Las Vegas Weekly

September 17, 2010 · 10:24 AM

Photos: L.V. is center stage as DWTS kicks off with three shows

By Robin Leach

The cast of Season 11 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars: Brandy, Jennifer Grey, Margaret Cho, Audrina Patridge, Florence Henderson, Bristol Palin, David Hasselhoff, Kurt Warner, Kyle Massey, Rick Fox and co-hosts Brooke Burke and Tom Bergeron. Not pictured: Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Michael Bolton.

Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC TV

It’s a Dancing With the Stars Las Vegas weekend, as the city will be center spotlight on next week’s three consecutive nights of shows in the Season 11 premiere of ABC’s top-rated series. Film cameras will be recording this weekend’s concerts by comedienne Margaret Cho at The Pearl in the Palms and singer Michael Bolton at Sunset Station’s amphitheater.

They are just two of the celebrities in the lineup for the 5 hours of programming next week. It all kicks off Monday with a two-hour premiere, followed by a two-hour performance show Tuesday and the results show Wednesday. TV insiders and fans are predicting that former Alaska politician Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol Palin will be the first dancer to be axed.

Our photo gallery today features the new rehearsal photos of the stars and their pro-dance partners courtesy of our friends at ABC. Here are YouTube videos of the cast talking about their reasons for joining the show and their strategies to win the prized mirrored disco ball trophy.

And if you want to hear how the pro dancers feel about their celebrity partners, watch the candid videos at BallroomFantasy.com.

This season’s Las Vegas connections continue with former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, who starred here on The Strip in Mel Brooks’ comedy The Producers at the Paris. David also filmed segments of his new fall reality TV series downtown during the annual Knight Rider convention.

This season also features The Hills star Audrina Patridge, who will be here next weekend in Rob Dyrdek’s Street League Skateboarding Pro Tour challenge at the Thomas & Mack Arena, and Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, who will host and deejay at Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel, also next weekend. Incidentally, The Sitch has just released his own IPhone app with functions including Workout, GTL Finder, Sound Board and a unique way to leave him messages.

The stars will continue their dance rehearsal schedules at Las Vegas studios while here, and ABC cameras will film their activities, including a second visit by Michael Bolton when he headlines for David Foster’s David Foster & Friends at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Oct. 15. That PBS-taped special features musical superstars including Seal, Ne-Yo, Martina McBride and Natalie Cole.

We’ll have final pre-show photos here on Monday and then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll post the overnight photos right from the dance floor as the intense competition gets underway for the first elimination.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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