KATHERINE JENKINS: Freestyle (DWTS Top 3)

What can I say?

Katherine has been my favorite contestant this season since the beginning.  I just love her…She’s technically awesome, but what puts her over the top for me is her personality.  She’s ADORABLE and SO HUMBLE and GRACIOUS.  Now if THAT’S not a winner, I don’t know WHAT IS…

Her freestyle performance tonight was AMAZING!  Not only did she dance brilliantly, but she SANG at the beginning!  LOVE LOVE LOVED that.  She sounded BEAUTIFUL!

She was the ONLY one to get a PERFECT TOTAL SCORE for the whole night!

THE WELSH WIGGLER FTW!

I voted as much as I could (considering DWTS has a LIMIT on votes)…I hope America did as well!  She deserves it!

CARRIE UNDERWOOD: “Good Girl” (DWTS 05-15-12)

Carrie Underwood performed Good Girl on the results show of Dancing with the Stars tonight.

Great, as usual!  And DWTS is great exposure for Carrie.  After all, it’s probably ABC’s most watched show (not to mention one of the top TV shows on right now!)!

Enjoy!

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/23/12: Katherine & Mark — Samba

Katherine really had to SHAKE IT this week…and she did!  Like she said, she was able to get “the bounce,” and she really did a great job!  This show is becoming so fancy…Bringing in the ACTUAL motown artists to sing the songs they’re dancing to?!  Wow.  Nice.

Still waiting for that elusive “30″ from the judges tho…just gotta win Len over!  Only a matter of time…

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/9/12: Rock Week Performances + Predictions

I didn’t have a lot of time to watch last night, so I just have a few comments about the performances:

• While she didn’t get the highest score last night, I still loved watching Katherine.  She’s just so pretty and she really has a flair.  She did a great job with the “intensity” of the paso doble.  Considering where she started in the rehearsals, she really stepped up.  Great job!

• I actually thought the judges were quite generous with their scores last night.  People like Gavin, who they seemed to kind of put down…they still gave him pretty decent scores!
• Was Donald that good?  I know the football guys tend to do well with the paso.  I guess he definitely had the masculinity and intensity DOWN, but…Maybe I didn’t pay attention well enough.
• Aww…William finally messed up.  When I was watching him, pretty much the whole time I felt it was awkward and off.  Yet he still got like 8s?!
• Roshon is another one where the judges just gushed over him, but I wasn’t necessarily impressed that much.  He’s definitely pretty good, but…Eh.  Maybe I just don’t care for him much.

PREDICTIONS:

• Who’s going home tonight?  Tough call.  My guess would have to be Gladys.  While I love her, and I’m so happy that she doesn’t come across as a typical diva, her scores obviously need to be higher.  If not her, probably Gavin or Roshon.

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/2/12: Katherine & Mark – Waltz

While ALL of the performances were touching since this week was all about “the most memorable year in your life,” I really only feel the need to post ONE performance from tonight:

First of all, Katherine’s story about her dad was so emotional.  So touching.  Then her performance of the waltz was just…BEAUTIFUL.  She’s SO GOOD!  It seems so easy for her!  LOVED IT!

DANCING WITH THE STARS 3/26/12: Top 12 (Week 2) Performances

While this week wasn’t AS good as last week overall, it was still a great show.

The three performances I enjoyed the most this week:

SHERRI & Val:

• Sherri may not be quite as quick/technical as some of the others, I really enjoy watching her.  She always looks like she’s having SUCH a good time, plus in this performance, it was almost like she was the SINGER as well…mouthing the words to the song, etc.  She really has the “artistic” part DOWN.

KATHERINE & Mark:

• Hands down STILL MY FAVORITE in the competition.  Katherine is AWESOME.  So funny to watch her rehearsal footage and how she was NOT too comfortable with all the sexy stuff…but on stage?  OMG.  Totally sexy.  You wouldn’t have even known she was uncomfortable AT ALL.  Plus her outfit looked amazing on her.  She was pretty perfect, imo.  LOVED IT.

WILLIAM & Cheryl:

• Not surprisingly, I had to put William on my list.  He didn’t have the crutch of a latin genre this week…and he did a good job with it!  He looks SO GOOD in a tux/suit, and he pulled off the dance really well.  He definitely has finesse.  Good job!

BOOT PREDICTIONS:

Well, after 2 performances, someone is going home tomorrow.  My prediction is Gavin.  He did NOT BAD tonight, but I just don’t think he’s NEARLY as popular as most of these contestants.  He’s got the “funny guy” side to him, which could help, but he’s just not that likable still.

I do worry about Martina tho, because she was at the bottom of the pack both weeks, but I would hope her notoriety will pull her through.  This is SO out of her comfort zone, and I would hope she gets a chance to improve.

DANCING WITH THE STARS 3/19/12: Season Premiere

I have to say…this was probably THE BEST season premiere EVER of Dancing with the Stars.  Why?  Because practically EVERY celebrity/contestant is GOOD!  I was so impressed!

Here are just the standouts for me tonight:

SHERRI SHEPHERD and Val:

• I thought Sherri totally held her own tonight.  The best thing about her is she looks like she is having SO MUCH FUN dancing!  That alone makes up for a lot!  Makes you happy watching her.  And I gotta say, she looked great in her dress!  A little top heavy, but otherwise the dress was quite flattering!

WILLIAM LEVY and Cheryl:

• I had to read up on who William was, but there’s really only one word to describe him:  HOT.  Man, the guy is gorgeous…He’s so tall and athletic!  Phew…just gotta *swoon* a little bit.  And THANK GOD the guy CAN DANCE!   Yay!  He’s very cute (kinda like a younger Ricky Martin), and boy do the women LOVE HIM?!  He got such a LOUD AND LONG standing ovation.  And you KNOW it was JUST ’cause he’s so hot.  BUT at LEAST he’s got some dancing chops to back it up!  Good for him!  I wouldn’t mind watching him again for the weeks to come…

KATHERINE JENKINS and Mark:

• While I did gush a LOT about William, hands down my favorite of the night was Katherine.  Did NOT know who she was…and totally don’t remember her performing on DWTS in a previous season.  But that didn’t matter.  She was REALLY GOOD.  She’s very pretty.  Love that she’s from the UK…Her accent is awesome.  But her personality is so sweet and cute.  She really seemed touched by all the praise after she danced, which was great to see.  Loved her.  Technically she’s QUITE GOOD.  So happy for her!  I just hope her “obscurity” isn’t going to hurt her chances!  ‘Cause she’s a TOTAL contender for that trophy!

GLADYS KNIGHT and Tristan:

• I guess it’s not THAT surprising, but Gladys Knight can DANCE!  And she looks great doing it!  She has such a great attitude about it, and right now I don’t feel too much “diva” coming from her…which hopefully stays that way.  And interesting they paired her with Tristan.  Once again (he was with Nancy Grace last season) he’s with the “older woman.”  He MUST be patient or something…or he’s pretty traditional in his choreography.

JALEEL WHITE and Kym:

• Another one not that surprising, but Jaleel can DANCE!  I figured he could.  And definitely because most people know him as the clutzy/dorky Urkel, even MORE it would be a surprise that he’s actually smooth on the dance floor.  I think Kym has a GREAT chance at that trophy this year!  He was great!

Who was YOUR favorite?

KELLY CLARKSON: Mr. Know It All (DWTS)

Kelly Clarkson was on the results show of Dancing with the Stars last night and performed her current single, “Mr Know It All,” from her upcoming album Stronger.

Kelly sounds awesome as usual.  She’s always been such a great performer.  And she looks pretty good…she’s definitely lost some weight.

DANCING WITH THE STARS 9/19/11: Top 12 Performances + *POLL*

New season of Dancing with the Stars!  Wasn’t sure if I was going to watch this season (I’m also watching The Sing Off, which is at the SAME TIME!), but after watching most of tonight’s episode…ARGH.  I may have to keep up, at least for a little while.

Here are my favorites:

DAVID ARQUETTE:

• I was really happy for and proud of David!  He seems like he’s trying so hard and is really enjoying himself!  He’s a BIT hyper, but that can be controlled.
• It was SO CUTE that Courteney and Coco were there to support him!  You can tell that just made his day that especially his daughter was there for him!   AWW!

CARSON KRESSLEY:

• OMG.  I haven’t had THAT MUCH FUN watching a performance in a LONG TIME!  Carson was AWESOME!  That was the PERFECT first dance for him!  He may not have the best technical ability, but his FLAIR can’t be denied!  LOVE LOVE LOVED him!  And what about his outfit?!  SPARKLE!

CHAZ BONO:

• Definitely THE MOST ANTICIPATED contestant this season!  And WHATTAYA KNOW?!  Chaz CAN DANCE!  I was SO HAPPY for him!  I do also think that Lacey was the best partner for him.  She’s definitely probably one of the most “accepting” partners (you know she wouldn’t care about all the controversy), plus she’s kinda fun and funky, which will bring out another side to Chaz.
• I seriously was so happy for him.  I can’t imaging just HOW MUCH PRESSURE he must’ve been under for this first show.  So when he did pretty decently, I actually teared up a bit for him.  He said he really wanted to do well for all the people who have supported him…and I believe he accomplished that!  Yay for him!

Now, the big question:

DANCING WITH THE STARS: Season 13 Cast Revealed! + Pairings *UPDATED*

The new cast of the upcoming Season 13 of Dancing with the Stars has been revealed!

Credit: AOLTV/ABC

RICKI LAKE Altho she says she doesn’t have an advantage, having done Broadway (Hairspray) DEFINITELY doesn’t hurt.

RON ARTEST I don’t know NBA basketball AT ALL, but from what I hear, this guy’s pretty crazy…and I guess the fact that he came out withOUT his shirt on during the announcements already says something…

KRISTIN CAVALLARI I’m sure this is all because she doesn’t have any type of her own reality spin off like Lauren Conrad does…Plus she’s not engaged anymore either, so…she’s following in the footsteps of her fellow reality “star,” Audrina Patridge.

CHYNNA PHILLIPS I LOVED Wilson Phillips back in the day when they were popular.  So singing-wise, I’d be all up and rooting for her.  Now dancing? I don’t know…I’m kinda thinking she’s gonna have a bit of a tough time.

DAVID ARQUETTE After his public divorce and all of his personal issues (drinking, partying, etc), I’m sure he needs something positive in his life right now.  I’m actually kinda happy for him that he’s doing this.  Hopefully people will get to see the “lovable” side of David Arquette.  I personally am kinda interested in seeing how he does.

CARSON KRESSLEY I think he may have a bit of a struggle, but one thing we CAN expect — his outfits/costumes will definitely have FLAIR!

NANCY GRACE  Not sure if she’s ever had any dance experience, but this is definitely not what people who watch her on her news show will expect.  It’ll be kinda cool to see this other side to her…hopefully a more fun side.

J.R. MARTINEZ  He seems like a really nice guy, and he’s definitely inspirational, and I hate to say it, but he’s going to be the “sympathy vote” guy.  He IS a soap opera guy tho…soap fans in general are very loyal already.

HOPE SOLO I don’t know anything about her.  She’s a soccer player, so you would THINK she’d be good/light on her feet…right?

ROB KARDASHIAN Following in his sister Kim’s footsteps.  Hopefully he’s a much better dancer than she was!  Most people who know of the Kardashians don’t know Rob.  He’s the least well-known one, so this will definitely give him a LOT more exposure. 

ELISABETTA CANALIS Seriously?  Come on.  Now that she’s not with George Clooney anymore, I guess she’s missing the spotlight and all the exposure…

CHAZ BONO Wow.  Talk about throwing himself out there.  After everything he’s been through, he’s really exposing himself.  I personally think his story is quite intriguing…and I give him a lot of credit for what he did in his life.  Should be really interesting to see him move.  And hopefully we’ll see Cher in the audience a few times this season?

*The official pairings have now been released as well:

David Arquette and Kym Johnson
Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd (formerly of the DWTS Troupe)
Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer
Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy (Maks’ brother)
Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas
Nancy Grace and Tristan McManus (formerly of the DWTS Troupe)
Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff
Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani
Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

THOUGHTS?

DANCING WITH THE STARS 5/2/11: Top 6 Performances + Predictions + *POLLS*

Because of the bad weather here, I didn’t get to watch all the performances (including the team performances), but of the individual dances, the ones that mattered to me I got to see.  My favorites really haven’t changed much these past few weeks:

KIRSTIE & Maks:

• Talk about a WIDE range of scores!  I didn’t think this was Kirstie’s best…but I’m still impressed at how she moves and her flair & stage presence.

RALPH & Karina:

• After last week’s unfortunate tumble, I was happy Ralph & Karina did better this week!  Wow!  A 10!

HINES & Kym:

• I thought Hines did a good job with the tango…Considering he’s usually pretty smiley, he kinda had that “serious” look down pretty good.   A 10 from Bruno!  Good job!

PREDICTION:

BOOTED:

Kendra (Her time has finally come…right?)

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/25/11: Top 7 Performances + *POLL*

Guilty Pleasure week on DWTS!  Altho it was a pretty fun night, I only had two favorites:

KIRSTIE ALLEY & Maks:

• I’m still so impressed with Kirstie and how well she can move.  She sure can shake those hips!  Altho he’s not my favorite, I have to say Maks has been a lot more likable this season…and I think Kirstie has a lot to do with that.

RALPH MACCHIO & Karina:

• Poor Karina!  That was a pretty big spill she took!  Ralph was great in how he picked her up and kept going.  I thought they did a great job…I kinda even forgot about the fall!  Ralph is so sweet…you could tell he felt so bad and was worried about Karina.  Love watching Ralph because he’s so dorky but tries so hard!

Just a couple other thoughts:

• TWO TENS! – Wow, Chelsie & Romeo each got a 10 as part of their score!  Pretty impressive.  Were they both well-deserved?  I’m not sure.
• Altho I wanted her out, I have to say I thought Kendra did quite well this week.  Shaking her hips was definitely the way to go…she seemed to be a lot more into this week’s dance.

Who was YOUR favorite?

Who’s going home?

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/11/11: Top 9 Performances + Predictions + *POLLS*

Classical music night!  This was a first for DWTS.  A full-on orchestra playing classical music with NO LYRICS.  I actually LOVED the music…such famous pieces…and the orchestra sounded awesome!  It somehow made the performances more “professional” for some reason.

My favorites of tonight:

ROMEO & Chelsie:

• I thought Romeo did a great job.  Didn’t care much for him whipping his shirt off at the end tho.

HINES & Kym:

• Very entertaining.  Something about football players…they really do have finesse and style, don’t they?

PETRA & Dmitry:

• Great job again from Petra!  I think for me, her sweet personality really makes her that much better.  She’s so genuine, which makes you root for her even more!
  

KIRSTIE & Maks:

• Wasn’t the most exciting performance…altho waltzes never really are.  But I HAD to put them down just because of Kirstie’s SHOE MISHAP!   I mean…how many people have EVER LOST THEIR SHOE during a performance?!  That just DOESN’T HAPPEN!  It was pretty entertaining, and I was impressed how Kirstie was able to slap that shoe back on in time before she had to get back up off the ground.

Who was YOUR favorite?

PREDICTIONS:

IN DANGER:

KENDRA

CHRIS

BOOTED:

KENDRA

(She wasn’t the greatest this week, and her personality wasn’t the most appealing this week…you could tell she was frustrated).

What do YOU think?

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/5/11: Top 10 Results

Guess Maks’ fall really WAS a big deal huh?  That’s ALL they keep focusing on!  How many times do we have to see that fall?!  I think we all feel bad enough about it…I’m sure Maks is tired of seeing it.  At least he & Kirstie could get a good laugh out of it.  If anything, it garnered them more votes, for sure.

BOOTED:  WENDY WILLIAMS

Not much to say.  Totally predictable.  At least Wendy got a couple of weeks to have a chance of improving.  Overall there were worse people who have competed on this show…but not only was she less technically accurate, her personality wasn’t likable enough.

Even after she got booted, she still had this aloofness about her.  I guess that’s just her personality.   It may work for her on her talk show, but for an AUDIENCE-VOTED show like this, you really DO need to have a likableness/accessibility…and Wendy just didn’t quite have it.

 

DANCING WITH THE STARS 4/4/11: Top 10 + Predictions + *POLL*

Songs with “personal meaning.”  First time they’ve done this theme…and I loved it!  Having songs that really MEAN something to the celebrities really added another level.  Very touching.

My favorites of tonight:

PETRA NEMCOVA & Dmitry:

• Petra is SUCH a sweet girl.  You can just feel it whenever she speaks.  I loved that she picked You Raise Me Up.  Obviously, it’s SUCH an inspirational song, and so fitting for her story.  You could just tell that she was very connected to her dance this week.  Very elegant and pretty.  Good job!

HINES WARD & Kym:

• I’m already a fan of Hines’…but this week his story about his mother just made me even more of a fan.  I just think it’s ADORABLE that his mom is a cute little Korean lady.  So sweet.  And how he wants to make her proud and thank her for everything that she’s done/sacrificed in her life for him.  How awesome is that?!  And he was SHAKING THOSE HIPS!

KIRSTIE ALLEY & Maks:

• OUCH!  Poor Maks.  That was a pretty big fall there.  And you could tell he was in QUITE a bit of pain.  But he was such a pro about it!  After he fell you could tell that Kirstie was just worried about him as well.  But as Carrie said, when tragedy strikes, it sometimes makes things better.  Their rumba was beautiful!  Kirstie did a great job, and Maks really saved what could have been a pretty disastrous performance.  Very sweet how Maks kept apologizing.  You could tell he felt really bad.  But you can’t control something like that.  They did a great job (as usual)!  Felt really bad for Kirstie too…her story about her parents was so tragic!

RALPH MACCHIO & Karina:

• Ralph is such a sweet guy.  You can just tell how much he loves his wife.  I totally know what Bruno means about the spatula arms/hands tho…but it’s endearing!  Ralph’s a funny one because he really is kind of more on the dorky side, so you totally wanna root for him!  And he’s always enjoyable to watch!  Probably not his best performance to date, but the meaning as to why he danced it (and to that song) made up for that.  Good job!

Videos Credit:  rickey.org/caseycarlsonlegacyx2

PREDICTIONS:

BOTTOM 2:

WENDY

ROMEO

BOOTED:

WENDY (she was lucky to have survived last week…with having someone (Mike) even worse than her who was also less popluar/well-known)

What do YOU think?