jane seymour

(S05E09)Tom opened the show talking about a night where controversy rocked the ballroom. I wouldn't call it so much rocking, as I would annoying, but that's just me. It does appear that some of that will be put to rest now. Len made a point of praising the pros for their excellent work, but warned them that he didn't want to see any more lifts. From here on out, they will incur a penalty from the judges.

They went right to the recap after that. Mark was really happy to be called the little engine that could. Floyd talked about his new experience, calling ballroom dancing better than hip-hop. Mel took the truck driver comment in good stride, asking for the truck driver vote. Jane was left trying to defend the lift again. Jenny ignored that lift nonsense and said she looks forward to continuing to improve. Cameron was excited about his three nines. As you would expect, Sabrina was thrilled to have the first perfect score of the competition.

(S05E08) I have to say, considering that we are only to week four, I'm really impressed with the level of the dancing this season. As the show kicked off, Tom announced that last week was the highest scored week three in the history of the show, and week four kept the ball rolling. We even saw our first perfect 30 of the season. If that wasn't enough, Samantha Harris is back from maternity leave, and didn't miss a beat.

Things weren't all rosy though. Carrie Ann made it her personal crusade to annoy the crap out of everyone in her new role as the lift police. If you have watched the show over the last couple seasons, it's something that has come up before. And every time, it leaves me wondering just why they have that rule. It's not a competition sanctioned by anyone other than ABC, so that can't be it. To protect the dancers? They let Monique jump 12 feet, backwards, off of the stage. It makes debating whether or not a heel was half an inch off of the stage seem a little silly. I'm actually all for doing away with the rule and getting on with the dancing. Anyway, a rundown of all the performances after the jump.

(S05E07) At the start of the show, Drew announced that tonight would be his last as co-host. Samantha Harris will be returning to work next week, which should make many people very happy. I still wish they had used a different former contestant each week, but Drew was a logical choice. They emphasized the men versus women angle again, and the women were declared the "winners" this week. The ladies dominated the leaderboard, leaving the men in the bottom half of the rankings.

In the post-performance confessional, Cameron was pumped about getting a higher score this time around. Mark said that he needed to truly believe he was a dancer before he could improve. Work isn't everything. Wayne had another humorous response to the judges' criticism. He thought that anyone who says you can lead a lady is out of their mind. I love that Wayne is always ready with a comeback for the judges and the hosts. Floyd felt like he let his partner down, but Karina assured him that this wasn't the case. Helio didn't let his middle-of-the-pack scores get him down.

(S05E06) This week's episode was quite the emotional roller coaster, wasn't it? Tears, comebacks, fake hair, a bare-chested Maks--all in 90 minutes! Tom opened the show by noting that this season's cast has logged more hours of training in the show's entire history, which is encouraging. Drew Lachey was back again for more awkward small talk and poorly articulated jokes. He did this really dorky dance next to Tom which proved that you can forget months of dance training like that.

A few things caught my eye during the introductions. Maksim brought back his trademark vest-only look; Jane Seymour was wearing a wig; Mark Cuban was, thankfully, wearing sleeves; and, Wayne had fake hair on both his head and face.

(S05E05) Tom opened the show by referring to performance night as the ultimate face off, as all eleven couples took the stage together for the first time. That's a bit of hyperbole, to be sure, but he moved on quickly to the more important point. That being the fact that two of the stars have separated themselves from the pack and taken the lead.

As we sit now, Helio and Sabrina are way out in front, but it's way too early to call the competition. That pesky little detail called the fan base has a way of wreaking havoc on the best laid plans. Would it rear it's head in week two? So early in the competition? Quite possibly, but we can't be spoiling all of that before the jump. Click the link for all the details from the week two results show.

(S05E04) The stars are back for week two, and it's what I usually find to be one of my favorite weeks. The nerves and the pressure of the unknown are so hard to overcome in that first appearance, that week two is where much ground can be gained based on nothing more than a little confidence. As we would see tonight, that, as much as anything, is what is still holding a few of our stars back. Tom opened the show with a quick recap of last week, reminding everyone that Josie is no longer in the competition. But with eleven couples to dance, there was no time to dawdle, so on with the show.

(S05E03) The three-part premiere week finally reached its conclusion, and one star was sent packing. Tom's introduction really played up the battle of the sexes angle, calling Week 1 a "dance duel." Drew returned as Tom's co-pilot, and I'm curious to see how long he'll stick around. As usual, there was a tidy summary of the previous night of performances. The men answered the call after Len's warning on Monday night. Like Jennie Garth, Cameron set the standard with his Foxtrot. In his post-performance interview, Cameron was very proud of all the work he did.

(S05E02) After sitting on the sidelines last night, the male contestants got a chance to showcase their talents. Host Tom Bergeron dubbed tonight's episode "Testosterone Tuesday, " and I bet he wishes he could use that line again. We've reached the second part of the three-night premiere extravaganza, and I'm already exhausted. Tonight the men attempted the Foxtrot and the Cha Cha Cha, after getting a look at their competition yesterday. Drew Lachey was back in the co-host position, which might not have pleased some of you (especially those who sounded off on yesterday's blog). There was no all-pro dance tonight; the show cut right to the standard celebrity introductions. Mark Cuban still looked awkward, Julianne looked sensational in her dress, and the crowd went crazy for Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton.

(S05E01) It's that time of year again, and fans always know what to expect from Dancing With The Stars: glamorous B-list celebrities, exciting performances, and frequent use of the phrase "than ever before." Host Tom Bergeron started things off by calling this season the "dawn of a new era," and claimed that they have the "most exciting cast ever assembled." Let's let the ratings decide that, shall we? For the first week of competition, the powers that be tried something new--a three-night premiere! Can you handle it?

Dancing With the Stars returns on September 24th and there is a pretty decent list of celebrity guests this season. Here's the list:

• Mel B (Spice Girl) paired with Maksim Chmerkovskly;
• Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girl) paired with Mark Ballas;
• Helio Castroneves (race car driver) paired with Julianne Hough;
• Mark Cuban (businessman) paired with Kym Johnson;
• Jennie Garth (former 90210 actress) paired with Derek Hough;
• Josie Maran (supermodel) paired with Alec Mazo;
• Cameron Mathison (All My Children) paired with Edyta Silwinska;
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (boxer) paired with Karina Smirnoff;
• Wayne Newton (singer) paired with Cheryl Burke;
• Marie Osmond (singer) paired with Jonathan Roberts;
• Albert Reed (supermodel) paired with Anna Trebunskaya;
• Jane Seymour (actress) paired with Tony Dovolani.

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.)

(S02E06) Sometimes having guest stars on your sitcom is a boon; seeing well-known actors or other celebrities mix with the established cast is great to watch and makes the episode memorable. But a lot of other times, bringing in a guest star dampens the chemistry of that established cast and slows down the comedic flow of the show, almost bringing it to screeching halt.

This week's HIMYM episode has two guest stars: Bryan Cranston as Ted's touchy boss, and Jane Seymour as Marshall's testy law professor. And, in this case, one guest star gave us a good result and the other gave us a bad one. I'll tell you who's who after the jump. You might be surprised at who I thought was the chemistry killer.

Isn't it always interesting to learn who's going to guest star on your favorite show? I definitely like reading these press releases, mainly because I like hearing how some sort of high-profile guest is going to affect the chemistry of an established ensemble. It's especially important with sitcoms, because you never know if the guest's comic ability (if they have any) will mesh well with that of the show's cast.

But I don't think I'm going to have anything to worry about when Jane Seymour and Bryan Cranston guest on the Oct. 25th episode of How I Met Your Mother. According to this press release, Seymour plays a law professor of Marshall's that Barney hits on to help his buddy get better grades, and Cranston plays Ted's crappy boss. Seeing these two veterans with the younger (but no less experienced) cast should make for a pretty funny episode.

[via The Futon Critic]

All sorts of television shows are new or returning this week. Some highlights include, of course, The Sopranos and the controversial Big Love tonight on HBO. Personally, I'm looking forward to the new Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy, The New Adventures of Old Christine. I'm hoping she can break the Seinfeld curse this time around. The promos aren't all that promising but I like Louis-Dreyfus enough to give it a shot on Monday.

Here's what's up:

• The Sopranos, Sundays @ 9 pm on HBO (Sixth season premieres March 12)
• They're back.
  

• Big Love, Sundays @ 10 pm on HBO (premieres March 12)
• Bill Paxton stars as a polygamist in Salt Lake City who has three wives, seven children and three adjoining houses. Also stars Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin. Great tagline: Polygamy Loves Company.