Dancing With the Stars' Secret Curse: Broken Balls!
ABC
We thought Shawn Johnson was the only one who had trouble with her Dancing With the Stars disco ball trophy, but we just found out she is not alone.
"I've seen Cheryl Burke's trophy fall apart!" season three champ and football legend Emmitt Smith told us last night at the Free the Slaves Freedom Awards in L.A. "That trophy she got with Drew [Lachey]—I've seen it fall apart!"
And little does Smith know, but the one Burke took home when she helped him win didn't hold up too well either...
Shawn Johnson's Alleged Stalker Can't Dismount From Trial Date
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
Cue the celebratory back flips: the man accused of stalking Shawn Johnson will stand trial. Just not for all of his alleged transgressions.
Robert O'Ryan, who last spring jumped the fence at the Dancing With the Stars studio in order to get close to the Olympic gymnast turned reality champ, has been ordered to stand trial on charges of stalking, gun possession and commercial burglary, but not attempted kidnapping, thanks to what the judge in the case deemed an insufficient amount of evidence to allege a planned abduction.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael D. Carter said prosecutors "met the burden of proof for the stalking charge" and that O'Ryan "did intend to stalk the victim and place the victim in fear."
What he didn't do, at least according to his public defender, was intend to harm the 17-year-old.
It's not like the plastic zip ties, duct tape, knife, bullet-proof vest and two loaded guns found in his vehicle could cause any harm, right?
Fashion Face-Off: Shawn Johnson vs. Isla Fisher
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Brian Putnam/Getty Images
Who says petite girls can't wear maxi dresses?
Definitely not Shawn Johnson and Isla Fisher, who wore this strapless, flowing frock to red carpet events.
Both the Olympic gymnast and Aussie actress paired the Elizabeth and James gown with peep-toe pumps and left their tresses long and flowing.
The girls did choose different accessories for their ensembles...
Matt Damon Not Dead, Just Kicking Ass on Kimmel
ABC/MITCH HADDAD
They're f---ing (with) Matt Damon.
Though at least he won't be hurting for material when he turns up—alive and well—to chat with David Letterman tonight.
Fan girls' collective hearts briefly stopped beating yesterday evening when the Internet became awash with reports—or really, just one dubious and, as it happens, reycycled year-old report—that the Oscar-winning father of two had passed away.
Unlike the usual fake celebrity death reports that see victims falling off New Zealand cliffs, Damon's demise reportedly came during a trek through California's Palo Verde mountains on Wednesday after going missing during a camping trip.
Nevermind that Damon wouldn't have time to go camping even if the inclination struck, busy as he's been promoting The Informant! in both Venice and New York over the past few days.
Giving the rumor a touch (though just) of credibility, it cited TMZ as the source of the sad news.
And while the words "Matt Damon," "is" and "dead" did in fact appear on said site yesterday, it wasn't exactly a declaration.
DWTS Wish List: Michael Phelps, Maria, Kobe!
Mike Stobe/Getty Images, Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, David Livingston/Getty Images, ABC
Maria Sharapova, get on the dance floor. You are wanted for season nine of Dancing With the Stars.
"I want to see those outfits on her," professional dancer Tony Dovolani told us yesterday at the ESPY Awards in downtown L.A. "I want to design every single one. I'm going to approach her about it tonight!"
Last season's disco-ball-winning champ Shawn Johnson echoed Tony's thoughts: "I think Maria Sharapova would be awesome for the show!"
Other superstar athletes had their names dropped for potential recruitment, as well…
Exclusive
Shawn Johnson May Star in Kids Flick!
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
Shawn Johnson may be somersaulting onto the big screen.
The Olympic gymnast and recent Dancing With the Stars champ tells me she's mulling over the chance to break into acting in a big way...
Exclusive
Shawn Johnson: Disco Ball Trophy in Pieces
ABC/Kelsey McNeal
Don't ask Shawn Johnson if you could see the disco ball trophy she won on Dancing With the Stars.
The mirrored masterpiece is in the repair shop.
"It's actually in pieces right now," her pro partner, Mark Ballas, said at the MTV Movie Awards.
WTF?
Exclusive
Gilles Marini: "I Feel Like I'm A Bad Dad"
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
Leave it to Gilles Marini to be thinking about someone else after last night's stunning upset that left him in second place on Dancing With the Stars.
When I tell him how, well, shocked I am that he didn't win, he assures me it's all right. "Don't worry, man," he said after the show on his way to catch a red-eye flight to NYC for an appearance this morning on Good Morning America. "It's OK."
He's hoping his 10-year-old son, Georges, will be OK, too...
Dancing Crowns a New Star
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
Oh, the Dancing With the Stars finale… Nearly two hours of nothin' to get to somethin'.
We adore the show, we adore dancing, but… we don't care what Marissa Jaret Winokur, Leeza Gibbons and Tia Carrere think of this season's finalists. Or what Shawn Johnson, Gilles Marini and Melissa Rycroft think about each other. Etc.
The whole thing could have been reduced to one hour and producers still could have crammed in two performances by Lada Gaga, one more dance apiece from the three finalists and the announcement of which pick-a-pro contestant will be joining the show next season.
Congratulations, Anna Demidova.
Anyway, when "Disco Stick" had been sung and the various shenanigans played out, we did find out who won the eighth season of Dancing With the Stars…
Exclusive
Dancing's Gilles: Some Sex With Brothers & Sisters
Gilles Marini may not have scored a perfect 60 last night on Dancing With the Stars like he did last week, but that's OK.
"I'm grateful," the Sex and the City hottie told me this morning. "That's the word of the day. I went all the way, man."
In just a few hours, we will find out who takes home that disco-ball trophy. "No matter what happens, it's all good," Gilles says.
Not so good is the surgery he will undergo very soon for his separated shoulder. Read on for more about going under the knife, dancing with the show's resident cranky judge Len Goodman and the text he received from Sex and the City's director-writer Michael Patrick King after his freestyle finale.
Dancing With the Stars: Alums Cast Their Votes
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
The pressure is on. Gilles Marini, Melissa Rycroft and Shawn Johnson will dance for the last time tonight for season eight of Dancing With the Stars.
Who will win? Most bets seem to be on Gilles. But that doesn't mean everyone is rooting for him. We caught up with some DWTS veterans and asked them to weigh in on the finale...
Dancing Down to Two Pairs After Straight Flush
ABC/KELSEY MCNEAL
It's crunch time for the remaining celebs as they're now expected to learn two dances at a time and, well, just be better than they've ever been before.
And that's what the last five Dancing With the Stars contestants have been doing—but only four are allowed to strut their stuff in the semifinals.
Clustered at the top of the leaderboard last night were Melissa Rycroft with 57, and Gilles Marini and Shawn Johnson with 56. Lil' Kim, who stumbled a few times during her waltz, lingered at 52. And then there was Ty Murray, way down there with 46.
Obviously Ty's fans have been a loyal bunch, but did they overpower the numbers this time?
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