Entertainment Blog

It’s DISNEY week!!! Loved the opening # it was so cute!

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

Jazz-“Steamboat Willie” from “Steamboat Willie”

Victoria’s personality totally matches Disney! First of all how cute were their costumes. I love seeing Val during week’s like this! I thought the dance was so creative and fun. Victoria is making big strides in all she is able to do on the show. The performance in my opinion was light, fun, flawless and just the perfect way to kick off Disney Week!

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

Waltz-“Un Jour Mon Price Viendra” from “Snow White”

Their package was too funny. I thought their dance was full of elegance and grace tonight. Vanessa is a stunning dancer and continues to grow each week. It was beautifully choreographed by Maks. It was truly beautiful tonight and they should be proud of their performance.

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

Foxtrot-“When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio”

I thought they had a beautiful Foxtrot! Loved Mickey playing the piano! Nice touch! There was a lot of great content in the in the dance and it was beautifully performed. I wasn’t surprised at all that Len loved it.

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

Quickstep-“The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book”

Their package was absolutely precious and hilarious. I really loved their dance tonight. I really have not understood why Nick’s scores have been what they are this season. I think he is exactly what this show should be about, learning how to dance, growing week after week. He and Peta have always had a fun partnership and I really thought they absolutely nailed it tonight. What a great job! I thought it was a lot of fun and you could tell they were having a great time! Again he was underscored by Carrie Ann and Bruno. I just don’t get it night after night he’s underscored.

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

Viennese Waltz-“Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie”

Drew is another one that has made great strides this season. He is so much more in control and graceful. I really enjoyed their dance, he’s become a true leading man. It was light, creative and beautifully fit the theme. That was really very good! Great job!

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

Rumba-“Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid”

I am loving these packages this week. That is an amazing weight loss Sasha, you go girl! I really enjoyed their dance. It was fun, in character, had a lot of great Rumba content and was as sexy as you can be on Disney night. Gleb did a beautiful job of creating the dance. They are a great partnership and it’s obvious how much they truly are friends. I thought they deserved higher scores again this week.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

Quickstep-“I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from “The Lion King”

Their dance was fun, creative and executed well. They really incorporated the troupe and fellow dancers. Terrell is growing each week. Their scores to me were over-scored.

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

Argentine Tango-“Angelica” from “Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides”

I think Frankie pulled off sexy really well. I thought their dance had intensity, and lot of fun content and I really loved it! Witney did another great job in putting together a wonderful performance. Frankie is really continues to be one to watch! They totally deserved the 2 10’s that was great!

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

Foxtrot-“You’re Welcome” from “Moana”

Another fantastic and flawless performance by Jordan and Lindsay. It was a lot of fun to watch and Lindsay is truly doing a phenomenal job creating these masterpiece dances this season. Jordan is a natural and his personality just shines in his dances.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev

Jazz-“Remember Me” from Disney-Pixar’s upcoming movie “Coco”

Their package had me laughing too. Artem really did a fabulous job of putting together this performance. It was light, fun, hit all the cultural marks and it was filled with a ton of fun high energy. I loved every moment of their dance! Bravo!!! Finally good scores for this team! Very well deserved!

Fourth to go home this season: Gleb & Sasha

This is another ridiculous bottom 2 this season. What is going on seriously! As a viewer since Season 1 this is the most messed up and wrong elimination order I have ever seen on the show. I really just don’t get it.

As I expected this season is packed with talent and great personalities. Voting will be even more important than usual to keep your favorites coming back week after week!

The tour dates and cast was announced!!! Excited for a good long tour this winter!!! For more info and more VIP & regular tickets go to: http://dwtstour.com/

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

October 17, 2017

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars S25 Most Memorable Year!

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Most Memorable Year!

This is hands down my favorite week each season…Most Memorable Year. The emotion behind the meaningful dances is just beauty in motion. I cannot get enough!

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

Quickstep

I absolutely loved what Frankie said in this package although it’s sad the reason why. He has had many injuries and has suffered many TIA’s which are mini strokes and his memory has been affected over the years from all of it. The TIA’s are absolutely not minor things. My Dad had one several years ago and it was a really scary week not knowing if he would regain full function. Being so young and dealing with them must be scary. It’s a beautiful way to live being in the present. I really adore Frankie and in so many ways he is one of my favorite reasons to watch this show. He has a love for the dance. I really liked their performance. I thought it was solid, it was fun, beautiful and had a lot fun content included.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

Viennese Waltz

Terrell’s year was the year his Grandmother passed. She was a huge part of his life stepping in as a main care giver in many ways in his life. She was such a key part of his life and his inspiration. He credits her for being the man that he is today. Their dance was beautiful and I think one of the best they have done to date. His height in this dance really was an asset because it allowed him to display beautiful lines. It was really, really beautiful and the emotion was raw.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev

Contemporary

Nikki’s year was the year she made a comeback to the ring. She got an MRI and found out her neck was about to break in half. She is one heck of a fighter and I agree with her sister’s reference that she is fearless. She’s fierce in every way. Artem has such an amazing talent to choreograph dances but, he truly excels at contemporary and pulling the emotion out of his partner. Tonight it was a masterpiece performance. Their dance was absolutely stunning in every word. It was beautiful, artsy, powerful and a beautiful display of her story, her strength and I loved it!

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

Contemporary

Nick’s most memorable year was the year he married Vanessa. Such a beautiful love story, he has his family he always dreamed of. Peta did an absolutely stunning job at putting together this dance tonight. It truly allowed Nick to dance with his heart and it was evident in every single movement. It was a beautiful masterpiece tonight and it was absolutely breathtaking. I love watching dances where you can not only see the beauty but, feel the raw emotion and you absolutely could feel it tonight. Len and Bruno’s scores were just wrong in my opinion. They are consistently underscored this season in my opinion.

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

Viennese Waltz

Lindsey’s most memorable year was when her Dad got cancer and lost his life. He seemed like he was such a light and fun character. I loved what she said that instead of being angry at what she was losing she was grateful for what she had. Their dance was light and beautiful and full of emotion. There was so much creativity, imagination and heart in the performance. Their scores were puzzling to me though, if another couple was lacking content of the dance they would not have been scored that high.

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

#teamHoopsandHeels

Jazz

Derek’s dance was for his daughter who had a rare eye cancer. They decided to try to save her eye through a new procedure. He walked away from his contract because he had to be there for his daughter. The surgery worked and really changed Derek. Their dance was really light, bright and fun and a sweet way to celebrate that’s daughter’s surgery worked and she is thriving in life. It had a lot of great energy and the moment after with his daughter was just so sweet. I really liked it and it allowed you to see into Derek’s personality and see how much he loves his daughter.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

Contemporary

Jordan’s most memorable year was the year he was officially adopted by his grandparents. It was such a beautiful story of love and listening to them describe it was just a great example of unconditional love. I absolutely loved their performance. It was just masterfully designed by Lindsay and beautifully portrayed by Jordan. Oh my gosh that ending with his parents was just pure emotion in every meaning of the word. The dance really was perfection and really defined why I love this week on the show. Every movement had pure heart behind it. They got the first 10’s of the season from Carrie Ann & Bruno!

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

Foxtrot

Sasha’s year was the final year of Pretty Little Liars, struggling with her health but she also was able to discover love and getting engaged. What a beautiful love story they have. I love the story of one door closing and another one opening. So often in life many will stare at the closed chapter/door but, it’s ok to turn your head to see what the new chapter will bring. I really just adore Sasha, she’s just real and I think she is inspiring far more women than she may realize being on the show. Their performance was so light, fun and a beautiful way to tell her story. They really have developed a great friendship too which is so fun to watch. It was filled with content, great happy energy and they should be very proud of this performance!

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

Rumba

Vanessa’s year was the story of the recent birth of her son. I never knew Vanessa’s story that her mom left when she was young. She and Nick really have a similar background which really shows why they both value family as much as they do. With her last pregnancy she was on bedrest and went into Labor very early. Thankfully their baby was able to survive and made their family complete. Vanessa really is extremely graceful and you could feel the emotion in every movement of their dance tonight. Their dance was really exquisitely performed and seeing the emotion on both she and Nick’s face was just heartbreaking. It was filled with content

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

Jive

Drew’s year was the year that changed his life and he went all in to chase his dreams of being an actor. His spirit was broken because he wasn’t making it as an actor. I loved his story on when he realized maybe I can combine my dreams of real estate and acting and that’s how Property Brothers was created. That’s such a key to life rather than give up you figure it out and find a way to make it work! Drew has improved so much and I wondered how the Jive would look with his height and I thought he did fantastic. What a fun moment to have Jonathan comes out and join them! Now that is a trio dance! So awesome! I really loved their performance tonight.

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

Foxtrot

It still amazes me every week to know what Victoria has gone through and to see all she has done since. It’s nothing short of a miracle but, what I love about her even more is her spirit. She never allowed it to break her and her positivity just exudes every week. I cannot imagine how hard for her parents this was as well to watch all that Victoria has gone through. I love what she said at the end too that she doesn’t like to sit now that she can stand. I really loved their Foxtrot. Val was able to create a dance that just perfectly displayed her triumph and all she accomplished. It’s just simply incredible! Their dance was just stunning in every moment, every step was just perfection in motion. Watching Victoria should make everyone believe you can achieve anything in life.

Third to go home this season: Sharna & Derek Fisher

I seriously do not get it this season. The last 2 eliminations were just flat out wrong in my humble opinion. I am blown away yet again absolutely wrong bottom 2 again. Plus the scoring this season has had me really scratching my head. Some are consistently being over scored and others consistently underscored even with great performances and/improvement. As a viewer I am having a real issue with that this season.

As I expected this season is packed with talent and great personalities. Voting will be even more important than usual to keep your favorites coming back week after week!

The tour dates and cast was announced!!! Excited for a good long tour this winter!!! For more info and more VIP & regular tickets go to: http://dwtstour.com/

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

October 10, 2017

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Wk 2 Ballroom & Latin nights!

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Ballroom & Latin Nights!

Can I just give a major shout out to the DWTS Costume Department! So beautiful, creative and amazing both last week and this week! What a fun week to have 2 DWTS shows! I decided to combine them into one blog! Another huge kudos to Mandy Moore on that killer opening number for Latin Night!

Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten

#teamSonBerst

Ballroom: Quickstep

Alan and Debbie are so great together. I am glad she mentioned the health issue. Not that it isn’t valid but, I don’t want her packages to be about that each week so the viewers can get to know her and focus on this great partnership. Their quickstep was super high energy and a lot of fun to watch. I thought Debbie looked so comfortable on the dance floor tonight and seemed to be having a blast!

Latin: Argentine Tango

Debbie is awesome and seems like a lot of fun! That dance was just red hot, sexy and they brought the fire to the dance floor tonight. Debbie is also improving week after week and each week I am thinking that is her best dance! I really loved it and Alan really is doing a fantastic job as a Pro!

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev

Ballroom: Waltz

What a precious story about Nikki and her Nana. I really love this partnership. Nikki and Artem were absolutely stunning, elegant and just memorizing tonight. Nikki truly succeeded with showing us all another part of her. Their performance was absolutely beautiful. The smile on Artem’s face after the performance showed just how proud he was.

Latin: Samba

One word for their Samba, HOT! Nikki and Artem turned up the sizzle factor for Latin night! Nikki has such a presence about her and its totally human to be nervous, this is something you have never done before. The performance had it all the heat, hip action and that spice that Latin night needs. Artem excellent job on the choreography! I thought they were scored too low.

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

Ballroom: Quickstep

Mark’s creativity was on full display tonight. I thought they did well. Definitely full of energy and their attire really was creative. I was thinking what Len said that it seemed on ballroom night they should have been hold a lot more than they were.

Latin: Salsa

Lindsey was great again tonight. Always brings the high energy, fun and her technical ability. That was a really fantastic performance.

Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe

#teamSharkeo

Ballroom: Tango

It made me sad to see Barbara’s package. No matter what happens you have to give it your best and I really felt that she did that tonight. Is she the strongest dancer maybe not but, she has heart, she has drive and she’s working hard at learning technique and I saw an improvement this week.

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

Ballroom: Foxtrot

Nick and Peta seem to have really developed a good friendship and it shows in their dancing. I thought their dance was light, beautiful and so elegant. I really think Nick has a lot of potential in this competition. They had a wardrobe issue which threw them off a bit tonight. I think they have to stop doing the married couple segments every single show only because I see the chatter online about it and I don’t want to see that hurt either Nick or Vanessa with the viewers.

Latin: Argentine Tango

Peta is phenomenal at Latin dances and she absolutely choreographed a smoking hot performance for Nick tonight. I thought it was very good. Nick really had great technique, the hip action and the total package. Loved their performance tonight!

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

Ballroom: Quickstep

Emma is so cute, saying she wants Len to see that this fixer upper is under construction. Drew injured his hamstring too this week. I thought Drew was more in control this week and I really enjoyed watching their dance. A ton of fun great energy and a big improvement this week in the performance and they should be proud of themselves.

Latin: Rumba

I really think that was Drew’s best performance to date. It was so controlled, had good technique, flow and really just a beautiful performance overall. I love watching the stars grow and improve week after week and Emma is just an amazing coach.

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

Ballroom: Foxtrot

Vanessa had a painful toe injury this week and it must not have been comfortable for her dancing. Vanessa is very good at getting into character and that adds to her performance. I thought they had another great performance this week. Vanessa is talented and will go far.

Latin: Salsa

Vanessa really exudes confidence on the dance floor. Their performance was super fun, high energy and she really is shining week after week. They definitely are ones to watch this season!

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

Ballroom: Tango

I love that Frankie fell in love with dancing and dealing with back injury and dancing no easy task. It’s also nice to see Witney have a partner again that can really allow her creativity to shine. There is someth

ing so incredibly endearing about Frankie and it’s apparent he is dancing with his heart completely. I loved their dance tonight it was really fantastic.

Latin: Cha Cha

I know I keep saying it but, Frankie’s enthusiasm is just off the hook. It’s so obvious how much fun he is having and it’s great to watch. I loved their Cha Cha. It was so fun to watch, had crazy good energy and Frankie is shining bright!

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

Ballroom: Foxtrot

Their package was let’s say interesting. Terrell definitely seemed a lot more comfortable this week. I thought they were better this week and showed improvement. I am not seeing the connection grow between them as much as other couples yet.

Latin: Samba

I thought Terrell showed growth tonight and seems to be getting comfortable on the dance floor. I still can’t put my finger on what is not clicking for me with this duo.

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

Ballroom: Viennese Waltz

This is another partnership that seems to have developed into a great friendship. Sasha’s parents are amazing dancers! Sasha really showed a lot of improvement in her expressions. I thought they did a beautiful job this week. It was a lot more relaxed, the content really shined through in every movement and I think she really shined this week and a real improvement. Gleb’s excitement with the scores was too cute!

Latin: Samba

I am so sorry for what Sasha has been going through and I think so many women can totally relate to that. Just remember you are beautiful. I thought the dance was fantastic tonight. Sasha is improving every week and it shows! The excitement with the scores was awesome! You are rocking it girl!

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

Ballroom: Tango

I really love Victoria. She is amazingly strong and her attitude just shines. I loved their dance it was absolutely fierce, strong, intense and Victoria is another one that really does a great job of getting into character. Val is doing a phenomenal job of creating dances that truly highlight Victoria, you can’t help but, keep totally focused on her.

Latin: Rumba

Val cracked me up in the package. He’s right many women would love to be in that position. I really liked their dance and I think again Victoria was totally able to get into the character. I am in awe of Victoria and how she is able to perform to this level and not have feeling in her legs. I didn’t agree with Len at all tonight. What a special way for Victoria to spend her birthday too!

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

#teamHoopsandHeels

Ballroom: Foxtrot

Derek is so light on his feet and full of grace. Absolutely continue to be another partnership to watch. I really enjoyed their dance tonight, it was fun, light, and a lot of fun to watch from home. I didn’t see what the judges mentioned that he danced small. I really liked it. His Mom is a real hoot too!

Latin: Paso Doble

Derek really got into the character of the matador! Excellent performance! He was in command of the dance floor tonight. Sharna continues to shine with her choreography in highlighting Derek and they are growing with each performance.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

Ballroom: Viennese Waltz

They are an adorable partnership. Jordan absolutely has the talent to go far in this competition. I think it’s really allowing Lindsay to push her creativity even higher. Their dance was fabulous and quite the way to end the night. Jordan really has grace in his movement.

Latin: Samba

Holy Smokes! That was one red hot amazing performance! The technique, the heat was off the charts for this early in the competition. Jordan really has a natural talent and rhythm. It’s awesome seeing Lindsay so excited too!

First to go home this season: Barbara and Keo

Second to go home this season: Debbie and Alan (My mouth is still on the floor on this one)

Barbara really improved a lot this week and she should be very proud of herself. I think if she had been on past seasons she would have been able to work at it and stay but, this season is so full of talent. I do think the bottom 2 are the ones that should have been there and I just adore Keo.

Debbie and Alan absolutely should NOT have been the ones to go tonight. This is why votes matter everyone. Debbie was doing great and improving week after week. The one that should have gone home tonight wasn’t in the bottom 2. My mouth is still on the floor after that elimination. Sad for Alan too, he was doing a great job as a Pro and this is the wrong result tonight.

I am attending the live show next week so my blog will be a day or two later but, I will have a lot more to share so stay tuned!

Votes are super important this season with so much talent!

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

September 27, 2017

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Premiere!

I could not be more excited for this season! It’s a really great cast and I think it’s going to be a competitive season! Crazy it’s up to 25 seasons. I have watched since Season 1 and seen the changes over the years and this one should be special!

What an opening night! That was absolutely amazing! Bravo Mandy Moore!

We will miss Julianne as a judge this season but, nice to see Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann back. I have to say in a way I am glad the judges are scoring a bit low tonight. This gives all the partnerships room to grow and improve.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

Cha Cha

Wow I didn’t realize this was Cheryl’s 20^th season! I thought they were good, the height difference made it a bit interesting to watch and Terrell seemed maybe a bit nervous but it is the opening night. It was fun and energetic. I think with his personality and Cheryl’s coaching you will see him improve and loosen up as the season goes on.

Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten

#teamSonBerst

Foxtrot

I am so excited for Alan to finally be a Pro! I think Debbie was the perfect person to match him with this season! I grew up listening to Debbie’s music and she has a fun personality! On a personal note I can understand part of Debbie’s struggle with Lyme disease. I went for an annual skin check and they found the bull’s eye on my arm it was in a spot I could see and for 3 months they loaded me up with antibiotics but, the symptoms you go through are absolutely awful and really you can’t understand until you have gone through it. They performed a beautiful Foxtrot! It was light, beautiful, and elegant and I really think this will be a partnership to watch this season.

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

Cha Cha

I think this will also be a fun partnership. They seemed to have already formed a nice friendship. I thought they did well for the first week. Cha Cha is not an easy first dance to learn and I thought they did good. I thought it was fun, and it showed off Sasha’s fun, fierce and fabulous personality. I think you will see this partnership continue to improve and grow as the weeks go on.

Drew Scott & Emma Slater

Foxtrot

You could not find a better match in personalities than these two! No pressure Drew, Emma won last season but, I think he is totally up for the challenge! Drew definitely came out full of energy and he is so animated which is fun to watch. It was fun, light and very energetic! I think first night energy might have got the best of him just a bit but, I think they will do good this season and continue to improve. BTW I loved Emma’s dress!

Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe #teamSharkeo

Salsa

Keo and Barbara are just too funny together. This combo is going to be fun! Barbara definitely had the basic technique/steps of the Salsa down. It was a ton of fun to watch, they have a lot of fun energy and I think she exceeded expectations tonight.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold

Tango

Lindsay definitely has a partner she could go all the way to the end with this season! That was a killer first week performance and they should be excited with that performance. Lindsay is so creative and I think this will be another team to watch this season! They should be thrilled with their performance tonight!

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

Cha Cha

I really like Nick and Peta partnered up. I thought they were really good tonight. They absolutely have potential to go far in this competition. Nick definitely has some moves! He is right 98 degrees wasn’t known for their dancing but, he was really good tonight. A lot of fun energy, hip action and good technique for the first week. Peta is such a good teacher and I think couple that was his determination and they will go far!

Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy

Cha Cha

Maks and Vanessa will be a great match up personality wise. Vanessa was really good. She absolutely learned the technique of the dance and they are going to be a great partnership. They brought the sizzle, the energy, fun and I was impressed! I liked to hear what Maks said too about working hard. Maks is another fabulous teacher and working hard will take you far!

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

Foxtrot

First up can we talk about Witney’s dress, gorgeous! They are such a cute partnership. I thought they did really good. Frankie was light on his feet, they seem to be perfectly matched for each other and they should be very proud of their performance tonight. It was beautiful and endearing. I love it when you can feel the emotion in the dance.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chiigvintsev

Tango

First of all I love how excited Artem is this season! This is such a great match up! They were crazy good tonight! Nikki is very powerful and a strong presence! Nikki does what I do when I dance too it’s hard to look up when you are learning. Artem is such a great teacher too so I think they will do great this season! Artem might need some massages this season with all the body slamming.

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess

#teamHoopsandHeels

Salsa

Derek Fisher has the moves! I think he and Sharna will be fantastic this season! Their dance was fun, filled with good content and they absolutely made a huge impression tonight. He has a real presence on the dance floor and I think as he continues to learn from Sharna they will be a team to watch.

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

Cha Cha

Victoria’s story is nothing short of amazing and inspirational. I am so happy she is matched with Val. She has an amazing spirit that just shines right through. They blew the roof off the studio tonight! Victoria should be so proud of herself that was amazing! Crazy high energy, great technique and her personality literally just lit up the room. Bravo!

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0B1x8CXgW8

Cha Cha

I thought Lindsey was good and with two very creative personalities I am sure they will be bringing us some great performances. I am a little unclear if Lindsey has dance experience or not so someone please correct me on that. I know she was in a video with Derek Hough in the past. They absolutely had a great performance tonight.

As I expected this season is packed with talent and great personalities. Voting will be even more important than usual to keep your favorites coming back week after week!

For pictures from the tour this summer please visit my social media pages @lightscmemories!

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

September 18, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Hot Summer Nights Tour 2017

Dancing With the Stars

Hot Summer Nights Tour Summer 2017

#DWTSTour

This was my 5th Dancing with the Stars tour! The stage set up with fantastic, great music/dance selection and the cast was filled with not only great talent but, the kindest people. Truly loved the Hot Summer Nights Tour!

I am attending 4 shows on this tour and have one more to go in Minnesota and did VIP for three of the four. Here are a few links to past articles on the tours. First one is guest blog by a contest winner: http://lightscmemories.com/contestsgiveaways/dwts-vip-tour-winner-review-_dwts-hough/ Next: http://lightscmemories.com/vip/guest-blog-sandra-chen-1st-dwts-tour-vip-experience/ Here are a few on past tours: http://lightscmemories.com/entertainment-blog/dwts-ca me-dance-2016-17/ & http://lightscmemories.com/vip/dwts-vip-came-dance-tour-2016-17/ & http://lightscmemories.com/entertainment-blog/dancing-stars-dance-night-tour/and I have also kept track of the cast photos and mingles as I know many of my followers like to guess who will be in their VIP: http://lightscmemories.com/entertainment-blog/dwts-hot-summer-nights-tour-vip-photo-list/

The cast included: Rashad Jennings, Heather Morris (filled in for most of July while Rashad was out for football) Sharna Burgess, Lindsay Arnold, Artem Chigvintsev, Gleb Savchenko, Keo Motsepe, Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Sasha Farber, Hayley Erbert and Britt Stewart!

This year’s tour was very light & fun with a lot of summertime elements mixed in. It was so great to see Emma & Rashad dance together live again. I was so excited for them that they won this season. I haven’t seen Heather perform yet that will be at the next show. It was also so nice to have Sasha back on tour this time and Britt was another fantastic addition to the cast. I know a lot of people were unsure what to expect when Val took the summer off. Even though he and Jenna were incredibly missed on the stage I think many of the other dancers really shined bright this tour. We saw a few of our favorite dances from the season, they had an entire movie section which was just fantastic. I know I keep saying it when I post pictures but, that dance that Sharna & Gleb do to 50 Shades was just smoking hot. I also really enjoyed Artem & Hayley’s beautiful and passionate contemporary dance and Gleb & Hayley’s dance to “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”. Watching Sasha and Emma dance quite a few pieces together including the Viennese Waltz dedicated to their engagement was just beautiful. Lindsay has a fun storytelling portion of the show as well that is hilarious in addition to performing many amazing numbers. I also really enjoyed the Prince/Princess piece. Keo is absolutely hilarious with his drop the mic moment and also has many beautiful and high energy performances. Alan also truly stands out this tour with his fun dance with the ladies, his Samba with Lindsay and many other fantastic performances. Britt is a real sweetheart and also incredibly talented. She shines bright on the stage every night! All of the dancers just radiate joy on that stage. The entire show was absolutely beautiful and high energy and it allowed all the dancers to be equally in the spotlight.

I also loved all the other special elements. If you haven’t seen the show you can skip a few of the videos so it doesn’t get spoiled:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ws1LShqNg

Every style of dance was perfectly portrayed, you could feel the raw emotion and energy and each performance flew by because it was just that good. This year’s tour was similar to the last one very fast paced which I loved it seemed to be shorter numbers but, with a lot more content packed in which I absolutely loved.

The dancers gave it their all every single night of the performances and I cannot say enough what a privilege it was to meet them at the meet and greets, but to sit in the audience and watch their talent and brilliance come to life.

For even more photos please visit my Instagram, Twitter or Facebook pages @lightscmemories

I will be posting an article on the VIP Experience this week as well!

A few of my favorite shops for tour clothes:

https://factory.jcrew.com/

http://shop.nordstrom.com/

http://coach.com

Until next time,

Xoxoxo

Heather

July 23, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Tour Questions with Emma Slater

#dwtstour

1. What is your favorite part of being on tour? I love getting to connect more personally with the audience on tour. Getting to meet them and chat for a while is something that we can’t really do in LA where we film the TV show. Because of this, touring feels more real to me! It’s meeting the audience that are behind the camera and getting to know them. It’s definitely my favorite part of touring! – Emma Slater

2. What is your favorite # on the Hot Summer Night Tour to perform? Dancing the Viennese Waltz with my fiance Sasha is my favorite dance on the tour. It is dedicated to the moment we got engaged on Season 23 to a song we absolutely love, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. – Emma Slater

July 5, 2017

Entertainment Blog

CMA Fest 2017

CMA Fest 2017

Nashville, TN

I was very torn this year on attending CMA Fest due to a medical issue I was dealing with but, after speaking to my doctor he said I could go as long as I took it slow and returned on Monday to have surgery.

Wednesday: Pre-CMA Fest day. The last few years we have gone in a day early to attend the CMT awards. Last year we did the pink carpet. This year they didn’t have one, due to the hockey playoffs the awards location was moved. Last minute we got a pass to attend and I was thinking we wouldn’t have a good spot based on this huge line that was already there. Next thing we know a security guard tells the people about 20 up from us to start a new line and we were brought in and sure enough ended up 2^nd row from the cat walk. A girl in front of me was asked by a TV producer to move back and she had me move forward so there I was front row on the cat walk. When the event started all the biggest country stars were seated right across from the catwalk. I love experiences like this, seeing who hangs out with who on the commercial breaks etc. It was a really fun experience seeing Keith Urban rule the night in awards, he is just so genuine, kind and so deserving. Jada Pinkett Smith, Hoda Kotb, Kathy Lee, Katherine Heigl all said hello and shook hands as they came out to present awards and all were very nice. The night ended with Dierks Bentley bringing over this huge pretzel to share with all of us which was so sweet because we were starving.

CMA Fest:

Good: I did continue to love the Fan Fair X experience. It does continue to be frustrating that it is so difficult to win a pass to meet the one you really would like to meet. We did get to meet Hunter Hayes, Craig Wayne Boyd, Sarah Evans and Trent Harmon were the more known of the singers we met. The softball game is always a ton of fun and we had an opportunity to meet a few fun people after the game including Savannah & Todd Chrisley, Kellie Pickler, The Swon Brothers, Lee Greenwood, Eddie from the Bobby Bones show etc. I had really wanted to meet Bobby Bones (3 years and several attempts but, he doesn’t stop and do the line), Katelyn & Shawn from the Bachelorette unfortunately didn’t do the full line either and missed them as well. The performances at the stadium every night are always so good, it was a big surprise to have Garth there this year! I was glad it wasn’t as brutally hot as it has been in years past but, I was definitely exhausted by the end of each day.

I went to Chris Jansen’s fan club party this year and he really is a great, humble guy. His party was a good experience, they had some breakfast snacks, mountain dew of course and he played several songs, told stories and then did a photo op. The one challenging thing with CMA fest is picking the FC parties you want to do each year. I really enjoyed Cole’s last year but, many of them overlap or conflict and I like to get new experiences each year to share with you all.

The one person I have met each year I have been to CMA Fest and she always impresses me is Lauren Alania. That girl is just so kind, so down to earth, she stops everywhere for her fans and takes her time and I really wish more in the business would be like Lauren especially at an event for the fans like this event.

Could have been improved: I usually love and rave about the Big Machine Group pop up and the experiences they offer. I don’t know what happened this year but, I did not have a good experience with them. We got up early one morning, lined up, sat in the roasting sun and at no point in time were we told that the line for Brett Young was cut off, would be cut off etc. and we asked SEVERAL Big Machine staffers that came out to video our excitement etc. After waiting for nearly 2.5 hours and just before we entered the door we were told sorry no more. I was so disappointed and so upset. We should have been told at some point way sooner than that like they had in years past. You don’t make people wait in the heat that many hours thinking they would get in and do that. Very uncool this year Big Machine. To make matters worse they told us he was going on to an event at another location so we went over there and the people at Fan Fair had no idea what we were talking about. I finally had enough and found a place to sit down outside the hotel because I wasn’t feeling well and at one point I look up and here comes Brett Young. Mind you there were 3 people and we asked him for a picture and he just kept walking acting like he didn’t hear us. That entire experience soured me on Brett truthfully. It would have taken maybe 15 seconds to say hi and do 3 photos. Same thing happened about a half hour later with Bobby Bones, again just acted like he didn’t hear the 2 people next to me that yelled his name. I get they are asked for a ton of pics and that they have places to be. I just wish they would remember this is what the Fest is all about and without the support of fans nobody gets to be big and famous.

The only other thing I wasn’t a big fan of that I had not done before was the photo line. Now on one hand it’s very cool that they have that option. It just get so crazy congested and I wish the staff that worked the photo line would be a bit nicer. I understand not everyone listens but, don’t lump everyone together. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money for an experience and be constantly spoken to in a negative/nasty way or man-handled. If you are going to offer the experience then find a way to keep the lines moving without being nasty to everyone. Deal with the few bad apples and you will see the rest will follow the rules.

Helpful Tips discovered: I have been attending this festival now for 3 years and I have always done that long walk over the bridge back and forth to the stadium. This year my friend that attended with me discovered the buses that ran back and forth. That really was a godsend this year because I wasn’t feeling that awesome and I think that walk each night would have been tough. So cheers to CMA Fest on the buses, I wish I had discovered them sooner.

Overall, it was a nice event. I really wish I had been feeling better as it’s something I do look forward to every year but, you can’t win them all. Hopefully next year I will be feeling amazing and I can do a very detailed day by day blog like I have done in past years!

Fun concert wear!

Bebe: http://www.bebe.com/

Nordstrom: http://shop.nordstrom.com/

White House Black Market: https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/

Coach: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-wristlets

Until Next Time,

Xoxo

Heather

June 15, 2017

Entertainment Blog

DWTS Season 24 Pre-Semi Finals Wrap Up

DWTS Pre-Semi Finals Wrap Up