Whine & Cheese

DWTS: My All Time Top 10 Dances

Tonight DWTS will celebrate its 100th episode and, ahead of the results show, they are doing a special All-Time Top 10 Dances clip show... so I couldn't stop myself from coming up with my own list.

In coming up with this list, I got some very nice help from the Wikipedia U.S. DWTS page, but the scary part is that I did remember something (i.e. the dance, song, or outfit) about each of these dances.  Sometimes I wish my brain would leave enough room for me to recall where I put my car keys rather than retaining the fact that Joey Fatone did a tango to the Star Wars theme (btw, that dance is not in my top ten).

Now I could have easily filled my Top 10 with all Mario Lopez and of late many dances with pro Mark Ballas, but I spread the wealth across the pros and seasons.  Season 1 doesn't make an appearance.  Back then, the show was considered pretty much a joke... but now "stars" are begging to get on and arguably it keeps getting better and better quality-wise.

Some of my favorite couples don't even make an appearance here.  It could be my faulty memory (likely!), so honorable mentions to:  Joey Fatone & Kym Johnson and Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough.

To not totally clog this post up with YouTubes, I will put embedded videos of my Top 5 favorites "after the jump"... and, first up, YouTube links to dances 6 thru 10 "in no particular order" -- well ok, they are ordered by season, but I just wanted to play Samantha Harris and say that!

Season 2: Stacey Keibler & Tony Dovolani - Samba - "Bootylicious" (YouTube link)
Season 3: Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke - Paso Doble - "Thriller" (YouTube link)
Season 4: Laila Ali & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Mambo (YouTube link)
Season 4: Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff - Freestyle - "It Takes Two" (YouTube link - thanks Linda!)
Season 5: Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Paso Doble - "Free Your Mind" (YouTube link)

Top 5 Faves
(YouTube embedded vids "after the jump" - apologies, in advance, if they "are no longer available")

Season 6: Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas - Mambo - "Hey Baby"
Season 5: Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas - Cha Cha - "Don't Cha"
Season 4: Apolo Anto Ohno & Julianne Hough - Cha Cha - "Push It"
Season 3: Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff - Mambo
Season 2: Drew Lachey & Cheryl Burke - Freestyle - "Save a Horse, Ride A Cowboy"

'Dancing' Banner

Work is not being very agreeable today, so don't have much for ya!

However, while I was waiting around for all hell to break loose (well, sorta kinda) I was reviewing my rotating W&C banner collection... and decided it was time to make some changes... add something new and say goodbye to others.

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it... but a prime candidate for a banner of its very own was... Dancing With The Stars!   Below is a mini-version of it, if you want to see the full version... just re-load this page until you see it above... or else head over to my banner gallery... right now, the DWTS banner is right at the top.

To keep it "current"... and a tad ironic... the banner doesn't contain any "stars"... though DWTS fans may agree with me that the pro dancers are now as much the "stars" as their celebrity counterparts.  Granted the pros do come and go from season to season, but I included my favorites: Maks, Julianne, Mark, Edyta, Kym, and Derek... and I really loved that graphic of Carrie Ann, Len, and Bruno.

Alas, it was time to bid adieu to two banners.  Heading into "retirement" are my Las Vegas and Reality Show banners.  Since it prominently featured the cast of the now canceled NBC "drama" of the same name, it was time for the Las Vegas banner to go. I'm guessing it will be re-incarnated with a focus on the actual city and its entertainers.  The Reality Banner was showing its age as well... while it featured some of my favorite (and still current) reality hosts... the 15 minutes for Bobby Jon, Charla, and Janelle having come and gone... these banners live on in retirement in the banner gallery as well.

DWTS6: Not That There's Anything Wrong With That Edition

No one can ever accuse Dancing With The Stars of not being a tad gay every now and then (ok, definitely more than "every now and then" and definitely more than a "tad")...

But it was "instant classic" status on this week's results show with regards to the musical act/professional group dance number!

Pretty much half drag show (sorry ladies, but it's meant as a compliment of sorts... really!), half leather daddy/S&M scene....

I think only Tony (far right, for you non-DWTS viewers) could qualify as a ummm... errrrr... dominant.... but probably wise for me to just shut up now and save it for my gay porn fan fiction blog.

Beside the gay appeal of the show, another reason I love DWTS is the cheese factor... something that host Tom Bergeron warmly embraces (making it even better)...

So the "outfits" were only the start... since it was for a group paso doble (!!)... to a live performance from... Def Leppard (!!!)... singing their classic hit... "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (!!!!!).   

Loved. It.

UPDATE:  Here's another shot of the guys (Louis, Mark, and Tony) in a "behind the scenes" photo that I just caught over at the DWTS site on ABC.com.

DWTS6 Final 3 Predictions

No worries...  I didn't forget about my tradition of predicting the Dancing With The Stars Final 3 based on just one performance.   Thankfully, I got a bit of a reprieve with no first week eliminations.  Heck, I didn't even watch the ladies until Wednesday night as Tuesday was reality show overload... a 2-hour Idol, 1.5 hr DWTS (and Big Brother totally got the TiVo boot).

So while the "stars" get one more shot on the dance floor prior to the first double-elimination show on Tuesday, I still thought I would make my prediction just based solely on the first round.

This season definitely seems stacked in favor of the women (season 1's Kelly Monaco remains the only female champ)... while bad dancers sometimes stick around for awhile I think Penn or Adam will be one of the first guys to get the boot, with Steve not too far behind... while Cristian was certainly lovely to look at... he didn't have the moves or charisma and a lack of a fan-base will likely hurt him as well.

The women are rife with reasons to stay around... though sadly for me, I have no doubt the first casualty on the women's side will be Monica.  Besides the very so-so dancing start... the shy personality and not being a household name will do her in.  Other women that I see going sooner rather than later are Shannon and Priscilla.  Shannon lacks of a fan-base and the personality or back-story of the other female competitors.  Priscilla by far has received the most press this season... I truly think she is a "private person," but based on the first show she is coming across as a bit aloof or a wet-fish... or else the apparent botox overdose (allegedly!) makes her incapable of facial expressions.

That leaves my close, but no cigar folks... on the men's side that would be Mario... while, by far, the most naturally talented dancer on the entire show... I don't think the DWTS demographics know him well enough and he doesn't strike me as someone that will build a base on his personality... talent-wise he'll be the Sabrina of this season. 

On the women's side, I am boldly going to say that Marlee isn't going to make it to the finals.  Like pretty much everyone, I was amazed what she was able to do on the dance floor... but after several weeks, it won't be a surprise anymore and while she has an engaging personality, I just think one week she'll slip through the cracks... but it will be a decent run...

So we come to my final 3...

Kristi was the prohibitive favorite going in and while I certainly expected her to do well in the "classy" ballroom genre, it'll be interesting to see what she does with the Latin dances.  While she could be in danger for being consistently great (which I think she will be)... that "America's Sweetheart" quality should keep her in until the end.

Pro athletes seem to do particularly well ... so it didn't take much thought to put Jason in my Final 3.  While he didn't show the personality of a Jerry, Emmitt, Apolo... he is certainly a good-looking guy and was really quite good on his first outing.  While I have to say I am not familiar with him (shocking I know that I don't follow pro football!), I think he'll do okay.

My wildcard pick is Marissa.  Definitely coming in without household name recognition, there is no doubt she immediately won legions of fans with her bubbly personality on and off the dance the floor.  I didn't think I stopped smiling once during her first performance... and that alone should take her far.

DWTS6 Cast Pix

Some of you who read W&C through Bloglines or a RSS feeder might have seen this briefly posted on Friday... but given Friday's big news, I quickly squashed it and saved it for today.

I always like to share the Dancing With the Stars cast photos when they come out... often just by the promo pix you can start making some educated guesses regarding how well the "stars" will do (or imagine what the pro dancers are thinking).

Taking a bit of help from my earlier DWTS6 announcement post, here are the pix (the "stars" are listed first and in bold.  I'm thinking the pros are more the stars now!):

Adam Carolla/Julianne Hough - Actor/Comedian/Radio personality
Cristian de la Fuente/Cheryl Burke - Telenovela star, seen on CSI Miami and Ugly Betty
Shannon Elizabeth/Derek Hough - Actress (American Pie)/Model/Poker Player
Steve Guttenberg/Anna Trebunskaya - Movie star from the 1980s(??)

Thoughts: Julianne is not going to have a three-peat.... Cheryl seems much more happy in this pic than the one from last season with Wayne Newton... Shannon & Derek seem to be a pretty good pairing... and Anna has the gritty smile that seems to say what the frick do I have to do to get another partner like Jerry Rice?

Mario/Karina Smirnoff - R&B singer/actor
Marlee Matlin/Fabian Sanchez (new pro) - Academy Award winning actress and, of course... deaf
Penn Jillette/Kym Johnson - The taller and talking half of comedy/illusionist team Penn & Teller
Priscilla Presley/Louis Van Amstel - Ex-wife of Elvis/Actress

Thoughts:  Karina seems to be saying what the frick do I have to do to get another partner like Mario Lopez... Marlee is lookin' good... Kym's smile seems to say what the frick do I have to do to get another partner like Joey Fatone, a guy with a hip replacement last season now this??.... the return of Louis and probably a good pairing.

Monica Seles/Jonathan Roberts - Tennis legend
Jason Taylor/Edyta Sliwinska - 6-time All Pro NFL for the Miami Dolphins
Marissa Jaret Winokur/Tony Dovolani - Tony Award winner as Hairspray's Tracy Turnblad
Kristi Yamaguchi/Mark Ballas - Olympic/World Champion figure skater

Thoughts:  I'm biased I love Monica, but looking a tad stiff but a good partner in Jonathan... getting an old guy on even-numbered seasons, Edyta seems happy to have another hot guy... Tony's gritting teeth seem to say "Did they really give me the chubby girl?" (remember Tony's teeth say this, not me <grin>)... and finally my guess as the prohibitive favorites, Kristi and Mark.

DWTS kicks off next Monday!

DWTS6 Cast Revealed

As promised, here is the cast news for this coming season of Dancing With The Stars...  we mucked through the entire season season finale of Dance War ("spoiler": Team Bruno "won") for the big announcement.

As the professional dancers are becoming more the "stars" of the show, I held off posting with hopes of having the complete pairings... Good Morning America was supposed to do that this morning, but other than an appearance by one of the teams (Priscilla and Louis), they did not.  I'll certainly update if I can find out the teams.

As always to avoid confusion the "stars" are listed first and in bold.

Adam Carolla/Julianne Hough - Actor/Comedian/Radio personality

Cristian de la Fuente/Cheryl Burke - Telenovela star, seen on CSI Miami and Ugly Betty

Shannon Elizabeth/Derek Hough - Actress (American Pie)/Model/Poker Player

Steve Guttenberg/Anna Trebunskaya - Movie star from the 1980s(??)

Mario/Karina Smirnoff - R&B singer/actor

Marlee Matlin/Fabian Sanchez (new pro) - Academy Award winning actress and, of course... deaf

Penn Jillette/Kym Johnson - The taller and talking half of comedy/illusionist team Penn & Teller

Priscilla Presley/Louis Van Amstel - Ex-wife of Elvis/Actress

Monica Seles/Jonathan Roberts - Tennis legend

Jason Taylor/Edyta Sliwinska - 6-time All Pro NFL for the Miami Dolphins
(DWTS trivia: Edyta is the only pro that's participated in all 6 seasons)

Marissa Jaret Winokur/Tony Dovolani - Tony Award winner as Hairspray's Tracy Turnblad

Kristi Yamaguchi/Mark Ballas - Olympic/World Champion figure skater

I don't see any real front runners.  Yamaguchi should have an advantage in upper body movement and "clean lines," but who knows about the footwork sans skates.  While not familiar with Mario, he's got the hip-hop moves, but that usually doesn't work out too well on this show.  In the prior experience department, it would seem that Winokur would have the edge, though Hairspray may prove to only be a good training ground for the the jive.

Perhaps wanting a woman to win (it's only happened for Season 1), the men's field seems a tad weak.  There are two biiiig guys... Jillette and Taylor... and big guys never do well on DWTS (yes, I'm looking at you Clyde Drexler)... nor the pretty faces... three model types have all made early exits, so watch out de la Fuente.  So that leaves us with Guttenberg and Carolla?!?!

Matlin is an interesting choice.  As a kid, I was baffled how two of my mom's deaf cousins could be dancing at family weddings... they told me they could feel the vibrations of the band.  So that answers one question, but I would still think there will be big communication challenges while training and recorded music doesn't give that "boom" of a live band.  Presley fills the "mature lady" spot, I expect her to do well enough.  A huge fan of reality TV, Elizabeth has got the looks and the bod, so there's no reason she shouldn't  do reasonably well.

Personally, I am most excited about Seles.  I was/am a huge fan as she was one of the first tennis players that I felt attached to and followed from the very start of her career.  That said, she was never known as a terribly graceful athlete (and one of the first big-time grunters)... so who knows what to expect here!

Presidents Day, Beer & Pretzels, DWTS

Some randomness to start off the week:

Don't really have President's Day "off" here.  Todd is "officially" at work and I am putting some time in despite many of my clients taking the holiday.  Things have been a bit "dribs and drabs" for the start of this year, so I work when there's work to be done... but nothing terribly urgent today, so I am sure there will be time later today to sit down and contemplate Washington and Lincoln and others.

Speaking of presidents, it's hard to avoid whoever is going to be the next president.  On the democratic side, I am still trying to figure out why Obama appeals to those with a higher education and income, while Clinton's base seems to be the other end of the socio-economic spectrum.  I wondered aloud to Todd if its because blue collar folk are more racist than sexist?!   I know quite politically incorrect, but I just don't get it... maybe its just this group is more cynical and not buying the "hope" and "change" stuff... that would certainly explain part of my appeal for Clinton.

In boxing up these groups, I have head that Obama gets the "wine" crowd, while Clinton gets the "beer" vote.  This weekend, one pundit went a step further and called Obama's base "wine and cheese" ... which of course sent up my copyright, copyright!!! radar... and referred to Clinton's bloc as "beer and pretzels."  So I contemplated temporarily changing the name of my blog to "beer and pretzels" or at least coming up with a snazzy Hillary-centric banner... but felt a bit too lazy today or lest I admit that reality has set in regarding my candidate's chances.

Finally, even if you have not watched Dance War... you might want to check in with it tonight... or at least TiVo it and skip through it... the couples for the next edition of Dancing With The Stars are going to be announced.  While I have heard rumors, there hasn't been as many leaks as previous seasons.   Though one bit of not unexpected news on the pro dancer front... Maks won't be on this coming season.  I'm sure I'll have something to say on all this tomorrow. 

There's one more bit of big news from the weekend, but I'll obnoxiously give it its own post... come back in a bit.

Express Lane: Issue 44

Marlee Matlin may take a spin on 'Dancing With the Stars' - Yet another casting rumor has the Oscar winning deaf actress ready to rumba... take that prosthetic-legged Heather Mills! (2/4/08)

Rumored Casting for Dancing With The Stars 6 include... Priscilla Presley, Florence Henderson, Marla Maples, Monica Seles, and Cheryl Ladd.  Rumored nyets include Joan Collins and Mira Sorvino.  (2/4/08)

'24' Actress Pregnant - Mary Lynn Rajskub (aka Chloe) cites the writers' strike ("had to keep busy") as the reason for getting knocked up. (1/31/08)

You're Going to (West) Hollywood! - Last night, Leo Marlowe introduces himself to the 'Idol' judges with this self-zinger: "My mom always said she raised a perfect homecoming queen... too bad it wasn't one of her daughters" and makes it to Hollywood. (1/30/08)

Why the Kennedys Went for Obama - Because nothing screams "change" and anti-political dynasty like an endorsement from the Kennedy clan! (1/28/08)

It's War: B vs C

Yeah, as embarrassed as I may be... I have to admit that I've been watching this one.   But if you've been around here long enough, you probably would have guessed that already... but it's not that it's just a battle between a man and a woman... it's about finding the right person... the promise of tomorrow...

Oh, wait... I think I might be causing some confusion... it's not Barack vs. Clinton... and while I did watch too much Super Duper Tuesday coverage last night, what I'm talking about is...

Dance War:  Bruno vs. Carrie Ann!

Why I'm still watching, I can't really tell you. 

Being a quite genuine fan of Dancing With The Stars, you couldn't blame me for giving this show a try as two of judges from that show try to finding that combination of a dancing and singing superstar... in other words, the reality show wannabe love-child of  American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance?

The result... pretty much a mess.  My guess is that the people who are very good singers or very good dancers and... this one is an important one... want to subject themselves to a reality TV show... are headed over to the Fox network's ratings behemoths, rather than what amounts to "filler" as we wait for Bruno and Carrie Ann to get back to their real reality TV jobs.

Now, I am not saying that these kids are not talented... and even though the 12 finalists were whittled down from thousands, for the most part their singing/dancing skills should be able to land them a job on a cruise ship or a musical... though not Broadway, more like a non-lead role in a touring production (maybe).  Ouchie! 

The show is partially to blame.  By placing them in and competing as groups, the participants have been zapped of their individuality.  No choice/participation in the songs or choreography (that are often uninspired)... so we're not seeing what got them to the finals in the first place... their style of singing and freestyle dancing. 

Even stranger, the winning team gets a recording contract and rumors of a tour with a "major recording artist"... but I fail to see how a group of 4-6 people (starting with 6 members each, Team Bruno has suffered the first two losses of the season) is going to find success as what amounts to a song and dance troupe.

But it has its eye candy (pictured above, Lacey is flanked by Wholesome/Mormon boy Zack and "Doncha wish your boyfriend was hot like me (and knows it)... Doncha!" Phillip)... and our household is always smitten with host Drew Lachey.

On a total sidenote, while searching for the above picture, I stumbled upon "news" that Zack (the guy in the red tank-top above) was the man formerly engaged to DWTS's Julianne Hough.  The two were set to be married in August 2007, but broke things off shortly after Hough's first season on DWTS, starting rumors that she was romantically linked to, then dancing partner, Apolo Anton Ohno.  So that helps to explains, Julianne being in the audience this past week... but also calls into question how much of "discovery" Zack was during the audition process (pure speculation!).

My absolute favorite moment of the show occurs immediately following the awesomely cheesy song/dance opening group number... the arrival of Bruno and Carrie Ann!

The lights go down,  the stage dramatically backlit, the runway model thumping music starts... as the shadowy profiles of Bruno and Carrie Ann emerge...

They hit their spot, turn-away from each other... big spotlight... and POSE!!

Classic!!   

Hmmm... maybe Barack and Hillary should give it a try before their next debate! 

Express Lane: Issue 41

Osmonds Headed to Sin City? / Midler Names Show - Donny and Marie rumored to replace Toni Braxton in a multi-yr headliner gig at the Flamingo... while the Divine Miss M dubs her Caesars production "Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On."  (12/6/07)

Will 'Color Purple' Return to the Screen as a Musical? - Oprah confirms that she's thinking about it, and I think it's a pretty good idea...  of course, would love to see Fantasia get the lead. (12/6/07)

Whatever happened to Melinda Doolittle? - Sadly one of the 'Idol' standouts from last season, Mindy Doo, still does not have a record contract... unlike... ummm... Phil Stacey?  Tragic. (12/4/07)

CBS Sets 'Jericho,' 'Big Brother' Returns - I guess CBS doesn't see an end in sight for the writers' strike.  A lot of new show news and  BBro, the summer's guiltiest pleasure, getting an extra edition and a Feb 12th premiere! (12/3/07)

Ballas injured during DWTS finale; Maks says he's "moving on" - Mark rushed to the hospital with a severe shoulder injury (torn labrum?) and Maks sulks that it may be time to pick up his toys and go home. (11/28/07)

DWTS Champ Calls Off Engagement - Helio may have won the mirror ball trophy, but the wedding is off... and I am quite sure the rumors have just begun! (11/28/07)

Maks says unlike Marie, DwtS cast did not "burden people with our personal issues" - Mel B's partner Maks is never one to mince words.  The truth or just sour grapes?  I'll go with a little bit of both. (11/26/07)

DWTS5: The Checkered Flag

Whew!   All is fine and just in the world this morning... and the integrity of the Dancing With The Stars competition is alive and strong!   (If you didn't read that with your tongue in your cheek, go back and re-read it again.  I'll wait.)

Hurray for Helio and Julianne!   

Though once Marie and Jonathan were announced as the 3rd place team... and mercifully in the first half-hour of the two-hour marathon finale... all was fine with me.  I would have been just as happy if Mel and Maks took the title.  As suspected the mirror ball trophy was more about Miss Congeniality (which Helio and Julianne have in spades) than the "best" dancer... plus Helio likely benefited as the "fish" more "out of water" than the Spice Girl.

I did maintain my 2 out of 3 correct record of predicting who would make the finals after just watching just one dance.  What was I ever thinking that Marie & Jonathan would be in the finale instead of Sabrina and Mark?!   Ok, it's not that difficult... the impressive thing would be to predict which couple will make that final that shouldn't!

Helio is one happy guy, that's for sure.  In that memorable line from When Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what he's having"... though I am not sure I would want to be that happy... it seems exhausting. The guy has charisma (how could you not smile when he was on the screen!?!) and with this new-found fame, let's hope he does something good with it.

Speaking of which... if they already haven't... ABC needs to get Julianne to sign a talent contract beyond DwtS.  Beautiful, wholesome, charming, funny... we know she can dance and sing, so it's not stretching it that she can probably act... get that girl a sitcom!

Rumor has it the next season will be amping up in the spring... though I wouldn't be surprised if it gets rushed in sooner if they writers' strike continues on.  Our local ABC late-night news had a story about four  rumored participants for next season.  Two of them are absolute bunk!   Celine Dion - ummm, an already announced 2008-09 world tour and c'mon do you think Celine would do a show that attracts ex-boy banders and Spice and Cheetah Girls?   Florence Henderson - often seen in the DwtS audience, but Jane Seymour was pushing the age bar in her late 50s, so I doubt a mid 70s Mrs. Brady would be up for it.   More likely... Donny Osmond (though I think we need an Osmond break) and ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi.   Stay tuned... when official announcements are made, you can be sure you'll see it here!

UPDATES!

Even after the finale, the season can't stop making news... these will be on the sidebar, but figured I'll include them here as well.

'Dancing With the Stars' Champ Calls Off Engagement - Helio Castroneves and fiancee split

These next two items via Reality Blurred:

'Dancing' Professional Injured at Finale - Mark Ballas rushed to the hospital after the finale with a "severe shoulder injury"

Is Maksim Quitting 'Dancing?' - The poutiness continues with Maks...

DWTS5: Not Saving The Best For Last

What has arguably been the highest quality season of DWTS in terms of dancing and depth, not so arguably had the worse finale of any previous season. 

Here's where the couples stand point and %-wise going into tonight's finale:

Mel & Maks - 55 (35.48%)
Helio & Julianne - 54 (34.84%)
Marie & Jonathan - 46 (29.68%)

So Marie has a bit more work cut out for her... a 5-6% gap, so slightly more challenging than the 1-2% gaps of previous weeks.  Can she do it?  Absolutely!

My prediction is that Helio easily passes Mel for the lead and Marie has enough support to pass Mel.  At this point, I would hope that Helio would have enough to win... and the judges do have one more chance to massage the scores tonight.

I don't agree with it.  I think Mel has been a lot of fun and is certainly the best dancer this season (well, woulda coulda shoulda re: Sabrina)... but I think the Osmond juggernaut too strong and you just want to eat up Helio and Julianne.  So Mel comes in third because, ironically enough, she is too good... and they don't have the as bright and bubbly of a personality as her opponents (and while Maks is certainly lovely to look out, he does come across surly, arrogant, an ass, etc.).

As far as the final dances, I thought Helio and Julianne won the night.  I'll have to believe the judges that Helio seriously messed up his steps on the jive, because I don't know enough to be able to spot it (nor the rest of the voting public).  And while, I did notice a mess-up coming out of one lift in their free-style... it wins by default for having excitement and not being weird/creepy.

Technically, Mel and Maks probably had the best dance with their cha cha cha... but their freestyle, barring their lifts (and not many of those), was a big disappointment.  My guess is that Mel finally ran out of steam when it came to keeping up with all her other commitments.  But I did love Carrie Ann "giving the hand" to the booing Spice Girls... Fly Girl/Spice Girl smackdown!!   (I'm guessing that would probably be more entertaining than the upcoming Bruno vs. Carrie Ann show... coming this January!)

And what can be said about Marie and Jonathan.  I was still afraid that Marie was going to do a repeat of her post-samba pass-out (she was fading there for a moment)... but who knew the hot, steaming mess that lie ahead with their freestyle.  Ok, I get the whole doll thing... but I was kinda expecting the doll to... ummm... dance... after she was "wound up" and not continue to be dragged around the dance floor like a... well... ummm... ragdoll for the entire routine.   

But EW worked the puns into overtime... "A Raggedy Night," "Hell No! Dolly," and "Never A Doll Moment".. and compared her to an Oompa Loompa when she started going ballistic over the criticism and scores.

We'll find out the winner tonight... though it'll take 1 hour and 56 minutes to get there.

Express Lane: Issue 40

'The Office's' Angela Kinsey Pregnant - No word if her 'Office' namesake will be in the family-way as well, but wouldn't be great fun?! That is, if the Writers' Strike ever ends!  Other trivia: 'Toby' is Kinsey's real-life brother-in-law. (11/21/07)

Super-Californication-Titular-Litigious - The Red Hot Chili Peppers sue Showtime, accusing the network of 'stealing our identity' over the title of the David Duchovny sex-fused dramedy 'Californication.' (11/20/07)

Donny Osmond apologizes to Larry King - Don't think this is in order... didn't LK & Co. still ambush Marie live on the air?  Couldn't they have told her BEFORE the show, that they knew about it and that tabloids were going to break the story. (11/19/07)

Paige Davis returns to 'Trading Spaces' - After being unceremoniously dumped from the show in 2005 -- and likely when most folks stopped watching (I hadn't realized it was still on!) -- Davis and many former designers are coming back to the TLC makeover show. (11/15/07)

Ken Follett is latest Oprah pick - Finally a book selection pick that I've already read!  Though it was years ago, so I don't really remember all that much about it! (11/14/07)

DWTS' Karina Smirnoff Gets Nose Job - Check out Karina's 3-week old 'new' nose when she returns for the season finale on Nov 27th.  (11/13/07)

Sopranos' pork store no more - Satriale's has been whacked, demolished to make room for condos... glad we got to see the Kearny, NJ store front this past summer (you can see my Sopranos pix here). (11/11/07)

Express Lane: Issue 39

Laila Ali Steps in 'Gladiators' Ring - DWTS continues to get folks new jobs!   Last season's female dancing "star" stand-out is set to co-hosts (with Hulk Hogan), NBC's re-introduction of 'American Gladiators.' (11/9/07)

'24' Postpones Season 7 Due to Strike - And we have the first major casualty of the writers' strike!  With only 8 episodes in the can, Jack & Co. latest day has been postponed indefinitely until the show can provides its trademark uninterrupted run of 24 episodes. (11/8/07) 

ITF to investigate suspected poisoning of Tommy Haas before Davis Cup match - The German suspects the Russians of allegedly poisoning his 'dessert or a Latte macchiato' - with doping and match fixing allegations the tennis tour is sounding more like a spy novel everyday. (11/8/07)

Showtime Grows a Fourth Season of 'Weeds' - Though we're still waaay behind on Season 3 (and thinkin' it's not as good as S1 & 2), Mary Louise Parker & Co. will be back for another season (as will its 'partner' show David Duchovny's 'Californication). (11/5/07)

Sabrina Bryan Confirms 'DWTS' Romance - Although it seemed obvious and probably still will not squash folks wanting him to be gay, the Cheetah Girl confirmed that she is dating her dancing partner, Mark Ballas. (11/5/07)

Food Network's Giada Pregnant - Mamma Mia! Congrats to one of my FN faves (and her hubby Todd!) on their upcoming first child due in April... one thing's for sure the kid will eat good! (11/5/07)

HBO Sets Up 'Treatment' Program - Interesting premise and cast for this upcoming HBO series about therapy... but 45 half-hour episodes for 5 nights a week over 9 weeks seems like more than I (and our TiVo) would be able to keep up with.  (10/31/07)

Dovolani Takes on Dancing’s Inaba - Drama on the DWTS set as Carrie Ann Innaaaah-ba allegedly gives Tony the finger after he gives her a rulebook, highlighting what defines a "lift"... while I agree Inaba has been a bit cranky lately, sounds like Tony got what was coming to him. (10/29/07)

Big Brother 8's Eric and Jessica are still together - The show-mance lives on even outside the BB8 house, heck even Danielle & Nick still seemed cozy at the Fox Reality Awards. (10/29/07)

Viva Laughlin's cancellation moves Amazing Race 12's debut up to Nov. 4 - Well, that was a pretty easy prediction I (and many others!) made over a month ago. (10/22/07)

DWTS5: Eights Are Enough

It was the first "two dances each" night on Dancing With The Stars and the show seemed to suffer... dance-wise that is... with the writer's striker on, Tom and Samantha (Samantha Who?) had to ad-lib their lines (no wonder she didn't flub any... just the usual rambling)...

But back to the dancing, each couple seemed to have one not-so-great dance... which meant 8s and lots of them... 17 of them! but who's counting!

While I didn't think Mel & Maks' Rumba deserved a perfect score last week... their Paso Doble was incredible... and the dancing was pretty fantastic too.  I'm talking about the costumes... Maks in leather (grrrrr!)... heck, even Mel B's outfit made me taking a second (and third!) look. 

I would put a video link/embed, but I am getting frustrated with Y0u Tubes disappearing faster than you can say "energy-charged dominatrix"... but here are some screen-caps:

Maks is such a tool!  Of course, putting his Sabrina/Cheetah homage paw-print "tattoo" on his pec... and more than happy to show it off!

A look at the scores show that things are even closer than last week!  Only 1.3% separate the top and bottom couples... so anyone can go.

Mel & Maks 54 (17.3%)
Jennie & Derek 53 (17.0%)
Helio & Julianne 52 (16.7%)
Marie & Jonathan 52 (16.7%)
Cameron & Edyta 51 (16.3%)
Jane & Tony 50 (16.0%)

I am kinda rooting against Jane & Tony at this point.  Jane has turned into the crazy loon of the season, taking it waaaay too seriously and thinking she's now a dancer and that her sh&t don't stink.  And while she has had to deal with a good deal of real life stress this season (death, wildfire, "food poisoning"), it's all starting to feel like too much Dr. Quinn, Drama Queen. 

Plus Tony comes off as an arrogant ass at times... that said, I did happen to stumble across these photos... and arrogant or not... the chest and abs are pretty nice to look at... so in another DTWS edition of "Here Google, Google" (and boy howdy, Google finds you quick!)... I present:

Tony Dovolani Shirtless

Sabrina & Mark Cha Cha Cha

Since it's Todd's birthday today thought I would do a little bit of a video treat... granted he's already seen it on TV (twice!)... but it is worth another look!

Dancing With The Stars' Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas were on their "voted off" media tour and stopped by The View yesterday... coincidentally (or not!) enough, DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba was filling in as a guest co-host (the Hassel-bot is on maternity leave ... and apparently here in AZ no less!)!

For those of you who do not watch DWTS, this is a very good example of why we were smitten with Mark.  He's definitely in fine form here.  The video does drag on... including the entire post-dance interview... but the Cha Cha Cha to the Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha is right near the start of the clip.

And to think this was their very first dance of the season!

I was a nerd and tried to figure out how Sabrina & Mark could have possibly been eliminated... honestly it doesn't take all that much!

The DWTS scoring is % of the judges votes + % of public votes. The team with the lowest sum is eliminated.   These were the scores and percentages from last week:

Mel & Maks 30 (16.7%)
Helio & Julianne 28 (15.6%)
Jennie & Derek 27 (15.0%)
Cameron & Edyta 25 (13.9%)
Sabrina & Mark 25 (13.9%)
Marie & Jonathan 23 (12.8%)
Jane & Tony 22 (12.2%)

With the judges' scores so close (as they pretty much always are!), Marie & Jane just had to get less than 2% more of the public vote to pass by the "stars" who were ultimately in last week's bottom 2... Cameron & Sabrina.

Cheated Cheetah

I see the media/cyber-world is already inappropriately and overly outraged over last night's elimination on Dancing With The Stars.  Here at W&C, I would also like to have a moment of silence...

R.I.P.  Team Sabrina

Don't worry, I am not devastated.  Surprised?  Yes.  A little sad?  Okay, just a wee bit.  But this is a reality show and oddly enough my life appears to closely resemble what it was just 24 hours ago when I believed that Sabrina Duncan and her partner Mark Ballas would dance another day. 

While I wasn't aware of Sabrina before DWTS, I figured she was safe for awhile.  Besides being the best dancer... as a Cheetah Girl (apparently in the same popularity tornado realm of High School Musical and Hannah Montana ... which I know absolutely nothing about other than it's HUGE!), I figured she had a solid fan base... and one that would be more apt to vote.   

But I think it came down to the usual recipe for reality show "shocker":  a slightly "off" week, over-confidence that they would be safe, and folks rallying to save the bottom dwellers (Jane needing votes after last week's bottom 2 showing and the lowest score this week... and Marie still feeding off goodwill over the fainting spell, that is still being shown on a continuous loop).  Likewise, Sabrina may have been hurt if folks thought she had an unfair advantage as a singer/dancer (granted not "ballroom")... but still she lacked that "fish out of water" quality that folks love about this show.

For me, it still qualifies as the biggest pre-finale upset in DWTS history.  Sure there have been many couples who should have lasted longer over lesser competition, but I don't think there has ever been a couple I thought should have made it to the finale but didn't...

We will certainly miss Mark Ballas and admit to bit of school-girlboy crush. Lately, I have been referring to Mark as Todd's "other boyfriend"... a list that is somewhat lengthy, but tends to change frequently (in fact, today's "birthday stud" Dermot Mulroney is one of Todd's Hall Of Fame "other boyfriends"... no worries, I have my list too!).  Todd is going to miss the next two weeks of DWTS... in his own words, "there's no one good left" so the timing worked out pretty well.

Before we say goodbye for now (let's hope Mark will be back for future DWTS seasons), I did stumble on some Mark Ballas Shirtless (here google, google) pix.   Granted they are a bit Tiger/Teen Beat... but what the heck, he's of legal age so I'm posting 'em!

Maks Makes Me Want To (Hand) Jive

Ok, enough of the helping my fellow man... back to the "cheese"!

It was another great night of dancing on Dancing With the "Stars" on Monday.  But somehow I think the night is most remembered (especially for the ladies and us gay folk) for the jive as performed by the Spice Girl Mel B and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.  All the judges scored it a 9 making it the top dance of the night (along with two other couples)... but I still can't tell you much about it.

A shirt can be so pesky while trying to do the jive.

Maks does "button up" for the judges' comments.

But the real fun begins backstage...

Drew Lachey (whose co-host fill-in stint sadly came to end this week thanks to the bumbling Samantha "Don't Take My Job" Harris returns three weeks after giving birth) comically said to Maks something along the lines of...

"The stage manager told us they are looking for your shirt, because they know how uncomfortable you are without a shirt on.'   

Without missing a cue, Maks ditched the vest.

Always the ad-libber, when Drew tossed it back to host Tom Bergeron he said of Maks "We know they're not looking for his ego."

A few more of my over-eager screen-capping session of Maksim Chmerkovskiy Shirtless are available "after the jump"... 

DWTS5: Gay, Straight or Taken Edition

Whenever Dancing With the Stars rolls around, it is pretty inevitable I will start getting search hits for "[insert name] gay" just slightly less popular than "[insert name] sans shirt."  Well, not exactly "sans shirt" but I am not wanting to type that magic word, because this post ain't about that!

Today, I figured I'd just get it "out" -- so to speak -- in one post... the relationship status and assumed sexual orientation of the male professional dancers on this season's show. 

Folks seem to enjoy speculating about sexual orientation... though I am not sure what one expects to find when typing in a person's name and "gay" into a search engine... generally you don't get clear answers like this. 

The male pros on the show are under particular scrutiny... being a dancer and wearing the requisite flamboyant ballroom attire apparently screams GAY!!!!!! for some people... plus they are all handsome, in good physical shape, and well-groomed.  Heck, sounds just like me... it's no wonder people think I'm gay?!!  Ha!

While declaring it on a website or being married (even to a [gasp!] woman!) doesn't make one "straight"... it does tips the "straight" scales in favor of the "give the benefit of the doubt" category...

Well, it seems as if there is a not a gay guy in the bunch this season!   Here's the rundown:

Alec Mazo (partnered for one week with Josie Maran) - TAKEN... pictured below and recently married DWTS vet Edyta Sliwinska (partnered with Cameron Mathison), in fact the nuptials were just this past Labor Day weekend.   It's really ashame that they won't have pretty babies or anything... ha!

Jonathan Roberts (partnered with Marie Osmond) - TAKEN ... and like the above (and pictured below), married to a DWTS dancer, Anna Trebunskaya (partnered with Albert Reed)

The discovery of my research... and don't get excited... was that the new guys, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas (respectively partnered with Jennie Garth and Sabrina Bryan) just don't dance... they sing and are in a band together called Almost Amy (a "fusion of acoustic pop, with a blues summer tone").  Back on topic, on their individual MySpace pages,  22 year old Derek and  21 year old Mark identify as STRAIGHT.  Here's a "band pic" of the guys:

Driton "Tony" Dovalani (partnered with Jane Seymour) is TAKEN, married with a daughter.

That leaves Maksim Chmerkovskiy... and I couldn't find a clue on Wikipedia or MySpace... but if Maks is not the living, breathing definition of a "ladies' man" I might need to get my gay-dar into the shop for a tune-up... plus there was the rumored fling with his past DWTS partner, Willa Ford... so we'll leave this one blank for wishful thinking.

DWTS5: Final 3 Predictions

It's time for my predictions of who will make the DWTS Final 3 based on only one performance.  I have a pretty decent track record -- heck, I predicted the Final 4 last season (granted I had Apolo just missing the finale, oh well).

But First!  Since I gave my initial thoughts on the ladies in yesterday's post, it seems only fair that I should do it for the men as well.

Just like Jennie Garth, All My Children's Cameron Mathison didn't end up being very memorable by the end of the night.  But as Cam said, never underestimate the loyalty of the daytime TV audience... it took GH's Kelly Monaco all the way to the Season 1 title and I think it will keep Cam around for awhile.

IMHO, the night's best performance was Indy champ Helio Castroneves... looking pretty effortless and a bit flashy even given the more sedate fox-trot as their first dance.  Credit to Julianne, who for someone so young (she was born in... 1988!!!  Ack!) is quite the choreographer... and adorable!

I thought boxer Floyd Mayweather and model Albert Reed were a bit "all over the place."  Channeling my inner Len Goodman, I didn't see a whole lot of "ballroom" in their dancing.  That said, both have a lot of potential if they are able to channel their high energy.  But both will have to work a bit hard.  Floyd didn't come across as likable as past athletes and had the lowest men's score of the night (he was worse than Mark and Wayne?!??), while Albert self-admittedly will have to overcome the anonymity issue.

The two predicted disasters, billionaire Mark Cuban and the legendary Wayne Newton, closed the show.  Cuban was much better than expected and did not exhibit much of his trademark ass-wipe reputation.  The 65-year old Newton did not surprise and was the cringe-inducer of the first round. I don't think he will get the "old guy" sympathy vote... that'll go to the ladies (Marie and Jane) this season.

My first "out" prediction... while I think Wayne is in danger, I am thinking the not as well known and lowest scoring female "star," Josie Maran, will be the first last dance of the season.

By sheer laziness coincidence, but my Final 3 prediction is a .jpg I had already created (and used before):

Mel & Max, Sabrina & Mark, Julianne & Helio... and my wild-card, Floyd & Karina. 

I think what separated these three couples already have some pretty good chemistry... and, of course, came out strong from the gates.    

DWTS5: Ladies Week 1

Thought I would do a quick chime-in on the first night of Dancing With The Stars. 

I will save my traditional/official Final 3 prediction until after tonight's show featuring the guys (I already made some guesses on the finals "sight unseen"), but for the most part the gals did a pretty good job for their first time on the dance floor.  I am guessing the dances were not assigned randomly as the older ladies got the slower dance.

I feared that Jennie Garth would be a bit stiff, but she did a good job... though by the end of the night, I had a hard time remembering much about it.  Like Ian last season, there is some nostalgia with 90210 so I think she'll stick around.  Ok, a bit catty... I thought she looked older than 35 years old... thought she was at least 5 years older (my age!) before looking it up this morning.

Josie Maran should not get too comfortable.  Pretty sure, she will be the first lady to go.  It wasn't that she was the horrendous, but she was "not good" enough and anonymous that I don't see her getting many votes.  A pity that Alec is likely out of the competition early again (he was first out last season with another - and considerably more well known! - model, Paulina Porizkova)... but given him credit for coining a great new phrase... deceptively unfit.

Even though they got pretty good marks, let's face it Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour are going to be in serious trouble once they get to the Latin dances.  Thus far the older more mature male contestants have been the ones that have been a bit kitschy on the dance floor, but Marie had some fun out there as she covered up her shortcomings.  No surprise that Jane was the epitome of class... and while HD showed some signs of age, unlike Jennie I thought she was a bit younger (Jane's 56)... oh, I took Marie's "over 45" age disclosure to mean she was 49, ends up she's 48.   Again, nostalgia and fan-base keeps them in for a bit... with the edge going to Jane, who is/will be the better dancer.

No big surprise that last night's stand-outs were members of girl-groups... Mel B. and Sabrina Bryan.  Knowing absolutely nothing about Cheetah Girl Sabrina, she was my revelation of the night.  If High School Musical's Monique Coleman is an indication of the fan-base power of being on a Disney Channel show, I'm guessing Sabrina is going to be around for a while... and after this first performance, deservedly so.  Kudos to Mel B., again being a Spice Girl is no prep for ballroom... but looking good.

Finally, we have to say this is probably the best looking crop of professional male dancers on any season of DWTS... Derek, Alec, Jonathan, Tony, Maks, and Mark... all pretty darn yummy, depending on one's mood!

DWTS5: Official Pix

The pix for the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars are up on the official ABC website, but to save you the time of having to open and close each "celebrity" here's everybody in the ballroom finery (pardon my text copy-and-paste on the pairings):

Melanie Brown (aka Scary Spice of The Spice Girls) with Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Sabrina Bryan (Disney Channel's "Cheetah Girls") with first-timer Mark Ballas
Helio Castroneves (2-time Indy 500 winner) with defending champ, Julianne Hough

Mark Cuban (NBA Dallas Mavericks owner) with Kym Johnson
Jennie Garth ("Beverly Hills 90210") with first-timer Derek Hough (Julianne's brother)
Josie Maran (Model/Actress???) with Alec Mazo

Cameron Mathison ("All My Children") with Edyta Sliwinska
"Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather (Boxing champ) with Karina Smirnoff
Wayne Newton (Singer/Vegas Icon) with Cheryl Burke

Marie Osmond (Singer) with Jonathan Roberts
Albert Reed (Model) with Anna Trebunskaya
Jane Seymour (Actress) with Tony Dovolani

Some commentary based solely on these pictures...

Kym and Cheryl are really, really (really!) trying to smile.

Jennie Garth will need to loosen up as much as her 90210 counterpart, Ian Ziering, last season.

Jane Seymour will easily outlast Marie Osmond (not that I needed a picture to think that)... and does Marie look a bit... Paula Abdul-ish "relaxed"  in that pic?

Mel & Max and Karina & Floyd for the finale?!?

Express Lane: Issue 35

Marshall Confirms Cast for "Nine" - A pretty impressive cast for 'Chicago' director Rob Marshall's film version (Dec 2008 release) of the musical "Nine"... Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Sophia Loren. (9/7/07)

Edie Falco Rolls to '30 Rock' - The 'Sopranos' star will appear in three episodes... perhaps I'll have to get over my dislike of Alec Baldwin and give the sitcom another shot. (9/6/07)

'Office' Star Jenna Fischer, Filmmaker Husband Split - Sad 'real world' news for our Pam... but this has got to be the most adorable joint divorce press announcement ever. (9/6/07)

Open-American media turn on "classless" Serena Williams - The NY Times uses the "C"-word on Serena, who gave typical credit to her vanquisher, Justine Henin, saying "she made a lot of lucky shots"... yes, it takes A LOT of VERY lucky shots to win a 6-1 final set. (9/5/07)

NBC Downloads Get Unboxed - After failing to reach an agreement with iTunes, NBC moves its shows over to Amazon... no change in the $1.99 price per episode.  (9/5/07)

Changing the world one loan at a time - The weekend edition of 'Today' had a very nice piece on Kiva.org, here's the accompanying online version. (9/4/07)

'Dancing' Partners Get Hitched - I get quite a few search hits asking about this one, and now it's official. Congrats to Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo, married in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend! (9/4/07)

CBS defends decision to cancel all BB8 interviews until after the finale -  Ironically it's a "good person" like Amber -- thanks to some not so nice in-house anti-Semitic chatter -- that halts pre-sequester press interviews for the first time ever in BB history.  (8/31/07)

Time right for Garofalo on "24" - The former Air America host stays in TV politics but  moves from left to right, "The West Wing" to joining forces with Jack "What Geneva Convention?" Bauer. (8/21/07)

"Grease" Revival Is Not The One That We Want - Laura ("fine singing voice and sweet charm") is fairing a bit better than Max ("singularly lacking in magnetism") but early reviews of the NBC cast Broadway show are not very electrifyin'... this one is not much better... and here's more. (8/20/07)

Dancing Queens (and Kings)

I was tempted to blog about the rumored celebs for the new season of Dancing With the Stars 5, but I am glad I held off as a handful of the "leaked" contestants proved to be wrong.   

Here's the official cast for the new season and their professional counterparts -- who are probably more of the "stars" these days...

Melanie Brown (aka Scary Spice of The Spice Girls) with Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Sabrina Bryan (Disney Channel's "Cheetah Girls") with first-timer Mark Ballas

Helio Castroneves (2-time Indy 500 winner) with defending champ, Julianne Hough

Mark Cuban (NBA Dallas Mavericks owner) with Kym Johnson

Jennie Garth ("Beverly Hills 90210") with first-timer Derek Hough (Julianne's brother)

Josie Maran (Model/Actress???) with Alec Mazo

Cameron Mathison ("All My Children") with Edyta Sliwinska

"Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather (Boxing champ) with Karina Smirnoff

Wayne Newton (Singer/Vegas Icon) with Cheryl Burke

Marie Osmond (Singer) with Jonathan Roberts

Albert Reed (Model) with Anna Trebunskaya

Jane Seymour (Actress) with Tony Dovolani

My initial thoughts....

Cheryl Burke finally gets a crappy partner, I am sure much to the delight of former old-guy clunkers, Edyta and Kym. 

I predict Marie Osmond will be the wacky contestant ala Lisa Rinna and Leeza Gibbons.

Dancer-wise, happy to see the spunky Anna Trebunskaya (only on the show once and partnered with Jerry Rice) back and she gets a young male model, never heard of him before... but a quick google and here he is:

Cameron and Edyta should make for a hot couple, though it all depends if Cameron can move... for those not familiar with him as Ryan Lavery on AMC, here's a picture of him:

... and I am guessing Maks should be able to hang around for awhile with Mel B, ever the modest guy, Maxsim is offers up this screensaver on his website:

The season begins with a 3-night "event" ... the ladies on Monday, September 24th... the men on Tuesday, September 25th... and the results show, with Dolly Parton as the musical guest, on Wednesday, September 26th.   Future musical guests announced are Avril Lavigne and Gloria Estefan.

Apolo Anton Oh-Yes

... Or what I really should have called this post...
Apolo Anton Ohno Shirtless or Apolo Anton Ohno Naked (here, google google...)

But first (I have to start prepping for the Chenbot's return), next week is the finale of Dancing With The Stars.  Talent-wise, it has been a very good season and I agreed with Len's assessment that the best teams made it through to the semis... and for the most part, I wouldn't mind if any of the remaining teams took home the crystal-ball trophy.

You'll see that I did it again... I predicted the final 4 based only on the very first episode... go ahead, take a look... I'll wait.  That or else I am just making the case that we are wasting 6-8 weeks of our lives between the season premiere and the finale!   Nah, it's not a waste of time... and besides, Todd wouldn't have had the joy of listening to me echo Tom Bergeron's "Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" each and every episode.

One thing I do hope I am wrong about is Apolo finishing fourth... as he has become my personal favorite for the "title."  He has the right mix of competitiveness, charm and fun... he has grown the most as a dancer... and last night sealed it...

Apolo and Julianne's Cha Cha Cha to "Push It" capsulizes everything I love about this show... it was sexy, it made me smile, and most of all... over the top cornball (ballroom dancing to Salt 'n Pepa with a full orchestra?!?!)... if it existed, it would deserves a spot in the Whine & Cheese Hall of Fame (hmmm... is that a light bulb over my head?!!)... and besides, I am totally behind anything Len dubs "raunchy" or Carrie Ann Inaaaabah says she "felt a little dirty watching."   Here it is on YouTube:

A close second favorite is Laila... who has been consistently excellent and as much of a surprise as Apolo... and most thankfully for being good enough to have us drool over Maks for the entire season (it almost made up for not having Mario around... almost!).  I love Joey too... but I just feel he came in with a bit of a dance advantage... I know, ballroom dancing is different from boy-band dancing, but all the former boy-banders have done pretty well on DwtS.   When I said "for the most part" above, the one team I would not be thrilled with winning is Ian.   While quite good, he is not in the same league as the other three ... and he gets my "taking it waaaay too seriously"/"thinks he's better than he is" trophy... or as it has become better well known, the Lisa Rinna DwtS Annual Whackjob Award.

Go Apolo!  Hopefully, I haven't put the jinx on by writing about this today.

Oh, those promised shirtless and semi-naked pix! 

These are the best ones I stumbled upon... with the speed skating, most of that strength and muscle is in that lower body, but that Cosmo cover is looking pretty darn good... not too sure about the Gap Red campaign shot... interesting, but smacks a bit too close to underage p0rn (do not want google hits for that!)... but don't worry, he turns 25 next week. 

Dancing With The Stars 4 - The Predictions

It's a W&C tradition that I make my Top 3 predictions for Dancing With The Stars the morning after the very first performance show.  They say first impressions are everything and that's certainly true in this case, since I have correctly predicted 2 of the ultimate Top 3 for the past two seasons (not that I think that's been too difficult).

First, let's go through a process of elimination (and, in no particular order):

Billy Ray Cyrus - Pretty easily the worst of the first night and the judges agreed.  Kind of surprised me a bit since he did inspire that whole "Achy Breaky Heart" dance craze back in the day. Will country music fans ride to his rescue (ala Sara Evans)... I'm thinking not.

Clyde Drexler - This is my danger non-pick.  Sports legends do very well on this show (deservedly and not), and Clyde certainly exudes the same warmth as Emmit and Jerry, but I just didn't see the same potential and his height (read: awkwardness) doesn't work in his favor.

Shandi Finnessey - Shanna Moakler didn't exactly set the bar very high for former beauty queens and I think Shandi will have the same problem... just another pretty face and no built-in fan base... and her partner is pretty freaky.

Leeza Gibbons - Sorry Leeza, you're enthusiasm is noted and appreciated, but it was just a tad boring and me thinks the elder stateswoman of the competition is going to have some problems when it comes to the Latin dances.

Heather Mills -  Was very much impressed by Mills' first performance... while I don't think it's "courageous" to put yourself on a reality show (particularly during a messy divorce), it is ballsy and I give her a lot of credit.  A mix of sympathy and awe keep her in a few weeks.

John Ratzenberger - The "old guy" usually sticks around for awhile, and I think Ratzenberger may do that... but he needs to show off a little more of the charm and humor of say a Jerry Springer or George Hamilton.  Thing thing is, he wasn't that bad... which ironically enough may send him packing earlier than those two.

Paula Porizkova - One of my surprises of the evening, thought she was pretty good and it was nice to see Alec Mazo back (grrrrrowl!), but I think she is in a similar case to Shandi... "just a pretty face" isn't enough, and she doesn't have the fan base... but showing some age lines, will keep her in for a bit.

Okay, so we are down to my Final 4 (I know I said Top Three, but give me a minute!):

Joey Fatone - I feel Joey is my only "sure thing"... he's got the personality, the recognition factor, and he can dance thanks to his boy-band days (though the true test will come next week w/ the more restrictive ballroom dances).  Nice to see Kym really be able to let loose.

Laila Ali - Though last season all three of the final "stars" were male, I still felt the pressure to put in a woman.. and Laila is certainly all woman.  An athlete plus the being the offspring of an American icon should do her well... and then there's Max (grrr!  grrr!).

Ian Zeiring - Now I wasn't all that impressed with Ian's first performance, but he's in a good demographic fan base (folks around my age, though shockingly enough I never watched 90210)... and has potential. More importantly I think America really loves the extremely likable two-time DWTS champ Cheryl Burke.

Apolo Anton Ono - Apolo is my wildcard and yes, if forced into picking just three teams, I would have Apolo just finishing short of the finale.  I think he was better than Ian, but I question how well he is able to commit to dancing while competing in speed skating.  Being an Olympics junkie, I am excited about him being on the show... but I am not sure the rest of the country feels the same (or even knows who he is), short track doesn't exactly make the front page of most newspaper sports section.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good first night.  The "stars" are certainly more prepared than they used to be... though 2 hours and 11 teams was waaaay too long for one night.

Dancing With The Stars 4 - The Couples

Ah, so much reality this morning... but Dancing With The Stars 4 pairings have just been announced and I had to share.  The "star" is listed first and in bold, though after three seasons of the show I think some of the professional dancers may be more famous!

Laila Ali (Boxer/Daughter of Muhammed Ali) & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Billy Ray Cyrus (Country Singer/Actor) & Karina Smirnoff
Clyde Drexler (Former NBA) & Elena Grinenko
Joey Fatone (Former boy-bander) & Kym Johnson
Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA 2004) & Brian Fortuna
Leeza Gibbons (Talk show host) & Tony Dovolani
Heather Mills (Ex Mrs. McCartney & has artificial leg) & Jonathan Roberts
Apolo Anton Ohno (Olympic Champ/Short Track Speed Skater) & Julianne Hough
Vincent Pastore (Formerly "Big Pussy" of The Sopranos) & Edyta Sliwinska
John Ratzenberger ("Cliff" from Cheers) & Edyta Sliwinska
Paula Porizkova (Former model) & Alec Mazo
Ian Ziering (Actor) & Cheryl Burke

Well, I heard rumors of many of the participation of many of these folks (Ali, Cyrus, Fatone, Mills, Ziering)... so not many surprises, though one of them was Ohno.   Nice to see pros Jonathan Roberts and season one champ, Alec Mazo, back.  Poor Edyta is stuck again... and not sure Cheryl Burke is going to make it a 3-peat with Ziering.

Early favorites anyone?  I see no slam dunks (pardon the pun Clyde).

DWTS4 kicks off with a 2-hour premiere Monday March 19th (it will typically air on Mondays & Tuesdays)... no eliminations until week two.

Mario Mario Mario Mario

Just because.... it makes me horny happy... and not that I think Mario & Karina should have won or anything like that... not bitter at all! ;-)

(UPDATE 5/8/07: Replacing videos that were no longer available)

Freestyle (Finals)

Paso Doble (Finals)

Mambo (Week 6)

Samba (Week 8)

tags:  dancing with the stars,  mario lopez,  karina smirnoff

DWTS3: Final 3

We're down to the final 3 couples on Dancing With The Stars 3...

I have this tradition of predicting the Final 3 based only on their very first performance... and I am happy to report that for a second consecutive year... I almost got it right.  Granted it didn't take any brain surgery to guess that Emmitt/Cheryl and Mario/Karina would make it... my wildcard selection for the final slot was Willa/Max.  Thinking Stacy Keibler didn't have much a locked-in fan-base last year, I thought Willa stood a chance... and I still think they deserved to go farther in the competition.

Now I did have Joey/Edyta finishing just outside the Top 3... and honestly my gut reaction was to put them in the Final 3 (I know easy to say now!)... but I just didn't think 3 male "stars" would make it to the end.

So who's going to win?  I am fairly confident that the final showdown will be Emmitt vs. Mario... but who knows... one needs only to go back to last year, when Jerry Rice took out more deserving Stacy/Tony duo... though I think Joey/Edyta are far more worthy of a final berth than Jerry/Anna. 

Hands down, Mario should win.  I think, by a long stretch, Mario is the best "star" dancer ever to hit the DWTS stage.  And it's just a certainly doesn't hurt that every time Mario finishes a dance we are rendered speechless and have to retrieve our jaws off the floor and stick our tongues back in our mouths.

That said, I think Emmitt will win.  While I think he has been a smidge overrated all season... he seems to have the huge likability/"common man" factor with folks seem to be more impressed with his ability to translate his athletic prowess to the dance floor... plus it just doesn't seem fair that Mario is that cute and can dance too!

tags:  dancing with the stars

Monique Coleman Wardrobe Malfunction

My search hit page is always a good indication of what's hot and buzzworthy... in the last 24 hours, these search hits started cropping up:

monique coleman wardrobe malfuntion
monique dancing with the stars wardrobe malfunction
monique ass slip
monique butt slip
monique coleman loses skirt
monique coleman rear end revealed

Of course, I watch Dancing With The Stars... but as with Ms. Jackson, the mother of all wardrobe malfunctions, I didn't have a clue a "malfunction" had occurred...and I certainly had not saved the episode on the TiVo to go be able to go back and review...   

But you know the media would be all over it... so yesterday afternoon, the entertainment program, The Insider, is on... and I get to see what it's all about:

So what happened?  Monique, while doing the jive with partner Louis Van Amstel, kicks up her leg... her heel gets tangled on some of that frilly stuff on her skirt... and when her leg comes down... so does her skirt... whoopsie!  In a post-show interview, Monique mentions that she "felt a draft."

Now it is all fairly innocent, but given the current climate that the very fabric of American society will be torn beyond repair if even the slightest bit of nudity is shown on television I am still surprised that the show is showing it over and over again... the third time around, The Insider provides viewers with the visual assistance of a circle, just in case we missed!

But apparently what is OK at 3:00 in the afternoon, is not OK at 6:30 at night...

By the time Entertainment Tonight rolls around and Mary Hart mercilessly teases us with upcoming un-coverage... Monique's "butt slip" is only given one go-round and the image is blurred... but after all, it is the dinner hour.

tags: dancing with the stars, monique coleman, wardrobe malfunction

Dancing With The Stars 3 - Predictions

Ok... was everyone excited about the debut of Dancing With The Stars 3... it sure got the bad taste out of my mouth after that "lesser of two evils" Big Brother finale.  So last season, I made my Final 3 predictions for the show... and had some reasonable success, so I thought I would tempt fate and try it again.  I think we have some obvious candidates.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the male "stars" and their Cha-Cha-Cha... but maybe because the ladies' Fox Trot seemed much more boring subdued.

Top 3 Predictions

Well, the odds-on Vegas favorite Mario Lopez (with partner Karina Smirnoff) sure came out of the gates quickly.  As the great philosopher Shakira once said... the hips don't lie.  Yowza, I think my jaw was dropped at one point... and I can't wait until Todd gets back home... he was quite excited about Mario being on the show... and I think this first dance won't leave him disappointed.

Following last year's success of footballer Jerry Ri