A Little Bit of Honesty.

Should any of us really be surprised at anything concerning our fellow folk? Eight hundred years ago Omar Khayyam said:

'"Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days
Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays."

How very relevant in telling us that individually, we have no say in ours or anyone else's destiny. The G.B.P put the tin ducks up for the judges to shoot down and, in fairness that job is unenviable when no obvious duck-eggs are in the basket. No real surprise L en chose a tie and tails ballroom display over Latin, but neither of the victims should have been there in the first place. I'm not a vindictive man and it's all fun at the end of the day, but three escaped the net tonight who should have gone first: Scott of his aunt's attic, Judy in disguise and the big lass. Scott can't even manage an expression other than that of he's got a bit of wind trapped up his knicker leg and just cannot dance. It isn't a fault, just a reality. Judy is better, but at the bottom of the pile for talent and Ali has reached her outer limits. All the moaning in the world won't change it . The wise man, again said:

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

On to next week and further mayhem....

Yes Mr T next week same mayhem! Reminds me when Gabby Logan left too early and Austin Healey. If JS had not of walked out would he have been voted out?? Im hoping next week the weakest two hit the DO and thats a toss up between Judy/Scott/Alison. Thom for me had started to open up and show us a hint of personality-Simon twice in DO just comes across as arrogant and the first two shows a little too cocky with his actions.Simon I feel will be in the Do next week he seems to be the bounce back male celeb from the DO

The middle group Steve,Sunetra are improving leaps and bounds
Jake just needs to sort out the finer movements. Frankie & Pixie are due for a head to head say semi final week! Whilst Caroline slow burns and then slides in the finals.

Well that was ridiculous, although not entirely unexpected. It's around this point that weird results sometimes show up - people are voting to save their favourites and couples in the middle get edged out. neither couple should have been in the dance-off, but I think I'd have saved Thom. He's putting a lot of work in and has improved, whereas I didn't think that Simon was so great this week, but I can't quarrel with the choice. It was very finely balanced.

And yes, Scott, Judy and Alison should be the next to go. Not sure that they will though. Scott is the one that puzzles me. I can see why Alison is popular, her exuberance and enthusiasm take her a long way. She's got a sense of rhythm as well, but she's reached the point where her size will limit what she can achieve going forwards. Judy will never be a great dancer, but she's a trier and she's starting to loosen up and enjoy herself. And she is improving, not hugely...but she is. And A nton's personal vote will be helping them. So I can see why people are voting for Alison and Judy. I don't agree, but it's understandable.

The one I really cannot get is Scott. He can't dance and he has no personality. Not only is he not improving, I think he's going backwards and I strongly suspect that he's not putting the work in. Who on earth is voting for him in such He is. And we obey him.? All i can assume is that he has a daily show somewhere and is using it to whip up support. I'd never heard of him before Strictly, but to be honest, the only contestants I had heard of this year were Judy Murray and Greg Wallace! (Is it just me being out of touch or is this year's crop more than usually Z list?)

TANGOLERO wrote: Scott can't even manage an expression other than that of he's got a bit of wind trapped up his knicker leg and just cannot dance.

Loved the poetry too Mr T

I'm as baffled as you guys. As you say Tina, even though we might not vote for Alison or Judy, we can see why other viewers might. I just can't see the appeal of Scott - he's neither amusing nor entertaining. I've yet to encounter anybody who enjoys his performances and votes for him. But SOMEBODY must be!

That said, I can do without the judges telling viewers off and lecturing them. People are asked to vote for their favourites (for whatever reason they like) and they do just that. The judges have their say with the scores, they should respect the right of the audience to have theirs.

Personally I wasn't surprised to see Simon in the dance-off again. He seems to be quite hit and miss and very little chemistry has developed between him and Kristina. However, I'd assumed Thom had quite a loyal and growing fanbase who'd keep him out of trouble...guess I was wrong.

Tina Sparkle wrote:Well that was ridiculous...

The one I really cannot get is Scott.  He can't dance and he has no personality.  Not only is he not improving, I think he's going backwards and I strongly suspect that he's not putting the work in.  Who on earth is voting for him in such He is. And we obey him.?  All i can assume is that he has a daily show somewhere and is using it to whip up support. I'd never heard of him before Strictly, but to be honest, the only contestants I had heard of this year were Judy Murray and Greg Wallace!  (Is it just me being out of touch or is this year's crop more than usually Z list?)          

He has a daily Radio 1 show during which he generally belittles his listeners and sets them up with "joke" phone calls.  He is no doubt popular with the younger Radio 1 demographic, but most people I know over the age of 18 decree him a bit of an arse... I imagine Strictly is getting lot's more 13-18 year old viewers than it usually does, and I think it is these who are voting to keep him in.

And re Z list - this was one year when I knew everyone except Judy Murray (I'd heard of Andy but had no idea who coached him...) and Steve Backshall!  Seems I am very up on the Z listers!!

TANGOLERO wrote:I'd mostly agree Sid, but I'm watching Mark with a careful eye. He learned his tough lines well this week and showed some skill and panache. He's also athletic enough to cope with the tricky stuff and lifts and he has the determination to do well.

Mark's reaction tonight will have won a lot of fans over I think. The cynic in me wondered whether he thought he was back on TOWIE - but I give him the benefit of the doubt, he seemed genuinely moved and I'm sure people watching will have been too. And I wonder how many Thom voters will switch to Mark now...I'm pretty sure there's some overlap there.

fiftynotout wrote:And I suppose as we get closer to the final there will be the possibility of two of the four front runners ending up in the DO together.....

Now that would be interesting! And you're right, it's a very real possibility (especially Frankie vs Pixie in my opinion).

Sid wrote:Now that would be interesting! And you're right, it's a very real possibility (especially Frankie vs Pixie in my opinion).

Frankie and Pixie?! Now you are giving me nightmares!

Due you think there's a secret cult out there, the Illiterati, who go through the world anti-voting against all things normal and sensible? I'm actually beginning to wonder. I mean, normally such world-changers wouldn't really be the types who spend their Saturday and Sunday evenings watching strictly Come Dancing, but rather holding who can be sick the most times whilst still drinking vodka and custard cocktails on Main Street, contests, but you have to wonder just who actually listens to Scott on the radio and actually spends money voting for him? Is it The Archers supporters who sit in little huts on their allotments wearing tinfoil hats and watching 12" screen T.V's ? Or is it supporters of The X Factor annoyed at the poor ratings? In other words, could anyone in their right minds vote for Lobster Man as a dancer? If they could, then they don't watch Strictly Come Dancing but Strictly
being a prat.

TANGOLERO wrote:Due you think there's a secret cult out there, the Illiterati, who go through the world anti-voting against all things normal and sensible? I'm actually beginning to wonder. I mean, normally such world-changers wouldn't really be the types who spend their Saturday and Sunday evenings watching strictly Come Dancing, but rather holding who can be sick the most times whilst still drinking vodka and custard cocktails on Main Street, contests, but you have to wonder just who actually listens to Scott on the radio and actually spends money voting for him? Is it The Archers supporters who sit in little huts on their allotments wearing tinfoil hats and watching 12" screen T.V's ? Or is it supporters of The X Factor annoyed at the poor ratings? In other words, could anyone in their right minds vote for Lobster Man as a dancer? If they could, then they don't watch Strictly Come Dancing but Strictly being a prat.

TangoL, you don't HAVE to pay to vote, that's the problem. I voted for Sunetra (two votes) and Mark (one vote) on Saturday, and it's free. I suspect these internet savvy yoof radio one listeners had multiple accounts on the BBC website and just voted for Scott en-bloc that way...

What like Rage Against The Machine, Mr T?!

cellar-door wrote:Frankie and Pixie?! Now you are giving me nightmares!

Sorry CD! I like both well enough but I wonder if when it comes to the crunch Frankie might be a bit 'vanilla' for viewers and there seems to be a bit of a backlash against Pixie because of her previous training (unfairly, in my view, as the other two ladies have had as much if not more in Caroline's case).

Sid wrote:Sorry CD! I like both well enough but I wonder if when it comes to the crunch Frankie might be a bit 'vanilla' for viewers and there seems to be a bit of a backlash against Pixie because of her previous training (unfairly, in my view, as the other two ladies have had as much if not more in Caroline's case).

Frankie reminds me of Louisa Litton and Dani Harmer, both competent and sweet dancers with an equally engaging (and self-mocking) pro partner (Kevin Clifton is fast becoming my new Vincent Simone).

Pixie reminds me of Emma Bunton and Denise Van Outen. Very, very dance-talented, but totally not engaging personality wise.

I don't know, I still had nightmares when Louisa was in the dance-off with Emma in series 4.

fiftynotout wrote:And I suppose as we get closer to the final there will be the possibility of two of the four front runners ending up in the DO together.....

I think that's highly possible.
I've just caught up with both shows. I enjoyed Mark's Samba and thought he did a great job.
I think Simon's underestimated how much work he'd have to put in and was lucky to get away with just a few hours training whilst on tour this week. If his tour is on for a few more weeks then I don't rate his chances. He's not got the public support he expected and I get the impression that Kristina is at her wits end.
I didn't think much of Alison's Tango or Caroline's Paso. In fairness, I imagine Caroline did a good job but I couldn't get past the music and both left me cold.
For the first time, I thought Latin Champ Trent excelled at choreographing Pixie. I liked the style, content and story to his dance and thought he had the right balance. As L en would say, she gave it plenty of welly. Good to see two decent Sambas.
I thought Brendan's 'break it into chunks' routine was clever to minimise Sunetra's problem with right/left and clockwise/anti-clockwise. She ticked all of L en's boxes but the breaks in the flow of the V. Waltz spoilt it a bit for me.
I like Judy's attitude. She takes it on the chin and rises above the negative comments. Ok she isn't much of a dancer, but she doesn't whinge or pull the sympathy card. Her feet of concrete didn't swivel but she did try to perform. It's not her fault she's kept in.
Steve is steady in the background which is similar to how Chris was when he was partnered with O la. I think for a muscle bound bloke, he's doing ok and he's not afraid to give latin or ballroom his best shot. If two of the front runners do end up in the dance-off, then Steve could move up the board.
I like Janette's routine but was worried that her dress looked too long and that she would trip at any moment. Going first out of twelve couples is not as easy to recall as those dancing nearer the end, and their score is not likely to be as high, which may affect the celebs board position over the next few weeks when some of the deadwood is gone.
Unless Joanne can carry Scott off the floor for 90 seconds I don't know what else she can do with him.
I had to recheck which dance Thom was doing. I agreed with Br uno that it seemed a mix of some sort of Salsa and Disco although he seems to be fully charged up now and enjoying himself.

B4p wrote:In fairness, I imagine Caroline did a good job but I couldn't get past the music and both left me cold.

You are quite right! When I mute the music and watched Caroline's Paso, it was so much more impactful and I can really appreciate the shaping, lines, tensions etc. she's trying to create for this dance.

cellar-door wrote:

You are quite right! When I mute the music and watched Caroline's Paso, it was so much more impactful and I can really appreciate the shaping, lines, tensions etc. she's trying to create for this dance.

Good. And thereby hangs a tale: A paso atmosphere can easily be created mentally by the right sort of music without any visual help. It may be recognition, but nevertheless it's far more realistic than trying to create a paso atmosphere just by dance action to the theme from Coronation Street or Eastenders. Likewise (as your muting of sound) the atmosphere can be evoked by imagination by just watching without sound. Your mind will, of course imagine the relevant music to what you are seeing. What I'm saying is a paso-doble is uniquely related to a bull fight imitated by dance in which the male is the matador, the woman a cape or the bull by choice. To take it away from that by wrong music or dance makes it something else altogether. The music-choosers for Strictly should keep this in mind for all dances that follow set routines and basic steps. In paso and the tango it's a thing of real importance despite them wanting to re-invent the wheel.

Rant over.....and breathe out......

cellar-door wrote:

TangoL, you don't HAVE to pay to vote, that's the problem. I voted for Sunetra (two votes) and Mark (one vote) on Saturday, and it's free. I suspect these internet savvy yoof radio one listeners had multiple accounts on the BBC website and just voted for Scott en-bloc that way...

Sorry to take it back to Scott, but it occurred to me in the middle of the night that his fans may be voting without watching!  They'll get a tweet or facebook alert that voting lines have opened and away they go.  Three online votes without the agony of watching SCD

Ive enjoyed all your reviews of this weeks show and they have given me a little insight to the still pictures ive seen on the SCD's Website. I agree regarding the free votes causes a huge difference with voters and from which age group more under 17 voting online.I feel ONE free vote only would be better and a fair reflection from viewers. A lot of people MR T do use these freebie votes to cause mayhem without watching a single minute of SCD.
We do get a shock exit about this time each year the trouble is the pattern repeats in two weeks and we could see say Caroline and Jake in say DO.
I didn't vote this week with my free vote ( I use one only as I feel its fairer-yes Im weird sttanding up for my principles!) I use my vote for my favourite couple I wish to save.
Scott will have a huge fan base from his show and maybe he might get to the quater finals before common sense prevails.
Looking forward to ITT

TANGOLERO wrote:

Good. And thereby hangs a tale: A paso atmosphere can easily be created mentally by the right sort of music without any visual help. It may be recognition, but nevertheless it's far more realistic than trying to create a paso atmosphere just by dance action to the theme from Coronation Street or Eastenders. Likewise (as your muting of sound) the atmosphere can be evoked by imagination by just watching without sound. Your mind will, of course imagine the relevant music to what you are seeing. What I'm saying is a paso-doble is uniquely related to a bull fight imitated by dance in which the male is the matador, the woman a cape or the bull by choice. To take it away from that by wrong music or dance makes it something else altogether. The music-choosers for Strictly should keep this in mind for all dances that follow set routines and basic steps. In paso and the tango it's a thing of real importance despite them wanting to re-invent the wheel.

Rant over.....and breathe out......  

You are so right. I know nothing about this (I know nothing about most things, let's face it) but I regularly watch the programme with a couple of in their early 20s and they always complain bitterly when the music chosen doesn't match the dance because they find it so much harder to actually "see" the dance. They comment on it EVERY time. And when a lovely ballroom comes along - like both of Sunetra's and Brendan's - to classic ballroom music, they sigh contentedly and comment how much better it is when the music is "right" and how everything just flows together so much more and how much easier it is to see how they are dancing.

So, note to producers - you are actually alienating young adults, not getting them on board, by choosing awful, out of time, pop classics/horrors rather than put it to traditional music. The Salsa can take all sorts of contemporary music, as can Cha Cha Cha and Samba to a certain extent. Even the Rumba if chosen VERY carefully (think Vincent and Rachel's Rumba to Paul Weller - shivery tingle time in a good way...). But the Waltz, American smooth, Foxtrot, Paso and Tango should never stray out of the traditional arena.... The Charleston also needs to be wary..... I'm not talking about Strauss (necessarily) for the Waltz for example, but a swaying, gentle tune in three/four time (did I sound like I knew what I was talking about then.../ ) rather than a contemporary pop song originally written in four/four which needs to be rearranged and just sounds so distractingly WRONG!

I think it is noteworthy that the standing ovations and the ones who tend to escape the dance off are those who are given great, appropriate music.

But we all know the producers are numpties. I tried to fire the lot of 'em last year, but either someone let them back in or else the new lot are just as bad... I vote Tango for SCD music chooser :-)

Despite claiming to know nothing D&P, it's obvious you know what strict tempo means. All the pros started with it somewhere, and I'm betting a few did it to Victor Sylvester and Charles Barlow and co records. I'm no musician, I just hear beat and rythm, and granted there's a massive difference between accepted evergreens and modern pop in music. We can't go on forever playing oldies and shutting out anything new ( well, I can ) but every artist of note ever has recorded chunks of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin songbooks in 3/4 and 4/4 time because they're still classics. The range and choice is vast. Okay, Burn the Floor style dance and gymnastics to music may eventually replace ballroom (God forbid in my time-don't worry, not too long to wait ) and basic steps and routines may disappear in favour of the "please yourself fandango", but right now contestants are still supposed to be playing by the rules. Stricly is probably able to blame its viewer success as much on lunacy as dancing and the Parker Paso, Sargent Stomp and Garraway Gavotte come to mind as easliy as good performances, but the show is still based around ballroom and should stay that way. I'd really like to see the Scott fella learn to dance, but not at the expense of others prepared to put the effort in.

I actually thought the pros jiving frantically to Karma Whatsit like somebody had plugged them into the mains sockets, in an effort to make the steps fit the music, was pretty awful. It's "kids at a party" stuff and another example of the Beeb's bad choices.

Morning all....

TANGOLERO wrote:
I actually thought the pros jiving frantically to Karma Whatsit like somebody had plugged them into the mains sockets, in an effort to make the steps fit the music, was pretty awful. It's "kids at a party" stuff and another example of the Beeb's bad choices.

Oh gosh - I found it unwatchable too! I used the words frantic and frenetic to describe it but I think your description is much better and spot on! Karma Chameleon bounces along quite gently tempo wise - the pros were jigging up and down almost twice as fast (or so it appeared). Truly dreadful. They could have danced along fine to it - but just not that jive on speed that they put together.

I was wondering what dance they would do to Karma Chameleon - and when it got to the chorus I just said oh dear! Awful rendition and frenetic dancing made it a waste of one of the better bits of the results show generally, spotlighting a couple of the pros.

We used to jive to this,(truthfully) amongst other things, and pick the beat out with no trouble

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFBaR3S0Dak

TANGOLERO wrote:We used to jive to this,(truthfully) amongst other things,  and pick the beat out with no trouble

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFBaR3S0Dak

Yes I can see that as as a jive- would also make a cracking Charleston

Oh god Jiving to Karma Chameleon was an atrocious idea. It's as if because there was no appropriate dance for the song they just picked one out the hat. Or else they think viewers are stupid enough to assume any uptempo song and uptempo style of dance will go.

Sid wrote:Oh god Jiving to Karma Chameleon was an atrocious idea. It's as if because there was no appropriate dance for the song they just picked one out the hat. Or else they think viewers are stupid enough to assume any uptempo song and uptempo style of dance will go.

It isn't even up-tempo Sid. Music to shove the hoover around or roll pastry by. It's a staggeringly gormless piece of guest-spot choosing by some sixty-watt-lightbulb air-head of an ideas department "executive". The whole thing was a sham.

Mr T I think you awarded too many wattages for the hairbrained music choice! Surely 15 W covers it