Think Shawn's a shoe in for walking it or dancing it.

Bummer Apolo and Karina are out, Emmit, imo should have gone before him, but glad he isn't in the final, he was overscored most weeks and was rarely critiqued on his footwork or posture. I too would have preferred Apolo over Melissa in the final, never wowed by her or Tony, like them but a bit meh for me.

Feel maybe Apolo would have faired better with Julianne as they had a more obvious chemistry. Although think his and Karina's was more understated. Karina was good in the ballroom dances, but fell down a bit in other styles, whereas Julianne was an all rounder. Still a moot point now.

Giving all the couples a clap for getting through those stupid fusion dances.

OTRC.

http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/video

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/20...the-stars?lite

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/20...rs-finals?lite

http://twitter.com/MelissaRycroft/st...534722/photo/1

http://twitter.com/n_s_23_23/status/...694913/photo/1

That's just about her only strength in my opinion. Her Paso was full of beautiful lines, but no attack or aggression. She has been very overmarked.

Think her tango was the same, she did a lot of lifts with Tony so was in the air a lot of the time, but not much ground work and her kicks and flicks weren't very sharp. Probably not a dance term but she is too balletic at times. Someone on the ABC board said she has 22 years of dance experience, don't know if that is fact of fiction????

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethe...irst-ever.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...=feeds-newsxml

Love that top three - girl power!

I also LOVED Paula's routine. The songs she did are classics - brilliant!

I loved Emmitt, though, and his Espionage Lindy Hop!

Just a quick video - back in 2005, Kelly Monaco (dancing with then pro Alec Mazo)'s first dance, a Waltz, which scored only 13 out of 30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vsDk2ioKsQ

I watched her Flamenco yesterday and cannot believe that is the same woman! She's improved on leaps and bounds, and I'm thrilled she's made the final.

I also love Melissa. As well as Shawn. But Kelly or Melissa would be my winner.

Can't wait for the final!

Final post for now (I do promise ):

I'm really impressed at the end how this series has turned out, since a lot of us did think the female line-up was lacking next to the male one!

Apolo and Emmit on Jimmy Kimmel

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFw6pqp-Z-g

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MbcluJQ4Bo

As usually happens, the cream rises. Even with a mid season (series) shock the real talent survives. I'm still with Shawn and Derek. But Melissa and Tony are less than point 5 away from that Glitter-ball trophy. So I won't be disappointed now.

[quote=Karma Ardent;62483947]Think Shawn's a shoe in for walking it or dancing it.

Bummer Apolo and Karina are out, Emmit, imo should have gone before him, but glad he isn't in the final, he was overscored most weeks and was rarely critiqued on his footwork or posture. I too would have preferred Apolo over Melissa in the final, never wowed by her or Tony, like them but a bit meh for me.

Feel maybe Apolo would have faired better with Julianne as they had a more obvious chemistry. Although think his and Karina's was more understated. Karina was good in the ballroom dances, but fell down a bit in other styles, whereas Julianne was an all rounder. Still a moot point now.













....

I have a different opinion about Apolo and Juliane/Karina is
former Latin British open champion, also she the hightes rank from Both show of the professional, she came Just second only Carmen taken the first place, in Blackpool.
She push Apolo harder in technique, if you go back to watch Julianne and Apolo dances, the weren't nearly good technically speaking than now, even other professionals admitted that.
The different was the chemistry was different, because Apolo was young and Also Julianne, so they had a naive cute chemistry.
With Karina they had a grown up relationship, with ups and down. A normal student/teacher relationship trying to bring the best of each other.
That rumba was beautiful, his lines were perfect, for a male celebrity, he has to be one of the best who has done it.
We see dances in a different ways and that is what is dance is so beautiful.
Every latin dance Karina gave Apolo had a lot of content. And I'm a Latin dancer and I love choreography like that challenge the dancers. Maybe is possible that she could take less content and just go for the entertainment, after all that is what the show is about.
But I would go for content too, because I see he is capable to be
brilliant.
No matter what who he got it as partner, I really believe the
producers didn't wanted him in the final, because they knew Shawn has a huge fan base who was going to be in the final no matter what, they didn't want two Olympians there.
If you look at the choices of music that the producers gave them, they wasn't really good at all.
The choose to show the clips of an intense relationship, and u never saw how much fun, they really had in training.
Plus I got the feeling they want a girl to win this season and they want tony to win.
The stupid fusion and nonsense dances also made a lot a damages to the couples.

[quote=lady latina;62499726]

I'm not disagreeing with you that Karina is a top ballroom dancer or that she pushed Apollo harder this season very true. What I am saying from a TV perspective Julianne and Apolo seemed to have that certain something chemistry for want of a better word that made them a very good partnership at the time. The other thing I heard Apolo say and Kelly in interviews is they hadn't got any idea about dance the first time round. So they learned the routines the pros gave them, but if you asked them to dance that style of routine say tango outside their routine they wouldn't have a clue. This time they advanced more because they had a basic grounding from their first season and were able to learn how to dance, so if you asked them how to say dance a tango now they would probably be able to. I am not comparing them now to then because they had a different starting point. Julianne is like Derek and Mark they learned different styles so think in that respect Apolo may have faired a bit better when thrown stupid challenges like the fusion. I have would have been interested to see if they had the same sparkle this time round and they may not have done who knows. I just enjoyed their partnership more, but really liked him and Karina too.

Well they do show the clips they want you to see to give certain impressions and I think it will probably be Shawn for the win or Melissa I think I would fall over if Kelly took the glitterball

I really enjoyed Derek's contemporary routine thought it was really good.

I think it's a moot point to comparere Apolo with Julianne and Karina, and the difficulty levels of the choreography. Firstly, with Julianne, Apolo had much less experience, so the choreography had to be simpler. Apolo and Julianne IMO had their natural chemistry on their side, though.

I think the F3 have deserved their spots, there, but also Apolo could have been there in place of someone else, and it would have been equally fair.

I think Shawn/Derek had this in the bag from the start, I hope I will be surprised with a different winner.

[quote=Karma Ardent;62501198]
agree about Julianne been more contemporary style and would maybe attract more voters and interesting dances. But maybe not because I keep my thought that Somehow the producers wanted Tony and Melissa in the finals and They knew that Shawn will be in the final once they paired her with Derek.
I don't min d Kelly but once Val strip off his trousers that was all over for me.
I know is an entertainment show, and u have to go for the public votes, but for me distract the viewer from the quality of the dance.
I don't get the not having your shirt on in almost all your dances is a good thing, for me is very distracting, that is why I have gone a little bit off with Artem. Although Artem is a great dancer, he doesn't need to use his bare chest all the time because he is great dancer.
I don't mind who wins, I really wanted Apollo in the final, because I got the feeling he was going to bring the house down. I knew from a source that he and Karina had a great show dance, and actually they practice some of the routine and people say they were awesome, they little bit they saw.

The jazz/top hat thing, wasn't a good idea because, the song they gave them, is not good in anyway for Jazz classic. They had to come with something modern.
Karina has incorporated jazz in her routines in the past especially in her quick steps.
The problem was the jazz wasn't classic was modern and with a crappy song, that isn't going to hit any jazz note.
jazz would suit Melissa than Apollo because She is like a ballerina with soft hands and balletic foot style.
But it's what is and hope everyone has a good final show.

[quote=lady latina;62506064]
Someone said on the ABC board that Melissa's manager is one of the producers on DWTS, don't know if that has any bearing on her place on the show?

Think it was a crappy jazz song, but Karina struggled with it just as she did with the hip hop. That's my point in a strictly ballroom setting she is high up there as one of the best, but give her some other styles and she gives it a good go but doesn't always pull it off. This show is starting to veer towards SYTYCD and if it continues down this path some of the pros may need to learn other styles of dance to keep up now.

I was a bit the same lady l about Val in his speedos, I'm begining to sound like a bit of a prude and I know I am very broad minded generally. I don't mind the dancers taking their shirts off if it is in keeping with the dance and fits with the choreography, for example Derek's contemporary piece. Thought Val's speedos were shoehorned in, no pun intented at the end. A lot of the pros say in interviews about flashing the flesh as a sort of one upmanship as so and so has already done it and they need to go further. Seems to be the name of the game for the ratings too. I am not averse to a nice toned torso but it seems to be detract from the dance in some instances.

Interesting to hear Apolo and Karina had started practising their show dance and it was good. Shame we don't get to see it. I am surprised to hear your say they were practising it already. Do you know if the other couples had started theirs? Only saw Derek being interviewed after this weeks show and he said he had no idea what he is doing yet. I have always wondered if they have a plan of what they will dance beforehand or can some pros just miracle a routine out of thin air without preparation?

Don´t know how to post links but I think the interviews are so sweet, I try to post:


http://watch.accesshollywood.com/vid.../1982006857001


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Caj09gBqbo0&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swYLTCBj5tc&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4djpN3lFo0&feature=plcp

Thanks Susan

Oopps, sorry that one of the vids came two times

LOL that Apolo said he should sign to the Bacherolette and
Cheryl / Karina respons that he for sure makes the final/top three

Here comes the last vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJX9I...hannel&list=UL

I laughed at that, is Apolo trying to tell Cheryl something

To clarify a couple of things:

1. It was completely natural that DWTS' Casting Director/Senior Producer Deena Katz became Melissa Rycroft's manager following her original stint on the show three years ago.

To quote Deena Katz at the time:

"From the moment that it got out that she was on this show, I've been flooded with calls," says Deena Katz, DWTS's senior talent producer. "She still thinks she's going back to Dallas and being a teacher and having her life there. Hollywood has a whole different idea for her."

Katz is the owner of a Los Angeles talent agency--she did (and continues to do) a lot of casting, a big reason she was asked to cast talent for DWTS in the first place.

Melissa didn't have a manager or plans to do anything where she'd need one, and Katz wisely made her see that she had a special star quality. I don't see any conflict of interest whatsoever. Katz is not involved with editing the show or dispensing favors.

2. A bit more proof that there is no animosity among the finalists: Kat Tales TV video described as "At DWTS All Stars Finals Rehearsals, Derek Hough stretches and chats to Kelly Monaco (off camera) while Shawn Johnson looks on"

and

"Kelly's pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, says, "I'm not in competition mode -- I'm in creative mode. I want to really do a beautiful [freestyle] piece. Derek's piece tonight ... that was a beautiful piece, a timeless piece, something he's going to treasure for a long time. That's what I want to do with Kelly."

http://communities.washingtontimes.c...l-monday-8-pm/

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/kell...nship-17809311

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/rycr...s-win-17809318

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/shaw...ition-17809338

http://www.wetpaint.com/dancing-with...eturn-who-wins

Looks like Kath and Mark back together.

http://instagram.com/p/Seb2oul0ur/

Scores for tonight.

Redo of favourite dances.



Freestyle

Dances

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx598...K&feature=plcp