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Ok, I gotta admit, this really took me by surprise. I really didn't just fall of the turnip truck and know all too well that bigotry, stupidity and rank ignorance not only still exist in 21st century USA, but fester in every state of the union. But the reaction that ABC got when it announced that Chaz Bono would be among the celebrities on the new "Dancing With the Stars" season had my jaw dropping to the floor. Homophobia itself is ugly and uninformed, of course, but those who spew anti-gay epithets often do so because they believe sexual orientation...

"Dancing With the Stars" aims for provocative casts, and Chaz Bono's addition to the show has already yielded strong reaction -- some of it ugly. Bono, the only child of Sonny Bono and Cher, was born a woman but legally changed his gender and name last year. The announcement Monday that he would join the highly rated ABC dance competition immediately made him one of the highest-profile transgendered people in the world. It also brought to the surface prejudices about Bono and others who have changed their gender, judging from the "Dancing With the Stars" message board. In hundreds of...

TMZ has learned ... Chaz Bono will be hitting the hardwood on the new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

Mounting evidence that Sarah Palin may have bought a $1.7million home in Arizona has sparked speculation she will run for president next year. But it seems the real reason for the move could be more personal - to keep tabs on her daughter, Bristol. The Tea Party politician is reportedly furious at the 20-year-old's new relationship with Disney's Kyle Massey, who she met on Dancing with the Stars last year. Bristol and Kyle are soon to appear in a new reality show for the BIO Channel, which will follow them as they set up a charity alongside Kyle's elder brother,...

According to the latest polls, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s political popularity trajectory is heading south. It was inevitable given our 24/7 fame-obsessed culture which feeds on new personalities and controversy to fuel the celebrity media machine. Once Sarah Palin resigned from her office as Alaska governor, she left that respected “higher platform” reserved for our elected leaders and crossed over into celebrity jungle. There, she willingly subjected herself to the unforgiving forces of media pop culture, where the masses are easily bored. And now, without a new hit show, movie, book, clothing line, charity cause, or fragrance, Palin is...

President Obama's nationally televised address tonight on Libya is scheduled for 7:30pm. It is an odd time for a presidential address -- especially one dealing with America at war (yes, yes, technically not war, but still) -- it means most of the West Coast will still be at work or just coming home from school. Normally big addresses are scheduled for 8pm or 9pm so the West Coast is able to catch, too. It's possible the timing was a concession to network heads anxious not to lose valuable prime time advertising dollars. Except the only thing not on repeat tonight...

Former Senate candidate and tea party favorite Christine O’Donnell will not be donning a leotard anytime soon. The Republican announced Monday night that she has declined an invitation to samba with celebrities on “Dancing With the Stars.” The Delaware Republican said in a statement that she finds the ABC show to be “one of the few uplifting TV shows out there.” But she’s choosing instead to finish her book on the 2010 election cycle and her new political action committee

Please forward to all your receptive friends. It is UNLIKELY that Christine O'Donnell would do this. She has already said she has two left feet -- SHE DOESN'T, I've seen her -- but mainly shewants to focus on her book on politics and the resulting book tour as an opportunity to fight for the issues we care about. Please vote in this poll for Christine: Note this is not whether you think Christine should actually go on Dancing with the Stars, but is a vote of popularity to show who is more liked and is more popular. So you don't...

In a move certain to cause liberal heads to explode nationwide, Bristol Palin told E! Online’s Giuliana Rancic she would "probably" run for public office one day, "but that would be further down the road." "If I saw something that needed to be changed, then I would step up to the plate and do something about it," she said. The former Dancing with the Stars contestant knows the reaction she would get from those who hate her. To say liberals hate her is a bit like saying the sun is a little bit warm. One is hard pressed to find...

After it was revealed that Bristol Palin made it through to the finals of “Dancing With the Stars” late last year, shock jock radio host Howard Stern went on quite the rampage, announcing that she “is the first contestant in the history of the hit ABC show to get fatter as the show goes on,” and that she “must be eating everything in sight." Comedienne Kathy Griffin also jumped on the Palin “fat” attack while hosting VH1’s “Salute to the Troops” last month, mocking the 20-year-old for gaining “30 pounds per week” during the show and referring to her as...

I Hate You, Bristol PalinIt's the happiest of New Years: We have another Palin to drive us crazy. Okay, I’ve just about had it with you people. Yes, I’m talking to you, the Palin family of Moosewhack Village, Bumblefork County, Alaska, USA, Earth, Universe. I mean, who in the name of old Joe Hill are you to be constantly coming into my living room unannounced and uninvited? It was bad enough when the most unqualified person in American life — I’m talking to you, Sarah — had the effrontery to run for vice president. It got even worse when, after...

Palin Derangement Syndrome lives on. The Smoking Gun reports that Bristol Palin's appearance on Dancing with the Stars actually generated complaints to the FCC. One wrote, "I want my government to protect me the viewer from deceptive practices." Complaining that “no other dancer was called over for a hug,” one viewer said it was a “signal for the GOP/Tea Party supporters of Sarah Palin to ‘stuff’ the vote for Bristol Palin, who on both dates had to be dragged over the dance floor.” That's certain to get the FCC going. Another complained that a judge made physical contact with Palin....

DECEMBER 6--In the days after Bristol Palin was voted into the finals of “Dancing with the Stars,” viewers from across the country wrote to the Federal Communications Commission accusing the ABC show of everything from running a “payola type program” to “encouraging and promoting teen pregnancy.” Many of the complainants, whose letters were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, were upset that, as one Oregonian put it, “the top scores were voted off yet Sarah Palin’s daughter remained on.” One viewer from Pittsburgh alleged that the show’s voting system had been “fixed by extreme supporters of the Tea...

Perhaps it's time for Dancing With the Palins? It's only been a week since Bristol Palin retired her dancing shoes, but I'm told… Producers are already hot to sign her dad, Todd (aka Mr. Sarah Palin), for next season. "They want him big time," a source reveals. "They'd love Sarah, but they don't think that will ever happen, so why not go for the dad." (snip) No word yet if the former First Dude of Alaska has been approached by producers or ABC. Also on the producers' political wish list are John McCain's daughter, Meghan, and Elliot Spitzer, the former...

After Bristol Palin brought 'Dancing With the Stars' unprecedented buzz and ratings, it sounds like the show's producers are dying to go back to the Palin well. This time, they want Bristol's dad. "They want him big time," a source told E! Onlione. "They'd love Sarah, but they don't think that will ever happen, so why not go for the dad." The show is also after another politician's daughter, Meghan McCain, as well. Which would mean, if producers have their way, that family members of the 2008 GOP Presidential ticket would be instead be competing against one another. Weird.

With the unprecedented media frenzy that erupted from Bristol Palin making it to the finals of "Dancing With the Stars," what will the show do for an encore next season? Hmm. How about a same-sex couple? Reports have been running rampant over recent weeks that next year’s “Dancing With the Stars” will be quite a quick-step from tradition and feature a same-sex twosome. The speculation stemmed from the announcement that the Israeli edition of the hit show would pair two ladies, at the request of a lesbian sportscaster who felt more comfortable foxtrotting with a female in the competition. Numerous...

Carrie Ann Inaba has admitted that she has a "girl crush" on former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. The Dancing With Stars judge told Access Hollywood Live's Billy Bush that she was recently able to meet Sarah while the politician's daughter Bristol was competing on the ABC reality series. "I did meet [Sarah] because, you know, my dad loves her… So, I went and introduced myself. I was like, 'My dad loves you, so, I have to say hello,'" she said. The reality star continued: "And you know what? She's so charming! I was like, ‘Girl crush'!" Inaba also suggested that...

US political pundits baffled as former Alaska governor gambles on nationwide book tour and reality TV show "Sarah Palin has done everything wrong according to the traditional way of campaigning," said Scott Rasmussen, a leading pollster and co-author of a book on the Tea Party. "She gave up her position of power as governor of Alaska, she wrote a book for a lot of money, she has her daughter on Dancing with the Stars, she is on her own reality TV show, she's been incredibly partisan in her politics – this is everything that a presidential candidate is supposed not...

If you want to see a liberal's head explode, just mention the name "Palin". From the moment Bristol Palin became a contestant on the recent season of Dancing with the Stars, liberals expressed their hatred in the most visceral ways imaginable. One man - an elected official - blasted his television with a shotgun when Palin became a finalist. A Facebook page exists called, "I Hate Bristol Palin", dedicated to liberal hatred of Bristol Palin. The page is liked by 363 people, and most of the comments are unfit to be posted here. While a few posts defend Bristol, most...

Bristol Palin is no Ginger Rogers. She’s not even Britney Spears. Bristol made it to the final three of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” because the viewers are fans of her mother, Sarah Palin. So what? Sarah Palin is enormously popular with main street Americans. Recent polls show that Palin is the leading Republican presidential candidate for 2012. Palin is treated like a rock star at public appearances. Her TLC reality travel show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska”, premiered last week as the sixth highest-rated show on cable. (The ratings fell by the second show, but held at three million viewers, which...