American Idol Update

Season 1's Justin Guarini has lots to celebrate right now; he is engaged to girlfriend Reina Capodici. He recently told Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show that he plans to get back into the studio as soon as possible to work on a new album, and if you go to Justin's website you can listen to a song that he co-wrote with the intent that it would be on the "New Moon" soundtrack, but it did not make the final cut. http://www.justinguarini.com/index.html Season 1 Winner Kelly Clarkson is currently on her "All I Ever Wanted" Tour;
http://kellyclarkson.com/index.htm?id=18044&sid=17773


Kimberly Caldwell, from season 2 has signed a record deal with Vanguard Records and hopes to have an album released in early 2010. The other Kimberly, Kimberly Locke is hard at work with Randy Jackson on her fourth studio album. Clay Aiken has signed a new record deal with Universal's Decca Records, this after he was dropped by his former label. He hopes to release new music in early 2010. Season 2 Winner, Ruben Studdard is going on a 10 city tour as a part of the David Foster and Friends tour.


Rumor has it that Neyo may be executive producing Jennifer Hudson's next album. She told Neyo that she wants her next album to be more personal, considering all the things Hudson has gone through in the past couple of years, there is no doubt that it will be.


Anwar Robinson will co-star in a Broadway musical tribute to Michael Jackson called, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, the tribute will take place on October 19th at Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. http://www.birdlandjazz.com/ --- for tickets and info.


The gorgeous Constantine Maroulis will continue to star in Broadway's Rock of Ages through Jan. 2010; this excites me because it means I still have time to go see it. The lovely Miss Carrie Underwood has been a busy lady. Her new single, "Cowboy Casanova" is quickly climbing the country charts and she will release her third studio album "Play On" on November 3rd. Here is the single--- http://www.youtube.com/user/carrieunderwood?blend=1&ob=4 . I will keep you all posted on the video which is scheduled to debut on October 2nd.

Katharine McPhee has released two singles, "Had It All" and "Say Goodbye" from her upcoming album, "Unbroken" which is scheduled to be released on January 5, 2010. You can hear the new singles on Katharine's myspace --- http://www.myspace.com/katharinemcphee

Phil Stacey will continue to tour from now through at least the beginning of 2010 with his new album, "Into The Light". Blake Lewis will release his second studio length album, "Heartbreak on Vinyl" on October 6, 2010. Miss Jordin Sparks is the face of the new Got Milk Ad, and she recently premiered the music video for her new single "SOS: Let The Music Play". Check out her website to see both, http://www.jordinsparks.com/us/home .

Jason Castro is out with an impressive first single called, Let's Just Fall in Love Again" which is also the title of his first full length studio album to be released on November 17th. Critics already love the single, and Castro is up and running with a website and a mall tour. I might just have to take a drive down to Providence! Go to his website so you can go see him at a location near you, and you can also listen to his new single while you're at it--- http://www.jasoncastromusic.com/. Syesha Mercado will be playing Deena Jones in the national tour of "Dreamgirls" which kicks off November 7th in Harlem at the Apollo Theater. Check out the "Dreamgirls" website to look at the tour schedule and purchase tickets, http://www.dreamgirlsonstage.com/#/tickets.

One of my faves from Season 8, Matt Giraud has up an awesome myspace page, and everyone should check it out, you can listen to all the songs he sang throughout the season--http://www.myspace.com/matthewscottgiraud. Your fave red headed rocker and mine, Allison Iraheta is hard at work in the studio with Kevin Rudolf, Max Martin, and David Hodges. Her album with Jive and 19 is set to be released on December 1st. For more updates, check out her website at http://www.allisoniraheta.com/us/home. The record deal that Danny Gokey signed with 19 and RCA Nashville marks the first time in American Idol history that the top 4 contestants have cut record deals. For more info on Danny go to his myspace http://www.myspace.com/danielgokey. All I know so far about Adam Lambert's album is that it is scheduled to be released on November 24th. American Idol winner Kris Allen has chosen "Live Like We're Dying" to be the first single off his debut album which will be released on November 17th. So far, critical response on his single has been positive. (Kris' official website: http://www.krisallenofficial.com/).

The 2009 VMA's: The Highlights, And Sadly The Lowlights

The VMA's have created quite the buzz this year in the aftermath of one of the most memorable shows in a long time.

The show opened with Madonna giving a sincere and heartfelt speech about her friend Michael Jackson who she said she "abandoned" in the later years of his life. She drew many comparisons to herself and the late King of Pop who she admitted received the "the shorter end of the stick". Madonna spoke of his career, their friendship, his heroism, and her admiration of the man that he was and tried so hard to be. Sister Janet paid homage to her brother through dance channeling Michael throughout her performance. At the end of tribute, Janet looked up, as if to seek approval from her older brother and I have no doubt he was smiling.

The caliente Shakira and New Moon's Taylor Lautner came out to present the female video of the year award, and the nominees were: Katy Perry for "Hot N' Cold", Kelly Clarkson for "My Life Would Suck Without You", Lady Gaga for "Poker Face", Pink for "So What", and Taylor Swift for "You Belong With Me". Taylor Swift was announced as the winner and deservedly so, all of the ladies in this category had a great year. And then, something beyond strange happened, as Taylor was about to give her acceptance speech, Kanye West (I know what you're thinking, oh no, not again!) appeared onstage and said Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. Beyonce looked on, mortified and completely unsuspecting, and then Kanye handed the mic back to Taylor and walked off the stage. Taylor was left looking both confused and embarrassed, at that moment, my heart sank, and then my anger for Kanye set in.

Not long after the debacle, Taylor performed her moonman winning song, in a New York subway. I know I was looking to see if her performance was shaky at all, but it wasn't, it was strong, and I could not be more proud of her making a positive out of a negative. The high energy performance that featured lots of fans, and lots of movement turned out to be a highlight of the night.

I like Lady Gaga's music, but her performance was anemic and bloody at best. She was wearing white underwear onstage while her male dancers dawned women's panties and thongs on their faces. "Paparazzi" is a great song, but Gaga kind of ruined it for me, now when I think of it or hear it, I will see the picture of her in my mind smearing blood all over her stomach and face. Yuck! My question to Gaga is, do you think the more odd, weird, and crazy you are that it makes you were artsy or trendy? Stop trying so hard! What would be really interesting is if you acted normal for once.

Nelly and Kristin Cavallari came out to present the Best Pop Video, and the following were the nominees, Beyonce for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)", Britney Spears for "Womanizer", Cobra Starship for "Good Girls Go Bad", Lady Gaga for "Poker Face", and Wisin Y Yandel for "Abusadora". Britney won the moonman for "Womanizer" and accepted it from backstage at her tour. Welcome back Brit, you really deserved this award, and it shows that through hard work and perseverance, good things happen.

Neyo and the gorgeous Chace Crawford introduced Beyonce who performed her nominated song, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)". The performance was like a reenactment of B's video, complete with lots of attitude, hips, and a chorus for single women everywhere.

I just wanted to quickly at this point mention fashion faux pas, Jennifer Lopez, Cassie, and Katy Perry's dresses were less then perfect (kinda heinous actually). Lady Gaga tried way too hard to be cool from her red carpet concoction to her performance outfit to the red mess that she accepted her best new artist award in for "Poker Face".

Pink's performance of "Sober" was so impressive that I watched it more than once. She sang live, swinging from trapeze and doing flips; she stopped at one point to catch her breath and appropriately finished big. I especially loved Pink's daring costume complete with a sparkly pink heart pasty.

Andy Samberg and Jimmy Fallon presented the video of the year to Beyonce for her "Single Ladies" video. The other nominee's included Britney Spears for "Womanizer", Eminem for "We Made You", Kanye West (the loser of the night) for "Love Lockdown" and Lady Gaga for "poker Face". The classy Beyonce spoke of first being nominated for a VMA at the age of 17 when she was a part of Destiny's Child and how much it meant to her. She invited Taylor Swift out to the stage to give the acceptance speech that she couldn't give before. The two strong ladies looked at each other with a mutual admiration and hugged.

Alicia Keys and Jay Z brought the house down with "Empire State of Mind" off Jay's "The Blueprint 3". Ms. Key's dazzled on the piano as always and sang a catchy hook as Jay showed us why he remains one of the best. Loving wife Beyonce looked on and sang along with Key's and danced from her seat as she smiled from ear to ear.

Kanye West apologized via his blog after the show was over but for me it was too little, too late. How many bonehead things has he done before that we have forgiven him for? We mourned for him and had compassion when he lost his beloved mother. I agree with something that I heard someone else say, if Kanye disagrees with the winners (which are voted on by the public, just so everyone knows) why doesn't he have his own Kanye West award show and broadcast it from his website. But seriously Kanye, first off, if this was an issue of you having too much to drink then you need to learn how to handle your liquor. Second, are you two? you humiliated a teenager for goodness sake; there was absolutely no need for that. No matter how good your music is (and by the way, you are not, nor will you ever be, better than Michael Jackson), it does not excuse your bad behavior. I think that some of the celebs said it best:

Kelly Clarkson wrote on her website:

"Dear Kanye, what happened to you as a child?? Did you not get hugged enough?? Something must have happened to make you this way and I think we're all just curious as to what would make a grown man go on national television and make a talented artist, let alone teenager, feel like sh--. I mean, I've seen you do some pretty sh---y things, but you just keep amazing me with your tactless, a--hole ways. It's absolutely fascinating how much I don't like you. I like everyone. I even like my a--hole ex that cheated on me over you ... which is pretty odd since I don't even personally know you. The best part of this evening is that you weren't even up for THIS award and yet you still have a problem with the outcome. Is winning a Moonman that much of a life goal?? You can have mine if it will shut you up. Is it that important, really??
"I was actually nominated in the same category that Taylor won, and I was excited for her ... so why can't you be??" the letter continued. "I'm not even mad at you for being an a--hole ... I just pity you because you're a sad human being. On a side note, Beyoncé has always been a class act and proved again tonight that she still is. Go TEXAS!! Taylor Swift, you outsell him ... that's why he's bitter. You know I love your work! Keep it up girl!"

Kellie Pickler tweeted:

"Tator Tot, you handled yourself with Grace. Kanye, go grow some f-ing balls, bi---! don't mess w/my lil sis!!"

Katy Perry tweeted:

F++K U KANYE. IT'S LIKE U STEPPED ON A KITTEN.

Pink tweeted (more than once):

Kanye West is the biggest piece of sh-- on earth. Quote me. My heart goes out to Taylor Swift. She is a sweet and talented girl and deserved her moment. She should know we all love her. Beyonce is a classy lady. I feel for her, too. Its not her fault at all, and her and taylor did their thing. And douche bag got kicked out. HA

Donald Trump claims that Kanye didn't even care less if Beyonce won or not and that he just did it for "grandstanding and to get attention".

Fall TV Lineup 2009: All the shows you should watch (Part 3)

(The final in a series of 3)


Ugly Betty-- 9-10 on ABC premieres Oct. 9, Betty was promoted to features editor at the end of last season, and this season she will be working with a whole new group of people so she will be trying to make new friends. Yaya Dacosta (America’s Next Top Model cycle 3 runner up) will take over the role of Wilhelmina’s daughter. Kristen Johnston will be in a recurring role as Mode’s newest office temp. Betty’s glasses won’t be as funky this season as they usually are, and mid season she’ll get her braces off; now that’s exciting. http://abc.go.com/shows/ugly-betty

Southland-- 9-10 on NBC premieres Oct. 23, The hit series which premiered in 2009 is using the four extra weeks after all the other shows premiere to promote and create hype. Amaury Nolasco (Sucre Prison Break) is joining the cast as Det. Lydia Adams (Regina King) aggressive new partner who drives her crazy. Could a coming together of the two be far behind? Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) will come out and reveal that he is indeed gay on this season of the show; his sexuality will be explored and how he got to this point will be brought to the surface. Tom Everett Scott’s, Russell Clarke will survive his gunshot wound but the traumatic experience with take a psychological toll on him. http://www.nbc.com/southland/

The Simpsons-- 8-8:30 on FOX premieres Sept. 27, more info to follow.

The Amazing Race-- 8-9 on CBS premieres Sept. 27, The 15th season of the exciting reality series begins with Phil Keoghan still hosting. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/

Three Rivers-- 9-10 on CBS premieres Oct. 4, I was trying to figure out why a show about the top transplantation hospital in the country was called Three Rivers, and then after reading about the show’s premise and watching the trailers it became clear to me. Three Rivers shows you the story from three very different points of view, the organ donor, the organ recipient, and the transplant surgeon. Leading the transplant team is Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O’Laughlin) who is a workaholic with a sarcastic personality, but definite skills as a doctor. His colleagues include Dr. Miranda Foster (Katherine Moenning) is a rebel with a temper who yearns to live up to her father’s rep as a surgeon. There is Dr. David Lee (Daniel Henney X Men Origins Wolverine) the womanizing surgeon who breaks hearts outside of the hospital.. Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke) is the new transplant coordinator who unfortunately lacks experience. The tough as nails head of surgery, Sophia Jordan will be played by Alfre Woodard and Justina Machado plays Pam Acosta, Andy’s operating assistant and best friend. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/three_rivers/

Desperate Housewives-- 9-10 on ABC premieres Sept. 27, Lots of changes this season on Desperate Housewives, Drea De Matteo (The Sopranos) will play Angie Vitale , the matriarch of the new Italian family that moves in and Jeffrey Nordling (Once & Again) will play her flirtatious husband, Nick. Their 20 year old son, Dominic (Beau Mirchoff) may have eyes for Gaby’s niece who just moved in down the street. Mike Delfino’s bride is finally revealed, will it be Katherine or Susan? Both were seen in wedding dresses. Lynette starts to accept the fact that she is pregnant, again. Orson Bean will join the show as Roy, Mrs. McCluskey’s new life partner/ boyfriend, whatever you want to call it. Jesse Metcalf will reprise his role as Miguel, rumor has it he is divorced and doing well, and Ana (Gaby’s niece) has her eyes all over him. Another couple is moving in to Edie’s house, they will be played by Rebecca Staab (Elizabeth Port Charles) and David Chisum (Miles One Life to Live). http://abc.go.com/shows/desperate-housewives

Fall TV Lineup 2009: All the shows you should watch (Part 2)

Mercy-- Wed. 8-9 on NBC premieres Sept. 23, The series is seen through the eyes of nurses with the women in the starring roles. Boston native, Taylor Schilling plays the lead role as Veronica Callahan, a nurse at Mercy Hospital who just returned from a tour in Iraq. She takes on trauma in the hospital and the social dramas of love and life with her fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jaime Lee Kirchner) and rookie nurse Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg). Yes, there are men on Mercy, but if you want to see them you will have to watch; I think this one is going to be good. http://www.nbc.com/mercy/index.shtml

Glee-- Wed. 9-10 on FOX premieres Sept. 9, The cast is way too huge to go through but the premise is sweet for this one hour musical comedy; over sixty songs will be covered in the first season alone everything from Heart to Beyonce to Carrie Underwood to music from the major musicals, “Wicked”, “West Side Story”, and “Guys & Dolls”. Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuster a Spanish teacher and the new director of the school choir or “glee” club. He hopes that with his hard work he can take the club all the way to nationals and prove those around him wrong. He is married to his high school sweetheart Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig Boston Public). To familiarize yourself with the other members of “glee”, head to the official website, check out the bios, and watch the pilot; it will make you sing! http://www.fox.com/glee

Modern Family-- Wed. 9-9:30 on ABC premieres on Sept. 23, Deemed by critics as the most promising comedy of the season, a mock-documentary, Modern Family centers around three very different families at different places in their lives. Ed O’Neill (Married with Children) returns to TV as Jay, recently married to the sexy Columbian Gloria (Sofia Vergara) who has a preteen son named Manny. Claire (Julie Bowen Ed) is dealing with raising her family, her husband Phil (Ty Burrell) thinks he understands his three kids which ultimately embarrasses them. Then there is Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), partners and parents who just adopted a Vietnamese baby. Let the games, I mean the parenting, begin. http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/modern-family

Cougar Town-- 9:30-10 on ABC premieres Sept. 23, Courteney Cox plays Jules Cobb, a 40 something who is just experiencing her 20s now. Recently divorced, Jules has almost everything in life, a son, a solid career, and best friends, but she discovers that there is more to life than that. While trying to discover who she really is, Jules discovers that the only way to live life is to live it up. The supporting cast includes Josh Hopkins as Grayson Ellis, Jules’s neighbor, also divorced but totally embracing being single, unlike Jules. Andy (Ian Gomez Felicity) and Ellie Torres (Christa Miller) are the married couple and friends of Jules. Laurie Keller (Busy Phillips Felicity, ER) is Jules’s assistant and single friend. Bobby Cobb (Brian Van Holt) is Jules’s ex husband who messes up quite a bit as a father. Finally, Travis Cobb (Dan Byrd) is Jules’s teenage son with ex husband Brian who sometimes finds his parents embarrassing. http://abc.go.com/shows/cougar-town/index

Law & Order: SVU-- 9-10 on NBC premieres Sept. 23, The executive producer of the show, Neal Baer says the unofficial theme of this season is “Benson and Stabler against the world”. In the season opener, Wentworth Miller (Michael Prison Break) guests as a police officer that Benson does not see eye to eye with. Christine Lahti will be around for a few episodes as ADA Sonya Paxton and she will ruffle the feathers of both Stabler and Benson. Here is the rest of this season’s impressive lineup so far, Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Jessica Walter (90210, Arrested Development), Stephen Rea, Rosie Perez, Garret Dillahunt, Mitchell Jarvis (“Rock of Age’s”), and Jeri Ryan will return as defense attorney Patrice Larue. http://www.nbc.com/Law_and_Order_Special_Victims_Unit

Eastwick-- 10-11 on ABC premieres Sept. 23, Based on John Updike’s novel, in the town of Eastwick, special powers are bestowed upon three ladies Joanna (Lindsay Price Lipstick Jungle, Beverly Hills 90210) a shy local reporter, Kat (Jaime Ray Newton General Hospital) the in over her head mom and wife, and Roxie (Rebecca Romijn X-Men) the complicated artist with an original personality. The three ladies, through gossip around town, do not like each other very much, but one day at a fountain they meet, and after lots of martinis they become best of friends, and begin discovering their new talents. Rounding out the cast is Veronica Cartwright as Bun, Roxie’s Aunt; Paul Gross as the mysterious Darryl Van Horne who arrives the night the women receive their powers; Ashley Benson (Days of Our Lives) plays Mia, Roxie’s daughter who lost her dad at an early age; Sara Rue (Popular, Less Than Perfect) is Penny, Joanna’s best friend who is investigating Darryl the man who took her best friend away. Jon Berthnal plays Raymond, Kat’s lazy, unemployed husband, and finally Johann Urb plays Will, Joanna’s coworker and crush. http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/eastwick/index

Flash Forward-- 8-9 on ABC premieres Sept. 24, The premise of this new series is clever and feels like a movie, “what if you saw your future six months from now, would you look forward to it, or would you try to stop it?” The handsome Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) stars as LA FBI Agent Mark Benford who is in a quest to uncover why this “blackout” happened and who or what made it happen. I love the previews for this show, head to the show’s official site to watch the trailer, and meet the rest of the cast: http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward

The Vampire Diaries-- 8-9 on the CW premieres Sept. 10, Based on the novels by L.J. Smith written more than a decade before Twilight, The Vampire Diaries is centered around the beautiful and vulnerable 17 year old, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) who finds herself adjusting to the recent death of her parents; she is drawn to a new student at school, Stefan (Paul Wesley). He seems like a dream guy, sensitive and handsome, but Elena doesn’t know that he is a vampire. Stefan’s brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder Lost) is also a vampire, but unlike Stefan who has stopped feeding on humans, he is wicked and wants to take the souls of everyone in Mystic Falls, especially Elena’s. Stefan works against Damon to try and preserve Elena’s soul. The supporting cast includes Elena’s 15 year old brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen Everwood) who deals with his parents death by hanging out with the wrong crowd. Elena’s social circle includes her bff Bonnie Bennett (Katerina Graham 17 Again) and friend/ enemy Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola). One more thing to mention, executive producer, Julie Plec promises, “We’re sexier and scarier than Twilight”. http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries

Grey’s Anatomy-- 9-10 on ABC premieres Sept. 24, So it’s official T.R. Knight’s character George O’Malley is dead and he is not returning for the season premiere. Owen and Cristina decide to take things slow with their relationship. Katherine Heigl’s Izzie will get a five episode hiatus, but we still don’t know how they will explain her absence from the show, personally I wish she would just decide to stay or leave all together. Ellen Pompeo will also be getting a break due to her maternity leave, so Grey’s has decided that there episodes this season will center around a certain character so then they do not have to explain absences as much. My fave couple, Lexie and Mark unfortunately have some road blocks to deal with this season; the two start to really feel the age difference between them, but most people are routing for them. http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy

CSI-- 9-10 on CBS premieres Sept. 24, Jorja Fox returns to the show as Sara for five episodes, and yes, she and Grissom are still together. The tenth season is all about the team coming together and being more like a family; Sara is a big part of bringing the team together. One person who will not by a part of that family is Lauren Lee Smith; it was confirmed that her character Riley would not be returning to the show this season. There is a possibility that William Petersen will reprise his role as Grissom. Ray (Laurence Fishburne) will cross over to CSI: Miami and CSI: New York this season. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi

Fall TV Lineup 2009: All the shows you should watch (Part 1)

Unfortunately, I am not a “real” TV critic; I don’t get to watch the season premieres of all the various television series. However, I will say that I have done a lot of reading about the shows, new and old, and for this year, the shows certainly seem more intriguing. I have a feeling I will be videotaping (also a prehistoric now thing to do now) a lot of shows while I am watching others. I will write here about all the shows that I believe are worth giving a try; after I watch, I will reevaluate and let you know what wasn’t worth your time or mine.

The Jay Leno Show-- Mon. thru Fri. 10-11 on NBC premieres Sept. 14, Jay will welcome fellow friend and comedian Jerry Seinfeld and musical guests Jay Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West on his debut. Leno looks to do something that has never been done before on TV, a variety show that airs Monday thru Friday. He’ll include segments like jaywalking and headlines which made him number one in late night for over twelve years. Other guests on premiere week include Miley Cyrus, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Bruce Hornsby, and Eric Clapton. http://www.thejaylenoshow.com/

Dancing with the Stars-- Mon. 8-10, Tues. 9-10 (results show) on ABC premieres Sept. 21, You know that you want to watch! Ok, let’s reveal the cast to all those who do not already know.
*Louis Vito, elite snowboarder and Chelsie Hightower, 2nd season, finished 4th with Ty Murray last season
*Donny Osmond, TV icon and Kym Johnson, 7th season, finished 2nd with Joey Fatone in season 4 and 2nd with Warren Sapp in season 7
*Kelly Osbourne, entertainer and Louis Van Amstel, 5th season, finished 4th with Lisa Rinna in season 2 and finished 4th with Monique Coleman in season 3
*Mya, Grammy Award winning artist and Dmitry Chaplin, 2nd season, finished 11th with Holly Madison last season
*Debi Mazar, TV and film star and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 7th season, finished 4th with Laila Ali in season 4 and 2nd with Mel B. in season 5
*Chuck Liddell, Mixed Martial Arts Champion and Anna Trebunskaya, 4th season, finished 2nd with Jerry Rice in season 2
*Joanna Krupa, model and Derek Hough, 5th season, won with Brooke Burke in season 7 and finished 4th with Jennie Garth in season 5
*Michael Irvin, three time Super Bowl Champion and ESPN analyst and Anna Demidova, this is her debut
*Kathy Ireland, model and Tony Dovolani, 8th season, finished 3rd with Stacy Keibler in season 2 and 3rd with Melissa Rycroft in season 8
*Melissa Joan Hart, TV and film star and Mark Ballas, 5th season, won with Kristi Yamaguchi in season 6 and reigning champ with Shawn Johnson from season 8
*Ashley Hamilton, actor and Edyta Sliwinska, the only pro to compete in all 9seasons, finished 2nd with Jason Taylor in season 6 and 3rd with Joey Lawrence in season 3
*Macy Gray, singer and Jonathan Roberts, 7th season, finished 3rd with Marie Osmond in season 5
*Tom Delay, politician and Cheryl Burke, 8th season, won with Drew Lachey in season 2, won with Emmitt Smith in season 3, finished 2nd with Gilles Marini in season 8, and finished 3rd with Cristian de la Fuente in season 6
*Mark Dacascos, host of Iron Chef America and Lacey Schwimmer, 3rd season, finished 3rd with Lance Bass in season 7
*Natalie Coughlin, Olympic gold medal swimmer and Alec Mazo, 5th season, won with Kelly Monaco in season 1
*Aaron Carter, singer and Karina Smirnoff, 7th season, finished 3rd with Mario Lopez in season 3 and finished 5th with Billy Ray Cyrus in season 4 and also finished 5th with Mario in season 6

Biggest Mistake this season: Tom Delay! http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

Accidentally on Purpose-- Mon. 8:30-9 on CBS premieres Sept. 21, Golden Globe winner Jenna Elfman returns to TV as Billie, a single San Francisco, film critic in hers 30s who discovers she’s pregnant following a one night stand with a 20 something guy named Zack (Jon Foster). To make things worse, her ex James (also her boss, played by Melrose Place’s Grant Show) wants to get back together with her. Also starring: Ashley Jensen (from Ugly Betty) as Olivia, Billie’s best friend; Lennon Parham plays Abby, Billie’s younger sister; and Nicolas Wright plays Davis, Zack’s friend. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/accidentally_on_purpose/

Trauma-- Mon. 9-10 on ABC premieres Sept. 28, Trauma is a new drama about first response paramedics from San Francisco, those who are first on the scene of an emergency. The show is executive produced by Peter Berg of “Friday Night Lights” fame; that fact right there is enough in and of itself to watch. The series centers around a character named Reuben “Rabbit” Palchuk, a flight medic, who one year earlier survived a terrible rescue disaster. I don’t really understand why his nickname is “Rabbit” but I am certain that I will figure that out within the first couple of episodes, but word has it that “Rabbit” is a ladies man who has ego but vulnerability. Rounding out the cast is Aimee Garcia as Marisa Benez, a street smart Iraqi war vet who is “Rabbit’s” new partner. Anastasia Griffith as Nancy Carnahan is a paramedic with a gift for medicine who lost her partner in the same disaster that almost claimed “Rabbit”. Derek Luke as Cameron Boone is caught between work and family and is plagued by memories of a disaster that took the lives of two of his friends. Jamey Sheridan as Dr. Joseph Saviano works at San Francisco City Hospital and is detached from patients but too close to his own people. Kevin Rankin as Tyler Briggs is Boone’s EMT partner, the two see each other as equals and are close friends who know what the other is thinking. Taylor Kinney as Glenn Morrison is Nancy’s EMT partner, he is new and naïve but eager to learn, and write about his experiences. http://www.nbc.com/trauma

Gossip Girl-- Mon . 9-10 on the CW premieres Sept. 14, The gang is off to college, most of them at NYU. Hilary Duff is joining the show for a few episodes as Olivia Burke, a movie star who wants the college experience. Joanna Garcia is Bree Buckley, a high class bad girl who will join for the first four episodes of the season as Nate’s love interest. Gina Torres will play Vanessa’s mom, Gabriela Abrams. Just a few questions, why is Chuck kissing a boy? I thought he only had eyes for B. Why is S. coming back from Europe with Carter, and is this her only secret? Why is Nate sleeping with someone who is a member of a rival family? Motive anyone? Xoxo Gossip Girl. http://www.cwtv.com/shows/gossip-girl

CSI Miami-- Mon. 10-11 on CBS premieres Sept. 21, Last season ended with Calleigh having accidentally shot Eric; this will prove to be tumultuous for their relationship. It has been confirmed that Adam Rodriguez who plays the sexy Eric Delko is leaving the show, and I have heard the storyline surrounding his exit is pretty pathetic; I will definitely miss Adam, maybe so much so that I may not watch anymore. One thing is for sure, I still miss Gary Dourdan and William Petersen on the original CSI. Eddie Cibrian (now more famous for his affair with Leann Rimes than his acting) is joining the show as Jesse Cardoza; we’ll learn all about his past and his connection to Horatio, dating back to 1997. Read Adam’s interview with Latina magazine--- http://latina.com/entertainment/celebrity/adam-rodriguez-dishes-csi-and-making-out-taraji-henson official show site: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/

90210-- Tues. 8-9 on the CW premieres Sept. 8, “One Party Can Ruin Your Whole Summer”, was the title of last season’s finale, and by the end of the episode, I think everyone understood the title’s significance. Silver and Dixon’s relationship hit more than one complicated roadblock, including differences and Ethan. Naomi’s blossoming relationship with Liam came to a screeching halt when her sister Jen slept with him. Liam was drunk and didn’t know Jen was Naomi’s sister, and Naomi believed that Annie was the secret girl he slept with. Annie slipped into a crazy depression after being treated like the black sheep at school and got drunk and crashed her car injuring someone. Navid stood by Adrianna as she had her baby. This season, Naomi blackmails Annie because she still hates her since she doesn’t know the truth. Silver and Dixon continue to struggle with their relationship, and there are other people who each of them may become interested in. Navid plans a romantic night for Adrianna. Liam wants to tell Naomi what happened between him and Naomi’s sister Jen, but doesn’t know how. The boys will bond more this season and go surfing together, and the girls will bond more too, minus Annie. Dustin Milligan (Ethan) will not return this season, and Trevor Donovan (Jeremy Horton on Days of Our Lives) has been cast as rich boy tennis player Teddy (rumor has it he has eyes for Silver but Annie and Naomi will fight over him). John Schneider will play Liam’s step dad who is a plastic sugeon. Amalia Zinser is Ivy, a tomboy who surfs with the boys and both Dixon and Liam are attracted to. http://www.cwtv.com/shows/90210

V.-- Tues. 8-9 on ABC premieres Nov. 3, This show is large scale, it feels like a movie, and one of the shows stars Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliette from Lost) says the show is an escape of sorts, and just watching the trailer it totally feels like that. The show boasts arguably, one of the sexiest casts of this fall season. The premise of the series is based upon the 80’s sci fi classic of the same name; the V’s (visitors) come to town in their spaceships preaching peace but those are not their true intentions. They want to gain the trust of humans and then dominate mankind and take over. Here are the players and their parts:
*Anna played by Morena Baccarin is the leader of the visitors charming on the outside to humans but in private, she is as manipulative as they come.
*Chad Decker played by Scott Wolf (Bailey Party of Five) is a news anchor who is so hungry to make a name for himself that he may compromise his morals to do so by becoming a means of transmitting propaganda for Anna.
*Erica Evans played by Elizabeth Mitchell is an FBI Agent and a single mom raising her teenage son Tyler. She is in the middle of the biggest conspiracy of her life and not only in a race to save her son but the world.
*Father Jack Landry played by Joel Gretsch is a Catholic Priest whose faith is tested when the visitor’s show up and he is not just trying to save souls anymore but lives as well.
*Lisa played by Laura Vandervoort is a visitor’s recruiter who uses her charm and sex appeal to lure humans particularly men into the visitor’s world.
*Ryan Nichols played by Morris Chestnut is a business with a secret past. He is engaged to
Valerie but his past threatens to come between their future together.
*Tyler Evans played by Logan Huffman is a vulnerable high school student intrigued by the visitor’s, little does he know their intentions are not pure.
*Valerie Stevens played by Lourdes Benedicto (Eva on The Nine and Gina Martinez on NYPD Blue) is a psychologist in love with her fiance Ryan but worries when his behavior changes as soon as the visitor’s come to town. http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/v

So You Think You Can Dance-- Tues. 8-10 on FOX premieres on a Wednesday Sept. 9, Season 6 will be the first fall season of the dance series. http://www.fox.com/dance

The Biggest Loser-- Tues. 8-10 on NBC premieres Sept. 15, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper return to coach people, and get them in shape and healthy on the eighth season of the series. Alison Sweeney returns once again as the host on a season dubbed “second chances”. http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/

NCIS: Los Angeles-- Tues. 9-10 on CBS premieres Sept. 22, The new series, a spin off of NCIS, focuses on the Office of Special Projects (OSP), a division of NCIS that captures dangerous criminals who pose a threat to the nation’s security. The special agents go deep undercover and put their lives on the line everyday to bring these criminals down. The two leads are played by the unlikely but likeable duo of Chris O’Donnell as G. Callen and LL Cool J as Sam Hanna. O’Donnell describes his character as an introvert, but a chameleon when it comes to his job. LL’s character is a surveillance expert and former U.S. Navy Seal. The supporting cast includes Oscar winner Linda Hunt as Henrietta “Henny” Lange, the office manager who runs all the team’s finances. Boston born, Daniela Ruah plays the sexy but bright Kensi Blye the daughter of a fallen marine. Adam Jamal Craig plays Dominic Vail, a highly qualified newbie who lacks field experience. Nate “Doc” Getz is an operational psychologist who gets into the minds of the criminals, and is played by Peter Cambor. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/

Melrose Place-- Tues. 9-10 on the CW premieres Sept. 8, We all knew it would happen eventually, Melrose Place is back and more scandalous than ever! Laura Leighton returns to her role as Sydney Andrews Mancini as does Thomas Calabro scheming Dr. Michael Mancini. Josie Bissett and Daphne Zuniga have signed to reprise their roles of Jane Andrews and Jo Reynolds, and many say there negotiations in the works to have many others from the original series to return. Critics are already saying that the series in nothing like the original and not worth your time, but I would like to watch the first few episodes before I make that determination. Some of the characters actually seem interesting, I will rate them one to four stars (one is boring and one dimensional and four is so interesting I’d like the have them as my friend).
-Ella Simms played by Katie Cassidy is an up and coming publicist who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants and make it to the top. (sound familiar?) Most like Heather Locklear’s Amanda Woodward *
-Auggie Kirkpatrick played by Colin Egglesfield is a chef who possesses sensitivity and a mysterious past. Most like brothers Kyle and Ryan McBride. ****
-Lauren Yung played by Stephanie Jacobsen is a struggling med student who pays her tuition by selling herself. Most like sisters Sydney Andrews (just cause Sydney used to strip, but not personality wise) and Jane Andrews ***
-Riley Richmond played by Jessica Lucas (last seen as Kimberly on 90210) is an inner city teacher engaged to Jonah but having second thoughts. Most like Jo Reynolds ***
-Jonah Miller played by Michael Rady is an aspiring filmmaker who lives with his fiance Riley. Most like Billy Campbell **
-David Breck played by Shaun Sipos is the estranged son of Dr. Michael Mancini. Most like, his dad, Michael Mancini **
-Violet Foster played by Ashlee Simpson Wentz is a presumably naïve, innocent young woman, but she hides a secret. Most like, too hard to choose, Allison Parker, Samantha Riley, and Megan Lewis. ***
Why is there no one like Jake? Or Matt for that matter? http://www.cwtv.com/shows/melrose-place

The Good Wife-- Tues. 10-11 on CBS premieres Sept. 22, Emmy winner Julianna Margulies most recently played a defense attorney on the failed FOX series Canterbury’s Law. She returns in The Good Wife to play Alicia Florrick, a wife and mother who returns to her old job as a defense attorney as a means of rebuilding, not only her life, but her reputation following her politician husband’s sex and corruption scandal.
The people in Alicia’s Life:
*Peter Florrick, her politician husband played by Chris Noth (Mr. Big Sex and the City)
*Diane Lockhart, the top litigator (at the firm Alicia joins) who offers to be her mentor, played by Christine Baranski (Maryanne Cybill)
*Will Gardner, longtime friend of Alicia, former law school classmate, and now her firm partner, played by Josh Charles (Jake In Treatment)
*Cary Agos, Alicia’s competition at the firm who is a recent Harvard grad, played by Matt Czuchry
*Kalinda, Alicia’s ally at the firm and also the in house investigator, played by Archie Panjabi
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_good_wife/