What's New!
Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff Split
Posted By: admin On: June 6, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
It is official! Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff are not longer a romantic item. A spokesperson for Smirnoff told People that “Karina has parted ways with her two year relationship with Mario Lopez. The relationship wasn’t heading in the right direction.”
If you recall in April, there were reports that the two had split. Both denied the rumors and were even seen together in Miami last month. Guess the getaway to Miami wasn’t enough to keep these two together.
Will she be going after the other Mario in her life? Her dance partner from this season? We’ll see!
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough Spoof DWTS
Posted By: admin On: June 1, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
A YouTube video is all over the place showing Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough performing their un-aired foxtrot. It is pretty cute and funny.
Take a look at the video of Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough dancing their unaired tongue in cheek Foxtrot to Close to You by the Carpenters:
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough Share Parade Car
Posted By: admin On: May 25, 2008 Comments: ( 1 )
Helio Castroneves shared his parade car with none other than Julianne Hough. The parade I am referring to is the Indy 500 parade that takes place downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Julianne sang her new single “That Song In My Head” while former Dancing alums, Drew Lachey, Sabrina Bryan, Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez looked on. They held up all 10’s after she finished. Drew, Sabrina, Marlee, and Fabian were in the Dancing with the Stars Float as well.
After Julianne sang her song, she was interviewed for about 15 minutes. She will be touring with Brad Paisley next month and will open for him. They asked about Helio and how much they keep in touch and she said they talk all the time that they are really great friends. She said they had been texting each other all day since she hadn’t seen him since she got into town. She saw him right after that because she shared his parade car with him. The seat next to the driver is usually reserved for wives, children, and family members. Don’t get the wrong idea - they still profess that they are just good friends.
I’ve captured some pictures of Julianne Hough and Helio Castroneves. The last picture is of the Dancing with the Stars Float. Drew Lachey is in the white. Standing next to him is Sabrina Bryan with Fabian next to her. Marlee was next to Fabian, but she isn’t pictured (sorry Marlee fans).
I’ll try to capture some photos tomorrow of Kristi waving the green flag. Stay tuned!
A Dancing With the Stars Studded Indy 500
Posted By: admin On: May 24, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
Tomorrow is race day folks. Yep, I’m a Hoosier - born and raised and I plan to go to the Indy 500 and I’m so excited. Why you ask? Well, the whole race tradition is exciting - packing the traditional grub (KFC popcorn chicken), waking up early, sitting in the car listening to WIBC AM as they cover all the pre-race festivities, dragging out the cooler, butt pad, and thermos to make the mile trek to our seats, the stars parading around the track, the “Back Home Again in Indiana” song, the millions of colored balloons let out in the sky, and the list goes on and on. What does this have to do with Dancing with the Stars you ask?
Well, obviously last seasons winner, Helio Castroneves is starting in Row 2 of this years race. He must have some pull because he got his former dance partner, Julianne Hough to sing the National Anthem tomorrow. She posted on MySpace that she is “ready for the Indy 500″ and that she is “thankful”. Not only is Helio and Julianne gonna be at the race, so is newly crowned winner Kristi Yamaguchi. Guess what she’ll be doing? She’ll be waving the green flag to get the race underway. Some boxer backed out at the last minute so Helio must have pulled more strings to get new champ, Kristi to wave the green flag. I am stoked because most of this will be taking place in front of my very eyes. Of course I’ll have to use some binoculars to see Julianne and Helio, but Kristi will be right by my seats waving that green flag in the air like she just don’t care. I’ll try to get some pics and will try my best to contain myself. I’m also hoping that Helio’s pits will be around my seats as I’m right in front of pit row. Ahhhh - the anticipation of it all. I’m getting excited!
In the meantime, enjoy some Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas winner’s pictures! The last picture is my favorite because Helio is in it giving the thumbs up. Soooo cute! Enjoy!
Cameron Mathison Just Won’t Go Away
Posted By: Bridget On: May 23, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
My least favorite celeb of all time, the over-exposed, over-tanned, and under-talented Cameron Mathison will also move to the judges chair for the Hallmark channel’s Daddy dancing competition. This competition sounds a lot like the laughable “Your Mama Don’t Dance” program that former DWTS star Ian Ziering hosted. I never thought they would actually invent jobs for the DWTS alum, lucky for them.
Hallmark is inviting dads across the country to participate in its “Daddy of All Dance-Offs,” a light-hearted competition aimed at “moving Dad” through music this
Mathison hopes to get dads across the country excited about this opportunity to compete. He also will help judge the four finalists in a national dance-off finale to determine the best dancing dad in America.”If I can do it, anyone can do it,” said Mathison. “My wife and kids got a huge kick out of seeing me dance week after week on the show, and now dancing is something we do together as a family. Hallmark’s “Daddy of all Dance-Offs” will give dads everywhere the chance to experience what I’ve experienced — that dancing is a lot of fun and can connect families in a new way.”
Mathison knows, however, that some dads may need more help than others in this area. So, starting today, consumers can visit http://www.hallmark.com/movedad to view Mathison’s own dance tips and advice for overcoming stage fright, recovering from a botched dance move, and more. “I certainly wasn’t a dancer before I competed on ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ so I know how daunting it can be to put yourself out there. If my hints can help move dads from the couch to the dance floor, I’ll be happy.”
Any dad brave enough to bust a move can enter the contest in one of two ways. First, they can participate in one of three live “Daddy of All Dance-Off” events, where they’ll compete against other local dads for a chance to move on to the final round. The live events will take place in the following cities and locations:
Main Street Days (Downtown Grapevine) Grapevine, Texas May 16: Auditions 3 - 8 p.m. May 17: Auditions 10 a.m - 8 p.m. May 18: Auditions 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Finals from 3 - 4 p.m. Indy 500 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Indianapolis, Ind. May 23: Auditions 10 a.m - 7 p.m. May 24: Auditions 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Finals from 5 - 6 p.m. Portland Rose Festival (Downtown Portland) Portland, Ore. May 31: Auditions 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. June 1: Auditions 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Finals from 3 - 4 p.m.
Dads who aren’t able to compete in one of the local events can instead submit a 30-second video dance audition on http://www.hallmark.com/movedad where a 30-second clip of “U Can’t Touch This” is available for free download, for audition purposes only. The finalists’ videos will be posted on
The prizes for each of the local events and the online contest are
Drew Lachey Moving to the Judges Chair!
Posted By: Bridget On: May 17, 2008 Comments: ( 2 )
Drew Lachey, DWTS alum and fantasy man of my pal Alyssa, will judge an online video contest called “Dancin’ To Change Diabetes.” In his ongoing spokesperson role, Lachey has teamed up with healthcare company Novo Nordisk to judge the contest. In Dancin’ contestants are invited to submit videos of themselves doing dance moves that help keep them in shape.
Drew Lachey will lead a panel of judges who will choose three finalists who will then be voted on by the public. The winning dance clip will be announced in San Francisco on Saturday, June 7, 2008, during the official ceremony of the Novo Nordisk Changing Diabetes® Bus World Tour and Diabetes Village on Pier 39, East Park.
First prize is a year-long gym membership within close proximity to the winner; second place is a Wii™ system, including Wii™ controllers, Wii Fit™ and Dance Dance Revolution™; third place is a four hundred dollar gift certificate to REI®, a popular sporting goods store.
Full contest rules can be found at www.dancingtochangediabetes.com
Submissions will be accepted from until 12:01 p.m. EST May 26, 2008.
Online voting polls will be open from 12:01 a.m. EST Friday, May 30, 2008, through 12:01 p.m. EST, Thursday, June 5, 2008.
Marissa Jaret Winokur Developing Talk Show
Posted By: Bridget On: May 12, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
Annoyingly cheerful Dancing With The Stars celeb Marissa Jaret Winokur is developing her own daytime talk show. The starlet recently signed a development deal with Sony pictures to host a talk show with plans to air in the fall of 2009. Apparently there was some sort of bidding war between studios for the bubbly Tony award winner turned reality star.
I, personally, am shocked that anyone thinks a full hour of the over the top sunshine of Mrs. Winokur is a good idea. The thought of watching that program makes me want to gauge out my ears with a sharp stick. Marissa has proven to have some staying power and fan base on Dancing With The Stars, but I question her ability to have a dedicated audience. Let’s be honest-she’s no Oprah…and talk shows are, like, hard. Chevy Chase failed, I think Megan Mullally failed, Pat Sajak failed…the list goes on and on. Worse yet, another Dancing alum is also in development for a talk show. Yep, Alyssa’s all time favorite contender Marie Osmond is also floating rumors about a gab fest. I would love to see the two of them go head to head…on second thought, I would rather not watch!!!
Mario Appears on Jimmy Kimmel
Posted By: Bridget On: May 10, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
Finally, Mario is on Jimmy Kimmel-not that I think he deserved it, but I always think the celeb that I don’t know is going to be the first one ousted. He lasted a lot longer than I anticipated. Jimmy introduced him by saying that DWTS celebrated its’ 100th episode by kicking him off the show. Mario looked handsome in a black suit with a white shirt and shiny white tie.
After replaying Len Goodman’s Britney Spears analogy, Mario laughed and said he appreciated Len’s comments. He also said that he was having some new underwear sent to Len’s house, since he has some that is more than 21 years old. Jimmy then moved on to Karina Smirnoff, claiming that Mario would not look him in the eye when asked about her, which must mean that he really dislikes her. Mario said that their personalities mesh well, Jimmy replied that, “she likes Mario’s you know.”
Mario claimed that there was not truth to the rumors of a relationship with Karina. He did say that the rumors were good because they showed that people saw their chemistry on stage. He also said that Karina Smirnoff tried to prepare him for the elimination by making sure that he had a speech ready, he did not heed her advice. Too bad. Then they burned the shoes, yuk, yuk, yuk.
Cristian de la Fuente Sued…Twice!!
Posted By: Bridget On: May 8, 2008 Comments: ( 1 )
Resident Latin lover on DWTS Cristian de la Fuente has more than a ruptured tendon to worry about these days. Cristian is being sued by by Jasmaine Chatman. Ms. Shatman filed papers at Los Angeles Superior Court claiming he “tampered with (her) vehicle” in early March (08). Chatman is seeking $5,000 (GBP2,500) for “damages, storage fees, car rental, lost time at school”, according to TMZ.com. No other details on exactly what tampering with a vehicle entails, but one thing is for sure it is not a headache Cristian de la Fuente has time to handle.
Cristian is also being sued by a man involved in a June 2007 incident at a Los Angeles Porsche dealership. According to the suit, de la Fuente parked his car in the service department, blocking other customers. The lawsuit claims he was asked to move the car, then “in a huff, jumped in his Audi and without looking, hastily put his vehicle into reverse and accelerated into the Plaintiff.” Plaintiff, Kazuo Kimura claims he was “knocked to the ground and sustained serious injuries for which surgical intervention has been recommended.” The suit claims de la Fuente “showed no remorse” and “blamed the plaintiff for standing behind his vehicle and then refused to provide his license and insurance information.” No citations were issued.
Yikes Cristian!! You seemed like such a nice guy….say it isn’t so!!!
Alyssa’s Take - Week 8 DWTS
Posted By: admin On: May 6, 2008 Comments: ( 0 )
By: Alyssa
I didn’t watch last night. I don’t know - just kind of bored this season. Perhaps it came too quickly - perhaps the stars aren’t holding my attention enough - perhaps there isn’t a Helio, Apolo, or Drew this season. I don’t know, but I seriously need to get out of my funk. My recap will be short and sweet. Thanks to Bridget for covering it in-depth last night. I’m watching it one day later and the results will be on shortly.
First impressions - Yep, Cheryl looks like a Peacock. Yep, don’t like Kristi’s hair, Edyta looks fab in black, Cristian keeps looking Edyta up and down, not liking Marissa’s hair tonight either, Mario and Jason are handsome in suits (where’s the tights and onesies, Jason?) and I’m guessing Kristi is first b/c she keeps taking in deep breaths and letting it out - yep, I am right. Let’s see what she has this week.
Being more determined, Kristi has Samba and Quickstep and her and Mark battle back and forth about lifts. Mark said no in the Samba, but yes in Quickstep. Quickstep first - she is wearing Royal Blue and Mark a tux with Royal insides. It seemed ok - I wasn’t blown away. Seems like she couldn’t keep up at times and the the lift did nothing for me. Len was cheered up by the Quickstep, Bruno thinks she is finals material, Carrie Ann pointed some out of sync parts aka “dragging” LOL! Scores were 2 10’s and a 9 from Carrie Ann. Total 29 out of 30.
“Not Stiff Enough” Mario and Karina Smirnoff dance the Jive and Viennese Waltz. He, too, wants to do lifts. We see them practice and Karina screeching as he drops her. We see some pool action and skin/bikinis. Mario exploits his 21 year oldness while doing the Viennese Waltz. Will he be stiff enough for Carrie Ann and Elegant enough for Len? I like the flowing acorss the floor and he is keeping hold - looks stiff enough to me. Niiice lift - elegant and fits with the dance. I do believe I have a little bit of goosebumps here. Bruno thought he was a prince, Carrie Ann said it was nice and stiff just like how she likes it (LOL), and Len thought it was elegant and romantic. He really does a BAD impression of Len backstage. ugh! He received all 9’s for a 27 out of 30. I thought it was worth 10’s in my opinion.
Third up is Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani dancing foxtrot and mambo. They will be doing “a” lift and she “kinda wants to win” now. Foxtrot first and they are dancing to “New York New York”. She had some nice kicks and the lift was cute - but I was a bit bored. It didn’t look hard enough. Carrie Ann loved it and was full of joy, Len loved her in the hold, Bruno said it wasn’t quite appropriate for the dance in the finals. Seems like he agrees with me. Commercial break then the scores. Two 8’s and a 9 from Carrie Ann for a total of 25 out of 30. Samantha just needs to shut up - ugh - annoying me.
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska dancing the tango and Samba this week. Jason is worried about the flamboyancy of the Samba - he puts on crazy clothes, a wig, and gets a spray tan even though he is dark skinned already. Tango is first. They are dancing to proper tango music. While I am watching - I’d like to know, Bridget, why you don’t like Edyta as you’ve never said why. Please spill in your next post. I like this Tango - very difficult footwork, nice high lift, and he was really in character spray tan or not. They show his wife in the audience and she is HOT too! Len thought it was a good job, called Bruno sunshine b/c he disagreed - LOL! Bruno said he hated them b/c they are so beautiful and said Edyta has never danced better and Jason was right there with her. Carrie Ann said she is scared of Bruno b/c he is possessed - LOL! Carrie Ann thought it was fantastic as he brought lots more colors to the dance. We get to see Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez in the audience - they can’t get enough I guess. I’m ignoring Samantha while I wait for the scores - Same as Kristi’s scores (29 out of 30 with the stingy Len giving him the 9).
Last up for the ballroom round is Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke. We get recaps of his injury. We get to see the x-ray, the doc, etc. Does that put to rest all of the doubters in that he faked his injury? C’mon get a clue, people, he didn’t fake it. This week they have the Tango and Mambo. They are gonna try to put some lifts in. We’ll see how that all pans out. I am dying at the feather dusters he has up by his face before the commercial break. LOL! Tango is up first for these two. I’m wondering why they always give Cheryl the Michael Jackson songs (Thriller with Drew) and now Beat It with Cristian. He got a perfect dance int he tango so that he can grimace (it is probably due to the pain of his arm though). The lift was kind of interesting. They ended nicely with his MJ glove up in his face. You couldn’t have told that he had an arm problem - and for that I say good for him. Bruno reminded us they judge for what they see and called him the man with the golden arm calling their tango very good. Carrie Ann tried to look for arm issues, but saw nothing at all - great job. Len gave Cheryl props with the choreography for accounting for the one armed star. We get some blah blah blah from Samantha and now the scores of a 10 from Carrie Ann (which Cristian is so excited about and he high fives Tony Dovolani) and 2 9’s from the other two. Total 28 out of 30. Tom makes a funny about Cheryl peering through feather dusters - that’s old news, Tom, Cristian already did that bit before last commercial.
Leadboard after Ballroom Round
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 29 out of 30
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 29 out of 30
Cristin de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke 28 out of 30
Mario and Karina Smirnoff 27 out of 30
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani 25 out of 30
Samba is up next for Kristi and Mark. Do not like that fringe/feather junk in her hair, Mark looks almost rubbery because he is so flexible and limber. I think Kristi is limbering and loosing up too, but their ending was off with the timing of the music - too much spinning. It was pretty good, but again I wasn’t blown away. Carrie Ann looks disgusted and said she didn’t care for it. Bruno looks miffed. Carrie Ann said it felt out of control and not as graceful. Len like the speed, energy, but it lost the rhythm of the dance. Bruno loved the spins and pointed out the difficulty she goes after. Samantha is wayy tongue tired here. It feels like nails on a chalkboard to my ears - ack! Her scores are 2 9’s and an 8 from Carrie Ann. Total this round 26 out of 30 and a grand total of 55 out of 60.
Jivin’ is Mario and Karina. She is wearing pink polka dots. He has on pink suspenders and pink socks or it could be black shoes with pink on top - can’t tell. I didn’t think his kicks were flickin’ enough, but he did flip her around like a pancake at the end and he can’t keep his balance at the end, but does save it. It was kinda cute, but just ok. Len called it roughness and called his feet bloody big ugly ones, Bruno said it was the spirit of rock n roll, Carrie Ann said he brought new flavor and agreed to a point about his flexed feet, but she liked it. He receives 2 9’s and an 8 from Len. Total of 26 out of 30 and a grand total of 53 out of 60.
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are mambo-ing next. She has on red fringe. It looks a little slow and easy for my taste, but she does a nice backbend while Tony flies his legs over his head (he did this same move with Stacy Keibler) and she has the same spin as Kristi and did it slower, but rather nicely. Bruno wants more sexy and called it really, really nice. Carrie Ann loves the way she goes for it, but needs to really nail it and Len called it too dainty and careful (wasn’t raunchy enough) - I love how Len says raunchy. Bruno calls him out b/c he never knows how Len likes it. Len replied with “I like it how I like it.” LOL! Her scores were 2 8’s and a 9 from Len for a total of 25 out of 30. Grand total of 50 out of 60. She will probably be in trouble tonight.
Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska have the Samba next. He is looking mighty fine in his gray pants and she is wearing a little tiny outfit - geez. I honestly don’t have any comment - I don’t know what to say to that. I didn’t get it - didn’t like it - don’t know what that was. Carrie Ann said it didn’t go so well and called it muddy, Len called it alright, and Bruno called him a turkey tonight with his Samba. Glad the judges agreed with me here. Scores were 2 8’s and a stingy 7 from Len for a total of 23 out of 30 and a grand total of 52 out of 60.
Last up is Cristian and Cheryl dancing the Mambo and if they get a 28 they will take the top of the leaderboard. hmmm. Yeah, I agree that Cristian should have just worn sleeves - for god’s sake. It has nice hip action, energy, but I thought at times he stood around while Cheryl danced around him. He did a lift at the end with one arm and it looks cool - I’m proud of him for just getting out there trying. Good for him. Len said it was full of energy, great hips and that it was a fabulous energy. Bruno said it was magic and loved the energy. Carrie Ann said he is definitely latin and they are both on fire. I smell the top of the leaderboard for these two. His scores are 2 10’s and a 9 from Len for a 29 out of 30 and a grand total of 57 out of 60.
Final Leaderboard
Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke 57 out of 60
Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas 55 out of 60
Mario and Karina Smirnoff 53 out of 60
Jason Taylor and Edyta Slinwska 52 out of 60
Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani 50 out of 60
Favorite dance Jason and Edyta’s Tango - I guess. Least favorite Jason and Edyta’s Samba.
