Ghost Story - coming in April 2011

I know what I'm getting for my birthday in Apirl!!

I am a huge fan of Jim Butcher's work.  I think his wizard detective, Harry Dresden, is one of the great characters in urban fiction.  And I only have to wait five more months to get the resolution to the cliff hanger at the end of Changes.  


The next book, Ghost Story, drops in April 2011.

If you like good mysteries, strong characters, and thrilling plots, I highly recommend the Dresden novels.  

I think the thing I enjoy most about Mr Butcher's writing is that he piles things up on Dresden until you can't possibly imagine how Harry is going to get out of the mess.  Then Mr Butcher finds a plausible and realistic way for Harry to prevail.

Dresden is flawed, which is another thing that makes him such a great character.

Start with Storm Front.  Then there are 11 more novels plus a book of short fiction centered around the characters found in the Dresden world.  That ought to keep you busy until Ghost Story.

Ghost Story - coming in April 2011

I know what I'm getting for my birthday in Apirl!!

I am a huge fan of Jim Butcher's work.  I think his wizard detective, Harry Dresden, is one of the great characters in urban fiction.  And I only have to wait five more months to get the resolution to the cliff hanger at the end of Changes.  


The next book, Ghost Story, drops in April 2011.

If you like good mysteries, strong characters, and thrilling plots, I highly recommend the Dresden novels.  

I think the thing I enjoy most about Mr Butcher's writing is that he piles things up on Dresden until you can't possibly imagine how Harry is going to get out of the mess.  Then Mr Butcher finds a plausible and realistic way for Harry to prevail.

Dresden is flawed, which is another thing that makes him such a great character.

Start with Storm Front.  Then there are 11 more novels plus a book of short fiction centered around the characters found in the Dresden world.  That ought to keep you busy until Ghost Story.

Take This Tune

My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful meme.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

This week's prompt is the song Seasons of Love, from the Broadway musical and film Rent.

The show is at times joyful, angry, fierce, and devastating.  Sometimes it's all of that at the same time.  The characters are three dimensional.  The show deals with struggle, but it also rewards perseverance and determination.

It's life.

Life sure happened to Boise State this past Friday night.  They went down to Reno and got clipped by a Nevada team on Senior Night that was ready to end a 10 game losing streak to the Broncos.  And that's just what the Wolfpack did.

Boise State almost got its miracle moment.  After Nevada tied the game with only :11 seconds to play, BSU QB Kellen Moore completed a deep pass to WR Titus Young for 54 yards down to the Wolfpack 9 yard line.  With :02 to play, all BSU needed was to kick the field goal to preserve its undefeated season and likely move to #3 in the BCS poll, setting up a potential Rose Bowl bid and possibly a spot in the title game should either Auburn or Oregon stumble in the last game of the season.


Just a field goal from the 9 yard line.


But sometimes life doesn't grant the fairy tale ending.  And sometimes a kid misses.


This time, the kid missed.  And then he missed again in OT.  I'm not going to put his name here.  The kid is dealing with the disappointment.  He's dealing with the proof that life just isn't fair sometimes.

Instead, the miracle went to Nevada.


But it's not really a miracle, is it?  I don't think so.  It wouldn't have been a miracle if Boise State makes the field goal to win.  And it's not a miracle that BSU missed the kick at the end of regulation or the kick in OT.  It's not a miracle that Nevada won the game.


It's life.  


Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you just come up a couple of plays short against the other team.  


Congratulations to Nevada, particularly to the seniors, who had their hard work rewarded.  The kids at Nevada get the joy, while the kids at Boise State get the disappointment.

But you know what else life does?  Life reminds you that even that kind of victory may not get you everything you want.  Because if Boise State, Nevada, and Hawaii all win the last game of the season against Utah State, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State, respectively, Hawaii will win the WAC title because they beat Nevada and Nevada beat BSU.

So Hawaii could finish at 10-3 overall, but 8-1 in the WAC and celebrate a conference title and a bowl game.  Nevada could finish 12-1 and be left with the satisfaction of having spoiled BSU's perfect season, and a bowl game.  And Boise State could finish with an 11-1 season that still feels a little bit sour.  The bowl game they wanted is not the bowl game they'll get.

The WAC does get four teams that are eligible for bowl game invitations for the 2010 season.  But then Boise State, Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State will all bolt for the Mountain West conference over the course of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.


That's life.

Take This Tune

My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful meme.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

This week's prompt is the song Seasons of Love, from the Broadway musical and film Rent.

The show is at times joyful, angry, fierce, and devastating.  Sometimes it's all of that at the same time.  The characters are three dimensional.  The show deals with struggle, but it also rewards perseverance and determination.

It's life.

Life sure happened to Boise State this past Friday night.  They went down to Reno and got clipped by a Nevada team on Senior Night that was ready to end a 10 game losing streak to the Broncos.  And that's just what the Wolfpack did.

Boise State almost got its miracle moment.  After Nevada tied the game with only :11 seconds to play, BSU QB Kellen Moore completed a deep pass to WR Titus Young for 54 yards down to the Wolfpack 9 yard line.  With :02 to play, all BSU needed was to kick the field goal to preserve its undefeated season and likely move to #3 in the BCS poll, setting up a potential Rose Bowl bid and possibly a spot in the title game should either Auburn or Oregon stumble in the last game of the season.


Just a field goal from the 9 yard line.


But sometimes life doesn't grant the fairy tale ending.  And sometimes a kid misses.


This time, the kid missed.  And then he missed again in OT.  I'm not going to put his name here.  The kid is dealing with the disappointment.  He's dealing with the proof that life just isn't fair sometimes.

Instead, the miracle went to Nevada.


But it's not really a miracle, is it?  I don't think so.  It wouldn't have been a miracle if Boise State makes the field goal to win.  And it's not a miracle that BSU missed the kick at the end of regulation or the kick in OT.  It's not a miracle that Nevada won the game.


It's life.  


Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you just come up a couple of plays short against the other team.  


Congratulations to Nevada, particularly to the seniors, who had their hard work rewarded.  The kids at Nevada get the joy, while the kids at Boise State get the disappointment.

But you know what else life does?  Life reminds you that even that kind of victory may not get you everything you want.  Because if Boise State, Nevada, and Hawaii all win the last game of the season against Utah State, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State, respectively, Hawaii will win the WAC title because they beat Nevada and Nevada beat BSU.

So Hawaii could finish at 10-3 overall, but 8-1 in the WAC and celebrate a conference title and a bowl game.  Nevada could finish 12-1 and be left with the satisfaction of having spoiled BSU's perfect season, and a bowl game.  And Boise State could finish with an 11-1 season that still feels a little bit sour.  The bowl game they wanted is not the bowl game they'll get.

The WAC does get four teams that are eligible for bowl game invitations for the 2010 season.  But then Boise State, Nevada, Hawaii, and Fresno State will all bolt for the Mountain West conference over the course of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.


That's life.

Five on Friday Set 44

I guess today, the day after Thanksgiving, no longer qualifies as the technical first shopping day on the count down toward 25 December.  There have been commercials and displays for weeks now.  Retailers have even hosted pre-sales to get folks out and in the buying spirit.

I don't mind any of that.  I find absolutely nothing wrong with retailers hawking their wares.  We all have the choice to buy or not.  I don't let any of that impact my holiday enjoyment. 

Whatever your particular holiday traditions on this day - whether shopping or decorating or just enjoying another day off from work - I wish you bright fun and happy times!

As always, if you'd like to join us in the musical fun, the guidelines are basic and simple.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!

Five on Friday Set 44

I guess today, the day after Thanksgiving, no longer qualifies as the technical first shopping day on the count down toward 25 December.  There have been commercials and displays for weeks now.  Retailers have even hosted pre-sales to get folks out and in the buying spirit.

I don't mind any of that.  I find absolutely nothing wrong with retailers hawking their wares.  We all have the choice to buy or not.  I don't let any of that impact my holiday enjoyment. 

Whatever your particular holiday traditions on this day - whether shopping or decorating or just enjoying another day off from work - I wish you bright fun and happy times!

As always, if you'd like to join us in the musical fun, the guidelines are basic and simple.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.

3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!

Cue that theme music...

It's the grand finale, live from Hollywood!

Tonight we find out who dances off with the Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy!

We've got our fru-fru finery, our nice bottle of merlot, our lasagna for dinner, and our CAKE. We are ready for two hours of frivolity.

Let's get to it!

Our eliminated celebrities open the show, and they each bring out their celebrity partner for a group dance. That's a great way to take the floor, with our three final couples joining them.


Here's a reminder of our leader board after Monday's performances:


60 Jennifer and Derek
56 Kyle and Lacey
52 Bristol and Mark


Apparently, Jennifer ruptured a disk during Monday's performance. She has been cleared to dance and she's going to perform. I hope she's OK.


Christina Aguilera is in the ballroom, performing a number from the new film Burlesque.

Our pairs get two more chances at scores from the judges. There will be two rounds.


Here's round one. Each pair selects their favorite dance of the season. The pairs will be ranked by the judges rather than getting scored individually.

Kyle and Lacey dance their Tango. They scored 23 on this dance, which I thought was the point at which Kyle really started to improve his technique and combine it with his charm as a natural performer. I think he's a bit heavy with his feet in this dance, but his posture is quite good. He also has control of his balance. He is dancing with much more confidence now. I liked the performance. He attacked the dance without letting it get away from him, and was a strong lead for Lacey. Len praised his energy and attack. I think Kyle has always been able to bring attitude and charm to his performance. But over the last few weeks he has added refinement and poise. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26.  It looks like Carrie Ann and Bruno ranked them 2nd, while Len ranked them 3rd.

Bristol and Mark dance their Tango. They scored 23 on this dance, and I thought that was low even with the penalty for breaking hold. This was during Rock Week. I don't get why Bristol insisted on breaking hold again. They should probably have focused on improving the dance, rather than thumbing their nose at the rules. I did like this dance the first time they performed it. I thought this time, she loosened up and showed more personality. But I just think it's just a bad idea to blatantly plan to break the hold when you have a chance to correct it. She had a chance to demonstrate with this dance that she had mastered the technique and attitude. I think she performed well, but I would put her third because of that slap against the rules. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.  It looks like Carrie Ann and Bruno did rank them 3rd, while Len ranked them 2nd.

Jennifer and Derek dance their Viennese Waltz. They scored 24 on this dance on the season premier. There was so much emotion in that very first dance, which was performed to a song from Dirty Dancing and ended up as kind of a tribute to Patrick Swayze. Damn. They had a little footwork bobble, but they danced through it. It looked like she might have caught her foot in her dress. But then again, they may have needed to be a little careful because of her back injury. Still, the dance was as lovely as it was the first time they performed it. It had the same kind of emotion I remember. It was still sentimental, but it also had an ethereal quality to it. I'm sorry this is coming to an end because I have so enjoyed watching her dance. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.  All three judges ranked them first.


Here's the updated leader board:

90 Jennifer and Derek
82 Kyle and Lacey
77 Bristol and Mark

While our three final couples prepare for their instant dances, we get the parade of eliminated celebrities.

And aren't we lucky? We get a vocal performance from David Hasselhoff, with a little bit of Cha Cha Cha danced with Kym and a couple of other pros dressed as Baywatch lifeguards.

Rick and Cheryl, dressed in Lakers colors, have a dance off with Kurt and Anna, dressed in Cardinals colors. It's an epic Paso Doble battle. That was fun.

Margaret gets to dance a little with Dmitry and Damian, before dancing her Cha Cha Cha with partner Louis. And then Florence gets a bit with Dmitry and Damian too before dancing with partner Corky.

Mike returns to dance with Karina and two other pros, and apparently he had to do it shirtless. Whatever.

Brandy and Maks return with their Quickstep, denying Bruno's request to do a free style. I think it's better that they did this dance instead. Regardless of what some might say, they just didn't earn the opportunity to dance a free style.


Christina Aguilera returns to perform her song Beautiful. I really like this song. Her dancers signed some of the lyrics. That was really nice.

Now we get to round two, which is an instant Cha Cha Cha. I'm glad they brought this back. I think it really brought out the best in every celebrity. Each pair dances their own Cha Cha Cha choreography to Pink's Raise Your Glass. They drew numbers for the order of performance.

First up are Kyle and Lacey. Cha Cha Cha suits him so well. I'm a little surprised by the choreography though, because for a good 15-20 seconds at the beginning, he didn't do much dancing at all. That was kind of disappointing actually.  I expected more excitement. The performance was enjoyable, although I wouldn't say it was one of his best. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.

Next we have Jennifer and Derek. I liked the way they entered the floor. Jennifer was spot on, just like the first time I saw her do this dance. They did classic Cha Cha Cha steps and did them well. Derek managed Jennifer's injury situation and she pushed through it. I'm so sad that this was the last time I'll see her dance. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.

Last up are Bristol and Mark. This was a good dance for her to finish up with because I thought that of all the up tempo dances, she managed Cha Cha Cha the best during the season. I thought she never really demonstrated musicality in most of the up tempo styles, but she did a good job with this final performance, although she did make some mis-steps just at the end. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.


So here is our final leader board:


118 Jennifer and Derek
110 Kyle and Lacey
104 Bristol and Mark


That's it. The dancing is finished. The scores and votes are in. Now it's results. Here we go.


Finishing in third place...Bristol and Mark.

Finishing in second place...Kyle and Lacey.

That means the Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy goes to...Jennifer and Derek!


YES!

Of course you know I'm thrilled with this result.  She was my favorite before she ever took a step on the ballroom floor.  I split votes early, but that didn't last very long.  And now I'm a happy DWTS fan!

The only thing that would make me a happier DWTS fan?  I think you know.

Please please please please please!  

Can Valerie Bertinelli come dancing???

Please?

Later gang!

Cue that theme music...

It's the grand finale, live from Hollywood!

Tonight we find out who dances off with the Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy!

We've got our fru-fru finery, our nice bottle of merlot, our lasagna for dinner, and our CAKE. We are ready for two hours of frivolity.

Let's get to it!

Our eliminated celebrities open the show, and they each bring out their celebrity partner for a group dance. That's a great way to take the floor, with our three final couples joining them.


Here's a reminder of our leader board after Monday's performances:


60 Jennifer and Derek
56 Kyle and Lacey
52 Bristol and Mark


Apparently, Jennifer ruptured a disk during Monday's performance. She has been cleared to dance and she's going to perform. I hope she's OK.


Christina Aguilera is in the ballroom, performing a number from the new film Burlesque.

Our pairs get two more chances at scores from the judges. There will be two rounds.


Here's round one. Each pair selects their favorite dance of the season. The pairs will be ranked by the judges rather than getting scored individually.

Kyle and Lacey dance their Tango. They scored 23 on this dance, which I thought was the point at which Kyle really started to improve his technique and combine it with his charm as a natural performer. I think he's a bit heavy with his feet in this dance, but his posture is quite good. He also has control of his balance. He is dancing with much more confidence now. I liked the performance. He attacked the dance without letting it get away from him, and was a strong lead for Lacey. Len praised his energy and attack. I think Kyle has always been able to bring attitude and charm to his performance. But over the last few weeks he has added refinement and poise. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26.  It looks like Carrie Ann and Bruno ranked them 2nd, while Len ranked them 3rd.

Bristol and Mark dance their Tango. They scored 23 on this dance, and I thought that was low even with the penalty for breaking hold. This was during Rock Week. I don't get why Bristol insisted on breaking hold again. They should probably have focused on improving the dance, rather than thumbing their nose at the rules. I did like this dance the first time they performed it. I thought this time, she loosened up and showed more personality. But I just think it's just a bad idea to blatantly plan to break the hold when you have a chance to correct it. She had a chance to demonstrate with this dance that she had mastered the technique and attitude. I think she performed well, but I would put her third because of that slap against the rules. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.  It looks like Carrie Ann and Bruno did rank them 3rd, while Len ranked them 2nd.

Jennifer and Derek dance their Viennese Waltz. They scored 24 on this dance on the season premier. There was so much emotion in that very first dance, which was performed to a song from Dirty Dancing and ended up as kind of a tribute to Patrick Swayze. Damn. They had a little footwork bobble, but they danced through it. It looked like she might have caught her foot in her dress. But then again, they may have needed to be a little careful because of her back injury. Still, the dance was as lovely as it was the first time they performed it. It had the same kind of emotion I remember. It was still sentimental, but it also had an ethereal quality to it. I'm sorry this is coming to an end because I have so enjoyed watching her dance. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.  All three judges ranked them first.


Here's the updated leader board:

90 Jennifer and Derek
82 Kyle and Lacey
77 Bristol and Mark

While our three final couples prepare for their instant dances, we get the parade of eliminated celebrities.

And aren't we lucky? We get a vocal performance from David Hasselhoff, with a little bit of Cha Cha Cha danced with Kym and a couple of other pros dressed as Baywatch lifeguards.

Rick and Cheryl, dressed in Lakers colors, have a dance off with Kurt and Anna, dressed in Cardinals colors. It's an epic Paso Doble battle. That was fun.

Margaret gets to dance a little with Dmitry and Damian, before dancing her Cha Cha Cha with partner Louis. And then Florence gets a bit with Dmitry and Damian too before dancing with partner Corky.

Mike returns to dance with Karina and two other pros, and apparently he had to do it shirtless. Whatever.

Brandy and Maks return with their Quickstep, denying Bruno's request to do a free style. I think it's better that they did this dance instead. Regardless of what some might say, they just didn't earn the opportunity to dance a free style.


Christina Aguilera returns to perform her song Beautiful. I really like this song. Her dancers signed some of the lyrics. That was really nice.

Now we get to round two, which is an instant Cha Cha Cha. I'm glad they brought this back. I think it really brought out the best in every celebrity. Each pair dances their own Cha Cha Cha choreography to Pink's Raise Your Glass. They drew numbers for the order of performance.

First up are Kyle and Lacey. Cha Cha Cha suits him so well. I'm a little surprised by the choreography though, because for a good 15-20 seconds at the beginning, he didn't do much dancing at all. That was kind of disappointing actually.  I expected more excitement. The performance was enjoyable, although I wouldn't say it was one of his best. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.

Next we have Jennifer and Derek. I liked the way they entered the floor. Jennifer was spot on, just like the first time I saw her do this dance. They did classic Cha Cha Cha steps and did them well. Derek managed Jennifer's injury situation and she pushed through it. I'm so sad that this was the last time I'll see her dance. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28.

Last up are Bristol and Mark. This was a good dance for her to finish up with because I thought that of all the up tempo dances, she managed Cha Cha Cha the best during the season. I thought she never really demonstrated musicality in most of the up tempo styles, but she did a good job with this final performance, although she did make some mis-steps just at the end. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.


So here is our final leader board:


118 Jennifer and Derek
110 Kyle and Lacey
104 Bristol and Mark


That's it. The dancing is finished. The scores and votes are in. Now it's results. Here we go.


Finishing in third place...Bristol and Mark.

Finishing in second place...Kyle and Lacey.

That means the Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy goes to...Jennifer and Derek!


YES!

Of course you know I'm thrilled with this result.  She was my favorite before she ever took a step on the ballroom floor.  I split votes early, but that didn't last very long.  And now I'm a happy DWTS fan!

The only thing that would make me a happier DWTS fan?  I think you know.

Please please please please please!  

Can Valerie Bertinelli come dancing???

Please?

Later gang!

Cue that theme music...

It's the performance finale, live from Hollywood!

We're there.  Tomorrow night...technically tonight because the performances were actually last night and so today is actually results day and I'll post that recap tomorrow...got it?  Me neither.  

Regardless of correct tense, we're going to find out who will dance away with that Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy.  But first, our final three couples will have to dance for scores and votes.

Our finalists face two dances.  One is a redemption dance that the judges thought should have been better than it was originally performed.  The judges will visit each pair in rehearsal to give them pointers on how to improve the performance.  Of course the second routine is the anything goes free dance.

Kyle and Lacey redeem their Foxtrot.  The first performance of this dance was a bit silly and out of control, relying almost completely on Kyle's charm.  Len visits rehearsal, helping with Kyle's lines, posture, and footwork.  This choreography is more traditional.  He looks good with this dance.  The performance is controlled, with an elegance and sophistication.  He also looks light on his feet, and very confident.  I really enjoyed that.  His technique was the best it's been all season.  That was pretty complete and quite impressive.  You could tell he paid attention and worked hard at his feet.  I really liked that he embraced the full performance, incorporating his charm without letting it overpower the subtleties of the style.  Well done.  Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Bristol and Mark redeem their Jive.  The earlier dance relied on gorilla suits to open the routine, but Bristol missed so many steps that the gimmick ended up looking like a desperate attempt to hide her poor ability.  Fortunately, they ditched the costumes for this retry.  Bruno visits rehearsal to help her with performance.  She didn't forget her steps this time.  I thought she looked like she enjoyed the dance.  She let her personality shine more than she has in the past.  But I wanted to see more bounce and precision in her kicks.  I didn't really see enough Jive in that Jive.  I wanted more fast spins and flick kicks.  It was a good dance.  She didn't make any major mistakes, but she didn't wow me either.  Judges say  9's across for a total of 27.

Jennifer and Derek redeem their Paso Doble.  I thought the first performance was solid, right up to the point where Jennifer lost her balance at the end of the dance.  I thought the judges were overly harsh with their criticism then.  Carrie Ann visits rehearsal to help with shapes, presentation, and dynamic but controlled movement.  This time they went much more classic with the choreography.  The music was also much more evocative of classic Paso, so Jennifer's musicality was much better.  The dancing was amazing!  They owned the floor.  The dance was aggressive and passionate, strong and fierce.  It was full and flowing, really exploring the drama in the style.  Len gave it a standing ovation.  I think Jennifer overcame her mid-season struggles, and came to an understanding that she could do the dances while still respecting her physical limitations, and make each performance rise above them.  Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. 

Here's our leader board after the first round:

30 Jennifer and Derek
27 Kyle and Lacey
27 Bristol and Mark

And now it's free style, and anything goes.

Kyle and Lacey go for a hip hop free style.  The dance certainly had high energy.  And it had just about every type of basic old school hip hop step you can name, performed pretty well.  Yes!  They added in a bit of Samba in there.  The problem I have with a hip hop routine is that it ends up being just a series of moves that aren't smoothly connected.  That's OK, but it always disappoints me a little in this competition because I want to see more ballroom and Latin steps incorporated in the free style.  But this round is about doing what makes the celebrity comfortable, and what they can really get into and make into a dynamic performance.  Kyle and Lacey put on a fun show.  Well done.  Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.

Bristol and Mark go for a more theatrical free style, with music from the Broadway show Chicago.  I think this is a smart move by Mark to focus on the Tango steps in his choreography, because I don't think Bristol is up to dancing in true Fosse style.  She just isn't going to carry a dance with performance alone.  She needs the structure of ballroom to lean on.  But having said that, the dancing part actually stopped about half way through the choreography.  It turned into some running and then some stuff with a long silk.  That's the performance part that she struggles with.  If I'm being honest, I didn't expect her to be able to pull off a free style dance.  But she did OK.  Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.

Jennifer and Derek embrace the iconic style from Dirty Dancing for their free style.  And why not?  The best thing about doing that is that it does make use of so much of the ballroom and Latin steps and movements.  And we loved it!  Jennifer was able to manage the flying tricks that Derek wanted her to do, but also to stay safe while doing them.  That's why nobody puts Baby in a corner!  She went for it and she nailed it.  The dance had high energy.  It was flamboyant, dynamic, well presented and well performed.  And they kept control of it.  Sweet!  Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.


Here's our combined leader board:


60 Jennifer and Derek
56 Kyle and Lacey
52 Bristol and Mark

We had 5 votes per phone and 4 cell phones.  So all 20 went to Jennifer and Derek.  We want them to win, but at this point I still think it's anybody's game.  There's no telling what is going to happen with viewer votes.

But wait...there are two more dances to come to complete the scores from the judges and to combine with viewer votes.  Then we'll find out who dances away with our Fabulous Mirror Ball trophy.

So tune in tonight for the grand finale, always full of frivolous filler!


Later gang!