Shania Hurting, but Grateful for "Beautiful Blessings"
Now that she’s trying to make it on her own, Shania Twain wants her fans to know she’ll be back in business soon, “hopefully stronger than ever.”
“As I am sure you have seen or heard; I am going through a rough time personally in my life,” the recently separated country star wrote in a message on her website dedicated to her “beloved fans.”
“I wanted you all to know that I could not be getting through this without you. Your letters, emails and words of encouragement give me strength. Your overwhelming support reminds me to smile, no matter how deep the pain and to always be grateful for all the beautiful blessings in my life…
“I have so much to say but I know the best way for me to speak is through my music. This is my therapy, my passion, and my love. I look forward to sharing it with all of you as I begin this new journey.
“I need some time to heal this broken heart but make no mistake; I will be back and hopefully stronger than ever.
“Thank you my friends, from the bottom of my heart.”
Twain and her producer hubby of 14 years, Robert “Mutt” Lange, announced their separation May 15. They have one son, 6-year-old Eja D’Angelo.
Kristi Cleans Up on Dancing
Kristi Yamaguchi entered this contest with her own built-in pun andmore credit to hershe didn’t let us down.
Positively icing the competition tonight (and every night, really), the Olympic gold medalist and partner Mark Ballas were named the winners of the sixth season of Dancing With the Stars.
“I guess ’K’ is a good initial to have,” Yamaguchi said before hoisting the coveted mirror-ball trophy. “This is just the icing on the cake. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart I want to thank all the fans out there and everyone involved…for making this a dream experience.”
In becoming the first woman to win the whole thing since Kelly Monaco in the series’ first season three years ago, Yamaguchi beat out NFL star Jason Taylor and first-time finalist Edyta Sliwinsksa in the final minutes of tonight’s two-hour finale.
“I never ever thought I would get to this point. I never thought I’d do this show,” the always-dashing Taylor said graciously. “Kristi is so deserving and everyone’s been so fantastic…I had the time of my life. I loved it.”
And really, the champion figure skater had been beating up on everyone all alongalthough Taylor recaptured the magic tonight with a 30-caliber quickstep that brought his two-night total to 81 out of a possible 90.
Too little too late, though, because Yamaguchi and Ballasthe highest-scoring couple in DWTS historyalso scored yet another 30, this one for a redo of their geek-chic jive, to give them a perfect 90 for the week.
“I’ve got to say, for me, you are the most consistent dancer, not only on this season, but on any season,” head judge Len Goodman said.
Yamaguchi’s well-deserved victory came at about the 1:58 mark of a two-hour montage extravaganza, which started off with a performance from Usher and moved right into the first elimination of the night.
It was the walking woundedCristián de la Fuente and Cheryl Burkewho were the first to be let go.
“When I heard you were going to stay in the competition [after rupturing a tendon in his bicep], I thought you were nuts,” host Tom Bergeron told the Chilean actor. “But what I’ve realized is, you’re pretty amazing.”
Aw, Bergeron’s getting downright sentimental in his sixth season.
“I would never have the feeling of going into the final after an injury if it wasn’t for Cheryl,” de la Fuente, who put off surgery to stay on the show, said. “She’s been the best partner I could have. She’s been a real friend, not only a dance partner but a support when I really needed her.”
“Of all my five seasons being on this show…I’ve had one of the best times with Cristián,” Burke, a two-time champion making her third trip to the finals, added. “I love you, and I’ll miss you and your family so much.”
Then the two performed one last tango andwe knew it was comingproducers managed to fill the ensuing hour and 40 minutes with highs and lows, drama and comedy, freak-outs and fawning, and flashes of what could’ve been.
Or, in this case, what already was.
This year’s other contestantsPenn Jillette, Monica Seles, Steve “I guess my favorite moment is right now and I don’t have a least-favorite moment” Guttenberg, Adam Carolla, Priscilla Presley, Marlee Matlin, Shannon Elizabeth, Mario and Marissa Jaret Winokurall trotted out to take a turn across the floor.
And yes, Carolla whipped out the unicycle again.
“This is why the terrorists hate uswe’ve got black and white, Hispanic and Asian, gay, straight and Guttenberg, all working together for one common goal,” the radio host said when asked for a recap of his DWTS experience. “And the mirror ball doesn’t care what color you are…”
He went on, but…Exactly.
Ultimately, though, the two remaining finalists had only the nicest things to say each other, although earlier in the evening Taylor admitted there was no room for his and de la Fuente’s friendship out on the dance floor.
“Kristi’s been great,” he said. “I grew up on two things: Wheaties and watching Kristi compete for our country.”
“Obviously I have a ton of respect for Jason,” Yamaguchi said of her cofinalist. “He really is a true gentleman.”
A nice sendoff for all involved.
Hell’s Kitchen: Day 8 - VIDEO
(S04E08) “Shut up…and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” - Chef Ramsay, to Christina
This episode brought back a lot of memories for me, flashbacks to the day 20 years ago when I cut my finger while slicing linguica on a slicer. Matt does the same thing tonight (via knife) while slicing pancetta. Funny how both the pancetta and linguica are both sorta flesh-colored. I didn’t cut the tip of my finger off (though I did go to the emergency room). Matt did cut the tip of his off yet didn’t go to the emergency room. If I remember correctly from the episode, he also didn’t find the tip of his finger. What exactly did they do with that pancetta?
As we saw in the previews last week, the woman who volunteers to go over to the men’s team is Jen. And the other women are very happy to see her go. They think she’s a bully. Jen calls Corey “a manipulative bitch.” Wow, I wonder what she really thinks.
The men aren’t sure what to think of having Jen on the team but vow to stick together (have they been sticking together?).
The challenge this week is to make four dishes out of 20 different ingredients, making sure not to use an ingredient more than once. The red team (women and Matt) choose fast and start their cooking. The blue team (men and Jen) are so slow that Ramsay even mentions they have to hurry up (they only have 45 minutes). After the dishes are made, players go up against each other with the four dishes. And as can only happy on reality show, the person who had the most trouble making his dish and made a weird decision is the one who goes last, Louross. I doubt this is a coincidence. Producers want that drama after all.
The meals are tied 2-2 when it comes down to Louross. Ramsay actually likes the salmon dish but then Louross tells him he didn’t use the veal, which means they only used 19 ingredients. The red team wins and the blue team members aren’t happy with Louross, especially Jen. And by “not happy with Louross” I mean she wants him to die of some disease as quickly as possible.
(Side note: why do these players swear during the camera interviews? I can understand why they swear during the game, because you forget about the cameras and you’re in the middle of a hectic service, but why curse when you’re calm and sitting down talking to the camera and you know it’s going to get bleeped anyway?).
The red team gets to go to a photo shoot for In Style magazine. I don’t read In Style, but I don’t think I’d rush out and buy this issue even if I did.
Tonight’s service has a twist: two food critics will be in the dining room and the chefs won’t know where they are sitting or what they order. Oh, this should make Ramsay very serene in the kitchen.
The service in Hell’s Kitchen is the usual blend of the good (Louross’ scallops are “perfect”) and the bad (first Matt cooks the Beef Wellington raw, then overcooks it, Christina burns the salmon, Petrozza cuts the meat too early), but it’s something that Chef Ramsay does that surprised me. I’m pretty sure that when he was tasting the risotto (also good), he stirred it with the same spoon he tasted it with. Hasn’t he yelled at people who have done things like this in the past?
The critics are getting a mix of food at their table. They love Louross’ salmon but hate Christina’s. Roseann screws up (I think this is a pattern), and Ramsay is so pissed (he uses that word a few times tonight) at the red team that he tells them to get out of the kitchen. The blue team has to finish the service of the red team.
It’s a no brainer - the blue team wins. Ramsay tells Corey (by far the best of the worst) to pick two people. Rosann, Matt, and Christina all plead their case, but Corey has made up her mind. She picks Matt and Rosann. Ramsay thinks they are good choices, but wants another person in line too - Christina! Each of the three pleads their case, which basically comes down to what it always comes down to: “I’m a fighter, I’ll give 110% from now on, you ain’t seen nothing yet, blah, blah, blah, blah.” Ramsay tells Rosann to get back in line. She’s safe. So it’s down to Matt and Christina. Who will go?
Ramsay picks…Rosann?!?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone told they were safe and then picked anyway! No one seemed as shocked by this as I was on my couch.
Next week: Jen ticks off her teammates! (Shocker)
(By the way, what happend to this “mystery person” who they said was going to be on the show a couple of weeks ago. Did I miss something?)