Well, I’m glad you do pay attention, tumbledown, because I don’t, and am interested by these tidbits.
It’s a pity Mark is so interested in a music career, because he is really quite an outstanding dancer, and didn’t strike me as a particularly exciting performer. Of course, I’m 30+ years older than his target audience…
Seriously. The number of boxing fans is decreasing rapidly. The number that remember Sugar Ray is a subset of that. The number who are also dancing fans…vanishingly small.
I agree, especially about his self-promoting choreography. My wife wondered if he is “auditioning” for something else due to the degree to which he features his own antics.
We’re also becoming exceedingly annoyed with his “accent.” It’s so clearly a pathetic affectation, given the variability with which it shows up. It also at times seems to want to be British, and at other times to be Australian.
Chelsea Kane is certainly an engaging, likable Disney star. Unfortunately, I’d just as soon see Mark go.
Mark was born in America to a British mother, and spent a large chunk (but not all) of his childhood in Britain. I think that an accent that cuts in and out depending on what he’s been hearing last is believable in those circumstances. I thought at first that he was aping Len in his post-dance interview on Monday, but I think that he’s just “hearing” Len’s voice in his head, and his own accent follows it.
He’s still a douche, though.
Maybe he’s doing the DWTS equivalent of suicide by mod – being such an asshole that they don’t bring him back anymore.
You know, that’s actually possible. There’s also friction there with at least two other dancers, only one of whom was a part of this season; there was always contention between the Ballas-Hough family and that family. (Read “family” as you will. 
)
Too cryptic – I have no idea what you’re talking about. PM me if you don’t want to post for some reason.
Sorry, it was a nod toward Anna Trebunskaya and her not-dancing-this-season husband Jonathan Roberts.
Ah. Hadn’t known there was a problem there. Or that Anna was married to Jonathan Roberts. #andIcallmyselfagossipjunkie
I don’t find that plausible. Suicide by mod just brings banning from the SDMB. Getting yourself labeled as “hard to work with” can have devastating consequences for a career across multiple fields. Mark’s young (by which I mean stupid in the way all young people tend to be stupid), but he’s not that young.
Besides, there’s a real chance he could win this season. Not an ideal way to suicide by boss, I’d think.
tumbledown, do tell. Does the Roberts-Trebunskaya family feel they have been overshadowed by the Hough-Ballas family? Because that wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to feel. The Hough-Ballas family, with the exception of Dad Corky, have fairly consistently been given viable contestants. Anna rarely has, and Jonathan, never, that I can think of. The Hough-Ballas family seem to have been riding DwtS as a stepping stone to bigger things (not that any of them have gone on to huge stardom - yet), while for the Roberts-Trebunskaya family, this is probably about as good as it’s gonna get. I can see how there’d be plenty of room for resentment there.
This is the first season I’ve watched this show so I don’t get many of the nuances you seasoned watchers do. But I caught something this week that stuck in my head; at the end of their dance, the mikes caught Maks under his breath ask Kirstie, “Can I kiss you?” and her saying no. IIRC, she kissed him at the end of their first dance performance, there’s been smoochy-seeming tension between them.
Is this usually something faked or written in to the show? Or did someone blow his mind? I think it’s sweet but if it’s fake I don’t want to feel dumb.
They have had their successes, Anna came second with both Jerry Rice and Evan Lysacek and Jonathan did make it to the finals with Marie Osmond. Jonathan also, however, has the dubious distinction of three first week vote-offs. He’s been saddled with the least capable and least entertaining female partners ever on the show. (Macy Gray, Belinda Carlisle and Monica Seles.)
But actually, from what I’ve gathered and pieced together it’s something just more basic-- the two camps just don’t particularly get along or care much for each other. When Edyta Sliwinska and her husband (Alec Mazo) were around, they were a fairly consistent foursome with Anna and Jonathan, apparently, so it may just be a function of stages of life, being late 20s/30s and married versus early 20s and single. Or not: Edyta and Alec are the only other two dancers to have ever been first voted-off more than once.
Jonathan, who’s the eldest of the pack, has had a lot of professional ballroom success (without Anna, actually) so he may not be all that invested in his ultimate DWTS record.
Julianne Hough is making a go of the movies – she’s in the new Adam Shankman directed musical that’s about to start filming.
Staring to get a handle on the remaining field. The problem with handicapping them is that there still aren’t any real standouts. Macchio has looked game, but boyish exuberance will only go so far. Romeo, to his credit, is clearly trying hard (it looks like he was serious when he said he was going to outdo his dad), but I dunno, he just looks really tight out there, like he’s afraid of screwing up. Ward has been okay, but he hasn’t attempted anything really difficult yet; Jericho likewise. The women are a crapshoot right now. Alley is the only one I’d call a “definite not-finallist” at this point. She reminds me of Bristol Palin, of all things; she can step and turn and move her arms a little and that’s it. She had hoped to become stronger and more graceful as the contest progressed and it’s just not happening. Wilkinson, it looks like the wheels are coming off; she’s sounding exactly like one of those contestants who jumps in full of love and warmth and smiles and then gets completely ground down by the demands of the contest. Still, looks matter as much as anything else here; I’d be surprised if she didn’t outlast at least Alley.
Not going to be so bold as to make a prediction (I’ve leared that lesson many, many, many times over 
), but there’s an outside chance that there won’t be a 30 this season. Honestly, there isn’t much room for improvement in these stars, and without any political or media firestorm, there’s no incentive to prop anyone up.
I don’t see the problem with Len. I think he did fine with what he had. I do not envy him for having to pretend that Kane being “in jeopardy” meant beans (IMO a much better acting job than that stupid drill lieutenant skit). I will be a very happy man when this show drops that garbage. Basically, she either was or wasn’t eliminated. Sheesh, almost makes that that infamous Madden quote “they’re going to either run or pass” sound intellignet.
Continue to be astonished at how much bigger a star Jennifer Hudson is than ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER with Season 3 of American Idol. (Seriously. Seventh. I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if she was fourth. Chris Daughtry was fourth. A strong favorite finishing fourth is a mild upset. Most of America could live with that. Man.)
Eh, don’t think most rock and roll is a good fit for any kind of instrumental performance, violin or otherwise. It just gets too repetitive without lyrics. If he wanted to do an Aerosmith song, he should’ve gone with Toys in the Attic or Love in an Elevator.
Here’s hoping it picks up a bit next week.
Oh boy, tonight was a bit odd. Several of those dances just didn’t fit with the music. Especially Cheryl & Jericho’s dance. I may be scarred for awhile after seeing Ralph in a Cowboy hat. Some guys can wear them… he ain’t one of them. 
It would have helped if he had a weeks worth of stubble on his face. Do something to erase that baby face of his. What was up with all the belt grabbing? I’m born and raised in the South. I grew up with farmers. No one I ever knew went around doing that.
The couples did the best they could considering the music. I love patriotic music, but much of it doesn’t fit with ballroom. I’m amazed they didn’t do Born in the USA. That would have fit better than some of the stuff they used.
Best dance of the night for me was Hines and Kym.
I’m just praying that they give us a theme-free week next week.
I was doing my taxes, so only gave very partial attention to the TV.
Someone had a wicked sense of irony scheduling American/Patriot week on Tax day.
I’m baffled why they at least didn’t pick dances from the American rhythm division. That’s the style Tony specialized in. They could have gone with the Mambo, East Coast swing, or even the American-style cha cha. Jitterbug or Charleston are other great American dances.
Instead we get Rumba’s dedicated to dead people and this week Rumba’s dedicated to your country. WTF are they thinking? :dubious: Let’s all do the nasty once for uncle sam and the red, white & blue.
I’m curious to see which dance from this hot mess is picked for results night. I’d guess Mark’s. Oh, wait a minute, Chelsea is out there to. If you look close you may see her when Mark slows down.
Well, it was also Patriot’s Day (“18th of April in '75, hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year”.)
But I’m sick of Theme Weeks, too.
I really loathed this theme idea. Songs that weren’t meant to be danced to, the “soulful” singer unleashed to vomit her melisma from hell all over songs that no one ever wanted to hear again to begin with, ridiculous costuming. Horrible.
Speaking of costuming, why do the costumers hate Kirstie Alley? In rehearsals, she wears empire waist tops that are close-fitting in the bust and arms, loose over her stomach and hips. The last three weeks, her costumes have been the exact opposite. And her performances keep declining. We know they can do empire waist costumes, they put Marie Osmond and Tia Carrere in them, even though they didn’t have appreciably big bellies or hips that they were clearly most comfortable camouflaging. Just ridiculous.
And Mark Ballas’s keep expanding. Why can’t he get it through his skull that he’s there to showcase his partner, not himself, and that she’s meant to have the flashiest moves? He’s taken the “it’s all about me” trophy from Cheryl Burke, big time.
What an ever-loving mess. And then we get Toby “we’ll put a boot up your ass, it’s the American way” Keith during the results show. Ech.
Agreed on the themes - enough! The odd part is that this season, I pretty much like everyone. Petra and Romeo, not so much, but I’m not particularly rooting for them to get the boot. I’m disliking the season, however, due to all the contrived themes.
I’m not a fan of the rumba at all, in any form, but linking it to weird themes makes it all the worse.
I got a chuckle out of Hines’ pronunciation - the romba. My wife joked that at least he wasn’t calling it the Roomba. That would be an apt description for some people’s dancing, however (Kate whatever her name was, for instance).
It’s very nice to hear where one is in their menstrual cycle on live national television.
Mark should just leave now.