Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to the friends, friends, and fans of the legendary Etta James who died of leukemia complications today at 73. Many fans of Dancing With The Stars might remember this famous performance when Etta sang her classic hit song “At Last” on Dancing With The Stars Season 8, Week 5, April 7th, 2009. Karina Smirnoff and Maks Chmerkovskiy danced so beautifully to it, remember? We dedicate this post to Etta James, her life, music, and this memory we’ll never forget!!
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Maks has a new goal for himself to “compliment” people more often, but he says Hope isn’t helping. LOL See why below as well as why Hope feels she’s out of her element. Maks says she likes it though. This couple gets my vote for sexiest couple this Season and Maks, as always, is in fine form.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
As reported to you earlier, Maks is campaigning and pleading with Hope Solo to dance and be his partner on Dancing With The Stars this upcoming Season. He even took to ESPN radio lastnight to do so. Today on ESPN, Hope addressed him during a post competition soccer interview with Japan. She said, “He’s crazy, I can’t dance, and I can’t walk in heels!” Check it out at the 4:11 minute mark. Her face just lights up when the interviewer brings up the topic.
Well, at least it wasn’t a definite “no” yet, right? I am really hoping this union will come true!
Heidi’s Note: Now we officially have three different interpretations of that interview!!
Edit to add: Below is another ESPN interview where Hope mentions Maks should ask Coach Pia to dance instead. lol You can hear Maks’ interview on ESPN radio a little too.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
At the ESPY Awards this past week, Maks told People Magazine he wants American Soccer goalkeeper, Hope Solo, to dance on Dancing With The Stars. So much so, Maks has been pleading with her to do it. He even has some advise for her which you can read below.
“Hope Solo!” Chmerkovskiy, 31, exclaimed to PEOPLE at Wednesday’s 2011 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles when asked to name his dream partner for next season. “Let’s do it! I want somebody hot, I want somebody exciting, somebody passionate, and I’ll do the rest.”
Solo, 29, has led the Americans into the World Cup final against Japan. And Chmerkovskiy is hooked. “I’m watching every second of it,” he says of the tournament, which is being held in Germany.
And where do the Ukranian-born dancer’s allegiances lie? “Let’s set the record straight. I’ve been a U.S. citizen for 15 years,” he says. “That’s my team, and it always has been!”
As the U.S. gears up for Sunday’s final, Chmerkovskiy has some advice that could apply both to the pitch and the dance floor. “You better win the whole thing, just please,” he says. “Knock it out, don’t start slow and then have to catch up like we always seem to do. Just kill it in the first half, be done with it, and then cruise control over the rest of the game.”
And his personal message for Solo? “I’m waiting,” he says. “And please don’t hurt your legs.”
Wow, she’s beautiful! I love her intense eyes. I think this would definitely be a cool match up. They look good together. What do you think?
Heidi’s Note: Of course, people on twitter are assuming it’s a done deal that she will be on the show and be Maks’ partner, including Steve Weismann from ESPN. Normally, I would say they were all being idiots – just because Maks wants it doesn’t mean it happens. That should be very obvious by now. HOWEVER, considering the comments Maks has made about “special arrangements” and deciding to come back after apparently planning to take a season off, I have to wonder if Maks is dropping lots of hints about his actual partner. Of course, knowing Maks all the comments could amount to exactly nothing. I also think back to all the claims that Landon Donovan was a “done deal” to be on DWTS after his showing in the world cup.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
On Sunday, Access Hollywood interviewed Maks about his role on the Ukraine Bachelor. He said, “There was, what seemed to be the ring and everything else, but if you speak Russian, you would understand that I did not propose”. He is greatful for the experience, but, it was hard. He did the show to “get away” at the time and because he is “a hopeless romantic”. We will know more details on the show coming up this week and how everything worked out. That is, if it worked out? Poor Yana. I wanted Maks to pick HER!
Maks also discusses Dancing With The Stars and how he never said he wasn’t going to dance on the show next Season, but, he hopes to take a rest and enjoy the things he loves as he contemplates his future. He said he has good people working for him who will help him decide. More below. I hope he will do the show next Season, but, I also want him to do whatever makes him happy.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Would you believe odds makers in Las Vegas are already making predictions for which professional will win Season 13? Take a look below at the numbers. They’ve got Derek Hough and Mark Ballas placed neck and neck at first. Cheryl Burke and Maks Chmerkovskiy are tied at second with Anna Trebunskaya and Lacey Schwimmer in third. Even though they deny it at the link, sometimes I have to wonder what they know that we don’t…or is it vice versa? What about Kym Johnson? Have they forgotten she won Season 12? More below…
Although none of these rumors have been confirmed by the stars or producers of Dancing With The Stars, more times than not, the rumors ring true. Online sportsbooks tend to have a good idea of what is what with reality television and although the current entertainment betting odds listed are lines on the gender of the winner of season 13, it is likely that we will see one of those names as a betting odd once the announcement of the stars of season 13 is made official.
Derek Hough +550
Mark Ballas +550
Cheryl Burke +700
Maksim Chmerkovskiy +700
Anna Trebunskaya +900
Lacey Schwimmer +900
Chelsie Hightower +1000
Kym Johnson +1000
Karina Smirnoff +1200
Dmitry Chaplin +1600
Louis van Amstel +2500
Tony Dovolani +2500
Alec Mazo +3000
Edyta Sliwinska +3000
Jonathan Roberts +3300
Anna Demidova +4000
Ashly DelGrosso +4000
Damian Whitewood +4000
Corky Ballas +5000
Elena Grinenko +6600
Inna Brayer +6600
Jesse DeSoto +6600
Andrea Hale +8000
Brian Fortuna +8000
Charlotte Jorgensen +8000
Fabian Sanchez +8000
Nick Kosovich +10000
Whatever happens, I hope Derek is back and we see him and Maks in the Finals!! I’d like to see Damian dance next season and I hope he reaches the Finals as well. Same with Anna! Which pros would you like to see in the Finals?
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
I’d been noticing that the professionals from Dancing with the Stars had been coming out with a number of different work out DVDs. In fact, a ton of Dancing with the Stars workout DVDs.
First is one of the most recently launched DWTS work out DVD’s by Julianne Hough. Ok, she’s probably not allowed to call it a DWTS work out DVD, but that doesn’t mean we can’t call it that right? Officially it’s called: Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom Check out this video with a few clips from the Julianne Hough work out DVD:
This year, Cheryl Burke also came out with her own DVD called: Cheryl Burke Presents Disco Abs (3 DVD). Check out this video preview of Cheryl’s work out DVD:
In 2006, it seems like the first Dancing with the Stars work out DVD was done by Ashly, Kym and Maks and was called: Dancing With the Stars – Cardio Dance
There you go. That’s all of the DWTS work out DVDs I can find. I think that’s enough for now honestly. However, I can’t help but wonder if most men don’t prefer watching them work out on the video more than they actually work out. Ok, enough of that;-) Let everyone know what you think of the various DVDs so people know what to expect from them.
This is not even a rumor. It’s just People having a good time making predictions for 2010. However, it was too much fun to think about that I had to post it. Here’s their prediction:
Jessica Simpson has the BEST YEAR EVER. After winning Dancing with the Stars, she and pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy get engaged.
I would love to see Jessica Simpson on DWTS 2010. Paired with Maks would be fantastic. Although, maybe DWTS will pair her with Derek to get the blonde bombshell thing again this season. Nah, probably not 2 seasons in a row.
[picappgallerysingle id="4753075"]
The good people over at More have been having Debi Mazar do a blog post each week on Dancing with the Stars. Since she got kicked off, this will be Debi’s last DWTS blog post (at least on More.com). However, she made some interesting comments about Maks’ choreography:
Also, I wish we had had some show-stopping moves in our choreography, like when Chuck Liddell rips his sleeves off or Mya bends backwards or wraps her legs around her partner. I can’t do splits but my legs are limber enough to do everything else and make nice lines, and I never felt that we had the choreography where I could show that stuff off. I think America wants to see chemistry and sexiness, and I don’t think we looked like we were having any chemistry except on the tango, which was brilliant the way Maks choreographed it. I spoke to somebody and their take on it was that Maks is very purist in ballroom. He doesn’t want to do all the cutesy things that people throw into a routine because the crowd likes it.
It’s interesting that she would call the “bad boy” of ballroom dancing a “purist in ballroom.” Probably more likely that Maks didn’t feel like Debi could execute many of the moves that he wanted to do.
Debi also gave us a bit of insight into Maks’ softer side instead of how the producers of DWTS have portrayed him:
After we were eliminated, Maks was very supportive. He came over to me and said, “Deb, listen, I wouldn’t trade spending time with you through this period of my life over getting any disco-ball trophy.” What people don’t realize is that we were together for 10 weeks, 6 hours a day. A lot of that time, he was going through a very hard personal time. It made things complicated, but I was happy to be an objective person in the picture and try to be supportive of him. I think we both came out of it with something, and you can’t ask for more than that.
I must admit that I’m a real fan of Maks. I think he’s a great entertainer and is great for the show.
There’s more in Debi Mazar’s blog post about Maks and her kids dancing and about Debi’s weight loss on Dancing with the Stars.
If people know of other celebrities or professionals that are blogging about their DWTS experience, please let us know in the comments. This was good stuff.
5 days until the premier of season 9!!!! According to twitter, our pros and celebs are brushing up on their first dances so I am taking the first four dance styles (Cha, Cha, Salsa, Viennese Waltz, and Foxtrot) and finding the best, the worst, and the incredible hot from all previous seasons! After these next four editions, we should know exactly what to look for when it comes show time!
THE GOOD
Season 3: Emmitt Smith
Emmit displays a lot of qualities that make a cha, cha, cha so hot! First of all, you can tell that he is having a blast by his expressions through out the dance. He always keeps up with Cheryl and is able to dance her choreo precisely and with only one noticeable slip up which was when he slide under her.
Season 4: Laila Ali
It is so nice to see the girly side of Laila! She looks like she is have such a ball with Maks! I am always impressed when a celeb can pick up footwork/technique! It’s got to be one of the hardest aspects of the show since it is so specific! However, Laila’s hands kill me!!!! Not her extension stops mid forearm and never extends through her hands or fingers! Overall, she was fabulous!
Helio Castroneves: Season 5
Helio always cracked me up! I loved that he got so excited about his performances I will say that this cha, cha, cha wasn’t the most exciting dance but it did earn them a 30 so I feel like I should pay tribute to them along with the other 30s
Season 6: Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi was amazing to watch all season! I wish she would have come out of her shell just a little bit more and let America see her personality! I kind of felt like she was business all the time! However, Mark was a great teacher for her and the two of them had amazing chemistry together This cha, cha, cha was precise, articulate, and a lot of fun all around!
Season 8: Shawn Johnson
Shawn is so adorable! I can’t say enough about this little lady! You could tell that she had so a blast with Mark and this dance! Mark choreographed it so suit her so well and she performed it flawlessly!
THE BAD Season 3: Tucker Charlson
A pretty good hint that a dance is going to be a train wreck is if the celeb is sitting in a chair for a good amount of time during the opening of the dance! I think Tucker looked like he was having fun but I feel like you could tell her was uncomfortable with the steps. He was very heavy on his feet and didn’t display the technique that the Cha Cha Cha requires.
THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Season 5: Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan is a classic and this song is great for a cha, cha, cha! And how can you not love Julianne, Kim, Mark, and Maks
Poor Yana. I wanted Maks to pick HER!
Check out this video with a few clips from the Julianne Hough work out DVD:
. Check out this video preview of Cheryl’s work out DVD:
- With Cheryl and Maks and 
- which is actually with Lisa Rinna who fell in love with dancing on Dancing with the Stars.
