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J.R. Martinez, Dancing With The Stars contestant, Just Named Grand Marshal of next Tournament of Roses

Congrats to Iraq War Veteran and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant J.R. Martinez who will be riding down Colorado Boulevard and tossing the Rose Bowl Coin on January 2, 2012 as the Grand Marshal for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Martinez will serve in honor of all wounded servicemen and servicewomen. The tournament theme this year is “Just Imagine…”, which fits well with Martinez’ experience on DWTS. He is definitely encouraging people to reach higher and try harder.

“When I was first asked to be Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses festivities by President Jackson, I was speechless,” said Martinez. “To be able to participate in this iconic American tradition on New Year’s Day is something I could only imagine. I believe everything happens for a reason and I’m grateful the events of my life have provided me with the opportunity to share my message of hope and possibility on New Year’s Day.”

“J.R. Martinez is an inspiration to us all and a natural fit for our theme ‘Just Imagine…,’” said Rick Jackson, president of the Tournament of Roses. “J.R. is not only a courageous and engaging role model for us all but has dedicated himself to helping not only servicemen and servicewomen, but all Americans facing challenges. His outlook on life is admirable and we couldn’t be happier to have the chance to celebrate the New Year with him as we entertain the millions of fans around the world during the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game.”

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Dancing With the Stars, Week 5 Recap – Where’s My Scrunchie?

The Bangles Perform

Get your parachute pants on, you guys! It’s ‘80s week at Dancing With the Stars! The Bangles (who still look great) opened the show with a performance of “Eternal Flame” and “Walk Like an Egyptian.” I’m pretty sure I performed the same two songs on my parents’ coffee table.

Hope and Maks’ tango exemplified their love hate relationship as they rocked to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” (yay New Jersey!). Len noted that Hope lacked body strength, but liked the way she attacked the dance. Carrie Ann agreed her lines were awkward, but still sees potential in Hope. Triple 8s gave the pair a total score of 24.

Carson and Anna jived to “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! After rocking leg warmers in rehearsal, they sported cheerleader uniforms, complete with pompom wristbands, on the dance floor. Bruno proclaimed the dance a crowning achievement in madness. Carrie Ann saw little technique, which she doesn’t think is okay in week 5. Len wasn’t sure the dance was good enough for Carson to make it back next week. As usual, Carson’s score of 19 (6, 6, 7) wasn’t great, but he remains a huge crowd-pleaser.

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Dancing with the Stars Week 4: Dancing to the Movies!

Hi there everyone and welcome to this week’s Dancing with the Stars blog. I guess my writing from my first blog was adequate enough, I was asked to write another one!

This week’s theme: Dancing to the Movies!

Everyone in Dancing Nation is still reeling from last week’s decision that sent Kristin Cavallari home early from the dance floor (despite having the judges give her a collective score of 24).

In her interview this week, Chynna Phillips admitted “it was such a shock” that Kristin went home last week. Chynna was stressed out this week and knew she needed to step it up. Dance partner Tony said Chynna really needs to listen to him for them to do well.

Chynna and Tony danced the Tango to the theme from Mission Impossible with Tony dropping from the ceiling aka Tom Cruise at the beginning of the song. But unfortunately their mission of successful dancing turned impossible when Chynna got lost on some steps early. And all the judges noticed it!

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D23 Expo Recap: Day 2

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Hello, and welcome to the D23 Expo, Day 2 (for more expo coverage read my D23 Expo Day 1 and Alison’s D23 Expo Day 3 recaps!) where things were taken up a big ol’ notch. I know, I couldn’t believe it either.

This is where you say, “How in the world did they top the first day? Nothing could be sweeter than Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog singing a tribute to the late, great Jim Henson! Nothing could be better than Dick Van Dyke in concert!

Fair enough. However, where Day 1 was a tip of the hat to Disney legends, Day 2 was about the now and the immediate future. Hence John Lasseter introducing Billy Crystal to a standing ovation (Lasseter also received a standing ovation) while discussing the upcoming Pixar film Monsters University. Also, Jason Segel coming out with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to discuss the new Muppet Movie. And of course, the Avengers assembling. On stage. That’s right, with the exception of the Hulk and Captain America, the entire team came out to watch a trailer that they had never seen. Robert Downey, Jr. made us watch it twice. Basically, it was a parade of celebrities (including Jennifer Garner, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Cryer, to name but a few) and Disney awesomeness (including Rich Ross, Andrew Stanton, and Marvel’s Kevin Feige, to again name but a few). My inner geek setting was at 11.

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D23 Expo Recap: Day 1

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Friday, August 19 was opening day of the D23 Expo (I’m working under the assumption that you are familiar with D23) and it kicked off with a bang. Or a mouse, as the case may be. It always starts with a mouse.

D23 crowdsWhile the expo was open to the general ticket-buying public, it did offer a number of perks specifically to official D23 members, such as discounted passes, special “members only” events and early admission. It pays to belong, people!

Friday’s itinerary started at 9:00 a.m. with two of the aforementioned members only events, namely the Disney Store Opening Ceremony and the Radio Disney Road Crew Dance Party.

Other events that morning included an art contest with Disney.com, vintage footage showcasing the history of the Disneyland Hotel (congrats, DH, on the new ranking!), meet and greets with artists Jim Salvati and Robert Olszewski of the Disney Store and Disney Dream, respectively, and characters from Disney Channel’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

Then it was time for the 2011 Disney Legends Ceremony, which was, as you might imagine, magical. However, not everyone was able to attend the ceremony, so they had to settle for other really cool things like The Wonderful Words of Disney… Behind the Page: Kingdom Keepers presentation with Ridley Pearson. I would have loved to have attended this event to discuss some of my issues with the continuity, or lack thereof, within the series, but alas, Mr. Pearson was spared my fanboy criticism, and is probably the better for it.Read More »D23 Expo Recap: Day 1

Buy The House Snow White Built

Adriana Caselotti provided the memorable voice of Snow White in the Walt Disney Animated Classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” She died in 1997 at the age of 80, however, the home she designed, built, and lived in since 1976 has been kept much… Read More »Buy The House Snow White Built

Candlelight Celebrity Narrator Lineup Revealed for EPCOT

As Disney expects you to make your travel arrangements, including dining reservations a full 6 months before the date, they’re actually a little late releasing this year’s line up celebrity narrators at the 2011 EPCOT Candlelight Processional. Even now, they still have a number of… Read More »Candlelight Celebrity Narrator Lineup Revealed for EPCOT

Disney Starlette System Raising Health Concerns

Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez are two recent products of the Disney Channel’s production line that generates young stars for public consumption across multiple platforms. A recent article in Celebrity Health & Fitness questions if that Disney Channel Teen machine is good for the health… Read More »Disney Starlette System Raising Health Concerns