What two singular events dominated the scene on “Dancing With The Stars” on week 3? We’re of course just talking about my top “favorites” Ralph Macchio and Kirstie Alley.

Well first up, we saw poor Kirstie taking a little “tumble” when her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s leg gave way a few seconds into their “rumba”. It was not so much about the tumble itself but the instant recovery after the incident that sparked off my admiration for the pair. In most instances, an act of this sort would probably cause a moment’s embarrassment to those landing on the ground but if you look carefully at the videoclip, Kirstie did not even indicate any signs of alarm or panic.

She was a picture of perfect “calm and grace” and as much as I had earlier sung praises of her in my previous posts, this time it came as a complete surprise as “dancing” was not her forte and she did have the disadvantage of the “weight” factor. But she took it all in stride and at that very moment, I was filled with a new respect for this beautiful and talented actress who rose to the occasion without a flicker of emotion. She stood her ground solidly and gently fell back into step when her partner recovered his footing. And the judges probably shared the same emotions as myself because they gave the pair a score of 21 after they completed their dance routine to the tune of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”.

As for Ralph Macchio, when he finished his “rumba” number, he gracefully left his partner and made his way to his wife sitting in the audience, bent down and kissed both her hands. Ah, so sweet!! A fitting dedication after performing a poignant number to the sound of “Stay Gold”, theme from his teen movie “The Outsiders” which was coincidentally also the theme song during his
wedding and what better time to play it than on his 24th wedding anniversary week in front of a huge audience.

Can you imagine the whole world looking on at that very moment? And what about all the repeats on “YouTube”!! That also earned him and his partner Karina Smirnoff a score of 21. Although this week’s routine was skilfully performed, I personally felt that his facial expression did indicate a pressure of sorts.

The “kid” (think “Karate Kid”) in him still shone through. His youthfulness and vulnerability could still be detected even after all these years. Oh, little Daniel LaRusso!! Your fans are alive and well and the number probably growing as we speak!! And if you keep on plugging week after week (think “wax on, wax off”), the “magic” will still be there. So, hang in there!!

In conclusion, I must say that both my top “favorites” were not ranked very high on the board this week but I think that their immense popularity and heartfelt performances might win the hearts of the voting Americans, enough to take them further into the next round and hopefully onto the Finals.

Stop the Press! Stop the Press!! The results are out!!! It was revealed that Wendy Williams and her partner Tony Dovolani were the ones booted out this week. That’s the bad news – for them anyway.

The good news is that Kirstie Alley’s partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy has recovered from the leg cramp he sustained during their recent performance. Let’s hope there’s no more “tumbling” next time round.

To finish off this post, do watch both Ralph and Kirstie in the execution of their “rumba” in the following videoclips: