Dancing With The Stars (Or Is This The Weakest Lineup Ever?)

I know that Dancing With The Stars is never going to be a show filled with A-List people, and that's alright. However, there was some anticipation for this seasons where apparently the producers were told they could do just about anything they want to stop filling the rosters with D-Lister has-beens. There were reports that the idea was to get some high profile celebs, even though Snooki's name kept getting tossed around.

So what did we get? We got.....

• A D-List Kardashian (I mean really, the brother. Not even one of the sisters who headline the trainwreck that is the Kardashians? Instead we get Robert Kardashian who's most notable act is that he cheated on a Cheetah Girl. Woohoo.) He has been paired with Peta Murgatroyd, who is not a newcomer to Dancing With The Stars. She has been on both the Australian and American versions as one of the professional dancers before being promoted. Although with a promotion like this, maybe she'll be wondering if its not the booby prize.
• A C-List Laker in Ron Artest (yes, an active, striking, NBA player whose greatest moment came when he charged into the stands after a fan he incorrectly believed threw something at him during the Pacers-Pistons brawl back in 2004.) Anna Trebunskaya will have the job of breaking this bronco. 
• A D-List soccer player named Hope Solo (alright, its a little mean. She is arguably the best known of the US Women's Soccer team but the way we view soccer in this country, that only gets you to the D-List. Plus, there's her little problem with authority - she was kicked off the team once - and then there's the fact she got scored on to lose the Women's World Cup.) She is paired up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Given her history of not being afraid to speak her mind, this could go bad quick.
• Kristin Cavallari who I'm not sure even qualifies as a star. (I mean, really. Her show The Hills is off the air. She's done a couple of guest spots on other shows and had a role in an independent movie that very few people have seen. Her chief claim to fame seems to be that she just got dumped by Jay Cutler.) Mark Ballas ends up with the hot chick again. Perhaps he can make a silk purse of this sow's ear. 
• Chaz Bono. Famous for being related to famous people and having a sex change operation. Maybe its the fact that I live in San Francisco but that just doesn't seem that exotic. Karina Smirnoff has the task of teaching Chaz how to dance like a man. (Yeah, that's mean I suppose.)
• David Arquette. Arguably a C-lister. At one time was a B-Lister. Being divorced by a B-Lister. But, he fills their requirement for a recovering addict I guess (see David Hasselhoff and Steve-O). Lacey Schwimmer, rather unsurprisingly, was given this oddball (and I say that in a good way, well sort of). I feel bad for Arquette. He has to deal with Lacey's insanity. 
• J.R. Martinez, filling a double quota (Soap Opera Dude and Inspirational Man). Cheryl Burke will be dancing with him. 
• Elisabetta Canalis A D-Lister in the U.S. now that she is no longer attached to George Clooney. Derek Hough returns and is given the model. Hmmmmmm. Was that the price for his return? 
• Nancy Grace. A D-Lister so inappropriately named (can you really think of anyone with less grace in their makeup?) who seems revel in leading lynch mobs from the safety of her TV studio. 
• Chynna Phillips. The D-Lister "Christian" celebrity. Oh joy. I suppose she's famous but since last Wilson Phillips album, when has she really popped up on anyone's radar? And she has Maksim's younger brother, Valentin, as her partner. 
• Carson Kressley. I suppose he wants to tell everyone how to look good naked or something. Oy. Kym Johnson, who I'm sure doesn't have a problem looking good naked, will be tasked by him. 
• Ricki Lake. Possibly a C-Lister. I can't be too mean. I don't like to be mean. Its just I'm annoyed. Tristan MacManus, another promotion from the ranks of the DWTS professional troupe, has her. Could be interesting to see what these two do since there's so much unknown here.   
• Ryan O'Neal apparently is withdrawn. He would have been interesting. But apparently his knee replacement surgery recovery is not far enough along for him to compete. His replacement is Carson Kressley.

So that's the line up. Color me so underwhelmed. At least in the past there were people I was interested in or liked. No Olympians. No champions (though Artest has played for good teams). This one. I mean I'm sort of curious about Hope Solo, but not that much.

With a gun to my head, I have to say Hope Solo is my pre-season pick for the women. I know I have her picked to be the train wreck waiting to happen, but maybe. For the men, I have to go with J.R. Martinez, even though he has a few things going against him (he has burns on his face from serving in Iraq, not a lot of name recognition since he's only had 3 years on a soap). However, he's got Cheryl Burke and she knows how to train competitors who can please the crowd and please the judges.

Whether I tune in to this 13th season remains to be seen.

And the Winner Is...

Congrats to Hines and Kym. They are the champions of Season 12.

Quick Hit of Madness

So I haven't been writing much about DWTS. Stuff came up. I've been watching, but its hard to blog it with whats been going on around here.

Here are my thoughts pre-final final night. First, the freestyles were anemic last night. Only Hines and Kym really took a risk with their routine. It was interesting, but I'm still not sure that I liked it. Also, for the first time in weeks, it didn't look like Hines was having fun out there. Instead he looked nervous. His quickstep was very good. The judges love him and it seems that the critics do too. The problem is, I think he's benefitting by being back-lead most of the time by Kym.

Chelsea and Mark's dance was nice. A little weird. At the same time, the flashing lights on their hands and feet were fun and distracting. Also, the choice of music was...  not the best. I understand, I think, where Mark was going when he chose the music, I just don't think it worked for the end result.

Kirstie and Maks did what they could. Despite losing 38 inches off her waist line (that's almost one Angrybell), she still looks like she is running out of steam in her routines. And it happens every dance. SHe starts out really good, but halfway through the routine, she's straining to hang in there. She put up a game effort, but really she is not supposed to the winner here. She's tried. She has shown up, put the work in. I just feel that she gets outdanced by either Hines or Kym.

I really think Chelsea should win. However, I suspect that Hines is going to walk away with the mirror ball.

Just a thought for next season (not that anyone would ever listen to me). Instead of a judge's choice dance like this year, how about a judge's choice insta-dance. That way we see if the competitors have learned to dance or learned how to do routines. Just a thought.

Whatever way it ends, this will be the closest finish since they redid the scoring.

Dancing With The Stars American Week Edition

Ok, what moron came up with this idea? Let's have an American themed week on a week where most of the people are dancing very foreign/international dances. I mean really, a samba to "Sweet Home Alabama"? Why not just say "Ralph, we're stunned by your vote totals and we're going to do whatever it takes to make you look bad so that the others have a chance to knock you off. Sorry."

But before we get to the rest of the dances, let's talk Kendra. For a woman who insists she is tough and powerful, I've never seen someone with so much of a glass jaw when it comes to taking criticism. What am I talking about? Apparently she cannot take constructive criticism labeling Carrie Ann Inaba's criticisms from last week as belittling and embarrassing.  Let's get something straight, the only thing embarassing is her attitude.

Mrs. Angrybell was stunned when Hines Ward and Kym came out. As she put it "It was Officer and a Gentlemen meets a fringed lamp without any hip action." And please, a rumba to "G-d Bless The USA"?  That was just cruel. Not sure what dance Carrie Ann was watching.  The 9s from the judges on that one were totally out of left field.

And really, can someone please, please, please make Maksim put his shirt on. Between the faux tattoos and a chest that rivals mine for needing to get to the bench press, its a miracle that the FCC has not slapped it with an indecency fine already. I can't even tell you about the dance,... I was too stunned by the outfit, the lack of competant hairography, and the Maksim... being Maksim.

The scores this week were nuts. On the one hand, you had Macchio & Smirnoff and Jericho & Burke getting hit with every little technical deduction. Then you have to judges gushing over the dreck that Kendra and Louis through out there. To be fair, Louis was going with the spirit of the song, but Kendra's stomping all over the floor did not make it a dance.

The one thing that needs to happen: people need to start voting for Chelsea and Mark. She is good. She is probably the best of the female dancers left. The problem is America not voting for her. She does not deserve to be in the bottom. Hopefully people saw that this week. Fortunately, Mark resisted his urge to do something odd and showcased her doing a good party samba to that Miley Cyrus song.

So where does that leave us?

Classical Week Madness On DWTS

Alright, so if you haven't been paying attention, there's a little scandal brewing on Dancing With The Stars. It seems that Karina Smirnoff has posed for playboy. And she didn't clear it, or it seems notified, the show. This all started when Hef went and let the cat out of the bag in a tweet. Now, some stories are saying that if this is indeed true, DWTS is taking a dim view and will end her tenure on the show. Apparently, the ABC image makers are not pleased about this and view this as Karina sullying the reputation of the show for posing in Playboy.

Excuse me? This is the pot calling the kettle black. Over the past few seasons, they have been putting up celebrities who are known primarily because they have posed in Playboy (um...hello? Kendra this season and Pamela Anderson in season 10, Joanna Krupa in season 9, and Holly Madison in season 8 have all graced the pages of Playboy nude.) The ABC and DWTS need to get over themselves and let her go on. Its not going to make DWTS any more tawdry.

Back to our regular questions. Mrs. Angrybell wants to know if Brooke Burke is pregnant. Otherwise, she says, Ms. Burke needs to can her stylists for putting her in something that makes her look as big as Kirstie Alley.

Thankfully, this week the DWTS production crew told us who was dancing what. It didn't make sense to go through the whole introduction thing for the baby pros and then not tell us which pair is dancing which dance each week when they are so made up that its hard to tell.

Romeo and Chelsea lead off doing a paso. He has the right demeanor, but his steps, at least int eh begining are not confident enough. As it goes on, he starts to become more confident, but there are transitions where the flow stops and it hurts the dance. And then at the end, there is the gratuitous shirtlessness as he gores the cape. I'm not sure why he is goring the cape, he's supposed to be a matador and they gore the bull. Mrs. Angrybell would give it 7s. Instead, the judges went with a 7/8/8 for 23.

Kendra and Louis follow that up with a Viennese Waltz to "Time To Say Goodbye".  She's got posture problems. She is making the right steps, but somehow is not getting the rise and fall down. During the spin, she got very afraid, and it caused her to blow it a bit, fortunately, Louis held her up. This dance is a bit of a dog's breakfast. Her arm are not strong, which is throwing her frame all over the place. At leat the death spiral went well. This was not a pretty dance. Mrs. Angrybell found herself in agreement with Carrie Ann for once, but that was about sexy and elegant comments. The 18 was a gift.

Anna and Sugar Ray are up to do a Viennese Waltz. All I can say is Anna looks tough. She may almost be as tough as my mother, who has been known to put the fear of G-d into combat veterans, but that's another story. Too much mucking about in the start of the dance. This is much better than what we saw from Kendra. The problem is that they went a little too much ballet in this dance and its over powering the viennese waltz flavor. It was a marked improvement over last week. He looks elegant. he flowed when they were in hold. My only criticism with the choreography is that it felt too ballet-ee. Sure, he's got some technical problems and sure his frame could have been better at times, but it was an improvement. Well he got better than 20, with the 21.

Dmitri and Petra are trying to get angry for their Paso Doble. They got a good song, whose name always escapes me. She has some stunningly ungraceful moments in this dance. I know it hard. But she is supposed to flow. There are a lot of transitions in this dance so far where she looks like she is stopping and then starting again. When she is in hold, things are uneven. Not good. Not terrible. But problematic. Its like a step sideways from last week. Bruno was watching a different dance. Either that or he felt like an hour was down and he hadn't gotten to start one of his almost stripteases. This 23 was too high.

Ralph and Karina are looking to come back from the rumba with this week's Viennese Waltz. The acting in the beginning was scaring small children. But then they got into the dance. He's actually got some heel leads in where appropriate. Len may cry if he realizes this. This song enforces a very slow tempo for the waltz, but he is doing a good job with it. It just looks like he is letting his bum out too much sometimes. The 25 felt a little low. I dunno, almost felt like there should have been a little more there.

Hines Ward and Kym are up looking to build off of last week. This week they're doing a paso doble. This is interesting. Where Romeo looked intense, even when his feet weren't showing the intensity, Hines' face does not look intense to start off, but his steps are intense. As it goes on, the two start to become in sync. I would not call this a perfect dance, but its being done very well. There is only one little hiccup towards the end where it looks like they got a little crossed up with their hands. The 25 was good, I think there should have been a second 9 in there.

Chelsea and Mark are up to do a Viennese Waltz. Her frame is nice. her footwork has a common problem of nocies. She is dancing it on her toes mostly. This is preventing her from always getting the nice rise and fall of a waltz. She really threw herself into that spin at the end. Shows how much she trusts him, which Kendra clearly did not with Louis. It was good. Not great. Bruno needs to work with his expelliarmus a bit.So there was a 26.

Are Chris and Cheryl up for the paso this week? Let's find out. They got a good song with the Sorcerer's Apprentice song. He has the look down. His footwork looks confident too. If I didn't know better, Id swear he was leading this dance. It was really good. The only time that it seemed to not look right was when he was stepping over her as she rolled in his hold parallel (more of less) to the ground. What Len was talking about in his critique was shading. He liked it. What would have made it better was if he had found a way to show an increase in the intensity and the force of the dance. They got hosed on the judging with the 23. It should have been a 25.

Kirstie and Maksim are up last tonight. Its a Viennese Waltz. With her hip injury. Why is it htat the singers have better dresses than Brooke Burke? Kirstie starts off the dance slightly ahead of the beat. And then her shoe falls off. But she laughs it off. There was some nice stuff there. The problem was, she was ahead of Maks. Now, when a guy does it, its not so noticeable. The problem is, she is supposed to be following Maks. The 22 was a gift.     

So who should go home? I think its time to say good bye to Kendra. Her dance was not good. She is cracking. Its best she goes home now before something bad happens and she looks really bad. The flip side is Kirstie. She had a bad dance. The 8 from Bruno was a freaking gift. The question is do you penalize her for a bad dance, as opposed to Kendra who has been uneven at best.

Hosed of the week: Chris Jericho. That dance was much better than I thought it would be, but it just wasn't reflected in the scores. If you are looking for someone to vote for, give him your vote, he probably needs it.

Joyous Madness in the Post Lacey Era of Dancing With The Stars

Oh it is so good to say that. Lacey Schwimmer is gone. I'm actually bummed that Psycho Mike is gone, he was kind of fun.

Thank you DWTS for letting the baby pros do a bit before the dancing to show us what it should look like. Maybe some of the people in the audience will remember it when its time to boo down Len. Nah. Judging by the way the girl did the rhumba, Edyta has some competition from the baby pros.

Mrs. Angrybell reaction to Brooke's outfit was, "Well... yeah... Noooooooooooooooo!" Apparently, the rebellion of the costuming department against Brooke Burke continues.

Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani lead-off looking to build on last week. But which is the real Wendy? Last week or opening week? DJ Saved My Life, interesting choice for a foxtrot.  There was some Tony gropage there. This is not working real well as a song. The other problem is she is not very fluid. Her footwork is more of stomping in this one and her frame is nonexistent at times with really week arms. At the end, Tony looks like "I don't know what that was ... well they can only hate us so much." The 15 was generous in my opinion. This was not good.

Chelsea and Mark are looking to get back in the judges' good graces. It almost looks like Mark is more in touch with his feminine side than Chelsea is. Angrybabybelle was trying to learn the dance along with Chelsea.  So let's see this cha cha cha. Takes too long to get into the meat of the dance. Len wont love that. Her hip movement is not great, but its there. Her footwork could be better, but she is having the same problem that Kendra had in the first week with not getting her legs fully straight. They stayed in the syllabus of moves, but it was not her best dance this season. The judges were confused, because Carrie Ann was right, she did look like Julianne. 7 and two 8s (from Bruno and Len) was crazy. Its almost like the fix was in on this dance.

Chris Jericho and Cheryl are up now. Good grief, he chose "Let It Be". Ugh, just such a downer song. His footwork is not bad, but he is not getting the hip action he should be.  Mrs. Angrybell says "Cheryl is so good because she makes her partners look so good."  This may not have been intentionally sexy, but it was. It was a very good rhumba. Now I have to completely look at this year again. If it wasn't for that weird hip action or non action. And of course, Carrie Ann is all but sobbing. Given the way tonight has gone, the 21 is right on.

Kendra and Louis. Oh dear, what is her "thing" going to be tonight?  This rhumba is going to be interesting. And it starts off in smoke.  Maybe Louis needs to rethink that. No one can see her and she trips going down the stairs. She has hip action, but its not going the right way with the music. This costume is causing her problems because she keeps having to readjust her hands to deal with its flowingness. At times, this dance looked great. At times, it looked messy because her legs once again were not extending fully and it was taking away from what would have been a good dance. Guess they need to go to another yard sale for a new smoke machine. Len was right, there was an improvement. Carrie Ann is back to hitting the pipe with the review she is giving this dance. 23 seemed a little high. I would have given it a 7.

Romeo and Chelsea Hightower doing a rhumba. In his leprechaun shoes. Hip action was pretty much non-existent until he passed Chelsea through his legs.  Its nice. Its nothing special though. He wasn't comfortable with this dance. Either that or he is about as divorced from his emotions as L. J. Gibbs. The 20 was generous. It could easily have been 18.

Hines Ward and Kym doing a samba. He looks confident. He is getting his hips into, more so than any of the men tonight. However, he is not quiet getting the good boucne that you see in teh samba, and part of that I think is he is taking such large steps at times. It was pretty good. It just seemed odd because the song is not what I would think of as a samba song normally. I'm split on this dance., It was good, but was it good enough? Dunno. Apparently, the new rule is if Carrie Ann is wearing her engagement ring, she will give effusive reviews proclaiming everything as the greatest ever. Bruno gets caught up in the Carrie Ann tsunami. A 9 and two 8s. Mrs. Angrybell thinks he got an extra point because Carrie Ann is no longer an old maid.

Petra and Dmitri doing a ... waltz to You Raise Me Up. Her frame is pretty good. Her problem, even obscured by all the fog, is ok with the problem she is doing the dance on her toes. This means that hte rise and fall is not natural and has to be forced. It looked great because she got the flow, but technically, it had some problems in the feet. Overall, a significant improvement over the last two weeks. Len's 9 was a little too much. The 25 was .... high, but given the way this week is heaidng, I suppose its not that out of whack.

Sugar Ray and Anna  are hearing the bell. This should play to him this week because he is doing the Paso Doble. Sugar Ray mustve called in a favor to get that Lets Get Ready To Rumble dude. The dance was good, not great, but definitely going in the right direction. Given the way his improvement is going, he's not going ot go that far. But he is going to be safe for a while, given the votes. The 20 was fair.

Kristie and Maksim are up next to do a rhumba to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Right out the gate it is a train wreck, but the recovery is good. Something went wrong on the first move and Maks went down hard. He looked like he was having to really gut through that performance. He may need to go the doc and have that looked at because it looked really painful. Of course, I'm not sure who could support that amount of weight. Kristie, on the other hand, did what she could do. She is not the most flexible of the contestants, but her footwork was pretty good.

Ralph and Karina. Mrs. Angrybell can't get over the wedding dresses which were in fashion back in 1987. Let's see this Stay Gold rhumba. Arms are better but not where they need to be. His footwork is pretty good, but is holding his hips level. Its not easy for a guy to get the hip action going, but he is having as much trouble, but in different ways, than Chris Jericho. Mrs. Angrybell's feeling was "It was an ok dance, but the song was gawdawful." Seriously, though, Ralph Macchio looks like a 20-something dating a cougar rather a 50-something married to a 50-something. Mrs. Angrybell believes that Mrs. Macchio is in fact Scorpius. The 21 was not great and Ralph is clearly not happy with it

Going strictly on the dancing tonight, the one in jeopardy has got to be Wendy Williams. Front runners has shifted given the way that Macchio's dance was judged. Chris Jericho or Hines Ward are arguably the favorites, given this week plus the fact that they were building on good performances last week.

Before the First Reveal Madness, Week Two of Dancing With The Stars

Opening question for this week: Did the Taliban get control of Brooke Burke's wardrobe. Usually she's in something that makes her look like what she is. This week, its either she's heading in from a funeral or they've decided that the "stars" are tired of being upstaged by her.

Going into tonight, the one who has to turn in a big performance has to be Wendy Williams. She had a terrible first week, which frankly did not look like there was going to be much in the way of redeeming qualities hidden in it. It was Master P bad, but with effort.

This week Anna and Sugar Ray drew the lead-off spot doing the Jive. Thee kicks and flicks are not as crisp as they need to be, but then this is the second week. His posture, which was the problem last week is not as big of a deal, but he has a hunch to the way he moves sometimes, which I think is a remnant of being a boxer. But when he gets into open, he looks like he is having fun and doing a good job at the same time. It was ok. I'd give it a six. Len comes out and calls him on all the technical things. I think I'm agreeing with Bruno this time, there was something there, but it needs to be refined and sharpened. Sixes and a five for seventeen.

Kendra Wilkinson and Louis were up next. This week they are doing the quickstep. Oh hell, Kendra has her first breakdown this week. Mrs. Angrybell says that a tomboy would not be out there crying. Louis starts her out in open, which might hae been a mistake  because she got off beat pretty fast and that does not look good. When they get into hold, she does better, but she keeps pulling away from him and not putting her hip on his. She is also having balance problems because I think she is missing steps. Her posture is mostly ok, but she could be locked in tighter with her arms. The problem I think was the choreography. Louis started her off in a hard thing for a novice, namely the open routine, and then she never really recovered her confidence. This is step back for her.  What dance was Carrie Ann watching? She saw something that neither Mrs. Angrybell nor myself saw. I think that Carrie Ann is starting to affect Len's judgment based on what he said. Fortunately, Len comes back with the right score of a 6. Coupled with Carrie Ann's 7 and Bruno 6 and its a respectable, for the 2nd week, 19.

Next up is Chelsea Kane with Mark. Mrs. Angrybell approves of this week's deviation from the Florence Henderson look. They are doing a jive. To a song that I cant even tell what the heck it is.  She is going for it. She is a little flat on her feet,but her kicks are good. Angrybabybelle is dancing along with them, so it must be entertaining her. The first problem was the song. Its would not be my first choice for a jive.  Mark went a little too far with it, but what choice did he have with this? So of course, Carrie Ann calls them on it. This dance was not Chelsea's fault. She did what Mark told her to do. The question is, how much do you penalize her for it. The 18 was correct score based on what happened (a bit of a penalty but not a crippler), even if it came about oddly.

Christ Jericho and Cheryl came up next for a quickstep. Mrs. Angrybell, during the Jericho solilquoy on strong wood, said "He needs to be Joby wood!" They drew a better song for the quicksept. He starts off with a good frame and his footwork is looking respectable. He even manages a smile. He does some nice kicks and flicks, much sharper than Sugar Ray in thejive. I actually really liked it. For a big guy who didn't seem to move well in his last dance. One other thing he did better than the others so far tonight Len hits it: bright, breezy, fun. 23

Petra and Dmitri, doing a jive. It gets better when the clothes came off because the start was not good.  Mrs. Angrybell thinks she is off. I think she starts slow, but she is getting better as things are going and then there is somethign that went horribly wrong right before the trick. I think she was thinking too much about the trick that it dominated her dance to the point where things went bad. Then Dmitri puts her up on the desk for a bit. This was nice to look at but not that good. Mrs. Angrybell felt like she was not sharp and very wooden. Compare her dance to Stacey Keibler a few seasons back and that is what a tall girl should look like doing the jive. Len is spot on when he said short skirt, bad technique. The 6s were overly generous. There should have been one or two fives in there.

Kirstie Alley and Maksim were called to the floor to perform a quick step. Black Horse and a Cherry Tree. Maksim starts her out in an open. She looks like she was hanging on to the routine for dear life and then looks better once they go into fhold. For big woman, she is moving well in hold. She has a good frame for the first half, it starts to weaken as the dance goes on, but she is right on his hip whens he is supposed to be and that makes the dance look better. For example, her left arms starts to drop and her bum starts to sneak out and that affected her balance. The problem is she starts to tire as the dance goes on and that hurts her posture starts to suffer. Len was too harsh with that 6. The score was a 20.

Psycho Mike and Lacey of the Tragic Hair are hoping to avoid elimination with their jive. Mrs. Angrybell thinks he looks scared. Lacey has been shopping in Edyta's closet and it doesn't look good on her. There are parts of this dance that are good. His kicks and flicks are very sharp and spot on. The problem is, he is not linking his moves together. Its like nice combination and then move to where the next move will be. At times, he had the footwork down, but he was more stomping than dancing. He made it look good though. It was a definite improvement. 17 was a fair scored for that.

Romeo and Chelsea are up to show if Romeo can improve on a good start. You're The One That I Want is the song. Mrs. Angrybell doesn't feel Chelsea's hair is right for the timeperiod for this song. He is a little too far away from her in the dance, but his arms are locked in. It feels loose, not sharp. Its not a bad quickstep, its just... lack in in polish I think. Mrs. Angrybell counters that the song may have driven the movements. All I can say, Jericho did better. I think Len may have had a stroke when he calls this dance the dance of the night. And yet, they earned a 23.

Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani are looking to redeem themselves. Let's see if this is another train wreck.  Its a quickstep that starts off with mucking about, yeah Tony, Len is going to love this. The kicks and flicks in the corner were ok, precise but not sharp. When they did the next set, they looked better, but not by much. And then there is mucking about at the end. It was better than last week, so its an improvement. Mrs. Angrybell felt she was trying to be small and not big. Of course, Carrie Ann views it entirely differently. And Len smacks Tony with the "economical" comment. That should read "Tony, you need to have your partner dance the dance more and not hide her with mucking about you twit." A 17 is spot on for this one.

The Karate Kid and Karina (I guess it would be bad to call them team KK and K).  Mrs. Angrybell believes that Ralph and Demi sold their souls to the devil to look this good. They start off the jive strong. He looks like he is having fun. Mrs. Angrybell is reminded of Drew Lachey when she watches him.. There are times when it seems loose or not fully in control on his part. Its a good routine, but he set a high bar for himself after last week. He has some stamina problems like Kirstie. Len says it better when he called it "frantic" at times. The 21 was fair.

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson got to follow up Ralph and Karina doing a quickstep.  Like all the other guys tonight, he has been dancing primarily on his toes and not doing the properly footwork. Its not a slap, its just something I haven't mentioned at all.  His posture seems to be hilding which is good for a guy with shoulder problems.  Mrs. Angrybell points out that he looks like he is in a little pain doing that. It was good. It was fun. I'm a little mystified at the love for this routine. It earns a 23, which is what Jericho got.

Alright, so we've seen them all twice. Who should go home? Its either Psycho Mike or Wendy Williams. The best of the men, surprisingly it could be Chris Jericho... if he keeps up the work. The more consistent top of the board for the men is Ralph Macchio. Sugar Ray looks out of his element. He'll hang around for a while because he has a fan base, but he does not look like a contender. Romeo is a bit of wild card here. If he continues to progress, he will become a real threat.

The women are a little more interesting. Wendy Williams is thanking her lucky stars that Psycho Mike is there, because it gives some people an excuse to keep her on the show. The best of the women right now is Kirstie Alley. She is having fun. She is able to keep up with choreography. Her downside is that she is out of shape and tires during her dances. Petra looks like she will hang around for a while, but she is not showing much. Kendra Wilkinson is kind of the wild card here. She has some athletic ability and she showed promise in the first week, but then took a step back this week. The biggest threat, or would be if she has a fan base from her Disney/Jonas fans, is Chelsea Kane. She moves well. She keeps up with the choreography. Her greatest liability right now, oddly enough, is Mark and his occasional flights of fancy.

Who should go home: Psycho Mike.

Opening Night Madness

Opening Night is here at last. Here we go.

First up is Chelsea Kane and Mark doing a Foxtrot. Mrs. Angrybell wonders if Florence Henders knows that Chelsea stole Mrs. Brady's hair style while Jan was complaining about Marsha. Its not bad. The problem is the footwork is not spot on, but she's faking the flow until she tried to do the side by side kicks. She has the character of the dance, but her footowrk needs help. She is not getting the heel ball changes.  She had a couple of stumbles. It could stand some improvement. Who is sitting in for Bruno tonight. No gushing. Constructive criticism. Whats up with this? Sevens across the board, but then again she is the first through the door.

Next up Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani took the floor. Mrs. Angrybell is stunned by her. Poor Tony, he drew the waterworks. And all this over the cha cha cha? Whats going to happen when she hits the two dances. This is not looking good for Wendy. Mrs. Angrybell is shocked by the lack of rhythm from her. She is heavy on her feet. Now I cannot figure out if this is nerves or if we have finally found this year's Kenny Mayne. There's nothing good here other than the fact she managed to stay up right. Six weeks for this? Oh dear. Len's line of the night nominee: "Your dumplings are boiling over." If she wants to survive, if thats possible, she's going to have to get much lighter on her feet. 5s and a 4. They were being kind to her.

Mrs. Angrybell just wants to stay that whatever that thing on Brooke Burke's dress is just wrong.

Hines Ward is going to be Kym Johnson's project this year. She has her work cut out for her. Let's see how he handles the cha cha cha. He needs to get his bum in. Its substituting his bum for hip movmeent, but it gets better as the dance moves along. He gets combinations of moves down and then he has a little hiccups when he starts to think. He alternates between stomping and and footwork. There is hope in this dancing.  Mrs. Angrybell calls for 6s.  Ward benefits from the train wreck of Wendy Williams, but still Bruno scares everyone, including Angrybabybell. He ends up with 7s across the board.

Petra Nemcova is hoping that she follows in the footsteps of Brooke Burke and not Paulina Poriskova . And she draws the foxtrot this week. She's dancing on her toes too much,but its not looking bad. Dmitri and Petra got a nice song for this dance, which helps. Dmitri has kept it nice and simple, and restrained his impulse to do things that Len hates, right up until the end. I'm curious to see what she can do with an up tempo dance. Bruno again comes up with the good comments about linking together all the movements. Apparently Carrie Ann saw a lift. The lift police rides again. She scores 6s across the board. Mrs. Angrybell thinks  at least one of the points comes for being a Tsunami survivor.

Chelsie Hightower is off to find out if Romeo shares the dancing gene his father, Master P, has. Mrs. Angrybell thinks Romeo looks like the mating of Urkel and Will Smith.  He is very flat on his feet when he steps and looks way too serious for a cha cha cha.  Mrs. Angrybell thinks it must be dancing with a frong because his tongue is always out.  He is heavy on his feet and his hip movement is not there.  But that is because of his footwork.  Mrs. Angrybell felt like he was off beat, but a marked improvement to Master P. Damn, Bruno and I are sharing a brain tonight. I amscared. The score of 19 leaves me mystified as to how Carrie Ann went to 7 for him.

Sugar Ray Leonard comes out with Anna. I am curious to see what will happen. They are starting off with foxtrot. Interesting song, Power of Love, never though of it as a foxtrot. He is a little stiff, and his shoulders are up by his ears. This is going to be hard because of posture. Footwork is not where it should be, but he looks comfortable in the open which is rare for an early week dance. He seems to want to put a little showmanship into it. He, like many of the other men so far tonight, is heavy and flat on his feet. If he wants to get better, he needs to get his posture together. Another Lenism for the night "Foxtrot is fine wine and caviar. That was beer and pizza." Carrie Ann once again is the soft touch and gives him a 6. He ends up with a 17.

Kendra Wilkinson is the anchor around Louis Van Amstel's neck this season. Mrs. Angrybell, who was a huge fan of the Girls Next Door, is afraid for this cha cha cha. Of course, Holly did not set the bar that high for her. Footwork is ok, but she is not getting a lot of hip action going on. She looks lost in the open, which is not surprising. Mrs. Angrybell feels like she is not finishing her movements because she is late. She is not embarrassing, but not great either. Louis is not making this easy on her. I feel like he is saying, "Either sink or swim. If you suck, I'm outta here quicker."  It was nice to see Hef and his fiancee out to cheer her on. And Len explains what the problem is, she never got full extension off her legs. She scored sixes for an 18.

Ralph Macchio has Karina Smirnoff to help him. He looks good for being 49. Mrs. Angrybell says "Do not embarass the Italians!" The Irish/Lithuanians in the audience couldn't care. He is not bad. He needs to get his steps a little smaller, but he is going big with his hands, but just not full extension on some of his moves.  Karin gave him a tricky foxtrot with a lot of little movements to do. His posture at times slips away when his shoulders go up. But that open side by side int he mid point of the routine was pretty good.  The final spin was not pretty, but overall, it was food. Bruno liked it. Len is right so far, best foxtrot of the night. The 8s were appropriate for tonight.

Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke doing a cha cha cha. He is heavy on his feet and Cheryl is keeping him pretty stationary. This does not bode well. He is trying to get some hip action in there, but its only when he really focuses on it. He is not getting the steps in right, its almost looking like a jive. Cheryl may have an early season this year if the lack of content for him is any predictor. I'm not sure that Carrie Ann was watching the same dance, because there is no way that dance was a 7 this week or any week. Mrs. Angrybell wants to know what Jericho has on Carrie Ann for blackmail.

Then there is some DJ named Mike Catherwood with Lacey Schwimmer. Lacey's hair has gotten worse. Mrs. Angrybell is willing to take up a collection to put us out of her misery. Finally, they get to the foxtrot portion of the night. Psycho Mike is trying, but he has some problems. His posture is variable. His footwork is, ... well... yeah. I don';t think that the Karate Kid needs to worry about this. It was not as bad a train wreck as Wendy Williams, but who knows, given a chance he could find that ability. Mrs. Angrybell wants to know if Lacey was trying act as a cellphone tower in that outfit. Wow, he pulls a 13 with a 5 and two 4s. Ugliness.

Lt. Savik, I mean Kirstie Alley comes out with Maksim. I'm not sure who is showing more chest, Kirstie or Maksim. They also got the best song for the cha cha chas tonight with Cee Lo Green's F-You. For someone as heavy as her, she moves a lot lighter on her feet than many of the other women. She is even getting some hip movement in there because she is getting her legs to extend. This was not a typical Maksim choreographed dance, since he kept it pretty simple and managed to make her look good in the process. I kinda of liked it.   Two 8s and a 7 for 23.

This is a little unusual. The two best stars (Kirstee Alley and Ralph Macchio) so far are two of the oldest, with a third (Sugar Ray Leondard) looking like he might have a shot at improving. On the other hand, the younger ones are not showing up too well. Chelsea Kane is ok. Romeo needs help, but has a lot of work.

If Wendy Williams is not careful, she is going home next week. Of course, Chris Jericho may want to give her a run for her money.

Favorites have to be Kirstie Alley and Ralph Macchio.

Lineups for DWTS Season 12... At Least For Now

So here are the pairings as they have been reported, so far, for season 12 of DWTS. It was already announced that Derek Hough would not be participating, but from my point of view the bummer is no Edyta.

Chelsea Kane (from Disney's Jonas show) is with Mark Ballas.

Hines Ward, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be dancing with Kym Johnson.

Chris Jericho, WWE Wrestler, will pair up with Cheryl Burke

Kendra Wilkinson, one of the orignal Girls Next Door/Playboy Model/Reality Star, will be with Louis Van Amstel.

Petra Nemcova has been paired up with Dmitry Chaplin.

Mike Catherwood, radio DJ, will be with Lacey Schwimmer.

The Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio will dance with Karina Smirnoff.

Tony Dovolani will try to guide Wendy Williams to the Fabulous Mirror Ball Trophy.

The guy knocked down by Dicky Ward, aka Sugar Ray Leonard, will dance with Anna Trebunskaya.

Romeo comes back to try and actually make it to the dancefloor. I'm sure that Chelsea Hightower is hoping for the same thing, because she probably does not want to contemplate dancing with Romeo's back up: Master P.

Kirstie Alley will have to weather the storm that is Maksim Chmerkovskiy's ego.

And as a final note, what kind of geek would I be if I didn't include a picture of Kirstie Alley as she should look, with Vulcan ears.

More Dancing With The Stars Rumors (2011 Rumors III)

This is just a quickie... but the two names that are getting thrown about a lot are:

Faye Dunaway


and

Christine O'Donnell




Now, Faye Dunaway, I get. She is a legitimate star, albeit one whose light has dimmed as she has gotten older and she's gotten fewer roles. Christine O'Donnell though to me is a little more of a mystery. Sure, she was the darling of the Tea Party last year, at least until the witch stuff started to come out, but otherwise, she is a failed candidate for senate.

I know which one I'd be more intrigued to see.

Dancing With The Stars Rumors II (Pre-Season DWTS)

So its looking like there are finally some leaks about this season's cast for Dancing With Stars. It appears that two of the pros will definitely be back. Louis Van Amstel will be there (meaning that there will be a short female among the professionals) and Lacey Schwimmer (which means that obviously there is no Santa Claus otherwise he would've read my letter.)

As far as "stars" go, some of the rumors lately have been centered around Wendy Williams. The support for this is that she is planning to put her show on hiatus for a little while. The little while would be the same time that Dancing With The Stars will be airing.

Another rumor has been about Kendra Wilkinson being a contestant this season. That one I am not so sure about. She just announced she is pregnant again and I do not think that ABC's legal department or insurers are ready for an injury to occur to a pregnant woman.

One of the weirder rumors that is floating about is that Carlos Leon may be in the cast. Apparently, he has been expressing interest in joining the show. Now who is Mr. Leon? He's Madonna's ex-husband and the father of her daughter, Leon. The man is famous for impregnating Madonna. Does that really make him a star or unlucky?

Then there is the report that Candace Cameron Bure is joining the cast this season. You may remember her better as DJ Tanner on Full House. More recently, she has been on a show called Make It or Break It on ABC Family.

Thankfully, it is being reported that Rev. Al Sharpton has turned down DWTS. Again. A better question is why did they bother asking him once?

Dancing With The Stars Rumors (An Outbreak of Off-Season DWTS Madness)

Well, since the last time I looked at things in DWTS-land, it seems that everything is still pretty unsettled. There will be no Lindsey Lohan. They producers still want a same-sex couple.

But one thing that has come up is Derek Hough. Looks like he wants out so that he can spend more time with his girl-friend, Cheryl Cole. Not that we didn't see this coming. He sees what his sister has done and I'm sure he has ambitions as well.

One of the more weird rumors is about Heidi Montag. The story goes that she was offered a slot but that she turned it down, claiming contractual restrictions by MTV. Maybe its true, maybe not. But I would think  someone could get a lawyer involved to find a solution. Its not like she doesn't need the money.

In a move that will probably frustrate Mrs. Angrybell, it looks like the producers are in talks with Kendra Wilkinson, one of Hef's original Girls Next Door. Both Mrs. Angrybell and myself would prefer that the producers go after either Holly or Bridget, but cest la vie.

Another couple of names that are getting tossed around are poker player Phil Helmuth and Tina Fey. Personally, Tina Fey would be great to see on DWTS, but I doubt that NBC is going to let her. I hope I'm wrong.

You'd think that there was going to be a little time off to allow Jennifer Grey to bask in the glory in the glow of the fabulous mirror Ball trophy before rumors start popping up about who will try and follow in her footsteps. Anyways that's what I thought. I guess I was wrong.

It was reported today that Porsche de Rossi has declined an offer to appear on dancing with the stars. Apparently, the producers over at dancing with the stars heard her talking with Ryan Seacrest where she said that she consider taking part in a same-sex couple on the show. I wonder who would've been her partner? If only Lucy Liu was a professional ballroom dancer, slash-fic  from the day would've resurfaced.

No longer content with getting free publicity by having its "stars" crash White House functions, the Real Housewives franchise looks to be getting its first test on dancing with the stars. according to people magazine, Nene Leakes, of the Atlanta Housewives, is apparently trying to get on is one of the contestants for next season.

But what could be the most interesting possibility for a train wreck next season is news that Lindsay Lohan is trying to get on the show.if you does make an appearance as a contestant this season, it may be that she ends taking the Josh Hamilton approach (meaning that you can have a mind her everywhere she goes to make sure she doesn't fall off the wagon). of course, if you follow baseball, you know that Josh Hamilton's sobriety Minder was so successful in keeping his player on the straight and narrow that he had to be pulled out of Arizona bar during spring training last year.

The evil SOB and he wants to put Lindsay with Maksim. Because putting someone who is barely hanging on sobriety, and possibly their sanity, with a control freak prima donna like Maksim is good television. At least, it would be better than seeing another Palin show up and try and dance.

Dancing With The Stars Finals Madness Part II

Bristol had a better freestyle, but nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Dancing With The Stars Finals Madness Part I

Bristol, Jennifer, and Kyle remain. Who'da thunk this would be the final three?

Kyle and Lacey have a foxtrot to lead off. They got a great song for it. Technique is much improved in the early parts. He has heel leads going. After the break, he is no as close as he should be but then starts to get back with her. The worst thing about this routine was the outfit. What hell was Lacey thinking putting him in a gold plaid jacket? Otherwise, a great make up foxtrot for Kyle. What dance was Carrie Ann watching? She must be smokin something because that was a great foxtrot with only, for someone with Kyle's experience, some small problems. This may be a first for me, but I think that the 27 was low. It should have been a 29 or a 30.

Bristol and Mark are looking for redemption in the jive. I like the opening where she throws out the costumes. Mrs. Angrybell wants to know why she is wearing godawful hospital shoes, she looks like she escaped from surgery. This dance is not going well for her. She is off the beat. Her kicks are not going very well. its better in the verve department than last time. And her character in the dance is better. It got better as it went along, but it was kind of a mess. It felt like she off for a large part of it. Seriously, is Carrie Ann on something? She's praising this as something it so was not. It was an improvement, but it was not a perfect routine. Well, it is the finals, so they can't dock her too much. The 27 was a gift.

Jennifer and Derek step onto the floor looking for redemption in the paso doble. The start was very nice, very in control, which was her major problem last time. With the tempo change, she still looks in control. Nice drop at the end. Huge improvement over last time. And with her daughter to cheer her on, the question is whether this is another set of 10s. Tom hit the nail on the head when he said that Bruno was frightening the children. Angrybabybelle snuggling in close now because of Bruno. And don't you know it, when Len gives a standing applause, its a perfect set of 10s.

But now its freestyle time. Will we see another Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy or another Doll Disaster.

Kyle and Lacey lead off with theirs to Tootsie Roll. Very literally right now. I get the feeling that this dance is Lacey's attempt to relive something she never got to do in the 80s or early 90s. And the problem with that is, its kind of boring. Everything was clean. They were in sync with each other. But in the end, it feels a lot like Tony's Saturday Night Fever homage with Stacy Keibler. The fans did not reward it then. Len and his boogaloo dancing. Surprisingly, Len gave a 9. They end up with a 29.

Bristol and Mark's freestyle is going with a more dressy than Kyle and Lacey. Jailhouse Tango from Chicago. Interesting, especially with her ex. Starts off very much a tango. Mrs. Angrybell feels like some switch just flipped with Bristol. The pelvic thrusts had Mrs. Angrybell stunned. Not your typical finals. She danced ti very well. On the one hand, it was not hip hop (thank you!!!!) but on the other hand it was more controlled.  This dance, more than anything else showed how far she come. She still is not the best dancer, but she pulled it off. The 25 was a little unfair. I think it reflected more a lack of razzle dazzel than her dancing.

Jennifer and Derek doing their freestyle with a watermelon to Do You Love Me. It was clean. It traded shamelessly on the fact that it was Baby doing a dance to the song she first shared with Johnny Castle. The lifts were fun, especially with that spin lift at the end. 30.

None of the freestyles tonight delivered that knockout. Jennifer though should win. Bristol should take third.

Dancing With Stars Semi-Final Madness

Opening thoughts for this week: Bristol Palin needs to go. Sure, she's the plucky underdog, but really, she does not belong in the final three. Let's stop voting for values or politics and start voting based on performance.

Mrs. Angrybell is of the opinion that this is one of the weakest as far competitors go. And I have to agree. Other than Brandy and Jennifer Grey, I doubt that the other two would still be standing at this point.

So let's see how the couples handle a two dance night.

Brandy and Maksim lead off with a Paso. Interesting routine. Very heavy on the story and not as much, at least at the beginning on the dance. But I think Len should let it go. Brandy is having a bit of a problem. The look is there in her face, but her steps are not... powerful. She's stomping but it almost looks like she is afraid as opposed to being powerful and flowing. The 27 seemed a little high for that dance. It was good, but it wasn't that close to perfection.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough are coming in off last weeks perfect score and doing their first one with a cha cha cha. Bruno is getting a little too excited with Jennifer's gyrations. It was a little off in the beginning, but by the time they crossed the floor it looked sharp and with good hip action coming out of her. I kind of feel like she was a little over amped. The Judges may give her a perfect score, but I think there was just a little something off in the beginning because it felt almost like Derek had to slow her down. Now this is not to say it wasn't a great dance. It just had some problems. And of course, with it so close to the end, the judges throw up a row of perfect 10s.

Bristol and Mark doing a Paso. Starts off strong. Mrs. Angrybell is stunned by Bristol's technique at the start (which is good) and by Mark's shirtlessness (which is bad). As the dance goes on, it gets a little more uneven. But there are some parts where she is fully committed to the dance. However, when she has to lift the cape/skirt, she drops out of the zone. Good lord, Carrie Ann... please. Len is right. She has hung in there and this was probably her best dance. But is it good enough to hand in there for the finals? I'm still saying no. She got a 27. Not sure it was that good. But we shall see. And I have to say, someone must have shown Bristol the scene out of Bull Durham for her answers to Brooke Burke's questions.

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer doing a Samba. Mrs. Angrybell likes him ("Such a joi de vive"). Mrs. Angrybell has noticed that Lacey is very into her partners smacking her bum whenever possible. I'm just not able to focus on this dance. The song was terrible and distracting. It was nice. No real mistakes I guess. But that song just drove me to distraction. And Len has that look that says he is going to give a 10. I guess it was good, since they gave it a 29.

Brandy and Maksim return for an Argentine Tango. And Maks choose to have them play on the steps for a while. Her steps are a little tentative for what I think we should see at this point. But that's just a shading quibble. Otherwise, very nicely done. It was better than her last dance. Which is why they gave her a perfect 30.

Jennifer and Derek return for their Waltz. Nice pirouette to start things off. The dress makes it hard to watch her feet. However, from the way things are flowing for most of the dance, it looks like she is getting the nice rise and fall. However, there was a little problem when they danced into the corner and did those arm behind the head things. She got out of the moment for just a second. But she recovered and got back into the flow. Another perfect score for the couple.

Bristol and Mark return for their Waltz. Mrs. Angrybell wonders if this is the Muslim version. I think they are just going for the very intense, very dramatic look. Her frame is nice. Head in the right spot. Going into the spins, there was a weird weight change. She also needs to be a little tighter on his hip until she moves into the next combination. Mrs. Angrybell just said "wow, she is in a character. Who replaced Bristol Palin with someone else?" Was her best week. Good dance. I just don't think she has what it takes to go to the next round. Of course, America will just want to prove me wrong. And the 26 was probably the most honest score of the night.

This brings us to the last Kyle and Lacey doing their Argentine Tango. They got hosed with the song. Its so up tempo for this dance, that it is forcing him to be quick as opposed to powerful with his feet. The other thing, and Mrs. Angrybell said this before I could type it was "What about Kyle? Isn't he supposed to be dancing too?" There were long periods where Lacey was showing. I almost get the feeling that he was having trouble with the dance and she covered for him by extending her bits where she could allow him to stay hidden as the center. That being said, he had to be an effective center. Mrs. Angrybell agrees with Carrie Ann about the Emmit Smith comparison. Both had that twinkle that could get you to over look their technical faults. The 29 was generous. Probably should be have 27. But then, it is the semi-finals.

If we are being honest, the best entertainers are Jennifer, Brandy, and Kyle. The underdog is clearly Bristol. She has shown improvement. She may even be peaking. The problem is this: her peak for dancing, at least right now, is not as high as Jennifer, Brandy, or Kyle.

Bristol needs to go home. Her held high. But she needs to go home.

But then I've been saying that for a while.

Instant Madness With Dancing With The Stars

So last week I was a little preoccupied and missed DWTS. Let me just take a moment to bitch. It was the World Freakin Series ABC. I understand that Fox is a competitor, but did you have to go head to head with my beloved Giants on the night that they won their first World Series since 1954? C'mon, let's rethink things a little.

And while I was away, what did you do America? Apparently, you've kept both Lacey and Bristol around. Keeping one would have been ok. Keeping both... I have to ask you, just what the frack did you think you were doing? Bristol is nice and cute, but this nonsense of voting for her because she is related to a political candidate needs to stop. I saw the reveal show.

At least there is a reason that Bristol is still around. Lacey and Kyle, well they seem to be regressing, at least from the bits I was able to catch while still in my post-World Series-glow (did I mention that the Giants won it?). For love all that is decent and pure kick her to the curb. Which will be bad for Kyle, but she needs to go.

And you got rid of Rick Fox? What?

Tonight, it will be a round of ballroom and then the dreaded "instant" surprise dance.

Kyle and Lacey, fresh from escaping the red light of last week, drew the lead-off slot. Dancing the Viennese Waltz. Posture is nice but not dead on. He is hunching just a little and its causing him to put his bum out. He is on his toes too much, not going through the rise ad fall. His arms are nice, but the flow in this dance is not working so well for him. Len had a better view of his footwork than I so I defer to him. I think its my hatred of Lacey that colors my view. Mrs. Angrybell is worried for Carrie Ann, this crush is getting out of control. This 9 business is crazy. It was nice but not that good. And they drew, for the instant dance is "Good Golly Miss Molly".

Jennifer and Derek followed up with a Quick Step to "Lets Face the Music and Dance". She started off too far away from him but as the dance went on, she got back on his side when she supposed to be. Mrs. Angrybell said "the dress is one part heinous, but I really like it. Little miscue at the end on the final beat, but otherwise pretty good. I got the feeling she was really worried about her knee and it caused her to be holding back just a little. Now, the 9s that were awarded here were correct. The dance flowed much better than the drek that Kyle and Lacey passed off on to us.  She drew "Waiting for A Girl Like You" by Foreigner.

Mrs. Angrybell thinks that Brooke Burke looks like a gold Barbie-doll tonight. I think thats a good thing.

Kurt and Anna came up next to do a waltz. Take It To The Limit, not a favorite of the Angrybell family. Kurt is not quite locked in with his frame because he feels so tall with Anna. He is getting the rise and fall off his steps. Its not always there but its better than the alleged rise and fall of Kyle. It was a good dance. And apparently, Carrie Ann has been listening to us and comes up calling Kurt a Ken doll. Kurt just got robbed! The 8s were wrong. Especially with the way they gushed over the Kurt and Lacey routine. Hella Good by No Doubt is the song and neither of them have heard it. How is that? This should be interesting.

ABC... was it necessary to have 2 commercial breaks where I got to see Steve-O naked?

Bristol and Mark come stumbling in to do the Argentine Tango. Bristol is starting to become a bit of a whiner. She already looks nervous doing this opening bit. Song is Buttons, never would think of it as a tango but it works. She is not .... I don't know but after doing so well she lost it for a few bars. And it looked awful. She snaps back into the dance and it gets better in time for Mark to lift her a few times. Mrs. Angrybell calls a lack of verve. I agree. I think she gets so nervous she starts over-thinking. And thinking while dancing is not her strong suit. Len's comments were dead on. The 8s were dead on in this case. Why? There were a lot of little problems with the performance, even though the steps were right. Mas Que Nada is the song they drew.

Maks and Brandy were up next with a waltz. After last week, I suppose they aren't a train wreck. But you know that Maks is always a session away from being Maks. I can't really find anything wrong with it. Mrs. Angrybell wanted to know if this was the dance of people in pain. I predicted a perfect score, but Carrie Ann went and mucked that up. Apparently she is a nit picker who cares about the angle of her neck. But Len and Bruno came through with a pair of 10s. They drew Teenage Dream by Katy Perry.

Instant dance time and Kyle and Lacey are back on the floor doing their jive. This dance suits him much more than the ballroom style he danced earlier. However, he needs to keep himself in check just a little to prevent him going out of the jive. It was a good, fun routine. Mrs. Angrybell liked it a lot. Len was right, there were some small errors. The 29 was right.

Jennifer Grey and Derek, after loading up on breath mints, came out to dance the Rumba. It looks like she has now raided Edyta's closet. Too bad she took the sheet instead of the pillow case. Wow, some of this is really good. The split on his shoulder was particularly impressive. Her hip action is there but not as good as it should be. That 30 was impressive, especially with that tendon coming apart.

Bristol and Mark came back out for the in progress update. Mrs. Angrybell gasped when she saw Bristol's outfit. I have to say, whoever put her in it is a Democrat.

Kurt and Anna were up next with a cha cha cha. Mrs. Anrybell felt as though Anna had thrown on some holiday tinsel but gave kudos for the crazy assed lime green that Kurt is wearing. This is not as good for him as it has been for the others. Mrs. Angrybell feels like she is watching her dad dance... its embarrassing her every time he does a hip trust. This was ok. It was not as good as their earlier dance and it did not work for them as well as instant dance did for the first two. No matter what Carrie Ann says, he did not nail everything in this dance. He hung on to get it done on the beat, but didn't "nail it". 8's across the board for them.

Bristol and Mark finally got to come out and do their samba. Mrs. Angrybell thinks this could be the train wreck the judges were hoping for. Starts off ok. She seems to like the Samba, either that or the terror is masked as happiness. And then she gets off beat. Then she has gone horrible off  and Mark gets her on the floor to bring her back. The 23 was generous.

Maks and Brandy doing the Cha Cha Cha. The song does not work for this type of dance. I didn't like this. Felt too much like ... not a cha cha cha. Maks and Carrie Ann going at it. I'm waiting to see the hair pulling. I have to say Carrie Ann was right on. After all that, they still got two 9s and a 10? WTF?

So who goes home? Honestly, it should be Bristol. Kyle overcame his burden of Lacey to earn another week on the show.

Rock 'n Roll DWTS Edition Recap... Madness I Tell You!

The top 10 dance routines are being show-cased tonight. So far, Mrs. Angrybell and I are not digging them. More on that later.

Audrina and Tony started the dance portion off with a Paso Doble. This is not a dance suited to her personality of a the girl next door. Let's see how this goes. Another One Rides the Bus, by Queen, was the song. Mrs. Angrybell never thinks of this as a rock song. She has the face down but is not being forcefully flowy in her movements, if that makes sense. Mrs. Angrybell thinks she took the serious part too to heart and had no passion coming through, no verve. Len was a little overly harsh, but he was right. She hits the steps, but is not getting the character of the dance. Bruno even agrees. Carrie Ann feels she has to coddle her. The score was 24. I would have given it a 7. But at this stage in the competition, score inflation is on the rise. Could we see a perfect?

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer followed that up looking for little redemption in the tango. It was interesting watching Kyle dance with his brother, since originally the tango was danced by men not male/female partners. Where Audrian wasn't getting the character of the dance, Kyle totally is. I have to wonder Lacey was thinking with this costume. There are times his frame is off because his bum is sticking out more than it should. Clean. Not many mistakes, there was one midway through the dance after they did a nice series of spins down the floor, but overall really good. Who choreographed it? It didn't bear the marking of any of a Lacey Schwimmer let's-piss-off-the-judges-by-deviating-from-the-syllabus routine. How does Len give Kyle a 7 when he gave Audrina Partridge an 8? The 23 was wrong.

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough is also looking to bounce back from last week's foxtrot. This week they're doing a paso doble to a Pink song "So What". Mrs. Angrybell didn't recognize her with the hair extensions. This is not an easy song. There is a change in tempo. And they are handling it really well. Mrs. Angrybell thinks that pyrotechnics always help. She lost it for a second at the end and it threw off Derek as well. And it was heading towards a good score. Carrie Ann hated the dance. I'm surprised she found it so out of control. The 20 is brutal. I have to watch this again, but I defer to Len.

Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke drew the tango this week. Angrybabybelle, who wouldn't go to sleep, was waving at the screen. Girl you really got me going was the song. His frame is not locked. Mrs. Angrybell thinks he is doing the Audrina Partridge thing, which I agree with. Angrybabybelle clapped along to the routine. Not sure if she likes the song or the dance. Sure its clean, but there's not passion in it. Mrs. Angrybell thinks he looks ticked through it. And yet they got straight 8s? What are they thinking tonight?

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas are wondering why they are still on this show. Alright, not really but I am. I think Mark wants off. He is listening seriously to Bristol's suggestions about choreography. Either that or he feels like he is playing with house money after surviving last week. They do the tango to . This routine is not bad. She is locked in, she is on his hip when she should be. She is lacking emotion for much of the dance, but she has it in flashes. This was her best dance. They got robbed with that 23. That dance and routine was superior to those 24s that have been given out.

Kurt Warner and Ana Trebunskya are looking to build on last week's score with their paso doble. I love the Brett Michael's suggestion of "Don't break eye contact, that's when they go crazy on you." The Final Countdown is the song. Started it out nice and intense, but then when they went to open, he looked a little agraid, but then he started to show that intensity again. The problem in this dance for him is not the steps, but the attitude and showmanship. He is not consistent in keeping in character. Len doesn't look happy with this. For once, both Mr and Mrs. Angrybell disagree with the judges. There may be something about the lines that Bruno mentioned, but ... that's what makes a horserace. The 18 seemed harsh.

The Maksim and Brandy train wreck is still rumbling down the tracks. Mrs. Angrybell feels bad for Maks because he keeps getting crazy partners that he has to be a therapist for in order to get them on the floor. Mrs. Angrybell wants to know what Brandy is wearing for this paso. Holding out for Hero is the song.  Mrs. Angrybell however thinks that Maks is doing an homage to Han Solo. The funny thing about this, it seemed like the mistakes that happened were made by Maks, especially when they did that dip and he almost lost it. I didn't love this dance. They got a 26. I guess. It was good. I just felt like something was wrong with it.

Then there was the group jive. Derek and his partner have won this that last few seasons. And this time he comes in second, with Brandy and Maks hanging on to get the final 10 point bump.

So who is to go? Kurt had a bad week. Jennifer looked fully mortal this week. And Bristol unleashed an impressive dance. Sad to say, I think that this week, Kurt Warner goes home. If Jennifer Grey does, I'd be very surprised. 

Its Madness Time Again During a Lull in the NLCS (DWTS Recap)

Alright, the Baseball G-ds were looking kindly upon me tonight and decided not to schedule the Giants-Phillies game for tonight. Go Giants!

Tonight is TV Theme Night. Whatever will we do without The Situation?

The judges gave their review of the remaining contestants. Carrie Ann and Tony were very high on Kyle and Brandy. Why? I'm not sure. They seem to see greatness in them, but I see tenativeness with Brandy (odd considering she has a long history of performing live) and sloppiness from Kyle. Both of them, however, share a huge disadvantage: their professional partners. Both Maksim and Lacey have a history of sabotaging their partners by choreographing to what they want rather than the abilities of their partners.

Mrs. Angrybell would like to give kudos to Brooke Burke's team (Manager and Attorney). For the most part, they have managed to keep her from suffering from some of the outfits (not to mention hair styles) foisted on Samantha Harris.

Maksim and Brandy drew leadoff this week and the theme song to the show Friends. It will be a quickstep. Yay! But with Maksim choreographing... yah. Len is going to go nuts with all screwing around. And then they spend a long time in open before getting into hold. Little problem after the first circuit for Brnady in the corner. Her frame is nice. Good kicks and flicks. She is on her toes too much. She never really gets the good heel toe movement. It was good. According to the Len scale of last week, it should not get above a 7. Of course, Len's critique makes a liar out me. Len how could you? So the scores were surprising to me. A 27. I suppose it was high energy and all that, but still ... a 27?

In the two hole, its FloCork dancing to the "Brady Bunch" theme. Seeing Mrs. Brady and Barry and Corky... just wrong. Funny but just wrong. Doing a tango. Never thought of this song as a tango. She is right in on his hip. Good for her. Nice turns, but she got a little dizzy at the end. She keeps looking down which is not going to sit well with Len. Was a clean dance. Not spectacular, but done pretty well. This can't be good, Carrie Ann and I agree on things. Not sure she is right about the timing problem. Then again, the camera angle prevented me from seeing her footwork. Given the scores for Maks and Brandy, the 21 seems fair.

Kurt and Anna followed up that routine. They drww the theme song to Bewitched for their quickstep. Should be interesting since apparently the reruns did not make it to the Ukraine for Anna to see. The mucking around worked, I like how she did the nose twitch and he started dancing... well... better. His frame is not great, he is hunching occasionally. They're really using the nose thing to good effect. Not too much,  and its almost like when he makes a mistake, he gets a nose twinkle. Of course, thats not the case, it just works with the music. But nonetheless it covered up a little flub there on the second one. Good routine. Not as good as some of his other stuff, but an improvement over last week. Maybe I'm just too hard. Carrie Ann just called the dance the reincarnation of Gene Kelly. I suppose the 24 was a fair score. I guess we've hit that point in the season where they inflate their scores.

Tony and Audrina were trying to discover how to dance with onion breath. The rumba tonight is to some song that I guess  . Mrs. Angrybell says only an Italian man would wear a powder pink shirt. Audrina has tried to raid Edyta's wardrobe. Once again, she grabbed the full body sheet and not the wash cloth that Edyta would've worn. There were some nice bits. The problem is that there was almost no hip action. Otherwise it was good. But with a lack of hip action, its not a good rumba. I really wonder what dances Len is watching tonight. Where was the hip action? Really? Bruno hits the nail on the head this time. Where was the smoldering sex? Damn, Carrie Ann is picking up on what I couldn't get out. And then the lift police rears its angry head. For the record, no lift. Mrs. Angrybell thinks that Audrina should get her money back on her boob job because there is a dent in her implant. The 23 was generous. I really think this was a 7 dance.

Kyle and Lacey showed up trying to get back up towards the top with a Foxtrot to the theme from "Charlie's Angels". Mrs. Angrybell wants to know if Kyle is supposed to be super pimp Bosely or someone from the Jeffersons or perhaps Isaac Washington on the Love Boat. Better technique. I dunno. I think I am just so anti-Lacey that I can't say much nice about it. Bruno was right, there was not enough foxtrot. They broke into disco too many times. Len hated it. Maybe I just was compensating for my hatred of Lacey and was trying to be nice. The 20 was right, but the spread was a little nuts.  Len's score broke his own standard from last week. Oh well.

Rick and Cheryl. Doing a rumba. To Hill Street Blues. What does it say when a basketball player with multiple injuries still nagging him from his career has better hip action than any of the female contestants so far? He is not repeating his mistakes from last week and his not trying to be small, just stepping small. Very well executed. I liked it. Now the 24 is what I would have expected from the Maksim and Brandy routine. What to think of this? I dunno. It was better than that.

Bristol needs a good routine. If she doesn't show anything this week, she's going home. Its a jive this week to the theme from "The Monkeys". And dancing it in a monkey suit is not necessarily what I would think is the way to show she has personality. She got lost on the time. She stopped. I feel bad for her, she knows she blew this dance. And its just getting worse. It was paining Len to not say what he wanted to say. Somehow, she salvaged an 18.

In as the clean up routine: Jennifer and Derek. And from the montage, it looks like Ms. Grey's temper and difficultness (always rumoured so Mrs. Angrybell tells me) is starting to come to the surface. Hopefully Baby pulls it together for the foxtrot. The song is Love and Marriage (married with Children). Little bit of mucking about. I think they missed a chance to make this funnier by going more towards "Married With Children" and not Ozzie and Harriet. Not their best routine. There were a couple of little missteps, tiny, but just enough to keep them being perfect. Should keep them near the top of the leaderboard.Well, if Carrie Ann threw the lift police card, you had to expect Len to say something was "too theatrical". The 25 was fair. It was not good enough to be higher, but it should not have gotten lower.

Alright, so who should come back? Everyone except Bristol. She tried. She got further than I thought she would get. Her problem is that she cannot get off the plateau she reached. And because of that, its time to vote her off. If you are looking to get rid of a guy... do us all a favor and vote Kyle off. Lacey's instincts are showing again. She's deviating a little more each week from the syllabus.