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Friday, May 30, 2008
Ox Notes: May 30, 2008
Cristian de la Fuente told USA Today that fellow Dancing with the Stars 6 competitor Steve Guttenberg brought him pizza and cupcakes to aid his recovery after arm surgery. The doctor who performed the surgery told Entertainment Tonight that Cristian should be fully recovered in three months.
Bill Cosby's actual "Cosby sweaters" are being auctioned for charity, with bids starting at $5000.
I had to catch up on last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance with Zap2It's recap, as I watched the Lost finale instead. Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael, gave a candid interview to TV Guide about what he thinks of his character's story arc. Perrineau did not divulge the total number of times he's had to yell "My boy!" or "Walt!" during his tenure on the show.
In order to keep the cast and crew from divulging what happened at the end of the season finale, Lost producers shot three possible endings. The two alternate endings were shown on today's edition of Good Morning America.
My mom will be delighted to learn that Emmitt Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is being turned into a stage musical. Do you think they'll encourage moshing during the performance by The Nightmare?
The New York Times has a list of the Top Twenty Shows of the 2007-2008 season, in terms of numbers of viewers. It's not clear in the Times' list, but based on the generally lower ratings for Dancing with the Stars 6, I'm assuming that DwtS 5's Performance and Results shows ranked #3 and #5, respectively, and DwtS 6's ranked #4 and#7.
I didn't watch So You Think You Can Dance last night; did I miss anything? Zap2It has a recap of the second audition episode.
I did catch the latest episode of Top Chef: Chicago. I think the overall level of competition dropped a bit with Dale's elimination last week, and Tom Colicchio and Harold Dieterle agreed with me on that in their blog posts about last night's episode.
Out of the top six contestants, I would've given Dale and Antonia an outside chance to win, with Stephanie and Richard being the favorites. Spike and Lisa never had a chance, and yet one of them is in the Final Four (I won't spoil it).
In other Bravo TV news, Project Runway's Nick Verreos and Laura Bennett are keeping mini-blogs at MSN's Style Studio. Laura also has a clothing line available through QVC (enter "Laura Bennett" in the search box).
Supernatural creator Eric Kripke told TV Guide that fans needn't freak out after the dramatic season finale: they can't do the show without Dean.
The cast list for ABC's I Survived a Japanese Game Show was released. One of the contestants is the caretaker of weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.
This last link isn't TV related, but the Telegraph has a fascinating interview with John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten. You don't have to be a fan of punk rock to appreciate this well-written article about the former Sex Pistols frontman.
Australia's version of Dancing with the Stars has approached Tara Reid to compete on the show. Normally, I'd make some quip like, "Let's hope producers of the US version don't get the same idea," but I would absolutely love it if Tara Reid was cast for DwtS 7.
American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe isn't thrilled about Paula Abdul's public campaign to be cast on Dancing with the Stars.
Maybe Laila Ali's in such a grumpy mood lately because new episodes of American Gladiators are getting beaten in the ratings by reruns, but she told OKMagazine.com that she didn't want her son to be a dancer, she wanted him to be "a serious athlete."
Ahead of tonight's new episode of Top Chef: Chicago, People.com has an interview with Dale, who was recently ousted for letting Lisa serve awful-tasting soup.
One of Top Chef's producers was quoted in a Hollywood Reporter article about the ways networks are trying to cut costs at reality shows, which are already notoriously cheap to produce.
The studios reached an agreement on a three-year contract with AFTRA this morning. The contract covers almost a dozen shows, including Curb Your Enthusiasm and Reaper. SAG resumes its negotiations with the studios today.
One of the issues that might be on the table during SAG's negotiations is compensation for voice actors featured in video games, who are paid a fee for their services, but don't get any residuals from game sales. That means that Michael Hollick, who played the lead in Grand Theft Auto IV, won't ever get a cut of the games profits, which have already exceeded $600 million.
To my dismay, colorful Dallas Cowboy's star Terrell Owens turned down the opportunity to appear on DwtS.
Actors' union AFTRA is reportedly close to reaching a deal with the studios. A deal would put pressure on the other actors' union, SAG, to reach similar terms with the studios, and could go a long way toward preventing another Hollywood strike.
The CW announced its upcoming slate of Sunday night shows. Recently canceled CBS vampire drama Moonlight isn't on The CW's schedule, putting an end to fans' hopes that the network might bring the show back from the dead.
Yahoo! has a slideshow of TV shows that were canceled this season. It's fascinating to see how many shows lasted just a few episodes.
Reality Blurred wrote about some new reality shows hoping to fill the voids left by those canceled shows next season.
Details have emerged about Virtuality, the new show from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore.
Sam Neill is getting all the headlines for his role in NBC's new series, Crusoe, but I'm way more excited about one of his co-stars: Sean Bean!
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is getting his own animated series, which will center on a rock star whose tattoos come to life an talk to him.
A bunch of American Idol fans were disappointed when their Tivos stopped recording before the winner was announced on Wednesday night. Maybe if networks would go back to having their shows finish before the end of the hour, instead of this ending-two-minutes-after-the-hour nonsense...
In honor of the return of So You Think You Can Dance, Zap2It has an interview with host Cat Deeley, as well as updates on the Season 3 finalists. Looks like SYTYCD is a good career move for dancers.
I did wind up watching part of the SYTYCD 4 premiere last night after all. I'd forgotten how easy it is to get sucked in to the show, particularly during the audition phase. Happily, I tuned in just in time to see my favorite dancer audition: Gold Inferno!
The Dancing with the Stars 6 Finale was watched by 19.94 million viewers, a 17 percent drop from the DwtS 5 Finale. People has a What You Didn't See report from Tuesday's show.
Season 6 winner Kristi Yamaguchi wrote a lengthy blog post about her post-DwtS plans, and where she's going to display her mirrorball trophy.
Runner up Jason Taylor's post-DwtS plans evidently don't include attending any Miami Dolphins' training camps this summer.
CMT is holding a contest to win a private concert by Julianne Hough.
Bravo has an interview with Top Chef 4 contestant Stephanie about last night's Restaurant Wars challenge. Lee Ann Wong blogged about some of the production prep that went into making the episode.
Variety writes that negotiations between studios and the actors' union AFTRA have hit a snag over rebroadcasting material online.
Fox, recognizing this as the official week of two-hour TV events, is premiering So You Think You Can Dance 4 tonight in a -- you guessed it -- two-hour TV event. The MOIB chat room will be open for those interested slamming the delusional folks (remember Sex?) who will inevitably dominate the first audition episode.
I've watched my quota of dancing on TV for the week, so I'll probably just check in on the SYTYCD 4 premiere sporadically. I'd like to do some reading tonight, or maybe watch a PBS documentary about the Japanese American experience during WWII. But I confess that I'm just as likely to wind up watching Jaws on TCM.
Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and The Insider all posted video interviews with Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas last night as they celebrated winning Dancing with the Stars 6. And Insider correspondent Cojo revealed his desire to compete onthe next season of DwtS -- with Derek Hough as his partner.
Yahoo! has a special DwtSBuzz Session in honor of the finale. Diane Mizota and Joey Lawrence announced that they'll bring the Buzz Session back next season.
Of all of the dancers interviewed about Kristi & Mark's win, the only sore loser seems to be Laila Ali, of all people. The DwtS 4 competitor told TV Guide, "If she had been on my season, I would've been like, 'That's not fair!' I consider her a dancer already, but on ice. The truth is the truth."
OK! has updates on what the competitors will be doing now that the season is over. Edyta says she's heading to Poland: "I need my mom to take care of me."
In other TV news, Variety's Brian Lowry offered his opinion of fan campaigns to save cancelled TV shows. Reality Blurred posted links to a couple of articles about The Deadliest Catch, which I might actually get to watch now that Dancing with the Stars is over.
Kristi Yamaguchi broke the curse, becoming the first woman since Season One to win Dancing with the Stars.
Though I was happy with the outcome, I have to say that ABC should rethink its decision to make the final Results Show two hours long -- ending a full hour later than regular Results Shows. There wasn't nearly enough new material to warrant the extended length. And while ABC undoubtedly saw the extra time as an easy way to sell more ad time to sponsors, I saw every commercial break as an opportunity to do anything other than be held prisoner on my couch.
If it weren't for the dedicated gabbers in the My Ox Is Broken chatroom, I don't think I could've made it through the whole show.
Here were some of the highlights of an otherwise lackluster finale:
After a recap of last night's final Performance Show, Usher performed his song "Love in This Club," accompanied by his own dancers.
Then, former contestants, like Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, weighed in on who they thought would win the mirrorball trophy. The bit seemed a little off, since it was obviously filmed when the celebs gathered weeks ago for the 100th episode special.
The announcement of the third place couple was next. Cristian & Cheryl were eliminated, and Cheryl cried as she told Cristian, "I love you, and I'll miss you and your family so much."
The duo immediately danced their Paso Doble, which was the routine they'd chosen to perform in front of the judges, had they made it into the top two. This performance wasn't scored, though, and Cristian did a lot less yelling than he did the first time they performed it.
Then began an hour and a half of time-killing segments. All of the couples who competed this season returned to dance their favorite routines. The performances were interspersed with easy-to-ignore video segments about things that happened during the season.
Pro-Celeb Demos: Penn Jillette & Kym Johnson -- Cha Cha Cha Monica Seles & Jonathan Roberts -- Mambo Steve Guttenberg & Anna Trebunskaya -- Tango Adam Carolla & Julianne Hough -- Paso Doble
Upon finishing his performance, which did include the unicycle, Adam gave a stirring speech about DwtS as a microcosm of America, in which everyone is accepted, "gay, straight, and Guttenberg."
Following those performances, Brandon & Brittany were crowned the winners of the Ballroom Kids competition. Brandon's dreams came true when three members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders presented him with his own mini mirrorball trophy.
Pro-Celeb Demos: Priscilla Presley & Louis van Amstel -- Tango Marlee Matlin & Fabian Sanchez -- Mambo Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough -- Quickstep
When Tom Bergeron teased Shannon for being exhausted after every performance, she climbed on Tom, and he was forced to hold her up while she answered questions from Samantha Harris. After returning from another pointless video montage, Tom joked, "It was cute. After Shannon left, my wife called...with her lawyer."
Pro-Celeb Demos: Mario & Karina - Cha Cha Cha Marissa & Tony -- Paso Doble
Usher and his dancers were joined by DwtS pros Karina, Kym, Derek, and Cheryl for a performance of his hit song, "Yeah."
With about 30 minutes left in the show, Kristi and Jason returned to the floor to give their final performances in front of the judges. The judges' scores for these routines were added to the totals from the previous night.
Kristi & Mark -- 1st Jive Len told Kristi, "For me, you are the most consistent dancer, not only on this season, any season." Bruno said, "Another great achievement from the great achiever." Carrie Ann said "Together as a team, you guys set the standard for the season from day one."
Backstage with Samantha, Kristi cried as she thanked Mark for all of his help.
Jason & Edyta -- Quickstep Bruno said, "Jason & Edyta, I think the term 'heavenly bodies' has been coined for you." Carrie Ann said, "You are untouchable as far as grace goes." Len told Jason, "Kristi may be the judges' champion. You're the people's champion."
At long last, it was time to announce this season's winners. Kristi & Mark were handed their mirrorball trophy, and then carried around the ballroom on the shoulders of their fellow competitors, as the band played James Brown's "I Feel Good."
After last night's Dancing with the Stars 6 Finals, Jason Taylor wrote in his ESPN blog, "Kristi will win."
Kristi Yamaguchi didn't sound so sure of the outcome in her OK! blog. And Mark Ballas's parents told TV Guide that Mark's early ouster from Season 4 gave him a healthy degree of paranoia this season.
DwtS pro Jonathan Roberts told TV Squad that he's rooting for Kristi & Mark to win, as are Diane Mizota and Joey Lawrence of the Yahoo! Buzz Session.
Gordon Ramsey told TV Guide that he's pissed at Fox for casting Hell's Kitchen contestants that are "flamboyant," but lacking in cooking skills.
Maybe he'll lighten up a bit when he sees Fox's upcoming American version of the game show Hole in the Wall. This TV Guide article includes a clip from the Danish edition.
After the first night of the Dancing with the Stars 6 Finals, Kristi's perfect evening left her well ahead of the other competitors -- at least in the eyes of the judges.
Cha Cha Face-Off The first round of competition featured all three of the couples dancing a Cha Cha Cha to the same song: an extended remix of Lionel Richie's "Dancin' On the Ceiling." Disappointingly, nobody actually danced on a ceiling. The couples took turns dancing, with Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke performing first, followed by Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska, and Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas.
Len Goodman told Cristian he had "all the gear at the rear." Bruno Tonioli said Jason was "a bit off." And Carrie Ann Inaba told Kristi, "You won that, hands down."
Kristi & Mark Julianne Hough stopped by rehearsal to give Kristi tips on doing lifts with Mark, and the advice paid off. The routine was full of cool lifts and tricks, including Kristi launching Mark into a backflip. The pair's glittery pants and Moonwalk moves were a nice nod to their song, Michael Jackson's "Workin' Day and Night."
Bruno called the routine "an inspiring infusion of Mambo and hip-hop. Worthy of the championship, for me." Carrie Ann told Kristi, "You were the big crowd pleaser. Love it." Len said, "I'm not a lover of hip-hop. But for me, this held my attention from start to finish. I absolutely loved it."
Jason & Edyta Jason's physical strength was a real asset, as it allowed them to perform some impressive lifts. But his height hampered his speed, and Edyta spent most of the time in the spotlight as they danced to Will Smith's "Miami." For a little voting insurance, Edyta ripped off Jason's shirt at the end of their freestyle.
Carrie Ann said, "Edyta, it is so nice to see you here in the finals," adding, "The most ambitious lifts I've ever seen." Referencing the song, Len told Jason, "I can see us on South Beach, you in your Speedo, me in my thong." Bruno said (to Jason & Edyta, not to Len), "If you've got it, flaunt it. And the dance wasn't bad either."
Samantha Harris repeatedly cut off Jason & Edyta as she spoke with them backstage, prompting Tom Bergeron to jokingly refer to the exchange as an "interview in Haiku."
Cristian & Cheryl Cristian kept hurting his arm during rehearsal, but he refused to cut any lifts from the routine. During the performance, the lifts were impressive because they were executed with one arm, but they didn't reach the same heights as the lifts done by Kristi and Jason. Overall, it was a fun Latin routine that played to Cristian's strengths.
Len said, "As far as I was concerned, some of the lifts weren't quit up to the standard of the other two. Bruno told Cristian, "For one arm, you did bloody well." Carrie Ann said, "I don't know if either [you or Jason] compare to Kristi tonight, but when I look at you, I see a winner in so many other ways."
Judges' Leaderboard: 60 -- Kristi & Mark 52 -- Cristian & Cheryl 51 -- Jason & Edyta
Based on tonight's performances, there's no question in my mind who should win. Kristi, who started strong, refined her performance skills over the course of the season to become the most impressive female celebrity ever to compete on the show. All of my votes went to Kristi & Mark.
Tonight's final Dancing with the Stars 6 Performance Show will run a mere 62 minutes, in order to make way for a two-hour Bachelorette premiere. Reality TV Magazine has a schedule of events for both the Performance Show, and tomorrow night's Results Show.
Kristi Yamaguchi, who deserves kudos for diligently posting at her OK! Magazine blog throughout the season, wrote this morning that she and Mark Ballas have big plans for their freestyle routine. TV Guide has an interview with Kristi, who is Julianne Hough's pick to win this season.
Entertainment Tonight caught up with Kristi & Mark and their fellow competitors, Cristian de le Fuente & Cheryl Burke, during rehearsals. ESPN has a report about Jason Taylor's post-DwtSHollywood plans.
Fox is hoping to speed Survivor's demise by running ratings champs like Moment of Truth and Hell's Kitchen against the aging franchise. With episodes of all three shows available for free online, will this aggressive counterprogramming even make a difference?
One network that is worrying about its declining ratings is The CW. TV Guide reports that the network could fold in 2009.
The CW's problems are just part of a larger upheaval taking place in Hollywood, prompted in part by the writers strike, and which could worsen if the actors strike this summer. Variety has reports about a recent spate of stars firing their agents, and TV's rush to get shows produced while they still have actors at their disposal.
June 24 can't come soon enough for me. That's when I Survived a Japanese Game Show debuts on ABC. So far, the games the contestants will participate in sound AWESOME.
When the Summer Olympics begin in August, Sportscenter will air live on ESPN from 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET every weekday.
DwtS pro Ashly DelGrosso is keeping an online video diary. And another DwtS pro, MaksimChmerkovskiy, was interviewed by The Insider at an event for Modern Bride magazine, of all places.
TV Guide has an interview with Survivor: Micronesia winner, Parvati Shallow.
Turns out the revamped American Gladiators might not be the ratings juggernaut NBC thought it was. It's second season premiere on Monday (which I didn't even know about until the next next morning) was watched by fewer than 5 million people.
The Amazing Race 13's finalists will cross the finish line today in Portland, Oregon.
Fans of Moonlight will gather outside the gates of Warner Brothers Studios at noon today to encourage producers to find a new home for the show. Good luck, vamp fans!
The worst thing about Dancing with the Stars 6 wrapping next week is that Tom Bergeron will only be on TV one night a week, hosting America's Funniest Home Videos. This excerpt from TV Guide's Backstage Report shows why Tom is the best:
He also makes himself accessible to the older dancers, like Mel B., who made a habit of goosing him after every dance last season. As she tries to distract him from this interview, he calls out to her. "Don't make faces, Mel, when I'm talking to TV Guide. But if you'd like to grab anything, you know you have carte blanche."
Mel filed a humorous video report from last night's Results Show, in which Cristian de la Fuente took her to task for doubting him earlier in the season. Entertainment Tonight has a video report as well.
Based on her interview with OK!, Marissa Jaret Winokur seems too busy to be down about being eliminated from Dancing with the Stars.
Kristi Yamaguchi is understandably pumped about making the finals, as she wrote in her blog for OK! Magazine. She also posted after Monday night's Performance Show.
Catching up on other news items from Monday night's episode of DwtS, which was seen by 18.27 million viewers, People filed a "What You Didn't See" report from the set.
Following the show, the dancers usually go out to dinner with their friends and family. The Insider has a video of a swarm of photographers waiting outside of a restaurant for the stars to emerge.
MOIB covert operative "Oxpal" went out to dinner with Cristian & Cheryl after the May 6 Performance Show, and got to experience the paparazzi first hand. When Oxpal left the restaurant to get something from her car, one of photogs yelled, "Put your cameras down. It's nobody." Don't worry, Oxpal. You're a big star here at My Ox Is Broken!
Another friend of the Ox is waiting to learn if her show will be back on the air this fall. Writer Kira Snyder's show, Moonlight, was cancelled by CBS yesterday, although the producers are holding out hope that another network, like The CW, will pick up the show for a second season.
I'd be cool with The CW canning Smallville -- which is losing its stars left and right -- in favor of Moonlight. TV Guide's Matt Roush sounds like he'd be on board, too.
CBS announced the rest of its fall plans, which are viewable in grid form at TV Guide's website.
After nine weeks of dancing, we finally have our Dancing with the Stars 6 finalists.
A recap of this week's Performance Show included Cheryl bragging to Tom in the hallway after the show, "Two 10s and a 9, Tom. What can you say about that?" Tom turned to Cristian and said, "Congratulations. I thought you really carried her."
The judges awarded the encore to Kristi & Mark for their Tango.
Then, it was time for the final round of the Ballroom Kids competition. 9-and-under champs Aaron & Rashell got a special visit during rehearsal from Kym Johnson. Aaron put the whole experience in perspective: "No matter if we lose or win, we were still on TV."
The pair performed a Cha Cha Cha that prompted Len to remark, "Your little bums were flying everywhere."
Following the performance, Samantha chatted with the celebs backstage, teasing Jason about his "budding romance" with Cristian.
Then it was time for a tribute to Michael Jackson, choreographed by Travis Payne and sung by Omarion. It was okay, but a bit anticlimactic.
Back to the dance floor for a performance by the 10-and-under champs, Jaryd & Cara. Maksim Chmerkovskiy stopped by their rehearsal, making Cara swoon, "He's so cute." The duo performed Samba to the They Might Be Giants arrangement of "Istanbul, Not Constantinople." Len said, "Don't tell them people backstage there, but I'd rather watch you two than those big ones."
13-and-under champs Brandon & Brittany were up next. Their former dance teacher, Ashly DelGrosso, helped them with their Paso Doble. After their impressive performance, Tom said to the judges, "I've rarely seen all three of your jaws hit the desk at the same time."
Samantha then chatted with the ballroom kids. Cara was diplomatic enough to say, "All of the [DwtS] pros are really, really good. Better than all of us." When asked which celebrity he'd like to dance with if he were a DwtS pro, Brandon said, "Any of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders."
Samantha informed the three pairs of kids that they'd all won trips to Disneyland. She threw the hosting duties back to Tom, who quipped, "Why do I think Brandon would rather go to Dallas?"
Viewers can vote for the couple they found most entertaining at ABC's website, and the winners will be announced next Tuesday. My vote went to Jaryd & Cara, because Cara cracks me up.
In order to keep from revealing the results until the last possible second, the stars talked about how badly they want to make the finals in a pretaped segment.
Finally, after 51 minutes, the first safe couple was announced: Kristi & Mark.
Jason & Edyta were next to learn they were safe, leaving Cristian & Cheryl and Marissa & Tony waiting to learn their fates.
Marissa & Tony were told that they were out, and they didn't look surprised. That helped the two of them stay upbeat as they watched a video montage of their highlights from the show. They danced their final dance to Frank Sinatra's "The Best Is Yet to Come."
Last night's Dancing with the Stars 6 Semi-Finals spawned two entertaining post-show interview videos. Mel B asked all of the stars about their pre-show rituals for Access Hollywood, and got a funny answer from Marissa Jaret Winokur.
Cristian de la Fuenta commandeered Entertainment Tonight's microphone in order to interview Cheryl Burke, and spent most of the interview pretending like he was going to hit Cheryl in the mouth with the mic.
When she wasn't yelling at Cristian, Cheryl revealed the plan for next week's final round: each couple will perform their favorite dance from the season, as well as a new freestyle routine, and all of the couples will dance a Cha Cha Cha to the same song.
Mark Ballas told TV Guide that one of the biggest challenges at this point in the season is that the songs the couples are dancing to are about 25 seconds longer than they were at the beginning of the season.
This week's DwtSYahoo! Buzz Session was entertaining, as always. Extra has a goofy interview with Bruno Tonioli and American Idol judge Simon Cowell.
Former DwtSer Jerry Springer has an interesting Q & A with the A.V. Club.
It's upfront week, and all of the networks are announcing plans for the 2008-09 season. Here are the latest plans from ABC, CBS, and The CW. The CW also announced that it has renewed Reaper, and Scrubs has officially moved to ABC.
Two-time loser Amanda Kimmel told TV Guide that she's just "too nice" to win Survivor. I'm pretty sure "nice" wasn't the adjective the jury members were thinking when Amanda was bawling at Tribal Council about the emotional toll of winning the final Immunity Challenge.
Survivor: Micronesia winner Parvati Shallow was lucky she wasn't up against Cirie in the Final Two. Alexis, who voted for Parvati, said in this Ponderosa video that she'd been rooting for Cirie.
In the DwtS 6 semifinals, the couples tackled two dance styles they'd performed previously.
Ballroom Round Before the dances began, Judge Len Goodman said that, after last week's suspension of the rules, the couples were not allowed to do lifts this week.
Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska -- Fox Trot Jason got a pep talk by Miami Dolphin legend Dan Marino: "You're not gonna let two actors and an ice skater beat you, are ya?"
The routine was cute, and Jason had plenty of opportunities to show off his impressive wingspan. But Edyta did a lot more posing -- which usually serves to cover a partner's deficiencies -- than I would've expected at this point in the season.
Len said, "It was fantastic. I loved every part of it." Bruno said, "This had plenty of movement. You actually gave showmanship to the dance." Carrie Ann said this routine had "a lot more content, a lot more charisma" than their previous Fox Trot.
Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani -- Quickstep Stacy Keibler stopped by to teach Marissa how she was able to pretend to find Tony sexy during the Rumba, despite considering Tony an "older, meaner brother."
This classic routine showed off what a strong dancer Marissa's become, as they spent most of the performance moving in hold.
Bruno pointed out a move that Marissa missed, saying, "It's the semifinal." Carrie Ann called Marissa "the unlikely contender." Len said, "For a dance so technical and so fast, I thought you did a great job."
Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke -- Viennese Waltz The duo spent some of their rehearsal time walking around town wearing sandwich boards that read "Will Dance For Votes."
Cristian's looked much happier on the dance floor since he busted his arm. The romance of the performance transcended the fact that Cheryl was dressed like Sputnik, as they danced to Dave Matthews Band's "Satellite."
Carrie Ann said, "The movement was great." Len felt this Viennese Waltz had "better content, better mix of steps." Bruno called the routine "a Viennese Waltz with a wow factor."
Tom Bergeron then complimented Cheryl's silver dress before asking the crowd, "Is anyone missing a weather balloon?" Cheryl yelled, "Stop it!" and slapped him in the chest.
Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas -- Tango As part of their rehearsal, the pair went to an advanced Tango class to ask for tips on improving Kristi's emotional expression.
The connection between Kristi & Mark was better in this Tango, although sometimes I wasn't sure exactly what emotion Kristi was trying to portray. Technically, the dancing was as good as ever.
Len said, "Sometimes for me, it was a bit hectic." Bruno disagreed: "You squeezed every single drop of drama out of the Tango." Carrie Ann said, "Welcome," paused and as she adjusted her dress, which was stuck on her chair, and continued, "Welcome back to the dance floor! You are the Queen of the Dance Floor!"
Len's Masterclass: The Man with the Golden 10 Len's traditional visit to the couples during semifinal week was introduced like a James Bond film. He gave all of the couples a move to include in their Latin routines, before hopping back in his black stretch limo, where a "Bond Girl" -- played by Kym Johnson -- was waiting for him. Too bad it wasn't Jane Seymour, who really was a Bond Girl in Live and Let Die.
Jason & Edyta -- Paso Doble Jason stayed in character, but his moves were clumsy. Halfway through the routine, they did an obvious lift, but the judges didn't dock them for it or even mention it.
Bruno compared Jason to Iron Man (surprising, since Bruno typically only references Disney-produced movies). Carrie Ann said, "Great job, nice execution." Len told Jason, "You're a bit like the price of gas: you're going up."
Marissa & Tony -- Rumba Marissa overcame any squeamishness she had about snuggling up to Tony, so much so that her dress got stuck to the sequins on Tony's pants at the end of the routine.
Carrie Ann said, "I wasn't excited by that. I really don't feel like that was a semifinal dance." Len disagreed: "I thought you did a very, very good job." Bruno told Marissa, "You went for it, and you sold it well." Carrie Ann jumped in, "It's the semifinals! It's not exciting enough!"
Cristian & Cheryl -- Samba Just in case his other arm gave out, Cristian showed a little skin and shook his bum. It was nice to see them complete the dance that almost took them out of the competition a few weeks ago.
Len said, "That was hotter than a chili pepper, my Chilean friend. Occasionally for me, it was a little flat footed." Bruno said, "Everyone was partying, me included." Carrie Ann said, "That was fantastic, Cristian."
Kristi & Mark -- Jive Dancing to a quirky song like Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" kept them from matching the perfect score they got for their first Jive. But it was still a strong performance.
Bruno called the performance a "sweet, sweet delicious Jive." Carrie Ann said, "That was an extremely difficult routine. Tonight you were just a hair out of sync." Len said, "I liked the basic steps you put in. But I've gotta say, sometimes you were a little bit stiff."
Judges' Leaderboard: 57 -- Kristi & Mark 56 -- Cristian & Cheryl 55 -- Jason & Edyta 52 -- Marissa & Tony
Kristi & Mark deserved their spot atop the leaderboard, and Cristian & Cheryl merited their second place finish. But I would've swapped Jason & Edyta's position with Marissa & Tony's. It will take an amazing upset in order for Marissa to make it to next week's finale.
A few bits of news as the minutes countdown to Dancing with the Stars:
Entertainment Tonight has video of Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke practicing for tonight's show, while The Insider stopped by Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas's rehearsal.
Kristi wrote for OK! about rehearsing this week, as well as throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Friday's L.A. Dodgers game. People has a pic of Kristi's toss, which made it across the plate.
Star Magazine reports that Derek Hough has moved in with Shannon Elizabeth.
Sorry about bailing on Ox Notes yesterday. I was writing an article about author Emily Giffin, whose new book comes out on Tuesday. I'll link to the interview when it's published next week. It's an entertaining read, if I do say so myself.
Access Hollywood caught up with Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska as they rehearsed the Fox Trot and Paso Doble for Monday night's Dancing with the Stars 6 Semi-Final.
Catching up on news from the 100th episode special, People has a backstage report and video from the red carpet after party (thanks for the link, Imee). A news station in Sacramento filmed seven videos that night, including a tour of the costume room and funny interviews with Tom Bergeron and Len Goodman (links to the vids are in the sidebar).
MOIB reader Katy noticed this TV Guide report that Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough might be developing a reality show. About what?
DwtS fainter Marie Osmond talked with TV Guide about the reality show she's hosting on Mother's Day.
Project Runway's Nina Garcia has landed a gig at Marie Clarie magazine.
PR's current network, Bravo, is taking an earth-friendly approach to promoting its shows for Emmy consideration.
The outcome of last night's episode of Survivor: Micronesia was so tragically inevitable that Greg & I spent the final segment laughing our butts off. The whole show is available online, as are a couple of new Ponderosa videos.
TV Guide has an interview with the Survivors eliminated last week, James and Alexis.
Sunday night, Greg and I are taking my brother, Dan, to see Crowded House in concert in Chicago. Before seeing them perform last summer during Live Earth, I was only familiar with a few of the band's songs that were big in America. And, on our honeymoon in 2004, I'd been amused to learn that "Better Be Home Soon" is the unofficial national anthem of New Zealand.
But it was the performance at Live Earth that made me fall in love with Crowded House. Greg & I saw them perform in Milwaukee last fall as part of their first US tour in more than a decade. And I'm just as excited to see them again this time.
Here's info on Crowded House's current tour, lest you become hooked -- as I was -- after watching this video of their Live Earth performance in Sydney.
Kristi Yamaguchi posted her thoughts on making the semi-finals in her OK! Magazine blog. Kristi confirmed that, after the show, the couples did pull their dances for next week out of a hat. She and Mark will dance the Jive and Tango. Cristian & Cheryl will dance the Samba and Viennese Waltz, according to the ET video.
Mark Ballas told Us that he and Sabrina Bryan have called it quits: "She is too busy for me. We are just friends now."
Former DwtSer Cameron Mathison has signed on to host a game show on TLC.
Producers and the Screen Actors Guild have suspended talks after failing to compromise on DVD residual rates. The contract between the two groups runs out on June 30.
One couple became the latest in a long list of duos voted off of Dancing with the Stars.
The night started with a Judges' All-Time Favorite Dances Special. The ten dances featured were:
10. Kelly & Alec -- Freestyle 9. Sabrina & Mark -- Paso Doble 8. Emmitt & Cheryl -- Cha Cha Cha 7. Apolo & Julianne -- Quickstep 6. Joey & Kym -- Jive 5. Helio & Julianne -- Quickstep 4. Drew & Cheryl -- Freestyle 3. Stacy & Tony -- Samba 2. Mel B & Maksim -- Paso Doble 1. Mario & Karina -- 2nd Tango
The official 100th Episode special edition of the Results Show kicked off with a dance by twelve of the professional dancers, past and present, including Fabian, Louis, Maks, Alec, Jonathan, Derek, Cheryl, Kym, Elena, Ashly, Karina, and Anna. The highlight of the performance was Karina's leap over Jonathan's head and into Maks' arms.
The dance was followed by the first performance of the night by musical guests Rascal Flatts. Season 4 champs Apolo & Julianne danced a lengthy new routine with lots of lifts, and Apolo did pretty well for a guy who hasn't danced on TV in a year.
Following that performance, Tom gave some of the former cast members in the audience -- including Stacy Keibler, Lisa Rinna, Jerry Springer, Vivica A. Fox, Joey Fatone, Kenny Mayne, and Sabrina Bryan -- a chance to plug their current projects.
Then it was time for a much-hyped performance by Mario Lopez and cast members from Broadway's A Chorus Line. It was fine, assuming you're a fan of A Chorus Line.
Rascal Flatts returned to the stage, this time accompanied by Mel B & Maks. Their new routine included Mel's "walking splits" move from Season 5.
Samantha caught up with the past champions in attendance to find out what they thought of the current crop of contestants. Kelly said she was rooting for Kristi to win, Apolo was torn between Kristi and Jason, and Drew said he was rooting for Cristian.
A pretaped segment featured the current season's stars talking about which stars from past seasons they try to emulate. Kristi is inspired by Joey Fatone, Marissa by Mel B, Mario by Mario Lopez, Jason by Emmitt, and Cristian by Helio.
At long last it was time to find out which couples were safe. First, Marissa & Tony and Kristi & Mark were told they were moving on to next week. Then, after a break, Cristian & Cheryl were announced safe.
That left Jason & Edyta and Mario & Karina awaiting their fate, although they didn't necessarily constitute the two lowest scoring couples.
Mario & Karina were told their time had come, and they didn't look surprised. In fact, Karina was upbeat enough to show off some disco moves, as the band played their exit song: Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
The one-armed man, Cristian de la Fuente, was understandably the focus of attention after last night's Dancing with the Stars Performance Show. Entertainment Tonight filed a video report from backstage, while TV Guide and People posted written accounts.
Yahoo! has another Buzz Session with Joey Lawrence and Diane Mizota. Is anyone else amused that the Buzz Session has a new sponsor every week? This week, it's Ritz crackers.
Kristi Yamaguchi posted her thoughts on last night's show in her OK! Magazine blog.
Kristi and partner Mark Ballas were the subjects of two other videos. The Insider filmed Kristi & Mark at a TV Guide photo shoot, and TV Guide caught up with a pair at the magazine's Sexiest Stars party.
Extra stopped by the set of Dancing with the Stars to watch Mario Lopez film a performance with his Chorus Line castmates for tonight's DwtS 100th episode special.
The most interesting piece in the Variety series on DwtS is Carrie Ann Inaba's list of her Top 6 celebrity contestants. Only three of the five champions made the list.
Judges' Leaderboard (out of 60): 57 -- Cristian & Cheryl 55 -- Kristi & Mark 53 -- Mario & Karina 52 -- Jason & Edyta 50 -- Marissa & Tony
Cristian was the highlight of a lackluster Latin Round, and he was certainly the biggest surprise of the night. He & Cheryl earned the lion's share of my votes, with the rest going to Kristi & Mark and Mario & Karina for their enjoyable performances.
Jason & Edyta's Samba was uncharacteristically bad. Still, I don't think Jason's in any danger of going home; in fact, he might avoid the Bottom Two altogether. Mario and Marissa probably have the most reason to be concerned.
Jason reportedly had to bail on lunch with Denzel Washington and pass on an opportunity to meet Al Pacino because Edyta kept calling his cell phone and chewing him out for being late to rehearsal.
On May 16, Tony Dovolani & Elena Grinenko are scheduled to perform at a high school fundraiser in Orlando, FL, in case you live in that neck of the woods.
Several of the Dancing with the Stars pros will perform at tonight's Race to Erase MS benefit in California, and Entertainment Tonightinterviewed the pros as they rehearsed their routine.
Extra interviewed a shirtless Mario Lopez as he took promo shots for his new book, Mario Lopez's Knockout Fitness.
As part of Tuesday night's DwtS100th episode special, Apolo Anton Ohno & Julianne Hough and Mel B & Maksim Chmerkovskiy will dance to performances by country music stars Rascal Flatts.
Senator Barack Obama presented the Top 10 List on The Late Show with David Letterman last night. Number 10 is my favorite.
(Survivor spoiler alert)
Reality Blurred has a recap of last night's episode, and CBS.com has some illuminating videos from the Ponderosa. Eliza, Ozzy, and Jason were shocked when James -- IV bag in tow -- joined them on the jury bench because James had to spend his first several days in hospital after he was removed from the game. They hadn't been told about his removal before Tribal Council.
Based on Eliza's and Ozzy's reactions when Alexis got to Ponderosa, Parvati overestimated Alexis's chances of winning $1 million. Both favorites took offense to Alexis's assertion that she never lied in the game, calling her "delusional."
Catching up on Dancing with the Stars news from this week of competition, People filed backstage reports from Monday's and Tuesday's shows. Tuesday night's Results Show was seen by 17.2 million viewers.
Marlee Matlin posted some well wishes for the injured Cristian de la Fuente at her MySpace blog. DwtS 5 competitor Cameron Mathison told OK! that Cristian's injury might actually help him: "I think it just brings a little more awareness to him because there are five people left and everyone's got their favorites. It could single him out a little bit more."
Next week, Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas will dance the Samba and Quickstep, and Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani will dance the Mambo and Fox Trot (thanks, Marina).
The Daytime Emmy Award nominations have been announced. The award seems less credible now that they've nominated Sherri "Flat Earth" Shepard for Best Talk Show Host, and Tyra got nominated in the Talk Show/Informative category -- unless the show qualified for Tyra's excellence in informing the world about Tyra.
G4 is planning the worst game show ever. The title, Hurl!, sums up everything you need to know about the show. Yuck.
Ahead of tonight's new episode of Survivor: Micronesia, TV Guide interviewed Jason, who was happy to no longer have to listen to the women of Dabu talk "about salons and facials and colonics and the bar manager they hooked up with last week."
