Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough by Carol Kaelson/ABC
I don’t know about you, but I got my wish Tuesday night. Boiled down to three words: Anyone. But. Marie. Seriously folks, if Dancing with the Stars’ trophy had gone to Marie Osmond the underdog — or rather, underdoll, as I like to think of her after Monday’s bizarre freestyle nondance that would have been better suited for the Island of Misfit Toys — I might even have joined the legions of disgruntled fans who tend to declare "I’m never watching again" after each cycle when their favorite doesn’t win.And then, of course, they return the following season, because once hooked on this deliriously entertaining reality contest, few can resist the spectacle of watching B-list celebs put on their dancing shoes with varying degrees of nerve, style and success. New stars tend to emerge from this process, and few have blazed with such effortless charm than the eventual winner, Helio Castroneves, whom I’d bet very few outside of my Indy-500-obsessed fami...
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Will Jennie trip the light fantastic? Jennie Garth, Derek Hough by Carol Kaelson/ABC
The way models have been disappearing from this show, you'd think they were stick figures banned from Fashion Week catwalks in Madrid. Alas, though it came as a surprise to everyone last week, middle-of-the-pack clotheshorse Albert Reed joined Josie Maran as one more pretty face that launched another pink slip. So much for Len Goodman's comment about Albert being this season's dark horse, because now he's just a dead one. As for the remaining hoofers, next up the ten couples perform the jive or the tango. — Joe FriedrichCan't get enough of Dancing With the Stars? Pick up the new issue of TV Guide Magazine for a cover story packed with behind-the-scenes scoops and cast interviews!
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It's ok, Albert! You look great! Albert Reed, Anna Trebunskaya by Carol Kaelson/ABC
Episode Recap: "Eviction 2"Before I say anything else, I want to send my thoughts and prayers to Jane Seymour, whose mother passed away. Jane — I'm so sorry! I'm glad you'll be coming back and I hope you can find some peace in such a dark time.In case you didn't gather this from my paragraph above, I operate under the assumption that the stars of DWTS read this blog religiously. Don't believe me? Did you check out Marie Osmond's hair tonight? It looked better than last night and I did mention in my recap what a faux pas it was! Ah, the power of my blog! It is changing the course of the show! P.S. I'm so kidding. Now onto the results!I'm a bit shocked about the bottom two! I've made it clear I'm no fan of Albert Reed, but I thought he still had a few weeks left in him. Sorry Albert, it's back to the runway for you! Again, who is voting for Wayne Newton? Stop! Mark Cuban dodged a big bullet tonight and, as much as I hate to say it, so did Floyd Mayweather. Albert's performances ...
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Was this Wayne Newton's swan song? Wayne Newton, Cheryl Burke by Carol Kaelson/ABC
There are no words to describe the hotness that is Helio Castroneves! He's bold, he's sexy, he's suave and that smile makes me melt! Yum! I am 100% in his corner! He can dance, and he's going to be very tough to beat!Sabrina Bryan may have lost the top spot, but she still put on quite a show. She proved to be elegant as well as saucy! She has done well in both the latin and ballroom dances, and that will keep her at the top all the way to the final show.Mel B also proved that pop dancers can be elegant. I was surprised her quickstep was so smooth. She pulled it out! I would love to hang out with her. She cracked me up when she "strangled" Drew Lachey!Could it be? Marie Osmond in the top three? I didn't think she was technically better than those who placed below her, but she had a different vibe. A fun vibe! I found myself cheering for her and it took me by surprise! But Marie, the hair was no good! Was that a flower in there? I had no idea. Hair, bad. Dance, good!The 21 Club: this ...
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Wayne Newton, Dancing with the Stars
If you were watching closely on Monday night, you saw 12 new stars make their grand entrances down the twin curving staircases — and two of them tripping. And it wasn't the women having trouble with their long gowns and high heels: It was All My Children star Cameron Mathison and Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton.
"I think they're terrified of the women," said Dancing with the Stars executive producer Conrad Green the next morning. "I think the men's knees went to jelly when they walked out. So many people are cocky before they enter the ballroom. But it's actually quite intimidating."
So the season is fast shaping up like this: The women are stronger dancers than the men. "The women are just fierce, says model
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Will Josie Maran and pro Alec Mazo waltz their way to a win? Dancing With the Stars by Adam Larkey/ABC
Sure, it may sound like the beginning of a lame joke: "A boxer, a Spice Girl and a Mormon waltz into a ballroom...." But there's nothing funny about the spirit of competition in this blockbuster reality series, which opens Season 5 with 12 hot-to-foxtrot contestants. The roster includes the aforementioned Floyd Mayweather Jr., Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown and crooner Marie Osmond, respectively — as well as Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan, pro racecar driver Helio Castroneves, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, 90210 alum Jennie Garth, actress Josie Maran, soap stud Cameron Mathison, legend Wayne Newton, model Albert Reed and Jane Seymour (yep, the Medicine Woman is gonna shake it!). We'll meet everyone, but the first round of performances on the premiere will feature female competitors only, while the men strut their stuff in another 90-minute episode the following night. — Joe Friedrich
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Albert Reed, Dancing with the Stars
"Everybody's calling me the underdog, the random selection," says Albert Reed, the face — and body — of Abercrombie & Fitch, who is fully aware that almost nobody knows his name. And that the few who do make some pretty insulting assumptions about his gray matter. "Everybody has this funk about models," says Reed, 22, who first attracted major attention at age 19 when he was on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch's 2004 back-to-school catalog. "It's this cliché of being a little slow, of not having too much upstairs. I'm a bit of a writer, an artist. I've never thought of myself as a model." He's never thought of himself as a dancer, either. So when his manager got a call from Dancing with the Stars asking for a meeting, Reed didn't exactly jump at the chance. "I wasn't too familiar with the show," he admits. "And
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Cameron Mathison by Donna Svennevik/ABC; Jennie Garth by Stephen Lovekin/WireImage.com; Wayne Newton by Steve Granitz/Wireimage.com
Jane Seymour. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Wayne Newton. Jennie Garth. The lineup for the fifth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars — premiering Sept. 24 — will again showcase actors and singers not known for their dancing, as well as former teen idols, models, athletes, and names many have never heard of. "The people who work best for us have a good story, who come from a field where you think, 'Wow, why are they doing this?'" says executive producer Conrad Green. That includes "Mr. Las Vegas," Wayne Newton, whom producers have been trying to land for two years. "I've worked my entire life doing two shows a night, seven nights a week," says the 65-year-old. "But this is a whole different ball of wax."The casting may seem arbitrary, but it's a very precise process. Explains Green, "We tend to start by thinking about a few key people we'd love to get on the show, or professions we haven't had. There are certain professions and personality types that the audience really engages w...
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