Actress and model Kelly Brook has pulled out of BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing following the death of her father on Monday. The 28-year-old had vowed to continue rehearsals for Saturday's live show in his memory, but found it "too difficult", said a BBC spokeswoman.

Brook's father, Kenneth, 57, died following a long battle with cancer. "Kelly has been a fantastic part of the programme and will be sorely missed by everyone on the show," she added. The spokeswoman said that the programme's participants "would also like to express their deepest sympathy to Kelly and her family at this difficult time". 

Brook and professional dance partner Brendan Cole had been among the favourites to take win the show. The former Big Breakfast presenter is engaged to Titanic actor Billy Zane. In last week's show Brook and Cole's performance was criticised by the judges, who said they had not performed to their usual high standard. Cole reacted angrily to the judges comments, claiming he and Brook only had eight hours to rehearse the routines.

The couple ended up in the bottom two after the viewers' vote - but they were saved from being ejected after judges chose former England footballer John Barnes to leave instead. Saturday's show is the first time the remaining couples will perform two dances. Singer Alesha Dixon, actress Letitia Dean, former rugby star Kenny Logan, Blue Peter host Gethin Jones and EastEnders actor Matt D'Angelo are still in the competition.

The grand final of the show, which takes place on 22 December, will now contain two couples instead of the traditional three.

(Taken From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7121185.stm)

 

 

Congratulations to Indy Car Racing Champion Helio Castroneves and his dancing partner Julianne Hough who has won the fifth series of US Dancing With The Stars show. Julianne has regained the title after winning season four with Anton Apolo Ohno earlier this year. The couple beat the judges' favourite Spice Girl Melanie Brown (Mel B) and her dance partner Maxsim Chmerkovskiy who came second. The last finalist Marie Osmond and her dance partner Jonathan Roberts came third.

 

 

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly will host another Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.

 

Previous Winners Mark Ramprakash and Darren Gough and the four semi-finalists from the latest series will battle to become champions of champions.

 

(Taken From http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article511369.ece)

 

Spilling the beans on the Beeb’s top-rated telly show, the outrageous Italian told The Sun: “If this was an international ballroom competition, none of the celebrities would stand a chance.”  Bruno Tonioli made his confessions from the Los Angeles set of Dancing With The Stars - the US version of Strictly.

He flies the 5,400 miles there and back every week with fellow judge Len Goodman so they can appear on both shows. And Bruno admitted the exhausting schedule left no time for a love life. He said: “I’m too tired, call me in March, I might have a window then so if you know anyone . . . I’m young, free and single. Well, not that young - but well-preserved.”

Flirty Bruno has had his hands full this autumn, working on the most controversial series of Strictly yet. He said he will never forget Gabby Logan getting the boot while two-left-feet GMTV girl Kate Garraway and partner Anton Du Beke stayed on. Bruno said: “It was a mess. At times with Kate it was like watching Anton dragging a mop across the floor, it was painful to watch, a disaster. I think Anton had to glue Kate to his feet. She and Fiona Phillips should open a dance school, How Not To Dance. Margot Fonteyn, she’s not.”

He also had a warning for girl contestant Kelly Brook, in the bottom two last week. He said: “She’s a good dancer but she has to watch out. If you start off strong you have to make sure that you keep it up. When you think, ‘I can get away with it’, that’s when you get kicked out.”

But he said of her partner Brendan - who reportedly got close to celeb Natasha Kaplinsky in the first series: “He’s a bit of a happy pants isn’t he! Good for him. He’s a young guy - go for it darling!”

Bruno also admitted he was not surprised by the rumours dance pro Vincent Simone and girlfriend Flavia Cacace were on the rocks - following the flirting between her and Matt di Angelo. He added: “If you keep rubbing up against each other in the rumba, something’s going to happen.”  Then, referring to EastEnder Matt and Gethin, he smirked: “Gethin’s a very handsome. It’s shaping up to be the battle of the hunks.”

Bruno also revealed judge Arlene Phillips has a soft spot for rugby star Kenny Logan, joking: “If he’d forgotten his pants under that kilt, she would have given him a 12. Talk about shock and awe!” Arlene, who has known Bruno for 30 years, often bears the brunt of his temper. He said: “I scream - you’ve never seen me like that. I even made her cry once. It’s like brothers and sisters.”  And of Craig he said: “He needs to take some laxatives or get a colonic. They must be putting something in the water where he lives - in Hell!”

Bruno has now signed a five-year deal to stay on Dancing With The Stars - where he is backing Spice Girl Mel B to win, dubbing her “a little British Spitfire”. He’s also contracted to appear on the US version of Dance X, called Dance War, in January. But he reckons Strictly is the “best show” on British telly - with X Factor the only other reality TV series he rates.

Of Big Brother hopefuls he said he wanted to “slap” them. And he added: “I’m A Celebrity is ‘Let Me Resurrect My Career’. They are just zombies and desperate no-hopers. ‘Let me flash my tits and get back on TV’.”

DANCING With The Stars final is on Friday on UKTV Gold at 8pm

(Taken From http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article511476.ece)

 

Strictly Come Dancing's Vincent Simone says that he's not jealous of girlfriend Flavia Cacace's relationship with handsome dance partner Matt Di Angelo. 'I'd only be jealous of a man who was a better dancer and better looking than me,' he says.

Matt and Flavia have set tongues wagging with their steamy routines and off screen closeness. But Vincent, 28, doesn't feel threatened by the sexy soap star. 'Matt's just a boy. I see no competition whatsoever,' he tells Weekend.

And Flavia , 27 – who's been dating tango champ Vinnie since she was 15 - confirms that she is not the least bit interested in the 20-year-old. 'He is a bit of a flirt, but we have a saying in Italian that translates to, "The dog that barks never bites",' she says on the couple's official website.

 

(Taken From http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/Vincent_Simone_Im_not_jealous_of_Matt_Di_Angelo_article_163718.html)

 

Couples Backstage Reactions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYlq68ANlc

 

Charleston and Quickstep Demonstration (with Swing Dancers and Anton and Erin) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kgK5M-Xdqk

 

Dirty Dancing Tribute (all Pro-Celebrity Dancers) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-OsdZogpls

 

Sugababes Performance (with Darren and Lilia) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4iOYK8GRXk

 

Group Eliminations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzOJoIxHNxE

 

Dance Off and Judges Eliminations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl-Cugsxn3Y

 

After some pro-celebrity Dirty Dancing (with Kenny doing the famous lift at the end) and the Sugababes, it was crunch time. The public vote was in, pitting John and Nicole against Kelly and Brendan in the dance off. Following what could be their last performance, it was over to the judges to nominate who they wanted to keep in the competition:

Craig: Kelly and Brendan

Arlene: Kelly and Brendan

Bruno: Kelly and Brendan

Len: Kelly and Brendan

And so, John and Nicole became the seventh couple to leave the competition. "I've had a fantastic time," said John, "and the one time I put my head up I got the steps wrong!" Nicole was full of praise for her partner: "Such a gentleman and so humble. What a lovely man."

 

Strictly Come Dancing is going head-to-head with X Factor in a battle for the Christmas singles chart topper. In a daring attempt to steal Simon Cowell's musical crown, the infectious theme tune from the BBC1 hit series has been turned into a sure-fire smash-hit song called Let's Go Dancing, to be released in December.

Dan McGrath, who co-wrote the tune with Josh Phillips, said: "We hope one of the show's stars will sing it and propel it to the top. Strictly is winning the ratings war - now we're going to pile on the agony." A bbc insider revealed pop star Alesha would be first choice to sing the song. The tune - which won a coveted American Society of Composers award - was knocked up in just two hours in Dan's garden shed in 2004. He said: "We wanted a theme that gets people running to watch the TV when they hear it. We went for a Latin feel because it had to have passion, balls, excitement..."

Throwing down the gauntlet to X Factor's eventual winner - who have topped the Christmas chart for the last two years - he added: "We're expecting Simon Cowell to be crying into his Christmas turkey."

(Taken From http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2007/11/25/strictly-hits-the-cha-cha-charts-98487-20157421/)

 

Gethin and Camilla (Quickstep) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v25Lnz9ZWQ

 

John and Nicole (Samba) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MMM6gYeY4M

 

Letitia and Darren (Viennese Waltz) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVJIc8e9xA

 

Kelly and Brendan (Samba) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcdCqxYRnjg

 

Kenny and Ola (American Smooth) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09iLtlAoJs

 

Matt and Flavia (Salsa) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn8kjUE9jac

 

Alesha and Matthew (Cha Cha Cha) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg8jqpiClLA

 

 

2. Matt and Flavia = 38 points

 

3. Gethin and Camilla = 34 points

 

4. Letitia and Darren = 32 points

 

5. Kenny and Ola = 30 points

 

6. Kelly and Brendan = 29 points

 

 

 

Gethin and Camilla got things off to an elegant start by dancing a Quickstep to You're The Top. Len thought they did "a very, very good job", but that Gethin needed to bring his personality onto the floor with "a bit more gaiety or fun." Arlene disagreed, declaring "What an improvement!" except for the occasional "trolley dolly".

Craig: 8, Arlene: 9, Len: 9, Bruno: 8 = 34

Next up were John and Nicole, trying to recover from last week's ballroom blip which put them in the dance off. Their Samba to Stevie Wonder's Sir Juke failed to impress Bruno, who said that "Samba should be your dance, but instead of being a riot it was a murmur." "He's having a love affair with the floor and not you!" Arlene told Nicole, urging John to look up more. Len agreed, telling John "I don't think you're putting the work in to really fine-tune it."

Craig: 7, Arlene: 6, Len: 7, Bruno: 7 = 27

Letitia and Darren were next to take the floor, dancing the Viennese Waltz to She's Always A Woman. "Altogether, I thought it was absolutely fantastic," said Bruno. Arlene told Letitia to stop trembling and worrying: "You are a beautiful woman and you need to get that into your head". Letitia was also having problems dancing backwards, so Bruce suggested she should get a wing mirror.

Craig: 8, Arlene: 8, Len: 7, Bruno: 9 = 32

Kelly and Brendan danced the Samba to the Bee Gees' classic Stayin' Alive. The judges were apoplectic. "My high expecations have fallen as hard as a lead balloon," said Arlene. Bruno didn't feel the routine did justice to Kelly's talents: "It's like hiring Judy Dench and getting her to read the Yellow Pages". Brendan argued back, saying that Kelly shouldn't be treated as though she were a professional dancer.

Craig: 7, Arlene: 7, Len 7:, Bruno: 8 = 29

Next Up were Kenny and Ola with an American Smooth to How Sweet It Is, featuring two lifts. Len didn't think the routine was right for an American Smooth: "It's not Strictly Come Weightlifting!" The other judges disagreed. "It's overwhelming, the step you've taken," said Arlene.

Craig: 6, Arlene: 8, Len: 8, Bruno: 8 = 30

Matt and Flavia danced Salsa to Vehicle. Despite Matt's fear that he wouldn't be sexy enough, the judges loved it. "You've set the place on fire!" cried Bruce. "You're bringing sexy back," Bruno told Matt, "you're turning into the Spice Boy of the competition!"

Craig: 9, Arlene: 10, Len: 9, Bruno: 10 = 38

Finally, Alesha and Matt took to the floor to dance Cha Cha Cha to Beyonce's Crazy In Love. Could they match the two 10s they received last week? They did even better receiving an amazing three 10s. "This is a two horse competition at the moment," said Arlene, "and you are one of the horses."

Craig: 9, Arlene: 10, Len: 10, Bruno: 10 = 39

 

He has bucketloads of charm, style in abundance and a naughty twinkle in his judge's eye. Strictly Come Dancing's lovable Len Goodman was a right old devil on the dancefloor in his 60s heyday. The lucky lady he usually flunf about then was his then-wife Cherry Kingston. And over the course of eight years they scooped a string of titles including a British Championship. But if it wasn't for Len's love for the ladies, his life could have twirled off in a different direction.

He says: "I was 20 and had my heart set on playing football but I injured my foot. My mate Neville told me he was going to ballroom dancing lessons on a Tuesday night and I should go along to help my foot. I didn't half take the mickey out of him for being a big dancing boy. Then he told me there were loads of girls there. So I went!" Len quickly discovered he had a flair for the waltz and the foxtrot, and was soon dancing regularly.

Len, now 63, says: "I do miss those days. I've got a lot of great memories. I fell in love with dancing as soon as I tried it. But I perform every Friday with Claudia Winkleman on the Strictly spin-off It Takes Two so that takes away my frustration. I had a fabulous time as a dancer and when that came to an end I enjoyed going all over the world teaching people to dance. And just as I was getting fed up with that, along comes Strictly."

Life now is chaotic. Every Sunday he and fellow judge Bruno Tonioli quickstep it over the Atlantic to shoot Dancing With The Stars in LA, before hotfooting it back to the UK on a Wednesday. "Forget US time or British time," he laughs. "I'm on Goodman time!" Len also has a girlfriend 20 years his junior to keep up with. He got together with Sue Barrett, a teacher at his successful dance school in Kent, three years ago. "I've got my Sue and we're both very happy," smiles Len.

His marriage to Cherry fizzled out after they both finished dancing. He explains: "When you dance together morning, noon and night you become consumed by performing. But often, when you finish dancing and your career is over, you'll be having a coffee and realise you've got nothing to talk about. That's what happened with Cherry and I."

Len went on to wed second wife Lesley, who he was with for 12 years. They have a son James, now 26 and a singer and dancer himself. "He's my pride and joy," says Len. "He works in the theatre and when he's between jobs he teaches at the dance school. He's a great boy."

Opinions on the Strictly panel - made up of Len, Bruno, plus Arlene Phillips and Craig Revel Horwood - are often divided, leading to rows and tension. But, among the contestants at least, Len's balanced and constructive criticism has made him the most popular of the panel. "I'm not there to tell them they've got arms like a gorilla and a face like a slapped a**e," he says. "If I'm going to say something negative, I like to start with a positive. So I'll tell them it was a brave attempt or the hold was very good. Then I'll say, 'Unfortunately...'" And Len insists all the rows are forgotten by the end of the show. "We all have a glass of wine afterwards," he says.

Last week saw the hapless Kate Garraway finally get the boot after weeks of clinging on against the odds. In typical Goodman fashion, Len says: "Not everyone can dance but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. Kate has great skills in other areas of life. We can't all be good at the same things."

Strictly Come Dancing, tonight, 6.10pm, and tomorrow, 6.50pm, BBC1

LEN'S ALL-TIME BEST QUOTES

TO FIONA PHILLIPS: "I haven't seen trotting like that since Seabiscuit."

TO JILL HALFPENNY: "It was like a bowl of minestrone soup - lots of funny things floating around that I didn't recognise."

TO DIARMUID GAVIN: "The quickstep is like a souffle - light and fluffy. This was like a spotted dick."

TO ROGER BLACK: "The standing spin looked like you were kick-starting a motorbike."

TO DAVID DICKINSON: "The tango is like a pickled onion - sharp and aggressive."

TO KATE GARRAWAY: "Like the Perils of Pauline, every week a disaster but she always comes back."

TO BRENDAN COLE: "Doughnut."

(Taken From http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/2007/11/24/len-s-a-perfect-10-89520-20154214/)

 

 

English cricketers have been dancing to Australia's beat for years. In 2008 it could prove the turn of British celebrities, with confirmation producers of Dancing with the Stars are keen for an Ashes-like showdown between the program's local stars and those from UK version Strictly Come Dancing. Dancing co-host Sonia Kruger confirmed the plans for the international celebrity showdown. "They've actually been discussing the idea of an Ashes and World Cup series for a while now," Kruger said. "I know BBC and Granada are keen to get on board, but obviously we'd want to host it here."

(Taken From http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22815664-2902,00.html)

 

 

Mel B has romped into the final of Dancing With The Stars the night after scoring two perfect marks for her racy routines. Scary Spice and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy threw their arms around each other as viewers voted them through to the final dance off. Mel B, who is the favourite to win the competition, will go up against alongside IndyCar champ Helio Castroneves, and singer Marie Osmond in next week's final.

Former Beverly Hills 90210 actress Jennie Garth was voted off last night's result show. A night earlier, the Spice Girls made yet another surprise appearance on the show as Mel B mustered all her girl power to romp in perfect scores for both her routines. Fresh from their return to the stage last week for the first time in a decade, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm were in high spirits as they rallied support for their bandmate.

With a strong cheer squad in her corner, Scary Spice wowed the crowd - and the judges - with a Viennese waltz and the paso doble in the penultimate performance show last night. After the first dance, judge Bruno Tonioli said: "It was a Viennese waltz driven to maximum impact."

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba added: “It gave me chills as soon as you came out here. You just constantly come back and keep surprising me.” But the real showstopper came as the pop star pulled out a whip for a truly cracking paso doble. It had the right effect - she and dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy picked up their second perfect score.

"How do you top perfection?" judge Carrie Ann Inaba said. She added: "Well, you just did. And I didn't know you could work a whip like that, Miss Thang!" Judge Len Goodman called the sexy performance the best of the season. "I wanted to prove I can do it better than before," Mel said.

(Taken From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=495114&in_page_id=1773)

Note: US Dancing With The Stars Finale is on Monday 26th November, concluding on Tuesday 27th November.

 

 

Week One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRmJDb72dk4&mode=user&search

 

Week Two - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLq2jMzPYLs

 

Week Three - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8vgqAskKn0

 

Week Four - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyXY4Iehiz0

 

Week Five - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-GxHfnH9mE

 

Week Six - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6df657Xna0

 

Week Seven - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hDS6Fy3-AE

 

Week Eight (with Ian Waite) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UKcjtfZVZM

 

Week Nine (with James Jordan) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdkC3yJBC_0

 

Week One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNRsi_FKssg

 

Week Two - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJY1VbUfOw4

 

Week Three - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHwgvIwEY9Y

 

Week Four - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjfKsPursmw

 

Week Five - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1wP2I1oS4U

 

Week Six - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3f0LWgf7I

 

Week Seven - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP3CgqVCn5A

 

Week Eight - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElWp1BXIIJk

 

Week Nine - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtimo-OnMBs

 

Week Ten - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfAaaYFYDQw

 

Pro Dance Foxtrot - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odhysL6svxQ

 

World Latin Champions Demonstration - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e11Rr532Ego

 

Singer and Musical 'Joeseph' Star Lee Mead (with Ian and Camilla, Matthew and Nicole) -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97XjNM-4G6o

 

Studio Audience Reactions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfdNfFjed7s

 

Group Eliminations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qnhzHB5mc8

 

Dance Off and Judges Eliminations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KZfMTi_mkE