john ratzenberger

(S04E02) Two weeks in and I have to say that this is a pretty good group of contestants. The new format with two weeks of performances before the first elimination was a good idea. Sometimes a contestant just doesn't handle a particular dance well, so it's nice to see them get a second shot. Lots of contestants, so a lot to cover. Let's get to it.

Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough (Quick Step) - At its base, the show is about the "Stars." The partners certainly factor in though, and I continue to be impressed with Julianne. She might be just 18 years old, but she carries herself as well as any of the other pros. It doesn't hurt that she is absolutely adorable either. Apollo has officially impressed me now. I didn't have high expectations for him coming in, but he really shows the potential to be a contender. Len said Apollo is going to stay for weeks and weeks. Bruno called it cool, fresh, young, and exciting. Carrie Ann was impressed with the footwork and sync. High praise all around, and deservedly so. The scores, (8, 9, 9) I like that score. A great start to the night.

(S04E01) Another season of Dancing With The Stars is upon us, and I could not be more excited. Some important changes have been made this time around. Contestants were given four weeks to practice for the premiere instead of six, and there will be two weeks of dancing before the first elimination. The premiere was entertaining and surprising, as always. Let's get right to it!

Ian Ziering and Cheryl Burke (Cha Cha Cha) - It's tough to be the first dancers of the night, but Ian and Cheryl did a tremendous job. Their energetic performance included some decent footwork; those two definitely know how to have fun and work the crowd. Cheryl's hair was gorgeous, as usual, but I wasn't a fan of the Ziering facial hair. The judges gave Ian some technical criticism, but the pair walked away with a fair score of 21 (Carrie: 7, Len: 7, Bruno: 7).

John Ratzenberger is stepping in to the open slot on Dancing with the Stars. He'll replace Vincent Pastore, the actor who played "Big Pussy" on The Sopranos, who dropped out of the competition after just one week of rehearsals. His reason? He can't give it his all.

Cliffie, on the other hand, is totally up to the challenge. Apparently ABC has been trying to recruit the former Cheers star for a while but he always had scheduling conflicts (probably voicing various characters for Pixar). He'll join the rest of the Stars this week with a bit of a disadvantage. By the time the competition airs, he'll only have three weeks of rehearsal while everyone else will have rehearsed for four weeks. His good-natured attitude will probably help him through the opening round elimination.

Ratzenberger's partner will be Edyta Sliwinska, who danced with Joey Lawrence last season. Dancing premieres on Monday, March 19th.

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:

• Darnit. The AP's ban on publishing Paris Hilton news didn't last long.
  
• John Ratzenberger (best known as "Cliff" from Cheers) will replace Vincent Pastore on Dancing with the Stars.
  
• American Idol's new source of revenue is selling Happy Meals, ice cream, candy bars and potato chips to kids.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quick time required). You can also subscribe to this podcast via our feed.