Now what?

So it’s Monday and I have the flu. I’m caught up with my stories and in desperate need of good/bad TV to look forward to this evening. And without DWTS, I’m lost! I can’t get down with the skating show. Does anyone have suggestions?

A sigh of relief!

Cheers to Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey! Lady B and I got together (and welcomed a SmartGuy and a SmartDog to share the couch) for Zen Noodles—highly recommended for those of you in Chicago—drinks and live tweeting. Highlights: Margaret Cho looking awesome, B’s running commentary about the costumes (gack! those pants! why?) and, of course, the big win.

Until next season, I’m personally eagerly awaiting Top Chef All-Stars, sleeping through The Fashion Show and feeling very ambivalent about the Bachelor. I would like to point out, however, that if ABC can bring back Womack, they can also bring back Gilles Marini. Just saying. And now, let’s remember why this is a fantastic idea.

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She carried a watermelon, America was happy!

I am overwhelmed with reality. Not only is there DWTS to comment on, there’s The Fashion Show (but I keep falling asleep so…I guess that’s my comment) and Millionaire Matchmaker in NYC (awesome), The Biggest Loser (damn you and your hotness Jillian Michaels!!) and the fact that The Bachelor seems to be giving the finger—in the form of the return of assface Brad Womack—to its viewers. Seriously?

But today, Jennifer Grey is where it’s at!! I LOVED the freestyle performance and think that “Do You Love Me?” was perfect. First, so smart of them to choose a Dirty Dancing song. America is clearly not voting for the best dancer (see Bristol and her invisible ankle weights), but America loves nostalgia. That Derek. So smart.

Also, for super Dirty Dancing fans like myself, this was a nice way to show that Jennifer has gone from the girl with the watermelon to the super star dancing pro! In the movie, this number was performed by Patrick Swayze and the undeniably awesome Cynthia Rhodes—the Kellerman‘s pros. Full transformation from tentative Baby to kickass Jennifer. Loves it!

And now, let’s relive the original number as we all cross our fingers that tonight’s finale goes as it should. I am still waiting for the “I’ve Had (the time of my life)” reference…

Bounce to the Ounce

I’ve been a Kyle fan from Day 1.  He is a lot of fun to watch and really knows how to perform through dance (not just go from pose to pose ala Audrina…or Brandy).  I was very happy to see him do so well AND get credit for it from the judges.  Samba always strikes me as the kiss of death on the show but it just didn’t stop him.  (And this was with a costume that was not doing him any favors.)  I also give Kyle a lot of credit for doing content-heavy dances.  So often the male contestants are just light years behind the ladies in terms of the difficulty level they take on, but I don’t feel that it is the case with Kyle.

Brandy. Sigh.  I am trying to keep an open mind, but I just find her movement stiff and awkward.  I feel like she gives a performance with her face but not with her dancing.  I will give credit for the tango–that did not look easy. (Though I note she did a way modified version of the scary jump lift that Erin did with Maks last season. But that’s cool–it really did look scary.)

Bristol. What can I say? She’s not terrible, especially when you consider that she has no performing background. She really does look like a high school kid performing at an assembly (“Gee look Mom, I’m dancing!”). Which is fine. Except this isn’t an assembly. Her dances seem to be at a slower pace than the others.   [Sidenote: if indeed Tea Party folks are rigging the voting (see http://jezebel.com/5691445/how-palin-conservatives-are-cheating-the-dwts-voting-system) it just does not bode well for our country that they would try to push a non-deserving winner on a dancing show just to make trouble. ] That said, I do think a lot of people vote because they think she has come such a long way, but I think in the end, it should be who is best.  The show is called Dancing with the Stars. Newsflash, America: actual performing arts stars (as opposed to reality show stars) are very likely to have dance or at least performing talent.   The point is that they are not professional ballroom dancers. I get that watching Kristi or whats-her-name from last season dominate a season can be disheartening, but wasn’t it fun to see such great performances?

Anyway, I guess we know where I stand on Jennifer. She rocks!  I am finding her story so interesting. I am still unclear how much dance background she had before Dirty Dancing, but I do believe she has done little since.  It is interesting that it always seemed like Mr. Swayze was the dance highlight of the movie–and of course he was–but watching J. Grey light it up each week, I now see that her dancing and performance quality are very special as well. Does it make anyone else want to cry that it took her all this time to get out there and dance again? That movie just came out at the wrong time when there was just no interest in dancing and movie musicals as there is again now.   Whatever is wrong with DWTS, it makes me happy that millions are tuning in each week to watch dancing and that talented performers/choreographers like Derek Hough and Cheryl Burke have nice paying job and notoriety.