It’s amazing who you’ll run into at Disney World. Sure, you expect Mickey and Minnie to show up. But the Evolution of Dance guy?
I met him last week when I was waiting in line for the opening of “Finding Nemo — The Musical,” a new stage show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. He was taping a segment for his Web site and someone in line recognized him. He came over and we started talking. If you haven’t seen his six-minute show, get thee to YouTube. You’ll get a taste of what it is he does. While he readily answers to “Evolution of Dance Guy,” he’s known as Jud Laipply. A motivational speaker, he told me he created the dance (which hits a variety of styles and moves over a period of years) as a way to end his live presentation. Someone taped it, it wound up on YouTube and now he’s reaping the benefits. In other words, he’s getting lots of bookings. Jud said he was hoping to do a DVD but rights to the songs prove to be a stumbling block. As soon as he gets them, you’ll be able to see the Evolution on your own LCD. Now, you’ve got to watch it on a computer.
My suggestion? Bring Jud to town so we can see it in person. If his motivational talk is as good as his dancing, it’s gotta be a winner.
Want one more? Why doesn’t ABC put him on “Dancing With the Stars”? He’s gotta be just as good as Joey Fatone.

The dream of winning Best Picture ended for the folks behind “Dreamgirls.” Tuesday, the film got eight Oscar nominations but was shut out of the big prize. The problem could have been one of confidence. Opening the film in select cities, heralding it as a major achievement, “Dreamgirls” producers set it up to be knocked down.
The slugger: “Little Miss Sunshine.” An independent film released months ago, “Sunshine” is the new darling — already a winner of the Producers Guild Award. That means it actually could win Best Picture…but don’t count on it. “The Departed” and “Babel” are still in there punching. Ditto: “The Queen” and “Letters from Iwo Jima.”
In the acting categories, it was pretty much business as usual. Leonardo DiCaprio got a nod for “Blood Diamond,” not “The Departed.” Jack Nicholson didn’t make the cut, either, and Sacha Baron Cohen from “Borat” wasn’t on the list.
Still, the big hitters are there and, now, it looks like the ones to beat are Helen Mirren (”The Queen”), Forest Whitaker (”The Last King of Scotland”), Jennifer Hudson (”Dreamgirls”) and Jackie Earle Haley (”Little Children”).
The spoilers: Peter O’Toole (a perennial best man) for “Venus”, Abigail Breslin for “Little Miss Sunshine”, Mark Wahlberg for “The Departed” and Meryl Streep for “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Interestingly, Beyonce’s name wasn’t listed as one of the writers of a nominated “Dreamgirls” song. She was considered one of the “Listen” folks but now, she’s not.
Don’t cry for “Dreamgirls,” however. The film should get at least three or four awards — largely in technical categories. Hudson seems a lock for her trophy and Eddie Murphy could land his.
The wake-up call must have been a surprise for people who dreamed of gold but now may be lucky to make it to the dance.

How do you get a job in Hollywood? Go to a mall in Iowa. No kidding. Ashton Kutcher was discovered that way and so, too, was Riley Smith, a Cedar Rapids native.
Now filming a new series for Fox (called “Drive”), Smith is also going to the Sundance Film Festival this week to support a film he’s in. I caught up with him at the Television Press Tour in Pasadena.
“I did some acting in high school, but I wasn’t interested in that as a career,” he told me. He actually had a basketball scholarship to a school in Illinois. Then, an agent spotted him at a mall (he was getting his tux for prom) and told him he had “the look.” “I decided to listen to her,” he said. And he moved to New York with Ashton. The two got work and decided to make the entertainment industry their career. Smith said Kutcher really maximized his potential and made his own opportunities. Now, he’d like to do the same.
In addition to the series (which begins in spring), he has several films ready for release.
“Isn’t it great to be here and not in cold Iowa?” he asked. Maybe that’s the secret to being discovered. It’s so cold, you’ve gotta go to the mall for fun…and then someone can discover you.

As we get closer to the premiere date of “Drive” I’ll bring you Smith’s full story. It’s quite interesting.

Keep warm…and head to the mall…you never know what could happen.

Bob Barker turned up here Thursday to talk about his retirement. Yup, after 50 years in broadcasting, the “Price is Right” god is hanging it up. To prove he means business, Bob also brought along the big showdown wheel, Plinko and his dice game. I tried all three — and learned I’d do poorly at all of them. (I did, though, position the wheel so it looked like I got 100 when I had my picture taken.) Bob, meanwhile, was in rare form. He said college students love his show largely because he starred in “Happy Gilmore” and told Adam Sandler, “The price is right, b—-.” “Now, they always want me to say the line.” Bob said he toys with the audiences and, ultimately, says it. He’ll tape his last show sometime in June, then appear in reruns through the summer. In fall, a replacement will be named.
“Everyone asks me what I’m going to do when I retire,” he said. “I thought when you retire you don’t have to do anything.”
He talked a great deal, too, about growing up in South Dakota and, in an upcoming A&E section, we’ll give you the full story.
Meanwhile, the wheel: It’s really easy to spin. If you give it a big yank it could still be spinning.
Plinko? That’s a game of luck. Who know where the darn thing goes.
And dice? I’ve never been good at dice, big or small.
Just know, talking with Bob was the luckiest move of all.

And, by the way, you better be careful around me. I’m an Honorary Special Agent with NCIS. This week I visited the set of the CBS show and real experts from NCIS were on hand to run me through the hurdles. At one station, I learned they can just about dig into anything in your life. A box of Pop Tarts? It could contain a camera. A purse? Check out the button on the strap. It might be a lens. They can peek into homes, follow you around town, tap your phones…as long as they get the paperwork done (and you probably won’t know it). The stuff sounded pretty scary.

But then I went to the lie detector area and Frank Maietta, chief of polygraph services, hooked me up to the machine. He couldn’t ask questions that could tell if I was lying (now, they get all formal) but he could show me how you react under those circumstances. He said he’s often “acting” when he gives the test. “I put on my poker face” and then watches as the subject weasles around. The machine is hooked up to your fingers, your chest, your arm and your seat. You actually sit on a pad that records movement. So just about anything can give you away. And, no, you can’t try to trick it. Sure, some say they can but with all those recordings, something’s got to give.

By the time I’d gone through the stations (ooh, don’t even ask about forensics) I got to the actors on the CBS show. They said the government is highly cooperative and thrilled with the exposure they’re getting. Interestingly, kids are hot to get in the line of the work, thanks to shows like “NCIS.” And star Mark Harmon? “I’m just glad to be working,” he says.

The picture is of me and Frank Maietta. No, those aren’t lies on the screen…just some high blood pressure!

Donald Trump hasn’t given up the Rosie fight…yet. Today at the Television Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., he continued the rant, calling O’Donnell a “terrible, disgusting human being. Not very smart and she’s got a lot of problems. I believe you’ll see that whole thing blow up and please give me a little bit of the credit when it does.”
The Donald was here to promote the latest edition of “The Apprentice.” He brought son Donald Jr. and daughter Ivanka with and I got a chance to talk to the kids for a good stretch of time. Both said they’ve learned to have a tough skin after some of the things kids said when they were growing up. The stuff that’s tossed around now? Kids’ stuff. “What’s really hard is dealing with a bunch of 16-year-old girls,” Ivanka told me. “They’re brutal.” Both Trump kids work with dad but they say Mom Ivana was the one responsible for giving them a more global view of the world.
Before they left, both got Bobblehead dolls of Dad. “I wish I looked that good,” the old man said.
Watch A&E in the next two weeks for the full interviews with Donald Jr. and Ivanka. They’ve got some interesting things to say.

Now for the day’s news:
“Scrubs” will probably go on another season — even if star Zach Braff doesn’t reup. The next season would likely be the comedy’s last. Thursday night, they’ve got a very special “musical” episode. Hmmm.

Several “Apprentice” losers have actually wound up working in the Trump organization.

Conan O’Brien created a new sitcom, “Andy Barker, P.I.,” that stars his old sidekick, Andy Richter.

And “Heroes” is such a big phenomenon it has been renewed for a full season. We talked with the whole cast, saw the new merchandising (including T-shirts that say, “Are you on the list?”) and learned death could be imminent for one of the characters.

More tomorrow. Get that snow out before I get home.

The Golden Globe statue is heavy. How do I know? I held the one that went to “Ugly Betty” as Best Comedy Series. Today, I was on the set of the ABC show and America Ferrara and the show’s producer had theirs on hand. No, they weren’t engraved, but they did look pretty spiffy. The base is marble, the top looks like it could go on a bowling trophy. Cast members said they partied after the ceremony, but they knew they had to be to work, so they didn’t stay out late. Vanessa Williams said she got home at 1 a.m. Then, today, she paid for an omlet bar for the cast members. “I didn’t do it to celebrate the win,” she said. “I had planned to do it a long time ago.”
Ferrara, meanwhile, was still beaming. Wearing a big parka (”It’s always cold around here,” she said), she said she couldn’t believe she had won. She loved looking out at all the stars, too, and realized just what kind of an impact the show was making.
The set (including Betty’s home and the MODE magazine offices) was filled with journalists eager to see where the action happens. The actors showed some of the little quirks (there’s a book inside Williams’ bookshelf that actually features her as one of the models) and pointed out what to look for. In the show’s tunnel (which looks like a tube) set pieces are changed each week. This week there are cat and dog figurines…why, we don’t know. It has something to do with the show. And the house set is so packed with stuff it’d be impossible to keep track of everything. The most interesting piece of kitsch? A Jesus nightlight. Another thing to note: There’s a lot of orange everywhere. The show’s production designer said he thought the color would really register on television — particularly high-def screens, so it’s a key “Betty” element.
As a souvenir, we were given “Ugly Betty” masks and BE UGLY rings. The rings are made of rubber (not unlike the Lance Armstrong wristbands) and they’re going to be used as a fundraiser for Girls Inc. Empowering girls. That’s “Betty’s” message.

More later. Keep shoveling.

OK, I know you’re shoveling more snow than we’ve seen in months, but take heart. I’m in Los Angeles this week doing interviews and, get this, IT’S REALLY COLD HERE. No kidding. Monday, it was barely 30 degrees in the morning. Out here, that means PARKAS…the kind you’re wearing now. You’ve never seen such weak-willed people. They’ll wear the hood, bundle up with scarves and walk around in snow boots. When it hit 60, they barely loosened their collars.
Last night, a party planned for outdoors was moved inside and, still, they wore more sweaters than we would to brave 40 below weather.

So, on to the news. Every day this week, I’ll fill you in on the stuff I’ve learned and give you a preview of coming attractions. I’m attending the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Each of the networks brings its stars to be interviewed by writers from around the United States and Canada. We get a preview of the shows you haven’t seen yet and a chance to rub shoulders with stars you’ve invited in your home.
Last night, ABC hosted and the crowd included folks like Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Anne Heche, the folks from “Lost,” “Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and a bunch more.
I caught up with Michael Emerson, Ben on “Lost,” and we swapped Iowa stories. “I thought I’d make it if I worked at the Guthrie (in Minneapolis),” the Toledo, Iowa, native told me. Now, he’s on the biggest show on television and doesn’t take it lightly. A self-taught illustrator, he says he always has that to fall back on if the career disappears. “I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he said. “I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

Look for the full interview in Friday’s A&E section.

Chandra Wilson, from “Grey’s Anatomy,” was there with her children (including her newborn son). She said stuff like awards shows and Hollywood parties were so foreign, she didn’t even consider herself a part of the industry. “I just go to work every day, come home and deal with my family.”

Miley Cyrus, the star of “Hannah Montana,” brought dad (and co-star) Billy Ray and said she never missed an opportunity to offer him a little advice. “We get along great,” she said with a smile. “We get to spend a lot of time together.” And dad? “He listens to me…just ask him.” Dad, meanwhile, had already disappeared.

I got a little fashion advice, too, from Mark Indelicato, the young star of “Ugly Betty.” I told him I had a shirt similar to the one he was wearing and he said, “I got it on sale at the Gap.” I told him I bought mine somewhere else and said, “You should have waited. That’s the key to shopping…knowing when to buy.” Since I brought my own parka to Los Angeles, I didn’t ask him where I might pick one of those up. But I noticed the stores didn’t have any for sale. Perhaps these Hollywood types didn’t wait for the weather to turn. Like Mark, they know the key is “knowing when to buy.”

Tomorrow: The scoop on four set visits. Meanwhile, stay warm…and go, ahead, shovel for me.

While Siouxlanders are enjoying the Broadway touring edition of “Mamma Mia,” they might want to consider who’s playing the leading role on film.
Today, it was announced Meryl Streep has been hired to play the part in the Rita Wilson/Tom Hanks production.
While folks got to hear her sing in “A Prairie Home Companion” and “Postcards from the Edge,” “Mamma Mia” could be the true test of her vocal abilities.
Don’t undercut her — she was a leading contender to play Evita until negotiations broke off.

Going to North Dakota for Christmas isn’t the treat you think it is. For starters, there aren’t many rest stops between here and there (trust me, I know), but there is a casino (I’m $9 richer …who-hoo!) and a lot of signs.
In case you haven’t been that way, the inspiration for Sioux City’s Buffalo Alice is really an exit — to the towns of Buffalo, N.D., and Alice, N.D.
Also, there’s a big movement to put “nice” messages on blank billboards, thus things like “Be grateful.” And, for good measure, there’s a farmer who puts seasonal stuff on bales of hay.
Look, it’s not exactly Times Square. But looking for the signs kept me from counting road kill. (Which, by the way, was down this year. Good news.)