Larry Brown Sports

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones loves to dance, and he earned the right to put his moves on display in the Super Bowl when he scored on a kick return and a 56-yard reception. On Thursday night, Jones made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and was asked if he would ever consider going on “Dancing With the Stars.”

“Let me ask you this,” Jones said to Kimmel with a serious look on his face. “Do polar bears poo on ice?”

I’ve heard of the expression involving a bear crapping in the woods, but the polar bear one is new for me. Whether polar bears poop on ice or not, it’s obvious Jones is excited about the possibility.

“I think I’d get down,” Jones said. “I’d get down, baby.”

Jones’ kick return in the Super Bowl already resulted in nearly $600,000 worth of free furniture for some people in Baltimore, so he might as well continue putting smiles on people’s faces by going on the show. It sounded like Kimmel was authorized to offer him a spot on the show on behalf of ABC, but we’re not sure if anything is official yet. I’m sure the network doesn’t want Jones quite as badly as it wants this lovely lady.

H/T Shutdown Corner

Hope Solo taking aim at “Dancing with the Stars” is nothing new, but one particular tidbit of information she revealed about the show in her new book could interest DWTS fans. In the gift that keeps on giving, “Solo: A Memoir of Hope,” Solo claims the show is fixed and that the producers decide which contestants remain from week-to-week — not fan votes.

As RadarOnline.com pointed out, Hope claims in the book that the public feud between her and dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy was good for ratings and helped keep her on the show after she was “scheduled” the be eliminated.

“Maks later told me that he had argued with the judges because he had been told we were going to be eliminated, that there was some secret memo going around that said who would be ousted each week,” Solo wrote. “He explained that he wanted to cause some drama on the live portion of the show so that they wouldn’t be able to resist keeping us around, hoping for more fireworks.

“It seems to have worked – we weren’t eliminated that week.”

As we know, Hope also revealed in the book that Chmerkovskiy once slapped her during practice, so if that’s true the drama went well beyond ratings and cinema value. Hope also once accused the shows producers of painting her in a negative light and criticizing her body type. When she was eventually voted off the show and finished in fourth place, Solo sounded like someone who regretted the experience and was glad it was over.

Sources told RadarOnline.com that the DWTS producers are furious with Hope and believe she “made up the allegations simply to sell books.” Of all the things she has said about the show, this is probably the most controversial accusation.

Hit television show “Dancing With the Stars” has featured two of the best female tennis players in history as contestants, but don’t expect Maria Sharapova to become the third. Speaking from Indian Wells, Ca. where the BNP Paribas Open is taking place, Sharapova says she would turn down the show if they asked her to compete.

“Even though I like to dance and all, there’s something about dancing in prom costumes in front of national television that is just not very appealing to me,” she said.

She also seems to wonder how much is based on talent vs. popularity, asking “Is it a lot of practice or is it personality?”

Monica Seles was a past competitor and Martina Navratilova is a contestant on the current season. Both participated in retirement. Sharapova is hoping her answer will be the same 10 years from now, but you never know if things could change when someone is offering you a fat pay check and plenty of publicity during retirement.

I’m sure those of you who are fans of her glorious styles are probably disappointed.

Unlike many other professional athletes before her, Hope Solo did not enjoy her time on Dancing With the Stars. She may try to sugarcoat it so that she doesn’t sound too bitter, but anyone can see by Hope’s recollections and reflections that it was not exactly a high point in her life.  As she explained to Anderson Cooper on his show, Anderson, on Tuesday, most of Solo’s frustrations stem from the way in which the show’s producers portrayed her.

“I was very naive going into it,” she explained. “It is very much reality television I think from day one they casted our characters. And we would be rehearsing for seven hours a day. Maks and I were great friends and we had an endearing relationship. The 45 minutes in the whole seven hours that were the most frustrating where I am curing and kicking walls is what America got to see.”

From the start, Solo was upset with the gossip magazines for creating a problem between her and dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy that she insists never existed.  She feels as though the angry and frustrated Hope Solo became good television, and that’s why that’s all the audience was shown.  Not only that, but the judges were critical of her from the start.

“I was told I had too much muscle and I was too intense and wasn’t dainty,” Solo said.

Needless to say, appearing on DWTS appears to be a “live and learn” type experience for the U.S. women’s goalie.  With the World Cup qualifiers around the corner, it’s safe to say she’s ready to put reality TV behind her and focus on those who appreciate her intensity and muscle.  Here is the full interview between Hope and Anderson Cooper, courtesy of Examiner.com:

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Hope Solo is one of the six stars still alive in the current season of Dancing With the Stars. While she’s done well to make it this far, one gossip magazine is doing its best to try and distract her.

Star Magazine is said to have reported that Hope and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy are not getting along. Their report quotes an insider who says “Hope has had it with Maks. He’s such a jerk and constantly makes obnoxious comments to her like, ‘I’m not here to be your friend.’ It brings her down, and everyone can see it.”

It’s pretty obvious that’s a biased source they’re quoting. Plus, when you quote insiders like that, it’s probably to manufacture a story line. Controversy sells! We need controversies!

Needless to say, Hope is not happy with the report.

“My eyes have been opened! I’m not living in the real world! Hollywood gossip is truly gossip! Star magazine where do u get your sources! So sad,” she tweeted.

“Hows this for a source! Hell, I’ll even attach my name to it! ‘I GOT NOTHING BUT MAD LOVE & MAD RESPECT 4 MY PARTNER Maks!’ Go ahead, quote it!”

Unfortunately for Hope, they’re not interested in denials — they just want something that will create some buzz. A report about her having problems with her partner will do that, even if the source is pretty weak. Hope should not be disappointed. When you accept a spot on Dancing With the Stars, you get paid a lot of money and see an immeasurable boost to your notoriety. But you also open yourself to the world of Hollywood gossip and shoddy reporting.

For someone who was bold enough to pose nude in a magazine, it’s surprising that this rattled her. But I do see her point.

Typically we don’t concern ourselves with the outcome of Dancing With the Stars. Quite frankly, we really don’t care how a sports figure dances, unless it’s in the end zone. But this week we actually have a reason to write about an occurrence on the show because it fits in with a theme we’ve been covering.

Last week, we told you that Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari may be back on after calling off their engagement in July. Cutler’s former tight end with the Broncos, Tony Scheffler, was even angling for Jay to support Kristin as a member of the audience. The quarterback obliged.

Jay was in the audience for Kristin’s routine Monday, supporting his ex (current?) girlfriend. Naturally, as we learned via Marc Kohn on Twitter, Cavallari was voted off the show Tuesday (not that we were watching). It would be easy to blame this one on Jay Cutler, so we will. Everything the guy seems to touch falls apart. But the best line comes from Stephen Douglas at The Big Lead, who blames middle America for voting off Kristin. “Your jealousy is worse than your cheese breath,” he says. The prosecution rests.

Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (he does still play football, doesn’t he?) planned one of the busiest off-seasons we’ve seen for an athlete lately. Ocho booked himself a spot on Dancing with the Stars (angering me in the process) and landed a dating show on VH1 where 85 women vie for his love. While Chad probably figured that he had struck gold with his dual shows, he admitted the dating show — Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch (or Perfect Catch, I’ve heard both) — has unfortunate timing because of his interest in his dancing partner, Cheryl Burke.

Chad and Cheryl have apparently become quite affectionate towards each other and Ocho even bought her a $10,000 diamond ring. The two have denied that they are dating but Chad is making it seem like he’s not interested in anyone else. Here’s what he said on Live with Regis and Kelly when asked about his new dating show:

Unfortunately, this was already in place before I did Dancing with the Stars, before I met Cheryl. If I wasn’t doing that, she would have probably been the one.”

Not that I would ever watch such pointless drivel, but I have to imagine that this is the last thing the producers at VH1 wanted to hear. They gave Chad his reality show thinking he would play the role of the ultimate bachelor. What good is his dating show if he’s already taken? The two probably are dating but they just can’t reveal it otherwise it would officially make the dating show a sham. I’m just hoping his new lady, whether it’s Cheryl or some VH1 skank, has a Kate Hudson-like effect on him.