The Conical Glass: Donny

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Donny

Last night, I confidently predicted to my friend Janet A. that Donny Osmond would win "Dancing with the Stars." I was correct -- and here's why I think he walked away with the mirror ball trophy:

1. Donny is a capital-S Star. I consider myself much more plugged into pop culture than the average person, but every season, when I see the list of "stars" who will appear on the show, there are always several that generate a "Huh?" from me: Louie Vito, Mark Dacascos, Chuck Wicks, Joanna Krupa, etc. However, Donny Osmond is undeniably one of the highest profile people ever to appear on the show, and I suspect a hefty percentage of the TV audience for "DwtS" is made up of women in their 40s and 50s who grew up listening to his records.

2. The freestyle dance. On Monday night, we were told again and again, "The freestyle dance can make you -- or break you!" I always felt that Shawn Johnson beat Gilles Marini in season 8 on the strength of her frenetic freestyle, and Donny and Kym's dance was an elegant delight that put a smile on everybody's face. Mya and Dmitry's performance to the "Hairspray" tune "You Can't Stop the Beat" just wasn't exciting enough to inspire people who weren't already Mya diehards to pick up the phone.

3. Kym Johnson. The Australian sensation is one of the show's most likable pros, and there seemed to be a lot of genuine warmth between her and Donny. He admitted that he battled the flu and fatigue during the season, and Kym was always there to encourage him to fight on. Her choreography played to Donny's strengths, capturing his big personality and his flair for showmanship.

I think one of the reasons Joanna made it as far as she did was because she was partnered with Derek Hough, who is probably the best choreographer on the show. Hough may be a huge egomaniac and an unrepentant camera hog, but he is also incredibly inventive (check out his Futuristic Paso Doble!) and, like Kym, is always savvy about how best to showcase his partner. Dmitry Chaplin, who is only in his second season on "DwtS," didn't serve Mya well. In the immortal words of head judge Len Goodman, there was too much "messin' about" in his routines, particularly their jitterbug, which featured the infamous feather-dusting of the judges' table. And there didn't seem to be that much affection between them, especially compared to the Kym-Donny and Kelly-Louis lovefests.

Donny Osmond -- hard-working, humble, the consummate pro, the family man who immediately ran to his wife's side after he won the trophy -- is a worthy champion. Even people who were rooting for Kelly or Joanna or Mya have to admit that he gave his all to the competition. Heck, he even did a dance dressed like Adam Ant. Everyone who watches "DwtS" knows how inherently ridiculous it is, and yet we want the stars to take it seriously, to Respect the Dance. Donny did that, and he did well.

posted by 125records @ 10:07 AM

3 Comments:

At 11:56 AM, Janet A said…

Not happy with Donny. Didn't care for him on their TV show a hundred years ago. I really wanted Kelly to win since Derek was gone. But I will give you Donny did the best free style.
At 12:01 PM, 125records said…

For what it's worth, I voted for Kelly, but considering her judges' scores I'm not surprised she came in third.
At 6:27 PM, Miles said…

Speaking of women in their 40s who grew up with Donny Osmond records, you should have heard Mandy squeal when Donny won! Joanna is still my pick, but come finale night, we were an "anyone but Mya" household. Even though Donny probably should have been eliminated instead of Joanna, I do think he's a worthy champion for all the reasons you say here.