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The Winner of Dancing with the Stars Season 8 is Announced

Congratulations again to the winners of Dancing with the Stars season 8!

How does everyone feel about the winner of Dancing with the Stars 2009?

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May 19, 2009 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  Dancing with the Stars Videos  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV
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And the Winner of DWTS Season 8 is…

UPDATE: You can watch the video announcing the Dancing with the Stars Season 8 Winner.

After announcing that less than 1% separated first and second place, the winner was announced.

Congratulations to Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas!!!!

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I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV
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Luxe Life Blog – DWTS Winner all set for a Vegas Celebration?

This is a bit of counting your chickens, but I didn’t write the article (Robin Leach apparently did) so don’t shoot me. I also doubt that Cheryl is that certain she has it wrapped up.

Barring a last-minute upset of erratic TV viewer voting, it looks a certain bet that hot and handsome hunk Gilles Marini and dance partner Cheryl Burke, despite a judges’ scoring tie last night, will win the mirrored disco ball trophy on tonight’s Season 8 finale of Dancing With the Stars. The moment Cheryl wraps all the post-show press and multimedia interviews, she will head here Thursday night to celebrate.

Our pick is for Gilles and Cheryl to grab the win, with Shawn and Mark as the runners-up and Melissa and Tony winding up in third. If we’re correct, then we can go all the way back to week 1 of the season and proudly claim we were right all along! And this would be a record-setting third title for Cheryl!

DWTS Final Three

Oh god, I just noticed this last sentence in the blog. Please. No.

I’ve already heard rumblings that Luxor comedy headliner Carrot Top and Flamingo headliner singer Donny Osmond are being considered as celebrity participants!

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I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  Dancing with the Stars Season 9  DWTS  Entertainment  TV News
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DWTS – Paso Punch Out

Silly name, that. I found the dance…interesting.

Check out Shawn & Mark, Melissa & Tony, Gilles & Cheryl danced a Paso Doble to the song “So What”—Pink P!nk - Funhouse (Deluxe Version) - So What

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I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  Dancing with the Stars Videos  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV
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The DWTS Season 8 Freestyles, Side-by-Side

Here’s your chance to watch them again, before the winner is announced!!  First up was Shawn, if I remember correctly.

Next, Melissa and Tony.

And in the pimp position, Gilles.

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I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  Dancing with the Stars Videos  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV
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Dancing With the Stars Finale Night

Comcast’s Fancast casts their vote on who should win.

This is what can seal the deal for a celebrity…and this is where things got dicey last night. Going into the performance I would have ranked the gang, Gilles #1, Melissa #2, and Shawn #3.

Then just like that everything changed.

Ever the athlete, little Shawn brought her A-game—and some seriously killer moves–for what “truly was an explosive performance,” according to Bruno, and one that Len just “loved.”

But the real surprise was that Gilles and Melissa found the worst time to choke. They both failed to impress with their freestyles! They weren’t bad, per se, but after weeks of perfection, they didn’t quite meet expectations

I don’t think I agree with the word “choke” but I do agree that neither dancer was up to their usual standard. Will it cost them? I’m going to go out on a limb and say Gilles will win. I do this mainly to be contrary to John. :-)

DWTS Final Three

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I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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Dancing with the Stars 2009 Final Power Rankings

Well, for those long time readers, you know that I’ve already posted two different methods of predicting the Dancing with the Stars 2009 winner. So, the rankings won’t be a surprise. However, there’s still a whole lot of uncertainty about tonight’s Dancing with the Stars Season 8 winner. So, let me know if you feel different than me in the comments.

Now, let’s get to it. The following are my final Dancing with the Stars 2009 power rankings:

1. Shawn & Mark – I would have maybe been more nervous for Shawn if she didn’t tie for the top score last night. However, with her judges score tie with Gilles and her extreme popularity is going to land her the mirror ball trophy. You could see how happy Mark was last night when she was scoring high. Turns out he’s into a lot of money like Shawn Johnson will make from DWTS. The only reason that fans of Shawn Johnson could be skeptical is if somehow her fans got complacent and figured she had it in the bag. That said, I have a feeling we’re about to see the youngest ever Dancing with the Stars champion: Shawn Johnson.

2. Gilles & Cheryl – I think that Gilles scores were too high last night. Seriously, it wasn’t fair to Melissa that he was scored as high as he was scored. Len showed that he’s just a puppet by not scoring him down on his freestyle. All of that said, that doesn’t really affect his power ranking too much. Gilles has benefited greatly from being on the show. He wasn’t very well known before the show, but he is now. Cheryl brought something amazing out of him and he should be really happy to get second place on Dancing with the Stars.

3. Melissa & Tony – Melissa had a bit of a lackluster night last night. She’d been king of trailing off this way for a couple weeks. I bet her revealing outfits won’t win her any votes either. She’s still wildly popular. The start of the Bachelorette might have been good for her as well. Melissa fans are incredibly passionate, but this might be the end of Melissa Rycroft’s time in the spotlight. Third place for Melissa is actually an incredible achievement. Who would have thought she’d ever even be on the show. Well done Melissa.

That’s it. Tonight, we’ll find out the final Dancing with the Stars 2009 results. Not to mention I can’t wait to hear Jeffrey Ross roast these 3 stars. Plenty to talk about there. We have a frenchy, a little girl and a no name. This should be a fun night.

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I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Power Rankings  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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Best Dancing with the Stars 2009 Music

As the best online source for the list of Dancing with the Stars music, I think it’s only fitting for me to provide a list of the most popular music from Dancing with the Stars 2009. Certainly this list isn’t perfect, but does show a pretty good cross section of the best music choices on Dancing with the Stars season 8.

Clapping Song – Sound-A-Like As Made Famous By: Shirley Ellis by Studio Group? Studio Group - Almost Pop: Something - Clapping Song - Sound-A-Like As Made Famous By: Shirley Ellis

Baila Baila by Chayanne? Chayanne - Grandes Exitos - Baila Baila

Womanizer by Britney Spears? Britney Spears - Circus (Deluxe Version) - Womanizer

El Tango de los Assassinos by John Powell? John Powell - Mr. & Mrs. Smith Score - El Tango de los Assassinos Download MP3 on Amazon

Slow Dancing In a Burning Room by John Mayer? John Mayer - Continuum - Slow Dancing In a Burning Room Download MP3 on Amazon

Carmen – Habanera by Georges Bizet? Georges Bizet - Classical Moods - 100 Top Classical Favorites of All Time - Carmen - Habanera Download MP3 on Amazon

Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade? Secondhand Serenade - A Twist In My Story (Bonus Track Version) - Fall for You Download MP3 on Amazon

Mi Confesion by Gotan Project? Gotan Project - Lunatico - Mi Confesion

At Last by Etta James? Etta James - At Last! (Remastered) - At Last Download MP3 on Amazon

Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beyoncé? Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce (Deluxe Version) - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)

It Is You (I Have Loved) [From "Shrek"] by Becky Jane Taylor? Becky Jane Taylor - By Your Side - It Is You (I Have Loved) [From "Shrek"]

I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [More English Extended Mix] by Pitbull? Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - EP - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [More English Extended Mix]

Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy? Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree - Dance, Dance Download MP3 on Amazon

Taquito Militar by Conjunto Tipico Del Tango? Conjunto Tipico Del Tango - Tango for Dancing - Taquito Militar

You Raise Me Up by Celtic Woman? Celtic Woman - Celtic Woman - You Raise Me Up

Take a Picture by Filter? Filter - Title of Record - Take a Picture Download MP3 on Amazon

Poker Face by Lady GaGa? Lady GaGa - The Fame - Poker Face Download MP3 on Amazon

She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5? Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane - She Will Be Loved Download MP3 on Amazon

Calloway Boogie by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get? - The Music of Cab Calloway - Calloway Boogie

Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield? Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This - Gotta Get Thru This

Which DWTS songs were your favorite?

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I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

Filed Under: Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Music  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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Dancing with the Stars 2009 Top 3

ABC and Dancing with the Stars made a great decision to keep the Dancing with the Stars 2009 top 3 final performances to only an hour. It was a great hour of entertainment. Any longer and they’d have been stretching for content. Here’s my review of the top 3 from tonight’s show.

Shawn Johnson – Anyone that watches Shawn has to just love her little girl innocence and her cute personality. Her detractors use that against her, but that’s a big plus for me. Sure, she doesn’t have that adult woman’s nuance in her dancing, but she’s so precise in her movements.

Shawn’s freestyle was far and away the best of the night. I was really disappointed that she didn’t pull at least a few tasteful gymnastics tricks, but it was still entertaining.

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Gilles Marini – Gilles’ paso doble was Gilles being Gilles. It was well done. He deserved good scores. I don’t think it was a 30 performance, but it was great. Gilles has been solid all around and Paso works really well for him.

Gilles freestyle was my least favorite of the night. The freestyle highlighted Cheryl instead of Gilles. If I was evaluating Cheryl, then I’d have given it a 10. Cheryl really danced it with some amazing personality. Plus, I think that Gilles should have stuck with the sensual stuff he started with. When he went to playful, he just didn’t pull it off very well. The effort was there, but it just felt awkward. I should also mention that I think it’s a joke that Len would mark down Melissa for her “choice of style” but would still give a 10 to Gilles who had much less dancing (see Carrie Anna and Bruno’s comments).

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Melissa Rycroft – I still wonder if it was a strategy for Melissa to wear 2 bikinis for her routine or if it was just coincidence. She did look pretty stunning. She did look a little awkward at a couple times in her Paso Doble. So, I think the scoring was accurate for her Paso.

I really enjoyed Melissa’s freestyle. It was occasionally disjointed, but unlike Len I really loved that she incorporated her cheerleading moves into the dance. It shows her versatility which is what I think freestyle should be all about. It’s just shameful that Len would mark down her score just because he didn’t like that style of dancing. Lesson for all those doing a freestyle in the future: add in at least some ballroom or get marked down by Len.

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC

Copyright 2009 Craig Sjodin / ABC


Watch tomorrow for me to post my final Dancing with the Stars power rankings.

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May 18, 2009 I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Season 8  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV
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Julianne Hough Will Return to Dancing with the Stars in Early 2010

Maxims 10th Annual Hot 100 Celebration - Red Carpet

I just found this short little story on People that talks about Julianne Hough not leaving Dancing with the Stars for good. Here’s the quote from the article where Julianne Hough talks:

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Hough said: “I am appreciative to be taking this coming season of Dancing with the Stars off to focus on my other career paths like touring in support of my album and recording my next one. I look forward to returning to DWTS in early 2010.”

Dancing with the Stars executive producer, Conrad Green, is also quoted in the article talking about how they encourage the dancers to take a break. Check out Julianne Hough’s list of Tour dates and you can see she’s going to be busy without Dancing with the Stars.

Glad to know Julianne Hough will be back on Dancing with the Stars.

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I Written By

Better known as Charlie.

Filed Under: ABC  Dancing with the Stars  Dancing with the Stars Professionals  Dancing with the Stars Season 10  DWTS  Entertainment  Reality TV  TV  TV News
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