The first round of eliminations came and went Tuesday night on Dancing with the Stars after the celebrities had two chances to strut their stuff on the dance floor. Poker fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Shannon Elizabeth was not the first woman to get the boot in the competition.
In fact, during Tuesday night's show, Shannon Elizabeth was the first woman declared safe. It didn't come as too big a surprise after her performance on Monday night.
During the first week of competition, she performed a passable cha-cha but at times didn't seem to have full control of her long limbs. She knew how to work the sex appeal of the dance, though, and received a trio of sevens from the judges for a score of 21.
This week, Elizabeth took on the quickstep as both the men and the women got the opportunity to perform a second dance before Tuesday night's elimination show. She was the sixth performer for the night, and the judges were primed and ready to hand out some good scores after mediocre at best and frankensteinish at worst performances before her.
While her quickstep wasn't perfect, she had much better control over her limbs this time and both her steps and her performance were right on. The worst criticism she received from the judges was that she was a bit too clingy on her partner at times, looking like she might have been hanging on for dear life as they sped across the dance floor.
The improvement showed in her scores as the judges awarded her eights this time for 24 points. With a total score of 45 out of 60, Elizabeth was looking pretty safe from elimination during the first round, but she still had to wait through half of Tuesday night's show to find out she was secure, as the men were put on the chopping block first.
Unfortunately it was one of the show's biggest contestants ever who didn't make it through for the men. Penn Jillette had enough personality to match his size, but not enough dance ability in him to get the scores and votes to stay in.
Here's how the men fared in Week 2:
Steve Guttenberg
Guttenberg was the first performer on Monday night. He netted an 18 from the judges after Week 1 with his foxtrot, but the judges weren't as pleased with his mambo. He looks like he's having a great time, and the crowd really gets into his performance, but his footwork was a mess and the '70s polyester leisure suit look probably didn't do him any favors.
Score: 16 Two-week total: 34
Cristian de la Fuente
The Chilean matched Elizabeth's score the first week with his cha-cha, and worked hard to improve his posture for Week 2 after the judges criticized him for his hunched-over appearance. For the quickstep this week, he was straight as a rail, and did a pretty good job of mastering the footwork, but he looked like he was really trying hard rather than just enjoying the dancing. The best compliment he got from the judges had to do with his improved posture and the speed of the dance, which didn't bode well for his scores.
Score: 20 Two-week total: 41
Penn Jillette
Despite looking like bigfoot trying to cha-cha in week one, Jillette managed to not have the worst score out of the men. This week his quickstep did look less like stomping and at times he almost looked light on his feet, but it's his personality in the performance that the judges like. However, personality doesn't win a whole lot of points in a dance competition.
Score: 17 Two-week total: 33
Jason Taylor
He may be worried about losing his macho image in the eyes of his fellow NFL players, but Taylor is showing a lot of promise on the dance floor. In Week 1, his foxtrot was technically very well done, but he was lacking personality and performance on the dance floor. He changed all that with the mambo this week. One judge event went so far as to call him the mambo king, and he's been declared a top contender for this season.
Score: 27 Two-week total: 49
Adam Carolla
Carolla came into the second week as the low man on the totem pole. His awkward foxtrot earned him a 15 and he looked like he was afraid to even look at his 19-year-old dance partner. This week, he loosened up and his mambo had an air of silliness about it, but at least he looked like he was enjoying dancing with his partner and his dance moves were improved.
Score: 19 Two-week total: 34
Mario
The final man to perform on Monday night, Mario showed the most promise of the men in Week 1. His R&B flair went well with the cha-cha, earning him a 24. The quickstep has more structure and less opportunity to show off his sex appeal, but Mario didn't need all that to wow the judges. Once again, his footwork was nearly flawless and he and his partner have a lot of charisma on the dance floor. Plus he just brings a hotness to the dance floor with him, according to judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Score: 26 Two-week total: 50
For the women, it was fairly obvious who would be going home after two weeks of dancing. Monica Seles may be amazing on the tennis court, but she seemed to have two left feet on the dance floor. The viewers' votes weren't enough to save her after two weeks of low scores.
Here's how the women stacked up after Week 2:
Monica Seles
After being the lowest-scoring woman in Week 1 for her fox-trot, Seles was the first woman to perform on Monday night's show. While she attacked the mambo this week in hopes of improving a score of 15 from the week before, she managed to attack it off-beat and pretty much murder the routine. She did, however, add a lot more expression to her face this time around, but not enough to improve her scores.
Score: 15 Two-week total: 30
Priscilla Presley
In Week 1, Presley wowed the judges with a traditional and very well-performed fox-trot. A score of 24 put her in the top ranks of the women, but the mambo this week proved a little tougher for the former wife of Elvis. This week her age showed a bit as her mambo was a little stiff and reserved (except for a slightly creepy crawl toward the camera at the end), but perhaps her performance was completely appropriate for a woman of her maturity.
Score: 21 Two-week total: 45
Shannon Elizabeth
Elizabeth showed much improvement from Week 1 as she even earned a "best so far in the night" with her quickstep following Guttenberg, de la Fuente, Seles, Jillette and Presley.
Score: 24 Two-week total: 45
Marissa Jaret Winokur
In Week 1 Winokur's cha-cha didn't exactly win over the judges. Her overexuberance didn't work well for the dance and while her excitement was infectious, rivaling Guttenberg's enthusiasm for the show, her missteps hurt her scores in the first week. This week her bubbliness was more controlled, but it also worked well with the quickstep. She performed the dance well, and her improved scores reflected it.
Score: 21 Two-week total: 39
Marlee Matlin
Yes, she's deaf, and yes, she can dance. After scoring a 22 for her cha-cha last week, Matlin did even better with the quickstep this week. "I think you've got great potential to go a long way in this competition," judge Len Goodman said after her performance. Their only criticism was that her quick step seemed to have a little Latin flavor to it.
Score: 24 Two-week total: 46
Kristi Yamaguchi
A nearly flawless foxtrot in Week 1 earned Yamaguchi the highest score ever given in the first week of performance. The pressure was on for Week 2 and her mambo, but she had no trouble meeting the challenge. Her dance didn't have the same wow factor as the week before, but she had mastered the footwork and gave a great performance nonetheless.
Score: 27 Two-week total: 54
The remaining celebrities will be back on the dance floor Monday on Dancing with the Stars and the next elimination will take place on Tuesday. Come back Wednesday, April 2, to see if Shannon Elizabeth continues in the competition or if she'll be sent back to the poker tables.
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The PartyPoker Premier League, a groundbreaking poker event that was developed by Matchroom sport, will kick off another 15-week run with an episode airing on Channel 4 at 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday/Wednesday. The format features 12 of the world's elite poker players fighting for a piece of the $1 million prize pool.
Nine players from last season's event returned along with several new faces this year, including Alexander Kravchenko, Annie Duke and Marcel Luske.
All 12 players played six times in the preliminary stages, with the leading four players qualifying for a seat at the final table while the next four battled it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats. Each player brought $60,000 of their own money, and PartyPoker.com added an extra $280,000 to make the pool $1 million. Quite an increase considering last year the prize pool was $500,000.
Finnish poker sensation Juha Helppi outlasted 12 stellar players last year and a final table that included Phil Hellmuth. Helppi beat German pro Eddy Scharf in heads-up play to win $125,000. This season the first-place finisher will be awarded $250,000.
Television commentary will be provided by Jesse May and Rolande de Wolfe.
The stakes are higher than ever before and with a table that includes Phil Hellmuth, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, Tony G, Juha Helppi, Annie Duke and Marcel Luske, the first episode is sure to be a blockbuster.
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Written and directed by Zak Penn, best known for writing action hero movies such as Last Action Hero, Behind Enemy Lines and X-Men: The Last Stand, The Grand takes on the mockumentary genre.
The movie is intended to be a comedic fake documentary about a poker tournament. Rather than writing out a full script, Penn did an outline for the movie and let the actors improvise the dialogue and actions for the scenes based on their characters.
When asked in a Reuters article if the scenes were totally improvised, Woody Harrelson, who plays One Eyed Jack Faro in the movie, said, "Yes, and I was a bit scared when we began shooting. I didn't think I had it all together, but then it kicked in."
Along with Harrelson, the cast is made up of a long list of actors as well as poker stars. Ray Romano, Jason Alexander, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Cheryl Hines, Richard Kind, Ray Liotta, David Cross and Chris Parnell all lend their comedic talents.
Bringing some more legitimate poker skills to the table are Doyle Brunson, Phil Laak, Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth and Shannon Elizabeth.
Filmed at the Gold Nugget in Las Vegas, it was only fitting that The Grand debuted at a film festival in Las Vegas during the 2007 World Series of Poker.
Life is also imitating art now as the Gold Nugget plans to host a real Grand Poker Series June 6 through July 6 this summer.
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MansionPoker.com giving away WSOP 2008 packages
Satellites for the $16,000 Main Event package will take place on Tuesdays and Sundays at 8:00 p.m. (CET) from March 25 until June 15.
If you're interested in the $13,000 Side Event package, satellites for that are scheduled for Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. (CET) and run from March 27 to May 31.
Each package includes first-class accommodation, $2,500 spending money and entry into the WSOP. Last year's WSOP Main Event prize pool was a massive $63.5 million.
Check out PokerListings.com review of MansionPoker.com to take advantage of all the exclusive PokerListings.com player bonuses and incentives.
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Poker Players Alliance launches litigation support network
The Poker Players Alliance announced today that it would be launching its Litigation Support Network, which will provide legal advice and refer members to attorneys who have expressed interest in helping with poker-related issues, according to a press release on the PPA’s Web site. The resource ��...full article
The Poker Players Alliance announced today that it would be launching its Litigation Support Network, which will provide legal advice and refer members to attorneys who have expressed interest in helping with poker-related issues, according to a press release on the PPA’s Web site.
The resource will be free to PPA members:
According to the release:
“As both the popularity of poker and the membership of PPA continue to grow, the Litigation Support Network is an opportunity to provide even more value to our members,” said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato. “With the myriad local, state and federal laws impacting poker, the Litigation Support Network is an important service that our members can and should use, and I encourage attorneys who want to defend poker players and this great American game of skill to join this effort.”
The attorneys being linked to this service are also prepared to litigate that poker is a game of skill, not of chance. The network is being headed by Patrick Fleming, who also heads the PPA’s efforts in New Hampshire.
Visit www.pokerplayersalliance.org/legal for more information.
Sexton's Corner, Vol. 37: Archie Karas, Part 7 — The Downslide
Everyone experiences obstacles or hurdles during their life's journey, but how one handles the adversity is the measure of his character. Archie 'The Greek' Karas did what no other person on the planet has ever done, when he started...
2007 WSOP champ makes another big donation
2007 World Series of Poker main event champion Jerry Yang is donating 10% of his winnings to the charity Feed the Children. The donation is one of many Yang has made since his victory in the biggest tournament in poker. According to pokerpages.com: Yang will help the international ��...full article
2007 World Series of Poker main event champion Jerry Yang is donating 10% of his winnings to the charity Feed the Children.
The donation is one of many Yang has made since his victory in the biggest tournament in poker.
According to pokerpages.com:
Yang will help the international hunger relief organization distribute three semi tractor-trailers full of boxes of food and personal care items.
Before the items are distributed, Yang, a psychologist and social worker from southern California, and Feed The Children Founder and President Larry Jones will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 29th.
Massachusetts to go ahead with gambling study
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has said a $189,000 study on the possible impact of casinos in the commonwealth will still be conducted — even though the state legislature has tabled a bill that would have licensed three casinos in Massachusetts. The bill, which would have also ��...full article
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has said a $189,000 study on the possible impact of casinos in the commonwealth will still be conducted — even though the state legislature has tabled a bill that would have licensed three casinos in Massachusetts.
The bill, which would have also banned online gambling in Massachusetts, will not come to a vote again until next year.
According to pokerpages.com:
Spectrum Gaming Group of New Jersey won the state contract late February and has been working on the analysis for the past month. It was expected to complete the analysis 60 to 90 days after winning the contract.
The Patrick administration brought on the consultant to help sell the casino plan after critics questioned the validity of the governor’s estimates on revenue and jobs. Gov. Patrick had predicted his three-casino plan would raise more than $400 million annually for property tax relief and construction projects and create 20,000 permanent jobs. The administration backtracked on a claim of 30,000 construction jobs this month after the number was questioned by The Boston Globe. The governor testified last week it would create more than 10,000 construction jobs.
Spectrum Gaming was not involved in committee hearings and debate in the Massachusetts legislature last week before the bill was tabled.
Playboy Mansion a hotbed for charity poker
Hugh Hefner and his Girls Next Door are set to open the Mansion grounds up for the tournament Saturday, May 18, with the event running from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
General admission for the night is $500, complete with access to hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, casino night table games and the "infamous Grotto." (The tournament Web site suggests you bring your own swimwear.) There will also be a silent auction on the grounds throughout the night.
For those who want to have a little poker with their Playboy Mansion experience, a seat in the tournament will cost $1,500. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Urban Health Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization "founded to provide direct care, medicine and medical equipment in response to natural and man-made disasters."
Early registration is available until March 31. To register, or to get more information about the Celebrity Poker Tournament, contact Yvette McNally at yvette_mcnally@sbcglobal.net or visit the event Web site.
As has been the case in the past, first prize for the tournament is a $10,000 seat in the WSOP Main Event. Second prize this year is a Bermuda vacation for two with travel and four-star hotel accommodation, while third prize is a set of Giovanna Wheels and a Koko Kuture Bezel System.
The past two years have both seen celebrity poker players crowned champion at the charity event. Long before his involvement with Ante Up For Africa at the WSOP, actor Don Cheadle won the UHI Playboy Mansion tournament in 2006.
Last year it was actress and 2007 National Heads-Up Poker Championship semifinalist Shannon Elizabeth who took down the title while helping UHI raise money for its charity programs.
Confirmed to attend so far are Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Pam Brunson, and Hoyt Corkins. If the past two years are any indication, the list of confirmations will blossom as the event grows nearer.
According to the UHI Web site,"the organization enlists pro-bono participation from local health care professionals to provide public health education and information about the availability of health-related and specialty care resources within disadvantaged communities around the globe."
Some of UHI's past activities have included administering medical relief to victims of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, tending to New Orleans residents evacuated from their homes to the Astrodome in Houston, participating in local health fairs and sponsoring youth sports programs, and providing medical exams, medications, and supplies to communities in Nigeria and Belize.
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