Ok, time for a little ranting about Dancing With The Stars... don't worry I still love it, though there are a few things that are starting to grate on me.
First off, I think the "stars" need to undergo a rigorous medical examination prior to competing in the show... include full body x-rays! Heck, these days the "stars" can't even get to the first episode... but I am tiring of the show turning into General Hospital... ah, the good 'ole days when someone would just faint on live television!
... which leads to my next "new rule"... if you can't perform live on Monday night, you are off the show! I know this is entertainment, but if a tennis player can't go on the court they are not getting a potential pass to the next round on the hopes that they may recover... or a gymnast isn't getting scored on a taped warm-up routine. Again, I know the show has to run a certain number of weeks... and ABC is certainly not going to end their big ratings bonanzas early, but they have to figure some other way of dealing with this. Steve O survived the week of his injury and I'm guessing Melissa will do the same... and if for some reason anyone goes but Ty/Chelsie (who actually gave one of their better performances), it doesn't seem fair.
And alas, I am sad to report my love affair (chaste, of course!) with Julianne Hough might just be over.
I feared this might happen when it was announced that she would be dancing this season with her real-life boyfriend, Chuck Wicks, on this supposed season of love on DWTS (which didn't quite work out with Jewel leaving hubby Ty on his own from the get-go and real-life lovers pros, Maks and Karina, not lasting long).
Basically, young people in love are annoying... and young and beautiful people in love are even more annoying! Now, they haven't been too cloying... but still enough that it is starting to rub on me and Julianne certainly doesn't have that objectivity in working with Chuck (understandably so, but still).
Also, Julianne had this whole purity, goodness and light, virginal thing working for her... but that's just been blown to pieces (though I think other DWTS pairings have generated hotter/sexier chemistry)... but I kind of preferred Jules in innocent Mormon girl mode... instead of thinking her rumba is ... as Mark Ballas referred to it once... a vertical expression of a horizontal act. I mean I'm no prude... good for her (and Chuck too), they'll make beautiful babies together... but I don't like imagining them trying... haha!
However, what bugs me the most is how cynical I feel about the pairing. Since Julianne released her first country album, she's been threatening to take off a season to pursue her music career... which she readily admits is her first love and the thing she really wants to do... so pretty much suggesting she's a "singer who just happens to dance" vs. "a dancer who just happens to sing." (On a quick sidenote, and based on just a couple of songs... I think she's a competent/good singer, but a better dancer).
That kind of attitude always bugs me... the whole "oh this is just a stepping stone" thing... same thing on IDOL when booted contestants are already have their album planned, their Grammy won, and the world tour planned....
What we suspect (allegedly!) happened this season was that producers wanting to get their golden girl back on the show ... offered to have her boyfriend on the show, who while known in the country music community could probably use his own PR boost of his own... while country music isn't my most listened to genre, I am pretty familiar with who's successful... so kinda sorta maybe thought I had heard of Chuck, that's certainly all changed now.
So again just makes me cynical about the whole thing... and I will be the first to admit that I am putting Julianne on a higher and double standard here and shouldn't faulting her for doing what it takes to get ahead (and her boyfriend ahead) in the business... but it still bugs me.
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