Everyone is a fashion designer these days, right? Or are they?

I finally was able to watch the movie titled Valentino-The Last Emperor, last weekend. Now THERE is a designer!  In 2008, Valentino celebrated 45 years of fashion designing. He was able to design fabulous couture fashions for many famous women over these last 5 decades. And after his big anniversary celebration, he decided to retire in his late seventies. This film follows his every move, and really shows you how he created beautiful fashion, and how he lived, and lives, which is very well. He owns 6 homes around the world. Pure elegance. Incredible design. And a film worth watching, if you have any interest in real couture fashion. It is out on DVD. Rent it!

Then I tune in to Dancing With the Stars this week, and am faced with the unfortunate. The costumes worn by the stars and their celebrity partners were designed by the stars. Obviously with lots of help with the shows resident costume designer, Randall Christensen and his crew of very talented cutting, sewing and embellishing professionals.

Yes, I know that you do not need to be a trained fashion designer to acknowledge good or bad design. Non professional designers can create good costume design. But not always. And sometimes they really fall short.  Obviously the real costume designers for the show helped to influence the final designs, as they should. Most professionally trained fashion designers cringe when we hear that Lindsay Lohan has a line of whatever. Of course we are all clamoring for the latest from Paris Hilton or her sister. And so and so has a new line of this new thing. Come on. Give us a break! These days, anyone who has any celebrity seems to have a clothing line, or at the very least, a fragrance. See my designer fragrance blog, for MY designer fragrance!

Let us talk about celebrity designers, shall we?

Because of such wonderfully inspiring TV shows like Dancing With The Stars, I have had so many requests for dramatic ballroom makeup videos and glamorous dance competition makeup looks.  From amateur to professional, we are always looking for unique ways to improve our performance presentation and make ourselves stand out among the rest.  I wanted to do a look that I thought would be easy to achieve and would be versatile enough to work with any costume.  
Most importantly, here is the first of many new dance makeup videos from JAM cosmetics that I hope will inspire you to try out something new, something different, something you would never have imagined yourself wearing.

And remember...

Last season of Dancing With the Stars saw some controversy as to whether the best dancer really won. What do you think? Should DWTS allow the public to select a winner, or should the judges have the final say when it comes to the final 2 contestants? Would that be more fair to the contestants?

Rumors have been circulating the Internet regarding ex-"American Idol" judge Paula Abdul's plans for the future. Initial reports claimed the former L.A. Laker Girl would join the judging panel on "So You Think You Can Dance," but now insiders are saying she's being considered for ABC's hit ballroom show "Dancing With The Stars."

However, Abdul's possible role on the show has been causing a few behind-the-scenes disputes, according to a recent article on MSNBC.com. While ABC president Stephen McPherson says he'd love to have her on in any capacity, as a contestant, participant or judge, E! News reports that Mark Ballas would prefer to have her on the show as a competitor.

So what do you think? Would Paula Abdul make a good addition to the "Dancing With The Stars" team?

I was especially excited to see this weeks show, as part of the fun, was to see what the Stars designed-with Randall, for their dance partners and themselves. Last week we got to see Randall with funny bits alluding to what was to come for the costumes. He seemed to be shaking his head a lot!

I was glad I was paying attention to these quick bits, as there was no more to be seen this week, as I had hoped. But host Tom, did refer to the tables-turned designs. I assume that the Pro-dancers had more say than the stars for most of their costumes.

Melissa and Tony started out the show, dancing the Argentine Tango. I LOVED her costume! It was classy and tailored, with stoned black mesh over glitzy red, leaving bands of color on the nice diagonal angles of the costume. The so-current, one-shouldered design, fun back strapping, banded slit and flower accent all came together for a stunning look. Bravo! Melissa gets a big 10 from me, while Tony, in his debonair red pin-stripe on black, suit with black shirt and red tie gets an 8.

Lawrence promised to cover up Edyta, for his Mamas sake. And he did! Read on for more of my weekly critique on Dancing With the Stars costuming...

As I mentioned in my blog about last weeks costuming, this week, the costumes are not as dramatic and sophisticated. The All-American Jive stirs images of the 1940s and 1950s, which were not the most romantic of historic periods. Women were put to work in factories, replacing their men who were defending world freedom, around the globe, and then, when they came back, were relegated to the home to make and raise babies. To me, the provocative 1920s and the steamy, sensual 1930s are much more glamorous times in our fashion history.

The Sensual Rumba evokes steamy Latin romantic lust, and can produce more beautiful costuming, although it can be skimpy. In skipping to the second dance of the evening, where Shawn and Mark presented the Rumba, the announcer stated the phrase-AGE APPROPRIATE COSTUMING. He was absolutely correct. At a rather shy 17, Shawn would have been totally out of place in a skimpy and provocative outfit. Instead, Randall achieved perfection. Even though Shawn was wearing a bra-top and panty, with only a sheer chiffon drape, she was alluring, yet virginal. The drape covered her nicely-flattering her gymnastically muscled thighs. The drape provided a veil of camouflage that kept her looking very demure. Mark wore a matching sheer shirt with scattered rhinestones. Both dancers had plenty of glitz to sparkle on the dance floor.

How did everyone else look? Read on!

Tonight is going to be a big night on the results show of "Dancing With the Stars," so you'll definitely want to tune in!

Karen Olivo and the cast of the Broadway revival of "West Side Story" will be performing "America." I'm really excited to watch because I've been so curious about the revival. I think seeing this classic number will answer a lot of my questions, particularly whether or not Joey McKneely stayed true to the original Jerome Robbins choreography.

Also, the always hot Carmen Electra will be performing. She will be partnered by my friend Kevin Aubin who, funny enough, was MY first partner in "The Nutcracker" with Ft. Lauderdale Ballet Classique back in the day. Pretty crazy! Additionally, the Los Angeles-based dance troupe Cherry Boom Boom will be performing as well.

Don't forget to tune in tonight at 9 p.m. EST on ABC!