Strictly Come Dancing 2011

[CaveMum]

As all the other threads seem to have died off I thought I'd start a new one in anticipation of this Friday's first live show.

I have to say I'm not too bothered about the Celebs this year, but then again I'm more interested in watching the professionals anyway!

The line up for each of the two shows has been announced (from BBC website):

On Friday 30th September the couples performing for the first time on live television will be:

?Alex
?Anita
?Audley
?Dan
?Lulu
?Robbie
?Russell

Then on Saturday 1st October the couples performing for the first time together will be:

?Chelsee
?Edwina
?Harry
?Holly
?Jason
?Nancy
?Rory

Please note the running order has yet to be confirmed. The celebrities have been listed above in alphabetical order.

They will dance either a Waltz or a Cha Cha Cha, but I'm not 100% sure who is doing what.

My overriding thought in the run up for the series so far has been "I hope the wardrobe department come up with some decent foundations for poor Chelsee!"
That outfit they've put her in for the promo shots makes her boobs look humungous

Anyone else care to share their thoughts in advance?

i read somewhere that the commitment was to 12 hours of training a week, but nancy had done 17 last week. i know i wouldn't be able to pull any of those dances off in such a short time.

Was the person who needed shorter heels last year Michelle Williams?

Just watching ITT!

It might well have been. She'll have been used to strutting around all Destiny's Child style in skyscraper heels, but there is a massive difference in walking/posing in heels and dancing in them!

Training hours wise, if they have any sense they'll be trying to do at least 4 or 5 hours a day! They don't actually have that much time to learn the routine as Fridays and Saturday mornings are taken up with dress rehearsals, etc.

Yes I think they have to commit to 12 hours training a week. Edwina said she did 17 last week. Poor Vincent on ITT, he said he couldn't sleep at the weekend blaming himself for them going out. Do miss Claudia but I am enjoying Zoe too.

I agree that Craig is the only judge worth listening to

I agree that Craig is a very honest judge, tells it like it is without sugar coating it, but the panel is, and always has been unbalanced. Len is the only judge with real knowledge of ballroom and latin technique. Yes Craig and Bruno have theatre dance experience and some knowledge of the styles, but it is not the same.
They really ought to have another ballroom/latin expert on the panel (sorry Alesha, I think you're a lovely person and a talented dancer but you don't have the necessary knowledge).

Another option would be for each judge to score a different aspect of the dance - technique, performance, musicality, etc.

I accept I'm probably overthinking it all though

Tsk, not overthinking it at all, CaveMum!

In earlier series did they have the same half-ballroom/half-Latin every week? If yes, didn't they show all the ballroom and then all the Latin? I seem to remember it was easier to compare the couples.

I ask also because Craig on ITT last night said about marking "6" for 2 different couples where it seemed one was obviously better, "They're different dances." Maybe it all evens out?

I love Zoe on ITT. She's better than Claudia

Nooooooooo! I like Zoe, but Claudia is amazing, the Sunday results show made me realise just how much I miss her on ITT. I love the way she's so self-deprecating and has a chuckle at the guests in a nice way - I loved her comment to Robbie about him going out with his umbrella letting the wind play havoc with his hair.

They have always done half ballroom, half Latin, but what I don't like in recent series is that pretty much every couple does a different dance. It used to be, for example, half of them would do a foxtrot and the other half a samba. When they're all doing something different it's really hard to compare them.

CaveMum, I sometimes think each judge should score for a different aspect of the dance too. Then again, they kind of do already, just not explicitly or formally ? I'm sure their marking is biased towards their own strengths/expert areas, so for example Len might mark someone high if their technique was great whereas Bruno might mark a bit lower if they didn't perform it very well. And while I don't think Alesha is a complete waste of space, I do think she should be briefed to talk less about technical things and more about the overall impression of the dance and the things she, as an ex-competitor, knows about e.g. how nervous people can be and how hard some of the dances are to learn.

I also love Zoe on ITT. I am a great fan of Claudia and liked the fact that she had more a role on Sunday than the non-entity that is Tess. However I think that Claudia was getting a bit stale on ITT - she mainly seemed to ask "How excited are you?".

Another act of heresy - don't get the adoration of "international superstar" Jason. I think people must be getting carried away with memories of fancying him when he was young and very good looking. Did you notice how all of the contestants look so bored when he is talking - ever so slowly - to Tess? And still harping on about the special chemistry with Kylie?

I really like Dan and Katya. I thought he was going to be dull and bland like Andrew Castle but I think he's really funny and likeable - unlike Robbie who was such a twat as a footballer I really can't buy this new, sweet guy act.

Agree that Craig is the most reliable judge and that Len can be quite irritating - especially with his unnecessary digs at Craig.

Does anyone else miss the panel they used to have on Friday's ITT?

Kind of, but they were never that good. I think my household and I would be funnier and better.

True, it did depend upon the people they had on but there was always the chance of someone really good like Marian Keyes or Rob Brydon or even an ex contestant who was really funny like Matt Dawson.

Oh, sorry, I thought you meant the public/viewer panels they had occasionally ? they'd get a group of friends or a family to watch it in some lousy palatial BBC green room and film them talking about it.

No, the actual guest panels were always great (loved Marian Keyes!). Maybe they'll bring them back once the number of contestants is a bit lower and they have time to actually have a good discussion of all of them. I really hope Hilary Alexander comes back to talk about the threads. I love her.

I expect they'll have those panels as the show progresses. Hope so anyway as I agree they're great (especially when Miranda is on - she's a true fan). I love ITT and agree Zoe is doing a great job.

Zoe is doing an excellent job on ITT. I think that she a worthy successor to Claudia. I think that Jaon Donovan is a boring twat. I just want to sleep when he talks.

yes, Jason manages to suck the 'fun' out of the word 'fun'.

he really needs not to be on a live show, i think. comes across great when edited down, but omg the TEDIUM when he is let blether.

I am yet to watch this weeks ITT on me tellybox hard drive thing as Zoe rather annoyed me a little bit
but Oi, Aitch, Don't Diss the Donovan

you MUST keep up with the itt, if you have four of them to watch at a time all the glitter becomes rather indigestible. keep it bite-sized.

I never watch ITT. Am I missing out? Isn't it just like watching the interview with the losing Apprentice candidate on Breakfast the next morning?

it's a good larf, lots of training room footage and interviews with famous fans and contestants, plus frocks and, my complete favourite, karen's choreography corner.

oh yes, worth watching ITT for choreography corner alone (but it should go on for the whole show)

and the friday panel where you get a preview of the dresses and music