Who Won Dancing With the Stars? May 21, 2008

Do not read on if you do not want to know who won last night on ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

After four consecutive male winners on “Dancing With the Stars,” it was finally ladies’ night.

Kristi Yamaguchi was named the new “Dancing” champ on the show’s season finale, becoming the first woman to win the ABC dance-off since its inaugural season. The figure skater came into the final contest Tuesday with a perfect score and bested fan favorites Jason Taylor and Cristian de la Fuente to claim the mirrorball trophy.

“This is definitely for all those women out there to continue to be strong,” she said after the show, hoisting the prize above her head.

The Olympic gold medalist was clearly the most talented dancer on this season’s competition, regularly landing atop the judges’ scoreboard. But viewer votes count just as much, and with the audience 75 percent female, men have had the edge. Last season ended with a shocker when race-car driver Helio Castroneves upset Spice Girl Melanie Brown.

“Obviously the fans are the deciding factor here,” Yamaguchi said, “and I can’t say enough to thank them.”

She also had plenty of fans among her fellow competitors, who said she deserved the title.

Taylor, the massive but graceful pro football star, called Yamaguchi “just perfect,” adding that he “grew up watching her compete for our country.” De la Fuente, who was eliminated early in the two-hour season finale, said “it was impossible to beat her.”

His professional partner, Cheryl Burke, agreed. “Kristi deserved it more than any other woman in any other season,” she said. “It’s about time that a woman wins.”

Yamaguchi’s athletic background helped make her a winner, said judge Carrie Ann Inaba, because athletes know how to channel criticism into competition.

“She was technically great and she was doing incredible choreography,” Inaba said, adding that Yamaguchi’s performance personality emerged throughout the season. “She was able to really develop her crowd-pleasing skills and that’s what set her over the top.”

The judge acknowledged on Monday’s show that men often fare better in the ballroom, saying “they have a natural tendency to be more crowd-pleasers.”

“When men get on the floor and you’re watching the male power, it’s unbeatable,” Inaba said after Tuesday’s show. “It generates this sort of excitement on the dance floor that’s really hard to touch.”

Winning the “Dancing” crown doesn’t quite compare to winning an Olympic gold medal, Yamaguchi said, but it’s still “a fun, amazing experience.”

“It’s not just this (trophy) but what it represents,” she said. “It’s all the hard work and the time spent together and the friendships made, challenging yourself and learning something new.”

Though Taylor and de la Fuente didn’t win, each was victorious in his own way. Besides forming a close friendship with each other, Taylor, an aspiring actor, has taken meetings with Hollywood heavyweights, and de la Fuente learned an important life lesson.

The actor ruptured a tendon in his biceps while dancing on April 28, but delayed the surgery necessary to repair it so he could continue in the contest.

“It’s about wanting something in life and going for it,” he said. “In this case it was a dance show, but it can be anything that you’re afraid of. Go for it. Do it. The reward that you get when you put your heart, your soul, everything you’ve got in something, it’s priceless.”

DWTS’ Cristian de la Fuente to Undergo Arm Surgery Friday May 20, 2008

Chilean soap star Cristian de la Fuente is undergoing surgery for a torn tendon in his arm less than a week after the Dancing With the Stars finale.

“I have surgery Friday — there is not a lot I can do or plan for six weeks,” he said after Monday night’s show. “Hopefully, I will also go on a nice vacation, then go to work.”

Fuente was briefly hospitalized after suffering a severe muscle cramp in his arm while performing the samba in late April. Despite some pain (and rumors that he’d leave the show), he decided to stay on board.

He said he has already accomplished so much.

“Being in the finals is our goal,” he said. “When I had an accident, I thought it was not going to happen.

“I am not the best dancer, and I have not been the best dancer from the beginning,” he added. “I am happy we made it this far.”

He said tonight’s finale will air live in Chile for the first time.

“That, for me, is very touching because my country wants to know how I am
doing on the show,” he said. “It’s great to have their support.”

Desparate Housewives Season Finale Spoilers May 19, 2008

Don’t read on if you did not see last night’s season finale of ‘Desparate Housewives’ and don’t want the surprises ruined!

On Sunday’s season finale of Desperate Housewives, the show flashed ahead five years.

The highlights:

–Susan (Teri Hatcher) apparently isn’t wed to Mike (James Denton) anymore. She is seen entering her house and calling out, “Honey, I’m home” — to a mystery man!

–Bree (Marcia Cross) is a star caterer and author of a cookbook. She also is back on with her husband Orson (Kyle MacLachlan).

–Gaby (Eva Longoria) is now a mom: Her two little girls are seen playing with her makeup and her clothes.

– One of Lynette’s (Felicity Huffman) twins, who are now teens, gets arrested for stealing a car.

– Katherine (Dana Delaney) is elated because her daughter Dylan phones her to tell her she’s getting hitched.

Desparate Housewives: Update on Next Season May 17, 2008

The following Associated Press story contains spoilers regarding “Desperate Housewives.” If you’d rather not know what happens, stop reading now.

It’s true: “Desperate Housewives” will flash-forward five years.

Marcia Cross, who plays domestic goddess Bree on the ABC comedy-drama, told AP Radio in a recent phone interview that a flash-forward narrative device will offer viewers a glimpse into the future lives of the Wisteria Lane gang.

Spoiler alert: Read no further if you don’t want to know what happens to some of the central characters.

Cross said her character makes “a big leap.”

“She’s gone out into the world and she’s become a bit of a success,” the 46-year-old actress said.

When asked if that success has anything to do with the catering business Bree started with her neighbor Katherine (Dana Delany), Cross replied, “It does have to do with the business. Bree definitely has made a name for herself.”

And Bree — the embodiment of preppy style — will change her look.

“Let’s put it this way, the (hair) flip has died and I’m so happy about that,” Cross said.

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She also revealed that Eva Longoria Parker’s character, Gabrielle, “has had some children.”

When asked what becomes of the troublesome Kayla (Rachel Fox), who is Tom’s (Doug Savant) daughter, Cross said, “She hightails it out of town or is hightailed out of town.”

The season finale of “Desperate Housewives” airs Sunday.

Gossip Girl’s On Set Romance May 14, 2008

Before Penn Badgle and Blake Lively were outed as a couple, Matthew Settle, who plays Penn Badgley’s TV dad on Gossip Girl helped to keep gossip about the relationship between the young lovers a secret.

But now that the cat is out of the bag, he says, “I think it’s nice.”

Settle offered fatherly insight about Badgley and Lively on his way into the Entertainment Weekly upfront party at The Bowery Hotel in New York on May 13. (The new couple also attended.)

When asked if he had advice for his TV son, Settle answered, “In real life, Penn rolls with the punches better than anybody … I don’t think he needs any advice.”

About keeping the relationship a secret before it was revealed, Penn’s TV Dad said, “you can prod and pry, but you don’t want to be too intrusive. I made my own assumptions,” he said. “But I didn’t want to talk about it, to get involved.”

Now that the news is out, Settle believes America will react positively. “I think people are going to love them as a couple,” he said. “They’re a very hot couple. They look good together. And I think they’re good for each other, so why not?”

Settle’s date at the event was his wife, Israeli born actress Naama Nativ, also an actress, who said that she plays “one of Adam [Sandler's] Israeli girlfriends in his new film, You Don’t Mess with The Zohan.“

But Settle and Nativ have a solid bond. Married for two years, Settle said that he met Nativ, “in Los Angeles through friends.”

Dancing with the Stars Eliminates Another Contestant May 14, 2008

Marissa Jaret Winokur remains a one-time Tony winner for now. The Broadway star and partner Tony Dovolani were eliminated from Dancing With the Stars Tuesday after failing to make the most of their hard-fought trip to the semifinals.

Despite dual 26s on their quickstep and rumba and being called an “unlikely contender” by Carrie Ann Inaba last night, their 52 left them four points out of the hunt while only one point separated the other three contestants.

“It’s been incredible!” the reliably bubbly Winokur said before that final goodbye dance. “No one expected us to get this far…[Tony] has worked so hard with me. This has been such an incredible experience.”

First to be declared finalists, meanwhile, were—shocker!—Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, who’ve never had to sweat it out for long come results time and who regained the top of the leaderboard last night after a two-week drought.

“Kristi’s always had the hottest odds to win this,” Winokur said in an interview played earlier in the evening. “What I respect the most is that she hasn’t buckled under the pressure.” Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska will also be taking a well-earned trip to free-style territory (yay, lifts galore!) next week, along with Cristián de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke, who seemingly were headed for DWTS obscurity before receiving a literal shot in the arm.

Despite a ruptured tendon in his bicep that is keeping his left arm largely out of the picture, de la Fuente managed to pull off a samba—the dance that resulted in his injury a couple weeks ago—that was just shy of perfect, thanks to Len Goodman’s 9 out of 10.

Tonight’s elimination round also featured performances by those painfully cute tween dancers again, two of whom will be named champions of their respective half-pint competition, and a “Thriller” tribute from R&B singer Omarion.

Usher will perform on next week’s finale.

“The Bachelor” Proposes May 13, 2008

Shayne Dahl Lamas got more than the final rose — she also got a marriage proposal.

After sending Chelsea home, Bachelor Matt Grant got down on one knee and popped the question to Lamas, an actress from Los Angeles, with a 2.85-carat Tacori platinum and diamond eternity ring on Monday night’s season finale of ABC’s The Bachelor: London Calling.

“My knees gave out and I started shaking,” Lamas told PEOPLE about the proposal. “It was a fairytale proposal like I’ve always dreamed about. I forgot that there [were] cameras around. In that moment, it was just Matt and I and it was the most amazing moment of my entire life.”

Grant, 27, a global financier from England, simply described the moment as “incredible. It [was] a beautiful setting, a beautiful day. Shayne [looked] absolutely exquisite.”

The 22-year-old, whose father, actor Lorenzo Lamas, previously told Grant his daughter might not be prepared for marriage, said she’s not too young but also isn’t rushing into anything just yet. “There’s still a lot of growing to do in our relationship. We will not tie the knot until I am mentally and physically prepared as well as Matt,” she said.

One thing they don’t have to worry about: meeting the in-laws, which both have already done. “I think both of our families have welcomed one another with open arms,” Lamas said. “And they’re both very excited for us, for our new lives and for us to be part of the big family.”

The couple has yet to set a date. In fact, they say wedding talk is a bit premature since they haven’t been able to publicly see each other for the past few months while the show aired.

To keep their relationship under wraps, Grant and Lamas secretly met on various occasions at a house in Palm Springs, Calif., where they relaxed, playing board games and watching TV. “Shayne is absolutely terrible at Trivial Pursuit,” Grant joked. “I love her very much. I would die for this woman but she cannot play!”

They’ve also had some near-misses in Los Angeles, where Lamas currently resides. On one shopping trip, she had to bolt out of Barneys New York after calling Grant and discovering he was eating in the department store’s café at the exact time.

As for where the two will settle down, “[We'll be] going across the Atlantic and spending time in London and maybe New York and L.A.,” Grant said.

“The key is giving it the right time and not rushing into anything,” he said. “We’re just starting our relationship,” Lamas added. “We’re not putting any pressure on ourselves…[but] we’re 100 percent in this relationship right now.”

Is Edie Gone From Desparate Housewives? May 12, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) — When Edie packed up and left Wisteria Lane at the end of Sunday’s “Desperate Housewives,” viewers were caught by surprise.

Nicollette Sheridan’s character, Edie, finds herself ostracized on Sunday’s episode.

The sudden exit of the neighborhood’s blond troublemaker has fans wondering how this plot twist will affect the ABC hit series, and whether Nicollette Sheridan, who has played Edie during its four seasons, will be back.

For weeks, rumors swirled that Sheridan was out of the show. Both ABC and Sheridan’s publicist, Nicole Perna, have been tight-lipped in response to inquiries about her imminent departure.

But creator and executive producer Marc Cherry was slightly more forthcoming. Yes, Edie’s gone, he told The Associated Press on Friday. Then he added: “She won’t be back for a few years.”

What could that mean? Hadn’t Cherry already announced he will bring his series to a close at the end of the 2010-11 season, just three years from now?

“We do three more seasons and then it’s done,” he said with a chuckle. “I will tear down all the sets personally.

“I want to be sure that when we leave the air, people still care.”

But right now, what viewers really care about is Edie’s future — if any. Could her return in what Cherry carefully described as “a few years” have anything to do with another recent rumor that “Desperate Housewives” will adopt a “flash-forward” narrative device (akin to the storytelling style on “Lost”), which could restore Edie to the show as seen a few years hence?

“I only address one rumor at a time,” Cherry replied.

Edie bolted on Sunday’s episode when the titular four housewives — Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle — faced her down after she had pulled one too many schemes against them.

“We’re done,” Susan (Teri Hatcher) told her. “From now on, you are invisible.”

“And we’re gonna make sure every woman in a five-mile radius knows the kind of [stuff] you pull,” said Gabrielle (Eva Longoria).

Edie tried to apologize.

“Did you hear something?” Bree (Marcia Cross) said as the women strode away. “Neither did I.”

A few minutes later, viewers saw Edie toss a suitcase into her sports car and drive away.

“A climactic scene,” Cherry told the AP.

But as the show nears its two-hour season finale next Sunday, fans are desperate to know: Is Sheridan done? Or is she still part of the show?

“We’ll have to wait until next season and see,” Cherry replied.

It’s Official: Jennie Garth Joins the New 90210 May 12, 2008

Kelly Taylor is returning to that exclusive zip code, 90210.

As was rumored, Jennie Garth will make special guest appearances on the CW’s new spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210, playing a guidance counselor at her alma mater, West Beverly High, the network announced Saturday.

Garth is the first original cast member to sign on to the spinoff — though many former stars (including Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering) are lobbying for parts. Since the announcement was made last month, the cast has been rapidly filling up: Lori Loughlin has signed on to play Debbie Mills, wife of the high school principal who returns to take care of his alcoholic mother.

The high school principal has not yet been cast.

‘Survivor: Micronesia’ winner named May 12, 2008

Parvati Shallow was the last woman standing on “Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites.

 

The 25-year-old boxer and charity organizer from Los Angeles outwitted, outlasted and outplayed her competitors — both “favorite” former castaways and “fan” contestants — to claim the title of “Sole Survivor” and the CBS reality show’s $1 million prize during Sunday’s live finale. She previously came in sixth place on “Survivor: Cook Islands.”

Shallow received five votes over three for runner-up Amanda Kimmel, the 23-year-old former beauty queen and aspiring fashion designer. She also bested 37-year-old nurse Cirie Fields and 32-year-old bartender Natalie Bolton. It marked the first time in the reality competition’s 16-season history that four female contestants made it to the end of the game.

“I couldn’t have done it without the girls that I was with,” Shallow said during the finale.

At the beginning of the season, a tribe of former contestants competed against a tribe of new players. When the teams merged, Shallow helped form an alliance of female competitors from both sides. The alliance shocked several contestants with their eliminations, including Erik Reichenbach, who gave up immunity he won to Bolton and was subsequently voted out.

During the finale, Kimmel won both immunity challenges, choosing Shallow to accompany her at the final tribal council. That last deliberation featured two players vying for votes from an eight-person jury of cast-off competitors — unlike the three previous “Survivor” seasons, which featured three contestants angling for winning votes.

“The fact that it’s a final two and not a final three was almost poetic,” Fields said when she learned about the finale’s twist. “I mean, we’ve been blindsiding people left and right, and essentially we got blindsided. We thought we had it made. I guess what goes around, comes around.”

At the end of the finale, host Jeff Probst revealed the series will return to Africa for its 17th season and feature 18 contestants living among wildlife. “Survivor: Gabon — Earth’s Last Eden” will premiere in the fall. The third “Survivor” season was filmed in Kenya