We start this time around with the announcement of the cast and
pairings for the 10th Season of Dancing With the Stars. The season
starts March 22nd on ABC. Here they are:
- Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin (partnered with returning dancer
Ashly Costa - nee DelGrosso)
- Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson (partnered with new pro Damian
Whitewood)
- ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews (partnered with "bad boy" Maks
Chmerkovskiy)
- 90210 vixen Shannen Doherty (partnered with Mark Ballas)
- Recently divorced reality TV mother-of-eight Kate Gosselin
(partnered with Tony Dovolani)
- Winter Olympic gold medal figure-skater Evan Lysacek (partnered
with Anna Trebunskaya)
- "Reno 911" & "Clean House's" Niecy Nash (partnered with Louis van
Amstel)
- NFL wide-receiver Chad Ochocinco (partnered with two-time champ
Cheryl Burke)
- Recent "Bachelor" Jake Pavelka (partnered with Chelsie Hightower)
- Pussycat Doll and "Sing-Off" judge Nicole Scherzinger (partnered
with season 7 champ Derek Hough)
- "All My Children" star Aiden Turner (partnered with Edyta
Sliwinska)
As the seasons go on, the definition of the word “Star” has been
expanded. This cast is even more C-list. Kate Gosselin, really? Jake
Pavelka, really? We all know that the curiosity factor for this
will be huge. And the ratings will be high. However I really believe
that if the show is going to continue that they need to make sure
that they get legit A-listers instead of fitting their stereotypical
slots of “the bombshell”, “the athlete”, or “the old person”.
And the other big news of the week was the round of 20 on American
Idol. Last week, I got every single one of my picks...WRONG. Yes,
wrong. Joe Munoz, Tyler Grady, Ashley Rodriguez and Janell Wheeler
all went bye bye last week. There were so many bad performances last
week; I could have chosen any of them. Week 1 is the hardest one to
predict. No excuses, however.
The men started first this week, as Crystal Bowersox was
hospitalized with complications from diabetes. You saw some
performances that showed that the men want to win. Michael Lynche
and Lee Dewyze did themselves a lot of favors. On the women’s side,
Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott, Siobhan Magnus and Katelyn Epperly
had the best performances.
Let’s see if I can get this right this week. I think John Park,
Jermaine Sellers, Didi Benami, and Haeley Vaughn go home.
Block Party Quick Hits Time:
--Here we go again. Another former TPIR model sues for harassment
and discrimination. The Wrap reports that the lawsuit, which was
filed on Monday in state Superior Court in Los Angeles, Brandi
Cochran(a/k/a Brandi Sherwood) was a model on the game show from
July 2002 until last Tuesday, when, as her maternity leave came to a
close, she found out that she'd been fired.
She states that since the on-air announcement of her pregnancy late
in 2008, "The Price is Right" producers "discriminated against,
harassed, and retaliated against Cochran, including making remarks
about her pregnancy, her appearance, her weight, and her eating
habits." She added that she was removed from the show's website, and
was not allowed to return to work after her pregnancy leave.
Cochran also added that she witnessed the harassment of two other
models, including one who was fired, because she also became
pregnant. The lawsuit details other forms of verbal harassment that
intensified as she got closer to her maternity leave, from both male
and female producers, including one who said "Wide load coming
through!" as she walked past.
--The next Bachelorette will be Ali Fedotowsky. She was the one who
chose her job over Jake, but will look for love on May 24. And Jake
chose Vienna in the season finale of “The Bachelor: On the Wings of
Love”.
--Wink Martindale returned to TV with “Instant Recall” on March 4th.
--NBC is planning for Season 2 of “The Sing-Off”.
--TPIR 2010 is now on the Iphone and Ipod Touch.
--Wipeout is coming to Canada.
--Elliott Yamin tweets while in Chile during the 8.8 Earthquake.
--“Thin Ice”, a skating competition, will be on ABC on March 19th
and the 21st. Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Kurt Browning will host.
--The new host of “Last Comic Standing” is Craig Robinson. Auditions
will take place March 6 at the Improv in Los Angeles and March 21 at
the Gotham Comedy Club in New York.
--Gordon Ramsay talks up the 100th episode of Hell’s Kitchen.
--Don Pardo turns 92 years young.
--Bob Barker writes a letter to SeaWorld asking them to close all
marine exhibits in light of the tragic death of a trainer.
Jason Block will return to TV shortly... we hope. E-mail him at jiblock@yahoo.com.