So said Tuffers in a riposte to Len. Well, Tuffers, if you need a volunteer - I am there for you - anytime, any place, anywhere. Just let me know!
Back to Blackpool (how perfect for a snog in the back of a banger! I digress)and James Jordan, once again showing us his talent as a backstage reporter. I would have liked a little more from the studio manager on the logistics of getting it all together (but as we have already established, I am a logistics geek), but still - 10km of cable (you see, there are the facts that I love!); hoisting chandeliers and glitter ball into THAT ceiling! WOW. I have seen so many comments on internet boards about the sound quality on Saturday - but get a grip people! BBC TV centre has state of the art technology - the guys on the OB had whatever they remembered to ship up the M6 (or whatever M it is to get to Blackpool).
I so loved the fact that Ricky G found a little place to take a sneaky peak at the audience sitting waiting and all the celebs were there having a secret gawk! How many times have I done just that - skulked backstage to listen and spy on the audience, get a feel for how they are, whether it is a full house, do I know anyone in the front row....Of course I would be better off warming up and taking some deep breaths, but that is not part of the fun!
So to Craig and Flav - I still cannot decide. Is he deadpan, is he deluded, or is he a donkey? I am just deciding the former on the basis of the backstage comments from the dancers, and feeling that maybe his humour was not best showcased by the format of SCD. But then he commented, in direct contradiction to Flavia, that there was always hope for improvement. He really hasn't ever watched any of the playbacks has he? And there was Flav, barely able to disguise her relief at no longer being the subject of judge scorn or public piss taking/pity! She still has a career, yay!
Oh my goodness, who is that all dressed up as a Blackpool stick of rock? Oh it is newly mellow Craig R-H....So he would have us believe that he sees more that he likes this series. Really. More than series 4 or 5? Show me where please, because really, I am feeling the void....And what was Len doing, defending Alesha's comments? Has he been told to keep the velvet gloves firmly on?
So to my Cat and the Kat....I really thought that this week was the week he would break away from the pack but it was not to be. So glad to hear Katya admit that it went so much better in rehearsal, and Tuffers admit to being self-conscious. But the hope is still there. He admits to having a buzz such as he has not had since leaving cricket. It may be too little too late, and Team Cola could pip him to the place in the final, but I think he could be quarter final/semi final material yet.
The American Smooth is just around the corner, and he will surely get up the leaderboard on this. And Katya has finally figured that in our wonderful country of "support the underdog at all costs", she has a better chance of going places with Tuffers in SCD, than she would have had with Antonio Banderas!. She is doing humour now, and she set him up with a perfectly nice punch line about his unreliability for making catches. Ok the timing was off Katya, which is worrying for a dancer, but you too are going on a journey, with the most unlikely of companions!
Monday, 9 November 2009
Sunday, 8 November 2009
So t'internet has gone into meltdown and there is one phrase repeated over and over again.
"We've had to put up with Arlene leaving SCD and now we have to endure Alesha as a judge". Well, quite. (More of that later).
So last night we had fireworks, Catherine Wheels, rockets, sparklers, Jack in the Boxes and a damp squib. Strictly arrived at the Tower Ballroom Blackpool and pulled out all the stops. Now that is what I call a showstopper. 8 weeks in, the contestants reduced by half, and finally we have an unmissable show.
It was worth all the expense, time, resources and sheer hassle of relocating to Blackpool, and my inner geek wants a whole ITT devoted to the master planner behind the scenes of this spectacular! Ballroom's spiritual home proved just what a real ballroom venue can provide that a TV studio can't; the audience cheerfully screamed their throats sore, and clapped their hands raw; and all the performers absolutely rose to the occasion.
I noticed the first mistake with the logistics the minute Tess walked down the stairs though. Poor dear, someone left her costume in London, so wardrobe had to assemble a montage of carefully dyed crepe bandages and curtain material to hide the embarrassment.
Adonis and Blonde Ambition kicked off the show with a turbo-charged tango. It was good to see them (at long last) dance first, and it was a good effort. It was never going to beat last week's quickstep, and a better music choice could have allowed for more light and shade, and an overall more dramatic feel to the dance. The judges all helpfully overlooked the errors though and indulged in the first bit of over-marking of the programme.
NatCass and the Italian Stallion. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Rachel or Louisa had had a personality like Natalie. I think they would have romped home with the trophy. Natalie gets Vincent and gives as good as she gets. "This could be the best quickstep". "It could be. You could be six foot tall".
Great VT to usher in a pretty good effort at the quickstep. The choreography was amazingly difficult, and Natalie kept up well. For a vertically-challenged couple, they covered the massive floor brilliantly. But I think Vincent needs to bear in mind Natalie's physical stamina. Like last week's Jive, they started off like a bat out of hell, filled the floor with energy and enthusiasm, and then about 40 seconds into the routine, Natalie visibily wilted. Even the smile was gone, and for about 20 seconds she looked as though she were clinging on for dear life. Then she got her joie de vivre back, even to the extent of a comedy ending, directly channelling Tess, with a wooden flop into Vincent's arms, arms and leg akimbo. (Please tell me it was done with irony?).
Long Jump Jade and Long Tall Ian. I simply cannot work out what the producers are doing with her. One minute she is competitive, stroppy Jade, the expendable female for the shock exit; the next she is journey Jade, the dark horse for the final. This week she was journey Jade, for the second week running. Last week the VT was get out the granny vote; this week it was get out the kid vote for Role Model Jade.
There was a moment of shock when I realised that Jade was the second victim of wardrobe leaving a suitcase in London, but they had cobbled together a swimming costume and sarong as a last minute stand in, and made it up to her with the best sparkly eye shadow of the night.
The Jive and Ian is normally a cue for the "tall girls can't do this dance" spiel from Len, but this dance needed a different script from him. Jade mixed femininity and athleticism in just the right measure, only losing it towards the end when she took to executing her flicks as if she were booting a football into touch. I put it down to excitement. Please let Jade and Ian make the final!
Barbie and Ken treated us to a swirling, sweeping, swooning fairy tale of a Viennese Waltz. Her arms and leg lines were exquisite, she actually forgot she was PC Ali from the Bill and gave into the music and her partner and gave us a performance. My eyes filled up, and I am sure they will every time I watch this dance back. Even Craig got swept away with the emotion of the dance and the performance and dusted off his 10 paddle. Full house and well deserved.
It was always going to be hard to follow this performance, and Ricky and Erin were up against it. They gave it their best, pleased the crowd, and got slated by the judges, who were perhaps reflecting on whether it was too early in the series to give out the first perfect 40, and wanted to revert back to business as usual with the next couple. It wasn't their finest hour, and I would have liked to have seen more hip action, less mouth action. But having said that, Ricky proved that his timing has improved no end in the long opening side to side section, and that his musicality is getting there. I would have thought that the VT, getting out the Big Guns, (Austin Healy, please will you marry me?) would have guaranteed a free pass to next week, but it was not to be.
Smarm and Charm had the best costumes of the night, and Laila has possibly the best paso skirt action of any female celeb that I have seen. But the music was laboured, the routine was safe, Laila's spins were shaky and she looked uncomfortable out of hold, there was no connection with the audience, and there were two illegal lifts. Anton seemed to get off rather lightly with this by indulging in a bit of banter with Len (so we remember what happens when Brendan plays the illegal lift card? Or Matt Cutler and Carol Smillie did a throw in the AS and were slated for it? Well, here there were no prawnheads, no doughnuts, no outrage - just a benign smile. Favouritism, perchance? Or was it just that Laila had established herself as the weakest female in the competition, so no-one was particularly bothered?)
Tuffers and the Kanadian Kat were up next, and a great VT set them up nicely for next week. Katya even played the "My mum is coming to visit next week" card. But stop, this is getting ridiculous! They left Katya's costume in London as well and the poor thing had to dance in her undies and some carefully draped net curtains. Good job they go so rarely to Blackpool! Phil has some really nice lines, and really used his arms and legs well. He had the wrong character throughout though and reminded me of Sid James telegraphing to the audience that he was about to cop a feel of Barbara Windsor. Bruce accidentally contributed to the Carry On Rumba feel by asking us all whether "The cat has done his business?". I put it down to excitement. The judges proceeded to slate it, but they know that we know that they know that the Cat is going to be slinking through for a few rounds yet.
Team Cola!!! If the red tops are correct, then Team Cola are leading in the public vote and are in no threat of going out before December. And so they should be when Ola gives such fab soundbites as "My little Chris done a great job" in her perfectly charming mixture of Polish cum East Kent accent. Sadly, as far as the boyfriend was concerned, wardrobe had remembered Ola's costume, so she did not have to dance in her underwear and some candy floss. Possibly the measure of Ola's confidence in Chris was the fact that she was the most covered up I have ever seen her. His bum needs to come in, he needs to stop singing (but then I would have been singing along to that track as well), but the boy has done it. He has broken away from the mid table and staked his claim (justified now) to be snapping at the heels of leaders.
So to the Blackpool Bandwagon. Well there was some cunning choreography (particularly the section where Flavia had him on his knees for 20 seconds and danced around him); there was some cunning camera work (the aerial look hid a multitude of sins). But ultimately, it was the weakest dance of the night.
I felt he did deserve credit for actually going out and performing and interacting with the audience for once, but it was not to be. Len tried hard to soften the blow, but then Alesha decided to take herself out of the running for next year's SCD LIVE ON AIR!! IN BLACKPOOL! BIGGEST RATINGS TO DATE! (Alesha, my dear, you have been sweet, but you are supposed to tell the producers behind closed doors, not tell the audience like this).
So this is what she actually said "I can't believe Zoe went and I had to endure that". Swiftly followed by "You are not as good a dancer as you think you are". Badly done, Alesha, badly done. You were brought in to soften the panel and empathise with the contestants and what they are going through, no? Well that was more vindictive and personal and subjective than anything I have heard from any of the other judges, and if Craig had stayed it would have been on your head!
So followed an agonising wait for the dance off. Were we in for a shock exit (not Jade! Please not Jade!). On the one hand, the judges had assembled the first sensible leaderboard of the series, with no ties (hardly difficult when you are scoring 9 couples and giving out marks between 17 and 40). This meant that Ricky and Craig really were in bottom position with 1 and 2 points apiece and needed a big volte face in the public vote. But then again, the producers had given Craig the prime slot (dancing last, just as the phone lines opened) and the judges had all but gifted him a place in next week's show.
My nails were about to be bitten to the quick, but several things happened.
The chanderliers came down and the eight professional couples did a beautiful group Viennese Waltz. The Tower Ballroom floor was filled with gorgeous dresses, gorgeous dancing, all in complete harmony.
Then we had a group swing jive and were promised two special guests. Who could they be? And there she was! Back in her spiritual home, with her partner, dancing her dance.....JILL HALFPENNY!!!! Woo hoo! SCD's best ever winner (yeah, sod those stats you keep shoving down our throats about Alesha, Rachel and Lisa, see that girl go). Looking better and dancing better than ever, St Jill of the Halfpenny Jive, you looked as though that was where you truly belong, partnering Darren, dancing alongside Lilia and Aliona, and the Kings of the Jive themselves, Brendan and the Divine Mr Cutler. Eat your heart out, somebody else who I used to rather like a lot!
Then up came the second special guest. Mr Bruce Forsythe himself. And say what you will about him, if I still have that ability to perform when I am 60, leave alone 82, I will be on top of the world. So many people who have been to the live shows say that Bruce is brilliant live and that we just don't get the measure of the man from the recordings. Well in front of an audience that big, he radiated joy and happiness and stage presence, and really pulled it out of the bag. You are my favourite, Bruce.
Then we had another crooner, with an amazonian beauty in a very small dress (wardrobe again! Another dress left behind, so they had had to fit Penny Lancaster into Kristina's dress!). The dance wasn't great, but diddy Matt looked cute, as did diddy Rod Stewart.
And the moment of truth. Well at least Erin didn't lose her hair this time, and the right person, eventually, got the coach home.
So last night we had fireworks, Catherine Wheels, rockets, sparklers, Jack in the Boxes and a damp squib. Strictly arrived at the Tower Ballroom Blackpool and pulled out all the stops. Now that is what I call a showstopper. 8 weeks in, the contestants reduced by half, and finally we have an unmissable show.
It was worth all the expense, time, resources and sheer hassle of relocating to Blackpool, and my inner geek wants a whole ITT devoted to the master planner behind the scenes of this spectacular! Ballroom's spiritual home proved just what a real ballroom venue can provide that a TV studio can't; the audience cheerfully screamed their throats sore, and clapped their hands raw; and all the performers absolutely rose to the occasion.
I noticed the first mistake with the logistics the minute Tess walked down the stairs though. Poor dear, someone left her costume in London, so wardrobe had to assemble a montage of carefully dyed crepe bandages and curtain material to hide the embarrassment.
Adonis and Blonde Ambition kicked off the show with a turbo-charged tango. It was good to see them (at long last) dance first, and it was a good effort. It was never going to beat last week's quickstep, and a better music choice could have allowed for more light and shade, and an overall more dramatic feel to the dance. The judges all helpfully overlooked the errors though and indulged in the first bit of over-marking of the programme.
NatCass and the Italian Stallion. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Rachel or Louisa had had a personality like Natalie. I think they would have romped home with the trophy. Natalie gets Vincent and gives as good as she gets. "This could be the best quickstep". "It could be. You could be six foot tall".
Great VT to usher in a pretty good effort at the quickstep. The choreography was amazingly difficult, and Natalie kept up well. For a vertically-challenged couple, they covered the massive floor brilliantly. But I think Vincent needs to bear in mind Natalie's physical stamina. Like last week's Jive, they started off like a bat out of hell, filled the floor with energy and enthusiasm, and then about 40 seconds into the routine, Natalie visibily wilted. Even the smile was gone, and for about 20 seconds she looked as though she were clinging on for dear life. Then she got her joie de vivre back, even to the extent of a comedy ending, directly channelling Tess, with a wooden flop into Vincent's arms, arms and leg akimbo. (Please tell me it was done with irony?).
Long Jump Jade and Long Tall Ian. I simply cannot work out what the producers are doing with her. One minute she is competitive, stroppy Jade, the expendable female for the shock exit; the next she is journey Jade, the dark horse for the final. This week she was journey Jade, for the second week running. Last week the VT was get out the granny vote; this week it was get out the kid vote for Role Model Jade.
There was a moment of shock when I realised that Jade was the second victim of wardrobe leaving a suitcase in London, but they had cobbled together a swimming costume and sarong as a last minute stand in, and made it up to her with the best sparkly eye shadow of the night.
The Jive and Ian is normally a cue for the "tall girls can't do this dance" spiel from Len, but this dance needed a different script from him. Jade mixed femininity and athleticism in just the right measure, only losing it towards the end when she took to executing her flicks as if she were booting a football into touch. I put it down to excitement. Please let Jade and Ian make the final!
Barbie and Ken treated us to a swirling, sweeping, swooning fairy tale of a Viennese Waltz. Her arms and leg lines were exquisite, she actually forgot she was PC Ali from the Bill and gave into the music and her partner and gave us a performance. My eyes filled up, and I am sure they will every time I watch this dance back. Even Craig got swept away with the emotion of the dance and the performance and dusted off his 10 paddle. Full house and well deserved.
It was always going to be hard to follow this performance, and Ricky and Erin were up against it. They gave it their best, pleased the crowd, and got slated by the judges, who were perhaps reflecting on whether it was too early in the series to give out the first perfect 40, and wanted to revert back to business as usual with the next couple. It wasn't their finest hour, and I would have liked to have seen more hip action, less mouth action. But having said that, Ricky proved that his timing has improved no end in the long opening side to side section, and that his musicality is getting there. I would have thought that the VT, getting out the Big Guns, (Austin Healy, please will you marry me?) would have guaranteed a free pass to next week, but it was not to be.
Smarm and Charm had the best costumes of the night, and Laila has possibly the best paso skirt action of any female celeb that I have seen. But the music was laboured, the routine was safe, Laila's spins were shaky and she looked uncomfortable out of hold, there was no connection with the audience, and there were two illegal lifts. Anton seemed to get off rather lightly with this by indulging in a bit of banter with Len (so we remember what happens when Brendan plays the illegal lift card? Or Matt Cutler and Carol Smillie did a throw in the AS and were slated for it? Well, here there were no prawnheads, no doughnuts, no outrage - just a benign smile. Favouritism, perchance? Or was it just that Laila had established herself as the weakest female in the competition, so no-one was particularly bothered?)
Tuffers and the Kanadian Kat were up next, and a great VT set them up nicely for next week. Katya even played the "My mum is coming to visit next week" card. But stop, this is getting ridiculous! They left Katya's costume in London as well and the poor thing had to dance in her undies and some carefully draped net curtains. Good job they go so rarely to Blackpool! Phil has some really nice lines, and really used his arms and legs well. He had the wrong character throughout though and reminded me of Sid James telegraphing to the audience that he was about to cop a feel of Barbara Windsor. Bruce accidentally contributed to the Carry On Rumba feel by asking us all whether "The cat has done his business?". I put it down to excitement. The judges proceeded to slate it, but they know that we know that they know that the Cat is going to be slinking through for a few rounds yet.
Team Cola!!! If the red tops are correct, then Team Cola are leading in the public vote and are in no threat of going out before December. And so they should be when Ola gives such fab soundbites as "My little Chris done a great job" in her perfectly charming mixture of Polish cum East Kent accent. Sadly, as far as the boyfriend was concerned, wardrobe had remembered Ola's costume, so she did not have to dance in her underwear and some candy floss. Possibly the measure of Ola's confidence in Chris was the fact that she was the most covered up I have ever seen her. His bum needs to come in, he needs to stop singing (but then I would have been singing along to that track as well), but the boy has done it. He has broken away from the mid table and staked his claim (justified now) to be snapping at the heels of leaders.
So to the Blackpool Bandwagon. Well there was some cunning choreography (particularly the section where Flavia had him on his knees for 20 seconds and danced around him); there was some cunning camera work (the aerial look hid a multitude of sins). But ultimately, it was the weakest dance of the night.
I felt he did deserve credit for actually going out and performing and interacting with the audience for once, but it was not to be. Len tried hard to soften the blow, but then Alesha decided to take herself out of the running for next year's SCD LIVE ON AIR!! IN BLACKPOOL! BIGGEST RATINGS TO DATE! (Alesha, my dear, you have been sweet, but you are supposed to tell the producers behind closed doors, not tell the audience like this).
So this is what she actually said "I can't believe Zoe went and I had to endure that". Swiftly followed by "You are not as good a dancer as you think you are". Badly done, Alesha, badly done. You were brought in to soften the panel and empathise with the contestants and what they are going through, no? Well that was more vindictive and personal and subjective than anything I have heard from any of the other judges, and if Craig had stayed it would have been on your head!
So followed an agonising wait for the dance off. Were we in for a shock exit (not Jade! Please not Jade!). On the one hand, the judges had assembled the first sensible leaderboard of the series, with no ties (hardly difficult when you are scoring 9 couples and giving out marks between 17 and 40). This meant that Ricky and Craig really were in bottom position with 1 and 2 points apiece and needed a big volte face in the public vote. But then again, the producers had given Craig the prime slot (dancing last, just as the phone lines opened) and the judges had all but gifted him a place in next week's show.
My nails were about to be bitten to the quick, but several things happened.
The chanderliers came down and the eight professional couples did a beautiful group Viennese Waltz. The Tower Ballroom floor was filled with gorgeous dresses, gorgeous dancing, all in complete harmony.
Then we had a group swing jive and were promised two special guests. Who could they be? And there she was! Back in her spiritual home, with her partner, dancing her dance.....JILL HALFPENNY!!!! Woo hoo! SCD's best ever winner (yeah, sod those stats you keep shoving down our throats about Alesha, Rachel and Lisa, see that girl go). Looking better and dancing better than ever, St Jill of the Halfpenny Jive, you looked as though that was where you truly belong, partnering Darren, dancing alongside Lilia and Aliona, and the Kings of the Jive themselves, Brendan and the Divine Mr Cutler. Eat your heart out, somebody else who I used to rather like a lot!
Then up came the second special guest. Mr Bruce Forsythe himself. And say what you will about him, if I still have that ability to perform when I am 60, leave alone 82, I will be on top of the world. So many people who have been to the live shows say that Bruce is brilliant live and that we just don't get the measure of the man from the recordings. Well in front of an audience that big, he radiated joy and happiness and stage presence, and really pulled it out of the bag. You are my favourite, Bruce.
Then we had another crooner, with an amazonian beauty in a very small dress (wardrobe again! Another dress left behind, so they had had to fit Penny Lancaster into Kristina's dress!). The dance wasn't great, but diddy Matt looked cute, as did diddy Rod Stewart.
And the moment of truth. Well at least Erin didn't lose her hair this time, and the right person, eventually, got the coach home.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Free the Cacace One!
The campaign starts here! Flav looks so very unhappy with her clearly delusional partner. So stop voting for her now, and free her to do professional dances and snog Matt di Angelo.
So we are all off to the seaside (did you know? Had you heard that SCD was coming live from Blackpool tomorrow? Did you know that Tom Chambers got married last series? Seriously The Powers That Be should try harder to tell us these things). Pack your bucket and spade, marvel at the donkeys (that is you Craig, and Craig and Bruno), get horribly drunk, flash your knickers and cry into your last glass of wine. Sounds like an average Saturday night to me, nothing special about this Blackpool malarkey!
So to the serious stuff, Ricky and Erin first. What a great interview. Ricky grateful for the public support and feeling bad for Zoe and James. Erin giving credit to the public and pointing out that the public have to respect the judges' scores, so therefore the judges should respect the public opinion. Can they pull it off this weekend though? The salsa could raise the rafters, but could it also be a Bonfire Night damp squib?
So who will be in the dance off this weekend? Is it possible for Craig to dodge the bullet once again? Quite possibly, if there are enough ties on the leaderboard, and the public feel sentimental about his blackpool sojourn. (Although Flavia, are you sure about the music choice? Easy Lover for a cha cha - you really are desperate to get voted out, aren't you, even at the expense of bringing up memories of your season 5 love triangle).
Are Ricky and Laila due a trip to the dance off? I would say Laila has got away with it for two weeks running and is living on borrowed time, and that Paso is not looking good. Will Ricky's popularity plummet in the week that he and his girlfriend split, and he dances the passionate tango? Will Ricky actually get to dance at the disadvantageous first position (which he is well due)? Time will tell.
And it is also time that one of my beloved mid tablers broke rank and started the challenge for a final place. And on the small training clip tonight - the shrewd game player may just do it. The arms are looking good, so are the hips, so is the attitude - Tuffers ...you might just get a sniff at that glitterball! What better week to pull it out of the bag than the week you get to perform in front of 1,000 dance fans at the Tower Ballroom. Finely judged, Tuffers, finely judged.
And as for James Jordan - who knew? What a good presenter (interviewing/listening skills need brushing up, but still). Anton, my love, the rug has been pulled out from under this year - Karen, Erin (with her humour), Matt on Strictly Confidential, Darren and Lilia and now James....a lot of pros with a lot of follow on career potential. Go for it James!
So we are all off to the seaside (did you know? Had you heard that SCD was coming live from Blackpool tomorrow? Did you know that Tom Chambers got married last series? Seriously The Powers That Be should try harder to tell us these things). Pack your bucket and spade, marvel at the donkeys (that is you Craig, and Craig and Bruno), get horribly drunk, flash your knickers and cry into your last glass of wine. Sounds like an average Saturday night to me, nothing special about this Blackpool malarkey!
So to the serious stuff, Ricky and Erin first. What a great interview. Ricky grateful for the public support and feeling bad for Zoe and James. Erin giving credit to the public and pointing out that the public have to respect the judges' scores, so therefore the judges should respect the public opinion. Can they pull it off this weekend though? The salsa could raise the rafters, but could it also be a Bonfire Night damp squib?
So who will be in the dance off this weekend? Is it possible for Craig to dodge the bullet once again? Quite possibly, if there are enough ties on the leaderboard, and the public feel sentimental about his blackpool sojourn. (Although Flavia, are you sure about the music choice? Easy Lover for a cha cha - you really are desperate to get voted out, aren't you, even at the expense of bringing up memories of your season 5 love triangle).
Are Ricky and Laila due a trip to the dance off? I would say Laila has got away with it for two weeks running and is living on borrowed time, and that Paso is not looking good. Will Ricky's popularity plummet in the week that he and his girlfriend split, and he dances the passionate tango? Will Ricky actually get to dance at the disadvantageous first position (which he is well due)? Time will tell.
And it is also time that one of my beloved mid tablers broke rank and started the challenge for a final place. And on the small training clip tonight - the shrewd game player may just do it. The arms are looking good, so are the hips, so is the attitude - Tuffers ...you might just get a sniff at that glitterball! What better week to pull it out of the bag than the week you get to perform in front of 1,000 dance fans at the Tower Ballroom. Finely judged, Tuffers, finely judged.
And as for James Jordan - who knew? What a good presenter (interviewing/listening skills need brushing up, but still). Anton, my love, the rug has been pulled out from under this year - Karen, Erin (with her humour), Matt on Strictly Confidential, Darren and Lilia and now James....a lot of pros with a lot of follow on career potential. Go for it James!
Wow - bondage on BBC2 at 6.30 - that is way before the watershed!
I am of course talking about Team Cola. What with Chris talking about Ola getting the whip out earlier this week, and today's footage of Ola taping up his mouth and hands, what more could Ola fans ask for? That little episode will be sure to garner them an extra 50,000 or so votes: a) for curing the hands and mouth problem and b) for giving Ola admirers such lovely thoughts!
Time to predict the leaderboard from the training footage:
Ali and Brian look set to do a lovely VW and her beautiful arms and lines will be showcased to the max. The judges will be keen to keep her out of another dance off, so I am prediciting top of the leaderboard with a couple of 10s to boot.
Jade and Ian look all set to provide the only wow factor in the latin section, and also look as if they may just break the "tall girls can't jive" baloney. The judges will want a latin scoring high, and the jive with a capacity crowd at Blackpool should get a great reception. Will they just pip Ricky Whittle on the leaderboard?
Ricky and Natalie - tango wasn't looking great in training actually. And after that magnificent quickstep last week, any dance will look a little second best. I actually think he may struggle with this.
Team Cola - probably pretty much a threesome this week with James free to step in and help, so I am expecting a marked improvement and a score over 30. Ola has been working on the distracting issues that the judges have been niggling about for weeks; Chris now knows he is back on the up, and it is about time his fans got to see whether he can improve on his early promise.
Tuffers and Katya - I think he could pull this off. He has good hip action, natural rhythm and I think his charm on the dance floor could prevent him succumbing to horrible embarrassment.
Possibly tied with Ricky and Erin. I think this is crunch time for Ricky and Erin. He needs to demonstrate significant techincal improvement as well as the ability to entertain. Unfortunately, salsa is not a great dance for Erin, so I hope she has got some help in from an expert.
Natalie and Vincent. I fear Natalie may have peaked last week and be the first of the middle table to exit the competition. That choreo looked really difficult, and although Natalie rises to challenges and just gets on with the job in hand, I feel she may struggle this week. If she loses one step, that will be game over. However, if she does pull it off, she could be 4th on the leaderboard.
Laila and Anton - not looking good at all, and why is she trying to train in skinny jeans?
But bringing up the rear has got to be - Craig and Flavia, dancing the cha cha (a fun dance we are told) with all the charm and cheekiness of Blackpool hens and stags on the rampage.
I am still not convinced of the relationship between Jade and Ian. Ian looks slightly strained (or am I just comparing him with the outstanding partnership that was him and Jodie?). If they could show a real rapport, I think they could win this. Jade is improving by leaps and bounds, and is the only one of the front runners to go out and perform each dance and sell it to the public. But the voters like to fall for that bit of magic between the couple, and this pair sadly lack that engagement. But maybe there is a slight frisson there - who will come out on top, Jade or Ian? (I know where my money is.)
At last, sparks and humour between Katya and Phil! Phil seems to be showing his enthusiasm and upping his game, whilst Katya is dropping her reserve and being genuinely funny. They seem to have met in the middle, and the relationship has turned a corner, just in time for rumba week. "Reach for the cookie jar" didn't seem to help Phil much with his visualisation, so Katya immediately tried "Reach for the ale" and got a result. Phil's admission that he doesn't really do romantic unless instructed to will get all those other blokes who fall down on the buying flowers/remembering anniversaries etc reaching for the phone. Especially if, to use his own words, he looks like "an adolescent learning about the birds and the bees for the first time" on the night. If anyone can pull off a rumba at Blackpool, then Tuffers can.
And so the odd couple performed their version of a top scoring foxtrot. "Don't grab me like a bunch of bananas!" from Len, and the perfect riposte "You haven't seen me on a first date" from Claudia. I may have my moans about the main show this year, but for the incomparable Winkleman and ITT - nothing but raving praise.
Time to predict the leaderboard from the training footage:
Ali and Brian look set to do a lovely VW and her beautiful arms and lines will be showcased to the max. The judges will be keen to keep her out of another dance off, so I am prediciting top of the leaderboard with a couple of 10s to boot.
Jade and Ian look all set to provide the only wow factor in the latin section, and also look as if they may just break the "tall girls can't jive" baloney. The judges will want a latin scoring high, and the jive with a capacity crowd at Blackpool should get a great reception. Will they just pip Ricky Whittle on the leaderboard?
Ricky and Natalie - tango wasn't looking great in training actually. And after that magnificent quickstep last week, any dance will look a little second best. I actually think he may struggle with this.
Team Cola - probably pretty much a threesome this week with James free to step in and help, so I am expecting a marked improvement and a score over 30. Ola has been working on the distracting issues that the judges have been niggling about for weeks; Chris now knows he is back on the up, and it is about time his fans got to see whether he can improve on his early promise.
Tuffers and Katya - I think he could pull this off. He has good hip action, natural rhythm and I think his charm on the dance floor could prevent him succumbing to horrible embarrassment.
Possibly tied with Ricky and Erin. I think this is crunch time for Ricky and Erin. He needs to demonstrate significant techincal improvement as well as the ability to entertain. Unfortunately, salsa is not a great dance for Erin, so I hope she has got some help in from an expert.
Natalie and Vincent. I fear Natalie may have peaked last week and be the first of the middle table to exit the competition. That choreo looked really difficult, and although Natalie rises to challenges and just gets on with the job in hand, I feel she may struggle this week. If she loses one step, that will be game over. However, if she does pull it off, she could be 4th on the leaderboard.
Laila and Anton - not looking good at all, and why is she trying to train in skinny jeans?
But bringing up the rear has got to be - Craig and Flavia, dancing the cha cha (a fun dance we are told) with all the charm and cheekiness of Blackpool hens and stags on the rampage.
I am still not convinced of the relationship between Jade and Ian. Ian looks slightly strained (or am I just comparing him with the outstanding partnership that was him and Jodie?). If they could show a real rapport, I think they could win this. Jade is improving by leaps and bounds, and is the only one of the front runners to go out and perform each dance and sell it to the public. But the voters like to fall for that bit of magic between the couple, and this pair sadly lack that engagement. But maybe there is a slight frisson there - who will come out on top, Jade or Ian? (I know where my money is.)
At last, sparks and humour between Katya and Phil! Phil seems to be showing his enthusiasm and upping his game, whilst Katya is dropping her reserve and being genuinely funny. They seem to have met in the middle, and the relationship has turned a corner, just in time for rumba week. "Reach for the cookie jar" didn't seem to help Phil much with his visualisation, so Katya immediately tried "Reach for the ale" and got a result. Phil's admission that he doesn't really do romantic unless instructed to will get all those other blokes who fall down on the buying flowers/remembering anniversaries etc reaching for the phone. Especially if, to use his own words, he looks like "an adolescent learning about the birds and the bees for the first time" on the night. If anyone can pull off a rumba at Blackpool, then Tuffers can.
And so the odd couple performed their version of a top scoring foxtrot. "Don't grab me like a bunch of bananas!" from Len, and the perfect riposte "You haven't seen me on a first date" from Claudia. I may have my moans about the main show this year, but for the incomparable Winkleman and ITT - nothing but raving praise.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
The new erogenous zone is the shoulder....bad news for me then.
So to Wednesday's ITT.
Laila - feisty fight back to the judges! That won't go down particularly well, especially as she is facing Latin again at Blackpool. So what happened to the much-hyped "this dance could be the highest scoring ballroom ever on SCD"? then - no real explanation of where the missing wow factor went off to hide.
If it wasn't there in the Viennese Waltz it sure ain't going to be there to be there in a weak, poorly choreographed paso to Layla! If the accoustic version didn't work for an AS last year (James and Cherie), I cannot see it working for a paso for a celeb who does not appear to really have that much musicality, or to really be confident with finding the beat at the best of times.
Len's half-term report (oh god there is an end in sight to this series then!) - be thankful for small mercies, we haven't had Ask Len this year (so far). Oh look who is top of the class then this year so far - Ali! That is going to be good for the public vote then.....Glad to see Jade getting some recognition though - please let that girl be a real contender! But here he goes with his classic hyperbole - A+ and a gold star to Ricky Whittle...but will the public agree?
Hilary Alexander - at last a fashionista I not only warm to, but absolutely love. Give this woman a show of her own - surely she could be a warmer, wittier Trinny and Susannah?
Have to admit, I would kill for Laila's paso dress (shame about the dance, miaow). Why oh why wasn't she partnered with Matt Cutler? They would have made a stunning couple, and he would have choreographed some ace routines for her, both latin and ballroom. What a waste of a potential semi-finalist! The divine Mr C could have pulled of a Carmen-themed paso that would have knocked everyone for six, and claimed a whole raft of 10s.
Jade's jive dress is a brave departure. For a "tall girl" facing her nemesis at Blackpool, she is sure going all out to prove their is nowhere to hide. Good on her, because if anyone call pull of bold, then Jade can. I am slightly concerned about her this week, because I think the public will give Craig a free pass again, will be coming out to vote for Ali in belated sympathy after inflicting an unjustified dance off on a bleeding foot on her, and so someone will be suffering...
Lady Gaga goes to Blackpool - well I hope Natalie's dress lives up to its billing, and I also hope that the quickstep is not a Lady Gaga inspired choreo from Vincent...
Poor Flavia - she does look so bemused at still being in the competition, and at Craig in general - I know how she feels! At least John Sergeant and Kenny Logan relished their judge-baiting roles and played up their personalities to the max - whereas Craig is just so bewildering. Who is voting for him? Please stop feeding the delusion, stop putting him through this misery, and let him go back to something he can succeed in. He has only been married for 6 or 7 weeks, he needs to be spending more time with his bride.
Laila - feisty fight back to the judges! That won't go down particularly well, especially as she is facing Latin again at Blackpool. So what happened to the much-hyped "this dance could be the highest scoring ballroom ever on SCD"? then - no real explanation of where the missing wow factor went off to hide.
If it wasn't there in the Viennese Waltz it sure ain't going to be there to be there in a weak, poorly choreographed paso to Layla! If the accoustic version didn't work for an AS last year (James and Cherie), I cannot see it working for a paso for a celeb who does not appear to really have that much musicality, or to really be confident with finding the beat at the best of times.
Len's half-term report (oh god there is an end in sight to this series then!) - be thankful for small mercies, we haven't had Ask Len this year (so far). Oh look who is top of the class then this year so far - Ali! That is going to be good for the public vote then.....Glad to see Jade getting some recognition though - please let that girl be a real contender! But here he goes with his classic hyperbole - A+ and a gold star to Ricky Whittle...but will the public agree?
Hilary Alexander - at last a fashionista I not only warm to, but absolutely love. Give this woman a show of her own - surely she could be a warmer, wittier Trinny and Susannah?
Have to admit, I would kill for Laila's paso dress (shame about the dance, miaow). Why oh why wasn't she partnered with Matt Cutler? They would have made a stunning couple, and he would have choreographed some ace routines for her, both latin and ballroom. What a waste of a potential semi-finalist! The divine Mr C could have pulled of a Carmen-themed paso that would have knocked everyone for six, and claimed a whole raft of 10s.
Jade's jive dress is a brave departure. For a "tall girl" facing her nemesis at Blackpool, she is sure going all out to prove their is nowhere to hide. Good on her, because if anyone call pull of bold, then Jade can. I am slightly concerned about her this week, because I think the public will give Craig a free pass again, will be coming out to vote for Ali in belated sympathy after inflicting an unjustified dance off on a bleeding foot on her, and so someone will be suffering...
Lady Gaga goes to Blackpool - well I hope Natalie's dress lives up to its billing, and I also hope that the quickstep is not a Lady Gaga inspired choreo from Vincent...
Poor Flavia - she does look so bemused at still being in the competition, and at Craig in general - I know how she feels! At least John Sergeant and Kenny Logan relished their judge-baiting roles and played up their personalities to the max - whereas Craig is just so bewildering. Who is voting for him? Please stop feeding the delusion, stop putting him through this misery, and let him go back to something he can succeed in. He has only been married for 6 or 7 weeks, he needs to be spending more time with his bride.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Oh dear, oh dear, boyfriend missed Ola sharing the secrets of her boobie with us!
Never mind - as Ola will be getting the whip out today, I am sure there will be many more Team Cola moments for him to catch up with later in the week!
"No-one ever notices it until it goes wrong" - so said the lovely sound engineer, and this is so true of so many of the backstage elements that we have seen showcased on ITT this year - from runners, to lighting, to sound, to cameras - they are all spot on every single week. I am so glad that ITT has chosen to shine the spotlight on the backstage teams this year, and to show us exactly how much skill and hard work goes into making a seamless show.
To summarise, there are 140 sources of sound on the show and 7 sound desks. The breakdown is 32 mikes on the dancers, 60 radio mikes, 60 talk back radios to keep everyone on time and in the right place, and 48 on the band, with 10 mikes for just the drum.
Interesting that after Mark and Karen's salsa incident in Series 4 the mikes are now sewn into the seams of the costumes, to make sure that nothing can ever happen like that again. (It was bad enough for it to happen with the salsa, but can you imagine what would have happened if the mikes had got tangled up during an AS or a showdance - real potential for danger, so I am hugely relieved that that has been rethought!).
Love the fact that the sound guys get to know all the secrets happening backstage, because they can hear everything on the mikes.....funny if one of these days, a disgruntled sound engineer decides to "accidentally" switch a mike to live so that we get to hear things we really shouldn't!
I felt very, very sorry for Zoe and James and even shed a tear for them (must be going soft!). I think the worst moment was when Zoe said "Great, so I can't dance and I'm unpopular". The sad fact is that some couples are just seen as expendable in the production team's eyes, and will be given bad/boring edits to engineer the shock exit mid-series ratings boost. The thing is that the cannon fodder couples are real people with self-esteem issues/confidence problems, and that toying with them in such a way is a pretty cruel thing to do.
James has gone up in my estimation somewhat with his grace in defeat - although part of me is wondering whether he has really learnt from last year, or whether he knows not to bite the hand that feeds as his wife shows a real shot at going quite far in the competition with a partner, at the expense of other more talented dancers.
Looking back at their best bits though, they looked amazing in week 1, but really never quite surpassed their early potential. (Bit like Team Cola it that respect).
And so with tears and the shattering of James' bad boy image, it was bye bye Zoe and the reformed Mr Jordan.
The judges as ever were annoying - do they really not get the fact that criticising the public just increases the likelihood of the anti-judge vote? The show needs its shock exits (however horrible that can be for the couple involved), and the viewers want the increased drama. Pretending that they are unaware of this just makes them look idiotic. And as for Alesha "The top couples are scored higher for a reason" - 9 for Zoe's samba, Alesha - really!? What was the reasoning behind that exactly? And a few of your other dodgy scores? Because the reason that Zoe and James were in the dance off was because of the over marking on the American Smooth, when all 4 judges conveniently ignored the fact that the last lift happened a good 4 seconds after the music had finished (something I have never seen happen before on SCD), and the overmarking on the rather naff disco samba.....
"No-one ever notices it until it goes wrong" - so said the lovely sound engineer, and this is so true of so many of the backstage elements that we have seen showcased on ITT this year - from runners, to lighting, to sound, to cameras - they are all spot on every single week. I am so glad that ITT has chosen to shine the spotlight on the backstage teams this year, and to show us exactly how much skill and hard work goes into making a seamless show.
To summarise, there are 140 sources of sound on the show and 7 sound desks. The breakdown is 32 mikes on the dancers, 60 radio mikes, 60 talk back radios to keep everyone on time and in the right place, and 48 on the band, with 10 mikes for just the drum.
Interesting that after Mark and Karen's salsa incident in Series 4 the mikes are now sewn into the seams of the costumes, to make sure that nothing can ever happen like that again. (It was bad enough for it to happen with the salsa, but can you imagine what would have happened if the mikes had got tangled up during an AS or a showdance - real potential for danger, so I am hugely relieved that that has been rethought!).
Love the fact that the sound guys get to know all the secrets happening backstage, because they can hear everything on the mikes.....funny if one of these days, a disgruntled sound engineer decides to "accidentally" switch a mike to live so that we get to hear things we really shouldn't!
I felt very, very sorry for Zoe and James and even shed a tear for them (must be going soft!). I think the worst moment was when Zoe said "Great, so I can't dance and I'm unpopular". The sad fact is that some couples are just seen as expendable in the production team's eyes, and will be given bad/boring edits to engineer the shock exit mid-series ratings boost. The thing is that the cannon fodder couples are real people with self-esteem issues/confidence problems, and that toying with them in such a way is a pretty cruel thing to do.
James has gone up in my estimation somewhat with his grace in defeat - although part of me is wondering whether he has really learnt from last year, or whether he knows not to bite the hand that feeds as his wife shows a real shot at going quite far in the competition with a partner, at the expense of other more talented dancers.
Looking back at their best bits though, they looked amazing in week 1, but really never quite surpassed their early potential. (Bit like Team Cola it that respect).
And so with tears and the shattering of James' bad boy image, it was bye bye Zoe and the reformed Mr Jordan.
The judges as ever were annoying - do they really not get the fact that criticising the public just increases the likelihood of the anti-judge vote? The show needs its shock exits (however horrible that can be for the couple involved), and the viewers want the increased drama. Pretending that they are unaware of this just makes them look idiotic. And as for Alesha "The top couples are scored higher for a reason" - 9 for Zoe's samba, Alesha - really!? What was the reasoning behind that exactly? And a few of your other dodgy scores? Because the reason that Zoe and James were in the dance off was because of the over marking on the American Smooth, when all 4 judges conveniently ignored the fact that the last lift happened a good 4 seconds after the music had finished (something I have never seen happen before on SCD), and the overmarking on the rather naff disco samba.....
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Well the wardrobe seem to have adopted a Halloween theme for this week's frocks
Tess looked like a vampire's victim, hair scraped back, neck bared in preparation, Flavia has a cape to make her resemble Batwoman, Ola was a saucy devil in an Ann Summer special, Erin turned up in a shroud draped as a dress, Phil Tufnell was Count Dracula, and Natalie Cassidy was straight out of Rocky Horror. Seriously, why can't wardrobe dress her appropriately?
NatCass and her Italian Stallion were first up with a frenetic jive. They really are one of the few couples to give good value on their VTs with Vincent declaiming "I am not just a fantasy, I am the real thing!". Bless.
Their actual dance was so much better than the training footage, and Natalie gave it her all for the first 45 seconds. It was high energy, high impact, and great entertainment, but it was a jive of two halves, (I guess that level of energy is hard to sustain) and the second half felt a little flat, and the end was a bit of a damp squib. Natalie completely failed to point her feet, and I was amazed that none of the judges picked up on her attempts to kick an imaginary football. 30 seemed a tad over generous, but I was pleased for the girl, and judging from the reaction in the Tesspit, so were most of her fellow celebs.
Barbie and Ken - beautiful dress, beautiful arm placements, beautiful spinning, beautiful shaping. But it was all a bit vanilla and lacked any sort of attack or purpose until the splits at the end. If I didn't know that Ali was an actress, I would not guess it from her performance on SCD. They both telegraphed a mistake with their faces, but even watching it back, I cannot see the mistake, and this has happened before - they go wrong, and their faces shout the story out loud and clear. They both need to stop doing this. I know a stubbed toe can be painful, but the injury seemed to be milked a bit, and I hated Craig being so understanding. He gave Tuffers no slack the week after he had had a knee operation, so why all the consideration for Ali. I was also confused by Brian's comment about missing a day of training due to the injury, when the toe incident was clearly shown happening in dress rehearsal.
The Blackpool Bandwagon rolled into the station next, complete with extra carriages. The birthday boy, Matt di Angelo helping out in training (subtext Mavia fanatics, get your votes in) and Lennox Lewis popped by to the training room, for some inexplicable reason, as his connection with Craig was never clarified. With all the voter pulling boxes ticked, the dance itself was hardly going to matter, but just in case anyone had missed the point, they danced to "Don't let the sun go down on me". I didn't pay much attention to the dance itself, as I was completely distracted by the oversized cape attached to Flavia. She seems such a self-effacing person as well, but boy, has she upset the wardrobe department this year.
Next up were Team Cola, and if anyone thought Ola's catsuit from Series 6 was outre, here was the same design, but in saucy red lace. Boyfriend remarked that witht that outfit, there was no need for pencil sharpening (!), and watched with a rapturous grin on his face, and a dreamy expression in the eyes. I thought it was all a bit disco cha cha, and lacked hip action, but there is no way that Team Cola are going home any time soon. This couple have branding and their own merchandise, helpfully modelled in the VT by the football hero Mr Hollins senior, and if I could, I too would be sporting a yeah baby T shirt, in the vain hope of looking like Ola's older sister.
Alesha decided to tempt fate and risk melt down on the internet by opining that she wished she could tape Chris's mouth shut. Alesha, my dear, there are very many people who have been thinking the same thing about you for the past seven weeks (and I spent about a tenner voting for you two years ago, and have even bought Breathe Slow, so consider myself a fan!)
Long jump Jade and Long Tall Ian were not sabotaged by VT this week, in fact they benefited from a nice, fluffy VT, aimed at getting the granny vote in. The producers haven't earmarked them for shock dance off/shock exit this week then. Jade looked gorgeous (dress of the night for me) and the foxtrot was a joy to behold. I spotted some gapping but nothing too horrendous, and Jade even seems to be emulating Ian's legendary facial expressions. Lovely dance, and well deserved marks. I wish Jade were more popular with the public, because she is improving in leaps and bounds technically, and is one of the few top dancers to actually sell the performance. I would so like Ian to have a shot at the trophy this year!
The lady and the tramp - with Zoe accessorised with a dead bird in her hair. Bizarre. Oh hell, James has choreographed a disco samba, with a horrible bump and grind move, that Zoe was clearly finding excruciating, included not once, but three times. James, your choreography needs some inspiration, and you better find your mojo if you are back next season! There was no bounce, no hip action, and no sense of carnival, so naturally the judges raved, and marked it 32.....Oh dear, I think we all know who the shock exit is going to be tonight.
Well Erin usually makes one choreographic blunder per series, and this was definitely it tonight. How can someone who normally gets it spot on have such abysmal lapses? I am just relieved that she has got her choreo nightmare out of the way before it really counts this year, although I can see the reasoning behind the James Bond themed rumba. This is one of Ricky's dances that I won't be watching back later this week.
The ensuing 8 from Len was absolutely ridiculous, and almost caused me to start throwing things at the screen. The Len/Craig fight seemed awfully pre-arranged, and predictable though.
Charm and smarm failed to live up to Anton's build up and looked rather crestfallen as a result. It was a lovely Viennese Waltz, very classic, very pure, but lacked wow factor. This is another pro who needs to up his game choreographically. Anton has been churning out traditional ballroom routines all series, which would be great in a medal test, but on SCD, the audience needs a hook to get them involved in the routine, and Anton keeps missing the mark with this. With the judges choosing to highlight Laila's weaknesses in latin, I am beginning to suspect that they want this couple gone, and gone within the next couple of weeks. With the paso at Blackpool, their wish could well come true.
Tuffers and the Kat were up next with a VT that veered from comedy (Phil proclaiming that "Rear of the year is just around the corner") to extreme frustration, with Katya trying to goad Phil into upping his game. I sense that this couple are really not clicking, and Katya just doesn't know what to do with someone as lazy and laid back as Tuffers. I do think that he has decided to take it a bit more seriously now that the cannon fodder are out of the way, because he will not want to risk being bottom of the leaderboard. It was a good tango, spoiled by his manic grinning at the end, but a definite sign that he has woken up and started competing. Few more hours in the training room, and less at the pub, and he could be a real contender for at least the semi final, partly on merit, as well as popularity.
Adonis and Blonde Ambition - finally the dance of the series so far, and I wouldn't have thought that a 40 would have been out of the question. Wow. Just wow.
Some lovely pro dances, featuring the divine Mr C, and I thought at first that they had exhumed Andy Williams again, but closer inspection revealed the Bee Gees.
So the dance off, and everyone faked shock and horror at Ali and Brian and Zoe and James being there. Even Tess opined with her faux serious look "That no-one expected to see these two cooooples in the dance off". Well, Tess, the producers like their big shocks, and with everyone, including you, jumping on the get Craig to Blackpool Bandwagon, the viewing public were only acting on instructions. If Craig wasn't going to be in the dance off, someone else was, and tonight we had further proof that the top of the table are really struggling for viewer support - Zoe, Jade and Ali have all had massive falls from 3rd or 4th place on the board to the dance off, and it was only a matter of time, before two of the teachers' pets were going to be facing each other in the dreaded dance off. The judges overmarking and inability to avoid ties isn't helping either (with marks ranging from 24 to 39 tonight, it surely can't have been that difficult to get 10 couples properly differentiated?).
So bye bye James and Zoe, gracious in defeat, but is James ever going to get past the half way mark with his partner?
NatCass and her Italian Stallion were first up with a frenetic jive. They really are one of the few couples to give good value on their VTs with Vincent declaiming "I am not just a fantasy, I am the real thing!". Bless.
Their actual dance was so much better than the training footage, and Natalie gave it her all for the first 45 seconds. It was high energy, high impact, and great entertainment, but it was a jive of two halves, (I guess that level of energy is hard to sustain) and the second half felt a little flat, and the end was a bit of a damp squib. Natalie completely failed to point her feet, and I was amazed that none of the judges picked up on her attempts to kick an imaginary football. 30 seemed a tad over generous, but I was pleased for the girl, and judging from the reaction in the Tesspit, so were most of her fellow celebs.
Barbie and Ken - beautiful dress, beautiful arm placements, beautiful spinning, beautiful shaping. But it was all a bit vanilla and lacked any sort of attack or purpose until the splits at the end. If I didn't know that Ali was an actress, I would not guess it from her performance on SCD. They both telegraphed a mistake with their faces, but even watching it back, I cannot see the mistake, and this has happened before - they go wrong, and their faces shout the story out loud and clear. They both need to stop doing this. I know a stubbed toe can be painful, but the injury seemed to be milked a bit, and I hated Craig being so understanding. He gave Tuffers no slack the week after he had had a knee operation, so why all the consideration for Ali. I was also confused by Brian's comment about missing a day of training due to the injury, when the toe incident was clearly shown happening in dress rehearsal.
The Blackpool Bandwagon rolled into the station next, complete with extra carriages. The birthday boy, Matt di Angelo helping out in training (subtext Mavia fanatics, get your votes in) and Lennox Lewis popped by to the training room, for some inexplicable reason, as his connection with Craig was never clarified. With all the voter pulling boxes ticked, the dance itself was hardly going to matter, but just in case anyone had missed the point, they danced to "Don't let the sun go down on me". I didn't pay much attention to the dance itself, as I was completely distracted by the oversized cape attached to Flavia. She seems such a self-effacing person as well, but boy, has she upset the wardrobe department this year.
Next up were Team Cola, and if anyone thought Ola's catsuit from Series 6 was outre, here was the same design, but in saucy red lace. Boyfriend remarked that witht that outfit, there was no need for pencil sharpening (!), and watched with a rapturous grin on his face, and a dreamy expression in the eyes. I thought it was all a bit disco cha cha, and lacked hip action, but there is no way that Team Cola are going home any time soon. This couple have branding and their own merchandise, helpfully modelled in the VT by the football hero Mr Hollins senior, and if I could, I too would be sporting a yeah baby T shirt, in the vain hope of looking like Ola's older sister.
Alesha decided to tempt fate and risk melt down on the internet by opining that she wished she could tape Chris's mouth shut. Alesha, my dear, there are very many people who have been thinking the same thing about you for the past seven weeks (and I spent about a tenner voting for you two years ago, and have even bought Breathe Slow, so consider myself a fan!)
Long jump Jade and Long Tall Ian were not sabotaged by VT this week, in fact they benefited from a nice, fluffy VT, aimed at getting the granny vote in. The producers haven't earmarked them for shock dance off/shock exit this week then. Jade looked gorgeous (dress of the night for me) and the foxtrot was a joy to behold. I spotted some gapping but nothing too horrendous, and Jade even seems to be emulating Ian's legendary facial expressions. Lovely dance, and well deserved marks. I wish Jade were more popular with the public, because she is improving in leaps and bounds technically, and is one of the few top dancers to actually sell the performance. I would so like Ian to have a shot at the trophy this year!
The lady and the tramp - with Zoe accessorised with a dead bird in her hair. Bizarre. Oh hell, James has choreographed a disco samba, with a horrible bump and grind move, that Zoe was clearly finding excruciating, included not once, but three times. James, your choreography needs some inspiration, and you better find your mojo if you are back next season! There was no bounce, no hip action, and no sense of carnival, so naturally the judges raved, and marked it 32.....Oh dear, I think we all know who the shock exit is going to be tonight.
Well Erin usually makes one choreographic blunder per series, and this was definitely it tonight. How can someone who normally gets it spot on have such abysmal lapses? I am just relieved that she has got her choreo nightmare out of the way before it really counts this year, although I can see the reasoning behind the James Bond themed rumba. This is one of Ricky's dances that I won't be watching back later this week.
The ensuing 8 from Len was absolutely ridiculous, and almost caused me to start throwing things at the screen. The Len/Craig fight seemed awfully pre-arranged, and predictable though.
Charm and smarm failed to live up to Anton's build up and looked rather crestfallen as a result. It was a lovely Viennese Waltz, very classic, very pure, but lacked wow factor. This is another pro who needs to up his game choreographically. Anton has been churning out traditional ballroom routines all series, which would be great in a medal test, but on SCD, the audience needs a hook to get them involved in the routine, and Anton keeps missing the mark with this. With the judges choosing to highlight Laila's weaknesses in latin, I am beginning to suspect that they want this couple gone, and gone within the next couple of weeks. With the paso at Blackpool, their wish could well come true.
Tuffers and the Kat were up next with a VT that veered from comedy (Phil proclaiming that "Rear of the year is just around the corner") to extreme frustration, with Katya trying to goad Phil into upping his game. I sense that this couple are really not clicking, and Katya just doesn't know what to do with someone as lazy and laid back as Tuffers. I do think that he has decided to take it a bit more seriously now that the cannon fodder are out of the way, because he will not want to risk being bottom of the leaderboard. It was a good tango, spoiled by his manic grinning at the end, but a definite sign that he has woken up and started competing. Few more hours in the training room, and less at the pub, and he could be a real contender for at least the semi final, partly on merit, as well as popularity.
Adonis and Blonde Ambition - finally the dance of the series so far, and I wouldn't have thought that a 40 would have been out of the question. Wow. Just wow.
Some lovely pro dances, featuring the divine Mr C, and I thought at first that they had exhumed Andy Williams again, but closer inspection revealed the Bee Gees.
So the dance off, and everyone faked shock and horror at Ali and Brian and Zoe and James being there. Even Tess opined with her faux serious look "That no-one expected to see these two cooooples in the dance off". Well, Tess, the producers like their big shocks, and with everyone, including you, jumping on the get Craig to Blackpool Bandwagon, the viewing public were only acting on instructions. If Craig wasn't going to be in the dance off, someone else was, and tonight we had further proof that the top of the table are really struggling for viewer support - Zoe, Jade and Ali have all had massive falls from 3rd or 4th place on the board to the dance off, and it was only a matter of time, before two of the teachers' pets were going to be facing each other in the dreaded dance off. The judges overmarking and inability to avoid ties isn't helping either (with marks ranging from 24 to 39 tonight, it surely can't have been that difficult to get 10 couples properly differentiated?).
So bye bye James and Zoe, gracious in defeat, but is James ever going to get past the half way mark with his partner?
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