Strictly Nominated

Strictly Come Dancing has been shortlisted for a Broadcasting Press Guild Award in the Comedy/Entertainment category.

The other shows in the category are Armstrong & Miller, Extras Xmas Special and Gavin & Stacey.

Winners will be announced at a private lunch at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on Friday 4 April. The awards are voted for by media journalists.

Lesson 33

The beginners class didn't seem quite so uncomfortably rammed this week.

We continued with the tango and rumba, adding on some more.

In the second class, we continued with the slip pivot, Viennese crosses tango extravaganza from last week, removing the contra check and ronde, and adding lunges and a Spanish drag.

We then did pivots in paso, which was lost on many people (including me, of course!), especially with the breakneck speed of the music. I might have been OK if I didn't keep fiddling feet on my heel turns. Too much time spend doing that bloody foxtrot on Tuesdays means I'm a bit one footed. I'm too used to doing heel turns to the left. Not good when we were required to do them to the right. Doh!

Anton has suggested doing paso in beginners. I haven't done nearly enough paso, and I've never done paso with him. He's going to regret opening his mouth...

Alesha's Not Feeling 'Glad'

Alesha Dixon has turned down the chance to host the new version of Gladiators for Sky One.

According to The Sun, a source said: “We thought Alesha would be brilliant as a glamorous host for the show. But she turned us down, which is a real shame.”

Good girl. You can do better.

Anton's First Kiss

The Daily Mail belives that men remember their first car better than their first kiss, so they asked a number of male celebrities to describe both.

I would suppose that most men spend more time with their first car than their first snog, and spend longer choosing it, so perhaps this would explain why. I have never had a car, but I'd be hard pushed to remember the name of the lucky chappie I first lip-locked with. I probably have it written down somewhere. I do remember the detail, just not the name...

Anton's description of that moment: "She had me up against the wall - quite the knee-trembler, and it put me off French kissing for quite a time."

Strictly Spotted

Continuing series in which I see Strictly participants in the street and then brag about it.

Today I saw John Barnes in Regent Street near Broadcasting House.

Happy Birthday, Brucie

Did you miss the Strictly couples performing on Happy Birthday, Brucie? Thankfully, Bren has uploaded the routines to YouTube.

First, the opening quickstep number:
Vincent & Flavia
Ian & Camilla
Matthew & Nicole
Darren & Lilia
James & Ola
Brendan & Karen
Anton & Erin



And the finale, which features:
Matt & Flavia
Alesha & Matthew
Kate & Anton
Denise & Ian
Mark & Karen

Bruce Set For Knighthood?

Could Bruce Forsyth finally be getting a Knighthood?

The People reports that Bruce will be titled Sir Bruce in the Queen's birthday honours this June.

Even in the article, Bruce shows what a pro he is, and refuses to be drawn on off-set gossip: "It's what happens ON the dancefloor that counts!"

That's why he is pure class.

Tim To Dance?

The Sun reports/has made up that Tim Henman could be in the running for the next series of Strictly.

I suspect his name has come up purely because Greg Rusedski is taking part in Dancing On Ice.

Personally, I'd rather see Richard Madeley than Henman(!). I don't think the public would warm to Tim. He's a bit... bland. Besides, I've never liked Tim since I was working at the Davis Cup tennis at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre years ago. I saw how Tim and Greg (who were both spectating) reacted to the crowds, and Greg won hands down.

Arlene On Cruz

It was well documented in the papers that Cruz Beckham decided to show off his moves during the Spice Girls' recent concert at Madison Square Garden.



Arlene Phillips shared her thoughts on his dancing with the
Daily Mirror.

She says: "Cruz was absolutely adorable. As a baby breaker, I would definitely give him a 10. I think he shows real promise."

And he could have a career ahead of him: "It didn't look in any way staged or like he was showing off. He was just doing it because he loves to do it, loves the music, loves to dance. Strictly Come Dancing? We'll be waiting for him!"

DWTS Line-Up Announced

The line-up for Dancing With The Stars was announced by ABC on Monday night.

As usual, it's a mix of celebs us Brits know and some we don't. It is likely that the show will air on UKTV Gold again, so we'll have something to keep us entertained while Strictly is off-air.

The stars are:

Adam Carolla: I have no idea who this is.

Cristián de la Fuente: I don't know him either.

Shannon Elizabeth: She's an actress that I feel I should know, yet I have not actually seen any of her movies, and I couldn't pick her out of a line-up

Steve Guttenberg: Ah, I know him, although I've always muddled him with Jeff Goldblum becuase of their not-actually-that similar names.

Penn Jillette: Ah yes, the chatty one from Penn & Teller. But he's swapping Teller for Kym Johnson. Wise move!

Mario: R'n'B star. I have heard of him, but again, I couldn't pick him out of a line-up.

Marlee Matlin: Actress, who I only know through appearances on The Tonight Show.

Priscilla Presley: If you don't know Priscilla, you're probably not in the world, but hanging in the afterlife with her husband.

Monica Seles: Former tennis star famed for 'grunting'.

Jason Taylor: He's the one I'm most looking forward to seeing dance. A great football player, and a very handsome chappie. He first really came to my attention several years back, when a girlfriend and fellow football fan showed me his online gallery.

Marissa Jaret Winokur: Apparently she has been in Hairspray on Broadway.

Kristi Yamaguchi: A figure skater.

Of course, not knowing who the people are is not a disadvantage. I didn't really know who like likes of Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash were when they were revealed as participants for Strictly.

Happy Birthday, Bruce!

It's Bruce Forsyth's 80th birthday today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRUCE!

The man is a legend. I know a lot of SCD fans would be happy to see him go, but I think he does a grand job, and I would be sad to see him leave the show.

New Lesson 19

This week's lesson was, in the words of my favourite judge, "dull, dull, dull".

I arrived a little late to find the class had just started going over the samba. Except she doesn't really teach technique. Samba without technique is step ball-change. I learned to do a step ball-change when I was six. This 'samba' was not fun.

Then we moved on to the waltz, which we've done a fair few times now. I'm not challenged. I was totally bored. And I danced with the female helper, which is fine - she's a fantastic lead - except she's a tiny bit shorter than me, and her strides aren't big enough. I like to really travel, and I don't so much with her.

I don't really know what the answer is, but I am starting to feel frustrated by the class. I was learning things, but I don't feel like I am any more.

Lesson 32

I'd missed a few Monday lessons recently, so it was nice to be back.

I decided to brave the chaos of the beginners class, because it saves me from sitting in my office until 8.30pm!

We started off with tango, and then did some rumba. It was pretty OK, as most of the class had done it before.

The second class went a bit over my head to begin with. It was all slip pivots, Viennese crosses, contra checks and rondes. Very confusing. But when we started to talk bout the technique behind it, it started to make sense. By the time I was practicing at the bus stop on the way home, I had it. I just wish I could do that when I'm in the class! Typical.

Zoe Interviews

Zoe Ball was 'interrogated' by Celebs On Sunday a couple of weeks ago.

She still gets nervous about dancing: "We’re all doing pregnancy-style breathing to calm down. Seeing the empty auditorium for the first time with its thousands of seats gave us wobbly legs. We all checked out where the nearest toilet was."

She says that she's not getting as fit during the tour as she would like: "They give us such amazing lunches. But I’m hoping that by the end of 40 shows, if I haven’t dropped half a stone, I’ll get my money back. My husband Norm took a picture of me before I started training and we’re going to do an ‘after’ one, like people do for their fitness DVDs. If I’m bigger I’ll be miffed!"

Before the start of the tour, she told the Daily Express that she felt sorry for Ian Waite, who has to lift her: “Poor Ian has to lift me which isn’t easy as I weigh 11stone. It’s a massive disadvantage because the other girls are only about eight stone. But he has been great and very patient.”

And she has post-tour plans: "I want to have another baby and if I get really fit after all this dancing, I want to get pregnant. Our son Woody is seven now and it’s time he had a little brother or sister.”

Darren & Lilia Honoured

Darren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova have been honoured with a Carl Alan award by the IDTA.

The South Yorkshire Star reports that Darren & Lilia were awarded for services to dance.

Tour Review

Here is a very short review of the NEC show from the Birmingham Mail.

The review says that the tour lacks freshness because it's been on the road for three weeks.

I have to disagree. If anything, the participants seem to be having more fun now than earlier on. The only thing that lacks freshness is Len's cow gag. His acting is a bit iffy...

Strictly Come Dancing Live: A Few More Thoughts

Over the weekend I went to see a few more performances of the Strictly Come Dancing: Live tour. It's been interesting to see how the performances have developed.

They all seem to be having heaps of fun, despite the gruelling schedule. They all give 100% on ever performance. And some of them have improved over the two weeks since I saw the show last.

Martin took to wearing an afro wig for his latin performance, and I actually think it did him the world of good!

Letitia gives more and more to the jive. Her ballroom has been brilliant, but it's been a joy to see her loving the jive just as much.

Matt & Flavia continue to turn in brilliant performances.

Christopher Parker got a well-deserved 10 from Len for his paso on Friday night. He knows he is not a good dancer. Well, not a dancer at all, but the audience loves him, and her certainly gets a reaction every time he comes out with his cape.

I finally saw James Martin dance this afternoon. Like Camilla's 'other man' Martin, James is definitely a ballroom boy.

Louisa Lytton is brilliant. Her Argentine tango has passione in spades, despite what Arlene says, and I could watch her jive over and over. She is fab-u-lous!

But I have to take a moment to talk about Zoe & Ian. Zoe is one of my all time favourite Strictly participants. She has well and truely stolen my heart. I was in the audience on the very first night she took to the floor for the waltz. From that moment on, I was hooked on Zoe. She is everything I wish I could be. Tall, poised, elegant, passionate.

She floors me every time I watch that tango. And she gets to dance it over and over with a partner that compliments everything about her.

I love her samba just as much, probably more than I did when she performed it on the programme. Her face beams all the way through the performance. She lights up the arena with her eyes and her smile. And how many 37-year-old mums can do cartwheels and the splits?

I feel so blue knowing that I may never see Zoe & Ian dance together again. I didn't anticipate quite how hard the realisation was going to hit me. Yes, I'm probably being a drama queen, but I think that's allowed in the world of crystals and glitter.

I was elated to see Zoe & Ian lift the trophy in Birmingham this afternoon. I'm also releved that I was there to see it, as it was a last minute decision to see the show today.

I'd like to finish with a thank-you to everyone involved in the tour for keeping me entertained and enthralled over... erm... 'several' performances. You are all amazing. You inspire me and millions of others to keep plugging away at our own classes every week. You're all 10s.

The End Of The Road

Strictly Come Dancing: Live is hitting the final furlong, as it concludes at Birmingham NEC on Tuesday.

Darren Gough chatted to the Birmingham Mail about how it has gone.

He says: "It's been hard work but I don't really want it to end. I want the Birmingham public to get behind me so I can go out on a high."

He says that the couples can't pull the wool over the judges eyes: "It's different every show, although Zoe, Louisa, Matt and I have won most times. But we all make mistakes which are picked up by the judges."

Len: "It's Just Like Strictly Come Dancing: The Party"

Len has given a short interview to the News Shopper.

He admits that he is enjoying the atmosphere of a 10,000 crowd, versus 200 in the SCD studio: "Suddenly you get thrust into this huge arena and everything is exaggerated. The booing for Craig, the cheering if a good thing is said, it's just like Strictly Come Dancing: The Party".

And like everyone, he is astounded at the success of Strictly: "Who'd of thought it would be in nearly 30 countries now and in every country it's the number one show on its day? So it's just been an absolute phenomenon."

Len tries to get back to his school in Dartford, Kent as much as he can, but finds it difficult at times: "Obviously I've got quite involved with Strictly now and doing this tour so, but as soon as I'm home and if I'm only home on this tour for a day, I go up to studio. They like to see me. It's a bit like having a pub and never seeing the landlord."

And he sees a bright future for Strictly Come Danicng: "The new series starts again in the autumn, so I'm looking forward to that. I think it will go forever as long as they get an interesting mix of celebrities, sports people and so on, it could run forever."

New Lesson 18

This week we did the quickstep again. I really love the quickstep, and I'm starting to get better at following a lead.

We then went back to the samba. We didn't add any more, but we had a bunch of people who had missed the previous week, so we had to slow it down.

We ended with cha cha, which my partner and I actually danced on the correct counts for once. Hurrah. Well, we did until she got confused and swapped back again. The worst part about dancing with a girl, is that they have a tendancy to swap to the lady's steps on occation, and that is very confusing for me. But no-one leads a fan like this particular partner - not even a man. I told her she needs to teach the men to lead like that!

Gethin The Newsreader

Strictly participant Gethin Jones is to front a new entertainment news show for BBC News 24.

The Guardian reports that Gethin will host a pilot run of E24 for six weeks, starting this Saturday.

I hope the show does well. I desperatly miss BBC Three's daily entertainment news roundup Liquid News, which counted our very own Claudia Winkleman amongst its hosts. I'd love to see another show come close to the glory of Liquid.

Ronnie To Replace Bruce?

The Daily Star has reported that Ronnie Corbett is in the frame for replace Bruce Forsyth as host of Strictly Come Dancing.

Personally, I can't see Bruce giving it up. But the paper suggests that Bruce wants to quit while the show is a hit and it is he who has suggeted Ronnie's name to the production team.

Hmm... I'm not convinced myself.

Kate, Anton And The Sunday Mirror

There was a story - a fairy story - in the Sunday Mirror this week, claiming that Kate Garraway and Anton Du Beke are having an affair.

The link to the Mirror story no longer works, but Entertainmentwise gives you the gist. In a huge scandal, the pair both attended a charity event recently, alongside Kate's husband. He left earlier in the evening leaving the pair alone (no doubt with a room choc full of other people).

A witness said: "[Kate and Anton] walked back to his car together and had a long, drawn-out embrace and kissed. Then she turned away and Anton walked off to his car with this massive grin on his face, looking over his shoulder at her as she went. Kate then walked back in to the pub to collect her coat."

Anyone who has ever met Anton, or even seen him on TV, will know how tactile he is. What this witness has seen is not anything other than typical Anton behaviour.

Some more details of the story can be found at ThisIsLondon.co.uk.

The article also wrote that Kate had been seen leaving Anton's flat. Clearly no-one from the Mirror has ever visited a friend.

Jeez.

I really don't know why the tabloids have developed a facination with Anton, but I'm starting to get annoyed by it. They are starting to treat Anton the way they treat Brendan, which for the record also winds me up.

I am glad to hear that Kate has decided to take legal action against the paper. The Times reports that she has issued a statement: “Contrary to these insinuations, Derek and I are as faithful, happy and in love today as we have ever been. The plain truth is that Anton and I became friends during Strictly Come Dancing. Since then we often work and hang out together. For that to be twisted into something else is sad, hurtful and totally untrue.”

She also says that she told the paper that its story was untrue, but they went to print anyway: “I made it clear before publication that there was no truth to them whatsoever. Given they were published in any event and continue to be published, I feel I have no option but to take libel proceedings against the newspaper to set the record straight.”

I am behind Kate every step of the way. The tabloids need to understand that they can't just make things up whenever they feel like it. It is not fair to play with the lives of innocent people.

Craig Turned Down DWTS

According to a recent interview with the South Yorkshire Star, Craig Revel Horwood was offered the opportunity to be a judge on Dancing With The Stars with Len and Bruno, but turned it down becuase they wanted to lock him in for five years.

He says: "I'm a director and a choreographer, not a full-time judge. I can't imagine that ever being a career for me.As much as it has taken the nation by storm, for me it's a part-time job, once a year on a Saturday night – it isn't a career choice."

MP Approached For Strictly?

About a year ago, Liberal Democrat Vincent Cable told The Independent that he'd like to participate in Strictly Come Dancing.

Now, in a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, he says: "I was considered for Strictly Come Dancing but the producers thought it would be too political to have me on the show."

Too political to have a politician? Yes, I think so too.

New Lesson 17

We had an action-packed lesson last week.

We went back over the foxtrot for the first time in ages, and I was relieved to find that I could actually still remember it.

We then did the quickstep again. I'm told I have very quick lock steps. I thought that was a prerequisite for the quickstep...

We finished with the dreaded samba. It was the class' first go at the samba. I have only dabbled with it in the past anyway. It's all about the steps at the moment. I love it when I'm not forced to attempt the correct action. I can't see the teacher teaching hip action with the same flair as Tamara.

Congratulations, Jill!

Congratualtions to Jill Halfpenny and her husband Craig Conway.

The Daily Mail reports that the SCD winner is expecting her first baby in May.

Natasha: "I Was Desperate Not To Do Strictly"

Natasha Kaplinsky has left the BBC for Five, and now feels she is in a position to talk about her career there.

She has given an interview to the Daily Mail in which she claimed she was cajouled into doing the show.

She says: "I was desperate not to do Strictly, but I'd just joined the BBC and I was the nearest and weakest victim. I said no and then got taken into a dark corner and told, 'I'm sure not doing it won't penalise your career,' which was said in such a way that meant, if I didn't do it, I was history."

This isn't a huge revalation. On the show, she frequently joked about wanting to injure herself in order to get out of it. Viewers could see that she wasn't keen, until she finally put her trust in Brendan and enjoyed the dancing.

Of Brendan, she says: "There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan."

I appreciate Natasha's feelings about not wanting to do the show, but I hope that she can look back on her achievement with fondness. She is in a very small, elete club of Strictly Come Dancing Champions, and that is something to be proud of.

New Lesson 16

We returned to the waltz last week, which was good, because it had started to slip out of my head! For some reason I kept wanting to put lock steps in where they didn't belong. I have no idea why!

Then we did the tango again. I've got that nailed now.

We need to pick up the latin a bit now in my opinion. It's been ages since we really did much latin. But ballroom is so much fun.

More Tour Reviews

There have been more and more tour reviews as the tour makes its way around the UK.

Manchester Evening News 1
Manchester Evening News 2

Kenny: "I Looked Like A Scared Rabbit In Headlights"

InTheNews.co.uk has a short interview with Kenny Logan, talking about his time on Strictly Come Dancing.

There's nothing really mind-blowing in there, but I like the bit about James & Ola.

"I was glad I got Ola rather than James! Ola's absolutely beautiful and a really good teacher. I remember doing the one-armed lift and James is a bit jealous as he's never done that before so he's already asked me for some weights tips so that he can do it next year."

Strictly Come Dancing Live: A Few Thoughts

Last Friday and Saturday, I went to see the Strictly Come Dancing tour at Wembley Arena.

For those who have not already seen it, you may wish to skip this review for now, as it will contain spoilers.

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Although I saw it three times in two days, I still could have watched it a million times more. It was just magical.

Bizarrely for a live show, it kicks off with a warm-up man. This may be an arena tour, but it's like being at a recording!

The show proper starts with the judges and host Kate Thornton coming on stage. And we got a special dance treat from Craig!



Once the judges were settled and we got a video message from Bruno it was "time to meet the stars of our show".

Each of the eight couples performed a ballroom and Latin dance each. Ballroom was first.

Darren & Lilia were on good form with their foxtrot - their famous Big Spender routine.

Denise & Matthew performed Ian's Sing Sing Sing quickstep routine, which is fantastic and I enjoyed seeing it again.

Louisa & Vincent opted for Argentine tango, which they never had the chance to perform on the show. In the VT, Louisa said "I want to make my dad feel really uncomfortable with this dance". I thought she did a fabulous job, but it seemed to get mixed reviews at every performance. We chatted to Vincent between the two shows on Saturday, and he said he didn't get it either. One night it was totally wrong and they loved it, but when they nail it, the judges are cold.



Next up were Martin & Camilla. I felt that the partnership lacked a bit of chemistry, but one has to remember that they didn't perform as a couple on the show, and are only dancing together part-time (Camilla also dances with James Martin, but he has Saturday Kitchen commitments at the weekends). Martin was marked poorly on Friday night, and ended the first round at the bottom of the leaderboard. However, on Saturday afternoon, Craig commented on the improvement from the night before.

Christopher & Nicole danced tango next. There have been worse dancers on the show since Christopher, and despite the judges comment, Christopher had performed well. It was all-new choreography to Somebody Told Me.

Letitia & Darren performed the foxtrot, and it was wonderful to see Letitia in that beautiful aqua and nude dress once again. Her ballroom performances were all excellent, and she truly lives and breathes it.




Matt & Flavia performed the fabulous American Smooth again. I always loved the ending of the dance where they sit on the floor. So cute.

Then it was the moment I had personally been waiting for. Ian, Zoe and that tango. The tango is simply stunning, and I wouldn't tire of seeing it. I've always loved this couple, and they were magical on the dancefloor.



The half finished with a pro group Latin dance, and the audience was given a chance to vote via phone for their favourites. Voting continued throughout most of the second half.

The second half opened with a romantic group Viennese waltz. Then it was back into the competition.

Darren & Lilia opened with their excellent paso doble. Darren is without doubt one of the better male celebrities, and appears to be a strong lead.




Denise & Matthew performed the rumba, which is hard to sell on such a large dancefloor, but they did a super job and the crowd loved it.

Louisa & Vincent were next with their fantastic 'bouncing baby' jive. It was great to see it live. Louisa is a very neat dancer and Vincent compliments her beautifully.



Martin & Camilla danced a cha cha, which saw the return of Martin's famous red outfit. Sadly, Martin's performance didn't really live up to the costume. The judges were very critical too.




Christopher & Nicole were next with the famous 'Caped Crusader' paso doble. To give Christopher his dues, he did cover the whole floor! The routine was a crowd-pleaser, but not a judge-pleaser.

Letitia & Darren opted for the jive, which I think was Letitia's strongest Latin dance of the series. What I love about Letitia is she gives the routine everything. She may not be so strong at Latin, but her performance and personality just win you over.

Matt & Flavia turned up the heat with their excellent salsa. It wasn't faultless every time, but it is entertaining, and everyone goes wild for Matt's shimmy!




Finally, Ian & Zoe perform their samba to Aquarius. Like Letitia, Zoe's strength is in ballroom, but she appears to enjoy the samba, and you get swept away by the couple.

We were then treated to a stunning Argentine tango from Vincent & Flavia. I do hope that their partnership continues, because they are such a pleasure to watch.



On the Friday evening, there was also a chat with Alesha Dixon, who was watching. I'd put money on her being a part of next year's tour.

Next there was a group Dirty Dancing number, similar to that danced on the most recent series.

While the marks were being counted and verified, James & Ola performed a show dance covering various Latin disciplines.

Then came the moment of truth. Every single performance I saw had Zoe & Ian in second place. Matt & Flavia won on Friday and Saturday night, while Darren & Lilia won on Saturday afternoon.

The format transfers well to the arena, although the floor appears very large and is not always covered that well.

The judges were really good, and although some content was scripted, much of the discussion was different each time. They really do judge the performance they have just watched.

Kate Thornton did an excellent job. She was much better than I expected. She did enough to keep things moving, but seemed to understand that she was the hired MC and this is not her show. For that, I really respect her approach.

I shall be seeing another couple of performances before the tour ends, so there is still a chance for me to see Zoe & Ian lift the glitterball! But everyone who copes with the tour's demanding schedule is a winner.