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Backstage At ‘dancing With The Stars’
Half Filipinos Marc Dacascos (host of "Iron Chef America", but I’ll always know him for his role as Capoeira loving teacher Louis Stevens in "Only the Strong"), Natalie Coughlin (Olympic swimming gold medalist) and the recently eliminated (due to her partner Tom DeLay’s foot injury) two-time champion Cheryl Burke are all participants in the show’s ninth season. And tagging along with LA18’s "Kababayan L.A.", I was there to witness last Monday’s live taping from backstage. Perhaps to be expected from a show this popular, "Dancing with the Stars" runs like a well oiled machine. Security is insanely strict and because the show is broadcast live Eastern time (5 p.m. our time), impeccable timing is crucial. But to my surprise, press people don’t watch the show from the elaborate stage you see on T.V. – they are actually seated backstage with their fellow media counterparts, where they watch live feed from monitors positioned up front. And by far the most interesting part of the experience backstage is not watching the show itself (let’s face it, you can do that at home), it’s watching what you definitely won’t see at home – the stars themselves in a much more natural setting. Whether it’s Karina Smirnoff having a smoke just outside the tiny press room or Cheryl Burke sitting down by her manager and watching the monitors like the rest of the reporters, it actually leaves you a bit taken aback. Though of course these are just real people doing perhaps very ordinary things, it’s definitely not what you would expect from the stars that seem larger than life on our television screens. And speaking of Cheryl Burke, a lot has been publicized about her supposed weight gain. Well let me tell you, in person, she is tiny. To say the least, she’s definitely not overweight by any means – in fact, in her black and white peplum mini dress, she is enviably fit. But after two hours of Cheryl and a few of her fellow dancers flitting in and out backstage to talk to friends and managers, and after Mark Dacascos gamely danced the Country Two-Step and Natalie Coughlin took on the challenging Bolero, the wait is finally over. The show’s staff sets up the back room to be a temporary press room, where the all important television interviews will take place. And let me tell you, the mainstream media truly comes out for "Dancing with the Stars". From "Inside Edition" to "TV Guide", even media stars themselves are present to interview the dancing contestants. The most striking was Terri Seymour, "Extra" correspondent (and yes, Simon Cowell’s ex-girlfriend) who was present in all her tall, modelesque glory. Television reporters stand side by side with their own cameramen, as the stars move down the line to talk to reporters one by one. By far the most entertaining of the dancing teams is Karina Smirnoff and Aaron Carter. As cheesy as Aaron may come off on television, it’s pleasantly surprising to see that at the end of the day, he really is a nice guy. Even after some harsh, and even embarrassing comments from judge Carrie Ann Inaba that he was "trying too hard," he seems totally in the moment, humoring reporters and most importantly, giving them fun, entertaining interviews. Karina herself has a great sense of humor, and their chemistry and genuine friendship (and as for the rumors that they’re more than friends well, we’ll just have to wait and see) is undeniable. Another highlight of the night was of course Mark Dacascos, who in person is extremely friendly – and very very proud to be Pinoy. A constant friend to the Filipino community, whether it be making time to be a guest on "Kababayan L.A." or showing up at last year’s Visionary Awards, Mark has not forgotten his heritage and was genuinely happy to see "Kababayan L.A.", the only live and locally produced daily show for Filipinos, on par with mainstream media. Natalie Coughlin is also friendly, but perhaps to be expected, is a little more serious than Mark. Her belly baring sequin outfit looked amazing on her swimmer’s body, and when it comes to technique, she really is one of the better dancers on the show. "Kababayan L.A." was also lucky enough to get a chance to talk to Cheryl Burke, though she was of course not a dancer that night, but working as a guest correspondent for "E! News". She was also gracious when it came to her time, and as mentioned before, is very very petite. And towards the end of the night, "Kababayan L.A." chatted with UFC fighter Chuck Liddell. Although he is lethal in the ring, in person, he actually comes off somewhat gentle and incredibly soft spoken. He was nothing but friendly to us, and it’s a shame that he was recently eliminated on Tuesday’s result show. And there you have it, a backstage account of "Dancing with the Stars." Thankfully two of our Pinoy contestants are still in the running, and last Monday night, both personally asked Filipinos everywhere for their support. So keep on voting every week, and catch them dancing up a storm Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (the result show) on ABC. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com |
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