At least it wasn't Marie

Another season of Dancing with the Stars comes to an end and what a dramatic season it was! Illnesses, deaths in families, super great dancing, major upsets in the competition... To use a "Bruno-ism"...it certainly was the roller coaster ride of the Dancing with the Stars conglomorate!

So...at least (thank God!) Marie didn't win. Although she somehow managed to make it to the finals (was it a real fan base or is there something to the conspiracy theories of hiring callers??), she simply was not a great dancer. What technique she had was messy, her timing was off, she was slow, etc. etc. She did know how to act; I will give her that but the show isn't called "Acting with the Stars". I AM sorry for the personal hardships in her life, however, she didn't deserve to win and I'm glad that if it wasn't Sabrina, that it ended up as a competition between Mel and Helio.

I think that between Mel and Helio, Mel was the better dancer. But I am OK with Helio winning. He worked extremely hard, he was charming, had charisma, was a great performer, and a very strong competitor. I am still so surprised that a race car driver with no dance experience could do as well as he did. Some people are just special and mulit-talented; Helio certainly qualifies in that category. Helio taught me that a smile can go a long way and his pure joy of dancing and living in the moment are things we should all seek to experience throughout our lives. I loved his enthusiasm and sense of humor.

Mel, you are still a winner and I know it would be better if you won the competition. Winning isn't everything but it is very sweet! However, the journey is also important and you demonstrated what it takes to be a winner every week. You should be proud of what you did.

A few random thoughts:

Helio, I'm sorry about your engagement being called off, but really what were you thinking (being an engaged man and all) in kissing Julianne the way you did not once but twice on national television? Dancing is definitely an activity where you spend a lot of time in close proximity with someone and sometimes things happen. That is understandable. But I'm sure it was very hurtful for your fiance to see that.

And...I am tired of seeing the Osmonds all over the place...they have become the Anna Nicole Smith of Entertainment Tonight, they've been on Oprah, on Larry King, etc. Enough already!! And my final critique of Marie...she talks way too much. I don't think she once ever listened all the way through to the judge's comments and she interrupted Samantha and Tom all the time.

I still am upset that Sabrina was not in the finals. I think that shaded my whole experience with the last few weeks of the show. But it is after all, a TV dance competition, not something that will impact world events or provide a cure for cancer, etc. I am grateful to all of the celebrities for putting themselves on the line and giving us their all so that we could share this experience with them. Thank you to everyone!!

So what will we all do on Monday and Tuesday nights until the next Dancing with the Stars?

The Grand Scheme of Things

Although I'm not a Jennie Garth fan, really, Marie should have gone home on Dancing with the Stars this week. Marie's mambo was abysmal! What were the judges thinking ranking it so high? Even the BASICS were incorrect (mambo is danced 2,3,4 (hold 1). They were dancing salsa timing, footwork was bad, bad posture, Marie was slow. I cannot believe that they raved about this. I have lost a great deal of respect for the judging this year due to the extreme inconsistencies.

Jennie at least deserves an "A" for most improved. Jennie, you should be proud of how far you've come and what you achieved. I never saw you as lacking confidence either...but rather just thought you needed to work on your posture and frame. Congratulations on making it so far and now you can take a break, relax, and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your family.

Speaking of which..."IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS"...Dancing with the Stars is just a television show. There are many hungry, suffering, and poor people and animals in the world. For those of us lucky enough to have a home and food and family and other good things in our lives, Thanksgiving is a good time to give thanks for all that you have and also a time to give something to others.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Ohio Star Ball and comments on Cameron

One blog entry, two topics: the Ohio Star Ball which is happening as I write, and the 11/13 Dancing with the Stars results show.

First of all, for anyone living within driving distance of Columbus, Ohio, the best, biggest, most exciting dance competition in the country is happening THIS WEEKEND! Check out http://www.ohiostarball.com for information and if you live within driving distance, it's well worth the trip. Thanks to Sam Sodano for organizing this even each year and Happy 30th Anniversary to the Ohio Star Ball.

And topic #2: DWTS results show. I am feeling neutral about Cameron's exit. He was fun and gracious and worked very hard and I very much liked all of those things about him (not to mention the obvious...his good looks!). With Sabrina being gone (And I WILL get over that one of these days I hope!), the real competition is between Helio and Mel now.

And a word about the results show...listen up ABC! I really just want to know the results. I don't want to watch the promotion of other network shows or singers trying to boost their careers (although I do like Gloria Estevan). Just tell us the results or at least quit the annoyingly repetitive stunts like focusing on a couple and then saying "We'll announce the results...after we return". Come on already, certainly there are more original things you can do after all these years if you must make this an hour long event. I've taken to not watching until the second half of the show just because that's all I'm really interested in. Some of Samatha's questions are also getting on my nerves.

Jane "See-no-more"

OK...although I was upset that Sabrina went home, somehow this week, I found myself back in front of the TV on Monday and Tuesday watching the show. Hats off to all of the dancers for displaying the cheetah paw tattoos in support of their friend. I was touched and impressed and am glad I decided to watch again.

Here's my thoughts on this week's show:
Somebody has to leave Dancing with the Stars each week and although EVERYONE is doing an amazing job, I agreed with the results show this week and Jane leaving. (Actually, I thought that Jane should have left LAST week but I can't change history). Jane did extremely well and with her mother passing away and getting food poisoning, she showed that she is not just a great athlete but also that she has great strength and grace.

Jane embodied the best qualities of a competitor: hard work, persistence, good sportsmanship, gratitude, and strength of character. Thank you Jane for showing us not only for some beautiful dancing but also for showing us how to be the best we can be no matter what obstacles we face in life.

Sabrina goes home

I had planned to write a post after each Dancing with the Stars results show but after the October 30th show when Sabrina got voted off, for the first time in the history of the show, I became dis-enchanted with it. In my opinion, Sabrina was the best dancer on the show, hands down. The judges have consistently judged her at a different level than all the other dancers; Len even said in one show that he "looked to find something wrong" in each of her dances. In addition, I have read several online discussions about DWTS and I think that many viewers were also unreasonably hard on her.

Yes, she had dance experience but so has Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, and others. Many of the celebrities have performing experience. Why was Sabrina singled out like this by both the judges and the viewers?

In addition to her talent and hard work, she was consistently gracious even at the end. I cannot find fault with anything she did on the show and truly believe that it is an injustice that she will not be a finalist. I can accept the premise of the show...the results are based on the judges scores and viewer votes. However, the judges were unfair and many of the viewers also were also quick to judge her, while seemingly not holding other past celebrities with dance experience to the same standards.

This whole experience has greatly diminished my enjoyment of the show. It went from a show I loved and looked forward to, to something I might watch if I'm home and nothing better is on.