Len Goodman Page 2

Len Goodman has announced he will be leaving ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ after its next series. Goodman has served as the show’s head judge for 12 years, even appearing on the US spin-off 'Dancing With The Stars', but the 72-year-old says its now time to hand over to someone else.

Len Goodman is leaving ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

In a statement Goodman said: "This adventure began when I was 60 and now that I've reached my 70s, I've decided after this year it's time to hand the role of head judge to someone else. I’m looking forward to my last series very much and to whatever comes next.”

Continue reading: Len Goodman Announces Departure From 'Strictly Come Dancing' After 12 Years

Contestants on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ could be facing gag orders from the BBC, following recent ‘fix’ accusations by dancer Ola Jordan and contestant Jamelia. According to reports, celebrities and professional dancers will now have to sign a clause banning them from giving unauthorised interviews or speaking negatively about the show online.

Former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ pro Ola Jordan.

An insider told The Mirror: “Some of the outbursts have been outrageous and completely unfounded, and can’t be allowed to happen again. For people employed by the show to be making such claims is unfair, and won’t be allowed to continue.”

Continue reading: 'Strictly Come Dancing' Stars May Be Gagged By BBC After Show Criticisms

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judge Len Goodman is reportedly facing the axe from the BBC series, in a bit to shake up the show and keep ratings high. Recently fans have been questioning the relevance of the 71-year-old judge, who also appears on the panel of US spin-off ‘Dancing With The Stars’.

Could Len Goodman soon be leaving the ’Strictly’ judging panel?

The Daily Star reports that producers may drop Goodman from the judging panel as part of plans to keep the show ahead of 'The X-Factor'. BBC bosses are responding to calls from fans who have been criticising the judge during the show’s most recent series.

Continue reading: Is Len Goodman Facing The Axe From 'Strictly Come Dancing'?

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judge Len Goodman has hit back at Ola Jordan’s recent claims that the show’s marking scores are fixed, dismissing them comprehensively in a new TV interview.

Professional dancer Ola confirmed her permanent departure from the BBC show last weekend, and has since implied that the judging panel systematically gives higher marks to more popular contestants in order to keep them in the show for longer.

At around the same time, eliminated star Jamelia also reckoned that the judges were keeping bookies’ favourite Peter Andre in the show after she lost the dance-off against the former pop star in week nine of the show this weekend.

Continue reading: Len Goodman Dismisses Ola Jordan And Jamelia 'Fix' Rumours On 'Strictly'

Dancing with the Stars premiered last night (Monday 16 September) and featured such celebrities as Corbin Bleu, Amber Riley, Elizabeth Berkley, Leah Remini and Jack Osborne. Judged by former professionals and celebrities, the show features inexperienced famous faces paired with professional partners. The judges for season 17 of the dancing competition are Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Amber Riley dazzled the judges with partner Derek Hough.

If you missed the season 17 premiere of Dancing with the Stars, here are a few highlights:

Continue reading: 'Dancing With The Stars' Season 17 Premiere: Amber Riley & Corbin Bleu Take The Lead

Dancing With The Stars Season 15 had its first ‘9’ score last night (October 1, 2012), courtesy of girl band singer Sabrina Bryan. Her routine, with Louis Van Amstel, had the judges in rapture, especially Carrie Ann Inaba who said she’d never seen such lines of Dancing With the Stars before, according to People magazine. Bruno Tonioli awarded Sabrina 8.5 and compared her to Ginger Rogers, at the height of her career: “a true dazzler.” Len Goodman was equally full of praise for The Cheetah Girls star, remarking on her upper body control and legwork: “the hits just keep on coming,” he said.

At the other end of the scale was Bristol Palin who went home with the lowest score of the evening – a paltry 18, which was less than last week’s score of 19.5. “You were not in hold enough,” Bruno told her, as her Western-inspired routine failed to impress. Palin explained that she had taken her dancing partner Mark Ballas to a shooting range to give him an insight into her world but that sadly hadn’t translated into chemistry on the dance floor.

It was the second episode of the show and tonight, someone will be going home, in the Dancing With The Stars results show. One dancer unlikely to exit tonight is Kirstie Alley, who proved to the judges that her age should not be an obstacle to her progressing n the competition. “Age is just a number and you just proved that to us,” said Carrie Ann, whilst Bruno told her “Experience counts, and you showed it. You blended beautifully.”

The Dancing With The Stars contestants didn’t show any signs of slacking as the show entered its second week, reports CBS News.

The first episode of DWTS usually features an impressive bow: the stars having had three weeks to prepare their routines, but as the show continues, they only have one, which in the past, has caused standards to drop. But not this time; Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, Comic actress Kirstie Alley and Girl band singer Sabrina Bryan all delivered confident, sparkling performances to increase the pressure on their rivals. "I have something no one else can do, it's like my secret weapon," said Johnson, a gold medal-winning gymnast, using her considerable and bendy talents to her advantage. The quality now is astounding, and any weak dance will be punished quickly, as there’s no room for mistakes. Fellow Olympian Apolo Ohno put the pressure on sports stars competing to succeed: "As an Olympian, if you're not in the top 3, you're not on the podium," he said, before delivering a composed performance. "Speed with control," said judge Len Goodman. Determination, focus and hard work!" lauded Bruno Tonioli. “Someone put on his competitive pants today!” Joked Carrie Ann Inaba. It was a popular dance indeed.

Elsewhere, French actor Gilles Marini showed incredible synchronization, staking his claim for a continued presence on the show, and shaking off the effects of a strained hamstring, which was the cause of some backstage rehearsal drama. Next week the stars "will take creative control," explained chief judge Goodman. "We want eye-popping stuff".