My Thoughts on Derek Hough

This number alone should win him the Emmy

I have always maintained that I believe that Derek Hough is going to be one of the defining choreographers of his generation. I don't take that statement lightly. As someone who has been a student of dance history, think of the names you would put in that category: George Balanchine, Agnes DeMille, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, Martha Graham. There are more, but it's not a list of thousands or even hundreds. I don't say that about any other pro on the show.

With a statement like that, it should be understood that you also have to be a great dancer and teacher in order to be classified as a "defining choreographer of a generation." You can't just be one thing.

On AfterBuzz TV this week, we were talking about Val and Derek and their strengths. If I am going to pick the one quality that makes Derek stand out on the show...yep, it's choreography. For Val, it's teaching. Does it mean they don't have the other qualities? Nope.

We are a show about dance, talking about dancers and why we love it so much. We give opinions that you won't always agree with, but the one thing we all agree upon is that we love dance. I'm one of the hosts of the show and as a part of my job, I have to balance my love for Derek's work with my appreciation and support for what other pros on DWTS bring to the table.

Come Sunday, I hope it's Derek who is holding that Emmy.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below. I will respond to all comments here, but I'm going to keep the debate off of Twitter. Thanks, guys!  See you next week with our guest Henry Byalikov...who is also choreographing this week's opening number on DWTS with Sharna Burgess.

DWTS Season 17: Initial Cast Thoughts

If my Twitter feed was an indication of what is to come for Season 17 of Dancing With the Stars, I am in for a busy fall. TMZ leaked a few of the celeb names today: Valerie Harper, Leah Remini, Elizabeth Berkeley, Snooki, Amber Riley, and Christina Milian. I've said it before and I will say it again, TMZ is pretty good about fact checking, so this list should be your six female celebs for the season.

Once it was revealed that Tristan MacManus was paired with Valerie, the tweets began. Many of the tweets were people who were angry that he was matched with a 74-year-old woman battling terminal brain cancer. Really? Doctors told her she would be dead by June and miraculously, she's still with us and is tackling DWTS. I don't know about you, but that's kind of awesome...and inspirational.

Re: Tristan--The gift of working with someone bravely fighting a terminal illness is greater than a mirrored ball trophy. #DWTS
— Kristyn Burtt (@KristynBurtt) August 28, 2013

Look, I get it: We all love Tristan and we want to see him win. It was disappointing to see him have to drop out in Season 16 when Dorothy Hamill was injured. Then it was a bummer to see him injured during the finale and he couldn't have one last dance with her. (Bravo to Henry Byalikov for stepping in!)

I'm just not going to get my panties in a bunch over this. I'm going to look at it from the Sharna Burgess School of Opportunity. I love what she did with Andy Dick last season, it was fun and moving to watch his journey. I'm going to take that same approach with Tristan and Valerie. I have a lot of faith in his talent, don't you?

So let's kick off this season on a positive note. I know you guys won't always agree with me, but I love to hear your opinions as long as it's handled with mutual respect. I love a good dance debate!

Here's to a great Season 17. I'm excited by the cast so far and we've already booked our first guest for DWTS on AfterBuzz TV. Hooray!

I would love to hear from you....hit me up with your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

PHOTOS: Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala Red Carpet

 It's the annual Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala and I have to say it is a must for any So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing With the Stars fan. Next year, save up and come to LA for National Dance Day, you won't be disappointed. Another good note, the fans are able to watch the red carpet and grab photos of the dance stars as they went into the venue.

Here are a few of  my photos from the evening. My official article will be up on Press Pass LA next week, but I will give you some inside scoop from the red carpet.

So sit back, relax and enjoy!

 tWitch and Allison Holker are the King and Queen of dance. They stayed the longest on the red carpet and talked to EVERYONE. Total class. The dance world couldn't have better ambassadors. 

 NappyTabs!!!

 Look who they brought, little London, who was wheeled down the red carpet in his stroller. They talked about London loving music, so perhaps he's a future contestant on American Idol. 

 Alex Wong looked very handsome on the red carpet. He talked about the importance of influencing a future generation of Asian dancers. If you missed his ABTV appearance, watch it here. 

 Chehon is ready to be a huge face in the choreography/producing/directing world. He's determined and I believe him.  Watch his ABTV appearance here.

 How incredible does Mollee Gray look? We keep showing up at the same events lately, so I am sure I will have more scoop for you soon. Her red dress is by Ted Baker--gorgeous!

Watch her ABTV appearance here.

 Every time I interview Mary Murphy, I like her even more than I did the last time. She's so kind and thoughtful. She talked a lot about the format changes and how much she hated the first elimination.

 Allison being a good friend and fixing Mollee's hair.

 I love that we have such a strong generation of choreographers including Travis Wall. He was a fan favorite, people screamed for him in the crowd. 

 Jane Lynch looked beautiful. The Glee cast members did not answer any questions...totally understandable. They need their privacy.

 Honoree Chita Rivera. If you have never seen her work, watch this, she's a legend.

 Arthur Mitchell is the first black ballet dancer for New York City Ballet and the founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. He paved the way for so many other black dancers in the ballet world. Watch him in the Balanchine "Agon" piece. 

 Adam Shankman, Nigel Lythgoe and Christina Applegate conferring on the red carpet.

 Adam is thinking...

 What are they talking about?!! This is when I asked Nigel when he was going to make Christina a permanent judge. He said he's tried but they have massive scheduling problems. Christina then looked over at me and jokingly signaled she wanted a lot of money. Then, Adam chimed in..."Wait, that leaves me off the panel if she's a permanent judge." 

There you have it...they've tried to get her permanently, but can't.

 Stacey Tookey...she's dying to get her hands on Makenzie for choreography. 

 For those that were asking, Mark Ballas' new album is expected to drop early next year.

 Chris Scott wants to choreograph on Fikshun this season...

 Lindsay Arnold and Sharna Burgess looked incredible on the red carpet. I even met Sharna's mom who is here on holiday. So sweet! Watch Sharna and Lindsay's ABTV appearance.

 Yep, that's Cat Deeley running late and running down the red carpet as the show was beginning.

 And that's the elegant Cat having a wardrobe malfunction.

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD: Sharna Burgess

This was such a fun show. I cannot tell you how much I love Sharna Burgess as a guest. She is honest, funny and forthcoming with her insight. I always appreciate it because I know we are getting the truth when she talks about a controversial issue. The best part of Sharna though....she's nice.  I just like the gal. So, you will see her again when DWTS starts up again in the fall. Thanks, Sharna!

In watching the show back today, there were two things I noticed:
1. Judges: With all of the excitement around Paula Abdul judging, we barely mentioned her. In fact, Erin Andrews received more mentions than Paula. While the honor of having Paula on the panel is a big deal, I am not sure her judging comments resonated that much with us.  What do you think?

See our pre-show Vine video >>

2. Comfort Fedoke: Yes, she was the one who was eliminated and was brought back to the show. We were thinking hard on the fly and couldn't come up with a name, but we knew it had happened before. The real question is: Why don't they bring back contestants anymore?

I'm bummed the show will be pre-empted by the MLB All-Star game. We want All-Stars, but the ones who dance, not hit a ball. I will miss you guys next week, but we will return on July 24 with Mollee Gray and Kent Boyd. They have exciting news to discuss with their Teen Beach Movie coming out on the Disney Channel. You can also stay up-to-date on our future guests by clicking here.

To see the Sean Cheesman side-by-side comparison of his jazz routine from SYTYCD Canada with the U.S version, click here.

I would love to hear your comments on the show, so hit me up in the comments section below:

SYTYCD On AfterBuzz TV: Top 18 Perform Preview

After much discussion about last week's eliminations, I am happy to see that Nigel Lythgoe and the rest of the producers retooled the format a bit. Tomorrow night, we will see the Bottom 6 revealed at the top of the show. Two dancers will be immediately saved and then the Bottom 4 will fight for their lives during the show. The judging and eliminations will happen at the end of the evening. This is a fantastic format and it makes more sense. I'm sorry that Brittany and Carlos didn't have that same opportunity.

The celebrity guest judge is Paula Abdul.  I know a lot of people are excited by this news. Paula will offer some interesting insight, but I feel like she's been a judge on every talent show on TV. Also joining the panel will be FOX sportscaster Erin Andrews. She's familiar to DWTS' audience after her Season 10 stint on the show with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Let's see how tomorrow night goes.

If you are clever,  you've been peeking at the list of upcoming guests. If you haven't heard, then it's time to announce our AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD guest this week.

It's Sharna Burgess! We are thrilled to have her back to the ABTV studios. She is so honest with her answers and she has the inside scoop on this year's contestants since she works with choreographer Jason Gilkison.  He choreographed that infamous Jive and the Viennese Waltz first live week.

If you have comments or questions for Sharna, make sure to add them in the section below. Remember, we are focusing in on SYTYCD, so DWTS questions will probably not be answered at this time.  Thanks for all of your feedback so far!

Watch SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV LIVE at 9pm PT on Wednesday. Watch here.

AfterBuzz TV DWTS: Sharna Burgess & Lindsay Arnold

Ahhh, what a season! I cannot believe it's over.  It's been a wild ride over the last 10 weeks. My wish for next season is that we are all good to each other...no matter who we are rooting for. We are so lucky to live in a world where we can have our own opinions and thoughts, but it is important to be respectful of the opposing side.  Kellie and Zendaya are both beautiful dancers and women. While they each brought different things to the table, we watched because we love dance.  While Kellie went home with that mirror ball trophy, I think we are all going to watch Zendaya become a superstar in Hollywood...way beyond the confines of Disney/ABC. Whether she hits the music scene or takes on the film world, mark my words, she will be wildly successful.

My SheKnows.com article about the DWTS finale >>

I know many of you aren't satisfied with the voting explanation. ABC should have done a better job with explaining what happened much like NBC did with The Voice when they had a similar issue in early May. Legally, they did the right thing by throwing out the ABC.com votes. It leveled the playing field for both coasts.  While viewers were left with phone, text, and Facebook votes, I know some of you will argue it isn't fair.  Well, I can never text since I'm not an AT&T customer.....so that's not fair. I also only have a public FB page, so I cannot vote via social media. I have to pick up the phone. We could go in circles about this over and over. Remember, all networks have to abide by FCC regulations and Broadcast Standards and Practices. Here are ABC's guidelines for their entire network. What ABC failed to do is explain the situation to the viewers...that is a PR misstep.

Our pre-show Vine video >>

I also think Lindsay and Sharna addressed the footwear issue very well.  There are so many other issues to deal with when you are trying to teach a celebrity to dance.  While it may not be the preferable choice for viewers with a dance background, the pros chose what they felt was best for their celebs. I prefer the line of a heel, but once I heard Lindsay and Sharna's explanations, I feel like I understand the reasoning a bit better...even if I prefer true ballroom footwear.

One crazy photo post-show >>

Thank you all for such a great season. We really cannot do it without you. Your input, comments, questions and artful debate have been so much fun. Even when we don't agree, I love discussing the show with you.  For those of you that are fans of SYTYCD, I hope you join me, Jake, AJ Gibson, and Chloe West for a fun season. Next week, we will slide into DWTS' old time slot on AfterBuzz TV at 9pm PT, so you know where to find us. We will also be bringing in some DWTS and SYTYCD guests to join us once the Top 20 is announced.



The podcast is available to listen to here. 

Now feel free to comment away about the season, but be respectful of others and their opinions. Thank you! 

AfterBuzz TV DWTS: Finale Preview

I cannot believe we are here.  10 weeks, thousands of comments, and millions of controversies later, it's time for our last show for Season 16 of DWTS on AfterBuzz TV.

There is so much to say, but I'm going to save that for Wednesday night. So, here are our confirmed guests for the last show.

She started our season and she's going to end our season. With one of the best storylines of the season with her partner Andy Dick, it's Sharna Burgess!

Our second guest also joined DWTS as a pro this season. We had her partner and now we finally get to hear from her, it's Lindsay Arnold!

Watch us LIVE tomorrow night on AfterBuzz TV at 9pm PT. Link is here. 

Now, get those comments and questions in, please put them in the comments below!

DWTS on AfterBuzzTV, Week 7: Shirley Ballas, Yegor Novikov

How great of a guest was Shirley Ballas? She offered up some awesome insight and she talked about the fact that there is politics on the show. However, she showed that they are fair and balanced when it comes to moving the top leaders around on that scoreboard. It's boring if Kellie or Zendaya win every week and no one should discount Jacoby for the top spot in the end. I also love that Shirley confirmed the Maks/Val/Derek feud...it's true, it exists.

As for Yegor, he was so sweet and he gave the best critique of the night when it came to Sharna and Andy's journey. He showcased what Sharna did as a choreographer for her celeb who was a great performer, but not a great dancer.  It was fantastic to hear his opinions on them.

If you missed the show, you can watch it below or download it on iTunes. Thank you for making the show #10 this week of Top Podcasts on AfterBuzz TV.  We love you guys!

I also want to thank JC Rubio and Jackie Miranne for taking your questions to the red carpet. It's awesome to have their clips and your questions featured on our show.

I can't believe we only have 3 more shows left. Sniff...I'm going to miss you all until next season...or come join me as I co-host Season 10 of SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV beginning May 14.

Finally, you are all so sweet for sending my mother lovely birthday wishes! xoxoxo kb

Media Mondays

I didn't take any photos in LA last week. In this day and age of all digital, all iPhone, all Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, I find that hard to believe.  Okay, I do have a few DWTS photos, but I posted those with the Sharna Burgess interviews.  So, I pulled out an old photo from a night out with my pals Jenine Mayring and Kelly Stables from 2004-ish. If Kelly looks familiar to you, she's currently starring on The Exes on TV Land.  The best part of the photo is that I'm wearing a sheer lacy shirt and I have a really bad haircut. Awesome!

Here are a few of my media appearances from last week:

DWTS:  You can find everything here.

SheKnows:
Gwyneth Paltrow's spring fashions total over $450,000--Um, someone might be out of touch with reality.
Selena Gomez: Wingman for her dad at Hooters--Because you just can't make stuff like this up.
Holly Madison: "I was laughing as I was pushing"--She also named her kid Rainbow Aurora. Yikes!

The Radio Dish:  Justin Bieber is a punk. Is it the beginning of the end?  Listen in at the 19:45 mark.

It's Monday, so you have two opportunities to catch me on the air today:
1:30pm PT Metro News Hotline with Dave Weekley
7:35pm PT Driving with Gass on KWSS.org

Celebrity Photos of the Week: Colin Farrell, Sharna Burgess, Rozzi Crane

 Here's a little eye candy for you to end your week. Colin Farrell. 

Colin Farrell attended friend Ante Novakovic’s shorts premiere at the Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) on Thursday, March 21, 2013.  Colin, came to Tampa, Florida to support his friend’s directional debut for the short, The Fix. Rumor has it that he was really sweet to everyone, posing for photos, and watching all of the shorts presented that night. I like to hear that.

 Me and the awesome Rozzi Crane at the Staples Center.

I am still waiting on our video interview, but the article is up on SheKnows!  She's such a superstar and mark my words, she's going to be big. Read all about her and her career as the first artist signed to Adam Levine's 222 Records.

Me, Sharna Burgess, Suri Serano, and Karl Warden

 It was so much fun to return to AfterBuzz TV for Dancing with the Stars. In case you missed it, here is the video and my exclusive article with Sharna Burgess for SheKnows.



Colin Farrell Photo Credit: GIFF
AfterBuzz TV Photo Credit: Suri Serano

AfterBuzz TV's Dancing with the Stars: Sharna Burgess

We are finally back for Season 16 on AfterBuzz TV and Suri Surano and I started off with a bang!  We had guests Sharna Burgess, who is paired with Andy Dick this season, and professional dancer/choreographer and coach on Stars in Danger, Karl Warden, in studio with us.

Let me know what you think of episode 1. We always love your comments. And yes, I accidentally called Peta by the wrong name. I know her name isn't Petra.  Anything can happen with a live broadcast so mistakes do happen. Yep, I made a mistake! I'm human. 

Check out my EXCLUSIVE interview with Sharna Burgess for SheKnows:
DWTS' new pro Sharna Burgess:  Andy Dick is "in a great place"

Next week's Guests:  The Bachelor's Sean Lowe and Peta Murgatroyd. Same time, same place: 9pm PT on AfterBuzz TV.

If you want to listen to the broadcast in iTunes, you can download it here.

Media Mondays...on a Tuesday

Green river in Chicago!

I hope you all had a fun St. Patrick's Day weekend. My holiday was spent in Chicago where they take the holiday very seriously. The crowds were lined up at the bars as early as 8 a.m. in order to drink their green beer. The weather was freezing though, so I hope it was worth it. I can't imagine needing a drink that badly, but then again, I can't drink green beer anyway.

Here are some of my media appearances from last week...pick and choose your adventures!

I spent a lot of time writing last week, so it was nice to go for a run outside and see this.

If you missed my Ryan Seacrest/Julianne Hough article about their split and the PR machine about the breaking story, click here. To see the new promo for AfterBuzz TV's Dancing with the Stars, click here.

Tom Barnard Podcast:  The one where I accidentally ask if former Minnesota Vikings player Mike Morris had a Super Bowl ring. Oops, I didn't know Vikings didn't win the Super Bowl. Listen here.

The Radio Dish:  Does Matthew McConaughey have hair plugs? I give you the truth on his hair regrowth. Listen in at the 17:45 mark.

On the Fox lot to catch a sneak peek at Epic.

SheKnows:  My favorite articles from last week:
Epic: Animated films reflect a new generation for girls--My sneak peek look at the animated film, Epic.
Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough call it quits--They are never, ever, ever getting back together.
Director Ang Lee makes his next move: FX's Tyrant--As an Oscar winner, your next move is important. Lee makes a smart choice and does something fresh for his career.

Don't forget that I will be back on AfterBuzz TV with our first episode of Dancing with the Stars for Season 16. Our first guests will be Sharna Burgess and Andy Dick!  Watch us here live at 9pm PT. 

AfterBuzz TV DWTS Week #1 Guests Are...

We are coming back on Wednesday, March 20th at 9pm PT LIVE on AfterBuzz TV for the after show of Dancing with the Stars!

Have you heard who our first guests are?

New pro Sharna Burgess and her celeb partner Andy Dick!  

Suri Serano and I are so excited to be back and joining you for Season 16! Get ready for all of the fun and the drama.

A huge thanks to AfterBuzz TV supporter, Adrian, for creating this amazing promo for our new season.  If you have questions for Sharna or Andy, hit me up in the comments below.  See you on Wednesday!

Dancing with the Stars, Season 16: Confirmations and Rumors

With the Season 16 announcements for Dancing with the Stars just three days away, I thought I would compile a list of who is rumored or confirmed to be hitting the dance floor. Make sure to add your confirmed or rumored celebs and pros in the comments below, on Twitter, or Facebook.

Note:  I am covering the Oscars on Sunday, so I probably won't have time to update this page on Sunday. I will be back on Monday.  Thanks for understanding!

Confirmed Pros:
Derek Hough--confirmed via Twitter
Sharna Burgess--confirmed via Twitter
Cheryl Burke--confirmed via Twitter
Val Chmerkovskiy--confirmed via Twitter
Lindsay Arnold--confirmed via Twitter
Mark Ballas???--he tweeted this
Tony Dovolani--confirmed via Twitter


Pros Not Doing This Season:
Maks Chmerkovskiy--confirmed via Twitter and TMZ
Chelsie Hightower--confirmed via Twitter
Ana Trebunskaya--Has this been confirmed?


Rumored Celebs:
Aly Raisman--Fierce Five member
She tweeted this on Friday.  

J.J. Wyatt--NFL player for the Houston Texans

Tito Ortiz--former UFC champion

KB All Over the Internets

I'm tired.  I am going to spend a lot of my day on the couch hanging out.  So, here are a few places I was hanging out last week:

Dara on Radio:  Dara asks some of the best questions in the entertainment biz and we had a fun 30-minute chat about the Emmys and other upcoming award shows.  Listen here.

AfterBuzz TV:  Dancing with the Stars:  All Stars.  We are having so much fun with our DWTS guests and last week was no exception as Sharna Burgess, Emma Slater, and Jaymz Tuaileva stopped by.  They are all dancers in the DWTS troupe and we heard a lot of inside scoop.  (See the group photo here.)

Tara Weingarten, Micah Muzio, me, Brett Chukerman, Marlo Smith.

HSN:  You might have heard about my Toyota and HSN adventures over the weekend and I had a blast on air with the entire crew.  In fact, we made electronic retailing history and USA Today covered our show in Monday's online and print edition.

Cocktails and Conversation:  My favorite Saturday gals and I talked about the latest entertainment news with a little dish on Rihanna and Chris Brown and the ongoing AI feud between Mariah and Nicki Minaj.  I think that battle is playing out for the TV cameras, do you?  Listen here.

SheKnows.com:  I've been having fun writing daily entertainment articles for the site, so here are three of my favorite pieces from last week:
       -Community postponed yet again.
       -5 Tear-jerking breast cancer films.
       -Nick and Vanessa Lachey debut their baby on Twitter.

The Radio Dish:  Hello, Kansas City!  My weekly entertainment segment dishing on the latest in Hollywood news can be heard at the 21:00 mark. Listen here.

Phew!  That's it.  That's all I did last week.  What was your favorite segment?  Let me know in the comments below!