November 7: Goober Central
Dancing with the Stars 3, November 7: Goober Central by Jill Jones -- 11/08/2006 There are only three dancers left, which means two things - lots of filler and lots of goobers from the judges. In addition, there is plenty of great dancing to be had, as well as fun with Joey's grandparents! Jill has all the details! Welcome to the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars! Last week, Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel, the most precious of all people, were eliminated from the competition. Three couples remain and the show is still scheduled for 90 minutes. Let’s see how the producers can entertain us on the way to the finals! (I’m guessing that the celebrities will either cover peace in the Middle East or dealing with toe jam on the dance floor.) Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris do something totally crazy; they review some of the most unforgettable performances from the results show. Basically, the acts are shown in almost their entirety. Hey, who ordered the filler? To spare you, I’ll give you my highlights… Tom Jones purring, Maksim Chmerkovskiy shimmying, and Edyta Sliwinska wearing her leg warmers. (Has anyone noticed that she sports them like no one else does? She inspires me to put on a pair, but I wouldn’t subject anyone to that sight.) Finally, the planets align; Tom and Samantha welcome us, and introduce the couples. The crowd goes wild. Up first are Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez. (Is it wrong that her name makes me thirsty?) Mario tells us that he wants to do the tango; this is the dance that earned him a lot of negative comments from the judges for breaking holds and breaking the rules. He goes back to his high school with Karina for a visit and asks everyone to vote for him. They are performing to “Whatever Lola Wants.” The dance begins with him dragging Karina toward him from a seated position. Karina looks amazing during the dance and Mario’s posture is excellent. This dance really suits the two of them. Their lines are great and their moves are sharp. Len Goodman states that this was Mario’s best dance ever. Wow! Bruno Tonioli goes on and on, and basically says that he loved the performance. Carrie Ann Inaba claims that the routine was the best of the competition. All three judges give the couple a goober. We have our first triple goober of the season. Sigh. I have issues with “perfection.” The night is young though, so I’ll get over it. Cheryl Burke and Emmitt Smith are now ready to perform. Cheryl explains that they are doing the cha cha cha and the waltz. Cheryl raises her voice at Emmitt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of her yet. Her technique is certainly working with Emmitt though. I think they made it further in the competition than anyone would have imagined when it started. They’re dancing the waltz to “At this Moment.” The couple looks elegant and the routine is romantic. As he has done many times, Emmitt manages to be light on his feet. His moves aren’t crisp, but they are becoming more and more polished as the weeks go on. Appropriately, Emmitt gives Cheryl a hug when they finish. Carrie Ann comments on their chemistry and says they make people believe in magic. Len says the dance was great. Bruno tells Emmitt that he is an American wonder. Carrie Ann gives the performance a nine (and is booed). Len and Bruno give it a goober. Cheryl and Emmitt have 29 points. Next up are Edyta Sliwinska and Joey Lawrence. Joey makes a funny about how there are two bald heads and a pair of dimples in the semi-finals. He then talks to his grandfather who is just as funny. Edyta and Joey go to Disney to get some support. They are doing the quickstep to “42nd Street.” Edyta’s and Joey’s footwork is in sync. Of course, the dance is fast paced; it is the quickstep after all. At one point, Joey breaks into what seems to be more tap or jazz than the quickstep. The routine ends with Joey saluting in honor of his grandfather. Bruno says that Joey’s tribute to the golden age of Hollywood was wonderful. Carrie Ann explains that she loved the routine, but didn’t like the fact that the couple broke its hold midway through it. Len says that the breaking of the hold went along with the dance, so he has no problem with it. He also tells Joey that the dance should get him into the finals. Carrie Ann gives Edyta and Joey a nine (and is booed again). Len and Bruno give them a goober. Edyta and Joey have 29 points. Karina and Mario are now set to dance again. They’re performing the cha cha cha to “Bad.” The routine is sexy and executed beautifully, but there’s something I don’t like about it. Perhaps it’s the music… or maybe Karina’s leather pants. Carrie Ann once commented on Mario’s lack of fluidity. It is evident here that he still has problems with it, but because of the dance he is performing, I don’t think it is too big of an issue. Carrie Ann earns more boos by telling Mario that she took a point off his score because he performed a Michael Jackson move. Len says that there was too much popping in the dance. Bruno tells Mario that he was bad… but in a good way. Carrie Ann and Bruno award the dance a goober, while Len awards it a nine. For their second dance, Karina and Mario have 29 points. Cheryl and Emmitt are ready with their second performance of the night. They’re doing the cha cha cha to “Dance to the Music.” Emmitt has on a sleeveless shirt. Mommy. He does a great job keeping up with the fast pace of the dance and also looks to be having a wonderful time. Once again, Cheryl choreographed a fun routine. Emmitt even throws in some funky chicken moves. Overall, this dance is my favorite of the night. What do the judges think though? Bruno tells Emmitt that the audience eats him. Burp. He also says that he is irresistible. Carrie Ann shouts, “Ride, Emmitt, ride!” Len says that he loved the cha cha cha. All three judges give the routine a goober. Cheryl and Emmitt have the second triple goober of the night. They are thrilled. Instead of allowing them to enjoy the moment, Samantha asks Cheryl and Emmitt what the couple going home tomorrow night will feel like. Can we please make her take a basic journalism class? Yoko isn’t even here to calm me down; she’s too busy looking at herself in a mirror. Edyta and Joey are ready with the final performance of the evening. They’re dancing the rumba to “Eternal Flame.” The routine is sexy and Edyta bends over a lot, but the moves bore me. Technically, the dance was executed well, but there was no spark (no pun intended). I hope for Edyta and Joey’s sake, the judges feel differently. Len gives props to the house band and singers, and then tells Joey he did an excellent job. Bruno says a lot, but I miss most of it. Let’s just say he thought Edyta and Joey were superb. Carrie Ann says that Joey was loose and then refers to the men in the competition as hot. I’m assuming that means she enjoyed the performance. Again, all three judges give the couple a goober. Edyta and Joey have a triple goober. Joey is fired up… and gracious as always. It just occurred to me that each couple is different in style. Karina and Mario are sexy; Edyta and Joey are classic; Cheryl and Emmitt are fun. I think this makes for an interesting competition. The standings for tonight have been determined as Tom very excitedly tells us that everyone is tied for first place: RANKING STAR SCORE 1 Emmitt 59 1 Joey 59 1 Mario 59 It pains me to say this, but I think that Edyta and Joey are not advancing to the finals. This has nothing to do with their talent, but rather with the way that the votes will go. What do you think? Be sure to e-mail your thoughts to me and more importantly, join me tomorrow for the results show. The excitement is building; can you feel it?
Dancing with the Stars 3, November 7: Goober Central by Jill Jones -- 11/08/2006 There are only three dancers left, which means two things - lots of filler and lots of goobers from the judges. In addition, there is plenty of great dancing to be had, as well as fun with Joey's grandparents! Jill has all the details! Welcome to the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars! Last week, Monique Coleman and Louis Van Amstel, the most precious of all people, were eliminated from the competition. Three couples remain and the show is still scheduled for 90 minutes. Let’s see how the producers can entertain us on the way to the finals! (I’m guessing that the celebrities will either cover peace in the Middle East or dealing with toe jam on the dance floor.) Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris do something totally crazy; they review some of the most unforgettable performances from the results show. Basically, the acts are shown in almost their entirety. Hey, who ordered the filler? To spare you, I’ll give you my highlights… Tom Jones purring, Maksim Chmerkovskiy shimmying, and Edyta Sliwinska wearing her leg warmers. (Has anyone noticed that she sports them like no one else does? She inspires me to put on a pair, but I wouldn’t subject anyone to that sight.) Finally, the planets align; Tom and Samantha welcome us, and introduce the couples. The crowd goes wild. Up first are Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez. (Is it wrong that her name makes me thirsty?) Mario tells us that he wants to do the tango; this is the dance that earned him a lot of negative comments from the judges for breaking holds and breaking the rules. He goes back to his high school with Karina for a visit and asks everyone to vote for him. They are performing to “Whatever Lola Wants.” The dance begins with him dragging Karina toward him from a seated position. Karina looks amazing during the dance and Mario’s posture is excellent. This dance really suits the two of them. Their lines are great and their moves are sharp. Len Goodman states that this was Mario’s best dance ever. Wow! Bruno Tonioli goes on and on, and basically says that he loved the performance. Carrie Ann Inaba claims that the routine was the best of the competition. All three judges give the couple a goober. We have our first triple goober of the season. Sigh. I have issues with “perfection.” The night is young though, so I’ll get over it. Cheryl Burke and Emmitt Smith are now ready to perform. Cheryl explains that they are doing the cha cha cha and the waltz. Cheryl raises her voice at Emmitt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of her yet. Her technique is certainly working with Emmitt though. I think they made it further in the competition than anyone would have imagined when it started. They’re dancing the waltz to “At this Moment.” The couple looks elegant and the routine is romantic. As he has done many times, Emmitt manages to be light on his feet. His moves aren’t crisp, but they are becoming more and more polished as the weeks go on. Appropriately, Emmitt gives Cheryl a hug when they finish. Carrie Ann comments on their chemistry and says they make people believe in magic. Len says the dance was great. Bruno tells Emmitt that he is an American wonder. Carrie Ann gives the performance a nine (and is booed). Len and Bruno give it a goober. Cheryl and Emmitt have 29 points. Next up are Edyta Sliwinska and Joey Lawrence. Joey makes a funny about how there are two bald heads and a pair of dimples in the semi-finals. He then talks to his grandfather who is just as funny. Edyta and Joey go to Disney to get some support. They are doing the quickstep to “42nd Street.” Edyta’s and Joey’s footwork is in sync. Of course, the dance is fast paced; it is the quickstep after all. At one point, Joey breaks into what seems to be more tap or jazz than the quickstep. The routine ends with Joey saluting in honor of his grandfather. Bruno says that Joey’s tribute to the golden age of Hollywood was wonderful. Carrie Ann explains that she loved the routine, but didn’t like the fact that the couple broke its hold midway through it. Len says that the breaking of the hold went along with the dance, so he has no problem with it. He also tells Joey that the dance should get him into the finals. Carrie Ann gives Edyta and Joey a nine (and is booed again). Len and Bruno give them a goober. Edyta and Joey have 29 points. Karina and Mario are now set to dance again. They’re performing the cha cha cha to “Bad.” The routine is sexy and executed beautifully, but there’s something I don’t like about it. Perhaps it’s the music… or maybe Karina’s leather pants. Carrie Ann once commented on Mario’s lack of fluidity. It is evident here that he still has problems with it, but because of the dance he is performing, I don’t think it is too big of an issue. Carrie Ann earns more boos by telling Mario that she took a point off his score because he performed a Michael Jackson move. Len says that there was too much popping in the dance. Bruno tells Mario that he was bad… but in a good way. Carrie Ann and Bruno award the dance a goober, while Len awards it a nine. For their second dance, Karina and Mario have 29 points. Cheryl and Emmitt are ready with their second performance of the night. They’re doing the cha cha cha to “Dance to the Music.” Emmitt has on a sleeveless shirt. Mommy. He does a great job keeping up with the fast pace of the dance and also looks to be having a wonderful time. Once again, Cheryl choreographed a fun routine. Emmitt even throws in some funky chicken moves. Overall, this dance is my favorite of the night. What do the judges think though? Bruno tells Emmitt that the audience eats him. Burp. He also says that he is irresistible. Carrie Ann shouts, “Ride, Emmitt, ride!” Len says that he loved the cha cha cha. All three judges give the routine a goober. Cheryl and Emmitt have the second triple goober of the night. They are thrilled. Instead of allowing them to enjoy the moment, Samantha asks Cheryl and Emmitt what the couple going home tomorrow night will feel like. Can we please make her take a basic journalism class? Yoko isn’t even here to calm me down; she’s too busy looking at herself in a mirror. Edyta and Joey are ready with the final performance of the evening. They’re dancing the rumba to “Eternal Flame.” The routine is sexy and Edyta bends over a lot, but the moves bore me. Technically, the dance was executed well, but there was no spark (no pun intended). I hope for Edyta and Joey’s sake, the judges feel differently. Len gives props to the house band and singers, and then tells Joey he did an excellent job. Bruno says a lot, but I miss most of it. Let’s just say he thought Edyta and Joey were superb. Carrie Ann says that Joey was loose and then refers to the men in the competition as hot. I’m assuming that means she enjoyed the performance. Again, all three judges give the couple a goober. Edyta and Joey have a triple goober. Joey is fired up… and gracious as always. It just occurred to me that each couple is different in style. Karina and Mario are sexy; Edyta and Joey are classic; Cheryl and Emmitt are fun. I think this makes for an interesting competition. The standings for tonight have been determined as Tom very excitedly tells us that everyone is tied for first place: RANKING STAR SCORE 1 Emmitt 59 1 Joey 59 1 Mario 59 It pains me to say this, but I think that Edyta and Joey are not advancing to the finals. This has nothing to do with their talent, but rather with the way that the votes will go. What do you think? Be sure to e-mail your thoughts to me and more importantly, join me tomorrow for the results show. The excitement is building; can you feel it?