Wow, so much MAC, so little of my life left. But I’ll give it my best go.

Starting (and ending) with So You Think You Can Dance, we confirm the news that Jessica has had to bow out, as it turns out, because of broken and fractured ribs. Ouch! Oddly, the audience wasn’t all awwwww over it, but kind of, well, festive. They got even more festive when it was announced that Comfort was returning to compete in her place.

We also find out that they are, indeed, breaking up the pairs tonight. We also find out that they’ll each dance solo, which is great, mostly because the judges no longer have the power to eject, that power rests solely with us. Ameriker! So, I’m glad we get to see everyone’s individual strength as well as their partner work. With new partners! I’m so torn! Both excited and sad.

Lil C is on the judges panel tonight, along with Crazy Mary and Dirty Uncle Nigel, and I’m sure he’s quite happy that he doesn’t have to decide who goes home. I’m interested to hear what he has to say to the performers.

First new pair? Joshua and Courtney. I’m underwhelmed as she’s not my fave, but she’s the right size for him, so we’ll see. And they get hip hop with Dave Scott and I am very, very happy about that. Finally, some Dave choreo! Josh is a very adorable and patient partner and I think Courtney might be a good match for him in terms of enthusiasm. We’ll see! So, I was worried about Josh going first? I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. SO good he got hip hop and he was all kinds of hawt. I think the routine played really well for Courtney, too. I’m happy… Judges? Love Train all the way around. I think Josh’s partnering skills and his sincere appreciation for whoever he’s dancing with really shines. It will be interesting to see what happens when he gets into less familiar dance territory. I hope his partner takes equally good care of him then. Very adorable.

Next up is Kherington and Mark - hmm, interesting! They look kinda cool together. And they get…..Texas Two Step? Never done on the show before and they are feeling realllllllly out of their league when they see it for the first time. Should be fun! So, looks like lots and lots of spins to me and I’m not so sure they’re in sync, but I’m kinda dizzy watching so who knows. I’ll wait for the judges (a hip hop guy, ballroom queen….and Nigel) to tell me what’s what. Yeah. Even more fun. I don’t think it was so good, and the chemistry was tough to call, but it did look real hard, so there was that. Kherington was wearing next to nothing, so we know Dirty Uncle Nigel will love that part. Shockingly, he says nothing about that, and is pretty much dead on about the rest. Kherington is called out for leading too much and having gimpy arms and Mark is praised for managing to lead her anyway.

Next couple is….hunh. Twitch and Comfort. Wow. And they get smooth waltz? Yikes! Now, I think it would have been scarier for him to have Jessica for almost any dance, except maybe this one. Thank GOD we’re voting for individual dancers this week and not couples. Because….yeah. I’d like the guy to stick around. Will be interesting to see if Ameriker wants Comfort to go home or if they’ll keep her around. And so, in rehearsals they are way more Laurel and Hardy than Astaire and Rogers. A shame they can’t do a comedic version of the waltz. That? They’d nail hard. Here we go. And they get a freaking JOURNEY song???? Open Arms? That’s so wrong for these two it ain’t funny on a whole new scale of not funny. Wow. Twitch is much better at pretending than Comfort as it turns out. You know, sometimes I feel she just can’t catch a break. Smooth Waltz? Rilly? But it’s not all that. It’s not even kinda that. Sorry. I would have enjoyed them doing something fun. But this was painful. Judges? I’m loving Lil C and his great combo of nerd voice and whack analogies. He’s entertaining as all hell. All three judges wince, but he’s the kindest and does give constructive criticism, which is appreciated by this viewer. Wow, my man Josh is looking sweeter tonight than ever before!

(Did Cat just say there is another first dance tonight - the pas de duex? Are the producers on crack? Yikes! Like the show and new partners and learning two dances AND a solo isn’t enough? Sure, Bollywood was fanastic, but the two step, not so much. And now ballet? I hope like hell it’s Will who gets it. And maybe Comfort is really happy she only got the damn waltz right now. I’d be!)

On to Couple 4 - Wow, power duo. Will and Katee. I guess we’ll find out now if he’s loved, because they can’t claim weak partner this time. And holy crap, they get a Tyce Broadway routine. Can’t any of these guys catch a break? I was so thrilled with it opened with Dave and it’s been a very steep, seriously bad decline from that point on. Totally sucking the buzz right out of me. At least they could have gotten an Andy routine. But if anyone can make me love a Tyce Broadway routine, it will be these two. Bring it on. I beg you. They get music from Guys n Dolls. Beats the hell out of Journey, so I’m happy. And, it was cute, but I guess I don’t get it on this scale. It doesn’t seem challenging really, to me. Not for dancers of this caliber. An easy one to fake, but they did sell it. I do like them together alot. Judges? Love all around. Deserved.

Final first round pairing has to be - Chelsie and Gev. Ooookay. Can’t wait to see what they get. Wow, they get contemporary with mohawk queen Sonja. Yikes. I’m not a fan of her choreo, but these two did attack it very well. Judges approve.

Round One, for me, went to Josh/Courtney by a long mile. Technically, I suppose it would have to go to Will?Katee, but I can’t say I was even as close to being as entertained by their routine as I was by Dave’s. Tough luck on the draw.

Round two?

Josh/Courtney get the rumba with Jean Mark and France. Yep, this is gonna be the test here. I fear I’m going to wish they’d gotten the Dave routine second. We’ll see! In the piece, Jean Mark choreo’s it for Josh to be her hero. Which - couldn’t be more perfect. I’m feeling better now. And? Here we go. Tight pants are back. Always a plus. I think they were both very sensual, although I will say I don’t think I felt the connection between them I’d have liked to. Josh was better than Courtney at emoting, but they were more into their own moment than each others. Still, I thought it was pretty to watch. Far more so than a lot of other pairings/routines tonight. The crowd totally loses their collective minds. Judges? Much love. Seriously, how freaking adorable is this guy? I love.

Kherington/Mark get jazz with Tyce, and at least I like these better from him. More complex and fun to watch. They get Jamiroquai - yay! And…..so the discoish beat wasn’t getting it for me with the choreo used to it, and it was kinda just okay, felt longish and lacked real energy for me, but I do think they the most they could with it. Judges? Felt the same as me.

Yay, finally Comfort gets a break and I get my happy place back. Comfort and Twitch get a Dave Scott hip hop routine and all is much better in my world. These two had better totally kill this. Mmmmbaby. Here we go. It’s not as innovative as his first routine tonight, but it’s cute. And they do very well. I was hoping for something more on top of it and wild in terms of choreo, but this was fun. Judges - Lil C gives the love. Mary says it was buck.. Ahahahahahahaaha. Nigel adores. It’s all good. And the happy place continues.

And you can’t tell me this wasn’t rigged, because no one else on the show could handle this, but I’m really excited to see what they do with it, so I’m thrilled that it’s Will and Katee with the pas de duex. They get Desmond Richardson, who is like this god in the dance world. Will must have been beside himself to get to work with him. And Dwight Rhoden, a demi god. So, they’re in good hands. I’m expecting more than I thought I would from this. They do it as more modern Alvin Ailey than a traditional ballet, so that explains that part. It looks ridiculously hard. And I can’t wait! Here we go. Well, will is mostly naked again, so I’m already happy. (And they’re dancing to Archie’s version of Imagine! Ha!) It is artistry in motion. I think there was a small fault on a turn, and unfortunately it happened right before a really awkward music break (why did they do that? It really yanked you out of the piece) but in every other way it was stunning. Truly gorgeous. Best of the night, I think. Certainly the most physically demanding by far. Judges - gush as they should. Very, very well routine.

Chelsie/Gev get a jive from Jean Marc and France and when you see them demo it? YIKES! That was awesome. And at warp speed. They get Brian Setzer, which is perfect. Her skirt length, however, is just long enough to be more distracting than sexy. But for all the manic pace of it, there were really great moments, very sharp. I think they did a very respectable job with this and it might just save Gev from being forgotten tonight. Good thing he went last. Judges?

Everyone did solos throughout the evening - quick recap: Chelsie, forgettable. Gev, incredible. Courtney, desperate. Mark, odd/endearing. Comfort, zoning. Twitch, awesome. Katee, elegance. Will, stunning. Kherington, respectable. Josh? Rocking!

I have NO idea who is going home. I think Kherington might be in danger. And, sadly, Comfort, too. For the guys, I think Gev and Mark didn’t stand out quite as well as Twitch/Will/Joshua tonight. But who knows if Will pulled in the voters. I guess we’ll find out tonight. What did you think? What were your faves? What left you cold?

Since this alone is War & Peace MAC, we’ll save the rest for tomorrow. Our Tim and the new Project Runway designers deserver their own spotlight. But I can say that on Big Bro? Yeah, a most satisfying first eviction. Buh bye, Brian. Dead last place, playa. And I use that term reallllllly loosely, dude. In front of a live audience, no less. So justified. And then? Happy Place goes bye bye when Inflatable Jessie wins HOH. And it wasn’t a strength competition. Wow. My excitement for Week 2 just took a major hit.

Fortunately I have Our Tim to distract me. In fact, I think I’ll go get distracted from that train wreck right now! Project Runway MAC and the booted Dancers, right here tomorrow. Tune in. But, in the mean time, DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, I take it all back about Big Bro. I gave it another looksee last night and ahahahahahaahhaa these people can actually play this game. How about that? I mean, one week in, and we already have one of the best blindsides in BB history. It’s like Survivor last year where ever tribal council was fun to watch. I hope they can keep this up. I might actually continue to watch past week 1! Of course, with Our Tim coming back tonight, that’s going to be tough competition!

Okay, so last night Brian (aka Dr Will 2.0) decides that while everybody is being nice and meetin’ and greetin’, he’s going to get a jump start on playing the game. So he forms a pretty solid alliance with Great Grandpa Jerry and two other young guys, one of which is Ollie, who I already like. If he’d left it there, and just built on that and worked that strength, he’d have had a pretty solid start and a good ride through at least half the game, but no. He has to go around making sure everybody knew that he was the Guy With The Alliance in the house who could take care of you if you’d just agree to do him a favor down the line. He was securing waaaaaay too many favors and promises, and, well….it came back to bite him on the butt. But in such a spectacular fashion, I’m still savoring it this morning.

Ollie is assuring a couple of the girls that they are safe that week and will not be put up now that inflatable doll Jessie won the veto and will take himself off the Green Chair Of Death. (Wow, do I not like that guy.) Brian comes in like the grand poohbah and backs up Ollie’s claims, assuring them he has the old man in his pocket and he’s in control of the house, so all they have to do is just bat their eyelashes and do whatever he tells them to do, and their sweet lil’ ol selves are safe, safe, safe. Yeah. That lasted about two seconds after Ollie and Brian departed, and Libra - who has all kinds of love this week - just looks at the door, then at the other women, and pulls a “Who died and made him poobah” look, before explaining to them that Brian is clearly in an alliance with Ollie and Great Gramps, and that it will just be another season of Bros Before Hos, with them giving him their votes until he doesn’t need them, then picking them off one at a time. So, Libra, in all her greatness, confronts Ollie, then orchestrates getting the entire house (8 people out of 13) to corner Gramps in his HOH room and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that they know about his alliance and they want Brian out. HA!

I felt sorry for Jerry, as he had really no choice but to go back on his word to Brian, but I liked that he just put it out there exactly as it went down, when he did, in fact, nominate Brian to on the chopping block. Double HA! The look on Brian’s face was worth the price of admission.

Great episode, and good game play. Nice to see people on their toes right off the bat and not sitting around making friendship rings and googly eyes.

Did anybody watch? How crazy is Renny, anyway? I’m pretty sure making her slog through honey and feathers was about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Also - great POV competition right there. Loved it. Really tough to do, and hilarious to watch. Nice combo, show.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Monday’s post. And tonight we get Project Runway back AND we hear more about Jessica’s apparent exit from So You Think You Can Dance. Finally, Reality Summer TV is back! I’m pathetically and ridiculously happy about that. My day’s end, unwinding relaxation is back. And my day’s end is usually around 1 or 2am, so all the more reason to watch people slog through honey and feathers, I say!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand? DISH!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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I haven’t a freaking clue. Everyone I suspect keeps going home, so clearly I’m not good at this game. But then, that’s why I’m not bungee jumping head first into a ravine like the contestants had to do last night. Yikes. So, lots of Mole-y behavior, but mostly a bunch of people who can’t get the job done, so very little money into the pot and Alex takes a hike home. I will go ahead and go on record as saying that my number suspect is Clay (so, watch out Clay, you’re clearly the next one going home) with my outside chance being Craig. I’d love it if it were Craig. Mostly, I wonder why I am watching this show. It was such a favorite of mine and now? Not so much really.

But! Tomorrow night, not only do we get Dance back, with new partners (late breaking news to come!) but Our Tim is back!! WOO HOO!! Yes folks, Project Runway returns tomorrow and I cannot wait. But first, in the late breaking news department, I read a news story last night that stated that Jessica on So You Think You Can Dance suffered a show-ending injury that will take five weeks to heal, so she’s out and Comfort is back in!! Coy Uncle Nigel wouldn’t say more to reporters, but that’s the word. I guess we’ll hear more tomorrow. And, while I am no fan of anyone being injured, I can’t say I’m disappointed that things worked out as they did in terms of stacking the remaining dancers just the way I like it. This week they all get new partners, so it should be interesting! (And if they just send Comfort home again, which is highly likely, doesn’t that suck for her?) Still….I wish Jessica a speedy recovery and hope that’s the last injury report we get!

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

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Yay, it’s Monday! Yay, there’s more to MAC! Well….sort of.

So, Design Star, Season 3 is proving it ain’t no Season 1 or 2, and not in a good way, y’all. Big Brother went old school and cut out the secret relationship hijinks, but I’m still not sure I’m gonna watch. There were no Evil Dicks, or even just Dicks (yet) and there is a cool 75 year old former Marine and great-grandfather who’s a total hoot, but it might not get me past having to watch a Season of Hooters, if you know what I mean.

Yeah. So, we get Design Star MAC because I’m already invested, even if I should just be committed, but I’m holding off on the other social experiment. Besides, we get The Mole back tonight and….okay, so there’s not a lot of excitement there, either. Thank god Project Runway is on its way! It’s getting slim with So, Oh My God They Can Dance coming closer to an end and not much else to prop us up on.

Okay, we’re down to five designers, three judges, and one host. I like Clive as host, and I’m okay with Martha, Vern and Cynthia as judges. It’s when we get to the actual contestants that things fall apart. I even think they’ve got some really good designers, but it’s like they’ve all gotten hung up in the social dynamic drama and it’s bogged them all down. Plus I think the judges have been touting season 1 and 2 and flinging that in their faces so often its gotten them a little freaked out and second guessing themselves way too much. And, it would be nice to actually see them perform individually more often. Way too many team challenges where it’s all bicker and no shine.

So, last night, we find out we’re losing two designers and we’ve only two more shows to go. Hey! Just in time for Project Runway! So that works. But do the designers? We’ll see. They get the dreaded kitchen remodel challenge, which is dreaded beacause setting counters and cabinets is apparently somewhere in the same realm as sending a man to the moon in terms of logistics, and the time frame never complies with actual work involved and it never gets completed. Our intrepid teams decide that they will be the ones to finally get the kitchen challenge done! However, considering there were ambulances and firetrucks in the preview clips for this week, I’m thinking that might not have happened. Oh….and yeah, it’s another team challenge. Yay.

We’ve got Mikey V and Matt - which is a duel host show I’d watch every day and twice on Sunday, but HGTV and Bravo have yet to call and ask me to be Chief Grand Poobah of Programming. SO their loss. We also have Jennifer and Trish, who I like okay, and Tracee, who I don’t. At all.

Aaaand, the firetruck drama plays out right in the beginning, when policeman Mikey V (I’ll arrest you, then redecorate your kitchen!) and Matt try and get Trish’s ring off her injured finger, then you know that eventually they’re going to call in folks who actually do that for a living before she loses a finger over it.

Clive arrives in all his Brit sarcastic glory and hands them their challenge. (Okay, is it me, or are Mikey V and the much older but still-a-babe Trish totally doing it? Aren’t they totally doing it? I think they’re totally doing it.) Ahem. So, we get teams….(shock!) Actually, we just get one big team. Which is annoying in that, once again, we just get who can’t play well with others drama instead of seeing what these guys can really do with their own vision. We learn nothing from this. I honestly think it’s as much the producers fault that this season hasn’t been as exciting or innovative, as they’ve had a total of one individual challenge in the entire season. Seriously, how are we supposed to know what any of them can really do?

Oh kill me now. Tracee gets the draw as team leader. The underwhelming response from the other designers is downright comical. They also find out that this challenge will bring them from five to the final three, and they’re even more concerned with their leader. Hell, I’d be, too! This proves to be a worthy fear when Tracee can’t run the team or make a final decision to save her life. So….we’ll see how it all turns out, but I don’t think this will be the season to end the Kitchen Curse.

Studly Carter Osterhouse (when is his show on? Yowza!) drops in so they lose more time but I care not as I will ogle Carter as long as he’s on my television screen. (Make note: check HGTV schedule for Carter Can showtimes…) We’re down to the wire and I think the team knows that Tracee is toast, as she should be, but they also will lose another member of the team, and that’s going to be tough as they all have worked hard and, I think, equally well.

Judges? They’re commended on getting done, but find the result boring. (Agreed.) They nail this down to lack of design plan (Tracee….) Vern chastises the group - well, Tracee - for not doing more actual design work. She’s totally going home. Then we get a Carter Commercial. I think I’ll just watch that a few times, then FF to the end and see who gets canned. I am SO totally taping his show. It looks like fun stuff and he is not hard on the eyes, people. Join me in the shallow end of the pool. Bring drinks.

We get the couple’s reaction to their new kitchen. They love it, but wish it had been more colorful. (Agreed.) They wanted a tile back splash (Tracee….) and were rightfully enthused, but not overjoyed. Hmm….who is in trouble? And are the judges sitting there thinking “We have to give an entire series to one of these guys?”

My vote is Matt. Mikey V is good, but he’d be better teamed with someone else. For the win in terms of tv-hostability, I could see Trish (with a makeup/hair makeover) getting the slot, too. (The judges love her.) A shame we didn’t see more of the individual designers work as I think Jennifer is actually the only one with a really distinct point of view in terms of design with all of her whimsy, but we never get a chance to see that as she’s always just a workhorse for a team effort. The judges did really like her hosting spot, so that was heartening. Which means….pretty much anyone but Tracee is what I’m sayin.

Who goes home? To the surprise of no one, Tracee gets the quick cut. And she completely falls apart on her exit. Did you really not see this coming? The next cut is really tough. I like all four of them. The judges say that the lack of actual design work this week leaves them to judge solely on their hosting ability. Yowch. It’s going to be one of the guys, I think. Awww. We’re gonna lose Mikey? It better not be Matt! I’ve always thought he did better than they seem to see. Aaaand? It’s Mikey V. Awww. No more arm ogling! Wah! (Like I said, shallow end of pool, next to me.)

On to this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Send me an email with “it’s MY turn!” in the subject line to donna@donnakauffman.com. Winner chosen on Friday and will win a free book from my website bookshelf. (New website relaunch is about two weeks and counting! WOO HOO! I’m having a Very Special SHAQ Contest that week - stay tuned!)

So…have I got you watching Design Star yet? Come on, you two can talk about drywall, floor plans,and backsplashes like a pro! Not to mention ogle Carter’s commercials. Just sayin.

And? DISH of course!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, on the results show, to the surprise of no one in the universe or beyond, Comfort and Thayne are sent packing. There were six couples left, so half of them were in the bottom. The other two couples were Jessica and Will (no surprise due to Jessica) and Kherington and Twitch (due to their weak tango, I think, and Courtney/Gev’s strong performances and the Bollywood show ender for Katee/Joshua.) Jessica was definitely in danger also for the girls, and I wondered if they’d find a way to lose her so they could keep Comfort for the tour, but they did what they knew they had to do. (And Comfort and Thayne both will be tour alternates, so no big loss there, either.)

Next week, I think, could be brutal. We’ve got all great guys and so-so girls, so it would be great if we could just start knocking them off by overall vote and not by gender. We’re going to lose Will, Gev, Joshua, Twitch, or Mark. Tough call. On the girls side, not so much. We could (and will) lose Jessica or Kherington and it would be no major loss, and I feel the same about Courtney. So…. ugh.

On another note, the Alvin Ailey guys who performed? WOW. Best guest performance ever. That was crazy. And I totally agree with Nigel (augh!) that Will would fit right in with them. That was stupendous human art right there. (Both the Ailey guys and Will.) Cool that Debbie Allen was in the audience to watch him.

So, next week it’s new partners for everyone. I cannot wait! My prediction on Guys In Trouble? Might be Joshua! Let’s pray he gets a routine that plays to his strengths, as I think he is the technically weak guy dancer left. Oh no! Not Our Baby Face! But Twitch’s solo last night was truly masterful, so he ain’t going anywhere. I don’t even want to imagine the bottom couples next week!

So, what did you all think?

One last plug for the booksigning tomorrow at Turn The Page - if you can’t be there, you can have fun at the “virtual signing” - I’d love to see any/all of the Blog Babe Brigade!

Now for the winner of the advance copy of my upcoming release (July 30! Or…tomorrow at the signing!) The Black Sheep & The English Rose. The SHaQ Attack contest winner is? Jordan! Woo hoo!! Congrats Jordan.

Tune in next week for all kinds of new MAC and have a great weekend!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »

So, I loved last night’s So You Think You Can Dance episode. I thought it was really dynamic. However, a show of hands on who we know is heading home tonight? Yeah, buh bye Comfort and Thayne, huh? They were the only pair singled out and critiqued for both of their dances last night.

I thought the judging was done pretty well, all things considered. They aren’t going easy on them, that’s for sure, but they are offering constructive critiques and giving thorough, if unflinching, opinions. Earth Mother Mia is always interesting as a judge because she totally, unapologetically plays favorites, but is also equally open-minded to rethinking her stance on a dancer. I find I look forward to her critiques the most.

We had an interesting array of dances covered tonight, from krump to Bollywood. Yes, it’s a dance style now. I was kind of cringing and feeling sorry for the pair that got it, but it ended up being the performance that closed the show and it was really outstanding and boundary expanding. I loved it.

We had a lot of our regular choreographers, plus, obviously, the new one for the Bollywood routine, but my fave moment of the night was the return of Pasha and Anya !!!!! who choreo’d a smashing cha cha cha that I loved. And, more stunning, Tyce choreo’d two routines that wowed the audience. (More on my opinion later…) Actually, I loved more routines than I didn’t, and I felt the routines they performed very much exposed the dancers who aren’t pulling their weight or growing quickly enough to keep up, but at the same time, truly giving them that chance to prove their growth. And they either wonderfully did, or they glaringly didn’t. I probably enjoyed this show the most so far.

There are six pairs left, and this is sadly the last time they’ll definitely dance with their partners, so it was kind of sad for me, thinking how hard it must be for them, knowing this was (potentially) it. If any of them make it near the end, they’ll get paired again, but no guarantees from this point. Next week, new pairs for all. I’m both sad and ridiculously excited to see what happens, all at the same time.

Okay, so here’s how it all broke down:

Courtney/Gev - got Pasha and Anya smokin hot cha cha cha and a really fun Mandy Moore contemporary . And they knocked it out of the park on both performances tonight. I still don’t connect with Courtney (neither did Mia, so I feel better now) she’s still too half-time-dancer girl and uses her “dork” grin very manipulatively, so it bugs. But they were both very, very good tonight and had great, fun routines to dance.

Comfort/Thayne - hip hop from Tabitha/Napoleon (aka NappyTabs) and contemporary by Mandy Moore. I thought their hip hop was fun, and the judges were pro/con on their assessment. Mia gushed over Thayne, and I truly wish he’d started with stronger partners. I still think Matt was robbed that way. But their contemp did leave me completely cold. So, yeah, they’re bottom three and I don’t see how they’re not the ones to leave tonight.

Kherington/Twitch - they had Lil C’s krump, and Mark’s smooth tango. Their krump was absolutely explosive, Twitch at his best by far this season. I loved it. My personal fave of the night. It was so tightly worked with the music and the lighting, just wow. The judges panned their tango, saying they weren’t connecting to it, but I thought it was fun. No, it wasn’t brilliant, but I was surprised by how harsh the judges were.

Mark/Chelsie - they got the hot Alex de Silva samba and a Tyce jazz routine. I loved them both in a big way. And wow, did Chelsie look amazing in that cha cha number she was hardly wearing. She’s only 5′2″ but her legs looked 6″ long. They are the most consistent couple for me. The judges were mostly gushy and what little critiques they gave were strictly constructive, mostly to Mark. I know Courtney/Gev have equally strong performance talent, but with my lack of connection to Courtney, it’s these two who really bring it consistently for me. Loved both dances. Yes. I loved a Tyce routine. I’m pretty sure the apocalypse will begin momentarily.

Jessica/Will got Tyce’s contemporary routine and the dreaded quickstep. Now, while I do get the profoundness of how Tyce created his routine, for me, the music was too dead and gappy (I know, but hey, Mia fell asleep the first time he played it for her…) and while, yes, Jessica committed herself to this far more strongly than she has in the past, I saw lots of little stutter steps on landing and just lack of smooth power and glide, so that whole body flow art thing wasn’t there for me the way it clearly was for all the judges. Your Mileage May Vary. But I did think Jessica stepped up. Then she failed horribly, and I mean horribly, in the quickstep. That was just a hot mess for me. I think she deserves bottom 3, and I think Will can’t wait until next week to get a new partner. Neither can I, Will, neither can I!

Joshua/Katee - got Waltz and Bollywood. The first routine really showed Josh’s lack of training. He is much better at the “heavier” dances than the light ballroom ones. I do like him, but his lack of training was very evident on that dance. His great partnering skills and chemistry with Katee saved him here. But they rocked out that Bollywood routine. My second fave of the night, if not tied with the krump. Loved it in a big way. Much fun there. Katee, as always, was amazing all around. And I like her a lot, so double bonus there.

I think all the couples were clearly really trying to bring it this week, partly probably because it’s a tough competition this year and we’re weeding out all the weak links. But also, I think, because they all knew this was their last hurrah as a pair. So it was with mixed emotions that I watched. But I was really entertained. My top three performances of the night were Twitchington’s krump, Josh/Katee’s Bollywood, and Mark/Chelsie’s cha cha cha.

Bottom three is tough this week. Performance wise, it was both of Comfort/Thayne’s dances, followed, probably by Josh/Katee’s waltz. But since clearly it’s Comfort and Thayne leaving, I don’t know that it matters who else lands in the bottom this week. Will/Jessica might on the weakness of Jessica. But the other slot is up for grabs. If the world feels as I do about Courtney, they could be there, even though they danced really well. Gev and Will won’t be in danger, and I don’t think they can save Comfort again, even over Jessica. Although Nigel might fight to keep Comfort one more week so she’s on the Top Ten tour, as I think she’ll have better stage presence and draw than Jessica could ever hope to have. So there is that.

Will be interesting to see who Ameriker voted for…and who they didn’t.

What did you think? Come on, DISH already!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Well, so, okay, the party is actually Saturday, but I wanted to share the love, share the joy. This Saturday I will be signing copies of my not-yet-released latest, The Black Sheep & The English Rose, at Turn The Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland as part of their big 13th anniversary booksigning bash. And it’s quite the party, blog babes!

This year, attending authors are Diana Peterfreund, Jeanne Adams, Catherine Asaro, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, and Moi. Nora will be signing copies of her new hardcover, Tribute, which I got advance peek at and it was one of my all time favorites of hers. Very old school, comfort read, in the vein of Montana Sky and Carnal Innocence. Loved it. She’ll also be signing her latest JD Robb release as well.

The signing runs from 1 until 3, but the party atmosphere in the small burg of Boonsboro goes on all day as this annual event is also the national gathering for the “Nora-holics” who have a huge reunion, and do some wonderful fundraising for charity as well. So come on out and join us. If you dare.

If you’d love to join the fun and get some signed books, but can’t make the hike out, then you can still enjoy the signing (although you’ll have to miss the frozen custard at The Creamery around the corner) by going to the virtual signing online at Turn The Page’s website. There, you can order any book being signed by the attending authors, we’ll sign them for you during the event, and they will be shipped out to you afterward. Not exactly the same as being there, but while we’re all working off the pizza we consumed at Nora’s son’s restaurant, and the frozen custard (they have dreamsicle, seriously evil) you can be all smug and just relax and read the goodies that came in the mail.

In the meantime, tune in tomorrow for some Dance MAC, and don’t forget to enter this week’s contest! Details in Monday’s post.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had an adventurous, fun, and safe holiday.

It’s time for a new SHaQ Attack contest. And…I thought I’d giveaway another advance copy of my upcoming release, The Black Sheep & The English Rose. Woo hoo! Just send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “seriously, pick me this time!” in the subject line, and I’ll announce a winner on Friday.

So…no Mole tonight. We have to wait until next week for more of that train wreck. But a friend of mine got me watching Design Star on HGTV and I’m kinda loving it. It’s sort of Project Runway/Top Chef-ish, only it’s all about interior design instead. (I’m a total sucker for before/after shots!) The cool thing is the prize on this show - the winner gets his own HGTV television show. I know! That’s kind of awesome. This is season three and the winners of the first two season’s shows are still going strong. Now that’s a life changing prize! So, in lieu of Mole MAC, you’re gonna get some Design Star MAC. (You can catch up on the episodes online at hgtv.com….and they have the first two seasons there, too. Not that I would know this from personally sucking down every single episode or anything….but, uh, the Season 1 winner is a cutie. Just sayin. And, seriously, you haven’t experienced reality tv properly until you’ve met Sparkle Josh.)

SO…this week on Design Star, we’re down to six designers, of which actually still like more than half. So right there this is record setting in reality tv land. In fact, only Tracee has earned any real angst from me. Stephanie is too Malibu Barbie Dollhouse Designer for me to want to win, but I don’t dislike her. Which leaves Trish, Matt, Mikey V, and Jennifer. All of whom have proven themselves pretty well. I could see any of them hosting their own show, but my fave is Matt, followed by Mikey V, for the win.

The show is based in Nashville this season and this week the designers are split into two teams and each team gets a suite in the Opryland Hotel to redesign. The twist is that the winning suite will be the “Sara Evans Suite” so they have to use her as their inspiration. (You might remember her from Dancing With The Stars….she was the one who withdrew during what ended up being a very public, very ugly divorce. Oh yeah, and she happens to be a multi-platinum recording artist. But who follows that?)

So, they meet with the singer in her Nashville home and learn about her personal design style (shabby chic, which she says a million times) and then head off to start their planning, buying, and designing. I think they have something like 48 hours of actual design time, spread over three days.

In the end, both go with a pale green room with butter yellow accents, but the Tracee-Mikey V-Trish room wins hands down over (my fave team) Matt-Stephanie-Jennifer, who, despite careful measuring, got caught up short when their purchased couch wouldn’t fit into the room. I liked both rooms, but agree with the winning selection (though I wasn’t really keen on either bedroom. Team 1’s living area was by far the best though.) So, the winning team gets to have their suite in the hotel, as designed by them - pretty cool. Losing team is about to lose a member. I had already been waving my hand to send Malibu Barbie Doll House designer home, and, in the end….the judges agree and Stephanie makes her tearful exit.

Oh, and in addition to the actual design skills, each contestant has to show their on-camera hosting skills. We didn’t get to see much of their hosting clips this go around, but while I understand the judges enthusiasm for Trish, both in design and hosting, I thought Matt was by far the most at-ease and natural sounding. I was surprised when he wasn’t singled out.

Next week, we’re down to five and….it’s another team effort? Really, show? Because, at some point, we need to see these folks design on their own. So far they’ve only had to do that once, by my recollection. It’s not Design Team Star. Oh, and Clive, the host, is growing on me. Not close to Phil-potential yet, much less Our Tim, but he’s entertaining anyway.

The down side of this show? I’ve never tuned in to HGTV before (HG = Home & Garden, btw.) And while watching this show, you see commercials for all these other cool shows. My DVR might actually get a summer workout! So, go check it out so I’m not the only one lamenting wall paint shade selection and did they really think that lamp worked there? Seriously.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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No surprises on last night’s So You Think You Can Dance. Yessirree. Uncle Nigel is every bit as much the pompous ass we always knew him to be. But I think he really sunk to new lows when he badgered, insulted and essentially sniffed and dismissed Robert Muraine, who, if I’m not mistaken, was an invited GUEST. Wow. And even if the rumors of that little round about being a scripted way of setting up the play off between Robert and Phillip Chbeeb on the finale are true….tell your writers to be more creative. Because that exchange? Sucked all the way around. Wow squared.

Not really any other surprises. The opening Broadway routine? Worst opener of the season thus far and clearly not an Andy Creation, so I knew Tyce was back. Yawn. Thanks for the Andy Tease. It makes it twice as hard to stomach Tyce’s routines. And they were already nauseating.

Bottom three, also predictable. Kourtni/Matt, Comfort/Thayne, and Courtney/Gev (sparing Will/Jessica…I think Nasty Nigel got her the sympathy vote.) Now, I sincerely think Matt would have had a completely different journey on this show had he been paired with almost anyone but Kourt, but given her height, he was really the only partner, except possibly Twitch, who could handle her. And, I’m selfishly thankful she didn’t get Twitch, despite my endearment towards Matt. So…I knew he was a goner. A shame really. I’d have sent Thayne packing. Only Gev really brought it during the solo for the guys. On the girls side, I didn’t think any of the solos were particularly inspired. Courtney was almost manic, Kourtni was already on the bus home, and Comfort did her thing but was upstaged by a very dynamic Gev. Of those three, I think Kourtni was abolutely the right vote. But, if it was me, I’d send the other Courtney home before Comfort. I just enjoy watching Comfort more.

Next week’s predictions? Thayne/Comfort will stay in the bottom. Will/Jess will be there, and so will Court/Gev. Of those six, it’s Thayne, Jess, and Court who are dragging their partners down with them. Once we get past next week, the partners will shift…and then it will get reallllllly interesting. And scary. Hopefully in a good way.

Love Cat Deeley. Saw an interview with her and the love only grows.

On to this week’s SHaQ Attack contest winner…..all ya had to do was drop an email this week for a chance to win an advance copy of my upcoming August release, The Black Sheep & The English Rose. And this week’s winning Blog Babe is? Renee!! Woo hoo! Congratulations.

So…only another week or so until we get both another Big Brother AND……..woo hoo!!!….Our Tim when Project Runway returns. Cannot wait for the latter. Reserve judgment on the former. I read an article yesterday with an interview with the Big Bro producer and she says they’re going old school this season and returning to some of the elements they had in the early seasons of BB. (This is number TEN for those keeping count. How did it last that long? Seriously.) So, according to Ms Grodner (I did not make that up) they will have a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and people with very definite and disparate points of view. Which I read as: house full of opinionated assholes. But….that could just be me. Your mileage may vary. She also said the design of the house this year will be based on this season’s occupants. Ooookay. I’m afraid to ask what that means. And? They’re bringing back the live audience during eviction night. That part I might enjoy. So…yeah, yeah, I’m totall going to watch the opening night train wreck. I always am a sucker for that. But we’ll see if I make it to week two. That hasn’t happened in a long while.

Fortunately I’ll have Our Tim to keep me company, so it won’t be much of a loss. Of course, infomercials would make smarter counter-programming, so that’s not saying as much as I’d like it to.

What did you think of Nigel’s “stunt” last night? And Cat’s Egyptian necklace? And did you see how high those heels were? Yikes. Who do you want to see go next? Who would you love to see paired up? For me…Will and Chelsie Hightower might be interesting, but Will and Katee would be awesome. Not sure who I’d give to Joshua…. I wish the women had been as well selected this year as the guys. They definitely need fewer contemporary dancers next season, of both genders, but I’ve been enjoying the fun of the street dancers this year.

Happy 4th everyone! Aaaaaaaand? DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So….Do You Think You Can Dance? These guys do. And can. Oh my…super cute dress, fun hair….and yet, not a good look for our Cat as the hour wears on. At least Mary isn’t channeling Crackwhore Wilma tonight. And hi, Tabitha/Napoleon!

7 couples are left, 2 hours of programming…so lets make them dance twice. Before I get to the good stuff, I have to say, the judges really handed it to them tonight, were quite critical, though, while tough, even harsh and very, very pointed at times, it was generally quite constructive and clearly meant as guidance. Still. Ouch, guys. Maybe you shouldn’t make them learn two whole routines and whatever is being thrown at them as the opening number tomorrow night. I think this is the earliest we’ve gone to two dances. It was clearly a lot for the couples, but I, for one, thought they really stepped up to the plate. However, the expectations are high, which is clear in the very advanced levels of choreo being pushed at them this year. Yikes!

The couple I most anticipate? Easily Joshua and Katee. Hands down. Second most anticipated? Not because they’re the best, but because I just like them…Twitch and Kherington. My top three rounds out with Chelsie and Mark. I can’t say I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for them as I seem to be with the other two, but I thoroughly enjoy watching them and I think Mark has become this amazing chameleon who fascinates me.

Individual dancers I love to watch? Will, most definitely. And, perhaps not as popular an opinion, Matt. I think that Jessica and Kourtni, respectively, really do hold their partners back. It’s more clear with Will than Matt, as Matt gets jumped on by the judges and Will gets tongue baths every week. (Of course this week, with a shirtless Will, I think a tongue bath…well, we won’t get into details, now will we….)

Other observations… I thought Thayne and Comfort did a good job together, but the overall click factor can’t compete with the top three above. They’re good, they’re fun, I like them…but they won’t last long. Same, really, for Courtney/Gev. Like them, they’re fun, but they don’t pull me in. I am enjoying Gev’s learning journey as a dancer, but beyond that…..I’m just meh on them together.

We had several new choreographers tonight - Andy, the Broadway god? Yeah, keep him. Buh bye, Tyce!!! Can’t really say the same for the hip hop sisters (who have choreo’d before for the show…not feelin their routines tonight.) The new ballroom guy was good, but I like our ballroom guys, so not really invested there. However, Earth Mama Mia? Dang. Those were some seriously powerful performances tonight. I was blown away and felt them both, quite keenly. Beautiful. Joshua’s reaction to what it felt like to perform such a powerful piece said it all for me. He was affected by that for quite some time. Almost as moving as the piece itself. And Katee…I’m also glad she ended up making the cut. Those two together are dynamite.

Minor peeve…it’s hard watching them literally throw themselves into a routine you know was almost impossible to pull off, then stand there and be stoic while getting seriously hammered by the judges, well meaning or not, that’s incredibly tough, magnified further by exhaustion and, oh yeah, being on television, live, in front of millions. Major kudos for how well they all held up. So it’s hard, through that whole emotional development, for the pair to suddenly be forced to mimic and mime and generally beg for votes as the phone numbers are read off. It just seems so forced, which…it is. I really hate that part. Just let them take their lumps or praise, absorb it, bow to the audience…..and LEAVE. With some dignity.

Okay….dances/thoughts:

Will/Jessica - love him, really want her to leave. They got the jive and Mandy Moore contemporary. I thought they did better on dance two, as did the judges, and yeah, Will can just leave the shirt off 24/7. I’m totally good with that. But, even though Jessica has her moments, I don’t feel any connection with them. I did feel a tiny bit bad with all the slamming she got from the judges regarding her partnering Will….except they’re right. Nigel mentioning they were fighting during the week didn’t surprise me one bit. Jessica seems a bit Malibu Barbie Brained to me, and Will a far more serious dancer. Barbie Must Go. Won’t happen this week, but hopefully soon.

Comfort/Thayne - Broadway with Andy, and Waltz with new ballroom guy (who looks like Will Ferrell’s dad with a bad top perm.) I enjoy them, so I enjoyed watching them in both routines, but are they going to emerge as frontrunners? Sadly…no. Definitely not partnered with each other they won’t. A shame, because I feel much love. But they’re not gonna win and are bottom three picks for me this week.

Kourtni/Matt - smooth hip hop from the sisters and Alex’s mambo. Not feeling the first one, though I enjoyed Matt’s performance, and the second one was kind of trainwrecky for me. I’d love to see him with a new partner. I like Kourtni and want her to do well, but she’s not measuring up. Not only are these guys bottom three, but I very much fear they’re both outta here, which is a shame. I’d actually send Thayne home over Matt, but doubt the judges will see it that way given how hard they are on the guy.

Chelsie/Mark - jazz and foxtrot. Loved them both and just enjoy watching these guys a great deal. I’ve especially loved watching Mark evolve and the spotlights they’ve given him in the results night opening performance have been repeat watches for me. Easy Top Three, these two.

Twitch/Kherington - paso doble with Mark/Melanie. I thought this was all kinds of dynamite. Sure, it might have helped that Twitch and his very nicely defined six pack was on display. Dang, y’all. Man is built. But I really enjoyed the drama of it. Was completely blown away by his performance, and hers as well, in the Mia contemporary routine they ended with. Wow.

That was topped only by the Mia routine for Joshua/Katee. My fave of the night, hands down. She’s amazing and these two are my picks to win. If both of them could win, they should, and while there isn’t a single other couple I’m not excited to see dance with others, I cannot say that about these two. I’m going to hate it when they’re forced to dance with others. Hate. Second routine was a Benji west coast swing, and it was hard and complicated and they did a fun job with it, but it couldn’t hold up to that first one. Wow.

Courtney/Gev got hip hop and Andy Broadway. I wasn’t a big fan of either, to be honest, but they did a good job with both. I just feel they’re more serviceable in their dancing then show stopping. Good, better then some, but not breaking into the top three for me. Not yet anyway.

So….there you have it. Going home, unfortunately I think it’s the end for Matt and Kourtni, which is only half right. Other bottom dwellers will probably be Thayne/Comfort and, thanks to Jessica, probably her and Will. I guess we can’t send two girls home, though that would be my pick this week. Courtney/ Gev could be the surprise bottom dwellers this week. But it will be Kourt/Matt. Sigh.

What did you think? Who did you love? Who do you want to see gone? Who do you want to see paired up? DISH!

And don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Monday’s post. Winner announced tomorrow.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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