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'Dancing with the Stars': Now with 100% more Michael Flatley!
Since regular judge Len can't be here tonight, Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) is sitting in for him on Dancing with the Stars. And, as Tom Bergeron points out, he's wearing a shirt.
Spoilers!
Since I haven't been commenting on that singer in awhile, it seems like she's really stepped it up so I can't ignore her anymore. Tonight, she's sporting a purple leopard print dress with a delicate forehead chandelier. Good times.
1. Maurice Greene & Cheryl
Dance/Song: Viennese Waltz/"Gravity" by John Mayer
Maurice hasn't down a ballroom dance since the first week of the competition and he's over-thinking things. He struggled mightily during rehearsal and holy crap he shaved his mustache! Sorry. That just...it surprised me. Maybe that mustache is what was keeping him down because he's definitely improved. Granted, it wasn't fantastic but given that it's only his second ballroom dance, it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
Judges: Michael said it was elegant and graceful in general, Carrie Ann says to work on their chemistry (it's not radiating from inside), and Bruno gave him tips to make his movements more smooth.
Score: 21 (all 7's)
2. Lance Bass & Lacey
Dance/Song: Jive/"Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard
After the big point drop last week, Lance decided they should practice at one of 'NSYNC's former studios. He's having a crisis of confidence so band-mates Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone stop by and surprise them. Joey even helps since he's been on DwtS before. Lance gets some solo time at the beginning and oh how I love Lacey's shoes. I want them. But I digress. It's certainly an improvement from last week. Lance seems much more comfortable. And he does another heel-slide, only he doesn't fall this time. I dug it overall.
Judges: Bruno said it was "gleaming with confidence," Michael gives him some words of encouragement and said it was "smokin'" and Carrie Ann was really into it, complimenting both Lance and Lacey while acknowledging how hard she was on her last week.
Score: 27 (all 9's)
3. Susan Lucci & Tony
Dance/Song: Mambo/
After being in the bottom two, Susan is dedicated to pumping up the performance level. She tells
Tony that she feels like she doesn't have quite have the freedom to express herself so he takes her to a Mambo club with Cameron Mathison and some other costars so she can let loose. She's much looser in general this number but there were quite a few lapses in the routine.
Judges: Carrie Ann applauded Susan breaking out of the "crystal box," Bruno liked her extra oomph but didn't like that she lost her timing a few times, and Michael called her the "epitome of grace" and loved her eye contact.
Score: 23 (8-8-7)
4. Brooke Burke & Derek
Dance/Song: Rumba/"No Air" by Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown
After the jitterbug last week, Brooke hurt her foot leaving Derek to choreograph on his own one day while she gets therapy at home. It's a tendon injury. Derek needs to push her hard to get the number down but he doesn't want her to re-injure herself. Yes, she's injured but still I found it kind of clumsy actually. The main problem is more that she's can't emote well and this dance is 60% emotion.
Judges: She took Michael's breath away, Carrie Ann said it wasn't her best dance with respect to her injury ("it looked like you had pain in your movement"), and Bruno agrees with C to the A, with some regret.
Score: 26 (8-10-8) - when Flatley held up that 10, Bruno looked at him like he was crazy...
5. Cloris Leachman & Corky
Dance/Song: Cha Cha/"Come See About Me" by The Supremes
Corky has as many problems keeping Cloris focused as Julianne has with Cody. To help keep her in line, he brings in George, Cloris' former husband. It surprisingly works. The performance is painful in general but has a few impressive moments.
Judges: Bruno says she's "the only person in the world to sell such nonsense as a Cha Cha," Michael was as evasive as Len ever was, and Carrie Ann says "we lost Toni Braxton for this and that kind of makes me sad." Me too Carrie Ann, me too.
Score: 15 (all 5's)
6. Cody Linley & Julianne
Dance/Song: Samba/a slightly slow version of "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna
Julianne got really sick after the show last week which cut down on their practice time. Cody's working really hard on the technique but that's not quite enough...so it's off to be spray-tanned (both his skin and his hair). As spazzy as this kid is, he's really good. He still needs to work on his arm awareness at times but I thought he worked it out.
Judges: Carrie Ann called it the most intense Samba she's ever seen and that he's been improving steadily, Bruno didn't think it was loose and fun enough (Carrie Ann stood up for them saying the music calls for that sort of stiff motion, which is true), and Michael kind of split the difference.
Score: 23 (8-8-7)
Julianne has Endometriosis and is getting her appendix removed tomorrow. She's says not to worry, that she'll be okay, and that if everything goes to plan she'll be back next week. In the meantime, Edyta will be stepping in for her. I hope things go smoothly and that she recovers fully. Also, don't count on her being back in a week. I'm sure she heals quickly but she's not Wolverine.
7. Warren Sapp & Kym
Dance/Song: Rumba/"Irreplaceable" by Beyonce - Booooo!
To keep on par with Brooke and Cody, Kym makes sure there's a solid story to their dance. I really like Kym's outfit...it's like something on original Star Trek. Ah...Warren messed up and made a face. Which is the only reason I knew he messed up. Overall, it was good though I kind of felt Kym did the majority of "the work."
Judges: Michael complimented Warren's ability to be deep and sensitive, Carrie Ann dug it and advised to not let it show when he makes mistakes, and Bruno liked the character but pointed out that he made a few mistakes tonight.
Score: 25 (8-9-8)
Group Routine: Old School Hip Hop
Song: "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
This is going to be espectacularly awful isn't it? The number is choreographed by Shotyme who's worked with folks like Gwen Stefani, Chris Brown and Mary J. Blige. He starts off by having the celebs show their best moves. Cody starts beatboxing and is actually good, much to Warren's surprise especially. Then, Cloris enters with a giant boombox on her shoulder. Twice as big as Say Anything. She spends much of the rehearsal eating craft services. The actual performance starts with Cody beatboxing. I bet Lance was having horrible Justin Timberlake flashbacks. This is pretty bad. It's pretty darn painful. Oh my...Lance has a sweet Kentucky waterfall hairpiece. Warren was good. Lance threw a little "Bye Bye Bye" into their solo spot. Susan struggled pretty much the whole time as did Brooke. Maurice surprisingly had issues as well while Cody wasn't too bad. But the majority of the pros did really well, especially Lacey, Derek and Julianne. By the way, Cloris and
Corky spent pretty much the whole time goofing around on the stage behind the group.
Bottom Two: Cloris and Susan, no doubt.
Who's Out: Oh, please let it be Cloris. This is getting ridiculous. Love her, but really.
So, you're thoughts on the night? Did your stomach kind of hurt while you were watching the Hip Hop number too? Have a favorite number from tonight? I thought Flatley seriously overscored Brooke but, overall, was a solid judge considering he's probably never seen any of the couples dance before. At least he wasn't cranky like Len...
I was so sorry to miss the show....working midnights...but OMG! I am praying that Cloris just GOES!
Fishingal | Oct 28, 2008 3:49:39 AM | #Wow. Obvious they want Cloris gone.
Bruno's Shirt | Oct 28, 2008 3:51:13 AM | #Cloris needs to go. I don't care how many of her senile "fans" vote for her, get her out of there and make room for the people who are serious about this competition and actually working hard. It's a mockery of their dedication to continue tolerating Cloris's immature antics. I wish they had given her 2s instead of 5s to ensure that viewer votes couldn't make up the difference. Poor Corky; he's really been a trouper.
It seemed like an off night for a lot of the dancers, pro and not. Of course, much of that had to do with health issues. It's so sad that so many of the best dancers are being sidelined with injuries this season. Well, that's how life works.
I LOVE Michael Flatley, and as enjoyable as Len's crustiness can be (or not ;-), I wish they'd expand the panel and add Michael as the fourth judge. Having heard that he is an egotistical prima dona, I thought he was remarkably human and humane, and very generous with his praise to all the dancers, pro and not. Can't wait to see him dance tonight -- he truly is the Lord of the Dance!
Oh, and when the DWTS PTB get rid of Cloris ... Please! No more "character" contestants!
Speaking of future contestants, Tamara, how about polling your readers for suggestions for next season? Here is my "wish list," in no particular order ;-):
- Nadia Comaneci
- Marisa Tomei
- Andrea Bowen
- Christina Applegate
- Cote de Pablo
- Olivia Wilde
- Jesse Spencer
- Kurt Browning
- David Canary
- Brad Paisley
- David Boreanaz
- Dominic Monaghan
# # # #
Luvs2Dance | Oct 28, 2008 5:30:05 AM | #Slow night in the ballroom, although I'm not really digging it this season anyway. Julianne choreographed many of the same moves that she and Apolo Anton Ohno did a few seasons ago: watching Cody try it reminded me of how great Apolo was and Cody isn't. I am impressed by Cloris, but I agree she has to go....
Anne | Oct 28, 2008 5:57:21 AM | #Also, to add to Luvs2Dance's list:
Patrick Stewart
Bruce Jenner
Bruce Boxleitner
Kate Jackson
(am I showing my age here?)
Adam Baldwin
Nathan Fillion
Lena Headley (Summer Glau would be a ringer...)
If the judges (and myself) want Cloris gone, why don't they just give the dance what it deserves, 2's and 3's. A 5 is such a compromise score, not wanting to insult her celebrity status, but really, her schtick has been insulting to others that are trying.
Cynic | Oct 28, 2008 6:18:02 AM | #Maurice is a little bit stiff, should lean back a little more. He shaved his moustache and looks much better. Samantha gracefully noticed that it's with the chracter of the dance, because it makes him smoother. Some of her comments are priceless! But one has to remember, she actually has to think on her feet, not just be a a robo-teleprompter reader. Try it yourself, with all the backstage distractions, and then try being as hard on her as some are now!
I liked Lance more last week. Maybe because Lacey was so good, and then they told her to lose the spotlight. This week he looked asleep. But the judges liked it, so what do I know.
I think Susan concentrates on the steps, they do not come naturally to her (not enough time for practice with AMC on schedule?), so she simply can't let herself go. Too bad. Also, she's 60! The energy will never be the same as with the younger contenders. She gives her best though, and I admire her.
Brooke - awsome! She looks gorgeous and moves so well, almost reminds me of Edyta. Wow!
Micheal Flatley was spot on, because he judged what he saw, instead of comparing it to her past dances.
I was watching Cloris through the dance and praying she won't hurt herself. Her personality makes it entertaining, and she improves - slightly - week to week. Carrie-Ann's "We lost Toni Baraxton for THIS", wow, pretty cruel. I agree with the scoring though.
Warren - great dance. Very masculine. I'd love see him dancing with Carri-Ann, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife between those two.
Lance great in hip-hop. What's with the hair?
Rank:
Brooke way up
Warren
Cody
Maurice
Lance-Susan
Cloris
It was nice to have something different with a guest judge but they HAVE to have a ballroom expert in a ballroom competition in my opinion.
Thoughts:
-Maurice was good, nothing great though.
-Lance was awesome, I really enjoyed it. Entertaining and energetic and an actual jive song with true jive choreography. My favorite of the night. And he has improved!
-Susan and Cloris- can we lose both at once? Cloris for obvious reasons but seriously Susan is getting on my nerves too. She seems incapable of changing facial expressions (and she's an actress!!) or putting any drive behind her movements. My thing is, I would hate to see Susan stay ahead of any of the rest of the stars besides Cloris. So maybe she should go this week and then Cloris would definitely go the next one? I hope? Susan does seem to be working harder than Cloris but I really am just turned off by her inability to truly improve any of her weaknesses.
-Brooke was still good but not a 10. She doesn't have the expression down for a rumba and a lack of confidence from the injury also showed. She moves wonderfully and has the best positions of any of the celebs.
-Cody was pretty good except for some arm placements and his attitude was a bit too serious for the samba. But the song was too heavy, a base heavy hip hip song and all wrong for the dance. I want him around longer, esp feel for him changing partners with 2 dances next week!
-Warren was good and unbelievably smooth but didn't do enough to me.
-This seasons main problem hasn't been Cloris but the lack of a truly all around superb dancer. No one seems to be truly wowing the judges or the dance savvy viewers. I am missing the Apolos or Joeys or Marios or Stacys or Kristis etc. On the other hand, people were tired of having one dancer above all the others all season and knwoing the outcome in the end and this season has definitely not had that. It's very hard to predict a definite winner or even a definite top 3. The vote rankings keep changing on dialidol every week and that is unusual. So in that respect ts fun but I want to see more great routines, I just think the dancers should be better than they are at this point in the season. We've certainly seen much better in most other seasons.
Good additions, Anne, except for one: Bruce Jenner. You may have seen him on the one-time "Skating with Celebrities" show. He was so dreadful that for his (mercifully) final "performance" he sat in a chair for half the time while Tai Babilonia skated around him. I wouldn't want to see what he does -- or can't do -- on a dance floor. He's probably a decent guy and doesn't need a second round of humiliation. But Patrick Stewart ... mmmm, yeah, that would work for me!
Luvs2Dance | Oct 28, 2008 7:28:14 AM | #Oh and I forgot to mention the hip hop because it was...forgettable. Very sloppy and so many errors. I cant expect that it would be easy for Cloris or Susan but they were really poor. And sticking Cloris in the back was funny and ridiculous (that it had to be done, but it does help say why she should be gone). The only celebs that were decent were the ones Tamara mentioned.
Erin | Oct 28, 2008 7:28:27 AM | #Tamara... curious as to why you follow the Song Titles... by John Meyer.... by Little Richard... by Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown... by The Supremes... etc.
These songs (mostly) weren't written by these artists nor are they sung by them on the show. Mainly we are forced to listen to bad versions of songs that were originally performed by these talented artists. Maybe that is the 'key phrase' that should be inserted... 'originally performed by'! (nitpicking but it has always bothered me)
jim | Oct 28, 2008 7:28:34 AM | #As far as the dream list - David Canary is a great choice, never thought of him! I agree with Kurt Browning, and would along the same line would add Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton. And I thought Michael Flatley was great. And Carrie Ann's comment was a little mean to Cloris - She should have gone a couple of weeks ago, but the comment could have been a little softer, I thought.
betsy | Oct 28, 2008 7:28:48 AM | #What! How many of you think you could do as good a job as Cloris does at her age? I think she deserves much more respect than you are giving her. Let's see you put in hours and hours of rehearsal and then dance live! Get over yourself.
judy | Oct 28, 2008 7:39:56 AM | #Oh.. one more thing.
I hope Julianne bounces back quickly... for Cody's sake. I'm not looking forward to watching him dance with his 'mother'... Edyta! There obviously is a concept to pair people 'in the beginning' with pros close to their age... Especially the younger ones... to avoid the awkward... romantic touching that is expected in a lot of the dances... don't want it to get icky!!!
ERIN: I haven't been into this season of DwtS, partly because of Cloris staying so long, and partly because there hasn't been one break-out star, like Drew, Apolo, Stacy, etc.
Once again, I have to note that the judges were overscoring all the stars, except for Lance (I thought his performance deserved 9s) and Cloris (the judges want to get rid of her ASAP). I thought Carrie Ann's comments to Cloris were spot on, but should not have been said on air. She should have given Cloris a 2 instead of insulting her on national television.
Brooke didn't deserve a 10 for her rumba-- she looked like she could barely extend her legs due to her foot injury. Warren deserved only 7s for basically standing and walking from spot tp spot, while Kym literally danced circles around him. By the way, that singer did an awful version of Beyonce's song! :-( Cody and Julianne did a pretty decent job, considering she had to miss a lot of rehearsal time.
I just had a feeling that the hip hop routine would be a disaster, considering a lot of the couples did not even have enough time to learn their first dance! I was most impressed by Lance and Warren. I could tell that all those years learning the "Boy Band" choreography really paid off with Lance's hip hop moves (I didn't care for his hair extensions, though). Basically, Cloris never had to learn 90% of the choregraphy, since she and Corky stood at the back of the stage most of the time! Brooke had a hard time keeping up with the others, again due to her foot injury. Susan Lucci appeared to be half a beat behind and unsure of the steps. Cody was pretty good, but the beatboxing did remind me of Justin Timberlake (*YUCK!*). Next time, I would rather see the group dance be a latin dance, like salsa or merengue.
Paige | Oct 28, 2008 8:10:09 AM | #
As for the suggestions for future celebrities, I really like the idea of having Patrick Stewart and Nathan Fillion. I would love to see the likes of Adam Baldwin and Hugh Laurie attempt ballroom dancing, but alas, they are currently employed on networks other than ABC. :-(
Other possible stars could be Shannon Miller (she's still in good shape!), Richard Dean Anderson (imagine MacGyver doing the Paso Doble!), or any of the Backstreet Boys (Backstreet's back, all right!). ;-)
Paige | Oct 28, 2008 8:20:19 AM | #thought LANCE was the best last night. i think carrie anne's comments to lacey must've made an impression on her (carrie anne was right).
and i think Erin says it best that susan LUCCI seems incapable of "putting any drive behind her movements." you'd think she'd have it in her, but...no. oh, and don't even ask about her hip hop omg....
i thought BROOKE's rumba was terrible. 10????????
WARREN was fun to watch as usual. and CODY wasn't as good as usual, but cut him a break because julianne had less to give this week (and it showed).
swift recovery and best wishes to JULIANNE!
and for god's sake, can CLORIS please go NOW....
judy, When I am 82 years old I hope I remember how ridiculous Cloris was on this program and not do anything similar to embarrass myself. It's one thing to live life fully and push yourself to new experiences, but there is also something called good judgment -- maturely understanding one's limitations.
I suppose I can't completely blame Cloris; she was probably delighted when the *&^%$#@! producers of DWTS gave her the opportunity to re-emerge into the public eye. But an insatiable ego is no substitute for ability -- nor for failure to show consideration for her fellow contestants by fanning her ego at their expense (like Toni Braxton; CarrieAnn was spot on about this, and I applaud her courage in saying so).
There have been plenty of younger contestants -- Monica Seles, Jeffrey Ross, and Kim Kardashian come to mind quickly -- who have been less than stellar and have been voted off the show. And rightfully so. The reason why Cloris is still there has nothing to do with dancing, and as this is a show about dancing she has no place there. (Not to mention that the bit with her ex-hubby was really bizarre.)
I also agree that after Cloris is booted, Susan has to go next. I love her in AMC, but every time I watch her I think "She isn't dancing, she's doing dance steps." There's a difference. Susan, you tried it, you had fun, but I'm sorry to say that you're not a dancer. Now go home and send David Canary for next season!
I agree, Praise Cloris for doing a great job at 82 yrs old, but it is time to go...
Bless her little heart
If Cloris doesn't leave tonight, I hope it's Susan Lucci. They aren't equally bad, but both are pretty darned poor. (That said, I don't know how Susan manages to star in a daytime soap and train for this show... at 61 years of age! Does the woman sleep?)
Michael Flatley doesn't have what it takes to judge this show. He didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so his critiques were uniformly bland. A 10 should be awarded for superb performance, not for "better than the others" or as a reward for dancing pretty well despite an injured foot.
Maureen | Oct 28, 2008 8:36:06 AM | #I would've gave Brooke a 7, so where did the 10 come from? personally, i missed Len.
I loved that the Lord of the Dance was the guess judge!
He brought a breath of fresh air to the show!
What is with everyone either being hurt or sick?
Almost everyone was dancing with an injury, but you could not tell at all.
Brooke her lines were great and she is so fluid but you can tell she didn't feel up to par because of her foot.
Susan just didn't seem to be comfortable dancing at all. In her one on one and in the group dance she just looked lost. It was sad to watch because she has a lot of potential.
As for Carrie Ann's comment to Cloris, it was in the right context but not appropriate to air.
Betsy is right how many people at her age can do what she is doing. Yes it is a dancing show but it is also for entertainment and she is great at what she does!
The group dance was like watching a bad car accident where you can't look away.
It was great for the fact everyone was lost Susan kept looking around to see what the next step was; Lance had a mullet and brought back some N'SYNC moves!
I wish Julianne a speedy and healthy recovery!
Can't wait to see who gets the boot tonight!
Carrie Ann just said to Cloris what people at home are saying. It is totally not fair to judge Cloris as an actress/comedian and not as a dancer, when everyone else is being judged on their dancing.
Anne | Oct 28, 2008 11:00:44 AM | #I hope Julianne recovers quickly.
I think it's Cloris's time to go. Almost everyone outdances her.
Michael Flatley was a good judge. It was a nice change of pace.
I hated the group dance. Why was hip hop chosen for that anyway?
Penny | Oct 28, 2008 11:09:08 AM | #The reality of DWTS is that it is pretty much a popularity contest. I still say hooray for Cloris and I hope I have that much life in me at her age. You are right - she definitely isn't a dancer but she's one good entertainer!
judy | Oct 28, 2008 11:24:26 AM | #
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