Topic: Dancing With The Stars Season 8

[TARAsia Fan]

Steve Wozniak's New 'Dancing' Injury

Another "Dancing With The Stars" contestant has been hit with an injury and ET has the latest.

Apple computer co-founder Steve Wozniak was previously nursing a foot injury but now ET has learned that the Woz has pulled his hamstring.

There is no word yet on whether or not Wozniak will perform on Monday night, but keep checking back on our website for more on this developing story.

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/72065/index.html

Going from bad to worse!

Yeah, it sure is. Now Gilles is sporting a knee brace as well. The list of injuries just keep on growing.

I called it first! Who else is going to go?

[marigold]

Steve Wozniak updates:

On Mar 23, 2009, at 1:53 AM, Steve Wozniak wrote:

Yesterday evening I was sure that I couldn't dance on Monday, due to so much pain that I would wince when I walked. It wasn't pretty.

My partner, Karina, is very familiar with such injuries and worse. She was of the opinion that if I withdrew from Dancing With The Stars, rumors would fly that I was using this injury as an excuse. She has danced with pulled hamstrings many times. I can tell you from how this one felt, that it's not the same for a 20 year old as it is for a 58 year old.

Karina modified our routine to keep it as good, but avoid a few maneuvers that caused me extreme pain. We practiced a few times last night on the real DWTS stage and I decided that I could do the dance, a Samba, on Monday (tomorrow).

We practiced today. I had very little problem with my pain in the dance but now had to learn different sequences of the whole routine, and connect them. You have heard of muscle memory. One step reminds your foot of the next step, and so on. But now we took chunks in the middle and rewrote them. Plus we lost nearly 2 days of rehearsal due to my inability to do anything, not to mention hospitals and MRI's and more over 2 days. So rehearsal-wise, we are behind everyone else, but we are feeling confident that we can do something of value tomorrow. You'll have to see.

I have much more to say to you all, but it's an incredibly tired time for me.

Please, keep email and phone calls to an absolute minimum. I will not necessarily be by either with any time at all tomorrow. I have to ask your help in minimizing this.

thanks,

Woz


On Mar 23, 2009, at 1:44 PM, Steve Wozniak wrote:

My leg is doing fine.

I will Samba tonight.

I am constrained in movement a bit so my hip shaking may be low for the Samba, but I'll push through. I assure you I am trying hard.

We did our camera blocking this morning. It was my first practice of the day and I could tell by the end that the leg was fine for dancing. As usual, Karina got me doing a few small improvements. As I like to say, there are literally thousands of small things for us newcomers to learn.

We then did our routine twice to the real orchestra. They sounded GREAT on our song. I even got to sign the MacBook Pro case of the singer!

I hope the world is not too shocked by my adding break dancing moves to the end of our routine, including the worm! It should get a lot of You Tube hits I'm told. I know nothing about break dancing so it's more like Woz attempting the worm, but all laughter is good, even when it's at you.

I need all the support possible. A lot of people say they are voting for me but it really matters that you do it. That is my ace in the hole in this dancing competition. When you look at the background of many of the others, I should be able to pull in lots of votes via phone, SMS and internet. But I care more that lots of people feel good watching me, regardless of the outcome.

Please, don't bog down my email on these 2 critical days. And if I'm ejected, I have a bunch of scheduled appearances on both coasts until Sunday, so please hold off until then. After that I should be extremely free to spend time with all of you.

To great enjoyment,

Woz


On Mar 23, 2009, at 2:41 PM, Steve Wozniak wrote:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=aboutthevote

If that URL doesn't work, go to <http://abc.com> - Dancing With The Stars - click the "Vote Now" tab.

I can't stress how important in my case the audience voting is. It can fairly easily make the difference between last place and first place. When you are in the dance-off, you have to take extra time preparing for it instead of your next dance, which gets you further behind for the next week's dance. It's unfortunately a case of positive feedback and votes can pull me out of that situation. If you pull me out, I will owe you and love you all forever, as I do people who attended my US Festivals.

best regards,

Woz

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=49720779842

[marigold]

From the Woz:

On Mar 23, 2009, at 6:46 PM, Steve Wozniak wrote:

Dress rehearsal had a wardrobe malfunction

My pants were falling down and I had to keep pulling them up!

Ha ha, everyone loved it.

Also, before heading to the stage, Karina was looking for me and the camera went down to me crawling on the floor with a hurt leg. They loved it so much they asked us to do it live tonight.

The pants are being repaired now. I can't tell you how it feels to have your pants falling off in a dance. I lost too much weight again.

The worm went great in dress rehearsal. Enjoy the show tonight.

best wishes to all,

Woz

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=49720779842&topic=7976

[marigold]

Ty Murray Blogs:

‘That’s what team work is all about’

Chelsie and I are really happy that our scores have continued to get better each week because that's half of it and we know we have the cowboy community behind us. The judges' scores are half of it and we're not killing them yet, but we have gone up from 14 to 20 and now tonight we were 23.

With Chelsie slipping tonight that was something we hadn't rehearsed, but, at the same time, she has prepared me for mishaps or mistakes. She always told me that if something happens just get back to her and she'll get us back to the right count.

When something like that does happen it breaks the chain of what we're doing and she has to put us on the right mark because every beat of the song is a count. You're supposed to be in a certain place doing a certain step and she got us right back on track.

All I could think about was that I needed to get her back up as fast as I could.

Unfortunately, the fall took out a really great part of the routine that Chelsie was really looking forward to, where we both spin around together. But the main thing is that we kept going.

I told Chelsie that we've been practicing several hundred hours together and I've made about 847,000 mistakes and that's only your second one. I think there might have been one time in practice where she forgot a step and the slip tonight was her second one.

I owed her that one.

She's a champ and she's a tough kid. It happened, but I thought she handled it good and she didn't freak out, got right back up and we went on with it. Afterwards in the press line she was a great sport about it.

That's just the thing, when she fell I just knew I had to keep hold of her to keep her from going all the way down and then get her back to her feet because that's what team work is all about.

It has to help us that our scores are going up.

Like I said, I really feel like we have the support from the western lifestyle – farmers and ranchers – so, I think, the fans are doing their part and we have to keep doing ours by improving our score every week.

Right now Jewel and I are going to have dinner with Justin McBride and Randy Bernard. They were both there tonight and in full support.

http://www.pbrnow.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/24/Thats-what-team-work-is-all-about

[RealityFreakWill]

Tonight's results:

TEAM                    DANCE      CARRIE ANN  LEN  BRUNO  TOTAL

Denise/Maksim        Samba              5           6       5         16

Chuck/Julianne       Foxtrot              8           7       8         23

Holly/Dmitry           Samba               5           6       6         17   

Steve-O/Lacey      Foxtrot               5           5       5         15

Lawrence/Edyta     Samba               7           6        7         20

Shawn/Mark          Foxtrot              9           9        9         27

Gilles/Cheryl          Samba               9           9        9         27

David/Kym            Foxtrot              8           8         8        24

Steve/Karina         Samba              4            3         3        10   

Melissa/Tony        Foxtrot              9            9         9        27

Lil' Kim/Derek        Samba               8            8         9        25               

Ty/Chelsie           Foxtrot              8             8         7        23

[RealityFreakWill]

Dancing With The Stars: Smoking Performances and One Ugly Woman

Hello, and welcome to Performance Night for Week Three of ABC' Dancing With The Stars.  This week the couples will tackle the samba and foxtrot. Wow, Chelsie's dress is gorgeous. It is so good to see both Steves back and competing on Dancing With The Stars despite their injuries.

The first couple up is Denise and Maks. OMG, him in his pink dress. I'm dying here! Her dress is cute, it kind of reminds me of the prom dress on Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.  The music though? It seems more appropriate for a rumba than a samba. Despite that, the dance was pretty good.

Tom calls Maks one ugly woman.

Len thinks the routine needs more Latin and more hips, but thinks it was a good effort.

Bruno calls it more of a waffle than a samba and thinks she is going backwards.

Carrie Ann (who is rocking a cute new hair do!) wants her to work on her arms and pretty much agrees with Bruno.

Score: 16 (5,6,5)

Chuck and Julianne take the stage next with their foxtrot. They are determined to do better this week and get better scores.  Their song is cute, I like the country beat. They start and end sleeping and in the middle do a decent foxtrot that has a lift, but overall it is very good.

Bruno likes how Chuck is finally dancing with Julianne rather than chasing her or letting her overshadowing him.

Carrie Ann thinks he may be a contender.

Len says it was good overall, but not great--and to work on his legs.

Score: 23 (8,7,8)

After a commercial break, Holly and Dmitry take on the samba. She is very frustrated and is almost in tears trying to learn. However, she pulls off a sexy, fun samba that shows she did learn something!

Carrie Ann calls it rough. She appreciates her trying though.

Len wants to see better footwork and compares her to a match. Hot on top, wooden on the bottom.

Bruno thinks she needs to work on her feet.

Score: 17 (5,6,6)

Steve-O and Lacey are up next. I'm glad to see him back and recovering. He is determined to keep on going and not let anyone down. I have to respect him for doing this, but Lacey is right--he needs to stop stressing! Their foxtrot has a few missteps, but overall, I really like it. I think it is sweet that Tom and Carrie Ann asked if he was ok.

Len says the O in Steve-O stands for ovation and overall it was a proper foxtrot.

Bruno thinks it started well, but he lost it.

Carrie Ann is impressed and respects him for going out there.

Steve-O is upset because he felt he let Lacey down and wanted to do better.

Score: 15 (5,5,5)

Lawrence and Edyta tackle the  samba. He wants to do the best he can and give it as much practice as he can---even giving up his golf game to get in extra practice.  It looks like it paid off because it was easily the best samba so far.

Bruno loves it, but wants him to have more fun and be more confident.

Carrie Ann loves it as well, but wants him to go for it a bit more.

Len admires him for keeping up with Edyta but wants more hips.

Score: 20 (7,6,7)

After another commercial break, Shawn and Mark take on the foxtrot.  She is having trouble being elegant so Mark tries to pull it out of her.  I have to say, he did a really good job. It was beautiful to watch and she is just amazingly graceful.

Carrie Ann thinks she looked like a princess and squeals over how great she was.

Len calls it her best dance so far.

Bruno gushes over it and tells her she got it together.

Score: 27 (triple 9s)

Gilles and Cheryl perform next. His mom comes to visit and tearfully tells him how proud she is of him.  It is such a sweet moment. Their samba is on FIRE! Awesome footwork, nice hip movement and just oozing with sexy.

Len tells him he made a hard dance look easy.

Bruno says the samba is a party dance and everyone would want to party with him.

Carrie Ann tells him he shook things she didn't know guys could shake. (Mind.....slipping.......to......gutter) She also says HE brought out a lot in Cheryl that they haven't seen in a long time.

Score:  27 (9,9,9)

David Alan and Kym take the floor after yet another commercial break. Kym plans to showcase him more and he says this is the hardest he ever worked. Their foxtrot is very old Hollywood. It reminds me of something you would see in an old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers routine or on Broadway.

Bruno calls it very Broadway and thinks it is a great transformation.

Carrie Ann gives him two snaps up.

Len thinks it is his best dance.

Score: 24 (8,8,8)

After a musical bit by David, we get to Steve and Karina's routine. He gets hurt during his Friday rehearsal and ends up on crutches.  He says there is no way he is missing this and the show will go on. Despite the pain and missed rehearsals due to his pulled hamstring, he did a pretty good job. I love the worm at the end!

Carrie Ann says that as cute as he is the novelty is wearing off.  She compares him to an uncle at a party.

Len thinks it was terrible.

Bruno calls it the worst samba he ever saw.

Um, it may not be the best samba, but HE IS INJURED! I give him a lot of credit for trying.  I'm not saying give him 10s, but just give him a bit of a break. Same goes for Steve-O.

Score: 10 (4,3,3) (the audience is NOT happy.)

Melissa and Tony take the stage next. I love how her co-workers gave her a goodbye party. That is so sweet. Their foxtrot is very flowing and elegant, just beautiful! It is definitely up there for one of the best foxtrots  tonight!

Len thinks she has great musicality and that it was fantastic, but she needs to work on her feet.

Bruno thinks she is beautiful to look at and easy to love.

Carrie Ann says she likes it, but something is lacking and wants her to challenge herself more.

Score: 27 (9,9,9)

Lil' Kim and Derek are the last couple to do the samba tonight. Both of them are determined to really bring it tonight.  OK, I lied.  THIS is the best samba of the night.

Bruno says it was not perfect, but she sold it.

Carrie Ann gushes over how much she loved it.

Len says she has a bionic booty and wants Derek to add some more fundamental steps.

Samantha quips that she inspired an entire nation of booty shaking.

Score: 25 (8,8,9)

The last dance of the night belongs to Ty and Chelsie.  He is worried about putting it all together, but she tells him that he is getting there. All I can say is WOW, what a way to end the evening! He is really improving and really bringing out his elegant side tonight. Chelsie stumbled a bit, but it was barely noticeable because they covered so well.  (I had to rewind to make sure!)

Carrie Ann calls him the most improved dancer by far.

Len thinks the whole thing was fantastic and top notch!

Bruno thinks Chelsie is a miracle worker and Ty improved a lot.

Score: 23 (8,8,7)

The show ends with a recap of the dances and numbers to vote.

Who was your favorite tonight? Least favorite? Who is going to have to dance for their lives to stay in the competition tomorrow night? Comment and let us know!

Tune in to Dancing With The Stars tomorrow night for more musical guests, a dance off and an elimination.

http://www.tvgrapevine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3422:dancing-with-the-stars-smoking-performances-and-one-ugly-woman&catid=81:dancing-with-the-stars-2009

[RealityFreakWill]

Dancing Recap: It’s a Three-Way Tie for First!

When your competitors are already earning near-perfect scores on a regular basis, the remaining pairs knew they had to strategize. The Woz attempted to impress us with The Worm; a cowboy saved his partner (and himself) from a potential dancing disaster; and the Olympian became a “bejeweled hummingbird,” flying to the top of the leader’s board in a three-way tie on Monday’s DWTS.

Denise Richards couldn’t break her serious demeanor and started the night on a flat note. Her samba lacked the necessary Latin kick and was “full of holes,” judge Bruno Tonioli said. “It was more waffle than samba. We’re going backwards.” Another star going backwards in week 3: a frustrated Holly Madison. Len Goodman didn’t spare the Girls Next Door star, telling her after her samba, “You’re like a match — hot on the top, wooden on the bottom.”

On the other hand, Chuck Wicks showed why he could be a possible contender in the competition with a fox trot showcasing proper posture and comfort on the dancefloor. Once slammed by judges for letting partner Julianne Hough do all the work, the country singer was “finally in the driving seat,” Tonioli raved.

They share a namesake, they’re both on the injured list and both had a very rough night. First up, Steve-O hurt his ankle during his fox trot that started off on a high note but ended with the exhausted stuntman trying to catch his breath. The scorecards weren’t good news but the judges only had words of encouragement.

Fellow injury-prone contestant Steve Wozniak suffered a pulled hamstring during practice, but he wasn’t spared the judges’ harshest words or the lowest scores we’ve ever seen in recent memory. In typical Woz style, the computer whiz samba’d his way around the floor — even doing The Worm — with unconventional, uncoordinated moves that charmed the audience but failed to impress the judges. “On your knees and beg for forgiveness!” Tonioli exclaimed. “This was the worst I’ve ever seen. It was just bad.” He may find himself in the bottom two (once again) with a combined score of 10.

Lawrence Taylor gave up precious golf time to squeeze in some extra practice early in the morning. It paid off: the football champ not only had rhythm and “newfound confidence,” according to Inaba, but showed he could take on a more difficult number and challenge himself next week.

And climbing out of third place on the leader board, Shawn Johnson made her way to the top in a three-way tie with a lovely fox trot that had the judges raving. “Oh my goodness, that was so great,” gushed Inaba. For Tonioli, watching the gymnast’s fox trot “was like watching a bejeweled hummingbird!”

Adding a few more 9s to his own scorecard, Gilles Marini shook everything he got, and even dedicated his red-hot samba to Mom. The SATC actor made a “hard dance look easy,” Goodman noted. “You shook things I didn’t know guys could shake!” said Inaba. And while the Frenchman transformed into a Latin dancing pro, David Alan Grier went from comedian to Broadway star in a fox trot that nailed most of the fundamentals – extension and turns. “I didn’t know you were like a Rockette!” Inaba said, giving him two thumbs up. Added Tonioli, “What a transformation!”

Melissa Rycroft once again looked at ease. “Your body moves with the music,” said Tonioli. “It’s almost like the music plays from your body. You must have a seventh sense!” Inaba noted the Bachelor star was an “excellent dancer” but “there’s something that’s lacking and I can’t quite put my finger on it,” she said as the audience voiced their disagreement.

Lil’ Kim used frontrunners Gilles and Melissa as inspiration — it worked. The hip-hop artist scoring a pair of 8s for a sultry samba and “bionic booty” as described by (yes!) Goodman. While she may have upped her game, the week’s most improved honors went to Ty Murray, whose elegant and graceful fox trot went uninterrupted even when partner Chelsie Hightower slipped. “That,” Goodman said, “I thought was fantastic – the whole thing. You’re a hero. It was just top notch.” Last week he was a butterfly transformed from a caterpillar. But this week? The rodeo champ is “a mini Fred Astaire!” Tonioli proclaimed. –Eunice Oh

Here’s how the remaining 12 contestants stacked up after Monday’s dance:
Denise & Maksim: 16 out of 30 for their samba
Chuck & Julianne: 23 out or 30 for their fox trot
Holly & Dmitry: 17 out of 30 for their samba
Steve-O & Lacey: 15 out of 30 for their fox trot
Lawrence & Edyta: 20 out of 30 for their samba
Shawn & Mark: 27 out of 30 for their fox trot
Gilles & Cheryl: 27 out of 30 for their samba
David & Kym: 24 out of 30 for their fox trot
Steve & Karina: 10 out of 30 for their samba
Melissa & Tony: 27 out of 30 for their fox trot
Lil’ Kim & Derek: 25 out of 30 for their samba
Ty & Chelsie: 23 out of 30 for their fox trot

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/03/24/dancing-recap-its-a-three-way-tie-for-first/

[RealityFreakWill]

Denise Richards on Charlie Sheen's Twins: 'They're Amazing'


ET was backstage at "Dancing with the Stars" as three couples tied for first place on Monday night. The contestants tell ET about their performances and Denise Richards tells us about her special visit with Charlie Sheen's twin boys.

"I went to see his babies -- my dad and I, last results show," Denise says. "They're amazing. Bob looks very similar to Sammy when she was an infant. It was very sweet."

Watch the video to hear the celebs and their professional partners talk about their performances and their strategies as the competition continues -- and Steve-O and Steve Wozniak open about continuing to perform while being injured.

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/72108/index.html

[RealityFreakWill]

'Dancing with the Stars' Inching Closer to 'Idol'

It's no news that American Idol has had a stranglehold on the ratings week in and week out for quite some time now.  In fact, it had been that way for five, six seasons already.  From a humble 9.9 million back in season one when Kelly Clarkson won, Idol's numbers have ballooned to over 30 mil from the fourth season onwards.  Recently, however, ABC's very own competitive reality show Dancing with the Stars had been giving American Idol some rare competition as it gets closer to overtaking the Fox golden boy in the weekly ratings.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Dancing with the Stars, which recently got a boost courtesy of a strong The Bachelor finale and the transition of Melissa Rycroft to it, is just around 3 million viewers shy of going past Idol – something that that wasn't even remotely imaginable in the past couple of years.

Idol's 25.8 and 25.5 million for its performance and results shows take the first two spots respectively while Dancing with the Stars reeled in a record 22.8 million eyeballs for third.  After CSI's 17.1 million, the rest trail heavily: Desperate Housewives with 14.6, Criminal Minds and The Mentalist with 14.3, CSI: Miami with 14.2, and Grey's Anatomy with 13.6 million viewers.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-inching-27196.aspx?pollid=3002005&answer=3006991#poll3002005

[RealityFreakWill]

Dancing with the Stars: Gilles Surprised to be Favorite

After doing reasonably well on the last episode, Gilles Marini of Sex and the City the movie recently told TV Guide that he was surprised that he's one of the favorites to win Dancing with the Stars.  According to the 33-year-old French actor, he thought he would be somewhere in the bottom mainly because he's not American.  Soon, however, he said he hoped he can tell his story on the ABC reality show.

“Just because people do not understand why I'm on the show because I've never said it yet,” he said.  “It's pretty much paying respect because the country gave me so much.  If I can put a smile on Americans' faces, then it's a little way of paying back.  Down the line, I'll tell the story why I'm in love with this country and why I wanna be here the rest of my life.”

As for the other contestants, Gilles singled out The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft as another front-runner because of her dancing background.

“She's a dancer. She's an amazing person. Beautiful. My brother said, ‘Help me. I'm dying for this woman.'  He didn't talk about me!  So if my brother feels this way, I know America feels the same way.”
Marini's partner is two-time Dancing with the Stars champion Cheryl Burke.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-gilles-27195.aspx

[RealityFreakWill]

Dancing with the Stars Episode Recap: Monday, March 23, 2009

One down, 12 to go. The remaining 12 couples tackle the foxtrot and samba in Week 3 with less than one week of rehearsals. Who shook it? Who worm-ed it? And who just forgot their steps?

So I guess a week really can't go by without someone getting injured. At first, I thought it was just me. Literally me. I've pulled, strained, done something or the other to my left quadriceps from shopping — I surmise this is just from mere association with this show — but Steve Wozniak has, again, added himself to the injury report. He's pulled a hamstring, but he won't pull a Steve-O tonight. The writing's on the wall, isn't it? By the way, how creepy did Woz look in the opening credits? Yeesh.

For the first time this season, they're all on a level playing field because they all had the same amount of time to rehearse, Samantha tells us. Technically, that's not true. Ten of them still have at least three weeks more of dancing than two other couples, but who's counting?

Denise Richards & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Samba
Maks thinks Denise is being way too serious, so he comes to rehearsal in dressed as a pink Chiquita Banana. Hot. Does he dress like this for Karina? Maks' ugly woman hasn't loosened up Denise at all though. This is just incredibly horrific and as stale as the chicken I'm gnawing on right now. Isn't a samba supposed to sizzle? She's not serious, but frightened, much like the first week. Way to regress. Len thought she did a good job on the first try. Whaa? Bruno thought it was flat. Carrie Ann "Hair Curler" Inaba agrees with Bruno and basically tells her she needs to be a better actress. Hey, if it ain't broke...
Score: 16

Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough: Foxtrot
Er, did anyone think Chuck could dance because he's dating Julianne? Yeah. No excuses, buddy. Chuck gets to be a "man" here, so no worries about doing "girly" moves. He's definitely not just standing this time. They're in sync and he's looking very suave. But then again he's in pinstripes, which means he automatically looks good. And Julianne? She's perfect, as usual. I think she has the best costumes out of all the female pros. Gee, I wonder why. And the girl has a heart too: She's partnered with a non-profit to rate playgrounds. How sweet. I'm not sure if Chuck's actually bringing anything extra to the floor, but I suppose just dancing this week is a feat itself. Bruno's happy he's in the driver's seat using the stick shift. Carrie Ann thinks he's showing he's a contender. Len calls it good, but not great.
Score: 23

Holly Madison & Dmitry Chaplin: Samba
Holly makes no apologies for her bust. Show off the ladies, girl. She's not getting the samba. At all. And she thinks Dmitry wants Jewel back. He wants to kill himself. But hey, this ain't so bad — compared to Denise. She's still sloppy off the ground and her best by move was, what else, shaking the ladies. There are kids watching, Hol. I'm not sure what to make of this. She looks exactly the same as she did in the last two dances — weak, muddled and hesistant. What's worse, you can tell that she's counting. Sigh. Carrie Ann calls it rough and calls her out on her lift. Len says it was hot on the top and wooden on the bottom. No comment. Bruno says there's plenty to look at, but says the footwork's lacing as well. Dmitry does not deny he doesn't want Jewel back and more or less says Holly sucks. The man has no filter. Love it.
Score: 17

Steve-O & Lacey Schwimmer: Foxtrot
Steve-O's had to ease back into rehearsals, but he doesn't wanna rest, he wants to dance, dammit! Did Lacey put on her corset backwards? This is pretty and dainty. Steve-O dainty? Yes. It's refined and proper... and then he has a brain fart. All of the sudden, he's forgotten, like, five sequences and literally backs into the steps on the finish. Don't worry, he's not hurt. The dance, on the other hand, well... Len says the "O" in Steve-O stands for ovation, but notes his missteps. Bruno says he fell apart, but he's going in the right direction. Carrie Ann's impressed and knows he's learned from his mistakes. Now he just has to remember that.
Score: 15

Lawrence Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska: Samba
LT likes the samba, but laments the lack of time, so he drops golf for the parquet. It better be worth it. And it is. It's undoubtedly the best samba of the night so far, which I guess isn't hard, but it's miles better. He's still not as smooth as Emmitt Smith or Jason Taylor (perhaps a tinge of self-consciousness left?), but he's definitely comfortable shaking it now. OK, there's not that much shaking, but maye Bruno will tell him to be more naughty. Bruno says he has rhythm and tells him not to doubt his abilities. Carrie Ann likes it too and Len wants more hips.
Score: 20

Shawn Johnson & Mark Ballas: Foxtrot
Shawn video chats with her buddies back in Des Moines (how much of this is written?) before getting down with the foxtrot. Mark wants her to be fluid, but she can't because everything about her is sharp and powerful. Au contraire, Shawn. Dipped in peppermint green, the tiny powerhouse proves to be as graceful and delicate as ever. The only bad part? Her Oompa-Loompa-esque skin. Easy with the spray tan, kid. Carrie Ann calls her a beautiful, elegant princess. Len dubs it her best dance yet. Bruno likens her to a bejeweled Hamburg, er, hummingbird.
Score: 27

Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke: Samba
Gilles' mama is in the house to see her son dance. She got chills and Gilles is dedicating the samba to her. Aww. So he's dressed from head-to-toe red because he's red-hot, right? Because I think this is as deep as Dancing gets. Between the opening booty shake, hip-shaking, shimmying, and the clashing red and pink costumes, I think I'm getting the shakes — but it's good, guys. The dance, that is, not the shakes. The whole routine appears to just be rocking and rattling lots of stuff, but boy knows how to shake what his mama gave him. Len says he made a hard dance look easy. Bruno tells him he raises the heat. Carrie Ann thinks he shook things she didn't think guys could shake. Duh! He's French, CA. I don't know what that means. Backstage, Samantha inquires about Gilles' mom and how proud she must be that her baby boy is making women swoon. Right. Because she didn't come to see him dance.
Score: 27

David Alan Grier & Kym Johnson: Foxtrot
Kym thinks the best of David is yet to come and they both hope this will be their breakthrough performance. I wouldn't call it a breakthrough breakthrough, but it puts his past two performances to shame — and I don't even think those were that bad. DAG's got the single emotion, albeit cheesy, face down and looks to be having the time of his life leaping, twirling and extending his arms. Hey, maybe he is. I hear Dancing does that to you. Bruno loves the transformation. Carrie Ann didn't realize DAG was a Rockette. Len thinks it's the best dance he's done.
Score: 24

Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff: Samba
Woz needs to get loose and bouncy, but perhaps got too loose. He pulled his hamstring on Friday, but has powered through the pain. Bless his heart. Karina's in a prison dress. Because she feels trapped in this partnership. Hold on, does Dancing know what symoblism is? I'm prepared for Woz to keel over, but he doesn't. It's your typical Woz dance: wacky, goofy and dopey. This time there's a worm thrown in, or like a quasi-worm. Wait, I figured it out: Karina's Beetlejuice. Carrie Ann thinks his novelty is going to wear off soon. Len says it was consistently bad from start to finish. Bruno calls it the worst samba he's ever seen. Could they make it any more obvious they want him off? I wasn't sure if this was the lowest score in Dancing history, so I did some research to find that Woz is "bested" by Master P in that department, who got an 8. Personally, I don't think Woz was deserving of a 10, especially since they never once bestowed such a number for Cloris Leachman, and she was beyond abysmal. Double standard, people!
Score: 10

Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani: Foxtrot
Melissa takes time out to go back to Dallas and clean out her desk at work. You realize you're not gonna be Dancing forever, right? They're dressed in a prunish purple, which makes me nauseous. There's a vomiting story involved that will be better not told. Why does wardrobe always bedazzle Melissa's tramp stamp? Is that too much for this family show? But Holly's boobage is not? Their foxtrot is fluid and lithe — basically what you've come to expect from her. I'm not gonna lie. It's kind of boring. Pretty, but a major snooze. The only thing that's keeping my attention is the fact that Melissa's and Tony's teeth match. This is a Crest Whitestrips commercial in the making. Len calls it fanstatic. Bruno says the music plays from her body, which is a beautiful intstrument. Carrie Ann thinks there's something that's lacking and wants her to challenge herself because this comes easy to her. Cue scaredy face from Melissa and Tony. Missed opportunity not cutting to Maks.
Score: 27

Lil Kim & Derek Hough: Samba
Kim's motivated by Gilles and Melissa, so she's gonna wow 'em with her booty. Or maybe blind them with Derek's shirt. Girl's definitely working her assets (did ya notice her double-sided tape popping out at the end? At least it's not a full breast...), but she seems to be concentrating way hard on the technique. Still, it's charismatic and aggressive. Vintage Kim. I think it will look even better with a faster beat. Bruno calls her a pocket-sized Venus with super-sized sex appeal. Carrie Ann calls it hot and makes some lion growl. Len likes her bionic booty, but doesn't like that the dance was missing some fundamental elements. Remember, guys, Len's stodgy.
Score: 25

Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower: Foxtrot
Ty gets the pimp spot! He's adorably nervous, as usual, about the foxtrot because he has to play a character and he ain't no Robert De Niro. You don't say. But has Bob danced? It starts off gorgeous and stylish. Cowboys can be dapper, in case you had any doubts. Chelsie falls in the middle, but Ty doesn't flinch and catches her. Imagine how Denise would've handled that. He botches a step at the end, but it's still an overall good performance. I think his dance last week was better, but this is better than practically anything in the first half of the show. Carrie Ann calls him the most improved and loves the way he handled Chelsie when she fell. Len finds it stiff, but still finds it top-notch. Bruno calls Chelsie a miracle worker for carving out a Fred Astaire. "We didn't practice that!" Ty says backstage of Chelsie falling. And we all thought Shawn was the cute one. I think this is the first time I've ever been jealous of Jewel.
Score: 23

So that's that. We've got a three-way tie in first between the usual suspects. Should we just pencil them in for the finale now? What did you think of the dances? Did Denise regress? Did Woz deserve a three? Does Dmitry hate Holly? Who should go home tomorrow?

http://www.tvguide.com/Episode-Recaps/Dancing-Stars/Dancing-Stars-Episode-1004320.aspx

[RealityFreakWill]

Jesse Csincsak, who won DeAnna's heart and eventually got dumped from The Bachelorette: DeAnna Pappas attended the  DWTS show last night and posted several pictures on his myspace:

Melissa Rycroft, Jesse Csincsak, Naomi Crespo & Holly Durst (Jesse's current gf)


Steve-O & Jesse


Lil' Kim & Jesse

[RealityFreakWill]

Monday’s Dancing: What You Didn’t See

Waiting to Exhale: Chelsie Hightower and rodeo star Ty Murray scored great marks for their foxtrot and were labeled most-improved by the judges. But it was Murray’s wife Jewel who watched in real awe as her husband glided across the dancefloor. During a commercial break, after Murray’s performance, host Tom Bergeron looked over at the singer and said, “Not bad.” With an exaggerated exhale, Jewel replied, “I know.”

Sealed with a French Kiss: Dancing partners Cheryl Burke and Gilles Marini stood a few feet apart ready to perform their samba when the SATC heartthrob suddenly remembered something. He ran across the dancefloor to give his partner a peck on the cheek. Given the pair earned 9s across the board, is this a new tradition in the making? Nah, says Marini. “Did you see how hot she is,” the Frenchman asked. “I can get away with it at that moment so I went for it.” But just so no one gets the wrong idea, least of all Burke’s real partner, boyfriend Maxwell Zagorski, Marini gave him a shout-out: “Maxwell, I love you, bro!”

Smiling Through the Pain: It’s no secret, this season has been plagued with dancing injuries. Even the handful of stars who make dancing look effortless like Melissa Rycroft are quietly suffering. Rycroft and her partner Tony Dovolani may have scored all 9s for their foxtrot, but the former cheerleader’s feet are taking a beating. Said Rycroft: “Do you know how hard it is to dance in high heels? I underestimated it.” “I have a permanent band-aid back here,” she said, showing off her right foot.

How Low Can He Go? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, whose attempt at The Worm had the audience cheering (watch the clip), scored the evening’s lowest score — 3, 4, 3. But there is upside, sort of. It’s not the lowest score recorded in DWTS history. That dubious honor belongs to Master P in season 2. He once scored a total of eight points — a 3, 3, and 2– say the judges, who agreed that was the only 2 ever given.

All Together Now: Not only did Lil’ Kim and partner Derek Hough have control of their footwork, but they had the studio audience at their command. As a pre-taped segment of the pair’s week-long rehearsals aired and the couple waited for their routine to start, Hough kept the audience entertained. The energetic dancer would point to a balcony and sections of the audience would immediately erupt with applause. But when it came to the couple’s booty-shaking samba, the audience loudly cheered in unison.

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/03/24/mondays-dancing-what-you-didnt-see-19/

[RealityFreakWill]

DWTS Watch: It Ain't Easy Being a Stevie!


The two injured Steves earned the lowest scores on Dancing with the Stars on Monday night, while three other celebrities tied for first.

Jackass star Steve-O and computer guru Steve Wozniak first suffered injuries on the show — and then the judges’ drubbing. Steve-O, whose back got hurt during last week’s dress rehearsal, gave it his best but only received a 15 out of 30 for his foxtrot performance. Meanwhile, Woz, who has a pulled hamstring and foot injury, got the lowest score of the night, a 10, for his samba with partner Karina Smirnoff.

After the show, Steve-O, with partner Lacey Schwimmer by his side, told OK! “I’m a little bit disappointed, but I don’t want to have a pity party.”

Wozniak was his usual ebullient self, shrugging off the judges’ pans: "I don’t know if I could have scored myself so lowly. I would have thought, ‘it looks good to me.’ I do have real constraints on my movement. I could not walk out to my car right now in the parking lot. You would see I can’t walk. I would be limping so badly. The producers almost wouldn’t let me dance tonight but we worked the routine around what positions I could move my legs to without pain.”

Meanwhile, actor Gilles Marini, former Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft, and gymnast Shawn Johnson are looking like the three to beat, with all tying for first with top scores of 27. Shawn delivered a graceful foxtrot with her partner Mark Ballas.

Melissa, who glided effortlessly through the foxtrot with partner Tony Dovolani, told OK!, “I don’t remember the routine. I was nervous tonight.” Tony said he told Melissa they would be like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but Melissa laughed to OK! backstage, “I still don’t know who Ginger is. Sorry!”

As in the first two week, Gilles, who did the samba with pro Cheryl Burke, gave all the credit to her: “I’m thinking I have a very talented partner,” he said to OK! “Me? Whatever. I’m just running around like a chicken. I’ve been saying over and over I cannot believe it.”

While Denise Richards and pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy scored just 16 for their samba, with judge Carrie Ann Inaba saying the It’s Complicated star looked scared on the dance floor, Girl Next Door Holly Madison and her partner Dmitry Chaplin were happy with their score of 17 for the same dance. Holly said, “I’ve been trying to put on a good show. Hopefully I’ll be around next week; I definitely need to work on technique.”

Country singer Chuck Wicks, who is competing with his real-life girlfriend, Julianne Hough, was pleased about receiving 23 for their foxtrot. “It actually feels like we have a chance,” Chuck told OK! “Our goal is improve every week.”

David Alan Grier’s partner Kym Johnson told OK! how she was able to help the comedian get his solid score of 24 for foxtrot: “I put a bit of Broadway in there for him and I thought he felt very comfortable.”

Lil Kim shook her booty all the way to a 25 in the salsa. DWTS viewers got, er, a lil more than they expected Monday night when the top of Kim’s costume sagged and you could see the top of her breast pasty. Luckily, Samantha Harris put her arm in front of Kim in case it became more of a wardrobe malfunction. Backstage, Kim said her dance had “a lot of energy.” And how!

Ty Murray’s partner, Chelsie Hightower, slipped and fell during their foxtrot routine, which otherwise was judged well — they earned a 23. Chelsie told OK! “I fell on my dress. It’s a little embarrassing! But Ty recovered like a pro. It’s about him.”

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/12732

[marigold]

nice

'Dancing' Stars Exposed!

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Derek Hough -- bare-chested and buff!

The 23-year-old was shirtless outside of his dressing room with competitor Gilles Marini.

There really is no need for the elaborate costumes when you have bodies like theirs!



http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2009/03/dancing_stars_exposed.php

[marigold]

An interview with Nancy:

Nancy O'Dell: Melissa's "Smitten" with New Beau

She's recovering from knee surgery, but Nancy O'Dell's still watching and hanging out with those Dancing stars. Find out why she thinks the once-jilted Melissa Rycroft is now in the perfect relationship and who she thinks will get the boot. We'll be checking in weekly with the Access Hollywood host and almost-contestant for more Season 8 thoughts and scoop, so be sure to come back next week.

TVGuide.com: What did you think? I thought Gilles Marini was great.
Nancy O'Dell: Wasn't he amazing? He came by Monday to see my knee. It was so sweet. My little girl fell in love with him. He gave her cookies, so she had a reason. Other than she's boy-crazy too! [Laughs] Shawn [Johnson] did really well. Her foxtrot was really fluid. Ty [Murray] too. I think he's gonna get a lot of votes because he just seems so darn sweet. ... He's going to be one of those ones that go really far that you didn't expect to go far.

TVGuide.com: Carrie Ann Inaba said Melissa needs to step it up because it was coming too easy for her. What did you think?
O'Dell: They always say they're judging everyone on equal ground to do it. The only thing would be: Do they expect more from her because she has some dance background? I thought it was an interesting comment. But she said it's all new. Maybe she makes it looks easy, but it's not easy.

TVGuide.com: Have you spent more time with her?
O'Dell: I went to a rehearsal before my surgery. [She and Tony Dovolani] were really excited and on their way to Dallas. I was telling them they look so much like brother and sister. She was like, "You mean I have his forehead?" [Laughs] I think they're great together now. You get to know your partner really well because you spend so much time with them. He gave Melissa approval on her new boyfriend.

TVGuide.com: Have you met him?
O'Dell: I have not, but I was asking about him. She seems to be quite smitten with him. She was blushing when she was talking about him. It's the best kind of relationship: They were friends first and then they became boyfriend and girlfriend. After Jason [Mesnick, who proposed to her and then broke up with her on The Bachelor] and all that. He's the white knight. He should come and she should do a romantic dance for him.

TVGuide.com: Who do you think is in the bottom two?
O'Dell: I guessed it right last time! Now I gotta keep it up. I'm gonna say Steve Wozniak. I'm thinking the other one might be Holly [Madison]. I just think maybe men don't vote as much as women. [Laughs] And I don't remember much of her dance. There was nothing that really stood out.

TVGuide.com: Will Holly go home though?
O'Dell: No, I think Steve will go. I'm bummed about that, for all the nerds in the world. He's so cute, but he did look quite awkward dancing. [Bruno Tonioli] said he looked like a Teletubby and I couldn't get that comment out of my head as I was watching him. [Laughs]

http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Nancy-ODell-Melissas-1004340.aspx

[marigold]

ABC Television Network
 
PRESS RELEASE

ABC OVERNIGHT RATINGS (FOR 3/23)

ABC's Monday is No. 1 in Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 4th Week Running, with its Best Women 18-34 Winning Streak Since at Least 1991

"DWTS" Wins Each of its Half-Hours to Outperform the Second-Place Nets from 8-10pm by 11.2 Million Viewers and by 58% Among Adults 18-49

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" is Monday's No. 1 Program in Viewers and Young Adults for the 3rd Consecutive Week

ABC's "Castle" Takes a Strong Second at 10pm, Defeating NBC's "Medium" by 3.2 Million Viewers and by 23% in Adults 18-49

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC stood as the No. 1 Network on Monday for the 4th week in a row in Total Viewers (16.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.2/11).  The Network outperformed second-place CBS on the night by 6.4 million viewers and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (10.3 million & 3.4/9).  In addition, ABC won the night for the 7th consecutive week across all key Women demographics (W18-34 - 4.5/11, W18-49 - 5.9/14 and W25-54 - 7.2/16), including a 12 week stretch among Women 18-34.   

* Extending its winning run on the night, the Net is seeing its longest winning streak on the evening since at least 1991 with Women 18-34 - predating the start of Nielsen's electronic database.  In addition, it is the longest Monday winning streak among Women 18-34 for any net in over 5 years - since NBC from w/o 9/22/03 to w/o 12/15/03.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
ABC's broad appealing "Dancing with the Stars" attracted 20.2 million viewers and a 4.9 rating, 13 share in Adults 18-49, qualifying as Monday's No. 1 TV program in viewers and young adults for the 3rd consecutive week.  In fact, "Dancing with the Stars" won each of its half-hours and soared to the top of its time period, beating the second-place networks by 11.2 million viewers (Fox - 9.0 million) and by 58% in Adults 18-49 (CBS - 3.1/8). 
   
"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Castle" took a strong second in the 10 o'clock hour to CBS' C.S.I.: Miami," beating NBC's veteran drama, "Medium," by 3.2 million viewers (9.8 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 23% Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 2.2/6).
 
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 30% currently, from 23% at the same point in 2008. 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.
 

[TexasLady]

Dancing with the Stars Episode Recap: Monday, March 23, 2009

http://www.tvguide.com/Episode-Recaps/Dancing-Stars/Dancing-Stars-Episode-1004320.aspx

Thanks for posting the recap Will, I'm trying to catch up! 

[marigold]

An interesting article:

DWTS' Melissa Rycroft: There Are No Catfights!

Melissa Rycroft continues to wow judges on Dancing With the Stars (on Monday, she earned a 27 for her foxtrot). But she says none of the other contestants -- including Holly Madison, who called Rycroft her "biggest threat" -- are jealous of her high scores.

"Everyone's main goal is to have fun, have a good time, make friends - and if there is a competition, it's a friendly competition," she told Usmagazine.com after the show. "There's nobody slashing other people's costumes backstage!"

Added partner Tony Dovolani, "It's not the world championship. This is the dancing show! Everyone's clapping for each other."

Maksim Chmerkovskiy fueled a mini DWTS feud earlier this season when he told TV Guide that "it's very unfair" that Rycroft, 25, is competing because "she was a cheerleader and did ballet."

Despite her background, Rycroft said her heart still races when she hits the dance floor.

"I came in so last minute, I think I was really naive to the pressure," said the Bachelor star, who replaced an injured Nancy O'Dell days before the show aired. "I came out like, 'I don't know what's out there!' And now that we've done this a few times, it's nerve-wracking! There's pressure to do better than you did the previous week."

On Monday's show, cameras followed Rycroft, a sales representative, as she returned to her Dallas hometown (with Dovolani) to say farewell to her co-workers.

"Just to see familiar faces, it was really nice!" she told Us. "They were a big part of my life ... and I don't ever want to lose them."

After the show finishes, "I'm going back to Dallas," she said. "I don't know what I'll do, but I'm going home, for sure!"

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/dwts-melissa-rycroft-there-are-no-catfights-2009243

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Ty Murray: Ballroom Dancing Is Like Bull Riding

Ballroom dancing is no different from getting into the ring with a bull — at least to season 8 Dancing with the Stars contender Ty Murray.

In a MySpace video posted Monday, the rodeo star, who is interviewed by wife Jewel, is asked who he thinks is his toughest competitor on the show. He says, “I look at [the competition] just like I did my bull riding career. I don’t have any control over the other competitors, I just gotta keep control of myself and make sure that I’m able to hopefully focus in and not get the jitters too bad.”

Murray certainly proved he could master both his nerves and the foxtrot on Monday’s show. He managed to save partner Chelsie Hightower’s slip-up and showed off elegant ballroom moves that had all the judges calling him most improved and Bruno Tonioli dubbing him “a mini Fred Astaire.”

And while Jewel, who was sidelined with a leg injury from the show, admits to not being much help to Murray with his Dancing. He begs to differ. “Jewel is my support system,” Murray says. “She’s there every night when I get home and she’s there every morning when I get up. She even gave me a foot rub the other night, which I needed desperately.”

Also view the video interview here: http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/03/24/ty-murray-ballroom-dancing-is-like-bull-riding/

[marigold]

An update from Woz:

On Mar 24, 2009, at 5:24 PM, Steve Wozniak wrote:

Hurried day.

Yesterday I handwrote personal 1-2 page letters to each of the stars, telling them why they were such good people. They were delivered with a letter expressing my desire to remain friends forever. I titled it "The Dance Goes On" or something like that. I also included my metal name card, a sheet of $2 bills, and a fun book. I shied away from nice flowers or expensive crystal, as those sorts of gifts don't represent me.

Today I finished the written letters to the dancing professionals on the show. They are equally outstanding and good of people. Their gifts will be delivered to their trailer by the end of the show tonight.

Ty Murray came to my trailer a few minutes ago and thanked me very directly and with the utmost of forthrightness. He spoke highly of my character. It's hardly needed since we have had so many good discussions so far anyway, and I said in my letter what I saw in him. I hope this gets me into a Jewel concert someday!

Many of the other stars commented on their gifts yesterday. I wanted them all to know that my feelings for them are genuine and not phony. To be truthful, each of us feels the same about all the others.

I'm going to dress rehearsal in a few minutes. It's just learning where to stand in the dumb "who's saved" moments. I do not like this Tuesday show, but watch my partner, Karina, dance with 3 guys to "Man Eater." This is an incredible perfermance. I hope it's the only dance she does today.

Whether we have to dance in a dance-off depends on how many audience votes I got. Ever if I got a lot of votes, tens of thousands is a drop in the bucket compared to millions, so it's always hard to tell how things fell out. But my fingers are crossed to have been spared from dancing what the judges call 'not dancing' again. I guess if my audience votes didn't save me from the dance-off, I'll probably be on Jimmy Kimmel live tonight.

Thanks to all my best friends and fans,

Woz ("The Flame" as Karina jokingly calls me)

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Nancy O'Dell Recovering from Knee Surgery



She's not quite ready to hit the dance floor yet, but Nancy O'Dell is on the path to recovery!

The Access Hollywood co-host, who had to pull out of Dancing with the Stars before the season premiere earlier this month, is resting at home after knee surgery.

"I feel pretty good considering I just had surgery a few days ago!" O'Dell tells PEOPLE, revealing she had torn her meniscus in two places and had arthroscopic knee surgery March 20.

"When the surgeon saw the inside of my knee, it was worse than he expected," she explains. "To quote him, the meniscus in my knee was 'shredded'. It looked like a snow globe."

During the initial days after surgery, O'Dell was tired and needed help getting around. "My husband had to carry me up and down the stairs, even to the bathroom ... now, that's love!" she says.

Rehabilitation continues for six weeks, including exercising with a therapist three days a week. "I have to keep my leg elevated as much as possible," says O'Dell, who is getting ready to promote her new book, Full of Life, in bookstores April 14. "So I spend a lot of time in bed or on the couch."

Dancing Fan

All that downtimes gives her plenty of time to watch DWTS. "My baby girl claps loudly at the end of each dance," she says of daughter Ashby, who turns 2 in June. "She particularly seems to like Steve-O!"

As for who O'Dell is rooting for, her loyalties are split three ways. "Of course, I'm rooting for Tony [Dovolani] and Melissa [Rycroft] to do well," she says of her former partner and her replacement. "Tony practically became a member of my family, coming over for dinner, playing golf with my husband and teaching my baby girl how to dance."

O'Dell continues: "Denise [Richards] has been a friend of mine for a while so I'm pulling for her. And Gilles [Marini] is a sweetheart! He came by my home yesterday with a beautiful orchid. I think my little girl fell in love with him because he kept giving her cookies. Heck, I think my hubby even got a crush ... uh, oh, Tony is gonna be jealous."

Although she is sitting out this round, O'Dell is eager to get back to competing on DWTS next season. "I'd like to come back because I have unfinished business to do!" she says. "I also want to be on the show in honor of my mom, as it was her favorite show. She passed away from ALS this past June and I wanted to bring some awareness about ALS and the charity MDA from being on the show."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267593,00.html

[tory]

wow ty for all the up dates and blogs and inteviews oh and the rankings.. i am so glade will's girl mellissa is doing d=so well and loved those pic's of jessy and naomi and his gf.. i like jessy he should have been a keep er deaina is sooo wrong in so many way. jmo. any way bk to dwts, i wish holly could dance she is so cute, love steve w he seams so nice i like nice ppl, ond hold me bk on giles omg that guy has eye to die for. i like that julieann got her bo to step it up, they r so adorable, and jewle has a jewle for a hubby no wonder steve w gets along with him so well two realy nice guys..i love derik i wish they would have paired him with some one else i am love them seperat they don't look like they go together..and i just cant get past that to think they r doing great..i think they r thouhg?? ok my take.

[apskip]

DWTS 8 had some fascinating dancing tonight, but it was the demos of the Lindy Hop and Argentinian Tango by Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas. They get straight 10s for comedy.

The dance off between Holly Madison and Denise Richards was interesting. Denise clearly improved and had a boost to her score, but it was not enough to overcome what was clearly a popular vote in facor of Holly. So Denise is eliminated after a really good effort, much better than what has been done by either of the Steves.

[RealityFreakWill]

'Dancing with the Stars' Elimination Showdown: Denise versus Holly

This week's "Dancing" duos with the lowest combined totals -- Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin -- competed against each other in a dance-off on Tuesday night, with the losing team going home!

Looking to improve on their 17-point samba that Len Goodman called "wooden" on Monday night, Holly and Dmitry danced first. And even Len had to concede: "You came out really hot tonight." Bruno Tonioli couldn't deny the hotness factor either, but added that Holly and Dmitry's "timing leaves a little bit to be desired." Carrie Ann Inaba added to Holly, "You kept your foot on the ground much better." The judges awarded the duo a total score of 18.

Reprising the salsa that on Monday night scored them a paltry 16, Denise and Maksim stormed the dance floor next, and the judges were impressed. "Denise, I cannot believe under these extremely difficult circumstances how much you have improved from last night -- leaps and bounds," Bruno enthused. "You were good under pressure," Carrie Ann agreed. And Len added, "In my opinion, tonight you do [deserve to stay]." The judges beamed upon them with 20 points total.

But after viewer votes were factored in, Denise and Maksim found themselves ousted from the ballroom! "Well, my daughters love my dancing," said Denise, who added that she will remain a fan of the show.

In a "DWTS" twist, Steve-O and Steve Wozniak -- the judges' least favorite stars this week -- were declared safe early on. Plus, Hall & Oates got the crowd swinging with their soulful classic "Maneater," and Adele performed her hit "Chasing Pavements."

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/72140/index.html