Sasha Cohen by Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS
Jeers to CBS for jumping on — and falling off — the celeb-competition bandwagon with Secret Talents of the Stars. The Eye network's pathetic entry is hosted by John O'Hurley, but this feels more akin to his work on Family Feud than Dancing with the Stars (not to mention Seinfeld). He introduces contestants like Olympic skater-turned-contortionist Sasha Cohen, who again fails to match the gold-medal standard set by her predecessor, Dancing fave Kristi Yamaguchi. The motley panel of judges features R&B singer Brian McKnight, the unsinkable-until-now Debbie Reynolds and producer/designated hater Gavin Polone (who made a tasteless Brokeback Mountain joke about gay Star Trek vet George Takei that would've made Simon Cowell wince even more than Sulu's "singing"). Note to CBS: Some things should be kept secret.For another take on Secret Talents of the Stars, read the Roush Dispatch.• For more on Dancing with the Stars, check out the new Cheers & Jeers vodcast.•...
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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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Break out the high-test bronzer, George Hamilton, because you've got new competition. On the heels of talk that Hamilton had the inside line on succeeding Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right comes reportage that Entertainment Tonight cohost Mark Steines and Saved by the Bell's Mario Lopez are now in the mix. Audition tapes of all the top contenders — including John O'Hurley (what's with all the Dancing with the Stars dropouts?) and former Beauty and the Geek host Mike Richards — are being shown to test audiences around the country. The wannabe who comes closest to meeting expectations without going over wins.
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Question: I saw your comments last week about Gameshow Marathon, which seems to appall you. As a big fan of the classic '70s and '80s game shows, I have actually found Gameshow Marathon to be a guilty pleasure. It does have a couple of major flaws, but if tweaked a little, it could be very enjoyable summer fare. As for its faults, I think having C-list celebrities playing for charity takes any element of suspense out of it. Also, Ricki Lake is just not a good fit as the host of the games — she obviously knows her stuff, but her voice and style are just soooo annoying. But on the plus side, the faithful re-creations of the classic game-show sets are satisfying in a surreal kind of way. And I really like the concept of the tournament. This could be a fun summer show if it were played with real people (not celebrities) for their own cash and prizes, and if the games themselves had hosts who were more in the traditional host mold. Of course, most of the original hosts are no longer with ...
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Survey says... if your answer is John O'Hurley, you're in luck! The Dancing with the Stars funnyman has been picked to follow in the lip prints of Richard Dawson as emcee of the perennial game show, which is getting an extreme makeover before its fall return. The actor formerly known as J. Peterman declared in a statement that he is "excited" about the new gig, once again squashing my hopes that some celeb will someday issue a statement saying simply, "Yeah, well, y'know, it beats parking cars for a living."
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Survey says, if your answer is John O'Hurley, you're in luck! The Dancing with the Stars funnyman has been picked to follow in the lip prints of Richard Dawson as host of the perennial game show, which is getting an extreme makeover before its fall return. The actor formerly known as J. Peterman declared in a statement that he is "excited" about the new gig, once again squashing my hopes that some celeb someday will issue a statement saying simply, "Yeah, well, y'know, it beats parking cars for a living."
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At long last... vindication for John O'Hurley. Last night the Seinfeld grad was crowned the winner of ABC's Dancing with the Stars dance-off, beating reigning champ Kelly Monaco. But boy, was it close. When all the viewer votes were counted, O'Hurley's margin of victory over Monaco was a mere 1 percent. Hmmm... I think this calls for a November sweeps rematch!
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Fox has landed — and it was a clean landing at that — Scott Hamilton to host Skating with Celebrities, a six-week contest debuting sometime this fall; fellow Olympic gold-medalist Dorothy Hamill will serve as a judge. Here are the six star-pro matchups: Wheaties cover-boy Bruce Jenner with Tai Babilonia; Full House's Dave Coulier with Nancy Kerrigan; Diff'rent Strokes/Los Angeles jail alum Todd Bridges with Jenni Meno; Dude, Where's My Car's Kristy Swanson with Lloyd Eisler; grown-up teen-queen
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All you John O'Hurley fans can quit your whining: The Seinfeld alum will get a chance to avenge his controversial loss to Kelly Monaco in Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off, airing Sept. 20 on ABC. The special will find the novice hoofers and their respective partners, Charlotte Jorgensen and Alec Mazo, performing Latin, ballroom and freestyle numbers. And while the original judges will be on hand to to offer critiques, only viewers will decide the winner via phone and the Internet. Results will be announced during a separate Sept. 22 telecast titled "Dancing with the Stars: We're Milking This Controversy for All It's Worth."
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Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars champs Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo will once again go toe-to-toe with runner-up John O'Hurley and his own professional partner, Charlotte Jorgensen, in Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off, airing Sept. 20 on ABC. The special will have each pairing performing Latin, ballroom and freestyle dances, and while the original Dancing judges will be on hand to offer critiques, only viewers will decide the winner by voting via phone/the Internet. Results will be announced during a separate Sept. 22 telecast titled "Dancing with the Stars: The Ratings Stunt Continues."
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