Singer, actress and dancer Mya, who just concluded her run on ABC’s hit TV show “Dancing With The Stars,” (DWTS) will star on January’s New Year’s cover of BE! (Beauty Entertainment) Magazine. Mya is the third Hollywood celebrity to grace the cover of Beauty Entertainment Magazine, Salon City’s new monthly print, digital and online publication that debuted this fall. Mya was photographed exclusively for BE!’s cover and inside feature by Hollywood’s Keith Munyan, known for his ability to capture the beauty, energy and excitement of a star like Mya. BE! Magazine’s style director, Christopher Mannor, orchestrated the shoot and brought together L.A.’s finest session artists to create a new look for Mya.

I have not watched Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) in a while but this time I started watching late in the season.  I love the Osbournes and routed for Kelly the whole way.  Until I watched Donnie Osmond’s first dance on Monday night.  Well I fell in love.  He won, Kelly came in third.  I am happy and well I will see how it goes with Season 10…  Watch or not to watch that is the question!?

Went to see New Moon this past week-end…  Not impressed.  I loved the book it was my fave of all four I read it in one day at the cottage.  The movie just didn’t do it justice!  Jake all the way for me peeps!  Not contest in my mind!  Love me some werewolves! 

Have been skimming through blog roll here some really good blogs and writing you should do the same when you have some time.

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat if you haven’t got a penny a ha’penny will do if you haven’t got a ha’penny then god bless you!  Picture Miss Piggy and John Denver!  I love it.  Gotta break out the CD!!!!  I am so very excited, I am sure it is going to be a good year for us!  I have done most of the shopping only about two more to go! 

Work have been good nothing too much to report.  I for the first time actually enjoy coming to work. 

 Cell phone is busted.  Every timeJames calls it hangs up on him!  LOL!  I think it’s hilarious and it just really ticks him off!  Oh and I busted my Parking break in my car and with a manual trannie it ain’t a good thing!

 Love, happy to be in it! 

Was going to do a pic of the day but found this on YouTube instead!  And they say dogs are dumb!

Here’s a quick recipe too!  They have a new Budget wise section on Kraftfoods.com and a big Potluck section for Christmas and US thanksgiving coming!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chicken-parmesan-bundles-107338.aspx

So, I am going to the One of a Kind show with  my Mother-in-law and Grandmother this Sunday!  I have not been in years, should be fun! 

Along with the One of a Kind we used to go to the Sugar Plum Fair every year at Casa Loma, it was the National Ballet of Canada’s major fundraiser.  Kinda miss it.  We always got these chocolate and caramel covered apples from a place called Treemendous apples.  I don’t know if they still exist!

I am really very sad that  Eastwick has been cancelled it was really the only new show this season that I liked. 

Jon and Kate plus Eight signed off on Monday night!  I am really sad!  I am going to miss that show quite a bit.  STOOPIT  Jon.  Criminal Minds and Vampire Diaries have moved into my fave show category although I am really leaning towards Table for 12 as a replacement and in the end I still have 18 (soon to be 19) Kids and Counting! 

It’s kinda funny that this season I didn’t watch too much of the reality TV, I have not watched Survivor, missed a few of the Hell’s Kitchen, got board with ANTM to the point I PVR’d it and skipped to the end every week so I could just see who got kicked off!  I am getting back to the dramas except when it comes to TLC.  Oh who am  I fooling, still watching the Housewives and Tori and Dean.  Still watching Canada’s Worst Driver!  I love it!  My newly discovered Rescue Ink is GREAT too!

Had lunch with an old friend and her puppy last Friday!  It was nice!  This time of the year is always good to reconnect!  

I miss my best friend we don’t see nearly enough of each other.  Lives are too busy!

A shout of Sympathy to my long time friend MAB.  You have an angel watching down over you know.  Just know that Snoopy is with Tiny and Mowhawk now!  You will always have him in your memory! 

The loss of a loved and cherished pet is devastating especially when they are nearing their 20s.  Here is a website that helps with this…  http://www.pet-loss.net/index.shtml However you need to remember that you have to go through the stages or grief the same as you would with a Human being!  Don’t let anyone tell you any differently!  http://www.petloss.com/rainbowbridge.htm

Well that is me done!  Going to sign off now!  Have a good one!  I won’t leave it so long in between next time! 

You would have to go all the way back to the first season of Dancing With the Stars to find a Final Round that didn’t feature an athlete. One could argue about the athletic status of Helio Castroneves in Season 5 – he unquestionably participates in a sport, but it is not a sport that automatically conveys the physical advantages enjoyed by the likes of Apolo Ohno and Shawn Johnson.

But with its mix of dangerous bloat and brilliant flourishes within that bloat, you could call this DWTS’s Fat Elvis Season. That considered, it is fitting that we have an All-Entertainers Finale. All three surviving contenders know the spotlight well. All three surviving contenders, it must be admitted, have danced for a paying audience prior to their participation. But we have had the opportunity to watch them grow, sweat, and suffer, as well as reveal something of themselves through the performance gauntlet.

No one came in guaranteed a spot in this showdown. Donny recovered from more than one mistake-riddled performance, bouncing back stronger each time. Kelly has taken a sense of self-worth that looked like a small lump of cherry Jell-O, and somehow blossomed into an emotive, charismatic, shockingly poised young woman on the floor. And Mýa has written a textbook on how to work this show to win it; eschewing all drama, carrying herself with modest, quiet confidence, and standing toe-to-toe with her professional partner and earning a hearing for her opinions. Past winning pros like Cheryl and Derek have been able to carry partners across the finish line. Barring the kind of self-destruction of which she has betrayed no hint all season, Mýa looks like she’ll carry herself; and Dmitry, with her.

So we finally get a 90-minute competition night – it’s not really any relief, since tomorrow is the plus-sized Season Finale. Even with some conspicuously long commercial breaks, and our Finalists performing three dances a piece, it would have taken some God’a-mighty padding to fill that last half-hour. I would never say they’re incapable of it, nor reluctant to do it. But we have been spared.

KELLY OSBOURNE/LOUIS VAN AMSTEL – Argentine Tango – 26/30

We’re treated to an extended montage before each couples’ first routine; wherein we review their journey to the Finals. Kelly’s memory does not offer much insight – apparently she felt joyful when she did well, and felt really terrible when she messed up. The video does better to remind us just how she has matured. Carrie Ann drops in on rehearsal to teach Kelly how to appear hot-and-bothered in Louis’s arms for the Tango. And I would happily make a joke about that, but it sure seems to have been the secret to taking Kelly to the next level. This Argentine Tango is her sharpest, sexiest, most overpowering dance of the season by any rational measure. She and Louis merge in performance to a greater degree than ever before. That newfound speed she teased us with last week has her feet cracking like whips; and she is doing things without even looking like she’s thinking about them that would have made her quit the contest two months ago rather than attempt. At least one of Mýa’s challengers has just declared that this contest isn’t over.

Freestyle – 24/30

Kelly’s freestyle rehearsal really encapsulates her season – she’s injured, she’s unsure, she has body issues, she’s teasing Louis; then, gradually, she trusts him and she tries. She’s right to mock Louis’s street dancing, though – I have seen it many times and he always looks like a goober. Doing a disco queen boogie to “I Will Survive” is just as much a microcosm – there are mistakes, and laughs, and moments of glorious confidence and fun. You can actually see a wordless conversation happening between her and Louis as they stumble, shake it off, and decide together to grin their way through it. That makes it feel alive and immediate. It’s far from perfect, and yet it’s triumphant because she’s not apologizing or beating herself up. Kelly of Week One never knew she could be this bold.

MÝA/DMITRY CHAPLIN – Paso Doble – 30/30

Mýa’s look-back montage focuses heavily on her contentious encounters with Len at scoring time. With hindsight, it’s clear that a good share of the tough love was intended for Dmitry, so he would lay off the gimmicks and really use Mýa’s incredible assets properly. Mýa responded noticeably better to the nearly-abusive underscoring than the pro. When Len enters the studio for pointers, he immediately assumes the role of demanding teacher, and Mýa likes it like catnip. If she has any weakness, it’s that no one’s sure what her upper limit is in terms of power and out-and-out ferocity. This paso doble is absolutely designed to test that, and you can see her reaching for it. She has to make up some of the muscle gap with attitude and swagger; but she has plenty of that. Impressive, and admirable considering how far afield it is from her more-familiar routines. The audience is happily on their feet again. Looking like there’s going to be a lot of that going around. And the judges bring out the straight 10’s – even Mýa looks surprised by that.

Freestyle – 27/30

You can see Mýa’s eyes gleam as she talks about throwing all pretense of safety out the window with her freestyle. She wants to “make history”. Dmitry tries to speak softly through his terror and recommends something conventional. In the end, she defers to his choice, and then commits to pushing for the most challenging choreography available within it. That they did all this calmly sitting on the floor illustrates what has made them different from the other couples throughout. He creates a jive/jitterbug hybrid to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray; and it’s remarkable how far away this is from what Mýa does best. We live for those tight flicks and those lusciously-disciplined limbs; as energetically and perfectly as she bops and grins, it just doesn’t rouse like we know she can, like we know she SHOULD in her freestyle. I’m typing this before the judges say what they think – I think Dmitry let her down again, and she should have done things her way. They actually agree with me, and deal out the grumpiest set of straight 9’s you ever saw.

DONNY OSMOND/KYM JOHNSON – Cha-cha-cha – 27/30

Donny’s survival instinct took over the moment he couldn’t beat the judges with personality in Week One. Even now, as he watches his old performances, he’s criticizing the technique. His determination to fight against his age and bad posture habits probably contributed a lot to the loyalty of his fan base – they could see him working beyond the threshold to earn their esteem. Bruno is the chosen guest tutor for the week, and you have to think some executive in the bowels of ABC is hoping to spin their unexpected goof-off chemistry into a sitcom called “The Mormon and the Queen” or something. Donny’s cha-cha isn’t deliriously fast, nor complex, but after an awkward start it is as smooth as the disco beat under it. Donny is doing his best sly strut and having fun at it – if he missed a move here or there, he’s not going to tell you about it right now. It’s a really inviting dance, working the crowd like’s always known to, but with impeccable posture and musicality now to round it out. Carrie Ann’s bringing the flirty giggle back! And for Donny, of all people. Has she only just noticed that he’s been improving his hips for weeks?

Freestyle – 30/30

Now when Donny and Kym say they’re doing Broadway, I consider it the right call. It’s the word that unifies all Donny’s best qualities and gives him the strongest chance to do something memorable. He and Kym have a different, but no less effective, relationship than Mýa and Dmitry; Donny is far more deferential, but also wears his passion on his sleeve, which Kym knows what to do with. You can immediately see the difference in excitement between his routine and Mýa’s – he is such a natural for tux and tails, and he shows so much humor and savoir faire as he and Kym high-step their way through “Back in Business”, one of Stephen Sondheim’s Dick Tracy tunes. This brings him full circle – in Week One he had showmanship cold, but had no technique. Now he is the fully-formed dancer version of himself, and just made his best argument for an upset. The first non-Mýa 30 score of the season won’t hurt either.

Megamix Challenge – All Contenders – Viennese Waltz, Samba, and Jive

Humphrey Bogart once said about the Oscars “The only way to find the best actor would be to let everybody play Hamlet and let the best man win.” This didn’t stop him from accepting the Oscar he won; but it is a surprise that it has taken this long for the DWTS producers to pit the contenders against one another with identical choreography. Season 2 and 3 pro Nick Kosovich has the task of crafting a routine that will pass through three different styles; the rehearsal footage focuses primarily on Kelly freaking out and feeling unworthy compared with Mýa, and Donny feeling uncomfortably old. Even the segment editors assume there will be no drama with Mýa.

The dance segments are so brief; for a non-professional eye, it is difficult to focus long enough on any one couple to learn anything useful. Mýa is as polished and on-the-beat as ever, but doesn’t grab the spotlight – Donny and Kym have the benefit of the center floor position and the bright-red outfits to draw the eye; plus he is doing the man’s half of the choreography, so it’s not even a complete side-by-side comparison. He presents the most personality, while Kelly just looks discombobulated after her elegant share of the waltz. Conceptually there’s promise to this idea (much in the way they had the finalists design different routines for an identical song back in Season Three), but in this version, for voters I fear this will simply serve to reinforce already-held opinions.

3rd Place, 26 points: Kelly/Louis (total 76/90)
2nd Place, 28 points: Donny/Kym (total 85/90)
1st Place, 30 points: Mýa/Dmitry (total 87/90)

Next up: The Grand Finale!

The narration at the top of the broadcast describes all four Dancing With the Stars semi-finalists as worthy of the Finals. It’s true that they all have Finals-worthy performances in them – but so did Aaron. And this is hardly unprecedented, as anyone who watched Lil’ Kim get thrown over so Ty could have a semi-finals slot knows. I remain of the opinion that this competition boils down to Mýa and a bunch of would-be runners-up; and most of what happens in this final Elimination Night serves to underline that.

Her salsa with Dmitry is the judges’ choice for the reprise – but given that it’s only the second perfect-30 routine of the season, this is no surprise. I have criticized the judges for their late sour streak, but I admit there’s some counter satisfaction to the fact that 30s aren’t just dropping from the ceiling anymore.

During the review of the last night’s performance, Donny’s post-Tango interview shows that he continues to take his mistake-laden routine REALLY personally. Even the producers are working overtime at this point to absolve him of blame, repeatedly zooming in to show them moment Kym’s dress unraveled at the bottom, tangling their feet. Every time he is near a microphone, Donny is waving his arms and demanding another acknowledgment of his failure, so he can show his ability to laugh at it – it’s not attractive.

We have a quick montage that boils down to celebs admiring each other, and then we’re into a dance number from the upcoming movie Nine (not the stichpunk animated feature from a couple of months ago, a musical from Chicago director Rob Marshall). It stars a man with Daniel Day-Lewis look-a-like hair and dancers who MAY OR MAY NOT BE in the movie! It’s a pretty sultry and vivacious routine that really fills up the floor, but it sure isn’t going to give you Idea One what the movie is about. In an amazingly fortunate coincidence, the first commercial immediately after is a long trailer for the movie.

Alicia Keys returns to the ballroom for the television debut of her new single “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart”. It mingles and ache and uplift in that way really good R&B still can, and I do still appreciate a young performer who sings live. But I admit that during part of her performance, I was pondering just how the hell they cleared out all the set dressing from the Nine dance, and wheeled Alicia’s not-exactly-light piano onto the ballroom floor, in the time of just one commercial break? I’ve had to move heavy things on a time limit before – it is not easy. But I have long said that the production/spectacle elements of the live broadcast are part of why I enjoy the show so much – they work hard and they enjoy letting as have a peek at that hard work.

And because they believe the celebs are still getting way too much downtime, they push them into starring in a quicky faux-music video to the classic “Under Pressure”. Kelly Osbourne’s dancing is uncannily Cyndi Lauper-esque, which makes you think her choice of a Lauper number for the Knockout Dance indicates a more personal connection with the 80’s icon. At the end of the video, Tom says what we’re all thinking: “Apparently pressure doesn’t improve lip-synching skills.”

Finally we’re making announcements. And really? We’re still doing the “still in jeopardy” bit now? Mýa is the first celeb cleared for the Finals, and that surprises no one. Probably. Then again, I’ve been in movies where audience members are so shocked that those people on that screen are talking and doing things that they have to spend the whole movie describing it loudly to their neighbor.

Leona Lewis is musical guest number two, and performs her new single “Happy”. It’s designed as a full-lunged modern soul anthem, with a solid, insistent beat under it that really helps that ambition. Lewis even takes a brief trip to the Mariah Carey octave, but doesn’t stay long.

In the next segment of results, Donny and Kym are declared saved. Donny looks genuinely shocked. And over on the other side of the stage, Kelly looks like she knows the badness of this news and is trying to stop her whole body from converting spontaneously from solid to liquid.

The third, count ‘em, THIRD musical guests are Robin and Barry Gibb, the still-living The Bee Gees. The night before, Tom was introducing them by their individual names and describing them as “of the Bee Gees”. Tonight they are using the full band name with no qualifiers; did they confirm legal permission to do so? Regardless, they look in their aged versions like the curators of a sketchy European art gallery, and Barry seems to do little but wiggle between choruses. The biggest treat for me was the moment they cut to Ozzy Osbourne in the front row. I really wanted to see if he boogied to the Bee Gees. I wanted to hear him talk about the Bee Gees. Really, I was imagining a lot of preferred alternatives to this creakily-sung revival.

The pros did dance in this performance, and featured the return of last season’s third-place finisher Melissa Rycroft. She’s retained a lot of charisma and athleticism she sculpted into ballroom form, and clearly enjoys being here and in the rehearsal studios again. I earnestly believe that most of the ex-competitors spied in the audience are not there by dictate, or just to show they can score tickets, but because they genuinely want a taste of being here again.

Then there’s a too-short montage on the process of putting together the pro dances. I think there are so many untold stories here – gathering that many preening personalities, all of them top-notch dancer/choreographers known for their forceful opinions, into a room with too little time to come up with something fresh every week, has to produce some delicious spasms of ego; and damn it, I want to see that.

Even with three musical guests, the producers still spend a lot of time playing games with the commercial breaks to milk the suspense. Fake-outs like that are the stuff of lesser shows. But finally, they can hold off no longer, and drop the real surprise news – Joanna and Derek are out. In spite of the second best judges’ scores, voter connection really was her downfall. She was practically an unknown at the start, especially compared with the other semi-finalists; that gave her a lot of ground to make up. I think that lack of the indefinable “it” was what stopped her here – as beautiful as she was, and as technically capable, she didn’t have that rare ability to command our attention on the floor. Instead of the rushed “last dance” that never amounts to much, the producers generously allow them to reprise their Viennese Waltz – which gets lovelier knowing it’s their farewell.

This means Kelly Osbourne is headed to the Finals. I would not have laid money on that. And from the look on Kelly’s face; I don’t think she would have either. So our finalists are Mýa, Donny, and Kelly – two celebs who compulsively announce to everyone that they’re screw-ups who aren’t worthy, and one who dances like she is worthy. I hate to ruin the suspense for you, but it would take a disaster to change this outcome.

Next Week: THE! FINALS! LIIIIIIIIIIVE!

So by now, you should know that Donny & Kym won the big mirror ball trophy on “Dancing With The Stars.” I figured it would be hard to miss. So if you’re still interested in a recap of last night’s show, you’ll find it after the jump.

We got to see all the couples from season nine, with the final three couples making the grand entrance. Uh-oh. Miss Piggy – or at least the back of her head appeared as the recap of Monday’s performances played. Live TV, people. So here’s what we do when there are problems, we go to break, regroup, then get back to it. So happy Tom Bergeron is the host! He is a true pro!

Here are the standings:

1. Mya & Dmitry – 87 points

2. Donny & Kym – 85 points

3. Kelly & Louis – 76 points

First performance of the night comes from Whitney Houston. She performed “Million Dollar Bills.” Sorry. Can’t watch her. I don’t think she sings any more. It’s like she just speaks the lyrics.

It’s time for “The Losers Club.” It’s the people who are the first to be kicked off the show. Jeffery Ross returns in a sequined jacket to roast/induct a new member into the club. Ashley Hamilton gets his jacket. Jeff called it a “token of your suckiness.” He said when Ashley was out there, people thought it was a telethon for the uncoordinated. Then, Ashley said he’d give his dance with Edyta his full 10%. Ashley dropped Edyta, then danced with Jeff. Then (the horror!), they opened their shirts! That’s comedy, right? Tom said Jeff’s stomach was whiter than a snow drift. True.

Like deja vu, we get the first of many recaps of the entire season. Sorry, folks. I’m hitting FF. I’ve sat through the whole season. I could just go back and read my recaps if I wanted to live it again. Kathy Ireland & Tony Dovolani danced. If she danced like this weeks ago, she might have made it further. They were followed by Macy Gray & Jonathan Roberts. I’m still uncomfortable watching Macy dance. Debi Mazar & Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She was lovely.

Another taped piece looks back at what became “DWTS: The Season of The Flu/Injuries.”

Tom DeLay & Cheryl Burke returned to do the Texas Two Step. If not for injury, I totally believe The Hammer could have made it to the finale! This was his dance – even the booty shake. Only made me feel a little uncomfortable. Still, he is fun to watch!

Taped piece looking back at the fourth and fifth weeks of competition. FF again. Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya performed. He still scares me. Mark Dacascos & Lacey Schwimmer performed next. Then, Chuck and Mark did some fighting. Don’t worry, no one got hurt. Except maybe my eyes.

Adam Carolla gave Donny some advice on how to win. Really? Adam can’t dance! Kelly and Mya showed up. Adam called the ladies “the enemy.” Then, he tried hard to be funny. FF.

Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo returned to perform. She was good. Why didn’t she make it through the competition?

Melissa Joan Hart & Mark Ballas performed in bright yellow and purple. Is that a ploy to get Lakers tickets? She was so good!

The judges talk about the finalists. Len said Kelly is unexpected. Bruno said she’s wonderful in hold. Len said she engages with the audience. Carrie Ann said Donny is an incredible showman. Len said Donny lights up the ballroom with every dance. Bruno said Donny is solid and never underperforms. Len said Mya has the talent to take the title. Bruno said Mya uses her body like a musical instrument.

Another re-introduction of the final three. Come on, ABC! Content, please! FF again.

Kelly & Louis performed their Viennese waltz from earlier in the season. It did look like Kelly forgot a step towards the end. Still loved this dance. Len said of all the celebrities who have been on the show, he’ll miss her the most because he loves watching her every week. The audience was chanting for her. Bruno said she may come from rock and roll royalty, but she has earned her place as a ballroom princess. Carrie Ann through tears, she doesn’t know if anyone has ever touched her as much as Kelly has. She said every time she watched Kelly dance, she was growing every step of the way.

Mya & Dmitry performed their jive from earlier in the season. It was just as fun as the first time they performed it! Bruno said Mya was sharp, slick, never missed a beat. He said she never dropped her standards throughout the season. Carrie Ann said every season, someone sets the pace and that has been Mya from day one. She called Mya a star. Len said they’ve had a few ups and downs but he never doubted her dance talent. He called her fantastic.

Donny & Kym performed the Argentine tango from earlier in the season. I’m glad they chose this. Donny couldn’t smile one bit during this performance. I like that it was not a showman’s dance. Carrie Ann said Donny has graced them with show stopping performances. She was glad he chose that as his final dance because it was artistry in motion. Len said Donny has been mostly good, sometimes bad and one dance was pretty ugly. But he never lost his performance. He said Donny finished strong. Bruno said Donny is a great performer. He said Donny reaches the dark side and uses it well.

The judges ranked the finalists for the final round. Here’s how they chose ‘em:

1. Donny & Kym – 30 points

2. Mya & Dmitry – 28 points

3. Kelly & Louis – 26 points

Wow!

Louie Vito & Chelsie Hightower danced to “Puppy Love” performed by Donny. Do they have something to tell us? The song started slow, then got fast and the dance included a great lift and lots of tumbling from Louie. Donny gave them two thumbs up. Samantha said Chelsie & Louie are not dating. OK. I believe that.

Michael Irvin & Jerry Rice perform a dance off. Jerry performed with Anna Trebunskaya, while Michael got his partner, Anna Demidova, back. I’m giving Michael the edge because he has a more intense dance face. That said, watching these two dance, then fight over a football made me realize why they did not make it to the finals. It was fun. Not great. The judges awarded the mirror ball ring to Michael. There was celebrating. Then, the judges stopped that. They decided the battle of the bodies goes to Jerry.

Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff performed their quick step.

Miss Piggy was backstage with Cloris Leachman, Jerry Springer, Steve Wozniak and Joanna Krupa. They all seemed to be afraid of Miss Piggy. Huh? Then, those four took the stage to do a competition mambo. Cloris stood still for a bit as Corky seemed to shake her to life. The Woz did a lot of hobbling about in a pink boa. Jerry still made me a bit uncomfortable (I was afraid he might hurt himself). Cloris & Corky were the first eliminated. Jerry & Edyta were booted. How could Joanna not shine here? She’s left with The Woz? Then, a partner switch. Steve & Karina were booted. Surprise, surprise! Joanna wins. Is this how the judges reward her for not making the finals? Ah, the dance ends with the couple’s signature move – only in reverse (not dirty talk, it was Joanna holding Derek).

Whitney returned to perform “I Want To Dance With Somebody.” Again, mostly talking the lyrics. FF.

Now, finally down to the business. The third place finishers: Kelly & Louis.

The winners of that ugly mirror ball trophy: Donny & Kym.

That’s it. See you in the Spring!

Twice the age of his opponents, in a season where we saw this consummate entertainer struggle with some dance routines and then grow week after week, Donny Osmond won Dancing with the Stars.

Donny Osmond on Dancing with the Stars (ABC/ADAM LARKEY)

This teen throb from the seventies who has reinvented himself decade after decade proves once again that  being in your early 50’s does not mean it is over in winning dance competitions or in show business.

Kelly Osbourne is also to be commended for her efforts as she placed 3rd, clearly a crowd and audience favorite and singer Mya,  placed 1st runner up.

Congratulations, Donny!

Yes, you read it correctly: Donnie Osmond is the 2009 Dancing With The Stars Winner, beating out Kelly Osbourne & Mya! Wait! Hold Up, Mya!? Mya, who excelled from start to finish throughout this competition, Mya!? Yes, that Mya!  I had a sneaky suspicion in my gut that they’d give it to Donnie Osmond. A large portion of the viewers are middle America white folks. White folks who watched Donnie Osmond grow up on TV, performing with his brothers just as we did Michael Jackson. They weren’t gonna let anyone else win. I felt it deep down in my pinky toe.

People had the unmitigated gall to suggest that Mya shouldn’t have won because she’s a “trained dancer”. PHOOEY! Mya was only trained in tap; maybe ballet as well. At any rate she was not trained in ALL the dances she had to perform. And she worked hard & trained hard to execute those steps with the best of them. And if her previous “training” was an issue, then she shouldn’t have been allowed to compete at all! These shows are FIXED & RIGGED from the Get Go! So many times when I tried to vote for Mya, the line would be busy for like FOREVER! But y’all know my middle name is ‘Relentless” & I was NOT giving up til I Got Through! How many others were discouraged? How many others heard that constant busy signal and just hung up? Un-Flippin’-BELIEVABLE! With the exception of Emmitt Smith, they allow folks of colors to get to the finals, then pull the rug out from under them. It’s just like Charlie Brown & Lucy with that damn football! They cheated Laila Ali. They cheated Li’l Kim. Now Mya! I am NOW Officially DONE with DANCING WITH THE STARS! That’s It!  Bytch. Boo. Bye!

Mya, hold ya head up girl! You were superb for the whole ten weeks! Don’t let this form of highway robbery steal your joy. Let them keep their Raggedy Ass trophy. They can’t take your talent!

-”The BklynBandette”. Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

Ten weeks of competition have finally led up to the Season 9 finale! A new champion will be crowned “Dancing with the Stars” champion so who will win the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy? All 16 pairs have returned for the finale and Whitney Houston performs. Also it’s Jerry Rice vs. Michael Irvin for dance bragging rights. Who will win the battle of the NFL stars?

Whitney Houston kicked things off and performed her single “Million Dollar Bill”. The final three couples performed one last dance for their final judge’s score. Kelley and Louis danced first and performed the Viennese Waltz. Dmitry and Mya performed the Jive and Donny and Kym performed the Argentine Tango. The judges ranked the couples like so…3rd place: Kelly and Louis giving them 26 points, 2nd place: Mya and Dmitry giving them 28 points, and 1st place went to Donny and Kym which earned them 30 points.

In the battle of the NFL stars. Michael won the Mirror Ball ring, but Jerry won one too. Whitney Houston performed her 80’s hit “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.

Back to the results…
In third place:

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel -- Image via ABC.com

It’s Mya vs. Donny Osmond.

…and the DWTS Season 9 Champion is:

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson -- Image via ABC.com

Watch all the performances from this week on ABC.com.

For more news, clips, and results from the show, visit the “Dancing with the Stars” category on this blog or just click here.

I’m not allowed to watch Dancing With The Starts this season, Brennan won’t let me.  Okay, that’s not entirely true.  Yes, he made fun of me, but many others did the same, and the show honestly just didn’t hold the same excitement for me that it once did. 

My (our) first season was the 5th, the season of Helio Castroneves, Mel B and Marie Osmond.  Yaw and Brennan,  being the amazing friends that they are, would come over every Monday and Tuesday to enjoy whatever vegetarian delight I could come up with and sit through two hours of dancing festivities.  Since beginning my following of the show in season 5, I have seen every single minute of every single episode through season 8 and the triumph of Shawn Johnson.  Every sequin, every bangle, every dip, slip and trip for four seasons straight I witnessed. 

Then this season was announced.  Outside of Donny Osmond – who, by the way, has my full support for tonight – I really wasn’t interested in most of the cast, and as my obsessive behavior for the show had reached an all-time high, I realized it was time for a break.  While I haven’t watched an episode of Season 9, I have seen bits and bobs about the progression as the weeks went on, including comments on last night’s freestyle routines.  There really are no words for how devoted (obsessive, crazed) I have been to this show, and as such, I am fully confident in making the following assessment: The decision of who takes home the mirror ball trophy, and the sparkly glory that goes with it, all comes down to the freestyle dance.

Let us certainly not overlook the fact that there are nine weeks preceeding the finals and that one must knock off 7, 10, (or this season) 12 other competitors to even have the chance to uninhibitedly shake what yo momma gave ya, and I will absolutely give credit to all those performances that got the final three into, well, the final three.  But let’s look at the tape as to what the competition really boils down to.

Gilles Marini, Season 8 Runner-Up Previously known only as the naked dude on Sex and the City, Marini came out of nowhere to be the front-runner in season 8.  Pelvic thrusts, undeniable chemistry with partner Cheryl Burke, that French accent and oh so obvious good looks made this ’star’ a fan favorite early on.  The very partner that turned him into the Don Juan of the Ballroom completely screwed him over though by choreographing a lack-luster freestyle, focusing more on her and less on him; you know, the star.  Judge Carrie Ann Inaba didn’t let that go unnoticed, and the judges’ scoring accurately reflected the audience’s take as well.

Melissa Rycroft, Season 8 Second Runner-Up Jilted on national television by her super-tool fiance, Jason Something-or-the-other, Rycroft jumped into the competition only two days before the start of the season, replacing an injured Nancy O’Dell.  America’s new sweetheart already had ballet training and a few years as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader under her belt, and she made good use of those skills to dazzle the audience at every turn.  I was a Melissa fan, and I’ve always been a huge Tony Dovolani supporter, but what was supposed to be a freestyle turned out to be ’see how many lifts we can do in a minute and thirty seconds.’  Poor judges remarks and scores were earned immediately followed by being announced as first out in the finals.

Lance Bass, Season 6 Second Runner-Up Oh, Lance and Lacey.  Rebels of the ballroom they certainly were, and after a roller coaster of early performances, they finally hit their stride.  After all that hard work to make it into the finals, they went for a full-on hip hop freestyle and in their minds, that meant no lifts.  No lifts in DWTS Finals world means no points and no votes.  They also threw in some random Cha Cha steps, which instead of showing that they tried to incorporate some things Lance learned throughout the previous 9 weeks made the dance entirely disjointed, and the judges certainly did not enjoy.

Mel B, Season 5 Runner-Up With a partner like bad boy of the ballroom Maksim Chmerkovskiy, in addition to her feisty personality and undeniable flash, no one saw two-time Indy 500 champ Helio Casotroneves pulling ahead in the final lap for a victory over Ms. Brown.  On the first few beats of her freestyle, I was prepared for a mind-blowing exhibition to Timabaland’s ’The Way I Are’.  I was bored from the beginning, and Mel B seemed to stumble almost as though she had no idea where she was or why she was in a tight red corset with all those lights shining on her throughout the dance, and I wasn’t alone; judges remarks reflected my thoughts and Mel went home empty-handed.

Marie Osmond, Season 5 Second Runner-Up Okay I’ll admit it, Marie was not really one of the top three dancers from this season, though I loved her from the start.  Her fans, and not her footwork, kept her going week after week, but nothing could save her from the Bride of Chucky-like baby doll freestyle to the Rolling Stones’ tune, ‘Start Me Up’.  I love Marie, I love Jonathan (seriously, if I’m ever on DWTS, I want him as my partner), and I love the Stones, but this collaboration was an absolute nightmare.  The doll thing was cute for a couple of seconds, paying homage to fans who buy her line of dolls, but it was way too much, way too creepy, and way not enough dancing for anyone’s taste.  Her freestyle is still talked about to this day as one of the worst in series history.

Now let’s look at who beat them. 

Shawn Johnson, Season 8 Champion In a final three lovingly made fun of for being the ‘who’s that’ of the ballroom instead of ‘who’s who’, Shawn Johnson took home the mirror ball in spectacular fashion with a freestyle that left even the hearts of the audience racing.  The girl’s an Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics for crying out loud, and Mark Ballas squeezed out every last drop of energy within her for the 1:30 minute show.  It is possible for one to argue that, as I mentioned before, none of the last three standing had much of a fan base and that, being fresh off an Olympic victory, Shawn had a bit more of a following.  I’m telling you seriously though, it all came down to her freestyle, and a lack of freestyle finesse from her competition.

Warren Sapp, Season 6 Runner-Up I wanted Warren to win so badly I could taste it.  For some reason, I couldn’t stand Brooke Burke and I absolutely loved the idea of a former defensive tackle channeling Fred Astaire.  He was amazing throughout Season 6, particularly in the smooth dances, and his freestyle was what pushed him ahead of Lance into the final two.  Warren Sapp in a silver sequined vest?  Priceless.  Of course, his freestyle wasn’t fawned over by the judges like Season 6 champion Brooke Burke’s performance, which leads us to…

Brooke Burke, Season 6 Champion I wasn’t the biggest fan of this freestyle, probably because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Burke, but the judges absolutely ate it up.  Carrie Ann said it was one of the best ever, and the fans agreed by crowning Burke Season 6 champ.

Helio Castroneves, Season 5 Champion Yes, Helio had Julianne Hough, fresh off her Season 4 victory with Apollo-Anton Ohno as a partner.  Believe me, it wasn’t her fan base that got them first place, it was the ridiculous choreography in the freestyle.  Every second was jam-packed with passion, excitement, lifts that tiny little Castroneves should never have been able to pull off, and oh Helio, that smile.  True, they didn’t get a perfect 30 with fussy pants lift policewoman Carrie Ann’s 9, but the dance was beyond spectacular.

Obviously I don’t know the results of tonight’s Finale, and it’s quite possible all my theories and conjectures could be thrown right back in my face, but I’ll be durned if Donnie Osmond doesn’t take home the trophy based on Kelly Osbourne’s stumble and Mya’s iffy performance.  Of course, Donnie’s 8 million-strong Mormon fan base doesn’t hurt either…

*Notable exception: Joey Fatone and Apollo-Anton Ohno, Season 4.  Either could (should) have won that season.  Interesting though, Laila and Maks took home third after receiving only 26 points to the fellas’ perfect 30’s.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Poor Kelly Osbourne took a fall on Dancing With the Stars in Monday’s finals and she’s pretty convinced she isn’t going to win.

>> Read more at SnarkFood.com now…

I think this photo says it all. Kelly has surprised herself by making it to the finale – and there’s a chance (really, there is) that she could win it all. Who would have thought Joanna would be sent home instead of Donny? Wait. I did. Because Donny has fans. Harsh, I know. So, let’s see how the final three do in their last chance to woo the voters.

Couple: Kelly & Louis

Dance: Argentine Tango

Carrie Ann paid the couple a visit. She told Kelly she’s the one who has had the biggest transformation of all the couples. She gave Kelly a few pointers. OMG! Who is this girl? Kelly is a dancer! No, not just a dancer, but a dancer! Wow! I have never seen her move with such confidence. This is my favorite dance from Kelly. LOVED IT!

Len said Kelly epitomizes what the competition is about. She has little or no dance experience, but she’s made it to the finals. He thought she danced right up there – very good. Bruno said he never would have thought that Kelly came as she started and ended up in the finals. She mastered the intricacy, but he thought her free hand was loose and he wanted more sensuality. Carrie Ann said she was proud of Kelly. She said she made the emotional connection she hasn’t seen before. She called it a very sophisticated routine.

SCORE: 26

Couple: Mya & Dmitry

Dance: Paso Doble

Len showed up to give Mya some tips for the paso doble. Len thought their dance was lackluster. He wanted it bigger and stronger – with more attitude. Watching this dance, I kept forgetting that Mya is not the professional here. She is fantastic! I didn’t see a thing wrong with this dance.

Bruno said, “The power of Mya unleashed for all to admire.” He called the dance amazing. Carrie Ann dubbed Mya “The Queen of the Paso Doble.” She said it was dynamic and hot. Len said Mya came out like “The No-Stress Express.” He said it was right up there with the paso done by Mel B. and Maks a few seasons back. I agree!

SCORE: 30

Couple: Donny & Kym

Dance: Cha Cha Cha

Bruno visited Donny & Kym. He said Donny has to be technically sharp and a great performer to win. Sooo afraid they’ll make out! Bruno worked on getting Donny to move a little differently than Donny is used to. No kisses. I don’t know if it was the music (“September”) or the sparkly dress Kym was wearing or the fact that I was on my second cup of coffee, but this made me happy. It was so light and fun!

Carrie Ann asked Donny where his hips came from. She pointed out a little problem with his hands. Len said that was a cha cha cha! He said Bruno worked some magic because it’s a tough dance. He said Donny coped great. Bruno said Donny is a credit to his profession. Bruno said he shouted at him for an hour and Donny discovered parts he didn’t know he had.

SCORE: 27

Megamix

The couples have to perform a group dance where they perform three dances at the same time back to back.

It started with the Viennese Waltz. Then a little Latin dance. The final dance: a jive. I don’t know how the judges are going to score this. The couples were in near perfect step the whole time. I kind of hope they don’t bring this back. It was too hard for me to concentrate on anyone. Perhaps if they bring it back, they shouldn’t score it.

Len thought it would be easy to judge. He said it was difficult. He said there’s no clear winner of the show. He thought they were all good. Bruno said Mya can samba. He said Kelly’s waltz was good. He said he thought Donny was one of the professional dancers – showing age doesn’t mean anything. Carrie Ann said she was impressed with the way Donny kept up with the professionals. She loved Mya’s samba. She said she loved Kelly’s back in the waltz.

Here are the rankings:

1. Mya & Dmitry – 30 points

2. Donny & Kym – 28 points

3. Kelly & Louis – 26 points

Freestyle

Couple: Kelly & Louis

Kelly has torn the cartilage in both of her big toes. How has she been dancing? LOVE that she got to dance to “I Will Survive.” Loved all the sparkles she was wearing. Love that she was having so much fun while dancing. Oh no! Big slip during a stunt, but she made a quick recovery. Then, her last lift at the end went a little slow. Still, this made me so happy. And there was something happening with my eyes. They were a little misty.

Bruno said Kelly had all the glitz and glamor of the disco era. Then he had flashbacks to the 70s. Carrie Ann said Kelly is a survivor. When she falls, she gets back up. When she forgets, she laughs at herself. Len said Kelly smiled through it, she was singing, he enjoyed it. Kelly did say on one of the lifts it looked like Louis pooped her out of him. Toilet humor on a family show – love it!

SCORE: 24

TOTAL SCORE: 76

Couple: Mya & Dmitry

Mya doesn’t want to play it safe. But she ended up going with Dmitry’s choreography. This was a little Broadway (“Hairspray” music, y’all). This was crazy fast and fun! But I wanted a little more.

Carrie Ann said it was high energy, fun but not outstanding. She said if you do “Hairspray,” you’re competing with that. She said it didn’t showcase Mya. Len said it’s clear Mya has great dance talent. He said he was expecting something to happen and it didn’t. Bruno said Mya had the joy and owned the beat, but he said at this stage he wanted something more spectacular. He said it wasn’t bad. Uh oh. Dmitry might be in trouble.

SCORE: 27

TOTAL SCORE: 87

Couple: Donny & Kym

Marie tried to distract Donny during rehearsals. Donny stayed focused. If Donny doesn’t shine here, I will be incredibly disappointed. I could have done without the 30 seconds of wasted time at the beginning. Once they started dancing, it was fun. There seemed to be some sync issues. And it seemed like Donny stopped dancing to wait for Kym on the lifts. So much fun!

Len said it was an absolute showstopper. He feared Bruno was going to shout so he moved out of the way. Bruno said, “Mr. Show Business at his best!” He called Donny the master. Carrie Ann welcomed Donny to the “Hall of Fame of Freestyle.”

SCORE: 30 (Donny’s first perfect score)

TOTAL SCORE: 85

The disco ball will be awarded Tuesday. Whitney Houston will perform. Former contestants will take the stage again. It’s two hours of entertainment. I challenge you to count the sparkles.

Kelly, Mya and Donny Compete in The Dancing with The Stars Finale

(L-R)Kelly Osbourne, Mya, Donny Osmond

Singers, Mya, Kelly Osbourne and Donny Osmond are competing against each other in a very challenging awards show. It’s not the Grammys, The American Music Awards or The People’s Choice Awards. The songsters are fighting to see which of them take home the mirror balled trophy of “Dancing With The Stars”.

On last nights show, each couple danced three numbers including a side by side same choreographed dance that had a combination of three dance styles.

Osmond is partnered with Kym Johnson. Total Score-85 out of 90
Mya is partnered with Dmitry Chaplin. Total Score- 87 out of 90
Osbourne is partnered with Louie Van Amsel. Total Score-76 out of 90

At the end of the evening Mya led with 87 and had Kelly Osbourne had the lowest score with 76. Donny received a 30 for his Free style dance. Mya received a 30 for her Paso Doable dance.

Other highlights of the finale are past contestants and champions, and a musical number by Whitney Houston.

“Dancing With The Shows” 2-hour series finale airs at 9/8c on ABC

Mya finished this season of ”Dancing With The Stars” on top of leader board by scoring the most points from the judges for her final 3 dances performed for the championship round.

Mya, 800-VOTE4-11, 800-86834-11, and text 3411, finished tonight’s finale with a score of 27 out of 30, placing her two points ahead of Donny Osmond, and 11 points ahead of Kelly Osbourne,making her clearly the judges favorite for the evening.

Mya and her professional dance partner Dmitry Chaplin performed at a very high level this evening, as they have done throughout the competition. The only slight mistake that they made was in choosing a final freestyle dance from the Broadway play ”Hairspray” that apparently was a popular number for those who have seen the stage play.

I never saw that play, but I did see both versions of the movie, and their performance looked very good to me, and I was fully entertained. Apparently, the judges based their scores off of the Tony award-winning dancing that was in the Broadway play, as performed by the professional Broadway dancers.

I think that is a bit odd, to judge her performance against Broadway dancers,and not the rest of the competitors.I know she is good and all, but it looked to me like she was competing against Donny and Kelly, so that assessment was way off base, but…that is just me.

I think they were expecting something different, and forgot to judge the performance in front of them, and that is the problem with consistently being on top….people want to see you fall.

I admire Kelly and Donny,and wish them well, but it was irritating to hear Kelly complain and whine about Mya being a professional dancer, because if she was honest, she has an unfair advantage over Mya, which is that she comes with all of Ozzy Osbourne’s legion of fans, let alone her own from the ”Osbournes” MTV reality series, that was at one time the highest rated program on the cable network.

That all makes a difference because at this point in the season, it is not about dancing on ‘Dancing With The Stars’, but it all comes down to a popularity contest, and Ozzy has all the popularity in the entertainment business, and Kelly rides on his coat tails.

Donny Osmond has almost 5 decades of loyal fans that far out distances the small number of R and B fans that remain loyal to Mya, because in the R and B game, the fans like to tear down the singers once the hits stop coming, and loyalty is almost nonexistence.

The freestyle dance was as awesome as the rest of her performances, and do not let any negative spin on it fool you. If it comes down to dancing skill, then Mya would win hands down,….If it only was about dancing, but it is not.

It is a popularity contest, and the popularity is not based on the dancing performances on the show.

If it is all about dancing, then vote for team Mya and Dmitry, it is what would be fair.

The deal is this,Mya, as all the performers, are not trained ballroom dancers, so she is on the same level as Tom Delay in that area, and the whining by Kelly Osbourne is unfair,fake, and borders on lying. She was obviously trying to garner some sentimental votes from her dads fans, and at the same time, slamming Mya.

In doing this injustice to Mya, Kelly reminded me of her mother Sharon Osbourne’s tacky slamming of singer Susan Boyle’s looks, when she stated that …”Susan Boyle is a lovely lady who had been hit by the ugly stick”….

http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/sharon-osbourne-apologizes-for-insulting-susan-boyle-appearance–1017159.php

The haters are gathering to torpedo Mya’s championship, and she needs all of our support by calling or texting the numbers listed here in this article.

Call or text now, before it is too late, and let’s help her bring home the award she has earned, and deserves, if all things are fair.

Mya & Dmitry Chaplin-800-VOTE4-11–or—–800-86834-11—-text—-3411

No matter who wins, and I hope it is Mya, rest assured that I will continue to watch ‘DWTS’ because the producers provide some of the best entertainment on free TV, and the dancers are all drop dead gorgeous,….like Donny’s partner Kym Johnson who makes me want to visit Australia if she is representative of the women that come from there.

Click on these links to gauge the Love/Hate for Mya, and please….vote for her…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmOwX93uPf7WW6cSTCpGPOfjf9WwD9C5L24G0

http://www.examiner.com/x-10507-LA-Dancing-Examiners~y2009m11d23-Dancing-with-the-Stars-2009-cast-finals-Vote-for-Mya

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/11/23/dwts-mya-kelly-donny-monday-finale/

As a new week begins…so does a GREAT line up  of television shows to fill your nights! It may be hard to get up on Monday morning  but Monday night is certainly easy to stay awake for… get ready for a  fantastic TV Night!

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

DWTS: Finale- The Final 3 couples dance for Mirror-ball supremacy, and an even more enticing,  extra couple of months in the fame spotlight!
Will it be…

Donny Osmond- his smile is legendary, his name is iconic…but will his dancing be enough to propel him past the ladies? Donny has been solid throughout the competiton, and a couple of weeks ago I had him pegged as the potential winner…last week he fell slightly flat for me (and the judges), so it will be interesting to see if he can revive his once stellar ability to hide his inadequacies behind his smile and showman-flair!

Mya- She’s starting to be memorable now…for instance, this week I remembered her name without having to look it up. She still needs some of Donny’s personality, and some of Kelly’s edge…but technically she’s probably the most precise (could it be her previous dance training?…no I will not let that go!) She will look hot, she will have hip-action and pointed toes…but will she stand out? If I can still remember her name tomorrow, she could have a shot!

Kelly Osbourne- Came out of the gate as the surprise of the season…surprise in that she has shed her bratty image and has a mega-watt smile that seems to make people forget how much they hated her 6 or 7 years ago! She is definitly a crowd/fan favourite, and although she has not been as strong throughout the competition, she has some serious voter support, she is quirky enough to stand out, and she is getting stronger at the right time— don’t count her out (she WAS on Ellen today for a final push!)

tune in for the finale tonight on ABC/CTV 8pm

CSI Miami- I get some really mixed reviews on this show, and it all comes down to the love or hate for (insert dramatic pause) …Horatio Cain. It still breaks the top ten every week, and I’ve heard it continues to be the most watched TV show internationally. Love him or Hate him…Horatio will solve another crime, put another bad-guy in cuffs and ride off into the Miami sunset again tonight, CBS/CTV 10pm

Leafs vs Islanders - This is really billed as Leafs vs John Tavares. The Leafs are coming off a great game on saturday night, whereby the “rally helmets” came out and inspired a shoot-out win. Looking to continue and win ANOTHER (gasp!) game tonight vs the returning-local-phenom. Hey, they managed to beat Ovechkin… Tonight 7pm RSO

Other Mentionables:

John and Kate plus 8…its over, this is the LAST time you’ll have to sit through John being interviewed on his dull couch, in his faded jeans and Ed Hardy Tee…The LAST time you’ll have to watch Kate sitting in the same dull couch (John-less), oppposing whatever John just said and playing Mom of the Year. So if you think this is worth watching because it has historic significance… Tonight at 9pm on TLC (unfortunately I cannot promise you will never see these two again, Kate has a talk show in the works…and John continues to breath.)

Whatever you decide to watch, have a great TV Night.

I used to look forward to the time when Dancing With the Stars shed enough contestants to drop its competition night running time to 90 minutes, then an hour. Not only did it underline that dramatic winnowing, it allowed me to get a little frakking sleep after these reviews.

But ABC apparently likes its time on this ratings pony, and doesn’t want to get off it. So we’ve had two-hour Monday night episodes all season long; and now it’s put contestants in a position of having to prepare three never-before-performed routines, which is unprecedented in the history of the show. To be sure, one of the routines is the 30-second “Knockout Dance” they’ve tinkered with all season in case of a Dance-Off, but you still can’t help but wonder if polish is going to suffer. Polish, and feet.

The producers throw in a couple other wrinkles, requiring 15-second solos from the celebs during their Latin round. And, for Round 2 of dancing, instead of a redundant rehearsal montage, we get a mini-documentary about the life of each contender, including ain’t-they-cute childhood photos and family interviews. Part of DWTS’s hook is to push famous people so far out of their comfort zone that you start to see, in how they adapt to the show’s demands, some of the human underneath the pancake makeup. And these life-flashbacks may by slick and platitudinous, yet you still feel like you’re getting to know a little more even just to see their non-glamorous mothers for a minute or two.

DONNY OSMOND/KYM JOHNSON – Tango – 21/30

Donny has transformed from the overworked and sporadically-motivated quarterfinalist to a semi-finalist of the most sober focus. He can taste this thing now; and you can see him putting even more emphasis on the performance rather than making nice for the cameras. He outsources that duty to last season’s runner-up (and most successfully shameless audience fluffer) Gilles, who drops by the studio to reveal that the secret to the Tango is to make people “uncomfortable”. Well, there’s a lot of meanings to that word, Donny. Your sister lurching around in a baby doll dress with a key sticking out of her back made people “uncomfortable”, but it didn’t bring the trophy to Utah, did it? Donny’s Darth Vader gloves might hint at a desire for machine-like perfection, but his stumbling feet are all-too flesh and blood. There isn’t enough passionate danger; Kym’s choreography (what of it survives the stumbles) doesn’t have the narrative cohesion of which she’s capable, and he just doesn’t have smolder in him. He articulates some tough steps especially well, but they are only pieces of quality in a dangerously not-great dance. Donny is making an unfortunate spectacle out of his inability to grin and bear it – he only makes it worse when he demands to be told he sucks. One thing his sister has on him; at least when she didn’t nail it, she could stamp her feet and rally the crowd to confidently obstinately deny reality. Tom looks like the dinner guest trying to find a joke after the hostess just stabbed the host with a fork and demanded a divorce.

Samba – 26/30

Donny’s This-is-Your-Life montage is naturally heavy on Osmond interviews, which are naturally praise-worthy. They do paint a picture of genuine self-determination – with all the fast-burnt pop idols over the years who had no idea what to do with themselves once the fame machine spat them out, there is a lesson to be learned here. He may have whipped himself raw over his tango performance, but the Donny shown in these interviews is a bouncer-backer, and his samba demonstrates the amnesia great competitors have when it comes to their letdowns. He’s light, fun, and out to destroy my previous jokes about “Mormon hips”. I’ll admit when I’ve been trumped – dude can wiggle. The ending is slightly botched but he ought to be joyously proud overall; this was a splendid comeback. Carrie Ann plays spoilsport for the second dance in a row.

Jitterbug (Knockout Routine) – 27/30

I wondered if the heedless, could-be-my-last energy originally intended for the Dance-Off would survive in these Knockout Routines now that they’ve been re-purposed. In Donny’s case, there’s no need to wonder – he’s somehow both frantic and light. It’s old-fashioned sweaty showmanship that never feels unnaturally big thanks to his performing instincts. No visible missteps and a lot of pizzazz ought to help shore up his numbers.

Total: 74/90

JOANNA KRUPA/DEREK HOUGH – Viennese Waltz – 27/30

Derek is smiling a little too much as he describes the scene of Joanna and rehearsal-guest Brooke Burke “ganging up on” him – keep dreaming, Boy Wonder. I don’t remember him being this temperamental with past partners; I would guess that he knows that there’s a real chance of winning, but it’s not a clear sprint to victory like he had with Brooke, and Joanna has a weakness he cannot cover in the floor personality department. Fortunately for him, they’re slotted in after Donny’s disappointment of a Tango, and the Viennese Waltz is a strong dance for Joanna’s princess-figurine features and their smooth partnership – if they can nail it. I have to overcome my distaste with their use of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, which since it appeared in Watchmen officially became the Most Obscenely Exploited Formerly Heartrending Song of the Decade. Joanna doesn’t achieve perfection but she sure is pretty trying, the performance features a supremely graceful sliding dip and some fast footwork that keeps her on the beat (one of her problems in last week’s first dance). It feels like straight 9’s even as she’s doing it; and for once the judges agree with me.

Cha-cha-cha – 27/30

I wasn’t mistaken when I thought I spied Hugh Hefner in a front-row seat in a recent episode – in her montage he’s naturally of the opinion that Joanna can go all the way, conveniently just as her photospread in Playboy is starting to work its way around. Nevertheless, her rags-to-riches story of an immigrant Polish mom working 12-hour days in a Chicago factory does shine a different light on her – her determination is certainly highlighted now; as if the fact that she’s still here isn’t proof enough of it. Her Cha-cha has the kind of precision you could chop a tin can with, and her hips are an undeniable pleasure to watch, but this felt more like an exercise routine than a party. I saw effort, but not electricity. Derek slipped in some clever little maneuvers, but her ability to execute them is not enough. And as I have consistently said – she does not seize the spotlight given the opportunity, which makes opening with her solo damaging. Bruno puts the censors dangerously near the panic button by declaring that she has “natural sex…oozing from everywhere!” Tom gets that look on his face – you know the one.

Salsa (Knockout Routine) – 27/30

These routines were designed to be performed in a precious few seconds before a potential elimination; dancing for the firing squad, so to speak. What I see from Joanna and Derek is the same sexellence you see in a normal routine, only shorter. You don’t feel as if they’ve worked to cram extra wow, except maybe in the part where Derek shimmies his shirt off. It’s every bit up to her high standard, yet I still thought we might see more.

Total – 81/90

KELLY OSBOURNE/LOUIS VAN AMSTEL – Rumba – 24/30

A final near-breakdown over the death of a beloved dog looks to have burned away the last of Kelly’s drama. Louis is right when he says that Week One Kelly would not have kept rehearsing. When she declares her intent to “own” the rumba, there is new seriousness there; and the way she moves in rehearsal shows a body that no longer has to be bullied into dance maneuvers, but remembers them. All systems are go for her best performance of the season, and that’s exactly what she turns in. There’s an elegance and confidence in her body that has only been sporadic in the past – she achieves moments of sensual fluidity that I never would have thought available to her, and her emotional broadcasting is tuned in perfectly. Her weakest moment is unfortunately her solo; without Louis to guide her, she seems fragile and uncertain – not what you want when the spotlight is on you. The judges are kind but unwilling to see her as Finals material – Bruno has the only practical advice, pointing out that her hips didn’t completely reach rumba velocity.

Quickstep – 27/30

Kelly’s life story doesn’t need much telling. An avalanche of media attention brought on by the family’s reality show (which must now be legitimately called groundbreaking, considering how many imitators have since moved into that neighborhood) plunged her into depression and drugs. And now that she considered herself healed and confident she is – competing on a reality show? I suppose you don’t ever completely leave your damage behind, you just incorporate it into yourself; but it does make you wonder about how she’ll deal with a probable loss. And now it’s Quickstep time. Banana yellow suits this couple. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. The change in her speed is astounding, she’s never tried to move this fast before, and yet she never looks as if the pace is defeating her. There’s some inconsistency in posture, and she botches that long cross, but she demonstrates a new level of talent here; at this point it’s easy to say she’s done more with less initial assets than any of her fellow semi-finalists. A weary Kelly comes uncorked, compliments from the judges make her weep.

Cha-cha-cha (Knockout Routine) – 27/30

Kelly’s “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun” routine is meant to work more out of attitude than quantity of steps. She knows herself well enough to have picked the song, and her personality is glowing and her moves are sharp, but the dance itself is no knockout. It’s very good instead of O-M-G. Her technique has come so far and that’s evident, but if she had presented this in a Dance-off she might not have survived it.

Total – 78/90

MÝA/DMITRY CHAPLIN – Waltz – 28/30

I thought I was crazy when I glimpsed a tent in the corner of the rehearsal studio – and then Mýa admitted that she had indeed been sleeping in the studio on occasion. Her “rules” for the week are an opportunity to show of the egalitarianism that has defined her partnership with Dmitry: she trusts his expertise, but will not surrender her instincts. Her perfectionism is just as responsible for their success as his. And her waltz gives me my first unreserved chance this season to use the word “breathtaking”. Shatteringly great posture and form, combined with elegant choreography and an uncanny ability to make it look like she’s melting from one move to the next, stamp this instantly as a season highlight – possibly the best work any couple this fall has produced. It was easy to get spoiled back in Season Eight, when Gilles and Cheryl were stirring our feelings every week; finally in this season, we have a performance that reaches down deep for a vast swath of the audience. The standing ovation doesn’t seem at all forced. Carrie Ann has to reach to locate any chink in the armor – why is it she insisting on playing the sourpuss now?

Salsa – 30/30

We don’t get any explanation as to where Mýa developed her perfectionist’s streak – it appears to have just been there always. Details are scant about her performance background and her father’s experience in music; I don’t know if this is a misguided attempt to make her transition from shy teenager singing for her friends to multiplatinum superstar at 19 seem even more out-of-the-blue. Or maybe they think her extensive juvenile tap-dance career (including a workshop from one-time DWTS guest performer Savion Glover) might damage her credibility as a ballroom newbie. It’s curious either way. But there’s nothing like a great dance to make you forget such ponderings, and her salsa is phenomenal. With impeccable gyrations, Dmitry-crafted moves that take full advantage of her disciplined agility, and a non-stop sense of naughty festivity, Mýa places herself head-and-shoulders above the competition tonight. The others try to dance like stars; she just goes out and does it.

Cha-cha-cha (Knockout Routine) – 29/30

Male disrobing happens with flagrant frequency on DWTS, so I was wondering if anyone would consider the power of a little surprise female flesh, especially in a Knockout Routine. Mýa, predictably, proves to be the one savvy enough to give it a go, letting her mini-skirt go flying to reveal even tinier grass booty shorts. As if we weren’t staring there already – they fit a lot of hip and dip into this dance. What else is there to say? If the trophy were to be handed out tonight, there would be no suspense at all right now.

Total – 87/90

Next up: Semi-Finals Results Night!

Brit media personality Kelly Osbourne has revealed that she is postponing her marriage until her fiancé is old enough to drink.

Osbourne, 25, pushed back her wedding to 19-year-old Luke Worrall, who is six years younger than her, to 2011 even though they had been expected to tie the knot early next year.

She revealed that she would be waiting until Worrall hits 21, the legal age for drinking in the US, which isn’t until Boxing Day next year.

“Luke and I are engaged and we’ll get married when I want to. But he isn’t even 21 yet, so he can’t drink in America, so what’s the point in getting married until he can?” the Sun quoted her as saying.

Seriously, if Mya does not win this competition, I will believe it is rigged. She is fantastic! Find out who has to hang up his/her dancing shoes after the jump.

The judges decided Mya & Dmitry’s salsa was worthy of an encore (as Len said, it showed of Mya’s tooty fruity booty).

If you’re keeping score, here’s the leaderboard:

1. Mya & Dmitry – 87 points

2. Joanna & Derek – 81 points

3. Kelly & Louis – 78 points

4. Donny & Kym – 74 points

All four couples are on the stage waiting to learn who’s safe. Then, it’s the big tease “We’ll find out later.” I hate that! Stop it!

The couples all talked about each other – in totally nice ways.

A number from the upcoming movie “Nine” called “Be Italian” was performed (without any of the big stars from the movie).

Alicia Keys performed “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart.” Her voice is amazing, but what impressed me more was her ability to strut about in those super high blue boots!

I felt really sorry for the stars doing their own music video to “Under Pressure.” It was silly.

The first couple safe: Mya & Dmitry.

Leona Lewis performed “Happy.”

The next couple safe: Donny & Kym.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary, the Bee Gees performed “You Should Be Dancing.” Everyone was on their feet – including the judges. How do they get their voices that high? Melissa Rycroft joined the pros who performed during this song. She wasn’t wearing shoes. That aside, she did a fantastic lift with Tony Dovolani at the end.

Next, a taped piece (ahem, time filler) with the pros talking about choreographing their performances for the elimination night (like what we just saw).

Joanna & Derek and Kelly & Louis wait to learn their fate. Yet another “The couple with the lowest combined total will be eliminated after this.” JERKS!

Len said Kelly has taken dancing into her heart and has “entered all of ours.” He said Joanna has been the most consistent of all the couples.

So, the couple who will not get to dance for that mirrorball trophy: Joanna & Derek.

Wow! That is some final three! America, don’t go thinking Mya can win this without you! Tune in on Monday to see the couples perform for your votes. I’ll be back with a recap next week.

We’re down to the final 3. Pretty amazing that this season of Dancing with the Stars is almost over. Too bad we won’t get a chance to see another Derek Hough freestyle. Otherwise, we have an odd final 3 in my book. Is anyone else surprised that Kelly made it to the final 3? I guess Mya has been a great dancer, but I’m surprised that her personality didn’t get her sent home. Donny was a sure thing from nearly the start.

Anyway, none of that matters now. Let’s have you vote for who you think will be the winner of Dancing with the Stars 2009.

Also, a nice link is this one to the full list of Dancing with the Stars music. Anyone heard about if they’re having a DWTS tour or not? I’m thinking probably not.

This week Mya and Dmitry were chosen to perform an encore of their Salsa as the judge’s choice dance. Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and the Bee Gees perform. Also Melissa Rycroft returns to the ball room to perform a routine with her Season 8 partner Tony Dovolani.

Back to the results…

The couples in jeopardy were:
Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel

The couple leaving tonight is:

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough -- Image via ABC.com

Watch all the performances from this week on ABC.com. Next week is the Finals! Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne, and Mya will compete for the Mirror Ball trophy. Who will win?

For more news, clips, and results from the show, visit the “Dancing with the Stars” category on this blog or just click here.

With Aaron & Karina gone, just four couples are left in the competition. I think this may be the best final four in a while. And look – three of the four stars are ladies! The couples have to perform three dances and earn some high scores to make it to the big finale. Find out who shines this week – and who is most likely to go home – after the jump!

Couple: Donny & Kym

Dance: Tango

Donny is such a natural performer. To hear him hint at being sent home – I just can’t believe it. OOOH! Gilles Marini returned to give Donny tips on the tango. I’m sorry. I just don’t look at Donny the same way I look at Gilles. Once I got over the shock of Donny’s gold sparkly jacket, I focused on the dancing. Maybe it was the fast music or maybe it’s because it was Donny, but I did not think this dance was hot. It was OK, just not hot like if Gilles were dancing. Kym got caught in her dress. The move at the end, with Kym going between Donny’s legs and then spinning around, looked like it was in slow motion. Donny sat down on the stage before the judging. He groaned.

Len said the sadness of it is when Donny did the Argentine tango it was great, but he didn’t know what it was. Donny said he saw Marie. Len said that’s enough to put anyone off. Carrie Ann told him to mind his manners. Bruno said Donny completely lost it. He said tonight, Donny couldn’t cover it up. Carrie Ann said there wasn’t a lot of push and pull, no drama. She pointed out Donny and Kym were caught in her dress.

SCORE: 21

Dance: Samba

Full disclosure: I can’t sit through the pre-taped pieces telling the stars’ back story. Can’t. Do. It. Donny seemed to shake off the problems from the first dance – literally. If any of the judges even try to say there was not enough hip action from Donny, I might throw the remote at the TV. Donny even looked like he was having a good time in his solo – which ended with a little split. Once he and Kym started dancing together again, it was fun and a huge improvement from his earlier dance. Standing ovation from the audience with Donny screaming, “Yeah!”

Bruno said a bit of a stumble doesn’t stop a professional from coming back and nailing it. He said it was carefree and fun – what a samba should be. Carrie Ann said it felt a little sloppy for Donny. She thought he was dancing small. Len said he can’t agree with Carrie Ann. He said it was a metamorphosis. He said Donny came out strong and determined.

SCORE: 26

Dance: Jitterbug

Holy sequined jacket! Donny was working hard to sell this. This was a performer’s dance – and Donny gave it his all! How did he do this without losing steam?

Carrie Ann said Donny needed this dance to be good and he got his mojo back. Len said this was another winner. Bruno said it was up beat, full of vigor and a party at St. Patrick’s Day.

SCORE: 27

TOTAL SCORE: 74

Couple: Joanna & Derek

Dance: Viennese Waltz

Brooke Burke came in to give Joanna some tips. Oh my gosh! I loved this – from the song (“Hallelujah”) to Joanna’s princess dress to the way they glided across the stage. Magic! I don’t think they ever moved without touching each other. They were in perfect sync and, just, wow. I have never seen Joanna move so gracefully.

Bruno said this waltz had the grace of angels in heaven. He said there was a slight hesitation that didn’t allow him to get to paradise. Still, he called it fantastic. Carrie Ann said Joanna has grown into an amazing statuesque beauty. She said Joanna took her breath away. Len said their hold when dancing together is as good as any professional’s. He loved the choreography. He thought her pointing was a little odd. He called it a beautiful dance.

SCORE: 27

Dance: Cha Cha Cha

Interesting. This dance started with Joanna’s solo. Thanks to this song, I can’t get “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” out of my head. Seriously, what’s the deal with the fringe pants? I think they’re silly. That said, Joanna worked it! Derek has done a fantastic job of putting some difficult steps in these dances. Wow!

Carrie Ann loved how Joanna can go from statuesque to the wild child. She said Joanna is a dancer. She thought she did a great job. Len said it was clean, it was crisp, had great rhythm. He wanted a little more cheeky. Bruno said he can’t get Joanna out of his bed (awk-ward). He said Joanna is natural sex. He said Joanna is not a dancer, but what she’s done in ballroom and latin is amazing.

SCORE: 27

Dance: Salsa

More difficult choreography. Derek brought back the under the leg thing. Sorry, I don’t know how else to describe that move. This seemed to be little more about posing than Mya’s salsa. And Derek had to hold on tight to Joanna at the end as she nearly slipped out his arms.

Len said the dance was tasty and full of spice. Bruno said it was delicious and flirtatious. Tom asked Joanna if Bruno creeps her out and she said he doesn’t. Carrie Ann said Joanna generates heat. She loved it. She wants to see Joanna in the finals.

SCORE: 27

TOTAL SCORE: 81

Couple: Kelly & Louis

Dance: Rumba

One of Kelly’s dogs died and she was very emotional while rehearsing. Is there a heavenly theme this week? Kelly & Louis danced to “Angels.” Kelly had to do a solo (as all stars will in their latin dances). She was so good! The move at the end, with Louis just holding her by her leg – such control. I’m so proud of Kelly, I might cry! Standing ovation from the audience.

Carrie Ann said Kelly brought her to tears. She said Kelly is not the strongest dancer, but she reached into her heart and made her love Kelly. Len said he can’t be as airy fairy as Carrie Ann. He said Kelly has turned into a competent dancer. He doesn’t think it was one of her best, but it was not her worst. Bruno said the dance did not have eroticism. He said she had to push her hips to the extreme. He commended her for attempting difficult positions and doing them well.

SCORE: 24

Dance: Quick Step

Kelly was a color explosion in her dress! How she managed to smile while practically running through these steps I’ll never know! They did get out of step a little towards the end. Louis had to hold on tight at the end – Kelly nearly slipped out his arms and hit her head on the floor. Another standing ovation from the audience.

Len said there are two people who are really happy: her mom and him. He said it was beyond his expectations – not as a person, performer and dancer – she has blown him away. Bruno said she was like Speedy Gonzalez. He said it was light, fast-footed, but she lost one foot, but overall it was absolutely right. Carrie Ann said, “Go get ‘em, Kelly Osbourne!” She said Kelly nailed it. She said it was fabulous. Kelly said the comments from the judges gave her the confidence to keep coming back (and she was on the verge of tears as she said it).

SCORE: 27

Dance: Cha Cha Cha

Kelly looked like she was having a great time – just like her song (“Girls Just Want To Have Fun”). So much happiness in such a short time.

Bruno said it might have been a quickie, but it worked for him. He said her footing and timing were great. He said it was sharp. Carrie Ann said Kelly finished her lines. Len said at the start of the season, he thought she struggled through one dance and she did three at a high level tonight.

SCORE: 27

TOTAL SCORE: 78

Couple: Mya & Dmitry

Dance: Waltz

They made rules to get through the competition: Don’t be tardy for the party (ha ha – “Real Housewives” reference); make a mistake, do five push-ups; breaks last ten minutes only; listen to Dmitry. Let’s see if that helps Mya win. At no point did I think this was real. Mya’s movement was like something you’d see in a fairy tale. She looked light as a feather. It even looked like they were ice skating at one point. Absolutely lovely! It did look a little like she got caught in her dress at the very end – still amazing! Standing ovation from the audience.

Len said he loved it – it had romance, elegance, beautiful movement, she was in total control throughout the dance. Bruno said it was love set to music. He said he loved that Mya put a touch of the exotic in it. Carrie Ann said she loved it. She felt Mya was slightly not connected in the hold just a hair. So, I guess that means no perfect score.

SCORE: 28 (10 from Bruno)

Dance: Salsa

This was not choreography for beginners. This dance was fast and hot! Mya’s solo was so hippy I thought I was in the 60s (that’s my best Bruno). Uh-maze-eeeng! The crowd was on their feet.

Bruno said only one word could describe that: Sensational. Carrie Ann said it was hot beyond belief. She said her solo was slamming. She also said the choreography was difficult. Len said, “Tooty fruity, what a booty.” He was mesmerized by Mya’s behind. He said Mya should be in the finale.

SCORE: 30

Dance: Cha Cha Cha

This dance was so hot, Mya lost her skirt! Ending in the splits – wow!

Carrie Ann said Mya has great hip action. She said there was something off in the beginning. Len said Bruno shouts a lot. He said it’s getting on his wick a bit. Love that – I might use it. Len said he was disappointed because he wanted it to go on longer. Bruno said it was like an action-packed trailer for a blockbuster and he wants to be first in line to see the whole feature.

SCORE: 29 (Carrie Ann only gave it a 9)

TOTAL SCORE: 87

Tuesday, Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Barry & Robin Gibb will perform. Melissa Rycroft will also dance with Tony Dovolani. Oh, and one couple will go home.

Mya is a perfect 1o on 'DWTS' with Dmitry

Mya has totally won over judge Len Goodman, who had been a consistent harsh critic of the pop and R and B star singer.

Tonight on the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ semifinals she danced away with his heart and mind as she scored an almost perfect 87 our of 90 points from the judges for the three dances she performed with her professional dance partner, Dmitry Chaplin, besting all of the other fabulous stars in this season’s competition, and they are all formidable, so she better not slack off or let it go to her head.

I would say that the model Joanna Krupa is in second place, Kelly Osbourne is in third place, and Donny Osmond is in fourth. This was also reflected in the judges scores for tonight’s performances.

Sexy Joanna Krupa will be on the cover on the December Playboy issue, which I will run to the store to get a copy to review. She has a compelling family background and biography which we got to see tonight.

Her sister is also a beautiful woman as well.That seems to run in the family.

It is amazing to see how humble Mya has been throughout the competition, and tonight we got a chance to get a glimpse of her mother and father, and to see a little about her background.It was an impressive story, and from a young age, Mya has been very focused with developing her talents.

She has put in a lot of hard work, and we are seeing the results of that work, by her performance in this competition.

Mya’s and Dimitry’s salsa was the standout dance of the evening.

There was a lot of precision of passion in her salsa performance, and it featured a very hot solo number that lit the stage on fire.It was the only memorable solo performance of the evening. I suggest watching this performance on-line if you missed it, Mya is built for this classic Latin dance.

Judge Len Goodman declared that he was disapointed….disapointed that it did not go on longer.

His next line will be the most memorable comment from a judge this season, topping even Bruno, which is hard to do.

Before giving the Salsa performance a 10, he told Mya …”Tutti Fruiti, oh what a Booty”,…and the ”I could not keep my eyes off of it”…

I don’t blame him, because he was expressing exactly what I was feeling. Mya is a smart and charming young lady,but ,just keeping it real…the girl is hot and it does not hurt to look.

I am looking at her the same way Len is, and I will keep on looking. I just won’t say it out loud.

Mya and Dimitry’s salsa netted a perfect score of 30 out of 30 points.

Hopefully, they will give us a repeat performance of the  dance on Tuesdays results show, it is truly worth repeating.

Make sure you tune in to the results show on Tuesday, as Alicia Keyes and Leona Lewis are scheduled to perform, so if you are like me, I am trying to see Mya, Alicia Keyes, and Leona Lewis all in the same evening.

Thank you ‘DWTS’ producers for another night of quality entertainment that truly speaks to me. Someone on your staff really understands my personal taste,and it is dead on accurate.

Call in and support team Mya…you know you love her like I do….

To vote for Mya, call: 1-800-868-3411

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

The finals of Dancing with the Stars (Season 9) is next week and here are my three picks for who I think should be in the finals and why:

Mýa and Dmitry Chaplin – from the start, I think Mýa was one of the better “stars” on the show and she has improved over the weeks. Even Len Goodman has come around and has been giving Mýa & Dmitry high scores!! They deserve to be in the finals. And most important… I thinkg Dmitry does a better “shirt unbutton — show my bear chest” than Tony Dovolani.

Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel – I think Kelly has been one of the fan favorites. I really didn’t think so would do as well as she has, but she has improved every week. Plus I think it’s time for Louis to finally make it to the finals and maybe win. Plus if Kelly makes the finals, Ozzy Osbourne might show up!!

Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson – from the start of the season, Donny and Kym were my pick to win it all! I think they deserve to be in the finals — Donny’s fans will make sure of that. But I’m not too positive that they can beat Mýa and Dmitry. He will at least do better than his sister, Marie Osmond did!! And that is all that really matters at the end!!

OK, these are my picks. Looking forward to tomorrow night’s show and see if my picks are right. Regardless of who makes the finals, it has been a fun season to watch.

Side Notes:

• Best song of the night: “One Bad Apple“—-The Osmonds

• Someone really needs to duct tape over Samantha Harris!! I swear when she does her little interviews while the teams are waiting for their score… arrrgg!!

SWATCH launched the brand new FULL  BLOODED WHITE watch at their flagship store re-launch yesterday, and celebrity Kelly Osbourne was one of the celebrities quite keen to show it off!

Looking similar to Chanel’s Ceramic watch, Swatch gives you the look, but for less, and looks fantastic against a tanned wrist (for those of us in the southern hemisphere!)

Pop over to the Swatch store to view their entire collection …

The start of another week… and it’s a big TV night…it almost makes monday do-able.

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

Dancing with the Stars- There are three female “stars” and one male “star”  left…and whooda thunk the lone male standing would be (Utah darling) Donny Osmond!

Not only is he the only man left standing, he beat out the sports stars(usually shoo-ins for the finals), the cute (former…very former) pop stars AND a (slightly notable?) politician! All younger, all held far more odds…but they did not have the missing ingredients that have gotten Donny Osmond this far:  a) Personality (in that…he has one) b) Fans (in that…he has them) c) Celebrity (in that…he IS one!) He’s the lovable uncle/ harmless nice-guy who’s smile and infamy caters to the shows admittadly older demographic audience (present company not included), and he may win this whole thing. Which would make sense…he matches the mirror-ball trophy.

The other contestants include:

1. (Super) model whats-her-face, dancing with Derek. I feel like in this case, Derek makes her look good and perhaps even draws voters. He is fresh-faced and all american, he is also extremely talented and throws 110% into every dance… Whats-her-face is small enough and unassuming enough to be lead entirely by Derek and work as a perfect show piece for his choreography (and DWTS producers are loving having her body around to show off their costume dept.)
2. Mya- A good dancer, but she totally lacks any personality to draw in a following. I keep forgetting about her…and that doesnt bode well in the long run.
3. Kelly Osborne- 6 years ago, parents all over the world cringed at the thought that their children may turn into, or be influenced by the bratty shenanigans of the Osbourne kids. Look at Kelly now! Those same parents are shedding a tear after her waltzes and foxtrots and falling for her mega-watt smile. Good for her, she’s managed to make it this far on live tv without cursing the judges, flashing the audience or having hissy fit/drunken crusade on set. All that being said, I do find her transformation into a fan-favourite entertaining and…don’t count her out either! If she is able to pull out another heart-warming dance routine akin to her first outing, she could walk away with the trophy.

The final four dance tonight, ABC/CTV 8pm

Battle of the Blades-Finale/Results - I have already predicted a Craig Simpson win… but in all honesty, I have been second guessing myself all day. This actually is a close battle, and if CBC continues to be quintessentially Canadian about this whole competition…they may ALL win. A three way tie. I wouldnt count that out…

We shall see tonight at 8pm, CBC

CSI:Miami- After last week’s 3-CSI-City tour… CSI Miami returns tonight — minus Dr Ray. I will still be tuning in, after all…Horatio now has the spotlight all to himself again—which calls for some serious sunglass action and witty one liners. CTV, 10pm

Have a great TV Night.