Editor's column: March 25 paper

Wax on, dance off
Monday night’s season 12 premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” saw “Karate Kid” actor Ralph Macchio take home the highest score of the night with three eights from the judges. With 24 of a total 30 possible points, Macchio was the front-runner followed by several other celebrities leading the pack including NFL star Hines Ward and actress Kirstie Alley, who each danced well with their professional dance partners. The program is off to a good start, with the show’s debut awards ready to be given out:
Favorite to Win: Ralph Macchio — That’s OK, I don’t have to see him dance — almost. He’s got my vote. But luckily, he can dance, at least according to episode 1. Daniel-san is in the lead. Let’s hope it stays that way. Also, reasons why he deserves to keep dancing: We’ll probably see the Crane kick in the finale; we all want to see him dance to “Cruel Summer,” “The Glory of Love” or “You’re the Best,” right?; and the best reason:  Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) would want it that way.
Hottest Dance Moves: So far, that’s Hines Ward. (Think his football friends find this funny?) It looks like Romeo might follow closely behind after a few more lessons. At least he’ll be ahead of his dad, Master P.
Watch Out For This Guy and Girl: Sugar Ray Leonard and Disney Star Chelsea Kane: Sugar Ray will bring his athleticism to the stage. Although there were some rough spots Monday, no one’s counting the champ out. And, Chelsea Kane is young, athletic and looks to be able to pick up the dance moves with ease. She could be a viable competitor, too.
First to Get Voted Off (Predicted): Mike Catherwood, of Love Line, will probably get voted off because of his low scores. Personally I don’t think his dance was that bad. I don’t think he deserved the incredibly low scores he got. In contrast, Wendy Williams’ extremely lazy dance netted her a score almost as low, but her dance stands out to me as worse than Catherwood’s. Although there weren’t clear blunders, she lacked energy to the extreme. I don’t know if she should be sent home for that or not, but time will tell.
On the other hand, it must be hard to remember the steps and her nerves may have taken over.
Biggest Surprise: Kirstie Alley can dance much better than I think anyone expected. In her rehearsal tape, she behaved as if she would have a ton of trouble keeping up and moving around to the pace, let alone learning the steps accurately and looking good doing it. She did it and she looks graceful and elegant on the dance floor. If she keeps this up she’ll be a contender.
Tracy Bell is managing editor of the Stafford County Sun. Reach her at tbell@staffordcountysun.com.