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October 7th, 2009
10:31 AM ET
Double elimination on 'Dancing'Tom DeLay isn’t exactly a celebrity outside political circles, but he was probably the most talked-about cast member of this season’s “Dancing With the Stars.”  (As in “Tom DeLay is going to do what?”) Last night, the former House Majority Leader pulled out of the competition, saying he wouldn’t be able to continue because of painful stress fractures in both of his feet. But DeLay wasn’t voted out of the show - in fact he wasn’t even in the bottom two and he actually turned out to be a decent dancer. OK, the strange, strange sight of him gyrating to “Wild Thing” a couple of weeks back was a cringe-worthy moment - and we could have been spared the camera close-up that began that particular dance number - but DeLay seemed to get into the spirit of things. His tango was quite good, except a stumble at the end which had him wincing in pain. And who else could have danced a politically inspired samba? Despite DeLay’s decision to leave, the show continued the elimination last night and it turned out to be the end of the competition for actress Debi Mazar and her professional dancing partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who were voted off the show. (Not a complete surprise, but it seemed like they might last another episode.)
October 6th, 2009
11:56 AM ET
'Dancing' star tries to make out with judgeThe celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars” try to do lots of things to stand out from the other couples in the competition, but this might be a first: Trying to make out with a judge.  This unusual maneuver came courtesy of Donny Osmond last night after dancing the rumba. Earlier in the show, the judges acknowledged the dance is particularly hard for the male celebrities on the show because they have to walk a fine line between conveying romance and appearing too soft on the dance floor. Judge Bruno Tonioli apparently thought Osmond’s performance was too much of the latter and said it had “a bit of ‘Swan Lake’ ” in it. Which is when Osmond playfully lunged at the judges’ desk and tried to kiss Tonioli. It took a while for everyone to recover, but the show’s next highlight belonged to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who appeared on the verge of pulling out of the competition due to injuries. He revealed he now has stress fractures in both feet and that his doctor and the show’s producers urged him to withdraw. But not so fast. “What’s a little pain when you can party?” DeLay said before dancing a decent samba that was favorably reviewed by the judges. Finally, a surprising standout couple last night was professional snowboarder Louie Vito and his dance partner Chelsie Hightower. Their romantic rumba prompted Tonioli to exclaim, "That's chemistry." Who do you think will be voted off tonight?
September 11th, 2009
12:43 PM ET
When models rule 'Runway'Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the Thursday, September 10th episode. The models took over last night’s “Runway” and I was bored before the designers even made their way to Mood. There’s practically no backbiting, no crazy challenges, no Michael Kors…if they keep this up, I may have to switch allegiances to Bravo’s poorly done “The Fashion Show.”  As one commenter pointed out last week, it’s obvious the producers are trying to get “Runway” lovers on board with the spinoff show, “Models of the Runway,” and I’ll be honest: I couldn’t care less about the models. They’re cool girls, but I watch “Runway” to see how well the designers can craft a masterpiece with $100 and a day’s worth of sewing and to be entertained by the crazy - not to become acquainted with Heidi Klum wannabes. That’s what that other modeling show is for. A challenge based on the whims of the runway stompers could only yield less than interesting results. Hello? These girls are paid to be blank slates, not visionaries. What resulted was a bunch of aimless designs that ended up as off the mark mini-dresses and one very unfortunate Smurf prom dress. The two standouts were Carol Hannah (who totally should’ve taken the win) and Althea, who is one of the few consistently strong designers. The only reason I’m knocking her mini-bubble-skirt suit combo is because her model worked that outfit and therefore deserves some credit for its awesomeness. On the bottom we once again had Qristyl and pretty boy Logan, who’s the sequel to season one’s Robert Plotkin but with a hint more talent. He uses his looks to squeak by at judging just like Robert did, as last night’s sparkly outfit proved. Who do you think was a hit and a miss last night? Are you as tired of these wack challenges as I am? Let us know.
August 3rd, 2009
10:47 AM ET
Ridley Scott to direct ‘Alien’ prequelFace-huggers, a killer creature with way too many teeth and, of course, the chest-bursting scene.  Ridley Scott unleashed a monster that’s been scaring fans for 30 years when he directed the sci-fi classic “Alien” in 1979. The film spawned three sequels and a couple of “Alien vs. Predator” movies. Now Scott has signed up to direct a prequel to “Alien,” Variety reports. The original, starring Sigourney Weaver and Tom Skerritt, followed the crew of the commercial space ship Nostromo as it responds to a beacon from a mysterious planet and finds itself becoming prey to a parasitic monster. In the film’s most infamous scene, John Hurt’s character Kane, seen in the photo on the right, “gives birth” to the creature. No word yet on the plot of the prequel, but fans are speculating whether the movie would focus on the crashed alien spaceship and the giant skeletonized “space jockey” the Nostromo crew encounters on the planet. Fans are also wondering whether Weaver would make an appearance in the new film, but the actress says it’s unlikely she could reprise her role as Ripley. "I don't see how Ripley could be part of a prequel," Weaver told MTV news, adding that she’s looking forward to the new film. "I'm glad Ridley's connected to it because I know it will be classy," she said.
May 12th, 2009
09:51 AM ET
French perfection on 'Dancing'Four couples are left on “Dancing With the Stars” and each has die-hard fans.  But no matter who you are rooting for, the standout celebrity appears to be actor Gilles Marini. The French native has been wowing audiences with his good looks and great dancing skills since the start of the competition. He’s also received consistent praise from the judges and last night was no exception. Marini and his professional dancing partner Cheryl Burke got perfect scores for both of their dances of the evening. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba called his waltz “breathtaking” and Bruno Tonioli compared him to a matinee idol. But perhaps the biggest compliment came from often hard-to-please judge Len Goodman after Marini danced the salsa. “I wish I had an 11 paddle,” Goodman said. (Judges can each give a maximum score of 10 for a dance.) Marini is truly a pleasure to watch on the dance floor and he’ll likely make it to the finals, so the question now is: Who will be his main rival for the mirrored ball trophy? Both Melissa Rycroft and Shawn Johnson did well last night. Ty Murray is enormously likable and he’s improved a lot, but will he be finally eliminated tonight? Tell us what you think.
May 6th, 2009
10:49 AM ET
'Dancing' star's exit draws gaspsTy Murray’s next routine on “Dancing With the Stars” should be choreographed to “I’m a Survivor.”  The rodeo star and his professional dancing partner Chelsie Hightower were in the bottom two on last night’s results show and it seemed for sure he would be eliminated from the contest. But fans again came to his rescue, and it was Lil’ Kim who got the boot. She and her partner Derek Hough seemed stunned at the results, as did the audience. Both celebrities had very vocal groups of supporters shouting their names and words of encouragement before the elimination and there were lots of boos from Lil’ Kim’s camp when her name was announced. “Not a happy audience,” co-host Samantha Harris said. “There was a real shock in this room,” co-host Tom Bergeron added. Murray has been improving throughout the competition, but some of his moves have been called robotic (and were spoofed as such by a lip-glossed Kenny Mayne during the hilarious “Dance Center” segment.) Tell us what you thought about the results. |
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