DANCING WITH THE STARS OPENING NIGHT

JUST BEFORE AIR

I REALLY ENJOY GOING TO DWTS BECAUSE BEHIND-THE-SCENES- IT'S A LIVE SOAP OPERA. LET'S TAKE PAULA DEEN, FOR INSTANCE.......

Paula was absolutely terrified. I talked to her right after she was through dancing. She was in a slight sweat, still shaking, with her eyes WIDE open. "I'm so happy I made it through! I was scared to death!," said Paula. I gently changed the subject because I have wanted to talk to her about the scandal. I said, "We all know what's wrong and have made mistakes, but you were singled out as a scapegoat and I am so sorry about what has happened to you." She stopped in her tracks and took both of my hands. "Oh, honey, I can't tell you how much that means to me. It was so hard." She then cupped my face in her hands and said, "God bless you, child. This means the world to me." Love her.

Nigel Lythgoe stopped by to say hello to Karina and Victor Espinoza, the Triple Crown Winner.

Karina and I congratulated Victor on surviving his first dance. He is a sweetheart who grew up with no money and just a dream to come to the U.S. He loved horses so much, once he was here, he slept in a dilapidated tack room at a track just to be near what he loved. He suffers from a short term memory challenge, which is difficult for Karina where memorizing dance steps is concerned. He's trying his best and the audience fell in love with him. He and I are exactly the same height!!!!

Rumer Willis dropped by and said hello to Bruno and Carrie Ann.
After the show was over she and Val, her partner for the championship last year had a nice visit.

AND SPEAKING OF VAL CHMERKOVSKIY............

Said Val: "I really wanted to win last season. I needed to be validated and I was. This season and every season to come, I'm really just here to give my partners the best experience they can have. That's really what I'm feeling and I'm having fun."

Bindi Irwin is a natural in front of the camera. Off camera--no shoes.

Kim Zolciak of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" was very unhappy about how her dance went. Back stage she was grateful (in this photo) for receiving some encouragement. Even though she is someone I'd never let into my house, when you see vulnerability and defeat, it sure is real.

Chaka Khan barely had any rehearsal time with her partner--something like two hours. She was away performing.