Interview after the final performance show.

This is a much cleaner copy of previously posted videos uploaded to You Tube by TV Guide.

Part 1 – Injuries

Part 2 – The Pros

Part 3 – The Wardrobe

Part 4 – The Judges

Part 5 – The Stars

Part 6 – The Show

Part 7 – The Hookups

What tour, you ask? Well, there isn’t one this summer. It’s really annoying. I’m experiencing serious DWTS withdrawal, particularly after having gone to one of the tour shows this past winter.  Yeah, I go outside. Yeah, I have cocktails with friends. But still.  Today, for the first time in a while, my filter box search turned up 4 entries on DWTS.  FOUR?!?! Are you kidding me?  Sheesh.

So, to try to cure my withdrawal symptoms, I’ve been posting DWTS tour video in that other place where I spend lots of time – yeah, you’re going to have to live with my Derek-centric videos if you want to watch what I’ve put together (or filmed myself). I can’t help it. That’s how I roll.   Keep checking back here, as I’m not even close to done yet.

On the bright side, I should be able to get some video of Gilles on one of the entertainment shows tomorrow (I think it was ET) – supposedly all about his surgery. And possibly some coverage of Shawn at the Young Hollywood awards. Shawn and Mark are also (reportedly) presenting at the CMT awards next weekend here in Nashville.  I will need to be paid lots of money to actually go down to Music Row to try to catch a glimpse (it’s fan week for country music this week – going downtown will require serious bribes), but the local news should cover more than the networks do – I’ll see what I can catch.  As of right now, I’m also planning on going to the celebrity softball game on Tuesday (?) where Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks are supposed to be playing.  I do have a full time job, so we’ll see.

That’s all I got, for now.

Gilles Marini checks into the hospital and has surgery to repair the shoulder he separated early in the DWTS season. 

“On my way to the hospital,” the Sex and the City stud tweeted at about 9 a.m. PST. “I am relax and hope that all will be fine. It’s my number 15 when it comes to surgery. Love G.”

UPDATE: Gilles is off the operating-room table and on to his recovery. “I am out now,” he just said in an email. “Shoot, it hurts. LOL. It’s the post-Cheryl Burke treatment. LOL.”

Shawn Johnson Throws Out First Pitch Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (click for pics):

Shawn throws like a girl…. Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and reigning Dancing With The Stars champion Shawn Johnson threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of the baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, June 1.

 
Someone go to Mark Ballas and Derek Hough’s birthday party and take pictures for me (I’m lookin’ at you, John).

 Shawn Johnson: Disco Ball Trophy in Pieces (Marc Malkin – E! Online)

Don’t ask Shawn Johnson if you could see the disco ball trophy she won on Dancing With the Stars.

The mirrored masterpiece is in the repair shop.

“It’s actually in pieces right now,” her pro partner, Mark Ballas, said at the MTV Movie Awards.

WTF?

“We had to take them to New York and they shipped them back and when they opened the box, they were in pieces,” he continued. “They’re fixing them.”

Shawn said, “I called [Mark] and I was like, ‘My trophy’s broke!’ “

Recently, San Francisco, according to his Twitter.    From what I understand, he’s danced with Shawn AND Kristy Yamaguchi at Kristi’s “Dancing the Night Away” – an event sponsored by her “Always Dream” foundation.

Sure enough, here’s some video of Mark dancing with Shawn:

At this same event, Mark sang with disqualified American Idol contestant and current girlfriend, Joanna Pacitti:

Mark was also spotted with Shawn Johnson at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night.

Supposedly, Mark and BFF Derek Hough are celebrating their birthdays in Las Vegas this Friday.

Mario covers the Indy 500, in particular Helio Castroneves, Gilles Marini, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas. All the guys look like they’re having a great time!

A series of videos of the Final Three on GMA the day after the Finale. I have to say, this was a good cast – very cute, all of them.

E! News on the Winner of DWTS and the Finale as a whole:

Marc Malkin, from E! Online, is none to pleased that his favorite didn’t win:

From ET Online:

On Tuesday night’s thrilling “Dancing with the Stars” finale Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas walked away with the coveted mirror ball trophy — and ET was backstage to celebrate with the season eight champions!

“It feels amazing,” Shawn Johnson says about the victory. “I don’t know how we did it. I guess we like to save things for the last second. We worked really hard, I feel like I’ve grown so much. I can officially say I am a dancer and that is amazing to me, I never imagined that.”

“To be on the stage especially next to Gilles [Marini] and Cheryl [Burke] and Melissa [Rycroft] and Tony [Dovolani] was amazing,” Mark says. “I’m just so honored to have had Shawn as a partner and to take her this far. Thank you to the fans for voting for us. Thank you.”

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?

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!!!!