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10月31日

Strictly series six week seven preview

This is going to be a great weekend for Strictly Come Dancing.

It's week seven.

We have 10 couples left.

All the weakest dancers have been eliminated (with the exception of John Sergeant and he's such good fun you wouldn't want him to go just yet, would you?).

All 10 couples are performing a different dance.

What a weekend of variety awaits us – music, outfits, routines. Marvellous.

Who’s doing which dance?

Celeb Dance
Austin Healey Quickstep
Tom Chambers Paso doble
Cherie Lunghi Salsa
Andrew Castle Samba
Heather Small Cha cha cha
Jodie Kidd Waltz
John Sergeant Foxtrot
Christine Bleakley American Smooth
Rachel Stevens Jive
Lisa Snowdon Tango

Show times
Saturday November 1 6:05pm – 7:30pm BBC One (note the earlier start time).

The results show is on Sunday November 2 8:15pm – 9pm BBC One (note the later time this week). The two couples with the lowest combined judges' score and viewer votes must perform again in the dance-off, and only one will be saved by the judges.

The Odds
Here are the odds at the time of writing from the William Hill website.

Week seven elimination:

Andrew Castle 13/8
Heather Small 2/1
John Sergeant 4/1
Jodie Kidd 6/1
Lisa Snowdon 14/1
Christine Bleakley 16/1
Rachel Stevens 66/1
Cherie Lunghi 66/1
Tom Chambers 80/1
Austin Healey 80/1

The (always totally accurate) prediction
I was totally wrong again last week, by the way.

Will Andrew Castle be under siege? Will Heather get a Small score from the judges? Is John Sergeant’s major backing from the public going to run out? Will the judges look Bleakley on Christine’s performance?

It’s yes to all the above which makes it too close to call.

But call it I shall.

It’s cheerio Andrew Castle this weekend.

John’s got one more week of public support. He’ll be out next week in the week eight show.

(as usual, my prediction does not constitute regulated financial advice so don’t blow your pay packet down the bookies on my account!)

One more thing: Austin will get highest score of the series so far.

Our coverage
I’ll post the scores on Saturday night as soon as the show is over.

Do leave your views on the night’s performances and I’ll be back later with a full review followed by the Sunday evening eviction as soon as it happens.

Who do you think will do well on Saturday? And who is going to leave the show? Click the Add a Comment link below to share your views.

10月30日

Strictly It Takes Two review Wednesday Oct 29

OK, so Winkleman has dropped the Halloween outfit ploy (see yesterday’s review) but give her credit, she is keeping the pace of the show high and the tone as irreverent as it is serious.

Judge Craig and Lilia gave some useful insights on the more technical aspects of this week’s training footage. Each couple is doing a different dance this week. I’ll give you the full list tomorrow in my weekend preview but for now let’s just say Austin and Erin’s quickstep looks rather outstanding.

Jodie and Ian were shiny, happy people on the couch.

Head judge Len answered some more viewer questions.

And that was it.

I think it’s going to be a cracker of a show on Saturday.

10月29日

Strictly It Takes Two review Monday Oct 27 and Tuesday Oct 28

For nine months of the year we have no Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two.

So let's not take it for granted. Enjoy every show, while they last.

Here's a summary of the past two days:

Evictees Mark Foster and Hayley Holt turned up and took their exit gracefully.

Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup had a roller-coaster of a week with Tom's wedding and what not. Tom was delighted with the judges' scores, Camilla warned him she never wanted to hear comments from Len about Tom's footwork ever again.

She's serious, isn't she? She's so desperate to win, she was so disappointed not to have made the final with Gethin Jones last year and she knows that with Tom she has perhaps the best shot at the glitterball she's ever had.

Judge Craig and head judge Len argued a bit.

Heather Small and Brian Fortuna sat even closer together on the sofa. They're forming a proper dance partnership now. Brian went to one of Heather's gigs and saw how she prepared - basically she sits on her own for two hours - so he decided she should do the same preparation before a Strictly show. Makes sense. Wonder why they didn't think of that before?

Andrew Castle and Ola Jordan were pleased with their performance but not overly perturbed to be in the dance-off, I thought. Short of losing his nerve, Andrew was always going to win against Mark.

Anton and Flavia gave less insight into choreography this time than they did previously. Ultimately, they are hardly going to say a fellow professional who appears on the same show as them did a rubbish routine so their views on what were some pretty average paso dobles didn't give us much food for thought.

They, however, did do a nice demo of a Viennese waltz fleckerl.

Comedian Will Smith popped in along with Jo Caulfield to provide some amusing light relief.

Blogger's wife reckons Winkleman's outfits and make-up are moving day-by-day towards a total Halloween ensemble. Based on the garb Claudia had on yesterday it's hard to disagree with that view. We'll see if the trend continues this evening.

Keeeeeeeeep watching.

10月28日

Strictly series six week six Tess Daly hair update

Doesn’t it come around quickly? Yes, it’s time to review the hairstyles sported by The Tess Daly (everyone’s favourite newspaper) on Strictly Come Dancing 2008 week six.

I thought she looked particularly glam this week and blogger’s wife liked her Sunday show dress.

Not a great difference between the hairstyles of the Saturday and Sunday shows (the latter is recorded later on Saturday night), just a bit of a refresh and touch-up.

Saturday October 25:

Tess Daly hair Saturday October 25

Sunday October 26:

Tess Daly hair Sunday October 26

Marvellous, as Brucie would say.

OK, that concludes this week’s Tess Daly hair update.

10月26日

Strictly series six week six Mark Foster is out

Swimmer Mark Foster and his dance partner Hayley Holt were voted out of Strictly Come Dancing series six on the week six results show.

Mark_Foster

After the viewers' votes were counted and added to the judges' scores from Saturday, Mark and Hayley were one of the couples in the bottom two.

They had scored 16 with the judges on Saturday's show after a poor paso doble.

The dance-off
The other couple in the bottom two was Andrew Castle and his dance partner Ola Jordan. They had scored 24 points with the judges after what most sane people would have recognised as a vastly improved performance in the Viennese waltz. Somehow the voting viewers didn’t see it that way. 

And so the two couples performed their routines in the dance-off and the judges then had to vote for the couple they wanted to save.

Here is how the voting went:

Judge Craig: Andrew and Ola
Judge Arlene: Andrew and Ola
Judge Bruno: Andrew and Ola
Head judge Len (his vote wasn't needed): Andrew and Ola

What do you think?
Was this the right decision?

Have your say now by clicking the Add a Comment link below. As ever, I'd love to know what you think.

10月25日

Strictly series six week six: judges’ comments and scores

An enjoyable week six on Strictly Come Dancing 2008 with the celebs dancing either a Viennese waltz or a paso doble.

The leader board
Austin Healey has returned to the top of the leader board with 34. Mark Foster ended up bottom with 16.

Here is our review of Saturday night including, as usual, a summary of the judges’ comments, our view, blogger’s wife’s view and Brucie’s enthusiastic comments as each performance ends.

We also note which couple Brucie picked out as his favourites (user David has requested this latter service, we are happy to oblige).

Judges’ scores are noted in the order they are given in the show: Craig, Arlene, Len, Bruno.

Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole – paso doble
Brucie: How about it? Well done you two. What a wonderful start.

Our view: Fine. Didn’t wow me but you already know I don’t like the paso done to modern rock music.

Blogger’s wife: First routine of theirs that I’ve actually enjoyed. Did they run out of material for her dress?

Head judge Len Goodman: You coped with this choreography very, very well. It had a bit of drama but you do lose the neck line a bit.

Judge Bruno Tonioli: High fashion tries to do high drama. All the work was in the face but you were not able to extend it to full impact.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood: A little bit hunched in the spins but a wonderful routine.

Judge Arlene Phillips: You do have the drama but you do need to open your spine. Work on it because you’re going to be good.

7 7 8 7 = 29

Andrew Castle and Ola Jordan – Viennese waltz
Brucie: How about it? What an improvement.

Our view: Good on him. Well done.

Blogger’s wife: Wasn’t the most exciting Viennese waltz but probably his best dance.

Head judge Len: I’m pleased. Bum-gate is no longer an issue. You did a really good job just come out less careful next time; go down fighting.

Judge Bruno: Your stock is definitely rising but it’s not going through the roof yet.

Judge Craig: The butt is better. Occasional lumps and bumps, rocking from side to side but a good effort.

Judge Arlene: That was so sweet. You have made such a staggering improvement.

5 6 7 6 = 24

Christine Bleakley and Matthew Cutler – paso doble
Brucie: What an improvement, again.

Our view: Wrong attitude, wrong dress, wrong music, wrong routine. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Blogger’s wife: Her hair and make-up were very paso but that’s as far as it goes.

Judge Arlene: I didn’t get Spain, I didn’t get the bullfight. It looked more like a domestic between Madonna and a bored Guy Ritchie.

Head judge Len: Some dances suit you, some don’t. It needed more drama. You’re too nice for this dance.

Judge Bruno: You haven’t got a nasty bone in your body and you didn’t have a spine in that dance either.

Judge Craig: I found it rather odd because at times it was ragdollish and at times it was plankish.

Brucie tells them they’re his favourites.

3 6 7 6 = 22

Seeing Craig’s score, Len asks Craig rhetorically: “So it was worse than Andrew Castle’s was it?”

And, actually, yes, I have to agree with Craig on that. It was.

Austin Healey and Erin Boag – Viennese waltz
Brucie: What about that. Lovely choreography, Erin.

Our view: Terrific. I think I might have enjoyed that more than any other dance in the series so far. He did the routine not just the steps, at last.

Blogger’s wife: Truly lovely. That’s how you do a Viennese waltz.

Judge Bruno: It was like watching the return of the king. You held my attention all the way through.

Judge Craig: It had all the character of a Viennese waltz. Fantastic rotation, great frame. I wish you had smiled once but it was beautifully danced.

Judge Arlene: Sentimental, romantic. Send in for Austin.

Head judge Len: What I love about you sportsmen is that you come back stronger. Ooh, gorgeous.

8 8 9 9 = 34

Cherie Lunghi and James Jordan – paso doble
Brucie: Well done my darling.

Our view: FINALLY SOME TRADITIONAL MUSIC FOR A PASO. Thank you. Went bizarrely awry right at the start and lacked some drive but still some lovely moves. Good stuff.

Blogger’s wife: I’m disappointed because they could have done it better. She looked fantastic.

Judge Craig: Fantastic shaping through your arms. Timing very, very good and you lost your balance at the beginning.

Judge Arlene: I wish you could do that all over again with fire in your belly. We could see your nerves.

Head judge Len: You’ll never dance badly but I don’t think you were very confident so you didn’t attack it.

Judge Bruno: Tonight the performance was not up to the standard of the actress.

7 8 8 8 = 31

Heather Small and Brian Fortuna – Viennese waltz
Brucie: What about it? Heather Small you are ten feet tall.

Our view: Well done. I enjoyed that. I’m so pleased for her. Yesterday I predicted she’d be in the dance-off but I didn’t want to see her there and surely after such an improvement this time the voting public will see sense?

Blogger’s wife: Lovely dress. I think she did well.

Judge Arlene: I think you have found your home. I adored the shoulder shimmy.

Head judge Len: You maintained your posture. Well done.

Judge Bruno: A vision of loveliness. We do like a fighter.

Judge Craig: Oh dear, for me it was a little bit pedestrian. It was flat-footed and jagged.

I think that’s the first time I have seriously disagreed with judge Craig this series. What was he watching?

5 7 7 8 = 27

Mark Foster and Hayley Holt – paso doble
Brucie: Well done, what about it?

Our view: Ouch. That hurt it was so bad. By the way, am I the only person who thinks Hayley’s hair colour is just not right? I think she should go natural.

Blogger’s wife: It really wasn’t very good. Hayley’s outfit was beautiful but the dance was poor.

Judge Bruno: A painful shambles. You look like a god but you danced like a geek.

Judge Craig: It was like a stick insect on acid and at times rather grotesque.

Judge Arlene: You were not in time with the music.

Head judge Len: You’re no good at dancing, I’m no good at swimming.

Brucie tells them they’re his joint favourites.

2 3 6 5 = 16

Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup – Viennese waltz
Brucie: Come on, well done.

Our view: I loved it. He’s gone for that Mr Benn haircut again, hasn’t he?

Blogger’s wife: It was lovely to look at it but it was not as polished as it should be.

Judge Craig: You were stepping outside of Camilla on some of the turns but the rest of it was absolutely gorgeous.

Judge Arlene: Beautiful performance just a whisker away from being as perfect as it should be.

Head judge Len: You messed up on the fleckerl. You didn’t work on refining the dance.

Judge Bruno: I liked it very, very much. You could charm the pants off Anne Robinson.

7 9 7 9 = 32

John Sergeant and Kristina Rihanoff – paso doble
Brucie: Oh, John, what could I say…that you would believe?

Our view: I enjoyed that in a number of ways.

Blogger’s wife: I did recognise some paso moves in the routine. Entertaining but not that good.

Head judge Len: Sergeant, after all that marching you should be demoted to private.

Judge Bruno: Dad’s Army does the paso.

Judge Craig: You take marching to a whole new level and we’ll leave it at that.

Judge Arlene: I don’t know what you do to women but you even got Kristina on the floor. You kept in time. You looked like you had a good party.

3 6 6 6 = 21

Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone – Viennese waltz
Brucie: Come on, lovely, absolutely lovely.

Our view: Delightful.

Blogger’s wife: Beautiful dress. Nice Viennese waltz.

Judge Arlene: Very wistful, very romantic. Lovely to see a performance.

Head judge Len: You’re pretty, he’s pretty, it was pretty but it was flat. I couldn’t say it was a performance.

Judge Bruno: Elegant, graceful, simple but effective.

Judge Craig: Vincent you choreographed a beautiful waltz. There was a lot of story in it. I don’t know what Len is thinking; I have no clue.

8 8 8 8 =32

Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite – paso doble
Brucie: What an improvement.

Our view: Yes, she did OK there.

Blogger’s wife: In places it looked really good, in places it didn’t.

Judge Bruno: Rough for you and rough to watch.

Judge Craig: A little bit square and stompy. I found it quite exciting to watch.

Judge Arlene: I called you the dark horse but you hit the paso hurdle this week.

Head judge Len: Not your best dance, not your worst dance.

6 6 7 7 = 26

Get ready for the dance-off on Sunday night
So that was Saturday night week six of Strictly Come Dancing 2008 with just the dance-off and elimination to come on the Sunday night results show.

The Viennese waltzes were all enjoyable. I didn’t get quite as much from the paso dobles but that’s just the way it is.

Austin and Tom really reinforced their claim on the glitterball this week.

Mark Foster and Christine Bleakley lost the plot, as did the judges at times.

My Friday prediction (Heather and Christine in the dance-off) will probably not come true now. And that’s fine, assuming it’s Heather who doesn’t end up in the bottom two. She’s done well enough to avoid it for a third week running.

But do you agree?

Click the Add a Comment link below to have your say now and check back on Sunday evening – we’ll post the result as soon as it happens.

Strictly series six week six leader board

Here are the scores from week six of Strictly Come Dancing 2008:

Couple (and dance) Score
Austin Healey & Erin Boag
(Viennese waltz)  
8 8 9 9 = 34
Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone
(Viennese waltz)
8 8 8 8 = 32
Tom Chambers & Camilla Dallerup
(Viennese waltz)
7 9 7 9 = 32
Cherie Lunghi & James Jordan
(Paso doble) 
7 8 8 8 = 31
Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
(Paso doble) 
7 7 8 7 = 29
Heather Small & Brian Fortuna
(Viennese waltz)
5 7 7 8 = 27
Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite
(Paso doble)
6 6 7 7 = 26
Andrew Castle & Ola Jordan
(Viennese waltz)
5 6 7 6 = 24
Christine Bleakley & Matthew Cutler
(Paso doble)
3 6 7 6 = 22
John Sergeant & Kristina Rihanoff
(Paso doble)
3 6 6 6 = 21
Mark Foster & Hayley Holt
(Paso doble)
2 3 6 5 = 16

Your views
I really enjoyed all the Viennese waltzes whereas the paso dobles were much of a muchness.

What did you think of the judges' scores?

Who should be voted out on Sunday's results show?

Click the Add a Comment link below to have your say now.

10月24日

Strictly series six week six preview

This weekend the celebrities are dancing either a paso doble or a Viennese waltz.

And this week I agree with the bookies on who is going to get voted out.

Who’s dancing what?
Here’s the line-up (including the numbers of hours danced as revealed on Thursday evening’s It Takes Two):

Paso doble

Celeb Hours danced so far this week
Christine Bleakley 18.5
Mark Foster 18.5
Cherie Lunghi 17 
Jodie Kidd 16
John Sergeant 15.5
Lisa Snowdon 12

Viennese waltz

Celeb Hours danced so far this week
Andrew Castle 19.5
Rachel Stevens 16
Heather Small 14.5
Austin Healey 11
Tom Chambers 7

Show times
Saturday October 25 6:35pm – 8:05pm BBC One

The results show is on Sunday October 26 7:15pm – 8pm BBC One (note the earlier time this week). The two couples with the lowest combined judges' score and viewer votes must perform again in the dance-off, and only one will be saved by the judges.

Plus, Enrique will be performing the international chart-topping song, Hero (which may mean more to you than it does to me).

The Odds
Here are the odds at the time of writing from the William Hill website.

Week six elimination:

Heather Small 2/1
Mark Foster 9/4
Andrew Castle 7/2
John Sergeant 4/1
Jodie Kidd 10/1
Lisa Snowdon 25/1
Christine Bleakley 25/1
Rachel Stevens 50/1
Cherie Lunghi 66/1
Tom Chambers 100/1
Austin Healey 100/1

The (always totally accurate) prediction
I was totally wrong last week, by the way.

Will the Kidd be all right this week? Will Andrew still be king of the Castle?

Yes (Ola Jordan has been using a giant rubber band to sort out Andrew’s bum issues, by the way).

And I’m even expecting Mark to Foster a better relationship with the judges this week.

John Sergeant’s paso doble will get savaged by the judges providing him with the viewer sympathy vote that will save him again.

So that will leave the bottom two this week as Heather Small and Christine Bleakley (yes, really).

And this week there will be no escape for Heather in the dance-off. Third time unlucky, I’m afraid.

(as usual, my prediction does not constitute regulated financial advice so don’t blow your pay packet down the bookies on my account!)

Our coverage
I’ll post the scores on Saturday night as soon as the show is over.

Do leave your views on the night’s performances and I’ll be back with a full review on Sunday followed by the Sunday evening eviction as soon as it happens.

Who do you think will do well on Saturday? And who is going to leave the show? Click the Add a Comment link below to share your views.

10月23日

Strictly It Takes Two: the week so far

A fun week so far on Strictly Come Dancing it Takes Two.

Winkleman has played it low key on the fashion front apart from the red high heels on Tuesday.

Don and Lilia took their elimination with good grace but you could tell they were so disappointed. And rightly so, in my view.

Heather Small has had her confidence knocked by being in the bottom two twice. Dance partner Brian is working on lifting her spirits. I hope she can bounce back. She didn’t deserve to be in the dance-off last weekend.

Lisa and Brendan are pleased with last Saturday’s scores.

Len answered some more random questions – he doesn’t like horses.

Everyone thinks Mark Foster has a great body.

This week the couples are training to do either:
a Viennese waltz (which, when performed well, can be such an enchanting dance);
or a paso doble (which, when performed well, can be a stunning, stirring and striking dance). I prefer the traditional paso so I’m hoping there won’t be too many ‘modern’ versions this year with daft rock music and the like. Keep it simple, keep it traditional and everyone’s happy.

John Sergeant is doing the paso doble – you MUST watch that on Saturday.

10月22日

Alesha talks Strictly: nerves and intensity

Here we go then:

As promised, here is the video interview in which Alesha Dixon chats to MSN about her Strictly experience.

In particular, she discusses opening night nerves and the intense time spent rehearsing day in day out.

Watch the Alesha Dixon interview on MSN Video.

Hilarious Alesha Dixon interview

It was good to see Strictly series five winner Alesha Dixon perform on the Sunday show.

I blogged previously that MSN was interviewing Alesha and that I’d let you know when the video of the chat was ready to watch.

Well, here it is: watch the Alesha Dixon interview on MSN Video.

And it doesn’t disappoint.

She’s so much fun and so genuine. Make sure you watch the last few seconds. Very, very funny.

A Brucie bonus
We’re so good to you here at MSN, aren’t we? Not only do we give you an exclusive interview with Ms Dixon all about her new single and album, we’ve even taken all the stuff we asked her about being on Strictly (and which wasn’t included in the main interview) and put it into a separate video – just for you.

We’re putting the finishing touches to that today and I’ll let you know when it’s available for your viewing pleasure.

Len Goodman fact number 4

Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman’s dad met the lady who was to become his wife (and thus Len’s mum) at a dance.

Taken from: Len Goodman’s autobiography Better Late Than Never.

10月21日

Strictly series six week five Tess Daly hair update

Yes, it’s your favourite time of the week again as we review the hairstyles sported by The Tess Daly (everyone’s favourite newspaper) in the weekend Strictly shows.

This weekend it was all about the right ear, wasn’t it?

Saturday October 18: right ear out there loud and proud.

Tess Daly hair Saturday October 18 

Sunday October 19: a cover-up job.

Tess Daly hair Sunday October 19

Our thanks to Tess.

OK, that ends this week’s Tess Daly hair update.

Len Goodman fact number 3

Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman’s dad was also called Len Goodman.

Taken from: Len Goodman’s autobiography Better Late Than Never.

10月19日

Strictly series six week five: Don Warrington is out

Actor Don Warrington and his dance partner Lilia Kopylova were voted out of Strictly Come Dancing series six on the week five results show.

Don_Warrington

After the viewers' votes were counted and added to the judges' scores from Saturday, Don and Lilia were one of the couples in the bottom two.

They had scored 25 with the judges on Saturday's show.

The dance-off
The other couple in the bottom two was Heather Small and her dance partner Brian Fortuna. They had scored 23 points with the judges.

And so the two couples performed their routines in the dance-off and the judges then had to vote for the couple they wanted to save.

Here is how the voting went:

Judge Craig: Heather and Brian
Judge Arlene: Heather and Brian
Judge Bruno: Heather and Brian
Head judge Len (his vote wasn't needed):  Don and Lilia

What do you think?
Was this the right decision?

The result is a bit of a surprise given that four dancers received lower scores from the judges than Don.

Have your say now by clicking the Add a Comment link below. As ever, I'd love to know what you think.

You might also like...
1. Vote for your favourite celeb from the first five series of Strictly on this fun MSN Strictly Battles page.

2. Add the MSN Reality TV Bot to your Instant Messenger contacts. Just start a chat with it and it'll keep you up to date with all MSN's reality TV coverage including Strictly. Very cool.

3. Join us on the MSN Reality TV fan site on Facebook.

4. Relive the latest X Factor show on (the brilliant) Selena's X Factor blog.

Strictly series six week five judges' comments and scores

A good week five on Strictly Come Dancing 2008 with the male and female celebs dancing against each other for the first time.

Tom Chambers and Lisa Snowdon were joint top of the leader board with 35. John Sergeant ended up bottom with 16.

Here is our review of Saturday night including, as usual, a summary of the judges’ comments, our view, blogger’s wife’s view and Brucie’s enthusiastic comments as each performance ends.

We also note which couple Brucie picked out as his favourites (user David has requested this latter service, we are happy to oblige). You'll see it's a bit more complicated this week...

Judges’ scores are noted in the order they are given in the show: Craig, Arlene, Len, Bruno.

Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone – samba
Brucie: How about it? What a great start. Thank you so much.

Our view: I quite enjoyed that, well done, although not a samba as I would know it.

Blogger’s wife: I loved her dress. The music didn't work for me; didn't feel like a samba.

Head judge Len Goodman: I thought you came out and did a fantastic job. One little slip at the start. 

Judge Bruno Tonioli: It surprised me that you went off. Get the raunch out.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood: Your placement through the routine was very, very good. I was underwhelmed by the performance. Go a bit more wild.

Judge Arlene Phillips: That's the sauciest, sexiest social dance I've ever seen but I want to see you firing.

7 7 8 8 = 30

Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole – American smooth
Brucie: My kind of music, my kind of dance.

Our view: You know how sometimes there's a routine that you know everyone else will like but somehow you don't warm to it? Well, that's this one for me. Perhaps the problem is this: there was nothing wrong with it but there was nothing memorable about it either. Sorry but that's just the way I feel. 

Blogger’s wife: It looked very Hollywood throughout but the performance was not particularly polished.

Head judge Len: You've proved to me you're a good dancer.

Judge Bruno: You've gone from slightly goofy and gangly to a glorious and glowing queen. Incredible.

Judge Craig: I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there were a couple of little stumbles coming out of the first lift but I wouldn't give up because it was fantastic.

Judge Arlene: You have found your dance. Earth-shattering, you are the belle of the ballroom and I missed your stumble.

8 9 9 9 = 35

Heather Small and Brian Fortuna – samba
Brucie: Yes. Yes, yes. Come here, Heather, well done.

Our view: Good effort but not lively enough.

Blogger’s wife: Lots of samba moves but lacked the samba energy.

Judge Craig: Lifeless, lacklustre, laboured. The only good thing was the end.

Judge Arlene: You looked like you were at different parties.

Head judge Len: I know you can do it. You were fantastic in that salsa but in this samba you were thinking about the steps.

Judge Bruno: You have plenty to wiggle and bounce but you have to be on it from the start. Grab us by the throat.

Brucie tells them they're his favourites.

4 6 6 7 = 23

Cherie Lunghi and James Jordan – American smooth
Brucie: Wonderful. Lovely.

Our view: Charming. And so was James' hair. Why doesn't he look like that all the time?

Blogger’s wife: Not the right music for the dance but they delivered it beautifully.

Judge Arlene: Cherie, you deliver on every level: technique, performance, bags of charm.

Head judge Len: I loved it. It was fantastic. Two great lifts. Fabulous.

Judge Bruno: You put such precision on everything you do.

Judge Craig: I do agree. However, I didn't think the routine for the American smooth was dynamic enough.

7 9 9 9 = 34

Mark Foster and Hayley Holt – samba
Brucie: Control yourselves [audience]. They're coming over here.

Our view: Well, he got through it. Bad arms. Hayley's outfit was an odd concoction wasn't it? What can I say about Mark's outfit? Well, blogger's wife will recall that we saw former Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Darren Currie wearing something similar when we bumped into him in a pub in Dublin but that's a whole other story.

Blogger’s wife: I applaud his energy but it wasn't that good.

Judge Bruno: Released from the shackles of inhibition but the pecks were the only thing worth watching.

Judge Craig: Amazing to see such a magnificent body move in such a strange way.

Judge Arlene: It was like you were at a trashy Halloween party and you could do what you want.

Head judge Len: When you're tall you've got to dance to your height. That's one of the hardest dances you'll ever attempt.

Brucie tells them they're his second favourites. See? I said it got complicated. And there's more to come...

3 4 5 5 = 17

Don Warrington and Lilia Kopylova – American smooth
Brucie: What about that? What about it?

Our view: Mid-table safety. Job done. Good work.

Blogger’s wife:I always enjoy Lilia's choreography. Don's frame in hold wasn't good but overall an OK performance.

Judge Craig: You did an adequate job. Shoulders a little bit tight.

Judge Arlene: You started off well then it suddenly went cold. Let the dance take over your body.

Head judge Len: It wasn't your best dance, it wasn't your worst dance.

Judge Bruno: You were a bit off tonight. For an actor you should know what to play.

6 6 7 6 = 25

Austin Healey and Erin Boag – samba
Brucie: There they go. That's it. Well done. I loved that.

Our view: Annoying camera work prevented us seeing half of what was going on there. From what I did see it was very good but I still feel like Austin is doing the moves and not the dance when he performs Latin.

Blogger’s wife:What was Erin wearing? That was the first samba that felt like one. Did go wrong a couple of times.

Judge Arlene: Your muscles weren't helping you tonight but the hip movement was fabulous.

Head judge Len: The whole thing was very, very good but you lost the steps a couple of times.

Judge Bruno: I think you missed an opportunity tonight. You knew when you made mistakes and it put you off.

Judge Craig: I like the tightness of your upper body. Not strictly a samba but I loved it, I thought it was great.

8 8 8 8 = 32

Andrew Castle and Ola Jordan – American smooth
Brucie: Never mind, never mind. You've worked so hard.

Our view: Oh dear.

Blogger’s wife: The minute he stops dancing he's a pleasure to watch. He's such a natural in front of camera.

Judge Bruno: More dazed and confused than American smooth. You've got to get your bum together.

Judge Craig: A plethora of things wrong with that.

Judge Arlene: The most exciting thing was when the lift failed. I sort of woke up, then.

Head judge Len: No-one is more disappointed than you. It just didn't go as well as you wanted it to.

3 4 5 5 = 17

Christine Bleakley and Matthew Cutler – samba
Brucie: What about that?

Our view: A good ending with some nice bits in the routine but he outdanced her.

Blogger’s wife: All right but he danced amazingly and she didn't keep up to his standard.

Head judge Len: That's the first time you've danced Latin and you've done a great job.

Judge Bruno: You had carefree joy in spades. Now polish the technical details.

Judge Craig: Excellent spins.

Judge Arlene: Your smile lights up the floor and makes everyone want to join in.

7 7 8 8 = 30

Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite – American smooth
Brucie: Well done Jodie

Our view: Oh yes, that's much more like it. Good for her. Very well done. Odd eye make-up, though.

Blogger’s wife: Her best dance by far.

Judge Craig: What a vast improvement.

Judge Arlene: You are the dark horse of the competition.

Head judge Len: I'm just hoping you're not a one-trick pony because that was absolutely your best dance yet.

Judge Bruno: That was a dream.

7 7 8 8 = 30

John Sergeant and Kristina Rihanoff – samba
Brucie: That was lovely.

Our view: Let's just say he'll be needing the public vote to stay in.

Blogger’s wife: It wasn't technically very good but he is a lot of fun.

Judge Arlene: The samba is a party dance but I think you've seen more fun at a party conference.

Head judge Len: If I were at home I'd be voting for you but I'm not I'm here and I have to critique the dance. It lacked a bit of the carnival atmosphere.

Judge Bruno: A carnival on Valium.

Judge Craig: Absolutely dreadful.

Brucie tells them they're his first favourites. See? What did I say?

2 4 5 5 = 16

Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup – American smooth
Brucie: Come on, well done.

Our view: Marvellous. They saved the best dance til last this evening. I'd watch that one again. Top work. Anyone else think Tom's haircut matched that of TV animation character Mr Benn?

Blogger’s wife: Very Hollywood. Good but didn't really wow me.

Judge Bruno: Slick, stylish, sophisticated.

Judge Craig: The lift at the end was a bit precarious. Full of charm and confidence, I loved it.

Judge Arlene: You're not just taking off you're going into orbit.

Head judge Len: I know your goal is to be Austin, you've done it.

8 9 9 9 = 35

Get ready for the dance-off tonight
So that was Saturday night week five of Strictly Come Dancing 2008 with just the dance-off and elimination to come tonight.

It's clear we've got five serious contenders who are already on their game: Cherie, Tom, Austin, Lisa and Rachel. This is making for more good quality performances earlier on in the series which is great to see. And any of them are potential winners.

My Friday prediction still looks good: John to be saved by the public vote, Mark and Andrew in the dance-off with Mark going out.

But do you agree?

Click the Add a Comment link below to have your say now.

10月18日

Strictly series six week five leader board

Here are the scores from week five of Strictly Come Dancing 2008:

Couple (and dance) Score
Tom Chambers & Camilla Dallerup
(American Smooth)
8 9 9 9 = 35
Lisa Snowdon & Brendan Cole
(American smooth) 
8 9 9 9 = 35
Cherie Lunghi & James Jordan
(American smooth) 
7 9 9 9 = 34
Austin Healey & Erin Boag
(samba)  
8 8 8 8 = 32
Christine Bleakley & Matthew Cutler
(samba)
7 7 8 8 = 30
Jodie Kidd & Ian Waite
(American Smooth)
7 7 8 8 = 30
Rachel Stevens & Vincent Simone
(samba)
7 7 8 8 = 30
Don Warrington & Lilia Kopylova
(American Smooth)
6 6 7 6 = 25
Heather Small & Brian Fortuna
(samba) 
4 6 6 7 = 23
Andrew Castle & Ola Jordan
(American Smooth)
3 4 5 5 = 17
Mark Foster & Hayley Holt
(samba)
3 4 5 5 = 17
John Sergeant & Kristina Rihanoff
(samba)
2 4 5 5 = 16

This was the first time the male and female celebs danced competitively against each other.

Your views
What did you think of the judges' scores?

Who should be voted out on Sunday's results show?

Click the Add a Comment link below to have your say now.

And I thought you might also like...
1. Vote for your favourite celeb from the first five series of Strictly on this fun MSN Strictly Battles page.

2. Add the MSN Reality TV Bot to your Instant Messenger contacts. Just start a chat with it and it'll keep you up to date with all MSN's reality TV coverage including Strictly. Very cool.

3. Join us on the MSN Reality TV fan site on Facebook.

4. Get the latest X Factor news on (the brilliant) Selena's X Factor blog.

10月17日

Strictly series six week five preview

This weekend the male and female celebrity compete against each other for the first time on Strictly Come Dancing 2008.

And yet again I disagree with the bookies about the likely outcome.

Who’s dancing what?
Here’s the line-up (including the numbers of hours danced as revealed on Thursday evening’s It Takes Two):

Samba

Celeb Hours danced so far this week
Rachel Stevens 19
Mark Foster 17
Christine Bleakley 15.5
Austin Healey 15
Heather Small 13.5
John Sergeant 10

American Smooth

Celeb Hours danced so far this week
Andrew Castle 19.5
Cherie Lunghi 19.5
Lisa Snowdon 16
Jodie Kidd 14.5
Tom Chambers 14.5
Don Warrington 14

Show times
Saturday October 18 6:40pm – 8:10pm BBC One

The results show is on Sunday October 19 8:15pm – 9pm BBC One. The two couples with the lowest combined judges' score and viewer votes must perform again in the dance-off, and only one will be saved by the judges.

Plus, Alesha Dixon will perform her new single (if you can’t wait til Sunday, watch it now on MSN Video), and special guests Katherine Jenkins and Darcey Bussell appear with the show's professional dancers.

The Odds
In the first four weeks we lost the weakest four dancers (which I am most pleased about) so now things are seriously hotting up.

Here are the odds at the time of writing from the William Hill website.

Week five elimination:

Jodie Kidd 3/1
Don Warrington 3/1
Mark Foster 7/2
Heather Small 5/1
Andrew Castle 6/1
John Sergeant 7/1
Lisa Snowdon 20/1
Christine Bleakley 25/1
Cherie Lunghi 50/1
Tom Chambers 66/1
Rachel Stevens 100/1
Austin Healey 100/1

The (always totally accurate) prediction
Well, I got it right last week, anyway.

Will the Kidd be all right? Will Andrew still be king of the Castle?

Yes.

But I’m not expecting Mark to Foster a better relationship with the judges.

Yes, it’s time for the man who carried the British flag at the Beijing Olympics to depart.

John Sergeant will struggle with the samba but will be saved by the viewers’ vote, leaving Mark and Andrew in the dance-off.

(as usual, my prediction does not constitute regulated financial advice so don’t blow your pay packet down the bookies on my account!)

Our coverage
I’ll post the scores on Saturday night as soon as the show is over.

Do leave your views on the night’s performances and I’ll be back with a full review on Sunday followed by the Sunday evening eviction as soon as it happens.

Who do you think will do well on Saturday? And who is going to leave the show? Click the Add a Comment link below to share your views.

10月16日

It Takes Two review Wed Oct 15

Winkleman was back in that bizarre short puffy skirt that makes her look like a teenager.

Jodie and Ian were nice.

Rachel and Vincent were nice.

Karen and judge Craig reviewed some early training footage of the samba and American smooth routines. Craig was typically blunt, Karen laughed a lot.

Len answered some questions (is it just me or does Winkleman totally over-rate this section of the show? Yes, it’s a bit of fun but, no, it isn’t the best bit).

Let the games begin
The point of the shows this week, however, has rightly been that Saturday is the first time the male and female celebs will dance against each other.

This is when we will really see how they stack up.

The conventional wisdom is that the weaker guys – Mark, Andrew, John and perhaps Don - are going to struggle whereas the women are going to be fine for a few weeks.

It’ll be fun finding out whether that’s right.

Len Goodman fact number 2

Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman’s great-grandfather was of Polish origin and came to the UK in the early 1800s.

Taken from: Len Goodman’s autobiography Better Late Than Never.