NYT: Tucker's rehearsing for "Dancing with the Stars" (photos)

Come On and Do the Tuckermotion With Me
By MARK LEIBOVICH
Published: August 27, 2006
WASHINGTON


(Michael Temchine for The New York Times)
Elena Grinenko oversees the progress of her star pupil, Tucker Carlson.


(Michael Temchine for The New York Times)
Mr. Carlson wears shoes to match the fancy footwork.

TUCKER CARLSON blabs for a living. Elena Grinenko dances for a living. They’ve been spending four hours a day together rehearsing for their Sept. 12 competition on ABC’s reality hit, “Dancing With the Stars.”

The show pairs professional dancers with “stars” to make 11 teams. Note the rabbit ears around “stars,” and that’s sort of the campy, ironic point of the thing.

Mr. Carlson is the host of the modestly rated MSNBC show that immodestly bears his name, twice (“Tucker With Tucker Carlson”), and his celebrity ilk is about on par with this season’s other contestants. They include the former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, the talk-show host/civilization-nemesis Jerry Springer, and, what’s-his-name, the guy on “L.A. Law” who went out with the woman who used to play Laurie Partridge as a kid — ah, Harry Hamlin....

***

Mr. Carlson says he jumped at the invitation to do “Dancing” for adventure’s sake. It’s good to sample new experiences, he says, especially when you are over 30 (he is 37). His goal is to avoid humiliation in front of an estimated 20 million viewers — roughly 100 times more people than watch him on MSNBC. (His show airs at 4 and 6 p.m.)

“I will never be a great dancer,” Mr. Carlson declares....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/fashion/27tucker.html

Just too hilarious for words

since the hold on his current job is tenuous at best!

:evilgrin:
rocknation

Info-tainment is hard work.

Ninety plus percent of us just sigh and wish that the DENSE programmers in M$NBC catch on. But alas! They keep throwing this morAn in our faces. :( :eyes:

I love this show one of the few TV shows I even watch and now if this freak is on I don't think I can watch - damn maybe he'll get voted off quickly.....

On edit just checked the line up here it is

It was so cool to watch the progress Jerry Rice made last year....go away Tucker.

Here is the line up

TUCKER CARLSON – MSNBC news anchor -- and often controversial -- conservative political TV pundit and columnist. He will be partnered with professional dancer Elena Grinenko, who makes her series debut this season.

MONIQUE COLEMAN – Actress and teen idol from Disney Channel's smash hit High School Musical. She will be partnered with professional dancer Louis Van Amstel, who returns for his third season. Van Amstel danced with Lisa Rinna and Trista Sutter in previous seasons.

SARA EVANS – Country Music Award-winning and top-selling singing sensation. Sara will dance with Tony Dovolani, who partnered with Stacy Keibler in the second season.

WILLA FORD – Singing sensation and self-professed "bad girl of pop." Professional dancer Maxsim Chmerkovskiy, who teamed up with Tia Carrere last season, will be her professional dance partner.

VIVICA A. FOX – Stunning film and television actress/producer who has starred in several major blockbusters including Kill Bill and Independence Day. She will be partnered with professional dancer Nick Kosovich, who returns for his second season. He was previously paired with Tatum O'Neal.

HARRY HAMLIN – Film and TV star of the hit, award-winning drama series L.A. Law and husband of Dancing with the Stars alumna Lisa Rinna. Professional dancer Ashly Delgrosso returns to the series for her third season. She was previously paired with Master P and Joey McIntyre.

JOEY LAWRENCE – Actor and former teen heartthrob. Professional dancer Edyta Sliwinska, who returns for her third season, will be his partner. She previously partnered with George Hamilton and Evander Holyfield.

MARIO LOPEZ – Actor and TV host. He will be partnered with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, who makes her series debut.

SHANNA MOAKLER – National beauty queen, actress, model and reality television star. Professional dancer Jesse DeSoto joins the cast for the first time this season as her partner.

EMMITT SMITH – An NFL legend and three-time Super Bowl champion who holds the world's all-time leading rushing record and is considered one of the greatest football players to ever play the game. He will be partnered with Dancing with the Stars season two professional dance champion, Cheryl Burke.

JERRY SPRINGER – Notorious TV talk show host of The Jerry Springer Show, talk radio broadcaster and politician. He will be partnered with Australian beauty, professional dancer Kym Johnson, who makes her series debut this season. Kym was the champion of the Australian Dancing with the Stars.

Even if his teacher can get some halfway decent dancing out of him. The first few rounds especially are merely a popularity contest.

Honestly, it's really funny and he seems to have a good sense of humor about it all.

I'm not a huge Tuucker fan, but I'm not going to fault him for trying this....on the contrary, I kind of admire his chutzpah.

Maybe he will surprise me and not be bland and icky as I imagine he will be.

I don't especially like the guy, but many of the minor celebrities who have appeared on that program (and it is a great program, really--it's one of those rare ones that can appeal to a family that ranges from a two year old all the way up through great grandparents). The music is great, the dancing is amusing, the little drama vignettes of the training are swell, it's LIVE, so you get a sense of immediacy...what's not to recommend it?

Jerry Rice got some high profile from the show, as did that rapper Master P who danced like Frankenstein....and that guy who played Mister Peterman on Seinfeld ended up on BROADWAY after his appearance. George Hamilton got some wind beneath his wings as well by appearing on that show--he stunk at the dancing, but his personality caused people (and it is an audience participation show--you vote your favorites) to keep voting for him.

If you do well on that show, or even do poorly, but your personality appeals to a larger audience, it can give you a huge career boost. He's tossing his personality out there, and hoping he can appeal.

What will be interesting is that we may get to see the mysterious MRS. Carlson and all those kids. They usually like to do "family" features of the contestants, who sit in the audience and cheer their dancer on.

And on edit: Jerry SPRINGER!!!! I can't WAIT!!!!! It looks like a fun lineup!

then you'll see carlson (his pappy was a nixon henchman, ambassador to somewhere where killing was policy) really trip the light fantastic, or whatever :shrug:
fuggin table dancer