Sunday 25 April 2010

Over The Rainbow Result Show

Good showing again from all eight Dorothys in the reprise of "If I Only Had The Part" followed by the recap, after which Andrew tells us there are eight front runners! Then changes his mind and says six, but won't be drawn as to who they are.

John says some of the girls are where they should be, others aren't; it's clearer to Sheila who can deliver in the role - three of them now, the others eventually. Charlotte stays tight lipped other than to reiterate that she'll be singing No More Tears with them.

The Medley is A Fine Romance - Bad Romance - Just Dance - and another Lady Ga Ga song I can't remember the title of: Steph and Stephanie stood out for me.

Toto Time - eleven down to five! And they are: Dave; Eddie; Missy; Spider; Troy. Wish they'd show us a bit more of them though, maybe next week. Especially Eddie in the cinema seat, lol!

The girls' mission, which they chose to accept, although mostly terrified: singing with Charlotte. She's looking for tone, pitch, hitting the note bang on and emotion. She works them all individually and is impressed with all - although says there are four who could be Dorothy.

No More Tears is a Wow - they all stepped up there, Charlotte had clearly filled them with confidence - and a great performance full of attitude from her too. She makes their night, telling them it was a privilege to work with them.

And who do the girls think the viewers favourite is? Emilie & Sophie say Stephanie; Jenny & Stephanie plump for Emilie; Steph says Jess; Danielle and Jess reckon Sophie; Lauren picks Jenny.

The panel are unanimous that Emilie is NOT Dorothy - who's right, them or Jenny & Stephanie? Safe: Steph; Jessica; Stephanie; Lauren; Jenny; they left Danielle till last after telling her she might be in the sing-off - how cruel is that?

It's Emilie versus Sophie, singing I Know Him So Well, The Lord wants to see acting, I want to see Sophie make it through. She does. I said that Cyndi Lauper song would do for Emilie, didn't I? Apart from the slight glitch at the end, Over the Rainbow is Emilie's best solo performance to date. The weakest singer is out - Game On!

Sportsday

Cycling news - David McCann wins Tour of Philippines; a one-two for Pooley and Cooke in the Fleche Wallonne.

Team GB took the junior gold at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships to retain their position at the top of the European rankings, whilst the Senior Men win Silver in the team event in the Eurpean Championships, a historic first medal for them. And lifted directly from BBC's Ollie Williams Twitter: "GB juniors finish Euros with FIVE gold medals. Team gold, all-around gold (Sam Oldham), floor & pommel (Max Whitlock) and high bar (Oldham)" - he's blogging tomorrow, I'll try to remember to link it. This was shortly followed by "Bronze for Britain's Daniel Purvis in floor event at men's Euros. That's one of the two medals GB coach Paul Hall wanted. Pommel horse next" - excellent service, Ollie! Latest: "Dan Keatings beats Louis Smith on pommel horse - Euro gold and silver respectively. Report appearing on BBC site imminently. Action ongoing!" How fantastic is that!?

A seventh major medal for Karina Bryant, at the European Judo Championships, bagging a bronze, with Euan Burton also securing bronze at the same event.

Wrestler Yana Stadnik took Silver in the European Championships.

Over The Rainbow: Interaction Motivation

The Dorothys sing a re-written version of the Scarecrow’s “If I Only Had a Heart” – “If I Only Had The Part!” Neat. Sophie and Emilie surprising me there, sounding very strong. The Lord quips about the all the audience voting to avoid a hung Dorothy and moved on - we’re looking for interaction tonight, the girls will be split into two groups later.

Jenny out first with Warwick Avenue and it’s another strong, engaging performance, acting skills coming through, controlled. Emilie has Girls Just Want To Have Fun and whoever chose this for her must want her out badly – nobody has ever pulled this off in a reality show. Even if she was a strong, confident singer she’d have struggled with this. As it is, I’m finding it hard to watch.

Charlotte says Jenny did a good job, got every big note, bit self contained and Emilie was fun and frivolous, but control still an issue; Sheila said she didn’t see anguish with Jenny and Emilie was cute but needed to grow more; John felt Jenny’s vocal was great but needed to push the acting more. The Lord says the panel are spot on, particularly Sheila’s comments to Emilie about being able to take criticism and his tears weren’t as jerked by Jenny as they should have been.

Stephanie and Nobody Does It Better, loved this interpretation, she’s so likeable and so consistent, no matter what type of song, really good job. Lauren with Nobody Knows, the first complete performance of the night, fantastic vocal, emotive, really felt the song.

Sheila is convinced by both, Stephanie needs to act more, Lauren superb at the end, a huge step forward; John wants Stephanie to bring her up-tempo performance skills to the slow stuff and didn’t want Lauren to stop; Charlotte says Stephanie could sing the phone book and Lauren was vulnerable, broken and beautiful. The Lord says they’re both incredibly talented, be happy to see either as Dorothy.

Sophie, with London Welsh, lucky girl. Ouch! Love Song was a strange song, didn’t show off her vocal as much as I’d have liked, bit in and out. Jessica does it her way for There’ll You’ll Be, stayed put, relied on the emotion, one of her best performances.

John tells Sophie she’s going to have to work twice as hard as everyone else, a little understated but Jessica’s was her most truthful, honest performance to date, what he’s been looking for. Charlotte said Sophie had a hard song, struggled a bit, it wasn’t what she did in the masterclass; Jess was magic from the last chorus out; Sheila thought Sophie was terrific and Jessica overacted up till the end when she really felt it. The Lord says there are times in Jessica’s performance when he’s watching a world class performer and Sophie is a talented girl, asks the audience not to punish her for a bad song.

Danielle sings Cry Me A River, great entrance, lowered on a swing – I’m not a fan of the vamp look I have to say, interesting arrangement, all round performance again, still more to come I think. Steph is gaining in confidence every week and delivers again with Use Somebody, she’s one of the most versatile.

Charlotte says they’re both exceptional, Steph sang beautifully, so at home on stage, while Danielle was sultry and vocally perfect; Sheila says these two have the best interpretations, Danielle has a subtlety and gravity, Steph beautifully done; John says Steph was fierce, Danielle so consistent - both girls should make the final! The Lord agrees with John - incredibly strong contenders.

The group songs – the Deadwood Dames (Emilie, Jenny, Lauren, Stephanie) with The Deadwood Stage are all very strong – Emilie again, much stronger than when she’s alone. It’s a shame the mics weren’t working at the start of the Oklahoma Outlaws (Sophie, Danielle, Jessica, Steph) but they got it sorted – but Oklahoma only has one catchy line so they were never going to get the panels’ vote, which goes to the Deadwood Dames. I couldn’t pick anyone out as being less interactive than the others - The Lord says that he wants to cancel the competition and give them all one performance a week!

I voted based on who I don’t want to lose: Steph, Stephanie, Jessica, Danielle. As for the sing off, no-one is safe. Till the morrow ...

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Over The Rainbow Result Show

A night out at the O2 for the live Dancing on Ice show means this is a little late, apologies for that - but a rundown on the DOI show will shortly appear over on the dance blog, so it's all good!

A reprise of Ease On Down The Road confirms my initial thoughts that Emilie and Sophie aren't the best dancers, nowhere near as fluid as the others. Andrew says the field is wide open, unsure who'll he'll be choosing from in the bottom two; Sheila says the amount they do reveals their stamina; John says he's picked four contenders as Dorothy; Charlotte doubts she'd cope with the amount of routines they're learning - she needs a couple of drinks before she'll dance, lol. I love that fact that she's well aware of her reputation and goes for it before the press do!

The mash-up is still a medley, moving from Losing My Mind to Crazy in Love to Crazy and back to Crazy in Love again - please can someone advise: You have to re-write and mix two songs together, sometimes individual lines with the same backing track to make a mash up. See this, the example I previously gave. And if you're not watching Glee yet, why not? Anyway, back to Dorothy ... I thought Jessica and Danielle both did well there.

The search for Toto promised to be emotional and it is, very much so, for dog loving Jodie. Maybe I'm hard, but get a grip, really, they're well trained dogs. Although I did adore the Great Dane, Strider, thought he was gorgeous. They've whittled down to ten, we'll see them perform for the Lord next week.

Dancing in high heels - John shows how it's done! Adding to the pressure, The Lord turns up with Arlene Phillips in tow. Stephanie's awareness and Danielle's taking on a role to do it impress John most.

The Dorothys perform Buenos Aires from Evita and collectively, they're fabulous. The Lord is very impressed by all.

Who will they miss most? Danielle and Jessica don't want to lose Dani; Emilie would be gutted if Stephanie went and Stephanie reciprocates; Dani would miss Steph; Jenny and Lauren, roomies, want each other to stay; Likewise Steph and Sophie are mates;

Who's not the panel's Dorothy? Sheila - Jessica; John - Emilie; Charlotte - Jenny

Safe: Emilie; Stephanie; Jenny; Steph; Lauren; Jessica; Sophie. It's Dani v Danielle in the sing off and I confess to being a little shocked - Dani's best was least popular; Danielle proves how one slightly off week can have such an impact. They sing Maybe This Time and I've got my fingers crossed for Danielle - Dani is more passionate but Danielle is the overall package and she takes The Lord's decision.

Dani sings us out beautifully, saving her best performance for Over The Rainbow.

Sunday 18 April 2010

McLaren Watch

I told you, didn't I - a one-two when I wasn't watching means I can't watch again now. But hubby getting up early meant two hours snore-free sleep for me that I simply had to take advantage of.

So, another good call for tyres saw Jenson nab victory in another rain hit race, while Lewis stormed through the field - even with 4 pit stops and a reprimand - in another fantastic drive to grab second place!

Jenson now leads the championship by 10 points from Nico Rosberg (still beating team-mate Michael Schumacher) 60 points to 50, with Lewis in 4th, tied on 49 pts with Alonso in 3rd, due to Alonso's one win.

McLaren are now clear leaders in the Constructors Championship, 109 points to Ferrari's 90.

Saturday 17 April 2010

Over The Rainbow: Dancing Night

And they're out for a group number to Ease on Down The Road, from the all-black version, The Wiz (of which I have the album, up in the loft - it's fabulous!) And for me, on dance night, I didn't think Emilie and Sophie were as comfortable as the others in that.

Andrew tells us that Bronte has a place in stage school and should get a part from one of the two auditions she attended this week, yay for Bronte!

Dani sings One Night Only, another strong vocal, a bit in and out, no dancing, very confident performance though. Liking the male dancers, lol. Sheila thought she was great but didn't quite get the song; John says she sold it; Charlotte felt she gave it everything; Andrew sensed that she doesn't feel the music so much.

Sophie sings I'm With You and it's her best to date, really connected with the song, again no dancing but well done. John says she could still be Dorothy; Charlotte got all the emotion; Sheila says it's a real breakthrough for her; Andrew says she has music within her.

Lauren has Sway and I admit, I'm comparing her performance to Samantha in the Nancy show, and I don't find it as good. Lots of dancing meant her vocal suffered for the first time - and I felt her dancing was very much learned-by-numbers, it didn't capture the spirit of the song. Finished strongly. Charlotte said she smouldered her way through; Sheila, very tellingly, says it was 'elegant' - should Sway be elegant? John said it's ok to be confident and you're a great dancer; Andrew thought it her best yet. Hm, I really didn't think so, this seems a concerted effort to convince the public.

Emilie has Moon River and she's a little shaky in places, still nowhere good enough vocally to carry a stage show. Sheila says she's great but not enough understanding of the song; John didn't get it at all (but the choreography is hardly her fault) Charlotte says she found her vocal control; Andrew says she's vocally not secure but possibly the best mover.

Stephanie blasts them all offstage with
Let's Get Loud, full of energy, attitude, musicality, out of time slightly on one small bit but brilliant performance. Sheila says she was wonderful, moved like a dream; John says she's a firecracker, solid, sensational; Charlotte says she's awesome; Andrew says extraordinary.

Steph is Phil Fearon's daughter! Ah, Galaxy - Dancing Tight. Yes, it's in the loft. Singing
Out Here on My Own, it's a moving performance and held the intensity all the way. John is dazzled by her acting; Charlotte says she's a triple threat, acting, singing, dancing; Sheila says it was beautiful; Andrew says she's immensley talented but not sure if this role is right for her.

Jenny has Why Do Fools Fall in Love and she does it again, the most consistent all round performer, strong vocal, confident, great movement. John says he's beginning to think she's faking it???!! Charlotte thought pretty good, overall. Sheila tells her to have more fun with the choreography; Andrew says it was a tricky song.

Jessica sings Crazy Little Thing Called Love and this is a fab performance, she looks daintier alone with the male dancers, she's so much taller than the other girls. The vocal went a little during the jive - terrific kicks though, great fun, full of personality and brought the vocal back. Great stuff. Charlotte said she owned the stage; John wanted to love it but found the choreography laboured??? Sheila threw me because she called her Steph; Andrew said if he was casting Funny Girl she'd be high on the list (a compliment) she works both the live audience and the TV.

Danielle out last with Could It Be Magic, it's Manilow meets musical theatre, her weakest vocally, but still stronger than most. Charlotte says it's a complete performance; Sheila tells her to regard the camera as a friend; John loved the performance but wants to see her take a risk and do something different; Andrew says she's a remarkable performer, he can't wait to work with both her and Jessica himself.

The group performance of America will show us who the strongest dancers are, but we don't see enough of each of them. So I have to say that overall, the one I feel who isn't Dorothy, is Emilie.

Back tomorrow!

Monday 12 April 2010

Sportsnight

Mhairi Spence took a Bronze in the Modern Pentathlon, held here in little ol' Medway! Check out the Rochester People site for some pics too :)

Lee Westwood was runner up in the U.S. Masters at Augusta.

Mara Yamauchi won the New York Half Marathon.

The cyclists continue to bring home the medals, finishing top of the table for Olympic disciplines in the recent World Championships in Copenhagen, with more to come.

In the IBSA 6th World Judo Championships, Ben Quilter won Gold, with Silvers for brothers Sam and Joe Ingram and a Bronze for Lesley Reid.

Paralympian Danny Greaves set a new world best for the discus, swimmers Jonathan Fox and James Crisp also set new world records.

In sailing, Ed Wright won World Cup Gold in the Finn class.

Squash world number 2, Nick Matthew won his first ISS Canary Wharf tour title.

The triathletes are off and running (and swimming and cycling) as Stuart Hayes and Liz Blatchford take silver and bronze in the first world cup event of the year.

And at the Curling World Championships in Italy, Scotland's curlers win Bronze.

Sunday 11 April 2010

Over The Rainbow Result Show

Reprising The Wicked Witch is Dead and last night's show; Andrew says how high the standard is - and all live to boot.

Mash up time: Well, two song medley - Money Makes The World Go Around and Material Girl. See, strictly, a mash up is like you get in Glee - see the episode with Young Girl and Don't Stand So Close To Me for how it's actually done! Another fine production nonetheless.

The Search for Toto - some are the cutest, some are butt ugly, was that lovely little cute one called Fang? They've got proper experts on it. And Jodie. Whittling down to fifty! Meet them next week. Keep the hankies handy.

Steph happywith tonight, Stephanie over the moon and hoping she doesn't end the night sitting on it!

The acting class - learn the scene where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow. Lauren makes a good impression; Sophie and Dani forget their lines; Jessica, Steph and Stephanie over acted; Bronte, Jenny and Emilie all did well, Danielle stood out most, a considerable actress.

Get Happy - fab performance by all of them, tried to pick out the best but ... Andrew can't single them out either! The girls say who they think may be out: The panel say who is not Dorothy
Sheila - Sophie; John - Jessica; Charlotte - Emilie. Ooh, here we go!

Safe: Stephanie; Jessica; Jenny; Dani; Sophie; Steph! Yay! Danielle *phew* don't mind who out of the remaining two, but would prefer Bronte to make it through. Emilie safe - Lauren, the perceived arrogance puts her in the bottom two. Viewer vote would have put Bronte out.

Singing 'What I Did For Love' from Chorus Line - you're on your own, Andrew. He's gutted, two fantastically talented girls, going on tonight's performances, he doesn't know but has to choose - Lauren takes it. Jessica is heartbroken, you can see her and Bronte had become mates. Andrew tells Bronte to keep in touch, the panel are all nodding. Singing Over the Rainbow, it's Bronte saying goodbye.

Saturday 10 April 2010

Over The Rainbow: Too Close To Call

Cue lots of horsey puns from Graham! The Dorothys sing Ding Dong The Witch is Dead, no one stands out as better or worse than the rest, a pointer to a close show tonight. Emphasis on acting tonight, Sheila’s given them all a masterclass.

Sophie sings That Don’t Impress Me Much and I’m again sensing that song choices are going to have a big impact in this series. A small stutter, but big on attitude and pretty good overall. Jessica sings The Voice Within, a quiet and emotive performance, very different for her. Sheila disappointed that neither of them picked up on all her points; John found himself looking at the backing dancers instead of Sophie and saw no truth in Jess’ performance; Charlotte enjoyed both; Andrew said neither song was suitable and there’s more to come from both girls.

Bronte has Suddenly I See – I like this song but this performance was too shiny and clean, needed to be more funky, just not raw enough for me to enjoy it. Dani has The Buble’s Home, one little moment but vocally much improved on last week and heartfelt. Not sure she’ll want the public to follow up on that sentiment and send her home though! John felt there was no story arc with Bronte, Dani got stronger; Charlotte thought Bronte was great but could have rocked more, Dani brilliant, lovely, emotive; Sheila delighted with Dani, Bronte nearly cracked it; Andrew agreed with Sheila.

Steph and Oh So Quiet and I wasn’t sure about this song but then ... POW! Brilliant! Loved it, fave so far, what a great comeback, full of zest! The timing in the choreography was terrific. Jenny sings Songbird, completely different to last week but just as effective, wonderful vocal. Charlotte hopes neither are in danger, a fearless performance from Steph, brilliant. Jenny shocks her, beautiful tone; Sheila says they’re two of the bravest girls; John says that that is how you front a number (Steph) liked Jenny’s softer side, maybe a bit more passion; Andrew shares another piece of trivia, says Steph was wonderful and Jenny pitch perfect, an immaculate performance.

Danielle with Just A Little Girl - I really like her voice, she sounds like a West End singer, with the acting skills and presence on stage to match. Another strong performance. Lauren and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. Not quite sure about the occasional change in accent but what a voice. Sheila pleased with both, Danielle a really good actress, Lauren witty, charming and light; John says it’s Danielle’s best to date, intelligent and sophisticated, Lauren fabulous; Charlotte says Danielle was dynamic, loved the whole performance, Lauren she warned about coming over too arrogant, but then, coming out and singing like that, fair do’s! Andrew praises Lauren and says Danielle fantastic, very impressed.

Emilie with The Boy Does Nothing and it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, in fact, it’s miles better than I thought it’d be, vocal in and out and needed a bit more attitude, but well done. Stephanie wows with Smile, beautiful performance, very strong. John says Emilie is back in the competition, great performance and loved Stephanie’s softer side; Charlotte enjoyed Emilie’s whole performance but she must learn to control her voice, Stephanie – brilliant, heartfelt, loved it, performance of the night; Sheila felt they didn’t do as well as she’d hoped although Stephanie grew stronger, Emilie could have had more fun with it. Andrew shares another story, says Stephanie did beautifully, Emilie needs more work.

Andrew wants hair and make up to remember they’re casting for Dorothy not Girls Aloud, they’re looking too sophisticated. I have to agree. Lines are open, Steph’s getting a vote tonight because I don’t want her in the bottom two again, but really, there’s nothing between them. I was least impressed with Emilie and Bronte tonight. The Dorothys take to the stage with Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray, Jessica and Stephanie stood out for me, along with Bronte, redeeming herself.

Until the morrow ...

Monday 5 April 2010

Over The Rainbow Result Show

Smashing opening, the Lord will be watching very closely, hell have to take everything into account when he makes his choice.

Quick recap, happy birthday Graham. Fantastic mash-up, beginning with Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better going into Broken Heels. Some girls more visisble than others, but not a duff note anyway and great movement.

Off the the farm, with Adam from Live Lambing marking them! No room for any dainty pretties here, they've got to get stuck in. He's judging them and his winner performs again - not sure that's a prize - Bronte gets it and chooses Amy, Emilie and Jessica to take the stage with her, whilst the rest of the girls will provide backing vocals. But they sing Love Machine, not the Smokey Robinson but the Girls Aloud piece of tuneless drivel, what a shame. Full of energy but no chance for a decent vocal.

The panel tell us who isn't Dorothy for them: Sheila - Amy; John - Sophie; Charlotte - Dani;

Safe: Bronte; Dani; Stephanie; Jenny; Danielle; Jessica; Lauren; Emilie; Sophie.

Sing off - Amy and Steph and whilst I'm not so surprised about Amy (it's as much a visual contest as vocal for the public and she's too wordly wise to be Dorothy) I'm shocked at Steph! Singing Whistle Down The Wind and they both sing beautifully, the Lord chooses Steph.

Amy sings goodbye with Over the Rainbow and I don't think any of the girls can hold back their tears, it's an emotional moment.

McLaren Watch

Bad judgement in qualifying saw JB and Lewis staying in the garage, instead of bagging a banker lap on the damp track. So finally, out on a wet track, they ended up 17th and 20th respectively.

However, a storming first lap from Lewis took him up eight places, eventually finishing in 6th, while JB pulled himself up to 8th. Both declared themselves happy with the race, and the overall standings are probably the closest I've ever seen at this stage.

Just nine points cover the top seven drivers, Massa first on 39, JB in 4th on 35 and Lewis in 6th on 31. Kubica is 7th just one point behind. Team wise, Ferrari are still top on 76, with McLaren on 66 and Red Bull storming up to 61 with the one-two result this week.

This could the be the closest championship ever!

Saturday 3 April 2010

Over The Rainbow: The Wildcard Unveiled!

The girls choose their own song tonight and out first is Stephanie with Mama Do, great attitude and terrific vocal; she's followed immediately by Lauren with Run, famously covered before - I prefer this, she has the most gorgeous tone to her voice and you can hear the lyrics properly!

Dani with Ego - it's a strong vocal but the wrong choice of song didn't show it off, showed her age instead; Steph sings Michael Jackson's Just Can't Stop Loving You beautifully, made it a show tune, brilliant.

The search for Toto goes on, lol at the doggie vox pops!

The Wildcard is announced: It's Emilie!

Amy next with Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie, not The Four Seasons) a strong vocal and would bring the house down on X-Factor but that's not what we're looking for. Danielle sings Red and again, like Steph, turns a pop song into a showtune fit for the West End. Cracking performance.

Emilie sings Breakaway - she looks the part, quirky but she didn't convince me vocally last week and fails again this week, felt it lacking compared to everyone else.

Bronte singing I Can't Make You Love Me gave me goosbumps, I thought she was awesome - needs to lose the sophisticated look though and stick with carefree Bronte to be a believable Dorothy. Jessica the show woman, full of personality - she reminds me of Connie Fisher a bit. You suddenly realize how crap the lyrics of Rehab are when you hear them sung properly!

Sophie sings Beyonce's If I Were A Boy and it's a cracking vocal, but maybe should've tried it without the American accent to turn it into a showtune. Jenny storms the stage, taking Performance of the Night with Pink's So What, dynamic, vocally strong, full of attitdue and attack. Brilliant.

So since I like too many of them to vote, I'll just have to just say who I was least impressed with, which was Dani and Emilie. But they could be back next week and I'll think they're awesome, which is a measure of how competitive this show is going to be!

Results tomorrrow, see you then!