Pay attention to the first couple videos since they will be a jumping off point for a future post. The last half of the video, I mean. And have I mentioned lately how much I adore Tom Bergeron??

Do David and Jennifer have an unfair advantage?

Possible Controversy? Apparently not.

Erin talks about Season 11, Florence Henderson – blast from the past.

Tony talks to Extra about DWTS and Audrina – he thinks he has a shot at winning.

The Insider

YAY! The official cast photos came out yesterday! And what better way to bring our series back from a two-week hiatus than to give you a fun, creative way to check out this season’s couples in costume? And as a bonus – this one’s an extra long edition! ENJOY!

Battle of the red stoned & feathered Latin dress, redux: Brandy’s pre-season 11 photo shoot with Maks vs. Debi’s salsa with Maks in season 9 vs. one of the performers in the Haiti “Stars of Dance” performance

Courtney: Some of you may remember that Heidi & I actually already critiqued (er, more like ripped apart!) this dress in Who Wore it Better? Part II. We couldn’t even pick a winner, because we hated this dress with a passion.  But now seeing it on Brandy…I actually think it looks kinda cute on her. Maybe not my first choice for her, but not terrible. So I would hereby like to retract my previous opinion that this dress did not look cute on anyone, and dub Brandy the winner of this battle

Heidi: Yeah, it looks cute on Brandy and for sh…crap on the other ladies – but a better question is why is Brandy standing so stiff and straight, both feet together?? That was the last thing  expected from her and it makes me wonder. But lord knows she’s not the only one looking stiff in these photos.

Courtney: Oh you’re terrible, Heidi It’s comments like those that start fan wars! Or showmance rumors…as if there aren’t enough of those flying around already…

The winner: Brandy!!  Her first, but likely not only, win of the new season!!

Battle of the grey button-down shirt & black dance pants: Derek’s first jive with Nicole in season 10 vs. Derek’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Heidi: LOOK!! My pretend boyfriend recycles too!!  And this isn’t his first time reusing a costume, I just haven’t had time to go back and look up all his dittos.  I LOVED this outfit when worn for his jive with Nicole – I like the more understated outfits on the men.  Not to mention that he looks all growed up these days.  I like the photo shoot version – mainly because I keep getting distracted by the cowlick in the Jive version.

Courtney: Kudos to Heidi for finding our first ever MALE ditto! Granted, the subject in question may account for why her eye was so keen, but that’s beside the point I like the the more casual look of the short-sleeved button down shirt for Latin dances.  I think the winner of this one is…geez…I dunno…so I guess I’ll go with…DEREK! Haha But more specifically, when he wore it for the jive.  The photo shoot lighting tends to make everything look so drab.

The winner:  The Hot Blond Guy in the gray shirt.

Battle of the red, fringey & stone-y Latin dress: Kate’s jive with Tony in season 10 vs. Margaret’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Courtney: Hahaha…ok, I know some people are put off by Margaret’s tats, but I actually really like the character they add to her.  And clearly she’s got plenty of character to bring to the stage! I have a feeling I’m gonna really like her this season.  I think Kate looks more “put-together” in this dress, but as a lot of you know, I LOATHE overstyled, bumpit-y hair…so I’m giving this one to Margaret, and her cute red shoes

Heidi: I have to go with Margaret simply for having balls to be OUT THERE and not stiffly posed like some of the others.  Did I say balls?  We’ll get to those later.

Courtney: Oh boy.  I can already tell it’s gonna be another toilet humor/innuendo filled post

The winner: The delightful Ms. Cho for BRINGING it!!

Battle of the red-stoned, long-fringed Latin dress with the skinny belt: Anna’s salsa relay with Chuck in season 9 vs. Jennifer’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Heidi: Hmmm….they both look fabulous, but I don’t know about red on a redhead.  I have to give it up for Jennifer because she just looks amazing. I can’t believe she’s 50. I won’t look that good at 50, I’m sure.  In any case, there’s a filter on the camera that makes it look pinker on Jennifer and her makeup matches beautifully – but I do like the neck scarf that Anna has on. But I have to go back to Jennifer for the soft and lovely look.

Courtney: Now while I may have a heterosexual girl-crush on Anna, she looks a little too overstyled in this dress – the hair, the thing around the neck, the earrings…blech.  I like Jennifer’s simpler look better, but again, another dress that isn’t necessarily bad on the celeb, but isn’t the best either.  But my god – Jennifer looks fan-frickin-tastic for being 50.  If I age half as well as she has, I will be one hot cougar. ;-)

The winner: Jennifer – the woman we all want to be when we’re 50.

Battle of the 2-piece, heavily-fringed red Latin costume: Audrina’s pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Holly’s samba with Dmitry in season 8 vs. one of the performers in the guest pro dance in season 9

Courtney: Ok, I know what some of you are going to say: “But this was also Stacy’s jive costume!” Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not the same outfit – very similar, but the cut of the top is different. See for yourself. Anywho, I hated this costume on Holly, not only because she was a terribly awkward mover in it, but also because the fringe accentuating her ample bosom and the headband in her hair just made her look like kind of a bimbo to me.  Looks decent on random blonde pro from the random guest pro jive – I think it could be Snejana, but who knows.  Audrina seems to pull it off with the most ease, but I think I like her better with dark hair.

Heidi: Audrina is a beautiful girl, and she certainly wears this dress better than the other two – but here’s another girl that seems to be holding herself very stiffly – is it a model thing? Nerves from the photo shoot? Her pose just seems weird to me.

The winner: Audrina, despite the hair and the perceived case of the stiffs

Battle of the long, black, lacey, fringey, and ruffle-y ballgown: Bristol’s pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Kym’s Argentine tango with Donny in season 9

Heidi: My first thoughts when seeing Bristol in this dress?? “Where the fu..dge did they get the damn curtains to sew on to the tablecloth??” Folks, there is such a thing as too much crap on a dress and this is a dress with too much crap on it. Lordy. Poor, POOR Randall, if this is an example of what Bristol wants to go with the entire season. Poor MARK!! He’ll get swallowed up by fabric the first time he attempts a rumba. I have the overwhelming urge to comment on modest clothing versus teen pregnancy. I’m trying very, very hard to refrain. Man, think of the cheesecake awards.

Courtney: I can imagine the banter at the photo shoot: “We need more ruffles in here, STAT! No way the former first daughter of Alaska is gonna show as much skin as that Aussie bombshell!” It’s a little hard to tell from this angle, but they added quite a bit more fabric for Bristol’s modesty than the original dress offered – Kym was sex on legs in this one! Props to Bristol for staying true to values, but I daresay she isn’t going to be able to dance every week being this covered up.  Kym – you are still our favorite blonde Aussie with “ausome” boobs Hehe, get it?

Heidi: Did you just say that Bristol remained true to values?? Are you TRYING to kill me here? My tongue needs to be sewn back on as it is!! Just a joke folks, just a joke. Keep tuning in just to see how long I can hold it in. :::chants::: She’s not her mother, she’s not her mother, she’s not her mother….

Courtney: For once, I was trying to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, since she said in some interview that she was determined to wear “modest” costumes on the show.  REALLY trying to give her a fair shot like I did with Kate at first last season. But yah…values, schmalues.  I still think she’s the biggest joke to ever do DWTS.  And I think she’ll quickly find that the wardrobe department likes skimpy costumes for 3 reasons: they show the movement of the dances better, they don’t take as much time, fabric, & effort to make, and sex sells. Obviously.

The winner: Duh. Kym. The Aussie Bombshell. Hee.

Battle of the red mesh & tulle party dress: Anna’s freestyle with Evan in season 10 vs. Anna’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Courtney: I thought this dress was a hot mess when I saw it during Evan & Anna’s freestyle – but then again, that freestyle wasn’t the greatest, either.  She’s playful when she’s wearing it in the freestyle; but I love her expression in her photo shoot – she almost won it last season, which makes her that much hungrier for it this season.  This girl means business!

Heidi: I can’t decide if I like the dress color with her hair color or not, but I do think I have mad love for this dress. It’s muy funky. She wore it well both times.

The winner: The Photo shoot Anna.

Battle of the short, cranberry-lace tango dress: Chelsie’s Argentine tango with Louis in season 9 vs. Chelsie’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Heidi: I LOVE this dress!! Love, love, love it. I like the photo shoot version better mainly because I don’t like how she has her hair done for the tango – the bangs bother me. Straggly.

Courtney: This is another one of my favorite dresses.  So simple, yet so sexy. But I think I prefer it the way she wore it in the tango better- the overall look feels more “done”, and the dress also sits better -  I can’t help but think it looks like negligee in her photo shoot pic, especially with the hair blowing in the wind and the slightly “come hither” look in her eye.  I’m sure John’s loving it either way

The winner: Well, Chelsie, either way.

Battle of the skin-tight, red lace & fringe tango dress: Cheryl’s pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Cheryl’s Argentine tango with Chad in season 10

Courtney: Wasn’t wild about this dress when she wore it last season (wasn’t wild about that tango, either – she just danced around Chad!), but paired with the long hair and without the gloves, Cheryl looks SEX-AY.  And I’ve already said that she & Rick are going to make one stunning couple this season…this is just the preseason shoot.  Think of what their rumba will look like!

Heidi: Well, we thought a rumba with Chad would be hot too. She and Rick will be a much prettier couple, but whether he can bring the sexy or not remains to be seen. Now Cheryl, on the other hand, is bringing the sexy. I’m with you, her photo shoot version of this dress is a zillion times better. It’s definitely the loose hair – I think she should do that more often. The severe hair just isn’t good for her face shape, I think.

Courtney: Agreed.  Her face is too round for very “pulled back” hair.

The winner: Photo shoot Cheryl!

Battle of the black & silver razor blade & chain bra & feathered skirt ensemble: Lacey’s samba with Lance in season 7 vs. Chelsie’s pro dance to Rascal Flatts in season 8 vs. Lacey in the ladies’ pro dance opener in season 9 vs. Lacey’s pre-season 11 photo shoot

Courtney: Wow, Lacey really loves her bedazzled bra & feather skirt! I just find it funny how the costume evolved: when we first saw it in season 7 (which happened to be the season that both Cheryl & Lacey were catching all sorts of flak about their weight gain), it had a vest over it.  Then they made Chelsie wear it for a pro dance – fail, since that girl just isn’t punky enough to carry off a bra with razor blades dangling off of it.  Then Lacey gets in shape, and dons it for the ladies’ pro dance – and I actually think it looks really good there, with her flowing brunette locks (who cares if her hair is mostly fake? If you can’t acheive it, weave it!).  But Lacey as a blonde? Ugh.  It just doesn’t look right.  I thought the dark hair really brought out her eyes and skin much better, while the blonde just kinda washes everything out.  And is it just me, or does that outfit seem even skimpier than before…especially in her photo with Kyle? Are they trying to pawn Lacey off as the new Edyta? Yeeeesh.

Heidi: You stole all my lines. The blonde hair is ugh, the outfit is skimpier – seeing as she probably took Edyta’s place I guess that’s one way to go. Yadda yadda yadda. What more is there to say?

The winner: Lacey as a brunette sans vest.

Battle of the black, stoned, plunging, ruched-side tango dress: Kym’s pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Joanna’s Argentine tango with Maks in season 9

Heidi: Well, crap, this is hard – the dress and both women look awesome. I have to go with Joanna for the dark lipstick and the hair – and the gloves.

Courtney: Ooh damn…this is a tough one to call.  Two very sexy blondes, striking the same very sexy pose, in one very sexy, clingy black dress.  Joanna is, quite possibly, the only person on the show who has come close to rivaling Kym in terms of having great boobs.  But Kym is the queen of the expression – she can take a ho-hum costume and make it great just by making the right face.  It pains me to do so, but I’m gonna have to go with Joanna on this one – but just barely.  I just loved how she rocked that super dark lipstick and long black gloves in her tango.

The winner: Joanna, by a millimeter.

And folks, we went and saved the best for last…

Battle of the silver, fringey, 3-quarter sleeve sheath dress with ungodly large shoulder pads: Florence’s pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Louis goofing around at his pre-season 11 photo shoot vs. Kelly’s freestyle with Louis in season 9

Courtney: Take one of the tackiest dresses in DWTS history.  Put it on a TV legend – meh.  It’s okay.  Put it on a reality TV star – okay, it’s kinda cute.  Put it on one very flamboyant male pro – it’s the fiercest, most fabulous thing you’ve ever laid eyes on.  Louis Van Amstel for the fashion WIN. Extra points for accessorizing with the watch.

Heidi: Girl, it ain’t just the watch, it’s the POSE. Dude is rocking that dress, although it doesn’t wear as smoothly over his lower half. :::smirk::: But you know, Florence could join the cast of Dynasty in this dress – WTF with the shoulder pads? Since Louis is not a big guy, the pads work for him – and those bumps balance out other….oh, never mind. I can’t bring myself to go there.

Courtney: If my honey were here, he’d recommend a dance belt for Louis…I won’t go into detail, but it tends to keep certain problematic bulges in check.  Oh boy, look what you’ve done…now I’m talking about genitals too!

The winner: Louis, by a….watch.

 Have you fallen in love with “Who Wore it Better”? Then be sure to check out all of our previous editions while you wait with baited breath for the next installment!

Wow. I like everyone they spoke to in this clip from the Insider – I particularly like Jennifer’s comments about Dirty Dancing. It seems she bears no ill will toward the movie, which was something I wondered about. This also shows Brandy and Bristol as likeable.

via The Insider

Some paparazzi video with quite a few different people – warning, it’s long. Hasselhoff = HAM.

Access Hollywood cracks me up, for obvious reasons. LOL

Wow, Maks wrote a very nice blog! I think maybe he learned a lesson last season too.

Brandy is quite a personality. She is hilarious! We get along really well and are having a lot of fun. She’s very free and very willing to experiment. She’s not afraid to experiment even though she appears to be a bit of scaredy-cat. She’s a perfectionist, but she’s a fun perfectionist. She’s not one who drills herself. She can laugh at herself and . definitely has natural potential and talent. I’ll be honest: When I found out I got Brandy, my immediate thought was, “Please let her have some dance experience!” Why? I felt like the off-season went by in a week! It’s crazy. I’ve just been flying around the whole summer with a lot of projects in the works — just super busy. For me, this summer, I spent it on a plane. I still feel the aches from last season. It’s crazy. To me, the show just finished. Now we’re back in it, so it’s kind of funny. It would help if Brandy if had been an amazing dancer. But she’s not — and obviously I don’t mean that in a bad way. Her strength, though, is definitely her personality. I think I just need to be able to package her and present her to the viewers and we’re going to be good. I’m still trying to get myself in the right mindset. Last season was very difficult because there were weeks where, toward the end, I did nothing but Dancing with the Stars. It was literally just rehearse, eat, sleep, eat, rehearse. It gets a little crazy after a while because you feel like you’re missing out on life. But then you realize this is what life is!

The cast this season is very eclectic. I think there a re a lot of people who have potential. I think Jennifer Grey is a dancer at heart. I haven’t seen anyone take a step, so I don’t know her level of experience, but I think she’s in great shape. I think Audrina is someone who can pull away. She has Tony, who’s very excited to work with her. I think there are a few from the men’s side who can be good. Kurt Warner and Rick Fox — they know what it’s like to do something over and over again being athletes. I think Michael Bolton will know how to put on a performance. Of course, I don’t know how limber he is. I think this cast is more even than in some seasons past.

One last thing I want to mention for the first and last time: romance rumors. There was a lot of stuff last season about Erin and me, and I already see stuff this season and the cast was just announced! I just want everyone to know that there’s absolutely no way that anybody will get me to talk about anything about my personal life. I think our fans are amazing. I’ve had incredible support in the tough times and I try to give back with what I do on the dance floor. I love our extended family, but there are certain things that one must keep to themselves. I put out a lot out there — I know that — but everyone has a right to a personal life. One thing I promise is that like last season, I’m very focused on dancing, getting Brandy into the final and getting the trophy. She’s very talented and very capable of winning. We’re going to give our best. I just want everyone to understand that they will never get an answer from me or her or anyone else now or even in the next three years, God-willing, if we’re still doing this. But I want you to know that I’m not blind and I do see the rumors, but I’m not going to address them. And I’m saying that with a smile on my face.

See all of them at Entertainment Tonight’s site

Time to take a look at a number of other ways to try and rank and evaluate the various stars chances on Dancing with the Stars season 11. Voguerista commented with the following Las Vegas Odds for Dancing with the Stars (I’m not sure of the exact source):
Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke, 4 to 1
Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough, 5 to 1
David Hasselhoff and Kym Johnson, 6 to 1
Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 7 to 1
Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower, 9 to 1
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Karina Smirnoff, 11 to 1
Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas, 15 to 1
Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya, 16 to 1
Audrina Patridge and Tony Dovolani, 20 to 1
Margaret Cho and Louis Van Amstel, 25 to 1
Kyle Massey and Lacy Schwimmer, 30 to 1
Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas, 35 to 1

mmc commented with these odds from Bodog.com that provide a different perspective on the odds for each star.
Brandy 3/1
Jennifer 7/2
Rick 5/1
Sitch 7/1
Audrina, Hoff, Michael 10/1
Margaret 12/1
Kyle 15/1
Bristol, Kurt 20/1
Florence 25/1

Of course, it’s really early to try and create odds when we haven’t even seen them dance yet. However, that’s what makes it so much fun and so interesting. I’m really surprised that they have Rick Fox so high in both cases. Although, his ex-wife has an audience that likely has a fair amount of overlap with the DWTS audience and so he could benefit from that if they don’t all hate him for breaking up. I also wouldn’t have ranked Kurt Warner that low either. Football fans likely won’t be surprised by him, but I think that many DWTS viewers are going to fall in love with Kurt.

Voguerista offered an interesting idea in the comments also about the person’s level of competitiveness being a factor in their success on Dancing with the Stars. Obviously, this plays some role. The fact that Lawrence Taylor was thinking more about his tee time than dancing is a problem. I’m not sure how you measure this, but this list of competitiveness by Voguerista is interesting to consider:
Brandy – 50% Competitive. But Max will be 100% Competitive. So, he may push that # up to 90%.
Audriana – 50% Competitive
Florence – 20% Competitive, she’ll be just having fun
Bristol – 100% Competitive, has something to prove personally and has a message for us about herself
Margaret Cho – 0% Competitive -just having fun too. Won’t care if she’s out that frst week.
Jennifer – 100% Competitive.

The Situation – 100% Competitive
Kyle – 20% Competitive
Rick Fox – 100% Competitive -it’s in the blood
David Hasselhoff – 100% Competitive -he will take this on just like Donny Osmond
Michael Bolton – 0% Competitive. I love this guy. But, I have a feeling he doesn’t really care and hopes to be out soon especially with concert dates falling on a Monday and Tuesday?
Kurt Warner – 100% Competitive -it’s in the blood

Heidi usually has been covering all the best press that comes out about Dancing with the Stars, but this video was just too funny (Thanks ck410 for pointing it out). I guess Ryan Seacrest sent Security Guard Roger & Radio Show Phone Operator Nelson to interview the new cast of Dancing with the Stars. It made me laugh so hard. I like this type of raw coverage. Enjoy!

The Viennese Waltz and the Cha Cha are the dances, and judging by the rehearsal photos, Derek and Jennifer got the V Waltz, as did Louis and Margaret while Tony and Audrina got Cha Cha. The rest I can’t tell based on the photos.

Some very goofy rehearsal pics tweeted since my last post? Um, yeah.

This cast could end up being fun, between Jennifer Grey being hilarious and Margaret Cho just being different – read her blog.

And this pairing doesn’t look as odd as I thought it would!

First picture I’ve seen from a title shoot – Audrina and Tony! From Audrina’s Blog:

Ryan Seacrest’s strategy worked and he predicted right! I am dancing with Tony Dovolani! The pic above is a sneak peak to our promo photo shoot – thanks Kelsey for the pic!

I hope you guys all watch me on Dancing With the Stars! Now, I have to go catch up on my rest!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, we dodged a SERIOUS bullet this season:

Who turned down ‘Dancing With the Stars’

According to a source involved with casting, the network approached Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg to join the dance card for the show’s 11th cycle but was unable to secure him. The network also lobbied unsuccessfully for Sylvester Stallone, political commentator Ann Coulter, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the real Erin Brockovich, billionaire Richard Branson, comic actor Tim Allen and former TV darling Suzanne Somers.

“We’ve approached a lot of people over the years,” executive producer Conrad Green told THR. “People say no for a variety of reasons. Some people like the show but think they suck at dancing. It’s a lot easier to say no than it is to say yes.”

If you think I can be mean? You ain’t SEEN mean until you’ve seen my reaction to the likes of Ann Coulter. I may have quit the website over her.

Although lobbying for a spot on the roster has proved successful in the past — hello, Melissa Joan Hart — the casting source said those who push usually have little success.

“Melanie Griffith tries to get on every season,” the source said.

And even before rehearsals begin, whispers of on-set drama are running rampant.

Bristol Palin, daughter of former GOP vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, already has been dubbed this season’s Kate Gosselin, who was famously difficult at times last season.

“Bristol was really annoyed by all the questions about whether her mom would be in the audience to support her,” the source said. “She kept complaining about the amount of press she had to do. She is acting like this is all a big pain.”

Oh dear. Click the link above to read the whole article. It’s very interesting and talks about compensation structure – much of which I’ve heard before, but it’s still interesting.

Hee. Joan was snubbed??

Joan Rivers Snubbed by ‘Dancing With the Stars’: Comedian Has Some Choice (4 Letter) Words for ABC

Joan Rivers is furious—and not it’s not with Lindsay Lohan this time. The Season 11 cast of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ has been revealed, and Joan Rivers’ name wasn’t on the list. The longtime Hollywood fixture was passed over for a spot on the hit ABC ballroom show. Despite telling producers of her interest in appearing on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ Joan Rivers has gotten nothing but crickets for her lobbying efforts.

ETA: Jennifer Grey is hilarious. She tweeted this:
@therealjgrey: It’s not DWTS til you look like a tranny. I love these, wore em to bed. Woke up looking like Hitler.

This was the picture:

Okay, here’s what I gleaned from Twitter since GMA is tape delayed in my time zone. Turns out GMA only announced Jennifer, The Situ, Brandy, Audrina and David – but some said it was so fast (and not good) that they had to check ABC.com for the full list.

Who’s Dancing with Who? For real!

So, did I only switch two of the women? Hey, that’s not bad. I usually suck at the pairs. I think there was enough leaks to do the math this time.