Karina Smirnoff 26 out of 30
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough 24 out of 30
Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez 24 out of 30
Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel 21 out of 30
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani 21 out of 30
Cristian de la Fuente and Chery Burke 20 out of 30
Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough 19 out of 30
Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson 17 out of 30
Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya 16 out of 30
Monica Seles and Jonathon Roberts 15 out of 30

Leaderboard after last week and this week:
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 54 out of 60
Mario and Karina Smirnoff 50 out of 60
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 49 out of 60
Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez 46 out of 60
Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel 45 out of 60
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough 45 out of 60
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke 41 out of 60
Marissa Jaret Winokur and tony Dovolani 39 out of 60
Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya 34 out of 60
Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough 34 out of 60
Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson 33 out of 60
Monica Seles and Jonathon Roberts 30 out of 60

I must say that the first half of Dancing with the Stars was way below mediocre performances. I think we’ve been built up so high that it hard to watch such lower than low mediocre dancing. I will say that I can tell the Stars are trying very hard, but we have a lot more uncoordinated folks this time around. It makes for a very interesting competition so far.

I will have to say my favorite dance of the night was Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska followed by a close second with Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. I’m anxious to read Bridget’s post though..what did ya think, Bridge?

I say bye bye Monica and Penn!

Dancing With The Stars Week 2

Posted By: Bridget On: Comments: ( 0 )

By: Bridget




Get buckled in for a long night of ballroom! Let’s see who took last weeks highs (Krisiti Yamaguchi & Mario) and lows (Penn Jillette & Monica Seles) and turned up the volume. Let’s also see how many minutes it takes them to actually get down to the dancing!! Welcome Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris with the twins…on to the dancers. Cristian de la Fuente looks incredibly hot. Marisa Jaret Winokur looks like a hot pink disaster and Priscilla Presley brings out her inner animal in leopard print!! The gang will do the Mambo & the Quickstep tonight, I love the Quickstep. Ooh and Steve Guttenberg is going to kick it off, yay.

Steve and Anna Trebunskaya are going to do the Mambo. Anna brings in her mother who looks really fabulous, she could be Anna’s sister! Steve is his happy go lucky self, love him!! I hope he can do it as well as last week. They start off super cute, so happy! I love the costumes, Anna looks like a rainbow pop, in a good way. You can totally see Steve’s theatrical background in this, he is completely at home on stage, much more so than his competitors. Loved it, so cute and joyous, I just can’t get enough of it. Len compared it to his cooking he tries hard but he said it did not work for him. Bruno complained that his body, footwork, timing, and posture was bad, poor Steve! Carrie said his musicality was off but they looked cute. Steve said to the judges that he thanks them and he respects them, what a gentleman. Tom referred to Rachel Ray, whom I hate because she calls my boyfriend Helio, “Heeelio.” Big scores, a 6 from Carrie, and two 5’s from Len & Bruno for 16, my poor Steve. I loved it & I give him a 30.

Next up is Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke doing the Quickstep. Are we doing all the men first then all the ladies? Interesting. Cheryl gets onto Cristian about his posture, she said in the military they need to have good posture so she puts him in Navy uniform…whatever. They start out cute and look fabulous in black and red costumes. Cristian’s posture is better this week and they seem to be on beat, but the whole thing is a little bit frantic for my tastes. Carrie says the footwork needs to be sharpened. Len agreed with me that it had a little bit of wildness and lacked control. Bruno liked that it was fast, but said they needed to watch their footwork. The judges like Cristian, hot guys are good for ratings. Two 7’s and a 6 from Len for a total of 20, deserved I think.

Next up is Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts, they show Monica crying after last weeks performance. This week they are doing the Mambo, Jonathan is working hard to make Monica look sexy, that is a very hard task! She looks like a sporty Celine Dion. Monica is all dressed in gold with a sexy haircut. They open with her strutting and attempting to be sexy, I’m sorry but it really does not work at all. Poor Monica is just so awkward and has no rhythm at all and she points her toes in when she dances. Yikes, she looks near tears in front of the judges. Bruno says she does not connect with the music and gets off the beat of the music. Carrie loved that she attacked it, but lacks form and technique. Len tries to be nice, but has technical problems. She dances like your drunken great aunt at your wedding & flirts that way too!! Three 5’s from the judges for a total of 15, no big shocker there. Samantha drags out the awkwardness of the low scores by interviewing poor Monica Seles, she attempts to be sunny.

Coming in fourth is my current least favorite dancer Penn Jillette with Kym Johnson doing the Quickstep. Kym puts Penn in a posture bar, Penn breaks a rail at the dance hall-that was actually funny. Magic man Jillette, cuts Kym in half, I hate magic. They start out with some Penn magic and acting instead of dancing. Kym looks beautiful. They do some Quickstepping around the stage that is clunky but not horrible, Penn’s posture is better but he is just so darn tall that it does not look right. Len says he thought he maintained his hold but that his feet are terrible. Bruno said the footwork was “really, really, really bad.” Carrie said she enjoyed watching it. Penn kept trying hard to be funny and then actually fell walking up the stairs which was actually funny!!Two 6’s and a 5 from Bruno. Kym is happy, Penn is annoying.

Next is the queen herself, Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel doing the Mambo. They show her working hard at practice, tough old cougar that she is. This music is kind of horrible, boring. The dance is cute, they are moving kind of slow but everything looks precise enough. I think Priscilla lost her footing somewhere in there. They do a cool move where she spins to the floor at the end. However, then Ms. Presley crawled toward the camera, it made me feel icky inside. Carrie liked her saucyness. Len & Bruno said it was a little too precise and needed a little grrr…Carrie said that she liked that they did not overdo it, crawling on the floor like a tiger is overdoing it!! Stuttering interview with Samantha. Three 7’s for a 21, not bad for the old gal.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are up next, Derek is wearing a silly hat. They are doing the quickstep, which apparently a challenge for Shannon who claims she has no stamina. She is wearing a pretty silver gray dress and Derek is in classic tails, the look great together. This is much better than last weeks performance. Shannon is picking up the dancers style and grace that she lacked in her first performance. The choreography is adorable, they even flirt with the judges table a little bit, very nice. Bruno loved it. Carrie loved it. Len also thought it was great and called it the best dance so far tonight. I agree, but that is not really saying much. Straight 8’s from the judges for a 24.

The next star is Jason Taylor with his partner Edyta Sliwinska doing the Mambo. Since Jason has proven that he has some skills Edyta is giving him difficult choreography that she wants to be sexy and hot. I think she has ulterior motives…I know I would! High hopes for this dance and already I can tell Jason will not disappoint. He is graceful and on point in every step, his hip action is amazing. It was hot, not as hot as I expected but hot nonetheless. Jason Taylor is all smiles, we may have our winner here. Len agrees with me and calls him a winner rather than a sinner. Bruno calls him a star and Carrie says she has a shot at being the winner too. I smell a perfect score coming. Nope, three 9’s for a total of 27. It won’t be long for that perfect 30, I’m sure.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are up next. They cut to her sobbing over how poorly she did last week. Tony tries to reassure her, the whole thing is contrived and silly. They are going to do the Quickstep, I bet it will be awful. She looks like a Pepto Bismol explosion. I’m not sure she is getting the footwork right, it looks more like she is just trying hard to keep up. It’s ok though, better than last week anyway. I don’t think it could have gotten worse than last week! Carrie says she is disappointed because their synchronization was off. Len said it was lovely and bubbly and an improvement from last week. Bruno agreed that she lost the footwork a few times. Marissa is all smiles now. Jimmy Kimmel in the house, long time no see Jimmy! The scores are straight 7’s and Marissa screams with delight. She’s so horribly giddy, it makes me want to vomit.

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are up next. I know his dancing probably won’t improve but I am looking forward to his humor. They are doing the Mambo, Adam says he is a 75%’r who is giving Julianne 90%, tee hee. Adam has no business dancing, make no mistake about it. However, this mambo is kind of decent for him. He got off the beat a little in the beginning but brought it back and the rest of the dance was very fun. Julianne wound up on the lap of Jimmy Kimmel. Bruno said Adam recreated the Mambo in a way he had not seen it before and did not want to see it again. Carrie said it was entertaining although it was not a Mambo. Len called it brilliant, then he went on to say that he was not looking for technique and rhythm, but it was entertaining. Two 6’s and a wild card 7 from Len, who must be doing shots under the judges table, for a total of 19. I hope he sticks around for a while, he is very funny.

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez are up next. They give us an example of what Marlee can hear, I don’t know how she does it. They are doing the Quickstep and she starts of looking beautiful in turquoise. Marlee’s footwork is stunning, perfectly in sync with Fabian’s. This was an amazing performance by any standard forget about adding in the deaf factor. Another standing ovation. Len said he was impressed with the musicality although he did not like some of the non-traditional steps. Bruno said it was a little Mambo-ish but that Marlee is a real contender. Carrie said she also loved the musicality but she needs to work on her hold a little bit. Oh joy, Cameron Mathison will be on tomorrow, puke. Funny moment in the backstage interview as Samantha puts the mic to Marlee for an answer and she shoves it over to her interpreter!! Three 8’s for a 24, well deserved & it probably would have been better if the choreography had not been “mamboish.”

Ringer Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are up next. They are going to do the Mambo which Mark claims will be harder for Kristi who feigns girlish embarrassment over acting sexy. Kristi has certainly overcome her shyness, because this dance was pretty hot! I don’t think it was quite as great as last week but it was very good and precise. Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan cheering on Mark in the audience. All the judges love it and said it was perfect in every way, if that is so than maybe she will get that first prized 30 tonight. Three 9’s this time for another 27.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are up next, trying to top last weeks hot performance. They will do the Quickstep, they go to the beach to practice, which is just an excuse to show some skin and make them look even more like a couple. I am not digging Mario’s costume of tails with the sleeves cut off and an ascot. They start out with Karina leaping into Mario’s arms and continue on to an amazing Quickstep. They are moving fast, but not at all frantic and he is keeping up with her fabulously. No shot of Mario Lopez cheering them on, I bet he can’t stand how hot they look! Bruno said he thought Mario could be a winner, Len critiqued his hold. Carrie called him charming and hot. Two 9’s and an 8 from Len for a total of 26, not bad at all.

My favorite tonight was Jason Taylor and Marlee Matlin. My least was Penn Jillette and Monica Seles. I think that Monica will go home tomorrow for sure and for the guys it will either be Penn or Adam Carolla.

Mario Concurs with Len Goodman!

Posted By: Bridget On: March 24, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )

The not-so-surprise leader for the men last week, Mario agrees with Len’s assessment that his footwork was off during the Cha Cha Cha Monday’s season opener. In an interview with sohh.com Mario talked about the challenges of the DWTS rehearsal schedule and his dedication to coming on stronger next week. He said that he was hoping for a 30, but was happy with the 24 and is working hard to do at least that well and hopefully better next week.

The article goes on to talk about Mario’s charity called the Do Right Foundation. The foundation is for children affected by drug addiction to give them the resources to get out of their families cycle of addiction. Mario himself has dealt with the issue of drug addiction through his mother’s heroin addiction. MTV aired a documentary about Mario’s mother’s struggle with heroin called, “I Won’t Love You To Death” It aired last fall. Proudly Mario’s mother is now eight months clean. I hope that we get to see her cheering him on in future Dancing With The Stars episodes! Portions of the documentary can be found at MTV.com.

Dancing for Dollars

Posted By: Bridget On: Comments: ( 0 )

Last week my little gossip loving self read the divorce stuff about Heather Mills and Paul McCartney (Joel McHale from The Soup referred to her as a “one legged gold digger”, that’s the funniest thing I have heard in a while) and it said that she gave half of her “earnings” from Dancing With The Stars to charity. I must be the only person in the world who did not know that the celebs on Dancing With The Stars got paid for their participation on the show. I honestly thought they did the show for the publicity, considering the work that John O’Hurley got for doing the show it seemed like a reasonable gamble. Apparently all the celeb reality stars get paid for being on these shows, I really had no idea…did you?

I guess last season Howard Stern’s girlfriend was asked to be on DWTS at a rate of $100,000 for the first two weeks, and $20K for each week after that. Drew Lachey is quoted as saying that the pay is kind of ridiculously low, ummmm is there anyone else out there who does not make anywhere near that much money in a year much less for two weeks of “work” on some dancing show???

I understand that these guys need to be compensated, not only for their time but for the star power that they bring to the show. However, it makes me feel a little bad for the likes of those models from last season who were voted off first…what were their names again? I’m sure they needed the money! I think the celebs must all kind of need the cash and the publicity or they would not do the show, regardless of how big of fans they say they are of it.

You know me, so this question of salary for the celebs led into the next one, what do the professionals make? Sadly, the professionals who have to work their butts off teaching and choreographing all of the dances only make $5000/week! How sad is that? Not that I would be upset if I made $5000 a week, but come on Marie Osmond made four times as much as Jonathan Roberts?? That Jerry Springer made four times as much as Kym Johnson? That is highway robbery. I think the pay is based on the idea that the celebs bring in the audience, but I am fairly certain that the balance is starting to shift a little to the pro’s drawing their own fan base. How happy are we all to see Louis Van Amstel back this season? I would tune in for that alone!

I could not find what the judges or the hosts make, but when I do I’ll let you know!