Kuke, if the sims you sent to a date live in the same house, and the one ask the other for a date - you have to do the date at home. It is much much longer than a community date. May be that was the reason for the control freeze (just a thought, not sure).
About the standing and not interacting:
You have to enter Downtown from the neighbourhood, click on the day/night button to make the hood as if it's a day, then pass all the community lots there, choose your favorites, and redecorate them.
My favorites are two: The 50's, and Bowiling lane (the big one).
On both of them you have to add entertaiment objects. For instance, in "the 50's" I added outside 2 bowling alleys, an esspreso and juice bars, 2-4 benches, and a lot of street lights; inside I replaced the uncomfortable sitting couches with expensive tables and chairs, openned the wall between the dining room and the walking-in, thus I made a largeer room.
I added a card table and a disco stereo, a pool table and checked if there are other entertaiment objects - and most important, added a lot of lights.
Do the same to another lot (or two - some players like The Crypt, to find vampires there). - these will be your main lots for dating. I know that each time I visit one of them, I get at leasy 10-15 townies and hoods, who are looking for amusement...
. Sometimes I have to return home, because the lot is just invaded by other guests.
Some of them play bowling, drink coffee or juice, some play cards or pool, and the most they like to dance the Smustle, which is a copy of Michael Jackson "Thriller". Sometimes my sim wishes to work as a DJ too.
You just have to follow your sims' wishes on the date, and if you can't fulfil their wish because an object is missing - you have to enter again the lot, and add the missing object.