Throng

The organisers of the Dancing with the Stars Live show scheduled for Vector Arena in August have had to can the event due to poor ticket sales.

The event was to feature the favourite couples from the popular TVNZ show in a special one-night performance where the celebrities would team up with their dance partners and take to the floor once again.

Past winners and runners up were to be featured including Tamati Coffey, Lorraine Downes, Shane Cortese, Norm Hewitt, Beatrice Faumuina and Suzanne Paul. Jason Gunn and Candy Lane were to host the event.

The promoters have apologised to fans and ticket holders, and have said that full refunds will be given.

When the Dancing with the Stars winners and runners-up reunite for a special evening at Vector Arena in August, there will be more than a few nerves out there on the dance floor.

Original series winner Norm Hewitt and last year’s champ Tamati Coffey are among those set to unite for a special night of dancing in Auckland later this year in what’s shaping up to be a celebration of the best celebrity dancers from One’s hit series.

Victorious in the first season of the competition back in 2005, ex-All Black Norm Hewitt claims he’ll be a tad rusty when he reunites with dance partner Carol-Ann Hickmore for the first time in five years.

"Even if I do a wee bit of a dance at a school I am reminded of how fit you have to be," Hewitt says.

The ex-rugby player is looking forward to a showdown with Shane Cortese, though makes it known the bare-chested dances will remain in the hands of the actor.

World Flight are offering the chance to spend an hour with a New Zealand celebrity at the controls of a Boeing 737 flight simulator as part of a fundraising exercise for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The stars:
Beth Allen, Ido Drent, Dai Henwood, Renee Wright, Toni Street, Pippa Wetzell, Mike Puru, Andrew Mulligan, Jeremy Corbett, Paul Ego, Rodney Hide, Jono Pryor, Miriama Kamo, Neil Waka and Clinton Randall.

The auctions are live on Sella.  Check out World Flight NZ for more info.

In 2009, TVNZ still managed to turn a profit which, it has to be said, is a fairly praiseworthy achievement in the current environment.  But what about 2010?  What is TVNZ banking on that will return another dividend?

As revenue is directly related to ratings, it has been interesting to watch TVNZ deliberately remove what one would have expected to have been two of the most watched events of 2010.  Firstly, the 2010 Dehli Commonwealth Games, which they had the rights to but decided that the income would not have justified the expense.  Secondly, Tuesday nights Jason Gunn extravaganza Dancing with the Stars.

While the screening of these offers enormous revenue opportunities independently, they also provide TVNZ with lead ins to other shows and the ability to promote other TVNZ content.  So what do they have in store instead?  Are there any major television events that will reach the same audience and achieve a better result?

TVNZ has decided against commissioning a production of Dancing With The Stars in 2010.

The decision has been made, reluctantly, because the current market conditions do not support such an expensive show.

Despite its huge popularity the cost of mounting the multi-million dollar, BBC-format production has made Dancing With The Stars a very marginal venture for TVNZ - even in strong market conditions.

In a recessionary environment the network can no longer absorb losses made by big-budget productions.

TVNZ is treating the decision as a ‘rest’ for the programme, and will re-evaluate the situation for the following year.

If market conditions have improved significantly, TVNZ will look to re-establish the show in 2011.

Provisional amounts have shown that $433,053.81 was raised for charity this year in TV ONE’s hit show Dancing With The Stars.

Dancing With The Stars winner Tamati Coffey's chosen charity, Rainbow Youth, will receive a record amount from the series, $259,990.79. UpsideDowns Education Trust, the charity represented by 2009 series runner-up Barbara Kendall, will receive $99,009.02 and semi-finalist Josh Kronfeld's charity, Koru Care Otago, will receive $37,276.01.

In Brief

Congratulations Tamati and Samantha for winning Dancing with the Stars 2009!

"I'm stunned, I'm speechless right now, I'm, I don't know...Hi to everybody at Rainbow Youth, we did this for you guys, it's been about you the whole time," said an overwhelmed Tamati on winning the title.