Dancing With the Stars Season 11 Finale, Night II

My favorite dance of the night, maybe of the whole show: Jennifer and Derek’s waltz:

I also found The Situation’s “I’m Too Sexy” dance hilarious fun and Kurt and Rick’s competitive duet a total hoot. Of course some homophobic sports fans on Twitter watched the show for some reason (why?) and pronounced that dance the “gayest” ever on the show. Ugh, don’t watch a dance show if you’re going to be freaking out about guys dancing…

Anyway, so are you guys happy with the results? I really thought Jennifer would win. I didn’t really have a favorite to win, but thought this was one of the best finales in recent history. I was just happy with the fact that there were three very different dancers / very different personality types up there, each of whom brought something wholly different to the dance. Still disappointed – and kind of shocked – that people made it more about politics than dance. Of course Sarah Palin now has to ruin it all with this speech she wrote analyzing other reality competition shows, like American Idol, and reprimanding contestants she considers lacking talent from not recognizing that and dealing with it like grown-ups (by not trying out for the show). Which is going to bring out more criticism of her daughter’s performance on this show… Anyway, that is an issue for another day; I’m tired now 🙂

Now I Want to Root for Kurt Warner

 

Last night my neighbors were really noisy so I recorded Dancing With the Stars and went out to a bar to watch the Yankees. While watching the game (which we won!), I chatted a bit with a guy I met, and throughout the course of our conversation I mentioned that I was a dance fan / former ballroom dancer and from Arizona. He asked me if I was a Diamondbacks fan, and I said no, I was horrendously upset when they beat us in the World Series in 2001, even though I went to high school with the then-pitcher Curt Schilling… I’d worked downtown and Lower Manhattan just desperately needed a parade – something happy – that year; I think the series just became a symbol of much more than what it was because of what had happened. Plus, the Diamondbacks are a newish team and didn’t exist when I was growing up in Phoenix, so I didn’t really have a connection with them.

Anyway, so the guy asked me if I was a Cardinals fan. And I’m such a dork, I know nothing at all about any sport but baseball. I said, “What, is that a minor league team?” And he started laughing. He said, “No. Football. You know, Kurt Warner, the Super Bowl?…” All I know of the Super Bowl is Mark Sanchez :S I laughed and said I didn’t know football. He said, “Well, you’re rooting for Kurt Warner, right? I mean on Dancing With the Stars?” And then I put two and two together and realized that the football guy this season is the guy he’s talking about. So, Kurt on DWTS played for Arizona, who knew 🙂 And, look, he had A-Rod’s number…

Anyway, so on DWTS, I thought Michael Bolton rightly went home last night, even though I felt badly for him regarding Bruno’s nasty comment, which I didn’t think he deserved. I didn’t think his was the worst jive ever in 11 seasons; there have been too many untalented people on the show (Kate, Cloris, Buzz) or contestants who refused to work (that guy who was partnered with Ashley several seasons ago whose name I can’t now remember) for that to be correct. But I think Michael was having a hard time, it would have been an uphill struggle, and someone had to go. He might have improved but I think I’d rather see if The Situation can.

And regarding that whole spiel about the audience booing: I hadn’t even known there any controversy as to whom they booed – I thought it was clear it was the judges’ relatively low scores for Jennifer and Derek. Apparently some thought they were booing Tom Bergeron’s interviewing Sarah Palin?… Did you guys think that?

Football photo by Rob Schumacher, taken from AZCentral. DWTS photo taken from ShowStalker.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 11 Week 2

Yankees had better be doing better when I turn back to YES Network after the show is over. I mean, they’re losing 6-0 to Toronto after three innings!

Rick and Cheryl, Jive: Okay, well this is a dance that definitely suits a smaller body. First, I thought his lifting her skirt to reveal the word “tush” and the spanking, were completely corny, but whatever. I thought his steps were way too far apart. I mean, he’s a large man so his steps are naturally going to be bigger, but it also just lacked polish. He tried though. So far he is much better at Standard than Latin. I still like him.

Now it’s 7-0! Come on!

Florence and Corky, Quickstep: Corky’s so cute 🙂 Well, she had all the footwork down. That pivot turn was gorgeous. The only thing that was a little messed up was the small Charleston section. She was on the wrong foot when they started, I think, and then she got confused and just flubbed it. If you’re on the wrong foot, just go with it – don’t look at the guy doing the opposite footwork as you and freak out; make it look like it was supposed to be that way; like you’re doing alternative steps and not identical! Besides that, she got all the hard footwork down very well. But she looked very stiff in the upper body though, notwithstanding the smile. She needed to arch her upper back a little more. It’s understandable that she’s nervous but it can be painful to watch if the dancer’s really not relaxed.

Brandy and Maks, Jive: I loved that crazy arm crossing sequence! Very cute, and went well with this dance since they were supposed to be struggling with each other. But it seemed like they were really struggling with each other, almost fighting each other, so I’m assuming their bickering in their practice session was for real. I liked watching him but she seemed to lack precision and sharpness, which she shouldn’t — she has a natural talent for dance and she’s too good for that. They need to stop fighting.

Wooo, we got 2 points somewhere! Come on Derek Jeter!

Continue reading “Dancing With the Stars, Season 11 Week 2”