Fall TV Blog

The dining table at the Osmond family Thanksgiving feast will have all the fixings — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and a mirrored disco ball trophy.

“It will be a nice little centerpiece,” Donny Osmond, 51, joked Wednesday, just 24 hours after he and partner Kym Johnson won Season Nine of Dancing with the Stars.

Though it had been a busy few days for the oldest contestant to win the mirrored trophy, it was business as usual Wednesday in Las Vegas at his show, Donny and Marie.

Ribbing his sister, Marie Osmond, also a former Dancing contestant, the former teen idol brought out the trophy during the opening number of their show at the Flamingo Hotel and asked the audience, “Do I even let her touch this?” The sold out crowd, as expected, cheered loudly and clapped.

The trophy stood on a piano during a large portion of the show before Marie, who finished third in her season, had it sent backstage.

“Could my brother be more obnoxious,” she joked. “I told him that he better win, but let’s see him do it in 6-inch heels. But I am extremely proud of him. He worked so hard for it.”

With all that work, Osmond said he lost 20 lbs during his time on the show. But as good as winning feels, it hurts just as bad, Osmond said. “Everything hurts. There are muscles I didn’t know I had that hurt.”

In the end, though, it was all about his partner. “You got to know the dynamics backstage amongst all the professionals to appreciate it, but everyone was rooting for (Johnson). It was her year.” – Mark Gray

Adam Larkey/ABC

Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba tells PEOPLE she is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday morning in Los Angeles to relieve pressure and stiffness in her neck caused by spinal stenosis.

“I have arthritis. The space around my spinal cord has become compressed,” Inaba explains. “I have been locked. My neck was so stiff. We’re hoping this procedure will relieve that.”

Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal narrows, putting pressure on one or more areas of the spinal cord. The condition can be caused by arthritis or an injury.

“I’ll be fine and if this surgery goes well, I may have another one in the future,” Inaba says, noting that she still plans to attend the Dizzy Feet Foundation’s Celebration of Dance fundraiser on Sunday, November 29 in Los Angeles. Inaba is one of Dizzy Feet’s founding members. — Monica Rizzo

It was the perfect ending to “an emotional roller coaster season” Donny Osmond told PEOPLE minutes after he and partner Kym Johnson were awarded the Season Nine mirror ball trophy. The former teen idol, 51, humbly addressed fans and press members after the show, tearing up as he tried to express how he felt to be the winner.

“If you saw the work that went into this season,” Osmond said softly. “Kym is so amazing. Of all the things I’ve done in my career, this is right up there.”

When Osmond heard his name called, he rushed over to his wife, Debbie, and swept her off her feet and onto the ballroom floor. (more…)

TENDER HEART: Moments before the show ended, a video recap of the night aired on the studio monitors. The three couples took their marks on the dance floor, except for Donny Osmond. Downright giddy after receiving a perfect score for his freestyle routine, Osmond ran across the dance floor to embrace his sister Marie Osmond. Tears welled up in his eyes as his sister congratulated him. After the show, the famous siblings shared another tender moment and once again, Donny had trouble holding back his emotions. “I lost it with Marie,” Donny told PEOPLE, dabbing his eyes with a tissue. “Last week I blamed her for being a distraction in the audience. This week when I saw her, it was just the opposite. She was here supporting me and gave me what I needed to leave it all on the floor.”

BALLROOM WHITNEY: Pop queen Whitney Houston graced the ballroom following Monday night’s live show. Houston was on hand to pre-tape two musical numbers, which will air during Tuesday night’s live results show. Ten of Dancing’s pros, including Lacey Schwimmer, strutted their stuff while Houston sang her popular 1980s anthem “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” “She is literally an icon. We were rehearsing this morning and she walked in and we were all staring at her,” Schwimmer said after the performance. “It was like a goddess walked in. We talked to her and she was the nicest! She didn’t have to do that and she did. Who gets to dance for Whitney Houston, and to her biggest dance song? It was such a cool experience.” And Schwimmer says if Houston ever wants to come back as a contestant, “that would be awesome. If she did, all of the guys would be fighting over who gets to dance with her for sure!”
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Three couples hoofed it out for the season nine Dancing finale Monday night and, much like in season eight, the competition had something for everyone. Donny Osmond, Mya and Kelly Osbourne prepared three dances each for the last performance show of the year.

Kelly and partner Louis van Amstel started off the evening with a delicious tango that oozed intensity. All three judges praised the reality star for her marked improvement from the beginning of the season, with Len Goodman saying, “You are the revelation of this season.” She and Louis were rewarded with 26 points.

Next up were Mya and Dmitry Chaplin with a paso doble so passionate that judge Bruno Toniolio couldn’t sit still in his seat during the performance. “The power of Mya unleashed for all to admire,” Bruno purred. Carrie Ann Inaba called it dynamic and hot while Len said it was one of the show’s best performances ever. All of the praise translated into a perfect score of 30, the couple’s second perfect score of the season.

Donny and Kym Johnson cha-cha’d like there was no tomorrow. The crowd loved it and so did the judges, with Bruno commending the veteran performer for being “a credit to the profession.” They landed 27 points.
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Take it from a gal that has an inside track on the often topsy-turvy world of reality show ballroom dance. As far as judge Carrie Ann Inaba is concerned, Donny Osmond is an afterthought, Mya most certainly has both the moxie, and the moves, but going into the finals, Kelly Osbourne is the contestant with all of the momentum.

“Kelly’s always [been] my dark horse,” Inaba told People at the 2009 CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute in Los Angeles, “I love those dark horses, and I root for the underdogs, but she’s fueled with light.”

Despite the fact that she is apparently being aided by a previously unreported solar power, and a trimmed-down solar plexus, the daughter of heavy metal’s Prince of Darkness still faces an uphill battle if she plans an taking down her gal pal Mya in the finals.

“Mya is going into the finals with the highest scores, the most consistency, the most agility, and the reputation as a fabulous dancer,” Inaba says, “But, Kelly Osbourne, she has got momentum. People are dying to see what she is going to do, and they’re wondering to see of she is going to make it.”

But that anticipation can sometimes be accompanied by unrealistic expectations, which is something that may work against the 25-year-old Osbourne, and her partner Louis van Amstel. “It’s really going to be a lot of pressure on her,” Inaba says of Osbourne, “I’m actually worried about her, and whether or not she can handle the pressure. I’m hoping that she can.”
– Reagan Alexander

Bob D’Amico/ABC; Adam Larkey/ABC

Dancing’s remaining three couples have been hitting the ballroom floor at warp speed the past five days to prepare four dances for the season nine two-night finale.

Singers Mya and Donny Osmond, along with reality star Kelly Osbourne, have been working their tails off, season eight champ Mark Ballas tells PEOPLE. “The freestyle routines will make it or break it for the finalists,” Ballas says, noting that now in his fifth season on DWTS, veteran pro dancer Louis van Amstel “is in his first finale ever. I’m so proud of him.”

Van Amstel is working hard with Osbourne, while fellow pro Kym Johnson is putting the finishing touches on her routines with Osmond. Mya, who’s arguably the most talented dancer of the three remaining contestants, is paired with pro Dmitry Chaplin.

“In some ways the pros have even more pressure than the celebrities because that freestyle choreography has to create a vibe, an excitement in the room. It has to be off the charts,” Ballas says.

In order to bring home the mirror ball trophy, Mya has to “show a little more of her personality. I want to see the camaraderie between her and Dmitry a bit more,” Ballas observes. “Donny needs to bring it in the freestyle round and Kelly needs to really let go of any inhibitions and just go for it.” (more…)

Their First Time: Everyone always asks the celebrities what it’s like to be heading to the Dancing with the Stars finale, but this is a new experience for pro dancer Dmitry Chapin, too. The pro dancer twirled onto the dance floor for the first time last season but not without a few twists. His original partner was singer Jewel, who withdrew from the competition before it started due to an injury. With less than a week before the premiere, he was paired up with Holly Madison, who was eliminated in the fourth week. A season later, and he’s headed to the finals! “It’s about the partnership. I might have the best dancer, the best partner, but if the partnership doesn’t work, then we’re not going to go anywhere. I’m really happy with Mya,” he says. “We didn’t fight even once. We didn’t have any arguments in the studio.”

Family Affair: Even though it was Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne who received a frenzied applause when they walked to their seats moments before showtime, it was Ozzy who cheered the loudest when he learned his daughter Kelly was headed to the finals. “We’ve watched our baby mature into a gorgeous, young woman,” he said after the show. “She hasn’t had a dance lesson in her life and I think she’s done remarkably well.” It was a long show as Kelly’s parents waited to hear whether their youngest daughter would make it. “I don’t know that I can take much more of this,” Ozzy joked. (more…)

After four couples danced their hearts out in Monday’s semi-finals, only three could move on to the Dancing with the Stars finale next week. Sadly, model Joanna Krupa and her partner Derek Hough will not be one of them. The pair danced her last waltz Tuesday night — and it was lovely.

“I really came in the underdog so it’s great that people actually appreciated our dances and our hard work,” Krupa told PEOPLE after the elimination.

Instead of taking a final bow as the credits rolled, head judge Len Goodman asked Krupa and Hough to give a final performance of their Viennese waltz.

“It couldn’t have been written better, going out on that dance. It was really special,” Hough says. “We went out on a high note.”

As the weeks went by, Kelly Osbourne often talked about how close she and partner Louis van Amstel became with Krupa and Hough. So it was no surprise that the foursome huddled together for a private moment during a commercial break.

“We basically said, ‘Whatever happens happens. It was an amazing experience,’” says Krupa, recalling what they talked about before the final couple was announced. “We both came in here with no experience, so whoever gets to the next level, we’re going to root for, and I’m definitely going to root for Kelly to win.” (more…)

Improv Act: Kelly Osbourne was pretty in pink Monday night as she sashayed on the dance floor for her first performance of the night. But things weren’t as they appeared. “In case you didn’t know, my 20-second solo was completely made up,” she says of her rumba. “I got out there and froze.” Her partner Louis van Amstel had complete faith in her as he watched on. “I was standing behind her and thinking, ‘Keep your cool. Keep your cool,’” he tells PEOPLE. The judges didn’t detect her new routine — the couple scored all 8s.

Making an Impression: As if there wasn’t enough pressure for the final four couples in the semi-finals, famed choreographer Kenny Ortega sat ringside watching the performances. “Donny [Osmond] is an inspiration and an incredible role model and I can’t believe how hard he’s working,” he said. But it was Osbourne’s performances that had him smiling each time she kicked up her heels. “Kelly blew me away tonight. It’s wonderful to watch them all grow in the arms of their partners,” he said. “I jumped out of my seat like a jack-in-the-box after [her] quickstep.” After the show, Osbourne said Ortega’s comments nearly moved her to tears: “He said when I dance, he can see my heart on the dance floor and that’s what a real dancer is.” (more…)