First off, as I said on Twitter last night, I think that since Season 10 of DWTS, when we had Evan Lysacek and Nicole Scherzinger and Erin Andrews 'battling' it out for the Mirror Ball Trophy, the producers have been demanding more and more and more of their celebrities, leading to injuries all over the place. Currently, we have Danica's fractured rib, Meryl's broken toe and something with her wrist, Amy's spasming back and Candace's crippling performance anxiety. If I'm not mistaken, James had a shoulder issue earlier this season. The only one who seems to have escaped unscathed so far is Charlie - but then he had to shave his chest (SHAME! SHAME!). These people are not professional dancers, why do they need to be pushed so hard to perform more and more difficult stuff and end up hurting themselves? Good TV? I don't enjoy it. And while I do know that my opinion is not the only one that counts, surely I can't be alone in this?
Then there's the ongoing "Why is Charlie getting hosed" discussion. Well... I don't think he's getting hosed, folks. At the beginning of the season, there was talk about how both Charlie and Meryl were going to have to make the transition from ice to wood - and this is after 17 years of 'dancing' on ice. At first, it looked as if Charlie was the one adapting more quickly than Meryl, but right now, I think he's hit that last stumbling block to get over so that moving on the dance floor becomes almost as second nature as moving on the ice. Last night, he looked to me like he was still expecting his feet to slide as they do on ice and was a little surprised when they didn't. Meryl seems to have overcome that last hurdle. Is it easier for her because she's the female? Possibly. All that hold, leading and stuff might make things easier for the lady of the couple.
And has anyone noticed that many of the things coming out of Sharna's mouth sound rather familiar? I know the Maks fans will find them so. And I don't say they're not warranted. I love Sharna. She has become my favourite of the ladies now that Anna isn't around. I love her honesty, her brashness, her outspokenness... many of the same things I like about Maks, BTW. But sometimes Maks has been known to hyperbolize where his partner was concerned, I think that Sharna might be as well. And that's FINE!! It's how they should be supporting their partner, shoring up confidence, letting their partner know that they have their back. So, what does Sharna have to do? Get Charlie out of his technical head for one thing. Maks has been able to get emotion out of Meryl (something I thought no one would ever be able to do after watching her skate) but Sharna hasn't been able to get the same out of Charlie. Charlie also has to stop focusing on the darned 10s. He wants them way too badly. It's blocking him from accessing his emotions, I think, and it makes him sound whiney. When it comes down to it, right now, Meryl has made the transition from ice to wood and is the better dancer of the two. That doesn't mean that Charlie is BAD by any means, he's just not as complete, IMHO. And I also think that Charlie is STELLAR in a rom-com type of dance, but the intense stuff? Not so much. Again, it's the emotion thing. Donald O'Connor instead of Gene Kelly in "Singing in the Rain", y'know?
(So now, the skeptic in me says, that the script will now focus on Charlie rising from the latest ashes as has been predetermined from Day One, but I am trying to quell it. *LOL*)
Now, I don't know what magic Meryl has woven to gift us with this Maks. I have long suspected that this is what lurked behind much of what we saw on DWTS over the years, when he's not shoehorned into playing Mr. Crankyass. I just hope that TPTB aren't grooming Sharna for that role in the future.
And while I'm at it. Damn, Bruno... coming on to James like he did last night. Dirty Old Man much??? Just let a 58-year old man come on to a 23 year old young woman like he did and everyone would be horrified. And rightly so. This was equally as distasteful. Every season he's got to step over that line at least once. *sigh*
And let it be noted that I am not a fan of these big production numbers for the couple dances. Even all the crowdede mucking about at the beginnings. I'm starting to sound like Len now. *LOL* It makes my DWTS look like my SYTYCD and I don't want, need or appreciate that. And it's funny... I've agreed with Len pretty much all along so far with his comments and scores. Sometimes it's like he's the lone sane voice crying out in the wilderness. *g* (And that scares the bejeesus out of me!) Oh, and let's not forget, Len was the one that gave Charlie the 10 in Disney Week despite the wandering cane.
Look, I'm no expert, but I know what I enjoy and one does not need to be an expert to 'feel' a dance.
Now, come on, aren't these two adorable?? :)
