Topic: Dancing With The Stars Season 8

[marigold]

From tvguide:

Maks Stands By "Unfair" Melissa Comment While Stars Chime In

Leave it to Maksim Chmerkovskiy to get everyone riled up again.

The unabashedly honest Dancing with the Stars pro told TVGuide.com that Melissa Rycroft's dancing background gives her an "unfair" advantage over the rest of the cast — and he's not backing down.

"Let me be that voice of everybody who thinks [it] but won't say it," Chmerkovskiy tells Access Hollywood.

Au, contraire, Maks. It turns out other people will say it too.

"I mean, I can't compete next to someone that's had a lot of dance training," said his partner, Denise Richards.

And while country singer Chuck Wicks jokes, "Melissa is a better dancer than I am," his gal pal/pro partner, Julianne Hough, admits that "compared to everybody else, there is a huge difference in ability."

Rycroft and partner Tony Dovolani, who've placed second in the standings the past two weeks, say they don't understand where the criticism is coming from, since Chmerkovskiy has had his share of experienced partners.

"Well, I would love to say to Maks, 'How about Mel?'" Dovolani said, referring to Spice Girl Mel B., who finished second with Chmerkovskiy in Season 5. "That's all I'm going to say."

Chmerkovskiy concedes that his opinion doesn't matter in the long run. "Does she have dance training? Of course. But it doesn't matter if the people love what she does," he says. "You know, Mazel Tov to her, as we say."

http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Maks-Stands-Unfair-1004162.aspx

[marigold]

  Woz now you know discussing viewer votes is a no no 

Woz apologizes for calling Dancing “a lie” and “fake”

Steve Wozniak has apologized to the producers of Dancing with the Stars after calling the show “fake,” and “a lie,” and says that the show’s executive producer told Woz that Woz’s comments “injured the show and” the producer.

Tuesday night, just before the live results show, a message from Woz was posted his Facebook group (by Real World Miami star Joe Patane, who has worked with Woz), in which Woz said, “I wrote that the producers were liars, simply because I truly believed in that possibility, not because I had a shred of evidence. I hurt a lot of honest people.”

Woz wrote that those “responsible for counting audience votes and keeping them honest told me all the specific details of where their numbers came from. More than that, they explained how they can catch onto various forms of manipulation of the system by exactly the methods I had thought out in my head that would work. I was offered an opportunity to see the equipment they use also. You can tell when things are extremely on the level. You can also see why the exact totals cannot be released. That would make it harder to detect fraud.”

Woz added that executive producer Conrad Green “told me how horribly what I had said injured the show and himself. You can tell when someone is speaking in a way that they can’t possibly be a liar or trying to deceive you the least bit. Conrad and the other producers are not liars. They are extremely honest people in my mind.”

So what did Woz write before apologizing for writing it? The post has been deleted from Facebook, but CNET quotes the message in a story. Woz wrote that he was “challenging the truthfulness of reporting of our dance team positions. But I am who I am, and I speak my mind and hate these unethical twists. I’m not after any Hollywood existence.”

“I’m sure they want me in this dance-off to get higher Tuesday ratings, and they have preplanned it so that I win. If my leg acts up tomorrow, they will either have to announce another pair as being the lowest or send me home, and I don’t think they will give me up,” he wrote. “If [producers] disclosed the numbers, it would be less of a game, but still suspect. If tomorrow, they claim I’m in the bottom 2 dance teams, including viewer votes, I believe that it’s an outright lie.”

Woz also said that he was basically harassing producers with on-camera comments. “I called it fake about 20 times today on camera. Each time in the same sentence as whatever comment they wanted about doing a dance-off tomorrow. That way, they couldn’t edit it easily to say what they wanted. They kept trying to get me to say what I’d do if I was in the dance-off without using the word fake,” he wrote. “They will have some small video tomorrow of me saying things that I strongly told them I don’t believe. They will also shoot me in a one-hour rehearsal tomorrow with my partner, but I’ll keep calling the idea of my being in the bottom 2, after audience participation, a lie.”

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/dancing_with_the_stars_8/2009_Mar_18_woz_apologizes_accusations

[marigold]

Steve-O is good to go   

Steve-O Talks ‘Dancing’ Injury: ‘I Have A Hematoma’

Despite falling on his microphone pack during Monday’s dress rehearsal for “Dancing With the Stars,” Steve-O is gearing up to hit the ballroom again next week.

“I’m gonna be fine,” he told Access Hollywood on Tuesday night when he was saved from elimination alongside professional partner Lacey Schwimmer. GoGo’s singer Belinda Carlisle was sent home.

The “Jackass” star was unable to put in a final performance on Monday after he was taken to the hospital following his fall and was judged on his dress rehearsal. And he explained to Access what is wrong with his back.

“I have a hematoma,” he said. “In laymen’s terms it means I grew a third butt cheek… A sprained vessel… I have a pinched nerve and my back is [sprained].”

http://www.accesshollywood.com/steve-o-talks-dancing-injury-i-have-a-hematoma_article_15742

[marigold]

Ty Murray's Blog:

March 19, 2009

Today was a long and frustrating day for Chelsie and me both. I think we're tired from not getting enough rest the past couple of days. We filmed the show the Monday and Tuesday, and there's a huge commitment when it comes to all the rehearsal time, camera blocking, press interviews and photo shoots that go along with being on a hit television show.

The foxtrot is a new dance for us and the first day is always tough because, again, I have no idea what to expect--no clue, none whatsoever.

I've run into this before with teaching: when you take someone this far out of their element it's hard just teaching them the most basic fundamentals because it's almost like teaching someone how to breathe. You don't really know how you do it you just do it because that's what you've been doing your whole life.

I think that's how a lot of this is for Chelsie. The simplest, most basic stuff can get really hard because there's a certain way you have to do it and then, as a teacher, you're trying to break it down for the student, but it's such a basic thing for you that it's hard to teach because it's something you never really had to think it about.

From my experience, its part of the learning process and it's been that way each time I've had to learn a new dance. You always seem to go way backwards before you start gaining momentum going forward.

I've been through this process as a student and as a teacher so I know that after I get a good night sleep I'll go in tomorrow rested, fresh, my head will be clear and a lot of the stuff Chelsie was teaching me today will have had a chance to kind of sink in overnight.

This is all just part of it.

The main thing I need to do right now is to make sure I get that good night's rest so that I can wake up fresh and get back at it tomorrow.

It's already crunch time and that kind of makes it feel all the more frustrating. Wednesday's gone and once the weekend gets here it gets even tougher because you start doing all the camera blocking. At that point, it's not like you're free to spend all day in the studio.

Chelsie sent me a text when I got home that said, "You're a lot further along than you think so don't get frustrated."

Well, that's what I know for tonight.

http://www.pbrnow.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/19/The-first-day-is-always-tough#more

[RealityFreakWill]

Melissa & Tony's new promo pic to replace Nancy/Tony

Will post Holly/Dmitry's pic as soon I find it

[RealityFreakWill]

FYI....

Melissa Rycroft will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tomorrow (Fri, 3/20)

[marigold]

Video:

Belinda and Johnathon GMA interview


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eu3uQ98n44

[RealityFreakWill]

Belinda on Jimmy Kimmel Live


credit to jimmykimmellive

[marigold]

.... more on Steve-O

OK! Exclusive: Steve-O's DWTS Future Uncertain

On Monday night, March 16, Steve-O had to sit out on Dancing With The Stars because of the injury he suffered during dance rehearsals earlier that day.

“He has [a] hematoma,” dancing partner Lacey Schwimmer tells OK! exclusively at the What Goes Around Comes Around store launch in Hollywood on Wednesday night.

The 34-year-old was already nursing a pinched nerve in his back, and is now dealing with internal bleeding because of the mishap.

“[This] morning he has a doctors appointment,” says Lacey. “If the doctor says, ‘It’s okay to dance,’ then we are in the studio.”

The next episode of Dancing With The Stars will air on Monday, March 23 on ABC.

http://www.ok-magazine.com/news/view/12643

[marigold]

ABC Television Network

PRESS RELEASE 

MELISSA RYCROFT ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (3/20)

IN HER FIRST LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW APPEARANCE, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE" WELCOMES MELISSA RYCROFT FROM ABC'S HIT SERIES "DANCING WITH THE STARS" AND "THE BACHELOR," FRIDAY, MARCH 20
 
Tune in to "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this Friday, March 20 to catch America's sweetheart and last-minute addition to ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," Melissa Rycroft. One week after the most shocking season finale of "The Bachelor," Melissa moved on with grace and courage to waltz her way onto the ballroom floor and into America's hearts. In heroic fashion, she stepped in with only 48 hours to train before the show's season premiere, filling in for fallen star Nancy O'Dell ("Access Hollywood"), who withdrew from competition citing a torn meniscus.

Make sure to also catch legendary rock band Mötley Crüe kicking-off their nationwide Crüe Tour 2 with an exclusive musical performance from the East Coast.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" airs at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT on ABC.
 

[TARAsia Fan]

I'm calling curse!

[marigold]

Ty Murray's Blog: oh cool

A note from Jewel

Hey all,

I thought I would share a few pics with you from behind the scenes of the show on Tuesday night. It's really fun to be backstage and hang with everyone.

I showed up to Ty's trailer around 5 p.m. to find Ty all dressed and ready to dance! We took some pictures, because we were both dressed so formally. We felt like teenagers headed to prom!



Then Chelsie and Dmitry stopped by wearing fuzzy robes over their costumes. They had to shoot a quick shot in their competition clothes, and then would have to do a quick change into the outfits they would wear while they danced to me singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

I hope you guys enjoyed my performance as much as I enjoyed singing. I just love that song, and it will be on my new album called "Lullaby" that comes out on May 5th.

Dmitry and Chelsie got to hear me finish recording the song for the album, so they were familiar with it and it really showed in their beautiful dance.

Ty and I just love Dmitry and Chelsie. We all got to be great friends when they came to live with us in Texas. It's not every day you meet such sincere and humble people, and we just all get along so well! Even though I'm not on the show any more we still all hang!

Dmitry dances with Holly by day, but the four of us eat together afterward!



As some of you may know, I toured with Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough this summer, so it's great to see them and get to hang with them. They are such nice folks that it's hard to hate them for being so freakin' pretty and talented! Haha!

Seriously, they are just as nice as can be and I have really enjoyed getting to spend more time around them. Here's a picture of all 4 of us before the show started.



Tom Bergeron, who hosts the show, is a hoot!

I think he does a great job and he came up to me to tell me he liked my skit where I kinda said the F word to him on the Jimmy Kimmel show! I knew he had a great sense of humor and was glad he approved! Haha!



Ty and Chelsie practiced a few poses back stage in case they were in the bottom two and had to participate in the dance off!

Luckily they didn't have to this week! I am so proud of my husband. He has been working so hard and is so committed, and I'm glad you all are getting to know the man I fell in love with a little better.



Ty's family came in for this week, which was great!

It's always nice to have the love and support of family! And Chelsie's mom came to support her and Ty, too.

Here's a picture of Ty's mom, Chelsie, Ty, me, Chelsie's mom, and Ty's dad that we took after the show.



After the show there is a press line we walk through. It takes about an hour and so I thought I'd add a few pictures of Ty and Chelsie working the line and me as well--with my fashion-ized crutch! I wrapped some scarves around it to dress it up!



And finally, on our way out of the building after the show, we ran into my friend Randy Jackson, who was filming "American Idol" across the hall from us. It was great to see him again. He is always so entertaining to talk to!

It was nice catching up with him.



And that's it!!

Ty spent all the next day right back in rehearsals. He put in 8 hours Wednesday!! I hope his hard work pays off and we make it another week!

Thank you for all your support. We've been just overwhelmed with everyone's well-wishes. We sure are having fun!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Xx, Jewel

http://www.pbrnow.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/19/A-note-from-Jewel#more

[marigold]

Videos:

DWTS: Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower Interview

Nine-time Rodeo champ Ty Murray can ride a bull, lasso a calf, a buck and a bronco with ease.

But the Cha Cha? That's hard! Ty talks about DANCING WITH THE STARS

and brings along his partner Chelsie Hightower to back him up!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6nFrNYXVjk



DWTS: Gilles Marini Interview

DANCING WITH THE STARS contestant Gilles Marini visits Reality Chat

and dishes about his experience on the show!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XZtncvFNAI

[marigold]

steve-o’s one year sober anniversary



Read the rest of this blog here: http://www.jackassworld.com/blog/2009/03/19/news-steve-os-one-year-sober-anniversary/#more-8914

[marigold]

An interview with Shawn:

Shawn Johnson "Shocked" By Judges' Naughty Request

If you cringed when the Dancing with the Stars judges' called for more naughtiness in 17-year-old Shawn Johnson's dances, imagine how she felt. Will she be more naughty now? Find out her answer, as well as her thoughts on the dance-off and what she and "sister" Lil Kim have planned off the dance floor.

TVGuide.com: I have to say it was really nice to see you in a dress instead of a leotard.
Johnson: I know! I love it! I mean, what girl wouldn't like those dresses? They're gorgeous. It's exciting and Mark [Ballas] designs my dress every week.

TVGuide.com: Do pros usually do that?
Johnson: Some of them do. Mark's very hands-on on the whole thing. He's got a vision and he wants it to be perfect. He'll sit down with the person and he'll be like, "This is exactly what I want. I like this fabric and this cut." I mean, it's impressive! I was very shocked.

TVGuide.com: You got good scores the first two weeks. How would you rate your performances?
Shawn Johnson: I thought I did pretty good. The waltz was fun and we worked really hard on that for a while and I just was ready to go out there and do it. That was harder because you have so much adrenaline and stuff and it's such a smooth dance that it's hard to contain yourself. Whereas the salsa, you can use that adrenaline to kinda go crazy. I have the foxtrot next, which is a slow dance.

TVGuide.com: The judges said they wanted you to be more naughty, which I thought was weird. What were you thinking?
Johnson: I was a little bit shocked. I mean, ever since I've gotten to the show, the one thing everybody has said is, "We want to keep you young and look your age." So when they said that, I was like, "Well, I don't think I'm allowed to!" [Laughs] But Mark said we're not gonna go for naughty.

TVGuide.com: Did they forget you're 17?
Johnson: I dunno! It was weird.

TVGuide.com: How were you feeling going into the first elimination?
Johnson: Oh, I was nervous! [Laughs] I mean, the scores have a little to do with it, but it's really about the votes. When you're under that red light, you get so nervous. I was just glad they called my name second. I really had no idea who it was gonna be. Some people could've gotten higher scores than others, but a lot of people have a following. Steve [Wozniak] and Belinda [Carlisle] were both so sweet and lovable that you really had no idea. You become a family. We've been together for five weeks and got to know each other. Belinda was working really hard and loving every minute of it, and it was really sad to see her go.

TVGuide.com: Do you like the addition of the dance-off?
Johnson: Uh... I think it could go both ways. It's a little harsh, you know, just kinda putting the bottom two through more than is necessary. But also, if you make a mistake in your dance the night before, it gives you a second chance to perfect it and higher your score, so it could go either way.

TVGuide.com: What do you think of everyone now after two performances?
Johnson: Gilles [Marini] and Melissa, of course, were amazing. Steve-O didn't get to dance [the salsa], which was disappointing, but we got to see him rehearse a few times and his dance was amazing. We all wish he could've performed it. Ty [Murray] — I was so excited for him! He made a few mistakes the first week and he was so nervous going out. He was like, "They don't give out zeroes, do they?" [Laughs] We were like, "Aww." He's just a sweetheart. I'm just really happy to see him get through. Holly [Madison] is so much fun to be around, and so is Melissa. They're just a bundle of energy. I love it.

TVGuide.com: There's a lot of talk about Melissa's dance experience and whether or not that's fair. Do you think it's unfair?
Johnson: I honestly don't think I can give an opinion, just because I'm not a cheerleader or a dancer or anything. I don't know how it would transfer over or what experience she has. I don't know. I'm a gymnast and all I know is I can flip and that doesn't help anything. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Are you comfortable in heels yet?
Johnson: [Laughs] I'm getting there! It was definitely hard to begin with and it's still hard.

TVGuide.com: Is that why you tripped on the stairs the first night?
Johnson: [Laughs] Yeah. I'm clumsy! I thought I was gonna fall. It was scary, but Mark caught me. Everybody trips on the stairs and I broke the ice this season. I'm the first one to trip so everyone's like, "Oh, thank God it's not me!" I'm like, "Oh, whatever. I got it, guys."

TVGuide.com: Did that rattle you at all for your performance?
Johnson: A little. When I got down, all I remember was the trip and I totally blanked on anything else. It's funny because Ty also tripped that night and now we have a little ongoing joke: "OK, if I trip, you have to trip." [Laughs] But I guess we should really try not to trip!

TVGuide.com: You said you and Lil Kim are really tight. What have you been doing?
Johnson: We're going out to lunch this week. We haven't really had time to do too much because we were getting ready for the show, but we talk a lot during the shows and during dress rehearsals. Who would've thought? [Laughs] She said we're gonna take the tall ones down!

http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Shawn-Johnson-Shocked-1004207.aspx

[marigold]

I'm calling curse!

   I agree

[RealityFreakWill]

Julianne's blog post:

At Disney World without Chuck.... lol

Hey guys,
I just finished a show here at disney world for the childrens miracle network. it was such a cool experience to meet all the champion kids... makes you really appreciate what you have and what you can do to help raise awareness for them...

im just laying in bed with lexi, she is on my right arm asleep so it's taking me forever to type cause im doing it with my left hand...lol anyways i'm just laying here thinking about how hard it's gonna be to start teaching chuck our dance for next week tomorrow. we are so behind because we are both still touring. he is in new hampshire tonight i think...
i get on a flight at 5:50am to CT to meet him for his show. we should get a couple of hours of training in before he goes on... and then we both fly again the next morning at about 5am to Mississippi for a show i'm doing there... hopefully you guys will vote this week, i think we are really going to need it!!! lol

well im gonna go to bed so that i can get some good sleep in so that i can be my usual hard teaching julianne self that i am... i think i've been taking it easy on him without really noticing, so i really have to TRY to be hard on him ha ha wish me luck..

by the way i have the funniest video of lexi tonight watching americas funniest home videos.. she literally couldn't take her eyes off the tv... i'll try and post it at some point this week... ha ha too dang cute!!!

all right, good night guys!
JH

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=191068936&blogID=477855852

[RealityFreakWill]

Still trying to find Holly/Dmitry's new promo pic, did see one but it was from the chest up, not a full head to toe pic like the others posted on here...still looking and will post once I find it.

[marigold]

ABC Television Network

PRESS RELEASE 

ON NEXT WEEK'S "DANCING" RESULTS SHOW (3/24) SECOND COUPLE ELIMINATED ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS THE RESULTS SHOW," TUESDAY, MARCH 24 ON ABC

Darryl Hall & John Oates Perform

Grammy Award Winner Adele Performs

Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas Return     ....   

Bottom Two Couples Compete in the Live "Dance Off"

"Episode 803A" - After a night of samba and foxtrot, the second couple to be eliminated from the competition will be announced on "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show," TUESDAY, MARCH 24 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Famed duo Daryl Hall & John Oates take the "Dancing with the Stars" stage by storm with their Billboard No. 1 single, "Maneater," from their 1982 album, "H2O," accompanied by professional dancers Karina Smirnoff, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani and Dmitry Chaplin. According to the R.I.A.A, Daryl Hall & John Oates are the No. 1 selling duo in music history with their seven R.I.A.A. platinum albums and six R.I.A.A. gold albums, along with 29 No. 1 hits.

British singer-songwriter Adele takes to the "Dancing with the Stars" stage with her single, "Chasing Pavements," from her first album, "19," which debuted at No. 1 on the UK album chart and has since been certified platinum with sales of more than 500,000 copies in the UK and over 1,200,000 worldwide. Adele took home two Grammys, including "Best New Artist," at this year's 51st Grammy Awards. She will be accompanied on the stage by professional dancers Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo.

Former "Dancing with the Stars" favorite Cloris Leachman returns with her professional dance partner, Corky Ballas, to offer a sneak peek at how to perform next week's dances -- the argentine tango and the lindyhop.

This week the bottom two couples facing elimination, determined by the lowest combined viewer votes and judges' scores from Monday's performance, will "Dance Off" to determine who is dismissed. The couples will have a chance to perform Monday's dance for new scores from the judges. The judges' scores from the "Dance Off" performance will replace their Monday night scores. A combination of the new judges' scores from the "Dance Off" dance, along with viewers votes from Monday's show, will be calculated following the "Dance Off" to determine the eliminated couple.

By evening's end one couple will be eliminated, as determined by a combination of the judges' scores and viewers' votes. Who among the following 12 teams will leave the ballroom floor?

David Alan Grier (comedian and actor) and partner Kym Johnson
Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnastics medalist) and partner Mark Ballas
Lil' Kim (Grammy Award winning rapper) and partner, reigning champion Derek Hough
Holly Madison (reality television star) and partner, newcomer Dmitry Chaplin
Gilles Marini (model and actor) and partner Cheryl Burke
Ty Murray ("King of Cowboys") and partner, newcomer Chelsie Hightower
Steve-O (star of "Jackass" and "Wildboyz") and partner Lacey Schwimmer
Denise Richards (actress) and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Melissa Rycroft (from "The Bachelor") and partner Tony Dovolani
Lawrence Taylor (National Football League Hall of Famer, a.k.a. "LT") and partner Edyta Sliwinska
Chuck Wicks (country music star) and partner Julianne Hough
Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple, a.k.a. "The Woz) and partner Karina Smirnoff

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the "Dancing with the Stars" performance shows. AT&T subscribers may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (standard text message rates apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until 12:00 Noon, ET the following day.
 

[marigold]

Ty Murray's Blog:

Just do it

We put in another long day, which was mostly spent toying with the choreography. It always gets better when we do that, but it also makes it harder for me because the hours we spent learning all the parts of the old routine go out the window and I'm back to square one.

For Chelsie, she can say, "Now it's going to be this." And then she can just do it.

But, I think, we got settled in on a good routine and we have it locked in. Now it's just a matter of running it; however, we haven't got our song at the speed Chelsie wants it to fit the dance. They're actually going to slow it down for us, so tomorrow we should have that and then we can start running through it with the music.

So far we've been working on setting the routine and working on the technique. We have Saturday and Sunday to run it with the music and that will help get the technique better and get it to where I know every single move by heart. I'm still stumbling through it just a little bit.

It was definitely a long day for both of us.

I left the house at about 8:50 this morning and I got back about 7:30, so I was gone for most of the day. We had to kind of run around. We started at one studio and then we went to the CBS stage to run it there before finishing up at yet another studio.

So, yes, that makes for a long day, but Chelsie is tough and we're putting in the work it takes. You have to put in the work. I've said it before, but, it goes back to, each different dance has its challenges and every dance and every challenge is different, so it's just a matter of trying to get that ironed out.

http://www.pbrnow.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/21/Just-do-it#more

[RealityFreakWill]

For next weeks (3/23/09) dances, the couples are dancing the Samba and the Foxtrot.

The couples dancing the Foxtrot are:

David & Kym
Shawn & Mark
Ty & Chelsie
Steve-O & Lacey
Melissa & Tony
Chuck & Julianne

The foxtrot is described as:

    * a very smooth dance
    * There should be no jerkiness
    * Lots of forward or backward moving patterns which are straight and well aligned
    * The timing is everything. It needs to be: slow, quick, quick, slow.
    * The Weave - is six quick steps in a row, all on the toes.
    * The Feather Step - when the man steps outside the girl.
    * zig zag patterns that the dancers create on the floor.
    * Couples can break the "hold" allowing more open movements, including under arm turns.


________________________________________________________________

Those dancing the Samba are:

Lil' Kim & Derek
Gilles & Cheryl
Holly & Dmitry
Lawrence & Edyta
Denise & Maksim
Steve & Karina

The Samba is described as:

    * A very rhythmical dance with lots of hip action.
    * It has walking steps and side steps. Along with a vertical bounce action. Use of the ball of the foot is essential.
    * The Basic step is a crossing action in front of the body, where you step across with the bounce
    * It should include a rolling movement from the waist up. The upper body circles as you create a six-step turning group. (this is called a Samba Roll)
    * Another move is called a Botafogo, which is a traveling walk with a change of direction from left to right or right to left.
    * You will see lots of outstretched arms.
    * The dance ends with throwing of heads back and arms splayed out

credit with with thanks to tmpray

[RealityFreakWill]

Melissa on Jimmy Kimmel Live 3/20


credit with thanks to dwtsseason8

[RealityFreakWill]

Melissa Rycroft Critical of Her 'Dancing with the Stars' Success

"The Bachelor" heroine Melissa Rycroft has gotten off to a running start on "DWTS," but Friday night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," she cast a critical eye on her success!

Asked by Kimmel if she feels like she and pro partner Tony Dovolani are improving as the competition goes on, Melissa said, "I feel like we take ten steps backward every time the show ends and we start again, because it's a new routine and it's something I haven't done before. So, I was really comfortable with that stupid salsa that we did, and now you've got to throw that out the window and … foxtrot?"

Melissa also spilled more details about the new man in her life, saying that "when everything kind of went south with Jason [Mesnick] and 'The Bachelor' stuff, he was there to kind of pick up my pieces."

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/72043/index.html

[TexasLady]

I haven't been watching because of Idol. Is everyone fit now or still people injured?

[RealityFreakWill]

Chris Harrison talks to the dancers after the elimination show for the TV Guide channel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1BkepNpPU0