Fall TV Blog

Despite the rumors that Vera Wang has signed on to kick up her heels on Dancing with the Stars, the revered fashion designer says, not so fast.

“I don’t know yet,” she told PEOPLE of her plans to join the ballroom competition, adding that “there’s nothing” in terms of a signed contract.

“Part of me does want to do it,” she says, and “part of me doesn’t.”

Wang cited her busy schedule producing a ready-to-wear show in September and her bridal show in October as reasons she may not want to dance.

But how is she at the cha cha, the quickstep and the tango? “I’m okay,” she says of her dancing skills. “I’m not spectacular. I’m not a ballroom dancer — I’m free form.”

So, stay tuned to see if Wang will cut a deal with ABC. “They talked to me they talked to a lot of other people,” she says. “I was very flattered.”

At least she could design her own costumes! – Reporting by Jeffrey Slonim

Tell us: Would you like to see Vera Wang on Dancing with the Stars?

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Gilles Marini made it all the way to the Dancing with the Stars finals (and almost won it), leading many to believe the actor was exaggerating about injuring his left shoulder while doing the show.

“A lot of people thought I was joking. No, no. It was bad. A lot of damage to my shoulder,” says the 33-year-old, who was diagnosed with tendonitis and underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“I had an outpatient procedure and the surgeon discovered there was a lot more damage than what we originally thought,” Marini told PEOPLE from his Studio City, Calif., home Wednesday afternoon.

But the procedure was a success, Marini says, and he should recuperate “in three weeks,” according to his doctor.

As for his summer plans, Marini will take his family back to France for a few weeks before returning to the States to begin looking over “lots of scripts and offers that came in,” he says. One role already locked in is playing Rachel Griffiths’s love interest on Brothers and Sisters next season. (more…)

Proud Parents: While gold confetti fell from above the ballroom floor, Shirley Ballas and Teri Johnson looked on, their eyes brimming with tears as their babies — Mark Ballas and Shawn Johnson — were crowned season 8 champs. “Oh my gosh! I’m so thrilled and surprised,” Johnson’s mom told PEOPLE, adding, “She does well under pressure.” Though this was the second DWTS trophy for Ballas, his mom Shirley, a ballroom pro herself, was also in shock. “I thought Gilles (Marini) and Cheryl (Burke) had it in the bag,” she said. “The difference I saw in Shawn was a shy 17-year-old girl who turned into a woman. She gained momentum, she knew it was close and she knew what she had to do. She peaked at the right moment, didn’t she?”

The Agony of Defeat: Mere steps away from the mini huddle gathered around Johnson and Ballas was runner-up Gilles Marini consoling his son, Georges. The 10-year-old, who watched his father perform on Monday and Tuesday, sobbed as Marini held him in his arms and told him over and over “it’s alright, it’s alright.” Marini said his son’s disappointment was “pretty intense. He’s taking it badly. He’s a 10-year-old, and he wanted to put the trophy on the shelf in (his sister) Juliana’s room.” Despite not winning, Marini says the evening’s outcome was “a win-win situation.” The show introduced him to the American public, and even better, “I got to meet Cheryl,” Marini said. “If not for her, I would have been gone the first week.”
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She missed her prom earlier this month, but for gymnast Shawn Johnson winning Dancing with the Stars more than makes up for it. The 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist and her partner Mark Ballas captured the season 8 crown Tuesday night, upsetting actor Gilles Marini in what was the closest finale in DWTS history.

“This means the world to me,” a still-incredulous Johnson said minutes after taking possession of Dancing’s mirror-ball trophy. “We worked so hard just to make it to the finals. This is the best.”

Not much separated Johnson and Marini — less than 1% — the smallest margin between a winner and loser in Dancing’s eight seasons. But the deciding factor in Johnson winning out over Marini may well have been the freestyle routine she and Ballas performed Monday night, judge Bruno Tonioli tells PEOPLE.

“Shawn’s freestyle was the best of all of them. With cha cha cha, tango, waltz — they all have a structure. But in the freestyle anything goes and you may or may not get it right. Shawn and Mark got it right. The other two [Marini and Melissa Rycroft] did not get it right.”
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The Jitters Bug: Before Monday’s show there was a sense of tension in the air. “It’s weird, tonight is one of the last times I’m going to get to dance with Tony,” Melissa Rycroft said. “It’s very bittersweet. But we didn’t focus on that. Instead we said it’s the finals, it’s fun. We fed off of all the energy backstage and all of the energy from the audience.” Cheryl Burke found comfort in her old friend and former partner Emmitt Smith. “It was so nice to see him here,” Burke said. “It’s been so many years. He was like, ‘Cheryl, go out there and good luck. You’re nervous’ — he always knows I get nervous, so he calmed me down a little bit.” And minutes before show time Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas bowed their heads in a prayer of thanks. “We know how great it is to be here and have the honor to perform in front of millions of people every Monday and Tuesday,” Ballas said. “We’re very grateful.”

To Catch a Thief: Bruno Tonioli likened Shawn Johnson’s aggression and “killer instinct” during the paso doble to that of TV serial killer Dexter. But a more appropriate label would be that of a thief, because the 17-year-old Olympic champ and Mark Ballas stole the night. And it was their energetic, no-holds-barred freestyle — with sequined masks and, yes, jazz hands — that sealed the deal. Though both Marissa Jaret Winokur and Jane Seymour pledged allegiance to their former DWTS partner Tony Dovolani, neither could deny that Johnson was the night’s big winner. “I think Shawn was the best dancer out of all three,” Winokur told PEOPLE. “I agree,” Seymour said. “Shawn was a huge surprise. I don’t think Gilles did near as much as either women, but then that’s always the case with the men.” Judge Bruno Tonioli exclaimed, “Shawn’s freestyle was IT! The others didn’t quite get it together as well.” Still, Tonioli said, “It’s going to be a close call for a winner.”
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It’s a race to the finish line! The final three — in sparkly sequenced tops, flowy skirts, bejeweled masks and ripped shirts — made a fashionable dash to the end with the season’s final set of dances. Two teams earned perfect scores, one team smooched the entire judges’ table and all three got the crowd on its feet with a paso doble face-off and freestyle round full of kicks, lifts and a whole lot of tricks.

The group started the night with a punk rock-meets-Latin mood while dancing the paso doble to Pink’s “So What.” Though together at the beginning and end of the routine, each team broke off in between for their individual performances.

Shawn Johnson’s quick turns and spot-on technique earned her a mixed batch of reviews. “Last time I said your [paso doble] wasn’t really exciting for me,” Len Goodman told her, “[but] this was full of excitement.” And while Bruno Tonioli commended her for “always” putting on a strong effort (he also said she was “like a serial killer”), Carrie Ann Inaba said her facial and body expressions just weren’t there. “There wasn’t as much as an emotional commitment…compared to like Gilles, but it was beautiful,” she said. (more…)

Melissa Rycroft, Gilles Marini and Shawn Johnson are done with the hard part — learning and performing two dances, the paso doble and a freestyle routine, on Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars finale. And after their performances, the narrowest of margins — two points — separate the three contestants. Gilles and Shawn are tied for first with 58 out 60 for their two dances, while Melissa scored a 56 out of 60. Going into Tuesday’s results show, where the contestants will each perform one more dance, who do you think has the edge to win?

MORE: Dancing Recap: Top Three’s Tight Finale Fight

Kelsey McNeal/ABC(3)

Fans of Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough haven’t been happy ever since the 20-year-old two-time champ said she would not be back next season.

Hough, who danced with her boyfriend, country singer Chuck Wicks, this season, now says she in no way meant to imply that she was leaving the show for good.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Hough said: “I am appreciative to be taking this coming season of Dancing with the Stars off to focus on my other career paths like touring in support of my album and recording my next one. I look forward to returning to DWTS in early 2010.”

And she has the go-ahead from Dancing executive producer Conrad Green, who tells PEOPLE that he gave Hough his blessing to “take a breather. It’s a really intensive show so we welcome our dancers the opportunity to take a break.”

With Hough’s growing popularity, Green adds, “It doesn’t damage the show to have her pursue her music. What’s lovely is she’s committed to the show and she wanted to get that message out there that she’ll be back.” (more…)

With the Dancing with the Stars finale kicking off Monday night, at least one couple isn’t feeling the pressure.

“We entered the season having a good time, and now we are ending the season actually having a good time,” says Dancing pro Tony Dovolani, who is paired with Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft.

That’s not to say Rycroft and Dovolani aren’t gunning for the coveted mirror-ball trophy.

“Oh, she wants it REALLY badly,” Dovolani told PEOPLE last week while attending the Terminator Salvation premiere. “In fact, we both want it really badly. The last time I was in the final was with Stacy Keibler. That was season 2, and it’s season 8 right now. So I’m dying to get that trophy!”

In fact, the pair is planning on pulling out all the stops against their competitors, Gilles Marini and his partner Cheryl Burke and Shawn Johnson and her partner Mark Ballas.

“We have this trick that I’m going to be doing with her that’s going to be a breathtaking kind of thing,” reveals Dovolani. “We’re really excited about it.” –Scott Huver

Tell us: Of the pros going into the finale, are you rooting for Tony to win?

MORE: What Will It Take to Win Dancing with the Stars?

Craig Sjodin/ABC

When viewers tune in Monday night to see the final season 8 performance show, they may find themselves in a quandary as to how to vote. That’s because the showdown between actor Gilles Marini, Olympic champ Shawn Johnson, and reality star Melissa Rycroft is the most evenly-matched in Dancing’s history.

“It’s the fans who are really going to decide,” says season 5 winner Helio Castroneves. The Brazilian race car driver, prepping for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, tells PEOPLE what viewers have already witnessed: this year’s finalists “can all dance really well.”

On Monday’s one-hour live telecast (at 8 p.m. ET on ABC), the three celebrities and their professional dance partners will dance the paso doble to the same music, as well as perform their respective freestyle routines. Tuesday night all three couples return to the ballroom to perform their favorite dance of the season, which will be scored only by the judges. Then a new Dancing winner will be crowned on the season finale’s live results show. (more…)