miliosr

Ben Huys guested with the Madison Ballet on Valentine's Day as part of the Madison Ballet's 'Evening of Romance' program. He performed (w/ Christina Fagundes) in a pas de deux ("The Man I Love") from Who Cares? and the White Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake. I liked him a lot in the excerpt from Who Cares? -- he was sleek, strong and sexy -- and he and Fagundes were dynamite together. I was neutral about the Swan Lake pas de deux but that wasn't really his fault. It was the fourth pas de deux of the night and, by that point, I was "pas de deux-ed out". It didn't help that his costume was unflattering to him. Madison Ballet borrowed the costumes from ABT and it showed. His costume made him look top-heavy and he absolutely isn't. The dancing was fine but I preferred Huys and Fagundes in "The Man I Love".

Ratings for Week Six: Thursday (performances) -- 20.0 million viewers (11th) Friday (results) -- 14.6 million viewers (20th) The Olympics pushed the show down in the rankings even though the Thursday show was watched by 20 million people. Much more intriguing to me is that the Thursday show beat Survivor this week in terms of viewers and ranking -- Survivor finished 12th with 18.8 million viewers.

The Miliosr Report - Week Six Overall Impressions This week made me so, so nostalgic for the 80s -- Dynasty, Dirty Dancing, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". I don't care what anyone says -- the 80s were great! And if you ask Joan Collins (a.k.a. Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan) herself, I'll bet she'll tell you the exact same thing!!! Scoring by the Judges 01 Drew/Cheryl 01 Stacy/Tony 03 Lisa/Louie 04 Jerry/Anna 05 George/Edyta Miliosr's Impressions Jerry/Anna (paso doble) Their paso doble really suffers when it is compared to Drew and Cheryl's paso doble from several weeks back. I would have liked this a lot more if Jerry had done the bit with the cape instead of Anna. I also thought there was too much standing around and what dancing there was was too simplistic. Jerry is a nice guy but it is clear he is not keeping pace with Drew, Stacy and Lisa. Drew/Cheryl (tango) I hated this on first viewing and I couldn't figure out why. I then watched it without the sound and I loved it. So, this is a case where the inappropriate music (badly sung) undercut the performance. It didn't feel like a tango with the sound on but it was absolutely a great tango when you watched it with the sound off. George/Edyta (rhumba) Oh Blake Carrington, I don't what to say that I haven't said already. You're the last of an almost extinct breed of Hollywood showmen but Len was right: there just wasn't enough content. Lisa/Louie (quick step) "9 to 5" is my favorite Dolly Parton song so I was favorably disposed to them from the get-go. Imagine my surprise when I found myself loving the routine. Lisa looked a little uncertain with her footwork from time-to-time but, otherwise, they were dynamite together. My favorite performance of the night (just ahead of Drew and Cheryl) and their best performance of the competition. Stacy/Tony (jive) I didn't love this and, unlike with Drew and Cheryl, I can't give an adequate explanation as to why not. Maybe because their dance last week was so outstanding that anything they did this week would seem disappointing in comparison. Not bad at all -- I would put them a few steps behind Drew and Cheryl for the night. (The five teams also did the Viennese waltz.) This was a big improvement over the group dance from last week. Using an Alicia Keys song for the Viennese waltz was novel although I found myself missing the Season One insanity of setting the Viennese waltz to "I Got You Babe"! The Bottom Two No complaints at all about George and Edyta being in the cellar. I would have put Jerry and Anna in the Bottom Two instead of Lisa and Louie, though. The Bootees The audience loved him (and it would seem that everyone on the show loved him too) but it was time for him to go. He added a lot to the general hilarity of the show but he was long past his sell-by date. The Final Four I have to say that I'm satisified with the Final Four. I think Lisa and Louie are in real trouble, though. It's very possible that Jerry has been leading the audience vote since Week One and, if that's the case, then Lisa and Louie have their work cut out for them this week. I don't think she has the kind of built-in fan base that Jerry, Stacy and Drew have and, if you read the fan boards, her personality tends to be much more polarizing than the other three. Based on what we have seen so far, I think Lisa and Louie deserve Final Three but that is by no means a certainty at this point. Stay tuned!

Ratings for Week Five: Thursday (performances) -- 18.8 million viewers (10th) Friday (results) -- 16.0 million viewers (12th) This was an interesting week for the show because the 12th season of Survivor debuted against Dancing with the Stars on Thursday. I was curious to see what impact Survivor would have on the show's ratings. As it turned out, Survivor didn't have much impact at all. While Survivor finished ninth on Thursday night with 19.2 million viewers, Dancing with the Stars only dropped slightly from its pre-Survivor average.

I'm glad you're enjoying the reports, Starr -- I certainly enjoy writing them! Helene -- You make a good point about the "10s". I guess I'm just of the opinion that what's good can always be better (although I have to say that Stacy and Tony were very good indeed.) Thanks for the feedback about Barry Manilow!

The Miliosr Report - Week Five Overall Impressions 1) What happened to the music this week? It was as if the singers took a collective dive off of a vocal cliff. Is the noise within the studio so loud that they cannot hear themselves and the band? 2) Quite a contrast between last week's performing guests -- The Pussycat Dolls -- and this week's performing guest -- Barry Manilow. I don't mean to be snotty by writing this but does Barry Manilow still have a big following? Seriously, does he?? Scoring by the Judges 01 Stacy/Tony 02 Drew/Cheryl 03 Lisa/Louie 04 George/Edyta 05 Jerry/Anna 06 Tia/Maksim Miliosr's Impressions (All the teams did the samba) Stacy/Tony The biggest knock against Stacy has been her icy demeanor and Tony's tendency to bring the choreography to a screeching halt so he can "pose" her and show off her shapely legs. I thought they answered their detractors this week -- there was much less posing and Stacy actually looked like she was having a good time. For me, this was the best dance of the night and their best dance of the entire competition. That being said, the judges' scores were ridiculous. Three "10s" for the first couple of the night? And Carrie Ann did her credibility no good by saying that Stacy is dancing better than some of the professionals. Oh really? George/Edyta First off, George looked very handsome in his tux. He looked like he travelled in time from a Betty Grable musical circa 1942! To his credit, George did more dancing this week and he showed that he travels well across the floor when he actually dances. His problem (as I see it) is still the same -- George is almost doing performance art at this point. He's presenting the concept of dancer rather than actually dancing. Lisa/Louie I don't agree with Carrie Ann's criticism that they were doing more of a disco routine than a samba routine -- the moves were there. Not my favorite routine of the night but a nice meat-and-potatoes routine to carry them along in the competition. Tia/Maksim This is sad for me to write but I thought this was the worst performance of the night (even worse than George's performance art.) Two things went wrong. Maksim blundered by having so little dancing at the start of the dance -- Tia more or less stood there for a long time. I wrote on my pad (yes, I am a dork who writes my impressions on a pad): "When is the dancing going to start?" Another problem related to Tia's flexibility. Due to her recent pregnancy, she doesn't have the same flexibility as Stacy and Lisa and, as a result, she lacked serious amplitude during the performance. This is a tough thing for me to write but I think not having her normal strength back really hurt her this week. Jerry/Anna This was mildly better than George and Tia's performances but not by a lot. Jerry has a great personality and I think it will carry him into the Final Four but I still say his dancing has no real flow to it. Carrie Ann was right when she said that he is still too self-conscious out there. Drew/Cheryl Another fine performance (fast/good footwork/crisp) although I thought Stacy and Tony got the better of them this week. (The six teams also did a group salsa number) Oh dear. This must be the Dancing with the Stars equivalent of the Partridge Family-style group singalongs on American Idol. All I can say is that the best part of this was watching all the drama (Anna and Maksim arguing over floor space) at the rehearsal. Sorry guys -- better luck next week with the group Viennese waltz (no doubt set to Cher's Greatest Hits!) The Bottom Two I can't object to Tia/Maksim and George/Edyta being in the cellar. Both teams were clearly the worst of the week. The Bootees My preference would have been for George and Edyta to go based on the premise that Tia and Maksim have done more actual dancing (and done it better) over the last five weeks than George and Edyta. Still, Tia and Maksim were living on borrowed time -- they were in the cellar three of the last five weeks. Given that this is an audience participation show, competitors must gain traction with the audience (especially if they don't have a built-in fan base like Jerry, Stacy and possibly Drew) or face getting booted. Tia and Maksim never managed to make much headway with the audience and so (even though I hate to see them go) it was their time. Next Week I suspect George and Edyta will go next but I'm not so sure what happens after that. Tune in next week to find out!

Ratings for Week Four: Thursday (performances): 19.4 million viewers (season high) -- 6th for the week (season high) Friday (results): 14.0 million viewers -- 18th for the week

Helene -- maybe a better way to put it is that a Master P victory over Tia would have killed the audience's credibility. Just my two cents worth!

The Miliosr Report - Week Four Overall Impressions I don't think I like the hour-long results show. There was a lot of padding this week. And I'm not so sure that a quasi-burlesque act like The Pussycat Dolls belongs on a family show like this. Scoring by the Judges 01 Drew/Cheryl 02 Stacy/Tony 02 Lisa/Louie 04 Tia/Maksim 05 Jerry/Anna 06 George/Edyta 07 Master P/Ashly Miliosr's Impressions George/Edyta (paso doble) Zorro, the Gay Blade returns! At this point, George is more comic relief than anything else. He is too stiff from age and injuries to compete with the younger contestants. Still, while he's no longer a good dancer he will always be a great showman. Tia/Maksim (foxtrot) Something looked "off" to me with her footwork but I loved the lush, romantic feel they brought to this. I would rate this as a split decision. Master P/Ashly (paso doble) No better or worse than prior weeks, really. He was still galumphing around the stage like Herman Munster. Far and away the worst performance by any of the celebrities. Stacy/Tony (foxtrot) My reaction to this is almost the flip side to my reaction to Tia and Maksim. She had great technique -- control, footwork, posture -- but I found her dancing cold. If you could marry Stacy's technique with Tia's romantic air . . . Drew/Cheryl (paso doble) First of all, the singer butchered the vocal to "Thriller". Despite the bad singing, this was the dance of the night for me. Drew never entirely mastered the proper upper body carriage for this but it didn't really hurt the overall flow of the dance -- it was great fun! And the "zombie dance" quotation from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video was a witty touch. (Anyone who watched MTV during the 80s will know what I'm talking about.) Jerry/Anna (foxtrot) Jerry is my hero this week for agreeing to Anna's suggestion to take a ballet class to help his posture issues. So refreshing to see him taking ballet instruction and not reacting in a negative way! The ballet instruction appeared to help as his posture was much better this week. The biggest problem he had (and has had from the beginning) is that there is no "flow" to his dancing -- everything is a series of individual steps that never coheres into anything. Lisa/Louie (paso doble) I wasn't as bowled over by this as the judges were. Maybe I missed something but I found it disjointed in parts. The Bottom Two Master P and Ashly absolutely belonged in the Bottom Two so I have no complaints that they wound up there. I would have put George and Edyta in the cellar instead of Tia and Maksim. George is funny and he seems like he's having a great time with this but the dancing just wasn't of the same quality as that of Tia and Maksim. The Bootees Evicting Master P and Ashly was long overdue. As Samantha Harris herself pointed out in the interview segment, Master P was only practicing five hours each week (compared to the much heavier practice regimens of the other contestants.) At this stage in the competition, you simply cannot practice that sparingly and hope to compete with the other celebrities who are killing themselves in an effort to win this competition. If he made it to the next around over a more clearly talented dancer like Tia, it would have killed the show's credibility. An extremely deserving boot. Next Week With six teams left, we're down to five talented couples and one comic relief team (George and Edyta). My Final Four prediction at this point is Drew/Cheryl, Stacy/Tony, Jerry/Anna and Lisa/Louie. But my predictions are seldom correct to we'll have to watch the show to find out!

Ratings for Week Three: Thursday (performances) -- 19.0 million viewers (season high) (9th for the week) Friday (results) -- 15.4 million (Friday night high) (17th for the week)

The Miliosr Report - Week Three Overall Impressions I thought this was a great week for the show in terms of the music, the costumes and the overall feel of the show. The dancing was all over the place quality-wise but at least we're starting to see a shake-out in terms who has the goods and who doesn't. Scoring by the Judges 01 Drew/Cheryl 01 Stacy/Tony 03 Tia/Maksim 04 Lisa/Louie 05 George/Edyta 05 Giselle/Jonathan 07 Jerry/Anna 08 Master P/Ashly Miliosr's Impressions Jerry/Anna (jive) I thought they took a big dip in quality this week. Jerry started slouching again and those hips of his were missing in action. This was just blah. Giselle/Jonathan (tango) Another big blah. I rewatched this several times and I still can't remember the routine. The dancing was adequate but the overall effect was negligible. Drew/Cheryl (jive) To me, this was the highlight of the night. It was fast and it was fun. She was crisper in the footwork than he was but then she's a professional dancer and he isn't. George/Edyta (tango) He is such a ham but that actually works to their advantage. His age and injuries hurt the dance quality but his comic flair makes up for it. He doesn't have a prayer in Hell of winning the competition but I hope he sticks around for a few more weeks. He adds something to the show. Lisa/Louie (jive) I agree with the judges -- this was Lisa's best performance. She looked relaxed for once and the speed and footwork were excellent. Stacy/Tony (tango) She had the best lines/holds of any of the celebrity competitors and her dramatic appearance (aided by one of the best costumes I've ever seen on this show) really helped sell this. I didn't love them as much as I loved Drew and Cheryl but that's no slight on Stacy and Tony. Another fine performance. Master P/Ashly (jive) To be fair, he was trying this week and he seems to have had a personality transplant from weeks one and two. That being said, this was clearly the worst performance of the night and I don't see any signs that he's improving. Len was right in everything he said but, as we'll see below, I think he made a mistake in being so harsh. Tia/Maksim (tango) I would put them neck-and-neck with Stacy and Tony. A very dramatic performance which emphasized Tia's strengths and minimized her weaknesses. Good to see them getting out of the basement. The Bottom Two As usual, I disagree -- strongly -- with the voting. My picks for Bottom Two would have been Master P/Ashly and Jerry/Anna. Instead, we got Giselle/Jonathan and George/Edyta. In Master P's case, I have several theories as to why he's still in this competition. My first theory is that there is a segment of the viewing audience that thinks he's doing a great job. My more likely theories are that (a) his fan base of rap fans are carrying him along, and (b) Len created a huge wave of sympathy for him by being so critical. This has happened before on competitive reality TV shows (particularly on American Idol) where a judge rips into a contestant and the audience responds with an outpouring of votes. I suspect something similar happened this week. The Bootees Giselle and Jonathan did not deserve to be booted at all but I think they knew they were in danger once they finished in the middle of the pack with the judges. Giselle herself said that she didn't have the fan bases of the other competitors and that she couldn't afford an average performance. Too bad for Jonathan -- this is his second season of having a partner with no fan base. I did some quick calculations and it looks like Master P finished no worse than 4th (!!!) in the audience vote. Next Week As Master P continues his improbable advance, ABC must be sweating bullets about P going deep in the competition. The controversy helps the show this season but, if he advances over clearly more talented dancers, it destroys the show's credibility in future seasons.

In the latest Ballet Review there's an article about Martha Hill ("Martha Hill: The Early Years") containing the following passage: "When confronting a threat (such as Lincoln Kirstein's attempt at a School of American Ballet takeover at Juilliard, . . . ), her strategies were unparalleled in their genius." Does anyone know more about this takeover attempt?

Here are the ratings from Week Two: Thursday (Performances) -- 17.4 million viewers (7th!!!) Friday (Results) -- 13.7 million viewers (20th)

The Miliosr Report - Week Two The miliosr report will appear in abbreviated form this week. The full report will return for Week Three. (Is anyone actually reading these?) Overall Impressions In contrast to Week One, I thought the men were stronger as a whole (w/ the exception of Master P) than the women. I can't decide if the women were just flat this week or if the faster dance for the men made the women look slow in comparison. The Bootees Based on actual dance content, I thought Master P and Ashly deserved to be booted over Tatum and Nick. Master P was mildly more effortful this week (although his treatment of Ashly's gift to him did him no good in my eyes) but he was clearly the worst dancer of the nine celebrity dancers. It wasn't Tatum's time to depart BUT the time was fast approaching when the three female competitors w/ similar fanbases -- Tia, Tatum and Lisa -- would start eating into each other's audience vote (a similar scenario happened on Season Three of American Idol.) Mindful of that, I am comfortable w/ Tatum's departure.

Here are the ratings from Week One: Thursday (Performances) -- 17.5 million viewers (tied for 11th) Friday (Results) -- 12.9 million viewers (25th) A shortened version of the miliosr report will appear later this week . . .

My itinerant wanderings in support of the Limon Dance Company continued this past weekend as I attended the company's Friday evening (01/13) performance at the Power Center on the University of Michigan campus. (The company was there for three performances -- their first perfomances in Ann Arbor since November 1969 (!!!)) The Power Center seats 1,400 and, with the exception of some empty seats on the extreme left and right of the main floor, it was a very full house. The program consisted of five dances and, to my mind, was a model of what modern dance repertory programming should be. For those keeping score at home, Kurt Douglas and Kristen Foote are back with the company (both were on leave during the November performances in Washington, DC) but Charles Scott was no longer listed as a company member and the company notified the audience in a program insert that Brenna Monroe-Cook, who was still listed as a company member in the program, would not be dancing during the Ann Arbor engagement. So, without further ado, here are my impressions: Evening Songs (Jiri Kylian, 1987) I wrote about this piece in my write-up of the Limon Company's performances in DC in November and my impression of it hasn't changed. It is a gentle, lyrical piece that serves as a nice warm-up for what is in store. The analogy I would use would be dipping your toe in a warm bath and discovering that it's just the right temperature! Angelitos Negros (Donald McKayle, 1972) This is a solo extract from a much longer McKayle dance suite called Songs of the Disinherited. The dance is set to a Roberta Flack song of the same name and displays a strong affinity with flamenco. It served as an ideal vehicle for the company's most senior dancer -- Roxane D'Orleans Juste -- and her unsupported downward diagonal balances (which were a mighty feat of strength) brought gasps from the audience. This dance racheted the intensity of the audience response up a notch from Evening Songs and really got everyone "into" the evening. I did feel that there were some static sections to this piece (not a reflection on the dancer) and I was left wondering what it would look like in its natural setting -- as part of Songs of the Disinherited. Still, this was an admirable dance performed by an admirable dancer -- it is difficult to find too much fault. Chaconne (Jose Limon, 1942) This lyrical solo set to Bach is Jose Limon's oldest surviving dance. I thought Raphael Boumaila gave a beautiful rendering of the choreography. He has magnificent upper body carriage and it was the magnificence of this carriage that left me with the after image of him as a regal and dignified bullfighter. The dance is abstract so I don't know why I made the mental connection to bullfighting but that is what I took away from it. This dance went over very well with audience and you could feel the intensity of the evening continue to build. (INTERMISSION) The Moor's Pavane (Jose Limon, 1949) Jose Limon's most celebrated dance, set to Purcell, made a welcome return for this performance. On the plus side, I thought the dancing was exquisite. The four dancers beautifully captured the dynamic shadings and modulations of the pavane as it slowly disintegrates under the stress of the participants' various intrigues and emotional upheavals. It was also nice to see it on a medium-sized stage instead of the opera-house stages where it is usually seen (to its disadvantage.) I did have one negative reaction to the performance and it is not inconsiderable. While the dancing was lovely and was set off to advantage by the size of the stage, I felt that the performance as a whole lacked the kind of grand theatricality that this dance demands. Of the four dancers, only Raphael Boumaila as The Moor came close to displaying the larger-than-life quality that the original Limon Dance Company used to display as a matter of course in this work. I feel churlish writing this as I quite liked the performance. I just think that what was great could be greater still with the right kind of charisma emanating from the dancers. I may be asking for the impossible, though, as I do believe that grandly theatrical dancers like Jose Limon are born and not made. All that being said, the audience loved, loved, LOVED this piece and it set things up perfectly for the final piece. (INTERMISSION) Concerto Six Twenty-Two (Lar Lubovitch, 1986) This piece -- set to Mozart -- was tremendous and fit the company perfectly. I could go on and on about this dancer or that dancer but, really, everyone was tremendous in it and, when the dance came to its dynamic conclusion, the audience erupted in a loud and sustained standing ovation. Having seen the Limon Dance Company on three occasions in the last three years, I have to say that the company is in excellent shape as it heads into its 60th aniversary season (2006-07) and the centenary of Jose Limon's birth (2007-2008). As a unit, the dancers represent a highly flexible instrument that can handle just about everything that comes their way. The challenge, as I see it, for company director Carla Maxwell is to decide what she wants the company to be as it moves forward. Is it primarily a repository for the works of Limon and Doris Humphrey (who was conspicuously absent from all three engagements I saw?) Or is it a true modern dance repertory company performing works from every era of the modern dance? (And, if it's the latter, does the Limon/Humphrey repertory suffer as a result?) I'm not sure I know what the answers are but then that's why she gets paid the "big money" -- to figure these things out!

Helene -- we'll have to agree to disagree about the extent of Master P's effort. I would have been willing to give him a pass IF he had shown much interest in the contest. But he gave off this "I could care less" vibe that rubbed me the wrong way (especially in comparison to people like Lisa Rinna and Jerry Rice who seem hellbent on winning the competition.) But I agree with you that this week will tell the tale.

The Miliosr Report - Week One Fortified by my new diet of bonbons and chilled blush wine, I have returned with the latest edition of the Miliosr Report. As usual, the report is not meant to be a comprehensive discussion of every aspect of the show. Instead, it is meant to give some insight into who is rising and falling in the competition. Overall Impressions (1) On the whole, I thought the women were quite strong during week one. The men on the other hand were all over the map in terms of ability and even desire. At the conclusion of Thursday night's show, I thought that none of the women would be in danger of being booted for at least several weeks. But, as we will find out later in the report, that was a mistaken conclusion. (2) The music was marginally better in Episode One than it was in all of Season One. I had another vision, though, of George Balanchine in Heaven saying, "Not only could I have set Vienna Waltzes to "I Got You Babe" [see Season One Miliosr Report] but think how much better Vienna Waltzes would have been if I had had Suzanne Farrell waltzing beautifully away while Aretha Franklin belted out "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" from the orchestra pit! Suzanne would have gotten that Kennedy Center honor years earlier if I had!!" Scoring by the Judges 01 24 pts. Drew/Cheryl 02 23 pts. Giselle/Jonathan 02 23 pts. Tatum/Nick 04 22 pts. Stacy/Tony 05 21 pts. Jerry/Anna 06 20 pts. Tia/Max 07 19 pts. Lisa/Louie 08 18 pts. George/Edyta 09 13 pts. Kenny/Andrea 10 12 pts. Master P./Ashly Miliosr's Impressions George/Edyta (Cha Cha Cha) George seemed very stiff to me but as he is supposed to have several broken ribs I'm willing to give him a pass for now. He needs to tone down the faces, though. I know they are his trademark but it comes across like he's imitating John O'Hurley from Season One. Lisa/Louie (Waltz) This was solid but unspectacular. Lisa didn't look like she was always in control but Louie did a good job covering for her. I think she will be better in the Latin dances as her personality is more suited to them. Kenny/Andrea (Cha Cha Cha) An "A" for effort but he can't dance and it was too much like a comedy routine. Kenny does get honorable mention for introducing the Batusi into the competition, though. Stacy/Tony (Waltz) Another solid performance by a female competitor. Stacy has a nice line and beautiful leg extensions but at times I would have liked for them to move a little more. Nevertheless, she'll be around for a while. Drew/Cheryl (Cha Cha Cha) To me, they were the most musical and confident team out there. They also told a story with their dance. The high marks from the judges were deserved. Tia/Max (Waltz) First off, Tia deserves all kinds of credit for going on this show after giving birth recently and not being at "fighting weight". A nice, safe performance (which may have been the problem when it came to the audience vote.) Master P/Ashly (Cha Cha Cha) She was wonderful and he sucked. I realize he was a replacement and didn't have much time to prepare but there is no exuse for not trying. That being said, all you aspiring dancers out there should take note of Ashly because she showed what it means to be a professional. In a professional dancing career, there will be times you just have to suck it up in front of an audience and act like you're having the time of your life. That's what she did on Thursday. Giselle/Jonathan (Waltz) I thought she was the best of the women and the dance had some of the best actual waltzing in it. Jonathan is good at making his partners look good. Jerry/Anna (Cha Cha Cha) This was an up-and-down affair for me. Full marks to Jerry for bringing his hips into the dance so memorably. Demerits for hunching over and not using his impressive height to his advantage. Second best of the men. Tatum/Nick (Waltz) Again, another nice performance from one of the female competitors. I would put Tatum behind Giselle but ahead of Lisa, Tia and Stacy. She was quite elegant and she brought acting flair to the performance. The Bottom Two Kenny and Andrea deserved to be in the bottom two. But it was an injustice that Tia and Max ended up in the bottom two while Master P and Ashly were safe. Master P deserved to be in the bottom two for his lack of effort!!! I suspect that several factors led to Tia's placement in the bottom two: (1) Sympathy vote for Ashly for having to deal with such a dud of a partner. (2) Tia and Max not really distinguishing themselves from the other waltzing teams. As I said before, their performance was nice but not especially memorable. Also, they danced in the middle of the pack so I think it was easy for the audience to forget about them. The Bootees I have mixed feelings about this boot. I absolutely, positively thought that Master P should have gone (and I think he wanted to go as well.) That being said, Kenny and Andrea were clearly the second worst team and, even if they had survived this vote, they would have gone sooner rather than later based on the higher standard of performance we have seen this season in comparison to the same point in Season One. It wasn't their time but I can live with them being voted out. Next Week I will be on the road next week so the Miliosr Report will probably only appear in abbreviated form. See you then!

Speaking of Rita Hayworth, Gilda was on television this morning and it's as smashing as ever. The dialogue between Hayworth and Glenn Ford crackles with sexual tension and the Gilda/Johnny/Balin triangle was way ahead of its time -- it's hard to believe this threesome made it past the Hays Office. Hayworth should have done more film noirs. This movie and The Lady From Shanghai showed her off to her best advantage (in comparison to the lame musicals she was often stuck in.)

To digress back to the original post, the production in question was part of a Nureyev&Friends performance at the Kennedy Center in the mid-70s: Nureyev = Othello/The Moor Fonteyn = Desdemona/The Moor's Wife Bortoluzzi = Iago/ The Moor's Friend Kain = Emilia/The Friend's Wife Anna Kisselgoff's review of the performance is a real paint-peeler. She more or less describes it as a disgrace (and disrespectful to Limon.) Nureyev comes out the best as Kisselgoff felt he was legitimately trying to honor the technique and steps. Kain does OK in the review but Fonteyn and (particularly) Bortoluzzi take it on the chin. Kisselgoff chastises Fonteyn for not bothering to adequately learn the part and faults her for substituting walking for dancing. She saves her real venom for Bortoluzzi, however. Apparently, he completely distorted the Iago part by adding or subtracting steps to the point that the carefully calibrated balance between the four members of the pavane was destroyed.

Regarding Tom Gold's slacks -- that's a tough look to pull off. He's a stylin' guy and comes close but the rest of us mere mortals would look like golf-playing retirees (circa 1979) in those slacks!

Some updates: Season 1 co-host Lisa Canning has not been asked back for Season 2. Her replacement is Samantha Harris from the E! channel. Rapper Romeo appears to be out of the competition and has been replaced by Master P. USA Today has a feature on the show in today's edition. George Hamilton has a number of fun quotes in the article. The two-hour premiere is tomorrow night on ABC. The results show is on Friday.

FYI -- Rona Jaffe died this past weekend at the age of 74. The obituary was an interesting read. So strange to see Robert Gottleib quoted in his capacity as her former editor (instead of as the aspish dance critic for the New York Observer.) And I had to agree with the review (quoted in the obit) that "bonbons and chilled blush wine" are the best accompaniment to watching The Best of Everything. Yes, bonbons and chilled blush wine are truly the best of everything!

ITA with everyone else that the article is a mess. It cried out for editing and lots of it. I wonder if the NY Times will cover this. They always manage to find space to discuss turmoil on ABT's board. (Sorry, just a bitter little dig there.) Did anyone else find it amusing that Anne Bass' farewell statement invoked Lincoln Kirstein's memory given that she was (reputedly) at such odds with him in the 80s?

I think Walt Whitman would agree -- "Romance is truly the best of everything!"