In the DwtS 6 semifinals, each couple tackled two dance styles they’d performed previously.

Ballroom Round
Before the dances began, Judge Len Goodman said that, after last week’s suspension of the rules, the couples were not allowed to do lifts this week.

Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska — Fox Trot
Jason got a pep talk by Miami Dolphin legend Dan Marino: "You’re not gonna let two actors and an ice skater beat you, are ya?"

The routine was cute, and Jason had plenty of opportunities to show off his impressive wingspan. But Edyta did a lot more posing — which usually serves to cover a partner’s deficiencies — than I would’ve expected at this point in the season.

Len said, "It was fantastic. I loved every part of it." Bruno said, "This had plenty of movement. You actually gave showmanship to the dance." Carrie Ann said this routine had "a lot more content, a lot more charisma" than their previous Fox Trot.

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…10, Bruno…9 = 28/30

Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani — Quickstep
Stacy Keibler stopped by to teach Marissa how she was able to pretend to find Tony sexy during the Rumba, despite considering Tony an "older, meaner brother."

This classic routine showed off what a strong dancer Marissa’s become, as they spent most of the performance moving in hold.

Bruno pointed out a move that Marissa missed, saying, "It’s the semifinal." Carrie Ann called Marissa "the unlikely contender." Len said, "For a dance so technical and so fast, I thought you did a great job."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…8 = 26/30

Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke — Viennese Waltz
The duo spent some of their rehearsal time walking around town wearing sandwich boards that read "Will Dance For Votes."

Cristian’s looked much happier on the dance floor since he busted his arm. The romance of the performance transcended the fact that Cheryl was dressed like Sputnik, as they danced to Dave Matthews Band’s "Satellite."

Carrie Ann said, "The movement was great." Len felt this Viennese Waltz had "better content, better mix of steps." Bruno called the routine "a Viennese Waltz with a wow factor."

Tom Bergeron then complimented Cheryl’s silver dress before asking the crowd, "Is anyone missing a weather balloon?" Cheryl yelled, "Stop it!" and slapped him in the chest.

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas — Tango
As part of their rehearsal, the pair went to an advanced Tango class to ask for tips on improving Kristi’s emotional expression.

The connection between Kristi & Mark was better in this Tango, although sometimes I wasn’t sure exactly what emotion Kristi was trying to portray. Technically, the dancing was as good as ever.

Len said, "Sometimes for me, it was a bit hectic." Bruno disagreed: "You squeezed every single drop of drama out of the Tango." Carrie Ann said, "Welcome," paused and as she adjusted her dress, which was stuck on her chair, and continued, "Welcome back to the dance floor! You are the Queen of the Dance Floor!"

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Latin Round

Len’s Masterclass: The Man with the Golden 10
Len’s traditional visit to the couples during semifinal week was introduced like a James Bond film. He gave all of the couples a move to include in their Latin routines, before hopping back in his black stretch limo, where a "Bond Girl" — played by Kym Johnson — was waiting for him. Too bad it wasn’t Jane Seymour, who really was a Bond Girl in Live and Let Die.

Jason & Edyta — Paso Doble
Jason stayed in character, but his moves were clumsy. Halfway through the routine, they did an obvious lift, but the judges didn’t dock them for it or even mention it.

Bruno compared Jason to Iron Man (surprising, since Bruno typically only references Disney-produced movies). Carrie Ann said, "Great job, nice execution." Len told Jason, "You’re a bit like the price of gas: you’re going up."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Marissa & Tony — Rumba
Marissa overcame any squeamishness she had about snuggling up to Tony, so much so that her dress got stuck to the sequins on Tony’s pants at the end of the routine.

Carrie Ann said, "I wasn’t excited by that. I really don’t feel like that was a semifinal dance." Len disagreed: "I thought you did a very, very good job." Bruno told Marissa, "You went for it, and you sold it well." Carrie Ann jumped in, "It’s the semifinals! It’s not exciting enough!"

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Cristian & Cheryl — Samba
Just in case his other arm gave out, Cristian showed a little skin and shook his bum. It was nice to see them complete the dance that almost took them out of the competition a few weeks ago.

Len said, "That was hotter than a chili pepper, my Chilean friend. Occasionally for me, it was a little flat footed." Bruno said, "Everyone was partying, me included." Carrie Ann said, "That was fantastic, Cristian."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Kristi & Mark — Jive
Dancing to a quirky song like Ike & Tina Turner’s "Nutbush City Limits" kept them from matching the perfect score they got for their first Jive. But it was still a strong performance.

Bruno called the performance a "sweet, sweet delicious Jive." Carrie Ann said, "That was an extremely difficult routine. Tonight you were just a hair out of sync." Len said, "I liked the basic steps you put in. But I’ve gotta say, sometimes you were a little bit stiff."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 28/30

Judges’ Leaderboard:
57 — Kristi & Mark
56 — Cristian & Cheryl
55 — Jason & Edyta
52 — Marissa & Tony

Kristi & Mark deserved their spot atop the leaderboard, and Cristian & Cheryl merited their second place finish. But I would’ve swapped Jason & Edyta’s position with Marissa & Tony’s. It will take an amazing upset in order for Marissa to make it to next week’s finale.

Entertainment Tonight has video of Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke practicing for tonight’s show, while The Insider stopped by Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas’s rehearsal.

Kristi wrote for OK! about rehearsing this week, as well as throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Friday’s L.A. Dodgers game. People has a pic of Kristi’s toss, which made it across the plate.

Star Magazine reports that Derek Hough has moved in with Shannon Elizabeth.

Marissa Jaret Winokur wrote for Us Magazine about the joy of surviving to dance another week. People caught up with the Broadway star as she shopped for baby gear.

Sorry about bailing on Ox Notes yesterday. I was writing an article about author Emily Giffin, whose new book comes out on Tuesday. I’ll link to the interview when it’s published next week. It’s an entertaining read, if I do say so myself.

Access Hollywood caught up with Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska as they rehearsed the Fox Trot and Paso Doble for Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars 6 Semi-Final.

Catching up on news from the 100th episode special, People has a backstage report and video from the red carpet after party (thanks for the link, Imee). A news station in Sacramento filmed seven videos that night, including a tour of the costume room and funny interviews with Tom Bergeron and Len Goodman (links to the vids are in the sidebar).

MOIB reader Katy noticed this TV Guide report that Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough might be developing a reality show. About what?

DwtS fainter Marie Osmond talked with TV Guide about the reality show she’s hosting on Mother’s Day.

Project Runway‘s Nina Garcia has landed a gig at Marie Clarie magazine.

PR‘s current network, Bravo, is taking an earth-friendly approach to promoting its shows for Emmy consideration.

The outcome of last night’s episode of Survivor: Micronesia was so tragically inevitable that Greg & I spent the final segment laughing our butts off. The whole show is available online, as are a couple of new Ponderosa videos.

TV Guide has an interview with the Survivors eliminated last week, James and Alexis.

Sunday night, Greg and I are taking my brother, Dan, to see Crowded House in concert in Chicago. Before seeing them perform last summer during Live Earth, I was only familiar with a few of the band’s songs that were big in America. And, on our honeymoon in 2004, I’d been amused to learn that "Better Be Home Soon" is the unofficial national anthem of New Zealand.

But it was the performance at Live Earth that made me fall in love with Crowded House. Greg & I saw them perform in Milwaukee last fall as part of their first US tour in more than a decade. And I’m just as excited to see them again this time.

Here’s info on Crowded House’s current tour, lest you become hooked — as I was — after watching this video of their Live Earth performance in Sydney.

OK! Magazine chatted with Mario, and Us Magazine caught up with Karina Smirnoff, after the couple was ousted from Dancing with the Stars last night.

Entertainment Tonight filed a video report from the DwtS 100th episode gala, and TV Guide interviewed Maksim Chmerkovskiy about his return to the dance floor.

Kristi Yamaguchi posted her thoughts on making the semi-finals in her OK! Magazine blog. Kristi confirmed that, after the show, the couples pulled their dances for next week out of a hat. She and Mark will dance the Jive and Tango. Cristian & Cheryl will dance the Samba and Viennese Waltz, according to the ET video.

Mark Ballas told Us that he and Sabrina Bryan have split up: "She is too busy for me. We are just friends now."

Jason Taylor wrote about his lunch with Denzel Washington for ESPN.

Monday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars was seen by 17.9 million viewers. Here’s a link to Mel B’s backstage interviews from Monday night’s show.

Former DwtSer Cameron Mathison has signed on to host a game show on TLC.

Producers and the Screen Actors Guild have suspended talks after failing to compromise on DVD residual rates. The contract between the two groups runs out on June 30.

As if a Top Chef book wasn’t enough, Bravo is working to develop a Top Chef cruise. I’m torn between that and the upcoming Veronica Mars cruise.

After the latest DwtS 6 elimination, we’ve got an even split of male and female celebrities in the semifinals.

The night started with a Judges’ All-Time Favorite Dances Special. The ten dances featured were:

10. Kelly & Alec — Freestyle
9. Sabrina & Mark — Paso Doble
8. Emmitt & Cheryl — Cha Cha Cha
7. Apolo & Julianne — Quickstep
6. Joey & Kym — Jive
5. Helio & Julianne — Quickstep
4. Drew & Cheryl — Freestyle
3. Stacy & Tony — Samba
2. Mel B & Maksim — Paso Doble
1. Mario & Karina — 2nd Tango

The official 100th Episode special edition of the Results Show kicked off with a dance by twelve of the professional dancers, past and present, including Fabian, Louis, Maks, Alec, Jonathan, Derek, Cheryl, Kym, Elena, Ashly, Karina, and Anna. The highlight of the performance was Karina’s leap over Jonathan’s head and into Maks’ arms.

The dance was followed by the first performance of the night by musical guests Rascal Flatts. Season 4 champs Apolo & Julianne danced a lengthy new routine with lots of lifts, and Apolo did pretty well for a guy who hasn’t danced on TV in a year.

Following that performance, Tom gave some of the former cast members in the audience — including Stacy Keibler, Lisa Rinna, Jerry Springer, Vivica A. Fox, Joey Fatone, Kenny Mayne, and Sabrina Bryan — a chance to plug their current projects.

Then it was time for a much-hyped performance by Mario Lopez and cast members from Broadway’s A Chorus Line. It was fine, assuming you’re a fan of A Chorus Line.

Rascal Flatts returned to the stage, this time accompanied by Mel B & Maks. Their new routine included Mel’s "walking splits" move from Season 5.

Samantha caught up with the past champions in attendance to find out what they thought of the current crop of contestants. Kelly said she was rooting for Kristi to win, Apolo was torn between Kristi and Jason, and Drew said he was rooting for Cristian.

A pretaped segment featured the current season’s stars talking about which stars from past seasons they try to emulate. Kristi is inspired by Joey Fatone, Marissa by Mel B, Mario by Mario Lopez, Jason by Emmitt, and Cristian by Helio.

At long last it was time to find out which couples were safe. First, Marissa & Tony and Kristi & Mark were told they were moving on to next week. Then, after a break, Cristian & Cheryl were announced safe.

That left Jason & Edyta and Mario & Karina awaiting their fate, although they didn’t necessarily constitute the two lowest scoring couples.

Mario & Karina were told their time had come, and they didn’t look surprised. In fact, Karina was upbeat enough to show off some disco moves, as the band played their exit song: Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive."

The one-armed man, Cristian de la Fuente, was understandably the focus of attention after last night’s Dancing with the Stars Performance Show. Entertainment Tonight filed a video report from backstage, while TV Guide and People posted written accounts.

Before last night’s show, Cristian showed off his new arm brace to Access Hollywood.

Yahoo! has another Buzz Session with Joey Lawrence and Diane Mizota. Is anyone else amused that the Buzz Session has a new sponsor every week? This week, it’s Ritz crackers.

Kristi Yamaguchi posted her thoughts on last night’s show in her OK! Magazine blog.

Kristi and partner Mark Ballas were the subjects of two other videos. The Insider filmed Kristi & Mark at a TV Guide photo shoot, and TV Guide caught up with a pair at the magazine’s Sexiest Stars party.

Extra stopped by the set of Dancing with the Stars to watch Mario Lopez film a performance with his Chorus Line castmates for tonight’s DwtS 100th episode special.

Variety has a ton of DwtS coverage on a number of topics: how the show was imported to the US, how cast members are chosen, what the pros want in a celebrity partner, the advantages athletes have, and what a week in the life of a DwtS couple is like.

The most interesting piece in the Variety series on DwtS is Carrie Ann Inaba’s list of her Top 6 celebrity contestants. Only three of the five champions made the list.

Judging by his performances this week, I guess it’s a good thing Cristian decided not to quit Dancing with the Stars.

I was a bit under the weather tonight, so apologies for the lean recap.

Ballroom Round

Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas — Quickstep

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…10, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Mario & Karina Smirnoff — Viennese Waltz

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani — Fox Trot

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 25/30

Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska — Tango

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Cristian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke — Tango

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 28/30

Latin Round

Kristi & Mark — Samba

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Mario & Karina — Jive

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Marissa & Tony — Mambo

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…9 = 25/30

Jason & Edyta — Samba

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…7, Bruno…8 = 23/30

Cristian & Cheryl — Mambo

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Judges’ Leaderboard (out of 60):
57 — Cristian & Cheryl
55 — Kristi & Mark
53 — Mario & Karina
52 — Jason & Edyta
50 — Marissa & Tony

Cristian was the highlight of a lackluster Latin Round, and he was certainly the biggest surprise of the night. He & Cheryl earned the lion’s share of my votes, with the rest going to Kristi & Mark and Mario & Karina for their enjoyable performances.

Jason & Edyta’s Samba was uncharacteristically bad. Still, I don’t think Jason’s in any danger of going home; in fact, he might avoid the Bottom Two altogether. Mario and Marissa probably have the most reason to be concerned.

Kristi Yamaguchi wrote about how she occupies her time on DwtS Performance Show day in her OK! Magazine blog.

Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska interviewed each other for The Insider.

Jason reportedly had to bail on lunch with Denzel Washington and pass on an opportunity to meet Al Pacino because Edyta kept calling his cell phone and chewing him out for being late to rehearsal.

On May 16, Tony Dovolani & Elena Grinenko are scheduled to perform at a high school fundraiser in Orlando, FL, in case you live in that neck of the woods.

Several of the Dancing with the Stars pros will perform at tonight’s Race to Erase MS benefit in California, and Entertainment Tonight interviewed the pros as they rehearsed their routine.

Extra interviewed a shirtless Mario Lopez as he took promo shots for his new book, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness.

As part of Tuesday night’s DwtS 100th episode special, Apolo Anton Ohno & Julianne Hough and Mel B & Maksim Chmerkovskiy will dance to performances by country music stars Rascal Flatts.

Part of Project Runway 6 — the show’s first season on Lifetime — will take place in Los Angeles.

Speaking of L.A., many TV and film crew members are still having trouble finding work, months after the writers strike ended.

I’m not sure if Smallville will be the same without Lex Luthor.

Senator Barack Obama presented the Top 10 List on The Late Show with David Letterman last night. Number 10 is my favorite.

(Survivor spoiler alert)

Reality Blurred has a recap of last night’s Survivor, and CBS.com has some illuminating videos from the Ponderosa. Eliza, Ozzy, and Jason were shocked when James — IV bag in tow — joined them on the jury bench, because James had to spend his first several days in hospital after he was removed from the game. They hadn’t been told about his removal before Tribal Council.

Based on Eliza’s and Ozzy’s reactions when Alexis got to Ponderosa, Parvati overestimated Alexis’s chances of winning $1 million. Both favorites took offense to Alexis’s assertion that she never lied in the game, calling her "delusional."

At least Alexis won’t be among enemies at Ponderosa for long. If she doesn’t have Immunity, is there any way that Natalie survives the next vote?

Catching up on Dancing with the Stars news from this week of competition, People filed backstage reports from Monday’s and Tuesday’s shows. Tuesday night’s Results Show was seen by 17.2 million viewers.

Marlee Matlin posted some well wishes for the injured Cristian de la Fuente at her MySpace blog. DwtS 5 competitor Cameron Mathison told OK! that Cristian’s injury might actually help him: "I think it just brings a little more awareness to him because there are five people left and everyone’s got their favorites. It could single him out a little bit more."

Next week, Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas will dance the Samba and Quickstep, and Marissa Jaret Winokur & Tony Dovolani will dance the Mambo and Fox Trot (thanks, Marina).

The Daytime Emmy Award nominations have been announced. The award seems less credible now that they’ve nominated Sherri "Flat Earth" Shepard for Best Talk Show Host, and Tyra got nominated in the Talk Show/Informative category — unless the show qualified for Tyra’s excellence in informing the world about Tyra.

G4 is planning the worst game show ever. The title, Hurl!, sums up everything you need to know about the show. Yuck.

Ahead of tonight’s new episode of Survivor: Micronesia, TV Guide interviewed Jason, who was happy to no longer have to listen to the women of Dabu talk "about salons and facials and colonics and the bar manager they hooked up with last week."