Tuesday, November 24, 2009

CONGRATULATIONS TO DANCING WITH THE STARS CHAMPION DONNY OSMOND AND HIS PARTNER KYM JOHNSON!

MYA, DONNY OR KELLY -- WHO WILL WIN THE TROPHY ON DANCING WITH THE STARS?


Who will take home the Dancing With The Stars mirrored trophy? All three finalists -- entertainer Donny Osmond, singer Mya and reality star Kelly Obourne -- made it crystal clear that they want to win and urged their fans to call in votes.

Guessing who will win this season seems a bit like flipping a coin. Mya and her partner Dmitry Chaplin have dominated all season. And they performed at the top of their game on Monday night -- until the all-important free-style round. Chaplin wanted to perform a Broadway number from Hairspray, but Mya thought that was playing it too safe. She wanted to dazzle the judges and fans with a riskier show-stopper routine. But in the end Mya relented, and it seemed that Chaplin let her down by choreographing a performance that was ordinary and in no way stood out as their Hallmark dance. Fortunately, though, prior to the freestyle, Mya had been on fire.

Also, in a number with all three couples competing at the same time, the judges chose Mya as the best dancer, Osmond second and Osbourne third.

While Donny Osmond, with partner Kym Johnson, never displayed Mya's high level of dance talent, he always danced well enough that his out-going personality propelled him into a fan favorite. And he gained the advantage in the final of having a stand-out, showpiece free-style routine. Where Chaplin had failed Mya, Johnson really came through for Osmond -- and they did a smart version of "Back in Business" that had showmanship and flair.

So while the most talented dancer is clearly Mya, the freestyle and most outgoing personality goes to Osmond.

The third couple, Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel, seemed to expect to finish third. They gave each number the old "college try" -- and Osbourne showed both determination and spunk. But it is expected that she simply lacks the fan base of Osmond and Mya -- and some mistakes in the freestyle seemed likely to seal the couple's fate for third place.

So, while the show's judges placed Mya first, the dance final left the ultimate fate of the contestants in the hands of the fans. Will the best dancer win? If so, expect Mya to collect the trophy. Or will popular Osmond, with the spectacular freestyle, win largely on his personality? It will be interesting to see what ultimately counts most -- because this is likely a battle between dancing talent and popularity.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

ELIMINATIONS ARE AGONY -- THIS WEEK MICHAEL IRVIN AND MARK DACASCOS WERE VOTED OFF 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'


Without eliminations, Dancing With The Stars would not be a dancing competition reality show. But that doesn't mean that eliminations are anything except agonizing for fans, especially after weeks of following the dancers and phoning in votes to help favorites in their quest for the DWTS trophy!

Football great Michael Irvin impressed not only with his dance moves with partner Anna Demidova, but also with his competitive spirit and ever-present sense of humor. No doubt, he will forever be remembered as the DWTS celebrity dancer who wanted to win so badly that he actually placed a coin between his cheers -- yes, those cheeks -- to help maintain his correct posture.

But this week Irvin received the lowest score -- which meant that he was eliminated from DSTW.

After his elimination, Irvin admitted that after the first week, he actually thought that he would be gone. "At this point, when you look at the five people who are left, these are great dancers," he said. "I'm very happy for the seven weeks. We had a good time." And Irvin thanked all of his fans for their votes.



In a dance-off between actor Aaron Carter and Mark Dacascos, of "Iron Chef" fame, Dacascos and his partner were chosen by the judges to leave the competition.

Dacascos had been at a disadvantage this week because his assigned partner Lacey Schwimmer was out sick with the flu -- and at the last minute he had to learn a new routine to perform with professional Anna Trebunskaya.

So to many of Dacascos' fans, it seemed a bit unfair that he should be eliminated since he was a victim of circumstance -- having to mesh with a new partner and learn a new and intricate routine in almost no time at all.

"Forty-eight hours prior to Monday night's show, I didn't have a dance routine," Dacascos explained. But he said that he had enjoyed his time on the Dancing With The Stars show, working with everyone -- and also thanked his fans.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

JOANNA KRUPA AND AARON CARTER EACH STEPPED IT UP ON DANCING WITH THE STARS


During every Dancing With The Stars season, there comes a point when some celebrity dancers begin to look almost as good as the pros -- and to expect to stay around, the competitors need to take their hoofing game to the highest level.

It seems that this point is "now" for the current season.

Actor Aaron Carter and his partner Karina Smirnoff performed an energetic jive that their speedy footwork almost created a blur. Judge Bruno Tonioli exclaimed that they had gone "to the galaxy and beyond!" Judges Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba agreed -- and together the trio gave the dancers a leaderboard topping score of 29 points.

But also stepping up their game were Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough who performed a very romantic rumba that also had judges singing praise and awarding 27 points.

After team competition -- Team Tango was awarded the highest points, 28, by the judges. Celebrities on the team were Kelly Osborne, Donny Osmond and Joanna Krupa. The points from this group dance shot Krupa and Hough to the top of the leaderboard.

Finishing behind Team Tango was Team Paso Doble -- Mya, Mark Dacascos, Michael Irvin and Aaron Carter.

Finishing with the least points of the evening was Iron Chef star Mark Dacascos.