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Wk 2 Review - Dancing With The Stars
- Author:
- Phillip Stephens (713-248-2299 | philtex44@aol.com)
- Date Published:
- October 1, 2010
Dancing With The Stars
Season 11 Week 2, 8/27/2010
Tempers flaring already? Whining about it being so hard? What did these people think they were getting into? Didn’t they ever watch the show before signing on the dotted line?
Most performers looked nice tonight. Maks & Brandy had on rather odd looking costumes. Was Brandy going for a schoolgirl look? Do schoolgirls wear makeup like that? Florence looked great, though Corky looked a bit peculiar and "vampire-esque" with those blood-red lapels.
Rick Fox & Cheryl Burke – Jive
Rick was hindered by a foot injury from the past that definitely affected his ability to dance Jive. Why not work around it? Rick moved fairly well for a big guy with a weak foot. He should have shaved and I didn’t care for the sleeveless look, which made his waste and hips look bigger. His timing was solid. He did more posing than Jiving, but it was a solid performance with a lot of energy. 20
Len – Compact, fun, full of energy; Bruno – A feat. Jive is difficult. Good job for week 2; Carrie Ann – posture weaker this week. 7+7+7 = 21
Florence Henderson & Corky Ballas – Quickstep
Lovely dress – very flattering. The routine was very basic, but she kept her frame and posture and moved quickly in places. Their dance position was far too open and the only “flash” was running around the floor and a set or two of not-so-good Scatter Chasses. A fair performance, but she'll have to improve a lot to make it very far on this show. 18
Bruno – Not perfect, but lovely at times; Carrie Ann – The dance suited her. Upper body was light and energetic; Len – Very positive comments. 7+6+6 = 19
The judges sure went out of their way to acknowledge Florence’s age and were very nice with their comments.
Brandy & Maks Chmerkovskiy – Jive
This bull-headedness on her part is really irritating. They matched nicely on some moves. Brandy's timing was good and they looked OK up to her solo, which was not needed, wasn't performed very well and was not in the Jive spirit at all. Then they did a long disco segment of arm wraps and turns which also looked out of place. It was a so-so performance and not at all my cup of tea. 20
Carrie Ann – Needs to point toes; Len – Thinks Brandy will never dance badly, but last week was better; Bruno – OK from Brandy isn’t good enough and she can do much better. 7+7+7 = 21 - Too high for their comments
Michael Bolton & Chelsie Hightower – Jive
Had laryngitis during rehearsal, but it seemed to magically go away. Chelsie needs to listen to Michael a bit. He was nice when requesting explanations and telling her what he felt was her failure in communicating with him. The entrance went on too long. I was pleasantly surprised that he did Jive chasses and kept in time at first. Then he went all floppy and Chelsie was tugging and working hard to get him through the routine. He looked totally lost during the last quarter and did no dancing. His posture was not improved, and, as Michael Schedler noted, this was very painful to watch. 12 points max
Len – Doesn’t think the world is ready for his interpretation of the Jive; Bruno – Did everything badly. Probably worst Jive in 11 seasons. (Len argued with him about keeping some comments to himself); Carrie Ann – noted that he poured heart and soul into the routine. 4+5+3 = 12
I hope Bruno enjoyed his moment of power with that tactless comment. A Simon Fuller from "Americon Idol" he isn't and if he keeps that rather mean-spirited commentary up I will personally campaign to have Bruno replaced as a judge on this show.
Audrina Patridge & Tony Dovolani – Quickstep
The rehearsal schedule is already causing friction with her boyfriend? What sort of sap is he? Audrina looked classy in that skimpy top where some of the gals manage to look... not classy. She kept her frame pretty good with a few bobbles. She moved well and her timing was quite good. She used her feet and legs quite well for someone who has had so little training. 21
Bruno – Movement was great. Most stuff was good. Went wrong in a place or two; Carrie Ann – Thought it was a huge improvement from last week; Len – Best dance so far tonight. 8+8+7 = 23. Higher than I expected or would have awarded.
Jennifer Gray & Derek Hough – Jive
Interesting tid-bit about the cancer surgery. Good body actions. Nice control of arms, feet and legs. Excellent timing. They matched quite well for having worked together such a short time. Derek did a good job choreographing around the neck issue. Jennifer kept her energy level high throughout the routine. 25+
Carrie Ann – Very high energy; Len – A bright and colorful routine; Bruno – A killer Jive and she nailed it. 8+8+8 = 24. As this was better than last week, why did she not score higher?
Margaret Cho & Louis van Amstel – Jive
Margaret likes Jive and feels confident in the movements. She wants to prove that she can dance and doesn’t need to make fun of herself. It was a relief to see they had those tattoos covered up. Margaret did a nice job. She kept her timing, did her kicks & flicks fairly well and performed with energy and abandon. Some parts were really very nice and some parts that would be tough for anyone she still got through more than just adequately. 21
Len – Did a proper Jive; Bruno – All about tightness and precision; Carrie Ann – Too intense at times. 6+6+6 = 18. I don’t think the judges rewarded her for what she accomplished.
Kyle Massey & Lacey Schwimmer – Quickstep
To me, he’s a “pip” and is trying to use funnyness to worm his way into the hearts of millions. Thinks he could do the coolest and sexiest Quickstep of the night???? (What a dress! That reminded me of something from the 70s, but it looked good.) Kyle's left arm was too high and his frame and form were weak overall. His posture was OK, but he didn’t use his torso properly to make sway lines. Good energy, but movement was lacking and his arms flailed around too much and there was more posing than dancing. 21
Bruno – somewhat critical in a good way; Carrie Ann – Far too exuberant; Len – Flat-footed, lacked style, but he liked it. 8+7+7 = 22
I have to ask: Does anyone besides Michael Schedler and me see the trend on DWTS for the judges to give overly effusive and "kiss the butt" critiques of the "star" from a Disney Channel program?
Kurt Warner & Ana Treybunskaya – Jive
Kurt showed more potential this week than last week. His legs are quite stiff and, in that first extended chasse action, his feet were so far apart he looked like an A-frame house dashing across the floor. He used his arms better this week, but his shoulder and head posture was still weak. A good performance that needed more real Jive. 18
Carrie Ann – Great musicality; Len – Much improved; Bruno – Can’t wait to see his progression over the weeks of the contest. 7+7+7 = 21. Considerably higher than I think he deserved
Mike Sorrentino & Katrina Smirnoff – Quickstep
Looky there – more Wal-Mart shoppers in rehearsal. He is quite awkward looking. He has really bad feet. Karina says she thinks he has potential, but I don’t see it. This was more painful-to-watch-dancing. Mike looked nice in the uniform, but his posture and frame were bad. His grapevine actions were not good to the point of being horrible. Lots of bad stuff in there. Karina should have worked on teaching him how to dance. 15
Len – A series of unfortunate events, but better than last week; Bruno – Must find the right balance between concentration and counting and letting loose; Carrie Ann – Needs to listen to music and get some musicality. 6+6+6 = 18, which is better than I think he deserved. He did try hard for this week and seems to have changed his attitude, so I wish him well.
Bristol Palin & Mark Ballas – Quickstep
Here we go again – still more Wal-Mart shoppers! Bristol managed to create a resonably nice frame but needs stronger upper body posture. She moved well and used her feet strongly, but looked odd when Mark posed and did head actions while she just stood there smiling like she was moonstruck. She seemed to be more comfortable on the floor this week, and I do see potential. A good ending pose, but her feet and legs definitely needed some attention in that one. 21
Bruno – Needs to become an actress and must engage the audience; Carrie Ann – wants to see her week after week; Len – it’s close, but needs more flair. 7+8+7 = 22
Season 11, Week 2, Results Show
Brandy rubs me the wrong way. No wonder she’s not “safe”. She can't do her last dance soon enough to suit me. Maybe the viewers won’t like her overabundance of attitude either.
Kyle is so flippy-floppy loose that I just don’t really like his dancing.
And I certainly could get along without more tactlessly unkind comments from Bruno about Michael Bolton. The bit between Len and Bruno about being considerate – like Len is considerate? – was a bit tough to swallow.
The judges wanted to see Kyle and Lacey perform again? That was like watching a hippo out of water in mating season and, if anything, the performance was worse the 2nd time around. As Michael Schedler noted: It was as if Lacey and Kyle were making fun of the dance in some sort of bizarre parody or farce.
Will Derek wash that dirt off of his lip and chin before the season is over?
OK, the rituals were sort of interesting, but Corky’s bit about smelling the floor seemed totally made up for effect.
Not sure I’d call it dancing, but Macy’s “Stars of Dance” certainly were a limber lot. Ballet, Jazz, gymnastics and special effects with aerial whirls and twirls do not equate to “Stars of Dance” in my book, but I did enjoy the performance. Perhaps they'll get hired by "Cirque du Soliel"?
The gals – wood nymphs? – dancing to Seal were interesting, though I'm not sure what they added to the performance.
Here's a tip for producers, pro dancers and celebs concerning the rehearsal and inteview tid-bits: Some of those people should NEVER be seen without makeup.
Again, Rick Fox should NOT be seen in that sleeveless outfit. He just looked big and awkward and not so polished as could be desired.
The show's sense of creating suspense by having a commercial, coming back to ask "What did the viewers think?" and then saying, "We’ll find out after the commercial" is just a bit over the top.
Then, finally - THANKFULLY! - Bolton got the boot!
