Kelly Brook withdrew from the competition on Friday following the passing away of her father this week. Full story on MSN. Our sympathies go to her and her family.

The comments section of my previous post has some kind words from you where you are sharing your condolences.

The rest of this post is my preview of the forthcoming show:

It's week nine of Strictly Come Dancing series five and the remaining couples will perform two dances on Saturday evening.

This is the first time they have had to learn two dances in a week that will both be scored by the judges.

The judges now expect the standard to be a lot higher than in earlier weeks and after Matt's and Alesha's performances last week the five couples have a lot to live up to.

The dances
Here's who's performing which dance on Saturday December 1:

Gethin Jones and Camilla Dallerup: waltz and salsa

Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace: tango and rumba

Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett: quickstep and cha cha cha

Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler: samba and tango

Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan: rumba and foxtrot

The music
At this stage, the BBC official Strictly site lists the music they will be dancing to but does not list which track goes with which dance.

I've added in the information I could glean from Friday night's It Takes Two on BBC2:

Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Walkin' Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro (Letitia and Darren, quickstep)
Drive My Car - The Beatles
If I Were A Painting - Kenny Rogers (Gethin and Camilla, waltz)
Azucar - Traditional Arrangement
They Can't Take That Away From Me - Robbie Williams
Fields Of Gold - Eva Cassidy (Kenny and Ola, rumba)
Jealousy - Billy Fury (Alesha and Matthew, tango)
(Reach Out) I'll Be There - Gloria Gaynor
Get Here - Oleta Adams
What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani

So who's going to be knocked out?
It's prediction time. Who do you think will stay in and who is going to have danced their last dance of Strictly Come Dancing 2007?

Gethin's waltz looked good in training this week as did Matt's rumba.

As for those who could be in danger, the training footage suggests Kenny is going to struggle to get as good a score as he got last week (30) in either dance.

And Letitia's cha cha cha training came in for a bit of battering from head judge Len.

I expect these two may be lowest with the judges at the end of Saturday.

I had been expecting Kenny to go in both of the previous two weeks but both Kenny and Letitia have received enough public votes to avoid being in the bottom two in any of the previous weeks. So don't be too surprised if at least one of the other contestants ends up in the dance-off.

Get ready for the show
As usual we will post the scores on Saturday evening, followed a bit later by our full review of each dance, and as ever we look forward to reading your views on the performances.

And we'll be back on Sunday evening with the result of the dance-off. This part of the show also prompts some lively debate in the comments section of this blog so do join in.

Saturday December 1: 5:45pm - 7:15pm
The six remaining couples perform two dances and receive their scores from the judges.

Sunday December 2: 6:50pm - 7:35pm
The viewers' votes are combined with the judges' scores and the bottom two couples face the dreaded dance-off. Plus: Kylie Minogue performs her new single Two Hearts.

Looking forward to it?

Yeah, me too.

Her father passed away on Monday but Kelly Brook has vowed to keep on participating in Strictly Come Dancing series five.

Article from pa.press.net @ MSN:

Grieving Kelly will keep on dancing
Kelly Brook's father has died at the age of 57 following a battle with cancer, her spokesman said.

The former Big Breakfast host, 28, says she wants to go on with the hit BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing as that is what her father, Kenneth, would have wanted. She has been secretly facing the sadness of her father's terminal illness while competing in the ballroom dancing competition.

The model and actress has continued rehearsing since her father died at his home on Monday night.

A spokesman for the Strictly Come Dancing star said: "Kelly Brook's father, Kenneth, passed away peacefully at home on Monday evening following a long battle with cancer, aged 57.

"Kelly would like to take this opportunity to thank the media for respecting her family's privacy over this personal matter during recent weeks and asks that they continue to do so at this difficult time.

"Kelly will continue to honour her work commitments to the best of her abilities as her father would have wanted."

Brook, engaged to Titanic actor Billy Zane, has been one of the favourites to win Strictly Come Dancing with her dance partner Brendan Cole, alongside Alesha Dixon and her dancing partner Matthew Cutler.

Saturday's show is the first time that the couples will be performing two dances.

Brook and Cole's performance was pilloried by the judges in last week's show.

The couple were saved from being ejected, after the judges threw out former England footballer John Barnes instead.

Blogger's wife and I watched Matt's and Alesha's performances from Saturday again last night.

Still amazing.

Still haven't deleted them.

Henry Winkler - best known as The Fonz on Happy Days - was on It Takes Two on Monday. And he was terrific.

He had been in the audience last Saturday night and during the break between the live show and the recording of the results show he sought out Len and Bruno (who are judges on Dancing with the Stars, the US version of the show) so that HE could get his photo taken with THEM.

He made some good comments about the performances and gave a good perspective on how thrilling it is to be in the audience during the live show. Happy Days indeed.

on Monday night's Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two judge Arlene reiterated head judge Len's comment to Kelly Brook: she has to listen to her professional dance partner.

To be fair, Arlene did say she could go only by the snippets of training footage broadcast on the show but she was adamant when she told Kelly (to her face): "You've got to keep your mouth shut."

It was the kind of comment you'd expect judge Craig to say except he chimed in with the opposite view that some sparks and confrontation in training are a good thing.

Of course, chiming in with the opposite view is exactly what you'd expect Craig to do!

Great viewing.

On Monday night's Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two judge Craig explained his reason for not giving Alesha Dixon a ten for her cha cha cha.

All the other three judges gave a ten but Craig didn't (he gave her a nine) because, he said, there was "a little bit of sloppy footwork".

So now we know.

John Barnes and his dance partner Nicole Cutler were voted out of series five of Strictly Come Dancing on the week eight results show.

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

They had scored just 27 with the judges on Saturday's show.

Dramatic dance-off
The other couple in the bottom two was Kelly Brook and her dance partner Brendan Cole. They had been second bottom after the judges' scores with 29 points. The viewers' vote effectively didn't change anything this week.

And so the two couples did their best during 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: Kelly and Brendan
Judge Arlene: Kelly and Brendan
Judge Bruno:  Kelly and Brendan

Head judge Len said that if his vote had been needed he would have voted for Kelly and Brendan too.

What do you think?
Was this the right decision?

And who do you want to win Strictly Come Dancing 2007?

Have your say now by clicking the Add a Comment link below. As ever, I'd love to know what you think.
(Please avoid using bad language in the comments, thanks!)

PS
MSN is running a vote for which reality TV show you think is best. If you want to vote you can do so by going to the special page on the MSN TV website. Click the link, scroll down to see the poll on the right hand side of that page and vote for your favourite show - Strictly, X Factor or I'm A Celebrity. Vote now.

Wow! What a night!

Two brilliant performances - by Alesha Dixon and Matt Di Angelo - received seriously high marks and, rightly, lavish praise from the judges.

Kenny Logan has done enough to avoid being in the bottom two with his score of 30.  Well done to him. I didn't expect that.

And Kelly Brook is in the bottom two with just 29 after the judges savaged her unambitious samba routine.

John Barnes is bottom after his samba got 27.

Here is the Strictly week eight leader board showing the judges' scores:

Alesha Dixon (cha cha cha) 9 10 10 10 = 39
Matt Di Angelo (salsa) 9 10 9 10 = 38
Gethin Jones (quickstep) 8 9 9 8 = 34
Letitia Dean (Viennese waltz) 8 8 7 9 = 32
Kenny Logan (American smooth)  6 8 8 8 = 30
Kelly Brook (samba) 7 7 7 8 = 29
John Barnes (samba) 7 6 7 7 = 27

Below is our full review of Saturday night.

As usual we include our view, blogger’s wife’s view and highlights of the judges’ views in the order they were given. Scores are also shown as they were given in the show – Craig, Arlene, Len, Bruno.

And our Brucie Bonus – our review includes the excellent Mr Forsyth’s enthusiastic comments made as each dance ends AND we also note which couple or couples Brucie says are his favourites.

Gethin Jones and Camilla Dallerup - quickstep

Our view: Good stuff. She shined, somehow he didn't quite as much.

Blogger's wife: It was a well executed routine but their performance didn't wow. Shame, as I really like Gethin.

Brucie: They loved it. Well done. Wonderful routine.

Head judge Len Goodman: You did a very good job. Good posture, nice movement. You've got a great personality off the floor, you need to bring it onto the floor.

Judge Bruno Tonioli: Technically I didn't see anything wrong with it but it didn't ignite.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood: I absolutely disagree. The performance was fantastic. Technically, your right foot is a bit pigeon-toed.

Judge Arlene Phillips: What an improvement. Spring in your step.

8 9 9 8 = 34

John Barnes and Nicole Cutler - samba

Our view: Some complex footwork but I think we were all expecting something more from Mr Latin.

Blogger's wife: Some nice parts to the routine but it didn't have a samba feel - no bounce, no carnival feel to it.

Brucie: Really, really great.

Judge Bruno: Samba should be your dance. But instead of being a riot it was casual.

Judge Craig: Enormous energy. You continue to look down at the floor.

Judge Arlene: He's having a love affair with floor and not with you Nicole.

Head judge Len: I was a tad disappointed. I don't think you're putting the work in to fine tune it. I'm not sure you're up to doing two dances next week.

7 6 7 7 = 27

Letitia Dean and Darren Bennett - Viennese waltz

Our view: She's getting better and better. And she didn't even mention she turned 40 a week last Wednesday. Now the big question is whether in the later stages of the competition she can improve if/when she has to do the type of Latin dances that tripped her up earlier in the series.

Blogger's wife: She looked very graceful. It's difficult to make the Viennese waltz exciting. They didn't but she's improved a lot.

Judge Craig: Absolutely fantastic. Really motored around the floor. When you dance backwards your feet aren't closing.

Judge Arlene: I don't want to see another VT of you worrying or trembling. You are a beautiful woman and dancer. You can improve every single week.

Head judge Len: You've improved your top. All your problems are down below [yes, he did say that]. No heel leads.

Judge Bruno: no time for Bruno to make a comment

8 8 7 9 = 32

Kelly Brook and Brendan Cole - samba

Our view: Rather too clinical and not ambitious enough for my liking. And I didn't like the choice of music.

Blogger's wife: Didn't feel like a polished performance. Didn't feel like a samba although there were some samba steps in it.

Brucie: Oh yes, well done.

Judge Arlene: My high expectations have fallen like a lead balloon. Brendan, you were sharp; Kelly, you were not.

Head judge Len: That wasn't a good enough standard of routine. Brendan, you can produce fantastic routines; that wasn't one of them. And Kelly, be quiet and listen to him.

Judge Bruno: It's like hiring Judi Dench and reading the Yellow Pages.

Judge Craig: Disappointed. Technically not brilliant.

Brucie tells them they're his favourites.

7 7 7 8 = 29

Kenny Logan and Ola Jordan - American smooth

Our view: Well that is a meaningful improvement. I almost enjoyed that one. Good on him. His hard work is paying off.

Blogger's wife: His best so far. His arms have become less ugly but his hands still need to be worked on. The lifts were very impressive but more suited to freestyle.

Judge Bruno: What a monumental effort.

Judge Craig: That's a lot more like it. Thank you. You could have smiled through the lifts.

Judge Arlene: It's overwhelming the giant step you've taken.

Head judge Len: The two lifts weren't in keeping with the American smooth; it's not Strictly Come Weightlifting. But that was much better in the actual dance. 

6 8 8 8 = 30

Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace - salsa

Our view: Simply awesome. By far my favourite performance of this series. She was great but she didn't outshine him because he was terrific too. Great music and, as last week, some brave choreography.

Blogger's wife: I had to rewind it to watch it several times. My favourite dance of the night. Wonderful dance. Wonderful partnership.

Brucie: What about that one? Just listen to that applause.

Judge Arlene: Hot, hot, hot. That sizzled around the room like sausages on a barbeque.

Head judge Len: Absolutely fantastic.

Judge Bruno: You're turning into the spice boy of the competition.

Judge Craig: Totally loving your work. That was brilliant.

9 10 9 10 = 38

Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler - cha cha cha

Our view: Blimey. You wait all evening for a cracking performance and two come along at once. I didn't think Matt's performance could be matched but if anyone could do it, it had to be Alesha.

Blogger's wife: Lots of energy, pinpoint footwork, fast. Somehow lacking a few of the trickier steps which the professional dancers typically put in. Now I know that's unfair - she's not a pro dancer - but that's the point: she's now so good it's become the kind of thing you'd expect. 

Head judge Len: That is your best dance.

Judge Bruno: My pulse is racing, my heart is pounding. It's diva time.

Judge Craig: You are fabulous.

Judge Arlene: This is a two-horse competition and you are one of the horses.

9 10 10 10 = 39

So who's going to get the boot on Sunday night, then? 
The Strictly Come Dancing Sunday results show is on BBC One at 6:50pm - 7:35pm.

I'll post the result of the dance-off shortly after the show ends and, as ever, I look forward to reading your comments.

Over to you
But what do you think?

Will it be all over for Kelly? Will she have to dance off against John Barnes?

Will Kenny's loyal followers decide he's safe and not bother to vote for him?

Is Matt Di Angelo now a real challenger to Alesha Dixon?

Share your views now by clicking the Add a Comment link below (please avoid using offensive language, thanks).

PS
MSN is running a vote for which reality TV show you think is best. If you want to vote you can do so by going to the special page on the MSN TV website. Scroll down to see the poll on the right hand side of that page and vote for your favourite show - Strictly, X Factor or I'm A Celebrity. Vote now.

On Thursday's Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two we got an update of the total hours trained so far.

Here are the hours trained by each couple:

Head judge Len Goodman turned up on Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two on Wednesday to deliver his mid-term report in which he assessed the remaining seven contestants.

Here is a summary of what he said, including the school-style grades he awarded each one:

Matt Di Angelo: A-
A good all-rounder. Needs to up his work ethic and do less flirting with dance partner Flavia.

Gethin Jones: A
Good at ballroom, needs to work more on his Latin dances. Bit of a teacher's pet as he's always looking at judge Arlene.

John Barnes: B-
He slouches. Needs to pull up his shoulders. Started to show dedication, particularly given his regular appearances in the dance-offs.

Letitia Dean: B+
A little unsure of herself to begin with but her confidence has grown and her performances have improved. Got to apply herself more and have faith in her dance partner.

Kenny Logan: B
After a slow start he has knuckled down and is improving. He should avoid wearing a kilt again. You're never sure what he's going to do but he does try very hard.

Alesha Dixon: A+
Consistently scoring high marks, she's the one everyone wants to beat. Giggles too much in training.

Kelly Brook: A
Started out as a good girl but then broke the two lifts rule in the American smooth. Since then she's toed the line and is getting better and better.

In an interview to promote his new show The Generation Game: Now And Then, Strictly Come Dancing host Bruce Forysth likens the ballroom show to a "human Playstation", suggesting that is how younger viewers see it.

Here's the quote in full: "It's entertainment, it's fashion, it's music, it's reality. The kids love it because they look at the screen and see people actually holding each other going round. That to them is like a human Playstation."

Nice analogy.

The full interview is on the MSN TV website. It's worth a read.

The Generation Game: Now And Then is on UKTV Gold on Thursdays at 9pm.

Some other Brucie links on MSN for you:

Bruce Forsyth's top 20 catchphrases.

The wonderful, absolutely marvellous quiz all about Brucie.
At the time of writing more than 14,000 people have taken this quiz. You won't get a cuddly toy if you complete it but it is a good game, good game.

Here are the times of the show for week eight of Strictly Come Dancing series five:

BBC One Saturday November 24 6:10pm - 7:15pm

BBC One Sunday November 25 6:50pm - 7:35pm

Based on what I saw from Wednesday's Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two, here is the line-up of dances (in no particular order):

Letitia Dean - Viennese waltz

Kenny Logan - American smooth

Kelly Brook - Samba

Alesha Dixon - Cha cha cha

John Barnes - Samba

Gethin Jones - Quickstep

Matt Di Angelo - Salsa

Here are the latest odds from the William Hill website for the outright winner of Strictly Come Dancing series five:

Alesha Dixon   8/15 
Kelly Brook   11/2 
Gethin Jones   11/2 
Matt Di Angelo   6/1 
Letitia Dean   20/1 
John Barnes   25/1 
Kenny Logan   33/1

I'm surprised to see Gethin's odds shorter than Matt's.

Kate Garraway appeared on Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two on Monday.

She took her eviction with dignity. She said that before last Saturday she and her dance partner Anton felt that their luck was running out.

And so it proved. It's at about this stage in the show where the voting public starts to drop the lower standard dancers and Kate couldn't escape being in the bottom two. The outcome of the dance-off, assuming John Barnes didn't fall over, was inevitable.

This week (which is week eight), therefore, it will probably be Kenny Logan's turn. John Barnes will be dancing a Latin routine and so is likely to receive high scores from the judges. This could leave Kenny well adrift at the bottom of the leader board and unless he gets enough votes from the public to avoid the dance-off it looks like his number will be up.

In week nine's show (December 1), however, John Barnes will be dancing a ballroom dance so unless he can improve his performance he could find himself in trouble. Credit to him, he hasn't complained once about his scores or the fact that he has been in the dance-off three times due to lack of public support.

On last night's It Takes Two Gabby Logan, Penny Lancaster Stewart and Stephanie Beacham all turned up - as if to emphasize that (as they have all been knocked out) there are more men left in than women, which at the start of the show seemed very unlikely. Stephanie, as ever, stole the show with her charm, elegance and wit. It was such a shame she got voted out so early on in the show.

There was also an item to see which professional dancer (Brendan, James or Vincent) is the fittest. Vincent, amusingly, seemed to come last in every discipline, with James pipping a disappointed Brendan to the gold medal.

I have noticed that there are quite a few internet searches for "Tess Daly hair" so, in one of my less serious blog posts, I thought I would provide a Tess Daly hair update.

On the weekend of Nov 17 and 18 here is what the hairstyle of Tess Daly (everyone's favourite newspaper) looked like:

Saturday show:

Sunday show (slightly straighter and more fringe, I'd say, but I'm not an expert on such matters):

So there you have it. Remember that the Sunday show is recorded on Saturday night so the hair tweak and frock change must have been pretty quick.

Sunday's Strictly Come Dancing results show included a performance by Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis - experts at Latin American dancing.

They have a website, if you're interested.

What interested me wasn't the routines they performed - sharp, slick but somehow didn't rock my world, as judge Craig might say - but the triple change of outfits for Joanna, all done on the hoof, so to speak.

In the end I thought I'd better do the decent thing and upload the pics, so here you go:

Outfit one:

Outfit two - Michael pulls the skirt part away to reveal:

Outfit three - rolled down over outfit two:

Amazing.