88 replies to this topic

[cubanmiamiboy]

Helene, on 31 August 2012 - 01:26 PM, said:

Alley looks great!

She does indeed.  She is a beautiful woman.

[miliosr]

And now for an analysis of the men's field . . .

With 4 past winners (Helio, Drew, Apolo, Emmitt) and 2 runner-ups (Joey, Gilles), the men's field is head-and-shoulders above the women's field:

Helio/Chelsie:  To my mind, Helio was the undeserving winner of Season 5.  (Mel B. should have won.)  Basically, his then-partner Julianne Hough, who was hot off her win w/ Apolo the previous season, dragged Helio (who was mugging for the camera all the way) across the finish line.  He won't be so lucky this time as Chelsie is no Julianne and his schtick won't cut it against so many other celebrities with enormous fan bases.  I would be surprised if he makes it to the halfway point.

Joey/Kym:  While Joey wasn't to my taste in his initial season, Kym and he had a strong working relationship which I see continuing here.  Kym is a three-time winner of the show (twice in the US, once in Australia) so she has what it takes to get her celebrity partner to the Final Four.  The only question mark for this pair is how much of the old N'Sync fan base still exists to support Joey.  I predict they make it to the halfway point but are gone soon after that.

Drew/Anna:  Drew's partnership with Cheryl in his original season was one of the all-time great partnerships on this show.  So, he will be fighting against people's rosy memories of what was with Cheryl rather than what is with Anna.  Since his win in Season 2, Drew has remained active in the Dancing with the Stars world (subbing as co-host, participating in the tours).  His skill set should still be there as should some measure of his fan base from Season 2.  What remains to be seen is how he works with Anna.  When she is sympatico w/ her celebrity partner, the results can be magic.  When she isn't, the results are pure torture.  If these two can work well together, they can make it to the Final Four.  If not, they will be an early boot.

Apolo/Karina:  Like Shawn, Apolo is a previous winner, is ridiculously fit, is used to taking corrections, and still has a large fan base thanks to his Season 4 win (w/ Julianne).  Like Drew, he will rise-or-fall based on how well he gels with Karina.  I would say they are a lock for the Final Four barring a complete absence of chemistry.

Gilles/Peta:  On paper, this team is the team to beat.  Gilles is one of the best male celebrities to ever compete on this show and he has one of the most vocal and diehard fan bases.  It also helps him that his fan base is still carrying a chip on its collective shoulder because of his close loss to Shawn in Season 8.  His fans should vote until their fingers bleed.  BUT, I don't how things will go with Peta.  She won't have to dumb down the choreography for him and their contrasting good looks should work in their favor.  Who knows, though, if the chemistry will be there?  I say he is a lock for the Final Four unless the partnership with Peta is a complete bust.

Emmitt/Cheryl:  He will go far on his bright smile, easy charm and Dallas Cowboys fan base.  Whether he can crack the Final Four is another story.  With so many other stellar performers on this edition, he may not be able to coast along like he did at times on his original season.  To my eyes, Cheryl is no longer what she once was and she has taken on an oversexualized sheen which I find off-putting.  Still, she is one of the more popular pros and she may be able to work her magic once again to get Emmitt past the halfway mark.  I'm not sure what happens after that.

To summarize, I expect to see Gilles/Peta, Apolo/Karina and either Drew/Anna or Emmitt/Cheryl to join Shawn/Derek in the Final Four.  But you never know until the votes are counted.

See you on the 24th!

[perky]

Thanks Miliosr for taking the time to post your thoughts on the All-Star pairings. I agree with pretty much every thing you said.

Bristol/Mark and Helio/Chelsea are my first picks to go home. The former because she's a bad dancer (among other reasons) and the latter because while he's a better dancer than Bristol and not nearly as annoying, he won purely on Julianne's razzle dazzle charm and smoke and mirrors choreography.
The Apolo/Karina pairing looks exciting to me. I adore Karina. I could spend hours watching Slavik and her dancing during their competing days on Youtube, and Apolo has charm, dancing skills and a strong work ethic. I can't wait to see them together.
I think Drew/Anna could work very well. She's mellowed a bit from her early days on the show and has a dry sense of humor that will pair well with Drew's.
Gilles/Peta is the wild card for me. He is a fantastic dancer and deserved to win his season. If he had gotten Cheryl again this time it would be a total no brainer (barring injury) for them to be in the top 3. The chemistry between Peta and Gilles has got to be there from the beginning and Peta has to step up the difficulty of her routines for him. She's got a contestant that can handle it.

For the women I'm curious to see how Kelly/Val do. I started watching from the second season and so have no idea who she is and how she dances. Val is a fantastic dancer and hasn't really been given an opportunity to shine with his two previous partners so I hope for his sake that thier partnership really rocks and they go far.  
I have a soft spot for Melissa/Tony. I like them both, but I do see what other people say when they mention Tony's choreography being dull and uninspiring. When he danced with Elena during his competing days he made some wonderful, exciting routines, so he needs to treat Melissa as a professional partner and really step it up.
I liked Pam as well during her first time on the show and thought she should have gone much farther. She had real potential. Plus, she's got Tristan this time! Lucky girl.

I am looking forward to this season and expect to see some great dancing. I think the pairings that are new actually have an advantage over the ones that have already danced together. They don't have to live up to thier fan's expectations and knowledge of what they can do. Starting a clean slate with a new partner seems the better option.

[sidwich]

There are some very intriguing match-ups this season, and it's going to be interesting for a lot of different reasons.  I've always maintained that this show isn't so much about the dancing per se because after all, if you want to see good dancing you can watch the Ohio Star Ball and some other competitions on PBS.  It's really about the journey of learning dance, which is in itself a metaphor for how we take on new challenges and extend ourselves.

What makes the All-Star season intriguing is that all of the stars are on for a second time, and theoretically, they at least have some baseline knowledge of ballroom dancing.  (I realize that this more true for some than others...).  Will this make the season more about the dancing?  And how will a season of celebs who all have some fanbase play out.  I think the jury's still out.

It's also interesting in the new dynamic with the partners.  Some of the pros are much better teachers/choreographers than others.  How is that going to play out with new students?  For example, Anna Trebunskaya is probably the best all-around female dancer in the professional field.  (Karina is still probably the best female dancer overall, but across the 10 dances Anna is definitely the best).  But she is a terrible teacher.  She really is the classic naturally gifted dancer who can't communicate what comes easily to her.  But Cheryl already gave Drew Lachey a very, very good grounding basics.  Can Anna take someone who already has a foundation of the basics and bring them up another level?  That's going to be interesting to watch...

Conversely with people like Cheryl and Tristan who are at their best guiding beginners, are they going to be able to step it up a level with their charges this season?

How will someone like Shawn Johnson take to another teacher like Derek?  And how are all of Shawn's injuries which have piled up over the last few years going to affect her ability to dance?

And Cheryl, Cheryl, Cheryl....  I was watching old video of her from Season 2 dancing with Louis, and as much as I always am down on her for letting her technique deteriorate to such a state, even I was struck by how different she looked then.  It really was like watching a completely different dancer, and it was sad.  (And I've wondered if it's part of why Louis doesn't really dance with her on the show anymore.  Part of it is probably because of his relationship with Karina, but Louis never let Cheryl get away with cheating her technique like she does now.  Maybe it's his instinct as her former coach.)

[miliosr]

The scores from the first night of competition:

01 24.5pts  Emmitt/Cheryl (cha cha cha)
02 24.0pts  Gilles/Peta (foxtrot)
03 22.5pts  Sabrina/Louis (cha cha cha)
04 22.0pts  Shawn/Derek (foxtrot)
04 22.0pts  Apolo/Karina (cha cha cha)
06 21.5pts  Helio/Chelsie (foxtrot)
06 21.5pts  Drew/Anna (foxtrot)
06 21.5pts  Kelly/Val (cha cha cha)
09 21.0pts  Melissa/Tony (foxtrot)
10 20.5pts  Joey/Kym (cha cha cha)
11 19.5pts  Bristol/Mark (cha cha cha)
12 19.0pts  Kirstie/Maks (foxtrot)
13 17.0pts  Pamela/Tristan (cha cha cha)

I would be shocked if Pamela isn't the first boot tomorrow.  In no way was she in the same league as the other competitors (even the weaker ones like Kirstie and Bristol) tonight.  Her cha cha cha was sooooo slow it was painful to watch.  What's worse, she appeared completely disconnected from her partner, the other contestants and the show itself last night.  Quite frankly, she seemed to me to be high as a kite.  So disappointing as I liked her in her regular season and was hoping she would make a good showing here.  But, it wasn't meant to be.

I have no idea who will be the other contestant in the Bottom Two (if the show does a true Bottom Two, that is.)  On the merits, I would say Kirstie or Bristol should be there.  But I suspect one of the middle-of-the-packers like Helio, Joey or Melissa may be there instead.

More thoughts on Night 1 later . . .

[Bonnette]

miliosr, on 25 September 2012 - 03:39 AM, said:

I would be shocked if Pamela isn't the first boot tonight.  In no way was she in the same league as the other competitors (even the weaker ones like Kirstie and Bristol) tonight.  Her cha cha cha was sooooo slow it was painful to watch.  What's worse, she appeared completely disconnected from her partner, the other contestants and the show itself last night.  Quite frankly, she seemed to me to be high as a kite.  So disappointing as I liked her in her regular season and was hoping she would make a good showing here.  But, it wasn't meant to be.

I have no idea who will be the other contestant in the Bottom Two (if the show does a true Bottom Two, that is.)  On the merits, I would say Kirstie or Bristol should be there.  But I suspect one of the middle-of-the-packers like Helio, Joey or Melissa may be there instead.

I agree with your assessment. Kirstie and Bristol were not in the same league as their competitors, but at least they were engaged; Pamela was, as you say, disconnected from her partner, and I felt pained on Tristan's behalf. I suppose the fan base will be the determinant between Pamela, Kirstie and Bristol, but from the standpoint of technique Pamela is weakest.

[miliosr]

Some random thoughts about last night:

First, congratulations to host Tom Bergeron for his Emmy win on Sunday as Best Reality TV Show host.  He really is the glue that holds this show together with his quips, ad-libs and ability to keep the show moving.

I spotted many celebrities (and some former contestants) in the audience last night: Chaz Bono, Tony Geary and Nancy Lee Grahn from General Hospital, Florence Henderson, Nick Lachey, Susan "Cindy Brady" Olsen, Todd and Sarah Palin, Jane Seymour and Kristi Yamaguchi.

Speaking of Kristi, I can only imagine what she was thinking watching Pamela's glassy-eyed self-immolation on live television.  Considering she didn't even get an invite to return, she must have been shaking her head at this one person who did get invited.

The surprise of the night for me was Kelly, who performed with much more verve and fire than I remember her performing with during Season 1.  She may last longer than I thought if she can keep her stamina up over the course of the season.  As she pointed out last night, she is the only former contestant who has never had to perform for a long season.  (Her season was only six weeks.)  We shall see if she can keep it together for that long.

There was a very telling moment after Shawn and Derek finished performing.  As they entered the celebriquarium, Mark was very visible in the background looking majorly depressed.  I can imagine he would be given that Derek got Shawn and he got stuck with Bristol.

I wanted to gauge my eyes out seeing Helio mug for the camera as he came striding down the staircase during introductions.

I still stand by my predictions for the finals.  If Shawn, Apolo, Gilles and Emmitt can keep the quality high, then they will be the Final Four.  (My guess is this foursome represents ABC's preferred final foursome with Shawn/Gilles/Emmitt being the preferred final threesome and Shawn/Gilles being the preferred final duo due to the rematch factor.)

The music is still terrible and so is Brooke Burke!

[miliosr]

Week One - Elimination One:

Bottom Two: Pamela/Tristan and Drew/Anna w/ Pamela/Tristan going home.

No surprise at all as to Pamela's elimination: weak fan base + lousy performance + strange behavior = early elimination.  She was marginally more coherent on Tuesday night but only marginally so -- I still thought she was behaving strangely.  I was also shocked to see how gaunt she looked in her interview segment w/ Tom Bergeron.  She looked so different from the "full figured gal" (in the Jane Russell sense) that brought her to fame.  I fear there are troubled waters there.  In any event, hers was a deserving boot.

The big surprise from last night was seeing Drew and Anna in the Bottom Two.  I suspected a middle-of-the-packer might be in jeopardy but I never suspected it would be Drew.  It may have been a case of his fans just assuming he was safe (a bad assumption in an All-Stars season) and not voting.  But the problem may also have been that Drew and Anna didn't catch the fire on Monday night like some of the other new pairings.  They will have to get it together right quick because there isn't much slack left for them in terms of easy eliminations.

[Helene]

Did they do a lot of repeats on the results show?  My PVR decided that Monday's show was somehow not part of the series.

Bummed about Tristan, but I hope he gets lots of performance slots.

[Bonnette]

Helene, they only did one repeat: Emmitt's and Cheryl's. I don't think it was top-of-the-leaderboard quality, but it was worlds apart from some of the others.

Miliosr, I was surprised, too, by Drew and Anna being in jeopardy.

Pamela appears to be in a tailspin, and Tom Bergeron managed her utterances and behavior with the professional aplomb and geniality he is known for. Emmy well deserved!

[Helene]

Thank you, Bonnette.

They are so lucky to have Tom Bergeron.

[miliosr]

Helene, on 26 September 2012 - 04:48 PM, said:

My PVR decided that Monday's show was somehow not part of the series.

Bummed about Tristan, but I hope he gets lots of performance slots.

Others had the same problem you did.  From what I understand, you have to program your DVR for 'Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars' specifically or DVRs won't record the show.

I had high hopes for Tristan and Pamela but, based on what we saw from her, he's better off being an early elimination.

Bonnette, on 26 September 2012 - 05:18 PM, said:

Pamela appears to be in a tailspin, and Tom Bergeron managed her utterances and behavior with the professional aplomb and geniality he is known for. Emmy well deserved!

Helene, on 26 September 2012 - 05:23 PM, said:

They are so lucky to have Tom Bergeron.

The show is nothing without Tom.  It's not just that he's funny and quick-witted.  He also has the enviable capacity to manage difficult moments like the ones we saw with Pamela this week.

[Jayne]

I've read elsewhere that after Pamela's original season, she was invited to other DWTS type shows all over the world, to dance in one shot "exhibition appearances".  She made about $200k / show.  So even though she was eliminated first, now she can *say* she was on the All Star show, and make a new worldwide appearance tour with Tristan (assume he gets paid slightly less).  

I hadn't really thought about this money making "angle", but she is very popular worldwide, and gives international shows a ratings boost when she appears.   Anyway, it seems like a more respectable gig than appearance fees for partying at Casino clubs or posing yet again for Playboy.  I give credit to the costume designers, that gold dress was amazing!

Many of the performers spoke about technique, could someone critique the first week performances based on the technical side?

[sidwich]

Jayne, on 27 September 2012 - 08:17 PM, said:

I've read elsewhere that after Pamela's original season, she was invited to other DWTS type shows all over the world, to dance in one shot "exhibition appearances".  She made about $200k / show.  So even though she was eliminated first, now she can *say* she was on the All Star show, and make a new worldwide appearance tour with Tristan (assume he gets paid slightly less).  

I hadn't really thought about this money making "angle", but she is very popular worldwide, and gives international shows a ratings boost when she appears.  

Yes, the stars are all paid fees for appearing, and worlwide, Anderson is still a very recognizable star.  Baywatch was one of the highest-rated shows internationally ever.  I know people have questioned why Anderson was asked back to the show when (more stable) better dancers like Kristi Yamaguchi weren't asked back, and I think the answer is simple.  They already had the female athlete slot filled with Shawn Johnson already, and they needed to cast a "bombshell."  Hence, Pamela Anderson.

Speaking of Shawn, if they were looking to get good results, pairing her with Derek probably was a mistake in hindsight.  Derek is too tall for her, and makes her look even shorter and rounder than she is.  Mark's a few inches shorter and it's not nearly as much of a problem.  Derek harping on her shortness is annoying, but it's probably on his mind because it's a problem that he's still trying to work around.

[miliosr]

Week Two - Scores:

I must say I thought I had heard everything as far as the music for this show was concerned.  Boy, did the show prove me wrong last night when Joey and Kym danced their quickstep to a showtune version of Radiohead's "Creep"!

01  26.0pts  Sabrina/Louis (quickstep)
02  25.5pts  Gilles/Peta (jive)
03  25.0pts  Shawn/Derek (jive)
04  24.0pts  Apolo/Karina (quickstep)
05  23.5pts  Melissa/Tony (jive)
06  23.0pts  Helio/Chelsie (jive)
07  22.5pts  Joey/Kym (quickstep)
07  22.5pts  Drew/Anna (jive)
07  22.5pts  Emmitt/Cheryl (quickstep)
10  22.0pts  Kelly/Val (quickstep)
11  21.0pts  Kirstie/Maks (jive)
12  18.0pts  Bristol/Mark (quickstep)

On the merits, Bristol and Kirstie should be in the Bottom Two tonight.  However, I suspect we will see one of the middle-of-the-packers joining either Bristol or Kirstie under the red lights of doom.  In particular, tonight should be a good test for Melissa's relative strength in the contest.  Tony and she finished in the middle of the pack and they also performed first on the night.  All the ingredients are there for an appearance in the Bottom Two.

In honor of Dancing With the Stars' use of "Creep" as ballroom dance music, I'll leave you with another mismatch (starring none other than Radiohead's own Thom Yorke!)