Louise. Lou. Loulabelle. Loulabelle44. Louby. loulabelle44@outlook.com.
Proudly blogging about Strictly Come Dancing ALL YEAR ROUND since 2006. Always spoiler-free.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Chelsee's 'Boob Test'
After her costume almost let her down on Halloween week, Chelsee now gives all her costumes a 'boob test' to make sure everything stays were it should and covered up.
She told the Daily Mail: "The wardrobe department always make sure that my boobs are comfortable in whatever I wear now. My main priority is that they don’t fall out, so whenever I try on a new costume we do the boob test. I do a little shake in front of my dance partner Pasha just to make sure everything stays in place. Obviously after what happened last time I’m a lot more nervous, and all I ever say to the wardrobe girls is, “Please just make sure they don’t fall out.” Apart from what happened they’ve not been getting in the way as I don’t even realise they’re there."
Following her participation in last year's Christmas special, Fern Britton would now like to have a go at the full series.
The Daily Mirror quotes an interview she gave to Woman's Own, in which she says: "[Strictly Come Dancing] has always clashed with my charity bike ride but next year the ride is taking place in the spring so I’ve certainly got the time. Doing Strictly is amazing. It makes you feel life is wonderful. When people say they feel sad after getting kicked out, it’s true."
From this point on, it's going to be difficult to see any of the participants leave. The competition is getting closer, and more exciting.
I thought it was a little mean to make Anita & Brendan go first, but Anita takes everything in her stride. Anita's timing was excellent. I found the cha cha routine a little boring, but as always Anita had lots of fun, and lit up the room with her smile. I liked that Brendan sent er off on her own for part of the dance. She needs to watch her second arm, as it dangles aimlessly at times. She also needs to straighten her legs a bit more.
Holly & Artem's foxtrot was very well executed. Holly was great at the sexy bits where she was posing, but sadly she looked disconnected when she was in hold. Holly missed a few heal leads, and could have flipped her toes up more when travelling backwards. I really wish Holly could connect with the dances emotionally. She would really explode if she could dance from within.
Alex & James did a nice job with the Charleston. It was obvious that Alex was going to enjoy the dance, and she looked very relaxed on the floor. It had lots of goofy personality. She could have pointed her feet more on the kicks. The routine could have had more content, as a lot of it was just walking around, and it was a little messy in places, but Alex's performance was great once again. Holly could learn a thing or two about performance.
My heart sank when I heard Robbie & Ola's music come on, as I immediately knew what was coming. To be completely frank, I am sick of watching Robbie thrusting now. It's not really in keeping with the samba, but I think Ola has found something that he can do and just throws it into every routine. The routine was too similar to last week's salsa for my liking. Robbie lacked hip action where it was required, and I really didn't need to see him in his shorts.
Overall, Cheslee & Pasha's Argentine tango was good, but there were a few things now quite right. Chelsee was a bit flat-footed on swivels, and sometimes didn't spot on her turns. She needs to point her toes more. The routine did lack passion a bit, and Len's right, she should have drawn on her acting skills. The lift near the end was lovely. It was good, but it could have been so much better.
Jason & Kristina's Charleston was pretty good. Jason tends to lose timing when the steps are very fast and jumpy, he doesn't seem to cope well with the speed. The same was evident in the swing number. Jason's facial expressions were very good (except when he occasionally pulls one of his drag queen faces).
Harry & Aliona's quickstep was the treat of the night. It had so much content I actually started to wonder if Aliona had actually done the choreography. They covered the floor very well, and Harry was lovely and light on his feet. I absolutely loved the little drumming move at the very end. Harry still needs to smile throughout, and not just when he remembers. I loved this routine, and I think it could be my favourite of the series so far. Proper old school Strictly!
The group swingathon once again did not live up to the hype. I found it boring. I didn't need to see Holly's jive routine again. The camera angles mean you can't judge it anyway. It needs a fixed camera. Robbie & Ola and Anita & Brendan were eliminated before we really even got to see them. "Its going to be a war on the floor" proclaimed Tess. A bore on the floor, actually. It went the way of the leaderboard, and had little impact.
The bottom two for me were Robbie and Anita. Robbie is a pretty good dancer, but he's a one-trick pony. Anita has so much enthusiasm, but it does not transfer to her feet. I'd like to see Robbie go, but I suspect it might be Anita who is leaving tonight.
Sir Bruce Forsyth has accused The X Factor of making up rows between the judges.
The Daily Telegraph quotes an interview that Bruce gave on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme: “Well, I think [The X Factor] is struggling more in the press, than I think in anything else. There is a length of time that sort of show [can last]. Although ours is a reality show, we do have people getting up and doing something, we have got beautiful music going on, great singers, we have comedy from the judges, there is comedy from me. So it has other things to offer, not just singer after singer after singer and judges making up rows between themselves… scripted, I think. I wouldn't like to say it is on its last legs as I think they will do another couple of series of it. I am just thrilled that our show is getting a bigger audience than ever this year. That is what I am thrilled about.”
COMPETITION TIME! Win the Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2012
To celebrate the publication of the Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2012, I have one copy to give away to a lucky Strictly Come Blogging reader, courtesy of Ebury Publishing.
To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following question:
Brendan Cole has been the 2011 'rentapro', standing in for Artem and Robin, but who stood in for Brendan to partner Michelle Williams for one week in 2010?
Send your answer to loulabelle44@hotmail.com, marking your email ANNUAL COMP. The competition closes at 8pm on Sunday 4th December 2011.
GOOD LUCK!
Competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom only. There is one prize of the Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2012. The prize has been provided by Ebury Publishing. By entering, you give consent to have your name published on Strictly Come Blogging. Only one entry will be accepted per email address. Duplicate entries will be removed. The competition opens at the time indicated on this blog post, and will close at 8pm on Sunday 4th December 2011. No entries will be accepted after this time. The winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries and will be notified by email no later than Friday 9th December 2011. The winner will have 5 working days to respond and confirm their postal address. If no response is received in the time, the editor reserves the right to re-draw. Contact details will not be used for any purpose other than competition entry. The editor's decision is final.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special lineup has been revealed, and it's an interesting mix.
The famous five couples are: Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan & Erin Boag Comedy actress Su Pollard & Anton Du Beke Blue's Simon Webbe & Katya Virshilas Impressionist Debra Stephenson & Ian Waite EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks & Vincent Simone
Simon's doing it for his Mum. He said: "Strictly Come Dancing is one of my mum's favourite shows. It's always nice to learn something new, the dancing part of my brain is dormant and I want to wake it up. I also want to wear something tight and sparkly!”
And Charlie is doing it her her daughter: “I’m a massive fan of the series and there’s no way my daughter would have let me turn down such an amazing opportunity to be on the show. I love to be challenged and I’m really looking forward to taking to the dance floor with Vincent.”
I have to say that I like this line-up. There's something for everyone, young and old, which is perfect for Christmas day.
It's also great to see Ian Waite taking to the floor once again. He should do well with Debra, who made it to the final of Let's Dance For Sport Relief in 2010, and did very well with a complex Smooth Criminal routine.
Su has also shown her moves on TV before. Check out this clip from Loose Women...
Natually, Simon has done a lot of dancing over the years, so it will be insteresting to see how he does with a ballroom or latin dance.
Charlie went to Arts Ed, so it's likely that she will have had some dance training during her school days.
Barry is the one the Strictly experience will be most alien for, at least on paper. Let's hope he's an Audley and not a Joe...
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special will be on BBC One and BBC One HD on Christmas Day. It's as smooth as brandy butter, but zero calories.
Russell Grant and Natalie Lowe will be signing copies of the Strictly Come Dancing Official Annual 2012 at Waterstones on Oxford Street West at 5pm tomorrow (23rd November).
The annual is a comprhensive guide to all of this year's participants, with backstage gossip, quizzes and games. There are also Strictly inspired reciepes, a look behind the scenes of the 2011 tour and make up tips from head make-up artist Lisa Armstrong.
Harry Judd says that he understands how relationships happen on the dancefloor for those who are single.
The Metro quotes an interview he gave to New magazine, in which he said: "You spend so much time with them and you go through lots of ups and downs. Strictly is far too stressful to get aroused! I’m much too focused on getting it right but you do try and make it sexy. Aliona is very sexy – I think we have good chemistry. There’s no talk of her fancying me. She knows I am off limits, anyway."
She knows he's off limits. Thank goodness. Otherwise she'd clearly be all over him. Presumptuous, much?
Alex Jones believes that you should enbrace the whole Strictly experience.
She told the Daily Telegraph: "If you’re going to sign up to do Strictly, I think you’ve just got to go in and ’ave it all – the tan, the sequins. Otherwise there’s no point.”
Alex doesn't feel that sexy, and finds it hard to find that part of her personality: “It’s a funny thing, isn’t it? I mean, what is sexy? The thing is, I don’t walk around writhing in the street – it would look weird. It’s hard, isn’t it, when someone says: 'Do you feel sexy?’ Well, no, not particularly, not this moment and not on live television really, particularly.”
After helping Holly Valance out for a week, Brendan is now coming to Anita's rescue. Robin has contracted a foot infection and will be out this week, so 'rentapro' is partnering Anita this week.
Anita told the Daily Mail: "I am utterly distraught that Robin is laid up sick at home in bed, but hopefully he will be back on his feet soon. I'm really excited at the prospect of dancing with Brendan though - it's a fantastic opportunity."
Brendan hopes he can live up to the challenge: "I'm chuffed that both Artem and now Robin value and trust me enough to ask me to step in and help them with such an important job. I'm very excited to be working with Anita and hope to do her and Robin proud this week. I will be doing my utmost to get her through to next week."
EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks is reportedly taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.
A source told The Sun: "She loves Strictly but hasn't been able to commit to a full series as she's had such great storylines in EastEnders. So this is just perfect for her."
We'll ignore the fact that several soap stars over the years have had to juggle a tough shooting schedule with Strictly training... Scott Maslen, Matt DiAngelo, Sarah Manners, Ricky Whittle, Patsy Kensit, Chelsee Healey...
Robbie Savage chipped his tooth during salsa training last week.
He told Daily Mirror: “I’ve gone to do the lift, [Ola]’s come up beneath me and headbutted me. I can really feel it. It’s not as bad as when I broke my nose on one of the cameras. I said to her, ‘I don’t mind my hair, my nose, anything, but not my tooth.’ I need to get it fixed straight away. I’m gutted. Two and a half grand, it’s gonna cost me. I’m gonna send her the bill.”
Week 8 of Strictly Come Dancing came live from Wembley Arena in front of its biggest audience ever. Lucky enough for me, I was able to get a ticket for this historic show. This means that for this week only, I am writing this already knowing the result.
Robbie & Ola kicked things off with a salsa. Robbie is a good showman, but not such a great dancer. His salsa was a bit flat footed. I found the lifts a little clunky, and he almost fell over when he leapfrogged Ola (and looked a lot worse from the angle I was sat at - behind the action above the 'Tess Pit'. Because of the size of the floor, I found it a bit slow to get going because of the area they had to cover.
I thought Alex & James (or Team Blur as I like to call them. Alex James, geddit?)did a good job with the tango. Alex continues to improve, especially on the performance side, although she still needs to tighten up her technique. A few heel leads would have been nice, and it could have been sharper still. I loved James' routine, which was content driven.
I really enjoyed Holly & Artem's quickstep. Holly's performance has improved a bit. She seemed a bit more connected to the dance, and less cool. They covered the floor well, although there were times you could have driven a bus through the middle of them. And, like Alex, she missed most heel leads. But if Holly wants to compete with the others at the top of the table, she needs to take the bull by the horns.
During Anita & Robin's samba, I could not take my eyes off Anita's face. She had the biggest smile ever, and it lit up the Arena. She oozed joy, and I genuinely had tears in my eyes watching her. Technically, she's not that great, but no-one loves it more than she does. No-one wants to be there more than Anita. She needs to watch her arm placement, as it can be a little scarecrow-like, and Craig is right that she needs to push her shoulders back. She needs more bounce and hip action too. My favourite moment was the little nose rub towards the end.
It was difficult to watch Harry & Aliona's salsa to I'm Still Standing without thinking about that jive. Someone should have said to Aliona, 'No, dear. Choose something else'. Anyway, I'm still having problems warming to Harry. He's so emotionless. He's the opposite of Alex - he's technically good but lacks personality on the floor. It's the strength of his dancing (and the McFly fans) that is keeping him in the competition. He needs an acting lesson. His hip action wasn't bad, but the lift was a little laboured. His timing is excellent, as you would expect from a drummer, and the side by side stuff was very tight.
In past weeks, Russell has danced quite well, but this week the jive action alluded him. He did little more than step kicks throughout the entire routine (well, the bits of the routine where his feet were on the ground). Flavia did all the work this week. But you still cannot fault Russell's joy on the floor, which is up there with Anita's. Russell's timing is usually good, but the peek-a-boo section at the end of the routine was a mess. I am surprised that they went for an Ann Widdecombe style entrance, when Russell actually can dance. Maybe the jive was just too energetic for him.
Chelsee did really well, especially with the opening of the samba, out on the big floor all by herself. There was a little mistake when Chelsee first joined up with Pasha, but otherwise it was good. Chelsee has lovely turns. Her work is neater than it was earlier in the competition. And I loved Pasha's routine which had lots of samba content (Aliona take note!), including a samba roll. Remember those? Now that Chelsee has finished filming Waterloo Road, she should have more rehearsal time, and could really climb the leaderboard.
Despite his performance background, Jason is not as naturally gifted as Chelsee or Harry. He works hard to achieve what he does. I thought the jive routine was good up until the mistake. More great choreography from Kristina. The drunken sailors looked a little laboured, but his side by side work was excellent and in perfect time. It was a real shame he made the mistake, and a bigger shame that it took him so long to pick up the routine again. However, once he did pick it up, he didn't seem thrown. If only he could have a do-over...
As I already know the result, I am not going to talk about who I think the bottom two should be. Tune in at BBC1 at 7.25pm to find out what I already know.
Strictly Come Dancing: Dance School is a new instructional DVD.
The DVD begins with a stretching section, led by Katya. This is designed to loosen your muscles ready to dance.
Each dance is divided into two sections - Dance School and Dancefloor.
The Dance School section is the instruction part. Katya leads you through a few basics of salsa, Atrem introduces some cha cha and Aliona teaches the rumba. The instruction is clear, and at a pace that new dancers should find about right. Not so slow it's boring, not so fast that you cannot follow. Gradually, the steps are built up into a routine.
The Dancefloor section allows you to practice the full routine up to speed. This is much faster, and has little prompting, so it's worth practicing the Dance School sections to build up to this, especially if you are new to dancing.
What I liked about the DVD is that you don't need a partner to enjoy it. The dances are taught for the individual, so are perfect if you want to have a go at dancing at home and don't have a partner. In the rumba section, Aliona explains how you could dance with a partner if you wish.
I would recommend this DVD for the beginner. You do not require any dance experience to follow along. Dancers with some experience will probably only need to do the Dance School section through once or twice, but will enjoy the faster paced Dancefloor section. And any fans of Strictly Come Dancing will enjoy watching the pros do their stuff in their costumes in this section.
The DVD also has a fashion and make-up section as extras, although this is not intended to be instructional, just food for thought.
This DVD would make a good Christmas present for anyone inspired by Strictly, who wants to take their first steps into dance.
Still deciding? Watch the trailer...
Strictly Come Dancing: Dance School is available now (big thanks to the nice folks at DNA PR).
Anita & Robin went for a square dance this week - Albert Square, that is.
They posed for pictures during a shoot for their VT for tomorrow's Wembley show.
Check out the rest of the pictures on the Daily Mail website.
Commenting on being back in the Square, Anita told the Daily Express: “It was such a nice experience. It felt a bit like going back to a place where I used to live.”
Cricketer Andrew Flintoff won't be following in the footsteps of Darren Gough or Mark Ramprakash.
He told the Radio Times that bad knees would rule him out: "Honestly, my knees are so bad I just wouldn't be able to throw any shapes on the dance floor. Apart from the occasional bit of dad dancing, I really can't dance. But I did watch Goughy on it and I thought it was brilliant."
Princess Beatrice would like to take part in Strictly, but her father won't let her.
Yahoo! News quotes an interview she gave to Now magazine, in which she said: "I absolutely love Strictly... The costumes, the glamour - it's a real girly show. If I were on it, I'd certainly give judge Craig Revel Horwood a run for his money. I mentioned it to dad but it was a stern 'No'."
Her father is probably still bearing the scars of It's A Royal Knockout. I'd bet her mother would be all for her taking part.
Holly believes that her performances have been average.
The Press Association quotes an interview she gave to the TV Times, in which she admitted: "I thought I'd probably be a bit better than this - to be honest I think I've been average. We're all getting into competition mode now. Chelsee's incredible and Harry's doing a great job. Jason works extremely hard and is very hungry for it."
Sounds like Holly realises that she needs to raise her game. Maybe Wembley will be the place, whoever she's dancing with.
Robbie Wants The Spotlight Switched Off After Strictly
Robbie Savage says it's nice to be recognised for positive reasons, but wants the cameras off him once the Strictly experience is over.
He told theMetro: "Before I did the show, I used to get stopped in the street a bit. I went to Westfield yesterday for my lunch and it took me about an hour to do a five-minute walk. It was lovely as normally football fans spit at me and call me an obscenity. Now it’s “sex symbol” – girls and their mums and grandmas stop me and say how good I am. It’s amazing... After Strictly, I’ll go back to my family life. It’s not me. It’s a lifestyle that leaves you shattered. I love this experience unbelievably. I will keep dancing when I’m finished and take my wife to classes."
Russell Grant could be lined up to enter the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Daily Star reports that producers have been impressed by his skills on Strictly and think he could be right for Eurovision. A source told the paper: “He’s camp just like Eurovision. But he can also sing and dance, unlike some of our past entries. We’re looking for someone who will bring the fun back to the contest so it would make sense to ask him. His dance partner Flavia Cacace could teach him a nifty dance routine and join him on the stage.”
If that's true, I may have to travel to Azerbaijan after all.
The lineup for the 2012 Strictly Come Dancing Live tour has been confirmed.
Anita Dobson & Robin Windsor
Chelsee Healey & Pasha Kovalev
Harry Judd & Aliona Vilani
Jason Donovan & Kristina Rihanoff
Mark Foster & Katya Virshilas
Robbie Savage & Natalie Lowe
Nancy Dell'Olio is also participating, but there has been no announcement about a partner for her. It may well fall to poor Craig to partner her as he did Ann in 2011.
Len and Bruno will be returning to judge with Craig, and Kate Thornton returns as host.
Artem is likely to be back to partner Holly on Saturday, following his recent back injury.
He told Zoe Ball on It Takes Two: "The doctor said that he thinks I'm going to be able to do it. Practically, what he said is 'It's up to you. It depends on the pain levels in your spine.' So I think it's looking good because I had today my first rehearsal with Holly to dance with her, and so far my spine feels OK. So I have to wait and see how it's going to be feeling the next day, in the morning but I think it's good."
However, Artem won't be making a final decision until Saturday, and Brendan is still on standby.
The Children In Need special featuring four BBC newsreaders was recorded over the weekend, and the Daily Mail has a sneak peak.
Sian Williams is partnered by Vincent, Susanna Reid by Robin, Sophie Raworth by Ian and Emily Maitlis by Pasha. Angela Rippon, former newsreader and Come Dancing presenter, makes a guest appearance.
The special will be part of the big evening of entertainment on Friday for Children In Need from 7pm.
Nancy Dell'Olio continues to be the deluded drama queen that we all know and despise.
This week she's been telling The Sun how much she contributed to the show and how it is "finished" without her.
She told the paper: "I'm a great performer. I didn't like to say this while I was still on the show, because it would upset the others, but it is a rare quality. I'll admit I made a few mistakes, but in some ways I was the best dancer. I trained in ballet for ten years. There is someone in every group who is the magnet, and in Strictly this time I think it was me. No one turned on the television to see what Dan Lobb was doing, or Rory Bremner — they're boring. They turned on to see what I was doing. Ratings were never so high, and no one had so much publicity, so already I'm a winner. Now I've gone, really, Strictly is finished."
I'm not sure in which ways she was the best dancer... Best dancer called Nancy who danced with Anton in 2011 on Strictly Come Dancing?
Nancy has a real thing about being a magnet. She believes people are drawn to her. Personally, I think she just surrounds herself with people who tell her she's fabulous all the time, and she takes them too literally.
A sultry night in a Buenos Aires bar. An attractive girl catches the eye of a handsome man. They dance and fall in love. A gaucho enters and dances with the girl. The handsome man is jealous. The next night, the handsome man and the gaucho fight. The girl runs away and the handsome man thinks he may have lost her forever.
This is the world of Midnight Tango. Vincent & Flavia have created a wonderful dance show, and if you were not lucky enough to see it on tour last year, you can now enjoy it all on DVD.
If you like Argentine tango, and Vincent & Flavia, you won't be disappointed. The DVD is worth getting simply for Vincent & Flavia's solo in the second act. Haunting, passionate, romantic, imtimate and brilliant. I could have watched it over and over (and thankfully, now I can!).
There are two extras on the DVD. The first is a short documentary about the show, featruing interviews with Vincent, Flavia, co-producer Arelene Phillips and director Karen Bruce. The second is a short demonstration by Vincent & Flavia of a couple of basic Argentine tango figures.
Still unsure? Watch the trailer..
Midnight Tango is released on DVD today (big thanks to the nice folks at Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment). The show will also be touring again in 2012. See MidnightTango.co.uk for details of venues and dates.
Everything about this week's show was normal. No stupid themes. No guest judges. Just Strictly, the way it should be. Although I could live without the judges' bickering. I really hate when Len dismisses Craig like a small child.
I liked Alex & James' jive. While Alex's technique is still not very good, the performance side of her routines has really improved in the past few weeks. She seems to be having fun on the floor now. The jive was bordering on rock n roll or lindy rather than jive, though. It would have been nicer if Alex had pointed her toes on the flicks. However, Alex definitely captured the energy of the dance. A good job.
Robbie looks so good when he does the ballroom dances, and the American smooth was no exception. He did a good job, lifting Ola with ease and leading her well. He looked relaxed and comfortable on the floor. He shouldn't have any problem fulfilling his dream of getting to Wembley.
Audley gave the cha cha everything he had, but we are now at the stage of the competition where everyone is so good, that his days could well be numbered. It's unlucky for Audley & Natalie that they have had to dance latin this week, since Audley's ballroom is stronger. A ballroom dance might have given him a better chance this week. What I love about Audley is how much he seems to be enjoying himself on the floor. Making him dance makes you smile. He gave the cha cha a good go, and earlier in the competition he'd have done enough to go through, but I think that could be his last dance.
The Argentine tango seemed to suit Harry. Harry tends not to show too much personality on the floor, so the cool gaucho role seemed to suit him. I loved the section at the beginning where ran down the stairs and into a drag of Aliona. The nice thing about the routine was the Harry got to move his feet a bit more (presumably because Aliona didn't do the choreogrpahy...).
The Viennese waltz was another competent performance for Jason. It's a hard dance to make interesting because there is not that much you can do with it, but Kristina's choreography was romantic and elegant. The camerawork on Viennese waltzes is starting to frustrate me, as it seems whenever there is a fleckerl/standing spin, they seem to focus on the top half. I couldn't see if he was doing a fleckerl or not until it was almost over.
Chelsee has become so elegant over the weeks. She is starting to become a lovely dancer, who has such lovely lines. Her long dress covered her feet a bit, so it was difficult to see how her footwork was, but her topline and arms were excellent. Pasha's foxtrot choreography was lovely. Chelsee seems to be finding her feet, and it's exciting to watch.
Anita & Robin's Argentine tango was not as strong as last week's Charleston. It's important to let your partner lead in this dance, more so than any other, but Anita seemed to be anticipating the choreography a little. She could have pulled her shoulders back to improve her top line. She was a little hunched over. And her knees should have been straighter. As always, Anita's performance was excellent, and she really captured the mood of the dance.
Everyone was going to be watching Holly & Brendan with interest. Like Michelle last year, Holly had to change partners due to Artem's injury. The difference for Holly was that Artem was still there to choreograph and critique. Holly did a lovely job with the rumba. I really enjoyed it. I agreed with the judges that she needs to have more emotion in her performances, but that has been her biggest problem since day one. She needs to tap into her acting skills a bit more and really feel what she is doing. It will be interesting so see if this threesome will have to continue in the coming weeks.
Russell & Flavia's routines are more like mini-shows than dances, and this week's American smooth was another epic. It was as enjoyable as always. However, I do wish they'd have attempted a simple lift or two. I don't think we've ever had am American smooth on Strictly with no lifts before. I'd like to see Russell move out of his comfort zone and be challenged a little more.
I don't think there's any doubt that Audley is now a little out of his depth and should be heading home. But it's so difficult to pick someone who deserves to be in the bottom two with him. Possibly Alex. Or even Anita. It's so hard to say. I just hope that it is Audley who is sent home tonight, purely because I don't think anyone else deserves to go. If anyone else does go, it will be a complete shock.
Artem will miss this Saturday's Strictly due to the spinal injury he sustained on Friday, and Holly will be partnered by Brendan instead.
Artem has been choreographing their routine from a chair in the training room.
The pair updated Zoe Ball on It Takes Two last night. Artem hope to be back for the show at Wembely Arena next week, but will have to await further advice from doctors.
Lulu has said that she was surprised to be paired with Brendan, due to their foot difference in height.
She told The Sun: "It's difficult for a person with long legs to dance ballroom with a person with short legs. Ideally the top of the woman's head should be midway up the man's forehead. But my eyes looked into Brendan's chest. It was very hard spinning around the dancefloor with someone who is 6ft tall — it was difficult to keep up with him. If you spoke to a professional dancer, they'd probably say the ideal thing is for you to be a similar height. Vincent thought he and I would have been perfect together."
I was surprised that Lulu wasn't paired with Vincent too. However, the Cutlers were a great partnership, and proved that a height difference doesn't have to be a barrier to success.
Funny how Lulu only mentions this at the point she has to exit the competition. Methinks she is looking for an excuse... Brendan did a great job with Lulu, and I'm not sure she appreciates how lucky she is to have been partnered with him.
Lulu was even more scathing when speaking to the Daily Mirror: “I put a brave face on for the cameras and then cried when I got home. I’ll miss Strictly so much. I know everyone says this but it really does feel like being part of a family. I’d even started to tolerate Brendan, but it was a mistake being partnered with him in the first place. You are supposed to be just a little shorter than the male partner, but I was staring at his chest the whole time we were dancing.”
Jennifer Grey. Lead actress in one of the greatest dance movies of all time. Reigning Dancing With The Stars champion. Total waste of space on the Strictly judging panel. Colin & Erin's muppets would have offered more insight. Next time Len is off, let's get in a decent judge (Karen, Matthew, Ian, Gordon the Gopher), or just leave the darned seat empty.
You couldn't complain that Lulu & Brendan's tango was lacking in content. It had plenty. Sadly, Lulu's technique was a bit ropey. There were no heel leads, it was toes all the way. Still, aside from a noticeable mistake with the swivels, it wasn't a bad attempt. Lulu needs to keep her eyeline up - she kept looking at her feet. Shame the Kiss at the end was a little late.
Audley & Natalie did a nice job with the Viennese waltz. I liked the content of the routine. Audley's posture has really improved over the weeks, and his ballroom is definitely better than his latin. Audley needs to work on the flow of the dance, but it was a good job. They even attempted a fleckerl, although annoyingly the cameraman cut off their feet for most of it. I have to give them credit for that, since so few couples have bothered in the past couple of series.
Harry's samba was a bit stiff. As is a constant for Aliona's routines, it was lacking in samba content. Not only that, but it was generally lacking in Harry content. He barely got to move his feet. The bits he did do were a bit stiff and lacking in bounce. Harry should have been explosive in the samba, but it was more like a dead sparkler.
Anita & Robin's Charleston was brilliant. It was totally Anita's dance. It was cheeky and very entertaining. The only thing that would have made me love it more was a little trick (like Chris & Ola's swim move). Something like that would have pushed it over the edge.
The armlines let down Jason's rumba. He was a bit scarecrow-like. However, I thought his dancing was excellent, and not the camp-fest I feared. It was manly and strong. I especially likes the lunge, where Kristina balanced across his legs. I agree with the judges that he could have had a better connection with Kristina and had more emotion, but for a male celebrity, Jason's rumba was excellent. Why do I always seem to like Jason on the weeks the judges slate him?
Alex looked good - she has certainly upped her performance levels. James made sure the quickstep had lots of content - a lesson Aliona could learn. There were a number of timing errors, and at times Alex looked as though she was hanging on to James for grim death, but it was Alex's best dance to date.
Robbie has been so annoying this week. He hasn't stopped banging on about the complaints about this MJ moves last week (267 of them), and even commented that he thought that the press might have it in for him. As if. It's called news, Robbie. Anyway, he was determined to put in a straight and classy performance this week, and that is what he did. Ola's waltz routine was simple and effective. It was elegant, well-danced and controlled. It would have been even nicer if Robbie had smiled.
I wasn't sure what to make of Russell & Flavia's paso doble. If it had been anyone else, I would have hated it, but Russell is so endearing with such a big heart that you just end up loving it. It was good fun. Russell was not as manly as the dance demands, but Russell does everything in his own style.
I thought the Charleston was going to be Chelsee's dance, full of fun and energy, but there were a few timing issues. It was good, but not Chelsee's best. She wasn't as in sync with Pasha as she could have been. You could see straight after that Chlesee wasn't happy with it herself.
Holly & Artem's jive was very cool and modern, but didn't have enough jive content for me. I find Artem so frustrating. His choreography is brilliant and innovative, and make for amazing showdances, but they always lack the content of the dance required. Holly was a bit flat-footed at the start of the routine (wearing flat shoes meant she wasn't as high on her toes as she should have been). However, it was good to see some performance from Holly at last. She really needs to work on the emotional side of her dancing, as so far she has just come across as efficient.
I think the bottom two should be Lulu and Audley this week. If I had to choose who should leave, it would be Lulu, simply because over the course of the competition so far, Audley has been better.
Although really the weakest person on the show this week wasn't Lulu or Audley. It was Jennifer. Thank goodness she is going home anyway.
Want to hear what Nancy has to say about life, including her time on Strictly, in her own words?
If you're in London, you can pop along to the Soho Theatre this Wednesday (9th November) and see her interviewed live on stage on comedy chat show Scott Capurro's Position.
Troubled former soccer star Paul Gascoigne would like to have a go at Strictly, and believes it would be easy.
He told the Daily Star: “I’d love to do it. I’m up for any challenge now – and I think I would win hands down. I’m skilful at anything. I would take it full-on just like my football. It would be a piece of piss. I could dance when I was drunk But I wasn’t one of those who went to nightclubs and wanted to dance. However, if people say I can’t do something, I try to prove them wrong.”
He would find it a lot harder than he thinks it is, but maybe the dicipline of the show would do him good, and bring back his old competitive and althletic spirit. That said, I'm not sure I'd like to see him take part.
Anita is having the time of her life on Strictly. She's always loved to dance, but has never had lessons before.
She told the Daily Mail: "I wasn’t one of those little girls who had ballet or jazz classes, but I was always first up and last to leave the dance floor at the Ilford Palais as a teenager, especially if Motown tracks were being played. But nothing could prepare me for taking part in Strictly Come Dancing. There’s a lot of training, but it gives me so much joy. My dancing partner Robin Windsor is talented and funny and makes it all so enjoyable."
Most celebrities love the weight-loss they experience while taking part in Strictly, but trim Nancy is upset to have lost her signature curves.
The Daily Mail quotes an article from Closer magazine, in which Nancy told friends: "The last thing I want is to look like a boy! I'm losing my bum and my breasts and I hate it. I can fit into my eight-year-old niece's clothes. I've hardly been getting any wolf whistles when I walk past building sites and even taxi drivers aren't staring at me in the rear view mirror."
It's a BBC tradition to get its newsreaders involved in Children In Need. This usually requires them to sing and wear daft costumes.
This year, however, the stakes have been raised. Four female news presenters - Emily Maitlis (as previously reported), Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams will all be taking part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing special for the fundraiser.
There is no word on who will partner them, but Anton and Vincent could be safe bets since they have already departed the main competition.
Kristina doesn't think that Jason has reached the top of his game yet. After all, he hasn't had four 10s.
Kristina told the Press Association: "I don't think any of our dances have been perfect - he has more to learn and I think Jason as well as all of the other contestants are doing great. I hope we stay long enough in the competition for us to show Jason improving week on week. It's still at an early stage in the competition - it would be great in the future to get a full house of 10s. At the moment we are taking each week as it comes. As a professional dancer for me this year it is the most exciting and rewarding. Knowing that people are supporting us is really special and we are so grateful. [Jason] does have a tendency to be hard on himself and doubt himself, but that is a sign of being a perfectionist."
David Walliams believes he'll end up on Strictly Come Dancing at some point, but he hasn't been asked yet.
He told the Press Association: "I've never been asked to do Strictly but it comes to us all in the end. It's a really fun show and even people who aren't any good at it, like Ann Widdecombe, turn a complete lack of skill into a triumph, because the public respect people trying. I know I'd be terrible at it, but whether it would endear me to the public, I don't know."
Robbie Savage's moves like Jackson provoked complaints from viewers on Saturday night.
Around 11m people watch Strictly, and a whole 267 complained to the BBC over Robbie's crotch grabbing and thrusting moves.
A BBC spokesman told the Daily Mail: "Robbie danced a paso doble to Michael Jackson's Bad. The choreography emulated some of Michael's famous dance moves and no offence was intended."
