Dancing With The Stars 15 – Week 9

Tonight, Dancing with the Stars pays tribute to Michael Jackson’s landmark album, “Bad”. I’ll be live blogging right here!

My prediction: Kelly is going home. Emmitt SHOULD go home, but I have a feeling he’s got a fanbase, therefore Apolo will be hitting the road in tomorrow’s double elimination. Paula Abdul will perform to a medley of her hits. That should be AWESOME.

I really enjoyed the All-stars performing to real recorded music, instead of the usual horrible cover versions by the in-house bands. I forgot how incredible Michael Jackson’s Bad was.

At this point, the horse race is between Melissa and Shawn, and I personally don’t have a preference, although Melissa would be the better story because she’s never won before.

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My eye candy, Gilles Marini is gone, and I’M NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT PEOPLE. It’s the semi-finals! The DWTS troupe perform to “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Lots of nods to the iconic choreography from the videos.

The five semi finalist couples take the stage. Two exciting rounds tonight! The couples will first perform the dance style and theme chosen by fellow all-stars

Melissa and Tony – Caveman Hustle – “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was Not Was – The couple are the only all-stars left who aren’t champions. Tony wrestles with the caveman theme. It is pretty lame. Oh no. On Sunday, Tony’s back went out. But he’s cleared to dance! Hooray. OMG. There’s a dinosaur on the dance floor! Melissa and Tony dressed in pre-historic costumes–like a wacked out Fred and Wilma. That was a lot of fun. Len says, “It was the hustle with no hassle. You captured the flavor of the caveman. Tony had the muscle. Well done.” Bruno says, “You lost your footing a little bit. As a performance…GRRRRRR” Carrie Ann says, “I loved it.” Hey Carrie Ann? The Caveman is not a dance. Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 9.5, Bruno – 9 – 27.5 – 1-800-868-3406

Shawn and Derek – Indian Folk Dance/Theme from Knight Rider – Of course, they bring in an expert to help them with the “Bangra”. The Knight Rider theme is turned into an Indian tune. It’s pretty silly. I love watching this Bollywood stuff. Great lifts! A very athletic routine. Ah! Shawn ends up upside down on Derek’s knee! That was pretty spectacular. Shawn give Bruno a big hug. “This time they done it Banra style.” Carrie Ann says, ‘That was a really challenging routine!” Len says, “SHUT UP CLOSE THE DOOR CALL ME MARY. Miss dynamite was fantastic.” Shawn is totally out of breath for the first time. When they get their perfect score, Shawn runs around like a little kid. – Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 10, Bruno – 10 – 30 – 1-800-868-3402

Apolo and Karina – Jazz Bigtop – “Circus” by Britney Spears – Apolo is learning things he’s never done before. He’s having trouble mastering the steps. The performance is ambitious and edgy, but there were a couple of slip ups in the performance. Carrie Ann says, “I loved the concept, but it was very disjointed. You were out of sync a lot. The dismounts were sloppy.” Len says, “There were a couple of awkward moments in there, but Apolo you are a fighter.” Bruno says, “It was like a blend of Cirque du Soleil and a Clockwork Orange. It was not disjointed.” Carrie Ann – 8.5, Len – 9, Bruno – 9.5 – 27 – 1-800-868-3407

Emmitt and Cheryl – Espionage/Lindy Hop – “Secret Agent Man” – It’s cartoonish–like Spy vs Spy! Emmitt is the good guy, Cheryl the bad guy, trying to steal the mirror ball trophy. That was a lot of fun. Emmitt shines in the faster routines. Len says, “I would have liked a little more Lindy in there, but it was well done.” Bruno says, “It was like a Loony Tune version of James Bond. Fun.” Carrie Ann says, “It was your most animated performance ever.” Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 9, Bruno – 9 – 27 – 1-800-868-3413

Kelly and Val – Surfer Flamenco – Kelly is very very insecure and self-absorbed. I thought I would just point that out. Now, what exactly makes this routine “surfer”? Is it that the flamenco music has a flourish of surf guitars? Oh, OK, they eventually strip down to bathing suits to splash around uin some water. Val in a tight speedo? ALRIGHTY THEN. Bruno says, “I think you’ve been upstaged by the speedo. It had a lot of aggression, but the placement wasn’t there.” Carrie Ann says, “It was all paso. It didn’t really have the flamenco.” Len says, “It had verve, it had attack. It was fantastic.” – Carrie Ann – 8, Len – 9, Bruno – 8l.5 – 25.5 – 1-800-868-3411 They DON’T like their scores. “That’s pretty unfair,” says Val.

Time for the Michael Jackson tribute, and thank Jeebus, they are performing to the actual recordings and not horrible band versions.

Melissa and Tony – Argentine Tango – “Dirty Diana” – Whoa that last trick was amazing. The lifts in this routine were spectacular. Kudos to Tony for some WONDERFUL choreography. It’s as if the Argentine Tango was made for “Dirty Diana”. Melissa cried at the end. Very emotional for the couple, because they did not know if they would be able to dance due to Tony’s injury. Len says, “On your two performances, I would be really disappointed if you weren’t here next week.” “You were possessed out there. You excelled all expectations. You deserve to be in the final.” “Magnificent Melissa! The lifts were out of this world!” Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 10, Bruno – 10 – 30 – 56.5

Shawn and Derek – Argentine Tango – “Bad” – Shawn says this second go around helped her find the competitive spirit lost when she could not compete in the summer Olympics. Whoa. This approach is completely different from Melissa and Tony. It’s slow and sinewy and really really strong. I disagree with Carrie Ann, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the couple. Bruno says, “That was brilliant! You went for shapes, lines, style. Breathtaking. Stylistically, it was perfect.” Carrie Ann says, “Movements breathtaking. Lines were perfect. But you lacked the passion.” Bruno begins to argue with her. Len says, “You learn the routine, and then sell it. You nailed both parts.” Carrie Ann – 9 Len – 10 Bruno – 10 – 29 – 59

Apolo and Karina – Rumba – “Man in the Mirror” – When I watch this pair dance, I can’t take my eyes off of Karina. She’s a beautiful dancer and a wonderful choreography. This routine flows like a stream, but Karina is the real star here. Carrie Ann says, “You don’t have to over dance. You reached into my heart and melted it.” Len says, “It was like the sea–wave after wave of effortless motion.” Carrie Ann says, “You nailed it. That was perfectly pitched. The flow of movement was perfection.” Apolo is learning to express his feelings! – Carrie Ann – 10, Len – 10, Bruno – 10 – 30 – 57

Emmitt and Cheryl – Tango – “Leave me Alone” – Things are getting a LITTLE TESTY between the couple. That looked a little soft. I found my attention wandering partway through. Emmitt should be going home, this week, I think. Len says, “You had the biggest challenge. Your quality is ease and elegance. You coped marvelously well.” Bruno says, “I love your intensity. The footwork could have been more exact.” Carrie Ann says, “You really brought your age game. Tango has a lot of technique.” Carrie Ann – 9, Len – 9 Bruno – 9 – 27 – 54

Kelly and Val – Rumba – “I Can’t Stop Loving You” – Nice try with the fake showmance guys! NO. Kelly has problems with intimacy. Uhm. Aren’t you an actress? Why does a dance routine have to be YOUR story. Eh. I fell asleep half way through that. These two should go home too. Bruno says, “That was smouldering! Driven by desire…lust. You were giving everything you had.” Carrie Ann says, “That was beautiful. I thought it was fantastic.” Len says, “It had control, it had emotion. Well done.” 9.5, 9.5, 9.5 – 28.5 – 54 – Oh noes. Kelly denied her 10.