Sabrina Bryan and Louis Van Amstel chatted about their union and their rehearsals with On The Red Carpet getting ready for Dancint With The Stars tonight, but, what’s fun is watching them dance together…
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Maks Chmerkovskiy has written his first new blog for Dancing With The Stars Season 15 at TV Guide. He says ‘tonight’s the big night’and it’s ‘going to be a big one’ as he explains how he’s dancing with Kirstie Alley again and how it’s like “building a sandcastle” with her (love that part!). Note too how he writes that his contract with Dancing With The Stars doesn’t end until 2015.
Kirstie deserves to be an All-Star. She’s fantastic in so many ways. I know she’s been saying she’s been dancing since Season 12, but she hasn’t! I’ve been calling her out on it. She definitely took to this whole dancing thing a lot more than probably most of the other celebrities have on the show. But after the show, she realized really quickly that without the element of time, this is a whole new ballgame. It’s not the same. It’s like building a sandcastle. You can have fun at your leisure. But imagine building a sandcastle with someone watching over you telling you have a minute left. It’s her and me building the sandcastle together while the show dictates the rules. It’s funny because in rehearsals, she’s been saying, “What the hell was I thinking?” And I say, “After all the pain and bruises went away and you were no longer exhausted every day, you were left with a very positive experience from the show. After that, if anyone asks you how the show was, you say, ‘It was amazing!’ So when they come to you for All-Stars, you say, ‘Of course!'” Maybe that’s why we don’t have any celebrities from the last two seasons — they haven’t gotten enough distance from the show yet. It’s still too fresh.
We’re having fun. Kirstie’s having fun, and that’s all that matters to me. How ready are we? We are as ready as we’ll be the day of the show. There’s nothing more we can do. This season is the best of the best. Last season was arguably the best level we ever had. This is going to top that. We have so many former winners, so many finalists who probably should have won. There are people who won personality and some who won on skill. I told Kirstie, “You just gotta dance.” The fact is, she can’t compete with a 20-year-old. That’s the truth. She’s 61 years old. She just has to go out there and do her thing. What makes her happy is what she will show on the dance floor. We left off on a very positive note on how far she came last time, so now how much father can she go? Right now, she’s at Week 7 or 8 from last season. I just want us to have fun and dance.
Also, Kym Johnson has a new blog up at People.com where she talks of doing tougher routines wtih Joey Fatone. She also talks of who she’s heard is good this season…
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
It’s a Dancing With The Stars holiday and PureDWTS reader Lois puts it’s all into perspective with this fun ditty for the premiere tonight…
THE DANCING WITH THE STARS TRAIN!
All aboard! The train is leaving the station
Chug, chugging along to its final destinationThe All Stars are in their Sunday finery best
Who of the thirteen will pass the final testAlong for the ride Bruno, Carrie Ann, and Len
When will they raise the paddle of the first tenThe ballroom is cheering, the train is inside
The shimmery, sparkly show opens with prideOur eyes wide at precisely the hour of 8 o’clock
We get into the dancing mode, oh it will rockEmmy winner Tom Bergeron says for all to hear
This is Dancing With The Stars, it is finally hereBrooke Burke takes her place with her co host
Congratulations Tom, well deserved, we boastThe All Stars ascend, to thunderous loud cheers
All thirteen trying to shake off nerves and fearsTheir heels, dancing shoes, steps to the beat
Oh we are in for a dazzling, raz-ma-taz treat!The train pulls out, in salute the whistles blow
It is Dancing With the Stars, its on with the show!Written by Lois A Troutman, September 24, 2012
DANCING WITH THE STARS ALL STARS IS FINALLY HERE!
WITH GUSTO, WE STAND UP, WE GIVE A ROUSING CHEER!
Thanks Lois! Well said! And with that said, Dancettes, below is Pamela Anderson on The Ellen Show today prepping us even more for tonight. She says Tristan sweats in a heart shape. LOL So cute!
Also, below is a bite from Nightline where host Tom Beregeon talks about Pamela.
“DWTS” host Tom Bergeron told “Nightline” that he recently asked the former “Baywatch” babe about her celibacy vow, which she made last month.
“I guess she thought it would give her a competitive edge,” Bergeron said. “And so I happened to see her yesterday in the hall and I mentioned to her that I had been asked about her vow of celibacy and over her shoulder, with her back to me, she went, ‘I’m already off the wagon.’”
A few weeks before the “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” premiere, which airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, the 45-year-old Anderson told People magazine that she had “sworn off men until November,” when the competition ends.
Anderson was eliminated from “Dancing with the Stars,” Season 10, in May 2010 and returns tonight for the show’s 15th season, alongside Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, Bristol Palin and Emmitt Smith, among others.
“We’ve got everybody on the show who’s been here before, many of whom have won it before, I’m really excited about it,” Bergeron said. “I do think that each of them knows that this particular Mirror Ball trophy, however kitschy it might be, there’s a certain status among fans of the show for coming into a season of all stars and walking away with that one.”
NOTE: Tune into “Nightline” tonight at 11:35 p.m. ET as ABC’s David Wright sits down with Tom Bergeron and members of the cast to talk about the show behind the scenes. HERE is a preview you don’t want to miss.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Drew Lachey told TV Guide Canada that dancing again on Dancing With The Stars “feels like coming home”. He may be a little older, but, he’s more prepared. See why….
This time around, Lachey admits he’s a little older, but may be even more prepared to take on the cha-cha and the quickstep with professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.
“[I’m going to] drink a lot,” Lachey joked, when asked about his preparations. “The big thing I’ve been doing is stretching. The older you get the more you need to. Every time I work out I stretch … I’m in better shape now than when I did the show the first time.”
Drew has also written a new blog for People.com. He writes of all the changes that have taken place since he was last on the show. He also talks of what it’s like being partnered with Anna Trebunskaya, rehearsing in his hometown, and improving his dancing.
I am once again paired with an incredible partner, Anna Trebunskaya, and thank God for her. She has had to be coach, teacher, drill sargent, therapist and partner. Not an easy feat. I thoroughly enjoy being challenged and pushing myself to learn something new but throw in roughly 20 million people watching your successes and failures, and you have the potential for a massive ulcer.
Since this is the all-stars season, just doing what you did in the past is a good way to get sent home early. People are expecting to see something new and exciting. In order to accomplish that, our rehearsals are a combination of playing up the things I do well and working on the areas where I need improvement.
We started rehearsals in Cincinnati, which was great. I was able to focus during rehearsals and then pass out from exhaustion in my own bed at night. Now we are in L.A. with all 12 – yes, 12 – other couples. To say that there are distractions is the understatement of the century. Whether it is talking to other couples, camera blocking, costume fittings, interviews, photo shoots or just L.A. traffic, there is always something to pull your focus off of the most important thing – learning the dance.
Bring on this team. I bet they are going to spell “fun”. Picture courtesy of Drew Lachey & Anna Trebunskaya Facebook.
Only hours away now, Guys!
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Tony Dovolani tells Celebuzz, he and partner Melissa Rycroft only have “up” to go. Read on further to see why….
“Now, she’s taking the opportunity by the horns and really wanting to do well,” he continued. “Back then, even though she wanted to do well, she had no idea what was going on. So I feel like she’s much more mature. I’m proud of her. I became kind of like a big brother when she first joined the show in season 8. Now, I feel like I can actually be her dance partner, because she comes in much more mature.”
Dovolani, who recently announced a partnership with Capezio dancewear, also told Celebuzz he is more than pleased to re-team with Rycroft this season.
“I feel like our chemistry was so great last time,” he said. “It’s the right fit. We get along; we get each other … It still feels fresh.”
“We only have up to go,” he continued. “There’s not gonna be a step back, it’s gonna be all steps forward. We’re so hungry, because we came so close [in season 8] and we didn’t get it.”
You can read the full interview at Celebuzz. I really hope these two come out strong tonight.
ADDING: Go here to see Melissa and Joey on the Morning Blend today too.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
First of all and in case you missed an addition to another post, don’t miss seeing a piece on GMA today with Niecy Nash at stage rehearsals last night here. She interviews the couples and you can see the couples dancing. A great teaser and Niecy is funny!
Also, Conrad Green, the producer of Dancing With The Stars, previews the show and gives his take on the couples at TV Guide as well. Below is a take, but, be sure you read the link for the full article. Take note the tweeks for the show he mentions in the last paragraph….
“To be honest, I didn’t think we’d get that many,” executive producer Conrad Green tells TVGuide.com. “It’s quite incredible, isn’t it? I was hoping we’d get a good response and it was more than any of us could’ve expected. This whole cast is really the cream of the cream of the crop.”
That’s not an overstatement: Of the 13 returning stars, only two of them — Pamela Anderson and Sabrina Bryan, who’s back via fan vote — didn’t make the finals in their original seasons. Two third-place finishers (Bristol Palin and Melissa Rycroft) and three runners-up (Kirstie Alley, Joey Fatone, Gilles Marini) also join the ex-Mirrorball winners (Helio Castroneves, Shawn Johnson, Drew Lachey, Kelly Monaco, Apolo Anton Ohno and Emmitt Smith).
“I think it’s a testament to how much they enjoyed it the first time that so many winners and finalists are back,” Green says. “Looking at it on paper, you can argue one or two people who you wanted to see back who aren’t there, but almost everybody we approached said yes. The problem is this show requires you for three months and a lot of other people had committed to other things already. This has always been a really fun interlude in their careers, so I think a lot of them, if they were able to, made the space for it. And now we have a really crazy, competitive cast.”
Having such a formidable bunch means that there will be some tweaks to the show. Celebrities will be creative directors of a dance for a week, for which they’ll come up with the theme and wardrobe, pick the music and all but choreograph their routine. Gone is the Dance Duel, which was introduced last season to prevent a Sabrina Bryan-like shocking elimination (though Green allows that it may return in a normal season) and in is a temporary scoring system emphasizing technique. “We’re thinking about having Len [Goodman] give a couple of extra points to the celebrity who did the best technical dance of the night,” Green says. “It’s an extra boost; it’s not a punishment for everyone else. We’ll tweak scoring here and there to make sure there’s a bit more discipline and content in there, given that these people have done the show before.”
The ‘creative director’ idea sounds kind of cool, but, hmmm, not sure what to think of the extra points from Len? Thoughts?
Also, Louis Van Amstel wrote a new blog for GMA today. He writes of Sabrina, rehearsals last night, and gives us his take of tonight’s premiere.
Today is show day and we have an early 7 am call time to go through orchestra rehearsal, where all couples get about 10 minutes with the band to hear their song played live for the first time. You have to remember we all rehearse to the original track until the day of the show. Most of the time it sounds amazing live with the band, but sometimes the songs are so different or complicated that it adds so much pressure and nerves. There’s not a lot we can do that last minute, but we have an amazing band leader in Harold Wheeler, who always does everything in his power to accommodate any changes we’d like to make.
After orchestra rehearsal it’s time for dress rehearsal where the entire show is run as if it’s live — minus the commercials. This is necessary to make sure the show runs smoothly and all departments are happy. Sometimes the costumes need some tweaking or lighting need to be changed. This is where the nerves get to an all time high! Thank goodness for all of us you guys don’t get to see dress rehearsal ….things can sometimes get very dramatic.
Tonight Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson will open the show followed by Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough. Sabrina and I will dance third, which I like because we don’t have to go out first and yet we don’t have to wait so long before we perform. I don’t know the entire following order of the show, but I do know Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance 12th and Emmett Smith and Cheryl Burke perform last.
Every couple will come out strong and dance their hearts out. I also believe the judges will be extra critical on all the dances, since most celebs have gone through an entire season already and have dance experience.
On a sentimental note, I feel so blessed to part of this amazing cast, having the best celebrity partner in Sabrina Bryan. I’m still so thankful for ABC and the BBC worldwide for giving me the opportunity to do what I love doing so much on such a worldly stage in front of millions.
Thanks to all of you for watching “DWTS” faithfully over the years, I truly hope this season is going to blow your minds and inspire to take on your own desired dreams. Enjoy the show!
You can read more here.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
PopTVDotCom was able to catch the stars of Dancing With The Stars going into their last day of rehearsals before the premiere tonight! Some answer if it’s easier the second time around and more. Thanks PopTVDotCom, you rock!
Sabrina and Louis have some last minute thoughts for us as well in this video….
ADDING: Also, here is a piece on GMA today with Niecy Nash at stage rehearsals last night.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Access Hollywood caught up with judge Carrie Ann Inaba at the Emmy Awards last night. She had a few things to say about the premiere of Dancing With The Stars tonight and how the judging is going to be tougher this season. She said, “It’s going to be an intense season and they are going to look at detail”. She also talks of who she has her eye on and more (is she going to fair this season? I hope so. In my opinion, if she was going to mention a few people last night, she should mention them all?).
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
At the Emmy’s last night, Dancing With The Stars host Tom Bergeron made some comments about Maks Chmerkovskiy and if he was leaving the show. Tom was also asked on who he thought the front runner would be on Dancing With The Stars this season. I love what Tom said on both subjects. Always the class act. Details below….
“I talked to him yesterday,” Bergeron said of Chmerkovskiy. “He said it was taken out of context… it was end of his contract. I would fully understand that, but he’s going to be with us beyond this season.”
Chmerkovskiy is on contract through 2013, and Bergeron says that means there will be at least two more seasons of him on the show.
As for his pick for the frontrunner of the All-Stars season, which has six previous winners coming back to the ballroom, Bergeron was tight-lipped.
“If I answer, I’ll piss off 12 people,” he said.
You can read the full story at the Hollywood Reporter.
ADDING: Good Morning America talked with Tom on his Emmy and the premiere of Dancing With The Stars. You can watch it here.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
The cast and crew of our show are in their last minute preparations. The Daily Mail has some great takes of some of them arriving and leaving rehearsals yesterday. We’ve included a few pics above of Pamela Anderson and Bristol Palin, but, the link has more. Note how Bristol seems to have darkened and cut her hair (hmm, I think liked it better before?)? PopTVDotCom was also able to capture some footage from the Dancing With The Stars rehearsal parking lot which you can view below. Note how Karina says she won’t be going to the Emmy’s tonight. Instead she and Apolo will be rehearsing. One more day! This is getting really exciting now, isn’t it?!! Yay! 🙂
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
