New cast, new format on DWTS

Let's be honest, this is the first time I have watched DWTS in years. I used to love the show. I posted my favorites here on this very blog almost every week. But I stopped watching because (a) I could not dedicated 3-4 hours a week to the show with the performances and the results show and because (b) the casts sucked.

DWTS solved one problem – they cut the results show. Now,  I only have to dedicate two hours of my life to this show! (And I can cut that down even more if I fastforward through the judges scores and Brooke Burke segments.)

And the casting this year – geez! I know I'm kind of a pop culture whore, but I knew every single name on that list except the football player. Mercedes from Glee, Leah Remini, Jack Osbourne, Elizabeth Berkley, Christina Milian, Bill Freaking Nye the Science Guy?! These people are legit 'stars' (in my opinion).

The season premiere (Monday) didn't disappoint either. Granted, you have to keep in mind that a lot of these competitors have past experience - Mercedes, Elizabeth Berkley, Corbin, Christina Milian - a lot of them have danced somewhat before. There were a lot of high scores given out in the very first episode.

image via ABC News

It's just a TV show.

I guess I'm not the only one mad that Bristol Palin is still on Dancing With The Stars....

A Wisconsin man has been arrested after he fired a gun at his TV when Bristol Palin performed on Dancing with the Stars and then held police at bay in a 15-hour standoff.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court, Janice Cowan told police that her husband, Steven Cowan, 67, became enraged when Palin started dancing on Monday's show. She said he screamed, "the f---ing politics," because he was upset that Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin, was still on the show since he believes she's not a good dancer.

Full story here.

The Best, the Worst, and Who that Leaves. DWTS Week 3.

I'll admit, as sad as I am that the Hoff and Michael Bolton were complete Dancing failures (I was hoping one of them would take on the suave older man role...), this season is shaping out to be pretty darn good.

My Best:
There are quite a few surprises for me this season. I really didn't think Audrina or Brandy would be good... boy was I wrong! They just seem so awkward and lanky, but they are doing really well! Oh, but Audrina- eat something. Her arms in the practice footage were making me sick.

The men of the season are the ones winning me over though. Rick, Kurt, Kyle, you boys are fabulous. Seriously.

Oh and of course Jennifer Grey is good. She was in Dirty Dancing for goodness sake.

My Worst:
Bristol and The Situation. These are arguably the most hyped contestants, so I doubt they will actually go home (which sucks for the next two people I mention....). But seriously, they are bad dancers. Mike is pigeon-toed. And it is painful to watch. Although, I give him credit for trying so hard. I love Jersey Shore and I love The Situation. But Bristol? She is boring, on and off the dance floor, and she's a bad dancer. If I had my way, she'd be going home.


And who that leaves:
Florence and Margaret Cho, both of which aren't good.... but they aren't bad either! I'm worried for Margaret because she is at the bottom of the scoreboard and probably doesn't have a huge fan base, but I really hope she stays! I don't think her dancing is deserving of such a low score! And I can see her improving, growing as a dancer.... as opposed to practically everyone else who is already really good. Oh, and can ballroom dancers not have tattoos? Why do they make Margaret cover hers up?

Better Than Expected: Dancing with the Stars

I watch a lot of TV, I know, but Dancing with the Stars may be on of my guiltiest pleasures. I don't know why, but this show just draws me back season after season (except last season, when I didn't watch at all, oops).

As if just watching the show isn't enough, I take notes. Not joking. I grab the nearest pen and scratch paper and write down the best performances, the worst performances, and anything and everything Tom says that makes me laugh.

Here are some thoughts from last night's premiere:

Spotted in the audience: Past DWTS contestant (and winner, right?) Evan Lyasek; Weddy Williams (?); The Situation's sister, cheering him on; Jamie Lee Curtis (?); Ray J, cheering on sis Brandy; and Elisha Dushku, cheering on boyfriend Rick Fox (yes, really. I looked it up.)

Everyone was actually a lot better than I expected (especially Audrina, Margarat Cho, and disney channel guy). I feel like this was the highest level performance I've seen in a premiere episode. No one  is hopeless (except maybe Bristol, Michael Bolton and Florence, who, IMHO, I think were the worst of the bunch).... There's a lot of potential there.

That being said, who do I think is going home? I think it will be Bristol. Yes, she has pretty brown hair and good legs, but she was bad. And she has just about zero personality.

Best live moment of the night:
Cariann says to Florence, "Some things get better with age..." and the camera cuts to Jamie Lee Curtis. 

LOL, indeed.

That is Correct

So pretty much (for once) every rumor regarding the new season of DWTS was right.... so much for keeping it a secret....

The new cast:
**Brandy
Bristol Palin
Jennifer Grey
**Margaret Cho
**Audrina Patridge
Florence Henderson
**Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino
*David Hasselhoff
*Michael Bolton
Kurt Warner
Kyle Massey
*Rick Fox

*who I think will actually be a good dancer
** who I think will be a trainwreck, and thus, more fun to watch

Rumors on Who Will Be Dancing

DWTS cast will be announced next week, but in the meantime here are Buddy TV's predictions of who's taking a spin on the dancefloor...

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino: The Jersey Shore star could flash his abs all over the DWTS stage, though he should be warned that Maksim Chmerkovskiy is the reigning king of shirtless dancing.

Audrina Patridge: The Hills gal could make two MTV reality stars on this season. She could also be the first person eliminated, if she does make it.

Bristol Palin: As if guest starring on The Secret Life of the American Teenager wasn't bad enough, now Bristol could outshine Levi Johnston in the realm of reality TV fame whoring.

Florence Henderson: Every season needs a token older contestant, so why not sweet little Carol Brady?

Jennifer Grey: Nobody puts Jennifer in the corner. It's fairly the obvious the only reason Grey would be on this show is because of Dirty Dancing and so that Carrie Ann Inaba can deduct points for a lift when Jennifer's partner (Derek Hough, according to E!Online) helps her have the time of her life.

Margaret Cho: Comedians have a fairly terrible track record on DWTS (see: Ashley Hamilton, Jeffrey Ross and Penn Jillette, all out first).

David Hasselhoff: I still don't understand how this isn't a joke, but if he really is on the show, I give him two weeks until he's dancing to his own music. He'll have a lock on the German-American vote.

Michael Bolton: Personally I'd prefer David Herman's character from the movie Office Space to be a contestant, but I guess the 40-something women who watch DWTS need something, and this might be it.

Brandy: Ray J's sister could fill a lot of the token quotas for DWTS, including musical genre and racial diversity.

Rick Fox: This former NBA was married to Vanessa Williams and now dates Eliza Dushku. In other words, he's a winner.

Kurt Warner: While NFL stars typically do well, DWTS has never had a quarterback. Warner could break that streak.

Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez: ABC loves reality synergy with Trista Sutter, Melissa Rycroft and Jake Pavelka as past dancers, but even so, Ali and Roberto are already long forgotten.

Landon Donovan: World Cup fever has died down as has talk of Donovan being on the show.

Troy Aikman: Early rumors were quickly shot down, thus ruining Dallas Cowboys fans of having Aikman on DWTS and Jimmy Johnson on Survivor at the same time.

Kirstie Alley: While the Cheers and Fat Actress star would make for hilarious TV (and provide a season's worth of material for Joel McHale on The Soup), she has denied it, thus ruining the joyous possibility of seeing a Samba to the tune of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

We Got A Situation

The Situation on Dancing With The Stars? Gosh, I hope so!

Give Me My Remote reports:

While ABC won’t make an official cast announcement until August 30th, The Situation will reportedly be joined on the competition series by reality star Audrina Patridge, singer Brandy and former NFL star Kurt Warner.

DWTS Season 10 Cast & Pros Announced!

The new cast of Dancing with the Stars has been announced!

Aiden Turner of All My Children. I think he might be British. I know he's pretty attractive. Paired with: Edyta

Buzz Aldrin. Astronaut. Cool dude. Paired with: Ashley Costa (DelGrosso)

Pamela Anderson of Baywatch... and other 'films.' Paired with: Damien Whitewood (new pro)

Erin Andrews, the ESPN host who was secretly filmed in her hotel bathroom. Paired with: Maks

Shannen Doherty of 90210, Charmed. Paired with: Mark Ballas

Evan Lysacek. Yep, the guy who just won gold in figure skating in Vancouver. Paired with: Anna Trebunskaya

Kate Gosselin. Yes, her. Paired with: Tony Dovoloni.

Niecey Nash. Doesn't she host a 'you're a slob, let's clean up and sell all your stuff' show on TLC or something? Paired with: Louis Van Amstel

Chad Ochocinco, football player. Paired with: Cheryl Burke

Jake the Bachelor (yes, the season that just ended. Busy guy). Paired with: Chelsie Hightower

Nicole of the Pussycat Dolls. Paired with: Derek Hough


Notes: 
-Why does Derek always get paired with hot girls?
-Jake is too old to be with Chelsie. Why are there no 'young' stars?
-I bet Aiden and Edyta, and Ochocinco and Cheryl will be good
-I bet Pamela Anderson will be awkward, a la Kim Kardashian and Jane Seymour.
-Niecey Nash is already outrageous. Her + Louis? Expect crazy costumes/makeup.
-They are going to put Erin Andrews in some really skanky outfits.
-Pros missing? Karina, Lacey, Kym, Dimitri... who else?

Sam's out, Paula's in?!

Samantha Harris decided to step down as cohost of DWTS.

Did I care? Not really. Let's be honest, Tom Bergeron is the real star of the show. The only contribution Samantha made was pretty dresses.

But with the speculation that Paula Abdul might replace, now I really care. Please, NO PAULA!

Sorry... some thoughts

Okay, okay, I haven't posted in, like, forever, and I apologize for that. Now that we have hit the holiday season (um, December, where did you come from?!), a ton of shows are gearing up for season/mid-season finales. Here are some thoughts on how far we've come and where we are going...

Desperate Housewives
A plane is crashing in Wisteria Lane. Seriously, who would want to live on this street? Fires, tornadoes, murder, suicide, you name it, they've seen it. This Sunday, for the Desperate mid-season finale, someone is going to die. And not just any someone, this someone is rumored to be on the show from season one. McClusky? Julie? Carlos? Karl? My money is on one of those four... Oh, and Katherine? She is nuts. I hope the plane hits her too.

One Tree Hill
Wow-za. The times sure are a-changin' in Tree Hill. At the end of last week's episode, the only person making good decisions was Dan (trying to dump his evil wife/ex-skanky high schooler Rachel). Nathan going to Spain? Skills moving to LA? And maybe taking Mouth with him? Haley touring with Jamie? Seriously people. The show is called One Tree Hill. Emphasis on the 'Tree Hill'! You can't all leave and stick us with just suicidal Alex, over dramatic Brooke, and coke-addict Milli.

Dexter
Best. Season. Ever. I should have been posting on it all along, best seriously, it is so good, I don't even know what to say. John Lithgow is seriously dominating as Trinity (Quad-ity now that he kills four in a cycle?). Michael C Hall is brilliant as always. Even Christine, who has bugged the crap out of me all season, was great in last week's episode when we saw her breaking down to her daddy the serial killer. And the previews for these last two episodes can only be described in one word: INTENSE.

DWTS
Donny won. Who cares. New season coming in March. Let's hope for better.

Glee
Love doesn't express what I feel for this show. Last week's rendition of 'Imagine' with the deaf choir made me cry (not at all joking). Here is my one question: When is everyone going to find out it is Puck's baby?! Mercedes already knows and there is NO way she could keep that secret for this long. She needs to crack so that Finn can dump Quinn and fall madly in love with Rachel (or heck, even Kurt).

And coming soon (I swear): My thoughts on Fringe, FlashForward, The Ruins, and Community.

Louie's out, OTH and Greek are in

Looks like I can finally stop watching Dancing With the Stars this season. My love, Louie Vito, was kicked off last night in a double elimination. Did he deserve to go? Probably. But now there isn't really anyone left I care about watching. Sorry, kids.

Now I can move on to more important Monday night happpenings, like Greek and One Tree Hill!

Last week on Greek, we got what we loyal fans have been waiting for for ? seasons- Cappie and Casey finally together! What could we possibly look forward to now? A musical number is coming next week, and one of the boys is going to rap.

And OTH finally ended its baby-momma-drama, when Dan outted Renee on his talk show. Next week, the boys go camping, the girls bond, and Quinn and Clay get closer. Oh yeah, and we finally get to find out more about Dan and Rachel's 'relationship.'

At last, my monday night belongs to the scripted series again!

some thoughts on DWTS 10/19

1. When will this get cut down to one hour? Dragging it out to take up two hours of my night is ridiculous.

2. Maybe I was premature on saying the paso is my favorite dance. I forgot how much I loved the Argentine Tango!

3. I'll admit, Aaron was a lot better this week in his tango. He actually looked masculine and normal. But then at the end during the group hustle he looked weird again. Guys are supposed to be sexy when they dance! Aaron? Not so much...

4. Did Anna (Michael's partner) dye her hair dark? I could have sworn she was blonde...

5. Who knew Donny could be so serious; so masculine!? Well done, Osmnond.

6. I still love Louie. How is it possible that the youngest, shortest guy on the show is also one of the sexiest when he dances?! Love, love, love him.

7. Joanna should dump Derek and stick with Maks. They just look better together. His height and masculinity match her better than little, wimpy Derek.

8. The group dance? Eg.

I love the RUMBA

Okay, don't say I didn't warn you. I seriously love the rumba. It is, by far, my favorite latin dance. If you were lucky and got a rumba tonight, sorry, but I probably liked you more than any of those silly sambas.

Now, on with my rankings...

13. Joanna and Derek- I'm sorry, I'm just not impressed by her. She is annoying. And not that great of a dancer. And has really horrible hair extensions/wigs every week.
12. Mark and Lacey- I feel bad for not liking Mark, but he is just so boring. I kind of forget he exists.
11. Donny and Kim- Compared to his last two weeks, this was a complete trainwreck. In order to prove his sexiness, his kisses Bruno (?). I don't know if that was the way to go...
10. Aaron and Karina- Not sexy. At. All. Considering they are rumored to be more than just dance partners (barf), I expected better.
9. Chuck and Anna- I want so badly for him to get better. Hey, at least he smiled more this time!
8. Melissa and Mark- A lot more control this week, yet still fun. She is improving a little each week, but will it be enough?
7. Kelly and Louis- Poor girl. That first week must have been a fluke. This one was definitely better than her tango last week, but still doesn't live up to her first ballroom routine.
6. Michael and Anna- Considering I didn't like him at all the first week, this guy wins my vote for most improved. He can't dance at all, but he sure looks like he is having fun.
5. Debi and Maks- My early favorites are slipping. They are being too 'safe' and underwhelming. Come on, Maks!
4. Natalie and Alec- TV Guide is calling this her 'breakthrough dance', and I'll agree. Girls with skimpy outfits and good bodies usually excel at the rumba.
3. Tom and Cheryl- Seriously, what is not to love about this guy? He just danced to 'Why Can't We Be Friends?' clad in red, white, and blue, and Republican and Democrat animal logos! He is counting out loud! And he said this: "What's a little pain when you can party?"
2. Mya and Dimitri- Perfect. And Dimitri is smokin.
1. Louie and Chelsea- Puh-lease tell me these two are in love! They are so adorable. Louie, 'the dancing hobbit,' looked sexier out there than most of the other male celebs. I adore him.

I didn't even pay attention to the judges scores last night because they were so crabby and annoying (best Tom Bergeron quote of the night? "When we come back later, Len will read from his essay, 'Beethoven Is a Hack.'" haha). Who's going home? My money is on Chuck, Michael, Melissa, or Mark.

DWTS Week 2 Rankings

Another night of dancing has come and gone and here is my new rankings list:

14. Kathy and Tony: Boring. That is all.
13. Joanna and Derek: Her dancing is okay, but I just don't like her personality. Is that mean?
12. Mark and Lacey: It was clean, fun, energetic- a solid quickstep. But for some reason, I just don't really care about Mark. And I think Lacey is super annoying.
11. Donny and Kym: He is too good. I think he is a robot.
10. Chuck and Anna: Oh, I just want him to get better. come on, Chuckie, you can do it!
9. Kelly and Louis: It was a rough(er) week for Kelly (no one was crying or singing her praises), but still pretty good.
8. Natalie and Alec: Hopefully if she breathes, she will get better.
7. Melissa and Mark: This is more of the Melissa and Mark I want to see- fun, fun, and more fun. Was it perfect? No.
6. Michael and Anna: Last week, I didn't really care about Michael. But he worked hard (practice at 5am until sundown!) and put out another solid performance. Way to go Mikey!
5. Tom and Cheryl: I love this guy. But I don't think his pre-fractured feet will last much longer, even if the voters keep him.
4. Aaron and Karina: I ranked them low last week, but coming in with an other above average performance this week, I had to bump them up. You can't deny it- they are great.
3. Debi and Maks: I just love these two. I thik Debi has room for improvement and hope that in the next couple weeks she gets her big break-out performance (a paso doble maybe?).
2. Louie and Cheslea: I've said it before and I'll say it again- Louie is ADORABLE! Did he do a lot of dancing in this routine? No, not really. But I don't care.
1. Mya and Dimitri: Killed it. Killed. It. That means that the judges' board goes as follows:

Tom and Kathy in last place with an 18

Louis, Melissa, Kelly, Chuck all with a 19

Joanna and Michael both scored a 20

Mark, Natalie, and Debi with a 21

Donny stands alone with a 25

Aaron and Mya tied for first with a 27

oh yes, it's LADIES night

Who thinks the women of DWTS did considerably better than the guys? Here is how I ranked our lovely ladies...

8. Kathy and Tony: She has pretty hair, but can't dance. And Tony is uber-annoying.
7. Macy and Jonathon: It didn't suck! I was really expecting a train wreck and it wasn't that bad. Plus, she taught us an important lesson- you will get bleeped for saying 'popped my cherry' on broadcast television.
6. Melissa and Mark: Dancing wasn't great, but at least she smiled. I kept calling her Sabrina the whole time (a. because she is a Teenage Witch, and b. because MArk danced with Sabrina Bryan. Confusing).
5. Joanna and Derek: I want to not like her, but she is good. The salsa was by far the best, but I do have some beef with the choreography- you didn't use the floor at all Derek! Move around next time!
4. Natalie and Alec: Nat has room for improvement, which is good (no one ever likes the people that are amazing the first night).
3. Kelly and Louis: Very smooth routine. She was the surprise of the night for sure.
2. Mya and Dimitri: They are good, duh. And Dimitri is hot (I shall call him mini Maks).
1. Debi and Maks: Were they the best? No. But she has potential. And she is funny. And he is gorgeous.


So there you have it. I already ranked the guys, but I don't think there is any way I could merge the two lists together. Sixteen couples is way too many- good thing two are getting kicked off tonight.

the MEN take the floor...

Tonight was the first of a three-night premiere of DWTS (exhausting). All the guys danced tonight, girls will dance tomorrow, and then there will be an elimination Wednesday (I think that is how its working...). 

Forget the judges scores.. Here is how I rank the men of DWTS:

8. Donny and Kim: Yes, he was really good. But I don't want him to win. People will vote for him even if he just sits in the middle of the floor the whole time. 

7. Michael and the new Anna: He is not a great dancer, and she is new. They are going to have to rely solely on his personality. 

6. Mark and Lacey: He was probably the smoothest dancer, but I hate Lacey. And I don't know him. 

5. Aaron and Karina: They flirted a lot, which is weird considering the circumstances (Karina and Maks just called off their engagement last week), and I'm pretty sure Karina wore those pants last night on the Emmys, but the dancing was not bad at all. 

4. Ashley and Edyta: No clue who he is and seems like he has zero personality... but I love love love Edyta and would like to see her go far. Hope he starts dancing better!

3. Chuck and Anna: He is like my Ty Murray this season. He really sucks, but I want him to get better so badly!

2. Tom and Cheryl: I never thought I would rank him so high, but that was so entertaining! He wears polos to practice, tucks his shirts into sweatpants, and hikes said sweatpants up past his belly button. It is like watching my Dad try to dance!

1. Louie and Vito: He. is. ADORABLE. Can they date please? I do not care if he looks like 'a little dancing hobbit' (per Bruno), or if his hair is too long for ballroom (per Len), I love him. 

Cutie pie, right?!

Dancing with...some people

If you love Dancing with the Stars, or if you hate it then you need to read this post on Cracked.com. Hilarious!

and the Pros are...

Last week, ABC announced the clebes taking the stage for DWTS this season, but we all know they won't go it alone. Each will pair up with their own Dancing pro to tango with, yell at, use as a crutch when they hurt themselves...

As much as people were announcing which stars they thought would go all the way, loyal DWTS fans know that you are nothing without the right pro. While the folks over at EW already made a list, ranking which stars would go home first, I decided to be a bit less ambitious. There are 16 contestants this year, so I put them in four tiers (of four pairs each, all you math majors).

Going home early
Tom DeLay Cheryl Burke
Macy Gray and Jonathan Roberts
Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel
Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani

Getting home to chat with Mom and Dad before bed
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas
Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya

Sneeking in right after curfew
Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff

Staying out all night and partying with that mirror-ball trophy

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo

Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Sliwinska

Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson

Unhappy Hulk (and wife)

If you see a crazy green man running around the DWTS studios, it is probably Lou Ferrigno.

Apparently he is none too happy about being dissed by DWTS. I guess he (and his nutso wife/manager Carla) thought he was a shoe-in for the big show and were shocked (and dismayed) when he wasn't announced as one of the 'stars' on Monday.

According to E!, this is what Carla had to say...

"The producers told us he would have made an excellent contestant, and when you compare him to some of the 'so-called' celebrities they picked, it just does not make any sense at all... [The producers] never even had the class to give Lou a call and tell him that he was not going to be chosen. Lou is an American icon....We couldn't believe some of the people they picked... I mean, Tom Delay, a corrupt politician, a skateboarder who nobody has ever heard of, and what exactly has Ashley Hamilton ever done?"

Whoa, them is fightin' words.

new 'stars' take the stage

ABC announced the new cast of DWTS this morning.. and I'll admit, it's a strange bunch. 

Full of athletes -ultimate fighter Chuck Lidell, snowboarder Louie Vito, footballer Michaal Irvin, and swimmer Natalie Coughlin...

and singers -Mya, Macy Gray, Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne, and Aaron Carter...

this season's cast mainly relies on TV 'personalities'- Iron Chef host Mark Dacascos, politician Tom DeLay, Kathy Ireland, even the aforementioned Irvin, Osmond, Osbourne, and Carter have all had their share of the talk/reality show spotlight in recent years...

Also joining the cast are actors Debi Mazar and Melissa Joan Hart, model Joanna Krupa, and Ashley Hamilton, son of always-tan Season 2 contestant George. 

Not exactly the star-studded cast I would have liked (is it bad when Aaron Carter is one of your 'big' names?), but I'll be watching anyway.