Dancing with the Stars pays tribute to Michael Jackson

On Tuesday night's results show of Dancing with the Stars, the professional dancers paid tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

The dancing was incredible, and well choreographed to emulate MJ rather than just imitate.

R.I.P. MJ.

In case you missed it...

The JabbaWockeeZ did an amazing performance of "Singing in the Rain" on Wednesday's Dancing with the Stars results show.

Joining them were two very special DWTS pros.

Check it out below!

Julianne Hough's perfect accessory

This is the right way to dress up your dog!

Former Dancing with the Stars pro, Julianne Hough and her dog, Lexi hit the red carpet for Netflix's screening of The Wizard of Oz in New York City last night.

Adorable!

Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA Video Premiere

Miley Cyrus' music video for her single "Party in the USA" premiered on last night's Dancing with the Stars.

The highly sexualized video (short shorts, cleavage baring tank, and dry-humping the air) almost makes you forget that Cyrus is only 16.

I'm surprised she didn't use her mic stand as a pole.

Still a catchy song though.

What do you think?

DWTS's Karina Smirnoff poses nude for PETA

Dancing with the Stars' Karina Smirnoff is the latest celebrity to star in PETA's anti-fur campaign.

A reformed fur-wearer, the 31-year-old dancer says she stopped wearing fur after learning about what happens to animals who are killed for their skins.

"I did wear fur, especially when I was little. But there are ways of being warm and being fashionable without being cruel," she told PETA.

"You have a choice as an individual, you have a choice in the press, in the world, whether to make a statement that you do support killing animals or make a statement when you don't. And you can still be as chic as you can possibly want to be."

What do you think of the campaign image?

Vera Wang uncertain about competing on Dancing with the Stars

A couple weeks ago, there were rumours that designer Vera Wang was to compete on the newest season of Dancing with the Stars.

The Cut blog caught up with Wang at the CFDA Awards, and asked her if the rumours were true.

"We haven't decided. They haven't and I haven't," she said.

When The Cut asked if the show approached Wang, she answered, "They approach a lot of people, not just me."

I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Vera Wang to be on Dancing with the Stars

Designer Vera Wang is adding something else to her resume: Dancing with the Stars.

The former figure skater-turned-Vogue editor-turned-wedding gown guru will be sixty when the season starts next September and has reportedly signed on to compete in the show's ninth season.

A rep for Wang did not comment, and ABC also declined to comment on casting.

Wang has designed otufits for ice queens Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan, so it'll be interesting to see what kinds of designs she will come up with for herself if she does end up competing.

The new season of Dancing with the Stars will premiere on September 21st.

Happy Birthday, Mark Ballas!

Happy Birthday to Mark Ballas!

The Dancing with the Stars pro and season eight champ turns 23 today.

Ballas will be spending his birthday at the Indy 500 race, where former celebrity champion Helio Castroneves is competing, then will be performing with Ballas Hough Band at the official post-race party at the Conrad Hotel.

“I’m hoping Helio wins,” Ballas told People. He also said this year’s birthday will be "a nice low-key affair. We’re going watch the race, have a little dinner and perform."

And the winners of Dancing with the Stars Season Eight are...

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas!!

Yay!!

In case you missed it...

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas performed an amazing freestyle during last night's Dancing with the Stars finale!

The concept, the costumes, the choreography! All amazing.

I especially loved the JabbaWockeeZ reference at the beginning! Only Mark would do that!

The pair were the only contestants to score a perfect 30 for this round.

The winner of DWTS will be crowned tonight.

Let's hope Shawn and Mark win that mirror ball trophy!

Derek Hough's steamy on-screen kiss

Seems like Dancing with the Stars pro Derek Hough is talented in areas other than dancing and singing.

Hough, who is also the co-lead vocalist of Ballas Hough Band locked lips with singer-songwriter Kate Voegele for her new music video "99 Times."

"The video was so much fun to shoot and Derek was awesome," raved Voegele to People. "Great dancer, great musician, great kisser. That guy's got a few things going for him!"

The video for "99 Times" is about a girl, played by Voegele, "walking around a room filled with boyfriends who have lied to her and broke her heart," explained Hough. "At the very end she kisses me and then pushes me down, causing a domino effect with all her past boyfriends."

However, he assured the mag that the kiss was strictly business, especially since he's dating actress and former DWTS partner Shannon Elizabeth.

"I didn't know I would be kissing Kate until about five seconds before we did," he revealed. "I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous!"

She's a lucky girl!

Which DWTS pro would YOU like to share a kiss with?

Ballas Hough Band

Image via realitytvmagazine.com

You may be familiar with Mark Ballas and Derek Hough two of the professional dancers (and back-t0-back winners) on Dancing with the Stars.

But did you know the two have their own band called Ballas Hough Band (formerly known as Almost Amy)?

Yes, not only are they amazing dancers, but they are talented musicians too!

Ballas and Hough have been best friends since childhood, with Hough living with Ballas' family in London for ten years to train as a dancer.

The two began playing punk rock and metal music when they were 13, and have been jamming together ever since.

Their debut album BHB has a variety of catchy tracks, a lot of them resembling Maroon 5 (especially the track "Devastated"), that showcase Ballas and Hough's stellar vocals.

"I'd say kind of blues rock with a bit of pop in there, but with funky baselines, and very melodic," Ballas described to Good Day Atlanta of the band's sound.

Check out their music video for their debut single, "Do It For You" below!

You can buy their album BHB here.

Dancing with the Stars does the Single Ladies dance!

On this week's episode of Dancing with the Stars the contestants split up into two different teams to compete against each other. The team's scores will count as half of their judges scores in the upcoming elimination.

Team Mambo consisted of Olympic gold medalist, Shawn Johnson and her partner Mark Ballas, The Bachelor's Melissa Rycroft and her partner Tony Dovolani and country singer Chuck Wicks and his partner/girlfriend Julianne Hough. Unfortunately, Melissa was unable to perform due to an injury, so professional dancer Lacey Schwimmer filled in.

Team Tango had actor Gilles Marini and his partner Cheryl Burke, rapper Lil' Kim and her partner Derek Hough and rodeo champion and husband to Jewel, Ty Muray and his partner Chelsie Hightower.

Although the judges deemed Team Tango the winer, I definitely preferred Team Mambo's dance to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.

Check it out below!



P.S. Mark Ballas in tights > Justin Timberlake in tights!

2009 ACM Awards: Best and Worst Dressed

Taylor Swift looked stunning at the 2009 American Music Awards in an Angel Sanchez gown. The 19-year-old country star won album of the year for her latest album, Fearless.



Dancing with the Stars' Julianne Hough ripped her Zuhair Murad dress on the way the podium to accept her award for Top New Artist, but took it gracefully telling the audience, "It's a good thing I ripped my dress because now I have something else to think about!" The 20-year-old also won the award for Top Female Vocalist.



But American Idol season four winner Carrie Underwood stole the spotlight in her extravagant crimson gown as she took the stage to perform her hit single, "I Told You So."



On the worst dressed list was American Idol season five contestant, Kellie Pickler, also in a Zuhair Murad gown, but not as flattering as Julianne's. Miley Cyrus also topped the list in a bland Monique Lhullie gown and open toed heels. You're only 16 Miley, there's no need to dress like you're 25!

Dancing with the Stars - Season Eight Premiere!

I must have been living under a rock for the past few days, because I had no idea that the premiere of Dancing with the Stars was tonight!

Luckily, my mom reminded me, and upon watching it, I remembered why we've deemed it one of our favourite shows.

This season has a wide variety of contestants, from a controversial female rapper to an Olympic gold medalist, to a Jackass star and the co-founder of Apple.

Country singer Jewel and Access Hollywood host, Nancy O'Dell were set to compete, however, both of them experienced injuries during rehearsal, and were forced to drop out of the competition.

Last season's reigning champion, Derek Hough, opened the show with partner, Lil' Kim. The rapper revealed that the first time she watched the show was while she was in prison. Isn't it funny how drastically your life can change? She did a decent cha-cha, and definitely has potential, but I don't think she posesses that likeability that some of the other contestants have.

The frontrunner of the premiere was the man known as "the naked guy in Sex and the City: The Movie," Gilles Marini and his partner, Cheryl Burke. The judges adored his sexy, raunchy cha-cha, which left the women in the audience swooning. Although he did quite well, it pains me to think that Cheryl has the chance of winning that mirror-ball trophy for a third time. She always seems to get partners with great potential, except for Wayne Newton, which makes me wonder if this show is somewhat rigged.

Olympian champion, and youngest contestant ever to compete on the show, Shawn Johnson was paired with a former Dancing with the Stars winner, Mark Ballas. In rehearsals, she thought showing emotion would be a problem, but she proved herself wrong in her waltz. Being a gymnast, it's obvious that she would do well in dance, however, she says that it's completely different. Nonetheless, I'm ecstatic that Mark has gotten a good partner, unlike the one he had last season (Kim Kardashian). Johnson was given a score of 27, one below Marini and Burke, although I really think she should have gotten a 28.

Country singer Chuck Wicks also performed a solid waltz with his dancing and real-life partner, Julianne Hough. Obviously, there was great chemistry, and there's no doubt that he will be working extra hard to do well for his girl. He was very graceful, but it was obvious he was terrified of performing. Hopefully he can overcome his fear, and maybe bring Julianne to win for a third time.

Replacing Nancy O'Dell was The Bachelor's Melissa Rycroft. She proved that dancing beautifully, with only 48 hours of practice, and winning the hearts of everyone in America is the best revenge. Only one week after being dumped by her fiance on live television for the one he originally left behind, Rycroft was overwhelmed with emotion, but proved that she has the dancing ability to win the competition. Let's hope that her partner, Tony Dovolani will not fail her as he did with Stacy Keibler in season one.

Former Playmate, Holly Madison took Jewel's place in the competition, but unfortunately, lacked the skill that Rycroft had. She did only have five days of practice with partner Dmitry Chaplin (former contestant on So You Think You Can Dance), but she was very clumsy in her footwork. I hope she stays in the competition, but only to watch Dmitry!

Chaplin's not the only professional originally from So You Think You Can Dance. Newcomer Chelsie Hightower, a top 4 finalist from the FOX program, was partnered with rodeo athlete, (and Jewel's husband), Ty Murray. Although his dancing skills are not nearly as good as his rodeo skills, he put in a lot of effort into his performance.

Lacey Schwimmer is back this season, and is dancing with Jackass's Steve-O. The reality star is currently going through rehab, and I find it absolutely commendable that he is using the show as a way of turning his life around.

Actress Denise Richards, who is also notably infamous for her very ugly divorce from Charlie Sheen performed with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Chmerkovskiy's impatience caused Richards to experience a little meltdown during rehearsal. Her cha-cha was stiff, and she really just looked like a Barbie who was being pulled around by a real-life Ken.

One of the most memorable performances goes to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The friendly, loveable, self-proclaimed "nerd" was paired with Karina Smirnoff, and although he simply could not dance (he received the worst score of the night), he brought joy and laughter to the dancefloor.

Other celebrities who performed were singer Belinda Carlisle (who reminded me a lot of Lisa-Marie Presley), actor David Alan Grier (who I found kind of creepy..), and the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL, Lawrence Taylor.

My top picks are Shawn Johnson, Chuck Wicks, and Melissa Rycroft.

Oh, and a notable moment from the show: Newly engaged Karina and Maksim were getting cozy on-camera and received (jokingly?) disgusted looks from Derek Hough.

Karina's ugly side showed as she darted spiteful looks towards Cheryl (who was once romantically linked to Maksim) when host Tom Bergeron announced that Cheryl received the top score, and Karina the worst. If looks could kill, Cheryl would be in her grave by now.

Dancing with the Stars - Season Eight!

Click here to see the full list of participating celebrities.

Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are engaged!

Image via people.com

Dancing with the Stars has proven itself to be a show that sparks romance!

Just a little over six months after her split to her forming Dancing Partner, Mario Lopez, professional dancer, Karina Smirnoff was proposed to by fellow dancer, Maksim Chmerkovsiy. Professionals Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff.

The engagement took place just before midnight on January 1st at the Wynn Hotel in Sin City, Las Vegas.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Dancing with the Stars will premiere on ABC on March 9th.

Brooke Burke wins Dancing with the Stars!

Image via latimes.com

Model Brooke Burke took home the famous mirror ball trophy last night, when she was crowned the winner of Dancing with the Stars.

The night before, the 37-year-old mother of four performed an outstanding Grease-inspired freestyle routine (shown below) with her partner, Derek Hough, which the judges dubbed "the best freestyle" they've ever seen. Naturally, they were given a score of 10.

Her Viennese waltz last night earned her a perfect score with the judges, giving her an 88 out of 90 in total (including her scores from a group Samba routine).

Football star, Warren Sap and his partner Kym Johnson were the runner-ups, and N*Sync member, Lance Bass and his partner Lacey Schwimmer were in third.

Brooke is no Kristi Yamaguchi, but I am ecstatic for Derek! He is truly one of the best professionals on the show (along with his sister, Julianne Hough and his best friend, Mark Ballas), and he definitely deserved to win!

What did you think of the final outcome?

Catching up: LC vs. Audrina, Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth move in, Hugh Hefner and his #1 Bunny split

Image via popsugar.com

The war between Lauren Conrad and Audrina Partridge continues! Looks like L.C.'s gonna have to start looking for some new friends [Perezhilton]

Last season's Dancing with the Stars partners, Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth, are living together [People]

Hugh Hefner and his most important girlfriend, Holly Madison have called it quits [Dlisted]

Breaking news: Misty May-Treanor out of Dancing with the Stars

Image via ctv.ca

Olympic volleyball player, Misty May-Treanor will no longer be competing in this season's Dancing with the Stars. The 31-year-old has taken herself out of the competition due to an injury.

"It's such a sad situation," says fellow castmate Brooke Burke during a radio interview on 104.3 MY fm's Valentine in the Morning. "She did hurt her Achilles tendon. I don’t know if she tore it or she ruptured it. It happened this week. She’s out of the competition, I mean, just like that.”

On Saturday, ABC confirmed the athlete's injury, but did not confirm whether or not she would still be competing. The network will make the official announcement on tonight's show.

This is so unfortunate, but in reality, there was no way she would have won the show. Maksin must be pretty upset!

I hope she has a speedy recovery!