Monday, August 25, 2008

Breaking News: Dancing With The Stars Newest Cast Announced

WHY would I care about that? At least, HERE? Because of the third name on the list - Rocco DiSpirito.

Which is more surprising? That Rocco DiSpirito will be doing Dancing with the Stars or that he won a James Beard Award? Let's put it this way, I'm not at all thunderstruck that he can dance.


And, BTW, he won the JB Award, not for cooking (what else is new?), but for his first cookbook, which, admittedly, is still quite an achievement.

I still remember his hugely egoistic, in-your-face persona in The Restaurant. Instead of actually cooking for and running a new restaurant, he gallivanted around town on his motorbike and did radio and publicity ABOUT running a restaurant, while leaving his mother in the kitchen to make meatballs...many meatballs. But he has rehabilitated himself (somewhat) and, perhaps here, his natural self-absorption can be used to good effect.

Here's the rest of the cast with some contrasts and comparisons:

They have the same famous body part, but one has real talent in SOMETHING, the other...not so much:
Misty May-Treanor and Kim Kardashian

She can sing (great body) and HE can't (plus I never noticed his body and don't want to):
Toni Braxton and Lance Bass

Athletes out of the limelight about whom they hope we'll get all warm and fuzzy: Warren Sapp and Maurice Greene

Youngest and Oldest: Cody Linley, some Hannah Montana kid, and Cloris Leachman

Celebrities in need of career rehabilitation: Ted Mckinley, Brooke Burke

Who? Jeffrey Ross

Why? Susan Lucci

5 comments:

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Ted McGinley? Well, we know this is going to be the last season of this show. Every time Ted McGinley is brought onto a show, it tanks. Jump The Shark has a page dedicated to him (their Patron Saint). Too bad. He was pretty hot looking on "Happy Days". I had a huge crush on him.

Sue said...

Hi Rachel,
I didn't know that about Ted McGinley. I knew the part about how everything he's in kind of fails, but not the Happy Days or the Jump The Shark parts.

Wadya think? He'll be the first one off because Kelly Ripa will be the only one voting for him?

Emily said...

Ohh, Rocco.

This gal has met him before:

http://underthehighchair.blogspot.com/2008/04/mamas-meatballs-and-one-night-with.html

Interesting story.

I never watch this show, cause I work on the nights it's on.

Tracy said...

First, what is that great song playing on your blog? I've scrolled up and down and I can't find it.

As for Dancing With the Stars, it's funny that we both posted about Rocco. Their casting is interesting -- whenever it's announced, I say "eh, not a very exciting group," but then I somehow get sucked in. I inevitably find someone to root for. Like who knew Mario Lopez was so dang sexy? I loved Apollo Anton Ono the year he was on it, and Emmitt Smith that year. Loved Kristi Yamaguchi last year.

As for Rocco, my husband and I were transfixed by "The Restaurant." After that show, and reading the post that Emiline mentioned (I had to go to the blog and search for "Rocco" because blogger didn't include the whole link) I sort of hope he's one of the guys who is terrible. But after his massive flub on The Restaurant, I doubt he'd put himself in that position again. We'll see.

Sue said...

Hey Em,
That is one great story. Thank you.

Hi Tracy,
Thank you so much for reminding me about the music. It was in the slideshow from the "I went to the dark side" post. It's You in a Song by Jason Reeves. I typically turn it off from automatically playing after 24 hours, but I just forgot.

I only download music that comes with Slide (or any other comparable site), because they have the permission to include it or chamber music from my late grandfather's chamber music quartet, "The Gordon String Quartet". I would LOVE to include appropriate songs for every post, but I'm pretty religious about not using other people's content.

ANYWAY, if you run your curser over the word Slide, the artist comes up. YOU'RE lucky. You can always use your own music...

About Rocco, he certainly has shown himself to be insufferable. That post from Em was not surprising in any way, although I don't approve of her (the blogger, not Em) including Mama's exact recipe - she could have included a link to it.

I think he's kind of acknowledged what a horse's ass he's been and he's trying to rehabilitate himself. Maybe a soup kitchen would have been a better idea than dancing in spandex. Plus, I don't think Mama herself can make enough calls to keep him going for long.