After being eliminated from Dancing with the Stars 7 last night, Susan Lucci spoke with Access Hollywood, E!, OK! and Us. Susan told TV Guide that, if she had to do it over again, "I probably would have asked for a leave of absence from All My Children."
In a post-show video interview with ET, Cody Linley revealed that he and substitute partner Edyta Sliwinska will dance the Fox Trot and Mambo next week. Cody’s original partner, Julianne Hough, "should be able to dance again in about a week," her doctor told People.
The cast and dates for the Dancing with the Stars Tour have been revealed. The lineup includes celebrities Lance Bass, Toni Braxton, Maurice Greene and Marlee Matlin and pro dancers Fabien Sanchez, Mark Ballas, Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Lacey Schwimmer, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Maks told People he’s excited to take part in his first DwtS Tour: "I didn’t see the other tours but I guarantee that what we will do will not be redundant."
In other TV news, now that the election is over, cable news networks have to rework many of their nightly shows. ABC led all networks in number of viewers on election night, followed by CNN.
There’s no need to watch Celebrity Apprentice 2 now that Joan Rivers spoiled the finale on Howard Stern’s radio show.
But I have every intention of skipping A&E’s Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design. You know a network has run out of ideas when they start turning former pro football players into interior designers.
As this week’s Dancing with the Stars 7 Results Show began, host Tom Bergeron asked, "Are we in for a shock tonight?" We weren’t.
The program began with an encore of Monday night’s high-scoring Team Paso Doble. Even though they didn’t perform, the losing Team Cha Cha still had to wear their matching orange outfits.
Musical guest Lionel Richie was up next, singing his new song "Good Morning." It’s no "Hello," but getting to see Alec Mazo & Edyta Sliwinska dance made the song bearable.
Then Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke became the first couple to learn that they’ll be back to dance again next week.
Following the announcement, popular mid-season bit DanceCenter returned, featuring former contestants Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice and judge Len Goodman. In the first segment, they discussed the relative merits of Warren Sapp, Susan Lucci and Maurice Greene.
DanceCenter was interrupted by a magic-themed Macy’s Stars of Dance performance, choreographed by Dave Scott.
Then DanceCenter was back, covering Lance Bass, Brooke Burke and Cody Linley. The segment ended with Len giving Kenny an awkward Tango lesson.
After DanceCenter, the other members of Team Paso Doble, Brooke & Derek and Warren & Kym, were told that they were safe.
Lionel Richie returned to perform his hit "Dancing on the Ceiling," accompanied by DwtS pros Kym Johnson, Cheryl Burke, Tony Dovolani and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who got a buzz cut for the occasion.
After a video segment in which the stars discussed what parts of the show they find challenging and which are easy, Lance & Lacey learned that they were safe. Cody & Edyta got a reprieve as well, as Susan & Tony were eliminated.
In the grand tradition of Cloris Leachman, Susan grabbed on to Samantha Harris’s microphone to say her farewells, leaving Samantha looking bewildered and unwilling to release her grip on the mic. If only I’d known you had such an affinity for irritating Samantha, Susan, I might’ve voted for you.
Tom and Samantha announced that next week’s competition will feature both a Ballroom Round and a Latin Round. During the Latin Round, each celebrity will have to dance a portion of their routine solo.
I’m not sure I like the sound of that. I’m happiest when the show focuses on the partnership between the star and the pro dancer. To paraphrase Len, I could do without all this messin’ about with the team dances and group dances and solo dances.
Here’s a short, post-Election Day Ox Notes. I need to recover after being exposed to CNN’s creepy new holograph technology last night.
Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough told E! that she hopes going public about her struggle with endometriosis will encourage other women to seek timely medical help: "I think it can help other girls who ignore pain."
Catching up on news from Monday night’s DwtS Performance Show, Access Hollywood and People filed backstage reports from the set. And Kim Kardashian gave the judges a piece of her mind in her MSN blog.
ABC is working on a new reality competition from producers Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks called True Beauty. It’s scheduled to follow The Bachelor when that show returns this winter.
The lawsuits between Bravo and The Weinstein Company keep coming. The Weinsteins want a judge to allow Lifetime to broadcast Project Runway 6 as planned, since it was only after the network was barred from doing so that Bravo announced its intention to air the new reality competition show Fashion House.
TV Guide and OK! Magazine interviewed the cast of Dancing with the Stars 7 after last night’s Performance Show, and ET has video of the partners interviewing one another.
DwtS pro Derek Hough spoke with OK! about his sister Julianne’s recovery after having her appendix removed: "I don’t think she’ll be back to dance next week."
Before the couples took the floor last night, Lance Bass wrote about Cody Linley and Edyta Sliwinska, who’s filling in for Julianne: "It’s going to be funny to see this little teenager dance with this sex goddess."
Surprise, surprise. The Bachelorette‘s DeAnna Pappas broke up with her chosen beau, Jesse Csincsak.
FOX is working on a reality show called Secret Millionaire, in which rich folks go undercover to work blue-collar jobs in some of the most impoverished parts of the United States. The show debuts on December 3.
After you’ve voted — and subsequently gorged on free coffee, ice cream and donuts — get ready to settle in for a long night of election coverage. TV Guide has a list of what each network, including PBS and Comedy Central, has planned for the night. Happy Election Day!
A new gimmick had a dramatic effect on this week’s Dancing with the Stars 7 leaderboard.
In addition to the individual dances, there were two team dances, each of which featured three of the six remaining couples. One team danced Cha Cha Cha, and the other Paso Doble. The team dances were scored by the judges, and those team scores were added to the couples’ scores for the individual dances.
Individual Dances
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson — Fox Trot
The pair got tips from former DwtS pro Nick Kosovich during rehearsal. Len Goodman said, "It was a little bit of a disappointment." Bruno Tonioli told Warren, "You have to go back to the ease of movement you had at the beginning of the season." Carrie Ann Inaba asked Warren what the problem was, and Warren replied, "These aren’t my shoes."
Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani — Paso Doble
Good, but not a breakout performance. Bruno said Susan danced "with pride and dignity." Carrie Ann made Susan shout the phrase, "I am doing good!" Len, "I think that was right up with all of your best dances."
Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke — Cha Cha Cha
Maurice injured his leg during the team dance rehearsal on Saturday. Carrie Ann said the routine was "the perfect mix of form and freedom." Len told Maurice, "I thought it was your best dance." Bruno said, "Happy days are here again for Maurice."
Cody Linley & Edyta Sliwinska — Viennese Waltz
Cody & Edyta checked in on a groggy Julianne Hough, recovering from surgery while wearing an AC/DC shirt. Len said, "I thought, as a couple, you looked really comfortable together." Bruno told Cody, "It was like watching a fledgling bird stretching its wings, but not quite being able to take off." Carrie Ann said, "I thought it was great."
Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer — Rumba
Lance acquiesced to Lacey’s demand that they dance barefoot. Bruno said, "Barefoot in the park has never been so seductive and romantic." Carrie Ann told the couple, "Your best dance. I loved it." Len said of the bare feet, "I didn’t get it. It didn’t enhance the performance at all. It was a distraction."
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough — Fox Trot
Brooke & Derek took the floor, eager to reclaim their spot atop the leaderboard. Carrie Ann yelled, "Wow!" Len said, "It was truly fantastic." Bruno said the routine was a "thrilling performance from start to finish."
Team Dances
Susan Lucci and Warren Sapp were named team captains, and they chose the other couples to join their teams.
Team Cha Cha
Susan & Tony, Lance & Lacey and Cody & Edyta
Cody & Edyta and Lance & Lacey did a fine job, but Susan looked unsure of her steps, making her and Tony look awkward by comparison. Len said, "As far as the solos, I thought Lance & Lacey saved the day." Bruno said, "This was a Cha Cha teetering on the brink of disaster." Carrie Ann said, "The unison was terrible. It was brutal to watch." Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…6, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 20/30
Team Paso Doble
Warren & Kym, Brooke & Derek and Maurice & Cheryl
This was the much stronger of the two dances. Everyone did well, though it looked like Maurice’s bum leg was causing him some pain. Bruno said, "That’s the way to work as a unit!" Carrie Ann said, "It was just this magical mish-mosh of a Paso Doble. I loved it!" Len noted, "It’s much easier to keep a formation in a marching dance than it is in a real Cha Cha Cha, Latin dance." Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30
Thanks to the Team Dance, Lance & Lacey fell from second place after their Individual Dance to fourth place. And Warren & Kym, who were in last, moved up to third, after dancing with Team Paso Doble.
As always, some of my votes have to go to front-runners Brooke & Derek. I’m tempted to throw a few votes to Cody & Edyta and Lance & Lacey just to make sure that they stick around another week. Susan clearly can’t keep up with the other celebrity dancers any longer, so it’s time for her and Tony to hit the road.
On Wednesday night’s DwtS Results Show (the show’s switching nights to make way for election coverage on Tuesday), Lionel Richie will perform his hit "Dancing on the Ceiling." Even better, Kenny Mayne, Jerry Rice and Len Goodman will bring back DanceCenter.
If you missed John McCain’s appearance on Saturday Night Live, The Chicago Tribune’s The Watcher blog has a clip. It was nice to see Cindy McCain get in on the act, too.
USA Today has an article about a recent study that links sex on TV to teen pregnancy.
Reality Blurred wrote about the corporate sponsors of the upcoming season of Top Chef, though there’s no mention in the article about "the Glad family of products." In related news, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi issued an open invitation to Jessica Simpson to swing by the set and make her signature chicken and dumplings.
People has a funny interview with the latest Survivor: Gabon casualties, Ace Gordon and Dan Kay.
The Simpsons is poised to become the longest-running scripted series in TV history, after being picked up by FOX for another three seasons. Here’s The Simpsons‘ parody of the opening credits to Mad Men, created for last night’s "Treehouse of Horror" episode:
My Ox Is Broken 