Well kids, this is it! It's been just over two months since this crazy season started and now it's all coming to an end. Who would be taking home the crown and who would go home in utter defeat? More importantly, who is being booted right away and settling for third place? I'm anticipating an interesting (yet long!) night ahead, so let's dive into it one last time!After a short interview with our finalists, Usher entered the ballroom and I shouted with glee. He's sexy and talented and he really hasn't had a song I haven't liked. Despite having a headset, I definitely think he wasn't singing his new hit song "Love in This Club" but that's really fine with me. It's a dancing show and if singing live would have made it hard for him to break it down at the end then he shouldn't have sang. I also think every performer on this show has lip-synched so this isn't abnormal. We've had some pretty great performances this year. Which was your favorite? Then the first big moment of the night arr...
read more
Louis Van Amstel and Priscilla Presley by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
The teleprompter fiasco wasn't the only technical glitch Tuesday night on Dancing with the Stars. During the last commercial break, before Tom Bergeron announced the second couple to land in the bottom two, the dreaded red spotlight came on. Its target: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. The hellish spotlight didn't last long. But as the commercials rolled, Elizabeth couldn't stop crying, convinced that the red light was the kiss of death and that the judges' tough remarks about her samba the night before would be sending her home. "I don't want this to be over," she had said just before the show. "I'm dreading the day when I don't get to go to the rehearsal studios every morning to work with Derek. I love everything about this show: the rehearsals, the costumes, the makeup, the performances.... Before this, I was pretty much sitting around the house and thinking that was OK." The red light turned out to have no significance whatsoever, as it was Priscilla Presley who got the bad...
read more
Holy smokes, it's Latin Night! With the exception of the quickstep, I will take a Latin dance over a ballroom dance any day. There's something so mundane about the fox trot that makes me slip into a boredom-induced coma. Luckily, we get a whole night of booty-shaking goodness. Who will the samba and rumba take as a victim this week? Let's dab on some Eau de D-List and find out! Yes, I have a million of these stupid D-List intros and they are all corny and ridiculous. If you are rolling your eyes right now, my work is done! Mario — I enjoy his dancing so much it makes me crazy that more people aren't on the Mario bandwagon. He's very smooth and exudes sexuality. I hope he gains some fans so he can stay in the competition. Also, Karina is not my favorite pro but she looked amazing in that yellow outfit. Samba 27Cilla — Finally they left that woman's hair alone. She looked decent for the first time this competition. I'm extremely jealous that she can still do a split! I'm ea...
read more
Dancing With The Stars by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
TVGuide.com's new Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings — based on the weekly polling of you, the readers — are out, and Kristi and Mark are still waltzing away with this thing. Seriously, is there no catching them? Is the ice-skating fan base that massive a force to be reckoned with? Or is no one else on the parquet anywhere near up to par?For what it's worth, Shannon and Derek are putting their best feet forward these days, and are somewhat inching up on Team YamaBallas. Meanwhile, Marissa and Tony linger in (a tie for) last, veritably tapping their toes until the scythe comes.The Top 8 Power Rankings56.2% Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 18.8% Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough10.6% Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 9.1% Cristián De La Fuente and Cheryl Burke 1.9% Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez 1.4% Mario and Karina Smirnoff 1.0% Priscilla Presley and Louis Van Amstel 1.0% Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony DovolaniRelated:• Photo Gallery: Top 8 Power R...
read more
I was glad we got to learn the bottom two tonight, but was shocked that it was down to Priscilla and Adam not Marissa and Adam. Sadly, the goof factor of this show is now gone and Adam won't be riding unicycles in a Zorro costume anymore. At least not in the ballroom! Since getting rid of Marissa wasn't an option, I was hoping Adam would stay over Priscilla. Obviously, she is way better than him but I get a lot more enjoyment out of his performances than I do hers. Also, I think Julianne is so adorable. Well, at least they got the encore dance this evening so they were able to perform together one last time.I loved how the show started with Sheryl Crow singing "All I Wanna Do". She looked great. Now that's how you rock a performance in HD after 40. She may be doing a little botox, but she doesn't look like plastic. I could be wrong though and she could just have great skin. I don't mind that the professionals dance during the musical performances, but I also thought it took away fro...
read more
Still seething from the eviction of my beloved Mahoney and reeling from the embarrassment of totally getting fooled by the most obvious April Fool's joke ever, I decided to let it all go and move on! Who knows, maybe I'll have a new favorite after the night is over. After all, the paso doble is my second favorite dance and anyone can viennese waltz their way into my cold, black heart. It could be tough though because I'm sick and as cranky as Len on his worst day — so let's chew on some D-List stew!Kristi — Although Mark is still suffering from sporadic open-mouth syndrome, this was a great dance. I'm running out of nice things to say about them since every week is exceptional. If she's not in the final two, the voters failed her.Paso Doble 29 (grrrr looks like Len is cranky again!)Cilla — I realize that someone injected motor oil into this poor woman's face (or something crazy like that), but I don't think the excessive amounts of make-up she wears really helps. I ...
read more
This must be a cruel April Fool's joke! Mahoney Steve gone? Surely there is some mathematical error. I am completely heart broken right now. Gone — after his best dance yet? And Marissa is still here? I don't understand it one bit. He even got the encore dance! Best man dance ever. At least I have that to remember him by. So long, Steve. I hope to see you on an ABC show this fall because you deserve it!What does everyone think of the new policy of not revealing the bottom two? I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I found it refreshing because it did add a bit more suspense to the elimination process. The reveal that Marissa was safe in the middle of the show had me wondering who the unlucky contestant was. However, leaving Mario and Karina at the end with Anna and Mahoney Steve was pretty predictable. On the other hand, I think we need to know who the bottom two is so we know who is in jeopardy and who to give our votes.I loved the segment on the unorthodox hobbies of t...
read more
The tango and the jive are two of the liveliest dances in the ballroom repertoire, so I knew we were in for an interesting night. The tango is by far my favorite (the pasa doble is a close second) because of the fire and emotion and the jive is entertaining because there is a lot of movement. But they are not just entertaining, they are challenging. The tango must be tight yet look effortless and the jive is crazy yet the movements must be controlled. There were some hits and misses tonight, so let's get to it! Marlee — I was anti-Fabian because he took over for my beloved Maksim, but he really won me when he screamed in her ear "Can you hear this?" That was hilarious. My only concern is that they were a bit out of sync tonight. It seemed he was a step ahead of her. They have to rely on other senses to work together, so I think in the coming weeks they will be able to get it together. Jive 21Mahoney (aka Steve for those of you under a rock) — This was by far an improvem...
read more
Phew! Tonight was a marathon, not a sprint. As much as I love this show, 2 hours and all 12 competitors was a bit much for me. Luckily, there was nothing a good mambo couldn't fix. Raise your hand if you totally fantasize about being a competitor on this show. I do, I do! I always have the coolest dress, the best technique and a song that doesn't stink! Oh, and Maksim is my partner every time. Yeah, you know it!But enough about my delusions of grandeur, it's D-List casserole time. So get yourself a plate and I'll serve up some recap for ya! Mahoney — Could he be any cuter? Despite some major stiffness (hehe), he seemed to be enjoying himself. I hope he sticks around long enough to revive his career. ABC — get this man a pilot! Mambo 16Cristián — The military bit was ridiculous but his dancing was not. Thankfully, Cheryl has someone who can keep up with her this year.Quickstep 20Monica — It wasn't as big of a disaster as I thought, but it wasn't pretty eith...
read more
Bruno Tonioli by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
Judge Bruno Tonioli was in rare form Tuesday night. In an interview with TV Guide just moments after the show, he let loose on the male stars of Season 6, calling them "lazy bastards." Apart from R&B star Mario, Tonioli says he was not impressed by the quality of dancing on the season-opener. "I'm so relieved seeing the girls," says Tonioli, "because the boys needed a kick in the ass. Mario was the only one who really sparkled. The others? They were lazy bastards. Sorry, but it's true. They did the dances, but not enough. You're not going to get away with that on Dancing with the Stars. And if you try, we're going to go after you."This isn't the first time, of course, that the first dances of the season have been less than stellar.... The efforts of Master P., Kenny Mayne and Billy Ray Cyrus come to mind. So why is Tonioli so wound up this time? Maybe because now, Dancing is the No. 2 show in the land and we've grown to expect more. Maybe it's because on Tuesday night, the show ...
read more
