Image Credit: Adam Taylor/ABC

Derek Hough definitely worked his magic Monday with Ricki Lake: The talk show host topped the leaderboard with a 23 out of a possible 30 points with their jive. And Lake did it in a skimpy confection that she promises will be the first of many itty-bitty dresses.

“He just wanted it to move!” she told reporters. “I think it did. I love it. I feel great. I’m really getting in great shape. I’ll be wearing less and less clothing. The smaller I get, the less will be covered. I certainly am feeling better in my skin. I lost 12 inches now in three weeks. I still have a little ways to go but I’m really, really happy with the progress I made.

“I’m sort of like delirious because it keeps going, this treadmill I’m on. It’s every day and now we’re onto the Rumba. It’s so much fun. This is the time of my life. It’s one of the hardest things my body has ever been through, physically. I’m really enjoying every minute of it.” — With reporting from Carrie Borzillo

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David Arquette’s ex Courteney Cox and their daughter Coco were in the house to celebrate the actor’s first performance Monday on Dancing with the Stars — a Viennese Waltz with Kym Johnson that earned him 18 points. Afterwards, Arquette said he’s always around the Cougar Town star since they are business partners on several projects, including a comedy about an ensemble of friends.

“We sold it to ABC. I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to tell because it’s not written yet,” Arquette told reporters afterwards. “We always pitch things. We are doing The Celebrity Name Game with Craig Ferguson hosting. We’re constantly pitching and
working together. It’s part of our life.”

Arquette dug the opportunity to dance for his daughter. “It was so sweet to see her there. It’s a dream for her to see all these amazing dancers and then for her dad to come out with Kym and do this routine. She loved it.” — With reporting from Carrie Borzillo

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Chynna Phillips would like to thank all of the little people for her premiere performance on Dancing with the Stars.

She means that literally: When she broke into a solo during her Viennese Waltz with Tony Dovolani, the singer claims she “literally felt the angels of the orphanage that I work with” and how “all the little kids were dancing around with me.” When Phillips first joined the show, she said she wanted to raise awareness about the “40,000 orphans running the streets of Tijuana.”

“They were dancing around me. I could feel them. And I could feel their energy,” Phillips told reporters after her performance that helped her earn one of the highest scores of the night. (She earned a 22 and tied with JR Martinez). “We are on a mission to build a 60-room dorm for these kids!” READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: ABC

Chaz Bono is feeling pretty sore these days, but it’s the grueling rehearsals on Dancing with the Stars — not the internet backlash to his being the show’s first transgender – that is keeping him on ice.

Bono spoke of the grueling choreography while walking the red carpet of the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday. “It’s tough … everything is hard, the position that everything is supposed to be in,” he told EW. “I’m icing a lot, trying to sleep and eat well.”

Still, the only child of Cher and the late Sonny Bono admitted that the response by naysayers took him by surprise. Some of the pushback was so ugly that his famous mother took to Twitter to defend her son. ”I didn’t completely expect it,” he said of the negative reaction, before adding, “It’s really pretty much rolled off my back and I’m just trying to concentrate on dancing because it’s hard.” READ FULL STORY »

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation doesn’t typically weigh in on the latest round of celebrities on Dancing with the Stars, but then it’s not every season that a transgender and an openly gay man decide to tango under the mirror ball. As a result, GLAAD lauded ABC for including Chaz Bono and Carson Kressley in the 13th season.

“With both gay and transgender contestants represented on this upcoming season, ABC will send viewers a strong message about the diversity within the LGBT community,” said Herndon Graddick, senior of director of programs for GLAAD, in a statement. “At a time when transgender representation in the media is sorely lacking, Chaz Bono joining the cast is a tremendous step forward for the public to recognize that transgender people are another wonderful part of the fabric of American culture. Appearing on such a high-profile show will allow millions of Americans to get to know him in a whole new light.” READ FULL STORY »

Fans of Dancing with the Stars should look for something new and different under the mirror ball this fall (and fortunately, we’re not talking about any misguided plans by Maksim Chmerkovskiy to keep his chest covered).

What fresh and sparkly change does Executive Producer Conrad Green have in store for us? READ FULL STORY »