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Is it correct that only three dances (one ballroom each and the group lindy hop) will be performed in the first show? I can't seem to find confirmation of this on the BBC website, which says only that the show will last 65 mins. I find it hard to believe that they will do just three dances in this time. There would have to be an inordinate amount of filler if that's the case.
Bearing in mind that the bulk of the votes will be cast during the one hour break between shows, it can not good news for Hollins backers that his Charleston will be in the second show. |
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Bearing in mind that the bulk of the votes will be cast during the one hour break between shows
How can we possibly know that?, I rarely vote in these things but when I have done it has been oncel all the dancing was finished with for the evening. |
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change of plan, am now going to be around for the final, so see you tonight :)
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sry JR, I gave up once Haydock was abd and went out :0
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Interesting comments GuyT. Some articles along similar lines.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h9CaPJeSwiZB8sXLtI5_PGygdGqw http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/12/19/strictly-come-dancing-daily-mirror-backs-people-s-choice-chris-hollins-115875-21907954/ |
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Looks like The Mirror journos are on Chris:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/12/19/winning-strictly-s-as-big-for-me-as-my-dad-lifting-the-fa-cup-115875-21908291/ |
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The prices are moving. 11-8 still on the high street.
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Tiscali poll has Ricky kicking Hollins ass.
Heatworld poll has... Thanks! Here are the results so far: Go Team Cola - 56% Its got to be Ricky - 44% |
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Strictly Dancing Fansite has...
Who would you like to win?Submitted by admin on Sun, 12/13/2009 - 12:07 Chris and Ola 67% (117 votes) Ricky and Natalie 33% (58 votes) Total votes: 175 |
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neck and neck on GMTV, but the comments at the bottom are quite interesting
http://www.gm.tv/entertainment/tv/43109-strictly-come-dancing-2009-champion.html |
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Even if Ricky scores 100, i can't see how they win this.
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Polls
Who is your winner? Ricky & Natalie "Rickalie" (52%, 149 Votes) Chris & Ola "Team Cola" (48%, 138 Votes) Total Voters: 287 http://www.strictlycomedancing.tv/ |
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"Rickalie" - ffs. Head-in-hands man for whoever came up with that.
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Hollins is on first tonight in case anyone didn't know.
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Should have gone with "Rat Alley"
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TM, is that a good thing or a bad thing do you think? Or does it not matter either way?
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He has already danced before Ricky 8 out of 11 weeks.
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I think going second is a clear advantage.
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What position did Tom dance in last year? (I know it was a 3-way)
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Order went - Rachel/Tom/Lisa.
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my predictions:
up first, i think chris and ola wil dance a very competent foxtrot but be criticised about his hands and neck and receive 44 points out of 50 second, i think ricky and natalie will dance an otherwise excellent quickstep but make a very obvious mistake. the judges will largely ignore it and give them 48. the lindyhop: I believe chris and ola will outdance ricky and natalie in this one, just like he did in the group waltz, but still be marked down for no good reason. Ricky and Natalie's Cha Cha Cha. Excellent, 50 out of 50 Chris and Ola's Charleston. Equally excellent but only receiving 46 from the judges (a 10 from Len) |
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just so i don't get accused of aftertiming, i'm green on chris and red on ricky. and have been since the begininng. and i'm not laying any off because i think chris will win the public vote easily. I guess if i'm wrong i'm wrong and will just have to live with it.
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well done - some good stuff on this thread :D
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yeh it was our bible during this years show
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Not been tuned into this one at all, but, slick, hollyoaks, half cast, obvious best dancer Ricky V short ,white, underdog, mediocre dancer Chris with a huge "middle" GB viewing populus....
No contest :) |
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Merry Christmas Everyone!
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LOL and you were some glum the other day
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Yeah, sorry about that. I really needed the dough!
Won't happen again. Just watching it on iPlayer. There is something incredibly comical about Chris Hollins. He looks like he shouldn't be there. In fact he looks like he shouldn't be on TV at all. |
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What a hopeless bungling amateur...
THE STRICTLY BLOG Weblog: Lee Mottershead on Strictly's punting possibilities THE STRICTLY BLOG'S RSS FEED POSTED AT 11.23am 19 DECEMBER 2009 So hard to be sure which man the public wants LAST year's Strictly final was easy. Anyone who had regularly watched the programme and understood the scoring system knew that Tom Chambers had to win and he did. Happy days. This year, it isn't nearly as easy. Here's why: 1. Ricky Whittle is a considerably better dancer than Chris Hollins, but that is irrelevant. The final is purely a public popularity contest. The judges will give their scores, Ricky will end up with two points and Chris one point. Tess Daly will then explain that the public will then vote and the two sets of scores will be combined. However, in the event of a tie, the public's votes override those ofthe judges, so, in effect, the public will be the only ones deciding the Strictly champion. 2. Chris Hollins has generally been more popular than Ricky Whittle with the public. Despite regularly topping the judges' leaderboard, Whittle has been in two dance-offs, suggesting that he has received few votes from the viewers. Hollins, on the other hand, has never ended up in a dance off despite earning a mid-table position from the judges in most weeks. 3. The point above would seem to make the decision simple - back Hollins. However, it isn't that simple because of what happened in the semi-final. After the judges had had their say, the scores were as follows: Whittle 3, Bastian 2, Hollins 1. Given that Bastian was booted out, this is one possible explanation for what happened. Dancer Judges' Score + Viewers' Score = Total Score Whittle 3 + 1 = 4 Bastian 2 + 1 = 3 (Bastian out) Hollins 1 + 3 = 4 However, it's also possible that this happened. Whittle 3 + 3 = 6 Bastian 2 + 1 = 3 (Bastian out due to fewer public votes than Hollins.) Hollins 1 + 2 = 3 In a nutshell, the semi-final result does not confirm that Hollins received more public votes than Whittle. 4. Even if Whittle did not get more public votes than Hollins last week, he might do this week if those who had supported Ali Bastian switch to Whittle on the basis that, like Bastian, he is an excellent dancer and Hollins, although talented, is not. 5. Consider this week's betting news. At the start of the week, Hollins was odds-on and Whittle odds-against. Now, however, they have flip-flopped with Whittle now 4-6 and Hollins 11-10. What has caused the bookmakers to so drastically alter the odds? Perhaps they have discovered something about how many votes were polled for each candidate last week. 6. Ricky Whittle's showdance is almost certain to have more of a wow factor than that of Hollins, who could struggle to get his partner, Ola Jordan, into the air. Whittle has much bigger arms. To conclude, if forced to place a bet I would still side with Hollins, but I'm not, so I won't. |
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Too many couples and far too long... Strictly judges lash BBC's new format as final ratings fall
By Andrew Dagnell Last updated at 11:21 PM on 19th December 2009 Strictly Come Dancing has been slammed for going on for far too long - by two of its own judges. Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli said it had been a mistake for the BBC to start this series with a record 16 couples, leading to marathon broadcasts early in the competition. They said the show needed to be 'pruned' to avoid making viewers 'sit through' almost two-and-a-half hours of dancing. Their comments come amid falling ratings for Strictly. Last night's final between Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle and BBC Breakfast sports presenter Chris Hollins was seen by an estimated nine million viewers - down a quarter on the 12million who tuned in this time last year. In contrast, nearly 20million people watched Joe McElderry win the X Factor final last weekend, up eight million on 2008. Goodman and Tonioli warned that the BBC would face a further struggle against ITV's ratings juggernaut as the Corporation looked to slash the budget for the dance contest. In contrast, The X Factor could be an even more lavish production next year after mastermind Simon Cowell told bosses at ITV that he wants his budget hiked to £2million per show to reflect its enormous success. Italian choreographer Tonioli, 54, said: 'The BBC is doing an incredible amount of work with a budget that is a fraction of what ITV have.' Head judge Len Goodman, 65, added that Strictly had greater demands on its budget than The X Factor, saying: 'The costumes are far less expensive on X Factor. You don't have to buy suits for the men and gorgeous frocks for the women. We have a 20-piece orchestra and singers. But I'm sure if the BBC did really pull out all the stops, they would be criticised. 'Bruno and I both agree that having 16 couples was too much. At the beginning people had to sit through two-and-a-half hours. 'Most shows and series that run for several years have ups and downs. I think the BBC is right in trying to tweak it. It's like a plant - it needs to be pruned occasionally.' The first series of Strictly, in 2004, featured just eight couples - a number that has been growing ever since. Meanwhile, Tonioli also put the boot into one of the show's professional dancers Kristina Rihanoff, 32, whose love life has made the headlines. She is rumoured to have started a relationship with her dance partner on this year's series - former world-champion professional boxer Joe Calzaghe, 37. She previously had an affair with fellow professional dancer Vincent Simone, 30, until she found out he had a girlfriend who was pregnant with his child. Tonioli said: 'Kristina puts it about a bit, doesn't she? We are always the last to find out about the romances. 'Having a sexy dancer helps the celebrity get more votes. But that's part of the charm of the show - there are these gorgeous girls and these handsome boys.' Whittle was the favourite to win last night's show, having edged slightly ahead of Hollins after Ali Bastion was voted off in the semi-final. Last night, the Strictly contestants performed four dances each, with both couples dancing their highest-scoring Latin and ballroom number from the series. For the first time in a Strictly final, the two couples also performed a dance together on stage, a Thirties Lindy Hop. The couples had group rehearsals for the dance. A show insider said Chris had found the sessions 'intimidating' because Ricky learned the steps so quickly. He said: 'Chris takes more time to learn the steps and while he was still picking them up, Ricky was flying around the room.' Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe Favourites: Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe danced four routines in the Strictly final For the final showdown, Ricky and his partner Natalie Lowe danced to Donna Summer's Last Dance while Chris and Ola Jordan chose the Dirty Dancing anthem Do You Love Me? by The Contours. Chris ended his dance by jumping up on the judges' desk and wiggling his hips. During their interview, Goodman and Tonioli also revealed that they accepted a 20 per cent reduction in their pay for this series - and were braced for more cuts next year. They had been employed on £60,000 a series - which they negotiated up to £90,000 last year. But as the BBC made cutbacks, the judges, who also include Australian choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, agreed they would take only £72,000 out of 'loyalty to the show'. It is understood new judge Alesha Dixon, who sparked an ageism row when she replaced 66-year-old Arlene Phillips, also receives the same amount of money. The contracts for next year's show will not be negotiated until next summer but the judges said they would accept further pay cuts to keep the series going. Goodman said none of the judges would complain because of the easy nature of their jobs. Judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli flank Alesha Dixon on the Strictly panel 'We took a pay cut of 20 per cent. We understood it had to happen. But it's not the hardest job in the world. It's not exactly as difficult as digging a ditch.' Tonioli added: 'We understood that we had to take a pay cut - everyone did. Everyone is suffering. 'It was never a question. We just said, "Of course we will do it." We could have said no, but we wanted to keep doing the show. 'We are definitely not doing it for the money, not even close. We just love it and we feel very loyal to the show. If we hadn't done Strictly we wouldn't have been doing the American version, Dancing With The Stars. 'I would have just continued to choreograph films, and Len would have been doing his dance school. Strictly has changed our lives. And we are very grateful for it. 'At the end of the day, if it wasn't for this, we wouldn't be here.' Ricky Whittle, 29, narrowly avoided being booted off the show after he was arrested over an alleged assault of a photographer in Liverpool last month. That week, he found himself in the dance-off although he subsequently claimed he did not believe the incident had affected his chances in the competition. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1237178/Too-couples-far-long--Strictly-judges-lash-BBCs-new-format-final-ratings-fall.html#ixzz0aEKyMSLu |
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Strictly Come Dancing runner-up calls for voting figures to be released
* Press Association * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 20 December 2009 22.07 GMT * Article history Strictly Come Dancing's runner-up Ricky Whittle has called for it to follow The X Factor's lead and release details of the voting figures. The Hollyoaks actor, partnered by Natalie Lowe, lost to presenter Chris Hollins, partnered by Ola Jordan, in Saturday's final. Whittle said he did not know how close he and Hollins were in the public vote that decided the winner of the BBC1 show. Whittle said: "They never tell us and I don't think they ever will, which is a bit of a shame. "At the end of the day it's a public channel. X Factor came out with all the stats and it would be nice to see how the voting was going to see what people were doing right and wrong." The actor was backed by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler, who has tabled parliamentary questions on the subject, and said: "It's completely ludicrous to claim that the Corporation shouldn't make clear how well each couple did in the Strictly final. "The technology is there, so why the smoke and mirrors? "Surely if you ask the public to ring in, it's in the public's interest to know the full result." Tyler, who has tabled questions in parliament on the matter, called for the Freedom of Information Act to be updated to expose the BBC to "full public scrutiny". A BBC spokesman said: "We never reveal exact figures from our shows as we have a relationship of trust with our contestants and it would be unfair to disclose the exact nature of difference in their popularity." |