Ralph Macchio waltzes into judges' hearts
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Actor Ralph Macchio, right, and his partner Karina Smirnoff perform on "Dancing with the Stars" last week. (April 4, 2011) Credit: AP
Ralph Macchio entered Monday night -- Classical Night -- not quite the underdog, but not quite the overdog either. Last week he lost the favor of the judges, who still carped about the hands. (Why? The hands looked fine to me.)
RALPH SAID: "Looking forward to getting my mojo back . . . the stakes are pretty high for what we need to deliver . . . I'm very, very competitive [and] not looking to go home anytime soon."
THE DANCE: The waltz, to the theme from the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli production of "Romeo and Juliet."
JUDGES SAID: "Romantic, totally heartfelt, brilliant storytelling through dancing." (Bruno Tonioli).
"An honest connection to the emotions. I was swept in, carried into the tragedy." (Carrie Ann Inaba.)
"You've been in the wilderness for two weeks. You're back." (Len Goodman)
MY SAY: Very good night indeed. Clean, fluid, effortless. The music wasn't exactly classical but at least a classical movie soundtrack. (He certainly wouldn't have wanted to dance to Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," but then who would?) In fact, Monday night's Velveeta classical edition just didn't work, so lucky for Macchio, he got a familiar tune that actually felt like a waltz.
SCORE: 25 out of 30