Posts Tagged ‘tom bergeron’

As Brooke Burke and Derek Hough were celebrating their win on DWTS Tuesday night, the buzz behind the scenes was about a report that second-place finisher, football legend Warren Sapp, had allegedly roughed Derek up!

According to TMZ.com, Warren had shown up several hours late to a rehearsal for the show’s group dance, and later complained he couldn’t follow the routine. When the professionals told Warren it was his fault because he showed up late, TMZ reported that the retired linebacker allegedly threw Derek against a wall!

While Warren wouldn’t address the alleged fight, tersely telling reporters after the finale to “ask Derek” about it, Derek did say, “This has been blown way out of proportion. Warren and I exchanged a few words at rehearsal that lasted seconds. The idea that Warren would do physical harm to me or anyone is outrageous. We’re all become good friends during the season.”

But pro Corky Ballas, who was teamed up with Cloris Leachman this season and has been close to Derek for years as his dance teacher and friend, told OK!, “I think that Warren thinks this is a football field. I mean this in a good way. All his life, they get mad at themselves and angry so they can get out there and play well so he’s only doing what his instincts are, under pressure with adrenalin.”

Added Corky, “I told Derek, ‘let it go right off your [back].’ It’s part of psyching people out. Some psych-out tactics work. It doesn’t work on Derek.”

Comedian Jeffrey Ross, who was the first contestant eliminated this season, but who came back to perform on the show again this week, told OK!, “I happened to be at that rehearsal and they got into a little thing, but I think it has more to do with the intensity of the moment; guys having to coordinate their moods and their travel schedules and their work schedules, and things bubble up and honestly, they’re all teammates at this point. There’s no losers here.”

Derek’s close friend and fellow DWTS dancer Mark Ballas also said the incident was blown out of proportion, but admitted to OK! that the hit ABC show can be a pressure cooker!

“There are stressful times and when you’re working together, sometimes people get heated at each other,” Mark explained. “When you’re together 24 hours a day and you’re working, sometimes you just talk to each other out of frustration. Things like that happen. But both of them are cool.”

By Carole Glines

SPOILER ALERT: Read no further if you Tivo’d last night’s Dancing With the Stars results show!!

All season long on Dancing With the Stars, Brooke Burke and partner Derek Hough looked like the twosome to beat. And Tuesday night, their dream came true as the consistent couple won the disco ball trophy! Football great Warren Sapp finished a surprise second after his explosive freestyle performance Monday night with partner Kym Johnson — and former boy-bander Lance Bass came in third with pro Lacey Schwimmer.

The always-lovely Brooke, perhaps best known for her numerous modeling credits and hosting TV shows like Wild On!… and Rock Star said, “It’s been such an incredible experience and to end it this way is huge. I’m at such a loss for words!”

Her pro partner Derek, who took his first trophy after several seasons on the hit ABC show, said, “the blood, the sweat the tears… the pulled hamstrings, the feet, everything was so worth it.”

Delighted winner Brooke, who injured her foot earlier in what was an injury plagued season of the show, said, “My feet are okay, but I have a couple of new little pulled muscles.”

Still, all she could do was smile. The mother of four said her trophy will be rotating amongst her daughters’ rooms in her house. Brooke’s fiancé, actor, David Charvet, dad to two of her kids, was teary-eyed as she won, and OK! spotted Dr. Garth Fisher, her ex-husband and the father of her two older children, also watching as Brooke and Derek earned a perfect 30 for their Viennese waltz. The pair bested Lance and Lacey’s score of 28 for their jitterbug and Warren and Kym’s 27 for the hustle.

Brooke told OK! about her future, “I have no idea what’s coming up next and I never do. I love hosting, it’s something I think comes natural and I enjoy although I’d like to keep pushing the envelope a little bit. Ideally, I’d love to do a sitcom. I love working with a live audience.

“But I’m enjoying dancing so much. It’s premature but there’s been some interest in me doing a dance production and I think it would be really exciting. For me, it would all depend on what works for my family as well. I’m open to trying new things.”

But first, Brooke plans to chill out over the holidays: “I’m mentally and physically fried. I’m going to be on the East Coast with a lot of relatives. David and the kids are going to meet me there. I’m going to do nothing but eat and have great quality family time. It sounds so corny but I was looking back this week and thinking about all the things that you take for granted as a mother—you have your kids every day and all those everyday responsibilities. I miss doing all those little things so much. I’m ready to get back home and back into the groove with them and get back to being mom again.”

Meanwhile, Derek and his best friend, DWTS pro Mark Ballas, who have a band together, got a record deal and expect to release their music in March. Derek hopes actress Shannon Elizabeth — who became his girlfriend after they were teamed up on DWTS last season — will join him on the new DWTS nationwide tour, which begins in San Diego on Dec. 17.

Although Lance finished third when many thought he’d get at least second, the musician said he and Lacey have no regrets. “What a ride! We couldn’t be happier. Brooke so deserved to win.” After all, Lance got a new body out of the show: “I’ve lost 15 pounds," he told OK!. "I’m just going to blow up after next week. I eat like crap and I won’t be dancing as much.”

Lance also feels he earned “a lot more confidence. There are a lot of things I didn’t believe in myself before and now I’m just so happy.” Lance revealed he has become close friends with Brooke: “we’ve been each other’s support system through this whole season. She’s definitely helped me when the judges were attacking me, she’s like, ‘don’t worry about i.’”

Next, Lance plans to do some college speaking engagements for a week talking about the music industry and his experiences on DWTS. Then he’ll be performing with Lacey on the DWTS tour.

Lance said he signed up because “I miss touring so much. I haven’t been on tour in like seven years and I’m happiest on a bus. That’s just the way I was raised and it’ll feel like home. You play lots of video games, watch scary movies, eat really bad food. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I love sleeping in a bunk, it rocks me to sleep.”

His partner Lacey will be with Lance on the tour, and also has said she’d love to come back to DWTS next season, which starts in March.

Warren, who works as an analyst for the Showtime series Inside the NFL, said, “I don’t get a day off ‘til Feb. 11, after the Pro Bowl.” The 13-year NFL veteran said he’s going to miss Kym and the show so much, “I told her next Wednesday, I’m going to text her, ‘Where are you at, baby? Send me a picture! I should be dancing right now!’ ”

Warren said he’d love to join his pro Kym for one stop on the DWTS tour if his busy schedule as a football commentator permits — because he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It’s like going to five Super Bowls,” he said of the show. “Every time it got a little bigger, a little better. I’m like, where can I go from here? I’m going to try the tour at least one day.”

By Carole Glines

In what is likely the most riveting final performance night in the brief history of Dancing With the Stars, all three of the remaining couples pulled out all the stops on Monday night.

None of the couples — Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson, Brooke Burke and Derek Hough, Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer — made any major mistakes on Monday and they all provided non-stop entertainment in performing a freestyle routine and a group samba. So it should come as no surprise that everyone was smiling backstage when OK! caught up with them after the show.

Frontrunners Brooke and Derek solidified their hold on the top spot by earning a 28 for their samba and a perfect 30 for their freestyle, a joyful tribute to the classic musical Grease.

Judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli both said it was the best freestyle they had ever seen on DWTS, now in its seventh season. And their combined score of 58 out of 60 looks hard to beat in Tuesday night’s finale.

Backstage afterwards, Brooke told OK! Grease is the word! “It’s one of my favorite movies and my kids’ favorite movies.” As for who deserves the credit for getting into the final round, she put it squarely in partner Derek’s lap.

“Everything we’ve done great has really been from him teaching me and him getting me to where I need to be," she explained. "I feel we’ve done everything we needed to do this season no matter what happens tomorrow.”

Although she’s had a fabulous time on the show, mother-of-four Brooke said she’s looking forward to the end of the punishing rehearsal schedule: “I miss my kids so desperately.” After tomorrow night’s final results she plans to, “grab my babies!”

Lance and his partner Lacey got a score of 26 for their samba and very solid 27 for their hip-hop freestyle routine, for a total of 53. The former boy-bander likened the night to the final exams in school. “You show the judges what you’ve learned and hope that they like it," he explained. "They loved it tonight. I think everyone did such an amazing job.”

Although his hip-hop routine scored lower than Brooke’s more traditional freestyle, Lance said they couldn’t have picked another style of dance. “It’s what our fans have been asking for since day one," he said. "We finally got to do it and I hope everyone enjoyed it because we sure did. Even Len loved it!”

Still, when pressed by OK! about the judging on the freestyle, for which he received the lowest score of the finalists, Lance admitted, “I was hoping for higher scores. That’s just the theme of the whole season for them and us. I would not expect anything less — one point lower than everyone else.”

The surprising dance journey of gridiron great Warren continued, as he and Kym earned 25 points for their samba and 28 for their freestyle, pushing them into a tie with Lance and Lacey with a cumulative 53.

The retired linebacker’s move of catching Kym with his arms extended in front of him made the crowd gasp, and afterwards, he told OK! the amazing maneuver is called “the waterfall.” Kym admitted, “It’s scary for me because for a minute I’m completely airborne.” Competitive Warren said, “That’s my favorite move! I wish they had let us lift from the beginning because I would have broke down some of these little fellas early.”

As for earning a score of ten from Len, the future Hall-of-Famer exclaimed, “that’s what I came for. I can go home now.” He added that judge Carrie Ann Inaba also “was giving us a lot of love tonight.” Kym said. “She said Warren was the most improved and she said our dance was her favorite.”

After the show, Len told OK! it was DWTS’ most incredible night: “I can’t imagine there’s ever been a final like we saw tonight that would ever be better. I loved the samba they all joined in on and the freestyles were so different.”

Tune in Tuesday night to see who will take home the disco ball trophy!

By Carole Glines

What a shame — Hannah Montana star Cody Linley won’t get to see his pal and co-star Miley Cyrus sing at next week’s Dancing With the Stars finale — or at least not as a contestant — because he didn’t make the cut in this last, critical semifinal week.

At only 18 years of age Cody was the show’s youngest-ever competitor— but his adorability couldn’t save him from leaving DWTS in fourth place. On Monday night, he received the lowest cumulative score of the night — 46 out of 60 — for his paso doble and salsa with partner Julianne Hough, who came back from appendix surgery to dance with him on Monday.

Breaking into tears after his elimination and taking time to compose himself, the actor, who will indeed be on hand for Miley’s performance, along with all the other eliminated stars — told OK!, “I’m totally getting emotional. I never expected to do this well. I’m proud of myself. It’s my goal in life to give 100 percent in everything I do and I felt like I totally did."

Continues Cody, “I look back proud, confident, and excited for the future. I feel blessed and thankful to have walked away from this competition with a true gift that I received from Julianne, from ABC, and the fans especially. ”

Cody, who celebrates his 19th birthday on Thursday, has lots of plans: “I’m extremely excited to see where I’m going from here. I’m going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, hanging out with my family, eating as much food as I can because I’ve been losing weight on this show.”

Then, his character Jake returns to Hannah Montana in a Dec. 7 episode and he’s looking forward to fans seeing his starring role in the independent horror film Forget Me Not, set to be released next year.

“It’s really scary and cool. It’s a totally new side of me you’ve never seen before,” he said. Additionally, Cody is playing the role of Jesus in The Word of Promise, an audio version of the Bible read by celebrities.

Will he dance again? Maybe. Cody did tell OK! his Hannah Montana schedule might allow him to drop in on the DWTS nationwide tour, which runs Dec. 17 through Feb. 8.

Partner Julianne, who has also been pursuing a country music career, is going to tour in support of her new Christmas album for Target.

Now the final three couples — Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson, Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer, and Brooke Burke and Derek Hough — move on to next week’s pressure-packed finale, in which they’ll each perform a freestyle routine, their favorite dance of the season, and a group samba number.

“It’s such a relief,” Lance said about making it through. “We’re focusing right now and we’re about to put our game faces on. We have a week left to really kill ourselves. I think we’re well on our way to getting this trophy.”

Lacey revealed their freestyle dance will be in the hip-hop style: “It’s his background, my background, we’ll make it fun and fresh for the audience.”

Brooke told OK! of going to the final, “It’s huge. We put so much time and soul and hours into this, it really means a lot to me, to open myself up to doing something I’d never done before, take on the challenge and be rewarded like this. Derek has taught me so much—he’s an amazing friend and teacher.”

They plan to “take some chances,” in the finale, Brooke revealed. “I might fly off the balcony!” Derek elaborated, “I’m going to be doing tricks I’ve never done before in my life. It’s my first final and I’m going all out.”

By Carole Glines

The final four performed on Dancing With the Stars Monday night and with the highest combined score of the night, Lance Bass and partner Lacey Schwimmer proved that the show must go on — even when the shoe falls off.

In a first for the hit reality show, Lance, who has already danced barefoot this season, accidentally had a shoe fall off during his jitterbug. But the former NSync-er didn’t miss a beat and got the highest score of the night on the dance, a 29. And with a 28 on his mambo, Lance easily led the competitors with a cumulative 57 out of 60.

After the show, Lance told OK! how it felt when he lost his shoe. “At first, panic, of course, because I was concerned with safety," he explained. "But after I realized I’d be fine, I just ate it up. It was so much fun. It made me smile and laugh. I had a really good time.”

Adds Lacey, “I think that he’s by far the most improved in this entire competition and it showed tonight.”

Despite his high scores, however, Lance doesn’t think he’s a…. um, shoe-in, to make it to next week’s finale. “It’s anyone’s game," he says. "It’s a good competition.”

Meanwhile, Brooke Burke, who has been the favorite all season with partner Derek Hough, had her first bad dance, a jive that judge Len Goodman called a “disaster” and earned only a 21.

“It was a hiccup," Brooke sighed to OK! backstage. "I loved that dance. I don’t know really what went wrong and it was hard to find my way back into it.” As for the harsh results from the judges, she said she’s taking like an adult: “I know when I do things wrong and I can totally take it.”

Luckily for DWTS’ golden couple, their second dance, the salsa, was a return back to form, earning a 28 for a combined score of 49, good enough for a tie for second overall for the night.

“I’m really happy that we pulled it together for the salsa,” Brooke told OK!

“She killed it,” Derek said. “That’s the test of a true champion — messing up a little bit and coming back strong.”

Gridiron great Warren Sapp and partner Kym Johnson hoped they’d done enough to get to the finals, also earning a combined score of 49 for their two dances.

“Hopefully we’ve got a shot,” Warren told OK!. Asked about the judging on Monday, he said, “It looked like they were out for blood tonight! But I really enjoyed the crowd.”

The legendary linebacker also defended himself against the judges’ season-long focus on what they say is his flat footwork. “That’s what made me a Hall of Fame football player," he explained. "Without these feet, I wouldn’t be standing here!”

Warren’s daughter Mercedes’ birthday is tomorrow, and he’d be happy to celebrate both that and a ticket to the DWTS final. “Either we’re ‘parting’ like hell or ‘partying’ like hell,” he laughed.

Cody Linley, whose partner Julianne Hough came back to dance with him after having appendix surgery two weeks ago, got the lowest combined score of the night, 46, and couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“I felt like I did my job,” Cody said. “We got a standing ovation after our paso doble. I was pretty upset with the judges. Usually, I agree 100 percent with their critiques but tonight, no, not at all. I’m bummed that I’m in last place after Julianne coming back and rocking those two dances. I felt confident and great about them and to receive bad scores was tough. I really hope tonight wasn’t my last dance with Julianne.”

If he doesn’t survive tomorrow’s elimination night, Cody at least knows he’ll have no problems getting dates!

The 18-year-old Hannah Montana cutie, who turns 19 on Thursday, confided that because of DWTS, women of all ages are recognizing him now. “Cougars are hitting on me and I say, bring them on!” he smiled.

By Carole Glines

Maurice Greene can run — but he definitely couldn’t hide from the red light of elimination on Tuesday night as he and partner Cheryl Burke were voted off Dancing With the Stars, paving the way for Warren Sapp, Brooke Burke, Cody Linley and Lance Bass to waltz their way into the final four.

After being tied for last on Monday night — with a cumulative score of 48 for their quickstep and paso doble — Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Maurice and Cheryl couldn’t make it down the home stretch.

“I’m okay,” smiling Maurice told OK! after the results were announced. “This competition is not in my hands. If I had total control over it and then I wasn’t able to accomplish it, I’d really be upset. You get judged by the judges [here] and you have to gain the people’s votes. I just hoped I pleased everyone who was watching.

But don’t think Maurice’s dancing days aren’t done! The cape-twirling runner-turned-dancer is going to perform on the DWTS nationwide tour, which starts Dec. 17. And Cheryl just signed on to join him on the road.

“I didn’t want to leave my partner hanging by himself,” she said. “We’re going to practice all the time but I’m going to give him a couple weeks off to rest his aching feet.”

Referring to the weight controversy that dogged her this season, Cheryl confided Maurice has been her rock: “He’s been a great friend to me when things haven’t been so easy.”

In addition to the DWTS tour, Maurice is working on his autobiography. “It’s about my life and I’m going to actually put the word dance in the title of the book because, through life, you have ups and downs but dancing always makes you feel good.”

Cody Linley and his substitute pro, Edyta Sliwinska, were in the bottom two with Maurice and Cheryl. Cody got a combined score of 48 for the foxtrot and mambo, and no one was more relieved to survive backstage.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster being on this show,” sighed the actor, whose former partner, Julianne Hough, is coming back from appendix surgery to perform with him next week. A clip reel of Cody and Julianne getting “couples therapy” with Dr. Drew Pinsky showed his sensitive side, as the 18-year-old Hannah Montana heartthrob cried about her surgery.

“I had so much stress and pressure built up, and all these feelings of worry for Julianne," he explained. "Dr. Drew sensed it and it just poured out of me and it felt awesome to tell her how I felt.” 

Next week, Cody and the rest of the competitors are moving on to the final four semifinals. Warren is looking forward to performing with Kym Johnson in front of his daughter, who celebrates her birthday next week. Brooke Burke, who performs with Derek Hough, has been chowing down on pasta to keep her strength up. And Lance Bass, with partner Lacey Schwimmer by his side, told OK! he’s in it to win it: “You get this close, you want to just keep going.”

By Carole Glines

With only one more elimination to go before it gets down to the final four couples on Dancing With the Stars, Brooke Burke and Warren Sapp continued to lead the pack on Monday night’s performance show, where the high-stepping celebs each had to briefly break away from their pro partners and dance a solo on live TV!

Brooke and her partner Derek Hough got the highest score of the night — a cumulative 55 — for their mambo and tango, while Warren and his pro, Kym Johnson, were a close second, earning a total of 54 for their tango and jive.

“The mambo was super fun and I loved the intensity of the tango,” Brooke told OK! backstage. “It was a lot of pressure this week — the hardest week I’ve had all season. I’m never comfortable thinking that we’re going to go all the way. We have to work really hard.”

Although they are the clear frontrunners, Derek also admitted he’s taking nothing for granted: “You’re thinking to yourself, have we peaked too soon? We have to make sure we keep upping our game each week. There’s only been one occasion where the best dancer has won and that was last year [with Kristi Yamaguchi]. Other than that, it’s always been the best personality that has won.”

Brooke and Derek are hearing the heavy footsteps of future football Hall-of-Famer Warren behind them.

“I’m one behind Brooke,” Warren exclaimed to OK! after the show. “I loved my solo. Kym let me have a lot more freedom than probably anybody else she’s ever danced with.”

As previously reported by OK!, Kym was forced to work past an injury to her right shoulder. “It’s fine now," she explained. "I tweaked it a little bit and it felt really funny last night and this morning it felt really bad.”

But Kym was able to guide Warren through two charming dances. Warren said he she lets him know he’s done a good job: “When I can see the look on her face, she’s got that ‘yeah.’ Her eyes light up.”

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer nabbed third place with a combined score of 50 for their foxtrot and samba. Lance confided to OK! that performing two dances was “so stressful. To be able to change both those dances in your brain within an hour, it’s hard. But we got some really good scores and great comments.”

The former boy-bander said his solo moment during the samba made him feel “very vulnerable. But I felt comfortable doing it.”

The only thing bugging Lance a bit was judge Len Goodman’s negative attitude toward his dancing, which has been going on all season. “We’re trying to figure it out,” he sighed. “Carrie Ann [Inaba] and Bruno [Toniolo] have been awesome.”

Meanwhile, Maurice Greene and partner Cheryl Burke and Cody Linley and pro Edyta Sliwinska look to be in jeopardy for tomorrow’s elimination night, as the couples are tied for fourth with a cumulative score of 48.

Maurice, who performed the quickstep and paso doble, stayed positive, telling OK! backstage, “We did a pretty good job. When we finished the paso doble, I was like, we rocked that one. It was a lot of fun.” But he laughed about Tuesday’s show, “the grim reaper is going to be in this building tomorrow.”

“There was nothing more we could have done,” Cheryl shrugged. “He nailed every step. We got the scores we got and we’re happy with them.”

Cody told OK! he was also pleased with his two dances, the foxtrot and the mambo. Of his sexy solo moment, which surprised and delighted the audience, the 18-year-old Hannah Montana actor said, “I felt so excited and confident and comfortable out there. If you would have made me do that at the beginning of the competition, there’s no way! But Julianne and Edyta have shaped me and made me grow as a person.”

Cody said if fans vote him through tomorrow, Julianne Hough will be back as his partner because she’s recovered from her appendix surgery.

By Carole Glines

Get out your hankies – Susan Lucci’s soap opera like turn on Dancing With the Stars is over.

The All My Children icon – who battled a foot injury and shared her tears and fears during the hit ABC reality show – was eliminated with partner Tony Dovolani on Wednesday night.

“I feel fine. I truly do," TV’s Erica Kane told OK! backstage after her ouster. "I had a feeling it might be me tonight and I couldn’t think of a better time to go. I had a wonderful experience and Monday night I got to dance this breathtaking paso doble with Tony. The audience was on its feet, we danced Zorro and Esperanza. This is the best time to go.”

Susan, 61, suffered a fractured left foot during the third week of the competition, but it wasn’t diagnosed until two weeks later, when doctors gave her the go-ahead to continue in the competition.

During Monday night’s show, the actress was shown crying in frustration during a tense rehearsal with Tony. But, like her soap character, she rose above the trials and tribulations. She said, “I definitely got out of the show what I wanted to achieve, and more. I wanted to dance and push the envelope for myself and get out of my comfort zone, which I do from time to time. I love to do that. I wanted to get past a certain shyness in me about performing in a way that I’m not used to in a new genre. I began to break through that – and it makes me happy.”

Tony said he’s delighted at the way Susan handled the experience: “doing two jobs and being able to fly back and forth [from L.A. to All My Children in New York City]. I want to thank her husband Helmut for helping us through this.”

Helmut, who has watched Susan from the audience during every show, told OK! “I’m so proud of her. She did terrific. She has a lot of stamina to do all this. I gave her support. I think she’s going to show me some [dance] moves. Now it’s my turn to learn!”

Waiting under the red elimination night wasn’t such a trial for Susan. “I do have some experience waiting for my name to be called,” laughed the star, who famously lost at the Daytime Emmys for 18 years before finally taking home the trophy in 1999.

Susan now goes back to her day (time) job with some new skills under her tiny belt—“I hope we see Erica Kane dance on the show,” she smiled. “I think the fans would love to see Erica Kane learn how to dance from this gorgeous Tony Dovolani.”

Meanwhile, Tony, who has already done a guest shot on AMC, now will have more time to be with his wife and their twins, daughter Ariana and son Adrian, who were born in September.

By Carole Glines