Browsing Tag

mark ballas

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Disney Week!

#dwts

#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!

#dwts

#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!

#dwts

#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…

#dwts

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-Showstoppers Night

Dancing with the Stars-Showstoppers Night
Season 23, Week 9
#dwts

What a fun opening number. Mandy Moore is such a creative talent and truly amazes each week. Today’s guest judge is Idina Menzel. Also absolutely stunning job to Keo & Allison on their beautiful contemporary. Fantastic job to Mark Ballas and his co-stars in Jersey Boys as well! Go check them out on Broadway! Idina’s performance was also absolutely flawless.

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

I thought Marilu and Derek did a good job this week. I am glad that Marilu finally got to the point where she is just having fun. She has improved a lot over the course of the season. She had a lot of content in the Samba and performance was her best one to date.

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

Side note: I loved Leona Lewis’s dress. So pretty and her voice is amazing. Calvin and Lindsay are just adorable. They truly seem to have developed a really sweet friendship. They are having a lot of fun and it absolutely shows. Calvin is such a graceful dancer and he should be so proud of his journey on the show, his weekly improvement has been measurable. He went all in when he signed up for the show and that is what I love to see as a viewer and fan of the show.

Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe (Jenna filling in for Sharna)
#TeamStopandGo
Dance: Jazz to “A Brand New Day” from the “The Wiz”

My gosh it was so sad watching Sharna struggle with what to do. Safety and protecting your body is always first but, I get it. You develop a bond with a dance partner. I have been in dance lessons all year and it’s an interesting process on the partners you just gel with the best. I have had 2 that I instantly clicked with and one that I just couldn’t connect with. I know how bad Sharna wants this not only for herself to potentially get to the finals but, she truly wants it for James. I think this is the first time this entire season you saw James have a misstep and forget the choreography for a sec. His dance was good and creative and I still he think he belongs in the final 3 for sure.

Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber
#TeamXL
Dance: Charleston to “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from “Sweet Charity”

I know I keep saying but, Terra inspires every week and I am so glad her confidence has grown, it truly shows. Sasha has been absolutely tremendous in working with Terra all season. I loved their dance this week, it was spunky, fun and a total joy to watch. On top of improving as a dancer Terra has been so great at getting into the character of the dance. Well-deserved two 10’s for that performance!

Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
#TeamGlamer
Dance: Waltz to “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress”

Gleb was also facing an injury this week. Alan filled in for him this week in practice but, he was able to dance tonight which obviously meant a lot to Jana. I really love this partnership too. Dance has truly been a healing journey for Jana and it makes me happy to see her turn the page in her personal story. Jana has truly been another that has grown so much and transformed as a dancer this season. Their dance was absolutely beautiful, emotional and raw. It truly was a well-deserved PERFECT score!

Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
#TeamVaLaur
Dance: Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago”

On this first and foremost I have to say some of the things I read about Val telling Laurie she needed to be sexy have been off the wall. Maybe a better word would have been intense and passionate but, he certainly didn’t mean it the way some have portrayed it. Laurie is still such a fun and innocent teen. There are some dances that just are more passionate and intense than others but, I think with the younger contestants have been on various seasons you just have to adapt it in a classy way which I feel they did. Their dance was absolutely incredible! It was their best dance of the season in my opinion. It was classy, it was intense and passionate. Laurie really was able to show off her immense strength and that was just totally mind blowing! Absolutely deserved a PERFECT score! Way to go!

Team-Up Challenges:

James/Sharna & Calvin/Lindsay: Paso Doble
#teamlastmenstanding

Calvin and James are just too adorable with their Bromance. I loved their dance it was so creative, intense and straight out of the Wild West.

Marilu/Derek & Terra/Sasha: Jazz
#teamCubs

Artem filled in for Derek during the practice for the dance. Marilu and Terra were another fun match up. I love this point in the season where everyone truly develops friendships. Their dance was great too, very Broadway and truly matched up to the Showstopper theme really well!

Jana/Gleb & Laurie & Val: Contemporary
#teamSisters

Jana and Laurie are another special friendship. I love to see two women truly supporting each other and lifting each other up. Their dance was absolutely breathtaking. That front trust fall was incredible. It showed off the pure physical and emotional strength of each woman, their emotion, ability and I loved every single second of it. I admit I watched it a few times. Well-deserved PERFECT score!

Next week the couples will do a dance they have not done yet:

Laurie & Val: Foxtrot to “Hollow” by Tori Kelly

James & Sharna: Argentine Tango to “Santa Maria” by Gotan Project

Calvin & Lindsay: Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

Terra & Sasha: Rumba to “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara

Jana & Gleb: Quickstep to “Go Mama” by Wayne Beckford

Next week is also Trio Week:

Laurie & Val with Maks: Samba to “Magalenha” by Sergio Mendes

James & Sharna with Jenna: Jive to “Gimme Some Lovin” by the Spencer Davis Group

Calvin & Lindsay with Witney: Salsa to “Limbo” by Daddy Yankee

Terra & Sasha with Artem: Tango to “Hideaway” by Kieza

Jana & Gleb with Alan: Paso Doble to “Kill of the Night” by Gin Wigmore

Eliminated tonight was Marilu & Derek. Marilu should be proud of her journey on show this season. She made a lot of strides from the first few weeks and I am glad on the night she was eliminated she had one of her best, most relaxed performances.

PS: GREAT news! Sharna will be back next week!

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories. I will be doing some giveways soon so stay tuned to social media:-)

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 10, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars: Finale Night 1

Dancing with the Stars Finale Night 1
#DWTS
#dwts22
Season 22/Week 10
#DWTSfinale
Just a quick reminder the contest to win ONE Silver Meet & Greet Package to see Maks & Val Tour ends this Wednesday 5/25 at 7 pm EST. To all the Maks and Val fans out there, I hope this giveaway will help make someone’s dreams come true. I want to find someone really deserving of this and has never really got the chance to meet them since this is a $300 giveaway contest. But anyone who qualifies for the rules and follow them thoroughly will be entered in a random draw. The winner will receive ONE Silver VIP Meet and Greet Package which includes a premium reserved ticket in rows 5 through 20, tour program, and more! Please follow ALL these rules to be entered in my Maks And Val Live Tour: Our Way Giveaway. 1. You must live in the U.S. and can attend the show alone. 2. The city you want to attend must still have this specific package available. 3. Follow @LightsCMemories either on Instagram or Twitter (Will be checking)! 4. Post a picture of Maks/Val with a caption explaining why you want this and include the city/show you want to attend. Make sure you tag me in the picture and use the hashtag, #LightsCMemoriesGiveaway! 5. Tag some friends who would be interested in this giveaway. The more friends you tag, the better your chances are! The drawing for the winner will be on May 25th at 7pm EST! Please get your entry in before that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me below. Best of luck! -Heather

I cannot believe we are at the finale already, this season flew by and hands down was filled with immense talent by the cast this year.

Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy
#teamGinandJuice
Redemption dance: Contemporary-Brave beyond words to dance with that back injury but, you did so with grace and beauty. The lifts were amazing and I loved all the emotion you brought to the dance, it absolutely was an improvement and they both should be very proud of a great season.

Scores: 9-10-9 (28 out of 30)

Freestyle: I loved their freestyle, loved that they focused on the dancing not all the props, I was hoping all 3 would do that and they absolutely did. Val and Ginger brought us a fun, delightful and very creative freestyle. The fact Ginger could dance through the pain too was incredible, back injuries are so challenging and the slightest movement can cause the sharpest pain. Ginger grew so much as a dancer this season and I loved the partnership she had with Val. They should absolutely be proud of themselves no matter what the results are.

Scores: 10-10-10 (Perfect score)

Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd
#redefiningdance

Redemption dance: Quickstep-Overall it was a good dance, definitely improvement over the last quickstep. Nyle continues to amaze every single week and he has truly taken us on a journey this season.

Scores: 9-9-9 (27 out of 30)
Freestyle: Their freestyle was beautiful, moving and again showed the tremendous emotional journey that Nyle and Peta have taken us on this season. The music was perfect. I thought it was one of the best examples of modern dance I can ever remember witnessing. Peta and Nyle have done such a beautiful job this season and truly raised the awareness of what it is like to be deaf. Nyle truly has shown everyone that you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to.

Scores: 10-10-10 (Perfect score!)

Paige VanZant & Mark Ballas
#teamPowRightInTheKisser
Redemption Dance: Salsa-They chose the Salsa because this is the one Mark was injured on. Bruno said she out-danced Mark. Len felt it was lacking hip action. I thought they did a great job, Paige truly showed her improvement and growth as a dancer!

Scores: 10-9-10 (29 out of 30)

Freestyle: That dance was amazing. All 3 freestyles were fantastic. I loved that Mark kept it simple and focused on the emotion and highlighted the dancing. BC Jean also did a beautiful performance to accompany them. It’s been so nice to see the confidence Paige has gained through her journey on the show. It’s one of my favorite partnerships with Mark over the seasons too. They had a unique trust and bond that truly shined through.

Scores: 10-10-10 (Perfect score!)

This season it could truly be any of the 3 as the Mirror Ball champion all for completely different reasons. They all shined, they all excelled, they all had amazing partnerships with their pro’s and no matter what happens tomorrow they all should be very proud of their journey. Bravo to all three pro’s for fantastic choreography this season, I truly loved this season!

For those of you that follow my blog I have many events I will be covering this summer including: Maks & Val Tour, CMA Fest, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, JLO and more! Please stay tuned to this page, my IG/Twitter: @lightscmemories and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightscmemories/.

Just a reminder if you want to get tickets to the HOTTEST tour this summer go to: http://www.maksandvaltour.com/ I will be blogging on the show and their various amazing VIP Packages this summer! It kicks off in 3 short weeks!
VOTE by phone, Facebook and on abc.com

Until next time,
Xoxoxo
Heather

May 23, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Dancing with the Stars Season 22, Episode 2 LATIN night

Who’s going home tonight…all I know is we are in for a red hot LATIN night!

The opening number was smoldering! The female pros were slaying it and well the male pros were sexy as usual! I LOVE Latin night! Let’s get this night rolling!

Up first!

Jodie Sweetin & Keo Motsepe: Tonight’s Dance: Samba. Jodie mentioned feeling the pressure and you can tell again that she is a perfectionist. It’s so hard to learn to dance but, to learn in this time frame definitely dials the pressure up and more so for a Type A/perfectionist type. I should know I am one as well we want to do everything perfect right away. Jodie will need to remember why she is doing it in addition to winning it is to have fun. I thought she did great to IMG_2561 (2) night! She stayed right on pace with the female troupe members behind her. It was hot, it was sexy, it demonstrated how hard she worked and Len was happy with the true Samba content. I also have to give a kudos to Keo, we are finally getting to see his talent as a choreographer. I know Jodie will go far in this competition. Great job!

Scores: 7-7-7 (21 out of 30)

Marla Maples & Tony Dovolani: Tonight’s Dance: Argentine Tango. Tony mentioned Marla shined from the word GO last week and I agree. Marla really was amazing and this partnership is going to be one to watch. Tony has such amazing charisma. Marla and Tony provide a very sophisticated pairing. Marla eats h CeGR_xRUEAA4qp2.jpg large ealthy and it shows, she looks fantastic. Tonight’s dance was sexy & hot for sure. I thought it was precise, she had great lines and had the character of the dance down. Seems Glen wanted more intensity or down and dirty based on his score/comments. Overall good feedback from the judges. Good job Marla & Tony!

Scores: 7-6-7 (20 out of 30)

Geraldo Rivera and Edyta Sliwinska: Tonight’s Dance: Salsa. This is a fun dance to learn. Geraldo really has the most to prove this week. This is not a walking competition it’s a dancing competition at the end of the day. He cannot just stand there and have Edyta dance around him each week. The character he was trying to portray in Donald Trump was there but, the content in the dance was not. I didn’t even see the basic salsa moves. He truly should be the one that goes home this week. It’s been so nice having Edyta back. She is a fabulous dancer!

Scores: 5-4-4 (13 out of 30)

Paige Vanzant and Mark Ballas (Alan Bernsten): Tonight’s Dance: Salsa. Mark injured his back at rehearsal the day before so Alan is filling him for him tonight. Mark doesn’t know the status yet as he is still waiting for MRI and other scan res CeGvaQ3XIAE9fGo ults. Under the circumstances this really allowed Alan to be able to highlight his talents and I hope one day we will see him as a Pro. He is such a sweet man and a great dancer. Paige and Alan slayed that dance…WOW. It was hot, it was powerful, it had fantastic hip action, lifts etc. Paige is adorable and such a powerhouse athlete. Paige is another one to watch this season and I would bet we will see her in the final weeks for sure! It seems l
ike I am saying that about so many but, man this season is filled with amazing talent. Incredible! Paige you were able to roll with the punches and pulled off an amazing performance with Alan, BRAVO!

Scores: 8-8-8 (24 out of 30)

Antonio Brown & Sharna Burgess: Tonight’s Dance: Rumba. I am excited to watch this pair do the rumba, it’s such a passionate dance. They are a hot pair and Sharna is so sweet. Let’s see if Antonio can IMG_2560 (2) invade Sharna’s personal space tonight. Antonio’s smile throughout the dance was just adorable. I really love this pair. It was full of chemistry, sex appeal, lust, you could feel the emotion and they should be proud of their performance. Bruno made a point of stressing to keep fluid motion in the rumba. Carrie Ann busted them on the lift and Len thinks Antonio has potential. I was shocked at the scores, seriously 2 6’s? What? That was a hot rumba. Sharna will help fine tune all of his movements, she is one of the best!

Scores: 6-6-7 (19 out of 30)

Kim Fields and Sasha Farber: Tonight’s Dance: Salsa: Sasha is such a great teacher and a kind, sweet man. Kim just needs to learn that he is trying to help her to succeed not trying to hurt her feelings. I understand how she could be CeqXaXfWIAA1BSq emotional though, it’s a lot of hours and pressure. She is such a great dynamic performer. I think she has a lot of potential. The dance was fun, she had great energy and great movement. There looked to be a few bumps in the routine but, overall it was good. The judges all noted a mistake. Bruno gave her great advice on how to cover it in the future. Carrie Ann told her she has Tina Turner legs and a Beyoncé upper body. I thought the scores were fair. Keep working
hard Kim you do have potential.

Scores: 7-6-6 (19 out of 30)

Nyle DiMarco & Peta Murgatroyd: Tonight’s Dance: Rumba. This dance is sure to be hot! Peta and Nyle are both gorgeous and talented. Nyle has the most beautiful eyes, my gosh. I am just in awe of Nyle’s p 12794640_1708426052703623_6862659142724183090_n erformance and Peta’s teaching ability. It is beyond stunning to watch them dance, keep timing, the way they do, Nyle’s ability to follow Peta’s eye’s, her body and cue’s. It’s all truly amazing to watch. The judges commented on the lift and they will get a deduction for that. I totally didn’t agree with Len on this one. He thought there was too much, it should have slo
wer. Bruno offered some valuable feedback on how to finish his hand movements when he cannot hear the music. Carrie Ann thought it was stunning. I thought Len’s score was too low in this case. They are absolutely beautiful and I look forward to their dance each week.

Scores: 7-6-7 (20 out of 30)

Mischa Barton and Artem Chigvintsev: Tonight’s Dance: Cha-Cha. Mischa you have such an amazing partner in Artem and such potential to succeed. I worry already by what is being portrayed in the packages. You want America to pull for you and after watching this show for so many seasons you have to really let your guard down and let people get to kno CeqMCuaWsAAVAFv w you, to root for you. I would say as an observer you have to put in more time/effort because in a way it still looks like you are still walking and not dancing. Dancing doesn’t come naturally to everyone but, you can do this! There were definitely some mistakes. I think the judges all gave her good feedback. She needs to take it as feedback, learn from it and improve for next week. They are trying to help her. Again, I will say she has one of the best pro’s in her corner, soak in all the effort Artem is offering you. You also cannot just walk off like that on live TV it comes off like you are being a diva. It’s understandable if you were upset or sad just hold it in for another few seconds vs. walking off on camera. Think of who is voting for you.

Scores: 5-5-5- (15 out of 30)

Von Miller and Witney Carson: Tonight’s Dance: Cha Cha. Witney is getting a lot of Bar IMG_2558 (2) bie Drill Sargent talk online. She is a tough instructor but, she’s good. I am still a little unsure of this matchup. Nothing against either person just not seeing them click as much as some of the pairs but, I am sure that will come in time it’s only week 2. Seriously the farting is just gross. Witney had fun choreography but, something was off to me. It was ok overall just not the potential I think they have as a pair. I am surprised they scored ahead of Antonio because I did think Sharna & Antonio were better this week. Hopefully next week we will see a totally WOW performance from them because I do think they have the potential.

Scores: 7-6-7 (20 out of 30)

Cep4rolWEAEOy_n.jpg large

Wanya Morris & Lindsay Arnold: Tonight’s Dance: Salsa. Wanya is a big guy like the football players but, he sure can move. They definitely have the potential to go far this season. Tonight they truly gave another WOW performance. It was great, it was full of fun energy, great content and personality. Wanya can let loose and even though they are traveling while he performs with Boyz II Men they clearly put in the time & effort. Absolutely fantastic job Wa
nya & Lindsay!

Scores: 8-8-8 (24 out of 30)

Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff: Tonight’s Dance: Paso Doble. I am routing for Doug to improve tonight. There is som Cep-pQ4WEAAirCq ething about him as a fan of the show I want to see him improve and bring it! Doug brought the house down with that dance tonight! What an improvement over last week, he showed strength, effort, energy, power, was in character and it was so dynamic! I thought the judges gave him great feedback, positive reinforcement and suggestions. Doug should be very proud of himself it was truly fantastic and great job to Karina as well.

Scores: 7-6-7 (20 out of 30)

Ginger Zee and Valentin Chmerkovskiy: Tonight’s Dance: Samba. OMG the package had me laughing. If anyone can bring your sexy swagger back Ginger it is Val! He is just amazing. I r 10330488_995088973915769_2101253935252464536_n eally like Ginger, she is adorable and fun to watch. She is spunky and sweet and seriously is so fortunate to have Val as her partner. There was a minor slip up but she was good at not letting it get to her and not showing it on her face she just kept moving. That comes from Val’s great teaching ability, you just keep moving. Kudos to Val from Len on the content of the dance! She has such a bright light that shines and they will absolutely go far in this competition in my opinion. I liked what Carrie Ann said that sexiness is just owning your own unique beauty. Ginger you did great! Val fantastic job on the choreography. This was a fantastic performance, I think the scores were probably fair given a few small errors but, they should be happy with their performance!

Scores: 7-7-7 (21 out of 30)

Elimination time: Mischa & Artem, Geraldo & Edyta and Doug and Karina were the bottom 3 tonight. First couple to be eliminated was: Geraldo & Edyta. Truly that was the right result.

Final thoughts. I think Mischa will be going home next week and I hate to say it because I adore Artem but, between her dance performance tonight and the total diva behavior it’s going to hurt her with the voters. The other low score performances this week all demonstrated more effort and showed more personality.

This season is packed with talent that is for sure, it’s going to be so interesting how it all pans out. I don’t even think I could pick the top 3 yet. I love Monday nights it always inspires me to keep up my own dance lessons. What fun it would be to be on this show!

Top of Leaderboard:

Paige & Mark

Wanya & Lindsay

Bottom of Leaderboard:

Mischa & Artem.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on social media! To follow me go to @lightscmemories on IG & Twitter and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lights-Camera-Memories-935628749847172/?ref=hl

Just a reminder too if you want to get tickets to the hottest tour this summer go to: http://www.maksandvaltour.com/ I will be blogging on the show and their VIP Pkgs all summer.

REMEMBER TO VOTE: I included edits this week from twitter with all the voting information on them!

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

March 29, 2016