So, they showed more actual dancers on last night’s audition episode, but I’ll be a lot happier when we get to Vegas Week. But we’re not done with auditions yet - more tonight!

As for last night - Hi Benji! Nice to see him again, though I can’t say I was all that enamored of his sister. Sure, she’s good, but…we already have Our Schwimmer, you know? I understand that somewhere in the audition process, Travis’s (runner up last year) brother auditions. I hope we get to see that.

It was great seeing Hok again last night - SO glad he is back and with proper papers this time. What an entertainer. Hightlight of the night for me. I thought the girl with the prosthetic arm was an okay dancer, but would never have guessed about the arm, so that was inspiring. And I cannot wait to see the guy with the prosthetic leg come back next year when he’s more fully healed and had time to work. It’s awe inspiring what he’s doing on legs so incredibly badly damaged. What intense and amazing spirit.

I thought Nigel was an ass, even for Nigel, with EJ and his weight. But what else is new? And I’m sure he actually thought he was being kind. He’s creepy. Mary’s cackle was grating - do we have to have her every week? In small doses she’s entertaining, but gah. Loved Wade and Shane. Loved Shane’s reaction to that pop locker guy from Houston. He was wild. Can’t quite picture him doing ballroom, but will be fun to see him try.

I liked the young “Avirl” girl, wasn’t all that hot on the cutesy blonde at the end (but we all know what Dirty Uncle Nigel likes…) was happy for the girl with mom with cancer, but please keep her off my tv screen now for awhile. That voice. That shrieking. Shudder. Wasn’t all that impressed with the Lindy Hopper duo, but thought the guy was funny while the girl was talking about her boyfriend. Loved Jesus “Chuy” - was probably my favorite to watch of the night, after Hok. Hope he goes far.

All in all, I didn’t have to fast forward through nearly as many segments, which is a good thing. Looking forward to next week when we can get past the bad performers. Tonight? Pirate Master! I wish I was more excited…

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. See Tuesday’s post for the details. Winner announced tomorrow!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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That was the score for American men in Paris yesterday. Eight went home. Zero won. All we have left is poor Robby Ginepri, and I fear that was only staved off because they called the match for darkness. We’ll see how he does today when play resumes on the red clay of Roland Garros. I mean, it’s rare that the men do well on clay, but 8 guys out - including two top ten players - in the first round? That’s just sad. At this rate I’m going to actually have to pay attention to the women’s game this time around. And with both Williams sisters playing….yeah, not so much. I know, I know, they’re supposed to be incredible and entertaining and the second coming of tennis. I’ve been over them for a long time. I miss Lindsay Davenport. And Jennifer Capriati. And Steffi, for that matter. Where’s Andre when you need him? Well, at least Roger and Rafael should give us a good couple of weeks. Them, you can depend on.

Is it time for Wimbledon yet?

So, in other news, thank you for your continued good vibes for my puppy. You’ll be happy to know that he’s actually doing pretty well. He’s a happy sort who doesn’t necessarily know how challenged he is, which makes it a lot easier to care for him. Would that we were all so sunny in disposition. Anyway…just wanted to send out a big group hug to all those who have sent their support. That much positive energy is always a good thing.

Tonight it’s Dirty Uncle Nigel and more audition rounds. Let us mercifully hope we get past this stage quickly as it looks like we have some pretty amazing talent headed our way this season. And then tomorrow, har har har mateys, it’s time for Pirate Master. I hope it’s at least interesting!

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Tuesday’s post.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. It was hot, muggy, and gorgeous here. Even had a little thunder boomer, just to liven things up.

So we’re officially in the Land of Summer Television starting this week. We’ll see how Pirate Master works out this Thursday. And, of course, we have Dancing With Dirty Uncle Nigel. It’s not much, but it’s a start. Does anyone know if Rock Star is coming back? And who the band is this year? I think it’s time to do some research…

At the moment, I’m all about the French Open. Yes, grand slam tennis is back and all is right in my world! (It takes so little to make me happy.)

Hopefully, a new SHaQ Attack contest will make all of you happy. Woo hoo! Okay, so, it’s tennis time for me, so I figured we’d go all sports theme on you this week. And I’m gonna make it easy on ya. (I was going to ask you to list all the sports I’ve covered in my books over the years!) But, instead, I’m just going to ask you to tell me which book was set at a grand slam event?

Name the book and the event and you’re up for a free book come this Friday. Just email me at donna@donnakauffman.com with “Love Anyone?” in the subject line. I’ll draw a name from all the right answers and post the winner on Friday’s blog.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Yes, it’s back. Dirty Uncle Nigel, Screamin’ Mary, and Annoyed Buddy Dan. Bad dancers, Sex, and beautiful Russians. Triumph over tragedy and just plain cluelessness. All that and Cat Deeley. My summer guilty pleasure is back!

So You Think You Can Dance?

Round One:

Sure, I fast-forwarded through most of it. Watching people embarrass themselves gets old, oh, about half way through the first clueless audition. I thought Dan wasn’t quite as annoyed as before, Mary has gotten her medication under better control, and Nigel continues to skeeve me out on pretty much every level as he leers at barely clad women like the dirty uncle he must be.

Ah. Good times.

But there were good dancers. Lots of them from the looks of it. Yay, editors! Favorite from Auditions: Round One were the Russian ballroom couple (and yay, Stanis was back!) as well as Jamal, the inspirational swing dancer. The bad - well, of course, Sex. He was amusing less than once. Please get him and his poor mother off my tv.

Next week - two more audition cities! Let’s hope we get to Vegas Week toot suite and put all this stuff behind us.

Oh yeah….Hi Benji!! Hi Blake!! So good to see you two again.

Now, on to this week’s SHaQ Attack winner. I asked you to pick a hero (I know, I’m so tough on you guys) and Blog Babe Nelly F is this week’s winner! She chose Grady from Sleeping With Beauty, who did get a few votes of his own. Though guys in kilts do seem to hold the largest fan base. Gee, can’t imagine why!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend. I will be back next Tuesday with….something. No MAC until later in the week since they took all our shows away. So mean. I will have to actually think up stuff to talk about. The nerve.

Have fun!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Okay, so I didn’t watch the two hour extravaganza. I went out instead. I have it on TiFaux for further review, but, to be honest with you, I so enjoyed the Apolo/Julianne win, and was so meh about this one, I just couldn’t work up a lot of excitement. But, I did see the last five minutes……..aaaaand to the surprise of absolutely no one on this planet or any other, Princess Jordin wins. Woo.

As I’ve said, this is the best possible outcome for the contestants remaining this season. She can be forced to record that horrible song and they can teach her how to become a performer while she makes a record she has no control over and is grateful for a career launch (did you hear? She’s ONLY 17!)…and in some alternate post-tour universe, Blake gets to work with actual contemporary industry professionals and launch a career that suits his talent while Melinda becomes the next Norah Jones.

So, basically….it’s all good. This reality season as a whole, however? Eh, not as much. There was woo hoo, Apolo & Julianne! aaaand that was about it.

Tonight, however, there is dancing! Yes, it’s audition dancing, which I could do without to be honest. Just skip ahead to the “Hollywood Week” phase, please. But still, it’s dancing! No singing. No living on an island. No racing around the world. But dancing, we got. And I’m good with that.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. It’s easy! There’s a free book to be won! Check out Monday’s post for all the details. Winner announced tomorrow morning.

Happy TGIF-eve everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, first, on American Idol. Yeah, Jordin’s got this one, I think. I agree that Blake’s the performer and she’s the singer…but in the end, I think she’ll come out on top. And, as I’ve said, I think she’d be the better Idol given how the mold and shape their winners. She’ll stand to benefit more. Blake will do just fine, too. I thought he rocked Bon Jovi, thought the second song was way too safe, and just okay and HATED that the final song was also a ballad. (And man, but were those back up singers like waaaaay flat or what? They certainly didn’t do him any favors. Yikes.) Jordin can sing anything, much like MindyDo, so there was no doubt she’d whale on the songs..but she really hasn’t much stage presence. At all. Given her stature and beauty, it’s kind of surprising, but she’ll grow into that, I suppose.

So, my vote goes to Blake as my favorite performer of the season (of a few seasons, actually. I looked more forward to him than to any other.) But I’m betting the final vote goes to Jordin.

OKAY!

Now on to the Beeeg Dancing Finale! Woo hoo!

I enjoyed the stroll down memory lane. I’ve seen all the seasons, so that was fun seeing the highlights.

But now it’s time for one last round from this season’s finalists. Each team picks one of their previously performed dances and get scores added in from the judges. (But not from us. Hmmm.)

First up are Apolo & Julianne with their paso doble. It was just as enjoyable the second time around (third actually, as this dance got them an encore the first time they performed it.) The judges are finally kind and they get another well deserved 30.

Joey & Kym inexplicably choose their Star Wars dance. Oookay. It was fun, but,though danced well, just as sorta hokey this time around. Still, he’s an entertainer, and the crowd does love him. So do the judges, who also sing his entertainership praises. They get a 30, too.

Laila & Maks close out the season with their mambo. Nice choice, and you know, she looked the best she has all season during that dance, I think. She actually looked like a finalist. Good job, Laila. Judges, of course, adore her, as they have all season. And…no surprise, they get a 30, too, which more or less renders tonight an encore more than anything. But it was great to get one last dance from them all.

Now we bite nails and wait to see who goes home….and who wins the Mirror Ball of Undying Cheesiness!

In third place, it’s….Laila & Maks. She was cute when she pouted. She really did give it her all and I know she wanted to win it all. I enjoyed her, but I do think this final rank is the right one in this case. Great season, Laila! Thanks for working so hard to give us all a good time. And a double thanks for keeping Maks in the competition longer than four weeks.

We get another look at the rest of this season’s contestants, and you are reminded just how high the caliber was amongst them this year. Fun to see everyone again.

But now it’s time. In second place it’s…Joey & Kym.

Which means the Season Four winner IS!!!!!!!! APOLO AND JULIANNE! YAY!!!!!!

Man, did you see how badly Joey wanted it? I felt a tiny bit bad…until they announced it was Apolo and he and Julianne were both so sincerely shocked and thrilled, it was all worth it. FINALLY something went right for me this Reality Show season. Woo hoo! Happy Birthday, Apolo!

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack - check out Monday’s blog for all the details.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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LIVE! It’s Dancing With The Stars!

Tonight each couple tackles two dances - one chosen by the judges, and one freestyle (woot!)

First up is Laila & Maks.

The judges chose the paso doble for them - a dance they got three 7’s in the first time around. So, yeah, Maks looked awesome. And the energy and music was great. Laila looked lovely but was just sort of out there. I mean, she did a nice job, and kept in with it, but she doesn’t have that “ballroom flair” if you know what I mean. Good, yes. Finale good? Compared to the other two (and past female finalists?) Not to me. But I’ve been saying that for weeks and they keep lavishing her with perfect scores. She’s an 8 to me. And for finale night, this was just barely that. Good, but not near enough to win this thing. Judges - once again, they gush. Sigh. Scores - 29. Whatever.

The judges choose the rumba for Apolo & Julianne which is the one they used the chair with last time (which I loved, but Uncle Lenny hated.) No chair this time. Way more advanced. Can’t wait to see it! Stoner Music Dude better give them appropriate music. Nope. Unlike Maks and Laila, they get a non ballroom tune. Last Train to Georgia. Sigh. Her little peekaboo nightie outfit is probably giving Uncle L a heart attack, but I think it suits. I also think they get slammed for being ultra sexy because of their age, when the other teams (not to mention the pros) writhe all over each other. I thought it was great! Will be interesting to see what the judges say. Judges - Bruno gushes, Lenny and Carrie Ann totally buzzkill it. What is UP with that anyway? It’s really making me crazy how hard they are on these two when their skill level is SO much higher. If they score lower than Laila? Yeah, I’d scream fix. Or maybe they have such high fan scores, they’re trying to keep it level. I don’t know. But I don’t like it. Scores - 28. That? Comparitively? So very wrong.

Ending the first round is Joey & Kym with their judges pick of cha cha cha I thought the opening was cute, but Lenny better slam them for it if he’s to stay consistent with his bashing of Apolo and Julianne for similar antics. Wait. Consistancy in judging? Why, that’s crazy talk! Okay, back to the dance… And it’s good, but I felt like they were a little off at the beginning and not really milking the song for all it was worth. It wasn’t up to Joey & Kym par, no thanks to Joey’s horrid outfit, either, (or Kym;s shaggy mess of a hairstyle) but it was entertaining and they did take some risks by breaking out the alterna stuff, which I respect. But the overall skill was more Laila level. Which makes me feel better about Apolo and Julianne, who, so far to my eyes, are the only ones who have brought finale level material. Now, watch the judges give them a tongue bath, too. Judges Yay, Carrie Ann actually agrees with me. As does Lenny. Quel shock! Bruno even goes with me. Heeeey! Scores - 26. But that leaves Laila with the highest first round score, and that’s not really right. I guess she gets it by default for playing safe and bringing the angst.

Round Two…Freestyle!

Laila & Maks are up first and doing their freestyle to…the paso doble, which….didn’t they just do that? Whatever. I’m sure it won’t have a passing resemblance to one anyway. I thought it was just “freestyle” no other name required. Maybe that was an announcer’s gaffe. Anyway - it’s all a really weird Michael Jacksonian nightmare with Laila in spangly shorts and sneakers and Maks in suspenders and…I don’t know. I think it’s a mess and shows a lot about how she doesn’t really finish her movements with flair. She’s elegant in her own way, and she can get down and funky, for sure, but she’s still kinda clunky and flat-footed-looking to me. I’m sure I’ll be the only one saying that, however. Okay, seriously? That was NOT finale level choreo or style or skill. (Even with the bare Maks chest at the end, so you know I mean this.) Very talent show/pedestrian. I don’t care what the judges say. Not impressed at all. Not even on par with their regular routines. Judges? My god. Sure they wanted more elegance (because Apolo can’t do that?) But…all in all, they liked it. I give up. Scores - 26. Much more normal. THANK YOU.

Now, onto Apolo & Julianne. I hope this lives up to expectations. All in all, this evening hasn’t been so great for me. A disappointing finale. Which is a shame. They bust out the street dance to a (horrible rendition of) Busta Move. And…I hate to say it, but while the technical difficulty is certainly waaaay higher than anything Laila or Joey has done tonight, it wasn’t Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. Wish they all hadn’t abandoned ballroom for funkytown. I still enjoyed it more than the others. The crowd LOVED it. Heartening, for sure. Judges thought it was great. FINALLY. Scores - 30. Deserved.

Joey & Kym close the season with their freestyle. And who’da thunk it? They go for elegance and style. Hunh. Yeah, that lasted about fifteen seconds. I knew that wouldn’t be his style. Still, cute opening. He should rock this as this is NSYNC all the way, baby. And..so far, I have to say, dance of the night. Dammit. Disco and still ballroomy, and despite the music choice (Last Dance, which, appropriate considering they are closing the season) really entertaining and technically very difficult. Makes me glad they scored low the first time and Apolo got his 30 already. I think this was a good season ender! (But who the hell dressed Joey tonight? Stoned Stylist Dude?) Judges - they give it the kudos it well deserved. It will be a 30. Scores? Yep, 30.

So, close final scores, but exactly the way I’d rank it. So, yay for that, at least.
Apolo & Julianne - 58
Joey & Kym - 56
Laila & Maks - 55

One more performance tomorrow night, which the judges apparently get to score. Odd, but, whatever. Like it hasn’t been manipulated all along. Fun night!

Who do you think will win the fabulously cheesy Glitter Mirror Ball Trophy?

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Two, count em, two this week! Dancing With The Stars ends tomorrow (Go Apolo!) and Idol on Wednesday (Go Blake!) But we get a new one starting Thursday with So You Think You Can Dance, so we don’t have to go into full blown withdrawal all at once. Whew! (Now if we could just convince them to reduce that whole audition round thing to like, one week, that would be great.)

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a whole ‘nother piece of info with you guys. A lot of you Blog Babes who have been hanging out in these parts for a while, know I also run the education program at Recollections, a local craft store. Well, still doing that, still loving that, so much so that I’ve also recently become a demonstrator for a private craft company as well. (Because, you know, why waste time sleeping?)

In the craft industry, a number of folks create things for fun and profit and there are a slew of companies out there who won’t let you use their stuff for things you stand to profit on. Those companies who do let you use some of their products for profit are this thing known as the “angel” list. This company I chose to work with has dedicated their entire line to the creative cause for those just having fun, as well as those trying to make a living through their art - hence their name, The Angel Company.

If this fits in with any of you out there who also work in the craft field as a business, or just like to have fun playing with paper and ink, go check them out! They’re fun, cute, priced below market, as well as being a great group of folks to play with.

Here’s my link: www.donnak.ismyangel.net For whatever reason, it won’t let me make this a functional link, but it does exist over there in the right hand column under Cool Links and Back to My Home Page.

Now, for this week’s SHaQ Attack contest…it’s easy and fun. You get to Pick a Hero! Who grabbed your attention, maybe a piece of your heart, or just made you want to drag him off into a nice dark corner for awhile? Send your answers to donna@donnakauffman.com with “I Want…” in the subject line. All you have to do is participate to be eligible. I’ll draw a winner from all entrants on Friday! Winner gets a book of their choice from my website bookshelf. (No, I can’t arrange a free date with any of my recent cover models. More’s the pity!)

Have fun! Happy Monday!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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This week I asked you to name Willa Trask’s hero for the SHaQ Attack contest. A bunch of you got this one right - he is Nick Logan, from my very first book, a Loveswept titled Illegal Motion.

This week’s winning Blog Babe is Kimberly Holt - woo hoo!

Tune in again next week for a new SHaQ Attack contest and Finale MAC Week with Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. And maybe some Premiere MAC on So You Think You Can Dance.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Well. That was…interesting. No, I don’t mean the show itself. That was padded and boring as hell. Simon’s expression at the outset said it all. Why oh why do we need this to drag on an hour. Oh, right. So we can see Eliiot, who I strangely loved WAY more without the shaggy hair and new veneers which just look way too big in his mouth, singing a song that went on forever and sounded like a bunch of other songs I’ve heard a hundred times before, only less catchy. And, if that wasn’t enough, we had to watch the strangely strange Adam Levine and Maroon 5 prove that sound studios exist for a reason. Then. After a rehash of the previous night’s hometown visits (we needed this twice? Really?) finally, we get to the point of the evening.

Which, sadly, is to prove that America has no clue what they’re doing. Except, you know, maybe they do. I almost feel happier for MindyDo for getting the hell out and therefore having more freedom over her career choices now, than I am that Blake actually made the finals, because I really don’t want him to win for his own sake.

I say let the teenager have it, y’all. For her it will be the perfect pop princess fit and then we can never hear from her again, while Melinda quietly goes about racking up Grammy’s and an Oscar or three, and Blake goes on to have a good damn time doing whatever makes him happy. Charismatic, happyjusttobehere sort that he is.

Have to say it would have been a much more interesting final with him versus Melinda in terms of pure entertainment. We all know what Jordin is going to sound like, so it’s just a matter of what Blake does to entertain us that’s left to ponder. And who the backlash of Mindy fans will favor. I say Blake will reap the rewards, which scares me more than thrills me, but Nigel clearly wants Princess Pop to win…and for once, I’d love to see Nigel get the Idol he so deserves. Wait, that was what happened when Taylor won last year. Because, wow, what a career he’s not having right now, you know? So, yeah, let Jordin have his spot. Seriously.

All this leaves me wondering is…when do the new shows start? This reality winter/spring has been somewhat disappointing. All fun and raring to go and enertaining as heck….right up to the end when it suddenly sucks. Let’s hope that trend ends with Dancing the with the Stars, but I’m admittedly concerned. Be afraid, Apolo, be very afraid.

Don’t forget to enter the SHaQ Attack contest this week! Details in Tuesday’s blog. Winner announced in the morning.

Tonight is the Grey’s Anatomy season finale. I wish I was more excited. Note to Shonda: they don’t ALL have to be miserable all the damn time. Find your happy place. Please. Just sayin.

Discuss.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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