Delinquent

How sad is it that I missed blogging the first night of the tenth season of Dancing With The Stars? If there is anything consistent in my writing it is that I put in my two cents every week, sometimes twice a week, for DWTS. This is not to say that I won't give you my two cents, in case you were worried.
I am pleased with a few of the alterations to this, the tenth, season.
For one, the change in female co-host. I hope that Brooke Burke will do a better job than Samanthan Harris did. I think I hope that. I can't decide if I'd rather Sam be a poor interviewer - which means it'll be hard for Brooke to do worse - or that Sam just read off the cue cards, and it's the producers who suck and therefore the questions this season will be just as forced and leading as in the nine past ones. Quandry.
Secondly, there are only eleven couples (only eleven, she says, which is like, he's only a millionaire) which is the smallest group since season three. I think it will be to the good.
I don't think I like the 'celebri-quarium.' Having to walk through the dance space and out the back where the viewers get to look at the back of the rest of the contestants. It's awkward. Not my favorite change.
I was not surprised that Chad Ochocinco had fast feet - he is a football player - and his hip movement in the cha-cha was very good. There's no question that Cheryl is a good teacher and plays to her student's strengths. I was a little surprised at how much her dress distracted me from the dance though. I don't know if it was the camera work or that it was an odd outfit.
Shannen Doherty was a lot more nervous than I would have expected from an actor. Her waltz (don't make me rant against the Viennese again.) was good, a little tight, but if she relaxes she could be great. Mark is hilarious - I don't know if it's on purpose - and hopefully it will help her nerves.
That was two digs at Maksim in 30 seconds - 'playing the field' and 'I asked for Tony' - but he's a good sport. And he is a hard taskmaster. Erin Andrews is super tall and she played the sexy well but there was something wrong in her knee/leg area during her cha-cha, maybe she isn't comfortable with her height?
Jake Pavelka might be hot, but he better not treat DWTS like The Bachelor. We need not the emotion bud, we need the skillz. His and Chelsey's waltz was very fast, and I don't know if that was on purpose. He needs to straighten his knees more, rise and fall, rise and fall.
Niecy Nash is very bubbly and she seems fun. She does not have any inherent talent for dancing though so Louis is going to have his work cut out for him. She needs to work on her feet, a lot, but the personality is there.
I really, REALLY want Evan Lysacek to do well. I think he's dreamy and Anna totally deserves a good partner. I liked his waltz, his elegance and I think being a skater gives him an advantage but I he messed up his feet a few times so there's room for improvement.
Why do they always give the old guys the cha-cha first? Let them do something they've done before for the first dance. I think Buzz Aldrin will be a novelty for a few weeks, but the man is 80. Good shape or not, his cha-cha was not all that. Ashly is cute and she's sweet - did you catch her counting out the steps for him in the middle? - and her costumes are great, but they're not likely to get too far.
Nicole Scherzinger is a lot less annoying and self-centered than I expected her to be. Which is good. I don't mind being wrong in that way. Her waltz was graceful and pretty but I have to agree with Len Goodman that there wasn't a lot of actual dance footwork. Derek gets a lot of accolades for his choreography so I am sure he will catch her up quickly.
Aiden Turner is awfully cute and funny and the accent doesn't hurt. I want him to do well for Edyta's sake. His cha-cha had the right steps but he needs to work on transitions and finesse. They were just steps for him, not a dance. I hope that changes.
Sadly, Kate Gosselin seems to be exactly what I expected her to be. And I feel bad for Tony because he's a nice guy. Her waltz was slow and awkward, she missed her cues and her steps were hesitant. Not the best waltz of the night.
Pamela Anderson seems younger than I remember seeing her in previous appearances. Her cha-cha was sexy and her feet were better than I expected though she did forget her choreography in the middle. She started well and the end was over the top but better than I thought it would be. I'm having a hard time matching the dancer to what I thought of Pamela Anderson.
And that was my recap of the first show of the tenth season. I haven't mentioned the judges yet because they seem to be exactly the same. Len is brutally honest, Bruno is disgusting and Carrie-Ann is constructively critical. And Tom Bergeron is awesome. That's all.

This is me and that's the start.