Tonight's Dancing With the Stars will feature an individual dance from each star and his or her partner, as well as a group paso doble or tango.

Louis Van Amstel is wearing the craziest pants I have ever seen, bright blue fringed trousers. Like COVERED with fringe. 

Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova are first, dancing the foxtrot. He's working so hard and definitely having more fun, but I feel like his arm movements are still too small and restrained and kind of awkward. Head judge Len Goodman says he's glad he made it through last week because his foxtrot was well done. Bruno Tonioli says his musicality has improved, but he needs to work on his posture and "funny arms." Carrie Ann Inaba says he was gracious, fluid and had content. She also likes the costume he designed for Anna. Oh, so Louis has Kelly to blame for those pants? Ouch. Scores: 8-8-7, for a 23/30.

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson have the quickstep this week, and Donny's concerned because he had a tough time keeping up with Kym last week. I'm hoping neither of them gets an arm hooked in all the strips all over the top of Kym's costume. This week's dance, he keeps up much better -- there's less of the desperation he had going on last week -- and the style suits his style. Bruno says he's solid as a rock as a performer, but "nobody could cover up all the mistakes as well as you did." Carrie Ann says it was pretty good and his footwork was light, but he went wrong a few times. Len says he came out "full bore from start to finish, full of attack." He seems less concerned by the mistakes. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Paso vs. Tango" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Tonight on Dancing With the Stars, it's all about waltzes, jitterbugs and a dance marathon. (By the way, still on the mini keyboard, so this won't be quite as detailed as usual.)

The first jitterbug of the night is from Mya and Dmitry Chaplin.  They have a lot of fun and bring more character than usual, which was their goal. Head judge Len Goodman feels like they spent too much time with props and intro. Bruno Tonioli says her style was spot on and her timing was incredible. Carrie Ann Inaba says she was expecting a little more character still. Scores: 8-7-9, for a 24/30.

Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas are doing the waltz. They prepare with Mark's mom, who is a hard core expert. She is working very hard in the  dance, but there is still a bit of awkwardness to her performance, and her acting of the character isn't quite believable. Bruno: "That wasn't good for Week 6. ... You looked like you were trying to remember what you were told." Ouch. But true. Carrie Ann says it wasn't gliding and fluid. Len says she was elegant and had musicality, but she had some technique problems. Scores: 7-7-6, for a 20/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: waltzes and jitterbugs" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Sorry for the delay on tonight's Dancing With the Stars recap. I'm in a different time zone than usual, which is throwing a wrench in things. (Also, I'm posting from an unfamiliar -- and small -- computer, which is messing with my typing, so please forgive me if there are fewer details than usual.)

This week, the 10 remaining couples are taking on the challenges of a group hustle -- and the flu. And Samantha Harris' outrageous hairdo!

The two individual routines are the paso doble and the Argentine tango. We also learn in the intro that Joanna Krupa is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy because her usual partner Derek Hough has the flu.

The first couple of the night is Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo. They are one of the couples doing the paso. She's excited to ditch the romance and focus on power. They dance to  "American Woman," and she's in a red,  white and blue skirt and top,  and he's in a motorcycle jacket. I enjoy the performance, but something about it doesn't quite hang together for me. I'm not sure why. Head judge Len Goodman says she is clean and precise, but he felt this lacked a little bit of aggression and character. Bruno Tonioli says she lacked conviction in the performance. Carrie Ann Inaba says she's a great student but she needs to extend her movement "out past your body." Oh, and she calls lift. Scores: 7-8-7, for a 22/30.

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff want  to have a better week after being in the bottom two last week. They've got the tango. This character works much better for him than last week's lambada (thankfully), and they also have some awesome leg flicks. Bruno says he's done exactly what they asked him to do. He said it was a little like watching Robert Pattison tango in Twilight. Carrie Ann gives him kisses on the cheeks and says it was great. (Shouldn't they be skipping cheek kisses if there is a flu epidemic on set?) Len says Aaron's been like a little boy lost in the wilderness looking for his Daddy the past two weeks, but that "you've come back to me!" Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: tango, paso and hustle" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

It's another results night for Dancing With the Stars. Here are the high points:

-- The reprisal of the night is Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas' Charleston, which was fun, but a little overscored yesterday, I think.

-- Shakira performs a couple of times.

-- First wave of results: Mya and Dmitry Chaplin are safe, as are Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas. The first couple in jeopardy is Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff.

-- The pros give us a preview of what a group dance should look like, since the stars will be doing this next week. OK, it probably won't look exactly like this, especially since their group dance is going to be the hustle.

-- More results: Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel are safe, and so are Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo and Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough. After the break, still more: Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer are safe, as are Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova.

-- In one of the cutest montages of the season, the stars' kids run around and talk about how they feel about their parents being on the show. In one of the least exciting, DWTS is stressful OMG!

-- Results: Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson are safe. So are Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower, which leaves Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya in the bottom two with Aaron and Karina. The couple ousted from the competition is: Chuck and Anna.

I'm OK with that. He's a lot more likeable than I expected, but the dancing? Not his strong point.

What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Tonight, the couples on Dancing With the Stars will be taking on four new dances -- new to the competition, not just the stars -- the two-step, the bolero, the Charleston and the lambada.

My big question is, who is going to have to do the lambada, and will we viewers survive?

First up are Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya. Their assigned dance is the two-step, and Chuck is glad he doesn't have to wear ruffled sleeves and that they're allowed to do lifts. In the performance, aside from the lifts (which yes, dude is strong) and a few of the turns, it seems like Chuck is just kind of walking around the stage. They're having a blast and entertaining the crowd, but technique is not a strong point here. Head judge Len Goodman says the lifts were really good and that they brought entertainment to the show, but his quality of dance isn't there. Bruno Tonioli says he brings "carnage and mayhem" to everything he does but still managed to look like a two-step. Carrie Ann Inaba says this dance suited him the best of everything he's done so far this season and that he didn't let the dance beat him. Scores: 6-5-6, for a 17/30.

Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas and Mark's fake mustache are the first taking on the Charleston. In the performance, they have a grand old time and get over-the-top wacky with their facial expressions. Melissa's posture still seems a little off to me, but they perform like crazy. Bruno loved it, but I can't understand the first half of what he says, but she has "the role 110 percent." Carrie Ann she needs to take that one on the road: "Breakthrough, breakthrough!" Len says the Charleston is all about the three Es: energy, excitement and entertainment, and, "You ticked all the boxes." Scores: 9-9-10, for a 28/30. Wow!

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': four new dances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Reports earlier this evening indicated that Tom DeLay will be bowing out of Dancing With the Stars tonight, but that remains to be seen.

In the recap of the last night's show, we get to see some backstage interviews, the most notable of which shows Aaron Carter actually crying over his scores. 

The judges request an unusual dance for the reprisal: Chuck Liddell's samba. Really? It remains zombie-samba (but with lots of smiling and ruffles)!

In the next segment, Queen Latifah performs while Cheryl and Maks dance (and they both seem almost relieved to be getting to show off all their moves without being limited by their partners).

For the first set of results, the lowest-scoring men are called forward. Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke are safe. Michael Irivin and Anna Demidova are in jeopardy, but Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya are safe.

Then, it's time for the big announcement. Tom DeLay comes forward and says that he will be leaving the competition. He says he got through last night on adrenaline, but after that, he realized he was in too much pain to continue. "You can't practice. And if you can't practice, you'll make a fool of yourself out here, and I don't want to do that to Cheryl." He adds that he would have been doing the Texas Two-Step next week and was really excited about it. Host Tom Bergeron says if Tom D. is feeling better later, he's invited to do the Texas Two-Step at the finale. Tom D. looks thrilled.

In the meantime, though, the star who did have the lowest combined score and votes will be eliminated.

Next, more results: The women with the highest scores are called forward. Mya and Dmitry Chapin are safe, as are Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo. Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough, however, are in jeopardy.

After a break, the four remaining male stars come forward. Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson are safe, as are Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower. Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff are not, but Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer are.

The Macy's Stars of Dance performance tonight is Jabbawockeez! Yes! Love them! (Anybody else watch America's Best Dance Crew?) They dance to "Singin' in the Rain," and it's way cool. They have two guest dancers with them who get unmasked at the end -- it's Lacey Schwimmer and Mark Ballas! 

Queen Latifah's back with another performance, this one of "Ease on Down the Road." 

The lowest-scoring women are on stage to find out their fate: Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are in jeopardy, but Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel and Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas are all safe.

That gives us four couples in jeopardy. Joanna and Derek learn they're safe, as are Aaron and Karina. Samantha Harris stops to ask Len Goodman who should go home. He says they both have great potential and whoever goes will be missed. Well, that wasn't dramatic. Anyway, the couple leaving is Debi and Maks, meaning Michael and Anna are still safe.

Debi says she's been having a great time and has so many new friends and that it's been amazing. Tom asks her for a definitive answer on how to say her last name since the announcer and Tom were not saying it the same way. She says her grandma says Muh-ZAR, but everyone else just says MAY-zar, so she's gone with that. So both are right.

What do you think about the results? I had a feeling Debi was out since she was in the bottom two with great scores last week (and I said as much on the Dave Durian show on WBAL Radio this morning, actually).

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

People.com is reporting that Tom DeLay is going to drop out of the competition on tonight's live results show of Dancing With the Stars.

According to the story:

By the end of the night, though, DeLay told PEOPLE he was paying the price for the performance. “They’re starting to tell me I shouldn’t have done this,” he said of his feet, which were dressed in orthopedic booties after the show. “I ice them. I’ve got a bone stimulator machine that I put on them.”

It's not 100 percent confirmed, but we'll see for sure in a couple of hours!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Tomorrow night, somebody's going to go home because of their samba or rumba. But first, the contestants have to hit the floor on Dancing With the Stars tonight.

The first thing we learn, as the stars descend the stairs, is that the wardrobe folks have gone a little crazy for Latin night. Chuck Liddell in ruffles! Aaron Carter in what looks like a blue satin wrap top! Debi Mazar in more feathers than you'd find at Big Bird's family reunion. 

Co-host Samantha Harris starts things off with an announcement that Tom DeLay's pre-stress fracture has developed into a full-blown stress fracture, so it's still unclear whether he'll be dancing. Oh, I'm sure the producers know, but they need to build some suspense here, so it's going to remain unclear to us. 

First up are Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer, who are doing the rumba. In rehearsal, Lacey's on Mark to calm down and slow things down, but he is very energetic, so it's tough. In the performance, they do slow things down -- and have a little story about how he's flirting with other girls and lying about it -- but it feels like they slow so much that they only dance on a tiny fraction of the floor. Seems a bit static. Head judge Len Goodman says the rumba is tough for the male celebrities. He felt it was too "hard," and lacked chemistry and warmth, but he loved Lacey's one-leg turn. Bruno Tonioli says it was an "anticlimax." He adds that it lacked fluidity. Carrie Ann Inaba says his quality of movement is up there with Mya and Aaron, but he's lacking confidence, which made it "kind of uncomfortable to watch." Scores: 6-6-6, for an 18/30. (Oh, it turns out the woman Mark was being flirty with at the beginning is his wife.)

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough want to get back to the top of the pack with their samba. She wants to step it up in particular because she doesn't have as large of a fan base as some of the other competitors. These two are all over the floor and having a grand old time, but Joanna needs to stop mouthing the words to the songs. She also seems a tad tentative and not super fluid at times. Bruno says, "The good times are back." He says it was full of excitement and life, but that there was some unsteady footwork, but it was otherwise very good. Carrie Ann calls her fearless and says it was super-sexy. Len says, "It had quality stamped all over it. ... Great dancing, well done." Scores: 7-8-8, for a 23/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': It's Latin night" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It's another results show for Dancing With the Stars. I don't know about you, but I'm still hoping Tom "The Hammer" DeLay gets the boot. (Mixing metaphors already? It's going to be a long night.)

* Results start pretty quickly: Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson are safe, as are Mya and Dmitry Chaplin and Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff.

* Joss Stone performs. 

* There's a segment on the new training facility and how it brings them all together.

* More results, from those who scored 21: Mark and Lacey are safe, as are Natalie and Alec. But Debi and Maks are "still in jeopardy. That doesn't seem to mean that they are in the bottom two, though. 

* Selena Gomez performs after a break.

* Joanna and Derek are safe, as are Michael and Anna. After the break, Chuck and Anna learn that they are safe. Melissa and Mark are, too. Kelly and Louis? Same. Louie and Chelsie, though, are "still in jeopardy." 

* Next up for Star of Dance, the USC Trojans Marching Band (sorry, kids, but my heart belongs to the Oregon Marching Band) makes its way into the studio for a performance along with some dancers doing tricks and some stompers. 

* Joss Stone comes back to sing another song, reminding us all that, even though she's a fine singer, this show could easily be 30 minutes instead of an hour.

* Last results: Tom DeLay and Cheryl are safe. (Noooooooooooooooooo!) Kathy and Tony are not. 

* This leaves the three couples in trouble. Louie and Chelsie learn that they are, indeed, safe, as are Debi and Maks, so Kathy Ireland and Tony are out.

She says she wouldn't change a moment of it, and that it's been good fun.

They take their last dance, and I'm left wondering: Who is voting for Tom Delay?

What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

You can tell there are still too many people on this season of Dancing With the Stars since it feels like it takes 20 minutes for the introductions. Let's get rid of some more chaff!

Head judge Len Goodman is out tonight, but director Baz Luhrmann (of "Strictly Ballroom" fame) is there in his stead. 

The first star tonight is Joanna Krupa. She and Derek Hough are doing the jive, and he says the challenge is to keep it from looking frantic. They jive to "What I Like About You," and it is super fast (even faster than the average jive, I feel like) and mostly succeed at keeping it from looking frantic. They bring out the fun and the joy of the dance and clearly have a lot of chemistry (even though Joanna appears to be wearing about five of Dee Snider's wigs all at the same time).  Carrie Ann Inaba likes their gusto and energy, but her footwork was a little out of control. Bruno Tonioli says Joanna doesn't hold back, but with the jive, they have to be precise, and it wasn't exactly that. Baz says they are a great couple, tremendous and exciting, but he would like to see more "actual relationship." Scores: 6-7-7, for a 20/30.

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo prepare for the quick step. In rehearsal, she is having trouble because she is so used to holding her breath (like she does when she swims) that she is looking kind of stiff, but they work it out. They dance to "I Want You Back," and while they're having fun on stage, she still seems a little uptight -- and her legs don't seem like she's extending as much as she could. Bruno says she needs to relax a little more because when she tenses up, her shoulders go up. "You could be amazing," he closes. Baz says that the quick step is so hard, and that in the first half, they could see her as an athlete thinking about approaching something that is difficult, but in the second half, she was in the moment and in the music. Carrie Ann says Natalie is one of her favorites, that she likes how she moves. Her only note is that Natalie should think of Alec as an extension of herself and not a separate entity. Scores: 7-7-7, 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Men and women face off" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

It's the first results show for this season of Dancing With the Stars. Inquiring minds want to know, of course, whether we'll have to watch Tom DeLay awkward his way around the dance floor after tonight. (Please, no!) But even though this show is bloated, I'll keep it to the basics.

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel reprise their Viennese waltz from last night at the request of the judges -- no surprise as far as I'm concerned. That was definitely the surprise of the show so far. 

Men are up first to learn the results: Louie and Chelsie are safe, as are Aaron and Karina. After a goofy segment about the "Losers' Club," more results: Mark and Lacey are in, as are Chuck and Anna and Donny and Kym. Also safe are Tom DeLay and Cheryl (WHAT? What is WRONG with you, AMERICA?) and Michael Irvin and Anna, meaning that Ashley Hamilton and Edyta are out.

Then, for some reason, we're forced to see the world premiere of Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" video. (Strangely, too, in this version of the song, it skips the verse where she's so excited about the Jay-Z song on the radio.)

Women's results start next. Natalie and Alec are safe, as are Mya and Dmitry. 

For the Macy's Stars of Dance performance, it's the cast of The Lion King. Whoa, the costumes are amazing. 

Back to results: Melissa and Mark are safe, and so are Joanna and Derrick and Debi and Maks. 

We take a break from the results for a dance tribute to "friend of the show" Patrick Swayze. First, Chelsie and Dmitry dance to "She's Like the Wind." Anna T. and Jonathan start their segment evoking the pottery scene from Ghost, dancing to "Unchained Melody." And of course, Cheryl and Tony re-enact the last dance from Dirty Dancing, to "I've Had the Time of My Life." That was very sweet. And tear-inducing. Rest in peace, Patrick.

Then the last of the results: Kelly and Louis are safe (I hope that's a duh), as are Kathy and Tony, which means that Macy and Jonathan are out.

That's not a big surprise. Tom Bergeron tells her that, "as a lover of live television, I was looking forward to seeing what you were going to say next week."

I guess we get another week of Tom DeLay, whether we like it or not. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Tonight, the women take the stage with their partners on the continuation of the ninth-season premiere of Dancing With the Stars. Just to freak them out a little, the female pros start off the show with a group dance to "She's a Lady."

Like last night, the stars will dance once with their partner, then do a "dance relay" with three other couples.

Debi Mazar is partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Debi is thrilled. They're doing the salsa first. During the performance, Debi's clearly having a fantastic time, but you can still kind of see her thinking through the moves. Still, it's lots of fun. Host Tom Bergeron points out before the judging that he noticed she did the "Tom DeLay flirting with Bruno thing." Hahahaha! I bet he loved that joke. Head judge Len Goodman says her feet were flat, which led to a lack of hip action, but it was fun and energetic. Bruno Tonioli says she has a lot of potential, and that she can shake her, um, shoulders so well. Carrie Ann says she didn't have a lot of connection of the character to the dance and that she could see her concern about the moves on her face. Scores: 6-5-5, for a 16/30.

Melissa Joan Hart is hoping to prove that even though she is best known as Sabrina, the Teen-Age Witch, she is a grown-up now (and has two kids). She's partnered with reigning champ Mark Ballas, and their first dance is the Viennese waltz. It's very sweet, and unlike Debi, any nerves Melissa has are not showing on her face. In the rehearsal footage, we saw her working on her posture, and it was definitely an issue here and there during the performance, but overall, they did a nice job. Bruno asks if she is nervous, and she says yes. He says it was "prim, proper and adequate," but it lacked some magic, and her rising shoulders "ruin the line of the dance." Carrie Ann says she created a few distinctive moments, but she wasn't connected with the beat of the music. Len hated the "sweet and sickly" start, but he thought their hold was good, liked the movement, but, "your footwork was no good." Scores: 6-6-6, for an 18/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Season 9 premiere continues" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The ninth season of Dancing With the Stars starts with a bang tonight, with the eight male pros hitting the stage for a group dance to "The Boys are Back in Town." It's good fun, a great start to the season, but I can't help but think that the non-professional males who have to perform in a few minutes are worried they are going to pale in comparison.

Aaron Carter is up first. He had his first hit single when he was 8, and then they cut to make-me-feel-old footage of him at the Grammys in 1999 as a little kid in a yellow suit mugging for the cameras. He's partnered with Karina Smirnoff. Their first dance tonight is the cha cha. In their practice footage, he looks really awkward, but in the performance, especially for the first of the season, he's mostly got it together (lace shirt notwithstanding). He drops Karina a little in their last move. Head judge Len Goodman says it wasn't exactly first class, but it was full of potential. Bruno Tonioli says he is sharp and edgy and he needs to control his energy a little bit. (Host Tom Goodman points out, that's a little like the pot calling the kettle black.) Carrie Ann Inaba says his feet were a little funky, but they were entertaining. Scores: 7-8-7, for a 22/30

Chuck Liddell is paired with Anna Trebunskaya. He interviews that people think fighters are Neanderthals, and he wants to show his softer side. Their first dance is the foxtrot. He is trying so hard, but for a lot of it, his upper body looks so stiff, as does his face. You can see him thinking hard about each next step, though really, who can blame him? I know I would be doing the same thing if I were in that situation. But since he's not a performer by nature, it's hard to cover those nerves, I think. Bruno says it was very rough -- and that they know it. Carrie Ann says he isn't graceful yet, but he was smooth and charming. But yes, fix that footwork. Len says it was better than he thought it was going to be, though it was a little aggressive. He tells Chuck to get in touch with his feminine side, but Anna doesn't look like she thinks that's going to happen any time soon. Score: 6-5-5, for a 16/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Season 9 premieres" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

If you'd like some insight on what it was really like on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, check out Kevin Eck's interview with Torrie Wilson, who finished second, over at Ring Posts.

Especially interesting, I thought, was Torrie's take on Spencer Pratt:

At first I thought for sure Spencer was doing his rant for the cameras, but the longer I was around him the more I thought, maybe because he’s been on a reality show for so long that he’s started to let it blend into his real character. I don’t really know him personally so it was hard for me to differentiate, but it seemed like much of what they were doing – all of them – was very close to their true personalities.

But there's a lot more to read there, so go on, click above and read the whole thing!

Photo: Getty Images

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality
        

Fabulous guest-poster Bucky is back, wrapping up I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here for us. Thanks again, Bucky!

So, to close the loop on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here here’s what happened leading up to the finale:

We left off in the last recap with Janice and Holly having been voted off, leaving Lou, John, Steven, Sanjaya, Patti and Torrie as potential King or Queen of the Jungle. Sanjaya and I are both sad because Holly is gone. John is happy because Patti is still there, even though they are only “friends.”

Stephen is … well … at wit’s end, for some reason. He was fine during one segment and melancholy the next. He decides to bug out. He says he is sure all of the strong friendships he had built will result in the other campers being understanding about his decision. HAHAHA … they talk trash about him from the minute he leaves camp. So much for understanding.

And then … AND THEN … a twist: because Stephen bugged out, another camper gets to return. Janice and Holly are made to grovel in front of the other campers, pleading their case for wanting to come back. Janice, of course, has had an epiphany and says she is a better person who wants to redeem herself in everyone’s eyes (and hearts). Holly pretty much says she wants to come back and canoodle with Sanjaya some more. (That’s not a direct quote, but it is what she meant.) The campers have a lengthy discussion about who they want to come back (Holly, because we all love Holly. No, really, we do) and who they think they can beat the easiest (Janice because she is, in the end, just another creepy Costa Rican critter who can be swatted away). They agree they need to make the strategic move, not the emotional one and … cut to the obnoxious Wal-Mart commercials.

Continue reading "'I'm a Celebrity ...': It's finally over" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Celebreality
        

As you might have noticed, I gave up on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here several episodes ago. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I asked longtime Reality Check reader and commenter Bucky if he'd mind catching us up. He obliged. Thanks, Bucky! Take it away ...

(Note:  I didn’t know I was going to be doing this, so I wasn’t taking notes all along.  Much of the time, I wasn’t even paying that close of attention.  So I may have a few things out of order and I may have missed a few details.  Where I can’t make up something that sounds plausible—which, considering the subject, shouldn’t be that difficult—please forgive me.  Like Letterman, I’ll try to do better in the future.)

So, I believe we left off where Heidi and Spencer had decided that appearing on I’m A Celebrity… was, as Spencer so tactfully put it, “devaluing their fame” and had headed for The Hills.  Stephen Baldwin’s brother, Daniel, had joined the cast unexpectedly.  Then Heidi and Spencer had a sudden off-camera change of heart and asked to rejoin the cast.  My theory is that Spencer heard Stephen’s brother had joined the show and, thinking it was Alec, decided that the value of Speidi’s fame was safe.  Just, you know, my theory.

The twist was that not only would Heidi and Spencer have to go through their very own challenge, they would have to be voted back onto the show by the other cast members.

(Sidebar:  Whenever I say there was a “challenge” you can assume it involved the contestants putting either parts or all of their bodies into a pit of mud or an enclosed space also occupied by hordes of creepy Costa Rican critters.  Something to ponder:  aren’t there any cute, cuddly critters in Costa Rica?  End sidebar.)

Continue reading "Playing catchup with 'I'm a Celebrity ..."" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Celebreality
        

I forgot to mention in my wrap-up of last night's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here how unbelievably well former wrestler Torrie Wilson did in the "trauma tank" challenge, but my colleague Kevin Eck discussed it today.

I never could have handled having a snake on my face, much less all the other horrible creepy-crawlies she had to deal with. And I'm not even including Spencer on that list! (Rim shot! Or crickets. Your choice.)

So ... tonight's episode. Actually, after a cable mishap that ate a good chunk of So You Think You Can Dance, which features, you know, talent and actual entertainment, I honestly couldn't face it.

Anybody else want to fill us in on what happened? I gather from Twitter that Speidi might have returned? Ick. Someone please tell me that's false.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Celebreality
        

Some people's prayers were answered: Heidi and Spencer Pratt decided to leave I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Yay!

Before that happened, Heidi compared herself to Mother Teresa, and Spencer got "baptized" by Stephen Baldwin. 

I have this horrible feeling, though, that they are going to spin this when the ratings fall after they leave and say, "See how famous and important we are?" Ick.

There is a vote going on now, and one of the remaining women will be going home tomorrow. It won't be Patti Blagojevich, though, because the men decided to give her immunity.

I'm not going to be watching every minute of this one, that's for sure.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Celebreality
        

TMZ.com reports that Heidi and Spencer Pratt walked off the set of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here after the live portion of last night's broadcast.

Is this for good? The show has only had one episode, and this will be the third time they've walked out. I won't believe they aren't coming back until we get through an episode without them.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Celebreality
        

Sorry, y'all ... we've got two hours before we find out who is winning this season of Dancing With the Stars.

It's filled with musical performances (Lady GaGa -- she is everywhere), highlights from the entire season (totally covered that already), announcement of the winner of the competition naming one of the pros who will perform next season, a roast by Jeffrey Ross, performances by the ousted contestants and more.

For the pros competition, the winner is Anna, who will appear on the next show.

During Ross' roast, he points out (rightly) that the stars who made it into the finale make it so the show should be called Dancing With the Vaguely Familiar. The rest of the roast is fairly uncomfortable, especially when he proposes to Melissa and says, "Wouldn't it be ironic if she came in second on this show, too?" Yeowch.

An hour and 20 minutes in, the finalists come out to dance.

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are up first, reprising their cha-cha-cha to "PYT." It's very cute and energetic yet again, and seems to have some more details this go-round. Head judge Len Goodman says her only problem this season has been lack of performance, but not tonight. Bruno Tonioli says she is getting hotter by the day. Carrie Ann Inaba says they have been underestimating her, and that the past three weeks, she's powered her way into the finals, and rightly so. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30. (Tonight's scores will be combined with last night's viewer votes and scores.) That gives them an 88/90 total across the two nights.

Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani redo their samba with more energy and panache. Bruno says it was more appetizing on second helpings, and he wants thirds, fourths and fifths. Carrie Ann says she has been Tony's muse and done a fabulous job. Len says she has style, elegance, rhythm and performance. He says the samba was fantastic. Scores: 10-10-10, for an 86/90 across the two nights.

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke perform their Argentine tango, which remains full of drama and amazing to watch. Carrie Ann says Gilles is a very special performer because he brings such artistry to his dances. Len says these two have brought them the most pleasure to watch. Bruno calls the dance an "Argentine triumph"; he loved it. Scores: 10-10-10, for a total 88/90 for the two nights.

Eventually, we will find out who is going to win this thing. But first, it's Lady GaGa again (though I am thinking more along the lines of, "GAH, will this EVER be OVER?"

FINALLY, some results: The third-place finisher is Melissa and Tony.

Host Tom Bergeron says this is the closest finish ever, with less than 1 percent difference between the first- and second-place finishers with all the scores and votes combined.

The winner is: Shawn and Mark, which makes Gilles and Cheryl the runners-up. 

Shawn and Mark are stunned. Gilles tells Samantha that he is so happy for Shawn and thanks everyone, including his wife, for all their support.

Then Tom hands the trophy to Shawn, and the screaming begins.

So what do you think about the finish? I thought Shawn's been pretty consistent -- and improving, too.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Tonight's Dancing With the Stars gets off to a quick start with a professional group dance to "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" The contestants will be taking on a ballroom dance and a Latin dance; we'll see how it all goes down.

Before Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani dance, they relive way too many moments from the season. Then Samantha Harris interviews them. If they have this much time to fill, maybe it should have been a half-hour shorter. Actually, it turns out they are reliving moments and talking to everyone before any of the performances. Yuck. Let's get this started already!

Half an hour in, it's finally time for the dances. Melissa and Tony are doing the cha-cha and the quickstep tonight, the quickstep first. In rehearsal, they work really hard on Melissa's feet because head judge Len Goodman has not been a fan. I'm no expert, but to me, Melissa and Tony looked amazing -- peppy and precise and entertaining, and ending with a great spin (but not a lift). Len says he loved the musicality and that her feet looked amazing. Bruno Tonioli says he thought it was "very, very good" but not as exhilarating as it could have been. Carrie Ann Inaba agrees, saying it was nice and pretty, but "not connected to your soul." I disagree -- I thought they looked like they were having a great time. Scores: 9-10-9, for a 28/30.

Gilles Marini and Chery Burke are up second, with the waltz. Their performance is flowy and romantic, quite lovely. Bruno: "Wow! That is how you start a race for the final!" He also compares Gilles to a matinee idol. Carrie Ann says people watch dancing because it takes them to a world of fantasy, and this did that. Len says, "I am giving you a sitting-down standing ovation." Scores: 10-10-10. 

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': the semifinals" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the remaining contenders take on two dances -- as well as a solo during their Latin round.

The show kicks off with a group dance starring six pros. 

The first performance of the evening is the quickstep by Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Their dance is fun and quirky and full of attitude, but strangely, it's also to "You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me" from Aladdin, featuring all kinds of wacky voices and accents. (That movie, by the way, came out in 1992, same year as Shawn was born. I am old.)  Head judge Len Goodman calls the dance fun, carefree and full of personality. Len says the rules of the quickstep state that you must stay in hold for the middle part of the dance, and they broke hold. Bruno Tonioli says he came out and "danced like Sporty Spice." Carrie Ann Inaba says tonight was her best dance ever, but she has to take a point of for breaking the rules. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower have the Argentine tango for their first dance. And boy, does this dance form play to his strengths. He gets to show off his power, and Chelsie's choreography is sharp and dramatic. Bruno says Ty won't let anyone down with his strength and determination, but at times the dance needs a little more subtlety. Carrie Ann commends them on how far they have come. Len says they captured the flavor and essence of the dance, even though Ty is not a natural performer or actor. Scores: 8-9-8, for a 25/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Five couples perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

... totally contrived. Annie Duke and Joan Rivers are the Celebrity: Apprentice Top 2? Really? Joan Rivers who walked off set last week?

You know the only reason she is back and in the finals is because they think having the two people who hate each other the most square off will cause the most drama. And it probably will cause drama, but will it be watchable? I guess we'll see next week during the (ugh) three-hour finale.

I really think Jesse James should have been in the final two. I don't care that he didn't force his wife's Hollywood friends to give money during the fund-raisers; I just think he's really capable and interesting and hard-working. I'm down with low-key (last week's rant at Clint Black excepted).

I'm just really afraid that Annie Duke is going to win, and then her head might straight-up explode with self-importance. Did you see how excited she was about beating Clint in the jingle-writing competition? I mean, she deserved to be happy, but she would not get over it, and she would not give anyone any credit. (Like, say, the MUSICIAN who worked it out with her. Grr.)

This has been a really annoying season, but we're this close to the end, so I guess I will stick it out.

What did you think about the episode?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Celebreality, The Apprentice
        

I joined tonight's Dancing With the Stars already in progress. So ... some stuff happened at the beginning, but I missed it. It's OK. We're only here for the results anyway.

First, Robin Thicke performs. 

Backstage, Samantha Harris interviews Melissa Rycroft about her injury. She says she's started a new treatment and is hopeful that she can dance next week. Samantha oh-so-deftly says that Melissa was at the bottom of the leaderboard, but right over here she has Lil Kim, who was at the top. Not at all awkward!

Results! Lil Kim and Derek Hough are safe. After some other segments ... more results: Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower are safe, too.

Robin sings again, and Pasha from So You Think You Can Dance is one of the pros performing. All right, have any ballroom dancers from SYTYCD not been on DWTS?

Results again: Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke are safe. This means that Team Tango is safe.

After the break, it's time for the pros' competition. Is anyone really excited about this? Afton and Genya do the quickstep, and the judges pretty much loved them. Mayo and Anya are next, doing the jive. Judges loved that, too. Can I have my results, please? 

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are safe, leaving Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough and Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani in the bottom two. 

And the ousted couple is: Chuck and Julianne. They've done better the past couple of weeks, but I'm not totally surprised.

What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

I haven't been posting much about Celebrity Apprentice because it really hasn't been that exciting -- it's just a clash of egos week after week, and there are only so many ways I can say "Annie Duke annoys everyone" or "Clint Black annoys everyone."

But last night, Melissa Rivers got fired, and she went ballistic. So did her mom, Joan. Don't believe me? Check out the video above.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Celebreality, The Apprentice
        

Who's going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars? We'll see ... eventually.

The reprise of the evening is last night's group dance, of course, which was goofy but a lot of fun at the same time.

Then there's a montage about how many calories the stars burn and what they could eat as a result, followed by a performance by Natasha Bedingfield. Lacey Schwimmer and Dmitry Chaplin dance during the song, and it's lovely.

After the break, the Macy's Stars of Dance performance seems to have begun already. Ahhh, live TV. Is it just me or have there been a lot more problems with the cues on these live shows this season? Anyway, as a result, I have no idea what group this is. Anybody else know?

Results! Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough are safe. So are Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani and Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas.

After the break, Tom and Samantha give the details on a new competition -- some pros will compete for a guaranteed spot on next season. The first pros are Afton DelGrosso (you might remember her sister Ashly) and Brent Borbon. Len loved them, but Len thought Afton had a little more flair. Bruno liked them, too. Carrie Ann thinks Brent had a good TV presence, and she loved Afton, too. But it's all up to viewer votes.

Next are Anna Demidova and Mayo Alanen. They waltz, and while it's nice, I think they're at a disadvantage because the waltz isn't as flashy as the cha-cha, which Afton and Brent did. You know Americans -- especially reality TV voters -- love flashy. Carrie Ann thought it was beautiful and adds that Mayo had a "distinguished character," and Anna had understated star power. Len loved it, too. Bruno calls it "a waltz at its classic best." 

Snow Urbin and Genya Mazo are next. Genya is Alec Mazo's (winner of Season 1) brother, and it's not stated, but Snow was on So You Think You Can Dance in 2005. Bruno says Genya enhances his partner and that Snow should be called Fired. Carrie Ann loved them both. Len says it is easy to "not look masculine" in the rumba and he didn't have that problem at all. He thought Snow did a nice job, too. The judges' comments are kind of boring since they don't have any say in how things go. 

Next, nope, sorry, not results. It's Celtic Woman.

Results: Lil Kim and Derek Hough are safe, as are Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke.

That leaves LT and Edyta Sliwinska and Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower. Tom says that doesn't mean these are the bottom two teams, but one of them is going home. Weird. Anyway ... Lawrence and Edyta are eliminated.

LT grins like crazy, and Tom says he's a terrible actor -- he's obviously happy to be going home and back to golfing. LT says Edyta was amazing and taught him everything he knows about dance. "I don't know where the hell I'm going to use it, but ..." Edyta asks for golf lessons in return. 

That wasn't a big surprise. What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Indy car driver Helio Castroneves, who was the champion of Dancing With the Stars in 2007, was acquitted on tax charges today.

Read the Associated Press story here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There is some wardrobe madness going on on tonight's Dancing With the Stars -- even more than usual -- for performances of the rumba and the jive.

Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower are first, and they've been assigned the jive. During rehearsal, they spend a lot of time trying to loosen Ty up (last week, his paso doble was compared to a Transformer, and rightly so, as even Ty agrees). To help him out, Chelsie has choreographed a Texas-two-step-themed jive, and that seems to help, but you can still see how hard he's trying to loosen up, which defeats the purpose a bit. Still, though, definitely better than last week. (On the wardrobe front, Chelsie is wearing a sequined tube top styled like the American flag.) Head judge Len Goodman is first with comments, and he says it's like Ty is bewildered and not sure what he's doing there, though he gives it his all every week. Bruno Tonioli says the line dancing was good, but "then the jive started." He says he went after it like a wild animal, but he really tried hard and he really is a gentleman. Carrie Ann Inaba says it was an exciting jive, but he never really found his footing. Scores: 6-6-6, for an 18/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Eight stars perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Just noticed this Associated Press story on our site, which asks the question above. It cites Lil Kim, Steve-O and Denise Richards as stars who are trying to get an image makeover on the show.

What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Someone's going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars, betrayed by the paso doble or the Viennese waltz.

Lil Kim and Derek Hough have the reprise request of the evening, performing last night's Viennese waltz again.

Results: Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are safe, as are Lil Kim and Derek Hough.

After the break, it's Etta James, with "At Last." Sometimes I fast-forward through these performances to try to catch up, but not this one. Karina and Maks perform with her, and they are fab.

Results, part two: Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke are safe. So are Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer, who are shocked.

More, after the break: Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough = safe. So, too, are Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani. 

Montage. Meh.

The Macy's Stars of Dance event of the night is next, followed by a performance by Disney star Demi Lovato, which includes dancing by Benji Schwimmer (brother of Lacey and from So You Think You Can Dance).

More results: Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower are safe, which leaves David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson and Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska in the bottom two, and in the dance-off.

David and Kym's re-dance is first. Len Goodman says he liked it last night and tonight, but there was a little more expression. Bruno Tonioli says he was more composed and focused and a bit of an edge. Carrie Ann Inaba says she felt the connection between them tonight much more than last night. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30 (last night was a 22).

Lawrence and Edyta are next. Bruno says they have only seen the tip of the iceberg of what he can do and that he needs to work on being more connected with the music and his partner. Carrie Ann says he had intensity and power on the dancefloor. Len says he saw real improvement. Scores: 6-7-7, for a 20/30 (same as last night).

These scores will be combined with last night's viewer votes, and then, at long last, we shall see who is going home. 

And that is: David and Kym. Wow, really? I think it was a fan-base issue, huh? What do you think about the results? I'm pretty shocked Steve-O's still in it.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the remaining couples will take on the Viennese waltz and the paso doble.

Samantha Harris seems to have her voice back, which is good for her, I guess. (P.S. Did you know that because I posted last week that I find her annoying, that means I'm just jealous because she's so pretty? Thank you, random e-mailer. It turns out that I just think she's annoying. And if you think I'm the only one, go back to previous weeks and check the look on Maks' face during the backstage interviews. Just sayin'.)

Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough are up first, and they've drawn the waltz. In rehearsal, Chuck has a tough time at first grasping how big the movements have to be, but once he starts mocking it, Julianne says he's finally doing it right. In the performance, he still looks slightly uncomfortable with the big movements, but he's trying hard and smiling hard the whole time. Head judge Len Goodman says Chuck has come out of hibernation and upped his performance level, but he still needs to finesse his footwork. Bruno Tonioli says he is emerging from Julianne's shadow and that he was in command. Carrie Ann Inaba disagrees and says he lost his focus at times and also his confidence, so that frustrated her. Scores: 7-8-8, for a 23/30.

Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are the first to try out the paso doble. In rehearsal, he says he is having trouble getting the rhythm of the dance because it doesn't match up with the beat of the music. In the beginning of the performance, he seems to have it down pat, but during the fast footwork in the middle, he looks a little off. The end is pretty strong, though. Bruno calls him the prince of darkness and then totally disagrees with me, saying he started like a block of granite, and then he got his feet moving and did better, but didn't stay with it through the end. Carrie Ann says he seems to have a limited range of motion, but he worked within it and did a good job working with a very difficult piece of music. Len says he brought intensity, but the dance quality is still "not really there." Scores: 6-7-7, for a 20/30. 

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Nine stars perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Can you feel the drama? Two dancers are going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars. Well, I guess that's technically four, as two pairs will be out.

Let's see how it all plays out. 

Co-host Samantha Harris is still sick, so she will be resting her voice for most of the night. YAY! I wish it was always that way. Cough.

There is a huge recap of last night, but Carla covered that for us already. (Thanks, Carla!)

Speaking of recaps, the judges want to see Gilles and Cheryl's Argentine tango again. I can't blame them for that! I was saying literally right before the performance yesterday that I thought he was overrated, but this dance proved me wrong.

Some results: Gilles and Cheryl are safe. Lawrence and Edyta are too. The first couple in the bottom three is Holly and Dmitry. Holly's sad, but maybe in the dance-off she won't fall off the stool at first. Except there isn't one this week, so never mind on that.

Then Kevin Randolph performs, as do some of the pros. Kevin, whatever, but the pros kick some tail.

Samantha fails to rest her voice and does an interminable interview with the couples who have gotten some news. Then, more results: Shawn and Mark are safe. 

For the Stars of Dance performance, a number of pros perform a number choreographed by Louis Van Amstel, who has paired with stars on previous seasons. 

More results: Chuck and Julianne are safe. Steve-O and Lacey are in the bottom three.

Boyz II Men perform. 

Results, results: Lil' Kim and Derek are safe, as are Melissa and Tony. 

Montage, then more results: Ty and Chelsie are safe. Steve and Karina are on the bottom three, which means David and Kym are safe. 

No dance-off tonight. But ... the actual results!

Holly and Dmitry are out. 

Steve Wozniak and Karina are also out.

So Steve-O and Lacey are safe.

What do you think about the results? I think these are some good cuts and we can get past the novelty acts and watch more good dancing. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Tonight's Dancing With the Stars results show starts with some montages from last night, but we're here for the, well, results. So let's skip right to that.

First to find out they are safe are Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani. So are Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke, as well as Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Lastly, and shockingly, for this set of results, Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff are safe. And Karina screams, she is so shocked, followed by some jumping around and hugging.

I usually skip over Samantha Harris' interview questions on the results show, but I have to record this one for posterity. She asks Woz if he's shocked to be safe, and he says, "I don't think I've ever been so surprised by anything in my life except for when I got served with divorce papers."

More results: Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe, as are David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson and Chuck Willes and Julianne Hough. And: Lil' Kim and Derek Hough.

Next week's dances are the Lindy Hop and the Argentine Tango, which are demonstrated, sort of, by Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas. 

Then, it's Hall & Oates ... They perform "Maneater." (Carla, do you recognize them yet?) Seems a little like Hall could have used some more warm-up time before the performance. After the break, it's Adele's turn, with "Chasing Pavements." She sounds amazing.

Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer are safe.

Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin are in the bottom two.

Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower are safe.

Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are also in the bottom two, so they'll be in the dance-off against Holly and Dmitry.

Holly and Dmitry are first, and they're a little better. Holly especially starts out a lot stronger than last night, and then the wheels kind of fall of again. But overall, it seems better. Len Goodman says she came out hot tonight and partied in the party dance, but he does point out a mistake "going into the running promenades." Bruno Tonioli says she is hot top, middle and bottom, but her timing wasn't fabulous. Carrie Ann Inaba says she brings a party atmosphere every night, and she's glad she kept her foot on the ground to avoid a lift. Scores: 6/6/6, for an 18/30 (a point higher than last night).

Denise and Maks are next. She clomps around a little less, but not much. She really doesn't seem to be enjoying herself at all -- even in backstage footage, which makes it not pleasant to watch her. Bruno says she improved a lot (Really?) from last night. Carrie Ann says she is good under pressure, and she worked on her hands and her presentation. Len says she proved she deserves to stay. Were they watching the same performance I was? Sigh. Scores: 6/7/7, for a 20/30 (it's weird because the scores they show on the screen are 7/7/6, and there's a lot of confusion). Bet they get it figured out during the break, but Carrie Ann is really not amused that Samantha is saying that she picked up the wrong paddle. Really not amused. After the break, Tom says yes, it was a 20/30.

And the eliminated couple is: Denise and Maks. She says she's a huge fan of the show, and at least her daughters like her dancing.

What do you think of the results? I'm OK with them.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

12 dancers! Two hours during which my significant other and my cat will retreat far from the living room TV! Let's get straight to it!

First up are Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During rehearsal, Maks wears a frilly, two-piece pink outfit with fruit on his head a la Chiquita banana lady to get Denise to loosen up, because she is freaking out. A lot. OK, go time. The couple dance a samba to Filter's "Take a Picture," which I think is a weird song choice (I haven't heard that song since 1998 or so). I still think Denise looks ... well, bad. She kind of flops around in her short black outfit and has no rhythm, which is essential. Judge Len Goodman says the samba is the hardest of the Latin dances, and that they did well (REALLY?). Judge Bruno Tonioli says it was flat (yes!). "We are going backwards," he says. "You didn't have the party feel." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba agrees with Bruno (yes!). She says they can tell she's frightened to death. She tells her to work on her "pancake" hands. Well, I'm glad we all got that over with. Scores: 5/6/5 = 16 (out of 30).

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': 12 couples perform" »

Posted by Carla Correa at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Guest blogger Carla is handling the full recap of tonight's Dancing With the Stars, but I was watching and just had to mention ... a 10 for Steve Wozniak? (That's a 10/30, not a 10/10.)

I mean, yeah, that samba was bad, but was it that much worse than his previous performances? (He got a 13/30 week one and a 17/30 week two.)

I'm thinking they're still mad about his comments from last week. So much for that "judging them on their dances only" thing.

Not that it wasn't an excruciating dance. Woz is sweet, but ... hip-shaking is not his forte.

Take our poll to let us know what you think.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Did you hear that Dennis Rodman melted down on last night's Celebrity Apprentice? Major! Meltdown!

At least according to all the ads on NBC, ads on the Web, Tweets from Annie Duke, etc.

Then when it finally happened, it was weird but not very surprising or interesting.

Anyway, the task this week was to create a "stage show" for a product launch. The product in question was a new video phone system. (I felt kind of bad for the company since it seems like most people who want to talk via video these days probably just use Skype, which is free.)

At the very beginning of the task, when the teams were negotiating which would go first and which second, Dennis wandered over, screamed at Clint Black, ripped off his microphone and walked out. OK, then.

Team Athena was in total chaos during brainstorming. It seemed like someone was always on the phone at the table, interrupting the process. Then Claudia Jordan, who was project manager, and Melissa Rivers had a total communication break down. Melissa was trying to help come up with ideas, but Claudia felt like she was interrupting, and they clashed a lot. Melissa backed down and let Claudia instruct her on what to do. She ended up handling the production of the show, but not any of the creative side. (Which -- spoiler! -- was probably a bad plan.)

Continue reading "'Celebrity Apprentice': another oversold meltdown" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality, The Apprentice
        

It's been crazy this season on Dancing With the Stars, and it hasn't even started yet. Well, it's starting now! You probably heard that Nancy O'Dell and Jewel had to drop out due to injury, and there's been all kinds of mystery about who was going to take their place.

Well, not that much. It was reported today that Holly Madison (from The Girls Next Door) and Melissa Rycroft (just dumped on The Bachelor) would be joining the cast. ABC wouldn't confirm it, but their web site does -- sort of.

First up are Lil' Kim and Derek Hough. She says she first watched the show when she was in prison. Also, she says she's Lil' Kim, but man, she hardly looks like her old self. Upon meeting Derek, she says, "I'm going to look like black Barbie, and he's my Ken." Then she dedicates her performance to the women in the Federal Detention Center. They dance the cha cha to "Nasty Boys," and she seems pretty comfortable on stage, which will put her ahead of some of her competitors, no doubt. Head judge Len Goodman says it was the first night, first dance and overall "first class." Bruno Tonioli says she's "nasty but tasty" and that she works "wonders with that tushy." Carrie Ann Inaba says she was a little shaky, and she needs to not think of it as another style of dance, "but just let it out." Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Next are Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts. Belinda is from the Go-Gos. She gets off to a rough start because every time they spin, she gets disoriented. Their first dance is the waltz to "What the World Needs Now." She's a touch wobbly, but she's clearly giving it her all. Bruno says her first spin she looked like Julie Andrews, and after that she looked like Cloris Leachman. Whoops. He calls out her heavy footwork. Carrie Ann says it wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't Cloris. She adds that Belinda needs to trust Jonathan and let him lead. Len says they saw some grace and elegance with some moments of awkwardness. Scores: 6-6-5, for a 17/30.

Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinksa are next. When they first meet, Edyta tells him that football players always do very well, and he says everyone has been telling him that. Their first dance is the cha-cha, which is a little stilted because you can see him counting the steps out loud, and Edyta is clearly leading him. But he's having fun with it, so that's a plus. Carrie Ann asks if he lived up to the legend of other football players on this dance floor, and he says, "Not yet." Len says he had a nice natural, casual approach and it was well done. Bruno says he needs to attack it, to come out and perform. I guess Bruno has decided he is the Simon Cowell this season! Scores: 6-5-5, for a 16/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Drama before it even debuts" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

When I first heard that Donald Trump was forging ahead with a second season of Celebrity Apprentice, I was shocked -- and I thought, "No way I'll watch that." Then I saw the cast list, and I thought, hmmmm, I might have to check it out.

Last night was the debut, and I was more entertained than I would have predicted. The teams are again divided into men and women, and it's a strange brew.

Mostly it was the men's team that got my attention -- I mean seriously, can you imagine Dennis Rodman, Andrew Dice Clay, Herschel Walker, Brian McKnight, Scott Hamilton, Jesse James, Tom Green and Clint Black hanging out in a room together? (Jesse James is the only one I needed an identifier for -- he's from Motorcycle Mania and Monster Garage). Now you don't have to imagine.

The women's team called a little less "whoa" and a little more "who?" to mind: Joan and Melissa Rivers (yeah, yeah, we know them), poker player Annie Duke, LPGA player Natalie Gulbis, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick, reality star Khloe Kardashian, Deal or No Deal model Claudia Jordan and T-Boz from TLC.

First up, the teams had to choose names and project managers. After a lot of back-and-forth, then men went with Kotu (for Kings of the Universe), which was a little too Survivor. The women chose Athena, citing every single mythical attribute of the goddess (beauty! waging war intelligently!). Herschel was named PM for Kotu, and Joan Rivers for Athena.

The teams then met up with the Donald and learned that their first task was to ... make cupcakes. Ha! A bake sale! How awesomely mundane for these egocentrics.

Continue reading "'Celebrity Apprentice' has a fighting chance" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Celebreality, The Apprentice
        

And it's almost over -- it's finale night on Dancing With the Stars. (Thank heavens; I love you guys, but I want my evenings back!)

The show starts with a montage from last night, even though they just reaired the whole show at 8 p.m.

Then Usher comes out to dance and sing, followed by predictions from past contestants.

Then, results: The third-place finisher is Cristian de la Fuente, so he and Cheryl Burke are out.  I'm actually surprised. I thought if anyone would overcome the scoring gap, it would be him. Before they go, Cristian and Cheryl reprise their paso doble. (HEY!)

Then it's time for some more reprisals. Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson hit the floor to dance again, followed by Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts. (Monica's having fun, but definitely disproving the idea that athletes have an unfair advantage on this show.) Happy-go-lucky Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya return, too, as do Adam Carrolla and Julianne Hough with their paso doble that begins with a unicycle ride.

Next, it's time for results. No, not those results -- the junior champions. And the winners are Brandon and Brittany. They are excited and get a mini mirror-ball trophy and a visit from some of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Time for more former contestants, the first being Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel with the tango.

Then there is a "tribute" to Jason and Cristian's friendship, or bromance, as Cheryl puts it. Host Tom Bergeron says they were going to save it for the wrap party, but they decided to share it with America.

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez resprise one of their dances, as do Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

Then Baltimore R&B star Mario and Karina Smirnoff hit the floor with their mambo, followed by Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani with the paso doble.

Usher returns, singing a Broadway version of "Yeah," while dancing with some of the pros and a floor full of other dancers.

Finally, Kristi and Mark and Jason and Edyta come out to reprise their favorite performance of the season and to get their last scores from the judges. (It's yet another show going with a boxing theme tonight, as they play the Rocky theme.)

Kristi and Mark are first, with the jive, the one where Mark wears Buddy Holly glasses. Len says she is the most consistent dancer of all their season. Bruno says she didn't miss a beat. Carrie Ann says these two set the standard through the season, and also grew throughout the season. Tonight and last night's judges' scores will be combined with the votes from last night to determine the winner. Scores: 10-10-10, for another 30/30.

Jason and Edyta revisit their quickstep from earlier in the season, which is a good choice, because it's probably the dance on which he showed the most personality all season. Bruno says "heavenly bodies" is a term created for them. Carrie Ann says it's a showdown tonight, and then she says something about the elegance of his spirit (OK, Paula). Len calls him the people's champion. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30, their first.

To draw things out, Tom talks to the other contestants. Priscilla Presley says it's been a pleasure. Mario says it's been an amazing experience and pure fun. Shannon Elizabeth cries again, saying she is so happy for everyone.

Can we have some results, please??

And the winners are ... Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. She graciously thanks everyone behind the show for making this a dream experience, and Mark seconds that. Tom hands them the disco-ball trophy, and the hugs and confetti begin.

How do you feel about the results? After last night, I figured this was the way it would end, and it seems a fitting conclusion.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

At long, long last, here we are: The final performance show of this season of Dancing With the Stars.

Tonight the final three will do a "cha-cha faceoff" as well as each perform a freestyle dance.

The cha-cha faceoff is first, with all three couples dancing back-to-back during the song "Dancing on the Ceiling."

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are the first couple on the floor, and they have a lot of hip-shaking and bare-chest action (his). Then, Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska come out, and they've got all sorts of tricksy moves and body rolls. Lastly, Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas hit the floor, and their routine has a boatload of spins and an amazing amount of energy. The routine ends with Jason and Cristian lifting Kristi up over their heads, which is pretty impressive since they are so tall.

Len Goodman says at his age, it takes a lot to get him excited, but this did it. He says Cristian has great hips and rhythm, and that Jason has a grace about him and style, but he doesn't think Latin is his big thing. He says Kristi was the "complete package." Bruno Tonioli says Cristian "banged like the best" and that he's shown so much improvement. He says Jason's timing was a tad off, but he was still great and athletic. But then he adds that Kristi was in a master class all her own. Carrie Ann Inaba says it was really interesting watching them back to back. She says she thought Cristian was fantastic but that his injury seems to be messing up his posture a bit. She agrees that she feels bad that Jason had this dance since it's his weakest dance, but he still did a good job. She closes saying that Kristi won that, "hands down."

Cristian and Cheryl's scores: 8-9-9, for a 26/30.

Jason and Edyta's scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Kristi and Mark's scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.

Kristi and Mark prepare for the freestyle. When they come out on stage, Kristi is wearing PJs and Mark has on this bizarre bathrobe and fake-abs T-shirt. They rip off these clothes to reveal pinstriped sequined outfits and Converse sneakers. They are all over the place in terms of styles and choreography and have a ton of energy. They pull off a bunch of lifts, and Kristi even boosts Mark for a backflip. It's a little manic, but a blast to watch. Bruno says it was an inspiring match of mambo and hip-hop and that it was "worthy of the championship." Carrie Ann says she was the big crowd-pleaser. "Loved it!" Len says he isn't a lover of hip-hop when it's in a Latin dance, but this held his attention from start to finish, and that he absolutely loved it. Scores: 10-10-10, for a(nother) 30/30 and a total 60/60.

Jason and Edyta aim to have a ton of tricks in their routine, but during practice, Edyta gets dropped a lot. They perform to "Welcome to Miami" (of course). Edyta starts in a pretty sundress and hat, but Jason rips off her dress to reveal a tiny outfit. Their performance is pretty much straight hip-hop with lots of tricks. It's fun, but doesn't nearly have the finesse or range of Kristi and Mark's. And to keep the percentage of people who have their clothes ripped off during the freestyle round at 100 percent, Edyta removes Jason's tank top as the final flourish of their dance. Carrie Ann tells Edyta she's so glad to see her in the finals. She says, "Who knew, Jason Taylor can get funky!" Len says he loved the humor and the lifts and that he could see them together at the beach, Jason in his Speedo, "me in my thong!" Bruno speaks for all viewers when he says, "I'm not going to have dinner tonight!" Bruno says it was like "watching centerfolds, and the dance wasn't bad, either." Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30 and a total 51/60.

Cristian and Cheryl are last, with a Latin-themed performance featuring a lot of hip-shaking and an amazing number of one-armed lifts and tricks. But no clothes were ripped off in the making of this performance. Len says he loved the Latin flavor and that he has to take into consideration that the other two had amazing lifts and some of theirs weren't up to par (which he of course has to mention, regardless of the injury since everyone is being judged by the same standards). Bruno says he hasn't seen so much shaking in L.A. since the Northridge earthquake. (Incidentally, this seems like a bad time to make earthquake jokes, but maybe that's just me.) He calls Cristian a Latin stallion. Carrie Ann says that this is all about seeing who leaves it all on the floor and that while they might not have compared to Kristi's performance, Crisitian is a winner in so many ways. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30 and 52/60.

So I think it's unanimous that Kristi took that -- finally a 60/60, and both performances were a total blast.

Who do you think deserves to win? And who do you think will win?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's results show, the final four will be narrowed to the top three, who will perform in next week's finale.

-- Things kick off with a montage from last night.

-- Then, it's reprisal time: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas do their tango again.

-- The junior championships continue with performances from the three finalists throughout the show.

-- Next, Omarion sings during a tribute to Michael Jackson choreographed by Travis Payne.

-- Results, finally: Kristi and Mark are safe. Then, a break. Then, Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are announced safe. Also safe are Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke.

-- So that means Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are out. On her way out, Marissa says, "I want everyone to go out and do something fun and do something that makes you feel sexy and shake what your momma gave you." Aww, too cute.

So ... what are you looking forward to with next week's finals?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Tonight, the final four couples face off on Dancing With the Stars. They'll each do two dances, one Latin and one ballroom, drawn from a giant disco ball, of course.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are up first -- their dances of the night are foxtrot and paso doble. They hope to show how far he's come with the foxtrot since it's been so long since he had to perform it. He also gets a pep talk from Dan Marino via tape and is told not to come home without the mirror ball trophy. Their foxtrot, to "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," is graceful and cheeky and definitely achieves their goal of showing how much Jason has learned this season. He looks comfortable and like he's having a great time. Head judge Len Goodman is up first: "Honestly, ... like a dolphin glides through the sea, that's how you moved on the dancefloor. ... The whole thing was great." Bruno Tonioli says he was a showman and had great movement. Carrie Ann Inaba says he had great posture, a lot more content and did a great job. Scores: 9-10-9, for a 28/30.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani draw rumba and quickstep. Stacy Keibler stops by to talk with Marissa about what it's like to dance and train with Tony and how difficult it is to have chemistry with him when they don't find him sexy (he doesn't look too pleased). Their quickstep is OK -- there are a couple of slow parts that seem particularly slow for the quickstep, though. Bruno says, "You missed a jete on the big run. This is the semifinal; at this stage, we look at things like that." Carrie Ann says she's turned into the unlikely contender and that she did a great, classic quickstep. Bruno says he has to take into consideration the difficulty level of this dance, but that she did a great job. Scores: 9-9-8, for a 26/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' semifinal performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

We've got two hours of Dancing With the Stars tonight so the show can celebrate its 100th episode (and host Tom Bergeron's birthday, as I learned on Entertainment Tonight a little while ago. Please don't judge me).

The first hour features the judges' favorite dances from the first five seasons. No. 10 is Kelly Monaco's freestyle from the season one's week six. No. 9 is Sabrina Bryan's paso doble from season five. No. 8 is Emmitt Smith's cha-cha-cha from season three. No. 7 is Apolo Anton Ohno's seaon four quickstep. No. 6 is Joey Fatone's season four jive. No. 5 is Helio Castroneves' season five quickstep (in the giant yellow suit). No. 4 is Drew Lachey's freestyle from season two's finale. No. 3 is Stacy Keibler's season two samba. No. 2 is Mel B's paso doble from season five. No. 1 is Mario Lopez's tango from season three.

I didn't watch the first season, but I learned from this clip show that the standards are a lot higher now. During that Kelly Monaco dance, there were a bunch of parts where they paused to make sure they started the next part together, and she was looking at her partner's feet a bunch. Interesting.

Let's get on with the results show, shall we?

* They kick things off with a big group dance from the pros to "Hard to Handle."

* Montage from last night.

* Backstage, Samantha Harris talks to the five remaining stars, all of whom feel at risk, glad to be there and hope to still be around next week.

* Rascal Flatts performs, and Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough dance along with them. (They rock, by the way.)

* Tom Bergeron talks to a bunch of past cast members, who are in the audience. Stacy Keibler says she emailed George Hamilton to see if he would be around. Lisa Rinna says she is doing lots of cardio ballroom. Jerry Springer says his hip still hurts. Vivica A. Fox says she's retired her stilettos. Joey Fatone says he's still bitter, and Kenny Mayne says he's tired of being Tom's punchline, and Sabrina just gets to say "thank you" after Tom says Kenny used all her time.

* Mario Lopez and the cast of Broadway's A Chorus Line hit the stage to perform.

* Rascal Flatts returns, and Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance.

* Kelly Monaco tells Samantha she's for Kristi. Apolo says he's for the athletes, but probably Kristi because he's partial to skaters. Drew says his money is on Cristian.

* Results, finally: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe, as are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. After a break, more results: Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, which leaves Mario and Jason Taylor as the last two stars standing. Leaving are Mario and Karina Smirnoff, meaning Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe.

* Mario says: "I've had a great time performing on this show, I've had a great partner, we've had some great competition. ... Len, thank you for all your comments. Ultimately, you've helped me become a better ballroom dancer. And the comment about me being brave and being an inspiration for young people. I want to say that the real brave ones are the young men and women fighting for our country."

Well, that's a classy exit for our hometown contestant. How do you feel about the results? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on two dances -- and they'll be allowed one lift per dance. Plus, we'll see how Cristian de la Fuente handles his injured arm.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas will be doing quickstep and samba this evening. In the intro footage, Kristi really wants to take advantage of the opportunity to do lifts, but Mark isn't so sure. He finally agrees to add one to their quickstep, which is their first dance. It's fun and fast and seems fairly traditional, though the lift in question ends up being, well, kind of lame after all that buildup. Judge Len Goodman says that dance cheered him up to no end and says it had "great light and shade." Bruno Tonioli says Kristi is a supercandidate with a super ticket for the final. Carrie Ann Inaba liked that they danced toward the judges, but she says that at one point, they got a little hair out of sync. Scores: 9-10-10, for a 29/30.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff practice the jive and the Viennese waltz. Their waltz is first, and he's determined to show that he can be an elegant dancer, since Len said last week that was not his strong point. I'm not a ballroom expert, but he looks pretty dapper to me. Bruno calls him "Prince Mario," and says he had "polish and distinction, poise, restraint." Yeah, he liked it. Carrie Ann says his posture was the best thus far and she thought the lift "completely enhanced your routine." Len says, and I quote, "Normally, your ballroom dancing reminds me a bit of Britney Spears getting out of a car: Not very elegant, you sometimes see odd things you'd rather not, but tonight I thought that was the most elegant I've seen you dance. ... Gorgeous, floating movement, good job." Wow, Len, don't mince any words. Backstage, always on point Samantha Harris tells Mario that he got some fantastic comments from the judges. Um. Eventually. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Host Tom Bergeron: "Coming up, more frightening analogies from Len."

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week eight performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Despite what all the gossip blogs were saying, Cristian de la Fuente, who was injured last night on Dancing With the Stars, is here for tonight's live show.

During the recap from last night, Cheryl Burke interviews that she heard a crack and thought her dress had ripped or something, and then realized the noise had been from Cristian's arm.

Reprisal time: Len Goodman says they want to see Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's quickstep.

Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe.

In case you ever wondered if they taped some of this stuff, the supposed backstage promo of Def Leppard and the pros who will be dancing with them includes Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff, but then during the transition to commercial, which returns back to the stage, Cheryl and Karina are on stage with their partners. Whoa.

Then, it's "DanceCenter" with Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Len Goodman.

Then DWtS tries to out-hip Idol and succeeds by about two decades with a "performance" of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, though it's some of the saddest lip-syncing I've ever seen, since it sounds like they are just playing the CD.

More "DanceCenter."

Results again: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe. (Whew, says Baltimore.)

Def Leppard's back for another performance, this one of a song from the band's new album, which came out today. Woo.

Results: Everyone looks really solemn except for Shannon Elizabeth, who is grinning. After the break, Tom and Samathan talk to Cristian. He says he ruptured the tendon of his bicep. Even so, he found out a few minutes ago that his doctor said he can delay the surgery and stay on the show if the voters have agreed to let him stay. Cristian and Cheryl are indeed safe, Tom reveals. In the bottom two: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Safe: Jason and Edyta. Bottom two: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

Going home: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. She says the show has been amazing, and she's made friends for life. Derek says she's been a great partner and she's "a big dork, but I love that."

They dance; she cries.

What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants have to take on two dances -- one Latin and one ballroom.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are doing the tango and the rumba this week. In the intro, Marissa says she is mixing up the two and she's afraid she's going to go out there and "do the rumbango!" The tango is their first performance, and the theatricality of it really suits Marissa. Also, she seems to have grasped the precision of the dance's steps; it's great. Judge Len Goodman says their expectations are still high even though they are doing two dances. He sums up: "Three words: your best dance." Bruno Tonioli says they had "drama, passion and a hint of disdain." Carrie Ann Inaba says something has come out of her and that it was "a wonderful performance" that showed a new side of her. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke prepare for the Viennese waltz and the samba. In another weird moment, in the intro, Cheryl says that the Viennese waltz should be like him dancing with his daughter, and then there is footage of him getting a pep talk from his little girl. But for the performance, Cristian and Cheryl dance to "I'll Make Love to You." Um, OK. But back to the dance. It's romantic and flowy (and points to the wardrobe people for Cheryl's dress, which complements their movements). Bruno calls him "South America's Clark Gable" and says they had great movement. Carrie Ann says he's found "new fluidity," but that they lacked just a hair of energy. Len says the dance had a bit of romance, but it lacked content. Scores: 8-8-9, for a 25/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week seven performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

It's time again for eliminations on Dancing With the Stars, and it could be a surprise since so many people stepped up their scores and a couple of others faltered.

Here's the rundown on the evening's activities:

* Reprised dance? The country-and-western group performance, of course.

* Ashlee Simpson sings, and some pros (including Artem from So You Think You Can Dance) accompany her on the dance floor.

* Results: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, however, are in the bottom two.

* Backstage, Shannon and Derek apologize for their heated comments after last night's show about how the critiques were unfair (Shannon) and that the judges were giving 9s and 10s to people doing "heel-leads" and ridiculous arm movements (Derek).

* Then there's a performance by some of the dancers from Riverdance.

* The junior competition continues with the 13 and younger category. Brandon and Brittany dance the cha-cha, and Austin and Liza dance the samba. The judges choose Brandon and Brittany to go forward.

* Montage of what it's like for the judges.

* More results: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe, and so are Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke (so yay, we are saved from Len showing his bum in the supermarket, which he said he would do if Cristian was in the bottom two).

* After a break, more results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are also safe, leaving Mario and Karina Smirnoff in the bottom two.

* And ousted from the competition are: Marlee and Fabian.

What do you think of the results? I'm sad for Marlee, though not shocked since she did have a rough couple of weeks. Still, I thought her fan base might pull her through. But I'm glad Mario is still in it -- he's been getting better and better, and of course, he is our hometown contestant.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's a night of two dances -- first each couple has to take on a dance they haven't tried before, and then there will be a big group country-and-western number.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska take on the cha-cha for the first time this season. In their preparations, they focus a lot on judge Len Goodman's comment last week that Jason didn't dance enough -- that too often he was just kind of there while Edyta danced around him. That is not a problem in this performance, which is fun and kicky and has way more hip action than most cha-chas I remember on this show. Len says this week definitely had enough content and that they captured the flavor of the dance, though his heart went out to Jason a couple of times when he could tell Jason was counting, but still, he calls it a "marvelous job." Bruno Tonioli says Jason always seems heroic, but they showed much more personality this week. He does agree that the missteps were a problem. Carrie Ann Inaba says Jason needs to work harder to keep his arms in check and to dance bigger. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough prepare to dance the rumba, and Shannon is concerned since she had a rough time last week. Speaking of last week, several of the contestants had trouble with the rumba last Monday, mostly because its slow speed revealed a lot of flaws. I think it largely worked for Shannon tonight and let her really extend her long limbs more gracefully. But let's see what the pros think. Bruno says they had a lot of romantic interplay, but that they had the cardinal sin of the rumba: no hip action. Carrie Ann says she needs to go beyond her potential and that she has "the ability to make great shapes, you just have to sustain them." Len says he loved the start and that they were "all over each other like a rash." Despite the lack of hip action and moments that lacked fluidity, he says they did a good job. Co-host Samantha Harris asks them just how close they have become (referring to the steamy photos of them on the beach that recently surfaced). Derek says they were on the beach practicing and in character and that was all. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week six performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Somebody's going home tonight on Dancing With the Stars, and there are a lot of options after all the leader-board shuffling.

Here's how everything went down:

* The reprised dance of the evening is Kristi and Mark's rumba, which I can't really argue with.

* Ozomatli (I forgot how many people are in that band!) performs, and a whole ton of the pros come out to dance.

* Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe, and Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are in the bottom two.

* The Dancing With the Stars Junior competition continues with the 10 and younger group.

* Host Tom Bergeron has a TelePrompTer problem and pitches it to results instead of a montage of what show day is like.

* Now it's time for those results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe.

* James Blunt performs, accompanied by some pros.

* More results: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe, as are Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Then a break, then, more results. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe, as are Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, leaving Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel in the bottom two.

* And the ejected couple is: Priscilla and Louis. Not the biggest surprise after being in the bottom two last week.

What do you think of the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

It's Latin night on Dancing With the Stars, which means the couples will be taking on the samba and the rumba. (Also, it's the halfway point, woo.)

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are up first, hoping to impress Len Goodman with their samba. In the interview, he says he feels the judges are wanting to see something special from him and he doesn't think he's given it to them yet. In the lead-in footage, Mario visits Stevie Wonder for some inspiration, after which he says, "I've got my swagger back." That's no lie -- there's all kinds of hip action going on, and they seem to be having fun again, which is good. Len Goodman says: "This dance suited you. It's got a freedom about it, it's a party dance. You came out with gay abandon. Great hip action you had throughout the dance. ... Work on your footwork a little more, but ... best dance so far!" Bruno Tonioli tells him: "If your hips could talk, we'd be censored tonight. ... Quite classic. ... I loved it." Carrie Ann Inaba says they got to the point and danced, and it was great. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30, their best score yet.

Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are next, with the rumba. They start with a slow walk, and then Priscilla, who turns 63 next month, does the splits. I am not kidding. Their performance is very sensual, and Priscilla sells the drama with her acting skills, as usual. Bruno says she plays her part well every week, but, "the problem is, the rumba being so slow, it reveals some faults." He says she pushed a little too far this week, but the performance was good. Carrie Ann agrees that she was going for so much technique that she was dancing in her head instead of flowing naturally. Len says her footwork was disappointing, and the other two get mad that he doesn't give them credit for the difficulty level. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week five performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Dancing With the Stars jumps right in to the show tonight, introducing Sheryl Crow to performing "All I Wanna Do" within seconds of the show starting.

But we can't avoid filler forever. After that, it's time for a montage from last night. Strangely, the judges' choice for a reprisal this evening is Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough's paso doble, unicycle and all. 

At last, some results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe, as are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. 

A new addition to the results show is a kids' ballroom competition. Daniela (age 8) and Aaron (9) dance the samba to "Under the Sea," and seriously, how could that not be entirely adorable? Len Goodman says he was "bitterly disappointed" because the performance was too short and he would have liked to see more dancing. Bruno says the audience wanted to join in. Carrie Ann says Daniela was a firecracker, and it was great when Aaron cracked a smile. Their competition is Rashell (age 8) and a different Aaron (also 8). They dance the paso doble, and it, too, is so cute. Bruno says they are small, but they sold the heck out of the performance. Carrie Ann says it was great, dramatic and dynamic. Len found it sharp, precise and a great job. The judges choose Aaron and Rashell as the couple that will return to perform another week.

The results have to wait a little longer because Sheryl Crow is back to sing another song. I think it must be pretty strange for the guest singers on this show because the audience responds heavily to the dancers who accompany them and not that much to the musical performance, which must be unusual. The next segment, as it turns out, shows what it's like behind the scenes when the pros prepare for the dances with the guest singers, and the guests seem pretty impressed by the pros' moves.

More results: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez are safe, but that's all we get. After yet another break, they're back. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, as are Mario and Karina Smirnoff (who look gobsmacked and thrilled).

Another break, then more results: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are in the bottom two, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are in the bottom two, leaving Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani as the final safe couple.

Ousted are Adam and Julianne, which, it's about time. He jokes, of course, but he does tell the audience that they should embrace that which frightens them and go get some new, great experiences. Aww, the feel-good quotient of that closing statement was almost Guttenberg-esque. Who would've thought?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on the Viennese waltz or the paso doble in an attempt to impress the judges and the viewers.

First on the floor are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, who have been the top scorers with a 27/30 for three weeks running. They are among the couples doing the paso doble, so she will have the opportunity to bring the emotions that the judges wanted to see from her last week during the tango. They dance to "Blue Monday," and the choreography has, as it should, a very aggressive, sharp feel. Head judge Len Goodman says, "You can't dance bad, as far as I'm concerned. ... My slight criticism would be that every dance has a slight sameness to it." Ah, the hazards of consistency! Judge Bruno Tonioli says she was "Jezebel out there." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba says Kristi and Mark have set the standard this season and are forcing everyone else to work even harder. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30, which includes the first 10s of the season.

Priscilla Presley and  Louis van Amstel work on the delicate movements of the Viennese waltz by going roller skating. Go figure. Their performance is very flowy and romantic, but lots of it seems to depend on Priscillia swishing her skirt around with her hands, and that's kind of distracting to me. Bruno says, "It was like watching a scene from The Merry Widow. ... Great interpretation." He adds that she needs to watch the line of her neck. Carrie Ann says she creates lots of drama with her facial expression, "but I feel that your balance was just a bit off, and unfortunately, I think there was a lift." Len: "It had elegance, it had flow across the floor. ... I've got to drop a point because you did a lift, and lifts are forbidden." Scores: 7-7-8, for a 22/30. 

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Top 9 couples perform" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Someone's going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars. But first, there's 59 minutes of other stuff. So let's get to it.

After a montage from last night, head judge Len Goodman announces the reprise dance of the evening, which is actually kind of amusing: They want to see Steve Guttenberg dance with Jonathan Roberts, who trained Steve for most of the dance since his wife, Anna Trebunskaya, was ill for most of the week. Steve has a little trouble keeping his intense face on because he wants to laugh, but that was different and kind of fun.

(Some) results time: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are, too. Everyone else has to wait.

After a break, Kylie Minogue performs her new single while men in glittery suits dance around her.

Results again: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel and Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe.

Then a funnier-than-expected April Fools' bit about the stars' unexpected hobbies. (Jason loves building ships in bottles! Marissa lives to surf! Kristi wins hot-dog-eating competitions!)

Next, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre performs a selection from Revelations, which is pretty awesome.

After a break, Kylie returns to sing "Can't Get You Out of My Head," while Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas dance.

More results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska and Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez. After a break, more info. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, and Cheryl is excited. Also safe: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

This leaves Mario and Karina Smirnoff and Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya (although they are not necessarily the bottom two, we are told).

The couple that is out is Steve and Anna, and Mario's Baltimore fans breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. (Whew.)

How do you feel about the results? I'm not shocked about Steve, and I'm relieved that Mario and Marissa are safe. Feel-good Steve was starting to drive me crazy.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants are taking on the jive and the tango.

First on the floor are Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, with the jive. In the interview, she says this is the toughest dance so far, but also, "It's on." I notice a couple of bobbles, but generally, it's another strong performance from these two. Whether it's a classic jive, as Fabian promised? I'll leave that to the judges. Head judge Len Goodman: "Marlee, you never cease to amaze me. The jive is such a fast, difficult dance when you've got good hearing, and to dance as sharply as that without hearing, you did a great job." Bruno Tonioli says they lost their timing a couple of times, but overall, "a good job." Carrie Ann Inaba praises their chemistry and teamwork but mentions that Marlee should watch her hands. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya prepare for the tango, but Anna gets so ill that she sends her husband Jonathan Roberts in to help train him, which is amusing. Anna dances enough for the both of them, almost, but Steve seems to be holding his own (largely with the intense look on his face), though I'm no expert on the technicalities. Before the judges get started, Steve stops and says he needs to prepare, runs over and puts on goggles and a steel bowl on his head. Um, OK. Carrie Ann says that was his best dance so far and he was completely determined. Len says he had great footwork and lots of improvement. Bruno agrees. Tom Bergeron sends them backstage, calling Steve "a little pothead." I think he meant bowlhead. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week three performances" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

I missed the finale (sometimes even I get to leave my house on weeknights!), but it looks like Piers Morgan pulled out the victory on Celebrity Apprentice.

Did you watch? What did you think of the decision? I think Trump was too enamored of Piers' attitude to have given it to anyone else. But that's without seeing what happened last night.

And is it just me, or is the weirdest part of the video clip above Trump telling runner-up Trace Adkins that he will love him forever?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Celebreality, The Apprentice
        

Are you ready for tonight's finale of Celebrity Apprentice?

Or did you even realize that was happening?

It's down to Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan, who have to each do part of a charity event. (Also, Trump basically decided that even though everyone thought Carol Alt deserved to be in the final two, he wanted to see the two men battle it out. Wow, that's not sexist at all. *eyeroll*)

Anyway, if you missed last week, check out NBC's two-minute recap above, if for no other reason than to watch Trump's totally bizarre firing of Carol.

The live finale is tonight at 9 on NBC. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's double elimination night on Dancing With the Stars -- let's get to the recap and see who's getting cut loose.

Judge Len Goodman says tonight's encore dance is Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's mambo, which is a nice choice.

Then, it's time to start talking about who is safe: Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya are in. ("WOW," Tom says, mocking Steve. Hee hee.) But, of course, we've got to draw this out as much as possible, so that's all we get for now.

The Jonas Brothers come out to sing "Take on Me" while some of the pros come out to dance.

Back to eliminations: Jason and Edyta are safe, and so are Mario and Karina Smirnoff. After a break, it's revealed that Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are safe, too, leaving Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson and Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke. At long last, Tom announces that Penn and Kym are out. That wasn't a huge surprise.

Now, the women get ready to find out. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe, but it's time for more filler.

First, Cameron Mathison runs around New York City asking people about the show. More entertainingly, there is an aerial dance performance by Cirque du Soleil dancers, followed by another Jonas Brothers song.

More safe couples: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez and Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. Then a break, then more results. Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are safe, leaving Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts and Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Going home are: Monica and Jonathan.

Next week, it's the tango or the jive.

What do you think about the departures? I don't think either one is that shocking. That'll come later in the season.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Tonight, all 12 couples on Dancing With the Stars get to hit the dance floor, and then tomorrow night, two celebs will be heading home (in the first! double! elimination!).

The couples that did ballroom last week will do Latin tonight and vice versa. The night's dances are the mambo and the quickstep, and hometown boy Mario will be among those taking on the quickstep.

The first couple of the night is Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya, who will be doing the mambo. Anna's mom Irina comes to help train him and reveals her love for Police Academy and yoga and that they also share a fear of Anna. Nice! So they perform, and Steve takes Irina's advice to have fun with it (not that he wasn't already doing that -- he seems to have an almost cultish devotion to having fun on the show), and it seems OK, but soooo cheesy. Judge Len Goodman compares his dancing to Len's cooking -- "I can see you're trying so hard, but it didn't work for me." Bruno Tonioli says all the effort went into the facial expressions and not the dance performance. He calls him out for his footwork and his posture and pretty much everything else. Carrie Ann Inaba says he was off musically, and it never really went anywhere. Scores: 6-5-5, for a 16/30, for a 34/60 with last week's scores. Speaking of cultish devotion, Steve says the show "makes the world a better place." Mmmmkay, Pollyanna.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': week two" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In case you missed it, Sun TV critic David Zurawik just chatted with Baltimore's Mario, the R&B star who made a big splash in his debut week on Dancing With the Stars.

Check it out here.

See more with Mario in Monday's Today section and more about Dancing With the Stars here.

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As the premiere of Dancing With the Stars continues, tonight the women get to take the floor.

But first, a manly montage. However, I already covered that ground last night, so let's get on with the show.

Shannon Elizabeth is up first. She says she is best known for her role on American Pie (which came out nine years ago, just for the record), but she's also a poker player. Her partner is Derek Hough. They take on the cha-cha-cha, dancing to Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive." They've got speed and some technique, but you can definitely tell it's the early rounds -- Shannon looks like she is thinking really hard and seems a little tentative but she's playing to win. Judge Len Goodman says it was a great start to the season and very high energy. He tells Shannon that if she is going to wear outfits that short, her legs need to be very straight, and they weren't quite right. Bruno Tonioli calls her a sexy minx and says she has great natural extension, but she needs to finesse her technique a little. Carrie Ann says Shannon has energy and confidence and great legs. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': and now, the women" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Well, here we are, back for the premiere of yet another season of Dancing With the Stars.

It's an interesting cast this year, and locally, of course, we're most excited about the presence of R&B star Mario among the contestants.

First up, the pros come out and put on a show to "Let Me Entertain You."

Then we're introduced to the stars, after which we learn that then men perform tonight, the women tomorrow and there's no elimination this week. Well, whew, because I was afraid for a minute that this was going to be on three times this week!

The first out on the floor aremagician Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson. In an interview, Penn says he isn't the youngest or most athletic, but he has the most stage experience, which he hopes will help. They seem to be having fun during preparations, and here's hoping that sense of fun comes with them during their performance. They start the cha-cha-cha with the longest feather boa I have ever seen. And it's true, he is super-comfortable on stage and performing the heck out of the dance, but it kind of feels more like a comedy show than a dance show. Still, it is entertaining. Judge Len Goodman says Penn captured "the flavor" of the cha-cha-cha, but, "the problem is your feet." Still, he closes, "well done." Bruno Tonioli says, "It was like watching a trailer for Shrek Goes Cha-Cha-Cha." Carrie Ann Inaba says he has great attitude but needs to work on the footwork. Scores: 5-6-5, for a 16/30. (Host Samantha Harris makes comments including the words "magical" and "do the trick," and I wonder if she really wants to use all her best lines in the first 25 minutes!)

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' kicks off with Baltimore's Mario" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Finally trying to get caught up on The Celebrity Apprentice. I gather that Piers Morgan hasn't been getting along with a number of people, but the combination of him and Omarosa was not pretty.

Check out the clip above to see just one of their fights. This doesn't address the parts where she repeatedly made comments about his children and said in interviews that she was purposefully hitting him below the belt. (Yeah, she's a great person to have on your team. Especially when you're playing for charity.) Piers tried to fire Omarosa, but that didn't work too well. She's good at working a situation -- as soon as Ivanka showed up to gather information, she said nothing about him, and he went on and on about her being a piece of trash.

In the end, despite the madness, Piers' team won, beating out the new Empresario, all of whom worked very well together.

Trump was flummoxed and couldn't figure out what to do and finally decided that since this is for charity, he wouldn't fire anyone.

Next week, Omarosa and Marilu Henner are swapping teams to keep O away from Piers. Probably a good plan.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Several people told me I should check out VH1's Celebrity Rehab because it was so much more real than so much of the made-up and mostly scripted dreck out there.

I was putting it off, but I finally did, and it is tough, tough to watch, but it really does give a visceral look at what it's like to wrestle with addiction.

I think it's probably a lot harder to watch if you know someone who has been through rehab and it hasn't worked for him or her, but at the same time, it seems to be a window into what rehab is really like. The patients sleep on twin beds, often sharing rooms; their stuff is searched; they are required to follow the rules; they are not being coddled.

Of the people featured on the show (I won't go into whether they should be classified as celebrities), the person in the most dire of straits is former Taxi star Jeff Conaway. If you saw him on Celebrity Fit Club, you already knew he had some issues, but he's gotten much worse. He came into the program in the midst of a severe detox. He gets wheeled around in a wheelchair, he moans and groans and screams in agony regularly, and he's an emotional disaster. He's talked about not wanting to quit using and not wanting to live and wanting to get out of rehab, and it's really painful to watch. (Speaking of which, you can watch Daniel Baldwin confront Jeff in a therapy session in the video clip above.)

Others are in better places physically, but emotionally, they are tenuous, too. Witness onetime American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra, who has major mother issues but is trying to work them out in the therapy sessions. This is also tough to watch since we know from news coverage that she has relapsed since filming ended.

Mostly, what I have gotten out of it is that Dr. Drew needs to be cloned. He handles everyone's issues with sensitivity and insight. (Think about how, say, a Dr. Phil would be in this situation. Not pretty.) Thanks to Drew, each week, I keep coming back to the show, hoping for the best for everyone, even when I know that some of them are not doing too well.

Have you been watching? What do think about Celebrity Rehab?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality
        

At the end of any given day on Rock of Love 2, how many different kinds of lipgloss do you think Bret Michaels has smeared on his face?

Yuck. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Rock of Love
        

Last night's Dancing With the Stars winner Helio Castroneves has split up with his fiancee. Read the details here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Host Tom Bergeron calls last night's Dancing With the Stars "the most memorable ever." Why, because it was boring? I'm with the judges -- it had some good moments but was mostly lackluster.

Samantha Harris asks the finalists what they will miss most when this is over. "The number 8," Marie Osmond snarks before saying nice things about the show. Helio gets cut off and stomps off laughing since he didn't get his sentence out.

Readerboard, in case the judges' scores matter: Mel B and Maks: 55/60, Helio and Julianne, 54/60, Marie and Jonathan: 46/60.

Then Celine Dion sings "My Heart Will Go On" as some of the pros come out to accompany her on the dance floor.

The third-place couple, to be announced way before the winner, is: Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts.

"Thank you, everybody, so fun," Marie says. Asked how the experience has been, she goes on: "I am so pleased to be here at my age. ... With everything that I've been through in the past 10 weeks, [partner Jonathan Roberts] and the fans pulled me through it."

Then she and Jonathan resprise their tango.

OK, are all the ousted contestants going to dance tonight?? Josie Maran is here, dancing the tango. I almost didn't remember that she was on the show. Then, Albert Reed and his partner come out to dance, too, so signs point to yes.

By the way, I'm not going into details on the montages of filler because we've seen all this before.

Wayne Netwon comes out, but he doesn't reprise his dance because his doctor said not to. But, he assures us, he will be on the national tour in a few weeks.

The stars' friends and family talk about how proud they are of what their friends and loved ones have accomplished.

Floyd Mayweather comes out to "chat with the stars," as Tom puts it. He says he's not dancing because he's in the middle of a grueling training schedule for his coming boxing match, including a tender ankle.

Mark Cuban is back, but he is dancing -- and he's still singing along and pursing his lips. But he's also still having fun. So there's that.

Montage of drama, including the shock when Sabrina Bryan was eliminated. She's back to reprise her cha cha. Can you imagine how great her freestyle would have been in the finals? Oh well.

Samantha talks to former champs Drew Lachey and Apolo Anton Ohno about what the finalists must be going through.

Then Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani revisit one of their dances, and they flout the judges, doing a full lift where they had been accused of doing one in the original performance. Then Cameron Mathison is back, with his Superman themed performance. Afterward, he takes off his shirt and gives it to Samantha, with Tom yelling "happy birthday" to her.

Jennie Garth lives to dance again, and then Celine returns for another song, accompanied by a montage of dancefloor moments.

At long last, the finalists come out -- Melanie "Mel B" Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough -- accompanied by steam, overdramatic announcements and crazy music.

Mel and Maks are first, and doing their favorite dance of the season, the week eight mambo. The work to spice up (uh, so to speak) the original routine, particularly trying to get a 10 from Carrie Ann Inaba, who gave them a 9 the first time around. Len Goodman says she is an absolutely revelation and that "this mambo was incredible." Bruno: "Truly magnificent. You really have proven you are the complete dancer." Carrie Ann: "You dance like you were born to do this." Then she jumps up and screams yay at them. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30, giving them an 85/90 when combined with Monday's scores.

Helio and Julianne's last dance is going to be the quick step. They work on making it even better. It's just as good as last time, if not more spirited. Carrie Ann says it was her favorite last time and this time. Len says he takes risks every time he dances Julianne's difficult choreography and he shines. They look elated, as well they should. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30, and a total 84/90.

And it's time.

The winner is: Helio and Julianne.

"I want to thank my team for letting me do this, second my family, the fans, and this special person here," he says, referring to Julianne.

"I've enjoyed all of it, especially being with him," Mel says of Maks. "He's incredible, he really is."

Julianne and Helio hoist the trophy, confetti falls, the other competitors come and say congrats, and it's all over.

What do you think about the results?

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' finale ... FINALLY" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

All right, I will be live-blogging the finals tonight on Dancing With the Stars. So don't be afraid to hit refresh (or F5 for you shortcut-mongers) to look for updates. They are cramming a lot into this hour tonight, so let's get started.

The finalists are, in case you haven't been paying attention, Helio Castroneves, Marie Osmond and Melanie "Mel B" Brown.

First, each couple will perform a new routine in the style the judges thought they could do better in, and second, they will freestyle, which is usually the most fun of the whole season.

First off in "judges' choice" are Mel B and Maksim.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' finals ... live!" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

It's a results show for Dancing With the Stars, so there's a lot we've already seen before.

As usual, there's a montage of last night's performances, then a reprised judges' favorite (Jennie and Derek!). Next, Avril Lavigne performs. Woo?

Finally, a reveal: Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts are safe. Seriously? She did step it up last night, but I still think she's the weakest of the remaining finalists.

Next filler segment is courtesy of Kenny Mayne, about DWtS contestants who can't get over getting kicked out. Followed, of course, by the Lord of the Dance himeself, Michael Flatley. I kinda think he should have performed during Avril's song. All right, that was pretty impressive, no?

Avril comes out again to sing, but this time ousted couple Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas dance along with the song.

Then, some more reveals: Mel B and Maksim are safe, so either Jennie or Helio is out. But first, a commercial break. And the final reveal: Jennie and Derek are out.

So I guess there will not be a Hough sibling dance-off in the finale. Too bad.

Jennie cries.

So what do you think about the final three couples?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tonight on Dancing With the Stars, the dancers get to choose their favorite ballroom style as well as favorite Latin dance.

First are Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts. They've chosen the quickstep and the mambo, and they are working to amp up the "content" singe they got dinged by the judges for this the past couple of weeks. They quickstep to "Good Morning to You." It's as cheery and energetic as the song and seems to be more content-filled. But let's see what the judges think. Len Goodman says Marie brings so much joy and entertainment to the show and that he thought that was perfect. Bruno Tonioli says it's "Marie Osmond gone Hollywood classic." Carrie Ann Inaba says she did add way more content, and that she didn't miss a single step. Scores: 10-10-9, for a 29/30. And that 9 brings huge boos from the audience.

Mel B and Maksim are doing the paso doble and the Viennese waltz as their two dances for the evening. She says she chose the waltz because she thought they could do it better. The Spice Girls think they are going to do great (are you shocked)? They start with the Viennese waltz to Queen's "Somebody to Love." It's definitely not lacking content -- the dance is filled with some amazing moves, including a set of dragged splits all the way across the floor. Bruno says it was fast, precise and sexy; "I've never seen a sexy Viennese waltz before," he adds. Carrie Ann says she had chills the whole time and says that they moved as one. Len says there was great movement and excellent choreography. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' semifinals" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It's another Dancing With the Stars results show, and it's lots of filler, not all killer.

The performance by Gloria Estefan, however, is pretty great. As is Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough's reprisal of last night's quick-step.

Then, the first team to find out they are safe is, of all people, Marie and Jonathan. Which means that someone who doesn't deserve to go home is going to go home. Way to go, voters!

Next, choreographer Fatima Robinson and a few other dancers come out for the week's "stars of dance" performance. It drives me crazy how many weird camera cuts they do that only halfway show the supposed centerpiece of the performance. They do that during almost all of these. Anyway, this is a hip-hop performance that is considerably more edgy than what usually makes it on the air on this show (though the dancers are far more clothed than most of the DWtS women).

Then we get quick bios on the pros. (So quick that I'm not going into the details.)

Gloria comes back out for an explosive performance of "Conga," along with some professional dancing. "Conga" is always fun.

Next, it's time for another reveal, and the dialogue is priceless. Tom Bergeron: "Jennie and Derek, last night Bruno thought your jive was limp, but did his comments stiffen your public support?" Samantha Harris: "Cameron and Edyta, last night your Viennese waltz charmed the judges, but have you waltzed safely tonight?" Tom: "You can tell there is a writers' strike, can't you?" Ha! Anyway, the second safe couple is Helio and Julianne.

After the break, Mel and Maks are revealed to be safe. Tom reminds us that this doesn't necessarily mean that Cameron and Jennie were the bottom two, but one is going home. Going home are: Cameron and Edyta.

What do you think about that?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

Tonight on Dancing With the Stars, the dancers will be taking on two performances yet again.

First up are Jennie Garth and Derek Hough. They have to do the jive and the foxtrot. To build her confidence, Derek brings in Richard Simmons (YES, RICHARD SIMMONS) to cheer her on and talk her up. That was bizarrely touching and weird at the same time. I am flummoxed. Anyway, they jive first. They have energy and sequins to spare. (Does anyone else find Derek to be overly touchy-feely with Jennie a lot of the time? It kind of weirds me out.) Len Goodman says he isn't sure that jive is enough to get her into the semifinal. Bruno Tonioli says the jive is very, very precise, but that she was "a bit limp." Carrie Ann Inaba says she applauds her emotional journey, but she really has to watch her posture and footwork. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Cameron Mathison and Edyta Sliwinska prepare for the Viennese waltz and cha-cha, with the former first. Their dance is flowy and the music is kind of magical and dissonant. Bruno says it was majestic and he was like a "gray albatross." Carrie Ann says she really loved it and thought it was very beautiful. Len says the lack of bow tie and the chest hanging out is getting on his nerves. He says once he got into his hold, he grew to love it more and more. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' week 8" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

So there were some performances by LeAnn Rimes, some breakdancing, and a lot of montages on tonight's Dancing With the Stars.

But what you really want to know is who is going home, and the answer is Jane Seymour.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

On this episode of Dancing With the Stars, the stars will take on two full dances.

Helio and Julianne are doing the tango and the samba. First up is the tango. Len Goodman says he loves Helio's jacket. Then he adds that he had passion and attack, but he didn't have "one heel-lead." Bruno Tonioli says they went for it like "thunder and lightning" but that this required more polish. Carrie Ann Inaba: "I liked it." She adds that it was a nice twist on a tango. Scores: 9-8-8, for a 25/30. Then host Samantha Harris plays the guilt card: "The reason that Sabrina isn't here this week is because you didn't vote." Host Tom Bergeron: "Global warming? Also your fault."

Marie and Jonathan have the cha-cha and the quickstep, the latter of which they do first. It's fun and energetic and works great with the song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and it ends with Marie giving Len a big lipstick-filled kiss. Bruno says she "raised the roof ... when you get it right, you do get it right." Carrie Ann says they are looking for the details, and it was wonderful. Len also loved it. Scores: 10-9-9, for a 28/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' week 7" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

It's another strange episode of Dancing With the Stars, as Jane Seymour is missing thanks to a case of suspected food poisoning that seems to have appeared right before show time.

They'd already prepared to reprise the group dance, so during the performance, her partner Tony Dovolani kind of runs around the stage doing their moves by himself.

Barry Manilow the comes out to perform, and I really feared seeing him up close in high-def. His face is so smooth, it looks like he made a deal with the devil.

Then some reveals: Mel and Maks are safe, as are Jane and Tony. Maks is runs over and hugs Tony in Jane's absence -- and Tony is shocked. Good reason since they were in the bottom two couples last week and came in last place last night.

Next, some performers come out and dance to preview the kind of choreography that will be seen on Bruno and Carrie Ann's new show.

Barry Manilow comes back out and sings "Mandy" with some dancers accompanying him.

More results: Helio and Julianne are safe, Cameron and Edyta are in the bottom two, Jennie and Derek are safe, Marie and Jonathan are safe, and Sabrina and Mark are in the bottom two.

Wow, my predictions of Jane and/or Marie were totally off.  The judges are flabbergasted that Sabrina (the most consistent, says Bruno) and Cameron (the most improved, he goes on) are the bottom two stars.

Leaving the competition are Sabrina and Mark. WHAT? I guess the Cheetah Girl voters didn't come through, but this is unreal. She's been remarkably awesome and is WAY better of a dancer than almost everyone remaining -- if not everyone. I really thought she was probably going to win it.

What do you think about this result? Are you as shocked as the audience, the judges and your blogger?

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (87)
        

Let's get right to it for tonight's Dancing With the Stars, shall we?

Sabrina Bryan and Mark Callas are up first, and they will be dancing the foxtrot. They perform to "I'm a Woman." The song is kind of down-home, and the dance is very classic and classy, so it's a weird mix, but their performance is on point. Len says the dance was too hard and too aggressive and powerful. (Hello, what about the song? It wasn't soft and flowy.) Bruno agrees. Carrie Ann says not to listen to them because it was great, and she was feisty when she needed to be feisty and smooth when she needed to be smooth. Scores: 9-8-8, for a 25/30.

Jennie Garth and Derek Hough prepare the mambo. Derek tries to get Jennie to work off her nerves because she keeps psyching herself out on the floor. They start out with this killer move, and they keep the energy going throughout the dance (except for one little bobble at the end). Bruno: "You've got steam heat tonight, Jennie. That's dirty dancing!" He says she really surprised him and the choreography was great. Carrie Ann says she unveiled herself and looked like she had a fun time, so everyone had a fun time watching. Len says it was an exceptional performance. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani, who were in the bottom two couples last week, are doing the jive this week. They dance to 1983's "Modern Love," and I have to admit, it's a little weird seeing usually elegant Jane Seymour in a miniskirt more befitting a 19-year-old and dancing to this early '80s hit. It's all just a little dissonant for me. Carrie Ann says she enjoyed her vibrancy but that this dance wasn't a good fit for her. Len says she's "nifty for 50 ... or whatever." He agrees about the fit problem. Bruno says it wasn't her "most comfortable dance." Scores: 8-7-7, for a 22/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Week 6" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, for the first 10 minutes, they relive last night's dramas big and small. Then Maks and Mel reprise their Spice Girls samba.

Then Ms. Jennifer Lopez comes out to sing one of her new songs -- and I think she might actually be singing part of it.

The hosts move right along to results -- Sabrina and Mark are safe, as are Mel and Maks (who were in the bottom two last week).

Hey, I don't know if you knew it, but Marie Osmond fainted on last night's show. (She is fine, and yes, it was scary to watch, but they are acting like it was a bigger deal than the wildfires.)

Next, a choreographer named Christian Perry and his rock n roll ballroom dancers perform to Fall Out Boy's "Dance Dance." It's kind of a mix of modern and retro -- a little swing and and little rock.

Next up is J.Lo again, performing "Let's Get Loud" while some of the pros dance in front of her.

More results: Cameron and Edyta are safe. Commercials. Montage about balancing DWTS and work. Jennie and Derek are safe, and Mark and Kym are in the bottom two under the red lights. Marie and Jonathan are safe ("Don't faint," says host Tom, always classy), Helio and Julianne are safe (with some technical difficulties), and Jane and Tony are in the bottom two couples.

Leaving? Mark and Kym, and thank goodness. He's clearly the weakest dancer left, and it always stinks to see a better dancer sent home first.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tonight, it's all Latin, all the time as the Dancing With the Stars contestants take on the samba and the rumba.

Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts practice the samba, and she is upset that his hips move so much better than hers do. Their dance is very flirty and fun, but somehow seems a little stiff to me. (Random audience spotting: Heather Mills and Brady Bunch's Florence Henderson sitting by each other.) Len Goodman says he thinks this is the hardest dance for the amateur. In the middle of his comment, Marie Osmond drops to the floor -- and they cut to commercial. They come back and everything is fine; she just fainted and says that happens sometimes when she gets winded. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani draw the rumba for this week. They dance to "Breathe Again." The whole thing is flowy and sensual, just like it's supposed to be, I think. Bruno says, "The lady has gone steamy and sexy and yet never trashy." Carrie Ann Inaba says her body and lines are amazing, but that her spotting on her turns is not great. Len Goodman says they had romance and were classy. Scores: 8-9-9, for a 26/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' Latin night" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Last night's Dancing With the Stars ended with a shocker when Mel B joined Floyd Mayweather in the bottom two.

But before that, it was a busy, busy night. The backup singers sang some Gloria Estefan songs in Ms. Estefan's absence (she had to miss the show for personal reasons). Choreographer Wade Robson (most recently getting exposure on So You Think You Can Dance) performed one of his patented quirky routines, this one a take on a weird circus. And Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke danced while Wayne Newton performed (and, by the way, sounded pretty horrendous -- like a bad karaoke version of himself).

In the end, though, it's about one thing: who goes home. The judges were basically flabbergasted that Mel B was in the bottom two, and since she's been doing so well, it was a surprise. I guess the people who are selling out the Spice Girls reunion tour aren't picking up the phone to vote. But come on, Mark Cuban got more votes than her? That's just wrong.

Floyd and Karina looked like they expected the news that they were out, and hey, now he can concentrate on preparing for his huge boxing match. I still think he was pretty fun to watch.

Next week: Latin week!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Samantha Harris is back from maternity leave to rejoin her Dancing With the Stars co-host Tom Bergeron.

Tonight, the dancers take on the paso doble and Viennese waltz.

Mark Cuban and Kym Johnson are up first, taking on the waltz. They are dancing to ... "Mr. Bojangles"?? They seem to do a pretty decent job, although Mark's little solo at the end is kind of stilted. (Audience sighting: choreographer Wade Robson from So You Think You Can Dance.) Len Goodman says he has become a much more rounded performer and that was his best dance. Bruno Tonioli says he lost his rhythm a couple of times, but he is doing better. Carrie Ann Inaba says he listened to her and didn't sing along or make as many faces. Scores: 7-8-7, for a 22/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': paso doble and Viennese waltz" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The scores were a lot higher last night, which makes it even tougher to predict who might be going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars.

Drew Lachey says this is his last time filling in for co-host Samantha Harris, who will be back next week. Hopefully she will talk less about herself than Drew has been.

For the reprisal, the judges choose Jennie Garth and Derek Hough, who rebounded from their fall last week. They dance their strong and passionate tango once more.

Then, the dramatic lights, and the announcement of two safe couples: Jane Seymour and Tony Dovolani as well as Jennie and Derek. Jennie looks much happier -- she cried a lot last week after the fall.

Seal comes out to perform his latest hit, "Kiss From a Rose," while a couple of professionals work the floor in front of him. Dancers, I mean. That didn't sound right. (Yes, I am being facetious about the "latest hit" thing -- typically when people sing on this show, they aren't singing 11-year-old songs.)  

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': Who's out?" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

OK, seriously, does Drew Lachey have to remind us every single time that he is filling in for Samantha Harris? WE. GET. IT.

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on tango and jive. They have a lot of extra costuming going on, the most frightening of which is Wayne Newton's scary fake mustache.

Sabrina and Mark are up first with the jive to "Shake, Rattle and Roll." (I do so love when the music actually matches the dance -- I'm always afraid it's going to be people dancing the jive to ... "Sexy/Back" or whatever else.) They are speedy, having a ball and seem to be very on point as far as technique goes, at least as far as I can tell. Len says they gave it their all and that there were some good jive steps in there, but also a few other steps he didn't like. But he says it was still their best performance yet. Bruno says Sabrina is like a seismic event and she has so much power and everything is 110 percent. Carrie Ann says she was afraid at the beginning that she would overpower the dance, but she didn't. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' week three" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Tonight's Dancing With the Stars starts with the sad announcement that Jane Seymour's mother passed away the night before. They add that she will be returning next week (having gained enough votes) to pay tribute to her mother, who urged her to join the show in the first place. Very sad. My thoughts are with her and her family.

And, well, hope this isn't too awkward of a transition, but for the rest of the show, it goes a little like this: Queen Latifah performs, pros dance, couples are safe, Queen Latifah performs, dancers do talking head interviews.

My favorite moment, though, was actually the Jimmy Kimmel bit, but only becasuse Count from Sesame Street is revealed to be the one counting the votes. I have a soft spot for the Count.

Bottom two couples: Albert and Anna and Wayne and Cheryl.

Going home: Albert and Anna.

Wow. That fan base thing really does make a difference. My question is: Mark Cuban has fans?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Last week on Dancing With the Stars, it was men vs. women (sort of), but tonight, all 11 remaining stars will be performing. The dances are mambo or quick step.

Mel B and Maksim are doing the quick step to "Take On Me." They're in garish pink and coral, and, of course, lots of sparkles. Mel looks a little stiff to me, but it's probably the proper hold. Len: "I know what the B stands for: Ballroom." He says her posture was outstanding. Bruno compares her to Lena Horne and Ginger Rogers. Carrie Ann says her posture was beautiful and that they were great. Scores: 7-8-8, for a 23/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': two hours of moves" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

Who would have thought that the winner of Rock of Love would end up being chosen by a Solomon-ish choice? But I am getting ahead of myself.

In the most recent episode, nutjob Lacey finally got the boot when it became clear that she was a total phoney and that her parents (visiting for the episode) didn't know her at all. That left rocker Bret Michaels with a top two of Heather and Jes.

I've been rooting for Jes for a while because she just seemed cool and down to earth, whereas Heather struck me as a manipulator and pretty darned trashy.

In the finale, each woman got a one-on-one date with Bret in Cabo. Heather's was first. She and Bret rode dune buggies, during which he started to feel pretty bad from his diabetes and mentioned that he needed to eat. Heather totally didn't get the hint and insisted on taking her turn driving. Then they had a nice dinner and, uh, went back to Bret's room.

For Jes' date, they made out all over a yacht, and during their dinner, he told her he was feeling pretty bad. She felt like she couldn't discuss her heavy issues with him while he wasn't feeling 100 percent, so she opted to let them lie for the time being. And she, too, spent the night in Bret's room.

(Oh, I skipped the part where Heather and Jes had to share a room at the hotel in Cabo and totally trash-talked each other before their dates about who looked like a stripper and who was getting "sloppy seconds" -- more classy behavior from both of them!)

Anyway, back at the house, it was decision time, and Bret asked them if they would mind both being his girlfriend. Heather said yes because she would do anything to be with him. Jes said no because she couldn't handle it. This -- and I think the more compassionate response to his diabetes issues -- made Bret decide on Jes.

And Heather? Heather was pissed. She stomped out and then unloaded in the limo about how she had been "taken advantage of" and called Bret a bunch of names.

You know what I'm not going to miss next week?

The reunion show!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebreality, Rock of Love
        

In case you missed it, the AP reports that Fort Meade's LaKisha Jones will be joining the cast of The Color Purple on Broadway starting in December. Another American Idol contestant (well, and winner), Fantasia, currently stars in the show.

Perhaps that's why LaKisha was so reticent about her future plans when the Idol tour was here last week -- bet she wasn't allowed to talk about it!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tonight, the men of Dancing With the Stars take the stage to show off their stuff.

Head judge Len Goodman says the women set a fantastic standard last night and that they "literally threw down the gauntlet" (I must have missed that part).

First are soap star Cameron Mathison and Edyta Sliwinska. In the interview, Cameron says he had Perthes disease as a child, which caused bone degeneration in his legs, so he's worried about his flexibility. Also, we learn that because of his filming schedule, they are practicing mostly between midnight and 4 a.m. They foxtrot to "Moondance." Edyta is on the verge of losing the back of her dress there for a bit, but I don't think she technically had a wardrobe malfunction. Len says it was like a faucet -- it flowed, splattered a bit, dripped some and flowed again. Bruno said he had good arms and "not quite a Rolls Royce yet, but not a Buick either." Carrie Ann says she was worried, but once he relaxed it was a lot better. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars': time for the men" »

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars
        

I decided to give Mission: Man Band a chance last night. That's the new show that follows four former boy-banders as they try to reclaim some of their former glory.

Despite being totally contrived in certain parts, it got off to an interesting start. Chris Kirkpatrick of N*SYNC is the host of sorts, and the other three guys move into his house. (Clearly, he has not squandered away all of his money from the boy-band experience.) Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is a mover and a shaker who has been trying to get involved behind the scenes in the music business. Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd seems to be having the most financial problems -- he's living in Oklahoma and appears to work with tires. But LFO's Rich Cronin has it the toughest -- in 2005, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and while he's doing a lot better, he's still taking a boatload of medication every day.

They're going to be working with a new manager and a producer to make something happen. But I don't think I will be watching.

The preview for next week's episode shows Chris Kirkpatrick throwing a big party and Bryan Abrams getting completely smashed. Why is this a deal-breaker? In the premiere, Chris interviewed, "I'm a recovering alcoholic. OK, drop the recovering part," and was a total joker about it. But it's not a laughing matter for Bryan, who is desperately trying to stay sober and who is married with a daughter and another child on the way. It infuriates me to see someone's recovery put at risk by this totally fake scenario because these are some seriously real circumstances.

Even if they end up making it big, will it be worth it if Bryan's at rock bottom again? I don't think so, and I don't think I can watch that be treated like a plot point.

So I'm done with this one.