Dots And Stripes

I agree, but I think we could see more of them without shifting the focus on the show. Amy and Alan were never the focus on BMW, but I do feel like we got to see more of their family dynamic, even early on. I don't think it's a binary choice where we either have to focus on Riley or Cory and Topanga. The show can tweak the balance. Cory and Topanga could also be a way to bring out Riley's personality. So far, I find her only slightly less bland than Lucas.

Turner still controlled the class! I agree, it's a fine line. I would like to see more from Corey's perspective. I understand the desire to establish the younger set, but I think they over-corrected here. As a combo Alan and Feeny, there's room to see Corey's perspective. I'd like to see Reilly develop an interest other than a boy. I get it, crushes are a big deal at that age, but girls do have other interests. Lucas is too dull for me to care about either. Maya and Farkle were the highlight. I despised Farkle in the pilot, but here he showed some depth. Sabrina Carpenter is great and Maya already has real problems and now a real hobby. Her relationship with Corey seems more developed too. I don't buy for a second that Topanga is the mother of those kids. The family dinner scene was just awkward.

The Sway thing is essentially a student showcase. I haven't even seen signs from Maks or DWM that he's rehearsed for it at all, while others have been working on it for months. I don't think that's a general reflection on Maks' choreography skills and more of a reflection of the fact that he's still been traveling and doesn't appear to be very involved in this event. Years ago Maks used to do a lot more choreographing for DWTS pro numbers and even did the last DWTS tour. I do agree that Maks doesn't sell himself as a choreographer much, but IMO he sells himself short when talking about his choreographing skills in recent years. I don't think he was counting on an Emmy nomination, although as a fan I would have loved to see that happen for him. In general on DWTS, I think the judges and some fans focus too much on praising or criticizing choreography at the expense of other elements of a performance. I just don't care about the choreography in most cases On another Maks related note, one of Maks' longtime students, Serge Onik, is in the top 20 on SYTYCD. Serge has been on DWTS a few times over the years. Maks sounds like a very proud teacher on twitter.

I just discovered this show and I'm currently working on Season 3 on Netflix. Is it bad that I want Louise as my life coach? She gets stuff done.

I don't see Meryl in a messy tabloid love triangle here. Even before the J Lo rumors started most of the major gossip sites (people, us weekly, gossip cop, rumor fix) all said Meryl and Maks were just friends. The ones saying Meryl is in a love triangle are fans on the internet and a few minor blogs, and I don't think they have that much power to make the tabloids run with that story. Access Hollywood might be the exception there, but even they seem to have come to terms with the fact that Meryl and Maks were never a couple off the dance floor. If Maria and Kelly can have showmances while their boyfriends sitting in the front row, Meryl's career isn't in any real danger from Maks being linked to J Lo now, IMO. Interesting! I assumed the special would just be Disson. I wonder if the negotiation is tied at all to Maks' future with the show. It would be a good bargaining chip for ABC to use if they want him back on DWTS. I would love seeing another Meryl and Maks dance so that the focus can go back to their dancing.

I don't think Meryl and Maks are dating. They've both made that pretty clear without all of the Tumblr detective work being necessary. I think they hung out when she was in New York because they're friends.

Maks has been in India judging their DWTS. It's not solving world hunger, but it was a pretty good gig for him. I can't take any of the Tumblr speculation seriously. From what I've seen it's typical shipper stuff with very little connection to reality.

I never said she was a fangirl. She was asked to pick Derek or Maks and she said she was happy Maks won. Of course she was diplomatic about it and said she liked them both. It's still good for Maks that Diane Sawyer even brought up Maks (and Derek) in an interview like that. Having Hillary say she likes him and was happy for his win has to be cool for Maks too.

The only sighting of Maks with J Lo was in March. I get that publicists do plant stories, but I also get that blogs and websites need page views which is why they'll post gossip about celebrities. There are a lot of people who can benefit from celebrity gossip, so I don't always see the point in trying to figure out who is pushing the story. Maks and J Lo do have a legitimate connection through Leah Remini and it's very possible that they've become friends. Maybe, as People says, they've been talking because they get along well. I don't see a problem with Maks spending time with her. For me, the better Maks news this week is that Hillary Clinton was rooting for him last season: video. Also, Maks is in India to judge their version of DWTS. Here's gma talking about it and a video clip from India. I'm looking forward to seeing the full show. It should be fun to see Maks as a judge and to compare the US version to the Indian version of DWTS.

I think Meryl and Maks had entertaining packages, but I think the entertainment came mostly from fluff. The week of the tango and jive there was more of a dramatic story, but most weeks it was fluff. I think their chemistry and rapport was evident in the rehearsal space, which made them stand out in those packages. I still characterize it as fluff because it doesn't strike me as the sort of think that was planned out or contrived.

Thanks for letting me know the pilot was available, Kromm. Overall I think the show has a lot of promise. The kids are well cast. Ben Savage came across very well and very likable. I was a huge fan of the original, but I wasn't sure how Ben would be as an adult. I was happy to see he calmed down a lot from later BMW. Farkle is annoying and the crush guy seems out of place. I agree that the "world" stuff was heavy handed and clunky. I did like that the show was aiming for a theme, but I think be true to yourself would have worked better. Reilly needed to be herself rather than being Maya. The world talk was just strange. I know this show doesn't want to be just a where are they now special for BMW, but I do hope we learn more about how/why Cory became a teacher. I know the pilot had a lot to accomplish, but that was a big piece that I think should be addressed sooner rather than later.

I don't think it's *quite* that controlled. Maybe the show would love to have stories from moment 1, but that's a tall order. While I think packages are important, but they're just one part of the show. A lot of the packages are interchangeable fluff and won't change many votes. With Meryl and Maks, there were a lot of things about their dynamic that worked well. I don't think what we saw was the plan from day 1. I totally expected the show to play up Meryl vs. Charlie more. I was shocked that Meryl and Charlie had different dance styles and weren't performing back to back on premiere night. Luckily for Meryl, she was able to generate interest outside of her friendly competition with Charlie, because it sounds like the show wasn't interested in a Meryl vs. Charlie rivalry if they were going to stay sweet and supportive.

Danica didn't travel all that much. I think NeNe traveled more. Personally I see a huge difference between being committed to a tour and picking up a few sporadic appearance. I think it's worth mentioning if someone is pretty much working another full-time job and not so much if they're making an appearance here or there. I think it's unrealistic to expect the pre-performance packages to accurately reflect a week's worth of training in about 2 minutes. It's even more difficult without the results show because there's less time for everything. Meryl had a great set of packages, even if they ignored all that she was doing. If anything, I just wanted more, but there are time constraints. I didn't mind the Meryl changed Maks narrative, because while I think it was exaggerated, she does bring out the best in him. It's not so much that she changed him, but she did let people see his best side. If you read the Conrad Green interview with the Hollywood Reporter (I posted it in General Gabbery), narratives are important. Maybe Meryl could have had a better or more accurate narrative, but the one the show constructed worked really well. For me, the packages complemented what Meryl and Maks were doing in their dances and reinforced what a great team they were.

Maybe SYTYCD can do a celebrity edition with people like Meryl and Charlie. Take a bunch of DWTS ringer types and put them on the show. My distaste for styles like Bollywood on DWTS comes in part from the fact that Meryl and Charlie would be more familiar with the style than their pro partners. It starts to blur the lines between pro and star even further.

Here's to my favorite pro, and now my favorite partnership, winning season 18!

Conrad's point was that he doesn't care who wins. Why suddenly become more personally invested as he's heading out the door? Conrad also hints that Maks didn't trust the producers in the past. I can understand why. He does say some nice things about Maks, but he was specifically asked about Maks. It's hard to ignore that Meryl and Maks have been a huge part of this season. Also, he says the sheer quality of James' dancing is amazing. For all his candor in that interview, Conrad is still wearing some rose colored glasses. James is so the William Levi of this season. I don't get him.

Great interview with Executive Producer Conrad Green. He's fairly candid and he talks up all four of the finalists a little. He also denies that they rig the show. That's not surprising, although the way he responds to that question is not what I expected. I believe the show isn't rigged, but I also think he's being foolish if he doesn't realize the narratives they use each season help golden boy Derek. Mostly he reinforces what I've thought for a while: it's a tv show first and a competition second.

The skating specials are on ABC. They were announced not long after the DWTS cast was named that Meryl and Charlie would be part of 4 ABC skating specials. I'm not sure if they are skating specials featuring Meryl and Charlie or Meryl and Charlie specials. I figured when I saw the announcement that Maks and/or Sharna would be involved in some way if the partnerships did well. I would love to see a new MnM dance during one of the specials. I didn't want to mention it because I'm sure it will fuel conspiracy theories.

Let's not forget that someone is already eliminated based on last week. It's possible what Mark does now can't help or hurt Candace. I would really hope if she's eliminated someone takes Mark aside and lets him know its not worth the injury.

I think its fine for people to vote for her because they like what she represents and they like seeing how she copes with the dances. I personally have more of a problem with the judges ignoring mistakes and judging her based on how inspirational she is when they said they wouldn't. Maybe some accommodations should be made in the judging, but IMO those should have been laid out at the beginning. The few seconds the judges have after the dance doesn't seem like enough time to really assess that. Kromm's comment from Maks' reminds me of why I didn't like the personal story week when they first introduced it. It turned into a bunch of stories about losing loved ones. How am I supposed to decide which star crying about their loss is best? It just feels icky. This is a competition, and I do like being able to say I like this one and not that one. I kind of wish we still had a results show because they used to do different competitions sometimes. I think it would be great to see Amy and other people who use prosthetics compete against each other. That would give them a platform and also provide some context.

IMO, no one could touch Amy on the inspirational front. I don't mean to be flippant about that either, I have enormous respect for her. I think people vote based on all sorts of different criteria and that's always been part of the show. Some seasons its the best dancer, sometimes it's the best personality, sometimes its the most improved, sometimes its the most inspirational. People all measure those things in different ways. To bring this back to Maks, I think it would have been a mistake for Maks to simply package Meryl as the best dancer and leave it at that. The judges certainly don't reward difficulty and I think the average viewer, myself included, is unable to truly judge difficulty. I think Sharna tried to go that route with Charlie and ended up with routines with errors that prevented them from being truly wow moments. I think Maks worked to highlight Meryl's strengths and their strengths as a team. Meryl proved that she wasn't just a great technician but she was also a performer. Maks designed routines that didn't just ask Meryl to execute steps, they required her to emote and connect with him. We saw Maks work on their connection for the rumba and other dances. In the process, I think Meryl and Maks have made a solid case for why they should win based on their dances and on their overall entertainment value. Every couple makes their own case. It's up to the viewers to agree or disagree. Win or lose, I know I'll enjoy rewatching their performances in the future.

I really think if not for the save, we might have gotten rid of Grimmie. If I recall correctly, Foolish Games sold well on itunes. Grimmie's stuff this week? Not so much. Maybe Grimmie would have gotten through on other voting methods, but really I think her performances Monday might have doomed her under the rules from previous seasons. I know Blake winning with whatever cowboy hat and/or pair of boots he can find in a given season should be something I dislike, but I'm ok with it. I'm not even a country fan. I just find Blake 10,000x more appealing than Adam. I might even be under selling that. It's not like winning changes much for the artists anyway, so I'm fine with voting for the more likable coach. Outside of the Voice Usher can annoy me, but I like him here. I'd be ok with an Usher win.

From what I can tell, the pros do not control the pre-dance packages. That goes for Maks and for Sharna, who I've seen criticized for failing to give Charlie more of a story line. Of course producers can't show things that the pros don't put out there, but over the course of 30-40 hours of rehearsal footage, the pros can hardly determine what 1-2 minutes will make air. Meryl and Maks have great chemistry, IMO. Chemistry is very subjective, but the partnerships talk up their chemistry. What I love about Meryl and Maks is that they play off each other and really interact. Maks will needle her, Meryl will imitate him. They're really bouncing off the other one rather than just answer questions or telling us how well they get along. They can demonstrate their great friendship with stories like the one about how Meryl got her and Charlie on an earlier flight because Meryl had been spending too much time with Maks to allow them to be delayed several hours. It's more than just the standard talking point about how they get along so well. I've really enjoyed their dances. Choreography is subjective and they're never going to please everyone. I think Maks has done a great job of both giving Meryl difficult content and developing characters for the dance. I think he's done a good job of using the themes as a starting point without letting that interfere with the dance itself. The proof that Maks is doing a good job this season for me comes from the fact that Meryl is in the finals and Charlie isn't. Pre-season, I saw a lot of predictions Charlie would win based on his personality. Maks has done a great job of bringing Meryl out of her shell and letting DWTS fans see who Meryl is. Meryl has a lot of talent, but so does Charlie. No DWTS couple will ever be universally loved, but from what I've seen Meryl and Maks have become fairly popular. It's not just shippers who are responding to them.

I'm accusing those 3 because those are the ones I saw. Maks has grown pretty steadily over time and had spikes at times when he was on the show and in the news. Those spikes were never 100k in a few days, like Karina, Tony and Cheryl. Karina nearly tippled her followers in the off season one year. At that point, she suddenly passed Cheryl after being very, very far behind her. Not long after Cheryl had a huge spike herself, just enough to pass Karina. The evidence is strongest for Karina and Tony who both had ridiculous spikes and Tony had a huge loss too which often happens when fake accounts get deleted. Cheryl had a strangely timed spike too, but it wasn't as high as Karina's. I think without buying followers, Cheryl would probably be second, but at this point it's a silly game. I'm not "accusing" these pros because they have a lot of followers, I'm passing along what I've observed. It's not the worst accusation in the world. Lots of celebrities buy followers. Derek, Cheryl, and Maks used to be the top three pros in terms of followers. Karina always very far behind until she became the most followed female pro over night in between seasons. My point is really that twitter followers are not a good indication of popularity anymore.

Cheryl probably has the most solid track record for getting male stars with potential to the finals. She drives me crazy with how much she has partners just stand around, but she knows what she can get away with. She also knows how to play the personality game. Karina had a male ringer last season, so I don't think she was ever a real option for Charlie. Personally, I like Cheryl a lot more than Karina. In general, I don't think pro fan bases matter all that much. Look at Tony, Peta, Kym, and Mark. They've all won and they've all been first out. In Mark's case, he was first out a few seasons after his wins and Shannen didn't even have the lowest score from the judges. Mark has a spotty track record, IMO. He has a ton of appearances in the final, but he also has quite a few early exits based on a lack of votes. He tends to get that shock exit where someone is doing well with the judges and is sent home anyway. Also, don't put too much faith in twitter followers. Several pros (Karina, Cheryl, Tony) have very likely bought followers. Others have done weird things where they follow thousands and then un-follow thousands trying to boost their numbers. I think the real voting advantage for pros like Derek and Maks is not their hardcore fans but their ability to garner attention. My theory is people won't vote for couples they can't remember.