Fall TV Blog

Even though Dancing With the Stars pro Karina Smirnoff just returned from a trip to Turks and Caicos with St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brad Penny, she is hot to trot with John Stamos for the new season of the show, which begins March 22.

“I have a wish to dance with John Stamos,” Smirnoff told PEOPLE Thursday at the opening of Haimov Jewelers in Miami. “I wanted him to be my celebrity partner. He finished Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway and he has had enough time to rest.”

Smirnoff says Stamos has been approached about competing on Dancing with the Stars but told her he needs a respite after his stint on Broadway that ended in November. Still, she is holding out hope that he’ll make the right decision. (more…)

Diving legend Greg Louganis has never backed away from a challenge.

He won four Olympic gold medals despite obstacles including a rough childhood, an abusive relationship, addictions to pills and alcohol and a devastating HIV diagnosis in 1988.

These days Louganis — who turns 50 today — is healthy, happy and ready for another kind of challenge: “I want to be on Dancing with the Stars,” he tells PEOPLE. “It would be such a blast.”

Known for his graceful dives (and the horrifying moment when he bashed his head on a diving board at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, requiring stitches), Louganis also danced as a child — and was teased about it by other kids, who also taunted him over his dyslexia and dark skin tone (adopted by Greek-American parents, his birth father is Samoan).

Yet Louganis, who revealed his painful past and talked openly about his sexuality and HIV status in his 1995 memoir Breaking the Surface, has thrived. Living in Malibu, Calif., with partner Daniel McSwiney, 46, his passion for diving has been replaced by his love of his dogs, whom he trains for agility competitions.

Now what Louganis wants most is to dust off his Dancing shoes — and show off some moves of his own.

“I don’t know about the outfits, but I’ve worn worse,” laughs Louganis, who as a child wore “sequins, headbands and poofy sleeves” for jazz routines. “I’ve never done ballroom but I want to try … Dance really captures something you just can’t put into words.” – Alexis Chiu

For more on Louganis — including how he stays healthy, his struggles with addiction, and his devotion to his dogs — check out the issue of PEOPLE on stands now.

Tell us: Do you think Louganis would be a good addition to the show?

Samantha Harris has left the ballroom!

The Dancing With the Stars co-host will not return to ABC’s celebrity dance competition when it returns for its tenth season on March 22. Harris, who has co-hosted with Tom Bergeron for the past eight seasons, told PEOPLE Thursday that the decision to leave the show wasn’t easy.

“[DWTS] could not have been more of a dream job,” she says. “I loved every single second of it and I’ve made lifelong friends at the show.”

But Harris, who majored in journalism at Northwestern University, says that she is focusing on other projects like her correspondent duties at The Insider, which she says have expanded in the past year.

“I interned at Entertainment Tonight 15 years ago, the summer after my sophomore year at Northwestern and I dreamed of working in the same space as hosts Mary Hart and Mark Steines and now I’m living that dream,” says Harris. (more…)

Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Cheryl Burke and her boyfriend, model Maxwell Zagorski, have split, Burke’s rep confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

A source close to the couple says Burke, 25, and Zagorski, 22, struggled with living on opposite coasts.

“The distance was so hard on the relationship. She lives in L.A. and he lives in New York,” the source says. “After a while it was just really hard for them to get together.”

Burke and Zagorski, who has appeared in ad campaigns for Levi’s and Abercrombie & Fitch, were introduced by former DWTS contestant Lance Bass last winter.

Burke, a two-time champion on DWTS, is expected to return for the show’s tenth season, which premieres March 22. –Monica Rizzo

Isaac Brekken/WireImage

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!”
(more…)

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.
(more…)

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