Zoe Ball to present "Takes Two"

David Tee wrote:
I loved it. Auntie's been a bit hit and miss with her vids but this was a good one. It wouldn't surprise me if it crept into tomorrow nights schedule somewhere...

I loved it as well but did K.ristina flash on and off again as I missed her?

gingercodgers wrote:I loved it as well but did K.ristina flash on and off again as I missed her?

Hmmm now that you mention it.....am off to review on sky plus!

You're right Ginger, no Kristina.....or Artem.

Little Ms Hit wrote:You're right Ginger, no Kristina.....or Artem.

Thank goodness for that I thought I had nodded off. Mind you I did when Mr Blair was on.

gingercodgers wrote:
Thank goodness for that I thought I had nodded off. Mind you I did when Mr Blair was on.

You're a luckier gal than me then Ginger!

What in B.ruce's name is going on with his face!!!!!!

Little Ms Hit wrote:
What in B.ruce's name is going on with his face!!!!!!

I think it's those false teeth, they seem to work against the rest of his face. I wish someone would glue them together.

gingercodgers wrote:

I think it's those false teeth, they seem to work against the rest of his face. I wish someone would glue them together.

It's not often someone stops me noticing how bizarre Sue Pollard is but Old Lionel did it superbly!

allsewnonbyhand wrote:I'm also late to this party having only just caught up on ITT. I may be in the minority here but I thought James was hamming it up like a good'un in the challenge. I was really laughing especially as justice was done- we know how uber competitive he is!

And FNO - never a truer word was spoken- he will need to practice being gracious if all goes as it should this weekend

Pasha was the surprise for me too, I think I must be getting old- I thought he was about 12...well alright about 35 then.

I agree with you Allsewn - I thought James was playing for laughs (overplaying is probably the word..) and apart from stealing Artem's limelight since he was grabbing all the attention I don't think he was seriously being the bad boy.

Pasha - yes his face still has a boyish chubbiness about it. I would have put him about 26/27, but I was looking at youtube videos of him and then wiki'ed him a couple of weeks ago and realised he is not as youthful as he seems. I actually think that it his maturity that has meant he has been able to work so well with Chelsee - he understands how to handle her and how she learns best. I think he is ace - I never expected to take to him so quickly but I truly think he is an amazing asset to the show. When he is sat on the sofa I just think - ah, sweet, but when he moves on the dance floor I think phwoar!

As for James - when I found out four years ago that he was only 28, I decided then that something wasn't quite adding up... He is (allegedly) the same age as Mr Diamonds and I would say Mr D is a fairly average 32 year old - doesn't look older or younger than his age - and James looks a good 5 or 6 years older......Oh well, maybe he just inherited genes which make you look old before your time..........

Little Ms Hit wrote:

gingercodgers wrote:
Thank goodness for that I thought I had nodded off. Mind you I did when Mr Blair was on.

You're a luckier gal than me then Ginger!

What in B.ruce's name is going on with his face!!!!!!

Aye, his eyes looked like two prunes shoved into a suet pudding along with Albert Steptoe's gnashers.

LOST-TANGO wrote:

Aye, his eyes looked like two prunes shoved into a suet pudding along with Albert Steptoe's gnashers.

diamondsandpearls wrote:



Pasha - Wehn he is sat on the sofa I just think - ah, sweet, but when he moves on the dance floor I think phwoar!

Diamonds, I'm beginning to feel that way myself about Pash!

LOST-TANGO wrote:


Aye, his eyes looked like two prunes shoved into a suet pudding along with Albert Steptoe's gnashers.

You're a master of imagery LT! I salute you Sir!

It was the tan that made him look so awful, although he does look rather odd these days, even without the tan, that's because he's had his face done, allegedly.

Just caught up again.

Only liked Sue Pollard on the Friday panel (funny, cos I didn't expect to like her) - her comment about Harry .."And he's not ugly is he?.." was truly priceless.

Whilst Lionel obviously knows his stuff I didn't find him particularly good value. And that mahogany face with the white hair.....

Pixie - hmm. I thought she was going to be a complete waste of space and just there to promote something, but was cheered when I found out she had done a bit of dancing as a child and knew a bit about it. She started well on Chelsee and then... it all went downhill from there, petering out to absolutely no contribution from her at all.

I hope Holly hasn't given up again. She needs her fighting spirit on board again. SHe kept saying oer and over that she was just so thrilled to have got this far and it wouldn't matter about going home... I want her in that final please.

Jason seems to have lightened up a little - "just going to go out and have fun" but methinks it is but an act. He still wants that glitterball as much as he ever has and almost as fiercely as Kristina. His Samba actually looked a whole lot better than I thought it would or could, so I have a feeling he will go through and I will lose Holly. Which is a shame as I feel that Holly is the better natural dancer.

The "stay another day" video - how hilarious was Holly, doing her E17 dude impression...?! And how amazing adorable and gorgeous did Chelsee look? Loved Harry hamming it up too. Alex over-moved her mouth a little - like a kid at a Carol concert...

Oh well, now it's all up to the main show tonight. Which I won't see until tomorrow - so no spoilers peeps! Catch you all then

The topic of Chelsea's fan, and why she seemed to struggle a little with it in her paso, came up in tonight's show. The answer,to me, seems simple. Looks like they gave her a paper, souvenier,
"hang on your wall" type fan which is simply no use in dance. Flamenco fans are heavier; heavy enough to drop on their own when held without having to break your wrist when flicking them. Paper and sandalwood fans are just no use, too light and it's little wonder she struggled. Mistake by the props department and not her fault.

Same applies to castanets; the wooden "Souvenier of Benidorm" types are far away in quality (and price) from those used by dancers on stage. I learned to use castanets (in a female dominated class and with much grumbling) and, although men don't use fans, well, you can't help having a flick or two,can you?

I've got a fan that my Granny gave me when I was little. It's fine lace in the middle with heavy 'bars' on each end. No idea where my Granny got it, but I thought too that Chelsee wouldn't have had trouble with a fan like that. I remember spending a few hours trying to master flicking it open one-handed and then pouring it shut - it's quite easy once you've got the knack, even with small hands. Bad props strike again!

Ooooh, please will Karen calm down.

I'd rather the fan had been discarded once it had served its purpose. I found it distracting when Chelsee was holding onto it (without using it) for the rest of the routine. And I wasn't too keen on her Paso dress. It reminded me of when wardrobe experimented with a white/yellow/black outfit for Ali's Paso and I didn't like that either. I prefer traditonal red/black colours to be used.

Sid wrote:I'd rather the fan had been discarded once it had served its purpose. I found it distracting when Chelsee was holding onto it (without using it) for the rest of the routine. And I wasn't too keen on her Paso dress. It reminded me of when wardrobe experimented with a white/yellow/black outfit for Ali's Paso and I didn't like that either. I prefer traditonal red/black colours to be used

Even my wife said "Why doesn't she just throw the damn thing away?" As for the dress I commented elsewhere, "More Harmon than Carmen". Despite all she did a grand job.

Chelsee & Pasha's Quickstep is probably still my favourite dances of theirs. It was so exhilarating and kind of unexpected. That's when they became real contenders. Looking forward to watching that again.

I'm also pleased Jason & Kristina will be reviving their Priscilla Tango - I felt like Jason was in his element during this performance, he didn't have to force the character it came naturally to him. I also think this was when he was most popular. And Kristina looks to have put together the perfect Showdance for Jason. Just a shame his popularity has dropped off the past few weeks because I'd have liked to have seen him make the final two with Chelsee. I have a feeling everyone's decided who they're backing so it won't make too much difference how the couples dance.

As things stand, I can't see anyone stopping Harry. And whilst I appreciate he's a very good dancer, the other two perform with greater abandon and emotion I feel.

I wish all three the best of luck though, and look forward to a high quality final

I'll be supporting Jason on Saturday. There I've said it! (Only because I stand to win money).

After watching ITT tonight I was a bit surprised at the dance choices,(I did read somewhere that they weren't allowed to repeat a dance from the semi final).

Depending on the order of dances,
Why are they all doing a QS? I feel that Jason may have drawn the short straw here,the other 2 were better.
Why is Harry doing 3 dances that require lifts? This is going to be a lift fest or he will look like he is weightlifting at the olympics.
Chelsee, on paper seems to have the best selection.

I like Harry very, very much - he has natural rhythm, grace and style.

I'm not very keen on Jason - his dancing is too much about the performance which I often feel is hammed up way too much. Kristina's choreography is awesome and she knows how to show her partner off to his best advantage, but even that doesn't overcome, for me, the fact that Jason is a performer rather than a dancer.

So, that leaves Chelsee (Child as LT often appends her). For me she has both the natural abiity of rythm and grace and style PLUS she can put on a decent performance. She is as skilled at Latin as she is at Ballroom. She moves so beautifully and I'm glad they are talking about her arms a lot now because I mentioned it to Mr Diamonds on her very first ballroom dance (waltz I think). So for me she is the complete package.

AND I WANT HER TO WIN!

There. I've said it now. And I have no money riding on it.

I will be staying true to Harry who I think has been consistently fantastic (and sometimes undermarked) - am so glad they are doing their AT again, which I thought was up there with the very best, and like Ian, have no idea what else L.en was looking for. Having said that, much to my own surprise, I would not be disappointed if the Chelsee child took the crown, because she,like Harry, is clearly a natural dancer, and it has been both a joy and a surprise to see her develop. I still have not taken to Jason, personal taste in some ways, but also have felt there has been some judges bais towards him. However, it looks like it is going to be a great final and so hard to tell makes it even more exciting. All in all, a very good series of Strictly.

I think (though can't be sure 'til I see them dance) that I'm probably with Diamonds (*shocked gasp* Who'd'a'thunk'it? That the Diamonds and the Bears would be in agreement?!). I too remember pointing out Chelsee's beautiful arms way back (ISTR it was the first peek at their rehearsal footage) to Mr Bear and suggesting we may need to rethink our prejudice.

We're so clever on here- I also have thought her arms are fab for the longest time!
I've been wild about Harry all series but I won't be disappointed if the Chelsee child wins because as you have all said, she has a natural grace plus she can do Latin AND ballroom. Jason is just too earnest about the whole thing- he has obviously been told to lighten up, as noticeably in the last week or so he has been saying how much 'he's just going to enjoy it' but this is just as much of an act as anything else, deliberately trying to win votes.
Thin k it's going to be a great final though. Can't wait!

For the first time ever I don't have an absolute favourite to win. I'd prefer it to be Harry but would be almost equally as pleased if Chelsee or Jason won. They are without doubt the three strongest contenders and, for me, it will all come down to the show dance.

I can't help feeling that Harry's AT is going to be the weakest link. The other dances that are being performed again all seem to have more of a wow factor. We shall see. I think it's fair to say that they are all winners, whatever the outcome.

Littlebear wrote:I think (though can't be sure 'til I see them dance) that I'm probably with Diamonds (*shocked gasp* Who'd'a'thunk'it? That the Diamonds and the Bears would be in agreement?!). I too remember pointing out Chelsee's beautiful arms way back (ISTR it was the first peek at their rehearsal footage) to Mr Bear and suggesting we may need to rethink our prejudice.

I think we are quite often of similar mind - great minds in fact