Yes, you read that right. Marissa Jaret Winokur will be returning to Broadway in the role she created 5 years ago as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. She will be re-joining Harvey Feirstein, another original cast member who is re-joining the cast for its final weeks. Feirstein created the role of Edna Turnblad in 2003 when the show opened on Broadway.

As I said before, Hairspray will be leaving Broadway on January 4th. I think that this is a great way for the show to go out with a bang- this is one pairing that simply can’t be beat. Says Playbill.com:

Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur will re-create the zaftig role of Tracy Turnblad in Broadway’s Hairspray starting Dec. 9 at the Neil Simon Theatre. She joins her original Tony-winning “mama,” Harvey Fierstein, who has already re-joined the troupe for its final weeks.

So, yeah. I’m excited.

~Mel

        Oh man, i saw a poll today where people vote on who should go home on Dancing With The Stars.  The result showed what i was fearing…the couple i have been rooting for, Marissa and Tony.  I really, really like the two of them together.  Sure, she didn’t start out with any great kind of dancing skills…but she has improved, immensely.  Tonight is the results show; don’t let Marissa go home. 

        However, from that one poll…it looks like she could actually be the one to go home as it was from viewer’s opinion.  That fact, plus the fact that the judges scored their two dances in a way that they ended up at the bottom of the four couples dance scores.  Bummer…i was hoping she would make it at least to the semi-finals… I know that she doesn’t have the technical skills of Kristi, or the flare of Christian, or the grace of Jason….but, she has personality, joy, and style of her own that is unparrelled.  Best of luck Tony and Marissa.   update:  Tony and Marissa were the ones to leave.  I for one will miss them.  So, next week the competitors will be Christian and Cheryl, Edyta and Jason, Kristi and Mark.  The semi-finals ….awesome season of dancing with the stars!

         It is the morning after; Shannon Elizabeth from Dancing With The Stars was let go from the competition.  It was sort of one of those shows where one minute it looked certain that one thing would happen and then something completely different changed the course.

          I was thinking that Shannon would be the one to go until Christian de la Fuente was injured; and then, i thought…well, maybe it was exactly what they said at first…a pulled/strained muscle.  Then when the show started up….the drama increased; and i second guessed myself. Ooops…they were building up the tension, insinuating that maybe the injury would put him out of the running.

      Finally, it was revealed that Christian had spoken to the doctors after an MRI and he needs to have surgery on his arm as he has a ruptured tendon in his bicep.  However, just when the audience thought…he was leaving…Christian announced that the doctor gave an ok to continue with the competition if he had been voted to stay. 

          Wow…i can’t imagine a doctor saying…it would be ok to continue to put that kind of strain on the arm if he was injured that badly.  Truthfully, why would someone want to risk permanent damage?  I mean, sure…Christian has worked hard to stay in the competition…but, please…this seems a bit serious.

       In any case, there it is…Christian was voted to stay and that meant that the bottom two competitiors were Shannon/Derek and my long shot Marissa/Tony.  I felt bad for Shannon she is mourning her loss.  She said that she made a lifelong friendship with Derek.   She seemed pretty sad…but, i also rejoiced that Marissa and Tony were given another week to display their wonderful teamwork.  Gotta love this show, dont ya think?

         Once again, it is anyone’s guess who is leaving Dancing With The Stars.  One week a couple will be praised up and down by the judges and then find themselves because of the audience voting down in the bottom of the competition.  This week who will wave TA TA on Tuesday on Dancing With The Stars?

        For the most part…the dancing is coming up a notch or two every week.  But, Monday evening…Christian de la Fuente injured his arm halfway through his and Cheryl’s dance.  This earned them a lower score because, as Carrie Ann Inaba said…we will only judge you on what we saw.  She did compliment him on being there for Cheryl when he was obviously in pain.

        Marissa and Tony outdid themselves and earned very nice scores by doing so.  Kristi was fabulous as usual…she and her partner Mark…really shine each time they perform.  Sometimes, i think they score her lower just because they feel that she is a bit skilled above the other competitors…the judges expect more out of her.

         Mario and Karina did a fine job.  The judges keep bringing the attention to Mario’s age…what does that have to do with anything.  I think he is doing a fine job keeping up with Miss Karina and her talents.

          Shannon Elizabeth and her partner Derek have graceful nice moments and then they seem to have some really awkward moments that cant be covered up.  I think Shannon’s time is coming to an end.  She probably would have already been gone except for Derek’s popularity.

        Jason and Edyta did a nice job…and for once…Edyta wore more clothing than normal for her usual performances on the show.  This was nice…you could concentrate on their dancing as opposed to her skin.  She is a wonderful dancer and the focus should be on her partner…not on her costume of the week.

          So…Tuesday evening we will all be glued to the television sets waiting to see who will be saying Ta Ta…ya’ll.

         Tuesday nite, that means someone is leaving Dances With The Stars television show. The dancing couples all seem to be getting in sync with each other and have started to show solid teamwork.

          I am worried it may be Marissa Janet Winokur…I very much enjoy watching her enthusiasm.  However, she did not do very well last night…so that probably means she is leaving…i believe she could do very well if she only has another week or two.

           Adam Carolla is a funny man.  He isn’t dancing as badly as i thought he would.  However, his sense of humor last night left a little to be desired.  I think he may just have ticked off the whole state of Utah with his comments about mormons and prostitutes & pimps.  Kind of not very funny Adam.  It could be Adam that leaves tonight…people in Utah (heavy mormon population) get votes too ya know Adam.  Maybe he wanted to leave…i dont know!

            Steve Guttenberg is a talented actor…and he is kind of a funny/wise guy also.  But he is a nice guy and his dancing has also improved.   He is in the bottom three as far as skill goes…so maybe it is Steve.  I think it will probably be Adam who goes though out of the three even though Adam has a larger fan base. 

            Marlee, Christian, Shannon Elizabeth, Priscilla Pressley…they are all i think favs and they each seem somewhat skilled in their previous dancing abilities. 

           The bad part of this season’s show is that everyone …and i mean everyone, is just so darn likeable.  Sad to see any of them go!  * Update:  I was wrong (not the first time) , it was Steve Guttenberg who left this week.  He did so much better this week…so….who knows what’s going to happen from week to week.  Sorry to see ya leave Steve!

If you weren’t a believer in Kristi last week, you will be this week. The girl can DANCE!!

In case you missed last night’s performances, click here. If you’ve seen it, read on.

The Gutte was first up. He danced a mambo. He looked a little like “The Jerk.” I’m not bustin’ on the Gutte. I love the Gutte. But seriously, the white suit was something Navin R. Johnsonwould wear. And that silly mouth-wide-open thing. If Navin was a real person and was on the show, I imagine it would look a whole lot like the Gutte’s dance. His score: 16.

Christian was second. He danced the quick step. This is my least favorite dance. Why? Because when it’s done right, it makes me tired. When it’s done wrong, my mind wanders and I begin to do things like make a shopping list in my head. Oh, back to Christian. Man, is he pretty. Here’s the thing: I’ll probably write that every week he’s on the show. Just deal with it. His dance moves were not bad, good in fact. His score: 20.

Monica was the first lady up. Her mambo was not good. It was uncomfortable to watch, kind of like when Oprah dances on her show. You just want to tell her to take a seat. Her score (Monica’s not Oprah’s): 15.

Penn was next with the quick step. First of all, he had this creepy judge voodoo doll. That scared me. Then he did a magic trick with his tie – LAME. Once he actually danced, it looked like he was moving in slow motion. I deduct points for the cheesiness, but add a couple because he’s ginormous. His score: 17.

Priscilla did a mambo. Grandma can shake her moneymaker! It wasn’t a whole lot of booty shaking, just an age-appropriate amount for a latin dance. She was really good. I really didn’t notice her face much this time around. Her score: 21.

Shannon did a quick step. She had so much energy when she danced! It looked like she was having fun. Her score: 24.

Jason did a mambo. He was just H-O-T! Any men who saw him should be calling dance studios to get some lessons. He reminded me of Emmitt. He was very manly when he danced. He’s a big guy, but still looked graceful, even natural. The judges liked him, too. His score: 27.

Marissa did the quick step. First of all, I have to say Tony gave her a great pep talk in the piece that ran before the dance. Marissa was hard on herself because she can’t do things the other celebrity dancers can do. What she has is a stage presence. She smiled her way through this dance. It’s hard not to like her. Her score: 21.

Adam did the mambo. It reminds me of a drunk uncle at a wedding, dragging some girl onto the dance floor while. He is still uncomfortable to watch. It’s not quite dancing. It’s almost like he’s swatting away bees or something. His score: 19.

Marlee was the last lady to tackle the quick step. I wasn’t sure how she’d be able to do this since she can’t really hear the music. She was really good. A natural. Her score: 24.

They saved the best for last. Kristi did a fantastic mambo! She looked like a pro out there. If she is not in the finals, I’ll be stunned. Her score: 27.

Mario did a quick step that almost made me lose my breath. He was incredibly fast, almost running around the stage. My first thought was “Wow!” His score: 26.

Tonight, the eliminate one guy and one girl. I think Monica will be the first lady to hang up her dancing shoes. I think either Penn or Adam will go. At this point, I just can’t write that Gutte will go home.

Who do you think has danced their last dance? Let me know in the comments section. And, you can vote for who you think will be eliminated tonight in our web poll. Just click here.

I thought the guys set the bar high…then came the ladies! While some of them aren’t used to walking, let alone dancing, in high heels, that didn’t stop them from cha cha cha-ing or fox trotting their way across the stage. Want to know who I think was the best? You’ll have to go to the next page.

If you missed tonight’s show, or just want another chance to see the ladies or guys dance, go here.

Shannon’s Cha Cha Cha

I have to start with her costume. It was short on material, showing off her amazing legs. Those long stems really caught my attention and not always in a good way. I noticed she seemed to half kick her way through some of the moves. Overall, it wasn’t a bad performance for the first night (and the first woman out of the gate). Her score: 21.

Monica’s Fox Trot

Who knew a champion tennis player could be so nervous? I noticed her trembling foot before the music even started. Then, when she moved around the stage she kinda stomped – like she was trying to get to the net or something. She looked lovely, though. Her score: 15.

Marissa’s Cha Cha Cha

If they scored this competition on enthusiasm, this girl would have it won! She was so excited and looked like she was having more fun that the Gutte. And apparently that attitude was contagious. Her partner, Tony, had sequined pants! I kept going back and forth between Marissa’s wide smile to Tony’s sparkly pants. Did they actually did their latin dance? I have no idea. The judges answered that question. Her score: 18.

Priscilla’s Fox Trot

OK. I have to be a little mean here. I know she’s 62 and the oldest woman to compete on this show. I also know she’s been in the public eye for quite a while. That’s no excuse for her over-plumped face. Once I got over her cheeks that never moved and her souped-up lips, I noticed the rest of her body moved pretty well. Her score: 24.

Kristi’s Fox Trot

WOW! She talked about how different dancing and skating are, but you would have thought she had been dancing for years! I saw she was in heels, but it looked like she was gliding across the stage on skates. Bruno called it wicked. I call it wicked awesome! Her score: 27. Is that a record on the first night?

Marlee’s Cha Cha Cha

Ok. She can’t hear the music. That will be brought up every week that she’s on the show. Who cares! You couldn’t tell that she couldn’t hear the song as she danced around the stage. She was sassy, saucy, and well, just plain good! It certainly looked as if she had danced before. Her score: 22.

Earlier today, Paula predicted Kristi would win. I think if any lady stands a chance to take the mirror ball trophy, it’s Kristi. I know, I know. There are a lot of dances left. But I choose Kristi and Mario to make it to the finals. If you think I’m wrong, let me know.