More stars get footloose on 'Dancing'
They'll be hard-pressed to surpass the last round's drama, but more celebrities are ready to dance.
Another group of entertainers and athletes has been cast for the sixth season of "Dancing With the Stars," the popular ABC competition that begins anew at 8 p.m. Monday on Channel 4. Fresh from their own "Dance War," Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will be back on the judging panel, as will Len Goodman; Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris return as hosts.
The new "Dancing" stars and their partners are comedian Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough; actor Cristian de la Fuente ("CSI: Miami") and Cheryl Burke; actress Shannon Elizabeth ("American Pie") and Derek Hough (Julianne's brother); actor Steve Guttenberg ("Three Men and a Baby") and Anna Trebunskaya; singer Mario and Karina Smirnoff; and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin ("Children of a Lesser God") and "Dancing" newcomer Fabian Sanchez.
Also: magician Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson; actress Priscilla Presley ("Dallas") and Louis van Amstel; tennis champ Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts; Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska; actress Marissa Jaret Winokur (Broadway's "Hairspray") and Tony Dovolani; and Olympic gold-medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas.
Two of the pairs won't be around very long, since viewers' votes will determine the first double elimination in "Dancing" history when the weekly results show starts March 25. Yamaguchi hopes to continue competing beyond that date, but she realizes there are no guarantees.
"I watched pretty intently last season," she says. "It's a pretty intense schedule you seem to go through, with the work involved in learning a new dance each week. It's definitely been impressive. I don't see how they do it, but I guess I'll find out."
So will the hearing-impaired Matlin, who says via e-mail that she "wasn't surprised" to be enlisted. "My husband and my kids lobbied me hard to get on the show. They're big fans of it, but like anyone, I'd rather be asked to the dance than ask to be invited." After a magazine article suggested Matlin as a future "Dancing" contender, she "started to think, 'maybe ... The next thing I knew, there was a phone call, asking me to be on the show. At first, I thought it was a prank."
"Dancing" stars tend to take their shared mission seriously, and Yamaguchi is bracing for the related pressure. The heat may be on her a bit more, since sports figures — NFL veteran Emmitt Smith, speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves — have won the previous three editions.
"People are used to seeing me perform," Yamaguchi says, "but it's totally a clean slate when it comes to something like ballroom dancing. That's completely foreign to me. As far as the rhythms and the steps and the requirements, I have no clue, so it'll be a big learning curve."
Matlin also comes in as a novice, explaining her dancing in "Children of a Lesser God" was "totally improvised. I took a dance class when I was younger at the Center on Deafness, but I never took formal dance training. I've never had formal acting training, either, but I've been told I can move when the music plays. Let's say I can get my groove on!"
As for her being able to hear music, Matlin adds, "I wear two very powerful hearing aids, one in each ear. They're fantastic, and they give me enough cues to give me guidance."
Unfortunate surprises seemed to arise at every "Dancing With the Stars" turn last season. Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour lost parents during the run, and Osmond fainted after one performance. Some things clearly are out of the entrants' control, but Yamaguchi maintains she's doing what she can.
"Because of the last years when I've been concentrating on family (her husband, NHL player Bret Hedican, and their two daughters), I feel like I'm not in the shape I used to be. I think I'll be as anxious as everyone else."
How a "Dancing" star fares on the floor is sure to reflect on his or her partner, too, and Matlin was planning to give Sanchez "one of my 'Baby Einstein' DVDs where I teach sign language to babies and toddlers. Why not start where everyone starts? I hope he has a sense of humor, because that'll be my funny way of breaking the ice.
"Seriously, I think once he meets me, he'll find out that I move just like everyone else. Instead of depending on the music to guide me, I'll depend on him to lead. He'll also find that I'll be depending on myself to memorize the routine and sync it to his steps. Really, I'm more worried about whether I can move my hips and make it look convincing, as opposed to whether or not I can follow the music."
The big audience "Dancing With the Stars" draws automatically boosts the profile of anyone who participates. With a knowing chuckle, Yamaguchi admits she's "probably not" ready to return to such a spotlight.
"I've been living pretty comfortably and anonymously," she says, "and that's been nice. I'm just looking forward to the experience. And the dancing."
