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"Dancing with Stars" Season 7

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marigold:

Julianne Hough's Blog:

Julianne Hough: Cody Finally Focused

Sorry to be late, but my day has been crazed, starting with the usual early morning interviews. Then I was at the Beverly Hills Hotel with Jesse McCartney and Jimmy Kimmel, and we announced the nominees for the American Music Awards. I was happy about the nominees for country. I’m really happy Brad Paisley got a nomination. I’m excited about Sugarland and Brooks and Dunn and Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts deserved to be on there for a lot of years, and I'm a label mate with Sugarland.

Also Taylor Swift is up for female artist, which is great. She skyrocketed in the last couple years. I’m going to send her a congratulatory text. I think Jordan Sparks was also nominated, which is awesome. I met Jordan in the bathroom at CBS when she was on American Idol and I was on the first season of Dancing. We tape in neighboring studios. It’s funny we got to know each other in the bathroom.

Anyway, about last night's Dancing With The Stars. I thought Cody was awesome. It was cool to see the judges liked what he did. It was funny. Do you really think I came up with the idea of calling his school principal? It was definitely the show’s. But it worked! He focused a lot better. It’s like I can drag a horse to water, but I can’t make it drink. I can push him and try to make him focus, but in the end he has to do it. And I think this week he did it. I can tell he wants to break out of the middle of the pack and start getting further up the standings.

I thought it was great. I thought the scores were good. In general, I thought it was an interesting show last night. Cloris was amazing. She’s known for her crazy, quirky things, but she surprised everyone with her graceful movements, and she stepped into the character like nobody’s business.

She came off stage and asked me what I thought of her technique. She really cared, and it was cute.

A lot of people have said I’m pushing Cody harder than my other partners in the past and I’m treating him like he’s a little kid. But I kind of have to. Honestly, if I didn’t care I’d let him goof off because it’s taking double my energy just to get his attention. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t do it. But I totally care. I think he has a ton more potential than people are seeing, so I’m constantly saying, “Come on, Cody.”

That’s why I’m hard on him. I think he’s great. I’ve been really happy with him, and we’ve had a lot of fun. He’s brought out my fun side, too. We’ll be relaxed in rehearsal. I have to keep remembering this is a TV show and it’s supposed to be fun. I’ve always said if we aren’t having fun, there’s no point in doing it anymore. I know the week before it wasn’t that fun – he was frustrated with himself and I was frustrated that he wasn’t paying attention. I finally had to tell him this is supposed to be fun. Just focus for two hours and we can go home. So he did – and he was awesome.

I was falling out of my costume a little bit. It was worse in dress rehearsal. It looked like I had four boobs because my boob cubs were on my stomach. I’m glad that didn’t happen on the show. For those who want to know, we pick out our costumes. And sometimes when we see them, they’re a little different than we originally planned, they might have a little less fabric. But you go with it. The women who make those costumes every week are unsung heroes. They work morning, noon and night nonstop, sewing one individual rhinestone at a time. They’re incredible.

I know a bunch of you want to know what all of say and do after our routines. Well, my brother and Corky always have something to say. Last night, everyone was so complimentary and telling Cody it was his best dance so far. Oh, at the very end of last night’s dance, I was doing a little handstand thing. I got too high and almost fell forward. I did an extra little kick. Apparently backstage everyone was WHOA, is she going to fall over? I was freaked. Cloris is funny. But Warren and Maurice together, they are the true comedians of the show. You don’t see it at home, but they are hilarious. We’re on the floor laughing backstage. Brooke is having a blast, and I think Toni is getting kind of competitive in a fun way.

Hey, my Christmas album comes out today in Target. When I think of Christmas music, I think of it playing in the background while we’re wrapping presents, cooking dinner or getting ready to go snow boarding, and that’s the kind of album I wanted to make when I was picking the songs. I think it worked out great. My mom heard it for the first time last night and she was excited. That was a nice note of approval. Check it out for yourself. I’m thinking and hope that with all this music of mine out maybe next year I can perform on the American Music Awards. Who knows.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Julianne

Link:  http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/10/julianne_hough_cody_finally_fo.html

marigold:
An interesting article:

Backstage Report: Is Cloris About to Gain a Big Advantage?



On Monday night's Dancing with the Stars, Oscar-winner Cloris Leachman finally got her props.

Make no mistake, she always gets respect from the crowd: She's the only dancer who gets a standing ovation from the 300-plus fans in the studio audience every single time she hits the dance floor. But for the fourth week of competition, the judges finally coughed up their first "7s," and an "8," for her tango.

"We went from a total score of '16' to a '22' tonight, and that's huge," says Corky Ballas, who was wondering if the judges would ever look at his 82-year-old partner as something more than comic relief. The thing is, Leachman is forging completely new territory. Senior citizens on this show – whether it be George Hamilton, Jerry Springer or John Ratzenberger – have never been expected to really pull off the dances.

But Leachman is actually learning the steps, and performing many of them to an astonishing degree. "When I'm 82 years old, if I can get half of what she gets done, it would be wonderful," says her competitor, NFL bruiser Warren Sapp. Says another competitor, Olympian Maurice Greene, "She's doing stuff out there that most other people wouldn't even try."

Leachman may tweak the judges on air, tell them their scores are ridiculous and call the judges themselves "prejudiced." But behind the scenes, her real attitude is that she should be judged just as harshly as any 20-year-old. "If you're going to enter a competition," she says, "you have to play by the rules. This isn't golf. I don't expect any special dispensation. I think their scores are pretty on target."

But here's the kicker: Next week, one of the four new dances being introduced on the show is the jitterbug. If she's lucky enough to be assigned to that dance, it will be familiar: Leachman did the jitterbug 67 years ago, when she was in high school. "We called it the Roosevelt Hop," she says.

Link: http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/DWTS-backstage-report-26435.aspx

marigold:
An interesting article:

Monday’s Dancing: What You Didn’t See

Rocco Not Dispirited: Not even another round of low scores–and catty judges’ comments–could sink the spirits of Rocco DiSpirito. “My mother told me to shake what she had given me, and I shook it,” DiSpirito said, laughing about his mother’s rehearsal visit. “Maybe not in time, or to the beat of the music, but I shook it all at some point.” In fact, DiSpirito made sure to point out what was truly important in his samba–his pink ruffled sleeves. “I’m pretty sure that hot-pink chiffon ruffles, twelve on each arm, speak for themselves,” said the hunky chef.

Unfortunately, the sleeves spoke more than the dance itself, and judge Bruno Tonioli blasted that his accountant could do a better samba. “Bruno’s accountant must be a hot dancer, but I’m not worried about the number-cruncher,” DiSpirito chuckled half-heartedly after the show. “I want to have a dance-off with Bruno. We’ll see who looks better in pink ruffles, once and for all.”

Cloris’s Great Leap Forward: Cloris Leachman’s tango with technique had all three judges rallying behind her. “It was a thrill to have the judges give us the scores that they did,” the 82-year-old actress said, “but I was hoping to get the eight, eight, eight. I thought that Corky and I deserved it.” Ballas was just happy to finally get on the judges’ good side, but he pointed out afterward that his partner got away with a lift that escaped the judges’ eyes. “At one point,” Ballas said, “I had her leg three inches off the ground.” Leachman could only laugh, saying of Ballas and their high leg kick: “He puts my leg where he wants it. It wasn’t just my leg, my whole body was three inches off the floor, but you didn’t see it because of my dress.”

She Comes Out Swinging: Susan Lucci channeled her soap opera persona Erica Kane in a dazzling tango that had Bruno gushing she was a “tough broad,” while Carrrie Ann Inaba equated the dance to “moving art.” Lucci later said of the pair’s dramatic tango slap, “It did come pretty easy to me, because I’ve done my fair share of fake slapping.” But it turns out Lucci had to take a bit off of her accustomed swing. “This wasn’t meant to be a knock-out punch,” the soap star said. “For the sake of the dance, I had to reel in the wind-up.”

Call Him Sir Dance-A-Lot: Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer went back to what they knew best, delivering a feisty tango that garnered the couple their highest scores to date and had Goodman dubbing him “Sir Dance-A-Lot.” “That was the reaction we were going for this whole competition,” Bass said. “It starts to get discouraging when you work your butt off all week, and you think you did great, and the judges just tear you down. This week, the pain finally paid off, and now we’re motivated even more.” But Bass knows he needs to back up the performance with another stellar dance next week if he’s around. “I have a lot to prove before I can accept that as a nickname,” the singer said. “I don’t see myself getting any Sir Dance-A-Lot vanity plates any time soon.”

Focus, Cody, Focus: America’s DWTS sweetheart, Julianne Hough, and Hannah Montana star Cody Linley’s tango was well received by the judges, but the show’s youngest competitor had to hunker down and focus. “It’s really tough,” Linley said of doing the same moves for seven hours a day. “The hardest part is the frustration of knowing exactly what your body is supposed to do, but not being able to get your body to get that movement. It’s frustrating to me, but I know it’s more frustrating for Julianne because she can do it so easily.”

Of his impromptu chat with his principal, Linley said: “It was good to get a call from her, and be able to talk to her, because she really did help me to remember why I’m here and what I’m trying to accomplish.” But when faced with the question of who was the tougher task mistress of the two, Cody was quick to offer an answer: “Julianne, by far, because she can really crack the whip. No offense to Ms, Ingram, and she knows that I love her, but when it’s all said and done, I would rather dance with Julianne every day than dance with my high school principal.”

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/10/14/mondays-dancing-what-you-didnt-see-10/#more-4909

marigold:
Julianne Hough's cd:

"The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection" To Debut October 12



NBC UNIVERSAL CELEBRATES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH SIXTH EDITION OF “SOUNDS OF THE SEASON” CD SETS - COMING TO TARGET STORES EXCLUSIVELY ON OCTOBER 12, 2008

NBC Universal Partners with Target, Universal Music and EMI Special Music Markets To Introduce Two -Album CD Set - “The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection” And “The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection” Which Features Duets With Top Contemporary Artists

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - September 23, 2008 - NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group announced the release of its’ annual holiday CD collections “NBC Sounds of the Season.” Two CDs comprise this year’s “Sounds of the Season” offerings - an eight track compilation of Christmas-time favorites from rising country music star Julianne Hough and a powerful compilation of “duets” with the legendary Nat King Cole and a selection of trend-setting and top-selling contemporary artists including Ne-Yo, Los Lonely Boys, Natalie Cole and more.

This marks the sixth year that NBC Universal has released the “NBC Sounds of the Season” collections for holiday listening. Both of these CDs will be available exclusively at Target Stores nationwide beginning October 12, 2008.

“We are so pleased to be able to feature such a range of diverse and talented artists this year on both of ‘NBC’s Sounds of the Season’ releases,” said Shelli Hill, Vice President NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group. “‘The Julianne Hough Collection’ is the perfect CD for holiday parties, with a lot of holiday joy and spirit and ‘The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection’ would complete any Christmas gift list, with its inspiring and soulful duets of classic holiday ballads.”

NBC Universal has partnered with Universal Music Group Nashville to bring audiences the “NBC Sounds of the Season, The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection.” Recently topping both the country and the “Top 200” charts with her self-titled album and the popular debut single “That Song In My Head,” Julianne is a rising star in country music. “The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection” features eight tracks of festive holiday favorites that reflect Julianne’s playful and mischievous style, including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Santa Baby” and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”

Luke Lewis Chairman Universal Music Group said, “This project is further evidence that Julianne is a multi-talented star with endearing vocal chops.”

NBC Universal has also partnered with EMI Special Music Markets to create “NBC Sounds of the Season, The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection.” The warmth of Nat King Cole’s rich baritone evokes the comfort of holiday seasons past and when coupled with some of today’s most talented contemporary artists, the result is an incredible compilation of inspiring Christmas favorites including “Buon Natale” (with Anthony Hamilton), “Oh Holy Night” (with Faith Evans) and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (LeToya Luckett).

“It was an honor to work as the producer of such an incredible holiday CD that showcases the music and talents of music industry legend and icon Nat King Cole, along with such a variety of today’s vocal superstars,” said Bruce Walker, Executive Producer of “The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection. “It is truly remarkable that with the evolution of technology we are able to revisit classic recordings such as these, which allow today's artists to have the opportunity to perform with an artist that they actually grew up listening to during the Holiday season. This CD is the perfect gift for the holidays!”

CD Elements:

NBC Sounds of the Season The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection

1. Sounds of Christmas (Instrumental)
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. Feliz Navidad
4. It Wasn't This Child / Mary Did You Know
5. Santa Baby
6. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
7. Christmas Memories (Julianne Shares Her Christmas Memories)
8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

NBC Sounds of the Season The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection

1. Nat King Cole - "Nat's Christmas Wishes"
2. Nat King Cole & Anthony Hamilton - "Buon Natale"
3. Nat King Cole & Shelby Lynne - "Silent Night"
4. Nat King Cole & Ne-Yo - "The First Noel"
5. Nat King Cole & Faith Evans - "O Holy Night"
6. Nat King Cole & Los Lonely Boys - "O Come All Ye Faithful (Adest Fideles)"
7. Nat King Cole & LeToya Luckett - "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
8. Nat King Cole - "Nat's Introduction"
9. Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole - "The Christmas Song"

Link: http://juliannehough.com/news.aspx

apskip:
Well, my expectations were met in tonight's results show. The public voted off Rocco/Karina with the alternate team left inthe final 2 being Cloris Corky. This was fair in my estimation because for the first time in the competition Cloris actually danced well and had 22 vs. Rocco's 16. She rolls on for another week.

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