DWTS Picture List: the pretty new couples

Tom, Aaron and Debi look confident; Donny and Melissa look a little uncomfortable; Chelsie and her snowboarder partner look good together; Mya looks like a winner and Kelly looks surprisingly pretty!

Emily Blunt Has Good Taste

Not only was the British actress the woman who tamed my beloved Michael Buble (he may or may not have broken her heart, but I love him anyway) but now she's taking one of my favourite TV stars off the market for good.

Office charmer John Krasinski and Blunt have announced their engagement after keeping their relationship super private since November.

Add on Jenna Fischer's impending wedding and the onscreen nuptials of Jim and Pam and the Office cast will be spending half their year "eating dry chicken and dancing to celebration" (as My Boys' Brendan would say)

Congratulations Emily on your 6'3'' adorable Brown graduate/ Conan intern/Playwright with a cute smile and a lovely sense of irony- I officially hate you now.

The Power Shift

With tonight's predictable (if you couldn't see it coming after Tuesday's episode, all you had to do tonight was notice that Russell was the only non-HOH houseguest who wasn't dressed for the upcoming physical Head of Household competition) eviction of my favourite houseguest, the power in the Big Brother house is up for grabs, sort of.

Russell was a player who was significantly smarter than he seemed and knew how to play the emotions of the other houseguests. Like with his role model past BB players Will, Boogie, Dick and Dan, it's clear that real world Russell is not the Russell we saw in the Big Brother house. Though I'm sure he is pretty emotional (also possibly violent, and somewhat disrespectful), I think most of Russell's explosions in the house were planned tactics and that he is, in real life, the standup guy we saw tonight. I would argue that Russell's Dr. Will/Dan gameplay served him much better than his Dick-inspired rants though (his strategies, manipulation, keen understanding of people and attitude that it's just a game served him well while his outbursts brought about his demise). Clearly a student of the game and a damn good player (who made just a few key mistakes), Russell was my favourite from early on and will be missed.

But the power shifts. Now, unless (the semi but not completely useless) Jordan wins HOH, powerplayer Jeff (who keeps getting lucky breaks then using them wisely) is finally in some real trouble in the game.

Perpetual competition losers Natalie and Kevin plan to evict Jeff in the week to come, and I'm sure (my current favourite player) Michele would do the same if she's using her neuroscientist head. So the condescending charmer's days are (hopefully) numbered. It's not that I dislike Jeff, I just think he's gotten too many advantages thrown at him to be happy if he wins the game (that said, he has made the most important moves and cleared the path for himself brilliantly so even if it would be a bit of a tainted win, it might be deserved).

So I still hate Natalie, mostly because she's a perpetual loser and coattail rider and I think she's kinda dumb. But Kevin is quite delightful in the post-Lydia world of Big Brother; where once he was dramatic and eccentric he is now dry-witted and funny and his straight-faced manipulations last week turned the game around (serious BB points go to anyone who can lie that well).

As it stands, my houseguest rankings are as such:

1. Michele (PLEASE win HOH and take out Jeff)
2. Kevin
3. Jeff
4. Jordan
5. loser (aka Natalie)

Big Brother Quote Of The Week

"I just want to make her a better person, that's all"

-Jeff, after attempting to play down the condescending way he speaks to Jordan (ironically the best person in the house, not the smartest or most interesting, but probably the "best")

Happy Casting News

Gilmore Girls/Samantha Who comedy queen Melissa McCarthy is joining Kelsey Grammar on Hank this fall. That there is enough of a reason to watch (even if there's no love lost between you and the former Frasier Crane)

Summer Glau's guest turn on Dollhouse is no longer rumour and fantasy but reality. Whedonites rejoice!

That guy who played the newest Superman, who looked like a Ken doll (Brandon Routh), he's joined Chuck as the new head of the intersect project.

Kristin Chenoweth will, obviously, appear on Glee this season...but she may not be the same perky sweetheart we know her as.

Kim Dickens will be back as Matt Saracen's mom for at least a couple of his 7 farewell episodes on Friday Night Lights.

and

90210 is currently looking to cast a West Beverly student who is “heavier than [the] girls on the show.”... thank god.

Canada's Top 20 Dancers

The Adorable Boys I Already Love:

Cody couldn't be more endearing; Everett and Vincent have already won my heart; Anthony is super cute and Nicholas' been working the charm since day one (which might make me turn against him, we will see).

The Promising Girls I'm Rooting For:

Melanie M is the tops dancer so far (and I totally know her sister, what up!); Jayme Rae is a rock star; Tara-Jean has a lot of potential and Kim is almost as all-around great as her boyfriend (last season's Vincent).

The People I'm Not So Sure About But Who Are Great Dancers

(everyone else):

Austin bothers me with the ego but boy can that boy turn; Emmanuel is sort of icky (and suffers from the much more understandable confidence that comes from being a world-class skater); Daniel and Danny show promise but still need to prove themselves; Jenna Lyne already annoys me; Amy, Natalie, Corynne and Melanie B just haven't gotten enough screentime to influence me yet.

The Week 1 Routines That Wowed Me:

A gorgeous (and totally underrated) Waltz by Anthony and Corynne; Stacey Tookey contemporary by Cody and Melanie M; Paul Becker's Capoeira by Austin and Tatiana and a Sean Cheesman Afro Jazz (my favourite genre on the show) danced by Daniel and Jayme Rae.

Choreographers Who Rock:

Stacey Tookey and Sean Cheesman blow my mind. That creepy guy (Paul Becker) pulled out a great routine this week as well (but is still too creepy to put on this list) and Tre showed impressive restraint from stupidity on the judging panel this week (though again, that and her awesome outfit weren't enough to land her on this list). Tony and Melanie, however, freaking rock.

My Favourite Thing About The Show:

Once again, Blake McGrath is the smartest dude on the panel. Not only is both the toughest and most supportive judge AT THE SAME TIME, but he backs it up with solid choreography, helpful constructive criticism and incomparable dance skill. My first favourite SYTYCD-er is still going strong.

***SPOILER LINE***

The First To Get Cut:

It broke my heart to see Tatiana go so early, she was kick-ass, and though I cared about him a lot less, Taylor was a tough cut too.

The Gemini Award Nominees

Congratulations to My TV favourites Carlo Rota (Othello), Christopher Plummer (Caesar & Cleopatra) Reagan Pasternak (Being Erica), Erin Karpluk (Being Erica), Leah Miller (So You Think You Can Dance Canada), Rick Mercer (The Rick Mercer Report) and Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint) on their Gemini Award Nominations (the Canadian Emmys!)

question though: why does The Tudors qualify and where are the nominations for Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Hour and Triple Sensation?

Introducing Next Season's Dancing with the Stars Champs

It's official, Mya is going to win Dancing with the Stars; at the very least she'll make top 3. If the Lady Marmalade singer wasn't a front runner to begin with, today's announcement that she's been paired with Emmy nominated choreographer Dmitry Chaplin has pretty much guaranteed her the title. This will be Dmitry's second season on Dancing with the Stars, having been a top 20 contestant on So You Think You Can Dance season 2 and made reappearances on the show throughout the following 3 seasons as one of the series' most successful choreographers (working his way up to an Emmy nomination for a routine from season 4). Last season on Dancing with the Stars, Dmitry's superior choreographic skill and instant chemistry with any partner would have gotten him a lot further if he hadn't, at the last minute, lost Jewel to a leg injury and gained a playboy bunny with an IQ of 7 as his partner. With Mya by his side (one of the few contestants guaranteed to have a built-in sense of rhythm), Dmitry should have his first win under the belt of his super tight pants this season.

Other highlights of the couples announcements include heavy-hitter Cheryl Burke taking on longshot (and, I'm gonna say it now, dark horse) Tom DeLay and Melissa Joan Hart's slim chances at the title greatly increasing by the announcement that last year's winner and My TV favourite Mark Ballas will be partnering the teenage witch. SYTYCD fans will be happy to know that in addition to Dmitry, Chelsie Hightower and Lacey Schwimmer will also be returning (alongside newcomer and SYTYCD choreographer Louis Van Amstel, who got stuck with Kelly Osbourne) as well as Emmy nominee Derek Hough.

Damn you producers for depriving me of my Chelsie/Aaron matchup. But thanks for having Sabrina's back (Melissa Joan Hart), I want her to do well.

An Eonline Poll: why I love TV watchers

Eonline just did a poll of Brothers & Sisters fans, asking them what their favourite thing about the show is. And wouldn't you know it, the results are dead on accurate. With the one obvious exception (a win of 50%+ for the incomparably awesome Walker family dinners), the audience clearly has a favourite aspect of the show: almost 20% of the vote went to Kevin and Scotty's relationship (the next highest scorer got only 5.5%). Way to go world, not only did you throw your support behind a rare TV gay couple but your choice also reveals a real sense for good writing and character development. Count me impressed.
The results of the poll are posted below.

What's your favorite part of Brothers & Sisters?

• 53.3% Family dinner at Nora's
• 2.1% When Nora doesn't act her age
• 5.5% When Sarah is kicking ass
• 0.9% How Sarah copes with working motherhood
• 2.3% When Kitty yells at people
• 19.3% Kevin and Scotty's relationship
• 9.5% When Justin has his crap together
• 0.4% Saul's rarely seen love life
• 0.9% Nora and Saul's relationship
• 4.9% When they pretend Rebecca is still a Walker
• 0.8% Something else I'll explain in the comments

Another One Bites the Dust

In his final episode before a long hiatus, Jon Stewart was in top form this week as he launched into one of his trademark "so long you need to view it in its entirety online" interviews with someone who disagrees with him (see also Jim Cramer and Mike Huckabee).

To top off the health-care heavy back half of the season, The Daily Show welcomed Betsy McCaughey, the woman charged with igniting the frenzy over the so-called "death panels". The interview was the perfect capper to a somewhat dull run of uninteresting books and endless segments about health care crazies and FOX news coverage.

Betsy McCaughey went into the interview knowing what she was getting herself into, comedy-wise. So, unlike many an author of a boring book Jon didn't bother to read, she didn't balk whenever he poked fun at her. Rather, she was willing to laugh at herself and played to the audience for fun. She even used them a bit, fighting hard for her side of the health care debate, she regularly appealed to the audience to back her up as she vehemently pursued her points. Unfortunately for Ms. McCaughey, she did not seem to know what she had gotten herself into intellectually.

Watching some of the more uppity guests on The Daily Show is like watching a slightly dim American Leaguer attempt to avoid getting thrown out at first on a double play against the Jays- you'd think someone would have warned them about Aaron Hill's arm by now. Similarly, the number of "intellectuals" who seem to come onto the Daily Show set prepared to breeze through a shallow comedy interview is astounding- you'd think one of them might have noticed that Jon Stewart's the smartest guy going: he WILL have read the bill, you WON'T be able to smooth-talk your way around the issues and he WILL make you look like a fool for assuming otherwise.

Such was the case with Thursday's entertaining health care debate: McCaughey put up a good fight, desperately trying to shout Stewart down, but got hammered anyway (mostly because she was simply wrong in the first place) and Jon Stewart, having pretty successfully proved that McCaughey was completely misreading the bill, seemed to step away from the whole thing with a "ok, who's next?" attitude. That is, after all, how the smart kids do it, and Jon Stewart is definitely the smartest kid in comedy class (and all the other ones for that matter).

Big Brother Quote Of The Week

"I'm not a ho puppet" - Jordan (in response to crazy Lydia's drunken slander)

More Casting News!

Gina Torres of Firefly fame will be joining the cast of the #1 guilty pleasure show Gossip Girl for a few episodes. Gina will be staring as none other than Vanessa's (!) mom and it is being said that the role may be recurring after the initial episodes.

It's nice to see an amazing actress as a guest and possibly recurring role. Her character is being described as a free spirited and warm parent who has some definitive opinions (which means a bit of trouble for Vanessa).

I only hope she gets involved with some of the other parents....hmmm. Interesting.

ANOTHER Geeky Convergence of Epic Proportions

The collaborations between the Whedon-verse and the BSG-galaxy just keep on coming.

The one time blonde haired bad boy, James Marsters, is guest starring in a minimum of three episodes on the BSG spin-off Caprica, which debuts on the newly-renamed Syfy on January 22nd, 2010. But in the meantime, check out the pretty awesome pilot/miniseries Caprica, out on DVD. I loved it a lot, and it's definitely got me pumped to see what Moore and crew cook up, despite my (increasingly major-seeming) qualms with the BSG finale.

Bloody great!

East Dillon's New Stars

Joining Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) on the new East Dillon football field this year on season 4 of Friday Night Lights are newcomers Michael B Jordan (as Vince) and Matt Laurie (as Luke). Both new characters are being advertised as charming but flawed and there promises to be friction between them from the get go.

Vince and Luke will join JD McCoy (introduced last season) as the new generation of Dillon football stars (though they'll most likely be playing on rival teams now that East Dillon High has been created and Eric Taylor's become their new head coach)

So what do you think? Will these 2 junior football players be enough to replace the soon to depart Matt or will you find yourself feeling nostalgic for the season 1 days of the Dillon Panthers with Street, Smash and Riggins?

Dancing With The People Kelly Loved in the 90s

Season 9's Dancing With the Stars cast was announced this morning, and the list certainly has some names to watch.

Most interesting on the list is Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Really!?!

Other notable names are singers Macy Gray and Mya (the latter of whom I would tap as an early front-runner for that ridiculous disco ball trophy).

Kelly Osbourne is on board for what I'm sure will be a short catastrophe.

But most importantly, let the 90s nostalgia kick in. Starting with Donny Osmond, the man whom I fell in love with at the age of 6 when he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (did I really just admit that?). Next up is Aaron Carter: brother of one of my beloved Backstreet Boys, 12 year old white rapper and Lindsay Lohan/Hilary Duff lover extraordinaire (could not be more excited about this one!) and, last but not least, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH!!!!!!!!! Melissa Joan Hart returns to TV.

While I could sit here and tell you that Mya's probably got the best moves, Donny's definitely got some grace, Melissa and Kelly will probably be gone pretty early and I have a sneaking suspicion that Tom DeLay's been practicing his quick step, the truth is that the winner of Dancing with the Stars will be determined when they receive their partners on August 24. The man who works with Cheryl Burke will inevitably rise to the top of the pack, while (Emmy nominee) Derek Hough and Louis Van Amstel (a newcomer fresh off So You Think You Can Dance choreographic success)'s partners will certainly reap the rewards of having solid teachers. Assuming last year's pro winner (and My TV favourite) Mark Ballas is back as well, one of the lucky stars will do well to work with him. Top notch partner Julianne Hough will most likely be off this season to focus on her music carreer but hopefully SYTYCD alum like Lacey Schwimmer, (Emmy nominee)Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower will be back (I'd love to see a Chelsie/Aaron Carter pairing).