3 Reasons Why I'm Shutting Down DWTS Ringer Talk

We are less than a week away from the Season 18 premiere of Dancing With the Stars and the ringer talk has begun. My Twitter feed exploded with questions after PureDWTS wrote an insightful article about Danica McKellar's past ballroom experience. They took the time to dig up extensive evidence of her training where she looks good out on that dance floor. Danica is also seen in her latest ABC video acting a little naive when it comes to being led around the ballroom.

Remember, we are in Season 18 of the show and even Conrad Green, producer of DWTS, has admitted it's harder to cast the show at this point. So fair or not regarding Danica's very specific ballroom training, I go back to these three reasons why I'm just shutting down the ringer talk.

1. It's Exhausting: We've discussed it ad nauseum some seasons on AfterBuzz TV.  I think we wind up talking circles around the topic and we get nowhere. If you look back at Season 16 and the whole Zendaya debate, the argument reached a fever pitch with everyone taking sides. In the end, Zendaya didn't win.

2. It's a TV show: ABC is trying to deliver an entertaining show each week. They bring on celebrities with many different levels of dance training to draw an audience. Last season, we had a mix of trained dancers like Corbin Bleu, natural movers like Jack Osbourne and Amber Riley and lovable personalities like Bill Engvall in the Final Four. Again, the best-trained dancer did not win.

3. It Comes Down to that Freestyle Dance: When it comes to final votes for the average audience member, they vote on the Freestyle Dance. The best dancer may have worked hard all season and been at the top of the leaderboard most weeks, but if that Freestyle Dance doesn't deliver…they don't go home with the Mirror Ball Trophy.

I know you won't all agree with me on this, so help me see the flip side of the coin. Feel free to comment below. I will respond to all comments here, but I won't be able to respond to comments on Twitter. There are so many of you on Twitter and it's impossible to do without annoying my other followers who aren't DWTS fans. As always, please be respectful of others and their opinions. Thanks!

AfterBuzz TV DWTS: Julz Tocker

Hello, Everyone! It was so great to be back in studio with the entire DWTS AfterBuzz TV team. I missed them and I missed you.

I see your comments coming in, so I want to clarify a few things so they make sense to you.

--Sean Cheesman/Derek Hough choreography: I was in NO way implying Derek copied Sean. There are a ton of differences to the routine. The beginning table work reminded me of Sean's choreography, but you can clearly see the the direction each choreographer took. Watch Sean's routine here.

--Debbie Allen: Were you just as shocked as I was to learn about Corbin's dance experience with Debbie Allen? Ms. Allen's school is legendary for producing quality dancers, so I know it shouldn't surprise me…but…wow! It explains a lot about this season.

--Predictions:  We made predictions for next week's possible winner, but as I like to say, "it ain't over until that freestyle hits the floor." I'm expecting top level choreography from Karina and Derek, so it should be a great night of dance. If fans are voting for the best dancer, Corbin or Amber will be the winners. If fans rally around their favorite dancer based on story, Jack or Bill could have a serious shot. (Although I think the judges' scores will not allow this scenario to happen, but we know stranger things have happened.)

--Victor Ortiz: If you missed his appearance last season, you can watch how he mauled the pillows on the AfterBuzz couch during the interview. The chat room fans call it the "Victor Ortiz couch."

We loved having Julz Tocker back in studio. His energy and insight always bring so much to the table. It was really appreciated!

If you missed the show, you can listen here or watch below:

DWTS Season 17: The End of the Ringer Debate

Don't ever count out athletes like Keyshawn Johnson in this competition.

Since we are only eight days away from the Season 17 launch of Dancing With the Stars. I'd like this to the last time we talk about ringers this season. Last season was filled with talk about the lovely Zendaya and her "ringer" status. It's just a waste of time talking about this since the alleged ringer doesn't always win. Let's talk about dance and choreography and personality--things that matter to the show. There will always be some producer manipulation behind the scenes, but arguing about it is just exhausting.

Yep, that's Snooki during her gymnastic and cheerleading days.

Here's a sample of a few of the contestants who have had dance or movement training prior to joining the cast.

Start by watching the incredible Valerie Harper in this production number. It isn't available for embedding, but it's definitely worth watching.

Elizabeth Berkley:


Amber Riley:


Christina Milian:


Bill Nye, The Science Guy:


Corbin Bleu:


DWTS on AfterBuzz TV premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 17 with me, Anna Trebunskaya, Suri Serano and Jake DuPree at 8 p.m. PT. Watch here. 

Leah Remini & Corbin Bleu Interviews: Get Excited For DWTS Season 17!

Is it Wednesday yet? I'm dying for the ABC reveal of the Season 17 cast for DWTS. As I was going over the rumored cast list, I realized I had two old interviews with possible cast members: Leah Remini and Corbin Bleu. Coincidentally, the red carpet interviews I have with them were both done at the same event. It was the LA opening of the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus back in July 2011.

Both of the interviews were pretty hilarious. Leah misunderstood my question, so watch have the whole thing goes down...over and over...



My interview with Corbin was kind of awesome because I had tickets to see him in Hairspray at the Hollywood Bowl as Seaweed J. Stubbs...and yes, the boy can dance. I think both Corbin and Leah are going to add a ton of personality to Season 17. Bring it on!

Are you ready for this season? I sure am!

The Friday Five

Friday is here and I have a busy weekend planned.  I will be moderating a panel on the "New Critics" at ITVFest on Saturday at 6PM.  If you are in LA and looking for the inside scoop on film and TV critics that work in the online space, click here for more info.  On Sunday, I am headed back to the Hollywood Bowl where I get the opportunity to see my pal, Corbin Bleu, perform onstage in the Broadway hit, Hairspray.  So, enjoy your weekend and here's my Friday Five, my favorite moments from the week:

1.  The Change-Up:  Um, I interviewed Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman AT THE SAME TIME!  Want to see it?  Go here or if you are a dude, here's Olivia Wilde.  It's my first correspondent gig for NBC/Univeral's iVillage website and it was an absolute blast.  If you like the interview, I would love it if you could comment over on their site under the video.  You don't need to register, you can just enter name, or you can even comment anonymously. (Thanks!)  I have another series of interviews from Spy Kids 4 coming up soon.  Think Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, and Alexa Vega.

2.  Spy Kids 4: Speaking of Spy Kids, this was the amount of tape I walked out of the press junket with.  That's a lot of tape!  They gave the press an opportunity to talk to a majority of the press which is rare, but it is appreciated. The iVillage editor is going to have a lot of work to do!  To see what a press junket is like, take a look at my article on the A Little Help press junket for Starpulse.

3.  The Amazing Mat:  This was a first:  a marching band playing in a house on an infomercial set.  It was wild and so much fun.  The house we shot the show in was gorgeous, one of those houses you aspire to own.  My co-host, Jordan Murphy, might be familiar to you too. He was the host of NBC's For Love or Money and VH1's Tool Academy.  I'll let you know when the show begins to air.

4.  Godspell:  My pal, Larry, sent me a text yesterday saying, "Hey, producer girl, isn't this your show?'  Well, it's not MY show, it's being helmed by my friends, Daniel Goldstein and Ken Davenport, but yep, I'm an investor.  I love getting the word out whether it is my new iPhone case or the cool time lapse video they posted of the billboard going up in Times Square.

5.  The Help:  Go see this movie.  It's a wonderful break from robots, aliens, wizards, and the explosive summer movie fare.  If you have read the book, I think you will be satisfied with the screen adaptation. (My mom just sent me her copy yesterday, so I am going backwards:  movie first, book second.) The performances are award-worthy and it's an important story to tell.  I saw a screening and I was lucky enough to hear a Q& A after with stars Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and director Tate Taylor, and author/writer Kathryn Stockett.  Go see the film on August 10th.  You won't be disappointed.  

I Ran Off And Joined The Circus

Last night was the premiere of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Fully Charged at the Staples Center.  The evening was also a benefit for the Starlight Foundation which "provides entertainment, education, and family activities for seriously ill children in the United States and their families."  It was an interesting mix of celebrities from the Disney Channel to Dancing With the Stars to The Office to the Real Housewives series.  The big question of the night was "If you joined the circus, what would your act be?"  We received some great answers, but no one topped Leah Remini who took three takes to get the answer done.  We included that whole hilarious sequences in our highlight video, so check it out and let me know what your circus act would be.  (By the way, no one ever mentioned being the ringmaster in the top hat!)

 Corbin Bleu of High School Musical was so much fun to interview. I'm seeing him in Hairspray at the Hollywood Bowl on August 7th.  

 Anything for a gag:  donning the clown nose.

 Kyle Richards of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Her husband is pretty hot, they make a striking couple.

 Leah Remini of The Talk.  She's just badass fun.  

 This is the second or third time I've interviewed Melora Hardin of The Office.  She is always kind, sweet, and wearing cute hats.

Olivia Holt of Kickin' It on Disney XD.  Yep, you probably need to be 12 years old to know who she is, but I really like the current crop of Disney kids.  

My circus act:  tight rope walker in 5" Jessica Simpson shoes.