‘Dancing with the Stars’ raises questions

With "Dancing with the Stars" wrapping up with Drew Lachey's victory Sunday, we decided to tackle a few questions about that show. (Previous "Dancing" answers include one about the weird scoring, one about the stars' pay, and one about who picks the songs.)

SONGS
Q: [A recent] “Dancing with the Stars” had a song that I’m trying to find out the name of. I don’t remember who danced it. But some of the words are... “A little bit of...” and then a girl's name, Tina, and others. Is there any way you may know the name and artist?    —Jim

A: Sounds like you're citing Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" ("A little bit of Rita's all I need ... A little bit of Tina's what I see."). The official "Dancing" Web site lists the show's songs, though at press time, it wasn't completely updated.

ANNOUNCER
Q: I’m curious as to who the “voice” is for Dancing with the Stars? He announces the judges names before they award points. He sounds like John O’Hurley from the first season, only more affected. That inflection of that voice is horrible.    —Suzanne

A: That voice is probably very familiar to Brits if not to Americans: It's Alan Deadicoat of the BBC. Because British accents make anything sound classier, old chap.

STACY
Q: Stacey Keibler — why is she a star?    —Dennis

A: "Star" is relative on this show, but Keibler wrestles for the WWE, where she's apparently been nicknamed "The Legs of the WWE." She was also named the 2004 WWE Babe of the Year.  Before wrestling, she was a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens. A fuller biography is on the "Dancing" site, and she's also listed in IMDB. And now she can add "came in third on 'Dancing with the Stars' to her, uh, illustrious resume.

ORDER
Q: Can you tell me the order in which the stars were eliminated on Dancing With The Stars?    —Pauline

A: First went Kenny Mayne (remember him?), then Tatum O'Neal, then Giselle Fernandez, then Master P (finally!), then Tia Carrere, then George Hamilton, then Lisa Rinna, Stacy Keibler, and Jerry Rice, leaving Drew Lachey as the winner. You can flip through our chart for more details on those episodes.   

FUTURE
Q: Are there going to be future [seasons of]“Dancing with the Stars”?    —Rhoda

A: Nothing yet announced, but from looking at the ratings, we'd bet our tap shoes on it. If we had tap shoes.    —G.F.C.

Moving on to other shows...

Q: Has Big Brother officially been renewed for the summer of 2006? If so, is there any indication if it will be a celebrity or all-stars edition, as is often rumored?    —Kris

A: After airing its sixth and arguably most successful season this past summer, "Big Brother" was renewed at the beginning of October, the earliest renewal yet for the series. That means producers have plenty of time to devise new ways to play with the hamsters' minds.

The show has aired consistently on CBS during the same three-month period -- July, August, and September -- for the past six years, and it's expected to do so again this year. Every year, the show debuts at the beginning of July and concludes toward the end of September.

Earlier this year, there were reports that CBS would announce a celebrity edition of the show in early January. Shortened "Big Brother" seasons featuring celebrities have been a hit in the UK, but that announcement never came, and producers did not respond to a request for a comment about the possibility of a celebrity edition this summer.

In any case, the show generally announces its cast at the end of June, a few weeks before the debut, so we'll find out then who the lucky shut-ins will be.    —A.D.

Q: Will the new reality show “American Inventor” go on? I tried out in Washington in December. There was talk that the show might be cancelled.      —Jacquie

A: Looks like Simon Cowell's "American Inventor" is a go. ABC is promoting that the show will premiere March 16 at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour show, then settle into a regular time slot of Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Our readers have shown interest in auditioning for the invention show "Made in the U.S.A." before. It looks like those many inventors who wrote in to us are out of luck for now, as casting for "American Inventor" has closed. Should the show succeed, we're sure they'll be looking for more inventions eventually, but for now, we have no casting information.    —G.F.C.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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