After some cool weather, it's in the low 90's already. Hope this summer won't be as hot as last year. Tina's in Austin, TX, visiting her son. Her other son and his girlfriend went, too. Matt has been living there about a year and said his rear view mirror melted off his windshield last summer. Wow! I would expect that in Tucson or Phoenix since I've heard stories but didn't know this happened in Austin, too.
I heard in Alaska, vehicles have to be plugged into places around there to keep running when someone goes to a store or whatever. As for here, mostly it feels like being in a hot terrarium when we go outside in the summer because of the heat and humidity. Low humidity is the secret of happiness to me!
Got stories anyone about hot or cold experiences?
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A summer of history
I haven't done many historical essays thus far in 2011. That is about to change. Interspersed throughout the next 90 days or so, you'll find posts commemorating:
I can't know. I can only read the accounts of those who were there. These events are important to me, and being important to me, I share them with you.
- The landings at Normandy during World War II
- The assassination of Robert F Kennedy
- The Battle for Midway Island during World War II
- The establishment of the Continental Army
- The spark that ignited World War I and the treaty that set in motion events leading to World War II
- The Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War
- The Battle of Britain during World War II
- The establishment of the US Army Air Corps
- The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to finally end World War II
I can't know. I can only read the accounts of those who were there. These events are important to me, and being important to me, I share them with you.
Memorial Day
I have a very simple message on this Memorial Day.
Tomb of the Unknown.
Remember them today.
WWI Cemetery at Tyne Cot, Ypres, Belgium
Remember them tomorrow.
WWII Memorial, Washington DC
Remember them in all the days to come.
Korean War Memorial, Washington DC
Remember them.
Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC
They made the ultimate sacrifice in service to honor, duty, and country.
For those lost in both Persian Gulf Wars
To those currently in harm's way, may you safely accomplish the mission and come home to enjoy all the tomorrows of your lives.
These images were all found on Google as public domain.
This post originally appeared on 31 May, 2010.
Semper Fi
Wind whip'd white caps on the steely gray bay,
Tempestuously rolling toward shore.
Cold bites hard, more winter ice than spring rain.
Vortexes of angry clouds promise more.
Within such uncheck'd volatility
Did the course of a fast friendship reside.
Only alive when running wild and free;
Never quiescent, rarely satisfied.
Yet often comes that day when paths diverge,
When the lives of men find distinct purpose,
Youth foregoing witless pursuits to merge
In honor with the few and the proud, and thus,
For duty, one met his untimely end.
So shall I always remember my friend.
Semper Fi
Wind whip'd white caps on the steely gray bay,
Tempestuously rolling toward shore.
Cold bites hard, more winter ice than spring rain.
Vortexes of angry clouds promise more.
Within such uncheck'd volatility
Did the course of a fast friendship reside.
Only alive when running wild and free;
Never quiescent, rarely satisfied.
Yet often comes that day when paths diverge,
When the lives of men find distinct purpose,
Youth foregoing witless pursuits to merge
In honor with the few and the proud, and thus,
For duty, one met his untimely end.
So shall I always remember my friend.
(Copyright 2010)
Four Years & Counting!!!
Four years ago TODAY, I stepped into our local Louis Vuitton boutique and came out with my very first LV, the Reporter PM. Since then, despite the acquistion of limited and seasonal pieces, I still LVoe my very first!
Please Read This
Jackie just wrote something I hope all of you will read. It's in response to her reading The Help. I haven't read it yet but plan to. Have any of you read it?
She wrote it on our collaborative blog Observations from the Knee-Deep South HERE. An excerpt is below. I really like what she wrote about history and the past. Please comment if you feel inspired. Thanks!
She wrote it on our collaborative blog Observations from the Knee-Deep South HERE. An excerpt is below. I really like what she wrote about history and the past. Please comment if you feel inspired. Thanks!
I don't know if anyone else has read the novel The Help which has recently been made into a movie. It's written by a White southern woman but told largely from the point of view of two Black maids. It's set in Jackson, Mississippi in the sixties right in the middle of the civil rights struggle.
When I teach the fourth graders at our school about the first Thanksgiving I start by introducing the Social Studies theme for the year. I tell them that we are going to be history detectives and work on various cases. To start, I define the difference between history and the past. The past, I tell them, is what actually happened, and history is how we talk about what happens. The past is always the same, but history changes across tellers and time.
Techno Trivia
It was recently reported that the technology contained in a single Game Boy unit in 2000 exceeded all the computer power that was used to put the first man on the Moon.
Five on Friday Set 70
For Set 70, how about we take you back to 1970?
If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
Go forth and enjoy music!
Apex Interview with Melissa
Apex Magazine has an interview with my talented daughter-in-law Melissa HERE. Check it out, especially you science fiction/fantasy fans. She always creates the posters for Hypericon, which is in Nashville. Brian is one of the organizers of it.
Hypericon 2011 Poster
The 2011 American Idol is...
So I'm working on making my blog rounds, but this has been a week. I'll be around soon. In the meantime...
For the third straight season, we were not compelled to vote for any of the American Idol contestants. We were satisfied to record the performance shows and fast forward through most of the stuff and the things to get to the music, then check the results online.
Unlike the last two years, we didn't download any of the studio recordings from any of the contestants. That's not to say we didn't think they were talented. On the contrary. We thought this was one of the most talented groups of all 10 seasons. We just didn't find any of the recordings to be a must have.
So who jointed this list of winners?
Season 1, Kelly Clarkson
Season 2, Reuben Studdard
Season 3, Fantasia Barrino
Season 4, Carrie Underwood
Season 5, Taylor Hicks
Season 6, Jordin Sparks
Season 7, David Cook
Season 8, Kris Allen
Season 9, Lee DeWyze
For Season 10, your American Idol is...
For the third straight season, we were not compelled to vote for any of the American Idol contestants. We were satisfied to record the performance shows and fast forward through most of the stuff and the things to get to the music, then check the results online.
Unlike the last two years, we didn't download any of the studio recordings from any of the contestants. That's not to say we didn't think they were talented. On the contrary. We thought this was one of the most talented groups of all 10 seasons. We just didn't find any of the recordings to be a must have.
So who jointed this list of winners?
Season 1, Kelly Clarkson
Season 2, Reuben Studdard
Season 3, Fantasia Barrino
Season 4, Carrie Underwood
Season 5, Taylor Hicks
Season 6, Jordin Sparks
Season 7, David Cook
Season 8, Kris Allen
Season 9, Lee DeWyze
For Season 10, your American Idol is...
Scotty McCreery
Congratulations young man!
Tune in tonight for the first round of regional auditions for Season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance. And cue LEGSSES...I mean music!
Cue that theme music...
It's The Finale, live from Hollywood!
We made it! The Season 12 champion is about to dance away with the Fabulous Mirror Ball Trophy. We've been sitting here enjoying our traditional Finale Feast of cheese and crackers, a nice merlot, and CAKE while we decide on our encore selections from Monday's performances.
Although we enjoyed elements of each freestyle performance, we actually preferred the first round dances from each couple, so those are our encore selections.
The Samba from Kirstie and Maks was relaxed, smooth, and sensual. Click here if the video doesn't play.
The Quickstep from Hines and Kym was danced extremely well, but we thought it all pulled together based on personality. Click here if the video doesn't play.
The Samba from Chelsea and Mark was our dance of the night, and we thought it was perfect. Click here if the video doesn't play.
Here's how our couples ended up after two dances on Monday:
59 Chelsea and Mark
59 Hines and Kym
54 Kirstie and Maks
Each pair gets one more dance for scores during the finale, so let's get to it!
Let's kick it off with our pros! You know how much I love to watch our pros.
The Black Eyed Peas are in the ballroom. I'm not a fan. But they won a Billboard Music Award and they have a new single, so they're here. I found that performance more annoying than usual, but that's just one man's opinion.
Mike Catherwood returns to the ballroom for a Cha Cha Cha with our Dance Troupe, and then partner Lacey Schwimmer joins in on what turned out to be a pretty fun performance. For a guy with no natural rhythm or performance background, I have to say he's a great sport. That leads into a retrospective of the first three of weeks.
Petra Nemcova returns to perform her beautiful Waltz from week 3 with partner Dmitry Chaplin. And Josh Grobin is live in the ballroom as a special surprise to sing You Raise Me Up. I thought Petra went out a week or two early. She was figuring out how to control her long frame and shape it into some lovely lines.
Kendra Wilkinson gets to dance with partner Louis van Amstel, and with Tony and Dmitry plus two of our fellas from the Dance Troupe. I enjoyed her journey during the show. She started off very awkward, somewhat crude, and with very little confidence. Then she found her stride and ended her run with a strong Samba performance, which she showed off again here. And that leads us to a another retrospective, including a review of Classical Week, which I thought was a hit. I did not think America Week was something I'd like to see again, although there were a couple of good performances.
Chris Jericho returns to the ballroom with partner Cheryl Burke, performing a dance battle with Sugar Ray Leonard and partner Anna Trebunskaya. Ray was not a great technician or a particularly good dancer, but he was a fine entertainer. Chris surprised me every week with how delicately he partnered Cheryl, and how light he was on his feet. I thought Chris went out too soon. Both celebrities performed very well here.
Wendy Williams returns, but instead of dancing she does an interview with herself and partner Tony Dovolani. That was actually quite annoying. I'm glad it didn't go on any longer.
The Go-Gos provide the live music for our Macy's Design-A-Dance. Maks, Lacey, Cheryl, and Chelsie perform a high energy Jive to We Got the Beat. I am not embarrassed to say I love the band and this song. LOL! Maks is dressed as a cop and the gals are scantily clad. Excellent!!
Romeo Miller returns with partner Chelsie Hightower, performing their wonderful Waltz. I enjoyed this young man much more than I expected to. He took on the challenge and showed a charm to balance out a swagger that could have been arrogant and off-putting. That was a nice touch to have a children's chorus accompany them.
The next retrospective brings us to the point where the eliminations kept getting tougher and tougher because the dancing just got so good and so competitive. And then the injuries started to hit, especially the horrible fall Kym Johnson took in rehearsal. But everyone powered through and I think we ended up with a strong final three.
Ralph Macchio returns with partner Karina Smirnoff to perform their outstanding Quickstep. I think if the Final Four rounds hadn't leaned so heavily on the Latin styles for him, he might have been able to steal a spot in the finale. He was so good at the ballroom styles. Exhibit #1 is this Quickstep.
Now that the Season 12 cast parade is over, we'll have our three final pairs dance what they consider to be their favorite routine of the season. They'll get their final scores to be added to the leader board totals from Monday.
Chelsea and Mark dance their Viennese Waltz to Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter, first performed in week 4. I think the only thing they need to do with this dance is to emphasize the traditional movements without losing the ethereal magical quality in the choreography. This is truly remarkable choreography and some of Mark's best work. Chelsea was the perfect partner to bring this artistic vision to life. Outstanding! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. I had no doubt.
Kirstie and Maks dance their Cha Cha Cha from way back in week 1. It was such a surprise to see her dance so well. I never really know how any celebrity is going to react to this competition. Kirstie made me forget that she was 60 years old and carrying extra weight. That stuff didn't matter. She danced like a woman half her age and size. And after 10 weeks, she now is practically half the size she was. I love her performance of the character. And after 10 weeks of work on technique, she's dancing it so well. You go girl! That was terrific! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Excellent!
Hines and Kym dance their Samba from week 3. The thing that impressed me about this dance was how smooth and relaxed Hines was. He had the hips going like a pro. He connected every movement from the last through the next. He was a strong partner for Kym. Damn this dance was so good the first time. His charm and personality were so infectious. This performance felt so natural. He made it look like anyone could do it. This time around it was all that times 10! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.
There was no doubt in my mind that the judges would make the scores as even as possible. And at least tonight I can't really argue against any of the perfect scores. I'm so glad that each pair performed so well. I'm happy with any of them as the winner.
Here's the final leader board:
89 Chelsea and Mark
89 Hines and Kym
84 Kirstie and Maks
While the tabulators check the math one more time, Sara Evans is in the ballroom to perform her latest hit A Little Bit Stronger, accompanied by a video of moments from our Top 3 couples.
Here we go. Results...
And now it's over...until 19 September 2011 for Season 13!!!
Hello? Producers? I'm still wishing and hoping for Ms Valerie to come dancing.
Pretty please??
Tune in this Thursday to see a different kind of dance competition when So You Think You Can Dance premiers!
And cue LEGSSES!!
What?
Oh...I meant, and cue music!
We made it! The Season 12 champion is about to dance away with the Fabulous Mirror Ball Trophy. We've been sitting here enjoying our traditional Finale Feast of cheese and crackers, a nice merlot, and CAKE while we decide on our encore selections from Monday's performances.
Although we enjoyed elements of each freestyle performance, we actually preferred the first round dances from each couple, so those are our encore selections.
The Samba from Kirstie and Maks was relaxed, smooth, and sensual. Click here if the video doesn't play.
The Quickstep from Hines and Kym was danced extremely well, but we thought it all pulled together based on personality. Click here if the video doesn't play.
The Samba from Chelsea and Mark was our dance of the night, and we thought it was perfect. Click here if the video doesn't play.
Here's how our couples ended up after two dances on Monday:
59 Chelsea and Mark
59 Hines and Kym
54 Kirstie and Maks
Each pair gets one more dance for scores during the finale, so let's get to it!
Let's kick it off with our pros! You know how much I love to watch our pros.
The Black Eyed Peas are in the ballroom. I'm not a fan. But they won a Billboard Music Award and they have a new single, so they're here. I found that performance more annoying than usual, but that's just one man's opinion.
Petra Nemcova returns to perform her beautiful Waltz from week 3 with partner Dmitry Chaplin. And Josh Grobin is live in the ballroom as a special surprise to sing You Raise Me Up. I thought Petra went out a week or two early. She was figuring out how to control her long frame and shape it into some lovely lines.
Kendra Wilkinson gets to dance with partner Louis van Amstel, and with Tony and Dmitry plus two of our fellas from the Dance Troupe. I enjoyed her journey during the show. She started off very awkward, somewhat crude, and with very little confidence. Then she found her stride and ended her run with a strong Samba performance, which she showed off again here. And that leads us to a another retrospective, including a review of Classical Week, which I thought was a hit. I did not think America Week was something I'd like to see again, although there were a couple of good performances. 
Wendy Williams returns, but instead of dancing she does an interview with herself and partner Tony Dovolani. That was actually quite annoying. I'm glad it didn't go on any longer. 
The Go-Gos provide the live music for our Macy's Design-A-Dance. Maks, Lacey, Cheryl, and Chelsie perform a high energy Jive to We Got the Beat. I am not embarrassed to say I love the band and this song. LOL! Maks is dressed as a cop and the gals are scantily clad. Excellent!!
Romeo Miller returns with partner Chelsie Hightower, performing their wonderful Waltz. I enjoyed this young man much more than I expected to. He took on the challenge and showed a charm to balance out a swagger that could have been arrogant and off-putting. That was a nice touch to have a children's chorus accompany them.
The next retrospective brings us to the point where the eliminations kept getting tougher and tougher because the dancing just got so good and so competitive. And then the injuries started to hit, especially the horrible fall Kym Johnson took in rehearsal. But everyone powered through and I think we ended up with a strong final three.Ralph Macchio returns with partner Karina Smirnoff to perform their outstanding Quickstep. I think if the Final Four rounds hadn't leaned so heavily on the Latin styles for him, he might have been able to steal a spot in the finale. He was so good at the ballroom styles. Exhibit #1 is this Quickstep.
Now that the Season 12 cast parade is over, we'll have our three final pairs dance what they consider to be their favorite routine of the season. They'll get their final scores to be added to the leader board totals from Monday.
Chelsea and Mark dance their Viennese Waltz to Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter, first performed in week 4. I think the only thing they need to do with this dance is to emphasize the traditional movements without losing the ethereal magical quality in the choreography. This is truly remarkable choreography and some of Mark's best work. Chelsea was the perfect partner to bring this artistic vision to life. Outstanding! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. I had no doubt.
Kirstie and Maks dance their Cha Cha Cha from way back in week 1. It was such a surprise to see her dance so well. I never really know how any celebrity is going to react to this competition. Kirstie made me forget that she was 60 years old and carrying extra weight. That stuff didn't matter. She danced like a woman half her age and size. And after 10 weeks, she now is practically half the size she was. I love her performance of the character. And after 10 weeks of work on technique, she's dancing it so well. You go girl! That was terrific! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Excellent!
Hines and Kym dance their Samba from week 3. The thing that impressed me about this dance was how smooth and relaxed Hines was. He had the hips going like a pro. He connected every movement from the last through the next. He was a strong partner for Kym. Damn this dance was so good the first time. His charm and personality were so infectious. This performance felt so natural. He made it look like anyone could do it. This time around it was all that times 10! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.
There was no doubt in my mind that the judges would make the scores as even as possible. And at least tonight I can't really argue against any of the perfect scores. I'm so glad that each pair performed so well. I'm happy with any of them as the winner.
Here's the final leader board:
89 Chelsea and Mark
89 Hines and Kym
84 Kirstie and Maks
While the tabulators check the math one more time, Sara Evans is in the ballroom to perform her latest hit A Little Bit Stronger, accompanied by a video of moments from our Top 3 couples.
Here we go. Results...
Chelsea and Mark finish third, reminding us that it's not always about "best".
Kirstie and Maks finish second, and that means...
Hines and Kym are Season 12 champions!!
Hello? Producers? I'm still wishing and hoping for Ms Valerie to come dancing.
Pretty please??
Tune in this Thursday to see a different kind of dance competition when So You Think You Can Dance premiers!
And cue LEGSSES!!
What?
Oh...I meant, and cue music!
Wonderful Day!
Tug, Bill, and I met at the Log Cabin for a late lunch. It's in Hurricane Mills where Loretta Lynn's ranch and museum are. I've never been to them but guess I should go sometime. Funny how we don't go to places nearby. I've never been to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's house) either. I have been to the Grand Ole Opry a few times, though. Anyway, I'd heard about the Log Cabin from a friend and suggested we meet there instead of somewhere around here. It's about 35 miles from where I live and a pretty drive, which was worth it for the company if nothing else; however, the food was country cooking from scratch and really good.
There's my car back there behind Tug's truck.
We laughed and talked and had a great time! This is the third time Tug/Sam and I have gotten together when he passed through but the first time I'd met Bill in person. I felt like I knew him already. Btw, Max is HUGE for four months old and so well-behaved and sweet, especially for a puppy. She's adorable.
Tonight my friends Paige and her daughter Virginia met at Las Fajitas for dinner and a trivia game. We came in third and would have won if we'd bet some points on that last question. Paige knew who the Secretary General of the UN is. Virginia and I had no clue. We discussed it, and Paige wasn't sure enough to bet the whole 20 points on it, so we didn't bet any points. Only one other team and Paige got it right. We'll go with Paige's answers next time. She did this on a couple of others, too. Anyway, we are happy with our 3rd place win and got a gift certificate for the restaurant.
What a fun, social day and evening I've had!
We laughed and talked and had a great time! This is the third time Tug/Sam and I have gotten together when he passed through but the first time I'd met Bill in person. I felt like I knew him already. Btw, Max is HUGE for four months old and so well-behaved and sweet, especially for a puppy. She's adorable.
Tonight my friends Paige and her daughter Virginia met at Las Fajitas for dinner and a trivia game. We came in third and would have won if we'd bet some points on that last question. Paige knew who the Secretary General of the UN is. Virginia and I had no clue. We discussed it, and Paige wasn't sure enough to bet the whole 20 points on it, so we didn't bet any points. Only one other team and Paige got it right. We'll go with Paige's answers next time. She did this on a couple of others, too. Anyway, we are happy with our 3rd place win and got a gift certificate for the restaurant.
What a fun, social day and evening I've had!
Cue that theme music...
It's the performance finale, live from Hollywood!
Our final three couples have two performances each as they dance for our votes to combine with the scores from the judges to see who will take home the Fabulous Mirror Ball Trophy. And they'll do it all in an hour, so let's get right to it!
The first round is a dance style chosen by the judges. The dance is chosen to take advantage of the strengths of each celebrity.
Chelsea and Mark dance Samba. Carrie Ann visits rehearsal to provide some coaching. She tells Chelsea to combine the sensuality of Samba with the party feel of it. They get some excellent Samba music this time around. Chelsea is dancing very well. Mark occasionally pulls my focus from her, but not this time. She danced with tremendous control and outstanding technique. Her footwork and placement was excellent, which allowed her to really relax into her hip action. I can't really find anything to dislike about the dance. They danced with great energy and made the performance hot and sexy. I really liked it. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. Harumph! I would have said 10's across.
Kirstie and Maks dance Samba. Bruno visits rehearsal to provide some coaching. He gives her some tips on how to keep from turning open too far, pulling closer and tighter, and taking that slight pause to emphasize the movement and engage the audience. She really looks fantastic when you think of the changes she's gone through this season with her weight. She's got that Samba bounce to characterize the party dance. She's a little bit stiff in the Samba rolls, but her walks are terrific. The dance was very smooth. She really connected each movement. Her musicality was wonderful. The dance was sensual and relaxed. There were a couple of missed steps. I love Maks' choreography for her. She looked very comfortable. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. I think those couple of wonky steps cost her at least one 10.
Hines and Kym dance Quickstep. Len visits rehearsal to provide some coaching. He helps Hines get his feet pointed correctly while maintaining his solid frame. You might have thought they would choose a Latin style for Hines because he's so good at that, or perhaps Foxtrot. But I think that if he solves his foot issue, his natural charm and personality will make this great. I loved his frame in hold. He also did a terrific job in the side by side work. And I think he got his feet mostly squared away. That was a fun performance. The speed of the dance never slowed, and he managed it well without losing his technique. Perhaps it could have been sharper and a little cleaner, but it's tough to beat the pure entertainment value of the performance. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29. I would have thrown a 10 for the entertainment, however I'm not sure it was quite perfect.
Now I know that commercial is coming so I can look away!! DAMN YOU AT&T anyway!
Here's our leader board after the first round:
29 Chelsea and Mark
29 Hines and Kym
27 Kirstie and Maks
I have to agree with the placement reflected in those scores. I think Chelsea has the edge in technique, and she's able to combine that with performance. Hines' strength is the presentation of the overall package, and so we sometimes forgive his flat feet. Kirstie can compete with her ability to perform, but she loses a bit of ground on the technical side. But it's still anyone's trophy at this point.
Now it's freestyle!!
Chelsea and Mark are up first. I expect this to be innovative and super difficult. Of course you can make it too difficult so that the actual dancing isn't done well. They have some synchronicity issues to begin the routine. I think Mark danced way over her ability and actually made her look less talented than she is. The malfunction with the shoes didn't help either. I don't think that choreography made the best use of her strengths. I think the tricks were so difficult that they stumbled through a couple of them. I like that they made use of Latin rhythms, but it was essentially a hip hop dance with special effects in the shoes that broke and took away from the whole. I'll be honest...I didn't care for it. I thought Mark just danced without any consideration for Chelsea, and that's a shame. I was expecting something else and this felt like a throw away opportunity to me. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. That dance wasn't perfect. Even taking into account my dislike of it, you can't be perfect if your side by side choreography is out of sync.
Kirstie and Maks are up next. I have no idea what to expect. I like the way they began with Rumba. Maks decided to emphasize her strengths in the Latin styles. There was a little Cha Cha Cha and a little Samba in that choreography, plus some pretty solid lifts and tricks. Even if she doesn't make the last two, and even if she doesn't win the show, she deserved her spot in the final three. I never expected how good she was to start the show, or how well she did in this freestyle. This was her paean to living your life. It wasn't a perfect dance with some of the wobbles on the lifts, but it was entertaining. I think Kirstie can be very proud of that freestyle. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.
Hines and Kym get the final spot. I'm not sure what to expect from this dance either. With the scare Kym had last week, I can't imagine they'll go too extreme with lifts and tricks. Oh now I remember! Hines said he wanted to be the halftime show, because he'd never seen one in his career as a football player. I liked this performance. They used a drum line on stage that kept the rhythms to some disco type music. The lifts were more difficult that I expected. And I really liked that they incorporated so much movement from the Latin styles that they danced throughout the season. Then there were some funky things tossed in. It was kind of hard to follow musically because of the drums. It was certainly different that any of the freestyles from past seasons. Well done! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. I don't know if it was perfect.
Here's our leader board with the freestyle scores added:
59 Chelsea and Mark
59 Hines and Kym
54 Kirstie and Maks
Yeah, I can't really argue that final placement. I think Chelsea and Hines are the two best celebrity dancers, with Kirstie running a close third behind them. Although I don't agree with the perfect scores for either freestyle, I have to say that they all danced really well. It was an enjoyable performance finale.
Each pair has one more dance tonight for scores. Then the votes will be added and we'll find out who takes home the Glittering Globe of Glory!
We spread out our 20 votes (5 for each of our 4 phones) among all three...7 for Hines, 7 for Chelsea, and 6 for Kirstie. So I guess we sort of chose, but only because 20 doesn't divide evenly by 3!
Now, if we'd gotten 6 votes for each phone we would have made it even at 8 a piece!
Tune in tonight for the final results! And check back here tomorrow for the full recap!
Later gang!
Our final three couples have two performances each as they dance for our votes to combine with the scores from the judges to see who will take home the Fabulous Mirror Ball Trophy. And they'll do it all in an hour, so let's get right to it!
The first round is a dance style chosen by the judges. The dance is chosen to take advantage of the strengths of each celebrity.
Now I know that commercial is coming so I can look away!! DAMN YOU AT&T anyway!
Here's our leader board after the first round:
29 Chelsea and Mark
29 Hines and Kym
27 Kirstie and Maks
I have to agree with the placement reflected in those scores. I think Chelsea has the edge in technique, and she's able to combine that with performance. Hines' strength is the presentation of the overall package, and so we sometimes forgive his flat feet. Kirstie can compete with her ability to perform, but she loses a bit of ground on the technical side. But it's still anyone's trophy at this point.
Now it's freestyle!!
Here's our leader board with the freestyle scores added:
59 Chelsea and Mark
59 Hines and Kym
54 Kirstie and Maks
Yeah, I can't really argue that final placement. I think Chelsea and Hines are the two best celebrity dancers, with Kirstie running a close third behind them. Although I don't agree with the perfect scores for either freestyle, I have to say that they all danced really well. It was an enjoyable performance finale.
Each pair has one more dance tonight for scores. Then the votes will be added and we'll find out who takes home the Glittering Globe of Glory!
We spread out our 20 votes (5 for each of our 4 phones) among all three...7 for Hines, 7 for Chelsea, and 6 for Kirstie. So I guess we sort of chose, but only because 20 doesn't divide evenly by 3!
Now, if we'd gotten 6 votes for each phone we would have made it even at 8 a piece!
Tune in tonight for the final results! And check back here tomorrow for the full recap!
Later gang!
Nyasha Matonhodze for Louis Vuitton
Nyasha Matonhodze, a 16 year model from Zimbabwe is one of the fresh new faces of upcoming models that the House of Vuitton has contracted for their Fall Winter 2011 2012 campaign. LVoe it!!!
Louis Vuitton Evening Bag Collection: Minaudière Petit Trésor Mira
An evening bag is a must have in one's wardrobe to accent a whole LVook and the Minaudière Mira does the job fabulously! Embellised lavishly with acetate crystals, this occasional bag is clearly a show stopper. Green is my current favourite colour and the malachite closure makes me LVoe it!!! Part of pre-fall2011 with an estimated price tag of $7900.
Where Can I Move?
The Republicans in TN legislature keep embarrassing and infuriating me. This is the first Republican majority in 40 years in our state, and they are taking full advantage of it. I'm too bummed out to post links to this madness.
Bones
Anybody else watch Bones? Just how much time elapsed from last week's episode until this week? Say what? Let's talk!
Wheaties Trivia
American consumers were asked to vote for their favorite Wheaties champion of all time. Wheaties celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1999 by rereleasing the original cereal packages featuring the champions selected; the top ten vote recipients were Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mary Lou Retton, Tiger Woods, Cal Ripken, Jr., Walter Payton, John Elway, Jackie Robinson, and the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team.
Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2011 2012
Photos: style.com
What to LVook forward to this coming F/W? Well, as seen from the electrifying Fashion Show, Marc's take on this season has that dominatrix aura hence the mask and vibrant colours. The pieces combine soft and hard (shearling and scales) to create that excitement so characteristic of the fetish. To top it all off, the clochette slids snugly into an insert. Very suggestive! LVoe it!!!
What to LVook forward to this coming F/W? Well, as seen from the electrifying Fashion Show, Marc's take on this season has that dominatrix aura hence the mask and vibrant colours. The pieces combine soft and hard (shearling and scales) to create that excitement so characteristic of the fetish. To top it all off, the clochette slids snugly into an insert. Very suggestive! LVoe it!!!
Five on Friday Set 69
"Have you settled on a Set for this week?" asks Pam.
"Not yet," I reply. "But I was thinking about letting the random go on my Ipod and picking the first five that play."
"I see," says Pam.
"We wonderss...yesss we doess...sshe hass a better idea, doess sshe?"
Pam laughs. "Yes precious, we does, but I can't do Gollum like you!"
"HA!" barks I. "Whatss her idea, we wonderss precious?"
"Well, if it's to be random, could I maybe do another Set?"
And that's how we came up with Set 69. Pam's birthday Set was so well received, and now she's caught the FoF bug.
If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
Go forth and enjoy music!
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