...d.w.t.s.2...

It's official. I might be a dancing with the stars convert. Especially after last night.

Did anyone else watch? Because it was AWESOME.

They had a 46 piece live orchestra, along with rock violinist David Garrett, (whom I had never heard of, but I really liked his pony-tail. He rocked it), AND opera singer Katherine Jenkins.

The dancers this week had to preform classical dances to classical musical pieces. The live band was sensational, and at the risk of sounding cheesey balls, I truly LOVED watching every minute of this program.

The best part of it was that all the musical pieces were recognizable, and regardless of how well the dancers performed, the sheer beauty of the music was enough for me. At the end of every dance, I realized that I was psuedo-moving around on my seat to the beat of the music. Ha. Does that happen to anyone else?

Some of the music that was played:

Karl Jenkins : Palladio Allegretto

Bizet: Carmen Overture

And my all-time favorite, The Flower Duet

And I'm totally not kidding when I say that is my favorite. For some reason, I've always loved that song. It got me through many a study sesh in college. One Anna Storvick may recall how I would have this song on repeat whilst homeworking.

And of course, the new dwts leaders twirled to the Harry Potter theme, which I am obviously obsessed with. Counting down the days until the next movie comes out in July! Booyah!!

...d.w.t.s...

DWTS. Dancing With The Stars. Duh.

If you feel bad for not knowing what the acronym stood for...don’t. I just found out on Sunday night when I watched the encore performance of the season 12 premier. Of course I tuned in on Monday night to watch the second episode.

I’m a DWTS first-timer. Well, I guess second-timer seeing as I’ve watched two whole shows now.

Now that I no longer have access to an included cable package with our rent, I’m really starting to get into these abc and nbc shows. (Two words: Biggest Loser) Tim started his classes at Booth last night, leaving me with a three-hour window of free-time. I knew DWTS was scheduled, so really, did I have any other choice but to watch?

To all you naysayers who may think all I do is spend time watching TV, I want you to know that I also read an entire book yesterday. Yes. An ENTIRE book.

I need a job.

BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND.

d w t s.

After viewing, I have a few observations; so here’s the rub...

There’s a lot of rubbing. I know that dancing is all about getting close to your partner, looking fluid and smooth, and these celebs and dancers are showcasing that to the maximum level. There’s some sparky physical chemistry there for sure.

There is a LOT of kissing happening. This is a bit confusing to me. Maybe it’s all a part of the “dance world,” but as a viewer I just have to say that it looks a bit awkward. I’ve seen multiple cheek kisses, kissing of the biceps muscle, fake make-outs, real make-outs...the judges have even gotten in on the action! Maybe they are just so relieved when their dances are done that they just can’t help but kiss? I’m still hunting down the root of this issue/desire.

The dancing is actually impressive! (in most cases) As someone who doesn’t necessarily have ballroom ease and talent, I am truly impressed by how fluid these dances look. Good work celebies! Of course, I haven’t ruled out the possibility that all the girls wear shiny, sequencey, and skimpy outfits to distract the viewer from the actual talent on the dance floor...

Speaking of the ladies, it’s hard to take your eyes off of them! I intentionally tried to watch the guys and the girls on the floor because some of the celebrities are men, and they are actually the people the viewer is supposed to be focused on during the dance. But I can’t focus on anything but the fanciness and flow of the ladies’ outfits. It could also be that I typically don’t go for a man dressed in a sequence tux, so I subconsciously ignore them. Sorry guys.

Am I hooked yet?

Not sure.

I guess they vote dancers off on Tuesday night? I’m not sure how the whole system works.

Any other dwts watchers out there?

If you prefer to watch in secret, I can respect that.

Personality Change...

I've grown up hearing the phrase "you are what you eat." I'm hoping that's not LITERALLY true as I've just consumed a bowl of tomato soup for lunch, and I could foresee some potential operational issues as living the rest of my life in the form of a liquid tomato. A recent survey by Mindset Media now suggests that we also are what we watch on television.

The survey piqued my interest because I am the recent recipient of FREE cable at our downtown apartment. It's been pretty awesome getting to watch various shows that I otherwise wouldn't have access to. (Shout-out to Sister Wives, a totally bizarre yet captivating show about a polygamist family.) But I've also noticed my reading habits going downhill....disappearing right into the ocean along with some of the crabs in Deadliest Catch. This is not a good thing. So what am I turning myself into by tuning into Glee, The Office, and the occasional Real Housewife?

According to the survey, Glee viewers are most likely to be open, experimental and creative. They also "believe that imagination and intellectual pursuits contribute to a good life." And finally, most likely experience emotions more intensely than others. Do I fit the Glee viewer stereotype?

Let's move on to The Office, shall we? Viewers of the office are most likely to have a superiority complex. Yes. According to the survey, "people who consider themselves superior to others are 47% more likely to watch the office." Yikes.

I'm hesitant to discuss the Real Housewives as it connotes the viewer to be "an aggresive, pugnacious, antagonistic, drama-queen type of person," with the key advertiser for the set as Botox. I sincerely hope that I am close to the opposite of the aforementioned described....?

So how seriously am I supposed to take these results? Am I still the same person for watching these shows, or am I as changed as the survey suggests? I feel relatively confident that I maintain my individuality, even if I do get sucked into the drama of the housewives every once in awhile. Either that or I'm an open, experimental, extremely emotional drama queen with a pugnacious and antagonistic attitude, topped with a superiority complex and desire for botox. You decide.