Then Maks and Old Spice pretended they were on Phenomenon

Tony sported a suspicious tattoo...

...while Edyta wore only the bottom half of her costume.

A group of Homies ruined their street cred.

And LeAnn Rimes made an appearance, looking pretty good for a 45 year-old.

The Trailer Trash Dancers performed...

...and Jane and Tony were sent packing,
presumably as a penalty for wearing a dress made out of toilet paper.

The following week yielded just as many...um...thrills.

Jonathon and Marie got things started with a live commercial for Pepto Bismol.

Maks and Mel B. demonstrated a Russian variation on the Vulcan Mind Meld.

Julianne practiced her sleight of hand...

...while, try as he might, Helio couldn't make Julianne disappear.
Nope...she's still there.

Jennie dressed up as Sigmund the Seamonster

Gloria Estefan checked her datebook and discovered she was
more than a month late for her appearance on DWTS

And, lastly, Cameron and Edyta shared a touching, albeit overly dramatic,
goodbye as they were voted off.

Now, don't feel shortchanged. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I actually just produced a really long column.

That brings us to this past week: The Semi-Finals! Four couples remain: Jennie Garth and Derek...Mel B. and Maks...Helio Castroneves and Julianne...and Marie Osmond and Jonathon. The producers had stated emphatically from this season's outset that they wanted a woman to win, and the deck has now been stacked, with only one man remaining in the competition. I'm just tingling with what I'll presume is anticipation...although it might be some kind of an allergic reaction. Maybe I should take some Benadryl just in case.

Marie and Jonathon get things started with a quick step, and as we're shown the practice footage, it is apparent what great shape Marie is in these days. It's also clear she must be a lot of fun. We're two months into this show, and I still can't bring myself to dislike her. Damn Osmond charm. It's in full force during the performance, and Marie's technique has improved, as well. The cameraman pans the audience, and it appears to be made up entirely of Osmonds. Who's left in Utah?

Just a note here, before the judges' scores. Band conductor Harold Wheeler has returned, and may I just say, Thank God. The guy who filled in while Wheeler was unavailable was...shall we say...AWFUL. It was like the musicians were underwater...or heavily sedated. And by the time they were done playing, I was wishing I was the one who was heavily sedated. Or under water. Whatever. TempGuy is out, and Wheeler is back behind the baton where he belongs. Now at least everyone is playing up to tempo...and the same tempo, which was not the case last week.

Okay...time now to hear from the judges. Len says Marie brings joy and entertainment to the stage, and the dance was perfect. Bruno praises the content, and describes Marie as having the glamour of Ann Miller. Carrie Ann describes it as wonderful. Looks like we've all been sucked in to the vortex that is Osmania. 29 points...Bruno awarded the "9," and earned the wrath of the Osmond-packed crowd.

Mel B. and Maks, who have become the frontrunners, decided to do the Viennese waltz. The pre-performance video includes a gratuitous appearance by the rest of the Spice Girls. It pays off, though, when one of them (I can't tell them apart) tells Maks he has "Girl Power." I'm betting he doesn't define having "Girl Power" quite the way they do.

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Posted in Dancing with the Stars by CattyFan at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Last Comment: sneakers57 on Nov 30, 2007 03:19 PM.