The new season of Dancing with the Stars premiered last night and although the lineup was nothing to get particularly excited about, once the show was on, the glitz & glamour took over and it was a fun show.

Lil Kim introduced herself by telling us that the first time she watched DWTS was when she was in PRISON.  Ooooook.  Cheek implants and all. She dedicated her first dance to all “her girls” in the federal detention center.  Tom dedicated his hosting tonight to everybody at Riker’s Island LOL

She & Derek did well, though they did the Cha Cha.  Bruno, as always, was inappropriate but all 3 judges were complimentary. 

Next up, Belinda Carlisle & Jonathan.  She resembles Priscilla Presley!  They danced the waltz and did well for a first dance.  Bruno told her she resembled last season’s competitor, CLORIS LEACHMAN!  (Belinda is on Twitter!)

If you are a fan of the show, I think it gets easier & easier to pick who is going to do well and who is going home on weeks 1, 2, 3.  

Former NFL star Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Slywinska danced the cha cha and for a first dance, with another big, muscled, older guy, they did ok.  Lawrence looked terrified and I think that translated to his dance moves.   But just like all the former NFL players who have come before him, such as finalist Jason Taylor and last year’s 3rd place finisher, Warren Sapp, Jerry Rice, winner Emmitt Smith, there’s lots of room for improvement and expectation.

Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer danced the waltz and I thought that he was actually pretty graceful.  He needs lots more practice… but overall, he did good.  Bruno said it was a big pile of slapstick… but Carey Ann & Len were a bit nicer.  (Lacey’s on Twitter.)

Next up, Gilles & Cheryl.  If you haven’t seen Sex & the City, The Movie, you probably haven’t seen him.  Of course, they had to make references to his scenes in the movie, because he did full frontal nudity – but the judges LOVED their cha-cha-cha.  Cheryl, obviously, is a very talented teacher, but he has the flexibility and their scores showed it – 24 – a pretty high score for a 1st dance!

Country singer Chuck Hicks and his partner, both on & off the dance floor, Julianne Hough, danced the waltz and they just make such a beautiful couple, it’s amazing.  Of course, they also looked like a bride & groom!

The first of the two replaced dancers was up next, and I know this is going to sound terrible, but she looks & talks about as well as a box of hair.  She has no no no rhythm.  She’s pigeon toed.  She looked as if she would throw up at any moment. lol  Paired with a new pro, Dimitry, Holly Madison – best known as a playboy model, well  -I’m betting she’s gone in the first 3 weeks. 

Ty Murray & new pro Chelsey Hightower did a rather interesting cha-cha-cha.  Ty has broken at least 20 bones.  Ty is a 9-time bull-riding champion. Ty is NOT a dancer.  I think he’s got a lot of mental stiffness too – and it all translated to a total score of 14.     I hope that with more practice, they’ll get him a little bit more relaxed   On his blog, he wrote that he was way out of his element, but hopes to improve. 

Shawn Johnson, who is just 17 and an Olympic gymnast and & Mark Ballas did the waltz and it was just beautiful, truly.  She’s got an infectious smile and they did well.

Taking the “older gentleman” spot this year is Steve Wozniak. Steve is co-founder of Apple Computers.  Steve is older (59), and states “I want to show the world that geeks can dance”. LOL  He & Karina did a rather clumsy cha-cha-cha and received the lowest score of the evening. (Steve is on Twitter!)

David Allen Grier, one of my favorite comedians, was up next.  His pre-performance interview was hysterical when he stated what he expected to gain from his experience with DWTS:  “free dance lessons, sexual favors and to lose weight”.  (DAG is also on Twitter and added me last night.  Ok, it may not actually BE him, but hey, whatev LOL! )

David & Kym Johnson did the waltz and they were really beautiful together.  Bruno, of course, had to pick on them (David was making different faces while dancing LOL) but overall, they received good remarks and a fairly decent score.

Denise Richards looked terrified.

The night’s big surprise for me, though, was Nancy O’Dell’s replacement, Melissa Rycroft.  She’s gotten TONS of press for being the Bachelor’s dumped girlfriend, but seriously, she’s got talent.  She’d only had TWO DAYS to practice!  She so resembles last year’s champion, Brooke Burke, that I think she’ll go far too.   They scored 2nd highest of the night!

So with all the glitz and glamour of the evening, I’m once again excited about this season.  Next week, they’ll dance again and then the first elimination of the season happens next Tuesday. Don’t forget to vote!