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Proudly blogging about Strictly Come Dancing ALL YEAR ROUND since 2006. Always spoiler-free.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Natalie On Her Style
Natalie Lowe talks to the Daily Mail about clothes and style.
She says: "I strive to look immaculate. As a trained beauty therapist, I don’t like venturing out unless I’m happy with my look. It’s not how expensive clothes are, it’s how you wear them."
A couple of weeks ago, my Mum handed me a copy of Strictly Shimmer, an official Strictly Come Dancing novel. Never one to miss out on anything Strictly-related, I started reading straight away.
The novel centres around Amanda, a new production runner on Strictly. She secretly loves to dance, and is a closeted Strictly fan, afraid to reveal her passion for the show and dancing to her businesslike colleagues. As time goes on, her secrets start to slip, until she finally realises her dream and gets to show the others what she can do.
The story isn't too bad. Girl gets glamorous new job, makes lovely friends, moves into her own place, develops crushes. Typical first job experience. It was very predictable. Fine for the commute to work, not very challenging.
The story is based around the most recent series, with references to Blackpool and Movie Week, and to the costumes displayed in TV centre (like Tom & Camilla's samba outfits, not salsa as she writes). The strangest thing was the descriptions of the couples. They are all there, but while the pro dancers are referred to by name, the celebrities are described at length. When their names are used, they are changed. I rolled my eyes at the reference to Karla & Artem. I can only assume this is to do with some bizarre copyright or legal reason. There is also a fictional partnership - Kelly & Lars. Kelly is a former soap star in relationship crisis. Lars is a new pro (who I visioned as Artem, even though Artem is in the story - I have limited powers of imagination).
The biggest crime about this book is the errors in it. It was clearly a rush job to get it published (it was released on 20th December), but they should have put some time aside for someone to proof read the thing. On several occasions the character names are incorrect (I spent a paragraph trying to work out who Sarah was, then realised that it should be Chloe). There was a line where Amanda switched from first to third person. The chairs in the studio switched colours a couple of times. And there were a few other errors I spotted. This is sloppy and made me feel more negative about a mediocre book.
Besides, she referred to the Ann character as a 'national treasure'. Definitely a step too far...
There is a follow-up book on the way later this year, although I'm not sure I'll be reading it. Unless they need a proof-reader...
Check out Dancing With TheStars' Derek Hough, Mark Ballas and Julianne Hough on Michael Barrymore's My Kind Of Music as group 2B1G (two boys, one girl).
Chemmy Alcott, a British skier, is trying to battle back to health after her leg was shattered in a skiing accident so that she can take part in Strictly.
According to the Daily Mail, Chemmy was in talks to participate in Strictly this year just weeks before the accident, and that their offer still remains despite what has happened.
A source said: "Chemmy says she is determined to make it on to Strictly. She says she wants something good to come out of all of this."
The accident left her with nine screws and a metal plate in her leg.
The Daily Mail has published some fabulous photos from a photocall in Nottingham. The Strictly tour company looked fierce in beautiful blue for a group number.
Following the Israeli version of Strictly which had an all-girl couple, the Austrian version now has the first ever all-male couple.
The Pink Paper reports that Alfons Haider, who is said to have inspired Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brüno, will be dancing with professional dancer Balazs Ekker in Dancing Stars which starts a new series in March.
Alfons said: “For me, it won’t be about the gay issue. It should be all about the fun – I’m not the gay Joan of Arc! I’m looking forward to dancing with Balazs.”
Erin Boag has been praising Vince Cable on his performance on the Strictly Christmas special.
She told the Surrey Comet: "Vince is a very charming man, and a good little dancer. He's been social dancing for years and told me he enjoys it and it gives him a release as he's a very busy man. I told him 'I want you to have fun but I also want you to go out there and give them something competitive'. I wanted him to be really proud of what he did... When a man takes hold of you, you want to feel relaxed and don't want to worry he will step on your feet. With Vince I was never nervous he was going to stand on my feet."
Matt Baker has surprised himself with how much he has enjoyed dancing, and that's why he's taking on the tour.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "My body has been craving to keep dancing – this kind of working out, just sweating and moving, and doing it again. I’m really loving it at the moment. I wanted to use every single available opportunity to keep dancing because I just loved it so much. And I didn’t actually think I was going to love it as much as I did. I knew I was going to enjoy it, but I didn’t think I was absolutely going to fall in love with it and want to dance forever.”
Nadia Sawalha was one of the first to be voted off Dancing On Ice, and thinks she'd have done a lot better on Strictly.
She told DigitalSpy: "The problem is, I'm a really good dancer, I just can't skate. I should have done Strictly, that's my trouble. I'd have won Strictly".
Gavin Henson has said that getting a standing ovation on Strictly Come Dancing was better than winning the Six Nations with Wales.
Speaking about his Strictly experience, Gavin told the Evening Standard: “Strictly Come Dancing was not something I was looking to do,” he insists. “When I was first approached, I said no' straight away. I was looking to get back into rugby. But no rugby club came in for me. I needed to earn. I had no money. I had not earned any money since April 2009. I did not do any singing when I was a kid and I like cheesy 80s music, not Strictly music. It was such hard work to learn dancing, eight hours a day, with four days to learn a dance. The most nerve-wracking thing was dancing in front of a live audience with 13 million watching on television. Yes, I've played rugby before much bigger live audiences but I have done it all my life, it comes naturally. Strictly was so far out of my comfort zone. But, I proved everyone wrong. Before it started I was written off by friends and family. They said, 'You cannot dance. You will be out in the first week'. Then to score a nine and judges saying, 'You can dance'. To get a standing ovation and to get to the semi-finals was a great feeling. It tops any rugby moment, even winning the Six Nations.”
Chatting a friend about this story, she concluded that perhaps the reason Gavin enjoyed the Strictly adoration so much was because he didn't have to share it with anyone. Winning the Six Nations was a team effort, and not all about Gavin. I'm very inclined to agree.
Kara has asked Artem to move in with her once the tour is over.
She told Now magazine: "Artem and I are enjoying ourselves doing things like going out for dinner and resting - if you know what I mean...after the tour we are looking to move in together. It's really exciting. He wants to stay on in the UK."
The Daily Mail has published a set of photos of Ann Widdecombe & Craig Revel Horwood dancing together at tour researsals. They are well worth a look over!
I've been in love with red hair colour for some years (even if I don't use it as often as I should), so I was delighted to see that Tina O'Brien has come over to the red side.
The Sun has some pics of her out in Nottingham dance partner with Ja-red (see what I did there?).
She wrote on Twitter: "Thank you so much for all my lovely tweets saying you like my hair. I needed a change! But wow under the lights it's seriously red lol!!! Xx"
Anton had a little chat with the Daily Telegraph, in which he talks about Strictly, competing, reading, Golf (including his collection of tees) and Ann.
It's worth a quick read if you're an Anton fan, for insights like this: "When Erin and I are on tour, once we’ve finished the show and done all the backstage stuff, I like to get in my car and drive from the venue we’re at to the next port of call. So I might drive from London to Newcastle in the night and get there at about 2am. I like the solitude. I don’t really do much time alone apart from that."
Pamela Stephenson, who lost 40lbs whilst training for Strictly, is worried that she'll put the weight back on again.
According to The List, Pamela said: "I can't bear the thought of putting on weight or getting unfit again. I thought I'd lost 28lb, but after the finals I realised it was nearer 40, which I think is almost embarrassing. The day after the finals I marched to my closet and threw out everything that didn't fit, which was pretty much all of it. I only kept a few things I'd bought optimistically that were too small for me - and it felt fantastic to finally get them out of the wardrobe. So now I better not put on any weight because replacing everything would be so expensive."
Pamela should be OK for a month or so, as she's dancing with the tour. As long as she goes easy on the catering.
DVD Review: Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour 2010
Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour 2010 was released on DVD back in November, so I thought it was high time I posted my review.
Whether you attended the tour or not, if you're a Strictly fan you will love this DVD. You get to enjoy some lovely routines once again, including Mark's salsa (performed with Kristina) and Austin's tango (performed with Lilia). I especially loved the group Charleston, which is fantastic.
For those who attended the tour, the great thing about the DVD is the extra backstage footage. There is some gret behind-the-scenes footage including interviews with most of the cast, a look into the judges' dressing room (which of course means Bruno in his pants!), footage of Kelly's dog playing with Kristina's slippers, a look at the catering and wardrobe, a chat with Arlene about her return and Austin and James arm-wrestling. The DVD also features backstage comments from all of the couples following their dances, which makes it more like the TV show.
If Santa didn't bring you a copy of this DVD, you must get it. It's a brilliant way to get warmed up for this year's tour, or to ease the blues of the Strictly-free Saturday nights.
If you still need convincing, here is a trailer.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour 2010 was released on DVD on 22nd November 2010 (big thanks to the nice folks at 2Entertain). The 2011 tour begins on Friday in Nottingham. See StrictlyComeDancingLive.com for details of all venues and dates.
OK, I know it was about 100 years ago now, but I think it's high time for me to write a blog about the 2010 Strictly Christmas special.
I really liked the fact that we had five new celebrities. I think it made things more interesting, as we didn't know what to expect.
I think it was obvious that John & Kristina were going to do well. I know everyone says that ballroom and latin is very different from other dancing, but the ability to learn choreography naturally gives you an advantage. There was no doubt that John was going to take to the quickstep like a duck to water. I loved everything about John & Kritsina's routine. It was nippy, bright and light, but then you wouldn't expect anything less from the Barrowman. It was lovely for Kristina to have a partner that had some decent ability.
Ronni looked so pretty in her dress, but that sadly is where the magic ended. Ronni was wobbly and tentative. Her turns were cringy to watch. However, in Anton's hold she looked elegant, and perhaps a little more relaxed. She had a bash at a fleckerl which was more than some couples do in the Viennese waltz. She was a much better dancer than Ann, which was good. Perhaps with a little more training, she could be a fair dancer.
I think I watched a different show than the judges, because I didn't see what they saw in Vince & Erin. Vince did a good job, but I don't think it was quite as good as the judges made out. Vince was leading with his left arm too much. That said, it was a very sweet routine. Erin, as always, pitched the routine perfectly to the ability of her partner. It was nice to see Vince fulfil a dream of several years.
I had high hopes for Fern & Matt. As I have said billions of times before, I loved Fern on Let's Dance For Comic Relief and I thought she was going to be brilliant. Maybe it was just that the jive was a bad choice, but I was disappointed. The awful flexed foot on her round kick at the beginning was a warning sign... It was a bit heavy throughout, and didn't have the wow factor I wanted it to have. It was a real shame. But Fern looked hot, hot, hot in that dress. Now, can someone explain why after all these years we are now calling Matthew 'Matt'?
I thought June &Vincent's tango was very cute, if perhaps lacking in content a little. It did use June's acing skills, with a very nice story. Bits of it did resemble the kind of tango people do when they have no idea how a tango actually goes, while humming Hernando's Hideaway. But as Alesha said, June is a true legend, and was great to watch.
There was absolutely no doubt that John & Kristina should win. They were streets ahead of everyone else. I think it is a good thing that he can't do a whole series, because he has so much experience it just wouldn't be fair on everyone else. I have to say that I did love having new celebs, and I loved the group numbers. A brilliant Christmas Special.
Ann Widdecombe believes ballroom dancing should be taught in schools, as it is good for dicipline and memory.
She told the Daily Telegraph: “I stand up and I make speeches for anything up to 45 minutes and I never even consider that I might forget what I am going to say. Trying to string together 30 seconds’ worth of ballroom steps has proven quite a challenge. Trying to remember which one comes next. It should be more widely encouraged, particularly the more formal sort of dancing because not many people come into contact with that.”
Kara has confirmed once again that she and Artem are an item.
The Daily Mail reports that she said on yesterday's This Morning: "We are an official item now yes! And we went to LA for New Year and that was lovely... I feel very lucky that I've met someone that I'm getting on so well with. Christmas was lovely and Artem spent it with my family and it was really nice. They all got on really well thank God!"
Patsy Kensit is looking forward to hitting the road with the Strictly tour.
She told the South Yorkshire Times: “I love everything about Strictly; the dancing, the beautiful outfits, the live music and the tour is going to be absolutely amazing – I’m so glad to be joining it. It’s going to be incredible performing each night in front of arena sized audiences – hopefully I won’t get too nervous! I’ve been working so hard on my dancing during the TV series so hopefully it will pay off on tour!”
Kara Tointon has admittied that she and Artem Chigvintsev are together, having spent Christmas together.
She told New magazine: “The most special thing about the whole experience was meeting Artem. He spent Christmas with my family. It was really over the top on screen – I was worried people were going to find it annoying. It all came out in the live final. It was us just enjoying it and that is when I realised what an amazing person I have met, and that I want to spend more time with him. I think I was lost in the moment – I was so happy that I gave him a big smacker.”
For those wanting to see the couple in action, Kara & Artem will dance together once again on the upcoming Strictly tour.
