"Dancing with the Stars" Season of Drama

By Jessica Caswell

“Dancing with the Stars” is only half way through the season and it already has enough drama to fill seasons to come.

So far this season there has been six injuries.

• Model Brooke Burke and soap opera legend Susan Lucci both have foot injuries.

• Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor dropped out of the competition because she ruptured her Achilles tendon. 

• Comedian Jeffrey Ross suffered a corneal abrasion when his partner Edyta Slwinka poked his eye out during a rehearsal for the live show.

• Professional dancer Derek Hough was rushed to hospital when he fell causing him to black out during a rehearsal.

• Last but not least, his sister Julianne Hough was also taken to the emergency room for stomach pains last week.

With so many injuries you would think this was an injury list for a professional football team and not a ballroom dancing competition.

There's  other drama for the show surrounding the 82-year-old fireball Cloris Leachman. 

People are surprised that Leachman has lasted this long because she’s not as skilled as the other celebrities.

''We thought it would be fun to have Cloris on and expected her to maybe make it through one or two weeks. But now it's gone from people being amused- similar to the way it was with Jerry Springer- to being downright concerned,'' said a staffer to the Chicago Sun Times.

She did the tango two weeks ago and that was the first time the judges thought they actually saw the elements of a ballroom dance from her.

Leachman is also unpredictable during the live show saying things like, “skanky hoe” and “bitch” for the entire world to hear.

People from the show are a tired of her kooky antics too according to the Chicago Sun Times.

A source who’s been working for the show since the beginning told the Chicago Sun Times that Lucci and host Samantha Harris are tired of her obnoxious shtick.

Last week, Harris snapped at Leachman for interrupting an interview she was trying to conduct with kids competing to win the junior competition of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“Stay away from the kids,” Harris told Leachman while on the air.

“After we were off the air, Samantha, Susan and a lot of others were saying they had had it with Cloris,” the source said.

With an anonymous source telling the Chicago Sun Times these rumors we’ll never truly know if the accusations from Harris and Lucci are true but, it’s no secret that the competition is about ballroom dancing and Leachman is not at level of the other celebrities.

She’s great at entertaining but, not at ballroom dancing. People shouldn’t really be surprised though, knowing that she’s 82-years-old.

Maybe America should give Leachman a break. We should applaud her for joining the competition and lasting this long. 

With the competition only half way through we’ll have to wait and see what other drama is in store. Surely, Leachman will have more in-your-face humor for us to see Monday night when the final seven celebrities compete in a group routine, as well as learning a new dance.

UPDATE: Julianne Hough will be going into surgery to treat endometriosis. She'll have her appendix removed tomorrow and hopes to back to dance next week. While gone, Edyta Silwinska will take her place with her partner, Cody Linley. 

"Project Runway" May Run Away for Good

By Jessica Caswell

All you fashion lovers out there, WARNING: It may take you a little longer than expected to get your "Project Runway" fix.

NBC Universal is battling it out in court with the Weinstein Co. over the show every fashionista loves to watch.

All of this came after the Weinstein Co. made a surprising announcement in April that it would move "Project Runway" from Bravo to Lifetime for a five year deal.

But NBC Universal wasn’t letting the show go that easy. It filed suit claiming that it had a right of first refusal to match any offer the producer received for the program according to www.adweek.com

The suit claims that Weinstein Co. is in breach of contract because it did not stick to that deal.

“NBC Universal is pleased that the court granted our motion for a preliminary injunction against The Weinstein Co.,” NBC Universal said in a statement.

"The overwhelming evidence demonstrated that the Weinstein Co. violated NBC Universal's right of first refusal to future cycles of 'Project Runway.' After hearing all of the evidence, the court issued an order prohibiting the Weinstein Co. from taking the show or any spin-off to Lifetime."

The production of season six is currently in progress. Lifetime scheduled the show to start airing its sixth season on its channel in November, but has now pushed it back to January because the legal mess.

However, Lifetime is determined to get "Project Runway" on its network.

"We are disappointed with the court's decision to grant the preliminary injunction against the Weinstein Co. It's unfortunate that the people hurt most by this ongoing dispute are the loyal fans of 'Project Runway'. In the meantime, Lifetime will pursue all measures to uphold its valid and binding agreement reached with the Weinstein Co. for season six of 'Project Runway,'" said a spokesperson for Lifetime.

The judge in the case, Richard Lowe III, explained his concern for the viewers in the ruling.

"What is of concern for this court is the time 'Project Runway' will be off of the air during the course of this litigation," said Judge Lowe.

The judge is right! It’s sad the show’s viewers have to deal with this court battle when all they want to do is watch a show they enjoy.

"Project Runway" is a great reality series with a fashion twist. It shows the viewers from start to finish how fashion is created and executed on the runway.

It makes everyday people see what it’s like behind closed doors for the people who create clothing for the stars we love to see walking down the red carpet.

Lifetime announced on Oct. 17 it's taking the case to another level saying that it wants to take the case to federal courts.

"Lifetime today removed the 'Project Runway' lawsuit from state court to federal court," the network said. "We did this because any issue relating to Lifetime's exclusive right to air future cycles of 'Project Runway' is a matter of federal copyright law and therefore should be heard by a federal court."

We will all have to wait and see what this means for "Project Runway." Hopefully, the sixth season will air before we find another reality show to win us over. Seems the only one worried about the viewers in this is the judge.

The Man Behind "The Ethicist"

By Jessica Caswell

Ethics has always been something we wonder about. Did we make the right decision in that sticky situation? What if you questioned whether you made the right decision or not?

Well have no fear Randy Cohen, writer for The New York Times Magazine is here to answer all your burning questions about life’s moments when you think, “Should I or shouldn’t I?”

Since 1998 Cohen has been writing the column The Ethicist for The New York Times Magazine. Cohen has answered questions ranging from whether or not it’s OK to use Wi-Fi that’s not yours to whether or not to tell your friend their husband “propositioned you.”

Cohen has won awards for his writing including an Emmy Award for his work on the Late Night with David Letterman show. He was the lead writer for The Rosie O’Donnell Show and also wrote a book called The Good, The Bad and The Difference.

His book, The Good, The Bad and The Difference is a collection of Cohen’s work, but with updates from his original replies of what happened after he gave the advice and reactions from the readers.

Cohen grew up in a Reform Jewish household and said that changed the way he saw the world according to an interview he did with Gothamist.com. But he also made sure to include that other than Bah Mitzvahs and weddings he has not been inside a synagogue in thirty years.

Recently, Cohen was on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he answered questions alongside Faith Salie who writes for O, The Oprah Magazine.

Winfrey called Cohen and Salie “the ethics dream team.” The pair was there to go through some ethical dilemmas for Winfrey’s viewers. In the end, they seemed to rarely agree on any of the questioned asked.

Mary, an audience member, wanted to know what she should’ve done 15 years ago when two of her friend’s husbands propositioned her for sex. Should she have told them or not?

“When it’s a one-time misstep, I would let it go. If there’s wine, if there’s candlelight, if there’s moonlight, we all make mistakes. We’re all human,” Cohen told Mary and Winfrey, who seemed shocked at his answer. “But if it’s a persistent behavior, if someone would do this again, then I think you have to tell…I use the sort of guideline ‘Once is never, twice is always.’”

Winfrey and Salie didn’t agree with Cohen’s argument and told him they would want to know. But, Cohen fought back by telling them that when this question has come up in his column that half say they would want to know and the other half say they wouldn’t want to know.

Questions like this one come up all the time in Cohen’s column, but he will be the first one to say that he thinks that anyone can do what he does.

“I love my job and hope my bosses know that, but believe that a hundred different people could do it and do it well,” Cohen said.

If you get a chance to read one of Cohen’s columns you will walk away with a little bit understanding of life’s everyday situations. You may not always agree with him, but surely he will make you scratch your head and think, “Hmmm.”

If you would like to read Randy Cohen’s column click here:
The New York Times Magazine

VOTE YES ON PROP 2!

"The Hills" Generation

By Jessica Caswell

The girls of the hit MTV reality show “The Hills” are finally going to see what they look like on television from someone who sees the humor instead of the drama in the girls’ everyday situations.

When we watch the show we get entangled in the drama. We think, “Oh my gosh are Heidi and Spencer splitting up? Are Lauren and Audrina going to make it through this terrible fight?”

As much as people out there hate to admit it, they probably know what “The Hills’” star Lauren Conrad and her gang is up to on a weekly basis.

Even if you’re not an avid “Hills” viewer, the media keeps you posted on what the cast is up to when the season is not running.

Just recently, Conrad was accused of hooking up with Audrina Patridges’ on again off again boyfriend, Justin Bobby Brescia. Both Patridge and Brescia are part of the show’s cast.

“After I found these rumors out, she chose to talk to me through the tabloids and not come directly to me or call me, as a true friend,” Patridge told Ellen DeGeneres on her show about how Conrad handled the situation.

With all the drama on and off the show it’s nice to see MTV finally took the show and put a new spin on it that people of the YouTube world have been doing for years.

MTV is starting a new show on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. called “The Hills: According to Me.” This fresh show is taking some of the best moments of the original show and parodying them. This will definitely make you laugh and maybe, just maybe get you into “The Hills.”

Comedic actor Derek Miller is playing all the girls in their most memorable scenes. No cast member is safe with his hilarious take on the show. Miller dresses like the girls and pokes fun at their “oh so serious” conversations.

Here’s a couple sneak peek YouTube videos into the new hilarious parody.








In other “Hills” news it has been confirmed that in early 2009 we will get to see Whitney Port’s spin off as she travels to New York City to jump start her fashion career.

The show is going to be called “The City.” How original!?

In the show, Port is going to working for a famous fashion designer and we’ll get to see her make new friends and new love interests.

“Just as ‘The Hills’ organically evolved out of ‘Laguna Beach’ ... we are now following another compelling character,” MTV's Tony DiSanto told www.zap2it.com. “Now it's Whitney's turn. We're bringing you her story as she leaves Los Angeles to break into the exciting Mecca of the fashion world, New York City. She is someone the viewers have grown to love.”

Regardless of the type of spinoff MTV has in store for the show's fans, it’s proves the weight that the original show has with this generation. People either love to love it or love to hate it. But no denying it has made a huge impact on reality television.

"Dancing with the Stars" Has Something for Everyone

By Jessica Caswell

Put the Tango, the Cha Cha, the Jive, a bunch of celebrities who know nothing about dancing together and you get ABC's reality show “Dancing with the Stars.”

Last Monday the show took the top spot for the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. hours over CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” at 8 p.m. and “Two and a Half Men” and “Worst Week” at 9 p.m.

Since the show’s American premiere in 2005, it has been taking its viewers on a journey with a new group of 13 celebrities every season tackling the difficult skill of ballroom dancing.

What’s great about the show is that it has celebrity for every kind of fan to enjoy. It's has the supermodel, the athlete, the Olympian, and even the teen heartthrob this season.

This season’s line up is:

-Lance Bass, singer and teen heartthrob
-Toni Braxton, Grammy winning singer
-Brooke Burke, model and host
-Rocco DiSpirito, celebrity chef
-Maurice Green, Olympic gold medalist
-Kim Kardashian, reality television star and actress
-Cloris Leechman, Oscar winning actress
-Cody Linley, actor
-Susan Lucci, soap opera legend
-Misty May-Treanor, Olympic gold medalist
-Ted McGinley, actor
-Jeff Ross, comedian
-Warren Sapp, former pro football player

Let’s say you're a sports fanatic sitting on your couch flipping through the channels- all of a sudden you see Warren Sapp doing the Paso Doble and he's nailing it- you're going to be shocked that a 300 pound man can glide across the floor with ease. That alone will keep your attention.

The voyage the celebrities take during the show with all the different dance styles keeps me coming back.

Week after week we get to see someone we may idolize do something that any Joe Schmoe can try to do. Most people want to think of celebrities as everyday people and I think this show does that.

We love to make a connection with someone and root them on. Just like sports fans feel a bond with their team, “Dancing with the Stars” fans feel a bond with the celebrity.

We may never be able to see what a celebrity is like in their personal life, but we can go on a six week journey with them and see what life is like for them in that little six week window.

The hosting of the show is something to look forward too as well. Tom Bergeron does a great job filling in empty time and keeping the show moving. Samantha Harris’ quick questions in the back after a celebrity is finished are quick and help us see how they’re feeling when they step off that dance floor.

Last season, Marie Osmond fainted on live television while waiting for her scores from the judges and Bergeron pulled it together to keep the show moving forward.

Bergeron has witty jokes and can usually make me laugh out loud to some of his light hearted humor.

All in all, I give this show a big thumbs up. It’s got something for everybody and can keep you smiling all the way through- that’s unless you saw Jeff Ross’ Cha Cha two weeks ago-man was that painful to watch.