Dancing with the Stars – It’s never too early to panic!

See Jennifer Grey. See Jennifer Grey as you probably remember her from her blockbuster movies like Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, on the left. See Jennifer as she is today on the right. Yeah, I hear ya. It’s amazing to think a nose job could radically change someone’s appearance like that, isn’t it? And she’s taken a lot of flack for it over the years too. But for my purposes, it’s rather old nose … er … news. My job is to talk about her performance on the premiere episode of Dancing With the Stars. And basically I can sum it up in one word. Fab!

She was amazing, for the first week of competition. As a matter of fact, it’s easy for me to call her in the finals already. So I’m doing it! She has the perfect, compact muscular dancer’s body. She’s obviously had a bit of training. Although I saw an interview with her last week, where she mentioned that the training for Dirty Dancing was not as extensive as everyone seems to think.

Jennifer did say that she had dancing lessons as a child. I think a lot of her ability is probably inherited from her father, Joel Grey. For those of you who have not a clue of whom I speak, he was in Cabaret with Liza Minnelli, and he’s just fantastic. (Yes, I am a bit of a Broadway geek. What of it?)

Anyway. Jennifer lucked out with the best male dance partner on DWTS, Derek Hough. He has wins behind him, and can choreograph his little butt off. They happened to be assigned a tune from Dirty Dancing to use in their performance, and it was really touching in the background package, to hear and see Jennifer’s reaction to the loss of her friend Patrick Swayze. I admit to tearing up a bit right along with judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

O.K. So I cried a little at DWTS. I’m a chick. It’s allowed!

Anyway, she was goooood. Guess who wasn’t?

Uh huh. The Hoff. My oh my. This is a main reason I adore the early rounds of the show. See, I have a nasty streak. Sometimes I like to watch celebrities make utter idiots of themselves. It makes me chortle. Hey! It’s not my fault! These people put themselves out there. They accepted the offer. And believe me, I’m no dancer. I’m not saying I could do any better. But! The difference is, you wouldn’t see me subject myself to it. And with a straight face and an attitude too!

The Hoff’s dance was the best cheese I’ve had since the baked Brie I enjoyed at a party last winter. Lovely in its utter embarrassing glory. I so hope he lasts a few more weeks. But it’s probably doubtful.

The only contestants that were equally as bad were Margaret Cho and The Situation. What kind of a name is The Situation anyway? This guy is from the reality show The Jersey Shore, which I admit to never seeing. But he seems like he has an ego as big as the great outdoors. He didn’t even show up for rehearsals until five days before air. All the others had prepared for three weeks! Yes, he was finishing up filming, but usually the celebrity will work on location. I guess he thought he’d be O.K. He wasn’t.

And comedienne Margaret Cho? Well. I was rooting for her. I’ve seen all of her specials, and read her book. I can tell she’s overwhelmed with this show. She has major “body issues” from all of her years of rejection in Hollywood, and I think she’s letting it get to her. She came out in a ridiculous get up, with some sort of weird cape, and “intentionally” got caught in it and stumbled a few times. I think she had us all confused, including the judges. Very strange.

So it’s anyone’s guess whose going home. As Len Goodman says “It’s never too early to panic!”

And a final thought concerning Florence Henderson. Was anyone else a little bit freaked out by her flashing her bra to the camera? ‘Cause I was. Just a lil bit … . I mean “Gee whiz, Mrs. Brady!”

Clacked by Tara Shrodes
on Sep 21, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT