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    Strictly 2014

    I know 99% of posters on here despise it and would rather poke their eyes out than watch etc. etc. but fuck it, I'm going to post on it anyway, nil thread or not. The missus and I are really looking forward to tomorrow night's first batch of dances. She might be looking forward a bit too much to watching that apparently super good looking bloke, but if she gets too vocal on the topic I can always counter with some comments about Rachel Stevens (Strictly 2008, well worth a look on youtube if you don't mind steam coming out of your ears).

    It's a shame that the contestants this year are, collectively, clearly a bit shy of the last few years, fame-wise. But as the series goes on you tend to forget about their outside world fame anyway and focus more on how they come across within Strictly.

    And this year, hallelujah, we're finally rid of cheesy, creepy Bruce Forsyth. Claudia Winkelman may have been a dreadful appointment to the Film ** series, but she is great for this role.

    #2
    Strictly 2014

    Evariste Euler Gauss wrote: It's a shame that the contestants this year are, collectively, clearly a bit shy of the last few years, fame-wise.
    I'd heard of three of them...

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      #3
      Strictly 2014

      Siouxsie is a fan. I'm not joking.

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        #4
        Strictly 2014

        Be mildly interesting how the ratings war with the X Factor matches up - now that Cowell is back, and is busy unbuttoning his shirt in anticipation.

        Although with recording, iPlayers and the like , most addicts could easily watch both.

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          #5
          Strictly 2014

          I'd heard of three of them...
          Same here, GO. I'm guessing it'll be the same three for each of us (Judy Murray, Gregg Wallace, Pixie Lott)? And of those 3, it's only JM and GW whom I'd have been able to name if they appeared in a Usual Suspects style line-up, so arguably only two and a half for me.

          I'd sort of half-heard of Frankie Bridge too, qua Frankie Sandford, but I don't think half-heard counts really.

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            #6
            Strictly 2014

            Judy Murray, Gregg Wallace and Tim thingy for me. My wife watches Bargain Hunt...

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              #7
              Strictly 2014

              Ah, makes sense. I'd only really registered Pixie Lott because it's a funny name and I'd enjoyed irritating one of my teenage daughters with the doesn't-quite-work Dad joke "is her middle name Nosa".

              Tim Wonnacott's performance when introduced to his professional dance partner on the series launch show was described by the Guardian's Strictly live blogger as "a bit Swiss Tony".

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                #8
                Strictly 2014

                I haven't ever really watched it because of Bruce, but I do dance.

                Cha Cha Cha, Rock & Roll, Salsa, not into this quick step I'm learning and want to skip over and concentrate on Jive, lots of fun. Recommended.

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                  #9
                  Strictly 2014

                  I really don't like the look of that new male professional Trent Whiddon. If he went to Hogwarts, you wouldn't need a sorting hat to work out he belonged in Slytherin.

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                    #10
                    Strictly 2014

                    TLMG is currently watching this. I'm considering throwing myself out of the window into a tree.

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                      #11
                      Strictly 2014

                      Gangster Octopus wrote:
                      Originally posted by Evariste Euler Gauss
                      It's a shame that the contestants this year are, collectively, clearly a bit shy of the last few years, fame-wise.
                      I'd heard of three of them...
                      Ha, funnily enough sw2boro had it on in the background on silent for a bit and I remarked that the celebrities were of a higher standard than usual as I could easily recognise more than half of them. Then again I have a photographic memory for shitty pop acts of the last 10 years. Surprised neither of you had heard of Scott Mills though.

                      Enlighten me, though : I really enjoy middle England's favourite show the Great British Bake Off even though I can't bake for toffee and don't even like cake that much, but the success of Strictly is a bit of a mystery to me. What's the appeal? The dancing itself, the "celebrities", the costumes, the judging? Every time I've caught some of it (which is admittedly not that often), I've found it both annoyingly vapid and very very boring.

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                        #12
                        Strictly 2014

                        What's the appeal?
                        Different things for different viewers, I expect, hence why it appeals to such a huge and diverse audience.

                        For me personally, it's a mix of things.

                        First, unsurprisingly, there's a certain appeal in the fact that most of the female professionals and one or two of the female "celebs" are, ahem, easy on the eye (in outfits that often make them even easier on the eye), and of course that works similarly in mirror image for many female viewers, as I know very well from the missus's observations as we watch it.

                        Then there's the whole business of mentally engaging with the struggles (and the courage) of the celebs to master something that doesn't come too easily to them, performing in such a personal and vulnerable fashion in front of a judging panel and a vast television audience. Sharing a journey of dramatic personal progress over the weeks in some cases.

                        Then the aesthetic quality of the dancing, which is often very impressive, especially in the later weeks when the weaker dancers are out and the remaining ones are getting more skilled. Many of the dances are captivating in their technical proficiency and/or imaginative choreography. Some of them are beautiful (e.g. some of the waltzes), some brilliantly entertaining and cheerful (e.g the charlesons and some of the jives), some cheekily sexy (e.g the cha cha chas) and on occasion the best of the rumbas are seriously erotic (see e.g. Kara and Artem's week 11 rumba from a few years ago, or Rachel Stevens' rumba to that Paul Weller song).

                        As for the early weeks, which are peppered with dross, they serve mainly as relief to give context to the later highs. On the basis, say, of last night's week 1 instalment 1, it would be difficult to make a case for watching the programme (and indeed this may turn out to be a disappointing series overall; I should say I haven't yet watched tonight's instalment).

                        Also: judges - good, Tess Daly - poor, Claudia Winkleman - v funny.

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                          #13
                          Strictly 2014

                          Fussbudget wrote: Surprised neither of you had heard of Scott Mills though.
                          Who he?

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                            #14
                            Strictly 2014

                            This was interesting when it had peter schmeichel and john barnes trying to dance. Unfortunately they couldn't be on forever.

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                              #15
                              Strictly 2014

                              So far, the best things about the new series of Strictly have been the occasional deadpan quip from Claudia (who is absolutely perfect for this role) and the humour of the Guardian's Strictly Live blog. The dancing itself, in terms of spark and fizz, may well turn out to be somewhat less gripping than in the last few years.

                              It's not just that the crop of celebs is undeniably more D-list and (more importantly) blander on average than in recent years, it's also the turnover amongst the professional dancers, especially the male ones: interesting characters like Artem and Robin have been replaced by chaps who have yet to show that quality of personality.

                              Edit: I should probably mention, for any laydeez thinking of tuning in, that the hunk/Adonis factor amongst the male celebs seems to have ratcheted up this year, but that's a neutral consideration for me.

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                                #16
                                Strictly 2014

                                Gangster Octopus wrote:
                                Originally posted by Fussbudget
                                Surprised neither of you had heard of Scott Mills though.
                                Who he?
                                Utterly insufferable Radio 1 DJ. I might be slightly overestimating how famous Radio 1 DJs are these days.

                                Thanks for the explanation EEG, that does all make sense even if it confirms that it's not for me. Hunky beefcakes do nothing for me and I generally find the "celebrities" excruciating to watch on that type of show (I've had to stop watching the celebrity editions of Pointless as I just spend my time shouting "STOP TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF AND ANSWER THE BLOODY QUESTION YOU SELF-OBSESSED IDIOT!" at the contestants.) I do like Claudia Winkleman though so it's got that going for it.

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                                  #17
                                  Strictly 2014

                                  Fussbudget wrote:
                                  Originally posted by Gangster Octopus
                                  Originally posted by Fussbudget
                                  Surprised neither of you had heard of Scott Mills though.
                                  Who he?
                                  Utterly insufferable Radio 1 DJ. I might be slightly overestimating how famous Radio 1 DJs are these days.
                                  Could be. I haven't listened to Radio 1 since its heyday in the seventies when all the DJs were kiddy-fiddlers and serial gropers...

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Strictly 2014

                                    I don’t mind it and it’s the only thing the wife and I watch together. It is also one of the few shows my autistic son engages with. Funny that, but still.

                                    We have only started watching it regularly the last couple of years as I have stopped going to the pub after games.

                                    Having said that we only watch the dancing and scoring, mainly because we found Bruce fucking painful to watch and Tess though appearing to be nice is dull. We tend to spend the in-between bits checking the day’s football results and surfing the net. My lad just sits there and laughs his bollox off.

                                    It’s harmless enough and while the format allows for the fall guy/girl it doesn’t seem to exploit them and they take the piss out off themselves. What I really like about it is how the vocalists can sing in so many different scales and styles. Impressive.

                                    Anyway for those interested Greg Wallace has been voted off.

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                                      #19
                                      Strictly 2014

                                      I'd like to think that's at least in part due to how he eats food off a fork.

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                                        #20
                                        Strictly 2014

                                        Judy Murray is pound for pound the worst dancer I have ever seen on Strictly. I say pound for pound because she has all the assets physically to do it but is effectively as wooden as a plank.

                                        You're not alone, Euler. I quite like Strictly too. And I think Claudia Winkelman is about as natural and likeable as anyone could possibly be on a programme as high profile as this.

                                        It's a shame The Chef Bloke has gone all therapy because generally Strictly doesn't attempt to destroy people who just aren't that good, unlike other programmes with a similar timeslot.

                                        Finally, it's a crying shame that Aliona has once again been eliminated early on. I like Aliona, sad old git that I am.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Strictly 2014

                                          Look, Strictly, you ****ing idiots, you've got a formula that works, it's all fine. It doesn't need any extra bloody bells and whistles, so stop ****ing dicking around with it with stupid innovations like celebrity guest judges.

                                          Donny Osmond last night was, well, "a disaster" would be overstating it, but he seriously detracted from the quality. From the bits I've seen so far (9 out of the 14 dances), he has given useless, insight-free comments and bizarre point scoring (including an unwarranted first 10 of the series for a dance which was excellent but clearly only a 9). What a ****ing stupid idea having him on the show.

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                                            #22
                                            Strictly 2014

                                            Didn't he win the US version?

                                            If so he has plenty of insight from a 'celebrity' point of view.

                                            Of course he also recognises the show for what it is. An entertainment show with a competitive element and not to be taken too seriously.

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                                              #23
                                              Strictly 2014

                                              Did you see Donny's 'hair' though? It was one of the most preposterous rugs seen on a person in many a long year. Infact it wasn't unlike that thing Vialli used to have on top of his head at Sampdoria in the early 90's

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                                                #24
                                                Strictly 2014

                                                Oh dear. Looks like The New Ukip Public might be having their say again.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Strictly 2014

                                                  I doubt that UKIP's themes have anything to do with the Strictly voting over the weekend. All sorts of other reasons why Simon was a likely candidate for the bottom 2, including being in the danger zone 5 places off the bottom of the leaderboard where you're not in obvious need of votes from your fans but do actually need those votes.

                                                  There's quite a stratification of ability this year: 5 consistently hopeless candidates (the two already off plus Scott, Judy and Tim, albeit Tim did produce a not totally dreadful effort in week 2), a bunch in the middle, and 4 with real talent who are already a joy to watch (Frankie, Pixie, Caroline and Jake).

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