Weekend To Do – News/Rumors 05/23/08

Morning Everyone:

I’ve got LOTS OF STUFF today to talk about…must have had my eyes to the ‘gossip’ stuff more closely this week than usual!

Let’s start with:

OUT ON DVD

The Flock (R. Gere, C. Danes, R. Wise) Storyline:  Evrall Babbage (Gere) has spent his career pursuing sex offenders and his unorthodox methods are nearly as brutal as the criminals he stalks.  When he links one of his deranged parolees to the disappearance of a local girl, he and his partner (Danes) must be into the S&M underground to find her before it’s too late.  (WOW…sounds like a good movie…wonder why we hadn’t heard of it before?) THRILLER – 96 minutes

National Treasure2: Book of Secrets – Nic Cage (need I say more!)

IN THEATERS

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (this has gotten mixed reviews..I guess if you’re an Indy/Ford fan, you’ll like it!  Give the guy a break…he’s 65 and still doing some of these stunts!!!)

War, Inc. (John Cusack, Hillary Duff)  reviews..not so good

Thought you might like to know what’s coming back this summer.

Army Wives, Sun 6/8 on LIFETIME

Burn Notice, Thu 7/10 on USA

MAD MEN – not on the schedule as yet…AMC (It’ll be back..trust me!)

Moment of Truth, Tue 5/27 on FOX

Monk, Fri 7/18 on USA

Psych, Fri 7/18 on USA

America’s Best Dance Crew (Randy Jackson) Thu 6/7 on MTV

Saving Grace, Mon 7/14 on TNT
Weeds, Mon 6/16 on SHO

I’m not sure if I’ve already published these, but I’ll show you again, more returning shows – and more cancelled.

Returning:

NBC – LIFE

ABC – ELI STONE

CBS – Nothing we don’t know…

FOX – PRISON BREAK

FOX – SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER

Cancelled:

NBC – JOURNEYMAN…not happy

NBC – BIONIC WOMAN – again, not happy

ABC – DANCE WAR – CARRIE ANN/BRUNO – no surprise

CBS – Don’t care!

FOX – BACK TO YOU (surprised)

FOX – NEW AMSTERDAM (again, not happy)

FOX – CANTERBURY’S TALE

TV NEWS

Katie Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) has been signed on to Nip/Tuck for the upcoming season.  (Hope this season is better than the last one!)

She will play a new Doctor, named Teddy Lowe, who challenges Sean (Dylan Walsh).  She will appear in 4 episodes.

Polly Walker (ROME) has joined the cast of SciFi’s “Caprica”.

Lauren Lee Smith has been cast as a new member of CSI.  She will play Bryce Adams, a CSI who entered law enforcement to rebel against her dad.  She will work with Grissom’s night team.  (We’ll just have to hope that Gary Dourdan/Warrick, gets his act together so that he can rejoin the cast.  Although with this season’s Final Episode…it doesn’t look good!)

HBO – This Sunday, May 25th – don’t forget to watch RECOUNT with Kevin Spacey.  It’s all about the ‘chad’ count during the 2000 Al Gore/Bush election.  It’s gotten very good reviews…well, natch, it’s Kevin Spacey!!

MOVIE NEWS

Ray Liotta and Steve Buscemi have joined the cast of Michael Cera’s next movie, YOUTH IN REVOLT.  (I think Cera was McLovin in SuperBad?)  Cera plays a sexually obssessedddddd teen who meets the girl of his dreams on a family vacation and destroys the trip trying to be with her.  Steve B. plays his dad and Ray L. plays a cop having an affair with his mom (Jean Smart). – No date of when filming will start.

Pre-production has started on THE HOBBITT and its sequel.  Preliminary

contacts have already been made with V. Mortenson (Aragon), Ian McKellen (Gandolf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum)…these characters are essential to the making of this movie….

Christian Bale will play John Connor in THREE sequels to the Terminator franchise according to BBC News.  The first pic will be out next May 22, 2009.  It’s directed by McG (uh, oh).

NEWS/RUMORS

Harrison Ford and Britney Spears making a movie in Boston??????

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren got married this past week.  It was all very quiet.  They married at the Courthouse in Beverly Hills (it was decorated very nicely).  Jessica is expecting a girl this summer.

New pics of Jennifer Anniston and John Mayer would lead you to believe they are ‘into each other’….only time will tell.  John has a reputation of not staying with the same girl for long….I DO like his new haircut though.

Brad and Angie (looking gorgeous – being pregnant certainly agrees with her!) – having dinner in Cannes with Mick Jagger and Clint Eastwood and his wife.  Also joining the group was director, Brett Ratner.  Clint just directed Angie in CHANGELING which will premiere at Cannes this week.

PEOPLE is reporting that the reason Shania Twain and hubby, Mutt Lange are divorcing after 12 years of marriage is because of his cheating on her with Marie Ann Thieband, who worked at the couple’s home in Switzerland.  Apparently she left her hubby for Mutt.  (saw a pic of her and Shania…apparently they were good friends for years..go figure) and, trust me, when I say…she is NOT a looker!

Well I guess that ‘training’ Tommy insisted Katie take at the Scientology Center paid off cause she’s headed for Broadway.  She’ll debut in Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS with John Lithgow, Diane Wiest (In Treatment) and Patrick Wilson.  It will open in the Fall and Katie will be on stage six nites a week.

Steve Tyler (Aerosmith) has ‘voluntarily’ checked himself into the Rehab that Dr. Drew works in.  I guess his band members had had enough and told him to clean up his act or they’re thru with him.  Sad…his daughter, Liv just filed for divorce..by the way, he had been clean for 20 years!

Natascha McElhone’s hubby, plastic surgeon Martin Kelley, 42 passed away suddenly this week.  He was in London while McEl. was in LA filming a movie.  Doctors think he suffered a heart attack which his dad says is kinda strange considering he was in great shape!  Natascha (Californication and Truman Show) is expecting the couple’s third child.  They just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

Jude Law and Kimberly Stewart (Rod’s kid) – a couple?  Nuf said.

Adam Sandler and his wife Jackie are expecting their second child in the late Fall.  (Adam’s from NH)

Looks like Drew Barrymore and BFF, Justin Long are making wedding plans.  Someone overheard Drew talking to Justin about wedding planners and he was trying to get her to look at diamonds with him.  This will be her third walk down the aisle but…this time she has picked a WINNER.  Good Luck Drew.

DON’T FORGET EVERYONE:  All you Idol fans – Larry King will have them on tonight – 9PM CNN.

OK, I have to end this report with a sad story.

OMG – I just read that LUKE MENARD (my first pick on AI) has been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, Stage 2.  Doctors removed a mass behind his heart and a node under his left collarbone.  This is a cancer of the immune system.  Carly Smithson and David Cook visited Luke in the hospital.  He and David are close friends.  His odds of beating it are good.  With treatment, the survival rate is 95%.  Great odds.  Our prayers go out to you Luke and to your family.  You have a strong Faith in God that will help you have the strength to deal with this ordeal.

Talk to you next week, Joanie

AI Finale 05-21-08

WOW!  What a night.  I thought it was better than the last 2 years.  The producers worked very hard to bring us entertainment and that they did!

Ryan came out looking ’spiffy’ as usual.  And immediately told us that 97.5M votes were cast on Tuesday night.  Something like 22M more than last year’s finale.  Awesome..

Let’s meet the Judges.  Randy is dressed in red, so is Paula and Simon has his suit jacket and open neck shirt on again tonight.  Can’t understand Randy’s thought process on the jacket…looks kinda tacky!

Ryan flashes over to Kansas City, MO and Mikalah Gordon! who has a huge audience all around her, routing for David COOK!

Ryan then flashes over to Salt Lake City, UH where Matt Rogers is surrounded by an enormous crowd all routing for Archie.

We then bring out the 2 Davids who, along with a group from So You Think You Can Dance, to sing GET READY.  Fun song.

Oh boy, there’s Janice Dickenson in the audience…

David Cook comes out and sings I’M SO HIGH.

Archie sings HERO by Nickelback

We then switch to Mike Myers, The Love Guru, who is absolutely hysterical.  The two Davids watched the movie and you could see them laughing and laughing.  Looks really good.  LOVE it when he chants, “MARISKA HARGITAY”!!!!!  He comes out to talk to Ryan (he’s on a moving magic carpet!) and they say that he lives in HAIRINMYKEESTER, India! – Movie will be out on June 20th.

Now we have Syesha come to center stage and she looks beautiful.  She sings, WAITING FOR YOU and who comes out to sing it with her but SEAL!  Really cool moment.

Here’s Jason to sing his big song of the season, HALLAILULJIAH(?)

He does a good job…as usual.

There’s a Ford Commercial – LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL and it looks like a mix of all the other commercials.

Ryan then calls out the 2 Davids and gives them both a Ford Escape Hybrid – they both look shocked!  Of course, David A. doesn’t have his license yet (much like Fantasia a few seasons back) but I’m sure he’ll be getting it now.

The 6 girls are introduced and sing Donna Summer songs.  (we all know that Donna is a Dorchester girl!).  They are great but what’s even greater is when Donna comes walking down the stairs and sings with them.  She then sings her new single from her new CD coming out soon.  Not bad for 59…you go girl!  By the way, all the girls were dressed in red and looked really hot.  When they were singing, including Donna, some of the SYTYCD guys were dancing and there was RYAN over in the corner with his jacket off, boogieing along with them.  He was OK too!  Then he got wicked tired and sat on the stairs….

WOW! It’s Michael John singing THE LETTER along with Carly Smithson.  Hey, they could do a duet any time!  Good job and good song for them.

Jimmy Kimmel comes out to talk about this past year and asks about having Sanjaya (who’s in the audience) park his car!  He mentions the last year of karaoke singing and Simon Cowell’s parents, Rosemary and Satan Cowell!!!  He’s very funny.

We then have the six guys come out and sing Bryan Adams songs and, guess what, here comes the man himself to sing with them and alone!

There’s Bo Bice in the audience.

Jordan Sparks is next to sing…the current American Idol for about 20 more minutes!  Who in the world dressed this girl?  That gold dress does nothing for her.  Nice song but I’m not even excited about it.  Like her other songs better.

She was promoting the fact that Disney World will have an American Idol Experience opening this coming January!

David Cook and ZZ Top sing SHARP DRESSED MAN and he looks so relaxed and having fun.  He’s certainly in his element with this type of song.

Graham Nash and Brooke White sit on stools with their guitars and sing.  Very nice.

OMG….it’s David Cook doing a commercial for GUITAR HERO and he’s doing the bit from Tom Cruise’s, Risky Business, underoos and all!!!

The Jonas Brothers are next to take the stage and sing(?).  Sorry, I don’t get them… they remind me of Hanson…

Whoa… they do flashbacks of some of the really dreadful auditions and then they show Renaldo whom we all loved cause he sang the song he wrote for Simon.  He then comes out on the stage and everyone, Randy and Paula included, (not Simon though) all sing along.

They even have a marching band come down the aisles from USC and their cheerleaders are dancing away!  Very funny.

Then we had ONE REPUBLIC sing their song APOLOGIZE and Archie sings along…can’t hit those high notes like the lead singer though…

I think I went out of context with Jordan.  She may have sang in this segment.

Anyway, here’s Gladys Knight and the “pips”…who are Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr….IRON MAN!  Anyway, Ben’s movie will be coming out soon.  They were so funny.  Love Jack!!!!  They all sing, MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA…

Here’s Carrie Underwood to sing her new song, LAST NAME which is probably from the soundtrack of that new movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Cam Diaz.  Don’t like the song and REALLY don’t like the dress she has own….once again, who helped this girl, who is beautiful, pick this disaster out???

The top 12 come out on stage and sing…..are you ready….be still my heart….George Michael songs.  We all know that George (WHAM!) has been around for a long time and has had his ‘ups and downs’ over the years but he’s still one of the biggest talents around.  (If you watched Eli Stone this past season…he was on it!).

OMG….they just lowered the lights and who’s walking down the stairs but, GEORGE MICHAEL himself!!!  My heart is pounding and I couldn’t be more excited.  He sings PRAY FOR TIME.  It’s a long song but, if you listen to the words, it’s heartbreaking…..  Wonderful job George and good to see you.  He is going on tour this summer for the first time in 17 years!

I’m sure all the places he goes will be sellouts…..

OK….we’re getting there.  Now Ryan asks the Judges their opinions of this past season.

Randy:  Great Season 7.  So happy it came down to the two Davids.

Paula:  I’m so proud – this will be the start of a great career for you both.

Simon:  Congrats to both.  I must say though that, when I watched the show again last night, I want to apologize to you (DC) about some of the comments I made.  And, frankly, I don’t care who wins this Season.  You’re both terrific.

Drum Roll please…..After 97.5M votes were cast, the winner of AI Season 7 by 12M votes is…….DAVID COOK!!!!!  He looks absolutely shocked.  I bet he honestly thought he didn’t have a chance and that Archie would win.  What a surprise!  He’s crying.  Probably from all the tension and work from the past 5 months just building up.  I’m so happy for him.  He’s such a terrific guy and he’ll make a great CD.  As for Archie, Disney should scoop him up and put him in a reality show on the Disney Channel or have him go on tour (after the Summer tour is over) for them.  He’d pack the houses too!!!

David now sings the winning song of the contest, TIME OF MY LIFE and, ya know what… I like it!  Not bad at all.  I can see him selling this on his first single!

His mom is on stage, the confetti comes down, all the other top 12 come out and more…to congratulate David.  No choirs though….

Well I couldn’t be happier for the outcome this year.  And now we’ll have to wait until next January and see if the show makes a few ‘tweaks’ to make it more watchable!

Take care everyone…Joanie

DWTS – Finals 05/19&20/08

Hi Everyone:

Well here I am…a couple of days late (and a dollar short as they used to say in my day!).  As we all know by now Kristi won the coveted Glitter Ball for Season 6.  Let’s look back on Mon/Tue shows (a quick recap) and see how she achieved this…

Monday Night – Each couple will dance a Freestyle as well as the ChaCha.

After 2,125 points

And 2,857 hours of training

And 229 routines

Not to mention – 3 visits to the ER….it has all come down to this@

Numerous gallons of spray tan

1/2 of the points from the Judges

1/2 of the points from the Fans

Sam looks beautiful again tonight – (MON) – she has a gold gown on and her hair is impeccable….Tom, again, is Tom…

First up is Cheryl and Cristian.  He’s got a goatee and mustache this week!  – WHOA…love the purple outfits.  Very good steps for a guy with one arm!  Boy can Cheryl work her partner!

Then comes Jason and Edyta looking mighty hot!  They have slower moves for their ChaCha.  Good for Jason.  Love the jump!  However, not enough ChaCha for me.

Finally it’s Kristi and Mark’s turn and they OWN the dance floor.  She’s got a little shimmy # on and immediately goes up to Bruno and plants a kiss on him!  He’s so surprised…  They were the best in this round, my opinion.

I did love all three of the contestants last moves…

Judges:  Len:  Got me excited.  Great idea to have them all do the same dance back to back.  Cristian:  great hips – Jason: stylish – Kristi: technique is perfect you had the complete package.

Bruno:  You all did well.  Cristian: Banged with the best.  Jason – Always thrilled – Kristi: A call of your own.

Carrie Ann: Looking hot.  This is the first time we’ve done something like this and I like it.  Cristian:  Fantastic - however, it was tough with just one arm  Jason – Feel the way Len does cause the Latin cances aren’t your best.  You do better with the ballroom dances. – Kristi: It’s LADIES NIGHT  You won it hands down!

Judges:

Cristian:  8-9-9 = 26

Jason:    8-8-8 = 24

Kristi:    10-10-10 = 30!!!!

We now move to Freestyle.

Kristi and Mark are working hard when Julianne Hough comes by for a little help.  She’s Mark’s partner…This was their best dance this season.  WOW!  Incredible.

Judges:  Bruno:  Mamo/Hip-Hop Didn’t miss a beat and you keep shining – best ever.

Carrie Ann:  You know – men are more easy.  They have a tendency to be a crowed pleaser!  Loved it.

Len:  Well I’m not up on hip-hop (Tom says…we know Len!) however, it held my attention from beginning to end.  Loved it!

Judges:  10-10-10 = 30    PERFECT….

Jason and Edyta.  Edyta has danced for all six seasons and this is the first time she’s been in the finals and she’s really excited.  Jason’s kids come to visit and help him with the lifts!  His wife, Katina is absolutely gorgeous!  He had fun with the dance.  And, in the end, pulled his shirt off!  (of course, as soon as the dance was over, he put it back on)

Len:  I like the humor that you brought into the dance.  The lifts were fantastic.  I can see us both on South Beach now – you in your speedo, me in my thong! (Tom says…it’s gonna take a while to get that image out of my head!).  Great Job.

Bruno:  If you got it…flaunt it!  It’s like watching 2 centerfolds!  Funky, fun. great job.

Carrie Ann:  EDYTA…you’ve made it to the finals!  Jason – you can get those lifts up there!  WOW!

Judges:  9-9-9 = 27

Finally for the last dance of the night…we have

Cristian and Cheryl – WHOA! He’s got to do these one arm jumps, lifts, where he pulls Cheryl all over the place.  Unbelievable.

Len:  Thought the Latin America flavor you brought to the dance was fantastic.  Lifts weren’t as good.

Bruno:  Haven’t seen as much shaking since the earthquake and I thought, for one arm, you did bloody well.

Carrie Ann:  I don’t know if either you or Jason could compare to Krisit tonight but you never gave up.  BRAVO!

Judges:  9-8-9 = 26

—————————————————————————————–

So here we are, Tuesday night – the FINALS – who will win the Glitter Ball (I don’t think there’s any doubt about it….not like the 2 Davids on AI!)

Sam has a beautiful gray gown on tonight and her hair is up.  Bravo to her hairstylists, makeup people and whoever has chosen her wardrobe this year.  They had very few misses!

They first do highlights of former contestants.

I see Derek and Shannon do their Quickstep – they are so cute together.

They flash over six weeks of dances, training, etc.

By the way, while I’m thinking about it, I saw on one of the gossip shows the other night that the proucers of DWTS wanted ALL straight guys in the competition so that their would be chemistry between the couples (and boy did we see it!) – It wasn’t easy finding them but they managed.

They show Mario and Karina dancing – they were so good.

They interview Drew and Kelly as well as Helio who says that he’s going to win the INDY 500 this coming weekend!

Tony and Marissa – lovely couple who really became close friends.

They eliminate Cristian and Cheryl early on.  So now it’s up to Jason and Kristi – the football star and the Olympic figure skater.  (speaking of which, what do you think of Tonya’s new book???  Get a life girl…)

More women than men watch this show; hence, we have more men winners then women…in fact, the only female winner to date has been Kelly Monaco and even that was contested and they did a ‘do over’ between her and John O’Hurley where he won the redo….

Usher performs and may I say He’s Quite The Entertainer!

Kristi and Mark dance the Jive and, as usual, are excellent.

Len says that she is the best contestant they’ve ever had.

Bruno: Didn’t miss a beat.

Carrie Ann:   You set the standard and pleased the men as well as the ladies.

Judges:  10-10-10 = 30  -  They have NEVER had anyone on the show get a perfect 90 before!!!!

Jason and Edyta dance a Quikstep – Excellent form. – lots of fun.

Bruno:  Heavenly bodies – like angels. Best dance yet.

Carrie Ann:  Showdown – You 2 were elegant of spirit and grace.

Len:  Each year we have someone who completely blows us away who we have no idea how well he or she improves over the year and this year, YOU are the one Jason.  Kristi may be the Judges’ choice but YOU are the fans choice!

Judges:  10-10-10 = 30

OK, here we go:

The OWNERS of the Glitter Ball for Season 6 are:

KRISTI AND MARK….no d’huh but still exciting!  Good for them.

We’re all done now until next September when we start the process all over again….who will be our contestants next year????  There are always surprises!

See you then.  Joanie

AI – Top 2 – 05/20/08

Morning Everyone:

I’m late getting ‘my thoughts’ to you today.  Noooo, I was not at the hospital visiting Ted!

Tonight is THE night – The Battle between the 2 Davids – There will  be 3 Rounds of songs in tonight’s competition.

In one corner you have 180 lbs. (the Red Corner) David “Sugarfoot” Cook

In the other corner you have ‘maybe’ 100 lbs. (the Blue Corner) David “Babycakes” Archuleta.

They are treating this like a boxing match tonight….that’s different?!

Ryan steps on the stage looking mighty ’spiffy’ in a gray suit, white shirt and black tie.  Very nice.

The Judges all look ‘gussied’ up too.  Randy and Simon with suit jackets and Paula, once again, looking very pretty in pink.

Nokia theater is MASSIVE.  It holds 7K people!

Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Webber are both going to give the boys advice tonight.

Did you know that both Davids were NEVER in the Bottom 3 all season?

David Cook said that as far as he’s concerned, the competition is over and he is just going to have fun tonight.  David A. said it’s just like a dream come true for him.

They had a coin toss at the end of last week’s show and David A. won.  He chose to go second so… first up is David C.

Clive Davis chose I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKIN’ FOR for David C. to sing.This was a great song choice for David.  He sounded terrific and comfortable singing it.  This is HIS time!

Randy:  Great way to start.  You are HOT tonight.

Paula:  We found what we were looking for and it’s right here in front of me.

Simon:  Phenomanel!(? I probably spelled it wrong..sorry)

We now have David A. singing Clive Davis’s choice for him:  DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME (WOW, I love this song.  Reminds me of Elton John and George Michael!).  Excellent Job David.  Very heartfelt.

I don’t know how you could choose between the 2 of them.

Randy:  Doesn’t matter what happens, you were FLAWLESS!

Paula:  I got the chills.  My heart is pounding for you.

Simon:  I thought last week you were ‘OK’, tonight was your best song so far. – Round One goes to David A. (So Simon says)

Round Two – They can choose from the top ten contest competition songs.

David C. chose DREAM BIG – not a great song, but, then again, not many of these songs are.  He made the best he could out of it though.  He’s so cool.  He played the guitar while singing it.  However, I noticed at the end of the song, that he was almost ’screeching’ it.  Don’t like that.

Randy:  song was OK – your voice is great.

Paula:  Millions of people are mesmorized by you.

Simon:  Bit of a lightweight song for you.  Didn’t feel like a winning moment.  I’d give it a 6.5 out of 10.

Commercial:  New series on FOX this fall from JJ Abrams (LOST) called FRINGE…looks scary!

Next we have David A. who chose IN THIS MOMENT to sing.  I think it’s a better song than David C.’s.  More of a seller.  Good for you Archie!

Randy:  Right now – you are so in the zone…phonebook, blah, blah.

Paula:  You are ON FIRE tonight!

Simon:  It was a bit of an ‘ego type lyric’.  It was a better song than the other one.

Round Two goes to Archie…..(Simon’s call).

You notice how Archie breathes?  I wonder if it’s because of his vocal cords?  He is a sweet boy who has been blessed with a wonderful gift.

It kind of puzzles me that they get to choose from the top ten contest songs.  Makes me wonder what the winning song will be?

Ryan says that there are people in over 130 countries watching the show!

Round Three – the Davids can sing any song they want to.

David C. chose to sing THE WORLD I KNOW by Collective Soul.  I liked the song and thought he did a great job.  Don’t know if it will be enough though.  Nice finish….ohhhh, he’s tearing up.  He’s probably completely exhausted after all the weeks of competition, etc.

Randy: We got to see different side of you tonight David.  You could do this song on your CD.

Paula:  I truly applaud you!

Simon:  “David, I have to say that you are one of the nicest people we’ve ever had on this show.”  However, I think you chose the wrong song.  You should have sung, BILLIE JEAN or another song that you got a lot of recognition for during the earlier part of the season.  David’s answer to Simon was, “I felt that during this competition I was trying to grow and learn.  I looked at it as a progression.  I didn’t want to look back.”

Well said David.

David A. chose to sing IMAGINE.  This was his favorite song of the season and, naturally, he did an awesome job.

Randy:  I’m happy and proud of the 2 Davids tonight. – I pick YOU David A

Paula:  You left me speechless.  You were stunning.

Simon:  At the end of the day – we have to find a STAR and you came out to wind and what we’ve witnessed here tonight is a KNOCKOUT.

So, I assume, that Round Three also went to Archie.

When all is said and done, I believe David C. was correct in not going back to something he had done before.  I said he felt he had to stretch himself and go forward.

I don’t think Archie could put IMAGINE on a CD he will be making.

Ohhh, Ryan calls out Rueben Studdard to sing his CELEBRATE ME HOME song.  He sounds wonderful.  He still has that teddy bear look!

Well there you have it.  The first round of the Season 7 Finale.  Who will win tomorrow night????  Bet it’s a guy this year…funny!

It looks like Archie will be the winner.  Although there are a LOT of David Cook fans out there.  It will be interesting to see.  I’m sure they’ll bring out the rest of the Top Ten and promote the Concert Tour for the summer.  And there will be celebrities to talk to….and the choirs, and the confetti, and all the rest of the hoopla!

—————————————————————————————–

By the way, for those of you who follow my DWTS, I didn’t forget it was the finals either.  I know that it was down to Jason and Kristi (who most of us chose at the beginning of the Season).  With Kristi’s two 30 point rounds, I would find it hard to believe that she didn’t win BUT I’ll do a quick synopsis tomorrow.

Talk to you then, Joanie

Over The Weekend – AI Extra – 05/19/08

Hi Everyone:

Hope you all had a great weekend.  We here in New England had a terrific one with both the Celtics and Red Sox winning!  By the way, here’s a ‘heads’ up’ for those of us in the Boston area, Tuesday night, Chronicle is devoting their half hour show to NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – it’s on Channel 5 at 7:30…a ‘don’t miss it’!!!!

I watched AI Extra on Friday and saw the Syesha interview. – The Top 12 were all hanging out after the show.  They said that David Cook is ‘crazy’ cause he’s so funny.  Syesha set a goal for herself which was, ultimately, the top 3 and she accomplished that goal.  She had no dillusions that she could win the whole thing so she’s very satifsfied and thankful for the chance to perform in front of so many people.  Her mom and dad joined JD on the couches for a talk.  They said that Tuesday night is always exciting and Wednesday night – well, they hate it!  They couldn’t understand why she was always in the Bottom 2 or 3.  They all pray before the show.  Her BFF is very cute and has been very supportive (as well as her family) throughout all these months.

Constantine and Gina were talking to a few of the people who were there after the show.  Paula said that the NOKIA is huge!  She feels this final is much like the Rueben/Clay final of Season 2.  Toooo close to predict.

Diana DeGarmo is on the show and will sing in a bit.

JD asked Syesha were she finds herself in 5 years…singing, actress, Broadway?  She said EVERYTHING!

JD helps Syesha ‘look back’ on her journey throughout AI.  She should be proud to reach the Top 3.

Diana sings a song (it’s very short) and sounds and looks terrific.  I love the brunette hair.  Wonder if it’s for a new role?

Sanjaya is also visiting and sings too.  He sings You’re Always On My Mind and….ya know….he’s not bad!  Surprise, surprise.  Not doing much though.

Brooke visits for a little bit (they must be running ‘long’ and have time to fill).  She says now that we have the two Davids in the Final, it will be very hard to choose cause they’re both so talented.  She said she wants to make an album but she wants to take her time, choosing the right songs, etc. so it will be a while before she puts one out.

The whole Top 12 will be in the Finale!

Here’s something I heard last week….Larry King will have the two Davids on this coming Friday, May 23rd and Saturday, May 24th and, I think even on Monday, May 26 – when the Top 10 will visit Larry.

NEWS

Well Pete and Ashley got married at her parents’ home this past weekend.  Haven’t seen any pics yet.  Congrats.

Also, I understand that Tony was there with Jessica and they looked anything BUT broken up!!!

————————————————

Just read that now that Kate and Owen have broken up ‘again’, she was spotted in Austin, TX last week with none other than Lance Armstrong, having dinner almost every night in a different place.  One night they were with his 3 children and family…hmmmmm.

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Watched a couple of movies over the weekend that I like to call “Sleepers”!  The first is AN AMERICAN CRIME and, I believe it is on SHO.  It is based on a true story of a child who was, well, abused is a mild word to say what the family did to her.  It stars Catherine Keener and Ellen Page (Juno) who is excellent playing the poor child.  It’s a powerful movie which took place in 1965/66 and one, if you have SHO, you should not miss.

I also watched STARTER FOR 10 which was on HBO.  This movie was set in England in the mid 80s…love the music.  A lot of THE CURE is played.  What drew me to it was that it starred James McAvoy (Atonement).  It also starred English actors Charles Dance and Catherine Tate.  It’s a comedy and takes place in college where a freshman (James) tries to blend in.  Another good movie…maybe for the upcoming weekend?

Also watched The Tudors…one more episode left for the Season.  I’m so happy it’s coming back next year.

Caught Robin Hood on BBC…like this show.

Think I’ll watch the season finales on BONES and HOUSE tonight instead of Dancing (which I’ll tape).  I’ll watch tonight’s and tomorrow nights and give my review on both on Wednesday….as well as AI Tuesday night.

Lots going on.  Talk to you later.  Joanie

Weekend News/Rumors/To Do 05/16/0

Morning Everyone:

Well I’ve got LOTS to tell you today so let’s get started:

OUT ON DVD

The Great Debaters (Denzel Washington - heard it was very good)

Mad Money (Queen L., D. Keaton, K. Holmes – not so good)

Marvel Heroes Collection (for you comic book fans)

Delirious (don’t know)

The Invaders, Season One (Sci-Fi – Roy Thinnes – 60s series)

Untraceable (thriller – scary)

Youth Without Youth (Tim Roth – Drama – iffy reviews)

IN THEATERS

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – this is worth seeing just cause Ben Barnes plays the Prince.  I’ve seen a lot of interviews with the kids who made this and some of them have been waiting the better part of 65 years to make the second one.  One of the girls said she was 13 when this started and she is now 19!)

What Happens In Vegas (Comedy? – Ashton Kutcher/Cameron Diaz)

Let’s do some TV NEWS:

Donnie Wahlberg (NKOTB alumni!) and Jon Avnet are doing a crime drama for the TNT Network called “Morse Code” (that title could change).  It is set in BOSTON and it has beenn touted as a kinda resemblance of The Departed (which ain’t a bad thing).  It has law and crime mixed in.

CBS – has announced it’s 2008-2009 schedule – sounds intriguing.  Some new – some time changes – Drama/Comedy/BBC to US series.

The new drama series called The Eleventh Hour (which I had reviewed a while back and starred Patrick Stewart in the BBC version).

The Mentalist – stars Simon Baker whose kinda like an Alison Dubois (Medium).  Same concept.

Returning Series (some at different time slots) are:

Mon.          9:30 to 10       Worst Week (N – C)

Tue.           9 to 10            The Mentalist (N – D)

10 to 11         Without A Trace (why do they keep moving?)

Wed.          8:30 to 9         Project Gary (N – C)

9 to 10             Criminal Minds (same)

Thu.           10 to 11           Eleventh Hour (N – D)

Fri.             (I forgot to write down the time – that’s OK – doesn’t sound like this will last long – The EX List

Sun.           10 to 11           The Unit! (Why oh Why did they move this?)

Looks like SHARK and CANE are gone…..

“24″ will jump start the new season with a TWO HOUR Prequel on November 23 – Sunday – from 8 to 10.  The Series will return in Jan., 09.

ABC – BOSTON LEGAL will return for a 5th season – latest is that they will be on Mondays at 10…how can we keep track if they keep moving it?

Life On Mars however, is still in limbo.  Kelly owns the rights to the (BBC – original) show but has expressed a desire to leave “Mars”.  ABC can’t place an order for the series without his approval.  Since Boston Legal is now coming back though, it has cleared the way for this to happen.  I’m still skeptical on how they’re going to play this out since it only ran for TWO seasons on BBC. – Love to see it happen cause Lenny Clarke (Rescue Me) is due to star.  Jason O’Mara who starred in, In Justice and The Agency will also star.  –  JUST HEARD – it’s been picked up and will be on Thursday nights at 10 after Grey’s…talk about prime property!!!

Eric Stoltz will appear in Battlestar Galactica prequel, along with Esai Morales.  “Caprica” – Stoltz will play Daniel Graystone, a wealthy computer engineer who, after suffering a family tragedy, uses his technical skills to change the future of Caprica.  Details of the new “possible” series are slowly leaking since BC has begun airing it’s 4th and final season.

MOVIE NEWS

Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood – Oscar Winner) – has been approached to play in the musical NINE (Antonio Banderas did this role on Broadway).  Javier Bardem was originally cast but dropped out recently.  I don’t think we’ve seen Daniel in a ‘bad’ movie so, if he decides to do it, you can bet it’ll be a winner…wonder if he can sing?  By the way, there are quite a few BIG female stars that will be in it with him.

NEWS

James Garner (Maverick) suffered a slight stroke recently but is expected to leave the hospital shortly.  He just turned 80 last month!!!

Taylor Hicks (S5 AI winner) will join the Broadway cast of GREASE playing the Teen Angel role that Frankie Avalon made famous in the movie.  His run will be from June 6 thru Sept. 7th.

Shania Twain and hubby, Mutt Lange are splitting up after 14 years of marriage.  They have a 6 year old son, Eja.  No further info.

Brad and Angie are in Cannes, relaxing at a mult-billionaire’s home awaiting the birth of her twin girls.  I’ve read that she says it’s been a diffilcult pregnancy but she is blessed and fulfilled to be pregnant.

Lisa Marie Presley and hubby are expecting twins of their own in the Fall.  They are in the process of having a home built in Hawaii where Lisa wants to raise her babies.  Works for me!

Nancy Kerrigan (2 time Olympic figure skater winner) and hubby just welcomed a baby girl into the family.  No word yet on a name.  They have an older son from his first marriage and two sons together.

RUMORS

Jodi Foster and her longtime BFF, Cydney Bernard, have split after 14 years of being together.  They have 2 adopted sons, Charlie, 9 and Kit, 6.  There was a rumor years ago that Russell Crowe was the father of Charlie but it turned out to be false.  (Funny…I just realized, Russell’s older boy’s name is CHARLIE!! – just a coincidence I’m sure).

Ellen and Portia are going to tie the knot.  Now that gay marriage is legal in CA, they will be planning a wedding soon I’m sure.  I know they would like to have children.

NIC CAGE will do a remake of The Bad Lieutenant which had to be one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen (and you know…I’ve seen a LOT of movies!).  Now I know the guy’s off his rocker!!!

Well I think that’s it for this week.  There’s all kinds of season finales going on.  Then the Reality Shows will start to appear….

Have a great weekend and we’ll talk again on Monday.

Joanie

AI Top 3 to 2 – Semi-Finals – 05/14/08

Goodaye Everyone:

Well it was kind of a predictable night….but it was fun to see David A., David C. and Syesha go ‘home’ and to see how many people came out to wish them well!

Ryan said over 56M votes were cast Tuesday night and the Final 2 have been chosen.  However, before we reveal who they are, let’s go thru like 44 minutes of ‘FILLER’!!!!

Paula looks lovely again tonight.  Hope she keeps the hairstylist and wardrobe person on full time…quite an improvement to say the least.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is in the audience along with a lot of the previous ‘voted off’ contestants….saw MICHAEL JOHNS!!!  Lookin cute..

Ryan told Simon to ‘cover up’, button the shirt or something cause it is a PG show!

FANTASIA will be performing tonight.- New single off her New CD!

The Top 3 perform AIN’T NO STOPPIN’ US NOW – they look like they’re having a fun time.  Paula’s up and dancing away.  Hey, they might as well have a good time cause no matter who wins, they’ll be going on tour for the summer and they’ll ALL get recording contracts!!!

AI Extra should be really good tomorrow night…

The last Ford Commercial:  How Far Is Heaven – I think I liked this one the best cause it showed what their ‘future could look like’!!!  It was fun.

Now Ryan does a recap of last night.  (why, I don’t know cause when he talks to the individuals he has to do it all over again…)

OK folks, get ready, strap yourself in, here comes FANTASIA!!!!

WHOA…what’s with the red(?) hair???  Looks like she’s going for the hard rock and roll/rap style song.  The Judges all have their mouths WIDE OPEN!!!  She’s something else.

Ryan talks a little bit to her and she said that she will be going out on tour with a few concerts real soon…..Good Luck Fantasia….

OK, here we go….not so fast….let’s go to each hometown of each Top 3 Idol first.

Here’s David A.’s hometown of Murray, Utah  It’s 6:15AM and he’s entertained by the High School Cheerleaders.  Does interviews – is riding around in a stretch limo, peaks his head out of the top to wave to everyone who came out to support him.  Goes to the Gateway Mall where he is mobbed.  He’s crying cause he feels so humbled by this experience.  Now they go to Murray High School – if he says GOSH one more time, I’ll scream!  They declare 050908 David Archuletta day, key to the ‘city’, etc.

Ryan asks David how he did on Tuesday night and he says that it was very hard to learn three songs plus going home and to be greeted by so many people – the kid NEVER stops SMILING!!!

Let’s bring Syesha out and visit her home town of Sarasota, FL.  It’s in the Tampa Bay area.  Frankly, I thought she was having a problem with her mom and dad (who acknowledged his struggle with drugs and alcohol over the years).  She has little sisters too.  Early morning interviews, Visits grade school -key to the city – crying because she feels so loved by all.  She even gets to go on a helicopter ride.  It’s all very thrilling.

Let’s bring out David Cook and ask about his hometown visit to Blue Springs, MO.  Ryan mentions to everyone that it was his brother ANDREW and not David who was going to audition for AI.  But the producers chose David to try out and he made it.  Ryan looked at mom and said, “Maybe Andrew will try out next year!”  Mom just shook her head NO!!!  David took a private jet to his hometown.  It was NUTS!  People were everywhere.  They had him do a little concert (the other 2 contestants also did concerts in their hometowns).  He just can’t believe it’s all for him.  He says that this has got to be the coolest day of his life!  They visit the elementary school because Mrs. Gentry was the first person who encouraged him to sing.  It was a big surprise to her!  Then they have the parade with Andrew accompanying him in the car.  He breaks down because this is all too overwhelming for him to wrap his head around it.  This kid is so nice; he just makes me feel good when I hear him sing and I see what a good guy he is…I LOVE THIS KID!

OK – Results Please – It’s 9:53PM

All 3 did an amazing job and they all deserve to be on the stage.  Howevere, only 2 can be in the finals and they are:

David Archuletta and David Cook  (big surprise!)

Syesha was very entertaining over the weeks and she certainly grew as a performer.  I see her becoming very popular on Broadway.  She could do a CD and it would sell too.  I was listening to Donna Summer this morning and she sounds a lot like her….not a bad thing!

So their you have it – next week we go to the Nokia Theater and get to hear the tacky song which won the contest, the choirs come out and back up both Davids, and at 3 minutes before the end of the show, we will get to hear the name of the new American Idol and we’re done until next January!

See you next week….one more time!!!

Joanie

DWTS – Semi-Finals – 05/13/08

Hi Everyone:

I’m a little late today sending out the review/results of last night’s show so I’ll just ‘breeze’ thru it.

First of all, Sam, once again, looks lovely.  Love the red dress hair and makeup!  Tom is Tom.  Bruno looks like he had his hair cut by someone like Edward Scissorhands!!!

Next week – for the FInals – Usher will perform 2 new singles off his new CD.  Ohhh, he’s promoting a new CD?  How unique!!!

Tom asked Len which dance from the night before would he like to see again and, after naming a few fantastic dances, he chose Kristi and Mark’s TANGO.  They were just as good the second time around!

We had 3 young couples throughout the night who are in the ‘finals’ of the younger competition.  Aaron and Rashell danced the ChaChacha.  They were adorable – next was Jaryd and Cara who had Maks help them out with the dance since he lives right near them (by the way, in case you haven’t heard…Maks is COMING BACK next year!  I wonder which dancer will have to step aside?  Hope it’s not Derek!!).  They dance a Samba and the moves are sooo professional. and, once again, they are So Cute!

Last we have the 13 and under couple – who are 12 – Brandon and Brittany who are from Utah.  Ashley – who danced in Seasons 1 thru 3 helped them with their dance.  They did a Paso Doble and the Judges all had their mouths wide open cause the kids were so good.  Next week we will have the results and – Sam told them that ALL THREE COUPLES and their parents are going to Disneyland!  Brandon LOVES the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders so Tom said, “I think Brandon would rather go to dDallas!”  So we will see who wins next week.

OK, they also had a “Thriller CD” tribute from a dance troupe.  It’s the 21st year of the release of the CD which is still near the top of the charts as selling the most CDs evahhhh.  They were very good.

OK, there’s lots of filler along the way too but we’re not interested in that.  We just want to know who got booted off.

RESULTS PLEASE….

Jason and Edyta

Cristian and Cheryl

Kristi and Mark

Marissa and Tony

The couple going home tonight is…..drum roll….scary music….

Marissa and Tony!  No big surprise to anyone.  Still think Kristi’s got a lock on the Glitter Ball!!!!

See you next week for the FINALS….

I’ll probably wait until the auditions are over for So You Think You Can Dance before starting a review of that show.  Those kids are wicked talented!!!!

Talk to you tomorrow.   Joanie

AI – Top 3 Perform – 05/13/08

Morning Everyone:

Well it was quite a nite for ’song selection’ and I’m sure the nerves were pretty much shot on the three that are left.

I have to say that I thought Paula looked the prettiest that I have seen her in a very long time.  Lovely hairstyle, black sequined top (not too flashy) and toned down on the jewels…had black pants on too.

I don’t know what the heck Randy had on….they were kidding him saying it was something left over from Hawaii 5.0 or something!

We are going to see the contestants perform 3 songs tonight.

The first one will be chosen by the Judges.

The second one will be chosen by themselves.

The third one will be chosen by the Executive Producers. (I think this is the slot that Clive Davis was usually in but he must still be busy with Whitney’s new CD???)

This is also the week for the visits to the contestants hometowns.  Didn’t get much tonight…I assume that it will be ‘filler’ for tomorrow night’s Result Show.

OK, first up will be David Archuletta – Looks like the Mayor of his thometown has a message from PAULA which says, “David, I have chosen AND SO IT GOES (Billy Joel song) because I think it’s very suited for your voice and I feel you will bring a lot of emotion to the song.”  (or something like that). – I’ve said it before, and it definitely bears repeating, This Kid Has A Beautiful Pure Voice – You can understand every word David sings and he did a wonderful job on this song.  It was very enjoyable.  Good Choice Paula!

Randy:  I’m happy Paula chose this song for you.  You’re In The Zone.

Paula: Pure – sunny – strong performance.

Simon:  Very good but a bit predictable!

Next we go to Tampa, FL where Syesha comes from – She finds out while she is there that RANDY has chosen IF I AIN’T GOT YOU (Alicia Keys) for Syesha to sing for us.  He felt that this was a great song for her voice.  Syesha was thrilled because Alicia is one of her favorite artists and she loves the song. – First of all, she looks absolutely beautiful tonight.  The gold, long dress is gorgeous and the hair and makeup are perfect.  She did an awesome job on this song.  She looked very comfortable singing it.

Randy:  Amazing job.  Soooo happy you’re peaking just when you should.

Paula:  It’s a difficult song to sing and you did it.  Excellent

Simon:  You did it well.  Overall good job and you look gorgeous.  (then he started an argument with Randy over the song….)

We now go to Kansas City, MO where David Cook resides.  He finds out, thru an email from SIMON that he has chosen, THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE (Roberta Flack) for David.  I thought it was kind of an odd choice but Simon must know what he’s talking about cause David does a magnificent job with it.  He had people weeping – love the sign, Cougars LOVE David Cook!!!!  He did it his way but even in doing so, he didn’t break away from the essense of the song.  –  I WANT MORE!

Randy:  Check it out, dude…You’ve been my favorite since Day One!  (then he turns to Simon and Says – I would have liked to see more of a rocker song though….uh, oh)

Paula: It’s about YOU David…never mind these two guys.  Excellent job.

Simon:  One of your best performances so far this season.

Then he says, “Round One – Cook/Cowell!”

They show David’s mom in the audience.  What a pretty lady.  He says, “Happy belated Mother’s Day!”

Round Two – Contestants choose their own song.

First up is David A. and he wants to try and sing a Chris Brown song, WITH YOU – I don’t care for it as much as the first song.  I don’t think the Judges will kike it as much either.

Randy:  Not sure it’s the right song for you?

Paula:  You had the right tone for that song.  You should be singing songs like this.  Good Job.

Simon:  I applaud you on what you tried to do; however, it was like a chiquaua trying to be a tiger and it didn’t work for me.

It’s Syesha’s turn now and she has chosen FEVER (don’t know if it’s Michael Bubble or Peggy Lee’s version??? – I do like this song though).

Syesha is going to use a chair in performing it too….I think I see where this is going!  Once again, she looks gorgeous in a very short little number!  It’s a very sexy song and she does it very well.  I’ve got a gut feeling that the Judges are going to jump on her for this choice though because it does sound a ‘little’ Broadway!

Randy:  Interesting song choice.  Great Performance

Paula:  You look lovely – Surprised you chose that song.

Simon:  You’re going to regret the choice.  It was a cabaret performance.

Now comes David C. and he has chosen, DARE YOU TO MORE (I think.

this is a song from the movie, A Walk To Remember).  He know sooner got started then it was over…AGAIN…I want more!  Excellent job.

Randy:  Not your best.  A little pitchy.

Paula:  Got to beg when the end came…?

Simon:  OK.

The middle round was a toss up…Let’s go to Round Three

This is the round where the exec. producers chose the song for the contestants to sing.  Don’t know how this is going come out….

First up is David A. and the song will be:  LONGER by Dan Fogelberg(?)  Beautiful song.  Hear every single word.  However, it didn’t stretch his vocals enough.  Good…but how good?

Randy:  Interesting song choice.  But it was good.

Paula:  Lovely

Simon:  You sang it well.  It was a boring song though.

Then Syesha stepped to the center stage and sang:  HIT ME UP.  All I can say is, ‘I coulda done without that one.’  Sad way to end the night for her.

Randy:  Just OK

Paula:  It’s sounds from Happy Feet.  You did well.

Simon:  It was better than the second song but still forgettable.  Sorry.

And, last for the night is David C. who will sing:  I DON’T WANT TO MISS A THING by Aerosmith.  Well they must have been saving this one for the semis tonight cause he blew everyone outta the house.  Great, great performance.  He definitely deserves to be in the finals.

Randy:  OK – predictable

Paula:  See ya in the Finals!

Simon:  One of the great songs of all time!  You WIN the night David!

So there you have it.  Tonight we will learn who goes into the semis.  It’s pretty obvious that it will be the 2 Davids…who the Judges, exec. prod., etc. have wanted for awhile.  Of course, they have the ‘contest song’ to look forward to!!!  That’s always a trainwreck.

Joanie

DWTS – Top 4 Perform 05/12/08

Morning Everyone:

Well we’ve come down to the Semi-Finals and there were only a ‘few’ surprises (still wanted Derek and Shannon to stay a bit longer).  Next week will be the Final for this season….let’s see who brings home the ‘gorgeous’ glitter ball!!!  I wonder if they get paid anything other than the ‘going wage’ for performing each week?

Anyway, Sam looked beautiful again tonight.  I must admit her dressers have improved quite a bit since the start of the season.  This week she is wearing another black, sparkly dress but, with one exception, it has like a boustierre(?) top.  It is much more flattering than the strapless gown of last week..even though that was very pretty too….hair is gorgeous also.

OK, tonight the Top 4 will perform 2 dances; one ballroom and one Latin.

They have to choose a ‘glitter’ ball from a basket, open it up, and it tells them which dances they have to do.

Len told the Top 4 that he was very proud of them all.  But to win this competition, you have to ‘up your game’ – give us some WILLY!!!!

And, another thing, there will be NO LIFTS ALLOWED tonight.

First up is Jason and Edyta – they chose Foxtrot and Paso Doble.  Jason says he’s just so beat up after eight weeks of grueling training.  (I bet it’s just as tough as his football training!).  Well Edyta thought it would be nice if one of his buddies would talk to him and cheer him up and who did Jason see on the video screen but Dan Marino.  Dan says, “Jason, your competition is two actors and an ice skater!  You gonna let them beat you?”  No Way….they will dance a Foxtrot first.

Jason is so handsome in his suit and Edyta is knock out gorgeous.  They just glide over the floor.  Love the expansion and posture of Jason.  He has improved so much over the last 8 weeks.  (Emmitt Smith is in the audience!) – I thought it was elegant – good job.

Len:  Jason – You glided thru the room elegantly.  Good job.

Bruno:  Plenty of movement, showmanship.  Terrific.

Carrie Ann:  Beautiful posture, content and charisma.

Judges:  9-10-9 = 28

Next up is Marissa and Tony whose glitter ball said, “Quickstep and Rhumba” – Marissa’s fried Stacey Kiebler (of the 41″ leg stretch) came to visit.  I believe she also danced with Tony.  She helped Marissa a lot.  OK, they will dance a Quickstep first – LOVE the lavendar costume on Marissa.  It looked lovely.   She gives all those ‘chubettes’ out there a reason to get up and dance.  She has become very flexible over the season and has also lost weight..which you tend to do when training so much.  She and Tony were terrific.  She’s holding her own and moving right along with Tony.  This is a very hard and fast dance to do!

Bruno:  You started slow and boy did you pick it up…like an express train.  However, you missed ONE MOVE and this is the Semi-Finals.

Carrie Ann:  Who knew you’d still be here at this stage?  It was a classic quickstep – great job.

Len:  Maintained hold but for such a tough dance, you did a great job.

Judges:  9-9-8 = 26

The audience wants to kill Bruno for his harsh remarks to Marissa.  Tom says, “It’s a regular ‘lovefest’ out here for Bruno!”

The third couple to dance will be Cristian and Cheryl.  They reached into the basket and pulled out the glitter ball that said, Viennese Waltz and Samba.  Cristian went a little pale when he saw Samba because that is the dance that he hurt his arm on.  Cheryl tells him that he has to put that behind him and concentrate on the new dance steps.  He’s still nervous so to get his mind off the dance she takes him out to the ’streets’ and they have like ad boards that they are wearing that say VOTE FOR CRISTIAN AND CHERYL!!!  People are saying Of course we’ll vote for you.  It was good to give his mind a break.  OK, let’s go to the dance.  They will do the Viennese Waltz first – Don’t care for Cheryl’s gown.  It looks a bit ’spacey’ to me.  The skirt certainly swirls when she spins though.  They do a decent job but I wasn’t impressed.  Thought I’d get more.

Carrie Ann: Star dancing – good rotation (she talks very fast)

Len:  Better everything – WOW

Bruno:  Good Job

(Tom’s making fun of Cheryl’s gown – ‘anyone missing a weather balloon???’)

Judges: 9-9-9 = 27

Last for this round will be Kristi and Mark who have picked up the glitter ball that has revealed Tango and Jive.  They are thrilled cause they received a 30 for their Jive earlier in the season and their Tango wasn’t so bad either!   Mark takes Kristi to a high level pro dance class.  They give her a lot of help.  First dance for them will be the Tango

Does Mark have red shoes on???  Anyway….WOW, they are awesome.  Give ‘em that Glitter Ball already.  Excellent moves.  (Kristi’s family is in the audience tonight..her mom and dad)

Len:  You brought drama back to the Tango.  However, it was a little bit hectic for me.

Bruno:  Squeezed every bit of drama into the dance (too fast talking)

Carrie Ann:  Welcom back Queen of the dance floor!

Judges:  10-9-10 = 29

Before we go to Round Two, Len takes his limo and visits the four contenders and tries to help them learn a NEW step for their second dance.

First one he visits is Jason:  He shows him the Salvador step.

Next is Kristi who he shows how to do a runday(?).  Also, an Arkansas pull thru.

Then we have Cristian.  Len shows him how to promenade the arms without hurting his right arm.

With Marissa, he show her how to move her hips.  This was funny cause they had Tony, Marissa and Len in like a ‘conga line’ swaying their hips back and forth.  Len told Marissa she was getting a little cheeky with his hips!

OK – Round Two

Up first is Jason and Edyta will dance a Paso Doble.  Oh boy..you should see Edyta’s costume….it is really hot.  Jason’s gonna have a tough time keeping his hands on ‘cloth’!!!  Jason’s costume is really cool.  Just like a matador.  There’s a lot of sliding in this dance but Jason remembers what Len has taught him and uses it.  Posing too much again.

Bruno – Jason:  You have the strength of IRON MAN!

Carrie Ann:  Way more everything….

Len:  Like the price of gas….you’re going UP!

Judges:  9-9-9 = 27    Total:  55

Marissa and Tony will now dance the Rhumba.  Marissa shows very good hip movement (Len’s help).  I truly love this couple.  They are both so sweet.  Nice dance.  Good movements.

Carrie Ann:  Wasn’t excited by it.

Len:  Rhumba not WOW factor – not supposed to be.  It’s slow and careful.  It was right on the money – good job.

Bruno:  Sex in the City!  Loved the Drop!

Judges:  8-9-9 = 26   Total:  52

Cristian and Cheryl will dance the Samba (this is frightening for Cristian but he’s concentrating).  Love Cheryl’s costume and shoes.  He’s got the open shirt again with this dance.  Loved the butt shake at the end.  Good job.

Len:  Hotter than a chili pepper.  A little flat footed.

Bruno:  Rematch of the century!  Good job.

Carrie Ann:  Twinkle Toes (like Emmitt Smith!).  Just as good.

Judges:  10-9-10 =  29   Total: 56

Last and, by far, not least – Kristi and Mark will dance the Jive (by the way, in the first dance they did…they all went out on the ice kids and all and it was fun.  Hubby told the story of how they met at the Olympics.  She didn’t remember him!).  This is the dance they received a 30 for two weeks ago.  -  They are wonderful.  Definitely will be in the final for this dance!  So much fun.

Bruno: Cherry on the icing of the cake! You showed us two sides – you can do it all.

Carrie Ann:  Very extreme routine.  Something a pro would do.  Mark had a lot of confidence in you to give you those steps.  You were just a hair out of sync.

Len:  Great routine – rhythm – lovely balance – a little stiff.

Judges:  9-9-10 = 28   Total:  57

So there you have it..tomorrow night we will see which three will compete for the finals.  Marissa will probably go home but I was kinda putting my money on Cristian until tonight.  He did terrific in both routines.

It’s anybody’s call!!!

Talk to you later….AI plus Dancing tonight!!!!   Joanie