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Mya again made a strong case Monday night as to why she should win Dancing With the Stars’ coveted mirrorball trophy- but she has an “Os” hot on her trail.

The final three contestants danced three dances, including a dance megamix in which all three couples danced side by side to three different dances (and earned 30, 28 and 26 points, depending on how the judges ranked them), and the ever-popular freestyle round, during which anything goes.

Singer/actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin earned 87 out of a possible 90 with judges, including a perfect 30 for their Paso Doble, and another 30 for taking first place in the megamix round (which consisted of the Viennese Waltz, Samba and Jive). However, the pair’s Hairspray routine took them down a few notches, to a 27.

Showbiz veteran Donny Osmond and partner Kym Johnson managed a solid 85 out of 90, thanks to their freestyle Broadway routine, which earned them their first perfect score of the season. The twosome took second place (28 points) in the megamix round, and scored a 27 for their Cha-Cha-Cha. 

Singer/reality TV star Kelly Osbourne and partner Louis van Amstel finished third with the judges, scoring 76 points out of 90. The duo’s Argentine Tango earned a 26, though they slipped two points in their energetic- yet sorta-sloppy disco freestyle, with Osbourne falling just as she had in rehearsal tapes. Nonetheless, Osbourne had a blast, and, obviously, is very happy to be part of the finals.

If Osbourne wins, it would be a complete upset- she’s definitely shown great improvement since starting the competition, but besides finishign a distant third Monday evening, her per-dance average score (24.1) also trails both Osmond (25.3) and Mya (27.3). While season averages do not directly affect the outcome, viewers could have that in mind when casting their votes.

Osmond’s strong showing this week could give him an edge, if it comes down to viewer support. Whether Osmond wins or places second, he will have one-upped sister Marie, who finished the fifth-season competition in third place (fainting spells and wacky freestyle dances). Marie has been present weekly to cheer her brother on, but sibling rivalry always rears its head, especially with a mirrorball at stake.

Janet Jackson- seen her in Milan, Italy in September- performs on tonight’s 37th Annual American Music Awards. Jackson is plugging her newly released, career-spanning compilation, Number Ones. (picture courtesy of AP/Antonio Calanni)

ABC’s American Music Awards opens tonight with a much-touted performance from Michael Jackson’s sister.

No, not LaToya- she’s much too busy cheering on her favorites from the audience on Dancing With the Stars. Janet Jackson, whose latest compilation, Number Ones, hit the streets this week in the USA, likely will perform her new single and a medley of classic hits (the latter which is nothing new for her, since it’s a prerequisite for any Janet Jackson tour since the 1990s).

Jackson released her first greatest hits compilation (Design of a Decade 1986/1996) back in 1995. The set peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and has scanned more than 2.4 million units in the USA, according to Nielsen SoundScan (that does not cover the estimated couple  of million sold through record clubs). Design contained 13 singles from Jackson’s 1980’s blockbuster releases, 1986’s Controland 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814, and, because of licensing issues (Jackson had moved on from A&M to Virgin Records in 1993), just one single from 1993’s janet. (plus two new tracks).

The Virgin partnership lasted from 1993-2007; during that time, Jackson scored three multi-platinum-selling albums, with the top-seller,janet., selling more than 7 million copies. However, each album sold progressively less, and 2004’s Damita Jo and 2006’s 20 Y.O. only scanned less than 1.7 million between the two of them (her 2004 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” probably did not help matters).  Jackson parted ways with Virgin and signed to Island/Def Jam, but that collaboration spawned just one record- 2008’s Discipline, which became her lowest seller since her first two albums back in 1982 and 1984.

Rumors are that Jackson signed a quiet deal to reunite with A&M. The timing could not be better, with Number Ones’ arrival.  A&M and Virgin partnered through Universal Music to release the collection of 33 Janet Jackson hits, most of which hit No. 1 on various Billboard charts and a couple around the world. The set also includes one new recording, “Make Me,” whose video premiered on ABC’s 20/20 this past Friday night.

As a matter of fact, Jackson has had a week-long promotional blitz with ABC: Wednesday’s Good Morning America previewed her In the Spotlight interview with Robin Roberts; that hour-long Spotlight interview aired Wednesday night, attracting nearly 7 million viewers; 20/20 aired the “Make Me” video Friday night; and, tonight, Jackson opens the American Music Awards with a very generous eight minutes of airtime.

Following brother Michael’s passing in June and his televised memorial service (where Jackson comforted Michael’s daughter as she broke down), Jackson has kept pretty mum in the ensuing months. In the past, she preferred not to discuss her family too much, but now, it’s something she cannot avoid. Jackson did open up to Roberts during her Spotlight interview, talking about how the family tried to intervene and help Michael with his prescription drug addiction, and the closeness to the brother who affectionately called her “Dunk.” She also confirmed that she no longer has romantic ties to record producer Jermaine Dupri (who was one reason she signed with Island/Def Jam, as Dupri held a management position with the label).

If Jackson is back at A&M, she’s come full circle. At age 43, she unlikely will dominate the charts as she once did (U.S. pop and rhythmic radio are extremely youth-driven, and balk at putting 40-plus acts in heavy rotation- see Madonna and Whitney Houston). However, if she reverses a creative downward trend that began back with 2001’s All For You and continued since (with less and less input from longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis), there’s no reason she cannot remain a viable act, even in this era of declining album sales and cherry-picking favorite tracks at iTunes.

“Make Me” is fine as a fun, classic-Janet dance track, and moves her in the right direction. But, she will need more than that to rival her best work; she hinted that the music she is working on for her forthcoming album probably will have some “darker” themes, and not just the get-down, let’s-have-some-fun quality of “Make Me.”

Until she offers a peek into her next album, let Number Ones remind why, as Robin Roberts noted on her show, Jackson is the Princess of Pop (at least in the USA) to brother Michael’s King of Pop status. While she may never rival Madonna for Queen of Pop (a title that Her Madgesty enjoys on a global scale), Jackson’s impact and influence on up-and-coming acts cannot be denied, nor can the consistently satisfying  work from her heyday years.  Hopefully, she’s just setting up for what will be a return to form come 2010.

Derek Hough and Joanna Krupa could not score enough viewer support to make it to the Dancing With the Stars finals.  However, after nine weeks of season nine competition, the pair finished with the season’s second-highest average judges’ score. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Turns out that both “Os” contestants on Dancing With the Stars will battle for the illustrious mirrorball in next week’s finals.

Model Joanna Krupa and partner Derek Hough had the lowest tally after combining judges’ scores and viewer votes, finishing season nine’s competition in fourth place. That’s one rung higher than Hough’s eighth season ranking, when he and rapper Lil’ Kim (shockingly) came in fifth place, bested by fourth-place finishers Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower. Hough and model Brooke Burke dominated season seven, snagging the mirrorball trophy with ease.

Blame for Krupa’s failure to secure a spot in the finals does not lie with the judges, as she had the season’s second-highest average judges’ score: a 25.5 for 13 dances, one point higher than Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and 1.6 points higher than Kelly Osbourne/Louis van Amstel. However, the “Os” contestants apparently had the viewers behind them moreso than Krupa.

One would think Mya and Dmitry Chaplin- with this season’s highest average judges’ score (26.9)- have the competition wrapped up, but the same probably held true for actor Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke last year, only for them to finish second to Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and Mark  (by the thinnest of margins in the ABC series’ history). Will one of the “Os” dancing wanna-bes put a damper on the Mya dancing train?

Aside from the finals competition, next week’s finals results show will feature a performance by Whitney Houston. The comeback singer’s latest album, I Look to You, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 in September, and has sold more than 760,000 units since its release- despite only scoring a very moderate hit with the title track (which peaked at No. 70 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart). The album’s second single, “Million Dollar Bill,” appeared for one week at No. 100 and vanished thereafter. Will it return to the charts following her finale performance?

Houston also performs on Sunday’s American Music Awards (also airing on ABC), though it’s unclear whether she will perform “Bill” or another track from her current album. Chances are that she also may perform a classic Whitney track for the proceedings- perhaps “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”?

Dancing With the Stars semi-finalists worked their way through an unprecedented three dances Monday evening, with one clear  victor emerging.

Season nine favorites Mya and Dmitry Chaplin once again took command of the leaderboard, scoring an 87 out of 90 with the judges. The couple’s perfect-30 dance came via their Salsa, while their Cha-Cha scored a 29 and their Waltz ended up as their “low” for the night (28).

Finishing second with a three-dance score of 81 were model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough, who showed consistency in each dance (landing a 27 across the board for their Viennese Waltz, Samba and Salsa). Trailing by three points with a 78 were singer/reality TV star Kelly Osbourne and partner Louis van Amstel. The pair started decently with a 24 for their Rumba, but then climbed to a 27 for their Quickstep and maintained that high mark for their Cha-Cha.

Showbiz veteran Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson again landed at the bottom this week, managing a 74 out of 90. The twosome’s first dance (Tango) hurt them, scoring an embarrassing semi-finals score of 21. However, their Samba and Jitterbug fared much better, with a 26 and 27.

Mya and Krupa should be no-brainers for theABC dance competition’s finals, though, as always, fan support will dictate the results. Expect the two “Os” contestants to battle for that third-place slot; Kelly has Ozzy and Sharon to campaign for her votes, while Donny has sister Marie, who has been present for each week’s competition (unlike Ozzy and Sharon, who looked to be MIA a few times; but when Sharon is present, you know it, as she acts like a proud soccer mom, in the stands, cheering on her daughter).

Aside from revealing the three contestants in the finals, Tuesday’s results show will feature musical performances from Alicia Keys (who has a strong shot at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week with “Empire State of Mind,” her duet with rapper Jay-Z), Leona Lewis (whose sophomore album drops this week) and, Barry and Robin Gibb of the legendary Bee Gees (the third Brother Gibb- Maurice- passed away in 2003).

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff danced a winning 90s-inspired Samaba Monday evening on Dancing With the Stars, but the routine was not strong enough to keep them from the bottom of the leaderboard (tied with Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson) or elimination Tuesday night. (phto courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Karina Smirnoff found herself in a familiar position on Tuesday night’s Dancing With the Stars results show.

By earning the lowest tally after combining judges’ scores with viewer votes, Smirnoff and partner/pop star Aaron Carter got the boot from the competition, marking Smirnoff’s third fifth-place finish to date. Previously, she placed fifth in season four (with country music star Billy Ray Cyrus) and season six (with R&B singer Mario). Smirnoff’s best showing came in season two, when she placed second with actor Mario Lopez. 

Other than that, Smirnoff has not had the best of luck with her partners: Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. placed ninth out of 12 in season five; chef Rocco DiSpirito placed ninth out of 13 (though he likely would have come in 10th if Misty May-Treanor did not withdraw from the competition); and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak finished either 10th or 11th (upon his ousting, he was one half of a double elimination, along with reality star and Playboy model Holly Madison).

With this season’s youngest contestant out of the race, four couples remain. Mya and Joanna Krupa should have no problem making it to the finals, leaving that third spot up for grabs between Donny Osmond and Kelly Osbourne. However, it’s not out of the question that either of them could prevent Krupa from advancing to the finals, depending on the level of their fan support. Mya had such a wide lead in this week’s judges scores, that only she really is a safe bet at the moment (though look what happened with favorite Sabrina Bryan back in season five; she got the boot on week six, after many thought she and partner Mark Ballas would go all the way to the finals).

The mirrorball race has two more weeks before the winners get their hands on the coveted trophy. The only sure bet as of now? With Carter gone, greater tolerance for pain among remaining contestants, less crying and no more Muppet cameos.

Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin once again found their way to the top of the judges’ rankings on Dancing With the Stars- will they dash other contestants’ mirrorball hopes and dreams? (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Following a three-week hiatus from the top of the leaderboard, singer/actress Mya outshone her rivals to score best with the judges on Dancing With the Stars Monday evening.

The five remaining contestants on the ABC dance competition each performed two numbers , with Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin scoring a near-perfect score of 59 out of 60. The pair wowed the judges with their Quickstep, but it was their 1970s-inspired Samba that earned the first 30 in the eight-week-old season.

Mya emerged as the clear winner, with the remainder of the top five separated only by two points.  Trailing Mya/Chaplin by seven points to come in second were model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough. The couple struggled a bit with their Quickstep, but roared back with their futuristic Paso Doble, which scored a 29 with the judges.  Singer/reality star Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel finished third with a 51 and landed their highest scores of the season, as both their Foxtrot and 60s-inspired Jive earned solid marks (despite the presence of a ragdoll that judge Carrie Ann Inaba thought overstayed its welcome).

Tying for last place with a 50 out of 60 were showbiz veteran Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and pop star Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff. Carter and Smirnoff tied Krupa/Hough for the lowest score of the night (a 23 for their Foxtrot), but improved with their 90s-inspired Samba. Osmond and Johnson fared slightly better with their Viennese Waltz than with their rather odd 80s-inspired Paso Doble.

With just five contestants remaining, odds are on Carter and Smirnoff to leave the competition this week. While their per-dance average stands at 24 (compared to a 23.2 for Osbourne/Amstel), fan support may be lacking compared to the four other couples. If Carter ends up with the lowest tally after combining judges scores and viewer votes, he has nothing to fret about- after all, for a couple of weeks there, it looked as if he would not even make the top five.

Mya and Krupa have the highest per-dance averages for the season (26.2 and 25.0, respectively), followed by Osmond (24.5)- and it would not surprise to see those three competing in the finals. However, Osbourne may have intense fan support, that could give her the edge over a contestant like Krupa. And, Osbourne has shown a marked improvement in recent weeks, whereas Krupa has come to personify hit-and-miss with her routines.

Whatever the result, at least this season’s top five features the five best contestants- no rodeo kings to taint this bunch.

ABC’s newly launched remake of V premiered to strong ratings; the network hopes the series- with its motherships, alien lizards, Lost’sElizabeth Mitchell (fourth from right) and the striking Morena Baccarin (third from right)- can sustain the buzz for its initial four-week run. (image courtesy of ABC-TV/Bob D’Amico)

They’re here yet again, and, as most viewers already know, peace is not part of the long-term plan for the Visitors on ABC’s remake of the 1980s science-fiction cult hit, V. However, that did not stop viewers from tuning in to watch it all unfold yet again.

Premiering to an impressive 14.3 million viewers last week (and an even more impressive 5.2 rating in the advertiser-appealing 18-49 demographic), V gave ABC a much-needed shot in the arm.  The series features alien reptiles in the guise of humans, promising breakthrough medicinal cures in exchange for some of the Earth’s water. Some critics have commented on the show’s “winks” to the Obama administration and Obamamania, which will only add to the hype.

Prior to V, ABC had been averaging a meager 5.4 million viewers at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, with the reality program, Shark Tank. Undoubtedly, V will experience a decline in ratings this week- the $64,000 questions is, just how much?

For a few weeks leading up to the premiere, ABC had the hype machine in overdrive, plugging the series incessantly at every opportunity. The network followed a similar practice from May to September for FlashForward, which debuted to nearly 12.5 million viewers on September 24 (vastly improving on what Ugly Betty had managed in that time slot the season prior), but dropped dropped to its lowest viewership thus far of the season: 8.5 million for last week’s telecast.

NBC’s weekly attempt at capturing the V magic ended disappointingly, with the 1984-1985 series failing to match the success of the two mini-series that inspired it. (picture courtesy of Warner Bros. International)

On the whole, Vhas scored decent critical marks; at www.metacritic.com, the show has a 67 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. How viewers respond remains to be seen, as it’s a tall order for any remake/reimagining to please fans of a cherished entity.

Premiering as a two-part mini-series in 1983, V: The Original scored high ratings for NBC, resulting in a three-part sequel the following year. V: The Final Battle averaged a 25.1 rating and a 39 share (the ratings point of 25.4 represented roughly 21 million home tuning in, and the 39 share represented the percentage of TV sets in use tuned in to V). For the week of May 2-8, 1984, part 1 ended up as the fifth most-watched program of the week, with a 20.7 ratings and a 32 share. Interest intensified thereafter, with parts two and three earning a 25.8/42 and a 28.9/42, finishing as the No. 2 and No. 1 programs of the week, respectively.

Following the success of The Final Battle, NBC ordered a weekly series, which, unfortunately, did not repeat the ratings magic of its predecessors, averaging a 12.8 rating and finishing 54th out of 75 programs for the 1984-1985 TV season. Some of the most memorable events of the mini-series and weekly program were aliens consuming guinea pigs, mice and insects, not to mention Jane Badler’s gleefully evil performance as alien commander Diana.

V creator Kenneth Johnson has no involvement with ABC’s V, just as he had nothing to do with NBC’s 1984 series (he initially was involved with V: The Final Battle, but departed the project early on after NBC refused to up the budget to satisfy Johnson’s vision). Johnson released a 2008 book sequel to his original 1983 mini-series, titled V: The Second Generation, which he hopes to turn into a big-screen feature (reportedly, after doing his own remake of the original). However, his ongoing efforts have seen little progress, and fan reaction to his book was mediocre at best. 

For now, ABC has granted the Visitors a four-week run through the end of the month, before taking it off the air until March (once the Olympics  run its course). While ABC insists it always intended to break up the series run- “to make it more of an event”- it would not be a surprise if ABC pulled the plug on the project entirely if ratings should go down the toilet over the next three weeks. As it is, production had shut down earlier than anticipated, reportedly because of ABC’s dissatisfaction with the scripts. Perhaps the hiatus will result in a creative boost, and, for the sake of longtime fans craving V any way they can get it, hopefully V will deliver decent ratings for the next three weeks, therefore ensuring its return in the spring.

Now, start pondering how the new series will pay homage to the original (outside of the reference to Independence Day taking its cue from V)- guinea pig and insects-galore three-course meal? Humans as after-dinner treat? Alien-human interspecies birth? If that’s too much, just get back googling this generation’s Diana, Morena Baccarin- you may know her as Anna, who is “of peace… always.”

Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova- along with  Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer- failed to make it into the top five of Dancing With the Stars’ninth season. (picture courtesy of ABC-TV/Adam Larkey)

Despite earning his highest score of the season thus far this week, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin- finally- hit the dance floor skids.

Irvin and partner Anna Demidova had the lowest points tally after combining judges scores and viewer votes on Dancing With the Starsthis week.  Hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris gave Irvin and Demidova the bad news before leaving Mark Dacascos/Lacey Schwimmer and Aaron Carter/Karina Smirnoff to dance for their lives in an elimination dance-off.  While Dacascos’ Cha-Cha-Cha improved upon Monday’s lowly Schwimmer-less performance, the judges unanimously agreed to save Carter and Smirnoff, who danced another rousing Jive.

Just five couples remain in the competition: Carter/Smirnoff, Joanna Krupa/Derek Hough, Mya/Dmitry Chaplin, Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and Kelly Osbourne/Louis van Amstel- who, incidentally, have the season’s five best averages in terms of judges scores. Who would have thought- the actual five best couples comprising the top five.

Contestants have three more weeks of competition to endure before the finals. If they felt intense pressure over the last several weeks, it only gets worse from here on out. At least all of the top five deserve to be there, unlike past seasons where even just one oddball contestant in the top five threw everything out of whack (Ty Murray over Lil’ Kim last year? The scandal).

On a lighter note, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas “performed,” if one could call it that- their new single. The professional-dancers-turned-wanna-be-pop-stars appeared to lip-synch to their new single, “Move.” Someone must have forgot to inform them that the boy “band” craze ended some time ago.

For the third time in seven weeks of competition, supermodel Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough emerged as the top-scoring couple with Dancing With the Stars judges.

The seven remaining couples danced an individual-couples routine, and participated in a Team Paso vs. Team Tango showdown.  Krupa and Hough earned a 27 or their individual-couples Rumba and a 28 for the Team Tango, giving them 55 out of a possible 60. In second place were pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff, who scored the night’s biggest dance (a 29 for their Jive), but only fared so-so as part of Team Paso (24), scoring a combined 53.

Tied for third place were showbiz veteran Donny Osmond/Kym Johnson and reality TV star/singer Kelly Osbourne, each pulling in a 52 out of 60 for their efforts (both were on the Team Tango trio, along with Krupa/Hough). Though Osmond’s Quickstep earned him the same score as last week (24), Osbourne rebounded from last week’s 20, scoring a 24 for her Foxtrot.

Singer/actress Mya and partner Dmitry Chaplin slipped back, earning a 49, just two points ahead of perennial bottom-feeders Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova; the NFL Hall of Famer, however, earned his highest score of the season, a 23 for his Foxtrot. Mya still has the highest per-dance average among all contestants, with a 25.4 for eight dances (seven individual-couple dances and Team Paso).

Taking last place for the first time this season was Iron Chefhost/martial artist Mark Dacascos, who endured going through three partners during the week. Regular partner Lacey Schwimmer fell ill, and then Tony Dovolani helped Dacascos out for a day, before Anna Trebunskaya stepped in. Trebunskaya did her best, but the couple could only muster a 19 for their Samba (finishing with an overall score of 43).

Tomorrow evening, yet another double elimination hits the ABC dancing competition. Will Dacascos’ rough week result in viewer sympathy, or will they give him the ax? Can Irvin make it through yet another double elimination, and secure a place in the top five? Will Mya’s front-runner status make no difference with the voting public?

No matter how one spins it, it will be an undisputed upset if Irvin evades the bottom two, and, even worse, elimination. Not that the guy has not made improvements- he has- but the competition has far better dancers at this stage, and it would be a shame to lose a competitor that actually stands a chance at snagging the mirrorball. Fan support aside, Irvin does not fit that descriptive.  However, if he finds himself involved in another dance-off and emerges as the judges’ save yet again, maybe he has some additional tricks up his jersey that we have yet to see.