Len Goodman has cast doubts on rumours that Arlene Phillips is all set to return to Strictly Come Dancing later this year.

The choreographer was axed from the BBC show three years ago, when bosses decided they wanted a younger star on the panel and replaced her with Alesha Dixon. However, Alesha jumped ship last month and moved to rival channel ITV and their show Britain’s Got Talent and ever since, numerous so called insiders have been suggesting that Phillips is gearing up for her big return.

However, head judge Len Goodman isn’t so sure this will ever happen and told The Sun:

“I’ve been involved with Arlene on a project and we’ve had a chat and I’m not sure that she would really like to come back.

“If she comes back, jolly good.”

It was reported that Arlene has held a series of meetings with BBC bosses about a comeback.

Do you think she should do it? If not, who would you like to see in Alesha’s seat? Leave your comments below.

View the original post Len Goodman doesn’t think Arlene Phillips wants to come back for Strictly Come Dancing 2012 on Unreality TV

Arlene Phillips is reportedly in talks with BBC, about returning to Strictly Come Dancing.

The accomplished choreographer was axed from the show back in 2009 and subsequently replaced by former winner Alesha Dixon. She went on to join Nigel Lythgoe as a judge on his dance series ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ (which we sincerely miss by the way!).

However Alesha has recently announced her decision to leave the BBC and join ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, where she will judge hopefuls alongside Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Amanda Holden. This of course leaves a spot free on Strictly.

Insiders say Arlene has talked to channel bosses about the possibility of a comeback, though nothing is as yet set in stone.

“There is no offer on the table but Mark [the BBC entertainment controller] wanted to know where Arlene’s head was on the whole thing,” a source told The Sun.

“Her departure was not without bad feeling and controversy so you can understand her being cautious.

“Likewise, the BBC axed her for a reason so it could be that that chapter should remain closed.”

We would love to see Arlene back in her rightful place, however we can see that she might be too busy to do so. Arlene is choreographer for the West End production of The Wizard of Oz, she is the author of a set of children’s books titled ‘Alana Dancing Star’ and later this year she is expected to expand her jewellery range which is sold on QVC.

Would you like to see Phillips back on Strictly? Leave your comments below.

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Arlene Phillips has admitted that she has been ‘overwhelmed’ by fans support for here to return to Strictly Come Dancing.

ITV confirmed this morning that Alesha Dixon would be joining the judging panel of Britain’s Got Talent this year and BBC confirmed that the former Mystique singer had bowed out of Strictly.

Fans and supporters proceeded to bombard Arlene – who was sacked from the dance show in 2009 and controversially replaced by Dixon – on Twitter, begging her to return and rejoin Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood when the series returns this September.

Phillips gushed to her Twitter followers:

“Gosh twitter followers and friends.

“I am overwhelmed by your incredible tweets campaigns and Facebook messages. So much love and thanks.”

Bookies are currently tipping former show professional Karen Hardy as most likely to replace Alesha, but we have to admit, as it looks more and more unlikely that So You Think You Can Dance will return to BBC, we’d really like to see Arlene back on our screens.

Would you? Leave your comments below.

View the original post Strictly Come Dancing 2012: Arlene Phillips ‘overwhelmed’ by calls for her return on Unreality TV

Arlene Phillips has given her expert opinion on Dermot O’Leary’s dance routines over the last few X Factor live shows.

What started out as a bit of a joke, turned into a tradition and on tonight’s final in Wembley, the hunky presenter emerged onstage to give a London themed dance routine, with a whole troupe of sexy dancers. We have the video here if you missed it.

On ITV2′s Xtra Factor, Caroline Flack and Olly Murs had a treat for Dermot, as they praised his gyrations and welcomed former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips on to pass her judgement on his talent.

The So You Think You Can Dance star raved:

I have been watching you from the first time you took those baby steps but tonight, you were hip swiveling, full on dancing and moving those boogie shoes!

When asked to score O’Leary she laughed:

I really thought about it and because I want Dermot to keep working on his dancing and come back next series with some hot moves, I’ve decided to give him an eight.

However, Dermot disappointed legions of fans by declaring:

There is no dancing next series, I promise you!

What do you think Dermot lovers…will we start a Facebook campaign to make him change his mind? Leave your comments below.

View the original post X Factor 2011: Strictly Come Dancing’s Arlene Phillips judges Dermot O’Leary’s dance moves on Unreality TV

And as usual, we’ve taken each performance – couples and solos – and rated the ones we loved the most. Read on for what we thought were the evening’s best performances…

Couples Dances

1. Katie Love and Matt Flint – We all know that Katie specialises in contemporary dance, so it’s Matt Flint that becomes the focus of this routine for me. As a tap dancer, he’s adapted brilliantly to this style of dancing. The two work wonderfully together, Katie leaping great distances into Matt’s arms. There’s much drama and passion and it all comes across beautifully when these two dance together. Nigel actually goes on to make the same point I’ve just made – praising Matt Flint for being able to adapt to contemporary. Arlene tells Katie that she got the passion right tonight.
2. Lee Bridgman and Bethany Rose Harrison – I love the fact that they’re dancing the cha-cha to Lady GaGa! The routine starts off promisingly enough, but seems to lose energy toward the middle and end. Nigel worries that based on voting paterns, Lee and Bethany Rose are favourites to leave tonight. However, he raves about their dance and Arlene says they were “fizzing like champaigne in a cocktail shaker”. Louise Redknapp praises Lee’s masculinity, surprisingly, and Sisco is also full of compliments. Maybe I missed something…
3. Kirsty Swain and Luke Jackson – Two of my favourite dancers, saddled with a Charleston style. They give it an epic effort, and on one level it’s got the potential to be entertaining, but both have been better. Arlene causes controversy when she accuses Kirsty of letting Luke down because the two weren’t working well together. Nigel Lythgoe is just as lukewarm, but he seems to recognize that the choreography didn’t suit and Kirsty had limitations. He saves some praise for Luke though.

Solos

1. Luke Jackson – Luke can do this kind of poised, flowing routine with his eyes closed – flowing white shirt, bare torso and tight jeans. It does feel like he’s pulling moves from the same playbook week after week, but it’s a bloody good playbook!
2. Matt Flint – You can see Matt coming alive when he starts a tap routine. And is it just my imagination or has he incorporated elements from the other disciplines he’s picked up during the show. Great work. He’s got the skills to win this.
3. Bethany Rose Harrison – Bethany plays it differently this week with the virginal white dress. Gone are the pseudo-stripper moves in favour of a more elegant routine. Someone’s given her good advice about winning over the public!
4. Kirsty Swain – We’ve only really started to notice Kirsty in the later stages of the competition. Tonight, she wows in a classy routine that’s not full of tricks but flows well from start to finish.
5. Katie Love – A bit nonplussed by this one – Katie’s solo felt like a lot of random twirling rather than a well thought-out routine. Loved the Led Zeppelin-based backing track, but she didn’t live up to the energy of it.
6. Lee Bridgman – I’m sure we can’t fault Lee B for his technical execution, but as a matter of personal taste I just can’t warm to his dancing. Sorry. It (and maybe Lee himself) doesn’t excite me. Sorry. Again.

I was disappointed for Luke Jackson in his couples dance with Kirsty. I think the whole routine was a mis-step and didn’t work for either of them. And it wasn’t necessarily their failure either. You all know I’m a huge fan of Luke – I hope that he can survive this week and make it to the finals.

Don’t forget to leave us a comment and tell us who you thought the best dancers were on So You Think You Can Dance tonight!

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Arlene Phillips has claimed that she wouldn’t want to go back to BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

The 68-year-old choreographer now judges on the channel’s So You Think You Can Dance, but started her TV career on Strictly, before being replaced by Alesha Dixon two years ago. Although many people tell her she should return, Arlene claims that she has no inclination to go back.

She said: “I don’t ever think about going back. You wouldn’t believe how many times a day, every day that people ask me about ‘Strictly’. I get it on twitter, in the street, in interviews – it never stops.

“The most common response is definitely them wanting me back as a judge.”

Despite her reluctance to return to the programme after being traded for 31-year-old Alesha, Arlene still sees it as an important part of her life and is thankful for the career opportunities it has presented her with.

She added to the Daily Express newspaper: “I was there right from the first pilot and I felt attached. But then I was cherry-picked out. But it happened, it’s part of my life and it made me part of who I am.

“I’m fine now though and I’m busy. If anything it gave me lots of opportunities.”

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Arlene Phillips has reportedly demanded that the remaining So You Think You Can Dance sex things up a bit in a bid to boost falling ratings.

The reality TV dance competition has shed almost 2 million viewers since last year’s series and it had been reported that unless things pick up dramatically, BBC bosses are planning to cancel a third run.

Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips sits alongside Nigel Lythgoe, Louise Redknapp and Sisco Gomez on the panel and told The Sun that viewers can expect to see a sexier and ‘hotter’ show, when they tune in tonight.

The 67 year old choreographer said:

“It is now a lot sexier. There are more clothes off! Let’s face it, dance is about the body and when it is covered up sex looks like it is a long way away.”

She insisted: “We have definitely got sexier contestants – people with attitude and a mix of ages. They are young and bright and full of the joys of spring. The whole show is faster and hotter.”

Arlene explained that she and Nigel decided to mix things up this year, avoiding the usual styles and sterotypical dancers and bringing some more ‘oddballs’ into the mix. She added:

“This year we have really gone for people who interest me. If they are dull or ordinary, forget it.

“We have some oddballs. We have got some hot boys and gorgeous girls. It is very different.

“I want people who have a personality. You can watch brilliant dancers any day, but not those who are soulless.

“They might as well be a machine if they have no soul. If they can’t tell a story it is meaningless.

“We have got a couple of phenomenal dancers in this series.”

Phillips also claimed that she often becomes irritated with American Idol boss Nigel, because he is regularly swayed by a beautiful girl and lithe physique, rather than real dancing talent. She said:

“I do have a feisty relationship with Nigel.

“It just irritates me when someone thinks because a girl has got a beautiful physique she is better than the next one.

“I can see his eyes going. I can tell what he is feeling inside!”

So You Think You Can Dance returns to BBC One tonight at 6.45pm.

View the original post So You Think You Can Dance 2011: Arlene Phillips demands sexy clothes and raunchy dance routines! on Unreality TV

Arlene Phillips has admitted that she struggles to maintain her svelte figure.

The So You Think You Can Dance judge told The Mirror that she has battled with her weight and been on diets since she was just fifteen years old and finds it really ‘hard’ because she thinks about food all the time.

The 67 year old – who we met on Saturday night and found absolutely stunning – said:

“There is a fat person who lives inside me all the time, but I don’t let them get out. Maybe I would be a lot happier if I was fat as it takes a lot of discipline to stay at my current weight of eight and a half stone. Sometimes when I wake up, I think to myself, ‘If I could just go into the fridge and raid it’. It’s hard. It’s really hard.”

“Luckily I never developed any serious eating disorders. It’s a certain mentality that lends itself to anorexia and I wasn’t like that. There is not a day gone by when I haven’t thought about what I am eating. If I’ve not physically been on a diet, then I’ve been on one in my head.”

The choreography expert, who also judged on Strictly Come Dancing until 2009, admitted that she “sadly can’t reverse the middle-aged spread”.

“I can’t look too closely in the mirror as there are lots of bits that are sagging,” she added. “You can see all my wrinkles too. I’ve had fillers and Botox but it was too painful and I haven’t had it done again. Having something like a facelift would mean taking six weeks off and I haven’t got that sort of time this year.

“I have thought about having my boobs done but a good bra has been working so far and they are quite big enough. I look at myself all the time and think, ‘I could do this and that’. But I try and make the best of what I’ve got.

“I don’t like my bingo wings and upper arms but I wear tops or dresses with short sleeves to cover them up.”

“However, I realise that I am never going to be stick thin. I’ve always been a cross between an apple and pear shape, and I really am someone who is naturally round!”

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Arlene Phillips, judge on So You Think You Can Dance has admitted that she cannot bear to listen to Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing.

The dance expert and talented choreographer was dropped from the BBC dance show in 2009 and replaced by the former ‘Mystique’ singer. The incident sparked a huge ageism row for the Beeb, though Arlene later joined Nigel Lyhtgoe on SYTYCD. Speaking about Alesha to The Sun’s Buzz magazine, Phillips said:

“I genuinely don’t want to talk about Alesha. I write my own Strictly column for The Sun so I have to concentrate on my own judging and expertise. Whenever Alesha starts judging, I have to put her on mute.”

Arlene also explained that the TV industry is something of a man’s world, admitting that she would like to have been as famous as X Factor boss Simon Cowell but was never afforded the right chances.

She added:

“I’d like to dominate the TV industry in the same way someone like Simon Cowell has, but I’ve found it’s very male-dominated.”

Arlene first met ‘Mr Nasty’ in the 70s when he shared offices with her management, she laughed:

“He has not changed a bit. He was always very opinionated and always thought he was right. He fancied himself, although I never fancied him – I preferred blondes! But I enjoyed his company, and still do. He’s always been a good friend. I don’t think he’s really looking to go off to America forever – but if he ever did leave the UK, I wouldn’t mind stepping into his shoes over here.”

So You Think You Can Dance returns on BBC One tomorrow night at 7.10pm.

View the original post So You Think You Can Dance: Arlene Phillips admits that she puts Strictly’s Alesha Dixon on mute! on Unreality TV

Former Strictly Come dancing judge Arlene Phillips switched channels tonight and appeared on ITV2′s Xtra Factor, to pass judgement on the remaining X Factor singers.

The dance expert was speaking about who stood out for her during tonight’s semi final show and admitted that while she loves listening to graceful Rebecca Ferguson, she just can’t keep her eyes off Simon Cowell’s gorgeous One Direction.

She told Konnie Huq:

My youngest daughter is in love with One Direction. When I watched them tonight, with Harry and that microphone and that close up, you know he is going to break millions of hearts and why wouldn’t you pick up the phone and vote One Direction.

If I was at home listening I would want to listen to Rebecca, would I want to watch her? Not always. I love her deep felt wonderful tenderness and I want to listen to her but like the rest of the nation I want to watch One Direction.

When asked who put on the best visual performance, Arlene admitted:

I don’t actually like Cher but in terms of stage presence and difference then yeah you can build a show around her and you can see the magic already.

Do you agree with Arlene? Are you a big One Direction fan? Leave your comments below.

View the original post X Factor: Arlene Phillips loves watching One Direction! on Unreality TV