The Latest Season of Dancing with the Stars!

Whatever this season promised to bring, I had become tired of all of the dancing, drama, judges, and contestants. Chloris Leachman frustrated me to such a degree I even stopped watching. But then along came Gilles Marini, Lil Kim, Ty Murray, Melissa Rycroft, The Woz, Julianne's boyfriend, Chuck Wicks, Denise Richards, Shawn Johnson, and a few others that really didn't interest me.

Who really did interest me? It was french actor Gilles Marini who pulled it all together for the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars  Marini was on my radar after watching the Sex and the City movie where he played Dante. Proving he's no one-act wonder, Gilles shows his other talents on Dancing with the Stars. Most of his dances ramp up the heat in the ballroom. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said what a lot of female views were thinking - Gilles wife Carole is very lucky.

The big disappointment on the show was Denise Richards - she showed an almost total lack of both talent and personality. The Woz had the personality, but no talent. Chuck Wicks gave it his all, and lasted longer than most. I didn't really like Lil' Kim until I saw her dance so amazingly well. With his inspiration and choreography, Derek Huff brought Dancing with the Stars to a professional level little seen in past seasons. They were a team that showed talent as well as chemistry. How stunning was it then that Lil' Kim was voted off ahead of several less talented dance partners.

So who did make it to the last couple of shows? It looks like it's going to be Ty and Chelsie, Gilles and Cheryl, Melissa and Tony, and Shawn and Mark. With nearly no preparation Melissa replaced an injured Jewel just before shooting began this season. But it wasn't a huge leap for her - Melissa has a background in ballet. Ballet really paid off for Melissa. Twice she scored thirty out of thirty from the three judges. But perfect scores don't always mean you won't be voted off. (Just ask Sabrina Bryan, who was eliminated early in another season after receiving a perfect score.) Rodeo champion Ty Murry has worked on his dancing the most and it shows. He happens to be very adorable too. Murry's legion of follower's proved to be a huge advantage. Ty has stayed on the show because of the thousands voting for him and his adorable personality. Shawn Johnson's Olympic performance was so endearing, and her dancing is the same. And rounding this amazing cast of celebrities is Gilles Marini who didn't make a move I didn't absolutely love.

So who will take home the winner's 100k bonus? Another celebrity contestant and their partner gets sent off on the next show. After that the three last dance teams have a final dance-off. You know what I'll be watching that evening. I hope it lives up to the best moments that have already happened this season and we get to see the best final yet!

Getting your Dancing with the Stars fix in high definition is the greatest way to do it I've found. After fifteen years with my regular 32-inch screen I decided to take the leap and make the HDTV upgrade with a new widescreen TV. I didn't know what I was missing! What a difference HD makes. If you get an HD high definition TV you'll need to contact your local cable provider to get the most out of it. I called Comcast Cable, my cable service supplier, and add HD channels to my already great channel lineup. And the HDTV picture form Comcast is amazing. For a really low price I took advantage of the triple play bundle offered by Comcast and added High Speed Internet and Voice to my HDTV cable order. My new broadband Internet service is lightning fast and has opened up a whole new world of multimedia that I didn't know existed before Comcast High Speed Online. Plus, the clear digital phone service sounds amazing and flat-rate pricing means I can call all my friends and family nationwide without paying long distance charges. If Comcast is your local cable provider or you're planning on moving to an area covered by Comcast, I definitely recommend calling them up and ordering their great services. And if you search on the web you can probably some sites that offer the latest Comcast Cable promotions and savings. Make sure you take a look at their Triple Play bundle that lets you get all three services for one incredibly low price.