(S09E16) Dancing with the Stars is only two weeks away from the finals. With only five contestants left, each have to perform two dances to ensure that we fit the two hour block.

The two dances consist of one ballroom and one Latin routine. The biggest flaw with having two dances was that everyone spent all their time making sure that the Latin dance was amazing, and their ballroom dances felt lazy.

I'm shocked to see the seven paddle still around with only five contestants left. This season's quality level was nowhere near Shawn Johnson, Gilles Marini, and Melissa Rycroft last season.

(S09E14) It's week seven of Dancing with the Stars, and the pressure is on. Lacey Schwimmer was the victim of a cold; Anna Trebunskya has stepped in to help Mark Dacascos. The other victims tonight were the professionals who were forced to wear costumes designed by the celebrities. While it worked for Kelly, it backfired on Joanna.

You know that there will be longer commercials between performances when you get a professional opening sequence. Five professionals and one woman who wasn't named performed a tango and paso doble. The dance was supposed to be an example of teamwork, but the paso and tango was also not as synchronized as I expected.

(S09E10) After reading news about Derek Hough getting sick, we start Dancing with the Stars with Joanna walking down the stairs with Maksim Chmerkovskiy in hand. Turns out that flu-like symptoms hit Mark, as well, but he recovered quickly enough.

It's a night of passion and hi-jinks with the Argentine Tango, Paso Doble, and the Hustle. I was disappointed with the order. The last five solos consisted of four Argentine Tangos and one Paso Doble.

I don't often like complaining about Samantha Harris but I really have to suggest that she goes back to classic straight hair and tasteful dress. She's no Cat Deeley.

(S09E09) I didn't notice until the first recap of many that the women outscored most of the men on Dancing with the Stars last night. Apparently, the four new dances provided a bigger challenge for all the people who had to lead the dance.

With the musical guest being Shakira, I was hoping that I could see a live performance of "She Wolf." Alas, she didn't perform the song, so I'm stuck hearing it for every commercial for Desperate Housewives. There was no Macy's Stars of Dance performance, so there was a lot more unnecessary filler than in previous weeks.

(S09E01) We begin the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars with a men's professional routine. As good as all the men are, it's just not as compelling as women's flowing (or non-existent) dresses. Tom and Samantha welcome us to the show and reminds us that there are minor twists, including extra double eliminations. Our first twist is the Relay: basically a rehashed group dance.

We welcome our dancers for the first time down the stairs. While the women aren't performing tonight, they descend and sit in the audience. Macy Gray wanders down the stairs totally confused to as where she is.

ABC announced the new Dancing with the Stars cast today. If you've been living under a rock the past few years, the announcement of the new DWTS cast is now given all of the gravitas as the naming of a new Pope.

Here we go:

Aaron Carter
Ashley Hamilton
Chuck Liddell

The official word doesn't come until this Wednesday (on a super-duper special Good Morning America, if you've seen the commercials ABC is running), but Sports Illustrated is reporting that billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is one of the celebs that will grace Dancing with the Stars this season.

But wait that's not all! Other stars rumored to have boogie fever this season are Wayne Newton, Jane Seymour, and Giselle Bunchen (there are many others rumored too but those three seem the most probable.)

Or maybe we should call it Rappin' with the "Stars," considering what the rumored lineup is.

Former Baywatch babe Nicole Eggert, singer Aaron Carter and web gossiper Perez Hilton are going to be on the MTV show, according to a source at the network. Much like Dancing with the Stars pairs a celeb with a real dancer, this show will pair a celeb with a real rapper. I think the only other difference is dancing is spelled with a "g" and "rappin" is spelled without one.

I don't want to see Eggert, Carter or Hilton rappin(g). I want to see people that you'd never expect to see rappin(g) rap. How about Rue McClanahan from The Golden Girls, or Bob Schieffer from CBS News? Or maybe PBS host Bill Moyers?

[via TV Tattle]

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• The great yule log debate - original or high-definition?
  
• Aaron Carter is another year older and apparently less wise than ever.
  
• Congratulations to the latest Survivor winner, Yul Kwon, though Ozzy was an amazing player too.
  

The video's embedded after the jump below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

Our weekly roundup of what's happening on the other TV blogs.

• Stupidest Reality Moment of the Day, over at Best Week Ever: Nick and Aaron Carter fighting. Uncensored!
• More great stuff from Ken Levine: behind the scenes of Cheers.
• Funny interview with Jeffrey Tambor at Radar. He went bald at 17??
• Ausiello has seen the Lost season premiere.
• Speaking of Lost, Time's James Poniewozik watched that clip show and wonders if it holds any clues for the third season.
• David Cross vs. Jim Belushi: the video!

Have we reached the bottom of the barrel? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nick and Aaron Carter will star in their own Celeb-reality show on the E! network. Nick is famous for being in The Backstreet Boys and for dating (and possibly beating up) Paris Hilton. Aaron is to Nick what Jamie-Lynn is to Britney Spears. He had a recording career but, since his official website doesn't seem to be working, one can only assume that he's already a has been (yes, I am baiting all you Aaron Carter fans). The hook is that Nick Carter is trying to get his siblings to be closer with each other-- his siblings being Aaron and three sisters. All five will live together and plot their respective futures. It premieres in the fall.

In other E! news, The Simple Life, starring Nick's ex-girlfriend Paris Hilton, starts its new season on June 4.