or


DANCING WITH THE STARS
Air Date: Monday, May 18, 2009
Time Slot: 8:00 PM-9:00 PM EST on ABC
Episode Title: (#811-60) "Episode 811"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

SEASON FINALE

THREE CONTENDERS REMAIN... BUT ONLY ONE STAR WILL OUTSHINE THE REST, ON THE FINAL TWO NIGHTS OF ABC'S "DANCING WITH THE STARS"

Lady Gaga Performs

Professional Dancer Competition Winner is Revealed

All Ten of the Previous Stars from This Season Return

Comedian and Season 7 Competitor Jeffery Ross Returns to Roast the Finalists

"Episode 811 & 811A" - After ten weeks of entertaining drama, surprises and dazzling performances, Shawn Johnson, Gilles Marini and Melissa Rycroft have broken away from the pack and earned the right for a chance to be crowned champion of "Dancing with the Stars." The three finalists will have their last opportunity to impress the judges and viewers on two nights of final competition, beginning MONDAY, MAY 18 (8:00-9:02 p.m., ET), and concluding on the Season Finale, TUESDAY, MAY 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In the final performance show on Monday, the couples will face off against one another in a "Paso Punch Out" in which they each dance the paso doble to an extended version of the same song. Each couple will take a turn in a section of the song before stepping aside for the next team to showcase their routine -- giving judges and viewers a chance to compare the couples alongside each other. In addition, Shawn, Gilles and Melissa will show us what they've got in the ever popular Freestyle routine - a fan favorite.

In Tuesday's two-hour Finale, all three finalists will perform their third and final dance-one of their favorite past routines from the season - to be scored by the judges. The judges' scores for Tuesday's dances will be combined with the judges' scores and viewers' votes from Monday's performances to determine the victor of the coveted "Dancing with the Stars" mirror ball trophy. Throughout the two-hour Finale, the previously eliminated couples will return to perform their final dances of the season and comedian Jeffrey Ross, a.k.a. the "Roastmaster General," from "Dancing with the Stars" Season 7, returns to roast the three finalists.

Grammy � Award-nominated singer-songwriter Lady Gaga transforms the "Dancing with the Stars" stage with two spectacular performances. Performing her third single, "LoveGame," from her debut album, "The Fame," Lady Gaga takes the stage by storm with her own dancers. She will then take to the stage with her Grammy � Award-nominated and chart topping No. 1 single, "Just Dance." Currently wrapping up her first concert tour entitled "The Fame Ball Tour" for her debut album, "The Fame," Lady Gaga has released three singles and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of one million copies in the United States.

The first "Dancing with the Stars" professional dancer competition will come to a close with the announcement of the professional dancer chosen to be a part of next season's "Dancing with the Stars." Last week the final two contestants, Mayo Alanen and Anna Demidova, danced with "Dancing with the Stars" professional dancers Kym Johnson and Maksim Chmerkovsiy, respectively, for viewers' votes and the chance to be paired with a celebrity in Season Nine. Full details and bios are available at www.abc.com.

All the excitement and frenzy will lead up to the moment we've all been waiting for - who among the three finalists will win reign as champions of "Dancing with the Stars" and take home the coveted mirror ball trophy?

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the "Dancing with the Stars" performance shows. AT&T subscribers may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (standard text message rates apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until 12:00 Noon, ET the following day.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron ("America's Funniest Home Videos") and Samantha Harris ("The Insider"), the celebrities will perform choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

"Dancing with the Stars" is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, "Strictly Come Dancing." This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs. "Dancing with the Stars" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. These programs carry a TV-PG,L parental guideline.

About BBC Worldwide Productions:

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBC Worldwide Productions, with headquarters in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Miami, brings together all of BBC Worldwide's businesses in the North and South America region. The company exists to maximize the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the UK license payer and invests in public service programming in return for rights. The company has six core businesses: Channels, Sales and Distribution, Content and Production, Home Entertainment, Digital Media and Magazines. Under these businesses fall two key brands in the U.S. - digital cable channel BBC America and a bi-coastal production arm responsible for the smash hit "Dancing with the Stars" for ABC.

Share |