Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Screencaps of Week 2: Elimination

Mark and Shannen's elimination from DWTS, March 30, 2010

Screencaps after the cut:

Screencaps of Week 2: Jive

Screencaps of week 2 for Shannen and Mark are after the cut:

Hollywood Life video

This is another paparazzi type video from the preseason, but it's just Mark talking about how Shannen is doing in rehearsals. Nothing invasive. :)

Photos from week 2

Photos from IMDB of week 2:


photos copyright ABC

Mark on Millionaire

Mark's appearance on Millionaire. Obviously filmed last Fall. He is wearing his yellow Salsa outfit from season 9. :)


Link to my post with a screencap.

Cast photos from Week 2

Cast photos from week 2 of DWTS, courtesy of ABC7:
 photos copyright ABC/ Adam Larkey

CNN backstage week 2

After Monday's performance. Mark and Shannen appear at 2:29

Access Hollywood Backstage interview - Elimination

Mark talks about his injury in depth and Shannen talks about the elimination:

ABC7 Los Angeles Backstage - Elimination night

Backstage interview from elimination night


Photo of Mark and Shannen from ABC7:
photo copyright ABC

ET backstage interview - Elimination

ET backstage interview with Mark, Shannen and others about the elimination.

The article: http://www.etonline.com/news/2010/03/85480/index.html

The video:

Mark talking to Paparazzi Henry

I don't normally do the paparazzi thing, because I am opposed to it, but Henry from Poptv is kind of a buddy of the cast, so he's a little less threatening. He's always pretty kind to everyone. He chatted with Mark last night about his injury. Mark gave some info about the extent of the injury. No tear, just the muscle pulled away from the bone. That sounds bad, but it's a much quicker recovery than a tear. :) So, hopefully, he'll be off those crutches before we know it. :) Get well soon, Marky!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Photos from ABC.com week 2

Photos from ABC.com of Week 2 performance night:



all photos copyright ABC

Photos of week 2 from ABC7

A few shots of Shannen and Mark performing their Jive. Photos found at the ABC7 website.

 
photos copyright ABC / Adam Larkey

Access Hollywood backstage week 2

Mark and Shannen start this video. Talk about a little mishap in the dress rehearsal. lol

ABC7 Los Angeles backstage week 2

Backstage: Mark and Shannen at 1:28



Behind the scenes in Wardrobe:

CNN backstage week 2 video

Mark and Shannen are at 2:28

ET Backstage for week 2

Mark and Shannen are at 1:18

"Gotta work on Len"

I'll do a full post of screen caps from week 2, but I just had to share this one first...because it cracked me up! When Len gave his 6 score, both Mark and Shannen gave a sad face. hehehe

all photos copyright ABC. Screencapped by Bewitching Ballas Blog

Mark and Shannen's Jive week 2

Week 2 Jive performance:


I really liked it! LOVED the outfits. My favorite Jive outfits that Mark has ever chosen for any of this partners. :)

Song: "Shake A Tail Feather" by Ray Charles

Monday, March 29, 2010

Mark on Millionaire

I missed the episode today (it's on at 12:30pm here and I was at work), so I'm not sure if Mark appeared on today's episode, or if he'll be on later in the week.

Here is an image from the Who Wants to be a Millionaire website:
photo copyright ABC?

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Week in Review - March 22-28

Every Sunday, I'll post a little recap of the week.  I'll talk about the show the previous week and the upcoming show.  I'll also include all the links and such that I put up on Twitter but didn't put on the blog. Sometimes things just don't require a whole blog post, so I just tweet a link - but each Sunday I'll collect those links here for future reference.  I'll consider the week to be Monday through Sunday, since DWTS is on Monday. :)  So, let's get started with our first Week in Review!

In Week 1, we had 11 couples on the dance floor: 5 men and 6 women contestants.
  1. Chad & Cheryl    18 (6,6,6)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "It's Just Begun"—The Jimmy Castor Bunch
  2. Shannen & Mark    18 (6,6,6)    Viennese Waltz    "The Killing Moon"—Nouvelle Vague
  3. Erin & Maksim    21 (7,7,7)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "TiK ToK"—Ke$ha
  4. Jake & Chelsie    20 (7,6,7)    Viennese Waltz    "Kiss from a Rose"—Seal
  5. Niecy & Louis    18 (7,5,6)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "Rescue Me"—Fontella Bass
  6. Evan & Anna    23 (8,7,8)    Viennese Waltz    "I'll Be"—Edwin McCain
  7. Buzz & Ashly    14 (5,4,5)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "Cupid"—The Spinners
  8. Nicole & Derek    25 (9,7,9)    Viennese Waltz    "Hold You In My Arms"―Ray LaMontagne
  9. Aiden & Edyta    15 (5,5,5)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "Hungry Like the Wolf"—Duran Duran
  10. Kate & Tony    16 (6,5,5)    Viennese Waltz    "She's Always a Woman"—Billy Joel
  11. Pamela & Damian    21 (7,6,8)    Cha-Cha-Cha    "Gimme All Your Lovin'"—ZZ Top
I think every couple did well. My favorite couples of the evening included Shannen & Mark, Niecy & Louis, Evan & Anna, and Nicole & Derek. I didn't enjoy Chad, Pam, or Aiden much.

Shannen & Mark earned an 18 for their Viennese Waltz, which was praised for being elegant, graceful, and technically difficult.

I think Shannen should have earned all 7s for a score of 21. I really feel that she did better than Chad and Niecy, who both also earned an 18.  But, Shannen had a couple of disadvantages. She was second to dance, the first Viennese Waltz of the night, and the first female contestant to perform. Scores are always lower for the first few (unless they are insanely good dancers or something).  I'm not surprised she got all 6s, because I know these judges, but after we saw all the dances, she certainly deserved 7s, in my opinion. :)

Shannen needs to work on her extension. She was very elegant and graceful, but if she extends her whole body more and is more fluid, she will be top notch.  Her footwork was very good and she was able to handle and perform (even with a phobia of live audiences) a very difficult routine, right out of the gate. People are saying she won't last long, but I disagree. She really impressed me and I think she's a dark horse. I think she might just surprise people.  :)

And one other thing I keep meaning to say: I'm really glad Shannen decided to go sans tan. I also choose not to tan. I don't even do the fake tan. Why? It's just vanity. And real tanning really damages your skin. The atmosphere is not what it used to be, friends, so be careful in the sun. And tanning beds are not safe. For me, I've never liked tans. I'm part Native American, so I'm medium skinned when I'm not in the sun (but I get really dark if I'm in the sun), so I don't have a problem with dark skin...just dark skin that isn't naturally dark. ;)  You can tell when someone has a tan, real or fake. And it's not attractive to me. All I see is cooked meat and cancer. Sorry for the gross visual. ;) LOL All this is just to say that I'm really pleased to finally see a fair skinned woman stick to her guns and say outright "We aren't promoting skin cancer here, are we? Why do I need a spray tan?" Thanks Shannen! :)

I think Pam's scores were too high. Her Cha Cha was fine, but not any better than anyone else. And, to me, she wasn't appealing at all.  She kinda looked like a prostitute who was messed up on drugs and just got beat up by her pimp. Sorry Pam. It wasn't all Pam's fault. I mean, who decided to give her messy, ratty hair? She looked like a train-wreck. :( She deserved an 18, I think.

I loved Nicole's dance, she was very elegant - but her footwork was not so much. :( She deserved Evan's score (8,7,8), but not 9s. I think Carrie Ann and Bruno forgot to look at her feet and just stared at her pretty face. ;)

Everyone else was scored pretty decently, although, Kate got a bit of a low score. I think maybe she deserved all 6s. She was pretty graceful out there.

Next week, we will watch the Jive and the Foxtrot. Those couples that did the Cha Cha will be doing a Foxtrot and those couples that did the Viennese Waltz will do the Jive.

Mark and Shannen will have a Jive.  I spoke already about Mark's history with the Jive.  I have a good feeling about this.  I wasn't sure at first, how Shannen would handle a Jive, but after seeing her V.Waltz and watching Mark's previous Jives again - I think Shannen might actually do well with this dance.  I'm guessing her outfit will be more like Kristi's outfits, since she has tiny legs like Kristi did.  Sabrina, Shawn, and Melissa had more muscular, curvy legs and all had much fuller skirts.

On Tuesday of week 2, the Beach Boys w/John Stamos will perform, as well as a group of Haitian dancers for the Macy's Stars of Dance number (which will raise money for Haiti), and finally, the pros will dance a routine choreographed by Travis Payne (Michael Jackson's choreographer).  Sounds like a pretty good show! :)

One couple will go home. :(  Sad. It's hard to say right now, because they all still have another dance to show us, but Kate, Aiden, and Buzz are at the bottom for now.

Twitter updates from the week:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1634466/20100322/story.jhtml An article from MTV talking abt Shannen's appearance on the Ryan Seacrest show

http://www.kiisfm.com/mediaplayer/?station=KIIS-FM&action=ondemand&item=18264719&feed_name=onair.xml - Audio of Shannen on Ryan Seacrest

A little discussion of Shannen's week 1 performance over at the Examiner: http://bit.ly/9svcUo

A CBS news story with a little recap of Shannen's first week: http://bit.ly/9icwJG

http://bit.ly/aRXIR4 some mention of the high ratings of the show last night (Monday, March 22, 2010), as well as a pic of Shannen and Mark :)

Photo @dohertyshannen posted, on her Facebook, of her backstage: http://bit.ly/9rdEVF

ABC.com's episode guide for Week 1 on DWTS: http://bit.ly/athKWM

http://bit.ly/bfHKCS DWTS week on Millionaire will begin on Mon the 29th. Mark is one of the celebrity ? askers :) check your listings!

Access Hollywood Backstage interview week 1

One more backstage interview from week 1. I linked to this one from Twitter, but only just found the embed code that works for it.

http://www.accesshollywood.com/dancing-with-the-stars-season-10-premiere-shannens-emotion-evans-hugh-and-buzzs-moon-walk_video_1211186

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Mark's Jives

Monday, Mark and Shannen will do a Jive. Mark has performed many Jives on the show. He performed one with Sabrina, two with Kristi, one with Shawn, and one with Melissa. For every Jive, he dressed his partner in a traditional Jive style dress. He also likes the early Rock'n'Roll music for the Jive as well (in other words, he doesn't do a Jive to a more modern song).  So, we can probably expect to see Shannen in a traditional Jive dress and the music to be early Rock'n'Roll. ;)

Here are Mark's previous Jives: (a playlist of 5 dances)

Friday, March 26, 2010

New Facebook Fan Page!

We have a new Facebook Fan Page! You can join here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bewitching-Ballas-Blog/109562049062633

Tell your friends! :D

Thanks!

Photos from the Ralph Lauren party

Ralph Lauren held a cocktail party in honor of Evan Lysacek's Olympic gold medal victory at the Ralph Lauren Robertson Store on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in Los Angeles.  Here are a few pictures I found of Mark, who was in attendance.

From Evan's Facebook:
copyright unknown

From Daylife:
AP photo

Performances from Project Angel Food's inCONCERT

Here are the two performances by Mark Ballas and Joanna Pacitti from the Project Angel Food inCONCERT fundraiser.  Project Angel Food (not to be confused with Angel Food Ministries - a different charity) is "the only free service in Los Angeles County that prepares, cooks, and delivers daily meals to men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses." (from PlanetOut)  If you would like to know more about Project Angel Food, check out their website: http://www.angelfood.org/.

The 5th Annual inCONCERT took place on October 17, 2009 at the Howard Fine Theater in Hollywood, California.

Mark and Joanna sang "Falling Slowly" (from the soundtrack to the film "Once") and Joanna sang "Angel from Montgomery" with Mark on guitar.

Falling Slowly:


Angel from Montgomery:

MB Interviews from Dizzy Feet - Nov 2009

Here are a couple of interviews from the red carpet of the Dizzy Feet Foundation's Gala at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on November 29, 2009.  Want to know more about what Dizzy Feet is? Check out this website: http://www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org/



Win a signed Mark Ballas poster!

UPDATE: This contest has ended and the winners have been announced. (Thank you, @StarryMag!) April 1, 2010

Enter to win a signed Mark Ballas poster from Starry Constellation Magazine. Mark did an interview with them yesterday (when it is available, I will link to it from the blog).

The contest page is here: http://www.starrymag.com/contests.asp. Just scroll down to the bottom and enter the "Get Into the Groove" contest. :)

Here is the poster that you will get signed:

Cast Photos from Week 1

Here are the cast photos from week 1, from the ABC website:

all photos copyright ABC

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Mark choreographing for Thin Ice

Michael Weiss and Marie-France Dubreuil performing their final skate for the ABC competition, Thin Ice. Mark Ballas choreographed the number.

Michael and Marie-France got a perfect score (3 tens) on this skate and won the competition!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Mark at Ralph Lauren

Mark and other DWTS peeps had a little party at the Ralph Lauren store last night. Here is the photo of Mark they posted:

Copyright 2010 Alberto Rodriguez / Getty Images

Mark and Evan on ET

Video of Mark and Evan on ET, talking about Evan's figure skating tour (going on during DWTS) and the routine Mark is choreographing for him:



Original video:

More photos of Shannen and Mark, Week 1

IMDB.com has many photos from DWTS. (thanks for the tip, @dwightcrazy) Here are the 3 Mark and Shannen pics:

all photos copyright ABC

Mark and Evan

Posted by Jonathan Roberts yesterday morning...I don't see the resemblance. Seriously. I mean, they both have dark hair and big (beautiful) noses, but that's about it. Oh well. Both are handsome gentlemen. :)

photo copyright Jonathan Roberts

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Screencaps of Week 1: Viennese Waltz

Screencaps of week 1 for Shannen and Mark are after the cut:

Shannen and Mark's Viennese Waltz, Week 1

Here is the Viennese Waltz by Shannen and Mark, week 1:



Song: Nouvelle Vague - "The Killing Moon"

Score: 6 6 6

Backstage interview with The Insider

Mark and Shannen backstage interview with The Insider, week 1:

they appear at 3:15

Photos of week 1 from ABC7

ABC7 Los Angeles posted some photos of week 1. Here are the two shots of Mark and Shannen:

 photos copyright ABC / Adam Larkey

ABC7 Los Angeles week 1 backstage interviews

ABC 7 Los Angeles news recap of week 1:


Shannen and Mark backstage interview for week 1 with ABC7 in Los Angeles:

E! Online backstage interviews

The E! Online (Kym Johnson is the interviewer) backstage interviews for week 1:

Shannen and Mark are at about 1:53

CNN Backstage Week 1 video

Mark and Shannen are at 1:58 in this video:

Image from ET Online

Here is a lovely image ET Online posted of Shannen and Mark dancing. :)

Copyright 2010 Adam Larkey / ABC

AOL Preview video

Mark and Shannen show up at 1:47



and, I already tweeted this, but here is the AOL recap of the first night of dancing. Mark's and Shannen's quotes are at the end.

ET Backstage for Week 1

Shannen and Mark show up at about 1:34 on this video:

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Mark's Viennese Waltzes

Mark has performed 3 Viennese Waltzes with his celebrity partners: Kristi, Shawn, and Melissa. Here is playlist of each one. I'm interested to see if Shannen wears white for her Viennese Waltz too. ;)

The making of the All For Nothing music video

Mark posted a "making of" video for his "All For Nothing" music video.  It focuses on Tanisha...and wow, I'm impressed! She improvises very well. She has a bright future! :)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

I support @officialmballas!

Haha, that title sounds like I'm supporting him for political office or something. =P

I feel compelled to write something today. This isn't a news post, so don't read if you don't want to read my opinion.

I'm not here to try and offend anyone and I don't want to say that I know best, but I think sometimes people don't look at the whole picture and say things that are hurtful and rude. It happens to all of us.  We all say the hurtful things and we all have received comments like that.

I've noticed that with the rise of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, people seem more willing to say incredibly rude and hurtful things to people they've never even met, based on one comment or situation.  It's easy to insult behind a computer, but would you really be that rude and hurtful in person, face-to-face? I pray your answer isn't yes.

Hate is not the answer, my friends.  We aren't all going to agree about everything, but we can be respectful and loving to one another!

Today on Twitter, a follower attacked Mark about his 'pimp my album' tweets, as I lovingly call them. ;) Basically, she's upset that he is talking about his music so much and promoting his EP and music video instead of talking about dancing.

First, DON'T ATTACK THIS PERSON. That is only spreading hate.  I'm going to talk about this only to use it as an example of situations I see everyday on Twitter.

As I said before, I think the main issue in most situations is that the person doing the 'attacking' isn't looking at the whole picture.

Yes, Mark has been tweeting about his music a lot lately. Somedays, all we get are 'check out my album' tweets, but hey, if you made this EP with your blood, sweat, and tears...and your own money, independently from a record company, you'd be pimpin' your EP too.  There is no record company to promote him. He has to do it himself and pray for good word-of-mouth too.

This isn't about making money. Sure, I imagine he would like to make enough money to pay for the studio fees he incurred while recording the album. Yeah, he makes a nice paycheck on DWTS, but still...it's not like he's actually making money off this EP. A friend of mine records his own music and releases it independently and he usually just gets above the red line (meaning he really doesn't make a profit, just enough to pay back the fees for the album already created and maybe afford to make another album).

I'm a musician and an artist. Mark isn't making this music to be a famous rock star and make millions.  He is an artist. Artists create. Period. We can't not create. It's in us and it's a driving force in our lives. And why create if we don't share it with the world? Making an EP is Mark's way of saying, "Thank you for supporting me and believing in me. Maybe this art that has helped me will help you too."

It's about connecting with the world. He wants to share his gift with us because it's wasted if he keeps it to himself. God gives us all gifts with the purpose of sharing it with the world.

So, support him. Spread the world about his music and his dance and, if he does more of it in the future, his acting. If you have found some inspiration from an artist, the most wonderful thing you can do for that artist to say thank you is to tell others about them.

It isn't about ego or money or fame. It's about connecting with other human beings and sharing your love, pain, struggles, and lessons learned with others. We will only grow as a society if we share and connect and help one other. Whether you connect through an art or some other way, it doesn't matter. It's just the connecting that matters.

So, before you get annoyed at Mark's tweets about his music, please think about where he is coming from. Who else but him will tell the world about his art? We can help him, if we have found inspiration from his work, and spread the word too. :)

Sure, I miss his dancing tweets and pictures, but he's a busy guy. He's got his EP out, he's choreographing for TV shows and other artists, he's teaching and preparing for a TV show, not to mention all the other responsibilities he has in his life that we have no business knowing about.  We need to stop demanding things from him and just be appreciative that he's on Twitter at all and takes the time to connect with us when he can.

I wish, too, that there were more tweets in between the 'promotion' tweets, but give him a break. He's only doing this to share it with us. How would you feel if you took the time to draw a picture or something for a friend and they were like "yeah, whatever, that's boring. What else you got?". You'd be devastated and hurt.

It is my wish that people will think about their words before speaking. That they will get the whole story before attacking. That they will try to see the world through someone else's eyes before judging.  :)

Love and respect each other. :)

And, here is me, doing my part to pimp Mr. Ballas a little bit more... ;)

All For Nothing video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp9C2AK126s I'm giving the link and not the video because it's super important to go to places like YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon and rate things and leave feedback. Not only will Mark know what we like or would like to see more of, but also, higher rated stuff gets noticed on the main page of sites like that. ;)

Friday, March 19, 2010

Set your TiVo/DVR! :)

Week 1 competition night of DWTS will air on Monday, March 22, 2010 from 8-10pm ET.  All 11 couples will compete with either a Cha Cha or Viennese Waltz (Mark and Shannen have the V.Waltz).  There will be no result show on Week 1.

Week 2 competition night will air on Monday, March 29, 2010 from 8-10pm ET.  All 11 couples will compete with either a Foxtrot or a Jive (Mark and Shannen will have the Jive).  The results show will air on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 from 8-9pm ET.  One couple will be sent home based on the combined judges scores for both routines and the audience votes.

This information derived from the show page at abcmedianet.com and various tweets by the dancers.

DWTS Millionaire & press releases

According to this press release, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will have a DWTS week from March 29 - April 2.  The contestants will be fans of DWTS and the questions will be DWTS related. :)

Also, if you are in the Los Angeles area, go to the Grove to see a large projection advertisement for DWTS on the fountain across from the Pacific Theaters.  This press release gives more information about the projection.  It was installed on March 17th and will continue until the 22nd (Monday).  It is active after 7pm PST. :)

Rehearsal video from E!Online

A new rehearsal video from E!Online includes Mark and Shannen. She looks really good! :D

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mark and Shannen in the studio

Shannen posted this picture last night of her and Mark in the studio after rehearsal:


Can't wait for Monday! :D

New videos from The Insider and E!News

Here are some new behind-the-scenes/interview videos from The Insider and E!News:

The Insider:


"Why are they all naked?" LOL I ask the same thing! Some of those costumes are just too much...er, too little. ;)

E!News:

Video from Carlos Lopez

Carlos Lopez (who took the pictures of Mark for the EP, as well as contributed as a musician on the EP) posted this video of Mark at the Santa Monica Pier.  This video has already been posted by Mark on his YouTube account, but Carlos' video has added some artistic colors and things to the video.



Here is the post with the original video: http://bewitchingballas.blogspot.com/2010/02/mark-ballas-music-live-music-tonight.html

Win a signed Mark Ballas CD!

UPDATE: This contest has ended and the winners have been announced. March 23, 2010


Mark has started a new contest on his Twitter. The first 5 people to respond with the correct answers will win a signed CD! :)

Here are the rules:

He will post 5 questions over the course of a week. (on his Twitter: www.twitter.com/officialmballas)  The first question has already been posted. KEEP THE ANSWER TO YOURSELF. Don't tweet it or anything.  Just remember the answer.

AFTER he has posted ALL 5 questions, then you need to go to www.myspace.com/markballasmusic and send him a message (not a comment, a message) with all 5 answers in one message..in the correct order.

the first 5 people to send him the correct answers in the correct order will win. :)

Make sure you have a Myspace account set up, because you'll have to be logged in to send him a message. :)

Good Luck to everyone! :D

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Cast Photo: Mark Ballas

Mark's individual cast photo:

photo copyright ABC

Rehearsal photos :)

Mark and Shannen rehearsing. Photos copyright ABC











Mark Ballas: All For Nothing music video

Mark's new video for his song "All For Nothing" :)


Mark's blog about the background on the song: http://j.mp/aiUwfH

Shannen on George Lopez

Video of Shannen's appearance on George Lopez last night:



I'm glad to hear that she won't be doing the tan. :)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Shannen and Mark rehearsing

 Heeeheee....very cute!

Shannen on Access Hollywood, pt 2

A continuation of Shannen's interview on Access Hollywood.  More dancing this time and a little more discussion of her fear of live audiences and her father's stroke.

(The video at the Access Hollywood site has a little bit more information at the end of the video, if you want to check it out. Just some info about the costumes: http://www.accesshollywood.com/access-exclusive-inside-shannen-dohertys-dancing-rehearsal_video_1207688)

One Week Away!

The premeire of DWTS is next Monday! Do you have your TiVo's set? :) (I have to work evenings, so I always watch later that night...usually at the same time as the West Coast).

I've been saying all along that I haven't been excited about this season like past seasons, but this past week I've started to get the butterflies. :) I've been impressed with Shannen so far on her twitter and in interviews...she's been pretty charming and friendly.  She seems to have shed that bad attitude that she was famous for when she was much younger. Yay! She fits in the mold for the type of contestant I really like to see on the show...no dance experience, conquering a fear, and doing it for someone/something else (in this case, her father).

So, finally, I'm getting excited about the premiere! :)  Thanks, Shannen, for being such a doll and winning me over! I hope you do well on the show...don't be afraid...just go out and have fun. :)

Mark and Shannen have the Viennese Waltz for their first dance.

Shannen posted a cute picture of her dog Leeroy, a six-year-old Cane Corso, and Mark on her twitter:
photo copyright Shannen Doherty

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Mark on the ice

Mark is pretty connected to the ice...from his former partner, Kristi Yamaguchi and her husband Bret Hedican, to Evan Lysacek, who has asked Mark to choreograph a routine for him (for the ice..not DWTS). Mark has also choreographed some stuff for the upcoming ABC show "Thin Ice". If you follow Mark's twitter (@officialmballas), you'll notice he likes to go skating often. Today he's 'working off' his Cuban supper from last night. lol ;) Here is the picture he posted of him in his hockey skates:

photo from Mark's twitter
hehehe, fun. :D Also...shiny.  :)

Mark & Shannen Meet the Cast Interview

Here is a playlist of the whole interview with Mark and Shannen from the Meet the Cast video at ABC.com.  there are 5 short videos:

Backstage Video: Meet the Cast

Mark and Shannen appear in the second half of the video: http://abc.go.com/watch/clip/dancing-with-the-stars/SH007473660000/30663

(wish I could embed them, but silly ABC took away that feature. sadness.)

Oh yay, here is a YouTube version:


Mark doesn't speak in this video...just Shannen. :)  She talks about her fear of live audiences and being judged.

Here are some screencaps:
 screencaps from video are copyright ABC

Mark's choreography is on Thin Ice...

;) Ok, that's a tabloid headline if I ever saw one. hehehe, sorry about that.

No, but really, Mark has done some choreography for the new ABC show, "Thin Ice".  It only has 2 episodes right now (and I honestly don't know if they are different episodes, or just the same show, reaired).  Mark's former partner, Kristi Yamaguchi, will be one of the judges of the competition.  Basically, it's an Ice Dancing competition, where professional ice skaters from four disciplines (women's, men's, pairs, and ice dancing) will be paired off (not with their real pro partner though) and will skate to try and win some moolah. It's next week...and I've never seen a commercial for it.  Mark's mention was the first I had heard of the show.  Not sure if this will end up being a series, or just a one-shot deal.

Thin Ice airs on Friday, March 19th 8|7c and Sunday, March 21st 7|6c.

From ABC.com:



Contestants:
Shizuka Arakawa, Japan, 2006 Olympic Champion
Elena Berezhnaya, two-time World Champion and Olympic Co-Champion
Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canada, 2003 World Champion ice dancer
Marie-France Dubreuil of Canada, five-time Canadian National Ice Dancing Champion and two-time World silver medalist
Stephane Lambiel, Switzerland's World Champion, fresh from the Vancouver Olympics, where he came in 4th
Patrice Lauzon, five-time Canadian National Champion and two-time World silver medalist as an ice dancer
David Pelletier, Canada, 2001 World Champion, 2002 Olympic Champion as a pairs skater
Jamie SalƩ, of Canada, 2001 World Champion, 2002 Olympic Champion as a pairs skater, and winner of the inaugural Battle of the Blades with partner Craig Simpson
Michael Weiss, three-time U.S. National Champion and World bronze medalist
John Zimmerman, three-time U.S. National Champion and World bronze medalist as a pairs skater

Confirmed pairs are:
Shae-Lynn Bourne / John Zimmerman
Marie-France Dubreuil / Michael Weiss
Jamie SalƩ / Patrice Lauzon
Elena Berezhnaya / Daivd Pelletier
Shizuka Arakawa / Stephane Lambiel

_____________________________________

In other news, Evan Lysacek has asked Mark Ballas to choreograph a routine for him.  I'm assuming this is for Evan's Figure Skating career, NOT Dancing with the Stars.  Pretty sure Anna has Evan's choreography covered for DWTS. ;)  So, look for that in the future. :) I'll post if I find out any further information. :)

Update: Mark confirmed via Twitter that this choreography will be for Evan's figure skating. :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Shannen on Access Hollywood

Click here for a video of Shannen talking about her dad on Access Hollywood. Only a quick shot of her dancing with Mark, but her posture looks pretty good. :)

Found a YouTube version of the video:


I always like to hear that celebrities are overcoming a fear or doing the show for someone...it's not just about publicity. I'm sorry that Shannen's dad is going through what he's going through, but she has the right attitude about the whole situation. :)

Hope Shannen and Mark do well!

Screencaps from video copyrighted to Access Hollywood

Monday, March 8, 2010

Video - Mark at Santa Monica Pier

Mark posted this video on his YouTube recently:

"Pretty" by Mark Ballas

"Pretty", one of the tracks on Mark's new EP, "Waiting for Patience"



Be sure to get your copy of his EP at Amazon or iTunes! And tell your friends! :D

Thanks to the Ballas Hough Fan Forum for putting the song on YouTube.  No infringement intended. :)

Access Hollywood & new co-host!

This morning on GMA, the new DWTS co-host was announced....Brooke Burke! I'm pretty excited...I really wanted her to get the job.  She's a well-spoken and intelligent woman. :)



Also, tomorrow, Access Hollywood will be looking inside Mark and Shannen's rehearsal! Whoot!  If you want to know where and when to catch Access Hollywood, check this link, it should give you your local times: http://special.accesshollywood.com/where-to-watch/

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Carrie Ann Inaba's interview with Regis & Kelly

Carrie-Ann Inaba's interview with Regis & Kelly


Red room will be 'in house'. I hope they put it behind the judging stand...or rearrange somehow, because seating fans behind the judges table is so mean. They can't see anything!

Brings me to another point...if they put the red room out in the view of the audience and judges...why do we need a co-host? All she ever did was chat with the couples before they got scored.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Shannen Twitter, Facebook, & Photo

Shannen has a new twitter: @dohertyshannen and facebook fan page where she is updating with photos.

Here is her photo from today:
Thanks for the photo Shannen!

Mark and Joanna supporting Project Angel Food - October '09

There are a few pics of Mark and Joanna arriving at the 5th Annual inCONCERT To Benefit Project Angel Food on October 17, 2009.  Be sure to check out the gallery at picapp.com for the rest of the pics. :)

Mark at Dizzy Feet last November

One of the pictures over at picapp.com of Mark attending The Dizzy Feet Foundation Inaugural Celebration of Dance on November 29, 2009.  There are many pics, so head on over and check them out! :)
Dizzy Feet Foundation's Inaugural Celebration Of Dance at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA on November 29, 2009. Pictured: Mark Ballas Fame Pictures, Inc