Dancing On Ice - Week Eight

Last weekend it was the Quarter Final… yes, already! But not only that it was solo skate time, a way to separate the prancers from the dancers.

Kyran & Nina

More impressive lifts accompanied by some flash and fancy footwork from Kyran who took his performance to another level this week and saw the best score of the series so far for this duo. The choreography was well executed and it was clear for all to see both Kyran and Nina enjoyed monkeying around to this one. Although the routine was technically slightly easier this week it worked well for Kyran as it allowed him to concentrate more on the performance aspect.

Scored | 35 |

Our Score | 7.5 |

Hayley – Solo

It was apparent for all to see how much confidence and security Dan gives Hayley when it comes to skating. Without him her speed more than halved, she was tentative and lacked real flow over the ice. It must have been nerve wracking to be the first celeb to perform the solo skate and Hayley gave a fabulous performance despite a few minor stumbles and the lack of confidence. Her arabesque had beautiful lines and she sure gave it a good go.

Scored | 31.5 |

Our Score | 7 |

Beth & Lukasz

Poor Beth, it looked like it’d been a real hellish week for her and we commend her for going out there and still skating, we’d have curled up into a ball in front of a Ryan Gosling movie feeling sorry for ourselves… that’s probably why we’re not Olympic athletes. Despite being unwell Beth pulled off a difficult and challenging routine although her illness did affect the performance almost as if she was going through the motions to get the job done rather than enjoy her routine which she admitted herself. The extinguisher moves and inferno lift were incredible and wowed us once again. Great effort all things considered.

Scored | 33 |

Our Score | 7.5 |

Sam – Solo

Full of passion, precision and confidence. A perfectly moody and soulful performance. Sam showcased clean skating and beautiful lines resulting in a well deserved high score from the judges. He really appeared to come into his own during his solo skate, perhaps the pressure of having to keep Vicky safe being lifted gave him the freedom to really let go.

Scored | 36.5 |

Our Score | 9 |

Ray & Maria

Another outstanding performance from Ray & Maria, we’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again, it really is like watching a professional partnership out there one the ice. Each week we’re more and more excited to see this duo skate live on the tour! The shooting star step sequence was almost magical to watch. Ray can do absolutely anything that is thrown at him. He can do the tricks, the big lifts and he can perform whatever he’s asked. Despite another shirtless treat we can’t think of anything to help him improve!

Scored | 39.5 |

Our Score | 10 |

Kyran – Solo

Strong solo skating from Kyran who managed to land all his jumps beautifully. A sure footed and solid performance showing just how good Kyran’s skating really is. Although some of Jason’s comments about Kyran’s upper body lines were just, we need to remember Kyran is from a pro rugby background and you don’t get much further away from dance than that, graceful is never going to come naturally to the big man. He had real presence on the ice as a solo skater and easily held our attention, he can be proud of that one.

Scored | 36.5 |

Our Score | 8.5 |

Hayley & Dan

Wow. Now that’s the Hayley we know and love. Almost, very almost, as good as Jai Ho! Hayley’s technical ability in this routine matched her performance elements and everything came together to make a fantastically choreographed routine. They were perfectly in tune to the beat during the fast paced and full throttle routine resulting in a near perfect score for this dazzling duo.

Scored | 39 |

Our Score | 9.5 |

Beth – Solo

Another performance delivered on auto pilot seeing Beth look awkward and a little clumsy at times. We’re sure this is purely down to her being ill and hope she’s back on form next week. It was all a little placed and it may sound odd, but too perfect, despite this it was a great effort and still confidently executed.

Scored | 32 |

Our Score | 7.5 |

Sam & Vicky

What a beautiful piece. Gentle and elegant and yet again showcasing the love and trust between Sam & Vicky. Great hands free plateau lift showing how much Sam has developed his core strength. The song was perfect, the choreography was perfect, their connection was perfect, every element came together to create the perfect performance, we loved it!

Scored | 38 |

Our Score | 9.5 |

Ray – Solo

Well, hello snake hips Quinn! We certainly didn’t see any of those moves during Sochi! He got our gold, silver and bronze! A raunchy solo performance which saw the ladies in the room (and at home no doubt) plus Jason, getting a little hot hot hot under the collar. Delighted to see the split jump make a reappearance and the spins at the end were outstanding. The only negative was Ray’s wife is unwilling to rent him out… she did however give us permission to look.

Scored | 40 |

Our Score | 10 |

Outside The Box - Top 5 Stories of the Week

1.     Premiership Manager Merry Go Round Spins Again

Rene Meulensteen has been sacked by Fulham after only 75 days and 17 games in charge, and replaced by former Bayern Munich manager Felix Magath. This comes after a week where Fulham pulled out an amazing draw against Manchester United and narrowly losing to a last minute winner against Liverpool.

Now there’s a couple of things here, firstly how in the hell can Shahid Khan the chairmen of Fulham make a decision like this? He backed Rene to the hilt in the January transfer window, they bought some really really good players and moved out some players who didn’t give a damn about the club, and the two games they have had to use these players (they weren’t available for the FA Cup game), they have showed tremendous potential. Rene was put in charge with players he didn’t want, and when he had the players he wanted he put together a battaling hard working team that played fantasticly, but as is the case these days, he wasn’t given any time to prove what he could do. Now Felix has come into the club, if he keeps them up, then he will get all the credit, but I will firmly put 99% of credit to Rene for moving out the deadwood and bringing in some great players.

The behaviour of the owners at Premier League clubs this season has been god awful. They have been making some god awful decisions that go against the traditions of football in this country, and the Premier League bosses need to really think long and hard about their processes in deciding if someone is a fit and proper person to run a club, otherwise football as we know it will lose all the passion and heart that brought the working man to the game, and instead be a business run by people who  care more about the bottom line than cups and glory.

2.     Manchester City Receive Approval To Increase Their Stadium

Manchester City have been given approval to increase the capacity of their stadium from 48,000 to 62,000 to make their stadium the second biggest in Premier league.

Having been to the majority of the grounds this season, my favourite ground has been the Emirates, but a close second was the Etihad. Looking at the graphics they have produced, I may have to reconsider that stance.

Along with the extra revenue that will be coming in from the fans, comes the ability to strengthen their position with the fair financial rules coming through soon. Manchester City will be a might to deal with for years to come.

3.     Nile Ranger Is At It Again

Nile Ranger has been arrested in Northumberland this week after allegedly breaking the terms of his bail. Nile Ranger is currently on bail pending a charge of rape, and as part of the terms of his bail release, he was ordered to stay away from the Northumbria police area until the case was heard. Last week he was spotted in a Newcastle nightclub and was promptly arrested.

Nile Ranger is a strange character. At one point he had the world at his feet, but because of his personality or issues from his past, he has wasted every single opportunity he has been given. I’ve been watching his career, as I saw him as kid playing and he was the most amazing talent I had ever seen, and then I heard about his background and I felt really sorry for him. But I guess he is destined to waste all of that talent that most people would give their arm for. Shame.

4.     Casey Stoney Comes Out As Gay

Casey Stoney, the England & Arsenal  Ladies Football captain, came out as gay in a move that has rightly been seen as a hugely significant and brave move from her.

She has said that her inspiration was Olympian Tom Daley coming out as Bisexual this year, and I applaud both of them for their bravery.

In 2014 we live in a world where we know that highlighting the colour of someones skin or Ethnic background is wrong, why can’t more people in the spotlight reveal their sexuality without the fear of repercussions, either within the changing room or from the stands? With the bravery and courage of people like Casey and Tom, I’m hoping we are close to that acceptance.

5.     When Is A 17 Year Old A 41 Year Old? (Allegedly)

On a brighter note, there has been a lot of hoo ha (yes that is a real word) in Italy regarding Lazio’s Cameroon midfielder  Joseph Minala after he posted a picture of himself on twitter. Joseph is listed as being 17 years old, but people who have seen photos of him are very suspicious of that claim. Along with this, there are claims that he told a Senegal Paper that he was 41 and was turning 42 in August. According to the paper, he has lied about this age so that he could send money back to his family in Cameroon.

Lazio on the other hand have published the official documents that prove that he is the age that he say he is, but people are still questioning the legitimacy of his age. Have a look at the photos yourself at: http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/12/lazio-reveals-official-documents-to-prove-17-year-old-joseph-minala-is-not-41-4301765/

My opinion, I think he looks 50, lol. Anyway, if he’s got the fitness of a 17 year old then that’s something that can’t be faked at the age of 41, so I guess the proof will be if he’s in the Lazio team in 5 years time.

Thanks for reading, if you got any comments about what I’ve said, or if you spot a story in the next week that you want me to add in this blog next week, hit me up on twitter @haydngleed.  

Dancing On Ice - Week Seven

Week 7 (already!) and only champions remain, with the obvious aside it’s too close to call anything at this stage. Everyone left have their fans, their strengths and their very own ice trophy, it’s safe to say we’re in for some impressive skating these last few weeks. Oh and some bloody tense results shows! But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, we’re yet to relive the joys of the weekends skates and that (cough biased cough) team challenge…

Beth & Lukasz

“You Can’t Stop The Beat”

What a great skate! It’s no secret than Beth is a better skater than she is performer but that’s all down to background and it’s plain to see how much she’s worked on this aspect with Lukasz during the series. This high energy routine full of characterisation showed off just how much she’s improved. Beth pulled off some incredible moves as always whilst maintaining speed and skilful skating throughout the performance, not only that but she’s the first female celebrity to attempt and preparation axel and she pulled it off with apparent ease. We’ll always prefer her emotive routines, probably because we’re secretly soppy on the inside, but we really did enjoy this one.

Scored | 34 |

Our Score | 8.5 |

Hayley & Dan

“Skyscraper”

Two weeks in a row without the ‘smile on ice’, we’d be worried if we weren’t so in lust with these last two routines. This was all about the emotion, the story, the connection and it was goosebumps all round. These two really did deliver a beautiful and elegant performance. Although it did lack the tricks and the difficult technique it just goes to show how important the non-skating side is to a final score. From a skating view, it was a weekend in Paris, from an artistic point of view it was a week in Bali… we’d love both but enjoy one slightly more, if you get our drift.

Scored | 34.5 |

Our Score | 9 |

Kyran & Nina

“Can’t Hold Us”

A fast paced and jam packed routine from Kyran and Nina. Kyran showcasing his strength and stability through those big difficult lifts. He looked a tad demonic through the performance hinging on out of control at times that just goes to show how much he’s putting into it. Falling behind the big guns score wise slightly this week and finding himself in the skate-off again, we’re struggling to think of what he could possibly do to push himself even further… maybe that shirtless idea could treat him well?

Scored | 33 |

Our Score | 8 |

Suzanne & Matt

“Black Velvet”

Wow, their best skate of the series, by far! A stunningly sexy and sultry performance. They are so natural together both on and off the ice and it was really good to see something a little bit different from them. The solo skating was strong, the lifts were solid and the energy sustained. Very disappointing to see this duo in the skate-off and leaving the competition, you can’t help but wonder what might have been if they team challenge result had swung the other way. An early exit in everyones eyes.

Scored | 37 |

Our Score | 9.5 |

Ray & Maria

“Lego House”

We suggest he skates shirtless, it (nearly) happens. We suggest he skates a slower, lyrical routine, it happens. Hmmm… what to suggest next? This routine was perfect in every way, it made our hearts melt a little and our Quinny crush reach new heights. The contemporary dance element gave it that extra little something and was sublime to watch. Every move flowed from one to the other and the whole performance was seamless. To make it just that little bit more great he and Maria came up with this routine themselves for their skate-off performance… glad they chose to perform it this week or we’d have never got to see it!

Scored | 40 |

Our Score | 10 |

Sam & Vicky

“Happy”

Finally! Everything came together all at once for Sam and Vicky this week resulting in a performance loved and enjoyed by everyone, we couldn’t be more delighted for them. This week saw a change in Sams attitude and approach and he just seemed to have fun during the routine.  It was a very difficult routine full of step sequences and remained ‘Happy’ (sorry) through out. Really good to see a performance focus on skating skills rather than big lifts and clever tricks. There was great attention to detail, good speed and Sam delivered a skilful performance resulting in well deserved high scores.

Scored | 37 |

Our Score | 9.5 |

Team Challenge

Boys V Girls

Team Hayley

Clever choreography, great team work and well synchronised. The routine was excellently executed – all three couples were synchronised and the lifts were strong, they did what asked of them and what the music allowed them to do. It couldn’t have gone any better.

Team Ray

We’re big fans of the outfits, the denim clad, greased up look certainly works for them… and us! The flip over that Ray did at the beginning was great but the rest of the routine was too loose and they didn’t seem fully in control, their timings were out on a few occasions however tt was a fun routine and the lifts were strong.

Winners | Boys |

Our Winners | Girls |

Dancing On Ice - Week Six

Well what an opening that was, a real treat for the eyes. The opening numbers this year really have lived up to the all star hype. Can you believe it’s week 6 already, it’s going far too fast for our liking! No rule changes or voting gimmicks this week, just a straightforward skate for the votes, just how we like it. Normally the theme weeks can be a little cheesy and detract from some of the routines, but not this week. The costumes were incredible, huge kudos to the team behind the scenes this week, we loved it.

Suzanne & Matt

“Lets Hear It For The Boys”

A fast paced and energetic performance with Suzanne and Matt giving great characterisation throughout. We actually agreed with Jason ever so slightly on this one, it did seem more novelty over content in parts… which is oddly the way Nicky Slater came across too. Suzanne is capable of so much more, we’ve seen it with our very own eyes, however we still loved it, even Matts wig. The running sequence looked great and there was some technically difficult footwork in there. They weren’t as speedy over the ice as we’ve come to expect however the lift exits looked much more secure and controlled.

Scored | 32.5 |

Our Score | 8 |

Sam & Vicky

“Radio Ga Ga”

The skate-off, again? Really? General public, get your act together and start voting for talent. Completely disagree with Jason (we feel much more content with life when that happens) Sam really let go and got into character this week, it’s plain for everyone to see how much Sam and Vicky enjoyed skaing that routine. Sam has previously looked uncertain in prior weeks struggling with some of the bigger lifts but seems to have found more core strength and looked a lot more sure and certain. Nice lines from Sam with plenty of strong solo skating and so in tune with Vicky, their chemistry never fails to translate.

Scored | 31.5 |

Our Score | 8.5 |

Gareth & Brianne

“Freedom”

Gareth put everything he had into that routine! By far their best routine of the series so far and once again marked improvement. He’s slower over the ice than most other competitors but you can tell he’s really pushing himself to compete with the others. Brianne certainly knows how to bring out the best in Gareth who looked confident and sure footed in his solo skating and showed surprising strength through some pretty impressive lifts. Sorry to see this duo leave, but they sure went out on a high.

Scored | 29 |

Our Score | 7.5 |

Hayley & Dan

“Here Comes The Rain Again”

Wow, it’s not very often you see Hayley on the ice without a big grin on her face, but we loved it. This may be slightly controversial but it possibly is our favourite ever ‘Daley’ routine (yes, above Jai Ho). This routine was full of passion and had us mesmerised all the way through. Great rhythm and wonderfully executed. Hayley and Dan were born to skate together. We loved the side pencil lift at the end. A quiet start to the series for this pair but in recent weeks they’re really showing why they’re one of the most loved former champions.

Scored | 36.5 |

Our Score | 9.5 |

Ray & Maria

“Jump”

We gave some excellent advice that the only way Ray could possibly improve was to skate topless, now it wasn’t quite bare chest but we’ll take it. Whenever Ray skates we forget we’re watching a celebrity in action, everything about his performance screams professional. So fast and fluid over the ice the only thing we can find to fault is Nicky Slaters score, we BOO at him from our keyboard! Another phenomenal performance from Ray and Maria made to look effortless. We know Ray can pull of fast and furious but we’d love to see an emotive performance from him next week, or the week after, or the week after that, he’ll be around long enough to treat us to one at some point.

Scored | 39.5 |

Our Score | 10 |

Kyran & Nina

“I Want To Know What Love Is”

Kyran seemed much more confident this week both on and off the ice, it’s amazing what a duel win can do. A skilful and graceful performance this week from the big man. The candle lift was stunning and there was such strength demonstrated in the final spinning lantern. A few little mistakes but he remained committed to the feel and emotion of the routine so we barely noticed them.

Scored | 33 |

Our Score | 8 |

Beth & Lukasz

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”

We had horrible visions of Jason making some sort of quip about her not looking like she wanted to have fun but just moments into the routine it was obvious even he couldn’t get that impression. We’ve said it before but Lukasz has been such an inspired pairing for Beth, he really does bring out the best in her, it’s really nice to see him being able to show us what he can really do too. Plenty of daring lifts and those splits at the end looked both perfect and painful! We loved the mini off-ice section too, yes as Nicky said it isn’t exactly dancing on ice, but it’s all about the overall performance and it definitely added an extra bit of wow.

Scored | 34.5 |

Our Score | 9 |

The Jonathan Ross Show - 8th Feb

THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW

SATURDAY 8^TH FEB – 9.55PM – ITV

This week Jonathan is joined by Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O’Dowd, Emily Mortimer and Kevin Bridges with music from John Legend.

Kiefer Sutherland talks about filming the new series of ‘24’ in London which is the first time the American hit show has been filmed outside of the US. Filming in London has bought about a few challenged, mainly the weather and the traffic but so far they’ve managed to negotiate the weather and the recent tube strikes have helped them feel much less guilty about causing traffic when the shut down streets for filming.

“We’ve managed to negotiate the weather.  The thing we are most worried about is snow,”

“The tube strike has actually made me feel a lot better about this because London is a really congested town and even if we only take over a block (for filming) they have to re-direct traffic and you can see it starting to pile up and then people start watching what you’re doing, so people stop their cars to see what’s happening.  So I’m very nervous, having shot in New York where people are very glad to have you in the first couple of weeks and then they want to kill you because of the traffic.  So this is my aforementioned apology to everybody in London if we do cause you any traffic.  But after the tube strike we’re not going to do anything like that.  It’s going to be fantastic.  We’re not going to be even close to that.”

Kiefer remains tight lipped on what fans can expect from the new 12 episode series of 24 but Jonathan managed to get a few teasers out of him.

“It’s a terrorist threat.  There are a couple of other changes.  I can’t go into it at length but some of the characters that are more familiar to the audience that are coming back, their relationships in these last four years have dynamically changed as well, so it will be very fresh because it feels very fresh to do it right now.  At the root of it, he’s  (Jack) going to have a shitty day.”

He also mentions how he’s never watched any of his shows back, apart from once and that he had to take a cooking class because he feared his skills were so bad he’d kill his children…

“I haven’t watched an episode of 24, no. But I know how it goes, I have read the script.”

“I don’t watch the films I’ve made.  I think the last one I watched was Stand By Me.  I had a girlfriend and we went to the cast and crew screening and I had a very specific idea of what I wanted to do with the character.”

“I was standing there, we watched the movie and everything I thought I wanted to do, I hadn’t done at all.  All I saw was myself up there and I was mortified and my girlfriend was saying, ‘I thought it was really great.’ I said, ‘Don’t patronise me.  I need to get another job.  If I don’t get another job and this comes out I’m dead and my career is over.’  It was really lucky for me because there was another film that I didn’t want to do that I took because of that, which was Lost Boys, so clearly I am not the person to watch my own work.”

“I tried not to kill my children so I took a class or two.  I’d seen the movie called The Accidental Tourist where one of the themes is that if you slow cook a turkey there’s a good chance you can poison your family, and that scared me.  So I took a couple of classes and then it was something I really liked.  It’s funny because I’m not a foodie but I really liked making this stuff.  I found it really relaxing as long as I didn’t have to do it for anybody or under any time pressure.”

Chris O’Dowd co-wrote and starred in sitcom Moone Boy and chats about a time he had to throw his own mother off the set during filming.

“We did this scene with Steve Coogan where mum was kind of in the background and while we were just getting ready to start shooting she was on the phone and she kept talking to one of her friends.  I was like, ‘Mum, we’re about to start.’ And she said, ‘It’s okay, I’ll be quiet.’  I went, ‘But we can see that you’re talking on your iPhone in 1990’ which is when the show is set.  So I had to order her to leave the set.  She didn’t seem to care but she never came back.”

He also speaks about not telling his wife Dawn O’Porter when he has to film kissing scenes so she doesn’t know they happen until she watch the finished film or show.

“I say nothing.  If I have to kiss a girl in a film, Dawn doesn’t know that it’s happening until she sees the film.”

Emily Mortimer talks about her self confessed double standards when it comes to kissing scenes for her and her husband Alessandro Nivola.

“I’ve got terrible double standards about things like kissing girls.  I think it’s all right for me to kiss people in films, that’s fine, but (if he does it) I hate it and I give him absolute hell about it.  I just hate the whole thing.”

Kevin Bridges talks about living across the street from Frankie Boyle.

“I’d bought a bike and I knew he (Frankie) was into his cycling so I said to him, ‘Why don’t we cycle to Lock Lomond?’  It’s about a 20 mile cycle and Frankie made it about 200 yards.  He turned back, ditched his bike and said, ‘I’m going to get a taxi, I’ll meet you down there.’  I got lost on my own and arrived about three hours later to see him sitting there reading a paper.”

He also speaks about the vote for Scottish Independence.

“I think there’s just something exciting about Scotland being this foreign country.  We could really go for it.  Get their own plug sockets,”

“I would like to see a four year return clause, that if we make a total ar*e of it, we’re your problem again.  We can come back going, ‘Sorry about that wee revolution we had there.  Andy Murray, he’s yours, we get it.’”

Dancing On Ice - Week Five

Last weekend saw the return of the Dancing On Ice duel, each celebrity was matched against another where they had to fight it out on the ice for an automatic spot into next weeks show. Initially a great idea, if, and that was a very big if, the judges voted on performance not reputation…

Kyran & Nina Vs Sam & Vicky

“Beat It”

A great routine, it had it all, specifically that moon walking from Kyran we requested last week. Both Kyran and Sam are technically wonderful skaters, Sam always shines with his speed but during this routine Kyran really upped his game and very nearly matched him. We loved the competitive elements of this, it felt like a proper duel between two graceful bulls (we mean that in the nicest way possible) rather than a choreographed dance between two hug loving puppies. Not the best similes but we think you get our drift. It was a close one but unlike the judges, Sam and Vicky edged it for us we felt he had slightly sharper lines and his overall performance level was just that little bit more to our liking.

Winner | Kyran |

Our Winner | Sam |

Bonnie & Andrei Vs Gareth & Brianne

“Things”

Great to see Gareth upping his game for this duel and oozing confidence, character and charisma pairing him with Brianne was the perfect decision as we’ve seen notable improvements every single week. Bonnie the show woman delivered again, but still relied heavily on the arms of Andrei. Overall it was definitely more hug loving puppy than graceful bull (we’re sticking with it) but enjoyable all the same. Along with the judges Gareth got our vote for duel winner.

Winner | Gareth |

Our Winner | Gareth |

Hayley & Dan Vs Beth & Lukasz

“Stronger”

One of the toughest duel pairings to choose between, both are wonderful skaters and both have completely different strengths, unfortunately for Beth it was Hayleys acting strengths that just edges her the win. This series Beth has improved notably along side Lukasz both on technique and performance, her ability is a joy to watch and the lifts leave us gobsmacked after every routine. Hayley always excelled in her routines which were character driven, this series has been no different but she’s also been working on technique and it really shows. Both ladies upped their game for the duel and it was simply the execution of the side by side dance steps that swung it in the direction of Hayley and Dan for us and the judges.

Winner | Hayley |

Our Winner | Hayley |

Ray & Maria Vs Suzanne & Matt

“Dead Ringer For Love”

What a duel anyone would be forgiven for thinking they were watching 4 pros on the ice, for a moment we thought we’d skipped forward to the final already! Whoever was paired against Ray was almost nailed on for a loss, he’s just too bloody good. Suzanne definitely gave him a good run for his money though, easily her best week this series so far, not quite graceful bulls but the element of competition bought out the best in her. It was great to see the split jump from Ray return, it seemed as though he just threw it in there with natural ease this time around. Another week where he’s excelled all expectations, you’d be forgiven for wondering if its possible for him to be any better, well, last week we suggested the only way he could improve was if he were to skate shirtless! After a little chat on twitter Ray suggest we might just be in for a treat (insert smug winky face here… you’re welcome in advance). Anyway, back to the duel, beautiful lines and performance from Suzanne but sadly still no match for the mighty Mr Quinn.

Winner | Ray |

Our Winner | Ray |

The ‘losers’ then had to skate again for the publics vote and to avoid the dreaded skate-off.

Sam & Vicky

“Dream Catch Me”

A capable and confident performance from Sam but the choice of song made the skating seem somewhat out of sync, normally his sheer speed across the ice gives the performance that extra bit of wow but this time it just didn’t fit, less may have been more. Although it was clear to see they were disappointed with how the step sequence went, we still loved it, its clear to see the love and trust between them which makes the whole performance credible and believable. You can really see Sam concentrating on the steps, which is great for his technique but for the overall feel perhaps he just needs to let go and enjoy it that little bit more.

Bonnie & Andrei

“Devil Gate Drive”

A fun, fast paced routine with lots of clever little tricks, but as we’ve stated before we still feel like Bonnie is lacking something in her skating. She looked so comfortable out there on the ice and seemed to love the routine which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. It was great to see Bonnie back on the show, but compared to most of the others left in the competition we feel it was probably the right time for her to go, she even smiled her way through the skate-off.

Beth & Lukasz

“Think”

Now that’s what you call a comeback performance. We completely disagreed with Jason’s view that it was too controlled and safe, that “freedom finale” HAD to be controlled or it wouldn’t have been safe. Logic Jason, sometimes it’s helpful. We’ve mentioned before how much we love this partnership, Lukasz seems to push her so much more than Dan did and it’s really giving their routines that edge of unpredictability.

Suzanne & Matt

“I Knew Your Were Trouble”

The choreography was brilliant, it was technically hard and she made it look easy! Suzanne and Matt have such natural chemistry on the ice and work so well together. The fact that she picked herself up and just carried on directly with the performance as if nothing had happened after the little fall showed her professionalism off in fine form and that’s exactly how it should be. She shows true fighting spirit every week and we adored the twisting head banger at the end.

It’s 80’s weekend so expect plenty of neon and lyrca or in the words of Ray Quinn “Errr a bit less…”

Outside The Box - Top 5 Stories Of The Week

1.    Transfer Deadline Day – Most Boring Ever?

Transfer deadline day has been and gone this week, and most people are saying that it was the most disappointing for years. Unlike previous years there were a lot of transfers, but no big time transfers aside from the Juan Mata deal that took him from Chelsea to Manchester United for a reported £37 million.

Although I agree to a degree with what people are saying, firstly I would say that the January transfer deadline day is usually the most inactive, as lets be fair, how many great players are available at this time of the year? Also, there was a lot of activity despite no big time deals. I know I will be slagged on twitter again for doing this, but Cardiff City signed 7 new players during January as did Crystal Palace, and are players that will make a huge difference to their survival bids.

Arsenal managed to sign Kim Kallstrom on loan, but are now trying to send him back to his parent club as they discovered he hurt his back playing beach volleyball in the week leading up to the transfer and is out for six weeks. It can only happen to Arsenal can’t it? I would be worried if I was a Newcastle fan, as they sold their best player Yohan Cabaye to PSG and did nothing in the transfer market to replace him. In fact, I was listening to the radio and they were interviewing a Geordie fan who said, “Up here in Newcastle it’s not transfer deadline day, it’s just a Friday”. Says it all really. The loss of Cabaye will be heightened after they lost 3-0 in the derby game against Sunderland. I would be worried if I was a Newcastle fan.

2.    Brian McDermott is in, out, in, out, shake it all about

In another, of a seemingly endless amount of strange owner/manager sacking stories this season, Brian McDermott was supposedly sacked by new Leeds owner Massimo Cellino on transfer deadline day. However, a statement came out the next day to say that he was still in charge of the club.

So the story goes, on Friday afternoon, Brian was called by a lawyer of Cellino and was told that he was sacked. Leeds current owners GFH Capital released a statement saying that at the point that the lawyer phoned Brian, Cellino was not the owner of the club, so had no authorisation to action a sacking of the manager, so McDermott is still the manager of Leeds United. As of writing this, there has been no official word of what the status of the management of the club is.

I’m not a Leeds fan, usually as a Cardiff fan, I would revel in any embarrassing situation for that club, but having gone through something similar this season, it is one of the most soul destroying things for a fan who supports the manager affected 100% and thinking that the people you give a lot of your hard earned money to don’t give a damn about fans opinions. On top of that Brain McDermott has done a tremendous job with not a lot of money or backing, and as well as being a fantastic manager comes across as a lovely guy, so he doesn’t deserve this.

Should be interesting to see how this develops, but something needs to be done to safe guard managers and fans from these crazy owners who think they can do what they want without repercussions.

3.    Neil Lennon spat at while watching the football

Celtic manager was watching the Scottish League Cup Semi-Final match between Aberdeen and St Johnstone at Tynecastle, and according to his agent had to leave early as fans were spitting and throwing coins at him.

Although nothing official has come out, if this is true this is disgraceful. Ok Lennon is not everyones cup of tea, but neither am I, and if I was watching a football match and someone spat at me that I would expect that person to be thrown out. According to Neil’s agent, the stewards at Tynecastle were just watching this happen and not doing anything about it, which is nearly as bad.

But seriously, whoever these people are, they are the lowest form of human being not just football fans. I mean, seriously, spitting on another human being in 2014?! Come on!

4.    Real Madrid announce redeveloped stadium plans

Real Madrid this week announced plans to redevelop the Santiago Bernabéu to make it the best stadium in the world at a cost of €400million euros, and if they go ahead and come close to the graphics they released, they will achieve this.

As someone who appreciates good football stadiums (cheap plug for www.footballgroundguide.com where my videos of stadiums I’ve visited are), I will look forward to seeing the Bernabeu even more than I was already.

Apparently the exterior will show images onto the outside and have a retractable roof, it’s going to be one hell of a stadium.

5.    Chopper Dries The Pitch

Here in the UK, we have been having some of the worst weather that I certainly can remember in the 30 something years I’ve been alive, and the number of games being called off on some of the most advanced pitches has been awful. Usually you’ll see a whole slew of games called off because of snow this time of year, but not for waterlogged pitches.

German club Eintracht Braunschweig found a noval way of trying to dry their waterlogged pitch with an emergency helicopter hovering close to the pitch. See an image of this here.

These images were released due to the owners of the helicopter company being investigated, but I don’t care about that, I just think it’s brilliant.

By Haydn Gleed - @haydngleed