2014 Dizzy Feet Gala: Cyrus Spencer

The Dizzy Feet Gala is one of my favorite events each year. The only thing that rivals this red carpet for me is the Oscars. It's just such a great day to celebrate dance with all of your favorite stars from DWTS and SYTYCD. If you missed my interviews, you can watch the highlights here.

I was asked to post SYTYCD Season 9 finalist Cyrus Spencer's full interview. I was happy to comply. It's unedited footage because I think it's always fun to see what happens right before and after our interview. Sometimes the pre-interview chit chat is more insightful than the questions asked on the red carpet.

I have other full interviews with tWitch and Allison Holker, Emma Slater, Fabrice Calmels, Courtney Galiano and Witney Carson. Let me know if you would like me to post any of their full interviews in the comments section below.

Chelsie Hightower's full interview is here.

Don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter on the upper right section of my page. I post one exclusive video each time for dance fans. Next newsletter goes out on Aug. 1.

2014 Dizzy Feet Gala: Chelsie Hightower

The Dizzy Feet Gala is one of my favorite events each year. The only thing that rivals this red carpet for me is the Oscars. It's just such a great day to celebrate dance with all of your favorite stars from DWTS and SYTYCD. If you missed my interviews, you can watch the highlights here.

I was asked by one of Chelsie Hightower's Twitter fan sites to post her full interview. I was happy to comply. It's unedited footage because I think it's always fun to see what happens right before and after our interview. Sometimes the pre-interview chit chat is more insightful than the questions asked on the red carpet.

I have other full interviews with tWitch and Allison Holker, Emma Slater, Fabrice Calmels, Courtney Galiano, Witney Carson and Cyrus Spencer. Let me know if you would like me to post any of their full interviews in the comments section below.

Don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter on the upper right section of my page. I post one exclusive video each time for dance fans. Next newsletter goes out on Aug. 1.

AfterBuzz TV DWTS Season 18: Chelsie Hightower

I am so glad you all enjoyed Chelsie Hightower as a guest. Yep, she speaks her mind. Yep, we would love to have her back, but remember it took us four seasons to get her on. It's not easy to work around her busy schedule and she is no longer living in California. I know a lot of you want her in our studio each week, but let's just try for next season first.

This is the time of the season when it gets hard to say goodbye to the contestants. Everyone is worthy, everyone is talented, but only the Top 3 will be there to show off their freestyle dance. We spent a lot of time on Charlie-gate and I understand how frustrated you are about the judging situation….it's annoying. Carrie Ann Inaba is getting quite an earful on her Twitter account. Let me know your thoughts on Charlie-gate in the comments below.

If you missed the show, watch it below:

DWTS Season 18: 3 Things You Need to Know

Well, yesterday was pretty epic…I am currently on set in San Francisco when the news started to trickle in to me. I would work, run off set and post a tweet. My Twitter feed exploded and there is no way I can respond to everyone the way I normally do. Here are 3 things to know.

1. Why didn't you confirm everyone?: I want to deliver good, truthful scoop to you. If I can't confirm a name from the sources I speak with, I won't mention it. It's my reputation on the line as an entertainment reporter, so giving you the truth is more important to me than giving you the whole list with errors on it.

UPDATE: I confirmed Derek IN, Sasha and Tristan OUT, Henry and Witney as PRO, Lindsay and Jenna in TROUPE. New confirmation…Tyne is OUT. 

2. What about Chelsie or…?: I know many of you adore Chelsie Hightower, but the writing has been on the wall for a few seasons regarding her future on the show. ABC signaled a change and I think they have moved on from her at this point. Sadly, I think Louis van Amstel is in that category, too. Read my post on DWTS contracts. The UPDATE in the article gives more information on ABC's policy.

3. Why is Maks back?: Like him or loathe him, Maks is newsworthy. With Derek apparently opting out this season, ABC needs a star. I love Val, but he's not as charismatic as his controversial brother. They needed Maks back and I imagine that situation also brought a very generous contract with it. UPDATE: Derek is IN…this will be a great season. A rivalry on the dance floor is back!

This season is bringing about some big changes with Erin Andrews replacing Brooke Burke-Charvet and Harold Wheeler out and Ray Chew in. Let's roll with the changes before watching the first episode. After the season begins, then everything is fair game! See you all on AfterBuzz TV on March 18.

UPDATED: DWTS Pro Watch: Contracts

I know things are heating up with speculation about the pros and who is returning for Season 17. One thing that has raised my eyebrows though was yesterday's news that Kym Johnson wasn't returning. She is reportedly headed to DWTS Australia to work as a judge for the next season, although she has yet to confirm that news. I found the announcement rather curious because of this: Contracts are pretty ironclad and it's hard to get out of a DWTS U.S. contract.  Yes, it's not one big happy family of DWTS shows, it isn't easy to jump from one country's show to another. That's not to say that it hasn't been done before, we know it has. I'm just saying a DWTS U.S. contract is more challenging than others. Is there subtext in this post? Perhaps.

UPDATE: 
While this was written about last season's pro cast, I learned something interesting about contracts that could affect some pros we haven't seen in awhile. According to an insider, DWTS U.S. contracts are for five years. That means you have to ask permission to do outside work during this time period. While I didn't get specifics on this aspect of the contract, it usually means other TV shows or anything related to ballroom or using the DWTS name. (It is most likely a typical non-compete clause in the entertainment industry.)

Here's where it gets even more interesting, if ABC does not use you as talent for two seasons in a row, you are free to do what you want. We didn't see a few DWTS pros at all in Season 17. With the show down to one-night a week, it makes sense to use the eliminated pro from the prior week in group dances. However, we may see a few former pros gone for good if they aren't used for Season 18. (Chelsie, Louis, etc) ABC has signaled a change not only with the format, but with the pros they are using.

Season 17 was a big shift and it might get even bigger with Season 18. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Dancing with the Stars, Season 16: Confirmations and Rumors

With the Season 16 announcements for Dancing with the Stars just three days away, I thought I would compile a list of who is rumored or confirmed to be hitting the dance floor. Make sure to add your confirmed or rumored celebs and pros in the comments below, on Twitter, or Facebook.

Note:  I am covering the Oscars on Sunday, so I probably won't have time to update this page on Sunday. I will be back on Monday.  Thanks for understanding!

Confirmed Pros:
Derek Hough--confirmed via Twitter
Sharna Burgess--confirmed via Twitter
Cheryl Burke--confirmed via Twitter
Val Chmerkovskiy--confirmed via Twitter
Lindsay Arnold--confirmed via Twitter
Mark Ballas???--he tweeted this
Tony Dovolani--confirmed via Twitter


Pros Not Doing This Season:
Maks Chmerkovskiy--confirmed via Twitter and TMZ
Chelsie Hightower--confirmed via Twitter
Ana Trebunskaya--Has this been confirmed?


Rumored Celebs:
Aly Raisman--Fierce Five member
She tweeted this on Friday.  

J.J. Wyatt--NFL player for the Houston Texans

Tito Ortiz--former UFC champion