Danny Puff

Andrew Cooper/Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

To callously belittle the “Twilight” franchise is to insult thousands of people who have truly invested their hearts and souls into a movie franchise that, in many ways, has had a very real and profound impact on their lives.

So what if Bella Swan served as a poor role model? So what if the actors seemed so uncomfortable on screen you thought they might actually jump off it, run down the aisle and leave the theater? Sometimes, poor role models are the easiest to relate to. They usually have issues, and who among us doesn’t? As for the acting: if you have a few days I can tell you all about the movies I love that feature some of the worst performances you’ll ever see.

In other words, it’s OK to like bad movies. Which brings me to “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2″, a “Twilight” movie that is NOT BAD. Not bad at all!

Well, maybe a little bad.

When we last left Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan, her true love, Edward Cullen, had turned her into a vampire to save her life. Giving birth to their demon child, Renesmee, killed Bella Swan the human but birthed Bella Swan, the vampire. It also, thank god, killed Bella Swan the boring, whiny, lightning rod for monster love and birthed Bella Swan, the kick-ass, lightning-fast, I can-now-beat-Kellan-Lutz-at-arm-wrestling vampire.

When Bella wakes up as a vampire, she’s actually waking up for the very first time in her life — or in this case, afterlife. Our heroine quickly discovers she has tremendous strength and speed and incredibly keen senses, especially her ability to smell human blood. Unfortunately, this is when we experience our first of several CGI effects fails in the film. It’s Bella and Edward running through the forest as Bella hunts for blood (animal blood, of course) for the very first time. Wow, we are talking serious second-rate, high cholesterol cheese. Awful? Yes, but, sure to please everyone who’s blinded by their love for these characters. Besides, Bella’s new attitude is so intriguing, we can forgive this kind of neglect.

That is, until Bella meets her half-blood baby, which is a complete CGI bobble-headed freak. Like Kenan Thompson’s character on Saturday Night Live would say, “What’s up with that?” Even so, it’s when Bella meets her baby that she really starts to impress.

See, Bella had no idea that Renesmee is being protected by Jacob following that moment in the last movie when he, as a werewolf, imprinted on Renesmee. I know what you’re thinking: “Ewww.” However, as Jacob explains to Bella, “It’s not what you think.” With her new-found strength, Bella slaps Jacob around and gets some laughs in the process.

And with that, we have finally moved on from the bizarre love triangle that was Bella, Edward and Jacob. It’s now Edward and Bella forever, while Jacob will devote his life to the half-blood princess. The End. Right!

Renesmee is growing fast; 15 minutes into the movie she’s the size of an 8-year-old girl, and of course, this girl has special powers. She can touch your cheek and make you see the truth (a potential presidential debate moderator for 2016?). She can also float in the air. When one of the Cullens’ cousins sees Renesmee floating and catching snowflakes, she assumes Edward and Bella have turned a child into a vampire and, according to vampire law, that’s illegal. Who knew? So she runs to Italy and tells Aro (Michael Sheen), head of the Volturi, which gives him and all of his delightfully beautiful, creepy underlings something to do — kill the Cullens! By the way, Sheen is so fantastic in this role, it’s obvious he enjoys playing it.

I’ll stop with the plot details here. Instead, I’m going to tell you that “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2″ contains about the best 20 minutes of the entire franchise. It’s content so surprising, so thrilling and so shocking that it’s completely incongruous with the rest of the franchise and is, quite frankly, did-not-see-that-coming awesome. My jaw literally dropped. Suddenly, the sanitized, teen emo porn that had been the “Twilight” franchise turns into a Robert Rodriguez-inspired climax rich with excitement and an emotional depth previously unseen in these films.

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and the final moments of the “Twilight” franchise finish very well. Bella, although she had to die and become a vampire to do it, changes for the better and morphs into an admirable metaphor and role model.

Three-and-a-half out of five stars.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/11/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-2-movie-review-franchise-ends-on-an-exciting-note/

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Look, if you've seen the other four movies and loved them, you're going to love this one, too. If you enjoy hate-watching them (like we usually do), there's plenty for you here as well. If you hated them and somehow think this one is going to be miraculously better, then you've got another thing coming. Or, if you are like the young woman sitting behind us at the screening who had never seen any part of the saga before, you will ask a million questions throughout the movie about the characters, laugh at unfunny things and then think it was a quality movie. Don't be that person.

Anyway, this is the culmination of the Edward and Bella saga in which the Volturi catch wind of the fact that the Cullens have what they believe is an immortal child, but is just freaky little human/vampire hybrid Renesmee, who ages from the creepiest CGI'd baby you've ever seen to a pre-teen girl over the course of the movie. Naturally, this film (which could have been easily condensed into the last one) is filled with ridiculous moments, so we've spotlighted the most insane. Spoilers possibly ahead for those movie purists who haven't read the books.

The Aforementioned Freaky Baby
Edward and Bella had a baby, Jacob imprinted on it and now that Bella's awakened from her vampire rebirthing, she's ready to see her kid. When they say it's a face only a mother could love, this is what they are talking about. Someone took a possibly cute baby and then made it all weird, like that E-trade kid, just so it could have facial expressions. They couldn't find a bunch of real babies that would coo and smile on command? Oh, and it has a magical hand that reaches up and shares Bella's memories, but it looks like something that was chopped off a cheap toy-store doll.

The Imprinting Reaction Shot
In one of the best-filmed scenes in Breaking Dawn, Part 2, Bella discovers off-camera that Jacob imprinted on her child, and then we see her reaction as she tosses him out of her house. And then she fights with all the werewolves who come to Jacob's aid, which allows us to see the new strong Bella, with her shiny and clean hair. None of this makes imprinting on a baby, who will be a fully mature woman in a few years, any less disgusting. Though, somehow, watching Jacob in wolf form with the young girl makes it a bit less gross, because it looks like she's just got an overgrown puppy looking out for her, direwolf style.

More Sparkles
Bella gets to sparkle in the sunlight, and she looks like a female version of Rumpy from Once Upon a Time. With all the money that these movies have made, it's ridiculous that they can't afford better special effects. That, and the shots of her running in the woods with Edward, are particularly bad. Plus, the decapitations are almost cartoonish. Maybe this series would have been better in animated form entirely.

The Insanely Long Credits
For some reason, between the lengthy opening credits and the end title cards (where each character from all of the movies gets their own little shout out), the credits on this movie probably take up a good ten minutes of the running time. We weren't sitting there with our stopwatches, but it had to be close. Though it was amusing to see Bryce Dallas Howard's Victoria in one shot and then Rachelle Lefevre's Victoria on another.

The New Wolves Being Called Up
The influx of vampires to the area means that there need to be more werewolves to protect the land. That's all well and good, but there's a scene where a young boy is walking along and just spontaneously turns into a werewolf and rolls down a hill. It made us laugh out loud... and we're pretty sure we weren't supposed to.

The Baby Burning Scene
This falls under the ridiculous, but almost veers into ridiculously awesome: During a flashback to Jane (Dakota Fanning), we see immortal children (babies who have been turned into vampires) all bloody and disgusting, and then Jane tossing the baby onto the fire. It might be the best thing we've seen in any of these films.

The Vampires From Around the World
When all of the Cullen supporters started showing up, we kind of felt we were in a vampire version of Epcot with all the different stereotypical characters from all the different countries. Though we did like Benjamin's element-controlling powers, and we were glad to see that our beloved Lee Pace found work... even if it was a brief stint as a scruffy vamp in the final film.

Father Issues
In order to keep Bella's dad from freaking out, Jacob goes and strips in front of them (because what would a Twilight movie without Taylor Lautner stripping down to his skivvies at some point) and the turns into a wolf so that Charlie will come visit Bella at the Cullen's and not be weirded out by her sudden cold temperature. But the Cullen family preps Bella by teaching her to act human, and how to sit in a chair, when earlier we saw her gently moving around her home without any issue at all. And apparently Bella's mom doesn't give a hell about her kid now that she's married off? Because she doesn't even call in this one.

The Sex Scene
Edward and Bella do it as vampires for the first time, and she says that he was clearly holding back when she was human. We almost vomited a little in our mouths.

Bella's Special Powers
Sure, Bella has super-human strength and can kick Emmett's ass at arm wrestling, but her special power is shielding. This involves her looking extremely uncomfortable, squinting a lot and projecting badly CGI'd beams of light out of her brain to protect her loved ones from pain. It's... something.

The March to Battle
The Cullens assemble friends to help stand against them with the Volturi over the course of several months, and the Volturi weirdly walk across the snow. Why not sneak attack? Or come more quickly? We see that the Volturi can actually zip around fast when they want to, so why give the Cullens time to prepare? And why the painfully slow walk across the snow? Same goes for Alice's awkwardly slow entrance.

The Almost Awesome Battle Scene
Not to spoil too much, but they reveal in the trailers that the Volturi eventually turn up in Forks for an ultimate showdown. It had been a while since we'd read the books, so maybe we forgot the big twist here, but it was kind of a surprise to see this bloody battle filled with very visceral beheadings. If only the CGI effects were believable.

The Lord of the Rings-style Ending
We won't spoil it, but the movie ends a couple of different times. Let's just say that until you see the actual credits roll, the movie isn't over. There aren't any hobbits jumping up and down on beds, but there are certainly some memorable images there.

So, are we glad that we saw all five films? Well, yeah, it's a pop cultural phenomenon and we like to be up on those sorts of things. Did we occasionally feel like we were wasting our lives? Yes, but we've also watched far too much bad television to really let that get to us. Do we wish we could get that time back? Probably, but then again, these films -- particularly this last one -- provided some good belly laughs (mostly at the film's expense, though a few seemed to be tongue-in-cheek moments actually intended to be humorous), so at least we can console ourselves with that. Are we happy that we never have to see another one (unless they decide to do a Jacob and Renesmee ten-years-later sort of thing)? You better believe it.

Source : http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/mwop/moviefile/2012/11/breaking-dawn-part-2-after-abo.php

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Eddie Murphy and girlfriend Paige on November 13, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Credit: FameFlynet

Has Dreamgirls star Eddie Murphy found his real-life dream girl?

The funnyman, 51, was spotted out and about with his hot new flame, 33-year-old Australian model Paige Butcher, in Beverly Hills on Tuesday -- and from the looks of it, things are going well for the lovebirds of two months.

Dressed casually in head-to-toe black, Murphy held tight to his gorgeous girlfriend as they hit up a local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to pick up some refreshments. Butcher strolled alongside her beau in flip flops, beige skinny jeans, and a dark grey tank that showed off her slim waist and cleavage.

The couple's relationship is still new, but a source tells Us Weekly that it appears to be working out for the Oscar-nominated actor and the Maxim cover girl.

"He pursued her," the source says, adding that the Beverly Hills Cop star "totally loves her look."

"He shows her off to his friends -- she's one of those girls that make all your guy friends jealous. She loves sports, too, and likes to go to basketball games."

Indeed, the blonde bombshell seems like a great match for Murphy, whose exes include Spice Girl Melanie Brown and film producer Tracey Edmonds. But insiders say it's not serious -- yet.

"She told him it's fine to not make anything official. She's fine to just have fun," the source tells Us of the Los Angeles-based model, who previously dated Russell Simmons.

The two are certainly having fun. On Nov. 3, Butcher was by her man's side as he was honored at Spike TV's Eddie Murphy: One Night Only special, which featured Arsenio Hall, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Morgan, Adam Sandler, and Russell Brand paying tribute to the legendary comedian.

Paige Butcher and Eddie Murphy arrive at Spike TV's "Eddie Murphy: One Night Only" on November 3, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage.com

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PEQUANNOCK — Whooping cough is making a comeback. The good news is that it can be prevented and treated when it's caught early. According to whoopingcough.net, "Whooping cough is a contagious bacterial disease chiefly affecting children and characterized by convulsive coughs followed by a whoop."
The "whooping" sound is the noise a person's voice box makes when they can take a breath again after the coughing subsides.

This vaccine for whooping cough is normally given in five increments, given to children at 2, 4 and 6 months of age; then again between 15 and 18 months and the last dose is given between 4 and 6.

Whooping cough is more severe than an ordinary cough and early on it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two, says Dr. Richard Krieger, chairman of the Infection Control Committee at Chilton Hospital.

"In the first one to two weeks of the illness, it can look like a common cold," Krieger says, explaining, "Unless there is a history of exposure to a family member or other close contact with whooping cough, it is very hard to differentiate at this point. When the cough develops, it generally occurs as severe paroxysms (sudden attacks) which can be followed by characteristic "whoop" (typically in children 6 months to 5 years old) on inhalation after a coughing spell. If a cough lasts over 14 days in the setting of an outbreak, that raises suspicion.

"There are lab tests that can identify the infection or the bacteria (bordetella pertussis) can be identified on culture of respiratory secretions, but these tests will not give an immediate diagnosis, as it may take days to get the results," Krieger says. "Generally, x-rays are not helpful.

"Whooping cough is very contagious. Up to 80 to 90 percent of susceptible persons who are exposed to it will develop the infection," states Krieger.

The good news is that whooping cough is preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website (cdc.gov), the United States has seen more than 32,000 cases and 16 deaths from whooping cough in recent years.

The CDC recommends that the best way to prevent whooping cough in children is to immunize them with the vaccine DTap (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis). This vaccine is normally given in five increments, the first three doses given to children at 2, 4 and 6 months of age; the fourth dose between 15 and 18 months; and, the last dose between 4 to 6 years old. Adults and children 11 – 12 years of age should have the Tdap booster for continued prevention.

Krieger concurs wit the CDC guidelines and recommends that adults receive booster shots every 10 years, whether it is given in conjunction with a tetanus shot or not.

"A few years ago, the state of New Jersey made it a requirement for children entering middle school to receive the Tdap booster before sixth grade," says Donna Dericks, school nurse at Hillview Elementary School in Pompton Plains. "Fortunately, I've only seen maybe two cases of whooping cough in the past five years."

If someone does contract whooping cough, Krieger says that "antibiotic therapy, such as Erythromycin or Clarithromycin, will help if given early in the course of the infection. However, usually by the time the characteristic cough develops it is too late to have an effect on the course of the illness, though it can at least decrease the period of contagiousness.

"In the general population, there has been a rise in whooping cough cases in recent years. Adults generally don't get too sick from whooping cough that they can't function. Healthy older children won't get disabled from the cough, but they do tend to spread it. Whooping cough is much more serious in young children. Immunization is the way to go to prevent whooping cough."

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The pop band One Direction is headed to an area where Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Bros, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber travelled before. According to MTV News on Nov. 13, One Direction will come to cinemas in 2013 in their own 3-D film directed by Morgan Spurlock.

Spurlock made his name with the documentary "Super Size Me," where he lived only on McDonalds for 30 days to prove what that food actually does to your body. Most of his work has been made with him as the focus in front of the camera, but his 2012 documentary "Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" showed a very polished filmmaker who can tell a story without ever showing his face.

One Direction hires 'Super Size Me' director or 3-D film. Photo credit: Photo by Slaven

Scheduled for an Aug. 13, 2013 release, One Direction will probably shoot the film early next year when they start their tour. The band kicks off in London in February and then moves to the U.S. in June.

"Morgan is the perfect person to give that access-all-areas, behind-the-scenes look into what it's like to be One Direction today," Simon Cowell said in a statement.

Cowell discovered One Direction on the U.K. version of "X Factor" and is working with Spurlock on the documentary.

Source : http://www.examiner.com/article/one-direction-hires-super-size-me-director-or-3-d-film

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Channing Tatum was awarded the coveted title of People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2012.

All heart, all muscle, all the time.
Following the box office success of “Magic Mike,” it’s no wonder Channing Tatum is taking home this year’s coveted title of People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2012.

But the choice wasn’t so obvious to the 32-year-old actor himself.

In fact, Tatum tells the magazine, he had to do a double-take when he heard the news.
“My first thought was, ‘Ya’ll are messing with me,’” he said. “I told (my wife) Jenna (Dewan-Tatum) after we’d been in the bathtub washing our dogs because they’d gotten skunked.

“She was like, ‘What?’ … she calls me [the Sexiest Man Alive] now.”

Once she got past the initial shock, however, Dewan-Tatum, 31, told the magazine she couldn’t agree more with their choice.

“People know him to be fun and sexy, but they don’t know how emotionally deep and spiritually open he is,” she said of her husband of three years. “He is such an open-hearted person; what you see is what you get.”

Not that the “Magic Mike” actor, who is set to star as an Olympic athlete in upcoming film “Foxcatcher,” isn’t aware of his appeal as a hunky leading man on-screen.

“I like to be lean. If I get too bulky I can’t move well and I like to move,” he said of how he keeps his toned body in shape. “When I’m not training, I get really round and soft.”

In addition to acting, Tatum also sculpts, quotes Edgar Allen Poe and loves to give his wife massages, People reports.

The Alabama native is also looking to start his own clan of good-looking children.

“I’m ready; I think she’s ready,” he said of taking the next step. “The first number that pops into my head is three, but I just want one to be healthy and then we’ll see where we go after that.

“It’s really easy for us guys to say, ‘I want like 15 kids.’ Jenna will be like, ‘Well you better get another wife!’”

Source : http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/people-sexiest-man-alive-2012-channing-tatum-article-1.1201815

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Channing Tatum poses for a promotional shot in Beverly Hills. (Reuters)

The readers of People Magazine have named 32-year-old heartthrob Channing Tatum the “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2012. The Alabama-born actor has most recently been seen in such critically acclaimed roles as a male stripper in “Magic Mike” and an undercover cop in “21 Jump Street.”

Tatum, who married actress Jenna Dewan-Tatum in 2009, was apparently shocked by the accolade, saying, "My first thought was, 'Y'all are messing with me.'" He wasn’t exactly at his sexiest when he found out; he told his wife after they’d been “in the bathtub washing our dogs because they'd gotten skunked."

In a People interview, Tatum says that he and Jenna are “ready” to have children and adds, "The first number that pops into my head is three, but I just want one to be healthy, and then we'll see where we go after that."

Jenna describes him as “such an open-hearted person” and says that "people know him to be fun and sexy, but they don't know how emotionally deep and spiritually open he is."

It's hard to decide, but who do you think is the sexiest-ever guy to be named “Sexiest Man Alive”?

Source : http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/11/14/channing-tatum-is-people-2012-sexiest-man-alive-sexiest-man-ever/

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Former Seattle Seahawks player Jerramy Stevens, far right, listens during a bail hearing for Stevens in Kirkland Municipal Court. Stevens appeared in court for a domestic violence probable cause hearing. He was released without conditions by the judge who didn't find probable cause to hold him. Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

Jerramy Stevens, the former Washington Huskies star who was once accused of armed assault and rape, appeared in Kirkland court on Tuesday in a domestic violence case involving his fiancée, U.S. soccer star Hope Solo.

The two were planning to get married Tuesday -- on Stevens' 33rd birthday.

Stevens appeared in court after a fourth-degree assault arrest stemming from an incident at a Kirkland house Monday in the early morning hours. According to a police report, Stevens was arrested after police were called to an altercation in which Solo's older brother, Marcus, used a "stun gun" while allegedly fighting a group of males who were not invited to a party at the house.

According to the report, 34-year-old Marcus Solo was the one who called police Monday. When they got to him, he had blood on his forehead and knees, and a freshly bruised eye, police said.

Source : http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Former-Huskies-star-Jerramy-Stevens-in-court-for-4033619.php

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Tesla's Model S electric sedan earned Motor Trend magazine's award for top car for 2013, becoming the first electric car to ever do so. The magazine compared the car to a Rolls-Royce, Chevrolet Equinox, and the Toyota Prius.

The Tesla Model S is the first ever electric car to ear Motor Trend magazine's top car award.

Tesla Motors may only make a few hundred cars a quarter, but that’s not preventing it from taking Motor Trend’s highest honors.

The Model S has been named Motor Trend’s 2013 car of the year – the first electric car to get the nod in the magazine’s 64-year history.

Praise for the car was, in a word, effusive.

“It drives like a sports car, eager and agile and instantly responsive. But it’s also as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce, can carry almost as much stuff as a Chevy Equinox, and is more efficient than a Toyota Prius,” Motor Trend said.

While Motor Trend praised the Model S’s design, engineering, and energy efficiency, the magazine was most impressed that the car exists at all. “The mere fact the Tesla Model S exists at all is a testament to innovation and entrepreneurship, the very qualities that once made the American automobile industry the largest, richest, and most powerful in the world,” the magazine said.

And things can only get better for Tesla Motors from here. During its quarterly earnings report earlier this month, the company said it had reached a turning point in production that will allow it to transition from being a small-scale car maker to a large-scale manufacturer. That’s a big deal, as it pushes cars like the Model S closer towards the mainstream (assuming that $90,000 price tag comes down, anyway).

But for Motor Trend, Tesla Motor’s electric car is in a pretty good spot where it is. ”At its core, the Tesla Model S is simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel,” the magazine said.

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The show whittled down to five for next week's semifinals. Did your favorites get the boot?


9:10PM EST November 13. 2012 - "We're all worried," said Emmitt Smith to co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet near the start of Tuesday's Dancing With the All-Stars double elimination results show.

That's right —- two celebs were about to be sent packing.

Kirstie Alley was at the bottom of the leaderboard, way below everyone else. The actress, 61, definitely seemed doomed. But who else would get the boot?

Kylie Minogue kicked off the show in such a short white dress that she looked ready to take the floor for a sexy samba. But instead, she sang Locomotion, her 1988 hit.

And then came the first results. Tom Bergeron told Melissa Rycroft and Shawn Johnson they're going to the semifinals. No surprise there (although Monday night judge Len Goodman tried to make us think Shawn might be in trouble.)

The cast of Broadway show Newsies performed. And so did Ne-Yo, who sang his new song Let Me Love You(Until You Learn to Love Yourself).

Time for the first elimination. Kelly Monaco and partner Val Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley and partner Maks Chmerkovskiy chatted with Brooke. Said Kelly, "It's hard to be up here with Maks and Kirstie, knowing one of us is going home."

Kirstie, however, was optimistic. "I feel lucky. We have the best fans in the world. The opportunity to do this the second time around is nothing short of a A) a miracle, and B) sort of stunning!"

But Tom Bergeron announced that Kirstie was done. Going home. She didn't weep. She smiled and said this season "was very special to me." She said she "learned more about dancing." And she added, "I want to thank Maks because he's so patient with me." She also thanked the judges and the fans.

Next up: Stars picked dances and themes for each for next week's semifinals.

Kelly and Val picked "Caveman Hustle" for Melissa and Tony Dovolani.
Emmitt And Cheryl Burke picked "Knight Rider Banghra" (Indian folk dance) for Shawn and Derek Hough.
Apolo Anton Ohno and Karina Smirnoff picked "Mad Monk Merengue" for Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd.
Gilles and Peta then picked "Big Top Jazz" for Apolo and Karina.
Shawn and Derek picked "Espionage Lindy Hop" for Emmitt and Cheryl.
Kelly and Val were left with the "Surfer Flamenco."

Anna Trebunskaya performed with Val Chmerkovskiy, Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild, principal dancers from the New York City Ballet.

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for. Emmitt was deemed safe, leaving Apolo and Gilles (up until last week, the highest scorer in the competition) as the final two. Both guys looked nervous.

Eliminated (gasp!): Gilles. The crowd moaned. "In the end, it's just an incredible experience," said Gilles. "I tried my very best. Peta was an angel out there," he said, "and I want to thank my wife. ..., Without her, I'm really nothing."

Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2012/11/13/dancing-with-the-all-stars-elimination-two-celebs-go-home/1703395/

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