So You Think You Can Dance Premiers Filed under ( Cat Deeley, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Reality TV, So You Think You Can Dance )

One of my favorite summer reality shows premiered last night, So You Think You Can Dance. Although it's not Maks TV, it should fill the gap nicely for now. The folks at TV Guide magazine sat down with the hostess with the mostest, Cat Deeley, to get the skinny on what we can expect this season.

TVGuide.com: Hi, Cat. We're all excited for So You Think You Can Dance to return. Should we expect anything different this season?
Cat Deeley: Basically, it's everything you know and love, but bigger and better. I think people really understand the show now, they understand the concept, they understand the level of talent that's required, and they understand that the tricks have got to be more spectacular, even more outlandish. The characters have got to be even bigger and quicker to come to the surface. I think people now understand that there's no point in finally showing your personality Week 4; it has to be out there and people have to see it warts and all. Quite often that's what makes America fall in love with these dancers. It's the trials and tribulations that someone goes through, as much as the happy, jokey stuff, that people are attracted to. That's something we can all relate to, whether we're dancers or not.

TVGuide.com: Are there any returning dancers who didn't make it last season?
Deeley: Well, you might want to sit down for this: "Sex" [aka last year's most delusional wannabe from New York] is back. You might want to have a cold shower on standby for afterwards.

TVGuide.com: Did the producers call him up and ask him to return?
Deeley: No! It didn't take any persuasion for either him or his mother. There have been a couple of other people who've come back, and some have even made it through. I can't tell you any more than that. It's very interesting.

TVGuide.com: Are we going to see some tear-jerking stories?
Deeley: I think you will. There was one lady who was so incredible and such a lovely woman. She had been in a horrendous accident in Israel — it was on the news. There was a wedding and the whole floor dropped and fell through three floors to the parking structure. I think she was in a coma for months and months. They had to rebuild her face. This is the thing about dancers: They can dance through any injury that would make us cry in pain. They somehow just manage to pick themselves up off the floor and get on with it.

TVGuide.com: Generally speaking, dancers are not like actors, and are not the most verbally expressive people. What do you do to bring out their personality for the camera?
Deeley: You're absolutely right. The other thing is that normally dancers are part of an ensemble, they're team players, not the star. That's what's really interesting about this show — it's their chance to step into the spotlight and shine.

TVGuide.com: Do you have a trick to make them talk?
Deeley: Not really, just to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Above and beyond anybody else, I am completely and utterly on their side. Basically because I can see just how talented they are and just how much effort goes into it, and I'm not a dancer myself, so to me, whatever they do is spectacular, whereas a choreographer might go to them and say, "Well, your lines weren't quite even and... " blah-blah-blah.

TVGuide.com: Are you seeing any new trends in the people trying out?
Deeley: There are more breakers this year. They've learned that you have to do different styles, so you have to go take a class in ballroom or contemporary. Just a class, so they can get through the choreography. If you haven't had that technical training, it's very difficult to get through that 15-minute dance class and be able to perform the routine at the end.

TVGuide.com: You keep saying you're a terrible dancer, but you have to have picked up something while hosting this show.
Deeley: This is a bit of a sore point. Every once in a while, I'll mention to Shane Sparks, "Oh, I'd really love to do something." And then the subject just gets changed and never brought up again. So maybe I'm beyond help. I'm not entirely sure.

TVGuide.com: They've all seen you dance?
Deeley: If you want to call it "dancing." You can, if you're just trying to be polite. I do a bit of a shoulder shimmy. But you know, somebody's got to make the dancers look good. I could spin on my head if I wanted to....

TVGuide.com: At least you are surely becoming a more educated observer of dance. Are you able to guess what the judges will say about some of the performances?
Deeley: Sometimes, a little bit. Or because I know the backstory. Maybe one week, a breaker has struggled to learn the fox trot, I'll be looking out for whether they've improved. But it's interesting, you can tell the people who have star quality, too. That "x" factor, or charisma or whatever that thing is, you can tell it just from them walking on the stage. And you cross your fingers and go, "God, I hope you can dance brilliantly, too." It's like last year, Travis [Wall] and Benji [Schwimmer] were our final two, and Travis was an amazing dancer and had a great personality, and Benji was a great dancer but had an amazing personality. It was the personality that won at the end of the day.

TVGuide.com: Especially since it is a popularity contest.
Deeley: It is "America's Favorite Dancer," not the best dancer, not the best technical performer.
TVGuide.com: Neither Benji nor Season 1 winner Nick Lazzarini has taken the complete prize. [Nick declined a year of rent-free living in New York City, and Benji didn't take the contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show.] Are they going to offer something more enticing this year?
Deeley: It hasn't been announced yet. But I know it's bigger.

TVGuide.com: Have you kept up with what some of last year's dancers are doing?
Deeley: I know some have been auditioning for movies. Benji was in the Christina Aguilera video. Natalie [Foutopoulis] was out choreographing SYTYCD in Greece. They've been doing great stuff.

TVGuide.com: How about getting a girl to win this time?
Deeley: Well, that could very well happen. We actually have a girl breaker this time, too. It's about time, I think.

TVGuide.com: I'm saving my best question for last: What are you going to do to top last year's wardrobe?
Deeley: A-ha! Put it this way: I have a black skirt that's entirely made of feathers. It's kind of wild.

TVGuide.com: You have to dance in that!
Deeley: Even if I just did Swan Lake. I love the fact that people watch and go, "What is she wearing this week?!" It's part of the show now. I'm in the process of putting together outfits as we speak.

TVGuide.com: I think the dancers' costume designers have their job cut out for them to keep up with you.
Deeley: That's the thing. If I went out there in jeans and a vest, and I stood next to someone doing a salsa or a paso doble, I'd just look ridiculous. They're all there in their sparkly outfits, with flowers in their hair and all the rest of it. A girl's got to put up a bit of a show to stand next to these kids!

Photo from TV Guide.

Rewind: Dancing with the Stars Finale Filed under ( Apolo Anton Ohno, Dancing with the Stars, Joey Fatone, Julianne Hough, Kym Johnson, Laila Ali, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Reality TV )

I'll miss you, Maks! At least he made it all the way to the end. Sigh. How much longer till we get to see sparkles and see through shirts (and that's just on the men)? It was an eventful week, full of outstanding performances. Wouldn't you agree this was the best finale ever? I'd say so.

The freestyle performances were a fun way to end the show. I was convinced it was down to Joey and Apolo after Laila and Maks pretty much failed to impress during their freestyle (and you know it pains me to say that). Apolo ended up winning and I think it was definitely well deserved after the progress he made and the performances he gave.

'NSYNC fans go two little hellos during Joey's performances. If it was a ploy for votes, it worked on me. In the cha-cha, we got the marionettes from No Strings attached (I couldn't help but think that the ruffles weren't doing Joey any favors, by the way). In the freestyle, we got the little stomping/lasso move from the choreography to It's Gonna Be Me. I know, I have issues. I think their freestyle was the best DWTS performance I have ever seen.

Maks and Laila Free Style - Yes! The Kid n' Play! Thank you, Laila, for ripping Maks' shirt off (twice). I didn't know I had been waiting for it all season until it actually happened.

After watching this week's shows, Annie is convinced there's a little something something going on between Apolo and Juilianne. There was some "almost kissing" and petting moments during their performances and she did recently call off her engagement. I think I'm going to have to keep my eyes on those two.

Here are some clips for you to treasure until next season:

Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson dance the Freestyle:



And the Cha-Cha:



Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dance the Paso Doble:



And the freestyle:



Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough dance the Rumba:



And the freestyle:



A fitting way to end this season? The hilarious Jimmy Kimmel DVD commercial:

All You Could Ever Want to Know About Pirate Master Filed under ( Mark Burnett, Pirate Master, Reality TV )

The Glitter and Gossip Office has a weekly reality tv show addiction support group meeting and the topic of new shows comes up quite often. This week, we're excited about Pirate Master. We've discussed it here before, but now those smart little devils set up a Pirate Master Wiki. That Mark Burnett, what will he think of next?

They have all the stuff us addicts need to fill our unsatisfiable need for information. You can read about the history the show is based on, watch a preview, meet the host, and meet the cast. Once the show starts, you'll be able to root for a winner and criticize the losers in the forums.

I know I should have used Arrrgghhh! at least once in this post, but I just couldn't work up the energy. The show premieres Thursday, May 31, 2007, at 8 PM on CBS.

Blake Skunked His Hair for You Filed under ( American Idol, Blake Lewis, Reality TV )

Good lord, reality TV watchers yield too much power. You may have noticed that Blake's hair went dark last week and this week it had some skunk stripes running through it. According to TMZ, complaints from viewers on blogs and websites, and Rosie O'Donnell on The View, resulted in the new stripes in Blake's do.

TMZ learned that the show wanted to take him back to all blonde, but he refused and added the highlights as a compromise. I don't like any of his hairstyles so far, so I guess I'm no help at all.

Photo from TMZ.

Rewind: Dancing with the Stars, Week 7 Filed under ( Apolo Anton Ohno, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dancing with the Stars, Joey Fatone, Julieanne Hough, Karina Smirnoff, Kym Johnson, Laila Ali, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Mario Lopez, Reality TV )

This was the first week of Dancing with the Stars that I have been upset with America's choice on who went home. Does anyone think Billy Ray Cyrus should still be there? Or is this a Vote for the Worst kinda thing? Maybe he's got the Tween vote since he's on the Disney show Hannah Montana? Who the heck knows.

TV Guide went behind the scenes this week and found out some good dish on Carrie Ann Inaba's notes from the judging. Here are some excerpts of the choice pieces:

Laila Ali: "I‘m so happy that Laila showed us the beef!" says Inaba. "She finally let loose. I knew she had it in her. And it wasn't in the way I thought she would do it. I thought it would be this very powerful and dramatic thing. But it was very light and elegant and graceful."

Apolo Anton Ohno: "Apolo had a rough night tonight," says Inaba. "I think Len was a little hard on him for the first round [the fox trot]. But Len is the ballroom expert, so maybe he saw things that Bruno and I didn't. But I think that critique rattled Apolo a little bit. Tonight, he had a bit of the Ian syndrome, in that he was in his head. And then he was off rhythm, he was dancing ahead of the beat, and he and Julianne weren't connecting. They were out of sorts with each other."

Joey Fatone: "Joey decided he was going to leave Apolo and Laila in the dust. He finally realized we're getting close to the end and now he's giving 100 percent. It's amazing he's done so well up until now. I feel like he's only been giving 85 percent."

Ian Ziering: "Ian finally came out of his shell," says Inaba. "Authenticity reads so well on this show. When Ian's not comfortable, it shows. Tonight he decided, ‘You know what? I have nothing to lose.' He had a few missteps. But we're going to see a lot of growth in him. And he saw how the people reacted, so I think it's going to be a little addictive for him."

I pretty much agree with Carrie Ann, but I didn't think Apolo did that bad this week! Poor Julianne had the front of her dress fall off on national television, leaving only a sheer layer with her white bra showing through. Give them a break!

Sadly, my favorite thing about the the episodes was looking at who was in the crowd. There was a little 90210 reunion, with Tori Spelling, Jason Priestley and Jennie Garth. Mario Lopez, who is still dating Karina Smirnoff, and his mom were there to cheer her on. Shandi and Brian were there, too. When do you think Justin Timberlake will show up to cheer on Joey? Can't he get his priorities straight and put his tour on hold to be there?!

Here's some video from this week's episode.

John Ratzenburger and Edyta Sliwinksa do the foxtrot:



And the rumba:



Billy Ray Cyrus and Karina Smirnoff do the waltz:



And the samba:



Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson do the foxtrot:



And (my favorite of the night), they did the jive:



Ian Ziering and Cheryl Burke to the tango:



And the mambo:



Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough perform the foxtrot:



And the mambo:



Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy perform the quickstep:



And the samba:



The professionals dance while Meatloaf performs Bat out of Hell:



Junior Champions perform:

Pussycat Dolls Say Buh-Bye to Anastacia Filed under ( Anastacia McPherson, Pussycat Dolls, Reality TV )

I admit it. I got suckered into CW's Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll. Last week, we said good-bye to contestant Anastacia McPherson. With her height and her deep throaty voice, she definitely stood out from the pack. TV Guide recently sat down with her to get some behind-the-scenes dish the other girls and the whole experience.

TVGuide.com: Did you have a good experience?
Anastacia McPherson: It was amazing. It was unbelievable, but it was really stressful, too.

TVGuide.com: You were learning choreography on a bus and crazy stuff like that, all in a short period of time.
Anastacia: It was insane the amount of time that we had before we would perform. It was really stressful, but at the same time it was so amazing being a part of everything.

TVGuide.com: Why did you want to do this show?
Anastacia: I've always really loved the Pussycat Dolls. I bought their first album, and I knew about them when they were a show on the Sunset Strip [in Hollywood]. I really liked the fact that they've got these hot songs but they are real dancers, and that's something I can appreciate. I always thought I should audition for the Vegas show.

TVGuide.com: So you must have loved this week's "traditional" Pussycat Dolls performance.
Anastacia: That was my favorite show, and ironically that's the one where they booted me. That was the best part, getting to do the old-school stuff.

TVGuide.com: You mentioned several times that you felt bigger than the other girls, but is it just because you are literally taller?
Anastacia: I am bigger in the sense that I am taller and more muscular, and I have big hair. Some of the girls are naturally on the slimmer side, so it was awkward being in this reality bubble around such tiny girls all of the time and performing with them. I wanted to feel like part of the group, but I was different, obviously different.

TVGuide.com: And you have that deep, sexy voice.
Anastacia: Yeah, my voice is in a lower range. I think it is cool and it does set me apart, but it can be limiting. But I look at it as a good thing.

TVGuide.com: Judge Ron Fair seemed to be a fan of your voice.
Anastacia: He was! He was a big supporter and I appreciated that. It was such an honor to have someone like Ron Fair even know my name, let alone give me high remarks. It was incredible.

TVGuide.com: I'm very envious of your big, curly hair.
Anastacia: It is so funny, because it is very hit-or-miss. People either love it or they hate it. Thank you, I've gotten into it. I didn't always like it.

TVGuide.com: What do you think was the hardest challenge?
Anastacia: Vegas. I was not only going through my inner turmoil, but the whole dress-fitting thing was real. We were being fitted on a bus, and none of [the dresses] fit me and the wardrobe people weren't being shy about telling me that. Learning the routine on the bus, the moving bus, was crazy. Then just performing right there on the spot with the audience waiting? I couldn't believe that was the challenge.

TVGuide.com: Do you think your troubles with that challenge were still in the back of your mind when you were rehearsing for a chance to go on stage with the actual Dolls?
Anastacia: I think I was psyching myself out in a way. But I also think I just move differently. I wasn't moving the way that [PCD founder] Robin [Antin] wanted me to. I think I have really good dance skills, but I wasn't picking up the slinkiness of it when we were auditioning in front of the tour bus....

TVGuide.com: Was that actually on the street?
Anastacia: Yeah, on the street! There was a crack in front of me and I was in heels. It was rough. That was a lot of pressure.

TVGuide.com: How hard was it sitting on that bus with Chelsea while the others performed?
Anastacia: Oh, my god! I was so mad! It might have been better if I was just by myself.

TVGuide.com: She seemed to try really hard to make it positive.
Anastacia: Yeah, that's Chelsea, she's a talker. She talks when she's nervous. From Day 1, even before we got cast as finalists, I remember her from the hotel and she never stopped moving and she never stopped talking. I need to get in my head space before performing. It was just totally the wrong mix for me to be on the bus with her.

TVGuide.com: How'd you avoid all of the drama?
Anastacia: When you have girls from different parts of the United States who are relatively in the same age group competing for the same thing, there's definitely going to be friction. Especially when it is entertainment-related. I tried to be at peace with everyone and at least try not to start any drama.

TVGuide.com: Are you rooting for any one person in particular?
Anastacia: I think all of the girls are talented in their own ways. I wish them the best of luck and hope that it goes to the girl who can fit into the group well and really manage everything.

NBC Releases Summer Schedule Filed under ( Age of Love, Allison Sweeney, America's Got Talent, Bill Bellamy, Caroline Rhea, Jay Mohr, Jerry Springer, Last Comic Standing, Mark Consuelos, Paradise Hotel, Reality TV, The Biggest Loser )

Variety informs us that NBC released its summer TV schedule early this year. The peacock network will air the following shows this summer:

May 29 - The second season of "America's Got Talent" begins. It will begin with a two-hour premiere from 8-10 p.m., run at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. The new host of the show will be Jerry Springer, who replaces Regis Philbin.

June 13 - "Last Comic Standing" will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m., with a two-hour premiere. Bill Bellamy is the show's new host, taking over for Jay Mohr.

June 18 - "Age of Love," whcih is the only new reality show being aired by NBC this summer. It will be hosted by Kelly Ripa's hubby, Mark Consuelos, on Mondays at 10 p.m. All we know is that it is a romance themed reality show. Although, being mysterious certainly worked for Paradise Hotel.

No firm premiere date - "The Biggest Loser" will premiere in late summer. We do know that the show's new host will be soap star Alison Sweeney who will replace Caroline Rhea.