After Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars performance show, head judge Len Goodman headed home and turned on his television. Thanks to the west coast tape delay, when Goodman got home, that night’s show was still in progress, “and Marlee [Matlin] came on,” he says. “So I pressed the mute button, and I’m watching her, and thinking, ”That’s what she’s hearing. Nothing.’” That was the night before Matlin was sent home, and it was Goodman’s way of trying to understand the almost impossible odds facing Dancing’s first deaf contestant. All three judges have been trying to put themselves in Matlin’s shoes. “I think it’s very lonely out there for her, whenever she makes a misstep,” says judge Carrie Ann Inaba. “I really get the sense that every time she makes a mistake, it’s like a vacuum, like suddenly she’s just alone. Even her partner is connected to the outside world. And she doesn’t get to hear the applause, so she doesn’t get that added momentum.” “She does incredibly well,”
Archive for the ‘Enteraiment’ Category
Competition’s too ‘Difficult’ for Marlee Matlin
Saturday, August 8th, 2009Paula to Crossover to Dancing with the Stars?
Saturday, August 8th, 2009Somehow we don’t think ABC and Fox would allow their two biggest powerhouses to crossover and live together in perfect harmony. But that didn’t stop Idol judge Paula Abdul from revealing her secret desire to be on Dancing as one of the celebrity contestants. No matter how much she justifies her lack of experience for this specific kind of competition, we’re still not buying that it would be a fair game. A choreographer is a choreographer, no matter how you try to spin it! Your take: Do you think it would be fair for Paula to compete on DWTS? Or better yet, think it will ever happen?
More Romance for the Dancing Pros?
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Things are already smokin’ hot among Dancing stars, and I don’t mean their mambos. The latest pro to have some off-floor romance is Cheryl Burke, who tells People.com that she’s been out a few times with 300 star Gerard Butler on some “casual group outings.” And yes, she confided that the two have smooched.Burke has her dance partner, Christian de la Fuente, to thank for the dates. He introduced her to Butler a few weeks ago. And as for the future of the relationship? A coy Burke tapped around the answer, saying simply, “we’ll see.” Do you see a future for the petite dancer and her new Spartan partner?
Romance Kisses Off Shannon-Derek Fans?
Saturday, August 8th, 2009It would seem that Kristi and Mark cannot be KO’d. Having topped TVGuide.com’s Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings since the season began, the favorites now are enjoying their largest chunk of the reader vote to date — 70.9 percent. Playing a part in the pair’s increased lead was the fall of Shannon and Derek, who this week — and in the wake of their off-stage romance being exposed — lost nearly half of their supporters. The result is we now have a veritable three-way fight for distant, distant second. Elsewhere, Marissa and Tony crept out of the cellar, leaving Mario and Karino to claim last-place dishonors.The Top 6 Power Rankings70.9% Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas8.9% Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough8.0% Cristian De La Fuente and Cheryl Burke 8.0% Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska 2.2% Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani 2.0% Mario and Karina Smirnoff.
Dancing with the Stars Online Encore
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Can we talk about how much the competition is really starting to gain some steam on the dance floor? Get caught up on week six by with ABC’s “Online Encore” (which in actuality is the networks schmancy title for “Highlights & Extras”). Get the expert analysis on the dancers’ fancy footwork, the tears shed in the confessional and even Shannon and Derek’s showmance.Watch the video now!
Cristian Injured While Dancing Samba with Cheryl
Saturday, August 8th, 2009Cristian de la Fuente suffered a “severe muscle cramp” in the midst of his and partner Cheryl Burke’s Monday-night samba, yet valiantly attempted to finish the dance. “In the very beginning of the dance, I fell back into his arms and I heard something crack,” says Burke, who was in tears after the show. “I thought it was my dress making that sound. I didn’t think it was anything else.” Watch video here (the ouch hits at the 1:00 mark):Cristian and Cheryl received a score of 21 (out of 30) for their performance. Read Krista’s in-depth recap of the entire night.Check back later for more on Cristian’s status with the show when our latest Dancing with the Stars backstage report is published.More Dancing news and views:• Maks Is Back for Dancing’s 100th Show• Top 6 Power Rankings: Romance Kisses Off Shannon-Derek Fans?• More Romance for the Dancing Pros?
Backstage Buzz: Cristian May Need to Quit Dancing
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
In a split second, the buoyant mood in the ballroom shifted. And all it took was the look of pain and worry on Cristian de la Fuente’s face to change it. The Latin soap star and his partner Cheryl Burke were doing their samba when his left arm suddenly stopped working. “In the very beginning of the dance, I fell back into his arms and I heard something crack,” says Burke, who was in tears after the show. “I thought it was my dress making that sound. I didn’t think it was anything else.” De la Fuente kept going as long as he could, but by the end of the minute and a half, he was clutching his left arm. He couldn’t complete the dance. “It really did have to be more than a muscle cramp,” says Burke, “because he’s not the type of guy to just go out there and give up. He’s a strong man.”What was Cheryl thinking as she saw her partner struggling on the dance floor? “I was like, ‘Oh my god, what’s happening?’” she recalls. “I didn’t know what was going on.
Maks Is Back for Dancing’s 100th Show
Saturday, August 8th, 2009ABC has detailed its plan to mark Dancing with the Stars’ 100th episode on Tuesday, May 6, and it involves the return of several familiar faces (and their respective feet, too). Not only will Mario Lopez perform a number from A Chorus Line with Macy’s Stars of Dance, and not only will Season 5 champs Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough serve up a dance-floor encore, but Maksim Chmerkovskiy — who bowed out of participating in Season 6 — will reunite on the parquet with former celeb partner Mel B.Fans can also expect drop-bys from Sabrina Bryan, Joey Fatone, Master P. (!), Jerry Rice, Jane Seymour, Jerry Springer and Wayne Newton.
Are Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff Breaking Up?
Saturday, August 8th, 2009Has the music died for Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff? By some accounts, the former Dancing partners have split, and Smirnoff now has the sad task of moving her belongings out of Lopez’s home in Los Angeles, a source tells People.com. The split has not been confirmed by Lopez’s rep, but Smirnoff is rumored to have been getting up close and personal with E!’s Michael Yo — which, if true, indicates that Smirnoff’s as agile in relationships as she is on the dance floor. This isn’t the first rumored rumble in the relationship: Earlier this season, Smirnoff was said to be involved with her current Dancing partner, Mario, the R’n'B singer .Lopez and Smirnoff never officially acknowledged that they have been an item, so a split will likely not see an official statement, either. While Smirnoff still has some Dancing to do this season, Lopez, at least, is getting out of town. He and his dimples are hitting the road to promote his upcoming book Knockout Fitness.
Cristian Makes His Decision! Who’s Your Favorite Dancing Duo Now?
Saturday, August 8th, 2009The following contains spoiler information from Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars results show.This week’s results show offered two sorts of outcomes: Another couple was sent home, but not until Cristian de la Fuente revealed the prognosis for the injury he suffered during Monday night’s samba. Toward the show’s very end, Cristian revealed that he had in fact ruptured a bicep tendon and that it would require surgery to repair it. The doc and knife will have to wait, though, as De la Fuente aspires to stay in the competition as long as viewers want him and Cheryl around. “If people voted for us and they want us to be on the show, I would like to be there and not give up,” he told Tom Bergeron. As it would be divulged moments later, people do want Cristian and Cheryl around. After that couple was declared safe, Shannon and Derek — rumored to be off-stage lovebirds — were instead sent home.All of which brings us to a new week of TVGuide.com reader polling.
