Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted here; like much of America, I've become used to the short form of Facebook. However, I'd like to bring this blog back to life...

However, one of my perennial favorite shows--despite some poor choices of "talent" by the producers--is Dancing With the Stars. Nice people (mostly) competing with real talent (mostly) and judged by judges who actually... judge.

One beef to start: what the frak is 'contemporary' dancing? Seems like it's all lifts and very little precision or footw0rk involved. Carrie Ann's explanation didn't help, and clearly Len was as frustrated as I was. Color me bored and annoyed...

So--how does the new crop look?

Kelly Pickler: fun, flexible, flirty, and quite capable on the dance floor--and helped by a seasoned pro; An early favorite.

Victor Ortiz: good attitude, but may be in over his head; did better than his rehearsal suggested, however, and he may be a diamond in the rough...

Ingo Rademacher: token beefcake--but, given the 'contemporary' slot, too early to judge...

Lisa Vanderpump: "real" housewife, fake talent; not sure why she's here aside from promoting her empire and dancing with a strapping young man; doesn't seem interested in actually participating or improving...

DL Hughley: great partner, and a good attitude; alas, a much better comedian than a dancer...

Zendaya: token Disney tween star--but has great musicality; might be a little creepy watching her try a sexy rumba; also an early favorite....

Sean Lowe: wait, the Bachelor is wondering why the tabloids are talking about his personal life? Can he be as stupid as he sounds? Hardly danced at all during his own dance--and that was still too much....

Aly Raisman: Mark with another Olympic gymnast? Deja vu? Charming, wth a good sense of rhythm; another dark horse?

Dorothy Hamill: great backstory, wonderful attitude; a front runner who likely has a lot of fans out there...

Wynona Judd: played it safe, but has a big fan base; a good performer, but understated...

Andy Dick: Gosh. Not what  expected at all. I thought we'd see a total screwup, but instead we saw a guy trying to pull his life together. Not terribly smooth, but he'll probably last longer than a few others....

Jacoby Jones: token jock (usually either football or basketball); a little clunky, but some nice moves--and pretty likeable to boot; probably the best guy out there tonight....

Final thoughts? Best odds to Kelly and Zendaya, with Jacoby, Dorothy, and Ingo as wild cards...

Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted here; like much of America, I've become used to the short form of Facebook. However, I'd like to bring this blog back to life...

However, one of my perennial favorite shows--despite some poor choices of "talent" by the producers--is Dancing With the Stars. Nice people (mostly) competing with real talent (mostly) and judged by judges who actually... judge.

One beef to start: what the frak is 'contemporary' dancing? Seems like it's all lifts and very little precision or footw0rk involved. Carrie Ann's explanation didn't help, and clearly Len was as frustrated as I was. Color me bored and annoyed...

So--how does the new crop look?

Kelly Pickler: fun, flexible, flirty, and quite capable on the dance floor--and helped by a seasoned pro; An early favorite.

Victor Ortiz: good attitude, but may be in over his head; did better than his rehearsal suggested, however, and he may be a diamond in the rough...

Ingo Rademacher: token beefcake--but, given the 'contemporary' slot, too early to judge...

Lisa Vanderpump: "real" housewife, fake talent; not sure why she's here aside from promoting her empire and dancing with a strapping young man; doesn't seem interested in actually participating or improving...

DL Hughley: great partner, and a good attitude; alas, a much better comedian than a dancer...

Zendaya: token Disney tween star--but has great musicality; might be a little creepy watching her try a sexy rumba; also an early favorite....

Sean Lowe: wait, the Bachelor is wondering why the tabloids are talking about his personal life? Can he be as stupid as he sounds? Hardly danced at all during his own dance--and that was still too much....

Aly Raisman: Mark with another Olympic gymnast? Deja vu? Charming, wth a good sense of rhythm; another dark horse?

Dorothy Hamill: great backstory, wonderful attitude; a front runner who likely has a lot of fans out there...

Wynona Judd: played it safe, but has a big fan base; a good performer, but understated...

Andy Dick: Gosh. Not what  expected at all. I thought we'd see a total screwup, but instead we saw a guy trying to pull his life together. Not terribly smooth, but he'll probably last longer than a few others....

Jacoby Jones: token jock (usually either football or basketball); a little clunky, but some nice moves--and pretty likeable to boot; probably the best guy out there tonight....

Final thoughts? Best odds to Kelly and Zendaya, with Jacoby, Dorothy, and Ingo as wild cards...

Bonus points if you recognize the obscure geek/literary reference...

So, with week two of Dancing With the Stars done, and, having failed to get even close to identifying the front runners last week, I think I've managed to narrow things down...

First to go? Sorry, Gavin and Martina, but I don't think the popular vote will counteract your scores.

My top five, most likely to make the finals: Donald Driver, Katherine Jenkins, Maria Menounos, Roshon Fegan, and William Levy. Personally, I'd love to see either Maria (and her infectious/creepy laugh) or Katherine win.

Time will tell...

The short answer? Best. Premiere. Ever.

Well, first, congrats to ABC for not casting any a-holes or clowns. I'm actually looking forward to seeing a group of maybe-not-quite celebrities but at least nobody objectionable. That being said...

1. Bruno's suit? Shiny much?

2. Congrats to Bruno for namechecking Sofia Vergara--she should be on next season!

3. Bonus! An episode of 'Castle' set on a faux 'Dancing With the Stars'!

4. A surprising number of '8's--and two '9's!

And now, on with the show...

Maria Menounos: I don't know exactly who she is, but her laugh is amazing and she seems pretty capable on dance floor. Being paired with Derek is a plus, too.

Jack Wagner: I neither followed his singing nor his acting career., so I pretty much came in blind. Overall, better than I expected, and looks to be in pretty good shape for the long haul.

Donald Driver: Funny family man, and on fire on the dance floor! Wow--hell of a first night performance! And extra points for the adorable kids!

Gavin DeGraw: Seriously; is the hat crazy-glued to your head? Not bad on the floor; a bit unsure, it seemed, but he's got a strong partner in Karina.

Roshon Fagan: Well, he clearly comes in with an unfair advantage, but his awkwardness in rehearsals disappeared once he hit the dance floor. If he can keep that up during the slower, more elegant dances, he's got potential.

Sherri Shepherd: Freakin' hilarious, and pretty light on her feet, too. I hope she sticks around just for the entertainment value. "Short of birthin' my child, this the hardest thing I've had to do in my entire life..."

Melissa Gilbert: This season's Jennifer Grey--the injured cougar? A bit worried to hear she 'broke her back', which might be problematic in the long haul. No apparent formal training, but did quite well in the face of probably the evening's toughest choreography.  A few rough edges, but a good start, and I like her attitude.

William Levy: I'll admit--I did have a bit of trouble...er...concentrating. But despite what looked like a disastrous rehearsal, he redeemed himself quite gracefully on the dance floor, and having Cheryl Burke as a partner doesn't hurt, either.  

Martina Navratilova: An "A" for effort, but clearly some issues with fluidity and musicality compared to the other female contestants. Better than I expected, but, hey, someone's gotta go first...

Katherine Jenkins: Well, that's quite a set of pipes...but not your typical stuffy classical singer. Fun to watch, and a really nice job with the foxtrot. Her biggest challenge will be the "Who the heck is she?" factor--but high score of the evening so far!

Gladys Knight: Is the Irish guy always going to get the older women? Good chemistry between her and Justin, she moves great (I hope I can move like that at her age), and I suspect she'll be getting the popular vote for a while, too.

Jaleel White: This was the big finish? I was skeptical--but, to paraphrase Kim, "Be nice to the geeky guys." Graceful, elegant, with an honest and open smile on his face the whole time.

At this point, I'm going to have to break with my tradition of calling the top four; frankly, there's no one really bad and there are quite a lot of good people. I'm willing to dismiss Martina and Gavin early on, but it's a hell of a horse race.

Well, my Riviera--now christened Dolores--made her maiden long-distance this past weekend, joining a Lambda Car Club caravan from Detroit to Cincinnati. Along the way, I learned a few things...

• Despite the lack of reclining seats, I was reasonably comfortable over the four-hour drive. In addition, although I had hoped to get the vacuum-operated cruise control fixed in time, it turns out that wasn't too much of a liability. And, yes, driving a large-diameter, skinny-rimmed steering wheel can take some getting used to.
• Not only is the air conditioning efficient, it's scary-efficient--to the point where frost formed on the vents. In fact, it seemed as if the airflow slowed down after about twenty minutes; I'm told it's possible the compressor froze up and wound up restricting airflow. Fortunately, turning the a/c off for about three minutes was enough to unfreeze things.
• Fuel economy? 14 miles per gallon with three people + luggage aboard.
• I confirmed the passenger-side outside rear-view mirror, while stylish, is totally useless. If it were mounted about three inches further rearward, I think it might be visible (although then, of course, the symmetry with the driver's side mirror would be out of sync).
• Piloting a 4,000-pound car with drum brakes down a hill in a thunderstorm is very, very scary.
• It would have been nice, on the ride home, if Mother Nature had decided to let up on the rain for at least an hour or so; while the windshield wipers are reasonably effective, there is no 'intermittent' feature.

So--mission accomplished. And it's nice to be home...

PS: Check out some cool photos here...

Well , it's week two of Dancing With the Stars; what have we learned?
1. Mark Ballas needs to remember this is not the Ringling Brothers circus. Hopefully his disastrous choreography won't get Chelsea booted.
2. Cheryl Burke can apparently work miracles--holy crap, Mr Jericho can DANCE!
3. Kirstie Alley continues to delight...
4. Mike Catherwood's guns can't quite compensate for his dance floor shortcomings--but he's getting better...
5. Romeo's apple has apparently fallen far from Master P's tree.
6. Wendy's freakin' hilarious. I have to find her show, 'cause I'm not sure how long she'll be here...
7. Three words: Too. Many. Commercials.
8. Ralph Macchio is the embodiment of "I can do anything I put my mind to". He brought the biggest smile to my face.
9. New front runner: Hines Ward. Best consistency week-to-week.