DANCING WITH THE STARS GLITTER ON ONE-WEEK HIATUS

Our children have planned a vacation with us so that for the next week we will be spending time here with them -- will be back blogging on August 3rd. See you then!

WILL PAULA ABDUL BECOME A GUEST JUDGE ON DANCING SHOW "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE"?

Paula Abdul fans have been adamant -- they want Paula back on American Idol! Idol judge Simon Cowell says he wants Paula sitting next to him at the judges' table next season -- and host Ryan Seacrest says that he wants her there too. Former American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe wrote on Twitter that Fox would be crazy not to bring her back. And fans have been bombarding Twitter with #keeppaula messages to make their sentiments known!

If American Idol executives really want Abdul back, they may need to step up to the plate and show it because So You Think You Can Dance producer (former executive producer of American Idol) Lythgoe, who has supported her all along, has expressed that he would happily consider her as a guest judge on his popular dance competition show.

"We would certainly consider (Abdul as) a guest judge," Lythgoe confided to the NY Daily News -- "Without question." Abdul, besides making a strong mark as a singer, has also enjoyed a noted dancing and choreography career, working with such noted artists as Janet Jackson.

"I'd never been involved in negotiations when I was with the show (American Idol)," Lythgoe told the Daily News, "but having spoken with (Fox president of alternative programming) Mike Darnell, I know Fox wants to keep Paula. The figures that have been quoted for Simon (Cowell) and Ryan (Seacrest) are great figures. I don't know if they're true, but Paula seeing those figures would make her pretty upset."

Darnell declined to comment on Tuesday -- except to tell the Daily News that, "They will talk and try to iron things out, and if they don't come to an agreement, then Paula will move on. At the end of the day, that program is bigger than any indiviual. Even Simon."

Rumors are spreading like wildfire that Abdul wants $20 million to come back -- and her tv executive bosses only want to cough up half of that amount.

Still, with Seacrest recently inking a $45 million contract -- and Cowell rumored to want $100 million to return to Idol when his contract runs out after this next season, does $20 million seem unreasonable for Paula? Not only is she the sweetest and kindest judge, but she also provides the balance for Cowell's sometimes harsh assessment of contestant's performances. And if there is one thing that can be said for Paula, it is that she is always interesting!

Again, given the fact that execs handed Seacrest a $45 million contract, it seems unlikely that their coffers are so empty that they cannot find less than half of that amount for Paula -- of course, assuming that rumors are correct and $20 million is what she actually wants.

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CONFIRMED INVITEE FOR DANCING WITH THE STARS

Well, the lady definitely has style!

Vera Wang, one of the most celebrated wedding gown designers, has agreed to join the television celebrity dance competition, Dancing With the Stars, according to TV Guide.

Prior to competitors actually stepping foot onto the dance floor, it is difficult to know whether they posses the grace, elegance and funk for dance. But one look into Wang's resume gives a hint that she might be loaded with all of the right attributes to do well in the dancing competition.

Back in the 1960's Wang was making her mark not for fashion, but for figure skating -- a sport noted for power, style, elegance and grace. After beginning to skate at the tender age of eight, Wang went on and actually competed in the sport's annual championship in 1968.



"Skating was a chance for me to express myself in a creative way," Wang, 60, told WWD Fashion. "It was the blend of all worlds -- music, dance, athletics, choreography and, of course, costumes. From an early age, I really fell in love with what a body could look like, what it could do, what you could express and how you could look."

There are several words in Wang's interview response that seem equally as applicable to dancing as to skating -- express, creative, music, dance, choreography, and even costumes. Might she possibly design her own Dancing With The Stars costumes?

While Wang did not continue with a skating career, she did find a way to combine her love of skating and fashion -- she designed skating costumes for Olympic figure staking medalists Michelle Kwan and Nancy Kerrigan.

And the precident for moving from skating championship to dancing championship has already been set. Season 6 Dancing with the Stars winner was 1992 Olympic figure-sking champion Kristi Yamaguchi.

Wang may not have won Olympic gold as a skater -- but she just might be able to pull off winning the Dancing With the Stars' mirrored trophy!

WILL THERE BE MORE CELEBRITIES FOR "DANCING WITH THE STARS" IN THE COMING SEASON

Rumors are circulating that "Dancing With the Stars" may have more celebrities on the dance card for next season, according to eonline.

While all of the decisions on the show's structure for next season have apparently not yet been made, there apparently the possibility that 16 celebrities will take part in the dance competition -- with two couples being eliminated each week.

Traditionally the list of participating celebrities is announced in or around August, but there Hollywood is abuzz with trying to guess who the new celebrity dancers might be. Typically the show has had no stick-to-it formula, but there are often at least one television star, a singer, an athlete and one rather "senior" participant. But an added number of names may find the show delving into new areas to recruit dancers for the upcoming show.

CHERYL BURKE BUYS HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOME

Dancing With the Stars regular Cheryl Burke has purchased a "midcentury modern post-and beam" home in the Hollywood Hills for nearly $1.3 million, reports that Los Angeles Times.

The three-bedroom, three bath home was build in 1957, the Times reports. With 2,494 square feet, it boasts 180-degree city and mountain views, along with a stone fireplace, vaulted wood ceilings, separate studio office and two decks.

Burke, 25, is said to have purchased the home from Jon Shapiro who is the executive producer of the PBS series "Curious George" and and producer of "U2 3D" which highlighted the Irish group's international "Verigo" tour. Shapiro purchased the property in 2007, according to the Times.