Strictly semi final
Dec. 14th, 2015 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
‘At the End of the Day’ has been earworming me all week. And more.
Overall, having two dances made for an underwhelming first half, but we got a telling second half that was more like it. By this point, I’m confirmed in my prejudices/favourites. Did anyone else see something to change their minds? Craig used the greatest range of paddles (and SPOILER we’ll have to wait for the final for that elusive 10, which, in hindsight, seems obvious now), Bruno had one rant, but was mainly chirpy, Len was defensive and Darcy only agreed with the guys once. However, the frocks were quite good and more colourful in general.
TessnClaud went for black (Claudia’s might have been navy), which, as has been the case all series, worked for them. I loved Darcey’s green gown with black embellishments, though. Katie was the best served celeb, I loved both the red number and the gold gown; I also loved Anita’s pink gown (and Gleb’s hat), Georgia and Kellie’s hair – her gown was also lovely. Sadly, Natalie Lowe’s skirt in the Clauditorium was hideous.
The first set of VTs, as they always do, diminished in impact, however sincere the celebs were after seeing their supporters (Georgia was legitimately moved). You try to read too much into how representative the vox pops are of the fanbase.
So, Katie got to go first, and I appreciated her legs and the Ann Millerish homage in their Charleston, and selling it was never going to be a problem, but there were too many sticky bits, weren’t there? Not to mention losing sync. It wasn’t deserving of a 4 (oh, Craig) and I thought the judges were so harsh that Katie was guaranteed a pity vote on top of what feels like a sentimental juggernaut to get Anton into the final. Before, I’d been convinced she’d get away with her dances in the semis, because the Charleston’s not really a Latin, but it was a really low total score and, Craig’s contribution aside, she deserved it.
I then thought Jay was going to do his Charleston next, which would have been harsher yet for Katie (nice job on ballroom/Latin alternation, even if some of them were really ‘Latin’ numbers). The Viennese Waltz was typical of Jay and Aliona, some gorgeousness in his dancing, really nice connection (shurrup, Craig), and I think from what I half-overheard after the dance (shurrup, Jay) he knew he’d done the mistake Len talked about. Jay’s chuffed relief at getting 34 was, as Claudia said, edible.
We then learned that apart from the knock of last week’s support collapse, Georgia had laryngitis (and a TV friendly doc). It was like Helen’s meltdowns, only worse. Everyone suffered from under-rehearsal, of course, but Georgia’s cha-cha seemed stiff and placed, at times, relatively speaking.
Yeah, there was messing abaht on the piano, but I liked Anita’s style, even if her foxtrot probably wasn’t as technically accomplished as last week’s routines. I also really loved the ending, even if the complaints about it being more American Smooth were just. Gleb has clearly decided to stuff the rulebook (more of this later), Anita gives it massive welly, and it’s all very entertaining. I like their attitude and what they bring to the dancefloor.
Kellie got the final slot (more of this later), and all that dancing in her legs from over the years and being used to having to squeeze in practicing, maybe this week was always likely to phase her the least. However, the rumba – especially when she and Kevin have less chemistry than Georgia/Giovanni and Jay/Aliona, or even Helen/Aljiaz) – was going to be tough. For me, her strength got in the way of the lyricism, so I was surprised by how much Craig and Len (and the male pros) loved it. If she had had 10s, I’d have been a bit !?!? Having said that, even allowing for the lack of chemistry, given the song, it was never going to be a sexy rumba, Bruno.
At midway, then, Jay and Kellie shared the honours (the first for selling it and the second for the technique), Georgia was ill and Katie was way at the bottom.
More importantly, Claudia (Tess was spot on when she responded to ‘Fire me’ with ‘NEVER’), pulled off what I’ll take as a Hitch-hiker’s Guide reference, by using the Tardis and adding absurdity to the obvious ‘seen who won the final’ joke.
The second set of VTs was the traditional judges’ critique. Among all the obvious stuff, they made a good point about Katie always going wrong somewhere.
Could Katie redeem herself with the ballroom? Obviously she was going to improve on the Charleston, but then we all realised that they were waltzing to opera, and it was a bit like the singer’s attempt, nearly, but not good enough. I thought it began well and then dropped off in quality (I must have subconsciously picked up on what Len was talking about). Suddenly the kneejerk snark about the smoke machine had some truth to it. Bruno pulled off another rant (wonder who he’d pick: Puccini or Fosse). I thought failing at the ballroom, her strength, might undercut the pity vote. I like Katie but she was the weakest on the night, and I don’t know if Anton gave her too difficult content or it was the demands of waltzing to that song, or lack of rehearsal, but what was worrying was that she hadn’t seemed to realise what had gone wrong.
Now, I’d been worried about Jay and the Charleston, not so much the mugging, really, as the lack of rehearsal time (according to ITT). I’m so not a Whovian, but in case you haven’t noticed, I am a Jay fan, and this was a blast, with an echo of the jive in the confidence and flair, and the rolled-up sleeves. If only it hadn’t been for that mistake in the lift! However, I believe I was howling ‘Nine him! That’s Ecclestone, right?’ Bless you, Bruno, for later scoreboard reasons, but it should have been a nine, although if not for that mistake, 10s would have been fair. Anyway, it was an improvement on the waltz and a riposte to the criticisms about selling it.
Next, the dance of the night, possibly, for the reaction it elicited from me. In my head it was like ‘HEH. Len’s not going to like this. WHOA. This isn’t really a salsa. WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT WAS THAT?’ Cue collapsing on the sofa and wheezing. I mean Georgia’s cha-cha was fairly camp, but this was so much more, with a dash of the energetic jive, some of Kevin’s more mental choreography, and Anita was nearly utterly on it, and Gleb asked so much of her. And yes, it wasn’t a salsa - e.g. the armography, but I was almost disappointed in the eights, though I understood the rationale. However, after THAT I felt obliged to vote for them once, because what on earth is Gleb going to come up with as a showdance (Riding tigers? Fire-eating? Hoverboards??? Anita would probably do all of the above with admirable commitment.)
As Kellie’d done so well, sick!Georgia had to up her game. Possibly, having done a lot of Viennese Waltzing for Blackpool week helped. My Georgia-shaped stumbling block turned up again, because I didn’t feel the dance. It didn’t help me that the song felt chopped up. I thought there was the glimmer of greatness to it, but that it was under-rehearsed. I certainly wasn’t connected enough, because, if I’m honest, I spent about half of it wondering about the construction of the dress. Obviously, the judges loved it and it was a mini-comeback.
Like Georgia, Kellie has never really got me on side, somehow. I appreciate that she’s a great dancer and that, like Georgia, she deserves to be in the final, but I’m never going to vote for her – I’ll leave that to her fans. (And unlike Georgia, she hasn’t had the equivalent of the Charleston.) What Kevin tried to do here turned me into Bruno, because referencing Fred and Ginge so explicitly – to a song they danced a famous routine to – is making a comparison Kellie is always going to struggle with. Yes, some of the lifts and touches were lovely, but part of a half a week to prepare that routine when Rogers put in weeks and weeks after years and years to craft her magic with Astaire and had retakes? Come on. While the audience was standing, I was sitting down. While the judges were using superlatives, I was raising an eyebrow. (Whereas, I think with Helen or, say, Natalie with the big hair from a few seasons ago, a routine that was subtler with the referencing would have got me standing and squeeing.) Anyway, she ended up top, and I think deservedly so, while Katie, at the bottom, should go even if she didn’t deserve a four. (Sorry, Anton.)
Results
Great in-camera routine from the pros – I loved it, although I don’t know what the studio audience really made of what they saw. And, of course, Jo whipped off that skirt before the end.
Enter TessnClaud, having decided not to mess with the black that suits them so (maybe a dash of colour next week, ladies, pleeeeease). And Darcy more or less joined them.
I thought the recap was fair – I’m sure much will be made of Kevin’s tears.
Under the lights, Jay was called safe (SPOILER the only one never to have been in the dance-off, noted) and Kellie, who thanked us all, but was top of the leaderboard, so got there on her own merit, surely. The red light fell on Anita and Gleb. I was a little sad but then got to be superior in Darcey’s direction, because Anita knew she was in the bottom two on the scoreboard, so must have been mentally prepared for this eventuality. Loved her snarking that she chose the salsa because of the socks. But really, she must have been hoping that Georgia’s fanbase felt sorry for her because of the laryngitis and guilty for not voting for her last week, because if she was facing Georgia, Anita’d have no chance.
Kylie embraced Christmas as only Kylie could. I felt petty for snarking that she wouldn’t be warm wearing that get-up, and visually embraced the Christmas tree dancers, appreciated the inevitable Bugsby Berkeley ref and vicariously enjoyed the pro men pop in to bop with Kylie.
Len’s Lens happened, and Craig sort of made an argument for being allowed to score in fractions. The montage could have been worse, and made me do weird Darcey and Taylor Swift comparisons.
Back under the lights and Georgia was rightfully allowed to celebrate being in the final. Everyone told Katie not to do the mistakes we’d seen in slo-mo on Len’s Lens. (The singer groaned about having to do the Puccini again, I’d imagine.)
In fairness, Katie did cut out the mistakes. I didn’t love the dance, especially, because I’d picked my side and was looking forward to the return of the Blackpool paso – with or without the extra dancers and red drapes - not to mention Gleb’s showdance. But I thought Anita was a little too pumped and a little bit more ragged dancing her ‘salsa’ this time around. I was with Craig for his justification for keeping them in, but the second that Darcey chose Katie, whatever Bruno said, you knew Len would probably do the same (and Len, you were the only judge not to be tainted by Peter vs. Jamelia, so why feel the need to be so defensive?).
Putting what might have been aside, I’ll admit that while Katie’s Latin has been hopeless – and unless if the judges show an unexpected mean streak, we’re not going to see a Latin number from them in the final – her ballroom has been better than Anita’s. But Anita’s ballroom was stronger than Katie’s Latin, making her the better all-rounder. Both couples are likeable, both women have been risen above the wittering the presenters and show sometimes demand of them, both were weaker than the top three, and I’m relieved that sentimentality around Anton didn’t sway the voters. (I admit I cackled that when Anton went to hug Gleb, Kevin pipped him to the post.)
I seem to be slightly less incensed than other Anita fans from the blowback!?
I expect to see Jay’s jive, Georgia’s Charleston, Katie’s American smooth or (overmarked) Viennese Waltz reappear. Kellie is harder to call. I’d like to see Jay redeem his quickstep, I’m afraid I will see Georgia’s Viennese Waltz/American Smooth with the croissant moon again, and Bruno confirmed on ITT that the judges’ll pull ‘one of the early dances to prove you’ve had a journey’ card out too. I should lower expectations about the showdance now that Gleb’s out – though if anyone wants to shock us in a good way a la Caroline and Pasha last year, they should feel very free. I would be honestly shocked if Aliona didn’t put spins in for Jay!
Overall, having two dances made for an underwhelming first half, but we got a telling second half that was more like it. By this point, I’m confirmed in my prejudices/favourites. Did anyone else see something to change their minds? Craig used the greatest range of paddles (and SPOILER we’ll have to wait for the final for that elusive 10, which, in hindsight, seems obvious now), Bruno had one rant, but was mainly chirpy, Len was defensive and Darcy only agreed with the guys once. However, the frocks were quite good and more colourful in general.
TessnClaud went for black (Claudia’s might have been navy), which, as has been the case all series, worked for them. I loved Darcey’s green gown with black embellishments, though. Katie was the best served celeb, I loved both the red number and the gold gown; I also loved Anita’s pink gown (and Gleb’s hat), Georgia and Kellie’s hair – her gown was also lovely. Sadly, Natalie Lowe’s skirt in the Clauditorium was hideous.
The first set of VTs, as they always do, diminished in impact, however sincere the celebs were after seeing their supporters (Georgia was legitimately moved). You try to read too much into how representative the vox pops are of the fanbase.
So, Katie got to go first, and I appreciated her legs and the Ann Millerish homage in their Charleston, and selling it was never going to be a problem, but there were too many sticky bits, weren’t there? Not to mention losing sync. It wasn’t deserving of a 4 (oh, Craig) and I thought the judges were so harsh that Katie was guaranteed a pity vote on top of what feels like a sentimental juggernaut to get Anton into the final. Before, I’d been convinced she’d get away with her dances in the semis, because the Charleston’s not really a Latin, but it was a really low total score and, Craig’s contribution aside, she deserved it.
I then thought Jay was going to do his Charleston next, which would have been harsher yet for Katie (nice job on ballroom/Latin alternation, even if some of them were really ‘Latin’ numbers). The Viennese Waltz was typical of Jay and Aliona, some gorgeousness in his dancing, really nice connection (shurrup, Craig), and I think from what I half-overheard after the dance (shurrup, Jay) he knew he’d done the mistake Len talked about. Jay’s chuffed relief at getting 34 was, as Claudia said, edible.
We then learned that apart from the knock of last week’s support collapse, Georgia had laryngitis (and a TV friendly doc). It was like Helen’s meltdowns, only worse. Everyone suffered from under-rehearsal, of course, but Georgia’s cha-cha seemed stiff and placed, at times, relatively speaking.
Yeah, there was messing abaht on the piano, but I liked Anita’s style, even if her foxtrot probably wasn’t as technically accomplished as last week’s routines. I also really loved the ending, even if the complaints about it being more American Smooth were just. Gleb has clearly decided to stuff the rulebook (more of this later), Anita gives it massive welly, and it’s all very entertaining. I like their attitude and what they bring to the dancefloor.
Kellie got the final slot (more of this later), and all that dancing in her legs from over the years and being used to having to squeeze in practicing, maybe this week was always likely to phase her the least. However, the rumba – especially when she and Kevin have less chemistry than Georgia/Giovanni and Jay/Aliona, or even Helen/Aljiaz) – was going to be tough. For me, her strength got in the way of the lyricism, so I was surprised by how much Craig and Len (and the male pros) loved it. If she had had 10s, I’d have been a bit !?!? Having said that, even allowing for the lack of chemistry, given the song, it was never going to be a sexy rumba, Bruno.
At midway, then, Jay and Kellie shared the honours (the first for selling it and the second for the technique), Georgia was ill and Katie was way at the bottom.
More importantly, Claudia (Tess was spot on when she responded to ‘Fire me’ with ‘NEVER’), pulled off what I’ll take as a Hitch-hiker’s Guide reference, by using the Tardis and adding absurdity to the obvious ‘seen who won the final’ joke.
The second set of VTs was the traditional judges’ critique. Among all the obvious stuff, they made a good point about Katie always going wrong somewhere.
Could Katie redeem herself with the ballroom? Obviously she was going to improve on the Charleston, but then we all realised that they were waltzing to opera, and it was a bit like the singer’s attempt, nearly, but not good enough. I thought it began well and then dropped off in quality (I must have subconsciously picked up on what Len was talking about). Suddenly the kneejerk snark about the smoke machine had some truth to it. Bruno pulled off another rant (wonder who he’d pick: Puccini or Fosse). I thought failing at the ballroom, her strength, might undercut the pity vote. I like Katie but she was the weakest on the night, and I don’t know if Anton gave her too difficult content or it was the demands of waltzing to that song, or lack of rehearsal, but what was worrying was that she hadn’t seemed to realise what had gone wrong.
Now, I’d been worried about Jay and the Charleston, not so much the mugging, really, as the lack of rehearsal time (according to ITT). I’m so not a Whovian, but in case you haven’t noticed, I am a Jay fan, and this was a blast, with an echo of the jive in the confidence and flair, and the rolled-up sleeves. If only it hadn’t been for that mistake in the lift! However, I believe I was howling ‘Nine him! That’s Ecclestone, right?’ Bless you, Bruno, for later scoreboard reasons, but it should have been a nine, although if not for that mistake, 10s would have been fair. Anyway, it was an improvement on the waltz and a riposte to the criticisms about selling it.
Next, the dance of the night, possibly, for the reaction it elicited from me. In my head it was like ‘HEH. Len’s not going to like this. WHOA. This isn’t really a salsa. WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT WAS THAT?’ Cue collapsing on the sofa and wheezing. I mean Georgia’s cha-cha was fairly camp, but this was so much more, with a dash of the energetic jive, some of Kevin’s more mental choreography, and Anita was nearly utterly on it, and Gleb asked so much of her. And yes, it wasn’t a salsa - e.g. the armography, but I was almost disappointed in the eights, though I understood the rationale. However, after THAT I felt obliged to vote for them once, because what on earth is Gleb going to come up with as a showdance (Riding tigers? Fire-eating? Hoverboards??? Anita would probably do all of the above with admirable commitment.)
As Kellie’d done so well, sick!Georgia had to up her game. Possibly, having done a lot of Viennese Waltzing for Blackpool week helped. My Georgia-shaped stumbling block turned up again, because I didn’t feel the dance. It didn’t help me that the song felt chopped up. I thought there was the glimmer of greatness to it, but that it was under-rehearsed. I certainly wasn’t connected enough, because, if I’m honest, I spent about half of it wondering about the construction of the dress. Obviously, the judges loved it and it was a mini-comeback.
Like Georgia, Kellie has never really got me on side, somehow. I appreciate that she’s a great dancer and that, like Georgia, she deserves to be in the final, but I’m never going to vote for her – I’ll leave that to her fans. (And unlike Georgia, she hasn’t had the equivalent of the Charleston.) What Kevin tried to do here turned me into Bruno, because referencing Fred and Ginge so explicitly – to a song they danced a famous routine to – is making a comparison Kellie is always going to struggle with. Yes, some of the lifts and touches were lovely, but part of a half a week to prepare that routine when Rogers put in weeks and weeks after years and years to craft her magic with Astaire and had retakes? Come on. While the audience was standing, I was sitting down. While the judges were using superlatives, I was raising an eyebrow. (Whereas, I think with Helen or, say, Natalie with the big hair from a few seasons ago, a routine that was subtler with the referencing would have got me standing and squeeing.) Anyway, she ended up top, and I think deservedly so, while Katie, at the bottom, should go even if she didn’t deserve a four. (Sorry, Anton.)
Results
Great in-camera routine from the pros – I loved it, although I don’t know what the studio audience really made of what they saw. And, of course, Jo whipped off that skirt before the end.
Enter TessnClaud, having decided not to mess with the black that suits them so (maybe a dash of colour next week, ladies, pleeeeease). And Darcy more or less joined them.
I thought the recap was fair – I’m sure much will be made of Kevin’s tears.
Under the lights, Jay was called safe (SPOILER the only one never to have been in the dance-off, noted) and Kellie, who thanked us all, but was top of the leaderboard, so got there on her own merit, surely. The red light fell on Anita and Gleb. I was a little sad but then got to be superior in Darcey’s direction, because Anita knew she was in the bottom two on the scoreboard, so must have been mentally prepared for this eventuality. Loved her snarking that she chose the salsa because of the socks. But really, she must have been hoping that Georgia’s fanbase felt sorry for her because of the laryngitis and guilty for not voting for her last week, because if she was facing Georgia, Anita’d have no chance.
Kylie embraced Christmas as only Kylie could. I felt petty for snarking that she wouldn’t be warm wearing that get-up, and visually embraced the Christmas tree dancers, appreciated the inevitable Bugsby Berkeley ref and vicariously enjoyed the pro men pop in to bop with Kylie.
Len’s Lens happened, and Craig sort of made an argument for being allowed to score in fractions. The montage could have been worse, and made me do weird Darcey and Taylor Swift comparisons.
Back under the lights and Georgia was rightfully allowed to celebrate being in the final. Everyone told Katie not to do the mistakes we’d seen in slo-mo on Len’s Lens. (The singer groaned about having to do the Puccini again, I’d imagine.)
In fairness, Katie did cut out the mistakes. I didn’t love the dance, especially, because I’d picked my side and was looking forward to the return of the Blackpool paso – with or without the extra dancers and red drapes - not to mention Gleb’s showdance. But I thought Anita was a little too pumped and a little bit more ragged dancing her ‘salsa’ this time around. I was with Craig for his justification for keeping them in, but the second that Darcey chose Katie, whatever Bruno said, you knew Len would probably do the same (and Len, you were the only judge not to be tainted by Peter vs. Jamelia, so why feel the need to be so defensive?).
Putting what might have been aside, I’ll admit that while Katie’s Latin has been hopeless – and unless if the judges show an unexpected mean streak, we’re not going to see a Latin number from them in the final – her ballroom has been better than Anita’s. But Anita’s ballroom was stronger than Katie’s Latin, making her the better all-rounder. Both couples are likeable, both women have been risen above the wittering the presenters and show sometimes demand of them, both were weaker than the top three, and I’m relieved that sentimentality around Anton didn’t sway the voters. (I admit I cackled that when Anton went to hug Gleb, Kevin pipped him to the post.)
I seem to be slightly less incensed than other Anita fans from the blowback!?
I expect to see Jay’s jive, Georgia’s Charleston, Katie’s American smooth or (overmarked) Viennese Waltz reappear. Kellie is harder to call. I’d like to see Jay redeem his quickstep, I’m afraid I will see Georgia’s Viennese Waltz/American Smooth with the croissant moon again, and Bruno confirmed on ITT that the judges’ll pull ‘one of the early dances to prove you’ve had a journey’ card out too. I should lower expectations about the showdance now that Gleb’s out – though if anyone wants to shock us in a good way a la Caroline and Pasha last year, they should feel very free. I would be honestly shocked if Aliona didn’t put spins in for Jay!