miliosr

Ted Kivitt

Week Eight Ratings

Performances -- 5th (19.4 million)

Results -- 8th (16.9 million)

Miliosr Report - Week Eight

Scores from the Judges

01 Apolo/Julianne 58pts 23.1% 23.1

02 Joey/Kym 55pts 21.9% 21.9

03 Laila/Maks 53pts 21.1% 21.1

04 Ian/Cheryl 47pts 18.7% 18.7

05 Billy Ray/Karina 38pts 15.1% 15.1

Miliosr's Thoughts

Ballroom Round

Truth be told, nothing really stood out for me in a good way (as compared to a bad way -- that means you Billy Ray!) While I normally don't like gimmicky performances, I enjoyed the waltz that Laila and Maks performed -- the riff on Sleeping Beauty presented Laila in a different way. Apolo and Julianne's tango was next best for me but what genius came up with the idea of setting it to "Jesse's Girl"?

Billy Ray and Karina's foxtrot was clearly the worst dance of the round -- Billy Ray basically walked his way through it. My compliments to the singer who sang "Stand By Your Man" -- she actually did right by Tammy Wynette.

Latin Round

There was some seriously crazed music in this round -- a rhumba to John Lennon's "Imagine"? A paso doble to "Oh My Darling Clementine"?? (Which, bizarrely, actually kind of worked!)

I would give this round to Apolo and Julianne's paso doble but I don't think it deserved a perfect score -- Apolo clearly fell at one point.

Should Have Gone

Billy Ray/Karina deserved both spots in the Bottom Two.

The Bottom Two

In the event, the Bottom Two consisted of Billy Ray/Karina and -- shockingly -- Joey/Kym with Billy Ray/Karina leaving.

I don't have too much to say about Billy Ray as he exits the competition. He has wanted to be gone for weeks and no one was happier than Billy Ray was when he got eliminated. So, I'm happy for him.

The real news of the night was Joey and Kym's first appearance under the red light of doom. I often criticize the show for various reasons but I have to say that the production staff handled this news brilliantly on Tuesday night. Tom and Samantha announced -- unsurprisingly -- that Billy Ray and Karina were in the Bottom Two. At this point, I assumed that Ian and Cheryl would be the other pair in the Bottom Two. To my amazement, they were the first couple to be declared safe! (And based on Cheryl Burke's "I-just-won-the-Miss-America-pageant-gasp" when they were declared safe, she and Ian were expecting to be in the Bottom two as well.)

Things got very interesting at this point as the remaining three teams -- Apolo/Julianne, Joey/Kym and Laila/Maks -- looked like they were all going to lose their lunches. I assumed (one again wrongly) that Laila and Maks would now be the other Bottom Two couple. But then Tom and Samantha said they were safe! I was flabbergasted at this point as it seemed inconceivable to me that either Apolo or Joey could be in the Bottom Two but sure enough it was Joey.

I'm not proud of my reaction but I have to say that part of me enjoyed seeing Joey under the red light of doom. The prospect of elimination sure wiped that smarmy look off of his face fast enough!

The various fan boards have been aflame with conspiracy theories about why Joey and Kym wound up in the Bottom Two. My own feeling is that a lot of people assumed Joey would coast to the Final Two and didn't bother to vote for him which, as Paulina Porizkova could tell you, is a surefire way to get eliminated from the show.

Going Forward

We are now left with a very credible Final Four. I really have no clue at this point as to what will happen next. Joey's fans got a HUGE wake-up call this week so I imagine they will be voting in force next week. But you never know until the final elimination is announced.

See you next week!

Week Seven Ratings

Performances -- 5th (tie) (19.0 millon viewers)

Results -- 9th (16.3 million viewers)

Very surprising Bottom Two last night (or at least one-half of it.) I didn't see that coming at all!

I didn't see this posted in any other thread . . .

The current issue of Vanity Fair (Bruce Willis cover) has a one-page feature on Gelsey Kirkland. A beautiful photo of Kirkland in Alexander McQueen couture accompanies the short article by Laura Jacobs.

Miliosr Report - Week Seven

General Thoughts

(1) It was nice to see more Season 2 alumni -- Jerry and Kenny -- return this week for guest appearances. (This in addition to those we've already seen this season -- Drew, Lisa, Stacy.) I can't let go of the magical Season 2 and apparently neither can the show.

(2) We also had a mini-Beverly Hills 90210 reunion this week -- Ian performing and Jason Priestly, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling in the audience. 90210 was never one of my favorite shows but it was fun to see so many of the cast members together again.

Scores from the Judges

The judges awarded 309 points. (Sorry -- I didn't work out the percentages this week.)

01 Joey/Kym 59pts

01 Laila/Maks 59pts

03 Apolo/Julianne 54pts

03 Ian/Cheryl 54 pts

05 John/Edyta 45points

06 Billy Ray/Karina 38pts

Miliosr's Thoughts

Each couple performed two dances:

Laila/Maks -- quickstep/samba

John/Edyta -- foxtrot/rhumba

Apolo/Julianne -- foxtrot/mambo

Ian/Cheryl -- tango/mambo

Billy Ray/Karina -- waltz/samba

Julianne/Karina -- foxtrot/jive

I had some problems with my DVD recording AND what did record contained a weather alert from the local news station so I'm not going to do a blow-by-blow this week. What I did see generally corresponded to the way the judges scored the contestants. The Top Four -- Apolo, Ian, Joey and Laila -- maintained their positions while the remaining second tier contestants -- John and Billy Ray -- didn't manage to make it out of the back of the pack.

Should Have Gone

Based on what I saw, John/Edyta and Billy Ray/Karina should have been in the Bottom Two with Billy Ray and Karina leaving.

The Bottom Two

In the event, the Bottom Two consisted of Billy Ray/Karina and John/Edyta with John/Edyta leaving.

John and Edyta didn't deserve to go quite yet but, as they were never going to crack the Final Four, it was a fair elimination. I must say that John proved to be a gallant competitor. He stepped in as a replacement on short notice and he didn't follow the hammy path that George Hamilton and Jerry Springer blazed. For that he deserves everlasting credit.

Going Forward

Billy Ray can't go soon enough. He knows he is past his sell-by date and no one was more disappointed than he was when John's name was called instead of his during the elimination round. Time to put him out of his misery America!

See you next week -- hopefully the DVD recording and the weatherman won't conspire to defeat me again!

Week Six Ratings

Performances -- 18.9 million viewers (6th)

Results -- 16.6 million viewers (9th)

Miliosr Report - Week Six

General Thoughts

This was the first week in awhile to bring a smile to my face -- largely because of the group swing featuring all of the celebs and pros. It was something of a disaster but it was an entertaining disaster!

Scores from the Judges

The judges awarded 170 pts in total.

01 Apolo/Julianne 28pts 16.5% 16.5

01 Laila/Maks 28pts 16.5% 16.5

03 Joey/Kym 27pts 15.9% 15.9

04 Ian/Cheryl 24pts 14.1% 14.1

05 Heather/Jonathan 23pts 13.5% 13.5

06 Billy Ray/Karina 21pts 12.4% 12.4

07 John/Edyta 19pts 11.2% 11.2

Miliosr's Thoughts

Joey/Kym (samba)

Why did the singer have to butcher the Erasure song? They were one of my favorite bands during the 80s!

I wouldn't rank this as their best but it was full of energy and excitement and Joey managed to rein in the whimsical embellishments.

Heather/Jonathan (paso doble)

Everyone's been worried about how her lower body would fare in this competition but, to me, her upper body has been the real problem -- she has almost no control over it.

This was a valiant effort on Jonathan's part but Heather had neither the proper frame nor the needed dramatic intensity for this dance. And I could have done without her singing along to the song during the dance.

John/Edyta (mambo)

He tries so hard but it's just not happening. And they make an odd contrast on the dancefloor -- it's like watching your dad taking up with the sexy divorcee down the street on the dancefloor of a wedding reception.

Laila/Maks (cha cha cha)

Loved it until they did all the freestyling at the end -- save it for the free dances in the finals people!

Billy Ray/Karina (jive)

Was it even a jive?

He's a complete mess in a technical sense and yet he's oddly endearing in his horribleness. Page the Vatican -- Karina's working miracles in making him even marginally presentable for public consumption.

Apolo/Julianne (rhumba)

Oh no -- the Tucker Carlson chair of doom made its reappearance!

They have great chemistry but I hated all the business with the chair.

Ian/Cheryl (paso doble)

Ugh -- why did the singer have to butcher one of my favorite J.Lo songs?

To borrow a phrase from Arlene Croce -- what is the riddle of Ian Ziering? Why can't he let go on performance nights and show us all who he really is?? He's very easygoing otherwise and yet, in performance, he becomes this tense, jaw-clenching stranger. I have to agree with sidwich -- his best moment in this entire season was in the group swing. Freed from the burden of competition, he could just be himself and we finally saw the real Ian.

Should Have Gone

I would have picked John/Edyta and Billy Ray/Karina for the Bottom Two with Billy Ray/Karina going.

The Bottom Two

In the event, the Bottom Two consisted of John/Edyta and Heather/Jonathan with Heather/Jonathan leaving.

Even though I don't think it was precisely their time to leave the competition, I can't get too worked up about it because they were going to go sooner rather than later anyway. Heather proved herself to be a game performer but her various technical problems (the leg not being the first among them) were their undoing. Still, she should be satisfied that she made it as far as she did given the backlash regarding her failed marriage to Paul McCartney.

Finally, it was nice to see Jonathan make it a little further in the competition. Here's hoping that in the future he will get a partner who will help him make it to the finals.

Going Forward

Barring a miracle (see Smirnoff, Karina), I'm guessing that John and Edyta will go next week. What's not clear to me is who will be joining them in the Bottom Two. Based on past performances, Billy Ray and Karina should be there but I can envision a scenario where Ian and Cheryl make their first appearance under the red light of doom. None of the others strike me as being in much danger of going next week.

See you then!

Week Five Ratings

Performances -- 5th (18.9 million viewers)

Results -- 6th (16.5 million viewers)

Miliosr Report - Week Five

Scores from the Judges

The judges awarded a total of 176 points this week.

01 Apolo/Julianne 30pts 17.0% 17.0pts

02 Laila/Maks 28pts 15.9% 15.9pts

03 Joey/Kym 25pts 14.2% 14.2pts

04 Ian/Cheryl 24pts 13.6% 13.6pts

05 Heather/Jonathan 21pts 11.9% 11.9pts

06 John/Edyta 18pts 10.2% 10.2 pts

07 Billy Ray/Karina 17pts 9.7% 9.7pts

08 Clyde/Elena 13pts 7.4% 7.4pts

Miliosr's Thoughts

Not a lot to add on a couple-by-couple basis as the scores were very fair this week.

Should Have Gone

I would have put Clyde/Elena and Billy Ray/Karina in the Bottom 2 with Clyde/Elena leaving.

The Bottom Two

In the event, Clyde/Elena and Heather/Jonathan ended up in the Bottom Two with Clyde/Elena leaving.

It was Clyde's time to go. He wasn't making any progress as a dancer and he was ready to go. A very fair boot.

Going Forward

With seven competitors left, it has become abundantly clear that there are two tiers in this competition. The top tier consists of Apolo, Ian, Laila and Joey and the secondary tier consists of Billy Ray, Heather and John. I suspect that the next three weeks will be somewhat uneventful in terms of departures as Billy Ray, Heather and John are most likely the next three boots.

I would bet on a Final Four consisting of Apolo, Ian, Joey and Laila. As for the Final Two, I suspect that it will be some combination of Apolo/Joey/Laila.

I have serious doubts that Cheryl will be able to three-peat with Ian. Something seems to be missing from the broth this year -- the soup just doesn't have the same flavor as it did with Drew and Emmitt.

See you next week -- hopefully I'll be more inspired by the dancing to write more!

Week Four Ratings

Performances -- 5th (18.8 million viewers)

Results -- 6th (17.3 million viewers)

Miliosr Report - Week Four

General Impressions

1) Another ho-hum week. With the exception of Joey (and possibly Apolo), none of the celebrities are making progress. (And some are even regressing.)

2) What a pleasure it was to see Drew Lachey return to the show and reprise his "Save a Horse - Ride a Cowboy" routine from Season 2 with Cheryl and the other pros. Seeing him tear up the dance floor made me realize -- again -- just how special the Season 2 celebrities (Drew, Jerry, Stacy, Lisa, George, Tia, etc.) were in comparison to the Season 3 and Season 4 celebrities.

Scores from the Judges

The judges awarded 190 points in total.

01 Joey/Kym 28pts 14.7% 14.7

02 Apolo/Julianne 26pts 13.7% 13.7

03 Ian/Cheryl 24pts 12.6% 12.6

04 Heather/Jonathan 23pts 12.1% 12.1

05 Billy Ray/Karina 21pts 11.1% 11.1

05 Laila/Maks 21pts 11.1% 11.1

07 John/Edyta 16pts 8.4% 8.4

07 Leeza/Tony 16pts 8.4% 8.4

09 Clyde/Elena 15pts 7.9% 7.9

Miliosr's Thoughts

Laila/Maks (paso doble)

This was nothing special and the music didn't help. What is happening to this team? They started out so strong and now they appear to be faltering. Laila actually looks like she is regressing.

Apolo/Julianne (waltz)

His feet were a little "tripped up" at times but this was the second best dance of the night.

Leeza/Tony (paso doble)

More bad music and Leeza's leather bar costume was hideous. Besides my usual complaints of how slow and boring their dances are, I would add that she is completely inflexible.

Ian/Cheryl (waltz)

Yuck to Cheryl's hair extensions.

His rise and fall was merely OK but the bigger problem was (and is) that they have no chemistry. Compare Cheryl's performance with Drew the following night and your eyes will tell the tale.

Edyta/John (paso doble)

Again -- more bad music.

This was too simple and, like Leeza, John's body is just too inflexible. Curiously, his acting failed him in a dance that is highly dramatic.

Clyde/Elena (waltz)

Slow, stiff and simplistic.

Billy Ray/Karina (paso doble)

He's got the sexy but he's no dancer -- his frame is a mess.

Heather/Jonathan (waltz)

The Stones fans must have restormed the costume shop this week -- Heather's dress was very flattering.

Full marks to whoever thought of the music box ballerina pose for Heather -- it was a gimmick but it was an effective gimmick. This was mildly romantic and Heather was a bit more in control this week.

Joey/Kym (paso doble)

Best paso of the night. (They had the only suitable paso music so I'm sure that helped.) Joey's starting to look a little sleeker, too.

Should Have Gone

I would have put some combination of Clyde/Elena, John/Edyta and Leeza/Tony in the Bottom Two.

The Bottom Two

In the event, John/Edyta and Leeza/Tony ended up in the Bottom Two with Leeza/Tony exiting.

Leeza's inflexible body was the chief agent of her ouster but I also think that this type of contestant -- models/beauty queens/entertainment tabloid show hosts -- just doesn't work on this show. Rachel in Season 1, Giselle in Season 2, Willa and Shanna in Season 3 and now Paulina, Shandi and Leeza in Season 4 were all early ousters. I would put this down to a three part mixture of no fan base, modest dancing ability at best and a kind of vacant perfection which, while perfect for their chosen careers, does not endear them to the audience.

Going Forward

Joey and Kym are running away with the competition at the moment. The other teams are not mounting a serious challenge to them and only Apolo/Julianne appear capable of doing so. This will be a very predictable boot order if the other teams don't get themselves in gear.

Week Three Ratings

Performances -- 6th (18.2 million viewers)

Results -- 9th (15.0 million viewers)

Loved the "surprise" guest on last night's results show. (It wasn't that much of a surprise given who the musical guests were.) Sigh -- those were the days (sung in my best Edith Bunker voice.)

Miliosr Report - Week Three

General Impressions

Sort of a slow week this week -- nothing monumentally bad (with the possible exception of Clyde/Elena) but nothing monumentally good either.

Scores from the Judges

The judges awarded 218 points in total.

01 24pts 11.0% 11.0pts Heather/Jonathan

01 24pts 11.0% 11.0pts Ian/Cheryl

01 24pts 11.0% 11.0pts Joey/Kym

01 24pts 11.0% 11.0pts Leeza/Tony

05 23pts 10.6% 10.6pts Apolo/Julianne

06 21pts 9.6% 9.6pts Billy Ray/Karina

06 21pts 9.6% 9.6pts Laila/Maksim

06 21pts 9.6% 9.6pts Shandi/Brian

09 20pts 9.2% 9.2pts John/Edyta

10 16pts 7.3% 7.3pts Clyde/Elena

Miliosr's Thoughts

Shandi/Brian (jive)

Shandi showed mild improvement this week but to no avail -- Brian continued to choreograph far beyond her ability to execute.

John/Edyta (tango)

John's acting was decent (as one would expect) -- the dancing not so much.

Clyde/Elena (jive)

He's such a gentle man but the dancing ability just isn't there. Even his own mother found it hard to say good things about his dancing!

Laila/Maksim (tango)

Their tango would have been great if only they hadn't broken hold for such an extended period in the middle of the dance. The judges had no choice but to mark them down for it.

Apolo/Julianne (jive)

Loved their salute to the John Travolta/Uma Thurman dance in Pulp Fiction. I agreed with the judges that this wasn't the cleanest dance ever but still -- the performance energy and infectious high spirits were tremendous. This was underscored.

Joey/Kym (tango)

First, the Star Wars theme is completely unsuitable for the tango. Second, the judges are right when they criticize Joey's frame -- he hunches over too much and his posterior sticks out too often. Third, he needs to find a new tailor for his suits -- he looked like he was drowning in fabric.

I didn't love it as much as the judges did but I'm giving them a pass this week because the music was so unsuitable. (And their tango actually looked better when I turned the sound off.)

Ian/Cheryl (jive)

Ian was more expressive below his pectorals this week but I still feel that he loses steam as the dance progresses. (Due to a camera screw-up, I couldn't see the mistake they made at the end of their dance but it must have been severe as all the judges commented on it.)

Leeza/Tony (tango)

Snore. Yes, they danced it cleanly. But once again, they were slow and boring. I thought this was terribly overscored. (And I wish someone would tell Leeza that this is a dance competition and not a voyage toward spiritual enlightenment.)

Heather/Jonathan (jive)

The Beatles fan club must have staged a coup in the costume department this week -- I hated Heather's dress. It was like something Jane Powell would have worn in one of her lesser 50s musicals. I kept waiting for Vic Damone to come striding out to serenade her.

On the plus side, I have to say that Heather throws herself into things wholeheartedly. Her negatives are fairly severe, however. Her footwork was far from crisp and her upper body was a chaotic mess. An "A" for effort but Heather said it best herself backstage -- "The mambo was much better." This was overscored.

Billy Ray/Karina (tango)

This wasn't half bad. He looks so much better with the hair pulled back and they had very good dramatic chemistry. Bruno was right, though -- Billy Ray was counting and it was obvious.

Should Have Gone

As with last week, I would have picked Clyde/Elena and either Leeza/Tony or Shandi/Brian for the Bottom Two.

The Bottom Two

In the event, the Bottom Two consisted of Leeza/Tony and Shandi/Brian with Shandi/Brian leaving the competition.

I wasn't surprised in the slightest by this ouster. Shandi had several severe handicaps coming into the competition:

1) no name recognition,

2) a bland, pageanty personality, and

3) modest dance ability.

Add to this a partner who always choreographed beyond her abilities and who never managed to dial down his overboisterous personality and you had a perfect recipe for elimination. A deserving boot.

Going Forward

Based on this weeks results, it looks like Leeza/Tony are next on the chopping block. Depending on how Heather/Jonathan are polling, there is a very real possibility that the first four celebrity amateurs out the door will all be female. If this happens, then we'll be left with an interesting scenario where Laila will be the sole remaining female competitor. I would think this would be a perfect scenario for her as she could cruise along in the competition while the six remaining celebrity males destroy one another in the popular vote.

See you next week!

Week Two Ratings

Performances -- 5th (20.4 million viewers)

Results -- 10th (tie) (17.9 million viewers)

Miliosr Report - Week Two

General Impressions

Musical guest Dionne Warwick's voice is holding up relatively well. If only she had sung "Theme from the Valley Of the Dolls" instead of the two songs she sang!

Scores from the Judges

01 27pts Laila/Maks

02 26pts Apolo/Julianne

03 24pts Heather/Jonathan

03 24pts Joey/Kym

05 22pts Ian/Cheryl

06 21pts Billy Ray/Karina

06 21pts John/Edyta

06 21pts Leeza/Tony

06 21pts Paulina/Alec

10 20pts Shandi/Brian

11 18pts Clyde/Elena

Combined Scores - Weeks 1 and 2

Each team's final two-week score = number of points earned from the judges divided by the total number of points awarded (451):

01 Laila/Maks = 50pts = 11.1% = 11.1pts

02 Joey/Kym = 48pts = 10.6% = 10.6pts

03 Apolo/Julianne = 47pts = 10.4% = 10.4pts

04 Ian/Cheryl = 43pts = 9.5% = 9.5pts

05 Heather/Jonathan = 42pts = 9.3% = 9.3pts

06 Paulina/Alec = 40pts = 8.9% = 8.9pts

07 Shandi/Brian = 39pts = 8.7% = 8.7pts

08 John/Edyta = 38pts = 8.4% = 8.4pts

09 Leeza/Tony = 36pts = 8.0% = 8.0pts

10 Clyde/Elena = 34pts = 7.5% = 7.5pts

10 Billy Ray/Karina = 34pts = 7.5% = 7.5pts

Interestingly, once the scores from both weeks are combined and divided by the total number of points, it becomes clear that a tremendous amount of bunching occurred in terms of the judging. This would prove to be of fatal consequence to the eliminated team.

Miliosr's Impressions

The male celebrities performed the quickstep and the female celebrities performed the mambo.

Apolo/Julianne

Decent enough with good speed and reasonable footwork.

Shandi/Brian

This was very strange to watch. It was as if he was performing in one dance and she was performing in another. Her non-personality continues to grate and he is much too overenthusiastic (which is really saying something for this show.)

Clyde/Elena

Nice guy but this just wasn't happening. Apart from the height differential between Clyde and Elena, he is not very sprightly and he has a frame that is about as durable as jello.

Leeza/Tony

First of all sweetheart, spare me the starlet kiss into the camera at the beginning of the dance.

To me, this was the worst dance of the night -- soooooo slow and basic. I don't know what the judges were thinking giving them 21pts.

Ian/Cheryl

I was sort of neutral about this. They performed it well enough but Ian looks very tense to me when he dances.

Paulina/Alec

The dance was pleasant enough but should a mambo be pleasant? And Paulina proved she is no Rita Hayworth.

Billy Ray/Karina

What a difference pulling the hair back made -- he actually looked handsome without all the starlet hair in his face.

He pulled it together this week but his frame came and went and he looked awfully tense out on the floor.

Heather/Jonathan

Tactless question -- is that his real hair?

The costume designer for this week must have been a Stones fan because Heather looked great in her black bell bottom pants. The performance energy was great and the backflip killed but her upper body was all over the place.

John/Edyta

He looked suave and in-the-moment but the overall effect was one of sluggishness. I just don't think a 59-year-old man will be able to keep up with the younger and more limber competitors.

Laila/Maksim

I was not as sold on this as a lot of other people were. I wonder if Laila is an example of the "bright pupil" phenomenon discussed on the Jean-Guillaume Bart thread. (I'll bet none of you ever expected to see Laila Ali and Jean-Guillaume Bart mentioned in the same sentence, now did you? )

Joey/Kym

This was very good from a dance perspective but, boy, Joey's non-stop whimsical embellishments sure are killing the effect for me.

Should Have Gone

Based on two performances, I would have been satisfied with a Bottom Two consisting of some combination of Leeza/Tony, Shandi/Brian or Clyde/Elena.

The Bottom Two

In the event, the Bottom Two ended up consisting of Paulina/Alec and Shandi/Brian with Paulina/Alec departing.

No way was it time for this team to go -- they were consistent middle-of-the-pack performers. But that, unfortunately, is what I think killed them. As I discussed above, there was an incredible amount of bunching between teams after the judging. That meant the audience vote was even more decisive than usual. Paulina herself admitted she didn't have a strong fan base going into the competition and I don't know that their middle-of-the-pack performances motivated anyone to vote for them. It's a shame that they didn't last longer as Paulina has a lovely personality and she would have added a lot to the tone of the competition as it moved forward.

See you next week!

One side note:

I had an hour-and-a-half wait between the time the performance ended and my train departed. So, I hung around the stage door with all the teenage girls to see some of the dancers leave. By far the biggest autograph draw for the teenage girls was Sascha Radetsky. He was very sweet with them -- he stopped and signed every autograph even though he had a cab waiting for him.

Oh Charlie, your fan base is as strong as ever -- when are you going to give your adoring public Center Stage 2?

(And no, I didn't ask anyone for an autograph!)

My problem with trying to replicate works of literature -- scene-by-scene -- on ballet stages is that often times a certain amount of cheating takes place.

This occurred to me again after seeing MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet on Sunday at the Opera House in Chicago. The more I think about it, the more I think that the audience did more of the heavy lifting -- in terms of imposing narrative order on the goings-on -- than the choreographer did. What I mean by this is that there are certain times in Romeo and Juliet where the audience has to fill in the blanks regarding what is transpiring onstage either through familiarity with the play or referencing the page-long program notes. This strikes me as a kind of cheat because I believe -- strongly -- that a dance work should have a life of its own irrespective of the source material.

Let me put on my flame retardant suit before all the MacMillan fans start responding!

Last week's premiere finished fourth for the week with 21.8 million viewers. (This represents the biggest premiere episode yet for the series.)

A disappointing elimination last night although, the more I think about it, perhaps not unexpected.

More analysis and commentary to come later in the week. In the interim, I would direct everyone to sidwich's excellent discussion of the week 2 performances.

Seeing ABT perform MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet yesterday left me all the more impressed with Limon's achievement with The Moor's Pavane. He resisted the trap of recreating a classic play largely through mime instead of dance and he also created a work that has a life independent of the play that spawned it. The beauty of The Moor's Pavane is that you don't actually have to have read Othello to understand what is happening onstage.

Just looking out of the window

Watching the asphalt grow

Thinking how it all looks hand me down . . .

Another year, another ugly view of downtown Chicago as my train rolled into the station . . .

I attended the Sunday matinee with Herman Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes. The Opera House was very full -- not a complete sellout but very close.

Here are some general thoughts:

Romeo and Juliet

As a ballet, I found this disappointing. I guess I just have a bias against ballets where there is SO MUCH miming going on and SO LITTLE actual dancing. But that's my limitation and not ABT's.

Prokofiev's Score

I had never heard this score in its entirety -- my head is still ringing! I couldn't help but think that this score was the inspiration for the music for the Star Wars movies. It was so bombastic at points that I expected Darth Vader to march onstage!

Herman Cornejo

This was only (I think) his second performance in this part so I don't want to say too much about his acting. He was neither great nor terrible -- he needs time to grow into it and I think he will.

His dancing (what little of it there was) was splendid. Since I came and went with the story, I found myself watching him in an abstracted way (much like I did with Maxim Beloserkovsky last year) and was very, very impressed with what I saw.

Xiomara Reyes

In terms of her physical appearance, she was almost ridiculously typecast as Juliet. Again, as with Cornejo, I found it difficult to really assess her dancing as Juliet's dance content was so episodic. What we saw was fine but Juliet doesn't strike me as a great part for a ballerina who sees herself as a dancer-dancer instead of an actor-dancer.

Sascha Radetsky and Craig Salstein

Frankly, I though these two (especially Salstein) stole the show. Radetsky is looking very sleek these days and his dancing was strong and manly. He is also an actor-dancer of considerable depth. So why isn't he getting an opportunity to play parts like Romeo when he is clearly up to the task?

As good as Radetsky was, I have to say that Salstein was even better. What marvelous comic timing he has -- even Lucille Ball would envy it! Of all the performers on stage, I would have to say that he gave the most fully-rounded performance. Every movement, every gesture, every nuance -- everything was pitch perfect.

I was also very impressed with his dancing. He does not have the perfect male ballet body that we have all come to expect -- he has a very "mesomorphy" build. As a result, he does not have (and probably will never have) the most perfect line. Still, the way he guts through these physical limitations and presents himself cleanly and unaffectedly is quite impressive. A+ buddy!

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this well enough but, as I have said, I'm not a big fan of ballets that are mimed versions of classic plays. My bottom line would be that, if you're going to stage a three-hour version of Romeo and Juliet, then give me Shakespeare's dialogue. Anything less is just a pale substitute.

Sleeping Beauty next year . . .

The Miliosr Report - Week One

What can I say? I'm like a moth to the flame with this show.

General Impressions

1) Thank God ABC picked a better crop of celebrity competitors for Season Four. As I'm sure you all remember, I really didn't like most of the Season Three celebrities. Too many of them gave off the impression that they were using the show as an audition for their own sitcom or to land commercial endorsements. This new crew seems like they're in it more for the fun of it than anything else.

2) The scoring was much better as well. I wonder if ABC had a talk with the judges and told them to tone down the ridiculously inflated scores from Season Three.

3) I'm happy that there was no elimination this week and that the dancers will get two opportunities to dance before there is an elimination.

4) Great opening number with the pro dancers.

Scores from the Judges

01 24pts Joey/Kym

02 23pts Laila/Maksim

03 21pts Apolo/Julianne

03 21pts Ian/Cheryl

05 19pts Paulina/Alec

05 19pts Shandi/Brian

07 18pts Heather/Jonathan

08 17pts John/Edyta

09 16pts Clyde/Elena

10 15pts Leeza/Tony

11 13pts Billy Ray/Karina

Miliosr's Impressions

The male celebrities performed the cha cha cha and the female celebrities performed the foxtrot.

Ian/Cheryl

Not a bad first effort but the judges were right -- his body is expressionless below his pectorals.

Paulina/Alec

I thought she was lovely -- beautiful posture, elegant lines, wonderful extensions. Her biggest problem right now is that she has to remember it's not just about performing steps -- it's about giving a rounded performance.

And how nice was it to see Alec back? Sigh.

Billy Ray/Karina

Oh dear. The best I can say is that he was no Kenny Mayne or Tucker Carlson. (Talk about damning with faint praise!)

I don't know what else to say other than he needs a haircut. He's too old to be sporting male Country&Western starlet hair.

Leeza/Tony

First off, her dress did her no favors -- it made her look stout and matronly. As for her dancing, Leeza doesn't look very graceful and her extensions were very poor. Easily the worst of the women.

Joey/Kym

Wow -- Kym's body just kills. (And I say that as someone who isn't even attracted to women.)

As for Joey, he is the clear frontrunner coming out of the gate but he faces two hurdles going forward. First, he needs to clean up his technique -- he was very sloppy at times. Second, he should be aware that being the frontrunner on this show doesn't always translate into final victory (as John O'Hurley, Stacy Keebler and Mario Lopez would all testify.) If he doesn't develop beyond his current skill level, then he may run into difficulty later.

Laila/Maksim

She moves much better than I expected her too but I found that her very muscular upper body killed some of the romantic effect of the dance. (Also, she should save the glitter around her bosom for the Latin dances -- it was a little too gaudy for the foxtrot.) Still, she is probably the strongest contestant after Joey.

John/Edyta

What a relief that the token "older gentleman" in the competition didn't resort to the kind of shtick that George Hamilton and Jerry Springer employed so liberally.

I didn't think he was so hot on the night but, since he was a replacement and started two weeks later than the other competitors, I'm giving him a pass for this week.

Shandi/Brian

This was passable but no more -- she has no personality and her extensions were merely OK.

I have a feeling she is not long for the competition. Let me spell it out for you:

no name recognition + fake beauty pageant smile + male partner using too much spray tan = early elimination

Clyde/Elena

He has a lovely personality but I think the height difference between him and Elena will be the ruin of this team. He was passable enough but too often he came across like your not terribly coordinated father dancing with your sister at her wedding reception.

Heather/Jonathan

Someone in the wardrobe shop must be a big Beatles fan -- she was costumed very unflatteringly. Again, another passable performance but at times I felt like she was channeling Madeline Kahn in a parody of ballroom dancing.

Apolo/Julianne

His feet were pretty good but he scrunches over too much. His background in speedskating (where competitors spend most of their waking hours in a low crouch) may be a real impediment here.

Should Have Gone/Would Have Gone

As I said, there was no elimination round this week. But if there had been an elimination, I would say that Billy Ray/Karina should have gone but Shandi/Brian would have gone.

See you next week!

Lovely. I bought a ticket for the Sunday matinee show to see Hallberg/Murphy. Then I bought a ticket for the Saturday matinee when Hallberg/Murphy got bumped to Saturday. Now I find out that Hallberg/Murphy won't be dancing at either matinee. Grrrr . . .

Regarding the casting of Annie Get Your Gun, someone once suggested that the singer/comedienne Betty Garrett would have been a strong choice to replace Judy Garland. (Garrett was under contract to M-G-M at the time.) I don't know if M-G-M ever gave serious consideration to Garrett since the blacklist of the time was about to snare her in its nets. (Her husband was Larry Parks.)

ITA w/ Cliff and Treefog.

I bought a ticket for Sunday so I could see Hallberg/Murphy. When they got moved to Saturday afternoon, I bought a ticket for that day. Now I find out that Hallberg/Murphy are back to Sunday. Thanks a lot ABT!