sAy AnYtHiNg

This Week's Prediction

Short and sweet this week.  Misty May is out with a bad Achilles tendon, therefore, no one goes home tonight.  Cloris lives to dance another day!

This Week's Prediction

P.S.  I have no idea why this whole post looks like it is a link. It is not.  As usual my technical abilities astound even me, but I don't have time to try to fix it right now.  Sorry!

Last night was disappointing for me.  The two dances showcased were the Rumba and the Paso Doble (no idea if that is spelled right).  I am not the biggest fan of either of these dances, I find them a touch boring.  Feeling that way about the dances may have contributed to my feeling of disappointment...but I really felt that all the stars had a very off night.  No one really stood out to me as fantastic, most were middle of the road...just o.k.  No one was even particularly awful when compared to everyone else, just blah.

I still don't have a favorite, but I do have a least favorite.  For the second week in a row, I will say that Kim Kardshian is my least favorite and I want her to bid us farewell.  I fear, however, that she may stick around.  Cloris Leachman is clearly not going to win, but I think she deserves so much credit for trying and deserves to stick around a little longer, but she may be going.  The other performer on the ropes is Rocco deSpirito.  The judges really did not like his performance last night.  I didn't think it was that bad, but it may have pushed him out the door.

Because it is what I am hoping for, I am going with Kim gets the boot.  I am nothing if not an optimist. 

This Week's Prediction

It's back...Dancing with the Stars, and my uncanny (ahem) ability to predict who will be going home each week.

The 3 night premiere extravaganza started on Monday with all stars dancing either the Cha Cha Cha or the Fox Trot, it continued last night with all but one couple (the first to get the boot) dancing either the Mambo or the Quick Step, and will rap up tonight with another couple being eliminated from competition.

Overall, I must say that I am feeling pretty good about this season's competition.  I wasn't overly thrilled when the line up was announced, but all the stars really seem to want to be there AND so far, for the most part, they are all doing really well.  It seems to me to be the most level field in several seasons.  No super stand out yet, and only a couple of complete duds.  Should make for interesting viewing over the next several weeks.

The first star to be eliminated was comedian Jeffrey Ross.  For the record, I predicted this exit even though I do not have proof of it in writing.  He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and very disappointed to be going home.  However, he really could not dance and did not show much promise for improving.  It was absolutely the right choice.

So who is going home tonight? 

In the weeks to come I think that the elimination will get harder and harder to predict, since as stated earlier, there are several stars that are all at about the same skill level.  However last night, one star just really didn't cut it.

I need to digress here for just a second to talk about Cloris Leachman.  She is by no means one of the better dancers, but she is absolutely hilarious and I adore her moxie!  I for one think she is going to stick around for a few weeks, simply because the voters are going to want to see what she does and says next.  This week alone she has thrown her leg up on the judges table, tried to bribe the judges for a "10" score with $10.00 bills, and had to be bleeped several times in reaction to the judges scores.  Somehow, it is not off putting, but endearing, and just too much fun to watch.  I am so impressed that she even wanted to do the show!  I hope I am half as energetic and exuberant as she when I am 82!

O.K. back to who is going home tonight...

Kim Kardashian.  The girl simply has no moves.  She is lovely and has one of the world's most famous rumps around, but she does not know how to shake it.  She and her partner, Mark Ballas, did the Mambo to "I Like Big Butts" by Sir Mix A lot ( I know this song is  now going through your head if you are familiar with it , you're welcome).  I mean if you are going to call attention to it, you've gotta work it and work it she did not.  Sorry Kim, it is time to take your leave of the dance floor.

I do not have a favorite yet, but am looking forward to the weeks to come.  How about you?

This Week's Prediction

Wowee kazowie, there is just never a dull moment on this show.  Last night's high drama came in the form of an arm injury to Christian De La Fuente during his Samba, and in the form of the whiney twins Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

While Cheryl Burke and Christian De La Fuente were performing their Samba, something happened to Christian's arm (possibly a severe cramp) that rendered him useless in continuing the dance.  They had to stop before the end of the dance, he was taken to the hospital, and they were given marks "based on their performance to that point".  They received sevens across the board giving them the lowest overall total for the night.  I am hopeful that he is o.k. and is able to continue, as I think he and Cheryl are doing a great job together.  If he can't continue, I wonder if they will eliminate anyone else.  Maybe the rest will get a pass this week if he can't continue.  This would certainly be a saved by the bell moment for a few of the couples.  The only way I see Cheryl and Christian leaving tonight is if he is medically unable to continue.

So, who is going home?  Well, as usual, my prediction prowess is in full swing, and I have fewer correct guessed than incorrect guesses.  Still I will soldier on...I'm there for you like that.

I would dearly love for Shannon Elizabeth to be voted off this evening.  It is no secret that I really think she is the weakest of all the dancers.  No flair, no elegance, no finesse.  The judges commented on her gawkiness and gangliness last night, and I couldn't agree more.  Not to mention that the little tirade she and Derek threw after last week's critique just absolutely rubbed me the wrong way.  Take their comments like adults and try and improve, don't whine and moan about how unfair they were being.  I don't let my ten year old son blame the referees or the umpires for their team's loss even if there were some close calls.  It is ultimately up to the players to pull up their boot straps and get the job done anyway.  I can understand her disappointment, but come on the tears and whining were quite pitiful.  Put on your big girl panties, Shannon and deal with it.  It is my wish that she will be going home tonight, but I don't think she will.

Tonight I think Marissa Jarret Winokur will be leaving the ballroom.  She is charming, positive, and genuinely excited to be a part of the show.  Unfortunately, I just think she is a little too boring in her execution of the dances for this late stage of the competition.  Plus, the costumes that she and Tony wore for the Rumba were truly tragic, and did not match each other at all.  This non-matching was a fact my husband could not get over.  Yes, he is a trooper and watches with me almost every week.  Anyway for the rest of the show after they danced he kept commenting and commenting on their costumes lack of matching and horrible style.  I tried my best to reassure him that everything was going to be alright.  I tried desperately to find a picture on the fashion faux pas for your edification, but, alas, I had no luck!  I am sorry to say it, but I think last night was Tony and Marissa's swan song.  I will miss her positive attitude and energy.

This Week's Prediction

Loved last night's show!  Lots of great routines, so this is shaping up to be a great competition.  Stand out performances last night for me belonged to Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas with their truly spectacular Jive, and Christian De La Fuente with very elegant Waltz. 

So who is going home tonight?  It is a bit of a toss up for me.  I think the bottom two will Marlee Matlin and Shannon Elizabeth.  I admire Marlee so much for what she has been able to accomplish on this show and in her life.  What a wonderful spirit she has.  Unfortunately, as the competition moves on the numbers are becoming more and more difficult for her to navigate, so as much as I would like to see her continue, I think her weeks are numbered.  Shannon, on the other hand, has no excuse for not being very good.  She is very unpolished, inelegant, and ungraceful to me.  I am sorry if that sounds harsh, but I have felt that way from the very beginning and nothing has happened to change my opinion.  Therefore, I am going to say that Shannon will be going home this week, and that Marlee hangs around the ballroom for at least another week.

What say you?

This Week's Prediction and Yahoo!

I am currently 2-1 in predictions this season.  I correctly predicted that Penn Jillette and Monica Seles would be gone after the double elimination episode.  However, last week I was incorrect when I predicted Marissa Jaret Winokur would be going home.  Instead it was Steve Guttenberg, which is a shame because although he wasn't a fabulous dancer he sure was a positive force to have around.  This week I am going to go out on a limb with my prediction.  I believe it should be Adam Carolla, but I think we are in for an unexpected elimination.  So here it is...I think it will be Marlee Matlin that goes home tonight.  Make no mistake, I think she has done an AMAZING job, and I don't think she really deserves to go, I just feel like we might be in for a surprise.  I would also like to go on record as saying that while Shannon Elizabeth is a lovely young woman, I really am not feeling her dancing like the judges seem to be.  I am sure I am being ultra picky, but her hand placements are kinda yucky and her feet are flexed more than they are pointed.  Yes, it is very easy to point out her imperfections from my comfy perch on the couch, but hey, she received a 10 last night and I just needed to say my two cents about that particular score. 

Now for my Yahoo moment:

Yes, those are BUDS on my Lilac bushes!  Sorry, it is not a great picture, but it is GREAT to see some signs of life!

This Week's Prediction and a Couple of Random Musings

I am a little underwhelmed by this season's "Dancing with the Stars" so far.  Usually each week there is at least one performance that really knocks my socks off and makes me say "wow, that was awesome".  That feeling is lacking a little bit for me this time.  There have been some good performances...my favorites so far are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mario, so I am hopeful that the excitement factor will continue to grow as the season goes on.

Who is leaving this week?  My guess is it will be Broadway star, Marissa Jaret Winokur.  It is a shame because she has such a great personality, and it seems like she should be an awesome competitor in this arena.   She's not.  She has not lived up to her potential at all, so I think she well be leaving the ballroom tonight.

On a random note...

It's raining, it's pouring at least it's not snowing!  Seriously, we have had rain, rain, thunder, lightning, wind, and more rain.  Never in my life have I been happier to write this description about our weather.  I am just so grateful it isn't snowing, that I'll take the rain.

It is April Fool's Day.  As a kid I was terrified of this day.  I am NOT AT ALL a fan of practical jokes, getting "Punk'd, or being embarrassed.  I am less terrified of it as an adult, but it is still not a favorite  day of mine.  This lack of excitement over practical jokes, getting "Punk'd", or being embarrassed is  not reserved for me alone, I also hate to see it happen to anyone else.  I'm really kind of a softie.

This is no joke, I promise (read above), Jenny at Chased by Children is giving away a $50.00 Starbuck's gift card!  You must enter by Thursday, April 3rd, and it does require a little creativity on your part, but the most clever of the entries wins the $50.00 bucks at Starbuck's!  Click here to enter, and good luck!   Btw, she is also nominated for an award, so make sure you read her post for today, so you can go and vote for her to win.

This Week's Prediction

"Dancing with the Stars" is back, which means my prediction prowess is back as well.  Tonight is the first elimination of the season, and it is a double elimination.  One man and one woman will be sent packing.  Who will it be? 

Man = Penn Jillette.  Just not good or funny enough to stick around.

Woman=  Monica Seles.  She has tried so hard, but the poor dear is just so clearly uncomfortable it's time for her exit.   

This Week's Prediction

Due to a really crazy week last week, I did not make a prediction.  I know this saddened many of you greatly ;), I am so very sorry.

I now stand at 2 and 4 in weeks that I have made predictions.  I am, however, on the upswing as the last one I made proved to be correct and Jane Seymour went home.  This week was the semi-finals, and all the stars were in very good form.  I personally, would like to see Mel B. go home.  There is just something about her style that is not all that appealing to me.  The judges disagree with me and gave her two perfect scores tonight.  Therefore, I think it will be campy Marie Osmond that makes her exit.  She has a great attitude and seems to be having a good time, but probably doesn't have the polish it will take to win.

Not a Match Made in Heaven

Technology is not my strong suit.  If you have visited over the last couple days you are probably now saying to yourself, "now there is a gal with a death grip on the painfully obvious".  It all started with the "Holiday Shopping Carnival".  Somehow the pictures got totally out of order, and I could not fix them to save my soul.  I also tried in vain to edit the post with words of apology for the misplaced pictures.  Nothing.  Now, today it (the holiday shopping post) has suddenly flipped places with yesterday's post about my contest, so now it is first and the contest is second.  It's like it has a mind of its own!  Oh well, I am moving on and hoping against hope that the techno fairies will be smiling on me for the rest of the week.

It seems that my mismatch for technology includes just physically being in a space where technology is occurring around me even if I am not necessarily involved in the process.  For those of you that read Chased by Children, you already know what I am about to tell you.  For those of you that don't, here it is, I was in the audience at Oprah yesterday.  Totally cool, I know.  My lovely neighbor got tickets because she happened to be surfing the web at precisely the right moment, and she invited my along for the ride.  Yeah me!  Four of us in total made the trek to Harpo studios at 5am yesterday.  The early hour didn't bother us as we were SURE it was going to be her "Favorite Things" show, so we were EXCITED to say the least.  Here's the thing, it wasn't her "Favorite Things" show.  Bummer.  Here's the other thing, it is way better to watch her show on television than to be in the audience. (unless, of course, it actually is her "Favorite Things" show, duh)  Bummer again.  My husband asked me, "so was it like a big event?"  The answer is no.  It is a big deal to the audience to be there, but for the people working there it is the job they do everyday.  It is just not jump up and down exciting for them any more.  Don't misunderstand, everyone was very pleasant and may really love their jobs, but all of us waiting to go into the studio were like little school girls squealing and giggling at everything.  They are not like that.

The show was with Nate Berkus and Giada DeLaurentis.  It seemed kind of boring while we were there.  (yes, probably since our "Favorite Things" bubble was burst)  However, I watched it at home on tape this morning and it was actually a good show.  You just don't get the same energy in the studio as you do when it is captured for television.  Weird, but true.  Of course, this may have something to do with the energy dissipating before it reaches the very last row of the audience which is where we were sitting.

Still, it is an adventure I won't soon forget.  It was a blast to feel that excited and giddy and to share it with some very good friends.  Lunch together following to "debrief" may have been the most fun of the day!  I look forward to our next adventure!

Click here for pictures of our day going to Oprah and more commentary on said day from Jenny.

Don't forget to enter my contest, you have until Friday!