Rosado's Recaps-Dancing With The Stars - The Cultute of Pop, DVD, Movie, TV, Pop Culture Review

Rosado's Recaps-Dancing With The Stars

Posted: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 7:29:37 PDT

Week 3- (4/4/11)

I'll say it right off the bat...was last night's Dancing With The Stars one of the best in the show's history or what? Even with the weakest routines, heart, passion, and emotion were rampant in an evening of routines inspired by personal stories from all the contestants...with many bringing more than a tear to our eyes.

Wendy and Tony: Okay, let's get the negatives out of the way, first. Wendy's still way too slow on her feet, and with her feet in the condition they are (look on her Twitter feed if you want proof), the Fox Trot did her no favors. But, on the side of plus, Wendy's looked far more comfortable than she ever has been, and slowly, she's loosening up.

Still, if you've ever seen her daytime talk show, the difference between the persona(s) you see on DWTS and The Wendy Williams Show are of Jekyll and Hyde proportions; it's crazy! Still, I'm kinda' hoping her fan base pulls her thru because her behind-the-scenes stories from Dancing on her program have been a riot.

Jeff's Grade: C

Chelsea and Mark-I'm gonna go on the record, now...I think we have at least a Top 3 finisher in these two. They have yet to falter and unlike some of the couples, they continue to get better week by week. Especially Chelsea who was working that two piece ooh-la-la fringe number, and hair extensions to the point that one could almost mistake her for our beloved (and still missed) Julianne Hough...and better yet? She can cha-cha her little caboose off!

...and Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea...Saying you're not sexy? That's like Brad Pitt remarking, I'm just one of the guys.....(Insert blogger's wink, here)

Jeff's Grade: A

Chris and Cheryl: From the moment Chris said the title of the song Cheryl and he would be performing to, my eyes were watering...

To say Let It Be is my favorite song of all time, is by far an understatement...it's like a gospel song to me...and adding to its effectiveness is that it was written by my musical hero, James Paul McCartney, and performed by my forever favorite band, The Beatles.

But then, the water in my eyes turned to teardrops as Chris told the heartbreaking story of his Mom's life altering car crash that slowly took her away from her family, before finally passing away in 2005. Chris had Let It Be played at her funeral, and not a day goes by when he doesn't think about her.

Adding to the effectiveness of his rumba with Cheryl? A beyond sweet stage set-up of a vintage record player on a nightstand with a picture of Chris' mother nearby, which he finger kissed prior to the start...and although as a performance, it didn't have the effectiveness of Team Cherico's first two routines (which I thought were superb), but this dance wasn't meant to be competitive in quite the same fashion...It was more a homage to a lovely lady that raised a fine young man...”and you know that can't be bad.”

Chris and Cheryl? We love you, “Yeah, yeah, yeah”....

Jeff's Grade: A

Kendra and Louis: A make or break week for these two after a not-half-bad start in week one, and a decidedly stiff routine from seven days ago. But as the old cliché states, the third time's the charm...at least that's the verdict the judges handed down.

To me? Little hit 'n' miss, but the one insane, almost contortionist-type move midway thru was like a Blossom/Joey/”Whoa(!)” moment...and this was Kendra's most confident moment to date...and if she can continue to lose the fear of the audience and incorporate the sex kitten persona of her Playboy days into her routine without losing the confidence of her tomboy ways (a lot to ask I know), she could find herself back in the running...Superb choreography by the underrated Louis, too.

Jeff's Grade: B

Romeo and Chelsie: Very similar to Chris' story earlier, Romeo lost a couple of favorite cousins due to tragic circumstances early in life...and he warmed my heart saying his Rumba would be set to the tune of The Jackson Five's evergreen, I'll Be There...yet another song that just makes me beyond emotional when those electric piano chords kick in...

It not only makes me think of a young, sweet, untainted Michael Jackson, it takes me back to a simpler time when life moved a little slower...and I've no doubt Romeo has similar feelings, too. Thanks to Chelsie's highly undervalued knack for choreography, this routine was almost ballet in feeling, and when Romeo looked into that overhead camera, and threw a kiss to his much missed family members up above at the end, I almost lost it.

Speaking of losing it, I did in a different way at Len's response to their routine...but leave it to the wonderful ad lib genius of Tom Bergeron to speak for all of us at home, comparing Mr. (not so) Goodman to that of the Tin Man looking for a heart in the land of Oz.

Jeff's Grade: B+

Hines and Kym-Okay, gotta play the honesty card, here. Did Hines do any good in this samba? Couldn't take my eyes off of Kym (yeah, call me Valli....Frankie Valli). From choosing a terrific, rarely heard on radio anymore Earth, Wind and Fire classic (Fantasy) to Kym (and I think, Hines) practically elevating off the floor, what a wonderful tribute to Ward's hard working mama, whose sacrifices provided the emotional backdrop as inspiration (and what a thrill to see Mama Hines in the crowd almost being moved to tears by her son).

Best dance of the night (and the season, thus far) for me.

Jeff's Grade: A+

Petra and Dimitry-For starters, I owe Petra and her modeling friends a sincere apology...Last week on the TCOP companion podcast, I said such competitors pretty much suck on DWTS..and it was one of those remarks that I regretted just as soon as I said it...and it was not meant to be cruel, and I should have expressed myself in a much kinder, more constructive manner like my parents raised me to be...

But as for this routine? No constructive criticism needed in the least. Finally, after two weeks, Petra has found her niche in a beyond lovely waltz performed in tribute to those she's seen in her lifetime via her charity work, overcoming loss in their lives.

Completely mesmerized from start to finish; comeback player of the night.

Jeff's Grade: A-

Sugar Ray and Anna: Speaking of comebacks, I really, really, really wanted one from one of my all time fave sports heroes...and although his paso doble wasn't great technically, the theatrically of it all (from famed ringside announcer Michael Buffer's cameo to the underrated chemistry between Sugar Ray and Anna) more than made up for all shortcomings. Fortunately, the judges loved his efforts, so I'm hoping Mr. Leonard will be around one more week to continue to grow and increase his fan base.

You don't possess a heart if you don't get at least a smile from Sugar Ray (i.e. Len must have gotten that heart from the Wiz in between commercial breaks).

Jeff's Grade: B

Kirstie and Maks: Set to yet another one of my favorite songs (Over The Rainbow, in a decidedly non-bombastic, and welcome unplugged arrangement from the band), this Rumba serving as a tribute to Kirstie's late mom and surviving father) started to hit its stride when Maks went down knee first, giving us all quite a scare in the studio and at home (Cheryl's reaction from the post-dance balcony said it all)...but being the pro that he is, Maks got back on his feet, gave a little conductor baton motion in time to the music...and onward they went.

Although it was a heartbreaking scenario for all of us who wanted these two to shine after a so-so outing last week, mucho kudos for these two adapting the Fred Astaire philosophy of picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and dancing away, even when one's thigh gives out...and if I know Maks (barring any complications that will take him out of the competition, he's gonna work even damn harder next week to make up for this slight...and I'm sure Kirstie will be equally dogged in kind...So brace yourself, America (Jeff laughs).

Jeff's Grade: B

Ralph and Karina: After suffering somewhat of a sophomore jinx, Ralph was determined to not only do a more judge friendly routine, he wanted to rumba his heart out in tribute to his wife of (24?) years. Set to the song Stay Gold (from the 1980's film classic The Outsiders), it was a little too far reaching at times, but Ralph is really getting into this dance thing, and I'd rather see someone put themselves into such a project fully emotionally, rather than going thru the motions/hey, this is nothing but a career move, etc.-And from the way he sweetly knelt and kissed his wife before going to the judges, was beyond sweet (and Happy Anniversary, guys).

Jeff's Grade: B+

So with only one routine sticking out like a sore thumb (sorry, Wendy), who's going home tonight in your eyes? Hit me back on the Twitter and Facebook links below, and make sure to subscribe to the blog and podcast while you're here, you hear?

 

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