Cheryl Burke

#dwts25

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

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy

#teamViVa

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

#teamBabiesandBallroom

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

#teamStark

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

#teamMomandPops

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

#teamHotProperty

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

#teamAteam

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

#teamGetchaPopcorn

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

#teamFranneypack

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

#teamFishUponAStar

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

#teamSmackDown

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!

#dwts25

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

#teamFranneypack

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

#teamGetchaPopcorn

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

#teamSmackDown

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

#teamMomandPops

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

#teamStark

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

#teamFishUponAStar

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

#teamAteam

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

#teamBabiesandBallroom

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

#teamHotProperty

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

#teamViVa

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 Premiere!

#dwts25

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

#teamGetchaPopcorn

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

#teamAteam

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

#teamHotProperty

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

#teamFishUponAStar

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

#teamMomandPops

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

#teamBabiesandBallroom

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

#teamFranneypack

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

#teamSmackDown

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

#teamViVa

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

#teamStark

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

Dancing with the Stars 23-Mirrorball Champions!

Mirrorball Champions are…

I have been a fan of this show ever since Season 1 and I have to say this season will be a hard one to top. The entire cast truly came in with a great attitude and really put in the effort. It was hard not to fall in love with the personalities and stories of each of our stars this season. There were so many shining stars.

Just a few quick notes:

RIP to the wonderful Florence Henderson who sadly passed away on Thanksgiving. She was a contestant on DWTS and a regular smiling face in the audience.

Congratulations to Mark Ballas & BC Jean who were married on Friday.

This season also brought the engagement in the ballroom of the very kind Emma Slater and Sasha Farber! They are both such sweethearts and it will be a night we always remember from Season 23

I want to give a huge shout out to the Season 23 Dance Troupe: Brittany Cherry, Alan Bersten, Hayley Erbert, Keo Motsepe, Britt Stewart, and Dennis Jauch. You all worked so hard all season and truly provided us with fantastic quality and creative dance numbers. I think it’s time to have a few of the troupe members from the last several seasons get a chance at Pro. They truly have proved themselves.

It was announced on the finale that Laurie would be joining the #dwtstour #wecametodance. I am sure she will be a fantastic high energy addition to the show and I look forward to seeing her perform.

I will be attending a handful of tour shows and will be posting pics to my various pages starting with my Instagram page so please feel free to follow me @lightscmemories.

On to the finale:

I absolutely loved the opening number. Choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. She is an absolute creative genius.

Andy Grammer also performed his new single Fresh Eyes tonight. Andy is not only a DWTS alum he is a fabulous live performer. If you get a chance to check him out in concert, do it! Allison and Keo danced along to his performance and did a beautiful job!

cx7udgyxuaagixl-jpg-large It was too fun to watch Maureen McCormick live her huge fan dream of dancing with Babyface, Ryan, Artem, Keo and Dennis tonight. Maureen was one that I truly felt grew a lot this season. It’s always fun when a star is also a fan of the show because it allows us at home to live it through their eyes.

The number that Maks did with a group of the ladies was a lot of fun too. It was so nice to have Maks back this season. I know he has said he won’t be returning next season because we will enjoying his time being a new Daddy. I am so happy for him and Peta and wish them so much happiness!

I loved the friendship that developed between Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry this season. Vanilla’s performance was a fun blast from the past and even though they might not have been the strongest dancers the partnerships between Witney/Vanilla and Emma/Rick were fun to watch all season and both did work hard.

For the first time ever it came down to 3 athletes in the finale!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe
#TeamStopandGo

They chose their favorite dance to perform again which was the Foxtrot from Cirque night which was a great pick for them. Full of energy and truly highlighted the skills, fun and fabulous relationship of this team. James and Sharna had that something truly special. Sharna has such a humble, unique, genuine way she builds relationships and performs. She has had several memorable partnerships but, this one truly had that very special magic. James had tremendous growth all season, he has such an amazing survival story and a personality that shines.

The gift that James gave to Sharna of the race suit he wore the first time he raced again after his accident was truly sweet. Sharna truly put together the most amazing piece to close the chapter on James’s survival journey. They performed a fusion dance of Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz. It was absolutely beautiful. James demonstrated all the grace in his movements and it again highlighted the beautiful friendship that developed between them this season. It was stunning.

Calvin & Lindsay
#TeamLindsatron

Calvin and Lindsay chose their Argentine Tango from Latin Week as their favorite dance and it was a fabulous choice for them as well. That dance was filled with passion, absolutely out of this world lifts and it absolutely was a great reminder of the growth that Calvin has had this season. Calvin really had such a glowing personality and it was fun to watch him develop into a dancer this season.

Calvin & Lindsay did a Jive & Quickstep fusion. Calvin and Lindsay almost developed a big brother/little sister relationship this season. Calvin should be so happy with his journey this season. He grew immensely and I think kept his attitude on the fun this entire season. He was a joy to watch! Their fusion dance was a lot of fun, high energy and again showed off all the great dance qualities that Calvin brought to the floor.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
#TeamVaLaur

Laurie and Val picked their Trio Dance with Maks for their favorite dance. This Samba was crazy good and it absolutely highlighted Laurie’s amazing skills and the ability to truly get into character of the dances. Plus who wouldn’t want to dance with the Chmerkovskiy brothers. Laurie has been such a bright light this season. She showed a lot of talent, positive energy, poise, courage and maturity beyond her years.

Val and Laurie had a Foxtrot & Argentine Tango Fusion dance. Their package was so adorable. It was sad hearing them talk about this season ending. I think Val was a tremendous positive influence on Laurie. Laurie grew so much before our eyes and is truly a remarkable young lady. Their fusion dance was incredible. Laurie had that fire, pure determination and the look of champion in her eyes when they started that fusion dance. I do disagree with those that felt Laurie had an edge this season because of gymnastics. Laurie was the first gymnast that didn’t use the tricks in the dances this season. I can speak from personal experience at a lower level. I was a cheerleader and when I started taking ballroom & latin dance lessons it is totally different and definitely not easy to learn to dance with a partner.

More on the finale…

The holiday performances of Babyface and Felicia Barton and the beautiful dance numbers performed by Artem & Jenna and Allison and the dance troupe really got you in the holiday spirit!

That all male dance number was totally off the hook. Hmmm wondering if we might get to see that on the DWTS Tour this year like we did the Magic Mike number from last year’s finale. I know they are going to switch up the format a bit this year.

What a treat to get to see Jana & Gleb’s hot Argentine Tango again. That dance will absolutely go down in the DWTS history as being one of the hottest numbers of all time. I am really excited that Gleb will be joining the tour this winter. It will be nice to meet him and see him perform live!

Terra and Marilu’s special highlight number was also a lot of fun to watch. Many people were asking where Derek was, he was at rehearsals for Hairspray Live!

The Macy’s Stars of Dance number was also choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. This was truly remarkable. It was creative, it was a technical and visual delight the way she was able to bring the story into motion using the special screen to make the young girl’s dream a reality. It truly was an absolute Masterpiece!

I loved the tour preview dance we had tonight. I highly recommend the tours, if you are able to go you will not be disappointed. It’s always a fantastic entertaining time and the cast this year is fantastic!

Jana’s performance of her hit song Circles as we watched the video of the final 3 couples was just perfect.

The Results:

Lindsay and Calvin came in 3^rd place.

Mirrorball Sharna & James and Val & Laurie were the final two couples and truly they were both so good it could have been a tie this season. Each partnership just had that special something. The talent, the creativity of Val & Sharna with their respective partners was just unstoppable this year. I would have been absolutely thrilled if their partnership had won.

Sharna & James came in 2^nd place.

Dancing with the Stars Season 23 Winners are:

Laurie & Val!

Bravo & congratulations to Laurie & Val. What a season it was and your partnership was just incredible. It was great to see Val relaxed and so happy and Laurie grew and improved as a dancer and just proved she was the total package with dynamic ability. Laurie you absolutely do inspire as does Val! Keep it up!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 26, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Semi-Finals/Trio Wk

Dancing with the Stars-Semi-Finals & Trio Night

Season 23, Week 10

I seriously cannot believe we are already at the Semi-Finals, this season absolutely flew by and it truly has been one of my favorites. The talent and personalities have been such a pleasure this season. Everyone came to work hard and enjoy the experience. Welcome back Sharna!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Argentine Tango)
#TeamStopandGo

It is so absolutely fantastic to see Sharna and James back together again, they have one of those amazing partnerships and I am glad they will be able to finish out the season together. I still predict they will be in final 2. I loved the blindfold idea. It’s a little similar to what my dance instructor did recently to get me to stop looking down. Dancing with your eyes closed/blindfolded is a totally difference experience you have to trust and just be able to feel everything. I LOVED their Argentine Tango it was sexy, intense, filled with fun content and that hand stand at the end was just so good.

Trio dance with Jenna Johnson (Jive): This was a super fun, high energy Jive. What a creative job Sharna did on the choreography. I loved it, truly highlighted all of James’s strengths and it was absolutely flawless. Fantastic PERFECT score!

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber (Rumba)
#TeamXL

Terra has truly been so impressive this entire season. Her attitude, her drive, her fabulous personality have just absolutely shined this season. Sasha has always been fantastic but, he took it to an even higher level this season with how wonderful he worked with Terra and reminded everyone what a wonderful man he is. I really liked their Rumba tonight. It was beautiful dance and how they related to each other. You can see the amazing effort that this pair puts in each week. Loved Carrie Ann’s quote: “Quality of the movement was like the quality of you, it was untouchable”. Well-deserved PERFECT score…BRAVO!

Trio dance with Artem (Tango): The package had me cracking up. Yes Terra we agree Artem is hot and sweet too! I absolutely LOVED this dance. It had sex appeal, it was intense and Terra just nailed it. Both Artem and Sasha were fabulous with Terra…BRAVO! Another PERFECT score!

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko (Quickstep)
#TeamGlamer

Jana has steadily improved this entire season. I have really enjoyed the partnership of Jana and Gleb. You can see how the show has almost helped her through a difficult time in her life too. She just shines now. First off I loved her dress tonight, stunning. Their quickstep was a ton of fun, very elegant, full of energy, a lot of great content and spunk. I truly think they deserve to go to the final 3.

Trio dance with Alan (Paso Doble): These 3 have a fun relationship too. It was incredibly creative, powerful, intense, fabulous content and Jana really nailed the character of the dance. Bravo to this trio they really did a fantastic job. You can tell Jana wants to be in the finals she was in it to win it tonight. BTW we need to see Alan have a chance at Pro next year he would be fantastic! PERFECT score, BRAVO!

Calvin & Lindsay (Tango)
#TeamLindsatron

Calvin seems like such a fantastic and genuine soul. Loved the package description. Their tango was good but, I wouldn’t classify it as one of their better dances. There was a slip up mid-dance which seemed to get them off time a bit. Calvin is still always a joy to watch. I am on the fence on this pair in regards to the finals. I do think Calvin improved a lot as the season went on but, I am not as engaged in them as a partnership.

Trio Dance with Witney (Salsa): This looked a comedy skit in rehearsals. Their salsa was full of energy and they took advantage of Calvin’s strength to do some really fantastic choreography and lifts. Perfect score…BRAVO!

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy (Foxtrot)
#TeamVaLaur

I literally cried my eyes out with the package on Laurie’s grandmother and her unfortunate passing the day after the video was recorded. It’s heartbreaking to lose your grandparents and even harder to watch them suffer through Alzheimer’s. I have been there and it’s not easy. Laurie is only 16 years old but, demonstrates the strength, courage, grace and maturity of someone much older. I don’t know how she found the inner strength to get through that but, what a treasure for her to always have that video of her Grandma telling her that she loves her and is proud of her. Given how important family is to Val it made me even happier to know they were partnered up and he treated her with such care and compassion. Their Foxtrot was on a whole new level this week, all that emotion was so evident in each movement and their partnership grew even stronger. Absolutely beautiful in every way. Well-deserved PERFECT score!

Trio Dance with Maks (Samba): Laurie was living so many girls’ dreams of getting to dance with the Chmerkovskiy brothers and again on such a difficult week for her I am glad she had two of the sweetest guy’s ever to do this Trio with. I absolutely LOVED this dance. It was fun, filled with fabulous energy, content and just crazy good! I totally agreed with what Carrie Ann said that it was her best dance EVER! It showed off her talent, her sassy side and highlighted her fabulous shining personality. PERFECT score once again!

Elimination Time: It was so sad to see Terra and Sasha eliminated. They truly have been amazing all season, Terra showed the world nothing should ever hold you back from trying something you want to do. Sasha and Terra seem like they will be forever friends. It was one of those amazing partnerships you see develop on DWTS that you will always remember as truly special and Terra should be very proud of herself for a tremendous job on DWTS!

Next week is the 2 Day Finale:

Monday Night: 2 hour show:

Laurie & Val:

Redemption Style: Paso Doble-“Wicked Ones” by Dorothy

Freestyle: “Brand New” by Ben Rector

James & Sharna:

Redemption Style: Tango-“It Had to Be You” by Harry Connick Jr.

Freestyle: “Beethoven’s 5 Secrets” by The Piano Guys

Calvin & Lindsay:

Redemption Style: Viennese Waltz-“I Am Your Man” by Ryan Shaw

Freestyle: “Please Mr. Postman”/”I Want You Back” medley by The Marvelettes/Jackson 5

Jana & Gleb:

Redemption Style: Tango-“Stay the Night” by Zedd

Freestyle: “Unstoppable” by Sia

At the end of the night one couple will be eliminated and three final couples will compete for the Mirrorball.

Tuesday Night: 2 Hour Finale

All 13 of this season’s couples will reunite at the Grove. It will be filled with great performances from Vanilla Ice who will perform “Ice Ice Baby” featuring Rick Perry and Witney Carson; a special guest performance by Andy Grammer of his new global hit single “Fresh Eyes”, Babyface will perform “Winter Wonderland” featuring pro dancers Artem, Cheryl and Allison. There will also be an all-male number to Bruno Mars “24K featuring all the males from this season. It will also feature a special performance choreographed by Mandy Moore that promises to be truly magical. There will also be a special performance from the upcoming DWTS “We Came to Dance” tour hitting the road soon!

Couples from across the season will celebrate their time on the show by repeating one of their favorite dances. The final element will be the final 3 competing for judge’s points a dance they put together in 24 hours called the “24-Hour Fusion Challenge”.

Who will win the Mirrorball? What are your predictions? I would love to hear from you!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 17, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Halloween Night

Season 23, Week 8 Halloween Night

#halloweennight

It should be a Spooktacular time during Halloween Week on Dancing with the Stars! It’s another fun and creative night on our favorite show. This season is flying by! I was hoping to be able to get out to LA for a show but, with everything else going on this fall I wasn’t able to. I love this cast and truly am looking forward to the tour!

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

Dance: Cha Cha

Terra keeps showing everyone how much she can do week over week! Her positivity is amazing. I love her partnership with Sasha too and how she worked so hard at pulling a prank on him. Their dance was a lot of fun and Terra continues to amaze every week. Lots of personality, great content, fabulous relationship with Sasha and fun dances.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Awe their package made me cry this week. Val has such a huge heart and I hated hearing him doubting himself. I know he has had special partnerships in the past but, I truly feel this one is the best yet, it’s raw and beautiful. I love that he is so invested and it’s so special watching their partnership and relationship grow. Val you are amazing always remember that. Their dance was absolutely magical! I loved how beautifully arranged it was and it truly highlighted Laurie’s amazing grace, beauty and talent. It absolutely deserved a perfect score, BRAVO!

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#teamhennergy

Dance: Argentine Tango

I know in the packages it shows a few issues in the partnership but, then reading Derek’s blogs you see that isn’t necessarily true. I know from watching the show from Season 1 the packages don’t always show the reality. Their dance was good and Marilu has continued to improve. It does still seem she is unsure of herself at times. I am a fan of Derek so this is only my thoughts, I do think they should be the next to go next week because when compared to the others remaining in the competition it’s time. This is the time of the season I always wish votes were cast for the best dances.

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

Dance: Quickstep

Calvin is the dark horse in the competition for me. He has grown so much since week 1 as a dancer and he and Lindsay clearly have an amazing friendship and partnership developed. I absolutely think we will see him in the final 4 or maybe even final 3. Their dance this week was so fun and creative and again showed his tremendous growth. They earned a well-deserved perfect score…BRAVO!

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

Dance: Tango

I love the Tango it’s been one of my favorites to learn. Ryan has absolutely grown in the competition just maybe not as fast as others

but, what I think he was able to show the audience is another side to him, the family man, the guy that wants to grow past his mistakes and look ahead to a brighter future. Their dance this week was creative, intense, a lot of content and overall a good job.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

Dance: Jazz

This will be an interesting week for this team since Gleb has never put together a Jazz routine. They have such a fantastic partnership. I thought their dance this week was super fun, full of energy and the characters were perfect! Jana is another one that has grown so much since week 1. I truly think it’s between her and Calvin on who gets to the final 3. Gleb is really doing well as a Pro this season and I am looking forward to watching him perform on tour this winter.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)

Dance: Viennese Waltz

I was so sad to hear that Sharna’s knee injury sidelined her. I know how much she wants to finish this season out with James it’s truly a magical partnership and they absolutely are in the running for the mirror ball so please take care of yourself Sharna and know you are missed. I am curious about something, how do they determine who fills in when a Pro is injured. Not to take anything away from Jenna as she is a great dancer I am just curious with the level of talent that James has why a more seasoned Pro like Witney, Emma or Allison wasn’t matched with him to fill in. Not a slight towards anyone just curious. James was so sweet to Sharna and I hope she will be back before the finals if her knee is better. James did another amazing job, his talent as a dancer is just incredible to watch and his growth since the beginning is amazing. He was perfectly in character and absolutely deserved the perfect score this week…BRAVO!

Next up was the Dance off:

Laurie and Val

Vs (Jive)

Lindsay and Calvin

I loved how Laurie said I think Calvin should pick on someone his own size. That’s the heart of of a champion to pick someone she feels closely matched up with. Both couples did great, they had crazy high energy but, Laurie & Val edged out Calvin & Lindsay to win the dance off.

Jana & Gleb

Vs (Salsa)

Terra & Sasha

Loved Terra’s spirit to try something new and do the Salsa. Both couples were fun to watch and gave it a great effort and a ton of energy. Jana and Gleb edged out Terra & Sasha and won the dance off but, both couples should be proud of their effort.

Marilu & Derek

Vs (Cha Cha)

Ryan & Cheryl

Both couples gave it a good effort. I actually thought Ryan was really good and got into it more and was a bigger draw on the performance side. I think Ryan just has more of an ability to shake it off and just have fun with moments like that. Ryan and Cheryl won the dance off!

Elimination Time:

Bottom two were: Ryan & Cheryl and Terra & Sasha

We had to say goodbye to Ryan & Cheryl. Ryan should be proud of his run on the show and what a way for him to go out winning the dance off! I did not agree with Sasha & Terra being in the bottom 2.

Next week is Showstopper week:

Marilu & Derek: Samba to “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night) from Jersey Boys featuring guest performances by Mark Ballas & The Four Seasons.

Laurie & Val: Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago”

James & Sharna: Jazz to “A Brand New Day” from the “The Wiz”

Calvin & Lindsay: Waltz to “Memory” from “Cats”, featuring guest performance by Leona Lewis

Terra & Sasha: Charleston to “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from “Sweet Charity”

Jana & Gleb: Waltz to “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress”

There will also be Team-Up Challenges and they will be:

James/Sharna & Calvin/Lindsay: Paso Doble

Jana/Gleb & Laurie & Val: Contemporary

Marilu/Derek & Terra/Sasha: Jazz

The one other comment I have is I truly hope everyone votes for the stars dance and not just for the Pro because there have been a few people in the bottom 2 that absolutely did not belong in the bottom 2. It’s important to the integrity and fun of the show.

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

November 3, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Most Memorable Year Week

Season 23, Week 5 No Elimination Most Memorable Year

#memorableyear

This by far is one of my favorite weeks on the show. I love Most Memorable year for so many reasons. I think it makes the stars that much more vulnerable and it comes out in their dancing. It shows triumphs, challenges, happy moments, strength etc.

The opening number was awe inspiring. The music and dancing was just simply beautiful.

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

Dance: Foxtrot

Maureen told her story of going through and coming out of a cocaine addiction. Watching her grow on this show has been really special. I truly think she was paired with the best person for this journey as well. I thought hands down this was Maureen’s best dance to date. It was beautiful, elegant and perfectly told the emotion behind her story. It was precious when Artem teared up in the segment with Maureen and her husband. Love this match up.

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

Dance: Jazz

Calvin’s most memorable year was the year he broke Jerry Rice’s record in football. It was so touching he walked off the field after doing it that he gave his Dad the game ball. Calvin has such a fun personality and he and Lindsay really are doing well this season, it’s another great partnership. Their dance was full of energy and those lifts were just off the hook amazing. What a fun surprise for Calvin to be surprised with Jerry Rice tossing him the ball at the end.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

Dance: Contemporary

Jana told the powerful story of survival. Her most memorable year was this year the year she had her daughter and it showed her how strong she truly is. She shared the story of an abusive relationship she was in 10 years ago. I give her tremendous credit for sharing that story that so many women keep inside or keep it quiet for various reasons. I think her daughter would be immensely proud of her Mom and how strong she is. Their dance was incredibly beautiful and I think feeling the emotion of the story in the dance this week truly helped Jana to take dancing to the next level.

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

Dance: Contemporary

First up congratulations to Ryan on his engagement. Stunning photos and I am glad he is achieving happy moments again on this life journey. His most memorable year was the first time he went to the Olympics in 2008 and not only getting a gold medal but the world record too. It was so beautiful that he dedicated his dance to his Mom for always standing by him in the good and bad times. It was so sweet for his mom to say she wants everyone to know who Ryan is not just the one mistake he made. I thought their dance was really good and Ryan truly was able to display his vulnerability and emotion this week.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Paso Doble

Laurie’s most memorable year was this year because she achieved her dream of going to the Olympics. She overcame a lot of injuries to achieve her dreams. The package showed some struggles this week in rehearsals. I give Laurie a lot of credit for showing another side to herself. It’s so hard to express yourself sometimes and it’s also hard when you have the pressure of being so good. People need to remember even though the stars are talented it doesn’t mean they have ever done this type of dance before. I hope Laurie will continue to keep Val in the loop on how she is feeling. He truly wants the best for her but, he has said over many seasons he gets intense because he knows when he is working with great talent and wants to bring out the very best.

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#teamhennergy

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Marilu’s most memorable year was the year her Mom passed away and Marilu got her first big break with her role on Taxi. It was such a sad story of how Marilu’s mom’s illness affected her. I was standing up clapping after Marilu’s dance this week. Definitely her best dance this season, she looked like she was having a lot of fun, she just let go and it showed. Bravo! I am so glad she had this breakthrough. Her Mom would be so proud of her.

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Samba

Amber’s most memorable year was the year she had her son and she wanted to do a dance to celebrate women and moms. They had a rough time at camera blocking this week. I think this is a tough point in the competition you get tired, you are vulnerable because of the story etc. I thought Amber did a good job. She definitely takes ownership of the stage each performance. She kept up really good with the pro dancers in that section too which was great.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

Dance: Tango

James’s story of his most memorable year was incredible. He is so lucky to be alive and he was meant to live through that awful crash to truly bring something special to the world. He is such a special person, with such a great attitude and it shows in all he does. It’s incredible it was just 18 months ago. I keep saying it but, I think Sharna and James will be in the finals. Their dance was absolutely stunning. It was so full of content and just perfectly performed. Bravo! 2 10’s were very well deserved!

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

Dance: Contemporary

Terra’s most memorable year was the year she lost her Dad. It was such a heartbreaking story. Her Dad truly inspired her to go for her dreams and would be so proud of her. There is truly nothing like a bond a daughter has with her Dad. Terra your dad is always watching you from above and celebrating your success. The dance was absolutely stunning and emotional.

Next week one couple will be eliminated. This is the part of the season it starts to get really tough because all the couples are doing well, all the partnerships have developed into such fun relationships.

Next week: Latin week with Pit Bull as guest judge! Below are the dances that they will do.

Marilu & Derek: Cha Cha

Laurie & Val: Salsa

James & Sharna: Rumba

Calvin & Lindsay: Argentine Tango

Terra & Sasha: Paso Doble

Jana & Gleb: Argentine Tango

Ryan & Cheryl: Salsa

Maureen & Artem: Samba

Amber & Maks: Cha Cha

I went to see Val’s talk at the Southern Women’s show in SC. As always he was wonderful and charming. If you want to see pics from event check out social media at @lightscmemories Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Until next time,

XOXO

Heather

October 15, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars-Cirque du Soleil Week

Season 23, Week 4 Double Elimination: Cirque du Soleil

#CirquedusoleilNight

First and foremost huge congratulations to Emma Slater and Sasha Farber on their absolutely beautiful engagement tonight on the results show. They are two incredibly kind people and what a beautiful surprise on tonight’s show. I wish them so much happiness.

I was so excited for a new theme week this season, Cirque du Soleil! It seems like anything else there was very mixed reviews online. I personally loved it and in my opinion it really brought out fantastic creativity in the Pro’s and almost all the dances were off the hook amazing.

At the start of the show they dropped the bomb that it would be double elimination Tuesday. I also don’t know what happened at the start of the show again with the microphones. Couples were just coming out without hearing any audio. BTW I loved Erin and Julianne’s dresses Monday night. I would love to know the designers. If anyone sees that info let me know.

Great live performers on the results show too: DNCE, Zara Larson

Cirque KURIOS

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

KURIOS Cabinet of Curiosities: Charleston

First off bravo to Lindsay this was such a fun dance! Fantastic creativity and Calvin is such a joy to watch and he was able to really show off his strength and personality this week. The dance was super fun, the lifts were all amazing and I actually had to rewind and watch it again it was so good. I thought they deserved 9’s. A fun partnership indeed!

Cirque Mystere:

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

Mystere: Argentine Tango

Their package was hard to watch. Maureen is clearly a very sensitive person and I just wish every week she would just find the fun in this and just trust in Artem. It was sad to have Artem say maybe I am in the wrong business. He is one of the kindest men you could ever met and just wants the best for his partner. I hope Maureen will get to the point where she will walk in and feel the joy everyday so they can stay. I really thought their dance was really good tonight, it was definitely Maureen’s best dance to date. Just remember dance is FUN.

Cirque The Beatles LOVE

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

The Beatles LOVE: Foxtrot

It looked like it was a tough week for Jana and Gleb but, clearly they shook it off. All the traveling is exhausting and not all dances come together as quickly as you want. They remain a great partnership and I thought their dance was beautiful, classy, graceful and moving. She is determined so I am sure she will keep working on it.

Cirque KA

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#teamhennergy

KA: Paso Doble

I still think Marilu needs to just relax and remember dance is supposed to be fun. I get the desire to be great and perfect but, don’t focus so much on that and lose the fun. I did think this was Marilu’s best dance to date and I know she has the desire to do this and she has the skill to do it but she needs a breakthrough I think in the performance. It was a good performance, the creativity was great!

Cirque Zumanity

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Zumanity: Argentine Tango

Amber and Julianne had a bit of a misunderstanding from last week. I have met Julianne a few times and she is a complete sweetheart but, I also can see where Amber was coming from. Not every girl is a size 0 or 2 and every woman should celebrate what makes her sexy, curves and all. I felt that both women handled the interaction with class and demonstrated how women should handle issues, talk it out like grownups and move on. I thought Amber and Maks’s dance tonight was very sexy, filled with passion, intensity, content and really good.

Cirque "O"

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

“O”: Viennese Waltz

Ryan has been on quite a journey but, I really think he is showing improvement every week and allowing everyone in and to get to know him better. Their dance was beautiful, elegant and showed a lot of beautiful creativity. This show is about a journey and I love to route for individuals that are growing each week and improving. Ryan should be proud this week. Some individuals did yell something out when he was getting the judges’ comments but, I was glad to hear they were positive people yelling “Go Gators”.

Cirque The Beatles LOVE:

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker

#TeamHolkerFace

The Beatles LOVE: Tango

Oh I felt so bad for Babyface and Allison tonight. This was definitely not their best night. It was very tough needing to stay on time with the lights and it was just off. They are both really amazing, classy people and I wish it had gone better for them. I had a feeling they would be going home tonight.

Cirque "O"

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

“O”: Samba

Terra and Sasha have a great partnership. I hope Terra continues to believe in herself, girl you are a dancer! He’s pushing you because he knows you can do it! Terra goes out every week and just kills it and this week was no exception. It was sharp, crisp, had lots of hip action and content. Another job well done it’s always fun to watch this team hit the floor!

Cirque Michael Jackson ONE

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

Michael Jackson ONE: Jazz

I absolutely love seeing how happy and excited Val is this season. He always gives it his all but, you can see the joy this season. Laurie is just an inspiration. She works hard every week and comes out and just nails the performance. I had a feeling this dance was going to get the first perfect score of the season. It was absolute perfection. It was filled with sass and class and hard core dancing. Bravo and well deserved perfect scores!

Cirque La Nouba

Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson

#TeamIceNSpice

La Nouba: Viennese Waltz

Vanilla Ice really has impressed me. He clearly works hard at learning and still maintaining his schedule like many others do on the show. I really thought he was going to be the dark horse of the competition and be with us for a while. I thought their dance this week was choreographed really well by Witney and it was good. It went along with the character of the dance. Vanilla should be proud of the effort he put into the show.

Cirque PARAMOUR

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

PARAMOUR: Quickstep

Sharna always has fantastic creativity and chorography and James is one that is blowing me away this season. He reminds me so much of Hélio when he danced with Julianne. James has crazy charisma and the skills and I look forward to their dance each week. I thought their dance was absolutely fantastic, it had great energy, and it was super fun. It’s always fun when Sharna channels her inner Jessica Rabbit too. Bravo. I do have to say that Sharna & James absolutely positively did NOT belong in the bottom 3 tonight that is just crazy to me.

14202678_10154491879441740_1341242590084994957_n 14264981_10154491901266740_4242782700183476508_n

Sadly eliminated tonight were:

Babyface & Allison: What a class act Babyface was sad to see them go.

Vanilla Ice & Witney: I was surprised to see Vanilla go so early too I really thought he would be one to watch as the season went on. He and Witney were good!

Next week: Most Memorable Year will post more info as it becomes available.

Finally tickets and meet & greet VIP Packages went on sale this week so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Ladies, I am in love with these new Coach bags, check them out: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-handbags-satchels

Bebe also has some pretty fall tops: http://www.bebe.com/Tops/184.sec

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

October 4, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Face Off Week

Week 3 Season 23

This week DWTS was cut short on Monday night due to the Presidential debate. It was Face Off week! I also want to do a shout out to Kym Johnson who filled in for Erin on Tuesday. I thought Kym did a really great job!

One other thing I would like to say is this season’s cast is really good. It seems in some season’s past there was always at least one that either didn’t seem to really want to be there or wasn’t loving learning to dance but, this season it seems like everyone is there and giving it their absolute all with great attitudes.

Babyface vs Jana face off

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker

#TeamHolkerFace

VS (Jive)

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

I thought both dances were ok. Jana’s seemed to be a bit more refined and had more typical jive in it and I think she is way more comfortable of the two on the dance floor. Babyface just seems like he needs to relax and have fun with the dance. He is good and he has the presence just needs to relax. The jive just seemed stiff hopefully he will have a break out week so where he just let’s go and has a lot of fun. Jana and Gleb won the face off.

Rick vs Vanilla face off

Rick Perry & Emma Slater

#TeamDanceForOurVets

VS (Paso Doble)

Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson

#TeamIceNSpice

Rick’s injury looked really painful. He had such a strong desire to learn and be a part of the show. I thought they did a good job and attitude is half the battle with anything in life. I think Vanilla and Witney also did a good job, definitely not perfect but, he also seems to be giving it a lot of effort. The score was tied so Len broke the tie and gave Vanilla and Witney the face off win.

Ryan vs James face off

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

VS (Cha Cha)

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke

Holy super sexy Cha Cha to James and Sharna! James is really good and keeping right up with Sharna’s great creativity in their dances. I will be absolutely shocked if we don’t see them in the final 2 this season. I do see improvement in Ryan each week. I think similar to Babyface he just needs to let it all go one of these weeks and really have fun with it. James and Sharna won the face off.

Calvin & Terra face off

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

VS (Viennese Waltz)

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

Terra is awesome and her attitude is tremendous. She wants to turn a disability into an ability and she shines every week in this competition. I thought Calvin and Lindsay did really good this week, he was incredibly graceful. They edged out Sasha and Terra and won the face off.

Amber vs Maureen face off

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

VS (Salsa)

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

I can see Amber improving each week, she and Maks took a chance this week doing a more hip hop salsa routine and I can see Amber is trying to put her own personality stamp on the dances. I didn’t agree with all the judges’ commentary. Maureen seems to be coming into her own and relaxing in the competition. I absolutely thought this was Maureen’s best dance so far and it was a lot of fun to watch. Artem & Maureen won the face off.

Laurie vs Marilu face off

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

VS (Tango)

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#Teamhennergy

I had read beforehand people wondering how Laurie would do because the Tango is a sexy dance. I take dance lessons and I don’t totally agree with that. I think it doesn’t have to be sexy if you bring the intensity and get into the character of the dance. It was nice to see that side to Laurie. Laurie is just on the mark every week and continues to grow. I think Marilu is also good but, still needs to do what I was saying with Babyface and Ryan, just relax into it, and remember she is there to have fun too. Val and Laurie won the face off.

What a wonderful pro number by the women of DWTS. Perhaps we will see that on Tour this winter…I also loved the Maks and Val piece. The performers were also fun this week including Florida Georgia Line and Fitz & The Tantrums. All the dance performances by the Pro’s and Troupe members were fantastic! It’s been such a fun season!

In Jeopardy:

Rick Perry and Emma Slater

Amber Rose & Maks Chmerkovskiy

csvcbaxumaaj2co-2

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Rick and Emma. Emma is such an amazing pro, such a kind person and it was really sad to see them go. They were working so hard and Rick had such a great attitude but, he should walk away proud of the effort he put in.

Next week: Cirque Du Soleil which is a new theme!

Maureen & Artem: Mystere

Vanilla & Witney: La Nouba

Amber & Maks: Zumanity

Jana & Gleb: The Beatles LOVE

Terra & Sasha: “O”

Calvin & Lindsay: KURIOS Cabinet of Curiosities

James & Sharna: PARAMOUR

Marilu & Derek: KA

Babyface & Allison: The Beatles LOVE

Laurie & Val: Michael Jackson ONE

Ryan & Cheryl: “O”

Finally meet & greet VIP Packages went on sale this week so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com

Ladies, I am in love with these new Coach bags, check them out: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-handbags-satchels

Bebe also has some pretty fall tops: http://www.bebe.com/Tops/184.sec

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

September 29, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars TV Night!

This season absolutely is filled with a lot of talent, a lot of heart and a desire to be a part of the show and they are giving it 100% which is fantastic. I also am personally glad that it’s back to 2 nights. I loved how they did it last night and hearing the insight from the mics on the judges as the couples danced. I was excited to see what they all would do with TV Night

A few other things I noticed:

It was great to hav dwts e the dance with Cheryl, Derek & Maks since they returned to the show and all three had been on the show for a long time so they deserve the extra recognition. However, I think they should have been paired up to dance with the 3 other returning pro’s Emma, Allison & Gleb just to give them some credit and recognition as well.

Bravo to the 3 musical performances including Gavin DeGraw who performed both nights, Daya & Charlie Purth. I also loved all the Pro numbers this week. Mandy Moore is just amazing! Bravo to all the hard work of the troupe too! You all work so hard and it’s absolutely recognized.

Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick

You cannot help but route for Maureen, she has such a great spirit and drive. I love their partnership. Artem has that natural calmness which I think will help Maureen throughout the season. I really thought they improved a lot over last week. Maureen seemed to shake off the nerves and had a lot more confidence and have fun with the dance. I thought they were underscored by a few judges when compared to the other dances of the night.

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko

Jana shared that she had an injury that she was battling this week in which she has torn muscles between her ribs. Injuries like that are so hard because it really just takes time, I know she mentioned after the show that she had a steroid shot and they do work wonders so let’s hope she heals quickly. They are such a great couple with so much promise. I thought they performed really well tonight given the injury and have the potential to be in the final 3 on the show as of right now. Also kudos to Gavin DeGraw for a great performance as they danced.

Rick Perry & Emma Slater

#TeamDanceForOurVets

Rick really got lucky with his partnership with Emma. Emma has natural spunk, great sense of humor, patience and she’s a great teacher. I thought the dance was full of character and it was entertaining to watch. Definitely could be better but, Rick has never danced before and he truly is putting his heart into learning and has an exuberance that is contagious. It was fun. Half the battle in learning anything new is the attitude you have.

Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr

#teamLindsatron

I am enjoying Calvin. He has a captivating personality and he’s a lot of fun. He and Lindsay have a fun banter and are developing a great partnership. I loved their dance to Family Matters. He looks like he is having fun and working hard. He also has the ability to get into character which isn’t always easy as we have seen in the past on the show.

Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

I like this partnership. I truly didn’t know much about Amber prior to the announcement but, I am glad so far the packages are allowing us to get to know her better. I know she had a rough first week but, overall I thought she improved a lot this week. I thought she showed a lot more confidence and engagement with Maks. She did a great job of staying in the character of the dance and WOW Maks looked so good as well. You can tell she is a hard worker and will keep building on her performances.

Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson

#TeamJSquared

I had a feeling Jake was going to be the one that went home this week. The performances both weeks were a bit off on timing and it looked like he was constantly trying to catch up. Plus complaining about the judges this early was probably not the best and there was one or two eye rolls when the scores were given. Confidence is good but, also understand you need feedback to grow at anything in life. You are learning to dance and the judges are trying to provide feedback to help you improve your scores week over week. Jenna worked hard at her first season as a pro and its unfortunate it ended after the 1^st elimination.

Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson

#TeamIceNSpice

OMG Witney nailed the character! It was super fun to watch. He has a great personality and has been fun to watch on the show so far. Definitely could use a bit more polish but, it’s week 2 and all of the celebrities will continue to grow as the weeks go on. I thought they did a good job and loved the character of the dance.

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber

#TeamXL

Terra is really doing so good! I give her a lot of credit and her attitude is fantastic. She works thorough her challenges but, doesn’t want to be defined by them. Her revenge on Sasha’s prank too was absolutely hilarious. Bravo to Sasha who has done a fabulous job of working with the challenges and putting together wonderful dances. Terra keep that confidence up girl you are doing really well.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker

#TeamHolkerFace

Babyface really floored me this week. I think he is going to be a dark horse and one to watch in this competition. He also mentioned that he is shy. It’s so interesting to learn that many entertainers are actually quite shy people. I thought their dance this week was really good. Bravo to Allison on her creativity. It was so clean, precise, sexy and a lot of fun to watch.

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy

Laurie came out and owned the dance floor once again this week and her personality just shines when she performs. She is just so precise and just a total dynamo to watch. She is living her dream being on the show and clearly working hard at her performances. I disagree with those that say she has an advantage from being a gymnast. Yes she is fit and had to do floor routines but, ballroom dancing is totally different. She clearly is working hard and it’s so much fun watching Val having so much fun with this partnership. Bravo! Loved that Julianne told her she is Disney’s Beyoncé!

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe

I absolutely think James and Sharna have the potential to be in the final 3 this season. James has the natural dancing abilities for sure and clearly also can get into character of the dance. He is taking all of the feedback and improving every week. I am excited to watch him perform each week. Sharna is absolutely fabulous as always. I really love this partnership. I thought they were scored a bit low.

Derek Hough & Marilu Henner

#TeamHennergy

Derek had a real challenge on his hands this week. The music was incredibly slow but, Derek was able to work with it and put together a unique performance. Marilu was graceful and showed improvement over last week. It’s always so much fun watching people live their dreams.

Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke