Ö÷²¥´óÐã

Moira Ross bangs another nail in the Strictly coffin ?

Poor Peter! That guy really put his heart and soul into Strictly. It was good to see him.

Anyone know what Pamela and Gavin are doing? Scccotttt, Patsy, and Michelle are doing the Jive, Matt and Anne are doing the Paso Doble and Tina and Felicity are doing the Vienese Waltz and Kara and Jimi are doing the Argentine Tango.

Pamela is doing the Jive and Gavin is doing the Paso Doble.

Ah! All is explained, now we know that Vincent Damon Furnier is the guest on the show. I remember seeing him live in the States during the mid 1980's and he did a great act including snakes and a guillotine.
I wonder who will get Alice's Boa and will the losing couple literally get 'The Chop'?
I am sure that I have a sense of humour, but this producer is in danger of turning SCD into a three ring circus. You might as well give Bruce a Ring Master's outfit and dress Tess as a Fan Dancer. Claudia could get extra long shoes and wear a Clown's outfit and the Judges could be kept in a cage.
Why do the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Grey Suits feel that they have to resort to silly gimmicks? They do not need to compete with the evil Empire of Cowell the Colourful, SCD was not broken and therefore does not need mending!
Keeeep Dancing!!!

I dont know what John means about Moria Ross and 'another nail in the coffin'!!the show is fantastic she has brought a lot more to the show this year and she is one of the best exec prod the Ö÷²¥´óÐã have got!!

Can't wait to see the show, curious what Anne will do :).

Is Brendan back or is Michelle still dancing with Ian?

Alice Cooper wonderfull hope he will preform poison.

if there is a twist...
if it's a treat = no scoring the couples
if it's a trick = double elimination

No loveslondon, Brendan is back and now time for them to go out i think!! oh yes cant wait to see what Anne does this week, bring it on Anne and Anton!!

I'm not keen on gimmicks but will reserve judgement until I see the show.

I won't judge the halloween show until I see it. I curious in what they will do for it.

As AW is "doing " the Paso Doble presumably there will be a bull involved in their "routine".This at least will reflect the total bull**** marks the judges give to Widdebeke for their tactical dance evasion. Still it will attract the anti SCD public, keep the tories voting for her,and comletely ruin it for the rest of us.

#6 stricltlycomedancingsbiggestfan:

Well, SCDBF, Ms Ross has brought a lot more to the show this year but I think it has all made the show worse. For example:

1. Downplaying the fact that it's a fun competition by dropping more of the ballroom dancing rules e.g. no messing about and get on with your dance.

2. Less emphasis on the dancing - learning it and performing it - and more on the feeble chit chat - "How did you feel when you were eliminated?"

3. Dropping the dance off, which was introduced to allow the judges to save the better of the 2 dancers rated lowest by the combined votes of the judges and viewers.

4. More use of close ups and a moving camera so it's not possible to see the dancers' whole bodies when they perform.

5. In general, turning what started off as an enjoyable dancing show into a vehicle for over the top glitz and glam at the expense of letting us see how assorted celebrities cope with learning a difficult skill from a top professional dancer.

John Reith... I totally agree with all you say. Probably best summed up as dumbing down, it is really annoying that the lunatics are clearly running the assylum.

Well John_Reith and tippytappy, its funny isnt it how the show is getting the best viewing figures ever Ms Ross is obversely pleasing the rest of us!

I totally agree with John Reith and tippytappy, I don't enjoy SCD as much now. I will continue to watch this series only because I think there are better celebrities this season. However I am not enjoying the dancing as much, because half the routines are spent pfaffing about with props, which can only be described as totally naff.

As for strictlycomedancingsbiggestfan's point about the viewing figures, I don't think this has anything to do with Moira Ross, but everything to do with the fact that SCD no longer clashes with X Factor.

rubbish landgirl!! you only have to look round at the show to see how fantastic it is with the new exec Moira, and dont forget she is the one who has also brought the better celebrities the show........

Will there be time for any dancing? Hope so. Not quite sure how a VW can be done to the Monster Mash whilst wearing 'Thriller' outfits but beggars can't be choosers I guess. Maybe the ethereal dance troupe might also spookliy appear from beyond the veil?

Strictlycomedancingsbiggestfan

You may think the new show is fantastic, I don't but I don't have to resort to childish comments to make my point. You obviously do.

landgirl

So why are you on here making comments and watching the promgram if you dont like it??!!!!

Looking forward to Alice Cooper this week, maybe we'll actually he able to hear him? As opposed to poor Neil Diamond last week who had his appearance totally spoilt by the canned clapping for the dancers - this wasn't done with Robbie and Gary (indead they didn't have dancers detracting from their performance). The dancers are good but surely the star of this spot should be the focus???

strictlycomedancingsbiggestfan, there is no rule on here that says comments have to be positive, the general function of a blog (or forum) is to share one's opinion and debate. The OP has every right to watch the show if they wish, and every right to miss the show as it was.

I agree entirely with those who say the new producer has made a lot of bad changes. I don't think they're all terrible - I'm getting used to the new set and the website is at least easier to navigate - but I miss the proper dancing and also less gimmicky pro routines - the professional dancers are fabulous at what they do without having silly things like tribal themes. I dread to think what this week's rock dance will bring, and I used to love the pro routines and still only watch the show for the pro dancers. Remember the classic pro routines like the series 5 jive to Rebel Yell, or last year's jive to Red Light Spells Danger, the rumba to Frozen, Foxtrot to A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square...? Those are the type of pro routines that are sorely missed, Ö÷²¥´óÐã please take note, let the pros show us what they can do.

I really hope Alice Cooper doesn't show up with his snake - I have a phobia of snakes, can't even look at a picture of one. I think I may well have to skip the results show just in case - ugh (shudder).
Far too many gimmicks this year.

Halloween has no place whatsoever in any dance competition. It is an American import which has nothing to do with the Eve of All Hallows (or All Souls as it is better known). This is a time to remember the souls of people we have loved who have died; it is NOT to do with devils, demons, skeletons, vampires, etc. I will not be watching this week.

Re 15 striclycomedancingsbiggestfan. Well, obversely. SCD now appeals to the brightest people, not those who can see through a plan to attract a completely different audience.obversely, or is it obviously.you tell us.

I've been enjoying the show this year, but agree that I'd prefer the camera to focus on the dancing rather than zooming about all over the place so I can't tell how good they are (or not). The professional dances would be better with less gimmicks because they don't need it. I'm here for the dancing, and anything that obscures that is a Bad Thing.

On the other hand, I don't mind the lack of a dance off. When the judges could always save their favourite dancer there wasn't much of an air of suspense for me.

Ok. Craig - werewolf. Len - vampire. Bruno - zombie. Aleysha, err, um, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. (grasps wildly for a VERY thin straw) - Doppelganger??

Strictlycomedancingsbiggestfan

You seem to have a big problem with people not agreeing with you. I like watching SCD, but I definitely don't like most of the changes the new producer has brought in this year, it has made the show less enjoyable for me than it was in the past and I will continue to post my opinion.

I am happy to read everyone's opinions on these message boards, and make comments on them, without getting wound up about what they are saying and telling them they shouldn't make them if I don't agree with them.
It's a forum for healthy debate, not an exclusive club for people with one opinion.

Hopefully the Ö÷²¥´óÐã will continue to allow all opinions on this site.

Landgirl....Hear hear. Strictlycomedancingsbiggestfan clearly does have some kind of problem with his/her opinion being challenged.And just to prove that I'm not doggedly taking sides, I'm not sure I agree about this year's celebrities being the best because i did like the Austin Healey year. Maybe it's been a bit more difficult for me to warm to some of the other celebrities this time because I've concentrated too much on my irritation caused by AW's antics.So I dont entirely agree with you about this years line up but we wont fall out about it i'm sure.

tippytappy

I don't think this year's celebrities are the best either, I think they are better than last year. The only problem is that we don't see enough of their dancing this year, because some spend too much time messing about with props. It will probably be broomsticks a go go on Saturday, and not enough dancing again.

fletcherdance (24): I have to agree with you that whilst Halloween has its roots in Celtic beliefs and was adapted (like Christmas) by the Catholic Church - the Trick or Treat and dressing up etc., is just another example of American marketing methods being subliminally adopted back into UK culture. Like Mothers/ Fathers Days and so on it is just another way to make a Buck.
If SCD stuck to the rules then they would not celebrate All Saints (All Souls) until Sunday but like a lot of wonderful folks who like to party, they will have made it a moveable feast.
Without wishing to be too reactionary I also agree with landgirl and co. that SCD is a Dancing Entertainment which had a brilliant formula that worked from Series One (without the Dance Off) and the celebrities (Natasha, Christopher, Lesley, Jason etc.) were just as dedicated and good value.
I think that there have been some wonderful improvements, especially the new set with state of the art lighting and a high profile bandstand. Even the change in the Professional dancers is understandable when it has been their choice to leave because of career, age and family issues.
However there have been some changes purely to try and take on ITV at their own game and the majority of these have been unfortunate and well listed by other bloggers.
I watch X Factor, but my first preference has always been SCD, the Judges are more ethical, Bruce and Tess are great, Claudia's show IT2 suits her interviewing style and there are no cynical undertones that the celebrity contestants are going to be horribly exploited.
I am also aware that in little meeting rooms dotted around TVC Ladbroke Grove the Suits and Artistic Talent strive to make SCD a better show.
The formula is easy folks: It is an entertaining show about celebrities learning to dance properly!
Whatever happens I shall watch SCD this Saturday (Neighbours children permitting - if they dare!) and I hope to praise the hard working dancers, their partners, Dave Arch's Engine Room Band and the production team on a wonderful evening's entertainment.
If there is anything that I felt was inappropriate, then I reserve the right to have a grouse like everybody else, hoping to remember to thank Andrew, Paul, Kirstie and co. for the opportunity to express myself.
To my fellow bloggers, carry on and "Fill your Boots" I love the entertaining comments, but please do not bore me.
Keeeep Dancing!!!
PS I hope that Alice Cooper sings Poison too!

I think Craig makes quite an endearing werewolf.

Paul (31)

I don't know what you mean about her being a witch!

From the photograph of the Judges the girl is clearly Alesha Adams, innit?
She obviously glides well and likes to dominate her prey. Just like SuperAnn Widdecombe!
Keeeep Screaming!!!

Gavin Henson should be alllowed to be Dracula on Saturday, that way when he looks in the mirror there wont be any reflection.I was going to suggest that he could pretend to be a Zombie but that would give him an advantage.Sorry boyo

landgirl, tippytappy, fletcherdance et al:

Another thing that SCD is better for, the Guest singers don't mime their songs, that is why Neil Diamond could modify his act, when the audience drowned him out, whereas Cheryl Cole was definitely lipsyncing last Saturday!!!
Keeeep Singing!!!

It's good to hear so many posters talk of the things they like about the show, too. High points for me are:

+ the pro dancers of course.
+ the celebs who are honestly trying to improve,
+ the band and singers who do a great job,
+ Brucie, still a consummate and unflappable professional,
+ those judges who know their craft and give good advice.

And a special mention for Artem, who makes his dancing look so effortless and spins like a dream. Like a top class sportsman he always seems to have plenty time and is never hurried.

But oh the production standards have slipped, or been dumbed, down as tippytappy, landgirl and others have already commented.

37 John Reith. yes all those things are good, plus the costumes, glamour and general excitement which makes the whole thing a visual feast.It's an old fashioned concept of entertainment but a truly satisfying one. A lily that needs no gilding IMO.

Hallowe'en would be a good opportunity to have a themed formation dance with all the couples as characters from The Masque of Red Death (seeing as there has been a recent Edgar Allan Poe programme on) and Bruce could do the Vincent Price character. Ideally everyone would be so "masked" you shouldn't be able to tell them apart (except for the dancing). However this could be a major challenge for the make up and costume departments.

Re Chaswick (32) At the risk of going off on a tangent, All Souls is 31st October, All Saints is 1st November. Agree with you completely on your comments re SCD.
Back to dancing - What a fabulous season, what brilliant costumes (my 6 year old son is mesmerised by the girls' costumes (or lack of them!)), how absolutely amazing is Matt - willing to throw himself into absolutely everything without a thought about whether it will make him look silly, which means that it never does look embarrassing.
Scott looking good, but apparently ill this week.
Really wish Brian could be in the show still. Given that he was offered a part in the 'Show Dance Team', and as far as I can see, we've only seen the troupe once, he's clearly made the right decision. Most of the pro dances we've been shown have been made up of the professionals who are training celebrities. Can anyone shed any light?
It would be good to have a week, though, without props.
Is my memory at fault, or were we told in one series of ITT that the dance dresses had to actually be dresses with the upper and lower parts joined by at least a tiny bit of material? - I think it was about 2 or 3 years ago.

I don't know if anyone can enlighten me on this but why have there been 3 designated dances for this week? I don't mind seeing the variety in the competition but apart from the final there have only ever been 2 dances done on any 1 week. Is the extra dance added because of the 2 extra dances that were added last year and if so do the extra dances mean that the couples will be reverting to 2 dances per week a week or 2 earlier than is customary?

fletcherdance (40)

Thank you for the information that All Souls is followed by All Saints as I thought that it was the other way round, but as Father Jack would say "That would be an Ecumenical matter".
My only excuse is that the drugs and old age are combining against me nowadays.
Moving back to SCD however, I agree with your comments on the outfits, both for the girls and the boys in that they seem more custom made and lack the old see through flesh coloured material that kept them modest and joined together. Perhaps the studios are not as draughty as some of the Village Halls used to be?
I find it odd that I should take such an interest in Claudia's sessions with the Designers and Fashionistas, although they do not seem to give away too many tricks of the trade.
When I used to support my mother and her friends in their dancing activities, I don't think half the materials that they use today were invented. The comment made about green dresses being considered unlucky in IT2 this evening, reminded me of an old girlfriend who was always fearful of travelling in a green car for the same reason.
I can empathise with your son as I was mesmerised for 48 hours by Flavia's spray on outfit that she wore for her special Rope Trick Tango the other week.
The other factor that differs from yesteryear was that they used sequins by the bucket load then and now they seem to use buckets of crystals instead for the Bling effect.
Ah nostalgia, it's not what it used to be!
Keeeep Sparkling!!!

fletcherdance (Blog post 40)

Further to your query on dress standards, I was able to have quick chat with an old friend of my mother regarding any sort of dress regulations within Ballroom/ Latin dancing. It appears that whilst individual Associations set standards the general guidelines are Ballroom - Waltz, Tango, Viennese, Foxtrot and Quickstep - require formal evening wear; Latin - Samba, ChaChaCha, Rumba and Jive - girls in short skirts and men in tight fitting shirts and pants to emphasise the dancer's leg and arm movements (Paso Doble – Spanish Flamenco or Latin are suitable). It would appear that the standard of good taste is one that is communicated through the officials of the appropriate organisation.
I can only assume that Flavia's Special Tango outfit had the approval of the WSMD (Windmill Society of Modern Dance) and should have carried a warning for those of nervous disposition.
I can now understand why the Charleston is such an enigma for the professionals as apparently it is not at present an internationally recognised dance format on the competitive circuit.
Of course SCD as an Entertainment Competition have a syllabus of their own choosing, although they do not appear to have formally published it.
I am sure that there are much better qualified Strictly experts out there who will blast me off the planet for researching the above information. However your question intrigued me and I thought that I would have a bash at seeing if there were any regulations appertaining to SCD.
Apparently the general view on the street accepts that SCD is run by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã and therefore is not part of the competitive hierarchy that runs National and International Events (i.e. No Comment).
I feel for Dance teachers though, if they are teaching competitive standards and then their pupils start quoting SCD as a benchmark! But then what do I know? Up until two weeks ago I thought that Pudsey still got a piece of the action.
It would appear therefore that SCD is not as Strictly as it could be!
I am now heading for my Anderson Shelter at the bottom of the garden until the Blogging sirens sound 'All Clear'.
Keeeep Dancing!!!

A few points

a) agree that I don;t like the Whizzy camera-work, Remember viewers are being asked to vote so lets see the dance, in any case it isn't nice to watch
b) also don't like the silly gimmicks, there is a place for them, especially if well used in the show dance but some of them have just been out of place
c) apart from thst no real issues with changes. They dropped the dance-off because the judges found that far too often they had to choose between two dancers that shouldn't have been in that position so have left it with the audience -fair enough to be honest.
d) they are getting some good musical guests and the dancers have always performed during it and should continue - its a dance show. Neil Diamond chose a song that didn't suit him and the accoustics for the guest singers have never been good in that studio. Halloween theme is Ok so long as it doesn't become tacky and/or overshadow the show. Presumably there will be fireworks next week for Guy Fawkes.
e) the judges are laying off Widdecombe a bit to avoid making her a martyr (avoid the John Sergeaant scenario). However once Michelle and Gavin had gone then she must go or a much better dancer will go out (yes I know they are ALL better but apart from those two all the rest are MUCH better). having said that she is game and there is some entertainment and Anton is working his socks off but two more weeks max please.
f) talking of Michelle, why did she do Strictly rather than Dancing with the stars in the US. Foreign celebrities don't tend to fair well in strictly because they aren' as well known (and she is the third one in Destiny's child). to make up for that she needs to dance really well and frankly she isn't. Must be odds on to go this week unless she improves dramitically. However Tango should have been Henson's dance, Paso certainly should be, remember the Austin Healey one? This gives him the chance to score well BUT if it is a poor performance then it might see him go. We might assume he'll get he Welsh vote but having split up with Charlotte Church and moved to London that might not be the case.

Hey! I've got an idea for a Saturday night entertainment show... It would be a bit like Strictly, in that it would be about celebrities learning to dance, but it would take place on a classy set (think sparkle, not bling!); the celebrities would wear elegant, flattering clothes that would make, say, someone like Zoe Ball look like a 'princess' rather than a mannequin in New Look; dance to (yes, I'll admit it) rather old-fashioned music, the kind you don't hear blaring from every High Street cheap fashion shop or tacky nightclub, and they would take to the floor with nothing more than the results of their hard work in the studio and/or their personalities. Then, maybe, we'd have the joy of seeing the sheer exhilaration on the face of someone like, say, Gethin Jones after he finally 'got' what salsa was all about. Just a thought...

I have enjoyed Ann's wit on several occasions although it would have been nice if after dancing, she had turned to Craig and said 'In parliament we work by majorities and you don't have a majority here Craig!'

Hi folks. Read an article on Alice Cooper this morning and in it he says he no longer uses the snake, as it got too stressed.

I hate what they have done now with the results. It is obviously recorded just after the main show so why can't it be shown on the same night. Why do we have to go through the dull and boring saga of having the results read out in two lots 24 hours later. No doubt some Ö÷²¥´óÐã boss thought that would make it interesting and have viewers on the edge of their seats. Not in my house - we only tune in to the last five minutes now so that idea was a failure as far as some of us are concerned. And what happened to the dance off? Far more interesting.

I am really upset that Strctly on Saturday 30th October will include decorations of creepy crawlies. Being seriously arachnaphobic I will not be able to watch the programme at all as I cannot even look at pictures or drawings of ss and as you can see I cannot even bear to see the name of the species or type. I am sure I will not be the only person who will have Saturday evening viewing completely spoilt. Please think more carefully before doing anything like this again.

46.....Do be serious. Wit? If Craig doesnt have a majority then more's the pity.
45. aspara. Sounds like a good idea but I think someone has already decided it isnt.

Alice Cooper - at last a reason to watch the show!

Good Luck Matt and Aliona, though I doubt you'll need it.I think Tina and Jared are the outsiders to watch, and expect that Scott and Kara will be their usual polished selves.So here's hoping that Matt, Scott, Pamela and Kara sail through and none of the others are sacrificed for the sake of dafty.It being Halloween I will return to my cauldron....

I love strictly - its a really good family show. But this week I'm really disappointed with the Halloween theme. Not everyone celebrates Halloween - and certainly not with the pumpkins and ghoulish costumes. It has really spoilt my enjoyment of this week's show.

Lets not follow American customs but stick to our own, and anyway, Halloween is TOMORROW folks!!

Having watched it I think that the theme was too overpowering and affected the dances too much. I didn't for instance think that 'Bat Out of Hell' was a good choice of music for the AT. Contrarily I thought that Michelle and Brendan's dance was very good and yet they were criticised.

I shall be glad to be back to normal next week (it's not going to have a Guy Fawkes' theme I hope).

So there we have it. It's official. The judges don't know what they are talking about. ....Ann bottom again.

The only certainty about tomorrow night ? Ann will be through.The great, fair minded British public will see to that ! The great unknown is which more worthy couple will leave.

Oh well........it's only an entertainment show......

I loved the halloween theme although i agree it impacted too heavily on he music choice. Bat out of hell for Matt and Aliona not good - but they still the best!! I loved all the costumes except for Scott which was really off putting! Especially loved Brendan and Michelle - best dance for them so far.
Matt and Aliona best of the night - loved the lifts - very strong - and seriously sexy vamp look Matt!! x

Am I missing something? I can't find any listing of the tunes/songs used in the programme for the dances. Are these available?

I agree with John - I hate to moan but it's only because we care about SCD so much we don't want to see it dumbed down with gimmicks which don't enhance but detract from the dancing. We seem to be trying to duplicate Dancing With The Stars and our programme has always been such a superior product. If it aint broke don't fix it!

The result was so wrong, I really hope Tina will be snapped up by a West End show, she is a much better dancer than Felicity or Ann,and especially Gavin who is soooooooooooooooo vain and boring its unbelievable!!! come on Kara!

Can anyone PLEASE tell me what music/song Felicity Kendal danced to on october 30th.

I love strictly! But I'm finding the new results show pretty awkward. I like how there's no dance off again, but the way its done in two bits doesn't really make it flow. I liked the suspense being built right till the end, then you find out! Plus I don't really think it's fair to do that to the contestants. It just doesn't really work for me. Also, old story, but I really don't like Alesha as a judge. Bring back a proffesional dancer/someone who really knows what they're talking about, I thought that was the whole point of judges!

Great show this weekend,the backstage crew did a fantastic job,I was sorry to see Tina and Jared go, I thought they had alot more to give.

Still not the same without Ian,its a waste just to have him as just one of the dancers.

Loved the show on Saturday night as always, just wish the bbc would have the results on the same night.

Is it only me but I thought Saturdays show was disappointing. Poor music selection with the exception of Phantom & Felicitys number. The jive was a joke. I really look forward to the jive but the music was so wrong. Pamela I love but the music was slow and I think she was nervous becuase she was on first. Did not think tina was any good at all, but not the worst....Felicity was poor, Anne was funny but its not a ccomedy show!!!! Scott, I love but not worth 3 tens......Overall the make up was good but the dancing and music was poor. Very disappointed. Also, Alice Cooper, for goodness sake the Ö÷²¥´óÐã are shaking the barrell getting him on. Terrible.....and we have 3 good acts on X factor...Ö÷²¥´óÐã needs to get their finger out with the entertainment. I hope it is a better show this week. I am not the only one complainign about this series, its a pity Claudia does not mention this on her show instead of saying how great this series is....NOT.................

Another good show once again last night.