It was said that Michael left a note saying that he planned to kill himself because of his depression.  He said it made him feel like he had no friends and didn’t fit in.   This is so tragic; he was only 18.  Michael is one of Marie and her ex-husband Brian Blonsil’s eight children.  He was adopted as well as several of the other children.  It has not been revealed to the public what sort of issues that Michael had been dealing with over the years…and maybe it should never be information for the public to know.  Those issues were private…and even though some of the Osmonds are very public people…they have a right to privacy as they grieve.

       I do know that when you are an adoptive family, you often live under a microscope.  People feel free to judge or to freely give advice on raising those children to the parents who have chosen to add them to their family.   It adds a level of interferrence in the raising of adopted children who are being grafted or blended into an existing family.  This is sometimes no easy feat; especially if the children happen to be a bit older when the adoption takes place.  I can only imagine how much more difficult the situation is when there is fame involved with the adoptive family.

        Depression is a big challenge and unless you have some personal relationship with the issue…it can be hard to understand.   However, Marie herself struggled with post partum depression after giving birth to one of her children.  It can severely affect not only the individual who struggles with it…but anyone who loves them.   It is important to get help if you are dealing with depression.  Many people don’t realize how serious it can be.  Sometimes depression is a chemical imbalance and medication can help; other times, other therapies can be helpful.  Talk to a health professional right away if you or someone you care about is struggling with depression.

        I can only hope that the media will respect this family as they try to deal with the loss of Michael.  Suicide leaves a lot of damage for the survivors left behind.   There will need to be some major healing time for this family.   May God help them all.

       Please, if you are someone who struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts; or, you know someone who is…please seek immediate help by checking out this site:  http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  or by contacting a health care professional.

       Sometimes i wonder if this show wants to stay on the air…they sometimes choose an occasional person or two who will obviously not be able to compete with equal abilities dancing wise with their competitors, they choose people who are controversial just because they can, and they keep making it difficult for families who want clean family entertainment to watch, when they choose to focus on things that are definately not family friendly!

         Another thing, what is it about Maksim and his partners….he comes across as very talented but, also very domineering.  He had his partner Denise Richards in tears last night…I remember that happening with some of his other partners.  I think eventually he mellows out a bit over the season..but, you have to wonder how his future marriage with Karina will be as she does not appear to be a door-mat.  That must be one relationship full of fireworks.

          You can always tell the competitors who are overwhelmed with nerves.  I felt very uncomfortable for Ty Murray (Jewel’s husband).   He did not feel comfortable and it was obvious; I thought he did well enough for the first time out…but the judges werent very encouraging.  Another competitor who was not dancing naturally was Belinda Carlisle…she was very stiff.  Then, Steve Wozniak who danced with Karina was definately having a good time; but, he is going to have to work very hard to keep up with her.

        By far, the most impressive part of the show last night was the two new replacement competitor.  There were two who were supposed to be a “surprise”.  Both Jewel and O’dell were injured in practice in the last week or two and needed to bow out of the competition.  They are being replaced by Holly Madison (former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner of Playboy fame) and Melissa Rycroft (young woman dumped by the Bachelor).  Holly had less than a week of practice and Melissa had less than 48 hours.  They both were pretty competent with their dancing which was a pleasant surprise…i had been worried Melissa would be put in the position of being embarassed twice in one week by the ABC network.  Good job Melissa!  Do you have a favorite competitor this season?  Do you think Dancing With The Stars could do anything in particular to improve their show?

Update on contestants for this season:  Ty Murray- 7 time Rodeo Champ and real life husband of singer Jewel; who will also be a contestant.  I wonder who their pro dancers will be?  Comedic actor David Alan Grier; Steve Wozniak-businessman , co-founder of  Apple computers; Chuck Wicks-country music singer and boyfriend of Julianne Hough (who said previously that she wouldn’t be on this season…so who knows?; Gilles Marini-actor; Steve O-stuntman famous for the show ”Jackass”…not to crazy about this choice…seems a bit controversial and possibly not family oriented for this DWTS show; Lawrence Taylor-football  hall of famer; Belinda Carlisle- singer of the famous 80′s girl band The Go-Gos; Denise Richards-actress and ex-wife of Charlie Sheen; Shawn Johnson- Olympic gymnist; Little Kim-female rapper; Nancy O’Dell- actress and host of “Access Hollywood”.

        I dont know how ABC will feel about the premature announcement…but if it is true that he will be on Dancing With The Stars…then I think it will be a fun season.  Remember that Donny sort of did some impromptu interviews behind the scenes when Marie was on. 

        Marie is famous for her witty sense of humor and her ability to razz her brother…all with the trademark Osmond grin.  It will be fun to watch that competitive nature come out between brother and sister.   Not to mention, it gets me wondering who else will be competing against Donny.   Also, wonder who will be Donny’s dancing partner…which pro?  Julianne Hough won’t be back this season last that I heard…so it will be interesting to see this season’s premiere.  Best of Luck Donny ( I am sure Marie will say that you are going to need it!  >wink< >wink<)

Update:  Donny has c0rrected the impression that he gave that he would be on the upcoming season.  He says, he plans or is shooting to be on the fall season of DWTS.

      Karina is now engaged to be married to Maksim Chmerkovskiy.  They are both very talented.  They have been dating for most of the summer and are , at present, involved in the Dancing With The Stars tour.  They became engaged on New Year’s Eve. 

       The new season of Dancing With The Stars begins the second week of March.  This new aspect of their relationship should make for a very interesting season for viewers.  How will the competition between dancing teams affect their relationship….how will it affect their dancing?  In any case, we wish them well…may they live happily ever after. 

        Brooke and her partner Dereck took perfect 10′s last night in one of their performances…but, as we all know…the viewers have the ultimate input when it comes to the outcome of the final scores.  It truly is anybody’s trophy tonight.  It could be a shocker as to who takes the top scores. 

         In any case, the show will be outstanding.  The entertainment value alone will be worth the watch.  Miley Cyrus will be performing tonight.  I totally expect the ratings for tonight’s show to go through the roof!

Update:  Brooke Burke and Dereck Hough are the champions.  Lance Bass & partner Lacey Schwimmer took third place and Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson stood under the hot lights sweating it out until the winners were announced.  Congratulations to all of the contestants for their dedication and persistence! 

       She’s talented as both a singer and as a dancer; and, no one wants to see her go…but, at the same time, no one wants to hold her back with her singing career.  Dancers careers are sometimes short-lived due to injury; as we have seen this season alone, there have been many injuries to the couples on the dance floor this season.

        Is Dereck Hough the next to leave for greener pastures?  He also is involved in music and has a band.  Dancing with the stars might be the very catalyst that launches the next generation of entertainers.  Best wishes to all those who strive to do their best in their areas of talent.  We will miss you Julianne!

        Lance Bass and his professional pro-dancer Lacey Schwimmer have made great gains in the last couple of weeks.  Then there is Cody Linley and his pro-partner Julianne Hough.  Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson are in the final four as well as Brooke Burke and Dereck Hough.  Each team has learned how to bring out the best in each other…the teamwork has evolved into some wonderful relationships.

         As the competition heats up…who will end up in the finals will be determined by tonight’s outcome.  I predict the couple to leave tonight will be Cody Linley and Julianne Hough.  Cody has improved alot since he began on the show…however he was sidelined a couple of weeks back when Julianne had to have her appendix removed.  He soldiered on with Edyta as his partner and did alright but he never regained his focus that he was beginning to establish when he was dancing with Julianne.

          Tonight’s results on the show could surprise me …but i believe that the other dancers either have been more consistent in their dancing or have a stronger fan base.  We will see.    Who do you think is leaving…and, who do you think will be the final winner this season?

          However, Maurice was a good sport…but, I am sure that he learned that young himself being in sports.  Maurice knows you don’t win every sport event and you just learn to take away the positives and learn from the negatives.  He was a true gentleman.

          This week’s results show was a little different.  I really and truely enjoyed Julianne and brother Dereck’s dance number together.  It was high energy and very entertaining.  What is even more amazing is that Julianne just had her appendix taken out two weeks ago because it was discovered that she had endometriosis.  That is a very painful condition where the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus and starts to cover internal organs and can actually cause infertility issues down the road. 

           Julianne’s performance was nothing short of a miracle.  Anyone who has ever had abdominal surgery knows that it takes time to heal.  Obviously, she didn’t just start learning and performing the routine with her brother yesterday…she had to have been practicing during that two weeks.  Wow!  Totally inspirational.

           What wasn’t so inspirational on the results show was the tip toe through the tulips of counseling( w/Dr. Drew) with the professional dancers and their celebrity partner’s relationships.  I didn’t enjoy that…except for the sliver of the session between Julianne and Cody (they have been unable to perform on the show due to her surgery for the last week or two-Edyta filled in for Julianne in a very professional way).  Cody really communicated his respect and caring for Julianne and she was visibly moved to tears as well.  I don’t think that the viewers of the entertainment show really needed to see the dancing couples deal with the issues involved on an emotional level that should have been kept private between the individuals–and a counselor if that was needed…not broadcast for the whole world to see.  It was a bit too tabloid talkish for me.

           Also please, can we get a new co-host for Tom for next season of dancing with the stars?  Samantha Harris is way too awckward in her interview skills. This creates uncomfortable situations for both the dancing teams as well as the viewers…it just takes away from the show.  She just tries too hard or something but there is always some major social goof…it has come to be painful to watch.  Such as her comment this week to teen Cody, “Did you ever think that you would be dancing on live television with a naked or half naked woman?”  Is this appropriate for a show that young children are watching?  Please, powers that be…bring on a new co-host for Tom. 

          It is not Susan’s fault that she is up against some very talented competitiors .  However it was her time to go…become it is a competition and there definately are more qualified dancers that need to remain in the contest.  As always, Susan Lucci is a class act and says that she is greatful for the life experience of being able to dance on the show. 

         Who will be the next competitior to leave?  And, what kind of improvement and challenge will we see in those who are left?