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"In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats"
RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 01:10 PM (EST)
 
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"In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
On Wednesday, my daughter and I got to see the live performance of the hottest new show of the summer and it was a really fun experience. There's nothing better than a bonding experience that involves dressing-up, cheering and booing and no need for my credit card!
This was the first show I've been to where there was a dress code: suits for the men and cocktail dresses for the women. So we saw one tux, lots of sweet sixteen dresses and wedding and bar mitzvah ensembles and tons of black. We were even stopped in the street because so many people were dressed up so early in the evening.
The party dress set the stage for the rest of the night. The stage was very elaborate for a show that they didn't know would become such a hit. The dance floor was large enough to allow room for all the dance moves. Some of the VIPs- none of whom I recognized, were seated at small tables, almost like a club.
All of the female dancers looked beautiful. Rachel, who was visibly nervous, is much lovelier and statuesque in person. Charlotta was much softer looking. Trista, who looked liked she was at the ice skating finals, was glowing. Kelly, who I'd never heard of before last week, has a huge soap opera fan base who may vote for her even if she falls flat on her face, is really adorable. Trista's partner, Louis, reminded me of someone and I finally remembered who- Lenny Krazilburg, the Olympic swimmer.
As part of Wednesday's audience, I have to say that it's absolutely delightful to see the quick step when it's performed well and both Joey and John did a fantastic job. I'm going to discuss the mens' performances first. I watched the show on TV afterwards and I'm going to compare what we saw live to what the television audience saw. John and Joey were even better in person. Joey's live performance was just electric. He looked like he was enjoying himself and his footwork was intricate and amazing. The audience loved it and stood up to let him know it. When I watched the TV rendition, he still looked great but the cameras didn't focus on the footwork enough to show how well he and Ashly did.
Then John and Charlotta performed and it was like watching Fred and Ginger. John's got a very debonair, 1930s air about him and it shows in his dancing. Once again, he did some wonderful quick step moves. The people sitting next to me were ballroom dancers and they said what a difficult routine John did and that it was amazing that he learned so much in such a short time. Again, the audience loved it. But then I watched it on TV, dragging my husband over to watch because he's a big Seinfeld fan. But all I kept saying was "They're not showing his feet". I could tell when he was doing the fancy footwork by his shoulder movements but he did so much more than the cameras showed. I know that there were two huge cameras moving around, since they blocked my view a few times but either a split screen or longer pan shots would have shown the beauty of the dance.
By the time Evander performed the audience had seen some lovely dancing. Tom introduced Evander by saying that last week's audience gave him a standing ovation to which my daughter whispered, "Everyone gets one- it's practically an order". Then Evander began the dance. While I agree with the judge- I couldn't get into the ring or glide lightly on my feet, so I give him credit for trying and being a good sport, the man just can't dance. Last week, he reminded me of a teenage boy whose girlfriend does all the fancy moves while he just stands there. This week, Evander did move but he walked rather than glided around the dance floor. I even think that he brought his partner down since she had to follow his lead. She took him back to the ring but even she couldn't dance rings around him this time. It was painful to watch. There was no standing ovation this time. In fact, most of us looked at each other, stunned because there was so little real dancing. Then when I watched it on TV, I saw how someone can be edited to look far better than he is. Now, for Evander, to put less emphasis on his feet, was a huge advantage. He looked far better from the waist up. The TV audience didn't see how much walking, rather than dancing he did. It sounded like he received a lot of applause and I thought that we didn't applaud so enthusiastically. Then I remembered that we'd applauded several times before the show started and they recorded it. So obviously, the applause was enhanced- a lot.
Of the women, Rachel's performance was the best. It can't be easy to feel light and carefree when your future ex-husband will be having kids until infinity. My daughter said that Trista's moves were so stiff that it she could see the cheerleader coming out. For a former Miami Heat dancer, her routine generated no heat. On the other hand, Kelly's acting background definitely helped because there's nothing more smoldering than a soap opera love scene and that's what she gave us.
One thing that wasn't on the show that was very sweet was the ending- after everyone hugged Trista, they all gathered her up above their heads and carried her off the set. The affection between the contestants seemed genuine.
Since the show is live, it will be interesting to see if things change as the weeks progress. Now that the producers see how well some of the stars can dance, maybe there will be more focus on their footwork. Even better, since the show has done incredibly well in the ratings, perhaps the next edition will get some real stars. As I suggested in another post- how about the rest of the cast of Seinfeld? The show could end their second series curse. I'd love to see Michael Richards dance and this would be another chance for Julia to show off her patented Elaine moves. Jason's been on Broadway, so he might actually know how to dance. Jerry'd look great in a tux.If Seinfeld women are included, Teri Hatcher could bring back her fantastic twosome. Of course, I'll never get tickets again. 
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 02:08 PM (EST)
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2. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
You're welcome, SilverStar, thanks for the kind words.
I had to drag my daughter there by reminding her that she still owed me a Mother's Day gift and this one wouldn't cost her a penny. She had a really good time, too.
Maybe we should try to convince the Mods to start a separate forum since the show is doing so well, it'll definitely be back.
What was great was the diversity of the audience- tons of teens and people in their 70s and 80s and everyone in between.
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 02:26 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
Hi, CattyChat,
I love your name. On the DWTS website, they have the Arthur Murray Dance Studios website. I bet this show brings an upsurge in ballroom dancing lessons. Watching elegant dancing is such a treat. How long do you think it will be before Rob and Amber (who I really like) ask to appear on the show. Afterall, we've already seen that Rob's had some lessons! LOL
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 02:40 PM (EST)
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6. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
Catty,
You're right, Rob would be hilarious. Since they'd each be paired with a professional dancer, Rob could repeat the famous line that Lex curses so bitterly- "Take care of my girl"- unless of course it's a sexy Latin dance, especially, the tango- and then it'll be "Watch my girl and your hands or I'll take care of you". I have two left feet, too, which is why fast or rock-type dancing was invented- it's a lot easier when nobody has to lead or follow!
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 06:59 PM (EST)
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8. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
LAST EDITED ON 06-10-05 AT 07:04 PM (EST)Hi, Swami,
The show was taped at CBS Studios in Hollywood (I know the show's on ABC, so go figure?) It was taped at 6 PST so that it would be live on the east coast at 9. I went to the ABC website right after the show ended last week and they gave a phone number, so I called last Thursday and they gave me the website (I'll check it again to give to you) and at the time there were still seats for this past Wednesday's show and for one week after next. But the finale was already filled. So I got tickets for my daughter and me. But after I told people I'd gotten tickets, a lot of people wished I'd gotten more. But we had to be there by 4:30 and it meant having to leave work early, get dressed up, etc. so I didn't think many people could make it. When I tried to get more tickets, they were all gone, including the one in a few weeks. I put my name on the waiting list, but I doubt they'll become available. A bunch of us in the audience tried to count how many tickets were available to non-VIPs like us and it seemed like less than 60. There was seats on three sides of the floor and the fourth side was the orchestra. But two sides were for VIPS and some kids from performing arts high schools in the LA area. So I may never get to see a live performance again.
As I said in my post, I was sitting next to two older couples who ballroom danced- they were there for both nights. I didn't ask if they were going to all the performances but they probably were. Several people who were in line with us had gotten their tickets long before the show was even aired- especially the Kelly fans who came with a stuffed animal for her.
Since I've been in LA- two years, I've seen tapings of "Frazier", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "The Tonight Show" and "Jeopardy" (including the day Ken lost in the fall- the only spoiler I've ever known- of course, it came out the next day). But this is the first time I've seen a show live as it was being broadcast and it made a big difference. The Tonight Show is run like a clock- they say it'll take an hour and in an hour you're out of there. I don't remember any editing or anything. "Jeopardy" was really interesting because they stop all the time to look up answers, sometimes for several minutes. It was especially true the second time I went because it was the Championship semi-finals and a lot was a stake. There's also a lot of down time and both Johnny and Alex come to the audience and answer lots of questions. The situation comedies take forever to film, lots of bloopers and alternative punch lines, so they're fun. After all that, I wasn't sure what to expect with "Dancing" but for a show that'd only been on once before, they had it down to a science. The one hour show took exactly one hour. The only down time was during the commercials when they got some people in the audience to get up and dance. There was no question and answer period which really disappointed me because I'm still trying to find out what you win when you win this event. They still didn't say if they're playing for charity or what. There was a part of me that would have liked to raise my hand and ask but my daughter would have died then and there.
But as I've said, what was most interesting is that nothing was edited during the show itself and it wasn't until I got home and watched the show that I saw how Evander could be made to seem much better than he was and how John and Joey didn't get the camera spotlight they deserved. It's amazing how quickly this show got popular. Everyone in the audience really seemed excited to be there.
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-10-05, 09:27 PM (EST)
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10. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
Hi, Schnookie,
Joey was absolutely terrific! He was having so much fun and that's what dancing is all about. John is tall and elegant and has a great head of white hair. He reminded me of my dad, who died last year and still had great hair at 85.
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-11-05, 12:42 PM (EST)
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14. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
I know! I was really impressed that the show went off without a hitch. The only thing I've been to that's even somewhat comparable is "The Tonight Show" but that's taped hours earlier and if something happened, it could be taken care of. It's definitely high pressure. I think there's something like a 30 second delay but I'm not sure. So many things can go wrong. I think the closest we saw to anything was when the dark-haired male judge, I don't remember his name, seemed to go overlong on his review and Tom had to cut him short. Tom probably had some kind of mike in his ear but I never noticed or thought to look.
The performers definitely must be sweating bullets because they could fall on their faces. The potential for humiliation is huge. I give them all credit!
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zombiebaby 7356 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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06-10-05, 09:57 PM (EST)
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11. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
This is great RealityMom! Thanks so much for describing to us! Sounds like fun. Interesting about Evander, never thought about the editing and how it can "help" him out. It seems to me that they are trying to influence the audience to NOT vote for Kelly before Evander goes. Thanks again for posting! 
"Boxed wine, mixed with 7-UP and lots of ice is nice when it is hot. And it's uber classy too".~Knockers(in the nookie thread)
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RealityMom 560 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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06-11-05, 00:26 AM (EST)
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12. "RE: In the audience at Dancing With The Stars: Watching some dancing feet doing some dancing feats" |
Hey, Zombiebaby,
I think I remember reading that the audience was heavily female and I know the soap opera fan base is huge, so I think they're all voting all 5 votes for Kelly. So based on popularity and not dancing ability, the fans could keep her quite a while. If the men who are watching do vote, then I think Evander could get a lot of their votes because it does take courage to get up there and try to dance. I realized after I posted that a major difference I saw between the two men- John and Joey and all three women was the men really seemed to feel joy while the women all seemed uncomfortable. I watched Rachel's face while the judges were discussing her performance. The camera alternated between her face and the judges' but I was just looking at her and she was so tense, it was palpable. I think she's really trying so hard. Kelly and Trista were too. When John and Joey finished, they were clearly exhausted but they had the look you have when you're tired but also really pleased and proud.
I think you may be right that the judges would like to see Evander stay on as long as possible because he's such a fish out of water in this whole event. Thanks for the good thoughts!
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