Topic: "Dancing with Stars" Season 7

[marigold]

Jimmy Kimmel with Susan Lucci

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Backstage: Why Dancing with the Stars Made Susan Lucci Cry

Susan Lucci swears she didn't mind flying back and forth from New York to Los Angeles every week to compete on Dancing with the Stars. It was a grueling schedule that lasted seven long weeks — and often made her cry. "The airplanes were not the problem," she said on Wednesday night, moments after getting her walking papers. "We could lie down on the plane and sleep."

The real fly in the ointment, she says, was her day job. If Lucci could have changed anything about her Dancing experience, "I probably would have asked for a leave of absence from All My Children. Because I think to learn these dances in four days is challenging enough. But working on both coasts, we only had the evenings to practice. I don't mean to whine at all — I'm so thrilled with everything that happened — but to do this justice, I think you should simply focus on this, which is plenty."

Lucci, at 61, is not a whiner. If she wasn't her best in this week's Team Cha Cha, it might be because she lost critical practice time, coming down with an intestinal bug after working on AMC last Friday morning. The audience knew nothing about it. "I got hit with the bug big time," she says. "But the main thing was the dehydration, because that really puts you out of commission. So we missed a whole day."

All of which made the learning curve that much steeper. Monday night's pre-dance video package showed Lucci starting to cry in rehearsals out of frustration. She says it wasn't the first time. "It seems to be part of the process with me," she says. "Just before I'm there — before I get it — I think I can't do it and I feel completely overwhelmed. And then Tony [Dovolani, her pro partner] comes in and says, 'Get over it!'"

"We're teaching these guys dances that take years to learn in four days," says Dovolani. "So, yes, the tension was high."

Did he cry this season, too? Dovolani laughs. "I don't cry. I try to keep it together. One of us had to!"

Link: http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Backstage-DWTS-Lucci-35382.aspx

[marigold]

An interview with Susan and Tony:

Dancing With the Stars “If you have to go — this is the time.”

Q: Was it hard waiting under that light all night to hear your name called?
Susan: Well, I do have some experience in waiting for my name to be called (laughs).

Q: Are you feeling okay about having to leave?
Susan: You know, I feel fine, I truly do. I had a feeling it might be me tonight and I couldn’t think of a better time to go. I have had a wonderful experience, a life experience as I have said, and Monday I got to dance a breathtaking paso doble with Tony Dovolani. The audience was on its feet and we danced Zorro and Esperanza. This is the best time to go. If you have to go — this is the time.

Q: Did you achieve what you wanted on the show?
Susan: I did and more! I wanted to dance and push the envelope for myself and get out of my comfort zone, which I do from time to time, and love to do. I think it’s so important to step out of that zone, take chances, and keep on growing. It’s good for you to grow as an artist, but also fun as a human being. I did all that. And I wanted to get past a certain shyness in me about performing in a way that I am not used to and in a new genre. I began to break through that and it makes me happy. I also entered this incredible world of ballroom dancing that I had no notion of until I met Tony.
Tony: I am so proud of Susan. The way she handled this entire experience while doing two jobs and flying back and forth … Also, her husband, Helmut Huber, is an incredible person and helped us through this.
Susan: I haven’t met Tony’s wife, but she is cut from the same mold as Helmut, because she made it possible for Tony to be at ease and travel while holding down the fort with two new babies and a 3-year-old.

Q: Was there a highlight that stands out?
Susan: Being lifted in the hustle — that was so much fun. Not even at Studio 54 did I ever get lifted. I remember hearing that one night Bianca Jagger rode in on a white horse and I was wishing that I could have been there, but my day job then had me up really early, so there were only certain days I could stay up late.

Q: Would you consider doing a Vegas show?
Susan: I hope so. I have a nightclub act and have done Broadway. I was the first to go in for Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun. Regis Philbin found out about that and asked me to do a nightclub act, only I didn’t have one, so he encouraged me to get one going. I have been traveling around the country in big venues with Regis ever since. I have never done Vegas though, so that would be wonderful. Actually, my conductor has been talking about introducing dance sometime, and now I know how to.

Q: Will Erica Kane dance on All My Children?
Susan: I want Tony to teach Erica Kane how to dance, I think the fans would love to see Erica learn to dance from the gorgeous Tony. And if the chance was there I’d be only too thrilled to have Tony be in Vegas.
Tony: I’d be thrilled to do any kind of dancing with Susan — it doesn’t matter where it is. We know each other really well now and it’s like we were separated at birth. We’re great friends.

Link: http://www.intouchweekly.com/2008/11/dancing_with_the_starsif_you_h.php

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Wednesday’s Dancing: What You Didn’t See

Her Swan Song: Soap legend Susan Lucci was served her DWTS walking papers Wednesday night, but the actress took her ouster in stride just as her TV alter ego Erica Kane would have. “My eyes have been opened to so many things, the underground mambo clubs of New York, the way that I can still move my body.” Lucci said. And if anything, Lucci left on a Dancing high note after Monday’s performance of the paso doble, which drove judge Carrie Ann Inaba to instruct Lucci to utter, “I AM good!” “I had no idea where Carrie Ann was going with that, and it is so not my style to scream out, ‘I am good!’” Lucci said. “But I know how she meant it, and I took it as tremendous encouragement.”

Behind Every Good Woman…: Is a loving husband. “I am so grateful to him,” Lucci said of her ever-present husband Helmut Huber, who sat front row week in and week out of the competition. “Helmut has been there every step of the way, he’s been fantastic.” Lucci’s partner Tony Dovolani couldn’t agree more: “He’s a special man. He deserves a trophy of his own. I don’t know how either one of us could have made it this far without his help.”

The Bold and the Barefoot: New pro Lacey Schwimmer continued stirring the DWTS pot during her taped segment in which she proclaimed, “I’ll go barefoot all over your face, Len!”, as a response to the head judge’s criticism to her and partner Lance Bass’s barefooted rumba. “I don’t even know what that means,” Schwimmer said of her comment Wednesday. “To be perfectly honest. It just came out, and a little bit of my inner self came out before I could censor myself.” But Schwimmer added, “It’s all in fun.”

Still the Dancing Queen: Sixth season contestant Marlee Matlin took a seat in the front row on Wednesday night, perhaps to brush up on some dancing? Matlin has been announced as a member of the upcoming DWTS tour, and the cheeky actress is looking forward to her stint back on the dancefloor. “It’s a dance fantasy,” Matlin told PEOPLE, adding she’s getting her very own tour bus. “It’s a good thing that I’m married and sober,” Matlin said through her interpreter. “I’d like to live like a rock star, and I used to think of myself as Marcia Brady from The Brady Brunch, but now I know, I’m Alice the Maid!”

In Place of Julianne: “I didn’t want to disappoint Cody or Julianne or their fans,” said Edyta Sliwinska, who is subbing for Hough as she recuperates from surgery. “I was praying, Please, God, not tonight! It would have been the worst night of my life.” Given a week to work with the easily distracted Linley, Sliwinska went straight to Hough for advice on how to train the 18-year-old. “The best advice that Julianne gave me was that I have to be more tough on Cody than I would on anyone else because he’s younger,” Sliwinska said. “I wish I could put horse blinders on him and maybe a leash so that he doesn’t wander around.”

More from Inside the Ballroom:

• Kim Kardashian played the role of supportive pal from the front row. “I’m so proud of everybody” she gushed. And though Kardashian would like to see frontrunner Brooke Burke take that trophy home, Kardashian has visions that boyfriend Reggie Bush may hit the parquet one day. “He says that he doesn’t think he would go for it, but he’s such a great dancer, so I think that he would do so well,” Kardashian said of her beau. “I think he totally could take the trophy.”

• Shannon Elizabeth hit the dancefloor at the end of the night to pay a visit to boyfriend Derek Hough. Hough explained why his former dance partner has been persona non grata in the ballroom. “She just got back from filming,” Hough said of Elizabeth, “and she had a meeting in Santa Monica, so she stopped by. She saw our foxtrot in rehearsal the other day, and she said, ‘You guys are going to get three tens!’”

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/11/06/wednesdays-dancing-what-you-didnt-see-2/

[marigold]

ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE

OVERNIGHT ABC RATINGS (FOR 11/5)

Quick Take for Wednesday, November 5, 2008

ABC Grows for the 2nd Consecutive Week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Drawing its Largest Audience in Nearly 1 Year

 "Dancing with the Stars Results" Ranks No. 1 in the 8 o'clock Hour in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Qualifying as Wednesday's Most-Watched Program 

"Private Practice" Draws its Largest Audience of the Season and Posts a Best-Since-Premiere Performance Among Adults 18-49

"Private Practice" Builds on its Lead-in and Stands as Wednesday's No. 1 Program Among Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49
 
ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" Beats NBC's "Law & Order" Season Premiere in the 10pm Hour Among Adults 18-34 and Key Women
Wednesday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
Growing week to week for the second week in a row, ABC was up over the previous week by 3.6 million viewers (10.5 million vs. 6.9 million) and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/6 vs. 2.4/6), logging the Net's largest audience on the night in nearly 1 year - since 11/28/07.  ABC ranked No. 1 on the night across each of the key women demos: Women 18-34 (3.1/9), Women 18-49 (4.1/10) and Women 25-54 (4.8/11-tie).   

"Dancing with the Stars Results" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Standing as the night's most-watched program, a special Wednesday airing of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars Results" ranked No. 1 at 8:00 p.m. in Total Viewers (15.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.2/9-tied).  "DWTS Results" also led its time period among Women 18-49 (4.4/11) and Adults 25-54 (4.3/11).  Actress and entrepreneur Susan Lucci was the seventh dancer to leave the competition this season.

"Private Practice" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Retaining 100% of its young adult lead-in, ABC's "Private Practice" attracted its largest audience (9.5 million) of the season, while posting a best-since-premiere performance in Adults 18-49 (3.2/8).  The medical drama built on its lead-in and ranked as Wednesday's top program among Adults 18-34 (2.9/8), Women 18-34 (4.6/12) and Women 18-49 (4.9/11).  "Private Practice" has stood as Wednesday's No. 1 program among Women 18-34 in all 5 of its telecasts this season. 

"Dirty Sexy Money" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the final hour of the evening, ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" outperformed the season premiere of NBC's "Law & Order" among Adults 18-34 (1.6/5 vs. 1.4/4), Women 18-34 (2.3/7 vs. 1.5/7) and Women 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.4/6). 

* "Dirty Sexy Money" was up from the prior week in Total Viewers (6.2 million vs. 6.1 million) and across all key women demos: W18-34/W18-49/W25-54.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 28% currently, from 20% at the same point in 2007. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.
 

[marigold]

An update from Julianne:

JULIANNE's performance on DANCING WITH THE STARS has been moved to Nov. 18th

Julianne Hough will perform her new single, "My Hallelujah Song," on the November 18th elimination episode of Dancing With The Stars (not the Nov. 11th episode as previously announced).  Tune in to ABC on Tuesday, Nov. 18th at 9/8 CST to watch!

Link: http://juliannehough.com/

[marigold]

E! News Weekend

Latest update with Julianne

[marigold]

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Monday November 10, 2008

SUSAN LUCCI & TONY DOVOLANI (“Dancing with the Stars”).

They were eliminated last week, but after you watch them dance, you won’t have a clue why!

(And I still can’t imagine Susan Lucci not winning something -- of all people!)

Tony’s also got an adorable picture of his newborn twins to show me!

[marigold]

The Bonnie Hunt Show Monday, November 10th

Tom Bergeron



When Cloris Leachman was on the show this past week she mentioned to Bonnie that 'Dancing With The Stars' didn't want her back as a reporter.

Bonnie gets to the bottom of the story when host Tom Bergeron is here.

Plus, while she's got him, Bonnie shares the 'America's Funniest Video' submission her staff put together.

[marigold]

The Bonnie Hunt Show Thursday, November 13th

Guest: Carrie Ann Inaba

In addition to being a judge on 'Dancing With The Stars,' Carrie Ann Inaba is a seasoned dancer in her own right.

She'll talk about this exciting season of the show and who she thinks has a chance at going all the way.

[marigold]

Jimmy Kimmel Live DWTS Guests:

Tuesday November 11th Latest  Dancing with the Stars cast-off

Wednesday November 12th  Musical guest Julianne Hough

[marigold]

ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE

ON "DANCING" RESULTS SHOW (11/11)

THE NINTH COUPLE TO BE DISMISSED FROM THE BALLROOM REVEALED ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS THE RESULTS SHOW,"  TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, ON ABC
 
Brad Paisley, Co-host of "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," Performs

The Macy's Stars of Dance Design-a-Dance Winner is Revealed

"Episode 708A" - After tallying the judges' and viewers' votes, the ninth couple to be eliminated from the competition is revealed on "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show," TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET), following a special "Dancing with the Stars Performance Recap" telecast (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Brad Paisley, the Grammy Award-winning Country music singer-songwriter and co-host and four-time nominee for "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," takes to the "Dancing with the Stars" stage with his chart topping hit, "Ticks," accompanied by brother and sister professional dancers Lacey and Benji Schwimmer. Paisley will perform for a second time with "Let the Good Times Roll" from his newest album, "Play," released November 4, 2008. "Let the Good Times Roll" will be danced to by professional dancers from the "Dancing with the Stars Tour," Cheryl Burke, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson, Alec Mazo, Genya Mazo, Karina Smirnoff and Edyta Sliwinska. "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards" air WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In a special Macy's Stars of Dance performance, the Macy's Design-a-Dance winning elements including song, type of dance, male & female lead dancers and costume design selected by the public will be revealed. Since the beginning of the season, viewers have been logging onto abc.com to submit their own costume designs, as well as vote for their favorite song, type of dance and dancers to create the public's ideal vision and performance. The five final costume designs were selected and voted on by the public, leaving one lucky winner with the most votes to have his or her costume created by the show designer and worn by the winning professional dancers in the performance.

By evening's end one more couple will be eliminated, as determined by a combination of the judges' scores and viewers' votes. Who among the following five teams will leave the ballroom floor?

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough
Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke
Cody Linley & Edyta Sliwinska
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson
 

[marigold]

From Julianne's site:



Julianne talks to PEOPLE MAGAZINE about her surgery

Be sure to pick up the November 17th issue of PEOPLE Magazine. 

In this issue, Julianne opens up about endometriosis, her 'painful' surgery and when she'll return to Dancing With The Stars.

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Kym Johnson: ‘Warren Has What It Takes’ to Win Dancing

Last Monday, the judges on Dancing with the Stars gave former NFL star Warren Sapp and partner Kym Johnson a hard time after their foxtrot, saying the pair had taken a proverbial step back. With the field narrowed to five contestants, Johnson tells PEOPLE she and Sapp are determined to take things up a notch.

“My strategy for next week is put more hours in and keep enjoying each dance because if we are enjoying what we are doing on the dancefloor then the judges and audience hopefully will too!” says Johnson.

Dancing for the fun of it is something Johnson knows very well. Every Wednesday for the past two months the Australian dance pro has been leading a dance class to people with Down syndrome in Burbank, Calif.

In association with the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, Johnson has been teaching approximately 60 students ranging in age from two to 52. All of the students wear blue T-shirts that read ‘Dancing With Our Star Kym Johnson,’ and most of them are voting for Johnson and Sapp.

“One girl told me she’s splitting her votes between me and Cheryl Burke,” Johnson says, laughing. “I lose myself in this hour each week because the students are so incredible and so full of energy and love. They have so much fun and it makes me so happy to be with them.”

The students are currently learning a routine to the High School Musical tune “We’re All In This Together,” which they performed at the 14th annual Buddy Walk on November 2 in Los Angeles.

Getting down to business–the DWTS finals–Johnson says Sapp is looking at the ballroom competition with an athlete’s mindset. “He told me ‘we are in the playoffs now and we have to get to the final,’” Johnson says. “He’s determined and so am I.”

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/11/10/kym-johnson-warren-has-what-it-takes-to-win-dancing/#more-5638

[marigold]

DWTS Nominated:

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR "THE 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS" TO BE HOSTED BY QUEEN LATIFAH JAN. 7, 2009 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

CBS Television Network Release

The nominations for THE 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS were announced this morning by Joshua Jackson "Fringe," Carrie Ann Inaba "Dancing with the Stars," Paula Marshall "Gary Unmarried" and Jay Mohr "Gary Unmarried." New categories this year include "Favorite Superhero," "Favorite TV Drama Diva," "Favorite Movie Cast" and "Favorite Scene Stealing Guest Star."

Winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of THE 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS which will be hosted by Queen Latifah from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.  The first awards show of 2009, THE 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS honors fan favorites in television, movies and music.

PEOPLE magazine, in celebration of its own 35th birthday, will team up with People's Choice to present the first ever People's Choice Award for Favorite Star Under 35, in recognition of this dual milestone.   Beginning today http://www.pcavote.com/ and http://www.people.com/ will exclusively feature this unique poll, giving fans the opportunity to choose their favorite star, under the age of 35, by narrowing down from a group of Hollywood's biggest celebrities, chosen by PEOPLE's editors.

With the nominees revealed, fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorites in each category at http://www.pcavote.com/ starting today.  In addition, from November 10 to December 7, voters at pcaVOTE.com can enter for a chance to win two tickets to the 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS. People's Choice community members, both new and existing, are automatically entered into the contest each time they vote on any of the 41 categories.  Users must be logged in while voting to enter the contest. Membership is free and benefits include the opportunity to choose the nominees for the 36th Annual People's Choice Awards.

Nominees for THE 35TH ANNUAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS were determined with the help of E-Poll Market Research, a leading provider of products and custom research solutions for entertainment and media companies, agencies and Fortune 1000 companies.  The study was conducted by E-Poll using the People's Choice Online Community to achieve a nationally representative sample of respondents aged 13 or older.  For each category, the respondents were provided with a set of candidates determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses and music sales.  The respondents then chose their favorites in Television, Movies and Music.  They also had the option to write in their favorites where not included among the provided candidates. The top three selections in each category became the final nominees.

A complete list of nominees follows:

TELEVISION

FAVORITE COMPETITION / REALITY SHOW
American Idol 
Dancing with the Stars 
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 

[marigold]

Julianne Hough news:

PERFORMERS AND PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED FOR "THE 42ND ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

Released by ABC

CMA announced additional performers and presenters today for "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards." Darius Rucker, previously announced as a presenter, will instead give his debut CMA Awards performance. New presenters added to the lineup are Vince Gill, Julianne Hough, Jake Owen, John Rich and Jimmy Wayne. "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards" will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Previously announced performers include co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, along with Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney with The Wailers, the Eagles, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, James Otto, Kellie Pickler, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, plus a surprise guest.

Previously announced presenters include Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Heidi Newfield, Swift, Josh Turner, Lee Ann Womack, Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, plus a surprise guest.

Gill hosted the CMA Awards for 12 years from 1992-2003. The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year (1993, 1994) has won 18 CMA Awards and is second only to Brooks & Dunn for having won the most CMA Awards in history.

Hough is making her CMA Awards debut this year, while also dancing each week on ABC's hit series "Dancing with the Stars." In addition she is co-hosting the "CMA Awards Red Carpet Live! Presented by Chevy" pre-show with Craig Morgan. The pre-show will bring the excitement of the Red Carpet to ABC affiliate viewers in cities across the nation and on ABC.com. Check local listings and ABC.com for airtimes.

[marigold]

An interesting article:

DWTS’s Kym Johnson to Dance Despite Shoulder Injury

Add another injury to the season 7 Dancing With the Stars roster.

Australian dancer Kym Johnson, who’s currently partnered with former NFL star Warren Sapp, suffered a shoulder injury over the weekend. Johnson has since been examined and, according to a show rep, will be healthy enough to dance on Monday night’s live performance show.

After a less-than-stellar foxtrot last week, Johnson told PEOPLE she and Sapp would be pushing themselves going into this week’s competition. “My strategy for next week is put more hours in and keep enjoying each dance,” Johnson told PEOPLE.

Johnson is the latest in a long line of injuries and illnesses to affect the ballroom this season. First, contestant Jeffrey Ross suffered a corneal abrasion when partner Edyta Sliwinska’s hand grazed his left eye.

Beach volleyball pro Misty May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon and had to drop out of the competition, which was followed by ankle injuries for actresses Susan Lucci and Brooke Burke.

Two weeks ago two-time Dancing champ Julianne Hough underwent an appendectomy when it was learned she has endometriosis

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/11/10/dwtss-kym-johnson-to-dance-despite-shoulder-injury/

[marigold]

Lance's Diary:

EXCLUSIVE: DWTS' Lance Bass: What You'll See on Tonight's Show

Lance Bass is keeping an exclusive diary only on Usmagazine.com about his experience competing on Dancing With the Stars. Check back each Monday to keep up with Bass' progress, and get behind-the-scenes dish on ABC's hit series.

CHA CHA CHAT
Getting put on a team for last week's cha cha routine was like getting picked for dodgeball in gym class as a kid. It felt really good to be picked first. We had about four hours total to learn that dance when we are used to having a week, but we were having more fun than we were taking it seriously.

I always said I would never take my shirt off on the show, but I’m a team player. Cody [linley] really wanted to show our sexy sides, and of course Tony [Dovolani] will take his shirt off at the drop of a dime. Our shirts were supposed to be completely off at one point, but I vetoed that because it was too cheesy. I just went with it – it was a little embarrassing and I didn’t eat for a week to prepare.

DOUBLE THE DANCING
This week we have the foxtrot and the samba, where I have to do a 20-second solo. Our foxtrot is so cute - very Mary Poppins-like - and the samba is going to be sexy with crazy techniques thrown in. There's one move, called the samba roll, that's so advanced that many people on the show won't even try it, but I feel like I have to to impress the judges.

FINALE FEVER
With two weeks to go until the finale, I'm just looking to get there. Three people get to go, and if I'm one of them, I think I have a really good shot at winning. You get to do a freestyle dance - I'll be doing hip-hop - and I'm just thinking about the two people I have to knock out [along the way]. Hopefully Cody will be gone this week, since he didn't do that well last week, and Maurice [Greene] next.

HIT THE ROAD!
This week I signed on to go on the DWTS tour and it's going to be nice to get back on the road again after six or seven years. The road feels like home to me - I sleep better on my tour bus. It'll be a pretty easy tour compared to our *NSYNC days, because I'll only do three songs and a few group numbers. I really hope I get to do my tango and jive routines again. One thing is for sure, though - I know a lot of YouTube videos will probably come out of this, since everyone on the tour is so fun and we're going to do some crazy stuff!

Link: http://www.usmagazine.com/news/lance-bass-dwts-diary-week-8-nov-10

[marigold]

Bonnie Hunt with Tom Bergeron

[marigold]

Ellen with DWTS Susan & Tony

[apskip]

Here are the scores for the ballroom round and the Latin dance round tonight:

Cody/Edyta           8  8  8  24 Foxtrot                        8  8  8  24 Mambo
Brooke/Derek       10 8 10 28 Tango                         9  9  9  27 Mambo
Maurice/Cheryl      8  8  8  24 Quickstep                    8  8  8  24 Paso Doble
Lance/Lacey          9  8  9  26 Foxtrot                        8  7  9  24 Samba
Warren/Kym         10 9  9  28 Tango                         9  8  9  26  Jive


Cody/Edyta total      48
Brooke/Derek total   55
Maurice/Cheryl total 48
Lance/Lacey total     50
Warren/Kym total     54

There were some interesting things said on tonight's show. One was about Julianne's recovery. She will be dancing on the results show tomorrow night. Len scored Brooke/Derek and Lance/Lacey lower than the other judges. As a result, Tom Bergeron was able to quip "an 8 from Len is the equivalent of an 11 from Michael Flatley."

The idea of 15 second solos was pretty strange in the context of the selected dances. I found Brooke's opening number had little to do with the rest of that dance and each of the other stars had a similar problem.

This leaves 3 teams with 50 points or less from tonight's dances. On the bubble are Cody/Edyta, Maurice/Cheryl and Lance/Lacey. I think that they all have some following, but probably Maurice has the least. I predict that Maurice will be the one eliminated tomorrow night. I see this as a contest between Brooke/Derek and Warren/Kym, so it really doesn't matter which of the 3 above goes out tomorrow, which next week, and then which one will finish third in the finals.

[RealityFreakWill]

My prediction for the results show will be:

Bottom Two:

Cody/Edyta
Maurice/Cheryl

Julianne has a huge fan following and all of her fans are dying to see her dance again, therefore, will be voting to save Cody

Getting the boot will be Maurice/Cheryl

Prediction for Final 3:

Brooke/Derek
Cody/Julianne
Lance/Lacey

Final 2:

Brooke/Derek
Lance/Lacey

To win the trophy is too early to call.....I'll predict on it later!  LOL

[marigold]

Lance's Blog:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Lance is coming to a city near YOU!

Samsung Eternity™ Presents DANCING WITH THE STARS - THE TOUR

STARRING LANCE BASS, TONI BRAXTON, MAURICE GREENE &

MARLEE MATLIN in an all new production

JOINED BY THE SHOW'S HOTTEST PROFESSIONAL DANCERS

MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY, Mark ballas, derek hough, Kym Johnson, LACEY SCHWIMMER,Edyta Sliwinska, KARINA SMIRNOFF & FABIAN SANCHEZ

38-Show Tour Kicking Off December 17th in SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Tickets on sale beginning November 10th AT 10:00 AM LOCAL

LOS ANGELES – November 5, 2007 – Dancing with the Stars, ABC's 1-rated reality-competition program, produced by BBC Worldwide America, is hitting the road this winter and bringing an entirely new cast of celebrities and professional dancers to 37 cities throughout North America.   Samsung Eternity™ Presents Dancing with the Stars – The Tour will kick-off at the Sports Arena in San Diego, CA on Wednesday, December 17th.  Tickets will go on sale beginning Monday, November 10th.  Fans should visit DancingWithTheStarsOnTour.com and ABC.com for complete tour details. 

 The fourth Dancing with the Stars tour features an entirely new ensemble of the most popular and exciting competitors from the hit ABC show, including celebrities Lance Bass, Toni Braxton and Maurice Greene from Season 7, as well as Marlee Matlin from Season 6.  Joining the celebrities on tour will be dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Lacey Schwimmer, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff and Fabien Sanchez. 

Samsung Eternity™ Presents Dancing with the Stars – The Tour is produced by BBC Worldwide America, AEG LIVE and Front Line Management Group.  The two-hour show features a larger-than-life recreation of the TV show's actual stage and set design – complete with intimate, cabaret-style VIP table seating on the floor – that puts fans in the center of the action.  In addition, the cast will be accompanied by an unstoppable ten-piece live band, performing all of the much-loved hits featured on the TV show as well as popular hits to accompany the new production numbers - produced exclusively for the tour. The production will also feature two huge High Definition video screens showcasing never-before-seen rehearsal footage, exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and outtakes, as well as many surprise extras. 

Tickets for Samsung Eternity™ Presents Dancing with the Stars – The Tour will go on sale beginning Monday, November 10th at 10:00am via DancingWithTheStarsOnTour.com.

I Love All Access is proud to once again provide exclusive access to the tour's incredible VIP ticket package experiences for the tour. Fans should visit iloveallaccess.com for more information and to purchase VIP tickets. American Express® card members can get advance pre-sale tickets to select dates on the tour from November 10th at 10:00am through November 14th at 10:00pm locally.  These select dates include Ontario, CA (Dec. 18), Los Angeles (Dec. 27), Chicago (Jan. 9), Washington D.C. (Jan. 29), Uniondale, NY (Feb. 4), Newark, NJ (Feb. 6) and Philadelphia (Feb. . Preferred seating is available to Gold Card, Platinum Card® and Centurion® members.

Samsung Eternity™ Presents Dancing with the Stars – The Tour

DATE     CITY   VENUE 

Wed-Dec-17-08   San Diego, CA  Sports Arena
Thu-Dec-18-08   Ontario, CA  Citizens Business Bank Arena
Fri-Dec-19-08   San Jose, CA  HP Pavilion
Sun-Dec-21-08   Reno, NV  Reno Events Center
Mon-Dec-22-08   Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
Sat-Dec-27-08   Los Angeles, CA Staples Centre
Sun-Dec-28-08   Glendale, AZ  Jobing.com Arena
Mon-Dec-29-08   Las Vegas, NV  Orleans Arena
Tue-Dec-30-08   W. Valley City, UT E Center
Fri-Jan-02-09   Tulsa, OK  BOK Center
Sun-Jan-04-09   Dallas, TX  American Airlines Center
Mon-Jan-05-09   San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
Wed-Jan-07-09   Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Thu-Jan-08-09   Moline, IL  i wireless Center
Fri-Jan-09-09   Chicago, IL  Allstate Arena
Sun-Jan-11-09   Detroit, MI  Joe Louis Arena
Mon-Jan-12-09   Toronto, ON  Air Canada Centre
Tue-Jan-13-09   Cleveland, OH  Wolstein Center
Thu-Jan-15-09   Indianapolis, IN  Conseco Fieldhouse
Fri-Jan-16-09   St. Louis, MO  Scottrade Arena
Sat-Jan-17-09   Cincinnati, OH  US Bank Arena
Sun-Jan-18-09   Columbus, OH  Nationwide Arena
Tue-Jan-20-09   Nashville, TN  Sommet Center
Thu-Jan-22-09   Tampa, FL  St. Pete Times Forum
Fri-Jan-23-09   Ft. Lauderdale, FL BankAtlantic Center
Sat-Jan-24-09   Orlando, FL  Amway Arena
Sun-Jan-25-09   Duluth, GA      The Arena at Gwinnett Center
Tue-Jan-27-09   Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
Wed-Jan-28-09   Raleigh, NC  RBC Center
Thu-Jan-29-09   Washington, DC Verizon Center
Fri-Jan-30-09   Uncasville, CT  Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat-Jan-31-09   Uncasville, CT  Mohegan Sun Arena
Mon-Feb-02-09   Providence, RI  Dunkin Donuts Center
Tue-Feb-03-09   Wilkes-Barre, PA Wachovia Arena
Wed-Feb-04-09   Uniondale, NY  Nassau Coliseum
Fri-Feb-06-09   Newark, NJ  Prudential Center
Sat-Feb-07-09   Atlantic City, NJ  Boardwalk Hall
Sun-Feb-08-09   Philadelphia, PA        Wachovia Center

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Monday’s Dancing: What You Didn’t See

Solo Without the Safety Net: Beyond having to master two dances in one week of practice, the remaining celebs had to also incorporate a 15-second solo dance–a notion that was met with both fear and excitement from the remaining five contestants. “I was scared because Derek is my safety net out there,” front-runner Brooke Burke later admitted, “Sometimes he’s the only thing that keeps it together for us.” “I wasn’t nervous, ” Maurice Greene said of his paso doble performance. “I actually got a little bit excited for it. I just wanted to do something cool that would ‘wow’ the people. I’m up there twirling that cape around, and people tell me that it looks good, but I don’t know what’s happening. All I see is purple and silver going around in a circle!” Former ‘N Syncer Lance Bass agreed, saying, “The solo was my favorite part and I think I’m much better at dancing by myself. The hardest part for me is when I’m connected to Lacey … my pigeon toes make me very clumsy, and I’m stepping all over her feet.”

Big Boy as Bond? Warren Sapp delivered a cool tango in a sparkly tuxedo that had judge Bruno Tonioli proclaiming, “Watch out, James Bond!” But Sapp wasn’t about to let the post-dance praise–or his first 10 of the season– go to his head. “Secret agents don’t wear shimmering tuxedoes,” Sapp said, “I do, because I’m so big, I can’t hide anyway, so I might as well let them see me coming.” But the NFL star couldn’t resist toying with the notion of a 007 of another color. “They don’t have a black James Bond,” Sapp said, “but now that we have a black president, why not? Just give me the role, and give me that Aston Martin!”

From ‘Barefoot’ too Pigeon-Toed: Len Goodman welcomed Lance Bass’s classic foxtrot, calling it the, “Extreme Makeover” of the dancefloor. But he was less kind toward the pair’s samba, criticizing Bass’s poor footwork. “I forgot about my feet being turned in,” Bass admitted. “I was so focused on the balls of my feet and heel-toe leads, I forgot about my pigeon toes. In my defense, that’s a lot to think about.” When it was pointed out that last season’s champ, Kristi Yamaguchi, was born with a club foot, Bass could only chuckle. “If she could win it, then maybe my pigeon toes give us a ‘leg’ up!”

Last Girl Standing: As the last woman in the competition, Brooke Burke is starting to feel the heat. Burke says that the notion of judge Len Goodman judging her as a professional dancer is ‘bittersweet’. “There’s so much pressure, and I make mistakes that they may let slide if they weren’t judging me to such a high standard,” said Burke. “I really respect Len, and I’m sure that everything he said was true, and he still gave us a nine, and I can take it, because Derek is really my toughest critic.” But the mother of four does have her eye on the mirror-ball trophy. “It’s so close and we’ve worked so hard!” Burke said. “If we win, I know that the trophy will be rotating bedrooms with my three little girls, and this is something that they have already discussed amongst themselves!”

More from Inside the Ballroom:

• The front row of the ballroom was a DWTS reunion of sorts, with season five’s Mark Cuban sitting next to season four’s Leeza Gibbons. The pair only one seat away from season seven casualty Corky Ballas. During the pre-show intros, Cuban gave judge Carrie Ann Inaba a solo standing ovation, which brought the judge rushing across the dancefloor to hug Cuban and Gibbons.

• Always-cool host Tom Bergeron affected a case of the pre-show jitters to get a laugh out of co-host Samantha Harris. Just as the show was about to go live, Bergeron faked a panic attack. Harris played along, calmly fanning her co-host with her hands as she looked to the audience for help.

• With the show about to go live, Harris snuck away and stole a kiss from her hubby Michael Hess in the audience. She later broke away mid-show to seek out her husband once more. Hess was all smiles but slightly embarrassed by the DWTS PDA, laughing to his fellow audience members after each encounter with his wife.

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/11/11/mondays-dancing-what-you-didnt-see-14/

[marigold]

Julianne's Blog:

Julianne Hough: "I'm Back And Sick Of Sitting On The Couch"

Hey Everyone,

Just so you know, I’m up and back and sick of sitting on the couch. I just did my radio phoners and now I’m going to see Cody right now. I’m doing the CMAs tomorrow, so we don’t be able to practice tomorrow. We’re going to practice today for about half an hour with Len in his master class.

Even if he gets kicked off tonight, we’ll still practice. I don’t think he’ll get kicked off. Edyta is doing a great job with him. But he’s down there with Maurice. I think his charisma and humor is coming off and people are loving him. What’s great is that’s really him. I was on the floor laughing last night during his solo. I thought one of my stitches was going to pop out.

Speaking of stitches, my surgery was good. It was scary. It was supposed to take an hour but took 45 minutes longer. It was a good thing I went in because not only did I have the endometriosis things that needed to be lasered off, but I had a cyst on an ovary and scarred tissue from my appendix that had connected to my right hip. It looked like I had a small case of appendicitis at some point in my life. But everything went well and I feel great. I feel like I have more energy than I did a few weeks ago. It’s nice to feel good and healthy again.

I was a little embarrassed for the whole country to see me in bed. I was like that’s so lovely. I didn’t have any makeup on and my face was swollen…it was great. But I wasn’t going to put makeup on. That would’ve looked stupid. But my recovery went smoothly. I got so much support. Rascal Flatts sent me flowers, other people sent flowers…there were enough flowers to make me think I was at my own funeral. That’s kind of gross, but true.

My mom and Chuck took great care of me. I don’t think I could’ve gotten through it so smoothly without both of them there. I got to lay on the couch, watch movies, and play with Lexi, who seemed to know there was something wrong. She’d cuddle up around my neck and seemed to know not to go near my stomach.

As for dancing, I haven’t done anything until …well, Sunday night I got up. Sunday was the turning point. Last night I was doing some stuff and it felt great. Watch the show tonight – there’s going to be a surprise.

I’m taking a red eye tonight to get to Nashville by tomorrow morning. I’m hosting the pre-show for the CMAs tomorrow with Craig Morgan. It’s going to be a long day. I’m excited. I grew up being inspired by all these artists and now I get to interview them and sit in the audience near them.

I’m definitely planning to dance with Cody next week – if he makes it through tonight. I have some great ideas. I’m very excited to get back.
One more note to everyone on Fancast who reads my blogs and writes in. I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers. I’m doing great and it meant the world to me to hear from you.

Talk to you tomorrow!

I’m glad to be back…

Julianne

Link: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/11/julianne_hough_im_back_and_sic.html