May 21: Last Dance
Dancing with the Stars 4, May 21: Last Dance by Jill Jones -- 05/22/2007 This season on Dancing with the Stars, 11 celebrities and their professional dance partners took to the dance floor in their quest for the disco ball trophy. After much shimmying and pivoting, three couples are now set to battle it out in the finals. Let’s get started! Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris welcome us to the show. They also explain the voting process for the finals. I suggesting going to www.abc.com for an explanation that’s easier to follow. Up first are Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Laila says that because of her size, she doesn’t like being lifted in the air. She also promises Maksim that she’s going to bring it. They’re dancing the paso doble to an instrumental piece. At the start of it, the dance seems a bit boring and slow; it shows promise during the middle, but I can’t say it really catches on with me even by the end of it. On a more positive note, the routine is full of passion and intensity. Laila’s dress is also perfect for the paso doble. Len Goodman tells Laila and Maksim that the dance was great. Bruno Tonioli says that this was Laila’s best performance as an actress. Carrie Ann says that she’s happy Laila threw in a boxing punch; she’s been waiting for it. Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno give the dance a generous goober while Len gives it a nine. Laila and Maksim have 29 points from the judges for the evening. Ready with the next performance are Julianne Hough and Apolo Anton Ohno. To help Apolo out, Julianne brings in a hip-hop choreographer. Things get serious, though, when they practice for their rumba. Apolo is actually thriving on the intensity because of his athletic background. They are dancing to “Midnight Train to Georgia.” The dance is sexy in a classy way, so Len shouldn’t be offended. In fact, Julianne’s costume looks like a sheer nightgown. The routine features smooth hip movements, twists and turns, and subtle seduction. Great job! Bruno compliments the couple on its chemistry. Carrie Ann, the downer, says that Apolo overdid it. Len agrees with Carrie Ann, so Bruno shouts, “They made love on the dance floor!” Hey, now, I didn’t see that performance! Len then complains about Bruno talking too much. Tom settles everyone down. Personally, I think that Julianne and Apolo were ripped off. Carrie Ann and Len award the effort with a nine; Bruno gives it a goober. Julianne and Apolo have 28 points. By the way, have you heard that Julianne called off her engagement? She and her boyfriend are still together, but they aren’t getting married in the near future. Could there still be a chance that love might bloom between her and Apolo? The next dance is from Kym Johnson and Joey Fatone. Joey mentions enchiladas. Kym talks about how frightening lifts can be. She also says that even though Joey is tired, she has to push him. Great, they practice a move from ‘N Sync. They’re performing the cha cha cha to “Groove is in the Heart.” The dance starts off with the ‘N Sync move and then a few missteps. The part that bothers me, though, is when Joey does a back flip and several moves that seem like hip-hop and not ballroom. The dance is energetic and fun, but I don’t think the judges will like it. Carrie Ann says that the dance didn’t include enough cha cha cha. Len tells Joey that it was too theatrical. Bruno calls it “odd.” Carrie Ann and Bruno give the couple a nine; Len gives it an eight. Kym and Joey earn 26 points from the judges. The first freestyle dance is from Laila and Maksim; they perform to “Shake Your Body.” (The announcer says that they are doing the paso doble again. I wonder if the announcement is just a recording.) Maksim is dressed like Michael Jackson. Jam on it! Laila and Maksim do a strange humping move. She actually seems stiff and he’s as hot as ever. They also do a lift that is a bit awkward; however, the dance does allow her to show off her strength. Hey, was that the running man I just saw? See, I’m cool! Holy cow, at the end of the dance, Laila rips off Maksim’s shirt. Thank you, Laila, thank you! She then tears it off completely. Sweet! Carrie Ann says that she wanted Laila to be more sophisticated. Len agrees with Carrie Ann and tells Laila that he missed her sophistication. Bruno wanted more sexiness. Carrie Ann and Bruno once again agree, and give the dance a nine; Len gives it an eight. Laila and Maksim score 26 points for their freestyle dance. They have a total of 55 points. The next performance is by Julianne and Apolo; they perform to “Bust a Move.” During the dance, Apolo breakdances, so as you can imagine, the routine is very influenced by hip-hop. Julianne and Apolo manage to stay together throughout the dance. In fact, at one point, they pull their bandannas over their eyes and continue to dance in sync. At the end of the routine, Apolo lies on his back and flips Julianne over. The dance is great, but I don’t enjoy it. Len says that the choreography was great. Bruno talks about the Apolo syndrome and says that the dance was original. Carrie Ann gives Julianne and Apolo a hug. Each judge gives the dance a goober. Julianne and Apolo have 30 points for the freestyle round and 58 points overall. The last dance of the evening is from Kym and Joey; they dance to “Last Dance.” Ha! The dance starts off romantic and sweet. After that, Kym and Joey get funky. Joey jumps off of the stage and spins Kym. He also picks her up on his shoulders and spins her. He then spins her some more. I’m getting dizzy just watching it. The routine ends with Joey holding Kym in the air upside down. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the dance, but I don’t enjoy it. I think I’m tired. Bruno says that Mr. Entertainment is back. Carrie Ann tells Joey that he incorporated a lot of what he learned throughout the season into this dance and she’s impressed. Len says that he wishes he could give the couple more than a goober. I just don’t get it. Each judge gives the dance a goober; Kym and Joey have 30 points for the dance and 56 points for the evening. Tom and Samantha review the current standings, and remind us that the judges will score another dance tomorrow night: RANKING STAR SCORE JILL’S RANKING 1 Apolo 58 2 2 Joey 56 3 3 Laila 55 1 This is your last chance: don’t forget to vote for your favorite couple. And be sure to join me here tomorrow night as the new Dancing with the Stars champion is crowned.
Dancing with the Stars 4, May 21: Last Dance by Jill Jones -- 05/22/2007 This season on Dancing with the Stars, 11 celebrities and their professional dance partners took to the dance floor in their quest for the disco ball trophy. After much shimmying and pivoting, three couples are now set to battle it out in the finals. Let’s get started! Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris welcome us to the show. They also explain the voting process for the finals. I suggesting going to www.abc.com for an explanation that’s easier to follow. Up first are Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Laila says that because of her size, she doesn’t like being lifted in the air. She also promises Maksim that she’s going to bring it. They’re dancing the paso doble to an instrumental piece. At the start of it, the dance seems a bit boring and slow; it shows promise during the middle, but I can’t say it really catches on with me even by the end of it. On a more positive note, the routine is full of passion and intensity. Laila’s dress is also perfect for the paso doble. Len Goodman tells Laila and Maksim that the dance was great. Bruno Tonioli says that this was Laila’s best performance as an actress. Carrie Ann says that she’s happy Laila threw in a boxing punch; she’s been waiting for it. Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno give the dance a generous goober while Len gives it a nine. Laila and Maksim have 29 points from the judges for the evening. Ready with the next performance are Julianne Hough and Apolo Anton Ohno. To help Apolo out, Julianne brings in a hip-hop choreographer. Things get serious, though, when they practice for their rumba. Apolo is actually thriving on the intensity because of his athletic background. They are dancing to “Midnight Train to Georgia.” The dance is sexy in a classy way, so Len shouldn’t be offended. In fact, Julianne’s costume looks like a sheer nightgown. The routine features smooth hip movements, twists and turns, and subtle seduction. Great job! Bruno compliments the couple on its chemistry. Carrie Ann, the downer, says that Apolo overdid it. Len agrees with Carrie Ann, so Bruno shouts, “They made love on the dance floor!” Hey, now, I didn’t see that performance! Len then complains about Bruno talking too much. Tom settles everyone down. Personally, I think that Julianne and Apolo were ripped off. Carrie Ann and Len award the effort with a nine; Bruno gives it a goober. Julianne and Apolo have 28 points. By the way, have you heard that Julianne called off her engagement? She and her boyfriend are still together, but they aren’t getting married in the near future. Could there still be a chance that love might bloom between her and Apolo? The next dance is from Kym Johnson and Joey Fatone. Joey mentions enchiladas. Kym talks about how frightening lifts can be. She also says that even though Joey is tired, she has to push him. Great, they practice a move from ‘N Sync. They’re performing the cha cha cha to “Groove is in the Heart.” The dance starts off with the ‘N Sync move and then a few missteps. The part that bothers me, though, is when Joey does a back flip and several moves that seem like hip-hop and not ballroom. The dance is energetic and fun, but I don’t think the judges will like it. Carrie Ann says that the dance didn’t include enough cha cha cha. Len tells Joey that it was too theatrical. Bruno calls it “odd.” Carrie Ann and Bruno give the couple a nine; Len gives it an eight. Kym and Joey earn 26 points from the judges. The first freestyle dance is from Laila and Maksim; they perform to “Shake Your Body.” (The announcer says that they are doing the paso doble again. I wonder if the announcement is just a recording.) Maksim is dressed like Michael Jackson. Jam on it! Laila and Maksim do a strange humping move. She actually seems stiff and he’s as hot as ever. They also do a lift that is a bit awkward; however, the dance does allow her to show off her strength. Hey, was that the running man I just saw? See, I’m cool! Holy cow, at the end of the dance, Laila rips off Maksim’s shirt. Thank you, Laila, thank you! She then tears it off completely. Sweet! Carrie Ann says that she wanted Laila to be more sophisticated. Len agrees with Carrie Ann and tells Laila that he missed her sophistication. Bruno wanted more sexiness. Carrie Ann and Bruno once again agree, and give the dance a nine; Len gives it an eight. Laila and Maksim score 26 points for their freestyle dance. They have a total of 55 points. The next performance is by Julianne and Apolo; they perform to “Bust a Move.” During the dance, Apolo breakdances, so as you can imagine, the routine is very influenced by hip-hop. Julianne and Apolo manage to stay together throughout the dance. In fact, at one point, they pull their bandannas over their eyes and continue to dance in sync. At the end of the routine, Apolo lies on his back and flips Julianne over. The dance is great, but I don’t enjoy it. Len says that the choreography was great. Bruno talks about the Apolo syndrome and says that the dance was original. Carrie Ann gives Julianne and Apolo a hug. Each judge gives the dance a goober. Julianne and Apolo have 30 points for the freestyle round and 58 points overall. The last dance of the evening is from Kym and Joey; they dance to “Last Dance.” Ha! The dance starts off romantic and sweet. After that, Kym and Joey get funky. Joey jumps off of the stage and spins Kym. He also picks her up on his shoulders and spins her. He then spins her some more. I’m getting dizzy just watching it. The routine ends with Joey holding Kym in the air upside down. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the dance, but I don’t enjoy it. I think I’m tired. Bruno says that Mr. Entertainment is back. Carrie Ann tells Joey that he incorporated a lot of what he learned throughout the season into this dance and she’s impressed. Len says that he wishes he could give the couple more than a goober. I just don’t get it. Each judge gives the dance a goober; Kym and Joey have 30 points for the dance and 56 points for the evening. Tom and Samantha review the current standings, and remind us that the judges will score another dance tomorrow night: RANKING STAR SCORE JILL’S RANKING 1 Apolo 58 2 2 Joey 56 3 3 Laila 55 1 This is your last chance: don’t forget to vote for your favorite couple. And be sure to join me here tomorrow night as the new Dancing with the Stars champion is crowned.