Ox Notes: September 8, 2008

Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has been raving about his Season 7 partner, Misty May-Treanor, telling People and TV Guide that she has a "combination of the best qualities" of his previous partners, Laila Ali and Mel B. The new pair's first two dances will be the Fox Trot and Mambo.

Karina Smirnoff talked with People about her DwtS 7 partner, Rocco DiSpirito: "I need him to let go of all inhibitions and just go for it."

DwtS 7 contestant Cloris Leachman told Showbiz Spy that she was rejected for two previous seasons of the show because casting directors thought she was too old.

The New York Post's Page Six reports that veteran DwtS pros Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough are jealous that Lacey Schwimmer was paired with Lance Bass and are giving the new pro the cold shoulder.

People reports that Tony Dovolani's wife, Lina, gave birth to a boy and a girl early this morning. The twins are named Adrian and Adriana.

The Los Angeles Times covered last season's Dancing with the Stars junior division winners Brandon & Brittany's trip to Disneyland, part of their prize for winning the competition.

Reality Blurred's Andy Dehnart posted his impressions of Survivor: Gabon contestants Matty and Kelly, neither of whom sound very nice.

Project Runway 6, the series' first season on Lifetime, has been pushed back to January 2009.

Variety has an article about the trouble networks are having promoting new shows that still don't have finished episodes ready to air.

MSNBC has replaced Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann as anchors of the cable network's election coverage with bland talking head David Gregory because parent network NBC didn't like being accused of having liberal leanings. But it's okay if FOX News takes orders directly from the White House?

Fortunately, MSNBC is still enthusiastically promoting a new show helmed by unabashedly liberal pundit Rachel Maddow, whom I feel is the smartest, most reasonable person in television news. The Rachel Maddow Show debuts tonight at 9 p.m. ET.