Well it was Blackpool week and as per we had pics of overseas professional dancers being forced to eat fish and chips out of a polystyrene carton while standing in the freezing cold and saying that is is better than Sicily....yeh right. OK you might meet up with the Godfather in Sicily but remember that Strictly has Craig...
Judges went bonkers on the marking last night even more so than usual. Ola Jordan has just left the show in a flurry of sequins, or in her case sequin, making nasty remarks saying it is all fixed. Very fond of Ola but do think when leaving a show on the BBC which has kept her and her hubby in fake tan and paid their mortgage for the last ten years, one should leave with a little dignity. I know the Beeb can be a pain in the arse but they are now highly unlikely to ever offer you work again. As it is James has been popping up on the Guardian blog (very amusing I must say) saying he has no work thereby proving my point.
Note: Ola's comments now have a tad more resonance after the results show. See below
Anyway, apart from all this aggro we had the usual over the top reaction to the Tower Ballroom and yes it is great but we know this, you slebs that go there once a year go barmy about it, but us old lags who have been with Strictly from the start know all about it.
OK dancing.
Judges went potty about Jay and Aliona's salsa. I thought it was a bit meh myself and Aliona is up to her usual tricks with the choreography that makes her look good and not so much her partner. But all four thought it was FAB - U - LOUS so what do I know?
Anita and Gleb - pasa doble. My vague impression of this is that Anita was fantastic but you have to understand that she was partnered by Gleb who was wearing very little up top except his mustache and I found that rather distracting. Watched it on catch up and this time forced myself to watch her and she was great. Under marked yet again and when this kind of thing happens which it does to certain Slebs each year, one does wonder if Ola is right.
Georgia and Joe Varney aka Giovanni - I am warming to him and now that the prog has ceased trying to make out he is an Italian Stallion, though he may well be for all I know, one can live in hope, he is turning out to be a real sweetie. He and Georgia did a simply gorgeous waltz and I came over all thing.
Katie Sparkly Derham and Anton du Beck - Very Fred and Ginger and suited Anton down to the ground, top hat the lot. Katie, I hate to say this as I loathe her with a loathing which grows by the week (irrational I know) was pretty good though she threw in a wobble or two at the end. Nines all round which sent Anton into paroxysms of joy and incredulity, cue more Katie looking up and twinkling in his face, tossing her head around and being so bloody vivacious. Sorry I must stop...
Jamela and Tristan - I am sorry but she is piss poor. Quickstep messy and loose and lacked any precision at all. Tristan dragging her around. 'Was that good enough to keep her out of the dance off?" asks the Fatuous One ie Tess. No says Craig. Love him.
Peter Andre and Jeanette - jive. Awful. No jive content at all and he was saddled with a pair of hideous trousers that the wardrobe department must have left over from their coverage of the Ryder Cup.
Helen and Aljaz - Charleston. Meh again. This time the production team went mad and we had multiple Helen's at the back a la Busby Barkley. I have always found his numbers a bit creepy and as Helen looks like a mannequin from Selfridge's front window and has the same amount of personality and vitality, this was a serious mistake. So I decided to watch Aljaz all the time instead and felt he should have got four tens.
Kevin and Kellie - nice quickstep routine and she did really well but a 10? And really Strictly Wardrobe give her a decent dress. Some of the stuff she has been lumbered with has been appalling.
Will be watching the Results show in a bit so will post this when over. I do love watching it when I know the result as all people with access to Twitter can find out easy peasy, and watch to see how many times they refer to the show Last Night when we all know that it was filmed at the same time. I know I moan about it each week but really it is getting a bit pathetic now.
And here we go again as well re Tess and her predilection for grabbing, groping and clutching the Slebs as they come off the floor. Anita Rani has perfected the art of getting free pretty quickly, mainly be flinging her arms around Gleb (always a good move) but the others tend to stand there being clutched looking desperate. WHY does she do it?
I know that Claudia follows the Guardian live blog so have asked her to tell her to STOP IT. Not sure that Tess would enjoy reading it somehow.
Off to put supper in oven and then await the results show. Spent most of the afternoon asleep as was with grandchildren last night who wanted to Sleep with Grandma. Should say Grandma got very little Sleep as I was kicked and poked all night and had the duvet yanked off me at regular intervals. Reminded me of the nights I used to sleep with my ex................
Results show - and the proverbial has hit the fan. Jamelia voted out and I, personally, could not get worked up about it as she is a weak dancer and has been in the dance off more times than I have had hot dinners, but at Blackpool she actually did a better dance. Peter Andre who was in the dance off with her was bad and even worse in the dance off and yet three of the judges saved him, Len wanted to save Jamelia. Apparently, the audience were livid and there was a lot of booing going on and they had to re-shoot the result to edit it out. So just as well it was filmed last night, if live, this could not have been shown.
All the forums and blogs are having a go and feel sorry for Peter as I daresay he will be the victim for this and will go out next week. Likely he would anyway, but this makes it worse.
Oh dear oh dear.
The words Storm and Teacup come to mind.
Quick round up of the rest of the show, opening dance a total mess, did not know what it was meant to be. Anastasia, who I freely admit I have never heard of, thought she was a member of the Russian royal family, bellowed a song, or rather mimed a bellow and a lot of poncing around in front by assorted dancers. Take That came on later and much though I love them, well Gary anyway, mimed again and more poncing around by assorted dancers. Tess went in for even more clutching as the Slebs tried to manouvre out of the way of her limpet like grip. This has now become a main talking point of the forums so might be a good idea if somebody had a bijou wordette.
I would say watch Strictly It Takes Two for a follow up on this but there never is. They always ignore any complaints or uproar and Rise Above It in true Beeeeeb fashion.
Think Katie Derham, who I was rather hoping would be in the dance off this week, would likely go next week but Peter is defo for the chop now and not really his fault.
And on that philosophical note I am removing my sequinned onesie and putting on my jammies and going to bed.
Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep dancing.
