The time has finally come for Dancing with the Stars season 7 to begin!  Settle into your armchairs with your phones at the ready.  All 13 celebrities and their professional partners will be hitting the dance floor for the first time, and we'll get to vote for our favorites.

Which team will exceed our expectations?  Which will disappoint us?  Will we see a clear frontrunner as we did last season?  Will this season be the best one ever?

Only time will tell, and you can be sure that I'll be faithfully recording everything as it happens right here in my live thoughts.

Live!  From Hollywood!  This is Dancing with the Stars!

The stars make their way down the stairs to the stage and two things are immediately noticeable: Jeff Ross has on a sparkly eye patch, and Cloris Leachman looks like she has trouble walking down the stairs - that can't be good.

First up, it's the youngest celeb and the youngest pro: Cody Linley and Julianne Hough.  They have cha cha first.  I love Julianne's hair and elbow-length gloves, and I'm also really impressed with Cody's skills.  I guess my concerns about him not being able to get into the flirty, romantic character were for naught because he looks to be one slick dude in their first dance.  Len warns them not to get too frenetically, and Bruno pipes in and says that Cody has to keep his footwork clean.  Carrie Ann is freaked out that Julianne and Cody's combined age is still less than her own.  Woah.  And their scores: they get straight 6s for a score of 18 out of 30.

Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff are next.  Woah, in rehearsal this morning, Karina took a bad step and twisted her ankle.  Looks really painful!  Despite the injury, she will dance tonight.  She's a trooper.  They've got the foxtrot tonight.  Karina is dancing perfectly - you can't tell that she twisted her ankle at all - but I'm not feeling Rocco.  He does get better as the routine goes on, but it started out pretty rough.  Bruno is not impressed, but Carrie Ann thinks it was "cute."  Len thinks Rocco needs more finesse.  Carrie Ann and Bruno give 5s and Len gives a 4, for a 14 out of 30.

Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo take the stage next.  Toni explained to Alec about her heart condition at their first meeting.  I really hope that she won't let her diagnosis hold her back.  They dance the cha cha tonight, and I'm really impressed.  Toni's turns are sharp and crisp, and her footwork is for the most part clean, and the two of them together are really sexy.  Carrie Ann thought it was like a week 5 routine, it was so good.  Len warns her about her leg position, and Bruno raves about her sexy slinkiness.  They get 7s from Carrie Ann and Len, and an 8 from Bruno, for a 22 out of 30.

The first of the season's Olympic gold medalists, Maurice Greene takes the stage with Cheryl Burke next.  Yay!  They show a clip of the time when Maurice took off his shoes after a 100m race and had them fire-extinguished.  They dance the foxtrot tonight.  I have a feeling that Cheryl wanted the routine to be funkier than it actually turned out.  The whole performance was very careful and unspectacular, but the judges disagree with me slightly.  Len thought it was a good performance.  Carrie Ann thought that the foxtrot parts of the routine were stiff compared to the funky parts.  And the scores: straight 6s for an 18 out of 30.

Brooke Burke, who had her fourth child only six months ago, takes the stage next with Derek Hough.  They have the cha cha tonight.  Wow, Brooke looks really sexy in her fringey, '70s-style bell bottoms and bikini top.  She's also really flexible.  I think it's a solid first performance, but I have to say that I'm the teensiest bit bored by their routine.  Bruno gets all hot for Brooke, and Len calls it the best dance of the night so far.  Carrie Ann gives a 7, Len and Bruno give 8s, for a 23 out of 30.

Ted McGinley and Inna Brayer dance next.  I immediately like Inna.  She's a Brooklyn girl with an attitude.  They've got the foxtrot tonight.  Inna is a beautiful dancer, but Ted is awfully stiff at times.  Len is impressed with Ted's footwork, and Bruno warns him not to be too much like Steve Carell.  Carrie Ann advises him to relax and not worry so much.  The scores: triple 6s, for the third 18 out of 30 for the night.

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer are the next pair.  They dance the cha cha tonight.  I love their outfits; they are very rock and roll, and Lacey's choreography is really fun and interesting.  Lance is pretty good too!  I think I may have done OK by picking this pair as the ones to beat.  Len starts out the critique by saying that he's a crotchety old man and he doesn't like the new, hip kind of dancing.  But Carrie Ann and Bruno absolutely loved it.  Carrie Ann and Bruno give 8s, and Len gives a 6, for a 22 out of 30.

Cloris Leachman, the oldest person ever to be on Dancing with the Stars, and Corky Ballas, the elder statesman of ballroom dance, have a hi-larious first meeting.  I can already tell that I'm going to love these two.  They dance the foxtrot, and you know, it's not great, but Cloris is 82 freakin' years old.  Holy crap, she is a funny lady.  She goes up to Bruno, who calls her the Battleship Geriatrica, and puts her leg up on his desk.  Then, she sticks her cleavage in Len's face.  Oh please, please, please vote to keep this lady on the show!  Len says that he's always wanted to be a "toy-boy" [sic].  She sits on Carrie Ann's lap, and makes the plea that she's an orphan which is why she deserves to stay on Dancing with the Stars.  Holy crap, she is hilarious!  And the scores: a 6 from Carrie Ann and 5s from Len and Bruno.  Haha!  Cloris is not happy with her score and swears up a storm!

Jeffrey Ross and Edyta Sliwinska have the next dance.  Jeff was injured this morning when Edyta accidentally poked him in the eye.  He was rushed to the hospital this morning and the doctors told him that he has a scratched cornea.  That explains the sparkly eye patch he's wearing.  As usual, Edyta is wearing fringey leg warmers and, like, a teeny-tiny handkerchief on top.  Unfortunately, Jeff is really not a great dancer, but he's kind of funny anyway.  Carrie Ann can't find a whole lot of good stuff to say about it.  Bruno tries to copy Cloris by putting his leg up on the desk.  Len damns with fain praise, right before Jeff makes a ballroom joke about the tightness of his pants, heh.  And the scores: 4s all around, for a 12 out of 30.  Jeff cheers after each 4.

Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas are up next.  They have the foxtrot tonight.  Hm, I'm not loving Mark's bright pink blazer, but I guess it fits with their Pink Panther theme song music selection.  It was very safe, I think, and I found her shoulders very stiff.  Len says that she has to bring the chemistry to the performance, and Bruno says that she has to make her "treasure trove more available."  What?  Maybe Bruno wants to star in her next sex tape.  And the scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 7 and Bruno 6, for a 19 out of 30.

Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani dance the cha cha next.  Susan is really, really skinny, just sayin'.  She does an OK job going through the motions of the cha cha, but she doesn't have any strength behind any of her movements.  She better hope her fanbase will pull through with votes.  Bruno tells her that she looks like a lady, but she should be a slut for the cha cha.  Is it me, or is Bruno getting dirtier than ever?  Carrie Ann suggests that she gain some weight this season because she looked too frail.  (I agree.)  After the critiques, Susan leaps into Bruno arms, saying, "You want a slut?"  Carrie Ann gives a 5, Len gives a 5, and Bruno gives a 5, for 15 out of 30.

Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are next.  Misty's beach volleyball partner Kerri Walsh is in the audience as well.  I'm a big fan of Misty's, but is it me or does she look sort of like E.T. when she has makeup on?  Maybe it's because she spends so much time outside in the sun.  They dance the foxtrot tonight, and I'm pleasantly surprised.  She is really strong and really intense, but she's not what you would call elegant or ladylike.  She's definitely a jock, but she is much better than Monica Seles was last season.  Carrie Ann says that she should relax and not muscle into all of her steps, but Len thinks that she was elegant.  And the scores: Carrie gives a 6, Len gives an 8 and Bruno gives a 7, for a 21 out of 30.

And for the final performance of the night, Warren Sapp (the quarterback killer) and Kym Johnson dance the cha cha.  He's huge!  They get out of sync a bit, but he's not a total loss on the dance floor.  He looks funny in formalwear, though.  Len calls him a great, big bundle of joy.  The other judges also comment positively on the fun he has on the dance floor.  The scores: triple 7s, for a 21 out of 30.



-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)