I quite like the stats too Suzi Q!

Hollyoaks pair head betting for Strictly Come Dancing

Nov 5 2009 by Dawn Collinson, Liverpool Echo

IN the battle of the soaps, it seems Hollyoaks are trouncing their Cockney opposition when it comes to dance floor moves.

While EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy and Ricky Groves now find themselves third and fourth in line with the bookies to be booted off Strictly Come Dancing next week, the Hollyoakers are reigning supreme.

Natalie is 8-1 to go, while Ricky is 11-1, but their Chester soap rivals – Ricky Whittle and Ali Bastian – seem a far better bet.

Ricky, a red hot favourite with women voters, is the outsider to get voted off at 100-1, while Ali’s also looking safe at 26-1.

Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole to bring new show to Liverpool Empire

Nov 5 2009 Flintshire Chronicle

BRENDAN Cole, one of the professional dancers in BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing, brings his first live stage show, Live and Unjudged, to the Liverpool Empire on January 11 next year.

The ‘bad boy of ballroom’ demonstrates his brilliant execution and superb choreography in a dynamic dance show.

From the sensual moves of the tango, rumba and cha cha, the elegance of the foxtrot, quickstep and Viennese waltz, to a red hot blast of paso doble, salsa and jive, Brendan and his guests perform their choice of everybody’s favourites.

Set to songs from legends such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, to Whitney Huston, Michael Buble, and Michael Jackson, mixed with music as contrasting as Carmina Burana and Guns ‘n’ Roses, this show is full-on, dance-floor dynamite.

Brendan with his dancers, singers and a scorching band of hip young musicians gives the ultimate modern take on ballroom, up close and personal.

Joining him is a galaxy of championship dancers. Brother Scott, (three-times New Zealand champion); Latin American professionals Andrew Cuerden and Hanna Haarala (Strictly Come Dancing series 3). Izabela Hannah (series 3) and Nicole Cutler, former Strictly professional and World Latin American Champion.

Brendan said: I’m so very excited. To get the chance to create and perform my passion for dance with a live audience is a dream come true.”

Tickets range from £23.50-£33.50. Ring the box office on 0844 847 2525 or visit www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk.

I'm watching Fearne meets Alesha Dixon on repeat, I missed the show earlier on ITV2.


Lovely and bubbly Alesha.

Darlo, shouldn't you be in bed for your college tomorrow?  Hope you are enjoying it

I've recorded it, thought it should be worth seeing.

You won't be disappointed Hicky, she was very honest and opened up to Fearne a lot as some of what she said had been kept quiet previously by her choice. It's made me like her even more than I do.

Just watching it now.
Think Alesha is great.

Blackpool on SCD ITT.
Lovely place.

Blackpool.


Craig to go tomorrow.

Group Jive at Blackpool, that will be fantastic.


Can I just say, Claudia Winkleman is fabulous.

Tomorrow will be very exciting Carotman.

The place looks AMAZING.

1,000 people wow thats fantastic.

SCD is on at 6:25 pm tomorrow.

Joe & Kristina having a break in Rome.
For Darlo, I know he adores her, who doesn't?
-----------------


Kristina must have fainted, Joe seems to be giving her the Kiss of Life.

They look really happy together. I've seen pictures of Kristina in the Sun she did some dancing for some of the soldiers I think here. Kristina is lovely.


I really hope she gets to dance with Brian tomorrow.

Blackpool day woo hoo.

SCD is on tonight for nearly two hours!  A group jive and a professionals dance and Rod Stewert and, and, and . . . I'm so excited!

Hi all
Really really looking forward to it myself as well  

Gel!    Where have you been hiding?

I'm even looking forward to the hope that Craig Kelly will be booted out tonight as well, he should NOT be there over Zoe

He may be a nice bloke according to some, but he truly can not dance

Hello Gel. They should do this every year if they are allowed starting from next year.

Hi Suzi

Not been hiding as such, just that real life takes over sometimes  

How are you?

Hiya Darlo  

Yup, agree totally

I'm doing great, Gel, thanks for asking.

Damn that real life!  It's usually much nicer here in the surreal world of cyberland!

I agree about Craig he has tried his best not near the standard of the others, but not his fault that people voted enough for him to stay, hope he does go. He seems nice but lacks charisma. Zoe obviously wasn't connecting to the public as it was the second time she was in the dance off.


Some of Ali and Brian's fans probably presumed they were safe, so tonight I fully expect them to get through with the votes after the shock of last time...

It can be sometimes

I like getting back here and catching up after the rigmaroles of rl, it sort of negates the need to worry about what's going on in the outside

It was a total shock them being in the dance off wasn't it!
She is brilliant, she is so elegant and natural, she's a pleasure to watch
I'm also liking Jade, when she first started strictly she was a little bit 'manly'  But strictly has really brought her feminine side out, and she also is a pleasure to watch now
I've also grown extremely fond of Natalie, I honestly didn't think she would get this far, but I'm glad she has and deservedly so, she has worked so hard

It was shocking indeed. Ali is so pretty and so elegant with her dancing she's always near the top every week and can only get better.

Jade is a dark horse, she seems really nice but I really don't think she will make it to the final in terms of popularity but she is getting better every week.

Natalie is a hit and miss with me, she's improving and seems really fun but she irritates me a little bit.

  I felt like that too at first
It's a pity they put her in that abomination of a jive dress last saturday, it did absolutely nothing for her at all!  Now I know she's not the slimmest of the dancers, however, when you see her training, you really can see that she has lost weight, and she really does have rather good legs, but they seem to insist on putting stuff on her that accentuates her not so good points, instead of flattering her best assets

But she gets top points for me, along with Ricky Groves, ( who incidentally I couldn't stand in the first few weeks    ) for trying and going out there and doing their utmost to entertain  

And now I must go and sort some lunch out, it wouldn't be fun to have a starving hubby on my hands, he'd be grumpy all day, and through strictly too!   

Always a pleasure catching up with you darlo

You too Gel, see you later for the showtime.

Natalie doens't effect me one way or the other - like a lot of the dancers, I guess.  I really didn't expect to like Ricky G, and I really do.  He has shown a side that I didn't expect to see.

I'm really liking Jade as well.  I think she is the most beautiful of all the celebs and I would love to have her muscle defination! She has surprised me in each and every one of her dances.

I think I am most disappointed with Laila.  Her first dance held such high hopes for me, but she really hasn't done very well at all in any of her latin dances.

I tend to like the dancers in most of the series who have "made a journey" and rarely support those that are great and on the top of the leader board in the first weeks.  Ali and Ricky W really don't do it for me.  I just don't see the excitement and the passion for the dancing that I see in some of the others.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman makes 'inferior' blast at this year's contestants

By Mark Jefferies 7/11/2009

Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman has given his verdict on this year's contestants - and says they aren't as good as in previous series.

Dance veteran Len, 65, claimed some of the stars don't have what it takes to appear on the BBC hit - and compared others to vegetables.

Speaking as the celebs arrived in Blackpool for tonight's show at the historic Tower Ballroom, he blasted: "I don't think there's as many good ones this year.

"There's been some good ones and some not so good ones, it's a right old mixed bag."

But Len backed actress Zoe Lucker, 35, who was booted out last week - claiming she deserved to still be competing.

And he admitted he had thought 41-yearold EastEnders' star Ricky Groves would be hopeless.

Len said: "I don't think the right people are in, but it's a bit like the FA Cup - suddenly Swindon will knock out Arsenal.

"Ricky's been better than I thought. I thought he'd be useless, but he's middle of the pack. I'm not saying he's the best and I'm not saying he's the worst. He's sort of handsome. If he was a vegetable, he'd be a cauliflower."

Ricky's fellow soap star - Corrie's Craig Kelly - was also targeted in Len's Radio1 rant to Chris Moyles. He said: "He's got no rhythm, I've told him that, no natural rhythm."

But Craig, 39, brushed off the criticism as he and the other contestants donned 'Kiss Me Quick' hats and 'I love Blackpool' T-shirts after arriving together on a BBC coach.

The actor, who hails from nearby Lytham St Annes and is the bookies' favourite to go out tonight, said: "It feels like a big sense of fun to be here. My parents, brother and wife will be at the Tower Ballroom to cheer me. I'll push myself hard."

Craig's chances of survival have been boosted this week, with three of his rivals facing shock setbacks. Natalie Cassidy went down with a stomach bug yesterday, while show favourite Ricky Whittle was in a car crash on Wednesday and had to drop out of rehearsals to film scenes for Hollyoaks.

And Ali Bastian is still in pain after stubbing her toe last week.

Well, I'm loving all of them, it's mighty hard for them to go out there and perform.

And, it's harder for the ones that aren't very good, it takes a lot of guts, and to put up with those awful remarks every week must take some doing.

They all try their hardest and some are better at one dance than another but they spend a lot of time training and for that I applaud them all.

But I love Ali, would love her as a pet.

I agree with Len, this year is good but it just doesn't have the spark of previous series. The celebs were also more likeable and outgoing.


I love the fact that SCD is getting less press coverage this year. XF can have it all but it benefits the celebs in the sense that they don't have to worry much about negative stories and can concentrate more on performing as things are quiet

   
I was going to mention her earlier, she's doing absolutely nothing for me, she's flying under the radar on every level!

But couldn't that possibly mean she's in with a chance!  

I sincerely hope not though