BruceBlog

Dancing with the Stars: It’s Donny

admins — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:11:48 +0000

After years of slogging Dancing with the Stars, the Osmonds finally got something for their efforts. Donny Osmond won Tuesday night…but, really, he wasn’t better than Mya, just better known. Like Gilles Marini, Mya has to be satisfied with being the better dancer, not the better campaigner.
Tuesday’s finale also turned out to be a lovefest for Kelly Osbourne who “showed the most growth,” even though she couldn’t hold a candle to Joanna Krupa.
That means Jon and Kate Gosselin, Octo-mom, and the Duggars could do really well in this reality show.
While Tuesday’s edition was long, it did raise several questions:
1. Why does Whitney Houston sweat more than I do at Desperate Measures?
2. What happened to her voice?
3. Since when did Aaron Carter become a role model for anyone?
4. Did Louie Vito get dumped too soon? Those backflips were great.
5. Taylor Lautner has nothing over the DWTS professionals. They, too, hate wearing shirts.
6. Where was Shawn Johnson? Shouldn’t the last winner be there?
7. Ditch Samantha Harris and bring on Miss Piggy.
8. Quick! Name two of the original contestants. Yup. They’re that forgettable.
9. I bet La Toya’s in the 10th edition. (And, yes, she was there Tuesday night.)
10. There are at least four other Osmonds who haven’t done this show. Get ready for more. (And put a call into Hanson. They’re due.)

The good news: Kym Johnson won. She’s super nice…and deserving.

Me and Kym:

Dancing with the Stars: Final dances

admins — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:30:17 +0000

Donny Osmond gained momentum Monday night but, really, should he win? He reminded me of an obnoxious uncle at a wedding dance.
Mya is clearly the best (just add up the scores she got throughout the season) but she suffers from the Gilles Marini syndrome — she’s not as well known.
That means Donny could slip in and get the payback for all those years of Osmond devotion to DWTS.
Kelly Osbourne? Well, a couple of slips and a quote about Louis “pooping” her out in one move kinda says she’s third.
That’s OK. She showed growth and seemed to have a good time.
Mya, though, deserves the prize. She was consistently good and didn’t have to rely on name recognition to stay in the hunt.
I want Mya, but I fear Donny will win.
If that happens, there’s some consolation. Kym, his partner, is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. She was my DWTS teacher (remember that?) and she was so gracious and helpful she deserves a mirror ball trophy in her home.
BTW: The three professionals have never won, which means big things for them, too.
Tuesday, look for Whitney Houston to sing (what, pray tell?) and a bunch of past winners to turn up.
It wasn’t the best season. But at least it’s almost over.

The American Music Awards

admins — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:38:56 +0000

Jennifer Lopez fell on her butt. Whitney Houston made a triumphant return and Michael Jackson won an potload of awards even though he hadn’t had a new CD in years.
Yup, it was just another night at the American Music Awards.
Among the observations:
1. Taylor Swift has to quit with the “I’m so surprised” routine. Accept the awards.
2. Keith Urban recycled his shirt. He wore it a couple of weeks ago at another awards ceremony.
3. Bare stomachs (on men and women) were in.
4. Fergie was not with her husband at the ceremony. Are those rumors true?
5. Janet Jackson grabbed a dancer’s crotch. Was she trying to even the score with Justin Timberlake?
6. Mary J. Blige and Perez Hilton had the same hairdo. (She rocked it; he didn’t.)
7. Why did Eminem look taped? Wasn’t that a concept that didn’t work on the MTV Awards?
8. Paula’s Back! And she looked and sounded good. Can’t the “Idol” folks rethink their decision?
9. Who decides what color microphone the singers get? Mary J had white, J Lo had gold.
10. If Taylor Swift could accept the awards from London, why couldn’t she sing a little song from there, too? Even Amy Winehouse did it at the Grammys and she wasn’t clicking on all cylinders.
One more: Adam Lambert. What up with that? The Glambert looked like he was auditioning for “The Rocky Horror Show.” The song wasn’t that good. And the staging? Um…what was he thinking? Even Simon might have disapproved.

Desperate Measures: Water

admins — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:39:25 +0000

Amy and I are back at the Y for round two of Desperate Measures. Many of the original eight are still going strong and it’s just as hard as it was the first time. The only difference? We’ve come to view it as a regular part of our lives.
Maybe that’s one of the lessons we’re learning: Exercise shouldn’t be an exception, it should be the rule. (Yeah, right, I’m sounding too philosophical for someone who still needs to lose weight.)
Anyway, I somehow managed to MISS the session last time that involved water. As in water aerobics.
So, Angela said we’d get a second shot at it this term. Others may embrace the water. I fear it.
I grew up in North Dakota. We didn’t have a lot of water there. Swimming wasn’t my sport (like there was one).
Oh, sure, I’ve splashed around in pools but I’ve never strayed too far from the steps.
Saturday, I faced down two fears: Appearing in public in a swimming suit and getting in a pool and actually doing something.
I realized if you wear a T-shirt until the very last possible moment the first fear isn’t so bad. The second, well, we’ll see. The water was cold when we first got in. Then we started splashing around a bit and it didn’t seem so bad.
Angela, however, wouldn’t leave well enough alone, so she cooked up some oddball moves that you’d never do on land, much less under water. That got the heart pumping just in time for NOODLES. Now, I don’t know where it says some little styrofoam tube is going to hold you up, but she had it in her head that we could actually hold it behind our waists and “pedal” across the pool without touching the bottom. Yeah, right. I was more successful with a blue board but that thing kept shooting out from my butt. By the time we got to the “cool down” phase I was sweaty (good thing we were in the pool).
Angela said we would burn 200 to 500 calories in the pool, but I’m not so sure. Just the tension in my fingers when I gripped the side of the pool should have counted for a couple hundred alone.
Still, I’d probably do this again. It wasn’t that bad.
And as long as I keep my T-shirt nearby, no one will see how truly bad I look in a swimming suit.
Fears faced: 2
Fears conquered: Maybe 1.

Preview: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (video)

admins — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:37 +0000

Bruce Miller gets supernatural for New Moon, and Planet 51 and The Blind Side are worth howling about in this week’s Movies in a Minute.

Dancing with the Stars: Surprise

admins — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:15:37 +0000

Joanna Krupa was robbed.
Dumped from the competition because her name wasn’t Osmond or Osbourne, the supermodel should have been in the final two, squaring off with Mya. Instead, she’s like so many others in this contest, voted off because she doesn’t have a big enough profile. (Stacy Keibler, are you listening?)
Krupa was elegant, sexy, sassy and smart.
She lost to Donny Osmond — who was horrible Monday night — and Kelly Osbourne — who admitted she just made things up. Even playing field? Hardly.
Still, that means Mya is in it to win it. But she, too, could be bulldozed by the recognition factor. Kelly is clearly not going to win but Donny has enough of a profile to pull him ahead of the far-superior Mya.
Next week, as my grandma would say, “We’ll see.”
Some other things to note from Tuesday’s show:
1. “Wardrobe malfunction” has become a good way of excusing bad moves.
2. My what big teeth you have, Barry Gibb.
3. Melissa — the dumped “Bachelorette” — looked great. She should be back dancing. But why no shoes?
4. Cheryl Burke is always, always good.
5. The Michael Jackson tribute done by the professionals is Emmy worthy. Look for it to be nominated next year.
6. Why are there so many foreign professionals? Does the U.S. lack good professional dancers? Or are they all on “So You Think You Can Dance”?
7. Bruno needs a muzzle.
8. Samantha Harris could leave the show and no one would care.
9. Julianne Hough should be back on the show. (And, BTW, did you know she broke up with Chuck Wicks? Ah, how short these DWTS romances are.)
10. There’s a secret weapon behind Donny Osmond who hails from Siouxland. Tim Gallagher has the story and you’ll get it later this week in The Journal. Be looking for it.

Meanwhile, Vote MYA!

Dancing with the Stars: Almost there

admins — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:34:17 +0000

As the finals near, it’s pretty clear this is Mya’s competition to lose.
Donny Osmond fell apart Monday night. Kelly Osbourne was just grateful to make the semis and Joanna Krupa still has doubts that could derail her.
In the night of a thousand dances (or at least it seemed like that many) Mya was consistently good, as usual.
Still, the show’s producers made every attempt to wring tears out of each of the dancers’ stories. Joanna grew up a poor Polish girl, Mya had to deal with a broken family and Kelly and Donny had to contend with, well, the Osbournes and the Osmonds.
Marie Osmond showed up (with Mary Hart in tow) but LaToya was M.I.A.
Look for Donny or Kelly to exit. It all depends on how many fans each has…or how many Osmonds there are.
Next week, Whitney Houston will perform, which could make this a real free-for-all.
Bobby Brown. Where are you Bobby Brown?

The Country Music Awards: Swift boat

admins — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:10:15 +0000

Yup, that was former Sioux Cityan Grant Mickelson up on stage with Taylor Swift when she was named Entertainer of the Year Wednesday night at the Country Music Association Awards.
Mickelson is in Swift’s band and when she performed at the Tyson Events Center, Swift made sure to give him plenty of credit.
She was pretty generous at the CMAs, too, calling up her entire band for their own bows.
Swift won four awards in all — bumping Carrie Underwood as Top Female Vocalist — and setting herself up for a pretty big Grammy night next February.
The evening was filled with surprises. Brooks and Dunn didn’t get a farewell award. Sugarland landed that. Rascal Flatts got bumped by Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) got the Best New Artist prize, even though he has been in music for years.

Other surprising developments:
1. There must be a new plastic surgeon in Nashville. Several old faces looked new again. (And one notable singer boasted new breasts.)
2. Wynonna chose “orange” in the tanning bed.
3. Carrie Underwood has a lot of clothes but all of them are pretty bad.
4. Naomi Judd looked positively matronly while Barbara Mandrell (who was inducted in the Hall of Fame) tried to compete with the Carries, Taylors and Kellies of the business.
5. Speaking of Kellie. Why did Kellie Pickler dye her hair? She was more fun as a blonde.
6. There must have been a good buffet backstage. Several stars had spillage.
7. Nicole Kidman always looks like she’s going to be jumped by someone.
8. Zac Brown was robbed. So was Billy Currington.
9. Jamey Johnson didn’t always look like a cough drop model. (I remember him with a buzz cut.) But it must help push his agenda as an “outlaw.”
10. What was up with Vince Gill? The glasses made him look like someone from “Mad Men.”

Thankfully, Brad Paisley held in as Best Male Vocalist. But expect a sea change next year.
If Kenny, Tim, Faith, Martina, Brooks and Dunn, Reba, George and Alan can’t win anything, you know it’s a new era for country music.

Preview: Film “2012″ weak story, heavy effects

admins — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:55:38 +0000

This apocalyptic film starring John Cusack is hardly a thriller at two-and-a-half hours.

Dancing with the Stars: No more AC

admins — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:12:41 +0000

Aaron Carter felt the cooling winds of the “Dancing with the Stars” voters Tuesday night and was booted. He didn’t cry, either, which showed some growth.
Sabrina Bryan turned up for her redo dance and, surprise, surprise, she found the “Eye of the Tiger” with old flame Mark Ballas (didn’t I call that earlier?). They wore some ghastly tiger outfits and had a few moves that bordered on rude.
But the dance Chelsea and Tony did to Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream” was stirring. She moved like a scarf; he floated across the stage. It was pretty magical — and Boyle was, too.
Earlier, Michael Buble sang up a storm but why does Tom Bergeron feel compelled to sell the network’s web site every time a song is sung? Is the ABC Music Lounge the network’s way of competing with iTunes?
And, BTW, did you notice Maks and Karina — formerly engaged — back together?
Jane Seymour was in the house and Kelly Osbourne survived another week.
That means Ozzy and Sharon will be back next week.

The final four: One model, one singer, one Osbourne and one Osmond.
Oh, oh, O, O