November 2007 Archives

Now that "Dancing With The Stars" is over it's time for us, yes us, to get up off our booty's and go out and shed some pounds on the dance floor. Besides enjoying watching the show and reveling in all the drama, it always motivates me to want to take a dance class.

The problem is that most ballroom classes involve needing a partner or worse, a commitment. I don't like commitment.. even if it's only to agree to pay and attend a 10 week ballroom course. That's why I am so thrilled that former 'Dancing' alum Lisa Rinna and her professional partner, Louis Van Amstel, have dreamed up a class that combines ballroom and aerobics without the commitment. You can go when you want and you don't need a partner. They have dubbed it "Cardio Ballroom" and though it's only taught here in Los Angeles right now, Lisa and Louis have big plans to take it around the country.

By Bryant Huddleston, Access Hollywood Producer

It's been the best year of "Dancing With the Stars." I admit when we here at Access Hollywood first heard of the new cast we weren't that impressed but no other cast of characters has made more news and frankly we here at AH LOVE drama.

Marie went home with a white ribbon. Sorry to all the doll lovers but did you see her demented doll dance? Bruno said it best "Baby Jane meets Bride of Chucky!"

She had not one but three writers following her every move. She reportedly hired them to come up with fun bits for her to use on the show. So did we ever see the real America's sweetheart? We may never know.

The final curse of DWTS (ok, I know you get mad when I call it a curse, so let's call it a coincidental freak accident) happened tonight. Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan's professional dance partner and rumoured new boyfriend was injured half way through their Cha Cha and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Those with a keen eye (my mom and I included) noticed that a little over half way through their dance Mark abruptly stopped using his left arm. At one point you can see him say something to Sabrina. Later in the show, Mark was absent from the audience seat directly behind Sabrina where the pro dancers had been sitting behind the celebrities. As I mentioned last week the Celine Dion performance was pretaped. on November 19th. So, that's why he had no troubles during that dance earlier in the show.

Apparently, some of the folks who work here and were backstage didnt have keen eyes and missed the story. Had I been there of course (and not on vacation) I would have known something was wrong and gotten the story but instead I have to rely on ABC 7 here in LA who spoke to the dancers backstage after the show. It sounds like Mark was injured before the show even began and had been walking around backstage with a sling on his arm due to a shoulder injury. He chose to go out and perform anyway and obviously the pain was too much. MEN!

Speaking of pain...Was that not the most painful two hours of television to get to the winner? OMG. Seriously. That gave the word stretch new meaning. I guess I have to swallow my words and say I was wrong about Marie Osmond ultimately taking the mirror ball trophy due to her fan base. So, maybe its not a popularity contest after all!

I just finished my travel from Los Angeles to Park City. That's LAX to SLC. I would like to now voice something we very rarely here: A huge thank you to Southwest Airlines (landed 20 minutes early), the TSA (people shuffling through security with every lane open and many handlers to facilitate the flow. The curbside was fast and efficient.

Thank you FAA, TCA, SWA and SDB (Sydney D. Bush, my sweet wife for sitting with our 3 year old who was squirming quite a bit on the flight.

A great success for the Bushes travelling this holiday. I hope everyone experiences the same.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It turned out to be quite a memorable evening. I got the message on my blackberry about 3:15 in the afternoon. The producers from "Larry King Live" wanted me to be a guest on Larry’s show that evening at 6:00 PM (PST) to discuss the funeral of Donda West – mother of Kanye. I was surprised because tonight’s show had been well publicized as having the surgeon who had operated on West as a guest for the full hour. It was huge “get” for the "LKL" show because many media outlets had been wanting to talk to Dr. Jan Adams to hear his side of the story about what happened during the surgery.

I read the message further – Dr. Adams’ flight to New York was delayed so producers were putting together a panel of people that would fill time until the doctor arrived. If he were to show up in time to be on the beginning of the show, the contingency panel would not be on, which I totally understood.

I rushed to get ready. During the drive to the CNN studio, I kept thinking about what the doctor was going to say. I had been covering this story since I heard the devastating news that Dr. Donda West had died suddenly. I had just had an exclusive sit-down with both her and Kanye a couple of months ago in Chicago when they asked me to host a charity event for the Kanye West Foundation.

She was quite an impressive woman – a college professor who raised Kanye as a single mom and then quit her job to become his manager.

I arrived at the studio about 5:00 PM and was escorted to the green room where guests sit and relax before going on air. The "LKL" producer greeted us and thanked us for coming even though there was a chance we would not actually be on the show. He told us that Dr. Jan Adams had landed in New York (the show paid for his ticket) and was en route to the studio and they were very confident that he was going to make the top of the show.

5:40 PM – the producer comes back in the green room and says Adams still had not made it and to prepare to go on. He told us that he would give us another update as soon as he could.

Before I head off for the week to spend some quality time with the family, I just need to sound off on a couple of topics. I've gotten lots of emails about Marie Osmond surviving to the finale on "Dancing With the Stars" and "The Bachelor's" lame "double dis" outcome.

Apparently, the guy ABC annoyingly called the "sexiest bachelor ever" is really the show's "biggest player ever"! He came off as a real Texas gentleman, but in the end, Bachelor Brad Womack turned out to be a commitment phobic hack, and dumped both Jenni and Deanna.

There is nothing wrong with dating someone, getting to know them and deciding you don't have feelings for them, but Brad sure did leave everyone believing he had feelings for these two girls. As a producer, I know there are always creative ways to edit a show -- but you can't put words in someone's mouth. What's weird is that the guy couldn't even commit to at least continue to date one of the girls after the show. I think the whole concept of meeting 25 people, dating them, dwindling it down to two people and then… BANG… deciding you are going to get engaged… is ridiculous -- but if he liked them as much as he said he did, why not see where it goes with one of them?

So, how did you do on the "High School Musical 2" Quiz? As promised here are the answers.

NOTE: Due to Holiday schedules and an AVID editor who is out sick, the "HSM2" Quiz video will not be available online until Monday morning 11/26. Sorry about that. I worked hard on it, so it's frustrating to me not be able to deliver it to you as promised today. It is, however, fun to see how the cast did with the quiz. So please check back for it on Monday! I'll be on vacation until Thursday November 29th.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Click the "continue reading button" to find the quiz answers:

So, last night was the premiere for the "High School Musical 2" DVD extended edition. The entire cast (minus Lucas Grabeel) was all together at the El Capitan theater here in LA. I'm pretty tired of hearing them talk about what's going on with "High School Musical 3" and i'm sure they are pretty tired of being asked.

If you're not though, then I guess I'll tell you what they said. Zac Efron has no comment. Ashley Tisdale says she is signed, sealed and delivered. Corbin Bleu says he has agreement but hasn't signed it yet. Monique Coleman is negotiating the fine points but wants to do it. Vanessa says she has agreed to do it but hasn't signed yet because she is waiting for schedules to be figured out.

So with those questions out of the way and with the DVD set to hit stores on December 11th (just in time for the Holidays), I wanted to put the cast to the ultimate test and see how well they knew their own film. So, I put together a little quiz for them to answer trivia about "HSM2." Play along here and I'll give you the answers tomorrow. Some of them are easy and others require a little more thought or a trip to your TV to watch it on DVR or you can wait for the DVD.

By Marlee Matlin

It's week two and all I can say is that I feel amazing! I really had no intention of losing a great deal of weight; just get rid of that stubborn 10 pounds or so that never seem to come off.

And guess what? I've lost 2 1/2 pounds! Woo Hoo!

By Marlee Matlin

Let me say, right off the bat, dancing is a blast, particularly when you have Lisa Rinna and Louis van Amstel taking you through the steps. I arrived (sneaky Lisa, she surprised me!) thinking I'd be learning a few steps here and there and that I might break a small sweat. Was I wrong! Dancing is a total work out. Louis got us started right away, stepping and dancing with the beat and soon I could feel my feet, legs, arms, and that ever important "core" - stomach muscles, working just as hard as any traditional work out that I've had. But unlike the grunting and huffing and puffing that comes along with a traditional workout, Louis (and with Lisa beside me to get my behind in gear) made working out through dancing FUN. And though I was a bit sore at the end of class (more so the next day and more so the day after that!), it felt great to know I was doing something good for my body. Let me say this deaf lady likes to dance and I plan to come back!

Two weeks ago at the CMAs, "American Idol" alum Kellie Pickler broke down in tears during a performance of her song, “I Wonder,” which tackles her relationship with her estranged mother, Cynthia Malone. Malone hasn't been in Pickler’s life since she was 2 years old.

As Kellie sang, “Oh, I hear the weather’s nice in California,” tears streamed down her face. She could barely get out the final words to the song: "Your little girl is off to Tennessee."

Last night, Kellie hit the red carpet at the American Music Awards where she was a presenter, and filled us in on why emotion got the best of her.

"That is a very personal song anyways. And so any time I am singing it is emotional, just the power of the lyrics. But that was the first time performing at an award show and being able to sing in Nashville, Tennessee on the CMA stage in front of my peers. You know you are looking out in the audience and seeing George Strait and Kenny Chesney. It is an amazing feeling. They are so overwhelming and it was such a magical moment for me."

If you are a Celine Dion fan then I've got good news for you -- I've just learned that the songstress will be performing on the November 27th finale of "Dancing With the Stars." I can also reveal that one of the songs she will perform is her Oscar winning tune from "Titanic," "My Heart Will Go On."

The news was revealed inadvertently when "DWTS" dancer, Edtya Sliwinska (who was knocked out of the competition this week with partner, Cameron Mathison) let it slip that she had just come straight from a dance rehearsal for the performance. I immediately called her on it and she confirmed that Celine is booked.

"Yes. She is. It's very exciting we are going to be dancing to one of her songs. It's a beautiful song from 'Titanic.' It's really really a treat for us and we are honored to have an opportunity to do that."

The performance will cap off a busy week on ABC for Celine. This Sunday night she will perform on the "American Music Awards." Then on Wednesday, Nov. 21 (1:00 - 2:00 PM, EST), Celine will appear on "All My Children" as a featured guest on Erica Kane’s (Susan Lucci) fictional talk show, “New Beginnings,” marking her first daytime drama appearance. She'll sing the title track from her new CD, “Taking Chances.”

They're back! For the first time in ten years the Spice Girls hit the stage last night at the Victoria's Secret show in Hollywood, which will air December 4th on CBS. The girls came out and the crowd went wild. They performed two songs...actually they lip synched... but they still put on an entertaining show... and they looked FABULOUS!!!! With Hayden Panetierre, Eva Longoria and Ryan Seacrest among the stars watching from the front row, the girls did a boogie-woogie-bugle-boy style performance of their hit "Stop."

Lots of cute boy dancers in uniform worked the stage with the retro chic ladies in a tightly choreographed number. It's a little weird to see Posh, who never smiles and looks so serious all the time, up there dancing and waving her arms. I was surprised she could move, let alone dance in her skintight pencil skirt. At the end of the performance all the girls came together and hugged and seemed happy to be back together and also a little relieved. They also performed their new single "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)", which wasn't as entertaining. The women looked great again, this time in long gowns, but they just stood there, barely moved and didn't engage the audience as much. Still, for anyone who is a fan of the Spice Girls...it was pretty exciting to see them all back together again... and people around me in the audience, especially a couple of girls sitting on my row...were going nuts.

With the writer's strike now in its second week and no foreseeable end in sight, it's no secret that reality shows will be taking over our airwaves. Thank goodness we haven't seen our favorite shows affected just yet.

However, the end is coming soon… very soon -- as more shows run out of fresh episodes. Fortunately, we have the Holidays and all those annoying Holiday shows and movies we hate to love, but that keep us busy through December.

Pretty soon though, it's going to feel like the year 2000 all over again. That would be the year that CBS' "Survivor" first hit the airwaves and every network scrambled to put their own reality show on TV giving us shows like "The Bachelor," "The Apprentice," "The Mole," "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here," "Joe Millionaire," "The Amazing Race" and all the others that have followed it.

The goods news is that if you've ever wanted to be on a reality show, now is your chance! Most of the network's Web sites have casting info for their shows. Here's just a sampling of some of the Casting Calls going on all over the USA to find new contestants for returning and brand new reality shows.

By Marlee Matlin

Greetings. First I want to thank Access and my family and friends for all their support.

Now's here the skinny on my desire to be "skinny." First, I want everyone to know that I am not planning on starving myself or get super thin. For someone who's 5'3", 129 isn't that bad. But I've been thinner and more comfortable with my body.

First, the goal here is to eat healthier, to exercise on a daily basis (this working mom of four just can't seem to find the time!) and to do my body a favor and in general, help myself develop the tools for living a healthy lifestyle that can accommodate my schedule. At the end of the day, it's not so much about me being overweight as is it that I'm just out of shape. Right now, I'm looking to lose a few pounds and remold my body so that I'm toned and muscular. I know I can do it because I used to have it before I had four children.

You know that feeling where you can wear whatever you want and not feel self conscious? That's what I'm looking to get back. I remember how great I felt back then and I just want some of that feeling back. It's about getting into that sleeveless dress, that short skirt or that bikini (I'm not holding my breath on the bikini but everyone says I can!).

Anyway, enough with the blabbering -- it's time to get up and work on getting on the new me (which is the old me before kids). Let's go!

They may not have signed on the dotted line just yet, but Ashley Tisdale assures me that both her and Vanessa Hudgens' deals are done to reprise their roles in, "High School Musical 3."

There were, of course, all those rumors that Vanessa was out as East High's resident good girl ,Gabriella Montez, after news spread of her photo scandal earlier this fall. Does anyone still remember that (or even care)?

Ashley assured me Vanessa will be back, "Yes, she definitely is. The original cast. I don't think it would have been good without it."

Ashley reveals that rehearsals for the film will begin in February, "I think we have eight weeks rehearsal and then we go into filming. It's gonna be a long ride this time. We are excited. We are going to get our butts kicked!"

I interviewed Roger Ebert over the weekend at his home in Chicago.

I had never spent time with the legendary film critic before but my impression of him was always one of extreme knowledge, some impatience and a tad of pomp. When you get awarded a pultizer prize for excellence in criticism, you're allowed some pomp, or at least some ego on display.

Roger has been through a lot in the last five years. He beat Thyroid cancer in 2002. He then got salivary gland cancer which later spread to his jaw. In June of 2006, he had surgery on his jaw...a couple weeks later he had a burst cartoid artery and had to have emergency surgery. They gave him a tracheostomy and now he has a tight bandage around his neck, his lip hangs down low, leaving his mouth agape. The man looks a little beat up....but he has LIFE. He is grateful, gracious, kind and the same unabashedly honest critic that he was before.

When I do an interview with an actor whose movie stinks, I ask one question about the movie and move on to something else.

We all know that last season's "American Idol" left us wanting less. The show seemed tired, formulaic and too reliant on big name stars like Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani to keep us tuned in. Don't get me the wrong, the show still pulled in incredible ratings (that most shows would dream about) but certainly "Idol" saw a downward ratings slide, especially for the Finale shows.

As you may have heard, this season the producers are trying to shake things up a bit by allowing the contestants to play their own instruments, if they can. I cannot tell you how many former "Idol"-ites have told me they wished they could play guitar while they sang or write their own music. Taylor Hicks must be kicking himself now that this happened.

This week we caught up with some of the past contestants, as well as host Ryan Seacrest and judge Paula Abdul, for their take on the new rule. How will the public react to this new change?

It is very important to have a driver in Johannesburg. As beautiful as the area is, we have been warned that it can be dangerous for the unwary traveler. Jack has escorted us tirelessly everyday that we have been in the country - driving us over 100 miles daily as we both cover our stories and do a little sightseeing along the way. Petrol is about 6.53 South African rand a liter - roughly four dollars a gallon -- very expensive for the many people who can't even afford indoor plumbing.

Jack is a tall, slim, dark-skinned soft-spoken South African. He speaks several languages - English, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana. He's 52 and the father of two boys and a girl. He's very quiet and, for the most part, talks only when you ask him a question.

When asked about his life, the words come easily. He and his family live in a 3-room shack made of tin. He is saving up to build a house that he says will cost him about 52-thousand rand or about eight thousand dollars. After passing a medical facility, I ask him if he has health insurance and he tells me "no." When he and his family need medical care, they go the government hospital and pay 35 rand for services (which is a little over 5 dollars). He says the care is not good. I ask, what if someone has a heart attack or cancer. He says that they will probably die.

"A Second Heaven"

That's how Jack describes the end of apartheid. He tells me about the areas where blacks were not allowed to go unless they had a permit. If a black person were found in the white suburbs after a certain time without a permit, the police would arrest them and lock them up - maybe two weeks, maybe a month -- detention without trial.

So, according to the "Dancing with the Stars" cast, the show is not cursed despite all the recent tragedy surrounding the show.

Before I get into why they bust down this theory, let's break it down again. Jennie Garth falls flat on her ass. Marie Osmond faints. Jane Seymour's mom dies. Jane's house is in danger of burning down. Sabrina Bryan gets kicked to the curb way early. Jane and four crew members get food poisoning. Jennifer Lopez's grandmother dies the day she pre-tapes her appearance. Gloria Estefan has to abruptly cancel her appearance when her mother is rushed to the hospital and undergoes surgery. Plus, my bizarre bird incident on the way to the studio.

Sure sounds like negative energy to me.

I put the question to some of the stars and dancers last night who either all go together and discussed it or just happen to have the same views. They pretty much all said the same thing. That what's happening here is a lesson for all its viewers that life goes on even after adversity.

Jane's partner, Tony Dovolani told me, "Dance and life are parallels. You got to deal with every adversity that comes at you. The unfortunate thing is it all happened I guess in our show but at the same time it just goes to show you that life continues. Life goes on and the dance must be danced."

As if Jane Seymour losing her mother wasn't tragedy enough, now Marie Osmond's father has passed away too. Can all the problems that "Dancing With the Stars" has had this season really just be coincidence? As a spiritual person, it's hard to imagine that being the case, but unfathomable to believe that such sorrow was written in the cards. It's seriously getting a little scary.

I feel absolute sorrow for Marie and her family. She was a ball of energy last night. No hint of any impending sadness even though it was known her father was ill.

I wish you knew the Marie Osmond I have gotten to know over the last couple of months. Her laugh is infectious. She burst out in laughter when I accused her of hijacking my interview last night to pitch her QVC doll. Her sense of humor is spot on. When I jokingly accused her of poisoning Jane Seymour last week, she grabbed me and hugged me and laughed and said, "You're evil!"

Marie just lights up the stage with her energy and enthusiasm. You could tell she is loving each and every second of this experience. Taking a cue from Jane, I hope she returns to dance another day next week to honor her father's memory. Isn't it eerie that they both found out about their parents early in the week? Jane on a Monday night, and Marie, this morning.

I awakened this morning to the sound of thunder. The curtains were drawn and the room was black. I had stayed up past midnight watching a Keanu Reeves movie - one of the many American films playing in my hotel. I was happy to have a few choices because the last time I stayed in Johannesburg, the hotel only had CNN International and they repeated the same 7 stories every 15 minutes.

The thunder boomed again and I rolled over and looked at one of my two Blackberry's - the one I have set to J'burg time. 6:30 Sunday morning.

Because it was too early to do the math, I glanced at my second Blackberry - Los Angeles time. 9:30 Saturday night. Which meant it was 12:30 in the morning Detroit time. Too late or too early - whichever way I'd like to look at it - to call Mom.

A couple more hours of sleep - rain makes that so wonderful.

I awoke again to the sound of clinking. After staying here a few days, I knew the sound well. I jumped out of bed, slipped on my sweat suit (the soft one that makes long flights a little more comfy) and stepped outside my room that is locate right across the hall from the lounge that serves breakfast for guests on that floor. Three people were already there eating, sipping coffee - clinking, and typing away on their laptop computers. The wall of windows brought in the sunlight - the clouds long since vanished. I stepped to the edge and took in the spectacular view. Hills and hills of gorgeous jacaranda trees peppered throughout the greenery.

I am back in South Africa for the second time this year. The story that brought me here is a disturbing one. A dorm matron at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg has been arrested on multiple charges of alleged abuse. The allegations are that 27-year-old woman, Tiny Makopo, sexually abused one girl and physically abused several others. There are a total of 7 alleged victims - six girls and one adult.

Oprah released a special statement to me today that said, "This has been a huge blow. But you learn from your mistakes. I would very much like to look Tiny in the eye, like any parent would and ask why and how could you do this?"

As soon as Oprah found out about the abuse, she flew in with a team of investigators and they interviewed the staff and the girls. They then turned over that information to the South African police authority who, after conducting their own investigation, issued a warrant for Makopo's arrest. Makopo then turned herself in the police and is currently being held in a police cell.

She has also cleaned house at the school - relieving all the dorm matrons. It is believed that others knew what was going on and turned a blind eye.

It horrifies me that I'm still watching this show. At least I'm not alone, though. After the 20 million or so people who catch "Dancing with the Stars," a good 1/2 of those viewers stick around to watch "The Bachelor" in all it's ridiculous glory.

I stopped watching for a few seasons, until I met Andy Baldwin backstage at "DWTS" last season and he promised me he found "the one" and this was the "real deal" and I would not be disappointed. Yeah… We all know how that turned out!

I watch Brad Womack's edition not because he is "the sexiest bachelor ever" (as ABC's lame promos always tout) but because he reminds me of a boyfriend I had from college. If I close my eyes and listen to his southern drawl coupled with his very Eddie Haskell like manners, they are like the same person.

This morning I spoke to Sheena Stewart, the 23-year-old blonde cutie from Walnut Creek, California who was this week's rejected bachelorette. Sheena was the girl who famously slipped on the staircase before a date with Brad, which they aired repeatedly in promos for the show.

Every morning I wake up and read the synopsis of last night's celebrity happenings. I get the written reports and details on what video is available. It’s amazing how little sleep some of these people need.

Our policy is to buy only the non-invasive footage from the agencies that employ these paparazzi. Honest question is: if we didn't buy any and if every other show and magazine all of a sudden banded together and refused to buy any, wouldn't they all go away? Wouldn't the celebrities be safer and happier being left alone?

I really am lost here. For sure, some celebs would be happier and quite grateful. Not all.

I am convinced Britney Spears loves the attention. When they finally do go away, out of boredom or her finally being passé, she will go into an attention deficit withdrawal...my belief.